Two volunteers at the Yolo County Children’s Alliance’s ninth annual Homeless Resource Fair pose for a photo at their station on Oct. 24 at the Rodeway Inn in West Sacramento.

 

WEST SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - Hundreds of individuals were provided hot meals, clothing, hygiene kits, harm reduction and other services at the ninth annual Homeless Resource Fair hosted by the Yolo County Children’s Alliance on Oct. 24.

At the former Rodeway Inn, located at 817 West Capitol Ave., nearly 10 different organizations set up resource stations in the parking lot with individuals lined up to receive care, camaraderie and basic needs. As an event originally started by River City High School students in 2017 with endowment funding, Yolo County Children’s Alliance Executive Director Jeneba Lahai said requirements in 2014 for the three-year grant stated that students had to create a program benefiting the community. 

“This is a homeless housing site, so it makes sense to bring it to where we know people are,” said Taylor Nelson, West Sacramento Police Department division manager for Community Outreach and Support, about the annual resource fair. “It's been an excellent location. 
It's easily accessible for people to come in and access the resources that they need. It's a familiar place because we do have walk-up services here every day from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., so this is kind of an expansion on what we do on a regular basis.”

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Clarksburg brings its mobile mall to the Rodeway Inn in West Sacramento on Oct. 24 for the city’s ninth annual Homeless Resource Fair. Assisted by volunteers, visitors shop for different clothing items, blankets and towels.

The St. Joseph Catholic Church in Clarksburg has supported the fair since its inaugural event, Lahai said. The church arrives in a large bus, providing gently used clothing and other goods such as blankets or towels from its Mobile Mall, allowing visitors to choose the items they need or want. Volunteers spread items across multiple tables and help guests find items they might want. 

Other organizations providing resources at the fair included the West Sacramento Police Department, MOSAIC West Sac, the City of West Sacramento, ClipDart, Yolobus, Communicare+OLE and Legal Services of Northern California. 

“Everyone in line is literally telling me, ‘I came for clothes,’ ‘I came for a hygiene kit,’ so, the St. Joseph Mobile Mall is doing all of that,” Lahai said. “And then, of course, we have the food bank, who donated over 100 food bags and they're all non-perishable food bags. And dude wipes for our neighbors.”

Aaron Hiatt, a program technician with the City of West Sacramento, said he helps manage the city’s emergency housing program, maintaining operational control of the Rodeway Inn facility, a gated lot with fencing around the perimeter. Born and raised in West Sacramento, Hiatt said he has worked with the city for six years, cleaning up homeless encampments before being promoted to a program technician. Hiatt said he’s grateful to have such a purposeful job in his hometown. 

Free haircuts were provided by ClipDart to individuals at the ninth annual Homeless Resource Fair at the Rodeway Inn in West Sacramento on Oct. 24.

“It's wonderful. It's nice just knowing that you can offer a little bit of help, especially in your own hometown,” Hiatt said. “I would do this anywhere, but since it's my hometown, it just makes it that much better.”

Hiatt said he enjoyed watching visitors obtain the goods and services that they desperately needed and something as simple as providing treats for individuals with pets could make someone’s day. 

“Look at the people's faces. They're walking away with much needed items, clothing, bedding, you know, it's just awesome, Hiatt said. “Just seeing that everyone's in happy spirits. No one's going away angry, mad, disappointed. I mean, they get some food. I know it's not much but it’s the little things that count in this part of this world.”

West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero said that the Rodeway Inn location was the city’s first Project Homekey site in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been successfully established as a temporary housing site. Guerrero said that finding permanent housing is more challenging but affordable housing projects are underway, transitioning other former motels into housing. 

Volunteers pass out supplies and inform visitors about the various resources available at the Rodeway Inn in West Sacramento for the city’s ninth annual Homeless Resource Fair on Oct. 24.

“A lot of these partners, they interact and share these stories and understanding people who are our unhoused population members are on the street,” Guerrero said.

Born and raised in Sacramento, Shawn Hilaman, a resource fair participant, said he had been sleeping in his car at a boat dock in West Sacramento for a couple of years after losing his place to stay. Hilaman said he is a cook and worked at Denny’s for 15 years in South Sacramento. Months into the process of waiting for housing, Hilaman said, he visits resource centers twice a week to check the status of his housing application.

