Sacramento Steps Forward

Programs: Supportive housing programsas the lead agency addressing homelessness in sacramento county, sacramento steps forward is responsible for distributing and managing federal funds granted by the united states department of housing and urban development. The organization, along with local nonprofit homeless service providers, determines the needs of sacramento's homeless population and collectively applies for grant funds in order to provide housing and services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. During 2017, the organization passed-through $10,032,858 in hud grants to local nonprofit agencies which helped thousands of individuals move out of emergency shelters and off the street into stable housing. Historically, only 11% of individuals housed by the continuum of care have returned to homelessness. The organization's supportive housing programs target those most vulnerable who need housing and service supports to remain in stable housing and live healthy lives. The target population includes individuals experiencing chronic homelessness as well as people who are inappropriately placed in institutional care settings due to a lack of affordable housing options or inadequate community-based care. Supportive housing is affordable rental housing with no artificial time limits on residency. Rent is adequately subsidized such that extremely low-income tenants pay no more than thirty-percent of their gross monthly income for rent. Individuals are provided with access to immediate, permanent, quality affordable housing without any preconditions or requirements for sobriety or treatment compliance. Residents of supportive housing hold their own leases and have the same rights and responsibilities as any other resident. Supportive programs assertively engage residents and offer services to maximize housing stability, including regular communication with property managers, advocation on behalf of residents, and mediation of conflicts with landlords. Clients have access to a comprehensive array of flexible services including housing stability support, income and benefits support, coordinated health and behavioral health services, twenty-four hour crisis intervention, employment services, diet/nutrition counselors, and recovery/wellness peer support specialists. Services are provided as needed to ensure successful residency and to support recovery and engagement in community life. Programs facilitate full integration into the community by providing direct assistance to tenants around employment, volunteer work, social activities and community building activities.

other programswinter sanctuary is a seasonal emergency-shelter program for homeless men and women. Each winter, cold and wet weather conditions threaten the lives of the homeless who live on sacramento-area streets. The winter sanctuary program was founded to meet the needs of these individuals and is the only winter shelter option for single, homeless adults. The program is primarily funded by the county of sacramento. The homeless management information system (hmis) is an information technology system that is used by homeless service providers to collect confidential client-level data including demographics, history of homelessness and services accessed and service needs. The program was developed in response to a mandate by congress requiring states to collect data in order to receive funds from hud. Hmis allows agencies within the continuum of care to better provide services to the homeless population by collecting basic demographic and other information in a secure site. Common cents is a coordinated assessment and housing placement system focusing on the chronically homeless and veterans. Individuals are placed in permanent supportive housing with appropriate services utilizing an integrated outreach team. Project areas include the central city, oak park and public transportation routes. Sacramento steps forward convenes a twenty-five member continuum of care advisory board, made up of local stakeholders committed to ending homelessness. The advisory board includes nonprofit providers, homeless advocates, people who have experienced homelessness, local government leaders, business leaders, law enforcement, and more. The organization's data analytics and research team is on the leading edge of homeless data analytics. The team provides stakeholders and decision makers with the factual information they need to find real solutions. In-house data analytics gives the organization greater flexibility in the types of questions that can be asked which helps to identify the key components of programmatic success. Rapid re-housing is an intervention that assists individuals and families who need fewer supportive services and rental support. It is designed to make a quick exit from homelessness and often takes the form of short-term rental assistance and services such as employment and training programs to ensure that families and individuals can sustain their housing after rental assistance and services are completed. This is a more cost-effective approach to helping many individuals and families regain and maintain housing. The point-in-time count is required every two-years by hud. It is a census of all individuals experiencing homelessness in the region and includes those who are in emergency shelters and those who are unsheltered. The count is taken by hundreds of volunteers who are strategically deployed county-wide. Referrals to continuum of care programs are made through the coordinated entry system. The coordinated entry system is designed to evaluate a person's vulnerability and length of time homeless compared to others in the community. People are referred into housing who best meet the criteria for each specific housing program. Sacramento has an array of housing and service programs that are designed to help people who are experiencing homelessness. Unfortunately, the resources available cannot match the rising tide of people in need. As such, ending a cycle of homelessness requires a person to pursue multiple avenues for housing simultaneously and not count on one single resource.

neighborhood connectneighborhood connect is a neighborhood-centered outreach effort tailored to the needs of groups of individuals experiencing homelessness in a specific area. The organization works with neighbors, community groups, businesses, emergency services providers, law enforcement and other stakeholders to identify hot-spots and develop a plan for matching people with services appropriate to their needs. Sacramento steps forward navigators are a professional outreach team who meet clients where they congregate or reside and provide case management to help them end the cycle of homelessness by overcoming barriers and accessing and utilizing programs for which they are eligible. The development and implementation of a housing crisis resolution system (hcrs) by each continuum of care is a federal mandate of hud. The organization, in partnership with its public and private partners, has implemented the essential building blocks of the hcrs. Each navigator is equipped with hand held devices programmed with a vulnerability assessment tool. This assessment tool assists the organization with prioritizing housing options for the most vulnerable individuals who have the highest barriers to housing.