Social Service Human Relations Board

City of Alameda Meeting Minutes Thursday, January 24, 2019 7:00 PM City Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Avenue, Council Chambers, 3rd Floor, Alameda, CA 94501 Social Service Human Relations Board Social Service Human Relations Meeting Minutes January 24, 2019 Board 1 CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL 2 APPROVAL OF MINUTES 2-A City of Alameda Special Meeting of the Social Service Human Relations Board Thursday, November 29, 2018 Meeting Minutes 1. Call to order President Audrey Hyman called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Roll Call: Audrey Hyman (President), Christine Chilcott (Vice-President), Cheryl Harawitz, Jennifer Hastings, Kale Jenks, Claudia Medina, Mark Sorensen 2. Approval of Minutes Jenks made the motion to approve the September 27, 2018 meeting minutes. Chilcott seconded. The September 27, 2018 minutes were approved 6-1 as presented. Sorensen abstained, as he was not present at this meeting. 3. Public Comments Sharan Aminy, 2-1-1/Eden I&R Program Manager, provided an overview of 2-1-1 programs and services offered to Alameda residents. The organization has been active in Alameda County for 11 years and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The program provides referrals and resources to better serve homeless individuals. Housing is the biggest need in Alameda County. Financial, medical and legal assistance are also needed. The organization can provide demographic information to the City to pinpoint needs and identify gaps in service. Adults with mental illness is a big priority and a group that has difficulty finding placement. 4. Agenda Items a. EveryOne Home Strategic Plan Presentation City of Alameda Page 1 Social Service Human Relations Meeting Minutes January 24, 2019 Board Elaine de Coligny, Executive Director of EveryOne Home, presented on the 2018 Alameda County Strategic Plan to End Homelessness and outlined the purpose of the plan and the goal to reduce homelessness in the county from 5,600 to 2,400 people in five years. She discussed the intersection of homelessness with race, affecting African Americans and Native Americans at a disproportionate rate, most likely due to systemic issues. The Plan looks at reasons for being homeless and found that 26% of the population is on fixed income (such as Social Security and Social Security Disability Insurance) who become at-risk because of the increasing cost of housing in Alameda County. There is a great need to address affordable housing as a strategy, and de Coligny mentioned that cities may help in reducing homelessness by having dedicated sources of funding in the local jurisdictions. Los Angeles and San Francisco are sample cities that have used parcel tax, sales tax, general fund carve out, and ballot measures to create funding streams for homeless services. Several questions were raised, and de Coligny provided the following information in response: · Capital improvement funds have been set aside to stabilize and rejuvenate existing homeless shelters. The focus is to make funds accessible for those needs while protecting operating resources for long-term housing solutions, such as permanent housing and prevention strategies. People prefer to be in the homes rather than in shelter. · The Housing and Urban Development Department sets the criteria for defining homelessness. The individual’s case determines their status. The Plan outlines risks of homelessness and ways to prevent people from becoming homeless. Dollars will be spent on homeless prevention strategies. · Data is being collected on the amount of time it took to place an individual into housing after enrolling in the Coordinated Entry System. Of those who have been placed in housing, 99% stay housed for at least one year and 92% stayed housed for three or more years. Doug Biggs, Executive Director of the Alameda Point City of Alameda Page 2 Social Service Human Relations Meeting Minutes January 24, 2019 Board Collaborative, commented that he had been involved in developing the Alameda County Strategic Plan to End Homelessness. Biggs mentioned that he and Liz Varela, Executive Director of Building Futures, serve on the Board of EveryOne Home. He commented that the Plan is only as good as its implementation, and this is an ambitious Plan because the “ask” is more realistic. Biggs recommended that the plan be taken to City Council for adoption and to refer to the priority and principles of the strategic plan. These principles align with the Alameda’s homeless plan approved by Council in March 2018. Biggs commented that Alameda really needs to focus on prevention of homelessness, as more people are getting displaced because