Sacramento's homeless problem is bad and getting worse. As it does, so will the number and size of illegal campgrounds. And so will the cruel, expensive and fruitless practice of chasing homeless people from one illegal campsite to another.
Given the magnitude of the problem, it makes sense to consider establishing a tent city or a series of such cities – tolerated by authorities, governed by the homeless themselves and presided over by charities that serve homeless people.
Allowing such encampments also may be a more cost-effective way for budget-strapped city and county governments to deal with the problem. Sacramento city and county spend at least a half-million dollars a year rousting the homeless from encampments. In the past, homeless people in Sacramento whose belongings were seized and destroyed during raids on campgrounds have sued, claiming their constitutional rights against unreasonable seizures were violated. Homeless campers who filed similar suits against the city of Fresno won $2.3 million in damages earlier this year.
A compromise is preferable to more litigation. Homeless plaintiffs in Sacramento and attorneys for the city and county are working with mediators to craft better solutions. Advocates want the city to set up what they call "high tolerance encampments," places where homeless campers can pitch their tents or build shanties.
Working with police, they have identified 10 potential locations, most within walking distance of Loaves & Fishes, the sprawling complex north of downtown that serves the homeless. In addition to outdoor camps, plaintiffs want the county to consider securing warehouse space for an indoor camping facility. If approved, the camps would be equipped with trash receptacles, toilets and lockers.
Why lockers? Because the homeless have no place to store bedding, tents medications, or important personal documents, they are forced to drag these things around wherever they go. That's a nuisance, not just for homeless people but for the public, which has to put up with the proliferation of shopping carts and huge trash bags that homeless people bring into parks and onto buses and sidewalks.
Setting up such camps will require a broad effort. It's not enough to work with city and county authorities. Businesses and residents in and around potential encampments sites must be brought into the conversation.
Nor will the camps be a panacea. Many questions come to mind. If someone is hurt in such a facility, will the county or city be held liable? If these camps are established, how do authorities deal with campers who are disruptive because of mental illness, who suffer from infectious disease, use illegal substances, or prey on their fellow campers?
But many of those problems exist in the illegal encampments. They may be more easily managed in legalized campgrounds.
Certainly the current system – an endless cycle of arrests, citations, prosecutions and incarcerations – isn't working. If we can't end homelessness, why not create safer places where homeless people can live in peace? Other cities have tried it. Sacramento should as well.
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