Safe Ground Sacramento was founded in December 2008 by homeless leaders of Sacramento’s 2008-2009 Tent City encampment located along the American River near downtown Sacramento. We have been incorporated as a 501(c)3 since January 2010. We focus on homeless individuals who are left outdoors, without shelter or proper sanitation when all the shelters and affordable housing programs are at maximum c
apacity, a normal condition in Sacramento. At the same time as having insufficient shelter and programs to help people become housed, in Sacramento it is against the law to "Camp", ultimately defined as "living outdoors". We envision communities that, rather than treating homelessness as a crime, embrace the dignity of each person, and provide a way out of homelessness, through inexpensive, alternative housing, such as small cabins, tents, or other innovative approaches, all with keeping the homeless residents at the heart of daily operations of their intentional communities. Along the lines of "dignity" and "respect" for those experiencing homelessness, we strive to bring an end to laws that punish people for the status of being unsheltered or for living in extreme poverty.
