OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S GOING TO BE
SUBSTANTIAL FOCUS ON THE
ADMINISTRATION. APPLICATION OF
PROGRAM, PRIOR AND FUTURE
POTENTIAL ALLOCATIONS WITH
RESPECT TO HOMELESSNESS AND
THOSE THAT ARE UNHOUSED AND
UNSHELTERED. I THINK IT'S, AN
UNDERSTATEMENT TO REITERATE,
EVERYONE IS WELL AWARE OF THE
DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES THE
STATE FACES IN THIS BUDGET
CYCLE, AND REALLY, THE
RESPONSIBILITY THAT THE
SUBCOMMITTEES HAVE AND THE
BUDGET, THE LEGISLATURE HAS IN
OVERSIGHT, IN A VERY LARGE
GOVERNMENT WITH VERY LARGE
PRESSING ISSUES TO HAVE A
LOGICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE
APPLICATION OF THESE PROGRAMS
AND TO THINK ABOUT WAYS,
PARTICULARLY WITH RESPECT TO
VALUE AND IMPACT AND TIMING A
STRATEGIC RANK AND UNDERSTAND
THESE PROGRAMS IN A WAY THAT CAN
HELP US MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS.
AND SO TO THAT END, CERTAINLY
APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S
PARTICIPATION. LOOKING FORWARD
TO HEARING SOME OF OUR
DISTINGUISHED WITNESSES AND
PANELISTS AT THE END OF THE
HEARING, I AM ALSO, WANT TO
POINT OUT THAT THE STATE HAS, IN
THE LAST FEW CYCLES, MADE
HISTORIC AND UNPRECEDENTED
INVESTMENTS AIMED AT TRYING TO
MITIGATE AND TO FACILITATE THE
WORK THAT FOLKS DO ON THE GROUND
IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO DEAL
WITH THIS ISSUE, WHICH IS
PRESSING AND MULTIDIMENSIONAL.
THAT SAID, I'M ALSO MADE AWARE
THROUGH MEDIA THAT THE GOVERNOR
HAS INDICATED IS GOING TO ADD
ADDITIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY UNIT,
CAPABILITIES WITHIN THE
DEPARTMENT, THAT I LOOK FORWARD
TO HEARING MORE ABOUT. AND
UNDERSTANDING. AND OF COURSE,
THIS IS MOST APPROPRIATE. SO
WITH THAT SAID, LET'S GO AHEAD
AND ESTABLISH A QUORUM. IF THE
CONSULTANT CAN CALL THE ROLL FOR
PURPOSES OF ESTABLISHING A
QUORUM, SENATOR PADILLA PRESENT
SENATOR NEIL HERE. SENATOR
SMALLWOOD. CUEVAS. MISTER CHAIR,
YOU HAVE A QUORUM. THANK YOU.
SIR ALL RIGHT, LET'S FIRST, THEN
GO TO VICE CHAIR. NILO, DO YOU
HAVE ANY OPENING COMMENTS
FOLLOWED BY SENATOR SMALLWOOD,
ONLY THAT I. WE HAVE A PROBLEM
AND NEED TO TRY TO GET TO THE
BOTTOM OF IT. SENATOR SMALLWOOD,
WHAT'S BEING SAID BY, BY MY
COLLEAGUES, IN MY DISTRICT, WE
HAVE DISPROPORTIONATE
HOMELESSNESS THAT, DESPITE SO
MANY EFFORTS, CONTINUES TO GROW,
IT'S A MULTI-PRONGED PROBLEM.
IT'S A MULTI-PRONGED ISSUE,
INVESTING IN HOMELESSNESS
PROGRAMS IS ONE STRATEGY, BUT
IT'S ALSO THINKING ABOUT HOW
WE'RE INVESTING OUR STATE
DOLLARS TO ADDRESS THE
COMPOUNDED POVERTY THAT EXISTS
IN FAR TOO MANY COMMUNITIES. SO
I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS SHORT
TERME. WHAT I SEE IS SHORT TERME
SOLUTIONS AS WE WORK TOGETHER IN
THIS BUDGET SUB FOR SOME OF THE
LONGER TERME SOLUTIONS. THANK
YOU, SENATOR. IT'LL TAKE US TO,
OUR FIRST ISSUE AND OUR FIRST,
WITNESS, WHICH IS DOCTOR RYAN
FINNEGAN, ASSOCIATE RESEARCH
DIRECTOR, THE TECH CENTER FOR
HOUSING INNOVATION AT UC
BERKELEY, ISSUE ONE IS THE
CURRENT STATUS OF HOMELESSNESS
IN CALIFORNIA. RECENT DATA AND
TRENDS. AND DOCTOR, WELCOME.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION
, I THINK YOU'VE BEEN INDICATING
WE'RE LOOKING AT FIVE, SIX
MINUTES OR SO GENERALLY FOR QUÊ
AND THEN FOLLOWED BY SOME
ITERATIVE CONVERSATION. I HOPE
SO, PLEASE PROCEED WHEN READY.
ABSOLUTELY THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY
TO SPEAK WITH YOU TODAY, MY NAME
IS RYAN FINNEGAN FROM THE TERNER
CENTER FOR HOUSING INNOVATION AT
UC BERKELEY. FOR THE LAST FEW
YEARS, WE'VE BEEN CONDUCTING
RESEARCH ON HOMELESSNESS
PROGRAMS AND POLICY ACROSS
CALIFORNIA USING ADMINISTRATIVE
DATA, INTERVIEWS AND RIDE ALONGS
AND VISITS WITH PRACTITIONERS,
AND INTERVIEWS, AND VISITS WITH
PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
AND LIVING IN HOUSING FOR PEOPLE
EXITING HOMELESSNESS. SO I'LL
JUST SHARE A FEW OF THE FINDINGS
FROM THAT BODY OF RESEARCH OVER
THE LAST FEW YEARS, THE FIRST IS
THAT THE FEDERAL DATA SHOW THAT
HOMELESSNESS HAS INDEED
CONTINUED TO RISE IN CALIFORNIA,
THE LAST COUNT OF HOMELESSNESS
CONDUCTED IN EARLY 2023 WITH
PUBLISHED DATA SHOWED THAT ABOUT
181,000 PEOPLE EXPERIENCED
HOMELESSNESS ON A GIVEN NIGHT
ACROSS THE STATE. MOST OF WHOM
WERE UNSHELTERED, MEANING THEY
WERE LIVING IN VEHICLES, TENTS
OR OTHER PLACES NOT MEANT FOR
HUMAN HABITATION. THAT'S UP BY
ABOUT 63,000 PEOPLE FROM A
DECADE PRIOR, ONE OF THE KEY
EXPLANATORY FACTORS FOR WHY
CALIFORNIA'S RATE OF
HOMELESSNESS RELATIVE TO
POPULATION IS SO MUCH HIGHER
THAN IN OTHER PLACES IS OUR
ENDURING SHORTAGE OF AFFORDABLE
HOUSING. SO WHEN WE COMPARE THE
RATE OF HOMELESSNESS TO
POPULATION, CALIFORNIA HAS THE
FOURTH HIGHEST RATE OUT OF THE
50 STATES, AND IT ALSO HAS THE
SECOND LARGEST GAP IN THE NUMBER
OF HOUSING UNITS THAT ARE
AFFORDABLE FOR HOUSEHOLDS WITH
EXTREMELY LOW INCOMES. AND SO
WHEN WE LOOK ACROSS STATES IN
STATES LIKE WEST VIRGINIA, WHICH
GRAPPLES WITH SEVERE SUBSTANCE
USE CHALLENGES, ENTRENCHED
POVERTY, HOUSING IS MORE
AFFORDABLE AND THEIR
HOMELESSNESS IS VASTLY LOWER AS
A RESULT. WE SECOND,
HOMELESSNESS IS A VERY RACIALLY
DISPARATE, EXPERIENCE IN THE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA, SO THIS IS
A CHART THAT SHOWS YOU THE RATE
OF HOMELESSNESS FOR EACH RACIAL
AND ETHNIC GROUP RELATIVE TO
POPULATION THÀNH COMPARED TO THE
RATE OF HOMELESSNESS FOR THE
STATE OVERALL, AND SO WHAT WE'RE
SEEING HERE IS THAT HOMELESSNESS
FOR BLACK CALIFORNIANS IS ABOUT
350% HIGHER THAN THE RATE FOR
THE STATE OVERALL. IT'S ALSO
MUCH HIGHER FOR NATIVE HAWAIIANS
AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS. AND
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE. THESE
DISPARITIES RESULT FROM SYSTEMIC
INEQUALITIES BOTH INTERGENDER
ORPHALI AND DIFFERENTIAL
EXPOSURE TO LABOR MARKET
OPPORTUNITIES AND HOUSING MARKET
OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPOSURE TO
THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
THESE DISPARITIES ALSO INTERSECT
WITH OTHER FACTORS. SO, FOR
EXAMPLE, LATINX PEOPLE
EXPERIENCE HOMELESSNESS AS PART
OF A FAMILY MUCH MORE COMMONLY
THAN PEOPLE FROM OTHER RACIAL
AND ETHNIC GROUPS, WHICH HAS
IMPLICATIONS FOR THE KINDS OF
PROGRAMS THAT ARE NEEDED TO
SERVE THEM. THIRD, THERE IS A
CLEAR AND RISING NEED FOR ROBUST
SERVICES THAT ARE TAILORED TO
PEOPLE'S INDIVIDUAL
CIRCUMSTANCES. SO THIS CHART
SHOWS THAT IN EARLY 2020, THREE,
COUNTS OF HOMELESSNESS, FOUND
ABOUT 71,000 PEOPLE ON A GIVEN
NIGHT MET THE CRITERIA FOR
CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS, WHICH IS
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS FOR AT
LEAST A CUMULATIVE YEAR IN THE
PREVIOUS THREE, ALONGSIDE THE
PRESENCE OF A DISABLING
CONDITION WHICH INCLUDES
PHYSICAL DISABILITIES, MENTAL
HEALTH CHALLENGES AND SUBSTANCE
USE ISSUES. SO THE THIS RATE HAS
INCREASED MORE RAPIDLY THAN THE
RATE OF HOMELESSNESS OVERALL.
BUT WE'VE ALSO FOUND IN OUR
RESEARCH THAT THERE ARE MANY
INTERVENTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN
EFFECTIVE AT HELPING PEOPLE
EXPERIENCING CHRONIC
HOMELESSNESS, EXIT HOMELESSNESS
AND STAY HOUSED. WE'VE ALSO
FOUND THAT SERVICES ARE MOST
EFFECTIVE WHEN THEY ARE TAILORED
TO THE DISTINCT CIRCUMSTANCES
THAT PEOPLE ARE IN. FOR EXAMPLE,
FAMILIES AND VETERANS HAVE
EXITED HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS
ACROSS THE STATE TO PERMANENT
HOUSING AT MUCH HIGHER RATES
THAN PEOPLE FROM OTHER GROUPS.
AND THAT'S IN PART BECAUSE THERE
ARE PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES THAT
ARE DEDICATED TO THESE
POPULATIONS. AND THOSE RESOURCES
ARE PROVING EFFECTIVE. SO IN THE
TIME SINCE 2010, VETERAN
HOMELESSNESS IN CALIFORNIA HAS
DROPPED BY 40. AND THAT'S THANKS
TO WORKING IN CONCERT BETWEEN
FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL
RESOURCES TOGETHER. AND THIS IS
A GROUP FOR WHOM RATES OF
CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS AND SEVERE
MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE
ISSUES CAN BE RELATIVELY HIGH,
SHOWING THAT PROGRESS IS
POSSIBLE WHEN RESOURCES EXIST.
