TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
George Gabriel, Assistant to the City Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Quarterly Update on the City’s Homelessness Initiatives Including:
a) Consideration of a Resolution Approving Amendment No. 4 which Extends the Term and Modifies the Scope of Services and Fee Schedule of the Agreement with Harbor Interfaith Services for Measure H Grant Funded Homeless Case Management and Housing Navigation Services and;
b) Consideration of a Resolution Approving Amendment No. 1 which Extends the Term and Modifies the Scope of Services and Fee Schedule of the Memorandum of Understanding with the South Bay Cities Council of Governments for Measure H Grant Funding to Provide Homelessness Case Management Services to the Cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, El Segundo and Redondo Beach (City Manager Moe).
(Estimated Time: 30 Mins.)
A) RECEIVE REPORT
B) ADOPT RESOLUTION NOS. 23-0073 AND 23-0074
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
a) Receive and file the update on the City’s homelessness initiatives;
b) Adopt Resolution Nos. 23-0073 approving Amendment No. 4 to the agreement with Harbor Interfaith Services for Measure H grant funded homeless case management and housing navigation services; and
c) Adopt Resolution Nos. 23-0074 approving Amendment No. 1 to the Memorandum of Understanding with the South Bay Cities Council of Governments for Measure H grant funding to provide homelessness case management services to the cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, El Segundo and Redondo Beach.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There is no net fiscal impact associated with the recommended actions. Both agreements are grant funded and all additional expenditures have been previously appropriated by the Council.
BACKGROUND:
The City has taken an active role in addressing homelessness both strategically and regionally. In doing so, the City is doing everything possible to assist homeless individuals in obtaining the services needed while respecting their rights. Over the past three years the City of Manhattan Beach has taken the following actions thus far:
• Approved the “Five-Year Plan to Address Homelessness in our Community” that created goals that align with the County of Los Angeles’s objectives;
• Appointed a Homelessness Liaison responsible for homelessness initiatives and concerns;
• Participated in the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Counts to assist with understanding the size and scope of homelessness. Fifteen individuals were counted in Manhattan Beach in 2020 (down from 41 individuals in 2018 and 21 in 2019);
• Created a Homelessness Task Force of 11 residents and stakeholders to assist in: 1) developing a proposal to obtain County Measure H funds, and 2) conducting community outreach/education on homelessness;
• Increased the number of mental health clinicians provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health available to the Manhattan Beach Police Department to address mentally ill homeless individuals;
• Created a “Homeless Outreach” unit in the Police Department, across daytime and graveyard shifts, to specifically address homeless calls for service;
• Created and distributed a Homeless Resource Guide and card that summarizes a variety of resources and phone numbers to refer to for residents and those experiencing homelessness;
• Received a $330,666 grant from the County of Los Angeles to offer case management and coordination services to homeless individuals in the cities of Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Manhattan Beach.
• Executed a City Homelessness Plan Implementation Grant (i.e. South Bay Beach Cities Homelessness Project) contract with the County of Los Angeles that provides homeless coordination, case management and trainings in the beach cities of Manhattan, Hermosa and Redondo.
• In conjunction with the above grant, developed specifications in order to obtain proposals from qualified service providers to assist in moving people off the streets into interim and permanent housing. As a result, awarded a subcontract to a qualified homeless services firm, Harbor Interfaith Services (HIS), to provide:
o A full-time Homeless Coordinator/City Liaison to leverage the cities’ fiscal and administrative resources to systematize, coordinate and help oversee multi-sectoral homeless efforts to enhance and expand regional access to services.
o The development of internal city-level homelessness response protocols and beach city regional response;
o Tailored training material and instructors to lead training sessions with staff;
o An annual homelessness stakeholder roundtable/community meeting;
o Two full-time Homeless Outreach Housing Navigator to assist homeless individuals and families by getting individual “document ready;” and make successful referrals to interim housing, treatment centers, and permanent housing.
• Approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City of Manhattan Beach, the City of Redondo Beach and the City of Hermosa Beach to implement the South Bay Beach Cities Homelessness Project for homeless coordination, housing navigation and training services;
• Developed a regional response document that focuses on the South Bay Beach Cities outreach response by creating a singular outreach process, identifying the role of key city departments/leads, establishing outreach protocol for persons experiencing homelessness, and providing a contact list of homeless services providers;
• Promoted the Los Angeles Homeless Outreach Portal (LA-HOP) web-based portal to make it easier to request coordinated county services for homeless individuals and ensure constituents can easily submit requests for homeless outreach;
• Conducted community and staff trainings to learn about the local response and partnerships forming to support people experiencing homelessness;
• Explored the use of homeless court services with the City of Redondo Beach and the Los Angeles County District Attorney;
• Approved an agreement with Harbor Interfaith Services for dedicated homeless case management and housing navigation services to Manhattan Beach in the amount of $66,390. Thereafter, the City Council approved an amendment increasing the number of beds for two to five for a total contract award of $38,020.
• Approved an agreement with Emotional Health Association (doing business as SHARE! Self Help and Recovery Exchange) for housing placement services in the amount of $19,320; Thereafter, the City Council approved an amendment extending for an additional year for a total contract award of $139,020.
• Applied for a second round of County Measure H grant funding with the South Bay Cities Council of Government (SBCCOG) and was awarded $216,000 in grant funding for two outreach workers to service the cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and El Segundo;
• Sent a letter to Governor Newsom in support of the proposed framework for the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Court Program which would use the judicial system to compel people suffering from severe mental illness and/or addiction into treatment and, for those who are unhoused, into housing; and
• Received approval from all respective City Councils and the SBCCOG to execute a Memorandum of Understanding to provide the following outcomes as a result of the $216,000 grant award:
o 50 unduplicated clients serviced in outreach;
o 30 unduplicated clients added to Coordinated Entry System;
o 30 unduplicated clients receive case management services;
o 20 unduplicated clients housed in interim housing; and
o 8 unduplicated clients permanently housed.
DISCUSSION:
On a quarterly basis, the City provides an update to the City Council and community on homelessness initiatives staff that has undertaken as well as regional developments. For the purposes of this report, efforts will focus on those relevant since the last quarterly update on February 7, 2023. Below is a list of those updates.
Homeless Count
On January 25, 2023, approximately 30 volunteers gathered at the Joslyn Community Center to conduct the 2023 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count in Manhattan Beach. At the event, volunteers were introduced to City officials and briefed on the City’s response to homelessness including the City’s actions to utilize general fund and grant funded money. Most importantly, volunteers were introduced to the Police Department’s homeless outreach team as well as the City’s newly contracted Outreach Services Worker. While conducting the count, the Outreach Services Worker was deployed to assist some homeless individuals that were tallied by homeless count volunteers.
The City’s actions dedicating resources to enhance the lives of people experiencing homelessness have been impactful as Manhattan Beach has seen consecutive reductions in the number of unhoused individuals counted by Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). In 2018 when the City began taking an active role in addressing homelessness, the point-in-time count revealed 41 unhoused individuals living in Manhattan Beach. The count in 2020 revealed 15 unhoused individuals. The most recent final count conducted on February 23, 2022 identified nine unhoused individuals.
While the 2023 official count data has not been released by LAHSA, the City has unofficial data to reflect what was observed by reports from volunteers this year. The unofficial breakdown of the homelessness count in Manhattan Beach for 2023 is summarized below.
Unsheltered Persons Counted
Persons on the Street - 9
Persons in Cars - 0
Persons in Vans - 0
Persons in RV’s or Campers - 0
Persons in Tents - 0
Persons in Makeshift Shelters - 0
Total - 9.0
Vehicles and Dwellings Counted
Cars - 4
Vans - 8
Campers/RV’s - 1
Makeshift Shelter - 1
Tents - 0
Total - 14.0
While the number of unsheltered persons counted (9 ) remained the same as the prior year’s calculation, the number of vehicles counted significantly increased from the prior year which was one. Additionally, it should be noted that the vehicles and dwelling counted is subject to LAHSA’s conversion factor. The conversion factor allows LAHSA statisticians to estimate the number of homeless individuals within a vehicle or dwelling when it is unknown how many individuals are located in vehicles, tents, or makeshift shelters.
