HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-09-16; Citywide Homeless Update: September 2021 (Districts - All); Barberio, GaryTo the members of the:
CITY COUNCIL
Date V,1,/&1 CA :L CC L
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Sept. 16, 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 Program Manager
Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager (ff) ·
Citywide Homeless Update: September 2021 (Districts -All)
Homeless Outreach Team and Homeless Services Update
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Carlsbad
Memo ID #2021174
• The Homeless Outreach Team (team) continues to distribute hygiene kits, brochures,
and trash bags to unsheltered residents. A County Public Health Nurse administers
COVID-19 vaccinations in the field every Wednesday with the team.
• The team is resuming encampment cleanups and is carefully evaluating each one on a
case-by-case basis.
• The team and Senior Homeless Program Manager continue to monitor all ofthe
downtown parks on a daily basis. The team is working with Parks and Recreation
Department staff to address the community's concerns related to the cleanliness of the
bathrooms, lighting, and safety in the parks.
• City staff met with North County Transit District (NCTD) to discuss the need for
increased coordination of cleaning efforts on NCTD-owned properties. NCTD staff have
agreed to conduct regular cleaning and will help with any additional efforts needed ill
the area. Communication with NCTD will be ongoing.
• The Police Department and the City Attorney's Office brought several new Quality of
Life Ordinances related to homelessness to the City Council meeting on
Sept. 14, 2021.
• Ten homeless individuals were pulled from the Section 8 waiting list to receive a
permanent housing voucher. All of the individuals have a long history of homelessness
in Carlsbad, are age 50+, and have a disabling condition. To date, three individuals have
moved into permanent housing. The city's Housing Navigator is working hard to find
. available units in the community and use funding from the city's District 76 contract for
security deposits to help place all 10 individuals.
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: September 2021 (Districts -All)
Sept. 16, 2021
Page 2
Emergency Shelter and Hotel Voucher Program
• Staff will be returning to the City Council in late September to provide an update on
progress and alternatives for future action.
Community
• Staff from the Police Department, Housing and Homeless Services, and Innovation and
Economic Development Departments participated in a panel discussion on
homelessness with 56 business owners and residents from the Carlsbad Village
Association on Sept. 2, 2021.
• Staff presented to the Chamber of Commerce's Government Affairs Committee on the
city's plan on addressing homelessness on Sept. 1, 2021.
• Chief Williams participated in a community meeting with the Carlsbad Village
Association on Aug. 24, 2021, to discuss the impacts of homelessness on businesses.
• Staff created a new business guide on homelessness. The business guide is now
available on the city's homeless website under the "get help" link.
• Twenty-one community members participated in the city's August virtual office hours.
The community remains interested in engaging with the team.
• The Regional Task Force on Homelessness is in the process of drafting a Regional
Community Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness in San Diego. The Regional
Task Force is reviewing every city's individual Homeless Response Plan and trying to
create a large regional plah. This regional plan is currently open for feedback and
community review until Sept. 30, 2021. Individuals can go to the Regional Task Force's
website at www.rtfhsd.org.
County
• The Senior Homeless Program Manager met with the San Diego County's new
Behavioral Health Services contractor, PATH, and they reported the City of Carlsbad will
receive one additional full-time outreach worker. With that addition, the City of
Carlsbad will have two, full-time homeless outreach workers through the County of San
Diego's North County Social Worker Pilot Program (program) and Behavioral Health
Services, who will be working out in the field throughout the City of Carlsbad. These are
in addition to the city's two contracted social workers. The program is in the process of
hiring staff throughout the County of San Diego with a projected start date of fall 2021.
cc: Scott Chadwick, City Manager
Celia Brewer, City Attorney
Mickey Williams, Chief of P~lice
Paz Gomez, Deputy City Manager, Public Works
Laura Rocha, Deputy City Manager, Administrative Services