Recent targeted sweeps of homeless, first in Ransom Alley and then this week in Brooklyn Square, needed to happen.

Let’s not forget, this isn’t a recent problem.

Our reporting on the homeless population really began three years ago. Many of the publicly visible homeless moved from their tents in Brooklyn Square back in 2022, but they were still here in greater number than most wanted to acknowledge. They were here in enough number to make if difficult to run publicly-funded and volunteer-run Code Blue shelters. They were here in enough numbers for well-meaning private citizens to make it their mission to try to help.

The actions taken since late July by Mayor Kim Ecklund, with help from non-profit partners and county officials, didn’t happen in a vacuum. This pot has boiling for years. You don’t have to be Wolfgang Puck to know something has to be done when pots boil over. The time was right to increase outreach to the homeless, get as many as possible into temporary housing and reclaim public spaces.

As we noted, this pot has been boiling for a while. And last week a situation that has been the focus of intense heat and pressure boiled over last week when COI officials and Mayor Kim Ecklund expressed public disappointment with each other over how each has handled the homeless. In matters such as these, what’s right is likely somewhere in the middle. There’s disappointment and frustration, and frankly it’s understandable.

What’s important, now, is that after the pot has boiled over, to turn down the temperature.

This problem isn’t going away on its own. Unlike 2022, when the homeless faded into the background after the cold winter months, how to help the homeless needs to remain a front-burner issue even if we can’t always see the homeless camping in Brooklyn Square or huddled under the North Main Street railroad viaduct.

It should be fairly obvious to everyone that homeless camping infinitely in public spaces is bad for public health, not conducive to shop owners trying to conduct business and not healthy for the homeless nor the city’s public spaces. It should also be obvious that more public outreach is needed to connect people with public mental health or addiction services in an attempt to keep the homeless population from again reaching the size we saw earlier this summer. Housing prices need to come down or more low- to moderate-income housing built. Transitional housing with to support those with mental health or addiction issues is needed. Additional state-sponsored capacity for mental health and addiction services are needed. A solution is also needed for those who refuse to help themselves.

That means there will be a lot of cooks in the kitchen who will need to cook together so their different strengths work in concert rather than against each other.