HomeMy WebLinkAboutCM Homelessness & Quality of Life Report11A►f /
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Agenda Item No: 4.a
Meeting Date: October 15, 2012
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Department: CITY MANAGER
Prepared by: Nancy Mackie, City Manager 4,
SUBJECT: REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION REGARDING HOMELESSNESS
AND QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES IN SAN RAFAEL
RECOMMENDATION: Accept staff recommendation.
BACKGROUND: In early 2012 Mayor Phillips established a two member City Council
Subcommittee on Homelessness. Vice Mayor Levine chaired this Subcommittee and
was joined by the Mayor. The Subcommittee was created in response to increasing
community concerns regarding loitering and inappropriate behavior Downtown and its
environs, fire issues due to encampments in the open space, issues with the pick
up/drop off for the winter emergency shelters, and other complaints regarding public
safety and/or perceptions of public safety in our community.
The Subcommittee took on the charge to reduce the number of homeless in San
Rafael. At the same time they wanted to create a welcoming and safe environment for
all and provide for our most vulnerable, by coordinating with social service providers.
The Subcommittee spent a few months getting "up to speed" on the issues and the
organizations involved. They participated in the County's efforts (to date) to create a 10
Year Plan to End Homelessness, met with various County and City staff on the issue,
discussed the issue with the business community and Federation/Coalition of
neighborhoods, and met with several social service providers, including on-site visits.
Mayor Phillips traveled to Portland, at his own cost, to see successful programs in place
in that City. Vice Mayor Levine joined the County's Homeless Advisory Committee to
provide a San Rafael voice in the County wide effort.
In the summer, the Subcommittee took efforts to expand their outreach by creating a
community Stakeholders Group on this issue. The purpose and composition of the
Stakeholders Group, which was supported by a Resource Group, is shown on
Attachment A. The Stakeholders Group met in July, August and early October 2012.
Their meetings were noticed and public comment was taken at each. It was intended
FOR CITY CLERK ONLY
File No.:
Council Meeting:
Dispositions
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Paee: 3
to assist in their provision of services to the homeless community as well as any
of their work to prevent homelessness.
5. The City has been actively involved in the County's efforts to complete a 10 Year
Plan to End Homelessness and will continue to do so, attending meetings and
voicing local concerns.
6. Downtown foot beat officers make regular connections with service providers to
coordinate public safety in and around Ritter Center and St. Vincent's, and the
Downtown area.
7. In past years, San Rafael has helped to coordinate "Homeless Connect" to
provide focused services from all sources to homeless persons.
Stemming from the Stakeholder Group list of recommendations, there are immediate
actions that can be taken to deal with the issues before our community. This is a
starting point, not a limitation on actions to pursue or research. Ultimately, all the
remaining recommendations listed in Attachment B, as well as any new ideas, will be
considered and either implemented soon (within a year or so), discussed and pursued
in the long term (longer than one year), or determined to be infeasible or undesirable.
The immediate list of actions recommended by staff and the Homelessness
Subcommittee include the following:
1. Create a Position to Provide Mental Health Services. It is clear to the
Subcommittee that mental health services (formerly provided by a Police Officer)
have served the City well in the past. Staff will investigate the most appropriate
staffing model (sworn vs non -sworn, full time vs part time, City staff vs other
employers, etc.) to provide those services to homeless persons, and return with
a detailed recommendation for Council consideration.
2. Contract for a Downtown Streets Team. Attachment C is a description of the
"Downtown Streets Team" and their proposal for San Rafael. The concept is for
the City of San Rafael to contract with Downtown Streets Team, which has
similar successful programs in Palo Alto and San Jose, as well as other
communities. The program creates volunteer opportunities for homeless
persons, in exchange for vouchers for food and/or housing. The contract could
also include some form of peer to peer counseling or outreach, but primarily the
service is to provide cleaning services for the streets and parking areas of
Downtown, to support City efforts in those areas. It is important to recognize
and give thanks to a community-based effort that has sprung up over the last
three months, known informally as the "Thursday Morning Group", who has
spent much energy and time looking at this concept. The Thursday Morning
Group includes residents, business owners and service providers and they
wholeheartedly endorse this concept. It is recommended that staff pursue
outside funding for a contract to be able to create a Streets Team here in San
Rafael. The annual costs for such a program is approximately $270,000. With
outside funding secured, staff would return to City Council with a contract,
specifying the work to be completed and any fiscal considerations. Staff would
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Page: 5
As part of Phase 11, Police Lt. Ralph Pata has started to meet with service
providers to collaborate and to explain this operation. An inventory of what the
service providers can do to help this program will be created.
The final phase of this program will be to incorporate the best and most
successful features of Phase I and Phase 11 while continuing the location checks
each morning when possible, and adding the `B' Street area to Police's regular
traffic enforcement area. This will include "Hot Spot" policing or a more directed
and specific enforcement plan, in conjunction with some of our service providers
to create a better environment and outcome for our community and for users of
our services.
Much of this operation will be staffed by existing Police Foot Patrol and Street
Crimes Unit staff. However, to be effective, some overtime is required, and
therefore staff recommends an additional $10,000 from the General Fund for
Police Department overtime costs. This cost covers the planned one month
deployment period.
5. Collaboration with Countywide efforts. Staff will continue to participate in the
County's process to create a 10 year Plan to End Homelessness, recognizing
the importance of this document as it relates to agencies that provide direct
services to the homeless community, and will assist in reducing the number of
homeless persons. Staff will continue to voice the San Rafael community's
concerns regarding impacts to our Downtown, parks and open space, as we
discuss the provision of services.
In addition, staff will be supportive of the faith -based efforts to provide
emergency winter shelters (the "REST" program), but will continue to insist on
better control/management of any shuttle pick up locations, and work to ensure
future shuttle location(s) are outside of the Downtown.
6. Collaboration with Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Business
Improvement District (BID). The Chamber and BID both had representatives
on the Stakeholders Group and want to remain involved in this issue. They
represent businesses who want to see improvements and that might also be
willing to get more involved in working on solutions. The BID will be establishing
a hospitality task force to represent Downtown businesses on a number of issues
impacting the perception of comfort and safety in the area, including the impact
of homelessness, and has agreed to work as an active partner with the City in
mitigating negative impacts and supporting long-term solutions in our community.
The Chamber has created and distributed a one page resource list for
businesses and is committed to keeping it up to date and redistributing it to
businesses to assist the homeless with connecting to services.
7. Staffing. It has become apparent through this Subcommittee work that the City
needs a "point person" on the issues related to homelessness and the actions
SAN RAFAEL CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT / Pa2e: 7
2. Future Collaborative Research with Service Providers. The Stakeholders Group
recommended a range of ideas to consider that will take more time to research and to
evaluate the pros and cons in coordination with the local service providers. These range
from locating a "day center" so homeless have a place to spend time, even possibly
extending hours at St Vincent de Paul, to limiting St Vincent's and Ritter Center's
services, to relocating their services. Other service improvements that were suggested
included providing lockers, public bathrooms, year-round shelters, a wet shelter, and
more beds at Helen Vine detox. Further, the Stakeholders Group desired that we work
to build consensus and relationships regarding the issues of homelessness. There
were also recommendations to coordinate data with systems such as HMIS, websites,
etc. and other coordination efforts (listed in Attachment B.)
FISCAL IMPACT: The Police Department's Quality of Life initiative is underway and
will cost $10,000 for the one month operation. These costs will be borne by the
department from its operating budget.
Should City Council accept all of the other staff recommendations, the annual total
General Fund impact would be $90,000 to fund Open Space Fire Prevention ($60,000)
and to provide staffing support in order to assign a Homelessness Point Person (est.
$30,000.)
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Accept staff recommendations to direct staff as follows:
1. Develop a position, with the most appropriate staffing model, to provide mental
health services in the Downtown and return for Council consideration.
2. Pursue grants for Streets Team and return to Council with a contract once
funding is secured.
3. Allocate an additional $60,000 for open space Fire Prevention and contracted
disposal costs.
4. Assign the Economic Development Manager as the "point person" on
homelessness issues. Develop a part time position to provide additional support
as described in Recommended Action # 7 above, and return for Council authority
for the approval and funding (approximately $30,000) for a position.
5. Continue to stay engaged in the issues and pursue additional initiatives
recommended by the Stakeholders Group, through collaboration with the
County, service providers, the business community and our residents.
6. Utilize the City's Citizen Advisory Committee on Economic Development and
Affordable Housing as a forum for quarterly reviews of progress on these
initiatives.
ATTACHMENTS:
A: Homelessness Stakeholder Group Description
B: Summary of Stakeholder Group Recommended Actions
C: Description of Downtown Streets Team
City of San Rafael
City Council Homelessness Subcommittee
Stakeholders Group
July 16, 2012
Overview. The Stakeholders Group will meet approximately three times over the next few
months, (dates to be determined) to provide input to the Council Subcommittee to assist in its
charge which is to:
Research "best practices" or successful models in place in other communities.
Find ways for the City to support the efforts of the service providers and help them be
more successful.
• More actively participate and make the City's "voice" strong in the County Homeless
Advisory Committee's quarterly meetings and/or other County activities on
homelessness.
Composition. The 10 member Stakeholders Group includes Council Subcommittee members
and the following community members:
1. Mayor Gary Phillips
2. Councilmember Marc Levine
3. Kate Colin — San Rafael resident and Planning Commissioner
4. Richard Goldstein — Downtown Business Owner
5. Reverend Carol Hovis —San Rafael resident and Marin Interfaith Council
6. Hugo Landecker - San Rafael resident
7. Andre Shashaty - San Rafael resident
8. Barrett Schaefer- Chamber of Commerce representative
9. Greg Gener- Downtown Business Improvement District representative
10. Kaila McDonald- Ambassadors of Hope & Opportunity
The following organizations will be invited to attend or have their representatives attend the
Stakeholders Group to provide information and be a resource to the Group:
• Steve Boyer, St. Vincent de Paul
• Diane Linn, Ritter Center
• Mary Kay Sweeney, Homeward Bound of Marin
• Revered Paul Gaffney, Street Chaplian, Marin Interfaith Council
• Lisa Sepahi, County Homeless Coordinator & other County staff as needed
• Kathleen Harris, Marin Community Foundation
Meetings will be facilitated by consultant Carol Patterson, under contract with the City.
There will be a time at all meetings for Public Comment for anyone in attendance that is not part
of the Stakeholders Group.
