Davis taxpayers’ dollars employ nine city staff members to “take seriously the issue of homelessness,” according to an Aug. 6 city written statement. Fast-forward to Sept. 1, and now we are being asked to bus our unhoused neighbors to Fourth and Hope on East Beamer Street in Woodland.
Those of us engaged in service to the unhoused and seeking information to collaborate receive last-minute notifications. We ask: What is going on with the Respite Center? Um. Nothing.
Does what you see on the streets of Davis say, “We Care”? Now the city wants to bus five unhoused neighbors to Fourth and Hope at a cost of $109,000. Does the city engage in best practices in the realm of providing services? Let us investigate.
As taxpayers, we should demand accountability. Did city staff query our unhoused neighbors? Will you go to Woodland? Perhaps. But we are about to spend another $109,000.
That is on top of regular budgetary allocations for High Wheel Flats, ill-defined expenditures, plus nine salaries and five DPD COPS enforcement officers. The last PIT count raised the number of unhoused people to near 200. Where do people go at 4 p.m. in Davis?
Yes, the city houses the disabled and indigent at High Wheel Flats. Look at the reviews. Where are folks going after 5 p.m.?
It is critical that we examine the city’s practices, policies and the outcomes of their work. Can we agree that we would like to see the issues of housing insecurity dealt with efficaciously, honestly, transparently and with the dignity that we expect from ourselves and our leaders?
Ask this question: Is the unhoused community being well served by city policy? Since we are spending significant resources on the issue of housing insecurity, should we see and know the tangible results of how those dollars are spent?
Do we want only enforcement for our dollars? Nine staff members on the city payroll, and look at the squalor of the city’s work. Talk to the unhoused, and some will tell you they feel harassed, intimidated, stalked and hunted.
The Aug. 6 statement stated, “We Care.” The conclusion I have found is that the city is lackluster in terms of solutions. Many of our unhoused neighbors grew up in Davis, many are beyond 50 years of age, many are housing-ready, but they have been discarded. So, what are the options?
It bears repeating. The city has nine employees receiving payment for services in the realm of housing insecurity issues. There are additional police resources designated, via the COPS program, dedicated primarily to enforcement issues.
We know there is a housing crisis and that most housing is unaffordable. If you are poor, you are one crisis away from the streets. The visibility of our unhoused neighbors is painfully obvious.
While there are those who would dismiss the homeless as criminal vagrants, mentally unfit, drug addicts who are lazy, that is too simple. Some are, yes. Most are not.
When you see our streets, you are looking at failed city policies. By design? It is too easy to blame the poor living in our low-wage economy amidst an unending housing crisis, and many politicians are callous, deceitful and bought from the top to the bottom of our political systems.
If our community is to thrive, we must engage in the struggle for human dignity and equality in opportunity. The city is squandering our resources. Again, we are paying for nine staff members, five DPD officers, programs and policies that reflect failed outcomes.
The city has had a “new” city manager on duty an entire year, and little has changed. Communication is staggeringly inadequate. In November 2025, the mayor publicly stated that efforts were inadequate, specifically concerning the Respite Center.
Meanwhile, the city dithers and now wants to bus “5” people to Woodland at $109,000 in taxpayer dollars. So, what is the solution?
There are numerous unhoused people who are housing-ready. They have income but need income support. It is proven policy and works. Look at the Benioff School of Homelessness at UCSF. Our county piloted such a program.
Before the pandemic, there was the Interfaith Rotational Shelter. It worked. Some say there are problems, and of course there are always problems. They are resolvable.
Next, we need more philanthropy, and we know Davis is a generous community. We need those with means to help support the many workable solutions that the city is plainly incapable of implementing.
Many citizens are angry about the unhoused. Take the time to study the issues, and you will see the city policies are failing. The Davis Nine exemplifies this fact; I would exclude the two Respite Center professionals who are daily providing care.
As taxpayers, we are being savaged, as are our unhoused neighbors, by the city’s lackluster performance. Do we care?
One author has voiced that “policies and systems do not work by design in our cities. Poor policy implementation is problematic. Decision makers are not measuring successful outcomes and their services are poorly executed. One outcome is that the neighbors are angry about the situation and blame the homeless.”
Deeds are more powerful than words. As taxpayers, it is time to demand positive returns for our investments beyond bussing them to Woodland and incarceration.
Rick Moniz has lived in Davis for 25 years and has served as a volunteer with STEAC, Interfaith Rotating Shelter, Fourth and Hope, Safe Parking and other organizations.
