Massive encampment relocation off Highway 37
The 'most humane' effort
DeDe Scrivner-Bosuego has often helped the homeless find more suitable surroundings. But never like the massive undertaking this week of moving most of the 65 “unhoused” in the encampment near the Highway 37 bridge onramp at Sacramento Street and Wilson Avenue.
“Usually, it’s just one or two people in the city,” said ScrivnerBosuego, working with fellow Vallejo Together volunteers and a plethora of government agencies in easing the pain of those out in the cold.
“All of us have been working together to find them places to move. It’s not humane. It’s the most humane thing I’ve seen in relocating,” Scrivner- Bosuego said.
The relocation focuses on the private property adjacent to stateowned land where the owner al
lowed encampments for one year — and the year is up.
“They had permission to stay a year which is more than anyone would have done and is very generous,” Scrivner-Bosuego said, adding that the encampment residents had “plenty of time” to prepare for relocation with 40 moved to the Travelodge on Admiral Callaghan Lane.
Several encampments on state property remained and, eventually, will be given the minimum fiveday notice, Scrivner-Bosuego said.
It hasn’t helped that the funded 125-bed Navigation Center was postponed because of COVID-19.
“We were supposed to have it by now and it didn’t happen,” Scrivner-Bosuego said. “That was the goal … to keep them (the unsheltered) here (at the encampments) until that happened and it didn’t happen and we’re scrambling.”
Solano County’s code enforcement, Health and Social Services, Sheriff’s Office, City of Vallejo Housing and Public Works division, Vallejo Flood and Waste Water, the CHP, CalTrans, and other groups combined efforts for the encampment relocation, including CORE — Vallejo Homeless Collaborative, Outreach, Referral and Engagement Team.
At least 10 filled dumpsters left the encampments Monday.
“They’ll assess how many for Tuesday and do it until it’s clean,” Scrivner-Bosuego said. “If it takes all week, it takes all week.”
Vallejo Mayor Bob Sampayan applauded the efforts, emphasizing that “my biggest concern early on was having an ‘exit strategy’ before moving these folks. You just can’t close an encampment without having some kind of strategy. That just doesn’t work.”
Beyond a better situation for the homeless — especially as nights dip into the 30s — it’s better aesthetically to not have an encampment, the mayor acknowledged.
“We’ve receive a number of complaints from residents … businesses … visitors … that something had to be done,” Sampayan said. “I’m glad we’re doing this now instead of later.”
Vallejo Together Executive Director Francie McInerney MacMillan said several encampment residents were transported to their temporary shelter at the Travelodge by a recently-donated van while others were able to utilize the portable shower unit in the Emmanuel Apostolic Church parking lot in south Vallejo.
Several churches have committed to help Vallejo Together provide meals to those at the Travelodge.
Sampayan said the issue obviously goes far beyond Vallejo.
“The homeless crisis is a national emergency and we need to be tolerant and compassionate and help as much as we can,” he said.
While praising Vallejo Together and other organizations “who have been feeding, clothing, and sheltering the homeless populations for years, they can’t do it on their own,” the mayor said. “I’m glad we have this collaborative with the county and the cities. My hope is that we can shelter as many folks as we can.”
Sampayan said the hope is to “break ground” on the pre-fabricated Navigation Center by the spring.