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Agenda packet

Homelessness Issues Committee
March 6, 2025

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Agenda packet
Meeting
March 6, 2025
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Homelessness Issues Committee
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13
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1 HOMELESSNESS ISSUES

STANDING COMMITTEE MEETING
Thursday, March 6, 2025
4:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.
130 Cremona Drive, Suite B
Goleta, California
Council Chambers
Mayor Paula Perotte
Councilmember Stuart Kasdin
Robert Nisbet, City Manager
Jaime A. Valdez, Assistant City Manager
JoAnne Plummer, Neighborhood Services Director
Chuck Flacks, Homelessness Services Coordinator
Leonel Mendoza-Diaz, Recreation Supervisor
Public Participation
If you wish to make a general public comment or to comment on a specific agenda item, the following methods are available:

Distribution to the Homelessness Issues Standing Committee - Submit your comment via email prior to 4 p.m. on the Wednesday prior to the Homelessness Issues Standing Committee meeting. Please submit your comment to Melissa Cure at:
[email protected]. Your comment will be placed into the record and distributed appropriately.

ELECTRONIC PARTICIPATION: Join Meeting Electronically at:

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__UQ8euiPTNOglHZ13VhAPw Zoom Webinar ID: 851 2395 7741
Or dial: For higher quality, dial a number based on your current location.

Mobile Options: US: +1 408 638 0968 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 646 876 9923 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 Mobile Webinar ID: 851 2395 7741
Mobile Passcode: 836686
2 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

You will be connected to audio using your computer's microphone and speakers (VoIP). A headset is recommended.

AGENDA
I. Public Comment
II. Data Report
III. Ongoing Programs and Priorities for 2025-2027
IV. Encampment Policy Consideration
V. Safe Parking Discussion
Americans with Disabilities Act: In compliance with the ADA, if special assistance is needed to participate in a City Council meeting (including assisted listening devices), please contact the City Clerk's office at (805) 961-7505. Notification at least 72 hours prior to the meeting helps to ensure that reasonable arrangements can be made to provide accessibility to the meeting.

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MEMORANDUM
DATE: March 6, 2025
TO: Homelessness Issues Standing Committee
FROM: JoAnne Plummer, Neighborhood Services Director
Chuck Flacks, Homelessness Services Coordinator
Leonel Mendoza-Diaz, Recreation Supervisor
SUBJECT: March 6, 2025 Homelessness Issues Standing Committee Meeting ITEM I. Public Comment (5 Minutes)
ITEM II. Data Report (5 Minutes)
The attached report covers November and December observations from the City-sponsored outreach programs and data from the Homelessness Management Information System (HMIS). (Note: The County of Santa Barbara recently changed HMIS data system changed vendors and the transition is still incomplete. As a result, income and employment data are not yet available.)
ITEM III. Ongoing Programs and Priorities for 2025-2027 (15 Minutes)

BACKGROUND
The Homelessness Strategic Plan (2021) has four core priorities for programs to help end homelessness in the City of Goleta:
• Access - Increase access to critical services for people experiencing homelessness • Reduce Impacts - Reduce the impacts of homelessness on the community • Prevention - Prevent at-risk individuals from becoming homeless • Housing - Increase the supply of transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, and emergency housing
The FY 2025-26, and FY 2026-27 two-year budget is under development and will be presented to the City Council in the coming months. The current proposed budget has been developed

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as status quo. Staff will present the proposed priorities for the Committee’s considerations and will carry recommendations forward.

The purpose of this item is to present the current budget and status of the current homeless programs and discuss the possibilities of adjusting or enhancing the efforts in future months.

