City of Culver City
July 2018
Prepared by
Plan to Prevent and Combat
Homelessness
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Contents
Background and Purpose of Homeless Plan ................................ ................................ .............. 2 Existing City Efforts to Prevent and Combat Homelessness................................ ....................... 3 Homeless Plan Process ................................ ................................ ................................ ............. 6 Goals and Supporting Actions ................................ ................................ ................................ .... 6 Goal 1: Increase Bridge Housing Options and the Number of People Served......................... 7 Goal 2: Expand Homelessness Prevention Programming................................ ....................... 9 Goal 3: Increase Access to Affordable and Supportive Housing Across the City ...................11 Goal 4: Enhance Data Tracking and Homeless Outreach Activities Among City Staff and Service Providers ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................15 Goal 5: Expand Community Education Efforts Around Homelessness and Raise Awareness About Available Resources and Best Practices ................................ ................................ .....18 Goal 6: Create Local Programs to Increase Workforce Training and Job Opportunities .........20 Goal 7: Enhance Local and Regional Coordination ................................ ............................... 21 Appendix A: Stakeholder Input – Summary of Identified Challenges ................................ .........22 Appendix B: Community Input – Summary of Identified Strategies ................................ ............24 Appendix C: Additional Stakeholder Interviews ................................ ................................ .........26 Appendix D: Approved County Strategies to Combat Homelessness ................................ ........28
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Background and Purpose of Homeless Plan
Culver City has seen a dramatic rise in homelessness in the last several years, consistent with the pattern across Los Angeles County. On any given night in Culver City, an estimated 227 people experience homelessness,1 nearly double the number from 2016.
Figure 1. Culver City Point-in-Time Homeless Count, 2015-2017
Figure 2. Culver City Point-in-Time Homeless Count Detail, 2016-2017
1 Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. 2017 Homeless Count-Count by City/Community. Available:
https://www.lahsa.org/dashboards?id=13-greater-los-angeles-homeless-count-by-city-community. 2015 2016 2017
Unsheltered 66 73 184
Sheltered 35 49 42
Total
0 20
40 60
80 100
120
140
160
180
200
Culver City Homeless Count
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 Cars Tents Makeshift
Shelters
RVs/Campers Vans On the Street Emergency
Shelters
Culver City Homeless Count 2016-2017
2016 2017
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The City is working with limited resources to address the needs of both its homeless residents and those experiencing housing instability. First responders in the city answered 2,841 calls for services related to homelessness in a one-year timeframe, costing the city $160,000. While the city contracts with service providers to connect homeless individuals and families to needed resources, the lack of bridge and permanent housing is a barrier to combatting homelessness.
Additionally, with housing affordability a major issue in the city (the average cost of a 2-bedroom apartment hitting $2,800 per month and only 16 units of affordable housing approved for construction in FY 2016-17), homelessness prevention resources are also strained. A substantial number of households are believed to be housing insecure and/or are bearing a large cost burden for housing throughout the city.
City leadership is committed to assisting Culver City residents, both homeless and housed, to obtain and maintain safe, decent, and affordable housing within their communities. The City’s homeless plan reflects this overarching goal. The plan lays out a series of goals and actions to address homelessness solutions and prevention within the next three years, given opportunities and available resources. Local and regional priorities include:
• Increased understanding of the needs and characteristics of our homeless residents through data collection and analysis;
• Identifying stakeholders and forming partnerships;
• Identifying financial and non-monetary resources;
• Expanding community education and awareness about homelessness; • Engaging the larger community through roundtable discussions; • Studying and incorporating best practices of other localities, including those comprising the County of Los Angeles Homeless Initiative; and
• Encouraging joint advocacy for policies and funding.
Existing City Efforts to Prevent and Combat Homelessness Considerable work by City leadership and community partners has already gone into addressing homelessness and affordable housing issues, including the following. • Culver City funds St. Joseph Center for homeless outreach and data collection, as well as for providing emergency motel vouchers (see Table 1).
• The City also funds Upward Bound House outreach activities and case management for homeless children and their families and homeless and housing insecure children and their families who attend Culver City Unified School District schools. • The City maintains a Homeless Info Line for community members to call and request outreach or services to the local homeless population. The City also maintains a Homeless Resource Guide that includes detailed information about services available in the area. • The City has implemented a rapid rehousing program in partnership with the County (County Homeless Initiative strategy C2). Through this program, the City provides five formerly homeless individuals and families with rental subsidies of up to 1,000 per month, per unit, for up to 12 months to move them out of homelessness as they locate permanent housing. This City’s contribution is combined with County funding and wraparound services. • The Culver City Committee on Homelessness serves as an advisory body to the City Council on potential short- and long-term strategies to address homelessness, including 4 | P a g e
through the County’s Homelessness Initiative. Additionally, the committee tracks homelessness-related service delivery in the city and recommends improvements to better utilize existing resources. It also coordinates the annual homelessness count and engages the community in roundtable discussions, including residents, faith-based groups, those with lived experience of homelessness, and members of the business community. • The City’s Landlord/Tenant Mediation Board offers “good faith” rental dispute mediation relating to rent increases in the city.
