Couple cheers on homeless athletes a year after Sacramento programs got them off the street

Mane and Felipe, second from left and far right, were homeless for nine years before entering the city’s Railroad Drive shelter. They now live in permanent housing.

We were out this morning at the Street Soccer USA National Cup in Sacramento. I was happy to run into Mane and Felipe, a married couple whom I first met when they were staying at our Triage Shelter on Railroad Drive.

They lived on the streets for nine years, but because of the outreach done by the city’s Pathways/Whole Person Care program and the Railroad shelter, they came indoors and were placed in permanent housing.

A year later, they came out to the Capitol Mall to support athletes who have also experienced homelessness and today played in the Street Soccer national cup.

Two hundred athletes from 14 cities, including 20 teams from Sacramento, are vying for the national title.