FOURTH, WE HAVE FOUND THAT THE
REACH OF THE HOMELESSNESS SYSTEM
HAS GROWN SUBSTANTIALLY AND
CONTINUES TO GROW WITH TIME
THANKS TO INVESTMENTS FROM ALL
LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, INCLUDING
THE STATE. SO THIS CHART SHOWS
THAT THERE HAS BEEN A SUSTAINED
GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF
PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING
UNITS AVAILABLE ACROSS THE STATE
, REACHING ABOUT 75,000 UNITS IN
2023. PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE
HOUSING HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE
VERY EFFECTIVE AT HELPING PEOPLE
EXPERIENCING CHRONIC PATTERNS OF
HOMELESSNESS, EXIT HOMELESSNESS,
AND STAY HOUSED AT HIGH RATES
OVER TIME AND THAT SUSTAINED
GROWTH IN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE
HOUSING IS IN MANY WAYS
SUPPORTED BY ESSENTIAL STATE
INVESTMENTS THAT ARE, OR
RESOURCES THAT ARE DIRECTED BY
THE STATE. THAT INCLUDES THE LOW
INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT, NO
PLACE LIKE HOME AND HOME Kò AND
THE VETERANS HOMELESSNESS AND
HOUSING PREVENTION PROGRAM. THE
CHART ALSO SHOWS THAT THERE HAS
BEEN A RELATIVELY RAPID INCREASE
IN THE SUPPLY OF INTERIM
HOUSING, ALSO CALLED SHELTER OR
TRANSITIONAL HOUSING, IN THE
MIDST OF THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC.
AFTER YEARS OF DECLINE. THAT
RAPID INCREASE WAS THANKS TO
PROJECT ROOMKEY, WHICH VERY
RAPIDLY CREATED ABOUT 15,000 NEW
UNITS THROUGH UNDERUSED HOTELS
AND MOTELS. ROOMKEY WAS A PROVEN
SUCCESS IN TERMS OF SAVING LIVES
AND HELPING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
PERMANENTLY EXIT HOMELESSNESS.
AND IN THE YEARS SINCE THEN,
STATE, LOCAL AND FEDERAL
RESOURCES HAVE ALLOWED LOCAL
COMMUNITIES TO SUSTAIN THIS
EXPANSION OF INTERIM HOUSING. SO
IN 2023, THERE REMAINED ABOUT
75,000 INTERIM HOUSING UNITS
AVAILABLE ACROSS THE STATE.
DESPITE THE FACT THAT PROJECT
ROOMKEY HAD LARGELY WOUND DOWN
BY THAT TIME. AND THEN I'LL ADD,
IN ADDITION TO INTERIM AND
PERMANENT HOUSING, THE STATE'S
ADMINISTRATIVE DATA SHOW THAT
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SERVED BY
ALL FORMS OF SERVICE PROGRAMS,
INCLUDING THINGS LIKE STREET
OUTREACH AND NEW TYPES OF
HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION
PROGRAMS, HAS INCREASED WITH
TIME, IN THE CALENDAR YEAR 2022,
THERE ARE ABOUT 312,000 PEOPLE
THAT HAD BEEN SERVED BY
HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS ACROSS THE
STATE. THIS ONLY INCLUDES
PROGRAMS THAT REPORT TO THE
STATE'S ADMINISTRATIVE DATA
SYSTEM, WHICH IS NOT ALL
PROGRAMS, BUT IT IS MOST. AND IN
2023, THROUGH THE FIRST THREE
QUARTERS, 300,000 PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN SERVED BY HOMELESSNESS
PROGRAMS. OUR INTERVIEWS AND
SURVEYS WITH HUNDREDS OF
PRACTITIONERS ACROSS THE STATE
FOUND THAT HOMELESSNESS FUNDING
HAS BEEN MOST USEFUL WHEN IT CAN
BE USED FLEXIBLY, AND WHEN IT
CAN BE COUNTED ON TO SUSTAIN
PROGRAMS BEYOND THE SHORT TERME.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, THE
HOMELESSNESS, HOUSING ASSISTANCE
AND PREVENTION PROGRAM, OR HAP,
HAS BEEN AN INTEGRAL COMPONENT
OF MANY OF THE PROGRAMS THAT ARE
REACHING PEOPLE IN THE STATE'S
ADMINISTRATIVE DATA. HAP IS
IMPORTANT NOT JUST FOR FUNDING
PROGRAMS THAT FEDERAL RESOURCES
OFTEN DON'T. THINGS LIKE SAFE
PARKING PROGRAMS AND MANY OF THE
STATE'S NEW TINY HOUSE SITES.
BUT THEY'RE ALSO BEEN CRUCIAL
FOR FILLING IN THE GAPS LEFT BY
FEDERAL AND LOCAL PROGRAMS. SO
EVEN WHEN HAF DOES NOT WHOLLY
FUND A PROGRAM, THERE ARE MANY
INITIATIVES THAT CANNOT EXIST
WITHOUT THAT CRUCIAL FUNDING.
PRACTITIONERS HAVE ALSO SAID
THAT THIS TYPE OF FUNDING NEEDS
TO BE SECURE PAST THE SHORT
TERMS, SO THAT THEY CAN COMMIT
TO NEW PROGRAMS OR EXPANDING
THEIR EXISTING ONES INCLUDE
ENDING THE RECRUITMENT AND
DEVELOPMENT OF A SKILLED AND
STABLE WORKFORCE FOR MEETING THE
NEEDS OF PEOPLE PARTICIPATING IN
THESE PROGRAMS. PRACTITIONERS
ARE RELUCTANT TO ESTABLISH A NEW
PROGRAM DESPITE PRESSING NEEDS,
WHEN THEY WORRY THAT
PARTICIPANTS WILL BE DROPPED IF
THE PROGRAM RUNS OUT OF FUNDING.
FINALLY, I'LL NOTE THAT THE
STATE'S CAPACITY FOR MEASURING
HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS AND
EVALUATING WHAT WORKS HAS
RAPIDLY EXPANDED IN RECENT YEARS
. THE INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON
HOMELESSNESS DATA INTEGRATION
SYSTEM, OR DIS, IS AN
EXCEPTIONALLY POWERFUL RESOURCE.
AS A RESEARCHER WHO'S WORKED
WITH HOMELESSNESS DATA BOTH
FEDERALLY AND ACROSS MANY
STATES, THE FLEXIBILITY, THE
DETAIL AND THE ABILITY TO
CONNECT DIS WITH OTHER SOURCES
IS A REMARKABLE TOOL, ONE THAT
IS RARE AMONG MANY STATES AND
CERTAINLY OUTPACES THE POWER OF
FEDERALLY COLLECTED
HOMELESSNESS. DATA AND LAST, IN
ADDITION TO THESE CRUCIAL DATA,
I'LL SAY THAT OUR RESEARCH ON
THE DIVERSE PARTS OF THE
HOMELESSNESS SYSTEM HAS ALSO
TAUGHT US THE IMPORTANCE OF
THINKING HOLISTICALLY ABOUT HOW
HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS CAN
IMPROVE PEOPLE'S LIVES. IN
INTERVIEWS AND SURVEYS WITH
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS, PARTICIPANTS HAVE
DESCRIBED MANY POWERFUL WAYS
THAT THESE PROGRAMS HAVE
IMPROVED THEIR LIVES BEYOND THE
STATISTICS THAT ARE COMMONLY
REPORTED IN EVALUATIVE REPORTS.
SO IN THE ABSENCE OF PERMANENT
HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES, WHICH ARE
OFTEN OUTSIDE OF SERVICE
PROVIDER AND PROGRAM OPERATORS,
CONTROL PARTICIPANTS HAVE SAID
THAT HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS
PROVIDE THINGS LIKE FOOD AND
EMERGENCY HEALTH CARE THAT ARE
OFTEN LIFE SAVING, AS WELL AS
IMPORTANT BUT HARDER TO MEASURE
THINGS LIKE FEELINGS OF
COMMUNITY AND DIGNITY. AND SO I
ENCOURAGE THINKING BROADLY ABOUT
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF OUR
HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS AND WHAT
WE CAN MEASURE, BUT ALSO WHAT
THEY CAN ACCOMPLISH IN WAYS THAT
ARE DIFFICULT TO MEASURE, I'LL
STOP THERE. AND I'M HAPPY TO
ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU
MIGHT HAVE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH,
DOCTOR, FOR YOUR WORK AND FOR
YOUR PARTICIPATION THIS MORNING.
FIRST, MAYBE FOR THE BENEFIT OF
SOME OBSERVERS, JUST SOME OF THE
BASICS, OBVIOUSLY WE, THE
NUMBERS THAT INDICATE AN ONGOING
RATE INCREASE OVERALL WITHIN THE
POPULATION DATA SET. RIGHT
WHAT'S THE WHAT DEGREE OF
CORRELATION EXISTS BETWEEN THAT
AND THE OVERALL POPULATION DATA
SET TO BEGIN WITH? IT'S A VERY
BIG STATE, SECONDLY, THE
DEFINITION THÀNH THAT WE LOOK AT
IN TERMS OF LOOKING AT CHRONIC
HOMELESSNESS, AS I SEE FROM YOUR
PRESENTATION NOTES, THERE'S AT
LEAST ONE YEAR IN THE PREVIOUS
THREE, IN ADDITION TO A
DISABLING CONDITION. CAN YOU
EXPAND A LITTLE BIT SO THAT
FOLKS UNDERSTAND WHAT EXACT
CHARACTERISTICS THE POPULATION
SAMPLE THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE
FOCUSING ON THESE FOLKS ARE
LARGELY UNEMPLOYED. WHAT
PERCENTAGE OF THEM ARE WORKING
POOR THAT FALL INTO UNSHELTERED
HOMELESSNESS, EVEN WITH
FAMILIES? CAN YOU KIND OF PARSE
THAT OUT FOR US, IN TERMS OF
WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN THE
DATA SET, DISABLING CONDITION,
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WHAT
PERCENTAGE? I'M GUESSING IT'S
SMALL OR PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY ARE
AT LEAST PARTIALLY EMPLOYED THAT
STILL END UP UNSHELTERED OR IN
IN HOMELESSNESS TELL US A LITTLE
BIT ABOUT MORE, HOW YOU PUT
PARAMETERS AROUND THE DATA SET
AND HOW HOW IS THAT RELEVANT?
ABSOLUTELY. SO IN TERMS OF THE
CORRELATION BETWEEN STATES AND
RATES OF HOMELESSNESS AND
POPULATION, IT'S NOT
EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH, SOME OF THE
STATES WITH THE HIGHEST RATES OF
POPULATION ARE STATES OR HIGHEST
RATES OF HOMELESSNESS ARE STATES
WITH RELATIVELY LOW POPULATIONS.
FOR EXAMPLE, VERMONT HAS THE ONE
OF THE HIGHEST RATES OF THE
COUNTRY, MUCH HIGHER THAN
CALIFORNIA. THAT'S DUE TO A
RECENT GROWTH OF HOMELESSNESS IN
VERMONT. SO IT DOESN'T TAKE AS
MUCH TO MOVE THE NEEDLE IN
VERMONT AS IT DOES IN
CALIFORNIA, AND THEN
PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT
HOUSING RELATIVE TO POPULATION
OR HOUSING COSTS RELATIVE TO
POPULATION, THAT'S WHERE A LOT
OF THE ACTION IS. SO IN LARGE
STATES LIKE CALIFORNIA AND NEW
YORK, THEY HAVE HIGH
HOMELESSNESS RATES. BUT THAT'S
MORE OF A FUNCTION OF THE
HOUSING COSTS WHICH ARE
CONNECTED TO POPULATION THAN IT
IS CONNECTED TO POPULATION
ALONE. WITHIN THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA, SOME OF THE HIGHEST
RATES OF HOMELESSNESS ARE IN
RELATIVELY RURAL COUNTIES LIKE
MENDOCINO COUNTY AND HUMBOLDT
COUNTY, WHICH HAS THE HIGHEST
RATE IN THE STATE IN TERMS OF
RATES OF CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS.
THIS IS A DEFINITION THAT'S
ESTABLISHED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF
HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT.
