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1. What is the City doing to address the growing homeless problem in our community?

The City is actively engaged in a range of efforts to prevent and end homelessness in our community. These include better coordination of services among key City departments, regional participation through the Sonoma County Continuum of Care, improving access to services through a Coordinated Entry system, sponsoring a street outreach team, and increasing the availability of shelter and housing options for the unsheltered. To strengthen the City’s existing policies and programs regarding homelessness in Santa Rosa, the Santa Rosa City Council recently approved a Housing First Strategy and Fiscal Year 2016/2017 Work Plan which is available on the City’s Homeless Services page. This strategy supports an evidence-based “Housing First” model which prioritizes providing permanent housing as primary strategy for ending homelessness ( National Alliance to End Homelessness ). The City aims to balance improving services for those experiencing or at risk of homelessness and reducing the negative impacts of homelessness on our community. This is a significant challenge requiring a community-wide response.

2. What sort of financial resources are being put towards the issue?

Over the past two years, the City has more than doubled its investment in homeless services with a current budget of approximately $1.7 million. The City reorganized in 2015 with the intention of focusing on affordable housing and homeless services through the newly formed Housing and Community Services Department. Additional support was allocated to the Homeless Services Program and several programs were introduced or expanded. For more information about programs currently supported by the City see the Homeless Services page.

3. Does the City have a homeless shelter within the city limits? If so, has a homeless person ever been turned away from the shelter due to lack of space?

The City owns the Samuel L. Jones Hall Homeless Shelter, a 138-bed year-round shelter plus a 50-bed winter shelter program for single adults. The City also provides funding for the operation of the Family Support Center, a 138-bed family shelter. For detailed information about programs currently supported by the City see the Homeless Services page.

Wait times for shelters vary depending on individual or family circumstances and the availability of shelter beds. People seeking shelter should call 2-1-1 or visit 211sonoma.org, 24/7 for information and referral services.

There are numerous non-profit and faith-based organizations, and advocacy groups serving the homeless in Santa Rosa and Sonoma County. Annually, the Sonoma County Task Force for the Homeless compiles a comprehensive Sonoma County Homeless Resource Guide available online or as a pocket-sized edition. Listings include free and low-cost services to help people struggling with homelessness to find shelter, food, health care, financial assistance, permanent housing, employment, disability services, and more.

4. How do I make a referral to the Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST)?

The Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST), operated by Catholic Charities and funded by the City, is a street outreach team that actively works in our downtown to engage unsheltered homeless into services and housing. HOST works in collaboration with the Police Department’s Downtown Enforcement Team (DET) and other service providers such as Social Advocates for Youth and Buckelew Programs. The City Council funded this pilot effort starting in August 2015 through June 2016, and renewed funding for this program for Fiscal Year 2016/2017. HOST also operates Clean Start, a mobile bathroom-shower trailer, at various sites throughout the City.
For referrals call 855-707-4678 (HOST) or email HOST@srcharities.org
A schedule for the Clean Start mobile bathroom-shower trailer is available on the City’s Homeless Services Page.

5. How are the City and County working together to end homelessness?

The City and County are collaborating in a variety of ways including through participation in the Sonoma County Continuum of Care. The Sonoma County CoC is a public-private partnership that brings together local government, service providers, and community activists to develop collaborative strategies for reducing homelessness. The Sonoma County Community Development Commission (SCCDC) is the lead agency for the Sonoma County CoC and hosts its planning process. The City, the SCCDC and the City of Petaluma, three Housing and Urban Development (HUD) entitlement jurisdictions in Sonoma County, jointly fund the CoC and have designated seats on its governing body. The Sonoma County CoC brings in about $2.9 million annually to Sonoma County to end homelessness. The Sonoma County CoC updated its 10-year Homeless Action Plan in 2014.

6. How does the City measure the success of its efforts, including that of its contractors?

All City contracts for homeless services include performance measures requiring either monthly or quarterly reports in accordance with a funding agreement. For example, a City-funded shelter program reports how many people were provided shelter and of those that were provided shelter how many exited to housing as a result of the program’s assistance. Staff monitor a contractor’s progress in achieving its planned goals and outcomes over the course of the funding cycle and work with the contractor to make adjustments accordingly.
The City participates in the Sonoma County Continuum of Care which evaluates how our system of care as a whole performs. One way that the CoC monitors system-level performance is through the point-in-time homeless count, which according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “helps communities plan services and programs to appropriately address local needs, measure progress in decreasing homelessness, and identify strengths and gaps in a community’s current homelessness assistance system.” Both program-level and system-level performance evaluation allows us to see what’s working and what’s not.

7. What is the role of the City Council Homeless Policy Subcommittee?

At the April 4, 2017 City Council Meeting, a motion was carried to consider the work of the Subcommittee completed, with future items related to Homelessness to be considered by the full Council. City Council meetings are held on most Tuesdays at 4:00 p.m. in Council Chambers. The Council may decide to consider matters related to homelessness at a yet to be scheduled Special Meeting of the City Council. Agendas and Minutes can be viewed at Srcity.org/Council.

