TO: COMMUNITY AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION
FROM: MELISSA VOLLARO, HUMAN SERVICE DIRECTOR
DATE: FEBRUARY 7, 2024
Reviewed by:
City Manager: n/a
SUBJECT:
Title
2023 HOMELESS SERVICES UPDATE
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SUMMARY
The Human Services Department provides periodic updates to the Community and Human Services Commission on the City’s continued efforts in combating issues affecting people experiencing homelessness. This report serves as the annual report for the calendar year 2023 and includes information on various programs aimed at mitigating homelessness and its subsequent issues.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the Community and Human Services Commission receive and file the 2023 Homeless Services Update.
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ALTERNATIVES TO RECOMMENDATION
In addition to the recommendation, there is the following alternative:
• Request additional information from staff.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The activities related to the City’s response to homelessness are funded by County and regional sources, including grant funds obtained through various agencies. The City has received Measure H funds directly from the County as well as Measure H and State budget earmark funds in the form of grants through the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG). Specific funding sources and amounts as they relate to programs will be discussed throughout this report.
Funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was included in the 2022-24 Budget and assigned to Community-Based Organization (CBO) funding, $60,000 of which was allocated to Homeless Services Programs each calendar year. Of that $60,000 in calendar year 2023, $36,500 was awarded to five local CBOs and the remaining $23,500 was allocated to the Family and Senior Emergency Funds to assist local families and seniors with emergency assistance.
Staff oversight of the City’s response to homelessness has been absorbed into the budgets of the City Manager’s Office, the Human Services Department, and the Police Department. The staff cost to prepare this report is estimated at $2,302 and is included in the operating budgets of the Administrative Services and Human Services Departments.
ANALYSIS
The City, along with various community partners, continues to identify strategies to assist people experiencing homelessness in the City of Claremont. The City works collaboratively with its network of agencies, organizations, and volunteers to address the effects of homelessness, poverty, mental illness, and addiction in the community. By leveraging these partnerships with organizations with demonstrated experience and knowledge in their respective fields of expertise, the City can better focus its efforts on meeting critical needs in various sectors. This report will highlight some of the work being done by the City and its partners.
2018 Homeless Plan
In July 2018, the City Council approved the Homeless Services Plan to provide strategies and goals to guide the City in leveraging resources and secure the City’s fair share of Measure H funding. The eight goals outlined in the Plan (listed below) focus on gathering information related to the unsheltered population, creating temporary and permanent housing solutions, and coordinating services in the City for people experiencing homelessness. While the Plan outlines a framework to approach homelessness, funding, and resources continue to direct the City’s efforts and approach.
Cohort
In 2019, the cities of Pomona, La Verne, and Claremont formed a Cohort in partnership with Tri-City Mental Health Services (Tri-City) to implement the cities’ homeless plans. While the original Measure H grant has concluded, the Cohort has continued its partnership and was awarded $150,000 in Measure H funding by the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG) in 2023. While Measure H funding awards to the Cohort have significantly decreased, the Cohort remains focused on prioritizing programs that serve the needs of people experiencing homelessness. City staff, along with the SGVCOG, continues to be dedicated to identifying and utilizing funding outside of Measure H for other needed programs and services as well.
Community Navigator Program
One of the most integral partnerships of the Cohort is Tri-City’s Community Navigator Program, which consists of highly trained staff who specialize in linkage and referral to local resources for the unhoused. This dedicated team helps people experiencing homelessness, families, and caregivers gain access to needed resources. The Community Navigators identify and verify current available services to ensure community members are quickly connected to the support they need. Examples of resources include but are not limited to mental health services; substance abuse treatment and support; low-cost medical services; free to low-cost legal services; food banks; clothing; and transitional or supportive housing such as shelters. In addition to providing linkage and referral services, the Community Navigators also collaborates with and regularly visits community organizations; law enforcement agencies; schools; courts; residential facilities; the local National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) chapter; client advocacy groups; and homeless shelters.
The Navigator model provides the preliminary infrastructure necessary to implement a localized system of care that is responsive to the individual needs of communities, the people who receive services, and their families. In 2023, the Community Navigator served 62 different individuals in Claremont. They also coordinated temporary housing for eight families and moved five individuals into permanent housing. The Community Navigator faces ongoing challenges with serving our unhoused population, as only approximately half of the individuals they interact with are open to receiving services.
