Score: +14 (16/1/2)

Sonoma County Grand Jury • 2019-2020

Sonoma County Has a Homeless Crisis Is There a Response Plan?

Published: June 23, 2020 18 pages

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⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.

⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.

Findings and Recommendations 10 findings

The absence of a sufficient number of temporary shelters, including support services, is a primary factor in the consistently high number of unsheltered homeless in Sonoma County.

Related Recommendations (1)

The Leadership Council develop and implement a strategy for funding appropriate shelter space that addresses the needs of sub-groups within the homeless community by December 31, 2021. [F1, F2, F3, F9]

For temporary shelter sites to adequately meet the needs of homeless individuals, temporary shelters must be geographically dispersed and designed to encompass the needs of different target demographics such as families, mentally and physically disabled and LGBTQ people.

Related Recommendations (1)

In dealing with the Joe Rodota Trail encampment crisis, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors did not follow a strategic planning process.

Related Recommendations (1)

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors direct the Leadership Council to develop policies and procedures to manage the homeless crisis on a Countywide and strategic basis by December 31, 2020. [F1, F2, F3, F4]

Sonoma County does not yet have a countywide plan to address future homeless encampments.

Related Recommendations (1)

Because the Department of Health Services and the Community Development Commission were not, until January 2020, under single leadership, there was a lack of coordination of housing and supportive services.

Related Recommendations (1)

The Department of Health Services and Community Development Commission remain under single leadership. [F6]

Currently, short-term federal and state block grants provide the majority of funding for homeless programs.

No recommendations for this finding

The County has no method to track local funding for homelessness services. It therefore, has no metric to determine the effectiveness of these funds in reducing homelessness.

Related Recommendations (2)

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors develop a funding source for consistent and predictable funding of homeless programs by December 31, 2021. [F7]

The County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors direct the County Administrator to develop a methodology for tracking all costs of homeless services and programs across County agencies by June 30, 2021. [F8]

The Leadership Council played no role in developing policies or procedures to respond to the Joe Rodota Trail crisis.

No recommendations for this finding

The fact that the Leadership Council does not include members from all cities in Sonoma County limits its ability to develop policies on a truly County-wide basis.

Related Recommendations (1)

The Leadership Council adopt a plan to deal with homeless encampment emergencies by December 31, 2020. [F9, F10]

F10

Neither the Leadership Council nor the Technical Advisory Committee has the resources necessary to adequately address the homeless crisis in Sonoma County.

No recommendations for this finding

Conclusions 1

CL1 Page 14

Over the past eight months, our research into Sonoma County homelessness has exposed an insufficient sense of urgency when it comes to providing adequate temporary and permanent housing for the homeless community. Safe, temporary housing options for the homeless are largely unavailable while they wait for permanent housing. Santa Rosa owns a shelter in Sonoma County called the Samuel L. Jones Shelter, but the barracks style accommodations are not appropriate for everyone. Even though there are other shelters in Sonoma County, a significant portion of the homeless population feel they have no viable option but to live on the street or public property while waiting. Sonoma County has a robust network of private, public, and community/religious based organizations that are dedicated to improving the lives of the homeless, but temporary shelter options remain critically limited. There is a strong need for leadership in the county to address the homelessness crisis. On paper the Leadership Council is described as a high-level policy making body. It played no role in developing policies or procedures to address the JRT problem. The County Board of Supervisors (BOS) did take action to resolve this crisis, but did not include the Leadership Council in its efforts. When the BOS did act, it did so in a reactive, rather than a proactive way. Prior to the JRT emergency, the BOS had no plan in place for addressing encampment emergencies, or the shelter and service needs of the homeless population in Sonoma County as a whole.

Commendations 1

CM1 Page 15

The 2019-2020 Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury wishes to acknowledge that government agencies and service providers have strived to improve services for the homeless. In addition, the Grand Jury specifically commends: C1. Sonoma County and the Cities of Santa Rosa and Petaluma for creating the Leadership Council when they did and as they did. While the LC was created more quickly than desirable in a perfect world, there was a need to act quickly in order to continue to obtain federal Continuum of Care (CoC) and state funds. C2. The Leadership Council for changing the Coordinated Entry System to allow 50/50 shelter admissions. C3. The County for putting the Department of Health Services (DHS) and the Community Development Commission (CDC) under single leadership in January 2020. This connection of services for the same homeless population should make communication and coordination more effective and efficient than it was under the previous separation of programs. C4. The County for opening the temporary indoor shelter, with a navigation center, at the Los Guilicos site.

