Sacramento gym takes action as homeless encampment grows

Sacramento rock climbing gym Pipeworks says it is struggling with a large encampment of homeless people outside the gym. Sacramento rock climbing gym Pipeworks says it is struggling with a large encampment of homeless people outside the gym. Photo: LiveCopter3/KCRA Photo: LiveCopter3/KCRA Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Sacramento gym takes action as homeless encampment grows 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

This story originally appeared on KCRA.

A Sacramento rock climbing gym is trying to address the homeless crisis that has reached their doorstep.

Pipeworks general manager Vaughn Medford said the gym has had to deal with drug use, human feces and most recently a fire on their property because of the homeless issue.

"It really has a negative effect on what we do here for sure," Medford said.

This week, Pipeworks is working to replace panels, framing and insulation after a fire at a homeless encampment spread to the gym. According to Medford, a bed that caught fire was placed along the exterior wall of the gym last week. The flames spread to the gym and caused the evacuation of about 300 people inside.

"It might have burned the whole place down," Medford said.

Staff, customers and firefighters were able to prevent the flames from spreading. But, the recent fire had shed light on the growing homeless crisis.

"We knew what we were getting into when we bought this property," said Medford. "But in the last three, four years we've been virtually surrounded by homeless encampments."

A couple weeks ago, Pipeworks placed dozens of boulders along one side of their property -- along North A Street, off North 16th Street -- to prevent the homeless encampments from growing. Medford said that portion of the street is Pipeworks' property and that they worked with the city before placing the boulders.

A city spokesperson said officials are looking into it.

Medford said youth enrollment has dropped by 1,000 children in three years because of the homeless issue.

"We had a woman that drove her child down from Chico to come from a climbing day," he said. "She got out to Ahern [Street] and turned around, literally turned around and drove back to Chico."

Medford said a homeless woman once broke out a window and threw a towel full of human excrement into the gym while the staff was inside. He also said a member quit the other day after seeing people "shooting up" outside the gym.

Myah Rodriguez takes her younger siblings to Pipeworks and said the homeless issue is worrisome.

"I don't feel safe, personally, having them near this place, especially, if they're going to do fires and live near here because it's dangerous," she said.

Customer William Maloney said it is sad seeing the homeless encampments outside of the gym.

"Seeing the homeless encampments outside itself is kind of sad just because it seems like there's a lot of professionals in here, white collar, working class people and then outside, of course, the homeless," Maloney said. "So, it just seems like a sharp juxtaposition of the city we live in -- it's sad."

Medford said this is a complicated issue, and they are working closely with the city, business district and police.