Vallejo City Staff Launch Outreach to White Slough Encampment Residents

Efforts to support residents of the White Slough encampment in Vallejo, California, took a significant step forward on Thursday morning as city staff, alongside various supportive service organizations, began outreach initiatives aimed at assisting the area’s unhoused population. The White Slough encampment, located near Sacramento Street and Highway 37, is one of the city’s largest and longest-standing encampments.

Natalie Peterson, Assistant to the City Manager, emphasized the city’s commitment to informing residents of their options. “We know that the White Slough is an area of concern for the community,” Peterson stated. “We’re really just trying to make sure people know what their options are.” The outreach aims to connect individuals with available resources and support as they consider transitioning out of homelessness.

The outreach event saw collaboration between city officials and organizations such as IHART, Resource Connect Solano, and Abode. These organizations provided essential services and assistance to residents. Peterson highlighted the importance of updating individuals in the system to ensure they receive the necessary support.

On the ground, representatives from Resource Connect Solano, including Reggie Sironen, engaged directly with residents. “Right now, we’re just offering help to people,” Sironen remarked, emphasizing the need for swift assistance to those living on the streets. He and his colleagues worked to help residents update their information in a digital database, which connects them to various county-wide resources.

Despite the positive outreach efforts, the situation remains complex. “I know it takes time, but in time the system does work,” Sironen stated, acknowledging the challenges posed by a long housing queue. “We have a lot of work to do. Just when you assist a whole bunch of people in getting housed, many more take their place.”

In addition to logistical support, representatives from Abode provided residents with hot chocolate, instant oatmeal, and hygiene supplies. The organization typically aims to visit the White Slough encampment at least once or twice a week to offer ongoing support.

Plans for the outreach event were announced during Vallejo’s first homeless roundtable the previous week, which sparked mixed reactions among local advocates. Some community members expressed concerns that the city’s involvement could serve mainly to improve public perception, rather than genuinely support the residents.

Eli Smith, founder of the Vallejo Homeless Union, led a formal boycott against the city’s outreach efforts. In an email sent to fellow supportive service groups, Smith urged them to refrain from attending the event. She asserted that the boycott is not intended to cause disruption but to highlight the inadequacies of the city’s approach to homelessness.

“The purpose is to show our elected officials that we, the people who are actually doing the work, will not accept the failures of the city staff to execute a humane and effective homeless program,” Smith explained. She recounted a recent incident where residents were given just 15 minutes to vacate an area under threat of arrest, during which no supportive services were called in.

Smith criticized the city’s actions, stating, “The city is using our work as a marketing campaign to advertise its compassion immediately after it treated these same people with unnecessary cruelty.” She called for a more collaborative approach, urging the city to engage with supportive services genuinely. “If the city would like to claim that it is in partnership with those of us who are on the ground every day, then they must roll up their sleeves and join us in doing the real work,” she concluded.

As Vallejo continues to grapple with the challenges of homelessness, the outreach event at White Slough marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing dialogue about how best to support vulnerable residents while addressing the complex underlying issues of housing and social services in the community.