CITY COUNCIL
Darrell Steinberg, Mayor
Angelique Ashby, Vice Mayor, District 1
Sean Loloee, District 2
Jeff Harris, District 3
Katie Valenzuela, District 4
Jay Schenirer, District 5
Eric Guerra, Mayor Pro Tem, District 6
Rick Jennings, II, District 7
Mai Vang, District 8
CHARTER OFFICERS
Mindy Cuppy, City Clerk
Susana Alcala Wood, City Attorney
Jorge Oseguera, City Auditor
Howard Chan, City Manager
John Colville, City Treasurer
City Council
Financing Authority
Housing Authority
Public Financing Authority
Redevelopment Agency
Successor Agency
City Hall-Council Chamber
915 I Street, 1st Floor
Published by the Office of the City Clerk
(916) 808-5163
FINAL CORRESPONDENCE
Description of Attached: Correspondence received after publishing the Agenda
For the Meeting of: Tuesday, February 15, 2022, at 5:00 p.m.
Agenda Item: Discussion Item 20
20. (City Council) One Year Action Plan Federal Programs Allocation Process - Workshop Number One
File ID: 2022-00122
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: Review and provide direction regarding the Federal Programs Allocation Process schedule, eligibility, and potential projects.
Contact: Christine Weichert, Director of Housing Finance, (916) 440-1350, [email protected], Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency
From: Laura Ashley
To: Public Comment
Subject: Item 20
Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2022 3:35:48 PM
Attachments: city council Feb 15th letter.pdf
See attached letter.
Virus-free. www.avast.com
February 15, 2022
Mayor Steinberg and members of the city council,
I believe that all of you are failing this city. I believe that either you just don’t realize what your lack of action is really doing to human beings with nowhere to go, nowhere to call home, or you do realize it and dismiss any opposition to YOUR plan.
I am going to quote statements made regarding Item 20 on the Agenda.
Your statement about the Action Plan:
Promote citizen participation in the development of local priority needs benefiting low- and moderate- income persons. Develop a series of One-Year Action Plans that will be the basis for assessment of performance. Consult with public and private agencies to identify needs and appropriate actions required to address their needs.
The first part of the plan states “promote citizen participation regarding priority needs.” There is only ONE PRIORITY NEED and that is HOUSING. The last part of that statement doesn’t include the citizens but rather consultations “with public and private agencies to identify needs and appropriate actions required to ADDRESS their needs.” The agencies will identify needs…the need is HOUSING, and what are the appropriate actions to address that? This sounds like more vague language that shifts the voices of the unhoused to the agencies that have already failed this city.
Next statement:
The One-Year Action Plan will be used to update the Consolidated Plan. It also provides the City with a basis for assessing its progress in meeting the goals of the Consolidated Plan through the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Reports This statement seems like a lot of words that sound good, but are too vague in the terms of ACTIONS. It is just more planning.
NO MORE VAGUE LANGUAGE FOR THE CITIZENS. We need actual ACTION steps with details.
Under Infrastructure and Public Facility Improvements
Capital improvement funding identified in the Action Plan strives for maximum leveraging opportunities in order to provide the greatest impact to residents.
What maximum leveraging opportunities would those be exactly, and what impacts do those opportunities provide TO THE UNHOUSED? More vague language and the number one priority being pushed aside for everything else.
More confusion:
The Action Plan recognizes the limited federal, state, and local funding available for Projects, and strategically focuses funding on fewer, but larger projects in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. The goal is to create a concentration of activity that generates strategic and visible impacts which promote positive changes within the community.
The last sentence states the goal is for activities not housing. Again, what strategic and visible impacts, what positive changes? In closing I have to say that I once was homeless a long time ago. I entered a shelter, transitional housing, and supportive housing from the beginning of the 10 year plan to end homelessness and watched that goal fail too. All these PLANS and DISCUSSIONS are not getting it done. I am referring to the ACTION Plan to meet the needs of the homeless, and that does not include improvements to those housed already or to improving neighborhoods. I am not referring to economic opportunities either. These things are important of course but should NOT take precedence over human lives. We are in crisis and the city council should ACT accordingly to saves the lives of citizens they serve. START being a success and not a continued failure to them.
As a side note. SHRA for a long time but more so recently has been reported online in social media that people with vouchers in hand or have issues they need solved with those vouchers cannot reach anyone by phone or email. They are getting no help.
SHRA has not opened their lobby to the public and so all this work SHRA claims to be doing for the homeless or current clients is not accurate, and the work will be for nothing if people cannot even get in touch with their questions or follow through from case workers. You are losing ground and this issue should be addressed.
HOUSING FIRST, everything else second! 11,000+ men, women, children, veterans, seniors and disabled unhoused citizens are counting on you. Their lives are in your hands.
Thank you for your time,
Laura Ashley