Agenda packet, regular meeting, first session — Antioch City Council, February 25, 2025 (part 2 of 2)

specializes in creating best -practice policies grounded in current laws and industry standards; Lexipol supports law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and other public safety organizations across the United States.

Lexipol has a particularly significant presence in California, providing policy frameworks for 95% of the state’s law enforcement agencies. Their comprehensive approach ensures that policies are legally compliant, easy to understand, and tailored to meet the operational needs of agencies while addressing public safety priorities.

By partnering with Lexipol to redraft the APD policy manual, Antioch ensures its policies align with state and national best practices, reflecting a commitment to transparency, accountability, and community trust. Lexipol will guide this effort with its expertise in creating best-practice policies grounded in current laws and standards. APOC has been invited to play an active role in this process, ensuring the new manual reflects the community's voice and values. Th e Antioch Police Officers Association and Police Managers Association will also be part of this process.

The redrafting initiative is expected to span at least six months. During this time, APOC will continue to monitor progress, provide feedback, and prepare for the implementation phase. This collaborative effort represents a significant step forward in aligning Antioch’s public safety framework with transparency, equity, and accountability principles.

Section 2: Policies that will be Recommended as Additions to the New Manual The Antioch Police Oversight Commission (APOC) has identified key areas that need to be addressed in the APD policy manual. This report highlights three critical recommendations for inclusion: the Angelo Quinto Crisis Response Team (AQCRT), Officer Mental Health, and a comprehensive community engagement policy. These additions address gaps that impact community safety and trust, aligning the manual with modern best practices.

Angelo Quinto Crisis Response Team (AQCRT) Policy Integration

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The AQCRT represents a groundbreaking approach to handling mental health crises and other low-level calls for service that an officer traditionally would handle. Established as a collaborative effort between the City of Antioch, APD, and local community -based organizations, the AQCRT provides a 24/7, non- police response to low -level, non-life- threatening calls for assistance. By addressing mental health crises with trained professionals, AQCRT reduces the potential for escalation, ensuring individuals receive trauma-informed care. The APD policy Manual does delineate the types of calls that AQCRT can handle; the policy should be revised to be more robust and provide additional direction for officers and dispatchers on when the AQCRT could be used.

Proposed Manual Addition:

1. Deployment Protocols : Clear guidelines for dispatchers to determine when AQCRT is deployed versus law enforcement.

2. Operational Collaboration: Frameworks for how APD officers and AQCRT professionals coordinate during overlapping or escalated incidents.

Community Engagement Policy
Despite its importance in fostering trust and collaboration between law enforcement and residents, APD’s current policy manual lacks a dedicated framework for community engagement. Community engagement policies ensure that interactions extend beyond enforcement, focusing on trust-building and mutual understanding.

Proposed Manual Addition:

1. Community Outreach Standards : Establish clear expectations for APD participation in town halls, neighborhood meetings, and collaborative events.

2. Engagement Programs: Develop and formalize initiatives such as youth outreach programs, cultural competency workshops, and public forums to strengthen relationships.

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3. Measurement and Accountability: Implement metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of community engagement activities and their impact on public trust.

By formally integrating a community engagement policy into the manual, APD will signal its commitment to proactive, transparent, and equitable practices that align with public expectations.

Officer Mental Health and Wellness Policy
Law enforcement is a demanding profession that can take a toll on officers' physical and mental health. Despite this, officer mental health often lacks the same institutional support as physical health. APOC recommends considering a policy structure that makes mental health care and therapy a mandatory, ongoing part of the job for all APD officers. APOC understands that these proposals must align with California employment laws, so all the recommendations would need to be thoroughly reviewed and vetted to ensure compliance.

Proposed Manual Addition:

1. Mandatory Mental Health Check-ins: Require officers to participate in regular, confidential mental health check-ins with licensed professionals.

2. Therapeutic Support Programs: Provide access to ongoing therapy services, including trauma-informed counseling and stress management resources. We already do this. We have a contact with a counseling firm.

3. Mental Health Education: Integrate mental health and wellness training into officer development programs, emphasizing resilience and coping strategies.

4. Confidentiality Assurance: Ensure that participation in mental health services is protected and does not negatively impact an officer’s career. This is also already done and is codified in CA law.

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Rationale:
● Improved Officer Performance: Mental wellness supports sound decision- making and situational judgment.
● Reduced Burnout and Stress: Regular access to mental health care mitigates job-related stress and reduces the risk of burnout.
● Enhanced Public Safety: Mentally healthy officers are better equipped to handle high-stress situations calmly and effectively.
● Long-term Resilience: Fostering a culture that prioritizes mental health helps officers sustain long and productive careers.

By treating mental health as an integral part of an officer’s overall wellness, APD can create a healthier, more resilient workforce while enhancing public safety outcomes.

Conclusion
These recommended additions aim to address gaps in the current APD policy manual.

By institutionalizing the AQCRT and a robust community engagement policy, the manual will reflect the evolving needs of the Antioch community and reinforce its commitment to equitable and effective public safety practices.

Section 3: Budget Review (2023-202 5)
The Antioch Police Oversight Commission (APOC) acknowledges the challenges inherent in conducting a thorough budget review during a period of leadership transitions within the Antioch Police Department (APD). With an interim Chief of Police and a new City Manager taking on their respective roles, the commission recognizes that it would be unreasonable to expect such extensive budgetary evaluations to be completed within a short time frame. This context has guided APOC’s decision to focus its full budgetary analysis on the upcoming 2025- 2027 budget cycle, which will be introduced in January 2025.

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2023-2025 Budget Review Summary
Although a comprehensive evaluation of the 2023-2025 budget was limited due to these circumstances, APOC identified key areas for potential funding allocation and improvement. One significant recommendation was to allocate funds —through the City Council's budget process —toward ongoing training for the commission itself. This investment would ensure that APOC can continue to provide effective oversight and remain well-informed on public safety practices and policies.

Additionally, the commission conducted a detailed review of the existing budget, noting areas that require greater attention and resources. These findings will shape APOC’s approach to evaluating the 2025-2027 budget, ensuring that the commission can provide informed and actionable recommendations in the next cycle.

Looking Ahead: 2025-2027 Budget
APOC plans to conduct a comprehensive review of the proposed 2025-2027 budget once it is presented in January 2025. This review will prioritize:
● Greater transparency in budget allocation and reporting. ● Expanded funding for critical initiatives such as the Angelo Quinto Crisis Response Team (AQCRT) and community engagement programs. ● Ensuring resources are aligned with both community safety and equity goals.

Through this evaluation, APOC aims to advocate for a budget that reflects the priorities and values of the Antioch community while supporting the APD in its mission.

Conclusion
The commission appreciates the collaborative efforts of APD leadership and the City Manager in navigating the complexities of budgetary planning during this transition period.

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APOC remains committed to working alongside these stakeholders to ensure that future budget cycles are equitable, transparent, and aligned with community priorities.

Section 4: Conclusion and Next Steps
This report represents a collaborative effort between the Antioch Police Oversight Commission (APOC) and the Antioch Police Department (APD) to prioritize transparency, accountability, and community trust. The recommendations outlined herein reflect a shared commitment to enhancing public safety practices while fostering meaningful engagement with the community.

Summary of Recommendations
APOC respectfully submits the following key recommendations for City Council review and approval:

1. Angelo Quinto Crisis Response Team (AQCRT) Policy Integration ○ Formalize protocols for the deployment and collaboration of the AQCRT within the APD policy manual to address mental health crises with a trauma-informed, non-police response.

2. Community Engagement Policy
○ Develop and implement a comprehensive framework for community outreach, including engagement programs, outreach standards, and accountability measures.

3. 3. Officer Mental Health and Wellness Policy
○ Review the feasibility of a mandatory officer mental health and therapy policy that treats mental wellness as an integral part of job performance and overall health to support resilience, reduce burnout, and enhance public safety.

4. Ongoing Training for the Commission
○ Allocate funding from the current budget to support the training and development of APOC members, ensuring effective oversight.

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5. 2025-2027 Budget Review Planning
○ Prepare for a thorough evaluation of the upcoming budget cycle, with a focus on transparency, resource alignment, and investment in critical programs.

These recommendations have been crafted with input from APD leadership and reflect a mutual understanding of the need for reform and improvement. APD has expressed its support for the proposed initiatives, recognizing their potential to enhance operational effectiveness and community trust.

Acknowledgments
APOC extends its gratitude to APD leadership and the City Manager for their collaborative spirit and dedication to public safety. The support and engagement of these stakeholders have been instrumental in advancing this report and ensuring its alignment with the values and needs of the Antioch community.

By working together, APOC , APD and the City of Antioch reaffirm s our commitment to creating a safer, more equitable future for all Antioch residents.

i In accordance with Antioch Municipal Code §4-3.111 PUBLIC REPORTS: B. The Police Commission shall provide annual public reports to City Council, City Manager, and City Attorney on the Police Department’s progress on Police Commission recommendations and other updates to the mission of the Police Commission.

4-3
Agenda #

STAFF REPORT TO THE ANTIOCH POLICE OVERSIGHT COMMISSION DATE: Regular Meeting of February 3, 2025
TO: Honorable Chairperson and Members of the Antioch Police Oversight Commission
SUBMITTED BY: Bessie Marie Scott, City Manager
SUBJECT: Final Annual Report to Antioch City Council

RECOMMENDED ACTION
It is recommended that the Antioch Police Oversight Commission review and approve the Final Annual Report to be provided to the Antioch City Council.

FISCAL IMPACT
None.

DISCUSSION
In accordance with Antioch Municipal Code §4-3.111 PUBLIC REPORTS:

A. The Police Oversight Commission shall draft and issue public reports regarding issues described in section 4 -3.100. An annual report may be in the form of an update from a previous year’s report. The Police Commission may issue additional public reports as it deems appropriate.

B. The Police Commission shall provide annual public reports to City Council, City Manager, and City Attorney on the Police Department’s progress on Police Commission recommendations and other updates to the mission of the Police Commission.

C. All public reports shall omit or redact any confidential or privileged information as defined by State Law.

The attached final annual report has been prepared by the Commission for review and discussion.

ATTACHMENTS
A. Final Annual Report

ATTACHMENT B

Antioch Police Oversight Commission
2024 Annual Reporti

Section 1: Introduction
The Antioch Police Oversight Commission (APOC) was established to enhance transparency, accountability, and trust between the Antioch Police Department (APD) and the community it serves. Since its inception, APOC has been steadfast in its commitment to creating policies and practices that reflect the values of equity, justice, and public safety.

To achieve these goals, APOC formed ad hoc committees tasked with evaluating APD policies in key areas, including use of force, internal affairs, community engagement, budget allocation, and overall department policy. These committees have worked diligently to identify areas in need of reform and to recommend amendments that align with national best practices while addressing the unique needs and concerns of Antioch residents.

This report highlights a pivotal milestone in this effort: the decision by APD Chief Brian Addington, in collaboration with City Manager Bessie Marie Scott, to undertake a comprehensive redrafting of the APD policy manual. This decision was driven by the evaluations and recommendations submitted by APOC’s ad hoc committees. The commission’s input underscored the need for a more comprehensive review to ensure APD policies uphold community trust and safety standards.

To facilitate this review and updating process, APD has partnered with Lexipol. Lexipol is a nationally recognized leader in public safety policy development and training who

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Angelo Quinto Crisis Response Team (AQCRT) Policy Integration

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Proposed Manual Addition:

1. Deployment Protocols : Clear guidelines for dispatchers to determine when AQCRT is deployed versus law enforcement.

2. Operational Collaboration: Frameworks for how APD officers and AQCRT professionals coordinate during overlapping or escalated incidents.

Proposed Manual Addition:

1. Community Outreach Standards : Establish clear expectations for APD participation in town halls, neighborhood meetings, and collaborative events.

2. Engagement Programs: Develop and formalize initiatives such as youth outreach programs, cultural competency workshops, and public forums to strengthen relationships.

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3. Measurement and Accountability: Implement metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of community engagement activities and their impact on public trust.

By formally integrating a community engagement policy into the manual, APD will signal its commitment to proactive, transparent, and equitable practices that align with public expectations.

Proposed Manual Addition:

1. Mandatory Mental Health Check-ins: Require officers to participate in regular, confidential mental health check-ins with licensed professionals.

3. Mental Health Education: Integrate mental health and wellness training into officer development programs, emphasizing resilience and coping strategies.

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By treating mental health as an integral part of an officer’s overall wellness, APD can create a healthier, more resilient workforce while enhancing public safety outcomes.

Conclusion
These recommended additions aim to address gaps in the current APD policy manual.

