CA Review _MK__
Meeting Date: June 7, 2022
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Scott Chadwick, City Manager
Staff Contact: Mandy Mills, Housing & Homeless Services Director [email protected], 442-339-2907
Subject: Homeless Quarterly Update for Jan. 1 - March 31, 2022 District: All
Recommended Action
Receive the third quarterly update on the city’s goal to reduce its unsheltered homeless population, covering the period from Jan. 1 – March 31, 2022.
Executive Summary
Reducing homelessness and its effects on the community are top priorities for the City Council.
In 2021, the City Council set a goal of reducing the unsheltered homeless population in Carlsbad, among those who want help, by 50% within five years. The City Council also directed staff to provide quarterly updates on their progress.
This report presents the third quarterly update, presented as Exhibit 1, covering the period from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2022.
The city continues to make steady progress toward the City Council’s goal. The latest Point in Time Count data are included in this report, showing that while homelessness has increased in the region and in many cities, Carlsbad’s count has gone down 20% since 2020. This quarterly report includes several other measures, all of which are needed for a more complete assessment of progress.
Finally, this report includes a six-month progress report on the limited-term stay emergency hotel voucher program.
Discussion
Background
The City Council has prioritized homelessness as one of its top city goals. In March 2021, the City Council established a fiscal year 2021-22 priority goal to “Reduce the homeless unsheltered population, among those who want help, by 50% within five years, with quarterly reports until we decrease the unsheltered homeless population by 50% or five years (whichever comes sooner).” In setting this goal, the City Council directed staff to develop a work plan to achieve a set of specific objectives over the next 12 to 18 months.
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The City Council approved a comprehensive package of initiatives to support this effort, including the work plan and the necessary funding appropriations, on April 27, 2021, and made some modifications to the work plan on Dec. 7, 2021. These initiatives are strategically designed to make both short-term and long-term progress on addressing the homelessness concerns in Carlsbad.
The City Council also directed staff to provide quarterly updates on the city’s progress in achieving this goal. These updates are intended to provide the City Council and the community with an opportunity to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the city’s homeless initiatives, discuss any potential concerns and make adjustments. In these updates to the City Council, staff provide information on the number of individuals experiencing homelessness in Carlsbad, performance metrics and outcomes, updates on the approved work plan and current program expenses.
The staff report for the first quarterly update, presented to the City Council Dec. 7, 2021, included definitions of the terms and means of measurement being used in this effort and is attached as Exhibit 2 for reference. As planned, this third quarterly update provides the annual point in time count data for Carlsbad, as well as a report out on the limited-term stay emergency hotel voucher program originally approved by the City Council on Sept. 28, 2021.
Report out on annual point-in-time count data
As explained in previous quarterly reports, the city will be using multiple measurements to evaluate the effectiveness of reducing its unsheltered homeless population. The annual point- in-time count is one data source to gauge the year-over-year trends and approximate the number of people experiencing homelessness in Carlsbad. Each year, the count is conducted over a four-hour period in the early morning to collect data on homelessness in the region.
While it does not give the complete picture on how many people experience homelessness in Carlsbad throughout the year, it does provide a snapshot of the approximate number of homeless persons there are in Carlsbad on a given day. It is one of the tools used nationally to assess progress each year toward the goal of reducing homelessness and is often used for funding decisions.
Last year’s count was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so this year was the first count since 2020. The 2022 data for Carlsbad were released by the Regional Task Force on Homelessness on May 19, 2022, and are attached as Exhibit 3. The City of Carlsbad saw a 20% decrease in both its sheltered and unsheltered homeless population from 148 individuals (54 sheltered; 94 unsheltered) in 2020, to 118 individuals (43 sheltered; 75 unsheltered) in 2022.
