CALL OF SPECIAL MEETING
Antioch City Council
Special Meeting/Workshop
Pursuant to Government Code section 54956, I hereby call a Special Meeting/Workshop of the Antioch City Council. Said meeting shall be held on the following date, time and place:
DATE:
TIME:
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
12:00 P.M. Special Meeting/Workshop
PLACE: Antioch Water Park - Multi Use Room
4701 Lone Tree Way
Antioch, CA 94531
The only items of business to be considered at such Special Meeting/Workshop shall be set forth on the Special Meeting Agenda.
Dated: November 20, 2025
__________________________________
City of Antioch
AGENDA
Antioch City Council
SPECIAL MEETING/WORKSHOP
Date: Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Time: 12:00 P.M. – Special Meeting/Workshop
Place: Antioch Water Park – Multi Use Room
4701 Lone Tree Way
Antioch, CA 94531
PLEASE TURN OFF CELL PHONES BEFORE ENTERING COUNCIL CHAMBERS.
Ron Bernal, Mayor Michael J. Mandy, City Clerk
Louie Rocha, Mayor Pro Tem (District 2) Jorge R. Rojas, City Treasurer Tamisha Torres-Walker, Council Member District 1
Donald P. Freitas, Council Member District 3 Bessie Marie Scott, City Manager Monica E. Wilson, Council Member District 4 Derek Cole, Interim City Attorney ACCESSIBILITY: In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and California law, it is the policy of the City of Antioch to offer its public programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabiliti es. If you are a person with a disability and require information or materials in an appropriate alternative format; or if you require any other accommodation, please contact the ADA Coordinator at the number or address below at least 72 hours prior to the meeting or when you desire to receive services. Advance notification within this guideline will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility. The City’s ADA Coordinator can be reached @ Phone: (925) 779-6950, and e-mail: [email protected].
ANTIOCH CITY COUNCIL -1- DECEMBER 2, 2025
Notice of Opportunity to Address Council
The City Council can only take action on items that are listed on this agenda. The public has the opportunity to address the Council on each agenda item. To address the Council, fill out a Speaker Request form and place in the Speaker Card Tray near the City Clerk before the meeting begins. Please identify the specific agenda item number you would like to speak on. Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to speak. When you are called to speak, please limit your comments to the time allotted (up to 3 minutes, at the discretion of the Mayor). The Speaker Request forms are located at the entrance of the Council Chambers. No one may speak more than once on an agenda item. 12:00 P.M. ROLL CALL – SPECIAL MEETING/WORKSHOP – for Council Members
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
WORKSHOP
1. CITY COUNCIL PRIORITY SETTING DISCUSSION – HOUSING AND UNHOUSED
SUPPORTS
MOTION TO ADJOURN – The Mayor will make a motion to adjourn the Special Meeting. A second motion is required, and then a majority vote is required to adjourn the Special Meeting.
1 Agenda Item #
AMENDED STAFF REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
DATE: Special Meeting of December 2, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
SUBMITTED BY: Bessie Marie Scott, City Manager
SUBJECT: City Council Priority Setting Discussion - Housing and Unhoused Supports
RECOMMENDED ACTION
It is recommended that the City Council discuss and provide direction to City staff on setting priorities in the area of housing policies pursuant to the Special Meeting – Priority Setting which took place on September 15, 2025.
FISCAL IMPACT
The recommended action has no fiscal impact at this time.
DISCUSSION
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 recently restructured the housing investments approach for the City, to include the creation of a dedicated Housing Services Division, and she has
Antioch City Council Report
December 2, 2025, Agenda Item #1 2
bolstered regional relationships with external partners to address policy interventions as well as possibilities for increasing service provisions, in addition to identifying funding opportunities around housing services and housing opportunities for all.
It is recommended that the City Council discuss and provide direction to City staff regarding setting priorities in this policy area.
ATTACHMENTS
A. September 15, 2025 Antioch City Council Special Meeting – Priority Setting – Notes, Meeting Minutes, Action Items, and White Board Photos B. “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
C. “Policy Guidelines for the City’s Approach to Unhoused Resident Services” 2021 Council Adoption.
D. Public Safety and Community Engagement – 2025 Q4 Division Report PowerPoint
Tracy Miller Special Meeting 9/15
Time: 1:00pm
Location: Nick Rodrigez Community Center
Tracy welcoming remarks and dedication statement towards the council.
Talks about her past year within the city: Dancing with the seniors with HR, the Juneteenth celebration. Working closely with the PD with Chief Vigil. Working with City Manager Bessie Scott. Directors and leaders, as well as city staff who are dedicated to the city of Antioch.
Change in America starts at the municipal level with people working directly with the community. We are going to do so with fair and honest conversations.
City Manager Scott 2019 Strategic plan through the year 2029 recap for the council.
Public Comments from council: None
Public Comments: four public comments taken by council.
