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TO:
TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS �,'�” �� _ CONTRA
a
COSTA
FROM: FAMILY&HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE COUNTY
MATE: December 8, 1998 caU
SUBJECT: Homeless Issues
SPECIFIC REQUESTS) OR I'tECOMMENDATiONf S)& BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATION(S):
1. ACKNOWLEDGE that homelessness is not just a winter emergency shelter issue, but a
chronic problem in our community.
2. ACKNOWLEDGE that currently available resources are not sufficient to meet the need for
emergency shelters, transitional housing or permanent housing for the very low income.
3. REQUEST the citizens and businesses of Contra Costa County to join with public agencies
and support programs for the homeless.
4. REQUEST the Continuum of Care Board to develop an action plan which clearly identifies
homeless needs, gaps, resources and priorities for action.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: _,,,YES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR_RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
_APPROVE —OTHER
SIGNATURES): Donna Gerber Mark DeSaulnier
ACTION OF BOARD ON , APPROVED AS RECOMMENDEDOTHER
Sharon Bernhus, St. Vincent de Paul, 2691 Monument Blvd., Concord, commented on
the issue of homelessness;
Following testimony and Board discussion, IT IS BY THE BOARD ORDERED that the
above recommendations are APPROVED.
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A
)M .UNANIMOUS(ABSENT I TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN
AYES: NOES: ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED
ABSENT: ABSTAIN. ON MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
Contaa*Sara Hof rmwi,336-14911 ATTESTED I&QMJ= 8, 1998,
cC» CAC? PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF
Wendel Srurmr,Pubic Health THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
PEHAB,via Public Health AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
C:ontlnuum of Care Board,via Pubkc Health
Homeless programs,via Pubkc HZ
EPUTY
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ACKGI OuIVDrREAsc ivUs FOR RECOENDATIONtSt:
On November 23, 1998, the Family and Human Services Committee met with Wendel Brunner, Director
of Public Health, and representatives of community based organizations (CBtOs) and advisory boards
which deal with homeless issues, including the Continuum of Care Board, the Public and Environmental
Health Advisory Board (PEHAB), Contra Costa Interfaith Transitional Housing Committee, St. Vincent
de Paul Society, Cambridge Community Center, Northern California Family Center, Rubicon Programs,
Centerpoint (operators of the County shelters), Shelter, Inc., Battered Women's Alternatives (BWA),
Crisis Center, Association of Homeless Housing Providers, phoenix Programs, Bay Area Rescue
Mission, Greater Richmond Interfaith Project and the Pittsburg Family Center:.
Committee members had an extensive dialogue with staff, advisory board representatives and CBO
representatives about the nature of the homeless problem,the needs of the homeless, various proposals
for providing financial support for the homeless and next steps to pursue with the Family and Human
Services Committee.
Many of the CBOs spoke to the growing numbers of homeless families. Some homeless families are the
"working poor." BWA reported that nationally 50% of homeless families are women and children that
were the victims of domestic violence. Runaways are also a source of concern, since these youth are
learning to"live in the streets"thus developing a lifetime habit of homelessness. Many of the physically
disabled are also homeless. According to a HUD census, one in five homeless people are disabled and
one in ten are severely disabled. Former inmates of the justice system also contribute to the homeless
population, particularly when they do not have family or friends to support them.
The Crisis Center reported that the first six months of 1998 they had been receiving approximately 1000
calls per month on the homeless hotline. In September, they received 1400 calls and in October, 1600
calls. In addition, they were only able to refer approximately 20% to 25% of the calls to other services,
simply because those resources are already being used to their maximum. All programs reported
demands greater than their ability to provide service. Homeless families were cited as the biggest area
of growth. The Bay Area Rescue Mission reported that for 23 days last month no beds were available
for families; 105 people were turned away.
As part of the discussion, it was clear that there are four different needs for the homeless:
N emergency shelters
■ transitional housing
■ permanent housing for the very low income
■ supportive services
Emergency Shelters - St. Vincent de Paul reported that their faith-based rotating;winter shelter program
for the homeless families in central county was very successful last year and operated from mid-
December to June. Currently, 40 different faith communities have committed for one week of shelter in
central county and five have committed for east county. This would provide shelter for 56 families (1>'41
children and 83 adults)for 365 days in central county and 120 days in east county. However, St. Vincent
de Paul no longer has the resources to provide the support and management for the faith-based rotating
winter shelter program. BWA reported that they are able to serve 25 families in their emergency shelter,
while Phoenix Programs has a 20 bed shelter in Antioch. The Bay Area Rescue Mission reported that
their shelter has 100 beds which can be expanded to 161 beds. Centerpoint noted that the Richmond
Emergency Shelter is a temporary module which will not be a viable facility for much longer. Only 13%
of the slots are for women. All agreed that the availability of emergency shelter is not sufficient to meet
the need.
