What is Sacramento Steps Forward?
Sacramento Steps Forward is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to ending homelessness in our region through collaboration, innovation, and connecting people to services. Walking side-by-side with our partners, we seek to provide people experiencing homelessness with the support and services they need to find stability and long term housing.
The Continuum of Care
The Continuum of Care (CoC) Program is designed by the US Housing and Urban Development to promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness. Sacramento Steps Forward is the lead agency for the CoC in Sacramento and collaborates with a 25 member stakeholder Advisory Board
Our Approach
As one of the few nonprofit organizations in the country responsible for managing US Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds for homelessness granted under the The Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, we are uniquely positioned to collaborate with our partners to develop innovative regional solutions that connect people to the services they need.
Housing
Housing first focuses on quickly moving people experiencing homelessness into independent and permanent housing and then providing additional supports and services as needed.
Coordinating Entry
Coordinated entry relies on common assessment, prioritization based on vulnerability, and matching individuals with the appropriate housing and services.
We Need Your Help
2019 Homeless Point-In-Time (PIT) Count
The biennial PIT count is a county-wide special census which provides a snapshot of who is experiencing homelessness on any given night. Sacramento Steps Forward is recruiting volunteers who will be trained and grouped in teams to canvass the community.
Learn More Sign Up NowOur History
1987
President Ronald Reagan signs the McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 to provide federal money for homeless shelter programs and created the Continuum of Care program. The bill was authored by Rep. Stewart McKinney (R-Connecticut) and Rep. Bruce Vento (D-Minnesota).
1988
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development launches the first national competition for its homeless assistance funds for which individual organizations throughout the country wrote applications. This individual grant competition continued until 1993.
1994
The U.S. Department of Housing and Redevelopment Agency alters funding competition process by requiring each community to come together to submit a single comprehensive Continuum of Care (CoC) application rather than allowing applications from individual providers in a community. The County of Sacramento assumed responsibility as the Continuum of Care lead agency.
2005
Continuum of Care (Lead Agency: Sacramento County) awarded $13,626,470 to 34 programs.
2006
Continuum of Care (Lead Agency: Sacramento County) awarded $13,415,301 to 32 programs, a 1.55% decrease in funding from the previous year. National funding increased by 1.93% over the same period of time.
2007
County of Sacramento, City of Sacramento, Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency created the Policy Board to End Homelessness. The board was charged with setting policies and priorities to implement the Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness.
2007
Continuum of Care (Lead Agency: Sacramento County) awarded $13,531,483 to 31 programs, a .87% increase in funding from the previous year. National funding increased by 10.23% over the same period of time.
2008
Continuum of Care (Lead Agency: Sacramento County) awarded $14,402,403 to 32 programs, a 6.44% increase from the previous year. National funding increased by 6.70% over the same period of time.
2009
An investigative news story by Sacramento native Lisa Ling aired on the popular daytime television show Oprah about a large unsanctioned homeless tent city along the American River.
2009
President Barack Obama signs the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act (HEARTH Act). The act amends and reauthorizes the McKinney-Bento Homeless Assistance Act and governs the Continuum of Care program.
2009
City of Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson restructures the Policy Board to End Homelessness, adding representatives from other cities, the business community, and faith communities. The board is renamed Sacramento Steps Forward.
2009
Continuum of Care (Lead Agency: Sacramento County) awarded $14,793,167 to 33 programs, a 2.71% increase from the previous year. National funding increased by 10.04% over the same period of time.
2010
Due to a crippling recession and depleted tax revenue, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and the Sacramento City Council came together and in a move to cut costs, began the process of shifting operational responsibility for the Continuum of Care to a non-profit organization.
2010
Continuum of Care (Lead Agency: Sacramento County) awarded $14,889,886 to 33 programs, a .65% increase from the previous year. National funding increased by 4.46% over the same period of time.
2011
Sacramento Steps Forward is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to facilitate the provision of homeless services and housing in the Sacramento Region through public and private partnership, collaboration, research, and evaluation.
2011
Ben Burton begins as Sacramento Steps Forward’s first Executive Director.
2011
Continuum of Care (Lead Agency: Sacramento County) awarded $14,895,949 to 36 programs, a .04% increase from the previous year. National funding increased by 2.86% over the same period of time. This was the last year the County of Sacramento was the lead agency for the Continuum of Care.
2012
Continuum of Care Advisory Board formed to advise Sacramento Steps Forward and act as the decision making body charged with coordinating a local competition to determine programs most appropriate for inclusion in the Continuum of Care grant application, among other duties. Joan Burke, Director of Advocacy for Loaves and Fishes was elected as Board Chair, Beth Hassett of WEAVE was elected as Vice Chair, and Bill Knowlton of the Stockton Blvd. Partnership as Secretary.
