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HomeMy WebLinkAbout; ; Quarterly Report - Reducing Homelessness - October 1- December 31, 2021;QUARTERLY REPORT Reducing Homelessness {city of Carlsbad OCT. 1 -DEC. 31, 2021 Du ring the second quarter of FY 2021-22, the City of Carlsbad achieved several important milestones towards its goal of reducing homelessness, which are detailed in this report. SUMMARY tttt tttt tttt ttt Transitioned to permanent housing City Council Goal Reduce the homeless unsheltered population, among those who want help, by 50% within five years. Provide quarterly reports for five years or until this goal is met, whichever comes f irst. 29 Shelter placements 269 ITIJ Unduplicated contacts Police calls for service Hotel voucher uH,S 2,169 Encampment C A~vPS Data by Quarter The table below shows how data compares between Ql and Q2, along with year-to-date data. Staff has adjusted some of the Ql data to reflect additional information received since presenting the Ql report to City Council in December 2021. Q1 Q2 b Transitioned to permanent housing 16 15 Q3 Q4 YTD 31 [fil] Unduplicated contacts* 253 269 433 ' I , il Police calls for service** 1,542 2,169 3,711 I=• Shelter placements 28 29 57 111111111111"0.. Encampment cleanups ........ 10 15 25 t People provided hotel vouchers N/A 5 5 t! Hotel voucher nights N/A 8 8 ~ Shopping carts collected N/A 37 37 *89 of the same homeless individuals were contacted in both Ql and Q2. The year-to-date total removes duplicate contacts. **Carlsbad Police went into the field for 2,169 calls for service, of which 1,021 calls were in response to a specific request or complaint and 1,148 were proactive department-initiated calls for service to help carry out city goals and enforce city codes. Reducing Homelessness Q2 Report: Oct. -Dec. 2021 _________________________ _ 2 FY 2021/23 Work Plan Progress Work plan tasks were identified to be accomplished over various stages during the fiscal year. All work plan tasks that were identified to be complete for Ql and Q2 have been completed within the identified timeline and budget.* Employment and benefits specialist Progress on track Work Plan Timeline Ql Q2 Q3 Q4 Develop scope of work and budget for consultant services for a two-year contract Issue RFP for contract services Design program and informational materials Work plan progress continued Additional homeless outreach officers and social workers Promote an additional sergeant to the Homeless Outreach Team Recruit for two new Homeless Outreach Team officers 0 Progress on track 0 0 Create roles/responsibility and deployment model for enhanced Homeless Outreach Team 0 Develop and provide necessary training for new Homeless Outreach Team members 0 Identify metrics for data collection 0 Partner with social workers from the County of San Diego's contracts with the North 0 County Homeless Pilot Program and PATH Enhancing clinical services at La Posada Emergency Shelter Progress on track Develop scope of work for expanded consultant services to include two licensed clinicians 0 and additional training for staff Research and analyze best practice emergency shelter programs 0 Design new program rules, expectations and outcomes 0 Develop a training schedule, courses, programs, and completion timeline 0 Re-evaluate the program practices, as necessary 0 Limited-term Stay Emergency Hotel Voucher Pilot Program Progress on track Identify and partner with hotel/motel vendors 0 Develop pilot program rules, policies, and expectations 0 Train Homeless Outreach Team Officers and social workers 0 Prepare public informational materials 0 Develop and implement a tracking system to assess program efficacy 0 Provide a report to the City Council (after first six months and following the 12-month 0 program) to determine if the program should be continued and/or modified Develop and implement a contract with the Humane Society 0 Community Resource Center services Progress on track Contract with the Community Resource Center 0 Develop scope of work for services 0 Two-year contract with three, one-year extensions 0 Revise policies and procedures based on lessons learned from year one 0 Reducing Homelessness Q2 Report: Oct. -Dec. 2021 Ql Q2 Q3 Q4 Ql Q2 Q3 Q4 Ql Q2 Q3 Q4 Ql Q2 Q3 Q4 3 Work plan progress continued Create a new Housing & Homeless Services Department Progress on track Create new positions (director, housing services manager and management analyst) ~ Develop budget and purchase resources ~ Advertise, recruit, hire the new positions ~ La Posada de Guadalupe Facility Expansion Work with Catholic Charities to pursue opportunities to expand the number of shelter beds within the existing facility Work with Catholic Charities to pursue opportunities to expand the existing facility to accommodate women and families Project Homekey funds Develop a list of potential projects that are eligible for Project Homekey funding and develop a specific