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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 05131986 - IO.1 _ tia B& RD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEECOntra Costa DATE'. May 12, .19 8 6 Courty SUBJECT: proposed Task Force on the Homeless SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATIONS) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1 . Authorize the Human Services Advisory Commission to establish a Task Force on the Homeless. 2 . Request the Human Services Advisory Commission (HSAC) and appropriate County departments ( including, but not necessarily limited to, the Social Services Department, the Health Services Department, and Housing Authority) to cooperate fully with the efforts of the Task Force on the Homeless. 3 . Recommend to the Task Force on the Homeless that they involve representatives from cities, as well as the Police Chiefs Association, in their work. 4 . Recommend to the Task Force that their long-term goals include the following: a. Define, evaluate, and quantify the homeless population in Contra Costa County; b. Study the causes of homelessness; C. Recommend actions to alleviate the homeless condition; d. Identify resources to reduce and potentially eliminate the causes of homelessness; e. Establish a work plan to meet these goals; f. Present their findings and recommendations to the Board of Supervisors; - g. Work to implement the findings, recommendations, and work plan. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: _ YES SIGNATURE' _ RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR X ECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE s : anc,y C. Fanden p Sunne !J. McPeak ACTION OF BOA ON May 13, 1986 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT III ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TARN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. County Administrator cc: Social Service Director ATTESTED ---�� �19� — -- Chair, HSAC PHIL BA HELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Health Services Director SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Housing Authority Director ; M382/1-83 BY l DEPUTY I\ Page 2 5 . Request HSAC to report back to the Board of Supervisors in 30 days ( approximately June 17 , 1986 ) on the composition of the Task Force. 6 . Remove this item as a referral to our Committee. BACKGROUND: On December 17 , 1985, the Board of Supervisors referred to the County Administrator and the Internal Operations Committee a report from the Human Services Advisory Commission requesting that a multi-agency task force on the homeless be created, and that the Human Services Advisory Commission be. designated to form the task force. On May 12, 1986, our Committee met with representatives from HSAC and the informal Task Force on the Homeless which has been meeting for the last several months. Concern was expressed by the County Administrator' s Office that full implementation of the goals of the Task Force could result in requests for the expenditure of substantial amounts of County money. The Social Services Director noted that there is no generally accepted definition of what a homeless person is. The members of the Task Force clarified that what is really needed is a focal point for the coordination of the numerous efforts presently underway to meet the needs of the homeless. Many agencies are currently providing short-term housing for individuals and families, but these efforts do not address the basic problem of why seemingly increasing numbers of individuals and families are homeless. Nor do these efforts deal with an overall long-term solution to the problems of the homeless. There was general agreement from those present that there is a need for increasing coordination among agencies and between the public and private sector. The members of the Task Force clarified that they were not requesting County funds at this time. The Executive Director of the Housing Authority noted that his agency presently spends approximately $20 million dollars a year to assist 5000 families. Despite this, the Housing Authority has a waiting list for Section 8 rental housing of 1500 persons. Our Committee is concerned that cutbacks in funding by the Federal and State governments have caused substantial portions of the problem with the homeless and they must be included in any efforts to solve the problem. In addition, our Committee is concerned that representatives from the cities in the County have not previously been involved in the work of the Task Force. We believe their involvement is critical to any long-term solution of the problems of the homeless. Our Committee is also aware that the County does not have the financial resources to meet the needs of the homeless. The coordination of churches, nonprofit organizations, and County departments can help to increase the level of coordination and provide a mechanism for submitting grant applications for additional funds. The existing Task Force is loosely composed of a number of organizations. We believe the Board should encourage these efforts and that the Human Services Advisory Commission should take the lead on behalf of the County in maintaining liaison between the County and the other agencies serving on the Task Force.