In one of California’s well-known wine regions, a homeless camp has been set up adjacent to the local courtroom.
Blue tents can be seen filling a parking lot where up to 100 homeless people can dwell in photos shot at the Sonoma County administration facility in Santa Rosa. After a “shelter crisis” was declared, officials in Sonoma County, in the well-known wine area of northern California, approved the taxpayer-funded homeless camp this year. Numerous offices, including those for Sonoma County Human Resources, the county registrar, the Superior Court of California, and the district attorney’s office, are housed in the administrative complex.
In one image, there is a pile of trash in the parking lot close to a bike-lined fence, and in another, a person is seen rummaging through trash cans.
Homelessness Challenges and Emergency Shelter Response
In one image, there is a pile of trash in the parking lot close to a bike-lined fence, and in another, a person is seen rummaging through trash cans.
In an effort to address growing concerns surrounding homelessness in the vicinity of Joe Rodota Trail, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors granted approval for the establishment of an “emergency shelter site” on the government complex in March, responding to the pressing need. This winter, when the county worked to clear tents and remove residents, the trail—an old train rail line that was paved over and made into a walking and biking path—was the scene of another homeless campout.
DEMA Consulting & Management to Oversee Comprehensive Homeless Shelter Site
The DEMA Consulting & Management is managing the shelter site on the administrative campus which also provides “on-site support services that include behavioral and physical health care” and resources for job training and is in charge of running the homeless shelter on the administrative campus.
The head of the Board of Supervisors, Sonoma Supervisor Chris Coursey, stated, “Over the past few months, especially following the introduction of the emergency shelter site on county grounds, we have made it clear; permanent housing is the key to eradicating homelessness. These monies are a significant step toward making that happen.
