Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "safe ground"

Homelessness in Sacramento: A look back at 2011

2011-12-30T04:59:18Z

From head counts and courtroom drama to Winter Sanctuary and SafeGround – homelessness remained at the top of the list of issues in Sacramento in 2011.

Despite data showing the number of homeless in the county had declined over the past year, there were still many people sleeping on the streets each night in 2011.

Local charity groups and community service programs struggled through the year to provide for the homeless – including an increasing percentage of families – many of whom were homeless for the first time due to fallout from the housing and mortgage crisis.

The alleged mishandling of homeless individuals’ personal property as police enforced city anti-camping laws resulted in a lawsuit filed by local civil rights attorney Mark Merin on behalf of the homeless.

As the lawsuit made its way through the halls of justice, another fight was brewing over creating “safe ground," a place for homeless people to call their own – if only temporarily – while they worked toward securing permanent housing.

Community events held in 2011 designed to raise awareness of homeless issues included a SafeGround Jubilee, and a workshop for City Council members to discuss ways to provide such a safe ground area for homeless.

Jennifer Lystrup, a teacher of social justice at Christian Brothers High School, created a documentary series on homeless youth, and artist and filmmaker Costa Mantis created the film series “Searching for Safe Ground,” revealing the daily struggles of being homeless in Sacramento.

In September, the court in the homeless class action suit decided in favor of the homeless plaintiffs, but the city appealed the decision, and the case is still pending.

Without a tent city to return to each night, and without a safe ground option, many homeless people set up tents on the edges of the American River Parkway – which was at odds with the city’s anti-camping ordinance, and rangers soon moved in to oust the homeless “campers.”

As winter approached, faith-based organizations came together with the nonprofit agency Sacramento Steps Forward to provide the Winter Sanctuary program for the second year, offering shelter for the homeless during the coldest part of the year.

The program – which provides shelter from Thanksgiving to March 1 at an estimated cost of $150,000 – lacked adequate funding, and the program was in jeopardy of not being able to open.

With the help of numerous donations from local businesses and individuals – and a last-minute $75,000 donation from Wells Fargo – the program opened on Dec. 1.

At the end of December, the winter shelter program was expanded, thanks in part to efforts by City Council members Steve Cohn, Jay Schenirer and Angelique Ashby, and requests for increased local donations to open more doors to the homeless.

Homelessness has been a hot topic for local government for many years, and despite minor upturns in the economy of late, it is an issue that does not appear to be going away anytime soon.

In November, the City Council started developing a plan to address homelessness from a regional standpoint – to include city, county and regional resources and leadership in solving the issue.

Perhaps 2012 will bring greater security – whether it’s “safe ground” or more transitional housing or enhanced services – for those struggling in the city without a permanent place to live.

Melissa Corker is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Local Artists Join Together to Benefit Sacramento’s Safe Ground Nov. 12

2011-11-08T15:13:02Z

Art does many things. It gives us a history of culture. It decorates our homes. It helps the homeless.

This 2nd Saturday, Vox Sacramento art studio is giving back to the community, as well as providing a unique art show called “Home.” The studio is asking locals to bring camping equipment, blankets and coats to the exhibit. Items will be used by Safe Ground Sacramento, a homeless advocacy organization supported by a coalition of local non-profits trying to provide a safe, dry and warm solution for local residents without homes. SafeGround supports a self-governed, alcohol, drug and violence free homeless community alternative.

The exhibit features several local artists, including:

B. Shearer
Andy Brooks
Jill Allyn Stafford
Robert Couse-Baker
Kelly O'Neill
Tomas Overbai
Lisa Oullette

Art is available for purchase and some artists will be on hand at the event. The studio is located at 1818 11th St. and the showing is from 5 to 9 pm.

Every day, more than 1,450 homeless men, women, children and families are struggling to make it on Sacramento County’s streets, while the current ailing economy has resulted in more people on the streets, but fewer private and government dollars to help them.
The next few months will be particularly difficult for Sacramento’s homeless community. There is a tremendous need for warm coats, blankets, sleeping bags and other camping items. Contributions, along with financial donations, will go far toward helping Sacramento’s growing homeless population.

Safe Ground currently needs churches, synagogues, congregations, union halls and business owners in the midtown area to permit up to 100 homeless to stay overnight on their property, from 6pm to 7am the next day. Safe Ground provides its own staffing and cleanup. For more information, contact SafeGround at 916-448-2448 or Steve at 916-769-8877.

Disclosure: I'm a volunteer for Safe Ground.

Council discusses regional approach to addressing homelessness

2011-11-03T01:25:07Z

The City Council is considering whether the city of Sacramento will join in the creation of a public-private collaborative agency to address the problems of homelessness in the region – an issue that does not recognize political boundaries.

Representatives from the city Neighborhood Services Department and the county Department of Human Assistance presented a report to the City Council Tuesday outlining a plan for creating a joint powers authority to align city and county governments with a nonprofit entity.

“The JPA would be the overarching policymaking body,” Sacramento county spokeswoman Kerri Aiello said Tuesday. “Sacramento Steps Forward (a nonprofit corporation) will ultimately be the umbrella over program implementation.”

In any given month in Sacramento, there are more than 3,000 people without homes, according to Ben Burton, executive director for Sacramento Steps Forward. That number includes people in emergency or transitional housing.

Of that number, Burton said more than 1,000 are actually on the street each night.

At one time, the county administered all government-funded homeless programs for the city and county, Burton said, and recent budget cuts have left homeless programs for Sacramento severely lacking in funding.

“When the funding ended, we had to ask ‘what do we do now?’ “ Burton said. “We start looking for additional dollars now.”

SafeGround representative John Kraintz said Tuesday that the goal of the JPA/nonprofit collaboration would be to maximize the ability to secure funding grants from the greatest variety of sources.

“Some programs have to be administered through the government to get public grant funds,” Kraintz said. “And nonprofits have a better ability to get private dollars.”

A nonprofit can access private funding more quickly than government, and some government funding can only be accessed by a government entity like a JPA.

Aiello said that certain homeless dollars – primarily Housing and Urban Development funds – can only be applied for by a government agency, and that would be one role of the JPA part of the partnership.

Another benefit of a combined JPA/nonprofit effort is the ability for many jurisdictions to share data and work together to plan regionally, Derrick Lim, Neighborhood Services manager, said Tuesday.

“It’s still in the conceptual phase right now,” Lim said. “The whole point is to have everyone in every jurisdiction sharing the same information.”

Representatives from regional City Councils and the Board of Supervisors would comprise a JPA Board whose role would be to accept grants that are only available to public agencies.

The JPA Board would award those funds to the nonprofit agency to administer. The JPA Board would also advise on major policy goals and serve as the community’s voice on the issue of homelessness, according to the report.

According to the report to the City Council, the Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance was the primary administrator of homeless programs in Sacramento since 1993. The city of Sacramento relied on the county to coordinate and administer programs on behalf of the city.

By the end of 2010, the DHA no longer had funding available to administer homeless programs as it had been doing, Aiello said.

“Everyone went broke, and the county pulled out of all their homeless projects,” local homeless advocate Tracie Rice-Bailey said Tuesday. “Now they are trying to put together this umbrella nonprofit to find how many ways they can keep roofs over people’s heads.”

In September 2010, the Sacramento City Council and county Board of Supervisors started discussing a conceptual plan to create a new public-private structure to end homelessness.

In March, the City Council approved transitioning the administration of homeless programs in the city away from the county DHA to Sacramento Steps Forward.

Sacramento county DHA staff have been presenting the JPA proposal to other city councils in the county and the Board of Supervisors to get feedback and ideas for the structure of the potential JPA.

“(County Department of Human Assistance director) Paul Lake has been out to Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights, Folsom and other areas of the county,” Aiello said.

The response to the idea has been positive, according to Lake.

“Other cities are very enthusiastic and want to move forward,” Lake told council members Tuesday.

Councilman Kevin McCarty said he is in favor of the proposed JPA structure for dealing with homeless issues in Sacramento.

“Bottom line: Regional solutions are needed here,” McCarty said Wednesday. “The more local governments teaming up and partnering to tackle homelessness, the better.”

The initial target date for having a JPA in place was July, but Lake said the date had to be adjusted because they needed more time to allow Sacramento Steps Forward to assume responsibility for managing grants.

“Neither the county nor Sacramento Steps Forward want to transfer responsibility until it can be a wholly successful transfer,” Lake said Wednesday. “We are hopeful that Sacramento Steps Forward will begin assuming (grant responsibility) early in 2012.”

Ben Burton, the new executive director for Sacramento Steps Forward, said Wednesday that this as an opportunity for creating a more innovative approach to homelessness.

“Once the (JPA) program is implemented,” Burton said, “we will put an agenda together to begin regional planning. It will start with an assessment of where we are today.”

Burton said it is essential that the multitude of jurisdictions in the region – cities, counties and private community agencies – start sharing data and local plans to address homelessness issues.

“This type of planning will strengthen our competition for federal dollars to provide services,” Burton said. “It’s cheaper to prevent homelessness than to take someone through the whole system.”

The City Council didn’t take any action on the proposal report Tuesday.

DHA and city staff will take the proposal to the county Board of Supervisors for discussion and feedback in December, Aiello said. A draft JPA agreement is expected to follow soon after.

Melissa Corker is a Staff Reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @MelissaCorker.

Safe Ground Jubilee rallies for homeless rights

2011-09-15T23:06:28Z

Despite the 90-degree weather, more than 300 people came together at Cesar Chavez Park, located at 924 J St., on Wednesday afternoon to support the second annual Safe Ground Jubilee and its message: That the rights of homeless people must be protected.

“The celebration is about all of the friends from the community that have joined forces with the homeless community,” said Paula Lomazzi, leader of the Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee. “We are trying to bring about Safe Ground and just make connections with the homeless people.”

Started in July 2009, Safe Ground is an organization that aims to provide a secure location sanctioned by the city and operated by the residents where the homeless can go to be free from harassment and danger and to access services they need to turn their lives around.

Safe Ground came about when people started to realize community bonds, Lomazzi said. After the tent city was taken down, people needed a place to go. She added that Safe Ground is a vehicle for people who want to help or meet homeless people.

The Jubilee followed the Safe Ground March to support the homeless community. Marchers started from Loaves and Fishes, located at 1321 North C St, and walked or biked to Cesar Chavez Park.

The Jubilee had several guest speakers discussing topics pertaining to homeless people’s current situation.

Guest speakers included Council members Jay Schenirer and Angelique Ashby.

“We know that there are challenges out there, and we know that winter is coming,” Schenirer said. “We have to do two things: We have to find a place that you can call your own this winter, and we have to find, as we’re working on now, a permanent home for Safe Ground.”

Schenirer said that his and Ashby’s commitment is that by the time the weather changes, homeless people will have a place that they can call their own for this winter.

Other speakers included Colin Bailey, an attorney with Legal Services of California, speaking on the state’s responsibilities and his feelings on its current inability to help all citizens. Sonny Iverson, lead outreach advocate at the Wind Youth Center, spoke about the lack of resources for transition-age youth, such as shelters. Debra Reiger, chairwoman of the Sacramento County Chapter of the ACLU, discussed the civil liberties of homeless people.

“We’re concerned that people are not being given their rights,” Reiger said. “They have the rights to not be hassled, to not be chased away.”

“Safe Ground is a positive thing that Sacramento needs … and we’re long overdue,” said Jeanie Williams, spokeswoman for Safe Ground. “We need to let people know that homelessness is a real problem and people have to stop being blind to it. The homeless are people too. They have needs too. We all have our rights, and people shouldn’t have to worry about where they’re going to sleep that night or where they’re going to eat that day.”

Lomazzi said that this year’s jubilee had more information tables for those in need or for those curious about how to alleviate the situation.

Tables included Women’s Empowerment, an organization providing women with the help to secure a self-reliant life. Wheels for Work had information on job search and resume training services that they provide, and the ACLU’s table had information about the rights of the homeless people.

Marcelino Medina, a man homeless for three years, said he attended the Safe Ground march that preceded the jubilee and went to Cesar Chavez Park to support Safe Ground.

“There were about 100 people on the march,” Medina said. “Safe Ground provides a feeling of safety. I can get a good night’s rest and a place to cook, so I wanted to show my support.”