Strong suits / successes for the city
Mayor: Three new dining areas downtown, recruiting for city attorney and assistant CA, DOJ settlement and other litigations. New APOC commissioners, updating ordinance and code of conduct. New police Chief, swore in new officers last week, community engaged police department. Approved new police cars and technology, the substation, representation on Contra Costa County transportation board, grant writer for the city, farmers market, second Sunday of the farmers market has additional vendors, Juneteenth celebration, 4th of July event, PIO hired, adopted a budget for this FY with 15 mil in cost saving, property tax up, listed different aspects of crime in the city being down. We have full time CORE team which serves Antioch specifically with homelessness. 13 mil investment in rebuilding, CDED director just hired, working with Contra Costa County Fire, working towards African American wellness hub, reduction is sideshows, amtrack station investment to reconsider the decommissioning of our station, code enforcement. Watch programs, community clean ups, Opportunity village. Pursing the Antioch School District to join meetings, priority setting workshop, making see click fix improvements, revamping economic development, increasing staffing.
Mayor Pro Tem: Police department swearing in ceremonies impressed with the diversity of the officers coming in. Work study sessions that where long and late in the evenings that were well worth it, lead to a better understanding of all the different departments. FY25/26 budget. Today was a big celebration for the Brackish opening ceremony today. Council Member Torress Walker the community development grant. Programs that support our low-income seniors, youth and families. Youth internship programs. High engagement of the seniors in our community, the
ATTACHMENT A
senior center and how great of a program that they have here. Standing up for Veterans this past weekend to honor and support those who have served at the Antioch Fair grounds.
Council Member Freitas: Hiring monitor for the DOJ, reintroduction of Neighbor hood watch and business watch programs. The Juneteenth celebration, national night out, active support for APOC, budgetary process was hard but important. Monthly finance reports to council in order to be proactive. Prop 218 fees, charges and assessments that need to be updated, the grant writer.
Repurposing of City supplies. Vacant board and commission seats. Establish an onboarding process for all board commission and council including a code of conduct. Cannabis committee himself and Council Member Torres-Walker. Parks and recreations department and their new proposals on how to generate new revenue streams.
Council Member Wilson: Brackish water today 13+ years in the making. Juneteenth celebration this past June, Department head spots are getting filled, CDED director position, district meetings, public works leadership shout-out, Hiring a lobbying firm to represent us at the state and federal level, Washington DC trip, PIO doing a great job at getting positive information out about Antioch. Partnership with Delta Diablo. New police Chief, reopening of opportunity landing, youth engagement, council of teens going strong, mental health response team is going strong despite hours being cut, starting to work together as a council.
Council Member Torres-Walker: Thank the Police Chief, City Manager and Public Safety and Community Resources. She thanked the City Manager and Assistant City Attorney for their work in negotiation around DOJ settlements, starting to see traffic preventions rolled out like crosswalks in new areas, pedestrian safety. Staffing up and serving the community. Economic development coordinator for supporting the downtown Antioch association. PSCR increasing public private partnerships with nonprofits, filing the gaps with what we can’t.
City Manager: One body and one voice with the council, not only do we have an amazing PIO who has streamlined our processes and communication. Antioch is Starting to trend positive rather than negatively in the news. Thanking the Police Chief and APD for crime stats going down, economic development grants and awards, executive consultants thank you, local and regional partnerships, Antioch School District and Contra Costa County. Human Resources Department has been getting personal rules up to date and getting staff hired. IS streaming on YouTube, Youth the SOAR and RISE programs are so successful. Tri Delta has asked us for interns for the first time as well. Chichibu trip (sister city) Know your rights event, HR director rolled out NEOgov to the city last week and starting a new evaluation process. Strong executive management team. Staff able to streamline processes. Federal and legislative lobbying, by the end of next month we will have every executive position filled in the city.
Tracy: recap of what we did and what going forward is going to look like. Her goal at the end of the day is that we have three or four things that we will focus on. They need to be measurable.
Deadline January 1, 2026. Giving them 5 minutes to write three priorities.
Council Member Freitas:
- Finances: Monthly Reports, Fees changed, Plan of Action - Economic Development: Robust economic, Plan of employee targets, Plan of action requested. - Communication: Weekley updates, Masterplan, Project Reports.
Mayor Pro Tem Rocha:
- Public Safety: APD full staffing, Cal DOJ,
- Economic Development: Grow revenue, support code enforcement, increase our general fund.
- Housing support: youth families and seniors, Proactive housing support / grant fundraising.
Council Member Wilson:
- Operations: Operational assessment
- Economic Development: Determining sectors that would be of benefit to Antioch. - Healthy Community: Health and wellness of the community, Gyms and healthy food options. Community access to clean air, clean water, trails etc.
Council Member Torres-Walker
- Economic development: Strategic plan by January of next year for economic development.
