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Santa Monica
City Council Meeting: March 24, 2009
Agenda Item: ~{~
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Barbara Stinchfield, Community and Cultural Services Director
AndyAgle, Housing and Economic Development Director
Tim Jackman, Chief of Police
Subject: Annual Review of the City's Plan for Homeless Services and Update of the
Action Plan to Address Homelessness in Santa Monica
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Hold a public hearing on the Annual Review of the City's Plan for Homeless
Services, pursuant to Municipal Code Section 2.69.030;
2) Receive a progress update on implementation of Year 1 of the City's Action Plan to
Address Homelessness in Santa Monica; and
3) Approve the proposed Year 2 Action Plan Update.
Executive Summary
This staff report meets the requirements of the City's Public Safety Initiative by providing
an "Annual Review of the City's Plan for Homeless Services" (Annual Review) for FY
2007-08; provides a report on the accomplishments regarding six project areas of the more
specific "Action Plan to Address Homelessness in Santa Monica" (Action Plan) adopted by
the City Council in February 2008 (Attachment I); and proposes an update to the Action
Plan including additional strategies in Year 2 of its implementation (Attachment II).
The public hearing affords the public and the City Council with an opportuhity to comment
on the attached documents and provide input on the impact of homelessness in Santa
Monica.
The required Annual Review reports on the performance of the homeless service system
detailing outcomes for homeless individuals who received assistance. Programs initiated
or expanded in the prior year are summarized. An analysis of the housing status and
length of time in the system for more than 3,500 homeless individuals who received
services from aCity-funded program in FY 2007-08 is also provided.
In FY 2007-08, significant. accomplishments were achieved in each project area of the
adopted Action Plan through the coordinated efforts of City staff, public agency partners
and service providers. These accomplishments are summarized in the body of this report
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and detailed in Attachment I, along with next steps to build on current efforts and
successes. The continuation of successful efforts and new action steps is reflected in the
Year 2 Action Plan Update provided in Attachment II, for which Council approval is
requested.
Background
Public Safety Initiative
In 1994, the City Council adopted the Public Safety Initiative (SMMC Sections 2.69.010
through 2.69.030) calling for the City to adopt a plan for homeless services, based on the
following goals:
• Effectively assist the homeless in returning to aself-sufficient status;
• Monitor the progress of individual recipients;
Eliminate unnecessary duplication of services;
• Emphasize long-term solutions to homelessness by combining housing, counseling
and job training;
• Provide non-housing services for approximately the same number of homeless
individuals as can be temporarily sheltered in the City;
Prevent an increase, and wherever feasible, reduce overall City expenditures
relating to homeless services; and
• Impose reasonable time limits on the provision of services to the same individuals.
The City's plan required by the Public Safety Initiative is incorporated into the City's FY
2007-10 Community Development Plan and in the Consolidated Plan for FY 2005-10
required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The Public Safety Initiative also requires the City Council to conduct an annual review of
the City's progress in meeting the goals established by the Initiative, and hold a public
hearing to assess:
• The impact of the City's homeless population on other residents of the City;
The effectiveness of the delivery of services to the homeless by the City and various
social service agencies;
The cost of those services; and
The changes which should be made in the Plan in order to carry out its primary
goals and objectives.
Notice of a public hearing for March 24, 2009, was placed in the Santa Monica Daily
Press, www.surfsantamonica.com, and posted on the City's website.
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In February 2008, the City Council adopted the "Action Plan to Address Homelessness In
Santa Monica" (Action Plan). The Action Plan established a vision statement, guiding
principles, and suggested refinements to the City's homeless service system. The Action
Plan specified steps in six project areas: services, housing, evalution, community
education and public policy. Attachment I, entitled "Year 1 Accomplishments Related to
the Action Plan to Address Homelessness in Santa Monica," details the accomplishments
since February 2008 in the project areas outlined in the Plan. Attachment II, entitled
"Action Plan to Address Homelessness in Santa Monica -Year 2" (Year 2 Plan), provides
an update and proposes new initiatives based on accomplishments to date and lessons
learned. The Plan was and is consistent with the goals of the Public Safety Initiative and is
intended to be a "living document" that is revised periodically to reflect new initiatives and
strategies.
