County of San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors Agenda Item Transmittal (1) Department (2) Meeting Date (3)

There is an absence of predictable year-over-year funding for homeless programs. The “San Luis Obispo Countywide Plan to Address Homelessness 2022-2027" relies heavily on partner agencies without providing adequate ongoing funding to those agencies. We Agree with this Finding ☒ The County budgets $10.7 million per year for homelessness (within the Homeless Services Division). Of that, $5.7 million comes from State and Federal agencies although these funding sources are not guaranteed year over year. Of that $5.7 million, $4.6 million act as a pass through to support partner agencies. The remainder of financing sources includes $4.9 million from the County General Fund, $1.9 million is allocated to partner agencies with $1.1 million to support Housing Now and the remainder supporting various projects including $379,000 to fund homeless programs allocated for service providers based on a competitive application process as part of the County’s Action Plan process. Despite these funding sources, the lack of consistent, predictable funding poses a significant challenge for sustaining homeless programs effectively over time and may impact the continuity and effectiveness of homeless programs, as well as the ability to plan and implement long-term solutions to address homelessness. The County Board of Supervisors, per the current County adopted State legislative platform, supports legislative and budget proposals to ensure ongoing and stable state funding for homeless programs and services as well as to ensure that supportive services funding is including in the array of homeless solution grants and allocations.

The County’s staffing turnover and reorganization of its homeless services has caused the overall progress of the implementation of the “San Luis Obispo Countywide Plan to Address Homelessness 2022- 2027” to be slower than projected and is at risk of not meeting County goals. We Wholly or Partially Disagree with the Finding for the following reasons: ☒ The Homeless Services Division was established within the Department of Social Services on August 9, 2022, following the approval of the San Luis Obispo Countywide Plan to Address Homelessness by the Board of Supervisors. While it's acknowledged that staffing turnover and reorganization within the County's homeless services may have introduced challenges, it's important to note that the extent to which these changes have affected the pace of implementing the 'San Luis Obispo Countywide Plan to Address Homelessness 2022-2027', is de minimis at best. . Despite these transitions, significant progress has been made, showcasing the dedication of individuals involved and their contributions to addressing homelessness. While there may have been a minimal impact on the pace of implementation, the County remains committed to effectively addressing homelessness within the community by recognizing achievements and adapting to changing circumstances. It should be noted that, in alignment with the County’s plan to end homelessness, much of the work undertaken during 2023 and into 2024 happened behind the scenes. One major example of this was implementation of a the new HMIS, Clarity, which occurred on time despite the challenges presented. The HMIS team worked extensively with system partners to ensure that all system partners were trained, had policies in place and were ready to seamlessly transition into the new HMIS. With phase one of implementation now completed, County staff can now turn their attention to further expanding use of the HMIS which will be leveraged to measure progress toward goal achievement including being able to more readily share data with the broader community. A second example is the work currently underway to examine coordinated entry practices which includes updating tools and creating policies and processes to support a high functioning system. Much groundwork has been paid which will be leveraged over the coming year to improve the coordinated entry system countywide.

The County’s selection and vetting process for homeless services site selection has not always been successful due to zoning, ordinances, and public perception of the homeless. We Wholly or Partially Disagree with the Finding for the following reasons: ☒ Zoning regulations and ordinances often dictate where certain types of facilities, including homeless shelters or service centers, can be located within a community. These regulations may limit the available options for site selection and can sometimes create barriers to establishing new facilities in areas where they are most needed. Moreover, funding restrictions for certain projects can further constrain the range of viable options, limiting the flexibility in site selection decisions. As a result, navigating both zoning regulations and funding constraints becomes essential in effectively addressing the needs of homeless populations and ensuring the successful establishment of essential facilities and services within communities. While zoning may pose a barrier, the County has assertively pursued all options available to overcome zoning barriers and utilized all available tools. Additionally, when a barrier is identified the County has worked swiftly to address the barrier including advocacy at the appropriate commission, application of appropriate exemptions and outreach and advocacy with the local community to gain support.

The County has failed to implement a cohesive public awareness plan on homeless issues resulting in insufficient public engagement. We Wholly or Partially Disagree with the Finding for the following reasons: ☒ As part of the San Luis Obispo Countywide Plan to Address Homelessness Line of Effort Six focuses on building public engagement through information sharing including engaging and educating the public and other key stakeholders with outreach materials, data dashboards, and improving community partnerships to increase support for addressing the needs of the homeless .As presented to the Board of Supervisors on May 21, 2024 during the Homeless Services Division annual update, the following progress was made: • Increased community engagement in providing input to a variety of workgroups, forums, and outreach campaigns. • HSD increased community member responses to the Community Development Needs Assessment by over 2100%. In 2022 we received 14 responses and in 2023 we received 316; primary outreach included use of social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and NextDoor, promotion through Cities’ partners, press releases, and more. • Coordinated and hosted multiple community information sessions. • Increased social media presence to share system wide homeless services information. • For key initiatives, developed and implemented communications plans, which included press releases, media engagement, social media presence, and distribution of memos and talking points for to stakeholders. • Improved access to countywide warming center services by developing and coordinating a consistent notification system for service providers, emergency services, and general public. • There were more than 250+ volunteers for the 2024 PIT Count – the largest public-facing event for HSD to date. Volunteers were recruited county-wide from media outreach, social media, and word of mouth with people participating from the Carizzo Plains to Cambria to Nipomo. Of the 250 volunteers, more than 30% shared that they had no affiliation with a volunteer organization or a homeless services provider, with the PIT Count being their introduction to addressing local homelessness. • Created centralized resource “Get Involved” webpage to direct interested community members to opportunities to volunteer opportunities. • Implemented a media relations plan to improve Homeless Services Division accessibility and authoritative credibility.

The “San Luis Obispo Countywide Plan to Address Homelessness 2022-2027” lacks quantifiable details and specificity to track progress toward meeting their stated goals. We Wholly or Partially Disagree with the Finding for the following reasons: ☒ The San Luis Obispo Countywide Plan to Address Homelessness includes the following specific targets: (1) Reduce the number of people experiencing homelessness to 50% of the 2022 levels within five years. (2) Reduce the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness to 50% of the 2022 level within five years. (3) Build at least 300 interim housing units, 500 permanent supportive housing units and 1,667 low- income Housing units. The Five-Year plan laid out six lines of effort as a roadmap to guide data-based decision making and focused efforts that would result in achieving these specific targets and ultimately reducing homelessness. Tracking of these performance measures is made available in the County of San Luis Obispo Budget in accordance with the County’s Five-Year Plan to Address Homelessness as well as in annual updates to the Board of Supervisors.