homelessness committee agenda · homelessness committee agenda wednesday, february 19, 2020 10:00...

HOMELESSNESS COMMITTEE AGENDA

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

10:00 am

73-710 Fred Waring Drive, Room 119 Palm Desert, CA 92260

760-346-1127

THIS MEETING IS HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE. ACTION MAY RESULT ON ANY ITEMS ON THIS AGENDA.

1. CALL TO ORDER - Chair Christy Holstege, Mayor Pro Tem, Palm Springs

2. ROLL CALL A. Member Roster

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3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

4. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS Any person wishing to address the Committee on items appearing on this agenda may do so at this time. At the discretion of the Chair, public comment may be taken at the time of an item. Please limit comments to 3 minutes.

5. CHAIR / DIRECTOR ANNOUNCEMENTS

6. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Approve January 15, 2019 Committee Meeting Minutes

B. Authorize Executive Director to Issue a Request that Members Consider Renewing Financial Commitment to CV Housing First in 2020

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7. DISCUSSION / ACTION A. Coachella Valley Homelessness Collaborative Planning Update – Greg

Rodriguez Recommendation: Information only

B. Consideration of Legislation to Create Funding Options for Affordable Housing and Related Programs in Coachella Valley – Erica Felci

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Recommendation: Provide a recommendation to the Executive Committee about pursing legislation that provides flexibility on funding sources for Coachella Valley

C. Update on Palm Springs Plans for Use of $10M State Funding to Address

Homelessness - Greg Rodriguez Recommendation: Information only

D. CV Housing First Progress Report – Tom Cox and Casey Jackson, Interim CEO,

Path of Life Recommendation: Information only

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8. INFORMATION A. Attendance Record

B. Ex Officio Updates

C. CVAG Homelessness Fund Financial Report

D. Riverside County 2019 Homeless Death Report

E. Borrego Health Services at the Homeless Access Center

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9. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS Any person wishing to address the Homelessness Committee on items that are within the purview of the Committee that are not on this agenda may do so at this time. Please limit comments to 2 minutes.

10. ANNOUNCEMENTS Upcoming meetings at CVAG, 73-710 Fred Waring Drive, Room 119, Palm Desert:

• Executive Committee – February 24 at 4:30 pm

• Homelessness Committee – April 15 at 10 am

11. ADJOURN

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Item 2A

VOTING MEMBERS

City of Blythe Councilmember Johnny Gonzalez

City of Cathedral City Councilmember Mark Carnevale

City of Coachella Councilmember Josie Gonzalez

City of Desert Hot Springs Mayor Pro Tem Jan Pye

City of Indian Wells Councilmember Kimberly Muzik

City of Indio Councilmember Waymond Fermon

City of La Quinta Councilmember John Peña – Vice Chair

City of Palm Desert Councilmember Sabby Jonathan

City of Palm Springs Mayor Pro Tem Christy Holstege – Chair

City of Rancho Mirage Councilmember Charles Townsend

Riverside County – District 4 Supervisor V. Manuel Perez

Desert Healthcare District Director Carole Rogers, RN

Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Unassigned

Cabazon Band of Mission Indians Unassigned

Ex-Officio / Non-Voting Members

Julie Bornstein, Executive Director, Coachella Valley Housing Coalition

Darla Burkett, Executive Director, Coachella Valley Rescue Mission

Julie Reay, Executive Director, HomeAid Inland Empire

Kristina Starkey, Donor Relations Director, The Salvation Army

Angelina Coe, Executive Director, Shelter From the Storm

Additional Support Staff

Casey Jackson, Path of Life Ministries Dr. Conrado Bàrzaga, CEO, Desert Healthcare District

Tanya Torno, Senior Development Specialist, Riverside County Housing Authority

Jennifer Claar, Assistant Director, Riverside County Department of Public Social Services

Marcus Cannon, Behavioral Health Services Supervisor, Riverside University Health System-Behavioral Health

Natalie Komuro, Deputy County Executive Officer – Homelessness Solutions

Staff

Tom Kirk, Executive Director

Greg Rodriguez

Tom Cox

Libby Carlson

Updated 02-10-2020

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Item 6A

Audio for this meeting is available online at: http://www.cvag.org/audio.htm

1. CALL TO ORDER - The meeting was called to order by Chair Holstege at 10:02 am at 73-710 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert, California.

2. ROLL CALL - Roll call was taken and it was determined that a quorum was present.

Members Present City of Cathedral City Councilmember Ernesto Gutierrez City of Desert Hot Springs Mayor Pro Tem Jan Pye City of Indian Wells Councilmember Dana Reed City of Indio Councilmember Waymond Fermon City of La Quinta Councilmember John Peña, Vice Chair City of Palm Desert Councilmember Sabby Jonathan City of Palm Springs Mayor Pro Tem Christy Holstege, Chair City of Rancho Mirage Councilmember Charles Townsend Riverside County District 4 Supervisor V. Manuel Perez Desert Healthcare District Director Carol Rogers

Ex Officio Members Present

Coachella Valley Housing Coalition Julie Bornstein Coachella Valley Rescue Mission Darla Burkett Shelter from the Storm Angelina Coe

Members & Ex-Officios Not Present City of Blythe Councilmember Johnny Gonzalez City of Coachella Councilmember Josie Gonzalez HomeAid Inland Empire Julie Reay Martha’s Village & Kitchen Linda Barrack Riverside County Natalie Komuro RUHS-Behavioral Health Marcus Cannon The Salvation Army Kristina Starke

Others Present

Cathedral City Mayor John Aguilar Councilmember Rita Lamb Charlie McClendon

Cathedral City Resident Chris Roesner Clinicas De Salud Del Pueblo Claudia F. Galvez CVAG/Riverside County Greg Rodriguez CVAG

Tom Kirk Tom Cox Libby Carlson Erica Felci

CVRM Thomas Sampson Desert Aids Project Bruce Yeager

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Desert Healthcare District Dr. Conrado Barzaga Donna Craig

Jewish Family Services of the Desert Maureen Forman Molina Healthcare Jacqueline Portilla National CORE Tony Mize Olive Crest Julie Jeffery Operation Safe House/Harrison House Marcus Martinez Palm Springs Resident Tony Krohn Path of Life Ministries Casey Jackson

Jennifer Gonzalez Riverside County Housing Authority Mike Walsh Riverside County Probation Department Shelley Vedrode Street Life Project Christian Jelmsberg Well In the Desert Sandra Curry

3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - Led by Director Rogers.

4. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS

• Christian Jelmsberg addressed the Committee regarding Item 7A.

5. CHAIR / EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COMMENTS

• Chair Holstege welcomed Cathedral City alternate Councilmember Gutierrez, Indio Councilmember Fermon, and Indian Wells Councilmember Reed.

• Vice Chair Peña welcomed Mayor Aguilar of Cathedral City.

• Supervisor Perez reported on progress being made by the Governor’s homelessness task force.

• Councilmember Jonathan asked Supervisor Perez to advocate for local control on behalf of Coachella Valley cities.

• Mayor Pro Tem Pye expressed concerns about a potential constitutional amendment.

6. CONSENT CALENDAR

A. Approve the November 20, 2019 Homeless Committee Meeting Minutes

IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILMEMBER TOWNSEND AND SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR PEÑA TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 20, 2019 HOMELESSNESS COMMITTEE MEETING.

THE MOTION CARRIED WITH 9 AYES, 1 ABSTENTION AND 2 ABSENT.

Councilmember Johnny Gonzalez Absent Councilmember Ernesto Gutierrez Abstain Councilmember Josie Gonzalez Absent Mayor Pro Tem Jan Pye Aye Councilmember Dana Reed Aye Councilmember Waymond Fermon Aye Councilmember John Peña Aye Councilmember Sabby Jonathan Aye Mayor Pro Tem Christy Holstege Aye Councilmember Charles Townsend Aye

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Director Carol Rogers Aye Supervisor V. Manuel Perez Aye

7. DISCUSSION / ACTION

A. Input on use of $10M State Funding Allocation for Addressing Homelessness in Palm Springs

Greg Rodriguez summarized the proposed recommendation to use the funds for an access point with shelter beds plus a housing component. Chair Holstege provided additional background and invited anyone to provide input to the City of Palm Springs by letter before January 29.

Councilmember Jonathan concurred with the staff recommendation and further recommended that the Committee’s input be transmitted by a letter referencing that the proposed use is aligned with CVAG goals and be of benefit to the entire Valley.

IT WAS MOVED BY COUNCILMEMBER JONATHAN AND SECONDED BY SUPERVISOR PEREZ TO CONSIDER SENDING A COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION VIA LETTER TO THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS FOR USE OF THE $10M STATE FUNDING ALLOCATION FOR A WEST VALLEY NAVIGATION CENTER.

THE MOTION CARRIED WITH 10 AYES and 2 ABSENT.

Councilmember Johnny Gonzalez Absent Councilmember Ernesto Gutierrez Aye Councilmember Josie Gonzalez Absent Mayor Pro Tem Jan Pye Aye Councilmember Dana Reed Aye Councilmember Waymond Fermon Aye Councilmember John Peña Aye Councilmember Sabby Jonathan Aye Mayor Pro Tem Christy Holstege Aye Councilmember Charles Townsend Aye Director Carol Rogers Aye Supervisor V. Manuel Perez Aye

Prior to leaving the meeting at 10:40 am, in reference to Item 7C, Councilmember Jonathan noted that Palm Desert would use CDBG funds to lease a crisis stabilization unit to Path of Life.

B. Coachella Valley Homelessness Collaborative Planning Update Greg Rodriguez provided an update on collaborative planning and implementation. Several Committee members volunteered or recommended volunteers to participate in the ad hoc subcommittee. IT WAS MOVED BY MAYOR PRO TEM PYE AND SECONDED BY DIRECTOR ROGERS TO FORM A SUBCOMMITTEE TO ADVISE ON THE CV HEART COLLABORATIVE STRUCTURE AND IMPLEMENTATION.

THE MOTION CARRIED WITH 9 AYES and 3 ABSENT.

Councilmember Johnny Gonzalez Absent Councilmember Ernesto Gutierrez Aye Councilmember Josie Gonzalez Absent

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Mayor Pro Tem Jan Pye Aye Councilmember Dana Reed Aye Councilmember Waymond Fermon Aye Councilmember John Peña Aye Councilmember Sabby Jonathan Absent Mayor Pro Tem Christy Holstege Aye Councilmember Charles Townsend Aye Director Carol Rogers Aye Supervisor V. Manuel Perez Aye

C. Call to Action: Crisis Stabilization Housing Units

Tom Cox gave a status update on the planning process and timeline. Casey Jackson from Path of Life and Greg Rodriquez offered additional background information on crisis stabilization housing. Chair Holstege requested that the letter be revised to be more direct and include specific ways cities could contribute.

IT WAS MOVED BY VICE CHAIR PEÑA AND SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER GUITERREZ TO AUTHORIZE THE COMMITTEE CHAIR TO REQUEST THAT EACH CITY HELP INCREASE THE NUMBER OF CV HOUSING FIRST CRISIS STABILIZATION / TRANSITIONAL HOUSING UNITS.

THE MOTION CARRIED WITH 9 AYES AND 3 ABSENT.

Councilmember Johnny Gonzalez Absent Councilmember Ernesto Gutierrez Aye Councilmember Josie Gonzalez Absent Mayor Pro Tem Jan Pye Aye Councilmember Dana Reed Aye Councilmember Waymond Fermon Aye Councilmember John Peña Aye Councilmember Sabby Jonathan Absent Mayor Pro Tem Christy Holstege Aye Councilmember Charles Townsend Aye Director Carol Rogers Aye Supervisor V. Manuel Perez Aye

D. Follow Up to December 2, 2019 Executive Committee Action Related to CV Housing

First Tom Cox gave a status report on follow up requested at the December 2, 2019 Executive Committee meeting as part of the discussion regarding CV Housing First.

