HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-10-17; City Council; ; Accept the staff report on the City of Carlsbad Homeless Response Plan and comment as appropriate and approve a Resolution authorizing staff to prepare a Request for PropCA Review lJ!tJ(
� CITY COU:NCIL
� StaffReport
Meeting Date: To:
From: Staff Contact:
Subject:
October 17, 2017
Mayor and City Council
Kevin Crawford, City Manager
Debbie Fountain, Housing & Neighborhood Services Director
Debbie.fountain@carlsbadca.gov or 760-434-2935
Accept the staff report on the City of Carlsbad Homeless Response Plan
and comment as appropriate, and approve a Resolution authorizing staff
to prepare a Request for Proposals and solicit responses for resources
and/or services to implement the Plan.
Recommended Action
Accept the staff report on the City of Carlsbad Homeless Response Plan and comment as
appropriate, and approve a Resolution authorizing staff to prepare a Request for Proposals and
solicit responses for resources and/or services to implement the Plan.
Executive Summary
The City of Carlsbad has experienced an increase in issues caused by homelessness including
increased calls for emergency and police services and citizen complaints. Residents and other
community members, including business owners, are requesting a response from the city to
address the increasing impacts associated with this challenging issue, both to the homeless
individuals themselves and to the surrounding community.
The reasons for homelessness are many and varied in their degrees. It is very unlikely that there
will be a single reason that a resident becomes and/or remains homeless. Each homeless
resident will have a unique story. Because of this fact, the city response to addressing the needs
of the homeless is challenging and must be multifaceted and layered in its approach if it is to be
successful. Staff has prepared the attached Homeless Response Plan to address the impacts of
homelessness and is requesting that the Council share comments with staff on the Plan. In
addition, staff is requesting that the Council approve a Resolution authorizing staff to prepare a
Request for Proposals and solicit responses for resources and/or services to implement the
Plan.
Discussion
The attached Homeless Response Plan (Exhibit 2) establishes key principles and system
responses that the city will employ to address the community impacts of homelessness. The
plan identifies the role of the City of Carlsbad in addressing homelessness and defines its
function as distinct·from dther tiers of government and community partnerships. The plan
provides strategies to:
October 17, 2017 Item #5 Page 1 of 20
L, Prevent, reduce and manage homelessness in Carlsbad; 2.r Support and build capacity within the city and community to address homelessness;3.Encourage collaboration within the city, community partnerships and residents; and4.Retain, protect and increase the supply of housing.Housing and Neighborhood Services will take the lead in implementing the Homeless Response
Plan in coordination with a multi-city department, multi-agency and service organization effort. At the risk of oversimplifying the proposed city response, it is best described as an individualized case management system in which the homeless will be evaluated where they are physically located within the community. They will not be referred to a location outside the city for evaluation and case management assistance; this step will occur within city facilities. The city's approach will seek to understand the obstacles to self-sufficiency for each homeless individual and, with the assistance of many, develop a plan to move the resident towards selfsufficiency and rehousing opportunities.
Homeless Outreach Team and other efforts
It is important to note that the Police Department recently kicked off their efforts to address the impacts of homelessness on the community by forming and deploying their Homeless Outreach Team with two dedicated fulltime police officers. The goals of this team is to make consistent and frequent contact with the homeless and seek opportunities to connect the homeless residents with appropriate resources and services. The team will also focus on the clean-up of homeless encampments and take other actions to address community concerns as related to the homeless residents, including any related criminal activity. Some of the examples of the police department's work effort to date includes:
•Working with the City Attorney's Office on possible amendments to the city's municipalcode to help with enforcement. •Coordinating with other departments for resource referrals, and other municipalitiesand the county to provide resources, as available, and make enforcements efforts moreeffective. •Community outreach and education to social service agencies, churches, and others.•Homeless encampment clean-ups/removal, resource referral for homeless.•Direct contact with about 30 transients to date; issued some citations.•Coordinating with Parks on facility impacts and brainstorming solutions.•Responding to citizen requests for addressing impacts of homeless and homelessness.
The police department will continue to have a significant role in the implementation efforts associated with the Homeless Response Plan, and continue to operate the Homeless Outreach Team that was funded in the 2017-18 city budget through work with regional law enforcement partners.