Data 2020 2022 Change
Carlsbad Sheltered 54 43 -20%
Carlsbad Unsheltered 94 75 -20%
Carlsbad Total 148 118 -20%
North County Coastal 621 745 +20%
The 2022 data show a decrease in the number of individuals experiencing homelessness in Carlsbad when compared to 2020. Meanwhile, the city’s homeless response program data June 7, 2022 Item #10 Page 2 of 27
show that the number of homeless individuals served this past quarter remained close to the same number of persons as in prior quarters. And, at varying points in time over this past quarter, the data show that more homeless persons were served in Carlsbad than during prior quarters. Collectively, this data suggest that the city’s homeless response services may be reaching more homeless individuals than in previous quarters.
It is important to note that due to the pandemic, the regional point in time count in San Diego County was moved from January to Feb. 24, 2022. February 2022 was one of the coldest months in San Diego history, and during the week of the count, the county was experiencing the coldest weather of the month. During times of extremely cold weather, the homeless population may seek locations with more protections against the elements, which are harder for volunteer canvassers to identify. During these times, people experiencing homelessness may also use any money they have to secure a motel/economy hotel room for the night. These factors may have had an impact on the lower 2022 numbers.
With that said, the decreased 2022 point-in-time count figures in Carlsbad suggest a trend toward a decrease in those experiencing homelessness in Carlsbad compared to an overall increase in the region. Regionally, the North County Coastal homeless count increased from 621 individuals in 2020 to 745 individuals in 2022. The North County Inland count also experienced an increase from 570 individuals in 2020 to 697 individuals in 2022. Overall, the North County Region accounted for 17% of the homeless population in San Diego County for the 2022 count.
This is an increase of 1.4% from 15.6% of San Diego County’s homeless population residing in the North County Region in 2020.
While the count contains useful data to point out regional trends, it only provides a snapshot of information which may or may not accurately reflect the size of the city’s homeless population over a sustained period of time. For this reason, the count should not be used as the only data to determine achievement toward the City Council’s goal of reducing homelessness in Carlsbad.
This is why staff will continue to report on a variety of data points to inform the City Council and the public about the progress the city is making toward its goal to reduce homelessness.
Limited-term stay emergency hotel voucher pilot program On Sept. 28, 2021, the City Council introduced an ordinance to amend and add certain quality of life offenses to the municipal code. At that same meeting, the City Council approved an amendment to the work plan for the City Council’s goal to reduce homelessness to add a limited-term stay emergency hotel voucher pilot program. One objective of the pilot program was to enable lawful enforcement of the ordinance’s unlawful camping provision. Funding in the amount of $100,000 was allocated to the pilot program. This voucher program was intended for short-term stays (one evening authorized at a time) at an economy hotel in Carlsbad, to provide an immediate shelter alternative to camping or sleeping on public property.
The voucher program began operating in early November 2021. The program was authorized for one year with the expectation that progress would be reported after six months and at the end of the 12-month pilot program to determine whether the program should be continued, and, if so, modified.
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From the inception of the voucher program in November 2021 through the end of March 2022, 22 vouchers were issued to serve 29 individuals (two vouchers assisted families) for a total of 49 nights. The total cost of those motel stays was approximately $5,675. Since the stay is a limited term, it has been difficult to bridge people to shelter quickly enough, due to shelter availability and the intake process for some resources. Here is a summary of outcomes for the vouchers issued:
# of households Outcome
13 Bridged to other short-term shelter
(Emergency shelter, other motel voucher resources, or temporary housing) 4 Bridged to a more permanent housing solution
(moved to family, living facility, permanent supportive housing) 5 Declined alternatives or no resources available
Staff has found that it can be difficult to bridge people to services within a day or two. As a result, over the next six months, staff will explore authorizing additional hotel nights in certain limited circumstances, not to exceed 30 consecutive days. This would be reserved for those with qualifying situations, such as households that have completed the intake process for shelter or residential care; households that have a signed lease agreement with an upcoming move-in date; households in possession of a Housing Choice Voucher actively looking for a rental unit; and households enrolled in a rapid re-housing program actively looking for a rental unit.