Committee members expressed support for strengthened coordination between law enforcement, homeless service providers, and County probation officers.

8. INFORMATION

A. Attendance Record

B. CV Housing First FY19/20 Quarterly Performance Report

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C. Ex Officio Updates

• Julie Bornstein, Coachella Valley Housing Coalition, reported on collaboration strategies, completed projects, and her upcoming retirement.

• Darla Burkett, CVRM, clarified that CVRM also follows a housing first model; reported on 3 people recently housed by CVRM; and concurred about the difficulty of finding housing units.

• Angelina Coe, Shelter from the Storm, reported on programs to support families and outreach to children.

D. CVAG Homelessness Fund Financial Report

9. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS

• Tony Mize, National CORE, addressed the Committee regarding affordable housing projects planned and in progress.

• Chris Roesner, Cathedral City resident, addressed the Committee regarding strategies in use by the State of Connecticut.

• Tony Krohn, Palm Springs resident, addressed the Committee regarding public outreach and education.

10. ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Director Rogers announced the County’s annual Point in Time Count on January 29.

• Greg Rodriguez reported on new funding opportunities.

• Supervisor Perez thanked Julie Bornstein for her work and leadership; and reported that homelessness and housing would be the County’s top priority for 2020. Supervisor Perez also encouraged people to advocate with the County for needed improvements.

Upcoming meetings:

• Executive Committee – January 27 at 4:30 pm

• Homelessness Committee – February 19 at 10 am

11. ADJOURN - The meeting was adjourned at 11:41 am.

Respectfully submitted, Tom Cox

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Item 6B

Staff Report Subject: CV Housing First 2020 Funding Request Contact: Tom Cox ([email protected]) Recommendation: Authorize the Executive Director to issue a request that member jurisdictions consider renewing financial commitment to CV Housing First funding in 2020. Background: In 2008, the CVAG Executive Committee authorized the action that each city be asked

to contribute toward the operation of Roy’s Desert Resource Center. These contributions were in

addition to funding provided by Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Riverside County, and other

partners. When Roy’s Desert Resource Center closed in 2017, this funding was redirected to the

‘West Valley Navigation Program’ operated by Path of Life following a competitive bid process. Later

that year, the Desert Healthcare District/Foundation adopted a dollar for dollar matching program for

contributions to address homelessness in Coachella Valley. This encouraged more cities to pitch in

to support regional coordination, and the program expanded to encompass the entire Valley as ‘CV

Housing First’. In 2019, 8 of 9 cities, plus Agua Caliente and the County, pledged to contribute to the

program, generating an additional $800,000 through the Desert Healthcare District’s match.

contributed. This continuity in funding has ensured that the CV Housing First program could continue

to grow and evolve with a demonstrated solid track record for getting people housed and helping

them stay housed over the long term.

Unfortunately, homelessness continues to be a growing issue in our region and throughout the State.

As a top priority of Governor Newsom, new funding to address the homelessness and housing crisis

are coming online this year. Additional funding strategies will be considered as part of the

implementation of the CV HEART collaborative. While these opportunities will be explored,

evaluated, and pursued as they become available, staff requests that CVAG member jurisdictions

consider renewing their financial commitment to CV Housing First in 2020 in order to preserve

continuity of services. The Desert Healthcare District has not made a formal decision regarding

extension of the matching program.

Fiscal Impact: In 2019, 8 of 9 cities contributed $100,000 to the program and the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians contributed $30,000. If these financial commitments are renewed, an additional $830,000 would be generated to prevent a gap in regional homeless services in Coachella Valley.

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mailto:[email protected]

Item 7B

Staff Report Subject: Consideration of legislation to create funding options for affordable housing and

related programs in the Coachella Valley Contact: Erica Felci, Governmental Projects Manager ([email protected]) Recommendation: Provide a recommendation to the Executive Committee about pursuing legislation that provides flexibility on funding sources for the Coachella Valley Background: At the January 27, 2020 meeting, the CVAG Executive Committee had an extensive discussion about regional solutions to addressing homelessness that was led by Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, who was appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to statewide task force on this issue. As part of the discussion, Supervisor Perez indicated that the region could consider whether additional funding for affordable housing and related programs, generated through a sales tax, should be part of the solution. Supervisor Perez has also asked CVAG staff to present some ideas in order to get feedback from its committees. Addressing homelessness and affordable housing is a complex issue. CVAG has long been a partner in regional solutions, first with Roy’s Desert Resource Center in north Palm Springs and then through the development and successful implementation of CV Housing First. One of the guiding principles through these programs is that there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. CVAG’s committees have continually looked to adjust the programs that are offered to best meet the changing needs of the community. At the same time, CVAG and its member jurisdictions have acknowledged that more needs to be done. Consider the following:

• Gov. Newsom has made addressing homelessness as a top priority for California. The results of January’s Point In Time count are being compiled, but the previous count indicated increases in the number of unsheltered individuals in Riverside County. In the nine Coachella Valley cities, there were 466 individuals counted in 2019, up from 410 individuals counted one year before.

• There is a need for more affordable housing options. According to Lift to Rise — a collaborative that set a goal of bringing an additional 10,000 units in 10 years — a household is considered “rent burdened” if rent comprises more than 30 percent of its total income. Their data shows more than half of the households in the Coachella Valley are rent burdened. This is especially concerning for lower-income individuals and families, as the research shows 79 percent of households that earn less than $50,000 per year are rent burdened.

• Transportation funding is increasingly being tied to housing programs. This has been seen in a number of grant programs, including the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities funding that the City of Coachella was recently successful in securing. Gov. Newsom has also shown an interest in making SB 1 gas tax revenue to cities dependent on whether the cities are meeting their goals under the state’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation and Housing Mandates (RHNA).

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The Coachella Valley is not alone in this struggle. A February 7, 2020 article in The Atlantic headlined “The Great Affordability Crisis Breaking America” stated that roughly two in five American adults would struggle to come up with $400 to cover an emergency cost, be it healthcare, problems with a vehicle or an unexpected living expense. As the article states, “Along with the rise of inequality, the slowdown in productivity growth, and the shrinking of the middle class, the spiraling cost of living has become a central facet of American economic life. … The price of housing represents the most acute part of this crisis.” Communities in the San Francisco Bay Area took on this crisis with a bold idea: the creation of the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority. The authority was established through legislation in 2019 and it creates a new entity, governed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, that has broad taxing authorities. As described in the legislative analysis, the bill provides the new Authority “with new tools to raise billions of dollars to fund the production, preservation, and protection of affordable housing. It would enable the region to support local jurisdictions by providing additional funding to address infrastructure and other needs associated with new residents.” The array of funding options that were authorized by the legislation include parcel taxes, gross receipts business license taxes, commercial linkage fees, and other special taxes, pending voter approval. Revenue generated wouldn’t be limited to the production or preservation of affordable housing. The funding, based on the legislation, could also be used toward homelessness services, tenant protection programs and “infrastructure needs associated with increased housing production, including but not limited to transportation, schools and parks.” The legislation moved forward after the development of the region’s Casa Compact, which is a 15-year policy package that was developed by a multitude of stakeholders in the Bay Area. While the San Francisco concept is certainly ambitious, there could be more incremental and focused strategies that are pursued this year, including creating a sales tax district. Unlike other parts of the country, Riverside County voters have demonstrated an interest and willingness to take financial control over programs. Riverside County is one of 25 “self-help” counties in California, as their transportation agencies have implemented sales taxes to locally fund transportation projects. Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) has had ongoing discussions about whether to pursue another sales tax measure to fund projects and improve mobility. The possible measure was outlined by Assembly Bill 1189 that was chaptered in 2017. The legislation also states that the new sales tax measure would be excluded from the cap on local sales taxes, which combined cannot exceed 2 percent unless exempted by legislation. RCTC polling has shown the strongest support for a sales tax measure for transportation is in the Coachella Valley, where voters overwhelmingly want to ensure the revenues generated here are spent here. In 2019, RCTC commissioners who represent the Coachella Valley considered adding the region to Assembly Bill 1413. The legislation, authored by Assemblyman Todd Gloria (D-San Diego), would allow local transportation authorities in San Diego, Placer and Solano Counties to impose a tax on only part of, or a subdivision of, their jurisdiction. Essentially, it allows those agencies to create a taxing district of contiguous cities and, upon voter approval, the revenue from any tax would only be spent in that area. RCTC was not added to this legislation, which was signed by the Governor, but Commissioners in the Coachella Valley discussed it as an option in the future should the countywide measure not be pursued or not be supported by voters. At the same time, communities are looking at sales taxes as a way to provide a consistent funding stream to address homelessness and provide options for those struggling to keep a roof over their heads. Voters in the County of Los Angeles in 2017 passed Measure H, which is a quarter-cent sales tax that is raising about $355 million annually for 10 years. The multi-faceted action plan includes

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subsidizing housing, increasing the availability of units, providing case management and wrap-around services. It used to be that tax measures would be done at a countywide level or a citywide level. The significance of AB 1413 is that it built on earlier legislation to establish a new precedent in California: Regions could create a sub-county, but multiple city, taxing district. This allows for a region to make their own determinations about funding, without the decision being held up by an entire county that may or may not share similar views on locally generated funding. There are various ways to approach this idea for the Coachella Valley. For example, Riverside County could seek a countywide measure or, with legislation, take steps to create a sales tax district in just the Coachella Valley. However, this approach could be politically problematic. In that case, a measure would likely require a four-fifths vote by the Supervisors in order to be put on the ballot. And, while this discussion was sparked by Supervisor Perez, some of his colleagues on the Board of Supervisors have been outspoken in their opposition to continuing a conversation about the RCTC sales tax measure. This route would also mean that the Coachella Valley’s dollars are being sent to Riverside and the expenditures would be determined by elected officials who may not be from the desert. CVAG’s unique role in overseeing transportation and homelessness programs puts it in a position to take the lead on discussions about a sales tax measure specific to the Coachella Valley. But regardless of who leads a sales tax measure in the Coachella Valley, legislation would be needed to clarify the Coachella Valley’s taxation authority. This legislation could mirror the precedent set by earlier legislation. There is political willingness in Sacramento for local and regional initiatives that address homelessness and the housing crisis. CVAG staff has also reached out to Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella), who authored AB 1189 for RCTC. Assemblyman Garcia has indicated his willingness to author legislation for the Coachella Valley this year, should the Executive Committee show its support. It is important to note that pursuing legislation does not bind CVAG to putting a sales tax measure on any future ballot. What it does is provide options for the CVAG Executive Committee to consider in the future as it pertains to affordable housing, homelessness or its other programs, including transportation. A ballot measure specific to generating funding for affordable housing and related programs would ultimately need to be approved by two-thirds of voters. Because of timing, this issue was not presented to the Transportation Committee, which last met before the January 27 Executive Committee discussion and does not meet again until March. The legislative deadline for introducing bills is February 21. Assemblyman Garcia has introduced a placeholder bill pending the discussion and decision by the Executive Committee, which meets February 24. Fiscal Analysis: The funding raised would be dependent on the percentage of the sales tax that is approved by voters. Based on economic projections compiled by RCTC, a quarter-cent sales tax could generate about $23 million annually in the Coachella Valley for affordable housing and related programs. A half-cent sales tax could generate about $46 million annually. This is projected to increase over time with population and economic growth. However, the amount generated would depend on whether the sales tax was charged valley-wide, or in only a subdivision of CVAG’s jurisdiction. Having locally generated, and locally controlled funding will have additional benefits beyond what’s funded by the revenue generated. For example, it could be used as increased leverage to secure affordable housing funds from other sources and increase the investments in the Coachella Valley.