It should also be noted that the Fire Department will have a role in addressing health issues and remer-gency services related to the homeless, which inch;1des arresponse of prevention and ;education actions related to the Hepatitis A virus that has been initiated over the past few
October 17, 2017 Item #5 Page 2 of 20
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weeks. Planning meetings will be held weekly by a city team to monitor and appropriately respond to any health issues impacting at ;risk populations, including the city's homeless residents.
Finally, the city's action are intended to move homeless residents toward self-sufficiency and rehousing. It is not the city's intent to simply relocate the problem to another city. Coordination with the other cities that are part of the Innovate 78 Collaborative may assist the city in its efforts to ensure that there are similar efforts being implemented within each of the 5 partner cities in a manner that benefits each of the communities and homeless residents.
Homeless Demographics The Regional Task Force on the Homeless released the 2017 WeA//Count/Point-in-Time Count in late April, 2017. The total homeless count for Carlsbad is 160; 59 sheltered and 101 unsheltered. This year the city coordinated the effort and helped to ensure a better count of the homeless because staff and local volunteers went into areas not usually accessed by others who are not familiar with the city geography or have limited knowledge of the locations of the Carlsbad homeless populations. The city completed the counts and interviews of a sampling of homeless residents, resulting in a total count and a map of encampments and other locations where the homeless residents most often frequent for shelter. This information has been very valuable in developing a response to the specific situation of homelessness in Carlsbad.
Based on staff research, the reasons for homelessness in Carlsbad and other cities throughout the nation are many, and often different for each individual. Some of the causes of homelessness include, but are not limited to:
•Poverty •Physical and/or sexual abuse•Unemployment •Victims of financial or identify theft•Lack of affordable housing •Escalating health care costs•Poor physical or mental health •Aging out of foster care system with•Drug and Alcohol Abuse no support•Gambling •Human trafficking•Family and relationship breakdown •Lack of transportation or access to•Domestic violence services for various reasons
A homeless person could be homeless for one, several or all of the above reasons. These factors not only cause a person to become homeless, but can be the reasons a person remains homeless. The solutions are not easy, and often require a multi-pronged and individualized response.
Summary
Implementation of this Plan will represent a new line of business for the City of Carlsbad and sets forth its leadership role in coordinating a response for its homeless residents and addressing the community impacts.qthoqielessness. To respond successfully to the challenge . ,1.of homelessness in Carlsbad; the as�.is,tanc.e of c.ornrriunity members, service organizations, ;; 1 . ·.�· : i"!
October 17, 2017 Item #5 Page 3 of 20
churches, caring residents, businesses, state and federal agencies and others will be needed to
work in coordination with city staff teams to implement the strategies set forth within the Plan.
This is not a challenge that the city will be able to address alone. Without the assistance of
many others with expertise in a variety of areas of service to the homeless, the strategies and
tasks set forth within the Plan can't be completed in a way that will allow for a successful
response from the city. Many of the activities will also need additional legal review.
The Homeless Response Plan will be revised based on Council comments and begin
implementation with solicitation of staffing resources and/or services through a Request for
Proposal process.
Fiscal Analysis
The city's Homeless Response Plan includes strategies and objectives to addressing the various
factors associated with homelessness. While it is anticipated that funding beyond existing
budget will be required to fully implement the Plan, no additional funding is being requested at
this time. A request for proposals (RFP) will be prepared and distributed for responses. Staff will
return to City Council with a budget request following review of the responses to the RFP and
partnership/collaboration discussions with other organizations, agencies, churches and similar
partners.
The Police Department will continue to use their existing budget to continue operations of the
Homeless Outreach Team. Following additional fiscal analysis and further City Council direction,
staff will return with a budget for further consideration and action as appropriate.
Next Steps
Following review and comments by the City Council on the Homeless Response Plan, staff will
proceed with efforts to prepare and distribute an RFP for resources and/or services to assist
with implementation of the Plan if authorized. Staff will return to City Council with a budget
request following review of the responses to the RFP and partnership/collaboration discussions
with other organizations, agencies, churches and similar partners.
Environmental Evaluation (CEQA)
Pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21065, this action does not constitute a "project"
within the meaning of CEQA in that it has no potential to cause either a direct physical change
in the environment, or a reasonably forseeable indirect physical change in the environment,
and therefore does not require environmental review.
Exhibits
1. Resolution approving the City of Carlsbad's Homeless Response Plan and staff efforts to
implement it.
2.City of Carlsbad's Homeless Response Plan
3.Regional Task Force on the Homeless Point in Time County for the City of Carlsbad, and
other cities within San Diego County.
