Homeless advocates and county health care providers say the new approach to housing people could save taxpayers millions of dollars a year in emergency room visits and jail costs by getting them help before problems grow dire. The most current homeless census data, from 2013, showed 4,280 homeless people on the streets, with 45 percent estimated to have at least three disabling health conditions.
Under the shift, temporary shelter and permanent supportive housing slots will be made available for homeless families and the chronically homeless first, placing people based on the severity of their conditions — from physical disabilities, to mental illnesses and substance abuse problems.
Zapata and Hernandez were homeless for more than a year before securing a slot in Sonoma County’s only shelter that caters specifically to homeless families. Now, the sisters could qualify for expanded homeless services and, perhaps, more permanent housing, homeless service providers said.
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