Joe Rodota Trail homeless camp to be cleared Thursday as residents weigh relocation to county site

For the first time in months, Amanda Negrete prepared to sleep Wednesday without locking herself in her tent or worrying about someone stealing her property while she used a restroom.

Her belongings filled four plastic containers as she broke down her red Coleman tent near the Joe Rodota trailhead off Stony Point Road in Santa Rosa.

The Rincon Valley native looked up and down the walking path for Sonoma County workers who would bring her to the county’s newly managed homeless site opening this week on a county parking off Administration Drive.

She arrived late Wednesday afternoon and was filled with relief.

“I’m excited about the stability and not being scared,” said Negrete, 42, who had been homeless more than a year and lived on the trail for two months.

She was among the handful of homeless people packing up Wednesday as the county advanced its latest attempt to clear the public trail often overtaken by encampments between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol.

Officials on Thursday are set to press forward with clearing the trail, where 90 tents were counted on Monday, one of the largest unsanctioned camps since more than 250 people were counted camping on the trail at the end of 2019.

The Board of Supervisors declared a shelter crisis linked to the trail in February and approved the new outdoor camp at its north Santa Rosa campus. It is the first such site for the county among the suite of homeless housing options bankrolled by taxpayers through the pandemic.

About 70 to 100 people are expected to move to the new site this week.

The site was quiet Wednesday afternoon as a few people trickled in through the gates.

The entire camp is surrounded by fencing. Blue and gray tents resting on wooden platforms are topped with clear tarps to protect against rainy weather.

The tents are arranged in pods of six throughout the site. Each tent is equipped with a cot and a sleeping bag.

During the intake process, security crews check residents’ belongings for weapons, drugs or alcohol — not permitted on site — and then residents meet with staff to go over rules and receive their tent assignment.

Dave Kiff, director of the county’s homelessness division, said about 20 people had moved in Wednesday.

The number was less than the county had hoped for, Kiff said, but he expected Thursday would see a higher volume of check-ins.

“People are having a harder time leaving the trail,” he said, explaining that people were reluctant to pack up their belongings, in part due to Tuesday’s rain.

“A number of folks have been on the trail for a long time so there’s a lot of trauma,” Kiff said.

The camp also includes a designated smoking area, a community sitting area under a tent, portable restrooms and a dog run for residents to bring their pets.

The site will also include a mobile shower station and residents will be given laundry cards to do their laundry at a laundromat, Kiff said.

Homeless people must pass a screening to receive a placement at the site. Anyone convicted of violent or sexual offenses will not qualify.

Large moving trucks were on Joe Rodota trail for Wednesday’s moving process, occasionally forcing trail users to squeeze past them, the encampments and puddles of water left by Tuesday’s storm.

Trail residents said despite county outreach efforts, many questions remained unanswered:

Would couples be allowed to stay together?

Could people bring their pets?

Will they have access to their stored belongings?

A woman who identified herself as Stephanie R. wondered if the new facility was only open to people who had been living on Joe Rodota Trail.

She was looking for her son who had been living on the trail and claimed she asked a county worker if they could live together at the new site. The worker asked if she’d been living on the trail and wasn’t clear if she was allowed at the new site.

“Shall I pitch a tent? Is that how I can get some help?” she wondered.

Several encampment residents stressed they were only leaving the Joe Robota Trail because they were threatened with arrest and intended to live elsewhere.

Others, even those receptive to the new site, said they would be subjected to unwelcome rules limiting visitors and imposing a nightly curfew.

“I’m plenty old enough to not be told what to do,” Negrete said.

Mike Craig has lived on the trail for nearly a year and he appeared more inclined to accept the county’s latest attempt to clear the trail.

“They’re obviously trying to develop something that works,” the 49-year-old said as he packed up property that belonged to him and his girlfriend, who also lived on the trail.

He hoped the new site would provide a safe environment for his girlfriend. Craig didn’t know if they could stay together but was satisfied they’d both be onsite.

If things didn’t work out, Craig said he could just look for a new home.

“I can always say no after the fact,” he said.

Negrete also hoped the new site would help her restart her life.

She attributed her homelessness to depression, which she previously fought through for the sake of her family. She attended Santa Rosa Junior College and wants to continue her education, working toward a law degree.

That could happen now that she doesn’t need to spend every night worrying about her safety.

“Being able to rest is a huge thing,” Negrete said.

DEMA Consulting & Management Inc., the for-profit company the county has contracted with throughout the pandemic to manage homeless housing sites, will provide one hot meal a day and residents will also have access to microwaves and hot plates, but no open-flame cooking, Kiff said.

Staff will help residents get all the documents and identification they need to be ready to pursue housing, and find housing, Kiff said. So long as residents are participating in that process they will be able to stay at the site.

Looking around the site Wednesday, Kiff said he was “nervous because I want it to go well.”

“Hopefully we’ll settle into a rhythm,” he said.

Of the few residents who had checked into the site, some stayed in their tents unpacking, while others gathered in the communal areas.

One woman could be heard describing the new setup to someone on the phone.

“I have my own tent, I have a cot … it’s better than sleeping in the car and being out in the rain,” she said.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi.

You can reach Staff Writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MurphReports.