Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "tent city"

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.

Wells Fargo ponies up for Winter Sanctuary

2011-12-13T22:40:38Z

On the eve of another cold night in Sacramento, Wells Fargo Bank stepped up to give $75,000 to help the city’s Winter Sanctuary program provide shelter for the homeless.

“People talk about ‘occupy this’ and ‘occupy that,’ but this is what people want,” Mayor Kevin Johnson said at a press conference Tuesday. “They want the corporate community to have values that are in line with the least among us in our communities.”

Wells Fargo representative David Galasso presented the $75,000 check at the press conference.

Winter Sanctuary provides shelter to the homeless during the winter months and is run by Volunteers of America, Sacramento Steps Forward – a regional initiative launched in 2010 to combat homelessness – and the faith community.

As of last week, the program only raised about half of its $150,000 budget for this year, threatening the availability of shelter for hundreds of homeless people in Sacramento this winter.

The donation from Wells Fargo Bank provided the final amount needed to support the sanctuary program through March.

“One of the unique things (in Winter Sanctuary) this year is we are seeing a lot of younger people who are experiencing homelessness for the first time,” Volunteers of America President Leo McFarland, said Tuesday.

“It’s not just the very generous donations like this one from Wells Fargo that mean so much (to the program),” McFarland said, “it’s also every $50 check that comes in, and every $500 donation that keeps hope alive. We are very grateful for this effort.”

Although the city provides hotel vouchers and winter shelter beds for a majority of the estimated 2,400 homeless in Sacramento, City Councilman Jay Schenirer said that many who are camping on the banks of the American River can still take advantage of the Winter Sanctuary program.

“We have to think about what the city can do next to make sure people have what they need to survive in this city,” Schenirer said, “and that the city has what it needs to thrive.”

A update on homeless issues in the city is scheduled to be heard by the City Council at Tuesday’s meeting.

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

"Searching for Safe Ground" : a film on the struggle of being homeless in Sacramento

2011-11-11T08:00:38Z

“Searching for Safe Ground,” a film series by Costa Mantis, reveals the daily struggles of being homeless in Sacramento and addresses the bleak reality of not having a safe place to sleep.

Starting in October and continuing until February, a different episode of the five-part series will play at First Methodist Church on the corner of J and 21st streets during Second Saturday Art Walks.

Mantis moved from his home in Pennsylvania to Sacramento on Apr. 1, 2009 on a “mission to give the homeless a voice,” he said.

In 2009, an estimated 250 of Sacramento’s homeless lived in a collection of tents on the banks of the American River in a community called Tent City. Without running water, bathrooms, and only the protection of thin nylon tents from the weather, Tent City became a national symbol of the economic hardships caused by the recession. From the Oprah Winfrey Show to the New York Times, Tent City was reported to reflect the harsh realities of the economic downturn that citizens faced and continue to struggle with today.

Mantis has been a filmmaker for 40 years has made many films such as, Time of Tears, Laughing Stock, Flying Pumpkins and many other films and commercials. Mantis took on this project because the people of Tent City needed to be heard and needed to tell their story, he said.

“I moved into Tent City to understand what it was like to be in their shoes,” Mantis said. “After Tent City was forced to close, I followed them in their struggle to find a place to sleep. Everyone deserves a place to sleep and stay warm and to take a shower. I exposed myself to their daily regimen to be able to accurately tell their story.”

In May of 2011 he moved out of the homeless community and into an apartment and has since finished his miniseries, “Searching for Safe Ground.”

“I hope that those who come to see the film become supportive of the movement and speak with the mayor and City Council about the need for safe ground for the homeless,” said Reverend Don Lee of First Methodist Church. “Costa Mantis has been using his gift of film-making to be a voice for the struggles of the homeless. It is an important message.”

For a video explanation of the purpose of the film series by Costa Mantis, visit here.

When Tent City was forced to disband in the spring of 2009, the organization SafeGround Sacramento emerged. The film follows the community from Tent City’s closure to the creation of SafeGround Sacramento and shows the organization’s continuing efforts today.

SafeGround Sacramento was created to rally for a safe, legal and sanitary sanctioned area for the homeless to sleep. Each member of SafeGround Sacramento must agree to adhere to a code of no drugs, no alcohol and no violence to be a part of the organization.

The films show the peoples’ daily fight for survival. It follows them as they try to find a safe place to sleep, a meal to eat and shows their constant shuffling about the city as police urge them on to find alternative sleeping arrangements.

The first part in the film series shows the harsh living conditions in Tent City and people tell their stories of how they arrived there. Cold wind blows through the air and whips against people’s tents as they explain their frustrations and the lack of options that they have. Muddy ground surrounds the area and police cars approach. The film captures the faces of the homeless occupants at Tent City as they are told to disband.

Before the homeless community at Tent City can tackle the issue of where they should go inmates arrive and begin cleaning up the land. Bulldozers and tractors roll over what was once Tent City and the community is shown gathering their belongings and moving out.

