HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 6807
City of Palo Alto (ID # 6807)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Consent Calendar Meeting Date: 5/9/2016
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: Community Plan to End Homelessness
Title: Recommendation to Council to Adopt Two Resolutions: (a) Endorsing
the Community Plan to End Homelessness in Santa Clara County 2015-2020;
and (b) Supporting City Programs to Encourage and Fund Affordable Housing
as Urged by the Santa Clara County Housing Task Force
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Community Services
Recommendation
Staff recommends that Council:
1. Adopt a resolution supporting the Community Plan to End Homelessness in Santa Clara County
2015-2020. (Attachment A)
2. Adopt a resolution of the City of Palo Alto endorsing the resolution of the County of Santa Clara
Housing Services Task Force finding that the problem of homelessness is a crisis in Santa Clara
County and urging jurisdictions within the County to consider policy options for funding
affordable housing for the purpose of housing the homeless. (Attachment B)
Executive Summary
All cities in Santa Clara County (County) have been asked to adopt two resolutions related to a County-
wide approach to addressing homelessness. The resolutions include: 1) Community Plan to End
Homelessness in Santa Clara County - forwarded by Destination: Home, a public-private partnership
focused on implementing strategies to end homelessness. 2) County of Santa Clara Housing Services
Task Force – forwarded by the County of Santa Clara.
This report includes background information on the process of developing both of these resolutions,
related homeless research, and the specific requests for the City as part of these resolutions. In addition
the staff report offers staff input on additional opportunities for future impact on the local homeless
landscape.
The two resolutions recommended for adoption identify ways for local cities to partner with the County
and nonprofits to address homelessness using a cross jurisdictional approach. They would continue to
advance the goal of supporting regional strategies in collaboration with other jurisdictions and agencies
to end and prevent homelessness by creating permanent housing solutions. The Plan promotes a region-
City of Palo Alto Page 2
wide outcome based effort so that individual cities are not self-reliant in addressing homelessness
issues, and where individual persons are connected with the right housing opportunities and services
across the county.
The key opportunity for impact being introduced in this report, but to be considered as part of the FY17
Community Services Department proposed budget, is a request by the County to continue its
collaboration with the City on a regional approach to address homelessness in which the County
provides housing subsidies and the City provides funding for the accompanying case management. The
resource impact is $125,000 annually.
Background
On January 11, 2016, an informational report titled Addressing Homelessness in Support of a Healthy
and Safe Palo Alto (Attachment C: Staff Report - 6477) was included in the Council Packet. It included an
update on the North County Cold Weather Shelter, outlined the City’s monetary support of homeless
service organizations, provided general information on the depth and scope of the local homeless
landscape, and outlined the outreach and enforcement efforts of Palo Alto Police Department’s Special
Enforcement Detail coupled with the City Attorney office’s involvement in regards to Palo Alto Municipal
Code Violations.
The report reiterated that the homelessness issue is a complex and regional issue, one for which the City
has considered and pursued numerous strategies over time. It briefly introduced several County-wide
initiatives which local cities across the county were being asked to support via endorsing resolutions.
In the report, Staff committed to returning to Council with resolutions in support of the two County-
wide initiatives as well as options for the City‘s future involvement in the issue that was better
coordinated and focused and took into account our significant past commitment to homeless services.
Under the leadership of the County and Destination: Home, significant time, resources and expertise has
been allocated to developing a broad ranging and regional approach to ending and preventing
homelessness in the County. Another report that has influenced Destination: Home and the County‘s
ongoing approach is the wealth of information contained in the report titled Homes not Found: The cost
of homelessness in Silicon Valley; which is said to be the largest and most comprehensive body of
information that has been assembled in the United States to analyze the public cost of homelesses to
“guide strategies for stabilizing their lives, improving their wellbeing and reducing public costs for their
care.” (Attachment D – Fact Sheet - Homes not Found report.) In brief, it found that during the six year
period covered by the report, more that $3 billion worth of services (criminal justice, health & human
services) went to homeless residents.
Background information on the two County wide initiatives that the City is being asked to consider
endorsing via resolutions is given below. Both initiatives outline a regional approach to ending and
preventing homelessness in the County and have informed staff’s thinking as we consider options to
positively impact the homeless landscape in Palo Alto.
1) Community Plan to End Homelessness in Santa Clara County – 2015-2020.
Destination: Home is a public-private partnership created in 2008 by the City of San Jose, the County of
Santa Clara and other partners to implement the recommendations of the former Blue Ribbon
City of Palo Alto Page 3
Commission on Affordable Housing and Homelessness, a task force of county, city and other
representatives. Destination: Home identifies and coordinates resources to end chronic homelessness
and is improving how systems work together to intervene with episodic and situational homeless
individuals and families at risk of becoming chronically homeless.
Destination: Home developed the Community Plan to End Homelessness in Santa Clara County 2015-
2020 (“The Community Plan”) (Attachment E) in 2014 through a series of community summits related to
specific homeless populations and issues in Santa Clara County. The Plan was created as a community-
wide roadmap to end homelessness for the next five years, and is proposed to guide government,
nonprofits and other community members as they make decisions about funding, programs, priorities
and needs.
The Annual Implementation Guide (Attachment F) for the Plan includes action steps for the first year of
the Plan (the 2016 Implementation Plan is not yet available) as well as follow up action steps that will be
incorporated in future annual implementation guides.
The Plan is based on three central strategies:
1. Disrupt the System – Develop strategies and innovative prototypes that transform the
systems related to housing homeless people.
2. Build the Solution – Secure the funding needed to provide 6,000 housing opportunities with
services to those who are homeless and those at risk of homelessness.
3. Serve the Person – Adopt an approach that recognizes the need for client-centered
strategies with different responses for different levels of need and different groups,
targeting resources to the specific individual or household.
The Plan has been endorsed by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Santa Clara County Cities
Association, the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the Cities of Campbell, Gilroy, Morgan Hill,
Mountain View, Santa Clara, San Jose, Cupertino, Milpitas and Sunnyvale.
Destination: Home is seeking the endorsement of the Plan by the Council. By endorsing and supporting
the Plan, the City is not obligated to implement the Plan or adopt, expand or institute any programs.
However, the Council’s endorsement of the Plan would continue to advance the goal of supporting
regional strategies in collaboration with other jurisdictions and agencies to end and prevent
homelessness by creating permanent housing solutions. The Plan promotes a region-wide outcome
based effort so that individual cities are not self-reliant in addressing homelessness issues, and where
individual persons are connected with the right housing opportunities and services across the county.
The Plan is also consistent with current city programs and investments in homelessness prevention.
Destination: Home intends to develop a more coordinated regional response and believes that the City’s
endorsement will help in the effort to reduce homelessness and solve the problems related to
homelessness.
2) Santa Clara County Housing Services Task Force Resolution Request
In February, 2015, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors (BOS) created a Housing Task Force (HTF)
with the purpose of identifying solutions to the immediate housing needs of homeless families and
individuals county-wide. Membership included representatives from the San Jose Silicon Valley
City of Palo Alto Page 4
Chamber of Commerce, Working Partnerships USA, Housing Trust Silicon Valley, City of San Jose, Cities
Association of Santa Clara County, and the Housing Authority of Santa Clara County.
The HTF met on a monthly basis for nine months and provided a preliminary report and
recommendation to the BOS on September 15, 2015 and its final report on December 15, 2015. The
report included a wide range of recommendations to support three overarching strategies:
1. Develop a responsive and effective supportive housing system of care.
2. Support the development of new supportive and interim housing units to serve homeless men,
women, families and youth.
3. Support regional and jurisdiction-specific efforts to increase affordable housing and supportive
housing production countywide
On December 10, 2015, City staff received a formal letter from the co-chairs of the Housing Task Force
(Attachment G – Santa Clara County Task Force Request) and later from the Santa Clara County Cities
Association requesting that the City bring a resolution to Council for adoption “thereby joining the
County, other cities and agencies in acknowledging the crisis of homelessness and considering one or
more strategy to reduce homelessness throughout the county.” The report outlines a regional
framework to addressing homelessness and calls on cities specifically to consider taking action on a
series of policy and revenue measures in support of affordable housing.
The City has already implemented many of the measures recommended by the Task Force that are
relevant to this area, including:
Adoption of a Below Market Rate (BMR) Housing (Inclusionary) Ordinance and Rental Housing
and Housing Impact fees that are assessed on new market-rate residential rental and
commercial development;
Adoption of Affordable Housing Impact Fees
Chapter 16.47 of Municipal Code – Approval of Projects with Impacts on Housing
The City has recently completed Commercial and Residential Nexus Studies and will consider
updates to its fees by the end of 2016. The two draft nexus studies were presented to the
Finance Committee on 2/16/16. Link to staff report:
http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/50935
Consideration of Zoning Actions to:
o Allow Second Unit Ordinance - The City is exploring a Second Dwelling Unit ordinance.
The Planning and Transportation Commission held a Study Session on 1/27/16. Link to
staff report: https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/50714
o Incentivize affordable housing via zoning benefits - The City adopted Chapter 18.15:
Residential Density Bonus of Zoning Code in January 2014. Link to code:
http://library.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/California/paloalto_ca/paloaltomunicipalco
de?f=templates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:paloalto_ca
City of Palo Alto Page 5
The final Task Force recommendation is the approval of a resolution supporting the Community Plan,
which is being considered as part of this agenda item.
The Task Force resolution also includes a request that cities consider initiating ballot measures that
would earmark funding for affordable housing or using boomerang funds. The City is not currently
initiating any ballot measures and did not have an active Redevelopment Agency and therefore does not
have access to boomerang funds. The City may explore the prioritization of surplus land for affordable
housing development in the future.
At this time Staff is not recommending any further follow up steps on any of the areas listed above.
Discussion
In past Council discussions on issues related to homelessness, several Council members have stated that
they believe homelessness is most effectively addressed on a regional level and staff concurs. Aided by
the research, analysis, and recommendations provided by the County and Destination: Home, we have
not only learned much about the homeless landscape in the County, we have been given a clear
roadmap, using a collective impact approach, for moving forward and making a lasting impact in the
lives of the over 6,500 homeless men, women and children in the County utilizing a comprephensive
cross-jurisdictional approach.
In that regard, one positive step that the City can take in responding to this public health crisis is by
formally supporting the resolutions included in this staff report; 1) Community Plan to End
Homelessness in Santa Clara County 2015-2020 (Attachment A). 2) County of Santa Clara Housing
Services Task Force (Attachment B.)
Additional opportunities for impact:
As part of the Fiscal Year 2017 budget proposal, staff will be including a formal request (Attachment H -
Funding Request-SCC) from the County to continue its collaboration with the City on a regional approach
to address homelessness called the North County Re-Integration Program. The request is for
$125,000/year annually for two years ($250,000 total) The County has identified continuation of this
collaboration as a high need request. This collaboration was first approved by Council on October 7,
2013 (Attachment I.) At that time Council stated that funding would be one time only.
The goal of this program has been to house 20 Palo Altans who are chronically homeless. All individuals
will have had involvement with the criminal justice system (due to the funding source on the County
side) and have been referred by the Palo Alto Police Department and/or local social service agencies. In
this collaboration, the County provides housing subsidies and the City provides funding for the
accompanying case management. The term of the current contract is from 7/1/14 - 6/30/16. At present
13 individuals have been housed and it is hoped that 20 will be housed by June 20, 2016. This task has
been quite challenging due to the tight housing market in the County and the backgrounds of the
individuals to be housed. The program has also seen significant substance abuse and mental health
issues with the clients under this contract. This can make engagement and follow through of case
management tasks, including locating and applying for housing, challenging. This partnership laid the
foundation for a broader program. At no cost to the City of Palo Alto, the County doubled the project’s
capacity to 40 at the beginning of Fiscal Year 2016. There is now the flexibility in identifying individuals
City of Palo Alto Page 6
for housing who are not involved in the criminal justice system. As of March 31, 2016, the County’s
service provider is actively working with 25 homeless persons, ten of whom are housed and case
managed by the County’s provider and three who were housed as part of this collaboration in a housing
complex that provides its own case management. The goal is to reach program capacity by the fall of
2016.
