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Riverbank updates on homelessness: Sierra House staff, Cambridge Academies report PIT demographics and services
Summary
City officials heard a report on the 2025 point-in-time count for Riverbank, an overview of services and outcomes at Sierra House, and details about the program’s transitional housing and day-center work.
Riverbank city leaders heard an update on homelessness in the community and a summary of services delivered by Sierra House and Cambridge Academies during the council meeting.
The city’s presentation on the 2025 point-in-time (PIT) count, conducted under U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development guidance, reported 31 individuals counted within the Riverbank ZIP code for 2025, up from 28 in 2024. Of the 31, staff said four were sheltered at Sierra House and 27 were unsheltered. The presenter noted some people were counted within a Riverbank ZIP code even though their encampments lie outside city limits.
Cambridge Academies staff described services at Sierra House, which operates a day center and a transitional housing program that serves men. Hallie of Cambridge Academies told the council the day center has provided more than 2,300 showers and served about 130 unduplicated people since opening, offering food, clothing, laundry, hygiene supplies and case management. Hallie said the day-center services play a role in public health and connecting people to medical care and other supports.
Cambridge Academies’ transitional housing program, which the presenter described as focused on “help[ing] someone change their mindset,” has had 24 unduplicated men participate since it opened. The program manager described a “restart” curriculum covering addiction referrals, GED and identification assistance, job-readiness training and family reconciliation. Donnie Merchant, the new house manager at Sierra House, told the council he was working to fill a restart cohort and said, “If I can help 6 people go from living in the street to having full time work, houses, and reconnecting with their families that this is very worth doing.”
Speakers credited community partners, including the sheriff’s department, Oakdale Shelter Pet Alliance (which provides kennels and veterinary support for pets), Kaiser Hospital (which donates weekly meals) and local churches. Council members asked for clarification on gender served by the transitional housing; staff said the program currently serves men because there are more unsheltered men in the area, and the program could be adjusted if local need changes.
The presenters emphasized outreach challenges: the PIT count is a single-night snapshot, many people declined to answer some questions, and 18 of the unsheltered individuals counted reported living in the community for 36 months or longer. Outreach staff said 13 respondents reported no problems accessing services and seven reported difficulty accessing services. Cambridge Academies staff said they remain engaged with people who return to the street and seek to connect them to medical care, behavioral-health referrals and housing pathways.
Council members thanked Sierra House and Cambridge Academies for their work and welcomed the new house manager. No formal council action was taken on this presentation.