October 17, 2017 Item #5 Page 4 of 20
RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD,
CALIFORNIA, AUTHORIZING STAFF TO PREPARE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
AND SOLICIT RESPONSES FOR RESOURCES AND/OR SERVICES TO
IMPLEMENT THE HOMELESS RESPONSE PLAN.
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Carlsbad, California has determined that there is a
need to respond to the increasing impacts associated with the challenging issue of homelessness on
the individuals themselves and to the surrounding community; and
WHEREAS, because the reasons for homelessness are many and varied in their degrees, the
city's response to addressing the needs of the homeless must be a multifaceted and layered in its
approach if it is to be successful; and
WHEREAS, the city's Homeless Response Plan establishes key principles and system responses
that the city will employ to address the community impacts of homelessness; and
WHEREAS, the Housing and Neighborhood Services will take the lead in implementing the city's
Homeless Response Plan in coordination with a multi-city department, multi-agency and service
organization effort.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Carlsbad, California, as
follows:
/Ill
Ill/
/Ill
1.That the above recitations are true and correct.
2.That the City Council hereby authorizes the Housing & Neighborhood Services Director
to proceed with efforts to prepare a Request for Proposal and solicit responses for
resources and/or services to implement the Homeless Response Plan for the City of
Carlsbad.
Exhibit 1
October 17, 2017 Item #5 Page 5 of 20
PASSED, APPROVE D AND ADOPTED at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of
Carlsbad on the day of 2017, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
MATT HALL, Mayor
BARBARA ENGLESON, City Clerk
(SEAL)
October 17, 2017 Item #5 Page 6 of 20
City of Carlsbad
Homeless Response Plan
Ccityof Carlsbad
Exhibit 2
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October 17, 2017 Item #5 Page 7 of 20
City of Carlsbad Homeless Response Plan 12
Contents Mission Statement .......................................................................................................................... 3
Purpose ........................................................................................................................................... 3
Impact Statement ........................................................................................................................... 3
Background ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 4
Neighboring Cities Response ............................................................ : ............................................. 6
Community Partnerships ................................................................................................................ 7
Strategic Plan Development ........................................................................................................... 8
Measuring Success .......................................................................................................................... 8
City Departments Coordinated Work ............................................................................................. 9
Strategies ...................................................................................................................................... 10
Action Items & Status ................................................................................................................... 12
October 17, 2017 Item #5 Page 8 of 20
City of Carlsbad Homeless Response Plan 13
Mission Statement Enhance the quality of life for all who live in Carlsbad by actively leveraging and deploying cityresources in a compassionate and effective manner, and by facilitating access to resourcesprovided by others.
Purpose The Homeless Response Plan establishes key principles and system responses that the city willemploy to address the community impacts of homelessness. The plan identifies the role of theCity of Carlsbad in addressing homelessness and defines its function as distinct from other tiersof government and community partnerships.
The plan provides strategies aimed at: 1.Preventing, reducing and managing homelessness in Carlsbad;2.Supporting and building capacity within the city and community to addresshomelessness; 3.Encouraging collaboration within the city, community partnerships and residents.4.Retaining, protecting and increasing the supply of housing.
Impact Statement The Homeless Response Plan commits to reduce the impact of homelessness on city resourcesand the Carlsbad community while working to meet the complex needs of the homeless.
Background In the past couple of years, the City of Carlsbad has experienced an increase in issues caused byhomelessness, including increased calls for emergency and police services and citizen complaints.Residents and other community members, including business owners, are requesting a responsefrom the city to address the increasing impacts associated with this challenging issue, both to thehomeless individuals themselves and to the surrounding community.
The reasons for homelessness are many and often complicated and time consuming to resolve.To better understand the specific needs and the impacts of the homeless on the Carlsbadcommunity, Housing & Neighborhood Services convened a working group of staff from several· city departments, including Police, Fire, Library, Parks & Recreation, Public Works, and the CityAttorney's Office to share experiences and collaborate on potential strategies. This informalworking group, known internally as the Homeless Response Team (HRT), met several times with the goal of developing a proactive, solution-oriented program to address the challenge. While we will coordinate with other cities and other regional service organizations to meet the needsof the homeless, the Carlsbad HRT intends to start with a full assessment of our challenge inCarlsbad and stay focused on addressing the needs of our homeless residents as a first priority.