Medina said he heard about Safe Ground by seeing the difference it made in others, so he looked into the program.

“I can’t work because of back problems,” Medina added. “I receive $190 in food stamps and $134 in cash aid. That’s way below the poverty level. That’s my reason for being in a tent.”

Even with such hardships, all around the park people lounged in the shade, listening to the bands and holding signs to show their support.

Harmony brought the crowd together with its deep lyrics sung a cappella. The three-man group held the crowd’s attention as members swayed to the words, “Something got a hold of me.”

Miracle followed, the rap group’s strong presence and blaring sound presenting a stark contrast to Harmony’s soft sound. Miracle brought more people to the stage area, their style reaching out to a broader audience.

Pinkie and Blind Resistance stole the crowd. Members of the audience yelled to Pinkie to really let it go.

“You want me to get deep, do ya?” she asked the crowd. Pinkie gave the crowd a single soulful note that she took to the sky, her blues style stirring the audience into movement. The crowd got up and danced as she clapped her hands, and the guitarist pounded away at his guitar, building the tempo until Pinkie sang of life and love.

The Safe Ground Jubilee is to bring people together,” Lomazzi said, “and the jubilee is an event to cross the divide between these two communities.”

Mark Merin's battle with City Hall

2011-05-30T23:20:15Z

Sacramento civil rights attorney Mark Merin is once again in the spotlight.

This time, he’s being quoted by the local media for his role in a federal class-action case about homeless people’s constitutional rights and personal property. And, in the March issue of Harper’s Magazine, Merin’s work with Safe Ground is mentioned. The article, titled “Homeless in Sacramento: Welcome to the New Tent Cities,” focuses on Sacramento’s homeless and the city’s ordinance against camping.

These are only two of many examples of Merin’s highly visible and controversial advocacy work for Sacramento’s homeless.

Earlier this week, a federal jury released its verdict in Lehr v. City of Sacramento, finding that the city has mismanaged homeless people’s belongings.

Merin is representing a group of homeless people in the lawsuit. When police officers enforce the city’s ordinance against camping outside, they seize homeless people’s belongings, Merin claimed in an April 1 court document.

“We, who live in our comfortable homes, surrounded by all the clutter that we’ve accumulated, may not realize how devastating it is when someone comes in and just grabs the few things that you do have,” Merin said in an interview with The Sacramento Press earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Senior Deputy City Attorney Chance Trimm noted this week that the jury did not fault the city on four or six claims. The city may appeal the ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Trimm said.

Merin is requesting compensation for his clients as well as attorney’s fees. He explained earlier this month how the payment process for his fees works.

“If we are successful and we win, in many cases, we’re entitled to get fees awarded by the court,” Merin said. “There’s a procedure by which we show how much time we put into it. The court evaluates the work and assigns an amount of money, and then we get that.”

In addition to criticizing the city’s interactions with the homeless in his lawsuit, Merin has appeared before the City Council to argue for Safe Ground.

“The minimum demand that is being made with Safe Ground is (to) designate some place (for the homeless). Don’t even give it to us, but allow us to take a space and say, ‘homeless people can be here, can leave their stuff here, can use this as a staging area to do something else,’ ” Merin said earlier this month in an interview.

“But if they’re constantly having to guard their stuff ... then they can’t even go anywhere. They can’t even go to the doctor’s appointment for fear of losing it.”

In September 2009, Merin provided his property as place for the homeless to stay.

Councilman Rob Fong said he has observed Merin’s comments to the City Council. Fong said he has also attended board meetings on homelessness at which Merin was present.

“My impression of Mark is I think he’s a very strident advocate,” Fong said. “I think he’s a thoughtful guy, too.”

Fong has worked on the issue of homelessness through the local Faith and Homeless Families program, in which religious groups assist homeless families with housing.

“I think, given where I am, I’ve tried to work within the system and to improve the system,” Fong said. “I think Mark has a different vantage point. I just think we’re probably both working in different ways for the same thing.”

Merin has also taken on Sacramento County in the past. His lawsuit over homeless people’s belongings included Sacramento County, along with the city, when he filed it in 2007. But court documents show the county settled the case last year.

Meanwhile, John Kraintz, president of Safe Ground, praised Merin’s work with the group, composed mostly of homeless people. Merin helps the group communicate its views to the City Council, Kraintz said.

“His input is always very valuable,” Kraintz said.

While the next step in the lawsuit over homeless people’s property is unclear, it’s apparent that Merin will play a big role in it.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Jury deliberates in Sacramento homeless case

2011-05-19T00:35:12Z

Jurors are deliberating in federal court whether homeless citizens’ belongings were illegally taken and thrown away by Sacramento police officers between August 2005 and the present.

The trial, which centers on homeless people’s constitutional rights and their personal belongings, began May 9 at the Sacramento Federal Courthouse at 501 I St.

Plaintiffs attorney Mark Merin represented Linda McKinley, who was homeless in the past, and a group of homeless people in the class-action case against the city of Sacramento, according to court documents.

Merin is a supporter of the Safe Ground group, which presses Sacramento city leaders to designate land for homeless people to live.

In closing arguments on Wednesday, Merin claimed that city police officers have violated the U.S. Constitution by throwing out homeless citizens’ personal items.

“Nobody got their property back because it was tossed away,” Merin said.

Specifically, Merin has accused the city of violating the 14th Amendment by not giving homeless people sufficient warning that their belongings would be trashed. He also contends that the city has taken homeless citizens’ items in an “unreasonable search and seizure” manner that violates the Fourth Amendment.

Merin claimed in an April 1 court document that the police have taken away and thrown out homeless people’s belongings such as tents, bedding, clothing and medication. Photos and an urn with ashes have also been taken by police, he claimed in the document.

Police officers take items from the homeless when they enforce the city’s ban on overnight camping, he further claimed.

In Judge Morrison England’s courtroom Wednesday, Merin referred to the homeless campground that formed in 2009 and gained immense international media exposure.

“Tent City developed because there was no place for homeless people to go,” Merin said.

Meanwhile, the city of Sacramento disputes Merin’s claims.

“We don’t feel we violated any of the homeless individuals’ constitutional rights,” Senior Deputy City Attorney Chance Trimm said outside the courtroom.

The city claims that it did not throw out homeless people’s belongings. “Assuming any camping paraphernalia is taken from violators of the city’s camping ordinances, such property is booked and maintained at an evidence collection location by the Sacramento Police Department,” Trimm wrote in an April 1 court brief.

Merin wants the jury to order the city to give back homeless people’s personal items, according to court documents. The plaintiffs also want a court order against the city, and for the city to pay damages and attorney fees.

The Sacramento Press will report on the jury’s verdict when it becomes available.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Data: Homelessness declines in Sacramento County

2011-04-23T01:11:44Z

The number of homeless people in Sacramento County has sharply declined, according to 2011 figures on homelessness released Friday by Sacramento Steps Forward and Sacramento County. Long-term homelessness saw the biggest decrease, with a 50 percent drop since 2007.

Despite the lasting effects of the recession locally, the numbers for both long-term homelessness and overall homelessness have fallen compared to recent years.

On any given night in Sacramento County in 2011, there are 2,358 homeless people, said Paul Lake, director of the county’s Department of Human Assistance. That’s down from 2,800 people at any night in 2009.

“I think we were all pleasantly surprised,” Lake said.

The data released Friday is based on the Jan. 27 Homeless Street Count held by Sacramento Steps Forward.

“In addition to the substantial decrease of 50.8 percent in chronic homelessness between 2007 and 2011, this year’s homeless count also found a 15.8 percent decrease in overall homelessness since 2009,” according to a fact sheet on the data released by Sacramento Steps Forward and Sacramento County.

While the overall numbers are down, the county did see an 11.2 percent rise in families that are homeless since 2009, according to the figures.

Lake credited the drop in homelessness partly to the work of the Ten-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, a partnership between local government agencies and private firms in the Sacramento County. LINK

“I was hopeful that we’d see the success of the efforts that we’ve been making in the 10-year plan,” Lake said. “I think this points out that we have achieved some success.”

Lake also said that a federal stimulus program that started in 2009, the Homeless Prevention and Rapid-Rehousing program, helped lower the number of homeless in Sacramento County.

He said about 1,600 people in Sacramento County gained housing help through that program.

The numbers, which were crunched by the MKS Consulting firm, will be used by the county’s Department of Human Assistance to maintain federal Housing and Urban Development Department funding, said Lake.

The fact sheet on the results of the homeless count says the data is based on a “statistically reliable research-based method of counting that is approved by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.”

Sacramento County must provide statistics on homelessness to the federal housing department every other year, according to Michele Watts, program manager for Sacramento Steps Forward.

Lake explained that the data cannot be broken down by city to show how many homeless people are in each city in the county. The data was assessed by splitting up the county into areas that have a high number of homeless people and areas that have low numbers of homeless.

Volunteers counted homeless people in 100 percent of the high-density areas, said Megan Schatz, principal consultant for MKS Consulting, the firm that analyzed the data. About two-thirds of the low-density areas were counted, she said.

Because not every portion of the low-density areas were covered in the count, there is “no way to extrapolate how many people are in a given sub-section of the county,” Lake said.

Read the fact sheet on the new results here.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Editorial Note: This is an updated version of an earlier story.

Safe Ground supporters hold vigil, call for a state of emergency

2011-03-16T05:51:56Z

The lack of adequate shelter for the homeless has been declared a state of emergency by Safe Ground.

Safe Ground, an organization that is devoted to finding proper housing for the homeless, gathered for a vigil on Monday on the corner of 10th and I streets to bring awareness and have people sign petitions.

Executive Director of Safe Ground Sacramento Steve Watters said he has been involved with the organization since its inception.

“Safe Ground’s main mission/objective is to acquire a piece of land and build transitional housing for the homeless,” Watters said. “It is surprising how many people are homeless in Sacramento. We have between 1,200 and 1,400 in Sacramento at night time that don’t have anywhere to go, so they end up illegally camping, sleeping in the doorway or begging to borrow a couch from a friend for the night.”

About 30 people were present at the vigil. They plan on being out there every day this week until the City Council and the Board of Supervisors address the issue.

Lawrence Hoover, 57, has been homeless for seven months and said he is frustrated with the way things are going.

“Sacramento Police Department and rangers should get off our back – What we are asking is to let us have a little piece of property,” Hoover said.

John Kraintz, 57, the president of Safe Ground Sacramento, had been living on the river for about eight years said that they are doing the best they can and now it is time for the issue to be addressed by the city.

We do not want to take over the river by creating tent cities, he said. It is a recreational place for people to relax after a hard day’s work, but we really have no choice when everywhere is packed.

“We are doing the very best we can in a very desperate situation, yet there is no reason for us to have this kind of desperation, because there are many many vacant buildings in this town,” he said.

He also noted that they do not have a specific number of people they are hoping to sign the petition, they simply want to bring awareness and inform people of the homeless shelter emergency.

“If all we could do is give a tent and a sleeping bag, that is what we are going to do,” Kraintz said. “It is a law we can’t stop breaking. We have talked to City Hall, asking them to help us to do something, but nobody seems interested in taking the issue on, so that is why we are asking for (a) state of emergency to be declared – they need to stop sweeping the issue under the carpet.”

Although there are transitional shelters and churches, they have long waiting lists and are reaching capacity.

Brian Baker, dean of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, said they housed about 100 to 120 people during the rainy and cold season.

Mark Merin is the attorney representing the homeless people.

“Our goal through this vigil is to lift the awareness of the people of Sacramento,” Merin said. “Homeless people have no place to be. We want to encourage (the) city and county to declare emergency, which suspends regulations and (the no-camping) ordinance, which is a barrier for them to be in any place.”

He mentioned there is a contract that the homeless sign promising to not drink alcohol, use drugs or get involved in violence.

The public needs to understand these are individuals who need a starting place for transition, Merin explained.

“We want to start on some piece of property to develop this community and then offer the people who participate an opportunity to get a job, housing, take care of heath issues – we need a safe ground/space to do this,”Merin said.

