If Frank Sinatra was alive today and came back to our beautiful-diverse city of Sacramento, I’m sure he would agree. I’ve lived here for almost 24 years and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, except maybe Colorado where my son now lives. Besides the warmer weather, the people here are the best in the West. I love Sacramento! This story is about homelessness, the people that came out of it, and the many that help us get off the streets, to help us become a part of society, and enjoy life again. By God’s mercy I’ve been clean and sober for almost 20 years and un-homeless since 1992. To God be the glory for all the many wonderful, caring people from Sacramento that help us along the way, s

(From a press release): With the help of local businesses and generous community members, Uptown Studios has reached its goal of collecting 3,000 socks for Loaves & Fishes! "Wow, this has been so cool to see so many people from all around our area stop by Uptown Studios and donate socks - really wonderful people, groups and families,” said Tina Reynolds, owner and principal of Uptown Studios. “I just love Sacramento!" The Sacramento Sock Drop, just one of Uptown Studios’ many brainchildren, was started as a way for community members to become active participants in something good during the holiday season. Thank you to everyone who donated and to the local businesses – Grub Groupie, M

A line of people patiently waiting for a hot meal on a cold day might be common in some areas, but the line expected in front of Mulvaney’s B&L Feb. 19 will likely be full of the kind of people who are used to being waited on – and the $25 they fork over for a bowl of soup will help those in need. “The $25 they spend for their bowl will go entirely to the kitchens at Loaves & Fishes and St. John’s Shelter,” said Lead Pastor Michael Mervine of the L19 Community Church, which is partnering with the charities and Mulvaney’s B&L for the event. Mervine added that each $25 purchase will pay for a cauldron of soup that can be used to feed 25 to 30 people in the shelters. He said that he, the M

Thanksgiving is a holiday for community, sharing and, of course, a bountiful feast. Thanks to several local organizations, even those who aren’t able to afford a turkey dinner with all the trimmings this year can still enjoy a free meal. All are invited to come, fill their plates, and be grateful for warm turkey on a cool November day. Below are nine charities and churches hosting Thanksgiving dinner this week. If you know of any others, please add to the list in the Conversation section. Happy Thanksgiving! Sacramento Loaves & Fishes When: Tuesday from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Where: 1321 North C St. 446-0874 Sacramento Loaves & Fishes will serve a Thanksgiving feast, complete with turkey,

Drexel’s Graduate Student Association recently presented a $1,000 check to the Mustard Seed School, a program associated with Loaves & Fishes that helps to educate homeless children in Sacramento. “The Sisters at Loaves & Fishes knew quite a bit of Drexel history because of the connection between Drexel and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament," said Christopher Levermore, President of the Graduate Student Association at Drexel’s Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento. “Drexel’s campus in Philadelphia prides itself on continuing the legacy of providing help for those in need and our Sacramento students have established that same tradition as well,” Levermore added. The Graduate Stude

On any given night in Sacramento 2,400 people are homeless in our County. According to the 2011 Sacramento Homeless Count, 955 of our neighbors are sleeping on the streets. As winter rapidly approaches, Sacramento Steps Forward (SSF) is seeking creative solutions to house those families and individuals who are forced to sleep outside due to overburdened resources. This harsh reality poses a dual risk to both the safety and health of those sleeping outside. Notably, Sacramento has been successful in reducing chronic homelessness by 50% in the last 3 years. However, family homelessness is on the rise; this year’s Homeless Count data shows an 11% increase. Loaves and Fishes, which serves mea

The 4th Annual Sacramento Homeless Connect event will take place this Saturday, May 21 at Sacramento City College from 10:00 am-3:00 pm. It is hosted by Sacramento Steps Forward, with support from presenting sponsor The Salvation Army. Speakers at the event include Assemblymember Roger Dickinson, Mayor Kevin Johnson and Supervisor Phil Serna. Over 1,000 homeless guests are expected; additionally the event hosts 500 community volunteers and over 60 different service providers. Project Homeless Connect is a national Best Practice model for bringing services directly to homeless folks. Started in San Francisco, it now occurs in over 150 communities across the country. Homeless Connect events

St. Patrick’s Day is Thursday, and if you’re still undecided about how to spend it, The Sacramento Press has just the list for you. Whether you’re looking to stick to your New Year’s resolution of losing weight by running a half-marathon, or donate to a good cause, or eat some traditional corned beef and cabbage, you’re sure to find something to get you in the Irish spirit below. 15th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade & Festival Saturday, March 12 Old Sacramento Festival at noon Parade at 1 p.m. The parade will start at Second and L streets and has more than 60 entries with about 1,000 participants. “It’s very family-oriented in Old Sacramento,” said Nancy Mallory, the parade’s coordinato

