BACKGROUND:
In 2015 the Police Department created the Homeless Liaison Unit to address homelessness issues within the city. In 2019, a second officer was assigned to the Homeless Liaison Unit to assist with the increase in calls for service with unsheltered individuals.
The following is an update on homelessness and the Homeless Liaison Unit within the city and Police Department.
DISCUSSION:
In 2022, the Riverside County Department of Housing and Workforce Solutions, in partnership with Continuum, conducted the annual Point-In-Time (PIC) count across the county. In 2022, Riverside County saw a 15% increase overall in the number of sheltered and unsheltered individuals. There were 3,316 sheltered & unsheltered persons in Riverside County. 1,980 of those were unsheltered and 1,336 were sheltered.
The PIC count for the city in 2022 showed 73 total sheltered and unsheltered persons.
Specifically, there were 61 unsheltered and 12 sheltered persons. This was an increase from the 2020 PIC count. In 2020, there were 44 unsheltered persons counted. The number of unsheltered is unknown for 2020. In 2021, due to COVID, the PIC count was canceled.
During the time period from January 2020 – Current, Homeless Liaison Officers have the following activity:
•3721 On-View Incidents
•1900 Dispatched Incidents
•260 Reports
•181 Arrests
•125 Citations
•80 Camp Cleanups
Homeless Liaison unit officers continue to partner with several organizations to help to provide services to unsheltered persons.
•Coachella Valley Rescue Mission
•Coachella Valley Association of Governments
•Jewish Family Services
•The Path
•Behavioral Health
•CARES Resource
•Signature Cleanup – Campsites
Areas that have generally seen significant homelessness activity are:
•East Palm Canyon
•Ramon Road
•Date Palm Drive
•I10 along tamarisk trees
The Fountain of Life has been seeing an increased amount of homelessness along with litter and other debris.
Currently Palm Springs Police Department and Indio Police Department both operate outreach teams. Based upon the increased enforcement with reduction of COVID restrictions, it is anticipated we will see an increase in calls for service surrounding homelessness. Outreach and housing will continue to remain the primary focus of our Homeless Liaison team. We will continue to work with our partnerships in trying to reduce homelessness in the city.
Possible future considerations would include:
•Restrictions around the Fountain of Life
•Storage of personal property in public area restrictions oCity of Anaheim has municipal code regarding these restrictions •Restrictions on single serve alcoholic beverages
oCity of Montebello has municipal code regarding this restriction.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Officers assigned to Homeless Liaison unit have been included in annual budget.
Any possible future considerations would require a cost analysis.