City Council - Granicus

CITY COUNCIL Darrell Steinberg, Mayor Angelique Ashby, Mayor Pro Tem, District 1 Allen Warren, District 2 Jeff Harris, Vice Mayor, District 3 Steve Hansen, District 4 Jay Schenirer, District 5 Eric Guerra, District 6 Rick Jennings, II, District 7 Larry Carr, District 8

CHARTER OFFICERS Mindy Cuppy, City Clerk Susana Alcala Wood, City Attorney Jorge Oseguera, City Auditor Howard Chan, City Manager John Colville, City Treasurer

City Council Financing Authority Housing Authority

Public Financing Authority Redevelopment Agency

Successor Agency City Hall-Council Chamber

915 I Street, 1st Floor Published by the Office of the City Clerk

(916) 808-5163

CORRESPONDENCE Description of Attached: The attached correspondence was received after publishing. For the Meeting of: August 18, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. Agenda Item: Discussion Item 18 18. City Council COVID-19 Response: Amendment to the Sacramento COVID-19

Homelessness Response Plan and CARES Act Framework and Funding Priorities; Establish Emergency Programs and Funding Plan for the Homelessness and Rapid Re-Housing Recovery Program (Two-Thirds Vote Required) File ID: 2020-00663 Location: Citywide Recommendation: 1) Review and consider the Sacramento COVID-19 Homelessness Response Team amended recommendations (a.k.a. “Amended Sacramento COVID-19 Homelessness Response Plan”); and 2) adopt a Resolution, which a) adopts the Amended Sacramento COVID-19 Homelessness Response Plan; b) establishes the COVID-19 Homeless Response Program (G02001700); c) establishes the revenue and expenditure budgets in the COVID-19 Homeless Response Program (G02001700) in the Federal CARES Act Fund (Fund 2704) by transferring $6,616,166 from the COVID-19 CARES Act Grant Program (G02610100); d) increases the revenue and expenditure budgets in the Homeless Housing Program in the Federal CARES Act Fund (Fund 2704) by transferring $5,533,834 from the COVID-19 CARES Act Grant Program (G02610100); e) directs SHRA to take all actions necessary to allocate $4 million in Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funding from the Federal CARES Act to fund re-housing activities noted in the Amended Sacramento COVID-10 Homelessness Response Plan; f) suspends competitive bidding in the best interests in the City of Sacramento for the Homelessness Response

Plan and rehousing activities; g) authorizes the City Manager or the City Manager’s Designee to execute or amend agreements to implement programs identified in the Amended Sacramento COVID-19 Homelessness Response Plan; h) authorizes the City Manager or the City Manager’s Designee to amend or enter into agreements with Sacramento County to transfer funding and implementation responsibility for the provision of services outlined in the Amended Homelessness COVID-19 Response Team Plan; i) authorizes the City Manager or the City Manager’s designee to execute a supplemental agreement with Goodwill Industries of Sacramento Valley & Northern Nevada, Inc. to extend services through September 30, 2020 and increase the not-to-exceed amount by $305,963, with an option to extend services for another term starting October 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020 for an additional not-to-exceed amount of $305,963, making the new total not-to-exceed amount $850,801; and j) directs the City Manager or City Manager’s designee to carry out the necessary procurement processes for the approved activities and execute the necessary agreements to implement the programs identified. Contact: Danielle Foster, Housing Policy Manager, (916) 808-1869; Emily Halcon, Homeless Services Manager, (916) 808-7896, Homeless Services Division, Office of the City Manager

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Nell Hessel

From: Laine Himmelmann <[email protected]>Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2020 5:02 PMTo: clerk; Public Comment; Howard Chan; Susana Alcala Wood; Darrell Steinberg; Jeff S. Harris;

Angelique Ashby; Allen W. Warren; Steve Hansen; Jay Schenirer; Eric Guerra; Rick Jennings; Lawrence R. Carr

Cc: Leah Miller; Danielle Foster; Leslie FritzscheSubject: Revised CRF CARES Letter from Habitat for Humanity of Greater SacramentoAttachments: CARES funding CRF letter from Habitat for Humanity revised 8.13.20.pdf