- Traffic calming measures: 50% CIP traffic implemented by summer of 2026 - Public Private partnerships: 3% increase to meet needs Mayor Bernal
- Staffed PD: 105 by July 1, 2026, and DOJ Conclusion: litigation of our DOJ - Economic development: fully staffed code enforcement division with proactive enforcement and compliance program. Focus on blighted and vacant properties, commercial and downtown being the highest priority. Give developers an incentive to develop here.
- Finance: Balanced budget FY27 that does not depend on reserves. Written revenue enhancement plan.
Tracy: all five put economic development as a priority. Start to focus on that first. She wants to break it down, what making economic development a priority means. Will turn over to CM Scott for her input.
Economic Development
- Plan by Janutary 2026 (strategic plan is top priority) - Grow revenue
- Code enforcement fully staffed
- Increase general fund
- Compliance
- Blight Force: Level of enforcement & Council decision / Legislative - Incentives for businesses
- 25 or more businesses / Jobs, not just downtown
- Under utilized areas – work well for the city
Structural Initiative
Code enforcement: Currently have 8 Code enforcement (they want to know what is happening with the program and inform us.
See click Fix is a big part of code enforcement.
How to we beef it up and make it strong as quickly as possible rather than waiting. Mayor would like the code enforcement team to be strengthened ASAP.
Fully staffed code enforcement: it is not the number employees it is how they are being utilized and what actions are being carried out.
City Manager Scott
They need a program (code enforcement) operational assessment needed. Code enforcement is doable it will be a phased out process. See click fix is not just for code enforcement, it is also being used by Public Works for other issues. It is a separate process improvement that is doable within 3-6 months.
Need time with the new director, supportive staff, and our consultant.
July 1st, 2026 is realistic, and it is realistic to update and communicate with them along the way.
Operational assessment 3-6 months plan for the code enforcement and a full reorganization.
Elements need to trickle in, will depend on council. Baseline can be done within 3-6 months.
Updates will take place in October and November from City Manager Scott.
Council Member Freitas: Request for Townsend grant writer, that they look into a grant.
Mayor Pro Tem: Asking to review the current polices so that council can see what is currently being done.
Council Member Torres-Walker: seeing two things, first Mayor suggested we review the current ordinance see how it can be improved. Two request to bring back a discussion of strengthening the ordinance with a vacancy. What are we asking staff to do? Mayor Bernal: Two separate things confirmed.
Assistant City Attorney: Not prepared to respond if they can be combined currently. Due to the tax, it may need to go to the ballet. Recommendation to focus on code enforcement first then the tax item separately. Explains the need for the operations assessment and discussion with City Attorney.
Tracy: could you give them a current list of ordinances and compare them to other cities, when can Kevin do that by?
Assistant City Attorney: Yes, he can do that, timeframe is second October meeting. Needs to discuss the tax part with the City Attorney this week. When can council be informed of the information regarding the ordinance via email by the end of this week. This is supported by City Manager Scott.
Action Item’s
Action Item one Economic development: code enforcement: City Manager update in October and November, in 3-6 months plan for code enforcement.
Action Item two, City attorney: writing ordnances and strengthening these ordnances that we have. A current list of ordinances and compare them to other cities, which can Kevin do that believes he can do this by the second meeting of October.
Action Item three: City Attorney Email to council by end of the week building vacancy ordinances.
Action Item Plan Four Economic development action plan: plan hopefully in the next 3-4 months by January 2026. End of March 2026 for a final review.
Public Safety
Mayor: Fully staffed 2026 105, 117 2027. 2026 is as of July 1. Informs City manager to go to HR to relay that PD staffing is a priority.
DOJ state and fed, wants to be concluded. Wants to ensure we are making ourselves available to them.
Updates DOJ – wants to know we are doing well and reports to the community on how well we are doing.
Action item: meeting with the DOJ
Mayor Pro Tem Rocha: Community Policing: The substation Action item: Substations up and running.
Council Member Torres-Walker: Structural deficits being addressed. The city overall is fully staffed. Both substations up and running January 2026. 10% outside funding for youth services from grants, philanthropic partners.
Action Item: 10% outside funding for youth services from grants, and philanthropic partners.
Council Member Wilson: Youth engagement: safe places for youth and their voices around policy. The culture between the community and the PD.
Action item: More youth input coming into council by July of 2026 in regard to public safety.
Council Member Freitas: Agrees with the staffing, the staff will be providing quarterly reports regarding the DOJ. Community policing, walking the areas that have high crime. After school programs working the ASD, issues with food for the kids. Rename the public safety and community resource division.
4/5 said quarterly DOJ updates
City Manger Scott: that is the plan. Just had an update for last week Action Item: Council would like to continue the quarterly DOJ updates and continue to meet with them as we currently do.
Overall votes
- Substations (3)
- Fully staffed (3)
- Proactive youth programs (food banks) (3)
Called up Chief: to talk about the substation. Community center could be by the end of the year, PW and IS needed for help. Some parts on backorder which is causing the delay.
Action items
Action item: Youth within the City and Business: Partnering with the school district for resources for food scarcity. Internships for the youth what is being offered after school federally.