8. What does the City hope to achieve by declaring a local homelessness emergency?

On August 9, the City Council formally declared a local homeless emergency in Santa Rosa. This move should give the City additional flexibility to address the homeless crisis. Furthermore, Council is hopeful that this action will rally community support for shared-based long-term solutions. More specifically, the declaration of a homeless emergency in Santa Rosa has three distinct features:

I.) Declaration of Shelter Crisis: A declaration of shelter crisis will make it easier to waive certain health and safety and zoning rules if the City decides to use public property to create additional shelter for the homeless.

II.) Declaration of Local Emergency: In declaring a local emergency, the City Council has proclaimed that the level of homelessness in Santa Rosa constitutes a local emergency, along the same lines as safety issues that could be created by a natural disaster. This step allows the City of Santa Rosa to potentially lift zoning or public safety restrictions on private property owners – such as churches or private property owners – seeking to serve the homeless.

III.) Request for Gubernatorial State of Emergency Proclamation: By writing a letter to Governor Jerry Brown requesting that he declare a state of emergency on homelessness in California, the City Council wishes to shed light on this issue not only locally, but also statewide. Furthermore, the City Council hopes this action will potentially open the door for state funding to help tackle this community health and safety concern.

On October 11, pursuant to the City’s authority under the declaration of local homeless emergency, the Council approved an interim Community Homeless Assistance Program (CHAP), establishing guidelines for use of private property for safe parking, safe camping, the placement and maintenance of portable toilets and access to existing bathroom facilities, the provision of temporary overnight shelter, and storage for personal belongings. The intent of CHAP is to foster community solutions through cross sector collaborations with the goal of reducing the impacts of homelessness on the community and to better serve persons experiencing homelessness. The CHAP guidelines are available on the Homeless Services Page.

9. If camping is prohibited within City limits why are people camping in our downtown and parks, along our creeks, and in other areas of the city?

Merely resting or sleeping is not illegal. It is important to remember that camping must be established by the use of camping equipment. The majority of time when Police come across people that are camping, they are given an opportunity to comply and encouraged to seek services such as those offered by the Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST)) or other community services. In the case of an established encampment, the individual or group is given a 72-hour notice to remove their belongings, provided with community resource and referral information, and contacted by HOST. The City’s ultimate goal is to connect those living on the streets or in encampments with services, shelter, and housing rather than moving them along to other areas.

How about the encampments at the 5th, 6th, and 9th Street underpasses?

Police, Public Works, and the Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) have been coordinating regular clean-ups of the 5th, 6th, and 9th street underpasses, and have recently begun stepping up these efforts.

Or the encampment at Farmers Lane and Bennett Valley Road?

This is one of the oldest and largest homeless encampments in Santa Rosa. The Police Department is very aware of the issues in the area and has taken extensive steps to address them through a partnership with HOST. Police and HOST have recently increased outreach and enforcement and will continue to monitor the encampment moving forward. Our ultimate goal is to find permanent housing for those living in the area and to clean all of the debris out of the area. This is, however, an extensive process, and the City is working not to just push those living at the encampment to other areas of the City. Please feel free to contact Lieutenant John Snetsinger directly at (707) 543-3635 for more information about Police efforts at this particular encampment. Also please do not hesitate to call the Police Department to report suspicious or criminal activity in the area at (707) 528-5222.

10. If people are camping illegally citywide then why won't the City allow designated areas for camping, commonly referred to as sanctioned campgrounds?

The City is investing in housing solutions such as rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing through its contract with Catholic Charities for the operation of the Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST). The Palms, a former motel on Santa Rosa Avenue which was converted to a permanent supportive housing community for chronically homeless persons in early 2016, has 44 HOST-dedicated units. That said, the City also recognizes there is a more immediate crisis that must be addressed. The Community Homeless Assistance Program (CHAP), described in greater detail in #8, established guidelines for use of private property for a number of activities including a safe camping program. To date the City has received one application from the First United Methodist Church (FUMC) to operate a safe camping program at its Stony Point Campus. FUMC is currently rethinking its proposal given feedback from the community and a shift in homeless policy at the Federal, State, and local level to a “Housing First” approach, which prioritizes providing permanent housing as primary strategy for ending homelessness (National Alliance to End Homelessness).
Catholic Charities operates a Safe Parking program. For more information, call or drop by the Homeless Services Center, 600 Morgan Street, which is open Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and can be reached at (707) 525-0226.

11. Where in each neighborhood are homeless people able to legally store, possess, and use significant amounts of belongings and locate 24-hour access to facilities such as restrooms and showers?

