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Final Report Presented to The City Council on April 11, 2000
Introduction 3
Attachments 40
Final Report
The Homeless Issues Task Force was formed by the City Council to study
homeless issues and to develop recommendations to the Santa Cruz City Council
for ameliorating the conditions and conflicts relating to homelessness.
1) the development of permanent year round shelter for all segments
of the homeless community;
Eight members of the Homeless Issues Task Force (HITF) began work on
August 16, 1999. The City Council completed appointments in October, bringing
our number to 13. Members committed themselves to attending
twice-monthly regular meetings, as well as frequent task-driven subcommittee
meetings.
HITF meetings have been very lengthy, but as we became more familiar with each other and the city's advisory body procedures, our productivity steadily improved. Attendance and participation were excellent overall. There were a number of citizens who were not task force members who regularly attended task force and subcommittee meetings and did substantial amounts of legwork. Subcommittees met between regular task force meetings to research, sort and prepare items and recommendations that came to the HITF agenda for action. Subcommittees were charged with seeking new, practical, pro-active solutions. Our standing subcommittees were:
Once we organized and broke into subcommittees, the need for gathering fresh, relevant information directly from homeless individuals and families was evident. We were further moved by reports of a recent rash of anti-homeless assaults. We resolved to make a safe and confidential way for people who can not or will not usually visit public hearings to participate. A special task force meeting was held in November at the Homeless Services Center, and HITF members met with and interviewed dozens of homeless individuals. During the first three months of discussion and deliberation, the task force approved and forwarded recommendations to the City Council on matters we believed were extremely urgent as winter approached. We asked that the Council move forward quickly on these items, driven by humanitarian and moral concerns, without waiting for our final report. These were: The Camping Ordinance--We recommended repeal of this ordinance since the City does not have adequate indoor shelter for all its residents. (See appendix for the complete text of the resolution.) Rent Stabilization--Santa Cruz has among the highest rents relative to incomes in the nation. Many of the homeless are regularly, or even fully, employed and still cannot afford to rent a home. We recommended that the City adopt rent stabilization as a means of preventing new homelessness and as a means of assisting currently homeless people back into housing. Safe Sleeping Zones--We recommended that the City create safe, legal sleeping zones as there is clearly not enough appropriate indoor shelter, and those sleeping outside are subject to the threat of citation and arrest and the threat of violence. Parking Restrictions--We recommended that no additional parking
restrictions be
Winter Shelter Access--We recommended increased access to the Armory with a night bus and a linking bus to Labor Ready in the morning to accommodate the homeless worker's schedules. Homeless Survey--We recommended City support of the Homeless Survey and Needs Assessment coordinated by the United Way. We commend the City Council for supporting this countywide survey. Living Wage--We recommended that the City Council adopt a living wage ordinance to increase wage levels, thus making housing more affordable for some workers. In addition to these urgent recommendations, the HITF worked successfully to expedite the implementation of reduced fines for camping ordinance citations. The implementation had languished in the bureaucracy for months after the Council ordered the reduction in fines. The task force also helped initiate the creation of a process for the Interfaith Satellite Shelter Program to formally notify the City when the Armory emergency shelter is full. This will lead to periodic dismissal of camping ordinance fines, as is called for by the changes the City Council made last spring. The task force also initiated a draft advisory letter to provide important legal information about the camping ordinance to homeless people, the court system and the community at large. The letter has been presented to two Mayors and still awaits final revision and approval for distribution. In December, 1999, the task force completed work on its interim report
and presented recommendations to the City Council. The task force
received feedback on that report at informal meetings with Council members and at a January, 2000 City Council meeting. Based on that feedback,
which primarily suggested additional specificity in our recommendations,
the task force adopted a new approach to formulating its recommendations.
That approach resulted in the template format that follows.
It should be noted here, as it was in our interim report, that the task force did not delve into the issue of low-income housing in our formal recommendations. It was our decision that this was too large an issue for us to take on, even though the relationship between rising housing costs and growing homelessness is undeniable. We urge the City Council to make every effort to create additional low-income housing in Santa Cruz and to explore less conventional options that would expand housing opportunities. Obviously, we need to think more creatively since what we are doing now is less than adequate to meet the need of homeless people and people on the edge of homelessness. Recent news of the massive rent increases at the Cypress Point apartment complex and the fact that the median purchase price of a house in Santa Cruz County has now reached over $400,000 clearly reaffirm that "market forces" will not solve the problem of affordable housing in Santa Cruz without some government involvement (for example, the rent stabilization program we recommended in our interim report). We would also like to note our response to our charge to make recommendations on the responsibilities of homeless persons. I It is our belief that homeless individuals have the same responsibilities as other members of the community. However, we also recognize that those who are without resources are less likely to be able to meet their responsibilities. For instance, if a homeless person has no home or shelter to sleep in, it is difficult for him or her to meet his or her responsibility to not break the law by sleeping outside. If a person has a significant substance abuse problem, and there is no program available to help with treatment when it is sought, it is difficult to see how we can expect that person to meet all the responsibilities the community expects. We feel the best way to achieve a high level of responsibility in the homeless community is to provide resources and opportunities to improve the quality of homeless people's lives to a point where meeting ordinary social responsibilities is not so difficult. We wish to acknowledge the work that past task forces, City Councils,
service organizations and private organizations and individuals have done
in attempting to deal with various problems of homelessness. In the
spirit of honoring all the work that has been done before, though, it is
important to acknowledge that the reactive nature of this work has diluted
its efficiency and impact. Much of this effort has been undertaken
in response to impressions of the moment as to what are the most dramatic
problems. In the City of Santa Cruz, as across the nation, policies
and laws have been developed in the absence of an overall plan or a systematic
understanding of who is homeless and of what homeless people need and want.
