The homeless issue continues to plague businesses on Blackstone Avenue, causing some to head to new locations. One business group is proposing a solution they say will help businesses thrive.

The Blackstone Merchants Association submitted a petition last week calling on the city of Fresno to compel homeless advocacy organizations to stop dropping people off on Blackstone Avenue and expand who can issue trespassing citations. The petition has more than 60 names on it, many of them owners of hotels, auto dealerships, restaurants, and other properties.

Assocation President AJ Rassamni said that despite some organizations claiming that they don’t relocate people to other parts of town, he’s seen it and taken pictures. He said those relocated people then leave trash and damage property.

Rassamni said he didn’t want to name the organization dropping people off, but pictures submitted with the petition show Poverello House vehicles handing out resources to people in parking lots.

Rassamni added that the people dropped off on Blackstone are people that he and other business owners haven’t seen before.

Calls to Poverello House and emails to CEO Zak Darrah were not returned.

The petition calls for homeless organizations to stop serving people on private property and to allow code enforcement to issue trespassing citations — increasing the number of city staff who can enforce the city’s anti-camping laws.

“We need to come up with a solution. The solution is: if you are on private property, we’re not going to serve you. That’s easy,” Rassamni said. “So let’s create a good neighborhood policy. Just do not serve anybody on private property.”

Grocery Outlet, Jeb’s Blueberry Hill Have Left Blackstone

On Tuesday, the Grocery Outlet at Blackstone and Ashlan avenues closed, relocating to Willow and Nees avenues. Rassamni said the grocery store had multiple break-ins.

In late 2024, a popular breakfast restaurant, Jeb’s Blueberry Hill, moved away from Blackstone and Dakota avenues to Old Town Clovis. Co-owner Ruby Martinez said issues around homelessness drove the decision to move. She had to deal with frequent drug activity, vandalism, fires, and attempted break-ins, she said.

She said she loves their new spot at Pollasky Avenue and Fourth Street.

“I get to sleep at night now,” Martinez said.

Fresno City Councilmember Nelson Esparza, whose district encompasses much of Blackstone, said he shared many of the frustrations raised by business owners.

“This really goes to the broader frustration that we, the community, have and we at city hall have despite all the investments we’ve made and despite the improvement that we have seen in the homeless population and decreasing it and housing folks,” Esparza said.

He said he supports having code enforcement officers issue trespassing citations, and he’s looking into the legality of giving them that authority. He said he’s getting conflicting information about whether homeless organizations are relocating people. The city doesn’t have control over nonprofits, but he’s had conversations with those groups.

“I’ve had some meetings in the past and was assured that was not occurring, but all these years later, there’s still a lot of heartburn from the part of the merchants and for good reason,” Esparza said.

Anti-Camping Ordinance Helping, but Takes Too Long: Blackstone Business Owner

Givan Bznuni owns All Access Automotive on Blackstone and signed the petition. He said the dirt lot behind his building attracts a lot of encampments.

“Within a day or two, you see large amounts of trash everywhere, all along the dirt lot, and then all along my property as well, because it’s adjacent to it,” Bznuni said. “And then I notice a lot more activity as far as people trying to break into my property and cars getting broken into.”

After the city passed its anti-camping rule in 2024, he said he’s noticed a slight difference. The city has been responsive, but it can take a few days.

“When you call them, they ask for specific things — do they have tents, do they have animals, do they have other items that look like they’re living there?” Bznuni said. Those descriptions get higher priorities, he said.

When he calls, he said he often gets rerouted to different departments, and so he asked for better coordination at the city.

Rassamni said trash and safety issues keep customers away from many Blackstone businesses.

“If we clean the property, remove any encampments, all of a sudden, break-ins to the property, to their business goes down to zero,” Rassamni said. “And within 30 days, they have no break-ins and also within 30 days, the revenue at the business goes up 30%, 40%, and 50%.”