HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-10-07; Citywide Homeless Update: October 2021 (Districts - All); Barberio, GaryTo the members of the:
CITY COUNCIL
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Oct. 14, 2021
To:
From:
Via:
Re:
Council Memorandum
Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council
Gary Barberio, Deputy City Manager, Community Services
Mandy Mills, Director of Housing and Homeless Services
Holly Nelson, Senior Homeless Progra ~nager
Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager ~-
Citywide Homeless Update: October 2021 (Districts -All)
Homeless Outreach Team and Homeless Services Update
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Carlsbad
Memo ID #2021192
• The Homeless Response Team and the Housing and Homeless Services Department
updated the city's resource guide to help individuals experiencing homelessness with
information on housing, health services and basic needs.
• The City Council approved changes to the city's ordinances on Sept. 28, 2021, that will
address public safety and quality-of-life concerns related to homelessness and public
spaces. The changes would go into effect 30 days after the Oct. 12, 2021, second read
of the ordinance. The city's Homeless Response Team will conduct public outreach to
individuals in the homeless community to inform them of the new laws and try to bridge
them to available resources.
• The Homeless Outreach Team is experiencing a temporary staff shortage. Interfaith is in
the process of hiring a second Homeless Outreach Clinician in the field. The Program
Manager is currently filling the role of the second outreach clinician.
• The City Council approved a contract with the San Diego Humane Society for temporary
boarding of pets to reduce barriers for persons experiencing homelessness trying to
access shelter and/or services.
Emergency Shelter and Hotel Voucher Program
• The Police and Housing and Homeless Services Departments are in the process of
designing the new one night Hotel Voucher Pilot Program approved by City Council on
Sept. 28, 2021. Those who do participate will be connected to services the following
morning through the Homeless Outreach Team. For those who do not want to
participate in the emergency Hotel Voucher Pilot Program, the city will be able to
enforce the no camping laws. The city will try out 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.
• City staff is working with Catholic Charities on potentially increasing the capacity of La
Posada within the existing structure. Catholic Charities is also studying feasibility of
expanding the structure.
Community Services Branch
Housing & Homeless Services Department
1200 Carlsbad Village Drive I Carlsbad, CA 92008 I 760-434-2810 t
Council Memo -Citywide Homeless Update: October 2021 (Districts -All)
Oct. 14, 2021
Page 2
Community
• The 2022 Point-in-Time Count (PITC) has been scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022.
The PITC is conducted one night per year to collect data on homelessness in our region.
The Homeless Services Division will use the Harding Community Center as a deployment
site for the City of Carlsbad and will outreach to enlist volunteers to help the night of the
count. Volunteering during the PITC is a great educational opportunity for community
members.
• Holly Nelson, Senior Homeless Program Manager, and Lt. Kevin Lehan, Special
Investigations/Homeless Outreach Team, hosted virtual office hours on Sept. 29, 2021,
and had six residents in attendance. The Communications & Engagement Department
limited the registration to 15 people, however, many of the same residents participated
from the previous office hour sessions. The community expressed their gratitude to staff
for talking openly about these important issues.
• Staff will be hosting virtual office hours on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, at 5:15 p.m.
• Starting in November, and moving forward, staff will be holding virtual office hours
every second Tuesday at 12 p.m. and the fourth Thursday at 5:15 p.m.
Regional
• Holly Nelson facilitated a kick off meeting with the new County of San Diego North
County Social Worker Pilot Program, new County Behavioral Health contractor, and
Housing Navigator.
• Caltrans has a new representative who is managing all of the homeless encampments
on Caltrans proprerty in San Diego County. Caltrans has released a new prioritization
system for their cleanups. The most urgent priorities are fire hazards and the least
urgent are abandoned encampments. Caltrans is managing an active list of all
encampments and this information is updated weekly. A few North County cities have
expressed frustration with the delay in Caltrans responsiveness to health and safety
issues at encampments in their city, as Caltrans is focusing their efforts on downtown
San Diego.
• Funders Together to End Homelessness in San Diego completed a survey among San
Diego County residents and will release findings on their research on effective
messaging strategies for housing as a solution to homelessness.
• The Regional Task Force on Homelessness convened their Intergovernmental
Roundtable Meeting on Sept. 30, 2021, with local Mayors and/or their designees from
the majority of the cities throughout the region. It was a well attended meeting with
robust conversations frqm city leaders sharing the successes and challenges in
addressing homelessness. Mayor Hall was present on behalf of the City of Carlsbad.
cc: Scott Chadwick, City Manager
Celia Brewer, City Attorney
Mickey Williams, Chief of Police
Paz Gomez, Deputy City Manager, Public Works
Laura Rocha, Deputy City Manager, Administrative Services