• The Culver City Housing Authority assists residents at risk of homelessness with grants for utility payments and rent arrears, as well for security deposit assistance. • The Housing Authority hosts landlord fairs and workshops to educate local landlords about subsidized housing programs and encourage participation. Additionally, it offers incentives for landlords to accept Housing Choice Vouchers. Incentives include a $500 bonus for first- time landlords signing a 12-month lease with an HCV tenant, up to one month of rent for vacancy loss and damage funding, and rehabilitation reimbursement grants of up to $5,000 for property owners who lease to an HCV tenant for 24 months. • The City has facilitated development of more than 2,000 units of affordable housing across the city, including units for seniors, individuals with disabilities, units for large families, and affordable homeownership opportunities.
• The City’s Covenant Monitoring Program enforces the income- and rent-restricted covenants for 430 affordable units across the city, including group homes, senior assisted living, modular homes, and multifamily housing.
Table 1: Annual Funding and Activities Related to Preventing and Combating Homelessness
Entity Activity Resource FY 17/18
Funding
Culver City
Housing
Authority
Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher
program
U.S. Department
of Housing and
Urban
Development
(HUD)
$1,400,000
Culver City
Housing
Authority
Rental Assistance Program for elderly
and disabled households
General Fund $202,644
Culver City
Housing
Authority
Utility/rent catch-up grants for tenants
and landlord incentives, including
signing bonus, security deposits, and
up to one month rent for vacancy loss
and damages
Low- and
Moderate-Income
Housing Asset
Fund
$35,000
Culver City
Housing
Authority
Rapid rehousing program with County
of Los Angeles; city provides up to
$1,000 per month to assist
households with rent for up to 18
months
Low- and
Moderate-Income
Housing Asset
Fund
$30,000
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Entity Activity Resource FY 17/18
Funding
St. Joseph Center Homeless outreach, rapid rehousing,
case management for individuals and
families; motel vouchers
Low- and
Moderate-Income
Housing Asset
Fund
$123,441
Upward Bound
House
Emergency shelter, case
management and rapid rehousing for
families
Low- and
Moderate-Income
Housing Asset
Fund
$130,000
Neighborhood
Preservation
Program
Provides rehabilitation reimbursement
grants for owners leasing to HCV
tenants for 24 months, as well as to
low- and moderate-income residents
with deferred maintenance work on
their homes
Low- and
Moderate-Income
Housing Asset
Fund
$60,000
Mixed Use
Affordable
Housing Program
Provides financial assistance for the
development of affordable units under
the Mixed Use Affordable Program
Low- and
Moderate-Income
Housing Asset
Fund
$2,000,000
Affordable
Housing Studies
Conduct studies of various sites
throughout the City for potential use
for affordable housing opportunities
such as Safe Parking Program,
Weather Activated Regional
Emergency Shelter, Motel
Conversion, Storage Containers
Low- and
Moderate-Income
Housing Asset
Fund
$350,000
Landlord/Property
Owner Fair
Landlord engagement regarding
available incentives related to
participating in subsidized housing
programs
Low- and
Moderate-Income
Housing Asset
Fund
$5,000
Total $4,336,085
Table 2: Housing Project Type
Housing Project Type Total Beds/Units
Emergency Housing (Upward Bound House) 216
Rapid Rehousing 5
Senior Housing 190
Permanent Housing – Multi-Family 83
Mobile Home Units 118
Assisted Living/Senior 23
Group Homes –Persons with Development Disabilities 29
Source: Culver City Housing Division
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Homeless Plan Process
Culver City’s homeless plan is built on the City’s existing efforts to prevent and combat homelessness, its long-term goals to continue addressing the needs of its homeless and unstably housed residents, a review of existing resources and opportunities, and input from a variety of stakeholders. This is a three-year plan that serves as a roadmap to establish the city’s approach to addressing homelessness over the long-term.
A series of community meetings and individual interviews asked stakeholders to provide feedback on the challenges of homelessness within the City as well as to provide input regarding possible strategies, many of which were integrated into the plan’s goals and actions.
For summaries of challenges as well as strategies from each input session see Appendixes A and B.
Goals and Supporting Actions
The following seven goals were identified and prioritized through the planning process.
