SR-301-004 (19)
F:\HumanServices\Share\CD PROGRAM-PROGRAM AREAS\Homeless Programs\Staff Reports\Homeless Annual Review 2004.doc
Council Meeting: January 11, 2005 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Annual Review of the City’s Coordinated Plan for Homeless Services, and
Recommendation to Accept the Report and Hold a Public Hearing
Introduction
This report reviews the City’s Coordinated Plan for Homeless Services in FY 2003-04
and recommends the City Council hold a public hearing on the Plan pursuant to
Municipal Code Section 2.69.030. This report also provides a recommended
Homelessness Action Plan for Fiscal Years 2004-2006 for Council review. Final
direction on the Action Plan will be agendized for the January 25, 2005 City Council
meeting.
Background
In 1991, City Council appointed community members to serve on a Task Force on
Homelessness to study the issues and make recommendations to the City Council on
strategies to address homelessness in Santa Monica. This effort resulted in a report, A
Call to Action, that discussed 16 priorities related to homelessness and made a series
of recommendations dealing with public health and safety, shelter and housing, funding
possibilities and the need for regional advocacy. These strategies became a blueprint
for the development of homeless services in the City for the last decade and continue to
guide the City’s efforts.
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In 1994, the City Council adopted the Public Safety Initiative (now Municipal Code
Sections 2.69.010 through 2.69.030) calling for the City to adopt a Coordinated Plan for
Homeless Services. This Plan is incorporated into the City’s FY 2003-06 Community
Development Plan and in the Consolidated Plan for FY 2000-05 required by the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development. It is designed to:
Effectively assist the homeless in returning to a self-sufficient status;
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Monitor the progress of individual recipients;
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Eliminate unnecessary duplication of services;
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Emphasize long-term solutions to homelessness by combining housing,
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counseling and job training;
Provide non-housing services for approximately the same number of
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homeless individuals as can be temporarily sheltered in the City;
Prevent an increase, and wherever feasible, reduce, overall City
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expenditures relating to homeless services; and
Impose reasonable time limits on the provision of services to the same
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individuals.
The Plan included closure of public parks from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., prohibiting
abusive solicitation, and fast tracking the development of a 100-bed emergency shelter.
With the opening of SAMOSHEL, at 505 Olympic Boulevard, and Council’s adoption of
ordinances to close the public parks and prohibit aggressive panhandling, major
elements of the plan were realized.
The Public Safety Initiative also requires the City Council to conduct an annual review of
the Coordinated Plan for Homeless Services and hold a public hearing to assess:
the impact of the City’s homeless population on other residents of the City;
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the effectiveness of the delivery of services to the homeless by the City and
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various social service agencies;
the cost of those services; and
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the changes which should be made in the Plan in order to carry out its primary
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goals and objectives.
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Notice of a public hearing for January 11, 2005 was placed in the Santa Monica Daily
Press, Santa Monica Mirror, Surfsantamonica.com, and posted on the City’s website.
Discussion
The City of Santa Monica funds a comprehensive range of homeless services that are
geared toward helping homeless people transition from the streets to permanent
housing and employment. This continuum of care model begins with outreach and
emergency services, includes intake and assessment (which encompasses case
management and supportive services), and leads to emergency shelter, transitional
housing and permanent housing. The continuum concludes with aftercare services that
build in the supports needed so that individuals can sustain the significant progress they
have made. It has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development as a model program.
CONTINUUM OF CARE MODEL
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Outreach Emergency/ Intake & Emergency Transitional Permanent Aftercare
Day Services Assessment Shelter Housing Housing Services
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Food |______________________________________________| |________|
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Clothing | |
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Showers Coordinated Case Management Job Retention
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Lockers Intake and Assessment Support Groups
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Mailing Address Benefits Advocacy (e.g., GR, SSI) Counseling
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Crisis Intervention Mental Health Services Mentoring
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Information and Health Services
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Referrals Drug & Alcohol Intervention
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Money Management
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Job/Skills Training
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Employment Search Assistance
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Employment Placement
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Housing Search Assistance
In FY 2003-04 the City supported nine agencies including Chrysalis, the CLARE
Foundation, New Directions, Ocean Park Community Center, St. Joseph Center, Step
Up on Second, The Salvation Army, Upward Bound House, and the Westside Food
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Bank. As a condition of City funding, these agencies develop Grantee Program Plans
that specify how delivered services will address the continuum and effectively assist
homeless individuals to obtain greater self-sufficiency. The agencies are required to
monitor the effectiveness of their services through progress reports from a
computerized case management system and evaluation of client outcomes. City staff
monitors the delivery of services and client progress toward self-sufficiency through site
visits and regular review of reports.
