Council Meeting: November 8, 2005 Santa
Monica, California
TO: Mayor and Councilmembers
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Annual Review of the City’s Coordinated Plan for Homeless Services and Actions Related to HUD Grant Award.
Introduction
This report reviews the City’s Coordinated Plan for Homeless Services in FY 2004-05 and recommends that the City Council hold a public hearing on the Plan pursuant to Municipal Code Section 2.69.030. It is also recommended that the Council accept grant funds in the amount of $948,907 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for activities in support of chronically homeless individuals addicted to alcohol.
Background
In 1991, City Council appointed community
members to serve on a Task Force on Homelessness to study the issues and make
recommendations to the City Council on strategies to address homelessness in
In 1994, the City Council adopted the Public
Safety Initiative (now Municipal Code Sections 2.69.010 through 2.69.030)
calling for the City to adopt a plan for homeless services, based on the
following goals:
- Effectively
assist the homeless in returning to a self-sufficient status;
- Monitor the
progress of individual recipients;
- Eliminate unnecessary
duplication of services;
- Emphasize
long-term solutions to homelessness by combining housing, counseling and
job training;
- Provide
non-housing services for approximately the same number of homeless
individuals as can be temporarily sheltered in the City;
- Prevent an
increase, and wherever feasible, reduce, overall City expenditures
relating to homeless services; and
- Impose
reasonable time limits on the provision of services to the same
individuals.
The City’s current Plan is incorporated into the City’s FY 2003-06
Community Development Plan and in the Consolidated Plan for FY 2000-05 required
by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The Public Safety Initiative also requires the City Council to conduct
an annual review of the City’s progress in meeting the goals established by the
Initiative, and hold a public hearing to assess:
- The impact of the City’s homeless
population on other residents of the City;
- The effectiveness of the delivery of
services to the homeless by the City and various social service agencies;
- The cost of those services; and
· The changes which should be made in the Plan in order to carry out its primary goals and objectives.
Notice of a public hearing for November 8, 2005, was placed in the Santa Monica Daily Press, Santa Monica Mirror, www.surfsantamonica.com, and posted on the City’s website.
Discussion
Strategies
in Place to Achieve the Initiative Goals
The
City of
CONTINUUM OF CARE
Outreach ¢ Emergency/ ¢ Intake & ¢ Emergency ¢ Transitional ¢ Permanent ¢ Aftercare
Day Services Assessment Shelter Housing Housing Services
Food
|______________________________________________| |________|
Clothing
|
|
Showers Coordinated Case
Management
Job Retention
Lockers Intake and
Assessment Support
Groups
Mailing Address
Benefits Advocacy (e.g., GR, SSI)
Counseling
Crisis Intervention
Mental Health Services
Mentoring
Information and
Health Services
Referrals Drug & Alcohol
Intervention
Money Management
Job/Skills Training
Employment Search Assistance
Employment Placement
Housing Search Assistance
In
FY 2004-05 the City funded nine homeless agencies: Chrysalis, the CLARE
Foundation, New Directions,
A computerized case management system also advances the goals of the Plan by tracking clients’ progress at the individual, program and aggregate levels; monitoring unnecessary duplication of services; measuring the unduplicated number of persons served; and tracking outcomes across programs to determine aggregate benchmarks of self-sufficiency, e.g., permanent housing and employment placements.
