Where are You Sleeping Tonight?

The Stewart B. McKinney Act, 42 U.S.C. § 11301, et seq. (1994) defines the homeless as an individual or family who: • lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, and • has a primary nighttime residence that is: a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed o to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for persons with mental illness), or an institution that provides a temporary residence for o individuals intended to be institutionalized, or a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used o as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings

The National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH)1 reported that nearly 3.5 million people worldwide experience homelessness each year. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH)2, in 2007 there were 671,859 homeless in the U. S., and of that total 159,732 were residing in California. This figure represents 23.8% of the total homeless population in the U.S. [Ref-01, Ref-02]

James J. O’Connell, in his paper Premature Mortality in Homeless Populations: A Review of the Literature published by National Health Care for the Homeless Council states, "Life on the streets is brutal and short. The average age of death for homeless people is 30 years less than that of housed people." [Ref-03] 1 The National Coalition for the Homeless is a national network of people who are currently experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, activists and advocates, community-based and faith-based service providers, and others. The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a nonpartisan, mission-driven organization committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the United States. ________________________________________________________________ 2 Where are You Sleeping Tonight?

The NCH cites two tendencies for the increase in homelessness over the last 25 years as follows: [Ref-04] • increasing shortage of affordable rental housing • increase in poverty

As incomes fail to keep pace with housing costs, Americans face difficult choices: • trying to put food on the table • paying for quality healthcare • educating their children • keeping a roof over their heads Those who cannot manage that balancing act become homeless or live on the periphery of homelessness. [Ref-04]

Over 5.2 million low-income households in the U.S. have serious housing problems due to high housing costs, substandard housing conditions, or both. [Ref-05]

It is estimated that 15.8 million people in the U.S. are living in “worst case housing” conditions, meaning they spend 50 percent of their income on rent and earn only 50 percent of the area median income or live in severely substandard housing. [Ref-05]

About half of the people who experience homelessness over the course of a year are single adults. [Ref-06]

About 80 percent of single adult shelter users enter the homeless system (System) only once or twice, stay just over a month, and do not return. [Ref-06]

About nine percent of single adult shelter users enter nearly five times a year and stay nearly two months each time. This group utilizes 18 percent of the System’s resources. [Ref-06]

About 10 percent of single adult shelter users enter the system just over twice a year and spend an average of 280 days per stay—virtually living in the System and using up over 50 percent of the System’s resources. These individuals are defined as chronically homeless. [Ref-06]

The chronically homeless often cycle between living on the streets and living in hospitals, jails, and other institutions. They often have complex medical problems, serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, and/or alcohol or drug addiction. [Ref-06]

Some of the ways in which homelessness is costly to society are: [Ref-07] • hospitalization and medical treatment Where are You Sleeping Tonight? 3 the New England Journal of Medicine reports homeless people o spent an average of four days longer per hospital visit, at a cost of $2,414 a study found that the average cost to California hospitals of o treating a substance abuser is about $8,360 for those in treatment, and $14,740 for those who are not • jail or prison - a University of Texas two-year survey of homeless individuals showed that each person cost the taxpayers $14,480 per year • emergency shelter - the cost of a bed funded by HUD's Emergency Shelter Grants program is approximately $8,067 per year • lost opportunity - the most difficult cost to quantify is the loss of future productivity

The Ventura County 2009 Homeless Count, conducted on 27 January 2009, reported that: [Ref-08] • there were 2,193 homeless adults and children 1,842 (84%) adults o 351 (16%) children o • of the 1,842 adults 1,232 (67%) were men o 610 (33%) were women o • there were 161 families consisting of: 41 two-parent families o 120 single-parent families o

The Ventura County 2010 Homeless Count, conducted on 26 January 2010, reported that: [Ref-09] • there were 1,815 homeless adults and children 1,604 (88%) adults o 211 (12%) children o • of the 1,604 adults 1,078 (67%) were men o 526 (33%) were women o • there were 117 families consisting of: 30 two-parent families o 87 single-parent families o ________________________________________________________________ 4 Where are You Sleeping Tonight?

