We continue to make progress in our effort to locate and develop a Safe Ground Community and expect to announce a site in the next 90 days. We are preparing for the pre-development phase, which includes all the required environmental and engineering review studies. These will enable us to gain entitlement to the site, and at that point the development phase can begin.

Once the site is announced, we will work with community groups and interested residents and businesses to ensure the Safe Ground Community plan enhances the greater community. launch important fundraising efforts. One of these will be an Adopt-A-Cabin program, which will provide an opportunity for churches, employee groups, businesses, labor unions, and individuals to fully or partially fund a cabin. Watch for the Adopt-A-Cabin program to be announced in late fall or early 2014. We hope Sacramento will enthusiastically adopt the first phase of cabins. This will demonstrate community support and will provide strong encouragement to foundations to support the development phase of the Safe Ground Community.

As with any development project, the process is neither fast nor inexpensive. We estimate that if we start during the fall of 2013 it will take six to nine months after site announcement to complete the pre-development phase and then start the building and development of the community site.

We always appreciate your comments and feedback and you can email us at SafeGroundDirector@gmail.com. We also need your ongoing support, so please consider visiting our donation page by clicking on the DONATE link to the left.

Thank you, and enjoy the rest of summer,

Steve Watters

The City of Sacramento currently has a Mixed Income Housing Ordinance that requires 15% of all new housing units be affordable to low income households. Unfortunately, the City Planning Department, undoubtedly under pressure from the building industry, has recommended eliminating this requirement. To sign SHA's open letter to the Mayor and City Council urging retention of the 15% requirement, click here -

SHA open letter

Interestingly, the City of Elk Grove, as explained by Sarah Bontrager, an employee of Elk Grove. takes a different approach to protecting affordable housing.  All new construction in Elk Grove, residential or commercial, is subject to a fixed percentage fee that funds affordable housing efforts directed by the city.  This method has been very successful, raising 62 million in 10 years to fund 1600 affordable housing apartments, and even appeals to the building industry by unambiguously defining one of its obligations to the community.

However, in general, funding for low income affordable housing is under threat.  California no longer provides redevelopment funds to counties and cities.  Here in Sacramento, the Mixed Income Housing Ordinance is threatened. Dollars from voter approved local tax increases, made possible by the passage of Proposition 46 in 1986 ( Prop 46 history ), and the 2.9 billion in bonds for affordable housing approved by voters via Proposition 1C in 2006 ( Prop 1C history ) are both nearly exhausted.

Which brings us to SB 391 - the CA Homes and Jobs Act -  

This legislation, currently making its way through the CA Assembly, is very important to the future of affordable housing in California.  Extensive information about the CA Homes and Jobs Act is available here ( SB 391 info ); this site provides the following description of the legislation's funding mechanism and intent -  

SB 391 has already successfully made it through the Assembly's Housing and Community Development and Labor and Employment committees.  This coming Friday, August 30th, it will be voted on by the Assembly Appropriations Committee. To encourage its passage there with an e-letter to the committee, please click here -

( send e-letter to Assembly Appropriations Committee )

Official California government information about SB 391 is available here ( CA gov info on SB 391 ) 

While it is true that Safe Ground is not directly involved with affordable housing, since residents in the Safe Ground Community will not permanently live there, we strongly support affordable housing programs and efforts. Not only will Safe Ground Community residents likely make eventual use of affordable housing options, support of affordable housing is simply the right thing to do. 

Safe Ground has established a partnership with Family Promise of Sacramento ( Family Promise ) which benefits the SG Pilgrimage Overnight Shelter Program. We now contract with Family Promise for bus afternoon delivery and next morning retrieval of equipment and supplies used by the churches participating in the shelter program. When not in use, these items are kept in a storage area at 1400 North 'C' Street in Moe Mohanna's warehouse next to Family Promise. This excellent partnership allows Safe Ground to provide thick sleeping pads for all guests, cots with pads for disabled guests, and improved first aid kits and other healthcare supplies. 

Our special thanks to Marsha and the team at Family Promise of Sacramento, and to Moe Mohanna!