While there are other ways to generate revenue, a sales tax dedicated to affordable housing investments and related programs is something that would be borne across the board. A parcel tax or a

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vacant home tax, which have been researched in other communities, would only be imposed on property owners. In a destination community such as the Coachella Valley, the revenue from a sales tax would also be generated by out-of-town visitors. The City of Palm Springs, for instance, estimated during the 2011 Measure J campaign that 67 percent of the sales tax would be paid by tourists during peak season. Staff Analysis: CVAG staff is seeking feedback from the Homelessness Committee and is not providing a recommended motion at this time. However, if there is interest in adding financing options to the potential toolbox of solutions, CVAG staff would suggest that the Coachella Valley pursue legislation this year that would set the stage for future sales tax considerations related to homelessness, affordable housing, transportation and related programs. Such legislation could be shaped around the following principles:

• Start focused: Given the tight timeframe, CVAG staff would recommend that legislation be shaped more in line with the precedent of AB 1413 and not the Bay Area’s ambitious approach. Should the Coachella Valley show an interest in more broadly exploring additional financing issues, it could be further researched at the same time that sales tax-related legislation was moving forward in Sacramento.

• Financial considerations: The legislation should exclude any Coachella Valley sales tax measure from the cap on local taxes. In addition to the statewide sales tax, the combined rate of additional local taxes is capped at 2 percent. Certain taxes are exempted from this cap via legislation, including RCTC’s future measure. CVAG staff would recommend the same exclusion be included in any Coachella Valley legislation, so it does not impede the cities’ ability to consider its own tax options in the future.

• Geographic flexibility: The legislation should provide flexibility for the Coachella Valley’s future options in terms of creating a taxing district. A future tax measure could include the entire Coachella Valley or a sub-district within the desert. The Coachella Valley might also consider creating a new joint powers authority through CVAG – similar to the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission or Desert Community Energy – that focuses solely on this issue and on the communities involved in the taxation district.

• Timing with voters: The legislation should not include an urgency clause. There are a number of potential measures being discussed for the 2020 ballot, including the RCTC sales tax measure, and it should be clear that the Coachella Valley’s measure is not trying to compete with these efforts. Instead, staff would recommend that CVAG take additional time to collaborate with member jurisdictions, community organizations and stakeholders to develop ideas that could ultimately determine how the money is invested in the community. Based on the community feedback and direction from CVAG’s committees, CVAG staff could present options for the election cycles in 2022 or later.

• Providing options: While this conversation stems from Supervisor Perez’s ideas about funding affordable housing and homelessness programs, there have been separate conversations among the Coachella Valley’s RCTC commissioners about future options for transportation. There may be interest in the future in pursuing one or the other, or even creating a sales tax measure that links them in the same way that state funding does. CVAG does not want to be in the position of seeking clarifying legislation in the future, so staff would recommend that legislation be broad in terms of topics and programs in order to allow the CVAG Executive Committee to retain its options for the future.

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Barbara Poppe and Associates The collective for impact

Report to the City of Palm Springs: HHAP Consultation

Recommendations to reduce homelessness and improve outcomes, effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability

Prepared by:

Barbara Poppe and Associates

January 31, 2020

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Item 7C

HHAP Consultation Report

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Barbara Poppe and associates The collective for impact

About the Author

Barbara Poppe Founder and principal Barbara Poppe and associates

Barbara Poppe is the founder of Barbara Poppe and Associates and the former executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. Ms. Poppe is a nationally recognized expert on homelessness and results-driven public-private partnerships.

Ms. Poppe served as the Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness from November 2009 to March 2014. During her tenure, Poppe oversaw the Federal response to homelessness by working with 19 Federal agencies to create partnerships at every level of government and with the private sector to reduce and end homelessness. In June 2010, Barbara Poppe and four Cabinet Secretaries announced Opening Doors, the nation’s first-ever comprehensive Federal plan to prevent and end homelessness.

Ms. Poppe served as the executive director of the nationally recognized Community Shelter Board (Columbus, Ohio) from October 1995 to November 2009. She holds a Masters of Science degree in Epidemiology from the University of Cincinnati.

Barbara Poppe and Associates, established in 2014, is an independent consulting firm that develops the capacity of communities and organizations to tackle complex issues using a collaborative systems approach to achieves results and impact.

Ms. Poppe serves on the national board of the Enterprise Community Partners and the national advisory board for the Center for Evidence-based Solution to Homelessness.

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Table of Contents

Overview and background 4

Recommendations 10

Leadership and accountability 11

Youth set-aside 11

Housing 12

Reducing inflow and prevention 15

Crisis Response 16

Additional recommendations 17

Closing 17

Appendix

A. Recommended initial allocation by HHAP category

B. Notes: Focus Group with people with lived experience of homelessness

C. Summary Report: Key Leader Interview

D. Glossary of Terms

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Overview and background The Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention Program (HHAP) is a State of California block grant program designed to provide jurisdictions with one-time grant funds to support regional coordination and expand or develop local capacity to address their immediate homelessness challenges. Spending must be informed by a best-practices framework focused on moving homeless individuals and families into permanent housing and supporting the efforts of those individuals and families to maintain their permanent housing. The City of Palm Springs is slated to receive a dedicated portion of the appropriation and is able to apply for $10 million. The application and required documents must be submitted no later than midnight on February 15, 2020.

Eligible Uses for HHAP

The HHAP program requires grantees to expend funds on evidence-based solutions that address and prevent homelessness among eligible populations.

§ Rental assistance and rapid rehousing; § Operating subsidies in new and existing affordable or supportive housing units, emergency shelters,

and navigation centers. Operating subsidies may include operating reserves; § Landlord Incentives (including, but not limited to, security deposits and holding fees); § Outreach and coordination (which may include access to job programs) to assist vulnerable

populations in accessing permanent housing stability in supportive housing; § Systems support for activities necessary to create regional partnerships and maintain a homeless

services and housing delivery system; § Delivery of permanent housing and innovative housing solutions (such as hotel and motel

conversions); § Prevention and shelter diversion to permanent housing; and § New navigation centers and emergency shelters based on demonstrated need. Demonstrated need

for new navigation centers and emergency shelters shall be based on the following: (a) The number of available shelter beds in the jurisdiction; (b) The shelter vacancy rate in the summer and winter months; (c) The percentage of exits from emergency shelters to permanent housing solutions; and (d) A plan to connect residents to permanent housing.

In addition to specifying the proposed uses of the funds, the City must:

§ Use at least 8 percent of the program allocation for services to meet the specific needs for homeless youth populations

§ Demonstrate regional coordination as outlined in the HHAP program guidance

§ Submit a plan specifying alignment of funds and goals, strategies, and services, both short-term and long-term, to reduce homelessness and make it non-recurring

§ Participate in the Riverside County’s Homeless Management Information System

Process to Develop the City of Palm Springs’ 2020 HHAP Application

The City of Palm Springs City Council will decide on the proposed uses of HHAP to be submitted in the

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application. A public meeting occurred on January 29, 2020 at 6:00PM at the Convention Center. The City Manager is responsible for preparing and ensuring the timely submission of the Palm Springs proposal to State.

Barbara Poppe and Associates was hired to provide independent consultation to the City of Palm Springs. Ms. Poppe was selected to advance her earlier recommendations contained in “The Path Forward: recommendations to advance an end to homelessness in the Coachella Valley” and accelerate progress on reducing unsheltered homelessness in Palm Springs. The HHAP consultation included sharing best practices and strategies that other communities have successfully implemented, reviewing reports about homelessness in Palm Springs, conducting interviews with key leaders with expertise on homelessness in the Coachella Valley, providing preliminary recommendations during a public meeting, and providing final recommendations in this written report.

Goal for the City of Palm Springs’ HHAP Application

Develop a proposal that:

§ conforms to the HHAP requirements § contributes to measurable reduction in homelessness within Palm Springs § aligns with and support the regional approach to homelessness § identifies cost efficient, rapidly deployable, building technologies, practices, financing strategies,

and policies that can be implemented in Palm Springs and replicated in other communities § leverages other funding sources, partnerships, and resources § invests in projects that are best able to be sustained beyond these one-time HHAP investment

Impacts and estimates of homelessness The negative impacts of homelessness and housing instability have been well documented. Stable housing improves child, youth, and adult outcomes for health, education, and economic well-being. Communities which strive to ensure that all households are safely and stably housed will also achieve the ambitious goal of ending and preventing homelessness. To attain the vision, communities must implement and invest in best practices, tailor solutions to their community’s specific assets and needs, and mobilize the broader community to stem the flow of families and individuals into homelessness and avoid entry into the homelessness response system. Policy that supports and encourages public-private strategies and investments is a critical ingredient for success.

Given the significant opportunity presented by this significant, flexible funding award from the State of California, the City of Palm Springs should invest these funds only in proven solutions that will have long-lasting benefit to the wide range of individuals who experience homelessness. With a broad array of willing partners, the HHAP funds can leverage other resources, build upon the expertise of valued partners, and provide value for residents, businesses, and visitors to Palm Springs.

Housing is out of reach -

supply and affordability

Inadequate income –

chronic and crisis

Health issues – chronic and

crisis

Domestic violence & trauma -

recent and lifetime

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During the most recently published Point-In-Time (PIT) count (2019), 196 individuals were counted as unsheltered and homeless in Palm Springs; 11 were young adults (18-24), none were children, and 179 were adults older than 24. Thirty eight percent (38%) were chronically homeless and 76% identified as male. While most individuals do not become homeless due to disability or health condition, some do report serious health conditions and disabilities. See Figure 2 for more information from the 2019 PIT Count report published by Riverside County. Across the Coachella Valley and within Supervisory District 4, 612 individuals were counted. Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City counted 82 and 45 individuals respectively. Both Palm Springs and Cathedral City found significantly more individuals than in 2018. Due to the challenges inherent in a one-night, observational count, the PIT count does not represent the full extent of homeless in Palm Springs. Because homelessness is episodic for most individuals, an annual count of homelessness would be much greater.

The high rate of unsheltered homelessness across the Coachella Valley is particularly troubling. An unpublished report by Dr. Stephen Metraux at the University of Delaware reports:

A study by the California Policy Lab that compared people in unsheltered situations to their sheltered counterparts found that the unsheltered population was older and had substantially higher levels of health conditions and health care needs. They also had more frequently experienced incidents of abuse and trauma. Living in unsheltered circumstances not only exacerbated these conditions, but also created additional barriers to accessing needed health care and related services. This goes at least some ways toward explaining increased levels of mortality and reduced life expectancy (in the low-60s age range) that researchers have found among the homeless population.i

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Figure 1. Point-In-Time Count, Riverside County, 2019 http://dpss.co.riverside.ca.us/files/pit/pit-count-report-final.pdf

Themes from focus group (see Appendix for complete notes)

§ Access to affordable housing is essential – access units, help with rent and move-in costs § Ability to receive safe shelter, bring pets, have access to showers, restrooms, and laundry, need for

safe, accessible personal storage § Services to help find housing, deal with depression, access treatment (if needed) § Being treated with dignity and respect – being free from harassment and discrimination § One size doesn’t fit all – everyone deserves help § Build from the programs and services – fill the gaps – local providers are very good (varied opinions

on specifics) and should work together § Variety of options for housing is desired from basic dorms to shared housing to independent units to

permanent supportive housing § Don’t create new bureaucracy § Get county to provide same day eligibility rather than long waits § ACT WITH URGENCY

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Given the diversity of individuals who experience homelessness, the Palm Springs response will need to carefully consider how to meet the unique assets and challenges of each individual.

