By Mike Hazlip—
Three seconds could have made the difference between life and death for Ben Gibson, says homeless advocate Alfred Sanchez.
Gibson was killed after being struck by a vehicle while crossing Greenback Lane on April 13, 2022 at about 5:30 p.m. police say. Sanchez says the westbound lanes were moving after the signal light at Greenback Lane and San Juan Avenue turned green. Gibson was not in the crosswalk, and authorities say the other driver remained at the scene and cooperated with police.
“It’s a game of chance,” Sanchez says. “Three seconds, all he had to do was start crossing that street three seconds sooner and he’d still be alive.”
Police said Gibson was taken to a nearby hospital and then transferred to another facility where he later died.
Homeless ministry Grace House dedicated a May 31 lunch in Gibson’s honor. The event was held outdoors at the Stock Ranch Preserve, located behind Costco on Auburn Boulevard where Grace House typically meets people in need of assistance.
Related: Area ministry works to feed, help homeless off the streets in Citrus Heights
Sanchez said about 40 people turned out for the event, including Gibson’s mother. Councilman Bret Daniels sent condolences, according to Sanchez.
Known as the “Snack Man” for his efforts to deliver snacks and toiletries to people experiencing homelessness in Citrus Heights, Sanchez said he met Gibson on several occasions, but living on a busy street made their encounters difficult.
“Every time I talked to him I felt like I was yelling,” Sanchez said. “He had a good sense of humor, he was one of those people I could see getting out of being homeless. It just seemed like the stars were never really aligned.”
Those stars would be resources such as recovery counseling and housing, things that Sanchez says should be more readily available when individuals experiencing homelessness are ready to turn the page for a new life.
“If somebody could say ‘I’m ready to go into rehab’ and they could be in rehab in 24 hours, what a difference that would make,” Sanchez said.
Instead, people are often put on months-long wait lists and create an online account to be notified when housing becomes available, according to Sanchez. By the time space is available, the person needing help has lost interest, can’t remember their account information, or moved on.
He said people experiencing homelessness need more assistance getting the resources designed to help them.
“When someone decides they need help, they should have one person assigned to them that literally just holds their hand and gets them through,” Sanchez said, adding that the city’s navigator program for homeless is helpful, but more needs to be done: “Until we come up with more money for more resources, we’re still going to have people out there on the streets.”
In the meantime, Sanchez says the fences along Greenback Lane designed to prevent pedestrians from crossing the street illegally are saving lives.
“I think the fences are a good idea,” he said. “If the fence had been there to keep people crossing, Ben would still be alive.”
Related: Fencing being installed to prevent pedestrian collisions at Greenback/Auburn
The Sentinel reported fencing at Greenback Lane and Auburn Boulevard was delayed due to what the city said was a problem with materials. There is no fence along Greenback Lane where Gibson was walking when the incident occurred.
Sanchez called Gibson a good candidate for successfully moving off the streets and into permanent housing: “It’s probably going to make me turn up the tough love a little bit more. Because I believe Ben was just at the cusp of getting off the streets.”
Gibson’s death has given Sanchez a new sense of urgency with his efforts to help those living on the streets of Citrus Heights.
“I can’t wait now,” he said. “I have to toughen up a little bit with the people out there because I don’t want more Bens.”
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