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CC- (1) Approval of the 2022 Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count Community Agreement for the Period of 2022 to 2025; and (2) Authorization to City Staff and Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness Members to Conduct a Point-In-Time Census of the Unhoused Community on January 26, 2022.
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Meeting Date: December 13, 2021
Contact Person/Dept: Tevis Barnes/Housing Division/CDD
Christina Stoffers/Housing Division/CDD
Phone Number: (310) 253-5782
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date:
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (12/09/2021); Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness (11/16/2021); Landlord Tenant Mediation Board (11/30/2021); Saint Joseph Center (11/30/2021); Upward Board House (11/30/2021); Culver City Needs Committee (12/06/2021)
Department Approval: Sol Blumenfeld, Community Development Director (11/24/2021)
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) approve the execution of the 2022 Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count (Count) Community Agreement (Agreement) for the period of 2022 to 2025; and (2) authorize City staff and members of the Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness (ACOHH) to conduct a point-in-time (PIT) census of the unhoused on January 26, 2022.
BACKGROUND
On November 28th, 2016, the City Council adopted a resolution joining the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in identifying homelessness as a priority issue for the region. The resolution affirmed that all members of the Culver City community should have their basic human needs met with services provided in a manner that maintains human dignity and respect.
Since 2015, LAHSA annually conducts a Homeless Count (Count) to better understand what homelessness looks like throughout Los Angeles City and County. The Count incorporates a street count/youth count, homeless demographic survey, and shelter and housing inventory count. The street count is a point-in-time census that is conducted in late January between the hours of 8PM and 2AM. The Count enables LAHSA and local governments to account for the number of homeless individuals within its jurisdiction and understand the scope of homelessness within its region. The information from the Count is essential in assisting jurisdictions with requests for funding as well as informing program development and policy changes.
The 2022 Count will start Tuesday January 25th, 2022 in the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, and San Gabriel Valley. The West Los Angeles, East Los Angeles Count, and South Bay Count will be conducted Wednesday January 26th, 2022. The Antelope Valley, Metro Los Angeles, and South Los Angeles Count will be conducted on Thursday January 27th, 2022.
DISCUSSION
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Homeless Count Community Agreement
In previous years, jurisdictions were required to execute an Opt-In agreement with LAHSA to participate in the Count. To participate in the 2022 Count, jurisdictions must now execute a Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count Community Agreement (Agreement) (Attachment 1) with LAHSA. The Agreement is specific to the Street Count component of the Count. Once the Agreement is executed, the City will participate in and have the opportunity to get a full enumeration of the entire City by counting all agreed upon census tracts and unincorporated areas. In addition, the City is responsible for recruiting volunteers and providing a deployment site (The Culver City Senior Center and Culver City Courtyard has both served as deployment sites during the past Counts.) There are no fees or charges required to participate, only in-kind resources of volunteers and a designated command center for volunteer deployment and distribution of resource materials. LAHSA will provide all necessary Count materials and volunteer training. For the 2022 Count, jurisdictions have the option to enter into the Agreement for either a one-year or a three-year period. Under previous Opt-In Agreements with LAHSA, Culver City has opted for 3 years. The previous Opt-In Agreement expires this year. Staff recommends a commitment of three years. If approved by City Council, the Agreement would expire in 2025.
City staff, in consultation with the City Attorney’s Office, has reviewed the Agreement and wish to highlight the following:
1. The Indemnity and Waiver of Liability release required by LAHSA to be signed by adult volunteers only protects LAHSA. To address this concern, the City will also utilize a Culver City Waiver of Liability Release for adult volunteers, which has been used for prior years’ Counts. City staff obtained approval from LAHSA to require volunteers to execute both the LAHSA and the City waivers prior to participation in the 2022 Count.
2. Participation in this Count requires the City to agree not to conduct any encampment clean-ups at least 30-days prior to the Homeless Count, as doing so could impact the accuracy of the Count. The Housing Division will coordinate with Culver City Police Department (CCPD) and Code Enforcement Division to make sure no clean-ups of homeless encampments occur 30-days prior to the Count.
