sr-011111-9aC;tyof City Council Report
Santa Monica __
T nt,wr l i t Za 1 1
City Council Meeting:
Agenda Item:
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Barbara Stinchfield, Community and Cultural Services Director
Andy Agle, Housing and Economic Development Director
Tim Jackman, Chief of Police
Scott Ferguson, Fire Chief
Subject: Annual. Review of the City's Plan for Homeless Services and Adoption of
the Updated Action Plan to Address Homelessness in Santa Monica
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1) Hold a public hearing on the Anriual Review of the City's Plan for Homeless
Services, pursuant to Municipal Code Section 2.69.030.
2) Review and adopt the 2010 update to the City's Action Plan to Address
Homelessness in Santa Monica.
Executive Summary
This staff report meets the requirements of the City's Public Safety Initiative by providing
the Annual Review of the City's Plan for Homeless Services (Annual Review) for.
FY 2009-2010 and the proposed updated Action Plan (Attachment I). The public hearing
affords the public and the City Council an opportunity to comment on the attached
document and provide input on strategies to address homelessness.
The required Annual Review reports on the performance of Santa Monica's homeless
service system, summarizing outcomes for the 7,0361 individuals who received services
from City-funded agencies in FY 2009-2010, the performance of special initiatives
targeting priority homeless populations, work in the advancement of the priorities of the
Action Ptan to Address Homelessness in Santa Monica and key activities completed in
FY 2009-2010. In addition, this report provides an overview of key changes in federal
homeless policies and the anticipated .impact on local and regional responses to
homelessness.
1 This number indicates the total number of individuals who received some type of service from local Continuum of Care agencies
during FY 2009-2010, including people who accessed one service and never returned. This number is not related to the point-in-
time homeless count of 742 individuals who were directly wunted within the City's boundaries on January 27, 2010 and should not
be wnsidered to reflect the number of homeless people in Santa Monica. Many more people experience homelessness -and
request services -throughout the year than will be counted at any single point in time and many of these people do not originate or
stay in the City. Source: City of Santa Monica's Homeless Management Information System (HMIs), ServicePoint
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
• 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 two other City
documents -the City's FY 2007-2010 Community Development Plan and the
Consolidated Plan for FY 2005-2010 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
• 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 December 7, 2010 was placed in the Santa Monica Daily
Press, www.surfsantamonica.com, and posted on the City's website.
2
Action Plan to Address Homelessness
In addition to the documents noted above, on February 26, 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 fhe City's homeless service system within six- project areas: services,
housing, evaluation, community education, public policy, and regional collaboration.
On March 24, 2009, City Council adopted the Action Plan to Address Homelessness in
Santa Monica 2009 (Year 2), which proposed new initiatives based on the first year's
accomplishments and lessons learned. The Action Plan 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 approaches. The Action Plan has been updated for Year 3 or
FY 2010 (Attachment I).
Discussion
This report provides a progress update on the implementation of the Action Plan, impact
of homelessness locally, regional coordination and advocacy, federal policy changes,
and an updated Action Plan to address changes to federal policy. This report also
provides the cost of services, which is included in the Financial Impacts & Budget
Actions section.
Progress Update on Action Plan.
The implementation of the Action Plan has prompted a number of changes in the way
the City targets resources; evaluates the effectiveness of services, housing and special
initiatives; and enhances services provided.
Targeting of Resources: Since the adoption and implementation of the Action Plan to
Address Homelessness in 2008, the City focused on aligning resources, services, and
partnerships to reduce street homelessness and the impact of homelessness on the
community. Consistent with this goal, during FY 2009-2010, the City refined the
3
assessment indicators used to define "Santa Monica participant" for all City-funded
homeless programs. "Santa Monica participants" are now referred to as "Santa Monica
priority populations" and must meet any one of the criteria outlined in the Action Plan:
households whose last permanent address was in Santa Monica; individuals who have
been homeless in Santa Monica five years or more; vulnerable members of the Santa
Monica workforce; vulnerable individuals from the Service Registry; and high users of
local police and fire services as identified by City staff.