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Through this evaluation, APOC aims to advocate for a budget that reflects the priorities and values of the Antioch community while supporting the APD in its mission.

Conclusion
The commission appreciates the collaborative efforts of APD leadership and the City Manager in navigating the complexities of budgetary planning during this transition period.

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APOC remains committed to working alongside these stakeholders to ensure that future budget cycles are equitable, transparent, and aligned with community priorities.

Summary of Recommendations
APOC respectfully submits the following key recommendations for City Council review and approval:

2. Community Engagement Policy
○ Develop and implement a comprehensive framework for community outreach, including engagement programs, outreach standards, and accountability measures.

4. Ongoing Training for the Commission
○ Allocate funding from the current budget to support the training and development of APOC members, ensuring effective oversight.

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5. 2025-2027 Budget Review Planning
○ Prepare for a thorough evaluation of the upcoming budget cycle, with a focus on transparency, resource alignment, and investment in critical programs.

By working together, APOC , APD and the City of Antioch reaffirm s our commitment to creating a safer, more equitable future for all Antioch residents.

ATTACHMENT C

(b) one (1) representative of the Antioch faith-based community; (c) one (1) representative of the Antioch business community; and (d) one (1) employee or student of the Antioch Unified School District. (D) No one shall be excluded from the Police Commission because he or she has a criminal record.
(E) The following shall not be eligible to serve as a Police Commissioner:
(a) current sworn police officer or his/her spouse;
(b) current City employee or his/her spouse;
(c) former Department sworn employee or his/her spouse; or (d) current or former employee, official, or representative of an employee association representing sworn police officers or his/her spouse. (F) Commissioners shall not be issued and shall not display, wear, or carry badges that so resemble a peace officer's badge that an ordinary reasonable person would believe that Commissioners have the authority of a peace officer. § 4-3.104 TERMS OF OFFICE AND REMOVAL FROM OFFICE.
(A) The terms of office for all members of the Police Commission shall be three years, but the terms of not more than three (3) members shall expire in any one year.

Therefore, when the initial seven (7) members are selected, two (2) commissioners shall be appointed to serve an initial one-year term, two (2) commissioners shall be appointed to serve an initial two-year term, and the remaining three (3) shall serve an initial three year term. No members shall serve for more than two consecutive full terms. For this purpose, the initial one-year and two-year terms in this paragraph shall be considered full terms. The expiration date of all terms shall be November 30, but each member shall serve until his or her successor is duly appointed and qualified. (B) A member may resign before the expiration of his or her term with written notification to the chairperson of the Police Commission and the Mayor. (C) Members of the Police Commission shall serve at the pleasure of the City Council and may be removed from office by a majority vote of the Council. (D) The Police Commission may recommend to the City Council that a member be removed for reasons including but not limited to:
(a) misuse of position as a Police Commission member;
Ordinance No. 2212-C-S Page 3 May 24, 2022
b) misuse of police- issued documents;
c) misconduct that impedes the member' s ability to serve as an effective and impartial Police Commission member;
d) unexcused absences from at least three meetings in a one- year span of time;
e) violation of the Code of Ethics of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement ( NACOLE); or
f) conflict of interest.

E) Upon receipt of notification of resignation or a Council vote of removal, the position shall be considered vacant and eligible for the Mayor to nominate a replacement commissioner for appointment with confirmation by the City Council. The replacement commissioner shall serve for the remainder of the term and be eligible for reappointment for one additional term.
4- 3. 105 OFFICERS.

During January of each year, the Police Commission shall elect one of its members as chairperson and one as vice- chairperson who shall each hold office for one ( 1) year or until their respective successors are elected. After all Police Commission members have been appointed and confirmed, officers shall be elected no later than the second meeting of the Police Commission. No officer shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office.
4- 3. 106 MEETINGS.

A) The Police Commission shall hold its first meeting within thirty days after all of its members have been appointed and confirmed. At the first meeting, the Police Commission shall set the time and date of regularly scheduled meetings, which shall occur at least twice each month, except during the months of July and December when regular meetings shall occur once per month. Regular meetings of the Police Commission shall be held at Antioch City Hall except for meetings held under section 4-

3. 060( B). The Police Commission shall notify the public of the time and place of its meetings and provide time for public comment at each meeting in compliance with the Brown Act.

B) At least two meetings of the Police Commission each year shall be held at locations within the City of Antioch other than City Hall for the purpose increasing community engagement with the Police Commission. The Police Commission shall make a good faith effort to hold these meetings at public schools, youth centers, or community- based organizations within the City of Antioch.

Ordinance No. 2212- C- S Page 4 May 24, 2022
C) All Police Commission meetings are subject to the Brown Act.

D) In the interestof upholdingand modelinga positiverelationshipbetween the citizens of Antioch and the Antioch Police Department, the Antioch Chief of Police, or his or her designee, shall attend the beginning of all public meetings of the Police Commission and, as the first order of new business, be placed on the agenda to comment or report on any matters under consideration by the Police Commission. 4- 3. 107 NO COMPENSATION.

Members of the Police Commission shall serve without compensation. However, the City Councilmay authorizethe reimbursementof reasonableexpensesincurredby the members in the performance of their duties.
4- 3. 108 BUDGET.

The City shall providethe PoliceCommissionwith fundingfor generaloperating expenses, training, and continuing education for all Police Commissioners. 4- 3. 109 TRAINING.

The City shall provideappropriatefundingfor introductorytrainingof new Police Commission members as well as continuing education for all members. Training shall cover all of the following, but not be limited to:

A) The ordinance establishing the Police Commission; B) National standards of constitutional policing;
C) Department operations, policies, procedures, practices, and programs; D) Laws governinglocal public recordsand public meetings, confidentiality, police officer rights, arrestee rights, and excessive force; and E) Police policies, practices, and procedures around stops, arrests, use of force, detention, large-scale protests, and marginalized communities. 4- 3. 110 POWERS AND DUTIES.

To effectuate its purpose, the Police Commission shall, in compliance with the California Public Records Act ( Gov. Code, §§ 6250 et seq.), Penal Code Sections 832. 7 and 832. 8; California Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act ( Gov. Code, §§ 3300 et seq.), Government Code section 38630, Government Code section 37104, Penal Code section 832. 7, and all other applicable state and federal law:

Ordinance No. 2212- C- S Page 5 May 24, 2022
A) Propose changes, at its discretion or upon receiving direction from the City Council, including modifications to the Police Department's proposed changes, to any policies or procedures of the Police Department that govern First Amendment assemblies, use of force, use of canines, use of de- escalation techniques on civilians, hate crimes, or biased-based policing including profiling based on any of the protected characteristics identified by federal, state, or local law. All such proposed changes and modifications shall be submitted to the City Council for approval or rejection.

B) Recommend City Council approval or rejection of the Police Department's proposed changes to all policies and procedures of the Police Department that govern First Amendment assemblies, use of force, use of canines, use of de- escalation techniques with civilians, hate crimes, or biased- based policing including profiling based on any of the protected characteristics identified by federal, state, or local law. a) If the Police Commission recommends rejection of the proposed policy, the Police Department's proposed changes, notice of the Commission's rejection, and the reasons for rejection, together with the Police Department' s proposed changes, shall be submitted to the City Council for review.
b) If the Police Commission recommends approval of the Police Department's policy, the Police Department's proposed changes will proceed directly to the City Council for review.
c) If the Police Commission does not approve or reject the Police Department' s proposed changes within sixty ( 60) days of the Police Department' s submission of the proposed changes to the Police Commission, the Police Department's proposed changes will proceed directly to the City Council for review.

C) Review and comment on, at its discretion, any other policies, procedures, customs, and general orders of the Police Department. All such comments shall be submitted to the Chief of Police, the City Manager, and the City Attorney. The Chief of Police shall provide a written response to the Police Commission upon request.

D) Review the City Council' s proposed budget advise whether budgetary allocations for the Police Department are aligned with the Police Department' s policies and procedures. The Police Commission shall conduct at least one public hearing on the Police Department budget per budget cycle and shall forward to the City Council any recommendations for change.

E) Require the Chief of Police to submit an annual report to the Police Commission regarding such matters as the Police Commission shall require.

F) Report at least once a year to the Mayor, the City Council, and to the public to the extent permissible by law, the information contained in the Chiefs report in addition to such other matters as are relevant to the functions and duties of the Police Commission.

Ordinance No. 2212- C- S Page 6 May 24, 2022
G) Receive reports from the Police Department on publicly disclosable information concerning the status of civilian complaints. Develop a program for the mediationof civiliancomplaints, incoordinationwiththe Chiefof Police, theCityManager, and the City Attorney.

H) Study, develop, and recommendcommunitypolicingandalternativecrime- preventionpoliciesandstrategiesto the Chiefof Police, CityManager, CityAttorney, and City Council; assess and make recommendations regarding the role of social services in public safety, including but not limited to those related to mental health, alcohol and substance abuse, homelessness, juvenile justice, and education.

I) Develop and recommend, in conjunction with the Chief of Police and the City Manager, educational programs regarding policing in Antioch and community outreach events, such as town hall meetings, forums to communicate information about neighborhoodwatchprograms, andeventsdesignedto encouragesafetyandemergency preparedness.

J) Request and review data from public records of the Antioch Police Departmentasneededto effectuatethePoliceCommission's powersanddutiesincluding data regarding police use of force; demographics of individuals stopped, searched, or arrested; demographics of Antioch Police Department officers and staff; and officer training and qualifications.
4- 3. 111 PUBLIC REPORTS.

A) The Police Commission shall draft and issue public reports regarding the issues described in section 4- 3. 100. An annual report may be in the form of an update froma previousyear's report. ThePoliceCommissionmayissueadditionalpublicreports as it deems appropriate.

B) The Police Commission shall provide annual public reports to City Council, City Manager, and City Attorney on the Police Department's progress on Police Commission recommendations and other updates relevant to the mission of the Police Commission.

C) All public reports shall omit or redact any confidential or privileged information as defined by State law.

SECTION 4. CEQA.

The adoption of this Ordinance is exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (" CEQA") pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061( b)( 3), which provides that CEQA only applies to projects which have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. Where it can be determined that the proposed project will not have a significant adverse effect on the environment, the project is not subject to CEQA. This Ordinance authorizes the City Council to create an Antioch Police Ordinance No. 2212- C- S Page 7 May 24, 2022
Oversight Commission and does not propose nor authorize any action or specific project that would have the potential to cause a significant adverse effect on the environment.

SECTION 5. Severability.

Should any provision of this Ordinance, or its application to any person or circumstance, be determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unlawful, unenforceable, or otherwise void, that determination shall have no effect on any other provision of this Ordinance or the application of this Ordinance to any other person or circumstance and, to that end, the provisions hereof are severable.

SECTION 6. Publication; Effective Date.

This Ordinance shall take effect and be enforced within thirty ( 30) days from and after the date of its adoption by the City Council at a second reading and shall be posted and published in accordance with the California Government Code.

I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing ordinance was introduced at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Antioch held on the 10th day of May, 2022 and passed and adopted at a regular meeting thereof held on the 24th day of May, 2022, by the following vote:

AYES: Council Members District 1 Torres- Walker, District 4 Wilson, and Mayor Thorpe
NOES: Council Member District 3 Ogorchock
ABSTAIN: None
ABSENT: Mayor Pro Tern ( District 2) BarbanIca
0 . PILAMAR A. THORPE

MAYOR OF THE CITY OF ANTIOCH
ATTEST:
lAh—t• —) /11-4/ 1.-,f',& 32---
1•

ELIZABETH HOUSEHOLDER

CITY CLERK OF THE CITY OF ANTIOCH
Ordinance No. 2212- C- S Page 8 May 24; 2022

ANTIOCH POLICE

OVERSIGHT COMMISSION
(APOC)
2024 ANNUAL REPORT

PRESENTATION
 Presented by:

Porshe Taylor, Chair
and Vice Chair Devin
Williams
 Date: 02/25/2025
 City of Antioch
This report was
drafted by APOC
commissioners in
collaboration with the
Antioch Police Chief.

ATTACHMENT D

INTRODUCTION
• APOC enhances transparency, accountability, and trust between APD and the community with a scope of policy change
recommendation to the City Council.

In 2024 APOC:
• Established ad hoc committees to evaluate key policies. • Led efforts to reform policies in use of force, internal affairs, community engagement, hate crimes, and budget.
• APD Chief and City Manager committed to redrafting the entire APD policy manual with Lexipol and APOC commissioners.
• APOC has actively been involved to ensure community voice and values are reflected in the drafting of the new APD handbook.

