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CC:COH - 1) Status Update on the Updated Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness; 2) Review Committee on Homelessness Program Priorities; and 3) Direction to the City Manager as Deemed Appropriate.
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Meeting Date: April 19, 2021
Contact Person: Tevis Barnes/CDD/ Housing Division
Christina Stoffers/CDD/Housing Division
Phone Number: (310) 253-5782
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [X] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [] Date:
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - City Council (04/15/2021);
Department Approval: Sol Blumenfeld, Community Development Director (04/14/2021)
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RECOMMENDATIONS:
Staff recommends the City Council and Committee on Homelessness (COH) (1) receive an update of the goals in the updated Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness; review Committee on Homelessness (COH) program priorities; and (3) provide direction to the City Manager as deemed appropriate
BACKGROUND:
On October 23, 2017, the City was awarded $50,000 through the County of Los Angeles Homeless Planning Grant to update the City’s homeless plan. On April 23, 2018, Culver City Housing Authority (Authority) entered into a professional services agreement with LeSar Development Consultants (LDC) to develop and update the City’s homeless strategies and work plan. (See Notes 1 and 2).
The Updated Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness (Homeless Plan) was reviewed by the Council Housing and Homeless Subcommittee on June 27, 2018 and approved by the City Council on July 9, 2018. The Homeless Plan is based on seven goals and supporting actions. Each action includes applicable policy changes, measurement of progress, and ownership of the goal/action, leveraged City resources, and timeline. (See Attachment No. 3, Culver City Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness)
The City Council adopted the Homeless Plan on July 9, 2018 approving the followings goals and related actions:
Goal 1: Increase bridge housing options and the number of people served.
Goal 2: Expand homelessness prevention programming.
Goal 3: Increase access to affordable and supportive housing across the city.
Goal 4: Enhance data tracking and homeless outreach activities among City staff and service providers.
Goal 5: Expand community education efforts around homelessness and raise awareness about available resources and best practices.
Goal 6: Create local programs to increase workforce training and job opportunities.
Goal 7: Enhance local and regional coordination.
DISCUSSION
Affordable Housing Programs
The Homeless Plan is based upon the City’s efforts to prevent and combat homelessness as originally approved by City Council and the Housing Authority on March 12, 2018 in a review of Housing Division affordable housing programs focusing on 24 programs to increase affordable housing through:
1. New Units Production
2. Preservation of Units
3. Homeless Services
4. Administration of On-going Housing Programs
In a joint meeting on March 22, 2021, the City Council and Housing Authority Board reviewed and approved the Housing Programs (now expanded to 43) and provided direction related to advancing them and the expenditure of $22.9 million in Low- and Moderate-Income Housing Asset Fund (LMIHAF) to produce 79 units and serve 3,105 households over a six-year planning period.
The Homeless Plan
The Homeless Plan is a three-year plan that serves as a roadmap to establish the City’s approach to addressing homelessness. Its long-term goals to continue addressing the needs of the homeless and unstably housed residents, include a review of existing resources and opportunities, and the gathering of input from a variety of stakeholders.
The Homeless Plan mirrors the Housing Programming Matrix which includes a section on Homeless Services and Prevention. The Housing Programming Matrix is a summary of housing programming over a six-year planning period reflecting funding, the number of units created, households served, and related demographics (Attachment, No. 2, Affordable Housing Program Matrix). Staff will provide a presentation on the status of the Homeless Plan for Council/COH review during the April 19, 2021 meeting. A summary of the goals and actions in the Homeless Plan is also attached. See (Attachment No. 1, Homeless Plan Update Checklist).
Committee on Homelessness Recommended Priorities
On November 21, 2020, the COH held a special meeting to review, discuss, and define the priorities related to the Homeless Plan. These priorities were categorized as short, medium, and long-range priorities. During the special meeting, the COH agreed to focus their efforts on the program priorities listed below as next steps in the continued implementation of the Homeless Plan:
• Safe Parking - Short Range
• Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) - Medium Range
• Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) - Long Range
The COH at its February meeting also considered Housing Work Plan recommendations for FY 2021-2022. The Housing Work Plan recommendations proposed by the COH are programmed on the Housing Program Matrix. Committee on Homelessness recommendations include Permanent Supportive Housing (Items 1-10 on the Housing Programs Matrix), Safe Parking (Item 37), and ADU Incentive Program (Item 18). Renewal of the Saint Joseph Center (SJC) Outreach was also recommended (Item 32). City Council approved the renewed the SJC Outreach contract on March 22, 2021.
