A new homeless project in Roseville will shelter dozens. Here’s why neighbors say it’s too much

Placer County’s Board of Supervisors last week committed to a major project that would ensure homeless services are a fixture at a central Roseville location for the next half-century, but some in the community think that’s taking it too far.

In a meeting last week, the county’s Board of Supervisors approved a 55-year deed restriction on the Hampton Inn and Suites located at 110 North Sunrise Avenue, which it had acquired earlier this year to provide housing for the county’s homeless population. The converted hotel would provie 82 housing units for homeless residents.

The project is the latest to be undertaken by the county in an effort to house its growing homeless population. In the last few years, the county has purchased Brown Bear Studios in Kings Beach, Main Street Plaza Apartments in Roseville, and Mercy recently completed an apartment project on the government campus in North Auburn.

“Despite the success of these projects, there are still unsheltered residents with income (often paired with a housing voucher/subsidy) who are unable to find this previously mentioned type of unit,” a memo from the Health and Human Services Department said. “It is common for individuals who are ready for housing to remain in our shelters, or on the street, due to insufficient availability of affordable and supported housing beds.”

The county acquired the hotel through a $23 million grant from the the state’s Project Homekey, according to meeting documents.

“This award, for a county of our size, could be transformative,” said Dr. Rob Oldham, director of Health and Human Services.

The addition of the deed restriction was the newest change to the plan, and the piece that drew the most controversy among residents. Some residents said the project could become a nuisance in the central city.

“I just moved to this area to get away from a lot of these issues you see in the Bay Area, particularly with the homeless,” said one man in public comments to the Board of Supervisors.

County officials sought to assure residents the project would be well-maintained.

“We’ll continue to commit as a county to make sure issues get addressed, along with the City of Roseville, when it comes to if there’s need for enforcement or police services,” said Supervisor Bonnie Gore.

“I’m very supportive and I think we’re really fortunate as a county to have an opportunity like this to provide another tool in the toolbox for the issue of homelessness,” she continued.

While the exact number of people experiencing homelessness in Placer County in 2022 has not yet been released, Oldham said it fluctuates between the 500s to 700s generally, with the majority concentrated in south Placer.

“We can expect some continued growth,” Oldham said. “We’re seeing large amount of growth in people experiencing homelessness across the state.”

This story was originally published May 20, 2022 at 5:25 AM.