North Sacramento Triage Center has helped hundreds of homeless people

Members of my staff and I toured the city's Triage Center in North Sacramento on Friday, May 11 and talked to residents and staff. This center has been a great success at getting people who had been on the streets for decades into permanent housing. We need more facilities like this around the city. 

Here are some of the things we saw and the people we met on our visit:

David J. Silveira is the director for shelter services at Volunteers of America, which runs the Triage Center. He said he has been struck by the sense of community that residents have created during their time at the temporary shelter. 

James Fitzhugh has been homeless for three years and has spent most of his time on the street. Here he is with his dog, Ruben Sierra. James is currently looking for a job. He says the Triage Center has "saved a lot of people."

Anna Darzins is VOA's Care Coordination Manager at the Triage Center. She called it "a nationally unique model" for getting people who have been homeless for many years off the street. 

Residents have used blankets to create privacy in their bunks. One thing that sets the Triage Center apart from other shelters is that it accepts pets. 

A nearly finished puzzle was laid out on a table in the dining area Friday, May 11.