City of Dana Point Office of the City Manager August 23, 2018 The Honorable Charles Margines Presiding Judge of the*

Homelessness in Orange County is a regional problem requiring regional approaches and solutions. Response: The City of Dana Point agrees with the above finding.

The lack of a regional plan designating specific development goals for Permanent Supportive Housing contributes to an insufficient number of available units to house the chronically homeless. Response: The City of Dana Point agrees with the above finding.

Cities' reluctance to provide sites for Permanent Supportive Housing development has contributed to overcrowded emergency shelters and an increased unsheltered homeless population. Response: The City of Dana Point disagrees with the above finding. Many Orange County cities have developed or converted existing units into Permanent Supportive Housing, even some by-right, requiring no discretionary approvals. Insufficient funding, especially in the areas of the County with higher real estate acquisitions costs have slowed the development pipeline of units. The City of Dana Point is a member of the Association of California Cities - Orange County (ACCOC) and, as such, is a member of the ACCOC's Homelessness Task Force. 33282 Golden Lantern, Dana Point, CA 92629 • (949) 248-3500 • FAX (949) 248-9920 Internet: www.danapoint.org

Service Planning Area meetings have successfully brought together city, county and nonprofit entities to share information on homeless issues, but have not fostered decision making or action. Response: The City of Dana Point partially disagrees with the above finding. The meetings have successfully brought together stakeholders to share information and create a dialogue that did not previously exist. However, no specific decisions or actions have been agenized to date.

NIMBYism has impeded the creation of housing for the homeless, including Permanent Supportive Housing, in the County of Orange. Response: The City of Dana Point partially disagrees with the above finding. Many Orange County cities have developed or converted existing units into Permanent Supportive Housing, even some by- right, requiring no discretionary approvals. Insufficient funding and high real estate acquisitions costs have been other factors that have slowed the development of units.

Orange County cities and the County have engaged in blaming and finger-pointing, hampering the collaborative efforts needed to site, finance, and maintain Permanent Supportive Housing. Response: The City of Dana Point disagrees with the above finding. Many Orange County cities have developed or converted existing units into Permanent Supportive Housing, even some by-right, requiring no discretionary approvals. Insufficient funding and high real estate acquisitions costs have slowed the development pipeline of units.

Cities have taken a silo approach to developing Permanent Supportive Housing, resulting in inefficient leveraging and pooling of funds across municipal borders. Response: The City of Dana Point partially disagrees with the above finding. Only recently has State law allowed for the pooling of successor agency housing funds to be used across city borders. Other federal funds that can be used for housing projects are typically applied in the specific jurisdiction to which they are allocated to benefit the residents of that jurisdiction, as specified by HUD.

There is no established, independent leadership body in the County empowered to address regional homeless issues in an effective manner. Response: The City of Dana Point agrees with the above finding. Association of California Cities - Orange County, that proportionally allocates sites among the cities. (F1, F2, F4, F7, F8) Response: The recommendation has not yet been implemented, but will be implemented in the future. The County has recently published its "Affordable Housing Strategic Plan". AB 448 has been introduced and is making its way through the legislature to allow for the creation of an Affordable Housing Trust that will be an implementing mechanism for the Plan. AB 448, if passed and signed by the Governor will take effect January 1, 2019.