Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Discussion
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDERATION OF RESOLUTION 18-097, ADOPTING THE CARSON HOMELESS PLAN (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
The Carson Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness (Plan) was a result of a concentrated planning process to develop an action plan to prevent and end homelessness in Carson. The funding for this plan was obtained through a grant from the County of Los Angeles, Exhibit No. 1. The City retained Shelter Partnership, a local non-profit agency that specializes in program planning, policy analysis and resource development related to homelessness and affordable housing, to help support and facilitate the planning process. This process included interviewing stakeholders including the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, and councilmembers. In addition, the Carson Homeless Planning Process Committee (Committee) was formed to assist in developing the Plan. The Committee members included key stakeholders who provide homeless services, law enforcement, business community, California State University at Dominguez Hills, South Bay Council of Governments, Harbor/UCLA Medical Center, and key members of City staff, Exhibit No 2. The Committee was instrumental in developing the Plan and their efforts are greatly appreciated. The Plan includes a series of implementation strategies to address, manage, and eventually end homelessness in Carson. Staff is recommending adoption of the Plan, Exhibit No. 3. Adoption of the Plan will enable the City to access funds available through Measure H by leveraging the funds the City already has at its disposal rather than identifying and using new resources within the City’s budget.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
WAIVE FURTHER READING AND ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 18-097, “Adopting the Carson Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness”
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III. ALTERNATIVES
Take additional action the City Council deems appropriate.
IV. BACKGROUND
History
Los Angeles County placed a ballot measure, calling for a ¼ cent increase in the County sales tax, before the voters in March 2017. This ballot measure, known as Measure H, was projected to generate $355 million annually for a period of ten years, with the proceeds earmarked toward efforts to prevent and combat homelessness. A portion of this funding was earmarked for cities to develop plans to combat homelessness. Staff applied for and received approval for a $35,000 grant funded through this measure. On February 12, 2018, City Council awarded a contract to Shelter Partnership to develop the City’s Plan.
Carson Homeless Planning Process Committee
The Committee held four sessions on May 7th, May 21st, June 4th, and July 9th. The first session’s purpose was to educate key stakeholders on the basics of the homeless services delivery system, best practices in the field and homelessness policy environment in Los Angeles County. This session also set the tone for the purpose and goals of this planning process. The second session was designed to educate key stakeholders on the core homelessness-related issues impacting the City of Carson and the solutions that could prevent and end homelessness in the City. These issues and opportunities/solutions were linked to the overall framework of goals/principles of this planning process. This session initiated the consensus building around key strategies that would form the Plan. During the third session, the Committee developed strategies for the Plan. The fourth session was used to present the Plan to the Committee and receive final feedback.
Strategies
The Plan recommends a series of strategies to implement the Plan. These strategies are grouped according to priority, based upon an expected implementation timeline beginning January 1, 2019. “Immediate” strategies refer to those to be implemented first (approximately during the first two quarters of 2019) versus “longer-term” priorities, which will be implemented 12-18 months after January 1, 2019.
Immediate Priority Strategies
1. Establish new position and/or responsibility of “Homeless Services Coordinator” under the City Manager’s Office, given the need to coordinate services/activities across all Departments.
2. Establish a Plan Implementation Committee to oversee and manage implementation of Carson’s Plan to End and Prevent Homelessness. The Committee will be chaired by the Assistant City Manager with assistance from the Homeless Services Coordinator and include broad participation from public, private and faith-based representatives.
3. Contract for a full-time outreach position dedicated to Carson. This contract would replace the existing PATH contract, which due to its modest funding only provides limited weekly outreach.
4. Enhance services and amenities at the Salvation Army’s Stillman Sawyer Family Service Center - located just outside Carson (820 Lomita Blvd, Harbor City) - in order to utilize the site as an Access/Drop-in Center, with on-site showers, mail service, and homeless navigation/case management services.
5. Establish storage options to safeguard the belongings of homeless persons so that they can more easily participate in services.
6. Establish a pilot motel voucher program so that homeless outreach workers can offer an immediate, safe shelter option to homeless individuals, youth, seniors, and families, while efforts are made to connect them to services via the Coordinated Entry System (CES) in the South Bay.
7. Study options for placing some RVs, currently occupied by homeless persons living in their vehicles on the streets, in safer locations outside of public rights of way.
8. Establish a safe parking pilot program (approx. 10 vehicles) for cars and trucks on private land or public land controlled by a county or state agency (e.g., CalTrans, Metro).