RECOMMENDED POLICY
ADDITIONS AS OF 2024
1. Angelo Quinto Crisis Response Team
(AQCRT)
2. Community Engagement Policy
3. Officer Mental Health & Wellness
Policy

ANGELO QUINTO CRISIS

RESPONSE TEAM (AQCRT)
 • 24/7 non-police crisis response for mental health & low-level calls.
 • Deployment Protocols: Guidelines for dispatchers on AQCRT vs. APD response.
 • Operational Collaboration: Coordination between AQCRT professionals & APD officers.
 • Data Collection & Oversight: Ensuring transparency and effectiveness.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
POLICY
• Establish a formal framework for building trust between APD and the community.
• Community Outreach Standards: Participation in town halls, meetings, and public forums.
• Engagement Programs: Youth outreach, cultural competency workshops, and public safety initiatives.
• Accountability: Metrics to assess engagement effectiveness and public trust.

OFFICER MENTAL HEAL TH &

WELLNESS POLICY
• Recognizing mental health as essential for officer performance and public safety.
•Mental Health Check-ins: Regular, confidential sessions with professionals.
• Therapeutic Support Programs: Access to trauma-informed counseling & stress management.
• Confidentiality Protections: Ensuring no negative career impact for mental health support.
2023-2025 BUDGET REVIEW
• An in depth review was completed of the budget however being we were at the end of a fiscal cycle we agreed to move forward working collectively on recommendation on the
new cycle.
• Recommendation: Allocate funds for APOC training to
improve oversight effectiveness.
• We as a commission noted several areas requiring
additional attention in future budget evaluations.

LOOKING AHEAD: 2025-2027

BUDGET PRIORITIES
 Full budget review to begin once Council begins final reviewing the APD budget in March of 2025.
 Priorities:
 - Greater transparency in budget allocation.
 - Expanded funding for AQCRT & community
engagement programs as well as training and resources for all APOC commissioners
 - Alignment of resources with safety & equity goals.

CONCLUSION & NEXT STEPS
 • APOC Key Recommendations:
 - Integrate AQCRT policy into APD policy manual.
 - Develop a formal community engagement policy.
 - Review feasibility of officer mental health policies.  - Secure funding for APOC training.
 - Conduct a full 2025-2027 budget evaluation.
 • Ongoing collaboration with APD and City Council to build trust and reform policies.

CALL TO ACTION & QUESTIONS
 • City Council support needed to approve policy additions.  • Encourage public participation in APOC initiatives.  • Open to questions & discussion.

5 Agenda Item #

STAFF REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL

DATE: Regular Meeting of February 25, 2025

TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

SUBMITTED BY: Bessie Marie Scott, City Manager

SUBJECT: Council Discussion on a Temporary Pause of Antioch Police Oversight Commission (APOC) Meetings

RECOMMENDED ACTION
It is recommended that the City Council discuss and provide direction to staff regarding implementing a temporary pause of Antioch Police Oversight Commission meetings.

FISCAL IMPACT
This discussion has no fiscal impact.

DISCUSSION
Background
On May 24, 2022, the Antioch City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2212-C-S that created the Antioch Police Oversight Commission (“Commission”). The purpose of the Commission is as follows:

• The Commission is to strengthen trust, transparency, accountability, and police- community relations in the City of Antioch by ensuring that the Antioch Police Department's policies, practices, and customs meet or exceed national standards of constitutional policing.

• The Commission shall advise the City Council, City Manager, and Chief of Police on the administration of the Antioch Police Department and on policy matters concerning public safety within the City of Antioch. The Commission shall facilitate community participation and oversight by reviewing and recommending policies, procedures, practices, and programs designed to result in community policing that is effective, responsive, and sensitive to the diverse needs of the residents of the City.

Antioch City Council Report
February 25, 2025 Agenda Item #5 2

• The Commission shall promote and encourage open communication and cooperation between the Antioch Police Department and residents of the City, recognizing that policing the City of Antioch is a shared responsibility.

• The Commission shall develop, review, and make policy recommendations aimed at informing the community of its rights and responsibilities when interacting with police officers.

The Commission held its first Commission meeting on March 18, 2024, with all seven (7) Commissioners in attendance. Throughout the year, the lack of Commissioner attendance began to create a negative impact on the Commission with several meetings needing to be canceled due to a lack of quorum. Currently, there are four (4) Commissioners on the Commission. The City Council is committed to supporting the Commission to carry out the spirit of the Ordinance and ensure community input and participation in how police services are carried out by the Antioch Police Department (APD). To ensure the long -term success of the Antioch Police Oversight Commission (APOC), the City Counc il will discuss whether to institute a temporary pause on commission meetings until June 2025 in order to provide adequate time to:

1. Review and Refine the Current Ordinance: Examine the existing framework to ensure it aligns with best practices, the City’s mission and the MOA with the USDOJ.

2. Interview and Select Additional Commissioners: Allow the City Council to fill vacant seats with qualified candidates. This may involve reopening the application period to receive additional applications from prospective candidates.

3. Establish a Commissioner Onboarding Process: Establish a checklist and process for onboarding new commissioners.

4. Provide Comprehensive Training for Commissioners: Ensuring all members are well-prepared to fulfill their duties effectively.

5. Develop Rules of Decorum: Establish guidelines for the City Council and all City Commissions, all commissioner s, board members, and meeting participants to promote professionalism, respect, and effective discussion and collaboration.

6. Ensure Funding for APOC Training: Allocating resources to support training that equips the commission with the tools needed for success.

Any pause will not result in the removal of current commissioners (except for reasons outlined in the adopted ordinance or City Code) serving on APOC. The Ad Hoc Committees will continue during this pause to ensure progress on critical initiatives is not disrupted. This pause is a strategic investment in strengthening the APOC’s foundation , ensuring that it can fulfill its role effectively and sustainably in the years to come.

Antioch City Council Report
February 25, 2025 Agenda Item #5 3

The City Council is asked to provide direction to staff on the future of the Commission.

The following alternatives are provided for discussion:

1. No change. The Commission continues per Ordinance No. 2212-C-S;

2. D irect staff to prepare and return with a plan of action to implement a pause of APOC for a specified time and bring said plan to a future Council meeting that has been properly noticed to amend Ordinance No. 2212-C-S , that created the Commission; or

3. Other City Council recommendation.

ATTACHMENTS
None

6 Agenda Item #
S

TAFF REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
DAT
E: Regular Meeting of February 25, 2025
T
O: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
S
UBMITTED BY: Ana Cortez, Human Resources Director
A
PPROVED BY: Bessie Marie Scott, City Manager
SUBJECT: Emergency Staffing for the Finance Department, Human Resources Department, Office of the City Manager, Office of the City Clerk and Conversion of Computer Technician in Information System s

RECOMMENDED ACTION
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution approving the following:

1. Emergency staffing allocation of a Payroll Specialist;

2. Emergency staffing allocation of a Human Resour ces Manager;

3. Emergency staffing allocation of a Public Records Coordinator;

4. Emergency staffing allocation of a second Assistant City Manager;

5. Conversion of a Computer Tec hnician to Administrative Assistant in Information Systems; and

6. Authorizing the City Manager to make the necessary budget adjustments.

FISCAL IMPACT
Should City Council authorize the conversion of three Code Enforcement Officer (“CEO”) positions (as requested in the “Discussion” section following) to one (1) Payroll Specialist, one (1) Human Resources Manager and one (1) Public Records Coordinator, the overall annual salary and benefit increase of the three requested positions would be $129,848.

However, with the budget re-allocation of vacancy savings from the CEO’s in fiscal year 2025, the General Fund would actually incur net budget savings of $157,572.

Antioch City Council Report
February 25, 2025 Agenda Item #6 2

Funding of a second Assistant City Manager would have a $106,374 fiscal year 2025 General Fund impact , and conversion of a vacant Computer Technician to an Administrative Assistant I/II/III in the Information Services department would be budget neutral in fiscal year 2025. The impact of not approving this emergency staffing request will result in an interruption of service delivery and delay city -wide improvements desperately needed. Too, any strategic planning and priority setting by this City Council will be delayed, as the operational fidelity and structure needed currently does not exist - thus priorities will be an extreme challenge to carry out without these additional supports.

We see this impact as a fiscal impact as well, as services needed by our citizens are delayed every day we do not have permanent directors, while there are space issues, while human resource requests languish, and while requests for records and space needs are not met for the public and our workforce.

DISCUSSION
The City Manager is requesting authorization to hire, reclassify, and restructure staffing positions based on an assessment of the City of Antioch’s current staffing levels and emergency needs for operational supports agencywide . The request is being brought forth now as two of the positions, Human Resources Manager and Public Records Coordinator, are new class specifications that will require creation of the job specifications, meet and confer with the bargaining units and then approval by City Council of the specifications of salary schedule before the recruitment process can begin.

Further postponement of this item will delay the hiring timeline of these critical positions even longer, impacting the City Manager’s and Directors’ ability to address immediate operational needs of the city and the departments.

On June 22, 2021, City Council authorized the addition of seven new Code Enforcement Officers with the adoption of the fiscal year 2021- 23 budget, going from seven originally allocated to 14 total. In 2021 after approval, two Code Enforcement Officers were hired bringing the staffing to 9 filled positions. These two positions were vacated in early 2023 and since that time, Code Enforcement staffing has not reached beyond 7 filled positions.

They are currently staffed at six full time employees. During the midyear budget review in June 2024, City Council authorized the conversion of one of the vacant Code Enforcement Officer positions to a Building Inspector position based on the recommendation of the Acting Community Development Director for staffing needs in Community Development Department. As a result of this action, there are currently 13 authorized Code Enforcement Officer positions in the 2023-25 budget.

The newly appointed City Manager started in October 2024 and was asked to assess the request from several councilmembers as to the status of hiring for the vacant Code Enforcement Officer positions based on the need for more city-wide code enforcement support. As such, the City Manager worked with the Community Development Department and Human Resources Director Cortez and the vacant positions were posted. There is a need to fill Code Enforcement Officer vacancies and hiring and training has taken time. Increasing staff capacity in this area comes with operational costs for additional space, vehicles, etc. thus, phasing in more staff is a better approach at this Antioch City Council Report
February 25, 2025 Agenda Item #6 3

time. Due to the need to incrementally scale up and attrition of existing staff, the number we would like to reach for now is ten CEO’s. Interviews for four additional C ode Enforcement Officers have been conducted and second interviews and hiring will be completed in March 2025. The staffing asks herein include a fiscal conversion of three of the vacant positions, and as such will offset the fiscal impact in totality.

Staffing Considerations
The following are justifications for the immediate request in staffing support and operational bandwidth improvements:

1. Finance Department - Due to the citywide increase in staff to 423 authorized positions over the last two budget cycles, it is essential to expand payroll support within the Finance Department by hiring one additional Payroll Specialist. There are currently only two payroll specialists for the entire city.

No additional payroll staff have been added in more than a decade, even while staffing and payroll functions have increased exponentially across the city. There are currently two authorized and filled Payroll Specialist positions that process payroll on a bi -weekly basis. The amount of time and effort to complete payroll is significant, and as the City continues to fill its vacancies, it will take even more processing time to handle the additional staffing and take further setup time of new employees in collaboration with the Human Resources department. In addition, w hen the Water Park opens for its operating season, that adds hundreds more seasonal/temporary employees that need to be processed. Payroll staff is also responsible for m onthly, quarterly, and annual tax filing and other reporting among many other duties related to payroll and benefits outside of just processing paychecks .

Oftentimes, the Deputy Finance Director must step in as a third payroll processor to ensure payroll is completed accurately and timely. The additional position will enhance the capacity to meet the growing staffing needs of the City. The fiscal year 2025 annual salary and benefit cost of a Payroll Specialist at Step E is $191,533 and the pro- rated estimated fiscal year 2025 cost ($31,922) would be offset by conversion of the CEO positions.

