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HomeMy WebLinkAbout15 - Update on Homeless StrategiesQ SEW Pp�T CITY OF z NEWPORT BEACH c�<,FORN'P City Council Staff Report October 27, 2020 Agenda Item No. 15 TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: Carol Jacobs, Assistant City Manager - 949-644-3313, cjacobs@newportbeachca.gov PREPARED BY: Carol Jacobs, Assistant City Manager, cjacobs@newportbeachca.gov PHONE: 949-644-3313 TITLE: Update on Homeless Strategies ABSTRACT - The City continues to work with the homeless population using a number of strategies to provide housing and services and address issues for the short and long term. The report provides an update on the City's efforts since the last report to City Council in March 2020. RECOMMENDATION: a) Determine this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; and b) Receive and file. FUNDING REQUIREMENTS: Addressing homelessness requires resources and the City has dedicated ongoing funding for personnel and outreach services. Funding for long-term strategies, including shelter services and permanent supportive housing, will also be required in the near future. DISCUSSION: In March 2020, as the pandemic began, the City quickly responded to meet the needs of the community as a whole. The City's homeless population was also impacted by the pandemic and staff has been working through our Police and many other City departments, together with our outreach services provider City Net, to ensure that homeless individuals were aware of the situation and kept as safe as possible. 15-1 Update on Homeless Strategies October 27, 2020 Page 2 Proiect RoomKe Project RoomKey is a State of California initiative to shelter people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seventy-five percent of the State funding is reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the remaining twenty-five percent is funded by the State. Newport Beach, in collaboration with the County of Orange and City Net, has housed 33 individuals through this program. This program officially ended on September 30, 2020. Individuals enrolled in Project RoomKey have completed all required documentation to transition into a permanent living situation. The 33 individuals remain sheltered as they await a permanent home. While the program has officially ended, staff is pursuing COVID-19 related funding sources to continue offering housing while we develop a regional partnership for long- term shelter services. Police Department The Police Department has dedicated staff to work with the homeless, including one Homeless Liaison Officer. Officer Cynthia Carter replaced Officer Tony Yim when he promoted to Sergeant in May 2020. Officer Carter has quickly established relationships with the City's Rapid Response Team and working closely with the City's Homeless Coordinator, is focused on the City's key hotspots. Additionally, the Police Department actively patrol areas in which there are on-going issues to deter illegal activity. The Police Department works with City Net, the Rapid Response Team and the Homeless Coordinator to quickly address issues that arise. Rapid Response Team The City's interdepartmental Rapid Response Team continues to respond quickly to community concerns. During this time period, the Rapid Response Team responded to six incidents, moving individuals' belongings to more suitable locations and to connect them to services. Part of this response included working with senior services to apply for social security benefits, rendering medical aid, and provided a bus pass for reunification with family. Through these focused efforts, there are many success stories. Success Stories A longtime Newport Beach resident who has experienced homelessness for six years was enrolled in a sober living home. He completed a two-week medical detoxification program to qualify. The man recently accepted a job with his prior employer and started working full-time. His ongoing case management is a collaborative effort between the Newport Beach Police Department's Homeless Liaison Officer, the City's Homeless Coordinator, City Net case managers, and staff from Share Our Selves. 15-2 Update on Homeless Strategies October 27, 2020 Page 3 An honorably discharged Army veteran who had stayed in a tent in the Balboa Pier parking lot for three years moved into the new Heroes Landing veterans housing in Santa Ana. The man was previously obtaining services from Volunteers of America, Los Angeles, and the City Net case managers re -enrolled him into their services. A family of four was housed after a brief motel stay. The head of the household was a quadriplegic with two minor children and one adult child. They had all been living in a van. Since March 2020, four families have been housed after living in their cars for a brief time. Three veterans moved into supportive housing. Five people reunified with their families. Thirteen people entered shelters, such as sober living homes or congregate living arrangements. City Net fielded 166 outreach calls and conducted 1,287 outreach meetings with people. Homeless individuals often need multiple engagements with either City Net or staff before they are willing to accept help. Once someone agrees to receive assistance, there are often multiple steps to get them into shelter. This can include identification cards, filling out County required paperwork, applying for electronic benefits, health screenings, and providing a location to receive mail. This can take several weeks to complete, and the individual remains homeless through this process. During this period, City Net facilitated 56 street exits which means people entered living situations such as, motel stays, shelter stays or sober living arrangements. Sometimes, individuals do not remain in their sheltered situation and City Net and staff continue engagement to find the appropriate housing