Sacremento Self Help Housing

Jeremy's Journey Back

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Those experiencing homelessness often live with a multitude of personal challenges, such as an unforeseen loss of a home or family member or adjusting to the material conditions of life on the street. Some may have histories of trauma, including sexual, psychological, or physical abuse which make the transition back to a life of permanent housing almost insurmountable. Breaking through the barrier of “wanting to get off the street,” is the most difficult and first step on their journey to permanent housing.

“Regardless of their history, I am here as a resource and judgment-free friend to help them get off the street when they are ready.” Says the Citrus Heights Navigator. “The best we can do for some of our community's unhoused that are caught up in addiction or interpersonal conflict is be ready and willing to help when they make the decision to try and get off the street. Everyone’s on a different path.”

Jeremy (left) was homeless and an addict for 5 years. He lost a child to a rare condition, and couldn't think of a way forward, so he turned to a fix and the street.

About 5 months ago his mother died - he hit rock bottom. Jeremy had no support system and not much to live for. “Once I recognized that everyone in my life was afraid of me, I knew I needed to get off the street.”

After 5 years of going to the Citrus Heights HART Winter Sanctuary, a local winter shelter program for the unhoused during the coldest months of the year and periodically communicating and neglecting the Navigator and HART Volunteers, Jeremy made the decision to enlist their help.

At the beginning of August 2021, Jeremy is 90 days sober and excelling in the Grace House recovery program.

Citrus Heights HART paid his rent on the recommendation from the navigator. - "Jeremy’s ready to get off the street."

For people like Jeremy, the willingness to accept help is the first and biggest step off the street. Now, it’s not always hitting rock bottom that prompts this change. Sometimes it comes in the form of a loss of a family member or a simple urge to take a shower and sleep in a bed. “Whatever it is,” says the navigator, “it is critical for us to be there ready to provide barrier-free support.”

Next up, Jeremy is taking the court-ordered appropriate steps to get back into the lives of his children and leads a homeless outreach ministry within his recovery program where he prepares and serves 50+ meals a week to the unhoused in Citrus Heights.

David's Progress Report

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In life, progress takes many forms, from transformative to negligible. It can be accepting a well-deserved, higher-paid position, deciding to spend more time with the family, or simply making marginal improvements to your day-to-day routine to be healthier. Oftentimes in the social services space, progress is holding the course in a progressive state of recovery from a societal, economic, or mental health condition bogging you down. Such is the case with the newest SSHH employee and graduate of the Grace House recovery program, David.

The last time we spoke with David, he was thankful for SSHH’s Homeless Outreach Navigator and Citrus Heights HART supporting the start and (can confirm) longevity of his journey in recovery. Since, David has made great strides. Thanks to a sponsorship from HART, David once again has his license and graduated from the recovery program - sober. He’s employed full-time by the agency that supported, and still supports, his transition off the street onto a life of permanent and sustainable housing.

“My journey off the street and my recoveries are one and the same, a new way of life. I put in work in both, every day. I stay busy doing what I find joy in and take matters day by day. SSHH and Citrus Heights HART had shown me compassion, getting involved in compassion is what I needed to keep going.”

Going forward, David’s goal is to stay consistent. “I’m not getting high today.” But also to revel in what he’s achieved. David is now 400 days sober, living in and paying for his own room, and holding a leadership position in his support group.

David can be found Tuesdays at the Arden library and Wednesdays at Carmichael Park, where he meets with the local homeless to offer advice and housing referrals, as an SSHH Homeless Outreach Navigator. The job of a Homeless Outreach Navigators is to help the unhoused find their way back to a life of permanent housing.

SIP Housing, A Success

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Meet Eric (Right). Eric is thriving in our SIP Permanent Supportive Housing program. Before getting connected with SSHH, Eric was homeless and arrested over 25 times for public intoxication and other similar alcohol-related violations. Since moving into SIP housing, he hasn’t had a single run-in with the law.

The SIP program logic is as follows: it is more cost-effective to move a serial user of emergency services into permanent housing than to leave them on the street to keep getting arrested and spending community dollars. SIP program participants are able to drink in the safety of their home (like you and me). Each house is placed near a liquor store so participants have safe access to drinks and stay off the streets. When they are ready to try sober living, we move them into a recovery program or dry house. SIP is part of SSHH's Permanent Supportive Housing Program.

