TO: HONORABLE MAYOR FROM: Jon Cicirelli
AND CITY COUNCIL Jacky Morales-Ferrand
SUBJECT: GUADALUPE GARDENS DATE: June 8, 2022
ENCAMPMENT WORK PLAN
Approved Date
6/10/2022
COUNCIL DISTRICT: 6
RECOMMENDATION
Accept the June 2022 through September 2022 Guadalupe Gardens Encampment Work Plan.
OUTCOME
The purpose of this memorandum is to inform the City Council of the Housing Department’s Guadalupe Gardens rehousing plan and the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS) Department BeautifySJ Program’s site abatement plan. The Encampment Work Plan also captures key deliverables during the June 2022 through September 2022 timeframe.
BACKGROUND
At the May 3, 2022 City Council Meeting to discuss Council Item 7.1 1, City Roadmap Update:
Encampment Management and Safe Relocation Policy, a memorandum submitted by Councilmembers Peralez, Cohen, Davis, and Vice Mayor Jones, and Mayor Liccardo was approved and directed staff to:
Return to City Council in June with a month-by-month work plan that includes measurable outcomes related to:
a. The proposed housing plan and expected accomplishments between now and September 30 (e.g., the number of individuals that will be housed in June, July, and August);
b. Working with the 27 unhoused residents who have not yet completed a VI-SPDAT assessment, and residents who attempt to encamp at the site who were not captured in HomeFirst’s latest census;
1 May 3, 2022: City Council Memo, City Roadmap: Encampment Management and Safe Relocation Policy https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=10860685&GUID=3BEB1411-FBEC-4F19-9163- CC120C6ED303
COUNCIL AGENDA: 6/21/22
FILE: 22-974
ITEM: 7.1
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
June 8, 2022
Subject: Guadalupe Gardens Encampment Work Plan
c. Removing inoperable vehicles and debris, continuing vehicle repairs, and scaling down encampment footprints to 12’x12’;
d. Installing additional cameras to deter illegal dumping; and e. After residents have been rehoused, securing the site using k-rail or other temporary physical barriers until construction of the prototype park commences, and activating the site with maintenance workers, Resilience Corps members, San José Bridge participants, and/or regular police bike patrols.
ANALYSIS
At the May 3, 2022 City Council meeting, the City Council approved the extension of the Guadalupe Gardens abatement to September 30, 2022. The Airport Department has submitted an official request to the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) for this extension, which will allow additional time to rehouse residents and clear the site. As directed by City Council, thePRNS Department and the Housing Department outlined a month-to-month Guadalupe Gardens Work Plan that includes key activities that will occur from June 2022 through September 2022. The outlined activities are geared towards re-housing individuals and clearing the site by the September 30, 2022 deadline.
Housing Plan
HomeFirst is present and active in the Guadalupe Gardens and surrounding areas five days per week, Monday through Friday. HomeFirst conducts outreach and works with individuals on their housing plans three days per week; 10 employees, including two licensed clinicians specializing in behavioral health needs, are deployed each day. A resource and information booth at Columbus Park is available three days each week from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm offering individualized case management services, housing resources, and outreach. HomeFirst also provides meals to encampment residents on the two days they are not offering intensive outreach and case management.
Developing a plan to house people is complex. Outreach teams and case managers are participant-centered and follow the Housing First model
2. The Housing First approach to serving
people experiencing homelessness is to prioritize transitioning individuals into a decent, safe permanent home, thus ending their homelessness and providing an opportunity for them to improve their quality of life. Often people need their basic needs met before they can focus on other pressing issues such as job training, benefits applications, health concerns, or substance abuse treatment. Outreach teams are trained to build trust, encourage, incentivize those experiencing homelessness, and provide their smooth transition to housing.
Outreach and engagement efforts revolve around relationship building, and once engaged, securing housing can take months. Building trust and demonstrating that the system works is
2 National Alliance to End Homeless What is Housing First?
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
June 8, 2022
Subject: Guadalupe Gardens Encampment Work Plan
critical to participant engagement. Even with engagement, however, locating housing options can be difficult.
Once enrolled in supportive housing programs, individuals must be “document ready” to verify eligibility before searching for housing. Securing documents that unhoused persons are frequently missing, and which are mandatory for programs and leases such as a California driver’s license or identification card and a social security card, can take weeks or months to secure, depending on the individual. Outstanding debts listed on credit reports must be resolved to ensure an individual is not denied a housing opportunity because of a poor credit history. Most programs also require background checks to determine whether an individual has been convicted of a crime; a negative criminal history might prevent an individual from being accepted into a housing opportunity.