Goal #1: Increase bridge housing options and the number of people served.
Goal #2: Expand homelessness prevention programming.
Goal #3: Increase access to affordable and supportive housing across the city.
Goal #4: Enhance data tracking and homeless outreach activities among city staff and service providers.
Goal #5: Expand community education efforts around homelessness and raise awareness about available resources and best practices.
Goal #6: Create local programs to increase workforce training and job opportunities.
Goal #7: Enhance local and regional coordination.
The following pages outline each goal and supporting actions to achieve it. Each action includes applicable policy changes, measurement of progress, ownership of the goal/action, leveraged City resources, and timeline. The Housing Division staff, working with the Committee on Homelessness, will be responsible for overseeing the goals and actions described in this plan and reporting on progress, as well as modifying or adding new goals and actions over time given opportunities and available resources. At minimum the plan will be reviewed on an annual basis, and the Committee will report plan progress to the City Council. 7 | P a g e
Develop an emergency shelter in the city.
• Invest $1 million to acquire and rehabilitate a local underutilized motel property to be used as a new emergency shelter site with centralized access to services and case management. o Include office space for homeless case managers and/or Family Solutions Centers personnel.
o Investigate using funds for supportive housing and/or affordable multifamily housing. • Identify an experienced service provider to manage shelter operations, including onsite services provision.
• Pursue County Homeless Initiative funding for shelter beds and for acquisition / rehabilitation of the shelter site, as well as state and county funding for supportive housing and affordable multifamily housing.
Measurement: • Conduct site feasibility studies; engage property owners to discuss property acquisition or development partnership
• Developer bid process, community engagement, site plan • Service provider identified and service plans designed • Funding secured
• Shelter development underway
Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Low- and Moderate-Income Housing Asset Fund
Associated
Policy Changes:
Update any zoning policies to allow shelter siting
Timeline: Studies conducted Year 1, project initiated Years 2-3
Identify viable sites and implement a safe-parking program in the city that includes mobile bathrooms/showers and serves as a Coordinated Entry System and services access point.
Measurement: • Site identified, funding secured, and service plan in place Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Potential city-owned land, General Fund
Associated
Policy Changes:
Update any city policies to allow for safe parking program Timeline: Year 1
Action 1a
Action 1b
Goal 1: Increase Bridge Housing Options and the
Number of People Served
Homeless Initiative Strategy Link(s): B7, D5, E8
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Explore the use of an existing building or temporary tensile structures on public land for additional shelter beds to be deployed seasonally and during inclement weather. • Work with westside cities to establish a rotating schedule for hosting the seasonal shelter. • Explore partnerships with the County of Los Angeles, neighboring cities, the faith -based community, and other stakeholders to fund shelter beds.
Measurement: • Site identified within 3 months through site feasibility studies • Westside city partners for hosting shelter identified in 6 months • Funding sources for shelter beds identified in 9 months Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
City-owned land, staff time to develop program and coordinate with other city partners
Associated
Policy Changes:
Update any zoning policies to allow shelter siting
Timeline: Year 1
Action 1c
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Expand City’s homelessness prevention grant program.
• Increase grant amounts for rental arrears to $1,000 per applicant and $500 for utility payments.
• Provide grant applicants with up to $1,500 for security deposits for rental housing.
Measurement: • Grant program expanded as budgeting allows Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Low- and Moderate-Income Housing Asset Fund
Associated
Policy Changes:
No associated policy changes.
Timeline: 6 months
Create homelessness prevention toolkit (e.g., overview of resources for legal services, tenant-landlord issues, benefits and workforce development, etc.) based on best practices and local, regional access.
Measurement: • Toolkit created and made available online and at city facilities Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
No associated policy changes.
Timeline: 6 months
Action 2a
Action 2b
Goal 2: Expand Homelessness Prevention
Programming
Homeless Initiative Strategy Link(s): A1, A5
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Explore rental protection and anti-displacement strategies (e.g., rent regulations, tenant protections, etc.)
• Increase awareness about availability of mediation.
Measurement: • Engage local landlords and attendees at regular Landlord/Tenant Mediation Board meetings
• Drafts of proposed strategies, as identified
Ownership: Culver City Housing Division, Landlord/Tenant Mediation Board Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
Policy changes to be determined by City staff.
Timeline: Year 1
Action 2c
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Expand the City’s rapid rehousing program that leverages up to $1,000 of City funds per household, per month with County resources and wraparound services. • Explore consolidating the City’s existing rapid rehousing allocations to a single pool of funds and continue subcontracting to service providers for wraparound services.