The County has also significantly increased assistance to address homelessness in North County,
specifically Palo Alto, in the last two years in the following areas:
Crisis Response (Shelter, Basic Needs, etc.) The County is:
o Fully funding the North County Cold Weather Shelter Program, which includes developing a
permanent site in North County and prioritizes referrals from North County service agencies.
o Partially funding Project WeHOPE’s shelter in East Palo Alto as well as the organization’s
Dignity on Wheels program (a mobile shower and laundry facility that is at the Opportunity
Services Center on Saturday mornings, among other non- Palo Alto locations.) $50,000 in
one-time funds to support the development and operation of Project WeHOPE’s Dignity on
Wheels.
o There is no year round shelter program in northern Santa Clara County other than Hotel de
Zink, a rotating church shelter, in Palo Alto. Even though Project WeHope is located in San
Mateo County, it is open to north county homeless individuals. Considering fully funding and
expanding Hotel de Zink from 15 to 20 beds year round
Homelessness Prevention Programs
o Opportunity Services Center – Palo Alto
Funding Housing/Eviction Prevention Specialist ($30,000 per year for two years)
Funding eviction prevention funds ($30,000 per year for two years)
Development
o Set aside $14M to support efforts to maintain affordable housing at Buena Vista mobile
home park
o In discussions to improve operations, services and affordability at Opportunity Center
Other opportunities for which no funding source has yet been identified that staff is exploring are
programs and services that address the shelter/temporary housing needs of homeless families. Staff is
exploring the concept of a hotel voucher program for families modeled after a program in San Mateo
County operated by LifeMoves (formally InnVision Shelter Network.) In such a program the City could
contract with a local service provider to oversee a hotel voucher program for homeless families to
ensure that no child sleeps on the street or in a vehicle in our community. Another option would be to
subsidize a transitional housing unit owned by LifeMoves at which a homeless Palo Alto family could live
while receiving comprephensive services in order to become self sufficient again.
Lastly, staff and the Human Relations Commission (HRC) are in the process of implementing next steps
City of Palo Alto Page 7
in association with the summit on Veterans Homelessness held in October, 2015. That summit featured
the executive director of Joining Forces, the White House initiative on supporting veterans and their
families. On Veterans Day 2015, the City of San Jose, County of Santa Clara, Housing Authority and
Destination: Home, launched the All the Way Home Campaign to work with landlords to get better
access to rental units for veterans and their families. This campaign was inspired by the Mayor’s
Challenge to End Veterans Homelessness, which former Mayor Karen Holman signed at the homeless
veterans’ summit.
Moreover, the Housing Authortity of Santa Clara County has created the “Be a Hero” Program as part of
the All the Way Home Campaign, in which they are incentivizing landlords to rent to veterans through
the possibility of guaranteed rent, security deports, renters insurance, vacancy payments and protection
against other loses. An outreach event was held in San Jose last December and 10 of the landlords who
attended committed 45 rental units for homeless veterans. Staff and the Human Relations Commission
are in the initial process of planning a landlord outreach event in Palo Alto in early summer. Staff may
be recommending further action in regards to addressing homeless veterans in collaboration with
County partners but does not currently have any additional next steps beyond the event listed above.
Resource Impact
The $125,000 annual funding request by the County will be considered as part of the proposed FY17
Community Services Department budget request, but no additioanal resource impact is recommended
as part of this staff report. The funding would be provided from the General Fund and any
consideration of further resources that the Council may wish to consider related to these resolutions
would be returned to Council accordingly.
Policy Implications
The actions recommended in this report implement the City’s adopted Housing Element policies and
programs. Specifically, Program H3.3.6 calls for continuing to participate and support agencies
addressing homelessness. In addition, this action is consistent with the City’s adopted 2015-2020
Consolidated Plan Strategic Plan goal to support activities to end homelessness.
Environmental Review
For purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), this action itself is not a project;
therefore, no environmental impact assessment is necessary.
Attachments:
Attachment A - Resolution to Endorse Community Plan to End Homelessness (PDF)
Attachment B - Resolution County of Santa Clara Housing Services Task Force (PDF)
Attachment C - Staff Report # 6477 Homelessness Info Report (PDF)
Attachment D - FactSheet -Homes Not Found Report (PDF)
Attachment E - Community Plan to End Homelessness INSANTA CLARA COUNTY (PDF)
Attachment F - Annual Implementation Guide for 2015 (PDF)
Attachment G - Santa Clara County Task Force Request (PDF)
Attachment H - Funding Request - SCC (PDF)
Attachment I - Excerpt from Council Minutes 10-7-13 (2) (DOCX)
NOT YET APPROVED
151116 jb 0131495 1 January 2016
Resolution No. ______
Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto to Endorse the Destination:
Home Community Plan to End Homelessness in Santa Clara County 2015-2020
R E C I T A L S
A. Homelessness continues to be a pressing issue for the City of Palo Alto (“City”) and
Santa Clara County (“County”).
B. With Destination: Home staff playing a coordinating role over the past year, leaders
from the County, other government agencies, service providers, philanthropy, community institutions
and business organizations have created a Community Plan to End Homelessness in Santa Clara County
2015-2020 (“Community Plan”).
C. Destination: Home’s Board approved the Community Plan in October 2014 and
Destination: Home is now seeking the endorsement of the City Council and other governing boards and
elected bodies.
D. The City Council’s endorsement of the Community Plan is consistent with the City of
Palo Alto’s Consolidated Plan priorities related to the issues of housing and homelessness.
E. The City desires to endorse and support the Destination: Home Community Plan, which
does not obligate the City to provide funding or resources to Destination: Home or undertake any
specific action, and any future contributions or actions in support of the Community Plan shall be at the
sole discretion of the City.
F. The City is not obligated to implement the Community Plan or adopt, expand, institute,
or fund any program, as such, any new or considered programs or services will be considered at the time
that specific requests for such programs or services are before the City Council.
The City Council of the City of Palo Alto RESOLVES as follows:
SECTION 1. The foregoing recitals are true and correct.
SECTION 2. The City Council hereby endorses the Destination: Home Community Plan to
End Homelessness 2015-2020.
SECTION 3. By endorsing the Destination: Home Community Plan to End Homelessness
2015-2020, the City is not obligated to adopt, expand, institute or fund any program, as such, any new
or considered programs or services will be considered at the time that specific requests for such
programs or services are before the City Council.
/ /
/ /
/ /
/ /
ATTACHMENT A
NOT YET APPROVED
151116 jb 0131495 2 January 2016
SECTION 4. For purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), this action itself is not a project; therefore, no environmental impact
assessment is necessary.
INTRODUCED AND PASSED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTENTIONS:
ATTEST:
_____________________________ _______________________________
City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVED:
______________________________ ________________________________
Senior Assistant City Attorney City Manager or Designee
________________________________
Director of Planning and Community
Environment
NOT YET APPROVED
160426 sh 0140158 1
Resolution No. ______
Resolution of the City of Palo Alto Adopting the Resolution of the Housing
Task Force of the County of Santa Clara Finding that the Problem of
Homelessness in Santa Clara County Constitutes a Crisis and Urging
Jurisdictions Within the County to Consider Policy Options for Funding
Affordable Housing for the Purpose of Housing the Homeless
R E C I T A L S
A. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors created the Housing Task Force for
the purpose of identifying solutions to the immediate housing needs of homeless families and
individuals across Santa Clara County; and
B. The Housing Task Force adopted the resolution attached hereto as Exhibit “A”,
and sent a letter to the City of Palo Alto dated December 10, 2015, asking the City to adopt the
resolution; and
C. The Housing Task Force resolution declares homelessness in Santa Clara County
is a crisis and recommends that cities consider measures to generate affordable housing funds
to produce affordable housing, adopt the Community Plan to End Homelessness in Santa Clara
County: 2015-2020, and take other steps to address homelessness; and
D. The City of Palo Alto has considered and/or is implementing the measures
recommended in the Housing Task Force’s resolution, including the following:
•Adoption, defense and implementation of a Below-Market-Rate Housing
(Inclusionary) Ordinance;
•Development of a housing nexis study to support updated impact fees to be
assessed on new market-rate commercial and residential rental and for-sale housing
developments, and consideration in 2016 of updated housing impact fees;
•Consideration of policies to encourage housing at all affordability levels,
including zoning changes to encourage mixed-use developments, micro units and accessory
dwelling units; and
•Consideration of a resolution supporting the Community Plan to End
Homelessness in Santa Clara County: 2015-2020.
The City Council of the City of Palo Alto RESOLVES as follows:
SECTION 1. The City Council does hereby adopt the Santa Clara County Housing Task
Force Resolution attached hereto as Exhibit “A”, incorporated herein by this reference, finding
that homelessness is a crisis and supporting the measures in the resolution for addressing
homelessness in Santa Clara County.
ATTACHMENT B
NOT YET APPROVED
160426 sh 0140158 2
SECTION 2. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
SECTION 3. For purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), this action itself is not a project; therefore, no
environmental impact assessment is necessary.
INTRODUCED AND PASSED:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTENTIONS:
ATTEST:
_____________________________ _______________________________
City Clerk Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM: APPROVED:
______________________________ ________________________________
City Attorney City Manager or Designee
________________________________
Director of Planning and Community
Environment
________________________________
Director of Community Services
County of Santa Clara
Office of Supportive Housing
3180 Newberry Dr. Suite 150
San Jose, CA 95118
(408) 793-0550 Main
(408) 266-0124 Fax
December 10, 2015
Mr. James Keene
City Manager
City of Palo Alto
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
; 'O~~~\
,1.; ;
RE: Resolution of the Housing Task Force of the County of Santa Clara
Dear Mr. Keene,
On behalf of the members of the County's Housing Task Force, we request your support in addressing
the urgent housing needs of homeless men, women and families throughout the county. Specifically,
we request that your organization bring the attached resolution before its governing board for
adoption, thereby joining the County, other cities and agencies in acknowledging the crisis of
homelessness and considering one or more strategy to reduce homelessness throughout the county.
The resolution was unanimously adopted by the Housing Task Force on October 9,2015, and the Cities
Association on November 12, 2015.
While cities and agencies have varying resources, each organization can play some role in meeting
homeless persons' basic needs, preventing homelessness among our most vulnerable populations, and
increasing the supply of affordable and supportive housing. By passing the resolution, you will express
a continued commitment to work regionally and collaboratively.
Our collective effort is aimed at preventing homelessness whenever possible. When homelessness
cannot be prevented, we must work together to ensure that homelessness for an individual or family
is rare, brief and non-recurring.
Sincerely,
Ben Field
Co-Chairperson
Housing Task Force of the County of Santa Clara
Matthew R. Mahood
Co-Chairperson
Housing Task Force of the County of Santa Clara
Board of Supervisors: Mike Wasserman, Cindy Chavez, Dave Cortese, Ken Yeager, S. Joseph Simitian
County Executive: Jeffrey V. Smith
EXHIBIT "A"
RESOLUTION OF THE HOUSING TASK FORCE
OF THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA
FINDING THAT THE PROBLEM OF HOMELESSNESS IN SANTA CLARA
COUNTY CONSTITUTES A CRISIS AND URGING JURISDICTIONS WITHIN
THE COUNTY TO CONSIDER POLICY OPTIONS FOR FUNDING
AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR THE PURPOSE OF HOUSING THE
HOMELESS
WHEREAS, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, at the recommendation of
Supervisor Dave Cortese, created the Housing. Task Force for the purpose of identifYing
,solutions to the immediate housing needs of homeless families and individuals across Santa
Clara County; and '
WHEREAS, the 2015 Santa Clara County Point~In-Time Homeless Census & Survey
found that there are 6,556 homeless persons living within the County, and that 63% of them have
been homeless for one year or more; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's 2014 Annual
Homeless Assessment Report found that, among the 48 Major City COiltinuurns of Care in the
United States, Santa Clara County has the third largest number of chroniC{ll.ly homeless persons,
the fourth largest number of homeless individuals, thq fourth largest number of unaccompanied
homeless youth and the fifth largest number of homeless veterans; and
WHEREAS, the Homeless Census & Survey found that 39% of homeless individuals
within the County suffer from psychiatric or emotional conditions, 38% struggle with drug or
alcohol abuse, 30% have a physical disability, 25% suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder,
22% have chronic health problems, and 63% have been homeless for one year or more; and
WHEREAS, according to research published in the New England Journal ofM~icine,
the average life expectancy for individuals experiencing homelessness is 25 years less than those
in stable, housing; and
WHEREAS, the 2015 Home Not Found study revealed that, of the 511 homeless people
within the study's survey popUlation who died betw~en 2007 ,and 2012,54% of them died
outside of a hospital or other institutional setting, which means that they died "quite possibly on
the street;" and '
WHEREAS, the Home Not Found st\,ldy also demonstrated that the cost ofprovid~~g
services t9 homeless residents, including services in the health c'are and criminal justice systems,
averaged $~20 million per year over the six-year study period, or $3.1 billion over the entire
period; and
WHEREAS, in addition to impacting the lives of homeless residents, homelesslless also
poses challC{lg~s for residents and businesses located n~ar homeless encampments; and
Resolution of the Housing Task Force
Of the County of Santa Clara
-,..... -,_.
