CITY OF RIVERSIDE
HOMELESSNESS
ACTION PLAN
CITY OF
RIVERSIDE
RiversideCA.gov/HomelessSolutions
Adopted on Tuesday, October 11, 2022
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
MISSION -
STATEMENT
TEAN
9573
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.
QUICK FACTS
UNSHELTERED
514 HOMELESS PEOPLE
were counted in the City during the
2022 by Riverside County Homeless
Point-in-Time Count.
Down from 587 in 2020
2022 HOMELESS
POINT-IN-TIME COUNT DIVERSE HOUSING STOCK
COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE
410 i 3,141
1,980
UNSHELTERED SHELTERED affordable housing units
HOMELESS HOMELESS
PEOPLE PEOPLE
— OFFICE OF HOMELESS SOLUTIONS FY 2021/2022 BUDGET —
HOMELESS
PREVENTION
35% 35% $11.7M
AFFORDABLE
HOUSING
ACTIVITIES 30% HOMELESS
$11.8M PROGRAMS
$9.9M
2 PROBLEM
STATEMENT
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 supports 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 GOAL #1
Increase Housing Production
With a Focus on Affordability
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. • Carryout the development of 689 affordable housing units in the pipeline for development.
5 PARTNERSHIPS • Developers (market rate and affordable housing) • Non-profits
• State HCD
• U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
• A Community of Friends
• Crest Community Church
• Eden Housing Corporation
• Habitat for Humanity Riverside
• Innovative Housing Opportunities
• National Community Renaissance and La Sierra Church
• Neighborhood Partnership Housing Services
• Northtown Housing, Inc.
• Path of Life Ministries
• Riverside Housing Development Corporation
• TruEvolution Wakeland Housing & Development
Corporation
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 GOAL 1: GENERAL ACTIVITIES
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 and alternative housing options. • Draft the Inclusionary Housing Program parameters.
• Continue to work with developers to add housing units to the development pipeline.
HIGHLIGHTS
Receive Annual
Progress Report on 6th
Cycle Housing Element
The City of Riverside must prepare an Annual Progress
Affordable Housing Report (APR), submitted to the California Office of Planning and Research and the Housing & Community
Work with property owners with Development Department, reporting on the status expiring affordable housing covenants and progress of the General Plan, including the 6th on how to extend the term of their
Cycle Housing Element implementation. The Planning
affordable housing covenants to Division presents the APR to City Council in the first ensure tenants remain stably housed.
quarter of each year before submitting to the State.
The City is mandated by the State to produce housing
at different income levels that meet the Regional
Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) requirement of
creating 18,458 total housing units
Market Housing
Leverage State and Element and
Other Resources to
City and Housing
Encourage First- Authority Owned
Time Homebuyers Sites to Developers
The Housing Authority will market state Develop a webpage whereby developers can and other first-time homebuyer resources quickly identify housing sites identified in the 6th Cycle and first-time homebuyer workshops to Housing Element and sites owned by the City- and help low-income households achieve Housing Authority-owned, showing the zoning and the dream of homeownership. potential densities.
Housing Locators
Assist families who have received a rental
Research Ongoing assistance voucher with transition out of homelessness by locating a housing unit.
Affordable Housing Housing Locators educate owners, landlords, and property managers on rental assistance
Funding Streams vouchers and the landlord liaison program.
To address the affordable housing They also work closely with the property crisis, the Housing Authority will manager and case manager to address any tenant related concerns.
research dedicated funding streams
that can assist in the developments of
affordable housing units for extremely
low- to low-income households and
alternative housing options. Affordable
Housing
Developments.
Inclusionary
The City has 689 affordable housing units in
Housing the project pipeline for development that
include permanent supportive housing and
Create an inclusionary housing housing for families and seniors. Project program that helps develop affordable Legacy will provide 48 permanent supportive housing within private developments housing beds with bilingual behavioral health, for lower income families by requiring workforce development, harm reduction that a certain percentage of new services, fitness, nutrition and other services residential units are rented to lower- to LGBTQ+ youth, seniors, and people living income residents. Developers can also with HIV. The project will include permanent be provided an option to choose an supportive housing for 48 residents and one alternative to providing the affordable housing manager. A commercial building on units in the form of in-lieu fees or the site will become an on-site community providing affordable units at a different Health and Justice Center, including location. TruEvolution's offices.