Effectiveness
of the Continuum of Care
In FY 2004-05, a
total of 2,861 homeless persons in
Homeless Services Outcomes
FY
2001-02 through FY 2004-05
|
|
FY 2004-05 |
FY 2003-04 |
FY 2002-03 |
FY 2001-02 |
||||
|
|
No. Served |
% Placed |
No. Served |
No. Served |
% Placed |
% Placed |
No. Served |
% Placed |
|
Total SM-funded Program Participants (A
participant is an adult) |
2,248 |
N/A |
2,188 |
N/A |
2,773 |
N/A |
2,566 |
N/A |
|
Placements in permanent housing |
309 |
14% |
339 |
15% |
433 |
16% |
244 |
10% |
|
Placements in transitional housing |
342 |
15% |
405 |
19% |
413 |
15% |
337 |
13% |
|
Placements in emergency shelter |
532 |
24% |
626 |
29% |
474 |
17% |
436 |
17% |
|
Placements in permanent employment |
351 |
16% |
397 |
18% |
437 |
16% |
230 |
9% |
|
Placements in temporary employment |
196 |
9% |
210 |
10% |
245 |
9% |
208 |
8% |
The
decrease in the annual number of persons placed in permanent housing continued
in FY2004-05 (309:339, 9%), but was not as steep as the decline from FY2002-03
to FY2003-04 (339:433, 22%). This
decrease continues in spite of the diligent efforts of homeless service
providers to find permanent housing for clients, underscoring the competitive
rental housing market in Santa Monica
Transitional housing and emergency shelter placements were down slightly as well, reflecting longer stays in those types of facilities due to the difficulties in finding permanent housing. The proportion of persons placed in permanent and temporary employment (25%) remained comparable to levels in FY 2003-04 (28%) and FY 2002-03 (25%).
New Strategies in FY 2004-05
In FY2004-05, steps were taken to identify and implement new strategies in the continuum of care, recognizing that while the continuum of care is assisting significant numbers of homeless persons, the chronically homeless continue to live on the streets for extended periods of time despite the services available. This has been the experience across the region and nationwide, and this realization has shaped Federal policy and funding for homeless programs for the last several years. The prevalence of chronic homelessness in Santa Monica – estimated to be 20% of the adult homeless population[2] – has resulted in challenges to meeting two of the goals set out by the Plan. The City of Santa Monica provides non-housing services to more persons than can be temporarily housed in the city; and, while individual programs may place reasonable time-limits on the provision of services to the same individuals, some chronically homeless persons are accessing services for extended periods of time.
In FY2004-05, the following new
strategies were identified, advanced or implemented to improve homeless service
delivery and address the issue of chronic homelessness in
- The Chronic Homeless Project was initiated to more effectively target service to those chronically homeless persons most difficult to reach. To date, 25 people have been enrolled and 13 persons are off the streets.
- Best Practice Research was conducted regarding a range of approaches established across the country to serve the chronically homeless population. This research has already led to program innovations.
- Regional Efforts to Address Homelessness included the Bring Los Angeles Home planning process spearheaded by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority; planning efforts to create housing for chronically homeless veterans at the West Los Angeles VA Campus; planning for a regional psychiatric urgent care center; and bringing issues related to homelessness before the Westside Council of Governments.
- Funding Applications for Additional Resources for Permanent Supportive Housing in the amount of over $2.6 million dollars were submitted by the City in FY 2004 – 05.
Impacts of Homelessness
In spite of the significant achievements made by homeless persons
availing themselves of
Calls for service and complaints related to homelessness are received
and handled through multiple City offices in various locations. During FY 2004-05, the Santa Monica Police
Department’s Homeless Liaison Project (HLP) Team made 2,575 contacts with
homeless persons and the Fire Department’s paramedics responded to 1,392 calls
involving homeless persons (both of these numbers represent duplicated
contacts). Homeless-related complaints
to the City Manager’s Office, City Council Office and the Department of
Community and Cultural Services focused on persons gathering in the downtown and
beach areas; prolonged and heavy use of some parks by homeless people; people
using public restrooms for bathing and washing clothes; people roaming alleys
to gather cans and bottles from recycling containers; and people sleeping on
private property, and in public parks, parking structures and alleys. Concern about public parks - particularly
Reed,
In FY 2004-05, progress was made on issues relating to the impact of homelessness on public health and safety and open space, including: adopting ordinances regarding rules for using community meeting rooms and public restrooms; coordinating efforts to encourage homeless persons using parks and open space to avail themselves of services and encouraging feeding programs to relocate to indoor service locations; establishing a Council-approved Community Priority and Work Plan regarding homelessness that includes the authorization of new HLP team officers, park rangers and Human Services staff; and releasing a Request for Qualifications for “Leadership on Homeless Initiatives”. These actions are more fully described in Attachment I.