With the recent United Way-sponsored homeless count and survey of needs,
the basis will soon exist to help the City, the County and other stakeholders
to collaborate in an effort to create a long-term, countywide plan to coordinate
and prioritize their efforts. This systematic and collaborative work
is essential if real progress is to be made in reducing the problems related
to homelessness in Santa Cruz. With this effort pending, our task force
chose not to prioritize our recommendations at this time.
Respectfully submitted by the members of the Homeless Issues Task Force:
Don Lane, Staff Coordinator Laura Tucker, Staff Assistant (*- Marilyn Weaver resigned from the task force at the conclusion of our final meeting.)
It should be noted that while not all of the specific recommendations on the following pages of this report were supported unanimously, this report was adopted unanimously as an accurate reflection of the proceedings of the task force. It should also be noted that the recommendations that follow are not
in a ranked or prioritized order. They are grouped by the issue areas of
our task force subcommittees: Shelter & Places to Sleep; Legal
& Law Enforcement; Outreach & Advocacy; and Treatment, Employment
& Other Services.
Problem: The National Guard Armory is the primary facility for emergency shelter in Santa Cruz, but it is not available for use as a shelter during more than half the year. Recommendation: Work with appropriate agencies and officials to make the Armory available year round through either additional ́rentalî days or through full acquisition. If successful, utilize the Armory year-round. Who will be served: Homeless individuals who qualify for the ISSP program but are currently turned away for lack of space during most of the year. How many will be served: Up to 100 individuals. Facility needs (size, location, licensing/permits): Facility already exists. Key participants in bringing this about: City Officials, State Officials, Armory Officials, ISSP program. Key obstacles: Magnitude of effort to change State law and National Guard policy. Major cost items: Operational costs of ISSP program for additional months. This could include $80,000 for additional rent and up to $185,000 for all other operational costs (estimates). Potential funding sources: State funds that currently subsidize armory, City Social Services Program, City Capital Improvement Funds, Federal grant that currently supports ISSP. Relation to City Council Assignment: Year-round shelter. Main selling points: Relatively low cost. Expands existing program rather than creating new program. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Contact State and National Guard officials. Task force vote: Unanimous. Problem: There is no emergency shelter tailored to meet the needs of homeless families with children in the City of Santa Cruz or Northern Santa Cruz County. Recommendation: That the City Council commit to working with other local government jurisdictions and local nonprofit agencies to create a shelter for homeless families with children. Who will be served: Homeless families with children under the age of 18. How many will be served: 5 to 10 families at a time. Up to 50 families per year. The Pajaro Valley Family Shelter served 150 people last year. Facility needs (size, location, licensing/permits): Residential
structure with capacity for at least five families at a time. Locate
in the City of Santa Cruz near public transportation in an area suitable
for children.
Key participants in bringing this about: City, County, Families in Transition,
Pajaro Valley Shelter Services, Homeless Services Agency, Shelter Project,
River Street Shelter, other agencies, real estate community.
Major cost items: Development or purchase & remodel of facility. Professional staffing of ongoing program. Pajaro Valley Shelter's annual operating budget is approximately $120,000 plus the cost of renting or purchasing the facility. Potential funding sources: City, City Redevelopment Agency, County, Children and Families Commission (formed by Prop 10), Scotts Valley, Capitola, State grants, Federal grants, Foundation grants, community fundraising. Relation to City Council assignment: Permanent, year-round shelter. Main selling points: Meets basic needs of poorest families and children. Low neighborhood impact. Widely recognized as a gap in current services in North County. Recent closing of McDowell group homes may provide opportunities for easy facility acquisition. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Set aside initial funds and invite County to jointly convene a working group to move this forward. Contact McDowell group homes. Begin grant request process with Prop 10 Commission. Task force vote: Unanimous. Use of Vacant Bay at Homeless Services Center Problem: When the kitchen project is complete, there will be a vacant bay at the Homeless Services Center that is not committed to any homeless program. Recommendation: Utilize this bay for a 15-20 bed shelter associated with the ISSP program. Who will be served: Homeless individuals. How many will be served: 15 to 20 individuals at any given time. Facility needs (size, location, licensing/permits): The facility is already available. Requires use permit change. Needs interior remodel. Key participants in bringing this about: City and Homeless Services
Center.
Major cost items: Staff cost could be modest or high depending on population to be served. Remodel and furnishing could be quite modest. Potential funding sources: CDBG for facility improvements. Local, State and Federal shelter funds, community fundraising. Relation to City Council Assignment: Year-round permanent shelter. Main selling points: City already controls the property. Is adjacent to other services. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Coordinate with Homeless Services Center. Task force vote: Unanimous. Safe Sleeping Zones in City Parks Problem: There are many homeless people camping out of doors illegally who have no legal place to sleep outdoors. Recommendation: Add a clause to camping ordinance section on parks use allowing that when there is a shelter emergency, the parks director shall designate a safe sleeping zone on a rotating basis in the above mentioned parks (which are Harvey West, DeLaveaga, and San Lorenzo). This would require daily breakdown of campsites. Who will be served: Homeless campers How many will be served: up to 50 people Facility needs: City parks that have large sections not immediately adjacent to residences and that have restroom facilities. Key participants in bringing this about: City Council, City Parks and Recreation Department, monitoring agency. Key obstacles: Neighbor concerns. Law enforcement concerns. Magnet concerns. How to limit size. Major cost items: Monitoring costs (by private security or existing program). Potential funding sources: City General Fund. Relation to City Council Assignment: Year-round emergency shelter's Main selling points: Low cost. Utilizes existing facilities. Keeps homeless campers safe. Provides method for keeping campsites clean and monitored. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Form working group of City officials, agencies, and community members. Task force vote: Unanimous. Medical Emergency Motel Voucher Program for Homeless Persons Problem: There is no permanent shelter location designed for homeless people who are experiencing medical emergencies and need a safe, appropriate environment in which to regain their health. When fully funded, the Community Action Board's H.O.M.E. motel voucher program ensures a safety net for homeless people who are ill, injured, or contagious and cannot stay at local emergency shelters that require residents to leave during the daytime hours. At times, there has not been sufficient funding for the Shelter Project's Motel Voucher Program. This means that at certain times of the year, there is no appropriate shelter available for homeless persons coming out of the hospital or with serious medical needs. Recommendation: Provide adequate funding to operate this program year round. Who will be served: Ill and injured homeless people. How many will be served: 362 people were served by this program in 1999. Facility needs (size, location, licensing/permits): Already in place. Key participants in bringing this about: City of Santa Cruz, County of Santa Cruz Key obstacles: Limits of City and County budgets. Major cost items: Voucher reimbursement costs. Potential funding sources: General funds of City and County. Relation to City Council Assignment: Additional year round shelter. Improves existing service. Main selling points: Strengthens an existing, successful program. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Adopt budget item. Work with County. Task force vote: Unanimous. Safe, Legal Vehicular Sleeping Problem: Many homeless people in Santa Cruz sleep in their vehicles at night. However, in the vast majority of cases, they are doing so in violation of the city's Camping Ordinance. These individuals have few, if any, other options to sleeping in their vehicles, and those options are generally less safe and equally illegal. Additionally, people sleeping in their vehicles frequently park in isolated places that are more vulnerable to crime and with less access to sanitary facilities. Recommendation: Support programs for expanding safe legal vehicular sleeping. The City should regulate vehicular sleeping rather than trying to prevent it. Who will be served: Homeless persons who sleep in their vehicles.
Secondarily, businesses and residents adjacent to locations where homeless
people frequently sleep in their vehicles.
Facility needs: Almost any variation on this recommendation can utilize
existing facilities. Addition of portable rest rooms may be required
depending on approach. [See below for several location options.]
Obstacles: Acceptance of community and City staff to use of selected locations. Concern for potential magnet effect from outside the community. Major cost items: There would be ongoing maintenance costs and, depending
on specific approach, could require staffing for permitting authority and
security.
Selling points:
Some specific approaches to consider under this general recommendation:
· Allow parking and vehicle sleeping in selected city parks adjacent to rest rooms and trash cans. Option: this could be rotated from park to park on a weekly or daily basis. · Allow parking and vehicle sleeping in carefully selected but widely dispersed locations throughout the City away from residences and close to sanitary facilities. Require that vehicles obtain a permit for this activity. Option: portable toilets could be placed in selected locations. Option: limit the number of permits. · Work with the ISSP to create a program to allow vehicle sleeping in parking lots of the same churches where indoor shelter is currently being provided. · Allow self-contained camping vehicles to park in designated areas that don't necessarily have sanitary facilities. · Lengthen or abolish the 3-day time limit a camping vehicle may park in a residential driveway (with the permission of the resident.) Option: establish a permit program for this kind of vehicle sleeping. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: City Council forms and participates in working group to develop the details. Task force vote: Unanimous. Problem: Homeless persons with camping citations are not fully aware of their rights and responsibilities in court. The state of the law and the precedents are often unclear. Recommendation: Distribute updated, edited version of the "considerations" letter (attached) to courts and to defendants in camping cases. This should be updated by the City Attorney when changes occur. Who will be served: Both homeless people with citations and the judges/court staff. How many will be served: as many as receive camping citations. Facility needs (size, location, licensing, permits): None.
Key obstacles: None. Major cost items: Printing Potential funding sources: Minimal City funds Relation to City Council Assignment: Rights and responsibilities of homeless people. Main "selling points": Informed defendants are more responsible defendants. A consistent court is more just. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Print attached letter and distribute to courts and homeless service agencies. Task force vote: Unanimous. Attachment: Proposed letter.
Problem: Miscommunication and conflict between downtown business owners and homeless people leads to inappropriate or unsatisfactory involvement of law enforcement agencies. Recommendation: Institute a downtown focus program for conflict resolution, involving various downtown constituents as trained mediators. Background: Downtown Santa Cruz Public Policy Mediation Project 1996 report suggests this approach to downtown issues Who will be served: Various downtown constituencies. How many will be served: Unknown. Facility needs (size, location, licensing, permits): Telephone answering service for mediators, meeting room for people involved in conflict resolution Key Participants in bringing this about: Conflict Resolution Program
(has indicated an interest), Downtown Merchants Association, homeless service
agencies
Major cost items: telephone answering service, cost of printing brochure Potential funding sources: City, foundation grants, State/Federal grants Relation to City Council Assignment: Enhances both rights and responsibilities of homeless people. Main "selling points": Mediation can prevent escalation of problems into legal issues. Will increase the comfort level downtown generally. There are many trained mediators in the community. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Contact the Conflict Resolution Program and request a written proposal to initiate this program. (This has already been informally discussed with Conflict Resolution staff.) Task Force vote: Unanimous. Legal Assistance for Homeless and Very Poor Defendants Problem: There is under-representation for homeless people in small legal cases. Public defenders are overworked and not available for the myriad of infractions and misdemeanors that arise out of the extreme poverty of homelessness. Legal Aid is only available for civil cases. Without lawyers or advocates, defendants cannot act responsibly with respect to their cases, and often let small cases turn into piles of warrants. Without legal representation for the defendants, cases cannot be tried fairly. Recommendation: The city should support development of a pro bono legal program. Who will be served: Homeless in need of legal help. Courts will also benefit from expedited cases. Paralegals will receive training. How many will be served: Unknown. Facility needs (size, location, licensing, permits): Office space, answering machine, telephone, fax, access to law library. Key Participants in bringing this about: Members of the legal profession, Homeless Services Center (passive assistance -- meeting space, referrals), perhaps others. Key obstacles: Cost. Concern about City's involvement in this activity. Major cost items: see "facility needs". Possible staffing costs, depending on structure of the program. Potential funding sources: Foundation grants. Relation to City Council Assignment: Protects rights of homeless people. Main "selling points": first steps towards developing pro bono legal aid for homeless defendants have been made by community members (including task force members). Will avoid accumulation of unresolved cases and warrants. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Set up working group for this program to determine needs and costs, and write a proposal for a pilot program. Task force vote: Unanimous. New Police Approach
to Drug Overdose Reports
Problem: Homeless people who use heroin are at higher risk because of their homeless status. Heroin, cheaper and stronger than in years past, is easier to overdose on than in the past as well. In the years 1995-98, at least 89 deaths from heroin overdose were recorded, some of them homeless individuals. The Drop-in Center found in its studies that younger heroin users (which overlaps with the homeless to a significant degree) were likely to have had two overdose experiences already and that the majority of them received no medical aid whatever for their overdoses. Heroin users state that they are afraid to call 911 in overdose situations because they will be charged with drug offenses. The police state that they are required to charge in these situations. Recommendation: Take steps to develop a policy with respect to the heroin overdose epidemic that will empower the City and the police to handle overdose calls in specific ways. This policy would direct the police not to arrest or charge for drug violations any person who calls to report an overdose situation and stays with the overdosing person to ensure his or her safety, whether or not the person is otherwise liable to be charged for those drug violations. This would not apply to other serious crimes if they happened to be committed at the time. Publicize this policy on the street, using various methods (a bus ad? leaflets? Don't let them die alone Call 911 and you won't go to jail). Who will be served: Heroin users among the homeless population (many of them young and/or of color). How many will be served: Unknown. Facility needs (size, location, licensing, permits): N/A Key Participants in bringing this about: City Council, City Attorney, Police Department. Key obstacles: Legal issues. Major cost items: Staff time working through the legal issues. Potential funding sources: City General Fund. Main selling points: This rewards people for taking responsibility, and it also has a potential for saving lives. It leaves the police free to help in OD crisis situations without fear of non-cooperation and still allows police to take action in unrelated criminal activity. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Research is needed into how this policy can be legally implemented without conflict with existing State law. Task force vote: Unanimous. Problem: Several of the recent heroin deaths have been among people
recently released from jail, who overdose on relatively small amounts of
heroin because they have lost their tolerance for the drug and because
the drug continues to sold in more concentrated forms.
Who will be served: Heroin users in the justice system. Facility needs: None. Key participants in bringing this about: Sheriff, City Council, Board of Supervisors Cost: Minimal training for jail personnel, perhaps the printing of a brochure. Potential funding sources: Sheriff's budget. Selling points: This is a relatively inexpensive and potentially effective
way to save lives.
Task force vote: Unanimous. Hate Crimes Protected Class Designation Problem: The homeless experience many more assaults, proportionately, than the housed. Last year (1999), the first for which we have figures, 51 out of 495 assaults were against the homeless: the homeless were three to five times more likely to experience an assault than the population at large. These assaults occurred for a variety of reasons: bigotry (targeted assaults, or hate crimes), the greater vulnerability of the alcohol or drug user, opportunity. We do not know how many of each cause, or if there are more. We do not know how many assaults have occurred in the past. The homeless are an especially vulnerable population. Our current measures do not adequately protect them. Recommendation: For those assaults that are targeted crimes, a systemic approach is needed. The City should join the National Coalition for the Homeless in supporting the move to make homelessness a protected class for the purpose of hate-crime laws. (The National Coalition for the Homeless proposal is attached.) The City should enact a local ordinance extending protection to the homeless and very poor and direct police and emergency services to keep and report statistics relating to crimes of this nature. Who will be served: The homeless community and the community as a whole. Cost: Some cost in adding fields to databases and adding new categories to annual reports. How many will be served: The entire homeless community. Facility needs: None. Key participants in bringing this about: City Council, Local health agencies, Police Department, advocates for homeless rights. Obstacles: Creating enforceable legal definitions for hate-crime legislation. Major cost items: None. Relation to Council assignment: Rights of homeless people. Selling points: Deals with one of the most immediate problems of the homeless community. Inexpensive. Joins City in national effort. Next step for city of Santa Cruz: Confirm that the Police Department has begun appropriate record-keeping. Meet with emergency care providers to ask for the same. Formal City communication with National Coalition for the Homeless. Task force vote: Unanimous. Youth Education and Violence Prevention Problem: The assailants in many of the assault cases involving homeless persons are groups of very young people. Recommendation: Special anti-violence and anti-hate crime programs should target youth of junior high school age. The City should ask the school districts to assess their approach to these issues and to update their programs in light of this problem. This may include increased recreational opportunities for junior high school and high school aged youth (such as a teen center). Parks and Recreation has already taken steps to increase these and to institute more programs that involve youth in positive ways around the community. Experience has shown that arts programs especially are effective in reducing violence among youth. Who will be served: Students, homeless community. How many will be served: Entire homeless community and thousands of teens. Facility needs: None. Key participants in bringing this about: School officials, City officials. Key obstacles: Getting schools to adopt this curriculum, in the context of so many other mandates. Major cost items: Developing and implementing curriculum. Increased teen recreation programs. Potential funding sources: Schools may be able to accomplish with minimal costs, or with costs offset by grant money. Parks and Recreation may need some City budget increase. Selling points: Prevention oriented. Experience in similar situations in the past has shown that these approaches are effective. There are some curricula available from National Coalition for the Homeless. Next steps for the City of Santa Cruz: Meet with school district representatives to discuss programs already in place and the issues which still need to be addressed. Meet with Parks and Recreation to ask what programs could be developed. Task force vote: Unanimous. Problem: Many of the homeless are assaulted repeatedly. Some are vulnerable because they are alcohol or drug abusers or are mentally or physically disabled. Others have not developed street smarts or a network for mutual aid. Recommendation: Support the creation of a victimization-reduction program for members of the homeless community including self-defense classes for women and training in developing mutual-aid networks. These classes could be held at the Homeless Services Center and at other venues. Those who attend can disseminate the information to others. Who will be served: The homeless community. How many will be served: Potentially, every member of the homeless community. Facility needs: Can use existing facilities. Key participants in bringing this about: City Council, Commission for Prevention of Violence Against Women, homeless services agencies. Key obstacles: Creating an effective curriculum. Achieving high participation. Major cost items: Payment for individuals to develop and implement training program. Potential funding sources: City General Fund, grants. Relation to City Council Assignment: Protects the rights of homeless people. Selling points: This encourages and supports homeless people taking responsibility for their own safety. People who participate in such programs frequently develop more generalized life skills which help them in other aspects of life. Classes for women's self-defense already exist through cooperation between Parks and Recreation and the Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Contact CPVAW for assistance. Form working group. Task force vote: Unanimous. The recommendations on the following two pages resulted from some conversations between task force members and homeless individuals who spoke of poor treatment by police including selective enforcement of public behavior laws, failure to take reports from homeless victims, excessive force, confiscation of belongings, and outright assault. The Civilian Police Review Board has not proven to be a satisfactory venue for homeless people to resolve these complaints. The two recommendations that follow are insufficient to deal with the whole problem in and of themselves but they offer a positive beginning. We believe the City Council needs to adopt these measures and to strengthen oversight and investigation of police abuses. This statement was adopted by a vote of 9 to 1. Relations
between Police and Homeless Community
Problem: The Santa Cruz Police Department is devoted to community policing. However, there are distances and miscommunications between the department and the homeless community and unevenness as to the quality of information the police have concerning the homeless community, its mixed characteristics and its needs. The Police Department has proposed a Homeless Resource Officer position to address these issues. Recommendation: Develop a working group of homeless and police representatives to share information about needs, problems and resources. Among other duties, this group should be in on the ground floor of creating the Homeless Resource Officer position and defining its work and training, if that is to go forward. Who will be served: Homeless community, Police Department. How many will be served: Unknown. Facility needs: None. Key participants in bringing this about: Homeless community representatives, Police Department, City Council Key obstacles: Mistrust, misunderstanding. Major cost items: None (assuming the proposed resource officer would come from the existing police force). Selling points: Enables the homeless and the Police Department to take a problem-solving approach to the issues of trust and credibility that rise between them. Allows problems to be dealt with early and extensively. Allows homeless to take a responsible position with respect to their own issues. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Form the recommended working group Task Force vote: On the main recommendation the vote was nine in favor and one opposed. On a vote for an amendment to explicitly recommend that the Resource Officer be a Community Service Officer rather than a sworn officer, the vote was four in favor and five opposed. Police Training on Homeless Issues Problem: There is no education program available for police officers concerning homeless issues, locally or statewide. Police officers have to develop their own street wisdom piecemeal, and there are inconsistencies in approaches to dealing with homeless issues. Recommendation: Develop a course for police officers in compliance with POST (Police Officers Training Standards, the California State apparatus for accrediting classes for the police) standards, relating to homeless issues in general and in Santa Cruz. Who will be served: Homeless community, police officers. How many will be served: Unknown. Facility needs: None. Key Participants in bringing this about: Homeless community members, police, training/education professionals, service agency staff. Key potential obstacles: Commitment of Police Department to this concept. Major cost items: Police staff and training. Potential funding sources: Police budget, law enforcement grants. Main selling points: Prevention oriented, creates consistency in police response. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Form a working group and direct police department to move forward. Task Force vote: Nine in favor, one opposed. Community Education and Outreach Problem: There is a lack of information among City residents about the homeless community and the homeless services situation. Recommendation: That the City create a document or documents that will be widely distributed among City residents. It will provide basic information on homelessness in Santa Cruz and suggest ways community residents can help or be involved in dealing with homelessness. Also, create a speakers bureau for the same educational purpose. Who will be served: The entire community. How many will be served: N/A Facility needs (size, location, licensing/permits): None.
