Placer County to provide low-barrier shelter as terms of settlement

Placer County is on its way to operating a low-barrier mobile temporary shelter in North Auburn as terms of a settlement with a group of homeless individuals who filed a claim against the county in September. The claim alleges the county destroyed personal property in April and May when it was closing the encampment site at the DeWitt Center. According to the claim, after 30 minutes of gathering their belongings, the homeless persons were locked out and their property was destroyed. Some of the property moved to a "safe area" was also destroyed. Mark Merin, the lawyer representing the homeless individuals, said he received a call from Placer County counsel saying they would like to negotiate a settlement. "I was surprised when the county responded," Merin said in an interview with the Auburn Journal. "This is very forward of them. It was very insightful and intelligent, and that is so unusual to find city and county officials with a head on their shoulders." In addition to awarding each individual $4,000 and covering $50,000 in attorney fees, the county will provide a site with tents which are at least 10 feet by 10 feet and at least 250 square feet. The 33 individuals in the settlement will have the first opportunity to be housed in the new facility. "We will be setting up 50 brand new canvas tents with cots and basic bedding for the individuals," Supervisor Cindy Gustafson said at Meddlers on Tuesday morning. "We will supply toilets, hand-washing stations, showers, potable water and trash service." She said the county has worked on grading a site, the northwest corner of 11517 F Avenue, so there would not be flooding issues. The site will also have charging stations for small electronics. "There will be a fixed tent layout so they can't move and expand out of those tents," she said. "I think one of the things you've noticed as you have driven by (the current encampment) is they've had multiple structures and tents and many of those are not occupied. They are just storing supplies for these individuals." Gustafson said each person will be given a bin inside the tent to store their belongings but that is the "maximum" they can store inside the tent. She described the site as "low barrier," meaning there will be rules posted. She said individuals at the facility "cannot use drugs or alcohol in the complex, but if they come in already under the influence, they will be allowed back in." According to a Placer County press release, the Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday on whether to authorize an approximate $1.1 million contract with First Step Communities to manage the shelter over a six-month period. First Step Communities is a nonprofit organization based in Sacramento with extensive experience operating similar shelters. The contract would require 24/7 on-site shelter supervision and basic case management services. Attendees of the Meddlers meeting Tuesday asked questions about how to make sure people don't come to Placer County specifically for the benefit of this new low-barrier facility. "We continue to have the lowest percentage of unhoused," she said. "But Sacramento County has the highest growth rate of any county, I think, in the nation." Gustafson did say officials on the Placer County ad hoc committee on homelessness are discussing residency requirements to be housed at its facilities. Gustafson said she believes the most officials can require is proof of one year of residency in the county, but it is challenging to enforce. The enforced residency currently is 14 days. Work on the shelter has not begun, as the settlement is still being finalized, Holt said. He estimated the facility would be constructed in February. According to the settlement, the county is required to operate the shelter for a term of six months once it opens. Holt said after that point, the Board of Supervisors will have to decide how to move forward with the shelter – either renew the contract or put it up as a request for proposal (RFP). Terms of the settlement also require Placer County to provide at least one week's notice before requiring one of the 33 homeless individuals to vacate the old encampment (currently at First Street and F Avenue). The individuals will have 24 hours to either accept or deny a space at the new low-barrier facility. Holt said the settlement is not an admission to any of the allegations made in the original claim. He said the county still contests that what it destroyed from the old encampments were "nothing but garbage and hazardous materials."