City Council Meeting: February 26,
2008
Agenda Item: 8-A
To: Mayor and City Council
From:
Subject: Annual Review of the City’s Plan for
Homeless Services and Proposed Action Plan to Address Homelessness in
Recommended
Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Hold a
public hearing on the Plan pursuant to Municipal Code Section 2.69.030;
2) Receive and
approve the proposed Action Plan to Address Homelessness in Santa Monica,
including its vision statement, guiding principles and action steps; and
3) Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute a professional services agreement in the amount of $100,000 with GMMB
for a City-wide panhandling education campaign.
Executive
Summary
This staff report meets the
requirements of the City’s Public Safety Initiative by providing an “Annual
Review of the City’s Plan for Homeless Services” for FY 2006-07 (Attachment I);
a proposed “Action Plan for Addressing Homelessness in Santa Monica”
(Attachment II); and a summary of elements of the proposed Action Plan that are
underway (Attachment III). In addition,
the public hearing affords the public and the City Council with an opportunity
to comment on the attached documents and provide input on the impact of
homelessness in
The required Annual
Review reports on the performance of the homeless service system, detailing outcomes
for the over 2,700 homeless persons who received assistance. Programs initiated
or expanded in the prior year are summarized. In FY 2006-07 City-funded programs at the seven core
agencies served a total of 2,743 homeless individuals who self-identified as
The attached proposed Action Plan
(“Plan”) was developed in collaboration with local service providers and City
staff from the City Attorney’s Office, the City Manager’s Office, Police, Fire,
Community Maintenance, Housing and Economic Development, and Community and
Cultural Services. The Plan proposes
refinements and changes to the current service delivery system based on the FY 2006-07
Annual Review, the recommendations of the 2006 Urban Institute evaluation of
homeless services, new data, best practices, initiatives elsewhere in the
region, and the success of Santa Monica’s current initiatives. The Plan presents
a vision statement, guiding principles and specific short-, medium- and
long-term actions in the areas of social services, housing, community
education, evaluation, public policy and regional collaboration. The Plan proposes that
After receiving public comment,
City staff requests that the City Council approve the proposed Plan including
its vision statement, guiding principles and action steps. There are no immediate fiscal and budgetary
impacts resulting from this staff report.
Public education is one component of the
Plan. Therefore, City staff recommends
that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a
professional services agreement in the amount of $100,000 with GMMB for a community
education, anti-panhandling and alternative giving campaign, with the
anti-panhandling and alternative giving as the initial focus of the campaign.
GMMB was unanimously recommended based on their understanding of the unique and
sensitive aspects of the project and their experience with social marketing and
behavior change campaigns.
Funds in the amount of $100,000 were
budgeted in FY 2007-08 for this purpose.
Background
Public Safety Initiative
In 1994, the City Council
adopted the Public Safety Initiative (SMMC 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;
·
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 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.
Attachment I of this staff report, entitled “Annual Review of the City’s Plan for
Homeless Services,” summarizes the accomplishments and the costs of the
service delivery system for FY 2006-07 and discusses the impact of the homeless
population on the community.
Attachment II, entitled “Action Plan to Address
Homelessness in
Discussion
Annual Review – FY 2006-07 Outcomes and Accomplishments
Based on the data in
ClientTrack, City-funded programs at the seven core agencies served a total of
3,097 homeless persons, 2,743 (87%) of whom identified themselves as
In addition, the following best-practice initiatives
recommended in the Urban Institute Report were implemented or continued in FY 2006-07. Details regarding the progress and outcomes
for these initiatives can be found in Attachment I.
·
Chronic Homeless
Project (CHP)
·
Serial Inebriate
Outreach Program (SIOP)
·
·
Relocation of
Meal Program Providers to Indoor Locations
·
Project
Homecoming
·
Community
Education and Stakeholder Input
·
Increased
Supportive Housing
·
Designation of
Buildings on
·
Regional
Planning
·
Improved Data
Management
Proposed Action Plan
The attached proposed Action Plan was developed through an iterative process which gathered input from City Departments, the Chronic Homeless Project (CHP) Executive Committee and City Commissions. A series of discussions was held with Department Directors and key staff from the City Attorney’s Office, the City Manager’s Office, Police, Fire, Community Maintenance, Housing and Economic Development, and Community and Cultural Services. Concurrently, a series of facilitated discussions with the CHP Executive Committee (formed in 2004 to oversee the direction of the CHP) began in November 2007. City staff and the CHP Executive Committee reviewed and commented, over several months, on successive versions of the proposed Plan. The Social Services, Disability and Housing Commissions, the Commission for the Senior Community and the Commission on the Status of Women received presentations on the proposed Plan, as did the Bayside District Corporation Board of Directors and the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce’s Homeless Committee. These groups will continue to advise and assist City staff and the CHP Executive Committee in implementation of the Plan, once approved by Council.