HAGE PLAZA
GOAL #2
Increase the Availability of Services,
with a Focus on Physical, Mental Health,
and Substance Use Disorder Treatment
Increase number of social work interns by 15% annually. • Increase in skills to reduce re-traumatized/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 amongst "chronically homeless" by 5% annually. •Decrease homelessness amongst 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 annually. • Care Court implementation by October 1, 2023.
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
UCR Health
CITY DEPARTMENT LEADS • Office of Homeless Solutions - Homeless Services • City Attorney's Office
• Riverside Police Department
• Community & Economic Development Department -
Code Enforcement
LEVERAGED CITY RESOURCES
: Measuren
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
10 GOAL 2: GENERAL ACTIVITIES
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.
HIGHLIGHTS
Partner with local universities to provide internship
hours with Office of Homeless Solutions for clinical
Clinical Social social work students. Interns will be placed at libraries to deliver services to those in need. Interns will build Worker Internship rapport with the goal of working cohesively with the individual to create a plan to exit homelessness.
Program Students will be trained on how to make referrals to substance use disorder treatment, our street nurse,
outreach, and other services as needed.
Street Nurses
Program CARE Court
The professionally trained street nurses
The City will support the implementation of the
will provide assessments in the field, care
Care Court pilot in Riverside County that will
coordination, case management, and
focus on individuals experiencing severe mental
referrals for primary care, medical insurance, illness who are unable to care for themselves by pharmaceutical, substance use disorder
offering an advocate, treatment, and housing.
treatment and other services as needed. The
The program will be implemented statewide
individual(s) will support outreach teams in the
urban and wildlands areas. through a phased-in approach.
Parks and
Neighborhood Enforcement
Specialist Riverside Police Department, Public Safety and Engagement Team, Parks and Neighborhood
20 non-sworn Parks and Neighborhood Specialist, Community Behavioral Health Specialist to provide safety and monitoring Assessment Team, and Problem Oriented of parks and surrounding neighborhoods Policing are all partners in reducing crime to lessen the burden on Riverside Police
across the City. These entities will continue to
Department in non-emergency response protect vulnerable populations and answer calls. The team will be trained in properly calls to ensure community safety. The Sheriff addressing homelessness in these spaces to Department will be the responsible party at support the goals of the Office of Homeless County sites within the City of Riverside.
Solutions through interactions and referrals.
11 Urban Public Safety HOME Court
and Engagement
Program
Team
Collaboration between City and County
Expand the Public Safety and Engagement Team providers to offer opportunities for to provide both evening and early morning alternative sentencing or diversion for coverage across the City of Riverside. The team individuals with low-level misdemeanor will respond to 311 service requests and follow a offenses with linkages to housing, monthly calendar that focuses on hotspot areas behavioral health treatment, life skills to engage those experiencing homelessness in courses, and peer supports. encampments to ofter services and supports, to
tag items for debris and trash abatement, and
provide enforcement as appropriate.
Intentional
Connections
to Care
Wildlands Public
Partner with Riverside University Health
Safety and Systems - Behavioral Health or other
entity to provide training to teams
Engagement Team working directly with individuals
experiencing homelessness to provide
Wildlands Public Safety and Engagement Team training in Trauma Informed Care, Harm will focus on the Santa Ana River bottom (SAR). Reduction, Motivational Interviewing, The team will follow a monthly calendar that and other best practices in human focuses on hotspot areas to engage those services.
experiencing homelessness to offer services
and supports, to tag items for debris and trash
abatement, provide enforcement as appropriate Arlington and enforce the anti-camping ordinance to
ensure safety for all. + Recovery
Center
Provides a community-based continuum
of care treatment and wrap-around
Access Center support program that include evidence-
Outreach based practices, detox, individualized
treatment, recovery, individual and
group therapy, 12-step introduction, and
Outreach workers cover the City of Riverside relationship rebuilding, family support, hotspot areas and respond to 311 service and trauma informed care. The center requests to engage individuals experiencing is within proximity of a suite of County homelessness throughout the City. The services including the Riverside University team evaluates individual needs and walks Health Systems - Behavioral Health (RUHS- alongside the person to develop a plan to exit BH) Inpatient Treatment Facility and homelessness. Resources and shelter options are Emergency Treatment Services, RUHS-BH presented, and the team does an infield intake to Mental Health Urgent Care and Crisis identify the individual and their location for follow Residential Treatment campus, and the up. An outreach representative is available at the Riverside Mental Health Rehabilitation Access Center to support walk-ins. Center."