Researchers are reporting that the aged homeless population is growing rapidly and will continue to grow for the next decade.ii This phenomenon was supported by local leaders who report seeing a growing population of older adults.

LGBTQ youth and young adults are also more likely to experience homelessness. Transgender people of all ages also have greater rates of homelessness and more challenges accessing resources due to discrimination. While the number of transgender people is not known, national estimates suggest that 0.6% of the US population is transgender so transgender population of Riverside County is estimated to be 14,166 individuals.iii See text box.

The City of Palm Springs is an active participant in the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) and has the opportunity to leverage and align its HHAP investment with the work of the CVAG homeless committee. CVAG is implementing many recommendations contained in the report commissioned by the Desert Healthcare District - The Path Forward: recommendations to advance an end to homelessness in the Coachella Valley.

High Rates of Homelessness Among Transgender People

Homelessness is also a critical issue for transgender people, with one in five having experienced homelessness at some time in their lives because of discrimination and/or family rejection. As a result, an estimated 20-40% of the more than 1.6 million homeless youth in the United States are LGBT. A ten-year federal plan to prevent and end homelessness has made significant progress but has been limited by the slow economic recovery and inadequate federal, state, and local investments in affordable housing and programs to quickly help people move into permanent housing. Transgender people facing homelessness also face discrimination from or at agencies that should be helping them, with nearly one in three (29%) reporting being turned away from a shelter due to their transgender status and 22% of those who stayed at a shelter reported experiencing sexual assault from staff or other residents. While leading experts on homelessness recommend providing emergency housing consistent with a person’s gender identity, 42% of trans people facing homelessness have been forced to stay in a shelter living as the wrong gender. A 2015 survey in four states similarly found that homeless shelters for women routinely refused to admit transgender women.

Excerpt from chapter 2: NCTE | BLUEPRINT FOR EQUALITY: A TRANSGENDER FEDERAL AGENDA

https://www.transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/resources/NCTE%20Federal%20Blueprint%20Chapter%202%20Housing%20and%20Homelessness_0.pdf

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Key Definitions (see Appendix for a glossary of terms and definitions)

Bridge Housing is interim housing used as a short-term stay when an individual has been offered and accepted a permanent housing intervention but, is not able to immediately enter the permanent housing. It may also be offered to individuals/households which are not well-served by congregate shelters, e.g. transgender people, families with children, seniors, etc. AKA – Crisis Stabilization Housing in Coachella Valley.

Host home: A short-term housing option that provides a safe living environment and client-driven supportive services to youth 18-24 who have experienced homelessness. Each youth enrolled in the program is matched with a community host and lives in a room or shared room in the host’s home (owned or rented). Hosts also live in the home. Youth may remain in the program for up to six months. While participating in the program, youth receive supportive services to help them meet goals related to employment and education, social and emotional well-being, stable housing, and other areas. Hosts receive training and ongoing coaching, including support with crisis intervention. Rent and utilities are provided free of charge to all youth. Hosts may receive a modest monthly stipend.

Navigation Center (HHAP definition) Housing First, low-barrier, service-enriched shelter that is focused on moving homeless individuals and families into permanent housing and provides temporary living facilities while case managers connect individuals experiencing homelessness to income, public benefits, health services, shelter, and housing.

Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is decent, safe, affordable, community-based housing that provides disabled tenants with the rights of tenancy and links to voluntary and flexible supports and services for people with disabilities who are experiencing chronic homelessness.

Rapid resolution is aimed at keeping households from becoming homeless by providing services that permit them to stay safely in current housing or, if that is not possible, move to other housing without lapsing into homelessness. Priority is given to households who are most likely to be admitted to shelters or be unsheltered if not for this assistance.

Rapid Rehousing includes housing identification, rent and move-in financial assistance, case management, and other services available to households who have become homeless. This approach places a priority on moving a family or individual experiencing homelessness into permanent housing as quickly as possible, and then working with the household for an extended period—from several months to two years—to meet their living expenses.

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Recommendations To truly reduce unsheltered homelessness in Palm Springs, it is essential that there be many more ways for people to exit homelessness. Only housing offers an enduring solution to homelessness. By increasing housing options, the crisis response will be more effective and efficient. Investment in housing can also leverage significant public and private resources. Prevention and reducing inflow are also cost-efficient and humane ways to reduce demand on the crisis response. Finally, HHAP should be viewed as a catalyst to encourage more private, faith-based, and volunteer support that can extend resources to expand crisis response.

The following table represents the overall recommended use of funds by major category.

Use of Funds Total

Youth set-aside (mandatory) 8% $ 800,000

New housing and services 85% $ 8,500,000

Admin, leadership & accountability 7% $ 700,000

Planning/CES/HMIS 0%

$ 10,000,000

The following table represents the recommended use of funds by area. See Appendix C for a table by HHAP category.

Overall use of funds $ 10,000,000 Admin, accountability, and leadership $ 700,000 7%

of total Prevention $ 800,000 8%

New housing and programs $ 8,500,000 85%

Housing $ 5,950,000 70% of new housing and programs Prevention $ 850,000 10%

Crisis Response $ 1,700,000 20%

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Aggregated use of funds non-admin funds

Housing $ 6,450,000 69% of all housing and programs

Prevention $ 1,150,000 12%

Crisis Response $ 1,700,000 18%

$

9,300,000

Leadership and accountability

Providing transparent decision-making and accountability will be critical to community buy-in and overall success of the HHAP.

Specific Recommendations:

1) Develop and implement contract/grant standards for performance and outcomes, HMIS participation, collaboration with other providers, alignment with best practices, and compliance on all city grants (in addition to HHAP) – require regular reports to the Council committee.

2) Launch civic engagement campaign to raise private funding and capital investment, pro bono services, and build cohesive community response to address homelessness.

3) Dedicate a full-time position to function as Housing Initiatives Director and collaborate with CVAG, the Continuum of Care, Riverside County, and others – develop clear action plan with benchmarks and metrics and provide regular reports to the Council committee.

4) Require all HHAP grantees to train staff to deliver culturally competent services and utilize training offerings from local organizations that represent disadvantaged populations.

5) Convene a Community Advisory Committee composed of people with lived experience of homelessness to guide the City in planning, implementation and monitoring of HHAP funded efforts. This CAC should be convened monthly by the Housing Initiatives Director and periodically report to the Council committee.

6) HHAP funds should be awarded through an RFP process. The City could convene an ad hoc task force to design the RFPs and assist with review and ranking of the proposals.

Youth Set-Aside

According to Palm Springs Unified District (PSUSD), the number of homeless children age 12 and up was 876 for school year 2018/29. There is not a solid count of homeless youth and young adults. Nonetheless, advocates and youth providers believe homelessness among youth/young adults is a serious problem. The following recommendations are based on best practices for this population that can be implemented using HHAP funding. All services should be Housing First and have low threshold admission and participation requirements that are developmentally appropriate.


1) Invest in flexible financial assistance for prevention and rehousing. HHAP funds could pay for diversion, rent, other housing, etc. either to prevent or end literal homelessness.

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o The fund could be administered by a single nonprofit entity who partners with and establishes MOUs with 1) Palm Springs Unified District homeless liaisons/coordinators working in middle and high school; 2) youth serving agencies including LGBTQ organizations; and 3) other agencies that serve homeless youth/young adults. Partner Agencies would do screening, eligibility determination, and forward applications to the fund administrator who cuts checks/ensures compliance with HHAP requirements. The fund administrator should be chosen through competitive RFP.

§ Note: Seattle established a centralized diversion fund (this would be broadened to include assistance for longer periods of time, especially to stabilize youth who are completing education/training/treatment)iv.

o Alternatively, a competitive RFP could be issued for multiple agencies to receive grants to administer decentralized flexible financial assistance.

2) Invest in Rapid Rehousing and/or Host Homes to serve target population of homeless youth within PSUSD boundaries. HHAP funds could be used to cover costs to provide rental assistance and housing supports for RRH participants and to pay for stipends to hosts, financial assistance for the youth, and costs associated with recruiting, training, and monitoring hosts. A competitive RFP should be issued to select agencies to sponsor RRH and/or Host Homes.

3) An ad hoc committee of youth with lived experience of homelessness, advocates, and youth development experts should be consulted to develop the RFPs implemented for the Youth set-aside programs. The Coachella Valley Coalition on Youth Homelessness may be a resource to this ad hoc committee.

4) If feasible, the City of Palm Springs may want to collaborate with Riverside County and the CoC to align efforts.

Housing

Only housing offers an enduring solution to homelessness. By increasing housing options, the crisis response will be more effective and efficient. Investment in housing can also leverage significant public and private resources.


1) Invest in landlord engagement and incentives to assist households access apartments. The fund could be administered by a single nonprofit entity who partners with and establishes MOUs with organizations that serving individuals/households served by HHAP funded initiatives. A competitive RFP should be issued to select the organization that will administer landlord engagement and incentives.

To enhance housing placement options and support through landlord engagement and recruitment, incentivizing landlords to rent to individuals/households served by HHAP funded initiatives.

Landlord mitigation fund –a mitigation fund is an added protection for landlords who are willing to reduce screening criteria to rent to someone with limited income, poor rental history, history as a survivor of domestic violence, etc. If there are excessive damages to the unit, lost rent, or legal fees beyond the security deposit, property owners can be reimbursed for damages up to a specific

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amount. This strategy has been particularly helpful in areas with extremely low vacancy rates. It can serve as both a damage fund and short-term vacancy reimbursement, so the unit is not lost to the larger market.

Landlord incentives and move-in costs – additional incentives for landlords who are willing to reduce screening criteria to rent to someone with limited income, poor rental history, history as a survivor of domestic violence, etc. and that are required beyond standard costs (e.g. first month’s rent and security deposits). This may include a bonus for holding a unit during the inspection period, double security deposit, and rent guarantees.

2) Invest in one shot and rapid rehousing financial assistance to exit homelessness. The fund could be administered by a single nonprofit entity who partners with and establishes MOUs with organizations that serving individuals/households served by HHAP funded initiatives. A competitive RFP should be issued to select the organization that will administer landlord engagement and incentives. Alternatively, a competitive RFP could be issued for multiple agencies to receive grants to administer decentralized flexible financial assistance.

One-shot financial assistance to cover the initial housing costs, e.g. application fees, moving costs, security deposit and first month’s rent, can help individuals who do not require assistance with housing location and home-based services more quickly exit homelessness.

Rapid rehousing (RRH) offers a cost-efficient and effective way to help people exit homelessness. Rapid rehousing, informed by a Housing First approach, is a critical part of a Coachella Valley homeless crisis response system. Rapid rehousing rapidly connects individuals experiencing homelessness to permanent housing through a tailored package of assistance that may include the use of time-limited financial assistance and targeted supportive services. Assistance will range from 3 months to 24 months. There are three core components of rapid rehousing: 1) Housing Identification; 2) Rent and Move-In Assistance; and 3) Rapid Rehousing Case Management and Services. The HHAP funds should be targeted for rent and move-in assistance and project sponsors should leverage other resources to provide housing identification and rapid rehousing case management and services.

3) Create new PSH and bridge housing units

Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is critical to ending homelessness for people who experience chronic homelessness. By providing home-based services and subsidized rents, tenants with long histories of homelessness and chronic disabilities or health conditions can be successful living fully integrated into the community. As noted in this brief by HUDv,

Permanent supportive housing models that use a Housing First approach have been proven to be highly effective for ending homelessness, particularly for people experiencing chronic homelessness who have higher service needs. Studies such as HUD’s The Applicability of Housing First Models to Homeless Persons with Serious Mental Illness have shown that Housing First permanent supportive housing models result in long-term housing stability, improved physical and behavioral health outcomes, and reduced use of crisis services such as emergency departments, hospitals, and jails.