This redefinition and realignment of resources have resulted in a sharp decrease in the
number of individuals indentified as "Santa Monica participants" who qualify for access
to City resources. Accordingly, agencies have been required to transition those who do
not meet this threshold to services not supported by City or matching funds, or re-direct
them to resources in their home community. Establishing a clear definition of "Santa
Monica priority populations" is critical in defining the City's fair share in responding to
this regional issue, and to create partnerships that ensure access to services for those
in need.
Effectiveness of Services, Housing and Special Initiatives: The City addresses the
impact of homelessness through funding for services, housing, and special initiatives.
Services: In FY 2009-2010, the City's Community Development Program provided
funding to programs in seven key agencies providing direct services to homeless
residents: Chrysalis, CLARE Foundation, New Directions, OPCC, St. Joseph Center,
Step Up On Second, and Upward Bound House. To understand the scope of
services delivered, the City uses the following indicators to measure the
effectiveness of programs in the community:
• Total Active Clients -Based on data from the City's Homeless Management
Information System (HMIs), agencies served 7,036 persons during FY 2009-
2010 with intake, basic services, .case management, temporary and permanent
housing, addiction recovery, mental health services, and employment assistance.
While the 7,036 persons in HMIs represent individuals who received an intake or
services from. a City-funded agency, these individuals may or may not have
become homeless in Santa Monica and may have only received one service and
4
never returned. Further analysis of this data has helped us better understand
where individuals originated prior to accessing services in the City. Based on a
sample (n = 1,600) of non-Santa Monica participants served in FY 2009-2010:
• 45% originated from Los Angeles City
• 26% originated from Los Angeles County (non-LA City)
• 18% originated outside of the State of California
• 11 % originated outside Los Angeles County, within California
Within the population of Total Active Clients, there are two importaht sub-sets of
individuals used to target City resources:
• "Santa Monica Priority Populations" Of the 7,036 individuals served, 720
(10%) meet the revised definition of "Santa Monica priority population." Of
these 720 individuals:
0 100 (14%) were placed in permanent housing
0 120 (17%) received emergency or transitional housing
0 70 (10%) found and maintained jobs leading to self-sufficiency
• Service Registry Since 2008, 426 individuals have voluntarily completed
the Vulnerability Survey and are ranked according to risk of morbidity on
the streets based on length of homelessness, age, health conditions, and
history of substance abuse and mental illness. Vulnerable individuals are
considered members of the "Santa Monica priority population".
0 257 (60%) were found to be vulnerable. Of these individuals, 84 are
veterans, 53 of whom are vulnerable.
0 39 individuals moved into permanent housing in FY 2009-2010. Of
these, 31 (79%) were ranked vulnerable on the Service Registry.
o Of the 39 Service Registry participants permanently housed in FY
2009-2010, four are veterans, all four of whom are vulnerable.
Housing: Beyond providing services, the City also invests in creating permanent
affordable housing for homeless and low-income households. In FY 2009-2010, $16
million was spent on approximately 1,350 active housing vouchers. In addition, the
City supported the development of Step Up on Fifth through .the use of
Redevelopment funds, which provided 46 new units of special needs housing and
supported on-going operation with 33 Shelter Plus Care project-based vouchers.
The City is also working with OPCC and Community Corporation of Santa Monica in
5
the development of 1614-1616 Ocean Avenue, which will add seven units of
--
permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless women
Special Initiatives: While the City continues to focus Community Development
Program and Housing Division resources, the City also operates several special
initiatives that target resources to address. specific challenges. For individuals who
do not meet the City's priority definition, the City provides opportunities for
households to reconnect to housing and services in their community of origin: For
FY 2009-2010:
• Project Homecoming: This family reunification program assisted 261 individuals
relocate to permanent housing in their community of origin at an average cost of
$200. Thirty five percent remained housed for four months after reaching their
destination.
