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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 2026-05-12_09e SLO County Homelessness and Affordable Housing Compact Item 9.e. MEMORANDUM TO: City Council FROM: Matthew Downing, City Manager BY: Aleah Bergam, Management Analyst SUBJECT: San Luis Obispo County Regional Homelessness and Affordable Housing Compact DATE: April 28, 2026 RECOMMENDATION: 1) Adopt a Resolution approving the San Luis Obispo County Regional Homelessness and Affordable Housing Compact; and 2) Find that approving the Resolution is not a project subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) because it has no potential to result in either a direct, or reasonably foreseeable indirect, physical change in the environment. (State CEQA Guidelines, §§ 15060, subd. (c)(2)-(3), 15378. Alternatively, the adoption of the Resolution is exempt from CEQA on the basis that it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment. (State CEQA Guidelines, § 15061, subd. (b)(3).) IMPACT ON FINANCIAL AND PERSONNEL RESOURCES: There is no impact on financial and personnel resources associated with the San Luis Obispo Countywide Regional Homelessness and Affordable Housing Compact and Regional Homeless Services Inventory. Regional collaboration on addressing homelessness is often an important facto r to the State when considering budget allocations and grant applications. The successful completion and support of the Regional Compact and Services Inventory may assist the County and its cities in advocating for additional state funding for homeless services. BACKGROUND: San Luis Obispo County (County) has a stated commitment to addressing homelessness, beginning with the Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness (Attachment 2) in 2008 and continuing with the “San Luis Obispo Countywide Plan to Address Homelessness 2022 - Page 38 of 335 Item 9.e. City Council San Luis Obispo County Regional Homelessness and Affordable Housing Compact April 28, 2026 Page 2 2027 (Five-Year Plan), adopted in 2022 (Attachment 3). The Five-Year plan emphasizes a bold, housing-centric strategy to:  Reduce overall and unsheltered homelessness by 50% from 2022 Point in Time Count levels by 2027  Add 300 interim housing units, 500 permanent supportive housing units, and 1,667 affordable housing units by 2027 Achieving this goal requires a whole-of-community effort that includes increasing the availability of non-congregate shelters; reexamining and diversifying funding sources; strengthening regional partnerships; and modernizing the data systems and structures that address homelessness. Achieving this goal in a high-demand/low-supply local housing market requires a mix of housing approaches that vary by how they affect housing supply, the level of services they require, and the time and cost it takes to build them. The plan includes strategies to build or secure housing solutions for 2,050 additional people over five years. The Five-Year Plan established six lines of effort as a roadmap for reducing homelessness. 1. Expand Housing Options: Create affordable housing and shelter opportunities for underserved populations. 2. Reduce Barriers to Stability: Strengthen prevention, diversion, supportive services, and housing navigation. 3. Improve Date Systems: Enhance the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and Coordinated Entry for data-driven decision-making. 4. Streamline Funding: Identify and align resources to maximize impact. 5. Strengthen Regional Collaboration: Foster partnerships across jurisdictions and sectors. 6. Build Public Engagement: Increase transparency and community involvement through outreach and information sharing. As part of Line of Effort #5, County Homeless Services Division staff, in collaboration with the County’s Executive Office, worked closely with a steering committee comprised of City Managers within the county to develop a Regional Homelessness and Affordable Housing Compact. The Compact recognizes the complexity of addressing homelessness in San Luis Obispo County and sets forth a voluntary, collaborative framework. ANALYSIS OF ISSUES: Adoption of the Compact represents a continuation and formalization of ongoing interjurisdictional efforts, providing a clear framework to guide coordinated action while preserving local authority and policy discretion. The shared commitments outlined in the Compact include: Page 39 of 335 Item 9.e. City Council San Luis Obispo County Regional Homelessness and Affordable Housing Compact April 28, 2026 Page 3 1. Treat all people with dignity: We affirm that individuals experiencing homelessness are members of our community and deserve respect, compassion, and equitable access to services. 2. Strengthen regional collaboration: We will coordinate across jurisdictions to align services, share data, and pursue joint funding opportunities that adv ance local and regional plans. 3. Expand housing and services: We will work to increase access to shelter, supportive housing, affordable housing and essential services, recognizing that housing is foundational to health and stability. 4. Share responsibility and resources: We will equitably share the responsibility of addressing homelessness by advocating for and actively pursuing funding for homelessness and affordable housing and by engaging in collaborative planning. 5. Promote transparency and accountability: W e will share data, communicate clearly with the public, and evaluate progress together to ensure effective, responsive action. 6. Foster community well-being and safety: We recognize homelessness as both a public health concern and a humanitarian crisis that requires a coordinated and compassionate response. We will manage encampments with empathy and collaboration, balancing the needs of individuals with neighborhood safety, public health, and environmental stewardship. Regional Homeless Services Inventory In addition to the Compact, County Homeless Services Division staff prepared a Regional Homeless Services Inventory (Attachment 4), intended to convey homeless services investments, commitments, and services provided by each jurisdiction. The inventory report was informed by a homeless services survey facilitated by the County Homeless Services Division staff. Each jurisdiction had the opportunity to provide feedback on its respective efforts to address homelessness through the survey. The Homeless Services Inventory is organized into four sections:  Strategic Planning & Coordination activities  Funding contributions from each entity across the homeless services continuum, followed by a chart of funding sources  Land use and planning activities  Direct services provided by each entity, either specifically designed for individuals experiencing homelessness or with significant utilization by this population The Compact and Homeless Services Inventory was presented to the County Board of Supervisors on March 10, 20261 and was approved. As part of the agenda item, the Board of Supervisors also received an update on the progress of the County’s Five -Year Plan to Reduce Homelessness, which is included in the staff report. 1 https://agenda.slocounty.ca.gov/iip/sanluisobispo/agendaitem/details/19965 Page 40 of 335 Item 9.e. City Council San Luis Obispo County Regional Homelessness and Affordable Housing Compact April 28, 2026 Page 4 ALTERNATIVES: The following alternatives are provided for the Council’s consideration: 1. Adopt a Draft Resolution entitled, “Approving the San Luis Obispo County Regional Homelessness and Affordable Housing Compact. 2. Council could decide not to adopt the Draft Resolution approving the Regional Compact. Under this alternative, the Regional Compact will not be complete and may not create the funding opportunities from the State that are hoped for by the parties. 3. Council could request modifications to the Regional Compact. Should Council pursue this option, clear direction should be provided to County staff on the recommended modifications. 4. Provide other direction to staff. ADVANTAGES: A County Regional Homelessness and Affordable Housing Compact offers clear advantages by aligning cities and the county around shared goals, improving coordination, and reducing fragmented approaches. It promotes coordination across jurisdictions to align services, share data, and pursue joint funding opportunities, while supporting increased housing production and preservation at a scale individual jurisdictions cannot achieve alone. DISADVANTAGES: There are no disadvantages identified. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The adoption of the Resolution is not a project subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) because it has no potential to result in either a direct, or reasonably foreseeable indirect, physical change in the environment. (State CEQA Guidelines, §§ 15060, subd. (c)(2)-(3), 15378.) Alternatively, the adoption of the Resolution is exempt from CEQA on the basis that it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment. (State CEQ A Guidelines, § 15061, subd. (b)(3).) PUBLIC NOTIFICATION AND COMMENTS: The Agenda was posted at City Hall and on the City’s website in accordance with Government Code Section 54954.2. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Resolution Exhibit A – Regional Homelessness and Affordable Housing Compact 2. Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness 3. San Luis Obispo Countywide Plan to Address Homelessness 2022-2027” (Five- Year Plan) Page 41 of 335 Item 9.e. City Council San Luis Obispo County Regional Homelessness and Affordable Housing Compact April 28, 2026 Page 5 4. SLO County Regional Homeless Services Inventory Page 42 of 335 ATTACHMENT 1 RESOLUTION NO. A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ARROYO GRANDE APPROVING THE SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY REGIONAL HOMELESSNESS AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMPACT WHEREAS, homelessness in San Luis Obispo County is a complex, countywide challenge requiring unified, compassionate, and strategic action; and WHEREAS, the County of San Luis Obispo and the seven incorporated cities recognize that addressing homelessness effectively requires shared responsibility, coordinated planning, and alignment of local and regional strategies; and WHEREAS, the County of San Luis Obispo and the seven incorporated cities have collaborated to develop the San Luis Obispo County Regional Homele ssness and Affordable Housing Compact (“Compact”) which establishes a voluntary, collaborative framework through which participating jurisdictions commit to shared principles to guide individual and collective actions, including treating all people with di gnity, strengthening regional collaboration, expanding housing and services, sharing responsibility and resources, promoting transparency and accountability, and fostering community wellbeing and safety; and WHEREAS, adoption of the Compact is intended to strengthen regional partnerships, improve coordination across jurisdictions, and enhance competitiveness for state and federal funding opportunities to address homelessness and affordable housing needs ; and WHEREAS, all prerequisites to the adoption of this Resolution have occurred. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Arroyo Grande does hereby: 1. All recitals above are true, correct, and incorporated herein. 2. Find that approving the Resolution is not a project subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) because it has no potential to result in either a direct, or reasonably foreseeable indirect, physical change in the environment. (State CEQA Guidelines, §§ 15060, subd. (c)(2)-(3), 15378. Alternatively, the adoption of the Resolution is exempt from CEQA on the basis that it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment. (State CEQA Guidelines, § 15061, subd. (b)(3).) 3. Approve the San Luis Obispo County Regional Homelessness and Affordable Housing Compact, attached hereto as Exhibit A and incorporated herein by reference. Page 43 of 335 RESOLUTION NO. PAGE 2 4. The City Council authorizes the Mayor to sign the Compact at a public signing event in collaboration and coordination with the County and the other six incorporated cities. 5. The City Council authorizes the City Manager, or designee, to take action and collaborate with the County, cities, and regional partners to align planning, data sharing, and implementation efforts consistent with the Compact, subject to applicable City policies, regulatory restrictions, and budgetary authority. On motion of Council Member , seconded by Council Member , and on the following roll call vote, to wit: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: the foregoing Resolution was passed and adopted this th day of , 2026. Page 44 of 335 RESOLUTION NO. PAGE 3 CAREN RAY RUSSOM, MAYOR ATTEST: JESSICA MATSON, CITY CLERK APPROVED AS TO CONTENT: MATTHEW DOWNING, CITY MANAGER APPROVED AS TO FORM: ISAAC ROSEN, CITY ATTORNEY Page 45 of 335 Exhibit A San Luis Obispo Countywide Regional Homelessness and Affordable Housing Compact A united regional framework to address homelessness and strengthen community well- being Revision date:11/18/2025 Treat All People with Dignity We affirm that individuals experiencing homelessness are members of our community and deserve respect, compassion, and equitable access to services. Strengthen Regional Collaboration We will coordinate across jurisdictions to align services, share data, and pursue joint funding opportunities that advance local and regional plans. Expand Housing and Services We will work to increase access to shelter, supportive housing, affordable housing and essential services, recognizing that housing is foundational to health and stability. Share Responsibility and Resources We will equitably share the responsibility of addressing homelessness by advocating for and actively pursuing funding for homelessness and affordable housing and by engaging in collaborative planning. Promote Transparency and Accountability We will share data, communicate clearly with the public, and evaluate progress together to ensure effective, responsive action. Foster Community Well-Being and Safety We recognize homelessness as both a public health concern and a humanitarian crisis that requires a coordinated and compassionate response. We will manage encampments with empathy and collaboration, balancing the needs of individuals with neighborhood safety, public health, and environmental stewardship. We, the County of San Luis Obispo and the seven incorporated Cities, recognize that homelessness is a complex, countywide challenge that requires unified, compassionate, and strategic action. In San Luis Obispo County, individuals experiencing homelessness are most often long-term community members. According to the 2024 Point-in-Time Count, 81% of respondents reported living in the county for more than five years. This reinforces the importance of viewing people experiencing homelessness not as problems to be solved, but as neighbors and community members to be supported. Together, our agencies embrace the following shared commitments. We agree to pursue policies that align with these principles and use them to guide future individual and collaborative actions to address homelessness in San Luis Obispo County. By strengthening our partnership, we can better respond to community needs and enhance our competitiveness for funding opportunities. By signing this compact on this XX day of xxx, we commit to aligning our actions with these shared regional commitments. Through collaborative action, together, we will build a more inclusive, resilient, and hopeful future for all who call San Luis Obispo County home. Our Shared Commitments: X City of Arroyo Grande X City of San Luis Obispo X City of Paso Robles X City of Pismo Beach X City of Morro Bay X County of San Luis Obispo X City of Grover Beach X City of Atascadero Exhibit A Page 46 of 335 San Luis Obispo Countywide 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness Path to a Home ATTACHMENT 2 Page 47 of 335 Table of Contents Acknowledgements...........................................................................................................Pg 1 Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………….Pg 6 Plan Overview Key Definitions Priority 1 - Facilitating Access to Affordable Housing to Put an End to Homelessness……………………………………………………………………..Pg 14 Priority 2 - Stopping Homelessness Before it Starts Through Prevention and Effective Intervention………………………………………………………………………….Pg 27 Priority 3 – Ending and Preventing Homelessness Through Integrated, Comprehensive, Responsive Supportive Services…………………………………………………Pg 40 Priority 4 - Coordinating a Solid Administrative & Financial Structure to Support Effective Plan Implementation……………………………………………………………….Pg 53 Implementation and Phase I Timeline………………………………………………………Pg 64 Page 48 of 335 Acknowledgments Plan developed, drafted, and endorsed by Leadership Council Committee Participants: David Edge, County Administrator Jim Patterson, Board of Supervisors Jerry Lenthall, Board of Supervisors Bruce Gibson, Board of Supervisors (alt.) Lee Collins, Director Star Graber, Division Manager Karen Baylor, Behavioral Health Administrator Julia Miller, Homeless Services Coordinator Kim Barrett, Chief Probation Officer Dana Lilley, Supervising Planner Morgan Torell, Planner III Jim Guthrie, City Council Chuck Fellows, City Council Steve Adams, City Manager Tom O’Malley, City Council Mike Brennler, Mayor Wade McKinney, City Manager Valerie Humphrey (alternate) Chuck Ashton, City Council Bill Nicolls, City Council George Hansen, Community Dev. Director Betty Winholtz, City Council Rick Grantham, City Council (alternate) Andrea Lueker, City Manager Fred Strong, City Council Ann Robb, Director Library & Rec. Services Ted Ehring, City Council Shelly Higginbotham, Mayor Pro Tem Joe Cortez, Police Chief Carolyn Johnson Paul Brown, Vice Mayor Ken Hampian, City Administrative Officer Brigitte Elke, Principal Admin. Analyst Deb Linden, Chief of Police John Lauffer, President ECHO Homeless Shelter Biz Steinberg, Economic Opportunity Commission Dick Warren, Friends of Prado Day Center Board Dave Smiley, President Friends of Prado Day Center Path to a Home The San Luis Obispo Countywide 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness Path to a Home October 2008 1 Page 49 of 335 Bull Chaney, Gryphon Society Carol Hatley, Executive Director Housing Authority of the City of SLO Vela Herrera, Director Housing Mgmt. Housing Authority of the City of SLO Richard Margetson, Homeless Advisory Council Jeanette Duncan, Executive Director People’s Self Help Housing Corporation Scott Smith People’s Self Help Housing Corporation Barry VanderKelen, Executive Director of San Luis Obispo County Community Foundation Judie Najarian, Board President (ret.) Sunny Acres Jill Bolster-White, Executive Director Transitions Mental Health Association Joe Madsen, Transitions Mental Health Association Rick London, Chief Executive Officer United Way of SLO County Michael Madriaga, Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee’s Office Betsy Umhofer, Congresswoman Lois Capps’ Office Mike Whiteford, Congressman Kevin McCarthy’s Office Danielle Duboff, Senator Abel Maldonado’s Office Abby Lassen, California Rural Legal Assistance Donna Lewis, Chamber of Commerce SLO James M. Duenow, James M. Duenow Law Corporation Jean Williams, Associate Professor & Chair, Political Science Department Jim Roberts, CEO, Family Care Network, Inc. Ann Travers, Trio Lee Gulliver, Trio Committees: Finance and Administration Committee David Kilburn, Aids Support Network (ASN) Brigitte Elke, City of SLO Dana Lilley, County Planning and Building Biz Stenberg, EOC Dee Torres, EOC (Prado Day Center) Joan Limov, EOC Jody Smith, EOC Bobbi Smith, EOC Bobbi Scott, Family Care Network, Inc. Patrick Zalamen, Family Care Network, Inc. Dave Smiley, Friends of Prado Day Center Richard Margetson, Homeless Advisory Council Carol Hatley (co-chair), Housing Authority of the City of SLO Cherri Neal, LifeSteps Foundation Scott Smith, People’s Self Help Housing Corp. Rich Chubon, Stanislaus County Housing Authority Richard Phillips, Sierra Vista Regional Hospital Judie Najarian, Sunny Acres Board Denise Rea, Transitions Mental Health Association Ann Travers (co-chair), Trio Associates Lee Gulliver, Trio Associates Marianne Kennedy, Women’s Shelter Program SLO Path to a Home October 2008 2 Page 50 of 335 Short Term and Permanent Housing Committee Scott Smith (co-chair), People’s Self Help Housing Corp. Denise Rea (co-chair), Transitions Mental Health Jeanette Duncan, People’s Self Help Housing Corp. Greg Buscho, West Coast Housing at Chorro Creek Joe Madsen, Transitions Mental Health John Lauffer, ECHO Lee Gulliver, Consultant for EOC Kim Murry, Deputy Director of Comm. Dev., City of SLO Della Wagner, EOC Homeless Case Manager So Co. Vela Herrerra, Housing Authority of the City of SLO Pamela Hughes, EOC Case Manager Pat Beck, Board of People’s Kitchen Kevin Selman, Transitions Mental Health Shona Pruitt, Women’s Shelter Program SLO County Robb Koch, Department of Social Services Mary Lou Zivna, EOC Shawn Ison, EOC – Maxine Lewis Memorial Shelter Paul Wolff, AFA & EOC Pearl Munak, Transitional Food & Shelter Jody Smith, EOC Carol Phillips, Transitional Food & Shelter Judie Najarian, Sunny Acres Kathleen Doneff, Client Morgan Torell, County of SLO Planning & Building Prevention and Discharge Committee Tyler Brown (co-chair), Mental Health Board Rod Younquist (co-chair), Health Care Don Dana, Duncan Group Eric Michiellsen, Duncan Group Al Gentle, PSHHC Supp. Services Coordinator Jeanette Duncan, People’s Self Help Housing Corp. Ray Fleming, EOC Health Services Jody Smith, EOC Pamela Hughes, EOC Case Manager Chanel Channing, West Coast Housing at Chorro Creek Lee Gulliver, Consultant for EOC Mike Ball, County Mental Health Jackie Sebro, Loaves and Fishes Barri Dymott, Trio Associates Judie Najarian, Sunny Acres Phil Compton, SLO Mental Health MHSA Dawn Latimer, CHC Dee Torres, Prado/EOC Ronnie Nevarez, EOC Path to a Home October 2008 3 Page 51 of 335 Biz Steinberg, EOC Mary Cota, EOC Lillian Bucton, Mental Health Dolly Scruggs, EOC Supportive Services Committee Stephen Lamb (co-chair), Cal Poly Joe Madsen (co-chair), Transitions Mental Health Al Gentle, PSHHC Supp. Services Coordinator Jeanette Duncan, People’s Self Help Housing Corp. Joan Lawrence, People’s Self Help Housing Corp. Ronnie Nevarez, EOC (North County) Mary Lou Zivna, EOC (San Luis) Larry Feldt, EOC (South County) Dee Torres, EOC (Prado Day Center) Lee Gulliver, Consultant for EOC Della Wagner, EOC Homeless Services Case Manager So Co. Janet Amanzio, County Mental Health Services Mary Parker, People’s Kitchen Chair Lisa Delk, Work Training Programs Barri Dymot, Trio Association Amber Tierney, Cal Poly Norma Mueller, ECHO Hildy Gal, ECHO Jody Smith, EOC Dave Smiley, Friends of Prado Gene Bergman, Executive Director of PR City Housing Auth. Julia Miller, Department of Social Services Patti Diefenderfer, CHC Shawn Ison, EOC Mary Cota, EOC Susan Matherly, SLO Superior Court Amanda Garcia, EOC Stacy Lough, EOC Pam Hughes, EOC John Lauffer, ECHO Edie Kahn, ASN/SLO Hep Dorie Larson, Prado/People’s Kitchen/Green Pastures Judie Najarian, Sunny Acres Ray Fleming, EOC Path to a Home October 2008 4 Page 52 of 335 Path to a Home The San Luis Obispo County 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness Overview of Plan Recommendations Homeless Governing Board: A countywide collaborative governing body overseeing and coordinating the system of care ¥ Staffed by a full-time Homeless Coordinator and 2 other full-time staff overseeing fundraising and data collection/performance evaluation . Providing leadership . Developing an annual work plan to guide plan implementation . Establishing funding priorities and overseeing allocations . Facilitating communication and coordination between jurisdictions, governmental departments, providers, homeless people & advocates . Organizing provider trainings . Promoting system integration . Overseeing & facilitating housing production . Fundraising . Carrying out a public communication campaign . Conducting advocacy . Overseeing systemwide program evaluation and quality improvement Housing ¥ Creation of regional Basic Housing Assistance Centers to facilitate access to housing & housing-related services (BHAC) ¥ Countywide Housing First Policy to get people into housing quickly ¥ Development of a range of housing, including affordable housing, permanent supportive, no-demand housing, and interim and transitional housing (for crisis situations or specific sub-population needs) ¥ Short term and shallow housing subsidies to help people regain & maintain housing ¥ Services linkages for all housing provided through Primary Responders & Human Services Campuses ¥ Focus on facilitating and expanding affordable housing production through appointment of a point person, creation of a Pipeline Committee, increasing available funding and streamlining approval processes Services ¥ 4 regional Human Services Campuses providing centralized access to comprehensive services ¥ Network of Primary Responders based on the campuses coordinating a single case plan for each client & facilitating linkage of services w/ housing ¥ Use of triage approach to target services to those most in need ¥ Streamlined paperwork & single data system to support coordinated service provision ¥ Countywide Work Fast policy and homeless employment & training programs to get people into employment, training or volunteer work as quickly as possible ¥ Streamlined access to benefits ¥ Development of profit–generating micro-enterprises to fund service provision ¥ Promoting community participation and volunteering to support efforts to address homelessness Prevention ¥ Use of comprehensive assessment tool at intake to identify people who are homeless or at-risk and designated discharge planner at all publically funded institutions ¥ Discharge/Transition team coordinating a collaborative case plan to ensure continuity of care, involving discharge planners at all institutions, Primary Responders and BHAC ¥ Creation of medical respite beds ¥ Homeless courts to divert people from criminal justice system ¥ Eviction prevention housing assistance and services (through BHAC) ¥ Performance mandates linked to Department budgets and NGO contracts in support of county focus on preventing and ending homelessness Path to a Home October 2008 5 Page 53 of 335 Executive Summary In January 2008, cities, agencies and groups throughout San Luis Obispo county began an important journey, aimed at improving the county’s approach to homelessness. The need for change was broadly recognized, as homelessness in the county was continuing to grow. More individuals and families were losing their housing; community members were increasingly frustrated by the effects of homelessness on their neighborhoods, city centers and public parks; homeless programs were struggling to meet growing need with dwindling resources, and local leaders were searching for solutions that were both effective and affordable. Against this backdrop, and following a national trend to shift emphasis from “managing” homelessness to working to “end” it, a broad-based planning group came together to reevaluate current efforts within the county, consider best practices and lessons learned around the nation, and develop a Plan for a new and more effective response, aimed at ending homelessness in ten years. This document, Path to a Home is the outcome of that process. Path to a Home lays out a clear central vision that focuses on ensuring that everyone has access to appropriate and affordable housing and to the services they need to sustain it. It provides a clear “path” of: 1) what needs to be done to help people who are homeless or at-risk arrive “home” to stable housing and a place in the community as productive and participating members and 2) the system, policy and program changes necessary for the Cities, Communities and County to arrive at their goal of ending homelessness in ten years. Altogether, it is a new approach, one that puts as much attention on preventing homelessness as on helping people who are already homeless, and which calls for a variety of system level changes to facilitate integration and collaboration between mainstream and homeless agencies in their service provision. This new approach can be described as: • system-focused, promoting greater effectiveness and efficiency in resource utilization; Path to a Home The San Luis Obispo Countywide 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness Path to a Home October 2008 6 Page 54 of 335 • collaborative, requiring all sectors of the county to contribute to this effort; • flexible and individualized, recognizing that each person in need is unique and requires a tailored response to his/her situation; and • accountable, insisting on data collection and evaluation to document progress made and guide ongoing revisions and improvements. The Journey’s Start -- Background Recognizing The Need For Change: As with many other communities around the nation, efforts in San Luis Obispo county to address homelessness sprang up in the late 1980s as a response to what was seen as an emergency. A network of housing and service programs was created, parallel to the mainstream safety net system, to deal with the special needs of people who are homeless. However, twenty years later, it is clear that homelessness is much more than a short-term crisis, and that despite the hard work and commitment of many excellent programs, the current approach to homelessness is not working and must be changed. Consider the following: ¥ Homelessness Continues To Grow, Affecting More And More People, Including Children: An estimated 2,408 people are homeless each night in San Luis Obispo county, and almost 2,800 experience an episode of homelessness each year. Of these, almost half (44%) are people in families and 22% are children under age 12. Almost a quarter (23%) are victims of domestic violence. 1 These numbers indicate not only untold human misery and forfeited dreams, but for the children, it too often is a preview of a poverty-stricken and marginalized future. Children who are homeless are more likely to have health problems2, to miss school and to have lower academic performance3. Those who are pre- school age, are more likely to have one or more developmental delays.4 All in all, childhood housing instability and homelessness have been identified as one of the indicators of future homelessness5. 1 Sources: SLO County Homeless Enumeration Report, Spring 2006 & 2007 SLO County Continuum of Care Application, Exhibit 1. 2 Weinreb, L., Goldberg, R., Bassuk, E., & Perloff, J. N. (1998). Determinants of health and service use patterns in homeless and low-income housed children. American Academy of Pediatrics 102(3): 554- 562. 3 Rafferty, Y. (1995). The Legal Rights and Educational Problems of Homeless Children and Youth. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 17(1), 42-45. http://webpage.pace.edu/yrafferty/yvonne/docs/Rafferty1995EEPA.pdf 4 Bassuk, E. L. & Rosenberg, L. (1990). Psychosocial characteristics of homeless children and children with homes. Pediatrics, 85(3): 257-261. 5 Burt, Martha R. “Demographics and Geography: Estimating Needs” for the 1998 National Symposium on Homelessness Research. Path to a Home October 2008 7 Page 55 of 335 ¥ Many People Become Homeless Because The Mainstream Safety Net Has Not Met Their Needs: In San Luis Obispo county, almost a quarter of homeless people are victims of domestic violence. 68% of homeless people are estimated to have a mental illness and 37% a substance addiction.6 Unable to access the help they need, they become homeless, and too often, their problems begin to exacerbate. ¥ Some People Have Been Homeless For Years: Almost 10%7 of people who are homeless in the county are chronically homeless, having been continually homeless for a year or more or having had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years. This extended homelessness is an indication of a breakdown in our systems of care, in that people are unable to get the assistance they need to end this unhealthy and dangerous living situation. ¥ The Current System Shelters Only A Tiny Fraction Of Those In Need: 92% of homeless people in the county are unsheltered, living outside or in vehicles.8 The current system clearly does not have the capacity to meet the volume and types of needs that exist in the county. ¥ Homelessness Is Expensive: People who are homeless are high users of emergency services, including hospital emergency rooms, shelters, mental health crisis services, and substance abuse detox programs. A study of homeless people with severe mental illnesses found that each used an average of $40,451 worth of publicly-funded services per year, including health and mental health services (86%), emergency shelter (11%) and incarceration in state prisons and local jails (3%).9 In San Luis Obispo county, a conservative estimate of the impact of homelessness on city services, including Police, Parks and Recreation, Public Works and Library, yields a figure of $121,904 per year.10 In addition, communities also bear quality of life costs related to increased crime, reduced public safety, and problems due to the congregation of homeless people in downtown city centers and public parks. ¥ Homeless Programs Cannot Solve The Problem On Their Own: Both the size of the homeless population as well as their multiple needs makes it impossible for the homeless service system to resolve this problem in its own. Many people who are homeless need access to mainstream services, including health and 6 2007 SLO County Continuum of Care Application, Exhibit 1. 