“When I first moved into Tent City people felt invaded by my presence. For ten days people felt threatened by me. After that, I started to gain their trust,” Mantis said.

From that point on Mantis lived and breathed with the occupants of Tent City. The film shows the 50 to100 people traveling together all over the city in search for safe ground.

“In these films you are going to see people living under bridges. You are going to see people living in the woods. You are going to see some who got into shelters and put in beds, ” Manits said.

After Tent City was dispersed the preliminary meetings for SafeGround Sacramento began. They were filmed by Mantis and segments are included in the film series. The proceeding SafeGround Sacramento rallies, picketing efforts, and City Council meetings are all captured in his films and the efforts continue today.

“There simply isn’t enough shelter space,” said Steve Watters, executive director of SafeGround Sacramento. “There are literally a couple thousand people around this county that have nowhere to go. I would guess that there is probably 400-500 people living along the rivers downtown right now.”

The members of the organization have yet to find a place that they are legally allowed to stay, and without enough beds in the city’s homeless shelters, they break the law nightly by sleeping outside in hiding.

“The actions of the city and county speak for themselves. Is there enough shelter? No. Are there enough beds? No,” Mantis said. “I am not looking to present both sides of the story in these films. I am telling these people’s experiences and showing life through their eyes.”

The miniseries is divided into five segments. For a preview of the segments the film series by Costa Mantis, click here.

• Oct. 8 – Episode 1 “Third World America”

Episode one explores the living conditions of those living in Tent City. It also documents the process of Tent City closing down and the homeless needing to find alternative places to live.

• Nov. 12 – Episode 2 “Outside In”

Episode two shows what happened to the occupants after they left Tent City. Mantis documents the homeless moving from Tent City to heavily wooded areas and to underneath bridges. In this episode SafeGround Sacramento is discussed and officially formed.

• Dec. 10 – Episode 3 “Where Will I Stay Tonight?”

Episode three reveals the community effort to claim safe ground and hold onto it by force. They fail to succeed but the idea is born to purchase land that SafeGround Sacramento can make available to the homeless.

• Jan. 14 – Episode 4 “It Is What It Is”

Episode four shows the planning for purchasing a piece of land develop. Occupation of a piece of land on C Street is attempted but after one month it is lost due to multiple law suits filed against SafeGround Sacramento.

• Feb. 11 – Episode 5 “Now What?”

Episode five shows SafeGround Sacramento occupants leaving the area on C Street and the law suits against them are dropped. The final scene shows the homeless community biking off into the sunset in further search for safe ground.

The film viewing starts at 5 p.m. at First Methodist Church in Midtown. There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, and all proceeds go to SafeGround Sacramento. There will be a question-and-answer time after the film with the filmmaker and leaders from SafeGround Sacramento.

For more information on SafeGround Sacramento, visit the website here.

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.

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

Q&A with Safe Ground's Tracie Rice-Bailey

2010-10-01T23:29:32Z

If you attend the weekly Sacramento City Council meetings, you’re likely to see an activist with colorful clothing address city leaders on homeless issues.

Tracie Rice-Bailey, 57, has appeared at Tuesday night council meetings so frequently in the last year that she has become a familiar face at City Hall.

For more than a year, Rice-Bailey and other advocates for the homeless have lobbied council members for a legal camping ground for the area’s homeless.

Rice-Bailey is a vocal member of the advocacy group that calls itself Safe Ground Sacramento. The group wants the city to reserve a space for homeless people where the city’s camping ban would not apply.

Rice-Bailey, who said she was homeless for 12 years and now lives downtown, often intersperses her short speeches at City Hall with quotations from the Bible. She also has a distinctive style: She is instantly recognizable because of her 1960s-era necklaces and beaded headband.

The Sacramento Press sat down with Rice-Bailey at Loaves & Fishes recently to talk to her about her role with the Safe Ground campaign. In her responses, she referred to “Tent City,” the homeless campground in Sacramento that attracted major media attention last year.

The Sacramento Press: How did you become involved with the Safe Ground issue?

Rice-Bailey: I was trying to get John Kraintz (current Safe Ground president) to work with me because I wanted someone else to roll with ... and he flipped me to work with the Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee. And out of SHOC, Safe Ground was born.

SP: So, SHOC was first, and then Safe Ground came after that.

TRB: Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee has been here for years. And that is our mother. We were at a SHOC meeting actually trying to figure out what to do with the people from Tent City because everyone was being displaced.

John had to go to the bathroom, and everyone was jamming John up, (asking): “What are we going to call it? What are we going to do? Where are we going to go?”

And John’s going, “Man, I just need safe ground!”

Hence our name.

It became Safe Ground from that second on. That’s what we all need: We all need safe ground.

SP: Safe Ground has been around for —

TRB: July 1, 2009 was our maiden march and our maiden camp-out. We camped across from the water treatment plant. And from there we went by the mission on Bannon Street. From there, we went to what we call the “field of dreams.”

From there, we went to Mark Merin’s property on 13th Street — and everybody knows about that.

And now, we’re out in the woods hiding again.