We intend to work more closely with other cities to expand the model out to help other cities through an ongoing collaborative approach. There is potential negative impact to surroundingcities when one city begins putting pressure on their homeless residents to make changes. We
October 17, 2017 Item #5 Page 9 of 20
City of Carlsbad Homeless Response Plan 14
hope to resolve the crisis to the greatest degree possible for Carlsbad, and not just relocate it to another city.
As part of this working group effort, a decision was made to participate actively in the annual Regional Task Force on the Homeless Point-In-Time Count which occurred on January 27, 2017. City staff and volunteers that know the city well went into the field and took the counts, and subsequently conducted interviews of a sample of the homeless as prescribed by the Task Force. It was very important to get a more accurate count of the homeless to allow staff to better understand the homeless population in Carlsbad specifically. With a more accurate count, it is anticipated that the City will have much better access to state and federal funding to help us to address the needs of the homeless in our community.
The Regional Task Force on the Homeless released the 2017 WeA//Count/Point-in-Time Count results in late April, 2017. The total homeless count for Carlsbad is 160; 59 sheltered and 101 unsheltered. In addition to receiving the final counts from the Regional Task Force on the Homeless, the following tasks have also been completed since January, 2017:
• Survey of local service, community and faith-based organizations to identify the resources and services currently being provided to Carlsbad homeless residents, and beginning to identify the gaps. • Developed a resource guide for city departments to help provide referrals and information to the homeless community. • Began effort to identify local social service agencies, churches, service groups, businesses and residents serving the homeless population and what each can do to help. • Ongoing research for alternative affordable housing and homeless shelter opportunities. • Learning from the City of Oceanside Homeless Outreach Team on its model for how to assess the homeless population and identify how to assist them from a range of solutions, and from the City of San Diego, through its City Attorney's Office.
Overview The reasons for homelessness in Carlsbad and other cities throughout the nation are many, and often different for each individual. Some of the causes of homelessness are:
• Poverty • Physical and/or sexual abuse • Unemployment • Victims of financial or identify theft • Lack of affordable housing • Escalating health care costs • Poor physical or mental health • Aging out of foster care system with no • Drug and Alcohol Abuse support • Gambling • Human trafficking • Family and relationship breakdown • Lack of transportation or access to • Domestic violence services for various reasons
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City of Carlsbad Homeless Response Plan 15
A homeless person could be homeless for one, several or all of the above reasons. These factorsnot only cause a person to become homeless, but can be the reasons a person remains homeless.The solutions are not easy, and often require a multi-pronged and individualized response.
Regional efforts have been made to present a unified response to homelessness in San DiegoCounty specifically, and considerable funding has been made available to address the needs.Unfortunately, these efforts have had limited success to date and the homeless populations inSan Diego County are continuing to grow. Because the reasons are many, the solutions whichwould allow a homeless person to be housed and remain successfully housed are difficult andcomplex to resolve; the solutions require a more comprehensive understanding of the individualneeds and take considerable time to case manage each person.
It is staff's opinion that the current service environment to address the needs of the homelesshas not been more successful because 1) services have not been well-coordinated and there islimited collaboration among service agencies; 2) there is duplication of effort in many services due to overlapping organizational missions; 3) there is competition for available funding tosustain individual organizations rather than to expand services through partnerships; and 4)homeless have difficulty accessing the services for a variety of reasons, including lack oftransportation to the service locations.
The 2016 Point-in-Time Count by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless indicated thatCarlsbad had 67 homeless in emergency shelters, 16 unsheltered homeless individuals, and 26homeless living in their vehicles (RV, car, truck, etc.). The 2017 Point-in-Time Count indicates thatCarlsbad has homeless in emergency shelters, homeless living in their vehicles or self-madestructures, and unsheltered homeless residents. The count indicates that there has been anincrease in homeless residents in Carlsbad. Based on Police records, there have been 769 callsfor service related to homeless individuals since August of 2016. The Police are averaging 240calls per month, 10 calls per day. These statistics indicate that the population could be larger inCarlsbad than reported by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless. However, the official countdoes indicate an increase, even with all of the efforts to date to house the homeless throughoutSan Diego County.
Based on data from emergency responders and medical service providers throughout the SanDiego region, it is estimated that it costs $45,000 to $50,000 per year to provide assistance to one homeless resident from a medical emergency response and care standpoint. Typically, the Fire Department responds to health crisis calls for the homeless. When you consider responsecosts for the Fire Department, transport to the hospital, and related hospital costs for individuals with no insurance, the cost per person adds up fairly fast. If we use the count of 100 unsheltered homeless residents in Carlsbad, this has a related medical response and service cost of$4,500,000 to $5,000,000 on an annual basis, which is significant.