of the rising home prices. b. Community Development Block Grant Action Plan Needs Statement Presentation Lisa Fitts, Management Analyst with the Housing Authority of the City of Alameda, presented on the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. She discussed the goals and timeline of the grant and invited members of the public to provide comments in order for the Social Service Human Relations Board to hear about the needs in the community. The following statements were made as part of the public’s comments on the CDBG: · CDBG funding continues to be an important source of funding for agencies addressing the social service needs of Alameda residents in the areas of case management, domestic violence victim support, housing, homeless services, information and resources, legal assistance, outreach and engagement, and senior services. In fact, the providers have seen increasing demand for services though no commensurate funding has become available. Several programs in the first six months have more than exceeded the number of clients they have been contracted to serve for the entire year. · Developing permanent supportive housing solutions is the goal and shelters fill a critical need. Shelters are serving clients with higher, more intense needs and are thus in critical need City of Alameda Page 3 Social Service Human Relations Meeting Minutes January 24, 2019 Board of support. · Prevention services present opportunities for a cost-effective approach to serve current needs of clients while disrupting corollary issues from happening. · With domestic violence being a primary risk factor for homelessness among women, services that support victims of domestic violence can prevent women and their children from losing their housing and becoming unhoused. · Legal assistance and tenant rights services are also preventive measures for housing retention. · Information and assistance and outreach services promote awareness of the resources and programs available in the community and are powerful tools to get people connected to services. · There are emerging concerns that need attention, including the uncertainty of healthcare coverage for seniors and rising rents and cost of living that are contributing factors to housing displacement. · The City needs to align its approach with the County’s strategic plan for the homeless. President Hyman thanked the speakers for their comments. These comments will be submitted to City Council as part of the public hearing on CDBG. President Hyman will work with staff to prepare the CDBG Needs Statement letter that will be submitted to City Council. c. Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) Staff Report Ana Bagtas, Community Development Analyst with the City of Alameda, provided an update on HEAP and reported on the preliminary plans for the use of the funds submitted to the County. The contract is expected to be in place with the County in March, and there is flexibility in moving the funds from one category to City of Alameda Page 4 Social Service Human Relations Meeting Minutes January 24, 2019 Board another, as well as changing the projects from what was originally proposed. The City of Alameda has been allocated $756,524 in HEAP funds. After taking the 2.5% allowable for administration, the following is the breakdown of the proposed allocation and projects submitted to the County on November 8: HEAP-Eligible Category Funding Allocation Percentage Possible Projects to be Funded Service$147,522.18 20% Develop a regional partnership with the Cities of Fremont, Hayward, San Leandro, and Union City to purchase a shared mobile hygiene unit and establish sanctioned car and RV parking areas Rental Assistance/ Rental Subsidy $73,761.09 10% Provide housing assistance and emergency motel vouchers Capital Improvement $516,327.63 70% Build public restrooms in the two main street areas in the city There is an aggressive spending timeline where 50% of the funds must be contractually obligated by January 1, 2020 and 100% of the funds must be expended by June 30, 2021. The Homeless Outreach Team/CARES has provided input on the proposed projects and staff will be meeting with the business community to get its feedback. The following comments were made regarding the HEAP proposal: · Aligning the City’s use of the funds with EveryOne Home’s Strategic Plan for the Homeless should be considered. · Building public restrooms in downtown areas is not good use of HEAP. While it is needed, the City should use other funds to pay for this project. · Investing more in outreach and engagement and prevention strategies is needed. · Supporting the Alameda Wellness Center is needed. · Spending the funds as soon as possible as defined in