Community Divided Over Proposed Homeless Shelter On Florin Road
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A proposed homeless shelter is dividing a community. People packed the Paratransit building in South Sacramento to weigh in on a possible shelter on Florin Road.
"These people need some place to go. You can say 'not here' all you want to, but it's obvious these people have no place to go," one resident said.
A proposal for a Triage Center had people on both sides wanting to have their voices heard.
The center would include 100 beds, and access to meals, laundry, showers, legal help, and medical care. The center would be built across the street from Luther Burbank High School.
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"Everybody wants to solve this problem, but they should not put it near the school," one resident said.
To help with safety concerns, the proposal includes security and additional police officers, but some say that's part of the problem.
"Our community does not trust police. Our people of color don't want anything to do with police," a community member said.
Organizers say this area was picked because it is 21 acres, already paved, and has access to utilities and public transportation. People living in the area seem torn between worrying about the safety of their families and trying to help the community.
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"There's many people in here right now that are living paycheck to paycheck. More than half of you if you lost your job today and you didn't have family to rely upon where would you go?"
Organizers said there is not a lot of other available warehouse space because of all the marijuana businesses in the area.
