Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout08 - OB-1 - Update on Efforts to Address Homeless - 10/1/20191 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT MEETING DATE: OCTOBER 1, 2019 ITEM NUMBER: OB-1 SUBJECT: UPDATE ON EFFORTS TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS DATE: SEPTEMBER 23, 2019 FROM: CITY MANAGERS OFFICE / PARKS & COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT PRESENTATION BY: JUSTIN MARTIN, ACTING ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: JUSTIN MARTIN, ACTING ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, 714-754-5122 RECOMMENDATION: Staff requests that the City Council receive and file this update on issues related to homelessness efforts in Costa Mesa, the temporary Bridge Shelter and the Permanent shelter site on Airway Avenue. BACKGROUND: In early 2019, the City Council unanimously approved a multi-pronged plan to work towards addressing homelessness in Costa Mesa. This deliberate call to action included: an extensive public engagement, outreach and education campaign; the establishment of a temporary bridge homeless shelter located at 1885 Anaheim Avenue; the approval of a lease agreement with the Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene; the hiring of professional shelter operator, Mercy House; the purchase of the property located at 3175 Airway Avenue to become a permanent homeless shelter; the creation and implementation of a comprehensive shelter management, operations and security plan; updates to several existing City ordinances related to homelessness and emergency shelters; the hiring of Robert Borders and Associates to design the permanent shelter facility; and approval of budgetary authority and allocation to make all of these items possible. On April 5, 2019, the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter began operations. This report is intended to provide the City Council with an update now that operations are approaching the 6-month mark and to update the City Council and the community on upcoming actions. ANALYSIS: Bridge Shelter Operations Model Update Since its opening on April 5, 2019, the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter has been providing shelter and services for to up-to 50 individuals daily. More than 130 individuals, including 11 veterans, have received services from the Bridge Shelter to date. The Bridge Shelter’s “housing first” philosophy continues to focus on the priority for each client to work to establish a housing plan that is aimed towards securing permanent housing to end their homelessness. To carry out the “housing first” philosophy, the City’s adopted hybrid model has expert shelter operator Mercy House working alongside client case manager staff that work for the City. 2 A key part of the successful hybrid model is the expectation that each client at the Bridge Shelter is required to meet with their assigned case manager no less than once per week. If a client is not following through on the steps of his/her housing plan, then the client runs the risk of being exited from the shelter. Many clients are meeting with their case managers 2-5 times per week. Bridge Shelter Clients and Lengths of Stay There is no typical client at the Bridge Shelter. Clients have ranged from college students to senior citizens, and are from all walks of life including those that have lost everything, suffer from addiction, have a mental health diagnosis and/or need temporary shelter to get back on their feet after falling upon hard times. The only things that each client has in common are that they are experiencing homelessness, do not have an open felony warrant, they are not a registered sex offender and they have not been convicted of arson. The length of stay per client varies depending on the specific housing plan and the client’s ability to acclimate into the Bridge Shelter program. In the first 60 days of Bridge Shelter operations, there was a higher percentage of client exits and turnover. This was in line with other shelters as they begin new operations, as housing individuals that have not had a stable environment with consistent rules and policies proved difficult for some shelter guests. As operations have continued, staff have implemented a 30/60/90 day return policy so that exited clients can work towards becoming a Bridge Shelter client again. With these changes, the exit rate has decreased significantly. Permanent Housing Placements Through the implementation of robust and focused case management at the Bridge Shelter, nearly 1,500 linkages to healthcare, County resources, social services, job connections, legal services, mental health resources, transportation and other related services have been provided to more than 130 individuals through the onsite client case managers. The hybrid model has undoubtedly been the catalyst to placing 19 shelter clients into permanent housing since operations began at the 50-bed facility in April. As of the drafting of this report, there are six additional clients in the immediate housing que. These housing opportunities have included roommate situations, long-term care facilities, and apartments, etc. These opportunities have been located in and around Costa Mesa. Several clients of the shelter have been housed through diversion to loved ones and/or friends in areas outside of Orange County and in some instances out of the state. Partnerships and the Power of Collective Volunteer Impact The City and Mercy House are operating a robust volunteer engagement program at the Bridge Shelter. Between April 5 and July 31, there was a total of 1,128 volunteer hours from organizations that include Mercy House and Fresh Beginnings Ministries. More than 2,000 volunteer meals have been served by varying organizations that are located throughout the City and the County. Additionally, dozens more individuals have attended monthly volunteer meetings and training sessions to listen and learn about volunteering as well as to hear from specialists in the field who can help them mentor and refer those experiencing homelessness to the correct resources. These individuals often serve as an additional set of eyes and ears for the Bridge Shelter and often act as an advocate voice to the public. 