SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The state plans on giving some 350 sleeping cabins to the city of Sacramento to use as transitional housing for people experiencing homelessness.
It was the promise Gov. Gavin Newsom made during a speech at Cal Expo back in March and one a state spokesperson repeated to ABC10 Thursday, though nobody could offer a substantive update on the project.
The sleeping cabins – also referred to as tiny homes – are part of the 1,200 Newsom promised to four jurisdictions throughout the state “free of charge and ready for occupancy”: 350 to Sacramento, 200 to San Jose, 500 to Los Angeles and 150 to San Diego County. The governor’s office said the homes would have electricity, but they won’t have plumbing, water or cooking appliances.
The 1,200 structures are set to cost the state about $30 million, with local leaders deciding where they will go and providing services once the cabins arrive.
“However, when needed and when available, the state will provide surplus land to use as an option for small homes,” according to a news release from the governor’s office. “Local governments will own the units and provide all services, including recruiting residents, leveraging previously provided state funding.”
So, where are the buildings and what about the location? Much ado was made about Cal Expo being the likely site for Sacramento’s cabins, but little has been said about plans since the March announcement.
“At present, discussions around the use of Cal Expo are still ongoing,” said California Department of General Services spokesperson Monica Hassan. “There will be no single location for all of the cabins, however we have identified an initial site in Sacramento that we plan to announce soon. Progress continues to be made in a timely manner and we look forward to sharing more information in the near future.”
Neither the city nor Cal Expo had anything additional to add.
“The city does not have an update from what was previously reported on at this time,” city of Sacramento spokesperson Katharine Weir-Ebster told ABC10.
Cal Expo spokesperson Darla Givens told ABC10 there’s no formal statement and Cal Expo leaders are still waiting to hear from city and county leaders.
“I think it’s all going to be about procurement, and that’s going to take some time. As quickly as we are able to get the homes, we will be able to get this going, but I’ve been around long enough to know that while I want it to be next week or two weeks from now, it’s probably months from now," said Mayor Darrell Steinberg at the March news conference.
It’s why the private sector is stepping in to offer help in the form of an army of local architects and builders who are volunteering their time to design transitional housing.
“If we were operating at the same pace that the government is operating right now, we would’ve been fired by our client long ago for not performing, not producing,” said architect Bob Chase.
Chase is a former deputy state architect and chief building official for the City of Sacramento. Now a private consultant, he and his longtime friend John Hodgson — an attorney, real estate developer and CEO of the Hodgson Company — have gathered a group of local architects and builders who have volunteered thousands of hours over the last few years to find solutions to the homelessness crisis in the Sacramento area. They’re hoping to work with the local governments.
“We're saying, ‘Let us in the private sector help. We don't have to do it all. You don't have to do it our way. But we sure would like to have the opportunity to give suggestions,’” said Hodgson. “There's cooperation out there. This is not an adversarial thing. It's just more everybody saying, ‘Let's get it done. Let's get it done. Let’s get it done.’”
They’re consulting for Sacramento County for free, designing tiny home sites they say can be built quickly and effectively.
“We've got some designs that we think can be built quicker, more cost-effective, better-looking, more attractive and probably as importantly compatible with the surrounding neighborhoods,” said Hodgson.
They say permanent supportive housing is the ultimate goal, but that takes years to build. In the meantime, people need a place to live other than sidewalks and along the American River Parkway, which is why they’re focusing on transitional housing right now.
“Any solution, I think, is better than the sidewalk or the riverbank. So if it's safe parking, anything with security, with any kind of sanitary facilities - we’ll bring in social services as well - is an improvement over where many of the people are right now,” said Chase.
They went to LA earlier this year on their own dime, visiting tiny home communities there to see what’s working and what they could bring back to Sacramento.
“Our goal is really to get something started,” said Chase. “We feel if we can get one facility up and running - that can be done well and could look good with our architect teams - it will help pave the way for more to come.”
They’re working with public and private entities, looking for sites close to resources and jobs.
“I think most people don't understand being homeless doesn't mean they're jobless,” said Chase. “These people do need to be near transportation. They're not making enough money to afford an apartment, but they are making money and they are working.”
Chase and Hodgson have presented plans to and are actively meeting with local elected officials.
“Let's make something happen,” said Chase.
Both men are hopeful about a proposal by Mayor Steinberg to grant city manager Howard Chan the authority to identify Safe Grounds camping sites, bypassing city councilmembers in the process. The city council will discuss and vote on the proposal at Tuesday’s meeting.
“To take the direction for the solution away from seven or eight people. Anytime you have a group trying to move things forward, it’s more challenging than having one person involved,” said Chase. “So I am optimistic.”
If Chan is granted the authority, Chase and Hodgson say they will offer their services to him, “which we have in the past, but I think he may now be in a position to act more efficiently."
“What Howard is going to do, if given the authorization, is he's going to be given the authority to really identify lots of empty space where they can do what they call ‘Safe Grounds,’” Hodgson said. “That's essentially tents or trucks… minimum level of supportive services, hopefully some sanitation and water… it’s not going to be pretty, but it will move people and I think that’s the first step.”
ABC10 will cover the discussion and vote Tuesday afternoon about whether to give Chan this authority.
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