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CITY OF SIMI VALLEY
MEMORANDUM
March 6, 2023
TO: City Council
FROM: Department of Environmental Services
SUBJECT: DIRECTION ON THE TASK FORCE ON HOMELESSNESS
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended the City Council provide direction on t he Task Force on Homelessness.
BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW
On January 25, 1999, the City Council approved the formation of the Task Force on Homelessness. The Task Force was established to evaluate the issue of homelessness with a focus on resource allocation and availability, clarification of roles and responsibilities of the County, other public agencies and non -profit service providers, and to develop recommendations to the City Council. As the issue of the homelessness has evolved both locally and nationally, so has the focus of the Task Force. The City Council last modified the role and structure of the Task Force in September 2017 in response to the community’s evolving approach to the issue and to allow for ongoing comm unity dialogue. At its November 2022 meeting, the Task Force on Homelessness discussed its name and recommended a change to the City Council. As a result of that recommendation, the City Council requested during its January 9, 2023, meeting that a discussion of the future direction of the Task Force be brought back for discussion.
FINDINGS AND ALTERNATIVES
History and Role of the Task Force
The Task Force on Homelessness has been in existence for over 24 years. The primary reason it was established was to assess the services available to City of Simi Valley residents and to identify who was providing those services. Over the years, through community dialogue and inter-agency collaboration, access to mental health, healthcare, food subsidy, affordable housing, and navigation of the court system has greatly improved. As these improvements were implemented by the various service providers, the Task Force’s role has shifted away from resource and referral to general p olicy discussions with the member agencies to continue to enhance access to services to those in need. The most recent recommendations from the Task Force have been related to AGENDA ITEM NO.
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encouragement of participation in Project Homekey funding should a viable pr oject present itself, implementation of a pilot Safe Park Program, and participation in the Ventura Countywide Homelessness Memorandum of Understanding. While not attributable to the Task Force’s efforts, there have been a number of significant accomplishments among participating agencies, including Project Roomkey during the COVID19 pandemic, comprehensive listing of services available in East Ventura County, increased access to mental health services, a strong network of food pantries and other food subsidy programs, additional affordable housing units constructed within the City, the Free Clinic’s Multi Services Center, ongoing winter warming shelter, year -round dinner sites, and overall greater coordina tion of services under the guidance of the County’s Continuum of Care.
Regional Coordination and the Ventura County Continuum of Care
It should be noted that the Task Force was created prior to the current structure of the Ventura County Continuum of C are (CoC). The CoC is a regional planning body of representative stakeholders with the goal of ending homelessness within Ventura County.
The CoC m akes data-driven decisions on fun ding and policy recommendations , which informs the d irection of the County’s Chief Executive Office on service provision . The CoC distributes federal funding and coordinates housing and service strategies to prevent and end homelessness consistent with federal policies and requirements. The CoC members have identified a variety of successes through the use of best practices for the coordination and delivery of services that have been implemented throughout the country.
As a result, the CoC directly influences the service delivery of the County Departments currently represented on the Task Force. Additionally, with the establishment of the CoC with the support of the County’s Chief Executive Office , many of the gaps previously identified by the Task Force in regards to access to resources have been filled and replaced prior City efforts guided by the Task Force. City staff are well engaged with the CoC and Ms. Mara Malch is a member of the CoC Governance Board.
While the County of Ventura is the primary governmental social service provider to the City’s residents, there are 34 participating partner agencies that participate in the CoC’s Coordinated Entry P athways to Home. The Coordinated Entry syste m ensures that homelessness is being addressed on a regional basis and that the most vulnerable residents are prioritized in the provision of housing and supportive services.
The City has various staff members that suppor t the City’s efforts to collaborat e and partner with the County and various non -governmental service agencies providing services to the community. These staff members, several of whom provide direct support to the Task Force, spend a significant amount of time responding to inquiries, connecting individuals to services, and working with other agencies to ensure community representation in policy discussions. These efforts are not directed by the Task Force and will continue regardless of the status of the Task Force.
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Task Force Membership
Over time, the Task Force membership grew to a total of 31 members due to the community’s interest in the issue; however, it became apparent with time that this was not the appropriate structure for the Task Force. As a result of various Task Force members’ participation in the CoC, which functions in accordance with the guidelines defined by federal law, in 2017 a request was made to restructure the City’s Task Force to be more responsive to the issue of homelessness in Simi Valley , resulting in representation from the following agencies:
Two City Council Members
Three Representatives from Local Service Providers
Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce
Area Housing Authority of the County of Ventura
Ventura County Health Care Agency
Ventura County Human Services Agency
Ventura County District 4 Supervisor’s Office
State Senator or Assembly Member
Simi Valley Unified School District; and
Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District
The Task Force membership has direct influence within their primary organi zations, as they relate to and serve the City’s residents. As such, the majority of the Task Force agenda items are focused on resource sharing rather than policy discussions because the policy formation happens within the respective service provider agenc ies with guidance from CoC discussions and Coordinated Entry data. When City staff brings forward agenda items for discussion there is typically a second discussion that occurs among the City Council that generally mirrors that of the Task Force.
Task Force Name
Recently, the issue was raised that since its formation in 1999 , the language used to describe the issue of homelessness and identify individuals at risk of or experiencing housing instability has evolved.
The narrative used to inform discuss ions of the issue of homelessness, poverty , and housing insecurity has greatly transformed over the past 30 years. While many government agencies and resources still use the word homeless, many feel that “unhoused” is a more accurate descriptor as many ind ividuals experiencing homelessness are doing so in the community they call home. The use of unhoused is commonly believed to reduce stigmas directed at the person focusing the narrative on the housing status of the individual. This removes the stigmas as sociated with other experiences that housed persons also face such as housing instability, food insecurity, mental health challenges, and substance use/disorders.
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At the November 10, 2022, meeting, the Task Force had a brief discussion including a summary of a small poll of Samaritan Center clients. The Samaritan Center asked 16 clients onsite that morning about their preference of being identified as homeless or unhoused. The results varied with seven preferring homeless, five preferring unhoused, and four with no preference. A motion was made to recommend the Task Force on Homelessness be renamed to the Task Force for the Unhoused. The motion passed with a vote of seven in favor and two opposed. The opposing votes came from the representatives from the Samaritan Center and the Chamber of Commerce.
Therefore, staff is requesting direction on the future of the Task Force on Homelessness both in function and in name.
SUGGESTED CITY COUNCIL MOTION
Staff has no suggested motion.
SUMMARY
The City Council approved the formation of the Task Force on Homelessness in January 1999. Since that time much has changed at the federal, state and regional level s in the realm of homelessness, mental health, health care, housing instability, and food insecurity. The Task Force has had several modifications over the years with the most recent realigning its membership in 2017. In November 2022, the Task Force recommended a change to its name. During the City Council ’s consideration of that recommendation in January 2023, staff was directed to bring back a full discussion of the Task Force. As such, staff is seeking direction on the future of the Task Force on Homelessness.
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Stratis Perros
Environmental Services Director
Prepared by: Mara Malch, Deputy Environmental Services Director 4