SP: Field of dreams? What is that?

TRB: That’s the North 10th property. We call it the field of dreams because when you have nothing, it’s a dream to even have a field.

SP: That’s an empty property?

TRB: It’s an empty property with trees on it, which makes it a dream in itself. The tent city by campers was not called “Tent City.” It was called “The Wasteland” or “The Badlands” because there’s no trees. There’s no shelter. There’s nothing to shelter you from the sun.

SP: Safe Ground advocates have been lobbying the City Council for more than a year. How optimistic do you feel about a Safe Ground site being set up?

TRB: I think they really have no choice. There is no budget. Nobody has a budget ... If they would just give us a moratorium (on the camping ban). And I’m not saying (that we should) sleep on K Street or J Street, which people do right now anyway. But give us a place to be, and let us be self-governing. Let us take it from there.

SP: Are Safe Ground advocates taking their cause to the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors?

TRB: We’ve made one visit there. We’ve been talking about that as something we’re going to have to start doing. The reason we’ve gone to the city so hard is that the city has the ordinance, and the city has the ability to change that ordinance. They can sign a paper and give us a moratorium ... The county does all the homeless services. But now they’re cutting all of them. So, we’ve got to go there.

SP: I’ve heard you quote the Bible in your comments at City Hall. I’ve heard you speak many times. How do your personal religious views relate to your advocacy for a Safe Ground site?

TRB: We are our brother’s keeper. How the hell are you going to say I’m my brother’s keeper and not try to find him a place to be? You can’t. It’s not acceptable behavior. We’re here to learn to love each other. If we can’t figure out how to get along here, there is nothing left for us later.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Saturday at the Film Festival

2010-04-19T06:13:01Z

Sacramento continued its two-week-long film festival at the Crest Theatre on Saturday. The evening began with a short film remembering former Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna Jr.

The short, "Joe Serna Jr. Tribute" called Serna a champion of school reform, a "public servant, not a politician." Serna, who was inspired by Cesar Chavez, may be remembered most for his passion for education and community work. He was an inspiration to immigrants and younger generations, according to the film.

The tribute to Serna was followed by "Third World America," a documentary by Costa Mantis about Sacramento's Tent City.

The film, which ran about an hour, shed new light on Tent City and its residents. While there seem to be assumptions about the homeless -- they're disabled, they're lazy -- residents of Tent City described themselves as "happy, loving, joyous and kind." Some own cars, have jobs, and pay taxes. A few residents said it was up to them to take the first steps out of homelessness.

"What's the point?" residents asked when being told they had to move yet again. Tent City was previously set up on land owned by Union Pacific and SMUD.

"If you don't look at it, it's not really there" one resident said. "If you don't see the people, they aren't a concern." Organizations such as Loaves and Fishes and Safe Ground Sacramento want to bring Sacramento's homeless issue front and center to find a long-term solution.

"Third World America" is part of Mantis' Searching For Safe Ground series, about the plight of the homeless in the Sacramento area. The films focus on real people in real time.

"The Invited" premiered at 9 p.m. to a nearly full house. A chilling tale that will make one rethink playing with a Ouija board, the film tells the story of a couple who moves to Northern California only to unlock an ancient evil.

Director and Sacramento native Ryan McKinney answered questions after the film.

"It's time Sacramento takes (the movie industry) back," McKinney said. "We have to kick the L.A. comparison. This is an amazing city to shoot, an amazing locale, we just need the infrastructure," he said.

"We're not trying to re-create Hollywood," added another Sacramento native, actor Christopher Holley.

A fan asked if McKinney had any advice for aspiring filmmakers. His answer was simple.

"Do it," the director said. "It's as simple and easy as that ... and it'll make Sacramento a better place."

For more information on the film festival, visit www.sacramentofilmfestival.com.

Photos 1 and 2 courtesy of TheCrest.com. Photo 3 courtesy of Agnus-Dei Farrant.

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.

Homeless man's death apparently not homicide

2009-06-17T23:17:55Z

Sacramento Police investigators don't believe a homeless man found dead near an American River levee Tuesday morning was the victim of a homicide.

The Sacramento County coroner must determine the cause of death. The man, believed to be in his 30s, died at his secluded campsite below a popular bike trail near the former Tent City.

The family has not yet been notified, so officials are not releasing the man's name, said Sacramento Police Sgt. Norm Leong.

Another homeless person found the man dead in a wooded area behind a commercial/residential neighborhood near 16th and North C streets and reported the death to police at 7:56 a.m.

The area, which is used by homeless campers, sits between several nonprofit organizations serving homeless people and the fenced-off former Tent City site.

Empowering the Homeless One Success Story At a Time

2009-05-19T17:45:45Z

By Philippe "SHOCK" Matthews

We drive by them everyday in cities and towns around the country. We turn our heads when we walk past them and frown if they make verbal contact. They are ignored and ridiculed, sometimes assaulted. They are human beings struggling to find their way. They are us one or two paychecks missed. They are the homeless population here in Sacramento.

