Human Services Committee Back row: Robert O. Turley, Richard L. Skeate, Thomas Wilkin, Ernesto Armenta

Recommendations 25

• R1

  Page 47
  Implement countywide homelessness prevention strategies to prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless.
• R2

  Page 47
  Use funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), for supplemental resources including rental assistance and utility assistance.
• R3

  Page 48
  Implement a community outreach and education campaign that raises awareness about households at risk of becoming homeless and provides information about resources available through homeless prevention programs. The effort was to leverage the 2-1-1 System (Homeless Resources) for easy access when appropriate.
• R4

  Page 48
  Formalize protocols and improve the coordination of discharge planning so that new persons do not find themselves living without social and economic supports.
• R5

  Page 48
  Establish a Central Contact Center that would respond to community calls and concerns for traditional street outreach and engagement and/or assertive community treatment.
• R6

  Page 48
  Expand Street Outreach and Engagement Services to include multi-disciplinary practitioners and services. 32 2012-2013 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report
• R7

  Page 48
  Expand Street Outreach and Engagement Services to include volunteers from various community groups.
• R8

  Page 48
  Establish Regional One-Stop Centers which contain standardized intake and assessment with related protocols to guarantee consistency between regional centers. The social services to be included are: employment, healthcare, housing placement, mental healthcare, substance abuse counseling and treatment with coordination between private and public agencies.
• R9

  Page 49
  Use a comprehensive tool that determines potential eligibility for mainstream resources and integrate this tool into the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).
• R10

  Page 49
  Appropriate case management services should be available to all homeless persons whether they are on the street, in emergency shelters or transitional housing or receiving permanent supportive services. Also, re-establish new Continuum of Care Programs which link case management with HMIS.
• R11

  Page 49
  Develop and execute a rapid exit strategy focusing on early identification and resolution of the barriers to housing through case management services in order to facilitate the return of a homeless person to permanent housing as quickly as possible.
• R12

  Page 49
  Implement a Rapid Re-Housing Approach for Households with dependent children.
• R13

  Page 49
  Increase the number of emergency and transitional housing units.
• R14

  Page 49
  Implement a Housing First Approach which is the belief that homeless families are more responsive to interventions and social services when living in their own housing.
• R15

  Page 49
  Obtain more shelter plus care certificates. This housing assists homeless individuals and families with mental illness, chronic substance abuse and/or infected with HIV/AIDS with long-term affordable rental housing, and increases the participants’ independent living skills.
• R16

  Page 49
  Increase the number of permanent housing units with an emphasis on the development of Safe Havens. This includes apartment buildings, single and multi- family housing, single room occupancy and low-demand units requiring clients to abstain from alcohol and drug use and not to exhibit threatening behavior.
• R17

  Page 50
  Encourage all local jurisdictions to adopt an inclusionary housing policy that requires a certain percentage of new housing to be affordable to extremely low and very low income residents. 33 2012-2013 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report
• R18

  Page 50
  Assess the feasibility of a Housing Trust Fund for County and local levels of government. Six counties in the State of California have created housing trust funds which support the production and preservation of affordable housing.
• R19

  Page 50
  Expand the capacity of Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) so that agencies may make better use of data, decrease time and effort at intake and enhance the planning and development functions of the Continuum of Care. HMIS is a Congressional Housing of Urban Development (HUD) Directive for understanding the homeless and measuring program effectiveness.
• R20

  Page 50
  Conduct periodic Homeless 101 Training concerning community issues such as: a) law enforcement policies and homeless persons, b) responses by residents, business employees, and homeless persons, c) appropriate actions and responses by social service providers when contacted by the above-mentioned, d) information distribution concerning resources and referral contacts.
• R21

  Page 50
  Increase awareness of the collaborative Justice Courts and alternative sentencing programs for defendants experiencing homelessness. Courts included are: Homeless, Adult Drug, Mental Health and Veteran. This would be for the purpose of reducing state costs and ultimately improving public safety.
• R22

  Page 50
  Implement and educate the community on the principles, goals and recommendations of this report.
• R23

  Page 50
  Enlist the support of faith-based organizations to help implement the goals and recommendations of this report.
• R24

