DRAFT
HOMELESSNESS
ACTION PLAN
Prepared by the Department of Housing and Community Development
CITY OF ANAHEIM
JULY 2021 - JUNE 2024
Revised on May, 18, 2022
The City of Anaheim recognizes the importance of addressing homelessness in the community and has a demonstrated track record of implementing comprehensive strategies and programs in an effort to address the evolving needs of persons experiencing homelessness in our jurisdiction. This plan, created in collaboration with local service providers and with input from persons with lived experience of homelessness, serves as guidance to build upon the efforts of the City and its partners to continue to evaluate and improve our local homeless system of care. As part of the development of this plan, Anaheim has reviewed prior planning efforts, analyzed historical homeless count data both at the local and regional level, and examined the evolution of programs offered locally to address homelessness. This extensive review has provided important context and informed the goals presented in this document.
A key policy document that has informed the work of Anaheim was adopted on January 30, 2018 by the Anaheim City Council as Resolution No. 2018-009. The Resolution set forth a number of short and long term policy recommendations of the Anaheim Homeless Policy Working Group. The policy recommendations were designed to create a framework to serve as guiding principles to achieve the interconnected goals of helping homeless individuals and families to access services and housing while also ensuring Anaheim neighborhoods and open spaces remain safe and accessible. To that end, the City has actively worked to create a comprehensive system of care that includes a street outreach, shelter, work force development opportunities, and permanent affordable and supportive housing. While the system will benefit from continued investment and innovation, the foundation that has been established provides a strong framework from which the City can continue to build on to advance both City and regional goals to reduce homelessness in Orange County.
The newly restructured Housing and Community Development Department serves as the lead entity in city efforts to address and reduce homelessness. The Department prioritizes assisting all people in the city with finding safe, decent, and stable places to call home and will be the administrative lead in implementation of this plan.
OVERVIEW
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
HOUSING
AUTHORITY
GRANT MANAGEMENT &
HOMELESS INITIATIVES
WORKFORCE
DEVELOPMENT
AFFORDABLE
HOUSING
1 Prevent homelessness in the community so that households at risk of homelessness can stay in their current residence or find stable alternative housing outside of the homelessness system
Increase coordinated services to address unsheltered and sheltered homelessness so people living in places not suitable for human habitation and in City-funded shelters are quickly returned to or matched with a housing opportunity Aid in the creation of pathways to housing to increase housing options and opportunities for all residents in the city
The development of this specific plan has been undertaken for the purpose of outlining how Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention funds will be used to support ongoing local and regional efforts to reduce homelessness. The following represents the goals the City has set for the planning period of July 2021 to June 2024:
The strategies outlined in this plan to help achieve these goals aim specifically to:
Decrease
unsheltered
homelessness
by
70%
Decrease
overall
homelessness
by
50%
2 Starting in March 2022, the City of Anaheim conducted a series of engagements with stakeholders to help inform the development of this plan. This process included soliciting feedback from service providers that administer homelessness services in the city as well as the expertise of people with lived experience of homelessness.
Information provided to the City helped inform the priorities of the plan and the principles that will shape the execution of programs going forward to help the community meet its homelessness goals.
Rooted in the planning process and plan development are the following overarching principles, which guide programmatic decision making and funding priorities.
PLAN FORMATION AND GUIDING PRINCIPLES
PERSON-CENTEREDHOUSING FIRST
The City of Anaheim commits to
following nationally recognized best
practices in addressing homelessness
including Housing First practices and
the belief that housing and housing
support services are the solutions to
homelessness.
All programs funded by the City strive
to be person-centered, including
prioritizing trauma- informed care and
acknowledging that people
experiencing homelessness
understand best what services and
supports are needed to help them
gain and keep housing that will
resolve their homelessness.
EQUITY DATA-DRIVEN SOLUTIONS
The City commits to incorporating
equity into service delivery systems
and using data to evaluate gaps in
service and identify areas of
improvement so that every household
in City-funded programs receives
relevant and affirming support from
the City’s network of providers.
The City commits to the utilization of
data to drive funding decisions and
right-size solutions to homelessness.
This includes evaluating the efficacy
of programs and continual monitoring
of the City’s portfolio of interventions
to ensure collective efforts are
meeting the needs of the community
while making gains against agreed-
upon community goals.
3 The Orange County Continuum of Care (OC CoC) conducts the region’s Point-in-Time (PIT) Count on a biannual basis to help enumerate the number of people experiencing homelessness in shelters and unsheltered situations. The City of Anaheim falls under the jurisdiction of the OC CoC and relies on their PIT Count data on years it is conducted.
