FOR THE COUNCIL MEETING OF JULY 16, 2024
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
TO: City Council
FROM: Interim City Manager Alex Posada
BY: Assistant City Manager Chuen Wu
SUBJECT: Status Update on Encampment Response Efforts
The City Council will receive a status update on encampment response efforts and services to assist the unsheltered in the Santa Maria community.
BACKGROUND:
The City of Santa Maria has actively engaged in efforts to address homeless encampments, in conjunction with efforts by Santa Barbara County and other partner agencies and non -profit organizations, including but not limited to Good Samaritan Shelter and Ci ty Net. The City’s efforts include coordination from the City Manager’s Office, field outreach and enforcement from Police and Rangers and business support from Code Enforcement. Employees from other departments such as Public Works and the City Attorney’s Office also contribute as part of a City task force focused on homelessness and encampment response.
DISCUSSION:
Homelessness is a complex social issue and similarly, encampments within communities are challenging to manage and resolve. There is attent ion to and efforts toward addressing homelessness and encampments through the planning and provision of new permanent and interim housing, along with supportive services, as well as enforcement efforts to keep neighborhoods clean and safe. The planning and development of new housing, even for an interim facility on a temporary basis, requires funding, community acceptance, and other necessary permits.
Enforcing the clearance of an encampment requires diligence and persistence, and adherence to proper noti cing requirements and compliance with case law, such as the 2018 court decision of Martin v. Boise. The latest Supreme Court ruling on June 28, 2024, upholds ordinances of the City of Grants Pass, Oregon, that prohibits camping on public property. This rul ing overrides the Martin v. Boise decision, which had prevented cities from enforcing anti-camping ordinances if there were not enough homeless shelter beds available for the homeless population.
The point -in-time count for Santa Maria in 2024 reports 4 24 individuals who are experiencing homelessness. Of these individuals, 189 are reported sheltered, 138 are 2 reported living outdoors, and 97 are reported living in vehicles. These numbers are a decrease from 2023, in which 472 were reported experiencing ho melessness, with 162 reported sheltered, 211 reported living outdoors, and 99 reported living in vehicles.
Between 2023 and 2024, we s aw an increase in numbers located in shelters and a decrease in numbers of those living outdoors, from 211 to 138. This is a trend in the right direction since those that live outdoors are most vulnerable to adverse conditions.
In Santa Maria, individuals experiencing homelessness are found in the Santa Maria riverbed, along the Santa Maria Valley railroad, and in other locations throughout the City, including streets in industrial areas, with individuals living in cars and RVs. Community service officers of the police department monitor these areas and issue municipal code violation notices to those in encampments, referenci ng sections regulating unlawful camping, trespassing, obstruction of pathways, or other applicable violations. City Rangers assist in monitoring parks, trails, and other City-owned properties and facilities.
Code Enforcement Officers work closely with prop erty owners and businesses to coordinate efforts to mitigate encampments on private property, including commercial shopping centers. In these efforts, City staff strive to treat all individuals with respect and provide information on available services. Ou r police officers and rangers often know these individuals by name and their specific challenges and needs. Their familiarity with the community’s unsheltered individuals also gives them insight into trends, such as the migration of other unsheltered individuals moving into or passing through the community.
Earlier this year, in March 2024, Hope Village, an interim supportive housing community with 94 cabins, opened its doors to those experiencing homelessness, focused on unsheltered individuals in the Santa Maria community, those needing recuperative/respite care, and transitional-age youth. It is located across the street from Santa Barbara County offices at the corner of Centerpointe and Southside Parkways. Hope Village is a public - private collaboration between Good Samaritan Shelters, Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley, Dignity Health’s Marian Regional Medical Center, DignityMoves, and the County of Santa Barbara. Residents of Hope Village are provided housing navigation services, substance abuse disorder treatment, counseling and mental health treatment, education, and job placement opportunities. There are 24/7 staffing and security services; however, impacts to surrounding businesses remain an ongoing concern.
California State Housing and Community Dev elopment (HCD) has awarded Santa Barbara County funding to address homelessness and encampments with multiple rounds of Encampment Resolution Funding (CERF), with CERF -1 directed towards efforts in transit corridors (near highways and railways), CERF -2 in waterways and riverbeds, and CERF -3 towards individuals living in vehicles. Current efforts reflect the administration of funding from CERF-2, and the implementation of outreach and clean-up efforts in the Santa Maria riverbed. Efforts implementing goals o f CERF -3 are also underway.
In the month of April 2024, outreach workers and public safety employees from multiple jurisdictions focused on an encampment area in the Santa Maria riverbed, east of the 101 Freeway, identified as the Seaward/Magellan area. F rom this area, 14 individuals were 3 reported to enter a shelter, including the Santa Maria emergency shelter and Hope Village. These results reflect the diligent efforts of the outreach workers and employees who have spent time building trusting relationshi ps with those living on the riverbed.
These workers assess individuals’ needs and offer resources and connections to services, including but not limited to housing, employment, health, and social services.
Workers will focus their efforts on other areas of the riverbed later this year. However, these efforts are phased out over time as they are constrained by the availability of emergency housing and beds. An area just west of the 101 Freeway, with trash and debris easily visible to the public, has been identified as the next area for cleanup. Efforts in the Santa Maria riverbed require the coordination of multiple jurisdictions, including the City of Santa Maria, Santa Barbara County, San Luis Obispo County, and CalTrans, since the properties cross -jurisdiction lines. There are also many different property owners that have land in and near the riverbed.
Santa Maria and Santa Barbara County staff will present additional information on these efforts and be available for questions.