Measurement: • Fund consolidation completed in 3 months • Number of families/individuals placed into rapid rehousing • Percentage of families/individuals placed into rapid rehousing who successfully move to permanent housing
• Annual recovery of costs associated with housing disabled homeless individuals awaiting SSI benefits
Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Low- and Moderate-Income Housing Asset Fund
Associated
Policy Changes:
Update Housing Authority Administrative Plan.
Timeline: Year 1
Dedicate 50% of Section 8 turnover vouchers to homeless clients referred by local service providers.
Measurement: • Number of homeless individuals and families issued vouchers • Number of voucher-holding homeless individuals and families placed into housing
Ownership: Culver City Housing Authority
Leveraged City
Resources:
Housing Choice Voucher Program funds
Associated
Policy Changes:
Update Housing Authority Administrative Plan.
Timeline: Year 1
Action 3a
Action 3b
Goal 3: Increase Access to Affordable and
Supportive Housing Across the City
Homeless Initiative Strategy Link(s): B1, B3, B4, B8, D7, F3, F4, F5, F6, F7
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Identify successful shared housing models and implement a shared housing pilot program in the city.
• Integrate best practices from successful shared housing models, including those related to master leasing and roommate matching.
Measurement: • Shared housing program drafted in Year 2, implemented Year 3 Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Low- and Moderate-Income Housing Asset Fund
Associated
Policy Changes:
Update Housing Authority Administrative Plan, Housing Authority funding and development of program.
Timeline: Studies conducted Year 1, pilot initiated Years 2-3
Increase the number of landlords participating in subsidized housing programs. • Host property owner/landlord education fairs to encourage acceptance of rental assistance vouchers and other housing subsidies, as well as participate in shared housing programs. • Increase dollar amounts for participation incentives such as minor rehabilitation grants, signing bonuses, additional security deposits, and vacancy loss and damage payments. • Explore additional incentive opportunities, such as waiving business license fees for landlords who rent to HCV tenants within the city.
Measurement: • Funding for additional incentives identified • After program developed, annual percent increase in number of landlords accepting housing subsidies
Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
No associated policy changes.
Timeline: Initiated Year 1, ongoing
Conduct housing affordability study among residents to estimate the number of affordable units that need to be developed in the city.
Measurement: • Completion of report on city housing affordability Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Low- and Moderate-Income Housing Asset Fund
Associated
Policy Changes:
No associated policy changes.
Timeline: Year 1
Action 3c
Action 3d
Action 3e
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Facilitate development of affordable and supportive housing through land use regulations and incentives for property owners, developers, and employers. These efforts include:
• Establishing the Mixed Use Affordable Housing Incentive Program, which will create a density incentive to produce affordable and market-rate housing units in mixed use developments.
• Amending the Mixed Use Density Ordinance to reduce minimum dwelling unit size and allow for reductions in parking requirements for affordable units. • Exploring inclusionary housing programs that require a percentage of new housing be designated for low- and moderate-income households, in-lieu fees, etc. • Implementing administrative approval of affordable housing units for developments of 20 residential units or less, in which 25% of the units qualify as affordable. • Waiving permit fees for affordable units.
• Developing an accessory dwelling unit pilot program.
• Explore establishment of Linkage Fee to fund affordable housing.
Measurement: • Annual percent increase in number of affordable and supportive units created through regulatory and policy changes
Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
• Amend Mixed Use Density Ordinance.
• Draft Inclusionary Housing Policy.
• Draft Affordable Housing Administrative Approval Policy. • Expand Accessory Dwelling Unit Policy.
Timeline: Year 1
Conduct feasibility studies for creating a variety of alternative housing types (e.g., manufactured housing, motel reuse, shipping containers, junior ADU program) to increase the number of new affordable units in the city.
Measurement: • Reports completed by end of Year 1
Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Low- and Moderate-Income Housing Asset Fund
Associated
Policy Changes:
No associated policy changes.
Timeline: Initiated within 6 months, completed by end of Year 1
Action 3f
Action 3g
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Increase financing and create financial incentives for affordable housing preservation and development.
Strategies include:
• Establishing one or more Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District(s) (EIFD) to finance construction or rehabilitation of affordable housing units. • Conducting an Employer Affordable Housing Tax Credit study to explore creation of a tax credit incentive for large employers to finance affordable housing within the city. • Creating the Culver City Low/Mod Income Housing Fund to leverage affordable housing construction and provide rental subsidies for newly constructed affordable housing units.
Measurement: • EIFD established in Year 1
• Employer tax credit and any other studies conducted in Years 1-2 • Low/Mod Income Housing Fund established in Year 1
Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
To be determined following City staff evaluation.
