A large homeless camp is growing in a Placer County city. What’s being done to help
Homelessness in Placer County is on the rise and the effects are now being felt at the county’s government seat in North Auburn, where nearly 100 people are living in a growing encampment.
“In early 2020, we were beginning to see increases in homelessness across the county and as the impacts of COVID-19 progress throughout the year with job losses, evictions and the impact of social distancing on shelter capacity the numbers began to rise dramatically,” said Bekki Riggan, deputy county executive officer.
“We’ve experienced a fairly significant impact in Placer County as our numbers of unsheltered individuals and homeless encampments at the government center are steadily increasing,” she added.
According to a survey conducted in February, 95 people are living at the county government facility. The number of people living there has increased by 15% in just four months, Riggan said.
The encampment poses a problem to county staff who are beginning to return to work after more than a year of pandemic restrictions forced them to work from home. It also poses a health and safety risk, according to a county report, because people are living unsheltered near the construction site of one of the county’s biggest affordable housing projects.
The encampment is close to the future home of more than 78 multi-family rental units on the government center on First Street in North Auburn.
Shawna Purvines, deputy director of the county’s community development resource agency, said last month that the project is one way the county is putting skin in the game by incorporating affordable housing on its own government campus. To make it happen, the county partnered with Mercy Housing and leased the land to them for $1 per year for the next 99 years.
The project is expected to have occupancy by the fall, Purvines said.
But in the meantime, the encampment is proving a challenge. Of the 95 people currently living there, “51% of those surveyed indicated they were ‘not interested’ in securing shelter,” according to a county report.
The growth in homelessness at the county’s government center is part of a county and statewide trend. According to a 2020 point in time count, there were 744 homeless men, women and children in Placer County, up 20% from 2019. Of those individuals, more than half were unsheltered and 256 adults told volunteers they were chronically homeless, meaning they had experienced four or more episodes of long-term homelessness in the past year.
To address the encampment at the government center, the Placer County Board of Supervisors approved a $667,000 budget expenditure for a homeless liaison team. The team — comprised of staff from the Sheriff’s Office, Probation, District Attorney’s Office and Health and Human Services mental health practitioners — aims to increase patrol and outreach at the encampment.
According to a breakdown of the expenditures, much of the funding will be used to cover overtime for law enforcement, animal control, and probation officers as well mental health specialists. About $250,000 will go to purchase cameras, fencing, portable toilets and trash receptacles, and potentially hire private security.
“We’re taking a humane and lawful approach to addressing the challenges of homeless encampments at our Placer County Government Center campus while protecting the health and safety of our residents and employees,” said Supervisor Jim Holmes, who represents the Auburn area. “It’s still early, but since our Board’s action in March to increase resources to address the situation at (Placer County Government Center) – and thanks to the ongoing efforts of our Homeless Liaison Team - we believe we are already beginning to see improvements.”
“We remain committed to helping those in need and will continue to collaborate with neighboring jurisdictions and community partners on broader, regional solutions to this mounting problem,” he added.
This story was originally published April 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM.