Sacramento eyes new tent site in River District, sparking concern over homeless overload
Next week, Sacramento city leaders will consider a plan to turn a vacant city lot into a new tent camping site, but it's in a neighborhood that already has the highest concentration of homeless people in the region.
People in Sacramento's River District are saying, "Enough is enough."
"We just can't keep taking more in more shelter beds and services here," said Devin Strecker, executive director of the River District. "We're kind of maxed out."
Strecker lives in the area and represents local businesses. He said there are 526 currently in the district, the highest concentration in the entire region.
"We have more shelter beds in our little district than several of the council districts in the city," Strecker said. "In fact, two council districts as of today have zero."
Businesses complain that the over-concentration is hurting the neighborhood.
"Crimes like vandalism, theft, assault, things that quality of life here a little challenging for the people that live and work here," Strecker said.
Now, city leaders are considering adding an additional tent camping site with 100 new beds on a vacant land along Bannon Street.
"I think we're just very concerned because the city has shown that they don't have the resources to deal with the existing issues that we face," Strecker said.
Phil Pluckebaum represents the neighborhood on the city council.
"There's universal agreement that having city-sponsored sites where folks can be, that are not the street or parkway, are preferable, but that's where the agreement ends," Pluckebaum said. "Then it's hard to find a site we can all agree on."
Strecker said that the proposed new tent camping site goes against a 1989 city resolution, signed by Mayor Anne Ruden, to ban placing any more homeless shelters in the area.
"The city council recognized that we had an overconcentration of social services and shelter beds here," Strecker said. "Unfortunately, the city council decided to rescind that resolution in March of this year without really giving us any notice about it."
Three other sites will also be considered at next Tuesday's city council meeting, and the city will also discuss charging homeless people a fee to stay in long-term shelters.