Sacramento City Council approves plan for homeless shelter near children's home
SACRAMENTO — Sacramento city leaders on Tuesday approved a controversial plan to open a homeless center near a children's receiving home.
City councilmembers voted unanimously to turn the former Powerhouse Science Center on Auburn Boulevard into a shelter where homeless people can escape the weather 24/7.
Neighbors have opposed the plan saying it puts kids in the receiving home at risk. But Mayor Darrell Steinberg said he refused to let the facility sit empty. He cited a recent count that found Sacramento's homeless population has almost doubled in three years.
Just hours before that vote, Sacramento business leaders released their own plan to solve the city's homeless crisis.
The Sacramento Chamber of Commerce wants to implement a no-camping ordinance across the county, add temporary shelter sites and would require the county to offer treatment for substance abuse, mental health, and social services at those shelters.