Importance: High

Dear Office of the City Clerk, Howard Chan, Susana Alcala Wood, and Honorable Sacramento City Council Members,   Attached you will find a revised letter of request from our previously submitted letter in early June.  On behalf of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento, we ask that you please make record of and include the attached  revised letter from Habitat for Humanity for Council in support of an allocation of CARES CRF funding to support stable, affordable housing for low‐income families suffering from COVID‐19 economic impact and rental instability.  Our nonprofit organization was able to sell a portfolio of mortgages of existing Habitat homes to pay for the infrastructure costs of our upcoming Mandola Court development which will house 60 low‐income individuals – thus decreasing our previously shared COVID‐19 impacted funding gap from $1.2 million to a gap, though still critical, of an amount nearer to $500,000.  As months have passed since our original letter was submitted, we wanted to be sure to send the Council the most up‐to‐date scenario prior to the discussion of CARES around housing and homelessness.   As reported on CBS 13 last week ‐ https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2020/08/06/habitat‐for‐humanity‐projects‐sacramento/ ‐ 90% of our staff was previously furloughed due to COVID, but we are working diligently to provide as much support as possible to get low‐income vulnerable families, seniors, and veterans into homes and keep them in their homes during this pandemic.  Many projects for vulnerable families do remain on hold until we are able to fill the COVID‐19 impacted funding gap and impact on our volunteer labor force (we are operating with less than 10% of our usual 2,500 volunteers a year labor force as we seek to maintain proper safety and social distancing guidelines).  We are also bracing for how the decreased unemployment this month will impact our existing Habitat homeowners in their ability to pay their mortgages to Habitat, which will also impact our revenue.  With that being said, we continue to move forward with hope and the resiliency in our hearts as we look to keep building for those in need through this crisis.     In the CBS13 link above, as well as in this Good Day Sacramento segment, you can see the 3D rendering of the upcoming “Mandola Court” development mentioned above and in our letter as one of the projects where above ground construction remains on hold due to the COVID‐19 funding gap.    If there is anything else needed to ensure that this letter is received for the record and strong consideration from council for support, please let us know.  I know this is a challenging time for all and that you are receiving many emails like this.  Thank you in advance for your support in whatever capacity that may be.  Please note, this letter and request is sent in addition to and to be considered separately from Habitat’s inclusion in a collaborative letter with a number of other nonprofits requesting consideration for CARES support for critical home repairs to keep low‐income homeowners from becoming homeless due to COVID‐19.    

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In partnership,   Laine Himmelmann Director of Development, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento (916) 440-1215 x1108 Website: habitatgreatersac.org/  Email: [email protected] Facebook/HabitatGreaterSac • Twitter: @SacHabitat • Instagram: @SacHabitat • LinkedIn  

  We have always believed at Habitat that we will only find our way forward together.  It’s true every day – and will be even truer now.    

From: Laine Himmelmann Sent: Monday, June 08, 2020 2:55 PM To: '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]'; '[email protected]' Cc: Leah Miller Subject: Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento: re: CARES CRF: Please support stable, affordable housing for low-income families suffering from COVID-19 economic impact and rental instability Importance: High  Dear Office of the City Clerk, Howard Chan, Susana Alcala Wood, and Honorable Sacramento City Council Members,   On behalf of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento, we ask that you please make record of and include the attached letter from Habitat for Humanity for Council in support of an allocation of the $89 million in CARES CRF funding to support stable, affordable housing for low‐income families suffering from COVID‐19 economic impact and rental instability.  Prior to COVID‐19, the Sacramento Housing Alliance revealed there were over 62,000 Sacramento families in desperate need of affordable housing.  That, coupled with Sacramento having the highest rising rents by percentage in the entire country for three years running, created a dire housing crisis like none other this region had ever seen. That crisis has only intensified by the economic devastation of COVID‐19 which has hit low‐income families the hardest (many of whom will be unable to catch‐up on rent when the moratorium has ended and will be in desperate need of safe affordable housing).     Additionally, people of color have been disproportionally impacted by COVID‐19 – these are the same communities who through systemic racism have been shut out of opportunities for homeownership and equity building for decades and encounter some of the hardest struggles to attaining affordable housing.  These are the families with whom we partner  (low‐income families, predominantly non‐white, who are extremely housing insecure ‐ living in garages, living in their cars, living 8 people to a 1‐bedroom apartment, paying over 50% of their income on rent, living in unimaginably squalid rental conditions) and through our program, who build and purchase their affordable, sustainably built electric home and create for themselves a springboard for greater economic opportunity.     