Discussion
Santa Monica's Homeless Service Delivery System
With the adoption of the Action Plan in 2008, priority populations for City-funded programs
were established, and one of the guiding principles of the Plan was to align resources with
the needs of these priority populations. As a result, the traditional continuum of care
model for homeless service delivery is being refined and augmented with new approaches
and best practices that have demonstrated success. in other parts of the nation.
The hallmarks of these new approaches involve rethinking a past emphasis on serving
ever larger numbers, and placing an emphasis on providing fewer, high-priority individuals
with more intensive services to achieve substantial changes in their lives, i.e., housing
them and keeping them housed. New methods, such as the City's Service Registry, have
been implemented to use data to determine who is being currently served and how best to
provide Santa Monica's "fair share" of essential and effective services for priority
populations. The adoption of best practices such as Housing First (rapid rehousing), harm
reduction, and assertive case management delivered through interdisciplinary teams
means that more and more individuals will continue to receive services after they are
housed.
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FY 2007-08: Who the System Served and Outcomes
In FY 2007-08, the City's Community Development Program provided funding to programs
in seven core homeless agencies: Chrysalis, the CLARE Foundation, New Directions,
OPCC, St. Joseph Center, Step Up On Second and Upward Bound House. These seven
core agencies enter data into ClientTrack, the City's computerized case management
system to track clients' progress at the individual, program and aggregate levels; measure
the unduplicated number of persons served; and track outcomes across programs to
determine aggregate benchmarks, e.g., permanent housing and employment placements.
The data in ClientTrack indicates that in FY 2007-08, a total of 3,575 homeless persons'
were provided with case management, temporary and permanent housing, addiction
recovery, mental health services, and employment assistance through the homeless
programs funded by the City. Of those, nearly two-thirds (64%) were male and 36% were
female. Forty-two percent (42%) were identified as chronically homeless2 and 12% were
identified as veterans.
The Housing Status of Those Served:
The ClientTrack data provides additional information about the 3,500 individuals that were
served in FY 2007-08, including that 877 (25%) of these individuals are now permanently
housed. These formerly homeless individuals are receiving housing retention case
management, affordable housing and other services that contribute to their stability in
housing. This finding is consistent with the Urban Institute's observation that Santa
Monica service providers and the Housing Authority have an excellent record of housing
retention -- 40% of housed individuals have been in the system for five years or more.
This number indicates the total number of individuals who received services from City-funded agencies over the course
of the year. This is distinct from the point-in-time number of 915 individuals directly counted within the City boundaries
on January 27, 2009 because more people experience homelessness -and request services -over the course of one
year than at any single point-in-time.
A chronic homeless person is defined by HUD as an unaccompanied individual with a disabling condition who has been
continually homeless for one year or more; or, has been homeless more than 4 times in 3 years.
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Housing Status of Those Served in FY 2007-08
(Individuals)
Count
Total in System 3575 100%
Formerly Homeless
Housed 877 25%
Still Homeless 2561 72%
Homeless Service Outcomes:
For the over 2,500 (72%) homeless individuals served throughout the year, an array of
approaches to end their homelessness has been developed and implemented. These
include outreach, case management, substance abuse and mental health treatment,
health care, employment services, services for veterans, and emergency and transitional
housing opportunities provided through Santa Monica's system of care. Many among
those served are chronically homeless and are the focus of new initiatives included in the
Action Plan. The accomplishments of this array of efforts are described in detail in
Attachment II, however, notable among them are:
• There has been an overall reduction of 8% in Santa Monica's homeless population
at any point-in-time from 999 in 2007 to 915 in 20093.
• 375 of 3,575 (10%) were placed in permanent housing in FY 2007-08.
• 698 (20%) homeless persons received emergency or transitional housing.
• 552 (15%) adults found and maintained jobs leading to self-sufficiency.
• As of January 2009, 54 of the 131 most vulnerable individuals on Santa Monica's
Service Registry (41 %) are off the street - 18 (14%) are permanently housed and 36
(27%) are temporarily housed.
Data from ClientTrack also indicates that 1,670 (47%) have been in the system for one-
year or Tess. This finding underlines the importance of action steps in the Plan which focus
on reconnecting newly-arrived homeless in Santa Monica with services near their
community of origin or with other appropriate services outside the City. One. important
initiative in this area is Project Homecoming. Since September 2006, service providers
have used Project Homecoming to reunite 310 people with family and friends - 125
a The 2007 Countywide Homeless Count conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
estimated that 1,506 persons were homeless in Santa Monica at any point in time. In order to provide a
direct comparison to the 915 individuals, vehicles, tents and boxes directly enumerated citywide on January
2009, the 1,506 has been adjusted to exclude any projections or multipliers, and to reflect all shelters and
institutions included in the 2009 Santa Monica Homeless Count.