3 Should any of the above result in negatively impacting one’s housing options, negative decisions can be appealed, however, obtaining appropriate documents or statements to support an appeal can be challenging.
Finally, the biggest challenge facing unhoused persons is securing an apartment or shared-living arrangement in the city’s highly competitive housing market. Demand for the most affordable housing options has surged and rental prices are high, making finding a home a daunting task.
Besides a lack of housing inventory, people who are unhoused must overcome additional obstacles. For example, individuals encounter landlords who are not willing to accept time- limited rental subsidies, in violation of local and state income discrimination laws; bringing these types of situations to resolution extends the timeline for an individual to secure a home. Also, individuals often find that the market rents exceed their subsidy amount, making the time to get into housing even longer because apartments with lower rents may be harder to find and have more people competing for them.
Guadalupe Gardens population
The Guadalupe Gardens site has approximately 104 people living in the Stage 3 area. The City of San José
(City), County of Santa Clara (County), and HomeFirst have created a census or “name by name” list of these individuals. This census also includes individuals living in a section of Guadalupe Trail, between Hedding and Taylor Streets, the surrounding streets of Irene and Asbury, and Columbus Park, that are not technically within the 40 acres of FAA concern.
However, when Stage 1 and 2 were abated, individuals moved to these areas and HomeFirst continued to engage them. The Housing Department and the County’s Office of Supportive Housing (OSH) have developed a Housing Plan for the 104 households to move to permanent housing. In fact, 118 people who were previously encamped in the area have been placed in permanent or interim housing.
People are being relocated as quickly as possible to either a housing placement or to an interim housing solution. Vacancies at all City interim housing sites, including the SureStay and Plaza Hotel, are prioritizing residents living in the Guadalupe Gardens area. Housing solutions that will
3 Examples of convictions a background check may exclude a person from being accepted to housing include felony crimes, arson, and a sex-related crime that requires an individual to register as a sex offender.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
June 8, 2022
Subject: Guadalupe Gardens Encampment Work Plan
be offered and led by the City include the Rapid Rehousing (RRH) program and Housing Problem Solving. The City-funded RRH program will provide a time-limited rental subsidy with case management support to house 33 people. Some of these individuals may stay at a City interim housing community while they locate a private market apartment in which they could use their RRH subsidy. The City-funded outreach team led by HomeFirst will assist the two people who appear to need one-time financial help to locate a suitable home through Housing Problem Solving which involves engaging the people in identifying solutions that will result in housing placement.
The City cannot implement the Housing Plan without the partnership of OSH. The Housing Plan relies on resources from both OSH and the Santa Clara County Housing Authority (Housing Authority). OSH receives federal and state funds that are dedicated to housing and providing services to people experiencing homelessness. There are 12 people who qualify for housing programs administered by OSH through its Coordinated Entry System. An additional 46 people can be assisted with either an existing subsidy or through a Housing Choice Voucher. OSH has agreed to place people, who qualify for County programs, in their interim housing communities as beds become available. OSH had deployed a County client engagement team to begin the enrollment process. There are 11 individuals who have referral issues, meaning they have expired or missing releases of information, expired assessments, or cannot be located. The HomeFirst outreach team will update the client's documents or confirm if the individuals are still on site. If they are, the outreach team will reconnect them to their case manager. 4 The City,
County, and HomeFirst meet on a weekly basis to review and update the “name by name” list of 104 individuals. Table 1 below provides a summary of the housing need and planned resources.
Table 1: Housing Needs and Resources
Housing Option People Served City Lead County Lead
Coordinated Entry plus services 12 12
Rapid Rehousing plus services 33 33
Housing Choice Vouchers, Housing Disability
Advocacy Program plus services 46 46
Housing Problem Solving 2 2
Referral issue 11
Total 104 35 58
The Housing Department has limited housing resources for individuals in this area. While new resources are not available, the Housing Department is working with HomeFirst and the County to create a “wait list” for new individuals who move to the site and are interested in housing.
Any individual who was onsite prior to March 31, 2022 has priority for housing (specifically the 104 individuals noted above). If anyone on the priority list declines a housing option, that resource will be offered to an individual on the “wait list”.
4 Reduced from the 27 individuals reported to City Council in May 2022 report.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
June 8, 2022
Subject: Guadalupe Gardens Encampment Work Plan
Guadalupe Gardens Housing Work Plan
Month Key Action
Outcome/Housing
Placements
June
2022
12 coordinated entry clients contacted by County
engagement teams
16 individuals
relocated from the
site and placed in
housing or an
interim site
11 individuals with a referral issue meet with a caseworker to begin resolving the issue
Two individuals who need minimal intervention meet with a caseworker and identify housing plans
20 sessions to assist individuals with obtaining necessary documents for housing (e.g., identification, social security card, credit check, etc.)