FY 2024-25 Allocation of Resources to End Homelessness in Goleta Program Type Agency Program
Name
Number
Currently
Enrolled
or Likely
Total Annual
Program Cost for
the City of Goleta
Outreach City Net Goleta City Net 68 $ 282,000
Outreach Committee for
Social Justice
Outreach N/A $ 3,000 (City Grant)
Outreach Good Samaritan ARPA - County 19 N/A
Outreach New Beginnings Safe Parking
/CERF3
33 N/A
Outreach Others Multiple 9 N/A
Total Outreach $285,000
Navigation Center St. Vincent de
Paul
Father Virgil
Cordano
Center
15 N/A
Navigation Center SBACT FARO Center 25 N/A
Navigation Center Showers of
Blessing
St. Athanasius
Showers
30/week
participate
$ 7,000 (City Grant)
Total Navigation Center $7,000
Interim Housing PATH PATH-SB 6 $ 48,048
Interim Housing Good Samaritan Hedges House 34 $ 97,552 Interim Housing New Beginnings Safe Parking 36 $14,646 (CDBG) Interim Housing Transition House Shelter n/a $ 7,000 (City Grant) Semi-Permanent
Housing (2 year)
Turner Foundation Youth Housing 7 N/A
Total Interim Housing $167,246
Permanent Housing
Services
St. Vincent de
Paul
Family
Strengthening
n/a $ 5,000 (City Grant)
Prevention/Diversion City of SB RHMP 150 $ 60,000
General Services Unity Shoppe Client Center n/a $ 3,000 (City Grant)

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Navigation/Policy SBACT Goleta RAP n/a $ 57,075
Total Supportive Services $125,075
Total City of Goleta 355 $ 584,321
*Total number of homeless people counted in Goleta (12/31/2024) = 173 Access. Over the past three years, the County of Santa Barbara has received millions of dollars in homelessness services funding from the State of California and the federal government. One of the top priorities of this funding is extending services to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. In FY 2024-25, the City of Goleta has dedicated its homelessness services budget in the following ways:
• Outreach – This activity involves contacting people experiencing homelessness where they are, determining their needs, and helping them plan for increasing their income and obtaining shelter and housing.
o City Net – The City of Goleta established a two-year agreement at $282,000 per year that expires in June of 2025 – this program currently serves 68 people. At a cost of $4,147 per person.
o Other agencies – the City of Goleta has leveraged the services of Good Samaritan, New Beginnings, Channel Islands YMCA, Turner Foundation, Americorps, and the County Departments of Behavioral Wellness and Public Health to serve an additional 61 people at no additional cost to the City. The total served is 129, which reduces the overall cost per person to $2,186. • Navigation Centers – Another way to establish access to homeless services is through a center where people can come to enroll in programs while benefiting from food, clothing, hygiene kits, showers, community and companionship. o Goleta Neighborhood Navigation Center- SBACT (Seeking new location) – this is currently not serving any clients.
o FARO Center in downtown Santa Barbara – Approximately five (5) Goleta residents are served per week.
o Showers of Blessings provides enrollment, navigation, showers and other services each week just outside the City of Goleta border at St. Athanasius Church on Hollister. The shower typically has 30-40 people per week. They have not released statistics on the number of people who call Goleta home. o Father Virgil Cordano Center near Upper State Street – This center reports 15 people from Goleta attending per week.

Reduce Impacts. In response to concerns posted on City Assist and communicated through phone calls and emails, staff and partners take rapid action. • Encampments. Using the work of the Homelessness Services Coordinator and the Public Works Department, abandoned encampments are cleared on a regular basis.

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Occupied encampments are served by outreach. Encampment clearing (once vacant) is provided by a Public Works contractor. Outreach to encampments in Goleta is provided by City Net. Outreach to vehicles is provided by New Beginnings. • Community Concerns. The primary community concerns are people living in vehicles and encampments visible to the general public. SBACT coordinates weekly Regional Action Planning (RAP) meetings attended by City staff, County staff, law enforcement, UCSB Campus police, a Union Pacific Railroad representative and the homelessnessserving nonprofit agencies. At these meetings hot spots and particularly problematic encampments are addressed.