Cost of
Services
In FY 2004-05, the City budgeted $1,823,391 to fund existing non-profit homeless services. (This does not include a HUD Supportive Housing Program grant, as the City acts as a pass-through agent for those funds, but does include Community Development Block Grant and Prop A funding.) This amount is the same as that budgeted in FY 2003-04. For every dollar allocated to homeless service providers from the City’s General Fund, the non-profit organizations leveraged an additional $2.87 in non-City funding. Additional programs within the continuum of care operate without financial support from the City. As shown in the following chart, City General Fund support for operating costs related to the continuum of care has not increased substantially over the past decade.
The Chronic Homeless Project, and staff efforts regarding best practice research, planning for a psychiatric urgent care facility, working on regional approaches, addressing open space and public health and safety issues, and grant writing to secure additional resources occurred without the allocation of additional resources in the City’s FY 2004-05 Budget.
Strategies
for FY 2005-07
The key strategies to address homelessness for the next two years are
summarized below:
·
Expansion
of the Chronic Homeless Project – It is anticipated that an additional 40-50 participants will be added
to the Chronic Homeless Project over the next two years (for a total of 65 – 75
participants by the end of FY2006-07), with the goal of placing 30 – 40 persons
into permanent housing by June 30, 2007 (in addition to the 10 already
placed). Service expansions include the
Serial Inebriate Outreach Project, which was implemented in July, 2005. Through this program, CLARE Foundation staff
is conducting jail outreach and voluntary substance abuse counseling at the
Santa Monica Jail to serial inebriates.
When successfully stabilized, many of these persons will be eligible for
the rental assistance funded by the HUD award described below. A “Housing First” approach may be piloted for
a limited number of Chronic Homeless Project participants. This approach
immediately provides permanent housing for chronically homeless individuals
with ongoing assertive case management.
In FY2005-06, the City Council approved a General Fund enhancement of
$256,554 to expand the Project, and $178,560 in existing HOME funds were
re-allocated for rental subsidies.
·
Housing for People Who Are Homeless and
Addicted to Alcohol Grant – The expansion of the Chronic Homeless Project
will be further facilitated by a $948,907 grant awarded to the City in
September, 2005 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The grant will provide rental subsidies for
30 of the Project’s chronically homeless individuals who are addicted to
alcohol. This funding was awarded
through a highly-competitive national application process. Proactive efforts in
FY2004-05 to establish the Chronic Homeless Project, and the City Council’s
subsequent allocation of additional resources to expand it in FY2005-06, were
fundamental to the success of the City’s application. The grant is renewable annually
after the initial 24-month term.
- Comprehensive System and Program
Evaluation - City staff will be
conducting a comprehensive, quantitative and qualitative evaluation of
homeless service delivery in
- Regional
Approaches to Homelessness: The City will continue to
build on regional efforts to address homelessness. This includes participating in the
planning process for a psychiatric urgent care facility; working closely
with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to complete the Bring Los
Angeles Home Report and begin the implementation of recommended
strategies; following through on the next stage of the development of
long-term, therapeutic supportive housing for chronically homeless
veterans at the West Los Angeles VA Campus; working with the Westside
Council of Governments; and advocating for a regional, year-round shelter
on the Westside. The City Council
approved $200,000 in FY2005-06 to support the creation of effective and
aggressive leadership to support these and other regional efforts.