Transitional Housing - Shelter, Inc. reported that, under their Reach plus Program, they provide
transitional housing,which includes case management, vocational training and alcohol/drug treatment.
They served 445 people in their first four years of operation, including 285 family members. BWA
reported that they can serve 25 in their transitional shelter.
Permanent Housing - Very little housing exists for very low income, defined as 30% of the median
income. It was reported that many families have only $500 a month for housing, which is not sufficient
for a habitable dwelling.
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It was reported that some Section 8 landlords do an excellent job of maintaining their properties, while
others are"slumlords." There were reports of houses where people had to deal with backed up sewers,
red tags on their heaters or living in neighborhoods that were not safe. Cambridge Community Center
reported that about half of their clients had faced notices of eviction or were living in substandard
housing. Shelter, Inc. reported that their rental assistance program provides moving costs, back
payments and dawn payments. Two thirds of their clients are trying to maintain the housing they
currently have, about one third are homeless. Shelter, Inc. relies on FEMA funding for the program;
however, they ran out of money in September. The next funding cycle will not start until April 1999.
PEHAB recommended that the Board adopt strategies to increase housing for the very low income.
They suggested that acquisition and management of properties by nonprofit organizations has been
successful in keeping rents affordable for the very low income. The Interfaith Transitional Housing
Committee supported that concept and said they wanted to get the faithcommunity involved in
purchasing and administering property that could be used for very love income housing.
Rubicon also pointed out that the economic development and employment are important strategies to
help reduce the homeless population. More job opportunities need to be created and gave the example
of Treasure Island, where the City of San Francisco is requiring that the work be done by homeless
people.
Support Services-Many of the programs reported the need for support services if homeless people are
to move toward more permanent housing facilities. Case management, vocational training, drug and
alcohol treatment, mental health treatment were all mentioned as important. St. Vincent de Paul cited
the service integration model as one approach and felt that many of the homeless are receiving case
management by multiple agencies and that savings could occur with consolidated case management.
The FNS committee members also discussed resource issues, including the following ideas:
declaration of an emergency
FEMA and CDBG resources for community-based organizations'only
legislative advocacy
private sector donations/public agency collaboration/Proposition'10
Declaration of Emergency - Dr. Brunner reported that they had done an investigation of the utility of
declaring an emergency on homelessness by the County and concluded that there did not appear to be
any financial or programmatic advantages in doing so. Use of National Guard Armories as winter
emergency shelter for the homeless is not an option for Contra Costa County under state law.
Reserving FEMA and CDBG resources for CBOs-PEHAB recommended that the Board of Supervisors
use county general funds for all County homeless operations and not compete for FEMA or CDBG
funding. The Continuum of Care Board representative agreed with that suggestion, stating that the
$400,000 used to fund the County`s adult shelters could be used to support CBO programs. In addition, .
it would free up staff from fundraising activities. CBCs concurred with that recommendation.
Legislative Advocacy - The Continuum of Care Board representative recommended that the County
increase its lobbying efforts to support a shift of policy at the state level to increase the availability of
funding for homeless programs.
DonationsrCooperafionlPYap 10 Supervisor Donna Gerber suggested that the estimated $13 million per
year that the County will receive under Proposition 10 could include funding for family homeless
programs and/or a homeless children's advocate. The Prop 10 Committee will meet to address abroad
range of needs for children in Contra Costa County and this certainly could be a consideration.
Cities have been approached to support the homeless programs and it was noted that their priority is
children and families, not single adults.
Private sector donations were also suggested as a means of increasing resources for the homeless.
Supervisor Gerber suggested the Contra Costa Times put out a call for $10 donations, which then could
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be sent to St. Vincent de Paul, Shelter, Inc. or one of the other homeless programs. It was noted that
12 years ago one dollar donations were similarly solicited, which resulted in a significant revenue for that
year.
Next Stens
Supervisor DeSaulnier noted that one of his concerns was that there is a lack of coordination and
communication on the whale issue of homelessness. He wanted to first get a better understanding of
the gaps and needs and to formalize a communication process, dealing first with emergency issues and
then longer term issues. Supervisor DeSaulnier stated that he felt that much of the homeless problem
was due to the break up of family and loss of a sense of community, as well as geographical mismatch
between housing and jobs. He suggested that the Family and Human Services Committee have a
meeting with the Continuum of Care Board to stimulate a public policy debate on the homeless issues.
Supervisor Donna Gerber agreed that there needed to be a more structured approach to the homeless
problem; including staffs recommendations for the winter season, as well as how can we approach this
issue in a measured, systematic way.
Committee members agreedto discuss this issue with the Board of Supervisors; to put out a call for
support from the private sector and others; and to schedule a meeting in January with the Continuum
of Care Board with the objective of developing a plan of action for the homeless
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