TO:
Honorable Councilmember and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, City Manager
FROM:
George Gabriel, Assistant to the City Manager
SUBJECT:Title
Request by Councilmember Hadley and Councilmember Montgomery to Discuss Establishing a Dedicated Homeless Outreach Housing Navigator and Reserving Beds for Manhattan Beach (City Manager Moe).
DISCUSS AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council discuss and provide direction regarding establishing a dedicated homeless outreach housing navigator and reserve beds for Manhattan Beach homeless.
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FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There are no fiscal implications associated with the recommended action for Council to discuss and provide direction. The estimated costs of the various options presented are identified in this report. Should City Council direct staff to establish a dedicated homeless outreach housing navigator or reserve beds for Manhattan Beach, agreements and appropriations would likely need to return to the City Council for final approval, which will identify the specific costs.
BACKGROUND:
At the August 3, 2021, City Council meeting, Councilmember Hadley and Councilmember Montgomery requested staff agendize a discussion and analysis on:
(1) Hiring a dedicated homeless outreach housing navigator; and
(2) Reserving beds for Manhattan Beach homeless.
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 and 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;
• Explored contracting with a regional homeless shelter to assist homeless with immediate shelter options; and
• Conducted community and staff trainings to learn about the local response and partnerships forming to support people experiencing homelessness.
DISCUSSION:
As requested by the City Council, staff will provide two respective analyses and tentative fiscal implications. These include: 1) Establishing a dedicated homeless outreach housing navigator and, 2) Reserving beds for individuals in our community experiencing homelessness.
Homeless Outreach Housing Navigator Dedicated to Manhattan Beach
As indicated in the background section of the report, the beach cities of Manhattan, Hermosa and Redondo Beach have regionally partnered to provide outreach resources and assist the regional homeless population utilizing County grant funds. This partnership is referred to as the “South Bay Beach Cities Homelessness Project.”
Through this project, the South Bay Beach Cities share two outreach navigators that assist homeless individuals and families by obtaining necessary documents and make successful referrals to interim housing, treatment centers, and permanent housing. The use of the outreach navigators has been successful and has offered the City a resource to assist our homeless population interested in housing opportunities.
The most recent South Bay Beach Cities Homelessness Project report (Attachment #1) summarizes progress made from November 2019 - July 2021 with data metrics specified. As indicated in the report, the homeless outreach housing navigator in Manhattan Beach has:
• Conducted street outreach serving 52 different individuals in 338 interactions (includes repeat contacts);
• Enrolled 18 individuals in eligible benefit programs and processed necessary documentation;
• Attained 7 interim housing placements (i.e. shelters);
• Attained 2 placements in substance abuse treatment programs; and
• Placed 10 individuals in stable housing units.
The homeless outreach housing navigator is a shared resource and as such, the time dedicated to each city is divided up between Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach. Typically, the housing navigator divides their time between outreach requests received and appointments to service homeless individuals. While the housing navigator provided by HIS is generally available in Manhattan Beach when requested, the homeless outreach housing navigator may have to prioritize other responsibilities or serve homeless individual in Hermosa or Redondo Beach. Additionally, HIS has recently experienced staffing impacts consistent with labor shortages occurring across the country.
Should City Council direct staff to establish a dedicated homeless outreach housing navigator, the City would need to execute an agreement with a homeless services provider, such as Harbor Interfaith Service and appropriate funds at a future City Council meeting.
Staff estimates that a contracted homeless outreach housing navigator would cost $64,390 annually. Annual costs include:
- Salary - $43,000
- Tax/Benefits - $12,470
- Administrative Fee - $5,320
- Non Personnel Costs (mileage, office supplies, technology, etc.) - $3,600
Alternatively, some cities have established a position for homeless housing navigation. Recently the Redondo Beach City Council adopted a resolution on August 17, 2021, creating the class specification for the Homeless Housing Navigator position (Attachment #2). The cost of the position is not identified in the report, but the recent job posting listed the salary as $59,904.00 to $72,912.00 annually, which would not include the cost of any additional benefits.
