SACRAMENTO — Small business owners are fed up with the city of Sacramento's response to a homeless encampment next to a midtown auto shop and feel forgotten, and want to see a solution soon.
A-1 Auto Repair opened in 2011 near Yale Street between 21st and 20th avenues. The store's owner, Ron, said the business changed hands two weeks ago due to a “deteriorating” homeless encampment on the sidewalk outside.
Ron told CBS13 that there are tents, tarps, chairs and personal items lining the sidewalks on the property, and at times trash and other items spread out on the property. But his main concern isn't being “safe.”
He said he saw fires burning inside the encampment and drugs being used outside during the day.
“I feel like it's really dangerous and could hurt my business,” Ron said.
You can see the tent and tarp setup from LAB 7 Coworking across the street. The manager there told CBS13 that his main concern was “the safety of everyone,” not just local residents, but also residents who are unhoused on Yale Street.
There are signs of drug use in the area, including used needles in an alley off 21st Street. This is an issue that everyone we spoke to said they believe is the result of a policy failure, or lack thereof, by the city of Sacramento.
According to the latest data provided to the public by the city of Sacramento from May 6 to 12, the city received 711 calls related to homelessness. Of these inquiries, 682 were closed. This means that the issue has been resolved or is no longer an issue at the time it was examined.
“When we report on things, we expect to see some action, and that's not happening here,” Land Park advocate Stephanie Duncan told CBS13. told CBS13 that they also reported on the encampment.
Duncan said she feels city leadership has failed to implement solutions that would resolve, or at least help, the neighbors who called 311 to report concerns about the encampments to the city.
The most commonly cited solution is more housing, but Ron said for now he wants city officials to acknowledge that his requests are heard and addressed.
