Sacramento homeless tent, on city sidewalk. (Photo: Katy Grimes for California Globe)
Sacramento Has 11,000 Homeless; City ‘Outreach Effort’ Moves 26 ‘Guests’ into Navigation Center
The City’s sensitively worded article touts the success as ‘making a difference’
By Katy Grimes, October 15, 2021 9:37 am
Sacramento’s new homeless shelter has moved 26 transients off the street. Sacramento has 11,000 homeless transients, and increasing commensurate crime rates.
The City’s sensitively worded article touts the success as “making a difference”:
“Sacramento’s newest homeless shelter is now providing safety, security and sanitation to approximately 30 people who had been living in tents nearby.
The X Street Navigation Center, located near Broadway and Alhambra Boulevard, officially opened to guests on Sept. 21. Since then, it has steadily been increasing its number of guests.”
“As a community, we are making an immediate difference,” said Vice Mayor Jay Schenirer, who was a driving force behind the center. “First and foremost, we’re making a difference in the lives of unhoused individuals by providing shelter and wrap-around services. Second, we hope to see a visible difference in neighborhoods who have patiently waited for meaningful shelter options – and are directly impacted by trash and vandalism.”
“Trash and vandalism?” How about rat-infested camps and violent confrontations with taxpaying residents of the neighborhoods in which the city has placed the homeless tent camps?
Treating the drug-addicted homeless transients as if they are patrons at the Ritz Carlton, the city refers to them as “guests,” never acknowledging how violent and dangerous many of these “guests” are, or that they are meth and heroin addicts.
“Mayor Darrell Steinberg applauded the DCR staff and said he hoped its success could be replicated to help people experiencing homelessness while at the same time responding to neighborhood concerns about the effects of unsheltered homelessness.”
“People experiencing homelessness” is supposed to soften the fact that many of the city’s homeless transients were let out of prison and jail early, and are violent drug addicts. The police reports prove this.
The Department of Community Response was not even up and running September 3rd when a “homeless” transient guy out on the streets despite his recent violation of parole, was recently arrested for raping and murdering Sacramento resident Kate Tibbitts in the Land Park neighborhood, killing her dogs and setting her house on fire, as the Globe reported.
“When we have open shelter spaces to work with, we can help people get off the streets and into a much better situation,” said Bridgette Dean, director of the Department of Community Response. “Safe Ground and the X Street Center aren’t meant to be permanent housing, but they do give us low-barrier options for people who are currently living with no support at all. And the services they receive help them move toward permanent housing.”
Mayor Steinberg called for sweeping changes to the Sacramento Police Department, but says it is not to “defund” the police. He called for changing police officer’s duties so “they would no longer respond to calls that don’t include a crime.”
This resulted in the city of Sacramento directing the police department to stop responding to all transient-related calls, unless it’s a “violent in progress.” Instead, residents of the community are directed to file online police reports, call 311 which is months behind, or the Department of Community Response, which appears to be solely focused on finding “people experiencing homelessness” and “guests” shelter.
Sacramento City Manager Howard Chan proposed adding new police positions to the city budget, but Mayor Steinberg urged the City Council to reject the proposal.
And now the “guests” are lining up for the new shelter. Oh wait – 10,974 are not lining up, and instead are still living in tents on city streets, residential neighborhoods and city parks, terrorizing residents and business owners.
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Soooo sick and tired of these token “efforts” and “successes,” which anyone can see are not working, have never worked, and will never work.
Darrell Steinberg and his Friends and Blood Brothers all over the California (and beyond) are clearly not interested in making order out of chaos. Why? Because they all BENEFIT from its continuation. Politicians, developers, phony “non-profits” (not ALL non-profits; e.g. L.A.’s Union Rescue Mission — and its equivalent in Sacramento) BENEFIT politically and financially from what is dangerous to homeless/vagrants as well as to neighbors who try to live where homeless/vagrants flop and residents who try to use the public spaces as they were intended to be used. Meanwhile, these spaces have been taken over by homeless/vagrants for YEARS, as billions of dollars have gone who-knows-where and the situation only worsens and deteriorates with no end in sight.
As long as these people are kept in office this mess will continue unabated. They like it. They want it to grow.
Search “Homeless Industrial Complex” – Edward Ring – on this website for a primer on how it all works.
@ShowandTell you are exactly right.
Low Barrier housing is code for free tax payer drug zone. I will wager 26 homeless just came downtown to replace the 26 they put into the Navigation Center.
It reminds me of the squirrel issue we have in my backyard. We remove and relocate the critters and what do you know within 24 hours we have a new batch to deal with! It will never go away if you do not address the root cause.
Low Barrier Navigation Centers are a waste of taxpayer dollars. It just looks like they are addressing the issue but sadly it is just smoke and mirrors.
Failed politicians have failed policies. If you all want change you must vote differently!
It’s true, Cali Girl, you’re right. Without addressing the root problem the new will replace the old in a heartbeat. Just like how squirrels operate, or in my case (once upon a time) skunks, ha. The navigation centers are nothing but a maddening theatrical presentation put on by a bunch of knuckleheads who don’t want improvement.
In my county, private and public services for homeless are nothing but a grant orgy and plea for money from compassionate idiots. This idiot compassion only entices more drug addicts to congregate. Coupled with instant release for anyone arrested for any crime and you have a cesspool of disfunction. Until the drug problem is effectively addressed it will only get worse. Some of the compassionate idiots are actually advocating for free drugs for all addicts. Let’s fill fire hoses with gasoline.
Boom, exactly right @Fed Up!
The “Compassionate” will agree to throw more grant money at it, because it makes them feel good but does NOT solve the problem.
The Mayor and nearly every single councilmember ( okay, jury is still out on Loloee in D-2) NEED TO GO.
Demand better representatives.
Homeless industrial complex, big $$$$$
Read “Sanfransicko,” incredible….
I know that the county has received $$ to help the homeless BUT in reality nothing is being done. More tent cities are popping up everywhere and they have a bunch of drug addicted and alcoholic addicted people with piles of trash, broken down and unregistered vehicles. In my opinion 95% of these people don’t want help. But what is Sad is the 5% that didn’t want to be homeless but they don’t make 3 to 4 times the rent and don’t have great credit. I personally know someone that became homeless because where he was renting a room got sold, SHRA, HRC, TURNING POINT, MERCY HOUSING, ABIDING HOPE, ECT will keep them sometimes from a day to 30 days promising to get a permanent place for them, then they just put them back on the streets. It is ridiculous you can help people not from here but can’t help the ones that were born and raised here . I am ashamed to say Sacramento is my home town because it has become disgusting ????