Action Item: City Manager is going to ask the grant writer for Youth services 10% increase in funding from external funding.
Action item: Full hiring / staffing of City Employees
Action item: two substations operating as soon as possible. One of these being the community center substation, the other being the sycamore substation. Report out by the end of the month. 2nd meeting in October, 1st meeting in November.
Council Member Moncia Wilson: Safe spaces for youth, Youth on commissions.
Action Items the following above. All youth centric. Scheduled for January / February. Council Action item, to ask the CM to place on the agenda when they are ready.
Going to vote to stop before housing.
Meeting concluded 4:59pm.
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Special Meeting September 15, 2025
1:00 P.M. Council Chambers
1:00 P.M. SPECIAL MEETING/WORKSHOP
Mayor Bernal called the Closed Session to order at 1:16 P.M., and Acting City Clerk Cabrera - Brown called the roll.
Present: Council Members District 3 Freitas, District 4 Wilson, Mayor Pro Tem (District 2) Rocha and Mayor Bernal
Absent: Council Member District 1 Torres-Walker (arrived at 1:40 P.M.)
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Bernal led the Pledge of Allegiance.
WORKSHOP
1. CITY OF ANTIOCH COUNCIL PRIORITY SETTING AGENDA
Mayor Bernal welcomed all attendees and formally opened the meeting.
Tracy Miller, TM Consulting, delivered opening remarks, expressing her appreciation for the City Council's dedication to Antioch. She highlighted her role as the facilitator for the Council Priority Setting Study Session, outlined the session's objectives, and established the time par ameters to ensure a productive discussion.
City Manager Scott provided an update on the progress of the City’s Vision and Strategic Plan (2019-2029).
Public Comment
Joy Motts spoke about the accomplishments of the previous Council and encouraged the current Council to address blight through enhanced Code Enforcement. She also advocated for the development of an event center on the Beede Lumber Yard parcel.
An unidentified speaker stated he believed the City had not provided sufficient notice for this meeting. He recommended that the City prioritize housing and homeless services, as well as efforts to eradicate blight.
Erica suggested the City Council prioritize and streamline homeless services in Antioch.
Sal Sbranti encouraged the City Council to prioritize making Antioch a desirable city to live in and to clearly define their mission and values.
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Councilmember Torres-Walker arrived at 1:40 P.M.
Mayor Bernal and Councilmembers Rocha, Freitas, Wilson, and Torres -Walker shared their following list of successes achieved by the City Council.
Community Events & Engagement
• Downtown restaurants and outdoor dining options
• Community Events - Farmers Market/Artisan Fair, Juneteenth & 4th of July celebrations and monthly community cleanups
• Youth Internship Programs and youth engagement
• Senior citizen engagement
• Support for the Antioch Police Department (APD) community engagement initiatives City Projects & Development
• Expansion of Walmart
• Brackish Water Desalination Plant
• Reassessment and consideration of repurposing city-owned properties • Support for economic development and new revenue streams (Park and Rec proposals) • Infrastructure improvements: See Click Fix, traffic calming measures Public Safety & Law Enforcement
• APD recruitment, diversity initiatives
• Reduction in violent crimes
• Proactive code enforcement of encampments
• Reduction of sideshows
• New Police Chief
• Support for community -based safety initiatives Angelo Quinto Crisis Response Team (AQCRT)
• Improving Antioch Police Oversight Commission processes Government & Budget
• Adopted fiscally responsible budget; held budget study sessions; scheduled quarterly financial reviews
• Increase in property tax
• Consideration of Prop 218 assessments
• Executive staff recruitment
• Lynn House RFQ and Marina RFP
• Board and Commission onboarding process
• Addressing Structural Deficits
Legal & Administrative
• United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) settlement and litigation resolution • Hiring of monitor for USDOJ compliance
• Hiring of Grant Writer
• Supporting re-establishment of Neighborhood and Business Watch programs • Reestablished County relationships
• Lobbying at State and Federal level
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Community & Social Services
• African American Wellness Hub
• Homelessness reduction efforts
• CDBG Housing Successor Funds for vulnerable residents • Stand Down for Veterans
• Partnership with Delta Diablo and Tri Delta
• Support for Opportunity Village
• Full-time CORE Team
• Youth Internships
• Community Forums by District
Transportation & Infrastructure
• Engagement in the Countywide Transportation Plan Subcommittee • AMTRAK Improvements
• Traffic Calming Measures
Other Initiatives
• City’s Economic Development Department reorganization • Community engagement through Public Information Officer (PIO) • Initiatives to improve community health and wellness
• Pursuing Joint Meetings with the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD) • Council Priority Setting
• Cannabis Ordinance Review
• Increasing Private/Public Partnerships
Ms. Miller encouraged Council to celebrate their successes.
