Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout87-089421 DMF:rm 11/5/87 RESOLUTION NO. 87- 89 RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY CITY OF SANTA ANA APPROVING THE COMPREHENSIVE HOMELESS ASSISTANCE PLAN AND AUTHORIZING ITS SUBMISSION TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT WHEREAS, Title IV, Subtitle A of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, Public Law 100-177 ('Act'), requires a 'state or a metropolitan city or urban county that is eligible to receive a grant under the emergency shelter grants program,' to submit a Comprehensive Homeless Assistance Plan ('Plan') in order to apply for current and future funding provided by the Act; and, WHEREAS, the City of Santa Ana ('City') has been deemed eligible to receive a grant under the Emergency Grants Program and desires to obtain funds provided by the Act; and WHEREAS, the City has prepared a Plan to submit to the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE City Council of the City of Santa Ana as follows: 1. The Comprehensive Homeless Assistance Plan is hereby approved. 2. The City Manager is to submit the Plan to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development pursuant to the Act. 3. The Community Development Agency is authorized to on behalf of the City of Santa Ana in submitting future applications for funding pursuant to the Act. act RESOLUTION NO. 87-89 PAGE TWO 4. The Executive Director of the Community Development Agency is authorized to sign the application for future funding on behalf of the City of Santa Ana pursuant to the Act. 5. This Resolution shall take effect immediately. ADOPTED this following vote: ]6th day of ATTE ST: /f/~nfce C. Guy /~--~ ~Clerk of the Councl~ ' November , by the ~)]~n-~el 'H. You~ MaWr Councilmembers Young Aye_e McGuigan Acosta Absent Griset ~ Hart Aye May A e Pulido ~ APPROVED AS TO FORM: ~dwa~J. ~ooper City At~e~u~ey MAYOR Dan Youn§ VICE MAYOR Patrlda A. McGuiBan COUNCILMEMBER$ John Acosta Daniel E. Griset Wilson B. Har, Ron May ~ Misuel A. Pulido CITY OF SANTA ANA 216 W. FOURTH STREET SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 92701 423 ALL-AMERICA CITY 1982-83 CITY MANAGER David N. Ream CITY ATFORNEY Edward J. Cooper CLERK OF THE COUNCIL Janice C. Guy DRAFT CITY OF SANTA ANA COMPREHENSIVE HOMELESS ASSISTANCE PLAN The City of Santa Ana recognizes the need to assist the homeless within the Santa Aha community. Estimates place the number of "homeless" individuals (as defined by the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act) in Orange County in excess of 6,000. Since Santa Aha is the county seat, a substantial portion of these individuals will, from one time or another, utilize the assistance provided by area agencies. The facilities and services available to the homeless population in the City cover a broad range of assistance programs including temporary emergency shelter, food and food vouchers, medical care, clothing, hot showers, information/referrals for companion living opportunities, and job training and counseling. Service providers have expressed a need for public funds to augment private donations in order to maintain and enhance current levels of service. Grants made available through the program provisions of the McKinney Act will allow the City of Santa Aha to insure a source of financial assistance to nonprofit agencies which currently provide services for the homeless. CYNTHIA J. NELSON Executive Director/ Community Development Agency I. ~atement of Needs The City of Santa Ana Community Development staff has discussed various issues related to service for the homeless with local assistance providers in order to assess the level of service currently provided for the homeless. Estimates of current and future needs were also discussed. With a better understanding of homeless program needs, a more strategic use of McKinney Homeless Assistance Act funds can be implemented. City staff and service providers have identified the following needs: me A need has been identified for increased support of existing temporary housing in Santa Aha. Potential rehabilitation and renovation projects can directly benefit from new funding sources. Additionally, provisions for essential services, for such items as food, education, employment and health services, are also needed. Assistance with maintenance and operating cost of homeless shelters has also been deemed as an immediate need. ¸· In additional to temporary emergency shelter, assistance is needed to expand "transitional" programs which will facilitate the movement of homeless individuals to independent living. These transitional programs include both housing and supportive services. Funds are not only needed for acquisition and/or rehabilitation of structures which can be used by transitional service providers, but assistance is also needed to offset the operating cost of these supportive services. Additionally, the special needs of the mentally ill, handicapped, elderly, veterans, and families with children will require attention. Present financial support for nonprofit agencies providing assistance to the homeless are derived from federal, state, local and private sources. While grant and program funds provided in Subtitles B and C of Title IV would be of great assistance, it may be anticipated that shortfalls might occur· For this reason, supplemental funding would he useful and highly desirable. Innovative programs for the homeless elderly or families, which may not qualify for traditional homeless assistance program funds, may also benefit from supplemental programs. An additional area of consideration is the need for single room occupancy (SRO) units. The negative fiscal impact of rehabilitating SRO units needs to be mitigated. Property owners who wish to improve their SRO building are forced to deal with the reality of higher rents after rehabilitation forcing existing tenants into the streets. A program which offsets after rehab rent increases would prevent this type of displacement. In addition, homeless individuals could also be given priority to these units thus providing another housing option. _ -2- 42.5 II. Inventory of Facilities and Services for the Homeless Shelter Type of Population Name Service Provided Served Christian Outreach Mission Temporary Shelter, Case Management Men Hospitality Home, Salvation Army Temporary Shelter Men, Women Children Episcopal Service Alliance Case Management Women Orange County