Provide 15 days of resources and assistance through
“tabling resource” in the area
Eight individuals placed in City or County interim housing community
Eight individuals enroll in housing program (Housing
Choice Voucher, Rapid Rehousing, or other subsidy
program)
July
2022
Four individuals housed in coordinated entry housing
system
22 individuals
relocated from the
site and placed in
housing or an
interim site
Eight individuals placed in City or County interim housing Ten individuals enroll in housing program (Housing Choice Voucher, Rapid Rehousing referral, or other subsidy)
Execute contract with the County for intensive case
management and services.
Provide 15 days of resources and assistance through
“tabling resource” in the area
20 sessions to assist individuals with obtaining necessary documents for housing (e.g., identification, social security card, credit check, etc.)
Complete referrals to Housing Disability Advocacy
Program
August
2022
Two individuals who need minimal intervention housed 32 individuals placed in housing
Four individuals housed in Coordinated Entry housing
system
Eight individuals placed in City or County interim housing 18 individuals enroll in housing program (Housing Choice Voucher, Rapid Rehousing referral, Housing Disability
Advocacy Program, or other subsidy)
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
June 8, 2022
Subject: Guadalupe Gardens Encampment Work Plan
20 sessions to assist individuals obtaining necessary
documents for housing (e.g., identification, social security card, credit check, etc.)
Provide 15 days of resources and assistance through
“tabling resource” in the area
September
2022
20 sessions to assist individuals with obtaining necessary documents for housing (e.g., identification, social security card, credit check, etc.) 34 individuals
placed in housing
Provide 15 days of resources and assistance through
“tabling resource” in the area
Four individuals housed in coordinated entry housing
system
Twenty individuals enroll in City or County interim housing 22 individuals enroll in housing program (Housing Choice Voucher, Rapid Rehousing referral, Housing Disability
Advocacy Program, or other subsidy)
Encampment Abatement Work Plan
The BeautifySJ Encampment Abatement Team will lead the efforts to clear the remaining encampments, built structures, inoperable and stripped vehicles, and trash/debris located within Stage 3 of the Guadalupe Gardens parcel by the September 30, 2022 deadline. From September 2021 through October 2021, the City cleared Stages 1 (Coleman/Walnut) and 2 (Walnut/Spring) of encampments and inoperable vehicles. Most people living in Stages 1 and 2 moved to Stage 3 (Spring/Guadalupe River Trail). The Stage 3 encampment work plan is focused on abating the remaining 18 acres of the 40-acre Guadalupe Gardens parcel.
In November 2021, $975,000
5 in federal American Rescue Plan funds was appropriated to PRNS to maintain sanitation services and conduct the final abatement of Guadalupe Gardens. Services provided include multiple days a week of trash pickup and dumpster service; removal of abandoned, unclaimed, and inoperable vehicles; coordination of rodent control; and illegal dumping monitoring and removal. On April 30, 2022, PRNS installed three sets of cameras in the areas of Spring and Hedding Streets and Spring and Asbury Streets, each set includes a video camera and license plate reader. During May 2022, reports indicate a 50 percent reduction in illegal dumping; staff continue to attempt to deter the spike in abandoned stolen vehicles inside the encampment.
The abatement process of the encampments and rehousing remaining occupants from the site is planned to begin September 1, 2022 to meet the FAA’s September 30, 2022 deadline. Notices of the abatement process will be posted the last week of July, which aligns with the commitment of
5 November 30, 2021, Council Item 3.6 COVID -19 Pandemic Response and Community and Economic Recovery Budget Adjustments -
https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=10109042&GUID=AAFF9429-139F-428E-8EE2- C4C99154C6C2
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
June 8, 2022
Subject: Guadalupe Gardens Encampment Work Plan
providing a 30-day notice to remaining site residents. As people are housed, the remaining debris and structures will be removed. This will provide Housing Outreach teams with the ability to easily find and notify residents of their housing placement. Any new inhabitants after September 1st will be informed by City staff and contractors, such as Home First, of the planned abatement and discourage all residential uses in the area. Based on an assessment of the area, there are limited strategies that can be quickly implemented to reduce/prevent new encampments during September 1 through September 30. In between September 30 and the beginning of Prototype Park
6 construction, the site will be monitored by the BeautifySJ Encampment Management Team to quickly abate re-encamped areas. Once the area is cleared, notices will be posted allowing for immediate removal of areas that are re-encamped. Once the site is cleared, k-rails, post and rail fencing, and other deterrents will be put in place. Until the development of the Prototype Park, the site will be maintained by the Parks maintenance team in PRNS which was expanded in the 2022-2023 Proposed Operating Budget to include 4.5 new positions (total positions for Guadalupe River Park is 9.0 positions). The maintenance teams, as well as participants from the Resilience Corps and San José Bridge, will also maintain the trail area near the 40-acre parcel and report issues as they arise.
