Score: +3 (3/1/0)

San Joaquin County Grand Jury • 2019-2020

Homelessness in San Joaquin County Building on a Foundation: Collaboration and Communication

Published: August 08, 2020 28 pages

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⚠️ 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

F1.1

None of the four Designated Lead Departments has provided a plain language website that describes their efforts in addressing and limiting the impact of homelessness, leaving many San Joaquin residents with the false impression that the County and is doing little or nothing to address homelessness.

No recommendations for this finding

F1.2

The Community Car Program adds value to the community by reducing response times for calls for service, supporting the Encampment Response Team, and limiting the impacts of homelessness in San Joaquin County.

No recommendations for this finding

F1.3

Holding Homelessness Court only in Stockton denies access to many individuals and is inconsistent with the intent of the Quality of Life Policy, which is to address and limit the impacts of homelessness in San Joaquin County.

No recommendations for this finding

F1.4

The four Designated Lead Departments are successfully prioritizing homelessness and implementing the Quality of Life Policy to address and limit the impacts of homelessness in San Joaquin County.

No recommendations for this finding

F2.1

One staff person is not sufficient to ensure all needs within the county are met.

No recommendations for this finding

F2.2

The revised San Joaquin Continuum of Care has increased collaboration between the County, the cities, and non-profit organizations, helping to improve services for the homeless. 17

No recommendations for this finding

F3.1

Although many residents are interested in how homelessness is being managed, only the City of Lodi has published accomplishments in plain language on its website. This lack of readily available information makes it difficult for residents to understand what is being done to address homelessness.

No recommendations for this finding

F3.2

There is a need for community-wide planning and strategic use of resources for homelessness involving all cities within the County.

No recommendations for this finding

F3.3

It is important to establish a coordinated and regional system of care for the homeless community to improve services while addressing and limiting the impact of homelessness.

No recommendations for this finding

F3.4

Publishing a plain-language website titled What Lodi Has Done for has made it easier for the public to readily understand the actions the city has taken to address homelessness.

No recommendations for this finding

F3.5

The leadership shown recently by the City of Stockton in working with San Joaquin County towards a shared goal of obtaining funds will streamline processes and result in improved efficiency.

No recommendations for this finding

F3.6

Stockton’s leadership efforts in securing a regional strategic plan speaks to the current spirit of collaboration and communication between Stockton, San Joaquin County, and the San Joaquin Continuum of Care.

