San Mateo County Grand Jury
• 2024-2025
Issue Finding or creating safe shelters or homes for those who are unhoused is no easy feat. During the
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⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 9 findings
F1
The County and its partners should be commended for acting swiftly, taking advantage of Homekey funds and executing the Hotel Plan when the statewide opportunity arose four years ago.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
By June 30, 2025, communicate at a public meeting the County’s long-term strategic plan to address how the County will: (i) continue to fund new and existing hotel conversions, services and operations; (ii) provide facilities to accommodate families; and (iii) establish timelines for possibly converting interim properties to permanent housing.
F2
The County’s Hotel Plan added a significant number (315) of non-congregate units across three cities, providing housing and services for over 500 formerly unhoused individuals in a quick and cost-efficient manner.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
By December 31, 2024, develop a communication program to address the concerns of future hotel acquisition communities - by engaging parties that now have operating experience in their cities and communities to share challenges, successes and data.
F3
Each of the five converted hotels is distinct, providing either permanent housing or interim housing, serving diverse individuals and offering services based on individuals’ specific needs.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
By December 31, 2024, develop and implement a process for closer collaboration between the nonprofit operators and the County to ensure that eligible individuals are matched with the right type of housing and services.
F4
Data and interviews with County staff and nonprofit service providers indicate a need for housing families.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
By December 31, 2024, develop and implement a process for closer collaboration between the nonprofit operators and the County to ensure repairs, maintenance, and renovations occur in a timely manner.
F5
While the goal of Homekey is to make all the converted hotels permanent housing, data and interviews with County staff and nonprofit service providers indicate interim housing with services will be continuously needed to help transition individuals who have been unhoused for an extended time.
Related Recommendations (1)
R5
By December 31, 2024, implement the use of an annual or semi-annual collaborative on- site property condition report involving the nonprofit operators and the County to detail and verify that agreed upon repairs, maintenance and renovations have been completed.
F6
The County experienced some communication hurdles with its partners, cities and neighbors regarding the Hotel Plan.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
By December 31, 2024, ensure that a process is in place for regular meetings among nonprofit operators, mental health providers, and the County to share issues and best practices across all the properties.
F7
The placement criteria of the Coordinated Entry System (“CES”) does not always match the unhoused individual with the most appropriate facilities and services.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
By December 31, 2024, develop and apply performance metrics to evaluate whether and how hotel conversions are meeting objectives, and communicate this to the public.
F8
Homekey imposed strict short timelines for property inspections, so some pre-purchase due diligence processes could not occur. Thus, the County and nonprofit operators had to modify 15 Urban Institute: “Policing Doesn't End Homelessness. Supportive Housing Does.” https://urbn.is/3RoC3Ag 16 See Appendix pp. 2-4 for DOH tables describing the five converted hotels and the two pending hotels. 13 the properties later, which made operating the properties more difficult in the initial months and added cost.
No recommendations for this finding
F9
The County has not communicated what performance metrics it has developed to evaluate whether hotel conversions are meeting objectives.
No recommendations for this finding
No Responses Found 1
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
San Mateo County Board of Supervisors
Elected County Office