The chart below provides month-by-month information on key encampment abatement and Prototype Park preparation activities.
Encampment Abatement Work Plan
Month Key Actions Outcomes
June
2022
Remove inoperable and stripped vehicles - Increased trash/debris, vehicle removal
- Increased communications
with residents of clean-up
actions
Provide 2-3 times/week trash collection, dumpsters and
distribute litter bags
Coordinate four escalated cleanups to reduce encampment footprints to 12 feet x 12 feet
Post notices to inform residents of cleanup actions
Proactive weekly illegal dumping pick up
Coordinate with partners to reduce rodent population
July
2022
Post official abatement notices July 25 – July 29, 2022 - Increased communication with residents of
abatement plan
- Reduction in number of
rodents
- Reduction in number of
vehicles
- Reduction in visible trash
and debris
Provide 2-3 times/week trash collection and distribute
litter bags
Coordinate four escalated cleanups to reduce encampment footprint to 12’x12’
Remove inoperable and stripped vehicles
Provide dumpsters for use by residents for trash/debris disposal
Proactive weekly illegal dumping pick up
6 February 8, 2022, Council Item 3.6 Guadalupe Gardens Fencing and Activation Alternatives - https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=10439554&GUID=FF8283E4-6B51-4D3D-AB5A- C8EEBED69ED7
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
June 8, 2022
Subject: Guadalupe Gardens Encampment Work Plan
Help facilitate residents removal of all operable vehicles from the trail area
August
2022
Post reminder abatement notices - Reduction in number of rodents
- Reduction of visible
vehicles and trash within
site
Remove remaining inoperable and stripped vehicles
Continue trash collection and dumpsters at the site
Proactive weekly illegal dumping pick up
Inform residents to move operable vehicles from the
encampment work zone by August 31, 2022
September
2022
Abatement of encampments will begin at the site
September 1, 2022
- Area cleared of all
residential uses and
trash/debris by September
30, 2022
Encampments/built structures will be dismantled and
removed
Remaining vehicles will be removed from the site
Guadalupe Gardens Capital Projects Update
Construction activities for the Prototype Park are scheduled to begin January 2023. The interim dog park will be a five-acre space at the north-west corner of Spring and Asbury Streets and is expected to be available for public use in the spring 2023. Work on a disc golf area and identifying vendors to support urban agriculture are ongoing. Disc golf is anticipated to be operational in 2023 and urban agriculture available in 2024.
The pilot Vehicle Prevention Project along the Guadalupe River Trail from Hedding Street to Coleman Avenue is expected to begin in February 2023. This project is intended to reduce unauthorized vehicle traffic by strategically locating deterrents at key access points along the trail.
Capital Projects Update
Months Key Actions Outcomes
June – Dec 2022
Conduct RFP for potential urban
agriculture vendors
Identification of urban
agriculture vendors
Sept 2022-
March 2023
Develop and execute operating agreement
with Guadalupe Park Conservancy
Partnership (continued)
for activation stewardship
Jan 2023 Begin construction of interim dog park Deters re-encampment Feb 2023
Begin construction of pilot Vehicle
Prevention Project
Reduction in vehicle
trespassing
Jan – Dec 2023
Design and develop required infrastructure
of Prototype Park amenities Space ready for public use
CONCLUSION
BeautifySJ and the Housing Department have developed a coordinated plan that will allow the site to be cleared by the FAA deadline of September 30, 2022 and prioritizes housing placements
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
June 8, 2022
Subject: Guadalupe Gardens Encampment Work Plan
to identified residents at the site. As part of the abatement process, the BeautifySJ team and the Housing Department will continue to communicate with residents, key stakeholders, and businesses to inform them of the process and address issues that may arise.
EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
To ensure progress in implementing the Guadalupe Gardens Encampment Work Plan, staff will report quarterly Objectives and Key Results
through the City Manager’s Office and return to the
City Council in fall 2022 if there are substantial changes.
CLIMATE SMART SAN JOSE
The recommendation in this memorandum has no effect on Climate Smart San José energy, water, or mobility goals.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
This memorandum will be posted on the City’s Council Agenda website for the June 21, 2022, City Council meeting.
COORDINATION
This memorandum was coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office, City Manager’s Budget Office, and the City Manager’s Office.
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION/INPUT
No commission recommendation or input is associated with this action.