The total homeless population in the County decreased by 378 people between the 2009 and 2010 homeless counts. This is a net decrease of 17.2% as shown below: [Ref-08, Ref-09] 2009 AND 2010 Homeless Counts CITY 2009 2010 Net change Camarillo 13 15 2 Fillmore 4 5 1 Moorpark 7 1 -6 Ojai 60 52 -8 Oxnard 679 520 -159 Port Hueneme 1 9 8 Santa Paula 91 54 -37 Simi Valley 303 229 -74 Thousand Oaks 147 106 -41 Ventura 623 601 -22 Unincorporated Areas 265 223 -42 Total 2,193 1,815 -378

In 1995, HUD began requiring communities to submit a single application for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants3 in order to streamline the funding application process, encourage coordination of housing and service providers on a local level, and promote the development of Continuums of Care (CoC)4. [Ref-10]

The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness is a federal agency established by Congress to be responsible for supporting and encouraging local jurisdictions to develop and implement 10-Year strategies. [Ref-11]

Prior to the introduction of these 10-Year strategies, the typical method of managing homelessness involved moving homeless people from food and meal programs to emergency shelters and back to food and meal programs, day after day, week after week, month after month, and for an increasing number of homeless persons, year after year. [Ref-11]

Managing homelessness also involves moving homeless people in and out of motels, winter shelters, and correctional institutions in an endless cycle of homelessness. [Ref-11] 3 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants are the primary source of funding for programs serving homeless people, providing assistance for families with children experiencing homelessness, people experiencing chronic homelessness, and other people experiencing homelessness. A Continuum of Care is a regional or local planning body that coordinates housing and services funding for homeless families and individuals. Where are You Sleeping Tonight? 5

The purpose of these 10-Year plans was to develop courses of action, not to manage homelessness, but to end it. [Ref-11]

The VCHHC has functioned as the lead planning organization for homeless assistance in the County since 1991.

The mission of VCHHC, a nonprofit organization, is to develop and maintain a county-wide cooperative effort to address the needs of homeless individuals, those at risk of becoming homeless, and those in need of low income housing.

VCHHC does the following: • advises the various agencies and the Cities on the procedures to apply for Federal and State grant monies which are available to assist the homeless • encourages the Cities to identify the programs, procedures, and methods designed to combat and prevent homelessness and to provide needed services to assist the homeless

Beginning in early 2006, a working group of representatives from both the public and private sectors met at least monthly to develop a plan to end homelessness.

In June 2007, after 18 months of effort, the Strategy was adopted by VCHHC. [Ref-11]

The initial goal of the Strategy was to reduce homelessness within the County by 50% during the first five years (2008-2012) of implementation.

The Strategy focuses new and existing tools and resources on three sub-populations of homeless persons: [Ref-11] • chronic homeless persons5 • episodic homeless persons6 • persons at risk of becoming homeless7 5 A person who is “chronically homeless” is an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more, or has at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years. A disabling condition is defined as a diagnosable substance abuse disorder, serious mental illness, developmental disability including the co- occurrence of two or more of these conditions. Episodic homeless persons are individuals or families who are homeless for a short period of time—days, weeks, or months—not a year or more. Persons at risk of becoming homeless have limited income and often have to choose between paying their rent or mortgage and other daily living costs which often put them at risk of becoming homeless. ________________________________________________________________ 6 Where are You Sleeping Tonight?

The Strategy focuses on seven activities: [Ref-11] • establishing the community’s commitment • adopting “Guiding Principles” • determining the number of persons to be served • recommending service and housing needs • developing community involvement • funding the strategy • measuring performance

The Strategy contains 22 recommendations to end homelessness. These recommendations focus on: • providing more housing, whether emergency shelters, transitional housing, or permanent housing • providing services to assist people towards independence, and to help prevent more people from becoming homeless Not all recommendations are applicable to each city in the County. [Ref-11]

The County Human Services Agency, Homeless Services Program publishes a brochure listing resources for homeless people in the east and west County areas. These brochures provide information on places in the County to find food, shelter, clothing, counseling, and other services to aid homeless people. [Ref-12]

When the Strategy was completed, the local Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) adopted the chart below. These goals for additional housing needs are for the first five years of the Strategy. [Ref-13] Additional Housing Goals Jurisdiction Permanent Permanent Shelter Transitional Affordable Supportive Beds Housing Housing Housing Camarillo 38 35 19 12 Fillmore 11 10 5 3 Moorpark 17 16 9 5 Ojai 5 4 2 1 Oxnard 80 73 40 24 Port Hueneme 2 2 1 1 Santa Paula 24 22 12 7 Simi Valley 39 36 20 12 Thousand Oaks 22 20 11 7 Unincorporated 15 14 8 4 Ventura 47 42 23 14 Total 300 274 150 90 Where are You Sleeping Tonight? 7