7 2007 SLO County Continuum of Care Application, Exhibit 1. 8 Same as above. 9 Culhane, Dennis P., Metraux, Stephen and Hadley, Trevor. (2002). Public Service Reductions Associated With Placement of Homeless Persons With Severe Mental Illness in Supportive Housing. Housing Policy Debate Vol 13, Issue 1, pp 107-163. Fannie Mae Foundation. 10 This figure is based on a cost study conducted in Santa Barbara County. The per person cost figures from that study are applied to a San Luis Obispo County homeless population of 802, which is 1/3 of the homeless population documented in the Homeless Enumeration Report. Path to a Home October 2008 8 Page 56 of 335 mental health services, drug and alcohol treatment, subsidized housing, employment and training services, and benefits. As noted above, homeless people are already incurring costs in many of these systems, repeatedly cycling in and out of these programs because their problems are not addressed in a coordinated way. ¥ Evidence From Around The Country Demonstrates That Re-Orienting The Approach To Homelessness Works: Over 300 communities around the country are engaged in federal government-promoted Ten Year Planning processes that shift the focus of their service systems from “managing” homelessness to “ending” it.11 This involves strategies such as making housing a central focus; increasing mainstream program involvement in preventing and ending homelessness; linking services with housing in a comprehensive and coordinated package of care; making prevention a priority; and collecting data to guide decisions and monitor progress. Many of these communities have reported significant reductions in the numbers of people homeless on their streets after beginning implementation of their Plans, such as a 60% reduction in Philadelphia, 28% in San Francisco, and 20% in Portland.12 ¥ San Luis Obispo County Has Effective Programs Upon Which To Base Change: While the current homeless system as a whole is not working to end homelessness, there are many excellent programs that have developed proven approaches to helping people regain and maintain housing throughout the county. Using these programs as a base and more fully involving mainstream agencies, the Cities and County can construct an effective system of assistance that will provide comprehensive and coordinated care aimed at helping people access and maintain housing for the long term. The Homeless Outreach Program A San Luis Obispo County Success Story The Homeless Outreach Program, operated by the County Behavioral Health Department, Mental Health Services, serves homeless individuals with mental illness through outreach services in the community where they congregate. HOP provides mental health counseling, medications, emergency assistance, transitional housing with case management, and assistance obtaining permanent housing. 2006-2007 Outcomes • 92 clients served • 90% received housing 11 http://www.ich.gov/slocal/index.html 12 The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness e-newsletter, June 8, 2006, http://www.ich.gov/newsletter/archive/06-08-06_e-newsletter.htm Path to a Home October 2008 9 Page 57 of 335 • 63% involved in vocational development • 40% have paid employment this year • 7% are in educational programs • Number of days homeless has been reduced by 13,346 days 2006-2007 Costs Savings • $207,100 in cost savings from reduced incarceration of 2,071 days • $301,500 in costs savings from reduced acute hospitalization of 335 days A Call To Action: Recognizing the need to change the county’s approach to homelessness, the County Board of Supervisors undertook the development of the 10 Year Plan as a framework for effectively addressing how the county can better meet the most basic needs of its poorest residents. A central goal of the 10-Year Plan is to assist the county in stabilizing and sustaining critical services to people who are homeless and at-risk by enhancing interagency collaboration and increasing systemwide efficiency in provision of services and utilization of resources. The County reached out to all cities and community partners to solicit their participation in the planning process. Staff support was provided through the County Planning and Building Department, with assistance from the Department of Social Services. Consultant services were provided by HomeBase/The Center for Common Concerns. On The Road -- The Planning Process The planning process was initiated in January 2008. A Leadership Council was convened with 60 seats, composed of key representatives from County and City government, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, the business community, funders and people with experience of homelessness. The Leadership Council’s responsibility was to oversee the overall development of the Plan; solicit community feedback; develop an implementation and oversight body; and facilitate plan adoption by the Board of Supervisors, City Councils and other relevant bodies. Four committees were formed, corresponding to the four priority areas that the Plan needed to address. ¥ Finance and Administration (including oversight, data, coordination) Committee ¥ Short Term (including emergencies shelter) and Permanent Housing Committee ¥ Prevention and Discharge Planning Committee ¥ Supportive Services (including Outreach, Health Care, Incomes) Committee Each committee met monthly, and strategies and action steps were developed based on general information about homelessness, its causes and solutions; pertinent county data on need and on the housing and services currently in place; and lessons from current research on homelessness and best practices from around the country. Path to a Home October 2008 10 Page 58 of 335 The final Plan is divided into four sections, each of which contains recommendations addressing one of the priority areas of action to end homelessness:  Priority 1. Facilitating Access to Affordable Housing to Put an End to Homelessness.  Priority 2. Stopping Homelessness Before it Starts through Prevention and Effective Intervention.  Priority 3. Ending and Preventing Homelessness through Integrated, Comprehensive, Responsive Supportive Services.  Priority 4. Coordinating a Solid Administrative & Financial Structure To Support Effective Plan Implementation. The Plan encompasses a series of strategies and action steps aimed at transforming existing homeless and mainstream systems and programs into one comprehensive and coordinated system of care aimed at both preventing homelessness for those at-risk and ending it for those who have already lost their homes. These strategies and action steps are suggestions to guide County, City and Community partners in taking coordinated action to achieve this goal. While the Plan does not mandate action by any agencies, the strategies and actions steps it contains were developed through a countywide planning process and represent the strong consensus of the Leadership Council and its Committees on how San Luis Obispo county can best improve the effectiveness of its approach to homelessness and achieve its goal of ending homelessness in ten years. Reaching Our Destination – Plan Implementation The Leadership Council will be the lead agency overseeing the start of Plan implementation, as it oversaw the development of the Plan. The implementation timeline is at page 64. Action steps will be implemented as funding is secured, redirected from existing funding streams or through the development of new federal, state, local and private sector funding. The initial implementation can begin using existing funding streams adjusted to be consistent with the plan. State and federal funding (See Appendix C) with local jurisdictions and private resources will be needed to access housing services and boost system capacity to the scale needed to end homelessness. A successor Homelessness Governing Body is proposed for Phase I. Path to a Home October 2008 11 Page 59 of 335 Mission of the Leadership Council ¥ To foster involvement of all sectors of San Luis Obispo county working in collaboration and partnership to create a comprehensive and effective system of care that prevents and ends homelessness. ¥ To provide oversight and leadership that will promote ongoing innovation, accountability for outcomes and maximum efficiency in resource utilization. The following vision statement and guiding principles were used to guide the development of the Plan and will be used to guide its implementation. Vision Statement We envision a future in which the housing and comprehensive services necessary to remain housed are available for all, affording everyone maximum self-sufficiency, and the opportunity to be productive and participating members of our community. Guiding Principles 1. Community Partners Working Together – Ongoing coordination and collaboration between the County, Cities and Community partners is recognized as the cornerstone of our efforts to build a comprehensive and seamless system of care that ensures that no one is left out of housing. 2. Sharing Responsibility through Education and Outreach To All – Achieving results that matter will require involvement of all sectors of the community, including the business community, faith-based organizations and citizen volunteers. As such, education to build understanding of homelessness is essential in order to encourage broad involvement and cultivate support for solutions. 3. Continuous Community Building – Development of this system of care will be carried out through investment in affordable and supportive housing, treatment and services for the benefit of All county residents. Path to a Home October 2008 12 Page 60 of 335 4. Fostering Of Innovation & Excellence – Through continuing training, annual integration of lessons learned and emerging best practices, and openness to new ways of doing things, we will create a model system of care that is equal to the challenge of preventing and ending homelessness. 5. Flexible and Individualized Attention – Ending homelessness will happen one person at a time; as such, housing and service provision will be tailored to the specific needs of each individual or family. 6. Focus On Housing – All service provision will include ensuring the client’s housing stability, whether by helping people to obtain housing quickly, linking them with the services they need to sustain it, or identifying risk and intervening early to prevent housing loss. 7. Comprehensive Solutions With A Systemwide Perspective - No matter where the client enters the system, comprehensive solutions will be provided through access to the full range of care available within the system. 8. Strategic Thinking & Efficiently Targeted Interventions – Data collection to allow evaluation of emerging needs and program outcomes will enable us to target interventions for maximum impact and continuously monitor results and adjust for improvement. Conclusion The planning process that produced Path to a Home, the San Luis Obispo countywide ten-year plan to end homelessness, involved a diverse group of stakeholders and built a strong base of collaboration that can help to carry the Plan forward through the implementation process. Path to a Home provides a strong and compelling framework for joint action that can guide County, City and Community partner efforts to effectively address homelessness and utilize precious housing and service resources in the most efficient and productive manner possible. Path to a Home October 2008 13 Page 61 of 335 Priority 1: Facilitating Access to Affordable Housing to Put an End to Homelessness The centerpiece of any effort to end homelessness must be housing – safe, decent and affordable housing. Experience from all over the country demonstrates that housing provides the essential base that allows people to recover from homelessness and the crises that provoked it. With housing, they are able to more effectively address health, mental health and addiction disorders that play a role in their economic marginalization. They are also better able to access and maintain employment or enroll in education or job training activities to enhance their employability and earning potential. Equally important, housing enables them to provide a stable environment to foster the healthy growth and development of their children. It also facilitates their ability to take their place in society as productive and participating members of the community. Development of a Full Range of Housing As such, a key priority for the county’s efforts to end homelessness is to expand its supply of housing. This involves the development of a full range of housing types to meet the need countywide. Of particular importance is making housing affordable to people who are homeless, as San Luis Obispo county has some of the least affordable housing in the country. ¥ Renters in San Luis Obispo county need to earn $20.67/hour in order to afford a modest two bedroom apartment; however, the average renter only earns $10.88/hour1. ¥ The median sales price of single-family homes in the county exceeded $600,000 in February 2006. Less than 10% of the county’s households can afford to buy housing at this price. In 2003, San Luis Obispo county had the fourth least affordable housing market in the nation. 2 1 San Luis Obispo County Housing Trust Fund. “Rental Housing is ‘Out of Reach’” in Housing For All, April/May 2008. 2 Data from the SLO County 2004 Housing Element and the SLO County Department of Planning & Building website. Path to a Home The San Luis Obispo Countywide 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness Path to a Home October 2008 14 Page 62 of 335 Also important is the development of permanent supportive housing to meet the needs of people who are chronically homeless, experiencing extended homelessness and suffering from health, mental health and addiction disorders. Permanent supportive housing links an array of services with the housing to facilitate ongoing residential stability. This type of housing is a nationally-recognized “best practice” with documented effectiveness, helping some of the most vulnerable and needy members of the homeless population to exit homelessness and improve their health and well-being. At the same time, it has resulted in significant cost-savings for communities as, once in stable housing, use of expensive emergency services by this population drops precipitously. ¥ Studies of permanent supportive housing programs show that about three quarters of residents stay for at least two years, and about half retain the housing for three to five years.1 ¥ A study in New York City documented a reduction in service use of $16,281 per housing unit per year by homeless people with severe mental health disabilities who are placed in supportive housing. More than 85% of the savings resulted from reduced usage of emergency and inpatient health and mental health services.2 Importantly, the reduced costs from lower service utilization cover 95% of the cost of developing and operating supportive housing. Finally, interim housing, including both emergency housing and transitional housing are needed for emergency situations and for certain special need populations. 1 Wong YI, Hadley TR, Culhane DP, Poulin SR, Davis MR, Cirksey BA, Brown JL. Predicting Staying or Leaving in Permanent Supportive Housing that Serves Homeless People with Serious Mental Illness. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research, Washington DC. March 2006. and Lipton, F.R., Siegel, C., Hannigan, A., et al. Tenure in supportive housing for homeless persons with severe mental illness. Psychiatric Services 51(4): 479-486, 2000. 2 Culhane, Dennis P., Metraux, Stephen and Hadley, Trevor. (2002). Public Service Reductions Associated With Placement of Homeless Persons With Severe Mental Illness in Supportive Housing. Housing Policy Debate Vol 13, Issue 1, pp 107-163. Fannie Mae Foundation. Path to a Home October 2008 15 Page 63 of 335 San Luis Obispo County Housing Needs5 Housing Type Estimated Unmet Need Very Low and Low Income Housing (50- 80% of median income) 524 units Permanent Supportive Housing 425 family beds 274 individual beds Transitional Housing 449 family beds 401 individual beds Emergency Housing 174 family beds 443 individual beds Source: 2007 SLO County Continuum of Care Application, Exhibit 1, See Appendix A Path to a Home recommends increasing the overall supply of housing available to people who are homeless or at risk. ¥ For permanent affordable housing, it recommends streamlining the permit and approval process, facilitating production, exploring new cost-effective designs, and increasing the funding available from grants and other new sources. ¥ For permanent supportive housing, it recommends developing strategies to link housing with support services targeted to meet the specific needs of the client population. ¥ For interim housing, it recommends increasing the supply in order to provide a supplement to permanent housing, not an alternative. Specifically, it recommends developing sufficient enriched interim housing to meet the countywide need for emergency housing and creating transitional housing to meet the needs of key target populations, including young people exiting foster care, victims of domestic violence, medically fragile, veterans returning from war, and those exiting prison. ¥ Finally, it recommends conducting public education and outreach to build support for the development of housing for homeless people. See Appendix C for projected unit and service needs, with associated costs and potential revenue sources. 5 Data from San Luis Obispo HUD 2007 Continuum of Care Exhibit 1 and from 2004 SLO County Housing Element Path to a Home October 2008 16 Page 64 of 335 Rapid Re-Housing Path to a Home also calls for the adoption of a “Housing First” policy by the County. Housing First is an approach that puts a priority on helping people to quickly re-access permanent housing, thus minimizing the physical and emotional damage caused by homelessness and putting them in a position to recover more quickly. Under Housing First, people who are homeless will be assisted in obtaining housing as soon as possible, without any prerequisites such as spending time in interim housing or achieving sobriety. The housing provided will be linked with intensive case management, treatment and wrap-around services, and while services are not required, people will be encouraged and assisted in accessing those they need. This low demand approach has proven successful, even with people who are chronically homeless and/or have a health, mental health or addiction disorder. ¥ A HUD-sponsored study of three Housing First programs [New York City’s Pathways to Housing, Seattle’s Downtown Emergency Services Center (DESC) and San Diego’s Reaching Out and Engaging to Achieve Consumer Health (REACH)] serving people who are chronically homeless and have a mental illness or a co-occurring disorder found that 84% of clients were still housed after 12 months6. ¥ Despite the fact that services are often not required in these programs, clients still access assistance that addresses their needs. An evaluation of the Closer to Home Initiative found that 81% of tenants were receiving health care services, 80% mental health treatment, 56% substance abuse treatment, 65% money management, 51% benefits assistance, and 41% employment services.7 Facilitating Access To Housing Path to a Home also recommends strategies to help people access and maintain housing. This includes obtaining funding for additional housing vouchers/subsidies and creating a funding pool to provide rental and mortgage assistance to people at immediate risk of homelessness and deposit guarantees and initial move-in costs to homeless clients reentering housing. The Plan also calls for the development of 4 regional Basic Housing Assistance Centers to facilitate access to housing and housing supports for people who are homeless or at-risk. These Centers will allocate housing 6 Locke, G, Khadduri, J and O’Hara, A. Housing Models. Discussion Draft for the 2007 National Symposium on Homelessness Research. p. 14. 7 Barrow S, Soto G, Cordova p, Final Report on the Evaluation of the Closer to Home Initiative, Corporation for Supportive Housing, 2004. Path to a Home October 2008 17 Page 65 of 335 assistance funds, help people in finding appropriate units, and provide a range of services to facilitate successful tenancy. Short Term Housing Assistance Success Stories In Massachusetts, three pilot programs offering short term housing assistance were implemented to test alternative approaches to family emergency shelter which had become very costly (average annual cost of providing shelter to a family was $47,000 in 2004). ¥ The Rental Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program provided flexible funding for first/last month’s rent, security deposits and utility payments. 436 families were assisted at an average household cost of $1,365. ¥ Similar assistance was provided to 476 eligible families through the State’s TANF emergency assistance program to help them shorten a shelter stay or avoid homelessness. The average cost per family was $3,080. ¥ 207 families were assisted under the Shelter to Housing pilot with a one-time subsidy of $6,000 to cover rent and some stabilization services. Two years later 80% of the families were still housed. In addition, these three programs were able to significantly reduce costs, housing 1,119 families for the same cost as 63 shelter rooms.8 8 One Family. Housing First: An Unprecedented Opportunity, Fall 2006. http://www.onefamilyinc.org/cgi- script/csArticles/uploads/466/PolicyPaperFINAL.pdf Path to a Home October 2008 18 Page 66 of 335 The strategies and action steps outlined in the following pages are suggestions for how County, City and Community partners can improve the effectiveness of the county’s approach to homelessness. They were developed through a countywide planning process and represent the strong consensus of the Leadership Council and the Short Term and Permanent Housing Committee on how San Luis Obispo county can best achieve its goal of ending homelessness in ten years. Strategy 1.1: CREATE MORE AFFORDABLE PERMANENT HOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS ACHIEVE LONG-TERM RESIDENTIAL STABILITY. Action Step 1.1.1: Increase the supply of affordable housing for homeless people, including through new construction, acquisition and rehab, master leasing, set asides in existing buildings/developments and dedicated units in new developments (through inclusionary zoning and other strategies). Action Step 1.1.2: Identify properties (land, retail or commercial space, motels, apartments, housing units, mobile home parks) in the county that can be acquired and converted into affordable permanent housing and permanent supportive housing for homeless people. Action Step 1.1.3: Develop strategies for linking permanent housing with supportive services to meet the specific needs of the target subpopulation being served. Strategies should address staffing and coordination among services and treatment providers and may include clinically trained staff on housing property manager team to coordinate and involve outside service providers. Individual case plans should be in place and integrated with provision of housing when the client enters the housing. [See Action Step 2.5.3] Action Step 1.1.4: Explore creative new housing models for homeless people. ¥ Conduct an annual review of best practices, emerging models, and new concepts in housing design, particularly in use with homeless people. Convene those working with homeless people, homeless people, formerly homeless current tenants, and affordable housing developers to discuss possibilities. [See Action Step 4.4.1] Path to a Home October 2008 19 Page 67 of 335 ¥ Re-invent housing models to be smaller, less costly, to foster communal living, and meet what homeless people want. Explore Greenbuild models and concepts, and consider SROs. Any innovative models should be good quality, politically feasible, meet funding criteria, be sustainable for management and maintenance, and socially acceptable as fit for human habitation. Action Step 1.1.5: Appoint a countywide “Point Person” for affordable housing production and funding to lead an Affordable Housing Production Pipeline Committee that will meet bi-annually in order to facilitate development of affordable housing, including dedicated units for homeless people. The “Point Person” should be existing city/county staff. The Pipeline Committee members should be the affordable housing developers, the housing and community development staff of each city and the County, and other potential funders. [See Action Step 4.2.1.] The Point Person and Committee should: ¥ For each city and the County, project the number of units needed over ten years and the kind of units. ¥ Assist potential projects to get off the ground by identifying sponsors, funding, land and service providers. ¥ Annually, develop an overall matrix of projects “in the pipeline” to monitor and support their progress, including identifying and resolving barriers and providing assistance in accessing funding and in obtaining necessary permits and waivers. ¥ Explore mutually beneficial work with market rate developers, tap inclusionary zoning revenue, and stay abreast of all housing-related funding opportunities. Action Step 1.1.6: Identify secure, sustainable funding sources to create affordable permanent housing and permanent supportive housing for homeless people, including funding for predevelopment, development, operations, administration, and tenant support services. Grant funds, as well as loans, are required to develop housing affordable for homeless people. ¥ Create a dedicated source of revenue for the County Housing Trust Fund and expand its mandate to include long term, below market rate financing for dedicated units of housing for homeless people, as well as for affiliated operations and services. [See Action Step 4.2.3.] ¥ Develop new sources of funding, such as in lieu fees, tax on commercial square footage. [See Action Step 4.2.3.] Path to a Home October 2008 20 Page 68 of 335 ¥ Support the bill now pending on Housing Trust Funds in the California Legislature. ¥ Support Housing CA efforts to identify a permanent source of funding for extremely low income housing development. ¥ Work to create private funding sources for housing development for homeless people. [See Action Step 4.2.3.] ¥ Implement mechanisms to document and capture cost-savings in mainstream systems and programs due to reduced use of services by homeless people after implementation of Plan “best practices”, and reinvest cost savings in affordable housing. [See Action Steps 2.2.4, 2.4.2 & 4.2.5] Action Step 1.1.7: Enact local government policies, and create administrative procedures, that ease the process of developing permanent housing and permanent supportive housing for homeless people. Consider the following: ¥ Allowing more units per lot, waiving parking standards, school district fees, and other requirements that burden an affordable housing development for homeless people. ¥ Increasing the number of unrelated adults who may share a single family dwelling without a conditional use permit. ¥ Creating a replacement policy on any affordable units converted to market rate housing. ¥ Assessing the opportunity for creation of affordable units and the maximum number that can be created whenever the General Plan is amended and opportunity for growth identified. ¥ Adopting design models/standards for permanent supportive housing that allow automatic permitting. ¥ Appointing local government “affordable housing fast track specialists” as the “go to” desk for any proposed project to shepherd them quickly through the approval process. Path to a Home October 2008 21 Page 69 of 335 Expected Outcomes ¥ Supply of affordable housing increases to meet need ¥ Process of developing affordable housing is streamlined, through easier identification of sites, better and more efficient coordination of the production process and simplified and more efficient approval processes ¥ Effective strategies in place to link housing and services ¥ New cost-effective and high quality housing model options developed for homeless people ¥ Increased funding available for affordable housing Strategy 1.2: INCREASE THE SUPPLY OF SHORT-TERM “INTERIM” AND TRANSITIONAL HOUSING AS A SUPPLEMENT, AND NOT AN ALTERNATIVE, TO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. Action Step 1.2.1: Create sufficient emergency housing capacity throughout the county using the enriched “interim housing” model. Permanent housing should be provided “first” when possible and appropriate to the individual’s needs, and interim and transitional housing should be used only for targeted populations or as a stop gap measure for a system in housing crisis. Interim housing should be linked with the Community Services Centers and structured so that it connects clients with deep support services and a case management plan to help them move toward greater stability. However access to permanent housing should NOT be conditioned on a “stint” in interim or transitional housing. ¥ Replace the current Maxine Lewis Homeless Shelter with interim housing to respond to current need. Interim housing should be developed with the vision of being able to convert facilities to other service and housing uses in the future as needs change. ¥ Concrete performance measures should be established for all interim housing programs, such as fostering self sufficiency; increasing housing stability; developing or strengthening a community support network of friends and family; and improving education, employment, and community participation. [See Action Steps 2.6., 3.1.1 & 4.3.2] Action Step 1.2.2: Create transitional housing targeted to specific life experiences and offering appropriate services. Target populations include: young people exiting foster care, victims of domestic violence, medically fragile, veterans returning from war, and those exiting prison. Path to a Home October 2008 22 Page 70 of 335 Expected Outcomes ¥ Adequate emergency housing available to those in need, including interim housing and transitional housing for those with special needs Strategy 1.3: CULTIVATE AND FOSTER INCLUSIVE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY FOR HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES. Action Step 1.3.1: Create and fund a group to promote affordable housing for homeless people as part of the 10 Year Plan Homelessness Governing Body activity. Membership should include local elected officials. [See Action Step 4.2.3] This group should: ¥ Conduct education campaigns about affordable housing and permanent supportive housing targeted to local government officials and staff and to the general public. Campaigns should develop a yearly calendar of activities, including awards and tours and should address the importance and need for this type of housing, effective outcomes, process of development and the need for funding and neighborhood support. ¥ Conduct outreach and community education on issues of NIMBY to facilitate siting of projects. ¥ Promote the long-term financial advantage of affordable housing as an investment in the community and a community economic resource. Mention the years of affordability built into projects. Action Step 1.3.2: Organize a peer support network of housing providers to facility siting of housing for people who are homeless or at risk. This group can develop strategies to encourage community acceptance when a problem is encountered or predicted. Expected Outcomes ¥ Communities willing to accept proposed affordable housing development Path to a Home October 2008 23 Page 71 of 335 Strategy 1.4: IMPLEMENT A HOUSING FIRST MODEL OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. Action Step 1.4.1: In concert with approval of this Plan, adopt “Housing First” as a countywide policy for ending homelessness. Encourage the use of mainstream discretionary funds to implement this policy. [See Appendix D for research and practice profiles on Housing First.] Action Step 1.4.2: Provide housing units without conditioning access to meeting threshold behavioral criteria to those with alcohol, substance abuse, mental health, or personality disorders. These units should be linked with low case load intensive case management, treatment and wrap-around services provided through integrated service teams linked with master-leased housing units, “landlord integrated services” by affordable housing developers, and other effective methods. [Primary Responder agencies using the models contained in the Supportive Services Chapter will support success of this work – see Appendix D] Action Step 1.4.3: Educate service providers and agencies on the importance of using a Housing First model. Provide ongoing staff training and develop a peer support network to support consistent implementation. Assist agencies in making necessary changes