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individuals were assisted in FY07-08. Seventy percent (70%) remain in housing after 4
months.
Impacts of Homelessness
In spite of the significant achievements made by homeless persons availing themselves of
Santa Monica's network of services, homelessness remains a top community concern in
Santa Monica, impacting first responders such as Police and Paramedics and the criminal
justice system:
In FY 2007-08, the Police Department made 1,598 arrests of individuals who listed
their residence as transient, homeless, none, or provided an address of a known
homeless shelter - a 14% decrease from FY 2006-07 when the number of arrests
was 1,866. This figure does not include citations (tickets) that were issued to
homeless persons.
In CY 2007, SMPD's Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) team made 3,988 contacts
with homeless individuals (duplicated) and made approximately 3,539 periodic
checks on property and open space. These responses were in addition to the
arrests reported above. In CY 2006, the team made contact with approximately
3,241 duplicated homeless individuals and made about 4,000 periodic checks on
property and open space.
• In FY 2007-08, Santa Monica Fire Department's paramedics responded to 11,590
calls. For 1,460 (12.5%) of those served, the person needing assistance was
.clearly homeless. In FY 2005-06, paramedics. responded to 11,743, with 1,812
(15%) of calls involving homeless persons.
In FY 07-08, the Santa Monica City Attorney's Office filed 899 cases involving
arrests and citations in which the subjects involved are usually homeless persons;
these include violations of ordinances relating to: camping; park closure,. abusive
solicitation (panhandling), and shopping cart possession. In FY 06-07, 1,382 cases
were filed for these same violations. Also in FY 07-08, the City Attorney's Offices
filed an additional 1,466 cases in the following categories which also often involve
homeless persons: deposit of offensive substance (public defecation/urination),
taking recyclables, sleeping in doorways, lost property (theft), and public
intoxication.
Many of the new initiatives developed to address both chronic homelessness, and those
newly arrived in Santa Monica, focus on the partnership between first responders and
service providers to link homeless individuals to appropriate services within and outside of
Santa Monica. Notable accomplishments of these partnerships are:
• Since March 2008, West Coast Care -anew outreach program partnering with the
Santa Monica Police's HLP team -has contacted 1,145 individuals, and 239 have
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found alternatives to living on the streets of Santa Monica through placement in
programs and family reunification.
• CLARE's Serial Inebriate program continues to provide outreach at the Santa
Monica Jail for those arrested for public intoxication. In FY07-08 CLARE staff
provided 621 interviews to 911 arrestees (68%) representing 486 unduplicated
individuals. Of those interviewed, 80 individuals (16%) accepted additional services
at CLARE.
• Coordination between law enforcement, the criminal justice system and service
providers was enhanced through the continuation of the Santa Monica Homeless
Community Court. Funding for this program has been extended through June 2009.
Since February 2007:
0 145 chronically homeless individuals have participated in Court services (85
individuals participated in FY 07-08);
0 101 (70%) have had citations or warrants dismissed upon program
completion;
0 143 (99%) have engaged in case management;
0 58 (40%) have received an emergency shelter bed;
0 43 (30) have entered outpatient or residential substance abuse treatment
0 32 (22%) have accessed mental health services.
0 14 individuals (10%) have been permanently housed.
• Restrooms and showers under the Pier were closed. Homeless clients were
redirected to and have been served at OPCC SHWASHLOCK and St. Joseph
Center.
• Municipal Ordinance Section 4.54.035 was adopted, prohibiting solicitation from
benches on the Third Street Promenade or the adjacent Transit Mall.
Cost of Services
In FY 2007-08, the City provided funding for the seven core programs in the amount of
$3,032,029, including $75,000 in one-time funding to assist OPCC with information
technology needs related to the relocation of the Access Center, and $255,000 to the
CLARE Foundation to assist with the rehabilitation of their Women's Recovery Center.
