Yolo County homeless may be offered motel stays
West Sacramento commits $50K to fund Housing First Initiative
Yolo County and West Sacramento are taking a bold step to address homelessness.
Starting next week, people without homes who live along the north levee riverbank in West Sacramento -- near the Broderick boat ramp -- may get the option to move into a motel temporarily.
Watch report: Yolo County, West Sac might house homeless in motels
It's part of the Housing First Initiative, which is a model used in other parts of the country.
"We're anticipating that we would place people 60 to 120 days in a motel, as we're moving to identify the permanent places," said Joan Planell, director of the Yolo County Department of Employment and Social Services.
West Sacramento already committed $50,000 to fund the program.
On Tuesday, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors will vote to match the funds.
Then Thursday, the county's Housing Authority will decide on housing vouchers that will be offered to participants after their motel stays are up.
Yolo County estimates there are 89 people between the ages of 22 and 61 living along the riverbank.
Serjuan Jimenez has been staying in the tent city for about two years.
"I lost my job, my husband, my kids, everything," she said Monday. "Everybody told me this is where they were coming when they were homeless, so I came here."
Now she has to find a new place, because the property has been sold to a developer.
But the community program offers the option for permanent housing, only if participants commit to other wraparound social services.
"They're offering counseling," Jimenez said. "People looking for jobs, people that want to get off drugs or alcohol -- they're offering those kinds of programs and I'm willing to take (them)."
For her, it's a step in the right direction.
"I have three kids and a grandson and that's a foot in the door," she said.