HOMELESSNESS
ACTION PLAN
CITY OF RIVERSIDE
RiversideCA.gov/HomelessSolutions
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MISSION STATEMENT ...............................................................................................1 QUICK FACTS ...........................................................................................................2 PROBLEM STATEMENT ..............................................................................................3 GOALS .....................................................................................................................5 Goal #1 - Increase Housing Production With a Focus on Affordability .......5 Goal #2 - Increase the Availability of Services, with a Focus on Physical and Mental Health Substance Use Disorder Treatment ................................9 Goal #3 - Prevent Homelessness ....................................................................13 Goal #4 - Increase Availability and Effectiveness of Emergency Shelter ......17 Goal #5 - Expand Public Awareness ..............................................................21 Goal #6 - Coordinated Regional Infrastructure ............................................25 ATTACHMENTS .......................................................................................................29 ATTACHMENT 1: What We Are Doing .............................................................29
MISSION
STATEMENT
Reduce homelessness by creating and maintaining
affordable housing and programming utilizing a whole-person care approach to support individuals and families to achieve housing stability and self-sufficiency.
1 QUICK FACTS
OFFICE OF HOMELESS SOLUTIONS FY 2021/2022 BUDGET
HOMELESS
PROGRAMS
$9.9M
AFFORDABLE
HOUSING
ACTIVITIES
$11.8M
HOMELESS
PREVENTION
$11.7M
35% 35%
30%
were counted in the City during the
2022 by Riverside County Homeless
Point-in-Time Count.
Down from 587 in 2020
UNSHELTERED
HOMELESS PEOPLE514
2022 HOMELESS
POINT-IN-TIME COUNT
COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE
DIVERSE HOUSING STOCK
affordable housing units
3,141
UNSHELTERED
HOMELESS
PEOPLE
1,980
SHELTERED
HOMELESS
PEOPLE
410
2 STATEMENT
PROBLEM
Homelessness is a multi-dimensional problem that affects every community in Riverside County, every county in the State of California and every state in the union. The City of Riverside acknowledges that there are many subpopulations represented, each of which is unique and requires an array of options and wraparound support services to achieve self-sufficiency and housing security.
According to the 2022 County-wide Point-In-Time Count, the City of Riverside has the largest number of unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness across the County. Specifically, there are 514 unsheltered persons with 410 sheltered within our City.
The biggest reasons people are homeless include family disruption, unemployment, and lack of income. Individuals reported that the problems keeping them homeless include: chronic homelessness* at 56%, substance abuse at 36%, and mental illness at 32%. Of the unsheltered homeless people within our City, 39% live on the street, 17% were found living in a tent or shed, and 16% were living in a vehicle.
Homelessness is prevalent across the Country, State, County, and City and is being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. To reduce the number of people living without adequate housing, it is crucial to continue to provide services, shelter, housing, and support for our marginalized neighbors.
The following goals represent solutions that were created with input from the community, end-users, experts, the Housing and Homelessness Committee, Mayor and City Council, and the Office of Homeless Solutions. *Chronic homelessness is defined as someone who has experienced homeless for one year or more. (National Alliance to End Homelessness, March 2021)
3 4
Increase Housing Production
With a Focus on Affordability
GOAL #1
• Ensure 90% of expiring affordable housing covenants are maintained. • 5% increase in affordable housing units inventory.
