The City’s Department of Community Response (DCR) soon will launch a new motel-based program designed to quickly shelter and support families with minor children.
The “Emergency Shelter Vouchers for Families” (ESV) program is set to begin in June. It will replace the current City Motel Program (CMP), which started during the COVID-19 pandemic and has served various populations, including families as well as adults.
“The City Motel Program has played a critical in role sheltering people experiencing homelessness since 2020,” said DCR Director Brian Pedro. “We plan to use the lessons learned over the past several years to better support a specific population with high needs and vulnerability – families with younger children – and help them take the next steps toward stabilization and long-term housing.”
All families with minor children currently in the CMP program will be offered vouchers for the new program; other CMP participants will be offered placement in City shelters. In recent weeks, DCR has held four town hall-style meetings to inform CMP participants about the upcoming changes and answer questions.
DCR since 2024 has been actively working to restructure the CMP by tightening its focus, improving service delivery and reducing overall costs.
The new ESV program also incorporates recommendations made by the City Auditor’s Office in its 2025 evaluation of the City Motel Program, which reiterated that some CMP participants experienced extended stays, and the program needed to more clearly define its objective as an emergency shelter. The audit recommended earlier and more intensive case management for clients, and a program design better aligned for rapid stabilization and rehousing for families.
Similar to the CMP, the ESV program will have an inventory to shelter approximately 200 families and a goal of placement within 24 hours of identified need. Unsheltered families with minor children will receive a motel voucher for a 28-day stay at one of the participating motels, located in different areas across Sacramento. Vouchers have a value of $55 per night.
Vouchers can be renewed five times for a total of six months in the program. Renewal is contingent on participants’ active participation in their re-housing plan with the contracted service provider.
The new program “will expand client choice by allowing more motels across the city to participate while simultaneously reducing overall operating costs” at a time when the City is facing a $66 million structural deficit, Pedro said.
In addition to the ESV program, the City continues to operate its Outreach and Engagement Center, which also provides immediate shelter for families with minor children.
Click here to learn more about the City’s comprehensive response to the homelessness crisis.