Agency Responses 2

Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.

Board Of Supervisors

August 02, 2020 • 15 pages • 12 responses • Score: +9 (+10, 1, -1) View Details ▾

PDF

12 responses to findings and recommendations

The absence of a sufficient number of temporary shelters, including support services, is a primary factor in the consistently high number of unsheltered homeless in Sonoma County.

Response: Agree Score: +1

agree with the findings numbered: _F1, F2, F6, F8____________________________ I (we) disagree wholly or partially with the findings numbered: ___F3, F4, F5, F7________ (Attach a statement specifying any portions of the findings that are disputed with an explanation of the reasons.

Response: Will Implement

Score: +1

R1, R14___________________________ have not yet been implemented, but will be implemented in the future.

Response: Agree Score: +1

agree with the findings numbered _______________________________________ I (we) disagree wholly or partially with the findings numbered: F2, F4, F7 _____________ (Attach a statement specifying any portions of the findings that are disputed with an explanation of the reasons.

Response: Implemented

Score: 0

R2 has been implemented.

In dealing with the Joe Rodota Trail encampment crisis, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors did not follow a strategic planning process.

Response: Disagree Score: -1

above, the County has developed an interim encampment strategy. On March 10, 2020, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors adopted an Interim Homeless Encampment policy to address encampments in unincorporated parts of the County and the seven smaller cities for whom the Community Development Commission serves as the Entitlement Jurisdiction. The Board provided direction to work with the Home Sonoma County Leadership Council to support the development of a County-wide encampment policy. The County's interim policy is modeled after the City of Santa Rosa's Encampment policy and therefore is alre...

Sonoma County does not yet have a countywide plan to address future homeless encampments.

Response: Agree Score: +1

Currently, short-term federal and state block grants provide the majority of funding for homeless programs.

Response: Agree Score: +1

Response: Will Implement

Score: +1

Recommendation 6 has not been implemented, but will be implemented in the future.

The County has no method to track local funding for homelessness services. It therefore, has no metric to determine the effectiveness of these funds in reducing homelessness.

Response: Agree Score: +1

The Leadership Council played no role in developing policies or procedures to respond to the Joe Rodota Trail crisis.

Response: Agree Score: +1

the Joe Rodota Trail crisis. We agree with Finding 8 RECOMMENDATIONS: R1, R4, R5, R6 R1.

The fact that the Leadership Council does not include members from all cities in Sonoma County limits its ability to develop policies on a truly County-wide basis.

Response: Agree Score: +1

agree with the findings numbered ________________________________________ I (we) disagree wholly or partially with the findings numbered: __F9, F11, F12___________ (Attach a statement specifying any portions of the findings that are disputed with an explanation of the reasons.

Department Of Health Services

October 01, 2020 • 7 pages • 7 responses • Score: +5 (+6, 0, -1) View Details ▾

PDF

7 responses to findings and recommendations

In dealing with the Joe Rodota Trail encampment crisis, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors did not follow a strategic planning process.

Response: Agree Score: +1

agree with the findings numbered I (we) disagree wholly or partially with the findings numbered: F3, F4, F5, F6, F9 (Attach a statement specifying any portions of the findings that are disputed with an explanation of the reasons.

Sonoma County does not yet have a countywide plan to address future homeless encampments.

Response: Agree Score: +1

The Department of Health Services and Community Development Commission remain under single leadership. [F6]

Response: Will Implement

Score: +1

R5, R10 have not yet been implemented, but will be implemented in the future.

Currently, short-term federal and state block grants provide the majority of funding for homeless programs.

Response: Agree Score: +1

Response: Will Not Implement

Due: June 30, 2021 Scheduled: Fiscal Year 2020 Score: -1

The County needs a short-term mental health facility that accepts Medi-Cal payments and serves young people. Response: The Department of Health Services wholly disagrees with this finding. "Short-term mental health facility" is a very general term and we are uncertain as to the type of facility the Grand Jury references. Sonoma County DHS short-term mental health facilities, the Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU), Crisis Residential Treatment (CRT) and transitional housing programs serve TAY, including those who are homeless. The County is also in the process of developing its own 16-bed Psychiat...

The fact that the Leadership Council does not include members from all cities in Sonoma County limits its ability to develop policies on a truly County-wide basis.

Response: Agree Score: +1

No Responses Found 1

Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.

Santa Rosa City