The Plan contains the following elements:
Vision Statement:
We will transform
Through collaboration and cooperation, the
City of
Guiding
Principles:
- Success is
measured by reducing street homelessness.
- New and
existing resources (housing and services) should be focused on priority
populations:
§
§
§
Vulnerable
members of
- Limited
housing and service resources should be matched with the needs of priority
populations.
- Targeted
services should use interdisciplinary teams with low staff to client
ratios, including, but not limited to, clinical mental health and
substance abuse support.
- Resources
– human and financial—should be shifted and expanded to support program
models that are consistent with the Plan and its Vision and recognize the
intensity of services required by the priority populations.
- A range of
permanent housing options should be developed, with a focus on permanent
supportive housing, within and outside of
- Evaluation
of services should be data-driven.
- The
City’s efforts should involve increased communication, education and
involvement of the public.
A key principle addresses the issue of
“fair share” and the capacity of
This
significant imbalance between demand and service capacity points to the need to
prioritize and target services to yield the greatest positive benefit – for
homeless persons as well as the community at large.
Action Steps: This year’s annual review gave greater attention to the
development of action steps to be taken in the coming year(s) to realize the
Action Plan’s guiding principles. These
action steps cover a broad spectrum of areas including Social Services,
Housing, Evaluation, Community Education, Public Policy and Regional Collaboration. Attachment
II describes these action steps in greater detail, and Attachment III provides
a summary of elements of the proposed Action Plan that are underway, including:
·
Develop a service
registry to identify the most vulnerable, long-term chronically homeless
individuals for prioritized services and housing;
·
Link outreach
and mental health services to the efforts of the Santa Monica Police
Department’s Homeless Liaison Program (HLP Team);
·
Align existing
bed capacity to service priority populations, starting with the bed capacity at
Samoshel;
·
Streamline
access to housing subsidies and continue to develop a range of permanent
housing options, with a focus on permanent supportive housing;
·
Develop
a proposal to Los Angeles County for health, mental health and substance abuse
treatment and supportive housing for the most vulnerable long term homeless
people identified in the service registry;
·
Participate
in a national “Hospital to Home” pilot project;
·
·
Implement a
panhandling education and alternative giving campaign which also incorporates
public education elements; and
·
Work with the
Westside Cities Council of Governments to further a regional approach on the
Westside, including setting sub-regional goals and targets beyond
Finally,
the recommendations of this report include award of funding to GMMB, a social
marketing and communications firm selected as a result of a competitive process
to lead the effort to develop a panhandling education and alternative giving
campaign in
Because of the costs
of the proposed anti-panhandling and alternative giving component of the
campaign, the initial phase of a broader community education campaign will
build on efforts using the resources of City staff. These efforts currently
include:
- It’s Your Call:
Homelessness in Our Community, a call-in show about regional homeless issues broadcast on
- Bringing It Home, a monthly e-newsletter about local
and regional efforts to address homelessness; and
- Training materials to increase City staff’s knowledge about
homelessness and ability to address the public’s concerns about the issue
are in development.
If desired by the City in FY 2008-09, the GMMB Scope of Services may be extended to include activities such as design, printing and distribution of marketing, advertising and collateral materials as well as implementation of alternative giving methods and broader public education regarding homelessness. The fiscal impacts associated with an increase in the scope of services will be brought to Council for consideration.
Commission Input
The Social Services and Housing Commissions, and the Commission for the Senior Community, elected to hear staff presentations on the report. The Social Services Commission and the Commission on the Status of Women have each assigned a sub-committee to review this report, once it is released in full to the public and comment at the February 26 public hearing. The Housing Commission requested a follow-up presentation from staff on the progress of the Plan.
