SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Sacramento County’s million-dollar solution to help the unhoused is now three months behind schedule. The tiny home community on Florin Road set to open in the fall has now been pushed back, possibly to 2023.
The major issue is supply chain issues for things as simple as fencing. The site already has a fence, but it must be switched out for something providing more privacy and security.
Janna Haynes with Sacramento County says they went through the bidding process and are close to closing with a company.
“Some internal delays, the Board of Supervisors asked us to do six weeks of additional community outreach, which delayed our initial estimate and now that the provider is reviewing the site plan and making some additional changes that delays our building permits and thus our ordering of materials,” said Haynes.
Haynes said City Net put in the contract but is still awaiting approval from the board. They run tiny home communities across the state and are already making suggestions for improvement, but that’s where supply chain issues come in.
“We have giant tents we are waiting for, electrical cords, sanitation stations,” said Haynes.
So not only are the six weeks of additional outreach pushing the project by months, they're also delaying the ordering of materials.
“To do outreach to people who are already living unsheltered in this immediate area within several thousand feet up to a mile,” said Haynes.
On the other side of the fence, Thaiquce Le saw the homes and moved his entire life over to Florin Road starting his own line for the community.
“Sooner or later, they will get people in there you know so it will come up again,” Le said.
He said he hopes this will finally give him a place to call home.
“It’s warming, wintertime is coming up, Christmas time, New Year’s and I have a late date with my sister,” Le said.
The goal of the site is to not just shelter people, but transition them to housing.
The county expects it will be $5.5 million to get the site up and operational, plus the contract for the day-to-day.
ABC10 spoke with the manufacturer of these homes, Pallet. They said they aren’t experiencing any supply chain issues -- construction is done.
The county has another tiny home lot they also plan to open in 2023. The county says they do not want to rush the Florin Road opening, saying this is their opportunity to prove to Sacramento this is the solution.
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