Sacramento to provide toilets with paid attendants to serve homeless
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/health-and-medicine/article70203617.html
In a move to deal with the public health impacts of homelessness, the Sacramento City Council agreed Tuesday to provide a portable restroom that will be monitored by paid attendants.
The six-month pilot project is modeled on San Francisco’s “Pit Stop” Program, which targets areas heavily affected by homelessness. The city of Sacramento spends more than $7 million annually dealing with the impacts of homelessness, including the cost of cleaning up human waste from encampments and along city streets, according to a staff report.
The city plans to provide two flush toilets on an elevated trailer, monitored by paid attendants and equipped with garbage bins to hold pet waste and used needles. City staff members estimate that renting the facility and providing attendants and supplies for the six-month trial period will cost approximately $100,000.
The pilot program will involve one portable toilet facility in one location that will be available for up to 10 hours a day. An attendant will be responsible for ensuring appropriate use of the restroom, as well as continued cleaning and stocking of supplies, according to the staff report. The city will contract with an outside organization to provide the attendants.