Page 1 of5 Revisod based on motion at '10/09/1 S
Housing Task Force Mtg.
WHEREAS, in August 2015, the San Jose Mercury News reported that the average
monthly rent in Santa Clara County had reached $2,552, making it one of the most expensive
rental markets in the nation; and
WHEREAS, the 2014-2020 Regional Housing Needs Allocation identifies the need for
9,542 new Low Income units and 16,158 Very Low Income units within Santa Clara County;
and
WHEREAS, Destination: Home's Community Plan to End Homelessness in Santa Clara
County relies upon the "Housing First" model, which "centers on providing people experiencing
homelessness with housing as quickly as possible;" and
WHEREAS, the Affordable Housing Funding Landscape & Best Practices white paper
found that due to the dissolution of redevelopment agencies in California and cuts to federal
programs, affordable housing funding in Santa Clara County decreased from $126 million in
2008 to $47 million in 2013; and
WHEREAS, the Homeless Census & Survey found that 93% of homeless people
surveyed answered "Yes" when asked if they would want affordable permanent housing, were it
available.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSING TASK FORCE OF
THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA:
1. The problem of homelessness in Santa Clara County constitutes a crisis. It imposes
unacceptable costs, both in terms of public resources and human suffering, and requires
an urgent response from public officials across Santa Clara County.
2. The solution to the problem of homeless ness is to provide homeless individuals with
pennanent affordable housing or supportive housing. Construction of an adequate supply
of affordable housing will require the creation of new local funding sources. These
funding efforts will be most successful if implemented consistently across all of the
County's fifteen cities.
3. In the interest of promoting a consistent approach to affordable housing funding in Santa
Clara County, the Housing Task Force recommends that all cities in the County (and
other jurisdictions, where applicable) conduct their own analysis ofthe following
measures for funding affordable housing, and fonnally consider whether to adopt them:
a. Inclusionary Zoning -Inclusionary zoning requires that developers include a
percentage of below market rate units for low to moderate income households in
new market-rate, for-sale residential developments.
b. Affordable Housing Impact Fees -Impact fees are charged to developers to
mitigate the projected impacts of new market-rate developments on the need for
affordable housing. The first step for jurisdictions considering an impact fee is
Resolution of the Housing Task Force
Ofthe County of Santa Clara
Page 2 of5 Revised based on motion at 10/09/15
Housing Task Force Mtg.
often to conduct a nexus study to quantify thc impact of new development on
housing need. There are two types of impact fees:
1. Residential Impad Fees are assessed on new rental or for-sale housing
development.
ii. Commercial Linkage Fees are assessed on new commercial or industrial
development.
c. Ballot Initiatives -Local jurisdictions have the ability to place tax measures on
the ballot for voter approval. As jurisdictions consider whether to place tax
measures on the ballot for the 2016 election cycle, they should consider including
funding for affordable housing within their measures.
d. Surplus Land -The County, Cities, and other jurisdictions have the ability to
prioritize surplus land owned by the jurisdiction for affordable housing
development, thereby facilitating affordability by reducing or eliminating land
costs.
e. Zoning Actions -Cities can take various zoning actions to encourage production
of both deed-restricted affordable housing and "naturally" affordable housing,
including:
i. Adoption of a second unit ordinance that enables homeowners to build
secondary residential structures on existing lots.
ii. Allowing the construction of micro-units of200-400 square feet that are
relatively more affordable than other market rate units.
111. Protecting naturally affordable existing housing, such as mobile home
parks. Cities can govern the conversion of mobile home parks tlu'ough
policy, ordinance, or their general plans. In the event parks do convert,
cities can adopt replacement housing provisions that would require that
displaced inhabitants be fairly compensated, that replacement housing be
made available to displaced residents and that an affordable housing
component be required as part of the development plan for the converted
site.
iv. Incentivizing affordable housing by offering zoning benefits, such
as increased density or height or decreased parking requirements, to make
the production of affordable housing more economically viable.
f. Boomerang Funds -Boomerang funds are former Redevelopment Agency funds
that return to the County, cities and other local jurisdictions. Cities should
consider whether to commit 20% of their ongoing boomerang funds to affordable
Resolution of the Housing Task Force
Of the County of Santa Clara
Page 3 of5 Revised based on motion at 10109/15
Housing Task Force Mtg.
City of Palo Alto (ID # 6477)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Informational Report Meeting Date: 1/11/2016
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: Homelessness Activities
Title: Addressing Homelessness in Support of a Healthy and Safe Palo Alto
From: City Manager
Lead Department: City Manager
Recommendation
This report is provided for City Council information only at this time, and provides an overview
of current City activities related to homelessness and upcoming Council agenda items on the
topic.
Executive Summary
The beginning of winter provides a tangible reminder of the ongoing needs of the unhoused
members of our society. This report provides a summary of existing winter shelter programs. At
the same time, recognizing that homelessness is a year-round issue, this report also discusses
ongoing programs and options for additional resource allocation.
Within the next two months, Council will have the opportunity to discuss several related issues:
• HSRAP funding allocation
• Countywide Plan to End Homelessness
• Cities Association request to support a resolution from the County’s Housing Services
Task Force, and to join the “All the Way Home Campaign.”
This report provides background information that should be helpful to the Council in
considering these items. Staff anticipates bringing back to Council a broader discussion on the
City’s role and available resources to assist in homelessness issues in the months ahead.
Discussion
The Santa Clara County Office of Supportive Housing takes the lead on cold weather shelters in
the County1.
1 More information can be found at the county webpage https://www.sccgov.org/sites/oah/Pages/Office-of-
Affordable-Housing.aspx.
City of Palo Alto Page 2
In North County, a shelter at the former Onizuka Air Force Station in Sunnyvale is expected
currently to provide 100-125 additional beds through March 31st. Beds at the Shelter will be on
a referral only basis by North County Homeless Services Agencies, meaning that an individual
has a bed for a three month period. However if someone does not arrive by 7pm, their spot will
be given away that night for a walk in. This facility provides a 100-person capacity and increases
to 125 during inclement weather, defined as:
• A forecasted overnight low of 38 degrees or lower with a probability of rain less than 50%;
or
• A forecasted overnight low of 42 degrees or lower with a probability of rain of 50% or
greater.
The County of Santa Clara is providing financial support to agencies to increase their capacity
for additional cold weather spots for the same period as the main shelter. These beds will also
be on a referral basis, and locally include Hotel de Zink – Palo Alto Rotating Church Shelter
operated by Inn Vision Shelter Network – increase of 5 spots beds or 20 in total, and Project
WeHope – East Palo Alto - increase of 20 spots beds. Warming centers are also available
throughout the county. In Palo Alto, the Opportunity Center serves as a “warming center
station” for Palo Alto during regular hours of operation of Monday-Friday, 8am – 4pm.
See attached for full program information on the North County Cold Weather Shelter Program.
The City was recently asked by County staff if we could open the Cubberley Community Center
as a shelter during periods of inclement weather this winter. In light of incompatibility with
other uses at Cubberley and the surrounding neighborhood, City staff responded that we would
not recommend City Council approval.
Current and Recent Year-Round Efforts
Recognizing that our long-term societal goal is to minimize the causes and effects of
homelessness, the City of Palo Alto as with other communities worldwide has employed various
strategies to address this vexing problem.
At this time, there are estimates of 100-400 unhoused individuals in Palo Alto, representing a
significant increase over prior years. The 2015 bi-annual Santa Clara County Homeless Point in
Time (PIT) Count taken in February 2015 lists Palo Alto’s homeless count as 219 (prior counts
are: 2011 – 151, 2013 – 157.) Some of this increase is believed by some to have resulted from
closure of the Sunnyvale armory and “the Jungle” encampment in San Jose just before the PIT
count was taken.
Causes and effects of homelessness are varied and debated. Clearly this can be a public health
issue, impacting individuals and the community with physical and mental health dimensions. In
some cases, public safety concerns are also present.
City of Palo Alto Page 3
The City currently supports several organizations that provide direct services to homeless
individuals. Resources currently deployed includes roughly $600,000 per year, primarily to the
Downtown Streets Team, with smaller amount contributions to Momentum for Mental Health,
InnVision Shelter Network and Peninsula HealthCare Connections. Through a separate
collaboration with the County, Peninsula HealthCare Connections – New Directions, the City’s
support is also providing one case manager and related expenses ($125,000/year for two years)
through June 2016. At this point, 810 people have been housed, with 7 more currently in the
housing search process aidded by the case manager.
In addition, Avenidas and City staff are in discussions about increasing services to senior
homeless individuals. The City has recently experienced an increase in senior homeless persons
who often spend time in Cogswell Plaza. The City has requested that Avenidas consider, as part
of its partnership with the City, additional provision of services to the homeless. Avenidas has
agreed to discuss.
Staff believes that overall these services are productive and working for a majority of affected
individuals. However, these services are not effective for individuals with severe substance
abuse and/or mental health issues. Further, there are a small number of individuals (estimated
by PAPD at less than 20) who generate a large number of the quality of life and property crime
problems in the downtown area.
To address this latter segment, the Police Department’s 54-person Special Enforcement Detail is
tasked with ongoing enforcement. This has resulted in issuance of 500 citations and execution
of approximately 150 bench warrants over the past year.
The City Attorney’s Office is responsible for prosecuting violations of the Palo Alto Municipal
Code. Over the past year, the Office has taken a more hands on role in this area, replacing
outside counsel with a staff attorney, who is typically in court at least once a week on these
issues. Enforcement approaches have been frustrating for all involved, with limited ability to
compel compliance, given that jails are full and early release routine and an expensive bench
warrant system for individuals that fail to appear. Downtown businesses have similarly
expressed frustration with the City’s limited ability to effectively address conduct (Code
violations) that they see as a threat to business. While the criminal justice system is a necessary
component of a multi-faceted approach to address community health and safety, it is limited in
its ability to address fundamental issues that contribute to quality of life challenges downtown
and throughout the community.
Further Addressing Both Ends of the Spectrum of Needs
Clearly this is a complex and regional issue, one for which the City has considered and pursued
numerous strategies over time.
On a County wide basis, key resolutions have been forwarded for consideration of City support
on addressing homelessness.
City of Palo Alto Page 4
1) County Plan to End Homelessness in Santa Clara County – 2015-2020 – Lead Agency –
Destination Home - a public-private partnership. Through a Collective Impact Approach, the
Plan was created as a community-wide roadmap to end homelessness for the next five
years, and is proposed to guide government, nonprofits and other community members as
they make decisions about funding, programs, priorities and needs (Tentative Council Date
1-25-16)
Santa Clara County Housing Task Force Recommendations
In November, the Santa Clara County Cities Association received an update from the SCC
Housing Task Force (HTF) and a request from Cities Association President/HTF Member Jason
Baker to support a Resolution declaring homelessness a crisis and a call to action on the
implementation of affordable housing funding strategies as an effort to prevent homelessness
and ensure coordinated efforts countywide. It also received a request for cities to join the Santa
Clara County and City of San Jose “All the Way Home Campaign” - matching homeless veterans
with housing units. A fact sheet is attached with more information.
Other specific strategies have been suggested, such as pay-for-success grant funding models
and motel vouchers for families with minors, as well as operational practices such as the
availability of public restrooms and other facilities.
Next Steps
In all likelihood, undertaking a meaningfully greater role will require some additional program
management resources within the City. Given the range of strategies involved, the City’s
current decentralized services in related areas could thereby be better coordinated and focused
on gaps between services. This would accompany direct services, such as case managers
dedicated to specific segments of the population.
Staff is currently formulating options and recommendations on how to respond, and expect to
be looking at some near term (mid-year or FY 17 Budget) proposals to support our efforts.
Attachments:
ATTACHMENT A: Homeless Veterans Fact Sheet (PDF)
1 Source: Santa Clara County Point-In -Time Census and Survey Comprehensive Report 2015,
https://www.sccgov.org/sites/opa/nr/Documents/SantaClaraCounty_HomelessReport_2015_FINAL.pdf
Homeless Veterans in Santa Clara County
There are currently 703 homeless veterans in Santa Clara County, 683 are single and 20 are
living in families. Females comprise 13% of single homeless veterans and 65% of homeless
veterans in families. 314 veterans are considered chronically homeless, which is 46% of the
homeless veteran population. Only 37% of homeless veterans are sheltered, with 63%
unsheltered. 71% of homeless veterans were living in this county when they most recently became homeless.
Additionally, 8% were in a hospital or treatment facility just prior to becoming homeless and 23% are experiencing
homelessness for the first time.
Many U.S. veterans experience conditions that place them
at increased risk for homelessness, including higher rates
of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain
Injury (TBI), sexual assault and physical disability.