Prevention. Homelessness prevention is the key to ending homelessness, because current inflow of people into homelessness exceeds the number housed by a nearly 2:1 margin. In Goleta, in 2024, 100 people moved into housing, but 187 newly identified people were counted.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, 22 were housed, and 46 were newly identified. • Rental Housing Mediation. This program has been operating in the region for many years and is managed by the City of Santa Barbara. To date, 73 people have been served by the program with an annual goal of 150. The City of Goleta contracts for this service at a rate of $63,000 for FY 2024-25.
• Diversion Hotline. The County of Santa Barbara contracts with Good Samaritan for an English and Spanish language hotline for people who are at imminent risk of homelessness. The City of Goleta does not financially support this program; however, community members are free to access the program
Housing. The only way to end homelessness is to provide a home for someone experiencing homelessness.
• Transitional Housing – Within the City limits, Goleta has 36 Safe Parking spaces.

Outside the City, Goleta residents experiencing homelessness have benefited from both direct funding (PATH 2 beds, Hedges House of Hope 4 beds) and leveraging the multiple resources from the County of Santa Barbara (for details, see the 2024 Goleta Homelessness Strategic Plan 3-Year Status Report). As of December, 60 of the 177 people experiencing homelessness in Goleta, or 34% are in transitional housing. • Permanent Housing – People experiencing homelessness generally require rental assistance. In general, such assistance comes in the form of Housing Choice Vouchers (formerly Section 8) from the federal government or subsidized housing provided through the County Housing Authority, City of Santa Barbara Housing Authority, nonprofit housing providers like People’s Self-Help Housing. Assistance may also come from Rapid Rehousing funds through organizations like New Beginnings Counseling Center or Good Samaritan. These funds are typically provided by grants from the State of California. Often, people with physical health, substance use disorders, or mental

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health issues require additional services. This form of housing is called Permanent Supportive Housing.
o Buena Tierra Apartments – Built in 2024 by the Housing Authority of Santa Barbara County (HASBARCO), with support from the City of Goleta and other area jurisdictions, this project provides 59 units of permanent supportive housing for Goleta residents who were formerly homeless and one manager’s unit. The project is 100% occupied.
o Heritage Ridge Apartments – HASBARCO is planning on 102 units of permanent supportive housing for very low-income individuals and families (some or all may be referred through the homelessness-serving system) o Patterson Point – HASBARCO is also under construction of 23 studio apartments of permanent supportive housing just outside the City limits for formerly homeless people.
o Partners in Housing Solutions – Over the next three years, this nonprofit organization plans to recruit landlords in the South County area of Santa Barbara to house 25 homeless people with sufficient support, services, and incentives for landlords that will enable people experiencing homelessness with either sufficient income or vouchers to find rental housing in the private market. This program will cost $297,000 over three years and runs from March 1, 2025 to June 30, 2027.

RECOMMENDATIONS
In order to propose funding for the FY 2025-26 and 2026-27 budgets, the Homelessness Issues Standing Committee should advise City staff on the future work of the Homelessness Services programs.

The August 2024, Goleta Homelessness Strategic Plan 3-Year Status Report recommended three levels of future work that may guide funding decisions – Interim Housing, Permanent Supportive Housing, and Prevention. Yet, the report did not address the future of outreach services or how to address community concerns.

Outreach – Thanks to the successful acquisition of millions of dollars in Encampment Relief Funds from the State of California, and ARPA funds from the federal government, outreach efforts have been remarkably successful. Yet, the County of Santa Barbara (and by extension the City of Goleta) faces a fiscal cliff when these funds are expended. Future funding from either the state or federal government for outreach is either unlikely or at best uncertain. The City of Goleta currently funds City Net at $282,000 per year for outreach services. Their work takes people from encampments to interim housing to increased income to permanent housing.

The loss of outside funding may mean that the demand for their services is likely to increase.

Recommendation: Maintain current funding with an inflation adjustment of three percent (3%).

The contract is up for renewal in June 2025, and particular emphasis should be placed on moving those who have agreed to services into housing as fast as possible. Work with people who have been resistant for the past two years will cease after 90 days of no contact. For those

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who accept contact, but have expressed no interest in services, outreach staff will attempt to connect on a quarterly basis.