IT IS MEASURED BY SERVICE
PROVIDERS AT THE INTAKE OF A
PROGRAM OR VIA A SURVEY FOR THE
POINT IN TIME COUNT FOR PEOPLE
WHO ARE LIVING OUTSIDE OF THE
SHELTER SYSTEM, EMPLOYMENT RATES
ARE RELATIVELY LOW FOR PEOPLE
EXPERIENCING CHRONIC PATTERNS OF
HOMELESSNESS, SO THIS IS
TYPICALLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN
ON THE STREET FOR AT LEAST A
YEAR. BUT IT'S OFTEN THREE FIVE
MORE. BUT IT CAN INCLUDE PEOPLE
WHO EXPERIENCE REPEATED SPELLS
OF POVERTY IN A SHORT OR I'M
SORRY, HOMELESSNESS WITHIN A
SHORT TIME. SO IT COULD BE
SOMEBODY THAT'S CYCLING IN AND
OUT OF LIKE AN AUNT OR SISTER'S
HOUSE, OVER THE COURSE OF THREE
YEARS, WHERE IT ADDS UP TO MORE
THAN A YEAR NOT BEING HOUSED,
ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT IS LOW.
THERE ARE MANY SERVICES THAT ARE
DEDICATED TO PEOPLE EXPERIENCING
CHRONIC PATTERNS OF
HOMELESSNESS. AND FOLKS THAT
MEET THESE CRITERIA ARE
TYPICALLY PRIORITIZED FOR THINGS
LIKE PERMANENT HOUSING
PLACEMENTS THROUGH THINGS LIKE
HUD PROGRAMS AND LOCAL
COORDINATED ENTRY SYSTEMS THAT
PUT PEOPLE INTO A QUEUE FOR
HOUSING ASSISTANCE, INCLUDING
PLACEMENTS IN PERMANENT
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. SO AS A
RESULT, MOST FOLKS THAT ENTER
PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IN
CALIFORNIA THESE DAYS MEET THE
CRITERIA FOR CHRONIC PATTERNS OF
HOMELESSNESS. THEY'RE ALSO OFTEN
OLDER ADULTS WHO HAVE HAD JUST
MORE YEARS OF BEING ALIVE TO
MEET THOSE CRITERIA. ONE OF THE
CRITIQUES IN THE RESEARCH AND,
PRACTITIONER COMMUNITIES OF
THESE DEFINITIONS ARE THAT YOUTH
EXPERIENCE HOMELESSNESS OFTEN
DON'T MEET THE CRITERIA SIMPLY
BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ALIVE
LONG ENOUGH TO EXPERIENCE
HOMELESSNESS IN A CHRONIC
PATTERN, AND THEREFORE HAVE BEEN
DEPRIORITIZED BY SOME OF THESE
SYSTEMS. SO THERE ARE DIFFERENT
WAYS THAT SYSTEMS TRY TO ACCOUNT
FOR THE FACT THAT NOT EVERYBODY,
IS AT EQUAL RISK FOR MEETING
THESE, BUT THAT MIGHT NOT
CORRELATE TO WHAT THEIR EXACT
NEEDS ARE. THANK YOU. AND SO I
THINK IT SUGGESTS ANYWAY THAT IF
WITH RESPECT TO THE RELATIVITY
OF THE RATE OF HOMELESSNESS VIS
A VIS POPULATION IN ANY GIVEN
GEOGRAPHIC AREA OR POLITICAL
SUBDIVISION, RIGHT, THAT WE HAVE
TO CONCLUDE THAT THERE ARE OTHER
EXTRANEOUS FACTORS THAT MAY BE
AT PLAY THAT HAVE A HIGHER
IMPACT RIGHT. NUMBER ONE. NUMBER
TWO, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS
ABOUT WHAT CONCLUSIONS WE CAN
DRAW FROM THE FACT THAT,
GENERALLY SPEAKING, YOU SEE AN
INCREASE IN THE RATE HERE IN
CALIFORNIA IN SPITE OF A
SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENT IN
PROGRAM BY THE STATE. WE OFTEN
HEAR THAT AS A CRITIQUE, MY OWN
VIEW. AND I DON'T WANT TO
PREJUDICE YOUR RESPONSE, IS THAT
THAT'S A THAT THOSE CONCLUSIONS
ARE YET INCOMPLETE, BUT
LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS CAN CAN YOU
INFORM US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
WHAT CONCLUSIONS YOU DRAW FROM
THAT, FROM THAT TREND? YEAH,
ABSOLUTELY. I SPENT A LOT OF
TIME THINKING ABOUT THAT,
ACTUALLY. SO I THINK OF IT IN
TWO WAYS. I THINK FIRST IS THAT
THE EVIDENCE OF THE IMPACT IS
MUCH MORE DISCERNIBLE WHEN WE
LOOK AT THE PROGRAM OUTCOMES FOR
NUMBERS OF PEOPLE SERVED AND THE
NUMBERS OF PEOPLE PLACED INTO
PERMANENT HOUSING. SO WHILE THE
PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE MOVING INTO
PERMANENT HOUSING MIGHT APPEAR
UNIMPRESSIVE ON ITS FACE FROM
ANY SHELTER PROGRAMS, THAT'S
LARGELY A FUNCTION OF HOW THE
SUPPLY OF HOUSING HAS LAGGED
BEHIND. IT TAKES MUCH LONGER TO
INVEST IN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
THAN IT DOES TO INVEST IN A
SHELTER PROGRAM IN MANY CASES,
AND SO SHELTER PROGRAMS ARE
OFTEN PROVIDING LIFE SAVING
ACCESS TO SERVICES AND SAFETY
FOR PEOPLE, AND THEN THE RATE OF
EXIT TO PERMANENT HOUSING HAS
SLOWLY INCREASED AS OUR SUPPLY
OF PERMANENT HOUSING IS ALSO
INCREASING. SO WE DO SEE PEOPLE
MOVING TO PERMANENT HOUSING, WE
SEE THOUSANDS EVERY YEAR, AND
THAT IS, I THINK, THE EVIDENCE
OF THE STATE'S INVESTMENTS. THE
OTHER WAY THAT I THINK ABOUT
WHERE DO WE LOOK FOR IMPACT IS
THAT IT'S LIKE WE'VE BEEN ON A
TANKER THAT'S GOING IN THE SAME
DIRECTION FOR DECADES. AND SO
PUSHING A TANKER TAKES MORE THAN
JUST ONE SINGLE PUSH. IT TAKES A
SUSTAINED PUSH. AND SO ALL OF
OUR INVESTMENTS THAT WE ARE
OFTEN LOOKING AT FOR
ACCOUNTABILITY NOW ARE SOME OF
THE THINGS THAT ARE EXPANDING
SHELTER SYSTEMS, THAT ARE
EXPANDING ACCESS TO OUTREACH OR
SUPPORTIVE SERVICES. BUT WE ALSO
NEED TO THINK ABOUT THE UPSTREAM
, PREVENTION EFFORTS. WE NEED TO
THINK ABOUT THE ACCESS TO THE
SAFETY NET, THE LIVING WAGES,
THE ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE
HOUSING. THOSE ARE LONGER TIME
EFFORTS WHERE THE STATE'S
INVESTMENTS WILL TAKE MORE TIME
TO BECOME VISIBLE. SO THERE ARE
PARTICULAR METRICS THAT SHOW
PROGRESS FROM THE RECENT STATE
INVESTMENTS AND THEN THERE ARE
OTHER BIGGER PICTURE METRICS
THAT SIMPLY TAKE A LONGER AND
MORE SUSTAINED EFFORT TO BECOME
VISIBLE. THANK YOU. WE'LL BRING
IT TO THE SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS.
OTHER QUESTIONS FROM SENATOR
NEIL, EXCUSE ME A FEW QUESTIONS.
ONE THAT STRUCK ME AS YOU WERE
SPEAKING FREQUENTLY TO DATA, AN
AUDIT RECENTLY CAME OUT WHERE,
THEY WERE HAMPERED BECAUSE OF
INSUFFICIENT DATA. SO THAT'S IN
SOMEWHAT CONTRAST TO THE
EVIDENCE THAT YOU'VE PRESENTED.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? YEAH.
GREAT QUESTION. SO I THINK PART
OF THE CHALLENGE WITH THE
ANALYSIS IN THE AUDIT, IS THAT
MANY OUTCOMES FOR PEOPLE PASSING
THROUGH HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS,
PARTICULARLY STREET OUTREACH AND
INTERIM HOUSING PROGRAMS, REMAIN
UNKNOWN. THIS HAPPENS WHEN
SOMEBODY DOES NOT RETURN TO A
SHELTER PROGRAM AFTER STAYING
THERE FOR A NIGHT, OR STREET
OUTREACH TEAM IS NOT ABLE TO
LOCATE SOMEBODY AGAIN AFTER
HAVING A PERIOD OF CONTACT WITH
THEM WHERE THEY'VE BEEN ENTERED
INTO THE DATA, AND SO THAT IS
OFTEN INTERPRETED AS, EVIDENCE
OF LOW DATA QUALITY, I DON'T
NECESSARILY, DISPUTE THAT, THAT,
THAT WE WANT THAT TO IMPROVE. I
THINK WE CERTAINLY DO, BUT I
THINK THE ABILITY TO SUSTAIN
CONTACT WITH SOMEBODY IS ALSO AN
INDICATOR OF EFFECTIVE SERVICES,
AND SO I THINK THERE'S MAYBE A
DIFFERENCE IN INTERPRETATION OF
WHAT DO WE THINK IS A SIGNAL OF
DATA QUALITY, I THINK THE OTHER
THING THAT IS DIFFERENT,
POTENTIALLY IN HOW ONE MIGHT
READ THE DATA, IS THAT THE
COVERAGE OF THE PROGRAMS THAT
ARE INCLUDED IN DATA, LIKE HDIS
FOR THE STATE IS MUCH BROADER
THAN SIMILAR SYSTEMS IN OTHER
STATES. VERY FEW STATES HAVE A
SYNTHESIZED COLLECTION OF
HOMELESSNESS PROGRAM DATA, AND
OFTEN THAT DATA INCLUDES A VERY
NARROW SET OF SHELTER AND
HOUSING PROGRAMS. AND THEY DON'T
INCLUDE THE SAME TYPES OF
SERVICE PROGRAMS, RAIMES AND
INCREASINGLY, SOCIAL SERVICE
PROGRAMS LIKE THE CALWORKS
HOMELESSNESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
THAT ARE NOW INCLUDED IN HDIS.
SO I THINK THE NET IS WIDER AND
THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO
INTERPRET WHAT IS, THE MEANING
OF DATA QUALITY, AND THEN MY
LAST THOUGHT ON, THINKING ABOUT
THE WHAT THE DATA CAN AND CAN'T
TELL US IS THAT PART OF THE
CHALLENGE FOR ESTABLISHING,
LIKE, A COST PER OUTCOME IS DUE
TO THE FACT THAT THERE IS A
COMPLEX BRAIDING OF DIFFERENT
SOURCES OF HOMELESSNESS FUNDING
INTO ANY ONE GIVEN PROGRAM, SO
FOR A SHELTER PROGRAM THAT
RELIES ON HAP COUNTY GENERAL
FUNDS AND FEDERAL FUNDS FROM THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN
DEVELOPMENT, IT CAN BE DIFFICULT
TO ASSIGN A PRICE PER OUTCOME
BECAUSE THOSE FUNDS ARE SIMPLY
BLENDED TOGETHER AND SO WHAT IS
THE CONTRIBUTION OF HAP TO A
GIVEN HOUSING PLACEMENT FROM
THAT SHELTER PROGRAM IS
DIFFICULT TO ASSIGN IN AN
EXTREMELY SPECIFIC WAY JUST
BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE
COMPLEXITY OF THE FINANCING.
OKAY. A COUPLE OF OTHER
QUESTIONS I NOTICE IN THE, SORT
OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND ETHNIC
DISTRIBUTION, WHEN YOU TALK
ABOUT, THE BLACK OR AFRICAN
AMERICAN POLITICIAN THÀNH OR
EXCUSE ME, POPULATION, YOU ADD
AFRICAN. DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?
