Randy and his navigator Jvance. Read Randy's story of survival.
For many years, homelessness seemed to be an eternal, incurable epidemic. In recent years, however, the connection between homeless and hopeless has begun to give way. The shift has come about through an innovative idea that is appearing in a growing number of cities, including Sacramento. The approach offers chronically homeless adults an important ingredient missing in past programs—the opportunity to move into permanent
housing.
In Sacramento, the Downtown Sacramento Partnership (DSP) Navigators and Serial Inebriate Program (SIP) are using this model with great success. Since 2004, the DSP Navigators program has been reaching out and building a one-on-one rapport with homeless adults living on downtown streets. The Navigators gradually develop relationships and eventually connect individuals with local community service programs. The Navigators don’t move on at that point; they continue working closely with each individual, facilitating access to care and finding ways to improve their living conditions. SIP, launched in 2006 as a partnership with the Sacramento district attorney’s office and the downtown community prosecutor, follows a similar model but works exclusively, and even more closely, with homeless adults who have been arrested repeatedly for public intoxication.
Though other cities are beginning to offer similar programs, the Sacramento programs offer a unique twist. The DSP programs unite downtown and midtown businesses, nonprofit organizations, government, enforcement agencies and Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento in a truly collaborative effort. As a founding and ongoing partner, Sutter’s funding support and participation in the alliance add an uncommon element other programs don’t share, according to Ryan Loofbourrow, DSP director of community services. “We’re very lucky,” said Loofbourrow. “Program directors in other cities tell us they don’t have a relationship with a large health care provider. As far as we know, what we have is unique.”
“The programs provide early intervention and a lasting solution, which reduces the long-term burden on all alliance partners,” said DSP Executive Director Michael Ault. “At the same time, the Navigator program and SIP enableus to combine our resources and make progress we can’t make individually. The SIP program, in particular, allows us to share the same clients and work together toward the end goal of getting them into housing. Instead of each of us doing a small part in isolation feelingfrustrated when an individual is arrested again and again, we work together to break the cycle and help these men and women move off the streets and on with their lives.”“Sutter’s funding and participationgave us the tools and the time to work one-on-one with this group,” added Loofbourrow. “All you have to do is look at the SIP statistics to see the difference it’s making with this group. Our next big challenge is to create a similarly intense program for the mentally ill homeless population.”