However, the City also conducts its own internal Homeless Census Data count on off years when the CoC is not mandated to conduct the census to ensure there is a continuous and comprehensive understanding of homelessness in the community.
In 2019, the last full year in which PIT Count information is available to the City, over 6,000 individuals were experiencing homelessness at any given time in the County. Due to the public health impacts of COVID-19, the full census was not conducted in 2020 or 2021 and instead counted just individuals residing in shelters. A full count was resumed in 2022 by the Orange County Office of Care Coordination, the region’s CoC.
In the City of Anaheim, the total number of households experiencing homelessness increased 36% from 882 households experiencing homelessness in 2016 to 1,202 households in 2019. In addition, the unsheltered population represented more 57% of those experiencing homelessness. As a result, the City has made it a priority to create new shelter opportunities to address, in particular, the rising number of residents living unsheltered in the community. As shown, the number of residents living unsheltered as compared to sheltered has started to balance with the addition of shelter bed inventory.
The City recognizes that shelter is a short-term, interim solution and has begun work to build a throughput system that helps promote quick exits to housing to reduce length of time spent in shelter and to reduce the total number of homeless households.
ANAHEIM BY THE NUMBERS
Unsheltered Sheltered
2016 2017 2018 2019
1,250
1,000
750
500
250
0 Total Number of Households Experiencing Homelessness by Shelter Type, 2016-2019 4 882
448
857
1,202
White
1,878
African, Black, or African American
248
Client Does Not Know/Refused to Provide
240
Data Not Collected
120
Multi-Racial
75 American Indian, Alaska Native, or Indigenous
74Asian or Asian American
48 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
29 UNSHELTERED HOUSEHOLDS
People living outside or in places not fit for human habitation are some of the most vulnerable in the community. The City of Anaheim is working to improve services and housing placements for individuals living unsheltered including ensuring provision of culturally-competent and human-centric services for those that are chronically homeless and on the streets. As such, the City has set the ambitious goal of reducing unsheltered homelessness by 70% by 2025. The City’s dedicated outreach team led by health care professionals and case managers serve as the front door to Anaheim's homelessness services and are vital in helping the City progress towards achieving the goal of reducing the number of persons who experience unsheltered homelessness. 5 Race of Individuals Contacted by Outreach Services, 2021 Male1,536
Female977
Client Does Not Know/Refused to Provide86
UNSHELTERED HOUSEHOLDS
150
individuals identified having an
alcohol use condition
496
27 938 85%
individuals identified having a
drug use condition
individuals identified having
both an alcohol and drug use condition
individuals identified having a
mental health condition
of individuals on the streets
at any time during the year are
chronically homeless
6 Gender of Individuals Contacted by Outreach Services, 2021 Health Characteristics of Unsheltered Households
SINGLE INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLDS
Recognizing that the majority of people experiencing homelessness in the community are comprised of single individual households, the City has invested heavily into programs and resources to address the single adult population. An innovative example of such investment includes the use of federal HOME dollars allocated to Anaheim to support the Chronically Homeless Individuals Pilot Program (CHIPP), a program that provides tenant-based rental assistance and supportive services to help individuals exit homelessness expediently. The City has also used City general funds to increase the inventory of individual shelter beds across three sites starting in 2018 and, through the Housing Authority, invested in housing programs and opportunities that can quickly house and accommodate single adults. Recent housing opportunities include the opening of Buena Esperanza, a 69 unit permanent supportive housing site for individuals experiencing homelessness with a mental health condition.
The City continues to be aware of the varying needs and challenges of individuals who are working to access housing to exit homelessness and is investing in an increased portfolio of services to ensure individuals are matched to the resources needed to obtain and remain stable long term.
Unsheltered Sheltered
2016 2017 2018 2019
1,250
1,000
750
500
250
0 Total Number of Households Experiencing Homelessness by Shelter Type, 2016-2019 7 906
519
857
1,054
Unsheltered Sheltered
2016 2017 2018 2019
150
100
50 0
FAMILIES
Families are a priority population for the City given the quick rise in households with minor child experiencing homelessness. The City is committed to expanding prevention programs that can help avert homelessness for families as well as shorten periods of homelessness. An example of a City-sponsored program to assist families is the Homeless Assistance Pilot Program that was launched in 2016. This program is a collaboration between the City and local schools districts. The City utilizes school McKinney-Vento liaisons to identify and link families who are at risk or experiencing homelessness with the Illumination Foundation, a City-sponsored service provider. The program combines tenant-based assistance and supportive services to help families stabilize and find long term affordable housing. Over 250 families have been assisted since the inception of the program.