Since the Housing Division currently operates four rental assistance programs, additional rental assistance has not been included in Housing Division programming. These existing programs include Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, Rental Assistance Program (RAP), COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program (COVID-19 ERAP) and Rapid Re-Housing (RRH). These programs combined total approximately $3 million for FY 2020-2021. A second application round for COVID-19 ERAP was approved during the March 2021 City Council meeting.
It is important to note that over this year, the City Council has approved an inclusionary housing requirement in the Mixed-Use Ordinance and will soon consider a Linkage Fee Ordinance for all new commercial development. These ordinances mandate new affordable housing production with each new mixed-use development and the provision of fees to support affordable housing production, respectively. The City is also examining two potential motel sites that surfaced in a recently completed motel reuse study for redevelopment as an emergency shelter, evaluating the repurposing of two City-owned surface parking lots for new modular transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and homeless shelter development, and seeking collaborative County, State or Federal funding for capital and operating expenses.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
For Fiscal Year (FY) 20-21 and FY 21-22, Culver City Housing Division has budgeted a total of $6,965,142 to implement programs that reflect the goals and actions recommended in the Homeless Plan. Of the total amount budgeted, $791,048 was awarded through various grant funding opportunities to assist with the following programs/projects:
• Motel Reuse Feasibility Study - $49,868 (Measure H)
• Inclusionary Housing Ordinance Study - $50,000 (Measure H)
• Homeless Outreach Expansion Program - $ 41,000 (Measure H)
• Homeless ADU Program - $211,300 (Measure H)
• Housing Locator - $130,000 (Measure H/Innovation Grant)
• First Responder Training - $50,000 (Cedar Sinai)
• Homeless Incentive Program - $22,880 (Los Angeles Community Development Authority)
• Internal Motel Voucher Program - $106,000 (Innovation Grant)
• COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program - $130,000 (Community Development Block Grant)
• Total - $791,048
Under the Housing Programs Matrix, a total of $ 9,889,094 in homeless services is budgeted from FY 20-21 through FY 24-25. These funds will serve unhoused persons/families and create 131 affordable housing units.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Attachment No. 1 - Homeless Plan Status Summary
2. Attachment No. 2 - Housing Programs Matrix
3. Attachment No. 3 - Culver City Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness
MOTION(S):
That the City Council and Committee on Homelessness:
1. Review the goals in the updated Plan to Prevent and Combat Homelessness;
2. Review the Committee on Homelessness Program Priorities; and
3. Direct the City Manager as deemed appropriate.
NOTES:
1. On February 9, 2016, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a comprehensive plan to combat homelessness which included 47 strategies divided into 6 focus areas: 1) Prevent Homelessness, 2) Subsidize Housing, 3) Increase Income, 4) Provide Case Management and Services, 5) Create a Coordinated System, 6) Increase Affordable Homeless/Housing. In support of the Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative, the City Council adopted Resolution NO. 2016-R113 on November 28, 2017. In accordance with this Resolution, Culver City partnered with Los Angeles County to combat homelessness. At its regular meeting on February 13, 2017, the City Council also took a position in support of Measure H, the Los Angeles County quarter cent sales tax increase to fund homeless services and prevention. On July 28, 2017 the Home for Good Funders Collaborative released a Request for Proposals (RFP) in partnership with the Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative making available up to $70,000 in one-time funding to support local communities in developing and/or updating local homeless plans that will serve as a local community’s road map in preventing and combating homelessness locally and regionally. The Authority Board, at its regular meeting on September 11, 2017, approved the submission of a grant application in the amount of $50,000 for the County of Los Angeles Homeless Planning Grant. On October 23, 2017, after an extensive review process conducted in collaboration between the Home for Good Funders Collaborative and Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative, the Authority was selected for a homeless planning grant award of $50,000. The Authority Board approved entering into a contract with the County of Los Angeles on March 13, 2018.
2. LDC worked with Housing staff and the Committee on Homeless (COH) Initiative Subcommittee to complete the homeless plan update in (4) phases: 1) Initial Research, Kick-off and Planning, 2) Stakeholder Outreach, Input and Summarization of Key Theses, 3) Draft Updated Strategies, Review Process and Submission of Final Plan, 4) Presentation to Key Stakeholders.