The Police Department estimates that it utilizes about 3600 police officer hours per year torespond to calls related to ·homeless individuals; these calls for service range from suspicious
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City of Carlsbad Homeless Response Plan 16
individual, to disruptive behavior to criminal or threatening activity. When we consider the fully burdened hourly cost of a police officer at $99..79, the annual cost for police service calls is estimated to be about $360,000 per year.
The homeless do use free public services and facilities, such as the library, senior center and city parks. Various service groups provide food to the homeless at city parks. There have, however, been some complaints about the behavior and/or "look" of the homeless residents frequenting these public facilities. Unfortunately, over the past few years, the city has also seen an increase in criminal activity associated with some of the homeless residents; this activity is generally drug or alcohol related and/or petty theft or other nuisance crimes (such as smoking in the parks, overnight parking/camping on the public streets).
The city has experienced problems with homeless encampments in open space and habitat preserve areas, as well as in public facilities such as landscape medians or other areas, large storm water pipes or other utility pipes that are pending completion of construction projects, and storm drains and drainage channels. Homeless residents have been responsible for some damage to city properties and have illegally used electric to power RVs and other equipment. The clean-up of trash and debris, fecal matter, and other pollutants by Public Works staff and/or contractors has increased over time. This all has a cost to the city.
Neighboring Cities Response Many of the neighboring cities in northern San Diego County are experiencing similar increases in their homeless populations, and are working to develop solutions that will be effective for their particular cities. For example, Oceanside is working their Homeless Outreach Team (HOT} primarily from the Police Department. Carlsbad police officers attended a training from the Oceanside HOT to learn more about what is working within their community to address the needs of the homeless, and is continuing to learn from other cities with emerging homeless response teams. As another example, Encinitas hired a Homeless Services Coordinator to work on their challenges associated with the homeless, and many other cities are developing city-specific programs as well. Because of the uniqueness of the needs of each homeless resident and the varying degrees of abilities to access services in each city, it appears that a community focused effort may be more successful than the regional approach at this time. These locally focused efforts may then be able to expand to regional solutions as each of the cities develop a better understanding of the specific needs of their homeless populations and respond accordingly to connect with resources and other longer term solutions to address those needs.
It is also important to note that Vista, Oceanside, Escondido and the City of San Diego have had some success prosecuting illegal encampments -on both public and private property -as a misdemeanor. They have found that an infraction level offense has no impact on the homeless population while a misdemeanor level offense provides a "carrot stick" for individuals to accept resources and services as part of a plea agreement. The City of San Diego also has a very effective program that targets chronic offenders, a large subset of its homeless population.
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City of Carlsbad Homeless Response Plan 1 7
Community Partnerships To respond successfully to the challenge of homelessness in Carlsbad, the assista nce of community members, service organizations, churches, caring residents, businesses, state and federal agencies and others will be needed to work in coordination to implement the strategies set forth below. This is not a challenge that the city will be able to implement alone. Without the assistance of many others with expertise in a va riety of areas of service to the homeless, the strategies and tasks set forth below can't be completed in a way that will allow for a successful response from the city.
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City of Carlsbad Hom eless Response Plan 1 8
Strategic Plan Development
This homeless response plan wi ll serve as a foundation to develop a more com prehensive, lo nger term strategic plan which will continue to shape the city's efforts to address the impacts of homelessness on the residents, the larger community and the city itself.
The strategic plan will include an analysis of 1) this initial homeless response action plan as well as identify gaps and opportunities within existing homeless programs and services provided by the city, faith-based and community organizations; 2) benchmarks to track progra m progress; 3) timeline for project action items; and 4) resou rce and funding requirements to support the strategic plan for the longer term.
Measuring Success A critica l element of any plan involves monitoring progress and measuring success against established objectives. Using indicators to help gauge the impact of actions will also be important, helping the city and community to better understand where success is emerging or where efforts need to be re-evaluated.
While the key measures noted below require more detail and clarification as well as consensus among policy makers as to "how to define success" they outline the expectations of this Homeless Response Plan if implemented in fu ll. It is anticipated that these key indicators will be added to or changed over time based on review of the Homeless Response Plan and development of the longer term strategic homeless plan. The measures would include, but are not limited to:
•Number of homeless residents assessed and action plans developed for each person and/orfamily.•Full implementation of a case ma nagement system, put into place to effectively collaboratewith city departments, service providers and community organizations to address theunique needs of homeless residents.•Increase in number of community and service partnerships to serve homeless residents.•Protocol developed and put in place and employees trained on how to im pact change inbehavior and circumstances of homeless residents.•Increased housing opportunities for short and long-term housing for homeless residents.