2. H
uman Resources Department - Due to the citywide increase in staff, it is essential to expand the Human Resources Department by hiring two additional team members. This expansion is necessary to ensure adequate support for all HR- related matters, including the maintenance, development , and implementation of new programs and projects. The City Manager needs to hire a Community Development Director, an Economic Development Director, a Police Chief, in addition to a Public Works Director/City Engineer. Too, Council will need to hire a permanent City Attorney. These hires must all be managed through the city’s Human Resources Department which is understaffed. In order to address critical needs, in house staffing for recruitment, hiring, onboarding and recruitment is necessary. Too, our human resource team also conducts and manages hiring for the Antioch Police Department. There are Antioch City Council Report
February 25, 2025 Agenda Item #6 4

five people total in the unit and almost 90 vacancies to fill. The needs are exponential, and the staffing is abysmal with regards to the current staffing levels versus the actual bandwidth needed to carry out the work. The additional personnel will enhance the department's capacity to meet the growing needs of the workforce effectively and support organizational objectives. a. H uman Resources Manager : This position is essential to support the Human Resources Director in the daily operations of the Human Resources Department. Responsibilities include conducting research and surveys on current industry standards related to policies, procedures, and salary benchmarks. The Human Resources Manager will assist in drafting staff reports, oversee special projects, support all aspects of workplace investigations, and contribute to upcoming negotiations. Additionally, this role may serve as the acting Human Resources Director in the Director's absence, ensuring continuity of leadership and operations. The fiscal year 2025 annual salary and benefit cost of the position at Step E is $261,845 and the pro- rated estimated fiscal year 2025 cost ($43,641) would be offset by conversion of the CEO positions.

3. Office of the City Clerk – Within the last few years, requests for public records have increased significantly. In 2023 the City received 148 public records requests. In 2024, the City received 338 public records requests. There is no centralized system or staffing support for receiving and processing public records requests. Too, there is no centralized process for records management within the City, and departments operate records retention and storage independently of each other which makes responding to public records difficult, and time consuming. The City’s Records Retention Schedule was last updated in 2008 and as such no records can be processed for destruction, and the storage facility located at Public Works, as well as on site storage within departments is over capacity. Using office space for the storage of records has compounded the issue of a shortage of space needed for staff. a. P
ublic Records Coordinator : The Public Records Coordinator will review and assess Public Records Act (PRA) requests and determine whether the information requested may be released in compliance with the laws, regulations, and policy. Additionally, the coordinator will maintain PRA requests to ensure the logs of all requests and research information are accurate, up to date, and in compliance with the Public Records Act. The Coordinator will also provide customer service to the public in person, by telephone and through email. In addition, this new position will develop and implement a City -wide records management program; assist in the operation and oversee maintenance of records management program, records retention schedule, and master filing guide, as well as coordinate with other departments regarding the Antioch City Council Report
February 25, 2025 Agenda Item #6 5

storage of files and documents in adherence to the C ity’s retention schedule; and scan documents into Laserfiche Records Software for future reference City-wide. The fiscal year 2025 annual salary and benefits cost of the position at Step E is $214,110 and the pro- rated estimated fiscal year 2025 cost ($35,685) would be offset by conversion of the CEO positions.

4. Office of the City Manager - Due to the citywide staffing shortages, and the need for policy briefing, metrics, and evaluation, as well as strategic planning and project management staff, it is essential to hire a second Assistant City Manager position that will be dedicated to the executive office to increase the bandwidth and shorten the turnaround time needed for briefings, white papers, special project implementation and policy support necessary for the C ity. The city does not have a single policy analyst or a Chief of Staff which is detrimental for a city this size, and unheard of. The additional p osition will enhance the City’s capacity to meet the needs of the City Council in carrying of the important priorities of delivering municipal services and will assist in more effectively supporting and carrying out the City Manager’s organizational objectives.
a. Assistant City Manager (ACM): The ACM will be responsible for assisting with operational tasks related to the day -to-day duties in the City Manager’s Office. The ACM will be expected to research, analyze, and create reports/findings for the City Manager. The ACM will work on gathering data specifically for Council-issued initiatives that reside in the City Manager’s Office. Currently, all analytical work, policy briefings and white papers, research, contract negotiations and preparations, and any Council initiatives that fall under the City Manager’s Office purview, is performed by the City Manager and Assistant City Manager. The second ACM will assume the aforementioned duties allowing the City Manager to continue to focus on other more pertinent duties and be able to adequately delegate the many priorities of the department to ensure they are carried out timely and efficiently . The fiscal year 2025 salary and benefit cost at Step E is $425,495 and the estimated pro- rated fiscal year 2025 cost to the General Fund is $106,374.

5. Information Services Department
a. Conversion of a vacant Computer Technician to Administrative Assistant I/II/III: The information systems department spends a substantial amount of time on routine administrative duties each week, diverting them from critical technical tasks. For the entire city, including the Antioch Police Department, there are a total of only four IS support staff. An administrative assistant will enhance the efficiency Antioch City Council Report
February 25, 2025 Agenda Item #6 6

and productivity of the department by managing these routine administrative tasks, which will include purchasing, organization of records and software licensing, hardware inventory, and documentation.

The position will also act as a liaison between departments, ensuring smooth communication. The addition of this role to the information systems department is a cost -effective solution and will ultimately contribute to the organization's operational excellence and growth by allowing technical staff to focus on daily operations and strategic I.S. initiatives with minimal disruption.

The fiscal year 2025 salary and benefit cost of the position is $141,196 and the pro- rated estimated fiscal year 2025 cost ($35,298) would be budget neutral for the Information Services Internal Service Fund as the budget for the vacancy would cover the budgeted cost of the position.

Although an Administrative Assistant position does make a lower salary than a Computer Technician, the prior employee in the vacated position took a lower benefit package resulting in the fiscal year 2025 budget comparable to the Administrative Assistant budget needed for the current fiscal year.

ATTACHMENTS
A. Resolution

RESOLUTION NO. 2025/XX

RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ANTIOCH APPROVING STAFFING ALLOCATIONS AND NECESSARY FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET

ADJUSTMENTS

WHEREAS, the City Manager has made emergency staffing allocation requests to hire, reclassify and restructure staffing positions based on an assessment of the City’s current staff levels and emergency needs for operational support agencywide;

WHEREAS, the City Manager is recommending conversion of three (3) of the vacant Code Enforcement Officer positions into one (1) Payroll Specialist, one (1) Human Resources Manager and one (1) Public Records Coordinator, leaving ten (10) Code Enforcement Officer positions allocated and funded; and

WHEREAS, the City Manager is recommending conversion of one (1) vacant Computer Technician position to an Administrative Assistant I/II/III position; and

WHEREAS, the City Manager is requesting a new staffing allocation for a second Assistant City Manager position.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Antioch has considered such recommendations and request by the City Manager and hereby:

Section 1. Approves converting three (3) of the vacant Code Enforcement Officer positions into one (1) Payroll Specialist, one (1) Public Records Coordinator, and one (1) Human Resources Manager, thereby reducing the number of allocated and funded Code Enforcement Officer positions to ten (10);

Section 2. Approves converting one (1) vacant Computer Technician to an Administrative Assistant I/II/III;

Section 3. Approves the addition of one (1) Assistant City Manager position; and

Section 4. Authorizes the necessary fiscal year 2025 budget adjustments.

* * * * * * *
RESOLUTION NO. 2025/XX
February 25, 2025

Page 2 ends

I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing resolution was passed and adopted by the City Council of the City of Antioch at a regular meeting thereof, held on the 25th day of February 2025, by the following vote:

AYES:

NOES:

ABSTAIN:

ABSENT:

_____________________________________

MELISSA RHODES

CITY CLERK OF THE CITY OF ANTIOCH

7 Agenda Item #

STAFF REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL

DATE: Regular Meeting of February 25, 2025

TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

SUBMITTED BY: Bessie Marie Scott, City Manager

SUBJECT: City Council 90-Day Request List - Discussion on the Creation of a Homeless/Unhoused Ad Hoc Committee

RECOMMENDED ACTION
It is recommended that the City Council discuss and provide direction to City staff.

FISCAL IMPACT
The recommended action has no fiscal impact at this time.

DISCUSSION
This item is for the City Council’s discussion at Mayor Bernal’s request to discuss the possible creation of a Council Ad Hoc Committee to discuss homelessness and the unhoused population of our community.

Considerations include that o n November 11, 2024, the City Manager requested that Public Safety and Community Resources (PSCR) work with her to stand up an Antioch Advisory Council/Task Force during the first quarter of 2025 in order to quickly mobilize efforts around standing up a day shelter and identifying ways to increase service provisions for assisting residents who are unstably housed, at risk of becoming unhoused, or are currently and/or chronically unhoused in Antioch. The City Manager proposed the following configuration for such a group:

1. Two Antioch Councilmembers (one being the Mayor)

2. Tasha Johnson, Director, Public Safety and Community Resources

3. Bessie Marie Scott, City Manager

4. Teresa House (For Funding Advice)

5. Carlos Zepeda, Deputy Director, Public Works

6. Chief Vigil, Antioch Police Department

Antioch City Council Report
February 25, 2025 Agenda Item#7 2

7. Member, Code Enforcement

8. Member, Encampment Task Force

9. CBO- Homeless Services Provider

10. CBO- Homeless Services Provider

11. A County Supervisor

12. AUSD – McKinney-Vento Representative

13. AUSD – Board Member

14. Pastor, Faith-based Organization

15. Professional, Mental Health Organization

16. Representative, Sutter Delta

In December 2023, the City of An tioch worked with Focus Strategies to complete the “Plan for the Department of Public Safety and Community Resources to Reduce Homelessness and Increase Access to Critical Resources for Unhoused Residents.” This Plan came about as a result of “Policy Guidelines for the City’s Approach to Unhoused Resident Services” which the City Council adopted in April 2021. At the time, these policy guidelines served as the framework for how the City would approach decisions around advancing resources for our unhoused residents. Too, the guidelines conveyed the City’s clear goal, which was and still is, to reduce homelessness in Antioch.

The Policy Guidelines of 2021 outlined three strategies that the City would use to prioritize to achieve this goal:

1. Address the immediate and public health needs of unhoused Antioch residents;

2. Invest in interim housing and services solutions designed to facilitate the transition into permanent housing; and

3. Increase permanent housing and linkages to permanent housing.

The City Manager has been workin g with external partners to address policy interventions as well as possibilities for increasing service provisions, in addition to identifying funding opportunities in the area of housing services and housing opportunities for all.

It is recommended that the City Council discuss and provide direction to City staff regarding standing up an Ad Hoc Committee for this purpose and discuss the parameters and duration of such a committee . Ad hoc committees are temporary committees formed for a specific purpose consisting of less than a quorum of the Council and are not subject to the Brown Act. Ad hoc committees are expected to complete their work within a limited period of time. The term of an ad hoc committee is generally six (6) months to (1) year and then the committee is dissolved.

Antioch City Council Report
February 25, 2025 Agenda Item#7 3

ATTACHMENTS

A. “Plan for the Department of Public Safety and Community Resources to Reduce Homelessness and Increase Access to Critical Resources for Unhoused Residents.” By: Focus Strategies, December 2023
B. “Policy Guidelines for the City’s Approach to Unhoused Resident Services” 2021 Council Adoption.

1 C I T Y O F A N T I O C H

PLAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND COMMUNITY

RESOURCES TO REDUCE HOMELESSNESS AND INCREASE ACCESS TO

CRITICAL RESOURCES FOR UNHOUSED RESIDENTS

Prepared for City of Antioch by Focus Strategies
12•21•2023

2 THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ................................ ................................ ................................ .................... 4 How The Plan Was Developed ................................ ................................ ........................ 4 Departmental Plan Components ....................................................................................................... 5 Departmental Plan Snapshot ................................ ................................ ........................... 6 Departmental Plan Objectives and Activities ................................ ................................ .. 7 Objective #1: Participating in, Partnering with, and Leveraging the Contra Costa County Homelessness Response System ....................................................................................................... 7 Objective #2: Maintaining Temporary Housing and Increasing Emergency Shelter and Permanent Housing Opportunities .................................................................................................... 8 Objective #3: Building Partnerships with Community Partners and Community-Based Efforts that Complement City-Funded and Regional Strategies ............................................................. 10 Initial Next Step Recommendations ................................ ................................ .............. 11 Conclusion ................................ ................................ ................................ .................... 12 Appendix A: Resource and Landscape Analysis ................................ ............................ 13 Overview of Analysis......................................................................................................................... 13 Homelessness in Antioch ................................................................................................................. 13 City of Antioch’s Homelessness Response .................................................................................... 20 Appendix B: Stakeholder Engagement Findings ................................ .......................... 23 Gaps in Resources ............................................................................................................................ 23 Opportunities for Growth ................................................................................................................ 24 Appendix C: Available Funding Overview and Utilization Strategy .............................. 25

4 INTRODUCTION
In April 2021, the Antioch City Council adopted Policy Guidelines for the City’s Approach to Unhoused Resident Services. These policy guidelines serve as a framework for how the City approaches decisions around advancing resources for unhoused residents. Importantly, these guidelines convey the City’s clear goal: to reduce homelessness in Antioch.