Addressing Community Concerns – As discussed above, SBACT continues to play an important role in strategically guiding City staff and partners. In addition, the impending recreation of the once-a-week pop-up navigation center (with showers) will help to mitigate some of the impacts of homelessness on public facilities like the Goleta Community Center and Goleta Valley Library. Both City of Goleta facilities have seen an increase in people experiencing homelessness either residing on the property at night or seeking additional services from City staff.

Recommendation: Maintain current funding with an inflation adjustment of three percent (3%).

SBACT’s contract continues through FY 2025-26 and staff will bring a contract amendment for additional time and the inflation adjustment in FY 2026-27.

Level 1 – Interim Housing – The report detailed that Good Samaritan’s two shelters (La Posada on Hollister in Santa Barbara, and Hedges House of Hope in Isla Vista) account for 54 of the 60 people in shelter. The remaining six are housed at PATH in downtown Santa Barbara.

From a fiscal standpoint, the current cost per bed is $24,090. For 60 people, that represents $1,445,400 in program costs. Currently the City of Goleta pays for six (6) beds or $144,540 per year. In other words, Goleta continues to benefit from shelters outside of its City limits. The other recommendation below is for expanding Safe Parking as a form of interim housing.

Recommendation for Shelter Beds: At a minimum, the City should continue to procure the two (2) beds at PATH and the four (4) beds at Good Samaritan. • Option 1 – Continue level funding with inflation adjustment of three percent (3%). • Option 2 – In order to more closely meet the interim housing needs of residents of Goleta experiencing homelessness, the City could consider doubling its shelter capacity to four (4) beds at PATH and eight (8) beds at Hedges. This option would double the annual budget for shelter from $145,600 per year to $291,200 per year.

Recommendation for Safe Parking: Work with New Beginnings Counseling Center on expanding its Safe Parking program through modification of the City’s Safe Parking ordinance and providing financial assistance to maintain and expand services. New Beginnings currently is requesting approximately $5,000 to operate its services in the City of Goleta (with opportunities for expansion). This equals $60,000 per year. The current budget proposal from Neighborhood Services to support their efforts is $30,000 per year.

Level 2 – Permanent Supportive Housing – This intervention, permanent housing with ongoing and appropriate social service support, is ideal for people who have experienced homelessness either repeatedly or over a long period of time (chronic). In Goleta, the vast majority (98%) of people identified as experiencing homelessness have at least one (1) year without housing. Thus, permanent supportive housing is the proper tool to help those currently experiencing homelessness. Fortunately, Goleta has 59 units of permanent supportive housing

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in operation and another 100 possible units in development at the Heritage Ridge site on the north side of Camino Vista between Aero Camino and Calle Koral Roads in the City of Goleta.

Additionally, as shown above, 23 units at Patterson Point are also under development just outside the City limits on the east side of Patterson Avenue at the 101 Freeway.

Recommendation: Work with HASBARCO to maximize supportive services onsite and support their development plans.

A less intensive intervention is helping people find placement with private landlords. Most of these people are either fully employed or have access to rental assistance. While some still suffer from disabilities, and may need outside support, they can live independently. The City of Goleta contracted with Partners in Housing Solutions to match landlords and people experiencing homelessness.

Recommendation: Plan for and support funding for Year Two (2025-26) and Year Three (2026-27) to place and support 17 of 25 people with private landlords under the performance agreement with Partners in Housing Solutions.

Level 3 – Prevention – The only way to prevent people from becoming homeless in the future is to either ensure jobs pay sufficient wages to pay rent or find a way for rents to be affordable to those working in the community. Barring these structural changes to the economy, Goleta’s current work with tenants facing evictions or other problems with landlords serves an important role as a stopgap.

Recommendation: Continue the relationship with the Rental Housing Mediation Program offered by the City of Santa Barbara at cost of $66,150 in FY 2025-26 with a requested 5% cost of living increase each year thereafter.