The Bayside
District Corporation Board of Directors in its letter dates January 28, 2008
indicated that it “supports the new approach to homeless services in downtown
and encourages the City Council to adequately fund these programs.”
Financial Impacts &
Budget Actions
Reviewing this report and holding the public hearing do not have budgetary or financial impacts, however the report does provide information for consideration in the context of the City’s FY 2008-09 or subsequent years’ budget processes.
Funds in the amount of $100,000 for the city-wide panhandling education campaign are available in account 012628.555060.
Prepared by:
Stacy Rowe,
Human Services Administrator
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Approved: |
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Forwarded to Council: |
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Director,
Department |
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P. City
Manager |
Attachment
I: Annual
Review Of The City’s Plan For Homeless Services
Attachment
II: Action Plan To Address Homelessness
In
Attachment III:
What’s Underway? Action Plan to Address Homelessness
ATTACHMENT I
ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE CITY’S
PLAN FOR HOMELESS SERVICES
Public Safety Initiative
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. The City’s plan
required by the Public Safety Initiative is incorporated into the City’s FY
2007-10 Community Development Plan and in the Consolidated Plan for FY 2005 -10
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 effectiveness of the City’s plan. Notice of a public hearing for February 26, 2008, was placed in the Santa Monica Daily Press, www.surfsantamonica.com, and posted on the City’s website.
Effectiveness of the Service Delivery System
The City of
In FY 2006-07 the City funded seven core
homeless agencies:
In addition to the seven core homeless
agencies, the City provides funding to the Westside Food Bank, Common Ground,
As a condition of receiving City funding,
these agencies develop Grantee Program Plans that specify services to be
provided to assist homeless individuals in obtaining greater self-sufficiency
and housing stability. City staff
monitors the delivery of services and client progress through site visits and
the regular review of reports including program outcomes. The seven core
agencies use ClientTrack, the City’s computerized case management system which
tracks clients’ progress at the individual, program and aggregate levels;
monitors unnecessary duplication of services; measures the unduplicated number
of persons served; and tracks outcomes across programs to determine aggregate
benchmarks of self-sufficiency, e.g., permanent housing and employment
placements.
FY 2006-07 Outcomes for the
Continuum of Care
Based on the data in
ClientTrack, results from City-funded programs at the seven core agencies can
be measured and compared over time. In FY 2006-07, a total of 3,097 homeless
persons were provided with case management, temporary housing, addiction
recovery, mental health services, and employment assistance through the
homeless programs funded by the City. Of
those, 2,743 (87%) self-declared themselves to be
Of those who received services in FY 2006-07, over half (61%) were male and 39% were female. Thirty-eight percent (38%) were identified as chronically homeless[2] and 12% were veterans. Through the support of the City-funded services, 772 homeless persons (28%) received emergency or transitional housing, and 344 people (13%) transitioned into permanent housing during the year. In addition, 502 adults (18%) found and maintained jobs leading to self-sufficiency.
Homeless Services Outcomes
FY 2003-04 through FY 2006-07
|
|
FY 2006-07 |
FY 2005-06 |
FY
2004-05 |
FY 2003-04 |
||||
|
|
No. Served |
% Placed |
No. Served |
% Placed |
No. Served |
% Placed |
% Placed |
% Placed |
|
Total
SM-funded Program Participants (A participant is an adult who
self-identifies as a |
2,743 |
N/A |
2,575 |
N/A |
2,248 |
N/A |
2,188 |
N/A |
|
Placements
in permanent housing |
344 |
13% |
352 |
14% |
309 |
14% |
339 |
15% |
|
Placements
in transitional housing |
291 |
11% |
367 |
14% |
342 |
15% |
405 |
19% |
|
Placements
in emergency shelter |
481 |
18% |
384 |
15% |
532 |
24% |
626 |
29% |
|
Placements
in permanent employment |
299 |
11% |
359 |
14% |
351 |
16% |
397 |
18% |
|
Placements
in temporary employment |
203 |
7% |
231 |
9% |
196 |
9% |
210 |
10% |
The number and proportion of individuals placed in
permanent housing remained consistent with the levels reported for previous
years. The number and proportion of transitional housing placements continues
to fall, however. This decrease is the result of longer stays in transitional
housing programs due to a shortage of affordable, permanent housing units,
caused in part to insufficient housing subsidy payment standards set by the U.S
Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Emergency shelter placements increased from FY 2005-06, representing in
part, the priority shelter placement for chronically homeless participants in programs
as the Santa Monica Homeless Community Court
Current Initiatives
Starting in July 2004, the City of
·
Chronic
Homeless Project (CHP) – This
program effectively targets services to those chronically homeless individuals
who have been on
·
Serial
Inebriate Outreach Program
– CLARE Foundation staff conducts outreach and counseling to serial inebriates
at the
o FY 2005-06 25% (207 of 838) of arrestees were interviewed with 14% (29) of those accepting CLARE services;
o FY 2006-07, 52% (441 of 856) of arrestees were interviewed with 15% (64) of those accepting CLARE services; and
o FY 2007-2008 (as of mid year), 57% (235 of 410) of arrestees were interviewed with 17% (41) of those accepting CLARE services.
