Housing Homeless Women?*

Funding is provided by Monterey County and cities to build low cost housing most of which is unaffordable for homeless women. Response: The City Council agrees with the finding. Although funding is provided by the City of Monterey to develop low-income housing in the community, the number of units developed or scheduled for development that will be affordable to Extremely Low- income (30% or below Monterey County Median Income) homeless women is insufficient to address all of the need. Recent examples of the funding provided by the City of Monterey for low income housing are: On June 7, 2016, the City approved a disposition and development agreement with Mid Peninsula The Farm to develop a 19 unit senior housing rental project on City owned land that was purchased with $1.3 Million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money. This project is required to restrict three units as affordable to Extremely Low-income individuals. 2) The City is providing $4.98 Million in former Redevelopment Agency money to develop 18 affordable apartments in the Monterey Hotel mixed-use project at 406 Alvarado Street. Three of these units will be restricted as affordable to Very Low-income households (between 31% and 50% of Monterey County Median Income). CITY HALL • MONTEREY • CALIFORNIA • 93940 • 831.646.3760 • FAX 831.646.3793 Web Site • http://www.monterev.org 3) On June 10, 2016, the City approved a funding agreement with the Veteran's Transition Center (VTC) to provide $450,000 in CDBG money to rehabilitate up to 4 transitional housing units for Extremely Low and Very Low-income homeless veterans and veterans families. These units are owned by VTC and they are located in the City of Marina. The City will continue to work to identify additional funding to build low-cost housing. However, it is important to note that sites available for housing are limited due to the State Water Resources Control Board Cease and Desist Order regarding water supply. There has to be existing water credits onsite that can be repurposed into a housing project in order for it proceed. Therefore, the number of sites is limited.

There are insufficient resources to house the homeless, evidenced by the increasing number of encampments and people living in the street. Response: The City Council agrees with the finding that there are insufficient resources to house the homeless. This is documented in the findings of the Monterey County Homeless Point-in-Time Census and Survey 2015 that identified a total of 306 unsheltered homeless individuals and 31 sheltered homeless individuals in the City of Monterey. However, these numbers show a significant decline in the count of total City of Monterey homeless individuals from 542 in 2013 to 337 in 2015.

The cities of Monterey, Salinas and Marina and Monterey County have identified property owned by them that could be used for low cost and transitional housing but it is currently not being utilized. Response: The City Council agrees with the finding. The City has identified sites for low cost housing and is currently working with partners towards its development. Two projects that are in process for development on City-owned property are the Mid Peninsula The Farm senior apartments and the Monterey Hotel mixed-use apartments. The Mid Peninsula The Farm site is located in the 600 block of Van Buren Street behind the City's Police Station. The project has received all local development approvals, and Mid Peninsula The Farm has applied for tax credit and grant funding to help finance the project. The Monterey Hotel mixed-use apartments site is located at 406 Alvarado Street. The City has entered into an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement with Silverie Construction to complete construction of the apartment units and a Development and Disposition Agreement is scheduled for City Council review in August/September 2016.

Safe overnight parking for homeless women is scarce in Monterey County. Response: The City Council agrees with the finding. The City has established a location available for use by a safe parking program provider, to-date the site has not been utilized by participants. City staff continues to outreach to the One Starfish Program, the local safe parking program provider, to offer the site in Monterey for safe parking and to work to identify additional appropriate locations. City staff understands that other sites, such as church parking lots, are preferred by service providers such as One Starfish Program. The City's experience working with a local safe parking program provider indicates that site location (particularly proximity to gas stations, laundromats, social service providers, grocery stores, schools, etc.) and a potential participant's ability to meet safe parking program requirements (such as a commitment to work towards re-housing, to work with social services providers to address any medical, drug or substance abuse issues, etc.) may affect safe overnight parking use, regardless of availability.