Timeline: Year 1
Action 3h
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Collect and analyze local homelessness-related data to better target resources. • Analyze existing data on Culver City’s homeless population and collect additional data to identify characteristics and needs that inform decision-making. • Complete a City cost analysis of homelessness-related direct and indirect resources to identify and diminish resource strains.
• Update Police Department discharge tracking protocols to include inputs to the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) for homeless individuals. • Update Fire Department incident reporting protocols to link to HMIS as appropriate.
Measurement: • Report on city’s homelessness data complete within 6 months • Cost analysis complete within 3 months
• HMIS licensing and staff training completed in Year 1 Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
Update Police Department discharge protocols, Fire Department incident tracking protocols, and related data privacy policies.
Timeline: Year 1
Implement the County of Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s first responder training protocol for all police, fire, paramedic, and other city staff engaged directly with the local homeless population.
Measurement: • First responder trainings conducted within Year 1 Ownership: Culver City Housing Division, Culver City Fire and Police Departments Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
Update department policies to require first responder curriculum as part of regular training.
Timeline: Year 1
Action 4a
Action 4b
Goal 4: Enhance Data Tracking and Homeless
Outreach Activities Among City Staff and Service
Providers
Homeless Initiative Strategy Link(s): D6, E4, E5, E7,
E9
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Train city staff directly involved with homelessness (including Public Works, Sanitation, Building Safety, Code Enforcement, Transportation, and Parks, Recreation, and Community Services) to:
• Coordinate outreach efforts with lead agencies for the Coordinated Entry System. • Connect homeless residents to outreach teams via the LAHSA Outreach Web Portal. • Provide referrals to local service providers for emergency motel vouchers and supplies. • Encourage participation of the Culver City branch of the L.A. County Library in outreach and referral coordination, consistent with city staff training.
Measurement: • Training curriculum created and implemented • Number of staff trainings completed quarterly/biannually • Number of homeless or at-risk individuals referred to services Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
Update department policies to require training curriculum as part of regular training.
Timeline: Initiated Year 1, completed Year 2
Evaluate and rewrite city policies and ordinances as necessary to be consistent with homelessness plan implementation and national best practices.
Measurement: • Relevant policies and ordinances reviewed and rewritten as identified Ownership: Staff from relevant City departments
Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
Policy and ordinance updates as identified.
Timeline: Years 1-2
Explore opportunities to fund additional case management and services.
Measurement: • Funding identified and included in Housing Division budget Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
No associated policy changes.
Timeline: Year 1
Action 4c
Action 4d
Action 4e
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Coordinate with the County of Los Angeles Criminal Record Clearing Project (CRCP) to host criminal record-clearing events in the city to assist homeless individuals with removing barriers to housing and employment.
Measurement: • Regular (e.g., quarterly, twice per year) criminal record clearing events held at local venues
• Number of people served by the CRCP
Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
No associated policy changes.
Timeline: Year 1
Action 4f
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Continue hosting regular community meetings to educate the community about homelessness and plan implementation progress, as well as gather feedback about challenges and concerns.
• Invite participation of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and the United Way’s Everyone In Campaign to provide additional education and information as needed.
Measurement: • Community meeting schedule set (e.g., quarterly), at least two meetings facilitated within Year 1
Ownership: Culver City Committee on Homelessness
Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
No associated policy changes.
Timeline: 6 months
Increase coordination with local school district and colleges that may have students experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
• Invite participation of school district and student liaisons to regular Committee on Homelessness meetings to provide input and discuss opportunities for better coordination. • Attend school district and college meetings as requested.
Measurement: • Regular meeting attendance as coordinated Ownership: Culver City Committee on Homelessness
Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
No associated policy changes.
Timeline: Year 1
Action 5a
Action 5b
Goal 5: Expand Community Education Efforts
Around Homelessness and Raise Awareness About
Available Resources and Best Practices
Homeless Initiative Strategy Link(s): None
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Hire a homeless coordinator.
• The coordinator will act as a single point of contact for service providers and community members, including those experiencing or at risk of homelessness. • The coordinator will also oversee portions of homelessness plan implementation. • Provide case management and referrals to those experiencing or at risk for homelessness.
Measurement: • Coordinator position description drafted within 1 month • Coordinator hired within 3 months
Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
No associated policy changes.
Timeline: 6 months
Action 5c
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Develop and implement an Economic Empowerment Ordinance to encourage local hiring of homeless and formerly homeless individuals in city-supported contracts (e.g., awarding bonus points as part of the bid review process, offering employer compensation).
• Encourage service providers contracted for homelessness outreach to hire homeless and formerly homeless individuals to assist with outreach and engagement activities.