CURRENT OR RECENT GENERATION
IMMIGRANTS FROM AFRICA AND THIS
OR THE LAST CENTURY. YEAH. SO
THESE ARE THE CATEGORY LABELS
THAT WERE ASSIGNED BY THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN
DEVELOPMENT WHEN THEY COLLECTED
THE DATA. SO THEY DO INCLUDE,
FOR EXAMPLE, FIRST GENERATION
AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS INTO THESE
STATISTICS OR INTO THIS CATEGORY
IN CALIFORNIA. THAT'S A VERY
SMALL POPULATION, BUT IT IS MUCH
MORE RELEVANT IN PLACES LIKE
WASHINGTON, D.C. IS THAT
POPULATION HAVE A VERY HIGH
INCIDENCE OF HOMELESSNESS,
SIMILAR TO, NATIVE AFRICAN
AMERICANS OR BLACKS, I BELIEVE
THAT THE RATES ARE LOWER, AS
THEY ARE FOR MANY IMMIGRANT
GROUPS, BUT I DON'T KNOW, OFF
THE TOP OF MY HEAD, THE
SPECIFICS. OKAY. I JUST THOUGHT
IT WAS INTERESTING THAT YOU
DELINEATED THAT. NOW, WITH
REGARD TO THE GRAPH OF, THE
HOMELESSNESS NUMBERS ON PAGE
TWO, AND YOU SPEAK TO THE COST
OF HOUSING, AND CERTAINLY
CALIFORNIA IS A VERY IS A HIGH
COST STATE. IT'S A HIGH HOUSING
COST STATE. BUT THAT'S NOT NEW,
AND YET IN SOMEWHERE AROUND
BEFORE 2018, LOOKS LIKE 2015 OR
16 OR SO, THE NUMBERS EXPLODED
FROM THEN ON. THAT CAN'T BE JUST
BECAUSE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING,
BECAUSE WE'VE HAD THAT PROBLEM
ALL ALONG. HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN
THAT PHENOMENON? YEAH. SO THE
RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT IT'S
OFTEN A CONFLUENCE OF MANY
FACTORS. SOME OF WHICH HAVE BEEN
SLOW BREWING, SO SOME OF THEM
ARE THE WAY THAT THE HIGH
HOUSING COSTS HAVE INTERSECTED
WITH OTHER THINGS, LIKE
DECLINING LIVING WAGES IN SOME
PLACES OR FOR SOME SEGMENTS OF
THE LABOR MARKET, SPECIFICALLY.
IN SOME CASES, IT'S BEEN DUE TO
THE POPULATION GROWTH THAT HAS
ADDED TO HIGH HOUSING COSTS OR
HAS ACCELERATED UPWARD
TRAJECTORIES OF HOUSING COSTS,
IN SOME CASES, IT IS
INTERSECTIONS WITH THINGS LIKE
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OR
SUBSTANCE USE CHALLENGES. SO
THOSE MIGHT NOT BE THE PRIMARY
DRIVER OF THE STATE'S
HOMELESSNESS RATES. BUT THEN
THEY INTERSECT IN COMPLEX WAYS
WITH HIGH HOUSING COSTS. SO FOR
EXAMPLE, IF LIVING WAGES FOR
SERVICE WORKERS AREN'T KEEPING
PACE WITH HOUSING COSTS, HOUSING
COSTS INCREASE AND PEOPLE ARE
GRAPPLING WITH UNDERLYING
CHALLENGES LIKE MENTAL HEALTH
CHALLENGES, IT CREATES A
PRECARITY FOR THAT PERSON WHERE
CUMULATIVELY, IT WINDS UP
TIPPING THEM OVER INTO THE EDGE
WHERE PERHAPS THERE WEREN'T
QUITE AS MANY PRESSURES OR THE
COLLECTION OF PRESSURES WASN'T
AS GREAT BEFORE, THE OTHER THING
IS THAT WHEN PEOPLE ENTER
HOMELESSNESS, RESEARCH HAS
SHOWN, LIKE RESEARCH FROM THE
BENIOFF INSTITUTE AT UCSF HAS
SHOWN THAT IT OFTEN FOLLOWS A
RELATIVELY LONG TRAJECTORY FOR
MANY PEOPLE. IN SOME CASES,
THERE IS A SINGLE PRECIPITATING
EVENT, THINGS LIKE A HEALTH
CRISIS OR A JOB LOSS THAT CAN
LURCH SOMEBODY INTO HOMELESSNESS
IMMEDIATELY. BUT OFTEN IT'S
THINGS LIKE A JOB LOSS FOLLOWED
BY A HEALTH ISSUE, FOLLOWED BY A
DISPUTE WITH A FAMILY MEMBER, OR
MARITAL DISSOLUTION FOLLOWED BY
AN EVICTION. SO THERE CAN BE A
LONG STRING OF EVENTS WHERE
THERE IS AN UNDERLYING HOUSING
INSECURITY THAT PRECEDES THE
RISE IN HOMELESSNESS. AND THEN
AS THE FACTORS THAT WEIGH ON
PEOPLE ACCUMULATE, IT CAN TAKE
OFF RATHER RAPIDLY AND I THINK
THAT AGGREGATES UPWARD INTO WHAT
THE TREND LOOKS LIKE FOR A STATE
. SO I THINK THAT YOU'RE RIGHT.
HIGH HOUSING COSTS ARE CERTAINLY
PRECEDING THE RISE IN
HOMELESSNESS THAT WE'VE HAD. BUT
I THINK THERE'S BEEN A COMPLEX
STORM OF ISSUES THAT HAVE
INTERSECTED WITH HOUSING COSTS
TO CREATE THE GROWTH THAT WE'VE
SEEN. YOU YOU PAINT A PICTURE OF
THE INCREDIBLE COMPLEXITY
RELATIVE TO CAUSATIONS THAT
ALMOST MAKES THE PROBLEM
INSOLUBLE, THAT'S NOT MY
CONCLUSION. IT'S JUST KIND OF A
COMMENT. BUT I WOULD ADD THAT,
THERE IS A COINCIDENCE OF A
PARTICULAR STATE POLICY HERE
WHERE I WOULD AGREE THAT,
COINCIDENCE CGRTS IS NOT
NECESSARILY CAUSATION, BUT ADDED
TO THAT PLETHORA OF FACTORS, THE
POINT AT WHICH THE NUMBERS
EXPLODED WAS ALSO THE TIME THAT
THE STATE, OFFICIALLY, THROUGH
LEGISLATION, ADOPTED HOUSING
FIRST AS OUR GUIDING POLICY. DO
YOU SEE ANY CORRELATION THERE, I
DON'T BELIEVE SO. SO I THINK
THAT WE ADOPTED HOUSING FIRST IN
RESPONSE TO THE GROWING EVIDENCE
BASE FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
THE PROGRAM, PARTICULARLY FOR
PEOPLE EXPERIENCING CHRONIC
PATTERNS OF HOMELESSNESS. I
THINK THAT WHAT WE HAVE SEEN
SINCE THEN IS ACTUALLY MOST OF
THE FOLKS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS AT A GIVEN POINT IN
TIME ARE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS FOR THE FIRST TIME,
AND SO THEY'RE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS NOT BECAUSE OUR
HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS AREN'T
HELPING THEM MOVE OUT OF
HOMELESSNESS. THEY'RE ENTERING
HOMELESSNESS BECAUSE THEY'VE RUN
INTO A VARIETY OF ISSUES THAT
HAVE DISRUPTED THEIR ABILITY TO
HOLD ON TO HOUSING. THE MOST
FUNDAMENTAL OF WHICH IS SIMPLY
THE FACT THAT HOUSING IS VERY
EXPENSIVE, AND THAT THEIR JOBS
OFTEN CANNOT COVER THE COSTS OF
HOUSING. AND THEN ANY OTHER
KINDS OF CHALLENGES THAT THEY'RE
RUNNING INTO. IT'S VERY EASY TO
BE TIPPED OVER THE EDGE WHEN
YOU'RE HANGING ON SO NARROWLY,
AND THEN I THINK THAT THE
ADOPTION OF HOUSING FIRST IS A
GUIDING PRINCIPLE. IT'S AN
APPROACH TO HOMELESSNESS
PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDES HOUSING
AS THE CORNERSTONE FOR STABLE
ACCESS TO ONGOING SUPPORTIVE
SERVICES FOR MENTAL HEALTH,
SUBSTANCE USE, TREATMENT, ETC.
AND THAT'S IN RESPONSE TO
RESEARCH SHOWING THAT WHAT WAS
TYPICALLY CALLED THE STAIRCASE
MODEL PRIOR TO HOUSING FIRST,
WHERE PEOPLE COMPLETE A SERIES
OF TREATMENT PROGRAMS IN ORDER
TO DEMONSTRATE READINESS FOR
HOUSING, OFTEN FAILED, IN PART
BECAUSE COMPULSORY TREATMENT HAS
NOT A STRONG EVIDENCE BASE FOR
BEING EFFECTIVE, AND THE OTHER
REASON IS THAT IT'S SIMPLY
DIFFICULT TO PARTICIPATE IN
TREATMENT PROGRAMS IN THE
ABSENCE OF A STABLE FOUNDATION
OF HOUSING, SO I THINK THAT THAT
IS A COINCIDENCE, AND I DON'T
THINK THAT THERE'S A CAUSAL
RELATIONSHIP THERE. THAT'S
INTERESTING BECAUSE YOU TALK
ABOUT SUCH A HUGE ARRAY OF
POTENTIAL CAUSES. AND YET WE
HAVE ONE POLICY THAT ABSOLUTELY
CORRELATES WITH THE BEGINNING OF
THE EXPLOSION OF THE NUMBERS.
AND YOU DENY THAT THAT COULD BE
COULD BE ANY PARTICULAR
INFLUENCE ON THE EXPLOSION OF
THE NUMBERS. I'M NOT LOOKING TO
AN ANSWER FOR THAT. IT'S AN
OBSERVATION ON MY PART. IT
DOESN'T SEEM REASONABLE TO AT
LEAST CONSIDER THAT PERHAPS THAT
MIGHT BE THE CASE. NOW, YOU ALSO
MENTIONED THAT, THE NUMBER OF
HOMELESS VETERANS IS HAS
DECREASED DRAMATICALLY. AND, THE
IMPLICATION WAS THAT, IT WAS
TREATING THEIR CIRCUMSTANCE.
REYES. SO WHAT WERE THE
CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WERE TREATED
WITH REGARD TO VETERANS THAT
DISTINGUISHES THAT FROM OTHER
GROUPS, I WOULD SAY THAT THERE'S
THREE FACTORS. THE FIRST IS THAT
THERE'S BEEN SUSTAINED
INVESTMENT IN PRODUCING MORE
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING UNITS THAT
ARE SPECIFIC, DEDICATED TO
VETERANS, THROUGH PROGRAMS LIKE
THE VETERANS HOUSING AND
HOMELESSNESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM,
THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN INTEGRATED
SERVICES AND HOUSING PROGRAMS
ACROSS LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT. AND
SO THAT INCLUDES HEALTH CARE,
SOCIAL SERVICE SUPPORTS
COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION, THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN
DEVELOPMENT, AND LOCAL AND STATE
HOMELESSNESS PRACTITIONERS AND
POLICIES. AND THE THIRD HAS BEEN
SUSTAINED, RESOURCES FOR HOUSING
SUBSIDIES THROUGH THINGS LIKE,
THE HUD-VASH PROGRAM, THE
HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
AND VETERANS AFFAIRS SUPPORTIVE
HOUSING PROGRAM, WHICH DEDICATED
A STREAM OF HOUSING VOUCHERS TO
PROVIDE ONGOING RENTAL
ASSISTANCE SPECIFICALLY
DEDICATED TO VETERANS. AND I
THINK THAT'S THE CONFLUENCE OF
FACTORS THAT HAVE ALLOWED
VETERANS TO EXIT HOMELESSNESS
AND REMAIN HOUSED STABLY. THANK
YOU, SPECIFICALLY WITH REGARD TO
TREATING PEOPLE, WITH THEIR
SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND
PARTICULARLY MY POINT WITH
REGARD TO HOUSING FIRST BEFORE
AND MY COMMENT ISN'T TO DISPUTE,
THE APPLICATION OF HOUSING
FIRST. IT'S TO DISPUTE THE
EXCLUSIVE APPLICATION OF HOUSING
FIRST. AND BY WAY OF EXAMPLE, IN
TERMS OF OFFERING, TREATMENT OR,
ASSISTANCE BASED UPON
CIRCUMSTANCE CASES, THERE IS AN
OPTION CALLED RECOVERY HOUSING,
WHICH IS THE OPTION FOR SOMEBODY
WHO WANTS TO GET OFF DRUGS. AND
THEY NEED TO BE AN ENVIRONMENT
WHERE THEY AREN'T EXPOSED TO
DRUGS. IN OTHER WORDS, THEY NEED
A DRUG, DRUG FREE HOUSING
ENVIRONMENT THAT OPTION. EXCUSE
ME, I'VE GOT I HAVE A FROG THIS
MORNING. I'LL TRY TO GET RID OF
IT, BUT, THAT, THAT OPTION IS
NOT ELIGIBLE FOR STATE FUNDING
BECAUSE OF THE EXCLUSIVE
APPLICATION OF HOUSING FIRST.