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Bridge housing (also known as Crisis Stabilization Housing in Coachella Valley) could serve three purposes:

§ Provide immediate safety and meet basic needs of households who are awaiting housing placement

§ Provide individuals and households which are not well-served by congregate shelters, e.g. transgender people, families with children, seniors, etc. Bridge housing could also

§ Serve as medical respite care for people who are too ill or frail to recover from a physical illness or injury but not sick enough to be hospitalized.

Buildings could include a mix of both PSH and Bridge Housing since the services are similar (subsidized rent based on income, housing case management, and supportive services). Locating units close to other services, including culturally competent health services, should be a priority.

While both PSH and Bridge Housing are currently be offered on a scattered site, tenant-based model in Palm Springs, due to the severe shortage of affordable rental units, it is recommended that HHAP funds be used to create access to new or rehabbed units.

There are many potential partners for development of PSH and Bridge Housing. These include:

• State of California as funding partner with many potential sources that could be accessed

• Lift to Rise, LISC/NEF, and/or Enterprise to help raise private capital

• Riverside County for HOME funds/other resources and pool SB 2 funds.

• Housing Authority for project-based housing vouchers

• Department of Behavioral Health for No Place Like Home investment, and ongoing intensive case management and other services; funding for bridge housing subsidies (on-demand)

• DPSS for funding for bridge housing subsidies (on-demand)

• Health Systems, Health Centers (e.g. Borrego, DAP, Clinicas, and County FQHCs) and IEHP for services, capital investment, and bridge housing subsidies

• Agua Caliente tribe, school system, churches, others who can provide free/low cost land

There are also many different approaches to development, including:

• Dedicate units within new affordable rental housing

• Rehab existing apartments and dedicate some/all units

Figure 2. Developing Permanent Supportive Housing requires these elements.

PSHLAND

CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT

RENTAL ASSISTANCE

(OPERATING)

SERVICES

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• Motel conversion

• Purchase scattered site condos

• New build on city owned or other free land

In addition to bringing HHAP funds for this effort, the City of Palm Springs should Identify potential sites and provide land, aggressively use state streamlining tools to expedite development and offer other incentives (beyond HHAP) to incentivize PSH and Bridge Housing development.

Reducing inflow and prevention

By determining what groups of people are most likely to become homeless and what triggers homelessness, it is possible to identify strategies to avoid homelessness. Not only is this a humane approach, it also is cost-effective.


1) Prevent homelessness for seniors at risk of eviction.

Emergency and shallow rental assistance for seniors who experience a financial crisis and/or rent increases that put their housing at risk. HHAP funds could pay for diversion, rent, other housing, etc. either to prevent or end literal homelessness. Shallow rental assistance could cover the cost of the rent increase for extremely low-income senior households. The fund could be administered by a single nonprofit entity who partners with and establishes MOUs with organizations that serve seniors. A competitive RFP should be issued to select the organization that will administer emergency and shallow rental assistance for seniors.

Partner with Riverside County’s Adult Protective Services to identify and serve senior households who are at imminent risk or experiencing homelessness who have been referred to APS. They have a specialized Crisis Response and Intervention Services (CRIS) unit which facilitates the provision of intensive and targeted short-term interventions specifically addressing eviction prevention and housing stabilization along with enhanced case management as necessary to ensure client stability. HHAP funds could provide a valuable source of flexible financial assistance to help prevent eviction and stabilize housing for extremely low-income seniors in Palm Springs.

Review utility billing and explore feasibility of exemptions from rate increases for low-income seniors and disabled households on fixed incomes. This could help prevent loss of housing.

2) Invest in Rapid Resolution to provide flexible financial assistance to divert households from homelessness. The Rapid Resolution fund using HHAP could be administered by a single nonprofit entity who partners with and establishes MOUs with organizations that serve homeless and at-risk households in Palm Springs. A competitive RFP should be issued to select the organization that will administer rapid resolution assistance.

Partner with CVAG to ensure all staff who access the rapid resolution fund have been trained in problem-solving rapid resolution techniques.

3) Reduce discharges from treatment and other institutions into homelessness

Key leader interviews revealed that people are being discharged from treatment and sober living programs into homelessness; this includes people who were placed there by Riverside County

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probation. It was also reported that hospitals were discharging people to homelessness. It is recommended that the Housing Initiatives Director partner with CVAG to investigate these possibilities and determine strategies to eliminate discharge into homelessness.

Crisis Response

Provision of basic needs – shelter, food, clothing, access to showers and restrooms, safe and accessible storage for personal belongings, accommodating pets, and a caring, supportive, environment that is free from discrimination and abuse is an essential part of addressing homelessness. Facilities should provide humane and healing environments that promote dignity and respect and be staffed by caring and compassionate staff and volunteers. Smaller facilities will be more personal and have been shown in other communities to be more successful than large single site shelters. Onsite services should promote access to housing and address a wide range of individual needs from access to employment to expungement of records and credit repair to benefits enrollment and more.


1) Invest HHAP funds in capital improvements at a city-owned property necessary to open a 24/7 Navigation Center with 50 low barrier crisis beds. The facility should provide basic shelter (congregate or semi-private accommodations), beds (not mats), food, clothing, personal hygiene products and access to showers and restrooms, secure and accessible storage for personal belongings, and accommodate pets. Residents should be able to stay at the Navigation Center round-the-clock. Building rules should promote safe, respectful environment and not use a punitive approach to rule enforcement.

Rapid resolution should be the initial service strategy. Onsite services for those unable to be quickly housed or returned home, should focus on housing placement, stabilization of health issues, including substance use and mental health disorders, and access to benefits and community resources.

Priority admissions should be available for people who are living unsheltered and have high medical need, as well as those, who are more likely to victimized. Referrals should come through a coordinated outreach process. A clear protocol should be in place to ensure access is prioritized to obtain the greatest impact. A daily queue or first-come, first served process should not be used. Length of stay should generally not exceed 90-110 days. The Navigation Center should be able to recommend that some individuals be prioritized for the bridge housing/crisis stabilization units if the congregate setting is not working for the individual.

An RFP should be used to select the facility operator. Funding for services and operations will need to be identified by the City and/or operator/providers; local, state and federal sources plus local charitable donations

2) Invest HHAP funds in grants to nonprofit organizations for capital improvements to improve and establish safe shelter options by partnering with faith-based and other community organizations across west valley for families with children and adults/couples who can resolve homelessness with light touch services. Safe shelter could include use of under-utilized facilities, safe parking and other alternative shelter models. Ideally, the program should provide basic shelter, food, clothing, personal hygiene products and access to showers and restrooms, safe and accessible storage for

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personal belongings, and accommodate pets. Onsite services should be culturally competent and focused on housing placement with connection to community resources. An RFP should be used to select organizations that will receive capital grants. Applicants must provide evidence of site control and ability to sustain operations and services delivery for at least five years.

3) Invest HHAP funds in grants to nonprofit organizations for capital improvements to improve and establish day services and housing resource centers through building improvements, including safe and accessible storage, restrooms and showers, laundry, and client space. Onsite services should be focused on housing placement and connection to community resources and government benefits. Ideally, other organizations will co-locate to provide onsite services. An RFP should be used to select organizations that will receive capital grants. Applicants must provide evidence of site control and ability to sustain operations and services delivery for at least five years.

Additional recommendations

§ Prohibited by HHAP: Supplanting grant program funding to supplant existing local funds for homeless housing, assistance, or prevention

§ Do not invest in new outreach services using HHAP [current efforts should be sustained]

§ Do not invest in a co-located service only model as there needs to be connected to housing placement in order to prevent or exit homelessness. Services alone is not sufficient.

§ Do not invest in ongoing operating costs since HHAP is one-time grant.

Closing Always the “north star” for the City of Palm Springs should be to bring a functional end to homelessness – making it rare, brief and non-recurring. The residents of neighborhoods across the west valley – those who are housed and those who are without – should be able to see the first-hand impact of the HHAP investment over the next few years. Most importantly, act with urgency and boldness to relieve the human suffering that occurs every day.

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Appendix A: Recommended initial allocation by HHAP category

Youth Set-Aside

HHAP category Amount Uses

Rental assistance and rapid rehousing $ 450,000

1) Flexible financial assistance 2) Rapid rehousing programs (rental assistance and services) 3) Host homes

Operating subsidies in new and existing affordable or supportive housing units, emergency shelters, and navigation centers. Operating subsidies may include operating reserves

Landlord Incentives (including, but not limited to, security deposits and holding fees)

$ 50,000 Financial assistance as part of rapid rehousing

Outreach and coordination (which may include access to job programs) to assist vulnerable populations in accessing permanent housing stability in supportive housing

Systems support for activities necessary to create regional partnerships and maintain a homeless services and housing delivery system

Delivery of permanent housing and innovative housing solutions (such as hotel and motel conversions)

Prevention and shelter diversion to permanent housing

$ 300,000 Financial assistance

New navigation centers and emergency shelters based on demonstrated need

$ 800,000

Other Populations

HHAP category Amount Uses

Rental assistance and rapid rehousing $ 850,000

1) Rental assistance - one shot for all populations; shallow rental assistance for seniors 2) Financial assistance for rapid rehousing programs

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Operating subsidies in new and existing affordable or supportive housing units, emergency shelters, and navigation centers. Operating subsidies may include operating reserves

Landlord Incentives (including, but not limited to, security deposits and holding fees)

$ 100,000

Financial assistance as part of housing access centers, rental assistance, rapid rehousing, or permanent supportive housing

Outreach and coordination (which may include access to job programs) to assist vulnerable populations in accessing permanent housing stability in supportive housing

$ 425,000

Capital grants for housing resource access centers to building improvements storage, restrooms, showers, laundry, and client space

Systems support for activities necessary to create regional partnerships and maintain a homeless services and housing delivery system

Delivery of permanent housing and innovative housing solutions (such as hotel and motel conversions)

$ 5,000,000 Development costs associated with permanent supportive housing and bridge/crisis stabilization units

Prevention and shelter diversion to permanent housing

$ 850,000

1) Flexible financial assistance to support diversion for all populations 2) Flexible financial assistance to support prevention services for seniors

New navigation centers and emergency shelters based on demonstrated need

$ 1,275,000

Capital grants for building improvements at navigation center, shelter, safe parking, or other alternative shelter options. Must address client storage, restrooms, showers, laundry, and client space

$ 8,500,000

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Appendix B: Focus Group Notes Affordable Housing & Homelessness FOCUS GROUP COMMENTS City of Palm Springs, CA January 29, 2020 Boxing Club

Round Circle Discussion: With a focus group of 11 people regarding how to best address the issues of homelessness in the Palm Springs area with the $10 million dollars allocated to the City of Palm Springs from the State of California (HHAP). Participants were recruited by Coachella Valley Rescue Mission, Path Of Life, and Well in the Desert.

Self-identified, gender, race and age of participants:

§ Female, Black, 58 § Female, Hispanic, 32 § Female, Hispanic, 57 § Female, White, 27 § Female, white, 49 § Trans female, white, 70 § Male, Hispanic, 65 § Male, white, 59 § Male, white, 63 § Male, white, 66 § Male, non-identified, 47

Opening: Gave a brief history of her background working with homelessness issues in various local, state, and national levels. Inquired with the focus group to provide a brief explanation of personal experiences with homelessness, as well as input for ideas on how the funds would best serve the homeless and community as a whole. Question – What programs or services are the most helpful? 1. Comment – After an abusive relationship and struggling to get help, tried a few different

organizations such as Well in the Desert but was still struggling to find a job. The most helpful organization she was able to rely on was with the Jewish Family Service of the Desert which provided the counseling she needed. This organization gave her the needed guidance, hope, and resources to help her maintain a level of dignity and success. Path of Life got her housing and is helping her now. Lots of hope from getting housing rather than being in the streets.

