Where There's Will, There's a Way: Housing Orange County's Chronically Homeless*

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

Cities' reluctance to provide sites for Permanent Supportive Housing development has contributed to the overcrowded emergency shelters and an increased unsheltered homeless population. Response: The City of Tustin agrees in part with the above finding. The City agrees that many cities have shown reluctance to provide sites for Permanent Supportive Housing to house the chronically homeless. However, the City of Tustin is not reluctant to do so. Mayor Al Murray • Mayor Pro Tem Rebecca "Beckie" Gomez • Dr. Allan Bernstein • Charles E. "Chuck" Puckett • Letitia Clark 300 Centennial Way, Tustin, CA 92780 • (714) 573-3010 • www.tustinca.org The Honorable Charles Margines August 20, 2018

Service Planning Area meetings have successfully brought together city, county and non-profit entities to share information on homeless issues, but have not fostered decision-making or action. Response: The City of Tustin agrees in part with this finding, but believes the meetings in some SPAs may nevertheless prove more productive in the future.

NIMBYism has impeded the creation of housing for the homeless, including Permanent Supportive Housing, in the County of Orange. Response: The City of Tustin agrees with the above finding

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 Tustin partially agrees with the above finding. While there has been occasional blaming and finger pointing among some agencies, there is still a collaborative effort among many agencies, including the City of Tustin, to site, finance and maintain Permanent Supportive Housing.

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 Tustin only partially agrees with the above finding. Although state law requires cities to enable the development of shelters and low-income housing by removing local regulatory barriers, the law does not require cities to acquire real property nor fund development of new housing or shelters. Most cities in the County apply to the County for pass-through funding for social and housing programs as subrecipients. Welfare and Institutions Code 17000 makes it a County responsibility to provide public assistance to the indigent, and funding for social and housing programs is almost exclusively directed to the County. Consequently, the lack of funding available directly to cities limits their ability to take on a direct role in the development of housing and shelters.

There is no established, independent leadership body in the County empowered to address regional homeless issues in an effective manner. Response: The City of Tustin only partially agrees with the above finding. The County has explored solutions, including the creation of the Homeless Czar and establishment of Service Planning Areas. The Honorable Charles Margines August 20, 2018