2012
Continuum of Care (Lead Agency: Sacramento Steps Forward) awarded $15,150,893 to 32 programs, a 1.71% increase from the previous year. National funding decreased by .10% over the same period of time. This was the first year Sacramento Steps Forward was the lead agency for the Continuum of Care.
2013
Continuum of Care (Lead Agency: Sacramento Steps Forward) awarded $16,005,444 to 36 programs, a 5.64% increase from the previous year. National funding increased by 1.77% over the same period of time.
2014
Ryan Loofbourrow begins as Sacramento Steps Forward’s second Executive Director.
2014
Continuum of Care (Lead Agency: Sacramento Steps Forward) awarded $18,719,062 to 42 programs, a 16.95% increase from the previous year. National funding increased by 6.33% over the same period of time.
2015
Continuum of Care (Lead Agency: Sacramento Steps Forward) awarded $19,138,664 to 34 programs, a 2.24% increase from the previous year. National funding increased by 7.33% over the same period of time.
2016
Continuum of Care (Lead Agency: Sacramento Steps Forward) awarded $19,511,838 to 33 programs, a 1.95% increase from the previous year. National funding increased by .73% over the same period of time.
2017
Sacramento Steps Forward launches two new initiatives to support Sacramento’s effort to end homelessness. A new Data Analytics and Research Team and a new regional training center named Ending Homelessness Together.
2017
Continuum of Care (Lead Agency: Sacramento Steps Forward) awarded $20,180,083 to 34 programs, a 3.42% increase from the previous year. National funding increased by 2.75% over the same period of time.
2018
Continuum of Care Advisory Board elects Dr. Jonathan Porteus, CEO of Wellspace Health to Board Chair, Sara Bontrager of the City of Elk Grove as Vice Chair, and Emily Bender of the Sacramento LGBT Community Center as Secretary.
Community Spotlight
Stay informed with current events about homelessness and the impact Sacramento Steps Forward and it’s partners are making in the community.
Read All Articles
1,000 Strong: Point-in-Time Count Volunteer Goal Reached
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Jan. 14, 2018) – Sacramento Steps Forward announced today that since opening volunteer registration one month ago, more than 1,000 people have signed…
Sacramento Steps Forward Names New Chief Executive Officer
SACRAMENTO (Jan. 2, 2019) – Sacramento Steps Forward (SSF) announced today that Lisa Bates, who is currently the Deputy Director for Financial Assistance at the…
We Must Think Locally to End Homelessness
Homelessness is a societal tragedy, and in that sense it is like a fire, earthquake or flood. But it’s different, too. It’s a crisis that unfolds in slow motion.
Homelessness is also a crisis that we perceive in very personal terms — we see the person sleeping on the corner near our office, panhandling by our grocery store or pushing their cart through our neighborhood. That person has a face, which we know represents thousands more. Seeing a person who has hit rock bottom elicits feelings and emotions we don’t know how to untangle. Compassion. Anger. Pity. Not knowing what to do or how to truly help, we make simple gestures, like a dollar here, a sandwich there. Maybe a coat in the winter.
2019 Call for Nominations – Continuum of Care Advisory Board
The Sacramento Continuum of Care (CoC) Advisory Board is pleased to announce its 2019 call for nominations. The CoC Advisory Board is the decision-making body…
Sacramento Steps Forward Warns of Camp Fire Impact
With thousands of families displaced by the Camp Fire, homelessness advocates at the nonprofit Sacramento Steps Forward are concerned about impacts on local housing and…
Volunteer Registration Now Open: 2019 Point-in-Time Count
SACRAMENTO (Nov. 13, 2018) – Sacramento Steps Forward announced today that volunteer registration for the the 2019 Homeless Point-In-Time (PIT) Count is now open. The…
City could soon get $7.7 million to help its growing homeless population
The Sacramento City Council will vote Thursday on whether to declare an emergency shelter crisis, potentially unlocking millions of dollars in state funding as the…
Request for Proposals: Consulting Services – HUD CoC Program NOFA Competition and Year-Round Performance Review
SACRAMENTO (Nov. 8, 2018) — Sacramento Steps Forward (SSF) released a Request for Proposals today seeking qualified consultants to support the Sacramento City and County Continuum…
Crisis course correction: declaring a homeless shelter crisis
Sacramento County leaders last week grappled with the legal implications of their anti-camping ordinance and then declared an official shelter crisis. The latter move puts the…
Could the County’s Shelter Crisis Declaration Shift the Approach to Homelessness in Sacramento?
SACRAMENTO — For the last five months, Chamisa Bell has called a tent along the American River Parkway home. “They move you from here. There’s…
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