Sacramento Homelessness Jumps 13% as Waterway Crews Remove 4 Million Pounds of Waste
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 1
Sacramento Homelessness Jumps 13% as Waterway Crews Remove 4 Million Pounds of Waste
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 1
Sacramento County’s homeless population rose by about 1,000 people, or 13%, last year, adding to a crisis the report says local responders are failing to contain.
Nearly 4 million pounds of waste were removed from Sacramento waterways over the past three years, including 29,000 needles, 19,000 shopping carts and more than 70,000 batteries, underscoring the environmental toll tied to encampments.
The county sheriff’s HOT Team visited nearly 4,600 camps in one year, closed more than 1,300 and cleared 3 million pounds of trash, but the unit now faces cuts as county leaders confront a $100 million budget deficit.
The report blames California’s Housing First approach—adopted statewide in 2016 and in Sacramento County in 2017—for prioritizing permanent housing over sobriety, treatment and work requirements; it says Sacramento’s homeless population has more than doubled since then.
Is rising homelessness caused by soaring rents, or is it a deeper crisis of addiction and accountability?
With budgets shrinking, can cities balance compassionate care with urgent demands for public safety and order?