This is a big week for some homeless people in Auburn who are transitioning into permanent housing as part of the statewide Whole Person Care pilot program.
Geoff Smith is Placer County's Whole Person Care manager. He says 13 people will be moved-in to a home by the end of the week.
"We've had some people move in and we'll continue throughout the rest of the week," Smith says.
Smith says some of the homeless people moving in have two or more chronic health conditions, mental health or substance-use issues.
"Oh my gosh, they're so excited," says Smith. "I mean some of them have been homeless for years. So to have a chance like this is a really big deal to them. And just to have other people working with them that actually care about them and what's going on is a big difference. To get housing and to have support and to know that it's permanent housing, it's making a tremendous difference to them. They're excited, they're happy."
Smith says a $1 million grant from Sutter Health Foundation helped pay for the eight-bedroom home on Lake Arthur Road.
Placer County also opened a medical respite facility for homeless people who recently left the hospital. It's currently housing four people.
Placer was one of the first counties selected by the state Department of Healthcare Services to take part in the five-year pilot project.
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