ARTICLE
Another Strategy, Will It Work? Shortly after the bi-annual 2019 Point-in-Time (PIT) count of homeless, the State of California provided the County of Santa Cruz nearly $11 million for one-time funding to address homelessness in Santa Cruz County. The funds were doled out to very good organizations that were all well intended to create a strategy for change. What happened to those funds and what measurables were achieved from those funding? No one seems to have an immediate answer. In January 2020, the Chamber wrote about Governor Newsom’s new approach: With public and political pressure mounting to get homeless people off the streets of California, a task force appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom recommended that local governments face tough new legal sanctions for failing to make progress. In a report released Monday, January 12, 2020, the Council of Regional Homeless Advisors called 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. The pandemic eliminated all executive action on that plan. You can read the article here: https://web.santacruzchamber.org/news/newsarticledisplay.aspx?ArticleID=1840 The language in the County Board of Supervisors agenda this past Tuesday, November 10 stated: “Conduct a study session on a draft three-year strategic framework to address homelessness, developed through the professional engagement with homelessness technical assistance provider Focus Strategies, and direct staff to undertake a community engagement process and return no later than the first Board meeting in February 2021 with a final draft for adoption, as outlined in the memorandum of the County Administrative Officer.” a) Housing for a Healthy Santa Cruz - A Strategic Framework for Addressing Homelessness b) Santa Cruz Predictive Modeling Summary Report c) Santa Cruz County Housing Market Gap Analysis d) California CoC 2019 PIT Counts e) County and Continuum of Care Funding Sources Scan June 2020 A motion and recommendation was approved unanimously by the Board to accept the strategic plan and begin community outreach with the intent to bring back to the Board a six-month strategy in late January 2021. You can review the full staff report here: Snapshot-44658.pdf Before we launch in another direction, let’s take a look at the past. In 2003, Santa Cruz County became one of the first communities in America to adopt a ten-year plan to end homelessness. The goal then was the same as it is now — to establish a single countywide blueprint for action to prevent, reduce, and eventually end homelessness in Santa Cruz County, and ameliorate the impact of homelessness on all people. In 2014, the Santa Cruz County Human Services Department, the Santa Cruz County Planning Department, the United Way of the County of Santa Cruz, Homeless Action Partnership (HAP), and Smart Solutions to Homelessness formed a process design team to steer a strategic planning process for creating the new plan. Smart Solutions is a diverse coalition working to broaden community understanding and involvement on the issue of homelessness, and the HAP is an inclusive countywide action team for designing and implementing a comprehensive Continuum of Care (CoC) homeless assistance system. The process design team started by establishing a Strategic Planning Committee (SPC), a knowledgeable, geographically balanced group of 30 representatives of diverse stakeholder interests. The purpose of the SPC was to guide and oversee the development of the plan. Next, population and ad hoc work groups were created, encompassing 100 people representative of the nonprofit, government, and private sectors. These groups developed initial recommendations (for SPC review) covering Adults, Families, the Pajaro Valley, Youth and Young Adults, Veterans, and Coordinated Entry. Finally, two Community Forums – one in Santa Cruz and one in Watsonville – brought together more than 160 persons to provide critical input from the public and persons with experience of homelessness. As guided and overseen by the SPC, the development of All In – Toward a Home for Every County Resident was inclusive of as many stakeholders as possible with differing perspectives, informed by data, attentive to federal performance measures and local priorities and aware of the current and foreseeable resources, risks, and external opportunities. Now, we are set to restart a strategy with a new county executive assigned specifically to lead this work. The Conclusion of the staff report states: Conclusion The proposed Housing for a Healthy Santa Cruz: A Strategic Framework for Addressing Homelessness in Santa Cruz County represents an effective, actionable, and achievable plan for system improvements and expansions that are anticipated to result in overall reductions to homelessness and in particular unsheltered homelessness. The Framework is the culmination of many months of analysis and system modeling by expert consultants Focus Strategies, along with substantial staff work and extensive stakeholder involvement in focus groups, implementation workgroups and more. Today’s study session marks the beginning of a period of public comment and stakeholder input that will culminate in a final draft of the Framework incorporating public comment and anticipated for adoption by the Board and City Councils, to be provided in February 2021. Next Steps for Stakeholder and Community Input on Framework The County will be presenting the draft Framework at all four city council meetings in the coming week, and convening several community meetings to provide information about the Framework, solicit feedback, and provide information about how stakeholders and community can learn more and provide additional input. There will be outreach and surveys taken among the County’s homeless residents in order to ensure that the voice of those with lived experience of homelessness is heard and centered in our system response. If you are concerned about the homeless problems in our county and our cities, I encourage you to attend one of the meetings listed below. Planned Engagements: November 10: Santa Cruz and Watsonville City Council meetings November 12: Capitola City Council Meeting November 17: CORE Coffee Chat November 18: Community Meeting - Homeless Action Partnership and Key Stakeholders November 18: Scotts Valley City Council Meeting November 19: Fourth District Town Hall
Another Strategy, Will It Work?