Psychiatric Assessment Care Team (PACT)
In April 2021, the Police Department established a partnership with Tri-City to utilize a Psychiatric Assessment Care Team (PACT) to respond to non-violent, non-criminal calls for assistance received by the Claremont Police Department, which includes responses to persons with mental health needs who do not have a permanent residence. Although separate from the Community Navigator Program, PACT and the Navigator team often work together in identifying people experiencing homelessness that are in need and open to services. In 2023, PACT was heavily impacted by staffing vacancies. Tri-City remains committed to the partnership and is currently in the process of recruiting additional staff.
Shower Program
The Cohort also continues to partner with St. Ambrose Episcopal Church to provide a shower program. This unique and critical ministry provides men, women, and children the opportunity to shower in a clean, safe, and respectful environment. Showers are available on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM, though the time is often extended if additional showers are needed. Body wash, shampoo, and towels are provided, as well as a hot meal. Additionally, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) staffs a mobile health van at the shower program on the first Friday of every month, which provides medical care to program participants.
St. Ambrose Church applied for and was awarded a 2024 CBO grant from the City of Claremont for $11,253 and plans to use those funds to continue the program and look toward constructing an additional shower unit on site to accommodate more participants. Claremont’s assigned Community Navigator is regularly onsite during the shower program hours to continue to build relationships with the unhoused community and to provide resources.
Crisis Shelter Beds
Also, as part of the Cohort, the City currently has access to two crisis beds at the Hope for Home (H4H) shelter in Pomona, which provides homeless services through its collaborative partnership approach. By leveraging site partners, including Volunteers of America, Tri-City, East Valley Community Health Center, Prototypes Inc., and SoCal Goodwill, to name a few, supportive services are available to the H4H residents. In addition to shelter, some of the services provided include meals, health care, enrichment classes, employment sessions, community meetings and events, and laundry services. The beds are filled via referrals from the Community Navigator Program. In 2023, nine individuals were referred to H4H, and five were placed. In mid-2023, staff worked with the City of Pomona to add a third crisis bed through grant funding from the SGVCOG, which will be funded through June 30, 2024.
In addition to H4H, staff have worked with Inland Valley Hope Partners (IVHP) to secure family rooms at their Our House Family Shelter in Pomona through previously awarded grant funding. While Our House was closed for a few months in the fall of 2023, it has since reopened and is accepting families. IVHP also applied for a 2024 CBO grant and was awarded $3,411 for Our House Family Shelter. City staff, Tri-City Navigators, and other partners continue to coordinate with IVHP to refer eligible unsheltered Claremont families to the program.
Activities of the Cohort relate to the following Homeless Services Plan Goal(s):
Goal #2: Better Understand Local Unsheltered Homeless Population
Goal #3: Better Understand Local Sheltered Homeless Population and Homeless Services Program Performance
Goal #5: Improve Coordination of Services Among City, Community Partners, and Regional Coordinated Entry System
Goal #6: Expand Local Prevention Services
Goal #7: Create Immediate Temporary Housing Solutions
San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG)
The San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG) is a regional government planning agency that aims to maximize the quality of life in the San Gabriel Valley that is made up of 31 cities, two Los Angeles County Supervisorial Districts, and three Municipal Water Districts located in the San Gabriel Valley. The SGVCOG has a Governing Board, as well as nine standing committees and working groups, one of which is the Homelessness Committee. City staff represents Claremont on the Homelessness Working Group and Councilmember Jed Leano represents the City as a voting member of the Homelessness Committee, which studies problems, programs, and other matters that pertain to the regional homelessness issues and provides policy direction to the Governing Board.
The SGVCOG is to be under contract with the County of Los Angeles for the purposes of administering Measure H funding allocations in support of the County's Homeless Initiative strategies to combat homelessness in the San Gabriel Valley. As mentioned previously, the SGVCOG administers grant programs for local jurisdictions to utilize Measure H funding to continue its programming and services that meet the goals outlined in cities’ homeless plans. Funds awarded to the Cohort have been applied to homeless prevention, shelter beds, and motel vouchers.
