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Friday, February 10, 2012
Mayor Johnson still working on a solution to resolve homelessness
by Dunia Hamza , published on July 27, 2010 at 11:00 PM
Storyline: Politics
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Mayor Kevin Johnson said he is disappointed that finding housing for Sacramento’s homeless has not progressed as much as he anticipated, when speaking on the issues of SafeGround in a press conference Tuesday.
“I am disappointed that we are not further along,” Johnson said. “This is not about finger pointing, this is about all of us collectively together figuring out a way that we get to were we need to be.”
It has been a year since Johnson camped out with Sacramento’s homeless community and launched a plan to find 2,400 housing units for homeless people during the next three years.
“From October 2009 to May 2010, 833 households have received housing assistance through Sacramento’s Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP),” Johnson’s media and communication coordinator, Joaquin McPeek said in an email interview.
The city of Sacramento has made progress in finding solutions through Sacramento’s Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP), but Johnson said he would like to be further along at this point.
“We have made very good progress on the broader issues of homelessness, which are permanent housing, but I think the pace to get a resolution is not the ideal pace,” Johnson said.
Johnson said he would have hoped to have this issue resolved a bit sooner in order to have viable housing options before November.
Last year Johnson announced that he has reached an agreement with SafeGround members regarding winter shelters, but due to county budget issues, those winter shelters will not be in place this year.
“When November comes around, the weather changes and because the county has significant budget issues, they are not able to provide financial support for homeless people, and a lot of the social service components that we as a city and our region rely on” Johnson said.
“If we don’t have winter shelters, then that impacts our ability to do permanent housing, and that is why the SafeGround folks are so concerned,” he continued. “Because if we have a shortage of winter shelter, they are not going to have a place to go.”
Last year, the winter shelter program was able to house an average of 250 people per night, according to McPeek.
“No matter what the barricades are,” Johnson said, “we have to get this resolved, and it’s not that hard if you have the relentlessness and the tenacity that you need, and this is a high priority.”
Although winter shelters will not be in place this year, Johnson said he has no doubt that they will come to a resolution and are now on another year cycle of trying to have them in place for next year.
When Johnson initially asked the illegal campers to relocate last year, he made them a commitment as mayor.
“These are people who said to me they were illegally camped. When I asked them to leave, I said I will commit to you as mayor to do everything we can to address your concerns. So they left, and they did it in an orderly manner,” Johnson said.
Today Johnson still holds to that commitment and is still working to find a solution to combat homelessness in Sacramento.
“It’s about trust and credibility,” Johnson said. “Regardless of what the issues have been that have precluded us or impeded us from getting us to were we need to be, as mayor I want to be accountable, and I want to make sure that we get there.”
Photo by Nick Houser
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Hilarious! The agreement with SafeGround members was for the thirty of them to stay in a hotel! The Hawthorn Suites at Richards & I-5!! [See http://sacramentohomeless.blogspot.com/2009/12/hey-safe-ground-dont-you-people-know.html ] The "agreement" was a means to '"buy off" SafeGround, leaving the rest of the homeless to fend for themselves for the winter. Indeed, in early December, when nighttime lows plummetted to 27 degrees at least one homeless person DIED FROM THE COLD. Meantime, SafeGround was watching HBO and drinking 211's.
And, understand this, SafeGround had absolutely positively NOTHING to do with winter shelter. They were bought off to shut 'em up. KJ wasted a million dollars moving Tent City people [numbering, in total, ~200] into the Cal Expo shelter in 2008-2009. And then, last winter, spends funds housing SafeGround people in luxury in Hawthorn Suites. KJ is a stumblebum when in comes to the homeless, a massive public money waster. And unless you miss this point, here it is, pithily: SafeGround IS NOT the homeless. SafeGround is an organization set up to push the homeless-help industry's far-far-Leftist politics. The homeless people involved are centrally those who are averse to working.
While Homeless World Sacramento will be desperate for sleeping places this winter, with no money coming from the city or county, we must take whatever opportunites that come along to get space, but great care must be taken such that a calm, safe, nontoxic encampment is created. That is a mighty challenge.
ROFL!!!!!!!!!!! where?!! where is the "far-far-Leftist politics" ? Get a grip.
I have written about all that dozens of times. But it is understandable that you, like the vast majority of the public are unaware. Here [ http://sacramentopress.com/headline/21434/Communist_nonprofits_in_Homeless_World_Sacramento ] an article I wrote for Sacramento Press six-months ago. Here [ http://sacramentohomeless.blogspot.com/p/trinity-flier.html ] a flier that was distributed at Trinity Cathedral Church. And here [ http://sacramentohomeless.blogspot.com/search/label/communism
] stuff labeled communism at my blogsite.
You don't have to trust me! The links in all of that proves my contentions.