Timely allocation under the approved state budget will help the City of Sacramento implement the local Measure O and help bring people off of the streets
- Simone Braithwaite
- Simone.Braithwaite@asm.ca.gov
SACRAMENTO - Assemblymember McCarty (D-Sacramento) announces that the final 2023-24 state budget includes an estimated $48.6 million for the City of Sacramento and Sacramento County to help fund emergency shelters and services for the homeless, and legislative intent to fund future rounds.
This round of funding includes enhanced accountability of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Grant Program, including Regional Homeless Action Plans, which will for the first time require a regional approach to homeless that will be memorialized in Memorandum of Understandings between the city, county and Continuum of Cares (CoCs). This approach builds on AB 1086, legislation McCarty introduced a few weeks ago to form the Sacramento County Partnership on Homelessness – a Joint Powers Authority to develop a collaborative county-wide effort to address homelessness.
The accountability provisions also include specific metrics to measure success and specific actions for increased accountability of local agencies, and expedite bonus round allocations from previous budget years to provide aid faster.
The funds are estimated to go to three homelessness programs:
1) Sacramento County Continuum of Care program, ($12.3 million) which addresses issues related to homelessness through a coordinated community-based process;
2) City of Sacramento HHAP program, ($24.7 million) which is a grant program that provides local jurisdictions with funds to support regional coordination for homelessness services and expand programs in the community to address immediate challenges. This is on top of the $24.7 million the City received in the 2022-23 budget, and an increase from the $16.7 million in the 2021-22 budget for these services;
3) County of Sacramento HHAP program, ($11.57 million) which has the same function as the City of Sacramento HHAP, but covers the whole county.
“We fought hard for these funds, and we expect to see a meaningful and immediate impact on the homeless crisis throughout Sacramento,” said Assemblymember Kevin McCarty. “With this increase in monies from prior years and an increase in accountability, we’re counting on seeing greater results with less people living on the streets.”
"I want to thank Gov. Newsom and the Legislature for this year's round of HHAP funding, which will allow us to continue sheltering 1,100 people every night in the City of Sacramento and to launch new efforts in partnership with Sacramento County," said Mayor Darrell Steinberg. "Unsheltered homelessness is a public health and safety emergency that requires a proportionate crisis response."
SB 101 includes the $1 billion in funds statewide for homelessness projects and initiatives and SB 129 provides the enhanced accountability and expedited allocations from previous budget years.
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Kevin McCarty represents California’s 6th Assembly District, which includes the city of Sacramento and parts of unincorporated Sacramento County. McCarty serves as Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance. Website of Assemblymember Kevin McCarty: https://a06.asmdc.org/