Homeless service activities funded by the SGVCOG relate to the following Homeless Services Plan Goal(s):
Goal #2: Better Understand Local Unsheltered Homeless Population
Goal #3: Better Understand Local Sheltered Homeless Population and Homeless Services Program Performance
Goal #5: Improve Coordination of Services Among City, Community Partners, and Regional Coordinated Entry System
Goal #6 Expand Local Prevention Services
San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust
The San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust (SGVRHT) was established in February 2020 to fund and finance the planning and construction of homeless housing and extremely low-, very low-, and low-income housing in the San Gabriel Valley. The SGVRHT currently has 24 member cities, including Claremont. To date, the SGVRHT has committed funding to two affordable and permanent supportive housing projects within the City of Claremont, which will result in 47 units across the two projects. In 2022, the SGVRHT launched a Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) to provide acquisition and construction funds for affordable housing projects. The RLF represents a renewable source of funding for affordable housing in the San Gabriel Valley as loan proceeds and repayments will be lent to future affordable housing projects.
The SGVRHT accepts funding applications on a rolling basis and maintains a pipeline of projects requesting gap financing. In 2022-23, the SGVRHT received $30 million in State Budget Earmark funds and $3 million in Federal Community Project Funding. These funding allocations will support the development of affordable housing units through pipeline funding, RL loans, housing innovation awards, and the development of a San Gabriel Valley land trust to assist with site acquisition and keep units affordable in perpetuity.
Activities through the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust relate to the following Homeless Services Plan Goal(s):
Goal #4: Expand Efforts to Educate City Officials and Public
Goal #8: Create New Permanent Supportive and Affordable Housing
Affordable Housing Projects
The Base Line Road Project, Claremont Gardens, is a 15-unit affordable and permanent supportive housing development consisting of extremely low to low-income units for seniors with on and offsite services to be provided by Tri-City Mental Health Services. This project is a public-private partnership between several funding agencies, including $1,000,223 in funding from the SGVRHT, as well as $1.75 million from the City’s Successor Housing Fund. While the project has experienced several delays, including budget shortfalls due to increases in construction costs, all necessary funding was secured in 2023. A celebratory groundbreaking ceremony was held in December 2023 and pending no delays with loan/escrow processes, construction is expected to begin in 2024.
The Harrison Avenue Project, Larkin Place, is a 33-unit affordable and permanent supportive housing development that will serve those formerly or currently experiencing homelessness. The developer, Jamboree Housing, secured all necessary funding for the project, including $3,000,000 from SGVRHT. The project has received all necessary approvals through the City and building permits were issued in January 2024.
Current and proposed affordable housing projects relate to the following Homeless Services Plan Goal(s):
Goal #4: Expand Efforts to Educate City Officials and Public
Goal #8: Create New Permanent Supportive and Affordable Housing
Point-in-Time Homeless Count
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the largest source of homeless program funding, requires that Continuum of Care (CoC) communities that receive HUD CoC funding, such as Los Angeles County, perform a “one-day, point-in-time” unduplicated count of people experiencing homelessness. Results of the Homeless Count provide the County and local cities with benchmark numbers that serve as a basis for developing local community and countywide strategies to help people find long-term housing solutions.
The 2023 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count took place in Claremont on Tuesday, January 24, 2023. In June 2023, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority released data from the Count, which resulted in 17 unhoused people in Claremont.
The 2024 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count was held on January 23, 2024. Results from that count are scheduled to be released in late Spring/early Summer 2024.
Identified Gaps in Services
While Claremont, along with its dedicated partners, has demonstrated an ability to leverage funds and offer robust services to people experiencing homelessness, there continues to be a lack of interim and permanent supportive housing options within the City. It is apparent through the work of Tri-City Mental Health Services, the Cohort, and service providers that the City is reaching the unsheltered. However, there remains a deficiency of housing options for those receptive to such accommodations.
The City will continue working to identify potential funding sources and leveraging local and regional funding sources to increase interim and permanent supportive housing options locally.
RELATIONSHIP TO CITY PLANNING DOCUMENTS
Staff has evaluated the agenda item in relationship to the City’s strategic and visioning documents and finds that it applies to the following City Planning Documents: Council Priorities, General Plan, and the 2022-24 Budget.
CEQA REVIEW
This item is not subject to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
PUBLIC NOTICE PROCESS
The agenda and staff report for this item have been posted on the City website and distributed to interested parties. If you desire a copy, please contact the Human Services Department.
Submitted by: Prepared by:
Melissa Vollaro Michelle Castillo
Human Services Director Management Analyst