Staff anticipates the need to serve less than 10 households over the next six months with additional authorized room nights. The emergency hotel voucher pilot program’s remaining funding is sufficient to cover the cost. Staff will report on the 12-month results of the pilot program in fall 2022.
Fiscal Analysis
On Sept. 28, 2021, the City Council set aside $100,000 for the limited-term stay emergency hotel voucher pilot program. To date approximately $5,675 has been expended on the pilot program. The additional cost of the expanded stay option will be covered through the remaining $94,325 of the budget appropriated for the pilot program.
An overview of total spending for the homeless response goal is included in the third quarterly report (Exhibit 1).
Next Steps
Staff will propose an updated work program as part of the City Council five-year strategic plan currently being developed.
Staff will return to the City Council each quarter to report on the city’s progress in reducing the number of persons experiencing homelessness in Carlsbad over the next five years by 50% or more among those who want help, or until the goal is achieved. Staff will bring the next quarterly report, covering the period from April 1 - June 30, 2022, to the City Council in September 2022.
June 7, 2022 Item #10 Page 4 of 27
Environmental Evaluation
This action does not constitute a “project” as defined under the California Environmental Quality Act under Public Resources Code Section 21065 in that these actions may not cause a direct physical change in the environment or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
Public Notification
This item was noticed in keeping with the state's Ralph M. Brown Act and it was available for public viewing and review at least 72 hours before the scheduled meeting date.
Exhibit
1.Third quarterly update report on goal to reduce homelessness, Jan. 1-March 31, 2022
2.Dec. 7, 2021, City Council staff report (on file in the Office of the City Clerk)
3.2022 City of Carlsbad point-in-time count data
June 7, 2022 Item #10 Page 5 of 27
During the third quarter of FY 2021-22, the City of
Carlsbad achieved several important milestones
towards its goal of reducing homelessness, which are
detailed in this report.
City Council Goal
Reduce the homeless unsheltered population,
among those who want help, by 50% within five
years. Provide quarterly reports for five years or
until this goal is met, whichever comes first.
Exhibit 1
June 7, 2022 Item #10 Page 6 of 27
Reducing Homelessness
Q3 Report: Jan. - March 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 2 The table below shows how data compares between each quarter, along with year-to-date data. Staff adjusted some of the Q1 and Q2 data to reflect additional information received since presenting the reports.
The same individual may have received more than one service and are reflected under each service category that applies to them (for example, the same individual may have received both a hotel voucher and later placed into permanent housing).
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 YTD
Transitioned to permanent housing 23 15 12 50
Unduplicated contacts* 253 269 309 586
Police calls for service** 1,542 2,169 2,585 6,296
Shelter placements 28 29 39 96
Encampment cleanups 10 7 16 33
People provided hotel vouchers N/A 5 17 22
Hotel voucher nights N/A 8 41 49
Shopping carts collected N/A 37 48 85
*153 new individuals were contacted during Q3 that were not during Q1 or Q2. The year-to-date total removes duplicate contacts.
**Carlsbad Police went into the field for 2,585 calls for service in Q3, of which 929 calls were in response to a specific request or complaint and 1,656 were proactive department-initiated calls for service to help carry out city goals and enforce city codes.
Data by Quarter
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Reducing Homelessness
Q3 Report: Jan. - March 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 3 Work plan tasks were identified to be accomplished over various stages during the fiscal year. All work plan tasks that were identified to be complete for Q1, Q2 and Q3 have been completed within the identified timeline and budget with the exception of the last four objectives listed under the enhancement of clinical services at La Posada Emergency Shelter.* Those are on track for completion in Q4.