It is important to note, that in addition to the availability of CLARE staff, the interview rate is also dependent on the disposition and willingness of the arrestees. The acceptance rates exceed the 10% rate initially anticipated for the program, and do not include interviewees that subsequently go to CLARE on their own (which for FY2006-07 was an additional 31 individuals.)
Future plans
for expanding the SIOP should be consistent with the proposed “Action Plan for
Addressing Homelessness in
·
·
Relocation of
Meal Program Providers to Indoor Locations – In the spring of 2006, the City Manager and
·
Project
Homecoming - In May 2006, the City
of
·
Stakeholder
Input: Attendees at a June
4, 2007 focus group comprised of stakeholders from neighborhood associations,
the business and faith communities, regional partners, local residents, and
service providers communicated that a new roundtable may be an unnecessary
re-creation of existing forums. Stakeholders
urged the coordination of existing avenues, such as an expansion of the Chronic
Homeless Project (CHP) Executive Committee.
·
Community
Education: In FY 2006-07,
an eight week, eight-episode pilot of “It’s Your Call: Homelessness in Our
Community”, a live, call-in show about homelessness was broadcast on Santa
Monica CityTV and LATV 36 with the goal of fostering a regional dialogue about
homelessness. Further episodes are
planned for FY 2007-08. HSD staff also produced a pilot educational
presentation to inform City staff about the issue of homelessness and enable
them to better answer questions from the public. A final version will be posted on the City’s
intra-net in FY 2007-08.
·
Increased
Supportive Housing: The Santa Monica Housing Authority implemented
a housing subsidy and eviction prevention program funded through the Redevelopment
Agency. It is estimated that the program
will provide 65 individuals with rental subsidies and 80 individuals with
eviction prevention assistance.
The Santa Monica Housing Authority and the
Human Services Division submitted a successful application for 15 additional
Shelter Plus Care certificates through the 2007 Homeless Assistance Application
administered by LAHSA. These new
resources should be available by mid-2008.
The
Step Up on Second broke ground for a
proposed 46-unit residential development in March 2007. Construction is
scheduled to be completed in early 2009.
The Housing and Human Services Divisions
began working with Upward Bound House on a multi-jurisdictional project to
convert a motel in
·
Designation
of Buildings on
·
Regional Planning
and Approaches to Homelessness: Former
Los Angeles County Supervisor Ed Edelman, the City’s Special Representative for
Homeless Initiatives, organized a day-long conference to explore how courts and
local communities can collaborate to address homelessness.
·
CD Program – Staff conducted a Request for Proposal process which led to the
continued funding of homeless service providers in
·
Improved Data Management – City Council appropriated additional funding for the
implementation and ongoing operation of a new Homeless Management Information
System. In FY 2006-07, staff developed
project goals and timelines and wrote the Request for Proposals for a selection
consultant. The project is on-track for
implementation in July 2008.
Impacts of Homelessness
In spite of the significant achievements
made by homeless persons availing themselves of
- In the 2007 resident telephone survey, 45% of residents responded
“too many homeless” to an open-ended question about the most important
issue facing the City. This was up
from 39% in 2005. Seventy-six
percent rated homelessness as a “serious” problem, up slightly from 74% in
2005.
- The LAHSA 2007 Homeless Count estimate for the number of homeless
persons in
- In FY 2006-07,
police made 1,866 arrests of individuals who listed their residence as
transient, homeless, none, or provided an address of a known homeless
shelter. In FY 2005-06, the number of arrests was 1,796. This figure does
not include citations (tickets) that were issued to homeless persons.