In addition to the beds listed above, the Strategy envisioned the creation of a 20-bed, social-model detoxification program for adults. These beds would be located in both the east and west County. [Ref-13]

Seven cities in the County have task forces, comprised of private citizens, members of faith-based communities, service providers, elected officials, and city and County employees: • Camarillo Workforce Housing Group • Ojai Valley Homeless Task Force • Oxnard Commission on Homelessness • Santa Paula Task Force on Homelessness • Simi Valley Task Force on Homelessness • Conejo Affordable Housing Workgroup (Thousand Oaks) • Ventura Social Services Task Force

In November 2009, the VCHHC published a progress report on the Strategy. In the report they state, "As with any plan, some parts have succeeded far beyond the hopes of the working group that created this document, while other parts still have challenges to overcome." [Ref-13]

The actual total number of housing units achieved during the period June 2007 to November 2009 and planned are as follows: Type of Housing Goal Achieved Planned Permanent Affordable Housing 300 178 *215 Permanent Supportive Housing 274 78 Shelter Beds 150 -14 Transitional Housing 90 -40 **100 * 215 units are in development ** All of these beds are planned at the Kingdom Center in Ventura. Other cities also need transitional housing. [Ref-13]

There have been no detoxification beds established anywhere in the County. [Ref-13]

To date, community involvement in supporting homeless services has consisted of efforts of representatives from a wide-range of community groups including: [Ref-13] • businesses • coalitions and committees • community service clubs • educational institutions • faith-based agencies/organizations ________________________________________________________________ 8 Where are You Sleeping Tonight? • for-profit organizations • housing developers • local government • neighborhood associations • nonprofit organizations • private foundations • individual concerned residents

The County is a quarter of the way into the implementation of the Strategy.

In their December 2009 newsletter, VCHHC reported that some of the successes achieved during the first 30 months were model programs: • the Homeless Prevention Fund started by the City of Ventura’s Social Services Task Force has kept dozens of families in their housing at an average cost of $700 per incident • the “One Stop Multi-Service Center”8 takes place each Tuesday morning at the Health Care Agency Auditorium in Ventura, provides a variety of resources for persons who are facing homelessness • the Alliance to House the Homeless in Simi Valley has coordinated services and housing for persons in that community • Many Meals in Santa Paula provides meals that feed hundreds of local homeless weekly 8 The One-Stop Multi-Service Center is a collaboration of County-wide public and private agencies sponsored by the Health Care Agency. Staff and volunteers provide the following services: • medical services • application assistance for Ventura County Medical Center’s medical services discount program • legal assistance • counseling services • housing application assistance • food stamp and general relief application assistance • homeless referral services • veterans’ services • sack lunches • links to other community-based public and private agencies Where are You Sleeping Tonight? 9

The cities responding to the Grand Jury survey reported numerous accomplishments. Some of the specific accomplishments are: (Att-02) • Camarillo - has supported programs of CoC with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds as well as general fund grants • Simi Valley - has submitted a joint application with Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, and Ventura for the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program9 (HPRP) funds in the amount of $1.2 million • Thousand Oaks - with funds from CDBG provides financial support to programs that assist families in crisis, including emergency shelter funds or rental/lease assistance • Simi Valley - was awarded a grant in the amount of $801,674 in Neighborhood Stabilization Program10 (NSP) funds • Simi Valley Police Department - when it is determined that individuals being released from custody are homeless, they are provided with referral information on available homeless services, and they may stay at a facility at the police station temporarily instead of being released with no place to sleep • Simi Valley - has adopted a Parking Citation Alternative Remedies (PCAR) pilot program to provide an alternative sentencing program that allows the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless, under certain circumstances, to perform community services as payment for Simi Valley parking violations