to streamline the process to and prerequisites for accessing housing. Look at redirecting services and treatment funds to support the conversion to Housing First. [See Action Steps 2.1.5, 2.2.2, 3.1.7 & 4.4.2] Action Step 1.4.4: Educate the general public about the effectiveness of, cost benefits of, and need for a Housing First approach in order to build support for the policy and programs. This should be carried out as part of the overall county Public Communication effort on homelessness. [See Action Step 4.2.3] Expected Outcomes ¥ Rapid access to housing by homeless people with health, mental health and addiction disorders ¥ Improved residential stability, health and well-being for the target population ¥ Reduced costs to emergency services due to access to housing and services ¥ Public support for Housing First approach Path to a Home October 2008 24 Page 72 of 335 Strategy 1.5: GENERATE MORE SHORT-TERM AND SHALLOW SUBSIDIES THAT HELP PEOPLE REGAIN AND MAINTAIN HOUSING. Action Step 1.5.1: Implement a system of housing vouchers, both tenant-based rental subsidies and project-based subsidies to support development. Tenant-based subsidies should be designed to be immediately accessible in times of urgency. Action Step 1.5.2: Create a substantial, new funding pool from which service providers can provide rental and very low income household mortgage assistance to people at immediate risk of homelessness and deposit guarantees and initial move- in costs to homeless clients reentering housing. [See Action Steps 1.6.1 & 2.5.1] Expected Outcomes ¥ At-risk households are able to maintain housing and avoid homelessness ¥ Homeless households quickly re-access housing through rental and other housing –related assistance Strategy 1.6: FACILITATE AND STREAMLINE ACCESS TO HOUSING AND HOUSING SUPPORTS BY PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS OR AT-RISK. Action Step 1.6.1: Create from existing agencies regional Basic Housing Assistance Centers to help people access housing and housing-related services. These designated Centers should serve people who are homeless, in shelters, transitional housing or on the streets; people who are discharging from hospitals, foster care, the corrections systems and other residential/custodial facilities; and people who are at-risk of homelessness due to eviction from current housing. They should: ¥ Maintain a database of affordable units and current availability. ¥ Allocate housing assistance funds, including rental and very low income household mortgage assistance funds, deposit guarantees, and move-in costs, and manage the first-time homebuyer program. [See Action Steps 1.5.2 and 2.5.1] ¥ Forge relationships with landlords to encourage and support them in accepting homeless people as tenants. Landlords should be asked to accept housing vouchers and to waive credit review reports and housing application fees for homeless people. Path to a Home October 2008 25 Page 73 of 335 ¥ Provide a range of services to facilitate successful tenancy, including housing skills for tenants, landlord-tenant dispute resolution, a repair fund, and direct rent payments to landlords when necessary to support residential stability. [See Action Step 2.5.2] ¥ With the Primary Responder network, create a support services plan for each tenant placed in housing that provides linkages with community-based services. [See Strategy 3.1 and Action Steps 2.1.3 and 2.2.1] ¥ Be based at or closely linked with the Community Service Centers. [See Action Step 3.2.1] ¥ They should be developed in coordination with or by enhancing existing housing and social services assistance programs. Expected Outcomes ¥ Coordinated access to housing assistance on a regional basis ¥ Fewer people become homeless and those homeless regain housing more quickly due to ease of access to needed services Path to a Home October 2008 26 Page 74 of 335 Priority 2: Stopping Homelessness Before it Starts through Prevention and Effective Intervention “…homelessness should be reframed, and rather than focusing narrowly on bouts of outright lack of shelter, should address the broader experience of an imminent or existing housing emergency.” Dennis P. Culhane and Stephen Metraux in “Rearranging the Deck Chairs or Reallocating the Lifeboats?”1 Effectively ending homelessness requires action not only to help those on the streets and in shelters back into housing, but also to prevent those at-risk of becoming homeless from hitting the streets. Such prevention makes sense on two levels. First, it is humane, in that the experience of homelessness is devastating and debilitating, disrupting virtually every aspect of people’s lives, damaging their physical and emotional health, and interfering with children’s education and healthy development. Second, it is cost-effective as it is far simpler and cheaper to help people maintain their housing than it is to help them once they are homeless. ¥ According to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study of homeless prevention programs, the cost of preventing a homeless episode is one-sixth the average cost of a stay in a shelter.2 ¥ The annual cost of an emergency shelter bed is $8,6073 -- much higher than the $6,805 average annual cost of a HUD housing voucher.4 In addition, homelessness is expensive as people who do not have housing and supports tend to use costly emergency services, including hospital emergency rooms, shelters, mental health crisis services, and substance abuse detox programs. This is 1 Journal of the American Planning Association, Vol. 74, No. 1, Winter 2008, p.112. 2 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (1990). Homeless Prevention Programs. [OIG: 07-90-00100]. Washington, DC: Author. http://www.oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-07-90-00100.pdf 3 The Lewin Group, 2004. 4 15 Sard, B., Lawrence, P. & Fischer, W. 2005. Appropriations Shortfall Cuts Funding for 80,000 Housing Vouchers this Year: Congress rejected deeper reductions sought by Administrations. Washington, DC: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Path to a Home The San Luis Obispo Countywide 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness Path to a Home October 2008 27 Page 75 of 335 especially true for people who are chronically homeless and suffering from health, mental health and addiction disorders. ¥ A major study of homeless people with severe mental illnesses found that each used an average of $40,451 worth of publicly-funded services per year, including health and mental health services (86%), emergency shelter (11%) and incarceration in state prisons and local jails (3%). When they were placed in supportive housing, there was a net reduction of $12,146 in health, corrections and shelter services use per person per year.5 Path to a Home proposes action on two levels to help prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless: enhanced discharge planning for people being released from public institutions and facilities and early intervention to support people in retaining their housing. Discharge Planning Many people become homeless after release from public institutions (hospitals, mental health facilities, prisons and jails, substance abuse treatment facilities, and the foster care system). In addition, once homeless, the likelihood that they will return to these facilities is much higher. ¥ In California, 10% of parolees are homeless, and in urban areas, such as San Francisco and Los Angeles, 30-50% of parolees are homeless.6 ¥ In New York City, more than 30% of single adults entering city shelters were recently released from city and state correctional institutions.7 ¥ A study in a Florida metropolitan area found that 82% of repeat users of jail were transient or homeless at jail intake.8 ¥ In Santa Clara County, a study of frequent users of hospital emergency rooms found that 62% lacked stable housing. 23% were on probation or parole and 51% had incomes of less than $500/month. Many had a history of mental illness or substance abuse, and 30% had co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. 5 Culhane, Dennis P., Metraux, Stephen and Hadley, Trevor. (2002). Public Service Reductions Associated With Placement of Homeless Persons With Severe Mental Illness in Supportive Housing. Housing Policy Debate Vol 13, Issue 1, pp 107-163. Fannie Mae Foundation. 6 California Department of Corrections, Prevention Parolee Failure Program: An Evaluation (Sacramento: California Department of Corrections, 1997). 7 NYC Department of Homeless Services, "Summary of DOC/DHS Data Match" (draft of data analysis submitted for review as part of the New York City Department of Correction and Department of Homeless Services Discharge Planning Initiative, January 22, 2004). 8 Ford, M.C., “Frequent Fliers – High demand Users of Local Corrections.” American Jails 19(3):18, 2005. Path to a Home October 2008 28 Page 76 of 335 In San Luis Obispo county, it is estimated that over 55 people exit public institutions and facilities into homelessness each month. While some discharge planning is happening, more resources and coordination are needed to ensure that all people exiting these facilities are linked with appropriate housing and support services so they can avoid homelessness. Institution # of Homeless People Exiting County Jail 10/month Mental Health Facilities 10/month Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities 10–30/month Youth 18-25 years old 25-40/month Hospitals, Inpatient 80/year Emergency Room Constant cycling in and out Path to a Home recommends enhancing current discharge planning efforts and making housing status a central focus for all exit planning. ¥ In the corrections system, this means providing housing-focused discharge planning for inmates assessed as homeless or at-risk and initiating support services during incarceration to prepare for release. It also means developing diversion strategies so that homeless people who commit petty crimes are linked with housing and services to address their needs and reduce likelihood of future involvement with law enforcement. ¥ For hospitals, mental health facilities and substance abuse treatment programs, this means designating staff to conduct housing-focused discharge planning and supporting them in this role through training and care management meetings. It also means developing medical respite beds for people who are medically fragile and not able to enter permanent housing. ¥ For the foster care system, this means providing discharge planning that focuses on housing and acquisition of life skills needed to achieve independence and increasing the supply of specialized youth housing. ¥ In addition, Path to a Home also recommends the creation of an overall countywide Discharge/Transition Team to support the discharge efforts of each system. Path to a Home October 2008 29 Page 77 of 335 San Luis Obispo County Eviction Prevention / Rental Assistance Programs 1. SLO County Department of Social Services 2. People’s Kitchen 3. Salvation Army 4. EOCSLO 5. ECHO 6. AIDS Support Network 7. Catholic Charities 8. Green Pastures 9. Housing Authority of SLO City 10. St. Vincent De Paul Society 11. Transitional Food & Shelter Program 12. TMHA Discharge Planning Success Stories ¥ Maryland’s Shelter Plus Care program, which provides rental subsidies, case management and support services to persons with serious mental illness coming from jails, has achieved low rates of both recidivism to jail and homelessness. Less than 7% of clients return to jail and less than 1% become homeless.9 ¥ The Thresholds Jail Program in Cook County, Illinois, which assists people with mental illnesses who are released from jail in accessing housing, mental health services, entitlements and a host of other social services through Assertive Community Treatment, has resulted in an 82% drop in the number of days clients spend in jail. For the first thirty clients who completed one year of the program, savings are estimated at $157,640.10 Early Intervention In 2006, 13.6% of San Luis Obispo county residents were living below the poverty line.11 This is almost 35,00012 people whose low incomes put them at-risk of homelessness in the face of an unexpected emergency, such as job loss, eviction, or a health crisis. Currently, 12 programs in the county provide eviction prevention / rental assistance services, but they are only able to serve a portion of the demand. Path to a Home recommends increasing the resources available to prevent housing loss, including creation of a pool of resources that can be used to cover rent and mortgage payments for low income households at-risk of losing their housing; hiring crisis workers to work with these households to help them regain financial and housing stability; and creating a countywide Support Services Coordinator to oversee services linked with 9 Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). 2003. How States Can Use SAMHSA Block Grants to Support Services to People Who are Homeless. 10 Dincin, J. et al. “Preventing Re-Arrests of Mentally Ill Persons Released from Jail”, Thresholds Jail Program Study, 2007. http://www.thresholds.org/jailtables.asp 11 2006 Community Survey. 12 Based on 2006 US Census Bureau population estimate for San Luis Obispo County. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/06079.html Path to a Home October 2008 30 Page 78 of 335 housing. Early Intervention Success Stories ¥ The Transitions to Housing Program in Portland, Oregon has provided short term emergency rental assistance to over 1,300 individuals and families who are newly housed after homelessness or at-risk of becoming homelessness. Twelve-month estimates show that 71 percent of households retained permanent housing free of rent assistance, and the latest figures show that households, on average, have increased their monthly income by almost 35 percent.13 ¥ Mediation with landlords under the auspices of housing court preserved housing for up to 85% of single adults with serious mental illness facing eviction in the Western Massachusetts Tenancy Preservation Project. Compared to the housing outcomes of similar people who were waitlisted but did not receive services, this project cut the proportion becoming homeless by at least one-third.14 Finally, Path to a Home recommends that government agencies and community-based organizations with public contracts align their efforts with the countywide goal of preventing and ending homelessness. One approach for achieving this alignment could be through the creation of performance mandates linked with budgeting and development of a data system to track program and client outcomes. 13 National Alliance to End Homelessness, “A New Vision: What is in Community Plans to End Homelessness?”, November 2006, p. 27. 14 Burt, M, Pearson, C and Montgomery, AE. Community-Wide Strategies for Preventing Homelessness: Recent Evidence, J Primary Prevent (2007) 28:213–228, p.219. Path to a Home October 2008 31 Page 79 of 335 The strategies and action steps outlined in the following pages are suggestions for how County, City and Community partners can improve the effectiveness of the county’s approach to homelessness. They were developed through a countywide planning process and represent the strong consensus of the Leadership Council and the Prevention and Discharge Planning Committee on how San Luis Obispo county can best achieve its goal of ending homelessness in ten years. Strategy 2.1: CONDUCT HOUSING FOCUSED DISCHARGE PLANNING FOR PEOPLE EXITING JAILS AND PRISONS IN ORDER TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS AND REDUCE RECIDIVISM. Action Step 2.1.1: Develop and implement a comprehensive assessment tool that will identify people who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. Assessment should include questions about housing options available upon discharge as well as other issues related to the individual’s ability to maintain housing, including employment, eligibility for benefits; family relationship status; and existence of health, mental health and/or drug and alcohol abuse disorders. The assessment tool can be structured so that when a certain percentage of trigger factors are noted, the individual is automatically referred to assistance in linking with housing. ¥ Designate staff who will conduct the assessments. This could be by creating and hiring for a new staff position or by expanding an existing position to fulfill this function. ¥ Develop protocols for using the tool and organize trainings with staff who will conduct the assessments. ¥ Assess all prisoners upon entry to county jail, including before transfer to state prison. ¥ As the release data approaches, use assessment information to guide discharge planning. ¥ The existence of a case plan and identified housing can be a factor for consideration by county probation board. Path to a Home October 2008 32 Page 80 of 335 Action Step 2.1.2: Develop necessary systems to store assessment data and provide access to information as the release date approaches and discharge planning is initiated. [See Action Steps 2.6.2, 3.1.2 & 4.3.1] ¥ Consider data synchronicity with the California Outcomes Measurement System (CalOMS) to be sure information collected can be cross-compared. (See Appendix E) Action Step 2.1.3: Conduct discharge planning focused on housing for all discharging prisoners identified in the assessment as homeless or at-risk. ¥ For state prison system releases, build on the existing PACT and Forensics Coordination Team work now underway, adding a specific emphasis on housing for those without stable housing options upon discharge. ¥ For local jail releases, create a local parallel program that builds upon the state models, such as the new ReEntry Teams being launched by the Mental Health Department and the Sheriff and make housing a core emphasis. ¥ All discharge planning efforts should include: identification of specific housing opportunities, both short and long term; linkage with needed support services and benefits; and pre-release matching with a community-based agency to facilitate the transition to the community. ¥ While short term jail stays do not allow for extensive discharge planning, people who are homeless or at-risk should be offered assistance, including signing up for agency meetings. An accountability mechanism should be built in to assure follow through. ¥ Discharge planning should be conducted in coordination with the Primary Responders [See Strategy 3.1] and Basic Housing Assistance Centers [See Action Step 1.6.1] for linkage with housing. Action Step 2.1.4: Initiate services to prepare for and facilitate discharge while inmates are still serving their sentence. Utilize the help of volunteers and faith- based organizations to provide assistance, including mentoring, working with inmates to develop individualized re-entry plans, and offering services to prepare for release. ¥ Arrange for inmates to take classes on resources for re-entry, collaboratively make detailed housing and financial plans, prioritize meeting rehab needs, and conduct skills training. Path to a Home October 2008 33 Page 81 of 335 ¥ Assist inmates in obtaining necessary identification so that they have it upon release. Consider creation of a temporary County identification card that can be used immediately upon release until permanent identification is obtained. (See Appendix E) ¥ Assist inmates in applying for benefits pre-release so that they have them at discharge. Implement benefits suspension for those incarcerated, with re- activation completed as part of re-entry process. Action Step 2.1.5: Educate prison/jail staff, especially parole and probation officers, on the importance of housing focused re-entry support services. [See Action Steps 1.4.3, 2.2.2, 3.1.7 & 4.4.2] ¥ Consider using the “day in the life” experiential training process, as part of employee orientation and annual training. ¥ Explore feasibility of adding staff training to the San Luis Obispo Coastal Unified School District contract for life skills training. Action Step 2.1.6: Divert homeless people arrested for “quality of life crimes” (such as sleeping in public areas, public urination, public inebriation, etc.) from the criminal justice system to case managed programs and housing. [See Appendix E, California’s AB 2034 program and San Diego’s Serial Inebriate’s program.] ¥ Create diversion opportunity or specialized programs, such as homeless courts that understand and appreciate the unique needs and life circumstances of homeless people. [See Appendix E] ¥ Coordinate agencies involved (law enforcement, probation, District Attorney, Public Defender, Health Department) to provide the housing and services people need to avoid re-arrest and homelessness. Expected Outcomes ¥ Elimination of releases into homelessness by the Corrections System ¥ Reduced recidivism by people who are homeless or at-risk ¥ Identification of people who are homeless or at-risk upon entry to jail or prison, and linkage with needed services during incarceration and with housing and services upon discharge ¥ Better preparation of inmates to re-enter the community and achieve housing stability and maximum self-sufficiency Path to a Home October 2008 34 Page 82 of 335 STRATEGY 2.2: CONDUCT COMPREHENSIVE, HOUSING FOCUSED DISCHARGE PLANNING FOR PEOPLE EXITING HOSPITALS, MENTAL HEALTH FACILITIES, AND ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUG TREATMENT CENTERS IN ORDER TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS. Action Step 2.2.1: Designate staff, such as nurse case managers, at all health- related facilities, including hospitals and mental health and alcohol and other drug treatment facilities, to execute routine client discharge plans with a housing focus. ¥ Discharge plans should include identification of specific housing opportunities, both short and long-term and linkage with needed support services and benefits. ¥ The facility discharge planner should coordinate the discharge plans and link clients to their previous or current case manager at Primary Responder or Community Safety Net agencies, if any, and with the county Basic Housing Assistance Centers which will ensure appropriate housing placement and linkage with needed services. [See Strategy 3.1 and Action Step 1.6.1] Action Step 2.2.2: Support coordination of all the health facility discharge planners through regular staff orientations, trainings, and care management meetings. [See Action Steps 1.4.3, 2.1.5, 3.1.7 & 4.4.2] Action Step 2.2.3: Create more comprehensive medical respite beds for those being discharged from hospitals and mental health facilities who are not returning to permanent housing. Include small apartments where people can pay 20% of their income for rent. Action Step 2.2.4: Identify and secure the funding to support the discharge planning and related services and housing. ¥ Advocate for the re-institution of AB 2034 as a funding stream to support these activities. ¥ Examine the dollars currently spent on the medically fragile, and investigate where money could be saved if cost efficient discharge plans were implemented. [See Action Steps 1.1.6, 2.4.2 & 4.2.5.] ¥ Target Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) resources to support housing focused transition planning, treatment, respite beds, services and permanent housing. Path to a Home October 2008 35 Page 83 of 335 Expected Outcomes ¥ Elimination of discharges to homelessness by health-related facilities ¥ Creation of medical respite and hospice beds for people who are medically fragile and without other appropriate housing options ¥ Reduced recycling between health-related facilities and homelessness ¥ Reduced inappropriate use of emergency and crisis services Strategy 2.3: CONDUCT COMPREHENSIVE, HOUSING FOCUSED DISCHARGE PLANNING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE EXITING THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM IN ORDER TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS. Action Step 2.3.1: For youth about to emancipate, age out, be discharged, or otherwise exit the foster care system or Juvenile Hall, create and implement discharge planning that focuses on housing and life skills training. The social worker discharge/transition planner should coordinate the transition plan (aka Independent Living Program Plan), linking to any previous or current case manager a youth may have. ¥ Strengthen, support, and expand upon the ability of the TAY (transition age youth -- 18-24 yrs) system, by dedicating housing units for them and adapting the Basic Housing Assistance Centers to meet their needs. [See Action Step 1.6.1] ¥ Form linkages to local colleges to orient this population to educational opportunity. Work with workforce investment programs to target this population. ¥ Develop mentoring program, provide life skills training and support for steps to independence. ¥ Ensure that youth are linked with any benefits for which they are eligible. Action Step 2.3.2: Secure state and other funds to develop housing for this population. Continue participation in California’s Transitional Housing Placement (THP)-PLUS program in an effort to increase the number of young adults served. Action Step 2.3.3: Develop housing assessments and interventions as needed for young people at the continuation high school. Path to a Home October 2008 36 Page 84 of 335 Expected Outcomes ¥ Elimination of discharges to homelessness from the foster care system ¥ Development of special housing to help youth make the transition to independence after foster care ¥ Increase in number of youth exiting the foster care system who are able to achieve self-sufficiency and take their place in society ¥ Reduction in number of people who are homeless or at-risk with foster care history Strategy 2.4: CREATE AN OVERALL DISCHARGE/ TRANSITION COORDINATOR TO SUPPORT AND COORDINATE THE DISCHARGE EFFORTS OF EACH SYSTEM (CORRECTIONS, HEALTH-RELATED PROGRAMS AND FOSTER CARE). Action Step 2.4.1: Create a central discharge or transition coordinator to facilitate monthly case conferencing meetings involving discharge planning staff of each system and Primary Responders providing community-based care to people who have been or are being discharged. Case conferencing meetings should facilitate identification of mutual clients and care coordination, including collaborative development of post-discharge continuity of care plans that comprehensively address housing, income and other services needed to ensure stability. In addition, case conferencing meetings should provide opportunities to problem solve, share successful strategies and identify common system level barriers to be addressed. Action Step 2.4.2: Collect data on “frequent users” of these systems to demonstrate cost-savings from provision of supportive housing to these clients. [See Action Steps 1.1.6, 2.2.4 & 4.2.5] Expected Outcomes ¥ Elimination of discharges to homelessness from publically-funded institutions and facilities ¥ Reduction of recycling between the streets and these institutions and facilities Path to a Home October 2008 37 Page 85 of 335 Strategy 2.5: CREATE EVICTION INTERVENTION STRATEGIES TO STOP HOMELESSNESS. Action Step 2.5.1: Develop a pool of eviction intervention resources that can be used to meet rent or extremely low income household mortgage payments for individuals and families who are at risk of being evicted from their homes into homelessness. [See Action Steps 1.5.2 & 1.6.1] ¥ Significantly expand the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) resources to meet the need for prevention. ¥ Provide support services along with any rental and mortgage assistance, including overall assessment, landlord mediation, behavior-related eviction defense, case management, and skills training in order to prevent a similar recurrence of homelessness vulnerability. ¥ Attach an information sheet regarding this resource to eviction notices, and put information sheets in places where needy clients can see the information. Action Step 2.5.2: Hire and train crisis workers to work with extremely low income individuals and families who are at risk of becoming homeless owing to eviction. Assist them to remedy not only the immediate crisis, but also help to avoid further incidents by cultivating continuity in the client-case worker relationship, providing assistance in developing peer networks, and offering life skills training, treatment, medications management, education and employment opportunity. [See Action Step 1.6.1] Action Step 2.5.3: Create Support Services Coordinator positions to ensure that housing units for people who are homeless or at-risk are linked with the services the tenants need to achieve stability and maintain their housing. These positions can be supported by landlords as they help ensure stable, rent paying tenants. For landlords, with a large number of units in their portfolio, the position can be in-house. [See Action Step 1.1.3] Affordable Housing Developers, Community Service Agencies, and Department of Social Services may serve as venues for these positions. Expected Outcomes ¥ Homelessness prevented for households who are at-risk of losing their housing Path to a Home October 2008 38 Page 86 of 335 Strategy 2.6: CREATE PERFORMANCE MANDATES TO SUPPORT NEW COUNTYWIDE POLICY FOCUS OF KEEPING PEOPLE HOUSED AND/OR GETTING THEM QUICKLY RE-HOUSED. Action Step 2.6.1: Create performance mandates on preventing and ending homelessness that are linked with local government department budgets and with department contracts with community-based organizations. [See Action Steps 1.2.1, 3.1.1 & 4.3.2] Action Step 2.6.2: Put in a data system to track results in preventing and ending homelessness. [See Action Steps 2.1.2, 3.1.2 & 4.3.1] Expected Outcomes ¥ County programs align with policy focus of preventing and ending homelessness Path to a Home October 2008 39 Page 87 of 335 Priority 3: Ending and Preventing Homelessness through Integrated, Comprehensive, Responsive Supportive Services Access to services is an essential component both of regaining residential stability after homelessness and of avoiding homelessness in the first place. Many people who are homeless, particularly those who are chronically homeless, have multiple needs in addition to their need for housing. Helping them to exit homelessness for the long term requires not only assisting them in accessing housing, but also supporting them in obtaining the services they need to obtain ongoing health and stability. Likewise, people who are at-risk of losing their housing may be able to avoid homelessness if they can access assistance to address the crisis they are facing. The types of services needed varies, depending on the specifics of each situation, but may include health care, mental health services, alcohol and other drug treatment, rental assistance, education and job training, benefits advocacy, employment services, child care, and/or life skills. Accessible, Comprehensive & Coordinated Care In order to be most effective, service provision should be accessible, comprehensive and coordinated. This requires an integrated system of care, structured so that individuals in need can enter the system at any point and still be assessed and referred to the full range of assistance they need. This ensures not only ease of access and comprehensiveness of care, but it also facilitates coordination so that services are delivered in a manner that maximizes their effectiveness and minimizes unnecessary duplication. Key components of an integrated system of care include structures, policies and procedures that facilitate inter-agency communication and collaboration in meeting client needs, such as a single case plan, uniform assessment and data collection instruments, inter-agency case conferencing, and common performance standards and evaluation mechanisms. Such integration in service provision has been found to produce positive client outcomes: ¥ A study of two supportive housing projects using inter-agency integrated service teams found high rates of residential stability, with 81% of clients remaining in Path to a Home The San Luis Obispo Countywide 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness Path to a Home October 2008 40 Page 88 of 335 their housing for a year and 62% for two years. In addition, after one year, client use of emergency rooms fell by 58%; use of hospital inpatient beds fell by 57%; and use of residential mental health programs disappeared.1 ¥ The evaluation of the ACCESS (Access to Community Care and Effective Services and Supports) demonstration program concluded that systems that are better integrated have significantly better client housing outcomes.2 ¥ An evaluation that looked at nine National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) demonstration projects to foster increased cooperation among alcohol treatment, drug treatment, and housing and other supportive services, found that individuals served in sites with more inter-program cooperation and formal linkages were significantly more likely to report improvement than comparison clients in most other sites.3 In San Luis Obispo county, integration and coordination of service provision is underway through the Family Resource Centers4. Path to a Home recommends the establishment of comprehensive, integrated and flexible system of care to meet the needs of people who are homeless and at-risk. To do this, it suggests: ¥ Establishing common standards of care across agencies, the creation of a single data system and systemwide staff training. ¥ Use of a single case plan for clients and improved interagency communication about clients, including regional case conferencing teams. ¥ Funding outreach workers throughout the county to facilitate and encourage access to care by people who are chronically homeless and outside of the service system. 