This was a combination of City General. Funds, County Homeless Prevention Initiative
funds, Federal Community Development Block Grant funds, Federal Supportive Housing
Program funds, and County Proposition A dollars. For these same programs, the core
agencies raised an additional $5.7M in other public and private funds. In addition to the
seven core homeless agencies, the City provides funding to the Westside Food Bank,
Common Ground, Community Corporation of Santa Monica, Legal Aid Foundation of Los
Angeles and the Westside Center for Independent Living, all of whom serve a significant
number of homeless individuals. The City also expended an additional $80,000 for a
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clinical consultant to the Service Registry, for direct services to clients (e.g., security
deposit and move-in funds) and Project Homecoming.
The Santa Monica Housing Authority provides rental subsidies using Federal assistance
under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 8 and Shelter Plus
Care programs and Redevelopment Agency funds for senior homeless prevention for
elderly households in imminent danger of becoming homeless and rental assistance to
very-low income elderly homeless individuals. In FY 2007-08, the estimated amount was
approximately $2.17M, representing over 200 active vouchers, 51 newly issued during FY
2007-08.
Many of the activities outlined in the Year 2 Action Plan represent continuation of ongoing
efforts already funded through the City's 2007-2010 Community Development Program,
although some efforts are funded through Federal, State, County and private funding
streams. To ensure the continuity of these programs and support the development of new
initiatives, City staff will work with service providers and funders to anticipate any funding
reductions due to the current economic climate, pursue funding opportunities from non-City
sources, and when appropriate, realign existing resources to meet emerging needs.
One program for which on-going funding continues to be an issue is the Santa Monica
Homeless Community Court (HCC). This program was initially funded by the County of Los
Angeles for a total of $458,000 for 16 months through December 2008, and additional
County funding in the amount of $180,000 was awarded to extend the program through
June 2009. The County also provides approximately $40,000 annually to the Superior
Court to cover costs associated with holding the HCC in a community setting (Santa
Monica City Council Chambers). City staff, service providers, and court staff agree that
there are elements of this pilot project which have demonstrated success, such as
increased access to case management and mental health services. These successful
elements of the HCC are already being applied to cases involving homeless individuals
cited for misdemeanors in Santa Monica at the Superior Court Dept. 147 at the LAX
Courthouse. Given the current economic climate, discussions with potential funders,
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including the County, have not yielded a commitment for the $400,000 in annual ongoing
funding for the operation of a separate HCC. However, stakeholders will work to identify
new resources, or realign existing resources to continue the most effective components of
the court through alternate venues.
Commission Input
The Social Services, Disabilities and Housing Commissions, and the Commission for the
Senior Community and Commission on the Status of Women elected to hear staff
presentations on the report. Overall, Commissioners were pleased with the efforts to date
and supportive of the efforts detailed in the Action Plan moving forward. Written
comments have been provided to the City Council.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
Reviewing this report and holding the public hearing do not have budgetary or financial
impacts. However, the report is information which should be considered in the
development of the City's FY 2009-10 budget.
Prepared by:
Julie Rusk, Human Services Manager
Approved: Forwarded to Council:
Barbara Stinchfield
Director, Community and Cultural
Services
Attachment I: Year 1 Accomplishments Related to the Action Plan to Address
Homelessness in Santa Monica
Attachment II: Action Plan to Address Homelessness in Santa Monica -Year 2
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Attachment I
YEAR 1 ACCOMPLISHMENTS RELATED TO
THE ACTION PLAN TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS IN SANTA MONICA
Year 1 progress in each of the project areas of the Action Plan includes:
PROJECT AREA: Services
• Implementing best practices:
o In January 2008, over 60 community volunteers counted 277 individuals, and
interviewed 266 over the course of 4 nights using a "vulnerability index" to identify
the most vulnerable homeless individuals. An additional 16 individuals were
interviewed over subsequent months. Of the 282 individuals, 131 were identified as
vulnerable, and as of January 2009, 54 (41%) are off the street - 18 (14%) are
permanently housed and 36 (27%) are temporarily housed. One person has passed
away.
o Service providers in Santa Monica - OPCC and Step Up on Second -secured new
County funding to implement two, interdisciplinary teams dedicated to Service
Registry participants. Currently these teams have been assigned to case manage
53 individuals on the Service Registry and have increased outreach efforts in
targeted areas, including downtown.
o City and agency staff has participated in Common Ground's Hospital to Home
national demonstration project to share best practices related to linking high users
of hospital services to housing. OPCC and Venice Family Clinic implemented a 10-
bed respite program for vulnerable individuals discharged from local hospitals in
January 2009.
o City staff organized atwo-day "Motivational Interviewing" training that was attended
by over 92 staff from local services providers. Motivational interviewing is a best
practice used to persuade individuals to accept services and housing.