City Manager Scott shared the following list of Staff’s successes:
Communication & Public Engagement
• Public Information Officer (PIO) and communication enhancements • Streamlined communication structures
• Live streaming via YouTube
• Chichibu and "Know Your Rights" events
• Successful Youth Internship Programs
Human Resources & Leadership
• Recruitment and promotion of Police Chief and executive positions • HR process streamlining for recruitment
• Strengthening the executive management team
Public Safety & Crime Reduction
• Reduction in crime statistics
• Streamlining citation processes
Economic & Regional Development
• Recognition through economic development awards
• Building local and regional partnerships
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Administrative & Policy Improvements
• Updating records retention policies
• Addressing contract backlog
Consulting & Advocacy
• Engagement of an executive consultant
• Federal and legislative lobbying efforts
Councilmember Freitas identified his top three priorities for the City over the next two years and briefly explained his reasoning.
Financial
• Monthly budget reports
• Review all fees, charges and assessments consider prop 218 election • Review staff’s recommendations regarding revenue generation • Develop a plan of action
Economic Development
• Robust economic development action plan targeting businesses with 25+ employees Communications
• Weekly updates to all Councilmembers
• Develop Master Plan/deadlines/project reports
Councilmember Rocha identified his top three priorities for the City over the next two years and briefly explained his reasoning.
Public Safety
• Fully staff APD to 117 officers by 2027
• Continue working in collaboration with the USDOJ and California Department of Justice (CALDOJ) on police reform initiatives
• Rebuild culture of community policing
Economic and Code Enforcement
• Support local business owners and recruitment of new business opportunities • Support staffing Code Enforcement to address vacant/blighted properties • Review penalties and fines through Code Enforcement
• Build robust Economic Development Program
Housing Support and Community Resources
• Support youth, families, seniors and Veterans in the unhoused community • Proactive housing support and CDBG funding
• Work regionally with the County and State for housing support for the unhoused community
Councilmember Wilson identified her top three priorities for the City over the next two years and briefly explained her reasoning.
Operations
• Complete operational assessment
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Economic Development
• Develop a robust Economic Development plan
Healthy Communities
• Focus on health and wellness of community
• Access to clean air, water, healthy food, trails and open space
Councilmember Torres-Walker identified her top three priorities for the City over the next two years and briefly explained her reasoning.
Economic Development
• Develop an Economic Development Strategic Plan by January 2026 Public Safety
• At least 50% of the CIP traffic calming measures completed by summer 2026 Housing and Homelessness
• At least a 3% increase in public/private partnerships to bring resources to meet the needs of the most vulnerable residents
Mayor Bernal identified his top three priorities for the City over the next two years and briefly explained his reasoning.
Public Safety
• Fully staff APD to 105 by July 1, 2026, and 117 by July 1 2027 • USDOJ Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) regular updates to Council • CALDOJ and other related outstanding litigation concluded Economic Development
• Fully staff and operable Code Enforcement Division with a proactive enforcement and compliance program focused on vacant and blighted properties (commercial and downtown prioritized)
• Develop an Economic Development incentives package to attract new businesses and developers
Financial
• Adopt a FY-2027 balanced budget not dependent on reserves or the budget stabilization funds that includes a revenue enhancement plan
Ms. Miller announced there was consensus on Economic Development and summarized the priority requests from Council as follows:
• Develop a robust comprehensive economic plan focusing on 25 employees or more with a focus on business sectors that work well within the City and underutilized areas • Grow revenue
• Fully staff Code Enforcement to attract Economic Development (focus on compliance/blight)
• Increase the General Fund
• Develop incentive packages to attract businesses
• Consideration of a vacant parcel tax - Council to discuss stronger legislation
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• Consider utilizing the grant writer for Economic Development strategies
Following discussion, Council consensus supported the following:
Economic Development / Code Enforcement Action Items:
• City Manager to provide Council with a Code Enforcement Operational Assessment/Reorganization within a 3 –6-month timeframe with updates to Council in October and November
• City Attorney to review existing Code Enforcement ordinances and comparison with other cities, providing an update to the City Council by the City Council meeting on October 28, 2025.
• City Attorney to email the City Council by the end of this week providing a timeline for building a Commercial Vacancy ordinance
• 1-2 Year Economic Development Action Plan: draft by end of January 2026, with final review by the end of March 2026
Mayor Bernal declared a recess at 3:44 P.M. The meeting reconvened at 3:57 P.M. with all Councilmembers present with the exception of Councilmember Torres-Walker who arrived at 4:00 P.M.
