In 2016, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors created the Office of Homeless Initiatives (OHI) to coordinate the response of various County departments when providing services to those experiencing homelessness. In addition to mitigating the impacts of homelessness on the community, OHI staff work on long-term programs and solutions to homelessness, provide regular reports to the Board of Supervisors, and engage with a variety of community stakeholders.

Joshua’s House Hospice supports OHI’s mission to make homelessness rare, and brief if and when it does occur. By bringing together a collaborative team of county departments, social advocates, those with lived experience, businesses, and community-based organizations, OHI is committed to offering unique solutions that improve housing outcomes, meet behavioral and physical health needs, and ensure those experiencing homelessness are treated with dignity, respect, and compassion.

The latest Point in Time Count from 2022 estimates there are more than 9,000 people living unhoused in Sacramento County on any given night. Of those, 72% are living unsheltered, which means they are living in a tent, a vehicle, or without any shelter. While there are approximately 2,600 emergency shelter beds – 1,300 of which are funded by Sacramento County – we are in dire need of more. 

Fortunately, due to financial support from the County, there are 180 new beds set to welcome guests within the next six months, and when Joshua’s House Hospice is fully operational, we, too, will help address our community’s crisis of unsheltered residents. 

We’re incredibly grateful to OHI and generous donors like you who are helping Joshua’s House finish construction and open by June 1, 2025. For the first time on the West Coast, hospice care and comfort care will be provided to our terminally ill, homeless neighbors in a comfortable, home-like environment.

by Celia Coughlin-Surridge

In 2019, I approached Marlene, the founder of Joshua’s House Volunteer Hospice, asking if the organization needed marketing support. In her warm and welcoming way, Marlene accepted and immediately put me and my partner to work. First, we tackled the Sip, Savor, and Sway Gala. Then, we had to find ways to traverse Covid-19 quarantine regulations Big Day of Giving in 2020, and develop strategy for a virtual 5k later that year. That was just the marketing side of things!

During my time working with Joshua’s House, I saw firsthand the struggles that Marlene and her team were facing. From community concerns, to permits, unexpected costs, and so on. As I helped Joshua’s House continue to spread word of the important need for a hospice to serve Sacramento’s homeless within our region, I saw the organization push through despite the difficult objections and obstacles they faced.

Little did I know at the time just how pivotal my work with Joshua’s House would become, not only for the organization but for my own personal and professional growth as well. Marlene and the Joshua’s House team welcomed me with open arms, entrusting me with key responsibilities and giving me the chance to leverage my skills and connections to drive the project forward. Then, when I made the decision to take an opportunity at the Better Business Bureau, they supported me in that transition.

Now, as Joshua’s House prepares to open its doors, I find myself in a unique position to pay it forward. I am running for Honorary Mayor of Carmichael and have selected Joshua’s House as my charity! 

If you are not familiar with what an Honorary Mayor is, the role is a non-political volunteer role that participates in ribbon cuttings and networking events. The Carmichael Chamber of Commerce has been hosting this program for two decades and has helped raise thousands of dollars for area charities through this fun initiative. This year there are five candidates and the candidate who raises the most money on behalf of their charity wins the “election.”

Recently stepping back into my business, I knew that the Honorary Mayor race would be a fantastic way for me to not only network but give back to Joshua’s House in a unique way. Over the next few months, I will be hosting and participating in a variety of fundraising events, including:

• A series of business networking events, where I will be sharing information about Joshua’s House’s mission and soliciting donations from local companies and community leaders.
• A “Trucks and Treats” event in late October, featuring food trucks, live music, and trick-or-treating for families.
• An online silent auction followed by an exclusive cocktail party in early November, featuring the final auction items.

My goal is to raise more than $30,000 to help Joshua’s House open its doors and provide this vital service to the Sacramento community. As you probably know, the need is dire. Between 20-25% of homeless individuals die from terminal illnesses like COPD, cancer, and heart disease, often living for just a few months after diagnosis. In 2021 alone, more than 190 homeless people passed away on the streets and along the rivers of our city. We aim to change that by creating a peaceful and compassionate place for these individuals to spend their final days.

To help give back to the amazing Joshua’s House team, “Vote” for me by donating directly via PayPal or join me for one of my upcoming events. I will be releasing my full schedule shortly, so be sure to sign up for my newsletter on my website or reach out to me via email. I would be honored to make your acquaintance and gain your support!

No one should have to face the end of their life alone and on the streets. With your support, we can ensure that the terminally ill homeless are treated with the dignity, comfort, and care they deserve!

By Marlene M. Fitzwater

Homeless people represent a vulnerable group in society, yet according to an editorial in the Lancet, “…we still have a 14-century-long tradition of treating them as criminals… [They] are more likely to be victims of crime, rather than perpetrators. Many homeless have experienced brutal childhoods, unstable families, or domestic violence. They are more than ten times as likely to be assaulted and 50 times more likely to be robbed than those who have a home. 40% of young homeless women have been abused sexually and many are at risk from untreated sexually transmitted diseases…”

Our society seems to move back and forth from punishing the homeless to trying to come up with compassionate solutions to get them cared for and housed.