Targeting service to priority populations:
o In addition to the CLARE Serial Inebriate Outreach Program, service providers
including West Coast Care, OPCC, SJC and the VA are conducting outreach to
homeless arrestees in the Santa Monica jail to link them to services.
o Samoshel has reduced its bed capacity from 110 to 70 beds, including 10 beds
allocated for respite care, and are prioritizing priority populations for beds. OPCC
staff report that case managers have a more manageable case load, resulting in
better outcomes, and there have been fewer negative interactions between guests.
Project Area: Housing
• Streamlining access to housing subsidies and rental units:
o Santa Monica service providers have hired additional Housing Coordinators to
assist clients with locating and leasing housing, and housing retention.
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o Housing Authority and service provider staff has conducted extensive outreach and
have established new collaborative relationships with rental-property owners and
managers.
o Housing Authority has established a Risk Mitigation fund (assistance with damages
and repairs) as an incentive for property owners/managers.
Developing more permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless individuals:
o The Veterans Affairs West LA campus is selecting adeveloper/operator to provide
long-term therapeutic housing for homeless veterans in Building 209.
o The City-funded Step Up on Fifth is completed with 46 units of permanent
supportive housing for persons with special needs, including 33 units for Shelter
Plus Care-eligible homeless individuals.
o The City Council has recently approved along-term lease agreement with OPCC for
the rehabilitation/reconstruction of 1614-1616 Ocean as permanent affordable
housing with supportive services for chronically homeless individuals.
Project Area: Evaluation
• Using data to set benchmarks to evaluate progress:
o On January 27, 2009 over 250 community volunteers conducted a complete, direct
count of homeless individuals on the streets and in shelters in Santa Monica. This
provides a reliable methodology and new benchmark for measuring the progress of
efforts to address homelessness in Santa Monica.
o Program targets and outcomes through City-funded programs are better aligned to
be consistent with the Action Plan, i.e. focused on serving fewer individuals, but
achieving better outcomes (e.g., permanent housing) for priority populations.
Project Area: Community Education
Implement an interactive, coordinated community education campaign, including
panhandling education and alternative giving messages:
o A monthly e-newsletter on homelessness is currently being distributed to 1,300
individuals.
o Consistent data and messages have been integrated into materials and
presentations that have been presented to six community groups and to participants
in the Convention and Visitor's Bureau's "I am Santa Monica".training for hospitality-
industry staff.
o Human Services and City TV staff developed news segments and public service
announcements informing the public about efforts to address homelessness in
Santa Monica, and worked with the Westside Shelter and Hunger Coalition to
produce an additional 3 episodes of "It's Your Call" - a call-in show about
homelessness across the region.
o The 2009 Santa Monica Homeless Count and the presentation of the findings
provided a unique opportunity to engage and educate the community. Over 250
volunteers participated in the count, and over 100 residents and stakeholders
attended a community forum and volunteer resource fair to present the count
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findings, raise awareness of efforts to address homelessness, and further engage
the community.
o An extensive research and stakeholder process led to a reshaping of the
panhandling education/alternative giving campaign into a broader community
education effort. The redirection of the campaign was approved by the City Council
in February 2009.
• Good Neighbor Agreements have been established for all facilities housing City-funded
programs. City-funded agencies report on any issues related to the agreements
through their semi-annual program reports.
Project Area: Public Policy
• Educate -City staff to assist in their efforts to address homelessness:
o Human Services and City TV staff developed "Hot Topics: Homelessness in Your
Community" a training presentation for all City employees informing them about
efforts to address homelessness and advising them about how to interact with
homeless individuals and address inquiries from the public while on the job.
o Refresher trainings about enforcing facility/restroom rules were presented by the
City Attorney's Office and Human Services Division staff to approximately 100 staff
from Community and Cultural Services, Community Maintenance, and Police.
Signage regarding facility/restroom has been updated.
o Human Services and HLP staff have provided mental health and homeless training
to all of SMPD and SMFD first-responder personnel.
• Develop new policies regarding locating food distribution indoors and facilitating
linkages to services:
o Staff, including SMPD, has conducted targeted outreach to organizations and
individuals providing meals and other services in public spaces which are not tied to
case management. Efforts have focused on six providers at Reed Park and Main
Street. One new group was redirected to OPCC. Two groups toured the OPCC
Access Center.