COST IMPLICATIONS
In FY 2022-23, a total of $19.0 million will be available to BeautifySJ for the encampment management and trash service program, and the abatement program. This amount includes $13.0 million in the American Rescue Plan Fund (including $7.0 million of new funding and $6.0 million recommended to be rebudgeted into 2022-2023) and $6.0 million in the General Fund.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
June 8, 2022
Subject: Guadalupe Gardens Encampment Work Plan
The budget includes $975,0007 in American Rescue Plan funds for BeautifySJ to support clean up and abatement efforts at the 40-acre Guadalupe Gardens parcel. These funds will be used to support the removal of inoperable vehicles and stripped vehicles; vendor costs for the dismantling and disposal of encampments, trash and debris; escalated cleanups to right-size encampments; and increased trash collection and dumpsters to maintain sanitation at the site until abatement. These funds are adequate for abatement and cleanup efforts.
The costs for the urban agriculture portion of the Prototype Park were presented in the February 8, 2022, City Council memorandum as $4,366,000 and $5,714,000, exclusive of soil remediation costs. The range of costs reflects the fact that staff is unclear on exactly what will need to be built. For example, certain partners may need greenhouses and others would not. Staff is working with Guadalupe River Park Conservancy to identify potential partners for the urban agriculture space and will work with those partners to refine the construction costs. No funding source has been secured for construction of the urban agriculture project at this time.
Costs associated with the dog park, disc golf, meadow plantings, and k-rails to secure the area were estimated at $2,925,000 in the February 8, 2022, City Council memorandum. Funding of up to $1,200,000 from the Airport Renewal and Replacement Fund for appropriate enclosures in Guadalupe Gardens will be used specifically to support design and installation of the dog park fencing. Staff is working to refine the costs associated with the disc golf, meadow plantings and k-rails and will work to identify funding sources for this work as the design progresses. Initial funding in the amount of $100,000 in the Park Trust Fund is recommended to be added in 2022- 2023 to begin work on the Prototype Park project.
The pilot Vehicle Prevention Project is estimated to cost $930,000, which is recommended to be reallocated from 2021-2022 departmental savings in PRNS – as initial development work will begin prior to 2022-2023 – and rebudgeted to 2022-2023. In addition, a total of $908,000 in American Rescue Funds is included in the 2022-2023 Proposed Operating Budget for physical deterrents to be installed throughout the City. Funding for bike patrol by San José Police Department along Guadalupe River and Coyote Creek trails is also included in the Proposed Operating Budget in the amount of $600,000, with the anticipation of additional matching funds supplied by a potential agreement with Valley Water.
The Housing Department brought forward the costs for the housing resources in the May 3, 2022 City Council report.
8 Funds were subsequently approved by City Council on May 17, 2022 with the approval of the FY 2022-2023 Measure E spending plan and authority granted to enter into a
7 Council Memo: November 19, 2021 – COVID-19 Pandemic Response and Community and Economic Recovery Budget Adjustments. https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=10109042&GUID=AAFF9429-139F-428E- 8EE2-C4C99154C6C2
8 May 3, 2022: City Council Memo, City Roadmap: Encampment Management and Safe Relocation Policy https://sanjose.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=10860685&GUID=3BEB1411-FBEC-4F19-9163- CC120C6ED303
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
June 8, 2022
Subject: Guadalupe Gardens Encampment Work Plan
contract with the County.9 In summary, the plan allocates $6.2 million for Homeless Prevention and Rental Assistance and $9.3 million for Homeless Support Programs. The Housing Department is coordinating with the County to provide funding for rental assistance, supportive services, deposits, and move-in support for targeted encampments. The proposed spending plan allocates $5.0 million for this activity over two years, including a $2.1 million allocation of funding in 2022-2023, which supports the City’s efforts to provide housing options for people living in the Guadalupe Gardens and other targeted encampments. The Housing Department will return to the City Council to recommend additional funding to the City-administered rapid rehousing programs later in the fiscal year.
CEQA
Not a Project, File No. PP17-009, Staff Reports, Assessments, Annual Reports, and Informational Memorandums that involve no approvals of any City action.
/s/ /s/
JACKY MORALES-FERRAND JON CICIRELLI
Director, Housing Department Director of Parks,
Recreation, and Neighborhood Services
For questions, please contact Andrea Flores Shelton, Deputy Director Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services at [email protected] or Ragan Henninger, Deputy Director, Housing Department at [email protected].
9 Council Memo May 17, 2022 – Measure E Real Property Transfer Tax Proposed Spending Plan for FY2022-23:
https://www.sanjoseca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/85635/637877750672170000