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⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 24 findings
F1
There is a shortage of low-income housing in the County.
No recommendations for this finding
F2
Because of very little affordable housing availability, the County’s emergency shelters and CARE centers are vital resources to the homeless.
No recommendations for this finding
F3
The County is dependent on HUD for grants, which provide the bulk of the money expended by the County to help the homeless.
No recommendations for this finding
F4
Regulatory compliance associated with the receipt of HUD funds results in an administrative cost to the County which is not fully reimbursed by HUD.
No recommendations for this finding
F5
The County structures its homeless programs to meet local needs and in accordance with HUD compliance mandates.
No recommendations for this finding
F6
East County lacks an emergency shelter that is operated by the County.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
The BOS should consider finding a funding source to create and maintain a County-operated shelter in East County.
F7
East County has a CARE center that is run by a non-profit.
No recommendations for this finding
F8
West County has an emergency shelter that is operated by the County.
No recommendations for this finding
F9
West County lacks a CARE center that is operated by the County.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1
The County Board of Supervisors (BOS) should consider instructing the Health Services Department to create and present a proposal outlining the cost of opening and running a shelter with emergency beds in East County.
R3
The BOS should consider finding a funding source to create and maintain a County-operated CARE center in East County.
F10
Central County has an emergency shelter that is operated by the County.
No recommendations for this finding
F11
Central County has a CARE center that is operated by the County.
No recommendations for this finding
F12
Caring for the homeless is expensive; reducing these costs through better shelter and primary medical care could provide savings.
No recommendations for this finding
F13
Better shelter and primary medical care could reduce the costs associated with caring for the homeless.
No recommendations for this finding
F14
Recently implemented Coordinated Entry helps improve the coordination of homeless services.
No recommendations for this finding
F15
Through its new Health, Housing, and Homeless Services division, Health Services is the responsible County department for reducing homelessness.
No recommendations for this finding
F16
The recently implemented Coordinated Entry helps homeless people obtain services they need.
No recommendations for this finding
F17
The success of Coordinated Entry is partly dependent upon the creation of more County-operated emergency shelters and beds.
No recommendations for this finding
F18
The County’s CORE Outreach dispatch may be called by police departments to help the homeless obtain services instead of other costly alternatives such as taking them to emergency room or, in some cases, arresting them.
No recommendations for this finding
F19
The County funds CORE teams and a central dispatch to facilitate coordination of services for the homeless.
No recommendations for this finding
F20
The lack of enough overnight shelter beds may prevent the Coordinated Entry CARE Centers and CORE Outreach teams from being as effective as they otherwise could be.
Related Recommendations (3)
R4
The BOS should consider finding a sustainable funding source to increase the number of beds in existing County-operated shelters.
R5
The BOS should consider finding a sustainable funding source to set up additional County-operated CARE centers.
R7
The BOS should consider looking for opportunities to create additional shelter beds by using unused warehouses, commercial buildings, or motels to make best use of existing unoccupied structures.
F21
Shelter Inc. has an existing master lease program that has been effective in creating more housing for those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
The BOS should consider expanding master lease programs.
F22
There are increasing numbers of homeless seniors in the County.
No recommendations for this finding
F23
Existing County-operated emergency shelters are not prepared to handle frail seniors, who may not be able to take care of themselves, for example seniors with dementia or those who are unable to take care of activities of daily living.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
The BOS should consider asking the Health Services Department to create a plan for those frail homeless seniors who are demented or unable to take care of activities of daily living.
F24
There are a wide variety of innovative experiments throughout the nation which may be feasible for implementation in the County.
No recommendations for this finding
Conclusions 1
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CL1 Page 9The homeless situation in Contra Costa County is large enough to justify the effort to find additional funds to provide more shelter beds for the homeless. By closely examining the current County budget, with an eye toward pooling together enough money to establish an East County shelter and CARE center, the County could realize a financial benefit of reduced Health Service costs for the homeless that would be sufficient to cover the cost of investment. It appears that the County has been slow to react and has not taken sufficient steps to deal with the homeless problem. The County does enough to maintain the programs funded by HUD, but needs to do more to ensure that there are adequate services, shelters, and beds for all. Providing 418 beds for 1,607 homeless people is inadequate. With an increase in the number of complaints and visibility of the homeless, which can occupy a great deal of a police officers’ time, some local police department chiefs are finding money in their budgets to create homeless outreach teams that help direct the homeless to the shelters and care centers.
No Responses Found 1
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors
Elected County Office