Capital Region Cares Capital Region Cares 2017-2018 | Page 60

n
Success story
A Roof of
One’s Own
SACRAMENTO SELF
HELP HOUSING GETS
THE HOMELESS INTO
HOUSING AND KEEPS
VULNERABLE RESIDENTS
IN THEIR HOMES
p h oto : co u rt e sy o f j o h n fo l e y
60
CAPITAL REGION CARES 2017 | comstocksmag.com
BY Dave Kempa PHOTO: Ken James
A
s the Capital Region rallies
around renewed homelessness
talks and discussions on the im-
pact of rising rent, one nonprof-
it has already worked for the last
17 years at the intersection of homeless-
ness and affordable housing.
Sacramento Self Help Housing helps
get people off the streets and into homes
by helping them find the services, in-
come and relationships with landlords
they need to sign a lease. That could
include helping clients with anything
from employment programs to housing
vouchers and safety net services like
welfare, SSI and disability assistance.
They also provide interim and perma-
nent supportive housing services, and
run a “Renters Helpline” for housed but
vulnerable Sacramentans looking for
guidance.
In 2015, the nonprofit served 12,578
clients and worked to house about 3,300
people, of which two-thirds found homes.
“In some ways, applying for an
apartment is sort of like applying for
a job,” says SSHH Executive Director
John Foley. “If you don’t have a way to
even say hi and explain yourself, or if
you do a poor job of filling out an appli-
cation, you’re not going to be on the top
of a list. And these days if you’re not at
the top of the list there’s no point.”
One of the first things SSHH does
with homeless residents is walk them
through what they can expect from the
application process. They look at their
credit scores, criminal background
checks and income streams, then work
to overcome the barriers these things
pose to hopeful tenants. “It’s a reality
check,” says Foley. “For a lot of people