TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND FROM: Jacky Morales-Ferrand
CITY COUNCIL Jim Shannon
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: June 23, 2022
Approved Date
06/28/22
SUBJECT: AUTHORIZATION TO NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE GRANT
AGREEMENTS AND GRANT AMENDMENTS FOR MULTIPLE
HOMELESS PROGRAMS IN FISCAL YEAR 2022-2023
SUPPLEMENTAL
REASON FOR SUPPLEMENTAL MEMORANDUM
This supplemental memorandum provides an update on the proposed sites in the SOAR Expansion Program.
BACKGROUND
On March 16, 20211, the City Council directed the Administration to expand the Services, Outreach, Assistance and Resources (SOAR) program. On May 3, 20222, the City Council approved the SOAR Expansion Criteria and the Housing Department agreed to return to City Council with a list of the proposed sites for the SOAR Expansion Program. The SOAR Expansion Program criteria are in Attachment A.
ANALYSIS
The 2020-2025 Community Plan to End Homelessness prioritizes improving the quality of life for unsheltered individuals and creating healthy neighborhoods for all. Specifically, one of the goals is to increase street outreach, hygiene services, and transportation options to match the
1 March Budget Message for Fiscal Year 2021-2022
2 City Roadmap - Encampment Management and Safe Relocation Policy COUNCIL AGENDA: 06/28/22
FILE: 22-1029
ITEM: 8.3
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
June 23, 2022
Subject: Authorization to Negotiate and Execute Grant Agreements and Grant Amendments for Multiple Homeless Programs in Fiscal Year 2022-2023
needs of unsheltered residents. The SOAR program provides proactive street outreach and case management, portable restrooms and trash services, and housing and shelter referrals for encampment residents. For reference, the existing sixteen SOAR sites can be found in Attachment B.
Homeless encampments may appear to be stagnant, but the number of individuals who live within an encampment is dynamic. Individuals often shift from one location to another when there is an abatement or sometimes individuals move locations to increase their personal safety.
Encampment sizes, service levels, jurisdiction, and setbacks can change depending on where individuals shift. SOAR locations must be dynamic to ensure people are served and ultimately provided access to programs, services, and housing. For example, four of the sixteen original SOAR sites were abated at least once due to City projects, safety issues, or the camps fell within BeautifySJ defined setbacks. The sites re-encamped in some form and services and street outreach followed. Additionally, the Aborn/Thompson Creek site is no longer encamped due to work in the area performed by Valley Water and the natural trend of people moving. The Roberts/Coyote Creek location is also no longer encamped due to the City construction of a new trail. As encampments change, the Housing Department has the ability to shift resources to help meet the needs at other camps. Currently, HomeFirst street outreach teams are prioritizing efforts to support the closure of the Guadalupe Gardens encampment. The teams will continue their enhanced work at Guadalupe Gardens until the site is cleared in September 2022.
SOAR Expansion
The Housing Department developed criteria to guide the selection of the new sites in the SOAR Expansion Program. The criteria were developed based on the following; • Encampment management principles of equity, effectiveness, and efficiency; • Lessons learned from operating the program during the pandemic, and • Input from BeautifySJ staff, community homeless advocates, and individuals with lived experience of homelessness.
The Housing Department is proposing five new sites for the SOAR Expansion Program, which can be found in Table 1. The expanded SOAR sites were chosen based on the approved criteria.
Each site meets at a minimum five of the seven criteria, including size, service level, physical layout, alignment with setbacks, census data, and public projects.
Table 1: SOAR Program Expansion Sites
Expanded SOAR Sites Council District
Blossom Hill/Monterey (4 cloverleaves) 2
Eden Park Place/Rue Ferrari (Recreation Vehicles) 2
15th between Charles and Commercial (Recreation Vehicles) 3 Monterey and Branham 2
Capitol and Monterey (westbound/eastbound) 7
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
June 23, 2022
Subject: Authorization to Negotiate and Execute Grant Agreements and Grant Amendments for Multiple Homeless Programs in Fiscal Year 2022-2023
Two recreational vehicle (RV) sites are proposed, as a pilot, to determine if the SOAR model is successful for RV encampments. Individuals living in RVs often do not identify as homeless, but instead, see themselves as not having a “safe” place to park. The pilot will track progress and metrics for how long it takes to transition a person living in an RV on the streets to a safe parking destination or permanent housing location. Similar to “regular” encampments, RV sites also need routine trash services.
