City Notifies People At Homeless Encampment Of Cleanup Day, Rohnert Park Police Say

ROHNERT PARK, CA — Rohnert Park police provided another update Wednesday about the situation at a homeless encampment at the Roberts Lake Park & Ride.

As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, there were 19 tents, eight cars and one RV in the park-and-ride lot.

"The City notified individuals at the park and ride today of a plan to remove trash and debris from the site," police said. "This will occur on Tuesday, August 31. It will not require people to leave the site but will help ensure the health and safety of the individuals living there as well as the general community."

The number of people staying at the encampment has grown in the past few weeks because two other encampments in the city were recently cleared out, the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety said in a news release Tuesday.

The Catholic Charities Homeless Outreach Services Team —HOST — will continue to actively engage with people experiencing homelessness throughout the city of Rohnert Park by offering shelter, housing and other services focused on helping people become housed, police said.

Additionally, police said in their update Wednesday that at the request of the City of Rohnert Park, the County of Sonoma has deployed its behavioral health outreach team to engage with the residents of the encampment. The county's team members will focus on helping people become housed.

"Additionally, the County has committed some beds in their shelter programs to individuals living at the park and ride," police said.

Police reminded the community that based on recent court decisions, the City of Rohnert Park cannot require people to leave the site without first providing adequate shelter or housing options.

"There are never enough beds in Sonoma County’s shelters to house all of those experiencing homelessness, and this is even more challenging with COVID," police said.

To learn more about the City’s response to homelessness or to join the community-led Homelessness Roundtable, check out www.rpcity.org/homelessness