City staff will include:
• City Manager Nancy Mackle
• Economic Development Manager Stephanie Lovette
• Chief of Police Diana Bishop
Attachment A. Page 1
extremely low income households, prioritize some set-aside funds and in lieu fees for the
development of housing affordable to extremely low-income households, to encourage the
development of programs to assist age -in-place seniors, to increase the amount of senior
housing, to increase the production of second units, and to facilitate the construction of
multifamily and supportive housing.
H -9h. Funding for Very Low Income Housing. Work with Marin County, the Chamber
of Commerce and Marin Community Foundation to identify approximately $1,000,000 for
funding for housing for very low income households.
H -14c. Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Units. Actively promote existing incentives for
SRO apartments, such as no density regulations and lower parking standards, in
multifamily and mixed use districts in recognition of their small size and low impacts.
Where needed, encourage linkages to social services. Continue to utilize Redevelopment
Housing Funds as available to protect the existing SRO unit supply.
H -14d. Co -Housing, Cooperatives, and Similar Collaborative Housing Development.
Provide zoning flexibility through Planned Development District zoning to allow housing
development that is based on co -housing and similar approaches that feature housing units
clustered around a common area and shared kitchen, dining, laundry and day care facilities.
Stakeholders Group Goal and General Purpose of Each Meeting
Goal: Reduce the Number of Homeless in our community
Meeting #1. Introductions and Discussion
Meeting #2. Identification of Strategies to Reach Goal
Meeting #3. Implementation Plan
Attachment A, Page 3
City of San Rafael
Summary of Recommendations
from the Homelessness Stakeholder Group to the
City Council Subcommittee on Homelessness
October 2012
1. Conduct Street Level Outreach. Establish a Streets Team*/Outreach
Group/Clean Streets Program to create volunteer opportunities for homeless,
peer to peer counseling/outreach, and provide cleaning services for the
Downtown. Address the "friction" points in the community.
2. Increase Enforcement. Increase Police presence* and/or Police "tools" such as
loitering ordinance/panhandling ordinance, fund an Open Space Ranger*,
coordinate with other agencies to assist Police -- animal control services,
coordination with Sheriff (re: prisoner release)
3. Increase Services. Locate a "day center" so homeless have a place to spend
time. Possibly extend hours at St Vincents. Provide lockers and public
bathrooms. Provide emergency shelters year—round, wet shelter, more beds at
Helen Vine detox.
4. Better Management/Coordination of Services. Create an ongoing committee*
to review progress. Build consensus and relationships regarding the issues of
homelessness. Coordinate data with systems such as HMIS, websites, etc.
Increase case management and coordinate with police efforts. Possibly relocate
services out of the Downtown with a larger campus for Ritter and/or St. Vincents.
Shift/share services with the rest of the County. Improve coordination among
service providers and with the County. Secure additional grants. Look for new
models for mental health services*. Limit services at Ritter/St. Vincents and limit
services to "commuters".
5. Education, Outreach, Prevention. Conduct more outreach/youth outreach.
Create a campaign to humanize homeless persons. Change public perception
regarding who is served at SVDP (homeless vs housed.) Get businesses
involved in solutions.
6. Create Permanent Affordable Housing. Create Countywide affordable housing,
support "Housing First", "compassion tax" for housing, information regarding
housing resources. Recognize the need for a range of types of housing needed.
Educate and encourage supporters to provide a "voice" by attending Planning
Commission meetings to support affordable housing applications.
7. Economic Development. Identify work for homeless persons. Create jobs
through economic development efforts, in particular, through business attraction.
*Identified by the Council Subcommittee on Homelessness as immediate action
steps for City Council consideration on October 15, 2012
Attachment B
DOWN
STREE
Board of Directors
Norui Robinson. Chairman
Dean of Student Affairs Emeritus,
Stanford University
SaliN Cadi-an. Treasurer
Former Nonprofit Executive Director
Matthci% halite
Associate Director of Development,
Alumni Relations, Stanford University
13ennis Burns,
Chief of Police, City of Palo Alto
0%1 vit BN -d
Director of Sales and Marketing.
Lex Machina
'knilette "allcoct,
Nonprofit Board Member
Carol flubenihal
Former Art Director. Palo Alto Weekly
Jeanne Murphy
Former Nonprofit Executive Director
C"ifeen RR-hardsun
President Executive Director.
Downtown Streets Team
I-Ather Shill
Owner, Far East Living
.................................
Downtown Streets Team is a Palo Alto, California
based nonprofit that works to restore the dignity of
homeless men and women through the power of
meaningful work. Our creative approach has garnered
numerous awards, including Harvard University
Kennedy School's Ash Institute "Top 50 Innovations in
American Government," an award from the City of
Palo Alto as an Outstanding Nonprofit, and the District
Three Honoree at the Mayor's State of the City address
in San Jose.
MISSION
Downtown Streets Team strives to end homelessness
by restoring the dignity and rebuilding the lives of
unhoused men and women. Serving the community
through work teams prepares members for permanent
employment and housing.
Downtown Streets Team envisions a world where
every man and woman has the opportunity to live a
purposeful, dignified., and self-sufficient life.
We NNant dignity for every human being.
Wepromote teamvNork.
We demonstrate intelyrit).
We believe in constant evaluation and improx ement.
We advocate for those without voices.
ATTACHMENT C, PAGE 1
Organizational Background -
The mission of Downtown Streets Team (DST) is to eradicate homelessness by
inviting homeless men and women to be part of the solution to homelessness,
rather than just the problem. DST (DST) members participate in a volunteer Work
Experience program that provides great value to partnered non -profits, local
governments, and even companies in the private sector. In exchange, team members
earn food/basic needs vouchers, housing assistance, housing/shelter placement,
case management, transportation assistance, job Search Skills classes, employment
placement, and more; all while rebuilding their dignity, re-engaging with the regular
community and becoming part of a team that encourages and supports them as they
work toward rebuilding their lives.
In 2009, DST's proactive model for eradicating homelessness was recognized as
one of the Top 50 Innovations in Government by the Ash Center for Democratic
Governance and Innovation at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard
University. The model - which has been scaled to successfully execute a wide range
of beautification projects - was originally developed by residents and business
owners in Palo Alto, CA who identified two major problems in the downtown area:
litter and panhandling. These concerned members of the community developed the
idea to employ the homeless men and women in Palo Alto to clean the Downtown
area. It was from this associative thinking that the DST was born, and the continued
out-of-the-box thinking that has been the catalyst for the organization's explosive
growth over the past six years. The organization has launched additional teams in
San Jose, Sunnyvale, Gilroy and even Daytona Beach FL.
Implementation in San -Rafael -
DST envisions launching a preliminary team in San Rafael, consisting of 12 team
members and two staff members. Team members will spend over 220 hours
each week cleaning the downtown area and performing other blight removal and
beautification projects. Staff will work with each individual to remove barriers to
housing, employment, and self -sustainability and will conduct weekly Success Team
Meetings and job Search Skills meetings.
To successfully launch/manage a team and to foster growth of impact, DST (DST)
projects that two full-time employees in San Rafael will be needed. The first is a
Project Manager whose primary functions are to run the team and acquire new
contracts to grow the team size/scope and to ensure the sustainability of the team,
as well as acting as the everyday link to headquarters. A Case Manager will also be
employed to assist clients in their transition to self -sustainability, run the job Search
Skills classes, and recruit employers willing to hire team members (Employment
Development) and case conference with partner agencies.
ATTACHMENT C, PAGE 2
|
. Project Bwdget-SamRafae Street Team
Project Duration: One Calendar Year
Project Manager
{
Payroll Taxes and Benefits|
$18,0001
Icase Manager
$50,0001
IPayroll Taxes and Benefits
$15,0001
lFood/Housing Vouchers (12 team members)
$72,8001
loffice Supplies and Communications
$10I00
|Marketn@yPK
$S ,5001
IUobi|ity|nmu»once
$1,2501
IToo|sand Supplies
$4,Z0%
�r ining(48hoursper yea �
| $�880'
JAdmin& MnAmtSupport at1O
| $24,1551
ITrave(Expenoeu
$5,5001
Total:
2711-2n-ql
A6ditbwma!Necceoities:
Office | local going ratei
'
IRent- Weekly Meeting Space (4 hours aweek) local going ratel
�, |
..rainin0Accomodations(4n�ht$�eo� / local going rateJ
*We have had success ingetting these line items donated orsponsored
by a partner agency in other communities I
Optional Program features:
IlEmployment Development Specialist $50,0001Payroll Taxes and Benefits $15,0001
Truck (includes gau insurance and maintenance) $25,0001
IBusPasses for clients | local going rate
ATTACHMENT C" PAGE 4
Page 1 of 6
Esther Beirne
From: Nancy Mackle
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 10:24 AM
To: Esther Beirne
Subject: FW: Comment Upon Staff Report re Homeless Stakeholder effort
Attachments: Homeless report.pdf-, ATT32187.htm
From: Jonathan Frieman [
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 12:41 AM
To: Nancy Mackle; Gary Phillips; AndrewM AtHome; BarbaraH AtHome; Damon Connolly
Cc: GregB AtHome; Carol Hovis; Richard Goldstein; Diane Linn; Hugo Landecker; Diana Bishop; Steve
Boyer; Paul Gaffney; San Rafael Business Improvement District; Suzanne Walker;
Holm; Susan Daniloff; Gary Patterson Allen Piombo; Kate Colin; Bonita Marmor; Alan Piombo
Subject: Comment Upon Staff Report re Homeless Stakeholder effort
All,
Forthwith are comments upon the attached report by Nancy Mackle to the city council of San
Rafael on the efforts of the stakeholder group on homelessness chaired by Gary Phillips. I was
urged to write this response by Damon Connolly in advance of the city council meeting this
evening.
The Are of Homelessness:
To start, it is helpful to understand what we call homelessness by presenting an arc of time over
which we might be able to more easily see and understand what happens when someone loses
their home. If one starts that arc of time with a precariously housed individual, then follows that
person into homelessness, and sees them moved back into housing, one can then apply all the
services with which we are familiar to that arc, services which are already in place, and thereby
perhaps gain a context for the understanding of this most complex subject.