Recently, I had the privileged of meeting Jodi Nerell at a downtown social function where Jodi shared with me that she was the Program Director for the Guest House Homeless Clinic for El Hogar Community Services here in Sacramento. After my conversation with her, Jodi invited me to sit in on one their first advisory board meetings with past graduates from the Guest House Homeless Clinic. I was so moved and empowered by the strength of the people I met and the stories that were told such as Linda McKinley who said, "I started here at the Guest House. I was homeless, I was sick. These people have helped me as of today I am an intern at NCADD (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence). I am an ex felon, I've had forty seven years of addiction and I am three years sober. I am fifty six years old and I am so excited about my life today. I am the oldest student in my class and I kept a 3.0 grade average. Guest House saved my life. One time I was in a crisis and I had this place to come to. If it were not for them, I would probably still be in my addiction, homeless with my shopping carts."

Another Guest House alum sitting on the Advisory Board was Jason, who became homeless five years ago and shared how his mental illness did not start with his homelessness but actually years before. "I have bipolar and post traumatic stress disorder. I sometimes have severe anxiety issues and because of the way I was raised, violence was most times the only answer for me. For the last five years, I've been working on my temper. I realized my rage was not rage but an anxiety attack and once I learned that there were ways to deal with that most of which I learned here, it has been a lot easier to deal with these things. One of the first things I did here is Cynthia's PSTD group and what I learned was that I was not alone. There were people who went through the same crap I had gone through."

Jodi Nerell has worked in social services for fifteen years. She received her undergraduate at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo (Family Psy.) and graduated San Francisco State University with a Masters in Social Work, MSW. Her agency specializes in the provision of mental health services which is augmented by site specific support services such as housing and subsidies for homeless elderly individuals.

In my own personal journey, I too have experienced pain, shame and hopelessness that comes when we lose our basic ability to secure shelter for ourselves. I was fascinated by Jodi's genuine enthusiasm for empowering the homeless along with her dedication in helping a community of people who because of economic strife, mental illness, personal tragedy or unforeseen misfortune were no longer able to help themselves. The mission of El Hogar is to provide services that contribute to the mental health and emotional well-being of individuals and families in the Sacramento community. El Hogar Community Services, Inc. has provided mental health supportive services to adults with chronic mental illness in the Sacramento, California region since 1977. In this exclusive Q&A with Jodi Nerell, you will learn about what the "New Homeless" population looks like here in Sacramento and how we all can assist in ending this debilitating cycle of poverty and mental illness that is crippling more individuals and families than ever before.

What are the unique skill sets that make your staff efficient at helping people at their lowest point?
We have three programs under the El Hogar umbrella (Guest House, Regional Support Team, and Sierra Elder Wellness). Collectively we have 65 employees who provide services for approximately 3300 clients annually. Our agency embraces the concepts of recovery (hope, personal empowerment, advocacy, etc.) and many of the staff have lived experiences which complement the extensive clinical training the agency provides.

How big is your staff and have any of them ever been homeless?
Our staff here at the clinic is 10 with 4-5 interns that rotate throughout the academic year. Yes, several have experienced homelessness and approximately 80% of us are former consumers of the very services we now provide.

Talk to me about the new face of homelessness. Who is losing their ability to provide a home for themselves?
It’s indiscriminate really. Most recently we are seeing more families, former foster youth, and professionals who were laid off-lost their health benefits and their homes. It’s sickening to witness. People are feeling disillusioned, in shock, and completely helpless.

Are there mental disorders that your agency is qualified to treat?
Our clinic provides services for adults who suffer from some of the most debilitating mental illnesses (schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, schizoaffective disorder and specific personality disorders).

What is the official definition of homelessness versus the definition of the agency?
The Federal definition of homelessness is: "an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill); an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings". We provide services under that definition, which differs slightly from the more restrictive Housing and Urban Development definition of homelessness which is limited to individuals living on the street or in shelters (excluding individuals who are forced to live in motels or "doubled-up"- temporarily living with someone else)

How does homelessness affect children?
Children whose families are experiencing homelessness are at risk of child welfare involvement and family fragmentation attributable to the living conditions associated with homelessness. Cognitive development, language acquisition and motor skills can be seriously compromised due to the instability of homelessness. It is well documented that in school age children, those experiencing homelessness are diagnosed with learning disabilities, suffering from attachment disorders, and diagnosed with chronic and acute health conditions at a much higher rate than other children.

Are there entire families that are homeless?
Yes, unfortunately, and we are seeing an increase in that phenomena.

Why are you so passionate about the work you do?
I cannot imagine doing NOTHING and am intimately cognizant of the fact that it could just as easily be me on the other end of the table. In fact, at various periods in my life, it was me and this is my chance to give back what I received. The gift of Reciprocity can never be understated.

How does a typical day begin for you?
I check in with the team, we assess the waiting line at the front door and strategize ways to address the need with the staffing pattern. Triage process lasts most of the morning and I assist with consultation, provide provisional diagnosis, and meet individually with folks on my caseload. Meetings of course, lots of them, and then back to the office to disseminate information and prepare for inservices, etc. The 8-hr. workday does not apply here, nor could it given people's needs don't fit an 8-5 pattern.