3. The City can release data related to the Count results once the final results are published by LAHSA. LAHSA will submit its analysis to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and will publicly release the results in the summer.
4. Should LAHSA or the City choose to decline to participate for any reason, the City agrees to submit that request by a written notice four months prior to the date of the Count.
2022 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count App
LAHSA has launched the 2022 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count App (App) created by Akido Labs. This is the first mobile App for volunteers that will replace paper maps and tally sheets. The App was designed to verify key information, plan volunteer routes, provide easy navigation, and digital data submission. The App will be accessible with and without internet access.
Under another staff report this evening, staff is recommending a similar app format developed by Akido Labs for the creation of a local Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). If approved by Council, the Culver City Connect App will identify, track, and maintain a database of the unhoused community and create a means for local first responder and case manager to interface in real-time.
Culver City Staff and ACOHH Members to Conduct the Count
To ensure the health and safety of those performing the Count, the City has sought permission from LAHSA to only utilize City personnel and the members of the Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness (ACOHH) to administer the 2022 Count. On October 7, 2021, LAHSA Homeless Count Leadership approved for Culver City to use their own volunteers/city staff for the 2022 Count. The Count will be achieved through a collaboration between the City Manager’s Office, the Community Development Department/Housing Division, Culver City Police and Fire Departments, the Culver City St. Joseph Center (SJC) Homeless Outreach Team, and the ACOHH members. The City will follow LAHSA’s best practice model of using homeless outreach teams as part of their volunteers to enumerate the unhoused and special teams made up of outreach teams or law enforcement for areas deemed hard to reach/safety concern areas. LAHSA and Culver City will coordinate so that the volunteers (City personnel) and deployment site leads (Housing Division staff) have updated information regarding training for volunteers and deployment site materials. Culver City will also use the new mandatory Homeless Count App for the data collection process.
Due to a suspension of the 2021 Greater Los Angeles homeless count by the LAHSA and in the absence of a coordinated LAHSA 2021 Count, Council approved that City personnel administer Culver City’s homeless count along City streets and shelter/institutional PIT census, and not include community volunteers. The 2021 Internal Count was successfully conducted and noted 291 unhoused in Culver City (including 44 sheltered unhoused families at Upward Bound House) (Attachment 4).
Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness
The ACOHH has played an essential role working in collaboration with staff to orchestrate the Counts of previous years. The ACOHH annually forms the ACOHH Homeless Count Subcommittee to work with staff to recruit, coordinate and train volunteers, secure refreshments for volunteers, review data collection methodology and field survey maps, and ensure the success of all activities related to the Count. During the ACOHH Homeless Count Subcommittee (Subcommittee) meeting on November 9, 2021, the Subcommittee discussed staff’s proposal to utilize only City personnel to conduct the 2022 Count to ensure public safety. On November 16, 2021, the Subcommittee presented staff’s proposal to the ACOHH. The ACOHH supported moving forward with using City personnel to administer the 2022 Count.
Public Outreach
The ACOHH felt it important to continue to engage the constituency of volunteers, local organizations, and businesses who have support the Count for many years. This includes dozens of private individuals, community, and faith organizations (Temple Akiba, St. Augustine Church, and the Exchange Club), and local businesses (Sorrento Market, Gus’ Chili, Tito’s Taco, and Copenhagen Bakery). An outreach notice will be transmitted via email to all the entities who have supported the Count in the past to inform them that, if approved by Council, the City will use only City personnel and will not engage volunteers to assist with the 2022 Count. The notice will also encourage the supporters to continue to support local homeless efforts and to consider resuming their support for the 2023 Count.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
Other than the utilization of staff time, there is no impact to the City’s General Fund or the Culver City Housing Authority (CCHA) budget.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2022 LAHSA Homeless Count Community Agreement
2. 2020 and 2021 Homeless Count Matrix
MOTION
That the City Council:
1. Approve the execution of the 2022 Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count Community Agreement;
2. Authorize the City Attorney to review/prepare the necessary documents; and
3. Authorize the City Manager to execute such documents on behalf of the City.