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 We, at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento, are requesting the City of Sacramento’s consideration of a humble allocation of the $89 million CARES CRF funding to directly support affordable, sustainable housing for low‐income families suffering from COVID‐19 economic impact and rental instability.  As further detailed in the attached letter, this support would be put to work immediately and would help a variety of affordable construction projects (which will house 70 individuals in total) which have been delayed due to COVID‐19 related financial impact on Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento.    Please note, this letter and request is sent in addition to and to be considered separately from Habitat’s inclusion in a collaborative letter with a number of other nonprofits requesting consideration for CARES support for critical home repairs to keep low‐income homeowners from becoming homeless due to COVID‐19.    If there is anything else needed to ensure that this letter is received for the record and strong consideration from council for support, please let us know.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Thank you in advance for your support to a sustainable affordable housing solution that has proven time and time again to not only provide shelter to our most vulnerable low‐income families, but provide a springboard to breaking the cycle of poverty.    In partnership,   Laine Himmelmann Director of Development, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento Website: habitatgreatersac.org/  Email: [email protected] Facebook/HabitatGreaterSac • Twitter: @SacHabitat • Instagram: @SacHabitat • LinkedIn  

  We have always believed at Habitat that we will only find our way forward together.  It’s true every day – and will be even truer now.    

August 13, 2020 *revised request to previously submitted letter on June 5th due to time lapsed and changes in situation The Honorable Mayor and Sacramento City Council Members: RE: CARES Act Framework and Funding Priorities for the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF): Stable, affordable housing for low-income families suffering from COVID-19 impact and rental instability For too many high-risk and housing insecure Sacramento families – sheltering in place and the economic impacts of COVID-19 have exacerbated the conditions for which they’ve struggled for too long. For these families, they’re one check away from not being able to make rent and becoming homeless. Additionally, people of color have been disproportionally impacted by COVID-19 –the same communities who through systemic racism have been shut out of opportunities for homeownership and equity building for decades and encounter some of the hardest struggles to attaining affordable housing. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento was also hit hard by COVID-19. When shelter in place orders took place, we had to close our retail resale outlet- the ReStore. The ReStore (District 3), brings in 20% of our annual budget in sales to support general operating costs. When closed due to COVID-19, we had to furlough 90% of staff and temporarily shut down our active construction sites. Though thanks to PPP funding we’ve reopened, Habitat is facing $500,000 in revenue loss due to COVID-19 impact:

- $120,000 in ReStore revenue due to COVID closure - $180,000 cancelled in-person Hard Hats & High Heels Gala (COVID-19 gathering regulations) - $200,000 cancelled corporate engagement and build event volunteer opportunities through at

least January 2021 (COVID-19 gathering regulations) - Bracing for a decrease in mortgage payments from 100+ active mortgages of Habitat

homeowners due to COVID-19 impacted job loss following increased unemployment ending. Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento is the only provider of homeownership opportunities in the Sacramento region for low and very low-income families. Through home build, repair, and community projects – in 2019 Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento impacted 3,608 individuals. The following affordable home build projects which will house over 70 low-income individuals are currently delayed due to COVID-19 impacts on our financial support

- 13 home development infrastructure has started and ready to build above ground in November once we have funds. Had to sell mortgages of existing Habitat homes to pay for infrastructure costs. Located at 20 Mandola Court Sacramento, CA 95828 (District 6)

- 3 in-fill homes. 3250 34th Avenue Sacramento, 95824 (District 5); 2419 Maryal Drive Sacramento, CA; 854 Vinci Avenue Sacramento, CA (District 2)

- 1 rehab home; 7901 34th Avenue Sacramento, CA (District 6)

While looking for solutions to address the COVID-19 impact on housing and homelessness, please consider providing support to an organization that is hurting from COVID impact and has proven time and time again to provide proactive, sustainable, and permanent homeless and housing solutions. Sincerely, Leah Miller, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sacramento [email protected]