While housed, the person may be receiving rent assistance and food from SVDP (St. Vincent
DePaul); counseling from local agencies or the county on mental health issues; and other forms
of assistance. The person may be experiencing or undergoing certain stressors such as substance
abuse, domestic violence, financial stress due to loss of a job, medical issues which go
uninsured, post-traumatic stress due to some event, or they suffer an injury, perhaps to the brain.
There are many- overlapping reasons why someone just might be at risk of losing their home.
While housed, perhaps their issues go unresolved because there may be one medical bill they
choose to pay rather than rent: or they leave because of domestic violence; or the company they
are working for lays them off. All of these. or a combo. can cause anyone to have to leave their
home and go without housing.
Then. while without housing, this person could have access to all the services we see from Ritter,
SVDP, the count,,. and Ilomeward Bound, such as food, clothing. shelter. counseling, and help
findinp- a new home. 4
Perhaps with these services they are helped into a new home. They might then still receive the
same serf ices as before: food. rent assistance. and so on.
10/ 1 5120 12
- Page 2 of 6
The Experience of Homelessness:
Of course that recitation of possibilities may be too brief or shallow, but it's an overview of poverty, as
Paul Boden of the Coalition on Homelessness in SF told me ten years ago. Poverty presents an
unbearable stress upon the body and mind. Panic strikes the individual at a deep survival level. And
when someone is about to lose their home, that panic only increases. These are only words, but perhaps
you can relate to that panic by remembering what it felt like when your first love ended --there was a big
hole in your insides, lots of fear about the future, and a sense of being unlovable.
While one is in the arena of homelessness, it is very difficult to settle down into a feeling of security and
stability. Emotional support is more than necessary. The basic physical needs such as sleep and a soft
place to land seems so far away and so difficult to obtain, and the hoops and red tape one must jump
through to obtain such make the person without housing feel like they don't deserve such. So to offer, as
did Greg Gener, who is a board member of SVDP and a past member of the stakeholder committee, to
open up SVDP all night as a shelter, and then yet demand that people taking advantage of such a service
not be able to sleep while there overnight, is more than a gross misunderstanding of the frightening
circumstance that can be the homeless experience. It is a suggestion that is typical of those who have no
idea of what it's like to be homeless. One might call such an attitude "sheltered."
Imagine walking around everyday in the state of panic described above, with no relief. It gets dang-old.
One might be able to understand, then, that certain behaviors which "we" find "abnormal" could very
well be "normal" for someone who finds themselves thrust into a situation where they feel they have no
support, no understanding, and is in a situation that is completely foreign to their experience. Acting out
is not a bad idea.
On to the report:
On page one, while it is noted that Marc Levine joined the County's Homeless Advisory Committee,
county officials note he hardly ever attends. Moreover, it was reported from several members of the
stakeholder committee that Levine ignored their phone calls and emails. That led them to wonder why
he would be extolled as evidencing exemplary leadership if he was so absent from communications. One
of them even wrote a letter to the city questioning his behavior.
On page two, it is noted that "community partnerships would be the approach to be taken as
implementation moved ahead." This is very true, but, as will be noted, the report misses a couple of
places where such is already occurring, and thus recommends action which would only duplicate
existing effort.
And in the middle paragraph of page 2, the following pejorative language appears, and I paraphrase:
measures are needed to mitigate the "negative" impacts on the remainder of the community of San
Rafael by "those persons in need." While on its face this could be seen as being true. to separate "those
persons in need" from the "remainder of the community in San Rafael is exactly the kind of thinking we
do need to avoid.
The "homeless" reside here. They are residents. They live here. half of Ritter's clients were born and
raised in Marin --they are your brothers and sisters: your farnily. To separate them from "society"
through the use of the term "homeless" is to equate the word "homeless" with the word "queer." 1e\A." or
"black." This attitude must be grappled with constantly at a deep level if the issue is to be understood
and addressed adequately. That is one reason why the Thursday morning group has had as participants
real live homeless persons, as opposed to the stakeholder group. -,xhich did not.
Also included \\ere the sentiments of Diane Linn of Ritter Center. -,N-ho espouses constantly and
101/15,120 122
Page 3 of 6
tirelessly, and rightly, that housing is the way to end homelessness. Yes, it is a longer-term solution, but
it must be acted upon now.
The use of the word "Others":
What we might call the street community has a segment of "others." Back in March, when Ritter's
medical module was under review by the city council, I asked a member of the street community whom
I know quite well why he thought people were so up in arms. His response is that there was a small
group of people who make it difficult for all the rest, and so they bring upon the larger numbers a bad
reputation. They have dogs, they perpetrate vandalism, they leave all kinds of messes behind (so to
speak), and "are difficult to manage." fie can always tell when they've been around. Diane Linn, ED of
Ritter, refers to them as road warriors. The latest anecdotal report from the police department, via the
eloquent and caring viewpoint of Captain Al Piombo at the last Thursday Morning Group meeting, was
that that group is the one, when interviewed, which knows very well that the services of San Rafael are
the reason why they are here.
It is this "other" group upon which the Thursday morning group concentrated its discussion last week.
Its numbers are difficult to determine. But it is this group that is the one upon whom most people are
focused, the group they fear.
Discussion:
Discussion commenced with the statement that municipal government has a limited role in helping the
problems associated with homelessness. After a brief and excellent description of what the city has
done, 8 (eight) items the city council could consider are presented.
1) The report seems to urge the re-creation of the position that Joel Fay held. It is entirely correct that
the position served the city well in the past. Gary Phillips told me he really wants a Joel Fay -type back
on staff. It could help.
Perhaps, though, the time for such a position has passed: St. Vincent has a community outreach effort
underway which seems to perform some of the same functions, and Ritter Center has two people
involved in a similar effort.
Urged, instead, are a collaborative effort betwixt the city and the two agencies so named and supported
financially by the city, as noted below.
2) The possibility of contracting with the Downtown Streets Team (DST) from Palo Alto is a very good
idea. This group would indeed accomplish what was described, but more importantly it would
accomplish several things:
a) it would give clients of Ritter and SVDP a chance to work in exchange for food vouchers:
b) over time it would evolve into jobs for said clients,
c) it works by attraction. that is, when the DST worker, wearing a DST T-shirt, asks to sweep under the
feet of a denizen of 4th and \, the idea is that said denizen would ask what the T-shirt was all about and
join the program:
d) ox er time, the program would attract said denizens into the program and they w ould do more cleaning
of the streets. thus almost competing for work with Public Works:
e) the workers become seen as a solution rather than as a problem, and the workers become filled with a
sense of pride:
0 downtown businesses see the chance in the streets and in the behaviors of the denizens of 4th and A
(then are gone from the scene) and reel better:
g) more people come downtown to shop. due to the ensuing change. rather than going to, say, um, er,
10,E 15,122 0 12)
Page 4 of 6
Target;
The Thursday Morning Group (TMG):
Ms. Mackle did indeed mention the Thursday Morning Group, replete with thanks and support. But here
we should take a quick detour as to why the Thursday Morning Group started meeting and what it has
become.
In April., when the medical module was approved by the city council, Ritter Center board members and
staff felt they should not rest on their laurels and thus should do more for the city because they had long
recognized that the visible street community members at 4th and A were Ritter clients and that their
presence there would need to be addressed. The proposed method of addressing the issue was to form
some sort of team of people who were not housed who would approach the 4th and A people and ask
them to move to an area that had been prepared for them. Hopefully that area would be at Ritter.
In late June, Paul Gaffney let Ritter folks know that he and some street community folks had indeed
been talking about just such an effort. Hugo Landecker had been working on a similar proposal which he
called the Street Outreach Group (SOG). Richard Goldstein, owner of the Copy Shop at 3rd and C, had
proposed a similar idea in the winter to the city. So it was a confluence of events which led the group to
form.
And it was formed with the idea that such efforts were best accomplished when all facets of the
community are represented, and so the effort was successfully made to include as many facets of the
community as possible. Attendees include:
-- the city (at the start in the person of new police chief Diana Bishop --boy, what a wonderful find SHE
is);
the service agencies (Ritter ED Diane Linn and SVDP ED Steve Boyer);
business owners Richard Goldstein and Greg Brockbank;
Ford., a seeing eye dog, who brings community member Eric Holm.
street chaplain Paul Gaffney;
Rudy Lowry and Gary Patterson (current members of the street community); and
Hugo Landecker from Gerstle Park.
Also attending these days are Carol Thompson from the BID. Carol Hovis of the Interfaith Council
attends, giving TMG three members of the stakeholder committee. With Steve Boyer's retirement SVDP
sends a rep. This week marks the attendance of Pops McFadden, who ended 9 years of homelessness
earlier this summer.
So we started meeting Thursday mornings at 10 am at the Copy Shop with the express goal of starting
up a Street Outreach Group as described above. About two meetings along, we learned of the Downtown
Streets Team whose goal was just about the same as ours, and, upon meeting with them, we felt that.
rather than go all out and re -invent the proverbial mechanical unicycle, we should support them coming
into town as soon as possible. We hoped September or October would be doable for the commencement
of this effort.
Since that first meeting, held two days after the first homeless stakeholder meeting. xNe hate evolved
into a clearinghouse of information due to the broad representation of attendees. Each week we hear
from all facets of the community --the people on the street, business o"-ners. the BID. the police folks.
the seri ice agencies. and the local communitti. We hear about the latest issues. xN hether the subject is
dogs. messy streets. \�hich business is most currently disgusted �Nith the situation. or hoN-,,- SVDP is no"N
handling their population.
1011 5/20 12
t, Page 5 of 6
All that information lends a broad and deep context to our effort to address the situation in downtown
San Rafael. So when an Advisory Committee is recommended for the contract with DST, I'd humbly
recommend the TMG.
3. Fire Prevention Funding:
Recommended was $30K for DPW contract disposal costs. This work could instead be borne by the
DST once it gets started, and it is suggested here that the city rather ought to give that sum to the DST in
order to jump-start that effort.
4. Quality of Life Initiative:
This much-needed effort needs more collaboration with the service agencies as most certainly the people
approached by the PD are clients of SVDP and Ritter as well as..."others." Moreover, we need to ask
what will happen once the $ l OK is spent and the one month deployment period ends. And Al Piombo
was most resourceful in suggesting that the PD work more closely with the service agencies and the
county, using such recourses as the TIMIS, and the case managers from SVDP and Ritter, to identify the
persons approached.
The road warriors might be a population of 25 to 50. The homeless count is perhaps 400. That's a lot.