the eligible service categories is critical. Capital improvement is important but carries a high expense. The Board approved the proposal submitted to the County and requested that staff agendize HEAP at its January or February City of Alameda Page 5 Social Service Human Relations Meeting Minutes January 24, 2019 Board meeting to allow members to review the potential projects and provide feedback on the use of the funds. The Board recommended the City’s HEAP proposal for adoption by the City Council. The motion passed unanimously. d. Election of Officers The motion to accept the nomination of Audrey Hyman as President was passed unanimously. Hyman accepted. The motion to accept the nomination of Christine Chilcott as Vice-President passed unanimously. Chilcott accepted. e. Workgroup Reports Human Relations: Chilcott commented that the Community Service Awards event was great. Hyman provided glowing remarks on the venue, food, set-up, and program. Assessment and Awareness: none Homeless Action Plan: Hyman attended the Planning Board hearing on the Alameda Health and Wellness Center on McKay Avenue. On behalf of SSHRB, she wrote letter in support of McKay that will be included in the packet that will go to Council to remove the Government overlay on the property. She encouraged Board members to write letters or e-mails of support. 5. Staff communications a. Fonstein talked about the Season for Nonviolence. He described how it is celebrated in Alameda with the reading of the word of the day and a speech contest in March. He hopes to meet with principals of middle and high schools regarding the speech contest. The contest is scheduled on Saturday, March 23. [Note: the date has subsequently been changed to Saturday, March 16.] b. Bagtas reported that the Point in Time count is happening on January 30 and volunteers are needed. EveryOne Home has released the website to sign-up as a volunteer. c. Homeless Program Updates · Bagtas gave an update on the Parking Meter for the Homeless Program. Public Works is working with the vendors on the placement of the meters. A plan for promoting the meters will be developed. City of Alameda Page 6 Social Service Human Relations Meeting Minutes January 24, 2019 Board · Bagtas reported that the Dine and Connect dinners for the homeless have been successful. Outreach has been successful with the highest number of homeless diners attending at 45 people. The program has seen an outpouring of support from churches who would like to pilot their own dining events. She explained how this is not a formal program, but more of a gathering place for the homeless. The City will work further with them to provide resources to volunteers and community. · The Warming Shelter is now open. Volunteers and donations are needed. d. Bagtas and Fonstein attended the County’s first meeting on the Census 2020. City will have its own Complete Count Committee. e. The Board discussed how to use the Clemens Fund. 50% of the funds was approved to be used by ACCYF and 50% will go to the Warming Shelter. f. Fonstein explained that the City’s Minimum Wage Ordinance will take effect in July 2019. 3 PUBLIC COMMENTS 4 AGENDA ITEMS 4-A Presentation of Certificate of Recognition: Sherice Youngblood; Jennifer Hastings 4-B Presentation of AUSD Needs Assessment/Youth Mental Health: Jodi McCarthy, AUSD Program Manager Student Support Services; Kirsten Zazo, AUSD Chief Student Support Officer Attachments: AUSD Mental and Emotional Wellness Needs Assessment 4-C Review and Discuss Draft 2019 Work Plan, Workgroup Structure, and Workgroup Assignments January 24, 2019 City of Alameda Page 7 Social Service Human Relations Meeting Minutes January 24, 2019 Board To: Honorable President and Members of the Social Service Human Relations Board From: Eric Fonstein, Development Manager Re: Review and Discuss Draft 2019 Work Plan, Workgroup Structure, and Workgroup Assignments Background At the February 22, 2018 meeting of the Social Service Human Relations Board (Board), staff presented a draft matrix of the 2018 SSHRB Work Plan. Board members found this to be a useful tool in planning future agenda items and in understanding the timing of different topics of concern. Discussion Staff has revised the Draft Work Plan for 2019 (see attachment) for SSHRB’s consideration. Staff anticipates two items will be continuous topics of discussion and, to some extent, SSHRB involvement throughout the year: the 2020 Census and the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP). SSHRB may choose to assign these topics to Assessment and Awareness Workgroup and the Homeless Action Plan Workgroup, respectively. Last year, members of SSHRB’s remaining workgroup, the Human Relations Workgroup, focused