Stevenson, Garrett
Subject:
Attachments:
FW: Tiny Homes Agenda #2--6/1/2022 ED Tech Meeting
Tiny Homes Agenda #2 6.1.22 ED Tech.pdf
From: Sonja Berndt < >
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2022 10:18 AM
To: Stevenson, Garrett <[email protected]>; Hampton, Tyron <[email protected]>; Madison, Steve <[email protected]>; Rivas, Jessica <[email protected]>; Wilson, Andy <[email protected]>
Cc: Huang, William <[email protected]>
Subject: Tiny Homes Agenda #2--6/1/2022 ED Tech Meeting Dear Members of the ED Tech Committee:
Please review the attached letter related to the 6/1/2022 ED Tech discussion of tiny homes and ensure that it is made a part of the public record.
Thank you.
Sonja Berndt
Pasadena
1 Chairperson Tyron Hampton and
SONJA K. BERNDT
Pasadena, CA 91107
May 31, 2022
Members of Pasadena's Economic Development &
Technology Committee
By Email
Re: 6/l /2022 ED Tech Committee Meeting -- Agenda Item #2 Discussion on Tiny Homes as a Strategy to Address Homelessness in our City
Dear Members of the ED Tech Committee:
I want to thank you for agendizing the subject of tiny homes as a strategy for addressing homelessness in the City of Pasadena. I also want to thank the Housing Department for the informative, balanced staff report and Power Point presentation on the subject for the meeting.
As you know, many community members are very passionate about providing effective and efficient interim housing for our nearly 300 unsheltered residents. We are very supportive of creating a tiny home community in our City. Our Housing Department staff has said "It's very unsafe on the street. People don't sleep much." (12/8/2021 ED Tech Mtg., timestamp 1:16:00.) Unsheltered persons are extremely vulnerable due to substantial chronic health conditions; undiagnosed and untreated mental illness; substance use disorders; malnutrition, and/or other substantial problems, including threats to their personal safety. (See 2020 Homeless Count Report, pp. 23-25; see also, 2022 Homeless Count Report, p. 15.) Interim housing (temporary housing between living on the street and permanent housing) provides personal safety, security for belongings, toilets, showers, laundry facilities, meals, assistance with medical needs (such as onsite nurses who monitor blood pressure), linkage to benefits (such as health insurance, SSI, etc.), etc. The staff report states "[t]he 'tiny home villages' model ('tiny villages') as it is commonly known, offers one potential option to address this issue. The model has become popular nationwide and locally, and regulations for tiny villages have been adopted by several jurisdictions in California." (Staff Report, p. 1.) I have personally seen the amazing difference shelter with intensive onsite case management services makes in the life of a person some would have labeled as "service resistant." My friend has been sheltered in a re-purposed motel for 18 months. During that time, he has made excellent progress toward wellness and self-sufficiency. He is finally obtaining permanent housing after 18 months. He has told me many times that he had given up hope while living on the street, but he is now looking forward to having his own apartment and attending computer classes.
1 There are various funding options available for a tiny home community in our City. The City can fund a tiny home community through our General Fund. Since the City will not have to cover the Rose Bowl debt this year, that very substantial amount of money should be available to create a tiny home community. Historically, our City has appropriated very little funding for our Housing Department and almost nothing for interim housing. Now is the time to change that.
As stated in my letter to you dated May 30, 2022, the Housing Department has advised you that it does not have sufficient funding for increased shelter capacity in our City. Housing Department staff state in their June 1, 2022 staff report that the need for new, non-congregate interim housing "has grown more urgent." (Staff Report, p. 1.) Additionally, we have $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding coming to the City shortly that has not been appropriated. The City allocated more money for the traffic light at Orange Grove and Craig than for interim housing with last year's $26 million in ARPA funding.
Funding a tiny home community is an eligible use for these funds and would be a step forward in achieving social equity in our City.
The City can also look for opportunities to partner with the State and County to create a tiny home community in our City. The City did not participate in either round 1 or round 2 of the state Homekey funding, the program that providing very substantial state funding for interim and permanent housing for those experiencing homelessness. However, Governor Newsom is seeking substantial new funding to address homelessness with the state budget surplus.
Additionally, a coalition of community members recently met with Tyler Cash, Supervisor Barger's Homeless Services Policy Deputy, and he is willing to meet with the City and community members to discuss a potential partnership to create a tiny home community in our City.
Our nearly 300 unsheltered residents need your help. Community members stand ready to help the City to establish a successful tiny home community in our City, but we need the City to provide the resources to make that happen. Please direct staff to provide a list of all possible sites for a tiny home community in our City and upon this Committee's further direction, to prepare a proposal for a community on a particular site. Please recommend the creation of a tiny home community to the City Council and sufficient funding for upfront costs and ongoing operations.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this letter.
Cc: William Huang, Director
Pasadena's Housing Department
2 Sincerely,
Isl
Sonja K. Berndt
Pasadena