Sacramento homeless issues - what is the latest? (Carmichael: city hall, homes)

[JohnS_15]

I'm not interested in hearing who is to blame or any other California or Sacramento bashing. I am interested in any information from folks who follow this more closely than me. What is the current thinking or plan around the issue of the terrible homeless problems here?

There are a lot of little camps along the river where I live which end up being terribly destructive and ruin what should be a place where we can enjoy nature and children can play. But the impetus for asking about this comes from the fact I went downtown to pick up stuff from my office and it literally looks like a refugee camp down there. Tents all over, people openly urinating in broad daylight and shooting up on main streets in the middle of the day.

[Chimérique]

I donated food yesterday to the River City food bank. It is located behind the Natural Foods Co-Op. The food bank accepts donations Tues, Wed, and Thursday. Although I've donated before, It will be a weekly thing for now on.

It appeared about 1/4 of the folks in line for food were clearly mentally, and/or emotionally ill. About 3/4 appeared to be able bodied, young and healthy, although more than half appeared to be drug-addicted.

[Igor Blevin]

Camps along the river? As you saw for yourself, there are rows of tent camps downtown, right outside of City Hall. Right on the sidewalk outside city hall. Right outside the police station. There are tents everywhere downtown. I drove around downtown last week just to see how open things were or still boarded up with BLM grafitti.

As far as I can tell, the Sacramento politicians and bureaucrats are actively encouraging homeless people to form tent camps on the downtown sidewalks. All indications are that they welcome an increased homeless presence throughout the city of Sacramento, especially downtown. I would go so far as to say they are coddling homelessness in Sacramento.

They are doing nothing, zero, zilch to either address homelessness or deal with the active presence of the homeless throughout our public areas. Nothing.

What plan? The plan appears to be to expand the homeless presence everywhere. I have no clue if the Sac government people are doing this to appear compassionate or because they have just given up. I can’t tell. It appears as if they have just surrendered the city to the homeless and are letting them live wherever the want to live without any limits.

I am baffled by their encouraging homeless camps everywhere. It it is mind boggling.

Plan? There is no plan. The plan is surrender.

The good news is, they are doing a lot of downtown construction and maintenance. The crews can work less obstructed by workers and shoppers since their is so little traffic or pedestrians.

[Igor Blevin]

The plan is surrender.

It was worth repeating.

[StrawberrySoup]

Originally Posted by Igor Blevin

The plan is surrender.

.

I like to think of it as 'advance to the rear'.

It's fairly easy to avoid a homeless campus with some combination of:

. Cops with no sense of humor about such things (probably impossible in most of CA).
. Impossibly cold weather for part of the year
. Car dependency, probably somewhat rural.

Heck, you can even be a card-carryin' Blue Stater, filled with compassion for your fellow man, and avoid the great unwashed simply by following these simple rules.

[JohnS_15]

Originally Posted by Igor Blevin

Camps along the river?

Yes there are lots of places along the American River Parkway where there are encampments of homeless with garbage and mess everywhere.

Originally Posted by Igor Blevin

As far as I can tell, the Sacramento politicians and bureaucrats are actively encouraging homeless people to form tent camps on the downtown sidewalks. All indications are that they welcome an increased homeless presence throughout the city of Sacramento, especially downtown. I would go so far as to say they are coddling homelessness in Sacramento.

I get the frustration but I don't see it as welcoming the homeless I see it as not having other alternatives... right?

Originally Posted by Igor Blevin

Plan? There is no plan. The plan is surrender.

I mean it sure feels like it. But that's what I want to know... what are the options out there? It's such an overwhelming issue I just don't see any fixes for it. What are you going to do arrest all the homeless? And do what with them? Kick them on to the next town? You think they are just bums that would go out and get a job if only they weren't getting handouts? That's just not the reality of this situation.

I think we are way past food banks and temporary shelters... not that we should overlook these things but that is not solving the issue. I'd like to see some more creative thinking... and yes perhaps a more aggressive approach. I don't mind money and resources being poured into it as long as it's going to have an impact on the problem.

[cb73]

It would be interesting to compile a list of news articles all with the same theme--the city has gotten a grant/whatever from the State/Feds/whoever to deal with the homeless issue.

And then nothing happens.

And then another grant. And another.

It almost seems like having lots of homeless is a guarantee of incoming funds for the politicians. Or am I being cynical?

[dustin183]

Originally Posted by Igor Blevin

Camps along the river? As you saw for yourself, there are rows of tent camps downtown, right outside of City Hall. Right on the sidewalk outside city hall. Right outside the police station. There are tents everywhere downtown. I drove around downtown last week just to see how open things were or still boarded up with BLM grafitti.

Interesting. I haven't driven through downtown proper for a few months, even though I live nearby. I'll have to check it out. I mean, if tents are gonna pop up I think city hall is a fine place for them. Rather than in residential areas. Let the politicians have to walk through it everyday.

[Racer46]

Originally Posted by dustin183

Interesting. I haven't driven through downtown proper for a few months, even though I live nearby. I'll have to check it out. I mean, if tents are gonna pop up I think city hall is a fine place for them. Rather than in residential areas. Let the politicians have to walk through it everyday.

How about around the politicians homes.

[sacguy71]

well I live downtown and soon to move to Carmichael and it has become 100x worse than I can even remember in past few years. Tent cities and living in abandoned cars and RV under freeway near 23rd and X are brutal. All over river areas too. Also if you drive up and down I-5 near Natomas there was a massive tent city as well.