COVID-19 Information and Resources

Sacramento Steps Forward (SSF) a partner in the Sacramento Homelessness COVID-19 Response Team, which is a part of a broader County and City emergency and public health response to COVID-19. This team is a collaborative effort between Sacramento County, City of Sacramento, SSF, and Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA). See a fact sheet about the team’s overall COVID-19 response.

We are also working in close coordination with the Sacramento County Department of Public Health and community partners to encourage people experiencing homelessness to get COVID-19 vaccines as they become available.

What we’re doing to increase vaccination rates:

SSF is taking part in the COVID-19 Community Health Project (CCHP), a state-wide initiative facilitated by The Center at Sierra Health Foundation in collaboration with the California Department of Social Services. The project supports our most vulnerable communities by providing information about how to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 and build vaccine confidence.

Visit our webpage for more information, resources and toolkits.

What we’re doing to re-house program participants:

We’ve set the ambitious goal of rapidly moving most households from the COVID-19 shelters into permanent housing with support for ongoing stability, or interim housing and shelters when that is not possible. This next phase presents both an unprecedented challenge and a welcome opportunity to significantly impact lives and health over the long term. The general approach is to facilitate program placement and connection to re-housing providers as quickly as possible and to provide additional support to programs and clients on their pathway to permanent housing. Please click here for a fact sheet about our rehousing efforts.

How we protect those sheltering in place:

Sanitation stations have been installed in various encampments across the region. Click here for a full-size version. Meals and water are also being delivered to encampments.

Our progress:

The report documents progress and highlights of the COVID-19 Homeless
Response Team’s work to implement the Sacramento COVID-19 Homelessness Response Plan. See the latest report from April 29, 2022.

See our archived reports.

Who we’re serving:

The demographic report shows a breakdown of the hundreds of people served by the COVID-19 Temporary Shelter System isolation/quarantine units. The data chronicles gender, age, time spent homeless, race, ethnicity, and prior living situation. Our current report chronicles data from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021.

See our archived reports.

How it works:

See our fact sheets about the COVID-19 Homelessness Response Team’s efforts, including strategies for encampments, existing shelters and quarantine/isolation facilities.

How our work helps the community:

Photo credit: Hector Amezcua

Read clients’ stories and see a short video about the impact of our COVID-19 Homelessness Response Team’s work.

See a short video about the COVID-19 Medically Supported Isolation Care Center at CalExpo.

Other resources:

Sacramento County resources

City of Sacramento resources

State of California resources

Federal resources

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Resources

National Health Care for the Homeless Council

HOPE Collaborative Peer Support Call Center

*HOPE Collaborative, through a program funded by Sacramento County’s Division of Behavioral Health Services, has established a COVID-19 peer support call center to help those with anxiety and in need of support during the pandemic. Hope Cooperative’s peer navigators are available Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 p.m.