- Review of Ordinances/Coordination
of Service with First Responders, Law Enforcement and the Criminal Justice
System: Staff from various City departments,
including the City Attorney’s Office, Police, Community and Cultural
Services and Environmental and Public Works Management continue to review
City ordinances for effectiveness and enforceability, consider revisions
or new ordinances as appropriate, and assess application of ordinances to
ensure public safety and the balanced use of public spaces. Key areas of focus include: the outdoor public distribution of food;
intensive and exclusive use of open space areas by homeless people; access
to community facilities such as Miles Playhouse and the
An outcome of the Chronic Homeless Project has
been better integration of and coordination between first responders such as
the HLP Team and paramedics with Human Service Division staff and homeless
service providers. This increased coordination has lead to better service
delivery to chronically homeless clients, better communication between
stakeholders, and the coordination of outreach and enforcement approaches to
open space issues. This continued coordination will be crucial to the success
of the Chronic Homeless Project as well as the enforcement of City
ordinances. Focusing on increased
enforcement in the City’s open spaces, the Council approved 2 new HLP Team
Officers and 7 additional Park Rangers in the current year’s Budget. The
integration of the criminal justice system into this framework has already
begun through linkages with existing drug courts. The expansion and
implementation of a homeless court and mental health court are also strategies
to be pursued throughout the next two years.
- Increased Supportive Housing:
Within the next two years, at least two new supportive
housing developments are scheduled to open in
In addition, the Corporation for
Supportive Housing (CSH) has agreed to provide technical assistance, at no cost
to the City, to the Community and Cultural Services and Resource Management
Departments to identify best practice models of permanent supportive housing
that would be appropriate for the City-owned property such as
- Improved
- Best Practice Research: Staff will continue best practice research that will enhance the implementation of all of the strategies above. Specifically, staff will focus on methodologies for measuring the cost savings related to moving homeless persons from the streets into housing. In addition to improving the measurement of City costs relating to police and fire, other service delivery costs (including costs to the health and mental healthcare systems) can be measured and compared for individuals before and after placement in permanent supportive housing. Other areas of focus will include best practices regarding the balanced use of open space; linking feeding programs with services; potential changes in Federal, state and regional laws, regulations and systems, as well as incentives, that will lead to a fair share approach across jurisdictions; and other new programmatic approaches, especially to assisting the chronically homeless in moving into stable, supportive housing. Two additional Human Services Division staff positions were funded in the current year’s Budget to increase the City’s capacity for regional planning, implementation of best practices and support for the Council’s legislative and advocacy directives.
Budget/Financial
Impact
Reviewing this report and holding the public hearing does not have budgetary or financial impact.
The first annual payment under the $948,907 funding award to the City from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Housing for People Who are Homeless and Addicted to Alcohol grant must be incorporated into the City of Santa Monica FY2005-06 Budget. Revenue of $474,453 for year 1 should be recorded in account 20262.403720. Expenditures in the amount of $474,453 should be appropriated to the following accounts:
012627.561501 $433,440
012627.561502 21,672
012627.561503 19,341
TOTAL $474,453
Expenditure and
revenue budgets in the amount of $474,454 will be appropriated into the City of
Recommendation
City staff recommends that the City Council:
1) hold a public hearing to gain input on the FY2004-05 annual review of the City’s Coordinated Plan for Homeless Services and receive and file this report;
2) accept the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Housing for People Who are Homeless and Addicted to Alcohol grant of $948,907; and,
3) approve the revenue budget changes and appropriate the expenditure budget increases as outlined in the Budget/Financial Section of this report.
Prepared by:
· Chronic Homeless Project - City staff (Human Services, Police, Fire, Housing), service providers (OPCC, CLARE, St. Joseph Center, Step Up on Second, New Directions) and the County Department of Mental Health (Edelman Mental Health Center and County staff) developed this project to more effectively target services to those most difficult to reach who have been on Santa Monica’s streets for an extended period of time. The goal of the project is to reach these chronically homeless people with a well coordinated, strategic, interdisciplinary and sustained effort - and get them off the streets permanently. This project began in June, 2004 and to date, 25 people have been enrolled and 13 are off of the streets (10 in permanent housing, and 3 in temporary housing looking for a permanent unit). One participant is homeless but ready to enter housing and looking for a unit, 8 are homeless and in the process of engagement with a case manager, 2 are in jail or in the hospital and one has passed away.
·
Best Practice Research – Staff has
researched sobering center best practices in communities in
·
Regional
Approaches to Homelessness –
City staff assisted City Councilmembers on several, on-going regional planning efforts,
including Bring LA Home, the regional report and strategy to end homelessness
spearheaded by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. City staff has participated on the Chronic
Homeless and Resource Development Groups, and assisted LAHSA with the
County-wide homeless count. The
completed plan is expected to be released in February 2006.