Safe Ground representatives will be on the corner of 10th and I streets from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. -6 p.m. weekdays and plan to continue until action is taken.

safegroundsac.org

Hossana Paida

Experiences in Homelessness Part 1

2011-03-07T21:48:30Z

I am not a journalist. I have no college degree in journalism, social services or any other field. I am a formerly homeless person with a real/authentic homeless experience. I also have the real experience of somehow getting off the streets and slowly finding my way to what society calls 'home'. Here is a beginning to my story:

When I turned 18, my family disowned me because I smoked pot. I came (to my father's)home from work and found the locks had been changed and noone would answer the door. All the windows and doors were tightly locked. The message was clear. I stayed with friends for about 9 months, and applied for a community college in Eugene OR. When I was accepted, I sold my car and moved there with two 'friends'. Shortly into my first term, the landlord suposedly found out there were 3 of us living in a 1-bedroom apartment and demanded one of us leave immediatley. My 'friends' nominated me the evictee and told me to leave.

I moved in with some students I just met, who were nice enough to take me in, but I felt like a charity case and knew it was temporary. I was getting no help from anyone, family or friends. I was alone. After the 2nd semester my student loan abruptly terminated. Somehow I didnt recieve a letter in the mail that was required to be filled out in order for my loan to continue. I was only working 10-15 hours a week, and was using part of the loan to pay for rent.

With no way to pay the cost of living, and no desire to burden the kind people who allowed me to stay with them, I packed my backpack with what Ithought I would need to survive, including a sleeping bag, and slipped out the back that night. With very few options in sight, I hitchhiked to a rainbow gathering in Mt. Shasta. From there I hitched to S.F. to meet the Grateful Dead at the Warfield who were to be playing within the next couple months.

I stayed on Upper Haight where I saw a lot of people my age seemingly in the same situation as me. I was 19 soon to be 20. I slept in the Buena Vista Park mostly. Sometimes I would stay in the Golden Gate Park. I wasnt a hippy, but I had been introduced to 'the Dead' while living in Eugene, shortly before entering the streets, and took hope and comfort in that I may be able to become part of the 'Deadhead' culture. I was already so discouraged by the cards I'd been dealt though, that I was suffering from depression and could not grasp the idea of being social as a young homeless 'man'. So I often kept to myself.

After about 3-4 months in S.F., I got a ride with some strangers to Chattanooga TN to get on the Phish tour. I wasnt having luck getting on the 'Dead' tour, so I would try my luck with Phish instead. Arriving in Chattanooga, I knew noone, and felt very lost and alone. That night, I searched until I found what seemed a safe place to sleep. I slept terribly, and awoke to someone who owned the property I occupied. She took me to a place she thought would be a safe place for me to stay.

Unfortunatley, where she took me was most unsafe. It was a house that a family lived. A mother and her 2 sons, both sons between the ages of 35-45. I was very far from home, no family or friends to speak of, and I did not know what to do. I decided to stay there long enough to get some money saved up and a plan as to what to do next. The family had agreed to let me stay. Within a month, the situation had developed into a very oppressive and abusive situation of which I saw no escape. I was sexually assualted by the older brother on numerous occasions, and threatened with violence and death if I did not comply,submit, etc... I was heavily drugged to keep me in captivation. After 9 months I was 'released' and sent on a bus to my father's.

I had no desire to see my father, and was too ashamed and confused to tell anyone what had happenned to me in TN. I couldnt believe it myself. That people prey on young homeless people to oppress and abuse them is still hard for me to believe. It does make sense though, because who would believe a homeless person, or even care for their welfare? Homeless are a perfect target for predators, because the homeless have no voice, and not many care what happens to them.

This type of experience being homeless became somewhat common for me throughout the next 5-7 years. Being treated like garbage by many people, having no voice, being exploited by people with predatorial tendencies, moving from city to city in search of hope, sleeping in parks and being chased out and ticketed by police for tresspassing. It was so strange, being exploited by predators, and within a same 24 hour period, being ticketed by police for trespassing. And as a kid I always saw the police as being there to protect, etc...What a lesson learned.

Even though it is important not to portray homeless as victims, its just as important to see that many homeless are victims, and their cries are real. But society, and even many homeless people themselves, believe that the homeless arent victims. I am compelled to disagree. Society has preached this philosophy so much to the homeless that the homeless are desensitiesed to the idea that they may be victims. I didnt know I had been targeted, exploited, and victimized by predators who prey on homeless and other minorities until several years later, when I got off the streets and started to recieve mental health services. I am offended when people who have never been homeless try to accuse homeless people of falsly portraying themselves as victims as an attempt to recieve media attention. There are real victims that are homeless who have suffered much worse than I, who are in need of real help.

Continue to part 2 here

Rangers to oust campers on American River Parkway

2011-02-17T01:24:18Z

Park rangers will be citing campers on the American River Parkway Thursday after a 48-hour notice ordering the homeless population to stop illegal camping expires, weather permitting.

“We have to enforce the law,” said Zeke Holst, Sacramento County Regional Parks spokesman. The notice was posted Tuesday at around 11 a.m. “It’s illegal to camp in the parkway, and it’s our job to enforce the law.”

If it is raining heavily, Holst said rangers will hold off until a clear day.

If it remains clear, Holst said rangers will approach campers in the parkway on Thursday and issue $115 citations to those who refuse to leave as well as confiscate and hold camping gear and other belongings.

Campers who comply will be able to take their belongings with them, Holst said.

When property is confiscated, the owners will be able to recover it free of charge by following directions on a receipt they will be given, said Steve Flannery, chief ranger.

Belongings can be recovered quickly, he added.

“We want to give their property back to them, because there’s a good chance they need (it) right away,” Flannery said.

Camping has been taking place for quite some time in the parkway, Holst said, but he added that there is currently a large group of more than 60 people camping together.

“There is certainly a sanitation concern because of the waste and the associated garbage and trash that accumulates there,” he said.

That garbage accumulation, along with other issues including damage to trees and safety concerns, had outraged advocates for the American River Parkway, as detailed here.

Holst said the 48-hour notices posted in the parkway pointed out where shelter beds are available for the homeless, but homeless advocates say there are not enough.

“On the notices, it lists 12 places where people are supposed to go to get shelter,” said John Kraintz, president of Safe Ground Sacramento, a group seeking a legal campsite for homeless. “If you call any one of them, the minimum waiting list is 100 people.”

Thirty-two beds were made available at The Salvation Army, with priority for the displaced campers, Holst said, but Kraintz said the Safe Ground campers did not want to be seen as cutting in a line that was more than 100 people long.

Those beds were funded in a partnership between the county and The Salvation Army – with each funding half of the beds – specifically for the American River Parkway campers, said David Bentley, Sacramento County coordinator for The Salvation Army. He said the beds will be available for 60 days, and confirmed that there is a waiting list for the preexisting shelter beds.

“There’s just no place for people to go right now,” Kraintz said. “The shelters are all full, and they don’t allow pets or couples.”

Officials said the Safe Ground campsite is the largest on the river, but it is far from the only campsite, with hundreds of campers in the area.

“The best estimates say there’s about 200 - 300 people camping outside in the general area,” said Joan Burke, director of advocacy for Loaves & Fishes. “The Safe Ground people are just a small fraction of the people camping. They’re the ones that agreed to be clean and sober and keep their campsites clean and look after each other.”

The rest of the campers, Burke said, are typically in small groups of between two and six people.

Burke agreed with Kraintz on the issue of available shelter beds.

“There’s a chronic shortage of shelter beds,” she said. “The turnover is slight, maybe four or five per day. The St. John’s women’s shelter typically has (a waiting list of) about 200. That gives you a sense of how big the shortfall is.”

Kraintz said the enforcement of the laws banning camping is not going to happen.

“It’s impossible to arrest your way out of poverty,” he said. “You can’t enforce laws which people cannot obey – they have absolutely no place else to go.”

He added that he fears for people whose belongings are confiscated.

“If you take away everybody’s stuff, I don’t know. We’ll have to get more stuff or go under a bridge,” he said. “We’ve got five days of rain coming at us.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Homelessness a key issue in 2010

2010-12-31T01:18:31Z

With the city and county of Sacramento still in the depths of recession, 2010 saw a focus on homelessness as services were cut and unemployment was at 13 percent.

An ongoing issue with Sacramento’s homeless that was still not seeing notable progress even as the year ended was the Safe Ground movement, which seeks to find designated spots in the city for homeless to camp.

In April, about 50 people spoke at City Hall advocating for Safe Ground Sacramento.

They were still at it in July, and they remained a presence at Tuesday night City Council meetings.

In a controversial move, the City Council changed its public comment portion from the beginning of the meetings to the end, which many saw as a move to silence the persistent Safe Ground crowd. They claimed that the later public comment portion would prevent those who take public transit from voicing their opinions.

Their protests were successful, and the policy was overturned shortly thereafter.

One of the most vocal advocates for Safe Ground in 2010 was Tracie Rice-Bailey, who was profiled by Sacramento Press Staff Reporter Kathleen Haley.

A forum was held in October for the community to discuss homeless issues.

With little to no headway made in securing legal campsites, faith groups pledged to open their houses of worship to the homeless during the cold winter months.

The issue was discussed by City Council in October as well, but with little tangible result. Councilman Steve Cohn expressed his frustration with the Safe Ground group, asking members to come back with a concrete proposal.

The council agreed that the issue is an important one, and Councilman Rob Fong called it complex, adding that a lot more work needs to be done.

By late December, houses of worship were still opening their doors to the homeless, but organizers said they need another $50,000 to keep the program going.

Local government kept the issue of homelessness on its agendas despite budget cuts. In September, city and county officials hatched a plan to form a new nonprofit organization to fight homelessness on a regional level.

In December, The Sacramento Press reported on the progression of that idea.

Local nonprofits continued their work to help the homeless and those in poverty.

The River City Food Bank suffered a setback in October when its facility was destroyed in a four-alarm fire.

Undaunted, a new facility was ready to go by December.

The Salvation Army celebrated 125 years in Sacramento in 2010, and it took part in Sacramento Steps Forward’s third annual “Homeless Connect” event, which is designed to help the homeless get access to housing, medical and dental services, among others. To read about the event, click here and here.

Francis House also celebrated a milestone – its 40th anniversary.

The nonprofit is currently raising funds for an expansion plan, which can be read about here.

The year ended on a sad note for the homeless community, however, as Francis House’s executive director of 21 years, Greg Bunker, died of a heart attack.

Throughout the year, The Sacramento Press was home to a unique perspective on homelessness, as Tom Armstrong, a homeless community contributor on The Sacramento Press, shared his thoughts, opinions and insight. To read his more than 20 articles on homelessness, click here.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Francis House executive director in critical condition

2010-12-29T02:30:18Z

Friends and family are gathering around Sacramento Francis House Executive Director Greg Bunker in a Santa Barbara hospital after the 62-year-old had a heart attack Monday.

“His condition is very serious and critical,” said Forrest Reed, program director for the nonprofit organization, which provides counseling services to Sacramentans in poverty.

According to Reed, Bunker is on life support and not capable of breathing on his own.

Bunker has been at the helm of Francis House for 21 years, helping rebuild the organization after it burned to the ground, Reed said.

“Greg was the person who was hired that brought Francis House back from the ashes,” Reed said.

The organization celebrated its 40th anniversary in October, and Reed said it is currently looking to raise $250,000 for an expansion project.

“(Bunker) has been the primary advocate for anybody experiencing homelessness and poverty in Sacramento,” Reed said. “He’s been an advocate for Safe Ground to decriminalize homelessness.”

With a full-time staff of three augmented by three volunteers, Reed said Bunker has always been “on the front line,” even running the organization by himself at times.

“Everybody here and everybody that’s been touched by him is praying that he comes back to us,” Reed said. “He’s got a lot of good work to do.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Photos courtesy Jill Macdonnell.

Council: Homeless need shelter for winter

2010-10-27T01:00:33Z

Finding a way to shelter the homeless during the winter months is job one for city staff tasked with addressing the homeless following a City Council workshop Tuesday.

“Winter waits for no one,” said Councilman Rob Fong. “We need to collectively figure out what we can do to make sure no one is exposed to the elements.”

The council uniformly applauded the faith community in its work to shelter the homeless over the winter, but all agreed more has to be done both in terms of a more permanent solution to emergency winter shelters and eventual year-round permanent housing options.

But not everyone agrees that opening the churches to the homeless is a solution.

“It is not shelter. There are no beds,” said Tamie Dramer, executive director of Safe Ground Sacramento. She added that people in the churches will sleep on concrete and hardwood floors, and suggested the term “sanctuary” is a more accurate description.

