Sacramento County Grand Jury • 2022-2023 • Agency Response
Response to: 2022-2023 Photo Sacramento County Grand Jury

Response from Sacramento County Board of Supervisors

Published: August 08, 2023 78 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 11 findings

F1 Page 28
The current fragmented system of homeless services fails to serve the homeless and their mental health and substance abuse challenges nor the Sacramento County community and its taxpayers.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Page 29
The County should complete a comprehensive strategic plan to address homelessness by July 1, 2024, to improve mental health and substance abuse services for the homeless, to include timelines and measurable goals and objectives, building on The Homeless Action Plan, using templates and examples from other communities and organizations such as the California State Association of Counties.
F2 Page 13
The problem of homelessness in Sacramento County has drastically worsened over the past five years, as demonstrated by the dramatic increases in Point in Time counts.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
Page 14
The newly formed JPA should be governed by elected officials who are directly accountable to citizens of the County.
F3 Page 13
A lack of affordable housing is the primary cause of homelessness and the most difficult one to solve due to the high cost of new development.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
Page 14
The Joint Powers Authority should develop and manage a comprehensive County-wide strategic plan to address homelessness
F4 Page 13
Sacramento Steps Forward does not have any elected leaders on its Board and lacks decision-making authority over the eight governmental jurisdictions in the County, making it powerless to implement needed changes.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
Page 14
The County/City Partnership Agreement should be used as a model for the other six cities as an interim measure pending the creation of a Joint Powers Authority.
F5 Page 13
The legally binding agreement mandated by Measure O and the Partnership Agreement is a step in the right direction, but it applies only to the City and County of Sacramento. Attachment 1
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
Page 29
The County should immediately begin a process to establish and track outcome data related to the treatment of mental health and substance abuse for the homeless.
F6 Page 28
— Lack of transparency in financial reporting of mental health and substance abuse services and access to other funding for the homeless is not publicly available and reduces public trust.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
Page 29
The County should track funding and spending specific to support homeless, including treatment for mental health and substance abuse, and post this information at least quarterly on the County website in a manner that is easily accessible to the public
F7 Page 28
— There are too many boards, committees, and government entities which create waste and redundancy in the planning and distribution of mental health and substance abuse treatment resources.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
Page 29
— Elected officials should immediately take a more active role to lead, coordinate, and consolidate various advisory boards and committees to assume direct accountability for improved outcomes in mental health and substance abuse prevalence and result in a reduction of duplicate efforts, administrative costs, and inefficiency.
F8 Page 28
Mental health and substance abuse issues among the homeless are aggravated by poor government planning.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
Page 29
Sacramento County should immediately fully staff a total of six HEART teams and the City of Sacramento should immediately establish at least two additional IMPACT Team within Sacramento PD to increase engagement with County and City homeless encampments and improve access to mental health and substance abuse treatment services.
F9 Page 28
The outreach teams (County HEART teams, Sacramento PD IMPACT Team) are poorly supported and understaffed which results in lost opportunities to positively engage the homeless to accept mental health and substance abuse treatment and other services.
Related Recommendations (1)
R9
Page 29
— Law enforcement should communicate at least weekly with all outreach teams to collaborate in decisions as to which encampments to clear and when, and post this information on a shared web site to increase the trust of the homeless and support offered by outreach teams.
F10 Page 28
Poor communication between law enforcement and outreach teams erodes the trust of and negatively impacts the mental health of the unhoused population.
Related Recommendations (1)
R10
Page 29
A communication plan should be developed to timely inform all stakeholders and staff of goals, actions, and events related to planning and execution of homeless mental health and substance abuse services. Attachment 2 2022-2023 Grand Jury Investigative Report Mental Health Care for the Homeless: Who Cares?
F11 Page 28
There is a shortage of mental health professionals which continues to exacerbate the inability of the County to meet the need for mental health services for the homeless. Attachment 2 2022-2023 Grand Jury Investigative Report Mental Health Care for the Homeless: Who Cares?
Related Recommendations (1)
R11
Page 30
The County should continue to improve incentives and hiring of mental health professionals to meet the demand for mental health services in the County.