Are there different profiles of homeless people?
Sure- and the demographic continues to change. We see a broad range of individuals- former foster youth, veterans, seniors, people with extensive educational/professional backgrounds (engineers, social workers, professors, pastors), those who are struggling with co-morbid conditions (addiction and mental health disorders, individuals with criminal justice background), and those who have been chronically homeless vs. recently homeless- it really runs the gamut. Homelessness doesn't discriminate- it could be any one's reality.

I heard that there are some homeless people that prefer to be homeless and don't want to integrate back into society. Is that true?
We do encounter people who are entrenched in the culture of homelessness and find it difficult to re-integrate. We respect where they are at and work to give them a positive experience with "the system".

What about the people who try to beat the system and are just looking for a free handout? How do you address this issue?
Many of our clients report feeling "beat by the system", vs. the other way around. We recognize that the "beating the system" mentality is actually a survival/coping mechanism that may have served them well in other arenas and at different points in their lives, but may be ineffective at getting their needs met as adults. We strive to have open honest lines of communication with those we serve, so we will open up that dialogue if appropriate. I am actually more focused on the other end of that coin, hoping to outreach and engage those that want/need the "free handout" so that we can collaborate on improving their quality of life.

I heard you were featured on Oprah. How did that happen?
We weren't featured, the "tent city" located two blocks behind us was profiled in addition to the Loaves & Fishes program which provides an extensive array of support services to those experiencing homelessness. Our services are a complement to theirs and we work interdependently to address the plethora of needs that you can imagine comes with homelessness and mental illness.

How can we change the perception of the homeless and realize they are not bums in the street strung out on drugs?
I think it first begins with the individual- taking a personal inventory of all of the support people in one's life and an honest accounting of the "luxuries" many of us have...and then removing them. Imagining those layers removed, in combination with a catastrophic event (loss of a loved one, job loss, onset of auditory hallucinations, etc.) gives you a sense of what many of our clients experience. No one wakes up and "chooses" homelessness, addiction, or mental illness. Looking at others, truly looking at those you pass on the street, in front of your favorite coffee hang out- will inevitably force you to SEE the person not the circumstance that they currently find themselves in.

I understand that a lot of people who become homeless do seek self-medicating drugs or alcohol to numb the pain of their situation.
That is the reality for some individuals- and what people choose as their survival/coping strategy varies from person to person. Our clinic seeks to tackle both issues in a parallel fashion (ie. Mental health treatment concomitantly with Alcohol/Drug treatment).

What kind of medical attention and psychological counseling does El Hogar offer?
We offer individual and group counseling, psychopharmacological therapies, and facilitate connection with a Primary Care doctor (some of our sites pay for the visit and provide transportation).

How do you handle those that are suicidal and feel complete hopelessness?
We begin by opening up the dialogue, engaging the person with a non-threatening, non-judgemental approach and conducting a suicide assessment to determine lethality. Empathic listening and the genuine expression of concern a caring person goes a long way. If hospitalization is necessary, we explain the process and attempt to reach a voluntary decision to seek assistance. We will also evaluate current medications and potential substance interaction effects as well, to mitigate an overdose occurrence.

What is your ultimate goal with your program and mission at El Hogar?
Our mission statement is "To provide services that contribute to the mental health and emotional well-being of individuals and families in the Sacramento community". To that end, the goal of our clinic is to essentially render ourselves non-essential. Our "graduate" profile is an individual who has obtained/sustained recovery from mental illness, is residing in a stable environment, is connected with a Primary Care physician and has secured financial solvency including health coverage (via employment, SSDI/SSI).

What can individuals do to help the homeless but don't know where or how to start?
Connect with local providers and ascertain what services they are providing that most succinctly align with what you would like to do. There is still a lot to be done, but we wouldn't be where we are if it weren't for the vision, altruism, and commitment of a cadre of volunteers,donors, and professionals who are passionate about this type of service.

What is the website where people can get more information about El Hogar Community Services?
www.elhogarinc.org.

Homeless advocates fight to maintain their rights.

2009-04-22T17:24:48Z

Since the existence of tent city gained national attention on the Oprah Winfrey Show, a firestorm of controversy has ensued. A lot has been said in the last few weeks about the ‘homeless problem’ in Sacramento. Government officials have scrambled to free up shelter beds and come up with enough funding flush into alternative housing programs. But, the issue of homelessness does not appear to be going away anytime soon and throwing money at it may not be the answer.

“You can put government money on the table,” say Mark Chaclan, former Loaves and Fishes volunteer, “but there are still going to be people that have to resort to tent city.” Chaclan visited tent city twice last week to join fellow Loaves and Fishes volunteers in the fight to protect the rights of Sacramento’s homeless.

“Loaves and Fishes has taken a stance on the issue,” he says, “and they are ready to go to the trenches.”

