HomeMy WebLinkAbout19G - HOMELESS SRVS QRTLY RPTREQUEST FOR
COUNCIL ACTION
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE:
NOVEMBER 20, 2018
TITLE:
HOMELESS SERVICES QUARTERLY
REPORT FOR JULY 2018
THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2018
(STRATEGIC PLAN NOS. 1,6; 5,4; 5,6)
URI
RECOMMENDED ACTION
CLERK OF COUNCIL USE ONLY:
APPROVED
❑ As Recommended
❑ As Amended
❑ Ordinance on 1� Reading
❑ Ordinance on 2n° Reading
❑ Implementing Resolution
❑ Set Public Hearing For
CONTINUED TO
FILE NUMBER
Receive and file Quarterly Report for Homeless Services for the period of July 2018 through
September 2018.
DISCUSSION
This Homeless Services Quarterly report ending on September 30, 2018 provides updates and
statistics for many of the homeless initiatives implemented throughout the City during third
Quarter of 2018.The report is divided into three sections:
• Law Enforcement
• Affordable Housing and Case Management
• Other Services and Initiatives
The report also highlights the following 12 major initiatives that took place this quarter and that
are further explained under the timeline of highlights and successes:
• Santa Ana Legislative Advocacy in Washington D.C.
• Sana Ana response to Orange County Grand Jury Report on Homelessness
• Santa Ana acknowledged in Federal Hearing on Homeless Update with Judge Carter
• Santa Ana represented at Federal Outreach & Engagement Policy Academy
• Santa Ana Adoption of Shelter Crisis and Santa Ana agreement with Mercy House to
operate an Interim Homeless Shelter
• Santa Ana receives Housing Urban Development (HUD) award for Housing Assistance for
the Homeless- 50 mainstream Vouchers and 100 HUD VASH Vouchers
• Santa Ana appointed to Commission to End Homelessness
19G-1
Homeless Services Quarterly Report for July - September 2018
November 20, 2018
Page 2
• Santa Ana successful submission of Homeless Emergency Aid Program Application for
State funding (submission for Large City Grant and Continiuum of Care Grant)
• Santa Ana and County of Orange transition the Courtyard Emergency Shelter to a new
location and expand homeless shelter beds for Santa Ana
• Santa Ana featured panelist for the Community Safety Forum hosted by Urban Peace
Institute
• Passage of AB448, creation of the first-ever Orange County Housing Finance Trust, that
creates regional joint powers bringing together County and 34 cities to develop permanent
supportive housing
• Addressing Downtown Homelessness Safety and Security
In addition, the report concludes with ongoing timeline that highlights the successes and
accomplishments in the area of homeless services by City staff and community partners. The
City's new Homeless Services Manager, Hafsa Kaka, joined the City in February 2018 to
enhance the coordination of the City's efforts to address homeless services and has identified
four guiding principles as the foundation in delivery of homeless services:
• Goal of bringing best practices of homeless service delivery to the City of
Santa Ana, such as Housing First and Harm Reduction.
• Strengthened collaboration with County and Cities in coordination of
homeless services and programs.
• Increased assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness and
addressing areas of housing, employment, mental health, and other basic
needs.
• Coordinated services with law enforcement, affordable housing, homeless
outreach, housing navigation and case management.
Law Enforcement
The Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) has been instrumental in addressing homelessness.
The SAPD tracks the calls for service received on an on-going basis. In 2017, SAPD received a
total of 8,554 calls for service related to transient disturbances, trespassing, drunk in public,
battery and Santa Ana Municipal Code Violations. With the recent removal of individuals
experiencing homelessness in the Civic Center Plaza, the SAPD has continued to dedicate two
teams to provide the ongoing outreach.
• Two Homeless Evaluation Assessment Response Team (HEART) officers, two Orange
County Health Care Agency outreach workers and the SAPD Civic Center Patrol
Team, continue to address homeless related issues. Specific outreach has been
conducted at Birch Park, Angeles Park, Sasser Park and the Old Orange County
Courthouse.