Future of SOAR & Outreach
Street outreach and encampment management efforts continue to be a priority for the City in alignment with the Community Plan to End Homelessness. Initially implemented as an emergency response to COVID-19, the SOAR program continues to iterate and evolve to meet the needs of unsheltered encampment residents throughout the stages of the pandemic and into recovery. Sites are monitored and may change based on need. Currently, street outreach teams are focused on the closure of the Guadalupe Gardens encampment in September 2022 and no new sites will be added to the program until after the closure. This fall, the Housing Department will provide an information memorandum to the Council on the closure of the Guadalupe Gardens encampment and the destinations of the encampment residents. The memorandum will also include updates on the SOAR sites and any new sites recommended as street outreach team capacity becomes available with the closure of Guadalupe Gardens.
In Fiscal Year 2022-2023, the Housing Department will conduct an evaluation of all the City’s outreach programs. The Housing Department has five contracts for street outreach services, including SOAR. The evaluation will include a cost and resource analysis of all outreach and engagement programs, including reactive Citywide outreach and proactive targeted outreach in the downtown and identified encampments along the waterways. The purpose of the evaluation is to determine strategies to leverage resources, including nonprofit personnel and funding sources, and improve service delivery. It’s also an appropriate time to redesign and implement lessons learned from the City’s shift to encampment management over the past two years. A redesigned outreach program will be competitively procured through a request for proposals and new contracts brought to Council for approval that would be in place for the Fiscal Year 2023-
24. HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
June 23, 2022
Subject: Authorization to Negotiate and Execute Grant Agreements and Grant Amendments for Multiple Homeless Programs in Fiscal Year 2022-2023
COORDINATION
This memorandum has been coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office and the Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department.
/s/
JACKY MORALES-FERRAND JIM SHANNON
Director, Housing Department Budget Director
The primary author of this memorandum is Vanessa Berretta, Senior Development Officer. For questions, please contact Kelly Hemphill, Homelessness Response Manager, at [email protected].
Attachment A: SOAR Expansion Program Criteria
Attachment B: Existing SOAR Sites
Attachment A
SOAR Expansion Program Criteria
Consideration Description
Encampment
Definition
The City of San Jose defines an encampment as “any camp located along a sidewalk, other public rights of ways, creek or other waterway located in San Jose that has not been permitted” by the agency with jurisdiction over that property.
Encampment
Size
Size was the sole criteria when the original sites were selected at the start of the pandemic. It is still an important factor, as large encampments can impose other public health concerns such as sanitation and disease.
Point in Time
Count Census
Data
The PIT count, or census count, conducted every two years provides data per Council District. The 2019 count found that Council Districts 3, 6 and 7 have the highest number of homeless residents. SOAR locations should, to the extent possible, be based on the number of people living in a locations.
Service Level
Needs
Some locations may have higher levels or specific service needs. For example, sites may require close coordination with County Behavioral Health, Valley Homeless Healthcare or County Re-entry where an increased level of support through SOAR is beneficial. Services will include ensuring people are assessed for supportive housing programs, assisting with basic needs, directly referring to temporary housing (such as emergency shelters, motels or emergency interim housing programs), or working to obtain relevant documents to secure permanent housing or mainstream benefits and services.
City
Jurisdiction
A lesson learned from SOAR during the pandemic is that it is important that the sites be on City controlled land, particularly if the goal of the SOAR program is to manage an encampment, provide services and is a low priority for abatement. Some SOAR sites not on City property were abated last year making it difficult to provide services.
Alignment with
Encampment
Setback
Guidelines
Sites that meet the criteria for the abatement program as being a high priority will not be selected. It will be important to select sites that are not in encampment setback areas such as the school buffer zones.
Public Projects
Another lesson learned from implementing SOAR in the first year was that some sites were abated as they were in locations that were in construction project areas. For example, a site along the Coyote Creek trail was abated to make way for a trail project.
Physical
layout/location
A critical service of the SOAR program is onsite portable restrooms, handwashing stations and dumpsters. An encampment must have accessible areas to place equipment and be serviced regularly by trucks.
Attachment B
Existing SOAR Sites
SOAR Sites Council District Status Provider
Corie Court/Coyote Creek 3 Current site PATH
Guadalupe/87/Woz/Park 3 Current site PATH
Virginia/Guadalupe River Trail 3 Current site PATH Brokaw/Old Oakland/Coyote Creek 3 Current site PATH Spring/Hedding/Coleman 3 Current site HomeFirst
Roosevelt Park/Coyote Creek 3 Current site HomeFirst Olinder/Williams/16th/Coyote Creek 3 No longer
occupied
HomeFirst
St. James Park 3 Current site PATH
Willow/Lelong/Guadalupe 6 Current site HomeFirst
Felipe 7 No longer
occupied
HomeFirst
Roberts/Coyote Creek 7 No longer
occupied
HomeFirst
Tully/Capitol/Coyote Creek 7 Current site PATH
Coyote Meadows/Remillard Court 7 Current site PATH
Stone/Cimino 7 Current site HomeFirst
Aborn/Thompson Creek 8 No longer
occupied
HomeFirst
87/Branham/Narvaez 10 Current site HomeFirst