Ms. Miller summarized the priority requests from Council as follows:
Public Safety
• APD Fully staff – 105 sworn by July 1, 2026, and 117 sworn by July 1, 2027 • CALDOJ and USDOJ – staff to provide updates on progress and prioritize negotiations • Both substations at Sycamore and Prewett Park operational by January 2026 • 10% increase in outside funding (grants and philanthropic partners) to the Department of Public Safety and Community Resources for the violence prevention sector and youth network services
• Youth engagement and input on public safety - by July 2026 • Rebuild culture - more informal interaction between APD and communities negatively impacted
• Development of a community policing program (including walking beats in high crime areas) to implement once adequately staffed
• Work with AUSD to develop after-school/summer programs including food security • Rename the Public Safety and Community Resources Department
Following discussion, Council consensus supported the following:
Public Safety Action Items:
• Sycamore and Community Center Substations - report out on timeline by the last October or first November Council meeting
• Quarterly DOJ updates to Council (continue current practice). • Fully staff PD – 105 by July 1, 2026, and 117 by July 1, 2027 – update from APD December 2025
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• Youth programs –
a) Develop proactive youth programs (afterschool/food support) in partnership with AUSD and businesses
b) Secure 10% outside funding for youth services through grants/philanthropic partners – future report out by City Manager Scott
c) Increase youth input into Council decisions by July 2026. d) Ensure Safe Space for Youth - prioritize youth engagement and placement on Boards and Commissions (scheduled January/February 2026) • Full Staffing of City Employees (address structural deficits)
Ms. Miller stated she would work with City Manager Scott to schedule the next Priority Setting Meeting to discuss the final Council priority, Housing Support. She thanked Council and staff for holding a productive meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
On motion by Councilmember Wilson, seconded by Councilmember Rocha, the City Council unanimously adjourned the meeting at 4:59 P.M.
Respectfully submitted:
Kitty Eiden
KITTY EIDEN, Minutes Clerk
Action Items from 9/15/2025 Special Meeting
Economic Development / Code Enforcement
• City Manager to provide updates in October and November; 3–6 month plan for code enforcement.
• City Attorney to write and strengthen ordinances; provide a current list of ordinances and comparisons with other cities by the second October council meeting. • City Attorney to email council by end of this week regarding building vacancy ordinances.
• Economic Development Action Plan: draft within 3–4 months (by January 2026), with final review by March 2026.
Public Safety / DOJ
• Meeting with DOJ to review progress.
• Substations (community center & Sycamore) up and running as soon as possible; report out by end of October and early November.
• Quarterly DOJ updates to council (continue current practice). • Full PD staffing: 105 by July 1, 2026; 117 by 2027.
• Secure 10% outside funding for youth services through grants/philanthropic partners. • Increase youth input into council decisions by July 2026. • Expand proactive youth programs (e.g., food support, after-school programs). • Partner with school district for food scarcity resources and internships. • Ensure safe spaces for youth; include youth in commissions (scheduled Jan/Feb). • Full staffing of city employees (structural deficits addressed).
Housing TBD – Tracy Miller to come back to address this.
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
ATTACHMENT B
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.
CITY OF
ANTIOCH
CALIFORNIA
STAFF REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
DATE: Regular Meeting of April 27, 2021
TO: Honorable Mayor Thorpe and Members of the City Council SUBMITTED BY: Jazmin Ridley, Unhoused Resident Coordinator APPROVED BY: Rosanna Bayon Moore, Assistant City Manager � SUBJECT: Unhoused Resident Services - Resolution Adopting Policy Guidelines for the City of Antioch's Approach to Unhoused Resident Services
RECOMMENDED ACTION.
It is recommended that the City Council adopt a resolution formally approving Policy Guidelines for the City's Approach to Unhoused Resident Services.
FISCAL IMPACT
None at this time.
DISCUSSION
Since 2019, the Antioch City Council has sought to identify opportunities for the City to take a more active role in responding to community concerns about homeless encampments and addressing the needs of unhoused residents. Historically, the City has relied on a reactive approach, primarily addressing urgent public health and safety concerns. Support services were provided by faith based organizations, community based outreach workers and Contra Costa County.
Antioch's City leaders have collectively expressed that addressing encampments and the needs of unhoused residents are a priority. With resources allocated by the City Council to design and implement local strategies, Focus Strategies was engaged in February of 2020 to provide technical assistance and research support. A body of work is substantially underway with technical support, community stakeholder input and new staffing of a part time position of Unhoused Resident Coordinator.
A strategic framework was first established that incorporates:
• 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.
11 Agenda Item #
ATTACHMENT C
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
3 Public Safety &
Community Resources
December 2025
ATTACHMENT D
CITY OF ANTIOCH
Staffing Snapshot
1 Public Safety & Community Resources
Background
Authorized FTEs: 9
Filled: 4
Onboarding: 1
Vacant: 4
SOAR (Cohorts 4 & 5)
Cohorts demonstrate consistent attendance and
skill uptake. Cohort 5 is on pace for December
completion with all participants meeting required
benchmarks. Cohort 4 maintains retention despite
external stressors.
