Last year, Sacramento mayor Darrell Steinberg and city council members approved a comprehensive homeless shelter siting plan that included 20 sites to be located throughout the city.
Today?
Not a single one of those sites is in operation, and the region’s unsheltered population is at unprecedented levels.
One silver lining is that the city appears to be pivoting from its failed shelter plan to a renewed focus on building affordable housing with the help of state and federal funding. Just this week they approved some 820 affordable units to be built throughout the city in the next two years.
Could it be that the city is actually listening to advocates?
Likely not. On Monday, officials swept some 1,000 people from their campsites without offering shelter or services. And they’ve got plenty more punitive measures in the works.
Thanks for listening, defund the police and, as always:
Twitter: @youknowkempa, @ShanNDSTevens, @Flojaune, @guillotine4you
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