In the meantime, as the bulldozers start to roll, hundreds of homeless men and women once again find themselves displaced.

Trevor McClure knows what it is like to be down and out. He was homeless for three years, beginning in 2003 and he wants to dispel the myth that the solution to homelessness is simply ‘getting a job’ as some more callous critics may believe.

“It’s damn near impossible to get a job when you’re homeless,” he says. “you have to be clean and presentable. You have to be able to shower every day. By the time to you get off work, you’ve lost your bed [in the shelter].”

McClure often found himself sleeping at the river. “The Union Gospel Mission doesn’t accept women,” he says, “and I’ll be dammed if I’m gonna sleep in a shelter and my wife’s gonna sleep on the streets.”

John Sherba was also homeless for a four year period starting in 2002. While he was able to make due with the limited resources at hand, he acknowledges that leading a transient existence is neither easy nor preferable.

“I slept on the streets, on the sidewalks, in front of the union Gospel Mission, and at the river,” he says. Sherba slept on the river for three out of the fours years that he was living outdoors and was able to keep the peace with park rangers and other residents.

“We made friends with them because we kept our camp clean. They liked the way we did what we did” he says, “but the bottom line is that camping in Sacramento is still illegal.”

Law breakers will be punished. “We had to keep moving constantly,” says Sherba, “They [Sacramento sheriffs] took everything I owned and threw it in a dump truck. They took the tent and everything in it.”

“When you’re homeless,” adds McClure, “every penny you have goes to surviving. You have to be able to eat and you have to make sure that you will be able to replace your tent and stuff when it gets taken away.”

The instability of the lifestyle and the illegality of camping within the Sacramento city limits are why some homeless advocates believe that places like tent city are necessary.

“They need a place for people to camp that’s legal,” says Sherba, “They can provide as many beds as they want to, but there are people that just can’t live that way for whatever reason.”

Sherba, who was also a volunteer at Loaves and Fishes while he was homeless understands that not everybody can make it indoors.

“There are people that are mentally ill,” he says, “I call them ‘happy campers’. I’ve seen them talk to telephone polls, but in the end, they don’t cause no harm to anybody.”

Campers' belongings not trashed in cleanup

2009-04-17T05:27:12Z

As the John Deere vehicles loaded the remaining items of Sacramento's Tent City into large garbage trucks Thursday, an observer could easily think that campers' belongings were getting hauled away along with garbage. But at least two homeless campers said the police and cleanup crews were not throwing out their belongings.

Carol Davis, who lived at the Tent City, was sitting near the site Thursday. She said no one took her belongings from her. Asked about the items being hauled into garbage trucks, Davis replied that the items left at the site were trash.

Thom Dickens lives at a campsite near Tent City. He said police "haven't taken nothing from me yet."

Sacramento police said the process of removing the campsite and directing people to leave was "peaceful."

Reporting on the “Tent City” media spectacle

2009-04-17T05:13:50Z

News Analysis

Nearly all of the homeless people who lived at the “Tent City” on the American River had left the site by Thursday morning, but the media outlets were still there.

Sacramento’s Tent City has received so much news coverage that the media hubbub itself plays a large part in the story.

The city’s removal of the campsite Thursday was no exception. Television journalists from several outlets — including KCRA Channel 3, CBS Channel 13 and Noticias Univision Channel 19 – were at the scene, covering the camp’s removal.

While the media has seized on the Tent City story, campgrounds created by homeless people are not a new phenomenon in Sacramento. For years, homeless people have been creating small camps in the city, according to Sgt. Norm Leong of the Sacramento Police Department.

Nonetheless, the Google News website Thursday afternoon listed 204 news stories in response to the search: Sacramento tent city.

Photojournalist Scott Zentner, from CBS Channel 13 and CW Channel 31, was at the site Thursday to cover the cleanup. When asked what he thought about the Tent City media frenzy, he said he hadn’t really thought about it.

But Carol Davis, who lived at Tent City, had an immediate negative reaction when asked the same question.

“It sucks,” Davis said, adding that she didn’t like reporters taking pictures of the camp.

Davis was sitting near the site Thursday, as vehicles hauled away the odds and ends that former residents had left behind. Now that Tent City is gone, she said she didn’t know where to go.

Filmmaker Costa Mantis criticized media coverage of the issue. He said that “nobody else seems to be telling the truth,” about Tent City. That’s why he’s been reporting on Tent City via YouTube, he said. Mantis said he lived at Tent City for 16 days in a tent, while journalists come to the site for 20 minutes to get a story.

Meanwhile, the extensive media coverage didn’t bother Thom Dickens, who lives at a camp adjacent to Tent City. He said the police, not the media, are the problem. He also said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson are to blame.

The clearing of the site was not the only story Thursday. Reporters were also covering a planned protest by the charity Loaves and Fishes. Sister Libby Fernandez of Loaves and Fishes said she and other protesters would refuse to leave a campsite adjacent to Tent City. “We are standing in solidarity” and will not leave this property until we’re removed, she said.

