‘These are our neighbors’: Sacramento community provides water for homeless during heat wave

As a dangerous heat wave continues to hit Sacramento this week with temperatures breaking 100 degrees , homeless camps don’t know where and when they’ll get water.

Sacramento County stopped delivering water to homeless camps Monday, when a water delivery program that started in 2020 with federal pandemic-related funds ended.

To assist them, community members are taking matters into their own hands to help homeless camps.

“These are our neighbors,” said Chelsea Fink, who was dropping off water to homeless camps Wednesday. “I think that there’s people who forget that. As a fellow community member, I think my main concern is wanting to spread the word that it’s all of us together and all hands on deck.”

Camp Resolution was among one of the many homeless camps to stop receiving water. Sharon Jones, one of the camp’s leaders, said they have received 50 gallons of water and ice from community members as of Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s been a life saver,” Jones said. “We were relying on the water we get from the (county), and when it stopped, everybody panicked. We have to find viable water sources that we can use to drink, and there’s not very many close by here.”

Camp Resolution is now relying on community donations with still no word from government officials about when they’ll 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 offer water and a cooling center from noon to 8 p.m. all week at Organize Sacramento on 1714 Broadway in Land Park. Volunteers at this location are accepting donations and delivering them out to camps 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 individuals to direct message their Instagram page if they want to help.

NorCal Resist has also been preparing for water drop offs. The nonprofit is offering other aid, including food and other supplies.

“We’re in record heat right now, and it sounds like the city/county are not going to be doing the same kind of work as last year,” said Autumn Gonzalez, who is donating water to homeless camps with NorCal Resist. “There’s just a increase in need for water.”

The following locations are food pantries offering water amid the heat wave:

▪ 9 Questa Ct., Sacramento

▪ 5930 19th Ave., Sacramento

▪ 4244 Cabrillo Way, Sacramento

▪ 1617 25th St., Sacramento

▪ 425 Lampasas Ave., Sacramento

▪ 3210 California Ave., Carmichael

▪ 2417 Aramon Dr., Rancho Cordova

The homeless population in Sacramento is more vulnerable than ever, said Fink. With sweeps happening across the city, and a Supreme Court decision that ruled the people can be fined, ticketed or arrested for sleeping or camping in public, tensions are high.

“It’s unfortunate, especially now in the middle of this heat and since there have been more sweeps and they’ve been taking away people’s capacity to shade themselves with at least a tent, at the minimum,” said PJ Andrews, a volunteer with Sacramento DSA. “That’s been hard to fathom.”

Fink said that Sacramento cannot rely on government resources. Instead, she said it’s critical for people to understand that staying safe is a community effort.

“It’s up to us to do what we can,” Fink said.