Veterans experiencing homelessness are more likely to live
on the street than in shelters and often remain on the
street for extended periods of time. 1
About the Campaign
The “All the Way Home” campaign is targeted at ending veteran homelessness. The City of San Jose, the County
of Santa Clara, the Housing Authority of the County of Santa Clara and Destination: Home are collaborating to
address this community crisis. It is inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama’s 2015 Mayors Challenge to End
Veteran Homelessness, in partnership with the Veteran’s Administration and Housing and Urban Development
(HUD). The campaign will work with landlords and apartment owners to increase access to rental units for
homeless veterans and their families. Outreach will also be made to corporations and faith based groups to aid
with land acquisition, housing development, access to rental units, financial assistance and services.
Funding Committed to End Veteran Homelessness
The City of San Jose will be committing up to $6 million for new housing opportunities that could serve more than
100 veterans. Recently, the Board of Supervisors authorized an additional $1.5 million a year in housing and
services for homeless veterans. The Housing Authority annually has up to $7.445 million available through
Veterans Affairs (federally supported) Supportive Housing (VASH) Vouchers.
The Need
Santa Clara County has one of the most expensive rental markets in the nation. With vacancy rates at an all time
low, we need our community partners to work with us to match veterans with housing units, ensuring that we are
able to bring them All The Way Home. The Housing Authority estimates that $3.835 million of our VASH funding
eligibility of $7.445 million (51.5%) will not be spent due to the inability of our veterans to be able to rent an apartment.
The Campaign is actively seeking partner landlords who will rent vacant units to homeless veterans. In exchange,
the veteran’s rent will be subsidized through the federal or local government.
Contact information
If you are interested in being involved in the “All the Way Home” campaign to end veteran homelessness or have
questions about the campaign, please contact colleen@destinationhomescc.org.
FACT SHEET: HOMELESS VETERANS IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY
Homeless Veterans
37%
63%
0
20
40
60
80
Sheltered Veterans Unsheltered Veterans
0
50
100
59% Psychiatric or
Emotional
53% Physical Disability 44% PTSD 53% Chronic Health
Issues
18% Traumatic Brain
Injury
Health Conditions Among Homeless Veterans
Homeless Veterans
Home Not Found: The Cost of Homelessness in Silicon Valley
New Study on Homelessness in Santa Clara County
Home Not Found: The Cost of Homelessness in Silicon Valley takes an
unprecedented in-depth look at the cost of homelessness in Santa Clara
County—and points to myriad possibilities that can move us towards ending
homelessness and save the community money. It is the largest and most
comprehensive body of information that has been assembled in the United
States to analyze the public costs of homelessness, combining diverse data
streams to analyze the population that experienced homelessness in Santa Clara County between 2007
and 2012. It includes demographic and medical attributes, justice system history, health and human
services provided, and the cost of services. This data shows the realities of the true cost to public and
safety net systems of homelessness in Silicon Valley.
Home Not Found was sponsored by Destination: Home and underwritten by the County of Santa Clara,
and was authored by Economic Roundtable, a nonprofit, public benefit corporation conducting applied
economic, social and environmental research that contributes to the sustainability of individuals and
communities.
Why a Study?
Home Not Found identifies the characteristics of the most vulnerable, distressed and costly homeless
residents of Santa Clara County to guide strategies for stabilizing their lives, improving their wellbeing
and reducing public costs for their care. Homelessness is marked by the absence of connections that
are crucial for well-being, including connections to shelter, family, and health. These deficits are more
severe and indelible among individuals experiencing persistent homelessness, for whom homelessness
has become a way of life. Individuals experiencing persistent homelessness, who have recurring health
and justice system crises that bring them into hospitals and jails at high public cost, are the focus of this
study.
The Cost of Homelessness to the community in Santa Clara County
More than $3 billion worth of services went to homeless residents in the six years covered by this
study. This cost our community $520 million per year.
●$1.9 billion over six years for medical diagnoses and the associated health care services—the
largest component of homeless residents’ overall public costs
●$786 million over six years associated with justice system involvement—the second largest
component of the overall cost of homelessness.
The Cost Savings of Housing
104,206 individuals experienced homelessness in Santa Clara County over the study’s six-year period.
The community has a significant opportunity to spend money more efficiently to better serve the
population and provide long-term solutions to the homeless population. Home Not Found offers critical
data:
●The top 5 percent of the homeless population accounts for 47 percent of all public costs.
Within this population, 2,800 individuals are categorized as “persistently homeless” and have
an average public cost of $83,000 per year. By prioritizing housing opportunities for these
2,800 persistently homeless individuals, it is possible to obtain savings that greatly exceed the
cost of housing.
●As demonstrated through our work with Housing 1000 (a Housing First program), tenth decile
users cost on average $62,473 while homeless. The average post-housing cost is estimated at
$19,767, resulting in annual cost reduction of $42,706 for those who remained housed.
The Homeless Population of Santa Clara County
●Many People Experience Short Term Homelessness: Many individuals are able to find housing
after only short episodes of homelessness. Out of the entire population that experienced
homelessness between 2007 and 2012, about 20 percent of the population was homeless for
only one month. Another 32 percent were homeless for two to six months. This shows that for
half of the population, homelessness is not a long-term way of life.
●Higher Rates of Persistent Homelessness Among Females
in Santa Clara County: Of the overall homeless population,
17 percent of females versus 14 percent of males were
recorded as persistently homeless in an average month,
much higher than national estimates. It is a trend that
should be examined further and have programs developed
for this segment of the homeless population.
…And Solutions Exist
Through the efforts of public and private agencies, and homeless service providers, strategies like
prevention, rapid re-housing and supportive housing have been proven to work. Now armed with the
data of Home Not Found, these strategies can be deployed with even greater efficacy:
●Invest in Homeless Prevention: By investing in prevention, the community can funnel resources
to keep people housed and prevent them from falling into chronic homelessness, which is
costly and difficult to escape. Prevention programs ensure that a family does not become
homeless for failing to make a rent payment, that young adults do not exit foster care without a
home, and that every veteran transitioning out of the military has a place to return to.
●Expand Local Rapid Re-Housing Programs: When our community engaged in the federal
Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing program, a national average of 93% of
participating families remained housed after the program ended. By investing in short-term
shallow housing subsidies, resiliency will increase, and resources can be diverted to those who
are in crisis and require a deeper investment.
●Build Permanent Supportive Housing and Create New Housing: Individuals who suffer the most
require the deepest levels of support. For disabled and long term homeless men and women,
stable housing is the foundation of recovery. Without increasing overall public costs, the
community can increase the supply of housing and create new housing opportunities to
alleviate this worst kind of suffering.
COMMUNITY PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS
IN SANTA CLARA
COUNTY
2015-2020
COMMUNITY PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS
2
ABOUT THIS PLAN
This plan exists to create a community-wide roadmap to ending homelessness for the next five
years. This plan will guide governmental actors, nonprofits, and other community members as they
make decisions about funding, programs, priorities, and needs. This plan was created in April-August
2014 after and through a series of community summits related to specific homeless populations and
homeless issues in Santa Clara County, including summits related to:
An implementation body will use this plan as a guide to create an annual community action plan
that will provide the “how” to this plan’s “what.” In 2014, the annual action plan has been heavily
informed by the information provided by community members at the summits.
Youth Families Veterans North County South County Environmental advocates
Discharging institutions (health care, mental health, corrections)
Nonprofit board members Disruptive thinking about housing
WHAT WE
WANT
WHO WE ARE
A community in which
all residents have
access to appropriate
and affordable housing
and the support they
need to retain it. We
can end homelessness.
WE KNOW HOW.
ENDHOMELESSNESS
LAW ENFORCEMENT
PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS
ORGANIZATIONS
ENVIRONMENTALADVOCATESCI
T
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Z
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N
S
DESTINATION: HOME
PUBLIC TRANSIT
HE
A
L
T
H
C
A
R
E
PR
O
V
I
D
E
R
S
BENEFITS
CASE WORKERS
J
O
B
TR
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N
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N
G
HOUSING DEVELOPERS
L
O
C
A
L
E
L
E
C
T
E
D
O
F
F
I
C
I
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L
S
FAITH BASEDLOCAL CITIES
EDUCATION
EMPLOYERS
VA
HO
U
S
I
N
G
&
S
E
R
V
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C
E
PR
O
V
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LA
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D
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COMMUNITY PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS
3
OUR VISION:No one lives outside.
It can happen to anyone: a job loss; a medical condition; missing a rent payment; falling behind and finding that you
have nothing to fall back on. There are many ways someone can become homeless and only one way to really solve it.
Homelessness doesn’t end when we clear out an encampment or when we hand out blankets. Homelessness ends when
everyone has a home.
In our community, a public-private partnership has been formed and already started removing traditional institutional
barriers, creating new ways to provide accessible and affordable housing and defying convention in finding homes for many
people, but there is still more to be done. It is time for our successes to be brought to scale.
Silicon Valley doesn’t give up when there’s a challenge. We solve it.
Over the last decade, Santa Clara County has gradually organized around a community-wide effort to address
homelessness. In 2003, the City of San Jose completed a Homeless Strategy designed to eliminate chronic homelessness
by focusing on prevention, rapid rehousing, wraparound services and proactive efforts. That led to Santa Clara County’s
2005 Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, and the 2008 Blue Ribbon Commission culminating in the establishment of
Destination: Home as the public-private partnership vehicle to implement these strategies, resulting in a 2011 campaign
geared towards ending chronic homelessness. Time and results have taught us that of the strategies laid out in 2003,
access to housing is what works.
We can end homelessness. We know how. Move people into homes and align the support services they need to be
successful and the cycle of homelessness stops.
Over the last two years, our coordinated effort proved that a Housing First model works in Santa Clara County. It
demonstrated what national experts have known for years: it’s cheaper to permanently house someone than to continually
care for them while they live on the street. Lasting inter-agency partnerships have been forged and a new table of local
leadership emerged to tackle our toughest barriers. With the momentum of this short term campaign, a singular question
presented itself, “How many people should we leave on the streets?” The immediate and definitive answer our leaders
delivered was, “None.”
Ten years of progress has brought Santa Clara County to this point in time. We have new collaborative cross sector
partnerships. We have a track record of success with a new housing system. We have new tools to engage both public and
private sector funders. The public is demanding a real solution to homelessness and we are dedicated to delivering one. It’s
time to reimagine homes and rebuild lives. We can end homelessness. This is how we start.
The Destination: Home Leadership Board:
Chris Block
Jan Bernstein Chargin
Louis Chicoine
Leslye Corsiglia
Frederick J. Ferrer
Shannon Giovacchini
Eleanor Clement Glass
Beau Goldie
Gary Graves
Katherine Harasz
John A. Sobrato
Ben Spero
Ted Wang
COMMUNITY PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS
4
HOW CHANGE WILL HAPPEN:
Secure the right amount
of funding needed to
provide housing and
services to those who
are homeless and those
at risk of homelessness.
Adopt an approach that
recognizes the need for
client-centered strategies
with different responses for
different levels of need and
different groups, targeting
resources to the specific
individual or household.
1 2 3DISRUPT SYSTEMS BUILD THE SOLUTION SERVE THE PERSON
Develop disruptive
strategies and
innovative
prototypes that
transform the systems related to
housing homeless
people.
OUR TARGETS:
CHRONICALLY HOMELESS:
2,518
VETERANS: CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES:
>2,333Will Be
Housed Will Be Housed Will Be Housed
One represents 100 people
In the 2013 Santa Clara County Point In Time (PIT)
count, there were 2518 chronically homeless people,
not including veterans.
In the 2013 PIT count, 1,266 unaccompanied youth under the
age of 25 were identified, of which 164 (13%) were under 18.
Also, there were 1,067 homeless individuals living in 349 families
with at least one child under 18.
In the 2013 PIT count, 718 veterans
were homeless.
