Santa Rosa City Council
November 15, 2022

Homelessness Solutions
Strategic Plan
City Council
November 15, 2022
Kelli Kuykendall
Housing and Community Services
1 Overview
• Background
• Purpose of Plan & Scope
• Process & Findings
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Key Strategies
• Implementation
• Council Feedback
2 Background
• Council Goal #2 – Reduce
Homelessness and its Impacts
• Homelessness in Santa Rosa
➢ 1,658 persons
➢ 66% unsheltered – 1,089
➢ 57% of Countywide Count –
2,893
➢ 13% increase from 2020 – 1,461
3 Background
• Increased Investment,
Coordination, Collaboration
• 2016 - Housing First Approach
• $5 million Annual Investment
• $2.3 million Safe Parking
• $10 million COVID Response
• InRESPONSE
• $24.6 State Homekey Award 4
Background
• RFP - Focus Strategies selected from 6
proposals received
• March 2022 – Strategic planning process
starts
• Regional Efforts
➢ Recently Adopted – Northern Sonoma
County, Cities of Sonoma and Petaluma
➢ CoC – December 2022
➢ Regional Effort to Evaluate Plans –
Sonoma County CDC, CoC, Homebase
➢ Potential adjustments to City Plan 5
Purpose of Plan
• 5-year Strategic Plan and Action
Plan aimed at achieving
“Functional Zero” in alignment
with Sonoma County CoC
• “Functional Zero” – Homelessness
is rare, brief, and non-recurring
and resources meet or exceed
demand
• Inflow and Outflow – 1:1 ratio 6
Purpose of Plan
• Identify resources and gaps
• Develop goals that are actionable,
measurable
• Implement strategies to
effectively reduce homelessness
in Santa Rosa
7 Scope of Services
• Phase 1: Conduct Assessment of
Existing Systems and
Stakeholders
• Phase 2: Synthesis and Draft Plan
Development
• Phase 3: Finalize and Approve
• Plan Implementation not part of
Scope of Services
8 Process – Phase 1 & 2
• Quantitative & Qualitative
Assessment
• Program and System Data – Santa
Rosa focused
• Stakeholder Engagement –
Assessment & Draft Plan Phases
• Draft Plan
9 Key Findings
Strengths
• Housing First
• Increased shelter capacity
• Outreach services
Opportunities
• Interim housing that supports rapid
transition to housing
• Prevention
• RRH, PSH, Affordable Housing
• Supportive Services
10 Stakeholder Engagement
Assessment Phase
39 one-on-one meetings
• City & Other City/County Staff (6)
• City Council (2)
• Health, Behavioral Health, Legal
Services, Business, Advocacy, Faith
(11)
• Lived Experience (20)
11 Stakeholder Engagement
Assessment Phase
5 Focus Groups
• Housing Provider/Developer
• Homeless Services Providers
• Lived Experience
• City Interdepartmental Groups (2)
12 Stakeholder Engagement
Assessment Phase
Community Input Session & Survey
• 75 attended
• Option to provide input via email
• 107 responses to survey
Draft Phase – Focus Group
• Housing, Business, Homeless
Services, Neighborhood,
County/other City, Advocacy, Lived
Experience
13 Stakeholder Feedback
• Improve unsheltered response
• Invest strategically in existing
system and new resources
• Further regional collaboration
• Increase access to services – basic
services, health, behavioral health,
substance use
• Increase housing solutions
• Focus on broader community well
being 14
Draft Strategic Plan
• Informed by local data, input from
stakeholders, aligned with best
practices
• Framework for guiding program
and policy decisions
• City is part of a broader system of
care
15 Strategy One: Performance
16 Improve the performance of the City’s
homeless response in alignment with the
regional homelessness response system
• Prevent homelessness
• Enrich and expand mobile outreach services
• Provide low barrier shelter
• Expand housing solutions
• Embrace Housing First
• Support people to retain housing
• Implement performance measurements
• Invest strategically
Strategy Two: Unsheltered
Response
17 Expand service-oriented responses to
unsheltered homelessness
• Provide services & support to encampments
• Build collaborative relationships with people
living in encampments
• Provide safe, temporary locations for people to
stay
• Connect unsheltered people to housing
• Provide enhanced community supports to
neighborhoods
Strategy Three: Collaboration
18 Continue and enhance collaboration in
regional homelessness solutions with key
stakeholders
• Adopt five-year plan
• Continue partnerships for regional housing
solutions
• Develop formal partnerships with regional
partners
• Include people with lived experience
• Center equity and address disparities
Modeling
19 • Data informs how population may
grow/shrink relative to system
changes
• 827 units – current system gap
• Adjusted 3-year model with increased
RRH & PSH = Sufficient shelter
capacity for unsheltered
• Adapt for Santa Rosa based on current
housing pipeline
Action Plan & Implementation
• Year One – 2023
• Builds on Key Actions
• Develop Implementation Plan
• Policy or Funding Considerations
to Council
20 Phase 3 – Adopt Plan
• Council feedback and revisions
• Potential alignment with Regional
Plans
• City Manager – ability to make
changes
21 Recommendation
22 It is recommended by the Housing and
Community Services Department that the
Council, by resolution: 1) approve the
Homelessness Solutions Strategic Plan for the
five-year period, 2023 through 2027, which
provides key strategies and actions to
improve the City’s response to homelessness
in alignment with the Sonoma County
Continuum of Care (CoC) to achieve
“Functional Zero” homelessness;
Recommendation cont’d
23 and 2) authorize the City Manager to make
minor or non-substantive modifications to
amend the Strategic Plan to ensure alignment
with the CoC regional plan.