Phenomena usually aren’t explained easily, and their potential solutions are layered and complex.  Homeless in Greater Sacramento is an under addressed phenomenon and, stands to get increasingly worse if involvement isn’t pursued on community and legislative levels.  When we consider homelessness one interpretation can be the result of an inability to keep up with a variety of specific demands. While subsequent considerations might include access to education, job availability, workforce and retirement preparedness, and mental health status, they tend to be attached to long term planning.

There are currently ___ individuals experiencing holmelessness while another ____ are at risk.  ___% of this population are veterans or families of vets who didn’t receive the supportive and/or mental-health services they deserve.  And while there is a common “Reap What You Sew,” mentality associated with misfortune, it supports notions of selfish individualism and community abandonment.  We can see this mentality play out on legislative levels as, very little is being done to help support our most vulnerable populations.

Traditionally, Room and Boards have been assigned “Dorm Rooms for Grown Ups.”  They have also been compared to military barracks, they’re “a symbol for the transient nature of American life,” and “In some cases, these boarding houses also preserve someone’s culture of origin while also helping them understand the customs of their new community.”  Today we progressively look at them as non traditional familial environments and, highly curated communities of like minded individuals. ( https://www.citylab.com/life/2016/02/brief-history-of-co-living-spaces/470115/ )

Single Room Occupancies have been a popular kind of Room and Board for centuries.  But similar to most major cities, SRO’s have been on a steady and rapid decline in Sacramento with most already having been “demolished, sold for commercial use, or converted into upper-scale apartment housing.” Three years ago, Joe Brewer, a 65 year old Vietnam War Veteran, had no home after having served intermittent jail time for cocaine posession and assault with a deadly weapon.  He represents so many others like himself related to a “criminal record and lack of rental history making him an unlikely candidate for renting an apartment in downtown Sacramento.” ( https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/beyond-sacramento/article231688963.html )

Brewer ended up benefitting from the placement assistance of a non profit organization to successfully access housing in a local complex called Golden Lofts.  He now pays $500 monthly for his room but, most aren’t as fortunate. Immediate, and long term assistance is scarce. “Today, as few as 13 residential complexes offer SROs, totaling 762 units, according to Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency Executive Director La Shelle Dozier. One of these, Capitol Park, faces conversion to a homeless shelter later this year.” ( https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/beyond-sacramento/article231688963.html )