November 28, 2023
Community Development
DATE: November 28, 2023
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM:
Lina Velasco, Director of Community Development
Jesus M. Morales, Housing Manager
Subject:
Motel Leases for Interim Housing for Encampment
Resolution Funding
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The City was awarded an $8,602,587 Encampment Resolution Funding Round 2 award to provide services to connect at least 115 unhoused city residents with
urgently needed services and pathways to housing.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
September 12, 2023
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
On September 19, 2023, the City Council accepted and
appropriated an $8.6M Encampment Resolution Funding
to connect 115 individual people to housing pathways.
The County-run shelters are at capacity and the City
needs to identify short-term housing to begin to transition unhoused residents living in encampments. Leasing
motel rooms will better enable the City to provide people with a comfortable, safe alternative to encampments,
while caseworkers are working to transition them into
permanent housing.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
AUTHORIZE City staff to identify motel properties
suitable for use for interim housing pending
implementation of plans to address homeless
encampments; and AUTHORIZE the city manager to
negotiate and execute leases of motel properties for such purposes subject to City Council approval of terms –
Community Development Department (Lina Velasco 510-
620-6841).
AGENDA
REPORT
November 28, 2023
DISCUSSION:
In February 2023, the Community Development Department submitted an Encampment Resolution Funding (ERF) Round 2 application seeking resources from the State of California to fund a second local demonstration project to connect at least 115 unhoused city residents, living in encampments, along Interstates 80 and 580 and the Richmond Greenway, with urgently needed services and pathways to housing.
Richmond is one of six cities that received a second ERF award (ERF-R-2). The use of the City’s first ERF award was focused at resolving the Castro Vehicle Encampment and restoring the site to its original Bay Trail use. City staff is seeking City Council authorization to accept and appropriate the $8,602,587 ERF-R-2 award (Attachment 2).
Summary of Richmond’s ERF Round 2 Project
Richmond’s plan is designed to help an especially vulnerable and transient population— people living in tents, lean-tos, and on the ground along the city’s major transit corridors, including Interstates 80 and 580. Staff from Richmond’s Housing Division worked with Caltrans to identify eight critical locations beneath overpasses and in the land patches formed by curving freeway entrances and exits where people return again and again.
The City will focus its efforts to support people now living in these dangerous locations to stabilize their lives and move into safe housing. The target encampments are along Central Avenue, Marina Bay Pkwy., Cutting Blvd., Macdonald Ave., San Pablo Dam Rd., and Castro Street, where people living in vehicles are already receiving support services through a previous grant.
The project is designed to achieve real change for individuals experiencing homelessness in Richmond, not to just “clear sites.” It was selected for funding by the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH) because of its commitment to provide people in encampments with holistic, compassionate case management to address long-term health and housing needs. A nine-person Rapid Rehousing Team with expertise in street outreach, clinical care, housing navigation, social services, and employment will go to the sites, meet the people living in them, learn about their needs, and work to connect the residents to life-changing resources. Encampment residents will develop plans to move from the streets onto durable paths to stability, with support over three years.
The County-run shelters are at capacity and the City needs to identify short-term housing to begin to transition unhoused residents living in encampments. Leasing motel rooms will better enable the City to provide people with a comfortable, safe alternative to encampments, while caseworkers are working to secure them with permanent housing. Homeless individuals living in encampments would be offered interim housing in motel rooms that the City leases. Once in a motel room, caseworkers would be able to offer wraparound services while they work closely with the client to find them permanent housing.
November 28, 2023
Alignment with Homelessness Strategic Plan
The proposed project will assist in implementing certain short-term action steps identified in the City’s recently adopted Homelessness Strategic Plan. Specifically, the following short-term action steps will be implemented through this project:
3.3 Expand interim housing options for transition-age youth, older adults, and other Increase crisis housing vulnerable populations. These interim housing options may expand on the expected design of how bridge housing can be most effectively provided for targeted populations, including young people.
CONCLUSION:
The motel leases are needed to help address the myriad needs of people living in various encampments, along Interstates 80 and 580 and throughout the City. Motels offer a quick option for the City to quickly increase the number of interim housing units that can be offered to people as a comfortable, safe alternative to encampments, while they are being connected to permanent housing.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
None.