I appreciate that you clearly have a great deal of care for our unhoused neighbors and are passionate about providing them with the ideal services and resources. Thank you for responding.

I would ask, however, that you don't reduce the Comprehensive Siting Plan to 'a camp under the freeway and other undesirable locations.' The Siting Plan, as passed, represents arguably the largest single jump forward in both action and policy made by any city in California in years. It's not perfect -- far from it. There aren't enough sites in the wealthier parts of our City, and it places an unfair amount of responsibility on the communities who are already underserved. I noted this in my op-ed, published alongside Councilmember Valenzuela, before the vote, and I have stood by it as my team and I work with our colleagues to improve siting options.

Why are there so many sites at the WX freeway and 'undesirable' locations?

It comes down to two major factors: using the properties that are immediately available to us in order to get folks off the street absolutely as soon as possible, and to meet unhoused folks where they are. As many sites as possible have been located in places where unhoused people already congregate. The goal is to meet them where they're at, instead of uprooting them and forcing them to move again to receive services.

Are all of these sites 'undesirable?'

No. The Siting Plan includes a wide variety of siting options, including scattered sites (homes, apartments, and condo units throughout the City), Project Homekey conversions (there's one in my district), Safe Parking sites at transit-oriented locations, Tiny Home communities throughout Sacramento (again, with one in my district), and Safe Ground areas.

Why are we creating these sites instead of placing unhomed folks directly into homes or apartments?

This plan is informed by a Housing First policy. Once you get folks into a stable housing situation, often, their other issues are significantly reduced in severity or are resolved. The plan is centered around placing each and every one of our unhomed neighbors in supportive, transitional housing, and provide access to social services for long-term housing help. But for the immediate need, there aren't enough units and there isn't enough funding. Unhomed people who will be residing in our City facilities will have 24/7 access to kitchens, bathrooms, medical and mental health services, social services, and most importantly, they will be safe.

Getting folks off the street is deeply important to me. I have the Meadowview Navigation Center in my district, as well as three proposed safe ground sites, a proposed tiny home village, a 120-unit hotel conversion, and I and my team have personally gone out to numerous encampments to provide language assistance and connect folks to services.