TO: ADAM PIRRIE, CITY MANAGER
FROM: MELISSA VOLLARO, RECREATION AND HUMAN SERVICES DIRECTOR
DATE: FEBRUARY 25, 2025
Reviewed by:
City Manager: AP
SUBJECT:
Title
2024 HOMELESS SERVICES UPDATE (FUNDING SOURCES: GENERAL FUND, AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT FUND, AND MEASURE H FUNDING)
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SUMMARY
Staff regularly provides updates on the City’s ongoing efforts in addressing issues affecting people experiencing homelessness. This report serves as the annual report for calendar year 2024 and includes information on various programs and services that aid in preventing and mitigating homelessness.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends the City Council receive and file the 2024 Homeless Services Update.
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ALTERNATIVE 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. In years past, 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 2024-26 Budget and assigned to Community-Based Organization (CBO) funding, $60,000 of which was allocated to Homeless Services Programs each calendar year. In November 2024, the City Council approved the Inter-agency Agreement (IAA) with the Recreation and Human Services Department to obligate these funds according to the Obligation Interim Final Rule requirements from the US Treasury. The IAA was executed prior to December 31, 2024, to meet the obligation deadline for ARPA Funds.
Staff oversight of the City’s response to homelessness has been absorbed into the budgets of the City Manager’s Office, the Recreation and 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 Recreation 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 in meeting critical needs in various sectors. This report will highlight some of the work being done by the City and its partners.
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 2024. The Cohort remains focused on prioritizing programs that serve the needs of people experiencing homelessness. The recent passage of Measure A in November 2024 will bring new funding to Claremont, and City staff will be working with the SGVCOG as further information about funding becomes available. City staff, along with the SGVCOG, continue to be dedicated to identifying and utilizing funding outside of Measure H and Measure A 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 the currently 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 collaborate with and regularly visit 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 2024, the Community Navigator served 57 different individuals in Claremont. They also coordinated temporary housing for 20 individuals or families and moved ten individuals or families 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)/Mobile Crisis Response Team
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 included responses to persons with mental health needs who did not have a permanent residence. Although separate from the Community Navigator Program, PACT and the Navigator team often worked together in identifying people experiencing homelessness who are in need and open to services. However, in 2023, PACT was heavily impacted by staffing vacancies, and the program was discontinued. In 2024, Tri-City started the process of restructuring PACT into a Mobile Crisis Response Team that would provide around-the-clock responses for those with mental health needs in the communities of Claremont, La Verne, and Pomona. Tri-City is currently hiring staff for the team and hopes to have the program operational later this year.
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 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., though the time is often extended if additional showers are needed. Bodywash, 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 every month, which provides medical care to program participants.
St. Ambrose Church applied for and was awarded a 2025 CBO grant from the City of Claremont for $10,000 and plans to use those funds to continue the program, as well as 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 one crisis bed at the Hope for Home (H4H) shelter in Pomona, which provides homeless services through its collaborative partnership approach. Utilizing Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) funds, staff is working to secure additional beds at Hope for Home, pending City Council approval and entering into an agreement with the City of Pomona. 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 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 Navigator Program. In 2024, 11 individuals were referred to H4H, and four were placed.
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. IVHP also applied for a 2025 CBO grant and was awarded $3,500 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.
Reunification
A new trend seen in 2024 was unhoused individuals currently living in Claremont, but not originally from the San Gabriel Valley or surrounding areas, requesting assistance to be reunified with family members outside of the area. Over the past year, City staff and our Tri-City Navigator have worked with four individuals to verify their situation, confirm that a family support system exists in their home community, and secure transportation home for them.
HEART Meetings
Formed in May 2023, HEART (Homeless Engagement, Assessment, and Response Team) is an interdepartmental team comprised of members from the City Manager’s Office, Police Department, Recreation and Human Services Department, Community Services Department, Community Development Department, and Tri-City Mental Health. The team meets monthly to share information and discuss trends, issues, challenges, and solutions for the unhoused community.