proposal for the City Council's consideration and direction. Pursue a Homekey funding application, if directed by the City Council *Some tasks have changed or been eliminated based on City Council direction. Reducing Homelessness Progress on track Ql Q2 Q3 Q4 Ql Q2 Q3 Q4 Ql Q2 Q3 Q4 4 Q2 Report: Oct. -Dec. 2021 ___________________________ _ Expenditures The City Council approved $6.8 million in general funds and one-time reserve funds to support the homeless goal during fiscal year 2021-22. A significant portion of the budget, $3.2 million, was initially allocated for an emergency shelter hotel voucher pilot program. Based on initial research and feedback, the City Council decided to pursue a different model, which is expected to require fewer resources. TOTAL BUDGET EXPENDITURES TO DATE $1,337,593 Spent to date SPENDING BY CATEGORY Portable toilets $10,200 Hotel vouchers $826.63 ~ Police - salaries $931,529.47 Reducing Homelessness $6,854,310 Total budget $5,516,717 Remaining Urban Corps (Encampment and trash cleanup) $41,880 Interfaith Community Services I / (Social workers) $112,026.76 Community Resource Center (Rapid rehousing. other housing assistance) $98,092.66 Housing & Homeless Services salaries $143,037 Q2 Report: Oct. -Dec. 2021 _________________________ _ 5 Carlsbad's Homeless Population 6 ~v~do(o San Diego County prior to becoming homeless ~-\~5% ~ 4/r IC Veterans Point in Time data 160 140 120 100 80 78 60 40 20 21 0 2011 2012 2013 67% Male • • ,, 100% Adu lt 55% 44+ carlsbad began to manage 19 21 2014 2015 2016 2017 87% White ' • ,· 2;:o ;~s:kanic 5% American Indian 1% Asian (2j 38% Disability 152 94 2018 2019 2020 *The Point in Time Count did not take place in 2021 due to COV/D-19 precautions. The City of Carlsbad took over the Point in Time Count from an outside organization starting in 2017. Reducing Homelessness Q2 Report: Oct. -Dec. 2021 _________________________ _ 6 Public Safety Homeless-related calls for service Carlsbad Police went into the field for 2,169 calls for service, which made up 13% of all activity between Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2021. Of those, 1,021 calls were in response to a specific request or complaint and 1,148 were proactive department-initiated calls for service to help carry out city goals and enforce city codes. Changes to the city's municipal code went into effect during this quarter, therefore officers were more proactive to educate and enforce restrictions such as camping in public, trespassing, and drinking in public parks. PERCENTAGE OF CALLS FOR HOMELESS-RELATED SERVICES 13% Re ated to ome essness HOMELESS-RELATED STATISTICS BY CATEGORY Citations Arrests Mental health holds *These are the statistics related to the homeless population compared to the general population in Carlsbad. Mental health holds refer to when a homeless individual experiencing a mental health crisis is hospitalized for 72-hour psychiatric care when they are evaluated to be a danger to themselves or others. Reducing Homelessness 7 Q2 Report: Oct. -Dec. 2021 ________________________ _ Percentage of all calls for services Ql Q2 Q3 Q4 ~ Homeless-related calls for services 9% 13% -Homeless-related arrests 17% 18% Ma n ~~~ Homeless-related citations 4% 16% Cf) Homeless-related mental health holds 20% 3% SERVICES This quarter 72% of people accepted some form of clinical intervention. This includes case management, assessment, care coordination, crisis intervention, program information, diversion and treatment planning. 72% Accepted services Reducing Homelessness Q2 Report: Oct. -Dec. 2021 __________________________ _ 8 The Homeless Outreach Team officers and contract social workers provide a lot of other services in addition to clinical services. Services accepted ' I , il (t) m 6 ~ • • Information only Emergency shelter referral Mail delivery Transit passes and rideshare assistance Police transportation Substance abuse treatment referral ID voucher distribution Permanent or bridge housing referral Benefits access (medical insurance, CalFresh program, VA benefits, etc.) Other (appointment coordination, blankets, etc.) Food assistance Hospital transport Mental & physical health care referral Personal needs assistance (clothing, phone, prescriptions, etc.) Reunification travel assistance TOTAL Reducing Homelessness Q2 328 53 32 31 24 17 15 13 12 12 11 9 8 5 5 575 Q2 Report: Oct. -Dec. 2021 ___________________________ _ 9 Quality of life In late September the City Council approved amendments to the city's municipal code to address public safety and quality-of-life concerns related to homelessness and public spaces. These new laws became effective Nov. 11, 2021. Changes addressed camping on public, private and open space property; obstruction of property, trespassing and disorderly conduct; and expanded the areas where open containers of alcohol are prohibited. In coordination with the amendments to the municipal code, the City