Outreach Statistics/Metrics
Following Council’s action to approve an agreement with Harbor Interfaith Services for dedicated housing navigation/case management services in November 2021, the Outreach Services Worker was assigned to Manhattan Beach in January and began working at the Police Department in February 2022.
The Outreach Services Worker has now completed 1 year and 5 months of service as the City’s dedicated resource. On a daily basis, she typically has 2-4 interactions with homeless individuals and actively manages approximately 10 clients who are interested in services. On a monthly basis, Harbor Interfaith Services provides an individualized report to Manhattan Beach (Attachment #5) that summarizes key metrics and progress toward goals outlined in the contract.
In summarizing her reportable metric work, the following information reflects data from March 2022 - May 2023 and is summarized below:
o 422 interactions with homeless individuals (including repeat interactions with the same individuals);
o 91 unique clients assisted;
o 11 clients case managed (regular engagement centered around a housing plan);
o 36 clients assisted with document production or enrolled with benefits;
o 27 clients placed into interim housing;
o 9 treatment program referrals attained; and
o 17 stable housing placements.
The City also has a grant funded contract with Harbor Interfaith Services with the beach cities of Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, and El Segundo. The SBCCOG administers the grant on behalf of the County of Los Angeles. Beginning in January 2022, Harbor Interfaith Services provided reports to the beach cities (Attachment #6) and the SBCCOG that summarizes key metrics and progress toward reaching goals outlined in the contract.
In summarizing HIS’s reportable metric work, the following information reflects data from January 2022 - May 2023 and is summarized below:
o 601 interactions with homeless individuals (including repeat interactions with the same individuals);
o 98 unique clients assisted;
o 62 clients case managed (regular engagement centered around a housing plan);
o 14 clients assisted with document production or enrolled with benefits;
o 11 clients placed into interim housing;
o 5 treatment program referrals attained; and
o 14 stable housing placements.
Harbor Interfaith Services Amendment and MOU with Beach Cities
To continue building upon the success of the collaboration with the beach cities of Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and El Segundo, staff is recommending amending both agreements to extend the MOU and subcontract with HIS until November 2024. Currently, both agreements will expire on June 30, 2023. Additionally, staff has made reciprocal changes to the scope of services aimed at gathering additional data on clients HIS interacts with to further understand the regional homeless population.
Outreach Requests on GoReach App
In Fall 2022, the City deployed a new “Homeless Outreach” category within the City’s mobile application, “Reach Manhattan Beach.” The application and service category now allows citizens to request services for homeless individuals in need of resources. Since the category’s unveiling to the community, 128 requests have been sent to the City and outreach teams comprised of Police Department officers, County mental health clinicians and the dedicated Harbor Interfaith Services case manager have been deployed depending on the nature of the outreach request.
SHARE! Collaborative Housing
At the November 16, 2021, meeting, the City Council approved an agreement toward a collaborative housing program in the amount of $19,320 to maintain and provide two housed beds for one year in and around Service Planning Area 8 for individuals experiencing homelessness in the City of Manhattan Beach. At the October 6, 2022, meeting, City Council approved Amendment No. 1 with Emotional Health Association (Doing Business as SHARE! Self Help Recovery Exchange) in the amount of $18,900 to provide three additional interim housing placements (beds).
Since this agreement has been in place, the City has placed 14 different individuals into the program utilizing the City’s funding. An additional nine individuals have been placed utilizing local non-profit Manhattan Beach Safe Alternatives for Everyone (MBSAFE) donations.
