By Sara Beth Williams–
Citrus Heights officials gathered together with Sacramento County, city, and other local electeds, along with hundreds of attendees, for a joint county-city session to address homelessness and behavioral health issues in the county.
The meeting was held at the Sacramento Public Library on Oct. 28, and no official action items were listed in the hours-long meeting agenda.
The joint session, which Sacramento Board of Supervisors Chair Phil Serna called “historic,” brought together 20 elected officials, including the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, the Sacramento City Council, and mayors and city officials from each city within the county, including Citrus Heights Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa, City Manager Ash Feeney, and other city staff.
Throughout the day, officials heard presentations from various officials and organizations, including the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Sacramento Steps Forward, Sacramento County Behavioral Health, and directors from each city’s housing services division, before joining in a facilitated discussion on what next steps to take.
During the discussion on the potential for future shared governance to address homelessness in Sacramento County, Karpinski-Costa said she did not think Citrus Heights needed to participate in shared governance but added that she would like to confer with the rest of the Citrus Heights City Council before issuing a final decision on participation.
Karpinski-Costa emphasized that Citrus Heights has set its focus on affordable housing, as well as homelessness prevention, through recently awarding the Citrus Heights Homeless Assistance Resource Team with $40,000 to help with their rental assistance program.
During the meeting, Citrus Heights Housing and Services Program Coordinator Nicole Piva provided an overview of how Citrus Heights is addressing homelessness within its city limits. Piva outlined ongoing partnerships with Sacramento County and local nonprofits, highlighted the work of the Beautification Crew, and reported on the completion of Sunrise Pointe, the city’s first affordable housing complex in more than two decades. Additional housing projects in the works include the redevelopment of the Auburn Oaks site into 88 units and ongoing construction of 26 single-family affordable homes on Sayonara Drive.
Many officials concurred that more affordable housing options should be one of the top priorities for addressing current homelessness and helping to prevent homelessness.
In response to Karpinski-Costa’s hesitancy, several other elected officials said the homelessness crisis required urgent and coordinated action, particularly as temperatures drop heading into winter. Sacramento Mayor Pro Tem Eric Guerra and Galt Mayor Shawn Farmer both emphasized the importance of all of the entities working together.
Sacramento City Councilmember Caity Maple said there have been multiple Grand Jury reports over the years that have recommended a Joint Powers of Authority be formed to address homelessness. Farmer said smaller jurisdictions still should maintain a seat at the table, as decisions made by larger cities can significantly impact smaller communities.
Sacramento Steps Forward, the nonprofit agency that coordinates regional homelessness efforts, strongly encouraged the development of a regional task force that would be able to more quickly and effectively address homelessness. The Sacramento District Attorney’s office also expressed support for returning the Homeless Services and Response Agency to local authority, stating that greater collaboration between local governments could improve safety and accountability.
At the conclusion of the discussion, prior to public comment, all officials were asked by facilitators from Mosaic Solutions and Advocacy whether they were willing to continue pursuing the formation of a multi-governmental body to address homelessness and behavioral health. All representatives said yes, some emphasizing the urgency of the situation. Karpinski-Costa’s answer to the question was “to be determined.”
Karpinski-Costa did not respond to a request for comment following the meeting on Oct. 28.