The City, through the Housing Authority, is also committed to increasing the availability of affordable housing options for families. A recent example of new development dedicated to serving this population includes Rockwood Apartments, which encompasses 48 units set-aside for homeless families and the upcoming Finamore Place Apartments, which includes 20 dedicated units for families experiencing homelessness. The Anaheim Housing Authority has further assisted in addressing individual and family homeless through the implementation of a “homeless preference” for 50% of turnover vouchers, vouchers that become available as assisted households exit the program. The allocation of Housing Choice Vouchers to help address homelessness is a critical resource.
Total Number of Households Experiencing Homelessness by Shelter Type, 2016-2019 8 36
24 16
148
2016 2018 2019
60 40
20 0
VETERANS
The City strives to connect Veterans to all services for which they are eligible, both within and outside of the homelessness crisis response system. The Anaheim Housing Authority is the recipient of Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers assigned for the City of Anaheim. At present, the four Housing Authorities in Orange County have a large allocation of HUD-VASH vouchers, sufficient to provide rental assistance to most veterans experiencing homelessness in the entire region. To ensure every Veteran makes a connection to an available voucher, the City maintains extensive partnerships with organizations serving Veterans, including Veterans Affairs. These partners help facilitate resource sharing whenever possible to ensure Veterans are accessing not only housing but the extensive network of services available to them throughout the region to address their homelessness.
Total Number of Households Experiencing Homelessness by Shelter Type, 2016-2019* 9 *Data above represents the total number of Veterans experiencing homelessness in the City of Anaheim, both sheltered and unsheltered. Local information is not available on the Veteran population in2017. 49 38
58 Unsheltered Sheltered
2016 2017 2018 2019
60 40
20 0
TRANSITION-AGED YOUTH
As a community, it is pertinent to meet the unique needs of transition-aged youth (TAY) experiencing homelessness. This includes coupling services that affirm and foster the development of young people with housing that supports stability. The City was the first jurisdiction in Orange County to partner with and fund Covenant House, a TAY shelter, to provide immediate services to TAY. Covenant House works with StandUp For Kids, an organization that launched in Orange County in 2003 with a single focus: to end the cycle of youth homelessness. The organization works to provide basic needs, housing, mentoring support, care, and love to at-risk and homeless youth.
Total Number of Households Experiencing Homelessness by Shelter Type, 2016-2019* *There is no available shelter information for the TAY population in 2016 due to there being no existing programs for youth shelter in the city. 10 17
26 27
41 Unsheltered Sheltered
2016 2018 2019
100
75 50
25 0
SENIORS
As the cost of housing rises, the City acknowledges that households on fixed incomes are most susceptible to episodes of homelessness. Among this population, the City is aware of the rise in individuals aged 62 and older who are falling into homelessness due to financial straits. To assist seniors in the community with housing and to prevent a continued influx of people experiencing homelessness, the City has established the Senior Safety Net Program, which offers emergency rental assistance to seniors in need of housing help. The City has also prioritized housing projects for the aging population, including the newly opened El Verano Senior Apartments, which completed construction during the COVID-19 pandemic and was placed into service before the end of 2020.
Total Number of Households Experiencing Homelessness by Shelter Type, 2016-2019 11 33
73 99
*Data is not available for the sheltered senior population in 2016 . In 2017, the number of seniors experiencing homelessness in the City of Anaheim is not available.
EARNED INCOME
As the gap between earned wages and cost of living continues to widen, households earning low wages become more likely to experience homelessness. Research suggests that three, full-time minimum wage jobs would be needed to afford basic necessities for a family of four in the county. In a survey conducted by the United Way of Orange County, the most common reason for a household’s experience with homelessness included insufficient wages and the inability to secure a job that paid livable wages. Roughly 40% of respondents indicated that locating and obtaining a job with a living wage influenced their homelessness status.
As part of this plan, the City commits to assisting households at risk and/or experiencing homelessness with opportunities to supplement their earned income through the Anaheim Workforce Connection, Chrysalis, and other community partners.
As yet another example of the leadership and collaboration on the part of the City of Anaheim, the City has provided facilities to Chrysalis since 2018 to serve the Orange County community. The stated mission of this organization is to serve people navigating barriers to the workforce by offering a job-readiness program, individualized supportive services, and paid transitional employment. They empower their clients on their pathway to stability, security, and fulfillment in their work and lives.
CAUSES OF HOMELESSNESS
Statistical information on causes of homelessness in the region were drawn from reports and research conducted by the California Housing Partnership, United Way of Orange County, and Jamboree Housing Corporation.
HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
Orange County’s historically high market rents make affordability a challenge. In 2020, 81% of extremely low-income households in the region were considered rent burden.