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City of Carlsbad Homeless Response Plan 1 9
City Departments Coordinated Work HNS will take the lead in implementing the Homeless Response Plan in coordination with the city's Homeless Response Team. This multi-department effort to address the needs of the homeless will be more efficient and effective because it builds on the strengths and current work effort of the Homeless Response Team members. In addition to executing the developed protocol for addressing the needs of the homeless at city facilities and within the community, following are the current and anticipated roles for the Homeless Response Team members:
Department Role on team Develop and maintain a community resource database for all to use in addressing the needs of the homeless; continue to provide insight to challenges and opportunities in meeting the needs of homeless library Library & Cultural Arts patrons to the homeless response coordinator. Evaluate facility and service offerings that can be incorporated into the ongoing plan to meet the needs of the homeless; continue to provide insight to challenges and opportunities in meeting the needs of homeless residents at the senior center, Pine Park and other city Parks & Recreation recreation facilities and parks. Continue to coordinate with the police department's Crime Suppression and Homeless Outreach Team on homeless encampment clean-up projects and other relate service needs; continue to provide insight to challenges and opportunities for addressing the impacts of homeless Public Works residents and their actions on public facilities. Provide life emergency services to homeless residents; acts as subject matter expert for emergency services best practices for homeless residents; continue to assist with interviewing homeless residents and helping the move forward to obtain assistance through the city's case Fire management program. Lead the Crime Suppression and Homeless Outreach Team {HOT}; Two dedicated officers will make consistent and frequent contact with the homeless and seek opportu nities to move homeless residents towards the city's case management program in coordination with HNS and other Homeless Response Team members. The Crime Suppression and HOT will take the lead on addressing impacts of homeless encampments and working with the general public and regional partners on addressing Police their concerns and complaints regarding the homeless. Provides legal guidance, advice and insight around homeless related issues; assists with new policies and ordinances to address and limit, where necessary, homeless impacts on the community; prosecute City Attorney criminal offenses as appropriate. Develop planning documents and take lead on coordination of homeless HNS response project.
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City of Carlsbad Homeless Response Plan 1 10
Strategies
Strategy #1: Prevent, reduce and manage homelessness in Carlsbad a.Continue to evaluate existing city services and programs that serve homeless residents.
b.---Develop a plan for city departments to coordinate cross-functional homeless responsibilities in a more efficient manner.Compile homeless and/or transient related data from departments (transient camps cleaned up, number of homeless-related emergency
C. calls) to set a benchmark to track success of plan efforts. Develop homeless encampment enforcement cleanup plan in coordination with the city's crime suppression and homeless outreachd.teams, other city departments and select service providers.
Strategy #2: Support and build capacity within the city and community to address _homelessness a.Hire a Homeless Response coordinator to help support the development and implementation of the city's homeless strategy.Contract with one or more local service provider(s) for a homeless case manager(s) to work with homeless residents and city staff to b. develop individualized action plans for homeless residents. Develop a plan for a mobile office to be used in coordination with the Homeless Outreach Team to provide case management and other
C. support services directly to the homeless within Carlsbad at their locations. Conduct a community analysis of existing homeless programs and services provided by the city, faith-based and communityd. organizations, and service providers to identify gaps and .opportunities. Implement efforts to address gaps in services. Implement the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) ServicePoint to collect information about homeless residentse. enabling the city to work collaboratively with service providers and other regional agencies. Develop a homeless strategic plan to define how the city and Carlsbad community will meet the needs of homeless residents and f. respond to the impact of homelessness on city resources in future years.
g. Develop a city protocol to assist staff to serve homeless residents at city facilities or in the community. Evaluate existing city ordinances: Noise, property maintenance, open container, camping, parking, land use/zoning (e.g. church-es -souph. kitchens) that impact the.community and city response to homeless-related issues Engage the Housing Commission to serve as an advisory group for homeless services, programs and/or issues; sounding
i. board/information gathering/information sharing for community.
