Sacramento Homeless blog

Two things / matters of interest that impact Homeless World Sacramento that I think y'all should know about: ---------- Many retired Sacramentans volunteer to help out at Loaves & Fishes and Volunteers of America and elsewhere to provide survival and other services to aid the homeless population.  It is interesting to learn that such volunteering likely is very good for the well-being of those who volunteer. A newsbrief in the March 2010 issue of the small publication titled Mind, Mood and Memory tells us this : Volunteering to Help Others May Stave Off Frailty Pitching in to help other people may be a good way to stay strong as you grow older.  Researchers analysed data collected between 1988 and 1991 on 1,000 healthy, physically active adults in their 70s.  Compared to 19% of adults who had a job and 25% who cared for children, the 28 percent who volunteered to help out in their communities experienced a lower risk of becoming frail, even after allowing for f...

The New York Times [ here ] and Sacramento Business Journal [ here ] tell us in reports over the extended weekend that Sacramento won a Cities of Service grant from the Rockefeller Foundation that will fund a "chief service officer" who will report directly to the mayor. SBJ  tells us, "In its application, Sacramento listed education, public safety, homelessness and the environment as its high-priority issues that it will target with increased volunteerism." A report on the grants at the Cities of Service website tells us the grant to Sac is in the total amount of $200,000, to be paid over a period of two years. Our city's Chief Service Officer must be hired before June 1, and will be tasked with forming "a citywide planning process that culminates in the creation of a comprehensive service plan. ... By December 1, 2010, [he will] have submitted a progress report and put into operation a website or other appropriate technological tool to faci...

With a goal of providing 2400 units of permanent housing for the area homeless, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson hopes to greatly impact and reduce homelessness over the next three year period, according to a report by KCRA , channel 3. The mayor's initiative, titled Sacramento Steps Forward , will team him with dozens of business leaders. The KCRA report also tells us "The mayor urged the community to be 'part of the solution,' and educate themselves about who Sacramento's homeless are." Also, see Sac Bee report by Cynthia Hubert: " Sacramento homeless initiative eyes permanent, not emergency, shelter " ---- SacHo editorial: From the first, this blog has been eager for the Sacramento metropolis to be better educated about the area homeless population . Unhappily, the region's news organizations preach the myths and are uninterested in reporting the reality . It is the certain knowledge of this writer that homeless people here are in o...