The Policy Guidelines outline three strategies that the City will prioritize to achieve this goal:

1. Address the immediate and public health needs of unhoused Antioch residents;

2. Invest in interim housing and services solutions designed to facilitate the transition into permanent housing; and

3. Increase permanent housing and linkages to permanent housing.

These strategies serve as the framework of this Departmental Plan.

In 2022, the Unhoused Resident Coordinator position was integrated into the Department of Public Safety and Community Resources. With this broadening of the Department’s scope to include issues of homelessness, the Department engaged Focus Strategies to develop a Departmental Plan intended to advance City Council’s commitment to reducing homelessness in Antioch by identifying clear activities that align with the Policy Guidelines.

Overall, this Departmental Plan serves as a roadmap for the staff of the Department of Public Safety and Community Resources as they strive to efficiently and effectively use valuable City resources to reduce homelessness in Antioch and improve the health, safety, and well-being of unhoused Antioch residents.

HOW THE PLAN WAS DEVELOPED
Over a series of 11 months, Focus Strategies reviewed publicly-available quantitative data, collected and analyzed qualitative data, and worked closely with staff from the Department of Public Safety and Community Resources staff to identify and refine activities included in this plan. In addition to the insight and feedback of Department staff, Focus Strategies collected data from one-to-one interviews with four stakeholders from the County of Contra Costa (two interviews), a local non-profit provider, and a consultant providing long-term support to the City on activities related to housing. Additionally, relevant City documents (e.g., Policy

5 Guidelines for The City’s Approach to Unhoused Resident Services, City Reports, City Council Meeting minutes, and other City reports) were utilized in the Plan’s development.

Departmental Plan Components
This Departmental Plan consists of four main components:
• The Departmental Plan Snapshot and Departmental Plan and Activities provide a roadmap the Department of Public Safety and Community Resources can use to guide efforts to reduce homelessness in Antioch.
• The Landscape Analysis (Appendix A) reviews resources and programming currently available in the City of Antioch for unhoused residents. This analysis was conducted as a first step in the Departmental planning process to establish foundational knowledge on the City of Antioch’s current activities related to reducing homelessness.
• The Qualitative Data Summary (Appendix B) includes a brief summary of the analysis of qualitative data collected from stakeholders. Stakeholders represented a non-profit provider, Contra Costa County, and City department perspectives on the gaps in resources, opportunities for growth, and potential areas of focus for the Department of Public Safety and Community Resources. Stakeholders were engaged as a second step in the departmental planning process to incorporate important partner perspectives in the development of the Plan’s objectives and activities. • The Available Funding Overview and Utilization Strategy (Appendix C) provides guiding information on funding opportunities that can support the implementation of activities in this Plan. The collection of funding opportunities are described alongside considerations for how the funds can be accessed and utilized by a City entity.

6 DEPARTMENTAL PLAN SNAPSHOT
The table below provides an overview of objectives and activities included in the Plan.

Policy Guideline Goal: Reduce Homelessness In Antioch by:

1. Addressing the immediate and public health needs of unhoused Antioch residents;

2. Investing in interim housing and services solutions designed to facilitate the transition into permanent housing; and

3. Increasing permanent housing and linkages to permanent housing.

Objective #1 Objective # 2 Objective #3
Participating in, partnering
with, and leveraging the Contra
Costa County homelessness
response system

Maintaining temporary housing
and increasing emergency
shelter and permanent housing
opportunities

Building partnerships with
community partners and
community-based efforts that
complement City-funded and
regional strategies
Activities
Actively participate in CoC
board and subcommittees.

Secure additional funding to
extend Opportunity Village and
preserve interim housing
resources in Antioch.

Engage with community
utilizing strategies outlined in
the Department’s Community
Presence Plan.

Increase unhoused Antioch
residents’ access to
coordinated entry by bringing
a local C.O.R.E. team to
Antioch.

Work in partnership with City,
non-profit and County partners,
to explore opportunities to
expand permanent housing
and emergency shelter for
unhoused Antioch residents.

Create and lead a City of
Antioch Housing Resources
Task Force including the
Housing Authority, Community
Development Department, and
key non-profit partners.

Collaborate with internal City
departments and partner with
the County to advance efforts
of expanding unhoused
residents’ access to county
resources, including via a Care
Center.

Assess City funding availability
with internal City partners to
determine strategies for
effective use of available funds
to invest in housing resources
in Antioch.

Facilitate project partnerships
and program development by
positioning the Department as
experts on homeless response
through community education
and engagement with City
Council.

7 DEPARTMENTAL PLAN OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Objectives and activities outlined in this Plan are flexible and can be scaled depending on Department capacity and priorities. The Department can add or shift activities within this framework as new needs are identified or as opportunities emerge.

Objective #1: Participating in, partnering with, and leveraging the Contra Costa County homelessness response system
Leveraging the Contra Costa County homelessness response system, including access to the Coordinated Entry system, increases connections to housing resources and basic needs resources for unhoused Antioch residents. Currently, Antioch does not have a low- barrier access point for unhoused residents to connect to the Coordinated Entry System.

Without low-barrier access, stakeholders report longer wait times for service connection, greater barriers in connecting to emergency shelter and temporary housing, and overall more difficulty in resolving a person’s homelessness. Reducing homelessness in Antioch requires that unhoused residents can effectively utilize existing resources across the county.

Three activities are included to advance Objective #1: Participating in, partnering with, and leveraging the Contra Costa County homelessness response system. The first is for the Department to continue its active participation in the Continuum of Care (CoC) board and subcommittees. By remaining connected to the CoC, the Department can build external partnerships, work closely with County staff, and stay informed on developments in the Contra Costa homelessness response system. Through this CoC participation, the Department can continue to identify ways for Antioch to increase resource connection for unhoused residents.

The second activity to advance Objective #1 relates to increasing unhoused residents’ access to Coordinated Entry through various pathways. One pathway specifically serving unsheltered residents is the Coordinated Outreach Referral, Engagement (C.O.R.E) program. C.O.R.E. can provide several important benefits to the unhoused resident community in Antioch. The first is quick and direct access to Coordinated Entry. With a local Antioch C.O.R.E. team, mobile outreach workers could directly connect with unhoused residents and offer them efficient access to the housing resources accessible through the Coordinated Entry system. Additionally, C.O.R.E. provides basic needs

8 resources and connection to other critical services that unhoused residents often need assistance accessing.

The final activity proposed by this plan to advance Objective #1 includes collaborating internally, across City departments, as well as partnering with the County to advance efforts to expand unhoused residents’ access to County resources. This includes coordinating to identify opportunities to site and develop a Care Center in Antioch. As one of the largest cities in Contra Costa County, the City of Antioch has explored partnering with Contra Costa County to develop a Care Center site in Antioch. A Care Center would serve as a one-stop services location for unhoused residents and an additional access point to Coordinated Entry housing resources. Currently, the funding of a Care Center is referenced in the City of Antioch 2023-2031 Housing Element report. As plans to develop a Care Center emerge, the Department can look to collaborate within City departments and with the County to advance this type of project.

Summary of Objective #1 Activities
Actively participate in Continuum of Care board and subcommittees.

Increase unhoused Antioch residents’ access to coordinated entry by bringing County programs like the Coordinated Outreach Referral Engagement (C.O.R.E.) program to Antioch.

Collaborate with internal City departments and partner with the County to advance efforts of expanding unhoused residents’ access to County resources, including via a Care Center.

Objective #2: Maintaining temporary housing and increasing emergency shelter and permanent housing opportunities
Securing funding to maintain valuable temporary housing resources in Antioch, like Opportunity Village, and increasing emergency shelter and permanent housing options directly advances efforts to reduce homelessness in Antioch. Stakeholders raised concerns about limited inclement weather and winter sheltering options specifically, along with extremely limited affordable permanent housing opportunities. As the Department of Public Safety and Community Resources works in partnership with internal

9 City departments and non-profit providers, a focus on increasing interim and permanent housing resources will be critical to meeting the needs of unhoused Antioch residents.

The first activity included to advance Objective #2: Maintaining temporary housing and increasing emergency shelter and permanent housing includes securing funding to continue operations at Opportunity Village. Opportunity Village is a critical interim housing resource in Antioch that provides supportive services and connections to permanent housing. Opportunity Village is currently funded for 2 years through the City of Antioch. Ensuring that Opportunity Village remains funded and operational is critical for the preservation of interim housing options for unhoused residents in Antioch. In addition to exploring potential internal sources of funding, an effective strategy can include partnering with the current service provider, Bay Area Community Services, to identify and co-apply for potential external funding opportunities. Additional information on potential funding sources is included in Appendix C.

The second activity under Objective #2 relates to partnering with City departments, non- profit organizations, and County partners to explore opportunities to expand permanent housing and emergency shelter opportunities for unhoused Antioch residents. Given the very limited housing options available to unhoused Antioch residents, expanding permanent housing access is particularly critical. An increase in housing options improves system flow by ensuring unhoused residents have options to move out of homelessness and into permanent housing. The City can partner with community-based organizations to collaborate on projects that increase housing resources, including rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing, and affordable housing units. Contra Costa Health (H3) and the Contra Costa Housing Authority are also critical partners in identifying potential opportunities and collaborating to expand housing opportunities to unhoused Antioch residents.

The final activity under Objective #2 includes assessing City funding availability with internal City partners and determining strategies for effective use of available funds to invest in housing and services resources in Antioch. The City of Antioch has access to funding streams that can be leveraged to increase housing and services resources for unhoused Antioch residents. The Department can lead internal efforts to assess the use of available funds and develop strategies for how to best prioritize funding to increase housing options for unhoused Antioch residents.

10 Objective #2: Activities
Secure additional funding to extend Opportunity Village and preserve interim housing resources in Antioch.

Work in partnership with City, non-profit, and County partners, to expand permanent housing and emergency shelter for unhoused Antioch residents.

Assess City funding available with internal City partners to determine strategies for effective use of available funds to invest in housing resources in Antioch.

Objective #3: Building partnerships with community partners and community-based efforts that complement City-funded and regional strategies The Department of Public Safety and Community Resources can play a critical role as a partner to community-based organizations that seek to advance projects that reduce homelessness in Antioch. The Department drafted a Community Presence Plan that outlines activities to build visible connections between the Department and community partners within Antioch and establish the Department as an expert in issues related to homelessness and the homelessness response system.

In addition to the community presence strategies outlined in the Department’s Community Presence Plan, the Department may also consider leading a Homelessness and Housing Resources Task Force to increase partnership within Antioch and facilitate collaboration efforts with partners. Facilitating a working group focused specifically on housing resources for unhoused residents enables the Department to build partnerships with stakeholders that may lead to opportunities to increase housing and service opportunities or develop more effective and equitable strategies to serve unhoused residents.

Finally, the Department can advance Objective #3 through their relationship with the City of Antioch City Council. Stakeholders strongly emphasize the importance of having a trusted City partner that can help community-based organizations or other agencies navigate City processes. The Department can pursue active engagement with City Council to establish Department staff as experts on homeless response in the City and create working lines of communication that support the success of future collaboration efforts.

11 Objective #3: Activities
Engage with community utilizing strategies outlined in the Department’s community presence plan.

Create and lead a City of Antioch Homelessness and Housing Resources Task Force including the Contra Costa Housing Authority, Community Development Department, local non-profit and faith-based organizations, and other key partners.

Facilitate project partnerships and program development by positioning the Department as experts on homeless response through community education and engagement with City Council.

INITIAL NEXT STEP RECOMMENDATIONS
This section outlines initial recommendations for how the Department of Public Safety and Community Resources can begin its efforts to complete the objectives and activities outlined in this Plan. These recommendations are rooted in findings from the Landscape Analysis, stakeholder feedback, and Focus Strategies’ research on regional and state resources.

1. Explore the use of Encampment Resolution Funding (ERF 3-R-L) to advance the objectives and activities of this Plan.

2. Assess available and preferred avenues for regularly engaging with the City of Antioch City Council such as written reports on Department progress and activities, presentations on pre-determined topics at City Council meetings or study sessions, or one-on-one or small group discussions on current strategies, activities, and emerging opportunities.

3. Organize conversations with internal City departments to gain deeper clarity and understanding on available funding streams that can support the increase of housing resources in Antioch along with other resources like a Care Center.

4. Assess the use and impact of funding allocated through the Community Grants process, in preparation for the upcoming funding cycle.

5. Initiate conversations with Bay Area Community Services to co-create a funding sustainability strategy for Opportunity Village.

6. Initiate conversations with community partners such as the Contra Costa Housing Authority, non-profit providers, and internal City departments to assess their interest

12 and capacity for participating in a Homelessness and Housing Task Force in Antioch.