“It doesn’t look as though there’s a complete solution around the corner,” she said.

Safe Ground’s goal is to get the city to designate a spot for the homeless to camp and has been working toward that for more than a year.

“I’m really tired of just talking about this thing in concept,” said Councilman Steve Cohn. “If people are serious about this, come back with a concrete proposal.”

Cohn said he has heard a lot over the past few months about Safe Ground, but that that can’t be the focus right now.

“Our top priority at the moment has to be what we’re doing with winter shelters,” he said, reiterating Fong’s point.

“Sanctioning camping out there is just not a policy that’s right for the city,” said Councilman Kevin McCarty.

Councilwomen Sandy Sheedy and Bonnie Pannell agreed, arguing against revoking the no-camping ordinance.

“I just don’t see a safe ground opportunity here,” Sheedy said. “We need to start thinking outside the box on where to put people.”

Mayor Kevin Johnson said that any form of a proposal by Safe Ground would only be one piece of a larger solution of transitional housing as the region’s governments work toward the ultimate goal of finding permanent housing for the area’s 2,800 homeless.

“There’s a long-term strategy,” Johnson said. “And that long-term strategy is what we’ve been working toward, which is permanent housing.”

Johnson said the city is able, with the help of the county and nonprofit, private and faith-based groups, to shelter the same amount of homeless this year as last year despite reduced funding.

According to Johnson, progress has been made with helping the homeless over the past year, and one person who exemplifies that progress spoke during public comment.

“I am one of the statistics you are talking about,” said Robert Harris, a plumber. “This time last year, I was homeless.”

Harris said he had received a hotel voucher from the city in addition to clothing, food and medical attention from Loaves & Fishes.

“I am now employed,” Harris said, adding that it is just part-time, but he is hoping to be employed full-time soon.

“I want you to know your tax dollars did go to work for me.”

For others who remain homeless, however, the approach of winter highlights the council’s urgency to find a quick solution.

“Winter is on us, and we don’t have any money,” said John Krantz, a homeless man. “We need to find a solution and we need to find a solution quick.”

Krantz said the churches opening their doors helps, but he advocated for decriminalizing homelessness and allowing camping.

“This is not our last discussion,” Fong said. “It’s a big issue, and it really deserves a lot of attention.”

Johnson characterized the two-hour workshop as having covered a lot of complex issues. He said Sacramento Steps Forward – established about a year ago – is key to helping the city develop a system of using transitional housing options – possibly including something like Safe Ground – into permanent housing.

“Sacramento Steps Forward will strengthen our ability to go forward,” he said. “That’s the future. We have an opportunity here to really be cutting-edge.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Faith groups open doors to homeless

2010-10-26T03:18:33Z

Sacramento’s faith community will be providing shelter for the homeless this winter season, as government funding falls short of providing enough resources.

Funding has steadily been falling as the poor economy has necessitated cutbacks, with more than $700,000 coming from Sacramento County in 2008 dwindling to less than $200,000 this year.

Mayor Kevin Johnson said shelters and motel vouchers can provide overnight housing for about 300 homeless, and he is looking for the faith community to supply shelter for another 100 people for the winter season.

“During the warm months, it’s less of an urgency, but when the temperature drops and the rain falls, it’s even that much more of a challenge to make sure we provide shelter for our homeless population,” Johnson said Monday at a press conference.

He applauded the area’s religious communities and said all have joined the Sacramento Steps Forward group, including Christians, Muslims and the Jewish community. Sacramento Steps Forward’s goal is to ensure that there is a system in place to support the area’s homeless and provide them with the resources they need.

Imam Mohammad Abdel Azeez of the Sacramento Area League of Associated Muslims said he remembers reading news reports of people “literally passing away” because of the cold a couple of years ago.

At the time, his congregation collected warm clothes and blankets and distributed them to the homeless.

“We are coming here today to make sure that such tragedy never happens again,” Azeez said. “We can not let our fellow Sacramentans suffer on those cold nights in the winter season.”

According to Pastor Rick Cole of Capital Christian Church, it’s not just Midtown churches that can help.

“There are churches in suburban areas that may not be as tied in and aware,” Cole said. “We need to step up and help and not just rely upon the Midtown churches to make a difference in this way in our community.”

Cole added that the problem is critical.

“We can’t fail at this,” he said. “We need to make sure that every night all through this winter season without fail that there’s a place for those who don’t have shelter over their heads.”

Though at least 10 churches have signed on to help out, Johnson and other church officials said Sacramento Steps Forward is looking to partner with at least another 10 to fill the need.

“I want to encourage other congregations to step up and offer to open their doors for one or two nights a month and be a part of this program and invite their congregation to this time of transformation,” said Brian Baker, dean of Trinity Episcopal Church.

“Even if you’re not part of a congregation, you can volunteer in congregations that are doing this,” he added, saying it is a problem all Sacramentans can help with.

The solution to the problem of homelessness can’t be solved by churches opening their doors in the winter, according to Johnson, but it is a crucial transitional step.

The ultimate goal is permanent housing, and Johnson said he wants to continue to see collaboration with all aspects of the community.

“It’s still a long road, we’d like to have this up in place by next winter,” he said, referring to finding a site for the Safe Ground that homeless advocates have been striving for since the tent city near Cal Expo was dismantled.

Johnson’s goal to find permanent housing is one shared by Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson.

“(We need) to make sure that we just don’t maintain people in a condition of homelessness, getting by, but that we give them the means and the opportunity to once again be full, participating members of our community,” Dickinson said.

Johnson further urged churches to volunteer by calling his office, where they will be connected with Sacramento Steps Forward. In addition to facilities, Johnson said $70,000 still needs to be collected to fund government-run services for the homeless this winter.

“You see a community coming together,” Johnson said. “City, county working together, the private sector, different regions, different worship houses, different denominations. This is the best of Sacramento.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Homeless Forum tackles community concerns about homelessness

2010-10-14T02:16:13Z

Community leaders gathered to speak with local government to find out what is being done about the homelessness problem in Sacramento. It was a chance for the community to discuss the progress made toward more permanent housing and the setbacks that have hindered them. There was resolve that if the community efforts remain strong, the problem could be solved within the next few years.

Mayor Kevin Johnson and Councilman Rob Fong were among 13 community leaders who spoke at the Homeless Forum held Tuesday in the Redwood Room at Sacramento State.

“This is a chance to bring the activists to the policymakers,” said moderator and event organizer Steve Watters.

Fong was the first of many to reiterate that “housing is the biggest challenge.” He mentioned methods of handling the homeless concerns in other cities like Denver and Boise that were serving as models of how Sacramento approaches the issue.

“We’re not going to have another winter with people in the streets,” Fong said. He urged the audience to continue donating and aiding the shelters.

Costa Mantis played a clip from his documentary “Live from Tent City” that was sent to the United Nations to speak out about homelessness.

Author Jason MacCannell spoke about the history of the homeless epidemic and the preconceptions about being homeless that have carried over from the past. He explained how what was once a contained lower-class population in the skid row neighborhoods of cities gradually became homeless with the elimination of funding for affordable housing.

The first panel consisted of Sister Libby Fernandez, executive director of Loaves & Fishes, Donald Miller, Barbara Baker, Jim Gibson, Lola Wiley and Trimmie Sanders, the four of whom shared their tales of homelessness and recovery.

Fernandez started by discussing the rise of tent cities on the outskirts of the Sacramento area and how local homeless advocacy groups reached out to help them.

“We came there to help them, but what we saw was community,” she said. “But it wasn’t a safe place because it wasn’t legal, and it’s still not legal.”

The forum was sponsored by many groups who are dedicated to helping the homeless find safe ground to live, including Francis House, Loaves & Fishes and the Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee.

Each of the panel speakers explained his or her connection to Safe Ground, the organization of community leaders who campaign for the city to sanction areas for the homeless to stay without risk of arrest or harassment. The stories were heartbreaking, but with happy endings that expressed the value of Safe Ground for the homeless.

When the question-and-answer portion began, the panel was asked, “How else can we help?”

Wiley said, “Don’t stop. Take every little bit and go forward with it, and get your neighbor to go forward with you, and that neighbor get a friend…and we can beat it.”

Johnson stepped to the podium with encouraging words about plans to cure homelessness in Sacramento.

There are more than 3,000 homeless people in this city, Johnson said. “We have a broken system in the terms of the way we deal with our homeless population.”

His main point involved a five-pillar program to help support the homeless and aim them toward permanent housing. There have already been 1,350 families put into permanent housing, with a goal for 3,000 families total in three years.

The five pillars are housing, social services, funding, advocacy, and accountability. He explained how each pillar supports the pillar above it, so that it will take funding to get homes and services, but it will take advocacy from locals to raise awareness, and it will be accountability that keeps the plan working for the future.

“We need to prove that what we’re doing works,” he said, “and that it makes sense to the taxpayers.”

He then explained a 12- to 18-month plan for creating a new safe ground for the homeless population that can support about 100 people. It will be privately funded and be placed near access to services, but “we’re not sure where yet.”

The hope is to have safe ground “up and ready to go by November 2011.”

The next panel consisted of a variety of community leaders who began by discussing the legality of homelessness and what can be done about the “camping ordinance” that makes it illegal for the homeless to sleep outdoors.

“We cannot police ourselves out of homelessness,” said Bob Erlenbusch, on the board of the Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee

The panel was divided between putting a moratorium on the camping ordinance or leaving the law alone.

Sacramento Police Department Lt. Michael Bray said, “It’s tough to balance. The camping ordinance is a tool, and it’s an effective tool. We’d like to never have to use it.”

Next, the panel discussed the idea of government funding and how to supply services to the homeless. Sacramento Steps Forward Director Tim Brown explained how housing the chronically homeless costs the taxpayers less than paying for the prison and health services that the homeless are often dragged through repeatedly.

“It’s not enough for government to do it,” he said, “but we need the whole community to be involved.”

It was agreed that it will take government and private funding to move forward, as well as holding the mayor and the council accountable to create policy changes.

“We need affordable housing. That is the carrot at the end of the tunnel,” said John Kraintz, Safe Ground leader. “But till we get to the end of that tunnel, we’re gonna have to pitch a few tents along the way.”

City still vague on specific Safe Ground sites

2010-09-14T20:40:34Z

More than one month after Mayor Kevin Johnson asked city staffers to select three possible Safe Ground sites for consideration, it does not appear the city is any closer to discussing specifics.

Johnson told reporters at his weekly press conference that he will discuss Safe Ground issues with the City Council, city staff and Sacramento County at the end of this month or in early October. He asked city staffers on Aug. 10 to pinpoint three possible sites.

“No matter what we’re able to do with Safe Ground, that will not be in place in time for November,” Johnson said.

In the upcoming discussions on Safe Ground, Johnson said the city and county will explore a possible timeline for establishing the site.

The mayor said he was “inclined to support” the idea of a Safe Ground site.

For more than one year, Safe Ground advocates have repeatedly asked the City Council to take action. They want a site that would not fall under the city’s camping ban.

While it does not appear that any immediate action will be taken on Safe Ground, both the city and county governments are now considering the idea of setting up a new nonprofit organization to combat homelessness.

City and county officials say a nonprofit will need to be set up in large part because the county’s Department of Human Assistance will not have enough funding to manage its homelessness program after February 2011.

Photo by Brandon Darnell.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City Council Discourages Public Comment

2010-08-20T20:28:21Z

I am concerned about a proposed change regarding City Council meetings. Currently, people wishing to address the Council on items not on the agenda may address the council (for 2 minutes each) at the 6 PM start of the evening’s agenda. The Council has voted to move the open comment period back to the very end of the agenda-which is sometimes very late at night, and discourages people from bringing their issues before the elected body that is supposed to represent them. This action is directly targeted against Safe Ground’s homeless activists who have been speaking before the Council every week about the need for Safe Ground and yet another attempt to disenfranchise Safe Ground’s homeless activists, and others with little power. It will impact all organizations and citizens who also use the public comment period to raise timely issues with the Council, and awareness about their concerns.

I’ve had the opportunity to watch as the public addresses the Council. It is truly moving to hear ordinary people speak up for themselves. Some are articulate; some are visibly nervous; each has a point to make. It is a pure form of democracy in action to be cherished. Yet the City Council’s action shows their lack of respect for their constituents. The amount of time that Public Comment takes is not long – usually well under 20 minutes.