Program Status Notes
SOAR (18-26yo) In Progress Cohort 5 ends Dec 18;
event planned
BUILD (18-24yo) Completed Preparing outcomes for
council
Youth & Government
(15-18yo) In Progress 10 youth to Paso Robles
Nov 7–10
Antioch Council of
Teens (ACT) 12-18yoIn Progress Oct service: food bank,
coat drive
YOCH (12-15yo) In Progress
16 participants; Life
Map goals; Christmas
"Hope in Motion" for
300+ youth
CITY OF ANTIOCH
Youth Services Participation
2 Public Safety & Community Resources
Program Progress
BUILD
Year 5 completed. Staff preparing outcome
summary for future Council presentation, detailing
participant skill growth, post-program progress,
and partner contributions.
Youth & Government
Participants training weekly in legislative drafting,
parliamentary procedure, and public speaking. Ten
students scheduled for regional training convening
in Paso Robles (Nov 7–10). Strong parent
engagement documented.
The division is strengthening early-
intervention touchpoints and building a
consistent leadership pipeline. Programs are
stabilizing student behavior, improving
engagement, and expanding citywide youth
representation. Outputs indicate sustained
participation and high family involvement.
CITY OF ANTIOCH
16 participants; 10 receive Life Map allowance.
Life Map goals under active review.
Resource guide in development for participants and
community.
Transformative trip (Puerto Rico) completed
Thanksgiving giveaway planned.
Christmas “Hope in Motion” event target: 300+ youth.
Uplifting Peace
3 Public Safety & Community Resources
The VIP Division continues to advance targeted violence- prevention strategies rooted in relational engagement,
Life Map planning, and individualized coaching.
Participants are sustaining progress toward stability,
employment, and long-term goal execution.
VIP Division
7 participants attended
Hosted by Dr. Héctor Rivera (East County
psychologist)
Activities:
Cultural tours, beach visits, traditional
meals
Individual reflection sessions
Group bonding and emotional
development
Outcome: Deep gratitude expressed;
described as life-changing by participants
Puerto Rico Transformative Experience
CITY OF ANTIOCH
4 Public Safety & Community Resources VIP Division
Angelo Quinto Community Response
Team (AQCRT)
CITY OF ANTIOCH
7 Public Safety & Community Resources
303 total dispatch calls
Average response time: 7.4 minutes
148 welfare checks
78 unwanted guest relocations
56 noise/party complaints
21 other incident types
Includes DV incidents, 5150 psychiatric holds, and
health/safety de-escalations
AQCRT continues to absorb
behavioral-health-related calls that
would otherwise default to APD or
EMS, reducing strain on emergency
systems and delivering trauma-
informed civilian response. VIP Division
CITY OF ANTIOCH
AQCRT
Outcomes
8 Public Safety & Community Resources
October 2025
Welfare checks resolved: 148
Unwanted guests relocated: 78
Transportation linkages: 9
Mental health support: 14
Shelter/housing linkages: 0
Family reunification/mediation: 6
Domestic incidents: 3
Noise/party complaints: 56
Basic needs resources: 20
Minors served: 7
5150 initiated: 9
De-escalated safety concerns: 11
EMS present: 7
APD present: 6
Community partner present: 1
D i s p a t c h e s b y Z I P ( u n i q u e )
9 4 5 0 9 : 2 0 2
9 4 5 3 1 : 7 2
T o t a l : 2 7 4 u n i q u e d i s p a t c h e s
303 calls occurred; only 274 shown here due
to repeated calls to same individual/location
and phone-only resolutions.
CITY OF ANTIOCH
Trends, Follow-Ups, Outreach & Training
Public Safety & Community Resources
Dispatch Trends
Increased welfare-check calls as holidays approach.
Rise in housing-instability calls: unwanted guests, encampment concerns.
Unhoused residents often decline shelter due to distance outside Antioch, reinforcing need for local options.
Community trust increasing: residents now request specific AQCRT staff by name through 911. 9 Follow-Ups
Behavioral Health Specialist conducted follow-ups with 4 residents, including two elderly women living alone.
Multiple high-need individuals who previously called 911 several times per day now stabilized through mental health care, medical alignment, food access, and ongoing contact.
Outreach
Distributed 34 hygiene kits, water, food, and essential supplies.
Weekly hot meals and sandwiches delivered to unhoused residents.
Engagement increased as residents approached the team voluntarily for resources and support.
Training
Staff completed 2-hour Mediation & Resolution training with Dr. Robin Ortiz (Felton Institute).
Training improved early trigger recognition, emotional-cue awareness, and neutral-language use.
Monthly professional development continues as part of ongoing skill enhancement.
CITY OF ANTIOCH
Violence Prevention: Grant Strategy
10 Public Safety & Community Resources
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
BJA CVIPI
CalVIP
CCC Homelessness NOFO
Opiod Settlement Funds carry-in
2.0 1.0
1.2 0.3
BJA CVIPI – $2M Request (Federal):
Supports long-term sustainability of the Angelo Quinto
Community Response Team (AQCRT). Funds planning,
evaluation, dispatch alignment, staffing stabilization, and operational continuity across multiple deployment zones.