718
COMMUNITY PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS
5
SERVE THE PERSON WHAT WE ARE DOING HOW WE WILL DO IT 2015 2020
TRANSFORM
THE WAY
GOVERNMENT
RESPONDS TO
HOMELESSNESS
Rethink how government
organizes to respond to homelessness
Independent, siloed
responses from each government system, each focused on one piece of the puzzle (e.g., health care,
income)
Regionally coordinated
resources and funding with all systems accountable for moving people into housing
Ensure people leaving systems do not become homeless
Some homeless people leave systems (corrections, hospitals, mental health, foster care) without a next
step in place
At discharge, all individuals have a plan for permanent housing and none are discharged to the streets
Increase access to benefits for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness
In 2013, 35% of homeless people received no government benefits
Homeless and at-risk individuals access all income and service benefits for which
they are eligible
DISRUPT SYSTEMS
INCLUDE
THE PRIVATE
SECTOR
AND THE
COMMUNITY IN
THE SOLUTION
Increase awareness People in the privatesector and communityoften see homelessness as an intractable and remote
problem
Community members will understand their role in responding to homelessness and know it is solvable
Increase and align private resources Overall, private funding is unpredictable and working towards diverse goals
There is a coordinated funding strategy across the community, increasing
funding, working towards the
same goals, and relying on
best practices
Provide opportunitiesfor the business sector to
address homelessness
Businesses, oftenunintentionally, create
barriers to ending
homelessness
Businesses are partners in housing and employing
people who are homeless
Collaborate with community organizations Some community groups target their resources to
short-term responses
Informed community groups partner with other sectors to
support efforts that end
homelessness
Engage with the environmental community
to reduce the environmental
impacts ofhomelessness
Unsheltered homelessness negatively impacts the
environment and waterways
and reduces the value of acommunity resource
This community has restored the environment,
providing employment/
housing opportunities for those formerly living in encampments
ACT FAST. STOP MANAGING AND
START ENDING HOMELESSNESS.
1
COMMUNITY PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS
6
RentIncreases
Job Loss
DISRUPT SYSTEMS
WHAT WE ARE DOING HOW WE WILL DO IT 2015 2020
THE BEST
HOMELESS
SYSTEM OF
CARE
Coordinate housing and
services to connect each individual with the right housing solution
Homeless people may call
many providers and sit on several waiting lists before they get housed and many families become homeless
when it could be avoided
People who are homeless
or at risk of homelessness get connected directly to the right resource for them
Respond to systembarriers and service gaps by making the best use of
existing assets
There are many homeless programs and responses in this community, but no great
way of knowing what works
best, with lots of people still living outside
Community-wide, outcome-based decisions about the best programs and
structures to meet community
needs are made and implemented
Partner across public and
private sectors to improve
systemic coordination
The private and public sectors
operate independently,
resulting in a patchwork of funding, priorities, and outcomes
Private sector and public
sector funding is mutually
supportive, creating a system of care that’s internally consistent
Increase provider capacity Homeless providers
want to end homelessness, but may not have the resources to do that
All homeless providers
have sufficient resources to successfully implement programs that end homelessness
1
Managing Homelessness Ending Homelessn ess
* Housing First centers on
providing people experiencing
homelessness with housing as quickly
as possible – and then providing services
needed to maintain their housing. This
approach has the benefit of being consistent
with what most people experiencing homelessness
want and seek help to achieve.
*
COMMUNITY PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS
7
Ending Homelessn ess
UNIQUE APPROACHES TO UNIQUE POPULATIONS
BUILD THE SOLUTION
SCALE THE RESOURCES TO MEET THE NEED.
WHAT WE ARE DOING HOW WE WILL DO IT 2015 2020
CREATE NEW
HOMES AND
OPPORTUNITIES
FOR HOMELESS
MEN, WOMEN,
AND CHILDREN
Create 6,000 housingopportunities There are approximately 6,000 people in our three target populations who do not have homes
People who are homeless have 6,000 more housing opportunities available to them
Fund supportive services for the new housing opportunities
People who are homeless, even if they have housing, often cannot maintain it
without case management,
health care, and financial services
Each of the 6,000 newtenants has access to the services that will allow him or
her to maintain housing
2
Affordable Homes
Permanent
Supportive Housing
Converted Motels
TinyHouses
COMMUNITY PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS
8
SERVE THE PERSON
GIVE PEOPLE WHAT THEY NEED, NOT WHAT WE HAVE.
MORE EFFECTIVE, MORE EFFICIENT, MORE HUMANE.
WHAT WE ARE DOING HOW WE WILL DO IT 2015 2020
DIFFERENT
RESPONSES
FOR
DIFFERENT
LEVELS OF
NEED
Provide permanentsupportive housing toend chronic homelessness
Many disabled peoplewho have lived outside,sometimes for years, need
housing that responds to
their conditions
Chronically homeless people can access permanent supportive housing with
intensive case management
and wrap-around services
Expand rapid rehousing
resources to respond to
episodic homeleness
Some people in our
community experience
repeated bouts of homelessness and are not able to stabilize with the resources available to them
Households with barriers
to housing can access a
temporary housing subsidy and step down services that are structured to end homelessness for that
household for good
Prevent homelessnessbefore it happens There are not enoughresources available
to help people avoid
homelessness, or avoid homelessness again
Households at risk of homelessness have access
to homeless prevention
resources: housing stability services, emergency rental assistance, financial literacy, & landlord/tenant
assistance and employment
assistance and employment support services: child care, transportation, job training & placement
3
Source: Applied Survey Research. (2013). Santa Clara County Homeless Census & Survey. Watsonville, CA. For more detail or to view the comprehensive report, please visit www.appliedsurveyresearch.org.
51%14%
12%17%
4%
Mental illness*
Substance abuse
Chronic physical illness
Physical disability
Developmental disability
* Mental illness includes PTSD, depression, and other mental illnesses including bipolar and schizophrenia. Note: Multiple response question, numbers will not total to 100%.
UNIQUE CHALLENGES of 2013survey respondentsreported a uniquechallenge.
64%
COMMUNITY PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS
9
WHAT WE ARE DOING HOW WE WILL DO IT 2015 2020
UNIQUE
APPROACHES
FOR UNIQUE
POPULATIONS
Create bridges and supports for populations who struggle to function within the homeless system of care
Certain populations have specific barriers to accessing the resources available to them to end their
homelessness:
• Veterans• Persons living with HIV/AIDS• Persons with serious
mental ilness
• People with diabilities
Resources support all homeless subpopulations to access housing and make best use of their specific
benefits, employment,
housing opportunities, and access to food and healthcare
Structure housing and
services to meet the needs of
young people experiencing homelessness
Youth, children, and families
are failed by several systems
of care when they become homeless, and young people are underserved by a homeless system designed to
meet adult needs
Systems of care work
together to support housing
and services that meet the needs of families, children, and youth, including robust prevention programs
Make resources available in all parts of the County North & South County do not have many housing
options, nor adequate access
to county services, and transportation is limited
Housing and services are available to people living in
North & South County, in their
communities
SERVE THE PERSON3
Source: Applied Survey Research. (2013). Santa Clara County Homeless Census & Survey. Watsonville, CA. For more detail or to view the comprehensive report, please visit www.appliedsurveyresearch.org.
EmploymentAssistanceRent/MortgageAssistance
42%34%
Mental HealthServices Alcohol/DrugCounseling
24%21%
WHAT MIGHT HAVE PREVENTED RESPONDENTS’ HOMELESSNESS OBSTACLES TO SECURINGPERMANENT HOUSING
No housing availability 18%
Bad credit 21%
No money for moving costs 30%
No job/ income 54%
COMMUNITY PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS
10
THANK YOU!
Each summit was attended by a variety of stakeholders that donated their time to
ensure that this plan includes input from the full community.
PLANNING PARTNERS INCLUDED:
Abode Services
ACT for Mental Health
Audubon Society
Bill Wilson Center
California Water Boards
Office of SupervisorDave Cortese
California Youth Connection
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
City of Gilroy
City of Milpitas
City of Morgan Hill
City of San Jose
City of Sunnyvale
The Commonwealth Club
Community Solutions
Community Technology Alliance
Community Working Group
The David & Lucille Packard Foundation
Destination: Home
Downtown Streets Team
Family Supportive Housing, Inc.
Gilroy Compassion Center
Goodwill of Silicon Valley
Office of Assemblyman
Rich Gordon
Greenbelt Alliance
The Health Trust
HomeAid Northern California
HomeFirst
Hospital Council of Northern California
Housing Authority of the
County of Santa Clara
Housing Trust Silicon Valley
InnVision Shelter Network
Kaiser Permanente
Law Foundation of
Silicon Valley
Purissima Hills Water District
Restore Coyote Creek
St. Joseph’s Family Center
St. Mary Parish Gilroy
San Jose State University
Santa Clara Adult Education
Santa Clara County Office of Reentry Services
Santa Clara County
Creeks Coalition
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
Santa Clara Valley
Water District
Office of Supervisor Joe Simitian
The County of Santa Clara
Second Harvest Food Bank
Silicon Valley Children’s Fund
Silicon Valley
Community Foundation
Silicon Valley
Community Partnership
Sobrato Philanthropies
South County Collaborative
Stanford Hospital
Sunnyvale Community Services
Swords to Plowshares
United Way Silicon Valley
Valley Homeless
Healthcare Program
Veterans Administration, Palo Alto
Healthcare System
Water and Power Law Group PC
West Valley Community Services
COMMUNITY PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS
11
Taking this plan forward,
THE 2014 IMPLEMENTATION GROUP INCLUDES:
Alison Brunner, Law Foundation of Silicon Valley
Beth Leary, Family Supportive Housing
Chris Elias, Santa Clara Valley Water District
Eileen Richardson, Downtown Streets Team and
Community Technology Alliance
Elise Cutini, Silicon Valley Children’s Fund
Ellen Clear, The David and
Lucile Packard Foundation
Erin Gilbert, Charles and Helen
Schwab Foundation
Erin O’Brien, Community Solutions
Frederick J. Ferrer, The Health Trust
Javier Aguirre, Santa Clara County Office
of Reentry Services
Jeff Ruster, City of San Jose Work2Future
Jennifer Loving, Destination: Home
Jenny Niklaus, HomeFirst
Julie Gantenbein, Water & Power Law Group PC
Karae Lisle, InnVision Shelter Network
Kate Severin, Department of Veterans Affairs
Katherine Harasz, Housing Authority
of the County of Santa Clara
Kevin Zwick, Housing Trust Silicon Valley
Ky Le, County of Santa Clara
Leslye Corsiglia, City of San Jose
Louis Chicoine, Abode Services
Michael Fallon, San Jose State Universtiy
Michael Fox, Goodwill Industries
Poncho Guevara, Sacred Heart
Community Services
Rick Williams, Sobrato Family Foundation
Roberta Rosenthal, Department
of Veterans Affairs
Sara Doorley, Valley Healthcare
for the Homeless
Shiloh Ballard, Silicon Valley
Leadership Group
Sparky Harlan, Bill Wilson Center
Our gratitude to each of you
for your work and dedication
to ending homelessness together.
DESTINATIONHOMESCC.ORG
COMMUNITY PLAN TO
END HOMELESSNESS
IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY
2015-2020
ANNUAL IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE
FOR 2015
1
Community Plan to End Homelessness in Santa Clara County (2015-2020)
Annual Implementation Guide for 2015
The Annual Implementation Guide (referred to as “Guide” throughout this document) for 2015 of the Community Plan to End Homelessness (referred to as “Community Plan” throughout this
document) in Santa Clara County (referred to as “County” throughout this document) was developed by the Implementation Workgroup in Fall of 2014 and was informed by summits that occurred in
the Spring and Summer and a community Open House in September. In addition to the action steps for the first year, this guide includes follow up action steps that will be incorporated in future
annual implementation guides. It is anticipated that the guide will be a living document that will continue to adjust during the year.