To their credit, Mayor Johnson and Councilmembers Kevin McCarty and Ray Tretheway voted against this change. Steve Cohn was absent so did not vote. Councilmembers Waters, Pannell, Sheedy, Fong and Hammond unfortunately did vote for this change.

The Sacramento Bee’s editorial opposing the change is here: City Council Plays Meeting Games

I am asking as many individuals and groups as I can get to turn out next Tuesday evening, August 24th at 6pm at City Hall and express their opposition to the change. If you can make it to the next meeting, I would appreciate your support for keeping the Public Comment period at the front of the weekly agendas. Your presence alone will show support; you’re also welcome to speak to the Council if you wish.

Thank you for anything you can do! Please forward this information to anyone who you think will attend and/or call or email their City Council representatives and voice their opposition to the change.

Contact info for our City Council representatives is below.

Mayor Kevin Johnson– Mayor@cityofsacramento.org
916.808.5300

District 1, Ray Tretheway- RTretheway@CityofSacramento.org
916.808.7001

District 2, Sandy Sheedy– SSheedy@CityofSacramento.org
916.808.7002

District 3, Steve Cohn– SCohn@CityofSacramento.org
916.808.7003

District 4, Robert King Fong– RKFong@CityofSacramento.org
916.808.7004

District 5, Lauren Hammond– LHammond@CityofSacramento.org
916.808.7005

District 6, Kevin McCarty– KMcCarty@CityofSacramento.org
916.808.7006

District 7, Robbie Waters– RWaters@CityofSacramento.org
916.808.7007

District 8, Bonnie Pannell– BPannell@CityofSacramento.org
916.808.7008

(This is an excerpt from an Action Alert email sent out by Joan Burke, the Director of Advocacy at Sacramento Loaves & Fishes)

Johnson to ask staff to find safe ground sites, anticipates meeting with school board candidates

2010-08-10T19:13:40Z

Mayor Kevin Johnson announced today that he will be asking city staff to find three spots suitable to serve as safe ground for the homeless.

But that’s just one aspect of Johnson’s goal with regard to the homeless.

“If the dialogue on homelessness is only about SG, we’ve missed our mark,” Johnson said, adding that the overall goal is to get permanent housing.

“It is a thorny issue,” he said. “It’s one that I don’t mind being out in front of.”

Johnson said he would have preferred to start looking at possible sites back in January or February, and since that isn’t being done until now, there won’t be a permanent safe ground before November and the onset of cold weather.

He did, however, hint at good news to come.

“We’re going to (give an) update in the next week or two on the progress we’ve made on permanent housing,” he said. “It’s astounding...not just for our city, (but for) the region.”

Switching his focus to education, Johnson also announced that he will be taking an active look at the 10 candidates who will be on the ballot for three school board positions in November.

“My passion is education,” Johnson said. “It’s something I feel very strongly about. There’s no way we will have a great city without great schools.”

Johnson said he wants to sit down with all 10 candidates and make sure they put the children first, are willing to assume personal accountability for results, make decisions based on performance and work to put good teachers and principals in every school.

“You can go to school board meetings around the country, and they’re not talking about children as much as they should,” Johnson said, adding that he thinks every decision made should be in the best interest of the children – not unions or other adults.

“I do see that as part of my job,” Johnson said. “(Education isn’t) part of my job description, but it’s part of my job.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Mayor Johnson still working on a solution to resolve homelessness

2010-07-28T06:00:16Z

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

Hopeful homeless in search of a 'safe ground'

2010-07-23T03:25:42Z

Sacramento’s homeless are still searching for safe ground after the tent city was taken down in April 2009.

On Tuesday, homeless camper and SafeGround movement leader John Kraintz, Sacramento civil rights lawyer Mark Merin, State Senate President Pro-Tem Darrell Steinberg and activists from nonprofit organizations around Sacarmento marched from Friendship Park to Cesar Chavez Park in celebration of the SafeGround Movement.

They were joined by homeless men and women as they marched, sang, danced and spoke on behalf of the homeless.

Using a microphone, which echoed through speakers around the stage, musicians and speakers were heard loud and clear by the crowd of more than 100.

“People came together on Tuesday to celebrate the conclusion of a year, to celebrate life and a common goal, and to demonstrate to the city of Sacramento that we are a coherent force,” Merin said.

SafeGround Sacramento is a nonprofit homeless rights and advocacy organization founded by homeless people working to establish a safe and legal place for Sacramento’s homeless to stay and sleep.

Last August, Mayor Kevin Johnson camped out with Sacramento’s homeless community in efforts to find a legal place for homeless people to reside.

A month later, Johnson launched a plan to find 2,400 housing units for homeless people during the next three years.

Almost a year after Johnson’s camping with them, homeless people like Kraintz are hopeful, but still waiting.

“This is a movement for homeless people, by homeless people,” Krainitz said. “SafeGround is many things at this point; it’s a social justice movement trying to find equality for all people, it is a camping gear supply store for people that don't have anything and need to sleep outside.”

Food Not Bombs served tofu, salad, fruit salad, chocolate cake and iced tea and the line for food stretched across the park. Many local bands and musicians, such as Pinkie and the Blind Resistance, had the crowd dancing and singing along to their classical rock tunes and modern blues.

Since April 2009, advocates have been trying to move away from the notion of a “tent city.”

“We have been fighting to acquire and develop a piece of land that we can use, for about 60 homeless people hopefully, so that they can have a place to go at a time when the county has pretty much cut off all their shelters and there are only a few beds left,” Kraintz said.

Sacramento’s “camping ordinance” has made it illegal for anyone to camp on public property. At least 1,200 men, women and children sleep outdoors in Sacramento. More on this information can be found on the SafeGround website. (SafeGround)

Both Merin and Kraintz expressed a similar thought about the progress SafeGround has made in the past year.

“The principle progress made is in the organization of the participants, establishing a nonprofit organization and gaining respect and recognition from members of the community,” Merin said.

Kraintz added, “In the beginning of the movement, they started out to find a place where homeless people can go. What we have learned is that we are building a community, and that is something that is really lacking.”

Although SafeGround members are hopeful, locating land has proved to be a challenge. The proposed pilot site has yet to be determined, according to Merin.

It will take up to a year, hundreds of thousands of dollars, compliance with zoning laws and public support to get the project done.

“We need to think outside of the box in an economy that has been severely taxed,” Merin said.

Loaves & Fishes is one of the three nonprofit organizations supporting SafeGround.

“Once we get support of the city, county and neighbors to help find an adequate piece of land, we are going to be the biggest model for the nation by showing a way of providing a need for the homeless,” said Loaves & Fishes’ executive director, Sister Libby Fernandez.

SafeGround has received a $25,000 grant from Catholic Healthcare West and has been promised a $50,000 grant for development from HomeAid Sacramento.

Steinberg took the stage as the celebration drew to a close.

The crowd cheered as Steinberg advocated for combating homelessness.

“This is a human rights issue, and it begins with SafeGround,” he said. “It beings with everyone having their own little sliver or slice of safe ground to be able to create a new beginning.”

“I’m very proud to be here with you as we fight all kinds of demons over at the State Capitol. Being out here with you is grounding for me.”

19th Annual Feast for the Streets raises funds for the homeless

2010-04-30T04:02:48Z

"Sold!" announced the auctioneer, as one of the 200 available prize packages was claimed for $1,400. The 19th annual Feast for the Streets was in full swing Wednesday night, with more than 700 participants gathering for food, wine, prizes and a silent auction.

Now in its 40th year, Francis House put together the yearly fundraiser, with one simple goal:

"To break $90,000," said Program Director Forrest Reed. Last year, the event raised $88,000, all of which is used directly on clients of Francis House.

The center, located on C Street downtown, sees around 20,000 - 30,000 clients per year, or 1,600 monthly, providing counseling and resources for needy families and individuals. This year, Francis House has seen a 30 percent increase in clients, likely due to the current economic climate.

With a budget of about $633,000 and seven paid employees, four of which are part-time, Francis House relies heavily on community volunteers. On hand to help during the Feast for the Streets event were 60 volunteers, not including the 40 vendors from local restaurants and catering businesses including New Roma Bakery, Tony's Fine Foods, Cupcake Craving, and Pronto's.

For some, the exposure outweighs the cost. "It's a win-win for me," said Jeremy White, director of catering and chef for Event Architects Catering. In some cases, it can cost anywhere from $350 to $500 for businesses to supply the food and manpower for a fundraising event. However, "for someone who works with food, it's an opportunity to share (my craft) with people in an effort to curb hunger," he said.

Besides the silent auction and raffle, Francis House took the time to present a special award to Tina Reynolds to appreciate her contributions in the fight to end homelessness. Reynolds is a Safe Ground board member, and owner of Uptown Studios, a website development and design firm. Uptown Studios designed and donated the website for Safe Ground, a campaign to find space for the homeless.

"Anytime we get a group of like-minded people together to raise awareness, and have some of the homeless here too, it diffuses (fear)," Reynolds said. She said while people are typically afraid of the homeless, she chooses to work with them "because of their passion and hard work." Reynolds was pleasantly surprised at being recognized, stating there were so many people working toward assisting the homeless. "Everyone agrees we need to do something," she said, "but no one will offer up any land."

The annual fundraiser, which has been held at the Scottish Rite Center for the last four years, began in a church basement. Expanding each year, Francis House was able to move the Feast for the Streets, its biggest fundraiser of the year, to the new, larger location.

"Francis House is the real deal," Reed said. "(Of 2,000 like agencies) we're No. 5." The center, supported by 17 church congregations, is one of the oldest known assistance and resource centers. The congregation contributes around 20 percent of the annual needs, while fundraising events fill the remaining gap.

"It's a rarity for nonprofits to last (as long as Francis House has)," Executive Director Gregory Bunker said. "The people here tonight are the reason." Bunker pointed out that even in a down economy, people were still able to find ways to donate, that individuals could still put others' needs before their own. "(The 700 guests) are evidence of that," he said.

To volunteer with Francis House, visit www.francishouse.info for more information.

About 50 people urge City Council to help form Safe Ground

2010-04-24T02:03:50Z

About 50 people urged the Sacramento City Council Thursday to help efforts to reserve land for the homeless. The people who addressed the City Council were supporters of the “Safe Ground” campaign, which opposes the city’s anti-camping ordinance and advocates for a living space for the city’s homeless.

The recent stabbing death of 68-year-old Bernice Nickson, a homeless resident, was mentioned in the comments of some of the Safe Ground advocates.

The Safe Ground supporters spoke during the part of the meeting reserved for public comments on subjects that are not covered in the agenda. Council members do not respond to citizens during that part of each City Council meeting.

Comments from some of the people who addressed the City Council Thursday are below:

Tracie Rice-Bailey, advocate for Safe Ground: Had [Nickson] had a safe place to sleep, she would be alive today. If this is not a solid reason for safe ground, what might be? We need to get real and not let this happen to anyone else. We need a moratorium on the anti-camping ordinance now.

Joan Burke, director of advocacy for Sacramento Loaves & Fishes: Please give us Safe Ground so that no woman has to sleep outside in Sacramento, and no woman has to die because she’s homeless.

John Kraintz, advocate for Safe Ground: Safe Ground is hoping to offer something that provides a solution of empowerment, rather than entitlement. To try to be contributors. That’s why these people are here tonight — because they’re part of your community. They care. How many normal citizens do we find coming out to talk to the City Council and tell them what’s on their mind?

Mark Merin, civil rights attorney: When people say they’re part of Safe Ground, and they’ve counted on Safe Ground, what they’re talking about is a group of people who stay together. They camp at night ... break their camp in the morning, and they drag their stuff away. So, it’s a clean site. That is not ideal. What they need is a place where they can actually be and their stuff can stay safe. And they can go about connecting with family (and) friends, qualifying for services, and moving up.

Cres Vellucci, member of the board of directors of ACLU of Sacramento County and a Vietnam veteran: As I understand it, a number of the people that are homeless ... are military veterans. As a veteran, I would like to encourage all of you to consider that these people have served their country. They’ve done what they had to do — whether they were drafted like I was, or whether they joined.