Effectiveness of the Service Delivery System
Using a shared computerized data bank to track unduplicated participants and their
outcomes, the agencies coordinate case management services and report service
outcomes and levels to the City. In FY 2003-04, a total of 2,188 homeless persons in
Santa Monica were provided with case management, temporary housing, addiction
recovery and mental health services, and employment assistance. Of those who
entered the system, slightly over half (54%) of homeless residents were men and 46%
were women. While the supply of temporary, transitional and permanent affordable
housing on the Westside is extremely limited, 626 (29%) homeless persons received
temporary or transitional housing and 339 (15%) people transitioned into permanent
housing during the course of the year.
Through the support of the homeless services network, 589 (27%) people who were
unemployed when entering the system found and maintained jobs leading to self-
sufficiency. While the Plan is designed to “provide non-housing services for
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approximately the same number of homeless people as can be temporarily sheltered in
the City,” City-funded agencies continue to provide “non-housing” supportive services to
more people than are sheltered within the City given the number of available year-round
beds. Reasonable participation time limits for individuals, ranging from eight months to
slightly over a year, are being observed by SAMOSHEL, Turning Point, Daybreak
Shelter and Upward Bound House.
Homeless Services Outcomes
FY 2001-02 through FY 2003-04
FY 2003-04 FY 2002-03 FY 2001-02
No. No. No.
Served % Placed Served % Placed Served % Placed
Total SM-funded Program Participants 2,188 N/A 2,773 N/A2,566 N/A
Placements in permanent housing 339 15% 433* 16%244 10%
Placements in transitional housing 405 19% 413* 15%337 13%
Placements in emergency shelter 626 29% 474* 17%436 17%
Placements in permanent employment 397 18% 437* 16%230 9%
Placements in temporary employment 210 10% 245* 9%208 8%
*Revised data
Permanent housing placements in FY 2003-04 were down 22% from the previous year’s
figures (FY 2002-03: 433, FY 2003-04: 339), coinciding with the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development’s funding cut to Section 8 certificates in the spring of
2004. These certificates generally guarantee that the federal government will pay
approximately 70% of the rent for program participants. The impact of Santa Monica
Section 8 funding cuts to City-funded homeless service providers was compounded by
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similar cuts to these agencies by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles
(HACLA). Emergency housing placements were up 32% (FY 2002-03: 474, FY 2003-
04: 626). Transitional housing figures were virtually the same as last year (FY 2002-03:
413, FY 2003-04: 405). The impact of this range of services on homeless people who
choose to participate can be significant.
In December 2004, the United States Conference of Mayors released its annual “Status
Report on Hunger and Homelessness in American Cities.” This 27-city survey reported
that in 2004, 70% of the cities registered an increase in requests for emergency shelter.
Demand for shelter exceeds available shelter beds in 81% of the survey cites. Further,
88% of the responding cities expect requests for emergency food and shelter
assistance to increase in 2005.
Impacts of Homelessness
In spite of the significant achievements made by homeless persons availing themselves
of Santa Monica’s network of services, the impact of homelessness in Santa Monica
remains a top community concern. Balancing the availability of services to those most
in need with the regulation of public open space for all to use is a key policy and
operational challenge for the City. As in communities across the region and throughout
the country, homeless people congregate in parks and other public spaces with their
personal belongings. Charitable groups continue to come to Santa Monica from outside
the community to distribute food outdoors and outside the continuum of care framework.
Some homeless individuals do not abide by the laws and regulations that govern
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behavior in public spaces. The behavior of homeless people with significant mental
health and substance abuse problems continues to cause fear as well as concern for
those less fortunate in the general population.