2. Comment – In personal experience Well In The Desert has been the best in helping with resources of all kinds, and found that other local organizations are fragmented in sustaining a level of success. Is now volunteering with Well In The Desert. Wants to stay living in Palm Springs/Desert Hot Springs area.

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3. Comment – Coachella Valley Rescue Mission has helped him the most with resources of all kinds, such as medical, spiritual, Alcoholics Anonymous treatment. Said this organization is a “one stop shop” which expects for each individual to also do the work to help themselves. Advised that this organization needs to be modeled by others and made bigger to help more people with lower income affordable housing and increase in progress. Although other programs may provide immediate assistance once you leave you end up right back out on the street homeless again.

4. Comment – Became homeless with her husband after the loss of their daughter while trying to cope with life struggles and alcohol addiction. They went to the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission which was a huge help to both in their alcohol addiction and wishes they had gone sooner to help get their lives back. The Coachella Valley Rescue Mission provided the support and assistance to maintain faith and provide the necessary tools to succeed. They had to put in self work and feels like it was a miracle worker in their lives. The best decision ever made.

5. Comment – Well In the Desert helped her tremendously and provided protection. They should have a campus in each city with more showers, lockers, and overnight stays. Too many homeless are getting younger and younger. No DV resources – Shelter from Storm won’t take pets. Pets are family members, companions, protection.

6. Comment – As an educator who has been sober from drug addiction for 30 years, she found

herself in a bad situation being turned away from several organizations. Well In The Desert saved her, her dog, and her family. They provided the resources she needed for mental and physical well-being. She was very abused and on the verge of suicide when they took her in and respected her. She now feels motivated to give back to people.

7. Comment – Welfare system does not help - social workers are not supportive. Path of Life is

providing housing and help with trying to get disability (general assistance).

8. Comment – Well In The Desert really helps older people in the streets.

9. Comment – Her child was taken away because of her abusive relationship and drug addiction. She really needed help and the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission helped tremendously giving her dignity and integrity making her feel valued, helping her get out of homelessness and drug addiction. They helped her with housing, pregnancy, and enrolled her daughter in school. She feels that having structure and routine is an important part of recovery. As an illegal immigrant brought into this country as a very young child it has been extremely difficult in finding a way to cope with the needed requirements to get work and housing.

10. Comment – As a transgender woman she did not have the same positive experience as some other participants in the focus group with the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission.

11. Comment – As an African American woman she also did not have the same positive experience as some other participants in the focus group with the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission. Said they made her feel devastated and discouraged.

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12. Comment – Was in jail and living homeless for 10 years when the Coachella Valley Rescue

Mission helped him a great deal. He would like to see a bigger resource center to help more people be given a chance especially when situations of some people maybe get off work late then don’t have any transportation available, or no address to obtain a job. Helped by Well – working on stipend – seeing progress/prosper. Project Reunite has good transparency. Roy’s was very limited but still helpful. Boxing club was helpful. Evicted after rape. Recovery Intl. helped become peer specialist. Jobs aren’t paying enough – want to pay taxes. Lack of reliable housing is problem.

Question – What would make things easier and faster to help people? • Depending on personal experience free and/or lower income affordable housing.

• Another problem is that various resources require too much personal background like 6

months of employment, and/or 6 months of income history. Maybe a program can be implemented without these requirements needed.

• Housing is the biggest need and additional helpful resources.

• Finance is needed to earn money required.

• Contributing to help others with needed access to a counselor or a mentor.

• Speed is the key, cannot wait for housing to be built. The need is immediate. North Palm Springs has a lot of empty space, but waiting for months to build or to obtain food stamps or other social services takes too long.

• Short term solution would be to have tent cities like on skid row in Los Angeles where the homeless can have a tent setup, camp, have fresh water, and portable showers.

• Need quicker access to county benefits and programs. Other CA counties can provide benefits same day.

Question – How should the new funding get used? What are priorities? • Funding should go to build housing for a big facility in Palm Springs or lower income housing

option.

• Need to solve problem immediately and would be wise to build infrastructure first.

• Perhaps implement a buy-back program from the City of Palm Springs where a hotel can be utilized.

• Both ideas would be beneficial.

• Variety of types of housing: make hotels as studio apartments without requirements/extra fees; dorm living with bunk beds and storage; help move into apartment.

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• Vouchers would be helpful and are necessary. Help paying initial rent and move-in.

• Something needed that is inclusive for everyone with a ‘no one left behind policy”.

• Build partnerships with the local programs already in place as one possible entity.

• Provide more resources for jobs with less restrictions to obtain.

• Help keeping/getting car with insurance (car can be a place to live).

• Accommodate pets – they are our companions and support.

• Need help tonight to get inside to immediate shelter. It is not safe on the streets.

• Open lots for tents and trailers. Pilot project would be great.

• Need safe storage so don’t have to carry everything around. That results in using shopping carts so feel stigmatized as homeless person. Lockers would be great.

• No bureaucracy. Build on what is working.

Suggestion – One way to use the funding is for preventative purpose and/or initial short-term financial assistance for cost of moving. • Employment Development Department helps with a housing program that is a very good

and helpful resource with people on a limited source of income as well as Southwest Church.

• Smartest thing would be to use the resources already available within the community and enhance them with the funds being allocated.

• Funds should be used to help the people with the need and not a bureaucratic system. Question – Would a Citizen’s Advisory group composed of people with lived experience of homelessness be useful to help City make planning decisions and monitor program performance? • Group consensus was YES. Barbara Poppe preliminary recommendations to be submitted to the Palm Springs City Council which will make funding decisions on HHAP. Participants were invited to attend and make public comments.

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Appendix C: Key Leader Interview Report

Background The City of Palm Springs hired Barbara Poppe and associates (BPA) as an expert advisor to City Council for its deliberations on the best uses of the Homeless Housing, Assistance, and Prevention Program (HHAP). HHAP is a block grant program from the State of California designed to provide jurisdictions with one-time grant funds to support regional coordination and expand or develop local capacity to address their immediate homelessness challenges. The consultation includes sharing best practices and strategies that other communities have successfully implemented, reviewing reports about homelessness in Palm Springs, conducting interviews with key leaders with expertise on homelessness in the Coachella Valley, providing preliminary recommendations during a public meeting, and providing final recommendations in written report.

This report summarizes input received during interviews with key leaders. The City of Palm Springs identified the following organizations for key leader interviews.

§ Coachella Valley Rescue Mission § CV HEART collaborative § CVAG § Desert AIDS Project § Martha’s Village and Kitchen § Palm Springs Police Department HOT team § Path of Life Ministries § Riverside County Executive Office § Riverside Housing Authority § Riverside University Health System - Behavioral Health § Transgender Health and Wellness Center § Well in the Desert

Telephone interviews were conducted during January with all organizations, except Martha’s Village and Kitchen, which was unable to participate due to travel which conflicted with the timeframe for the interviews. Additional information was provided via email by the Coachella Valley Coalition on Youth Homelessness. Participants were asked these open-ended questions:

1. How would you describe the problem of homelessness in Palm Springs? 2. What is going well? 3. What are the most important/critical things that would reduce unsheltered homelessness in

Palm Springs? 4. What opportunities do you see to better address homelessness through HHAP funding? What

should be the priorities and why?

The responses are organized by overarching comments, reducing inflow and homelessness prevention, homelessness assistance system, and inclusive public space management.

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Overarching Issues § Predominately, single adults/couples without children are experiencing homelessness in Palm

Springs. Very few children or youth. However, it is difficult to find homeless youth during the PIT count so it’s likely a significant undercount. Growing number of seniors. Most challenging are people with severe, persistent mental illness and addiction. Domestic violence can be issue.

o Estimate: rarely families with children (10%); mostly singles (45%) and couples (45%)

o Well in the Desert: 12% families with children

§ Causes:

o Rents are increasing. City of Palm Springs is not building/replacing rental housing for lower income households, including seniors

o Seasonal workers – mid-Sept to mid-May there are more travel/visitor jobs – very few jobs during 3-4 months of summer so unable to pay rent and become homeless.

§ Transgender people have great difficulty accessing programs and services. Often experience discrimination and hostility. Trans-specific housing and shelter are needed.

§ Greatest challenges are to rehouse people with mental illness, addiction, criminal histories/sex offenders, pets, and meeting regulations (eligibility and documentation).

§ Downtown is driven by tourism – most problematic issues are in downtown area – around Palm Canyon. Some homeless people utilize Well and Boxing Center. Others don’t utilize and hangout in park – more addicts not seeking services. Panhandling not a huge problem. Lots of drug use by homeless people, including sexual activity or theft to get drugs.

§ City of Palm Springs is viewed positively as good collaborator on services delivery with more active engagement recently. Collaboration is improving among nonprofit organizations but there remains a level of mistrust and miscommunication. CV HEART is gearing up publicly not but has been working informally for past several months to bring providers together.

§ Palm Springs has some very wealthy residents and businesses so private funding could be raised for ongoing needs through a campaign – could do some naming rights

§ Use HHAP funding for most flexible uses after leveraging other sources. Skew towards housing.

§ Comments on process for how funding should be awarded

o Gather input from people with lived experience of homelessness

o Need for transparent, collaborative process and competitive funding awards

o Youth are not big issue so need to determine strategy for the 8% set aside within HHAP

Most people with long histories of homelessness want PSH not shelter. They prefer housing to treatment. Traditional treatment is generally not desired.

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Reducing Inflow and Preventing Homelessness § Positives:

o Rapid resolution is terrific tool – training and flexible financial assistance are important; recent training was excellent

o Transportation assistance is available for people who can return to home in another area

o MVK got HEAP funding and is working IEHP to provide medical respite program. Recently operational.

o Feeding programs help households on fixed income and low wages preserve housing. § Concerns:

o Eviction from rental housing due to rising rents – significant issue for seniors – limited resources to help.

o Limited financial assistance to meet needs of all households who are at risk of eviction due to financial crisis.

o Discharge from recovery/sober living centers is a significant cause of homelessness. These can be planned (treatment completed) or evicted/terminated due to program noncompliance/other or client choice to leave program. Seeing younger population 20-30 years who came to Palm Springs for treatment – sometimes due to insurance runs out and provider evicts.

Homeless Assistance System § Positives:

o Providers have had success with shared housing and PSH. o Landlord engagement is working but challenging as fewer units are available. o Well in the Desert provides important

day services – access to basic needs o Year-round overnight shelter/cooling

center at Boxing club o CVAG is opening new multi-service

center – hope to have onsite advocates who can navigates to onsite each resource - how to do a resume and get a job – get healthy, benefits, housing, rehab, etc.

§ Housing Concerns: it is not hard to find people, it’s hard to put them in housing. o Lack of affordable apartments - Stock of low-income apartments is dwindling; even with

voucher hard to find an apartment at rents within the FMR limits (even at exception rents). § Housing Authority strategy is now to project-base in order to have unit and reduce

churn and time lags related to using tenant-based vouchers o Lack of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) slots and units o Lack of landlords willing to take people with poor credit, prior eviction and/or criminal

histories. o Lack of full subsidies for disabled, elderly.

Boxing club helps a little bit. It decreases immediate needs, is slightly more organized, but it doesn’t help people really self-resolve and is unlikely to create ways for more folks to get off the streets.

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o Need some shallow rent subsidies for working people to bridge gap between wages and housing costs.

o 2-year time-limited Rapid Rehousing (RRH) is complicated – not always successful when expected to house highest need households– not sure on recidivism rates

o PSH waiting list is long so CoC is planning to use RRH as bridge to PSH – concerns expressed about how this would work.

o Board and care and apartments are too expensive in Palm Springs. Need to find alternatives for housing.

o Housing and Community Development i incentivizing to use 4% credits – bonds are now competitive. Challenge now is getting a bond allocation.