Photo caption: The city removed "Tent City" last year. Photo by Jonathan Mendick.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Sacramento Democrats Help to Build A Home

2009-11-24T05:51:09Z

On Saturday, over 30 Democrats and friends helped build a house for a Sacramento family. When the team arrived, they found an empty lot, with only a concrete foundation and piles of lumber that would soon become the walls of a home. By the end of the day, the structure of a home had replaced the empty lot. Event organizer, James Schwab said, "We helped to build a house but we also built friendships and relationships that will help us build a better Sacramento in the future."

The cold, foggy morning did not dampen the volunteers' spirits. After touring a recently completed nearby home, the team received instructions from site supervisor, Terry Hardin and set to work building a new, LEED certified home.

The first step was to remove the forms from the foundation. With hammers, crowbars and an eagerness to unleash a small amount of productive destruction, the sounds of wood cracking and forceful exertion could be heard from the job site. Once the wood was removed and piled neatly in the back, the team drilled holes in the base of the walls, so they could be bolted to the foundation.

The next step was to attach foam to the bottom of the walls and spread a paste along the foundation, adding additional insulation to the house and ensuring LEED compliance. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system promises that certified buildings will save energy and be sustainabie. The house the DPSC worked on will be LEED Gold certified.

Finally, the team was ready to raise the walls into place. Six or eight workers lined up to lift the walls and drop them onto the bolts. With such a large team of workers, the house was framed quickly and the team soon had to carefully walk new walls through fully formed hallways to their destination.

As the sun burned through the fog, the team enjoyed a well-earned lunch of pizza and Ethiopian dishes. Volunteer Naomi Amaha, a Young Democrat, said, “It was a moving experience to have been a part of providing a hardworking family with a new home and a new life. I was touched to work side by side with women who will soon see their own dreams for a home for their families fulfilled.”

A Grateful Family

The house is being built for Mrs. Belaynesh Feleke and her family. She has a young son and is expecting another child soon. She is excited that her children will grow up in a safe, comfortable home in Sacramento.

The Ethiopian immigrant was touched when she learned that the team working to build her home was volunteers. DPSC Community Outreach Chair, Silvia Landers, herself a Bolivian immigrant, reflected on the conversation they shared, “We agreed that we are truly lucky to be enjoying the blessings and opportunities that America offers. One of the very best things about America is the spirit of service, our great willingness to come together to help our friends, our neighbors, our community and people that we have not even met.”

Candidates Join In

DPSC Treasurer and candidate for the Board of Equalization, Chris Parker was among the first to arrive. He lifted and carried the lumber that would soon frame the house. Steven Buhrman, representing Dr. Ami Bera, a candidate for Congress in District 3, also joined in the efforts.

In addition , Ryan Chin, candidate for City Council in District 7, Dr. Richard Pan, a candidate for Assembly in District 5 and Cortez Quin, a Los Rios School Board Member and representative of Roger Dickinson, County Supervisor and candidate for Assembly in District 9 were there to lend moral support.

"Seeing the members of the Democratic Party of Sacramento County and Sacramento County Young Democrats at the Habitat for Humanity build demonstrates to me the importance of volunteerism to develop a community and reminds me why I am proud to a Democrat," said Chin. "Helping Habitat for Humanity is helping to fulfill the need to provide affordable housing, develop overlooked in-fill projects and create a sense of pride and community."

A Season of Hope

The Democratic Party is working to fulfill the holidy wish lists of certain organizations that have been hit hard by budget cuts and have seen an increase in need: Michael J. Castori Elementary School, My Sister's House, Safe Ground and the Sacramento and Elk Grove Food Banks. Interested individuals can donate here to help organizations that empower, educate and feed our community. Canned food, gently used clothes and school supplies can be delivered to the DPSC headquarters at 2729 P St, Sacramento, Monday through Friday 10-4 and Saturday 10-2.

Photos courtesy of:
Cliff Popejoy (c) 2009 / cap2053@sbcglobal.net
and Silvia Landers

Sacramento Steps Forward initiative announced

2009-11-06T04:36:58Z

Thursday morning, journalist Lisa Ling, members of the City Council and the homeless and formerly-homeless community joined Mayor Kevin Johnson in launching the "Sacramento Steps Forward" initiative. A crowd of several hundred waved blue initiative flags and cheered as Johnson announced his goal "to end homelessness and focus on permanent housing."

He applauded permanent housing shelters such as Mercy Housing, Turning Point and Martin Luther King Jr. Village, 3900 47th Avenue, where the launch was held.

Johnson said the goal of Sacramento Steps Forward is to provide 2,400 "decent and affordable" permanent housing units over the next three years. That would nearly quadruple the amount of permanent housing units created in the city over the last two years.

The mayor asked the Sacramento residents to advocate for the homeless, educate others about services needed to end homelessness, and to help find public, corporate and nonprofit funding.

"The homeless do not need a handout, they need a hand up," Johnson said. "They want to be empowered."

Johnson is chairman of a multiagency task force, part of the Policy Board to End Homelessness, that found funding for 269 winter shelter beds last month. This came despite an 84 percent cut in county funding for homelessness and the elimination of funding for winter shelters in September.

Tim Brown, director of the Sacramento Ending Chronic Homelessness Initiative, said last week that federal stimulus money will house 150 people who are now in shelters, freeing up 150 shelter beds over the next few months.

With an expected 419 beds, the city and county intend to provide 151 more beds this year than last year's 268 beds. According to the 2009 Homeless Count Summary Report, there are about 2,800 homeless people in Sacramento, including 711 in emergency shelters, 895 in transitional housing and 1,194 who have no shelter.

After Johnson thanked Brown, Sister Libby Fernandez and Joan Burke, both of of Loaves and Fishes, he introduced Sacramento-native Ling, the host of National Geographic Explorer. Earlier this year, as a special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show, she reported on Sacramento's "tent city," which brought other media outlets to the site.

"Your mayor, so many members of the homeless advocacy community, members of the city and county rose to the occasion and decided to tackle (homelessness) head on," Ling said. "I'm so proud of the way so many members of this community have come together (and) if Sacramento is successful (housing the homeless), it could be a model for the rest of the country."

County Supervisor Roger Dickinson, St. John's Shelter director, Michelle Steeb, and City Council member Rob Fong also spoke. Fong explained the Faith and Families initiative that he helped create.

"We're asking the faith communities to see if they would be willing through their congregation to make a commitment for one year to help house a homeless family," he said. "In the last year we've housed 10 homeless families (and) we're hoping to get a dozen more housed before the holidays."

Three formerly homeless people spoke about their experiences. They credited programs such as Serna Village, St. John's Shelter and Lutheran Social Services with changing their lives and giving them hope.

"It was absolutely marvelous," Fernandez of Loaves and Fishes said about the city's effort. "In one year, this mayor has talked more about the issue of homelessness than any mayor ever has. He spends time with the homeless, policymakers and advocates."

Although she applauded the push for transitional and permanent housing, she noted the nine-month waiting period to get into Quinn Cottages, a transitional housing shelter. This means that homeless need somewhere to go in the meantime, Fernandez said.

"It takes too long for the next step. (Creating a) 'safe ground' is just an added piece to get to the final goal, which is permanent housing."

Sacramento Housing Alliance Affordable Housing Bus Tour

2009-10-03T04:39:04Z

Thursday afternoon, about 50 seniors, homeless and other community members participated in the Sacramento Housing Alliance Affordable Housing Bus Tour. The tour surveyed 10 different housing options and stopped to provide in-depth tours of three housing complexes.

Guided by Shamus Roller, director of the SHA, Ken Cross, CEO of Sacramento Habitat for Humanity and Paul Ainger, Mercy Housing project developer, the four-hour tour began and ended at the SHA office in Midtown.

"It's important to know what affordable housing means," Ainger said. According to the federal government, housing is considered "affordable" when a person renting or buying it spends no more than 30 percent of his or her income for housing.

"Affordable housing is an economic stimulus," Roller added.

"None of these [properties on the tour] are owned by non-profits," Ainger said. "They are all owned by for-profit guys."

The first stop was the 84-unit complex Serna Village, located in McClellan. A transitional housing community developed by Mercy Housing of California and Cottage Housing, Inc., the complex consists of one- to four-bedroom residential units.

The bus unloaded and took an in-depth tour of the community. One requirement for residency is to have children. Arla, who did not give her last name, gave a speech detailing her experience in Serna Village to the tour group.

She was referred to Serna Village through Quinn Cottages, another housing site for single homeless individuals run by Cottage Housing, Inc. She and other residents, besides meeting minimum requirements, must identify and commit to other lifestyle changes in order to remain in the community, she said.

"You're able to be yourself [here]," Arla added. "I'm in college for the first time in 18 years. It's an awesome program."

Like Arla, Kelly Dean, another Serna Village resident, spoke of her recovery from drug addiction. Dean held a six-month-old baby in her arms during her speech.

Serna Village offers parenting classes, mental health and drug and alcohol recovery programs, she said. "They take people from a homeless nightmare and turn them into the American Dream."

Rent at Serna Village is determined on a case-by-case basis and the average tenant stays for 14 months out of a two-year limit, said Cottage Housing's executive director, Robert Tobin. He also mentioned that Cottage Housing plans to more than double its residential capacity from 241 to 500 units over the next decade.

Victory Townhomes in North Sacramento was the tour's next stop. Developed by Sacramento Mutual Housing Association in 2003, the complex holds 21 three and four-bedroom town homes and tenants are allowed to stay as long as they want.

It serves people who are considered very low income, earning less than 50 percent ($25,500) of the 2009 annual Sacramento Area Median Income, $51,950. But it doesn't lack in high-tech amenities, explained Rachel Iskow, SMHA's executive director.

For one, the town homes are part of Sacramento's first green street, on Dixieanne Avenue, and have solar panels on their roofs. It's the first multifamily development to incorporate photovoltaics, or solar energy.

Opened in 2003, the property also offers a computer lab and free wireless Internet access. Residents who complete a computer literacy series in the computer lab and donate community service hours receive a free computer, which residents can keep.

The last facility toured was the Forrest Street build site developed by Sacramento Habitat for Humanity. When completed, the site, which features four three-bedroom, two-bathroom, single-family homes, will be SHFH's 200th home completed worldwide.

Though it is unclear when the homes will be completed, they are all expected to earn a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design "gold" certification, the second highest award possible.

Qualifying families must be low income (80 percent AMI, $40,800 or less annually) and their current housing situation must be overcrowded, unsafe or overpriced. Once approved, the family must complete 500 hours of "sweat equity" by helping to complete their own home, someone else's, or contribute in some other capacity in an SHFH office. The family must then make payments on the home.

Though the building of the homes is sponsored by local corporations, "families earn homes," said Cross, SHFH's director. "These are not handouts."

The tour then drove by The Park at Del Paso Nuevo, Loaves and Fishes, Quinn Cottages, 1801 L. St., Freemont Mews Apartments, and a former Safe Ground location at 1220 C St. owned by Mark Merin. The tour did not have time to stop as planned at Vintage at Natomas Field, St. Francis Terrace, Francis House, St. Anton Building or Pensione K, all of which have affordable housing options.

"I love the tour," said Sister Libby Fernandez, director of Loaves and Fishes. "It's wonderful to see a variety of affordable housing with good resident services."

"There are not enough shelters and not enough transitional housing," added Tina Reynolds, Safe Ground board member. She announced to the bus that Safe Ground is close to completing a shelter near Bannon Street which will use Tuff Sheds as transitional housing for three to 18 months.

Its goal is to have built-in bathrooms, cooking and laundry facilities and solar power, she added.

"There is a lack of SRO-type housing. Most homeless are single males," said John Krayntz, a homeless man and Safe Ground "elder," or leader, who once lived at 1220 C St. "The tour showed a lot of stuff that was very good, but there is still a need for [housing with] more services and disability advocacy."

Jill Hurley, who lives in Riverview Plaza, a low-income independent living facility downtown, said that she wanted to see more accessible showers built into affordable housing for seniors. "The biggest reason for hospital visits [among seniors] is falling and the most dangerous place is the bathroom."

For more information on affordable housing, please visit the SHA website.

Photographs one through six show Serna Village. Photographs seven through show of Victory Townhomes. Photograph ten shows the SHFH's Forrest Street build site.

