SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Homeless Union filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Wednesday alleging the City of Sacramento unlawfully terminated its Motel Shelter Program, resulting in the displacement of vulnerable residents, including families with children, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities and individuals living with chronic medical conditions.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, the lawsuit names the City of Sacramento, Community Response Director Brian Pedro, Step Up on Second Street Inc., Motel 6 locations participating in the city’s shelter program, Arden Acres Modular Home Park and additional defendants.
The complaint alleges violations of the U.S. Constitution, the Americans with Disabilities Act, California tenant protection laws and numerous other state and federal statutes arising from what plaintiffs describe as the abrupt termination of the city’s Motel Shelter Program and a mass displacement of residents on June 1.
The Sacramento Homeless Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of itself and dozens of members who are unhoused, formerly unhoused or living in housing insecurity.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs include families with children, seniors, veterans, survivors of violence, people living with chronic illnesses and individuals with disabilities who participated in the city’s publicly funded shelter program.
Sacramento established the Motel Voucher Program in 2020, later known as the City Motel Shelter Program, using state and federal funding to provide non-congregate shelter and supportive services for vulnerable unhoused residents.
The lawsuit alleges participants included elderly and disabled adults, domestic violence survivors, formerly trafficked individuals and families with minor children whose disabilities and medical needs were documented through the program.
The complaint alleges the city contracted with Step Up on Second Street beginning in 2020 to administer the program and repeatedly renewed or extended the contract through February 2026. Residents were housed at several Motel 6 locations, the Executive Inn and Arden Acres Modular Home Park under contracts funded by the city.
According to the lawsuit, participants were told to leave their motel rooms on the morning of June 1 under the belief that the rooms were undergoing routine cleaning. The complaint alleges residents were instructed to vacate their rooms by 8 a.m. and return later that afternoon, as they had done during previous weekly cleaning cycles.
Instead, plaintiffs allege many returned to find themselves locked out without prior notice. The complaint alleges some residents waited outdoors for hours before learning they would not be permitted to reenter, while others found their belongings placed outside or discarded.
The lawsuit alleges at least 45 children, including two infants, were rendered homeless or placed at imminent risk of homelessness following the June 1 displacement. According to the complaint, families slept in vehicles and parking lots during triple-digit temperatures, while some children lost access to school services, counseling and therapies.
The complaint also alleges some residents with disabilities lost access to essential medical equipment after losing shelter.
Among the plaintiffs is Ida Lockett, a Sacramento Homeless Union member who said she repeatedly attempted to alert public officials and news organizations before and after the lockouts.
“I did not go quietly. I called every news station. I sent press releases at 1:30 in the morning. I made voicemail after voicemail. I called 211. I called the California Attorney General. I stood outside that motel and I told the truth on camera,” Lockett said.
“I did all this while disabled, while homeless, while my son was sent away for his safety, and while my service dog stood beside me in the heat.”
The complaint identifies Patrick Murphy as a 78-year-old disabled U.S. Marine Corps veteran living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, neuropathy and mobility limitations. According to the lawsuit, Murphy lost access to stable shelter and the electricity necessary to operate the nebulizer he depends on after being displaced from the program.
In a statement released by the Sacramento Homeless Union, Murphy said, “They are trying to kill me. I served my country, and now I am being forced to live in my vehicle without the electricity I need to run the machines that help me breathe. I have COPD. Every day without reliable power puts my life at risk.”
The complaint further alleges that several residents attempting to obtain shelter through the city’s replacement voucher program were informed they had been placed on a “Do Not Register,” or DNR, list that barred them from obtaining rooms at participating motels. Plaintiffs allege they received no advance notice, explanation or opportunity to challenge those designations.
According to the lawsuit, the city continued contracting with Step Up despite years of complaints from program participants, prior litigation involving the organization and a civil fraud action brought by the California attorney general.
The complaint notes that Step Up settled that civil fraud lawsuit in June 2026 by agreeing to repay the state $3 million. It also cites a 2025 city audit that found participants reported inadequate communication and insufficient assistance from case managers and housing navigators.
Crystal Sanchez, president of the Sacramento Homeless Union and Western regional co-director of the National Union of the Homeless, said the organization repeatedly warned city officials before the June 1 displacement.
“We were not silent. We did not wait until after people were harmed to speak up. We raised concerns through every avenue available to us. We sent emails. We attended meetings. We contacted officials. We spoke with the media. We documented what people were experiencing on the ground,” Sanchez said.
“The question is not whether people spoke up. We did. The question is what happened after the people responsible for protecting this community were put on notice.”
Sanchez said the union continues documenting the effects of the displacement.
“The story did not end on June 1. Every day we are still hearing from families who are trying to survive the consequences of these decisions. We are still collecting statements. We are still documenting what is happening. We are still standing with people who have nowhere else to turn,” she said.
“The people affected are not statistics. They are witnesses. Their voices matter. Their experiences matter. We will continue documenting, organizing, and fighting until people are treated with dignity and until accountability is achieved.”
According to the union, members and volunteers immediately assisted displaced residents by distributing supplies, documenting conditions and helping families navigate the aftermath of the lockouts.
“When people lost their rooms, their belongings, and their stability, the people who understood that pain were the ones standing beside them. It was unhoused people helping unhoused people. It was community members refusing to leave their neighbors behind,” Sanchez said.
“The same people who are often treated as the problem became the people providing the solution.”
Sanchez said the lawsuit raises broader questions about the administration of publicly funded homelessness programs.
“The question our community must ask is: who are these decisions protecting? When it comes to budgets, contracts, and policy choices, are we truly protecting all constituents?” she said.
“Public records and public dollars represent real people. Behind every number is a person — a child, a parent, a veteran, a grandparent, a neighbor.”
“Budget decisions are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. Policies are not just words on paper. They determine whether people have access to shelter, medical needs, safety, and a pathway out of homelessness.”
Sanchez concluded by calling on community members to become involved in advocacy surrounding homelessness.
“We are done accepting a system where people are moved around instead of moved forward. We are done watching decisions made without the voices of those most impacted,” she said.
“Organize. Speak up. Stand together. Demand transparency. Demand accountability. The people most impacted are rising, and we are building a movement that cannot be ignored.”
The lawsuit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, damages and other remedies related to the alleged constitutional and statutory violations. The allegations contained in the complaint have not been proven in court, and the defendants had not filed responses to the complaint as of Wednesday.
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