Comstock's magazine 1019 - October 2019 | Page 122

CAPITAL REGION CARES
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
S acramento S elf- H elp
H ousing
Homeowners helping the homeless.
S
acramento Self-Help Housing, a highly successful 501(c)(3),
tackles the issue of homelessness in a unique way that directly
benefits the homeless population as well as homeowners.
“Our approach is not building additional housing, but creating
more capacity within the current housing stocks,” explains
John Foley, executive director. “We lease houses, move in staff
members as house leaders, then move people in directly from the
streets. For example, in a five-bedroom house, we’ll have a house
leader and four recently homeless people living together.”
SSHH has about 100 rental houses throughout Sacramento
County and is looking to add more in 2020. “Every person we
take off the street is a victory in the battle against homelessness,”
says Foley. “Homeless people suffer from a multitude of
problems including isolation. In our houses, they become part of
a community, receive supportive services and can begin to turn
their lives around.”
Launched as a program of Loaves & Fishes in the 1990s,
SSHH became its own nonprofit in 2000 and remains a
successful cost-effective model two decades later. Funding
comes from city, county, state and federal government, and the
program offers permanent and short-term interim housing in
addition to support services.
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comstocksmag.com | October 2019
“This is a safe, secure way for homeowners to have rental
houses with stable government funding and a live-in staff
member and to immediately help move homeless people off the
streets,” says Foley. “This program is actually saving lives, and we
encourage anyone with a home to rent to join us.”
The rental houses are furnished by SSHH so donations
of furniture, beds, linens, towels, kitchenware and more are
greatly needed. On December 14, SSHH’s Housewarming for the
Homeless event takes place at Cal Expo, and the community is
encouraged to bring donations to support and brighten the homes
of those putting their lives back on track. Financial donations are
always welcome as well.
SACSELFHELP.ORG
profile generously sponsored by