Johnnybags
Member
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2007
- Messages
- 4,126
Mark my words, this fairground will be overwelmed within weeks.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Sacramento City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to take down a large homeless camping area and move residents to permanent housing, representative Amy Williams said.
The council approved $880,000 to help expand housing options at Cal Expo. Part of the funding will come from bond money.
The Cal Expo shelter would expand hours of operation and provide an outdoor tented facility.
The city said it plans to close the large tent encampment by the end of April.
One resident of the camping area told KCRA 3 that despite the plan, he does not plan to move.
There are currently about 1,200 people in Sacramento who are chronically homeless, said Tim Brown of the Sacramento Ending Chronic Homelessness Initiative.
The tent city, which sits on land between the Blue Diamond plant and the American River, has gained international attention in recent weeks after it was featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
"We think that we need to have tough love," Mayor Kevin Johnson told KCRA 3 early Tuesday during a visit to the camp, which is home to as many as 200 people.
Some camp residents are victims of the current recession, while others are chronically homeless.
Johnson said he is working to treat camp residents with compassion, but added that public safety is a major concern. The camp lacks running water and sewer service.
The mayor said 40 to 80 units of permanent housing would be available for camp residents.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Sacramento City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to take down a large homeless camping area and move residents to permanent housing, representative Amy Williams said.
The council approved $880,000 to help expand housing options at Cal Expo. Part of the funding will come from bond money.
The Cal Expo shelter would expand hours of operation and provide an outdoor tented facility.
The city said it plans to close the large tent encampment by the end of April.
One resident of the camping area told KCRA 3 that despite the plan, he does not plan to move.
There are currently about 1,200 people in Sacramento who are chronically homeless, said Tim Brown of the Sacramento Ending Chronic Homelessness Initiative.
The tent city, which sits on land between the Blue Diamond plant and the American River, has gained international attention in recent weeks after it was featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
"We think that we need to have tough love," Mayor Kevin Johnson told KCRA 3 early Tuesday during a visit to the camp, which is home to as many as 200 people.
Some camp residents are victims of the current recession, while others are chronically homeless.
Johnson said he is working to treat camp residents with compassion, but added that public safety is a major concern. The camp lacks running water and sewer service.
The mayor said 40 to 80 units of permanent housing would be available for camp residents.