• West Coast Care: This outreach team partners with the Santa Monica Police
Department's Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) Team, making 1,165 contacts
and assisting 239 individuals find alternatives to living on the street.
• Homeless Prevention The City received $553,576 in federal American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds from the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) for the Eviction Prevention and Rehousing Assistance
(EPRA) program. Since November 2009, this program has provided over
$200,000 in financial assistance and case management services to 162 Santa
Monica residents, thereby preventing them from becoming homeless. Due to
overwhelming calls for assistance, requests have been made to HUD for
additional funding to support the program beyond the expected two year cycle.
• Homeless Community Court (HCC) Developed in February 2007 to support. the
efforts of the City, the Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office, and the Los
Angeles County Superior Court in addressing quality of life offenses, the HCC is
a powerful tool for moving individuals off the streets into housing and providing
wraparound services. Since the program began, 199 chronic offenders have
participated in the program, 121 (61%) have successfully graduated from the
program and 31 (16%) have moved into permanent housing. However, as the
Los Angeles Superior Court continues to experience budget shortfalls, the value
of the program in relation to its cost is under review. The program must remain
cost neutral in order to operate. A meeting between the City of Santa Monica's
City Attorney's Office, the Human Services Division, and the Los Angeles
Superior Court will take place by early 2011 to consider these issues.
6
Enhancing Programs: In the past fiscal year, the City has taken key steps to. reshape
resources and enhance effective programs to support the goals of the Action Plan.
These have included changes to the City's Community Development (CD) Program, first
responders (police and paramedics), and data collection systems.
• For FY 2010-2011, City staff worked closely with grantees to streamline
outcomes that focus on income development, permanent housing placement,
and housing retention in order to prepare grantees for the City's multi-year
Community Development Program Request for Proposals.
Funding for the City's Serial Inebriate Outreach Program (SIOP) was fully
re-allocated to provide substance abuse treatment to participants of the
Homeless Community Court. While STOP-was initially successful in engaging
participants in the jail, the program was not as effective in linking those
participants to long-term treatment. By redirecting those funds to the Homeless
Community Court, participants have stronger incentives for participation in
treatment.
• The Santa Monica Police Department's Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) Team
forged a new. collaboration with- the Los Angeles County Department of Mental
Health (DMH) by adding a DMH case worker to the HLP Team. This case worker
assists -the HLP Team three days weekly by connecting vulnerable homeless
individuals to DMH and other vital services.
• The launch of a new Homeless Management Information System (HMIs) allowed
the City and non-profits to identify both gaps and trends in service needs and
effective best practices to help participants secure housing, income, and stability.
In addition; by creating consistency in how services are documented and
reported, HMIs allows the City to make resource decisions based on
performance and outcomes. For example, the City's Service Registry was
integrated into HMIs in August 2010. Storing this important data in our new
system allows close monitoring of outcomes for this vulnerable population.
Impacts of Homelessness
Nationally, HUD mandates a bi-annual point-in-time street count as a tool to measure
and track the number of homeless people in any given area. Locally, the City has
implemented annual (January) point-in-time street counts to measure the effectiveness
of City initiatives and the impact of homelessness on the community.
In the most recent 2010 Homeless Count,. 742 individuals were enumerated. This data
represents the number of homeless people visually counted on the streets and in short-
7
term housing programs within the boundaries of the City during a single night. This is a
25% reduction since the 2007 Homeless Count.
The number of individuals identified in the annual homeless counts is steadily
decreasing. However', many of those remaining on the streets are the most entrenched
with complex chronic disabilities. This continues to create demands on first responders
and affects the ability of other residents to enjoy public areas. In FY 2009-2010:
• The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) made 1,431 duplicated arrests of
individuals who listed their residence as transient, homeless, none, or provided
an address of a .known homeless shelter. This is a 15% decrease from
FY 2008-2009. This figure does not include citations (tickets): that were issued to
homeless persons.
• SMPD's Homeless Liaison Program (HLP) team made 2,528 duplicated contacts
with homeless individuals and made approximately 2,215 periodic checks on
property and open space. This is a 35% decrease in contacts and a 15%
decrease in periodic checks from FY 2008.
