Despite opposition, size of Sacramento mental health facility to more than double
A south Sacramento residential care facility for people suffering from severe mental illnesses will more than double its occupancy, despite strong neighborhood opposition.
The congregate care facility near the corner of 47th Street and Roosevelt Avenue, just off Stockton Boulevard, will expand from 53 people to 140, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Tuesday.
The Nueva Vista facility, run by Psynergy Programs Inc., provides treatment to people “with a range of mental health and self-help needs,” the county staff report stated. The average length of time people stay at the facility is one year. Drug and alcohol recovery programs are not provided and are not allowed on campus.
The South Sacramento Community Planning Advisory Council strongly opposed the expansion, and voted against it in 2021, said Burke Lucy, a member of that group.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Lucy raised issues the project could negatively impact property values. He said the neighborhood already has a homeless shelter nearby, as well as a liquor store, homeless camps, and prostitution along Stockton Boulevard.
The South Oak Park Community Association raised similar concerns.
“Home appreciation is one of the only wealth building opportunities for our families,” Tresla Gilbreath of that group told the board. “We need to do everything possible to preserve this potential. We are not saying ‘not in our backyard,’ but we already have a full backyard.”
Gilbreath and Lucy said the neighborhood needs more revitalization instead. Supervisor Phil Serna said he is working hard on that.
“Yes we have a lot to do to uplift that community but it certainly has not been ignored,” Serna said during the meeting. “I do not want anyone leaving these chambers today that I, as the supervisor representing that area, have put that area on a shelf and not paid it attention.”
The property is about two blocks from the City of Sacramento limits, but is located in the county, which is why the decision was up to the board.
About 85% of the residents who now live at the facility are diagnosed with schizophrenia, along with various physical ailments, Lynda Kaufmann, Psynergy’s VP of development and public relations, told the board. Many come to Nueva Vista after leaving mental health rehabilitation centers, such as Crestwood Behavioral Health on Stockton Boulevard.
At least 50% to 70% of the clients at the facility live in Sacramento County, and Sacramento County is prioritized, Kaufmann said.
Psynergy has several campuses in the state, including one in Morgan Hill in Santa Clara County. Burke said that location is more appropriate for one of these facilities as it is not already economically disadvantaged.
Before voting, the board added conditions — requiring fencing, an annual open house, an annual report to the board on neighborhood outreach, and drug dog visits three times a year, Brian Holloway, president of Holloway Land Co., told the board.
“This board retains a lot of authority to retain conditions or in worse case, revoke a permit,” Supervisor Rich Desmond said prior to the unanimous vote.
This story was originally published February 27, 2025 at 12:50 PM.
