Through our collaborative partnerships, we aim to increase awareness about the COVID-19 vaccine as an important public health tool and to increase vaccine equity for people experiencing homelessness. Join us to provide COVID-19 vaccinations across Sacramento County, especially to increase awareness and access among our most vulnerable communities!
Together, as of August 8, 2021, we have administered 1,956 total doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to unsheltered and sheltered individuals. This data is collected from our partner COVID-19 vaccine providers at Elica Health Center, Sutter Health, UC Davis Medical Center, and WellSpace Health.
COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Administered by Type to People Experiencing Homelessness in Sacramento County
Want to stay up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccination locations and resources in Sacramento County? See our list of upcoming vaccination events, clinics, and available resources here!
Updates
California is launching a new Ambassador Program! Ambassadors are trusted messengers that help inform the community about why the COVID-19 vaccines provide the best protection against the COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 virus. If you’re interested in helping reduce the spread of COVID-19, register for the Ambassador Training on Wednesday, October 20 at 6:30 pm (English) and Wednesday, November 3 at 6:30 pm (Spanish).
September 22: Sacramento County Public Health is now offering free flu & COVID-19 vaccines at select locations across the county. The vaccination schedule is regularly updated. Download the flyer and see the link for more information.
September 22: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine to allow for use of a single booster dose, to be administered at least six months after completion of the primary series in:
- individuals 65+ years of age
- individuals aged 18-64 at high risk of severe COVID-19
- individuals aged 18-64 years with frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 placing them at high risk for serious complications of COVID-19
September 3: We continue to track and circulate COVID-19 resources to support your COVID-19 related work. Explore, download, and use in your community outreach these newly available resources about COVID-19, safety and mitigation, testing, vaccines, and more!
August 31: Use your compassionate action and voice to help motivate people—specifically unsheltered and sheltered residents—to take COVID-19 preventive measures that can protect our wider community from this highly infectious virus. SSF is taking steps in advance of the CCHP 2.0 application release. Should we be selected to continue this project, we will contact interested parties and provide additional information. Confirm your interest in helping to save lives from COVID-19 and ensure vaccine equity. Complete this short interest form by Friday, September 10 at 4:00 pm!
August 27: COVID-19 vaccine boosters for the general public and third doses for immunocompromised people are now recommended by the CDC. People with moderately to severely compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable to COVID-19, and may not build the same level of immunity to 2-dose vaccine series compared to people who are not immunocompromised. Although CDC does not recommend additional doses or booster shots for any other population at this time, HHS has announced a plan to begin offering COVID-19 vaccine booster shots this fall.
August 26: The CDC released updated guidance on the need for urgently increasing COVID-19 vaccination coverage and a recommendation for everyone in areas of substantial or high transmission to wear a mask in public indoor places, even if they are fully vaccinated. CDC issued this new guidance due to several concerning developments and newly emerging data signals. Read more about getting protected from the Delta variant.
August 23: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and will be marketed as Comirnaty. This is the first COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals aged 16 and older. The vaccine also continues to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA), including for 12-15-year-olds and for the administration of a third dose in certain immunocompromised individuals.
July 29: Due to the continued day-over-day case rate increases of COVID-19 from the highly infectious Delta variant, the Sacramento County Public Health Officer has issued a health order requiring masking indoors regardless of vaccination status. In less than a month, Sacramento’s daily case rate has risen drastically, from 5.2 on June 24 to 18.3 on July 20. While cases continue to surge and until vaccination rates have increased in Sacramento County, all residents must wear masks in all indoor public settings, venues, gatherings, and workplaces, such as, but not limited to: offices, retail stores, restaurants and bars, theaters, family entertainment centers, conference centers, and State and local government offices serving the public.
July 21: Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) has extended free transit rides to scheduled COVID-19 vaccine appointments through Thursday, September 30, 2021. The free rides include all vaccination sites in Sacramento County within SacRT’s service area, including hospitals, pharmacies, and other immunization locations. Riders must show a COVID-19 vaccine appointment confirmation in the form of an email, text, or vaccine card, which will serve as valid fare only on the date noted in your appointment confirmation to ride SacRT’s fixed-route bus, light rail, Folsom Stage Line, SmaRT Ride or SacRT GO Paratransit Services.
COVID-19 Outreach Efforts
We are taking part in the COVID-19 Community Health Project (CCHP), a state-wide initiative facilitated by The Center at Sierra Health Foundation and California Department of Social Services. Our project supports our most vulnerable communities by providing community education around the health impacts of COVID-19, best practices for COVID-19 prevention, and build COVID-19 vaccine confidence.
We closely coordinate with the Sacramento County Public Health Department and our community partners to encourage people experiencing homelessness to get COVID-19 vaccines, especially at a time where the Delta variant is highly contagious.
We also collaborate with a team of COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassadors, which include community partners who then recruit people experiencing homelessness to act as trusted leaders within encampments and shelters to carry forward the COVID-19 prevention message, further building confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines.
We also promote and provide educational materials developed by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State of California through our targeted “boots-on-the-ground” and digital outreach.
We regularly facilitate community learning sessions and trainings for our community partners, other interested volunteer organizations, and homeless service providers to improve COVID-19 vaccine acceptability and access. Trainings and relevant materials are made available for public on-demand access.
Learn more about our efforts or inquire about participating! Contact today our Volunteer and Training Coordinator, Kathreen Daria at kdaria@sacstepsforward.org.
COVID-19 Outreach Partners
- Community-Led Advocacy Program (CLAP)
- Humanitarian Action Network (HAN)
- Sacramento County Public Health
- Sacramento Covered
- SAC Soup/Sacramento Homeless Union
- Showers on Wheels for Unhoused Patrons (Show Up)
- South Sacramento Homeless Assistance Resource Team (HART)
Call for CCHP 2.0 Community Partner Interest
Use your compassionate action and voice to help motivate people—specifically unsheltered and sheltered residents—to take COVID-19 preventive measures that can protect our wider community from this highly infectious virus.
We’re taking steps in advance of the CCHP 2.0 application release. Should we be selected to continue this project, we will contact interested parties and provide additional information. Your role as COVID-19 Vaccine Ambassador will be to:
- Assess COVID-19 community knowledge, vaccine acceptability, and resource needs in designated areas in Sacramento County
- Educate the community about COVID-19 mitigation practices
- Recruit and educate Encampment Champions to help promote COVID-19 information, updates, and resources
- Assist with coordinating COVID-19 vaccination outreach events
- Engage in COVID-19 community learning sessions and/or trainings as they become available
- Report COVID-19 activities and community feedback, and provide project recommendations
Confirm your interest in helping to save lives from COVID-19 and ensure vaccine equity. Complete the short interest form at the button below ASAP!
COVID-19 Learning & Discussion Offerings
June 14: An introductory discussion on “Providing trauma-informed support in the COVID era for persons experiencing homelessness” with local behavioral health experts! Watch the discussion and see the presentation with resources!
For questions or suggestions around these sessions, contact our Volunteer and Training Coordinator, Kathreen Daria at kdaria@sacstepsforward.org.
Provider Resources and Toolkits
Promoting vaccine awareness starts with education. Below are resources to help engage people experiencing homelessness with accurate, up-to-date information about vaccines and other COVID-19 health and safety measures.
SSF has compiled a toolkit of useful federal and state resources. Click here to download the entire resource guide.
More resources are available below links: