Sacramento Tent City Solution Outlined

[The Straight Story]

Sacramento Tent City Solution Outlined

SACRAMENTO, CA - Acknowledging it was not a permanent solution to homelessness, Gov. Schwarzenegger and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson Wednesday detailed how the city's homeless "tent city" will be handled.

The encampment, which between 100 and 150 people call home, has generated international attention thanks to Oprah Winfrey's program and media coverage.

Tuesday, the Sacramento City Council in a unanimous vote approved spending $880,000 in housing and redevelopment funds to set up other shelter for the homeless. The county of Sacramento is also being asked contribute $130,000 to the plan.

The plan, based on the recommendations of a homeless taskforce put together by Johnson, will add a total of another 150 beds to three area shelters, allow private areas for couples and storage bins for personal belongings. Cal Expo, which is one of the shelters, will extend its current seasonal shelter's daily hours and stay open to June.

The governor said the plan means more secure environments, hygenic facilities and meals for the homeless and safer conditions along the American River for others.

The growing homeless population, which many attribute to the economic downturn, can't be ignored, said Schwarzenegger.

http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=56829&catid=2

[Taverner]

1. Does the solution involve, say, HOMES?????

If not, keep the tent city

Its the best we can do at this point

And no, a couple extra beds at the Salvation Army does not mean Homes

[ColbertWatcher]

2. Exactly.

Plus, a few extra beds at the "We Hate Teh Gheys" Army is more money given to the religion. We need to end the subsidizing of religion.

These people need help, they need homes. The "We Hate Teh Gheys" Army does not need any more money.

[Taverner]

3. There are so many things wrong with "We Hate Teh Gheys" Army I dunno where to start

With forced preaching to the lottery system they have for beds...to the fact that they don't even really feed them healthy food...

I mean, let them do their thing - just let us do ours. And ours needs to involve housing. This shit needs to stop.

[ColbertWatcher]

4. Agree, but the "We Hate Teh Gheys" Army's thing takes money away ...

... from people with real solutions.

The Faith-based crap was a bad idea and it needs to end.

[diamidue]

5. A band-aid at best

The paper today is reporting that these new funds will provide for 150 additional beds in shelters, and the placement of 64 individuals/families in housing thru various sister programs. However, the article also stated that homeless advocates believe the number of homeless people in the area is close to 1,200. Having seen the Oprah show where they interviewed a woman and her children staying at a shelter, it seemed a difficult way to go. The family had to leave the shelter at certain times of the day, carrying all they owned with them, and then return later in the evening. Not everyone would want to live like a gypsy, carrying their belongings in plastic bags to and fro each day - when they could have a more settled life in a tent. Why not just allow tent settlements - under the watchful eye of the City - with toilets and showers available? Or maybe something like that would actually encourage people to come to Sacramento and set up tents??

[juno jones]

6. Many homeless are working homeless.

They need affordable housing, not shelters, which limit the hours you can come and go (eliminating access for those on swing and graveyard shifts) and force you to pack your stuff in and out every day (empoyers aren't hot on you bringing your life's belongings to work everyday).

Shelters will cause more problems than they solve and will take money from more permanent solutions like public use of foreclosed and abandoned housing stock, etc.