12 GOAL #3
Prevent Homelessness
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 GOAL 3: GENERAL ACTIVITIES
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 ISS 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.
HIGHLIGHTS
School
sailin Reach
Connections
Ensure that City of Riverside School Districts Gain access to Robert Presley Detention (Alvord and Riverside) are aware of resources Center to connect with individuals who available to at risk families. By developing and self-identify as homeless. By connecting distributing materials, bringing partners and with justice-involved individuals, we the County together for presentations before have an opportunity to support in the the beginning of each school year, Pupil creation of an exit plan, empowering Services will be equipped with up-to-date the individual to leverage available information to share with students and families resources and shelter options decreasing to make connections before individuals homelessness among justice-involved experience homelessness. individuals.
RENTAL The City operates a Rapid Re-Housing and Tenant- Based Rental Assistance Program to provide up to
ASSISTANCE 24 months of rental assistance to those experiencing homelessness coupled with case management.
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 (ISS).
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 GOAL #4
Increase Availability and
Effectiveness of Emergency Shelter
• Increase the number of emergency shelter beds by 25% in 2023. - • Increase the number of people exiting from emergency shelter to housing by 10% annually.
- • 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
• Path of Life Ministries
• Illumination Foundation
• Mercy House
• Helping Hearts
• Riverside University Health Systems - Behavioral Health 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
18 GOAL 4: GENERAL ACTIVITIES
• Release Request for Proposals (RFP) for Non-Congregate Shelter at 670 lowa 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.
• Implement Anti-Camping Ordinance.
HIGHLIGHTS
Non-Congregate
Storage Program
Emergency
Shelter
Storage for individuals experiencing
homelessness and seeking shelter services Provide low barrier shelter to individuals to remove barriers. Storage units will experiencing homelessness. Request allow people to safely store their personal for proposals for alternative emergency belongings. Additionally, outreach and case housing non-congregate shelter to managers will have the ability to drop notes expand diversity of shelter types and inside these units as reminders of upcoming provide wrap-around services leveraging appointments. best practices.
Anti-Camping
Ordinance
The Wildland-Urban Interface is threatened
by fires and pose an imminent risk to
residents of the Santa Ana River, the City,
and first responders. The ordinance will
prohibit any person to sit, lie, sleep, or store,
use, maintain, or place any bulky item or
personal property in the Wildland Urban
Interface to mitigate the danger of fire. The
Wildlands Public Safety and Engagement
Team will enforce this ordinance.
19 Hulen Place Service Campus
The Hulen Place Service Campus provides an array of services:
• 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.
• 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. 20 GOAL #5
Expand Public Awareness
• 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
• Neighborhood Groups
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 GOAL 5: GENERAL ACTIVITIES
• 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.
HIGHLIGHTS
Quarterly
Newsletter
Presentation
Create the Office of Homeless Solutions
quarterly newsletter to share with the
Attend community and stakeholder
public to provide progress toward goals,
meetings to share Office of Homeless
share success stories, share Housing &
Solutions updates and respond to
Homelessness Committee and Council
meeting information to keep the community questions and concerns. community informed and encouraging
participation.
Homelessness Identify individuals experiencing
homelessness who are interested in
Awareness sharing their story to build a powerful
campaign and highlight that
Campaign homelessness does not discriminate.
23 GOAL #6
Coordinated Regional
Infrastructure
• 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
26 GOAL 6: GENERAL ACTIVITIES
• Work more efficiently in the field through streamlined processes leveraging technology for social good.
• Participate in Continuum of Care subcommittees to stay abreast of impacts around subpopulations.
• City to collaborate with County in spearheading change and strong partnerships to address homelessness in the region.
HIGHLIGHTS
Homeless
Management (CoC) Participation
Attend 25 CoC meetings as well as sub-
Information committee meetings to stay up to date with
projects and action items from other regions
System as well as share out successes and gaps within
our City.
Work with County lead on agreement
between HMIS and Outreach Grid
(OG) to allow data to be imported and • MOU Between
exported seamlessly. This will support
the entire county in their ability to gain J City and County access to individuals that are served
in the City of Riverside and move to a Executed MOU between the City and County different region. of Riverside to identify collaborative efforts with a responsible department/line staff
named for accountability purposes.
Collaborate with the County to ensure that
Winter Shelter
there is a location for the 2022 Winter Shelter.
27 Resource Center
28 CITY OF
RIVERSIDE
RiversideCA.gov/HomelessSolutions