A bracing report on what is happening from California Globe.
The conclusions the author reaches are controversial, but hard to argue with given the continued rise in homeless even after millions of dollars has been provided,
An excerpt.
“How is Sacramento doing with its shelters for the homeless?
“In April, the Globe reported, “The City of Sacramento is spending more than $44 million to provide eight homeless shelters and camping options, most not yet built or ready, and three Project Homekey motel conversions. According to city officials, “most of that comes from state and federal grants that are not certain year to year.”
“Six months later, this is the status of the eight proposed and existing homeless sites we reported on in April:
- Joshua’s House is a private hospice facility not yet built on a city-owned lot in North Sacramento – says it will open in late 2022.
- Miller Park Safe Ground is a 60-tent low barrier shelter has been opened since Feb. 8. The City Council gave a public city park to homeless.
- Auburn Boulevard Respite Center is located at the former Science Center Museum, near a residential neighborhood as the Globe recently reported. Neighbors are livid.
- North 5th Street is an existing 145-bed shelter.
- Downtown Service Hub is an unnamed location that is the subject of ongoing negotiations to purchase the building and use it as a central hub for homeless and the service providers who work with them – no update available.
- Colfax Yard is a vacant city-owned lot not yet ready for official use which was used as an unsanctioned parking spot by homeless – “derailed by state agencies” for toxic cleanup.
- Roseville Road RT Station is currently used unofficially by homeless parking vehicles, with plans for a “safe parking facility for 70 vehicles and 100 guests, poised to open in the coming month.” No update available. In May, the city said it was working on a three-way agreement among the City, RT and Cal Trans. Hurry up – the “guests” are getting anxious.
- The 102-acre Job Corp site was purchased in January 2022 as federal surplus land, not accessible yet. No update available.
“Over one year ago in August 2021 the Mayor and City Council approved a Comprehensive Siting Plan listing 20 sites that could provide space for various types of shelters for homeless. The council is trying to normalize homelessness by spreading it out throughout the city.
“The County of Sacramento did the same, and mostly has just written about their plans since then. Homelessness has been increasing in recent years, with visible signs of its impact on individuals and families and in our neighborhoods,” the County says. “As the largest provider of social services and a major funder of a variety of homeless services, Sacramento County remains committed to working with stakeholders, including cities, Sacramento Steps Forward, Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, service providers and community members to develop and deliver the most impactful solutions to homelessness.”
“Okay. As the largest provider of social services and a major funder of a variety of homeless services, why is homelessness only growing in the county? Expensive housing is not the answer. In fact, it is counterintuitive.
“Here’s why the elected city and county officials and staff bureaucrats make oodles of plans, and hold oodles of meetings about these plans – because if they ever actually eradicated homelessness, the million$/billion$ in federal/state funding (taxpayer funding) would dry up.
“Our government is using the homeless as a funding stream, while pretending to care for them, and using them as a new voting base, now registering them to vote.
“Meanwhile, every day we hear news reports about violent drug addicted and mentally ill homeless people attacking, stabbing, shooting, killing innocent victims. In September, a Midtown man was attacked by a homeless man with a belt at a convenience store.
“A woman was attacked in Wm. Land Park in Sacramento by a homeless man on her daily run.
“In January, a large animal veterinarian friend reported a violent homeless guy with a hammer attacked a horse in the head, and had beaten the horse all over his body with the hammer. He also killed 12 of 15 pet birds in the chicken coop.”
Sacramento Shelters for the Homeless ‘Not Accessible Yet’ But Million$ Spent – California Globe
Parkway Blog 