SACRAMENTO, Fla. — As a dangerous heat wave continues to hit Sacramento this week with temperatures breaking 100 degrees, homeless camps don’t know where and when they’ll get water.

Sacramento County stopped delivering water to homeless camps Monday, when a water delivery program that started in 2020 with federal pandemic-related funds ended.

To assist them, community members are taking matters into their own hands to help homeless camps.

“These are our neighbors,” said Chelsea Fink, who was dropping off water to homeless camps Wednesday. “I think that there’s people who forget that. As a fellow community member, I think my main concern is wanting to spread the word that it’s all of us together and all hands on deck.”

Camp Resolution was among one of the many homeless camps to stop receiving water. Sharon Jones, one of the camp’s leaders, said they have received 50 gallons of water and ice from community members as of Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s been a life saver,” Jones said. “We were relying on the water we get from the (county), and when it stopped, everybody panicked. We have to find viable water sources that we can use to drink, and there’s not very many close by here.”

Camp Resolution is now relying on community donations with still no word from government officials about when they’ll receive water.

Cooling center opens in Land Park

Fink, who is with Sacramento’s chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, is part of an effort to offer water and a cooling center from noon to 8 p.m. all week at Organize Sacramento on 1714 Broadway in Land Park. Volunteers at this location are accepting donations and delivering them out to camps throughout the day.

“I just wanted to do something for someone else,” said Ximena Gonzalez, a volunteer with Sacramento DSA.

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