• The Quality of Life Team (QOLT) was formed in January 2018 to address concerns
and requests related to municipal code violations, property storage and improper use
of public/private property. This multidisciplinary team is comprised of staff from the
19G-2
Homeless Services Quarterly Report for July - September 2018
November 20, 2018
Page 3
SAPD, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Code Enforcement and Orange County
Healthcare Outreach workers.
The most recent activities associated with the QOLT are displayed in the table below:
Quality of Life Team (QOLT)
40 WEEK
Total Fiscal
Statistics
TOTAL
Average
Average
1/23/18
Per Week
Per
Funding
through
$ 0*
Day
10/26/18
Description
No. of Locations Responded
1272
32
8
No. of Individuals Contacted
2307
58
14
No. of Encampments
1383
35
9
can be multiple per location)
No. of Service Pick Ups
1002
25
6
(can be multiple per location -
Rubb ishfrrash/Debris
No. of Locations Posted
146
4
1
No. of Property Stored
99
2
1
(@ City Yard/Facility - personal property &
items of value
No. of Needles Disposed of
285
71
18
No. of Tons of Trash
& Debris Disposed of
350
9
2
No. of Private Property Assistance with
Courtesy Clean-up and Removal of
240
6
2
Transients
Affordable Housing, Outreach and Case Management
As an entitlement city, Santa Ana receives an Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) to fund non-
profit homeless service providers in the areas of street outreach, emergency shelter, homeless
prevention and rapid rehousing. Following is an update on ESG ongoing efforts:
ESG
Q1
Total Fiscal
Year 2018/2019
Individuals
Served
372
372
Funding
$ 0*
$ 0*
Disbursed
'Reflects HUD IDIS system as of 8/6/2018
*Does not reflect all of Quarter 4
19G-3
Homeless Services Quarterly Report for July - September 2018
November 20, 2018
Page 4
Other Services and Initiatives
19G-4
OUTCOMESlTIME-
STRATEGY
ACTION
FRAME
Completed —
Create an Interdepartmental Team on
Team meets weekly & the
Homelessness to coordinate all City agencies
addition of subcommittee
Improve the internal
and activities.
meetings to move action
coordination and
items forward
communication between
City agencies providing
Consider opportunities to improve conditions
Completed- April 2018
services and
in the Civic Center.
Completed- January 2018
enforcement
Develop a webpage regarding how Santa Ana
Ongoing Addition have
is addressing homelessness.
been implemented
Utilize the Santa Ana
Draft a new section to the Santa Ana
Completed- December
City Charter and
Municipal Code related to storage or property
2017
Municipal Code to make
and services in the Civic Center area.
improvements
Participate in regional bodies and discussions
Coordinate with courts,
to achieve the greatest impact on
Ongoing
other cities and County
homelessness in the City.
Creation of Central Service Planning Area
Ongoing
of Orange
Cities Collaborative on Housing Resources
Enlist non-profit and faith -based organizations
serving homeless individuals to agree on a
Ongoing
strategy to help move individuals off of the
Coordinate with Non-
streets and into housing.
Profits and Faith Based
Organizations
Continue to fund non-profit Emergency
Solutions Grant homeless service providers to
Ongoing
provide street outreach, shelter, homeless
prevention and rapid -rehousing services.
On-going — Staff is
Initiate and participate in lobbying for
participating on the
legislation and resources; solicit State and
County's Advisory
Develop and implement
Federal assistance to respond to the needs for
Committee for No Place
specific legislation
housing, enforcement and social services for
Like Home funds and are
related to housing and
the growing homeless population.
