Frequently Asked Questions     

FAQs about the Ten Year Plan

Where can I read the full report?

Click here to download a copy of the Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness in Sacramento County.

How can the public be involved?

Members of the community are more than welcome to attend Interagency Council and Policy Board meetings. At each meeting there is an open time on the agenda for public comment.
All agendas will be posted online before Interagency Council and Policy Board meetings, and the minutes of meetings will be posted following meetings. Find information on meetings and/or meeting materials for the Interagency Council here and for the Policy Board here.
You can also request to be on our “interested persons” email list by emailing scurry@communitycouncil.org.

What is the Community Services Planning Council’s role in the Ten Year Plan?

The Community Services Planning Council (CSPC) is an “umbrella” organization that develops, nurtures and sustains programs in the Sacramento region by convening groups to address issues and providing technical assistance and leadership development. CSPC assisted in the development of the plan and currently provides staffing services for the Policy Board and Interagency Council.

Can you explain more about the “Housing First” approach?

The model draws upon the successful experiences of our own community with service-enriched housing programs such as the River City Community Homeless Program, and the Homeless Intervention Program, as well as the positive outcomes from similar efforts in other communities across the nation.

As outlined by HomeBase, The Center for Common Concerns, the driving principle behind Housing First is to get individuals and families off of the streets and out of shelters and place them as quickly as possible into permanent housing, providing case management and other support services as needed after moving them into housing. Housing First reduces the number of visible homeless persons on the streets and promotes integration into communities. It provides the stable location that is critical for linking people with support services they want or need to stabilize the individual and keep them housed.

The Housing First approach is premised on the belief that people who are homeless are more receptive to services after they are in permanent housing, rather than while living on the streets or in temporary programs. When housed, people regain the control over the lives they lost when they became homeless, and with it the ability to choose services.

Additionally, cost data from numerous jurisdictions has shown that it can be cheaper to provide permanent supportive housing (PSH) through the Housing First model rather than leaving the homeless on the streets or in temporary shelters. Once people are permanently housed and receiving supportive services, they are less likely to cycle through expensive emergency services, such as hospital emergency rooms, jails, and detox centers.

How can I learn more about the Plan?

The best way to learn more about the Plan is to download the full Plan, which provides a thorough introduction (national efforts, state efforts, development of the plan, the current system), a section on why change is needed, a section on the “Housing First” approach, and our strategies for eliminating chronic homelessness.
If you have questions that have not been answered fully, do not hesitate to contact one of our staff (link to “Contact Us” page), who would be happy to assist you.

FAQs about Homelessness

What is homelessness?

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the term “homeless” includes someone without a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and whose primary nighttime shelter is one of the following:

• a supervised publicly or privately operated temporary shelter
• an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized
• a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings

The above information was found at: http://www.hud.gov/homeless/definition.cfm

What is “Chronic Homelessness”?

What: The official federal definition of a chronically homeless person is: “An unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more OR has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.” Individuals who are in transitional housing or permanent supportive housing programs are not considered chronically homeless even if they have been in the program more than a year. The definition of chronic homelessness is widely debated, even among social service providers. Some feel that the definition leaves out families who can be chronically homeless as well.

How Many: Of the over 3 million homeless people in the U.S., about 150,000 are chronically homeless.

Individuals who are chronically homeless are very diverse. The only characteristic they share is that they are homeless and disabled. The nature and severity of the disability, or combination of disabilities, varies. The type of support needed, and the depth of that support, will also vary.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a significant number (one-third) are veterans.

It has been estimated that the chronically homeless make up about 10 percent of the total homeless population and consume about 50 percent of the resources supporting homeless persons.

Who is homeless in the United States?

Each year, about 2.5 to 3.5 million people experience homelessness for a period of time and on any given night 750,000 people are homeless (www.studentsagainsthunger.org). According to the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, the homeless population includes:

• 50% families with children
• 20% U.S. military veterans
• 25% children under age 18
• 30% have experienced domestic violence
• 20-25% suffer from mental illness

Because families are most likely to qualify for public assistance programs, they are less likely than individuals to be homeless for a long period of time. Unattached adults are not eligible for most safety net programs, so they are more likely to be homeless and to experience long or repeated spells of homelessness.

Research across the nation has shown that most people who become homeless reintegrate into the community with relatively little assistance once they obtain affordable housing. For 10 to 20 percent of the homeless population, however, additional support is necessary to help them gain and maintain their highest level of independence (Bridgeport, Connecticut Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness).

Who is homelessness in Sacramento County?

The Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance Homeless Programs annually reports statistics for the homeless population based on a “Point-in-Time Homeless Street Count”. The results below are estimates from the January 30, 2007 Street Count

On any given night in Sacramento County, about 2,500 people are homeless.
It has been estimated that about 4,367 people in Sacramento County experience homelessness over the course of a year.
Characteristics of the Homeless Population in Sacramento County:

• Nearly 300 children are homeless every day in      Sacramento County
• 20% are part of a household with dependent children
• 74% of all homeless people have at least one disability,    such as mental illness, alcohol and drug dependence or physical disabilities.
• 54% have alcohol or drug disabilities
• 28% have a mental health disability
• 24% are women
• 23% have survived domestic violence
• 16% are veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces
• 41% of unsheltered, chronically homeless people have      more than one disability

What are the barriers to eliminating homelessness?

Major impediments to abolishing homelessness in Sacramento County include:

• System and Funding Fragmentation
• Restrictive Eligibility for Program Participation
• Scarcity of Affordable Housing
• Insufficient Prevention measures
• Need for Better Discharge Planning
• Inadequate Information
• Public Awareness
• Need for Consolidated Leadership and System Coordination

What is the current system to help homeless people?

The current system of homeless programs focuses on providing short-term assistance until families and individuals are able to get on their feet with employment and/or public assistance designed to support families with children. Families and single parents with children are eligible to access public assistance funds that are not available to individuals and childless couples.

The current system of homeless programs achieves a measure of success by providing short-term services to families and individuals who have become temporarily homeless or episodically homeless. This approach directs resources toward people-primarily families-who are able to move more quickly towards self-sufficiency and independence.

It is not the purpose of the Ten-Year Plan to dismantle the current system. Instead, this plan is meant to expand the current system and provide services for individuals who are disabled, chronically homeless, and not served by the current system either due to the nature of their disability or because of eligibility requirements imposed by current public funding.

What is HUD?

HUD is an acronym for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. See their website at www.hud.gov. You can find a list of terms and definitions in our glossary.

How can I educate my child about homelessness?

The National Alliance to end homelessness offers fact sheets on the causes and solutions to homelessness. They also provide a teacher’s guide to homelessness. See their “Fact Sheets for Students” information by clicking here.

To learn more about homelessness, see these websites:
National Coalition for the Homeless
National Law Center On Homelessness and Poverty
National Alliance to End Homelessness
U.S. Interagency on Homelessness
National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness