HomeMy WebLinkAbout; ; Semiannual Report - Reducing Homelessness - July 1 - December 31, 2023;Exhibit 1
SEMIANNUAL REPORT
Reducing Homelessness
{city of
Carlsbad
JULY 1 -DEC. 31, 2023
During the first half of FY 2023-24, the City of
Carlsbad achieved several important milestones
towards its goal of reducing homelessness and its
impacts on the community, which are detailed in
this report.
In February 2023, the City Council approved an
updated Homelessness Action Plan, which
includes the programs and initiatives the city will
carry out over the next five years and the
measures that will be used to track progress.
City Council Goal
Enhance the quality of life for everyone in Carlsbad by
adopting and implementing an updated Homelessness
Response Plan that addresses the complex needs of
individuals experiencing or at risk of experiencing
homelessness in a compassionate and effective
manner and reduces the impacts of homelessness on
the community.
SUMMARY OF CITY-FUNDED PROGRAMS
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Transitioned to permanent housing
I=• 21
New shelter placements
352 lfilJ
People served
~ 14 Police calls for service
Hotel voucher
STAYS 3,785 Encampment
CLEANUPS
Carlsbad's Homeless Population
The city uses a variety of data points to measure and track progress on efforts to reduce homelessness. The
data captured below is a summary from the Homeless Management Information System of clients enrolled in
services provided by city-funded contracts during the time period of July 1 to Dec. 31, 2023.
'
• ,· 352
People
served
f. i 5.4% ,:e Veterans
Reducing Homelessness
8 Families
18 Children
• Ii
• •
''
40% Aged
55+
ll!a!I
~
~
27% Chronicall~
homeless
'Reported a permanent disability
and 1 year+ experiencing
homelessness
2
Annual Progress Report: July 2023 -Dec. 2023 ____________________ _
Point-in-Time Count*
POINT-IN-TIME COUNT UNSHELTERED DATA
The Point-in-Time Count is an unduplicated count of sheltered and unsheltered individuals
experiencing homelessness across the United States, normally conducted during the last week
in January. Since 2005, the Department of Housing and Urban Development has required all
Continuums of Care who receive federal funding to provide a bi-annual count. The San Diego
County Region typically exceeds this requirement by conducting a count every year.
160 152
140
120
112
100
80
60
40
21 20 19 21
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2022 2023 2024
Carlsbad sheltered* 43 43 38 0% -11%
Carlsbad unsheltered 75 60 112 -20% 87%
Carlsbad total 118 103 150 -13% 47%
North County Coastal 276 360 230 30% -36% sheltered
North County Coastal 469 423 596 -10% 41% unsheltered
North County coastal 745 783 826 5% 5% total
San Diego County Region 4321 5093 4495 18% -12% sheltered
San Diego County Region 4106 5171 6110 26% 18% unsheltered
San Diego County Region 8427 10264 10605 22% 3% total
Reducing Homelessness
Annual Progress Report: July 2023 -Dec. 2023
3
City Programs Data by Quarter
The table below shows how data compare between each quarter, along with cumulative data since July 2022.
The same individual may have received more than one service and is reflected under each service category
that applies to them (for example, the same individual may have received both a motel voucher and later
placed into permanent housing).
' I , :IJ:
Households transitioned
to permanent housing
Total persons
receiving services1
Police calls for service2
New shelter placements
Shopping carts collected
Hotel voucher stays3
Fiscal
Year
2022-23
2023-24
2022-23
2023-24
2022-23
2023-24
2022-23
2023-24
2022-23
2023-24
2022-23
2023-24
Ql
35
14
247
266
2,548
1,928
21
10
31
73
10
9
Q2
31
23
184
234
1,857
1,857
17
11
13
53
13
5
Q3
19
236
1,953
21
3
10
Q4
20
183
1,964
7
35
15
YTD
105
37
565
352
8,322
3,785
66
21
44
126
48
14
1Total persons receiving services include the total number of people enrolled in a city-funded program during
the time period of this report. Annual and YTD numbers are deduplicated for individuals served over multiple
quarters.
2Carlsbad Police officers went into the field for 3,785 homeless-related calls for service during the first two
quarters, of which 1,232 calls were in response to a specific request or complaint and 2,553 were proactive
department-initiated calls for service to help carry out city homelessness goals and enforce applicable laws.
3This number indicates unduplicated households served, as some stays overlapped fiscal quarters.
Reducing Homelessness 4
Annual Progress Report: July 2023 -Dec. 2023 _____________________ _
Expenditures
The total expenditures for the first half of fiscal year 2023-24 to support the homelessness goal were
$2,466,835.
TOTAL BUDGET EXPENDITURES BY CATEGORY
FY 2023-24 for July 1 to Dec. 31
Reducing Homelessness
$284,525
$49,133
r $358,258
$249,197
$159,127
$150,541
■ Housing assistance
■ Shelter
Benefits and
employment
■ Outreach and case
management
■ Police Homeless
Outreach Team
■ Homeless services
■ City services
infrastructure
Annual Progress Report: July 2023 -Dec. 2023 __________________ _
5
HOMELESSNESS ACTION PLAN
Areas of Focus
Homelessness is a complex issue that requires the resources, expertise and cooperation of many different
entities. The city's efforts are concentrated within three key areas it can influence and programs that will
make the biggest impact for Carlsbad. These areas comprise "what" the city is focusing on.
Shelter and
housing
Reducing Homelessness
Outreach and
access to services Public safety
Annual Progress Report: July 2023 -Dec. 2023 ______________________ _
6
@ Shelter and Housing
tt37
People transitioned
to permanent housing
14 ~
Hotel voucher
STAYS
PERMANENT HOUSING
~19
Households provided
with p reve ntion se rvices
New shelter placements
City-funded programs transitioned 37 people into permanent housing. Many of these placements were
assisted by multiple programs both city and non-city funded. In addition to city-funded programs, non-city
funded programs housed an additional 18 individuals for a total of 55 people moving from homelessness in
Carlsbad to permanent housing during the first half of fiscal year 2023-24.
PREVENTION
Limited funds are available from Community Development Block Grant and the General Fund to assist
households at risk of entering homelessness. Between July 1 to Dec. 31, 2023, Interfaith Community Services,
Community Resource Center, and Brother Benno's assisted 19 households, preventing them from entering
homelessness.
LIMITED TERM HOTEL VOUCHER PROGRAM
From July 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2023, 14 households utilized the homeless services and police department
hotel voucher program. Of the 14 households assisted, 8 were able to move on to permanent housing or
were otherwise sheltered following their hotel voucher stay.
Reducing Homelessness
Annual Progress Report: July 2023 -Dec. 2023 ____________________ _
7
® Outreach and Access to Services
ENCAMPMENT RESOLUTION FUNDING
The City of Carlsbad applied for and received $2,358,408.94 from the State of California to focus
outreach and housing services on the Carlsbad Village area. Between July 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2023,
contracts were executed with Interfaith Community Services, Community Resource Center, Whole
Person Care Clinic and Catholic Charities (for La Posada). This grant provides additional outreach
services, rapid re-housing, street-based medical services and additional services at the La Posada de
Guadalupe Men's shelter. Data and outcomes for this grant will be shared in the annual report.
INTERFAITH COMMUNITY SERVICES OUTREACH AND CASE
MANAGEMENT
During the first half of fiscal year 2023-24, 97% of homeless persons contacted by the outreach social
workers accepted some form of clinical intervention. This includes case management, assessment, care
coordination, crisis intervention, program information, diversion and treatment planning.
9 %
Accepted services
Reducing Homelessness
Annual Progress Report: July 2023 -Dec. 2023 ___________________ _
8
INTERFAITH OUTREACH CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES PROVIDED
Services accepted Ql Q2 Q3 Q4 YTD
0 Case management sessions 742 519 1261 ~-Emergency shelter referral 33 18 51
~ Mail delivery 7 2 9 ~-· Transportation to services 1 0 1
' I , :Dt Police transportation 11 1 12
(t) Substance abuse treatment 11 7 18
m Document assistance (ID, birth 40 15 55 certificates, etc.)
6 Permanent or bridge housing referral 105 53 158
~ Employment & benefits access
(medical insurance, CalFresh, 49 25 74
employment, VA benefits, etc.)
0 Information only 82 19 101
• Food assistance 18 3 21 ,.. Hospital transport 1 0 1
r,11 Referrals to mental & physical health 31 17 48 care
T Personal needs assistance (clothing, 20 10 30 phone, prescriptions, etc.)
•• ff Reunification travel assistance 27 26 53
• Other (appointment coordination, 91 44 135 blankets, etc.)
TOTAL 1,274 752 2,0261
1all numbers indicate services provided, not
individuals served, individuals may receive
multiple services within each category
Reducing Homelessness 9
Annual Progress Report: July 2023 -Dec. 2023 ____________________ _
( I } Public Safety
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HOMELESS-RELATED CALLS FOR SERVICE
During the first half of fiscal year 2023-24, Carlsbad Police went into the field for 3,785 homeless-related calls
for service, which made up 7% of all calls for service. Of those, 1,232 calls were in response to a specific
request or complaint and 2,553 were proactive department-initiated calls for service to help carry out city
homelessness goals and enforce applicable law.
PERCENTAGE OF CALLS FOR HOMELESS-RELATED SERVICES
7%
Related to
homelessness
HOMELESS-RELATED STATISTICS BY CATEGORY
*These are the statistics related to the homeless population compared to the general population in Carlsbad.
Mental health holds refer to incidents when an individual experiencing a mental health crisis is hospitalized
for 72-hour psychiatric care after they are determined by the police to be a danger to themselves or others.
Percentage of all calls for services Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
~ Homeless-related calls for services 7% 7%
e Homeless-related arrests 14.5% 13.6% .a
n [li] Homeless-related citations 3% 8%
(t) Homeless-related mental health holds 4% 2%
Reducing Homelessness 10
Annual Progress Report: July 2023 -Dec. 2023 ____________________ _
ENCAMPMENT AND ABANDONED LITTER CLEANUP
57.5 \1
Cubic yards of trash removed
&57 18 ~~
Cleanup
DAYS
Reducing Homelessness
Encampment
CLEANUPS
11
Annual Progress Report: July 2023 -Dec. 2023 _____________ _
City Programs and Partnerships
The City of Carlsbad coordinates efforts and administers programs to address and reduce homelessness
within the community. The following programs and partnerships have been developed as part of the city's
Homelessness Action Plan to help those experiencing homelessness obtain housing and reduce the impacts
of homelessness on the community.
Community Resource Center
The city partners with the Community Resource Center to operate its rapid re-housing,
employment and benefits specialist and homelessness prevention contracts. These
contracts provide case management, emergency rental assistance, security deposit support,
ongoing rental assistance, landlord advocacy, financial education, stabilization support,
referrals to higher levels of care, benefits enrollment, job readiness support, resume building
and employment connection. During the first half of fiscal year 2023-24, Community
Resource Center assisted 8 households with emergency rental assistance for homelessness
prevention purposes and the employment & benefits program enrolled 18 individuals in
services. Rapid re-housing had a total enrollment across the first half of the fiscal year of 60
individuals, 14 of whom were able to secure a permanent place to live as of Dec. 31, 2023.
Interfaith Community Services
The city partners with Interfaith Community Services to provide outreach case management,
operate the hiring/service center and provide homelessness prevention services within the
city. The current outreach and case management contract provides two licensed or master's
level clinicians and one part-time licensed program manager. They provide coverage
throughout the week offering outreach and case management in the field to individuals
experiencing homelessness in Carlsbad. The clinicians engage, assess, plan and refer
individuals to resources like shelter, housing, medical care, public benefits, mental health
assistance, substance use treatment and basic needs supports. During the first half of FY
2023-24, Interfaith Community Services through the outreach and case management
program engaged with 179 unduplicated clients experiencing homelessness. Interfaith
Community Services also operates the Carlsbad Service Center which provides temporary job
placement through the hiring center, housing case management and homelessness
prevention services. From July 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2023, prevention services kept nine
households from experiencing homelessness in Carlsbad.
San Diego Humane Society
The purpose of the San Diego Humane Society contract is to provide individuals experiencing
homelessness with a safe place to temporarily board their animals when they are not able to
bring them to treatment facilities or services. The contract provides short-term emergency
pet boarding and emergency medical care for approximately 25 animals of persons
experiencing homelessness -free of charge -so homeless individuals can access care and
resources.
Reducing Homelessness 12
Annual Progress Report: July 2023 -Dec. 2023 ______________________ _
Catholic Charities
The Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego operates the La Posada de Guadalupe men's
shelter in Carlsbad. The shelter has the capacity to serve 50 single men experiencing
homelessness. The city provides funding for staff, operations, training and technical
assistance. It is a priority of the city to help Catholic Charities expand the shelter to include
space for single women and families. Catholic Charities provided shelter to 103 individual
homeless men during the first half of FY 2023-24.
Women's Resource Center
The city partners with Women's Resource Center to provide domestic violence services for
Carlsbad residents. The organization assists with shelter, hygiene kits, bus passes, food,
clothing, counseling and wrap-around services. Women's Resource Center supported 44
clients from Carlsbad during the first half of FY 2023-24.
Brother Benno Foundation
The city partners with the Brother Benno Foundation to provide emergency rental
assistance, utility assistance, motel vouchers and recovery services for people experiencing
or at risk of homelessness in the City of Carlsbad. During the first six months of FY 2023-24
the organization supported 28 people in 11 households with utility or rental assistance to
prevent them falling into homelessness.
Alliance for Regional Solutions
The city contributes annually to the Alliance for Regional Solutions Bridge to Housing
Network. The Alliance distributes funding to North County homeless shelters including Haven
House, Operation Hope, La Posada de Guadalupe, Interfaith Family Shelter and the Interfaith
Shelter Network. The city's contribution helps the shelters support operations and serve
Carlsbad residents. The city continues to rely on the shelter network to provide space for
single women and families.
Urban Corps
The city contracts with Urban Corps of San Diego for trash abatement, litter and
encampment cleanup related to persons experiencing homelessness. Urban Corps works very
closely with the city's Public Works Department and the Homeless Outreach Team. They are
responsible for responding to and triaging any incoming cleanup requests based on health
and safety. This contract provides cleanup services 3 days per week, 52 weeks a year, often
including encampment cleanups. During the first half of fiscal year 2023-24, Urban Corps
completed 18 encampment cleanups. When encampment cleanups are not needed, the team
provides regular cleaning services to areas commonly known to have abandoned trash and a
high prevalence of homelessness related debris.
Reducing Homelessness 13
Annual Progress Report: July 2023 - Dec. 2023 ______________________ _
Rocket John Portable Restrooms and Handwashing Stations
The Rocket John contract provides three portable restrooms and handwashing stations and
routine cleaning and maintenance in Carlsbad. Two are located in Carlsbad Village and one is
at the Cole library.
Non-City Funded Homeless Outreach
The County of San Diego and People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) each have a full-time
outreach worker dedicated to Carlsbad. The PATH outreach worker is specially trained in
working with individuals or households with behavioral health needs. In addition, the county
provides benefits enrollment services at the Harding Community Center (bi-weekly) and at
the Carlsbad Service Center (weekly) to assist people with enrolling in Medical, Cal Fresh and
General Relief programs. The YMCA Transitional Age Youth program provides outreach and
rapid re-housing for transitional age youth (ages 18-24). Their programs include services for
youth experiencing homelessness in Carlsbad.
Case Collaboration/Care Conferencing
City staff work closely with staff from city-funded programs and other partners working in
homeless services. Staff facilitate a monthly Carlsbad collaboration meeting and a monthly
case conferencing meeting to ensure all outreach efforts are effectively administered and
coordinated, so that the most complex cases are prioritized and served. The Carlsbad
collaboration meeting provides training and resource coordination. Trainings and
coordination have included: affordable housing training, shared housing, mental health
resources, senior housing resources, homelessness specific housing resources, and the San
Diego Humane Society programs. The case conferencing meeting is attended by direct service
providers within Carlsbad that are a part of the Homeless Management Information System
so that coordination of the most acute cases can be supported effectively by all participating
providers. Community partners report appreciation for the level of cohesion and
collaboration that exists within the agencies working on homelessness issues in Carlsbad.
By-Name List
To better understand homelessness in Carlsbad and coordinate efforts, the city maintains a
comprehensive list of all individuals enrolled in homeless services programs within the city.
The list is generated directly from the Homeless Management Information System and is used
by the city to coordinate the work of all partners providing homeless services in Carlsbad. The
list has had 485 unique individuals enrolled in services within the first 6 months of fiscal year
2023-24. This number includes enrollments in all city-funded or administered programs and
non-city funded programs (County of San Diego, People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) and
the YMCA Transitional Age Youth program). During the first half of fiscal year 2023-24,
eighty-eight (88) individuals entered the list for the first time who had not previously been
enrolled in any homeless services program within the San Diego County Homeless
Management Information System.
Reducing Homelessness 14
Annual Progress Report: July 2023 -Dec. 2023 _____________________ _
Additional Collaboration
The city collaborates with many stakeholders in the community to reduce homelessness.
Homelessness impacts all aspects of a community, so it truly takes a village to solve it.
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Annual Progress Report: July 2023 -Dec. 2023 ______________________ _
Success Stories
The following success stories are real people who were experiencing homelessness in Carlsbad and
connected to community services and housing as a result of the city's homelessness efforts. These are their
stories, which they have given the city permission to share. Their names have been changed to protect their
confidentiality.
