Having been an unsheltered citizen for two years, Joey Carrizales knows what it’s like to go from place to place without a true home. He doesn’t call people without a roof “homeless” or “unsheltered” or “less fortunate.”
He simply calls them “his friends.”
So as Carrizales — homeless from 2014 to 2016 — watched a few people on Reo Alley near Tennessee and Sacramento streets have to leave their belongings behind, he felt his friends’ pain.
A 72-hour notice of a debris removal and unlawful storage of unattended personal property in public expired on Monday afternoon, with city public works employees and the Vallejo Police Department on hand to remove truckloads of material that many unsheltered citizens used to call home. Although a notice was posted on a wall nearby and even though Carrizales said he warned many of the residents on Friday about the upcoming removal, there were still around four people remaining as of 2:30 p.m. as a bulldozer and other trucks picked up belongings.
Carrizales tried to help out and console many of them, including one lady who was living in a trailer on the property.
“She’s crying,” Carrizales said, between tears. “She’s crying because she’s embarrassed that she is leaving behind such a mess. She’s a human being and she feels bad about it.”
Carrizales said about seven people living in the area had left the premises without their belongings since Friday.
“I was here on Friday to let them know ahead of time and all the people are not happy,” Carrizales said. “They have no place to go. I was hoping that the city would help more than hurt, but It seems everyone is here to intimidate and bully people that don’t understand their rights.”
The notice posted on a wall nearby on Reo Alley stated: “All personal property and debris are to be removed on Monday at 1:30 p.m.”
Personal property left at the site was impounded by the city “in accordance with Chapter 7.67of Vallejo’s Municipal Code and Vallejo Administrative Rule 7:10,” the notice stated. “Any personal property not disposed of will be stored for 90 days without charge. After 90 days unclaimed property will be disposed of.”
The notice goes on to say that personal property will be deemed finally abandoned and destroyed on Oct. 17. Personal property can be claimed at 2 Florida St in Vallejo. People can call for more information at (707) 553-7218. For all personal property, the owner will be required to describe the lost items to prove ownership.
“The City of Vallejo will make a reasonable effort to identify all personal property left at the site, but City Staff will not open backpacks, boxes and bags because of health and safety concerns,” the statement reads. “If personal items are left in plain view, the City of Vallejo will collect these items and store them for safekeeping for a period of not less than 90 days. Food, perishables, soiled, wet, or moldy bedding materials, or items that otherwise pose a threat to public health and safety will not be stored due to health and safety reasons.”
VPD Public Information Officer Brittany Jackson said she was still following up with the City’s Neighborhood Law Program (NLP) lead and Code Enforcement Division, but gave the following response.
“As a public safety agency, we understand that our unhoused population is faced with a number of variables that can either positively or negatively impact their overall quality of life,” Jackson wrote the Times-Herald. “Our goal is to enhance collaboration between our Community Services Section, Code Enforcement Division, Neighborhood Law Program, and the City of Vallejo to ensure that wrap around services and outreach programs are readily accessible to those in need. We understand this poses a challenge pending the implementation of the City’s Navigation Center, but will continue to work with our community stakeholders and partners at Solano County Behavioral Health to support case management and administration of social services to the unhoused.”
Carrizales, along with a man who went by the name of Brad and another man not identified, tried to help an unsheltered lady remove her trailer to another site.
“It’s infuriating that disabled folks are being targeted this way,” Brad said. “My neighbor has a car that has been in front of his house and not moved for over a year, but they don’t target him. They only target people who can’t afford to get help.”
While many citizens living in the area walked off the premises from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in frustration, the embankment near the area and train tracks were not removed as of 3 p.m. — people on site questioned if that was considered Vallejo property or property of the railroad.
“I know there is a lot of garbage here and I know that businesses and homes nearby have complaints,” Carrizales said. “I don’t mind that. But be more productive as a city. Instead of announcing and staging something, come out and try to help the homeless. It’s inhumane and not productive the way they are doing it now. And all of this creates anger and resentment and fear for these citizens toward our government.”
In early July a similar debris removal was done near the 500 block of Serrano Drive.
According to Vallejo Public Information Officer Christina Lee, those notices were posted on June 27 — 72 hours earlier — with instructions that a debris removal was scheduled for June 30, at noon.
“For several months leading up to the cleanup, city officials had received numerous complaints from neighbors, business owners, and concerned residents regarding the trash and health hazards at this site,” Lee told the Times-Herald earlier this month. “Thirty minutes prior to the start of the cleanup, city officials spoke with the remaining unsheltered and confirmed that all of their personal items were removed from the street prior to cleanup … After ensuring that all individuals and personal items were removed from the street, the city cleared the street of the remaining debris.”
In the meantime, Vallejo continues its struggle with the unsheltered issue. Last week the city was informed that due to delays in the acquisition of the property and construction of the project, as well as a series of administrative errors from 2019 to early 2021 (prior to current management), HUD has determined it will look to the city to return $2,661,641 in awarded grant funding to the HOME Investment Trust Fund.
According to the news release sent out by the city, the funding reallocation and return of the HOME grant funds will not jeopardize the project or delay the project’s expected timeline. The Sacramento Street Apartments project is anticipated to be completed in November, with full occupancy expected by January. The apartment project on Sacramento Street will include 51 studio apartments with 18 one-bedroom and five two-bedroom venues.
“We are frustrated and embarrassed to learn that a series of former management’s missteps on the city’s behalf resulted in the loss of a portion of the grant funding toward this project,” Assistant City Manager Gillian Hayes said in a news release. “While the city is working to reallocate available grant funds to ensure this vital project moves forward to support our vulnerable residents, we are also working to assess the status of all our existing Housing grants in an effort to ensure there were no further oversights under past management. We are committed to continuing to provide housing services to this community and to correct the past errors.”
In December it was reported that Vallejo’s much-needed Navigation Center, scheduled to house approximately 500 people annually, would have its long-awaited opening delayed once again. A news release in December by the City of Vallejo stated that a Phase I environmental report reveals that the Midway Drive site for the navigation center is unhabitable. The release also said: “This restriction was created because of the land’s prior use for industrial services, which resulted in ground contamination across portions of the site.”
The release also went on to say that the center has been assigned to the City Manager’s Office and the Public Works Department to keep it moving forward. Under the new management, staff has identified and is making significant progress in overcoming previous challenges to the implementation of the Project. The release did not give an estimated date for completion. The center, which was originally supposed to break ground last April, with the plan of opening for services beginning in August, has seen its budget rise from $2.3 million to $4.1 million.