Measurement: • Draft ordinance within 3 months
• Ordinance approval within 6 months
• Annual increase in number of jobs available to homeless and formerly homeless people within the city’s jurisdiction as a result of adopting the ordinance
Ownership: Culver City Housing Division, Finance Department Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
Approval of draft ordinance and any associated employment policies.
Timeline: Year 1
Engage local businesses and business groups in community roundtable discussions about hiring homeless and formerly homeless individuals, providing job training, or becoming an employment site for the CalWORKS program.
Measurement: • Number of meetings attended to provide the business community with information about opportunities
• Number of participating businesses assessed annually
Ownership: Culver City Housing Division
Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
No associated policy changes.
Timeline: Year 1
Action 6a
Action 6b
Goal 6: Create Local Programs to Increase
Workforce Training and Job Opportunities
Homeless Initiative Strategy Link(s): C1
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Strengthen existing and form new partnerships to leverage resources and improve local and regional coordination.
Activities include:
• Developing collaborative efforts with surrounding communities and organizations. • Engaging in joint advocacy for homelessness-related policies and funding at local, regional, and statewide levels.
• Encouraging participation of service providers, first responders, business and faith-based groups, and residents in community roundtable discussions. • Participating in the Los Angeles County Housing Authorities Homeless Issues Roundtable. • Partnering with the Veterans Administration on activities related to serving the needs of homeless veterans and those at risk of homelessness.
Measurement: • Regular facilitation of and participation in local and regional coordination efforts
Ownership: Culver City Committee on Homelessness, Housing Authority Leveraged City
Resources:
Staff time
Associated
Policy Changes:
No associated policy changes.
Timeline: 6 months, ongoing
Action 7a
Goal 7: Enhance Local and Regional Coordination
Homeless Initiative Strategy Link(s): E10
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Appendix A: Stakeholder Input – Summary of Identified
Challenges
Thursday, June 7 Community Input Session
Public perception and awareness:
• Need to better understand the demographics of who is homeless in Culver City. • Issue is very polarizing in the community. NIMBYism can be very aggressive. Lots of fear and misconception exists about homeless people.
• Lack of community awareness of the problem, or available resources. Need more community education.
• Residents have concerns about effects on property values. • The homelessness crisis is so large and has been growing. Local efforts can feel like a “drop in the bucket.”
• Concern exists that providing more services will invite more homeless people to come in to the community.
Services-Related:
• People have unique needs and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Subpopulations like children, families, youth, seniors, veterans, etc. all have unique needs to be addressed. • Increasing numbers of people living in vehicles—safe parking is needed. • Critical need for more prevention services. Need to identify and address root causes of homelessness.
• Many homeless individuals and families have pets that need services too, or families cannot access services because they don’t want to be separated from pets. • Need for hygiene, nutrition, and other non-housing services.
Housing-related:
• There is a lack of available land or space to build more housing or shelter. • Need to provide services and supports to help with retention after placement in housing. • Landlords need help addressing costs, taxes, etc.
• Rents have been rising rapidly and there is not enough rent control.
Coordination:
• Available resources are limited and should be used efficiently. • Need to clearly define roles for different sectors of the community, such as elected officials, schools, faith-based organizations, neighborhood groups, etc. • There is also a role for the tech companies and other businesses in the City. • Homelessness is not evenly distributed around the City, but all communities in the City should be contributing resources and services, not just areas where homeless individuals cluster or congregate.
• More funding is needed. Available funding is not enough to meet the need. • Addressing homelessness is very costly across multiple sectors. • Importance of triaging people based on need and routing people to appropriate services. • Ned to identify short-term goals as well as longer-term strategies.
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Saturday, June 16 Community Input Session
Street outreach and engagement:
• Only two street outreach professionals serving all of Culver City. • People cluster in parks and other public spaces, and many in the community are upset by the high visibility of the problem.
• Difficulty reaching out to individuals with mental illness. • Some people are resistant to services, do not want to engage. Would be helpful to have data on how many people refuse services and why. It can be difficult to build trust with people who have been homeless for a longer period of time. Additional outreach may be needed for service-resistant people.
• Need to have more training available for First Responders.
Public perception:
• Lots of fear and concerns about violence and safety exist. Also trespassing, other security issues.
• Homelessness can be isolating and traumatizing. People want to be treated with kindness and often are not. More compassion, tolerance is needed. • NIMBYism is widespread. There is a lack of willingness to help or address the issue. • Concerns about where funding for housing and services will come from. Worry about tax increases.
• Belief that people come from other states to be homeless in southern California. • Lack of community consensus on the best way to address the issue.
Coordination:
• Not enough resources are available to address the large scope of the need. Resources that are available are not being used efficiently. Services like emergency response are stretched thin.