AND THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT HAVE
UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES. THEY WANT
HELP. IT HAS TO BE IN A CERTAIN
ENVIRONMENT, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT
TO GET OFF DRUGS WHEN YOU ARE IN
AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE PERSON
NEXT TO YOU IS USING DRUGS AND
IT'S JUST NOT ELIGIBLE FOR STATE
FUNDING. AND THAT'S SOMEWHAT I
FIND THAT SOMEWHAT FRUSTRATING,
BUT NOW MY LAST QUESTION, YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT HOUSING PERMANENT
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING SHELTER,
PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING,
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AND HOUSING,
THAT IS A CONTINUUM OF
PROGRESSION TOWARD
SELF-SUFFICIENCY. AND I DON'T
SEE ANY DATA OR ATTEMPT AT DATA
OR DISPLAY OF DATA AS TO HOW
SUCCESSFUL WE HAVE BEEN IN
MOVING A PERSON WHO IS HOMELESS,
CHRONICALLY OR OTHERWISE, TO A
POINT NOT JUST OF HOUSING, BUT
OF A POINT OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY,
COULD YOU ADDRESS THAT? YEAH. SO
I THINK WHAT THIS CHART IS
SHOWING IS, THE KINDS OF
PROGRAMS THAT ARE DRAWING ON
ONGOING STATE INVESTMENTS, THERE
ARE MANY OTHER PROGRAMS THAT DO
NOT RELY ON, ON GOING, STATE
INVESTMENTS NECESSARILY. SO ONE
OF THE MORE SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS
THAT'S OFTEN BEEN USED FOR
FAMILIES AND PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT
EXPERIENCING CHRONIC PATTERNS OF
HOMELESSNESS IS RAPID REHOUSING
OR TIME LIMITED SUBSIDIES. THESE
HAVE OFTEN DRAWN ON HUD
RESOURCES OR FEDERAL RESOURCES,
AND THEN MANY LOCAL COMMUNITIES
HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHING THEIR OWN
TIME LIMITED SUBSIDY PROGRAMS.
SO THEY ARE AS LARGE IN SCALE AS
SOME OF OUR BIGGEST HOUSING
PROGRAMS. THEY MOVE MANY
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE OUT OF
HOMELESSNESS VERY QUICKLY, THE
MODEL IS MEANT TO PROVIDE
HOUSING ASSISTANCE IN TERMS OF
SEARCHING FOR HOUSING, WORKING
WITH LANDLORDS, PAYING FOR
SECURITY DEPOSIT AND THEN
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN SIX MONTHS AND
TWO YEARS OF RENT, DEPENDING ON
THE PROGRAM AND THE PERSON'S
CIRCUMSTANCES, AS THEIR INCOMES
RISE TO MEET THE RENT IN THE
UNIT THAT THEY'VE GOTTEN WITH
THAT TIME LIMITED SUBSIDY,
THERE'S A LOT OF EVIDENCE THAT
THAT KIND OF PROGRAM HAS BEEN
VERY EFFECTIVE AND VERY, VERY
EFFECTIVE IN TERMS OF HELPING
FAMILIES ENTER HOUSING, AND THEN
THEY'VE ALSO BEEN VERY COST
EFFECTIVE BECAUSE THEY'RE A TIME
LIMITED INVESTMENT RATHER THAN
AN ENDURING PERMANENT SUBSIDY,
THOSE PROGRAMS HAVE TENDED TO
WORK BEST FOR FAMILIES AND FOR
PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED
CHRONIC PATTERNS OF HOMELESSNESS
OR WHO DO NOT REQUIRE A HIGH
LEVEL OF SUPPORTIVE SERVICES,
AND THEN ONE OF THE MOST COMMON
OUTCOMES, PARTICULARLY FOR
FAMILIES WHEN THEY EXIT A
HOMELESSNESS PROGRAM, IS TO
SIMPLY MOVE INTO HOUSING THAT
THEY'RE RENTING ON THEIR OWN
WITHOUT A SUBSIDY AT ALL, AND SO
THAT IS VERY COMMON, BOTH FOR
INDIVIDUALS, BUT MAINLY FOR
FAMILIES, AND THEN ANOTHER
COMMON OUTCOME IS MOVING IN WITH
FRIENDS AND FAMILY ON A
TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT BASIS AND
THEN MOVING INTO ONE'S OWN
HOUSING, ONGOING, THE LAST THING
I'LL SAY IS WE DON'T HAVE GREAT
DATA ON IT, BUT THERE ARE MANY
MOVING ON PROGRAMS ACROSS THE
STATE. THESE ARE PROGRAMS THAT
ARE MEANT TO HELP FOLKS
TRANSITION FROM PERMANENT
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING TO PERMANENT
HOUSING. THAT IS LIVING MORE
INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT THE SAME
HIGH LEVEL OF SERVICES. AND THAT
COULD BE WITH SOME FORM OF
ONGOING HOUSING SUBSIDY, OR IT
COULD BE MOVING INTO HOUSING
THAT ONE PAYS FOR THROUGH ONE'S
OWN INCOME, SO THE RANGE OF
OUTCOMES IS QUITE DIVERSE.
PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IS
THE MOST EFFECTIVE FOR THE
RISING NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITH
CHRONIC PATTERNS OF
HOMELESSNESS. BUT OUTCOMES FOR
PEOPLE WITHOUT CHRONIC PATTERNS
OF HOMELESSNESS ARE DIVERSE.
THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN MANY
SUCCESSES FOR PEOPLE WITH
CHRONIC PATTERNS OF HOMELESSNESS
THROUGH THINGS LIKE TIME LIMITED
SUBSIDIES, PAIRED WITH A
CASEWORKER THAT VISITS MAYBE A
COUPLE TIMES A WEEK, SOMETHING
LIKE THAT, SO THE RANGE OF
OUTCOMES IS QUITE DIVERSE, MUCH
MORE SO THAN IS REFLECTED IN
THAT SLIDE. I WOULD JUST SUGGEST
THAT, ANY ATTEMPT TO ASSESS THE
SUCCESS OF OUR HOMELESSNESS
PROGRAMS HAS GOT TO HAVE SOME
COMPONENT OF MEASURING HOW
SUCCESSFUL WE ARE TO MOVING
PEOPLE TRULY SUCCESSFULLY OUT OF
HOMELESSNESS. I GET WHAT YOU
BASICALLY WHAT YOU SAID WAS THAT
, WE ARE ASSESSING THE
CONTINUUM, IF YOU WILL, OF,
ASSISTANCE TO PEOPLE THAT ARE
HOMELESS AND SO THOSE ARE THE
RELEVANT DATA POINTS. AND ONCE
THEY DO BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT,
THEY'RE SORT OF NOT PART OF THE
SYSTEM. SO WE'RE NOT MEASURING
THAT SPECIFICALLY. BUT I WOULD
JUST SUCCESS I WOULD JUST
SUGGEST THAT THAT HAS GOT TO BE
THE ULTIMATE, ASSESSMENT. AND IF
WE DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW, HOW
MANY PEOPLE WE ARE SUCCESSFULLY
GETTING TO SELF-SUFFICIENCY,
THEN WE REALLY DON'T KNOW THE
TRUE EFFECTIVENESS OF TO MEASURE
THE DATA WITH REGARD TO SHELTER,
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AND, AND, AND
PERMANENT HOUSING WITHOUT ADDING
THAT COMPONENT OF
SELF-SUFFICIENCY IS NOT
MEASURING TRULY THE SUCCESS OF
THE PROGRAMS. I SUGGEST THAT AS
AN ACADEMIC WHO'S TRACKING THIS
STUFF, YOU MIGHT DISAGREE WITH
THAT, BUT I RESPECTFULLY SUGGEST
THAT AS PART OF THE UNIVERSE OF
ASSESSMENT OF THE PERHAPS THE
MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THE
UNIVERSE OF ASSESSMENT, AND I'LL
JUST NOTE, THE STATE DATA DO
INCLUDE THOSE KINDS OF OUTCOMES,
AND IT WAS INCLUDED IN THE
STATEWIDE ASSESSMENT THAT WAS
CONDUCTED RECENTLY. THANK YOU.
SENATOR SMALL CUEVAS. THANK YOU,
MR. CHAIR, AND THANK YOU SO
MUCH, FOR THIS REALLY IN-DEPTH,
DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION.
I APPRECIATED THE QUESTIONS AND
THE CONVERSATIONS. AND I HAVE,
ONE THAT STRUCK ME IS THE
VETERANS DATA, AND IT SPEAKS
SOMEWHAT TO WHAT, SENATOR NILO
WAS GETTING AT, WITH THE SUCCESS
OF THESE PROGRAMS AND HOW THOSE
PROGRAMS ARE TRACKED AND
MONITORED, I'M CURIOUS, IS THERE
AND I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE SAYING
THAT THE STATE HAS A VERY BROAD
SORT OF, METHODOLOGY THAT IT'S
USING, LOOKING AT ALL OF THE
COMPLEXITY OF HOMELESSNESS. AND
SO THEREFORE OUR OUTCOMES ARE
ARE, IDENTIFIED DIFFERENTLY. BUT
I'M CURIOUS, IS THERE IN YOUR
EXPERIENCE, IS DOES THAT,
INFRASTRUCTURE THE FEDERAL,
STATE AND LOOKING NARROWLY AT
VETERANS, IS THERE SOMETHING TO
LEARN ABOUT HOW THAT DATA IS
TRACKED AND WHAT IS MEASURED, OR
IS IT JUST THE SIZE AND SORT OF
NARROWNESS OF THE SCOPE, I'M
JUST CURIOUS. YEAH, THAT'S
THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. AND I
THINK IT'S, THERE ARE CERTAINLY
MUCH TO BE LEARNED FROM THE
DEGREE OF COORDINATION THAT
EXISTS IN THE VETERANS PROGRAMS
AND WAYS THAT OTHER PROGRAMS
COULD, COULD IMPLEMENT AS WELL,
IN TERMS OF THE DATA AND THE
TRACKING, ONE OF THE
DIFFICULTIES FOR THE DATA
TRACKING IS THAT IT IT WORKS
WELL FOR THE VETERANS PROGRAMS,
IN PART BECAUSE THE VETERANS
PROGRAMS ARE LARGELY SELF
CONTAINED IN THE SENSE THAT
THERE'S PERHAPS A SINGLE SOURCE
OF FUNDING FOR THAT ONE PROGRAM,
AND THAT DIFFERS FOR MANY OF THE
OTHER HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS FOR
NON VETERANS, WHERE THERE ARE
DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCES THAT
HAVE DIFFERENT REPORTING
REQUIREMENTS AND SYSTEMS, AND SO
I THINK THAT INTEGRATION FOR THE
VETERANS PROGRAMS IS PART OF
WHAT ALLOWS IT'S, IT'S DATA
TRACKING TO BE RELATIVELY, HIGH.