Some of the recent examples of governmental and non-governmental entities’ efforts to end homelessness as reported in the Ventura County Star are: • in Simi Valley, the creation of an innovative nonprofit called The Wide Umbrella, aimed at helping families in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure or those who just need help with housing for a few months • the City of Ventura has allocated $22,000 in public money for a pilot program that would allow certain vehicles and qualified participants to legally park overnight in one of two designated church parking lots. This program is for individuals who are forced to sleep in their vehicles. The intent of the program is to provide temporary relief while people seek stable housing 9 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes $1.5 billion for the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program. The Neighborhood Stabilization Program was established for the purpose of stabilizing communities that have suffered from foreclosures and abandonment. ________________________________________________________________ 10 Where are You Sleeping Tonight? • a small Ojai charity, Hearts of Fire Project, donated a decades- old, but still working, recreational vehicle to a homeless healthcare-giver and single mother • donations to Ventura County Together, a joint effort of several local nonprofit groups to raise money for those in need of food, shelter, and healthcare, will be matched by the Amgen Foundation, a philanthropic affiliate of the Thousand Oaks biotechnology company • the BOS decided that the County will share its allocation of federal stimulus money for homeless prevention with the four cities (Ventura, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, and Simi Valley) that failed to receive any grant funds. The County was awarded $857,000 under the Federal Homeless Prevention and Re-Housing program, to be used in the County’s unincorporated areas and its five smallest cities • in early April 2010, the BOS agreed to spend up to $3.1 million on year-round shelters and other programs for the homeless. The funding package includes: $2 million in matching grants for cities, nonprofits or other o groups that want to open year-round shelters $600,000 over three years will go to open a detoxification o center for alcoholics and drug addicts $500,000 to start a “housing trust fund” for affordable o housing projects Conclusions C-01. Homelessness remains a major problem, not only within the County, but across the entire United States. (F-02, F-03, F-30, F-31) C-02. Due to the poor economic times, more people are at greater risk of losing their housing. (F-04 through F-07) C-03. The primary cause of homelessness is a lack of affordable housing. Adding low-income rental housing appears to be the most expedient and lowest-cost approach to reducing homelessness. (F-04 through F-07) C-04. Tenant-based rental assistance to low- and very low-income households can often forestall evictions and prevent homelessness. (F-04 through F-07) C-05. The chronic homeless are the hardest to reach and help, since they often have complex medical problems, serious mental illnesses, and/or suffer from alcohol or drug addiction. (F-11, F-12) C-06. The cost of homelessness to society can be quite high, particularly for those with chronic illnesses. Since they have no regular place to stay, Where are You Sleeping Tonight? 11 people who are homeless use a variety of public systems in an inefficient and costly way. (F-13) C-07. Emergency shelters are a costly alternative to low-cost permanent housing. While sometimes necessary for short-term crises, they too often serve as long-term housing. (F-13) C-08. Preventing a homeless episode or ensuring a speedy transition into stable permanent housing can result in significant cost savings. (F-13) C-09. Homelessness in the County is decreasing, according to the latest homeless count. (F-14 through F-16) C-10. The Strategy has raised the bar for government agencies, nonprofits, and the faith-based community to work together and to coordinate programs and funding to best meet the needs of a particular community and the County as a whole. (F-27 through F-30) C-11. The Strategy recognizes that preventing homelessness, as well as housing the chronically and episodically homeless, is not only humane but cost-effective. (F-27 through F-30) C-12. Eliminating chronic homelessness requires establishing permanent housing with supportive services, and implementing policies to prevent high-risk people from becoming chronically homeless. (F-26 through F-32) C-13. Not all Cities in the County have a homelessness task force in place. The cities that do have a task force vary in their participation from active to non-active. (F-34) C-14. The County as a whole has made modest gains in the number of permanent supportive housing beds, but has actually lost beds in the areas of shelter beds and transitional housing. (F-36) C-15. Plans to create sobering stations in several areas of the County have yet to go beyond the planning stage. (F-37) C-16. The Strategy has been successful in bringing together a diverse cross section of public and private groups. (F-38) C-17. Some Cities and private entities have developed and implemented creative and effective programs to deal with homelessness. (F-40 through F-42) C-18. Several Cities have aggressively pursued grants available through HPRP and NSP. (F-41) C-19. The County as a whole is making strides on most of the 22 recommendations in the Strategy through the energy and dedication of volunteers. (F-40 through F-42) ________________________________________________________________ 12 Where are You Sleeping Tonight? Recommendations