Residents ‘Horrified’ by Homelessness, Public Drug Use in California’s Capital City

Sacramento, which has the third most chronically homeless nationwide, has been sued recently by its district attorney and residents over how it handles homelessness.

Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho holds a poster collage titled "criminal behavior" as he announces that his office is suing the city of Sacramento for creating a public nuisance by failing to take stronger action on homeless camps, on Sept. 19, 2023. Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee via AP

California’s capital city of Sacramento and its surrounding county was recently ranked by the Department of Housing and Urban Development as having the third-most chronically homeless people nationwide.

According to the agency, the city and county have about 4,000 people who are chronically homeless, meaning they have been unhoused for more than a year and have a disability, such as mental illness, a substance use disorder, or a physical disability.