HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018 285 CC RESO RESOLUTION NO. 2018-285
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BALDWIN
PARK, AFFIRMING SGVCOG GUIDING PRINCIPLES ON HOMELESS
PROGRAMS
WHEREAS, on September 21, 2017, the SGVCOG Governing Board voted to accept a
contract with the County of Los Angeles to coordinate regional homeless services in the San
Gabriel Valley and thereafter adopted Resolution 17-29 to approve a Regional Homelessness
Coordinator; and
WHEREAS, nineteen-member agencies have created homeless plans to address
homelessness within their respective jurisdictions; and
WHEREAS, the San Gabriel Valley is within the Greater Los Angeles Continuum of Care
which has the greatest number of unsheltered people in the nation; and
WHEREAS, the cities in the San Gabriel Valley share major transportation corridors,
riverbeds, hiking and bike trails. People, including those without housing, use these common
transit-ways to traverse the region; and
WHEREAS, the challenge of homelessness is too complex for any one city to manage
independently; and
WHEREAS, member cities have conferred to develop a platform for fair and equitable
provision of homeless services and housing within the San Gabriel Valley.
NOW THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BALDWIN PARK
DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AND ORDER AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Attachment A to this Resolution entitled "San Gabriel Valley Positions on
Homeless Housing, Shelter and Services Provision", incorporated herein by reference, is
hereby adopted by the Governing Board.
SECTION 2. Member agencies have the opportunity to adopt the "San Gabriel Valley
Positions on Homeless Housing, Shelter and Services Provision".
SECTION 3. The member agencies shall respect the adoption of the "San Gabriel
Valley Positions on Homeless Housing, Shelter and Services Provision" by other member
agencies.
SECTION 4. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption. The
Executive Director shall enter this Resolution into the official book of resolutions.
PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED this 15th day of August 2018.
M' NL LL• ANO
MAYOR
ATTEST:
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES SS:
CITY OF BALDWIN PARK
I, ALEJANDRA AVILA, City Clerk of the City of Baldwin Park do hereby certify that the
foregoing Resolution No. 2018-285 was duly adopted by the City Council of the City of
Baldwin Park at a regular meeting thereof held on August 15, 2018 and that the same was
adopted by the following vote to wit:
AYES: COUNCIL MEMBERS: Baca, Garcia, Lozano, Pacheco, Rubio
NOES: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSENT: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
ABSTAIN: COUNCIL MEMBERS:
/i 41
ALEJAND A AVILA
CITY CLERK
San Gabriel Valley Positions
on
Homeless Housing, Shelter and Services Provision
BACKGROUND
Cities play a vital role in addressing and resolving homelessness within Los Angeles County. Cities
control local zoning, which can facilitate, or hinder, the development of bridge, special needs, and
affordable housing. Additionally, cities may partner with and direct resources to local nonprofits and
community-b based organizations that bring needed services to people experiencing homelessness. The
decisions that cities make regarding homelessness directly impacts that quality of life for those who are
un-housed, neighborhoods, and neighboring cities.
The 2018 Los Angeles Point in Time Homeless Count documented 3,6151 persons experiencing
homelessness within the San Gabriel Valley. Of those less than 13%are sheltered. Thirty five percent of
those without a place to live are female and 8%are children. Thirty seven percent of those experiencing
homelessness have experienced domestic violence and 11% are homeless as a direct result of fleeing a
domestic violence incident.
Other San Gabriel Valley residents are at risk of losing their housing. Across the San Gabriel Valley
schools2, 6.9% of children live in households experiencing homelessness. There is a direct correlation
between poverty and risk of becoming homelessness. Over seventeen percent of households with
children in San Gabriel Valley schools live at or below the poverty level and over 59% are eligible for
free or reduced cost meals. Nearly 47% of households with children in San Gabriel Valley schools are
housing cost burdened3. Teen behavior patterns today can predict potential homelessness. Over 6% of
teens neither attend school nor are employed.
As housing costs continue to rise, senior citizens on fixed incomes who are paying rent or mobile home
space fees are at risk of losing their housing. The high cost of medical services and medications and
increasing general tax burdens also jeopardize housing for senior citizens. The 2018 Point in Time
homeless Count identified a 22%increase in homelessness of those 62 years or older although the count
went down in all other age groups.4 Cities struggle to provide adequate affordable housing for recent
college graduates, residents on fixed incomes and those providing basic services in their communities...