1) There is not currently a facility within the city for the homeless to store their belongings. There are no restrictions around possessing or using significant amounts of belongings unless they were to obstruct a sidewalk or access to a business, for example. Council recently approved a Community Homeless Assistance Program (CHAP), described in greater detail in #8, establishing guidelines for use of private property for a number of activities including storage for personal belongings.
2) 24-hour access to such facilities is challenging for those experiencing homelessness. There are a number of facilities available during the day, such as the Homeless Services Center or City facilities. Catholic Charities' Safe Parking Program, an overnight program, provides access to portable restrooms for its participants. The Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) also operates Clean Start, a mobile bathroom-shower trailer program. The trailer is currently operating from 10am to 1pm on Tuesdays and Fridays at the Roseland Village, Thursdays at Doyle Community Park, and Saturdays at City Hall parking lot. This schedule is subject to change. The Clean Start schedule is also available on the City’s Homeless Services Page.
Annually theSonoma County Task Force for the Homeless compiles a comprehensive Sonoma County Homeless Resource Guide available online or as a pocket-sized edition. Listings include free and low-cost services to help people struggling with homelessness to find shelter, food, health care, financial assistance, permanent housing, employment, disability services, and more.

12. Why are the homeless allowed to "hang out" all day in our parks and in our downtown?

Being homeless is not a crime. Homeless people enjoy the same rights as everyone and are allowed to be in public areas. Merely resting, sleeping, or standing in a particular area is not illegal. The activity becomes unlawful if illegal behavior or actions are taken. For example, possession of an open container of alcohol, public urination or defecation, lying or sitting as to obstruct, aggressive panhandling, camping, or other activity that is prohibited or illegal. If you observe these or other illegal behaviors, please call the Police Department’s non-emergency line at (707) 528-5222 which is available 24/7. When you see criminal activity, please call 911.

13. What is the City doing to discourage panhandling, loitering, urinating or defecating in public places, and other unwanted activities?

The Santa Rosa Homeless Collective, a group of government agencies and non-profits working together to reduce homelessness in Santa Rosa, has a workgroup dedicated to the subject of accountability. The purpose of which is to identify and leverage a portion of the population who are experiencing homelessness and resist services and who through their actions and behaviors negatively impact the community. This workgroup includes stakeholder representation from City and County staff, the District Attorney’s office, homeless advocates and service providers, the business community, behavioral health professionals and law enforcement, for example.

Beginning July 2016, the Downtown Enforcement Team was expanded to six officers and a dedicated Sergeant for the team, providing for expanded coverage and presence in the downtown. DET works closely with HOST to coordinate efforts in the downtown.

With regards to panhandling, the Chamber of Commerce and Catholic Charities have approached the City to use parking meters as a means to raise awareness about homelessness and to give people the option of making a donation to programs that help the homeless instead of giving money to panhandlers. IPS, the company the City has contracted with for new parking meters, has a philanthropic program where they donate new credit card enabled parking meters to be used to collect donations. The Chamber has submitted an application to IPS and is working with the City on determining the best locations for the donations meters.

14. If the City is investing more in programs that serve the homeless why are we seeing more homeless? Are the City’s efforts attracting more homeless?

As the County seat, people are attracted to Santa Rosa for a variety of reasons not simply for homeless services. Homelessness is a complex issue with many contributing factors. The removal of encampments along the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) line and along our creeks and waterways, as a result of increased State water quality regulations, has pushed those living in these areas into public view, contributing, at least in part, to the increase in visibility of homelessness. Sonoma County is also one of the nation’s least affordable housing markets: 67% those surveyed as part of the 2016 Sonoma County Point-In-Time Census and Survey reported affordable rent as the primary obstacle for obtaining permanent housing. Despite seeing more homeless, data from the 2016 report actually show that:
• Homelessness is trending downward in Sonoma County from a high of 4,539 persons in 2011 followed by 4,280 in 2013, 3,107 in 2015, and 2,906 in 2016.
• Our homeless population is overwhelmingly local: 82% lived in Sonoma County prior to becoming homeless.

15. What is the City doing to improve access to services for persons with behavioral health and substance use needs?

The
Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) makes service referrals and coordinates street outreach with a number of service providers, including Social Advocates for Youth and Buckelew Programs, a provider of behavioral health services. HOST makes referrals to the Orenda Center, a program of Center Point Drug Abuse Alternatives Center (DAAC), for alcohol and other drug detoxification services, for example. HOST and the Police Department’s Downtown Enforcement Team are also working with the Mobile Support Team to better coordinate services in the downtown. The Mobile Support Team, a program of Sonoma County Department of Health Services Behavioral Health Division, is staffed by behavioral health professionals who provide field based support to law enforcement officers responding to a behavioral health crisis. A behavioral health representative also accompanies HOST in the field on a regular basis.

16. How can I help?

In-lieu of handing out food, clothing, or other items please consider volunteering your time or making a donation to community organizations in Santa Rosa and Sonoma County that work to end homelessness. While reaching out directly to those in need may feel compassionate there are often unintended consequences associated with such actions. This has been the case recently at the 5th, 6th, and 9th street underpasses where surplus donated items have accumulated on the sidewalks and into the street.

For a comprehensive listing of community organizations please check out the Sonoma County Homeless Resource Guide or contact the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County.

The Task Force also coordinates a Winter Warmth program which accepts donations of life-saving survival gear year-round. The City is working diligently to address homelessness in our community.

For more information please check out our Homeless Services Page.