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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2402-2694CITY OF PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL Special Meeting Monday, March 11, 2024 Council Chambers & Hybrid 5:30 PM     Agenda Item     17.Update on Operations of a Pilot Overnight Warming Location for Unhoused Individuals During Times of Inclement Weather Public Comments 4 1 6 3 City Council Staff Report From: City Manager Report Type: INFORMATION REPORTS Lead Department: Community Services Meeting Date: March 11, 2024 Report #:2402-2694 TITLE Update on Operations of a Pilot Overnight Warming Location for Unhoused Individuals During Times of Inclement Weather RECOMMENDATION This is an informational report and no City Council action is required. ANALYSIS This report offers a status update on the City’s efforts piloting an Overnight Warming Location (OWL) program. This is a life saving measure to bring unhoused individuals inside during times that the County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing declares an Inclement Weather Alert when certain adverse cold/rainy weather conditions are predicted. This temporary program has funding for this winter season (January- May 2024). Once the County issues an Inclement Weather Alert, the Downtown Library Overnight Warming Location is opened for a 12-hour overnight session. The County Inclement Weather Alert can be for single or multiple days. When activated, the City hosts up to 10 individuals (adults only) each session and space is on a first come, first served basis. All guests are required to register and are screened for health concerns before entering following the County of Santa Clara’s Health Department’s COVID/Contagious Disease safety guidelines. A code of conduct is enforced. Guests receive a cot, warm snacks/breakfast. This winter weather season, the City designated the Downtown Library as the sole location and to date the OWL has activated 10 times. A high percent of guests to date have been women. It is not an ongoing shelter program such as We Hope in East Palo Alto or rotating shelter such as those provided by Heart & Home Collaborative or LifeMoves (Hotel de Zink). The Overnight Warming Location is staffed by an experienced homeless services worker and a security guard, under contracts managed by the City’s Office of Human Services. All OWL guests leave the library by 7:00 a.m. and all supplies (cots, etc.) are removed from the space and the library is cleaned by a custodian before it opens back up to the public. The program does not 4 1 6 3 impact library operations and staff has shared that library patrons have responded positively with their appreciation of the City’s efforts. Feedback from OWL guests has been very positive. OWL participants have told staff that they appreciate having a safe, warm, dry place to be during periods of bad weather. Guests particularly appreciate the calm atmosphere; from the first night the OWL has been open, guests have expressed a desired to stay at the OWL when it is next open as they like staying in a place that’s accessible and where they feel safe. One guest even shared that his night at the OWL was the first time in a long time that he had slept through the night. The City will evaluate the effectiveness of the program before making recommendations to the City Council as part of their upcoming budget discussions. FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT At the December 18, 2023, City Council meeting,1 Council approved the use of grant funding to support unhoused outreach worker contracts which freed up funding from the general fund to support the Overnight Warming Location as a pilot for the upcoming winter season. This change in funding allocation noted the use of funds, the temporary nature of the program, and possible locations under consideration including the Downtown Library. As noted, staff will evaluate the pilot program following the conclusion of the winter season and make recommendations as part of the City’s upcoming budget process for FY 2024-2025. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT Before storm events, the City shares important weather event information with the community, and in January shared the initial OWL activation, via website, and City communications channels. As noted above, last December the Council approved funding for the pilot program for the upcoming winter season (January – May). The City did not notify adjacent properties given the temporary use and will consider this moving forward. ATTACHMENTS None APPROVED BY: Kristen O'Kane, Community Services Director 1 December 18, 2023, City Council Meeting, Staff Report https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/viewer?id=0&type=7&uid=aeed86d9-14cb-42e9-9838-50f9649c661f From:Karen White To:Council, City Subject:Item #17/ Shelter Program at the Downtown Library Date:Monday, March 11, 2024 10:14:37 AM Some people who received this message don't often get email from kwhite.karenl@gmail.com. Learn why this isimportant CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Hon. members of the Palo Alto City Council: I am concerned that the City of Palo Alto chose not to inform or consult with the surrounding residents regarding the Downtown Library’s use as a shelter and food service location. The two-page report indicates that “This winter the City designated the Downtown Library as the sole location [for the shelter]….” However, when the authorization for this program was passed on the consent agenda of December 18, 2023, the proposal stated “The location(s) for the OWL are still under review and may include a combination of a local faith institution and a city facility such as the Downtown Library.” The process for that decision was hardly a public process. I respectfully feel that the City and those running the shelter program at the Downtown Library could have done a much better job of informing all of the stakeholders of this decision. This December 18, 2023 report indicated that: STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT The OWL is being planned by a subcommittee that includes City staff from the Office of Human Services and representatives from local nonprofits that serve the unhoused. The OWL concept was also discussed by the Palo Alto Homeless Service Providers Committee at its meeting on October 4, 2023. In seeking a location for the OWL, staff has been in touch with two local faith communities and in one case, staff made a presentation to their governing body on October 18, 2023. I would submit that two of the most important stakeholders that should have been consulted were the hundreds of residents within a few blocks of the Downtown Library and the one organization that represents the residents who use and support our libraries, the Friends of the Play Alto Library. This March 11 report only says that: “The City did not notify adjacent properties given the temporary use and will consider this moving forward.” Please direct the City staff to do a lot more than consider including the Downtown Library neighbors and the Friends of the Palo Alto Library. Did the Palo Alto City staff ever consider the City-owned empty building at 445 Bryant for a temporary pilot shelter program? That building has, unlike the Downtown Library, bathrooms, lockers, and ADA-compliant showers. If I was asked about this program that would have been one suggestion you would have heard. As for zoning, is the Downtown Library zoned for residential use and as a provider of hot meals? Am I against shelters for those living on our streets? No, however, I believe that the process was certainly flawed and a better choice of locations might have been made if you had only reached out to the community. For that matter, I wonder how many members of the City Council were made aware of this proposal for using the Downtown library as a shelter? Respectfully, Karen White 40-year Homeowner and Resident of Palo Alto From:Sherry Listgarten To:Council, City Cc:O"Kane, Kristen Subject:OWL program thoughts Date:Friday, March 8, 2024 7:01:41 PM Some people who received this message don't often get email from sherry@listgarten.com. Learn why this is important CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautiousof opening attachments and clicking on links. Dear City Council, I appreciate the informational report about the OWL (Overnight Warming Locations) program, and loved reading about how successful it was. I was going to send you a note saying "Great!", but then I read a bit more and realized the program costs about $150 per person per night when it is at capacity ($150 * 10 * 60 = $90,000), and more if not. Per the outlined budget, it seems like about $5 of that is food/snacks, so the rest must be for lodging. It made me wonder if another option would be low-cost local hotels. The benefits would be: - larger and more comfortable beds - more privacy, less health risk - earlier check-in and later check-out - no midday eviction during multi-day segments of bad weather - support for local businesses - no need to multi-use a library - could house more people for the same cost (I see rooms for about $70-$80/night + tax) The downsides could be: - a shuttle would be needed from (say) library to hotel(s) - the hotel(s) might not be as centrally located - hotel rooms could be more impersonal, less caring -- this seems important, and would merit some thought - there may not always be hotel space, and/or more than one hotel might be needed, adding complexity - hotels might not be interested I don't know much about this topic, and there certainly could be considerations I haven't thought of. So I defer to people who have thought about this more than I have. I think it is great that we are looking at ways to help the unhoused during periods of bad weather. -- Sherry.