The City of Yuba City and the Yuba City Police Department is committed to treating all members of our community with dignity and respect. Business and property owners have the right to maintain a safe environment for their customers and the right to keep their property free of encampments and litter. Homelessness is not an easy problem to address as there are many factors that play into the topic.
A review of Yuba City Police calls for service from April 2022 to April 2023, shows that of the 36,725 total service calls, 3,947 (or 10.7%) were transient related. This is significantly up from 7.7% in 2021 and 5.8% in 2020.
In addition, the Yuba City Fire Department responded to 102 suspected transient-related fires and 836 calls during this same period.
Yuba City’s current homeless/transient related efforts include:
- Two dedicated Homeless Liaison Officers
- Significant Fire Department response resources
- A Code Enforcement Officer
- Resources for cleanup and abatement of trash and abandoned camps
- Electrician for repair of damaged and vandalized equipment
In total, Yuba City currently spends about $1.4 Million per year on homeless/transient related efforts.
Our dedicated Yuba City Police Homeless Liaison Officers have presented several suggestions for additional services that can more quickly and efficiently address these issues, including:
- The creation of a city-wide “Clean Team” available to respond seven days a week to quickly remove litter, debris and abandoned camps; clean-up of bio-hazards and human waste; power wash and remove graffiti; and support police efforts and coordinate with regional homeless services as needed.
The proposed Clean Team would be comprised of four staff, with two pickup trucks, a dump trailer, and various cleaning equipment. In addition to on-call support for businesses and residents, the Clean Team would service regular beats such as Downtown Yuba City, the mall, and other major shopping centers.
Our Clean Team was modeled after several existing programs including Long Beach, Woodland, Orlando, and Spokane.
- Adding a Homeless Liaison Social Worker and an additional Community Service Officer who can coordinate with the numerous local homeless resource programs to efficiently connect individuals who are ready for help with available service; assist individuals with steps needed to apply for services, such as obtaining a valid ID; and representing the City at local and regional homeless-related service/planning meetings.