SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — The Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness honored the more than 160 homeless residents who died this year.
The group held a candlelight vigil Wednesday night outside of Sacramento City Hall to read their names and push for change. It was held in recognition of the unhoused residents who have died this year.
The coalition said one unhoused person dies every two days in the county.
Jeannie Phelps lost her husband, Patrick, about a month ago. She said that they have experienced homelessness over the years.
"He was really caring," she said. "I want all homeless people off the streets. Help them."
In the first 6 months of this year alone, 93 people living on the streets of Sacramento County died, according to a new report released this week from the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness.
The main cause was substance use, accounting for about 49% of those deaths. Others were related to violence or natural causes. 26% were related to violence, including blunt force trauma, shootings and stabbings. One person died from hypothermia.
"It's a tragedy to have folks dying on the streets of Sacramento when we could be doing more to bring them inside and keep them warm," said Angela Hassell, executive director of Sacramento Loaves and Fishes.
"It's cold," said Bob Erlenbusch, executive director of Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness. "We need warming centers open 24/7."
He said this is Sacramento's ninth year holding the memorial. The event is held annually on the winter solstice, which is the 24-hour period with the fewest hours of daylight for the year.
"It's symbolic also because then we start the slow march to spring which to me symbolizes hope: hope that the city and county partnership will work, hope that the city and county will stop criminalizing people experiencing homelessness," said Erlenbusch.
The county acknowledges more needs to be done to ease the homeless crisis.
“It is just something we are working so hard to decrease, and I don’t know how quickly we will be able to decrease it. We have so many new resources coming up in the next year, six months,” said Janna Haynes, a spokesperson for Sacramento County.
Sacramento County is putting $10 million toward setting up more than 150 beds for substance use disorder and $5 million for behavioral health crisis units. The county has also approved two Safe Stay communities, which adds another 165 beds.
Erlenbusch is hoping the county will utilize unused buildings and office spaces to act as warming shelters.
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