A lack of affordable housing, unemployment, low wages and systemic racism are just four causes as to why there are over half a million people experiencing homelessness in the United States, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Of the 771,500 people experiencing homelessness in the United States, over 187,000 of those individuals were in California as of Jan. 2024, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.
While there are 61,000 shelter beds offered to those in need throughout California, shelter residents report problems, such as shelter mismanagement, physical and sexual violence, theft, filth and lack of permanent housing to move on to, according to CalMatters.
Faye Wilson Kennedy, a coordinator of Sacramento Poor People’s Campaign, said that having these shelters for the unhoused is only the first step in addressing the issue of permanent housing. When moving into a rental, most landlords require a security deposit of one to two months rent, according to California Courts Self-Help Guide.
In addition to security deposits, landlords in California may charge “pet rent” which is an additional monthly fee that can vary depending on property owners, according to The Law Offices of James L. Arrasmith.
Of the individuals that find a shelter placement, less than 1 in 4 California residents move onto permanent housing, according to CalMatters.
“I don’t know very many working people who can move into an apartment,” Kennedy said. “So how can a person who’s living in a homeless shelter move into what we call ‘permanent housing’?”
Lawmakers proposed Assembly Bill 750 in February to enact safety regulations and require local governments to perform annual inspections of taxpayer-funded shelters. The bill requires that shelter operators make more of an effort to inform residents of their rights to file complaints, according to LegiScan.
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“Whenever you’re providing a service to humans, you definitely need inspection. Animal shelters have inspections. So, when you’re delivering a service that’s funded, whether it’s local government, state government or federal government, you have to have some kind of accountability and transparency in everything,” Kennedy said.
The enactment of the bill could be beneficial in a number of ways, but it won’t solve every problem the unhoused community face overnight, she said.
“Unhoused people oftentimes are treated worse than any other class of people in our society,” Kennedy said. “Oftentimes they don’t know their rights and oftentimes the rules and regulations that the shelters have are very hard to adhere to.”
AB 750 requires California shelters to prominently display information about the rights of shelter occupants, process for reporting complaints and contact information for the operator of the shelter, the city or county and Department of Housing and Community Development, according to the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee.
Some rules Kennedy mentioned include being home by 8 p.m. and not being allowed visitors. Some shelters that are strictly for women will not allow a woman’s son to be with her if he is aged 14 or older because he is perceived as an adult male, despite legally still being a teenager.
State funding will be withheld from a city or county that fails to comply with the reporting requirements for shelters in their jurisdiction or fails to take action to correct a violation if a shelter is found to be substandard, according to the HCD.
Shelter operators will receive 30 days to correct their violations after receiving a citation. Otherwise the HCD is authorized to take legal action against the operator, according to the HCD.
“It’s important that shelters make sure that they address the family structure and that families are kept intact,” she said.
When shelters are poorly run, the streets may feel like a more comfortable option for unhoused individuals, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless.
Without the proper resources, unhoused individuals cannot be protected from extreme weather, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
Heather Hutcheson, an English professor, said a friend of hers had to walk over an individual who had passed away due to overnight exposure to the cold, in order to get to his work station off campus.
“It was like being on a battlefield,” she said.
Ayla Abreu, a 20-year-old communications major, said it makes her feel sad that the rehabilitation numbers are less than 25%.
“My aunt was homeless for a while. Most of her life actually. She just recently got into the YWCA and she was able to get a low-income apartment,” she said. “That’s crazy that only a little bit of them get to actually go to permanent housing.”
In Sacramento, the Young Women’s Christian Association provides low-income or homeless, single women with safe, comfortable residential housing, according to the YWCA website.
Individuals experiencing homelessness can call 211 to get connected to homeless services and be assessed for shelter options. Students experiencing homelessness can visit the Hawk CARES Center on campus for additional resources.