It should be noted that on August 10, 2021, the City of Manhattan Beach applied for a multi-jurisdictional grant for Measure H funding to the South Bay Cities Council of Government (SBCCOG). The grant application requested four homeless outreach housing navigators for the cities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach and El Segundo. If awarded the full amount, the City of Manhattan Beach would have a grant-funded and dedicated homeless outreach housing navigator beginning in January 2022. As indicated in the conclusion section of the report, City Council may choose to delay the decision on establishing a dedicated homeless outreach housing navigator until the SBCCOG grant award announcement (late October/early November).
Reserving Beds
Since 2019, staff has explored the availability of shelter beds (i.e. transitional housing) to house homeless individuals. Since that time, additional housing options have become available. These two options include: 1) SHARE! Collaborative Housing, and 2) Private Apartments owned by Swami International Property Mgmt. Should Council give direction to secure beds, Staff will obtain specific cost proposals. Additionally, staff would request City Council direction on the number of units/beds to purchase and the duration of those lease agreements.
1. SHARE! Collaborative Housing
SHARE! Collaborative Housing partners with private homeowners to provide affordable permanent supportive housing in single-family homes to low-income men and women experiencing homelessness. Most residents receive various housing subsidies through homeless assistance agencies. Each house gets assigned a highly trained and talented Peer Specialist, which is a paid SHARE! staff member. The staff member provides support for each resident and for the house collectively to identify and achieve their goals and to assist with problem-solving and conflict resolution. Attachment #3 provides additional information and summarizes the program.
Any bed reserved by the City would need individual homeowner permission and subject to their terms as they are privately owned houses.
The cost of reserving one bed ranges from $550 to $950 per bed per month. Annually, costs would range from $6,600 to $11,400 depending on the location and unit. However, this housing is identified as permanent supportive housing and not transitional in nature. Therefore, costs may be incurred for a substantial time until the homeless individual is able to provide a living and housing solution for themselves.
2. Private Apartments
At their December 15, 2020, meeting, the Redondo Beach City Council approved leases and addendums with SWAMI International to house people experiencing homelessness in Redondo Beach (Attachment #4). The agreements are for five apartments located at 126 West D Street, Wilmington, CA 90744. Currently, the City of Redondo Beach pays $750 per room (with a $750 security deposit) for an annual cost of $48,750.
Staff has reached out to the SWAMI International to explore a similar agreement. Currently, that building and associated prices are not available for rent. However, SWAMI International provided additional units for rent in various locations that are currently available. Each unit includes 1 bed and 1 bathroom but range at a higher price ($1,200 - $1,595 per month). On an annual basis, the cost would range from $15,400 - $20,140 (including the security deposit). Additionally, a homeless outreach housing navigator would need to be utilized to transition the individual into permanent housing over time. The City of Redondo Beach currently contracts with another homeless services provider, CityNet Inc. to provide housing navigation services. Costs of CityNet’s services are likely to be similar to outreach costs describe above (approx. $64,390).
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council discuss and provide direction regarding establishing a dedicated homeless outreach housing navigator and reserving beds.
Based on the information provided, staff has provided some options for City Council consideration. These include:
1. Direct staff to return to the City Council with the necessary agreements and funding appropriations to:
a. Contract for a dedicated homeless outreach housing navigator;
b. Lease units/beds dedicated to homeless.
2. Direct staff to delay action on contracting for a dedicated homeless outreach housing navigator (Option #1A above) until the City is notified of potential award of Measure H grant funding by the SBCCOG (late October/early November).
3. Take no action.
LEGAL REVIEW:
The City Attorney has reviewed this report and determined that no additional legal analysis is necessary.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. South Bay Beach Cities Homelessness Project Report - July 2021
2. City of Redondo Beach Report on Housing Navigator Classification
3. SHARE! Collaborative Housing Information
4. City of Redondo Beach Report on Leasing Private Units from SWAMI International