August 17, 2020

Mayor Darrell Steinberg

City Clerk Mindy Cuppy

Sacramento City Hall

915 I Street

Sacramento, CA 95814

Re: Agenda Items #17 - #19 for 5PM Meeting, August 18, 2020

Sacramento Area Congregations Together (SacACT) Homeless and

Housing Committee is pleased to provide comments for the goals

set forth in Agenda Item #17 through #19. We commend the

development of the proposed amendment to the Sacramento

Covid-19 Homelesnesss Response Plan by the combined effort of

the homeless services staff of the City, County, and Sacramento

Steps Forward (SSF). We believe the proposals made are necessary,

but not sufficient, to make significant contribution to eventually

ending homelessness in Sacramento and alleviating some of the

suffering of unsheltered homeless people while our community

works toward that goal.

Attached to this cover letter are SacACT’s detailed comments

pertaining to the aggregate of Agenda Items #17 through #19.

Summary of Recommendations

1. Initiate the process to develop a comprehensive,

collaborative plan to end homelessness in this county

(modest),

2. Adopt an amended Covid-19 Homelessness Response Plan,

but:

a. Increase the rehousing goal and extend the program

endpoint to 12/31/2020 (Cost: additional $1.5 million),

and

b. add an encampment outreach effort administered by

SSF that would de facto sanction most existing

encampment sites and provide supportive services,

sanitation facilities, and trash pickup on an ongoing

basis (Cost: additional $0.5 million each to City and

County),

2324 L St., Suite 405 Sacramento, CA 95816

3. Design and fund a sleeping cabin village program with

manufactured housing at sites throughout the City (Cost:

Additional $5 million),

4. Design and fund a renter relief program that would support

the most vulnerable renters to prevent eviction and

homelessness (Cost: Additional $5 million), and

5. Adopt additional Project Homekey funding applications.

We clearly identify the additional funding requirements of these

recommendations. We cannot profess to know which specific

funding sources are most appropriate.

We strongly urge the City Council to consider our recommended

changes to the Staff proposals posted on August 13, 2020 as

Agenda Items #17 to #19.

Mike Jaske and Shireen Miles, Co-chairs

SacACT Homeless and Housing Committee

CC: Councilmembers

Emily Halcon, City Staff

Christine Weichert, SHRA

2324 L St., Suite 405 Sacramento, CA 95816

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Attachment

Detailed Comments of SacACT Homeless and Housing Committee

Sacramento City Council Meeting, August 18, 2020, Agenda Items #17 - #19

Sacramento Area Congregations Together (SacACT) Homeless and Housing Committee

is pleased to provide comments for the goals set forth in Agenda Item #17 through #19.

We commend the development of the joint proposal by the combined effort of the

homeless services staff of the City, County, and Sacramento Steps Forward (SSF). Like

the original Sacramento Covid-19 Homeless Response Plan, this amendment signals

further collaboration among the staff of the three key agencies leading homeless

initiatives in our community. We believe the proposals made are necessary, but not

sufficient, to make significant contribution to eventually ending homelessness in

Sacramento and alleviating some of the suffering of unsheltered homeless people while

our community works toward that goal.

These comments are organized into five sections that follow a summary of

recommendations:

Section I – The Need for a Comprehensive, Coordinated Plan to End Homelessness

Section II – Amending the Covid-19 Homelessness Response Plan

Section III – Sleeping Cabin/Tiny Home Villages

Section IV – The Need for a Renter Relief Program

Section V – Adding to interim and permanent supportive housing through Homekey

Summary of Recommendations

1. Initiate the process to develop a comprehensive, collaborative plan to end

homelessness in this county (modest),

2. Adopt an amended Covid-19 Homelessness Response Plan, but:

a. Increase the rehousing goal and extend the program endpoint to

12/31/2020 (Cost: additional $1.5 million), and

b. add an encampment outreach effort administered by SSF that would de

facto sanction most existing encampment sites and provide supportive

services, sanitation facilities, and trash pickup on an ongoing basis (Cost:

additional $0.5 million each to City and County),

3. Design and fund a sleeping cabin village program with manufactured housing at

sites throughout the City (Cost: Additional $5 million),

4. Design and fund a renter relief program that would support the most vulnerable

renters to prevent eviction and homelessness (Cost: Additional $5 million), and

5. Support Project Homekey funding applications.

We clearly identify the additional funding requirements of these recommendations. We

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cannot profess to know which specific funding sources are most appropriate.