their time on the Alex Clemen’s Funds, the “In the Mix” conference, and the annual Community Service Awards. SSHRB may choose to assign new topics to the Human Relations Workgroup or to dissolve the workgroup and fold its members into the other two groups. Planning for the Community Service Awards would then involve the entire SSHRB. Ad hoc, time-limited workgroups may also be established at the discretion of SSHRB, should the need arise. Attachments: Draft 2019 SSHRB workplan matrix 4-D Motion to Establish a HEAP Ad Hoc Committee Date: January 24, 2019 To: Honorable President and Members of the Social Service Human Relations Board City of Alameda Page 8 Social Service Human Relations Meeting Minutes January 24, 2019 Board From: Ana Bagtas, Community Development Analyst Re: Establishing a HEAP Ad Hoc Committee EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The City of Alameda has been allocated $756,524 in Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP). At its January 15, 2019 meeting, the Alameda City Council provided comments on the projects and services proposed for HEAP and authorized the Interim City Manager (ICM) through staff to work with the Social Service Human Relations Board (Board) to finalize the plan and oversee implementation of HEAP. Staff recommends that the Board set-up an ad hoc committee that will work with staff to finalize the projects that will be funded under HEAP and develop an implementation plan. BACKGROUND Senate Bill (SB) 850, established the Homeless Emergency Aid Program in 2018, a $500 million block grant aimed at providing immediate emergency assistance to people experiencing homelessness in California. Alameda County has been allocated $16.2 million of HEAP funds, of which, the City of Alameda will be receiving $756,524. The County requires a 30% match in order to receive these funds. On November 8, 2018, the City of Alameda submitted an allocation proposal to the County broken down to the following three HEAP-eligible service categories: 20% on Services, 10% on Rental Subsidies/Rental Assistance, and 70% on Capital Improvement. The Board approved the City’s HEAP proposal at its November 29, 2018 meeting and recommended its adoption by the City Council. On January 15, 2019, the Alameda City Council directed the Interim City Manager through staff to work with the Board to oversee the implementation of programs and services funded by HEAP. DISCUSSION With the ongoing engagement with the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT)/Collaboration Advancing Resources, Efforts, and Supports (CARES) for Alameda’s Homeless, the City’s Base Reuse and Community Development Department (BRCDD), as the coordinating agency providing backbone support to the team, has been tracking City of Alameda Page 9 Social Service Human Relations Meeting Minutes January 24, 2019 Board possible solutions to address homelessness in our community since early 2018. Given the short response time the County gave cities to submit a plan for the use of their HEAP allocation, BRCDD staff considered the projects and services HOT/CARES has identified these past several months. This enabled staff to develop a preliminary funding allocation proposal submitted to the County. After setting aside the 2.5% allowable for administration (total of $18,913.10) of the $756,524 of HEAP funds allocated to the City of Alameda, the remaining $737,610.90 has been distributed to the three HEAP-eligible categories as follows: HEAP-Eligible Category Funding Allocation Percentage Possible Projects to be Funded Service$147,522.18 20% Develop a regional partnership with the Cities of Fremont, Hayward, San Leandro, and Union City to purchase a shared mobile hygiene unit and establish sanctioned car and RV parking areas Rental Assistance/ Rental Subsidy $73,761.09 10% Provide housing assistance and emergency motel vouchers Capital Improvement $516,327.63 70% Build public restrooms in the two mainstreet areas in the city The County provides flexibility in moving funds between the eligible categories and to change projects as cities see fit to ensure that local jurisdictions address homelessness in their communities in a meaningful way. This proposal was discussed with HOT/CARES on November 26, 2018. Members provided the following input: · The funding allocation breakdown is consistent with other cities · Align Alameda’s plan with the EveryOne Home Strategic Plan to End Homelessness in Alameda County · Expand the Dine and Connect dinners · Set aside funds to purchase shelter beds · Establish sanctioned parking, but ongoing funding is needed · Support the Alameda Wellness Center with capital funds · Use HEAP to seed a larger infrastructure project · Invest in ongoing