Elk Grove Residents Upset Fast-Food Restaurants Are Feeding Homeless
ELK GROVE (CBS13) — Elk Grove residents are sounding off on social media about fast-food restaurants feeding the homeless.
With the city's population growing some are concerned the idea of homeless congregating around fast-food restaurants is growing with it.
"It's hard to get a job around here," said Nolan Baird, who is homeless. "The city grew too fast."
Getting free fast food is a lot more convenient than riding a bike to a homeless shelter in Sacramento he said.
"Their leftovers; stuff they couldn't sell, so they give it to us," Baird said. "Stuff that they cook and it's been sitting for a couple of hours."
Many residents are now sounding off on a local website, expressing concerns and support about restaurants giving food away to the homeless, citing worries over disease.
Most people CBS13 spoke to on Friday were fine with it.
"We've never walked into anybody that created any trouble," Jerry Varza said.
According to the Elk Grove Food Bank, the city doesn't provide social services for more than 120 homeless people who stay in the city. It understands why restaurants are filling the gap.
Elk Grove Police say the practice isn't illegal, and the homeless say it solves one problem for them.
"We're not causing any problems. We're just trying to stick to ourselves," Baird said.
We reached out to the Taco Bell business office in Sacramento to get a response, but did not hear back.