HomeMy WebLinkAbout2AI1CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT DATE: March 25, 2021 ITEM 2.A.I -PUBLIC HEARING SUBJECT: PRESENTATION ON CITY HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS AND EFFORTS FROM: David H. Ready, City Manager BY: Community and Economic Development Department SUMMARY At the meeting of March 25, 2021, City Council will hold a Public Hearing to review the Conditional Use Permit for "Well in the Desert" - a drop-in and warming/cooling facility for persons experiencing homelessness. Subsequent to the hearing, Riverside County Staff, at the invitation of City Council, will provide a presentation of County homelessness programs as they relate to the City. As background information, this Staff Report highlights the City's efforts to improve our local homelessness situation. RECOMMENDATION: Receive updated report from Staff and provide direction as appropriate. BACKGROUND: Although social services in general, and homelessness specifically, are the province and jurisdiction of County Government (Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code, Sec. 1700), the City of Palm Springs has provided significant General Fund resources to address increasing issues of homelessness within the City. However, with the closure of Roy's in 2017 (the County's Homeless Shelter serving the western Coachella Valley), and the more recent effects of COVID, Palm Springs has experienced a significant increase in homelessness. Moreover, certain County Programs, although intended to improve the situation, have had an impact of seemingly increasing our local homeless population. City and County Staff have met previously to discuss these issues and will be part of the County's presentation during this meeting. Below is a summary of the City's efforts and programs to address issues of homelessness in Palm Springs: ITEM NO. 1-.P\ ~l
2City Council Staff Report March 25, 2021 -Page 2 Homeless Program Discussion • Contracting with the County to provide a dedicated social service Crisis Team for Palm Springs that makes contact with homeless individuals and refers them to resources for housing (permanent and supportive), mental health, and substance abuse. This includes temporary housing, and motel vouchers. • Wrap Around Services from Martha's Village and Kitchen. This includes helping individuals to obtain permanent housing and supportive housing; securing health, disability, social security and other benefits; training for computer skills, internet searches for employment, completing on-line employment applications, and interview techniques; and basic first aid training and assistance with securing food handler's certificates. • Cool/Warm Centers. In mid-June of 2019, the City opened the Demuth Community Center as a temporary overnight Cooling Center. Operations continued at the Boxing Club, then moved to the Palm Springs High School Gym to allow for proper social distancing, then moved to the Methodist Church when high school classes were preparing to resume. Palm Springs Boxing Club continues to be used as a Homeless Access Center and is staffed by Coachella Valley Association of Governments. • Well in the Desert. Well in the Desert provides support services and operates a cooling center to aid unsheltered individuals. Shower and restroom facilities are available for patrons, as well as beverages and snacks. The City provides funding to the Well in the Desert to assist with these services. • Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) CV200, with the goal of identifying those who most frequently use first responder and hospital resources. CVAG engages these individuals, who are on the streets and in encampments, with coordinated and consistent scheduled outreaches with public safety and homeless service providers. Using the Homeless Access Center in Palm Springs, CVAG provides necessary documentation and referrals for housing, medical, mental health, substance abuse, and employment services. CVAG also works to get individuals permanent housing, programs, and family reunifications. CVAG staff has been conducting regular outreach with local law enforcement and local public health workers to make connections with the CV200 individuals, build trust and connections with them, and identify available services for housing, medical, mental health, substance abuse, employment, and -ultimately -permanent housing solutions. Palm Springs provides the Boxing Club facility and $100,000 annually to support these services. • CV Housing First Programming. The CV Housing First program uses two primary methods to get clients to housing solutions: rapid resolution and crisis stabilization units. Rapid Resolution is an urgent, cost-saving solution that the staff at the Homeless Access Center in Palm Springs provides to help individuals overcome the barriers that keep people from getting housing. This could include
