Score: +20 (20/25/0)
Monterey County Grand Jury • 2017-2018

Who’s in Charge?

Published: January 28, 2018 18 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 12 findings

F1
Homelessness is a bigger problem in the County than the biennial homeless census would suggest.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
Elected County and City officials should provide government leadership to address homelessness.
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 underfunded, over-stressed public services.
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.
F3
The County’s strategy for addressing homelessness needs a clearer focus, accountable leadership, and enhanced capacity.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
The County and its Cities should enter into a binding, enforceable agreement, such as a Memorandum of Agreement, to secure commitment to the plan and ensure responsibilities of each jurisdiction.
F4
Structuring the Continuum of Care administrator as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization is conducive to securing funding and coordinating homeless services. However, a nonprofit organization cannot establish public policy and planning needed to end homelessness.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
The Lead Me Home Leadership council should clearly define its purpose and goals.
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 the 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.
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.
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.
Related Recommendations (1)
R6
If the County effectively exerts control of 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 resources and performing services for the county.
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.
Related Recommendations (1)
R7
The newly created regional 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.
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.
Related Recommendations (1)
R8
The strategic plan should be revisited annually using outcome measurements to evaluate and adjust strategies for meeting goals. 16
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. 15
Related Recommendations (1)
R9
Reports that assess which goals are, or are not, being met should be generated and made publicly available.
F10
Government decision-making is essential for making choices about resource commitments.
Related Recommendations (1)
R10
The new regional leadership body should produce a transparent consolidated budget to maximize resources and identify expenditures. All municipalities should demonstrate their commitment to the regional plan to end homelessness in an equitable, or proportionate, manner. 17
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.
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.
No recommendations for this finding

Agency Responses 5

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