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DATE: |
February 8, 2022 |
01 |
SUBJECT
Title
ADOPT THE REVISED SAN DIEGO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS POLICY A-128, COMPREHENSIVE HOMELESS POLICY (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors (Board) has led significant actions in recent years to address homelessness. On April 6, 2021 (6), the Board took actions to address the crisis of homelessness and directed the Chief Administrative Officer to revise Board Policy A-128, the County of San Diego’s (County) Comprehensive Homeless Policy, to further ensure an equitable region for all San Diego County residents. Additionally, on November 2, 2021 (04), the Board adopted the Framework for Ending Homelessness (Framework) to operationalize the Board’s guiding principles on homelessness and align the existing work throughout the region. The Framework encompasses the County’s ongoing work and provides a vision to support forward, collaborative and impactful progress. Through these actions, the Board continues to demonstrate their commitment to ending homelessness.
In response to the Board's direction, and with respect to the Board's guiding principles on homelessness, County Health and Human Services Agency staff collaborated with all applicable County departments to revise Board Policy A-128 that puts equity, dignity, and opportunity at its core and raises the issue of homelessness and its impact across the enterprise. The purpose of this policy is to summarize the County’s comprehensive response to homelessness and ensure alignment with the Framework. The revised Board Policy A-128 recognizes that poverty, inequitable economic opportunity, and trauma are among the most significant causes of homelessness and that a comprehensive approach must embrace the economic, physical, and mental well-being of all San Diego County residents.
This item supports the County of San Diego’s vision of a just, sustainable, and resilient future for all, specifically those communities and populations in San Diego County that have been historically left behind, as well as our ongoing commitment to the regional Live Well San Diego vision of healthy, safe and thriving communities. This will be accomplished by improving the lives of persons at-risk of and experiencing homelessness through providing guidance for existing and future regional efforts to address the homelessness crisis.
RECOMMENDATION(S)
CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
1. Adopt the revised San Diego County Board of Supervisors Policy A-128, Comprehensive Homeless Policy.
EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT
According to The Regional Taskforce on Homelessness, in 2020 there were at least 27,390 individuals who experienced homelessness in San Diego County. Additionally, the San Diego region conducts a Point-in-Time Count, which identifies the number of individuals living on the streets or in emergency shelters on one specific designated day of the year. In the 2020 count, 7,638 individuals were identified as living on the streets or in shelters throughout the county. Of those who were unsheltered, 58% reported having a disability and 27% were 55 years or older. Unified under a County of One approach, the County is dedicated to addressing the root causes of homelessness and providing preventative and supportive services to the most vulnerable residents.
People of color are disproportionally impacted among those experiencing homelessness, with 27.2% identifying as Black or African American-roughly five times the proportion of African Americans in the region-3.4% identified as American Indian or Alaska Native-which is nearly three times the proportion in the region-and 2.8% identifying as Asian. Further, Latinos make up 28% of the region’s population experiencing homelessness. Ensuring racial and social equity in all aspects of homelessness prevention and response is one of the key principles that guide Board Policy A-128, the County of San Diego’s Comprehensive Homeless Policy. Key components in the proposed revisions to Board Policy A-128 intended to address these disparities include: adopting a Housing First approach; providing culturally and linguistically appropriate services; and moving towards more street outreach led by social workers. Further, the proposed revisions to Board Policy A-128 seeks to enhance focus on deepening the knowledge of homelessness and housing instability that may be obscured for members of Latino communities and other population groups by collecting and reviewing disaggregated data and evaluating non-traditional sources.
Additionally, securing equitable homeless housing, supports and funding will assist those who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness throughout San Diego County. Therefore, it is anticipated that Board Policy A-128 will provide guidance regarding housing and supports to residents who are disproportionality represented in the homeless system, including justice involved individuals, individuals with a range of health and social needs, as well as Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). In general, the incidence of Black, Native Americans and other persons of color experiencing homelessness mirrors the disparities found at the broader community levels.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this action. There will be no change in net General Fund costs and no additional staff years.
