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Some Of Sacramento's Homeless Youth Say Cabins Geared Toward Them Provide Hope And Shelter

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Tiny homes could be a big relief to a specific group of Sacramento's homeless population.

They're the first of their kind — two dozen cabins that will house young homeless people.

Jovante Mimett, Desarae Stout and John Perez appear to be a group of normal young adults just hang out on Wednesday afternoon, but their lives have been anything but that.

"Basically, I've been homeless for over 10 years," Mimett said.

"I got kicked out when I was 12 and I came from Modesto to up here and just been on the streets ever since," Stout said.

"About a year and a half ago, I found myself evicted," Perez said.

Different circumstances all lead to the same outcome for Stout, Mimett and Perez: homelessness. Now there's a new option on the horizon for them and people like them between the ages of 18 to 24.

READ: Mental Health, Homelessness At Forefront of Newsom's State of the State

As CBS13 reported, the Sacramento City Council approved plans for a sleeping cabin community in North Sacramento next to Church of God in Christ at St. Paul on Grove Avenue.

Each cabin will house two people between 18 and 24 years old. Bathrooms, showers, laundry, and meal prep facilities will be on site. The cabin will be purchased from Tuff Shed in Denver.

The cabin community will house 50 people, with people moving to permanent housing approximately every six months.

The total cost of the two-year program is $5.6 million. Sacramento non-profit First Step Communities, which currently operates an 80-bed shelter on North A Street, will be the site operator at the emergency Bridge Housing at Grove Avenue.

"That sounds amazing. I just wonder like what's the qualifications for that because there's many of us. And they can't help everybody," Stout said.

READ: Stockton Getting Trailers To Help Homeless, Gov. Newsom Announces

We had the same questions for First Step Communities that will operate the cabins. The executive director told CBS13 that a modified version of the coordinated entry system to identify who would be selected to stay at the cabins. The system creates an assessment score based on vulnerability. The vulnerability factors are derived from questions that pertain to things like mental health issues, substance abuse problems and how long someone has been living on the street.

They also said there will be a meeting on Friday to iron out the details of the modified system and the rules for the facility.

The executive director for First Step Communities stated that the rules would also be worked out as well. They will be similar to the existing rules at the North A Street shelter but, also would be modified. Some said the cabins bring more than just shelter but, hope as well.

"It lets people know that we're actually being heard and we're not just a forgotten cause," Mimett said.

The cabins are expected to be up and running by the end of next month according to a spokesperson from the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Authority.

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