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CITY OF SEBASTOPOL
CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM REPORT
Meeting Date: November 1, 2022
To: Honorable Mayor and Honorable City Councilmembers
From: Councilmember Rich (City Council’s Liaison to Service Providers for the Unhoused) Councilmember Glass (Sebastopol City Council’s Continuum of Care Appointee) Subject: Letter of Support to Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to Authorize the Interim Director of the Community Development Commission to enter into an agreement of up to $330,000 in discretionary funds to continue the operation of the Horizon Shine RV parking program in Sebastopol through June 30, 2023
Recommendation: That the City Council Authorize the Mayor to sign the Letter of Support Funding: Currently Budgeted: ______ Yes _______ No __X__ N/A Net General Fund Cost:
Amount: $_________________
Account Code/Costs authorized in City Approved Budget (if applicable) _AK___ (verified by Administrative Services Department)
PURPOSE/INTRODUCTION:
This item requests that the City Council Authorize the Mayor to sign the Letter of Support to Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to Authorize the Interim Director of the Community Development Commission to enter into an agreement of up to $330,000 in discretionary funds to continue the operation of the Horizon Shine RV parking program in Sebastopol through June 30, 2023.
BACKGROUND:
SAVS has partnered with the City to furnish professional services for Operation of Horizon Shine. Horizon Shine (the City’s RV Pilot Program) is open and operational, with full occupancy. It is providing a managed, humane, safe, sanitary environment to lived-in vehicles that were formerly on Morris and adjacent streets. The opening of Horizon Shine has accomplished the priority task assigned by the Council to the Committee for the Unhoused, which was to identify a viable alternate location for the RV dwellers on Morris Street. The City has received quarterly reports on the success of Horizon Shine.
At the October 4, 2022 City Council meeting, the City Council made a commitment to continuation of support for Horizon Shine. Currently, the RV Village is open and operational and is fully funded through December 31, 2022.
The project received $368,000 in support from the Board of Supervisors as well as $60,000 from the City of Sebastopol to serve as an interim housing solution for the Morris Street encampment. The $60,000 contribution from the City had a net zero impact on the City Budget as the result of an $80,000 allocation in County discretionary funds to the City of Sebastopol to support the RV Village project.
The item tonight is to support continued funding from the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors for Horizon Shine to operate through June 30, 2023.
DISCUSSION:
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors at their November 1, 2022 Supervisors meeting will be discussing an agenda item to Authorize the Interim Director of the Community Development Commission to enter into an Agenda Item Number: 10 Agenda Item Number: 10
City Council Meeting Packet of: November 1, 2022
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agreement of up to $330,000 in discretionary funds to continue the operation of the Horizon Shine RV parking program in Sebastopol through June 30, 2023.
SAVS intends to continue the program for at least another 12 months (through December 31, 2023) but does not have the resources to do so. SAVS reached out to the Community Development Commission (CDC) and to the Board for funding.
This item would support the request before the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors for discretionary County funding (Contingencies) for the operations of Horizon Shine through June 30, 2023. During that time, the County (DHS and CDC) expects to release a competitive Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Measure O fund balance resources. Further, the Continuum of Care’s annual NOFA for State and local funds comes out in Spring 2023. The County Staff at the CDC has encouraged SAVS to apply under these NOFAs for the other funding it may need to continue Horizon Shine through 2023 at minimum.
Use of these funds if approved by the Board of Supervisors will ensure the continued delivery of affordable, dignified solutions to help address homelessness and will continue to provide participants a safe place to live with one-onone care to help everyone navigate their path to permanent housing.
CITY COUNCIL AND/OR GENERAL PLAN GOALS:
Goal 5: Provide Open and Responsive Municipal Government Leadership
5.3.3. Encourage and increase public awareness of City Policies, decisions, programs and all public processes and meetings, by investigating effective methods of communication and obtaining feedback from the community.
Action CHW 5c: Practice an open-door policy in City programs, and actively engage and encourage participation from all individuals regardless of ethnicity, race, religion, class, disability, sexual orientation, and gender.
Policy D-6 – Work to prevent homelessness and support housing services to the homeless.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
As of the writing of this staff report, the City has not received any public comment. However, if staff receives public comment from interested parties following the publication and distribution of this staff report such comments will be provided to the City Council as supplemental materials before or at the meeting. In addition, public comments may be offered during the public comment portion of this item.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
This item was noticed in accordance with the Ralph M. Brown Act and was available for public viewing and review at least 72 hours prior to schedule meeting date.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no cost associated with this item tonight.
RECOMMENDATION:
That the City Council Authorize the Mayor to sign the Letter of Support To Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to Authorize the Interim Director of the Community Development Commission to enter into an agreement of up to $330,000 in discretionary funds to continue the operation of the Horizon Shine RV parking program in Sebastopol through June 30, 2023.
Attachment:
Letter of Support
Agenda Item Number: 10 Agenda Item Number: 10
City Council Meeting Packet of: November 1, 2022
City Council
Mayor Patrick Slayter
Vice Mayor Neysa Hinton
Una Glass
Sarah Glade Gurney
Diana Rich
City Manager
Larry McLaughlin
[email protected]
Assistant City Manager/City Clerk, MMC
Mary Gourley
[email protected]
November 2, 2022
Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
575 Administration Drive
Room 100 A
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Dear Chair and Supervisors:
This letter is in support of the Funding Request for Horizon Shine RV Parking Program in Sebastopol that is scheduled to be discussed at the November 1, 2022 Board of Supervisors Meeting. Although this item may have been heard by the time you receive this letter, the City wants to reinforce our commitment to Horizon Shine.
Sebastopol is a small City with a limited budget and does not have the funds or staff to address the homeless and unhoused situation in the City of Sebastopol. To help address the homeless issue in our City, as you are aware, SAVS has partnered with the City to furnish professional services for Operation of Horizon Shine. Horizon Shine (the City’s RV Pilot Program) is open and operational, with full occupancy. It is providing a managed, humane, safe, sanitary environment to lived-in vehicles that were formerly on Morris and adjacent streets.
SAVS has provided a safe, supportive, healthy living space to people who were struggling to survive by the Pilot Program of Horizon Shine. Horizon Shine has provided to the residents a full array of services: sanitation, safety, mental health, medical, social services, and housing among others.
The approval of this funding will ensure the continuation of the RV Village, which has successfully offered a safe, supportive, case-managed living space to this group of unhoused who were formerly in an encampment on Morris Street and environs in Sebastopol. Approval would expend County discretionary funding (Contingencies) for the operations of Horizon Shine through June 30, 2023. During that time, the County (DHS and CDC) expects to release a competitive Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Measure O fund balance resources. The County Staff at the CDC has encouraged SAVS to apply under these NOFAs for the other funding it may need to continue Horizon Shine through 2023 at minimum.
This funding, if granted, will allow the RV Village a 6 month grace period during which SAVS can make the necessary arrangements for the long-term stability of the 25 people who call the Village their home. Without this funding, the RV Village will close, and these 25 individuals, with their RVs and other vehicles, will once again be turned out onto the streets of our County.
Agenda Item Number: 10 Agenda Item Number: 10
City Council Meeting Packet of: November 1, 2022
The City Council urges the Board of Supervisors to allocate the requested $330,000 in funding, bridging the current funding gap, and allowing SAVS to continue their successful operation of Horizon Shine.
Sincerely,
Patrick Slayter
Mayor
Agenda Item Number: 10 Agenda Item Number: 10
City Council Meeting Packet of: November 1, 2022