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West Sacramento Homeless Program In Need Of More Money From City, County

WEST SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A program to get the homeless off the streets in West Sacramento has run out of money after unexpected costs cropped up.

It's been almost two months since Mark Anthony Green was homeless, living on the banks of the Sacramento River on and off for more than 20 years. He's a different man today.

"I take meds, I'm seeing a doctor, I applied for SSI, applied for food stamps, signed up for job training," he said.

Green was chosen to be part of The Bridge To Housing pilot program. officials from Yolo County and West Sacramento moved 66 homeless into a motel in West Sacramento, promising services while they try to find permanent homes.

"I think people really expected that we would have a 50 percent drop off in the first month and we have almost all of our residents here on site" said mental health director Karen Larsen.

The program received $100,000 split between the city and the county.

"The move took a lot more money than we expected then there's been a lot of upkeep at the hotel we hadn't built into our budget," she said.

They say 82 percent of the residents are now getting the counseling and treatment they need, and 60 percent are getting Social Security.

The county will decide on the $30,000 request next week, while the city will decide on the other $30,000. Officials are confident they will get the money.

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