Regional studies show 98% of households with one adult in the workforce faces challenges meeting basic needs, including housing. Among this group, Black and Latino households are disproportionately more likely to be unable to afford area cost of living.
They are joined by households on fixed incomes such as seniors and those working lower wage jobs.
In surveys conducted with households experiencing homelessness in Orange County, 36% of respondents cited difficulties with the housing market as the reason they are experiencing homelessness, the second most common cause of all respondents' homelessness.
The City of Anaheim is committed to increasing the stock of affordable housing 12 PERMANENT HOUSING
STREET OUTREACH
TRANSITIONAL HOUSING
HOME
The City of Anaheim invests in a broad spectrum of services geared towards assisting residents experiencing homelessness. All programs are rooted in housing first principles, which prioritizes returning a household to a stable housing situation as quickly as possible, while also being person-centric, to ensure the needs of individuals are met in ways that are best aligned to address personal circumstances. The City works continuously to promote pathways home utilizing a network of community partnerships. The combined expertise of the collaborative is relied upon to make essential connections to health, healing, and workforce; all elements that support long term stability.
City of Anaheim resources to get home:
Community Care Response Team
Be Well OC Outreach Team
Anaheim Emergency Shelter
Bridges at Kraemer Place
Center of Hope (Upcoming)
SHELTERS
Dedicated Communities
Dedicated Units in Affordable Projects
Housing Vouchers
Grandma's House of Hope
Illumination Foundation
Mercy House Living Centers
Pathways of Hope
COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO HOMELESSNESS
COMMUNITY APPROACH TO ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS
PATHWAYS TO HOME, HEALING, AND WORK
13 available in the community for various populations and at various income levels. The City has recently facilitated the development of housing for low income seniors, families, and individuals. The City is committed to continuing this work, inclusive of the production of permanent supportive housing options.
Programs and interventions available throughout the city to address homelessness include:
PREVENTION
The City of Anaheim administers various homelessness prevention programs, including the most recent Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), which aimed to keep families at risk of falling into homelessness stabilized during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Historically, the City has also used federal Emergency Solutions Grant, HOME Partnership, and Community Development Block Grant funds to fund local agencies and programs involved in the provision of prevention and intervention services. The Anaheim HAPP program discussed early in this plan is a prime example of a prevention and intervention program.
SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT SUBSTANCE USE ASSISTANCE
HEALING
WORKFORCE OUTREACH VOLUNTEER MATCHING
JOB PLACEMENT
INTERVENTIONS AT WORK
City of Anaheim resources stabilize in housing:
Community Care Response Team
Be Well OC Outreach Team
Be Well OC Health Services
Anaheim Lighthouse
Recuperative Care
Better Way AnaheimConnections to Work Opportunities
Referrals to Employment and Volunteer
Programs
Chrysalis Orange County
WORK
14 OUTREACH
Outreach programs are aimed at connecting households residing in unsheltered situations to the network of services available in the community to aid people experiencing homelessness. In the City of Anaheim, the Community Care Response Team (CCRT) and the Be Well OC Mobile Response Team provide outreach services including mental health assistance for those in crisis. As part of our outreach efforts, the City and its partners continually monitor areas with large concentrations of people living unsheltered to ensure a targeting of services to where resource connections may be most needed.
EMERGENCY SHELTER
The Anaheim Emergency Shelter operates year round offering beds, basic necessities, and resource connections to those in need. Operating as a temporary shelter, the site is a prelude to the eventual opening of the Center of Hope, a mixed-intervention site with shelter beds and supportive housing units due to open under the direction of the Salvation Army. Additionally, the City funds Covenant House, a 25 bed TAY shelter and a variety of bridge housing units that offer temporary long term shelter. 897 beds available throughout city*
*The Salvation Army Center of Hope will supplant 325 beds in the community slated to be taken offline with 325 new beds.**Each bed in the diagram denotes roughly 50 available beds in or coming online in the community.
CCRT Outreach Contacts as December 2021
15 The City has also relied upon the resources of the Anaheim Housing Authority to provide rental subsidies to low income individuals and families as a means of preventing homelessness. While the program is oversubscribed, for individuals and families who are able to access this program, the assistance provided promotes long term stability and mobility.
**
Community outreach in the City of
Anaheim is conducted by a network of
highly skilled mental health
professionals, social workers, and law
enforcement officers working together
as part of a multidisciplinary team.