Section I – The Need for a Comprehensive, Coordinated Plan to End Homelessness

For the past several years, the faith community represented by Sacramento Area

Congregations Together (SacACT) has repeatedly and consistently advocated for a

comprehensive county-wide plan to end homelessness that would promote

collaboration, target resources where they are most effective, and keep a laser focus on a

common goal. Such a plan would provide an essential context for many decisions made

regularly by the Sacramento City Council, Sacramento County Board of Supervisors,

and other entities.

The importance of a plan especially can be seen in the response of public entities and

service providers to the crushing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our community.

The crisis did have the positive effect of improving interagency coordination and

cooperation, albeit mostly at the staff level. But there has been no visible process

toward an overall plan.

A comprehensive plan would provide more effective guidance to local agencies and

organizations in how best to invest relief funds from the state and federal governments,

and how to make a case for additional funds. Moreover, had we been effectively

collaborating across our “silos” and working toward common goals and objectives, we

would have been better positioned from the beginning to deal with a health and

economic catastrophe nobody could predict. Sacramento ACT continues to argue that

some entity must take the lead, and the city could be an excellent initiator of this effort.

We firmly believe this plan is still essential to addressing homelessness, one of the most

challenging social issues of our time, both in the short and long terms.

Using a modest amount of CARES ACT funding, the City Council could at least begin

that process and enlist other players to join you. The investment to actually create a

plan is far smaller than the resources and opportunities that are lost by not having it.

We urge the Council to take the initiative and allocate funds to begin that process,

bringing other entities into the task as quickly as possible. An emergency is precisely

the time to take the initiative and create a plan that would help guide us toward

eliminating homelessness and, in the meantime, addressing both ongoing and crisis

needs as they arise.

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Section II – Amending the Covid-19 Homelessness Response Plan

Background

In Mid-March, 2020 staff of the City, County and Sacramento Steps Forward developed

a Covid-19 Homelessness Response Plan (Plan). It consisted of three elements:

Isolation in FEMA trailers/quarantine housing in leased motels

Covid-19 prevention in existing emergency shelters

Encampment and other unsheltered people support.

The total budget for the Plan, which was to operate through July 30, 2020, was $15.1

million. An amendment to the original Plan was developed by the same inter-agency

staff team and it was scheduled to be heard by the City Council (June 28) and by the

County Board of Supervisors (July 14) for approval. The City would contribute $2.15

million dollars. The Sacramento City Council deferred it until August 18. The

amendment requests additional funds to extend motel/trailer housing for vulnerable

homeless people to September 30, but capping capacity at 600 beds rather than earlier,

higher estimates. The emphasis of the amendment is to rehouse 500 persons using a

mixture of existing housing approaches. The amendment is silent about further funding

for Covid-19 prevention in emergency shelters or about the encampment outreach and

support effort. Discussions with agency staff indicate that despite no mention in the

amendment documents, the encampment effort was intended to be extended to

September 30. According to available information, the amended plan has been placed

into operation on the basis of the County’s approval.

Motel/Trailer Housing for Isolation and Quarantine

The focus of the proposed Amendment to the original Covid-19 Homelessness

Response Plan was rehousing of up to 500 people from trailers and motels using two

strategies: (1) rehousing residents using existing programs, and (2) acquire, rehab, and

operate motels as transitional and permanent supportive housing.

In Strategy #1, multiple entities would be asked to divert existing staff to the effort of

beginning sufficient case management to enable the transition of up to 500 persons from

motels/trailer to shelters, transitional, and permanent supportive housing. This effort is

described as like a “100 Day Challenge,” which is a code phrase for an all-out effort in

which project staff would drop other duties and focus exclusively on achieving the

target of rehousing 500 persons. Dropping other activities has already been occurring

for City, County and SSF staff since March.

Strategy #2 – no specific proposal to acquire motels through purchase or long-term lease

was included within the proposed amendment to the Plan. Due to the passage of time,

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the State’s Homekey Program has been announced and the application date has closed.

The City submitted three applications while the County Board of Supervisors turned

down the proposal brought before it.

