HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-04-08; COVID-19- Homeless Update 04-06-2021; Gallucci, NeilTo the members of the:
CITY COUNCIL
Date 4\~ l.;i.t CA ✓ CC ✓
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April 8, 2021
To:
From:
Via:
Re:
Homeless Outreach Team
Council Memorandum
{cityof
Carlsbad
Memo ID #2021077
• The Homeless Outreach Team continues to distribute hygiene kits, brochures, trash
bags, and masks to our unsheltered residents. The team is following the CDC, State, and
County guidance on suspending encampment clean-ups for the homeless community
during the pandemic. This is to help reduce the spread and transmission of COVID-19.
• The Homeless Outreach Team has been reassigned a County Public Health Nurse who
has been providing COVID-19 vaccines to our unsheltered residents. These teams are
known as "foot pods" as they are vaccinating the unsheltered residents living on the
street and encampments throughout the region. The team has been working with a
nurse on Wednesdays since mid-March and they have vaccinated 20 people. The nurses
are using the Jansen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine with this population, because of its
one-shot effectiveness and their ability to travel in the field without requiring the cold
refrigeration temperatures.
Emergency Shelter
• Senior Program Manager Holly Nelson has been working very closely with the Carlsbad
Fire Department and County of San Diego on the vaccine rollout for the
sheltered/unsheltered homeless populations in Carlsbad.
• Interfaith Shelter Network, a hotel/motel voucher program in Carlsbad, vaccinated 19
people on March 24, 2021.
• The Carlsbad Fire Department vaccinated 45 people (both residents and staff) at La
Posada Emergency Shelter on March 30, 2021. The residents and Catholic Charities staff
were very grateful for the city's support and advocacy for bringing this resource onsite.
Police Department
2560 Orion Way I Carlsbad, CA 92010 I 760-931-2170 t
Council Memo -COVID-19 Homeless Update: 4/6/21
April 8, 2021
Page 2
Community/County Updates
• The Homeless Outreach Team and Ms. Nelson hosted their first virtual office hours with
the community. They had two sessions with 10 residents where they discussed the
topics of homeless data, demographics, encampments, volunteer opportunities, and
general questions. These meetings are open to the public and allow individuals to share
their ideas and concerns directly with members of the team. The city will be hosting two
events each month during the day and evening hours. The next two office hours are
scheduled on April 7 and April 22. If residents are interested in joining the conversation,
they can go to the city's Homeless Respo_nse Plan webpage to sign up.
• The San Diego Food Bank released statistics on March 15, 2021, charting the impact of
the pandemic and the increase in its food distribution programs to cities throughout San
Diego County over the past year. The City of Carlsbad went from distributing 468,350
lbs. of food from March 2019 to March 2020, to 1,223,306 lbs. of food from March 2020
to March 2021, an increase of 161%.
• On Tuesday, April 6, 2021, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors took action on
three agenda items concerning efforts to prevent and reduce homelessness:
o Adopted an ordinance exercising the County's police power to prohibit
residential evictions without just cause and to enact a moratorium on certain
residential rent increases. The ordinance extends protections that are stronger
than those provided under current state law to renters in all jurisdictions within
the County.
o Created a County Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities
to improve regional coordination throughout the County on homeless-related
services. This new department will serve as a central point of contact for existing
and future County homeless activities and programs and collaborate with
outside partners. This item also adopted a set of guiding principles rooted in best
practices to be applied to current and future County actions related to
homelessness. Staff will return to the Board of Supervisors within 90 days with a
comprehensive plan.
o Approved a North County pilot program to fund ten licensed social workers to
work in partnership with eight cities to provide housing-focused outreach to
reduce the unsheltered homeless population in the region. County staff will
return to the Board of Supervisors within 90 days with a comprehensive plan.
CC: Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager
Celia Brewer, City Attorney
Holly Nelson, Homeless Program Manager