But let's keep in mind what we want to do, which is return San Rafael to a vibrant place to be, and many
solutions over time need implementation.
As to QL, in the last TMG meeting Captain Al was most eloquent and compassionate with his viewpoint
that some of the individuals approached were indeed members of the road warrior group. Much
discussion on that topic ensued, along with a question of what would be the next step should MCF not
come forward with the funding needed for the DST. Our conclusion was that the TMG would be faced
with the task of addressing the road warrior issue because it seems to be the most worrisome and
immediate problem.
5. Countywide efforts:
While it was mentioned that staff wil continue to participate in county efforts so as to voice the San
Rafael community's concerns, I hope this response to the Stakeholder report induces regular attendance
by someone from the county at the Thursday Morning Group.
6. Collaboration with Chamber and BID:
The BID is already in attendance at the Thursday Morning Group. Noted in that section was the
existence of a one-page resource list for businesses --it was published by the Copy Shop, if I am not
mistaken.
7. Staffing:
It is hoped that Stephanie Lovette might attend the Thursday Morning Group, given her promotion.
Further. $30K was urged for a part-time position to support the volunteer program. I would think that,
rather than duplicate efforts. and in an attempt to get going on the immediate issues tiNhich have been
identified. that the city consider giving those funds either to establish the DST or to address the
immediate issue of the road warrior crew by augmenting the effort of SVDP.
8. Committee Review of Progress:
Again. the Thursda} Morning Group. as it is composed of individuals who are much more abreast on the
issue than any hastil} gathered group, should be the the forum for reporting out and for public input
regarding the effectiveness of the initiatives. A quarterly CAC meeting is far too infrequent to address
the complex issues of the street cornmunitN which shift fairly quickly.
101'1512012
<; Page 6 of 6
Future Efforts
1. Sit -lie ordinance is bad; overnight street parking a la Santa Barbara ordinance is good; public
restroom idea is good, and that will need supervision.
2. Service Provider Thoughts:
One idea was to move Ritter and SVDP out of downtown onto the same campus. It should be noted that
such an idea is already in consideration, but that it would do naught to ease the conflagrations
downtown. The creation of a ghetto would need cooperation from the service agencies, and permitting
by the city might need adjustments.
Another idea was circulated, but not by the stakeholder group, to track the clothes that were used by
clients of Ritter and SVDP and discarded all about town. Such tracking would be accomplished by the
placement of a red dot of paint upon the article of clothing which goes to a "homeless" person. Such a
brutally effective means of tracking was already used by the Nazis when they placed yellow stars upon
the Jews' clothes.
Conclusion:
It is hoped that these comments will only help the situation, and they are submitted with that feeling.
Apologies in advance for mistakes and unintended insults.
Respectfully,
Jonathan Frieman
170 Oak Drive
San Rafael, CA 94901
415-721-7397
c: 415-845-1371
10/1512012
Report on Homelessness:
Analysis and Solutions
City of San Rafael
AIMMMZM���M
Table of Contents
PART A -- THE PRESENT SITUATION
Section 1: Overview ............................................................. page I
Introduction ................................................................... page I
The Homeless as Described by the County .........................page I
What We See in San Rafael .............................................page 3
Is San Rafael Really Needy Friendly? ......................................page 3
Section 2: Impacts in San Rafael ............................................page 4
Downtown Impacts ........................................................ page 4
Open Space Impacts ...................................................... page 5
FiscalImpacts ............................................................... page 5
;I -Al 3 a --Imam L41YA mr-ARM:94i'll ir� 11,
Section 1: Objectives ...........................................................
page 6
Section 2: Utilization of the Needy as a Resource ........................page 7
Street Program SOG Model .............................................
page 7
Street Program Palo Alto Model ........................................
page 11
Section 3: Outreach to High Schools .......................................
page 18
Section 4: Changes Needed in Well -Intentioned Current Practices..page18
HMIS Utilization ..............................................................
page 18
Identification of Commuter Needy ......................................
page 20
The Great Clothing Give Away ..........................................
page 20
The Great Food Give Away ..............................................
page 20
Realistic Recognition of Agency Capacity ............................
page 21
PanHandling ................................................................
page 21
REST Program ..............................................................
page 22
Section 5: Controversial Ideas .................................................page
23
The Wet Shelter Concept ..................................................page
23
24/7 Access to Toilets ......................................................page
23
Legalized Outdoor Sleeping in Cars or Tents ........................page 24
PART C -- POSSIBLE CHANGES IN THE LONG TERM
Section 1: Entry Level Housing ................................................page 26
Section 2: Housing for the Next Level .......................................page 26
Section 3: Location ............................................................... page 26
Section 4: The Grand Plan .....................................................page 27
Part D -- CONCLUSION
Section 1: A Final Thought ....................................................page 27
a A
THE PRESENT SITUATION
Section 1: OVERVIEW
Introduction
This report explores various solutions to problems connected to segments
of the homeless in San Rafael and is the culmination of months of
discussions among the members of San Rafael Group.
San Rafael Group as of September 2012 is an email group of 170
addressees, including residents and about 60 owners of businesses in San
Rafael, California. The group focuses on the problems of homelessness in
San Rafael. They also recognize the efforts of Ritter Center (RC) and St.
Vincent de Paul Free Dining Room (St. Vincent's or SV) for the many
successful transitions of homeless people becoming productive and self-
supporting members of society.
The Homeless as Described by the County
The quotations below describing the homeless situation are excerpted from
materials published by Marin County. These materials address the
situation in the county as a whole and are not specific to San Rafael. Some
may not seem to capture the crisis situation in San Rafael.
• Last week of January 2011, there was a homeless count of 1,220
living in various states of homelessness. Included were those living
in shelters, transitional housing, motels, staying with friends or family
and those living in streets, camps and cars.
• A major reason for being homeless is the high cost of housing and
lack of income to support housing costs.
• 35% of households do not make enough money to make ends
meet.
• Marin has a large invisible population of persons experiencing
homelessness. These are individuals and families with children who
more often than not, are out of the public view. They camp in the
expansive open space throughout the county, or may be in motels, in
cars, or temporarily living with family or friends.
• The chronically homeless are often the most visible homeless in
every community. A chronically homeless person is defined by the
Department of Housing and Urban Development as someone
experiencing homelessness continuously for a year or longer and
who is disabled. According to the Marin County January, 2011 point -
in -time count, 229 individuals were chronically homeless, 143 of
which were counted as unsheltered (sleeping outside and/or in
uninhabitable structures).
• 24% of the homeless are employed full-time.
• Studies on homelessness indicate that most people will generally
remain within the community is which they become homeless. The
presence of family and friends, a familiarity with the area and its
resources, and the fear of being homeless in a new or unfamiliar area
all create a natural reluctance to leave the community that has been
their home.
• Persons struggling with mental health or substance abuse
problems are often the most visible segment of the homeless
population. However, they represent only 15 to 20% of the homeless
population.
• Those fleeing domestic violence are more likely to become
homeless or have a problem finding housing due to their unique
circumstances.
• Young people experiencing homelessness often are unable to
attend or even enroll in school due to their lack of housing.
• Children who experience homelessness are twice as likely to go
hungry and four times as likely to have delayed development.
• Homelessness increases the chances of a family breakup.
Families experiencing homelessness are more likely to have children
placed into the foster care system.
• 30% of homeless are living in places not meant for habitation such
as camps, cars and streets.
• Over 4,000 Marin residents are precariously housed. This number
has increased 35% since 2009.
• Marin has the highest rental market of any other county in the U.S.
• The longer a person remains homeless the more difficult it is to
move out of homelessness.
In the City of San Rafael we have seen a huge increase in the number of
homeless people who are living outdoors in our downtown making visiting
our downtown an unpleasant and sometimes frightening experience. They
have invaded our neighborhoods, occupied our parks and open spaces and
have wreaked havoc on our business community. Visits to the parks and
walks in the open space no longer feel safe or enjoyable. We now have
homeless people commuting to San Rafael from other communities, such
those in the East Bay and San Francisco. We are now seeing aggressive
panhandling on a daily basis. This was unheard of a few years ago. The
change is dramatic.
The business community is on the front line of this problem. They see it
everyday from their windows and have noted a big increase in homeless
activity in the past three years. More and more residents are not visiting
downtown in response to the unsafe and unpleasant situations that they
see or experience. It seems to many that there is an overwhelming number
of homeless who are making a nuisance of themselves as they wait for the
next handout, aggressively panhandle and take part in numerous petty
thefts and illegal activities.
Merchants who provide off-street parking for the convenience of their
customers are faced with problems of people sleeping, urinating,
defecating, using drugs, and sleeping in these lots. The same problems
also occur frequently in recessed entry ways to stores.
St Vincent's Dining Room and Ritter Center provide most of the services for
the needy in San Rafael. Their efforts are supplemented by various
churches that provide refuge. There are also other organizations that serve
the needy to a lesser degree. Unfortunately most other communities in
Marin provide few if any services for the needy. This leaves San Rafael as
the hub of services for the needy. Currently, the concentration and manner
of delivery of these services seems have created negative impacts that
affect the entire community. In the past three years there has been a very
noticeable increase in these negative impacts.
Is San Rafael Really Needy Friendly?
Although San Rafael has many social service agencies, we do not have an
important link to recovery from homelessness. This missing link is entry
level housing, or even housing that might be used by anyone in any
condition. There is some housing available such as Section 8 housing
(occupants have to qualify) and Housing First operated by RC, which
currently has 11 units. The Mill Street facility in the Canal neighborhood
provides housing on an emergency basis. It has 55 beds in a dormitory -like
setting. Homeward Bound in nearby Novato has 80 beds and is focused
on transitional housing. The need far exceeds the availability to the point
that many are turned away each day. Those homeless who qualify can get
on a wait list for housing. The wait can be very lengthy as the demand is
very high.
Additional housing will not be provided this year and most likely not next
year. Housing is expensive to construct. Housing for a community that
needs a lot of help is expensive to maintain and operate.
All persons seeking help from the social service agencies should be
informed that San Rafael simply does not have much in the way of housing
availability. The reality is that in this area, living on the streets is the only
alternative for many. And living on the street is not a good solution either
for the homeless individuals or for the communities in which the street living
takes place.
