Natomas neighbors are suing to halt a planned homeless shelter project, citing crime and other concerns, while Sacramento pushes for expanded shelters citywide.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A group of neighbors in Natomas is suing to block a planned homeless shelter, as the City of Sacramento works to expand housing options for unhoused residents across multiple districts.

The proposed project would bring a campus of 40 tiny homes to a site at 3511 Arena Boulevard, near the intersection with El Centro Road, designed to serve unhoused seniors. City leaders say similar sites are planned in Districts 5 and 8 as part of a broader push to address homelessness.

Neighbors opposing the project say they are concerned about potential crime and the impact on nearby families and older residents. They also argue the area lacks key services.

“This is just not the right place and it’s not the right time, and they did not notify us about it either,” said Anabel Gonzalez, a Natomas resident who runs a daycare nearby.

Julie Tougeron, another neighbor, questioned whether the location would meet residents’ needs.

“This location is just setting them up to fail. There’s no transportation. There’s no affordable grocery shopping. There’s no medical facilities,” she said, adding that the city is “just plopping them here saying, ‘See you!’”

The city has said the tiny home communities are intended for seniors age 55 and older, who are already stable in existing programs and have income. Officials plan to charge residents 30% of their income after an initial 90-day grace period.

At a September City Council homelessness workshop follow-up, Brian Pedro, director of the Department of Community Response, cited a survey of seniors in city shelters, where 89% said they would sign up for this type of housing.

He read a note from one of the survey respondents, who said, “‘This is a Godsend idea, allows us a more meaningful way of feeling a part of our community.’”

But some neighbors worry a site like this could attract additional homeless people to the area.

“I spoke to the gatekeeper at the Roseville [Road] facility, and he told me that these type of homeless shelters are a magnet for other homeless people who don’t want to necessarily be in them but they want to be near, and the amount of trash and the amount of people, larceny, theft— I mean, you can see this wall is not very high,” said Rosalee Lehr, pointing to the wall separating the empty lot from the mobile home community where she and Tougeron live.

The group of residents has formed the Advisory Council for Legal and Ethical Oversight, or ACE-O, and filed a 157-page civil lawsuit Monday in Sacramento County Superior Court, seeking to stop the project.

“We’re researching what’s the best path forward. Right now, it feels like the lawsuit is the best path forward,” said Rick Loek, a Natomas neighbor and ACE-O board chair. “We’re looking at what constitutional laws may be violated. Definitely some research on the city charter being violated.”

Neighbors backing the lawsuit say they want the city to move the project about 4 miles away to a city-owned site at 918 Del Paso Road, which sits within county jurisdiction.

“The challenge that the city or mayor is pushing back on us with is— it’s part of the county jurisdiction. It’s owned by the city, in county property, so it creates a little bit more of— ‘Okay, so work that out,’” Loek said.

Lena Hsieh, another neighbor, said the alternative location seems like a win-win situation, with the Del Paso Road site already paved and surrounded by fencing.

“That’s a better site to minimize the disruption. So there’s a better solution, it’s just somehow they don’t want to look into this,” she said.

Sacramento City Councilmember Lisa Kaplan, who represents the district, told ABC10 in a statement Tuesday:

“I recently became aware of a lawsuit filed by North Natomas community members regarding the Mayor’s and the City Manager’s proposed homeless tiny home shelters at the corner of El Centro and Arena Boulevard. While I support tiny home communities built on best practices, I am concerned that the city is not following those standards for this project. Although I have not reviewed the specific details of the lawsuit, I stand with my community in demanding that the city operate with transparency and accountability. We must follow established protocols and statutes, while treating our unhoused neighbors with the dignity they deserve in the development of these shelters.”

Meanwhile, Nikki Jones, executive director of the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness, pushed back on concerns linking shelters to crime.

“Attitudes that say housing options for poor people are bad for public safety are misguided, as all evidence shows that increasing people’s safety and security through housing means crime is less likely. This should be addressed through robust community engagement that centers the needs and voices of those most impacted, which has to include people in the unhoused community,” Jones told ABC10. “That being said, it is arguable if these city-operated shelter programs are the right solution when we need structural change to how our seniors access housing – as they are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population – not a 30% cut into their fixed income for emergency shelter services.”

Mayor Kevin McCarty did not respond Tuesday to a request for comment on the lawsuit. At the September City Council meeting, he said he was pleased with the city’s direction in addressing the issue, which he described as a top concern among residents.

The lawsuit remains ongoing.

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