Sacramento residents who have registered complaints about homeless encampments through the city’s new online form are receiving a surprising response: The automated reply says the city is “not required” to pay for any more homeless services this fiscal year under Measure O.
Voters passed the initiative in November to address Sacramento’s growing homelessness crisis, specifically the hundreds of encampments that occupy Sacramento public spaces.
But the automated reply says that because the city has already set aside its $5 million annual spending limit for Measure O, “it has met its obligations for fiscal year 2023/24 and is not required to fund additional services, such as the hiring of a hearing examiner and other components of the notice and demand process.”
Measure O bans homeless encampments on public property, under certain conditions. It also requires the city to identify and authorize hundreds of new shelter spaces.
But supporters of the initiative say the city has done little to meet its obligations. They described the automatic reply as “offensive.”
“It sends the message that the city doesn’t want to do its job,” said Joshua Wood, who co-chaired the Yes on O campaign.
“The reality is eight months after Measure O passed, they are supposed to have sited new [shelters] for the homeless — they haven’t done that,” Wood continued, “and they were supposed to launch this entire new program to actually have compliance with Measure O.”
The measure allows residents to file Notice and Demand forms that provide information and concerns about encampments. It obligates the city to respond to the concerns and inspect those camps within 20 days and to make an effort to solve the problem within 45 days.
It calls for using a hearing examiner to review appeals made by residents alleging the city has failed to solve the problem.
But it also sets an annual $5 million spending limit for services tied to the initiative. The reply says the city has already gone past that amount, meaning the timeline for response could be much longer.
Tim Swanson, a city spokesperson, wrote in an email on Monday that the city will respond to all submitted Notice and Demand forms and inspect the sites “as quickly as possible.”
Submitted forms “will automatically generate a case number and be routed to the Department of Community Response [DCR], who will then work closely with the appropriate City enforcement departments to address pursuant to the City protocol systems,” he added. “DCR will independently respond to these cases as quickly as possible to connect unhoused community members to services and shelter options.”
The city has been slow to enforce Measure O since it went into effect last year. While officials say they have reduced the size of some encampments, they acknowledged last month that they have yet to fully eliminate any of them. Meanwhile, new outreach teams created as a result of the measure connected just 55 people to shelter from January through May, the city said.
While the city has identified what it says are more than 700 new shelter spaces to comply with the measure’s requirement, critics point out that there are few details about when or where many of those spaces will open.
Wood, from the Yes on O campaign, urged residents to continue filling out the online forms, to create a record of their concerns.
The Sacramento City Council plans to hold a workshop on homeless issues at 12 p.m. on Tuesday. Swanson, the city spokesperson, said Measure O will likely be part of the discussion.
Residents who fill out the city’s Notice and Demand form complaints about local encampments receive this automatic reply:
“We have received your Notice of Violation and Demand to Abate.
In accordance with the requirements set forth by the Emergency Shelter and Enforcement Act of 2022 (ESEA), also known as Measure O, the City of Sacramento in its approved budget for fiscal year 2023/24 has allocated more than the maximum amount required from the general fund ($5 million) to meet the obligations of the measure.
Uses for this funding include creating and maintaining additional emergency shelter spaces and performing outreach to persons experiencing homelessness. The City also has allocated funding to abate unlawful camping violations.
Because the City already has allocated more than the maximum amount required by the ESEA, it has met its obligations for fiscal year 2023/24 and is not required to fund additional services, such as the hiring of a hearing examiner and other components of the notice and demand process.
Nevertheless, submitted Notice and Demand forms will automatically generate a case number and be routed to the Department of Community Response. DCR will respond to these cases as quickly as possible to connect unhoused community members to services and shelter options. DCR will continue to work closely with other departments to seek compliance with relevant City ordinances, including those relating to critical infrastructure and sidewalks. The case number for your Notice and Demand submission is (case number).
For more information about the requirements of the ESEA as well as an archive of the City’s monthly progress reports, click here.
For information specific to your filed Notice of Violation and Demand to Abate, please contact the Department of Community Response with the generated case number via telephone at (916) 808-3685, or via email at [email protected].”
More information about Measure O, including a frequently asked questions page, progress reports and a link to the Notice and Demand form, is available on the city’s website.
Contact CapRadio reporter Chris Nichols at [email protected].
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