Sacramento County opens tiny homes for homeless. Here’s what the temporary shelter offers
Sacramento County unveiled its first “Safe Stay” temporary shelter Monday that officials say aims to assist homeless people in finding affordable housing.
The site was a former grocery store and is located at 8144 Florin Road at Power Inn Road in the unincorporated Florin area. Each unit comes equipped with a light, HVAC, a bed, a desk and a fire extinguisher. There are disability-friendly bathrooms on site, and Wi-Fi is available in a community trailer at the front of the complex.
The county partnered with City Net, a nonprofit organization geared toward ending homelessness and headquartered in Southern California, which will operate the site.
Officials said it is a non-congregate space, meaning each unit offers some level of privacy. There are 75 single units and 26 double units that can house couples, friends or families, according to Jessica Avelar-Bruce, the chief program officer for City Net.
Monday marked the site’s opening, and a ribbon was cut by Sacramento County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy.
“This has been too long in the making, but it’s here,” Kennedy told other in attendance for the ribbon-cutting. “I want to make sure that we all understand that when people are going to be sent to those gates, there is hope. This is a place where people can come and get off the street in a dignified, safe setting.”
Kennedy said that prospective residents are selected by the county after a qualifying process from Sacramento Covered, a separate nonprofit that works to achieve health care access for all, according to their website.
Avelar-Bruce said the site will offer several services including medical, behavioral health and job training.
“We have a welding company that wants to come in and teach people how to weld,” she said.
Brad Fieldhouse, City Net’s executive director, said the temporary shelter is generally meant to house individuals for 90 days at a time, but there can be exceptions.
“Ninety days, that just gets everybody focused,” Fieldhouse said. “If they’re here in 92 days, we don’t kick anybody out that we’re working with.”
County says it works to keep encampments off the street
Emily Halcon, the county’s director of homeless services, said a smaller site with 45 cabins is expected open in the fall on East Parkway, and the Board of Supervisors approved construction for a 13-acre, 140-tiny-home site on Watt Avenue in North Highlands.
Sacramento County spent roughly $40 million in federal dollars to open the latter: $23 million for purchasing the property and $17 million for construction.
Several homeless people have camped around the site on Florin Road since its 3-to-2 approval in 2022; Supervisor Sue Frost voted against it as well as former Supervisor Don Nottoli, both citing that it would be too close to a church and a day care facility.
Kennedy, who represents the property and other parts of south Sacramento — including the Pocket, Meadowview and the Vineyard neighborhoods — said that people no longer camp around the site because they have been moved.
“A lot of them had been navigated elsewhere to other locations, other shelters,” he said. “Those that qualify will be allowed to come back in here once they’ve been vetted.”
Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho made waves last week when he blasted the city of Sacramento over its handling of the homeless crises in the city limits and accused the city of failing to enforce an ordinance against tent camps blocking sidewalks.
Ho said enforcing the ordinance might have given homeless individuals chances to interact with police and seek assistance.
Ho has publicly praised the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office for enforcement. Between Jan. 1 and July 31, the sheriff’s homeless outreach team had contacted 926 individuals and written 602 citations, according to figures released Thursday.
This story was originally published August 14, 2023 at 1:03 PM.