1 Proscio, Tony. (2000). “Supportive Housing and Its Impact on the Public Health Crisis of Homelessness”, Corporation for Supportive Housing. pp. 7 and 15-18. 2 Goldman, H.H.; Morrissey, J.P.; Rosenheck, R.A.; Cocozza, J.; Blasinsky, M.; Randolph, F.; and the ACCESS National Evaluation Team. Lessons From the Evaluation of the ACCESS Program. Psychiatric Services, August 2002 Vol. 53 No. 8, pp. 967-969. http://psychservices.psychiatryonline.org 3 Orwin, R. G., Goldman, H. H., Sonnefeld, L. J., Ridgely, M. S., Garrison-Mogren, R., & O’Neill, E. (1994). Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment of Homeless Individuals: Results From the NIAAA Community Demonstration Program. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 5(4): 326-352. 4 The SAFE Family Resource Centers are collaboratively staffed from DSS, Probation, the Health Agency (Drug & Alcohol, public health, mental health), EOC (our local anti-poverty agency), school districts and local non-profits such as the Literacy Council or Hospice (depending on the community). Some agencies such as the Regional Center have parent resource centers also, as do some schools. Working with parent shared leadership principles there is also some development of more generic community resource centers but as far as I know there are no physical locations at this time. The intention is to integrate or at least coordinate all of the above Path to a Home October 2008 41 Page 89 of 335 ¥ Creation of four regional Community Service Centers to provide centralized access to a broad range of services. Integrated Services Success Story California’s AB 2034 Program provided comprehensive services to adults with serious mental illness who were homeless, recently released from a county jail or state prison, or at significant risk of incarceration or homelessness unless provided with treatment. Meeting the multiple needs of this client population required integration of services within and across agencies, including outreach, supportive housing and other housing assistance, employment, substance abuse, mental health and health care services. AB 2034 outcomes include: ¥ Reduction in Prison and Jail Incarceration: number of clients incarcerated decreased 58.3%, number of incarcerations decreased 45.9%, and the number of incarceration days decreased 72.1% ¥ Decreased Homelessness: overall number of homeless days experienced by clients decreased by 67.3% ¥ Decreased Hospital Use: number of clients hospitalized decreased 42.3%, hospital admissions decreased 28.4%, and the number of hospital days decreased 55.8% ¥ Increased Income Levels: number of SSI recipients increased by 93.1% and the number of people receiving wages from employment increased by 279.8%5* Community Participation Homelessness represents a serious tear in the fabric of our communities in which some members fall through the cracks, not receiving the support and assistance they need to take their place or maintain their place as productive and participating members. Repairing this rip requires communitywide support and participation. To this end, Path to a Home recommends actions to facilitate community involvement and understanding, including community meetings, organizing volunteers and use of media to both recruit support and educate the community. 5 Effectiveness of Integrated Services for Homeless Adults with Serious Mental Illness, Report to the Legislature 2003. California Department of Mental Health, Stephen W. Mayberg, Ph.D. Director. May 2003. pp. 9-13. www.dmh.cahwnet.gov/AOAPP/Int_Services/docs/Leg_Report_2003.pdf Path to a Home October 2008 42 Page 90 of 335 Employment & Volunteerism Employment is an important aspect of preventing and ending homelessness as it provides an income stream allowing people to obtain housing and meet other needs. Jobs as well as volunteer work are important as they provide people with a sense of purpose and value, offering opportunities to make a contribution to the community. The enhanced sense of self-worth that comes from this is a crucial source of motivation for making the changes necessary to achieve long-term health and stability. Employment services have been shown to be effective in helping people who are homeless to access employment, even those with serious barriers to employment. ¥ Studies document that clients, even those with histories of homelessness and disability, who receive employment services as part of an integrated package of care are able to access employment.6 ¥ Analysis of data from the ACCESS demonstration program suggests that use of vocational services is significantly associated with increased likelihood of paid employment.7 In addition, receipt of vocational and rehabilitation services delivered through case management has been found to be associated with a lower probability of shelter reentry after termination of ACCESS services.8 Path to a Home recommends actions to enhance access to employment and volunteer work by people who are homeless or at-risk through the creation of comprehensive work training programs, including job mentoring / job shadowing programs and the development of a database of employment and volunteer opportunities. It also recommends the development of profit-generating microenterprises to provide both employment and training opportunities for homeless people and income generation to support the work of key agencies in the system of care. 6 Cook, J.A., Pickett-Schenk, S.A., Grey, D., Banghart, M., Rosenheck, R., and Randolph, F. Vocational outcomes among formerly homeless individuals with severe mental illness in the ACCESS program. Psychiatric Services 52(8):1075-1080, 2001 and Trutko, J.W., Barnow, B.S., Kessler-Beck, S., et al. Employment and Training for America’s Homeless: Final Report of the Job Training for the Homeless Demonstration Program. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, 1997. 7 Pickett-Shenk et al (2002) Employment history of homeless persons with mental illness, Community Mental Health Journal, 38(3):199-211. 8 Nin, Wong and Rothbard. Outcomes of shelter use among homeless adults with serious mental illness. Psychiatric Services, 56:172-178, 2005. Path to a Home October 2008 43 Page 91 of 335 Employment Services Success Story In New York City, The Doe Fund’s, Ready Willing and Able employment program assists homeless people to secure housing and personal stability through employment. 56% of all clients who completed the program obtained employment, either outside the Doe Fund or within it. 86% of the employed clients kept their jobs for at least 90 days, 57% for at least one year and 44% for two years.9 Enhanced Access to Benefits Some people who are homeless are unable to access employment due to serious disabilities. For them, access to benefits is a means to obtain housing and maximize their self-sufficiency. Unfortunately, many of those eligible for benefits do not access them due to lack of information, difficulties in filing applications and other problems. Benefits advocacy programs have been shown to increase access to entitlement programs, and receipt of benefits to improve client quality of life. ¥ The federal SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery) Project’s training and technical assistance in 24 states and the County of Los Angeles have dramatically improved homeless access to this important benefit. SSI/SSDI application approval rates increased from 10-15% to 49-100% and the length of time for an application decision decreased from an average of more than 120 days to an average of less than 96 days. In addition, fewer follow-up consultative exams are being requested by DDS, evidence of better disability documentation in the applications.10 ¥ A study of mentally-ill homeless veterans who applied for SSI or SSDI found that three months after the award decisions, those awarded benefits had significantly higher incomes and reported higher quality of life. They spent more on housing, food, clothing, transportation and tobacco products, but not on alcohol or illegal drugs.11 9 The Doe Fund, Inc.'s Ready, Willing and Able Program Client Profile and Outcomes 1999 – 2001. Prepared March 2003 by Mika'il DeVeaux of Philliber Research Associates. http://www.doe.org/programs/program_eval.cfm 10 Preliminary Outcomes from the SOAR Technical Assistance Initiative, http://www.prainc.com/SOAR/about/SOARPreliminaryOutcomes.pdf 11 Long, D, Rio, J and Rosen, J. Employment and Income Supports for Homeless People. Discussion Draft for the 2007 National Symposium on Homelessness Research. pp. 21-22. Path to a Home October 2008 44 Page 92 of 335 Path to a Home recommends actions to increase homeless access to benefit programs, including development of partnerships between service provider agencies and benefits programs, outstationing of eligibility staff at the Community Services Centers and fast-tracking of SSI/SSDI applications using national models such as SOAR. Path to a Home October 2008 45 Page 93 of 335 The strategies and action steps outlined in the following pages are suggestions for how County, City and Community partners can improve the effectiveness of the county’s approach to homelessness. They were developed through a countywide planning process and represent the strong consensus of the Leadership Council and the Supportive Services Committee on how San Luis Obispo county can best achieve its goal of ending homelessness in ten years. Strategy 3.1: CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE, INTEGRATED, FLEXIBLE SYSTEM OF CARE WHICH OFFERS EFFECTIVE AND COORDINATED CARE TO THOSE IN NEED. The comprehensive system of care will be comprised of “Primary Responders” and “Community Safety Net” Agencies. ONE client-centered case plan will be developed that coordinates care by all agencies serving the client. This will include a clinical assessment and evaluation. [See Action Steps 1.6.1, 2.1.3, 2.2.1, 3.4.1, 3.5.1 and 3.6.1] Primary Responders are those whose principal business is responding to housing, services, and treatment needs of extremely low income people, including those who become homeless. They typically include emergency shelters, day centers, the Housing Authorities, the Department of Social Services, Health Department, Health Care for the Homeless, Family Resource Centers and Outreach workers, and non profit housing providers. Primary responders reach out to engage the homeless population and those at immediate risk, assessing needs and creating individual action plans. Community Safety Net Agencies provide assistance to a much broader range of people, but routinely include homeless people. These include the emergency rooms, hospitals, alcohol and drug treatment programs, schools and food pantries. Community Safety Net Agencies should participate in contributing information on needs, developing the action plan, and reporting on progress. Regular case conferencing on individuals and families who are homeless should be convened, to assure progress. For Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) purposes, both groups of agencies may be legally permitted to participate pursuant to the client's informed consent, a business associates agreement or as a multidisciplinary team under Welfare and Institutions Code section 10850.1. It is recommended that the development of a comprehensive system of care take place in phases, with the first phase (Years 1-3) focused on launching a pilot of coordinated care for people who are chronically homeless. As such, the following action steps should be implemented in Years 1-3 with a focus on the chronic homeless sub- population. In subsequent years, the focus should expand to include other sub- populations to be served in the system of care. Path to a Home October 2008 46 Page 94 of 335 Action Step 3.1.1: For each County Department in contact with people who are homeless or at-risk, establish standards of care to use in carrying out work under this Plan and participating in the overall system of care. Involve homeless people in the development of the standards. [See Action Steps 1.2.1, 2.6.1 & 4.3.2] ¥ Develop common standards for case management for all agencies in the system of care. Create a certificate program in case management at the CAL Poly continuing education center. Action Step 3.1.2: Create a single data system to support the new coordinated system of care. ¥ Streamline administrative paperwork for reporting data and outcomes, identify common data elements to be collected, and establish shared standards and definitions for all participating agencies. [See Action Steps 2.1.2, 2.6.2 & 4.3.1] ¥ Create capacity for web-based case-conferencing (like Child Protective Services model). Action Step 3.1.3: Create an interactive system of communication that can be used by shelters, multi-service centers and other programs to communicate regarding clients appointments, schedules, and transportation needs, in an effort to ensure that clients attend their appointments. Action Step 3.1.4: Create a “Homeless Case Management Brain Trust” to develop a triage mechanism to ensure that those with the greatest or most severe needs get immediate assistance. Action Step 3.1.5: Create case management case conferencing teams in each of the 4 primary geographic regions (North, South, SLO City, Coastal) of the county, with the Primary Responder agencies (above). Participation in the case conferencing teams should be directly by Department or Agency heads or by designated staff with decision-making authority, so that solutions can be identified and implemented at these sessions. Action Step 3.1.6: Develop a single case plan for each client, addressing the full range of housing and services needed. Path to a Home October 2008 47 Page 95 of 335 ¥ Case plans should seek to maintain the involvement of all those already engaged with the client and to create community support networks to support progress of the individual/family in reaching housing stability. This includes nurturing ties with friends, family, and commonplace community venues (grocery store, church, schools). ¥ Case plans should address the need for life skills, including tenancy skills, conflict management, parenting skills, money management and budgeting, among others. Action Step 3.1.7: Offer an annualized staff training series, covering evidence- based practices, best practices, and emerging and promising practices. Critical Time Intervention and Continuous Community Treatment will be models underpinning the new system of care, and should be taught in Year 1. [See Action Steps 1.4.3, 2.1.5, 2.2.2 & 4.4.2] Action Step 3.1.8: Re-fund the Adult System of Care Homeless Outreach Project workers, the front line workers of the system of care, with 6 staff regionalized in 5 cities. “Outreach and Engagement Services” are the critical first step to ending chronic homelessness. Having sufficient workers to establish relationships with people who are not in touch with services will reconnect people to community agencies, thus facilitating their exit from homelessness. Outreach workers should function using national evidenced-based practices and promising practices, such as Assertive Community Treatment, and the Integrated Services Team model. (See Appendix F) Expected Outcomes  More effective care provided and greater efficiency in resource utilization  Enhanced inter-agency communication about client care  People who are homeless connected with housing and services Strategy 3.2: CENTRALIZE AND STREAMLINE ACCESS TO COMPREHENSIVE, COORDINATED SUPPORT SERVICES. Action Step 3.2.1: Create four centralized Community Services Centers, one in each region of the county, at which people can access a comprehensive range of support services in one location. Each Center should include the Primary Responders, linkages to the Basic Housing Assistance Centers as well as Path to a Home October 2008 48 Page 96 of 335 Community Safety Net Agencies and other agencies offering needed services. [See Action Step 1.6.1, 3.4.1, 3.5.1 and 3.6.2] ¥ Centers should be designed to serve as a single point of entry to the system of care, offering an “any door the right door to services” approach. ¥ Design the Center to serve as a mixed-income Community Services Center that is an asset to the entire community, rather than segregating services for homeless people away from services for the general community. Build upon what exists in the 4 geographic areas, working with jurisdictions and existing buildings or facilities. Partner with Family Resource Centers and other existing programs to meet the needs of homeless people. Each should be unique physically, influenced and designed to fit what is in place, and may include homeless-related services as well as other services needed by the general community, such as Detox Centers, sobering stations, drug and alcohol treatment, child focused development services, food services, and health care. Co-location of key County and community services will facilitate meeting needs of homeless people. ¥ Mobile vans can supplement on site services with specialized care. Action Step 3.2.2: Design a transportation system that will bring county residents in need of services to one of the Centers. Work with the Ride-on for buses. (See Appendix F) Expected Outcomes  Accessible, coordinated services for those in need Strategy 3.3: GENERATE GREATER COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN THE PROVISION OF COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT SERVICES. Action Step 3.3.1: Host community meetings at which the general community, service providers, homeless people, and those at risk of homelessness can communicate and forge partnerships. This can be based on the Project Homeless Connect and Stand Down models (See Appendix F) Action Step 3.3.2: Establish a way of linking the many county residents who want to volunteer into a homeless-response system and mobilizing them to work at all Path to a Home October 2008 49 Page 97 of 335 agencies. This can be centralized volunteer coordination using the Volunteer SLO database. Action Step 3.3.3: Utilize all media including 211, web, radio, print, and public broadcasting stations as a way to recruit volunteers and educate the community as to homeless interventions happening in their neighborhood. Link to Spring Homeless Awareness Week at Cal Poly. Expected Outcomes  Greater resources devoted to addressing homelessness  Increased public understanding of homelessness and support for action STRATEGY 3.4: FOSTER EMPLOYMENT, VOLUNTEERISM, AND A SENSE OF PURPOSE AMONG HOMELESS PEOPLE, AS A CORE INTERVENTION TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS Action Step 3.4.1: Expand or incorporate a comprehensive work-training program for homeless individuals at the Community Services Centers to build confidence and skills. Primary Responder agencies should work with the Department of Rehabilitation, Vocation Rehabilitation, the One Stop Centers and others for whom employment is their core focus. [See Action Step 3.2.1 and Strategy 3.1] ¥ Employability assessments should include the impact of earnings on receipt of benefits. ¥ Employment supports should be provided as needed, including child care, transportation. ¥ Preparation for employment may include education and training; retraining; provision of tools and uniforms; and paying union/apprenticeship fees and workers compensation coverage. ¥ Foster an expectation that everyone is able to contribute to the community, either by earning a wage or by volunteering. ¥ Build upon the work component of existing programs, considering such examples as Growing Grounds Farms, Shoreline Industries, Senior Work Training Programs, and others. (See Appendix E) Path to a Home October 2008 50 Page 98 of 335 ¥ The Homelessness Governing Body should establish a Workforce Committee, and establish a formal relationship with the One Stop Centers. Action Step 3.4.2: Establish a “temp” employment agency, and target employment sectors with potential for growth, such as agriculture. Action Step 3.4.3: Create a database of all day labor job sites and job placement agencies, volunteer work, and community participation activity. Make this information available to clients. Action Step 3.4.4: Utilize volunteers to create a job mentoring and/or job shadowing program for homeless people in order to help coach people to next step employment opportunity. Assist as needed with forms, resumes and paperwork. Expected Outcomes  More homeless people achieving economic self-sufficiency and contributing to the community Strategy 3.5: SUPPORT CREATION OF PROFIT-GENERATING BUSINESSES TO PROVIDE RESOURCES TO HOMELESSNESS “PRIMARY RESPONDER” AGENCIES. Action Step 3.5.1: Partner retired Business Executive or University Professors with Homeless Service Agencies to explore fields of interest and develop business plans. ¥ Cal Poly Business School seniors could develop the Plans, as could RAMS, Mission Community Services Corporation, SCORE, and the Economic Vitality Corporation. ¥ Business development could be linked to Primary Responder agencies and regional Community Services Centers. [See Strategy 3.1 and Action Step 3.2.1] Expected Outcomes Path to a Home October 2008 51 Page 99 of 335  Greater sustainable resources devoted to addressing homelessness STRATEGY 3.6: USE MAINSTREAM BENEFITS AND RESOURCES MORE EFFECTIVELY IN SUPPORT OF COUNTY GOAL TO END HOMELESSNESS Action Step 3.6.1: Develop partnerships between homeless Primary Responder providers and mainstream benefits provider organizations. [See Strategy 3.1] ¥ This may include “deputizing” community-based agency staff to do intake interviews or preliminary eligibility assessments for benefits. Look at the Food Stamps in a Day model (see http://homebaseccc.org/PDFs/More_PDFs/Foodstamp%20Report%20v%204. pdf) and the DVA increased involvement in meeting the needs of homeless people model. Action Step 3.6.2: Outstation intake eligibility staff from mainstream benefits programs at homelessness programs and at the Community Services Centers. [See Action Step 3.2.1] Action Step 3.6.3: Facilitate access to SSI/SSDI by providing application assistance and advocacy to help eligible individuals obtain this benefit. Use the emerging national models and practices that have successfully raised first-approval applications for homeless people above 60%. (See Appendix F) Expected Outcomes  More homeless people accessing the benefits for which they are eligible  Greater housing stability through access to benefits Path to a Home October 2008 52 Page 100 of 335 Priority 4. Coordinating A Solid Administrative & Financial Structure To Support Effective Plan Implementation As can be seen in the previous chapters of this Plan, effectively responding to homelessness requires development of a system of care that offers coordinated and seamless access to a comprehensive range of housing and services. Formation of such a system entails significant integration across mainstream and homeless systems and agencies to create new configurations and models of service provision that enhance access to assistance, improve the quality and comprehensiveness of care, and promote more efficient use of resources. A centralized Homelessness Governing Body is needed to both facilitate the system change needed to achieve enhanced integration and to provide continuing systemwide oversight. To this end, Path to a Home recommends the creation of a countywide collaborative Homelessness Governing Body to administer the county’s integrated systems of care, coordinate efforts to prevent and end homelessness, and oversee Plan implementation. It is suggested that the Governing Body be based in an existing non-profit entity, which can act as host and fiscal agent, and have formal Memoranda of Understandings (MOUs) in place with all public and nonprofit agencies involved in the effort to respond to homelessness. This Governing Body and its committees should evolve from the Leadership Council and committees that developed the Plan. It should have the equivalent of full- time dedicated staff to support its varied functions. Implementation of the Plan will require significant resources that should be identified and developed in stages. The next three months (July-September 2008) focus on 1) gaining acceptance for the Plan from elected bodies and 2) launching strategic activities called for in the Plan. This second requires engaging homeless housing and service providers in new ways to work, initially focusing on mainstreaming and coordinating the response to homelessness and implementation of a Housing First approach. To this end, agencies should be engaged in identifying the changes they need to make in order to align with these Mapping The Path Home The San Luis Obispo Countywide 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness Path to a Home The San Luis Obispo Countywide 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness Path to a Home October 2008 53 Page 101 of 335 two strategies and the resources they will need to support making these changes. Adjustment of the use of existing resources, small investments from local jurisdictions, and aggressive pursuit of state, federal, and private sources can support moving forward. [See Appendix B for evaluation profiles to be filled out by agencies.] Based on this information, a detailed budget and timeline should be developed for Year 1 of Phase 1 (Years 1-3) of implementation. Action steps should be implemented as funding is secured, redirected from existing funding streams or through the development of new federal, state, local and private sector funding. [See “The Map: Implementation Timeline” for description of the phases of implementation and the Phase 1 Implementation Chart, identifying lead agencies and benchmarks for all action steps.] To secure the funding needed to implement the Plan, Path to a Home recommends: ¥ “Spending smarter” by ensuring that existing funding sources are used as effectively and efficiently as possible, thereby serving clients better and maximizing positive impacts. Adjust these existing funds to carry out the Plan. In 2007, San Luis Obispo county spent at least $1,513,471 on homeless shelter, housing and services. In addition, another $848,222 was awarded from HUD Homeless Assistance Grant Programs. (See Appendix C) ¥ Aggressively pursuing additional federal, state, local and private funding opportunities. (See Appendix C for source locations ¥ Increasing local public and private investment in Plan implementation and addressing homelessness. ¥ Exploring the development of Social Enterprises and revenue-generating activity within non-profit organizations. ¥ Documenting and capturing cost-savings in mainstream programs, as is feasible, due to reduced use of services by homeless people after implementation of Plan strategies. In addition, in order to facilitate the ongoing effectiveness of the new system of care created through the Ten Year Plan, Path to a Home recommends: ¥ Collecting data on homelessness and program performance to guide planning, program development and funding decisions. This requires the development of a Homeless Management Information System and the establishment of countywide performance standards to track progress in preventing and ending homelessness. Path to a Home October 2008 54 Page 102 of 335 ¥ Promoting continuous quality improvement through ongoing incorporation of lessons and best practices and through quarterly staff trainings. Path to a Home October 2008 55 Page 103 of 335 The strategies and action steps outlined in the following pages are suggestions for how County, City and Community partners can improve the effectiveness of the county’s approach to homelessness. They were developed through a countywide planning process and represent the strong consensus of the Leadership Council and the Finance and Administration Committee on how San Luis Obispo county can best achieve its goal of ending homelessness in ten years. Strategy 4.1: ESTABLISH A COUNTYWIDE COLLABORATIVE HOMELESSNESS GOVERNING BODY TO COORDINATE EFFORTS TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS AND OVERSEE PLAN IMPLEMENTATION. Action Step 4.1.1: Create a centralized county Homelessness Governing Body. It is suggested that it be based in an existing, appropriate non-profit entity. As such, a non-profit agency sponsor should be identified to act as host and fiscal agent for the Governing Body. ¥ Draft MOUs to define collaborative relationships between the Homelessness Governing Body and public and non-profit agencies serving people who are homeless or at-risk. ¥ The Homelessness Governing Body should provide oversight for two interconnected sub-regional homeless services systems: 1) San Luis Obispo/South County and 2) North County/North Coast. Each sub- regional homeless system should operate the services and housing within its area and engage in fundraising efforts for its programs. However, all data, outcomes and fundraising information should be reported to the countywide Governing Body. Action Step 4.1.2: Delineate the responsibilities of the Homelessness Governing Body and its members. These should include: ¥ Providing overall leadership of the effort to prevent and end homelessness. ¥ Development of Annual Work Plan to guide Plan implementation. ¥ Initiation of new projects. ¥ Establishment of priorities for funding and allocation of resources in line with the priorities. Path to a Home October 2008 56 Page 104 of 335 ¥ Facilitating communication, coordination and collaboration between jurisdictions, governmental departments, providers, homeless people and advocates. ¥ Promoting integration of systems to more effectively and efficiently address homelessness. ¥ Implementing and maintaining Housing First model and philosophy. ¥ Approving contracts for services, treatment, housing as called for in the Plan. ¥ Securing grants, contracts and other resources to assure stability of funding to core agencies carrying out the new Plan. ¥ Promoting the development of affordable housing for people who are homeless and at-risk and identifying funding for both the housing and services to be linked to it. [See Action Steps 1.3.2 & 4.1.5.] ¥ Developing a Public Communication effort, working with the media, businesses, social and civic organizations, to provide information about the causes of and solutions to homelessness and encourage volunteerism and donations to support efforts on homelessness. . [See Action Steps 1.3.1, 1.4.4 & 4.2.3] ¥ Advocacy for federal, state and local policy and funding changes to support efforts to effectively address homelessness. ¥ Overseeing all components of the system of care, including systemwide program evaluation and quality improvement Action Step 4.1.3: Involve representatives from all sectors so the Homelessness Governing Body is broad-based and inclusive. Members should be in positions of responsibility and able to make policy decisions and allocate resources. ¥ Membership could include representatives from: - County Board of Supervisors, 2 rotating members - Cities, 3 members rotating among 7 cities - County Services, 3 members representing the seven cities rotate among Public Health, Behavioral Health, Planning, Social Services and Veterans Services - Non-Profit Service Providers, 3 regional members chosen by the Homeless Services Coordinating Council - Affordable Housing Developers, 3 members - Business, 3 members - Schools, 1 member - Law Enforcement, 1 member - Academic, 1 member Path to a Home October 2008 57 Page 105 of 335 Action 4.1.4: Adequately staff the Homelessness Governing Body so that it can fulfill its leadership functions. Consider 3 full-time staff – 1 Homelessness System Director, 1 Fund/Resource Developer and 1 person overseeing data collection and performance evaluation. Staffing may be contracted out to existing non-profit sector staff or to consultants. The Homeless System Director should have standing to interact with all County and City Department heads. Action 4.1.5: Form Standing, Ad Hoc and Working Committees as needed to carry out the work of the Homelessness Governing Body and implement the Plan. Committee membership can be broader than that of the Governing Body and should involve key leaders and stakeholders, including County agency staff, business leaders, philanthropists, law enforcement, housing and service providers, faith based organizations, community based organizations, formerly homeless persons, and consumers. ¥ HOUSING PRIORITY: The Short Term and Permanent Housing Committee should continue with an active role in implementing the Housing Priority of the Plan and in promoting the development of affordable housing for people who are homeless and at-risk. ¥ PREVENTION PRIORITY: The Prevention and Discharge Planning Committee should coordinate with the Medically Fragile work group to implement the Prevention Priority of the Plan. ¥ SERVICES PRIORITY: The Homeless Services Coordinating Council (HSCC) should play an active role in implementing the Services Priority of the Plan. A Workforce and Business Development Committee should be created to assist the HSCC with the employment and revenue generating strategies. ¥ ADMINISTRATION & COORDINATION PRIORITY: The Plan Finance and Administration Committee should work as an Executive Committee with a Finance Sub-Committee to implement the new infrastructure needed to fully implement the Plan. Co Chairs of each of these Committees should join the Executive Committee of the Governing Body, along with co-chairs of that body. Path to a Home October 2008 58 Page 106 of 335 Expected Outcomes ¥ Countywide Homelessness Governing Body established and providing leadership in addressing homelessness ¥ Improved cross-jurisdictional and cross-agency coordination ¥ Enhanced effectiveness and efficiency in provision of housing and services Strategy 4.2: SUPPORT PLAN IMPLEMENTATION WITH DEDICATED REVENUE FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES. Action Step 4.2.1: Ensure that existing funding sources are used as effectively and efficiently as possible, in accordance with the plan. This includes the use of “best practices” and action to integrate systems, coordinate housing and service delivery, streamline service delivery, and reduce unnecessary use of emergency and crisis services. The goal is to “spend smarter” so that the considerable housing and service resources being invested in preventing and ending homelessness in the county have the maximum positive impact possible. ¥ Conduct annual presentations to City and County decision-makers on how existing funding streams are being utilized to respond to homelessness. Review funds available to the County and to local jurisdictions, such as Department of Social Services, Health Department, and other relevant sources. Include Redevelopment Agency funds, Inclusionary Zoning fees, Prop 63, Housing Trust Fund, CDBG, FESG, ESG, Continuum of Care grants and other funding, followed by discussion of how to best use funding to support local priorities and Plan implementation. (See Appendix C for initial list). ¥ Create a “Pipeline Committee” to meet bi-annually in order to promote and facilitate affordable housing development, including dedicated units for homeless people. The Pipeline Committee should be composed of affordable housing developers, the housing and community development staff of each City and the County, and other potential funders. It should project City and County housing needs over ten years, assist potential projects get off the ground by identifying sponsors, funding, land, and obstacles which should be addressed, and develop an annual matrix to monitor the housing production pipeline. [See Action Step 1.1.5.]