The 1991 policy framework adopted by Council to guide homeless services and the
impact of homelessness in the community called for food distribution to be linked with
social services and occur indoors – because this is the most effective and humane
approach to helping people in need. In 2002, the City Council passed an ordinance
serving to notify all providers of food in public places that they need to receive permits
from the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Staff conducted several
meetings with food providers and county workers to review the requirements for
providing safe and sanitary food. Park Rangers and the Santa Monica Police
Department conducted outreach with food providers following these meetings. The
City’s efforts to ask that providers voluntarily link their efforts with local service agencies
have achieved some success -- one provider, Feed Your Soul, has linked with OPCC’s
Access Center and now provides meals four times a week at the service center rather
than as a “stand-alone” in Palisades Park. The number of food distribution locations in
Santa Monica’s public spaces dropped from twenty-six in 2002 to four in 2004. The
remaining distribution programs continue to draw large numbers.
Complaints and calls for service related to homelessness are received and handled
through multiple City offices in various locations. During FY 2003-04, the Santa Monica
Police Department’s Homeless Liaison Project (HLP) Team received 674 calls for
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service involving homeless persons and the Fire Department’s Paramedics responded
to 1,258 calls involving homeless persons. Homeless-related complaints to the City
Manager’s Office, City Council Office and the Human Services Division focused on
persons gathering in the downtown area; people panhandling near restaurants;
prolonged and heavy use of some parks by homeless people; people using public
restrooms for bathing and washing clothes; people roaming alleys to gather cans and
bottles from recycling containers; and people sleeping in public parks, parking
structures and alleys. Concern about public parks - particularly Reed, Palisades and
Memorial Parks - has focused on the inability of the broader community to access open
space due to the significant monopolization of scarce open space by homeless people
with their belongings. City staff is working on recommended changes to several
ordinances intended to address this continuing issue.
If every city in the region adopted and funded a continuum of care model and prioritized
creation of affordable housing, Santa Monica’s burden would be more equitably shared.
To further the City Council policy on strengthening regional responses to homelessness,
the City played a sustained and active role in the “Bring LA Home” partnership during
FY 2003-04. Bring LA Home is a focused countywide effort with the goal of ending
homelessness in LA County by the year 2013. Convened by a panel of public officials,
leaders from business, civic and faith-based organizations and people who have
experienced homelessness in Los Angeles, the partnership strives to create and
implement a comprehensive and realistic 10-year strategic plan to end homelessness.
Council Member Richard Bloom, who was invited to be a member of the Bring LA Home
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General Fund
Blue Ribbon Panel during his term as Mayor, and City staff continue to participate in
planning meetings and working groups to craft the goals and strategies for the plan.
The City partnered with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) to host
a Bring LA Home community meeting and discussion on January 26, 2004. Comments
received at this community meeting have been incorporated in the development of the
10-year strategic plan.
Cost of Services
In FY 2003-04, the City budgeted $1,823,391 to fund homeless services. (This does
not include a HUD Supportive Housing Program grant, as the City only acts as a pass-
through agent for those funds.) This amount is $7,331 less than budgeted in FY 2002-
03. For every dollar allocated to homeless service providers from the City’s General
Fund, these organizations leveraged an additional $2.69 in non-City funding to support
the continuum of care. As shown in the following chart, City General Fund support for
operating costs related to the continuum of care has not increased substantially over the
past decade.
HOMELESS CONTINUUM OF CARE FUNDING SINCE 1993
$2,000,000
$1,500,000
$1,000,000
$500,000
$0
93-9494-9595-9696-9797-9898-9999-0000-0101-0202-0303-04
Fiscal Year
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Current and Upcoming Strategies
Providing the right balance of support to homeless people while maintaining the public
health, safety and quality of life for all City residents and visitors continues to be a
challenge. Some of the key strategies for the next two years to address homelessness
are underway and include the following:
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Regional Solutions
: Strong and effective regional planning to develop solutions
to end homelessness are required to relieve the disproportionate burden in Santa
Monica. The Bring LA Home Report, due to be released in March 2005, will set
forth a blueprint for ending homelessness over the next ten years in Los Angeles
County. This ambitious effort will require the active involvement of all 88 cities,
the County, the private sector, religious community and community-based
agencies to be effective. On the Westside, participation by the Council of
Governments (COG) will be essential. In February 2005, COG member cities will
consider a joint resolution calling for better use of the federal Veteran’s
Administration property in West Los Angeles to serve homeless people.
Examples of other important regional issues for the coming year include:
advocating for allocation of Proposition 63 (Mental Health Services Act) funding
to increase services for mentally ill homeless people; the planned creation of a
new County 24/7 urgent care facility in West LA as an alternative to emergency
room use for indigent and homeless people; participation in the January 2005
countywide homeless census; and creation of a year round shelter on the
Westside. Sustained regional focus on these issues are critical.
