Rohnert Park To Hold Special City Council Meeting On Homelessness

ROHNERT PARK, CA — The City of Rohnert Park announced that a special City Council meeting on homelessness will be held next week.

During the meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, at City Hall, City Council will explore the potential for adding housing for those experiencing homelessness.

"This could include short-term housing, such as modular units, as a form of temporary shelter," the city said Tuesday. "It could also include options for permanent housing. We anticipate identifying potential sites in the city for these facilities."

Homelessness in the city came to the forefront when a homeless encampment at the Roberts Lake Road Park & Ride lot began to grow. Two other encampments in the city were cleared out, causing more homeless to set up camp at the park-and-ride lot, city officials said.

A cleanup day was held last week, and volunteers, city staff and social workers have been trying to help find housing for the people at the camp. However, because of COVID-19 and other factors, there are not enough beds available in Sonoma County.

City officials have said court rulings prevent them from making people leave an encampment without first offering them a place for shelter.

At the meeting Sept. 14, city staff will recommend projects to add short-term and permanent housing in the city and will present a list of potential housing sites.

"This effort is being driven in part by the California Home Key grant program where the State of California is providing $3.5 billion for housing those experiencing homelessness," the city said.

A staff report with potential sites, funding and other issues will be posted to the city's website Thursday afternoon.

"We encourage residents to share your thoughts on this topic," the city said.

Residents do this by making comments at the council meeting or sending their comments prior to the meeting to publiccomment@rpcity.org. Emails will not be read at the meeting but will be provided to the council. Residents can also email Councilmembers directly or submit comments in writing.