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City of Carlsbad Homeless Response Plan 1 11
Strategy #3: Encourage collaboration within the city, community partnerships and residentsCoordinate with local services providers, (e.g. mental health, recovery, and housing) to support rapid rehousing and successful a. connection to needed services. -: Develop partnerships with service providers, faith-based and community organizations, residents and businesses to collaborate on b. homeless related issues and needs, extend the partnerships to the 5 cities which are part of the Innovate 78 Collaborative. Develop educational materials for residents and businesses on how to address or report homeless related concerns (e.g. hom eless
C. resident going through trash in a dumpster on private property-whose responsibility?) Develop working relationship with local DMV and Social Security Administrative offices to eliminate a barrier to housings or connection d. to support services, including jobs. Host a one-day resource fair that provides access to local services and programs, while allowing for a coordinated effort to have e. attendees assessed by a local service provider or case management team. Work with faith-based organizations to coordinate com munity outreach and service plan to reduce duplication of efforts and crime f. related issues (e.g. providing meals, clothes, bus passes)
g; -Work with service groups and faith-based organizations to provide home items for newly housed homeless.
Develop a plan with Tri-City Medical Center to address the cycling of Carlsbad homeless in and out of the center, which has a negative h.-_irnpact on homeless residents care and a drain on city emergency resources.
leverage existing Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) or community partnerships to connect homeless residents to appropriate i.'community services or programs
Strategy #4: Retain, protect and increase the supply of housing in CarlsbadWork with existing housing developments to consider voluntarily set-aside units for the homeless. Possibly provide incentive to pay a. person's rent for a period ohi me or pay the deposit.
b. lnclusionary housing policy: 10% set-aside units to serve the homeless residents and/or extremely low income for new developm ents. Evaluate alternate housing options to address high rent rates and limited housing inventory: Tiny homes, motel or apartment
C. conversion, shared housing and shelters for women and families. Request authorizationfrom City Council to pursue the purchase of existing housing units to rehouse homeless families, veterans and/or d. seniors as a priority, or to purchase beds in sober living facilities as may be appropriate and necessary.
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City of Carlsbad Homeless Response Plan 1 12
Action Items & Status
Strategy #1: Prevent, reduce and manage homelessness in Carlsbad " ·-Action Status Continue to evaluate existing city services and programs that serve homeless residents. Active Develop a plan for city departments to coord inate cross-functional homeless responsibilities in a more efficient manner. Active Compile homeless and/or transient related data from departments (transient camps cleaned up, number of homeless-related emergency calls) to set a benchmark to track success of plan efforts. Active Develop homeless encampment enforcement plan in coordination with the city's crime suppression and homeless outreach teams, other city departments and select service providers. Active
Strategy #2: Support and build capacity within the city and community to address homelessnessAction. Status Hire a Homeless Response coordinator to help support the development and implementation of the city's homeless strategy Pending Contract with one or more local service provider(s) for a homeless case manager(s) to work with homeless residents and city staff to develop individualized action plans for homeless residents. Pending Develop a plan for a mobile office to be used in coordination with the Homeless Outreach Team to provide case management and other support services directly to the homeless within Carlsbad. Pending Conduct a community analysis of existing homeless programs and services provided by the city, faith-based and community organizations, and service providers to identify gaps and opportunities. Implement efforts to address gaps. Active Implement the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) ServicePoint to collect information about homeless residents enabling the city to work colla boratively with service providers and other regional agencies. Pending Develop a homeless strategic plan to define how the city and Carlsbad community will meet the needs of homeless residents and respond to the impact of homelessness on city resources in future years. Active Develop a city protocol to assist staff to serve homeless residents at city facilities or in the community. Active Engage the Housing Commission to serve as an advisory group for homeless services, programs and/or issues. Pending Evaluate existing city ordinances: Noise, property maintenance, open container, camping, parki ng, land use/zoning (e.g. churches -soup kitchens) that impact the community and city response to homeless-related issues Pending