THE OTHER, SO I THINK, I THINK
THEIR DATA ARE GOOD, BUT THEN
FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE
STATE AND OUR ANALYSIS OF THE
STATE'S DATA, IT IS ONLY
PARTIALLY INTEGRATED WITH THE
STATE DATA. AND THAT PARTLY
DEPENDS ON THE PROVIDER ORDERS,
THE INDIVIDUAL PROVIDERS OF THE
VETERAN PROGRAMS, BECAUSE HUD
MAINTAINS A PARALLEL DATA SYSTEM
FOR ITS VETERAN PROGRAMS, AS
DOES THE VA RELATIVE TO THE
MAINSTREAM HOMELESSNESS
PROGRAMS, THEY OVERLAP IN MANY
CASES, BUT NOT IN ALL. SO WE
DON'T ALWAYS SEE THE SAME DATA
POINTS IN THE VETERAN DATA THAT
WE DO IN THE STATEWIDE DATA, AND
SO THAT THAT MAKES IT SOMETIMES
DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND IF WE'RE
GETTING DIFFERING DATA POINTS,
WHAT THE SOURCE OF THE
DIFFERENCE MIGHT BE, YEAH, I
JUST THINK, ARE THERE LESSONS TO
BE LEARNED FROM BEING ABLE TO
LOOK AT SOMETHING THAT HAS
THAT'S A LITTLE MORE,
CONSOLIDATED WHERE YOU CAN GET
YOUR ARMS AROUND IT AND SORT OF
SEE WHAT ARE THE WHAT ARE THE
LESSONS LEARNED THAT COULD BE
EXTRACTED FROM THERE AND APPLIED
TO THE WAY WE'RE TRACKING? AND I
MEAN, TO BE ABLE TO REPORT A 40%
DECREASE IN HOMELESSNESS IS A
VERY CONCRETE DATA SET IN TERMS
OF LIKE, MEASUREMENT OF SUCCESS.
AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW HOW
THAT, MOVE FORWARD. SO MY OTHER
QUESTION OAN, AND IT GOES BACK
TO THE CHAIR'S QUESTION ABOUT
THE SORT OF DEMOGRAPHICS WITHIN
THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF
HOMELESSNESS. WHAT IS THE
WORKING HOMELESSNESS DATA, IF
YOU'RE WORKING IN TERMS OF
PEOPLE OR FAMILIES THAT HAVE
FULL TIME WORKERS THAT ARE ALSO
FINDING THEMSELVES IN THE CYCLE
OF HOMELESSNESS, TEMPORARY
HOUSING, SHELTER SYSTEM. JUST
CURIOUS, IS THERE A SENSE OF
LIKE WHERE WORKERS ARE? AND I
SAY THIS AS WE KNOW. I MEAN, I
TELL THE STORY ABOUT SOUTH LA
OFTEN IN THAT IT WAS ONCE A
BOOMING INDUSTRIAL TOWN, AND ALL
OF THOSE LITTLE BUNGALOWS, LIKE,
GREW UP IN TERMS OF HOME
OWNERSHIP AROUND THE INDUSTRIAL,
GOOD JOBS, UNIONIZED JOBS THAT
EXISTED WITHIN SOUTH CENTRAL,
SECOND BEHIND DETROIT IN
MANUFACTURING CARS, FOR EXAMPLE,
AND THEN YOU FAST FORWARD AND
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT SLIDE THAT
HAS THE TIMELINE ON SORT OF THE
FALLOUT OF THAT SHIFT FROM
INDUSTRIAL TO SERVICE, THE LOW
WAGES AND BENEFITS, WE SEE THIS
SPIKE IN, IN, IN THE UNHOUSED
AND IN THE INSECURITY OF
HOUSING. SO I'M WONDERING HOW
MANY WORKERS, FULL TIME WORKERS
WHO MAYBE DON'T HAVE THE MENTAL
HEALTH ISSUES, MAYBE DON'T HAVE
THE SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDER
ISSUES, BUT SIMPLY ARE
STRUGGLING THROUGH THE ECONOMY
OF THEIR JOBS, NOT PAYING ENOUGH
TO COVER HOUSING. WHAT DOES THAT
NUMBER LOOK LIKE IN THE STATE,
IT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION, AND
I DON'T KNOW THE NUMBER. OKAY,
IT IS OUR RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT
IT IS RELATIVELY HIGH. PART OF
THE REASON IT IS HARD TO KNOW
WHAT THE NUMBER IS. IS THAT THE
POINT AND COUNT TIME DATA, LIKE
THEY THEY TRACK PEOPLE WHO ARE
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS ON A
GIVEN NIGHT, AND VISIBLY SO.
EITHER IN A SHELTER OR OUTSIDE.
AND IT'S EXTREMELY DIFFICULT,
ESPECIALLY FOR SOMEBODY LIVING
IN A GARAGE OR DOUBLED UP OR IN
A VEHICLE THAT'S VERY EASY TO
MISS. THE OTHER MAIN SOURCE OF
DATA ARE THE HOMELESSNESS
PROGRAM DATA. OFTEN PEOPLE WHO
ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
AND HOUSING INSECURITY ARE NOT
NECESSARILY INTERACTING YET WITH
THE SAME HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS
THAT REPORT THESE KINDS OF DATA.
SO THINGS LIKE SHELTER PROGRAMS,
RAIMES OR STREET OUTREACH
PROGRAMS, AND SO WE OFTEN MISS A
LOT OF THE FOLKS WHO AREN'T YET
REACHING OUT FOR THE
HOMELESSNESS SERVICES, BUT THEY
MIGHT BE RECEIVING OTHER SAFETY
NET PROGRAMS LIKE CALFRESH,
MEDI-CAL ARE WORKING AND MAYBE
CYCLING IN AND OUT OF
HOMELESSNESS AND A LESS ENDURING
WAY. BUT I WILL SAY, AMONG
HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS THAT SERVE
PEOPLE IN THE SITUATIONS LIKE
THAT, LIKE FAMILIES WHO ARE
WORKING SOMEWHAT INSECURE FOR,
RAPID REHOUSING OR TIME LIMITED
SUBSIDY PROGRAMS, SERVE FOLKS IN
THAT GROUP LIKE THOSE ARE THE
MAJORITY OF FOLKS THAT THOSE
PROGRAMS SERVE ANOTHER TYPE OF
PROGRAM THAT SERVES THEM OFTEN
ARE SAFE PARKING SITES WHERE
SOMEBODY MIGHT BE STAYING IN A
VEHICLE, OFTEN FOR A VERY SHORT
TIME, JUST NEEDS A PLACE TO PARK
AND PERHAPS ACCESS SANITATION
SERVICES OR ANY KIND OF CASE
MANAGEMENT OR JOB SEARCH
ASSISTANCE. BUT OFTEN THOSE ARE
FOLKS THAT ARE ALREADY WORKING.
AND IN THE SITUATION THAT YOU
DESCRIBED, WHO JUST NEED A PLACE
TO PARK FOR A WEEK OR TWO WHILE
THEY'RE BETWEEN HOUSING
SITUATIONS. SO OUR RESEARCH
SUGGESTS IT IS VERY COMMON. IT
IS A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE. WHEN YOU LOOK AT HOW
MANY PEOPLE FOR WHOM DO THEY
EVER EXPERIENCE SOMETHING LIKE
THAT, BUT BECAUSE IT OFTEN
HAPPENS SO RAPIDLY AND PEOPLE
CYCLE IN AND OUT OF IT AT ANY
GIVEN POINT IN TIME, LIKE AT ANY
GIVEN NIGHT THAT MIGHT NOT BE.
MOST PEOPLE SO APPRECIATE THAT.
AND IT ALSO GOES BACK TO THIS,
THE NEED TO SORT OF BE
FORECASTING AND BEING ON TOP OF
THOSE DIFFERENT PROGRAMS AND
WAYS TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE SEE
THOSE INDIVIDUALS AND THOSE
FAMILIES AND BEGIN TO RECOGNIZE
THAT THAT IS SORT OF THE HITTING
HIDDEN PIPELINE INTO OUR OVERALL
HOMELESSNESS NUMBERS. AND THE
REASON WHY WE SEE THESE, THESE
DRAMATIC INCREASES, MY QUESTION
OTHER QUESTION GOES TO PAGE
SLIDE NUMBER THREE. AND, I WANT
TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE,
EXTRAORDINARY OVERREPRESENTATION
OF BLACK, AFRICAN AMERICAN AND
AAPI COMMUNITIES, I SEE THE
PERCENTAGE, THESE INCREASES. I'M
CURIOUS WHAT ARE THE POPULATION
NUMBERS AND WHAT DISPARITY? WHAT
IS THE DISPARITY HERE? SO WHEN
WE TALK ABOUT IN THE STATE,
BLACK AND AFRICAN AMERICANS, AND
WE TALK ABOUT API, WHAT
PERCENTAGE OF ARE THEY OF THE
STATE POPULATION OVERALL? AND
WHAT DOES THIS DRAMATIC INCREASE
MEAN? I SAY THAT TO SAY, YOU
KNOW, IN MY COUNTY, BLACK
COMMUNITIES ARE ABOUT 7% OF LA
COUNTY, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
COUNT, THE HOMELESSNESS COUNT,
RIGHT? WE'RE LOOKING AT 40. AND
I THINK SOMETIMES OF
HOMELESSNESS ARE BLACK, RIGHT.
OF THE HOMELESS ARE BLACK. AND
SO I MY QUESTION IS WHEN WE SEE
THOSE KIND OF DISPARITIES, WHAT
IS THAT DOING TO SUCH A SMALL
COMMUNITY. YOU KNOW, 40% OF A
COMMUNITY THAT IS 60, RIGHT?
IT'S LIKE, OKAY, BUT WHEN A
COMMUNITY IS JUST 7% AND THEY
HAVE A 40% HOMELESSNESS RATE,
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
WHAT WHAT ARE THE WHAT DOES THAT
INDICATE ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING
IN THAT COMMUNITY. AND IN YOUR
LOOK AT SERVICES AND FUNDING? DO
WE HAVE, SORT OF COMMUNITY
SPECIFIC, CULTURALLY COMPETENT
TÚI THAT ARE SORT OF GETTING AT
THAT CHEN SIDLE I WOULD SAY IN
SOME INSTANCES, PERCENTAGES.
YES. YEAH, YEAH. SO I THINK THE
PERCENTAGES THAT YOU NOTED ARE
VERY SIMILAR TO THOSE STATEWIDE.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, ACROSS THE STATE
OF CALIFORNIA, APPROXIMATELY 6
TO 7% OF THE STATE'S POPULATION
IS BLACK AND APPROXIMATELY 30
SOME PERCENT OF PEOPLE COUNTED
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IS
BLACK. THE SIMILAR PERCENTAGE
AMONG PEOPLE, IN THE PROGRAM
DATA, SO ROUGHLY 30 SOME PERCENT
IDENTIFIED AS BLACK IN
HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS. IT IS
ALSO HIGHER FOR FAMILIES, SO
BLACK FAMILIES EXPERIENCE
HOMELESSNESS MORE COMMONLY THAN
PEOPLE AND FAMILIES FROM OTHER
GROUPS, AND I THINK THAT THERE'S
A FEW THINGS IN RESPONSE TO YOUR
QUESTION. I THINK ONE IS THAT IN
TERMS OF THE DATA, PART OF WHAT
WE'RE SEEING WITH THE SPLIT
BETWEEN FAMILIES, RELATIVE TO
SINGLE ADULTS, IS THAT THERE'S A
BROADER KIND OF SYSTEMIC
INSECURITY FOR COMMUNITIES OF
COLOR THAT MAKE IT EASIER FOR
PEOPLE FROM FAMILIES TO GET
PUSHED INTO HOMELESSNESS.