- In CY 2006,
the Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) team made 3,241 contacts with homeless
individuals (duplicated) and made approximately 4,000 periodic checks on
property and open space. These
responses were in addition to the arrests reported above. In CY 2005, the
team made contact with approximately 2,400 duplicated homeless individuals
and made about 2,900 periodic checks on property and open space.
- In FY 2006-07,
paramedics responded to 11,743 calls.
For 1,812 (15%), the person needing assistance was clearly
homeless. In FY 2005-06, paramedics
responded to 11,352, with 1,525 (13%) of calls involving homeless persons.
- In FY 06-07, the City Attorney’s Office filed 1,382 cases involving arrests and citations in which the subjects involved are usually homeless persons, these include violations of ordinances relating to: camping; park closure, abusive solicitation (panhandling), and shopping cart possession. In FY 05-06, 2,249 cases were filed.
Many of the current initiatives described above, and
elements of the proposed Action Plan, are designed to address the impacts of
homelessness in the Community. Notable
among them are:
·
The expansion of
the CHP and targeted outreach on the Promenade;
·
The expansion of
the Serial Inebriate Outreach Program through the addition of 1.0 FTE;
·
The
implementation of the
·
The relocation
of two outdoor meal programs to an indoor location connected to services;
·
The
implementation of Project Homecoming;
·
Requiring CD
Program Grantees to develop Good Neighbor Agreements;
·
The inclusion of
representatives from the business community and other stakeholders in
discussions about the issue of homelessness;
·
The adoption of
an ordinance prohibiting anyone from leaving food or other items in parks or
public right-of-ways, and community education about the issue;
·
Continued
coordination between Community and Cultural Services (CCS), the Homeless
Liaison Program (HLP), Park Rangers, Fire, the City Attorney’s Office,
Community Maintenance staff and service providers to address issues in public
spaces.
Costs of Services
In FY 2006-07, the City provided
funding for the seven core
programs in the amount of $2,223,426, including $75,000 in one-time funding to
assist
The City also provided funding to Community
Partners for the funding of the pilot Chronic Homeless Expansion Program in the
amount of $146,425, and expended an additional $80,000 for the CHP Clinical
Consultant, direct services to clients (e.g., security deposit and move-in
funds) and Project Homecoming. In addition to these funds, the Santa Monica
Housing Authority provides rental subsidies using both Federal and
Redevelopment Agency sources. In FY 2006-07,
the estimated amount was $3M.
ACTION PLAN TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS IN
VISION
We will transform
Through collaboration and cooperation, the City of
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
- Success is measured by reducing street homelessness.
- New and existing resources (housing and services) should be focused
on priority populations:
§
§
§
Vulnerable members of
- Limited housing and service resources should be matched with the
needs of priority populations.
- Targeted services should use interdisciplinary teams with low staff
to client ratios, including, but not limited to, clinical mental health
and substance abuse support.
- Resources – human and financial—should be shifted and expanded to
support program models that are consistent with the Plan and its Vision
and recognize the intensity of services required by the priority
populations.
- A range of permanent housing options should be developed, with a
focus on permanent supportive housing, within and outside of
- Evaluation of services should be data-driven.
- The City’s efforts should involve increased communication,
education and involvement of the public.