Work Plan Timeline Employment and benefits specialist Progress on track Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Develop scope of work and budget for consultant services for a two-year contract Issue RFP for contract services
Design program and informational materials
Additional homeless outreach officers and social workers Progress on track Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Promote an additional sergeant to the Homeless Outreach Team Recruit for two new Homeless Outreach Team officers
Create roles/responsibility and deployment model for enhanced Homeless Outreach Team Develop and provide necessary training for new Homeless Outreach Team members Identify metrics for data collection
Partner with social workers from the County of San Diego’s contracts with the North County Homeless Pilot Program and PATH
Enhancing clinical services at La Posada Emergency Shelter Progress on track Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Develop scope of work for expanded consultant services to include two licensed clinicians and additional training for staff
Research and analyze best practice emergency shelter programs Design new program rules, expectations and outcomes
Develop a training schedule, courses, programs, and completion timeline Re-evaluate the program practices, as necessary
Limited-term Stay Emergency Hotel Voucher Pilot Program Progress on track Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Identify and partner with hotel/motel vendors
Develop pilot program rules, policies, and expectations Train Homeless Outreach Team Officers and social workers Prepare public informational materials
Develop and implement a tracking system to assess program efficacy Provide a report to the City Council (after first six months and following the 12-month program) to determine if the program should be continued and/or modified Develop and implement a contract with the Humane Society FY 2021/23 Work Plan Progress
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Reducing Homelessness
Q3 Report: Jan. - March 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 4 Work plan progress continued
Community Resource Center services Progress on track Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Contract with the Community Resource Center
Develop scope of work for services
Two-year contract with three, one-year extensions
Revise policies and procedures based on lessons learned from year one Create a new Housing & Homeless Services Department Progress on track Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Create new positions (director, housing services manager and management analyst) Develop budget and purchase resources
Advertise, recruit, hire the new positions
La Posada de Guadalupe Facility Expansion Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Work with Catholic Charities to pursue opportunities to expand the number of shelter beds within the existing facility
Work with Catholic Charities to pursue opportunities to expand the existing facility to accommodate women and families
Project Homekey funds Progress on track Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Develop a list of potential projects that are eligible for Project Homekey funding and develop a specific proposal for the City Council’s consideration and direction.
Pursue a Homekey funding application, if directed by the City Council *Some tasks have changed or been eliminated based on City Council direction.
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Reducing Homelessness
Q3 Report: Jan. - March 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 5 The City Council approved $6.8 million in general funds and one-time reserve funds to support the homeless goal during fiscal year 2021-22. A significant portion of the budget, $3.2 million, was initially allocated for a hotel voucher pilot program. Based on initial research and feedback, the City Council decided to pursue a different, emergency shelter hotel voucher program model, which is expected to require fewer resources.
TOTAL BUDGET EXPENDITURES TO DATE
SPENDING BY CATEGORY
Expenditures
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Reducing Homelessness
Q3 Report: Jan. - March 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 6 Point in Time Unsheltered data
*The Point in Time Count did not take place in 2021 due to COVID-19 precautions. The City of Carlsbad took over the Point in Time Count from an outside organization starting in 2017.
Carlsbad’s Homeless Population
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Reducing Homelessness
Q3 Report: Jan. - March 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 7 Homeless-related calls for service
Carlsbad Police went into the field for 2,585 calls for service, which made up 10% of all calls for service between Jan. 1 to Mar. 31, 2022. Of those 2,585 calls for service, 929 calls were in response to a specific request or complaint and 1,656 were proactive department-initiated calls for service to help carry out city goals and enforce city codes. Changes to the city’s municipal code became effective in November 2021, after which time officers have become more proactive educating and enforcing restrictions such as camping in public, trespassing, and drinking in public parks.
PERCENTAGE OF CALLS FOR HOMELESS-RELATED SERVICES
HOMELESS-RELATED STATISTICS BY CATEGORY
*These are the statistics related to the homeless population compared to the general population in Carlsbad.
Mental health holds refer to when a homeless individual experiencing a mental health crisis is hospitalized for 72-hour psychiatric care when they are evaluated to be a danger to themselves or others.
