Safe Ground Sacramento will hold a weeklong festival starting Wednesday to raise funds and awareness for its goal to create a sustainable community for the area’s homeless population. Live music, poetry readings and inspirational speeches from community leaders are a few of the festivities lined up for Safe Ground Stake Down at 12th and C Streets in the Alkali Flat neighborhood downtown from May 1 through 8. The activities will begin in the afternoon while people will camp out in tents at night. The event’s goal is to highlight the need for a “safe ground” for those impacted by homelessness. “Safe Ground is sometimes mistaken for being about tent camping,” said executive director Steve W

From head counts and courtroom drama to Winter Sanctuary and SafeGround – homelessness remained at the top of the list of issues in Sacramento in 2011. Despite data showing the number of homeless in the county had declined over the past year, there were still many people sleeping on the streets each night in 2011. Local charity groups and community service programs struggled through the year to provide for the homeless – including an increasing percentage of families – many of whom were homeless for the first time due to fallout from the housing and mortgage crisis. The alleged mishandling of homeless individuals’ personal property as police enforced city anti-camping laws resulted in a

Art does many things. It gives us a history of culture. It decorates our homes. It helps the homeless. This 2nd Saturday, Vox Sacramento art studio is giving back to the community, as well as providing a unique art show called “Home.” The studio is asking locals to bring camping equipment, blankets and coats to the exhibit. Items will be used by Safe Ground Sacramento, a homeless advocacy organization supported by a coalition of local non-profits trying to provide a safe, dry and warm solution for local residents without homes. SafeGround supports a self-governed, alcohol, drug and violence free homeless community alternative. The exhibit features several local artists, including: B. Sh

The City Council is considering whether the city of Sacramento will join in the creation of a public-private collaborative agency to address the problems of homelessness in the region – an issue that does not recognize political boundaries. Representatives from the city Neighborhood Services Department and the county Department of Human Assistance presented a report to the City Council Tuesday outlining a plan for creating a joint powers authority to align city and county governments with a nonprofit entity. “The JPA would be the overarching policymaking body,” Sacramento county spokeswoman Kerri Aiello said Tuesday. “Sacramento Steps Forward (a nonprofit corporation) will ultimately be

Despite the 90-degree weather, more than 300 people came together at Cesar Chavez Park, located at 924 J St., on Wednesday afternoon to support the second annual Safe Ground Jubilee and its message: That the rights of homeless people must be protected. “The celebration is about all of the friends from the community that have joined forces with the homeless community,” said Paula Lomazzi, leader of the Sacramento Homeless Organizing Committee. “We are trying to bring about Safe Ground and just make connections with the homeless people.” Started in July 2009, Safe Ground is an organization that aims to provide a secure location sanctioned by the city and operated by the residents where the

Sacramento civil rights attorney Mark Merin is once again in the spotlight. This time, he’s being quoted by the local media for his role in a federal class-action case about homeless people’s constitutional rights and personal property. And, in the March issue of Harper’s Magazine, Merin’s work with Safe Ground is mentioned. The article, titled “Homeless in Sacramento: Welcome to the New Tent Cities,” focuses on Sacramento’s homeless and the city’s ordinance against camping. These are only two of many examples of Merin’s highly visible and controversial advocacy work for Sacramento’s homeless. Earlier this week, a federal jury released its verdict in Lehr v. City of Sacramento, finding

Jurors are deliberating in federal court whether homeless citizens’ belongings were illegally taken and thrown away by Sacramento police officers between August 2005 and the present. The trial, which centers on homeless people’s constitutional rights and their personal belongings, began May 9 at the Sacramento Federal Courthouse at 501 I St. Plaintiffs attorney Mark Merin represented Linda McKinley, who was homeless in the past, and a group of homeless people in the class-action case against the city of Sacramento, according to court documents. Merin is a supporter of the Safe Ground group, which presses Sacramento city leaders to designate land for homeless people to live.  In closing

The number of homeless people in Sacramento County has sharply declined, according to 2011 figures on homelessness released Friday by Sacramento Steps Forward and Sacramento County. Long-term homelessness saw the biggest decrease, with a 50 percent drop since 2007. Despite the lasting effects of the recession locally, the numbers for both long-term homelessness and overall homelessness have fallen compared to recent years. On any given night in Sacramento County in 2011, there are 2,358 homeless people, said Paul Lake, director of the county’s Department of Human Assistance. That’s down from 2,800 people at any night in 2009. “I think we were all pleasantly surprised,” Lake said. The d

The lack of adequate shelter for the homeless has been declared a state of emergency by Safe Ground. Safe Ground, an organization that is devoted to finding proper housing for the homeless, gathered for a vigil on Monday on the corner of 10th and I streets to bring awareness and have people sign petitions. Executive Director of Safe Ground Sacramento Steve Watters said he has been involved with the organization since its inception. “Safe Ground’s main mission/objective is to acquire a piece of land and build transitional housing for the homeless,” Watters said. “It is surprising how many people are homeless in Sacramento. We have between 1,200 and 1,400 in Sacramento at night time that

I am not a journalist. I have no college degree in journalism, social services or any other field. I am a formerly homeless person with a real/authentic homeless  experience. I also have the real experience of somehow getting off the streets and slowly finding my way to what society calls 'home'.  Here is a beginning to my story: When I turned 18, my family disowned me because I smoked pot. I came (to my father's)home from work and found the locks had been changed and noone would answer the door. All the windows and doors were tightly locked. The message was clear. I stayed with friends for about 9 months, and applied for a community college in Eugene OR. When I was accepted, I sold my ca