Concurrently, develop a list of potential priority areas on which the Task Force can focus efforts.

CONCLUSION
Developed based on the analysis of local data and the input from stakeholders, this Plan reflects the needs and priorities of the City of Antioch. The Department of Public Safety and Community Resources is uniquely positioned to greatly impact the issue of homelessness by advancing the objectives and activities discussed in this Plan. By taking focused action to meet the needs of unhoused residents and strengthening partnerships with regional and local partners, the Department can nimbly respond to the needs of the community.

13 APPENDIX A

RESOURCE AND LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS

Overview of Analysis
The Public Safety and Community Resources Department sits within the broader City of Antioch structure and operates in a larger community landscape of providers, partners and resources that share a mission to reduce homelessness in Antioch. This analysis assesses the resources, opportunities, and constraints shaping the Department’s work related to homelessness. It can serve as a standalone resource for the Department to use, illustrating and describing the landscape in which the Department operates, and will be used to help identify activities and action items to incorporate into a Departmental plan to reduce homelessness. This analysis primarily draws from information and documents publicly available from the City of Antioch, Contra Costa County Health Housing and Homeless Services (H3), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and specific- Service Provider websites.

The Resource and Landscape Analysis includes:
• An overview of rates of homelessness in Antioch and Contra Costa County • A review of services and housing resources in the City of Antioch and Contra Costa County for unhoused residents
• An overview of historical and current City efforts to respond to the needs of unhoused residents in Antioch

Homelessness in Antioch
Identifying activities and action items to reduce homelessness in Antioch must first begin with an understanding of the number of unhoused Antioch residents experiencing homelessness throughout the homeless response system of Contra Costa County. Establishing the rates of homelessness in Antioch within the broader County context will enable the Public Safety and Community Resources Department to make informed decisions on how best to allocate Department resources to meaningfully reduce homelessness in the city.

14 The City of Antioch has the second highest population of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Contra Costa County1 and has the largest unsheltered population in East County. Pulled from Contra Costa County's 2020 Point in Time Count Report, Figure 1 demonstrates the distribution of unsheltered homelessness across the county.

Figure 1. Number of Unsheltered Individuals by Contra Costa County Cities West County Central County East County
Location # Location # Location #
Crockett 35 Alamo 2 Antioch 238
El Cerrito 24 Blackhawk 6 Bay Point 49
El Sobrante 9 Clayton 2 Bayview 2
Hercules 7 Concord 160 Bethel Island 2
North Richmond 22 Danville 7 Brentwood 80
Pinole 7 Lafayette 3 Discovery Bay 2
Richmond 280 Martinez 127 Oakley 50
Rodeo 62 Moraga 4 Pittsburg 102
San Pablo 67 Orinada 1
Pacheco 26
Pleasant Hill 90
San Ramon 6
Walnut Creek 80
Based on the 2020 Contra Costa County: Point-In-Time Count Report

According to the City of Antioch's Housing Element, persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness account for over 75% of individuals experiencing homelessness in Contra Costa County.2 Of those experiencing unsheltered homelessness across the county, 55% were single households, ages 25-55.3

1 2020 Contra Costa County: Annual Point-in-Time Count. Access at https://cchealth.org/h3/coc/pdf/PIT-report-2020.pdf
2 2020 Contra Costa County: Annual Point-in-Time Count. Accessed at https://cchealth.org/h3/coc/pdf/PIT-report-2020.pdf
3 2020 Contra Costa County: Annual Point-in-Time Count. Accessed at https://cchealth.org/h3/coc/pdf/PIT-report-2020.pdf

15 In Contra Costa County Continuum of Care’s 2021 Annual Report, households served by Coordinated Entry were asked where in the county they lost housing. Unhoused households most frequently reported Richmond, Concord, or Antioch as the cities where they lived before entering into homelessness, demonstrating that many unhoused residents in the county have a community of origin in Antioch and are served across County programs (see Figure 2).4

Figure 2. Contra Costa Cities Where Households Lost Their Housing East County Central County West County Out of County
Antioch 877 Concord 754 Richmond 1,320 County Not
Listed
678
Pittsburg 550 Martinez 247 San Pablo 235 Alameda Co 233 Bay Point 148 Walnut Creek 152 El Sobrante 63 Solano Co 174 Brentwood 99 Pleasant Hill 108 Rodeo 42 San Francisco
Co
65 Oakley 95 San Ramon 30 Pinole 38 Marin Co 16
Bethel Island 19 Danville 29 El Cerrito 31 Santa Clara Co 15 Discovery Bay 8 Clayton 17 North Richmond 29 Sonoma Co 12 Byron 3 Lafayette 17 Crockett 21 San Mateo Co 9
Knightsen 2 Pacheco 15 Hercules 13 Napa Co 6
Clyde 2 Alamo 13 Port Costa 2 Monterey Co 1
Orinda 9
Moraga 3
Blackhawk 2
Canyon 1
Table Recreated from data presented in Contra Costa County Continuum of Care’s Annual Report, 2021

4 City of Antioch: 2023 – 2031 Housing Element Update. Accessed at https://www.antiochca.gov/fc/community-development/planning/housing- element/AntiochHousingElement_PubReviewDraft-App_final_reduced.pdf

16 The following sections will review the housing and services resources that are available for unhoused individuals within the City of Antioch and Contra Costa County and how they compare to the context of the unsheltered population in the city.

Interim Housing Availability in Antioch
Individuals experiencing homelessness in Antioch are encouraged to access 2-1-1 to connect to interim housing programs across the County. Four interim or transitional housing programs operate within Antioch city limits (see Figure 3).

Figure 3. Shelters Operating in Antioch
Shelter Name Number of beds/units Population Served
Winter Nights Shelter Varying Locations and
Spaces
Families
Stand! For Families Free of
Domestic Violence
24 Survivors of Domestic
Violence
East County Shelter
(Don Brown)
20 Individual Adult Men and
Women
Opportunity Village 32 Individual Adult Men and
Women

In addition to these programs dedicated to serving people currently unhoused, Amador Institute operates a transitional housing program for youth aging out of foster care who may be unhoused if not for the program.

Countywide Shelter and Housing Resources for Unhoused Residents In 2022 in Contra Costa County, 239 Emergency, Transitional, and Safe Haven units were available for families and 709 beds or units were available for adults. With over 2,000 people experiencing homelessness across the county5, the interim housing resources available for unhoused residents are limited. In addition, 836 Permanent Housing and Rapid Re-housing units were available for families and 819 units were available for adults (see Figure 4).6

5 2020 Contra Costa County: Annual Point-in-Time Count. Accessed at https://cchealth.org/h3/coc/pdf/PIT-report-2020.pdf
6 Contra Costa County 2022 Housing Inventory Count. Accessed at https://files.hudexchange.info/reports/published/CoC_HIC_State_CA_2022.pdf

17 Figure 4. HUD 2022 CoC Housing Inventory Count: Contra Costa County7 Contra Costa County Housing Inventory Count 2022
Family
Units1
Family
Beds2
Adults
Only
Beds
Child
Only
Beds
Total Yr-
round
beds
Emergency, Safe Haven, and Transitional
Housing
87 239 709 4 952
Emergency Shelter 72 189 514 4 707
Transitional Housing 15 50 195 0 245
Permanent Housing 298 836 819 0 1,655
Permanent Supportive Housing 259 713 562 0 1,275
Rapid Re-Housing 35 114 51 0 165
Other Permanent Housing 4 9 206 0 215
Grand Total 385 1,075 1,528 4 2,607

While, some affordable housing developments operate in Antioch, most government- assisted permanent affordable housing inventory in the city primarily serves seniors and families, and eligibility is not restricted to unhoused residents.8

Considering the number of interim and permanent housing units available, the relative infrequency that permanent supportive housing (the largest segment of permanent housing resources in Contra Costa County) turns over, the low number of affordable housing units dedicated to unhoused residents, and current rates of homelessness, housing resources across the county and within Antioch remains a significant gap in meeting the needs of unhoused residents.

7 HUD 2022 Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs Housing Inventory Count Report.

Accessed at https://files.hudexchange.info/reports/published/CoC_HIC_State_CA_2022.pdf 8 City of Antioch: 2023 - 2031Housing Element Update. Accessed at https://www.antiochca.gov/fc/community-development/planning/housing- element/AntiochHousingElement_PubReviewDraft-App_final_reduced.pdf

18 Basic Needs and Supportive Services in Antioch
Agencies that provide basic needs and supportive services to unhoused Antioch residents are critical partners in supporting residents experiencing homelessness in Antioch. The agencies below offer basic needs and supportive services related to food, hygiene, clothing, legal services, and other needs. While there are many agencies throughout the county that accept referrals for Antioch residents, the list below is separated by those agencies that have a physical location in Antioch or have a strong service delivery presence in Antioch, and those that serve the broader Contra Costa County.

Figure 5. Organizations Serving Unhoused Residents
Service Providers: Antioch
Organization Resource Type
Catholic Charities of the East Bay: Antioch Housing stabilization services, immigration resources, mental health
services
Family Justice Center (FJC) Legal services and supportive services for survivors of violence
STAND! For Families Free of Violence Domestic violence services and housing provider
St. Vincent De Paul Clothing, food, occasionally other forms of financial assistance
Loaves and Fishes Food services
Rubicon Programs Economic mobility services
Healthcare for the Homeless, Contra
Costa Health Services
Basic medical care services and
healthcare information
C.O.R.E Services, Contra Costa County H3 Street outreach, case management and service connection
Humanity Way Housing placement, workforce services,
and case management services
The SHARE Community Mobile showers and laundry services Church 4 Me/City of Antioch Laundry services

19 Service Providers: County-wide
Organization Resource Type
Bay Area Crisis Nursery Emergency Childcare Services Ages 0-5 Needs related to homelessness, domestic
violence or other crisis are eligible
Bay Area Legal Aid (BALA) Legal services
Bay Area Rescue Mission (BARM) Homeless Services (food, shelter, clothing, job training etc.)
Berkeley Food and Housing Project Homeless Services
Emergency food and Housing
(emergency, transitional, RRH,
permanent)
Bi Bett Substance Use Services
Contra Costa Crisis Center Suicide prevention, 2-1-1
Contra Costa Employment and Human
Services Department (EHSD)
Public benefits
Covia Older adult services including Home
Match program for older adults with a
room to rent
Greater Richmond Interfaith Program
(GRIP)
Food services and other basic needs
services
Healthright, 360 Medical, mental health, re-entry, and
substance use services
Hume Center Mental health services
La Clinica De La Raza Medical and mental health services with special capacity to serve Spanish-
speakers

20 Lifelong Medical Care Medical care and other supportive services
Monument Crisis Center Food, youth and senior programming, resource referral services
Multi-Faith ACTION Coalition Food security, employment services, health services, education services
Northern California Family Center Outreach, shelter, counseling, and mediation for runaway and homeless
youth
Rainbow Community Center Clinical services and homeless transitional youth services for LGBTQIA
identifying residents
RYSE Center Youth Services
Safe Organized Spaces Richmond (SoS!) Street Outreach, Mobile Showers, Hygiene services
The Bay Church Food and Showers

Within Antioch, the City has an array of service provider partners that deliver critical housing and basic need resources to residents experiencing homelessness. Challengingly, referrals to these services may be difficult for unhoused residents to access without an existing connection to case management services. Unlike other large cities in the county (Richmond and Concord), Antioch does not have a Coordinated Assessment Resource and Engagement (CARE) Center. In other cities in the county, CARE centers act as a first stop/drop-in resource for persons experiencing homelessness. These sites allow unhoused residents to receive critical services information and referrals. Similarly, street outreach services like those provided by C.O.R.E have limited presence to residents in East County. Low-barrier service connections beyond basic needs (food, clothing, hygiene) is a critical gap in services available to unhoused Antioch residents.

City of Antioch’s Homelessness Response
The City of Antioch has increased its involvement in addressing the needs of unhoused residents over the past five years. In 2018, the City of Antioch declared a shelter crisis in the city, a requirement outlined in California Senate Bill 850 to access certain state funding to respond to homelessness.

21 In early 2019, the City then formed a Homeless Encampment Ad Hoc Committee to coordinate and plan around addressing the needs of people living in encampments. Later in 2019, City Council recommended hiring an Unhoused Resident Coordinator in the City. After further conversations, in early 2020 the City hired Focus Strategies as an Unhoused Resident Services Coordinator Consultant, and in late 2020, the City hired its first Unhoused Resident Coordinator.