• Many residents are not aware of all the resources that are available. They’d like to be able to refer someone to services but miss the opportunity. Need more community education, FAQs about available resources.
• People are unsure when to call emergency/police versus another resource. Would like clarity on what to do in certain circumstances.
• Many people experiencing homelessness want to stay in their communities, near school, families, and social supports, not have to go across town to receive services. • Regional collaboration is needed.
Services-related:
• Early intervention is critically important. Need for more prevention services. • Services need to be available for children, youth, seniors, veterans, people on a fixed income.
• Difference in addressing the needs of chronic versus transitionally homeless individuals. • More mental health and substance use services are needed. • People often do not have state IDs, social security cards, birth certificate, etc. • More employment help is needed. It can be difficult for individuals to reintegrate into the workforce after experiencing homelessness.
Housing-related:
• Dramatic increases in rent make housing unstable and unaffordable for many. Lots of families are close to homelessness.
• Fires, natural disasters, etc. can cause homelessness. 24 | P a g e
Appendix B: Community Input – Summary of Identified
Strategies
Thursday, June 7 Community Input Session
Services-related:
• Establish a safe parking program in the community.
• Offer services like hygiene, nutrition, place to receive mail, etc. in a one-stop location.
Consider including other utilities such as access to wi-fi, banking services, phones, etc. • Increase the number of street outreach teams.
• Vocational education and workforce supports for adults as well as for youth. • Provide more and more-accessible mental health services in the community. • Make services trauma informed.
• Have services available for pets.
Public perception and awareness:
• Need to have a community education program.
• Marketing campaign, participate in United Way’s Everyone In campaign.
Community and regional collaboration:
• Define a role for diverse community partners and agencies, such as the library, West LA College, neighborhood groups, etc.
• Offer local office space for County street outreach teams. • Don’t duplicate services, identify the gaps in available services and funding. • Work with foster care and juvenile justice system to identify youth at-risk of homelessness.
• Consider models from other sectors, such as the School Needs Committee that identifies students at-risk.
• Review existing City ordinances that may be impacting homelessness.
Housing-related:
• Build more affordable housing and supportive housing. • Increase emergency shelter capacity.
• Increase number of available transitional and permanent housing units, especially for families.
• Identify opportunities to shared housing, roommate matching with supports. • Explore opportunities to convert or rehab vacant industrial zones, warehouses, blighted properties such as old motels, etc. into shelter or housing. • Consider updates to density regulations and zoning, such as accessory dwelling unit ordinance. Could model updates on City of Los Angeles, other local examples. • Designate a percentage of new housing development to be affordable. • Create more dormitory housing for students.
Saturday, June 16 Community Input Session
Community education:
• Have information about local homelessness resources available to the public. • Hold community education sessions.
• Recruit residents to volunteer, such as with the annual Point in Time count. • Create easy-to-use list of available resources with contact info and share it widely. 25 | P a g e
Housing-related:
• Pursue a scattered-site housing model like Salt Lake City, other communities. • Create more affordable housing, target individuals and families at-risk of homelessness. • Create resources to address landlords’ risks and concerns. • Consider potential updates to zoning ordinances, such as for accessory dwelling units. • Explore opportunities for City to master lease units. • Convert old motels, blighted property to shelter or housing. • Recruit more landlords and motels to accept vouchers. Consider offering tax incentives. • Build more affordable housing.
• Increase the number of available vouchers and rental subsidies. • Offer help with upfront costs of finding an apartment, such as security deposits, setting up utilities, etc.
• Create a shared housing/roommate matching program.
• Explore innovative housing opportunities, such as tiny homes or pre-fab structures.
Services-related:
• Increase the number of street outreach teams.
• Establish a safe parking program.
• Create a safe storage space for people’s carts and belongings. • Provide hygiene and nutrition services.
• Hire a community liaison to help homeless individuals navigate services. • Utilize more peer-to-peer supports and recruit formerly homeless individuals to help with outreach and service navigation.
• Prevention: need to have a better safety net for those at risk of homelessness. More emergency services for families are needed. Also need to intervene with potential evictions and families who are doubled-up.
• Have services such as laundry, showers, etc. co-located at a site such as a soup kitchen.
• Make health care and mental health care more easily accessible. • Workforce assistance: job skills training, job matching, collaboration with businesses and employers.
Coordination:
• Triage services effectively. Try to quickly intercept people who become homeless so they can quickly be returned to stable housing.
• Identify and pursue grants and funding from other sources such as private foundations. • Identify areas where existing resources could be leveraged or used more effectively.
Leverage funds available to serve veterans.
• Locate local office space for street outreach teams to use, such as at a church. • Define a role for the Senior Center and train Senior Center staff on interacting with homeless individuals.