Public Safety
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Reducing Homelessness
Q3 Report: Jan. - March 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 8 Percentage of all calls for services Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Homeless-related calls for services 9% 13% 10%
Homeless-related arrests 17% 18% 16%
Homeless-related citations 4% 16% 18%
Homeless-related mental health holds 20% 3% 9%
SERVICES
This quarter 80% of people accepted some form of clinical intervention. This includes case management, assessment, care coordination, crisis intervention, program information, diversion and treatment planning.
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Reducing Homelessness
Q3 Report: Jan. - March 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 9 The Homeless Outreach Team officers and contract social workers provide a lot of other services in addition to clinical services.
Services accepted Q2 Q3
Information only 328 394
Emergency shelter referral 53 63
Mail delivery 32 15
Transportation to services 31 17
Police transportation 24 58
Substance abuse treatment 17 21
ID assistance 15 18
Permanent or bridge housing referral 13 21
Benefits access (medical insurance,
CalFresh program, VA benefits, etc.) 12 18
Other (appointment coordination,
blankets, etc.) 12 96
Food assistance 11 6
Hospital transport 9 12
Referrals to mental & physical health
care 8 17
Personal needs assistance (clothing,
phone, prescriptions, etc.) 5 25
Reunification travel assistance 5 15
TOTAL 575 796
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Reducing Homelessness
Q3 Report: Jan. - March 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 10 In late September 2021 the City Council amended the city’s municipal code to address public safety and quality-of-life concerns related to homelessness and public spaces. These new laws became effective Nov. 11, 2021. Changes addressed camping on public, private and open space property; obstruction of property, trespassing and disorderly conduct; and expanded the areas where open containers of alcohol are prohibited.
As part of the code amendments, the City Council approved a limited-stay emergency hotel voucher pilot program to be able to enforce the city's public camping ordinance. Those who participate in the voucher program will be connected to services the following morning through the Homeless Outreach Team. For those who do not want to participate in the emergency Hotel Voucher Pilot Program, the city will be able to enforce its public camping ordinance. The program was up and running in early November. From then through March 2022, 22 households were issued vouchers for a total of 49 nights in a hotel and a total expenditure of $5,675. Of the 22 households assisted, 17 were able to move on to other shelter or housing.
The city will continue to use the limited-stay emergency hotel voucher pilot program until November 2022 and report progress through quarterly updates to the City Council so adjustments can be made as needed.
The municipal code amendments provide police officers with adequate enforcement tools to ensure public safety and a decent quality of life for all people in Carlsbad. Police officers will continue to use their discretion to issue warnings and citations and make misdemeanor arrests. City staff will track data to gauge how the team balances the need to build rapport with the homeless community while holding them accountable and enforcing city laws.
Quality of life
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Reducing Homelessness
Q3 Report: Jan. - March 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 11 The city recognizes homelessness is a top concern of the community and understands the importance of outreach and engagement. Below is an overview of some of the outreach efforts implemented from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2022, to help keep the community informed and engaged about the city’s efforts to reduce homelessness.
3 community group presentations 3 community newsletter updates Members of the Homeless Outreach Team and Housing & Homeless Services Department jointly provided informational presentations to residents of Grand Madison condominiums, Faith Community Church and a group of community members.
Staff also responded to hundreds of phone calls and emails from individuals experiencing homelessness, business owners, social service providers and members of the public.
Public Outreach
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Reducing Homelessness
Q3 Report: Jan. - March 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 12 The City of Carlsbad believes in addressing homelessness with compassion and fairness. Here is a current list of services created to help those experiencing homelessness as well as improve the quality of life of the community collectively.
Services to help individuals experiencing homelessness:
San Diego Humane Society
The purpose of the city's contract with the San Diego Humane Society is to provide individuals experiencing homelessness with a safe place to temporarily board their animal when they are not able to bring them to treatment facilities or services. Staff have found this has been a primary barrier preventing people from accessing services. The contract will provide short-term emergency boarding and emergency medical care for approximately 25 animals of persons experiencing homelessness – free of charge – so individuals can access care and resources.
