Sacramento's Miller Park safe ground site reopens for those experiencing homelessness
SACRAMENTO – It has been weeks since the city of Sacramento shut down a homeless site.
Last month's winter storms battered NorCal which forced the Miller Park Safe Ground to halt operations. Nowadays, the park is quiet. Last February, the scenic area had tents, restrooms, water, and electricity available to people experiencing homelessness.
The idea of the site returning to the area is welcoming to some people.
"They should have more of them," said Tommie Thompson, while driving through the park. "Get them off the street."
Yet, it is not enough – even for some supporters.
"It's like maybe 50 tents at the most? There are 9,000 homeless people in the area," said Arnold Utterback. "So, that's just a drop in the bucket."
When it reopens, it will not feature 60 tents that housed around 120 people. Instead, 15 trailers with each one accommodating three guests. The city said they are the same models used at Cal Expo during the height of the pandemic.
The living quarters will be intimate.
So, the city says it is looking for people to share the space with friends, partners, and families. Many are wondering: did the last site help people get off the streets?
A city spokesperson told CBS13 out of the 453 people who stayed at the former site while it was running, 180 of them experienced "positive exits" – which means they found indoor shelter, housing, or went to live with family or friends.
The move comes at a time when tents are propped up near the park while encampments are still sprawled out near the W/X Freeway.
In Midtown, residents say encampments are being shuffled around.
"The kids who need to walk by – you can't even walk by if you look over there," Jake Jerde said.
With such limited space at the site, who will be selected to stay? A city spokesperson said a repopulation strategy is in the works, including evacuees who entered motel voucher programs.
The city says the trailers are expected to be temporary while it and the county brainstorm solutions. Still, the ratio of those unhoused to available beds is imbalanced.
"We're just doing a dance," Utterback said.