• Santa Monica Fire Department's paramedics responded to 11,619 incidents,
1,240 (11%) of these incidents were to persons needing assistance. The number
of paramedic incidents involving homeless persons increased by 0.02% over
FY 2008-2009 numbers, but remains 18% lower than FY 2007-2008.
• The Santa Monica City Attorney's Office filed 2,165 cases involving arrests and
citations in which the subjects involved were primarily homeless persons. This is
a 12% decrease in filings from FY 2008-2009.
In order to continue measuring the impact of homelessness in the community, an
independent research firm will conduct the Santa Monica Resident Satisfaction Survey,
a random telephone survey of residents and businesses in 2011. This survey will
indicate the community's perception of the effectiveness of the City's homeless
initiatives and track these responses with prior years' surveys.
Regional Coordination and Advocacy
Another key component of the Action Plan has been improved advocacy and regional
coordination.
• The City was able to coordinate with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) to link eligible Registry participants to VA benefits and the VA Supportive
8
Housing (VASH) program. The City's advocacy efforts are also advancing the
development of long-term therapeutic housing on the West LA VA campus. In
addition to the commitment by the VA to fund the rehabilitation of Building 209,
the City has joined Supervisor Yaroslavsky, Senator Feinstein, and
Congressman Waxman in the request to the Senate Appropriations Committee to
support the VA's request for funding for the rehabilitation of all three available
buildings.
• The City also works closely with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
(LAHSA), the planning and resource body recognized by HUD as the lead
agency for the Los Angeles Continuum of Care. While the City is a member of
the Continuum of Care, at times LAHSA's county-wide policies may be
inconsistent with local policy. One example is the policy of providing access to
Winter Shelter. For several decades, the City hosted Winter Shelter pick-up-and
drop-off sites for the Westside Winter Shelter Programs located in the West Los
Angeles and CulveY City armories. However, in 2007, City staff surveyed
participants and found that they came from across the county and remained in
Santa Monica, adding additional burden to our community and its services.
Therefore, pick-up and drop-off sites are currently located in cities adjacent to
Santa Monica. While the City supports LAHSA's efforts to address homelessness
throughout the. region, the City cannot participate in efforts that unintentionally
result in disproportionate responsibilities being placed on our community.
• The City has been working closely with Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School
District (SMMUSD) administrative staff and local service providers to address the
needs of family homelessness in our community. Preliminary data suggests that
the homeless families in our school district largely originate outside of the City.
City staff will continue to work with the district as well as service providers to
refine their protocols and practices to: 1) ensure that eligible students are
enrolled in SMMUSD; 2) provide adequate case management and support
services including transportation; and 3) when appropriate, connect homeless
families to housing in their community of origin.
Federal Leoislation and the Action Plan
In 2009, federal legislation was transformed by the passing of the Homeless Emergency
Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act. The HEARTH Act is
altering the way homeless funding is utilized by changing the definition of who is
homeless, redesigning the funding streams available, and placing new emphasis on
performance measures and community-wide evaluation. Like the City's Action Plan, the
HEARTH Act focuses on reductions in the number of households who experience
homelessness, reductions in the length of time people are homeless, and the use of
data to evaluate and prioritize effective programs. for funding. The City is well-positioned
9
for the implementation of HEARTH Act priorities and has committed to developing
meaningful data systems that wile
• Establish benchmarks to measure the effectiveness of clearly stated strategies
• Provide a clear picture of who is receiving services
• Measure the success of the City's. system of care at ending episodes of
homelessness
The renewed emphasis on data will inform the upcoming Community Development
Program Request for Proposals for homeless services to be released In January and
will allow for the development of performance-based "report cards" that will identify
which programs are most effective at housing priority population and ensuring they
remain housed. In addition, the City, is establishing benchmarks for key performance
indicators to include reductions in the length of time from engagement to housing
placement, length of housing retention post-placement, and reductions in the number of
households who experience repeated episodes of homelessness.
The Updated Action Plan
During FY 2009-2010, two significant federal initiatives were implemented that .will
impact the community's response to homelessness for the next five to ten years: 1) the
Department of Veterans Affairs initiative to prevent and end homelessness among
veterans, and 2) the federal plan to end homelessness -Opening Doors. The Action
Plan has been updated with these. forces in mind, including the restructuring of the
Action Plan's objectives to mirror key components of the federal plan. The action steps
and goals, however, are customized to reflect the City's priorities.
The Action Plan has been refined to focus on key elements of ending homelessness -
permanent housing, income development, and housing retention/homeless prevention.
The Action Plan is consistent with the City's 2090-2015 Consolidated Plan, the Land
Use and Circulation E/ement, and other City-wide plans. The Action Plan will continue to
be updated based on current and projected economic trends, the continued assessment
of the impact of homelessness, community feedback, and available resources.
10
Commission Input
The Social Services Commission heard staff's presentation on the Action Plan in
October 2010 and provided feedback that has been incorporated in the final Plan.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
Reviewing this report and holdirig the public hearing do not have budgetary or financial
impacts. The report and public and Council input will be considered in the development
of the City's FY 2011-2012 Budget.
Costs of Services
In FY 2009-2010, the City provided funding for the seven core agencies in the amount
of $2,652,284 through a combination of City General Funds, federal Community
Development Block Grant funds, federal Supportive Housing Program funds, and
County Proposition A funds. For these same programs, the core agencies raised an
additional $5.9 million in other public and private funds.
The City also provided funding to the Westside Food Bank, Venice Family Clinic,
Common Ground, Community Corporation of Santa Monica, Legal Aid Foundation of
Los Angeles, and the Westside Center for Independent Living, all of whom served a
significant number of low-income and homeless individuals. In addition to the
Community Development Grant program funding, the City also expended an additional
$370,213 for a clinical consultant to the Service Registry, the operation of Project
Homecoming, direct financial assistance for individuals moving into permanent housing,
and $84,365 for HMIS activities.
The updated Action Plan represents a continuation of ongoing efforts funded through
the City's 2007-2010 Community Development Program and through federal, state,
county, and private funding streams. To ensure the continuity of these programs, City
staff will work with service providers and funders to anticipate possible funding
11
reductions due to the current economic climate, pursue funding opportunities from non-
City sources, and when appropriate, realign existing resources to meet emerging needs.
Prepared by: Julie Rusk, Human Services Manager
Setareh Yavari, Human Services Administrator
Approved:
Barbara Stinchfield
Director, Community and Cultural
Services
Forwarded to Council:
- ~•~
Rod Gould
City Manager
Attachment I: Action Plan to Address Homelessness in Santa Monica - 2010 Update
12
Attachment I
Action Plan
to Address Homelessness
Zolo Update
In 2008, the City Council adopted the firsYAction Plan to Address Homelessness, which identified
key priorities and specific steps that the City would implement with the goal of reducing the impact
of homelessness on the community. The past two years have been marked by significant
improvements in our coordination of care, the re-alignment of our funding to reflect the priorities
established in the Plan, a renewed emphasis on data collection and evaluation, and a strong
Housing First focus. These changes have resulted in successfully housing 90 of our most
vulnerable service registry participants and the reduction of homelessness in our community by
25% from 2007 to 2010.
The intention of this revised Action Plan is to continue the successful strategies of Year 1 and Year
2 while also developing a more Tong-term approach that is reflective of significant new federal
policies that will impact the resources and program areas in homeless services and homeless
prevention over the next five to ten years.
The first of these new policies is the major overhaul of the federal legislation that authorizes
homeless program funding, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The McKinney-Vento
Act was amended in 2009 by S.896, The Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to
Housing (HEARTH) Act. The HEARTH Act makes several major changes, including re-defining
who is eligible for homeless assistance, re-configuring existing homeless program funds, placing
new emphasis on homeless prevention, and increasing the emphasis on grantee performance.
