Title
Sacramento Homeless and Housing System Partnership Structure - Joint Powers Authority (JPA) Framework Options
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FileID
File ID: 2026-00436
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Location
Location: Citywide
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Recommendation
Recommendation: Pass a Motion: 1) selecting a preferred Joint Powers Authority (JPA) framework option for the Sacramento Homeless and Housing System Partnership Structure; 2) authorizing City staff to make formal requests and presentations to partner entities to solicit their interest in participating and developing a preferred JPA framework; and 3) if partner entities are interested in moving forward with a preferred JPA framework, authorizing City staff to develop additional details for a preferred JPA framework with partner entities and bring back to Council a process, budget and timeline for implementation of a preferred JPA framework.
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Contact
Contact: Ya-yin Isle, City Housing Manager, (916) 808-1869, yisle@cityofsacramento.org, City Manager’s Office of Innovation and Economic Development; Brian Pedro, Director, (916) 808-7816, bpedro1@cityofsacramento.org, Department of Community Response
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Presenter
Presenter: Ya-yin Isle, City Housing Manager, (916) 808-1869, yisle@cityofsacramento.org, City Manager’s Office of Innovation and Economic Development
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Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Presentation
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Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: Regional coordination for homelessness and housing is a top priority for the City of Sacramento and its partner agencies, and discussions on developing a joint powers authority (JPA) for homelessness go back to 2010. While governing body approvals in 2010-2011 resulted in the formation of Sacramento Steps Forward (SSF) as the nonprofit organization to administer homelessness programs and transferred the oversight and responsibility for the Continuum of Care (CoC) system from the Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance to SSF. SSF was formally incorporated on February 9, 2011. In the spring of 2011, the Chair of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors and the Mayor of the City of Sacramento sent joint letters to all of the Mayors and City Managers of the cities in Sacramento County to meet on April 27, 2011, to discuss interest in participating in a new model for homeless service planning and management of SSF through a JPA. However, subsequent discussions for a JPA model did not move forward, and a JPA was not ultimately formed.
Since then, the City and County have both established and staffed homelessness services departments and two Grand Jury reports regarding homelessness response were released in 2019 and 2023. The first report called for a process to identify a coordinated organizational model, and the second report recommended a newly formed JPA to be governed by elected officials who are directly accountable to the citizens of the County.
In response to the second Grand Jury report, the Council met on September 5, 2023, to discuss the City’s response and the potential formation of a JPA. While the City’s response agreed with the Grand Jury report finding to implement a JPA to address homelessness, it also pointed out that this approach requires the participation of the other jurisdictions and that this had been previously tried in 2011 with limited success. Following this Council meeting the County Executive and the City Managers of the cities in Sacramento County convened to discuss the JPA proposal and while there continued to be desire to consider re-structuring oversight and administration of homeless and housing functions and increase collaboration none of the partner jurisdictions had an interest in pursuing a JPA.
This led to the County and SSF engaging a consultant team that completed a Final Consultant Report on Shared Governance Options for Consideration in December 2023. This report conducted a local landscape assessment, which included conversations with community partners, elected officials and staff working throughout the County on these issues, researched national governance models, and provided options for alternative organizational approaches to shared governance. The recommendations considered improving collaboration, oversight, and public accountability around regional efforts to address housing and homeless needs and included two options in the report, a Collective Impact Model and a JPA.
Following the release of the consultant report, City, County and SSF staff have continued to discuss shared governance models, which ultimately led to the County developing a recommended model and an alternative model. These models were presented to the County Board of Supervisors on August 19, 2025. On October 14, 2025, City staff presented to the Council an item that provided an overview of the County proposal and solicited input on key elements of a potential new partnership structure and governing body, with key considerations in the areas of accountability and transparency, funding and project approvals, and roles and responsibilities. Council discussion did not focus on a single model. Some of the Councilmembers highlighted the benefits of a formal 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, there was Council consensus 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. Based on input provided by elected officials before, during and after the discussions at the joint meeting, Mosaic recommended that the CoC Board be reconstituted to include a majority of elected officials and also include seats for decision making community leaders in sectors impacting homeless and housing efforts. This recommendation brings leadership and policy direction under one board as the primary driver of coordination and ensures more direct involvement of elected officials.
On January 13, 2026, City staff brought forward an item representing the County’s Recommended Option and Alternative Option for consideration. The Council voted to provide direction to staff to bring back options for a JPA framework.
California Government Code Section 6500 et seq. governs the Joint Exercise of Powers Act (Act) and includes the current authorities and requirements of JPAs. JPAs are legal entities allowing two or more public agencies to jointly exercise common powers, and the Act authorizes two kinds of JPA arrangements:
1) Allows two or more public agencies to contract to jointly exercise common powers.
2) Allows two or more public agencies to form a separate legal entity.
All JPAs require the participating public agencies to enter into an agreement that states the powers of the JPA and the manner in which it will be exercised. The governing bodies of all the contracting public agencies must approve the agreement.
The attached presentation provides three JPA framework options, two of which include creating a JPA governance structure where the participating agencies would contract to jointly exercise common powers, and a third option where the participating public agencies would form a separate legal entity that would consolidate the work across all jurisdictions for addressing housing and homelessness.
JPA Agreement Option 1 - Separate CoC Board
Under Option 1, the CoC Board remains separate and focused on CoC mandated functions. There would be no changes to the current funding, oversight, and decision-making process for the CoC and at the local jurisdictional level. It proposes a body of elected officials to serve as the JPA governing body, to convene to coordinate and drive policy for programs administered in the County and cities that would be codified through a joint exercise of powers agreement.
JPA Agreement Option 2 - Merged with CoC
Option 2 brings together the functions of the CoC and the local jurisdictions under one JPA leadership body that would provide policy direction and coordination across the homeless response system. The JPA governing body would be comprised of elected officials across the participating jurisdictions to establish multi-jurisdictional policy direction and priorities, provide a forum to coordinate strategies and share information, and align regional funding commitments. Local jurisdictions would retain final decision making over siting and funding. As the CoC Board the elected officials of the JPA governing body would be joined by community members for CoC functions and funding decisions. These members would include those required for CoC’s as well as recommended participants. There would continue to be a CoC sub-committee structure to ensure additional community voice and participation, as well as a larger CoC membership. This option would also be codified through a joint exercise of powers agreement.
JPA Agency Option 3 - Everything Consolidated
Option 3 considers a full restructuring and consolidation of all housing and homelessness organizations and services under a single agency, staffed by this separate agency. This option would have a JPA governing body comprised of elected officials overseeing the functions of the agency, which could be a new agency or one of the existing JPAs or non-profits organizations reconstituted. This structure would necessitate the consolidation of departments and organizations currently working on homelessness and housing. A Public Housing Authority Commission and CoC Board would work under the umbrella of this JPA with the required specific membership of each of those commissions. Under this option the participating agencies would be forming a separate legal entity which would require the consent of all participating government entities.
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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 long been contemplated. The JPA framework options included in this report present three different options on how governance and leadership could be aligned. Council input and selection on one of the options will allow City staff to make formal requests of partner jurisdictions on their interest in moving forward with the City’s preferred option.
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FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: None.
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LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
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