Report: Homelessness Increased In Sacramento By 30% In Two Years
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Homeless advocates faced off against deputies this week over an illegal homeless camp on Stockton Boulevard. Even though that area is being cleared out, the homeless crisis continues all over the city.
"It makes you feel sometimes uncomfortable I guess. As much as you want to let your hair down and have a good time, you still need to be aware of your surroundings," resident Desiree Carter said.
The homeless issue is not isolated to the downtown area. Officials said the Stockton Boulevard site has become a health issue.
"There's human feces. There's rats. There's rodents. There's flees and syringes and all kinds of drug paraphernalia," said Sergeant Tess Deterding with the Sacramento Sheriff's Department.
Some of the homeless people only made it as far as the sidewalk, but once they were off the lot, sheriff's deputies went to work, removing 55,000 pounds of debris. That's 37 tons of trash in just two days.
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"It's basically like a landfill with tents among it," said Sergeant Deterding.
According to a report, Sacramento has the highest number of homeless people it's ever recorded. The number jumped a staggering 30% in two years.
Earlier this year, Mayor Darrell Steinberg released a $40 million plan, asking each of the eight city councilmembers to locate a site in their district that could serve as a homeless shelter. Some say that's not enough.
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"We're talking about today and tomorrow. We're not talking about 6 months from now, 3 months from now. The weather's already what, and it's only May. We need something today tomorrow and the next day," Leticia Butiron, with Reckless Charity, said.