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Review of Ordinances
: Staff from various City departments, including the City
Attorney’s Office, Police, Community and Cultural Services and Environmental
and Public Works continue to review City ordinances for effectiveness and
enforceability, consider revisions or new ordinances as appropriate, and assess
application of ordinances to ensure public safety and the balanced use of public
spaces. Key areas of focus include: the outdoor public distribution of food;
intensive and exclusive use of some parks by homeless people; use of public
restrooms; access to community facilities such as Miles Playhouse and the
Senior Recreation Center; unattended property in parks and parkways; and
camping in parks.
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Chronic Homeless Pilot
: For the past six months, City staff (Human Services,
Police, Fire, Housing), service providers (OPCC, CLARE, St. Joseph Center,
Step Up on Second) and the County Department of Mental Health (Edelman
Mental Health and Countywide staff) have worked to develop a pilot project to
more effectively target services to and assist those chronic, most difficult to reach
and “service resistant” homeless people who have been on Santa Monica’s
streets for an extended period of time. The goal of the pilot is to reach these
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chronic homeless people with a well coordinated, strategic, interdisciplinary and
sustained effort - and get them off the streets permanently. For the initial phase
of this pilot project, homeless people who have required a high level of
Paramedic and Police intervention were identified. In the Fall of 2004,
interdisciplinary teams of staff contacted eleven chronic homeless people to
participate in this project. These people have been homeless for between five
and 20 years. Of the initial target group of eleven people, eight are now off the
streets – with three of those in permanent housing. The pilot program
demonstrated clearly the essential role of interagency communication/
coordination and case management. The success of this effort has led all
participants to agree to continue and expand the pilot in the coming year.
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Addressing Public Inebriation/”Sobering Center” Concept
: Options for
better addressing public inebriation must be part of addressing chronic
homelessness in Santa Monica. Staff members are currently working with
service providers and the County to determine the most effective options for
expanding services – locally and on a regional basis – for this population. A
status report on the feasibility and effectiveness of the “sobering center” concept
is provided in a separate item on tonight’s City Council agenda.
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Year Round Shelter
: The Westside (including Santa Monica) is one of the
regions of LA County which does not have a year round County-funded shelter
for homeless people. While operating funding is available, a location has not
been identified and approved. Vacant buildings at the VA property have been
used for winter shelter and are potentially available for the year round shelter.
Securing a permanent year round location for this important shelter resource is a
top priority.
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Increased Supportive Housing:
Within the next three years, at least two new
supportive housing developments should open in Santa Monica. The OPCC
Cloverfield Boulevard project, approved by the Council in August 2003, is
tentatively scheduled to open in March 2006, and will provide up to 55 beds for
chronic mentally ill homeless people. In December 2004, Step Up on Second
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acquired property at 1548 5 Street for a proposed residential development
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similar to their existing facility on 2 Street. Step Up on Second is currently
proceeding with community outreach and development design. These new
housing resources will help to address Santa Monica’s most chronic and disabled
population of homeless people.
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Improved Access Center
: By the middle of 2005, the OPCC Access Center
now located on Colorado will relocate next to SAMOSHEL on Olympic
Boulevard. The Access Center will combine with the SHWASHLOCK Program
(showers, lockers, washers) to ensure a very well organized point of entry for
homeless services. This new facility for existing services will enable OPCC to
link to volunteer food distribution groups as well as provide space for mental
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health and other County public services to “outstation” staff and more efficiently
provide stabilizing services that will assist clients in getting off the streets.
Budget/Financial Impact
Reviewing the report and holding the public hearing does not have any budgetary or
financial impact. Direction to staff at a subsequent Council Meeting may require
identification of resources and staff will, in that event, return to Council with any required
actions.
Recommendation
City staff recommends that the City Council 1) accept this report and hold a public
hearing to gain input on the FY 2003-04 annual review of the City’s Coordinated Plan
for Homeless Services and 2) raise questions and provide preliminary comment on the
strategies to be discussed on January 25, 2005.
Prepared by: Barbara Stinchfield, Director of Community and Cultural Services
Julie Rusk, Human Services Manager
Susan Lai, Senior Administrative Analyst
Setareh Yavari, Administrative Analyst
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