Sacramento mayor outlines plans for homeless shelters, tiny homes and more on 20 sites
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg on Wednesday released the locations of 20 sites in the city where he wants to open homeless shelters, tiny homes and sanctioned tent encampments.
The City Council will vote Tuesday on the Master Siting Plan to Address Homelessness — a vote Steinberg said will be “historic.” If the council approves the plan, shelters could open on many of the 20 sites within “a couple months,” Steinberg said.
“We can no longer approve one site at a time,” Steinberg said during a news conference Wednesday. “We have got to act as a city that this is a true state of emergency.”
The idea is to approve a group sites at once, putting less attention on each individual sites to be blocked by so-called Nimbyism.
The 20 sites would serve a total of up to 2,209 people at any given time. Most of them are at publicly-owned properties, including three Regional Transit parking lots and several parcels owned by Caltrans under the W-X Freeway. Caltrans has already signed off on the sites, while Regional Transit sites still need board approval, Steinberg said.
That may be difficult to attain — when Councilman Jay Schenirer proposed a shelter at the Florin light rail station parking lot previously, the RT board did not approve it.
City Council members proposed many of the sites previously.
None of the 20 new sites are in the neighborhoods of East Sacramento, Land Park or North Natomas.
“It’s really disappointing that the wealthier neighborhoods did not step up in the same way to make the plan more equitable across on the board,” said Bob Erlenbusch, executive director of the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness.
Councilwoman Angelique Ashby, who represents North Natomas, has already committed to open a motel conversion shelter for women and children.
“Every district in this city will be represented in this plan,” Steinberg said.
The master plan also names 19 sites that could be used in the future, but need further study. The plan includes opening a large 350-bed campus-style shelter at location yet to be disclosed, converting six motels into shelter or housing, increasing motel and housing vouchers, and adding more scattered site housing.
Steinberg expects people to cycle into permanent housing every six months, getting more than 9,000 people off the streets annually, he said.
“The proposed master plan is to scale of the crisis,” Erlenbusch said.
Researchers in 2019 reported there were 5,570 homeless people on any given night Sacramento, and estimated 10,000 to 11,000 would experience homelessness at some point throughout the year.
In the past, it’s been difficult to house people every six months from city shelters. For example, the city’s Meadowview shelter has moved just 39 people into permanent housing, out of 257 who have spent time there.
“Where are people gonna go? Where’s the affordable housing?” Erlenbusch said.
The city plans to use funding from the federal American Rescue Plan and the state to fund the new sites, Steinberg said.
Erlenbusch said the county should provide mental health and substance abuse services to the sites.
“This plan will fail if the county does not step up to provide services,” Erlenbusch said.
It’s unclear if that would happen. Asked if the county would provide services to the new sites, spokeswoman Janna Haynes said: “Until we have a chance to review the plan and meet with city staff on this, I cannot answer that question.”
Priority sites
Roseville Road RT parking lot - safe parking lot for 100-300 cars, 360 people
Coflax Street and Arden Way - 25 tiny homes for 75 people in families
Eleanor and Traction avenues - 10 tiny homes for 15 veterans
Lexington Street and Dixieanne Avenue - 50 tiny homes for 100 people
End of Rosin Court - Safe Ground and safe parking site for 100 cars, 120 people
Northgate Boulevard and Patio Avenue - Joshua’s House hospice for 15 people
Under the W/X freeway from 18th to 24th streets - 200 tiny homes for 400 people
Florin Road RT station parking lot - safe parking lot for 125 cars, 150 people
24th Street and 48th Avenue - Safe Ground and safe parking for 25-50 people
2740 29th Ave. - 10-12 tiny homes for 30-36 people in families
3331 Fruitridge Road - safe parking for 30-40 cars, 36-48 people
Riza Avenue and Jimolene Drive - 110 manufactured homes for 330 people
63d Street and 21st Avenue - 30 tiny homes for 90 people
Franklin Boulevard RT parking lot - safe parking for 40-100 cars, 120 people
2875 Meadowview Road - 125 tiny homes for 200 people
700 N. 5th St. - shelter expansion, increasing existing capacity from 104 to 204
Sites for further study:
Library Galleria - 828 I St.
Miller Park - 2710 Ramp Way
3001, 5000 26th Ave.
3200, 3208 Marin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
3736 Stockton Blvd.
3815 Florin Road
Dias Avenue
6800 block of Stockton Boulevard
6301 Elder Creek
Power Inn Road
Berry Avenue
3400 Power Inn Road
5800 Power Inn Road
6581 Power Inn Road
8505 Morrison Creek Drive
6051 S. Watt Ave.
45 Quinta Court
Strawberry Creek
Ann Arbor
This story was originally published August 4, 2021 at 3:22 PM.
