Oct 27, 2020
The counter-intuitive correlation between money and homelessness continues to confuse Mayor Darrell Steinberg and city leaders. The correlation goes like this: The city raises money to house homeless people, yet the number of people living on the streets grows larger. More money equals more homelessness.
Steinberg recently said Sacramento would receive about $28 million in state funds to combat homelessness. The dollars would become part of a $62 million campaign to convert old motels, manufactured homes and other sites into supportive units for unsheltered people.
Jul 27, 2020
Salvador Bradford takes pride in keeping his studio apartment tidy. His converted hotel room has around 250 square feet for a bathroom, stove and mini-fridge.
There is space for the trappings of a home: a shelf of Star Wars and Star Trek DVDs, and a small shrine to Jesus Christ, to whom Bradford credits his past five years of sobriety.
Apr 28, 2020
The coronavirus crisis has exacerbated Sacramento’s struggle to manage its homeless population, requiring immense capital investment, empathy and unconventional thinking. All three virtues are on display at the new Courtyard Inn nearing completion along the Watt Avenue corridor in North Highlands.
With a projected opening in May, the 92-apartment complex at 3425 Orange Grove Ave. is a rehabilitated motel long been notorious for sheriff calls to deal with prostitution, drugs, theft and violence.
Feb 26, 2020
Almost a year ago, Inside Sacramento began monthly coverage of the homeless problem in our area. A key focus has been the root causes of homelessness, including mental health and drug and alcohol addiction.
In my May 2019 column, “Is Sacramento Dying?” Sacramento City Councilmember Jeff Harris said he favored an individual triage process to help understand the paths that bring people to the streets. His goal is to avoid placing folks who are simply unable to afford or find shelter in the same category as addicts, criminals and the mentally ill.
