Title
Sacramento Homeless and Housing System Partnership Structure Update
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FileID
File ID: 2026-00337
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Location
Location: Citywide
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Review, comment, and provide direction on an updated proposed Sacramento Homeless and Housing System Partnership Structure.
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Contact
Contact: Ya-yin Isle, City Housing Manager, (916) 808-1869, yisle@cityofsacramento.org, City Manager’s Office of Innovation & Economic Development; Brian Pedro, Director, (916) 808-7816, bpedro1@cityofsacramento.org, Department of Community Response
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Presenter
Presenters: Ya-yin Isle, City Housing Manager, (916) 808-1869, yisle@cityofsacramento.org, City Manager’s Office of Innovation & Economic Development; Darby Kernan, dkernan@mosaicsol.com; Matt Cate, mcate@mosaicsol.com; Mosaic Solutions & Advocacy
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Mosaic Solutions & Advocacy Sacramento Countywide Homelessness Report and Recommendations
3-Options for Partnership Approach
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: On October 14, 2025, the City Council received a presentation on a proposed County partnership structure for housing and homelessness in Sacramento County and was asked to contemplate and provide input and direction on key considerations in the areas of authority and governing body, accountability and transparency, funding and project approvals, and roles and responsibilities. The County proposal at that time recommended creation of a new body, the Sacramento Homeless and Housing Board (SHHB), that would consist primarily of elected officials and serve as the Continuum of Care (CoC) Board, with subcommittees consisting of community members providing input to the SHHB on key policy areas. The recommendation was informed by input that the current CoC should be more integrated into broader community work on homelessness and a desire for elected officials to play a larger role, due to their public accountability.
While Council did not focus on a single particular model that was shared, some of the Councilmembers highlighted the benefits of a formal Joint Powers Authority (JPA) where resources and decision making would be shared, while others felt there should be a reconstitution of the City and County Partnership Agreement. Overall, the City Council agreed on the need for a new approach for collaboration on housing and homelessness amongst the jurisdictions in Sacramento County.
On October 28, 2025, a joint meeting of the Board of Supervisors, Sacramento City Council and mayors/councilmembers of five of the six surrounding cities was held. As part of that meeting, Mosaic Solutions and Advocacy facilitated a discussion with the elected officials that centered on partnership approaches. While input varied, for the five surrounding cities (Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights, Folsom and Galt), consistent themes were shared:
• The surrounding cities want to retain local control over land use decisions and funding allocations for projects in their cities.
• The surrounding cities recognize that the number of people experiencing homelessness in their jurisdiction is relatively small compared to the City of Sacramento and the County, and they all have taken steps to address these needs and impacts locally. They do not want to lose the ability to develop more localized responses that address the unique situations and needs in their cities.
• While some of the surrounding cities have dedicated staff for housing and homeless efforts, they do not have large departments and worry about their ability to participate in a new structure and worry they will be asked to provide administrative support (either staffing or funding).
A summary of the October 28 meeting and Mosaic’s findings and recommendations are included as Attachment 2. Following the October 28 joint meeting, City staff have been meeting with Mosaic, County, and Sacramento Steps Forward (SSF) - currently the administrative entity to the CoC - to revisit the partnership structure previously presented to the Board and Councils, incorporate input provided by the elected officials from the discussions at the joint meeting, and consider Mosaic’s recommendations as follows:
1. Recommended Option - Recommend the CoC Board is reconstituted to include a majority of elected officials but also include seats for decision making community leaders in sectors impacting homeless and housing efforts. This recommendation brings together leadership and policy direction under one Board, ensuring more direct involvement of elected officials, and having one board as the primary driver of policy and coordination.
2. Alternative Option - Alternatively, should the CoC Board not wish to reconstitute their board, Sacramento City and County should move forward with the creation of a new board, the SHHB, as a body of only elected officials, driving policy and coordination for programs administered in the cities and County. In this scenario, there would be two convening spaces - the CoC Board and the SHHB, and the CoC would continue to maintain the federally mandated functions of a CoC. There could be some overlap of participation, but there is no formal relationship.
3. In addition to the changes to the structure, Sacramento City and County should enter into a new or updated agreement that builds on the success of the 2022 Partnership Agreement while expanding its scope to address the changing landscape.
4. The County should work with the other surrounding cities to develop individual agreements that define roles, responsibilities and share goals.
At the Board of Supervisors meeting on December 9, 2025, Mosaic’s report and County recommendations were presented, with the discussion focused on the partnership model recommendation. The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion to direct County staff to pursue the Recommended Option to reconstitute the CoC Board with a majority of elected officials if the other cities and CoC are amenable. However, if the cities and the CoC Board are not interested in the recommended model, the Board of Supervisors gave County staff authority to work with the other cities on the Alternative Option to establish the SHHB, but the Supervisors had doubts as to the efficacy of the Alternative Option that would have two separate bodies.
The CoC Board has also been having discussions around the partnership model. The CoC Board chair presented an option to the CoC Board at their December 10, 2025 meeting similar to the Alternative Option that ultimately did not pass. Since that time, the CoC Board chair, vice-chair, and SSF staff have been engaging with City and County staff on developing an option with enough details to address the concerns of CoC Board members and be approved by the CoC Board. Those conversations are on-going and the CoC Board anticipates taking the item back to the CoC Board for consideration in February 2026.
Attachment 3 is a visual that shows the Recommended Option, Alternative Option, the current model where the CoC is independent of the local elected bodies, and a Joint Powers Authority model. City staff recommends moving forward with the Recommended Option to reconstitute the CoC Board with a majority of elected officials and continuing discussions with the County, SSF, the CoC Board, and surrounding cities to work through details and next steps on the implementation of a reconstituted CoC Board, with the authority to pivot to the creation of the SHHB if an agreement cannot be reached on the Recommended Option. City staff believe the Recommended Option is closer to meeting the Five Requirements for City and County Housing and Homelessness Response related to SB 802 than the Alternative Option in that it brings leadership and policy direction under one governance entity.
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PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: The consideration of a shared partnership approach overseeing housing and homelessness in Sacramento are consistent with the City’s Housing Element program H13. Homeless Plan which states that the City shall work with the Continuum of Care, its members, service providers, and jurisdictions, on a coordinated response plan that is updated regularly.
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EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: Not applicable.
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EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations:
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): This report seeking input and direction on a proposed homeless and housing partnership structure is an administrative activity and is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), per CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5).
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Sustainability
Sustainability: Not applicable.
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Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
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RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: A coordinated and regional response to homelessness and housing has been contemplated many times in the past. The Recommended Option aligns leadership, direction and work by the County, cities, and CoC on housing and homelessness across the County. Council input on the options and key elements of a shared partnership approach will help guide City staff in working with partner jurisdictions on moving forward with a proposed model.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: None.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
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