Section 2: Impacts in San Rafael
As the general public curtails or eliminates visits to downtown San Rafael,
businesses suffer from lost revenue. This means less sales tax revenue to
support our City services such as Police, Fire, Public Works, and
Parks/Recreation. Many residents are essentially being held hostage by
the problematic segment of the homeless population and feel that they can
no longer have a pleasant and safe visit to our downtown, parks or open
space. You could say that a type of urban terrorism that has occurred.
Certain streets are shunned by residents. Visitors to San Rafael are being
directed away from our downtown. As these impacts have increased there
are areas where businesses have closed and buildings cannot be leased
due to homeless impacts. In some areas of downtown, property values
have decreased. It is a fact that property values are tied to potential rental
income. As rents decrease then property values decrease resulting in less
property tax revenue and fewer tax dollars to support San Rafael
infrastructure. We are no longer a healthy community.
[WONW-.,
Every year there are multiple fires in open space areas that originate from
homeless encampments. In many cases the open space areas have trails
that are easily accessible from the downtown area. Due to the nature of
the topography in San Rafael these open space areas slope up from the
downtown areas to areas of privately owned properties along the high
ridges. Usually fires tend to easily burn uphill rather than downhill. In San
Rafael we haven't yet lost any homes due to fires at homeless
encampments, but many other communities have.
It is necessary for San Rafael to have an open space ranger patrol our
open space areas for homeless encampments. The SR municipal code
does not allow camping over night. Typically, these encampments have
clothing, garbage, toilet debris and other possessions are strewn all over,
usually within throwing distance. On many occasions, camp fires have
been left burning unattended during the peak fire season. After an
encampment is abandoned the responsibility for cleanup rests with the San
Rafael Police and Public Works Departments. Often the clean up involves
multiple dump truck loads of trash from just a single campsite.
Enforcement of the muni code is semi -successful. The Open Space
Ranger cites the offender and posts the area to notify the person/s
responsible that they have 72 hours to vacate the area. Usually the
offender abandons the site and moves to another location. Often the
offender does not pay the fine and just continues to collect citations. The
72 -hour delay is a Police and Public Works policy. It resulted from a
lawsuit against the city for disposing of possessions belonging to people
who were not present when the cleanup occurred. Many other
communities have the same policy.
Many campsites are located along the Caltrans (Highway 101) and SMART
right-of-ways. The City needs to work with these agencies to eliminate
these campsites.
Fiscal Impacts
There are many fiscal impacts: some obvious and some less obvious.
• Paramedic costs = ambulance trips to Marin General (plus
County expenses for medical treatment)
• Costs associated with cleaning up campsites and other trash in
parks and open space and streets (Public Works)
• Police costs associated with enforcement, court appearances,
dispatcher costs, vehicle costs, open space ranger, booking fees.
• Decreased property values = less property tax money to support
our City and County budgets
• Decreased foot traffic in downtown = less business income = less
sales tax to support our City budget
• Business owners increased security costs= higher cost of goods
= less store revenues = less sales tax dollars generated
• Business owners spend more for janitorial services = higher cost
for goods = decreased store revenues =less tax dollars generated
• Parks have higher maintenance costs
• Neighborhoods have more security issues = property value
decrease
As can be seen from the list above, the City of San Rafael budget pays for
all of our expenses relating to homelessness. The Marin County budget of
$41.4 million for expenditures related to homeless contributes $0 to our
budget for these services. Cost associated with homeless impacts is a big
dollar item.
How do we change our community in the
Section 1: Objectives
Any program changes that are taken need to have the objective to make
our city a better place to live for everyone. As defined above there are
currently many problems resulting from the needy community. Those
providing for the homeless community have historically not been concerned
about their negative impacts. Any changes proposed in this report need to
have the sole objective to correct the negative impacts. The various social
service agencies (SSAs) do have the ability to provide a proper program for
those that want to help themselves. Those in the homeless community
who don't want to recover from being needy are creating problems for the
SSAs as well as for other needy persons and the city at large. Currently,
too often, this subgroup is simply being enabled to continue bad conduct.
This is not acceptable in our community.
Section 2: Utilization of the Needy as a
Resource
The City of San Rafael should make a plan for utilization of the needy
community to make our city a better place for all. This program could be
called the Job Training Corp. This idea can be implemented by a joint
effort of SV and RC and the City Volunteer Coordinator. Participants in
this program should be identified by their supporting social service agency
with an appropriate vest. Requirements for participating as volunteers
would be to show up for work on time and not be under the influence.
The idea of this program would be to make needy persons a useful part of
the community and to help them feel better about themselves. Regular
participants could gain a work reference that could be used for future
employment.
Model 1 - SOG Street Outreach Groups (Proposal by San
Rafael Group)
Composition of Groups:
Street Outreach Groups (SOGs) might be able to improve the
conditions that currently exist on the streets in downtown San
Rafael, the hillsides and parks and are spreading to some other
areas as well.
It is proposed that such groups could be established by a
combined effort between Ritter House (RH) and St. Vincent's
(SV). Each group would consist of at least three persons, one of
whom is a former street person who is about to graduate into the
community and live life as a productive person in the community.
This individual would be the group leader. At least two others who
will be needed to assist the leader would be people who are in the
process of recovery. A member of the Street Chaplaincy might be
part of this group. Homeward Bound clients might be a good
source for team leaders.
Purposes of Groups
The advantage of having these groups is that they can act as
peers to the needy community and approach those in need in a
non -threatening way. It is a fact that many of the needy
community know each other. So, having these groups comprised
as suggested gives them the advantage of easily being accepted
as a peer group.
The purpose of each team is twofold. First, they would reach out
to those members of the needy community who are acting out,
exhibiting inappropriate behavior or just "hanging out" and
creating a disturbance or an inappropriate situation. They would
stress the need for good behavior. Second, they would make
every effort to get those whom they encounter to seek sobriety
and involvement in appropriate programs as well as encouraging
them to volunteer time for the good of the community.
Training for Groups:
The SOGs will need training for their responsibilities when they
perform as a team. At a minimum they will require some training
with respect to drug and alcohol intervention and some training on
how to deal with those under the influence and those with mental
health issues as well as training in CPR and basic first aid. They
will need to be trained to recognize when more expert help from
Paramedics is needed. The Police Department could provide
them with some training in how to recognize situations in which
the police should be called in.
Functioning of Groups
The SOGs can be the eyes of the community, but the community
also can be the eyes of the SOGs. Under this system, when
members of the public see inappropriate incidents they will report
them to RC and SV for further action. However, the public will
need to understand that there are situations that require Police
and/or Paramedic assistance as a first line of help.
Communication between the SOGs and both RH and SV is
essential. The SOGs will need to report regularly on problems as
they see them and the results of interactions they have had. SV
and RC will need to communicate with the SOGs to direct them to
locations where a problem may be occurring.
It is anticipated that the SOGs will be able to handle many of the
problems that the needy are creating for the community rather
than using police as the primary resource. Of course, many
incidents still will require PID assistance but it is hoped that
perhaps the SOGs will be able to assist PID in some instances.
Areas of Operation
SOGs will concentrate in downtown, but they also will be
responsible for affected parks and open space areas. They can
be dispatched anywhere as needed, but always need to be
readily identifiable to the community at large as well as to the
needy.
To further support the SOGs all business owners and other
members of the community will be encouraged to call the
agencies on a hotline. The agencies can then quickly
communicate with the appropriate SOG for services. Obviously,
there will be situations that will need the Police or Paramedics to
be called immediately.
Hours of operation will need to be defined: SOGs will mainly work
in the entire community during daylight hours, but will be
encouraged to work the downtown area at any time. SOGs
functioning after dark could be very useful in preventing many of
the problems that are now occurring in the downtown. With the
permission of store owners and property owners, the SOGs also
could check off-street parking areas at night for homeless activity.
SOGs will be encouraged to make contact with businesses and
establish working relationships. SV and RC should have outreach
efforts to establish contact with neighborhood groups and the
affected large apartment complexes to notify them of the SOG
efforts.
Additional Duties
SOGs also will have contact information for the Department of
Public Works for pickup of trash left behind in public places by the
homeless. Additionally there needs to be a method for trash
pickup when it is left on private property.
Next Step for Persistent Problems
For those persons who continue to create problems after the SOG
system is in place, action will be directed toward the individual
who is causing problems. Thus, individuals who persist in
problem behavior can readily be identified and services can be
denied by all agencies for a period of time. The time period for
denial can be commensurate with the offense. Repeat offenders
will face progressively longer periods of denial. Denial of service
is not to include needed medical services. The theory here is that
denial of services will remove the agencies from the role of
enabler for bad conduct. Refer to the section on HMIS that
appears in Part B, section 4 of this report.
Evaluation
SV and RC will keep track of all SOG activity as well as calls
coming in for SOG assistance and a brief summary of the call and
action taken. This data can be compared to PD reports and
actions. It is hoped that these statistics will periodically be
reviewed to determine the effectiveness of the SOG program and
to help determine if changes are needed to make the program
more effective.
Model 2 Downtown Street Teams (Palo Alto plan)
The information in this section was obtained from the Palo Alto Street Team Project.
I. Introduction ...
In 2005, the Palo Alto Downtown Association conducted a survey of local business
owners and community members in order to determine the most pressing issues affecting
the downtown area's economic vitality and livability. The community's answer —
homelessness and cleanliness — catalyzed unprecedented buy -in across multiple sectors of
the community, with local business owners/managers, the Palo Alto Police Department
(PAPD), local nonprofits, and the City of Palo Alto ultimately coming together to both
conceptualize and implement a solution. Thus, Downtown Streets Team (DST), the
stakeholders' idea for simultaneously addressing these challenges, has from the very
beginning been a collaborative effort both in terms of problem solving and action. DST's
success moving chronically homeless men and women away from lives of despair, crime
and substance abuse and into stable housing and jobs, while at the same time creating a
safer, cleaner city, has been almost entirely predicated on a community approach to
helping the most vulnerable among us.
11. How it works ...
At DST's core, our mission is to restore dignity, the kind that is often destroyed atter even
a few days of living on the streets. Indeed, around the country many social workers now
believe that just one night on the street results in symptoms suggestive of post-traumatic
stress disorder. Operationally, we work to counterattack these feelings with a volunteer
work experience program that allows our team members to harness the strength that comes
from hard work and giving back to one's community. We gig e a hand up, not a handout.
