I can’t visit my local Starbucks in East Sacramento or Old Soul coffee in Oak Park without panhandlers aggressively hitting me up for money. Or exit my local grocery store. Or take a freeway offramp. Often there are two beggars on my local offramp, one working each side.
I can’t drive down Alhambra Boulevard without seeing sidewalk homeless encampments or observing the slow progress made by homeless people pushing shopping carts piled high.
Every time I see a homeless encampment, I feel disheartened. They are among the least healthy environments in our city, rife with crime, trash, unsanitary conditions, open drug use, discarded needles and despair.
Tent encampments are testaments to our failure as a community and society to deal with the scourge created by drug addiction, mental infirmity and the economic factors that compel people to live on the streets.
I first learned about Haven for Hope, a unique homeless facility in San Antonio, Texas, from a close friend, Jill McDonnell. Jill is a professional photographer. Her passion is capturing extraordinary images of homeless people in Sacramento.
The homelessness problem keeps getting worse.
A survey released June 26 found Sacramento County’s homeless count jumped 19 percent the past two years, to an estimated 5,570. A study released three weeks earlier found Los Angeles County’s homeless population rose 12 percent in the past year, to almost 59,000—despite massive new spending to combat the crisis.
California is home to almost 25 percent of the nation’s homeless population, yet makes up only 12 percent of the total population.
The American River Parkway can expect more attention this summer with the park’s Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail moving toward possible designation as part of the U.S. Bicycle Route System.
National recognition would be exciting news for parkway fans. But there’s a risk—cyclists unfamiliar with the trail will encounter dozens of homeless campsites. Sadly, the American River Parkway can be a dangerous place, especially between Discovery Park and Cal Expo.