Summary of Community Guide
DISRUPT SYSTEMS
1.1 Transform the Way Government Responds to Homelessness
A. Rethink how governments and public entities organize to respond to homelessness
B. Ensure people leaving systems do not become homeless
C. Increase access to benefits for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness
1.2 Include the Private Sector and the Community in the Solution
D. Increase awareness
E. Increase and align private resources
F. Provide opportunities for the business sector to address homelessness
G. Collaborate with community organizations
H. Engage with the environmental community to reduce the environmental impacts of
homelessness
1.3 Create the Best Homeless System of Care
I. Coordinate housing and services to connect each individual with the right housing
solution
J. Respond to system barriers and service gaps by making the best use of existing assets
K. Partner across public and private sectors to improve systemic coordination
L. Increase provider capacity
BUILD THE SOLUTION
2 Create New Homes and Opportunities to House Homeless Men, Women, and Children
M. Create 6,000 Housing Opportunities
Fund supportive services for the new housing opportunities
SERVE THE PERSON
3.1 Different Responses for Different Levels of Need
N. Provide Permanent Supportive Housing to end chronic homelessness
O. Expand rapid rehousing resources to respond to episodic homelessness
P. Prevent homelessness before it happens
3.2 Unique Approaches for Unique Populations
Q. Create bridges and supports for populations who struggle to function within the
homeless system of care
R. Structure housing and services to meet the needs of young people experiencing
homelessness
S. Make resources available in all parts of the County
2
Annual Implementation Guide
# YEAR ONE ACTIVITIES RELATED & FUTURE WORK POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE
LEADERSHIP
POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE OUTCOMES
STRATEGY 1: DISRUPT SYSTEMS
Government
A Rethink How Government Organizes
A1 JURISDICTIONAL COORDINATION: Get
agreement from local governments to
coordinate funding for homeless services and
housing and to implement a coordinated
housing strategy
• Each city and public entity creates housing
opportunities as stated in guide
• If needed, consider other organizational structures for
coordinating strategy (e.g., Joint Powers Authority)
County of Santa Clara
• All 15 cities
Public entities (Housing
Authority of the County
of Santa Clara
(HACSC),SV Water
District, Valley
Transportation
Authority)
• The Community Plan is presented to
and endorsed by all 15 cities and
public entities
• Housing production goals and a
detailed housing creation plan are
created (See related activity M1
below)
A2 INTER-DEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION: Work
to coordinate efforts and establish meaningful
roles and responsibilities for County
departments, city departments (e.g., police,
rangers, parks), and departments within other
public entities in ending and preventing
homelessness
• Expand and enhance inter-departmental and inter-
governmental coordination of services
• Consider the formation of an Inter-departmental
Council to support other specific goals of the strategic
plan and to increase accountability
County Executive
• Director, SSA
• Director, DBHS
• County Office of
Supportive Housing
• Director, Ambulatory
Care Health Services
• HACSC
• Cities
• Service intersections and overlap
among governmental departments
and public entities is understood,
and gaps are identified
• Progress is made on developing
community-wide performance
measures related to homelessness
3
# YEAR ONE ACTIVITIES RELATED & FUTURE WORK POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE
LEADERSHIP
POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE OUTCOMES
A3 COUNTY OFFICE OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING:
Establish the County’s role in housing and
homelessness by creating an Office of
Supportive Housing, defining its role in creating
housing opportunities, and clarifying its role in
responding to homelessness
Year one work is expected to lead to identification of next
steps (See also other guide activities lead by County Office
of Supportive Housing or Collaborative Applicant)
County of Santa Clara • A coherent and comprehensive set
of policies are developed that
support the development of
Extremely Low Income (ELI) and
Permanent Supportive Housing
(PSH)
An ongoing revenue source for ELI
and special needs housing is
identified
A4 COST STUDY: Complete a cost study to
understand the costs of homelessness on all
county systems of care and use it to help analyze
the long-term savings connected to meeting the
targets of the Guide (See related activity I1
below)
• Based on the cost study’s findings, evaluate how to
reinvest and redistribute local resources
County Office of
Supportive Housing/
Destination: Home
• County departments
• City departments (e.g.
policy, fire, housing)
• Public Entities
• An analysis of the long-term savings
from Guide implementation is
completed (anticipated completion
date of May 2015)
A5 SURPLUS LAND: Identify available government
and public entity surplus land that could be used
for temporary or permanent homes and begin
conversations to use these properties for
developments that serve homeless individuals
and families
• Continue to work with local governments and public
entities to develop housing strategies for surplus land
Destination: Home
• County departments
• City departments (e.g.
planning, , housing,
parks)
• Public Entities
• A list of all surplus lands appropriate
for PSH and ELI housing is compiled
• A strategy for how to obtain land
that sites the maximum possible
units is completed
4
# YEAR ONE ACTIVITIES RELATED & FUTURE WORK POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE
LEADERSHIP
POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE OUTCOMES
B No One Discharged to Homelessness
B1 DISCHARGE PLANNING: Analyze and understand
discharge planning procedures in:
• Jails and prisons
• Foster care, and
• Hospitals (mental health and general health)
Work to implement streamlined and consistent
discharge procedures at local hospitals
• Improve and streamline discharge planning procedures
in each system of care
• From discharging locations, streamline access to life
stabilization resources and immediate placement in
housing through coordinated assessment
Collaborative Applicant
(County Office of
Supportive Housing)
• County departments
• City departments (e.g.
policy, police, housing)
• Systems of care
• Hospital Council
• The scope of systemic discharges to
homelessness from each system of
care is researched and understood,
including the number of people
being discharged from systems, and
the resources available to help them
• Confirm that all systems have
policies in place regarding discharge
to homelessness, and confirm that
all policies and procedures are
followed by staff
• Improved discharge procedures and
plans are in place for local hospitals,
with shared available resources
C Increase Access to Benefits
C1 No planned activities in year one at this time • Expand mobile integrated service teams that enable
homeless persons to apply for benefits and receive a
variety of services (health/behavioral health, drug and
alcohol treatment, housing placement services) from
one team
• Consider uniform application for locally determined
benefits
To be determined
• SSA
No planned activities in year one at this
time
Private Sector/Community (1.2)
D Increase Awareness
D1 BRANDING CAMPAIGN: Conduct a branding
campaign to help homelessness become more
relatable to larger populations and explain how
it is solvable
• Allocate resources to support messaging adoption
• Use branding as part of housing financing campaign
Destination: Home
• Universities and colleges
• Community based
organizations
• Media
• A branding campaign is launched
and messaging is adopted by a wide
variety of stakeholders
5
# YEAR ONE ACTIVITIES RELATED & FUTURE WORK POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE
LEADERSHIP
POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE OUTCOMES
E Align Private Resources
E1 PHILANTHROPIC PARTNERSHIPS: Commitment
to campaign across private funders to align
funder goals, expectations, allocation of
resources, and performance measures with
ongoing Community Plan implementation
• Partner with governments, public entities and providers
to create innovative housing/services
• Create funding partnerships to achieve shared
performance goals and encourage partnerships
between philanthropies, governments and public
entities
TBD
• SVCF
• Local and National
Foundations
• Corporate Philanthropy
• Silicon Valley Leadership
Group
• Complete evaluation of the
feasibility of a funding partnership
and a decision is made about its
form and potential partners
• Partnership body begins to work
together toward shared outcomes
F Opportunities for Business Sector
F1 LANDLORDS: Collaborate with rental property
owners in the County, both market-rate and
affordable to:
• Increase available housing options and
• Respond to housing barriers (e.g., credit and
criminal history) (See related activities I1 and
M1 below.)
Year one work is expected to lead to identification of next
steps
Housing Authority of
County of Santa Clara
• Landlords
• Responsible Landlord
Initiative
• Downtown Streets
Team
• Community based
organizations
• Private units for all available rental
subsidies are located (# to be added)
• An outline of barriers to housing
(see Coordinated Assessment I1
below) is developed, and strategies
are created to respond
G Collaborate with Community
G1 APPLICATION: Develop and launch a mobile
application to coordinate food donations in City
of San Jose
• Adopt technology solutions to connect community
members and organizations that want to provide
resources to agencies and people that need help
City of San Jose
• Silicon Valley Talent
Partnership
• Universities and
Colleges (Matthew
Bahls)
• A food application is launched to
connect people who wish to donate
food with those who need food
6
# YEAR ONE ACTIVITIES RELATED & FUTURE WORK POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE
LEADERSHIP
POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE OUTCOMES
H Engage Environmentalists
H1 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS: Engage partners
and develop and use a model to reduce
environmental damage caused by homeless
encampments throughout the County and in all
its cities
Year one work is expected to lead to identification of next
steps.
Santa Clara Valley Water
District
• Environmental
advocates
• County
• Cities
• Public entities
• Outreach efforts are expanded to
train and educate homeless persons
as environmental stewards
• Identify resources to support
stewardship
• The model of clearing encampments
used by the City of San Jose is
expanded to two additional sites in
the County
7
# YEAR ONE ACTIVITIES RELATED & FUTURE WORK POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE
LEADERSHIP
POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE OUTCOMES
Best Homeless System of Care (1.3)
I Connect to Right Housing Solution
I1 COORDINATED ASSESSMENT: Implement a
Coordinated Assessment system through which
all individuals and households seeking housing or
services in the homeless system of care are
assessed, prioritized, and triaged for housing and
services based on their needs using data-
informed assessment tools
• Expand System
o Expand Coordinated Assessment system to
include cross-system coordination (health care,
mental health, benefits)
o Ensure that mainstream systems of care collect
and record housing status consistent with
homeless management information system
definitions and categories of homelessness to
ensure consistent terminology
• Analyze and Use System Data in Decision-Making
o Reallocate housing resources and services to
best respond to needs made apparent through
Coordinated Assessment system data
o Analyze impact of Triage Tool, and redistribute
funds to support housing and services needed
for such individuals
o Identify and address barriers to temporary
housing options systemically (pets, sober living,
privacy, etc.)
• Improve Use of Housing/Service Resources
o Work to specifically target housing resources to
the individual or family most in need of support
that would succeed with that resources
o Ensure basic needs of households are met (e.g.
health care, food)
o Develop step-down plan for people no longer in
need of supportive housing (See related activity
N1 below)
Collaborative Applicant
(County Office of
Supportive Housing)
• Housing providers
• Shelter providers
• Service providers
• Public entities
• Systems of care
• Continuum of Care
(CoC) Coordinated
Assessment Committee
• City of San Jose
• Coordinated Assessment system is
functioning countywide
• Triage Tool (an output of the Cost
Study that will indicate which
individuals are likely to be most
costly to the County) is
implemented in housing placement
decisions by coordinated
assessment system
• Coordinated Assessment system
collects data which is analyzed to
identify gaps in the system of care
• Coordinated Assessment system is
effective at reducing placement
time and making more accurate,
successful placements than current
system
8
# YEAR ONE ACTIVITIES RELATED & FUTURE WORK POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE
LEADERSHIP
POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE OUTCOMES
J Best Use of Existing Assets
J1 PHYSICAL ASSETS: Review physical assets of
existing homeless organizations to understand
their usage and financial feasibility and possible
repurposing
Year one work is expected to lead to identification of next
steps
Destination: Home/
City of San Jose
• County Office of
Supportive Housing &
Shelter Providers
• Asset Study is complete and next
steps are identified
J2 FINANCAL ASSETS: Aligning with HUD
expectations of a collaborative applicant,
analyze how federal funds (including CoC,
Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG), Housing
Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA),
HUD Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing
Program (HUD-VASH), Supportive Services for
Veteran Families(SSVF), Homeless Veteran
Rehabilitation Program (HVRP), Home
Investment Partnerships Program (HOME),
Community Development Block Grants (CDBG),
Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP),
Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Labor
(DOL) )are used locally and work with the County
and cities, and other bodies distributing funds to
ensure such funds are coordinated and targeted
to areas of greatest need
• Maintain annual activity of evaluating use and targeting
of federal funds
Collaborative Applicant
(County Office of
Supportive Housing)
• CoC Board
• City of San Jose
• Financial resources are realigned
and coordinated to ensure that they
address the greatest needs and that
allocation of funds is data driven
9
# YEAR ONE ACTIVITIES RELATED & FUTURE WORK POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE
LEADERSHIP
POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE OUTCOMES
K Public Private Partnership
K1 EMPLOYMENT:
• Create and implement a countywide
homelessness employment strategy to
improve access to employment
opportunities for homeless persons
• Evaluate efficacy of Social Services Agency
(SSA)/Work2Future employment pilot
program
Year one work is expected to lead to identification of next
steps
Silicon Valley Leadership
Group
• Work2Future
• SSA
• Goodwill
• Downtown Streets
Team
• Silicon Valley Talent
Partnership
• Joint Venture
• Downtown Association
• Chambers of Commerce
• Buildings and
Construction Trades
Council
• South Bay Labor Council
• NOVA
• Employment study is completed and
the results are evaluated for
potential partnerships
• Work2Future and SSA Pilot program
is implemented to connect clients
with employment
L Increase provider capacity
L1 PSH PROVIDER/DEVELOPERS: Increase the
region’s capacity to develop new PSH (See
related activity M1 below)
• Develop pipeline of PSH County Office of
Supportive Housing
• Destination: Home
• Silicon Valley Council
of Nonprofit
• Housing Trust
• City of San Jose
• CoC Training
Workgroup
• A scan of local nonprofit capacity to
develop and manage PSH is
completed
• If needed, outreach to developers
with PSH experience to build units
or train and mentor existing entities
10
# YEAR ONE ACTIVITIES RELATED & FUTURE WORK POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE
LEADERSHIP
POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE OUTCOMES
L2 DATA: Create a data driven culture among
homeless housing and service providers
• Improve efforts to share, integrate, and
coordinate data throughout the
community, including through improving
the use of and reliability of Help
Management Information System
(HMIS) data for decision-making
• Transfer the role of HMIS Lead for
Continuum of Care activities to County
Office of Supportive Housing to improve
coordination of data
• Replace HMIS software system with a
system with more capacity respond to
our community needs
CoC Collaborative
Applicant (County Office
of Supportive Housing)
• Providers
• Public entities
• Cities
• County departments
• Community Technology
Alliance
• Silicon Valley Council of
Nonprofit
• HMIS
• Increased use of HMIS data for
decision-making at program and
system levels is demonstrated.