Homeless Program Temporary Shelter Men and for Mentally Ill Women Day Care/Drop-in Center, YWCA Case Management Men and Women Orange County Temporary Shelter, Catholic Workers Case Management Men and Families Missionaries of Charity Temporary Shelter Families YWCA Temporary Shelter, Women Case Management Catholic Social Services Case Management Families Number of Bed 6o 48 10 46 10 9 8 38 NA -3- III. Strategy to Assist the Homeless The City of Santa Aha has taken an active role in dealing with the issue of the homeless in Orange County. In addition to funding a portion of the construction cost for a homeless women's shelter, City administration has been an active participant in a regional homeless task force established by the County for the purpose of coordinating homeless service programs on a county wide basis. Santa Aha will continue to work with this task force and as~sist in the development of a regional approach to homeless issues. Since many homeless service providers maintain a county wide referral network, coordination of efforts can be maximized through the efforts of the task force. At the local level, the City will continue to assist local homeless service providers as funds per, it. In the past, financial assistance for the rehabilitation of temporary housing facilities for the homeless has been provided by the City to private nonprofit organizations. This assistance also included technical assistance with state and federal grant applications. The City anticipates that these efforts will continue, and if possible facilitate additional development (either through acquisition or rehabilitation) of emergency shelter facilities. The 9opulation targeted for this assistance should cover all segments of the homeless population, with special attention to the elderly, families with children, veterans, and the mentally ill. In addition to shelters, supportive services should also be made available in order to move homeless individuals back into the mainstream of society. These services should include (but are by no means limited to) job screening and development, and health maintenance and counseling. True self sufficiency by the homeless will not be achieved without the development of these skills. All of these efforts are currently being provided by local nonprofit service providers. New program monies, which may result from the McKinney Act, will be used by the City to augment the service level currently being provided and to enhance the level of service to the homeless community. Single room occupancy units can also play a key role in providing affordable housing to homeless individuals attempting to overcome their homelessness. Increased availability of SRO units can also help ~revent homelessness by providing those persons close to becoming homeless with an affordable housing option. Providing quality SRO units is therefore a viable component to an overall strategy aimed at assisting the homeless in Santa Aha. -4- IV. Use of S~btitle Grant Funds Subtitle B - Emergency Shelter Grants It is anticipated that ESG funds will be made available to private nonprofit agencies with qualified homeless assistance programs. Several of these agencies have already expressed an interest in obtaining all or a portion of the city's ESG allocation. The South Orange County YWCA, located in Santa Aha, has submitted to city staff an ESG proposal which will use grant funds to provide emergency shelter for 20 women. The YWCA project proposes to use grant funds to increase the level of service currently provided to homeless women and to offset a portion of operation and maintenance costs. Subtitle C - Supportive Housing Demonstration Program Funding under this program will be used to expand the assistance level of existing service providers with programs aimed at facilitating the homeless in becoming independent within a reasonable period of time. Many existing transitional housing programs are limited in their ability to expand due to the shortage of funds. Funding under Subtitle C will not only provide financial support for acquisition and/or rehabilitation of existing buildings, but will also give service providers the opportunity to increase their level of service and expertise. The City will act as a referral agent steering local nonprofits providing services to the handicapped homeless to appropriate state agency entrusted with distribution of funds. There are a number of local agencies currently providing assistance to the handicapped homeless who are seeking funding. These agencies stress the importance of separating the needs of homeless individuals with transitional need from the handicapped homeless with either physical and/or mental deficiencies. Subtitle D - Supplemental Assistance for Facilities to Assist the Homeless. Interest for ESG funds by local service providers has already exceeded the city of Santa Ana's ESG allocation. Agencies which currently provide emergency and/or transitional shelter, and can demonstrate a need for additional funding to meet the needs set forth in this strategy, will be encouraged to apply for supplemental funds.. 'The City will also encourage agencies with new and innovative shelter projects to apply for grant funding under the Supplemental Assistance provisions of Subtitle D. Subtitle E - Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Program The City of Santa Aha Housing Authority, with the City's approval and sponsorship, will actively seek certificate and voucher funding under the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation program for single room occupancy (SRO) units. The availability of affordable housing for the homeless will be expanded by the -5- 428 rehabilitation of existing single room occupancy units. The City will ensure that all requirements in the Act are met, including the giving of first priority of occupancy to homeless individuals. This type of assistance will also serve those individuals who are about to become homeless due to the lack of affordable housing. Conclusion The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act has provided opportunities to increase the level of service for the homeless. The City of Sants Aha will utilize the strategy outlined in this Comprehensive Homeless Assistance Plan to best meet the need of all homeless individuals, including families, verterans, the elderly, and the handicapped. The city will also ensure that all provisions of the McKinney Act are enforced. -6-