• Create opportunities for coordination between first responders and street outreach. • Explore opportunities to expand the use of mental health professionals embedded with first responders.
• Collaborate with neighboring cities, the Westside Cities COG, SPA 5, etc.
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Appendix C: Additional Stakeholder Interviews
Culver City Chamber of Commerce – June 22, 2018
Overview of Input
1. The extreme lack of affordable housing leads to problems with recruitment. Businesses cannot recruit staff because people can’t afford local housing and long commutes are a deterrent to taking a job in Culver City.
2. Businesses are concerned about crime and safety. Worries exist about theft, vandalism, and trespassing. Employees also feel uncomfortable opening and closing businesses. The presence and visibility of homeless individuals on the streets and in public spaces deters potential customers. People feel uncomfortable walking or biking on sidewalks where homeless people congregate.
3. Concerned that providing more services will attract more homeless individuals and families to Culver City.
4. Since Culver City is surrounded by the City of LA, and is on the Expo line, lots of coordination is needed among regional partners. Especially hope that they can partner with LA on HHH-funded development activities.
5. Homelessness prevention is also important. As the cost of living in Culver City keeps going up, many people who have been living and working there for many years are suddenly at- risk of homelessness.
6. Acknowledgement that it’s not just an affordable housing issue. Many people experiencing homelessness need mental health services. City currently has a mental health professional embedded with police part-time, but much more is needed. Concerns exist about people living on the street who are resistant to services.
7. People are fatigued with the problem because the impression is that measures keep passing but homelessness has continued to increase. The business community can be part of the communication strategy informing residents what projects Measure H is paying for.
8. Some local businesses are engaged with CalWORKS or other workforce engagement strategies for homeless and formerly homeless individuals. Interest exists in creating more CalWORKS sites in Culver City. Light manufacturing companies are probably particularly amenable to it. A few business improvement districts exist in the City that can also help with workforce strategies.
Culver City Parks, Recreation, & Community Services – June 27, 2018
Overview of Input
1. Lack of communication and consistency in procedures and enforcement across departments. A general lack of clarity around what City staff are expected or allowed to do in certain circumstances. This is especially stressful for young summer employees who may be as young as 16- or 17-years-old working at the pool or the park and being forced to handle situations for which they are not well-prepared. Most sites also often have children and families present. Frustration comes from a lack of clarity and communication between Parks and Code Enforcement and Law Enforcement. City employees would like clear procedures delineating what to do in different kinds of circumstances and know that the procedure will be followed.
2. Part of the frustration and poor communication results from a general lack of coordination. All City departments could benefit from more consistent and formal 27 | P a g e
communication, such as a working group or a task force. This would have to include Police and the City Attorney’s office, as well as Housing and Parks.
3. General consensus that more outreach workers are needed. Trained outreach workers could help intervene in tense situations such as clearing encampments and could also be the first-call when a homeless individual is bothering other residents in a public space but it has not escalated to a level of calling law enforcement. The role of additional dedicated outreach workers could also be written in to any protocols resulting from the task force.
4. Staff were curious to know more about the role of a potential homeless services coordinator in Culver City.
5. Concerns exist about Culver City being tasked with an unfair share of the burden of addressing homelessness in the County. Want to know more about how they can use their position to leverage funding that the State and the County are making available.
6. Having the capacity to have 24-hour coverage of park and public spaces would be helpful. Some parks open as early as 4:30am and are open as late as 10pm. Simple things like having adequate overnight lighting, putting locks on electrical outlets, and trimming shrubbery would help negate some of the problems that arise. Other things like having police complete a foot patrol through parks overnight or generally be more present in public spaces would also help to put some concerned residents at ease about using the parks.
7. Expressed interest in creating a task force and establishing clear protocols, but also having a City staff training, as well as a public-facing toolkit to which they can refer community members to learn more about ways they can help.
Los Angeles County Library, Culver City Branch – June 27, 2018
Overview of Input
1. The Culver City library branch does not have a high volume of homeless patrons; just a few each day. Disruptive incidences with homeless or other library patrons are not common.
2. The library director has made issues of equity a priority and the library is committed to providing a safe space for a variety of populations.
3. The County library system has established protocols for engaging with disruptive homeless patrons.
4. This includes a script that staff have been trained to use, as well as distributing a resource card. Trainings on the engagement materials were conducted with management at regular library managers meetings. Managers then trained their branch staff on the protocol. Any issues related to the engagement are given to full-time staff to handle.
5. A code of conduct is being developed that outlines library policies for first, second, and third instances of disruptive behavior, should it occur. Staff are also being trained on this conduct code.
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Appendix D: Approved County Strategies to Combat
Homelessness