The protest will take days, Fernandez said. Protesters will be staying at the campsite in shifts. There isn’t enough shelter or housing in Sacramento for the city's nearly 4,000 homeless people, she said.

But Leong said Loaves and Fishes is incorrect when it says there is no shelter space. “As of yet, we’ve not filled up the spaces,” Leong said.

He noted that the locations where couples can stay together are limited. Sacramento police are ready to give out vouchers for temporary housing and motels, he said.

Asked about the nearby campsite, Leong said that Sacramento has had “little camp areas” for more than 11 years. The city is concerned about clearing the Tent City because it’s on private property, he said. But he also noted that it is illegal in Sacramento to camp.

“But you cannot tell me it’s OK to camp when I have shelter space open.”

The police are not trying to shut down the protesters, according to Leong.

“We’re allowing them to air their concerns, and basically show to the media, which is their primary target, that they have issues that they want voiced,” Leong said. “We’re prepared to let them do that right now.”

Leong described the police department’s relationship with the homeless in the area as “really positive.”

The police department's count for the number of homeless people who lived at the Tent City was between 100 and 120, according to Leong.

Tent city demolition: a photojournal

2009-04-17T04:43:03Z

The following is a photojournal including photos and observations from the removal of Tent City on April 16 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. :

Around 100 inmates on 5 busses were transported from Sacramento County Sheriff's Work Project to help clean up Tent City.

Some helpers piled remaining large objects that were left behind from Tent City dwellers who had already left. Smaller items were put into trash bags.

Foreground: large bulldozers with pinching claws attached transported the aforementioned piles onto dump trucks. Background: a cargo train passes by.

Foreground: a police officer in a city truck picked up some items of value which were supposedly taken into storage. Background: items remaining to be transported cover the ground.

Once a larger community, these residents are all that are left. Smaller tented communities were prevalent in other nearby areas. (*Note the circular item on the antenna is a sunspot, due to shooting the photo in the sun's direction)

Foreground: one of many similar, personal, makeshift rickshaws used by Tent City dwellers to transport valuable belongings to nearby campsites or elsewhere. Background: bulldozer.

Homeless advocates vow to stop the disbanding of Tent City

2009-04-15T03:45:38Z

The Midtown Monthly blog is reporting that homeless advocates and charity workers are asking community members vigils this week as the police disband the homeless encampment known internationally as Tent City. In a letter to the Monthly, Greg Bunker of Francis House of Sacramento writes, "We are willing to be arrested on behalf of our homeless folks rather than see them be moved or be threatened with an 'arrest' if they do not move when they have NO SAFE PLACE to go!!!!"

Sister Libby Fernandez of Loaves & Fishes, Paula Lomazzi of SHOC and Mark Merin of Mark Merin Law Firm also signed the letter.

The letter calls on community members to "bare witness" to police action at the Tent City this week, even if they do not wish to participate in civil disobedience.

Inside Sacramento's "Tent City"

2009-03-14T01:02:29Z

Sacramento's "Tent City" has become national, even world-wide, news over the last two weeks. This article is Sacramento Press' take on the situation based on a visit by myself and our photographer, Anthony Bento, earlier this week.

I had been by there before, on several occasions, and expected to see a dozen or so tents and a large pile of trash. But what I found blew my mind. After ascending a certain hill (I'll leave the exact location undisclosed in this article) the gathering comes into view. It is, by my estimation, at least 10x larger than it was in July 2008. Hundreds of tents scattered over several acres make up "Tent City", and a city it is indeed.

Estimates of the total number of homeless living in this area range from 300-1200: I place my estimate somewhere in the middle at about 500 homeless.

First impression-"Wow"

The area was a hub of activity. Smoke plumed from several campfires over which residents prepared meals, people were coming and going from the camp on bicycles and on foot, and a kid of about 10 years weaved between tents on a gas-powered mini motorcycle. A man played fetch with his dog, while other dogs on leashes sat near their owners. There were no putrid smells. The residents appeared to range in age from early 30's to mid 50's. I saw a news van from ABC Channel 7, based in the bay area, setting up for a live feed and walked over to speak with them.

They were preparing for a feed to 5 different news broadcasts located across California including San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. 'Pat' (name changed), the camera operator, shared with me his thoughts on the situation and his concerns that he could see himself in a camp like this if he were to lose his job. "This business isn't doing so great right now. I'm lucky, I still have my job, but you never know."

Anthony wandered off to snap photographs as I made my way into the makeshift city and headed for one of the campfires which several people were gathered around.

"Baldy" (his street name), a black man in his mid-40's who isn't bald, was busy breaking apart pallets to fuel the fire as I approached. The group was hesitant to speak with me, but after hearing that I was a student and an unpaid local reporter, "Baldy" opened up.

I asked him how he came to live in "Tent City": "Well, I moved out here from the east coast last July, been homeless since August. I met some people who invited me out and been here since." A woman shouted from twenty feet away, "Baldy ain't been nothin' but problems since he got here," following the statement with a laugh. "That's Theresa, she got me settled in here."