Key obstacles: Cost. Agreement on content of publication. Major cost items: Dissemination of publication (printing, mailing). Potential funding sources: City, agencies, foundations. Relation to City Council Assignment: Will help increase support for needed services recommended by the task force. Will help residents understand the rights and responsibilities of homeless people. Main selling points: Could reduce antagonism toward homeless people. Could be done at low cost if existing City modes of information dissemination are used. Could generate new private revenue for homeless services. Relatively easy to accomplish since information and models (́54 Ways to Help the Homeless) are available. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Form a small working group to develop plan. Task Force vote: Unanimous. Problem: The City of Santa Cruz believes that it pays a greater share of discretionary funding for homeless services than do other local government jurisdictions. There is a need for a greater contribution from other jurisdictions in order to more effectively address homeless issues. Recommendation: That the City Council work to develop an approach to fairly share the costs of providing homeless services with other local jurisdictions. Who will be served: This could lead to more funding to serve homeless people countywide. How many will be served: Unknown. Facility needs (size, location, licensing/permits): None. Key participants in bringing this about: City Council, Board of Supervisors,
City Councils of other cities, neutral bodies, intergovernmental bodies.
Major cost items: None Potential funding sources: Not applicable Relation to City Council Assignment: Council asked for information on funding sources for new shelter programs and improved services. Main selling points: Potential to increase funding for homeless services. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Wait for homeless survey to be completed in spring. Participate in a convening of jurisdictions by a neutral party. Use data to establish fair share ratios for jurisdictions in terms of homeless services. Task Force vote: Ten in favor, one opposed. Social Services Program Funding Problem: The City of Santa Cruz has made a substantial commitment to homeless services in recent years. However, many social service agencies funded by the City have existed longer than most homeless services agencies. Homeless services are not as well funded as they need to be. Though homeless services agencies are catching up, they have not yet. Additionally, the task force is recommending new items that will require City funding. Recommendation: That the City devote all increases in human services funding, other than cost of living increases, to homeless services agencies for two years to allow them to catch up and to help initiate desperately needed new homeless programs. Who will be served: Homeless people served by City-funded agencies. How many will be served: Unknown. Facility needs (size, location, licensing/permits): None. Key participants in bringing this about: City Council, social service
providers funded by the City.
Major cost items: None. Potential funding sources: N/A Relation to City Council Assignment: Council asked for information on funding sources for new shelter programs and improved services. Main selling points: Increases funding for homeless services. Encourages other entities to make a greater commitment to serving homeless population. No new revenue source required. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Adopt this approach when approving City budget. Task force vote: Nine in favor, two opposed. City Staff Coordination of Homeless Services Problem: Lack of coordination of City's various commitments to homeless services. Recommendation: That the City hire staff to coordinate the City's work on homeless services either separately or in the context of staffing for the City Social Services Program. Who will be served: The City Council, homeless service agencies, homeless individuals. How many will be served: N/A Facility needs (size, location, licensing/permits): Office space at City Hall. Key participants in bringing this about: City Council and City Manager.
Major cost items: Staff costs ($25,000 to 50,000). New programs that may be developed. Potential funding sources: City budget. Relation to City Council Assignment: This would be an improvement to existing services. City has scattered staffing for homeless issues now. Main selling points: Provides focused staffing to move ahead on specific projects the City Council want to pursue (especially task force recommendations). Leads to better coordination of services. Offers continuity in City work on homeless services. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: City Council must commit funds and direct City Manager. Task Force vote: Nine in favor; one opposed. County-wide Coordination of Services Problem: There is a weak system in place for planning, prioritizing, and coordinating homeless services in Santa Cruz County. There is a lack of leadership in terms of planning. The consequence is a failure to provide comprehensive services and uncertainty about what the priorities are. Recommendation: Work with other jurisdictions to form an effective and working body to comprehensively plan coordinate homeless services in Santa Cruz County. Who will be served: Homeless individuals. How many will be served: N/A Facility needs (size, location, licensing/permits): This entity will need modest office space. It could be part of a local government agency or a separate entity. Key participants in bringing this about: County of Santa Cruz.
Cities in Santa Cruz County. Current continuum of Care participants.
Nonprofit sector leaders (service agencies, United Way, Community Foundation)
Major cost items: Staffing costs. Potential funding sources: Local governments. Grants. Relation to City Council Assignment: Improve existing services. Which are not well- coordinated. Could lead to additional shelter. Main selling points: continuum of Care coordination process is mandated, existing, and already does some of this work. Would clarify responsibilities. Could take focus away from local governments and put it on a specific responsible entity. Can utilize new survey data. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Engage the other potential participants in a discussion of developing this coordinating body. Task Force vote: Unanimous. Problem: The Homeless Issues Task Force has made many recommendations in a wide range of areas. However, there isn't a clear mechanism in place to help move recommendations into real programs. Recommendation: That the City Council select the most important recommendations of the task force. Direct the City Manager to form small, staffed working groups to develop detailed implementation plans and options for each selected recommendation. Who will be served: N/A How many will be served: n/a Facility needs (size, location, licensing/permits): Meeting space. Key participants in bringing this about: The City Council, City
staff, volunteers from the Task Force, service agencies, and the community.