§ Crisis Concerns: o Insufficient 24/7 shelter beds o Many people won’t access congregate shelter – permanent housing is better match for their

needs o Transgender/non-binary people have difficulty accessing shelter and/or face discrimination

or harassment/abuse o Challenges connecting to benefits o Not timely access to medical detox o Staff need to be appropriately trained and supervised. o Inadequate response to homeless people with mental illness – need inpatient beds for detox

and mental health – not able to hold. o Inadequate response to some physical health issues, e.g. trans-person stopped taking

prescribed hormones during transition or take illegal substitutes § Ideas:

o Build more permanent supportive housing § Partner with Riverside County – Housing Authority can provide housing vouchers

and Department of Behavioral Health can provide No Place Like Homevi and services § Encourage free/low cost land from City, Agua Caliente tribe, school system, or

churches § Provide incentives from City of Palm Springs to pipeline projects and use state

streamlining tools to expedite development § Partner with Lift to Rise, LISC/NEF, and/or Enterprise § Raise private capital from Palm Springs businesses and residents § Keep continuity of case management across shelter/bridge housing/PH § Explore new partnerships for delivery of flexible housing supports, e.g. Brilliant

Corners is working with IEHP in Riverside County (must enrolled for 6 months in Medi-Cal to be eligible)

§ Motel conversions – mix of permanent supportive and crisis stabilization - Clients would desire small units in motels as long-term housing. - Perhaps could own and then get payments from DPSS and DBH for

placement. - Could reside in motel while job searching.

§ Leverage private funding and in-kind services (e.g. architecture)

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o Use crisis stabilization units could be both interim, bridge housing to new unit as well as transition in place.

o Build out navigation center on city owned property at Boxing Center. § Expand footprint to have sufficient space to offer shelter, offices, community space § Need storage for belongings § Accommodate pets § Enhance facilities - shower, food, laundry § Rather than build a commercial kitchen, partner with Narrow Door for food trucks

that could be brought onsite or meals or other food delivery services § Get donated architectural services

o Build out temporary housing in building adjacent to Well in the Desert. o Tiny Homes is low density so not good land use unless faith-based strategy. o Figure out cheap ways to serve easiest to rehouse people (people who are employed,

elderly, without addiction/mental illness, few barriers to housing). § Save most expensive interventions for most difficult to serve. Look at ways to

leverage cheap properties – church providing shelter and/or giving ground lease for parking lot to build housing, modular, tiny homes, etc.

§ Integrate with charitable purpose. Perhaps could do “high-barrier” shelter in their facilities – have voucher, not-low barrier

Inclusive Public Space management § Not many encampments - sleeping happens bus bench, bridges, in washes. Not more than 10

people at a site. § Police operate with a services-first, engagement model and are generally not arresting, issuing

citations, or pursuing move-along orders on public property. § Need safe storage for people who are unsheltered (excessive belongings/shopping carts result in

public complaints). § Need more access to showers, laundry and restrooms. Some people stink, defecate on

themselves, carry urine bottles – hard to engage– many health issues.

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Appendix D: Glossary of Terms Affordable Housing: Generally defined as housing that costs no more than 30 percent of a household’s income. Paying more than 30 percent of household income on housing is considered a cost burden and may impede the household’s ability to afford other necessities, including food, transportation, and medical care.

Bridge Housing: Interim housing used as a short-term stay when an individual has been offered and accepted a permanent housing intervention but, is not able to immediately enter the permanent housing. It may also be offered to individuals/households which are not well-served by congregate shelters, e.g. transgender people, families with children, seniors, etc. AKA – Crisis Stabilization Housing in Coachella Valley.

Chronic homelessness: Experience by an individual or family with a disabling condition who has been continuously homeless for a year or more or has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.

Continuum of Care (CoC): A regional or local planning body required by HUD to organize and deliver housing and services to meet the specific needs of people who are homeless as they move to stable housing and maximum self-sufficiency. CoC refers to the system coordinating programs that address and prevent homelessness within a geographical region.

The four elements that HUD identifies as necessary in a CoC are:

1) Outreach, intake, and assessment 2) Emergency shelter 3) Transitional housing with supportive services 4) Permanent and permanent supportive housing

The primary HUD funding to address homelessness is also known as Continuum of Care funding.

Coordinated Entry System (CES): CES is an integrated, community-wide process to provide outreach to and identify households experiencing homelessness, assess their needs, and prioritize access to programs and resources to end their homelessness. An effective coordinated entry process includes prioritization, a Housing First orientation, emergency services, standardized assessment, referral to housing, outreach, and use of HMIS.

Crisis Stabilization: See Bridge Housing.

Diversion: See rapid resolution. Aimed at helping households stay safely in current housing or, if that is not possible, move to other housing without requiring a shelter stay first. Priority is given to households who are most likely to be admitted to shelters or be unsheltered if not for this assistance.

Emergency Shelter: A facility designed to provide temporary or transitional shelter for people who experience homelessness, typically (but not exclusively) for a period of 90 days or less. Housing-focused supportive services provided in addition to the provision of shelter. HUD encourages average length of stay to be less than thirty (30) days.

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Harm Reduction: Harm Reduction focuses on reducing risks and negative impacts associated with substance abuse and other addictive behaviors. Interventions and policies focus on individual and community needs, including reducing injuries, preventing and treating overdoses, and minimizing the spread of diseases. Recipients of these services may be encouraged, but not required, to reduce their consumption of harmful substances. Practices may include needle exchanges and other equipment distribution programs and safe injection and utilization sites.

Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS): HMIS is a computerized data collection tool designed to capture client-level and services-level information over time on the characteristics and service needs of men, women, and children experiencing homelessness. These data may be used for recordkeeping, coordinating services for households, and assessing system performance.

Homelessness Prevention: Types of assistance aimed at helping households avoid eviction or homelessness. Activities typically include counseling and assistance in connecting households to resources and housing, in-kind emergency assistance and/or cash assistance with housing and utility payments to prevent eviction, and legal assistance in retaining current housing.

Homelessness —as defined by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development HUD): Households who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and are living in temporary accommodations such as shelter or in places not meant for human habitation; or families who will imminently lose their primary nighttime residence; or families who are fleeing, or are attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions that relate to violence against the individual or a family member (sometimes referred to as “literal homelessness”).

Homelessness —as defined by U.S. Department of Education (DOE): Homelessness means children and youths who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and includes children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; or are abandoned in hospitals; children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human; children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and migratory children who qualify as homeless (sometimes referred to as “precariously housed homelessness”).

Homeless Veteran: An individual who was served any branch of the U.S. military. All Veterans including those who are ineligible for Veteran Health Administration benefits.

Homeless Youth: Typically defined as unaccompanied youth ages 12 and older (up to age 24) who are without family support and who are living in shelters, on the streets, in cars, or vacant buildings, or who are “couch surfing” or living in other unstable circumstances.

Host home: A short-term housing option that provides a safe living environment and client-driven supportive services to youth 18-24 who have experienced homelessness. Each youth enrolled in the program is matched with a community host and lives in a room or shared room in the host’s home (owned or rented). Hosts also live in the home. Youth may remain in the program for up to six months. While participating in the program, youth receive supportive services to help them meet goals related to

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employment and education, social and emotional well-being, stable housing, and other areas. Hosts receive training and ongoing coaching, including support with crisis intervention. Rent and utilities are provided free of charge to all youth. Hosts may receive a modest monthly stipend.

Housing First: An approach to ending homelessness that centers on providing people experiencing homelessness with housing as quickly as possible—and then providing services as needed. The basic underlying principle of Housing First is that people are better able to move forward with their lives if they are first housed.

Housing Inventory Count (HIC): An inventory of beds and units dedicated to persons experiencing homelessness. This is completed each year during the last week in January, coinciding with the Point-in-Time Count.

Low-barrier approaches: Low-barrier approaches involve minimizing the requirements placed on people who wish to utilize services, shelter, or housing. The objective with this approach is to have services “meet people where they are”, as long as this does not negatively affect other residents or staff. A low-barrier approach is consistent with a harm reduction philosophy.

Navigation Center (HHAP definition): Housing First, low-barrier, service-enriched shelter that is focused on moving homeless individuals and families into permanent housing and provides temporary living facilities while case managers connect individuals experiencing homelessness to income, public benefits, health services, shelter, and housing.

Other Permanent Housing (OPH): HUD’s HMIS Data Standards defines two project types that represent the other permanent housing inventory – PH: Housing with Services and PH: Housing Only. PH: Housing with Services projects provide long-term housing and supportive services for homeless persons, but do not limit eligibility to persons with a disability. PH: Housing Only projects provide long-term housing for homeless persons, but do not make supportive services available as part of the project. It is critical to note that the CoC should look at the entire service package of these permanent housing projects, as opposed to what is funded by certain funding streams. CoCs should remember that these OPH beds should only be reported if they are dedicated to homeless persons.vii

Outreach: Outreach with engagement is an essential component in a community’s response to unsheltered homelessness. Essential services necessary to reach out to unsheltered homeless individuals and families, connect them with emergency shelter, housing, or critical services, and provide them with urgent, non-facility-based care. Component services generally consist of engagement, case management, emergency health and mental health services, and transportation. Outreach that is used to “move-along” unsheltered people in response to public complaints is harmful and counter-productive to resolving homelessness.

Permanent supportive housing (PSH): Decent, safe, affordable, community-based housing that provides tenants with the rights of tenancy and links to voluntary and flexible supports and services for people with disabilities who are experiencing chronic homelessness.

Point-In-Time (PIT): A snapshot of the homeless population taken on a given day. Since 2005, HUD requires all CoC applicants to complete this count every other year in the last week of January. This count includes a street count in addition to a count of all clients in emergency and transitional beds.

Progressive Engagement: A nationally recognized emerging practice in addressing homelessness, it

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provides customized levels of assistance and preserves the most expensive interventions for households with the most severe barriers to housing success. For most households, a small amount of aid is enough to help them stabilize, but for those in greater need, more assistance can be provided. This flexible, individualized approach maximizes available resources by only providing intensive assistance to households who demonstrate need.

Punitive Responses: Measures, including laws and ordinances, that officially or unofficially restrict, prohibit, or forcibly remove people from staying in parks, on sidewalks or streets, and in other public spaces, through arrests, citations, or ‘move along’ orders. The laws and ordinances in question are also referred to as “nuisance” or “quality of life” measures. Punitive responses can lead to extensive and non-productive engagement with the legal system when recipients do not show up for court appearances, or fines cannot be paid, leading to warrants, ever-increasing legal fees, and incarceration. The impact for the individual is even greater difficulty finding housing and employment due to a criminal record.

Rapid Re-housing: Includes housing identification, rent and move-in financial assistance, case management, and other services available to households who have become homeless. This approach places a priority on moving a family or individual experiencing homelessness into permanent housing as quickly as possible, and then working with the household for an extended period—from several months to two years—to meet their living expenses.

Rapid resolution: Keeps households from becoming homeless by providing services that permit them to stay safely in current housing or, if that is not possible, move to other housing without lapsing into homelessness. Priority is given to households who are most likely to be admitted to shelters or be unsheltered if not for this assistance.

Transitional Housing: A type of temporary housing and appropriate support services to homeless persons to facilitate movement to independent living within 24 months. HUD encourages that this be a limited portion of the community inventory and reserved for specific sub-populations (e.g. youth or domestic violence victims) or for purposes like short-term interim housing.

