SUBJECT
Title
EXPLORING THE FEASIBILITY AND BENEFIT OF USING A BY-NAME-LIST TO SUPPORT HOMELESSNESS SERVICES IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
Homelessness continues to be one of the major issues facing the San Diego County region. The 2022 Point-in-Time Count (PITC) found approximately 8,427 individuals experiencing homelessness across the County, which is a 10% increase from 2020. This number includes 4,106 unsheltered San Diegans and 4,321 individuals in shelters. It also showed a 56% increase in families experiencing homelessness and concerning increases in the number of senior citizens and Black individuals experiencing homelessness. Of those surveyed, 85% said they had fallen into homelessness in our region.
As part of the effort to decrease homelessness across the nation, the Federal government mandates that each Continuum of Care across the United States maintain a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and software that complies with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) data collection, management, and reporting standards. HMIS is beneficial to many stakeholders and the data collected is also used to better inform homeless policy and decision making at the federal, state, and local levels.
In San Diego County, the Regional Task Force on Homelessness (RTFH) serves as the HMIS Lead Agency. HMIS has allowed San Diego County service providers to compete more effectively for federal funding to support the work of preventing and ending homelessness. HMIS enables providers to better manage client data, coordinate services, guide resource allocation and streamline service delivery. HMIS was crucial to San Diego’s implementation of a Coordinated Entry System, which streamlines the process of finding housing for homeless individuals and families, with the goal of housing the most vulnerable people first.
Today’s recommendation aims to expand on this goal by exploring the implementation of a countywide By-Name-List (BNL), which is a comprehensive list of every person experiencing homelessness, updated in real-time and transforms the strategy to end homelessness from an anonymous 8,000 person issue into one that focuses on the specific situations and specific needs of each individual. A BNL uses data that is shared with consent, and often includes their name, homeless history, health, and housing needs.
A countywide BNL provides detailed information that helps communities better match housing solutions with the needs of individuals, and helps track real-time changes in the size, composition, and dynamics of the population experiencing homelessness. The population experiencing homeless is not static, each day people fall into an experience of homelessness and at the same time, each day programs are helping people exit homelessness and enter more stable housing conditions. These dynamic inflows and outflows are best understood with a detailed, person-centered BNL rather than aggregate counts.
The Regional Task Force on Homelessness already manages two subpopulation specific By-Name Lists (BNL) that focus on Homeless Veterans and Homeless Youth. Notably, Veterans and Youth were the only populations that have shown marked improvements in the PITC. The 2022 PITC showed a 30% decrease in Veteran homelessness and a 6% decrease in the number of transitional age youth experiencing unsheltered street homelessness. A countywide BNL is the next step to building on these successes and accelerating best practices.
This effort is timely. The Regional Community Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness in San Diego (the Regional Plan) sets forth a shared vision and foundation to end homelessness throughout the San Diego region over the next five years and calls for developing an active, “By Name” list of high priority unsheltered, chronically homeless persons who are currently living outside and have been engaged about housing solutions.
Today, you are being asked to direct the Chief Administrative Officer to work with the Regional Task Force on Homelessness to explore the feasibility and determine the benefits and costs associated with incorporating a countywide By-Name-List, with a phased-in approach beginning in the North Region. This would include returning to the Board of Supervisors with a recommendation in 90 days.
RECOMMENDATION(S)
SUPERVISOR JIM DESMOND AND SUPERVISOR TERRA LAWSON-REMER
1. Direct the Chief Administrative Officer to work with staff, community organizations, service providers, local governments, people with lived experience, and the Regional Task Force on Homelessness to explore the feasibility of a Countywide By-Name-List and determine the benefits and costs associated with its implementation. Consider a phased-in approach focusing on subregions, such as North Coastal and North Inland, and/or additional subpopulations.
2. Return to the Board of Supervisors in 90 days with a recommendation that includes potential cost and staffing requirements to support this type of program.
EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT
The increase in homelessness is an issue of concern to our entire County, even more so in disadvantaged communities. Continuing to explore ways to create equity by decreasing homelessness in individuals and families is a benefit to the entire region. By managing a comprehensive list of data, we can work on streamlining the process for housing and providing services to the most vulnerable individuals.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to explore the feasibility of using a By-Name-List. Additional resources will be needed to launch and maintain a BNL and staff may return to the Board of Supervisors with recommendations for consideration and approval. There will be no change in net General Fund and no additional staff years with today's
BUSINESS IMPACT STATEMENT
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Details
ADVISORY BOARD STATEMENT
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BACKGROUND
In November 2021, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a comprehensive Framework for Ending Homelessness, which is anchored in five strategic domains:
• Root cause and upstream prevention strategies
• Diversion and mitigation strategies
• Treatment and outreach
• Emergency/interim housing and resources
• Permanent housing and supportive services
The Board-adopted Framework for Ending Homelessness included a commitment to data-driven analysis and performance management. Exploring opportunities like a By-Name-List to enhance data collection and assist more individuals experiencing homelessness transition off the street and into housing with services aligns with the Regional Community Action Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness in San Diego (the Regional Plan) and the County’s Framework for Ending Homelessness.
LINKAGE TO THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO STRATEGIC PLAN
Today’s actions support the County of San Diego’s 2022-2027 Strategic Plan initiatives of Sustainability, Equity, and Community, by ensuring resiliency through adding capacity to respond to immediate needs for individuals and families, creating initiatives that reduce and eliminate poverty by promoting economic opportunity; creating programs that value health, and housing; and by improving the quality of life for individuals experiencing or at-risk of experiencing homelessness through increased data collection opportunities.
Respectfully submitted,
JIM DESMOND TERRA LAWSON-REMER
Supervisor, 5 District Supervisor, 3 District
ATTACHMENT(S)
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