In FY2004-05, City Councilmembers and City staff also participated in
regional planning efforts to create housing for chronically homeless veterans
at the West Los Angeles VA Campus. These
efforts culminated in a proposal for long-term, therapeutic supportive housing
for homeless veterans from four service providers - New Directions, Inc., The
Salvation Army, U.S. Vets, and Volunteers of America - that was incorporated
into the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) land use (CARES) process for the
campus. The final land-use determination
by the VA Secretary is anticipated in early 2006.
Staff from Community and Cultural Services, Police, Fire and the City
Attorney’s Office worked with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental
Health (DMH), local hospitals, and non-profit service providers to examine the
potential for a regional out-patient psychiatric urgent care center. Planning efforts included a survey of local
hospital emergency rooms to determine how many emergency room visits over the course
of one week could have been redirected to psychiatric urgent care if such a
facility had been available. The
planning process was put on hold during the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA -
Prop 63) Stakeholder Process since MHSA funds will be the likely funding source
for this project. Now that the Los
Angeles County MHSA plan has been submitted to the State, it is anticipated
that regional planning efforts for a psychiatric urgent care facility will
resume soon.
Staff also continues to work with the Westside Council of Governments
(COG) on regional issues relating to homelessness. In FY 2004-05, each of the COG cities passed
a resolution on homeless issues that included a call for the creation of a
regional year-round shelter. A Homeless
Sub-committee was also formed and is on-going.
· Funding Applications for Additional Resources for Permanent Supportive Housing: In FY2004-05 the City of Santa Monica submitted a funding application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for over $948,907 in funding for rental subsidies and other costs over a two-year period. This funding will provide permanent housing with supportive services for 30 persons who are chronically homeless and addicted to alcohol. The City was subsequently awarded $948,907 for FY’s 2005-07. In addition, staff submitted a request to LAHSA for $1.7 million in new Shelter Plus Care funding to support the new Step-Up on 5th permanent supportive housing project. The outcome of this application will be announced in late 2005 or early 2006.
·
New
Ordinances - At the November 23, 2004 City Council
meeting, Council adopted Ordinance No. 2146 amending the Municipal Code
regarding rules for City libraries and meeting facilities. Under the newly
amended ordinance, the City Manager is granted the authority to establish rules
to protect and preserve City meeting facilities as shared resources by limiting
disruptive behavior including noise, blocking aisles with personal belongings,
and bathing in restrooms. To ensure compliance, the ordinance requires the
posting of rules, individual notice, and a separate warning before violators can
be told to leave the library or facility.
At the March 22, 2005 City Council meeting, Council adopted Ordinance No. 2155 authorizing the City Manager to establish rules for the use of public restrooms and to make those rules enforceable. Under the newly adopted ordinance, rules for the use of public restroom were formulated to promote cleanliness, safety, access and availability to all for the restrooms’ intended purpose.
·
Parks and Open Space - A coordinated effort by the Community
and Cultural Services Department, the Santa Monica Police Department Homeless
Liaison Program (HLP), and homeless service providers has addressed community
concerns regarding open space use issues at Reed and Memorial Parks. Outreach teams
continue to engage individuals who stay around the perimeter of
In order to further implement the Council policy of ensuring a strong
linkage between basic support services (food, showers) and assistance in moving
off the streets, the showers located in Memorial Park, the City’s principal
youth sports venue, were closed in September.
Alternative locations are available for showers, including SHWASHLOCK,
which also offers linkages to additional services for those interested in
making the transition out of homelessness. Staff will evaluate this arrangement
in early 2006 to determine if the closure should continue.
·
Food Distribution Programs - The 1991
policy framework adopted by Council called for food distribution to be linked
with social services and to occur indoors. In 2002, the City Council passed Ordinance
2055 serving to notify all providers of food in public places that they need to
receive permits from the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. To provide a meaningful linkage between access
to food and services, the