SACRAMENTO, CA – Senator Angelique Ashby (D-Sacramento) through Senate Bill 802 has proposed the establishment of a new regional agency to address the persistent challenges of housing and homelessness throughout Sacramento County. As proposed the Sacramento Area Housing and Homelessness Agency will centralize services through a Joint Powers Authority designed to coordinate, fund, and implement all housing and homelessness programs across Sacramento County.

SB 802 aims to dismantle the fragmented and siloed system currently impeding regional advancement on the issues of homelessness and affordable housing, by replacing the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) with a broader, more inclusive regional effort. The new Joint Powers Authority (JPA) will be governed by elected representatives from the County and City of Sacramento as well as all cities in the county with a population greater than fifty thousand (Folsom, Elk Grove, Citrus Heights and Rancho Cordova). Smaller cities and unincorporated areas will be represented by the County Board of Supervisors.

“SB 802 creates a first-in-the-state model where one entity becomes the lead provider of homelessness and housing services regionally,” said Senator Angelique Ashby. “Providing resources for the unhoused population doesn’t stop at city or county lines – and our response shouldn’t either. SB 802 gives the Sacramento region a structure to act collectively, share resources, and bring real accountability to the issue.”

“Until we regionalize our efforts to address homelessness, nothing will change,” said Assemblymember Heath Flora. “As elected officials, it is our duty to the public to reevaluate systems that are not working and try something new. That’s exactly what SB 802 seeks to do.”

For decades, Sacramento County’s homelessness response has been fractured, managed by a patchwork of nonprofit organizations, municipal departments, and independent planning bodies – each working independently with little to no coordination across jurisdictions. 

The cities in the region are expected to meet state-driven goals and standards, yet the smaller regions have little to no governing authority when decisions are being made. A different approach is needed to wield the results we all so desperately want. The public has been incredibly clear on this issue – they expect broad collaboration and meaningful partnership. That has not happened effectively on any level over the past 15 plus years.

In 2023, the Sacramento Grand Jury issued a report on addressing homelessness in Sacramento County, focusing on the five government funded agencies currently tasked with varying, and sometimes competing, responsibilities relative to homeless services. The report outlined: “taking all the organizations together, their sheer number, and the diversity of their make-up, interests and actions in supporting the homeless population - represent significant coordination, management, and oversight challenges. In the absence of a working organizational structure it becomes virtually impossible to make the most effective use of the valuable resources they offer.”

“Senator Ashby’s bold move is common sense,” said former Mayor of Sacramento and former Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg. “The cities and County of Sacramento should not only work together on homelessness, but they should also govern together. Governing together will lead to better results for everyone in Sacramento County.”

The Sacramento Area Housing and Homelessness Agency will serve as the region’s premier housing entity, with the legal authority and governance structure to plan and deliver services in a coordinated and efficient manner. Under SB 802, the new agency will be empowered to apply for and administer state and federal housing funds, align programs, and streamline service delivery to better meet the needs of unsheltered and housing-insecure residents across all jurisdictions.

The bill responds to the growing consensus voiced by area residents that the region’s current approach to homelessness—where multiple agencies, cities and the county often compete with one another for funding sources and work at odds through overlapping or disconnected strategies—has failed to produce meaningful progress while utilizing tax payer dollars. In the last five years the State of California has provided over $400 million to address homelessness in Sacramento through the City, County, and Continuum of Care. Without a true regional approach those dollars have failed to make a meaningful and lasting impact.

“Homelessness is the most urgent issue facing our community, and people deserve to see us working together,” said Sacramento City Councilmember Caity Maple. “SB 802 gives us the chance to finally build a system that’s coordinated, compassionate, and focused on real results. I truly believe that if we work together, we can turn the tide.”

SB 802 lays out a detailed governance framework for the new JPA, including board composition, decision-making structures, timelines and public accountability requirements. The goal is to build a responsive and transparent agency that can evolve with the region’s housing needs and ensure resources are effectively utilized. Senator Ashby and regional partners will continue working with stakeholders, the Legislature and the Administration to move SB 802 forward.

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About Senator Angelique V. Ashby

Senator Ashby represents Sacramento County, serves in the California State Senate as Assistant Majority Leader and is Chair of the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee. She is the first woman elected to represent the metropolitan area of Sacramento in the California Senate in more than 20 years. She previously served on the Sacramento City Council and was the sole woman for more than half of her 12 year tenure. She is also the only member in city history to serve as Vice Mayor or Mayor pro Tem for 8 years. She is a graduate of McGeorge School of Law, and earned her baccalaureate at the University of California at Davis.

For more information, visit Senator Ashby’s Website here or find her on X (Twitter) at @SenatorAshby.