Item IV. Encampment Policy Consideration
Background
Many people experiencing homelessness cannot access temporary shelter for a variety of reasons. While some people are mobile and sleep in a different location each night, many people who are unsheltered live in encampments where they hope to not be bothered or moved on. As of February 12, 2025, Goleta had 28 encampments with about 70 people, or 40% of people identified as experiencing homelessness. Each of these encampments has been visited by outreach workers, and everyone is offered services and a pathway to housing.

Goleta’s Municipal Code includes several ordinances that prohibit camping in non-designated camping areas, including §12.01.010 through §12.01.050. Historically, because of the lack of shelter beds in Goleta, these ordinances were only enforced when the behavior of the person experiencing homelessness was deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. This policy was underscored by several court rulings that held that if there were insufficient shelter beds

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for people experiencing homelessness, local governments could choose to not enforce no camping laws on public property. These rulings were overturned by the US Supreme Court in June 2024 in Johnson V. Grants Pass which allows local governments to enforce the laws as recorded in the municipal code sections.

Cities in California have responded to the new Supreme Court ruling by increasing penalties for camping on public property. Notable examples include1 • Fremont: In February 2025, the Fremont City Council approved an ordinance prohibiting camping on all public property. Violators can face fines of up to $1,000 and six months of imprisonment. The ordinance also criminalizes assistance provided to individuals establishing encampments. sfchronicle.com
• San Francisco: The city has intensified enforcement of its anti-camping laws, leading to a significant decrease in visible homelessness. The number of people sleeping outdoors dropped to under 3,000 in January 2024, the lowest in a decade. This decline is attributed to increased shelter beds, permanent supportive housing units, and ramped-up enforcement of anti-camping laws. apnews.com
• San Diego: In June 2023, San Diego enacted a ban on public camping, introducing a "3 strike" system. First-time violators receive information about available services, second offenses result in a misdemeanor citation, and third offenses can lead to arrest.

Enforcement is contingent on shelter space availability, but police may issue citations regardless of shelter availability in certain areas. City of San Diego Website • Long Beach: In August 2024, Long Beach announced plans to fine and arrest homeless individuals to address problematic encampments. nypost.com In Goleta, since the beginning of the fiscal year in July 2024, there have been 45 requests for service regarding homeless encampments. Eight (8) of these were about one encampment in northwest Goleta. The requests report large amounts of debris and trash, a concern for family safety, and concern for the people living in the encampments.

A petition circulating on the social media platform Next Door regarding Goleta’s enforcement of its no-camping ordinances has been reported. To date, this petition has not been submitted to the City of Goleta.

Goleta’s current policy regarding encampments on private property is that the property owner is contacted and encouraged to work with both law enforcement and Goleta’s homelessness outreach teams to remove the encampment and find support for the residents.

On property owned by the City of Goleta, there are two policies in place:
1 Source: chatgpt.com “What California cities have increased penalties for camping on public property”

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• For City-owned property in the Council-designated high fire areas (primarily Ellwood Mesa and Lake Los Carneros) all encampments, whether occupied or unoccupied are subject to clearing. Sheriff’s deputies have the authority to move people along and potentially cite them if they are uncooperative. Once vacated, City-contracted clean-up crews remove the trash and debris. Any personal items are tagged and stored by the Public Works Department for up to 90 days. Prior to cleaning, Public Works staff post signs warning about the impending clearing and informing residents how to retrieve their property.
• For City-owned property outside of designated high fire areas, no clearing of occupied encampments is authorized. People living in encampments are repeatedly contacted by outreach organizations, law enforcement, and County Behavioral Wellness staff (when requested) to encourage them to accept homelessness services.

If the encampment is vacated, Public Works staff post signs warning about the impending clearing and informing residents how to retrieve their personal property if cleared.

