More than 50 homeless men and women gathered to start their march at Loaves and Fishes in North Sacramento. A homeless man with long brown hair was one of them.
“My name’s Robert. I believe that the homeless deserve a home. They don’t deserve their tents cut up. They don’t deserve to be ran off. They need some kind of shelter.”
Homeless activist and attorney Mark Merin helped organize the march which moved along 12th Street and ended at Cesar Chavez Park. Merin says tent cities could go up throughout town.
“And we have vacant lots, we have warehouses where people can be housed temporarily until they can get themselves together. That’s what this march is about.”
But Sacramento Assistant City Manager Cassandra Jennings says local agencies are focused on a long-term solution.
“There are a host of those programs to help people to get in housing, to get the services that they need. But the key is getting them in permanent housing.”
Jennings says Sacramento’s 10-year-plan to end chronic homelessness has put close to 200 mentally ill and physically challenged homeless people into housing. But homeless activists say local governments need to do more.