Major cost items: City staff time. Potential funding sources: City budget, participating agency budgets. Relation to City Council Assignment: This will facilitate moving ahead in all three areas. Main selling points: Will create actual programs. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Council adopts this approach, selects projects and assigns to the City Manager. Task Force vote: Unanimous. Problem: Many homeless individuals in Santa Cruz are not aware of the resources available to them. Many of those who could offer information are not aware of the available resources. Existing compilations of services not as user friendly as they could be, and are not in the hands of those who need them. Recommendation: City should support creation of a consumer-friendly resource card of homeless services. Disseminate this guide to social service agencies, downtown hosts, police officers, others that have contact with homeless individuals. The resource card should include a City- funded toll free phone number for services information. The card should be updated regularly. Who will be served: Homeless individuals not familiar with existing resources. How many will be served: Unknown. Facility needs (size, location, licensing/permits): None. Key participants in bringing this about: Service providers, downtown
host program, police
Key obstacles: Cost, agreement on format/content. Major cost items: Toll free phone line, staff time. Potential funding sources: City, foundation grants, Downtown Host program. Relation to City Council Assignment: Improves existing services Main selling points: Inexpensive, relatively easy to accomplish, no ongoing costs. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Form a working group to develop. Task Force vote: Unanimous. Problem: Many homeless people have difficulty finding and connecting to the services they need. Additionally, some have complaints about or difficulties with agencies they do connect with and, therefore, are unable to receive needed services. Recommendation: Create an autonomous ombudsperson position to serve the homeless community of Santa Cruz. This person would have some set office hours and do some outreach on the street and at service locations. They would become expert at all the homeless services available and point people in the right direction. They would also assist individuals who were having difficulty getting available services without outside support. Also they would keep records of contacts and complaints, and forward those complaints to the relevant agency. Finally, they would record instances where no services were available in order to assist the community in identifying and closing service gaps. Who will be served: The general homeless community. How many will be served: Potential to serve hundreds of individuals per year with referral and receive dozens of complaints Facility needs (size, location, licensing/permits,): This person
would need very modest office space (just a desk) preferably near
downtown. It could be a shared space. It would not require any special
permits.
Key obstacles: Finding the proper agency to sponsor. Funding. Major cost items: Staff wages. Potential funding sources: City Social Services Program, foundation grants, other government grants. Office space could be provided at no extra cost. Relation to City Council Assignment: This will assist in improving existing services and maximizing their use. Main selling points: Could be staffed by a homeless or formerly homeless person. Is a very simple way to improve lots of services without spending much money or creating any real bureaucracy. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Convene a small working group with a staff coordinator to describe the program in more detail, describe staffing needs, sketch a budget, explore willingness of existing agencies to participate and search for home agency to locate the program. Task Force vote: Unanimous Problem: There are not enough employment and training programs geared to the special needs of homeless people. The Garden can only employ as many as their funding allows. At times, their funding runs short and some are laid off. Recommendation: Fund additional positions for homeless individuals at the Homeless Garden Project. Ensure stable year round funding. Who will be served: Unemployed homeless individuals who have been unable to find employment in the conventional job market. Current garden employees that are laid off from time to time. How many will be served: Depends on level of funding. Facility needs (size, location, licensing/permits): Facility already exists. Key participants in bringing this about: Homeless Garden staff,
City Council.
Major cost items: Wage costs. Each position is 20 hours per week X $7.20 per hour, which is about $7200 per year. Potential funding sources: City Social Services Program, Grant funding, Employment funding sources. Relation to City Council Assignment: Enhances existing services. Main selling points: Expansion of existing successful program that the community supports. Employment is the key to sustaining an income that can secure housing. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Consider during budget deliberations. Task Force vote: Unanimous. Employment and Training Programs Problem: There are many unemployed and underemployed homeless persons in Santa Cruz. There is not much employment training and employment assistance specifically designed to meet the particular needs of homeless people who have not been recently employed. Recommendation: Develop a range of employment and training opportunities
targeted to the homeless population. These could include:
Who will be served: Unemployed and underemployed homeless persons How many will be served: Potential to serve literally hundreds of individuals. Facility needs: Some facilities are already in place at the Homeless Services Center. For the enterprise items (crafts market, nonprofit enterprise) new facilities or locations may be required. Key participants in bringing this about: Homeless Services Center
would be key in some of these items. In others, new entities may
be needed to operate. Employment Development Department, County Careerworks,
experienced business people, Homeless Garden Project.