Rocket John portable restrooms and handwashing stations The city's contract with Rocket John has provided four portable restrooms and handwashing stations and routine cleaning and maintenance in the downtown Village. The city first added these public bathrooms in 2017 to combat the Hepatitis A crisis in the homeless community. With COVID-19, the county added more handwashing stations to promote health, sanitation and 24/7 access to clean water to individuals living unsheltered. Since the initial contract was executed, one restroom has been removed based on community concern, so three portable restrooms are currently being provided.
Community Resource Center
The city has completed the Homelessness Prevention and Intervention contract with Community Resource Center that was funded for one term by the state. This contract provided rapid rehousing dollars to reduce homelessness by providing security deposit support, rental assistance, landlord advocacy, case management and financial literacy. In Q3, Community Resource Center screened and enrolled 12 new clients into their rapid rehousing program and continued providing services for an additional 27 clients who were already enrolled.
Interfaith Community Services
Interfaith Community Services is the current outreach and case management contractor for the City of Carlsbad’s Homeless Outreach Team. Interfaith provides two licensed or master’s level clinicians and one part-time licensed program manager. It provides seven-day coverage offering outreach and case management in the field to individuals experiencing homelessness in the City of Carlsbad. The clinicians engage, assess, plan and refer individuals to resources like housing, medical care, public benefits, mental health, substance use treatment and basic needs. During Q3, Interfaith Community Services and the Homeless Outreach Team engaged with 261 unduplicated clients experiencing homelessness.
Regional Partnerships
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Reducing Homelessness
Q3 Report: Jan. - March 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 13 North County Social Worker
Both the County of San Diego’s North County Social Worker Pilot Program and the new County Behavioral Health contract are now operating their programs in the City of Carlsbad, with two individuals providing outreach in the community. Both outreach programs have been working closely with the city’s Homeless Outreach Team, Housing Navigator, and outside contractors to ensure outreach efforts are being effectively administered and coordinated to ensure the most vulnerable individuals are being prioritized and served.
Urban Corps
The city contracts with Urban Corps of San Diego for trash abatement and litter and encampment cleanup related to persons experiencing homelessness. Urban Corps works very closely with Public Works and the Homeless Outreach Team to respond and triage any incoming cleanup requests based on public health and safety concerns. Urban Corps has the ability to request additional staff for large encampment cleanups or major city events.
Additional collaborations
The city collaborates with many stakeholders in the community to reduce homelessness. Homelessness impacts all aspects of a community, so it truly takes a village to solve it.
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Reducing Homelessness
Q3 Report: Jan. - March 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 14 Each quarter, staff will include one or more success stories of real people who were connected to community services as a result of the city’s homeless response efforts. These are their stories, which they have given the city permission to share. Their names have been changed to protect their confidentiality.
Meet Joseph
Male, age: 60
Years homeless: 3
Permanently housed: February 2022
Joseph had a life-changing medical incident that left him unable to walk and without most of the mobility in his legs and arms. His career was in construction, and he found himself no longer able to work in his field. He was fortunate to receive an emergency housing voucher from a neighboring housing authority but continued to face barriers in locating an apartment. He was staying in Carlsbad at the time and got connected with the Homeless Outreach Team social workers and the Housing Navigator. Together with the help of Community Resource Center, they transferred his voucher to Carlsbad and helped him locate a unit in town. He is now safely home and has in-home care to assist with his daily needs. He is doing physical therapy and hopes to one day regain the ability to walk.
What worked
•The Homeless Outreach Team worked with Joseph, helped provide hygiene items and collaborated with the Housing Navigator to problem solve helping him locate housing. •The Housing Navigator helped him move his Emergency Housing Voucher to the Carlsbad Housing Authority from a neighboring jurisdiction. She helped Joseph reduce barriers to being accepted at an apartment and found him apartments to apply for.