. ¥ Review funding proposals and project synopses from agencies proposing homeless projects to any funding source within the county to Path to a Home October 2008 59 Page 107 of 335 ensure that they are aligned with Ten Year Plan priorities. Issue statement of “consistency with 10 Year Plan to appropriate projects and advocate on their behalf. Action Step 4.2.2: Aggressively pursue additional federal, state, local and private funding opportunities to support efforts to address homelessness and quickly secure local funds whenever needed to leverage state and federal resources. Action Step 4.2.3: Increase local public and private investment to support Plan implementation and efforts to prevent and end homelessness. ¥ Consider implementation of annual proportionate share contributions by jurisdictions to support both operation and administrative costs of Plan implementation. ¥ Create a dedicated source of revenue for the County Housing Trust Fund and expand its mandate to include long term, below market rate financing for dedicated units of housing for homeless people, as well as affiliated operations and services. [See Action Step 1.1.6.} ¥ Systematically review feasibility of securing ongoing resources from a combination of sources, including: [See Action Step 1.1.6.] ¥ Taxes ¥ Non-Tax Dedicated Revenue (E.g.: Assessments, Developer’s Fees, Recording Fees) ¥ Government Debt Mechanism (E.g.: Municipal Bonds, State Bonds) ¥ Existing Federal-State-Local Financing Streams (E.g.: Locally Controlled Federal Dollars, Local General Funds) ¥ Voluntary Sources (E.g.: Voluntary Business Improvement District Agreement, Membership Dues) ¥ Redevelopment housing set aside funds ¥ Inclusionary zoning in lieu fees ¥ Increase in real estate transfer tax ¥ Increase in hotel occupancy/transient tax ¥ Implement strategies to collect private contributions, such as: [See Action Step 1.1.6] ¥ Installing old parking meters with the homeless outreach number on city streets to collect donations. Path to a Home October 2008 60 Page 108 of 335 ¥ Selling plastic cards at grocery stores with proceeds going to the effort to address homelessness ¥ Putting a surcharge on phone bills ¥ Soliciting support from business and civic organizations. ¥ Develop a Public Communication effort, working with the media, businesses, social and civic organizations, to provide information about the causes of and solutions to homelessness and encourage volunteerism and donations to support efforts on homelessness. [See Action Steps 1.3.1, 1.4.4 & 4.1.2] Action Step 4.2.4: Aggressively pursue the development of Social Enterprises and Revenue Generating activity within non-profit organizations, with profits dedicated to Plan Implementation. Action Step 4.2.5: Implement mechanisms to document and capture cost- savings in mainstream systems and programs due to reduced use of services by homeless people after implementation of Plan “best practices”. Reinvest cost savings in affordable housing. [See Action Steps 1.1.6, 2.2.4 & 2.4.2] ¥ Create a baseline of the costs of homelessness by tracking service utilization by homeless people for first three years of Plan implementation. This should encompass costs incurred by police, hospitals, mental health and substance abuse crisis centers, social service programs, and the corrections system/jail and prison. ¥ Once best practices are implemented, track service utilization, document cost-savings, and reinvest savings in affordable housing. Expected Outcomes ¥ Plan implementation fully funded, through reallocation of existing resources and securing of new funding sources ¥ Existing funding allocated congruent with Plan priorities and in a manner which maximizes efficiency and effectiveness of outcomes ¥ Development of county capacity to effectively pursue funding opportunities as they arise ¥ Innovative social enterprises generating funding for efforts to address homelessness ¥ Mechanisms to collect local and public and private investment in place ¥ Mainstream cost savings documented and applied to affordable housing Path to a Home October 2008 61 Page 109 of 335 Strategy 4.3: COLLECT DATA ON HOMELESSNESS AND PROGRAM PERFORMANCE TO GUIDE PLANNING, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND FUNDING DECISIONS. Action Step 4.3.1: Develop and implement a MIS that includes meeting the requirements of a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to allow countywide data collection, analysis and evaluation. [See Action Steps 2.1.2, 2.6.2 & 3.1.2] Action Step 4.3.2: Establish new system-wide performance standards to track progress towards preventing and ending homelessness and link program outcomes with local government department budgets and with community-based organization contracts funding allocation and contracting decisions. Standards should be developed for both homeless programs and mainstream programs serving people who are homeless or at-risk, and should consider what data is already being collected. [See Action Steps 1.2.1, 2.6.1 & 3.1.1] Action Step 4.3.3: Annually evaluate success in addressing homelessness and progress in Plan implementation. ¥ Publish outcomes as part of communitywide indicators report or in a “report card” format. ¥ Convene an annual “state of homelessness” conference, including housing, treatment and service agencies working with homeless people, to discuss outcomes and progress. ¥ Develop each year’s Annual Work Plan based on data and performance evaluation and incorporating any necessary course corrections. Consider whether agencies are effectively adapting to the new priorities and ways of doing business called for in the Plan and identify how to support them in making necessary changes, including assistance with strategic planning, development of new systems, and staff training and cross-training. Path to a Home October 2008 62 Page 110 of 335 Expected Outcomes ¥ Enhanced understanding of homelessness, numbers, characteristics and needs ¥ Accurate information about system and program level effectiveness in addressing homelessness ¥ Planning and resource allocation carried out based on data Strategy 4.4: ANNUALLY REVIEW NEW FINDINGS AND RESEARCH AND READILY INCORPORATE BEST PRACTICES TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS Action Step 4.4.1: Stay abreast of emerging information from academics and practitioners around the country and improve existing efforts based on emerging findings. [See Action Step 1.1.4] Action Step 4.4.2: Sponsor quarterly staff training on best practice strategies and methodologies. [See Action Step 1.4.3, 2.1.5, 2.2.2, & 3.1.7] Expected Outcomes ¥ County’s response to homelessness incorporates “best practice” approaches and is informed by emerging findings Path to a Home October 2008 63 Page 111 of 335 The Map: Implementation Timeline – Phases of System Change Implementation of Path to a Home will be a process of system change to create one comprehensive and integrated system of care aimed at both preventing homelessness for those at-risk and ending it for those who have already lost their housing. The Plan’s strategies and action steps are designed to create this new integrated system by transforming existing homeless and mainstream systems and programs into a new configuration that enhances access to services by those in need, improves the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the assistance provided, and utilizes resources in a more efficient manner. Achieving such system change will be a piecemeal process involving new ideas, goals, resources and ways of doing things, each of which builds on and reinforces each other until full system change is achieved. Full system change involves both integration at the staff level in how services are provided and coordinated and at the organizational level through joint inter-agency policies, planning, staffing, funding, training, procedures and data collection. The goal is to achieve one countywide system of care, incorporating all key homeless and mainstream agencies. Implementation of the Plan and the system changes it entails should be carried out in three phases. While the specific strategies and action steps in each of the four priority areas vary, in general their implementation should follow the following pattern. Phase I / Years 1-3 – Laying The Foundation Implementation activities focus on: ¥ Education & Advocacy – to build support for the changes, among the general public, line staff and decision-makers ¥ Data Collection – to make the case for the changes and gather a base line for future evaluation efforts ¥ Building A Leadership Team – to be the champions and advocates for change Path to a Home The San Luis Obispo Countywide 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness Path to a Home October 2008 64 Page 112 of 335 ¥ Building Staff Capacity – by empowering positions with new roles and responsibilities and through training to teach new skills and methods ¥ Developing Infrastructure – drafting memoranda of understanding, designing program models, policies and procedures, and drafting standards ¥ Identifying Barriers To Change & Developing Solutions ¥ Launching Key Initiatives – through a pilot project or through a subset of agencies which upgrade and reconfigure existing programs ¥ Raising Revenue, both new sources and reallocating existing funds Phase 2 / Years 4-6 – Systematizing The Changes Implementation activities focus on: ¥ Expanding Changes Systemwide -- involving more agencies ¥ Continuing Key Initiatives Implementation ¥ Promoting Policy & Regulatory Changes To Remove Barriers ¥ Data Collection And Evaluation – to document outcomes and direct adjustments ¥ Continued Training And Education ¥ Expanding Available Funding & Streamlining Access – investing system cost- savings in effective programs, facilitating renewals, targeting resources from categorical programs to Plan priorities, pooling funding streams and/or creating a coordinated application ¥ Instituting Performance-Based Funding – linking resource allocation with program outcomes and alignment with Plan priorities Phase 3 / Years 7-10 – System Maintenance Implementation activities focus on: ¥ Finishing Implementation of Key Initiatives ¥ Achieving Needed Policy & Regulatory Changes ¥ Evaluation and Continuous Quality Improvement ¥ Developing Sustainable, Reliable Funding – dedicated funding sources, such as permanent line items, trust funds, etc. Path to a Home October 2008 65 Page 113 of 335 The strategies and action steps listed in the following table are suggestions for how County, City and Community partners can improve the effectiveness of the county’s approach to homelessness. They were developed through a countywide planning process and represent the strong consensus of the Leadership Council and its four Committees on how San Luis Obispo county can best achieve its goal of ending homelessness in ten years. In addition, the agencies listed as the lead and partners in carrying out the action steps are suggestions based on consideration of who would be best placed to perform and support the work. Implementation -- Priority 1: Facilitating Access to Affordable Housing to Put an End to Homelessness Strategy 1.1: CREATE MORE AFFORDABLE PERMANENT HOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS ACHIEVE LONG-TERM RESIDENTIAL STABILITY. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 1.1.1: Increase the supply of affordable housing for homeless people, including through new construction, acquisition and rehab, master leasing, set asides in existing buildings/developments and dedicated units in new developments. - Housing Authorities of City of San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles - County Housing Trust Fund (HTF) - Non-profit housing developers - Housing & Economic Development Section of San Luis Obispo County Planning Department ¥ Sites acquired, land use approvals obtained and financing secured for 132 units ¥ 132 units completed 1.1.2: Identify properties in the county that can be acquired and converted into affordable permanent housing and permanent supportive housing for homeless people. − Housing & Economic Development Section of San Luis Obispo County Planning Department − City Planning and Community Development Departments - Non-profit housing developers - HASLO ¥ List of properties completed Path to a Home October 2008 66 Page 114 of 335 Strategy 1.1: CREATE MORE AFFORDABLE PERMANENT HOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS ACHIEVE LONG-TERM RESIDENTIAL STABILITY. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 1.1.3: Develop strategies for linking permanent housing with supportive services to meet the specific needs of the target subpopulation being served. [See Action Step 2.5.3] − Homelessness Governing Body ¥ Targeted strategies developed for each of the following populations:  Chronically homeless individuals  Chronically homeless families  Transition-aged youth  Ex-offenders at-risk of homelessness 1.1.4: Explore creative new housing models for homeless people. [See Action Step 4.4.1] − Housing & Economic Development Section of San Luis Obispo County Planning Department − City Planning and Community Development Departments − County Housing Trust Fund (HTF) − Cal Poly − Non-profit housing developers − HSCC ¥ Annual best practice reviews and discussions held ¥ Variety of new housing designs adopted and accepted by Planning Commission and funding sources 1.1.5: Appoint a countywide “Point Person” for affordable housing production and funding to lead an Affordable Housing Production Pipeline Committee that will meet bi-annually in order to promote and facilitate development of affordable housing. . [See Action Step 4.2.1.] − County Board of Supervisors − City Councils − Housing & Economic Development Section of San Luis Obispo County Planning Department − City Planning and Community Development Departments ¥ Point person appointed ¥ Pipeline Committee created and meetings happening ¥ City and County housing need projections developed ¥ First matrix of projects in development created, and revised annually ¥ New funding sources generated Path to a Home October 2008 67 Page 115 of 335 Strategy 1.1: CREATE MORE AFFORDABLE PERMANENT HOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS ACHIEVE LONG-TERM RESIDENTIAL STABILITY. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 1.1.6: Identify secure, sustainable funding sources to create affordable permanent housing and permanent supportive housing for homeless people, including funding for predevelopment, development, operations, administration n, and tenant support services. [See Action Steps 2.2.4, 2.4.2, 4.2.3 & 4.2.5] − County Board of Supervisors − Cities − Homelessness Governing Body − Philanthropic and faith-based organizations ¥ Dedicated source of revenue created for homeless housing ¥ New sources of funding reviewed for possible implementation ¥ State level advocacy conducted to support housing funding ¥ Private funding sources identified and created 1.1.7: Enact local government policies, and create administrative procedures, that ease the process of developing permanent housing and permanent supportive housing for homeless people. − County Board of Supervisors − County Housing and Economic Development Department − Cities ¥ Reviews of existing zoning, permit and housing development policies conducted, and appropriate changes implemented Strategy 1.2: INCREASE THE SUPPLY OF SHORT-TERM “INTERIM” AND TRANSITIONAL HOUSING AS A SUPPLEMENT, AND NOT AN ALTERNATIVE, TO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 1.2.1: Create sufficient emergency housing capacity throughout the county using the enriched “interim housing” model. - Homelessness Governing Body ¥ Performance standards for interim housing developed, adopted and implemented 1.2.2: Create transitional housing targeted to specific life experiences and offering appropriate services. − Homelessness Governing Body ¥ Phase II & Phase III activities Path to a Home October 2008 68 Page 116 of 335 Strategy 1.3: CULTIVATE AND FOSTER INCLUSIVE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY FOR HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 1.3.1: Create and fund a group to promote affordable housing for people who are homeless and at-risk people as part of the 10 Year Plan Homelessness Governing Body activity. [See Action Steps 4.1.2 & 4.1.5] - Homelessness Governing Body ¥ Group created ¥ Educational campaign designed, carried out annually 1.3.2: Organize a peer support network of housing providers to facility siting of housing for people who are homeless or at risk. - Homelessness Governing Body ¥ Group created Strategy 1.4: IMPLEMENT A HOUSING FIRST MODEL OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 1.4.1: In concert with approval of this Plan, adopt “Housing First” as a countywide policy for ending homelessness. Encourage the use of mainstream discretionary funds to implement this policy. - County Board of Supervisors - City Councils ¥ Target units for homeless people linked to services ¥ Mainstream funding allocated for services linked to housing 1.4.2: Provide housing units linked with intensive case management and services (without conditioning access to meeting threshold behavioral criteria) to those with alcohol, substance abuse, mental health, or personality disorders. − Homelessness Governing Body ¥ Strategies for supportive service delivery linked with the housing developed Path to a Home October 2008 69 Page 117 of 335 Strategy 1.4: IMPLEMENT A HOUSING FIRST MODEL OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 1.4.3: Educate service providers and agencies on the importance of using a Housing First model and provide training and technical assistance. [See Action Steps 2.1.5, 2.2.2, 3.1.7 & 4.4.2] − Homeless Services Coordinating Council − Cal Poly Continuing Education Center ¥ Staff training designed and initiated ¥ Peer support network developed Internal agency policy, procedures and funding adapted to support Housing First approach 1.4.4: Educate the general public about the effectiveness of, cost benefits of, and need for a Housing First approach. [See Action Step 4.2.3] − Homelessness Governing Body ¥ Schedule of activities developed, annually beginning in Year 1 Strategy 1.5: GENERATE MORE SHORT-TERM AND SHALLOW SUBSIDIES THAT HELP PEOPLE REGAIN AND MAINTAIN HOUSING. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 1.5.1: Implement a system of housing vouchers, both tenant- based rental subsidies and project-based subsidies to support development. - Homelessness Governing Body ¥ Resources identified through outreach to private sector, faith-based groups and employers 1.5.2: Create a substantial, new funding pool from which service providers can provide rental and very low income household mortgage assistance to people at immediate risk of homelessness and deposit guarantees and initial move-in costs to homeless clients reentering housing. . [See Action Steps 1.6.1 & 2.5.1] − Homelessness Governing Body ¥ Resources identified through outreach to private sector, faith-based groups and employers Path to a Home October 2008 70 Page 118 of 335 Strategy 1.6: FACILITATE AND STREAMLINE ACCESS TO HOUSING AND HOUSING SUPPORTS BY PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS OR AT-RISK. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 1.6.1: Create regional Basic Housing Assistance Centers to help people access housing and housing- related services. - Homelessness Governing Body ¥ 4 regional centers created Path to a Home October 2008 71 Page 119 of 335 Implementation -- Priority 2: Stopping Homelessness Before it Starts through Prevention and Effective Intervention Strategy 2.1: CONDUCT HOUSING FOCUSED DISCHARGE PLANNING FOR PEOPLE EXITING JAILS AND PRISONS IN ORDER TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS AND REDUCE RECIDIVISM Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 2.1.1: Develop and implement a comprehensive assessment tool. - DSS Homeless Coordinator - Court Administrator - County Administrator - County Sheriff - Parole - Probation - Griffin Society & other programs serving prisoners ¥ Assessment tool and protocols for using it developed ¥ Staff to conduct assessments designated ¥ Staff training design and schedule established and trainings initiated ¥ Prisoner assessments begin 2.1.2: Develop necessary systems to store assessment data and provide access to information as discharge planning is initiated. [See Action Steps 2.6.2, 3.1.2 & 4.3.1] − Homelessness Governing Body Data Staff ¥ Data storage system designed ¥ Data collection, storage and access protocols developed 2.1.3: Conduct discharge planning focused on housing for all discharging prisoners identified in the assessment as homeless or at-risk − SLO Sheriff − Parole − Probation − DSS Homeless Coordinator − PACT − Forensics Coordinating Team − ReEntry Teams − Primary Responders − Basic Housing Assistance Centers ¥ Discharge planning policies and protocols for jail releases developed and discharge planning initiated ¥ Discharge planning policies and protocols for prison releases developed and discharge planning initiated Path to a Home October 2008 72 Page 120 of 335 Strategy 2.1: CONDUCT HOUSING FOCUSED DISCHARGE PLANNING FOR PEOPLE EXITING JAILS AND PRISONS IN ORDER TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS AND REDUCE RECIDIVISM Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 2.1.4: Initiate services to prepare for and facilitate discharge while inmates are still serving their sentence. − DSS Homeless Coordinator − County Sheriff − Programs such as Friends Outside, Captive Hears and Match 2 ¥ Memoranda of Agreements in place for “in-reach” service provision ¥ Volunteer recruitment, training and placement effort in place ¥ Strategies in place to assist inmates in obtaining identification prior to release ¥ Benefits suspension system in place and assistance in reactivation provided ¥ Benefits assistance provided to initiate first time applications 2.1.5: Educate prison/jail staff, especially parole and probation officers, on the importance of housing focused re-entry support services. [See Action Steps 1.4.3, 2.2.2, 3.1.7 & 4.4.2] − DSS Homeless Coordinator − County Sheriff, − Probation − Parole ¥ Training design and schedule developed, and training initiated 2.1.6: Divert homeless people arrested for “quality of life crimes” from the criminal justice system to case managed programs and housing. − Superior Court − DSS Homeless Coordinator ¥ Intervention such as Homeless Court planned and initiated ¥ Agency coordination strategies in place Path to a Home October 2008 73 Page 121 of 335 Strategy 2.2: CONDUCT COMPREHENSIVE, HOUSING FOCUSED DISCHARGE PLANNING FOR PEOPLE EXITING HOSPITALS, MENTAL HEALTH FACILITIES, AND ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUG TREATMENT CENTERS IN ORDER TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 2.2.1: Designate staff at all health-related facilities, to execute routine client discharge plans with a housing focus. - Public Health Officer - Community-based organizations - Primary Responders - Basic Housing Assistance Centers ¥ Discharge planning staff designated at all facilities ¥ Discharge planning policies and protocols developed and discharge planning initiated ¥ Formal referral agreements in place 2.2.2: Support coordination of all the health facility discharge planners through regular staff orientations, trainings, and care management meetings. [See Action Steps 1.4.3, 2.1.5, 3.1.7 & 4.4.2] − Public Health Officer − Community-based organizations ¥ Strategies for staff orientation and training developed and initiated ¥ Schedule for care management meetings in place, and meetings initiated 2.2.3: Create more comprehensive medical respite beds for those being discharged from hospitals and mental health facilities who are not returning to permanent housing. − Housing Authority − Community-based organizations ¥ Number of medical respite beds needed identified along with types of services needed ¥ 60 medical respite beds created with supportive medical services provided 2.2.4: Identify and secure the funding to support the discharge planning and related services and housing. [See Actions Steps 1.1.6, 2.4.2 & 4.2.5.] − Health Department − Private hospitals − Medical community − Private industry − Community Health Centers ¥ Meetings with State legislators carried out ¥ Financial study completed and recommendations developed ¥ MHSA resources allocated for transition planning and related housing and services Path to a Home October 2008 74 Page 122 of 335 Strategy 2.3: CONDUCT COMPREHENSIVE, HOUSING FOCUSED DISCHARGE PLANNING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE EXITING THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM IN ORDER TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 2.3.1: For youth about to emancipate, age out, or otherwise exit the foster care system, create and implement discharge planning that focuses on housing and life skills training. - Director of Social Services - Probation Department - Family Care Network - County Office of Education - Primary Responders - Basic Housing Assistance Centers - Local colleges - Workforce investment programs ¥ Memorandum of Understanding in place with workforce investment programs ¥ Specialized case management underway 2.3.2: Secure state and other funds to develop housing for this population. Continue participation in California’s THP-PLUS program in an effort to increase the number of young adults served. . − Director of Social Services − Probation Department − Family Care Network − County Office of Education ¥ Sites for housing identified and funding secured 2.3.3: Develop housing assessments and interventions as needed for young people at the continuation high school. -County Office of Education Path to a Home October 2008 75 Page 123 of 335 Strategy 2.4: CREATE AN OVERALL DISCHARGE/ TRANSITION COORDINATOR TO SUPPORT AND COORDINATE THE DISCHARGE EFFORTS OF EACH SYSTEM (CORRECTIONS, HEALTH-RELATED PROGRAMS AND FOSTER CARE). Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 2.4.1: Create a central discharge or transition coordinator to facilitate monthly case conferencing meetings involving discharge planning staff of each system and Primary Responders providing community-based care to people who have been or are being discharged. - Homelessness Governing Body - DSS Homeless Coordinator ¥ Discharge / transition coordinator hired ¥ Case conferencing meetings initiated ¥ Coordination strategies and agreements in place 2.4.2: Collect data on “frequent users” of these systems to demonstrate cost-savings from provision of supportive housing to these clients. [See Action Steps 1.1.6, 2.2.4 & 4.2.5] - Homelessness Governing Body - DSS Homeless Coordinator - Forensic Coordinating Team ¥ Data collection initiated ¥ Cost savings data analyzed Strategy 2.5: CREATE EVICTION INTERVENTION STRATEGIES TO STOP HOMELESSNESS. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 2.5.1: Develop a pool of eviction intervention resources that can be used to meet rent or extremely low income household mortgage payments for individuals and families who are at risk of being evicted from their homes into homelessness. [See Action Steps 1.5.2 & 1.6.1] - Housing Authority - Superior Court - Sheriff - Health Department ¥ Housing assistance funding pool created ¥ Needs assessment tool created for identifying service needs ¥ Information sheet advertising this resource developed and distributed Path to a Home October 2008 76 Page 124 of 335 Strategy 2.5: CREATE EVICTION INTERVENTION STRATEGIES TO STOP HOMELESSNESS. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 2.5.2: Hire and train crisis workers to work with extremely low income individuals and families who are at risk of becoming homeless owing to eviction. [See Action Step 1.6.1] - Department of Social Services ¥ Crisis workers hired and trained 2.5.3: Create Support Services Coordinator positions to ensure that housing units for people who are homeless or at- risk are linked with the services the tenants need to achieve stability and maintain their housing. [See Action Step 1.1.3] - Department of Social Services - Affordable Housing Developers - Community Service Agencies ¥ Position created and filled Strategy 2.6: Create performance mandates to support new countywide policy focus of keeping people housed and/or getting them quickly re-housed. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 2.6.1: Create performance mandates on preventing and ending homelessness that are linked with local government department budgets and with community-based organization contracts. [See Action Steps 1.2.1, 3.1.1 & 4.3.2] - County Administrators Office - City Managers - Homelessness Governing Body - County Planning Department ¥ Performance mandates developed and linked with funding 2.6.2: Put in a data system to track results in preventing and ending homelessness. [See Action Steps 2.1.2, 3.1.2 & 4.3.1] - County Administrators Office ¥ Phase II activity Path to a Home October 2008 77 Page 125 of 335 Implementation -- Priority 3: Ending and Preventing Homelessness through Integrated, Comprehensive, Responsive Supportive Services Strategy 3.1: CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE, INTEGRATED, FLEXIBLE SYSTEM OF CARE WHICH OFFERS EFFECTIVE AND COORDINATED CARE TO THOSE IN NEED. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 3.1.1: For each County Department in contact with people who are homeless or at-risk, establish standards of care to use in carrying out work under this Plan and participating in the overall system of care. [See Action Steps 1.2.1, 2.6.1 & 4.3.2] - Board of Supervisors - County Department Heads of Social Services and Health Department - Homelessness Governing Body - Homeless Services Coordinating Council - Cal Poly continuing education center ¥ Common standards developed for each Department regarding caring for chronically homeless people 3.1.2: Create a single data system to support the new coordinated system of care. . [See Action Steps 2.1.2, 2.6.2 & 4.3.1] - Homelessness Governing Body ¥ HMIS developed, tested and implemented 3.1.3 Create an interactive system of communication that can be used by shelters, multi-service centers and other programs to communicate regarding clients appointments, schedules, and transportation needs, in an effort to ensure that clients attend their appointments. - Homelessness Governing Body - Homeless Services Coordinating Council ¥ Communication system and procedures developed for chronically homeless clients 3.1.4: Create a “Homeless Case Management Brain Trust” to develop a triage mechanism to ensure that those with the greatest or most severe needs get immediate assistance. - Homelessness Governing Body - Homeless Services Coordinating Council ¥ Triage mechanism and protocols developed for chronically homeless clients Path to a Home October 2008 78 Page 126 of 335 Strategy 3.1: CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE, INTEGRATED, FLEXIBLE SYSTEM OF CARE WHICH OFFERS EFFECTIVE AND COORDINATED CARE TO THOSE IN NEED. