Sacramento Homeless Bathroom Pilot Program Gets Pushback From Downtown Group

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A new homeless mobile bathroom is receiving praise and pushback in North Sacramento.

The bathroom pilot program could expand to other parts of the city, but some community leaders are already opposed the idea.

The trailer wrapped with the Sacramento city logo is a test. It's a place for the homeless to relieve themselves and clean up in privacy.

Sacramento City Councilman Jeff Harris campaigned for the six-month pilot program and placed the portable trailer in the river district, a neighborhood with a high homeless population.

"People need to understand that this isn't just a bathroom," he said. "This is a way to change habits, to change culture, to create some safety."

The city spent $100,000 on the mobile bathroom. There are few businesses in the area, but the popular gym Sacramento Pipeworks is a block away. So far, there have been no customer complaints.

But the business group Downtown Partnership is opposed to placing a mobile bathroom in the downtown grid, releasing a statement saying, "We have enough challenges downtown without creating a separate destination for the homeless that would be difficult to support and maintain."

Harris is hoping the pilot program will change minds.

"The reason that I started this is that every great city, has public facilities available," he said.