Council approved a one-night Hotel Voucher Pilot Program so that the city could enforce its unlawful camping on public property ordinance. Those who participate in the emergency Hotel Voucher Pilot Program will be connected to services the following morning through the Homeless Outreach Team. The city may enforce its unlawful camping on public property ordinance if an individual chooses not to participate in the emergency Hotel Voucher Pilot Program and refuses another offer for shelter or housing. The program was up and running in early November. From then through December, five vouchers were issued for a total of eight nights in a hotel and a total expenditure of $826.63. The city will utilize the new Hotel Voucher Pilot Program over the next 12 months and report progress through quarterly updates to the City Council so adjustments can be made as needed. The code amendments provide police officers with the enforcement tools to ensure public safety and a decent quality of life for all people in Carlsbad. Police officers will continue to use their discretion to issue warnings, citations and misdemeanor arrests. City staff will track data to gauge how the team balances the need to build rapport with the homeless community while holding them accountable and enforcing city laws. Reducing Homelessness 10 Q2 Report: Oct. -Dec. 2021 ___________________________ _ Public Outreach The city recognizes homelessness is a top concern of the community and understands the importance of outreach and engagement. Below is an overview of some of the outreach efforts implemented from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2021, to help keep the community informed and engaged about the city's efforts to reduce homelessness. 1 community group presentation 3 virtual office hours (small group community meetings) 3 community newsletter updates 14 participants* *Some community members attended more than one small group meeting. Members of the Homeless Outreach Team and Housing & Homeless Services Department jointly provided an informational presentation to a group of educators. Additionally, staff facilitated three small group community meetings held virtually where community members had a chance to ask questions, share their concerns and brainstorm ideas. Staff also responded to hundreds of phone calls and emails from individuals experiencing homelessness, business owners, social service providers and members of the public. Reducing Homelessness Q2 Report: Oct. -Dec. 2021 ___________________________ _ 11 Regional Partnerships The City of Carlsbad believes in addressing homelessness with compassion and fairness. Here is a current list of services created to help those experiencing homelessness as well as improve the quality of life of the community collectively. Services to help individuals experiencing homelessness: 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 animal when they are not able to bring them to treatment facilities or services. Staff have found this has been a primary barrier preventing people from accessing services. The contract will provide short-term emergency boarding and emergency medical care for approximately 25 animals of persons experiencing homelessness -free of charge -so the individual could access care and resources. Rocket John portable restrooms and handwashing stations The Rocket John contract provides four portable restrooms and handwashing stations and routine cleaning and maintenance in the downtown Village. The city first added these public bathrooms back in 2017 to combat the Hepatitis A Crisis in the homeless community. With COVID-19, the city has added more restrooms and handwashing stations to promote health, sanitation and 24/7 access to clean water to individuals living unsheltered. Community Resource Center The city's homelessness prevention and intervention contract with Community Resource Center that was funded by the state has expired. This contract provided rapid rehousing dollars to reduce homelessness by providing security deposit support, rental assistance, landlord advocacy, case management and financial literacy. In Q2, Community Resource Center screened and enrolled 17 new clients into their rapid rehousing program. The City Council approved a new, two-year $350,000/year contract in January 2022 to continue the rapid rehousing program with the Community Resource Center. Interfaith Community Services Interfaith Community Services is the current outreach and case management contractor for the City of Carlsbad's Homeless Outreach Team. Interfaith Community Services provides two licensed or master's level clinicians and one part-time licensed program manager. They provide seven-day coverage offering outreach and case management in the field to individuals experiencing homelessness in the City of Carlsbad. The clinicians engage, assess, plan and refer individuals to resources like housing, medical care, public benefits, mental