Last Tuesday, the Sacramento City Council approved contracts aimed at supporting homeless youth in the city. A total of $1.3 million will fund four programs focused on transitional-aged youth (TAY) experiencing homelessness. Among the recipients are the Village Youth Shelter Program run by Waking the Village and the Common Ground Shelter Program operated by Wind Youth Services.
The initiatives also include the Sacramento LGBT Community Center's Short-Term Transitional Emergency Program and Transitional Living Program. They are funded by the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) grant from the State of California. The contracts are scheduled to run through September 30, 2026, despite a 40% reduction in the City’s most recent HHAP funding, a decrease partly attributed to a decline in the homeless population according to the 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) count, City of Sacramento reported.
According to the City of Sacramento, Brian Pedro, director of the Department of Community Response (DCR), which oversees the contracts, emphasized the importance of TAY shelters in the city’s efforts to address homelessness. He noted that the funding supports the city’s approach to assisting people experiencing homelessness in a way that is both compassionate and fiscally responsible.
In response to the reduction in funding, the DCR has been working to lower per-night shelter costs to maintain shelter-bed capacity across the city. Pedro emphasized the collaborative efforts with shelter partners to maximize efficiency and continue serving as many people as possible.
The City Council’s actions extended beyond youth-focused programs. On December 9, it also approved contracts for family shelters and outreach programs. A one-year, $2.9 million contract with Hope Cooperative will continue operations at the Outreach and Engagement Center (OEC) on Auburn Boulevard. The center serves as both an overnight shelter and a day program for families with children, supporting roughly 800 clients this year, including 135 children.
Additionally, a $1.2 million agreement with Step Up on Second Street will extend case-carrying outreach services through December 2026. Step Up’s outreach workers, in coordination with the DCR, have enrolled nearly 300 people in the Homeless Management Information System and provided more than 3,800 services to individuals in need.