No recommendations for this finding

Conclusions 16

CL1

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (www.hud.gov) 24 Appendix A: City of Stockton Guiding Principles Homelessness San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors established a county-wide Homelessness Task Force. The Task Force includes members from state and local government, homeless service providers, and various service organizations. Five Strategic Priories for Homelessness were developed and adopted by the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors, and the Board asked cities within the County to adopt a similar set of strategies. On May 9, 2017, the Stockton City Council adopted the following Guiding Principles and action items that will provide the framework for making decisions related to homelessness: Guiding Principle 1 Foster collaboration between private and public agencies to ensure that collection of data regarding the number and demographic makeup of the homeless population is accurate and shared among agencies engaged in homelessness prevention activities. • Provide appropriate access to agencies working with the homeless population. • Employ Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) best practices for accurate collection of homeless census and demographic information for input to the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). • All emergency homeless shelters, regardless of funding source, should actively participate in the HMIS and Coordinated Entry (CE) process operated by the San Joaquin County Continuum of Care. • Point-in-Time (PIT) and HMIS data should be used to inform all County strategies and actions to address homelessness. • The San Joaquin County Continuum of Care governance structure will be refined to promote greater collaboration and representation by agencies and organizations in the region that serve the homeless population and follow both best practices and HUD guidelines. • The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors will play an active role in the convening and functioning of the Continuum of Care by assigning a Supervisor each year. Guiding Principle 2 Work collaboratively to reduce or eliminate upfront barriers to housing. • Focus on assisting individuals and families to access and sustain permanent housing as quickly as possible. • Promote links between law enforcement and service/housing/behavioral health providers. • Seek out all available funds to enhance the “Housing First” model access to permanent housing. • All transitional housing programs are reconfigured, when possible, to rapid rehousing or permanent supportive housing. 25 • All permanent housing projects for the homeless, regardless of funding source, shall actively participate in in the HMIS and CE processes. • San Joaquin County, cities, agencies and the private sector should consider jointly funding and conducting a study on the feasibility of establishing an agency-specific or countywide Affordable Housing Trust Fund to provide financing in our region. Guiding Principle 3 Adopt unified discharge policies to prevent individuals from being discharged into homelessness • All institutions, including those of the criminal justice and foster care systems, health care, and mental health care facilities, non-profit/profit operated facilities, should adopt and implement comprehensive discharge policies that provide information on services available to avoid discharge into homelessness. • All law enforcement agencies should participate in the development of and shall adopt, a uniform Restorative Policing model to establish permanent, cooperative links with homeless service and housing providers, mental health, substance abuse, and other community experts to best address the needs of homeless individuals encountered during their enforcement of law. Guiding Principle 4 Adopt a “No Wrong Door” approach, wherein the homeless or individuals facing homelessness can receive information regarding available services regardless of which agency they contact. • Provide staff with tools and resources necessary to connect individuals with appropriate services and housing assistance. • Utilize 2-1-1 system to identify and connect individuals with appropriate service. Guiding Principle 5 Foster public/private partnerships for the development of new strategies and the enhancement of existing programs to prevent homelessness before it occurs. • Increase affordable housing in the region. • Bring more jobs to the region through ongoing economic development efforts. • Seek funding opportunities and relationships for all aspects of the City’s homeless population 26 Appendix B: San Joaquin County Policy Quality of Life – Addressing and Limiting the Impact of Homelessness in San Joaquin County As part of the 2019-2020 Final Budget adoption, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors established homelessness as an operational priority for all County Departments. Homelessness affects everyone, regardless of socio-economics. San Joaquin County is committed to developing and implementing solutions to this pervasive problem. Success depends upon the involvement of the entire community, a community that values responsibility and accountability. To address and limit the impacts of homelessness in San Joaquin County, the Board of Supervisors hereby identifies the following activities to become departmental priorities within existing resources: • Consistent with Constitutional limitations, exercise authority and discretion in the application of all laws enacted to protect the health, safety and welfare of all County Residents • Focus on the impacts of homelessness (e.g. services provided by the County Encampment Response Team pursuant to the County Encampment Management and Resolution Policy and Operating Procedure addressing public health and safety, crime, and blight) • Educate and communicate with residents, businesses and the homeless • Focus on outreach, intervention and prevention due to the impacts of homelessness • Collaborate with stakeholders including County departments, cities, communities, judges, courts, and non-county organizations • Focus on addressing behavioral health and substance abuse problems facing many in the homeless population • Establish crisis-response protocols for appropriate County personnel to effectively address behavioral health issues at the initial point of contact • Establish departmental metrics to measure the volume of activity and associated outcomes • Collect and share comprehensive data regarding the financial impact of homelessness on each county department, develop strategies to more effectively and efficiently address the impact of homelessness on the County. Next Steps Lead Departments The following departments shall be designated to lead this effort – Health care Services, Community Development, Sheriff’s Office, and District Attorney’s Office. Functional work units involved in this effort shall include Community Car Program, Neighborhood Deputy District Attorney Program, and Code Enforcement. Measurements/Outcomes Involved departments shall establish metrics to measure services and outcomes. Metrics will include- the number of homeless residents engaged by County staff, and the number of homeless 27 residents directed to and/or successfully connected with social services, including but not limited to, physical and mental health care, shelter, and available government benefits. Community Outreach and Collaboration • Community outreach shall occur to foster input and dialog with the public regarding homelessness and it impacts. • Assess the appropriate action for limiting the use of public property by way of reasonable time, place and manner restrictions. • Departments will develop educational materials to assist residents, businesses and the homeless. • The County will incorporate homelessness topics within existing advisory boards and appropriate forums where applicable (i.e. Farm Bureau, Planning Commission, etc.). Efforts will focus on developing strategies to address homelessness and improve the quality of life for the residents of San Joaquin County. 28
CL2

Manteca City Council meeting, 2018, August 21 (https://manteca- ca.granicus.com/player/clip/491?view_id=2)
CL3

Sacramento 2018-2019 Grand Jury Final Report. 2019, Addressing Homelessness in Sacramento County; An Extraordinary Community Challenge. June 28.
CL4