RELATIVE TO NON-HISPANIC WHITE
FAMILIES, FOR EXAMPLE, SO THOSE
FAMILIES MIGHT HAVE MORE
ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS TO DRAW ON,
INCLUDING THEIR OWN FAMILY
MEMBERS SAVINGS, AND SO OTHER
THINGS THAT MAKE FAMILY
HOMELESSNESS LESS COMMON.
WHEREAS FOR FOLKS FROM, LIKE,
YOU KNOW, WHITE, HISPANIC,
WHITE, NON-HISPANIC COMMUNITIES,
SINGLE ADULTS THAT ENTER
HOMELESSNESS, MORE OFTEN, IT'S
OFTEN AFTER A LONGER STRING OF
FACTORS THAT PUSH THEM INTO
HOMELESSNESS. WHEREAS FOR PEOPLE
COMING FROM COMMUNITIES OF
COLOR, IT MAYBE DOESN'T TAKE AS
MANY PUSHES OR NUDGES TO GET
PUSHED INTO HOMELESSNESS. THE
OTHER THING WITH THE
DISPROPORTIONATE RATES IS THAT
IT NOT ONLY MEANS THAT THERE ARE
MORE PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY
THAT ARE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS, BUT THAT MORE
PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY ARE
CONNECTED TO PEOPLE WHO ARE
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, AND
SO THAT MEANS THAT THE IMPACT,
LIKE THE SECONDARY IMPACT, LIKE
ONE MIGHT THINK OF IT AS LIKE,
RADIATES MUCH MORE, THOROUGHLY
THROUGH A COMMUNITY, WHEN THE
RATE IS SO DISPROPORTIONATE. BUT
IT ALSO MEANS THAT WHEN THERE
ARE FORMS OF MUTUAL ASSISTANCE
AND AID, THAT THERE IS A MUCH
HIGHER NEED, COMING FROM A
SMALLER POOL OF PEOPLE ABLE TO
PROVIDE THAT ASSISTANCE AND SO
THAT'S ONE OF THE OTHER REASONS
THAT THERE'S THIS
DISPROPORTIONATE RATE IS, THE
WAY THAT COMMUNITY RESOURCES ARE
AFFECTED, AND THEN THE LAST
THING I'LL SAY ABOUT THE NEED
FOR THE CULTURALLY COMPETENT
SERVICES, I THINK THAT IS IN
PART WHAT MANY OF THE STATE
PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN PUSHING LOCAL
PROGRAMS TO LOCAL SERVICE
PROVIDERS AND PRACTITIONERS TO
WORK TOWARD, AS AN EXAMPLE, THE
HAP PROGRAM, AS PART OF ITS
APPLICATION PROCESS, HAS BEEN
REQUIRING RACIAL EQUITY PLANS
AND ASSESSMENTS, WHERE LOCAL
CONTINUUMS OF CARE THE
HOMELESSNESS PLANNING
ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEEN
ASSESSING THEIR DATA FOR RACIAL
EQUITY IN TERMS OF WHO
EXPERIENCES HOMELESSNESS, WHO
ENTERS PROGRAMS AND WHAT ARE
THEIR OUTCOMES. AND THEN
IDENTIFYING ACTION STEPS TO TAKE
IN ORDER TO REMEDY THOSE, SO ONE
EXAMPLE, PROMINENT EXAMPLE THAT
MANY HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING IS, THE
COMMUNITY, THE I'M SORRY, THE
SPECIFIC NAME, I'M FORGETTING
IT, BUT THE, THE LIVED
EXPERIENCE OF BLACK PEOPLE
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN, IN
LOS ANGELES, PARTICULARLY
ADDRESSING THINGS LIKE DISPARATE
RATES OF EXITING PERMANENT
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. SO TAKING
VERY THOROUGH ASSESSMENTS OF
PARTICULAR PROGRAMS AND OUTCOMES
AND THEN IDENTIFYING, THE
RESOURCES AND PROGRAM CHANGES
THAT ARE NEEDED TO ADDRESS THEM.
WOULD YOU SAY, WOULD YOU SAY THE
HAP PROGRAM BECAUSE THAT'S THE
ONE PROGRAM THAT I KNOW THAT
DOES HAVE SOME DIRECT
CORRELATION TO THESE DRAMATIC,
DISPROPORTIONALITY
REPRESENTATION IN TERMS OF BLACK
FOLKS IN HOMELESSNESS AND ÁP
COMMUNITIES. IS HAP THE ONLY
REAL FUND THAT PROVIDES THOSE
RESOURCES THAT IS ACTUALLY
LOOKING AND USING A RACIAL
EQUITY LENS AND THE RACIAL
DISPARITY LENS TO TARGET THESE
SORT OF ACUTE, BUT, STATISTICS
AND OUTCOMES, SO I THINK THERE
ARE VARIOUS PROGRAMS THAT CALL
FOR ATTENTION TO EQUITY AND
APPLICATION OF AN EQUITY LENS IN
DIFFERENT WAYS, SO SOME OF THE
FEDERAL PROGRAMS, THROUGH SOME
OF THE AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERING
FAIR HOUSING REQUIREMENTS,
REQUIRE AN EQUITY STATEMENT, OR
AN EQUITY PLAN, INCLUDING
COMMUNITY INPUT AND
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW TO APPLY
THE FUNDS OR IMPLEMENT THE
PROGRAMS, I THINK ONE OF THE
OTHER BENEFITS FOR THE WAY THAT
HAP DOES IT IS BECAUSE HAP IS
BLENDED WITH SO MANY OTHER
PROGRAMS. THERE'S A SENSE IN
WHICH THE EQUITY EFFORTS THROUGH
HAP SPILL OVER INTO THE WAY THAT
OTHER FUNDS ARE APPLIED. SO AS
AN EXAMPLE, IF A SHELTER PROGRAM
IS RUN USING BOTH HAP FUNDS AND
A COUNTY GENERAL FUND, THEN THE
APPLICATION OF THE HAP FUNDS IS
MEANT TO FOLLOW THAT EQUITY PLAN
, WHICH MEANS THAT THAT
APPLICATION OF COUNTY GENERAL
FUNDS THAT CORRESPONDS TO IT IS
ALSO IN ALIGNMENT WITH THAT PLAN
. I'VE HEARD FROM MANY PROVIDER
PROVIDERS IN MY DISTRICT ABOUT
HAP, AND HOW THOSE ARE THE VERY
FEW RESOURCES THAT REALLY DO
TRAVEL WITH HOMELESSNESS FUNDING
TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE RACIAL
INEQUITIES AND DISPARITIES. SO
THANK YOU FOR THAT, FOR THAT
EXPLANATION, THE OTHER QUESTION
I HAD IS, HAD TO DO WITH, THIS
QUESTION THAT YOU TALKED, YOU
MENTIONED, PROJECT ROOMKEY AND,
AND, AND COVID, AND HOW WE'VE
SEEN SOME GREAT SORT OF, SOME
GROWTH IN, IN THE WAYS IN WHICH
THOSE DOLLARS ARE SERVING, FOLKS
. AND, IT MADE ME THINK ABOUT A
CONVERSATION I HAD WITH A FELLOW
MEMBER. AND THERE'S ANOTHER
STUDY AND AUDIT COMING OUT THAT
IS, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I THINK
MISSING THE MARK IN TERMS OF THE
COMPLEXITY OF HOMELESSNESS,
WHERE, ALL OF THE STATE FUNDING
IS SORT OF BEING CALCULATED TO
SHOW THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SPENT
ABOUT $2 MILLION PER HOMELESS
PERSON. AND GIVEN THAT WE
SHOULDN'T SEE HOMELESSNESS, I
JUST WONDER, WHAT WOULD YOU HOW
WOULD YOU RESPOND TO THAT KIND
OF AN ANALYSIS? THIS, BECAUSE I
THINK WHAT YOU'VE LAID OUT HERE
IS ONE, THE BROADNESS OF WHAT WE
HAVE TO REALLY INVESTIGATE AND
THEN TRY TO QUANTIFY AND QUALIFY
THE DIFFERENCE AND CHANGE THAT
THESE DOLLARS ARE MAKING ON THE
GROUND AND HOW DIFFICULT THAT
IS. SO I WONDER IF SOMEONE SAYS,
HEY, WE WE'VE SPENT ALL THIS
MONEY AND WE'VE GIVEN $2 MILLION
FOR EVERY HOMELESS PERSON AT
THIS POINT. HOW WOULD YOU
RESPOND TO THAT? AS SOMEONE
THAT'S STUDYING THESE NUMBERS
AND HAVE BEEN TRACKING SOME OF
THESE TRENDS FOR SOME TIME?
YEAH, I THINK IT'S A CHALLENGING
, THING FOR FOLKS TO TRY TO
CONNECT THOSE DIFFERENT DOTS
BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY DOTS.
AND SO ANY GIVEN NUMBER IS OFTEN
EMBEDDED WITHIN A BROADER RANGE
OF PROCESSES THAT PRODUCED IT. I
THINK IN TERMS OF TRACKING LIKE
DOLLARS SPENT PER PERSON, PART
OF WHAT IS DIFFICULT TO OBSERVE
OR TO KNOW IS WHAT WOULD BE THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RUNNING A
PROGRAM THAT MEETS SOMEBODY'S
NEEDS, THAT ARE OFTEN VERY
SPECIALIZED AND REQUIRE, LIKE
SKILLED SUPPORT RELATIVE TO SOME
ALTERNATIVE THAT THAT PERSON
DIDN'T PARTICIPATE IN. SO IT CAN
OFTEN BE HARD TO KNOW, LIKE, WAS
THIS MONEY GOING TO BE MORE
EFFECTIVE IN A DIFFERENT WAY
THAN, THAN THE OUTCOME THAT WE
SAW HERE, AND I THINK THAT THE
OTHER THING THAT'S CHALLENGING
IN TERMS OF LIKE A NUMBER PER
PERSON IS THAT IT'S OFTEN A
SYSTEMIC OR COLLECTIVE CHALLENGE
THAT REQUIRES COLLECTIVE
RESPONSES, SO, FOR EXAMPLE, A
NUMBER OF DOLLARS PER PERSON
PARTICIPATING IN A PROGRAM LIKE
HOMEKEY OR A NUMBER OF, YOU
KNOW, PEOPLE HOUSED THROUGH
HOMEKEY, THERE ARE MANY THINGS
THAT HOMEKEY DOES ABOVE AND
BEYOND THE INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE
THAT WERE HOUSED THROUGH THE
PROGRAM. AND IT'S DIFFICULT TO
QUANTIFY THE VALUE OF THOSE
KINDS OF PROGRAMS. AS ONE
EXAMPLE, FOR HOMEKEY, IN THE
INTERIM SIDE, THERE ARE MANY
PEOPLE THAT CYCLE THROUGH THE
PROGRAM AND THEN MOVE ON TO
HOUSING ON THEIR OWN. SIMILARLY
PEOPLE LIVING IN THE PERMANENT
UNITS OFTEN MOVE ON TO THEIR OWN
PERMANENT HOUSING, SO THE NUMBER
OF PEOPLE HOUSED AT ANY ONE TIME
ISN'T A COMPLETE PICTURE. AND SO
THE DOLLARS SPENT ON HOMEKEY PER
PEOPLE HOUSED AT ONE POINT IN
TIME DOESN'T CAPTURE EVERYBODY
THAT BENEFITED FROM THE PROGRAM.
AS ANOTHER BENEFIT. THE WAY THAT
HOMEKEY PUSHED PROVIDERS AND
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND HOUSING
AUTHORITIES TO WORK TOGETHER IN
NEW WAYS HAS SPILLED OVER INTO
ADDITIONAL PROGRAM EFFICIENCIES
AND NEW KINDS OF RELATIONSHIPS.