9. Establish a Carson-funded rapid re-housing pilot program (i.e., short to medium term rental assistance and case management services), leveraging match resources available through Measure H for both rental assistance and case management services.
10. Engage and build partnerships with local and regional landlords, including via the South Bay Association of Realtors.
11. Identify affordable housing projects serving Veterans that can apply for project-based VASH vouchers through the Community Development Commission/Housing Authority, County of LA.
12. Identify affordable housing operators who are willing to voluntarily implement a Homeless Preference, or Limited Homeless Preference, for their turnover units. This includes owners/ operators of housing developments previously supported by CRA and now supported by the Carson Housing Authority as well as any other affordable multi-family housing in the City.
13. Develop a shared housing pilot program using existing housing stock.
14. Study avenues to address the impact of new commercial and market-rate residential development on community demand for affordable housing.
15. Engage a greater number of faith communities in addressing homelessness and improve the coordination of efforts across and among these communities.
Medium Priority Strategies
1. Establish regional case conferencing modeled after what currently exists in other neighboring or South Bay cities (e.g., Redondo Beach, Long Beach).
2. Study the feasibility of other shelter options including paying for dedicated/reserved beds at (underutilized) board and care homes, converting a nuisance motel to shelter, and leasing a foreclosed single-family home.
3. Establish a business leaders’ task force to identify and implement private-sector solutions to homelessness, including, but not limited to, workforce development strategies, donation drives for Laundry Love, business-to-business outreach and education, and fundraising campaign.
4. Use remaining redevelopment housing funds to promote the development of a mixed population affordable housing project, including dedicated supportive housing units for homeless seniors, families or another homeless subgroup.
5. Improve the City’s efforts to educate the public about homelessness and affordable housing and the ways in which the City is addressing community needs in this regard.
6. Improve training and education on homelessness, affordable housing and existing services for City personnel and elected officials.
Longer-Term Priority Strategies
1. Establish a “by-name” list - managed by the Carson Homeless Services Coordinator in conjunction with Service Planning Area 8 (“SPA 8”) Lead Coordinated Entry System (“CES”) agency Harbor Interfaith Services, Sheriff’s Dept, etc. - of homeless persons (also to include outreach/navigator personnel assigned to client).
2. Enhance efforts to protect existing affordable housing projects in the City.
3. Create greater awareness of, and stronger linkages, between the workforce development system and the homelessness services system.
4. Explore the establishment of a Business Improvement District (BID) along Carson Street and the development of training and employment opportunities (e.g., street and sidewalk cleaning) for homeless persons, modeled after similar initiatives in other cities (e.g., City of LA and its BID partnership with the nonprofit agency Chrysalis).
5. Create a pilot program for homeowners to create accessory dwelling units ADUs to be leased to homeless persons, who would be pre-screened by service provider(s) and further screened by individual owners to ascertain eligibility and fit. Homeless participants - seniors, Veterans, adults, youth, etc. - would be paired with supportive services to promote stable tenancies.
6. Explore other revenue generation strategies to support the expansion of affordable housing.
7. Review the City’s Density Bonus Ordinance and current affordable/supportive housing requirements under local code/ordinance to ascertain whether any changes are needed to promote the development of affordable and supportive housing.
8. Consider establishing a homelessness prevention fund providing flexible financial assistance (e.g., eviction prevention), while strengthening connections between the City and prevention resources available through the SPA 8 Coordinated Entry System.
TBD Priorities Related to Homelessness among CSUDH Students
1. Establish a safe parking program for homeless CSUDH students on campus.
2. Establish a motel voucher program for homeless students at a local hotel/motel, to be administered by a nonprofit group (e.g., ASI, Associated Students) which, unlike CSUDH itself, would have fewer bureaucratic hurdles.
Pilot an “Adopt-A-Student” Program via faith and/or business partners (e.g., corporations with CSUDH alumni as owners or leaders) - modeled to some extent off of Project Catch in Boise, Idaho (http://www.catchprogram.org/).
V. FISCAL IMPACT
The City could leverage approximately $180,000 in Housing Authority funds to obtain additional funding from Measure H funds and other available sources. The $180,000 reflects the balance of the available funds allowed under SB 341 to be used to address homelessness in Carson.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Carson Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness (pgs. 6-49)
2. Carson Homeless Planning Process Committee (pg. 50)
3. Resolution 18-097 (pgs. 51-52)
Prepared by: John S. Raymond, Assistant City Manager