Project Area: Regional Collaboration
• Use the Westside Cities Council of Governments (COG) to promote best practice
solutions throughout the region:
o Like Santa Monica, West Hollywood and Culver City did complete, direct counts of
their homeless population in conjunction with the 2009 LAHSA Countywide
Homeless Count. In February 2009 West Hollywood created a Service Registry
through the implementation of the vulnerability index. A similar effort is planned for
the Venice area later this year.
o Emergency housing for families sponsored by Upward Bound House will be located
in Culver City and funded with support from several Westside COG jurisdictions,
including Santa Monica.
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o Continued advocacy for services and housing for homeless veterans, including the
rapid availability of two additional buildings on the Veterans Affairs West lA campus
have been designated for long-term therapeutic housing.
Explore the use of regional dollars and the City's relationship with LAHSA:
o A Funding Issues Committee of the Chronic Homeless Program was established to
explore regional funding issues. Staff will seek this Committee's input regarding
options related to the City's relationship to LAHSA. A report on the range. of options
related to the City of Santa Monica's relationship with LAHSA will be completed by
the end of FY2008-09.
o City staff proposed a pilot pass-system to prioritize access to tAHSA- funded
Winter Shelters to vulnerable populations, and to allow for better, safer
management of pick-up sites. LAHSA rejected the proposal, and thus no pick-up
sites were located in Santa Monica. This does not appear to have resulted in a
decrease in shelter use.
The Westside COG provided advocacy on specific legislative issues, including State
funding cuts, and is preparing a legislative advocacy packet addressing broader
legislative goals.
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ACTION PLAN TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS IN SANTA MONICA
YEAR 2
VISION
Attachment II
We will transform Santa Monica to a place where our effective action and compassion end the impact of
homelessness on our community.
Through collaboration and cooperation, the City of Santa Monica, non-profit agencies, housing providers,
governmental partners, business and faith communities will focus on intensively serving the most vulnerable
and chronically homeless people, who have been homeless in Santa Monica for many years, so that they
obtain and sustain housing. We will work with our neighboring communities and partners to form
collaborations that address the regional nature of homelessness and promote the development of housing
and services throughout Los Angeles County.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
• Success is measured by reducing street homelessness.
• Santa Monica is committed to doing its "fair share' of providing essential and effective services to
homeless individuals in our community".
• New and existing resources (supportive housing and services) should be focused on priority
populations:
• Santa Monica's chronically homeless
• Santa Monica residents whose last permanent address is in Santa Monica
• Vulnerable members of Santa Monica's workforce
• Limited housing and service resources should be matched with the needs of priority populations.
• NEW.' All services will be directly linked to facilities and programs which are directed to ending
participants' homelessness.
• Targeted services should use interdisciplinary teams with low staff to client ratios, including, but not
limited to, clinical mental health and substance abuse support.
• Resources -human and financial-should be re-evaluated, shifted, or expanded to support program
models that are consistent with the Plan and its Vision and recognize the intensity of services
required by the priority populations.
• A range of permanent housing options for homeless persons should be developed, with a focus on
permanent supportive housing linked to services, consistent with fair share.
• Evaluation of services should be data-driven.
• The City's efforts should involve increased communication, education and involvement of the public.
Defining Santa Monica's Fair Share: A series of methodologies can be employed to quantify a fair share for Santa Monica:
• Per Capita: Based on Santa Monica's proportion of the general population of the county area covered by the Los Angeles
Homeless Services Authority's (LAHSA) 2007 Homeless Count, Santa Monica's per capita share of the regional homeless
population would be 658 at any point in time.
• Street Count: The number of people directly enumerated on the streets of Santa Monica during the 2009 Homeless Count
was 480.
• Capacity for Temporary Housing: According to ClientTrack, in FY2007-08 there were 698 placements into temporary housing
placements in Santa Monica.
• In Santa Monica 3+ Years: An analysis of ClientTrack data reveals that in FY2007-08 there were 599 individuals who have
been in the system for 3 years or longer, and do not have a permanent housing placement indicated for them.
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ACTION STEPS
Project Area: services
Project Status Next Steps/Ongoing Efforts
Develop a service registry and apply the Complete • Regularly update the service registry using input from
vulnerability index to identify the most Police, Fire, health care providers, and nonprofit and
vulnerable, long-term chronically public agency partners.
homeless individuals for prioritized • Use data to identify and target services to specific
services and housing. cohorts, e.g., frequent users of hospital and first
responders services, veterans, serial inebriates.