• 550 market rate and affordable housing units built annually. • 55 for-sale market rate and affordable housing units built annually. • 5% increase in number of sites developed from 2018 Housing First Plan 5 PARTNERSHIPS • Developers (market rate and affordable housing) • Non-profits
• State Housing & Community Development
CITY DEPARTMENT LEADS • Office of Homeless Solutions - Housing Authority • Community Economic Development Department
• Office of Communications
• Successor Agency
LEVERAGED CITY RESOURCES • City, Successor Agency and Housing Authority real estate inventory
• Permanent Local Housing Allocation
• HOME Investment Partnerships Program
GOAL ALIGNMENTS • Envision Riverside Strategic Plan: Priority 2, Community Well-Being, Goal 2.1
• HOME-ARP Allocation Plan
• HHAP-3, Outcome Goal 1a, 1b, 3, 4, 5, 6
6 • Renew existing affordable housing covenants that will expire this decade • Market Housing Element and City -and Housing Authority-owned sites to developers • Receive an annual update on 6th Cycle Housing Element • Leverage state and other resources to encourage first-time homeownership • Research ongoing affordable housing funding streams
GOAL 1: GENERAL ACTIVITIES
HIGHLIGHTS
Affordable Housing
Work with property owners with
expiring affordable housing covenants
to extend the term of their affordable
housing covenants to ensure tenants
remain housed.
The City of Riverside must prepare an Annual
Progress Report (APR), submitted to the California
Office of Planning and Research and the Housing
& Community Development Department,
reporting on the status and progress of the
General Plan, including the 6th Cycle Housing
Element implementation. The Planning Division
presents the APR to City Council in the first quarter
of each year before submitting to the State.
Receive Annual
Progress Report
on 6th Cycle
Housing Element
The Housing Authority will market state
and other first-time homebuyer resources
and first-time homebuyer workshops to
help low-income households achieve
the dream of homeownership.
Leverage State and
Other Resources to
Encourage First-
Time Homebuyers
Develop a webpage whereby developers can
quickly identify housing sites identified in the 6th
Cycle Housing Element and sites owned by the
City-and Housing Authority-owned, showing the
zoning and potential densities.
Market Housing
Element and
City and Housing
Authority Owned
Sites to Developers
7 To address the affordable housing crisis, the Housing Authority will research dedicated funding streams that can assist in the developments of affordable housing units for extremely low to low-income households.
Research Ongoing
Affordable Housing
Funding Streams
8 Increase the Availability of Services, with
a Focus on Physical and Mental Health
Substance Use Disorder Treatment
GOAL #2
• Increase number of social work interns by 15% annually. • Increase in skills to reduce re-traumatized/increase confidence/job satisfaction among the Public Safety and Engagement Team, Parks and Neighborhood Specialist Team and Outreach Workers by 45% annually.
• Refer 96 individuals to “physical and behavioral health” resources annually. • Decrease homelessness among “chronically homeless” by 5% annually. • Decrease homelessness among those struggling with substance abuse by 5% annually. • Increase the number of people who accept services from the Public Safety and Engagement Team and the street nurse by 25% annually.
• Increase the number of people who are successfully placed from street outreach by 25% annually.
• Refer 15 individuals annually to the Home Court Program. • Care Court implementation by October 1, 2023.
99 PARTNERSHIPS • Riverside University Health Systems - Behavioral Health • Riverside County Department of Public Health
• Riverside County Home Court Program
• Non-profits
• Path of Life
• La Sierra University
• California Baptist University
• Loma Linda University
CITY DEPARTMENT LEADS • Office of Homeless Solutions - Homeless Services • City Attorney’s Office
• Riverside Police Department
LEVERAGED CITY RESOURCES • Measure Z
• American Rescue Plan Act
• CARES Act
GOAL ALIGNMENTS • Envision Riverside Strategic Plan: Priority 2, Community Well- Being, Goal 2.2
• HHAP-3, Outcome Goal 1a, 1b, 4, 5, 6
1010
• Partner with local universities and colleges to expand the social work intern program • Provide training to the Public Safety and Engagement, Parks and Neighborhood Specialist and Street Outreach teams
• Participate in Home Court Program
• Track implementation of State’s CARE Court and advocate for resulting local resources • Advocate for County, State, and Federal resources
GOAL 2: GENERAL ACTIVITIES
HIGHLIGHTS
The professionally trained street nurse
will provide assessments in the field, care
coordination, case management, and
referrals for primary care, medical insurance,
pharmaceutical and other services as
needed. The individual(s) will support outreach
teams in the urban and wildlands areas.
