ARTICLE
With public and political pressure mounting to get homeless people off the streets of California, a task force appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom is recommending that local governments face tough new legal sanctions for failing to make progress. In a report released Monday, the Council of Regional Homeless Advisors is calling for an amendment to the California Constitution that would create a legally enforceable mandate to reduce the homeless population. The Legislature would have to craft the plan, which would then appear as a statewide ballot measure in November 2020. If approved by voters, the mandate would allow the state to sue cities and counties — or even itself — if the number of people living outdoors in encampments and vehicles doesn’t decline. This is a bold statement coming from the newly created task force (Advisors) last July to begin a strategy when Governor Newsom assembled state and local leaders to find solutions to the challenges of the social, economic and public safety problem. Their task is to identify the best ways to find a way to stop the flow of thousands of people becoming homeless in California each year. The full list of advisors includes seven elected officials and six institutional representatives: --Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Co-Chair --Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Co-Chair --Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf --Fresno City Councilmember Esmeralda Soria --San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher --Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez --Arcata City Councilmember Sofia Pereira --County Welfare Directors Association of California Executive Director Frank Mecca --Corporation for Supportive Housing Associate Director Sharon Rapport --Western Center on Law and Poverty Policy Advocate Anya Lawler --County Behavioral Health Directors Association Executive Director Michelle Cabrera --Former U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Director Philip Mangano Former Department of Social Services Director Will Lightbourne. The 13-member task force, led by Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, argues that the state needs to carry a big stick to convince local governments that they will face consequences if they don’t get people off the streets — including the possible loss of local control. “We’ve tried moral persuasion. We’ve tried economic incentives,” Steinberg said. “But all of it’s optional. Why should this be optional? It shouldn’t be. It mustn’t be. Thousands of people are dying on the streets, and people are telling us this is a priority.” The far-reaching proposal is certain to stir controversy — both at the Capitol in Sacramento and with local governments across the state. As we know, last year the county received state funds to address homeless issues in our region. These CACH funds were directed to various homeless service organizations in our region. But money and responsibility for homelessness programs are split between elected officials in cities and counties and the administrators of “continuums of care” — the local and regional agencies created to handle funding and organize the distribution of services for homeless people — HAP in Santa Cruz County. A recent report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that homelessness increased in California by more than 16% from 2018 to 2019, leaving more than 151,000 Californians without permanent housing. Nearly 71% — about 108,000 people — are living outdoors in encampments or in vehicles, the highest percentage of any state in the nation. In Santa Cruz County, our point in time count noted that our homeless count was down from 2017 with 82 less homeless individuals counted in 2019. That homeless point-in-time count conducted in January 2019 estimated 2,167 people living in homeless in Santa Cruz County, down less than 4% since a similar count in 2017. You can see the Point in Time Executive Summary here: 2019 Executive Summary Yet, can the city and county continue to find consensus solutions to address the homeless population movement around our cities and the county? Additional state dollars are set aside in the recently released California budget so while a point in time count states we are improving — the tangible impact day to day in Santa Cruz County — and specifically in Santa Cruz — is right before our eyes. Finally, after over a year of back and forth conversations between the state, the county and the city and coincidentally just as Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order was announced to inventory excess state property available for emergency use, the City of Santa Cruz announced plans to repurpose the California National Guard Armory as a winter homeless shelter. The armory should reopen for temporary use by 80 or more people shuttled to and from the site starting this week through mid-March, according to an announcement last Wednesday by City Manager Martín Bernal. The shelter site will replace the existing Salvation Army-managed outdoor homeless temp encampment at 1220 River St., a program housing as many as 60 people that was set to be shuttered in March to make room for a city pipeline project. Shelter capacity will increase by at least 20 spaces with the armory’s availability. Separate city efforts to relocate a shelter shuttle site, to hire a new homeless response manager and to create a new recreational vehicle sewage dumping site are ongoing, according to Bernal. Also, the city police department’s Center Street parking lot has joined the Association of Faith Communities’ overnight SafeSpaces parking program. Are we making progress at a fast enough rate to fully address the homelessness in our county? According to a Santa Cruz Sentinel article, city spokesman Ralph Dimarucut wrote in an email, “The City of Santa Cruz is not the only city dealing with this issue in California and we are happy to learn of the governor’s commitment to making this a statewide priority,” “We are looking forward to working in collaboration with the state, county, and our local organizations to help Santa Cruz’s unhoused population the support they need.” Assistant County Administrative Officer Elissa Benson also said the county is “always eager to evaluate new options for shelter services” and appreciates the governor’s leadership on this issue. Stay tuned as this issue continues to evolve.