Recommendation: Considering the increased public pressure to clear homeless encampments, and, considering the recent Supreme Court in Grants Pass v. Johnson, staff request policy recommendation for future action. Several options are possible. The following are not mutually exclusive:
• Maintain the status quo as outlined above. The current policies have resulted in dozens (perhaps hundreds) of clearings over the last two years. Experience has shown that in most cases; after establishing trust, outreach workers are able to move people into shelter and/or permanent housing.
• Expand the high fire ordinance to include other City-owned properties. When the original ordinance was passed, the City Attorney’s Office and Neighborhood Services staff developed a protocol for considering areas as high fire based on flame heights and potential damage to surrounding areas. For the City-owned property on Calle Real and Hempstead, residents have expressed fire-related concerns regarding illegal use of this property.
• Request staff and the City Attorney’s Office to draft an encampment response protocol. Both the County of Santa Barbara and the City of Santa Barbara have detailed response procedures documented in a plan approved by their respective legislative leadership. Such protocols consider existing ordinances and provide clear guidance to City and County staff, law enforcement agencies, and contractors.

Based on the discussion at the Homelessness Issues Standing Committee, staff can return with a draft policy to either this Committee or the full City Council for review and consideration.

Item V. Safe Parking Ordinance

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Background
The City of Goleta created conditions for allowing overnight camping in vehicles in §12.01.035.

This Ordinance allows people to sleep in vehicles under strict specified conditions including2 a few listed below:
• Parking lot must be a permitted nonprofit institutional use pursuant to City, State, and Federal law (typically government and church lots)
• Residents must move their vehicles out of lots by 7:00 a.m. each morning • The property owner must maintain a list of vehicles and vehicle owners • A temporary overnight camping permit must be obtained (with a list of conditions and procedures in Section B of the Ordinance)
• Permit can be appealed with a process for a hearing before the Zoning Administrator with the Planning and Environmental Review Department
While this is only a partial list of the conditions for a Safe Parking program, the points outlined here are either very restrictive or at odds with the operation of the program as administered by the one provider, New Beginnings Counseling Center. The most important example is that the New Beginnings Safe Parking Program guarantees anonymity and confidentiality. Several residents using their program are fleeing domestic violence. The Ordinance as written complicates these program requirements.

Currently, there is one permit for one lot issued under the terms of this ordinance. Since then, the process of issuing the permits or for hearing appeals to the permits has never been implemented.

Another impact of the current ordinance is that there are either no public lots available, or existing churches have not agreed to participate. The terms of the Ordinance make seeking other lots difficult.

A second consideration is that the vast majority of people who are sleeping in vehicles have not obtained permits, nor have they been willing to enter the Safe Parking Program. The December 2024 count of people living in vehicles showed 244 vehicles (documented by New Beginnings in the Fulcrum mapping system). Yet only 44 people were counted as living in vehicles on the By-Name/Homelessness Management Information System list. Thus 200 or 82% of Goleta residents living in vehicles are in violation of Goleta Ordinances.

Anecdotal reports on the reasons why people do not want to participate in Safe Parking include:
• Vehicles must be out early in the morning
2 See Goleta Municipal Code §12.01.035 for full list of conditions

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• People do not consider themselves homeless – they are commuting for work, attending college, or see the situation as temporary
• People do not want to be in a “shelter” with rules and requirements • People are living a “van life” and want the freedom to park wherever they want.

Discussion
The City Attorney has identified Safe Parking in other jurisdictions including San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, as well as the County and City of Santa Barbara. Each ordinance and program have its own features. If the Homelessness Issues Standing Committee recommends, lessons learned from these other jurisdictions could be used to support amending the existing Ordinance.

In 2022, the Elected Leaders Forum of the Continuum of Care of Santa Maria/Santa Barbara called upon local jurisdictions to amend their safe parking ordinances to allow for latitude and expansion of available spaces.