Mayor Kevin Johnson addresses homelessness

2009-09-23T04:02:45Z

Tuesday morning, Mayor Kevin Johnson was joined by a handful of Safe Ground supporters for a weekly press conference inside City Hall. After reiterating his goal to end homelessness in Sacramento, he invited Sister Libby Fernandez and Greg Bunker, the respective executive directors of Loaves and Fishes and Francis house, as well as a homeless man named Thomas Jackson Ashmore III, to speak.

Johnson spoke about his meeting over the weekend with campers at the recently vacated 1220 C St. campground owned by Mark Merin. At the camp site, Merin had also been involved in a property dispute over the land with the neighboring Pedro and Gracilla Hernandez residence.

Johnson mentioned that a comprehensive plan to end homelessness would be launched in October, but also that two immediate issues are the most pressing: creating a legal "safe ground" called Stepping Stone; and helping finda location for winter shelters as they are set to open in mid November.

Johnson has created a task force for both issues, but it will take up to three to six months to create Stepping Stone, he said. Some key factors the task force is looking at for Stepping Stone include size, location, resident selection criteria, governance, security and services.

"The county cut 84 percent of their funding for the homeless," Johnson said. "They're talking about making even more cuts; that means there's a disproportionate amount of cuts going to the homeless population."

"This is a moment that we advocates really appreciate," said Fernandez. "This is the first time a city mayor has stepped up to the plate to think not only for the city but also for the county and the region of Sacramento when it deals with homelessness."

"We need to stop the arrests on people being homeless; we need to put a memorandum on enforcement of camping ordinances," said Ashmore, a homeless man, whom Johnson introduced to the crowd by the nickname "Hawk."

"It's a waste of taxpayer money. Every time we are arrested, it costs between $1500 and $2000 to take us all into jail," he added. "Then we're put back eight hours later on the streets, just to be arrested again."

Bunker also applauded Johnson and asked the entire community to join the effort to think of solutions to house the homeless.

Asked if Johnson would do a good job in helping homeless people, Merin said last week, "I think the Mayor is certainly well intentioned. The question is: can he get the majority of the city council to support him? It just depends on him knowing how to get something accomplished."

"The goal is to get people into housing," said Tim Brown, director of the Ending Chronic Homelessness initiative, in a phone call before the press conference on Tuesday. "We're spending so much on keeping them homeless, it's cheaper to provide housing and services in a lot of cases for chronically homeless."

"With federal stimulus money, for the first time, we're going to be able to prevent homelessness," Brown added. About $4.8 million will become available Oct. 1 for homelessness.

"We've housed 350 people in two-and-a-half years," Brown said. "What has made a dent is the switch to permanent housing."

As far as the vacated Safe Ground location at the Merin property (only a pair of port-a-potties remains), the Hernandez family have expressed "gratitude and relief" that the camp is gone, said their lawyer Aldon Bolanos. Their health has been deteriorating since the campers moved behind their property, Bolanos said.

"They're trying to get on with their lives," he added. "They absolutely are traumatized and it's going to be a while if ever before life gets back to normal for them."

"I'm not going to tell you that what [Merin] is trying to do [for the homeless] is wrong," Bolanos said. "This time when he did what he did, it really trampled on the lives of some innocent people; the real civil rights that were violated here were Pedro and Gracilla Hernandez."

Bolanos explained his view of the homeless.

"This whole episode really seems to underscore a leadership problem in this city, where no individual or group is willing to take accountability for what was happening here for over a month. This [homeless] situation is not going to go away, and providing this 'safe ground' outside of the downtown grid is just going to push the problem into someone else's backyard and the city is going to experience sad and difficult times and consequences."

Photographs one, two and three credit Sacramento Press staff reporter Suzanne Hurt. All other photographs credit staff reporter Jonathan Mendick.

"Safe Ground" abandoned

2009-09-22T06:54:46Z

At Mayor Kevin Johnson's request, homeless campers have cleared out of a vacant lot used in a "safe ground" dispute with the city, he said Monday.

Johnson visited the property near 13th and C streets, which is owned by attorney Mark Merin, over the weekend to discuss the ongoing controversy with campers, the mayor said in a late afternoon press conference.

On Sunday, as many as 40 people left the property where they'd been camping for a month after saying they believe their statement has been made. They agreed to negotiate with the city for at least one legal campground, Johnson said.

"I felt this would be a distraction if they continued to camp there illegally," he said outside City Hall.

Late Monday afternoon, all that remained of the campground were two smelly portapotties and a plastic washing station. An older couple living next door did not want to comment on homeless campers' abandonment of the campground.

City regulations prohibit camping on public or private property for more than 24 hours. Camping in city parks overnight, when the parks are closed, also is illegal.

Merin, a civil rights attorney, now faces lawsuits over the campground from the city and the couple. Merin was involved previously in a land dispute with the family.

Johnson, who describes homeless citizens as a "high priority" in his administration, has formed two task forces. One is coming up with proposals for one or more city- and county-sanctioned, or "safe ground," campgrounds. The other is determining how much space will be available for the campers in winter shelters.

The campground task force is considering two to five locations that could be used as a campground. One possible scenario would include three sites — one near nonprofit services for the impoverished, a second in another city location, and a third somewhere else in the Sacramento County, Johnson said.

Each campground would take no more than 50 to 100 people. The task force is considering whether a private security company should be hired, or whether campers should be counted on to police themselves. The plan would be for campers to stay for a limited time, such as 12 to 24 months, and then transition to housing, he said.

"Our goal is to end homelessness in Sacramento," Johnson said.

However, Johnson added, he has not garnered the support of all council members and cannot guarantee that a safe ground campground would be approved.

A plan to address homelessness and an alternative campground or campgrounds may be launched as early as the second week in October. Johnson said he will seek a decision on winter shelter no later than November.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Moving toward "Safe Ground"

2009-09-21T04:11:15Z

Though homelessness is not a new problem, the number of homeless people in Sacramento has increased over the last few years because of the state's budget crisis and cuts to federal programs. On June 30, hundreds of county shelter beds became unavailable, forcing more homeless onto Sacramento streets.

In answer to the shortfall, Safe Ground Sacramento was inaugurated on July 1. Organized by community members, nonprofits and businesses, Safe Ground seeks to provide the homeless with a safe place to be. Hundreds gathered that day for a rally and march to kick off the movement. Among them was Jacoby Shaddix, the formerly homeless lead singer of local band Papa Roach.

The city of Sacramento enforces a "camping ordinance" that makes it illegal for anyone to use or store camping equipment on public property for more than 24 hours. The police enforce the ordinance by confiscating camping equipment, such as tents and sleeping bags.

By July 14, homeless had been forced to leave four camping locations. They were at 420 Richards Blvd.; 100 Bercut Drive; between the Volunteers of America shelter and the Union Gospel shelter on Bannon St.; and on the corner of North D and North 11th streets.

A fifth location was provided by lawyer and Safe Ground partner Mark Merin on his property near 13th and C streets. Though neighbors have been critical of the location, which is allegedly related to a boundary dispute between Merin and the Pedro Hernandez family, Merin explained his rule that campers must remain drug and alcohol free on and off his property.

"There is no 'safe ground' in Sacramento," Merin said. "The attempt of the whole movement is to get the city and county to designate places where they will allow homeless people to be without threatening them with arrest and siezure of their property.

"My property is obviously not 'safe ground,' " he added. "Homeless people have been arrested three times on the property and [the city and the Hernandez family] are suing me to try to force me to move them out of there."

The issue affects law enforcement, officials say.

"We've always enforced the ordinance, but the number of campers has extended resources and it does cost the department both manpower and [money] to be able to address it," said Sgt. Norm Leong of the Sacramento Police Department.

"A couple of Sundays ago, I was working and I received no fewer than three calls for service from residents in the area. Not just the one person who lives directly next to the camp," Leong continued. "Other neighbors are affected by people coming and going from [the camp]."

Mayor Kevin Johnson said Tuesday that in October he will propose three to five sites to the City Council on which a long-term campground could be established. The site would be exempt from the camping ordinance, he said.

The Safe Ground organization has proposed the 3-acre site on Bannon Street as a long-term camping site. The land, owned by the county's housing authority, has running water and shade, and HomeAid has agreed to provide architects to build shelters. However, a Sacramento Bee editorial noted the location was used as a shelter and was shut down in the 1990s because of drug use.

"There is an overconcentration of social services in this neighborhood and the downtown area," said Sean Wright of the Alkali and Mansion Flats Historic Neighborhood Association. "I was on the mayor's committee that looked at an outside facility in the city or county [for homeless shelters]. In the study, the recommendation was if any site was placed in the city or county, it should not be in the downtown area."

"[The homeless should] be able to sleep at night without fear of harassment, or arrest, or confiscation of their meager goods," said Greg Bunker, executive director of Francis House, one of Safe Ground's partners. "It's just common sense that every human being deserves to sleep outside where they are safe."

Tina Reynolds, a Safe Ground board member agreed.

"They are not criminals, they are looking for a place to stay." she said. "How can they raise up if the whole day is spent lugging around your stuff, or finding food, and finding a place on the street to sleep?"

Timothy Richard Boley Jr. described being homeless: "I was in overflow (the Volunteers of America-operated Winter Shelter at Cal Expo), and overflow is nothing but a jail without bars. Getting a bed for a night involves your whole day, so you can't get a job."

Safe Ground is a step in the right direction, according to Boley. "I would like to see people to be able to put a tent up, or someplace they could shower. The system they have right now just doesn't work at all."

Kassandra Perlongo contributed to this article.

Photographs courtesy Anthony Bento.

Map:

View Safe Ground? in a larger map

Addendum: "Safe Ground" property dispute

2009-09-18T04:07:51Z

In a previous story in The Sacramento Press about a "Safe Ground" encampment behind the Pedro and Gracilla Hernandez residence, Mark Merin, civil rights attorney and Safe Ground partner was not contacted. He is the owner of the property and responded to the article Thursday.

Merin explained the land dispute differently. He said "it's unfortunate" the story made it seem as if he were trying to harm the Hernandez family financially or use the homeless to bully them.

Merin explained that when he bought his property, he had been planning to use the corner lot at 13th and C streets as a law office, and the strip behind the Hernandez residence as a parking lot. It turned out that, in a rare instance, his deed and the Hernandez deed overlapped by seven feet.

Merin and Hernandez hired lawyers for the ensuing "quiet title action" lawsuit that would draw property lines to resolve the land dispute. Merin said the lawyers settled the case; the fence would be moved, and Hernandez would have a gate in the fence to access a small strip of land that was on Merin's property where Hernandez had kept his barbecue.

Merin offered to purchase the strip of property from Hernandez. As part of that deal, Merin also would have handed over a strip of his property so that Hernandez could enlarge the property behind his house. According to Merin, Hernandez refused.

To reside at the Safe Ground location, Merin required campers to be drug and alcohol free on and off the property, he said.

He added that there was one instance of a camper violating this rule, and he was ejected.

Property dispute at latest "Safe Ground" location

2009-09-17T01:04:14Z

For about 30 years, the Hernandez family has owned the only house on the block of 13th Street between B and C Streets. Until Aug. 21, the rest of the block surrounding their home was filled with vacant lots.

"Safe Ground" came to the block when Sacramento lawyer and homeless advocate Mark Merin, who has owned several of the adjacent lots since 2007, teamed up with non-profits, businesses and other individuals. Tightly fit rows of matching tents complete with a "Safe Ground" logo (click here for photograph) began filling the one vacant lot directly behind the Hernandez's house, and for nearly a month, tents have housed about 40 homeless people on the property.

Monday, the Hernandez family, with the support of attorney Aldon Bolanos, filed a lawsuit against Merin on the grounds that the encampment on the property is a private nuisance. Though the tenants of the house are Pedro and Gracilla Hernandez, who are both in their early 70s, their daughter owns the title for the house.

The city had already filed a similar suit on Sept. 9 against Merin for the property being a public nuisance .

Bolanos met the Hernandez family when he was walking his dog. He stopped to watch the campers move onto the Merin-owned property, and the Hernandez family struck up a conversation with him as they watched the tents being installed.

Bolanos also lives in the Downtown area, but further from the camp area. After hearing the Hernandez's story, he felt compelled to take the case, he said.

