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Homelessness is a widespread crisis and is not limited by city or county lines. People experiencing homelessness often cross jurisdictional boundaries, access care through a variety of systems and may be hampered by the lack of clarity around who is or could be providing them with programs and services.
On Oct. 28, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, the Sacramento City Council and elected representatives from the Cities of Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Galt, Folsom and Rancho Cordova will gather together at 10 a.m. at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria (828 I St, Sacramento, CA 95814) for a first-of-its-kind meeting about strengthening a county-wide, coordinated approach to addressing homelessness. The County-City Collaboration on Homeless Services and Behavioral Health is open to both the public and media to attend and will also be live streamed through Metro 14 Cable.
The meeting, first commissioned by Sacramento City Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem Eric Guerra and further spearheaded by Sacramento County Board Chair Phil Serna, Mayor Kevin McCarty and Vice Chair Rosario Rodriguez, will feature presentations from each jurisdiction on how they are addressing homelessness currently, including behavioral health efforts, as well as hear from Sacramento Steps Forward on system level features and needs.
“I’m grateful to my colleague Eric Guerra for introducing the idea of this meeting. It is undeniably important that we take a coordinated and county-wide approach to addressing homelessness,” said Chair of the Board and First District Supervisor Phil Serna. “While we are all doing great work individually, we are stronger together and can have a deeper impact on the crisis of homelessness we currently face.”
“We’re working together to address homelessness. This partnership is just the beginning.” said Sacramento City Mayor Kevin McCarty. “This first time ever meeting of Sacramento County, Sacramento City, and our neighboring cities is a good start, and we will keep building.”
Elected officials will have a chance to ask each other and staff questions, hear from the public on concerns related to homelessness and discuss regional coordination options and conclude with a visioning session to define what success looks like and what measurable objectives elected officials want to see based on feedback from staff and constituents.
The event will also feature Community Based Organizations (CBOs) showcase during the event breaks. The meeting will conclude with public comments and direction to staff on next steps. Meeting materials can be viewed here.