Every Thursday afternoon in Palo Alto we host our Success Team 'Meeting. With the
exception of valid medical appointments or employment leads, every team member must
attend. Run like a corporate boardroom meeting, we mediate an open discussion regarding
the previous week's accomplishments, challenges, and areas for improvement. DST's
meetings differ from corporate meetings. however, in that our meetings are also filled with
applause. hugs, and handshakes. We do not harp on negatives but, instead. shoe our team
t
members — both through staff and peer recognition — that they matter. The resultant
positive energy is palpable, especially considering that our team has ballooned from four
team members to 48. These meetings are also how people can join the team. Prospective
volunteers must come every week in order to move up our waitlist, which is between six
and ten weeks right now. This waiting period shows their commitment, while also
allowing them to learn about our program and network with current team members.
Once on the team, our volunteers are assigned to one of our many contracts. These
contracts are one of our greatest innovations, as well as one of our greatest examples of
community collaboration. We have been able to partner with the City of Palo Alto, the
downtown Business Improvement District, Stanford University, and local nonprofits EHC
Lifebuilders and InnVision to create janitorial contracts designed to improve Palo Alto's
urban environment. This type of work is in line with the Broken Windows Theory of
economic development, which first emerged in the early 1980s and suggests that reversing
the signs of urban "decay", vandalism, and general fa4ade deterioration deceases crime in
blighted areas. In our community at least, DST has affirmed the theory's predictions.
Our volunteers work up to 20 hours a week in exchange for food and/or housing vouchers.
The other 20 hours of the "work week" are reserved for job search. After a 30 -day
probationary period, team members can actually enroll in our Job Search Skills (JSS) class.
This nine -week course teaches team members how to design a career path, how to prepare
a master application and a resume, how to interview more effectively, and in general, how
to pursue more efficacious job search tactics. In our last Palo Alto class, five of the ten
students got job offers before the nine weeks was even over.
In addition to JSS, after 30 days team members can also access our case management
services. Unlike some other organizations, we do not have any restrictions on what team
members can work on with our case managers. Most volunteers are seeking traditional
resources like housing and transportation aid, and we have been very successful at
connecting team members with partners' housing programs, at helping team members
autonomously find housing options, and at connecting team members with special public
transportation programs with our partner the Valley Transit Authority. However, to the
unique benefit of our participants, we can and have helped with additional issues ranging
from custody battles to addiction to applying for HUD VASH vouchers for homeless
veterans.
Finally, the DST participant experience is structured as a Ladder of Success. Very little
staff time is dedicated to managing our cleaning teams. Instead, as volunteers prove
themselves, we promote internally so that our teams are almost entirely peer -run. Our
�-cllow Shirt Team Members become Green Shirt Team Leaders, Green Shirts become
Blue Shirt Managers. and Blue Shirts become Black Shirt Operational Supen-isors. It is an
incredible NN ay to develop management skills. xN hich builds even more confidence and also
makes our team members even more desirable to prospective employers.
It is worth noting here that while this proposal relates to our efforts in Palo Alto, within the
last year, our program has been able to scale into San Jose. CA. San Jose has been an
amazing benchmark for our organization, as it has demonstrated the adaptability of our
contract -based model. Our initial expansion was the result of a partnership with the United
States Environmental Protection Agency. Team members have been removing trash from a
heavily polluted creek in San Jose while simultaneously employing our peer-to-peer
outreach model to connect the chronically homeless individuals living there with resources.
This coming year we will be working on a new contract with the City of San Jose to
cleanup and beautify four different blighted neighborhoods, which will be much more
similar to our economic development partnerships in Palo Alto. All of these
neighborhoods have been acutely affected by gang -related vandalism in commercial areas,
so we are planning to employ the same Broken Windows Theory mindset to improve these
neighborhoods.
Ill. Community Policing ...
Our first and still largest contract in Palo Alto is working for the City of Palo Alto in
conjunction with the PAPD to clean the streets and parking garages in the downtown area.
Not only does this collaboration serve the economic development goal of making
downtown a more inviting and pleasant environment for workers/businesses and
community members alike, it serves the perhaps more important function of ending
panhandling, trespassing, and other "homeless" -related crimes by connecting homeless
individuals with a path back to self-sufficiency.
While working on our janitorial contracts, our team members simultaneously serve as
extra eyes for the police and the city—much like a community patrol. During their
downtown shift, team leaders are provided with cellphones and trained to call the police
if they see unsafe or lewd behavior. Additionally, team members are required to
immediately notify city staff if they spot specific needs regarding public works, repairs,
or excess garbage.
While our teams tend to be more observational, we have explicitly tasked our Palo Alto
Case Manager to work closely with the PAPD's Operations Sergeants and downtown
beat cops through email/phone/person and regular meetings to discuss general trends with
homeless encampments, as well as issues pertaining to particular individuals. This is a
unique partnership designed to come up with the best solution for the homeless
individual. If someone is showing willingness to work with our Case Manager on issues
the PAPD will "back off' as best they can allowing the individual certain leeway as the
process unfolds. Likewise, the PAPD can outreach to the individuals they interact with
and can bring information back to our Case Manager, so he can prioritize his outreach.
This united front further motivates individuals as they see law enforcement as a
supportive and proactive, not forceful and reactive. The PAPD in turn can focus their
efforts on those unwilling to seek help.
Again to brietly reference our efforts in San Jose, our peer outreach model is absolutely
essential to making progress with the chronically homeless individuals living in Coyote
Creek. After years of police sweeps (i.e. when the police go through homeless
encampments and destroy any sign of human habitation), trust has been almost entirely
eroded. BN• ser, ing as an intermediary. we arc able to get the hard -to -reach on the team.
get there connected with services, and get them to move forward with their lives. This
approach is not only more humane, it is much more efficient and cost effective than
embroiling people in the criminal justice system. Relationships between the homeless
and the PAPD began from a similarly strained starting point but have dramatically
improved over the past few years as a result of this more nuanced approach to outreach.
IV. Discuss your partnership philosophy ...
Partnerships beyond our contracts have been essential for the realization of our
organizational goals. In an effort to grow and increase revenue, many nonprofits expand
by trying to grab every single financial opportunity in their field. The result tends to be
mission creep; the organization drifts away from what made them successful in the first
place. In our own county, as well as across the country, we have seen and heard of
homeless nonprofits start with a core competency, but then in an effort to grow, they start
to manage large amounts of housing, they try to launch their own mental health
programs, or they attempt to create elaborate employment training initiatives. Our
philosophy, on the contrary, is to forge partnerships that encourage synergies.
From the very beginning, DST has recognized that our work experience program is our
core competency. However, even with JSS, a number of team members still have
mitigating barriers to employment such as literacy challenges, a lack of computer skills,
or their desired profession might require specialized, industry -specific training. In all of
these cases, rather than trying to increase the size of our organization by creating
programs to address these concerns, we have resolved to instead actively forge
partnerships with agencies that already have an established reputation in these niches.
The result has been we have been able to scale via our core competency while
simultaneously creating a robust referral system with our partners. Indeed, the very fact
that our program has demonstrated an ability to help homeless individuals focus more
intensely on getting their lives back on the right track, we are often able to expedite
placements in partners' programs because outside organizations know DST participants
are exceptionally motivated.
V. Specific Partnerships ...
The Bare Necessities: While DST does reward our volunteers with food vouchers that
they can use at a local grocery store chain, we work to ensure that all of our team
members have basic food security. We partner with Second Harvest Food Bank to both
provide food itself. as well as to register team members for the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (i.e. Food Stamps). Without food in their stomachs. our participants
would never be able to more f6tivard with their goals.
'Medical and Dental: When medical and dental barriers arise for our team members. we
have amazing partnerships with Peninsula Healthcare Connection (PHC) and Valley
Medical's Healthcare for the Homeless. These organizations are able to provide free
medical and dental treatment to low-income individuals. When a person's blood pressure
is not controlled. when a person has a disability that requires intervention before they can
return to full or part-time work. or when a person cannot feel confident enough about
their oral hygiene to smile during a job interview, we cannot realize our program goals;
thus, these partnerships are invaluable. One current team member, for example, is able to
pursue part-time work right now because of the caliber of free treatment he received
following a heart attack.
Mental Health: Similar to our medical and dental partnerships, we collaborate with
Momentum for Mental Health and Santa Clara County Mental Health when mental health
emerges as a barrier to stability. These organizations can provide therapy, medication,
and the long-term support we cannot. Like the above example, we currently have a team
member who is able to tenaciously job search a few days a week because of the ongoing
treatment he receive for schizophrenia.
Legal: Legal issues can be one of the biggest barriers to employment/housing for the
homeless community. On the one hand, we partner with Stanford University's Law School
students and faculty to help our team members in applying (and almost always challenging
the initial denial) for benefits like SSI and SSDI. Stanford Law also assists with landlord
disputes and child support negotiations. The other major legal challenge is obviously
criminal records. We partner with Stanford Law, San Jose State University Record
Clearance Project, the District Attorney, and the Probation and Parole Departments to help
expunge or reduce charges, so they cease to be barriers for our team members. One
beneficiary was a woman who had been on the streets for almost two decades. Despite
rebuilding her life through the team by staying sober and avoiding run-ins with the law, she
could not find work because her criminal history was literally an inch thick. Through our
partnerships though, we expunged hundreds of charges and were then able to find her a job
as a caregiver with San Mateo County Supportive Services. It is worth noting that in
exchange for collaborating with DST, these partners know they are helping to reduce the
recidivism rate as we graduate people into more stable lives.
Emplovment: While we do focus on employment, as mentioned earlier, our primary
objective is helping to rebuild confidence and autonomy through our work experience
program and our JSS class. We could certainly look into securing grant money to offer
more classes — Microsoft Office, solar panel installation, etc. — but that would be
inefficient with respect to our core competency. Instead, we have been able to partner
with JobTrain, Work2future, NOVA Connect, and the Center for Employment Training,
who when taken together cover the complete gamut of employment support services.
They are experts with regard to their varied resources, but none of these organizations
work directly with homeless individuals to help rebuild their confidence and get them in
the mindset that they are ready and want to work again. Therefore, we mutually enhance
each other's mission of getting cher gone in our community back into gainful
employment.
Businesses: Local businesses have been integral to our success. For starters, we have
been able to setup what we like to call "employment pipelines" with a number of local
companies. Last fall we had three team members start work with an innovative tire -
recycling business, Borgota Recycling, then based out of San Jose. In March and April
of this near, we had six team mcinbers start working with Equinox, a high-end gym based
in Palo Alto. We are not only able to equip our volunteers with a basic aptitude for
maintenance work, which marries well with businesses in this line of work, we can
additionally demonstrate to employers that they are taking a minimal risk — indeed, we
like to make the point that every single new hire, homeless or not, is a risk - with our
participants, as they have already been proving their reliability over the course of
working with our program. Finally, we have designed innovative ways for businesses to
donate to us by more than just writing a check. For example, we are currently working
with local hotels to create "room" donations, which is to say a hotel would donate a room
to a team member who has just gotten a job but has not received a paycheck yet. This
allows that team member to bathe and get a good night's sleep every day, and the hotel
gets a tax write-off, so it is a win-win for everyone involved.
Faith -based Community: In-line with our philosophy of a hand up, not a handout, we
have had success with getting the faith -based community to adopt this way of thinking
too. Traditionally, faith -based organizations approach the homeless in a giveaway
capacity — food, clothes, etc. While this type of charity is very important, we have
advocated that faith -based organizations start thinking in terms of quality, not quantity.
Thus, for example, in April we worked with All Saints Episcopal Church in downtown
Palo Alto to create an office/accountant internship for a team member, which they plan to
convert to a permanent paid position in six months.
Community Initiatives: As a result of our extensive network of partnerships, the best
practices we have established, and the fact that our peer advocacy, model is unparalled in
the county, we are frequently invited to take on critical roles with county -wide homeless
initiatives. As just one example, we are currently assisting with the Housing 1000
campaign, our local commitment to the national 100,000 Homes campaign, which is an
effort to house 100,000 chronically homeless individuals across the country. Sadly, it is
these chronically homeless individuals who cost our social service systems the most money
as they use emergency rooms for primary care and are frequent users of the criminal justice
system. Of the nonprofits working on this initiative, we have hands down had the most
success at locating the hardest to find. Just like when we are able to support the police
department with outreach efforts, our reputation of trust and sincerity with the homeless
community allows us to make an exceptional impact. This partnership has also provided
multiple housing opportunities for chronically homeless team members.
Results ...
DST's impact can be broken down into two major categories, economicicommunity
development and crime reduction/prevention.
Economic and Community Development:
A famous 2004 study on the cost of homelessness in San Francisco revealed that as a result
of factors like frequent incarceration and emergency medical services, a homeless
individual can cost a community"s taxpayers over 560,000 a year. By comparison, 57,200
can keep that same individual working with DST for a year, and they will actually be
providing a service in the community. Moreover. our program transitions team members
back into the workforce, so they are become taxpayers themselves. In other words, this
process simultaneously frees up resources while generating new revenue. And to top it off,
every time someone joins the team and graduates into self-sufficiency, that is one less
person in our downtown area who will be causing the type of problems the community
identified in the Palo Alto Downtown Association study.
To -date, 116 team members have successfully graduated from our program into permanent
employment. Fitting to the diversity of the people we work with, they have entered a
multitude of different professions such as in-home care, warehouse work, janitorial,
administration, auto work, and politics. We believe in empirical evidence, so after piloting
a number of employment initiatives, we are confident that our employment pipelines and
JSS classes are the best time and energy investments for our organization.
As a result of finding employment, almost all of these individuals have been able to secure
permanent housing as well. To -date just over 100 people have been housed as a result of
their participation with the team. Once inside, their use of emergency medical services and
contact with the criminal justice system drops precipitously. We have also had the
opportunity to launch a small transitional shelter, which provides a temporary solution for
nine team members. Like the hotel partnership we described, in some cases it is absolutely
imperative that a person is inside before employment is considered.
Of note, we are committed to our team members' long-term success, not just short-term
numbers. Just this past month, an alumnus who had been working this past year at
Stanford University lost his job and had to return to the team (we always welcome people
back). Not wanting to jeopardize his housing status, we worked incredibly hard to find him
a new lead; and despite the fact that he has three DUIs, we were able to find him a part-
time job with American Guard Services, so he can continue to pay his rent.
Crime Reduction and Prevention:
Over the course of the last few years, DST and the PAPD have seen dramatic results with
respect to crime reduction and prevention. Before cataloguing a few of our
accomplishments, let us clarify that 1. For our purposes, "homeless" crimes are drunk in
public, panhandling, drug offenses, and trespassing 2. We cannot attribute every reduction
to our partnership nor can we say that a homeless person committed every one of these
crimes; this is simply our best inference.
+ Drug charges in downtown have been reduced by 50q/'o since 2008
46 There have been zero trespassing charges since 2008
• Panhandling charges in downtown have been reduced by 25° o since 2008
• Drug charges at a well-known encampment area adjacent to downtown have been
reduced by over 50°,-O' since 2008
4, Drunk in public charges at a well-known encampment area adjacent to downtown
have been reduced by almost g5%
4 Overall "homeless" crimes have stayed level where there is NOT a Streets Team on
California Avenue (Downtown is the predominant commercial area where the
homeless congregate in Palo Alto, so it is hard to find an "apples to apples" control,
but California Avenue is the next largest commercial stretch)
In Sum ...
DST has worked tirelessly the past seven years to collaborate with stakeholders across
our community, particularly those involved with public safety and economic growth, and
we are very proud of the accomplishments are partnerships have yielded. Thank you for
your time and consideration of our efforts!
Section 3: Outreach to High Schools
Create an outreach program to Marin high schools to educate teens about the
perils of homelessness so that youth do not choose to be homeless. The idea is
to tell the high school students what it is like to be homeless and the perils they
will face if the go that way. Utilize former homeless for this purpose. Some of
these students will be the next generation of homeless.
Section 4: Changes Needed in Well -
Intentioned Current Practices
HMIS Utilization
The Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is a missing link. It is a
compute -based system maintained by the County that frankly does very little to
manage the homeless. This system has been in existence for years.
Below is a goal of the County 10 Year Plan to Eliminate Homelessness that
is in the process of being revised:
Establish information sharing agreements among agencies using the
Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to improve
services coordination and delivery. Ensure that all privacy
considerations are taken into account when developing releases of
information (ROI's) and discussing information about persons
accessing services.
It should also be noted that this goal complies with the Federal Housing
and Urban Development (HUD) goal.
Currently this system compiles data obtained by the County for the bi-
annual Point -in -Time Census of the Marin County homeless population.
Most of us think that our San Rafael homeless population remains only in
San Rafael. The homeless, however, can and do travel. They also seek
services from many providers, not just in San Rafael, but also in other
jurisdictions.
Here is what needs to happen:
The HMIS data base could be used to link up all providers of services to
the homeless. This could be of great advantage to the homeless
community as well as the providers.
An example of this sort of useful linkage is allowing medical providers to
know what other providers have done for a particular patient. Currently,
there is no known connection between San Rafael medical providers at
Ritter Center and Health and Wellness (at Kerner and Kellam), and Marin
General. A patient might be treated at all three facilities, but nobody
knows what the other has done. Likewise other facilities in Marin and
nearby counties might also be treating the same patient for the same
condition. In this situation, tests can be duplicated unnecessarily running
up costs and perhaps causing danger and/or discomfort for the patient.
Medications can be duplicated and perhaps even sold illegally.
There are situations that warrant denial of services for conduct problems.
Although, medical/mental services should not be denied, certainly other
services could be denied as appropriate. Examples of conduct that
warrants denial of services might be theft, drug sales, etc.
Each homeless person could be provided with an HMIS photo identification
card. No card, no services.
Allow police, paramedics, Street Teams as well as any provider to input
data into HMIS.
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Investigate the possibility of utilizing the HMIS system to identify those
members of the needy community that commute to San Rafael for the sole
purpose of taking advantage of San Rafael social service agencies. Look
into the feasibility of denying services to the commuter needy. Other towns
need to participate in assisting their own.
The Great Clothing Giveaway
Ritter Center has an agreement with Goodwill to provide clothing for the
needy. This is well-intentioned, but seems to help to create problems with
excess clothing littering the open spaces, parks, downtown and parking
lots. This needs to be curtailed in some way that will not deny clothing for
the needy. Our community is accumulating unwanted, dirty clothing all
over. The annual cost of removal of the unwanted clothing is far more than
most realize. Removal is the responsibility of the Public Works
Department. The community is experiencing something that is intended to
help the needy, but ends up trashing our open space, parks and
neighborhoods and creating expenses for cleanup.
M
Each Thursday Ritter Center hands out bags of groceries to the needy.
This is essentially the same program the many Bay Area communities
have. This program needs some refinement to make it fit with the San
Rafael Community.
First, it is believed that many recipients (not all) come to San Rafael just to
take advantage of this program. There is likelihood that many of these
same people are also taking advantage of similar programs in other
communities. This should be a program for the needy that reside in San
Rafael only. The recipients should be identified utilizing the proposed
expansion of the HMIS to avoid this problem.
Secondly, some downtown merchants report finding full bags of groceries
in their garbage dumpsters and on-site parking areas. This is contrary to
all the efforts to "green" our community. Steps need to be taken to prevent
this from happening.
Our service agencies need to acknowledge that they have currently exceeded
their capacity to function normally. They need to do a better job with the
homeless rather than constantly adjusting to new waves of homeless in a small
city with virtual no housing for them. It seems irresponsible to draw homeless
people to the city with support services and then tacitly encourage them break
the law by camping in the hills, in parking lots etc. Those who are homeless
need to be told that housing is simply not available for all and that the
alternatives are illegal and they will face endless citations and court
appearances.
There is a need to establish daily capacity numbers for RC and SV. Clearly, both
sites are overwhelmed causing impacts on the community. This might require
establishing satellite facilities in other Marin communities. Also, to be considered
is for RC to operate longer hours each day and to expand beyond the 5 -day, 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. work week.
There are numerous complaints about panhandling. The public offers
solutions such as these: Why can't we have a law that.....? We need to
get rid of them! It is offensive! Move them out of town. Give them $5 and
drive them to the county line and not let them come back.
We have two types of panhandlers. There are the aggressive and the not
aggressive. The aggressive might follow you, shouting and making a
scene until you are so intimidated that you give them some money to go
away.
Panhandlers have legal rights that are protected by the Constitution just
like everyone else. They know this and this is why some use this
aggressive "technique." They also know that they cannot threaten or touch
you. This leads to criminal charges. If you touch them or threaten them
then you could face criminal charges.
Why do people give to panhandlers? The first reason is that it feels good
to help someone who is less fortunate than you are. Most of us we have
been raised to do this and we believe in helping the needy. The second
reason is that you really don't want to give, but you have become
embarrassed or intimidated.