HOST Deployments
Last summer, the Claremont Police Department and other LA County agencies received funding for Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) deployments. The County specifically earmarks this funding to have law enforcement agencies deploy officers to make contact with homeless individuals to help them get in contact with services provided by the cities, county, and state.
After having members of Claremont PD attend mandatory training, the first HOST deployment was held in September 2024. Representatives from the Police Department, Tri-City Mental Health Services, the Recreation and Human Services Department, and the City Manager’s Office have worked together on these deployments to provide resources for our unhoused residents. It has also given City staff a comprehensive look at where our homeless residents congregate, along with their needs and demographics.
The cost of law enforcement dedicated to these deployments is reimbursable, with the amount ranging from $2,200-$7,355 a month, and determined by the size of the city, documented homeless persons, and available resources in each city. While patrol needs must be met first, if there are additional police personnel available there are three to eight HOST deployments scheduled each month. Funding is currently available until May 2025 with the possibility for additional funding in the future.
San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG)
The San Gabriel Council of Governments (SGVCOG) is a regional government planning agency that aims to maximize the quality of life in the San Gabriel Valley. The SGVCOG is made up of cities, Los Angeles County Supervisorial Districts, and Municipal Water Districts. 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 regional homelessness issues and provides policy direction to the Governing Board.
The SGVCOG has been 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.
Affordable Housing Projects
Claremont Gardens is a 15-unit affordable and permanent supportive housing development consisting of extremely low to low-income seniors with services to be provided by Tri-City Mental Health Services. While the project at 956 W. Base Line Road has experienced several delays, the loan/escrow process is anticipated to be completed by the end of February 2025, with construction to start in summer of this year. The developer of this project is Restore Neighborhoods Los Angeles, Inc. (RNLA).
Larkin Place, a 33-unit affordable and permanent supportive housing development that will serve those formerly or currently experiencing homelessness, is currently under construction at 731 Harrison Avenue. The developer of this project is Jamboree Housing.
Mercy Housing submitted a formal development application to the City in July 2024 to develop the former Solid Rock Church site at 1364 North Towne Avenue. Mercy Housing’s plans include a 74-unit affordable and permanent supportive housing development serving formerly or currently homeless veterans and veteran head of households. The development will include a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom units. The project underwent a streamlined staff-level review and was approved in July 2024.
Lastly, St. Ambrose Church has partnered with housing developer National CORE to build a senior affordable housing development at their site located at 830 West Bonita Avenue. The National CORE development is a 59-unit senior housing community consisting of one and two-bedroom units, with one unit reserved for an onsite manager. Of the 58 units, 28 units will be reserved as permanent supportive housing. National CORE submitted a formal development application in April 2024, which is undergoing a streamlined staff-level review. Staff are currently preparing and finalizing an approval letter.
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 2024 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count took place in Claremont on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. In Summer 2024, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority released data from the Count, which resulted in an estimated range of 33-36 unhoused people in Claremont. The 2025 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count was originally scheduled for January 22, 2025, but was postponed due to the recent wildfires in Los Angeles County. The rescheduled 2025 Homeless Count was held on Wednesday, February 19, 2025. Results from that count are scheduled to be released in late spring/early summer 2025.
Identified Gaps in Services
While Claremont, along with its dedicated partners, has demonstrated an ability to leverage funds and offer a variety of 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 local housing options for those receptive to such resources.
The City will continue 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 2024-26 Budget.
Additionally, the activities outlined in this report 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 #4: Expand Efforts to Educate City Officials and Public;
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; and
Goal #8: Create Permanent Supportive and Affordable Housing.
CEQA REVIEW
This item is not subject to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
COUNCIL COMMITTEE/COMMISSION REVIEW (optional)
The Community and Human Services Commission received and filed the 2024 Homeless Services Update at its meeting on February 5, 2025. An excerpt from the Community and Human Services Commission Meeting Minutes is included as an Attachment.
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 City Clerk’s Office.
Submitted by: Prepared by:
Melissa Vollaro Michelle Castillo
Recreation and Human Services Director Management Analyst
Attachment:
Excerpt from the 2/5/25 C&HS Commission Meeting Minutes