CalVIP-5 – $1M Request (State):
Secures partial funding for a Public Safety Manager and up to 1.8 FTE Violence Interrupters. Strengthens street-level conflict mediation, direct interruption, and case-
management pathways. Coordinates with CVIPI to
eliminate risk of supplanting.
Contra Costa Homelessness/Housing NOFO – $1.2M
Request (County):
Targets rental assistance and housing stabilization.
Focuses on rapid exits from shelter, early intervention for households at risk of eviction, and prevention of recidivism into homelessness.
Opioid Settlement Funds – $324K Carry-In:
Aligns City opioid-response investments with violence-
prevention priorities. Supports Narcan deployment, AED
expansion, training, and coordinated crisis-response
needs.Amount (millions)
CORE Program Summary data source: Contra Costa Health, Oct 2025
CITY OF ANTIOCH
Funded through Encampement Resolution Funds (ERF-3)
5 Public Safety & Community Resources
Data-informed summary (Oct 1–31, 2025)
Participants adjusting well to program structure
Staff assisting with low-income housing applications
CORE, HCEB, and Hope Solutions coordinating effectively OV at full capacity
Men & Women of Purpose scheduled for on-site
presentation
HCEB exploring installation of basketball hoop
15 participants referred to Hope Solutions
Food distribution operating smoothly
Animal care significantly improved
Updates
Participants following throu gh on
appointments
Sever al are actively job searching
1 participant already returned to work
3 participants applied to work as IHSS providers
Af ter multiple attempts, the staff secured
access to financial benefits (including back pay)
for a participant Successes
Opportunity Village- Progress & Successes
Housing Division
CORE Program Summary data source: Contra Costa Health, Oct 2025
CITY OF ANTIOCH
Homeless Outreach Snapshot- October 2025
6 Public Safety & Community Resources
CORE Program Summary
709 contacts across Antioch
344 unduplicated individuals
246 individuals & 42 families
Gender: 51.74% men, 48.26% women
202 individuals (58.7%) lost housing in Antioch
Age at intake:
12% minors
5.8% transitional-aged youth
74.4% adults (25–61)
7.9% seniors
Key Metrics
71.2% have a disabling condition
Mental health need: 148 individuals
Chronic health conditions: 128
Developmental disability: 56
Physical disability: 106
First time homeless: 38.9%
DV fleeing (women): 17%
Health & Vulnerability
1,235 total services delivered
1,089 soft referrals/DMV/bus tickets (88.18%)
53 CalAIM housing navigation
82 warming center placements
Exit destinations:
53% transitioned into permanent housing
25% emergency shelter
9% short-term stays
6% back to street
3% medical care
Service Outcomes
Housing Division
CITY OF ANTIOCH
Community Engagement & Outreach
11 Public Safety & Community Resources
Trunk or Treat (October 18):
550+ attendees. 25
decorated trunks. High family
participation. Event
functioned as an informal
safety-messaging platform
and program recruitment
touchpoint.
Community Violence Forum
(October 14):
40+ residents and partners
participated. Discussion
centered on neighborhood
safety, conflict-prevention
strategies, trauma recovery,
and youth supports. Input will
inform next-phase outreach.
Housing Think Tank (October 27)The Housing Think Tank broughttogether organizations, advocates,and community members tocollaboratively develop solutionsand innovative strategies toaddress Antioch’s most pressinghousing challenges.
Empowerment & HealingWalk (October 25):Over 50 community membersjoined the EmpowermentHealing Walk, a powerfuldemonstration of solidarityand resilience in honor ofDomestic Violence Awareness.
Date Event Description
December 9 Youth & Government Meet-
and-Greet
The Youth & Government delegates will be finalizing
their bills, practicing debate, and preparing their
leadership roles as they get ready for February’s
statewide conference.
December 10 Housing & Tenant Rights
Outreach (Library)
Four-hour direct-service block dedicated to eviction
prevention, lease-rights education, and housing-
stabilization services.
December 15 Tenant Rights Engagement
(ACC)
Resource distribution, case-screening, and navigation
assistance for renters experiencing instability.
December 18 Housing Outreach (ACC)
Second December engagement for renters. Reinforces
early-intervention before January’s seasonal increase in eviction pressure.
December 18 CalVIP Cohort 4 Celebration Completion milestone for SOAR interns.
January Housing Outreach (ACC)
Training community members with the skills to identify
and report potential housing discrimination by
participating in fair-housing “mystery shopper”
scenarios to ensure equal treatment for all renters.
CITY OF ANTIOCH
December Events & Operations
12 Public Safety & Community Resources
December activity focuses on
continuity of care, preventing
displacement, and elevating youth
civic engagement during a high-need
seasonal period.
CITY OF ANTIOCH
“When we show up for our residents —
whether in crisis, in struggle, or in hope —
we are shaping a community where
possibility belongs to everyone.”
- monserrat cabral
15 CONFIDENTIAL
Telephone:
925-779-7082
E-mail:
[email protected]
Website:
www.antiochca.gov