Homelessness has been studied, discussed, politicized, argued over, ignored, and confounded. There seems to be no solution. While this is a major problem, particularly in California cities, it is an enduring problem – a problem that in reality will never fully go away. It will not go away for a variety of reasons.

The causes are diverse – high housing costs, drug addictions, unemployment, mental health, bankruptcies, to name a few. And for that reason, the solutions must be diverse as well.

Joshua’s House Hospice will address one segment of the homeless population with love, compassion, and dignity in their final days: those who have been medically diagnosed as terminally ill. We don’t have answers about how to best serve and care for homeless individuals with serious, untreated mental health issues or those with drug addiction.

But we do have a deep understanding of hospice care. We have completed hospice education, researched the public’s perceptions of hospice care, and taught hospice care and principles to medical and nursing students.

We invite you to join us in spreading love and compassion to the sickest of the sick and the poorest of the poor!

By Marlene M. Fitzwater

Latinos are less likely than white people to use hospice care, although there is evidence that their need for services may be greater. While there has been an increased effort by hospices to reach out to minority populations, hospice care is still underutilized by Latino families, according to the American Hospice Foundation.

This means that few Latino families have experience with hospice care and, thus, they may have misconceptions about what a hospice facility like Joshua’s House offers or doubt the honesty of the information shared about its use.

While Latino families may not seek hospice care for family members, it is a different story for Latinos who are homeless. Homelessness among Latino Californians has increased by 22%, more than three times the overall state increase of 6.2% over the same period.

The sharp increase in unhoused Latino Californians most likely results from the effects of the pandemic which exacerbated the economic and housing insecurity many communities of color already faced. Latino Californians experienced high rates of housing hardship and unemployment and disproportionately worked in essential, low-wage occupations. They also confronted higher rates of COVID-19 infections and deaths during the first year of the pandemic, before COVID-19 vaccines and treatments were available. Combined, the pandemic’s deep economic and health ramifications made families and individuals more susceptible to not being able to afford to maintain their homes.

Thus, an increasing percentage of Latinos have become homeless. Because of genetics and environment, each unique ethnic group in the United States is at an increased risk for developing certain conditions. Several health issues are more prevalent in Hispanic people than the general population:

• Obesity. Hispanic Americans are 1.2 times as likely to be obese than non-Hispanic whites. This is especially important because obesity can lead to other health challenges.
• Diabetes. About 40 percent of adults in the United States are expected to develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime. However, more than 50 percent of Hispanics are expected to someday be diagnosed with it.
• Hypertension (high blood pressure). Nearly 1 in 4 Hispanics has high blood pressure, which can be a precursor to a heart attack, stroke, kidney disease or heart failure.
• Chronic kidney disease. Hispanics are 1.5 times more likely to have kidney failure compared to other Americans. In fact, 20 percent of people on the kidney transplant waiting list are Hispanic.
• Chronic liver disease. Hispanics are at higher risk for developing certain liver diseases. Although the exact cause is unknown, it can be a result of conditions such as chronic alcoholism, obesity and exposure to hepatitis B and C viruses.
• Cancer. Overall, cancer rates among Hispanics are generally lower. However, those who were born outside of the United States are at higher risk for specific cancers related to infections, such as stomach, liver or cervical cancer.

(Statistics from Northwestern Medicine, 2022)

In response to this information, Joshua’s House is developing all their informational print pieces and resident agreements in both Spanish and English; will have translators available to help communicate with Spanish-speaking residents; and will provide all public information, including our Good Neighbor Policy in both English and Spanish.

by Marlene M. Fitzwater

Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. And at the urging of major U.S. veteran organizations, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

Veteran’s Day is on November 11 and we are already planning how we will honor the homeless veterans in our community.

It is estimated that there are more than 17 million veterans currently living in America. It is also estimated that there are over 630,000 homeless people in America and 67,495 are veterans. It is surprising that in today’s society, over 1 in 10 homeless people in America are veterans. There are a variety of reasons for such a large percentage of the homeless being veterans.

In California, a lack of affordable housing is a major factor contributing to this problem. California has the highest housing costs in the nation, and many veterans are unable to afford even the most basic rental units. Additionally, veteran-specific housing options are severely limited, and there is often a long waiting list for available units.

The UC Davis Hospice Program is part of We Honor Veterans, a national organization that addresses the unique needs of American veterans. Randy Kanouse, a veteran, a UC Davis Hospice Volunteer and member of the Joshua’s House Hospice Board of Directors, stepped up with a proposal to offer his exemplary way of honoring those who have served our country and are now homeless. His approach includes in-depth interviews, presentations, certificates of appreciation, and pinning ceremonies.

“The residents of Joshua’s House will be much more than medical cases and by conducting ceremonies to acknowledge the residents who are veterans, to learn what they did and to thank them for their sacrifices, we will honor them in the deepest way,” Randy said.