  Page 50
  Create an Interagency Council on Homelessness for San Bernardino County charged with coordinating and evaluating policies concerning these recommendations and related activities within the plan.
• R25

  Page 50
  Appoint the partnership members as an advisory body to the Interagency Council and appoint representatives as standing members to the Interagency Council. INTRODUCTION The Grand Jury reviewed the 10-Year Strategy to End Homelessness report in its entirety and agreed to follow-up on various components of the Planning Committee, conducting a number of interviews. 34 2012-2013 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report FACT 1 The Office of Homeless Services, Department of Behavioral Health (OHS) was created in 2007 as the result of the Board of Supervisor of the Fifth District. Their role is primarily administrative and to support the Homeless Provider Network (HPN), Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH), faith-based and non-profit organizations. The agency also promotes, coordinates and ensures that the Continuum of Care encouraged by HUD is carried out by agencies providing homeless services. Since establishment of the Homeless Services Division, HUD has required this agency to count on a biennial basis, a point-in-time estimate which has resulted in a lower number of the homeless population. Each city in San Bernardino County is now required to account for its own homeless population when requesting funds. The population of the homeless in 2007 was 7,331. This number includes all homeless, sheltered and unsheltered. In 2011, there were 2,876 individuals and families homeless; 1,692 unsheltered; 1,039 sheltered and 145 hotel/motel vouchers. In an effort to obtain an accurate accounting of the homeless, hundreds of volunteers are solicited to participate in this activity. It requires the agency at least six months to coordinate this event. The OHS participates with San Bernardino County Homeless Partnership in hosting homeless summits and providing information in bridging the gaps of homelessness. Twice a year, “Homeless Project Connects,” a community organization, sponsors free on-site services, resources and referrals for low-income individuals and families. Also, there is no limit to the time that a homeless individual may reside in low-income housing. There is only a permanent housing supply as per HUD rules, especially if a person is disabled. The OHS indicated that additional housing had increased since inception of the program. Also noted, there had been an increase in the number of emergency and transitional housing units. In addition, the Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital located in Loma Linda works closely with veterans who have become homeless, servicing most of their needs. An initial recommendation made by the 10-Year Planning Committee included implementing a management information system (data collected on the homeless). Since 2007, this implementation has been in place and administered by the Community Action Partnership (CAP). San Bernardino County law enforcement agencies are participating in ongoing training, specifically crisis intervention. The San Bernardino County Sheriff Department has established a 35 2012-2013 San Bernardino County Grand Jury Final Report direct line of communication for obtaining assistance for the homeless. There is a button mounted on the dashboard of their vehicles enabling them to contact the 2-1-1 Helpline System. The operators of this system are a part of United Way and provide information about various services available. Since AB 109 was implemented, homeless individuals are referred to Homeless Court. The court works with the Probation and Sheriff Departments with re-entry providers for assistance. The Continuum of Care is composed of agencies which apply for federal grant dollars on a competitive basis. Applications are made once a year. The OHS is responsible for contacting and monitoring agencies who submit applications for funding. The OHS is not a pass-through agency; instead the federal government transmits funds directly to the specific agency applying. The OHS has been successful in receiving over $8,000,000 during the past three years for the Continuum of Care agencies throughout San Bernardino County. Of the $8,000,000, $3,000,000 are for new programs and $5,000,000 for renewal programs. In 2009, the President of the United States signed the Homeless Emergency and Rapid Transition of Housing Act (HEARTH) formerly known as the McKinney-Vento Act established by HUD for Continuum of Care Programs. The funds provided are Emergency Solution Grants (ESG) and Emergency Food and Shelter Programs (EFSP) for food, which are directly from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). In October 2012, the OHS supplied the Grand Jury with a report entitled: Recalibrating for Results: A Three-Year Evaluation of the 2009-2019 San Bernardino County 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. The evaluation was overseen by the San Bernardino County Homeless Provider Network Committee chairs in cooperation with the San Bernardino County Office of Homeless Services and the Institute for Urban Initiatives. The evaluation began January 2011 and ended June 2012. The 10-Year Strategy was adopted in 2009. As a result of the initial recommendations 15 were renewed, expanded upon, folded into new recommendations and others were eliminated. The amended recommendations included the following: