1 Standing Committee on Homelessness
May 22, 2025
Meeting Minutes
The May 22, 2025 Standing Committee on Homelessness was called to order By Chair Melendez at 8:31 am in City Council Chambers, 200 Civic Center Drive, Vista, California.
Committee Members Present:
Deputy Mayor Katie Melendez, Chair
Mayor John Franklin, Vice Chair
Staff Present
John Conley, City Manager
Beverly Roxas, City Attorney
Kathy Valdez, City Clerk
Imelda Huerta, Assistant City Manager
Jonathan Lung, Homeless Services Program Manager
Daniel Sturman, Management Analyst
Pledge of Allegiance
Chair Melendez led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Approval of Minutes
Approved the April 24, 2025, meeting minutes.
D1. Agreement with San Diego Rescue Mission for Outreach Services Management Analyst Daniel Sturman introduced the item.
Daniel Schacht, San Diego Rescue Mission Director of North County Outreach, provided a presentation and answered questions.
Committee members, staff, and presenter discussed the following:
• Pleased with work on current contract and supportive services offered by agency • Mapping is a helpful tool
• Data collection is very important; build on exit surveying; review dashboards and modify key metrics as needed; by-name list extremely important and helpful; look closer at the length of time clients have lived in Vista; compare data to one month and one year ago
• Twelve new staff positions, including a data specialist, will work on the project; an additional four staff work on existing contract
• Provide feedback on what is working and challenges
Recommendation to full City Council:
Approval of the agreement with San Diego Rescue Mission for Outreach Services
2 D2. Agreement with Jewish Family Services for the Safe Parking Program Management Analyst Daniel Sturman introduced the item.
Nicole McCune, Director of Safe Parking, provided a presentation and answered questions.
Committee members, staff, and presenter discussed the following:
• New contract would extend the program through June 30, 2027; funded by Encampment Resolution Funds
• Concern about length of stay (91 days) prior to exit to permanent housing, would like to see reduced
• Positive exits are about 35%, increased to about 50% which includes those receiving hotel vouchers
• Concern about cost per client/positive exit; if full the cost per client is reduced • Housing navigator, master lease, subsidized housing may be better use of funds • Many users are seniors/disabled
• Supportive services offered on site
• Program plays a role in overall efforts to address homelessness
Recommendation to full City Council:
Approve agreement with Jewish Family Services for the Safe Parking Program
D3. General Homelessness Updates
Homeless Services Program Manager Jonathan Lung and Management Analyst Daniel Sturman introduced the item and each of the following individuals gave an update from their respective program:
Daniel Schacht provided an update for the San Diego Rescue Mission Brenda Viveros, Shared Housing System Manager, Townspeople Nanette Steenstra, Administrative Statistician, Retread Esperanza Zapico, Executive Director, Operation HOPE was available to present, but unable to do so due to time constraints.
Committee members, staff, and providers discussed the following:
• Franklin stated he sent a letter to RTFH requesting unincorporated areas not be included in the Point in Time Count numbers for the closest city; Melendez agreed; Lung explained the count is done by census tract, which does not align with city boundaries, date available by census tract, and BCNC numbers were attributed to the appropriate city
• SDRM numbers look at 90 day period (HUD standard); drop off by-name list if enter permanent housing or unable to contact in last 90 days; interested in knowing the number that have one contact and those that re-entered and how long individuals have been in the street; want number by living situation (encampment, other categories TBD) and detailed account of veterans • SDRM establishing chronic list (high utilizers); licensed clinical social worker will work with this group, smaller case load
• Working with partners to get a full by-name list
3 • Townspeople serving 17 households, four master leases, average cost of rent is just over $1,000/month; cost per client is high, more people participating will reduce per client cost
• Housing stabilization is important; is sustainable
Adjournment
Chair Melendez adjourned the meeting at 10:44 am