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 3.1.5: Create case management case conferencing teams in each of the 4 primary geographic areas of the county, with the Primary Responder agencies. (above). - Homelessness Governing Body - Homeless Services Coordinating Council ¥ 4 regional case management conferencing teams developed focusing on chronically homeless clients 3.1.6: Develop a single case plan for each client, addressing the full range of housing and service needs. Case plans should seek to maintain the involvement of all those already engaged with the client, in particular friends and family. - Regional case management conferencing teams - Case managers working with primary responder and community safety net agencies 3.1.7: Offer an annualized staff training series, covering evidence- based practices, best practices, and emerging and promising practices. [See Action Steps 1.4.3, 2.1.5, 2.2.2 & 4.4.2] - Homelessness Governing Body - Homeless Services Coordinating Council ¥ Annual training schedule developed and trainings initiated focusing on serving people who are chronically homeless 3.1.8: Re-fund the Adult System of Care Homeless Outreach Project workers. ¥ Funding identified for outreach workers to serve people who are chronically homeless Path to a Home October 2008 79 Page 127 of 335 Strategy 3.2: CENTRALIZE AND STREAMLINE ACCESS TO COMPREHENSIVE, COORDINATED SUPPORT SERVICES. 3.2.1: Create four centralized Community Services Centers, one in each region of the county, at which people can access a comprehensive range of support services in one location. [See Action Step 1.6.1, 3.4.1, 3.5.1 and 3.6.2] - Homelessness Governing Body - Homeless Services Coordinating Council - SLO Council of Government ¥ First center created as pilot for people who are chronically homeless ¥ Systems change infrastructure built 3.2.2: Design a transportation system that will bring county residents in need of services to one of the Centers. - Homelessness Governing Body - Homeless Services Coordinating Council - County Transportation Agencies ¥ Meetings with County Transportation Agencies initiated Strategy 3.3: GENERATE GREATER COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN THE PROVISION OF COMPREHENSIVE SUPPORT SERVICES. 3.3.1: Host community meetings at which the general community, service providers, homeless people, and those at risk of homelessness can communicate and forge partnerships. - Homelessness Governing Body − Cal Poly Community Center ¥ First community meeting held 3.3.2: Establish a way of linking the many county residents who want to volunteer into a homeless-response system and mobilizing them to work at all agencies. - Homelessness Governing Body ¥ Volunteer coordination system developed 3.3.3: Utilize all media including 211, web, radio, print, and public broadcasting stations as a way to recruit volunteers and educate the community as to homeless interventions happening in their neighborhood. - Homelessness Governing Body − Cal Poly Community Center ¥ Announcements happening on public broadcasting stations Path to a Home October 2008 80 Page 128 of 335 STRATEGY 3.4: FOSTER EMPLOYMENT, VOLUNTEERISM, AND A SENSE OF PURPOSE AMONG HOMELESS PEOPLE, AS A CORE INTERVENTION TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS. 3.4.1: Expand or incorporate a comprehensive work- training program for homeless individuals at the Community Services Centers to build confidence and skills [See Action Step 3.2.1] . - Homelessness Governing Body or Workforce Committee − Department of Rehabilitation − Vocational Rehabilitation − One-Stop Centers − Other employment services providers ¥ Homeless work training program created at first Center 3.4.2: Establish a “temp” employment agency and target employment sectors with potential for growth, such as agriculture. - Homelessness Governing Body or Workforce Committee ¥ Temp agency created 3.4.3: Create a database of all day labor job sites and job placement agencies, volunteer work, and community participation activity, and devise a way to provide this information to clients. - Homelessness Governing Body or Workforce Committee ¥ Database created 3.4.4: Utilize volunteers to create a job mentoring and/or job shadowing program for homeless people, to help coach people to next step employment opportunity. - Homelessness Governing Body or Workforce Committee ¥ Volunteer program developed at first Community Services Center Path to a Home October 2008 81 Page 129 of 335 STRATEGY 3.6: USE MAINSTREAM BENEFITS AND RESOURCES MORE EFFECTIVELY IN SUPPORT OF COUNTY GOAL TO END HOMELESSNESS 3.6.1: Develop partnerships between homeless Primary Responder providers and mainstream benefits provider organizations. [See Strategy 3.2] - Homeless Services Coordinating Council - Homelessness Governing Body - Department of Social Services - EOC ¥ Partnerships developed with Food Stamps and Veterans Administration (VA) 3.6.2: Outstation intake eligibility staff from mainstream benefits programs at homelessness programs and at the Community Services Centers. [See Action Step 3.2.1] - Homeless Services Coordinating Council - Homelessness Governing Body - Department of Social Services - EOC ¥ Eligibility staff outstationed for General Assistance and MediCal 3.6.3: Facilitate access to SSI/SSDI by providing application assistance and advocacy to help eligible individuals obtain this benefit. - Homeless Services Coordinating Council - Homelessness Governing Body - Department of Social Services - EOC ¥ SSI and SSDI application fast-tracking piloted for chronically homeless people Strategy 3.5: SUPPORT CREATION OF PROFIT-GENERATING BUSINESSES TO PROVIDE RESOURCES TO HOMELESSNESS “PRIMARY RESPONDER” AGENCIES. 3.5.1: Partner retired Business Executive or University Professors with Homeless Service Agencies to explore fields of interest and develop business plans. − Workforce Committee of Homelessness Governing Body ¥ Business plan developed for one agency to launch a pilot project Path to a Home October 2008 82 Page 130 of 335 Implementation -- Priority 4: Coordinating A Solid Administrative & Financial Structure To Support Effective Plan Implementation Strategy 4.1: ESTABLISH A COUNTYWIDE INTER-JURISDICTIONAL COLLABORATIVE HOMELESSNESS GOVERNING BODY TO COORDINATE EFFORTS TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS AND OVERSEE PLAN IMPLEMENTATION. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 4.1.1: Create a centralized county Homelessness Governing Body. - County Board of Supervisors - Mayors - City Councils - Community Leaders ¥ Governing Body created 4.1.2: Delineate the responsibilities of the Homelessness Governing Body and its members. - County Board of Supervisors - Mayors - City Councils - Community Leaders ¥ Responsibilities delineated 4.1.3: Involve representatives from all sectors so the Homelessness Governing Body is broad- based and inclusive. - County Board of Supervisors - Mayors - City Councils - Community Leaders ¥ Members nominated 4.1.4: Adequately staff the Homelessness Governing Body so that it can fulfill its leadership functions, including 3 full- time staff. - County Board of Supervisors - Mayors - City Councils - Community Leaders ¥ Staff hired 4.1.5; Form Standing, Ad Hoc and Working Committees as needed to carry out the work of the Homelessness Governing Body and implement the Plan. [See Action Step 1.3.2] − Homelessness Governing Body ¥ Committee structure created Path to a Home October 2008 83 Page 131 of 335 Strategy 4.2: SUPPORT PLAN IMPLEMENTATION WITH DEDICATED REVENUE FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 4.2.1: Ensure that existing funding sources are used as effectively and efficiently as possible. [See Action Step 1.1.5] - Homelessness Governing Body Staff ¥ Annual presentation & discussion of funding stream utilization initiated ¥ Pipeline Committee created ¥ Proposal review process implemented 4.2.2: Aggressively pursue additional federal, state, local and private funding opportunities to support efforts to address homelessness and quickly secure local funds whenever needed to leverage state and federal resources. - Homelessness Governing Body Staff ¥ Development of protocols fro pursuing funding and securing local leverage funds ¥ First new funding source secured 4.2.3: Increase local public and private investment to support Plan implementation and efforts to prevent and end homelessness. [See Action Steps 1.1.6, 1.3.1 & 1.4.4] - Homelessness Governing Body & staff - County Board of Supervisors - Cities ¥ Proportionate share formula developed and adopted by jurisdictions ¥ Dedicated sources of revenue identified and funding vehicle selected ¥ Feasibility review of local funding sources conducted ¥ First new strategy to secure private contributions implemented ¥ Public communication strategy developed 4.2.4: Aggressively pursue the development of Social Enterprises and Revenue Generating activity within non-profit organizations, with profits dedicated to Plan Implementation. - Homelessness Governing Body Staff - Workforce and Business Development Committee of Homelessness Governing Body ¥ Feasibility study conducted ¥ Pilot project initiated Path to a Home October 2008 84 Page 132 of 335 Strategy 4.3: COLLECT DATA ON HOMELESSNESS AND PROGRAM PERFORMANCE TO GUIDE PLANNING, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND FUNDING DECISIONS. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 4.3.1: Develop and implement a MIS that includes meeting the requirements of a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to allow countywide data collection, analysis and evaluation. [See Action Steps 2.1.2, 2.6.2 & 3.1.2] - Homelessness Governing Body & Staff o Cal Poly ¥ HMIS developed ¥ HMIS tested ¥ HMIS implemented 4.3.2: Establish new system-wide performance standards to track progress towards preventing and ending homelessness and link program outcomes with funding allocation and contracting decisions. [See Action Steps 1.2.1, 2.6.1 & 3.1.1] - Homelessness Governing Body & Staff ¥ Performance standards developed ¥ Funding and contracting decisions linked with performance outcomes Strategy 4.2: SUPPORT PLAN IMPLEMENTATION WITH DEDICATED REVENUE FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 4.2.5; Implement mechanisms to document and capture cost-savings in mainstream systems and programs due to reduced use of services by homeless people after implementation of Plan “best practices”. [See Action Steps 1.1.6, 2.2.4 & 2.4.2] − Homelessness Governing Body staff − Cal Poly Public Policy Program faculty and students ¥ Baseline created ¥ Service utilization tracked and cost-savings documented and reinvested Path to a Home October 2008 85 Page 133 of 335 Strategy 4.3: COLLECT DATA ON HOMELESSNESS AND PROGRAM PERFORMANCE TO GUIDE PLANNING, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND FUNDING DECISIONS. Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 4.3.3: Annually evaluate success in addressing homelessness and progress in Plan implementation. - Homelessness Governing Body & Staff ¥ Annual outcomes report published ¥ Annual “State of Homelessness” conference held ¥ Annual Work Plans developed Strategy 4.4: CONTINUALLY IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF EFFORTS TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS BY INTEGRATING RESEARCH AND EXPERIENTIAL FINDINGS AND PROMISING AND EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICES INTO THE RESPONSE TO HOMELESSNESS Action Step Lead Partners Phase I / Years 1-3 Benchmarks 4.4.1: Stay abreast of emerging information from academics and practitioners around the country and improve existing efforts based on emerging findings. [See Action Step 1.1.4] - Homelessness Governing Body Staff o Cal Poly Continuing Education Center, Psychology and Human Development Department, and Housing / Architecture Department ¥ Minimum of two conferences / workshops attended by Governing body members and staff each year 4.4.2: Sponsor quarterly staff training on best practice strategies and methodologies. [See Action Step 1.4.3, 2.1.5, 2.2.2, & 3.1.7] - Homelessness Governing Body Staff - − Cal Poly Continuing Education Center, Psychology and Human Development Department, and Housing / Architecture Department ¥ Staff trainings designed, schedule developed, and trainings begun Path to a Home October 2008 86 Page 134 of 335 1 The San Luis Obispo Countywide Plan to Address Homelessness 2022-2027 Adopted by Adopted by County of San Luis Obispo Homeless Services Oversight Council Board of Supervisors (HSOC) on July 18, 2022 on August 9, 2022 ATTACHMENT 3 Page 135 of 335 2 Preface: Why We Must Address Homelessness Homelessness burdens our community in ways we can no longer afford. No matter the lens through which you examine this issue, the cost is high. The toll of homelessness on the individual experiencing homelessness is well established. The average life expectancy for someone experiencing homelessness is approximately 25 years shorter than those with stable housing.1 Homelessness exacerbates existing health problems and causes new ones, both with chronic conditions (such as diabetes) and acute problems (such as infections and injuries). Accumulated trauma from insecure and at times dangerous situations can contribute to an unhoused individual’s behaviora l health challenges. It is difficult to manage one’s health and heal when there is no place to rest and recuperate. Further, high rents, stiff competition for lower-cost units, and the many bureaucratic, legal, and financial hurdles facing unhoused persons can make it hard for them to hold on to hope or envision and plan for a safer, more stable life in housing. Less obvious is the combined toll on our community's wellbeing. As the numbers of those experiencing homeless in our region continues to rise, our community suffers immeasurable losses to our quality of life, environmental wellbeing, and economic vitality. We mourn the loss of our parks and open spaces. The accessibility we once had to these community resources continues to diminish as more and more people make these locations their homes. The landscapes of our parks, our trails, our community centers and even our sidewalks have rapidly changed. We have long prided ourselves on a high quality of life here in the County of San Luis Obispo, but this quality is being significantly and rapidly degraded by the growing impact of homelessness. Apart from the emotional toll on our community, the financial cost of homelessness is staggering and continues to grow. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that each homeless person costs their community more than $40,000 per year2 due to frequent use of public services such as ambulance rides, emergency room visits, hospitals, arrests, jail time and other services. These community costs are exacerbated by the financial impact of homelessness through the loss of a region’s business vitality. Whether in attracting 1 Source: Not One More: Honoring Those Who Died Homeless, NAEH, available at: https://endhomelessness.org/blog/not-one-more-honoring-those-who-died-homeless/ 2 Source: The Cost of Homelessness, by Veronica Morley, available at https://www.turnto23.com/news/homeless/breaking-down-the-cost-of-homelessness Page 136 of 335 3 diverse business development or maintaining a reliable workforce, the existence and expanse of homelessness are a deterrent to our economic health. While it is complicated to calculate the total individual and community costs of homelessness, it is even more complicated to understand its root causes. There is not one simple answer to the question of how people become unhoused. There is confusion as to why homelessness grows so rapidly despite expensive efforts to confront it. There is a waning belief, perhaps even a loss of hope, that this problem can ever be prevented from growing and permanently blemishing the texture of the society we leave to our children. While the cause of each instance of homelessness may be unique, there is one thing every case has in common: Once a person is homeless, it becomes increasingly more difficult for them to regain housing and stability as time goes on. Our whole community witnesses the daily suffering and tragedy that our unhoused neighbors experience. In the end, we all are affected. There is no simple answer to addressing homelessness, but we can all agree that our approach needs to change. This strategy does not pretend to offer an end to homelessness in a community where rent is high, and wages are not. Instead, this strategy offers a bold, systematic, and integrated sequence of actions designed to make the goal of substantially reducing homelessness achievable, so that our children can come to know a region with the values and humanity that have long made our Nation and the County of San Luis Obispo a wonderful place to live. Page 137 of 335 4 Table of Contents PREFACE: WHY WE MUST ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS ............................................................... 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................................... 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 5 STATE OF HOMELESSNESS IN THE COUNTY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO............................................... 6 ENDING HOMELESSNESS ...................................................................................................... 8 SUMMARY TIMELINE ............................................................................................................ 9 LINES OF EFFORT .............................................................................................................. 11 Lines of Effort 1: Create affordable and appropriately designed housing opportunities and shelter options for underserved populations. ................................ 11 Line of Effort 2: Focus efforts to reduce or eliminate the barriers to housing stability for those experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, including prevention, diversion, supportive services, and housi ng navigation efforts. .............. 17 Line of Effort 3: Improve and expand data management efforts through HMIS and coordinated entry system to strengthen data-driven operational guidance and strategic oversight............................................................................................................... 23 Line of Effort 4: Create, identify, and streamline fundi ng and resources. .................. 25 Line of Effort 5: Strengthen Regional Collaboration. ..................................................... 29 Line of Effort 6: Build public engagement through information -sharing and partnership. ......................................................................................................................... 31 SUMMARY OF REQUESTED JURISDICTIONAL COMMITMENTS .................................................... 33 APPENDICES ..................................................................................................................... 34 APPENDIX A: HOUSING GOAL METHODOLOGY ..................................................................... 34 APPENDIX B: REGIONAL HOUSING NEED ALLOCATION (2019) ............................................... 38 APPENDIX C: PLAN DEVELOPMENT ...................................................................................... 39 APPENDIX D: GLOSSARY .................................................................................................... 40 Page 138 of 335 5 Executive Summary Despite the expansion of homeless shelters and parking villages in the County of San Luis Obispo over the last several years, we have the capacity to shelter only 20-30% of our homeless citizens on any given night. Our community is rowing upstream against forces that have evolved over decades and are national in scope: high housing costs, low vacancy rates, chronic impacts of trauma, and behavioral healthcare challenges. Making incremental increases in uncoordinated efforts to reduce homelessness is no longer an option for our region. This plan outlines a bold, housing-centric strategy to reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness to 50% of the current level within five years. Achieving this goal will require a whole-of-community effort that includes increasing the availability of non-congregate shelters; reexamining and diversifying funding sources; strengthening regional partnerships; and modernizing the data systems and structures that address homelessness. Achieving this goal in a high-demand/low-supply local housing market requires a mix of housing approaches that vary by how they affect housing supply, the level of services they require, and the time and cost it takes to build them. The plan includes strategies to build or secure housing solutions for 2,050 additional people over five years. The plan is organized into six Lines of Effort (LOE). Each Line of Effort represents a series of related events, actions or projects that combine to achieve a specific objective linked to the strategic goal of reducing homeless. This is a roadmap; details will be added as each area is addressed over time, using a data -based approach to inform decisions. While each LOE addresses a distinct aspect of the challenge, none stands alone. For example, LOE1 (the main effort) focuses on increasing the amount and types of housing and shelter available, while LOE2 is focused on preventing homelessness and supporting housing stability. This plan recognizes that increased access to housing is necessary but insufficient. While reducing homelessness is the goal, solely building housing is not. Reducing homelessness requires not just a physical increase in housing, but also the services needed to support people in securing and retaining that housing. Reducing homelessness must also address specific barriers such as trauma, mental illness, addiction, and medical challenges, with attention on the needs that may differ by culture, language, family type, age, and an individual’s specific experience with trauma. Furthermore, this plan recognizes that a structured approach to regional collaboration is needed to implement and oversee these efforts, supported by new data capabilities and expanded efforts in communications and public engagement . Page 139 of 335 6 State of Homelessness in the County of San Luis Obispo How many people are experiencing homelessness in the County of San Luis Obispo? • 1483 people were observed as homeless throughout SLO County in the 2019 Point-In- Time Count. 2022 results are pending at the time of this plan’s release. To see data from the most recent local homeless Point-In-Time Count, please refer to this report.3 • On average, each year since 2018, homeless system of care inflow has exceeded outflow by 196 people. • In 2020, among communities categorized as “largely suburban” nation-wide, the County of San Luis Obispo had the 3rd largest percentage of unsheltered homelessness nationwide—82.4% of the homeless population was unsheltered. San Luis Obispo also made the top 5 list for unsheltered youth, unsheltered veterans and unsheltered individuals. Who is experiencing homelessness in the County of San Luis Obispo? • Programs to house families have been better funded than those that house individuals, so individuals are less likely to be receiving housing and service resources. Families make up 15% of the Point-In-Time Count census but 39% of the people served by the system of care. In contrast, individuals make up 85% of the Point-In-Time Count but only 61% of those served by the homeless system of care. • Most people who access services for homelessness in the County of San Luis Obispo are from the County of San Luis Obispo. 92.9% of people who accessed homeless services in 2020 in the County of San Luis Obispo had not accessed services in any other community in California. We know h ousing ends homelessness —what about housing? • The County of San Luis Obispo is the second least affordable small metro area in the entire nation. The County’s cost of housing is about 51.7% higher 3 2022 San Luis Obispo County Homeless Count and Survey Comprehensive Report, produced by ASR, available at: https://www.slocounty.ca.gov/getdoc/3e2558de-42f5-472d -a747-2c64500dff6d/2022-SLO-PIT-Report_final.pdf What is the homeless system of care? The homeless system of care consists of all the various community partners that provide or support housing, shelter, services, and resources for people who are experiencing homelessness or who have recently experienced homelessness in our community. These include, among others, CAP-SLO, ECHO, 5 Cities Homeless Coalition, Lumina Alliance, Transitions Mental Health Association, the Salvation Army, HASLO, and County departments. Page 140 of 335 7 than the national average, ranking it as a small metro area with the fourth- highest housing cost in the United States.4 • As of February 2022, rent in this County averaged at $2,347 per month – $719 more than the national average.5 • The apartment vacancy rate as of fourth quarter of 2020 was 3%, which is approximately half of the national rate 5.6%. • Rapidly rising rents (13.5% increase from 2020 to 2021and 46% since 2016) have increased the financial burdens on low-income people.6 • The median rental household in the County spends 38% of its income on housing, meaning that over half of all rental households in the County are at increased risk of homelessness due to the burden that housing costs place on family budgets.7 How has the h omeless system of care been able to respond to these challenges? • Since 2019, year-round emergency shelter capacity increased by 115 beds (73%) and maximum total capacity has doubled with the addition of 110 safe parking spaces. Despite these increases, on any given night we have the capacity to shelter only 20-30% of the number of people observed as homeless in 2019 (Point-In-Time Count) • Federal efforts such as the CARES Act and ARP and state equivalent such as HHAP have resulted in several one-time grants that have launched new efforts. As those close, challenges continue. • At the same time, housing and service providers struggle to hire and maintain enough adequately trained staff . For example, in April 2022, the County Behavioral Health department had over 20 open positions. Similarly, the Atascadero Winter Shelter closed 6 weeks early due to lack of staffing. What would be better? • This community plan calls for strategic coordination across the region to create more housing and shelter, to improve system efficiencies and efficacy, and to support services that stabilize people in housing. • The substantial expansion in capacity for shelter and housing outlined in this plan – with the staffing needed for success – will save lives, reduce suffering, restore people to productive lives, improve the environment, and set all communities in the County on a path to improve how public spaces are shared. 4 Source: SLO County second least affordable small metro in America, San Luis Obispo Tribute, March 21, 2022. 5 Source: https://www.rentcafe.com/average-rent-market-trends/us/ca/san-luis-obispo/ 6 Source: Analysis of HUD Fair Market Rents, available at: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/fmr.html 7 Source: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/cp.html#2006-2017 Page 141 of 335 8 Ending Homelessness Visio n The San Luis Obispo region will reduce homelessness by ensuring that people at risk of losing housing can retain it, and those experiencing homelessness can equitably secure safe housing with appropriate supports, minimizing trauma to the individual, the community, and the environment. Goals of this Plan: 1. Reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness to 50% of the current level within five years. 2. Reduce unsheltered homelessness to 50% of the current level within five years. Six Lines of Effort: 1. Create affordable and appropriately designed housing opportunities and shelter options for underserved populations. 2. Focus efforts on housing stability for those experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, including expanding prevention/diversion, supportive services, and housing navigation efforts. 3. Improve and expand data management efforts through HMIS and Coordinated Entry to strengthen data-driven operational guidance and strategic oversite. 4. Create, identify, and streamline funding and resources. 5. Strengthen regional collaboration. 6. Build public engagement through information-sharing and partnership. Our Guiding Principles: • We must use a rapid cycle implementation strategy to add capacity in housing, shelter, and homelessness prevention. • We will build the train as it travels: Strategic planning, action planning, and implementation will be occurring simultaneously. • Innovation is needed to create lower cost housing and shelter options. • We will actively engage persons with lived experience of homelessness in the development, refinement, and execution of plans. • We must work together across jurisdictional boundaries and across sectors so that we can move forward with strategically coordinated action. • We will build community awareness of the impacts of homelessness on our community and support for countywide initiatives. Page 142 of 335 9 Summary Timeline • First 12 Months: Rapid-Cycle Expansion of Interim Housing Capacity • Rapid-cycle implementation of non-congregate sheltering/interim housing capacity. • Expand landlord partnership through incentive program and incentive/mitigation fund. • Through launch of Homeless Action Committee, lay groundwork for a Regional Compact on homelessness to expand affordable and homeless- dedicated housing regionally, including deeper analysis of needs and resources focused on populations that are medically vulnerable/age 65+, have behavioral health conditions, are chronic ally homeless, or are families with children. • Increase diversion and prevention capacity. • Expand staffing levels to meet needs in interim housing capacity and provide services for people with behavioral health conditions. • Improve and expand HMIS and Coordinated Entry for data-driven strategic oversight capabilities and operational guidance. • Actively engage persons with lived experience of homelessness into all phases of planning. • Launch community education and media plan. • Years 2-3: Regional Compact for Housing Development and Expanded Service Capacity • Jurisdictions will develop a Regional Homelessness Compact to develop and align supportive housing goals, reducing barriers to housing and aligning resources to create and support housing. • Expand supportive services available to ensure people are able to access and maintain housing, especially outreach, skills training, medical care and behavioral health services. 2022-2023 •Build Interim Housing Capacity •Prevention •Data 2023-2025 •Expanded Service Capacity •Regional Compact 2025-2027 •Increased Housing Capacity •Data-driven refinements Page 143 of 335 10 • Create community standards for services and housing and expand training and other staff supports to ensure all resources support strategic plan goals and use of best practices. • Improve data analytics and systematic reporting. Expand data connections and coordination with criminal legal system, hospitals, residential care and supported housing to offer more effective and efficient services, while respecting individual privacy rights. • Review and learn from rapid cycle expansion of non -congregate sheltering/interim housing capacity and prevention and diversion cap acity to fill in gaps and make improvements • Years 4-5: Increase Housing Capacity • Complete more affordable and supportive housing projects, both traditional and non-traditional, and meet Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) targets in all jurisdictions • Develop housing solutions with consideration of water and other infrastructure needs • Systematically speed up the path from homelessness to housing • Solidify gains with sustainable ongoing funding • Implement incentives as needed to ensure implementation of the Regional Compact • Enhance community partnerships to support system effectiveness Page 144 of 335 11 Lines of Effort Line of Effort 1: Create affordable and appropriately designed housing opportunities and shelter options for underserved populatio ns. Page 145 of 335 12 Focus: Increase the number of interim and permanent housing opportunities for prioritized beneficiary groups experiencing homelessness, to clear the backlog of households without appropriate housing options due to specific housing barriers and increase the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the homeless system of care. Metric: Create 2050 new housing opportunities for persons experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness over a 5-year period across the County Summary of Timing: • Year 1: o Find locations and start building non-traditional interim supportive housing with the goal of creating 300 units within 3 years o Develop better data on how many people need what type of housing and supports, and where they need it, so that we can develop clear, data- informed, housing targets for specific populations. Beneficiary groups have been identified based on data analysis of community need. These groups may change over time as homelessness is addressed and community needs change. The following beneficiary groups have been identified as this plan begins: • Older Adults/Medically vulnerable • People with Behavioral Health Conditions • Chronically Homeless • Families What do we mean by “creating housing opportunities”? Creating housing opportunities includes any strategy to increasing housing access, including but not limited to: • Constructing, acquiring, rehabilitating, or renovating housing units • Master leasing • Funding housing subsidies for households to access apartments in the community • Non-traditional housing or shelter options, like tiny homes, pallet shelters, board & care facilities, shared housing, or other designs. Page 146 of 335 13 • Years 2-3: o Prioritize and accelerate development of permanent housing projects to meet the mix of needs in the community, including permanent supportive housing (PSH) dedicated to homeless households. o Keep building interim supportive housing. • Years 4-5: o Ensure the creation of permanent supportive housing and low income/very low-income housing, including small Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to meet Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) targets in all jurisdictions. See Appendix A for housing model definitions, targets, expected number of persons housed, and turnover assumptions. A. Rapidly create and support low -cost, non -traditional interim supportive housing solutions. 