San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors. 2016., Special Meeting on Homelessness, November 16,
CL5

San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors. 2019. Policy Statement, Quality of Life – Addressing and Limiting the Impact of Homelessness in San Joaquin County, July 16 (www.sjgov.org)
CL6

San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors. 2019. Board Meeting, Proposed Budget 2020- 2021 presentation. June 9.
CL7

San Joaquin County Continuum of Care. 2019., Report on the Point in Time Count of the Sheltered and Unsheltered Homeless. April 22. ( https://bit.ly/2ZJ7eyt )
CL8

San Joaquin County Continuum of Care. 2019., Report on the Point in Time Count of the Sheltered and Unsheltered Homeless. April 22 (Dashboard only)( http://bit.ly/2T4qNOg)
CL9

San Joaquin County Continuum of Care, undated,) Shelter that Succeeds. (www.sanjoaquincoc.org
CL10

San Joaquin County Grand Jury Final Report. 2016. Homelessness in San Joaquin County: Time for Collaboration, Commitment and Communication. June 1. (https://bit.ly/38EL8QL)
CL11

The Record. 2020, Gospel center Rescue Mission Providing Shelter for Homeless Men Who Test Positive for COVID-19. June 3. https://bit.ly/3hlhAuA
CL12

The Record. , 2020. More Homeless in San Joaquin Getting COVID-19 Testing. May 24. https://bit.ly/2CRpcWI
CL13

Superior Court of California, County of San Joaquin, Homeless Court pamphlet (https://www.sjcourts.org/wp-content/uploads/HOMELESS-COURT-HANDOUT.pdf)
CL14

City of Lodi Website “What Lodi Has Done.” https://bit.ly/2ZLlOWg
CL15

City of Stockton. 2017. Guiding Principles Adopted May 9, 2017 Addressing Homelessness. May 9(www.stocktongov.com)
CL16

Homeless Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) External Evaluation. 2020. Report to the California State Legislature, January 1.

Agency Responses 1

Government agencies' official responses to this report's findings and recommendations. Click on a response to see the structured breakdown.

Board of Supervisors’

October 27, 2020 • 6 pages • 4 responses • Score: +3 (+3, 1, 0) View Details ▾

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4 responses to findings and recommendations

F1

Employees of the Public Defender’s Office filed a disproportionate number of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaints compared to all other County Departments.

Response: Agree Score: +1

1: <u>Agree.</u> San Joaquin County concurs with the Grand Jury's finding. Finding 1.3: Holding Homelessness Court only in Stockton denies access to many individuals and is inconsistent with the intent of the Quality of Life Policy, which is to address and limit the impacts of homelessness in San Joaquin County.

R1

1 By December 31, 2020 the Human Resources Division of San Joaquin County hire an independent consultant to conduct a thorough operational review of all aspects of the Public Defender’s Office.

Response: Will Implement

Score: +1

1: This recommendation will be implemented but not by March 1, 2021. Plans to consolidate and refine the presentation of homelessness information on the San Joaquin County website are under discussion. Multiple factors which are difficult or impossible to predict, including the ongoing implementation of homelessness data collection strategies, next point in time count (PIT) scheduled for January 2021 and the impacts of COVID-19, the County will make its best effort for completion of this initiative by end of calendar year 2021. Recommendation 1.3: By March 1, 2021, County Board of Supervisor...

F2

Confidentiality rules prevented Management from sharing any information on EEO complaints. This lack of communication caused angst and distrust in the department.

Response: Disagree Partially Score: 0

1: Partially Agree. San Joaquin County agrees that effective solutions to homelessness require commitment, coordination and collaboration from multiple stakeholders. San Joaquin County disagrees that there is only one staff person ensuring that all needs within the County are met. Finding 2.1 fails to include references to the other staff and resources devoted to solutions to homelessness, including from the District Attorney's Office, Sheriff's Office, Department of Health Care Services, and Community Development Department, all of which are highlighted elsewhere in the Grand Jury report. Re...

F3

Management followed San Joaquin County Human Resources Department (HR) policies and procedures for addressing EEO complaints.

Response: Agree Score: +1

1: Agree. San Joaquin County concurs with the Grand Jury's finding. Finding 3.2: There is a need for community-wide planning and strategic use of resources for homelessness involving all cities within the County.