ACTION STEPS
Short-Term = 1 – 6 months
Mid-Term = 6 – 12 months
Long-Term = 1 year or more
Bold and Italic = underway
|
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Project Area: Services |
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Short-Term |
Develop a service registry to identify the most vulnerable, long-term
chronically homeless individuals for prioritized services and housing: ·
Conduct street count and survey using Common Ground’s methodology. ·
Apply vulnerability index and identify those at-risk of dying on the
streets. ·
Sort list by length of time homeless in ·
Assign the 10 most chronic and vulnerable homeless individuals to case
management teams participating in the Chronic Homeless Project. ·
Establish housing and services approach for the 10 most chronic and
vulnerable with the goal of housing them as quickly as possible and keeping
them housed. ·
Ensure service registry priority individuals have access to existing
services and housing vouchers. ·
Analyze data on remaining 100 most chronic and vulnerable to determine
specific cohorts for targeted services and housing (e.g., veterans, seniors,
serial inebriates). ·
Use data from the service registry to secure the additional funding
and resources needed to house these individuals and keep them housed. ·
Participate in a national “Hospital to Home” pilot project. ·
Develop training and service protocols needed to support rapid re-housing
and housing retention strategies. |
|
Continue to provide intensive outreach to priority populations through
existing service configuration. |
|
|
Develop, train and support interdisciplinary teams (including community-based
psychiatric, substance abuse, and health care professionals) to focus on
access to mainstream benefits, rapid re-housing and retention. |
|
|
Establish consistent outreach presence in public areas to identify new
homeless residents in SM and link persons not first-homeless in Santa Monica
with services near their community of origin or other appropriate services
outside the City; simplify eligibility criteria and procedures for Project
Homecoming and use of new Traveler’s Aid Project at Access Center. |
|
|
Link outreach and mental health services to the efforts of the Santa
Monica Police Department’s Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) to better address
the needs of mentally ill individuals encountered by the Police through service linkages and transportation.
|
|
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Mid-Term |
Align existing bed capacity to serve priority populations including
criteria for access to emergency beds, transitional beds, substance abuse
treatment beds, and motel vouchers; designate or develop respite beds. |
|
Long-Term |
Modify and align resources, program targets and outcomes to be
consistent with this Plan. |
|
|
Project Area: Housing |
|
Short-Term |
Streamline access to housing subsidies. ·
Simplify paperwork and provide technical assistance on the application
process. ·
Establish pre-application process to match vouchers to eligible
clients. |
|
Mid-Term |
Continue efforts to raise subsidy payment standards. Increase access to housing units within and outside of ·
Use creative housing search and placement strategies (e.g., centralized
listing of available units within and outside of ·
Research options for using subsidy dollars for specific types of
supportive housing, e.g., board and care, sober living. ·
Conduct outreach to property owners/managers to increase participation
in Housing Authority Programs. ·
Establish a repair and mitigation fund to address potential increased
costs associated with renting to special needs tenants. ·
Explore using ·
Expand the use of housing vouchers from sources such as the Department
of Veteran’s Affairs and the Housing Authorities of Los Angeles County and
City of |
|
Define and develop a range of permanent housing options with short and
long term goals. ·
Integrate with ·
Explore master lease option to access blocks of units in multi-family
properties. ·
Develop a pilot with a local housing provider which combines housing
with intensive post-placement support services for chronically homeless
individuals. ·
Explore diversity of funding sources for both housing development and
supportive services (e.g., Mental Health Services Act funding) |
|
|
Long-Term |
Develop more permanent supportive housing resources within and outside
of |
|
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Project Area: Evaluation |
|
Short-Term |
Set clear benchmarks to evaluate progress. |
|
Explore contracting with an outside consultant to evaluate
effectiveness of new initiatives. |
|
|
Maximize new HMIS system to track clients, service delivery and
outcomes. |
|
|
Conduct a continual review of data including street counts, service
tracking, etc. |
|
|
Conduct a cost-benefit analysis of innovative approaches. |
|
|
|
Project Area: Community
Education |
|
Short-Term |
Implement an interactive, coordinated community education campaign
including monthly e-newsletter (current distribution 950 people). |
|
Mid-Term |
Implement an anti-panhandling and alternative giving campaign which
also incorporates public education elements. |
|
Use community education to increase involvement from the business and
faith communities. |
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Develop and implement Good Neighbor Agreements. |
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Project Area: Public Policy |
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Short-Term |
|
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Continue to address the impacts of homelessness on the community
through a range of approaches including those involving services and housing,
law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and community maintenance. |
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|
Mid-Term |
Review local ordinances and standards to promote a full range of
affordable housing opportunities. |
|
Long-Term |
Develop new policies regarding locating food distribution indoors and
facilitating linkages to services. |
|
Assess the impacts and potential for replication of Clean & Safe
Teams/Ambassador programs in the downtown area. |
|
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Project Area: Regional Collaboration |
|
Short-Term |
Continue discussions on methodologies to define “fair share.” |
|
Explore how regional dollars are currently used and how they might be
best targeted to |
|
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Analyze range of options related to the City of |
|
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Mid-Term |
Support legislation and public policies which encourage the
development and siting of programs, particularly housing, in other cities. |
|
Encourage discharge planning with County facilities to place people in
services proximate to their communities of origin. |
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Long-Term |
Work with other jurisdictions to address practices which could result
in homeless persons who were not first-homeless in |
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Work with the Westside Cities Council of Governments to further a
regional approach on the Westside, including setting sub-regional goals and
targets beyond |
ATTACHMENT III
WHAT’S UNDERWAY?
