Housing

City buys 102 acres in South Sacramento for affordable homes, plans to convert downtown hotel to homeless housing

January 21, 2022 | Chris Nichols

Councilmember Mai Vang plans to hold community listening sessions to help determine the best use of the South Sacramento property. Early ideas include adding a new park.

Sacramento’s much-coveted housing voucher waitlist is open. Here’s how to apply.

January 12, 2022 | Chris Nichols

A total of 5,000 applicants will be placed on the waiting list through a random selection after the list closes on Jan. 26.

Sacramento wants to move a group of homeless residents to a new riverfront camp. Some worry it will flood.

December 31, 2021 | Chris Nichols

The city-sanctioned Safe Ground camp would be the first in Sacramento to open on private property. It would close after three months.

State Government

Is ‘right to housing’ a solution to California homelessness?

December 6, 2021

In the new episode of “Gimme Shelter: The California Housing Crisis Podcast.” CalMatters’ Manuela Tobias and the Los Angeles Times’ Liam Dillon interview Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg on his “right to housing” proposal to reduce homelessness.

State Government

Will California’s plan for clearing homeless camps work?

November 16, 2021

Gov. Newsom says the situation with homeless encampments is unacceptable. The state housing agency is funding more services, while Caltrans is clearing some camps. But advocates are wary.

Sacramento’s ‘safe ground’ locations help unhoused people, but advocates say more need to open before winter

October 27, 2021 | Sammy Caiola

Six months after its opening, a city of Sacramento program to let unhoused people camp and park in an empty lot is getting some people indoors. But advocates say it’s not enough, especially with cold weather approaching.

Race and Equity

An elderly Oak Park woman’s longtime home might be sold due to unfinished construction. She’s fighting to keep it.

October 20, 2021 | Kris Hooks

Wanda Clark says a contractor took off with her money before renovating her home. Years later, the house remains unfinished, city fines have piled up and the courts want to sell it.

Caltrans pauses ‘sweeps’ of homeless camps but city of Sacramento continues

October 18, 2021 | Janelle Salanga

Caltrans stopped encampment clean-ups in order to find solutions to help homeless people relocate.

State Government

Are immigrants getting left out of California’s rent relief?

October 17, 2021

Non-English speaking immigrants face some of the biggest hurdles to receiving California rent relief. Advocates say informal leases, lack of technology access and language barriers are getting in the way.

City of Sacramento sets up department to respond to nonviolent emergencies

October 5, 2021 | Megan Manata | Vicki Gonzalez

Since even before the pandemic began in 2020, the unhoused population in the state has grown. The city of Sacramento is working on using social workers instead of police for crisis calls.