•Through the city’s Rapid Re-housing contract with the Community Resource Center, Joseph got help with his security deposit and case management to move inside and stabilize. •Joseph is now housed and is adjusting to his new life.
Success stories
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Reducing Homelessness
Q3 Report: Jan. - March 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 15 The Smith Family
Extended Family of 7 with children ages 4-12
Years homeless: 1
Placed in shelter: March 2022
The Smith family, which consists of a grandmother, mother and father, four children ages 12, 8, 8 and 4 and six dogs, were living in their minivan in San Diego for approximately one year. They were traveling north to Temecula where they were hoping to find a more affordable cost of living when their minivan became inoperable in Carlsbad. They found themselves living in the minivan at a local park as they had no other available resources or housing options.
Our officers first met the family in early March 2021 during routine patrols at a local park. Officers learned the 12-year-old was autistic and the father was a military veteran. The father was working in San Diego and the mother was working in Vista. They relied on public transportation and friends for rides to and from work. The grandmother watched the children while the parents worked. Child Protective Services were involved, but there was no actionable offense. Based on the living circumstances, the Homeless Outreach Team, along with clinicians from Interfaith, were introduced to the family to see if they could further assist with more comprehensive resources.
The family was offered access to a family shelter but declined as they did not want to have to part with their dogs. They were also reluctant to accept services due to past resources that had been ineffective.
The Homeless Outreach Team used the limited-stay emergency hotel voucher pilot program and placed the family in a hotel for six days while Interfaith clinicians explored alternate housing options.
Interfaith clinicians were able to help the family obtain documents needed for section 8 housing for veterans. The family willingly parted ways with several of their animals, retaining one, which was a service dog for the son with autism. They entered into a short-term family shelter in Escondido where they will be housed until June. In early May, the family was assigned a case manager and are looking to move into permanent affordable housing.
What worked
•The limited-stay emergency hotel voucher pilot program provided immediate shelter to a family of seven.
•Our Homeless Outreach Team and the Interfaith Clinicians remained committed to the family and leveraged resources dedicated to veterans.
•Persistent service offering resulted in a solution that fit the needs of the entire family.
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Reducing Homelessness
Q3 Report: Jan. - March 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 16 Staff have experienced some challenges around the implementation of the City Council’s goal to reduce the homeless unsheltered population, among those who want help, by 50% within five years. Some of these include:
Multiple service providers
It continues to be a challenge to coordinate resources when multiple services providers, organizations and programs are involved. As the city and county continue to add more programs, it will be critical for all agencies to continue to meet regularly to ensure outreach efforts are being effectively administered and coordinated to ensure the most vulnerable individuals are being prioritized and served. During Q3, city staff facilitated case conferencing with the service providers in the City of Carlsbad who are working with those experiencing homelessness. This is a recurring monthly meeting that includes training, case conferencing and resource coordination.
Data collection
Staff will continue to look at better ways to refine the city’s data collection to allow for more real-time information. City staff is working to develop better metrics to measure progress towards the City Council’s goal.
There are challenges identifying and measuring service-resistant clients. Different outreach programs have different philosophies. It may be hard to track who is working with whom and how many times they have been engaged over a six-month period unless all of the providers are sharing and inputting data in the Homeless Management Information System.
Limited housing resources
There is a limited number of emergency shelter and permanent supportive housing resources in North County and San Diego. Shelters in North County including La Posada continued to have impacts limiting intake due to COVID outbreaks and limited staffing due to exposure.
Staff vacancies
There has been transitions and position vacancies on the Housing & Homeless Services Department, Homeless Outreach Team and social worker team. These vacancies have caused an increase in workload on the team. New programs have been slower to implement due to these limitations.