1. Use rapid-cycle implementation to increase non- congregate sheltering/interim housing capacity through projects such as pallet shelters, cabins, tiny homes, sober living homes, room and board settings, and parking villages. Target one project in each City and Supervisor District for a total of 300 new units countywide within 3 years. 2. Ensure that these new interim housing projects countywide form a continuum of safe, accessible, low-barrier interim housing/shelter options for individuals and for families that include wet or damp shelter s, which allow for people with substance use needs to have housing while beginning to address recovery, and options that allow partners and pets. 3. Expand the Oklahoma Avenue Parking Village and replicate on a smaller scale in additional locations, with housing navigation support. 4. Provide housing-focused services to address needs of specific populations, including chronically homeless, unsheltered, families, and elderly/medically vulnerable. (See also, LOE 2.C) 5. Develop community standards for temporary non -traditional supportive housing to ensure that people served in th ese settings exit to permanent housing. 6. Complete a quarterly analysis of existing projects to determine the utilization and need for interim housing based on geography, climate, and Housing Unit: A housing unit serves one household, which may consist of one person. Page 147 of 335 14 population and outcomes of various models. Align and expand shelter resources based on analysis. B. Remove barriers to building new units for homeless populations throughout the region, especially in cities. 1. Cities and County will adopt least restrictive interpretation of “low -barrier navigation centers” (based on state zoning requirements) into zoning codes. 2. Cities and County will consider deferring or waiving permit fees for new infrastructure related to homelessness (or commit permit and/or impacts fees to support building costs). 3. Complete a regional inventory of city- and county-owned properties (based on compilation of city housing inventories within each Housing Element). 4. Codify best practices and facilitate adoption of streamlined development of homeless housing through a Regional Homelessness Compact. (See also, LOE 5.A.) C. Create and sustain permanent supportive housing for homeless households. 1. Work with healthcare partners to expand access to supportive housing environments appropriate for medically vulnerable individuals, chronically homeless persons and seniors. (See also, LOE 2.J.) 2. Commit to ongoing funding needed to sustain the operations and supportive services for existing permanent supportive housing projects. 3. Reduce the development cost of permanent supportive housing by removing fees and by aligning local land use policies to reduce barriers to siting. 4. Advocate at the state level for changes to housing development policies that would streamline the development of permanent supportive housing. 5. Accelerate project implementation to build 500 additional units of permanent supportive housing for homeless persons within 5 years. 6. Prioritize production of a mix of project sizes to serve different needs, including projects of fewer that 12 units, projects for persons with chronic mental illness, and larger projects using tax credit financing to accommodate families and seniors. 7. Ensure all housing created accounts for water and other infrastructure needs. Non- traditional supportive housing options can include the following: • Pallet shelters • Tiny Homes • Board & Care • Single Room Occupancy (SRO) • Sober living homes Page 148 of 335 15 8. Use clear prioritization and systematic tracking to ensure that medically vulnerable and chronically homeless individuals needing permanent supportive housing exit from stabilizing environments such as interim housing/shelter solutions into permanent supportive housing with sufficient clinical and other service supports. D. Increase use of existing vouchers and rapid rehousing funds through a region -wide landlord incentive and outreach program to maximize available units with private landlords. 1. Bring the Housing Authority of City of San Luis Obispo’s (HASLO) Emergency Housing Voucher landlord incentive program to scale in all communities to increase the number of participating landlords by 15% over the next 5 years. 2. Create a countywide landlord incentive/mitigation fund and adjust available funding based on analysis of access, utilization, and outcome of current landlord engagement efforts. 3. Sustain current levels of vouchers and rapid rehousing. Add resources sufficient for an additional 160 persons to find housing. 4. Expand the Housing Now program by 5 additional persons each year. E. Increase access to seasonal and weather -dependent shelter throughout the region. 1. Maximize opportunities for winter sheltering across the County. Start with identifying locations, then where possible, expand for less severe weather conditions and more days of service. 2. Consider cooling centers in each region (North, Central and South) to be available on days expected to exceed 100 degrees, to support both unhoused persons and vulnerable housed people without air conditioning. F. Support achievement of Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) goals for affordable housing targeting low - and very low -income households in every jurisdiction. 1. Introduce policies and strategies to accelerate completion of affordable housing projects, including traditional housing and small accessory dwelling units or permanent tiny homes, to meet RHNA targets in all jurisdictions (one-half of 6th cycle RHNA targets for low-income and very low-income units within 5 years), to achieve 1667 units of low/very low-income housing and 500 supportive units dedicated to homeless persons or preventing homelessness (see also, LOE #1 C.4). Page 149 of 335 16 2. Create a public dashboard to demonstrate progress toward affordable housing goals. 3. Provide incentives to builders and developers of affordable housing to increase development, including increasing local matching funds to help make strategic local projects competitive for tax-credit financing. 4. Preserve existing affordable housing, such as mobile home parks and the Anderson building. 5. Support smaller homes of all kinds such as tiny homes, tiny homes on wheels and ADUs. 6. Support all levels of affordable housing (including deed restricted housing, moderate affordable units, affordable by design approaches) to provide housing for those exiting successfully from homeless-dedicated housing and stabilize moderate- and low-income households, including workforce. 7. Encourage development of workforce housing countywide to support staff who are currently working or moving to the area to work in this field. 8. Review City and County resources including Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to increase the efficiency and timeliness of allocation and utilization. For example, consider combining funds to get projects qualified for tax-credit financing more quickly. 9. Through the HSOC Housing Committee, consider and encourage exploration of alternative housing finance models. Page 150 of 335 17 Line of Effo rt 2: Focus efforts to reduce or eliminate the barriers to housing stability for those experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, including prevention, diversion, supportive services, and housing navigation efforts. Focus: Strengthen supportive services across subpopulations to effectively assist people who are experiencing homelessness in obtaining and maintaining housing. Metrics: • System-wide, reduce the average length of time people experience homelessness by 10% each year. • Increase the number of people being served in shelters or by outreach staff that access permanent housing by 10% each year. • Increase the number of people exiting homelessness by at least 2050 over five years, compared with current level of effort. Summary of Timing: • Year 1: Prevention & Diversion; services sufficient to support new interim housing • Years 2-3: Develop services, training and coordination, especially outreach, skill development, and behavioral health. • Years 4-5: Maintain services, with ongoing assessments and refinements to maximize effectiveness A. Implement housing -focused case management and services across the region. 1. Increase staff to meet the growing challenge of emerging needs (with increased efforts in coordinated entry, outreach, housing case management); utilizing best-practices to define appropriate client to staff caseload ratios and to hire individuals who are gender - and culturally diverse, including multi- lingual staff. 2. Recruit and support development of new staff , which may include outreach to and partnerships with high schools and colleges; and provide support for continued education for current staff. 3. Increase and create peer support positions including developing qualifications, providing training, and leveraging support from the Department of Rehabilitation and Department of Health Care Services. Page 151 of 335 18 4. Increase compensation and benefits to reduce turnover, standardize pay scales across providers, and provide livable wages for those working in the services sector. B. Support program staff in delivering effective services 1. Develop and implement community standards and best practices for each service area (including outreach, case management, coordinated entry) with a universal focus on housing navigation. 2. Create a uniform, digital library, and schedule of trainings for supportive services (including housing first, motivational interviewing, harm reduction, trauma-informed care, vocational training, resource availability, and diversity/equity/inclusion competency). 3. Ensure that coordinated entry system is used as the foundation for service assessment across the continuum. 4. Develop a resource knowledge base and referral system to maximize community resources (including housing programs such as HASLO vouchers, HUD-VASH and other specialty vouchers, affordable/tax credit housing and legal resources). 5. Expand access to interpretation services for all providers. 6. Expand technology toolkit to ensure coordinated entry assessment can be done in real time in the field, with virtual client signatures. 7. Coordinate services and resources with public health and social service agencies to effectively respond to any emergencies, disaster events, and/or communicable diseases (including COVID). 8. Leverage the expertise and success of existing models with proven outcomes to inform new and expanding programs. C. Structure services based on population need and geographical co verage. 1. Revamp the coordinated entry system to prioritize services based on need (including diversion, permanent supportive housing for higher threshold chronically homeless, rapid re-housing for lower threshold) throughout the geographic region. 2. Coordinate outreach strategies across multiple agencies to allocate and prioritize resources geographically and across populations and to improve information-sharing. 3. Coordinate efforts with first responders, including law enforcement and fire department agencies, to improve health and safety. Page 152 of 335 19 4. Integrate services with jail, juvenile justice, probation and other criminal justice entities. 5. Include people experiencing homelessness in service design and implementation, and at the program and system level. 6. Target program services to address the specific needs of subpopulations , including people who are aging, youth, and people who have a physical, mental health and/or substance use disorder. Ensure services are culturally appropriate to the target populations and the household makeup (including families, singles, and couples) and that supports vary as needed (specifically, time-limited versus static ongoing services) to allow for growth, independence, self-reliance, and recovery. 7. Create multidisciplinary outreach teams, including either medical staff certified and trained to provide care for physical, mental health, and substance use disorders, including mobile medications, or, at minimum, telemedicine access. 8. Pilot a site-based Regional Homeless Operations Center to support housing navigation services at the Oklahoma Parking Village. 9. Assess the need and location for expanded mobile hygiene services to increase engagement with unsheltered population. 10. Create and expand job development opportunities for unhoused and newly housed individuals by partnering with job creation and support agencies in the community, including America’s Job Center of California, Vocational Rehabilitation, and others. D. Prevent homelessness through expanded diversion e fforts (also known as housing problem solving or family reunification) and homeless prevention capacity. 1. Find housing for an additional 50 people each year through expanded diversion and homeless prevention efforts. 2. Expand diversion efforts through coordinated entry system (including by adding staff; improving program outcomes and training; increasing flexible funding for relocation, etc.). Ensure that frontline staff are trained in diversion and progressive engagement. What is diversion or housing problem solving? Diversion resolves an immediate housing crisis by problem-solving to find an alternative solution to entering the homelessness system, which may include family reunification. Diversion programs may include financial assistance, mediation, or connection to resources. In one community, the average cost per person in the homeless system was $3,700, whereas per person cost for diversion was only $1,550. Page 153 of 335 20 3. Expand community partnerships to help identify households at-risk of homelessness (for example, through schools, family resource centers, SAFE System of Care, food pantries). 4. Help households stabilize their housing through temporary financial support (rent, unpaid utility bills). E. Implement culturally, linguistically, affirmative, and responsive programs and services to serve all individuals throughout the County in all regions. 1. Build community understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion to ensure equitable access to culturally appropriate and responsive services throughout the homeless system of care. 2. Improve access to services for people with limited English proficiency. 3. Develop policies and programs to identify and address structural inequalities. 4. Regularly train staff throughout the homeless system of care to be responsive to a growing diverse population. 5. Create opportunities for formerly homeless persons to participate in creating mutually supportive neighborhoods and build connectio ns to community resources for personal, social, and economic growth. 6. Develop and implement communication strategies to improve service access that are culturally and linguistically appropriate. F. Expand mental health and substance abuse disorder services. 1. Increase capacity and training for behavioral health outreach in the field with ties to ongoing treatment, by adding behavioral health peers, case managers, and providers who are field-based and can connect individuals through technology (telehealth) to professional services. Ensure training related to harm reduction and trauma-informed services for professional and allied staff. 2. Create integrated service strategies to address chronic substance use and co-occurring disorders, such as creating sobering centers and residential treatment centers. Ensure that the outreach workers are trained to recognize and provide interventions, referrals, and care for both mental health and substance use disorders. 3. Provide additional services for individuals who are coming out of homelessness into housing to assist with the psychological impacts, development or renewal of daily living skills, and other post housing transitions including integration into the community. Page 154 of 335 21 G. Support efforts of first responders to address high system utilizers 1. Design and develop a countywide intervention strategy to identify, engage and serve high system utilizers. 2. Expand and systematize the interface with the jail to reduce of frequency of post- incarceration homelessness. Expand jail in-reach to plan for re-entry and prevent recidivism through jail-to-community bridge services. 3. Create 24/7 response systems with supportive services and transportation. G. Structure services based on medical need of aging population 1. Develop and increase appropriate housing and home healthcare services to support housing retention among medically vulnerable and high need behavioral health populations. 2. Develop Medi-Cal-accepting nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and Supplemental Security Income/Social Security Administration (SSI/SSA) accepting licensed board and care homes across the aging spectrum. 3. Cultivate active partnerships with Dignity, Tenet, Community Health Centers, other healthcare providers and CenCal Health to better support people with complex needs. 4. Create respite care project for people exiting medical facilities, with support for ensuring housing access. H. Expand services and housing targeted to Transitional -Age Youth (age 16 - 25) 1. Strengthen the safety net to identify, assess and connect youth experiencing a housing crisis, ensure highest -risk youth receive priority for services. 2. Provide an immediate path to help youth access services for safety due to the consequences of homelessness, through enhanced outreach and mobile response. 3. Expand a continuum of age-appropriate, stable housing options to meet the diverse needs of youth (for example, host homes, master lease, and permanent supportive housing). 4. Provide a network of trauma-informed supportive services to help young people maintain stable housing, learn life skills (including parenting supports) High system utilizers are individuals that disproportionately use emergency departments and inpatient services. Often, obtaining stable housing reduces system use in the first year of tenancy. Page 155 of 335 22 and to achieve and sustain higher measures of success (including education and employment services). 5. Improve youth access and utilization of medical, behavioral, and dental care services. 6. Improve youth access and utilization of public benefits (for example, CalFresh). Page 156 of 335 23 Line of Effort 3: Improve and expand data management efforts through HMIS and coordinated entry system to strengthen data -driven operational guidance and strategic oversight. Focus: Improve homeless system data quality and reporting, increase data sharing, and analyze and share data to drive improvements in homeless system performance. Metrics: • HMIS access provided to all participating agencies for shared clients to the extent allowed by federal and state laws governing HMIS and privacy. • Law enforcement, healthcare organizations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations may make referrals to coordinated entry. • Mechanism exists to analyze aggregate data when individualized data cannot be shared due to privacy laws, regulations, or guidance. Summary of Timing: • Year 1: Create single HMIS database, data analysis and reporting to the community • Years 2-3: Establish analytics and systematic reporting • Years 4-5: Data driven refinements in strategy and services A. Create a coordinated entry system that is open and accessible to all partner agencies to make referrals into the coordinated entry system and access data. 1. Establish one unified data system for the coordinated entry system and the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Acquire and implement software platform/vendor that meets community needs. 2. Create a streamlined and automated referral process and allow referrals from law enforcement, healthcare agencies, government agencies, and not -for- profit organizations. 3. Provide open access for HMIS participating agencies, consistent with client consent and relevant federal and state privacy laws. Page 157 of 335 24 B. Expand access and usage of data in service coordination and decision - making. 1. Monitor participation from HMIS participating agencies to ensure compliance with HMIS policies and procedures. 2. Create and sustain HMIS technical support positions in proportion to number of users. 3. Streamline data processes to eliminate duplicate data entry and improve understanding of need across the community. 4. Design and implement a data quality improvement plan within HMIS for all program types. 5. Create a data analyst position to analyze performance and produce reports needed for data-driven management. 6. Community Action Teams, mobile outreach and engagement teams, and Mobile Crisis Units will have access to and utilize HMIS data to coordinate and maximize service provision. 7. Integrate GIS data and HMIS data so that street outreach teams have access to and can utilize real-time information to better assist homeless persons. 8. Expand data sharing and coordination with hospitals and managed care organizations to identify populations with greater medical and behavioral health needs and increase coordination of services. 9. Improve use of justice department, jail, police data (including TEMP data) and reports to improve services to people with criminal legal system involvement. Share aggregate data with criminal legal system. 10. Develop a dashboard and schedule of analytical reports that can be used to assess program effectiveness, identify and quantify trends in the mix of needs, and fine-tune recommendations for resource generation and allocation. 11. Provide reports on performance measures to the HSOC bimonthly. 12. Expand analysis of Stella, Homeless Data Integration System, Point-In-Time Count, Coordinated Entry, and HMIS and HUD System Performance Measures to provide a more comprehensive picture of homelessness. 13. Update data system to ensure timely monitoring of Release of Information authorizations. 14. Create data tracking and reporting mechanism to measure housing and shelter (including alternative housing models) production against Five -Year Plan development goals. Page 158 of 335 25 Line of Effort 4: Create, identify, and streamline funding and resources. Focus: Increase funding and resources through new federal, state and private grant opportunities, restructure County funding to support this strategy, and align all funding available to address homelessness with community needs and priorities. Metrics: • Identify and earmark existing and known projected incoming grant monies toward new efforts that specifically accomplish objectives set by this strategy. • Identify and analyze all current yet uncoordinated homelessness- directed funding streams across multiple government departments and community projects and synchronize them for greater impact. • Increase grant-writing/grant-management capacity to improve our understanding and involvement with state, federal and other funding sources, improve accountability and contract performance through enhanced grant management, and achieve an optimal return on investment into this strategy. • Improve understanding and communication between County, City, nonprofit and private entities regarding funding opportunities, processes, and accountability procedures through training and focused interaction. Summary of Timing: • Year 1: o Earmark the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Program Rounds 2 and 3 funding and selected American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) monies toward efforts to improve data processes, improve the coordinated entry system, bolster homeless prevention efforts, and build multiple non-congregate shelter operations throughout the region to accommodate 100-150 individuals. o Quantify shortfalls in affordable special needs housing and service capacities and link existing and potential funding strategies to close the se gaps in the next 4 years. o Launch effort to streamline uncoordinated homelessness funding and efforts, including coordination with key external partners such as CenCal Health. • Years 2-3: o Continue to identify and steer funding in non -congregate shelter operations while shifting funding priorities to maximize s ervice capacity Page 159 of 335 26 and permanent supportive/special needs/ very low-income housing construction efforts. o Formalize budgeting processes and funding strategies between County and City departments in accordance with a Regional Compact. These efforts might include Bond Measure and working with jurisdictions to achieve local match to maximize other funding such as priority tax credit projects (currently $40k/unit). o Work with CenCal Health to integrate new Cal AIM and Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program services with existing homeless services for maximum efficiency and impact. o Evaluate progress towards plan goals and earmark HHAP Round 4 funding to activities with the greatest impact. • Years 4-5: o Shift investment priority from expanding non-congregate shelter operations to sustaining service capacity and traditional housing efforts. A. Optimize the use of current funding streams and identify and obtain new resources 1. Collectively, community-wide and cross-jurisdictions, identify funding opportunities that are most likely to be profitable and pursue them collectively and strategically. 2. Develop a cross-jurisdictional team supported by local experts to drive an ongoing effort to connect the most urgent needs with ever-changing opportunities for funding, including orchestrating funding blending and coordination. 3. Establish clear priorities for grant programs for County- and city-controlled funding that align with the goals of the strategic plan. 4. Implement a new project review / housing program creation work group to review applications for new funding opportunities to ensure alignment with the strategic plan. B. Advocate for state and federal funding. 1. Align efforts with state and federal plans to ensure that local efforts are prepared to seize funding and resource opportunities when presented. 2. Advocate for ongoing state funding for homeless services operations to sustain capabilities expanded with one-time funding. 3. Advocate for new federal and state funding for supportive services in permanent supportive housing. Page 160 of 335 27 4. Advocate for federal and state funding to provide short-term housing stabilization services for residents of Affordable Housing and Housing Choice Voucher recipients, particularly persons in need of short-term mental health interventions. 5. Create priorities for new state funding opportunities to ensure alignment with the strategic plan. 6. Work with local, state, and other regulators to reduce barriers to creative interventions and increase funding sources. 7. Ensure governmental legislative platforms align to effectively advocate for resources and service reforms. 8. Work with jurisdictions to achieve local match to maximize other funding such as priority tax credit projects funded (currently approximately $40k/unit). C. Strengthen and increase private philanthropic funding and health care funding for homelessness. 1. Partner with CenCal and local Health care Systems and organizations to identify opportunities to use CalAIM, Housing and Homeless Incentive Program (HHIP ) and other initiatives to increase services and resources aligned with the strategic plan. 2. Strengthen and align local funders to support projects aligned with strategic plan. 3. Develop stronger relationships with the faith community to provide financial support services and funding. 4. Encourage local bankers and lenders to make it easy for homeowners to finance the building of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) under 750 square feet for long-term rental use, since these units can also benefit from state - mandated fee waivers and expedited processing. D. Align local c ity and County resources to support strategic plan. 1. Publish annual combined plan and budget for homelessness across all jurisdictions. 2. Incentivize achievement of RHNA goals. 3. Consider pooling CDBG funding between communities to speed housing development. 4. Ask cities and County to consider dedicating the year-over-year increase in transient occupancy taxes to supporting housing that is affordable to service sector workers. Page 161 of 335 28 5. Seek pilot project status for the County and CoC to get more grant funding and more flexibility. 6. Develop additional resources to prevent and address homelessness due to domestic violence. 7. Seek County funding to/for: • Fill in funding gaps to sustain operations and services • Data systems and analytics to leverage state funding and support continued data management • Seed money for low-cost housing strategies • Grant applications and management support including identifying new grant opportunities • Local support for priority funding permanent housing projects considers pooling with the cities • Explore other revenue generating opportunities to fund strategic plan activities (for example, bond measures, permit fees, etc.). 8. Seek city and County funding for: • Local support for priority permanent housing projects serving low-income and very low-income households • Outreach services specific to the community • Financial and operational support in partnership with other sources for interim housing and shelter projects benefiting the community • Exploring other revenue generating opportunities to fund strategic plan activities (for example, bond measures, permit fees, etc.). Page 162 of 335 29 Line of Effort 5: Strengthen Regional Collaboration. Focus: Create regional, coordinated response to homelessness to minimize duplication of effort and improve system effectiveness to reduce homelessness. Metric: Create and maintain a Homeless Action Committee for the plan duration. Summary of Timing: • Year 1: Homeless Action Committee created, meets regularly; Citizens Oversight body formed; quarterly discussion sessions begin for those with lived experience • Years 2-3: Regional Homeless Compact adopted • Years 4-5: Data-driven management A. Create a mechanism to visualize, describe, unify, and equitably direct regional efforts to address homelessness. 1. Develop data-driven management: Through HSOC and its committees, conduct bimonthly data-driven oversight of the status of plan implementation and the extent to which desired outcomes are being achieved. Recommend action steps to the Board of Supervisors, the Homeless Action Committee a nd other stakeholder groups represented on HSOC as needed. Conduct periodic reviews of programs and services to identify activities that need to be initiated, terminated, sustained. Consider and communicate issues and opportunities initially vetted in HSOC committees. 2. For rapid implementation management, create a Homeless Action Committee, consisting of the County Principal Administrative Analyst on Homelessness (and select County staff as required) and all City Mangers (and select City Staff as required) that meets regularly (for example, biweekly) to promote a regional, strategically coordinated approach to addressing homelessness, including developing regional housing and shelter goals and plans. Each member will report back to their respective governing agencies and consult with people with lived experience, nonprofit organizations, law enforcement, fire departments, and other community-based entities, as relevant. Staff will receive strategic guidance for this implementation work from HSOC, and coordinate with HSOC and its committees on multidisciplinary matters and policy issues. 3. Building from the Homeless Action Committee, complete a Regional Homelessness Compact with principles and jurisdiction -specific targets, Page 163 of 335 30 overall and for special needs populations, and positive and negative incentives for compliance. 