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CC - CONSENT ITEM: Adoption of the Five-Year Culver City Homeless Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness 2026-2031 to Guide the City’s Efforts to Prevent and Address Homelessness Over the Next Five Years.
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Meeting Date: September 28, 2026
Contact Person/Dept.: Christina Stoffers-Himmelman, Housing and Human Services
Robert Parga, Housing and Human Services
Phone Number: (310) 253-5789
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness (09/03/2026); City Council (09/28/2026)
Department Approval: Diane Glauber, Housing and Human Services Director (09/10/2026) _____________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the Five-Year Culver City Homeless Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness 2026-2031 (Plan) to guide the City’s efforts to prevent and address homelessness over the next five years.
BACKGROUND
Culver City adopted its first Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness in July 2018. The 2018 Plan was developed with Measure H funding, allocated by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for cities to create local plans in collaboration with the County and its contractors. The 2018 Plan established seven goals that have guided the City’s priorities over the past seven years.
In January 2023, the Culver City Council declared a local homeless emergency, enabling the City to expedite contracts, deploy new programs, and expand services. Under the 2018 Plan, the City secured $26.6 million in state funds to convert motels into 38 interim and 35 permanent supportive housing units (Project Homekey), opened the 20-tent Wellness Village safe sleep site in 2023, established the Motel Master Leasing program providing 44 units of emergency shelter, launched the City-operated Mobile Crisis Team in March 2024, adopted the Rent Control and Tenant Protections Ordinances, and launched the public Homeless Dashboard in 2024 and the Homeless Outreach Request Portal in 2025.
The annual Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count recorded 229 unsheltered persons in Culver City in 2022, 158 in 2023, 115 in 2024, and 105 in 2025, a 54% reduction over three years. The number of unhoused persons receiving shelter in Culver City programs grew from 38 in 2023 to 165 in 2025. As documented in the Gaps and Assets Analysis (February 2026), all seven goals of the 2018 Plan were achieved or substantially achieved.
On September 8, 2025, the City Council ratified acceptance of a Local Solutions Fund grant from the Westside Cities Council of Governments (WSCCOG) in the amount of $1,012,171, appropriated the remaining $65,000 in grant funds, and approved a professional services agreement with Jennifer Cree Swan & Associates (JCSA) in an amount not-to-exceed $60,000 to update the 2018 Plan. JCSA was selected through a Request for Proposals process that included panel interviews with Housing and Human Services (HHS) staff and two representatives of the Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness (ACOHH).
DISCUSSION
Planning Process
JCSA and HHS staff conducted a six-phase planning process: data collection and document review; stakeholder engagement; preparation of a Gaps and Assets Analysis; strategy development; plan drafting and review; and City Council approval. JCSA facilitated seven community input sessions between December 2025 and January 2026, engaging over 40 unduplicated participants representing diverse perspectives. Sessions included City staff and contracted service providers (December 17, 2025, and January 13, 2026); community sectors including business, faith, education, health, and social services (January 15 and January 28, 2026); general community members (January 24, 2026 in-person at City Hall and January 27, 2026 virtual); and individuals with lived experience of homelessness at Wellness Village (January 23, 2026).
The Gaps and Assets Analysis (February 2026) documented over 60 organizations serving Culver City residents and identified 19 gap categories. Key findings include: the City is exceeding the County’s Measure A goal of a 30% reduction in unsheltered homelessness, having achieved 54%; all interim housing facilities operate at or near capacity; a communication gap exists between the City’s robust service infrastructure and community awareness; data system silos and the absence of regular provider coordination meetings limit system efficiency; and specialized populations, including hard to engage individuals, vehicle dwellers, undocumented residents, and domestic violence survivors, require targeted strategies not fully addressed by current programming.
The 2026-2031 Plan
The Plan establishes seven goals supported by 35 recommended strategies. Each strategy is tied to one or more County pillars, with identified timelines, lead entities, and resource needs. The Plan aligns local strategies with the six pillars of the Los Angeles County Approved Strategies to Combat Homelessness to ensure regional consistency and maximize the City’s eligibility for County, State, and Federal funding, including Measure A resources. Five of the seven goals correspond directly to goals established in 2018, reflecting the City’s sustained commitment to its core priorities. The goals are:
Goal 1: Strengthen prevention and early intervention to keep Culver City residents housed.
Goal 2: Increase affordable housing production and preserve existing affordable stock.
Goal 3: Expand and improve outreach, engagement, and crisis response.
Goal 4: Increase interim and permanent housing capacity.
Goal 5: Strengthen supportive services to promote housing stability and self-sufficiency.
Goal 6: Enhance system coordination, data infrastructure, and regional partnerships.
Goal 7: Educate the community and expand civic engagement around homelessness.
The Plan was developed during a period of significant transition in the funding landscape for homeless services. The City invests approximately $16 million annually from the General Fund in homeless services, compared with approximately $300,000 in direct County and State return funding. On February 3, 2026, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the $843 million FY 2026-27 Measure A Spending Plan for the new Department of Homeless Services and Housing, including $93.8 million in Local Solutions Fund allocations to cities and Councils of Governments. At the State level, the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention program received zero new funding for FY 2025-26, with $500 million planned for FY 2026-27 contingent on enhanced accountability requirements. Proposition 1 provides $2.25 billion for Homekey+ permanent supportive housing, with applications accepted on a rolling basis. At the Federal level, Congress preserved the Continuum of Care program at $4.4 billion for FY 2026. The Plan includes a tiered funding strategy, accountability compliance requirements, and contingency planning for funding scenarios.
Implementation and Oversight
The Housing and Human Services Department will lead implementation of the Plan. The City Council’s Standing Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee will serve as the policy-level oversight body, and the Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness will provide ongoing community oversight and input. HHS will prepare an annual implementation report for the City Council summarizing progress on each goal, key metrics, budget expenditures, and recommended adjustments.
Strategies were developed based on community priorities and underwent a review and refinement process by City staff and the ACOHH. The draft Plan was circulated to the Advisory Committee, City staff, and community stakeholders for review before finalization and presentation to City Council. The draft Plan was presented at the joint Standing Housing and Homelessness (SHHS) and ACOHH meeting on May 27, 2026, where both bodies reviewed and provided additional edits to the final draft. The ACOHH approved a recommendation on the final draft Homeless Plan on July 21, 2026. Final deliverables include the Gaps and Assets Analysis, the Five-Year Plan, and the Housing and Homeless Toolkit, a resource for residents and businesses to understand homelessness, available services, and best practices for engagement.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
Approval of the Plan has no fiscal impact. The Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 included $60,000 for the Plan update, approved by the City Council on September 8, 2025, and funded by the remaining WSCCOG Local Solutions Fund grant funds, which offset the cost of the project to the General Fund. Strategies in the Plan that require new resources will be brought to the City Council through the annual budget process or by separate action.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2026-09-28 - ATT Culver City Five-Year Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness 2026-2031
2. 2026-09-28 - ATT Gaps and Assets Analysis (February 2026)
3. 2026-09-28 - ATT Housing and Homeless Toolkit
recommended action
MOTION(S)
That the City Council:
Adopt the Five-Year Culver City Homeless Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness 2026-2031 to guide the City’s efforts to prevent and address homelessness over the next five years.