TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
Kendra Davis, Management Analyst
SUBJECT:Title
Consideration of the City’s Draft Three-Year Plan to End Homelessness (City Manager Moe).
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that City Council discuss Manhattan Beach’s Draft Three-Year Plan to End Homelessness, and provide direction.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with recommended action. However, some of the goals proposed in the plan may require funding, for which sources will need to be identified.
The City received a $30,000 grant from the County of Los Angeles to conduct outreach and create this plan.
BACKGROUND:
In 2017, the LA County Board of Supervisors allocated $2,000,000 in one-time funding to develop comprehensive plans to prevent and combat homelessness. These funds were used to support coordination by the Councils of Governments, and planning efforts for cities in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care (an integrated system that guides and tracks homeless individuals and families through a variety of services designed to prevent and end homelessness). In October 2017, 47 cities were awarded planning grants. The response from cities was so great that the Board of Supervisors approved an additional $575,000 to supplement the original funding.
The City of Manhattan Beach was one of the cities to apply for and receive this funding. Funds were based on the 2017 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA). In 2017, Manhattan Beach was recorded as having 6 “unsheltered” persons or individuals living in vehicles, makeshift shelters, tents or the street, which qualified the City to receive $30,000 in funding.
Once funds were designated, LA County released the grant schedule, which included training sessions with City representatives, deadlines for document submission and guidelines for the plans. Cities were to submit a Partnership Report (Attachment 1), conduct outreach with stakeholder groups and the community at-large, and submit a Plan to End Homelessness (Attachment 2).
Due to available staff time and expertise in the area of homelessness and its resources in the region, it was necessary to hire a consultant to assist the City in creating the plan. The team of Lois Starr, Abby Arnold and Jenny Swan was selected to assist the City in creating the plan based on their history working in the housing field and their familiarity with the South Bay. The consultants were funded through the $30,000 grant.
Ms. Starr has worked in housing policy and homeless services since 1970. She has been involved with the Housing Development and Preservation Division in LA County since 2005. Having lived in the South Bay (including Manhattan Beach) for many years, she is very familiar with the unique communities here.
Ms. Arnold is a consultant who works with non-profit organizations, local governments and small businesses to provide project management, grant writing, needs assessments, planning, and service design. She has worked with many regional municipalities to conduct community engagement and pursue funding opportunities.
Ms. Swan works with communities to assess needs and necessary services for families, youth and seniors with an emphasis on homelessness. She has worked to align community needs with funding opportunities at federal, state and local levels.
Stakeholder Outreach
The City worked with the consultants to create a Partnership Report (Attachment 1), which is a list of stakeholder groups who should be engaged in the process of addressing homelessness in Manhattan Beach. Using this list, the City reached out to residents, community organizations, faith-based organizations, businesses, and its own employees. There was also an online survey posted on the City’s website inviting community members to provide feedback at any time. As of April 10, 2018, seventy-eight responses had been received (Attachment 3). That survey remains open, and those interested are invited to respond through April 30.
DISCUSSION:
Based on feedback gathered from stakeholder meetings, the online survey, communication from regional partners and resource providers, and numerous anecdotes and emails from community members, the Draft Manhattan Beach Three-Year Plan to End Homelessness was created. In the plan are 10 goals and supported actions to achieve those goals; associated policy changes and requirements to move forward; how progress will be measured; who is responsible for each goal and its progress; what City resources will be leveraged; and a timeline. Additionally, the plan contains an outline of collaborative opportunities the City would like to participate in and demonstrates correlation between the City’s efforts and LA County’s Homeless Initiative Strategies (Attachment 4).
Staff recommends that City Council discuss and provide direction on the goals, policies, timelines, etc. included in the draft plan. While creating this plan does not guarantee Manhattan Beach will receive Measure H funds from LA County, the proposed funding recommendations are associated with the Homeless Initiative Strategies. Demonstrating alignment with those focus areas places the City in a better position to utilize the anticipated $374 million in Measure H funding identified in the FY18-19 LA County budget.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
Staff has conducted a number of meetings with a variety of stakeholders since March 2018. These include the following:
• March 8: Downtown Business and Professionals Association regular meeting
• March 13: Business Community Meeting
• March 20: Public Works and Public Safety Meeting
• March 21: Community Meeting (including resident, community and faith-based organizations)
• March 29: City Hall Staff Meeting (including Code Enforcement, Planning/Building, Legal, Parks & Recreation)
Over 100 community members and staff attended these meetings and provided invaluable feedback that helped shape the draft plan.
About 40 people attended the Community Meeting on March 21, 2018, and engaged in a discussion about the current issue and how they believed the City should address it. Those who attended were also sent copies of the draft plan for review.
Consultants also attended a “Laundry of Love” event in Manhattan Beach, which provides attendees with a meal and additional resources, including vouchers for laundry. They were able to speak with individuals who were in various stages of housing - on the verge of homelessness, recently homeless and newly rehoused. The City’s faith-based organizations have also been contacted regarding the development of this plan, and staff hopes to engage these groups even more moving forward, as many of them are already involved with providing resources to those experiencing homelessness.
The City also created an online survey through its Open City Hall platform. Seventy-nine responses had been received as of April 10, 2018, which represents 4 hours of public comment. One hundred thirty-four users have viewed the survey. Of those who responded, 81.8% identified as resident home-owners in Manhattan Beach, and 67.4% indicated that they believe homelessness has increased over the past five years. Responses varied on how the City should respond to the challenge of homelessness.
This process engaged many City employees as well, with an emphasis on the Manhattan Beach Police Department (MBPD). Because many challenges associated with homelessness are directed to MBPD, their staff was very involved in the feedback process. Public Works, Code Enforcement, Legal, Planning and Parks and Recreation were also invited to provide input on what processes or policies would be helpful in responding to community needs regarding homelessness. Some of the needs identified were additional training for City employees, increased access to mental health or homeless outreach resources, a database of available resources, and standardized City policies for addressing homelessness.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The City has reviewed the proposed activity for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and has determined that the activity is not a “Project” as defined under Section 15378 of the State CEQA Guidelines. Therefore, pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State CEQA Guidelines the activity is not subject to CEQA. Thus, no environmental review is necessary.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
Attachments:
1. City of Manhattan Beach Partnership Report
2. Draft Manhattan Beach Three-Year Plan to End Homelessness
3. Open City Hall Survey Results
4. County of Los Angeles Homeless Initiative Strategies