The second major change in federal policy occurred in November 2009,. when Department of
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki announced the VA's plan to prevent and end
homelessness among veterans within five years. The VA has committed to partnering with state
and local governments as well as private community-based partners to accomplish this goal.
Most recently, in May 2010, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) released the first
federal plan to prevent and end homelessness: Opening Doors. The ICH has laid out four goals: 1)
Finish the job of ending chronic homelessness; 2) Prevent and end homelessness among
Veterans in five years; 3) Prevent and end homelessness for families, youth and children in ten
years; 4) Set a path for ending all types of homelessness.
In an effort to foster synergy and ensure the City's Action Plan supports and affirms the federal
plan, the Action Plan for 2010 has been updated to mirror the five key themes of Opening Doors,
while retaining the unique application of these themes to remain relevant to our City:
• Increase Leadership, Collaboration and Civic Engagement
Increase Access to Stable and Affordable Housing
• Increase Economic Security
• Improve Health and Stability
• Retool the Homeless Crisis Response System
The City recognizes our community partners in this joint effort, and we appreciate their
compassion, energy and dedication to providing care and housing to our most vulnerable
residents. The City is also grateful for our residents and business owners who continually identify
addressing homelessness as a top priority, and their enthusiasm for volunteering, educating and
reaching out to help those in need.
1
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 -those who have been homeless in Santa
Monica for many years- so that they obtain and sustain housing., The City will also coordinate
services to prevent homelessness by promoting stability in housing, income and family
relationships. 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.
• 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 community2.
New and existing resources should be focused on priority populations:
• Individuals that have been homeless in Santa Monica for five or more years
• Homeless individuals and families whose last permanent address is in Santa Monica
• Vulnerable members of Santa Monica's workforce (homeless individuals and families with a
household member who has worked full-time within the City of Santa Monica for over six
consecutive months)
• Homeless individuals on the Santa Monica Service Registry
• Homeless individuals identified by City staff (i.e. Santa Monica Police Department, Santa
Monica Fire Department) as high users of City resources and services
• All services will be directly linked to facilities and programs which are directed to ending
participants' homelessness or that prevent new episodes of 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.
z 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) 2009 Homeless Count, Santa Monica's per capita share of the regional homeless population would be 414 at any point in
time:
Street Count: The number of people directly enumerated on the streets of Santa Monica during the 2010 Homeless Count was
319.
• Capacity for Temporary Housing: According to the City's HMIS, ServicePoint, in FY2009-10 there were 256 households placed
into temporary housing placements in Santa Monica.
• In Santa Monica 5+ Years: An analysis of ServicePoint data reveals that in FY2009-t 0, 720 individuals met the new definition for
"Santa Monica priority population". 321 (45%) of those individuals have been in Santa Monica for 5 years or longer.
2
In keeping with the themes of Opening Doors, the federal plan to end_homelessness, action areas __
for FY2011-2014 have been re-aligned to create synergy and ensure smooth implementation of
federal priorities at a local level. In addition, the outcomes and actions have been developed taking
into consideration the goals of the HEARTH Act -specifically targeting the performance measures
that are used to evaluate "Nigh Performing Communities", which include reducing the length of
each episode of homelessness, ensuring that households do not return to homelessness, and the
extent to which the community as a whole is pro-active in engaging households who become
homeless. In addition, there is a strong emphasis. on evaluating performance, not just of individual
programs, but of the Continuum of Care as a community, and using evaluations as a means of
directing resources towards the most effective solutions.
The City of Santa Monica is part of the Los Angeles County Continuum of Care, which applies
jointly for HUD homeless program funds for most of the county; therefore, it is imperative that the
City work closely with the Continuum of Care lead agency, the Los Angeles Homeless Services
Authority, as well as other regional leaders such as the United Way of Greater Los Angeles and
the Westside Council of Governments, to ensure that other communities are equally committed to
achieving these outcomes.