Street Nurse
Program
HOME Court
Program
Collaboration between City and County
providers to offer opportunities for
alternative sentencing or diversion for
individuals with low-level misdemeanor
offenses with linkages to housing,
behavioral health treatment, life skills
courses, and peer support services.
Intentional
Connections
to Care
Clinical Social
Worker Internship
Program
Partner with local universities to provide
internship hours with Office of Homeless
Solutions for clinical social work students.
Interns will be placed at libraries to deliver
services to those in need. Interns will build
rapport with the goal of working cohesively
with the individual to create a plan to exit
homelessness.
Partner with Riverside University Health
Systems – Behavioral Health or other
entity to provide training to teams
working directly with individuals
experiencing homelessness to provide
training in Trauma Informed Care, Harm
Reduction, Motivational Interviewing, and
other best practices in human services.
20 non-sworn Parks and Neighborhood
Specialist to provide safety and
monitoring of parks and surrounding
neighborhoods to lessen the burden
on Riverside Police Department in non-
emergency response calls.
20 non-sworn Parks and Neighborhood
Specialist to provide safety and monitoring of
parks and surrounding neighborhoods to lessen
the burden on Riverside Police Department in
non-emergency response calls.
Parks and
Neighborhood
Specialist
CARE Court
11 Urban Public Safety
and Engagement
Team
Expand the Public Safety and Engagement Team
to provide both evening and early morning
coverage across the City of Riverside. The team
will respond to 311 service requests and follow a
monthly calendar that focuses on hotspot areas
to engage those experiencing homelessness in
encampments to offer services and supports, to
tag items for debris and trash abatement, and
provide enforcement as appropriate.
Wildlands Public
Safety and
Engagement Team
Wildlands Public Safety and Engagement Team
will focus on the Santa Ana River bottom (SAR).
The team will follow a monthly calendar that
focuses on hotspot areas to engage those
experiencing homelessness to offer services
and supports, to tag items for debris and trash
abatement, provide enforcement as appropriate
and enforce the anti-camping ordinance to
ensure safety for all.
Access Center
Outreach
Outreach workers cover the City of Riverside
hotspot areas and respond to 311 service
requests to engage individuals experiencing
homelessness throughout the City. The
team evaluates individual needs and walks
alongside the person to develop a plan to exit
homelessness. Resources and shelter options are
presented, and the team does an infield intake to
identify the individual and their location for follow
up. An outreach representative is available at the
Access Center to support walk-ins.
12 Prevent Homelessness
GOAL #3
• 84% rental assistance programs retention rate annually. • 15% increase in unduplicated number of households assisted through rental assistance programs in 2023 with 10% thereafter. • Refer 75 households annually to an employment assistance program. • 5% annual decrease in homelessness amongst those who are justice involved.
• 5% annual increase of seniors assisted through the Office of Homeless Solutions referred to Riverside County In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS).
• Enroll six individuals through the Shared Housing Program annually. 13 PARTNERSHIPS • Riverside County Department of Public Social Services • Riverside County Housing & Workforce Development
• Riverside and Alvord Unified School Districts
• Riverside County Office of Education
• Riverside County Sheriff’s Department
CITY DEPARTMENT LEADS • Office of Homeless Solutions - Homeless Services and Housing Authority
• Office of Communications
LEVERAGED CITY RESOURCES • HHAP-3
• Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG)
• Measure Z
GOAL ALIGNMENTS • Envision Riverside Strategic Plan: Priority 2, Community Well- Being, Goal 2.2
• HHAP-3 Outcome Goal #1a, 1b, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
14 • Establish in-reach services with Presley Detention Center to connect individuals experiencing homelessness to family, shelter, transitional housing, and/or other resources
• Partner with Riverside County Housing &Workforce Solutions and Goodwill Industries and advertise their employment programs
• Create a collaboration of service providers to provide ongoing resources and support for families with children in the Riverside and Alvord Unified School Districts and Riverside County of Education (RCOE)
• Advertise the IHSS Program and connect seniors to this resource • Create a shared housing program for people who want or need to share their homes for financial, security or companionship
• Advertise HomeConnect, a county-wide response system for those in a housing crisis • Review Crime Free Multi-Housing Ordinance
School
Connections
Ensure that City of Riverside School Districts
(Alvord and Riverside) are aware of resources
available to at risk families. By developing and
distributing materials, bringing partners and
the County together for presentations before
the beginning of each school year, Pupil
Services will be equipped with up-to-date
information to share with students and families
to make connections before individuals
experience homelessness.