Major cost items: Some items could be accomplished with very modest staffing increases in existing programs. Enterprise start-up can be costly, depending on type of business. Potential funding sources: JTPA (Federal job training), foundation support for innovations. Federal and State homeless funds. Relation to City Council Assignment: Improves existing (limited) services. Main selling points: A leading cause of homelessness is lack of income. Jobs provide income and ability to pay rent thus are central to homeless persons becoming housed. There are successful models in other communities. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Provide encouragement and perhaps seed funding for improvements in this area. Convene a working group of relevant agencies and constituents to formulate a program. Task Force vote: Unanimous. Problem: safe haven shelters have been established in many communities across the county since the mid-1990s. They provide a safe and decent alternative to the streets for homeless persons with debilitating mental health conditions sometimes linked to chronic alcohol or drug use, who need adjustment time before engaging in treatment and other supportive services. Such programs are designed as transitional residences, with no specific time limits and low demands to participate in mental health or substance abuse treatment programs or to receive other supportive services. In the interest of getting seriously at-risk individuals in off the streets, Safe Havens deliberately wrap their resources around the needs of the individual, rather than demanding that the individual comply with the requirements of the program, other than those basic rules which ensure safety. Those served by a Safe Haven shelter model are typically intimidated or made too anxious by larger, busier homeless shelter environments and stay away, or are considered too unstable to be served by traditional shelters or have been banned from them. It is an approach described as a program where you can fall back without falling out of the program The Santa Cruz community has a sub-population of homeless individuals who cannot be served through established traditional shelter programs without compromising safety or program structure within these shelters. With no alternative within the local shelter continuum, existing programs are forced to choose between turning these vulnerable individuals away, or allowing them in, and putting the integrity of their own programs at risk. Additionally, many at-risk homeless individuals avoid traditional homeless shelter settings for a range of reasons. Recommendation: Create a small safe haven shelter residence for homeless adults at risk out on the streets due to debilitating mental health and/or alcohol/drug-related problems. Who will be served: Vulnerable homeless adults at risk out on the streets due to debilitating mental health and/or alcohol/drug related problems. How many will be served: Eight to fifteen per day. Facility needs (size, location, licensing/permits): Small facility.
Key participants in bringing this about: Church organization or
other private sponsorship, homeless services agencies (HPHP, HSC, others)
County Mental Health Programs, Cities.
Major cost items: Facility, staffing. Potential funding sources: Church organizations, other private funding, City, County, health funds, substance abuse funds, State and Federal grants for mental health, health and shelter Services. (Potential savings in areas of law enforcement and detention costs.) Relation to City Council Assignment: Shelter. Rights of homeless individuals. (There is nowhere for this population to go except ́under a bridge or bush.) Main selling points: Offers some protection for very vulnerable people it can save lives. Could open a door to serious treatment for long term substance abusers. Alternative to jail (including jail cost). Based on existing models in other communities (San Francisco and Seattle). HUD recognizes the need for this kind of shelter and funds it in other communities. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Convene representatives from relevant agencies to develop this concept. Task Force vote: Unanimous. Alcohol and Drug Treatment Services Problem: Need and demand for alcohol and drug treatment among individuals who are homeless exceeds available local and regional treatment program slots. Existing local treatment/recovery program models have been developed to assist the housed, more stable population of our community and generally do not produce as successful outcomes among the chronic, long term, more complex, substance addicted or dependent homeless population. There are no treatment/recovery programs with features selected to meet the specific needs of those who are homeless and living in shelters and on the streets. Many homeless individuals who may not have worked in the formal economy in a long time, and may not have family or other support systems to return to after completion of treatment. The costs of inadequate treatment include: individuals remaining homeless longer than necessary; alcohol and drug use problems commonly worsening rather than improving while homeless, use of incarceration emergency rooms, and hospitals which serve by default as expensive and ineffective detox and treatment services for many chronic homeless substance users. While there are two residential women's treatment programs in the county,
one targeting Latinas, and the other, women with young children, there
are no treatment or recovery programs specifically designed to meet the
needs of homeless women. Homeless women's issues a high incidence of victimization,
violence and abuse, and repeated trauma, beginning in childhood, and often
continuing into adult relationships and into parenting. Homeless
mothers are at a very high risk of loosing custody of their children.
Suggested new programs with important homeless population-specific features include: Expanded residential treatment capacity through the addition of new
programs offered through existing facilities (Janus and Sunflower) and/or
the development of new programs at new facilities:
Who will be served: Homeless adults, men and women, with new resources prioritized to programs for chronic homeless substance users who have not had success through existing local programs for the general population Facility needs (size, location, licensing/permits, and location preference): Number and size of potential facility(s) as described above. Permits will be required. Potential for expansion or satellite program for already established recovery services agency. Key participants in bringing this about, incl. potential sponsoring agents: Janus Inc., Sunflower Recovery Services, County Alcohol and Drug Program, Homeless Persons Health Project, River St. Shelter, Homeless Services Center Key obstacles: Identifying adequate, ongoing funding sources; location and neighborhood buy-in/acceptance. Major cost items: Facility, staffing. Potential funding sources: Health Care for the Homeless-linked treatment funding (legislation currently in congress), NIDA, State, foundations. Main selling points: Addresses a critical need among homeless
individuals, has potential to prevent years of future homelessness, is
cost effective alternative to expending resources in jails and hospitals,
can be built upon on proven models and programs in other areas, adapted
to meet local need.
Task Force vote: Unanimous. Attachments
Documents related to the work of the task force, including meeting minutes,
are available in the City Manager's Office, 809 Center Street, Room 10,
Santa Cruz.
Problem: There is a shortage of resources for the acquisition and development of emergency and transitional shelter facilities for homeless people in Santa Cruz. Recommendation: Include funding for shelter facilities in any future City ballot proposition for bond funding of City facilities and/or improvements. Who will be served: Homeless people staying in inadequate shelter or not staying in any form of shelter. How many will be served: Potentially hundreds. Facility needs: N/A. Key participants in bringing this about: City Council, homeless service agencies, supporters of homeless services, voters. Key obstacles: Other competing City needs. Major cost items: Cost of putting together a bond measure. Operating funds will be required for any new facility created. Potential funding source: N/A. Relation to City Council assignment: Would provide funds for permanent, year round shelter. Main selling points: Meets concrete need. Many residents are aware of homeless problems and would support more funding. Next steps for City of Santa Cruz: Put this on the agenda of any City group meeting to discuss City bond measures. Task force vote: Unanimous.
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