• Assign most vulnerable individuals to case management
teams and ensure service registry participants have
priority access to existing services and housing vouchers.
• Refine approaches to housing and services to be able to
provide them as quickly as possible.
• Use data to secure additional funding and resources
needed to house individuals on the service registry:
• Participate in national "Hospital to Home" pilot project.
• Develop training and service protocols needed to support
rapid re-housing and housing retention strategies.
Develop, train and support Complete • Look for new opportunities to enhance or realign
interdisciplinary teams (including resources.
community-based psychiatric, substance
abuse and health care professionals) to
focus on access to mainstream benefits,
rapid re-housing and retention.
Establish consistent outreach presence Complete • Continue outreach efforts through SMPD's Homeless
in public areas to identify new homeless Liaison Program.
individuals in Santa Monica and link • Continue Project Homecoming to connect individuals not
persons not first homeless in Santa anchored in our community with services or family
Monica with services near their support outside of Santa Monica.
community of origin.
Link outreach and mental health Ongoing • Coordinate efforts of SMPD's Mental Evaluation Team
services to efforts of SMPD's HLP Team with service providers, SMFD, hospitals, the City
to address needs of mentally ill Attorney's Office, and the courts to provide outreach to
individuals encountered by the Police. address service needs of mentally ill individuals,
streamlining the City's work with the Departmental
Health.
Continue to coordinate activities of New • Secure continued funding or realign resources as
SMPD, SMFD, the City Attorney's Office necessary to continue those elements of the Homeless
and the criminal justice system, Community Court that have demonstrated effectiveness
hospitals, public defenders in linking in venues other than a separate Homeless Community
priority populations to services and Court.
housing, ultimately resulting in
reductions to calls for services, citations
and arrests. Includes participants in the
Homeless Community Court, as well as
priority individuals referred to the LA
County Superior Court.
Work with nonprofits, public agencies, New n/a
SMPD, SMFD, health care providers and
other community stakeholders to
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identify emerging needs as a result of
the current economic downturn and
develop coordinated, flexible and
effective responses.
Look for funding opportunities to New n/a
expand best practices to priority
populations and address emergency
needs from non-City sources
Align existing bed capacity to serve Ongoing n/a
priority populations including criteria for
access to emergency beds, transitional
beds, substance abuse treatment beds
and motel vouchers. Designate or
develop respite beds.
Continue to provide intensive outreach Ongoing . Look for opportunities to enhance or realign resources.
to priority populations through existing
service configuration.
Modify and .align resources, program Ongoing . Look for opportunities to enhance or realign resources to
targets and outcomes to be consistent link housing opportunities to supportive services.
with Action Plan to Reduce
Homelessness.
Project Area: Housing
' Project Status NextSteps/Ongoing Efforts
Streamline access to housing subsidies Ongoing . Open the wait list process and maintain. one housing
through simplified paperwork, technical opportunity list for all applications to the Section 8
assistance and pre-application process Housing Choice Voucher, Self Sufficiency Program,
Service Registry and inclusionary programs. (Pending
Council direction)
Establish a wait list priority for Santa Monica residents
that are chronically homeless and most vulnerable due to
age or disability. (Pending Council direction)
• Prioritize housing for homeless veterans to better utilize
the Veterans Assistance Supportive Housing voucher
program (VASH) linked to services provided by the
! veteran's Administration.
Increase access to housing units within Ongoing . Housing Authority to issue an RFP and allocate up to 200
and outside of Santa Monica through of Housing Choice Vouchers as Project-Based Section 8.
creative search and placement • Expand use of housing vouchers from sources such as the
strategies. Housing Authorities of Los Angeles County and City of Los
Angeles.
Define and develop a range of Ongoing . Explore master lease option to access blocks of units in
permanent housing options with short multi-family properties.
and long term goals: . Continue to provide input and monitor the development
of long-term, therapeutic housing for homeless veterans
in Building 209 on the Veterans Affairs West LA Campus,
and continue to advocate that development begin on
two additional buildings designated for this use.
• Continue to facilitate the development of permanent
supportive housing for homeless individuals at 1614-
1616 Ocean Avenue and other locations within and
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outside of Santa Monica.
