Comprehensive Update on Response to Homelessness

​​​The Sacramento County Departments of Homeless Services and Housing, as well as Health Services presented their biannual report to the Board detailing outreach efforts to the homeless population in the unincorporated region of Sacramento, as well as the American River Parkway from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2024.

The most recent Point in Time (PIT) count, conducted in January 2024, found that 561 people were homeless living unsheltered in the unincorporated County of Sacramento. The American River Parkway does not have its own separate population count in the PIT, but is estimated to have anywhere between 500-1000 folks camping on the 23 mile stretch at any point in time.

Outreach By the Numbers

From Jan. 1 to June 30, 2024, County outreach teams, consisting of 10 parkway staff, eight encampment services staff and eight community-based outreach staff, provided 25,433 services to 995 unduplicated individuals and supported 256 unduplicated individuals with transitioning out of unsheltered homelessness (which included shelter and housing).

Examples of services numbers and types include:

256 individuals transitioned out of unsheltered homelessness (37% of clients)​

Behavioral Health Services by the numbers

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​From Jan. 1 to June 30, 2024, 757 unhoused residents were referred to behavioral health services and 609 individuals (80.4%) were successfully admitted and linked to services.

During the same period, HEART Team efforts included:

Brand New Data Dashboards

Data presented in the dashboards are organized into two general categories:

Explore the dashboards and discover how the collective efforts are making a difference in our community. Currently, the dashboards only reflect demographics and outcomes from DHSH funded programs.

What is the County Investing in Homeless Solutions?

Overall, the County of Sacramento is investing more than $220 million on programs, services and solutions for homelessness. Those funding investments span across nearly a dozen County departments, with the largest investments coming from the Departments of Homeless Services and Housing which funds sheltering sites, rehousing programs and a variety of outreach supports and services; Health Services, which houses Behavioral Health - responsible for the delivery of mental health and substance abuse services and programs; and Human Assistance which administers public benefits and programs.

This last year there was also a large investment from General Services for Capital Investments in County projects for Safe Stay communities, Permanent Supportive Housing investments, land acquisition and more.

Only 25% of the money invested in homeless services and programs comes from the County's general fund. Nearly half of the money comes from the State, another 10% from the American Rescue Plan Act (APRA) funding and 18% from the federal government that isn't ARPA funding. Almost 70% of the money the County invests into homeless solutions is spent externally, through contracts with community-based organizations (CBOs) that manage programs and service contracts.