The four-legged friends of Sacramento’s homeless have a new place to call their own at Loaves & Fishes. “Anneke’s Haven” was dedicated Wednesday, and it will serve as a day-use kennel for pets belonging to the homeless. “What we offer for the animals is actually a place to rest, a meal and care,” said Sandra Morris, volunteer coordinator for Loaves & Fishes. “For many of our guests, the pets have an especially strong bond because, unlike humans, they give you unconditional love, and they provide safety.” The new kennel is across a walkway from the previous structure, which served the area for the past 15 years but was half the size and becoming run-down, Morris said. The old kennels wi

Loaves & Fishes is building a new 15,000-square-foot combination warehouse, reception area and administrative building on the corner of North C and Ahern streets. “This is really our welcoming center,” said Sister Libby Fernandez, executive director of Loaves & Fishes. “This is the entrance to Loaves and Fishes.” There were several reasons to build the new structure, which is a warehouse with interior walls to give space for offices in addition to storage, Fernandez said. The current warehouse and donation center is a rented space near Friendship Park and sees a lot of foot traffic, which poses a safety issue, Fernandez said. “We have 700 people walking through there every day,” she sa

Families in need have several opportunities to partake in the Thanksgiving holiday, even if they can’t afford a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Local charities and churches are providing free meals to families in need. Two are listed below, and if you know about any others, feel free to post in the conversation below the article. Thursday’s free meals for those in need: The Salvation Army Where: 1200 North B St. When: 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. About 800 people are expected to be served Thursday at The Salvation Army, and the meal is expressly open to everyone in need. “The one thing we want to stress is that they don’t need to be homeless,” said Sydney Fong, public relations directo

If you attend the weekly Sacramento City Council meetings, you’re likely to see an activist with colorful clothing address city leaders on homeless issues. Tracie Rice-Bailey, 57, has appeared at Tuesday night council meetings so frequently in the last year that she has become a familiar face at City Hall. For more than a year, Rice-Bailey and other advocates for the homeless have lobbied council members for a legal camping ground for the area’s homeless.  Rice-Bailey is a vocal member of the advocacy group that calls itself Safe Ground Sacramento. The group wants the city to reserve a space for homeless people where the city’s camping ban would not apply. Rice-Bailey, who said she was

Once a month, hundreds of pets and their owners break the Saturday morning quiet on Ahern Street. Dogs bark and pace, cats meow in travel cases and owners talk to one another to pass the time. Many will wait up to six hours to be seen at the Loaves and Fishes’ location for free veterinary care for the homeless by UC Davis’ Mercer Veterinary Clinic. The clinic has been coming to Loaves and Fishes for more than 15 years to help the animals of the homeless clients. They visit the second Saturday of each month from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. On Sep. 11, 148 animals were brought to Mercer to be seen. Client Lisa Lafont of Sacramento brought her three dogs, Muffin, Missy and Sam, to be vaccinated, spaye

On July 23, The Sacramento County Superior Court will hear a team of attorneys argue that the recent budget cuts made to the County Medical Indigent Services Program are in violation of the California Welfare and Institutions Code. Lead Counsel Stacy Wittorff from Legal Services Northern California and Abbi Coursolle from the Western Center on Law and Poverty will represent the petitioners in the case of Poole v. County of Sacramento in an effort to maintain what medical services the County offered prior to the recent passage of the 2010-2011 county budget. At least 725 county employees will be laid off, and program budgets will be heavily reduced as a result of the county budget approve

A proposal to crack down on hospitals if they leave homeless and unstable patients at various sites failed to advance to the City Council Thursday. City Councilman Kevin McCarty proposed an ordinance that would have required health care facilities to get written permission from patients before transporting them to sites other than their homes. If the proposal was passed into law by the City Council, health care facilities that did not comply with the ordinance would face a misdemeanor charge. But the city’s law and legislation committee, which studies proposed ordinances, decided not to move the proposal to the City Council. Councilmembers Sandy Sheedy, Steve Cohn, Lauren Hammond and Ro

Fox 40's Natalie Bomke, and Mayor Kevin Johnson camped out with Sacramento’s homeless community, August 11, 2009. This is a huge step in making homelessness a priority and bringing forth change. Safe Ground’s mission is to help the homeless community to have a safe and legal place to stay until the housing issues are resolved. Mayor Johnson and Bomke showed up at Safe Ground’s recent camp-out spot to learn first hand what it is like to be homeless. Johnson and Bomke signed Safe Ground’s participant agreement; which is required in order to camp: no drugs, no alcohol, no violence. This agreement is set to keep the homeless community safe. John Kraintz, a homeless leader and a member of Sa

Police arrived at the most recent Safe Ground location on North D and North 11th streets Monday afternoon to notify about 100 homeless campers that they must vacate the premises. Safe Ground is an attempt to find a safe, legal space for the homeless to settle. Reverend David Moss was the only arrest made that afternoon for trespassing. Sacramento Police Department spokesperson, Sgt. Norm Leong commented, “He refused to identify if he was camping on the site and refused to leave.” The empty lot is owned partially by the city and two private property owners. Joan Burke, Director of Advocacy with Loaves & Fishes, said those camping were aware only of the city ownership of the property. “W