Some key activities and achievements in the City from 2020 through June 2023 include:
• Exploring the feasibility and viability of using FEMA trailers to provide housing for unhoused residents. Ultimately, the project was determined to be infeasible and the City began exploring other opportunities to provide housing to residents. • Developing and opening a non-congregate bridge housing program (Opportunity Village). Developing the program was the focus of an Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness between 2020 and 2021. Opportunity Village opened in Spring 2023 with Bay Area Community Services operating the program and providing supportive services to participants.
• Launching a motel voucher program and contracting with the County for shelter beds at Delta Landing, to provide interim housing opportunities for residents while Opportunity Village was under development.
• Supporting a community-based laundry voucher program for unhoused residents. The program operates as a partnership between Church 4 Me and Launderland, with support from the City of Antioch.
• Adopting policy guidelines in 2021 to facilitate decision-making around resource spending.
• Exploring the viability of applying for Homekey funding to develop interim or permanent housing.
• Propping up inclement weather shelters and establishing an inclement weather response protocol in early 2023.
• Coordinating and hosting a pop-up resource event. The City brought together several local providers to offer low-barrier access to critical resources for unhoused residents. The first pop-up event was held in June 2023. Approximately 35 unhoused residents attended.

22 Other City Initiatives
In addition to the initiatives noted above, the City is engaging in other efforts and planning discussions to support the housing and services needs of unhoused residents.

Funding for Programs, Services, and Housing
The City of Antioch funds several programs to prevent homelessness and provide services and interim housing options for people currently experiencing homelessness. As outlined in the 2022 – 2023 Action Plan to accompany the CDBG Consolidated Plan, the City provided $421,500 from Housing Successor funds and Permanent Local Housing Allocation funds to local organizations serving unhoused residents. Services funded included emergency shelter and safe parking, CORE outreach, homelessness prevention, eviction counseling, and legal assistance.

Care Center/Homeless Housing Project
The City of Antioch has worked with the County to establish a CARE Center and permanent housing for unhoused and very low-income residents in Antioch. The City sold a 5-acre site to the County in 2020 for this purpose. The project stalled, in part due to COVID-related factors.

According to the City’s Housing Element and CDBG Consolidated Plan, the City continues to have discussions with the County with the hope this project can regain traction.

Inclusionary Housing
According to the City’s Housing Element, the City intends to conduct a feasibility study on the viability and feasibility of establishing an inclusionary housing ordinance. The ordinance would set requirements for new market-rate housing development projects to include a certain percentage of affordable housing units or pay a fee in lieu of developing affordable units. Under the ordinance, in lieu fees could be used for construction of affordable housing, the acquisition and rehabilitation of housing and securing of affordability covenants, interim and permanent supportive housing for unhoused residents, and rental assistance programs for low-income residents.

23 APPENDIX B

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS

In one-to-one interviews, four key stakeholders of the City of Antioch provided their feedback to this Departmental Plan. Stakeholders represented important City partnerships including perspectives from collaborative City departments, non-profit providers, and County staff.

Input from stakeholders focused on identifying gaps and sharing their perspectives on opportunities where the Department of Public Safety and Community Resources could grow to better meet the needs of unhoused residents in the city.

The following sections explore shared themes that emerged across each stakeholder interview. This qualitative data, in combination with the data utilized in the Landscape Analysis, informed the objectives and activities of this Departmental Plan.

Gaps in Resources
Stakeholders identified three primary gaps in resources for unhoused residents in Antioch.

First is direct and easy access to the County’s Coordinated Entry system. The City of Antioch does not have a Care Center within city limits or a dedicated Coordinated Outreach Referral, Engagement (C.O.R.E.) team. For unhoused residents seeking service connection and connection to county-wide housing resources, they must rely on 2-1-1, local community advocates, or the shared East County C.O.R.E. team. Stakeholders discussed how the needs of unhoused residents necessitate greater and lower-barrier access to Coordinated Entry.

While the current East County C.O.R.E. team does serve many unhoused Antioch residents, stakeholders noted that the need for rapid connection is greater than the current capacity of the East County team.

Second, stakeholders have concerns about the limited winter and inclement weather shelter options in the city. Stakeholders acknowledged the importance and impact of programs like Opportunity Village9 and identified that during emergent situations like low temperatures or inclement weather, there are limited options to provide emergency shelter to unhoused residents.

9 Interim housing program funded by the City of Antioch and operated by Bay Area Community Services (BACS).

24 Finally, stakeholders strongly emphasized the need for more permanent housing resources for unhoused residents. Stakeholders stressed the importance of expanding housing options in Antioch for individuals on a single, fixed income and for those with an income of 0-15% AMI (Area Median Income).

Opportunities for Growth
Stakeholders identified areas where they believed there were opportunities for the Department of Public Safety and Community Resources to address the needs of unhoused residents more effectively. First, stakeholders stated the importance of deepening participation in existing County programs like the C.O.R.E. Program. Stakeholders noted that larger cities throughout Contra Costa County have invested in a dedicated C.O.R.E. team (e.g., City of Richmond, City of Concord, and City of Pittsburg).10 Currently, Antioch is served by an East County C.O.R.E. team that must spread their resources throughout East County. By investing in a local C.O.R.E. team, the City of Antioch would increase low-barrier access to Coordinated Entry for unhoused Antioch residents. Having a team dedicated to the City of Antioch would mean quicker and more effective connections to basic need resources and housing opportunities.

Stakeholders shared the Department could play an important partnership role in developing the homelessness response system in Antioch. Stakeholders suggested ways of building collaboration such as reducing barriers for non-profit providers to bring programs and projects into the city, providing relevant context and information to City Council so that new projects and initiatives flow smoothly through City processes, and encouraging and coordinating collaboration across non-profit providers, City departments (e.g., Police or the Community Development Department), and other partners. Stakeholders suggested that the Department consider leading cross-provider and jurisdiction collaboration efforts and widen their presence in positions such as the CoC board and subcommittees.

10 Contra Costa County. Interview. Interview and Correspondence with Contra Costa County Staff, Virtual. August 25, 2023

25 APPENDIX C

AVAILABLE FUNDING OVERVIEW AND UTILIZATION STRATEGY
Information up to date as of 12/19/2023

This component of the Departmental Plan focuses on available funding that the Department of Public Safety and Community Resources can access to reduce homelessness in Antioch and advance the activities outlined in this Plan. These strategy considerations are intended to aid in the Department’s decision-making when determining which funding sources to pursue to advance the activities of this Plan.

Internal City Resources
Funding Source Considerations for Utilization
Community Development Block Grant
Federal funding from the Department of
Housing and Urban Development designed to
support communities in providing decent
housing and encouraging economic
opportunities, particularly for low- and
moderate-income individuals.

• CDBG funds are awarded through
the City’s Community Grants process.
• The Department can incorporate
data gathered through this planning
process into Antioch’s Needs
Assessment and encourage City
Council to adopt High Priority goals
for funding that align with this Plan’s
objectives and activities.
• The next application cycle will open
in 2024.

Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA)
Funding provided to jurisdictions through the
California Department of Housing and
Community Development in support of housing-
related projects and programs.
• PLHA funds are awarded through the
City’s Community Grants process.
• The Department can incorporate
data gathered through this planning
process into Antioch’s Needs
Assessment and encourage City
Council to adopt High Priority goals
for funding that align with this Plan’s
objectives and activities.

26 • The next application cycle will open
in 2024.

Housing Successor Funds
Funds associated with the dissolution of
Redevelopment Agencies. Housing Successor
funds must comply with State guidelines and
reporting requirements and can be used for a
variety of housing-related services and activities.
• Housing Successor funds are
awarded through the City’s
Community Grants process.
• The Department can incorporate
data gathered through this planning
process into Antioch’s Needs
Assessment and encourage City
Council to adopt High Priority goals
for funding that align with this Plan’s
objectives and activities.
• The next application cycle will open
in 2024.

Key External Resources
Funding Source Considerations for Utilization
Measure X
A countywide ballot measure intended to: “keep
Contra Costa’s regional hospital open and
staffed; fund community health centers,
emergency response; support crucial safety-net
services; invest in early childhood services;
protect vulnerable populations; and for other
essential county services.”11 Measure X funding
is awarded through a competitive process
administered by Contra Costa County.

• In the initial allocation of funding in
2023, all funds were awarded to non-
profit/community-based
organizations.
• The City of Antioch could utilize a
strategy of partnership with a non-
profit provider to bring
programming funded by Measure X
to Antioch.
• Measure X funding can be used for a
variety of program types providing
housing and services to unhoused
residents. Measure X funding
(allocated through a separate

11 Contra Costa County, “Measure X”, https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/8530/Measure-X, Last accessed December 3, 2023

27 funding process) is also available to
support capital development costs.
• The next application cycle for
Measure X funds is unknown.

Encampment Resolution Funding (ERF-3-R)
ERF funding is administered by the California
Interagency Council on Homeless. Funding is
designed to “assist local jurisdictions in ensuring
the wellness and safety of people experiencing
homelessness in encampments by providing
services and supports that address their
immediate physical and mental wellness and
result in meaningful paths to safe and stable
housing.”12
• City can serve as lead applicant.
• Applications for the current round of
funding are accepted on a rolling
basis through June 30, 2024, or until
all funds have been exhausted. The
first window for submitting an
application closes on January 31,
2024.

HUD Continuum of Care (CoC) NOFO
HUD CoC funding is awarded to jurisdictions
and nonprofits to provide housing and
supportive services to unhoused residents.

Funding is also provided to Contra Costa County
H3, as the Collaborative Applicant and Homeless
Management Information System Lead, to fund
vital infrastructure of the Continuum of Care.
• Contra Costa Health Services, as the
Collaborative Applicant, facilitates an
annual local funding competition to
prioritize local projects and
recommend them for funding from
HUD.
• The CoC sets local priorities for
funding. Funding can be used for
permanent supportive housing, rapid
rehousing, or joint transitional
housing/rapid rehousing programs.
• The City could serve as a lead
applicant or could partner with a
non-profit organization to apply for
funding to bring programming to
Antioch.

12 State of California, Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, California Interagency Council on Homelessness, “Encampment Resolution Funding (ERF) Program”, https://bcsh.ca.gov/calich/erf_program.html, Last Accessed December 19, 2023

28 • Applications require a 25% match.

Foundations and Philanthropic Sources
A variety of local, state, and national foundations
fund projects and programs providing housing
and services to unhoused residents. The list of
member organizations of Funders Together to
End Homelessness, while not exhaustive, is a
useful starting point for exploring potential
philanthropic resources available.
• Foundations often only accept
applications from registered non-
profit organizations. Partnering with
local non-profit providers may be
required.
• Some foundations do not accept
unsolicited funding applications or
proposals. Foundations identify
promising programs and
organizations, meet regularly to
understand operations and
organizational needs, and make
awards based on those assessments.

Building and maintaining
relationships with foundation
program officers is a critical step in
pursuing funding through these
grant-making structures.

1 ATTACHMENT “B”

CITY OF ANTIOCH
POLICY GUIDELINES FOR THE CITY’S APPROACH TO

UNHOUSED RESIDENT SERVICES

Prepared April 16, 2021

I. PURPOSE
The City of Antioch is committed to adopting and implementing strategic, effective responses to the needs of residents who are unhoused. Contra Costa County’s Continuum of Care (CoC) currently provides most of the crisis response and re-housing services for unhoused residents in Antioch and across the region. With the number of unhoused residents continuing to steadily rise, the City of Antioch has been developing its strategy to complement the services available through the CoC and more fully respond to the needs of its residents. The City Council has adopted these Policy Guidelines to articulate the City’s strategic approach, guiding principles, and criteria to inform current and future investments in services for unhoused residents. The Policy Guidelines build on over two years of conversation and engagement within the City to better understand resident needs and the existing service landscape, review potential service and re-housing strategy models, and secure funding for adopted approaches.

II. BACKGROUND
In 2019, members of the City Council hosted a panel with the Homeless Encampment Task Force. From this, the City Council approved and initiated a Homeless Encampment Ad Hoc Committee that met from April 2019 to April 2020 to identify and recommend solutions to the growth in homelessness and the needs of unhoused residents. In April 2020, the Transitional Housing Ad Hoc Committee formed to continue to advance these efforts. Key outcomes from these efforts include the approval of City funding to be set aside for services for unhoused residents and the hiring of an Unhoused Resident Services Coordinator to inform and guide implementation of the City’s work to address homelessness.