Warming Shelter · Provide support to the Housing Resource Center, especially around disaster planning and purchase of supplies in case of disasters · Create an Ambassador program to improve outreach and engagement · Establish a daytime drop-in center City of Alameda Page 10 Social Service Human Relations Meeting Minutes January 24, 2019 Board · Establish a family reunification and housing problem-solving program · Provide rental subsidies to those at-risk of homelessness · Create a campaign to increase Section 8 rentals The Board also discussed HEAP at its November 29, 2018 meeting and heard public comments. The following input was provided: · Aligning the City’s use of the funds with EveryOne Home’s Strategic Plan for the Homeless should be considered; · Building public restrooms in downtown areas is not good use of HEAP. While it is needed, the City should use other funds to pay for this project; · Investing more in outreach and engagement and prevention strategies is needed; and · Supporting the Alameda Wellness Center is needed. Following the discussion, the Board approved the proposal submitted to the County and requested that staff agendize HEAP at its January or February meeting to allow members and the public to have more time to review the final projects that will be funded and provide feedback before they are implemented. At the request of the business associations, staff met with the business community on January 15, 2019 to give them an opportunity to comment on the proposed HEAP projects and to hear their ideas to ameliorate the impact of the homeless on Alameda’s businesses. The following comments were made: · Teach self-sufficiency · Put money into mental health · Create work programs/job training for the homeless · Find out what each person needs and identify who wants help · Homelessness is the new norm. · Look at San Diego’s Lucky Duck foundation for a model on how businesses can be involved. · Continued engagement is critical to build trust · Love the showers idea (a lot of people responded favorably to this by a show of hands) · No support for public restrooms in downtown areas · Use the Children’s Museum behind Carnegie to provide services · Safe parking needs to be evaluated with caution · City needs to continuously educate the business community about what is happening · Build on what we have by supporting already existing programs City of Alameda Page 11 Social Service Human Relations Meeting Minutes January 24, 2019 Board doing the work that have not been receiving funding · Set aside funds for shelters · Training for day labor-type of jobs Staff presented to the City Council on January 15, 2019 and shared the feedback thus far from various stakeholders. The City Council provided its input on the various projects proposed, suggested other approaches and interventions for consideration, deliberated on the match requirement from the County, and advised caution and close evaluation of certain projects being proposed. At this meeting, the City Council directed the Interim City Manager, through staff, to work with the SSHRB to oversee the implementation of programs and services funded through HEAP. To this end, staff is proposing that the Board establish an ad hoc committee for HEAP for the purposes of working collaboratively with staff to finalize the plan for HEAP and oversee the implementation of projects and services funded through this grant. The composition of the committee will be directed by the Board. The Board has created a similar ad hoc committee in the past when it developed the Homelessness Action Plan. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Board establish a SSHRB Ad Hoc Committee with no more than seven members with representatives from the SSHRB Homeless Action Plan Workgroup, HOT/CARES team, business community, and other individuals with expertise in homeless programs and services. 4-E Workgroup Progress Reports Human Relations Workgroup—Chilcott / Sorensen / Medina Assessment and Awareness Workgroup—Hastings / Jenks Homeless Action Plan Workgroup—Harawitz / Hyman 5 STAFF COMMUNICATIONS City of Alameda Page 12 Social Service Human Relations Meeting Minutes January 24, 2019 Board 5-A Season for Nonviolence 2019 5-B Update on CDBG 5-C Update on Homeless Programs and Initiatives • HEAP • Point In Time count • Parking Meter for the Homeless Update on Homeless Programs and Initiatives 5-D Update on Census 2020 6 BOARD COMMUNICATIONS, NON-AGENDA 6-A Announcements and Updates 7 ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Anyone may address the Board on a topic not on the agenda under this item by submitting a speaker's information slip, subject to the 3-minute time limit. 8 ADJOURNMENT City of Alameda Page 13