“They say ‘the struggle is crazy’ and I just go day by day,” Hilaman said. “Wake up and just thank God I’m alive, you know?”

Due to the enclosed nature of the Rodeway Inn site, Guerrero said, safety and security measures have been monitored and increased, responding to concerns raised by community members regarding public safety within certain housing projects. She said feedback gathered from site residents about accessibility to services and other data is tracked, shaping how the project serves the community.

Individuals visiting West Sacramento’s ninth annual Homeless Resource Fair at the Rodeway Inn pack up clothing that they obtained from St. Joseph’s Catholic Church’s mobile mall.

Systematically, Guerrero said, it’s important to maintain a consistent flow of access to resources in order to continue building relationships with the city’s homeless population, learning who they are. 

“I'm personally going to stay in touch with the residents to make sure that they are meeting and addressing their concerns, meeting their demands for more public safety,” Guerrero said. 

As of the resource fair on Oct. 24, Guerrero said, the shutdown of the federal government posing a threat to individuals receiving Cal Fresh benefits is one of her biggest concerns. Assessing how many individuals currently use the program and informing them that their benefits will not be reloaded are crucial first steps when addressing a lack of funding due to government shutdowns. Guerrero said that individuals would lose access to their benefits on Nov. 1 and that the city was working to collaborate with local food banks to ensure access to food is not limited for those populations. 

“We’re going to make sure we get food bank distribution here to get you what you need,” Guerrero said. “It may not be what you want but it may be what you need, so that alert system in preparation is important for people that rely on that.”

The police department provided socks, deodorant and outreach. ClipDart provided free haircuts to individuals on site. Meals and food bags were provided by food banks from both the City of West Sacramento and Yolo County, as well as MOSAIC. Previously known as the Mercy Coalition, MOSAIC West Sac is a primary provider, assisting the Yolo County Children’s Alliance with support services at the site.

Visitors at the ninth annual Homeless Resource Fair shop around for different clothing items from a mobile mall, run by St. Jospeh’s Catholic Church at the Rodeway Inn in West Sacramento on Oct. 24.

Point-in-Time (PIT) Count data in West Sacramento for 2024 showed nearly 1,000 individuals experiencing homelessness at any given time. Since 2009, the Point-in-Time count in 2024 was the highest population of individuals experiencing homelessness. 

Known veterans make up 2% of the city’s homeless population and more than half do not have shelter. The veteran status of 43% of the population is unknown, according to the Point-in-Time count data. More than half of the city’s entire homeless population is also unsheltered. 

According to 2024 Point-in-Time count data, 1% of the population has lived in Yolo County their whole life while nearly 50% of the city’s homeless population came from outside the county and roughly 46% of the population’s prior living status is unknown. 

Data for West Sacramento’s 2025 Point-in-Time count showing the total number of individuals experiencing homelessness has yet to be released. An update from the Yolo County’s Point-in-Time Count update in September showed an increase of more than 7% compared to 2024 but still nearly down 10% from 2023. 

At the Rodeway Inn on Oct. 24, individuals received goods and services to help meet their basic needs as part of West Sacramento’s ninth annual Homeless Resource Fair.

To learn more about the City of West Sacramento’s Homeless Emergency Housing Program, visit the city’s website at https://www.cityofwestsacramento.org/government/departments/economic-development-and-housing/housing/emergency-housing-and-assistance.

At 817 West Capitol Ave in West Sacramento from noon to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, walk up services for individuals experiencing homelessness are accessible. Individuals can receive food, water, clothing, hygiene kits and other services. To learn more about free supportive services from the city, visit https://www.cityofwestsacramento.org/home/showpublisheddocument/20103/638773033576070000. 

To learn more about the City of West Sacramento’s Community Outreach and Support department, visit https://www.cityofwestsacramento.org/government/departments/police/police-divisions-and-units/constitutional-policing-division/community-services-unit.

Socks are piled on the West Sacramento Police Department’s table at the Rodeway Inn during West Sacramento’s ninth annual Homeless Resource Fair on Oct. 24.