Request to Modify Existing Ordinance §12.01.035
In order to expand the opportunity and variety of Safe Parking offerings, the current Ordinance will need to be revised. Some considerations that need direction from the Homelessness Issues Standing Committee and/or the City Council include:
• Other possible sites, including privately owned parking lots • Structure of permit process to allow for implementation in a cost-effective and nonburdensome manner • Amending the appeal process so that Neighborhood Services can make a determination rather than Planning and Environmental Review
• What conditions need to be placed on siting of lots to conform with land use and zoning? Primary Options/Alternatives
Licensing System – Currently the City of Goleta issues business licenses pursuant to Goleta Municipal Code Chapter 5.01 through an administrative process that is simple and straight forward. The Ordinance could be amended to mimic this existing system and be subject to the existing process for business licenses. This process ensures that the use and location of lots would not violate existing zoning and other conditions in the Ordinance.

Allowed Use By Right – A second option would be to allow lots to exist if there is a clear agreement between the property owner and the Safe Parking provider and the zoning allows for the use specified. Review of this process would be conducted by the Neighborhood Services Department; however, the location of the lots would not be made public.

Secondary Substantive Questions

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Some of the requirements of the existing ordinance need to be weighed and determined if they should continue. A partial list includes:
• Maximum number of spaces – it is currently five (5) per lot; but is this optimal and how does it impact oversized vehicles?
• Setbacks from residences – This question was raised at a previous meeting of the Homelessness Issues Standing Committee.
• Confidentiality – As described above, the current programs practices and requirements are at odds with the existing ordinance.
• Hours of operation – there may be cases where 24-hour use is both allowed by a property owner and/or requested by the program
Recommendation
City staff will note the discussion of this item and return to this Committee with a revised ordinance for consideration, if that is requested.

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Attachment 1
PowerPoint Presentation for the Homelessness Issues Standing Committee Meeting March 6, 2025
Homelessness Issues
Standing Committee
Chuck Flacks, Homelessness Services Coordinator
March 6, 2025
Agenda
o Public Comment
o Brief Data Report
o Ongoing Programs and
Priorities for 2025-2027
o Encampment Policy
Consideration
o Safe Parking Discussion

FY 2024-2025 Allocation of Resources
to End Homelessness in Goleta
Program Type Agency Program Name Number
Currently
Enrolled or
Likely
Total Annual Program
Cost for the City of
Goleta
Outreach City Net Goleta City Net 68 $ 282,000
Outreach Committee for Social
Justice
Outreach N/A $ 3,000 (City Grant)
Outreach Good Samaritan ARPA - County 19 N/A
Outreach New Beginnings Safe Parking /CERF3 33 N/A
Outreach Others Multiple 9 N/A
Total Outreach $285,000
Navigation Center St. Vincent de Paul Father Virgil Cordano Center
15 N/A
Navigation Center SBACT FARO Center 25 N/A
Navigation Center Showers of Blessing St. Athanasius
Showers
30/week
participate
$ 7,000 (City Grant)
Total Navigation Center $7,000
Interim Housing PATH PATH-SB 6 $ 48,048
Interim Housing Good Samaritan Hedges House 34 $ 97,552 Interim Housing New Beginnings Safe Parking 36 $14,646 (CDBG) Interim Housing Transition House Shelter n/a $ 7,000 (City Grant) Semi-Permanent Housing
(2 year)
Turner Foundation Youth Housing 7 N/A
Total Interim Housing $167,246
Permanent Housing
Services
St. Vincent de Paul Family Strengthening n/a $ 5,000 (City Grant) Prevention/Diversion City of SB RHMP 150 $ 60,000
General Services Unity Shoppe Client Center n/a $ 3,000 (City Grant) Navigation/Policy SBACT Goleta RAP n/a $ 57,075
Total Supportive Services $125,075
Total City of Goleta 355 $ 584,321
Ongoing Programs and Priorities
RECOMMENDATIONS
 Outreach – Currently $282,000 for City Net – contract renewal due  Proposed: maintain funding with 3% inflation adjustment  Addressing Community Concerns & Mitigating Impacts of Homelessness – SBACT Currently $57,075; approved (not
allocated) $76,100 (FY25-26)
 Proposed: approve 3% inflation adjustment for FY26-27 Ongoing Programs and Priorities, cont.
RECOMMENDATIONS
 Interim Housing (Shelter) – PATH and Good Samaritan Shelter (Annual cost per bed is $24,090)
 Proposal 1 – continue level funding ($48,180 (PATH); $96,360 (Good Sam) with inflation adjustment of 3% each year (25-26 and 26-27)
 Proposal 2 – Increase capacity to 4 beds at PATH and 8 beds at Hedges. Cost: $96,360 PATH and $192,700 Hedges – or some increase of beds.
 Safe Parking (Shelter) – New Beginnings currently has 36 spaces with interest in increasing.
 New Beginnings requested $5,000 per month to maintain current program ($60,000)  Neighborhood Services has proposed $30,000 to support the program for the FY25-26 budget
Ongoing Programs and Priorities, cont.
RECOMMENDATIONS
 Permanent Supportive Housing – Continue to work with HASBARCO on Heritage Ridge to support them in their plans for homelessness  Help with supportive services planning
 Encourage use of Coordinated Entry System for placement with Goleta preference
 Landlord/Tenant Matching (Permanent Housing) – Council recently approved three-year agreement with Partners in Housing Solutions  Currently proposed to support Year 2 funding ($130,483) and Year 3 funding ($40,186) to honor agreement
Ongoing Programs and Priorities, cont.
RECOMMENDATIONS
 Prevention – Proposed to continue relationship with Rental Housing Mediation Program as per current contract
 $66,150 (FY 25-26), $69,458 (FY 26-27) with 5% growth each year thereafter.