The Action Plan also focuses on targeting and aligning resources. Beyond funding services or
securing more dollars for our local programs, it is also critical that the City engage other entities
that invest resources locally to ensure they are aware of the City's priorities and secure their help
in aligning their resources to support this Action Plan. This includes federal, state and local
funders, private foundations, faith communities and business partners.
The Action Plan to Address Homelessness has been refrained to provide an over-arching view of
what we intend to accomplish based on the key themes of Opening Doors: More specific outcomes
and benchmarks will be established for each fiscal year starting in FY2011.
• .Increase agency capacity through education and collaboration
• Increase civic engagement through opportunities for positive involvement and education
• Improve collaboration with county and regional cities to promote "fair share' principles and
reduce practices that result in non-Santa Monica residents being referred into City-funded
programs
• Improve City inter-departmental collaboration
Increase Access to Stable and Affordable Housing
• Identify new local, state and federal resources to make housing affordable and service enriched
• Decrease the amount of time between engagement and housing placement
• Improve access to affordable and supportive housing for the priority populations
Develop protocols and incentives to help people who achieve stability in housing to move into
non-supportive affordable housing if they so choose, in an effort to free up supportive units
3
Increase Economic Security
Improve Health and Stability
Retool the Homeless. Crisis Response system
,.
• Redesign outreach services to promote improved outcomes and housing placements
• Continued alignment of emergency services and transitional housing to the priority populations
• Expand prevention services, including programs that promote economic stability and housing
retention through short-term assistance
• Establish a baseline and seek to reduce average stay in emergency shelter and transitional
housing by 30% annually using Housing First and Rapid Rehousing strategies
• Develop resources and incentives to promote improved housing retention
• Expand the use of non-City funding for homeless and prevention programs to support the goals
of the Action Plan
• Continue to connect individuals to support systems and permanent housing in their community
of origin
The City of Santa Monica will continue to work with key partners to bolster advocacy and regional
coordination to advance the priorities and goals of the Plan.
• The City will remain focused on working closely with the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs
to coordinate care for homeless veterans in Santa Monica and to support resources on the
West LA Campus that will lead to housing and support for our most vulnerable veterans.
• As a partner in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care, the City will continue to generate
support for Santa Monica priorities with the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
(LAHSA), and coordinate regional polices that align with those set forth in this plan. The
effectiveness of our participation in the Continuum and the impact on our local agencies will
be the subject for continued evaluation.
• The City of Santa Monica will participate in national and regional planning efforts that
support the Action Plan, such as the efforts by the United Way of Greater Los Angeles that
would modernize the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments (HUD) funding
formula and Home for Good, the United Way plan to end chronic and veteran
homelessness in Los Angeles County.
• The City will continue to work with service providers, regional partners, SMMUSD and
others to connect non-Santa Monica residents to services, family, and resources in their
community of origin.
4
ACCQIJV`~'A &IL£I'Y
A recurring theme of the HEARTH Act is greater accountability through frequent evaluation and
meaningful data collection. Measuring the effectiveness of our activities and sharing the results of
our evaluations with the public will be critical. to ensuring our limited resources are directed to
programs and services that achieve results.
In order to measure effectiveness in a fair and transparent way, the City has begun to streamline
program outcomes to create consistency and target specific activities that will help us accomplish
the goals of this Plan. When this consistency is achieved, we will identify key benchmarks against
which future improvements can be measured. Consistency will also allow the City to begin to
analyze costs for services based on the outcomes achieved and provide .reports on program
efficiencies and cost avoidance benefits in order to evaluate the City's "return on investment".
These benchmarks will be made available to the public on asemi-annual basis through "report
cards" of our accomplishments to date overall as a community and the accomplishments of City-
funded programs. These report cards. will be available through the monthly "Bringing it Home" e-
newsletterand on the City's website, as well as presented at public meetings.
The overall community indicator of success is a sustainable reduction in street homelessness. This
will be measured each year through the annual city-wide Homeless Count, conducted during the
last week of January each year. The City will publicly report upon and post the results of each
year's Homeless Count.
5