"It's a cesspool": Community meeting held in Fair Oaks to address growing homeless crisis
FAIR OAKS — Dozens packed a community room in Fair Oaks to find out how Sacramento County will address the growing homeless problem in their community.
The elected official hosting the meeting said the many issues stemming from the crisis occupy 90 percent of his job.
Lee Grichuhin worries homeless encampments along a canal in the Gold River area are a public health concern.
"It's a cesspool, and I see dogs and kids playing in it down by the river end," he said. "All that water is moving into the American River."
Grichuhin understands solving the homeless crisis is a complex issue. He is glad to see a new partnership with Sacramento County and the City of Sacramento coming together.
Sacramento County Supervisor Rich Desmond said it's a big step toward moving beyond the finger-pointing of the past.
"We know 65 percent of unsheltered are in the City of Sacramento," Desmond said.
He said homelessness impacts many different areas, from law enforcement to the Department of Transportation to the water department, which is now being trained on how to approach the homeless after reports of confrontation.
"Unlike other social service ills we talk about in our community — behavioral health, child welfare — there is no mandated entity anywhere to fix homelessness," said Emily Halcon, the Sacramento County director of homeless services and housing.
Halcon addressed a packed room at the Fair Oaks Water District and answered questions about everything from housing alternatives to mental health and addiction services to trash pickup. Desmond said it's a multi-jurisdictional issue.
"The county will dedicate navigation and outreach workers to accompany the city's Department of Community Response when they go out and engage with the more problematic campsites they're facing," Desmond said.
He said a new class action lawsuit over disabled access to public sidewalks shines a light on the problems homeless encampments are causing. After hearing from constituents, he said he has instructed law enforcement to move them.
"We have an obligation to fix that," Desmond said. "Those sidewalks are built for mobility purposes so they can get to and from where they need to be."
Grichuhin is glad to see some progress being made, but he said it's an uphill battle in California.
"The real problem is at the top, state level, is that the rules and regulations are not being addressed and that's where it's really going to change," he said. "If we can get cooperation of people in all these districts, facilities and the sheriff's department to change the law to make it more easier for them to do their job."
Authorities encourage the public to contact 311 for concerns or cleanup. There will be more of these meetings. Contact the Fair Oaks Water District for a schedule
