As Sacramento continues to be hit by a dangerous heat wave this week, with temperatures soaring above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, homeless camps are unsure where or when they can get water.
Sacramento County stopped delivering water to homeless camps on Monday, after a water program started in 2020 with federal pandemic funds was ended.
To help them, community members are taking matters into their own hands and helping homeless camps.
“These are our neighbors,” said Chelsea Fink, who delivered water to homeless camps Wednesday. “I think there are people who forget that. As a fellow community member, I think my biggest concern is to spread the message that we’re all in this together and all hands are on deck.”
Camp Resolution was one of many homeless camps that lost water. Sharon Jones, one of the camp’s leaders, said they received 50 gallons of water and ice from community members Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s been a lifesaver,” Jones said. “We were relying on the water we got from the (county), and when it stopped, everyone panicked. We have to find usable sources of water that we can use to drink, and there’s not a lot of them around.”
Camp Resolution is now relying on donations from the community, but government officials still do not know when they will receive water.
Cooling center opens in Land Park
Fink, who is with Sacramento’s chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, is part of an effort to provide water and a cooling center from noon to 8 p.m. all week at Organize Sacramento at 1714 Broadway in Land Park. Volunteers at the location will accept donations and deliver them to encampments throughout the day.
“I just wanted to do something for someone else,” said Ximena Gonzalez, a volunteer with Sacramento DSA.
Black-N-Brown Unity is also collecting donations for supplies and is asking people to private message their Instagram page if they would like to help.
NorCal Resist has also been preparing for water drop-offs. The nonprofit is providing other assistance, including food and other supplies.
“We’re in record heat right now and it doesn’t seem like the city/county is going to do the same work that they did last year,” said Autumn Gonzalez, who donates water to homeless camps with NorCal Resist. “There’s just an increase in the need for water.”
The following locations are food banks providing water during the heat wave:
▪ 9 Questa Ct., Sacramento
▪ 5930 19th Ave., Sacramento
▪ 4244 Cabrillo Way, Sacramento
▪ 1617 25th Street, Sacramento
▪ 425 Lampasas Ave., Sacramento
▪ 3210 California Ave., Carmichael
▪ 2417 Aramon Dr., Rancho Cordova
Sacramento’s homeless population is more vulnerable than ever, Fink said. With raids happening across the city and a Supreme Court ruling that says people can be fined, ticketed or arrested for sleeping or camping in public, tensions are running high.
“It’s unfortunate, especially now in the middle of this heat and because there’s been more sweeps and they’ve taken away people’s ability to protect themselves with at least a tent, at the very least,” said PJ Andrews, a volunteer with Sacramento DSA. “That was hard to fathom.”
Fink said Sacramento can’t rely on government resources. Instead, she said it’s crucial that people understand that staying safe is a community effort.
“It’s up to us to do what we can,” Fink said.
