Sacramento-area homeless shelter, where 17 were evicted, to become permanent housing
A large former Citrus Heights homeless shelter, where 17 homeless people were evicted last year, will soon be redeveloped into permanent affordable housing.
The county will pay $2.5 million for a loan to help redevelop the Auburn Oaks Senior Living building, located near the corner of Sunrise Boulevard and Old Auburn Road, into 88 apartments, according to a county news release. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the allocation at its meeting Jan. 28.
The $2.5 million is state money that flowed to the county via the state’s Mental Health Services Act, which was co-authored by former Sacramento mayor Darrell Steinberg and passed by voters in 2004, the release stated.
The California Department of Social Services is also funding about $25 million toward the project, the county’s Behavioral Health Bridge Housing Funds contributes $2.25 million, and the City of Citrus Heights contributes $500,000, a county staff report stated.
In total, the project is costing about $30 million, or about $340,909 per unit, which is not uncommon for government-subsidized housing projects in the Sacramento area.
The residents of the apartment will also receive mental health and behavioral health services from the county as well as other services, the release said. The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency is also involved.
In order to qualify to live in 58 of the units, residents’ annual income must be under 50% of the area median income for the Sacramento region, a county staff report stated. That currently means that for an individual to live there alone, he or she cannot earn more than $41,300 annually, according to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development web page. The additional 30 units will be reserved for people who do not earn over $24,750 annually and are at risk of becoming homeless.
During the COVID pandemic, the county and Next Move nonprofit moved homeless people into the building to shelter them from the virus, under the state’s Project Roomkey program.
In spring 2024, Next Move Homeless Services, a subsidiary of Goodwill, evicted at least 17 people for nonpayment of rent, a Sacramento Bee investigation found. Four former residents told The Bee they did not know they were supposed to be paying $772 per month in rent, plus $3,862 in move-in costs. Some now have an eviction on their records, which they fear could make it even harder to find housing.
During a trip to the facility that spring, Bee journalists observed empty hallways lined with wheelchairs, and Sheriff’s deputies knocking on doors to perform apparent evictions.
Brenda White, who was evicted with her husband, said Friday the couple has not been offered a permanent housing unit back at the building. The pair is still homeless, staying with friends and family.
Next Move is not involved with the permanent housing project, said Hope Cooperative spokeswoman Karina Riley.
The county expects 50 people to be living there by early spring, the release said.