3City Council Staff Report March 25, 2021 -Page 3 Homeless Program Discussion options such as helping them secure their identifying paperwork, which then can help them qualify for benefits. It also includes sorting out the process for housing, medical, mental health, substance abuse, employment, and mainstream benefits. Palm Springs provides the Boxing Club facility and $100,000 annually to support these services. • Palm Springs Rental Assistance. This program will focus on low-income households whose income does not exceed 80% of the Area Median Income in Riverside County. Renters in the City of Palm Springs who meet the eligibility requirements may receive one-time rental assistance of $3,500 per household to cover two (2) to three (3) months of rent. • Food Distribution. The City funds twice-weekly mobile pantry food distribution at the Palm Springs Convention Center and James 0. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center. • Roy's Desert Resource Center -The City provided annual support to Roy's to provide services to families and single adults who were homeless in the Coachella Valley. Staff screened participants and coordinated case management services for clients. Clients were allowed to remain in the program up to 120 days based on their progress. Clients participated in case management activities and received the tools necessary to secure housing and successfully end their homelessness. The City contributed $103,000 annually. • Police and Community Service Officers. The City provides several Police Officers and Community Service Officers dedicated to homeless response. The cost for dedicating these positions was $523,000 in 2016 and 2017, $708,000 in 2018, and $533,000 in 2019, for a total of $2,287,000. • Bus Pass and Transportation Voucher Programs. The City supported various programs providing transportation resource. These included: Alan Seman Homeless Bus Pass Program -$9,000; Shelter from the Storm Transportation Voucher Program -$10,000; and Well in the Desert-Project Re-unite -$6,000. • Transient Property Storage and Camp Cleanup. The City provided services to assist with property storage and encampment cleaning in the amount of $318,000. Outcomes of these efforts are illustrated in the following: • 413 individuals provided with permanent housing • 1,281 individuals provided with temporary housing or shelter • 137 individuals received behavioral health or substance abuse treatments • 143 individuals became employed • 1,563 individuals provided with mainstream benefits • 368 individuals provided with overnight cool/warm shelter
4City Council Staff Report March 25, 2021 -Page 4 Homeless Program Discussion Also, as was presented by CVAG Staff, the CV200 Program which focuses on providing assistance to those individuals in the Coachella Valley considered to be chronically homeless, has had tremendous success since the beginning of the Calendar year. In just 40 days, the CV200 program successfully assisted 20 individuals from the list of 200 chronically homeless persons with exiting homelessness. The CV Housing First Program has had an overall success rate of 65% when helping individuals exit homelessness, when compared to a 5% success rate at Roy's. CVAG attributes this to the Housing First philosophy which focuses on first stabilizing someone's housing situation enabling them to address the issues that lead to becoming homeless in the first place, like maintaining employment and dealing with addiction or mental health issues. Finally, the City also received $10 million in June 2020 to address homelessness from the State's Housing Homelessness and Assistance Program, (HHAP). The following is a timeline of expenditure of these funds: • August 2020 -City Council approved a funding commitment of $3 million to County of Riverside for the Ivy Palm Hotel Project to create 75 new permanent supportive housing units. • December 2020 -County of Riverside notified City they were not successful in purchasing Ivy Palm Hotel. • January 2021 -City Council subsequently approved funding commitments totaling $4 million for affordable housing projects, including $1.4 million to Agave on Palm Canyon for 71 affordable housing units, of which 25 units will be dedicated to housing those experiencing homelessness; and $2.4 million for Vista Sunrise II to create 61 new affordable housing units which include 29 units dedicated to those experiencing homelessness. • January 2021 -Gene Autry Site RFP issued to affordable and homeless housing developers. HHAP funds may be utilized to assist with creation of homeless services and housing. Proposals are anticipated this month. Staff is continuing efforts to expend the balance of these funds to create additional permanent supportive housing through collaborative efforts. Additional information will be provided on these programs during the City Council presentation.
5City Council Staff Report March 25, 2021 -Page 5 Homeless Program Discussion SUBMITTED: ~~~ David H. Ready,Esq.,P. ~ City Manager