Agenda Item: 2
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
NEW BUSINESS
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
DATE: May 24, 2022
SUBJECT: 2022 COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN TO ADDRESS
HOMELESSNESS
DEPARTMENT: Community Development
PRESENTER: Michael Villegas
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council receive a presentation on the 2022 Community Plan to Address Homelessness.
BACKGROUND
The City of Santa Clarita (City) has provided support for local nonprofit homeless service providers, such as Bridge to Home and Family Promise, since Santa Clarita’s first emergency shelter was opened in 1997. This support includes annual City grant funding, annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, and the Los Angeles County (County) Homeless Initiative Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness. In addition, the City has donated land worth approximately $3 million to Bridge to Home and Family Promise for the development and construction of a permanent, year-round homeless shelter and transitional-housing facility, respectively.
With the passage of Measure H in 2017, a quarter-cent sales tax to help fund resources for homeless services for 10 years, the Santa Clarita City Council created the Ad Hoc Committee on Homeless Issues, led by Councilmembers Smyth and McLean. Under the guidance of both Councilmembers, the City led the development of the Community Plan to Address Homelessness (Community Plan), a comprehensive research plan created with the help of a $50,000 grant from the County in order to identify priorities in Santa Clarita, which was officially adopted in 2018.
With the adoption of the Community Plan, the City, in partnership with the Community Task Force on Homelessness (Task Force), has sought to develop solutions to address the steadily increasing issues associated with homelessness that face our communities. Over 35 stakeholders from across the Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) have contributed to the implementation and completion of the Community Plan through consistent collaborative efforts designed to build ownership of the plan and its priorities, align local resources, and ensure that goals are met.
To accomplish the action items identified in the Community Plan, the Task Force has met monthly since adoption and established four subcommittees: 1) Prevention/Coordination of Resources, 2) Increasing Income, 3) Direct Services, and 4) Affordable Housing. Through these subcommittees, the Task Force was able to accomplish 27 action items identified in the Community Plan, with some major accomplishments including:
• Creation of safe drug disposal and sharps drop-off locations at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station and Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital
• Increased mental health service capacity offered through new on-site wellness centers at various school sites across multiple school districts in Santa Clarita
• Execution of six innovation grants, which provided funding for a student affordable housing feasibility study and shared housing pilot program, led by College of the Canyons and Bridge to Home, respectively
• Development and deployment of santaclaritahomelessaction.org, a website dedicated to the efforts of the Task Force, including extensive information on service providers in SCV
• Completion of two comprehensive resource guides for all organizations serving the homeless and at-risk of homelessness populations, which are available on the Task Force’s website
With the completion of the majority of action items listed in the Community Plan, over the last six months, the Task Force has completed a thorough three-year review and held two brainstorming sessions for the development of a new Community Plan based on the current needs of Santa Clarita communities. The new two-year Community Plan builds on the existing efforts to prevent and combat homelessness, and serves as the next phase in the Task Force’s attempt to mitigate the occurrence of homelessness. Like the 2018 plan, the new Community Plan identifies key actions items that will be facilitated by four subcommittees: 1) Advocacy and Coordination of Resources, 2) Direct Services, 3) Housing, and 4) Prevention.
The proposed new Community Plan is attached for reference. The action items within it are substantially complete. Upon approval of the City Council, staff will meet with the Task Force to finalize the new Community Plan and move forward with implementation.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
Other action as determined by the City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this item.
ATTACHMENTS
Draft 2022 Community Action Plan