How do we eliminate panhandling is the real question here. If everyone in
city stopped giving for whatever reason, all the panhandlers would be gone
in about two days. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy.
Perhaps there should be a campaign to promote supporting the needy by
giving to established service providers or faith -based institutions rather than
directly to panhandlers.
UMMM992 =0
The REST program is the winter shelter program operated by St. Vincent's
Dining Room that operates from November to mid-April. As currently
operated, people start gathering about noon each day in the hope that they
will have the opportunity to get a bed for the night. Approximately 5:30
p.m. each day a bus arrives to transport those needing housing that night
to a shelter. Currently, men are housed on a rotating basis at local
churches and the women are housed at the Marin County operated Health
and Wellness Center located at Kerner and B611am. Once they arrive at
their sleeping area they are fed dinner and get their place to sleep. In the
morning they are transported back to the pickup location.
Those under the influence of drugs or alcohol as well as those exhibiting
violent behavior are not allowed to participate in the program as this would
be too disruptive for those who are seeking a peaceful night of rest. It
seems from all reports that the program is well run and is well received
both by those who provide the service and the recipients.
However, the business community has reported that it is common to see
those desiring shelter for the night purchase alcohol just prior to boarding
the bus. Also, there are merchants who experience a downturn in business
volume when people gather for pickup.
There is a minor change that would make the REST Program more
compatible with the community. Currently, those seeking a bed for the
night have to spend hours outdoors, often in the rain with all their
possessions waiting for the bus. This is inhumane as well as unsightly for
the entire community. Perhaps, on a daily basis, each person seeking
shelter could be identified so that they do not have to wait in line. There
should be a shelter area for them to wait. Those identified as being
problems by the HMIS system should be denied, when appropriate, the
opportunity to participate in the program. Another consideration should be
to examine the possibility of having the program operate year round.
The Wet Shelter Concept
The Wet Shelter idea is to provide a place to sleep for those who are
addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. Occupants can be active users and there
are no requirements for obtaining this shelter. Many in the community
support this concept with the logic that these persons will no longer be
seen on the streets. This is far from the case. Wet shelters are not prisons
and the occupants are free to roam the community at will. Then there is
the likely presence of illegal drugs and illegal drug sales. Being under the
influence becomes a way of life. For the drug addicted there will probably
be illegal drugs and sale of drugs on site. This presents a dilemma for the
Police Department. Many of the chronic alcoholics are not allowed to
purchase alcohol even if sober and this presents another problem. Then,
of course, how the occupants get funds to support their habits presents
another problem. These facilities require constant oversight by trained
personnel on a 24/7 basis. Many see these facilities as merely a place
where you go to die and feel the concept is morally wrong. Others feel that
this approach simply enables behavior that is both self-destructive and
harmful to society at large. The moral question is should San Rafael
support addiction? The practical question is can San Rafael afford to set
up and oversee such a facility? Another practical question is, when San
Rafael is already experiencing severe problems from this subset of
homeless people, does the City want to run the risk of attracting more
addicted homeless to the City by offering them shelter?
24/7 Access to Public Toilets
Currently, San Rafael generally falls short on public restrooms and falls
even more short during after hours. Many of our downtown merchants
complain of urination and defecation in their parking lots and their store
front areas. Often this occurs during daylight hours, but it happens most
frequently at night. Open space areas and parks suffer from the same
problem.
There should lots of thought given to this need. Most of us think that by
providing bathrooms that the problem of public urination and defecation will
go away. This is not the case. Experience has proven that public
restrooms are the target of abuse. On occasion, homeless will
lock themselves in the restroom and take a long bath precluding use by
others, or use the bathroom as a shelter for the night. Or they might not
even bother to use the toilet, preferring to use the floor instead. There can
be problems with hand towels and other items being flushed down the
toilets and causing flooding. Public bathrooms are frequently used for sex
acts, drug use and drug sales. These uses may or may not involve the
homeless community. It is difficult to find a method that prevents public
bathrooms being put to uses that are not intended. Public bathrooms do
suffer from acts of vandalism, not necessarily resulting from the homeless
community.
Although public bathrooms can be expensive, the hoped -for payback might
come with eliminating or at least greatly curtailing urination and defecation
in parks and private parking lots and store fronts throughout our
downtown.
The suggestion of using portable bathrooms has been discussed. These
are unsightly for the community and can be expensive to maintain. Again,
there are security issues. Most of us cannot imagine sleeping the night in a
public restroom or a portable toilet, but reality has to be faced.
Of course, the cost and location/s are an issue. With regard to cost, we are
in very austere times. Bathrooms whether they are portable or fixed are
very expensive initially and expensive to maintain. The location could be
very detrimental to nearby businesses.
It would be helpful if the service providers maintained monitored access to
bathroom facilities 24/7. In their current locations, however, the adjacent
business areas might be even more negatively impacted by concentrations
of homeless.
And so we leave this conundrum between need, solution and civility.
Legalized Outdoor Sleeping in Cars or Tents
From a city planning perspective parking lots belonging to religious
organization are underutilized land areas. Realizing this, some religious
organizations have suggested using their parking lots as an opportunity tit.
serve the homeless by using them as a form of homeless encampments.
The intention is to prevent homeless from sleeping in vehicles that are
parked on public streets as this is currently illegal in San Rafael (Muni
Code Chapter 8.30 Vehicles used for human habitation).
Some might argue that these parking lots should be used for vehicles only,
but there could be an argument made that there is nothing wrong with
allowing tents or other types of shelters too.
The problems rapidly arise when the reality of the idea sinks in. Questions
to be considered are:
1. 1.1. Bathroom needs
2.2.2. Garbage needs
3.3.3. Sewerage connections for RVs.
4.4.4. Need for trained people to monitor the use at all hours of
operation and the question of whether it is actually possible to monitor
unenclosed outdoor areas in the dark.
5.5.5. Limits on number of vehicles and types
6.6.6. Hours of operation
7.7.7. Impacts on nearby residences and businesses
8.8.8. Possibility of applying this use to city owned and other privately
owned parking lots.
9.9.9. The requirement of a Use Permit and conditions of approval.
If such a program becomes a reality then the Homeless Management
Information System (HMIS) should be used to connect those providing this
service with other agencies with the idea of denying services when
appropriate. Also, locations in towns other than in San Rafael should be
encouraged.
The concept of such a program needs to be carefully scrutinized by asking
the basic question: Does such a program prevent homelessness, or does it
perpetuate homelessness? Also, would such a program encourage more
needy people to migrate to San Rafael for the sole purpose of taking
advantage of our social service agencies? Can our City afford the costs
entailed in having additional homeless people in the City?
Other communities have explored such programs and many members of
the public have vehemently opposed the idea.
It has also been suggested that sleeping overnight in cars parked on the
streets of San Rafael be allowed. This would have most of the same
issues as opening parking lots for sleeping, but monitoring would be
impossible. Noise might interfere with home owners being able to enjoy
their peace and quiet. Litter and human waste might end up in private
yards through the City. Being able to sleep in cars anywhere on the streets
might draw homeless to the City even more than permitting overnight
sleeping in parking lots. Is it possible for the City to handle this situation?
CHANGES IN THE LONG TERM:
Housing and Location of Services
Section 1: Entry Level Housing
This level of housing is for those that have become committed to sobriety.
A simple apartment that houses up to two people or a single room with a
simple cooking area and bathroom would most likely be the type of housing
provided. Similar housing would be suitable for small families. The goal of
this housing would be to have occupants transition to the next level of
housing within a year.
Sobriety is the key to remaining in this housing. Without sobriety this
housing idea will not succeed. Case managers will be required for each
individual, or family to make sure they make continual progress towards
employment and making the change back to becoming mainstream
citizens.
Section 2: The Next Level of Housing
This housing falls into a number of categories that already exist such as
Section 8 housing, subsidized housing, very low cost housing, low cost
housing or affordable housing.
Section 3: Location
Although San Rafael is able to include some of the housing needed to help
end homelessness, this housing should be located throughout the county
with each town taking a share.
Section 4: The Ultimate Grand Plan
It has been suggested by many that Ritter Center and St Vincent's Dining
Room should be relocated away from our downtown. This is the most
common suggestion from members of the housed and business
communities. The question remains as to where this should happen. Here
is an idea that might be pursued.
Relocate both Ritter and St. Vincent's to a campus near the County
operated Health and Wellness Center at Bellam and Kerner. This would
set up a combined campus that would serve all needs of the homeless
community.
Medical, food, case managing, drug and alcohol treatment, etc. could be
included in one complex. A day center, a place for the homeless to get out
of the weather, to seek front line referrals to services, bathrooms, showers,
as well as a comfortable area to hang out could be placed there. Also,
storage lockers for possessions could be provided. To try to set up such a
place near the existing service providers would likely result in an additional
burden on downtown San Rafael. It could, however, be incorporated into
the ultimate homeless campus. Such a campus could avoid many of the
impacts on our community that are addressed in this report.
Even in this coordinated complex, however, it would have to be recognized
that there are limits to how many people any one location, any one town,
can serve.
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Section A: A Final Thought:
Reactions to Homelessness, the Perspective of
One aspect of frequent unpleasant encounters with street people is that
they get in the way of the natural compassion all citizens should feel toward
those who have fallen on hard times and who need a hand up. In recent
months, San Rafael has seen a sharp increase in behavioral problems on
its streets. After too many bad experiences, (and there ARE many very
bad experiences) people's hearts become hardened. It becomes easier
and easier to resent the social service agencies that rightly want to help the
unfortunate. They are blamed for the perceived ongoing deterioration of
what should be a thriving downtown.
If too much resentment and fear build up, financial and community support
for the good work done by social service agencies will wane. Loss of
support is inevitable if the permissive environment fostered by some
continues to allow and excuse any kind of uncivilized, rude, or outrageous
behavior on city streets. Then, the people who will really suffer will be the
ones who could most benefit from the gifts of hope and kindness and who
truly want to begin to climb the long road out of poverty or substance
addiction.
Our entire community must take a look at this permissive environment to
see if a firmer stance against negative behavior will ameliorate the impact it
is having on downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. We want a
civilized town. Part of being civilized is being able to welcome those who
are unfortunate as well as those who give of themselves to help them.
Good behavior should be the first step towards recovery from
homelessness, poverty and addiction.