Overcoming challenges
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Reducing Homelessness
Q3 Report: Jan. - March 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 17 City staff have several new programs on the horizon:
•The city has enrolled as a “participating agency” in the Homeless Management Information System which allows staff to see real-time, unduplicated data of individuals experiencing homelessness in Carlsbad. This system helps staff bridge households experiencing homelessness to regional housing projects and monitor the data of the city-funded contractors.
•The Housing & Homeless Services Department is in the process of recruiting for a new Housing Navigator. •The Housing & Homeless Services Department will be implementing a city council-approved grant agreement with Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego, to help La Posada de Guadalupe better serve shelter clients with additional clinical staff.
•The Housing & Homeless Services Department will be finalizing a professional services agreement with a third-party consultant to provide training and technical assistance to Catholic Charities, to assist them with operating La Posada de Guadalupe as a housing-focused shelter. •The Housing & Homeless Services Department will work with the District Attorney’s Office and the County of San Diego’s Office of Homeless Solutions to host a mobile Homeless Court and Resource Fair. •Housing & Homeless Services Department staff will participate in the new Public Regional Outcomes Standards Board of the San Diego Taxpayers Educational Foundation’s Micro and Macro Homelessness Measurements Standards Working Groups.
•The Housing & Homeless Services Department will request city council approval to contract for an employment and benefits specialist position. This position will help connect homeless persons to employment opportunities and eligible benefits.
Upcoming work
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Exhibit 2
Dec. 7, 2021 City Council staff report
(on file in the Office of the City Clerk)
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San Diego Continuum of Care 2022 WeAllCount City Totals Page | 1 2022 Point-in-Time Count Data
City of Carlsbad
Emergency Shelter Safe Haven Transitional Housing Unsheltered 43 0 0 75
Total: 118
Homeless
Profile
% Unsheltered
Persons
# Unsheltered
Persons
% Sheltered
Persons
# Sheltered
Persons
Veteran 8% 6 5% 2
Female 28% 21 - -
Families 0% 0 0% 0
Youth 11% 8 5% 2
Housing Inventory Beds Utilization
Emergency Shelter 50 86%
Safe Haven 0 -
Transitional Housing 0 -
Permanent Supportive Housing 0 -
Rapid Re-Housing 0 -
Other Permanent Housing 0 -
Exhibit 3
June 7, 2022 Item #10 Page 24 of 27
San Diego Continuum of Care 2022 WeAllCount City Totals Page | 2
Year Comparisons
2020 Total 2022 Total
2020 -2022
Overall Change
City Total Total % of Total
City of Carlsbad 148 118 -20%
2020
Unsheltered
2022
Unsheltered
2020-2022
Unsheltered Change
City Count Count % of Total
City of Carlsbad 94 75 -20%
2020
Sheltered
2022
Sheltered
2020-2022
Sheltered Change
City ES TH SH Total Total % of Total
City of Carlsbad 54 0 0 54 43 -20%
2022 Sheltered Count breakdown by Project Type
ES TH SH
43 0 0
June 7, 2022 Item #10 Page 25 of 27
San Diego Continuum of Care 2022 WeAllCount City Totals Page | 3
Unsheltered vs Sheltered Race
72%
28%
2022 Unsheltered Gender
Male Female
13%
87%
2022 Unsheltered -Race
American Indian, Alaska
Native, or Indigenous
Asian or Asian American
Black,African American,
or African
Native Hawaiian or
Pacific Islander
White
3%2%
16%
77%
2%
2022 Sheltered Race
American Indian, Alaska
Native, Indigenous
Asian or Asian American
Black/African American
Native Hawaiin or Pacific
Islander
White
June 7, 2022 Item #10 Page 26 of 27
San Diego Continuum of Care 2022 WeAllCount City Totals Page | 4
Regional Breakdown
SHELTERED + UNSHELTERED
% of the
Region
Total Homeless
Persons
City of San
Diego
57% 4801
North County
Inland
8% 697
North County
Coastal
9% 745
South County 6% 493
East County 20% 1691
June 7, 2022 Item #10 Page 27 of 27