Encampment Policy – Post Grants Pass
Current Policy
 City-owned property in Council-designated high fire areas  All encampments subject to clearing and people potentially cited  Once vacated, Public Works provides contracted clean-up efforts  City-owned property outside of designated high fire areas  Residents regularly and repeatedly contacted by law enforcement and outreach  Once vacated, Public Works provides contracted clean-up efforts  Case-by-Case (picture example) – encampment posted for clearing with 72 hour warning.  Residents regularly and repeatedly contacted by law enforcement and outreach  If necessary, law enforcement will move residents
 Once vacated, Public Works provides contracted clean-up efforts Recommendations
 Maintain status quo
 Expand high fire ordinance to include other Cityowned properties  Request staff and City Attorney to draft an
encampment response protocol similar to the City and
County of Santa Barbara.

Safe Parking
 The City of Goleta created conditions for allowing overnight camping in vehicles in §12.01.035. This Ordinance allows people to sleep in vehicles under strict specified conditions including, but not limited to:
 Parking lot must be a permitted nonprofit institutional use pursuant to City, State, and Federal law (typically government and church lots)
 Residents must move their vehicles out of lots by 7:00 a.m. each morning  The property owner must maintain a list of vehicles and vehicle owners  A temporary overnight camping permit must be obtained (with a list of conditions and procedures in Section B of the Ordinance)
 Permit can be appealed with a process for a hearing before the Zoning Administrator with the Planning and Environmental Services Department
Safe Parking, Cont.
Request to Modify Existing Ordinance §12.01.035
In order to expand the opportunity and variety of Safe Parking offerings, the current Ordinance will need to be revised. Some considerations that need direction from the Homelessness Issues Standing Committee and/or the City Council include:
• Other possible sites, including privately owned parking lots • Structure of permit process to allow for implementation in a cost-effective and non-burdensome manner
• Amending the appeal process so that the Neighborhood Services Department can make a determination rather than Planning and Environmental Review • What conditions need to be placed on siting of lots to conform with land use and zoning?

Safe Parking, Cont.
 Options to Consider:
 Licensing System – Currently the City of Goleta issues business licenses pursuant to Goleta Municipal Code Chapter 5.01 through an administrative process that is simple and straight forward. The Ordinance could be amended to mimic this existing system and be subject to the existing process for business licenses. This process ensures that the use and location of lots would not violate existing zoning and other conditions in the Ordinance.
 Allowed Use By Right – A second option would be to allow lots to exist if there is a clear agreement between the property owner and the Safe Parking provider and the zoning allows for the use specified.

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