SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The state has approved nearly $24 million dollars for a new homeless housing project in Sacramento. The permanent supportive housing will be located at H Street between 11th and 12th Streets in downtown Sacramento, just a block and a half from city hall.
The money is from California’s $846 milllion Homekey program.
Sacramento Councilmember Katie Valenzuela explained what the project will entail.
“This is going to turn into 92 units of permanent supportive housing, 15 of which will have dedicated funding and support from the mental health services act from the county,” she said.
Valenzuela said it will help fix a current flaw in rehabilitating the unhoused.
“There simply isn’t the residential treatment programs or long-term housing that folks need to exit the shelter system successfully,” she explained.
The housing will be where the Best Western Sutter House is currently located.
“It really is a versatile space. We’re going to be able to have a pet area underneath the building where they have that open space, a smoking area. It’s just ideally suited and situated for the needs of the community we’re trying to target,” Valenzuela said.
Neighboring business owners like attorney Josiah Young had nuanced takes on the plan.
“I mean there are homeless people, there are tons of homeless people down here and I do have to make sure I’m looking out for my staff and the safety of my clients. And it’s not a safety hazard, but it is something that we consider,” said Young.
He’d like to see the development carried out thoughtfully.
“It’s making sure that if we are increasing the prevalence of people needing support services and people who have hit a tough skid in life, we want to make sure those services are holistically applied and improve the quality of their life and don’t become additional challenge for the neighborhood. But as I utter that in the same breath, I have a huge feeling of joy and a huge feeling of opportunity and a huge feeling of positiveness, because I do want to see resources be allocated to those in our community in need,” said Young.
It’s a similar story for real estate broker Garry Osipov, owner of Alta Group Realty.
“It truly breaks my heart. You want to help them, but I believe the state should be able to go into this and help,” Osipov said.
He’s optimistic but is taking a wait-and-see approach.
“I feel right now so far it’s been quiet. I wonder if once this community development starts, that if it’s going to create problems. I have that fear. But again, you know, I hope that people will be securing the apartment, that it’s going to resolve the situation,” said Osipov.
He hopes it will make a dent in the effort to solve homelessness.
“By providing the living area for homeless people that it will resolve the situation of having tents and people sleeping next to the city hall,” Osipov said.
