Sacramento County CEO: We are determined to deal with the homelessness crisis. Here’s how

Sacramento’s homelessness crisis is unacceptable. It has caused unimaginable hardships for our homeless population, nearby neighborhoods, businesses and the environment. The public is understandably frustrated and wants solutions.

I hear you, and I want you to know that. Sacramento County and its staff are committed to addressing homelessness with compassion, urgency and transparency.

The county has dedicated an unprecedented level of funding and personnel to addressing homelessness and the issues that accompany it. Still, thousands of people live on the streets and in the open spaces of the county. Clearly, what we are doing isn’t enough — or it’s not the correct approach, or a combination of both.

That’s why we are committed to tracking new metrics to specifically identify what is effective and what must be modified. And we are committed to making this information publicly available.

The county is also committed to improving our working relationship with the city of Sacramento. I’m pleased that the city has reengaged with the county, and we are now developing a partnership agreement to address homelessness.

The Local Homelessness Action Plan recently adopted by the county, the city of Sacramento and the members of the Continuum of Care board will guide current strategies and inform new ones. Though the most important aspect of the plan is that we align our work with all partners who signed on to the plan, we agreed to use it as a “living document.” County staff will update it with action steps and intended outcomes specific to our work, and will regularly assess our progress and propose adjustments when needed.

To support our commitment to transparency, we will post the plan along with a dashboard that tracks key metrics and milestones on the county’s response to homelessness website.

The county is taking several new actions to address the situation. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted to move forward with an ordinance that identifies the public infrastructure on which camping will be prohibited. Such infrastructure will include levees, bridges, drainage systems, government buildings and sidewalks. It will prohibit camping in fire-prone areas and within 1,000 feet of a homeless shelter.

The board also voted to move forward with an ordinance that prohibits all camping within the American River Parkway. In tandem with another that affects specific public places, such as shelters, schools and libraries, these two ordinances are critical for public health and safety, environmental health and fire prevention. The intent of the ordinances is to provide an additional tool for enforcement in situations where someone refuses to voluntarily comply with requests to leave an area when there is a high safety risk or when alternative, appropriate shelter options are made available to them.

The county will also continue to provide many — but not all — services that unhoused residents need. Federal and state laws and funding streams require the county to provide behavioral health services, including services for substance abuse and mental health. We are actively working to increase staff resources for these services.

The county also administers public benefits to support eligible individuals, including unhoused people, such as food assistance in the form of CalFresh; cash assistance in the form of CalWorks; and health care benefits through Medi-Cal. However, the county is not funded or staffed to provide the level of onsite intervention that may be required to fully serve and transition all unhoused residents to safe and healthy living situations. We will work with our community partners to identify solutions to this ongoing challenge.

Sacramento’s homelessness problem is much bigger than any one organization can solve. Sacramento County looks forward to continuing its partnerships with local nonprofit organizations, health care providers and business leaders, and to developing an effective partnership with the city of Sacramento as well as the other six cities in the county to take bold steps and exert the leadership that the situation demands.