The dispute over the property began in March 2007 when Merin purchased the plot of land behind the Hernandez residence. Because it was too small to build upon based on city code, he wanted to connect it to an even smaller piece of property he owns on the corner of 13th and C Streets, also next to the Hernandez residence.

After finding out that the only way to do this was through the Hernandez's plot, Merin approached Pedro Hernandez, 72, to try to purchase their backyard. When Hernandez refused, wanting to keep his yard, Merin sued him, alleging a property line boundary dispute.

The suit dragged on for over a year, costing the Hernandez family north of $100,000 in legal fees. But when they won the case last October (the dispute was unfounded), Merin was forced to settle the case out of court.

"It's called playing dirty," said Bolanos, referring to both the lawsuit and Merin's use of the property as a "Safe Ground" location. Since the encampment has taken residence, the Hernandez family has complained about loud noise, garbage, urine, feces, cockroaches, rats and even drug transactions including crack, heroin and meth, Bolanos added.

"[Mr. Hernandez] has observed these campers urinating on his home," Bolanos added. "It's tough for them, and they have a host of health problems, so this has made it a lot worse for [them]."

"You tell me how you would feel if you had this problem in your backyard," Hernandez, 72, said in a Sacramento Bee article. "You can imagine how [my family and I] feel."

Because the encampment is a violation of a city ordinance that prohibits camping for more than 24 hours, police have been regularly entering the property, arresting campers and confiscating tents and other camping equipment. Tents and camping equipment have been donated after every raid.

"I'm sympathetic to the plight of homeless, and if somebody wants to live outside, that's fine with me," Bolanos said. "But to do it in the Downtown core of a major city--and they do it in a manner that affects other people; other people's rights have to be considered, too."

Bolanos expects both the public and private nuisance suits to be combined since they are "substantially similar," he said. If all goes according to plan, Bolanos said the campers might be restricted from Merin's property beginning Thursday, Sept. 17.

He also said that Merin could receive an injunction against campers on his property as early as Tuesday, Sept. 22. But the court's decision on whether Merin violated the law and provided an opportunity for "unlawful camping" could take up to 10 months, Bolanos added.

Homeless Advocates Rally At City Hall – Is Anyone Listening?

2009-09-10T23:11:09Z

SafeGround advocates rallied at Sacramento City Hall this morning. Over 150 people congregated in support of SafeGround and to rally around the push for a moratorium on the city’s anti-camping ordinance.

The rally started at 10am, but was preceded by SafeGround music written and performed by Glen Bailey. The Rev. David Moss started the rally out with a prayer asking city officials for a favor, to have “compassion, justice, and mercy “ and “for something that is a basic human right for most people, but not the homeless – the right to sleep in safety.”

Joan Burke, a homeless advocate, read a declaration from the Sacramento Democratic Party announcing it’s support for the SafeGround movement, and one or more campgrounds sanctioned by the city and run by the homeless themselves.

Several other advocates and supporters spoke including Mark Merin, the owner of the SafeGround property, and Tina Reynolds owner of Uptown Studios. Jim Gilland one of the SafeGround campers also spoke about life on the street, “It’s depressing when you have no place to go. It’s depressing when you have no place to sleep. It’s depressing when you have no food” and why he believes in SafeGround “I believe everyone deserves a safe place to sleep. A chance to better themselves, to get away from poverty.”

The Rally ended with the demonstrators marching around City Hall with a megaphone shouting “Safe Ground, Safe Ground!” and holding signs that say “Where do we go now?” Between the megaphone and the sound system those inside the City Hall building had to have heard at least some of the rally; whether or not they are listening is a different story.

Sacramento’s Democratic Party Supports Safe Ground for Sacramento’s Growing Homeless Population as More Working Families Face Economic Crisis

2009-09-10T19:27:41Z

The Democratic Party of Sacramento County (DPSC) voted to unanimously endorse a resolution in support of Safe Ground for Sacramento’s homeless community, urging an amendment to the city's anti-camping ordinance to create city-sanctioned campgrounds to provide safe, sanitary and regulated facilities. DPSC supports this measure to avoid forcing Sacramento’s 1,200 homeless men, women and children to fend for themselves on the streets.

"Homelessness in Sacramento is a crisis affecting working families hit hard by the recession," said DPSC Parliamentarian Alan LoFaso, "The community needs to rally in support of our most vulnerable residents and back innovative ways to help these families recover economically."

The DPSC is committed to bringing an end to homelessness in Sacramento by ensuring that every Sacramentan has access to safe, secure shelter and the resources and support they need to lift themselves out of poverty.

Sacramento City Police Arrest 17 Homeless Campers

2009-09-04T22:52:33Z

Sacramento City Police once again have raided the small SafeGround camp site in downtown. This time they weren’t just looking for illegal tents and sleeping bags, instead they came looking for people.

They arrived around 7:30 am, with a warrant, and quickly proceeded to handcuff and line up most all the campers still on site. With over half a dozen squad cars, seventeen officers, the police van, and the CSI unit, they were able to arrest and move downtown seventeen campers including retired Methodist Minister Rev. David Moss. As of this writing, the campers are being processed and released with a citation and court date for October.

Six of the campers along with Sister Libby of Loaves & Fishes were arrested but later released onsite without being charged. According to officer Leong they weren’t detained further because they didn’t have any prior camping citations.

After all the police left I spoke with one of the campers who was not cited. Tipp, is a very jovial man, and despite the stress of the mornings events was able to laugh at the irony of the situation. “I’ve got three tents and two sleeping bags in police lock up.” And if things keep going this way, who knows how many tents the police may take from him.

So how many tents have to be taken from Tipp before somebody realizes he can’t go anywhere else? Sergeant Leong, of the Sacramento Police department stated himself that “Arrests are not a solution to this” but that the police department will continue to do it’s job and enforce the anti-camping ordinance.

So, if the police are going to continue doing their job, enforce existing laws and the homeless are going to keep doing what they have no choice but to do, sleep outside. Then how do we end this viscous cycle? Perhaps our City Council members can take up the matter and lead us to a humane, dignifying, and economically sensible solution.

Contact your City Council member now and tell them you want a humane, dignifying and economically sensible solution to homelessness.

Police Raid SafeGround in Search of Illegal Sleeping Bag and Tents

2009-09-02T22:11:49Z

Early this morning Sacramento City Police descended upon the small SafeGround campsite in downtown Sacramento. They came with half a dozen squad cars, a dozen officers, the paddy wagon, and a search warrant. They announced the site was a crime scene forced everyone to leave and taped off the site while they searched the premises for evidence of illegal camping. They then proceeded to take down and bag all the tents and sleeping bags as evidence of the crime, dumping peoples personal belongings in the dirt. After 3 hours of bagging and even the CSI unit taking pictures they hauled off the “evidence” and let the residents back in to gather their stuff out of the dirt.

The SafeGround residents, who are onsite with the permission of the property owner, now don’t even have the little shelter a tent provides. This is not the first time that police have raided and forced people out of encampments, in fact it seems to be becoming quite common. It happened on North D Street, it happened at the now infamous Tent City, and on a smaller scale at numerous other locations.

So why this repeating cycle? Why do these camp sites continue to pop up? The answer is simple, there simply isn’t enough transitional housing and emergency shelter for all of the people who are homeless in Sacramento. Yet despite this, City Officials continue to enforce the ridiculous Anti Camping ordinance, which states that it is illegal for anyone to camp anywhere (even private property where the owner gives permission) for more than one night.

Now I have compassion for any local business owners or residents who live within the area. Sure, they have a right to reasonable peace and quiet. Sure they have a right to not be distrubed at night. Just as I do. But that's the thing, this SafeGround site hasn't been loud and disruptive. In fact it's rather organized and quiet. There is an agreement they all sign stating no drugs or alchohol and they police themselves if anyone gets too rowdy or violates the agreement.

I can't help but wonder how much money and resources the City of Sacramento has spent enforcing this anti-camping ordinance. I can tell you that this morning their were at least twelve uniformed officers, seven squad cars, two trucks, and a CSI unit. They were onsite for about three hours and I'm sure many more were spent planning the day. How much tax payer money has been spent? How much money that could have gone towards more productive things like emergency shelter and transitional housing?

Sacramento needs more transitional housing, more emergency shelter, and yes, a moratorium on the anti-camping ordinance so that people who can’t get into shelter or housing can have a safe place to sleep at night. We are in the middle of deep economic recession and have over 1200 people sleeping on the streets every single night who can’t get into shelter. Come on! Let’s have a little compassion and let people who have hit bottom at least get a good nights sleep.

Mayor Johnson Camps With The Homeless People Of Safe Ground

2009-08-14T19:44:32Z

Fox 40's Natalie Bomke, and Mayor Kevin Johnson camped out with Sacramento’s homeless community, August 11, 2009. This is a huge step in making homelessness a priority and bringing forth change.

Safe Ground’s mission is to help the homeless community to have a safe and legal place to stay until the housing issues are resolved. Mayor Johnson and Bomke showed up at Safe Ground’s recent camp-out spot to learn first hand what it is like to be homeless.

Johnson and Bomke signed Safe Ground’s participant agreement; which is required in order to camp: no drugs, no alcohol, no violence. This agreement is set to keep the homeless community safe.

John Kraintz, a homeless leader and a member of Safe Ground, has great hope that the homeless community won’t appear “invisible” anymore. Change occurs when people take notice. The time has come for just that. How could you not take notice when Sacramento’s very own Mayor decides to take heed and put himself in a homeless man’s shoes?

In visiting, Sacramento Loaves & Fishes website, you can find some very touching and informative videos by Fox 40 and Costa Mantis, in regards to Sacramento’s homeless community, and what Safe Ground is doing to help make this movement work for the best.

Today, Safe Ground continues to move on a daily basis preventing the homeless from being arrested for camping. I’m very pleased to say there weren’t any camping tickets for Mayor Johnson or Bomke.

Mayor Johnson has created a task force to work out a more permanent place for the homeless community to call “home.”

Safe Ground photos

2009-07-15T21:47:33Z

This is the fourth vacant space Sacramento homeless have been forced to leave since July 1. For more background on this event, click the "Storyline" tab on the right, or click this link

Safe Ground yet to be found

2009-07-15T04:27:26Z

Police arrived at the most recent Safe Ground location on North D and North 11th streets Monday afternoon to notify about 100 homeless campers that they must vacate the premises.

Safe Ground is an attempt to find a safe, legal space for the homeless to settle.

Reverend David Moss was the only arrest made that afternoon for trespassing. Sacramento Police Department spokesperson, Sgt. Norm Leong commented, “He refused to identify if he was camping on the site and refused to leave.”

The empty lot is owned partially by the city and two private property owners. Joan Burke, Director of Advocacy with Loaves & Fishes, said those camping were aware only of the city ownership of the property.

“We came here to facilitate the removal of illegal camping and trespassing complaints of neighboring businesses and owners of the property,” Leong said.

Since the closing of the shelters, the homeless have now been forced to leave a fourth camping location since July 1.

The first was on a vacant lot at 420 Richards Blvd., the second was a vacant parcel of city owned land at 100 Bercut Dr., and the third was a small camp site between the Volunteers of America Shelter and the Union Gospel shelter on Bannon St.

“Thus far everyone is cooperating and moving their property,” Leong said.

Leong said that the police department does not claim itself as an organization fit to solve the homeless issue. “Our job is to enforce ordinances and laws in place," Leong said.

Since their time searching for a safe space to settle, the homeless have become self-governing.

“Campers as a group elected five people to be on a governing board,” Burke said.

She said the board is a Council of Elders, inspired by tribal practices, which helps make decisions about the group in a democratic process. “Each camper signed an individual pledge that the campground be drug, alcohol, and violence free,” Burke said. “It was the first thing the entire camp decided on."

Following the clearing of the lot, Joan Burke made her way to a meeting on the 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness.

In a phone interview Tuesday morning, Burke explained that the policy board met and voted Monday to ask the city of Sacramento to "adopt a moratorium on the enforcement of anti-camping laws."

This advisory policy will be passed from the board, which consists of non-profit organizations, businesses, law enforcement, and the homeless community, to the Sacramento City Council and the City Manager's Office.

The campers are planning to go to the City Council meeting Tuesday night with their gear to raise questions about where they will be sleeping tonight.

“This is a grave situation with nowhere for folks to go,” Burke said.