No SImple Solutions
Homelessness is a growing problem that affects all of us across the Capital Region
Homelessness continues to be a growing issue that affects
not just those who are experiencing it, but all of us in the
community. No matter how insulated one might be, home-
lessness is impossible to ignore, and it’s no longer just an
issue for Sacramento and other urban centers. More and
more people are going to bed each night either outside or
in a shelter, and we see it every where — along the Amer-
ican River Parkway; in the suburban cities of Elk Grove,
Roseville, Folsom and Davis; and in the small rural towns
of all 10 counties that make up the Capital Region.
In 2018, 129,972 people in California experienced
homelessness on any given day, according to point-in-time
counts mandated by the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development and conducted by the state’s 40 Con-
tinuums of Care (planning bodies responsible for coordi-
nating the funding and delivery of housing and services for
people experiencing homelessness; some cover more than
one county). Nearly one-quarter of the nation’s homeless
are in California, according to the 2018 count, and 69 per-
cent of California’s homeless were unsheltered, meaning
they lived outdoors — in cars, on streets and in parks. The
2018 count shows 552,830 homeless people in the United
States: 111,122 severely mentally ill, 86,647 chronic sub-
stance abusers, 48,666 victims of domestic abuse and
37,878 military veterans.
Those numbers are almost certain to increase when
the full 2019 count is available. The partial results of Jan-
uary’s count aren’t encouraging. Sacramento County, for
example, reported 5,570 homeless people, an increase of 19
percent since 2017. The number of homeless in the Capital
Region is roughly 12,000, not including El Dorado County
(final figures haven’t been reported) and Amador County
(which is part of a four-county Continuum of Care, with
three of those outside our coverage area).
In August, the Sacramento City Council made a bold
move to address the issue, approving two 100-bed shelters,
one under the W-X freeway at X Street and Alhambra Bou-
levard, and one in the Meadow view neighborhood, at a cost
of more than $20 million. “We are going to bring hundreds
of people indoors as quickly as possible,” Sacramento May-
or Darrell Steinberg said during the Aug. 27 meeting. But
the vote didn’t come without opposition; Councilwoman
Angelique Ashby said the city could give the millions to
nonprofits already serving homeless women and children
and expand funding for the Housing Choice Voucher Pro-
gram.
We’re not taking a side and don’t proclaim to have bet-
ter solutions — greater minds have been working hard for
years to solve homelessness — but on the following pag-
es we are sharing this snapshot of what else is being done
across the Capital Region in the first of our series address-
ing challenges facing our region.
Tom Couzens
Executive Editor
October 2019 | comstocksmag.com
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