Tina's Experince

Meet Tina. Though she is thrilled to have her own one-bedroom place in the new Elk Grove Quail Run Apartments, Tina insisted the story she told was not about her individual journey, but about the struggle of seniors in the current housing climate. As she gestured around her living room, “those of us getting older in California have nowhere to go when our rent is too high. The resources for people like me seem non-existent. Though I am grateful to SSHH and the City of Elk Grove for the apartment, resources are few and far between, considering the number of homeless and rent-burdened seniors.”

On one night in 2019, there were 1,097 homeless older adults in Sacramento County. Around 700, or 65% of homeless seniors were living on the street. This is no surprise considering 18% of all unsheltered persons are over the age of 55.

According to 2019 California numbers, 56% of low-income seniors are severely rent-burdened. Compared to 28% of the general population, seniors are in dire straights. Low-income seniors who rent, numbering more than half a million in California, can be forced to move far from their established social and medical networks to find rentals they can afford; they may end up in substandard housing, or at worst homeless. This can have deadly consequences. Housing instability and homelessness make preserving medication, receiving regular health care services, and getting a vaccine nearly impossible. Those that are rent-burdened are far more likely to miss a medical appointment or avoid healthcare all together due to its costs.

Why are Seniors in California disproportionately susceptible to homelessness? The answer is complex, but can be distilled to two reasons: First, fixed incomes, such as SSI or retirement accounts, can no longer cover the increasing cost of rent. Second, the Capital Region's housing inventory falls short to meet seniors' public and subsidized housing needs.

What helped Tina? Tina is housed because of an innovative partnership between SSHH, Elk Grove HART, the City of Elk Grove, and the “Affordable Housing” Quail Run Apartments. SSHH’s Homeless Outreach Navigator was able to provide wrap-around case management and supportive services to help Tina apply. Thanks to the navigator’s help, and Tina’s perseverance, she qualified and was chosen to move at the beginning of May.

For perspective, when the Quail Run Apartments announced plans to open 96 new affordable housing units, 28,000 individuals and families applied. More needs to be done.

Beverly

Meet Beverly.

Beverly is a resident of our Permanent Supportive Housing Program. Permanent supportive housing is an intervention that combines affordable housing assistance with voluntary support services to address the needs of the chronically unhoused. The services are designed to build independent living and tenancy skills and connect people with community-based health care, treatment, and employment services.

Like so many others, Beverly had a streak of bad luck and her life changed. She lost her husband and became too sick to work. Unable to pay rent, she lost her housing. After living on the street, Beverly found safety and a community in a downtown Sacramento shelter program. Unfortunately, not soon after her arrival, the shelter lost funding and was set to close. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because from here, Beverly and her case manager connected with the SSHH Navigator and applied for SSHH’s Permanent Supportive Housing Program.

We’re proud to say Beverly is thriving. Since moving into our program last winter, she's accomplished a lot. Here's a message from her case manager: “When Beverly moved in, we were able to immediately set her up with a primary doctor, med delivery service, and transportation to her appointments. She really has been an exemplary resident. Beverly has one son and nine grandchildren and normally leaves our program on the weekend to visit family. Beverly always talks about how grateful she is for the beautiful house she now lives in."

Beverly is looking forward to celebrating Friendsgiving with her fellow residents, house leader, and case manager. We wish her the best.

The above picture is Beverly saying thanks to SAFE Credit Union for the gift bag filled with sanitation and hygiene items.

Tiffany

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Tiffany was born into a difficult family. She rarely got along with her sisters and parents, which persisted into her mental health issues. In adulthood, she started down the wrong path. She began a life in and out of jail, driven by the next fix. Drugs were her only escape.

After 10 years of marriage and three children, Tiffany got divorced. While using, she was unable to handle the responsibilities of normal life, and her relationship went downhill. The low was hit when Tiffany’s mother called the police on her daughter for using. She was a danger to her mother, a danger to herself - and Tiffany agreed.

This time, Tiffany’s 3-month stay in prison was the turning point. Because she was homeless, Tiffany qualified for a housing program after she served her time, so long as she stayed clean and followed the rules. She said, the promise of permanent housing and the potential to have her own oasis away from drugs and abuse was enough to motivate her to stay clean and progress to a life she deemed worth living.

After being released from prison early, Tiffany moved into transitional housing. Here, she began taking anger management classes and attending weekly therapy sessions. Last January, Tiffany celebrated 2 years sober and moved into her own apartment, thanks to help from her Wellspace Case Manager and SSHH’s Property Related Tenants Services Program (PRTS). Tiffany is currently permanently housed in SSHH’s PRTS program.

Tiffany is now working towards her goals of purchasing a car and finding full-time work. She is looking forward to being off of probation in April 2021. October update - Tiffany is now working full-time with the local school district! Way to go Tiffany!

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