Ending Chronic Homelessness Initiative of Sacramento

Sacramento County has adopted a Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. The implementation coordination activities are housed at the nonprofit, Community Services Planning Council. To view the Plan, see http://www.communitycouncil.org. Many new planning and systems change activities must take place in order to create the “paradigm shift” and new programs that will begin taking long term homeless people with disabilities and substance abuse issues off the street permanently. While the Chronically Homeless make up about 10 percent of the homeless population, they use about 50 percent of the resources that provide services to the homeless. Housing First means providing permanent supportive housing with minimal barriers to homeless people with disabilities. It is cheaper to give an individual their own apartment rather then having them move in and out of hospitals and jails, and once housed, they can engage services.