Virtually all citizens are impacted by homelessness as residents living in cities without persons
experiencing homelessness travel to and through, do business in and attend social activities in
neighboring cities impacted by homelessness.
lhttps://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=2030-2018-greater-los-angeles-homeless-count-service-planning-area-3.pdf.This
count excludes the City of Pasadena,which is in the San Gabriel Valley Service Planning Area(SPA 3)but has its own
Continuum of Care.The count for the entire SPA is 4,292. https://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=2059-2018-greater-los-
angeles-homeless-count-presentation.pdf.Count data reflects those enumerated at a single point in time and fluctuates
throughout the year. Demographic and Subpopulations data are obtained through self-reporting surveys and are
statistically significant with 91%confidence level.
Z https://www.kidsdata.org, Lucille Packard Foundation for Children's Health,6/18/18.
3 Households with a high housing cost burden:This is the estimated percentage of households that spend 30%or more of
household income on housing costs.
4 https://www.lahsa.org/documents?id=2059-2018-greater-los-angeles-homeless-count-presentation.pdf
San Gabriel Valley SPA 3 Position Paper
Homeless Housing and Services
The San Gabriel Valley is a subregion of the County of Los Angeles which, in 2016 formally adopted
the Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative with Approved Strategies to Combat Homelessness.
Recognizing the important role that cities have in supporting the Los Angeles County Homeless
Initiative, the Board of Supervisors allocated one-time funding for individual cities to develop plans to
address homelessness in their respective communities. The resulting plans that the cities developed are
specific to their cultures and needs. As part of the planning process, cities identified subregional
groupings and participated in discussions about implementing collaborative common and mutually
supportive strategies. Core cities that until this time have hosted the bulk of services and housing for
those experiencing homelessness also engaged in discussions specific to the fair and equitable provision
of housing and services for people experiencing homelessness in the San Gabriel Valley. These
discussions have resulted in the policies outlined in this document.
KEY PRINCIPLES
Recognizing the need to work together to address homelessness, participating cities agree to the
following principles.
1. Commitment to Help Solve the Crisis of Homelessness
Each city and unincorporated area should be part of the solution to end homelessness and assist
homeless persons who have a connection to their city or unincorporated area. Supportive activities
include,but are not limited to, the following:
1.1. Providing housing or bridge housing for a minimum of 25% of their most recent point in time
(PIT) count need
1.2. Supporting outreach and education to remove stigma from those residents who need to enter
bridge housing
1.3. Ensuring that bridge housing is operated by high-quality not-for-profit organizations to ensure
limited negative impact on surrounding neighborhoods.
2. Local Preference
Unhoused families and individuals are often transient. Sometimes, this transience is due to
circumstances and personal choice. However, many times, it is due to an absence of the needed
support services in the community of origin which would enable them to remain housed or to secure
and retain housing. Most unhoused families and individuals have connections to the community or
communities in which they reside. According to the 2018 Point in Time Homeless Count survey,
56% of respondents stated that they lived in Los Angeles County when they became homeless. In
2016, the city of Pomona conducted a full survey of those experiencing homelessness in the city.
Fifty three percent of respondents confirmed that they were living permanently in Pomona when they
became homeless. These data hold across geographic areas. In Seattle, 70% of those without a
housing living in Seattle/Kings County lived there prior to being homeless. A true definition of
community connection can also mean a city where friends and family live, where one worships,
attends school or works.
Cities and unincorporated areas have a right and responsibility to use local preference based on
community connections when the providing housing and shelter to unhoused people in their
communities. Local preference benefits both the community, by incentivizing them to do their part
pg. 2
San Gabriel Valley SPA 3 Position Paper
Homeless Housing and Services
in providing homeless solutions, and the person experiencing homelessness, by allowing them to
remain connected to their existing support systems, school and work.
Recognizing that no one city can bear the burden or entire responsibility of meeting the region's
homelessness needs. Cities in the San Gabriel Valley agreed upon the following criteria to help them
to determine city connection:
Identified by the City staff(e.g. Police Department, Fire Department, Code Enforcement) or City
Homeless Service or Outreach Team as high users of City resources and services and meet one of
the other following criteria;
2.1. Individual or family is known to the City to be sleeping in a place not meant for human
habitation, in the City, for more than 12 months and has a service history or open case for over
one-year consisting of ongoing interaction with one of the service agents listed; or,
2.2. Individual or family has an immediate family member (mother, father, child, sibling, or
grandparent) living in the City, who is willing to help in the remediation of their homelessness.