October 17, 2017 Item #5 Page 18 of 20
City of Carlsbad Homeless Response Plan 113
Strategy #3: Encourage collaboration within the city, community partnerships and residents Action Status Coordinate with services providers, (e.g. mental health, recovery, and housing} to support rapid rehousing and successful connection to needed services. Active Develop-p"artnerships with service providers, faith-based and community organizations, residents and businesses to collaborate on homeless related issues and needs. ActiveDeveldp-�ducational materials for residents and businesses on how to address or report homeless related concerns (e.g. homeless resident going through trash in a dumpster on private property-whose responsibility?} Pending Develop working relationship with local DMV and Social Security Administrative offices to eliminate a barrier to housings or connection to support services. Pending Host a one-day resource fair that provides access to local services and programs, while allowing for a coordinated effort to have attendees assessed by a local service provider or case management team. Pending Work with faith-based organizations to coordinate community outreach and service plan to reduce duplication of efforts and crime related issues (e.g. providing meals, clothes, bus passes} ActiveWork with service groups and faith-based organizations to provide home items for newly housed homeless. Pending Develop a plan with Tri-City Medical Center to address the cycling of Carlsbad homeless in and out of the center, which has a negative impact on homeless residents' care and a drain on city emergency resources. PendingLeverage existing Memorandums of Understanding {MOUs} or community partnerships to connect homeless residents to appropriate community services or programs Pending
Strategy #4: Retain, protect and increase the supply of housing in Carlsbad Action Status Wo(k_Wjtn existing housing developments to consider voluntarily set-aside units for the homeless. Possibly provideincentive to pay person's rent for a period of time or pay the deposit. Pendinglnclusionary housing policy: 10% set-aside units to serve the homeless residents for new developments Pending Evaluate alternate housing options to address high rent rates and limited housing inventory: Tiny homes, motel orapartment conversion, shared housing and shelters for women and families PendingRe�:it,Je?t_ authorization from City Council to pursue the purchase of existing housing units to rehouse homeless families, veterans and/or seniors as a priority. Pending
October 17, 2017 Item #5 Page 19 of 20
2017 WeALLCount: City Totals
. ··· --Sheltered Unsheltered
-
City -. .
San Diego City
Carlsbad . . --·
Chula Vista
Coronado . .
Del Mar
El Cajon
Encinitas
Escondicfo ..
Imperial Beach ·
La Mesa
Lemon Grove
National City
Oceanside
Poway
San Marcos
Santee
Solana BeaGh
Vista
TOTAL
ES
1,240
59
43
0
0
19
11
82
0
0
0
0
60
0
0
0
0
45
1,559
Updated on 4/18/2017
SH TH
30 1,118
0 0
0 62
0 0
0 0
0 46
0 22
12 175
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 18
0 110
0 0
0 59
0 0
0 0
0 278
42 1,888
Total In div V*
2}88 1,234 817
59 37 48
105 58 174
0 2 3
0 1 2
65 221 60
33 27 53
269 120 76
0 12 10
0 13 12
0 13 23
18 94 70
170 105 156
0 3 5
59 24 25
0 15 10
0 3 0
323 40 124
3,489
3,495
*For the 'Total' columns, vehicles and RBS/ tents were multiplied qy an occupanry fador between
1.66 and 1:75: ...:
I
H*
1180
16
30
0
0
42
4
58
0
0
0
112
100
0
3
24
0
42
Sheltered
% of Total Total Total Unincorporated Ind iv
3231 5,619 61.6% Alpine 10
101 160 1.8% Bonita 6 0
262 367 4.0% Bonsall 2
5 5 0.1% Casa de Oro 15
3 3 0.0% Cres t-Dehesa 0
323 388 4.3% Fall brook 15
84 117 1.3% Hidden Meadows 0
254 523 5.7% amul/Dulzura 0
22 22 0.2% Lakeside 34
25 25 0.3% NC Metro 2
36 36 0.4% Otay 0
276 294 3.2% Ramona 0
361 531 5.8% San Dieguito 0
8 8 0.1% Spring Valley 31
52 111 1.2% Sweetwater 4
49 49 0.5% TOTAL 6
3 3 0.0%
206 529 5.8% ES -E1l'lergmry Shelter
5,301 8,790 96.4% SH -Safe Haven
5,621 9,116 TH -Transitional Ho11si11g
Indiv -Indiuid11a/
V -Cars/Trncks/RV/Va11s
H -Ha11d-B11ilt Stmct11res / Tents
Unsheltered
V* H*
0 9
0 0
15 0
13 2
0 0
2 0
0 0
0 0
38 5
10 2
0 0
61 4
3 0
26 4
8 5
Total %
19 0.2%
0 0.1%
17 0.2%
30 0.3%
0 0.0%
17 0.2%
0 0.0%
0 0.0%
77 0.8%
14 0.2%
0 0.0%
65 0.7%
3 0.0%
61 0.7%
17 0.2%
320 3.6%
326
1-9)16 Total I
Exhibit 3
October 17, 2017 Item #5 Page 20 of 20