• Expand service dollars that are aligned with permanent
housing for chronically homeless persons.
• Explore diversity of funding sources for both housing
development and supportive services (e.g. Mental Health
Services Act).
Develop more permanent supportive Ongoing . Explore opportunities to apply for additional Shelter
housing resources for homeless Plus Care vouchers.
individuals within and outside of Santa
Monica.
Project Area: Evaluation
Project Status Next Steps/Ongoing Efforts
Set clear benchmarks to evaluate Complete . Conduct regular complete street and shelter counts of
progress. homeless individuals in Santa Monica in order to
establish new benchmarks to measure changes in street
and shelter homeless populations.
• Use benchmarks to evaluate progress on Plan initiatives
including services and defining Santa Monica's fair share.
Maximize new HMIS database system to Ongoing . Implement system with data quality and review
track clients, service delivery and protocols.
outcomes.
Conduct a continual review of data from Ongoing • Align data review and funding with goals of Action Plan.
street counts and service tracking.
Conduct a cost-benefit analysis of Ongoing • Complete analysis during FY2008-09.
innovative approaches.
Explore contracting with outside Ongoing • Continue discussion with RAND, other potential
consultant to evaluate effectiveness of consultants.
new initiatives.
Project Area: Community Education
Project Status Next Steps/Ongoing Efforts
Implement an interactive, coordinated Ongoing • Integrate electronic and print outreach materials into a
community education campaign broad community education program about Santa
including month e-newsletter (current Monica's Action Plan to Address Homelessness and
distribution 950 people). panhandling.
• Distribute information materials to local residents,
businesses and tourists.
• Expand e-newsletter subscriber base.
• Develop methods to measure resident awareness and
perception of efforts to address homelessness.
Implement an anti-panhandling and Ongoing • Integrate into broad community education campaign on
alternative giving campaign which the Action Plari and panhandling alternatives.
incorporates public education elements.
Use community education to increase Ongoing • Integrate grassroots education and outreach to the
involvement from the business and faith business, faith and resident communities into broad
communities. community education campaign.
• Conduct targeted outreach to organizations and
individuals providing meals, transportation and other
services in public spaces. Provide and encourage use of
indoor, service-based alternative locations.
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Develop and implement Good Neighbor Complete . Monitor Good Neighbor Agreements.
Agreements Establish new Good Neighbor Agreements as needed for
new programs.
Project Area: Public Policy
Project Status Next Steps/Ongoing Efforts
Review City policies and practices that Ongoing • Continue to identify training opportunities for City staff
may contribute to homelessness (e.g. regarding homelessness. Distribute information materials
regulating the use of facilities and the to local residents, businesses and tourists.
recycling buy-back center). • Review local ordinances and standards to promote a full
range of affordable housing opportunities.
• Explore opportunities to develop and implement new
policies regarding outdoor food distribution and other
basics not linked to services.
• Address the impacts and potential for replication of
Clean & safe Teams/Ambassador programs in the
downtown area.
Continue to address the impacts of Ongoing n/a
homelessness on the community
through a range of approaches including
those involving services and housing,
law enforcement, the criminal justice
system and community maintenance.
Project Area: Regional Collaboration
Project Status Next Steps/OngoingEffarts
Support legislation and public policies to Complete • Assist in the. completion of the Westside COG's legislative
encourage the development and siting advocacy package.
of homeless programs in other cities. • Advance advocacy positions as opportunities arise.
Continue discussions on methodologies Ongoing • Advance discussion of issues as opportunities arise.
to define "fair share"
Explore how regional dollars are Ongoing • Explore opportunities to use non-City funds in ways
currently used and how they might be consistent with the Plan.
best targeted to Santa Monica's priority
populations
Analyze range of options related to the Ongoing . Complete report during FY2008-09.
City's relationship with LAHSA
Encourage discharge planning with Ongoing • Advance discussion of issues as opportunities arise.
County facilities to place people in
services proximate to their communities
of origin.
Work with other jurisdictions to address Ongoing • Advance discussion of issues as opportunities arise.
practices which could result in homeless
persons who were .not first-homeless in
Santa .Monica being transported
Monica.
Work with the Westside COG to further Ongoing . Use complete count and Service Registry information to
a regional approach on the Westside, help develop sub-regional goals and targets, and
including setting sub-regional goals and coordination of services across Westside jurisdictions.
targets beyond Santa Monica's efforts.
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