SacACT recommendations for Rehousing Trailer/Motel Residents:

1) SacACT suggests increasing the targeted rehousing goal to 600 persons and

generally extending the timeline for some motel/trailer use until the end of the year

to enable a more thorough “case management” effort to place motel or trailer

residents in a facility that best suits their needs. There is no justification to the

“rushed” effort that was originally proposed, and extending the timeframe will cost

relatively little as residents in motels are housed. It is unclear how much this will

cost, but perhaps another $1 million using CARES funding.

2) SacACT suggests increasing the staff proposed funding for the amendment with an

additional $0.5 million using CARES funding for SSF, VA and other community

partners to implement the rehousing referral element as described in the Strategy #1

of the proposed amendment. These organizations are very much smaller than the

City and County and should not be expected to absorb this effort in their own

existing budgets when CARES funding is available.

Encampment Outreach

Encampment and unsheltered support received $1.25 million, mostly from redirection

of FY 2018/19 HEAP funding awarded by the state to the Sacramento CoC, and $250,000

from County DHS for sanitation stations. Later, an aggressive feeding program was

added that used $114,000 in mini-grants from Donate4Sacramento funds collected by

the City from voluntary contributions for citizens, foundations, and other entities that

enabled dozens of volunteer organizations to prepare and distribute meals to

encampments.

Weekly reports about the overall Plan provide some ability to track the nature of the

services provided to encampments. These services addressed the basic human needs of

hundreds of unsheltered homeless people.

Despite a robust effort to install sanitation stations, washing stations, deliver water in

bulk, deliver meals, and deliver bottled water, the weekly reports indicate that meal

funding from Donate4Sacramento funds halted on June 30. Although the tracking of the

details of services provided are sketchy, some portions of the original encampment

effort are continuing beyond June 30, but it is clear from the weekly reports that scale of

activity has been reduced. A few sanitation stations and other physical elements have

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been removed and others repositioned. Water deliveries are apparently still being

provided, although some volunteer groups try to continue feeding efforts using their

own resources. A GoFundMe campaign has been initiated to collect donations from the

general public.

SacACT opposes the ending of the encampment outreach effort on September 30. The

original need for this support to unsheltered homeless people has not changed. Covid-

19 is rampant in the general community, and the absence of support services will

induce homeless people to increase efforts to find daily necessities in the neighborhoods

around encampments and the general community. To do so is directly contradictory to

federal guidance issued by HUD and USICH, which have consistently advised that the

best plan for encampments is to leave them in place and provide supportive services. It

is fundamental to treating unsheltered people as human beings that these services be

continued until there is room for all people in shelters and permanent housing.

SacACT Recommendation for Encampment Outreach:

1. All of the original elements should be continued at the same scale they operated

during May and June. This includes:

Installation and servicing of sanitation stations (funded through County

DHS)

Installation and servicing of hand washing stations

Medical assistance and virus testing

Face mask and hand sanitizer suppliers

Water bottle delivery

In addition to these supplies, it is critical that the City and County provide trash

dumpsters and trash pickup services at all encampments with populations

greater than 20 people. Smaller encampments should receive garbage bags with a

clear direction where they can be disposed of without hassle from local

businesses or residences.

2. It is important that City police, County deputy sheriffs, and Park Rangers not

disrupt any camp that is receiving these services. These encampments have been

recognized and supported for at least four months, and should be considered as

temporarily sanctioned by the City and the County until such time as emergency

shelter capacity or permanent housing is available for all unsheltered residents of

the City or County.

3. The City and County should increase the additional funds proposed in the

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amendment by $0.5 million each to continue the encampment support effort at

least through the balance of FY 2020/21 when a new funding source may be

available. During the period October 1 to December 30, CARES funding can be

used. After that a different funding sources will be needed. These funds should

be contracted to Sacramento Steps Forward to administer this program extension

– the same role they played in the original Covid-19 program.

Section III – Sleeping Cabin/Tiny Home Villages

Sacramento ACT supports the concepts of creating multiple small sleeping cabin

villages located throughout the City as one of a number of elements of a successful,

coordinated plan to address and end homelessness in our region. We urge the City

Council and City Manager to embrace this concept and allocate $5 million in funding to

making it a reality.

