SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Those who experienced homelessness who wanted to get out of the storm used Sacramento warming shelters about 1,200 times since Jan. 27, according to city officials.
Sacramento declared an extreme weather emergency in January that ordered the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria at 9th and I streets to be opened as a warming center. It's believed at least six people died outdoors amid the storms, but the county coroner did not confirm the cause of the deaths.
City officials said most of the visitors sheltered in the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria. The 1,200 times the warming centers were used include repeated visitors.
The city reporting of how many people were served in warming centers comes after reports of Steinberg's home was vandalized following demonstrations criticizing the city's response to the multiple deaths the occurred during storms at the end of January.
The Sacramento Homeless Union also recently launched a recall campaign against Steinberg after it was reported that people died during the storm.
“We have been informed by the county and our own legal research shows that those are guidelines, it is the mayor who has the authority, the city council who has the authority to take those actions,” Sacramento Homeless Union’s Attorney Anthony D. Price said. “That shelter, that warming shelter, should have been opened.”
Steinberg brought up how many people used the city's warming centers during a council meeting to discuss homeless housing solutions.
"The goal here is not to pilot a bunch of new approaches but to actually put together a plan that addresses the needs of thousands of people and the needs of all our affected communities, both business and residential," Steinberg said during the meeting.
The Sacramento City Council is expected to come back to vote on a possible solution in June.