health, substance use treatment and basic needs. During Q2, Interfaith Community Services and the Homeless Outreach Team engaged with 226 unduplicated clients at-risk and experiencing homelessness. North County Social Worker Both the County of San Diego's North County Social Worker Pilot Program and the new County Behavioral Health contract are now operating their programs in the City of Carlsbad, with two individuals providing outreach in the community. Both outreach programs have been working closely with the city's HOT, Housing Navigator, and outside contractors to ensure outreach efforts are being effectively administered and coordinated to prioritize the most vulnerable individuals. Reducing Homelessness 12 Q2 Report: Oct. -Dec. 2021 ___________________________ _ 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 Public Works and the Homeless Outreach Team and they are responsible for responding and triaging any incoming cleanup requests based on health and safety for homelessness on city property. The contractor has the capacity to request additional staff for large encampment cleanups or major city events. Additional collaborations 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. MtRACOSTA y c oLLEGE CAL~VET t.,UlfOlM IA DlrA•t""l~t 01 Vlrtl,UO 41fo\ll., Alliance for Regional Solutions !.\NDIE60(0IJIIIT Co-r,nc-c-C•"I North CCN.,nty ~ CARLSBAD ffi atholic hariri ~1 Tri-City Medical Center Reducing Homelessness r MAKING IT HOME Df '() R glonel Task force on Homelessne s CRC NORTH COUNTY TltANSll DISTRfCT G Q2 Report: Oct. -Dec. 2021 ___________________________ _ 13 Success stories Each quarter, staff will include one or more success stories of real people who were connected to community services as a result of the city's homeless response efforts. These are their stories, which they have given the city permission to share. Meet Theo Male, age: 67 Years homeless: 5 Permanently housed: December 2021 Theo had been living outside in Carlsbad for almost 5 years when he encountered the Homeless Outreach Team and the Housing Navigator. He found himself without a home after he lost his employment, his marriage ended and he had nowhere to go but outside. With a small amount of Social Security income, he had only enough resources for food. He didn't know how to take the next step to find a home indoors. Theo decided to take a chance on building trust with the service providers that came by and began applying to find a new place to live. With the help of a Housing Choice Voucher and conversations with numerous landlords, Theo found a place to be his home just before the end of the year. He feels like he can finally breathe again and is glad to have a safe home. What worked • Homeless Outreach Team worked with Theo, helped provide hygiene items and connected him to the Housing Navigator. • City homeless services staff helped him apply for and monitor his position on the city's Section 8 rental assistance program waiting list. • The Carlsbad Housing Authority had funding to issue a limited number of vouchers to those experiencing homelessness in Carlsbad. • When the housing voucher became available, the city's Housing Navigator helped Theo obtain critical documents, find apartments and fill out rental applications. • Through the city's contract with the Community Resource Center, Theo got help with his security deposit, rental insurance and furniture. • Theo is now housed and is adjusting to life inside. Reducing Homelessness Q2 Report: Oct. -Dec. 2021 ___________________________ _ 14 Daniel's story Male, age: 53 Years homeless: 2 Placed in permanent housing: January 2022 Daniel was born and raised in Carlsbad. Unfortunately, throughout his life he battled drug and alcohol addiction and suffered from psychological disorders. When Daniel's parents passed away and the family home was sold in April 2020, Daniel found himself homeless, still struggling with addiction. In the same month, Daniel was detained for trespassing in a vacant home. The Homeless Outreach Team responded and began to help Daniel. Daniel and HOT remained in communication over the next year as Daniel worked through his struggle with recovery, including detox, rehabilitation screening and drug and alcohol rehabilitation. In May 2021, Daniel completed a screening for housing and supportive intervention. In July 2021, Daniel was linked with SD Health and Housing Services for General Relief. A month later in August 2021, Daniel was referred to and accepted into the Graduate Lodging Program. HOT officers who never gave up on Daniel personally transported him to the program. In November 2021, due to Daniel's determination and HOT's persistence, he entered a pivotal point in his life and began to turn a corner. HOT officers assisted Daniel with securing a job interview and transported him there on the day of the interview. Although he didn't get the job, he was not discouraged. We are happy to share Daniel recently