DATE: September 5, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM: Sara Somogyi, Director of Recreation and Community Services By: Ashley Marston, Management Aide
SUBJECT: RESOLUTION NO. 7523 AMENDING THE FISCAL YEAR 2023-24
OPERATING BUDGET AND AUTHORIZING A SUPPLEMENTAL
BUDGET APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2024 MULTI-AGENCY
HOMELESSNESS SYMPOSIUM IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED
$2,500, OFFSET BY A REDUCTION IN THE GENERAL FUND
RESERVE
CEQA: Not a Project
Recommendation: Adopt
SUMMARY
The City Council has approved the general concept of a multi-agency homelessness symposium but asked staff to return with the more details of the proposed event. It is proposed that the event be held on February 29, 2024, at the Arcadia Community Center, with a series of speaker panels covering key topic areas. The cost of the event would be $40 per attendee. A budget of $2,500 from the General Fund Reserve is requested to cover any costs not absorbed by the entrance fee. The attached resolution provides the necessary budget authorization to host the 2024 Multi-Agency Homelessness Symposium.
It is recommended the City Council adopt Resolution No. 7523 amending the Fiscal Year 2023-24 Operating Budget and authorizing a supplemental budget appropriation for the 2024 Multi-Agency Homelessness Symposium, in an amount not to exceed $2,500, offset by a reduction in the General Fund Reserve.
BACKGROUND
Los Angeles County has experienced a rise in homelessness over the last few years and the San Gabriel Valley is no exception. The 2023 Greater Los Angeles Point-in- Time Homeless Count (“PIT Count”) identified 5,009 individuals experiencing homelessness in Service Planning Area (“SPA”) 3, which covers most of the San Gabriel Valley, including the City of Arcadia. The results of the 2023 PIT Count represent a 7.5% increase from 2022, in which there were 4,661 individuals experiencing homelessness.
Resolution No. 7523 Approving 2024
Homelessness Symposium Funding
September 5, 2023
By nature, homelessness is an extremely transitory issue. Persons experiencing homelessness do not often stay within the confines of a single city, but rather move across a larger geographic region. Since homelessness is a regional crisis, at the June 20, 2023, City Council Meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Verlato requested City Council support to host a multi-city symposium on homelessness, to facilitate the sharing of information and to discuss the learning lessons achieved through programs, projects, and housing.
While the City Council consensus was to approve the event, staff were directed to work with Mayor Pro Tem Verlato to develop the proposal in greater detail before finalizing.
DISCUSSION
It is proposed that the Multi-Agency Homelessness Symposium be held on February 29, 2024. While the original request was for an event in the fall of 2023, given all the additional events being held in the community during this time, a winter date is more reasonable and will allow for more thorough planning. The event will be led by the Recreation and Community Services Department, with the collaboration of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments and County Supervisors that cover the San Gabriel Valley. The target audience will be city council members, city managers, and other local government executives in the San Gabriel Valley that are responsible for addressing the homelessness crisis.
The Multi-Agency Homelessness Symposium will include panel presentations on homelessness initiatives, and discussions on the varying successes and failures of programs and projects that have been enacted in the region. Panels will consist of two to three staff/elected officials from neighboring cities and agencies involved in the implementation of homeless services and housing. Examples include panels on emergency shelters, hotel conversions, permanent supportive housing, enforcement, and regionalization efforts. The goal will be to provide objective analytics and learning lessons in a safe environment that cities in the region can use when considering their own approach to this complex issue. Key questions to be answered will be:
• What has worked? What has not worked?
• How are you defining success and what are you doing to track efforts and outcomes?
• What was the cost and how are you funding the program/project? • What would you do differently?
• Has the effort reduced the number of homeless in the community? • Has the effort been received well politically?
The event would be hosted at the Arcadia Community Center, which has the required tables, chairs, and audio-visual system to hold the event. It will be an all-day event, with coffee and pastries in the morning, a luncheon, and breaks with snacks and refreshments. The symposium will be open to the public, but the focus will be on cities
Resolution No. 7523 Approving 2024
Homelessness Symposium Funding
September 5, 2023
sharing information with other cities. The cost would be $40 per person. Invited panelists will be able to attend the event free of charge; it is also recommended that the City cover the cost of the City’s Homeless Stakeholders Ad Hoc Committee to attend. It is expected that approximately 125 people will attend the event, but the room can hold as many as 280 individuals, if necessary.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
The proposed action does not constitute a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), and it can be seen with certainty that it will have no impact on the environment. Thus, this matter is exempt under CEQA.
FISCAL IMPACT
Attendees will be charged $40 for the event to cover the costs of food and beverage services and any handout materials. Some funding may be provided by the SGVCOG and/or County Supervisors to reduce costs overall. However, a budget of $2,500 is requested to cover any shortfalls. The associated fiscal impact is a net reduction in the General Fund Reserve, in an amount not to exceed $2,500 for Fiscal Year 2023-24.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council determine that this action does not constitute a project and is, therefore, exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”); and adopt Resolution No. 7523 amending the Fiscal Year 2023-24 Operating Budget and authorizing a supplemental budget appropriation for the 2024 Multi-Agency Homelessness Symposium in an amount not to exceed $2,500, offset by a reduction in the General Fund Reserve.
Attachment: Resolution No. 7523