Monterey County Grand Jury
• 2017-2018
• Agency Response
Response to:
WHO’S IN CHARGE? Stepping up on Homelessness: The need for strategic leadership and comprehensive planning
Who's in charge? Stepping up on Homelessness in Monterey County*
⚠️ 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 12 findings
F1
- Homelessness is a bigger problem in the County than the biennial homeless census would suggest. Response: The City Council agrees with this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
- Elected County and City officials should provide government leadership to address homelessness. Response - The City has been participating in meetings with other County and City leaders to begin efforts consistent with the recommendations in this report. Therefore, the City Council believes implementation has begun, but is not completed. The City Council supports the recommendation and commits to participating in regional efforts.
F2
- The County's homeless problem has the potential to get worse if we do not invest in accessible housing solutions. Growing housing insecurity will only increase demand on our unfunded, over stressed public services. Response – The City Council agrees with this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
- The County and its Cities should form an accountable leadership body that has the power to oversee a regional approach to ending homelessness and address housing insecurity in Monterey County. Response - This recommendation has not yet been implemented. The City Council supports this recommendation in concept, but would need more information regarding the structure, representation, authority, commitment from participating agencies, costs and funding before taking a position of supporting the formation of a new governing body. The City is committed to participating in an effort to address this recommendation in partnership with other agencies in Monterey County.
F3
- The County's strategy for addressing homelessness needs a clearer focus, accountable leadership, and enhance capacity. Response - The City Council agrees with this finding.
No recommendations for this finding
F4
- Structuring the Continuum of Care administrator as a 501@3 nonprofit organization is conducive to securing funding and coordinating homeless services. City Hall, 212 South Vanderhurst Ave. King City, CA 93930 Tel: (831) 385-3281 • Fax (831) 386-5968 • www.kingcity.com However, a nonprofit organization cannot establish public policy and planning needed to end homelessness. Response – The City Council agrees with this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
- The Lead me Home Leadership council should clearly define its purpose and goals. Response - This recommendation is not yet implemented. The City Council supports this recommendation and is committed to assisting in this effort as requested.
F5
- The County has unofficially established the Coalition of Homeless Service Providers as the central organization for addressing homelessness. Making any non- profit the center of homeless solutions effectively creates perception there is governmental leadership when there is, in fact no formal political leadership. This arrangement provides elected officials with a way to avoid accepting political responsibility for addressing homelessness. Response - The City does not have direct information or experience necessary to either support or dispute this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
- There should be a clear distinction between governance of the Continuum of Care---as an integral part of the broader strategic plan-and the leadership body charged with implementing a regional strategic plan to end homelessness. Response - This recommendation is not yet implemented. The City Council supports this recommendation in concept, but believes more discussion is needed amongst leaders of county and city agencies, service providers, and other stakeholders before conclusions can be made regarding the most effective divisions of authority for governance of issues and strategies related to homelessness.
F6
- The Coalition of Homeless Service Providers is a small nonprofit that does not have sufficient capacity to administer the County's strategic plan to end homelessness and its continuum of care for both Monterey and San Benito counties. It does not provide political leadership to coalesce public support and government commitments around a concrete action-plan to end homelessness. Response - The City does not have direct information or experience necessary to either support or dispute this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
- If the County effectively exerts control of the Coalition for Homeless Service Providers through the Leadership Council, then the County should clearly define the purpose and role of the Coalition for Homeless Service Providers. It also follows that the Coalition for Homeless Service Providers should be adequately funded and staffed in proportion to its level of responsibilities with respect to securing resource and performing services for the county. Response - This recommendation is not yet implemented. The City Council agrees with this recommendation within the constraints of available fiscal resources.
F7
- The composition of the Leadership Council and its location within the Coalition of Homeless Service Providers has affected the focus of the leadership council. The Leadership Council's critical opportunity of generating and executing a strategic plan to end homelessness has narrowed to providing oversight of the Continuum of Care. Response - The City does not have direct information or experience necessary to either support or dispute this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
- The newly created leadership body (see R2) should update and implement a regional strategic plan to end homelessness by defining its purpose, goals and assessments to measure and track progress. Response - This recommendation is not yet implemented. The City Council supports this recommendation and the City is committed to participating in an effort to address this recommendation in partnership with other agencies in Monterey County.
F8
- The structure of the Leadership Council does not provide authority to design and execute a regional plan to end homelessness, and it does not support full public accountability for meeting stated targets Response – The City Council agrees with this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
- The strategic plan should be revisited annually using outcome measurements to evaluate and adjust strategies for meeting goals. Response - This recommendation is not yet implemented. The City Council supports this recommendation.
F9
- Political leadership is necessary to secure public support, enact policy and planning decisions that capitalize on state legislation, and execute a regional homeless plan. Response - The City Council agrees with this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R9
- Reports that assess which goals are, or are not, being met should be generated and made publicly available. Response - This recommendation is not yet implemented. The City Council supports this recommendation.
F10
- Government decision-making is essential for making choices about resource commitments. Response – The City Council agrees with this finding.
Related Recommendations (1)
R10
as identified in the Report. Civil Grand Jury's Report - Findings
F11
- To meaningfully change the course of homelessness and housing insecurity, there must be a regional approach to homelessness and the creation of a new governing body with the power to oversee implementation of the plan. Response - The City Council agrees with the need for a regional approach, but the City Council would need more information regarding the structure, representation, authority, costs and funding before taking a position of supporting the formation of a new governing body. Ultimately, the success of any governing body will require the commitment by each of the participating agencies.
No recommendations for this finding
F12
- The strategic plan to end homelessness serves as an informal guide rather than a definitive regional plan. It needs to be updated and fully implemented. Response – The City Council agrees with this finding. Civil Grand Jury Report - Recommendations
No recommendations for this finding
* This report's PDF did not contain easily extractable text and required Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for analysis. There may be minor errors in the extracted findings and recommendations due to OCR limitations with scanned documents.