moved into his own apartment and remains sober. In a recent interview, Daniel said, "It is hard being on the streets when you are high, but it wasn't until I was living on the streets sober that I realized I was wasting my life." Daniel went on to credit members of HOT and said they are responsible for his comeback. Daniel knows that struggling with addiction is difficult and realizes it contributed to his attitude when he was offered assistance and declined. This is just one of many examples, where the HOT team acts as more than just enforcers, but also guardians of the City of Carlsbad. Daniel has offered his assistance to HOT in the future with those they encounter that are service-resistant based on addiction. What worked • Homeless Outreach Team worked with Daniel, connecting him to programs for substance use and addiction. • Getting General Relief benefits helped him obtain a stable limited income. • Persistent service offering, although declined numerous times, was critical in being available when the client was open to real change. This helped build trust with Daniel over time. • Daniel is now housed and is trying to stay committed to his sobriety. Reducing Homelessness Q2 Report: Oct. -Dec. 2021 ___________________________ _ 15 Overcoming challenges Staff have experienced several challenges around the implementation of the City Council's goal to reduce the homeless unsheltered population, among those who want help, by 50% within five years. Some of these include: Multiple service providers It has been a challenge to coordinate resources when multiple services providers are involved. As the city and county continue to add more programs, it will be critical for all agencies to meet regularly to ensure outreach efforts are being effectively administered and coordinated to ensure the most vulnerable individuals are being prioritized and served. During Q2, city staff helped facilitate the first case conferencing meeting with most of the service providers in the City of Carlsbad who are working with those experiencing homelessness. Data collection Staff will continue to look at better ways to refine the city's data collection to allow for more real-time information. City staff is working to develop better metrics to measure progress towards the City Council's goal. There are challenges identifying and measuring service-resistant clients. Different outreach programs have different philosophies. It may be hard to track who is working with whom and how many times they have been engaged over a six-month period unless all of the providers are sharing and inputting data in the Homeless Management Information System. Limited housing resources There is a limited number of emergency shelter and permanent supportive housing resources in North County and San Diego. During the second quarter, La Posada, the only emergency shelter in the city, had several COVID outbreaks and were unable to accept new guests. In addition to La Posada, many of the other shelter options in the region have been closed to new intakes due to COVID outbreaks in their facilities. Staff vacancies There has been transitions and position vacancies on the Housing & Homeless Services Department, Homeless Outreach Team and social worker team. These vacancies have caused an increase in workload on the team. New programs have been slower to implement due to these limitations. Reducing Homelessness Q2 Report: Oct. -Dec. 2021 ___________________________ _ 16 Upcoming work City staff have several new programs on the horizon: • The city is enrolling as a "participating agency" in the Homeless Management Information System which will allow staff to see real-time, unduplicated data of individuals experiencing homelessness in Carlsbad. This system will help staff bridge households experiencing homelessness to resources like Windsor Pointe, an affordable housing project that will provide housing and support services to homeless veterans and their families as well as people suffering from serious mental illness. This system helps the city monitor service provider contractor data. • The Housing & Homeless Services Department is in the process of recruiting for several positions. • The Housing & Homeless Services Department will begin the process to help La Posada to operate as a "low-barrier" shelter through additional licensed clinicians and a third-party consultant to train shelter staff. • The city will be hosting and organizing the 2022 Point-in-Time Count on Feb. 24, 2022. Data from the count will not be available until several months after the count. When the data is available, this will be included in future quarterly reports. • The Housing & Homeless Services Department will begin to contract for an Employment & Benefits Specialist position who will be able to help connect people to employment opportunities and eligible benefits. Reducing Homelessness Q2 Report: Oct. -Dec. 2021 ___________________________ _ 17