It should be noted that each individual stayed in the housing program for different lengths of time ranging from 2-4 months on average. While the City’s dedicated homeless outreach navigator makes every effort to make the individual self-sufficient in 1-2 months time, every homeless client may have circumstances that delay the process. Overall, the housing program allows for a prompt resource to house individuals experiencing homeless that are interested in services and not suffering from a mental health ailment.
Homeless Court
Since March 2021, the City Council has been exploring the possibility of adding homeless court services by engaging with the County District Attorney, or contracting with the City of Redondo Beach for homeless court and prosecution services. Thus far, the City has been unsuccessful in providing these services as the County District Attorney has not provided the legally required authorization to execute an agreement with the City of Redondo Beach.
As a City with demonstrated interest in adding homeless court services, the City of Manhattan Beach indicated support for Governor Newsom’s CARE Court proposal (which passed the state legislature) at the April 5, 2022 City Council meeting. In accordance with this framework the County of Los Angeles may be required to enact homeless court services for the City of Manhattan Beach. The City continues to await guidance from the County and looks forward to collaborating.
Recently, City Council directed staff to add a Work Plan item aimed at creating a homeless court diversion program. Staff has met internally and working with the City Attorney to explore options with how the City can mirror homeless courts in an informal pre court filing format. Staff projects to return to the City in the fall with options for Council consideration.
Status of Grants/Expenses and SHARE! Agreement
Throughout the City’s response to homelessness, the City has utilized a combination of Measure H grant funding and general fund dollars. Below is summary of the homeless funds broken down by funding source, initiative, amount authorized/award and amount expended.
Measure H Grant Funds
Beach Cities Outreach Navigators Grant Round 1 - $330,665 (Expended $312,994)
Beach Cities Outreach Navigators Grant Round 2 - $216,000 (Expended $62,272)
General Fund
Dedicated Outreach Navigator - $139,020 (Expended $77,530)
SHARE! Collaborative Housing - $38,220 (Expended $24,772)
In an effort to maximize grant funding and minimize general fund impacts, the City continues to look for grant fund opportunities. With the upcoming expiration of the SHARE! contract in June 2023, the City explored extending the agreement with SHARE! In negotiations, SHARE! proposed a monthly not-to-exceed amount of $10,417 for a maximum of five beds utilized. For comparison, the City’s current monthly not-to-exceed expenditure caps out at $3,810 for a maximum of five beds utilized. Given this large expenditure increase that would impact the general fund, the City placed a funding request to the SBCCOG to utilize Measure H funding for SHARE! beds. Wanting to build upon the success Manhattan Beach has shown with the program, the SBCCOG has committed to funding up to five beds for the City and offering the entire region SHARE! beds for use at approximately $350,000. Therefore, once funds are fully expended with the City’s current contract with SHARE!, the City will utilize the SBCCOG’s Measure H funding provided by the County beginning in August 2023.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
a) Receive and file the updates on the City’s homelessness initiatives;
b) Adopt Resolution Nos. 23-0069 approving Amendment No. 4 which extends the term and modifies the scope of services and approved fee schedule, of the agreement with Harbor Interfaith Services for Measure H grant funded homeless case management and housing navigation services; and
c) Adopt Resolution Nos. 23-0070 approving a Memorandum of Understanding which extends the term and modifies the scope of services and approved fee schedule of the agreement with the South Bay Cities Council of Governments for Measure H grant funding to provide homelessness case management services to the cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, El Segundo and Redondo Beach.
In the event there are non-substantive revisions by other cities, staff seeks authorization for the parties to negotiate and execute the revised agreements.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has approved the agreements as to form.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution No. 23-0073
2. Amendment No. 4 - Harbor Interfaith Services
3. Agreement and Amendment Nos. 1 - 3 - Harbor Interfaith Services
4. Resolution No. 23-0074
5. Amendment No. 1 - South Bay Cities Council of Governments (Beach Cities)
6. Memorandum of Understanding - South Bay Cities Council of Governments (Beach Cities)
5. Manhattan Beach Outreach Program Outcomes
6. Beach Cities Outreach Program Outcomes
7. PowerPoint Presentation