• Community-wide performance
measures will be identified and a
system will be created to report
progress
• HMIS Lead will be the County Office
of Supportive Housing
• HMIS software will be replaced with
improved system
STRATEGY 2: BUILD THE SOLUTION
M 6000 Units & Related Services
M1 6000 UNITS: Create and begin to implement a
campaign that creates 6,000 new housing
opportunities for homeless people, including:
• New development (encompassing
extremely low income units)
• Existing units
• Use of rental subsidies
• Permanent supportive housing
• Rapid rehousing
• Innovative housing options, such as tiny
houses, and
• Services to support housing retention as
needed in all units
• Focus on development of PSH/Housing First (See
related activity N1 below.)
• Set annual targets for allocation of Housing Choice
Vouchers to create housing opportunities
• Create housing opportunities suitable to men and
women with 290 sex offender status, by identifying
potential locations and scale of housing need (See also
Strategy 3.2)
Destination: Home
• Cities
• County
• Public entities
• County Office of
Supportive Housing
• Housing Authority
• Funding partnerships
• A housing financing and
development plan to create 6,000
housing opportunities is completed
and implementation begins
11
# YEAR ONE ACTIVITIES RELATED & FUTURE WORK POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE
LEADERSHIP
POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE OUTCOMES
M2 FUNDING: Assess, identify and plan for options
to create a funding stream for the development
of affordable and supportive housing
• Lead a campaign to create new funding mechanisms,
including a potential housing bond, parcel tax, and sales
tax measure
• Investigate and access non-traditional funding sources
and new sources of funding, like the Affordable Care
Act (ACA)
• Develop and implement an advocacy strategy to bring
resources to the County to address housing need (e.g.,
1115 to access ACA funding for services)
• Implement creative efforts to use funding differently
• Create collaborations with the environmental advocacy
community that respond to shared goals
Destination: Home
• County of Santa Clara
City of San Jose
• Funding partnerships
• Public partners
• San Jose State
University
• The feasibility study of the housing
implementation plan is completed
• The silent phase of the campaign is
launched
STRATEGY 3: SERVE THE PERSON
Different levels of need (3.1)
N PSH for CH
N1 HOUSING 1000: Institutionalize and expand the
Housing 1000 strategy of direct access to
permanent supportive housing for chronically
homeless households
• Develop opportunities for meaningful daytime activity
for chronically homeless households
• Build ability and desire of housing first tenants to move
to other, less service intensive housing
County Office of
Supportive Housing
• The County Office of Supportive
Housing assumes oversight of the
coordinated assessment system and
the Care Coordination Project,
centralizing the access point for
chronically homeless households
O RRH for Episodic
O1 CALWORKS: Implement the CalWORKS rapid
rehousing program
Year one work is expected to lead to identification of next
steps.
Social Services Agency
• Emergency Assistance
Network
• Resources to implement the rapid
rehousing model are identified
12
# YEAR ONE ACTIVITIES RELATED & FUTURE WORK POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE
LEADERSHIP
POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE OUTCOMES
P Prevention
P1 PREVENTION: Build countywide prevention
model and system of care, focusing on outcomes
and best methods to deploy prevention
resources.
• Build partnerships with the County Office of Education,
Social Services, etc. in order to identify resources for
homeless families and increase efforts relating to
homeless students
• Improve access to homelessness prevention resources
in schools, daycare, CalWORKS, etc.
• Increase capacity of the Emergency Assistance Network
(EAN )to prevent homelessness
• Review EAN system to determine administrative
improvements and ways to understand funding
necessary to increase ability to prevent homelessness
County Office of
Supportive Housing
• Emergency Assistance
Network
• County Department of
Education
• City of San Jose
• Schools
• Family and youth
providers
• Bill Wilson Center
• McKinney-Vento
Education Liaison for
the County
• Identification of increased resources
for a locally-funded Homelessness
Prevention and Rapid ReHousing
(HPRP) program model.
Unique populations (3.2)
Q Populations that need extra help
Q1 VETERANS: Participate in activities related to the
federal challenge to end veteran homelessness
completely by 2020
• Focus on other high needs populations, e.g. seriously
mentally ill people
• Consider tailoring services for veteran age cohorts as
needs may be different for younger veterans than older
ones
Veterans Affairs
• City of San Jose
• HACSC
• County Office of
Supportive Housing
• Housing providers
• VA
• SSVF & HUD VASH
providers
• HomeFirst
• Increase housing and supportive
services opportunities for veterans
to match Veterans Affairs goals
• Local Veterans Affairs goals and
metrics, as well as information from
agaps analysis, is used to make
decisions and impact results
13
# YEAR ONE ACTIVITIES RELATED & FUTURE WORK POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE
LEADERSHIP
POTENTIAL
YEAR ONE OUTCOMES
Q2 FOOD ACCESS: Conduct food assessment to
understand food landscape and develop action
plan to address unmet needs
•Ensure homeless individuals and families have access to
food
The Health Trust
•Food banks
•Social service
agencies
•Farmers
(understanding of
food availability)
•Second Harvest
•Grocery stores
•A Food Access Study is completed,
providing an understanding of
county-wide food access and
distribution and delineation of
strategies to address limitations
R Young People
R1 RRH FOR TAY: Provide housing opportunities for
Transition Aged Youth (TAY), including analyzing
current housing opportunities and funding and
evaluating a rapid rehousing program for TAY
•Fund scholarships for homeless youth County Office of
Supportive Housing
•Educational
organizations
•Bill Wilson Center
•Unity Care
•Star
•An analysis of what is currently
working and what is not working for
TAY youth is completed, including
improvement recommendations
S All Parts of County
S1 SOUTH/NORTH COUNTY: In implementing each
of the above year one activities, focus on making
and reporting on progress in all areas of the
County
•Increase access to services and benefits for residents of
North and South County by making electronic
interviews possible (e.g., Skype) and by expanding
availability of the UPLIFT Transit Pass program (See
related activity C1 above)
County Office of
Supportive Housing/
Destination: Home
•Emergency Assistance
Network
•Social Security
Administration
•Demonstrated progress in
responding to homelessness in all
areas of County
Implementation Guide Coordinator: CoC Board and Collaborative Applicant
RESOLUTION OF THE HOUSING TASK FORCE
OF THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA
FINDING THAT THE PROBLEM OF HOMELESSNESS IN SANTA CLARA
COUNTY CONSTITUTES A CRISIS AND URGING JURISDICTIONS WITHIN
THE COUNTY TO CONSIDER POLICY OPTIONS FOR FUNDING
AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR THE PURPOSE OF HOUSING THE
HOMELESS
WHEREAS, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, at the recommendation of
Supervisor Dave Cortese, created the Housing. Task Force for the purpose of identifYing
,solutions to the immediate housing needs of homeless families and individuals across Santa
Clara County; and '
WHEREAS, the 2015 Santa Clara County Point~In-Time Homeless Census & Survey
found that there are 6,556 homeless persons living within the County, and that 63% of them have
been homeless for one year or more; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's 2014 Annual
Homeless Assessment Report found that, among the 48 Major City COiltinuurns of Care in the
United States, Santa Clara County has the third largest number of chroniC{ll.ly homeless persons,
the fourth largest number of homeless individuals, thq fourth largest number of unaccompanied
homeless youth and the fifth largest number of homeless veterans; and
WHEREAS, the Homeless Census & Survey found that 39% of homeless individuals
within the County suffer from psychiatric or emotional conditions, 38% struggle with drug or
alcohol abuse, 30% have a physical disability, 25% suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder,
22% have chronic health problems, and 63% have been homeless for one year or more; and
WHEREAS, according to research published in the New England Journal ofM~icine,
the average life expectancy for individuals experiencing homelessness is 25 years less than those
in stable, housing; and
WHEREAS, the 2015 Home Not Found study revealed that, of the 511 homeless people
within the study's survey popUlation who died betw~en 2007 ,and 2012,54% of them died
outside of a hospital or other institutional setting, which means that they died "quite possibly on
the street;" and '
WHEREAS, the Home Not Found st\,ldy also demonstrated that the cost ofprovid~~g
services t9 homeless residents, including services in the health c'are and criminal justice systems,
averaged $~20 million per year over the six-year study period, or $3.1 billion over the entire
period; and
WHEREAS, in addition to impacting the lives of homeless residents, homelesslless also
poses challC{lg~s for residents and businesses located n~ar homeless encampments; and
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WHEREAS, in August 2015, the San Jose Mercury News reported that the average
monthly rent in Santa Clara County had reached $2,552, making it one of the most expensive
rental markets in the nation; and
WHEREAS, the 2014-2020 Regional Housing Needs Allocation identifies the need for
9,542 new Low Income units and 16,158 Very Low Income units within Santa Clara County;
and
WHEREAS, Destination: Home's Community Plan to End Homelessness in Santa Clara
County relies upon the "Housing First" model, which "centers on providing people experiencing
homelessness with housing as quickly as possible;" and
WHEREAS, the Affordable Housing Funding Landscape & Best Practices white paper
found that due to the dissolution of redevelopment agencies in California and cuts to federal
programs, affordable housing funding in Santa Clara County decreased from $126 million in
2008 to $47 million in 2013; and
WHEREAS, the Homeless Census & Survey found that 93% of homeless people
surveyed answered "Yes" when asked if they would want affordable permanent housing, were it
available.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSING TASK FORCE OF
THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA:
1. The problem of homelessness in Santa Clara County constitutes a crisis. It imposes
unacceptable costs, both in terms of public resources and human suffering, and requires
an urgent response from public officials across Santa Clara County.
2. The solution to the problem of homeless ness is to provide homeless individuals with
pennanent affordable housing or supportive housing. Construction of an adequate supply
of affordable housing will require the creation of new local funding sources. These
funding efforts will be most successful if implemented consistently across all of the
County's fifteen cities.
3. In the interest of promoting a consistent approach to affordable housing funding in Santa
Clara County, the Housing Task Force recommends that all cities in the County (and
other jurisdictions, where applicable) conduct their own analysis ofthe following
measures for funding affordable housing, and fonnally consider whether to adopt them:
a. Inclusionary Zoning -Inclusionary zoning requires that developers include a
percentage of below market rate units for low to moderate income households in
new market-rate, for-sale residential developments.
b. Affordable Housing Impact Fees -Impact fees are charged to developers to
mitigate the projected impacts of new market-rate developments on the need for
affordable housing. The first step for jurisdictions considering an impact fee is
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often to conduct a nexus study to quantify thc impact of new development on
housing need. There are two types of impact fees:
1. Residential Impad Fees are assessed on new rental or for-sale housing
development.
ii. Commercial Linkage Fees are assessed on new commercial or industrial
development.
c. Ballot Initiatives -Local jurisdictions have the ability to place tax measures on
the ballot for voter approval. As jurisdictions consider whether to place tax
measures on the ballot for the 2016 election cycle, they should consider including
funding for affordable housing within their measures.
d. Surplus Land -The County, Cities, and other jurisdictions have the ability to
prioritize surplus land owned by the jurisdiction for affordable housing
development, thereby facilitating affordability by reducing or eliminating land
costs.
e. Zoning Actions -Cities can take various zoning actions to encourage production
of both deed-restricted affordable housing and "naturally" affordable housing,
including:
i. Adoption of a second unit ordinance that enables homeowners to build
secondary residential structures on existing lots.
ii. Allowing the construction of micro-units of200-400 square feet that are
relatively more affordable than other market rate units.
111. Protecting naturally affordable existing housing, such as mobile home
parks. Cities can govern the conversion of mobile home parks tlu'ough
policy, ordinance, or their general plans. In the event parks do convert,
cities can adopt replacement housing provisions that would require that
displaced inhabitants be fairly compensated, that replacement housing be
made available to displaced residents and that an affordable housing
component be required as part of the development plan for the converted
site.
iv. Incentivizing affordable housing by offering zoning benefits, such
as increased density or height or decreased parking requirements, to make
the production of affordable housing more economically viable.
f. Boomerang Funds -Boomerang funds are former Redevelopment Agency funds
that return to the County, cities and other local jurisdictions. Cities should
consider whether to commit 20% of their ongoing boomerang funds to affordable
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Counfy of Santa Clara
Office of the County Executive
county Government center, East wing
70 West Hedding Streel
San Jose, California 951 I o
(4Oa) 299-5105
April 19,2016
Mr. James Keene, City Manager
City of Palo Alto
250 Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 943OL
SUBJECT: North County Reintegration Project Funding
Dear Mr. Keene:
In June 2014, the County of San.ta Ciara and the City of Palo Alto entered
into an agreement to end homelessness for 20 of Palo Alto's most vulnerable
homeless residents through the provision of supportive housing. Under this
agreement, the City of Palo Alto provided $125,000 annually for two years to
fund case management. The County agreed to fund all of costs related to
housing. The agreement for the "North County Reintegration Project" will expire
on June 30,2016.