arrangements. Citizen Concerns As the success stories illustrate, each individual's situation is unique and it takes time, often with setbacks in between, before reaching a long-term solution. This can be challenging to observe as a community member. Often, staff receives concerns regarding homeless individuals in the community. The sense of frustration, compassion and sometimes anger is very understandable. City staff takes these concerns seriously and typically sends someone to investigate the situation. Our response is to engage the individual and determine what their current situation is and how we can provide them services to get them into shelter temporarily with the goal of permanent shelter. The Homeless Liaison Officer collaborates with the City Net case managers to place people into shelters. People may decline shelter services due to a lack of privacy, congregate living arrangements, or schedule limitations and curfews. Here is an example of a typical response to a citizen concern regarding a homeless individual: City staff receives the concern typically via email. City staff will then go to the location and talk with the individual. Staff will assess the person (living condition - is it a viable living situation, hygiene of the area, quantity of belongings, why they may be homeless, where did they come from, how did they get here and do they need assistance returning home and any possible illegal activity). 15-3 Update on Homeless Strategies October 27, 2020 Page 4 Once staff has assessed the situation, City Net is deployed to provide an array of services and resources to the individual. If the individual accepts help, City Net's case managers then schedule formal appointments to navigate the County system of Coordinated Entry for housing opportunities. A formal appointment may include getting the individuals' documentation ready for housing opportunities. If the person has paperwork they may get into the system within a month, without paperwork the process could take up to four months. Once the person is in the Coordinated Care system it could take many months, as the need is greater than the supply of housing. Six months is not an uncommon timeframe. While they are waiting, unfortunately they are considered homeless. If staff engages with an individual who chooses not to accept help, staff will address the citizen concerns in the following manner. Staff will inform the person of the rules of staying at their location, whether that is a park, the beach or any public space. The rules are that they must abide by all curfews and posted signage and obey the City's Municipal Code. We ask that they tidy up their belongings and discard any refuse. If they refuse, the police will be summoned to determine if any laws have been broken. If the individual complies with the police requests, City Net and staff will begin to engage them several times a week to build rapport and offer services with the goal of providing housing. There are situations in which residents are concerned that the City cannot take the action as requested by the resident. This includes asking an individual to leave a park, beach or other public space during general use hours. We cannot request that they leave the City. We cannot ask them to stop panhandling as that is a protected first amendment right. We cannot assume that because an individual looks homeless that they are. The City cannot stop individuals from sleeping in public spaces because the City does not have an alternative sleeping location for these individuals. Once the City does have a location, then the City can place people into a sheltered situation, or they risk an arrest for camping in public spaces. The City Manager highlights our success stories in her weekly "The Week In Review" newsletter that goes out to the public on Friday afternoons. We will continue to address concerns as they are raised, while also working on the longer-term strategies to obtain shelter beds and permanent supportive housing. Temporary Shelter Beds — Regional Partnership Through exploring shelter opportunities within the City, we have determined our own shelter is not cost effective due to the small number of homeless individuals in Newport Beach. Additionally, given the transitory nature of homeless individuals and the many cities within the County, regional partnerships make sense and allow cities to leverage resources together. With our shared border, a partnership with the City of Costa Mesa provides an opportunity for a beneficial partnership. The City Manager has been working closely with the City of Costa Mesa to develop a Memorandum of Understanding to utilize shelter beds in their new temporary shelter located at 3175 Airway Avenue. Under construction, this new facility is currently planned to open in March 2021. Based on a recent Costa Mesa Study Session, the Shelter will cost approximately $2.6 million to operate annually. By sharing resources with Costa Mesa, both agencies can provide services to our respective homeless populations without duplicating efforts. This would also make the shelter more competitive for state and federal grants. 15-4 Update on Homeless Strategies October 27, 2020 Page 5 The City Manager and City Attorney are reviewing a draft Memorandum of Understanding between the two cities with an anticipated date for City Council consideration on November 10, 2020. Permanent Supportive Housing The City issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a Permanent Supportive Housing Developer to identify sites and develop a project for up to 50 units of housing. Staff has received the qualifications and will be conducting interviews of selected developers prior to the end of the calendar year for City Council's consideration in early 2021. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly. NOTICING: The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item). 15-5