PERMANENT HOUSING
The City of Anaheim commits funds to facilitate the development of affordable and supportive housing projects to create housing opportunities for residents with incomes ranging from extremely low to moderate income. When possible, affordable projects assisted by the City will include set aside units dedicated to people experiencing homelessness. The Anaheim Housing Authority works collaboratively with the City’s Affordable Housing division to combine and leverage assistance provided to developers so that newly developed affordable housing can be dedicated for those most in need of such housing including households whose income falls within the extremely low income category, the disabled, seniors and those experiencing homelessness.
The City continues to prioritize the development of PSH units and is on track to add an additional 217 units to the market in coming years.
RAPID REHOUSING
In partnership with local homelessness service providers, the City funds and monitors two rapid rehousing programs to assist households experiencing homelessness with time-limited rental assistance. The intent of the programs is to pair a household experiencing homelessness with housing to quickly resolve their homelessness. The Chronically Homeless Individual Pilot Program (CHIPP) provides individuals with rental assistance paired with case management to ensure participants can locate and retain a housing opportunity in the community. Additionally, the City of Anaheim funds the Homeless Assistance Pilot Program (HAPP) which provides rental assistance and case management to families at risk or currently experiencing homelessness who have children in the Anaheim School District.
17 183 existing units built by the City of Anaheim
to serve people experiencing homelessness
217 units in the housing opportunity pipeline
Affordable housing projects such as
El Verano, pictured here, provide long
term housing for people experiencing
homelessness. El Verano is a housing
community dedicated to serving seniors,
a population increasingly at risk of
homelessness in the City of Anaheim.
ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY RESOURCES
As part of a larger Continuum of Care (CoC), the City of Anaheim also has access to County and CoC funded programs that serve people experiencing homelessness. The City actively participates and collaborates with other regional entities to ensure residents are matched to the resource that best serves their needs. Outside of homelessness-specific services, the City partners with other systems of care including workforce development agencies, the healthcare system, criminal justice system, foster care and youth services, and mainstream benefit agencies to ensure people experiencing homelessness are connected to the resources they need in relation to their housing status.
CITY GOALS FOR ADDRESSING AND REDUCING
HOMELESSNESS
Decreaseunshelteredhomelessnessby
70%
Decrease overallhomelessnessby
50%
STRATEGIES AND STEPS TO ACHIEVING GOALS
Improve efforts to involve and solicit the expertise of people experiencing homelessness in program planning and service delivery models Support regional efforts to evaluate and address racial inequities in system access and use
Increase City participation in CoC meetings and opportunities and align homelessness response to efforts taken by region
Continue collaborative efforts with surrounding cities that receive federal, state, and philanthropic homelessness funds to reduce duplicative efforts Strengthen coordinated and collaborative efforts by service providers in the city to reduce duplicative efforts and improve experience for system users Continue efforts to input and analyze available data to ensure all programs are data-informed and progressing towards agreed upon community goals
PRIORITIZE A REGIONAL AND COMMUNITY-INFORMED RESPONSE
19 Ensure homelessness resources are accessible through increased outreach efforts for those not connected to system resources, especially in areas outside resource hubs
Ensure shelter stayers are provided comprehensive housing services, including case management and housing navigation, needed to help them move quickly from shelter to a housing situation
Invest in and improve case management and housing navigation practices across all homelessness response programs to continually identify and strengthen practices Reduce inessential barriers to shelter, especially for people that have a history of not participating in shelter services
Increase program connections to other systems of care that can assist with housing stability including increased income and health outcomes Prioritize projects that promote accessibility of physical spaces and services in shelter and housing
Evaluate and commit to improving practices that promote inclusive, affirming, and culturally competent services to assist all members of the community experiencing homelessness
Work with partner cities and County to ensure the region addresses the housing goals placed forth by the state under the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) Increase opportunities to convert vacant City-owned land to housing opportunities for populations experiencing homelessness
Improve strategies to engage property owners of existing units Expand and build capacity for rapid rehousing among service provider networks to ensure households are quickly returned to housing
Address public safety and community health while meeting the service and housing needs of people experiencing homelessness
Ensure ongoing dialogue and communications with the general public regarding homelessness response in the city and available resources for addressing homelessness
Commit to continuous improvement processes to be responsive to community needs
INVEST IN RESOURCES AND HOUSING INTERVENTIONS TO HELP INCREASE HOUSING
OPPORTUNITIES
IMPROVE AND REFINE EXISTING HOUSING INTERVENTION MODELS
ADDRESS PERMANENT HOUSING GAP
PROMOTE COMMUNITY LIVABILITY AND VITALITY
20 Department of Housing and Community Development
201 S. Anaheim Boulevard, Suite 1003
Anaheim, CA 92805
www.anaheim.net
(714) 765-4300