Park rangers will be citing campers on the American River Parkway Thursday after a 48-hour notice ordering the homeless population to stop illegal camping expires, weather permitting. “We have to enforce the law,” said Zeke Holst, Sacramento County Regional Parks spokesman. The notice was posted Tuesday at around 11 a.m. “It’s illegal to camp in the parkway, and it’s our job to enforce the law.” If it is raining heavily, Holst said rangers will hold off until a clear day. If it remains clear, Holst said rangers will approach campers in the parkway on Thursday and issue $115 citations to those who refuse to leave as well as confiscate and hold camping gear and other belongings. Campers

With the city and county of Sacramento still in the depths of recession, 2010 saw a focus on homelessness as services were cut and unemployment was at 13 percent. An ongoing issue with Sacramento’s homeless that was still not seeing notable progress even as the year ended was the Safe Ground movement, which seeks to find designated spots in the city for homeless to camp. In April, about 50 people spoke at City Hall advocating for Safe Ground Sacramento. They were still at it in July, and they remained a presence at Tuesday night City Council meetings. In a controversial move, the City Council changed its public comment portion from the beginning of the meetings to the end, which many s

Friends and family are gathering around Sacramento Francis House Executive Director Greg Bunker in a Santa Barbara hospital after the 62-year-old had a heart attack Monday. “His condition is very serious and critical,” said Forrest Reed, program director for the nonprofit organization, which provides counseling services to Sacramentans in poverty. According to Reed, Bunker is on life support and not capable of breathing on his own. Bunker has been at the helm of Francis House for 21 years, helping rebuild the organization after it burned to the ground, Reed said. “Greg was the person who was hired that brought Francis House back from the ashes,” Reed said. The organization celebrated

Finding a way to shelter the homeless during the winter months is job one for city staff tasked with addressing the homeless following a City Council workshop Tuesday. “Winter waits for no one,” said Councilman Rob Fong. “We need to collectively figure out what we can do to make sure no one is exposed to the elements.” The council uniformly applauded the faith community in its work to shelter the homeless over the winter, but all agreed more has to be done both in terms of a more permanent solution to emergency winter shelters and eventual year-round permanent housing options. But not everyone agrees that opening the churches to the homeless is a solution. “It is not shelter. There are

Sacramento’s faith community will be providing shelter for the homeless this winter season, as government funding falls short of providing enough resources. Funding has steadily been falling as the poor economy has necessitated cutbacks, with more than $700,000 coming from Sacramento County in 2008 dwindling to less than $200,000 this year. Mayor Kevin Johnson said shelters and motel vouchers can provide overnight housing for about 300 homeless, and he is looking for the faith community to supply shelter for another 100 people for the winter season. “During the warm months, it’s less of an urgency, but when the temperature drops and the rain falls, it’s even that much more of a challeng

Community leaders gathered to speak with local government to find out what is being done about the homelessness problem in Sacramento. It was a chance for the community to discuss the progress made toward more permanent housing and the setbacks that have hindered them. There was resolve that if the community efforts remain strong, the problem could be solved within the next few years. Mayor Kevin Johnson and Councilman Rob Fong were among 13 community leaders who spoke at the Homeless Forum held Tuesday in the Redwood Room at Sacramento State. “This is a chance to bring the activists to the policymakers,” said moderator and event organizer Steve Watters. Fong was the first of many to re

More than one month after Mayor Kevin Johnson asked city staffers to select three possible Safe Ground sites for consideration, it does not appear the city is any closer to discussing specifics. Johnson told reporters at his weekly press conference that he will discuss Safe Ground issues with the City Council, city staff and Sacramento County at the end of this month or in early October. He asked city staffers on Aug. 10 to pinpoint three possible sites. “No matter what we’re able to do with Safe Ground, that will not be in place in time for November,” Johnson said. In the upcoming discussions on Safe Ground, Johnson said the city and county will explore a possible timeline for establis

I am concerned about a proposed change regarding City Council meetings. Currently, people wishing to address the Council on items not on the agenda may address the council (for 2 minutes each) at the 6 PM start of the evening’s agenda. The Council has voted to move the open comment period back to the very end of the agenda-which is sometimes very late at night, and discourages people from bringing their issues before the elected body that is supposed to represent them. This action is directly targeted against Safe Ground’s homeless activists who have been speaking before the Council every week about the need for Safe Ground and yet another attempt to disenfranchise Safe Ground’s homeless a

 Mayor Kevin Johnson announced today that he will be asking city staff to find three spots suitable to serve as safe ground for the homeless. But that’s just one aspect of Johnson’s goal with regard to the homeless. “If the dialogue on homelessness is only about SG, we’ve missed our mark,” Johnson said, adding that the overall goal is to get permanent housing. “It is a thorny issue,” he said. “It’s one that I don’t mind being out in front of.” Johnson said he would have preferred to start looking at possible sites back in January or February, and since that isn’t being done until now, there won’t be a permanent safe ground before November and the onset of cold weather. He did, however

 Mayor Kevin Johnson said he is disappointed that finding housing for Sacramento’s homeless has not progressed as much as he anticipated, when speaking on the issues of SafeGround in a press conference Tuesday. “I am disappointed that we are not further along,” Johnson said. “This is not about finger pointing, this is about all of us collectively together figuring out a way that we get to were we need to be.” It has been a year since Johnson camped out with Sacramento’s homeless community and launched a plan to find 2,400 housing units for homeless people during the next three years. “From October 2009 to May 2010, 833 households have received housing assistance through Sacramento’s Hom