BUSINESS IMPACT STATEMENT
N/A
Details
ADVISORY BOARD STATEMENT
N/A
BACKGROUND
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors (Board) has led significant actions in recent years to address homelessness throughout the region. On April 6, 2021 (6), the Board took actions to address the crisis of homelessness and directed the Chief Administrative Officer to revise Board Policy A-128, the County of San Diego’s (County) Comprehensive Homeless Policy, to further ensure an equitable region for all San Diego County residents. Additionally, on November 2, 2021 (4), the Board adopted the Framework for Ending Homelessness (Framework) to operationalize the Board’s guiding principles on homelessness. The guiding principles align the existing work throughout the region to assist people experiencing homelessness or at-risk of experiencing homelessness, with the ultimate goal of ending homelessness. The Framework is anchored in five strategic domains: Root Cause and Upstream Prevention, Diversion and Mitigation, Services, Treatment and Outreach, Emergency/Interim Housing and Resources, Permanent Housing and Support. Each of the five strategic domains are driven by five key commitments that guide the County’s approach: Person-Centered, Data, Regional Collaboration, Sustainability, and Equity.
The purpose of Board Policy A-128 is to summarize the County’s comprehensive response to homelessness and align with the Framework adopted by the Board. This policy recognizes that poverty, inequitable economic opportunity, and trauma are among the most significant causes of homelessness and that a comprehensive approach must embrace the economic, physical, and mental well-being of all San Diego County residents.
In response to the Board’s direction, on July 6, 2021, the County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA), Department of Homeless Solutions and Equitable Communities submitted a memo to the Board, outlining the proposed changes to Board Policy A-128 to align with the Board’s policy direction. The proposed revisions incorporated the guiding principles detailed in the April 6, 2021 (6) Board action, focusing on key areas such as shifting towards more street outreach led by social workers, acknowledging the important role of poverty in homelessness, and elevating equity in addressing the root causes and solutions to homelessness across the region. Since the date the memo was submitted, another review was conducted, and additional feedback was requested to ensure the revised policy was representative of all applicable County departments. Additionally, the proposed revisions to Board Policy A-128 incorporate components that align with the recently adopted Framework.
Below are examples of key components included in the proposed revisions to Board Policy A-128:
1. An emphasis on housing and service choices from the perspective of individuals served that may also include emergency housing on a journey to a stable, permanent home.
2. An emphasis on root cause and upstream prevention approaches that will be implemented to focus on decreasing new experiences of homelessness.
3. The promotion of legislative policy changes, including federal, State, and local changes to definitions of homelessness, criminal background limitations that create barriers to housing for people exiting institutions, and efforts to assist populations historically affected by predatory lending and/or significant barriers based on inequitable credit or lending policies.
4. The maximization of diversion and mitigation strategies designed to prevent homelessness among people at imminent risk of experiencing homelessness.
5. The support for efforts that provide 24-hour access to social workers or appropriately trained professionals and associated after-hours housing options.
6. A focus on changing the paradigm of how the community addresses social issues such as homelessness, by maximizing involvement and availability of social workers and other trained professionals when law enforcement responds to calls for service, and through expansion of social work services in the areas of assessing, intervening, and evaluating crisis situations.
7. Support for public safety diversion, connections to services, and alternatives to incarceration to help individuals avoid cycles of arrest and incarceration, and regularly review policies and practices to avoid criminalizing homelessness.
8. A focus on developing dashboards that measure performance and outcomes, and factors related to program performance, outcomes, program effectiveness and cost efficiency when evaluating County funding decisions.
Today’s action requests the Board to adopt the revised Board Policy A-128, Comprehensive Homeless Policy. The proposed revisions were driven by the Board’s direction. HHSA staff collaborated with all applicable County departments to revise Board Policy A-128 to summarize the County’s comprehensive response to homelessness and align with the Framework adopted by the Board. To ensure community engagement in the future, County staff will continue to share the policy, solicit input about how it is impacting community needs and ways that future policy reviews can incorporate community feedback. This can include working with volunteer community Leadership Teams in each HHSA region, community sessions held by partner departments, and direct public engagement sessions specific to homelessness across the County.
LINKAGE TO THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO STRATEGIC PLAN
Today’s proposed actions to adopt the revised Comprehensive Homelessness Policy are aligned with the Framework for Ending Homelessness and the County of San Diego’s vision of Live Well San Diego. The proposed actions support the County of San Diego’s (County) 2022-2027 Strategic Plan Initiatives of Sustainability by creating policies that reduce and eliminate poverty by promoting economic sustainability for all; Equity by creating policies that value health, housing, and economic opportunity; and Community by improving the quality of life for individuals experiencing or at-risk of experiencing homelessness through increased availability of services and resources.
Respectfully submitted,
HELEN N. ROBBINS-MEYER
Chief Administrative Officer
ATTACHMENT(S)
Attachment A - Proposed Board of Supervisor Policy A-128 (Clean)
Attachment B - Proposed Board of Supervisor Policy A-128 (Strikeout)