Gain access to Robert Presley Detention
Center to connect with individuals who
self-identify as homeless. By connecting
with justice-involved individuals, we
have an opportunity to support in the
creation of an exit plan, empowering
the individual to leverage available
resources and shelter options decreasing
homelessness among justice-involved
individuals.
GOAL 3: GENERAL ACTIVITIES
HIGHLIGHTS
Jail In-Reach
15 Identify at Risk
Households
Identification of at-risk households through United Lift and City of Riverside Rental Relief programs. Connect
individuals to Goodwill, County Workforce Development,
and America’s Job Centers of California for job readiness workshops, mock interviews, resume writing workshops,
and job training vouchers up to $8,000.00 per person.
Industry recognized sectors and certifications that
align with an individual’s interest will be identified.
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
funds will support eligible teens and adults to subsidize employment opportunities for on the job-training. Other opportunities like paid apprenticeships and internships are also available in specific sectors.
Shared Housing
Create and/or identify affordable housing for low
income to extremely low-income households with a fast
track for seniors. Seniors will be matched with Riverside County In-Home Supportive Services Program (IHSS).
Leveraging best practices and the National Shared
Housing Guide to responsibly place people to decrease
homelessness and isolation.
Review of Crime Free
Multi-Housing Program
Review Crime Free Multi-Housing Program to
identify barriers impacting people with justice-
involved backgrounds from potential prejudice and
stigmatization perpetuating the cycle of recidivism and economic despair.
16 Increase Availability and
Effectiveness of Emergency Shelter
GOAL #4
17 • Increase the number of emergency shelter beds by 25% in 2023. • Increase the number of people exiting from emergency shelter to housing by 10% anually.
• Decrease the number of unsheltered people by 10% annually. • Increase the number of people accepting shelter from the Public Safety and Engagement Team and Outreach teams by 25% annually. 17 PARTNERSHIPS • Non-profits
CITY DEPARTMENT LEADS • Office of Homeless Solutions - Homeless Services • City Attorney’s Office
• Riverside Police Department
• Fire Department
• Community & Economic Development Department
• General Services
• Public Works
LEVERAGED CITY RESOURCES • Measure Z
• HHAP-3
GOAL ALIGNMENTS • Envision Riverside Strategic Plan: Priority #2, Community Well-Being, Goal 2.2 and Priority #5, High Performing
Government, Goal 5.3
• HHAP-3, Outcome Goal 1a, 1b, 4, 6
1818
• Release Request for Proposals (RFP) for Non-Congregate Shelter at 670 Iowa and present selected vendor to Housing & Homelessness (H & H) Committee • Identify vacant sites and buildings for an additional emergency shelter to be presented to the H & H Committee
• Create a new storage program for the Public Safety and Engagement Team and homeless individuals entering programs
• Hire team members for Wildlands Public Safety and Engagement Team and purchase required equipment
• Propose anti-camping ordinance for Wildlands
Storage Program
Storage for individuals experiencing
homelessness and seeking shelter services
to remove barriers. Storage units will
allow people to safely store their personal
belongings. Additionally, outreach and case
managers will have the ability to drop notes
inside these units as reminders of upcoming
appointments.
GOAL 4: GENERAL ACTIVITIES
HIGHLIGHTS
Provide low barrier shelter to individuals
experiencing homelessness. Request
for proposals for alternative emergency
housing non-congregate shelter to
expand diversity of shelter types and
provide wrap-around services leveraging
best practices.
Non-Congregate
Emergency
Shelter
19 20
Expand Public Awareness
GOAL #5
• Annual increase of 311 calls related to homeless activities by 25%, decreasing emergency 911 calls related to
homelessness.
• 50% increase in traffic to the Office of Homeless Solutions web page annually.
21 PARTNERSHIPS • Non-profits
CITY DEPARTMENT LEADS • Office of Homeless Solutions - Homeless Services and Housing Authority
• Office of Communications
LEVERAGED CITY RESOURCES • Measure Z
GOAL ALIGNMENTS • Envision Riverside Strategic Plan: Priority 2, Community Well-Being, Goal 2.2 and 2.3
22 Quarterly
Newsletter
Create the Office of Homeless Solutions
quarterly newsletter to share with the
public to provide progress toward goals,
share success stories, share Housing &
Homelessness Committee and Council
meeting information to keep the
community informed and encouraging
participation.
• Present at community and stakeholder meetings
• Update “who to call” flyer for residents and businesses needing assistance with homeless related activities
• Update data dashboard on Office of Homeless Solutions • Share stories, highlights and statistics on success
• Create Office of Homeless Solutions Newsletter
GOAL 5: GENERAL ACTIVITIES
HIGHLIGHTS
Attend community and stakeholder
meetings to share Office of Homeless
Solutions updates and respond to
community questions and concerns.
Presentation
Identify individuals experiencing
homelessness who are interested in
sharing their story to build a powerful
campaign and highlight that
homelessness does not discriminate.
Homelessness
Awareness
Campaign
23 24
25 Coordinated Regional
Infrastructure
GOAL #6
• Maintain 50 Cold Weather Shelter Program beds annually. • Attend 25 Continuum of Care and committee meetings annually and advocate for the increase of shelter beds, mental health programs and affordable housing based on a gap analysis.
• Increase number of emergency shelter beds throughout Riverside County by 10% by 2024.
25 PARTNERSHIPS • Non-profits
• Riverside County Housing & Workforce Solutions
• Riverside County Continuum of Care
• Neighboring Cities in Riverside County
• District 2 Homelessness Collaborative
• Riverside County Executive Office
CITY DEPARTMENT LEADS • City Manager’s Office
• Office of Homeless Solutions - Homeless Services
LEVERAGED CITY RESOURCES • None
GOAL ALIGNMENTS • Envision Riverside Strategic Plan: Priority #2, Community Well-Being, Goal 2.2
• HHAP-3, Outcome Goal 1a, 1b, 4, 6
2626
• Maintain 50 Cold Weather Shelter Program beds annually. • Attend 25 Continuum of Care and committee meetings annually and advocate for the increase of shelter beds, mental health programs and affordable housing based on a gap analysis.
• Increase number of emergency shelter beds throughout Riverside County by 10% by 2024.
GOAL 6: GENERAL ACTIVITIES
HIGHLIGHTS
Collaborate with the County to ensure that
there is a location for the 2022 Winter Shelter.
Winter Shelter
Attend 25 CoC meetings as well as sub-
committee meetings to stay up to date with
projects and action items from other regions
as well as share out successes and gaps within
our City.
Continuum of Care
(CoC) Participation
Riverside Police Department, Public Safety and
Engagement Team, Parks and Neighborhood
Specialist, Community Behavioral Health
Assessment Team, and Problem Oriented
Policing are all partners in reducing crime
across the City. These entities will continue to
protect vulnerable populations and answer
calls to ensure community safety. The Sheriff
Department will be the responsible party at
County sites within the City of Riverside.
Enforcement
Homeless
Management
Information
System
Work with County lead on agreement
between HMIS and Outreach Grid
(OG) to allow data to be imported and
exported seamlessly. This will support
the entire county in their ability to gain
access to individuals that are served
in the City of Riverside and move to a
different region.
Executed MOU between the City
and County of Riverside to identify
collaborative efforts with a responsible
department/line staff named for
accountability purposes.
MOU Between
City and County
27 28
OFFICE OF
HOMELESS SOLUTIONS
The City is a leader in the region providing emergency shelters, outreach, case management, resources and multidisciplinary teams addressing homelessness. The City has taken a proactive approach to addressing homelessness in our community in partnering with a wide-range of non-profit organizations, social service agencies and faith-based entities. The City has created a centralized environment to provide short- term emergency shelter coupled with a range of complementary supportive services necessary to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness to address their unique needs and to provide a pathway to housing stability. • Riverside Access Center: Provides multiple resources and connections for individuals at risk of homelessness or those experiencing homelessness. Some of the services offered include linkage to emergency shelter, kennel usage for pets of individuals accessing services at Hulen Campus, monthly life skills classes, access to computer lab, hygiene kits, snack packs and outreach workers who connect folks to trips back to their place of origin, support to complete housing documentation and street nurse assistance.
• Community Emergency Shelter: Owned and operated by Path of Life Ministries. The program provides 90 beds (54 male beds and 36 female beds) to adults for up to 90 days coupled with case management to assist clients with obtaining temporary housing, vital documents, job readiness, counseling, and various other forms of social, spiritual, and emotional support.
• Helping Hearts Recuperative Care: Specializes in mental health treatment for those unable to care for themselves in an independent living situation. The program includes a high level of care -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in a home-like setting that is an alternative to psychiatric hospitalization or institutional care. The program has 28 beds with an average stay of 90 days.
The Hulen Place Service Campus provides an array of services:
ATTACHMENT 1: WHAT WE ARE DOING
29 • Illumination Foundation: A partner of the Hulen Campus that operates a recuperative care shelter that accepts individuals who were recently discharged from the hospital and need support to recover from their stay. Often times individuals are well enough to be discharged from a hospital but not well enough to return to regular activity and certainly not well enough to return to living on the street. Illumination Foundation provides a space for individuals to heal. The program has 50 Beds; with an average stay of 90 Days
• The Place: Chronically homeless adults experiencing a serious mental health disorder and have been unsuccessful in being placed in shelter or housing supports are eligible for placement here. The Place offers a drop-in center that operates 24 hours a day as well as on-site, low demand, permanent supportive housing for up to 25 adults. The drop-in centers leverage lived experienced mentors to engage guests and gently encourage housing services. Meals, showers, laundry, and linkage to a wide range of community resources are provided. The Place is operated by Recovery Innovations of California, Inc. under contract with the Department of Mental Health • Mercy House: This shelter will offer bridge housing services and accept referrals by the Access Center or partner agencies. Eligible individuals will already have a housing plan and are awaiting approval for section 8, TBRA, or other housing options. This program offers – 23 beds with an average stay of 90 day. 30 The City operates a Rapid Re-Housing and Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Program to provide up to 24 month’s of rental assistance to those experiencing homelessness coupled with case management.
The City is mandated by the State to produce affordable low to middle-income housing that meets the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) requirements of creating 18,457 total housing units. The table below provides a breakdown of these unit requirements.
Income Category (% of County AMI) Number of Units
Extremely Low (30% or less)* 2,431
Very Low (31% to 50%) 2,430
Low (50% to 80%) 3,064
Moderate (81% to 120%) 3,139
Above Moderate (Over 120%) 7,394
Subtotal 18,458
No Net Loss Buffer (17%) 3,185
Total 21,643
AMI = Area Median Income Note: * The City has a RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Assessment) obligation of 4,861 very low-income units (inclusive of extremely low- income units). Pursuant to State law (AB2634), the City must project the number of extremely low-income housing needs based on Census income distribution or assume 50 percent of the very low-income units as extremely low. Assuming an even split, the City’s RHNA allocation of 4,861 very low-income units may be divided into 2,430 very low and 2,431 extremely low-income units. However, for purposes of identifying adequate sites for the RHNA allocation, State law does not mandate the separate accounting for the extremely low-income category The City’s Housing Authority has 689 affordable housing units in the pipeline for development. 31 RiversideCA.gov/HomelessSolutions