Rio Linda residents and Sac Metro Fire members pose for a photo in front of “Old Betsy,” Rio Linda’s 100-year-old fire engine during a Sac Metro Fire open house Sept. 6 in Rio Linda at Station 111 on Rio Linda Boulevard.

NORTH HIGHLANDS, CA (MPG) - Upcoming events and meetings were among topics discussed at Brookfields Restaurant in North Highlands during the monthly Tri-Communities Lunch Bunch before September’s guest speaker shared about his nonprofit organization’s work to clean up Sacramento while helping under-served communities. 

Chris Evans, the executive director and founder of the nonprofit Sacramento Navigator, said he and his team conducted a study to observe the percentage of arrests from individuals detained by the Sacramento Navigator security team. According to the study, 86% of security detainees are later encountered by law enforcement. 

Evans said he was previously contacted by former Sacramento Metro Chamber member Jenna Abbott about a startup program in the River District, hiring workers from shelters to help with maintenance and cleaning the district. 

Lunch Bunch attendees eat and converse before listening to September’s guest speaker, Chris Evans, right, on Sept. 4 at Brookfields Restaurant in North Highlands. 

“I went down and looked at the program and said, ‘That makes sense,’ but the only thing that doesn’t make sense about it is why do we want to take a creative position where we take six or eight people and having them cleaning the streets for the rest of their life?” Evans said. “I mean, that’s not our goal.”

Over the past few years, Evans said that he and his team grafted a program that enables candidates to interview for a position on the team, giving them 18 months to set an employment goal and reach it. He said that about 20 people are run through the program each year.

“I’d say, ‘Congratulations, welcome to the program. There’s a brick wall 18 months away. What do you want to be?’” Evans said. “And they’d tell me, ‘I want to be a butcher, a baker, a candle stick maker,’ and that was my job.”

After the program was in jeopardy of losing funding, Evans said, the Antelope Business Community District was supportive in ensuring the program’s continuation, prompting Evans to move the program to Antelope and register as a 501c(3) nonprofit and the creation of Sacramento Navigators.

Chris Evans, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Sacramento Navigators organization, speaks about his program helping individuals struggling with homelessness and addiction during September’s monthly Tri-Communities Lunch Bunch Meeting on Sept. 4 at Brookfields Restaurant in North Highlands.

“We’re talking to the different districts who are already spending money on maintenance,” Evans said. “Now we’re using the Sac Nav program, which is building people from homelessness and addiction to full time employment.”

In the Florin and Antelope districts, Evans said that a team of volunteers who are homeless have an opportunity to work a two-hour shift picking up garbage for Walmart gift cards, totaling up to $180 per week. Participants can build a volunteering schedule after completing their first pick up. 

Independent of government funding, Evans said, he has helped businesses in his districts turn their maintenance and service investments into revenue by utilizing the day porter service. In the Antelope district, he said, a $4,000 expense was required to maintain the district but now the Sac Nav program generates $2,500 in positive revenue with a full-time cleaning staff. 

“I don’t believe California has a homeless problem,” Evans said. “I think we have a drug problem. I’ve been doing this for a long time now and about 99.9999% of who we encountered were the drug addicts.”

Evans shared a story about a former gang member who joined the program and was seeing great success but unfortunately fell out of his bunk, hitting his head and leading to his death. Evans said the individual in the program had just shared with Sac Nav leaders how happy he was to be getting his life on track. Evans said no foul play was found to be involved.

“My message is, you never know. You just never know,” Evans said. “One minute this guy was telling us how happy he was and when he got back home, the next day, he was gone.”

To learn more about Sacramento Navigators and the work that Evans is doing, visit sacnav.org, email [email protected] or call 805-428-3851.

Mentioned at the lunch bunch was the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District’s open house at Station 111 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 6 in Rio Linda, where Rio Linda’s first fire engine, “Old Betsy,” received a plaque from The Horseless Carriage Club of America, commemorating the engine’s 100th anniversary. 

Community resource tables with information on fire safety, cardiac arrest and emergency prevention were on display, with interactive sessions to “Stop, drop and roll” and how to assist adults or children in the event of a cardiac emergency. 

Fire trucks, engines and ambulances were open within the fire station, allowing guests to sit in the driver seats, hold the tools and learn about what it’s like to be a first responder. 

Here is a close up shot of “Old Betsy’s” 100-year-old commemorative plaque that was installed during Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District’s open house of Station 111 in Rio Linda on Sept. 6.

Brent Smedley with Smedley Insurance Solutions fielded several questions from Lunch Bunch attendees about upcoming changes to Medicaid and said that last year, more than 500,000 people lost their insurance plans due to forced cancellations. He said the same sources from a conference he attended predict three million people to be displaced from their insurance policy. To learn more about Smedley Insurance Solutions, visit https://smedleyinsurancesolutions.com/.

Other upcoming events during September in the Rio Linda, Elverta, North Highlands area are the Rio Linda Round Up, the Rio Linda Elverta Country Faire and Celebrate North Highlands.

The Rio Linda Round up will take place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sept. 13 at the Dry Creek Ranch House, 6852 Dry Creek Road, Rio Linda and the event is free to attend. 

The Rio Linda Elverta Country Faire will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 20 and Sept. 21, with a “Kid’s Fun Zone” only featured on Sept. 20. Rio Linda Elverta vendor coordinator Cheryl Cook said it takes nine months to organize the country faire. Donations are collected year-round to ensure the total cost of the fair, about $40,000, is covered, allowing guests to attend for free. 

Some sponsors for the Rio Linda Elverta Country Faire include The Optimist Club, Near You Pest Control, The Rio Pub, Uni Products Inc., John Todd from A-1 Storage and Nu Way Market. To learn more about the fair, visit riolindaelvertacountryfaire.com.