From: Kate Haug
To: Mary Gourley
Subject: SAVS RV Village - What is the Exit Strategy? Public Comment - 7/19/22 Date: Friday, July 15, 2022 4:36:51 PM
Dear Council Members,
I thank the SAVS team for producing their quarterly report. While I do not support hosting any more transient services in Sebastopol as our town has a disproportionate amount and the highest per capita of transient services of any City in Sonoma County, I appreciate the report.
One major question I have is: what is the exit strategy for current residents? They are receiving free rent, free utilities, free food and free medical care. When SAVS has to dismantle this site, what is the plan for current residents? I ask that the exit plan be incorporated into the next quarterly report as it will be September/October and the site will close in December.
Do SAVS case workers help people receiving these economically significant and socially generous benefits packages to get jobs and save money so they can become self-sufficient when the program shuts down? We are in a labor shortage and if a person gets a minimum wage job, they could save at least $6000 as they have zero expenses. It seems the majority of residents are still within employment range.
For the residents who qualify for social security and other age-related benefits, is there a plan to secure senior housing for them in Sonoma County or some other location? For the next quarterly report, I would like to see a breakdown of which residents are employed and a transition plan for each of the 26 villagers. It would be terrible for the community, taxpayers, City staff, neighbors and Council people to make this huge investment in this program only to have people exit it with no plan in place.
Thank you for your work,
Kate Haug