DATE: FEBRUARY 1, 2022
DEPARTMENT: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
FROM: MEGAN HUNTER, DIRECTOR
TITLE: LEAD ME HOME UPDATE – 5 YEAR PLAN TO REDUCE HOMELESSNESS IN MONTEREY AND SAN BENITO COUNTIES RECOMMENDED MOTION:
A motion to accept the Lead Me Home Update - 5 Year Plan to Reduce Homelessness in Monterey and San Benito Counties as a key strategic planning and implementation document.
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council approve the attached resolution accepting the Lead Me Home Update - 5 Year Plan to Reduce Homelessness in Monterey and San Benito Counties as a key strategic planning and implementation document.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Reducing homelessness is a key priority of City Council. Over the last five years, the City has significantly stepped up by providing a leadership role in addressing homelessness within its jurisdictional boundaries and San Benito and Monterey Counties. The City serves as the Administrative Entity of non-entitlement Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and California Emergency Solutions and Housing Program (CESH) for the Monterey and San Benito County Continuum of Care (CoC). Because of this role, the City has a vested interest in homelessness both within its boundaries and throughout the region and the Mayor holds a permanent seat on the Lead Me Home Leadership Council of Monterey and San Benito Counties (Leadership Council).
Recognizing the need to update the strategic planning document on homelessness, the City partnered with the County of Monterey Departments of Social Services and Health and the County of San Benito Health and Human Services Department to sponsor a re-write of the Lead Me Home Plan (LMHP). The LMHP was developed by the Leadership Council and coordinated by the Coalition of Homeless Services Providers (CHSP). The attached LMHP provides a five-year roadmap for the CoC and its partners to achieve the vision that all people in the region live in decent, safe, and affordable housing from which they access services and supports that stabilize their lives. The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) expect that funding and activities around homelessness are guided by this plan.
BACKGROUND:
In 2020, the Lead Me Home Leadership Council of Monterey and San Benito Counties (Leadership Council) authorized the complete rewrite of the Lead Me Home 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness (LMHP). The Coalition of Homeless Services Providers (CHSP), the CoC coordinating agency, partnered with the County of Monterey Departments of Social Services and Health, County of San Benito Health and Human Services, and the City of Salinas to release an RFP to identify a consulting firm to assist with the coordination of this effort. The Coalition identified and hired Focus Strategies and signed a yearlong contract that went into effect March 2020. Originally anticipated to end in March 2021, the process has undergone several revisions to accommodate the pressures of a growing pandemic and concluded at the end of June 2021. The plan has been adopted by the Leadership Council. On November 16, 2021, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors received a presentation on the LMHP.
DISCUSSION:
Given the City’s involvement in the development of the LMHP and the HUD and HCD requirements to utilize the document in directing funding and activities, City staff is recommending that the Council formally accept the LMHP. The updated LMHP builds upon and extends the vision articulated in the original 10-Year Plan. Key priorities for the Leadership Council in the Plan update were to ensure the LMHP is informed by local data, integrates input from local stakeholders, and is aligned with national best practices. The LMHP sets out the ambitious goal of reducing the total population of people experiencing homelessness in Monterey and San Benito Counties by 50% over five years (July 2021 to June 2026). Measurable performance targets have been established for each year of the plan, including targets for improvement in program performance as well as for creation of new housing inventory.
To achieve these lofty goals, the LMHP identifies a set of overarching strategies:
Increase Participation in Homelessness Solutions by Leaders and Key Stakeholders from Across the Region. The community will embrace a regionwide vision for reducing homelessness that is informed by data and equity considerations, improve coordination across jurisdictions, and engage all stakeholders in being part of the solution to homelessness.
Improve the Performance of the Homelessness Response System. Homelessness response system leadership and key stakeholders will design and implement a system that is highly effective at providing housing pathways for people experiencing homelessness, establish targets and measure progress towards program and system goals, and strategically expand housing and services inventory.
Expand Service-Oriented Responses to Unsheltered Homelessness. Political leadership, funders, providers, and other stakeholders will be responsive to feedback from people experiencing homelessness about their needs and goals, with a focus on increasing the services available to address the immediate health and safety needs of people who are unsheltered.
A Year One Action plan sets out the key first steps the CoC, Leadership Council, CHSP, counties, cities, providers, and other key stakeholders will undertake to begin implementation, as well as processes for annual assessment and reporting on progress towards meeting goals and targets. The LMHP calls for everyone in the community to join together in being part of the solution to homelessness. Aligning and coordinating around a shared set of objectives and strategies will ensure that the efforts of individuals, organizations, and jurisdictions maximize potential impact.
On April 27, 2021, City Council held a joint meeting with the Board of Supervisors to discuss issues and opportunities for partnerships to address homelessness. Direction was given to sponsor a workshop to launch the LMHP in Summer of 2021. Given the ongoing challenges of the pandemic and limited capacity of CHSP, the City, Monterey County, and partnering service providers, this workshop has been postponed to late Spring/early Summer of 2022. In the meantime, it is critical to accept LMHP, which covers the period of July 2021 – June 2026.
CEQA CONSIDERATION:
The Lead Me Home Update - 5 Year Plan to Reduce Homelessness in Monterey and San Benito Counties is a strategic planning document. The proposed action is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (CEQA Guidelines section 15378). If recommended policies or actions progress to a “project” level further CEQA analysis will be required to address potential environmental impacts of the proposed project.
STRATEGIC PLAN INITIATIVE:
The acceptance of the LMHP will improve collaboration and maximize the use of limited resources to improve housing outcomes for the unsheltered consistent with the goals of Investment Strategies/Risk Management, New Revenue, and Public Safety in the Strategic Plan.
DEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION:
The development of the LMHP was coordinated closely with the CHSP and Monterey County Departments of Social Services and Health. Although the Community Development Department took the lead on the development of the LMHP, multiple city departments play a vital role in addressing homelessness and will ultimately participate in implementation including Finance, Public Works, Legal, Administration, Police, Fire, and Library and Community Services.
FISCAL AND SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT:
The City contributed $50,000 through grant funds from California Emergency Solutions and Housing (CESH) to develop the LMHP. There is no impact to the General fund from acceptance of the LMHP. It is possible that there could be as yet unquantified impacts to the General Fund related to implementing actions as specified in the LMHP action plan.
ATTACHMENTS:
Resolution, Lead Me Home Update - 5 Year Plan to Reduce Homelessness in Monterey and San Benito Counties, and PowerPoint Presentation Page | 3
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