West Sacramento Establishes Homeless Response and Support Department

"Our Council made a promise in the Strategic Plan to put real structure and leadership behind our homeless response, and tonight we kept it," said Mayor Martha Guerrero. "This department reflects our belief that every person in West Sacramento deserves dignity, and every neighborhood deserves a City that shows up with a plan."

Highlights of the Council action include:

• 20 existing positions will transfer to the new department from Economic Development & Housing, Parks and Recreation, Police, and Public Works, along with three new leadership and supervisory positions.
• A new Director of Homeless Response & Support, Business Manager, and Homeless Response Field Supervisor will guide strategy, grants, budget, and daily field operations.
• Existing parks and grounds staff will transition into new Lead Homeless Response Field Worker and Homeless Response Field Worker roles, developed in partnership with Stationary Engineers Local 39.

Until now, the City has carried out its response to homelessness across four departments: Economic Development & Housing, Parks and Recreation, Police, and Public Works Operations & Maintenance. Creating a stand-alone department will bring these functions together under a single team, allowing outreach workers, case managers, and field crews to coordinate more closely and provide a more consistent response across the community.

"Homeless response is complex work that touches public health, housing, public safety, and the quality of our shared spaces," said Ariana Adame, Assistant City Manager for Community Services. "Giving it a dedicated department means the people doing this work have the leadership, support, and clear direction they need to make a lasting difference for our community."

Funding and staff currently supporting homeless response in the four contributing departments will move into one consolidated budget. The Homeless Response and Support Department will also strengthen the City's ability to compete for state and federal funding. Many grant programs require or prioritize coordinated approaches that connect outreach, case management, and site response. A unified department will provide the City with a centralized structure for managing this related funding.