Sacramento County has applied to get a part of the 553 million dollars in state funding intended to help California’s homeless crisis, according to the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement.

Sacramento declared a homelessness crisis on Oct.15 and will receive $20 million of the state funding, according to an article by Capital Public Radio.

“The money can help by actually offering the development of housing, increasing shelters, and other needs the homeless community might have such as taking showers and appropriate medical and dental opportunities,” said Sociology Professor Donnisha Lugo.

The money will be used to help the unsheltered population And the city is receiving the federal funding plan to expand housing programs and emergency resources, according to the California State Association of Counties.

12 million would go to Sacramento Steps Forward which is a non profit program dedicated to ending homelessness in the region of Sacramento, the city would receive 5.6 million, and 1.6 million would be available for housing and community programs.

Since 2015, the homeless population has gone up 30 percent, according to a report by the Sacramento State University.

“We need more public housing and counseling resources,” said Brad Markwic, a 21-year-old theater arts major.

The city plans on adding 40 more additional beds to Sacramento’s scattered site shelters and a new triage. There is also plans to create more host homes as well as increasing shelter capacity and rental subsidies, according to The Sacramento Bee.

The problems is due to constantly increasing rent prices and low stock housing marking and wages that are not growing fast enough, according to a study by Sacramento State University.

In the U.S. productivity has been increasing dramatically since 1940 but wage increase has been nearly stagnant since 1970, said Sociology Professor Thien-Huong Ninh.

“We have a lot of students on campus that are homeless but the ones that are able to help can contribute by donations and anything that can help get the word out like where to find resources, people who actually need it don’t know about it,” Lugo said.

About 13 to 14 percent of community college students are homeless, according to a survey by the Wisconsin HOPE Lab.  

The campus has several resources for students who are homeless.

The Hawk Spot, which is located in T-108, is a place where any current Los Rios district student with an ID student in need of food can come and get a bag of non-perishable food items.

The Hawk Spot is  open Mondays and Tuesdays from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesdays by appointment only.

Unsheltered students can also use showers in the PE 113 thru PE 117 Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Any students in need of finding shelter is encouraged to go to EOPS and there they will be given resources and lists of places they may be able to stay. EOPS also has food and snacks available for free at any time.

“Promote the programs we have now so more people know what’s available,” said 18-year-old Graphic Designer major Uriel Reyes.