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…