Our partnership laid the foundation for a broader program. At no cost to
the City of Palo Alto, the County doubled the project's capacity to 40 at the
beginning of Fiscal Year 2016. As of March 3I,2016, the County's service
provider is actively working with 25 homeless persons, ten of whom are housed.
The goal is to reach program capacity by the fall of 2016,
The project is part of a broader county-wide network of permanent
supportive housing. This network helped to house three additional persons from
the City of Palo Alto. The individuals are housed and are participating in a
project-based program in Sunnyvale.
Board of Superyisors: Mike wasserman, Cindy Chavez, Dave Cortese, Ken Yeager, S. Joseph SimitianCounty Executive: Jeffrey V. Smith Ë2ffi
Letter to City Manager, Mr. James Keene
RE: North County Reintegration Project Funding
April19,2016
Page2 of2
The County would like to continue our partnership by extending the
agreement and the City's annual funding commitment for an additional two
years. If you have any questions, please contact Ky Le, Director, Office of
Supportive Housing at 408-793-055 1 or Kv.Le@hhs.sccqov.ors.
Sincerely,
Gary Graves
Chief Operating Officer
Cc:
Ky Le, Director, Office of Supportive Housing, County of Santa Clara
Minka van der Zwaag, Manager, Office of Human Services, City of Palo Alto
1. Recommendation for One-Time Additional Allocation in the Amount of
$250,000 Over Two Years in Support of Intensive Case Management in
Connection with Housing Subsidies to be Provided by the County of
Santa Clara for Palo Alto’s Homeless.
Minka Van Der Zwaag, Community Services Senior Program Manager,
reported on August 13, 2013, the Policy and Services Committee discussed
additional expenditures for homeless services. The Committee discussed
approaches to address homeless issues Citywide with special consideration
of resolving issues at Cubberley Community Center. At the Policy and
Services Committee meeting, Staff presented two alternatives for a multi-
agency and service provider partnership. The first option was the concept of
a homeless outreach team utilizing a cross-functional group of providers to
move homeless people into housing. The second option was a funding
match for housing subsidies provided by the County of Santa Clara (County)
to support intensive case management. Service providers commented that
an outreach team was only one approach to addressing homelessness, and
was meant to open a multi-agency dialog on homelessness. A local
organization offered to convene a newly formed Homeless Services Task
Force to bring forth other ideas to the Council. The Policy and Services
Committee recommended that the full Council consider an investment in the
creation of a multi-agency homeless outreach program not to exceed
$250,000, and requested Staff return with a specific plan to address the
issue. Staff worked with the Homeless Services Task Force and the County
to present a recommendation for the Council's consideration. The County
would provide housing funds to assist individuals who had contact with the
criminal justice system, had a high chance of recidivism, significantly
impacted County, State or local resources and were currently homeless or at
ATTACHMENT H
COUNCIL EXCERPT FINAL MINUTES
Monday, October 7, 2013
risk of becoming homeless. These factors were required by the County's
funding source for housing subsidies. Local service providers informed Staff
that the guidelines would not be a barrier to assist many of their clients.
The County subsidies could be utilized for permanent support of housing or
long-term transitional housing. With permanent support, an individual
would receive an ongoing rental subsidy, and an intensive case manager
would assist the individual to obtain services to remain housed. Long-term
transitional housing most often ended after a two-year period and was
targeted to individuals who needed assistance in leaving the streets. With
the assistance of a housing subsidy and an intensive case manager, it was
hoped individuals would transfer from the subsidy to a non-subsidized unit.
Staff expected to provide assistance to 20 individuals. The County budgeted
$518,000 for subsidies and administration costs over the next 24 months.
An intensive case manager would work with an individual to ensure the
client's needs were met in a variety of contexts. The County would require
the City to utilize a case management agency that was part or would agree
to be part of the Care Coordination Project of the Housing 1000 Campaign.
The Care Coordination Project was developed to ensure the effectiveness of
services for the homeless population by coordinating and monitoring
intensive case management services. The Care Coordination Project
required case management agencies establish data collection and
performance standards and required weekly meetings of all case managers.
The Project allowed the City to access security deposits, move-in assistance,
flexible housing funds and potentially other housing resources for chronically
homeless clients. InnVision Shelter Network, Downtown Streets Team and
Momentum for Mental Health were designated as part of the Care
Coordination Project. Staff recommended the City enter into an agreement
with the County's Mental Health Department to release the Request for
Proposal (RFP) and provide oversight of the intensive case management
agencies. The City would retain the ability to create and oversee the referral
process. The City and the County would oversee the project. Experts
indicated that access to housing was the most important aspect of solving
homelessness. The $250,000 one-time investment would leverage County
funds to support and house 20 individuals.
Chris Richardson, Downtown Streets Team, indicated the closing of
Cubberley facilities and the impending vehicle habitation ban created a
short-term crisis. Case managers would work on successful housing
retention strategies so that clients would remain in housing. The Homeless
Services Task Force planned to continue to develop a long-term plan for the
rest of the homeless and low-income individuals in the community.
Cybele appreciated the Homeless Services Task Force's efforts. She
supported Mr. Richardson's request for additional time to create long-term
strategies.
Norman Carroll received housing through County homeless programs and
helped others receive housing. Homeless programs needed to be
implemented properly. The proposed funding amount was insufficient.
Edie Keating questioned actions that would be taken at the end of two years.
The proposal would not house the entire homeless population in Palo Alto.
Stephanie Munoz agreed with Ms. Keating's comments. The City's planning
was inadequate in that it did not consider housing for workers. Another
issue for the homeless population was mental illness.
Council Member Price indicated one highlight of the homeless discussion was
the opportunity to learn about homelessness. Clearly a comprehensive
approach was needed. Collaboration and communication would be critical to
achieving meaningful outcomes. Partnerships in seeking funds was also
important. With respect to the Care Coordination Project, the City would be
pushing the onus toward the County in terms of coordinating an RFP for
services. She inquired about periodic updates to the Council regarding
interim outcomes and performance measures.
Ms. Van Der Zwaag stated City Staff would be involved in choosing the
agencies to provide services and including specific items related to Palo Alto
in the RFP. The RFP could contain reporting structures to Staff and the
Council. The City's oversight of service providers should not be an issue.
Ky Le, Director of Homeless Systems for the County of Santa Clara,
explained that the Care Coordination Project identified several outcome
measures, primarily related to retention of housing, days to housing, and
connection to supplemental security and to health services. Those metrics
could be incorporated into the RFP and reported to City Staff.
Council Member Price asked if the process would consider outside peer
review of RFPs.
Mr. Le envisioned that the panel would include himself, City Staff, and
perhaps other community experts.
Council Member Price suggested the panel include experts from outside the
county to provide fresh insight.
Mr. Le indicated the County could attempt to accommodate that request
from the Council.
MOTION: Council Member Kniss moved, seconded by Council Member Price
to approve a one-time City allocation of $250,000 to be disbursed over two
years for support of its homeless outreach and placement plan and that the
Fiscal Year 2014 allocation in the amount of $125,000 is authorized to be
paid from the City Council Contingency due to the urgency of providing this
service. The homeless outreach and placement plan will be comprised of
intensive case management in connection with housing subsidies for the
homeless to be provided by the County of Santa Clara (County). Further,
the City Council directs staff to bring forward a Budget Amendment
Ordinance in November to increase the City Council Contingency in the
amount of $125,000 with a corresponding decrease of the General Fund
Budget Stabilization Reserve and include funding of the Fiscal Year 2015
allocation in the amount of $125,000 in the FY 2015 Proposed Budget.
Council Member Kniss felt County involvement was important. Inherent
within the Motion was working with the County to provide housing subsidies.
The funding source for the allocation would be the Council Contingency
Fund. The program would be different from previous efforts and would
involve many groups.
Council Member Price concurred with Council Member Kniss' comments. The
collaboration component was critical and could not be accomplished by the
City alone. The Council was making a commitment for two years, and future
debate would include the issue of sustainable funding.
Council Member Schmid believed this was a follow-up discussion to the
Vehicle Habitation Ordinance and closure of community centers. He
supported spending $250,000 for the model of outreach teams. His
calculations indicated $1,250 would be available to each individual for a
monthly rent voucher. However, low-income housing was in short supply in
Palo Alto. He asked where individuals would find low-income housing. The
proposed program would not be a solution to the homeless problem, and the
Council could not determine a solution without working with the County.
Perhaps the Council should direct the Homeless Services Task Force to
examine County programs to determine reasons for the lack of shelters.
AMENDMENT: Council Member Schmid moved, seconded by Council
Member Holman to remove the words “one-time,” changing the Motion to
read “…to approve a City allocation of $250,000…”
Council Member Kniss was comfortable with the allocation being one time,
because the Council agreed it would be a pilot program.
Council Member Schmid believed removing "one-time" would indicate the
Council's good faith efforts to resolve the homeless issue.
Council Member Holman supported removing "one-time" because it provided
no harm, and the message was more open and clear. She did not want to
send the message that the Council would only provide an allocation of
$250,000.
Council Member Burt felt the Council's intentions were to allocate $250,000
over two years at the present time, and in the future the Council would
determine an ongoing commitment. He preferred to remove "one-time."
Council Member Klein noted "one-time" was included in the recommendation
from the Policy and Services Committee. By removing it, the Council was
indicating that the program would continue.
Council Member Price concurred with Council Member Klein. The Council
wanted to see the results of the program before considering additional
funding. Including "one-time" placed pressure on stakeholders to consider
other funding models.
AMENDMENT TO MOTION FAILED: 3-5 Burt, Holman, Schmid yes,
Scharff Absent
Council Member Holman inquired whether the Homeless Services Task Force
would continue its efforts.
Ms. Van Der Zwaag replied yes.
Council Member Holman asked why the Sunnyvale Armory was closing.
Ms. Van Der Zwaag reported a long-term housing project would be
implemented at the site.
Mr. Le noted that the Cold Weather Shelter Program would operate in 2013.
Two affordable housing projects would be developed on the site of the
Sunnyvale Armory.
Council Member Holman inquired about the number of housing units that
would be developed at the site.
Mr. Le indicated both projects would provide 118-120 units. The Sunnyvale
Armory's current capacity was 125 beds.
Ms. Van Der Zwaag stated a group was attempting to find other locations for
the shelter program.
Council Member Holman requested an update regarding the possibility of
expanding the Hotel de Zink Program. She suggested the Homeless
Services Task Force report twice a year to the Human Relations Commission
(HRC) to inform the Council and the public and to monitor the homeless
program.
Ms. Van Der Zwaag agreed that the Homeless Services Task Force could
report to the HRC; however, the Homeless Services Task Force would not
oversee the homeless program.
Council Member Holman intended for Staff to report on services being
provided through the homeless program.
Ms. Van Der Zwaag would provide the recommendation to the Homeless
Services Task Force.
AMENDMENT: Vice Mayor Shepherd moved, seconded by Council Member
Kniss to delete “Further, the City Council directs staff to bring forward a
Budget Amendment Ordinance in November to increase the City Council
Contingency in the amount of $125,000 with a corresponding decrease of
the General Fund Budget Stabilization Reserve and include funding of the
Fiscal Year 2015 allocation in the amount of $125,000 in the FY 2015
Proposed Budget.”
Vice Mayor Shepherd felt use of the Council Contingency Fund was
appropriate.
Council Member Kniss indicated use of Council Contingency Funds provided a
good message.
Council Member Klein explained that the Council Contingency Fund was used
to fund an initiative that was not included in the Budget. The homeless
program fit that category. He was unsure whether Council Member Kniss
included the language in the Motion.
Council Member Kniss did not include it.
Council Member Price seconded the Motion as written.
Council Member Klein believed Staff's suggestion was consistent and
appropriate with the budgetary scheme; however, he did not
understand why it was included in the Motion. Unused monies in the
Council Contingency Fund reverted to the reserves.
Council Member Holman understood Council Member Klein to say the
language should not have been included in Staff's recommendation,
and asked if he agreed with the Amendment to delete the language.
Council Member Klein responded yes, but for different reasons.
AMENDMENT WITHDRAWN
Council Member Berman felt this was a good short-term program. It
was important for the Council to monitor the program to determine its
success.
MOTION PASSED: 8-0 Scharff absent