ACTION PLAN TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS
FEBRUARY 2008
Progress on key
action steps include:
·
Develop a
service registry to identify the most vulnerable, long-term chronically
homeless individuals for prioritized services and housing;
·
Link outreach
and mental health services to the efforts of the Santa Monica Police
Department’s Homeless Liaison Program (HLP Team);
·
Align existing
bed capacity to service priority populations, starting with the bed capacity at
Samoshel;
·
Streamline
access to housing subsidies and continue to develop a range of permanent
housing options, with a focus on permanent supportive housing;
·
Develop
a proposal to
·
Participate
in a national “Hospital to Home” pilot project;
·
·
Implement a
panhandling education and alternative giving campaign which also incorporates
public education elements; and
·
Work with the
Westside Cities Council of Governments to further a regional approach on the
Westside, including setting sub-regional goals and targets beyond
Develop a service registry to identify the most
vulnerable, long-term chronically homeless individuals for prioritized services
and housing: The Plan outlines an approach for targeted service delivery based on the “Street to Home” initiative developed by a New York-based
non-profit organization, Common Ground.
This successful, targeted approach includes creating a “service
registry” based on an assessment of whether a homeless individual is likely to
die while living on the streets. Using a
“vulnerability index” developed by a
In the early morning of January 25, 2008 over fifty volunteers
from the City,
Preliminary
results were presented to a group of over 125 public officials, City staff,
service providers and community members on Thursday, January 31 at the Santa
Monica Library. Key findings include:
|
Indicator |
Total Observed (N=261) |
Vulnerable Cohort (N=110) |
|
Average Age: |
49 |
55 |
|
Average # of Years Homeless |
8 |
11 |
|
Average # of Years Homeless In SM |
7 |
9 |
|
Homeless Before Coming to SM |
137 (53%) |
67 (61%) |
|
Veterans |
63 (24%) |
34 (31%) |
The 10
most vulnerable individuals have been assigned to CHP case management teams who
will provide intensive services aimed at housing them as soon as possible. Survey data will be analyzed to determine
specific cohorts within the remaining 100 most chronic and vulnerable to be
targeted for services and housing (e.g., veterans, serial inebriates). Data from the surveys will be used in efforts
to secure additional funding and resources needed to house the individuals and
keep them housing.
Align
existing bed capacity to service priority populations, starting with the bed
capacity at Samoshel: Samoshel was originally designed as a 110-bed shelter
and case management program designed to assist homeless individuals in finding
employment and achieving self-sufficiency.
Over the last several years, as the focus of City and service provider
efforts to address homelessness has shifted to chronically homeless individuals
with multiple disabilities, there has been an increase in the number of
disabled individuals who use Samoshel.
This increase in the number of disabled individuals at Samoshel creates
two challenges: 1) the density of the shelter’s current configuration at 110
beds is intolerable for this increasingly mentally ill and disabled population;
and 2) an increased need for clinical and case management support for Samoshel
residents. OPCC, which began operating Samoshel in July 2005, has worked to
meet these increasing challenges.
However, it has become apparent to OPCC and City staff that neither the
existing funding resources, nor the physical configuration of the shelter,
support a capacity of 110 beds for chronically homeless, disabled people. As implementation of the Plan moves forward,
City and OPCC staff will begin discussing the need to reduce the number of
Samoshel beds. Efforts will be made to
prioritize Samoshel beds for those individuals who are on the service registry
and/or who have been homeless in
Link outreach and supportive services to the efforts
of the Santa Monica Police Department’s Homeless Liaison Program (HLP): The Santa Monica Police Department is working with the Los
Angeles County Department of Mental Health to create a Mental Evaluation
Team (MET) –law enforcement and DMH clinicians working collaboratively on the
streets to address the needs of mentally ill and dually diagnosed individuals
encountered by police. The goal of this
partnership is to provide linkages to mental health services as an alternative
to incarceration when appropriate.