Unsheltered Homelessness: Individuals or families living in places not meant for human habitation, i.e. tents, cars and RVs, abandoned buildings, encampments, or sleeping on sidewalks, doorways, etc.

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Endnotes

i California Policy Lab (2019). Health Conditions Among Unsheltered Adults in the U.S. Available at: https://www.capolicylab.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Health-Conditions-Among-Unsheltered-Adults-in-the-U.S.pdf. See also: Jill S. Roncarati (2016). Examining the Mortality of an Unsheltered Homeless Cohort From Boston, MA, 2000 Through 2009. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Available at: https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/32644540. ii https://www.aisp.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Emerging-Crisis-of-Aged-Homelessness-1.pdf

iii Riverside University Health System - Public Health. (2017). Inland Empire Transgender Health and Wellness Profile, 2015.

iv https://buildingchanges.org/news/2019/item/1023-a-quick-financial-boost-can-be-just-what-people-need-to-end-their-homelessness

v Housing First in Permanent Supportive Housing Brief, HUD Exchange, 2014, https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/3892/housing-first-in-permanent-supportive-housing-brief/

vi On July 1, 2016, Governor Brown signed landmark legislation enacting the No Place Like Home program to dedicate up to $2 billion in bond proceeds to invest in the development of permanent supportive housing for persons who are in need of mental health services and are experiencing homelessness, chronic homelessness, or who are at risk of chronic homelessness. The bonds are repaid by funding from the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA). In November 2018 voters approved Proposition 2, authorizing the sale of up to $2 billion of revenue bonds and the use of a portion of Proposition 63 taxes for the NPLH program. vii Notice-CPD-18-08-2019-HIC-PIT-Data-Collection-Notice, October 2018, page 8

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Item 7D

Staff Report Subject: Coachella Valley Housing First Progress Report Contact: Tom Cox ([email protected]) and Casey Jackson ([email protected]) Recommendation: Information only Background: Since December, a significant amount of time and effort have been invested in planning and implementing the new iteration of the CV Housing First Program, which includes The CV100 Coordinated Outreach with law enforcement, the Homeless Access Center, and expanded capacity to help more people using short term crisis stabilization housing.

The CV100

CVAG staff and Path of Life have been working to get police departments and County probation officers interested and involved in this initiative. Path of Life is also recruiting outreach workers, with preference for hiring candidates that live in Coachella Valley in an effort to increase the ability to respond quickly and reduce travel costs. CVAG is also working with DPSS to make it possible to track performance in the County’s HMIS.

The CV100 By Name List (top users of law enforcement resources) has been formed with input from police officers, and weekly coordination meetings will begin next week. The response among police officers, probation officers, and others approached about being involved in this effort has been overwhelmingly positive.

• # of cities on board: 9 plus unincorporated areas, including cities that contract with the County Sheriff Department for services

• # of probation officers engaged: 5

• # of people on the CV100 list to-date: 67

• # of outreach workers hired: 4

Homeless Access Center

The soft launch of the Homeless Access Center in Palm Springs officially began on February 3rd. CVAG and Path of Life are working with the City of Palm Springs and CVRM on improvements to the facility that will make it easier to help clients, as well as efforts to ensure a smooth transition between day and night operations. This includes working with Well in the Desert to address scheduling of drop-offs at the facility. Daytime operating hours are currently 7 am to 7 pm, Monday through Saturday. This scheduling overlap with the overnight shelter operated by CVRM and funded by the City makes it possible to identify and engage people who are already on site in help offered

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Item 7D

through daytime operations. Finally, CVAG is working to bring other partners on board to deliver services on-site and/or conduct training. For example, Borrego Health is scheduled to set up a mobile health clinic at the Access Center on March 2 and April 1 (See Item 8E for details). Daytime operations are overseen by a dedicated facility manager from Path of Life. Lessons learned through this prototype navigation center will be applied to satellite locations in the future as opportunities arise.

Please note: While referrals and walk-ins from areas outside of Palm Springs are welcome, clients without a confirmed destination in Palm Springs following their visit must be transported back to the area where they came from. Clients are also not allowed to hang out on site if they are not engaged in services or have finished their appointment.

• # of people helped at the Homeless Access Center since opening: 15

• # of people from overnight shelter helped: 3

• # of partner agencies ready or scheduled to deliver services on-site: 5 scheduled + 5 ready

• # of clients ready for placement in permanent or bridge housing: 3

• # of rapid resolution interventions: 12

Crisis Stabilization/Bridge Housing

Both the CV100 coordinated outreach and Homeless Access Center are vital resources to help identify homeless people that would benefit from placement in temporary/bridge housing. CVAG and Path of Life are also working with other agencies to identify additional people. Path of Life is working to increase the number of apartments available to help people, and Path of Life anticipates hiring a new case manager by WHEN. These case managers regularly visit clients to help them make progress on their individual action plans. They also respond to landlord concerns, work to resolve issues between landlords and tenants, and ensure a smooth move in/move out period – making any necessary repairs or cleaning prior to or after a client vacates a unit. Finding additional units continues to be a challenge.

• # of people identified for bridge housing: 13 Households (21 individuals)

• # of people exited to permanent housing or other long-term housing situation: 22 (since December)

• # of cities that responded to the call for help with identifying new apartments: 1

• # of landlords engaged: 4

• # of units added: 2

Overall

The CV Housing First program components are intended to work in concert, creating a clear throughput to move people from the streets into long term housing, while providing help and care along the way. CVAG is working closely with DPSS to adjust the County’s HMIS so that it will be easier to track program performance through meaningful metrics (broken down by city when possible). CVAG is also working with Path of Life to shorten the turnaround time for entering data into HMIS. Policies and procedures for all program components are in progress. These policies and procedures will apply to all agencies delivering services funded by CVAG through CV Housing First.

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Item 7D

The grant funding agreement between the CVAG and the County has been amended. The two remaining grant agreements are being finalized by the County. Fiscal Impact: None, information only. The budget for the 2020 contract with Path of Life is $1,151,612.60, including a $12,000 contingency line item for unforeseen costs or program adjustments, written prior approval required. Co-located daytime services at the Homeless Access Center are provided in-kind by participating agencies. Use of the Boxing Club and needed improvements is provided by the City of Palm Springs. Administration and coordination of the CV Housing First program is not charged to the CVAG homelessness fund.

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Item 8A

Voting Members JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN

City of Blythe ○ ○ ● ○ 1 out of 4

City of Cathedral City ● ● ● ● 4 out of 4

City of Coachella ● ● ● ○ 3 out of 4

City of Desert Hot Springs ● ● ● ● 4 out of 4

City of Indian Wells ● ● ● ● 4 out of 4

City of Indio ● ● ● ● 4 out of 4

City of La Quinta ● ● ● ● 4 out of 4

City of Palm Desert ● ● ● ● 4 out of 4

City of Palm Springs ● ● ● ● 4 out of 4

City of Rancho Mirage ● ● ● ● 4 out of 4

Riverside County ● ● ● ● 4 out of 4

Desert Healthcare District ● ○ ● ● 3 out of 4

Total Attendance Per Meeting 11 10 12 10

Ex Officio / Non-Voting Members

Coachella Valley Housing Coalition ● ○ ● ● 1 out of 4

Coachella Valley Rescue Mission ● ● ● ● 1 out of 4

HomeAid Inland Empire ● ○ ○ ○ 0 out of 4

Martha's Village and Kitchen ● ● ○ ○ 0 out of 4

The Salvation Army ○ ○ ○ ○ 0 out of 4

Shelter From the Storm ● ● ● ● 1 out of 4

Total Attendance Per Meeting 5 3 3 3

Scheduled Dark Month

No Meeting *Present ●Absent ○

ATTENDED

COACHELLA VALLEY ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS

HOMELESSNESS COMMITTEE

ATTENDANCE RECORD

FY2019-2020

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51

lcarlson

Typewritten Text

ITEM 8C

30%

12%

10%

32%

16%

2019 Homeless Deaths in Riverside County by Supervisorial District

District 1 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 5

Riverside County 2019 Coroner Homeless Death Report The office of Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner reports 95 people died in Riverside County between January 1, 2019 through October 29, 2019 without a known permanent address. Identified by the Sheriff’s Office as “transient”, the Riverside County Executive Office interprets this as a homeless status. Of those recorded deaths, 24 are pending a final report regarding how the person died. While the greatest number of deaths were in the City of Riverside, deaths occurred in 25 cities and in unincorporated communities throughout the county. This is the second year the County has issued this report. While this report covers a shorter time frame than in 2018, the total number of deaths is higher by six individuals (95 in 2019, 89 in 2018).

High rates of Substance Use-related deaths Continue in 2019

Manner of Death

Accident 47

Homicide 2

Natural 9

Pending 23

Pending CR 1

Suicide 5

Traffic 6

Undetermined 2

Total 95

Geographic Distribution of Homeless Deaths, 2019

Supervisorial District

1 28

2 11

3 9

4 23

5 15

Total 93*

Thirty-six accidental deaths and 3 natural deaths were attributed to some form of substance use. Twenty-six of the 35 accidental deaths (74%) involved methamphetamine.

Of the 9 “natural” causes of death, two included complications from alcohol abuse. Other natural deaths resulted from chronic disease including cardiovascular disease, pulmonary emphysema and idiopathic cardiomyopathy. One death was attributed to pneumonia. 35 people were confirmed to be entered into the Homeless Management Information System; 11 people were confirmed to be on the list for housing placement.

*One death outside Riverside County and one unidentified location

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Riverside County 2019 Homeless Death Report 2

1

1

1

10

1

1

2

2

1

2

2

1

1

6

1

4

1

2

4

1

1

1

1

1

1

7

1

2

1

1

3

1

1

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3

1

1

1

1

2

1

1

2

1

1

1

3

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1

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(blank)

Wildomar

Whitewater

Thermal

San Jacinto

Riverside

Perris

Palm Springs

Palm Desert

Moreno Valley

Mira Loma

Mecca

Lake Elsinore

La Quinta

Jurupa Valley

Indio

Homeland

Hemet

El Centro

Desert Hot Springs

Corona

Coachella

Cathedral City

Blythe

Beaumont

NUMBER OF DEATHS IN 2019 BY TYPE AND CITY

Accident Homicide Natural Pending Pending CR Suicide Traffic Undetermined (blank)

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Riverside County 2019 Homeless Death Report 3

2018 and 2019 Comparison Please note: The previous 2018 report included pending cases, which have now been

determined. 24 cases in 2019 remain pending at this time.

The 2018 report included deaths occurring between January 1, 2018 and December 15, 2018. The 2019 reports deaths from January 1, 2019 through October 29, 2019.

Report prepared by Riverside County Executive Office from data provided by Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner.

For more information: Natalie Komuro, Deputy County Executive Officer, Homelessness Solutions, (951) 955-1145 or [email protected]

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2

9

5 6

24

2

52

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23

14

03

0

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30

40

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60

Reported Homeless Deaths 2018‐19

2019 2018

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(833)624-1097

(833)624-1097

Family Medicine Medicina Familiar

Women’s Health Cuidado de la Mujer

Well Child Exams Cuidados Preventivos para niños

Immunizations Vacunas

Sick visits for adults and children Consultas medicas para adultos y niños

Family Planning Planificacion Familiar

Free Pregnancy Test Pruebas de embarazo Gratis

Free Flu Vaccines Available!

Vacuna contra la gripa Gratis!

Palm Springs Homeless Access Center

Monday March 2, 2020 lunes 2 de Marzo, 2020

& Wednesday April 1,2020 miercoles 1 de Abril,2020

9am – 4pm 225 El Cielo

Palm Springs, Ca. 92264

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homelessness committee agenda · homelessness committee agenda wednesday, february 19, 2020 10:00...

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