I asked if this was a new experience for him: "I know what you're thinkin', but I never been homeless. I come from a good middle-class family, I had good parents, a good upbringing." He moved out here with hopes of finding work. He has two decades of experience in construction and kitchen work, but has been unsuccessful his his job search. "I'm always lookin' for work. There's no jobs," he paused and continued to break wood for his fire, "I won't give up. I won't give up."

I asked about "Tent City" itself. "Tent City, Homeless Town, we call it 'The Wasteland'." He pointed out the different sections of town--the drug users located across the field several hundred yards away, the bad crowd near the drug users (violent types), the recluses across the train tracks in an area dubbed, "The Snakepit". I pointed to a cozy-looking place with a fence and gate built around a tent. "Yeah, they moved here a month ago. I don't plan to stay long enough to want to build somethin'. But if you have pallets, you can build anything."

"The originals", a group of homeless who lived at this site months before, moved upstream about a half-mile seeking a more peaceful area. "You should see some of their digs, man. They got crazy set-ups." Baldy told me that the city's population has exploded since he arrived, prompting me to ask about safety of the area.

He told me in a loud, proud voice, "This here is one big family. We look out for each other and take care of our own." A half dozen of his neighbors voiced their approval, "That's right, uh huh." Theresa shouted from her tent nearby, "Tell him about 'Batman and Robin'." At this the entire group chatted amongst themselves as Baldy explained.

"You got good cops, and you got bad cops. And we got 'Batman and Robin'."

This duo of city policemen drive through the camp almost daily. Also known as the "Homeless Cops", they know the usual residents and keep watch for anybody who doesn't belong that might cause problems, and prevent the "bad cops" from harassing the residents. "For all the people trying to cause us grief, 'Batman and Robin' do more good for the homeless than anybody else out here." He attributes them for helping to keep "Tent City" in its current location.

Baldy told me that churches come out almost every weekend to pass out tents, sleeping bags, clothes, food, and most importantly, water. There is no water system flowing to "Tent City", so the delivery of bottled water is much appreciated. Other aspects that we might take for granted are lacking as well--sewage, electricity, trash pick-up.

Recently porta-potties and a massive dumpster were donated by local rental companies to fill the communities need. Prior to their arrival, waste of all types was deposited across the levee on the river banks. Everyone I spoke with praised these amenities. One man told me, "We're homeless, but we don't like living in filth. Before the dumpster we just put our trash across the levee on public land. Then the county had to take it anyway."

The sun began to set and Baldy wanted to eat his dinner he had been cooking while we spoke, putting an end to our conversation. He left me with one last trinket, "I'll tell you one more thing, man. Something you probably don't know. Maybe about 50% of people here are on GA (Government Assistance). When the first of the month hits, this place is like a ghost town."

He refused to expand on that statement and I shook his hand and thanked him for his time. I walked through the camp to meet up with Anthony who was snapping pictures of some of the settlements and spoke briefly with several other "Tent City" citizens while they sipped on Steel Reserve and smoked cigarettes, before we headed back to our bicycles and home.

Amid talks of sanctioning or closing "Tent City", I was happy to get a better understanding of the gathering. It functions like a standard community, housing people of all types, from drug abusers to day laborers. Many of these people have ambitions and a desire to improve their current situations. Many are first-time homeless who are temporarily down on their luck and expect to rebound soon. Many are also government leeches, taking aid checks and spending it on booze and drugs.

Overall this is a content group of people. While I was there I heard more laughing, and saw more smiles, than I do while walking around downtown and midtown Sacramento. People were friendly and wiling to talk, sharing jokes and poking fun at the news vans that have pestered them lately. It was a great experience and enlightened me a bit more to the plight of the homeless.

Keep in mind that when much of the country, and the world, thinks of Sacramento, the pictures above and the pictures splattered across the internet will be what they see. Mayor Johnson has many difficult decisions ahead on what to do about a situation that continues to worsen. Time will tell the fate of "Tent City".

*Photographs by Anthony Bento

"Today Show" to Highlight Sac's Homeless

2009-03-07T02:00:41Z

Last week it was Oprah. Today it was CNN. And on Monday morning, NBC's "Today" show will focus on Sacramento's growing homeless population.

NBC crews will be in Sacramento on Saturday and Sunday to do their special report. They plan to interview officials from Loaves & Fishes, several other nonprofits, and city officials, including Mayor Kevin Johnson.

Sacramento has become the focus of a mini-media frenzy because of a sharp rise in its homelessness population. The jump in home foreclosures has left hundreds of families (yes, children too) without homes. The sudden jump in homelessness has overwhelmed nonprofit providers and resulted in a virtual "tent city" along the American River. Last week, a homeless man was killed when he was hit by a Union Pacific train; most of the encampments are on UP's land.

Hopefully all of this media attention will challenge the city's (and region's) leaders -- as well as the business and faith communities -- to design both short- and long-term approaches to delivering services who the homeless.

The "Today" show segment on Sacramento is slated to air on Monday morning.