Sacramento homeless director proposes shelter fees. Do city leaders agree?
Sacramento’s homelessness director would like to start charging people a fee to use city shelters, a concept that remains highly uncommon across the country and would likely face pushback.
The idea was raised twice last month by Brian Pedro, the director for the Department of Community Response. The department, which was created in 2021, manages the city’s homelessness services.
“If we get the OK from the mayor, I really want to start charging some small amount to stay at our shelters, primarily start with our motels,” Pedro said in a March 10 interview.
He reiterated the idea later that month at a City Council meeting while presenting an overview of the department’s budget, staffing and efforts regarding homelessness.
“I am always the contrarian in the room, and people don’t like to hear my models, because they are a shift from what we are doing now, such as charging individuals to stay in our programs,” said Pedro, who started his position in 2023.
He walked back his comments in a statement on Thursday, saying the concept “is nuanced” and would not “start with the city’s motel shelter program.”
But last month’s statements indicate that Sacramento could consider more unconventional strategies to manage the city’s homelessness crisis amid its budget deficit, a newly elected mayor and decreased state grant funds. Such a move would go against the historical definition of shelters, often the last line of support before a person ends up living on the street.
“It’s an extreme approach,” said Donald Whitehead, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. “You’re not going to find the overwhelming majority of communities charging people who are in the worst economic conditions of their life.”
The decision would also require time to implement and approval from city leaders.
“If having some individuals and families pay a portion of their housing would allow us to keep people off the streets and potentially serve even more people, that would be a good thing,” Councilmember Eric Guerra said in a statement. “This is not a new concept and is one we should explore.”
Guerra was among the four council members — including Mayor Kevin McCarty and Council members Lisa Kaplan and Karina Talamantes — who stated they were supportive of exploring Pedro’s suggestion.
Others declined to comment, while Council members Roger Dickinson and Mai Vang cited initial hesitation.
“I’m not sure it’s practical to do that because most of the people, in my experience, who are homeless, may have some minimum or limited amount of income but probably not enough that they have the capacity to pay rent and take care of other living costs as well so as a realistic matter I’m not sure it would make sense,” Dickinson said.
‘Even a small contribution’
In his March 10 comments, Pedro expressed a desire to start the fees at the city’s Motel Voucher program. The program began in 2020 and primarily serves families with children.
As of February, the program operated at four sites and served 600 people across 200 rooms. There are an estimated 6,615 homeless people living in Sacramento as of 2024, according to the latest Point in Time count.
Pedro, who previously served as the Sacramento Fire Department’s emergency medical services coordinator, said some people have stayed in the program for two years and receive supplemental security income, federal monthly payments to people with disabilities and older adults. He suggested a $300 monthly fee for a person who is receiving about $1,200 a month in SSI.
The median length of homelessness is 22 months, according to a 2023 study from the UC San Francisco Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative.
“$300 to get a roof over your head is pretty cheap,” said Pedro on March 10.
Pedro declined to respond to follow-up questions on his idea this week.
“We will be happy to speak with you more on this topic should the City Council at the upcoming homelessness workshop determine this is a program they would like DCR to pursue,” Pedro said in a statement.
McCarty has expressed support for exploring Pedro’s suggestion, saying fee determinations should be based on income and length of stay. McCarty said he would not want people charged when immediately entering a shelter.
“Maybe a year or two years, after a certain period of time,” McCarty said last month during visits to the X-Street Navigation Center and Roseville Road homeless shelters.
“Why would you leave if it’s free?” he later added.
Kaplan said her support of fees would be solely for the city’s motel voucher program. The option could assist and encourage homeless individuals with “self-sufficiency,” she added.
“With even a small contribution, participants could feel a sense of independence ultimately helping them transition more effectively into stable housing and self-reliance,” Kaplan said in a written statement.
Council members Caity Maple, Rick Jennings and Phil Pluckebaum did not respond to requests for comment.
‘People don’t choose homelessness’
While most homeless shelters across the country remain free of charge, a handful have instituted fees in recent years. These include shelters in Los Angeles, Honolulu, Baltimore and St. Petersburg, Florida.
Fees range from $3 to $11 a day. Other shelters have opted for requiring residents to open a bank account and matching funds up to a certain amount.
In Los Angeles, the Union Rescue Mission introduced a daily fee of $7 in April 2011. The majority of the payment goes toward meals and shelter, while $2 is put toward savings for the individual, said Kitty Davis-Walker, vice president of public relations for the faith based ministry that provides shelter.
“When you stay at a motel, hotel or apartment it is understood that a fee will be collected,” Davis-Walker said in a written statement. “Responsibility and accountability are part of the life.”
Still, fees at shelters remain highly uncommon, said Whitehead. Advocate pushback has caused communities to back off from the idea in some cases, including New York City in 2010, according to The New York Times.
“We are hoping that is the same outcome in Sacramento,” Whitehead said.
Whitehead said the main issue with fees at shelters is that it underscores the stereotype and misconception that “people are homeless by choice.” Most homeless people say the cost of housing had become unsustainable and believe that rental subsidies or one-time financial help would have prevented their situation, according to the UC San Francisco Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative.
“The truth is that people don’t choose homelessness,” Whitehead said. “They’re forced into it.”
The council is expected to hold a homelessness discussion at its April 29 meeting.
This story was originally published April 10, 2025 at 2:58 PM.
