“This is not what you have in mind as an emergency shelter with a bunch of crazy people that are on drugs and that are criminals.”
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento is moving ahead with plans to open four new housing sites for homeless people, including a tiny home community for seniors in North Natomas that is drawing pushback from neighbors.
A vacant, city-owned lot near Arena Boulevard and El Centro Road is one of the proposed locations. Each micro-community would include about 40 units with heat, air conditioning, bathrooms and 24-hour security, said Brian Pedro, Director of the Department of Community Response.
“This is not what you have in mind as an emergency shelter with a bunch of crazy people that are on drugs and that are criminals,” Pedro said. He added that seniors are the fastest-growing group of homeless people and that the plan would help “the least vulnerable people that we have, that are the most stable, live independently.”
Some residents of the nearby Stadium Club Estates mobile home park said they felt blindsided by the proposal.
“Here I am going to be afraid, and I don’t want to be afraid. I worked too hard not to be afraid,” said Geri Ridge.
“I don’t trust it, and I think that it’s irresponsible of the city to push this on us when we have not even been consulted about it,” said Razy Lehr. “It’s just wrong.”
City of Sacramento officials said the site was chosen because it is zoned for housing and sits on a vacant lot. Council members are unable to reject the location because in 2023, they gave the City Manager the authority to pick homeless housing sites without a council vote.
District Councilmember Lisa Kaplan, who opposed that change, scheduled Monday’s meeting to let residents share concerns.
“I am going to fight as hard as possible to make sure that if the city moves forward with this, the safety and security and everything else is discussed and is implemented,” Kaplan said.
The City Council will meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday to decide whether to charge people 30 percent of their income per month if they stay past a 90-day grace period and to announce the addresses of the three other planned sites. The city says a site in District 4 will be used for safe camping, while District 5, and 8 are the remaining two micro-communities like tiny homes.