4. Secure approval of the Regional Homelessness Compact by all seven cities and the County Board of Supervisors. 5. Establish a Citizen’s Oversight body to meet once or twice yearly to review progress on implementation steps and outcomes achieved and to provide community feedback to HSOC and the Board of Supervisors. 6. Pursue reorganization within the County to consolidate and empower homeless-related staffing, create more stability and predictability in fun ding and program structure, reduce duplication, allow for more meaningful mid - term and long-term planning, and braid together a significant amount of spending. B. Elevate the voice of people experiencing homelessness to reduce stigma and marginalization of the homeless population. 1. Engage people with lived experience of homelessness to understand challenges faced by people experiencing homelessness in this community and highlight successes. 2. Ensure representation from people of lived experience on all committees or work groups focused on homeless issues. 3. Expand input from Spanish-speaking population and from all people with limited English proficiency throughout the homeless system. 4. Hold quarterly community discussion groups on homeless issues with content developed in partnership with people of lived experience. Refer insights, requests and recommendations to HSOC committees and the Homeless Action Committee for consideration and action. Page 164 of 335 31 Line of Effort 6: Build public engage ment through information -sharing and partnership. Focus: Sufficiently define the core homelessness issues and communicate the need to the community for these issues to be addressed. Educate and communicate with community members about the strategic plan, outcomes of plan efforts, and specific needs to improve community support for efforts to end and reduce homelessness. Metric: Increase funding from the general public by 10% each year. Summary of Timing: • Year 1: Community education, media plan and “How can I help?” resources • Years 2-3: Establish accessible dashboards to report results to the community • Years 4-5: Enhance community partnerships to strengthen the effectiveness of individual projects and collective efforts to restore people more quickly and securely into housing. A. Create a community education strategy to inform community leaders and citizens. 1. Develop and maintain a web-based information-sharing center about ongoing activities, plans, and structures responding to homelessness locally to improve communications. 2. Develop community-wide dashboards to share progress on addressing homelessness and developing affordable housing. 3. Circulate HSOC result reports to multiple constituencies. Develop talking points for report to distribute to cities, service providers, etc. 4. Ensure all communication is accessible to the full population (such as translations in Spanish, cultural appropriateness, readability, vision or hearing impaired, etc.) 5. Create a centralized resource to help answer the “How can I help” question and help link potential volunteers, donors and advocates with established organizations and each other 6. Create an online resource for individuals and families who are unhoused to share information about what is happening in the community, and for individuals experiencing homelessness to have a way to share their experiences with HSOC. Page 165 of 335 32 7. Enhance engagement with front-line community groups and volunteers working with underserved homeless populations to build community ties and trust with the unhoused community. 8. Build community support for creating homelessness funding mechanisms (including both public and private funding). B. Create a media plan for communication including professional and social media 1. Hire a public relations firm to create media plan to share information about homelessness and the system of care and more effectively engage the community in supportive action, using already-allocated funds. 2. Distribute shared talking points to city communications staff. Page 166 of 335 33 Summary of Requested Jurisdictional Commitments To support this plan, each jurisdiction will be encouraged to: • Participate in Homeless Action Committee and development of Regional Homeless Compact • Adopt least restrictive interpretation of “low-barrier navigation centers” (based on state zoning requirements) into zoning codes • Consider waiver of permit fees (or commit permit and/or impact fees to project) for new infrastructure related to homelessness • Introduce policies and strategies to help accelerate completion of affordable housing projects, both traditional and non-traditional, to meet RHNA targets. • Consider pooling CDBG funding to speed housing development • Consider dedicating the year-over-year increase in transient occupancy taxes to supporting housing that is affordable to service sector workers • Align funding decisions with strategic plan priorities • Provide funding to: o Local support for priority Low-Income/Extremely Low-Income permanent housing projects o Outreach services specific to the community o Financial and operational support in partnership with other sources for interim housing and shelter projects benefiting the community o Explore other revenue generating opportunities to fund strategic plan activities (for example, bond measures, permit fees, etc.) • Create at least one non-congregate sheltering/interim housing project In addition, the County will: • Consider reorganization within the County to consolidate and empower homeless-related staffing • Provide funding to/for: o Fill in funding gaps to sustain operations and services o Data systems and analytics to leverage state funding and support continued data management o Seed money for low-cost housing strategies o Grant applications and management support including identifying new grant opportunities o Local support for priority funding permanent housing projects considers pooling with the cities o Explore other revenue generating opportunities to fund strategic plan activities (for example, bond measures, permit fees, etc.). Page 167 of 335 34 Appendi ces Appendix A: Housing Goal Methodology Housing Goal: 2050 additional housing placements over 5 years Why 2050? • Our overall plan goal is to reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness to 50% of the current level within five years. So, if 2100 people are homeless now, we plan to house at least 1050 people homeless countywide before plan completion. • HMIS data from the past three years shows an average of approximately 200 more people coming into the system of care each year compared to those to exit, so we can estimate that roughly an additional 1000 people will become homeless during the plan implementation period. • As a result, we plan to house 2050 (1050 + 1000) more people in housing over this 5-year period above and beyond the current level of effort. How will 2050 placements be reached? Housing/Shelter Approaches Target & Assumptions Supports Needed for Success Oversight 1. Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Homelessness prevention and diversion programs both use problem solving techniques, which may include funding (for example, utility arrears, transportation support), services, and support to either prevent or quickly end a household’s homelessness. Both efforts work from each households existing relationships and resources to avoid homelessness. Target: 250 additional direct placements (50/year) • New diversion specialists • Training across system • Funding to sustain current level of homelessness prevention • Data mechanism to track, report diversion HSOC Services Committee Page 168 of 335 35 How will 2050 placements be reached? Housing/Shelter Approaches Target & Assumptions Supports Needed for Success Oversight 2. Rapid Rehousing (RRH)/Vouchers Rapid rehousing (RRH) is a housing intervention that provides financial support, including short to medium term rental assistance, and services to support households to stabilize in housing. The goal is that households will transition in place and take over their full rent payment when they exit the program. Target: House an additional 160 people in existing units through a combination of RRH and new housing vouchers. Assumptions: Assume 20% turnover and 1.5 persons per unit. Additional use of this strategy is constrained by the tight housing market. • Landlord support and liaison(s) • Landlord mitigation and incentive funding • Funding for vouchers and move-in costs • Case management • Behavioral health staffing HSOC Services Committee 3. Housing NOW A program of intensive mental health and case management support for high-vulnerability persons with extensive support needs, in master-leased or owned units. Target: House an additional 25 people (5 additional persons per year) Assumption: Additional use of this strategy is constrained by the tight housing market. • Additional master- leased or owned units • Case management • Behavioral health staffing (TMHA) HSOC Services Committee 4. Non-Congregate Interim Housing & Sheltering Capacity Interim housing and sheltering capacity can take many forms, including tiny homes, cabins, pallet shelters, safe parking, sober living, and other creative approaches. A mix of "wet, dry and damp" environments will be needed. Case management and diversion techniques will be needed to support households to move to more stable housing, which may include subsidized (for example, rapid rehousing) or supportive housing (for example, permanent supportive housing). Target: Build 300 units within 3 years (90-120- 90; roughly 10 sites with average of 30 units per site (range 15-60 units)). With turnover, will shelter 500 people. Assumption: 25% annual turnover to start. • Focused effort on permits and construction • Operating oversight with community volunteers and donors • Case management, behavioral health services, and housing-focused services HSOC Housing Committee Page 169 of 335 36 How will 2050 placements be reached? Housing/Shelter Approaches Target & Assumptions Supports Needed for Success Oversight 5. Low and Very Low-Income Housing per RHNA Ensure the construction of deed- restricted housing for low-income (LI) and very low-income (VLI) households, plus ADUs Target: House 500 additional homeless or at-risk people by building 1667 units. (When added to the 500 units of PSH in #6, this equals 1/2 of 10- year RHNA targets countywide). Assumptions: 30% yield: 10% homeless set-aside plus another 20% ultimately resulting in someone avoiding homelessness. • Match unit mix to needs (more 1 BR or studios) • Local matching funds (County and City) • Case management to stabilize people in housing HSOC Housing Committee 6. Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is housing for formerly homeless people with disabilities that is not time-limited and includes services to sustain housing. The plan calls for units to be created in new construction or other structures. Target: Build 500 new units (by year, 50,50,80,160,160). With turnover, house 580 people. Assumption: Continuation of current 14% average turnover rate to house 600 people in 5 years. This includes persons with complex health challenges. • Local matching funds (County and City) • Extensive partnership with healthcare organizations • Case management and behavioral health services required to stabilize housing HSOC Housing Committee Page 170 of 335 37 Page 171 of 335 38 Appendix B: Regional Housing Need Allocation (2019) Jurisdiction Total Allocation Very Low 24.6% Low 15.5% Moderate 17.9% Above Moderate 42.0% Arroyo Grande 692 170 107 124 291 Atascadero 843 207 131 151 354 Grover Beach 369 91 57 66 155 Morro Bay 391 96 60 70 164 Paso Robles 1,446 356 224 259 607 Pismo Beach 459 113 71 82 193 San Luis Obispo City 3,354 825 520 603 1,406 County of San Luis Obispo (unincorporated) 3,256 801 505 585 1,365 Total for County of San Luis Obispo 10,810 2,660 1,675 1,940 4,535 Data Source: Housing Element Implementation and APR Data Dashboard, Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) Overview for 6th Cycle (12/31/20-12/31/2028) (slide 9), available at: https://www.hcd.ca.gov/apr-data-dashboard-and-downloads Page 172 of 335 39 Appendix C: Plan Development This plan was developed between September 2021 and July 2022. The plan was led by a cross-community steering committee that included: Anne Robin, County of San Luis Obispo Health Agency Brenda Mack, Community Member Elaine Archer, Housing Authority of San Luis Obispo Janna Nichols, 5Cities Homeless Coalition John Peters, Grover Beach Police Department Kelsey Nocket, City of San Luis Obispo Scott Collins, City of Morro Bay Susan Funk, Councilmember from City of Atascadero (Chair) The committee was supported by Laurel Weir and other staff from the County of San Luis Obispo Department of Social Services Homeless Services Unit and Joseph Dzvonik, County of San Luis Obispo. Homebase/The Center for Common Concerns, Inc. provided technical support. The committee reviewed data analyses from the following sources to inform the plan’s creation: • Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS) data for the period from January 2018 to November 15, 2021 • Survey responses from 170 stakeholders • Survey responses from 55 providers • Eight stakeholder interviews • One provider focus group • One lived experience focus group • Data provided or obtained by steering committee members The committee was unable to review the results of the 2022 Point -in-Time Count and coordinated entry data in the development of this plan. The committee desires additional reliable quantitative data to inform housing and service priorities and allocation, including from the coordinated entry system, which informed the creation of Line of Effort 3. Page 173 of 335 40 Appendix D: Glossary Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are permanent units that exist besides, near, or in conjunction with a larger, pre-existing home. At risk of homelessness is a status given to individuals and their families who have unstable housing and inadequate income and resources.8 Behavioral health describes the connection between a person's behaviors and the health and well-being of the body and mind.9 Case management includes assessment, planning, facilitation, care coordination, evaluation and advocacy with people experiencing h omelessness. Staff work with individuals and families to address their comprehensive needs to help them exit homelessness and stay housed. Chronically Homeless is when a person has been homeless for at least a year, either 12 months consecutively or over t he course of at least 4 separate occasions in the past 3 years. To be chronically homeless, the individual or head of household must also have a disability. Coordinated Entry (CE) System is a system for accessing homeless housing and services that prioritizes the highest need, most vulnerable households in the community and that ensures the housing and supportive services in the system are used as efficiently and effectively as possible. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) is a flexible program run by HUD that provides communities with resources to address a wide range of unique community development needs. Continuum of Care (CoC) is the group organized to carry out the responsibilities prescribed in the CoC Program Interim Rule10 for a defined geographic area. Responsibilities of a CoC include operating the CoC, designating and operating an HMIS, planning for the CoC (including coordinating the implementation of a housing and service system within its geographic area that meets the needs of the individuals and families who experience homelessness there), and designing and implementing the process associated with applying for CoC Program funds. 8 See 24 C.F.R. § 576.2 for complete definition of “at risk of homelessness” under the Emergency Solutions Grant Program. 9 CDC, The Critical Need for a Population Health Approach: Addressing the Nation’s Behavioral H ealth During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2020/20_0261.htm 10 CoC Interim Rule, https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/2033/hearth-coc-program-interim-rule/ Page 174 of 335 41 CoC Program is designed to promote communitywide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, and state and local governments to quickly rehouse homeless individuals and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to homeless individuals, families, and communities by homelessness; promote access to and effect utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Diversion is a strategy that prevents homelessness for people seeking shelter by helping them identify immediate alternate housing arrangements and, if necessary, connecting them with supportive services and financial assistance to help them return to permanent housing. Emergency Shelter is any facility with overnight sleeping accommodations, the primary purpose of which is to provide temporary shelter for homeless people. Shelter may include year-round emergency shelters, winter and warming shelters, navigation centers and transitional housing. These types of shelter have varying hours, lengths of stay, food service, and support services. Flexible funds have increasingly been permitted and encouraged as an allowable expense by federal, state, and County funders. Flexible funds can be used for a variety of purposes that will result in an immediate solution to a housing crisis. For example, flexible funding can be used to purchase grocery cards, gas cards, certificates or licenses to work, car repair, furniture, pest extermination, storage, essential minor repairs to make living space more habitable, transportation vouchers/passes, costs for birth certificates or other documents, bus or train tickets, moving costs, housing application fees, credit checks, rental deposits, past due rent, one-month rent on new units, utility deposit, and/or utility payments. Homeless is defined by HUD in four categories: (1) individuals and families who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and includes a subset for an individual who resided in an emergency shelter or a place not meant for human habitation and who is exiting an institution where he or she temporarily resided; (2) individuals and families who will imminently lose their primary nighttime residence; (3) unaccompanied youth and families with children and youth who are defined as homeless under other federal statutes who do not otherwise qualify as homeless under this definition; and Page 175 of 335 42 (4) individuals and families who are fleeing, or are attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions that relate to violence against the individual or a family member. Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is a local information technology system used to collect client-level data and data on the provision of housing and services to homeless individuals and families and persons at risk of homelessness. Homeless system of care is another way of describing the Continuum of Care (CoC) and the network of partners who come together to work to support people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. Housing and Urban Development (HUD), U.S. Department of, is the federal agency responsible for national policy and programs that address housing needs, improve and develop communities, and enforce fair housing laws. Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs), formerly known as the Section 8 program, are long-term rental subsidies funded by HUD and administered by Public Housing Authorities that can be used to help pay for rent. Housing First is a well-accepted, national, evidenced-based best practice that eliminates barriers to housing, such as sobriety, treatment or service participation requirements, to ensure individuals and families can exit homelessness as quickly and successfully as possible. Supportive services are offered (on a voluntary basis) to maximize housing stability and prevent returns to homelessness as opposed to addressing predetermined treatment goals prior to permanent housing entry.11 Housing Inventory Count (HIC) is conducted annually to collect information about how many units of housing in the region are active and reserved for people experiencing homelessness. This includes Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, Rapid Re-Housing, and Permanent Supportive Housing. To be included in the HIC count, the units must be reserved for people experiencing homelessness. In addition, to be included on the HIC, any Rapid Re -Housing units must have been actively in use by a particular client on the night of the count – subsidies that are available but are not currently being used to pay rental assistance on a particular apartment are not included in the count. Landlord incentive programs provide education and incentives to landlords to make it more likely they will rent to people experiencing homelessness. They can 11 What Housing First Really Means, National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH). Page 176 of 335 43 provide funding to support risk mitigation (compensating landlords if tenants harm their premises) and financial incentives that make landlords more likely to rent to people transitioning out of homelessness. Low-barrier shelters are emergency shelters that have removed most requirements/obstacles for entry into the program so that households are more likely go indoors to connect to services rather than stay on the street. For example, unhoused residents are allowed to bring their pets and possessions, to live with their partners, and do not have to exit the shelter each morning. They are not expected to abstain from using alcohol or other drugs, so long as they do not engage in these activities in common areas of the shelter and are respectful of other residents and staff. Motivational Interviewing is a client-centered, evidence-based approach used by direct service providers working with people experiencing homelessness. It allows individuals to direct their own path toward the change they seek, rather than trying to convince them of what they need to do. The provider builds trust, listens, and then acts as a guide to help the client to identify their own personal next steps. Non-congregate shelters provide overnight sleeping accommodations with individual quarters, such as hotels, motels, and dormitories. People with lived experience are people who have lived through the experience of homelessness and have first-hand knowledge of what it is like to live unsheltered and/or to move through the homeless system of care. Point-in-Time (PIT) Count is an annual process required of CoCs by HUD to count the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. The PIT count provides a snapshot of data available on the size and characteristics of the homeless population in a CoC over time. Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) provides long-term housing with intensive supportive services to persons with disabilities. These programs typically target people with extensive experiences of homelessness and multiple vulnerabilities and needs who would not be able to retain housing without s ignificant support. Prevention is a strategy that targets financial resources and supportive services to people who are at imminent risk of homelessness (whereas Diversion usually targets people as they are initially trying to gain entry into shelter). Rapid Rehousing (RRH) provides people experiencing homelessness with rental housing subsidies and tailored supportive services for up to 24 months, with the goal of helping people to transition during that time period to more permanent housing. Page 177 of 335 44 Street outreach involves multi-disciplinary teams who work on the streets or in encampments to engage with people experiencing homelessness who may be disconnected or alienated from services and supports that are offered at an agency. Supportive services include assistance applying for benefits, mental health and substance use services, outpatient health services, information and referral services, child care, education, life skills training, employment assistance and job training, housing search and counseling se rvices, legal services, outreach services, transportation, food assistance, risk assessment and safety planning (particularly for individuals and families experiencing domestic violence), and case management services such as counseling, finding and coordin ating services, and monitoring and evaluating progress in a program. Trauma-informed care is a practice that focuses on understanding and compassion, especially in response to trauma. The practice utilizes tools that empower people to work toward stability. It recognizes a wide range of trauma that can impact people experiencing homelessness; physical, psychological, social, and emotional trauma. It emphasizes the safety of both clients and providers. Page 178 of 335 City of Paso Robles (PR) City of Atascadero (AT) City of Morro Bay (MB) City of San Luis Obispo (SLO) City of Pismo Beach (PB) City of Grover Beach (GB) City of Arroyo Grande (AG) County of San Luis Obispo (COSLO) AG MB AT PB GB SLO COSLO PR County of San Luis ObispoRegional Homeless ServicesInventory Report Page 1 of 11 January 2026 This report summari]es the diverse strateJies implemented by the Citiesand the County to address the needs of those at risN of or e[periencinJhomelessness ,n this report each entity is represented by a colorcoded circle VKRZQDERYH to hiJhliJht the specific proJrams servicesfundinJ sources and collaborative partnerships that they participate in ATTAC+M(1T  Page 179 of 335 SLOMBPRCOSLO 6WUDWHJLF3ODQWR$GGUHVV+RPHOHVVQHVV$GRSWHG &LW\KDVDGHVLJQDWHG+RPHOHVV5HVSRQVH&RRUGLQDWRU SLO PR (QWLW\KDVWDNHQWKHIROORZLQJDFWLRQV Strategic Planning& Coordination Participates in Homeless ServicesOversight Counsel (HSOC) AG GB PB SLO MB AT PR COSLO Entity participates in bi-annual unsheltered Point-in-Time (PIT) count AG GB PB SLO MB AT PR COSLO Law enforcement coordinateswith local providers to connectindividuals experiencinghomelessness to resources GB PB SLO MB AT PR COSLO AG Works in a lead capacity toconvene one or moreworking groups tocoordinate services thataddress homelessness SLO PR COSLO Page 2 of 11 Attachment 3 Page 180 of 335 AG GB PB SLO MB AT COSLO Entity has formal policy orprotocol for EncampmentResponse and Management Has pursued and been awardedState or Federal competitivefunding to expand homelessservices or affordable housing(i.e. Homekey+, EncampmentResolution Funds, etc.) GB SLO COSLO County established Homeless Services Division Lead applicant for State and Federal funding designated for CoC and County organizations Conducts annual HUD Community Development Needs Assessment Oversight and development of HUD Five Year Action Plan Serves as Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) administrator & conducts related activities Lead entity to conduct required State and Federal compliance activities. Continuum of Care lead entity & related activities Coordination of required activities to administer CDBG Urban County Agreement 5HJXODUUHYLHZRIV\VWHPSHUIRUPDQFHPHWULFVDQGFROODERUDWLRQZLWKSDUWQHUVWRGULYHLPSURYHPHQWV Leads bi-annual unsheltered Point in Time Count Leads annual sheltered Point in Time Count Collaboration with affordable housing providers to increase affordable housing stock countywide Annual renewal of declaration of shelter crisis Entity has taken the following actions Strategic Planning &Coordination (cont.) Page 3 of 11 The County of San Luis Obispo conducts all of the following activities: Attachment 3 Page 181 of 335 Services for persons at risk of or experiencing homelessness supported by entity resources *Other support includes: Indirect contributions of staff time and use of entity owned land for delivery of services for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness Paso Robles Atascadero Morro Bay San Luis Obispo Pismo Beach Grover Beach Arroyo Grande County Service Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Outreach X X X X X X X X X X X X Prevention X X X X X X X X X X Rapid Rehousing X X X X X X X X X Interim Shelter X X X X X X X X X X Warming/Cooling Center X X X X X X X X X Permanent Supportive Housing X X X X X X X X X X Affordable Housing X X X X X X X X X X X Stand Alone Shower Programs X X X Funding Page 4 of 11 Attachment 3 Page 182 of 335 Services for persons at risk of or experiencing homelessness supported by entity resources (cont.) *Other support includes: Indirect contributions of staff time and use of entity owned land for delivery of services for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness Paso Robles Atascadero Morro Bay San Luis Obispo Pismo Beach Grover Beach Arroyo Grande County Service Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Allocation of entity local funding (General fund) to homeless serving organizations X X X X X X X Allocation of entity local funding (General fund) to affordable housing developers X X X X Hotel & Motel Programs X X X Overnight Safe Parking Programs X X X Housing Support for Justice Involved Individuals X X Funding (cont.) Page 5 of 11 Attachment 3 Page 183 of 335 Services for persons at risk of or experiencing homelessness supported by entity resources (cont.) *Other support includes: Indirect contributions of staff time and use of entity owned land for delivery of services for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness Paso Robles Atascadero Morro Bay San Luis Obispo Pismo Beach Grover Beach Arroyo Grande County Service Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Funding Other Sober Living support for Justice Involved Individuals X Behavioral Health Bridge Housing X X BHSA Housing Interventions X X Homeless Outreach Team and Full- Service Partnership X X Other community programs serving those experiencing or at risk of homelessness X X X X Funding (cont.) Page 6 of 11 Attachment 3 Page 184 of 335 Funding Source Allocated Funding Source Paso Robles Atascadero Morro Bay San Luis Obispo Pismo Beach Grover Beach Arroyo Grande County Community Development Block Grant (Urban County Agreement)X X X X X X X Community Development Block Grant (State competition)X State Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention Grant X Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA)X Continuum of Care X Opioid Settlement Funds X X Diablo Decommissioning Funds (SB1090)X HOME Investment Partnership X Funding (cont.) Page 7 of 11 Attachment 3 Page 185 of 335 Funding Source Allocated (cont.) Funding Source Paso Robles Atascadero Morro Bay San Luis Obispo Pismo Beach Grover Beach Arroyo Grande County Emergency Solutions Grant (State and Federal)X Public Safety Realignment (AB109)X Homeless Housing Incentive Program X Behavioral Health Bridge Program X Behavioral Health Services Act X MediCal X State Department of Social Services Grant Programs X Local Fund Community Service Grants X X X General Fund X X X X X X Funding (cont.) Page 8 of 11 Attachment 3 Page 186 of 335 SLO PR AG )DVWWUDFNHG]RQLQJFKDQJHV 0DGHSXEOLFODQGDYDLODEOHIRUKRXVLQJOVHUYLFHV SLOPRAGGBCOSLO (QWLW\KDVWDNHQWKHIROORZLQJDFWLRQVWRVXSSRUWKRPHOHVVQHVVDQGORUDIIRUGDEOHKRXVLQJLQIUDVWUXFWXUH Planning & Zoning Prioritized affordable housingin land use planning GB PB SLO PR COSLO MB Leveraged CEQA exemptionsor density bonuses AG GB PB SLO PR COSLO Partnered on siting/buildingshelters or housing GB PB SLO AT PR COSLO Waived or reduced fees for projectsthat expand homeless services oraffordable housing SLO PRPB MB AT 8VHG&LW\IXQGVWRSD\UHTXLUHGIHHV 3UR+RXVLQJGHVLJQDWLRQHDUQHGIURP6WDWHRI&DOLIRUQLD+RXVLQJDQG&RPPXQLW\'HYHORSPHQW'LYLVLRQ SLOCOSLO Creation of local revenuefund to support affordablehousing building(Regional HousingIncentive Fund)COSLO Deferred DevelopmentImpact Fees for affordablehousing projects ATPR SLO Page 9 of 11 PR Attachment 3 Page 187 of 335 AG PB MB AT Teams comprised of law enforcement,behavioral health and serviceproviders to work directly with peopleexperiencing unshelteredhomelessness (i.e. CAT or OUR Teams) PR COSLO SLO Homeless OutreachCase Manageremployed by City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irect Services for those at risk of orexperiencing homelessness provided by entity Services Delivery of trash bags and/ortrash collection for individualswho are encamped GB SLOMB AT PR Page 10 of 11 Attachment 3 Page 188 of 335 SLO 8VHVRIILFLDOHQWLW\ZHEVLWHWRVKDUHLQIRUPDWLRQDERXWDIIRUGDEOHKRXVLQJ GBCOSLO 8VHVRIILFLDOFKDQQHOVRIFRPPXQLFDWLRQWRVKDUHLQIRUPDWLRQDERXWDIIRUGDEOHKRXVLQJWKURXJKVRFLDOPHGLDRUSUHVVUHOHDVHV SLOAG COSLO MB AT PR (QWLW\SURPRWHVFRPPXQLW\DZDUHQHVVRIKRPHOHVVVHUYLFHVDQGDIIRUGDEOHKRXVLQJSURMHFWV Data & Communication Uses official entity websiteto share information abouthomeless services SLO COSLO PR Has held community forumsand/or neighborhood events todiscuss homelessness GB SLO PR COSLO MB AT 8VHVRIILFLDOFKDQQHOVRIFRPPXQLFDWLRQWRVKDUHLQIRUPDWLRQDERXWKRPHOHVVQHVVWKURXJKVRFLDOPHGLDRUSUHVVUHOHDVHV SLO MB COSLOATPR +ROGVDWOHDVWRQHDQQXDODQGRQJRLQJFRPPXQLW\PHHWLQJRUQHLJKERUKRRGHYHQWWRGLVFXVVKRPHOHVVQHVV PR SLOAT Holds regular updates aspart of official Board or CityCouncil meetings PRGB COSLO Has a process in place to encouragetwo-way communication betweencommunity members and leadersaround homelessness andaffordable housing issues SLO ATPRCOSLO Page 11 of 11 PR Attachment 3 Page 189 of 335