Current residency of an immediate family member must be documented (e.g. owner of record,
lease, and/or paid utilities necessary for legal use of the property for residential use), or;
2.3. Individual or family became homeless while living permanently in City. Proof of residency on
property zoned for residential use in City (e.g. owner of record, lease, and/or paid utilities
necessary for legal use of the property for residential use) must be provided; or,
2.4. Individual or family includes an individual that is currently attending a City school full-time or
is legally and gainfully employed at least 20 hours per week and works within the City limits.
Proof of school enrollment or employment must be provided (e.g. report cards, pay stubs, or
school or employee identification), or;
2.5. Other criteria/documentation as identified by the local jurisdiction.
3. Reciprocal Agreements and Cooperation in Providing Shelter, Services and Housing
Within the San Gabriel Valley, cities and unincorporated areas do not have the capacity to provide
all services, supports, shelter and housing for every demographic and subpopulation of the unhoused
residents in their communities. In order to balance capacity and availability of services, cities may
enter into reciprocal agreements to maximize assistance provided to homeless individuals and
families.
By entering into fair and equitable agreements in writing, neighboring cities can work together to
develop a range of services and housing meeting the varying needs of their unhoused residents. To
this end, cities in the San Gabriel Valley agree to the following protocol:
3.1. Law enforcement, County and City Hospitals and clinics, service, shelter and housing providers,
mental health jurisdictions, County departments and Governments will be provided with copies
of the Jurisdictional Agreements and any modifications thereto.
3.2. Cities with Jurisdictional Agreements will actively promote the honoring of the agreements with
their internal agencies and departments and local and regional providers.
pg.
San Gabriel Valley SPA 3 Position Paper
Homeless Housing and Services
3.3. There should be a clear and functional process for referral and acceptance, and a warm
connection, meaning that the homeless family or individual is introduced to a receiver ready to
assist them.
3.4. To facilitate referrals, cities and the service agencies therein, agree to provide referral contact
information including position of authorized acceptor, phone number, e-mail, and days and
hours of availability. As a courtesy, the authorized acceptor will respond promptly within the
days and hours published.
4. Expectations in Collaborating with the County
By doing their part, cities in the SGV are contributing to the reduction of homelessness in the County
of Los Angeles. This contribution should be recognized and valued by the County Departments,
LAHSA and other agencies and government institutions. In order to enhance the partnership between
cities and the County, the cities encourage the following best practices:
4.1. When contemplating service and resource allocation by SPA, the process should allow all
partners (i.e. County, cities, supervisorial representatives, LAHSA, the United Way, and the
SGVCOG) inform the process and share decision-making. This may include,but is not limited
to, RFPs with regional parameters. Cities' unique populations, hotspots and subregional needs
should be considered during this process.
4.2. Subregional designations should respect school districts' boundaries and have reasonable
mileage parameters. Subregions should be determined by self-identified city groups.
4.3. Subregional and SPA level agreements between cities and the COGs regarding homelessness
should be recognized in policy at the County level.
4.4. Subregion city groups should work with the County to serve subregional needs.
4.5. As additional cities participate in homeless programs, their efforts should be supported with
funding and resources. New efforts, as well as hotspots, should be considered when allocating
funding.
4.6. LAHSA should provide city and subregional level data on homeless populations,
subpopulations, demographics, and funding levels in ratios to homeless populations and total
residents. Additionally, this data should be used to evaluate proposed siting and funding and
make objective comparisons between communities. Data should be released publicly on an
annual basis and be maintained and easily accessible by cities and the COGs electronically.
4.7. The County should release a ranking of beds-to-population ratio annually by SPA, identified
subregions and cities with more than 200 persons experiencing homelessness.
4.8. The County should engage early and often with cities and COGs when planning service
provision and bed-siting options.
4.9. "Inventory County-owned real estate to determine what can be used for temporary housing
and/or services for the homeless. Additionally, screen homeless individuals to determine
which strategies, including mental health treatment and/or addiction treatment, permanent
supportive housing and rapid re-housing, may best suit the needs of those individuals."
pg