following relevant
homelessness
legislation
Participation in the Big 11 Cities Initiative to
secure one-time state homeless block grant in
Completed
support of AB3171
19G-4
Homeless Services Quarterly Report for July - September 2018
November 20, 2018
Page 5
Twelve Maior Initiatives
1. Santa Ana Legislative Advocacy in Washington D.0
From July 23 to July 25 2018, Deputy City Manager Robert Cortez and Homeless Services
Manager, Hafsa Kaka attended the National Alliance to End Homelessness Crisis in Washington
DC. The conference convened over 2,000 individuals and stakeholders across the United States
represented agencies and entities that are invested in ending homelessness. The conference
covered best practices on utilization of Housing Urban Development funds to administer
homeless and housing programs, evidence based practices in establishing emergency shelters,
utilization of data driven successful performance outcomes, toolkits for non -profits, Cities and
Counties on Coordinated Entry System and collaborative approaches to ending homelessness
through political will. The Conference also covered Capitol Hill Day, for which Homeless
Services Manager, Hafsa Kaka, represented Santa Ana as a State Captain for the California
Delegation leading 5 Congressional Office visits including; Representative Lou Correa, Maxine
Waters and Senator Kamala Harris. Robert Cortez represented Santa Ana meeting with
Representative Lou Correa's office and representatives from Senator Diane Feinstein. The
successful congressional office visits encouraged federal investments to support local
investments in addressing homelessness and educating congress on the progress Santa Ana
has accomplished along with a package of Santa Ana success, priorities, policy and legislative
work. In addition, Federal legislative policy priorities were also advocated for, such as support for
United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, federal support for McKinney Vinto Act in
addition to Affordable Housing. Lastly, the conference guest speakers included Senator Kamala
Harris and Senator Cory Booker.
2. Response to Orange County Grand Jury Report on Homelessness
On May 22, 2018, the Orange County Grand Jury released the 2017-18 Orange County Grand
Jury report, "Where There's Will, There's a Way: Housing Orange County's Chronically
Homeless". The purpose of the report was to examine the growing homeless population within
Orange County, the debilitating effects of homelessness including mental health trauma and
physical illness associated with chronically homeless populations, the overarching costs to
Orange County in responding to homelessness, and the need of permanent supportive housing
and regional leadership across the county and cities to address homelessness. The City of Santa
Ana was required to respond to eight findings and seven recommendations in the Grand Jury
report and to be in compliance with Penal Code 933.05(a) and (b). City staff worked in
collaboration with the Central Services Planning Area cities required to response. The City
successfully completed a six-page comprehensive response and submitted to the Grand Jury
and presiding Judge Honorable Charles Margines on August 29th, 2018. The report is available at
hftp://www.ocqrand0ury.or-q/pdfs/2017 2018 GJreporU2018-08-28-City of Santa-Ana.pd
3. Federal Hearing on Homeless Update with Judge Carter
On August 3rd 2018, the Honorable Federal District Judge David Carter, convened the County of
Orange, the cities of Santa Ana and Anaheim, the Santa Ana and Anaheim Police Chiefs, and
Mayors, City Managers and elected officials to attend a hearing regarding a status update on the
19G-5
Homeless Services Quarterly Report for July - September 2018
November 20, 2018
Page 6
Homeless Emergency Shelters in light of the Fullerton and Santa Ana Armory's closing, resulting
in homeless individuals seeking shelter in surrounding communities. The City of Santa Ana was
represented by Mayor Miguel Pulido, Mayor Pro Tem Martinez, Deputy City Manager Robert
Cortez, Deputy Chief Gominsky from SAPD, City Attorney Sandra Schwarzmann, and Homeless
Services Manager Hafsa Kaka. The Judge required the County and Cities to speak on significant
progress for new Emergency Shelter plans for the homeless or face a possible court ruling or
temporary injunction stopping the enforcement of anti -camping laws. The City of Santa Ana
presented the Court on progress made in meeting with the County to finalize partnership
agreement for the construction, financing and operations of the 700 emergency shelter that would
replace the Courtyard and would add additionally bed for the unsheltered population. Judge
Carter and the County agreed they need at least 1,550 new shelter beds, 60 percent of the
estimated 2,584 unsheltered homeless people countywide, according to a 2017 count.
Specifically, Judge Carter called for at least 450 new beds in North Orange County, 300 beds in
Central Orange County and another 300 in South Orange County.
4. Santa Ana Represented at Federal Outreach & Engagement Policy Academy
On August 14, and 15, 2018, the City of Santa Ana was represented at the Federal Academy on
Outreach and Engagement on Homelessness hosted by Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Service Administration (SMHSA), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),
and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) in Los Angeles. The City
of Santa Ana was the only City selected to attend among the 17 County Continuum of Care
(CoC) agencies throughout the nation including Puerto Rico. The City of Santa Ana was
represented by the Homeless Services Manager, Hafsa Kaka, who presented on the Quality of
Life Team (QOLT) as a national best practice in addressing homelessness from successful
multidisciplinary approach that increases efficiency in addressing quality of life issues and
increased response times.