In November 2019, the City Council allocated a portion of the set-aside funding for immediate needs including mobile showers and toilets, trash disposal, laundry services, and

2 motel vouchers. In addition, the City Council allocated funds to support pilots for safe parking programs and warming centers. The balance of approved funds remains to be allocated, as of the writing of these Policy Guidelines. Given the limited funding available to respond to the needs of unhoused residents, these Policy Guidelines serve as a framework for decisions around pending and future fund allocations. To be most impactful in reducing homelessness, the City needs to adopt a response strategy that shifts from individual initiatives and reactive responses towards coordinated, data- and equity-informed efforts that drive towards long-term housing solutions: this document outlines that strategy.

The approaches, guiding principles, and criteria in these Policy Guidelines are informed by engagements with local stakeholders, reviews of national best practices for reducing homelessness, and effective programs and services for unhoused residents in peer communities. Most recently, in February 2021, the Transitional Housing Ad Hoc Committee hosted two public forums to introduce community members to the City’s strategic framework for unhoused resident services including a feasibility study that had been completed at City’s Council’s request to explore the development and funding of a non-congregate bridge housing program. At the forums, community members offered feedback on the strategies presented as well as additional ideas for City Council consideration. The City, in coordination with its contracted consultant, Focus Strategies, has reviewed and discussed effective program services and overall homelessness response system strategies informed by national best practices with a lens towards the specific role of cities in crisis response and long-term housing solutions. Additionally, City staff have conducted research and visited several local and peer community programs including a motel voucher program operated by Contra Costa County, shower services provided by Golden Hills Church, food distributed at Troste Property, a tiny home program in Hayward, a safe parking site in Union City, and sanctioned encampment sites in San Francisco and Martinez.

III. CONTEXT
A. Homelessness in Antioch
In partnership with the City, the CoC conducts an annual enumeration1 of people experiencing both sheltered and unsheltered homelessness in the region. In 2020, 238

1 This enumeration process is known as the Point-in-Time Count, or PIT Count, and takes place in January each year. The PIT Count methodology includes a physical counting of people visibly seen to be experiencing homelessness in cars, tents, or other outdoor locations; an inventory of the number of people staying in interim housing programs such as emergency shelter; and a survey of people who are unsheltered to better understand characteristics and needs.

3 people were identified as unsheltered within Antioch. This represents 15% of the people experiencing unsheltered homelessness across Contra Costa County. While year-to-year data has fluctuated2, the City has seen an overall upward trend in the number of residents who are unhoused over the past five years.

Data collected by the County’s Coordinated Outreach, Referral, Engagement (CORE) teams provides additional insight into the population of residents who are unhoused in Antioch. In 2020, CORE teams provided services to 1,104 unique Antioch residents experiencing housing crises: of these residents, 25% were individuals in family households with children.

Fifty-seven percent of people served by CORE teams in Antioch were ages 25-54, 13% were under the age of 18 (includes children in family households), 12% were ages 55-61, 9% were ages 18-24 and 9% were over the age of 62. Of the people who received services through CORE teams in 2020, 45% identified as white, 37% as Black or African American, 18% as Hispanic or Latino, 8% as American Indian or Alaskan Native, 7% as multi-racial, and 2% as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander. In addition, 3% of adult participants were Veterans; 67% of adult indicated having a disabling condition; and 17% reported recent or prior experiences of domestic or intimate partner violence.

Most residents who are unhoused in Antioch had connections to the jurisdiction prior to losing their housing. Of the people served by CORE teams in Antioch, 50% were originally from the City and 32% were from other parts of Contra Costa County. Many of these individuals previously worked, attended school, accessed services, or were connected to friends or family in Antioch.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted housing stability for many residents as well as the availability of services. While an enumeration of people experiencing homelessness has not taken place during the pandemic due to public health concerns, many stakeholders within Antioch have expressed concern that the situation has worsened over the past year. In addition to exacerbating need, the pandemic has shifted the landscape of crisis response and emergency housing services. While CORE teams are continuing to provide mobile outreach services, for example, transportation assistance to get to resources is no longer available. In addition, congregate emergency shelters have closed, and non-congregate

2 Number of people identified through PIT Count by year: 238 people in 2020; 226 people in 2019; 350 people in 2018; 137 people in 2017; and 164 people in 2016.

4 programs based out of motels have opened to provide shelter to individuals identified as most vulnerable to severe COVID-19 health impacts.

B. Current City Response
The City’s historical approach to responding to homelessness has been three-pronged:

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds are allocated towards homelessness prevention efforts; the City leverages the Community Engagement Team in its Police Department to respond to incidents such as mental health crises or reports of illegal activity involving residents who are unhoused; and the City’s Public Works Department engages in abatement efforts at sites deemed encampments.

Through its community engagement in recent years, the City has received a significant number of ideas and concerns related to the presence of, and increase in the number of, unhoused residents. There is a varying feedback. For example, in some instances feedback appears in the form of advocacy to reduce the utilization of law enforcement as part of encampment response. In other instances, it is showcased as the concern about the impact of homelessness on home values and public safety. There is also concern about the promotion of additional services and immediate housing options for residents who are unhoused.

As noted in Section II, the City has set-aside $531,174 in funds for new homelessness response efforts, with $140,000 already allocated for mobile showers and toilets, trash and sharps disposal, laundry services, motel vouchers, and pilots for safe parking programs and warming centers. As of the writing of this Policy Guidelines document, the City is preparing to fund and launch a shower access program, laundry services, and a motel voucher program.

Other services are still in the research and/or development phase. To promote service delivery coordination among these funded efforts and other local and regional programs, the City’s Unhoused Resident Coordinator will be convening regular meetings for networking and strategy development.

C. Additional Local and Regional Resources
Multiple community-based groups in Antioch currently provide services for their unhoused neighbors. These groups include: Facing Homelessness, an advocacy group that serves meals and provides other basic needs; SHARE Community and Shower House Ministries that provide mobile or site-based shower access; and Loaves and Fishes and St. Vincent de Paul

5 that offer meals and food access. There are currently no emergency housing programs operating within Antioch.

In nearby communities, families with children can access shelter at Shepherd’s Gate in Brentwood or Love-a-Child in Bay Point: access to shelters for individual adults and young people are extremely limited in East Contra Costa County. Contra Costa County is currently in the process of opening an East Contra Costa County CARE Center (located in a recently acquired Motel 6 in Pittsburg) and interim housing program that will expand service access for residents from Antioch. Unhoused Antioch residents are also eligible to access services available through the CoC’s Coordinated Entry System (CES). CES is a centralized and coordinated process to prioritize and facilitate linkages to housing resources such as Rapid Re-housing and Permanent Supportive Housing. Unhoused residents can access these services by visiting one of the Coordinated Assessment, Referral and Engagement (CARE) Centers in Contra Costa County, calling 2-1-1, or engaging with a mobile CORE team.

IV. CRITERIA TO INFORM FUTURE STRATEGIES
The City has identified the following goals for its homelessness response approach:
• Engage in data-informed planning and investments.
• Invest in temporary housing and shelter that provide a pathway to housing. • Participate in and leverage the Contra Costa County homelessness response system. • Build partnerships with Antioch-based community partners and community-based efforts that complement City-funded and regional strategies. • Adopt strategic encampment resolution policies focused on linking unhoused people to shelter, housing and services.

In February 2021, the City’s Unhoused Resident Coordinator and its contracted consultant, Focus Strategies, presented a strategic framework to the City Council that included a portfolio of program models the City may pursue to serve unhoused residents. This includes:

• Strategies to address the immediate and public health needs of unhoused residents. The goal of these strategies is to keep residents as safe as possible while continuing to work with them towards housing solutions and/or until adding housing resources are available. This may include services like increased access to showers and toilets for people who are unsheltered, the provision of dumpsters and sharps

6 containers particularly at or near more populated encampment areas, vouchers for laundry services, and/or improved access to emergency shelter programs. This also may involve review and refinement of the City’s existing approach to encampment response and/or the role of law enforcement in situations where illegal activity is not the primary concern.

• Interim housing and services solutions designed to facilitate the transition into stable housing. This may include short-term motel vouchers for people awaiting other housing solutions, safe parking sites with case management services, housing- focused CORE team services dedicated to work with residents of Antioch, and/or bridge housing programs. Bridge housing programs can be designed in a variety of settings ranging from motels to tiny homes to congregate facilities. To maximize positive outcomes (i.e., people leaving temporary shelter secure permanent housing upon exit) for any of these efforts, these services will need to be closely coordinated with the CoC’s Coordinated Entry System and resource network.

• Permanent housing resources and linkages. This strategy area focuses on helping residents maintain or obtain stable housing by providing rental assistance, housing problem solving services (sometimes referenced as diversion), and/or housing- focused case management. This may include targeted homelessness prevention efforts, short- or medium-term rental assistance through Rapid Re-Housing programs, and/or long-term rental assistance through permanent housing vouchers such as Permanent Supportive Housing.

Given limited funding availability, it is important the City invest in programs and services that will have maximum impact in reducing homelessness and align with the City’s identified approach to unhoused resident services. As the City considers pending and future investment opportunities, the table below provides a framework of criteria and considerations for assessing whether a program or service is likely to strategically further the City’s efforts. Programs may not meet all the criteria: however, programs that align with these standards are more likely to achieve the City’s goals for serving unhoused residents.

7 Criteria Considerations
I. Alignment with Best
Practice Approaches
 Is the program low barrier and in alignment with Housing First practices?
 Does the program use a trauma-informed approach to
program design and delivery?
 Is the program culturally competent in its design and delivery?
 Does the program advance equity; for example, will it help address racial, ethnic, or other disparities identified among the population of residents who are unhoused?
II. Advancement of
Housing Solutions
 What services and approaches does the program use to
help people connect to housing solutions?
 How does the program promote maximum utilization of
available housing stock in the city?
 How effective has the program been at helping people exit to positive housing outcomes?
 If the program is new or innovative and does not have prior data for reference, how was the program designed and what gap(s) does it aim to fill in the community’s existing service network?
III. Responsiveness to
Critical Health and Safety
Needs
 Does the program advance the City’s goals to alleviate encampment development and/or the need for
abatements?
 How effective has the program been at helping people who are unhoused improve their health and safety?
 If the program is new or innovative and does not have prior data for reference, how was the program designed and what gap(s) does it aim to fill in the community’s existing service network?
 If the program does not directly or indirectly provide housing solutions, how is it balanced by other programs in Antioch’s service portfolio that do advance permanent
housing outcomes?

8 Criteria Considerations
IV. Cost Effectiveness  In comparison to other program models, how cost effective is the program when looking at permanent housing
outcomes?
 If the program requires staffing and/or infrastructure, is there a long-term sustainable funding source for the program?  Does the program leverage the broader network of services available in Antioch inclusive of mainstream resources and community-based services?
 Does the program coordinate with and leverage regional resources such as the Coordinated Entry System?

The four criteria above also offer an applicable lens for the development and modification of City policies pertaining to the needs and experiences of unhoused residents, such as policies that guide the City’s approach to encampment areas. Policies, funding decisions, and program services are most impactful towards solutions when they are working towards a shared vision and direction. Thus, policy decisions will be reviewed in light of how they utilize best practices; their alignment with the City’s approach to trauma- and equity-informed responses to homelessness; the extent to which they advance the City’s goals of advancing housing solutions and responding to critical health and safety needs of residents; and whether they are the most resource-effective solution to a challenge.

V. CONCLUSION
The City of Antioch is moving forward in its intent to improve services for unhoused residents and other community members impacted by homelessness. As it does so, it will be important for the City to make policy and investment decisions focused on achieving maximum impact towards advancing housing solutions and reducing homelessness. The criteria in this Policy Guidelines document provide a roadmap for assessing new program or service opportunities through the lens of alignment with best practices, advancement of permanent housing solutions, responsiveness to critical health and safety needs, and cost effectiveness in achieving housing stability for Antioch residents. With all new or expanded efforts, coordination with and leveraging of regional and community-based resources will be critical to maximizing permanent housing connections.

5 6
Goals for the Approach to
Unhoused Resident Needs
• Engage in data-informed planning and investments.
• Invest in temporary housing and shelter that provide a pathway to housing. • Participate in and leverage the Contra Costa County homelessness response system. • Build partnerships with Antioch-based community partners and community-based efforts that complement City-funded and regional strategies.
• Adopt strategic encampment resolution policies focused on finking unhoused people to shelter, housing and services.

Strategic Framework
• Strategies to address the immediate and public health needs of unhoused residents.
• Interim housing and services solutions designed to facilitate the transition into stable housing.
• Permanent housing resources and linkages.
4/21/2021
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Antioch City CouncilFebruary 25, 2025

Antioch City Council
February 25, 2025