We have supported sleeping cabin villages in previous comments to the Council, and

recently provided detailed input on this proposal to City staff. To summarize these

comments, we view this proposal as a relatively quick and low-cost way of provide

safe, secure, albeit temporary housing to at least 500 individuals who are currently

living on our streets, riverbanks, and vacant lots. These individuals will have a stable

place to call home, with a door that can be locked, providing dignity and the ability to

get a good night’s sleep. These individuals will have a known address, making them

available for following up services, and able to take the first steps towards stability,

community connections and employment.

In order for this project to succeed, we believe that the City must provide three critical

elements:

- Infrastructure and operational support in the form of portable toilets, showers

and washing stations, power, trash pickup, and similar services.

- The City must manage (or contract out the management of) the vetting and

qualifying of village operators and locations, as well as the screening and

placement of individuals at specific villages.

- Finally, it is critical that appropriate social services be provided to the residents

so that they can be success in regaining stability and that this housing modality

truly is temporary and transitional.

Two final points are worth making:

- One very important advantage of this model is that it is not a one-size-fits-all

approach. We anticipate that the population profile will vary greatly between

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villages, with some being quite self-governing and requiring few ongoing social

services, with others requiring more.

- It is important that these villages be located in all parts of the City and, because

these villages will be small, there is no reason this commitment to fairness and

equity cannot be achieved.

Section IV – The Need for a Renter Relief Program

A critical place for the city to invest CARES Act funding is renter relief. The failure—

some might say refusal—of the federal government to enact additional relief payments

and unemployment is a ticking time bomb for people needing to stay in their homes.

Before the pandemic, many in our community—especially low-income workers in the

service sector like restaurant workers, hotel housekeepers, hairdressers, gig workers

and others—were already struggling to find and keep housing they could afford.

When the pandemic struck and their income dried up, many had no savings to fall back

on, and some were not even eligible for the relief that was initially provided by the

federal CARES Act. About 200 families were able to secure mini-grants provided by a

Sacramento ACT program that began in March, and most used the funds to pay rent.

SacACT talked to many applicants who had also applied for relief under the eviction

moratorium, and weren’t sure what they would do when that ran out. Many don’t

expect to return to gainful employment anytime soon.

The lack of federal or state action now puts thousands in our community at risk of

eviction and eventual homelessness. It is well understood that eviction is a terrible

stigma that the landlord community holds against renters. Many people who want to

pay the back rent they owe can’t do that with the continuation of the pandemic. To

make things worse, the looming expiration of the eviction moratorium, an event that

has happened already in many other states, adds to their worry about losing their

homes, literally within the coming weeks.

We believe it is urgent for the city to allocate CARES Act funding to create a renter relief

program in the amount of at least $5 million. There should be clear criteria for

eligibility and priorities for assistance: for instance, single parents with children should

be high on a priority list. The funds could help assure they stay in their homes going

forward and might also be available to pay back rent.

Providing assistance to keep more people from falling into homelessness and giving

them stability as they try to return to jobs and self-sufficiency is essential. The cost of

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not doing that is exponentially more—both in community expenditures and the human

suffering of many of our neighbors.

Section V – Support for Project Homekey Applications

On August 11, 2020, SacACT strongly supported the City/Jamboree Application for

Project Homekey funding to the State Department of Housing and Community

Development. Councilmember Harris spoke at length about the deplorable state of the

River district where the motel is located. Earlier in these comments we recommend

creating a permanent encampment outreach program that would build off of the initial

effort included in the Covid-19 Homelessness Response Plan. Such a program could, to

some degree, mitigate the conditions that Councilmember Harris described. As a

consequence of the regional setaside feature of Project Homekey and the unwillingness

of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors to approve a motel application adjacent

to McClellan Business Park there may be additional Project Homekey funds available.

Thus there is a scramble to submit two additional applications.

The Weave and St. John’s Program for Real Change applications for Project Homekey

differ markedly from the City’s other project Homekey application. Both organizations

focus on women and women with children suffering from domestic violence, financial

abuse by former partners, drug abuse, or lack of marketable job skills, who need

support to rise up out of homelessness, or who are at risk of it occurring. Both

organizations would purchase and install small numbers of small manufactured

housing units rather than purchase existing motels.

SacACT supports the Weave and St. John’s Program for Real Change applications.