5. Santa Ana Adoption of Shelter Crisis Resolution and Interim Emergency Shelter Plan
On August 21st, 2018 the City of Santa Ana adopted a Shelter Crisis Resolution due to the
overwhelming homeless population in the City and the County. As the City continues to
collaborate with the County on the transition of the Courtyard Emergency Homeless Shelter to a
more suitable location, the City recognizes the need for an Interim Emergency Homeless Shelter
to ensure individuals experiencing homelessness from the City of Santa Ana, have a safe and
stable place to stay, while mitigating the impact of homelessness in the Santa Ana community.
City Department staff are working collaboratively in the development of an Interim Emergency
Homeless Shelter Plan that will operate for no more than two years. On Tuesday, September
18th, 2018 the City Council approved the agreement with Mercy House to operate the Interim
Homeless Shelter in November 2018. Mercy House will provide an array of services for
individuals and families experiencing homelessness including; mental health, medical health,
housing navigation and employment services among many more. The Interim Emergency Shelter
will service only Santa Ana referrals and no walk-ins will be allowed.
19G-6
Homeless Services Quarterly Report for July - September 2018
November 20, 2018
Page 7
6. Santa Ana to receive 150 Additional HUD Vouchers
The Housing Division and the Homeless Division are pleased to announce that on August 21St,
2018 the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Ana was informed award notice of a total of 100
HUD VASH vouchers for homeless veterans. Over the last three years the Housing Authority has
been awarded 275 HUD VASH vouchers. In addition, on September 5th, 2018, the Housing
Authority of the City of Santa Ana was informed award notice of a total of 50 HUD Mainstream
Vouchers for non -elderly disabled homeless individuals. These vouchers will be administered in
partnership with the Illumination Foundation who will be providing supportive services to the
homeless population.
7. Santa Ana Appointment to the Orange County Commission to End Homelessness
On August 28, 2018, the Orange County Board of Supervisors appointed members of the
Commission to End Homelessness. This includes representatives from the Central Service
Planning Area (SPA). City of Santa Ana Deputy City Manager, Robert Cortez, was appointed to
represent the Central SPA. The Commission is expected to convene in November 2018. The
Commission to End Homelessness, provides oversight and accountability for the implementation
of the goals and strategies as defined in the County's Ten -Year Plan to End Homelessness. This
appointment will bring a total of three City of Santa Ana employees (Robert Cortez, Judson
Brown, and Hafsa Kaka) serving on County boards and commissions to help address
homelessness in Santa Ana and the Orange County region.
8. Homeless Emergency Aid Program Funds
On August 22, 2018, the Orange County Continuum of Care Board (CoC) approved a motion to
designate the County of Orange as the Fiscal Agent for the Homeless Emergency Aid Program
(HEAP) on behalf of the CoC for the amount of $15,568,715.65. The CoC Board also approved
the proportional distribution of HEAP funds by 2017 Point -In -Time count for the unsheltered count
established by regional Service Planning Areas (SPA). As such, the available allocation would be
the following amounts available for each region:
• North SPA with 36% of the unsheltered population: $5,044,263.87
• Central SPA with 53% of the unsheltered population: $7,426,277.37
• South SPA with 11 % of the unsheltered population: $1,541,302.85
In addition, the CoC Board approved to create a diverse and equitable Ad Hoc Committee to
facilitate the proposal process. The CoC will establish a transparent and competitive process for
the project selection. The Ad Hoc Committee will review and recommend proposed projects
submitted for funding to the CoC Board and to the Commission to End Homelessness. The City
of Santa Ana is represented on both the CoC Board and the Commission: Judson Brown,
Housing Division Manager, serves as the Chair of the Continuum of Care Board, and Robert
Cortez, Deputy City Manager, serves on the Commission to End Homelessness. The City of
Santa Ana has participated in the competitive process for the CoC HEAP funds in addition to
applying for the Notice of Available Funding (NOFA) for the Large City grant allocation of
$3,690,885.84.
