Video: Katie Valenzuela tears up over estimate of Sacramento homeless numbers doubling
Sacramento City Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela teared up during a recent meeting over a “staggering” estimate that the city’s homeless population may double.
The subject came up March 14, 2023, as the council’s Housing Authority discussed Sacramento running out of federal money for COVID-19 rental assistance. A video shows the segment.
Roughly 20,000 households in the city submitted applications for the assistance, according to the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA), the Sacramento Bee reported. Of those, 7,800 were funded and 7,700 were ineligible. That leaves roughly 4,500 who would qualify for the assistance, but are not set to receive it.
The average household size in the county is about 2.7 people, so that means over 12,000 people could be facing eviction this year, Valenzuela said. There are currently an estimated 9,300 homeless people in Sacramento, but only about 2,300 city and county shelter beds.
“This will double our numbers of people on the street,” Valenzuela said through tears. “We’ve got to be able to figure this out ... this is staggering ... I feel like we’re on the precipice of this emergency getting beyond the epic levels we’re already seeing on our streets.”
Mayor Darrell Steinberg expressed support.
“Thank you for expressing your passion and emotion, because you’re darn right,” he said. “This is the essence of it, and your challenge is exactly the right one. Let’s talk about it.”
This story was originally published March 16, 2023 at 12:22 PM.