With public and political pressure mounting to get homeless people off the streets of California, a task force appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom is recommending that local governments face tough new legal sanctions for failing to make progress.
In a report released Monday, the Council of Regional Homeless Advisors is calling for an amendment to the California Constitution that would create a legally enforceable mandate to reduce the homeless population. The Legislature would have to craft the plan, which would then appear as a statewide ballot measure in November 2020.
If approved by voters, the mandate would allow the state to sue cities and counties — or even itself — if the number of people living outdoors in encampments and vehicles doesn’t decline.
This is a bold statement coming from the newly created task force (Advisors) last July to begin a strategy when Governor Newsom assembled state and local leaders to find solutions to the challenges of the social, economic and public safety problem. Their task is to identify the best ways to find a way to stop the flow of thousands of people becoming homeless in California each year.
The full list of advisors includes seven elected officials and six institutional representatives:
--Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Co-Chair
--Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Co-Chair
--Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf
--Fresno City Councilmember Esmeralda Soria
--San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher
--Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez
--Arcata City Councilmember Sofia Pereira
--County Welfare Directors Association of California Executive Director Frank Mecca
--Corporation for Supportive Housing Associate Director Sharon Rapport
--Western Center on Law and Poverty Policy Advocate Anya Lawler
--County Behavioral Health Directors Association Executive Director Michelle Cabrera
--Former U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Director Philip Mangano
Former Department of Social Services Director Will Lightbourne. The 13-member task force, led by Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, argues that the state needs to carry a big stick to convince local governments that they will face consequences if they don’t get people off the streets — including the possible loss of local control.
“We’ve tried moral persuasion. We’ve tried economic incentives,” Steinberg said. “But all of it’s optional. Why should this be optional? It shouldn’t be. It mustn’t be. Thousands of people are dying on the streets, and people are telling us this is a priority.” The far-reaching proposal is certain to stir controversy — both at the Capitol in Sacramento and with local governments across the state.
As we know, last year the county received state funds to address homeless issues in our region. These CACH funds were directed to various homeless service organizations in our region. But money and responsibility for homelessness programs are split between elected officials in cities and counties and the administrators of “continuums of care” — the local and regional agencies created to handle funding and organize the distribution of services for homeless people — HAP in Santa Cruz County.
A recent report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that homelessness increased in California by more than 16% from 2018 to 2019, leaving more than 151,000 Californians without permanent housing. Nearly 71% — about 108,000 people — are living outdoors in encampments or in vehicles, the highest percentage of any state in the nation. In Santa Cruz County, our point in time count noted that our homeless count was down from 2017 with 82 less homeless individuals counted in 2019. That homeless point-in-time count conducted in January 2019 estimated 2,167 people living in homeless in Santa Cruz County, down less than 4% since a similar count in 2017.
You can see the Point in Time Executive Summary here: 2019 Executive Summary
Yet, can the city and county continue to find consensus solutions to address the homeless population movement around our cities and the county? Additional state dollars are set aside in the recently released California budget so while a point in time count states we are improving — the tangible impact day to day in Santa Cruz County — and specifically in Santa Cruz — is right before our eyes.
Finally, after over a year of back and forth conversations between the state, the county and the city and coincidentally just as Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order was announced to inventory excess state property available for emergency use, the City of Santa Cruz announced plans to repurpose the California National Guard Armory as a winter homeless shelter.
The armory should reopen for temporary use by 80 or more people shuttled to and from the site starting this week through mid-March, according to an announcement last Wednesday by City Manager Martín Bernal. The shelter site will replace the existing Salvation Army-managed outdoor homeless temp encampment at 1220 River St., a program housing as many as 60 people that was set to be shuttered in March to make room for a city pipeline project. Shelter capacity will increase by at least 20 spaces with the armory’s availability. Separate city efforts to relocate a shelter shuttle site, to hire a new homeless response manager and to create a new recreational vehicle sewage dumping site are ongoing, according to Bernal. Also, the city police department’s Center Street parking lot has joined the Association of Faith Communities’ overnight SafeSpaces parking program.
Are we making progress at a fast enough rate to fully address the homelessness in our county? According to a Santa Cruz Sentinel article, city spokesman Ralph Dimarucut wrote in an email, “The City of Santa Cruz is not the only city dealing with this issue in California and we are happy to learn of the governor’s commitment to making this a statewide priority,” “We are looking forward to working in collaboration with the state, county, and our local organizations to help Santa Cruz’s unhoused population the support they need.”
Assistant County Administrative Officer Elissa Benson also said the county is “always eager to evaluate new options for shelter services” and appreciates the governor’s leadership on this issue.
Stay tuned as this issue continues to evolve.