19G-7
Homeless Services Quarterly Report for July - September 2018
November 20, 2018
Page 8
9. Santa Ana Approves City/County Partnership for Courtyard Transition
On September 4th, 2018 the City Council of Santa Ana approved the Memorandum of
Understanding with the County of Orange to transition the Courtyard Emergency Homeless
Shelter to a more suitable location and to expand homeless shelter beds for the City of Santa
Ana. This agreement will mitigate the negative impacts of homelessness in Santa Ana, will
provide Santa Ana unsheltered homeless with shelter and supportive services, establish a long-
term collaborative effort between the City and County, minimize the migration of homeless
individuals into Santa Ana, ensure available bed capacity for Santa Ana's use, and discontinue
the Santa Ana Armory program.
10. Santa Ana Presents on Community Safety Hosted by Urban Peace Institute
On September 25th, 2018 the Urban Peace Institute hosted a Community Safety Forum
highlighting topics on Homelessness, Immigration Enforcement, Youth and Gang Crime, Police
and Community Relations. An audience of adult and youth residents, local organizations, City
Staff, and other stakeholders gathered to listen to panelist. The panelist included Santa Ana
Police Chief David Valentin and Santa Ana Unified School District Police Chief Anastasia Smith,
Hafsa Kaka, Homeless Services Manager, Juan Plascencia Youth Resident, Steven Kim from
Project Kinship and representation from Neutral Ground. The event highlighted the several efforts
within different City departments that impact community safety and improve Quality of Life.
11. Santa Ana and Housing the Homeless
On Tuesday, September 11th, Governor Brown signed AB 448 to create the first-ever Orange
County Housing Finance Trust, a regional joint powers authority that would allow the County and
its 34 cities to collectively compete for public and private funding to develop permanent
supportive housing. The Housing Trust will be able to issue bonds and leverage private dollars; it
will be governed by a Board of Directors to include City and County representatives and
community members. The legislation grew out of the simultaneous efforts of former Santa Ana
Mayor and former Irvine Company Vice -President Dan Young to secure $100 million in private
funding to create 2,700 units of permanent supportive housing.
To date, the City of Santa Ana has developed 82 units of permanent supportive housing (PSH),
including 71 PSH units at the Orchard and 11 PSH units at the Depot at Santiago. We also have
131 additional PSH units in the pipeline which include 75 units for homeless veterans at the
Santa Ana Veterans Village project and 56 units for chronically homeless individuals at Aqua
Housing. Both developments are expected to break ground early next year. In total, Santa Ana
has 213 PSH units developed or in the pipeline. In February 2018, a regional goal was
established for each City and the County to develop a proportional amount of PSH units based
on their population size. Santa Ana was allocated 289 PSH units based on our population size
(relatively Anaheim was allocated 303 and Irvine was allocated 226 PSH units to develop).
Santa Ana is well on its way to achieving this goal of 289 before every other City in Orange
County.
19G-8
Homeless Services Quarterly Report for July - September 2018
November 20, 2018
Page 9
12. Addressing. Downtown Homelessness/Safety and Security
Throughout this quarter, Downtown Inc. and Santa Ana Business Council reached out to City
staff regarding homeless concerns and the safety and security of the Downtown community and
businesses. City Staff have been diligently responding to these concerns and have met with both
Downtwon Associations to mitigate concerns. As such, the City has taken several measures to
increase safety and security of Downtown Santa Ana which includes securing locks on DT trash
cans, installation of fence at bench area along Broadway between 41 and 51 Streets, providing
DT Clean and Safe Team access to 31d Street promenade electrical box, enhancing homeless
outreach efforts, and informing both associations of the City's short term and long term solutions
to address homelessness.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
The activities covered by this report allow the City to meet Goal #1 — Community Safety,
Objective #6 (Enhance Public Safety integration, communications and community outreach); oal
#5 - Community Health, Livability, Engagement & Sustainability, Objective #4 (Support
neighborhood vitality and livability) and Objective #6 (Focus projects and programs on improving
the health and wellness of all residents).
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action4Dei2gter Steven A. Mendoza �l
Executive Director
Community Development Agency City Manager's Office
19G-9
19G-10