Sacramento, California – The City of Sacramento recently launched its creative Street to Housing pilot program, a major step toward solving homelessness that signals a change in how the city approaches the problem of unsheltered homelessness. Transitioning an initial set of individuals from homeless encampments straight into their own apartments, the initiative funded by a significant $5.85 million grant from the State’s Encampment Resolution Funds (ERF) has reached a turning point.
Aiming to link 100 unsheltered families with permanent, stable housing, the Street to Housing project is based on a “housing-first” attitude. Unlike conventional methods that sometimes send people via temporary shelters, this initiative puts participants straight into apartments and helps them with almost a year of rental support and comprehensive case management resources.
The initiative began with its initial involvement at a North Sacramento campsite on February 10. This initial phase focused on five households, which included a diverse group of eight people ranging from single adults to a family with an infant and two minor children.
According to Sarah Schwartz, the neighborhood resource coordinator from the City’s Department of Community Response, the program’s early success depended on building trust and developing connections with the encampment occupants, thus guiding their transition from campsite to apartment.
“We’re encouraged by the early success of this pilot and proud to see people moving into stable housing so quickly,” said Sarah Schwartz, neighborhood resource coordinator with the City’s Department of Community Response, who worked directly with the individuals at the site.
Beginning with outreach and involvement to evaluate the particular needs of every household, the program operates through a well planned series of actions. After the evaluation, the program staff creates personal support plans detailing the participants’ housing and service requirements. The last stage is the real housing placement, when the program helps participants obtain a lease in their name, so fostering ownership and stability.
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Several partner organizations help the Street to Housing initiative to guarantee the success and sustainability of the housing placements. While Community HealthWorks concentrates on landlord involvement and housing stabilization case management, Clutch Consulting Group oversees the program’s coordination and offers technical support. Housing Connector also runs the rental help administration.
The program also works closely with Sacramento Steps Forward, the Continuum of Care for the City and County of Sacramento, which offers more support via case conferencing to aid individuals move into or keep their housing once the rental help ends.
The organization now focuses on the next encampment, intending to keep going until all 100 targeted homes are safely housed, starting with the first group successfully accommodated. The approach is being refined using the insights gained from this first stage in order to improve the impact and efficiency of the pilot in lowering homelessness throughout Sacramento.
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Part of a larger, Regionally Coordinated Homelessness Action Plan (RCHAP), this initiative aims to build quicker routes to housing, guarantee fair access to services, and improve openness and responsibility in addressing homelessness. Promising a future where direct and immediate housing solutions can bring hope and stability to many more in need, the Street to Housing pilot program is a crucial part of Sacramento’s comprehensive approach to fight the homelessness problem.