Read a newspaper or walk around downtown these days, and it’s clear the city has earned a third designation – City of Problems.

Sacramento’s homeless problem has grown worse than ever before. Walk around PRI’s offices in Midtown and you’ll be greeted by frustrated individuals with varying degrees of illness or addiction while trying to pass down grime-filled sidewalks and get around tent encampments.

You may not realize it, but Sacramento’s homeless problem is one of the nation’s worst. Homeless grew to about 9,300 in the 2022 Sacramento County point in time homeless count measurement, which was a 67 percent increase over the 2019 figures. Last year, the number of homeless in Sacramento was found to be even higher than San Francisco’s count.

Frustrated residents are expecting action and strong leadership from city officials to address the problem, but all there seems to be are press conferences and soundbites.