Inside Homelessness

Crisis Intervention

Crisis Intervention

Substance-use disorders and mental illness are big contributors to homelessness. And our region lacks enough programs to address this problem.

Easy availability of street methamphetamines makes everything worse. Seeking solutions, I worked with WellSpace Health and Sacramento Police in 2019 to create the Substance Use Respite and Engagement center. It’s where people in substance or psychiatric crises can receive help and a ‘front porch’ to recovery-oriented services.

Care Commitment

For the first time in years, stakeholders in Sacramento are committed to a single plan to end homelessness. While the situation is bleak on the streets, this commitment is new and can be a game-changer.

The key to success is the shared vow of all partners to move forward with action, services and resources. This means we work together.

Work In Progress

Work In Progress

Many articles in Inside Sacramento have described the failure of local elected officials to address the homelessness crisis. I hear your frustration and take responsibility for the failure. The crisis continues to grow. With it comes more suffering and misery among those living in our open spaces, more hardships for small business owners, more blight and trash in neighborhoods, more aggressive confrontations between campers and residents, and more crime.

Three efforts are underway in the city of Sacramento and Sacramento County that could significantly reduce the number of people living unsheltered while eliminating the worst impacts of encampments. I am working on these efforts and want your feedback.

Voters Weigh In

Voters Weigh In

Voters Weigh In Homeless proposal moves to ballot By Gary Delsohn May 2022 If you’re searching for hope in California’s homeless crisis, look no farther than recent comments by Gov. Gavin Newsom about his proposal to create mental health courts in every...

Homeless Site Canceled

Homeless Site Canceled

Homeless Site Canceled East Sac says no to ‘Safe Ground,’ plans recall By Cecily Hastings April 2022 Soon after a local redistricting committee appointed her as new City Council member for East Sacramento in December, Katie Valenzuela embarked on a...

Search For Answers

Search For Answers

In May 2019, I wrote my first article on the tragedy of homeless people living on our streets. The column was titled “Is Sacramento Dying?” It was based on the documentary film “Seattle Is Dying.”

The film was produced by Seattle TV station KOMO in 2018. It begins with a bold thesis: This is about an idea. For a city that has run out of them. What if Seattle is dying? Can it ever recover?

The column was the most widely shared article on our website—shared thousands of times. Many readers feared our city was following Seattle’s course, driven by a lack of civic leadership.

The response helped me recognize the inadequacy of Sacramento media coverage. Homeless problems were not being seriously discussed in 2019. At Inside, we vowed to publish news, viewpoints, ideas and solutions in every issue moving forward.

‘Jobs, That’s What They Want’

‘Jobs, That’s What They Want’

I was walking on Ninth Street near City Hall and passed a tiny homeless encampment burrowed into the porch of a vacant building. Empty wine bottles stood sentry around two people asleep. Garbage spilled across the sidewalk. The little hovel was sad and filthy and carried a stomach-churning stench.

The scene triggered a memory. It made me think about a documentary film I saw two decades ago, “The Marshes of Two Street,” by Richard Simpson.

Revolving Door

Revolving Door

As a guy who enjoys change, I love the Sacramento City Council. This council is all about change.

Two members, Angelique Ashby and Jay Schenirer, are leaving this year because they want new challenges, the state Senate for Ashby, retirement for Schenirer. Jeff Harris doesn’t want to go, but he’s leaving because a reapportionment committee stole his council district out from under him.

Big Bucks, No Results

Big Bucks, No Results

Few of us know what goes on behind the scenes as our elected officials try to “resolve” the homeless crisis. But this much is clear: Government has managed to exacerbate the problem.

Why? Our officials have tapped into an ever-growing, seemingly endless taxpayer money supply with zero requirements to account for any meaningful, measurable results. What a deal!

Imagine being hired for a job, producing terrible results and receiving massive bonuses year after year. Is it any wonder people are frustrated and believe politicians have failed?

Homelessness has become a mechanism to control huge sums of federal and state dollars. Why would politicians shut off the faucet? They provide lip service to constituents and the media while making backroom deals and raking in campaign donations from labor unions.

Share via
Copy link