A new safe camping site run by the city of Sacramento is scheduled to be open in April, said Mayor Kevin McCarty on Friday.
McCarty and Council members Phil Pluckebaum and Rick Jennings took questions Friday about the new camping site in the River District, not far from the construction sites of a soccer stadium and hospital.
Tucked behind a Greyhound bus station, the new safe camping site is what the city envisions as an entry-level option for a person needing shelter.
Metal shipping containers will help protect 100 tents pitched on platforms. Showers, restrooms, phone chargers, pets and social workers will also be on hand at the city-owned parcel on Sequoia Pacific Boulevard, said Brian Pedro, the director of the Department of Community Response.
A rendering shows how shipping containers will be used to provide shelter over tents in the River District’s safe camping site. City of Sacramento
“This is a big piece of the puzzle,” McCarty said, while touting his “six point plan” to help reduce unsheltered homelessness.
The goal, according to city officials, is to transition homeless people from the tents into some form of housing. But McCarty’s plan comes amid difficult challenges.
Sacramento is contending with a $66 million budget deficit. On Thursday, the city released budget deficit reduction strategies which include increased parking fees and employee layoffs.
The city didn’t typically budget homelessness funding in the past — relying on the county to provide services — according to McCarty, who said he’s at the state Capitol “every day” to secure state funds. Now, officials brace for the possibility that paying for homelessness services will fall upon the city’s shoulders, according to a newsletter sent by Councilmember Rick Jennings.
McCarty, for his part, said his plan shows the city’s focus.
“In an era of less money at all levels of governance, we are going forward and doing more,” McCarty said. “So that just shows you this is an absolute priority that we cannot turn away from.”
Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty, right, speaks as workers build a new safe camping site in the River District on Friday. Department of Community Response Director Brian Pedro, left, and Council Member Phil Pluckebaum, center, joined him at the event. NATHANIEL LEVINE nlevine@sacbee.com What is a safe camping site?
Officials hope the new location offers more structure and rules than a previous homeless site called Camp Resolution. The city signed a lease in 2023 with Safe Ground Sacramento, a nonprofit, and allowed the camp’s homeless residents to govern themselves on a city-owned lot in North Sacramento.
From the city’s perspective, that initiative failed. In August 2024, police officers and evicted dozens after offering accommodations at other shelters.
Workers build a new safe camping site for the homeless on Sequoia Pacific Boulevard in Sacramento’s River District on Friday. NATHANIEL LEVINE nlevine@sacbee.com
In contrast, the River Park facility will have 24/7 security, cameras and rules, according to Pedro. He said residents can stay for a night, or for longer, adding that services are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
The site is also “temporary,” though city officials did not answer questions about how long they envision the tents staying.
A city-owned lot saves millions, Pedro said. The cost to run the location will be about $400,000 to $500,000 annually, he said.
Angela Hassell, the executive director of Loaves and Fishes, offered both hesitant support for and doubts about the safe camping site.
The location offers a safe place for people to live outside, when there are not many outdoor spaces where a person can safely reside, she said.
But she said a temporary shelter can feel like a prison as residents must follow orders that limit their access, adding that she understands why the city establishes rules.
The people who need these services are adults who deserve dignity, she said, but they harbor distrust for city officials after traumatic sweeps and have a sense they are unwelcome anywhere.
“They’ve been burned,” Hassell said.
McCarty acknowledged the limitations of the safe camping grounds.
“This is kind of our mission — not let the perfect be the enemy of good,” McCarty said.
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Ishani Desai is a government watchdog reporter for The Sacramento Bee. She previously covered crime and courts for The Bakersfield Californian.