3 In addition, the Bridge Shelter has formed a new partnership with the Orange County Food Bank, which is a source of fresh food and non-perishable items at no cost to the Bridge Shelter. This new partnership should further increase membership in the volunteer-driven meal preparation team since the food is now available at no cost. Ensuring Active Coordinated Entry Participation The City is a participant in the Orange County Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry process. Coordinated Entry (CE) is defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Urban Development (HUD) as a process by which Continuums of Care develop a centralized assessment system that identifies and assesses the needs of those experiencing homelessness and makes prioritization decisions based on these needs. Bridge Shelter guests and street outreach clients must be assessed via a HUD-approved assessment tool to be considered for housing assistance. CE prioritizes housing assistance (both permanent supportive housing (PSH) and rapid rehousing (RRH)) for those experiencing homelessness who reside in a shelter. Currently, there are seven Bridge Shelter clients that are matched for either permanent supportive housing or rapid rehousing. Bridge Shelter case managers are currently reviewing the match requirements to ensure that shelter clients who have been matched meet the requirements of the housing provider. To date, three of the 19 shelter clients who have been housed have been placed in housing through the CE system. Reintroducing Enforcement of Laws on both Public and Private Property With the opening of the Bridge Shelter, the Costa Mesa Police Department was permitted to reintroduce enforcement of the City’s anti-camping ordinances on public property and to issue citations if there are beds available in the Bridge Shelter and a homeless individual declines services and continues to break a law. Citations for camping and excessive storage have been issued in many instances for service resistant individuals, which in some instances have resulted in larger charges such as issuing warrants, arrests and longer-term jail time from more serious offenses. City Code Enforcement is also now able to enforce violation notices to private property owners and tenants who are allowing individuals to camp on their private property and/or store their belongings. To better educate the community on public and private property enforcement, the City has created and distributed several new marketing and collateral pieces. These informational guides serve as a resource to the residential and business communities on how to act and who to contact if they are experiencing the impacts of homelessness on public or private property. Permanent Shelter Update The City closed escrow on the property located at 3175 Airway Avenue in April. In July, the City Council approved an agreement with the Costa Mesa based architectural and design firm Robert Borders and Associates to complete the design of the permanent shelter facility. Since approval, staff has worked with the firm to work on facility design. The design is currently at 60% completion. The facility design includes a client entry and intake area, warming kitchen facility, multi-purpose room and cafeteria, laundry, showers, restrooms, sleeping quarters, case management rooms, a medical room, storage areas, a flex sleeping space, staff offices and work areas, a small conference room, outdoor storage, outdoor leisure and animal areas, and onsite parking. It is anticipated that the design will be utilized to put the project out to public bid in the next 30-45 days. Once complete, staff will return to the City Council to present a recommendation for construction services. It is proposed that the permanent shelter facility will begin operation in mid-2020. 4 Regional Approach to Sheltering and Housing Homeless Individuals Because homeless individuals often cross city borders and utilize services in varying areas, the burden (and the opportunity to serve the homeless population) can be spread more equitably with a partnership or regional approach. Presently, our neighboring cities are taking varying approaches to provide shelter. The City of Santa Ana is providing shelter beds for their homeless population at “The Link”, a 200-bed temporary shelter serving men, women and families. The City of Huntington Beach is considering two new facilities as a potential shelter option in their community. An initial property that was purchased has been stalled due to legal complications. The City of Newport Beach is analyzing and considering several options for shelter including placing a temporary shelter at their Corporate Yard, adjacent to the Costa Mesa. The City of Tustin is currently operating a temporary 57-bed facility. As we move forward with the design and development of the permanent shelter, the City should consider whether it may benefit from establishing partnerships with other agencies in the Central Service Planning Area (SPA). This may provide unique opportunities for additional funding, reduced costs due to economies of scale, and more unified regional approaches to address homelessness thereby accelerating the City’s efforts to end homelessness in Costa Mesa. FISCAL IMPACT: The City has invested a significant amount of funding to carry out the action plan above. These costs include an annual operating expense of approximately $2.9 million as well as the costs to acquire the permanent shelter property located at 3175 Airway Avenue for $6.95 million plus closing costs. The City Council also approved an additional $2.5 million in the Adopted Fiscal Year 2019-20 Budget to design and renovate the permanent shelter site location. At current, the design for the shelter is currently under way. Staff has continued to research and seek available grant funding to offset costs associated with the shelter. A request through the County of Orange for $500,000 in grant funding from the California Emergency Solutions and Housing (CESH) grant was applied for in the Spring; however, it was not recommended to be awarded, nor was any public agency request, or any Central SPA request for that matter. Staff will bring additional opportunities to the City Council for consideration as they arise. CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND PRIORITIES: Providing shelter to individuals experiencing homelessness has been a priority for the City Council. As such, the City Council adopted the following goals and objectives in 2019: GOAL 1: Keep Our Community Safe: d) Develop and implement a strong homeless shelter and homeless prevention plan; GOAL 4: Address Housing Shortages and Homelessness: a) Providing for an appropriate bridge shelter and developing a permanent location for a shelter/navigation center; b) Ensuring that those Costa Mesa residents who are chronically homeless and who need specialty care get it. 5 LEGAL REVIEW: The City Attorney’s office has reviewed this report and approved it as to form. CONCLUSION: The many positive results in areas related to homelessness are the outcome of the Costa Mesa City Council’s unanimous call to action to implement a plan to address homelessness in the City. As a City and as a community, Costa Mesa continues to do more than its fair share to work towards ending homelessness. _______________________________ ______________________________ JUSTIN MARTIN, CPRP KIMBERLY HALL BARLOW Acting Assistant City Manager City Attorney _______________________________ KELLY A. TELFORD, CPA Finance Director