Chris Jones by the Sacramento River Photo by Aniko Kiezel
Hope For Homelessness SAN ANTONIO MAKES IT WORK, SO WHY NOT US? BY CHRIS JONES GUEST OPINION
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acramento is in trouble. In the past decade, the homeless population has expanded from 2,400 to an estimated 10,000. Local officials have tried to mitigate the crisis, but nothing seems to stick. Are we doomed to endure this escalating humanitarian crisis? The answer is no. There are cities that have made real, significant progress in reducing the number of unsheltered people. Let me tell you about one. As president of the nonprofit shelter organization Hope for Sacramento, I recently visited the Haven for Hope campus in San Antonio. I witnessed a successful program built on a commonsense approach to serving homeless people with complex needs. Accompanied by Hope for Sacramento board members, I toured the Texas facility with the Haven for Hope executive team of Terresa Smith, David Huete and Molly Biglori. I
returned confident the Haven for Hope model will thrive in Sacramento—if we find the will. Opened in 2010 on 22 acres, the Haven for Hope campus resulted from 18 months of research into what worked and what failed when it came to homeless services. The answer was a unified campus approach that brings service providers together under one roof and makes access simple. The campus is split into two main components, the courtyard and transformational campus. The courtyard is a low-barrier shelter for anyone who needs a place to stay, clean clothes and food. Drugs or weapons aren’t allowed, but the courtyard doesn’t impose sobriety requirements. Guests come and go and stay as long as they wish. There’s a food bank that serves 30,000 meals every month. The cafeteria doubles as indoor sleeping quarters at night. A rapid rehousing program helps people who aren’t suffering from mental health or substance-abuse disorders. The program provides security deposits and first month’s rent. About 400 people
benefited in the past year, reducing the average length of stay from approximately two years to three or four months. There’s a clinic for medical, dental and vision care that serves homeless residents and underserved people in the community. The transformational campus is where people go when they are ready to make a commitment to address the causes of their homelessness. Almost 70 organizations provide services. Another 80 accept referrals off site. Assistance includes drug and alcohol treatment, mental health counseling, job training and placement, ID recovery, legal and jail diversion, mail and more. Transformational campus guests work to make sustainable changes in their lives. They receive support from Haven for Hope staff. It really works. More than 5,900 people have exited the transformational campus into permanent housing, and 89 percent were still housed one year later. The Haven for Hope model can allow Sacramento to finally turn the
corner on our humanitarian crisis. By consolidating efforts among the city and county, local businesses and nonprofit service providers, we can increase the accessibility of services, increase housing retention and lower the number of people living on our streets. San Antonio has reduced its downtown homeless population by 77 percent since 2010—the opposite direction of Sacramento’s numbers. Nearly $100 million has been saved in San Antonio’s hospital, court and jail costs. Imagine what could Sacramento do with an extra $100 million. If we can find the political will to change what hasn’t worked and emulate what does work, we can find sensible, humanitarian solutions. We can keep people from entering the cycle of homelessness and help others begin productive lives. This isn’t a dream. The model awaits us. It works at Haven for Hope. Chris Jones is president of Hope for Sacramento and can be reached at (916) 335-7329. n
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