Meet Carol and her son
Female and Male: 57 and 18
Permanently housed: November 2023
Carol and her son had been residents of Carlsbad for many years. In 2023, Carol lost her job due to health
issues. This led to them not being able to afford their rent and needing to leave their apartment. Around this
same time, Carol and her son received a Housing Choice Voucher, a rental subsidy that covers housing costs.
However, Carol and her son had nowhere to stay while they were looking for an apartment. The City of
Carlsbad provided assistance for Carol and her son to stay in a hotel through the city's hotel voucher
program, allowing Carol a safe place to address her health issues and allowing the son to continue working.
Carol was having difficulties finding an apartment. A social worker from Interfaith Community services and
the City of Carlsbad Housing Navigator worked closely with Carol to locate an apartment, apply for it and get
approved. Once Carol and her son had been approved for the apartment, Interfaith Community Services
provided assistance to cover the move-in costs. Since moving in, Carol has been able to address some of her
health concerns and begin working part-time. Her son has also been able to continue growing in his job, with
a safe place to call home.
What worked
• Interfaith Community Services and the City of Carlsbad Housing Navigator worked closely together
to provide Carol and her son with the wrap-around support that they needed to find an apartment.
• Carol and her son were provided with a hotel voucher, giving them the stability needed to look for
housing and for her son to continue working.
• Interfaith Community Services was able to step in to assist with move-in costs.
Reducing Homelessness 16
Annual Progress Report: July 2023 -Dec. 2023 _____________________ _
Success Stories
Meet Jeff
Male: 46
Permanently housed: September 2023
Jeff grew up in the north coastal area and graduated from a high school here in Carlsbad. He had a lot of
trauma during his childhood and experienced more when he had a family of his own. He ended up alone and
on the streets for years experiencing debilitating mental health barriers. He didn't trust the government or
any resources available. City staff continued meeting with him week after week to build trust and eventually
were able to help him access the hotel voucher program and ultimately find an apartment through the
Housing Choice Voucher program. He is beginning to reconnect with family and starting to stabilize inside his
permanent housing.
What worked
• Housing Navigation through the City of Carlsbad continued to engage over time to build trust
• The City of Carlsbad's hotel voucher program gave Jeff time to stabilize and take the next step
towards housing
• The Housing Choice Voucher provided by the Carlsbad Housing Agency provided rental assistance
for an apartment
Reducing Homelessness 17
Annual Progress Report: July 2023 -Dec. 2023 ____________________ _
Overcoming Challenges
Staff have experienced some challenges around the implementation of the City Council's goal to reduce
homelessness and its impacts on the community. Some of these include:
Staffing
Staffing in the field of homeless services continues to be a challenge. High rates of turnover and vacancy
tend to lead to temporary decreases in effectiveness of programs as new staff are trained and become
proficient at their roles. New social workers for both city-funded outreach positions began just before the
new fiscal year, the housing navigator position was filled in August 2023, La Posada was experiencing staffing
shortages and Community Resource Center onboarded new case management staff in conjunction with the
expansion of the rapid re-housing program.
Limited shelter and housing resources
There is limited emergency shelter, permanent supportive housing, available affordable housing and general
housing options in North County and San Diego.
Limited options for women and seniors
Outreach workers, police homeless outreach officers and city staff have experienced an influx in single
females over the age of 60 experiencing homelessness for the first time. Staff are collaborating to identify
accessible shelter and housing options for this population. General communal shelters are not always an
option due to extremely limited availability, health risks and mobility needs. The Haven House shelter in
Escondido has merged with Interfaith Community Services' recuperative care program, reducing shelter beds
in the region by 49, including the majority of the available beds for single women. Staff across multiple
agencies report difficulty securing shelter options for seniors and single women.
Upcoming Work
City staff have several projects on the horizon:
• The Department of Housing & Homeless Services is continuing to provide support and monitor the
progress on the La Posada de Guadalupe shelter expansion.
• Staff will be moving forward with expending the National Opioid Settlements funding per the
recommendation of City Council through a Substance Abuse Outreach and Education program.
• Staff will begin utilizing new Resolution Strategies funding from the Regional Task Force on Homelessness
which is a flexible funding source to hep divert people away from homelessness.
• Staff will continue to coordinate community efforts to better implement shared housing strategies for
people experiencing homelessness.
• Staff will be bringing forward an MOA with the City of Oceanside for Encampment Resolution Funding to
address encampments along the 78 corridor.
Reducing Homelessness 18
Annual Progress Report: July 2023 -Dec. 2023 _____________________ _