Town Hall meeting story

This is a current story I just wrote. I went to the Town Hall Meeting and covered it..



Residents of Mather Community Campus fear with the recent budget cuts that Sacramento County will do what they have threatened: shut down the campus that is currently housing over 400 homeless men, women and children.

Mayor Kevin Johnson addressed this issue and his plans to save the campus on Thursday evening, Sept. 24, in a town hall forum located at California Middle School.

“We are trying to figure out a plan,” said Johnson. “Our ultimate goal is that we want to end homelessness.”

On Tuesday, Sept. 29, the Board of County Supervisors will be discussing whether or not there will be further cuts to Mather Community Campus or not.

“This is our 2nd chance to make our lives better and if they take this away from us,” said Jacqueline Lester, who lives in the community with her children. “It will tear people up.”

The campus is a safe place for individuals to learn job skills, attend school, and live in a stable environment.

The mayor agreed with speaker Raheal Hezchias, also a resident of the Mather community, that putting these 400 plus people out on the streets will cost the city more money, it will cause more damage, and it is causing the city to take steps backward rather than forward in the fight to end homelessness.

“We are doing everything we can at this point,” said Johnson. “We are all trying to save the campus but all we can do is lobby and advocate.”

Johnson stated that he does not have the overall control of how the campus will be voted on.

“I feel that he has addressed the issue very well,” said Hezchias. “It sounds like he pretty much doesn’t have the control of what happens but I know that if he did, he would do everything he could.”

Clint Bunting, a Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center employee, spoke to Johnson during the meeting. His biggest concern was just making sure Johnson was aware of the fact that in less than forty days, the streets could be filled with 400 more homeless people.

“I feel like he skated around the issue,” said Bunting. “I also know that he doesn’t have the control. And this certainly wasn’t the time or place to talk about the issue.”

Homelessness has been the biggest issue Johnson is working on since he became mayor December of last year. He recently brought task forces together to resolve illegal river campers and found shelters and beds for 150 of those people. He said at he has plans to deliver a proposal to the City Counsel that in October they would lay out ideas for safe ground sites for homeless people. He is hoping for a better future for the homeless people of Sacramento, and across the nation.

“Let’s be a national model on how we deal with homelessness,” Johnson said.