Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and city officials Monday released a detailed roadmap for spending up to $62.3 million in state and federal funds coming to the City of Sacramento to address homelessness and the shortage of affordable housing.
These include a proposal for $4 million for tiny homes to be placed on various sites around the city, a meth sobering center, the City’s share of acquiring two motels for permanent, supportive housing, 30 manufactured homes on two sites, the extension of an existing Navigation Center on North Fifth Street and $1 million for targeted outreach services in the River District.
Another $5 million would be used by the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency to help prevent low-income residents behind on their rent from being evicted.
Some of the spending items are part of the ongoing joint emergency response by the City, Sacramento County and Sacramento Steps Forward to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among people experiencing homelessness. These include $1.15 million to extend through December the 434 motel rooms leased with the County for people who have been exposed to Covid or have underlying risk factors. Another $4 million represents the City share of the joint City-County effort to place those housed temporarily in the motels into permanent supportive housing.
Since April 8, more than 1,100 people have been housed in motel rooms through this joint City-County response. The majority of these people – 621—had been homeless for more than a year. More than half were 55 or older. Building on the momentum and collaboration established during COVID-19, Sacramento Steps Forward will continue to work diligently to address homelessness in our community.
“A response of this magnitude demands the commitment and coordination across our partners and is a model for ongoing homelessness response efforts,” said Sacramento Steps Forward CEO Lisa Bates. “As we continue into an uncertain future and many challenges remain, these funding actions are a continued step forward in serving our unhoused at this unprecedented time. Sacramento Steps Forward is committed to being at this table to solve homelessness through innovative and collaborative solutions.”
The funding plan will be discussed at the 5 p.m. Aug. 19 city council meeting, which can be viewed online here.