Addressing
the in-flow of homeless individuals into
The
HLP team is often the first to encounter newly arrived homeless individuals. Charged
with working with a variety of public and private agencies to address
homelessness, the HLP team has long partnered with service providers to link
homeless persons to services and housing.
Their efforts have been an essential component for the Chronic Homeless
Program and other initiatives. Enhancing their ability to provide service
linkages to homeless individuals when they first arrive in
The
Santa Monica Police Department issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to
select a service providers to accompany HLP team officers on the street and to
administer direct intervention and outreach services to homeless persons in
order to help them into housing, shelter facilities, medical facilities and/or
return them to their families or other caregivers. This intervention will include, but will not
be limited to, working with the persons’ previous service providers or other
resources outside the City of
Streamline access to housing subsidies
and continue to develop a range of permanent housing options, with a focus on
permanent supportive housing: The Housing Authority of
the City of
Develop
a proposal to Los Angeles County for health, mental health and substance abuse
treatment and supportive housing for the most vulnerable long term homeless
people identified in the service: Using the data from the service registry,
and gathering input from service providers and participants in the CHP, the
City will prepare a proposal to Los Angeles County for funding for supportive
services and housing.
Participate
in a national “Hospital to Home”
pilot project: The City will participate in a nationwide
pilot of Hospital to Home, which is an initiative designed to conduct an
analysis of the healthcare costs incurred by vulnerable homeless individuals,
and to coordinate efforts of local hospitals and social service providers to
place the most expensive homeless hospital users into housing.
Review City policies and practices that may
contribute to homelessness (e.g., regulating the use of facilities such as
public showers and the recycling buy-back center): The
provision of services such as showers, when they are not linked to
opportunities for case management, may enable and prolong an individual’s
homelessness. The public showers under
the Santa Monica Pier serve an exclusively homeless population but provide no
service component. OPCC’s SHWASHLOCK
program is available to provide showers to homeless individuals seven days per
week. SHWASHLOCK provides incentives for
people to enter case management, but even those who choose not to can use the
showers. The co-location of SHWASHLOCK and
the
The City’s
Implement a
panhandling education and alternative giving campaign which also incorporates
public education elements:
Most often, the money given directly to panhandlers enables homeless individuals
to remain on the streets rather than providing them with support to leave
homelessness. The ability to earn money panhandling in high-traffic commercial
areas such as the Promenade can contribute to the in-flow of homeless persons
to
In September 2007,
a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a Community Education, Anti-Panhandling and
Alternative Giving Campaign was distributed nationally to 64 firms with
expertise in social marketing, strategic communications, public relations and
public affairs. Notice of the RFP was published in the Santa Monica Daily Press
and posted on the City’s home page.
Ten firms submitted proposals
which were reviewed by a selection committee of staff from the Community and
Cultural Services and Housing and Economic Development Departments and representatives
from the Bayside
District Corporation, the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce and the Santa Monica
Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. Based on the initial review, four finalists
were short-listed and scheduled for interviews with the committee. After the interview process, the consultant
firm of GMMB was unanimously recommended by the
committee based on the firm’s strategic communications proficiency, expertise
with comparable projects, and clear understanding of the project.
In
December, GMMB and representatives from the Human Services Division met with
the Board of the Westside Shelter and Hunger Coalition. Staff has informed the Social Services
Commission and the Commission on the Status of Women of the selection
committee’s recommendation. Commission members expressed a desire to
participate in the development and testing of campaign messages. Based
on research, testing and stakeholder input, the campaign will be developed,
including creative concepts and messaging, strategic planning, and alternative
giving methods. A campaign launch event
will also be developed and produced.
Work with
the Westside Cities Council of Governments (COG) to further a regional approach
on the Westside, including setting sub-regional goals and targets beyond
The COG supports funding for facilities and
programs designed to assist homeless individuals move from the street into
permanent housing. In particular, the COG supports efforts to expand
affordable, permanent housing with supportive services, and other appropriate
supportive housing options, with the goal of meeting regional needs.
The COG supports the expansion of funding,
and opposes reductions in funding, for services for people who are experiencing
mental illness, substance abuse, physical health, domestic violence or other
issues which put them at-risk for, or prolong their recovery from, homelessness.
The COG supports the expansion of funding for programs which provide eviction
prevention assistance or other means to prevent homelessness.