SR-301-004 (32)
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~CitYOf
Santa Monica.
City Council Report
City Council Meeting: September 26,2006
Agenda Item: J. I
To:
Mayor and City Council
From:
Barbara Stinchfield, Director of Community and Cultural Services
Subject:
Appropriation of Funds for Costs Related to the Temporary Relocation of
Homeless Food Providers to Facilities at 612 Colorado Avenue
Recommended Action
It is recommended that the City Council appropriate an amount not to exceed $197,000
for costs related to the temporary relocation of homeless food providers to indoor
facilities at 612 Colorado Avenue.
Executive Summary
At the direction of City Council, in March 2006, the City staff and the City's Special
Representative on Homeless Issues convened a series of meetings with five of the
organizations who feed homeless persons in Santa Monica's public parks. These
organizations are comprised of volunteers and do not receive funding from the City of
Santa Monica. The purpose of the meetings was to encourage these providers to
relocate their activities to an indoor location conducive to linking the provision of food
with outreach and case management services. After a series of meetings, two of the
largest food providers agreed to move to an interim City-owned location at 612
Colorado. The proposed appropriation of funds will cover the costs of necessary non-
structural improvements to the facility, furnishings and equipment, and operating costs
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for one year. The facility will only be available to the food providers until August 2007
when the building will be demolished for the Big Blue Bus campus expansion. Use
beyond August 2007 would result in significant cost increases for the expansion p~oject.
Discussion
Backqround
Beginning with the adoption of "The Santa Monica Task Force on Homelessness: A Call
to Action" in 1991, City policy has promoted the linking of food services for homeless
persons with those supportive services designed to move homeless persons off of the
streets. Policy further encourages that the food be provided at an indoor location.
Since that time, various efforts to achieve this goal, including local legislation, have met
with limited success. Some of the smaller feeding groups have successfully relocated
to the OPCC Access Center. However, one limiting factor has been the lack of an
indoor location with the capacity and amenities needed to house both the larger
organizations and the desired supportive service functions.
The proposed relocation of the current OPCC Access Center to its new site at 505
Olympic Boulevard provides an opportunity to accommodate feeding larger groups of
people within the context of a multi-service center. However, the new Access Center
will not be completed until the late summer of 2007. Therefore, an interim location at
612 Colorado has been identified and two of the largest food programs, Hand to Hand
and HOPE, have agreed to relocate their programs to this interim location until the
building is demolished for the Big Blue Bus expansion. Currently, Hand to Hand
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provides pre-packaged food in front of City Hall on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m., and HOPE
provides hot meals in Palisades Park on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 3:00 p.m. Both
groups estimate that they serve 150 people each week.
Relocation Plan
A large portion of the building at 612 Colorado is currently unoccupied. In conjunction
with the food providers, a space plan has been developed, reconfiguring the existing
floor plan, with as few modifications as possible, to provide areas for indoor queuing,
supply storage, conference rooms for social services, food service and seating. The
program will have a seating capacity of approximately 150 persons.
During their relocation to this interim location, both Hand to Hand and HOPE plan on
keeping a similar meals schedule. Food program participants will enter and leave the
interim location through the current path of travel for the existing OPCC Access Center
and SWASH LOCK. The food providers have worked out detailed operational plans to
facilitate queuing, guest oversight, food service and clean-up.
City staff has begun scheduling social service providers to be at the facility during the
scheduled meal times to link clients to supportive services. City staff will be on-site
during the hours of operation to coordinate the supportive services and handle any
facility issues which may arise. Both the food providers and City staff will monitor the
exterior of building before, during and after program hours to remove litter and address
any other impacts of the program. Other volunteer groups currently providing meals
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outdoors in Santa Monica have expressed an interest in relocating to 612 Colorado,
pending a positive outcome for Hand to Hand and HOPE. Additional operating funds
may be required to support the relocation of additional feeding programs to the site.
Staff has begun neighborhood outreach activities to businesses and residents
proximate to the interim location. It is anticipated that the tenant improvements will be
complete and the food programs can complete their relocation by the end of October.
Budqet/Financiallmpact
Staff is requesting that the City Council appropriate an amount not to exceed $197,000
from previously reserved homeless set-aside funds to support the interim facility. The
budget includes approximately $131,000 for one year of ongoing personnel and
operations costs including solid waste services, supplies, rent to the Big Blue Bus for
the use of 612 Colorado Avenue, and insurance costs, as well as use of a van during
the early weeks of the program; and $66,000 in one-time remodeling, equipment and
furniture costs.
Staff recommends that funds be appropriated as follows:
1. From Homeless Set-Aside funds, appropriate $127,000 to account
012628.561700 (Feeding Program).
2. Transfer $70,000 from account C01 00626.589000 (Access Center Construction
Project) to account 012628.561700 (Feeding Program). These funds were
appropriated to the Access Center Project from the Homeless Set-Aside funds.
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Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds have recently become
available to cover the costs of the Access Center (see below).
3. Transfer $70,000 from account C19005004.589000 to account
C1900626.589000 (Access Center Project). This transfer of funds is below the
10% threshold for CDBG budget modifications required by the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development.
Prepared by:
J;;;4J~ ~~ 0
Barbara Stinchfield
Approved:
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