Shortly after the bi-annual 2019 Point-in-Time (PIT) count of homeless, the State of California provided the County of Santa Cruz nearly $11 million for one-time funding to address homelessness in Santa Cruz County. The funds were doled out to very good organizations that were all well intended to create a strategy for change. What happened to those funds and what measurables were achieved from those funding? No one seems to have an immediate answer.
In January 2020, the Chamber wrote about Governor Newsom’s new approach: With public and political pressure mounting to get homeless people off the streets of California, a task force appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom recommended that local governments face tough new legal sanctions for failing to make progress. In a report released Monday, January 12, 2020, the Council of Regional Homeless Advisors called 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. The pandemic eliminated all executive action on that plan. You can read the article here: https://web.santacruzchamber.org/news/newsarticledisplay.aspx?ArticleID=1840
The language in the County Board of Supervisors agenda this past Tuesday, November 10 stated: “Conduct a study session on a draft three-year strategic framework to address homelessness, developed through the professional engagement with homelessness technical assistance provider Focus Strategies, and direct staff to undertake a community engagement process and return no later than the first Board meeting in February 2021 with a final draft for adoption, as outlined in the memorandum of the County Administrative Officer.” a) Housing for a Healthy Santa Cruz - A Strategic Framework for Addressing Homelessness b) Santa Cruz Predictive Modeling Summary Report c) Santa Cruz County Housing Market Gap Analysis d) California CoC 2019 PIT Counts e) County and Continuum of Care Funding Sources Scan June 2020 A motion and recommendation was approved unanimously by the Board to accept the strategic plan and begin community outreach with the intent to bring back to the Board a six-month strategy in late January 2021. You can review the full staff report here: Snapshot-44658.pdf
Before we launch in another direction, let’s take a look at the past. In 2003, Santa Cruz County became one of the first communities in America to adopt a ten-year plan to end homelessness. The goal then was the same as it is now — to establish a single countywide blueprint for action to prevent, reduce, and eventually end homelessness in Santa Cruz County, and ameliorate the impact of homelessness on all people.
In 2014, the Santa Cruz County Human Services Department, the Santa Cruz County Planning Department, the United Way of the County of Santa Cruz, Homeless Action Partnership (HAP), and Smart Solutions to Homelessness formed a process design team to steer a strategic planning process for creating the new plan. Smart Solutions is a diverse coalition working to broaden community understanding and involvement on the issue of homelessness, and the HAP is an inclusive countywide action team for designing and implementing a comprehensive Continuum of Care (CoC) homeless assistance system.
The process design team started by establishing a Strategic Planning Committee (SPC), a knowledgeable, geographically balanced group of 30 representatives of diverse stakeholder interests. The purpose of the SPC was to guide and oversee the development of the plan. Next, population and ad hoc work groups were created, encompassing 100 people representative of the nonprofit, government, and private sectors. These groups developed initial recommendations (for SPC review) covering Adults, Families, the Pajaro Valley, Youth and Young Adults, Veterans, and Coordinated Entry. Finally, two Community Forums – one in Santa Cruz and one in Watsonville – brought together more than 160 persons to provide critical input from the public and persons with experience of homelessness.
As guided and overseen by the SPC, the development of All In – Toward a Home for Every County Resident was inclusive of as many stakeholders as possible with differing perspectives, informed by data, attentive to federal performance measures and local priorities and aware of the current and foreseeable resources, risks, and external opportunities.
Now, we are set to restart a strategy with a new county executive assigned specifically to lead this work. The Conclusion of the staff report states:
Conclusion
The proposed Housing for a Healthy Santa Cruz: A Strategic Framework for Addressing Homelessness in Santa Cruz County represents an effective, actionable, and achievable plan for system improvements and expansions that are anticipated to result in overall reductions to homelessness and in particular unsheltered homelessness. The Framework is the culmination of many months of analysis and system modeling by expert consultants Focus Strategies, along with substantial staff work and extensive stakeholder involvement in focus groups, implementation workgroups and more. Today’s study session marks the beginning of a period of public comment and stakeholder input that will culminate in a final draft of the Framework incorporating public comment and anticipated for adoption by the Board and City Councils, to be provided in February 2021.
Next Steps for Stakeholder and Community Input on Framework The County will be presenting the draft Framework at all four city council meetings in the coming week, and convening several community meetings to provide information about the Framework, solicit feedback, and provide information about how stakeholders and community can learn more and provide additional input. There will be outreach and surveys taken among the County’s homeless residents in order to ensure that the voice of those with lived experience of homelessness is heard and centered in our system response. If you are concerned about the homeless problems in our county and our cities, I encourage you to attend one of the meetings listed below. Planned Engagements: November 10: Santa Cruz and Watsonville City Council meetings November 12: Capitola City Council Meeting November 17: CORE Coffee Chat November 18: Community Meeting - Homeless Action Partnership and Key Stakeholders November 18: Scotts Valley City Council Meeting November 19: Fourth District Town Hall