Unhoused person dies at shelter being used as Sacramento County warming center
An unhoused person who was staying at a Sacramento County warming center died Monday night or early Tuesday morning.
“Sacramento County and First Step Communities are devastated to report that a guest at the warming center passed in the middle of the night last night,” a Tuesday afternoon news release from county spokeswoman Janna Haynes stated.
First Step Communities staff responded to the report of a guest “in distress” and called 911. The staff provided CPR until first responders took over. The guest was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead.
The shelter, operated by a nonprofit, is located in the River District at North A and North 14th streets.
The coroner’s office has not yet determined the identity or cause of death, which often takes several months.
The county will continue to use the shelter as a warming center for the unhoused during the current cold snap, the news release stated.
Haynes did not immediately respond to an email asking if the person was a warming center guest or a longer-term guest of the shelter.
It’s not the first time a person has died at the shelter. Deshon Johnson, 29, died at the shelter in November 2021, the coroner’s office has previously told The Bee. His cause of death was diabetic ketoacidosis.
More than 200 unhoused people died in Sacramento County last year, including several at shelters.