AS ONE EXAMPLE, WE'VE HEARD FROM
MANY LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND
SERVICE PROVIDERS THAT THROUGH
DOING A HOME Kò PROJECT, THEY
WERE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER WITH
THEIR HOUSING AUTHORITY IN NEW
WAYS THAT SPAWNED INTO NEW
PROGRAMS. AND SO IF YOU TAKE THE
AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WAS SPENT
ON HOMEKEY AS JUST ONE EXAMPLE
DIVIDED BY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
SERVED BY IT, IT'S NOT INCLUDING
THOSE ADDITIONAL KINDS OF
BENEFITS AND THEN THE LAST THING
THAT'S MISSED IS WHAT DID WE NOT
SPEND, PER PERSON BECAUSE WE
SPENT WHAT WE DID. SO WHAT DID
WE NOT SPEND ON PUBLIC WORKS, ON
EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICES, ON
EMERGENCY ROOM SERVICES AND
HEALTH CARE VERSUS HAVING A
PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN? THOSE
KINDS OF STUDIES ARE EXTREMELY
DIFFICULT BECAUSE IT'S OFTEN
HARD TO KNOW WHAT WE DID NOT
SPEND, BUT IN MANY OF THE
STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED
ON SPECIFIC, YOU KNOW, SMALLER
SCALE INTERVENTIONS, THINGS LIKE
PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING
PROJECTS FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE
HIGH UTILIZERS OF EMERGENCY
SERVICES OFTEN SHOW THAT IT THE
SAVINGS FROM EMERGENCY SERVICES
VASTLY OFFSETS, IF NOT EXCEEDS,
THE COSTS OF THE PERMANENT
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, SO I THINK
NUMBERS LIKE WE'VE SPENT
COLLECTIVELY X DOLLARS PER
PERSON, INDIVIDUAL SIZES, WHAT
IS A BROADER SYSTEM OF THINGS IN
A WAY THAT'S HARD TO CAPTURE THE
FULL RANGE OF OUTCOMES. THANK
YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR
PRESENTATION AND FOR YOUR
RESPONSES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU,
SENATOR. THANK YOU, DOCTOR
FINNEGAN. APPRECIATE YOU, YOUR
PRESENTATION AND PARTICIPATION.
AND THAT'S BEEN VERY, VERY
HELPFUL AND INFORMATIVE. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. VERY
MUCH. THAT WILL TAKE US TO ISSUE
NUMBER TWO, WHICH IS, THE STATUS
AND FUTURE OF HOMELESSNESS
RELATED GRANT PROGRAMS
ADMINISTERED BY THE CALIFORNIA
INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON
HOMELESSNESS AND THE HOUSING AND
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME OUR
WITNESSES. MEGAN MARSHALL,
EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CALIFORNIA
INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON
HOMELESSNESS, AND SYDNEY
BENNETT, DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AT
THE INTERAGENCY COUNCIL, WELCOME
TO BOTH OF YOU. I THINK WE'RE
LOOKING FOR BALLPARK FIVE, SIX
OUT OF EACH OF YOU OR WHOEVER
YOU WANT TO PASS THAT UP. AND AS
YOU GET SETTLED, FEEL FREE TO
PROCEED WHEN READY. AND. TO
ADVANCE TO THE SLIDES. GREAT.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHAIR
PADILLA. AND THANK YOU, DOCTOR
FINNEGAN. AND PARTNERSHIP OF
TURNER CENTER AND ALL OF OUR
ACADEMIC PARTNERS WHO ARE A
CRUCIAL, A CRUCIAL COMPONENT TO
THE WORK OF THE INTERAGENCY
COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS. WE ARE
A RELATIVELY SMALL, RELATIVELY
UNKNOWN ENTITY UNDER THE
BUSINESS, CONSUMER SERVICES,
HOUSING AGENCY, AND SO TRULY
RELYING COULD NOT PRODUCE THE
THINGS THAT WE DO WITHOUT OUR
ACADEMIC COLLEAGUES. SO VERY
MUCH APPRECIATE THAT
PRESENTATION, AGAIN, MY NAME IS
MEGAN MARSHALL, AND I HAVE THE
HONOR OF SERVING AS THE
EXECUTIVE OFFICER FOR THE
CALIFORNIA INTERAGENCY COUNCIL
ON HOMELESSNESS, WHICH I'LL NOW
REFER TO AS CAL H, PRIOR TO MY
MARCH 2023 APPOINTMENT, I SERVED
NEARLY 20 YEARS IN LOCAL
GOVERNMENT, INCLUDING IN THE
COUNTIES OF SACRAMENTO, YUBA,
AND PLACER, ALL OF WHOM HAVE
BEEN RECIPIENTS OF AT LEAST ONE
OF THE PROGRAMS THAT CAL ACH
ADMINISTERS, ALL OF WHICH YOU'LL
HEAR ABOUT TODAY, BEFORE WE
CONTINUE OUR PRESENTATION
SLIDES, THOUGH, I'D LIKE TO JUST
THANK THIS BODY FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT. I
BELIEVE IT'LL UNDERSCORE, FOR
THOSE IN THIS ROOM, KELLY SAGE'S
OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO THE APRIL
9TH, RELEASE OF THE CALIFORNIA
STATE AUDITOR'S REPORT, SO VERY
MUCH APPRECIATE THIS OPPORTUNITY
, AS THIS BODY READ AND CAL
ICIJ'S AUDIT RESPONSE, WE HAD
EFFORTS UNDERWAY IN ADVANCE OF
THAT AUDIT. IN FACT, IN ADVANCE
OF THE REQUEST OF THE AUDIT, TO
ADDRESS THE AREAS THAT THAT
ALIGNED ACTUALLY WITH CSA'S
RECOMMENDATIONS. SO WITH THAT, I
WILL NOW MOVE US TO SLIDE TWO OR
ASK MY DIRECTOR OF DATA AND
RESEARCH TO MOVE US TO SLIDE
TWO. THANK YOU. AND I APOLOGIZE
FOR THE FONT. THIS IS INCREDIBLY
SMALL, SO HAP HAS UNDERGONE
UNDERGONE MANY CHANGES SINCE IT
WAS AUTHORIZED IN STATUTE IN
2019. AND IN FACT IS NOW ON ITS
FIFTH ROUND. ARGUABLY, IT IS THE
STATE'S MOST FLEXIBLE SOURCE OF
FUNDING TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS.
HAP IS ALLOCATED TO BIG CITIES,
COUNTIES AND CONTINUUMS OF CARE,
ALSO REFERRED TO AS COCS, BASED
ON A FORMULA DRIVEN BY THE POINT
IN TIME COUNTS, IT'S VERY
IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT
JURISDICTIONS ARE RESPONSIBLE
FOR DETERMINING WHICH ELIGIBLE
USE CATEGORIES WERE IN NEED FOR
THEIR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES.
THIS WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT CAL
H DICTATED TO JURISDICTIONS TO
ANY OF THE ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS.
THEIR PLANS ARE REFLECTIVE OF
THEIR COMMUNITY NEEDS, SO TO PUT
IT MORE SIMPLY, EACH HAP PLAN IS
UNIQUE TO THAT THAT COMMUNITIES
NEEDS. ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE IS
THAT HAP, WHILE IT'S CONSIDERED
A ONE TIME FUNDING OUR
MULTI-YEAR INITIATIVES, AS ARE
INDICATED THERE ON THE SLIDE,
HAP ONE WAS, WAS A AWARDED TO
JURISDICTIONS IN 2020 WITH A
SUNSET DATE OF 2025. I'LL TAKE
US. I WON'T GIVE YOU ALL OF THE
DATES FOR THE RESPECTIVE ROUNDS,
BUT TAKE US DOWN TO HAVE FIVE,
WHICH WILL BE ADMINISTERED BY
OUR SISTER DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING
AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN
THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR, THAT
PROGRAM WILL SUNSET IN 2028.
TRIBAL. HAP. IF I CAN GIVE A
QUICK COMPARISON BETWEEN HAP AND
TRIBAL HAP, IS ALSO FLEXIBLE, IT
IS, AVAILABLE TO ANY FEDERALLY
RECOGNIZED TRIBE IN CALIFORNIA
AND TRIBAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
PROVIDER. I'M SURE THIS BODY IS
AWARE THERE'S 109 FEDERALLY
RECOGNIZED TRIBES IN THE STATE
OF CALIFORNIA, UNLIKE HAP,
TRIBAL HAP IS A COMPETITIVE
BASED APPLICATION, AND SO THAT
WAS MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE
SET ASIDES AND HAP ROUNDS
BEGINNING FIRST AND HAP ROUND
THREE, AND THAT'S A $20 MILLION
SET ASIDE FOR TRIBES TO
COMPETITIVELY APPLY, FOR THOSE
THOSE FUNDS, THEY ARE, NOT NOT
LIKE, CITIES, COUNTIES AND
CONTINUUMS OF CARE IN THE WAY
THAT THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED TO
ENTER IN THEIR PROGRAM DATA,
INTO HMMIS. AND WE CAN CERTAINLY
DISCUSS THAT A BIT LATER IN THE
PRESENTATION, AGAIN, THESE ARE
MULTI-YEAR AWARDS, THE MOST
RECENT ROUND OF TRIBAL HAP WILL
BECOME AVAILABLE. WILL ANNOUNCE
AWARDS LATER, I BELIEVE, IN THE
MONTH OF MAY AND THAT THAT WILL
EXPIRE IN 2028. I CONSISTENTLY
REFERENCE THE MULTI YEAR AWARDS
TO SAY THAT IT'S VERY
CHALLENGING, TO NUMBER ONE,
COLLECT DATA FOR PROGRAMS THAT
ARE IN PROGRESS AND TO EVALUATE
THEIR EFFECTIVENESS. SO JUST
WOULD LIKE TO CALL THAT OUT. AND
SIDNEY, IF YOU CAN TAKE ME TO
SLIDE THREE. THANK YOU. SO HAP
AGAIN IS NON COMPETITIVE. THOSE
ARE BASED ON FORMULAS DRIVEN BY
THE POINT IN TIME COUNT. CALAIS
SAGE CURRENTLY ADMINISTERS, TWO
PROJECTS THAT ARE COMPETITIVE
AND WE REFER TO THEM AS
DEMONSTRATE ATION PROJECTS. THE
FIRST IS THE ENCAMPMENT
RESOLUTION FUND, ALSO KNOWN AS
IRF, UNLIKE HAP, URF IS
AVAILABLE TO CITIES OF ANY SIZE,
WHICH I WILL SAY IS INCREDIBLY
UNIQUE FOR STATE INVESTMENTS,
WE'VE SEEN UNPRECEDENTED
APPLICATIONS AND AWARDS MADE FOR
CITIES WHO TRADITIONALLY ARE NOT
ELIGIBLE FOR STATE FUNDING, TO
ADDRESS LOCAL ENCAMPMENT NEEDS
WITHIN WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES.
AGAIN, AWARDS ARE MADE BASED ON
COMPETITIVE APPLICATIONS. IT'S
INCREDIBLY BROAD IN TERMS OF
ELIGIBLE USE CATEGORIES, AGAIN
DRIVEN BY THE AWARDED
JURISDICTION. SO CAL ACH HAS NOT
DICTATED TO THESE GRANTEES, HOW
THEY WILL ADDRESS THEIR LOCAL
NEEDS. THE ELIGIBLE USE
CATEGORIES ARE THERE AS GUIDANCE
FOR THE LOCAL JURISDICTIONS WHO
ARE AWARDED. HAVE THE ABILITY TO
SAY THIS IS OUR LOCAL NEED,
WHICH WE KNOW CITY OF OROVILLE
IS GOING TO BE VERY DIFFERENT
FOR EXAMPLE, FROM THE CITY OF
LOS ANGELES AND HOW THEY ADDRESS
THOSE NEEDS ARE UNIQUE TO THOSE
COMMUNITIES, THESE ARE ALSO
MULTI YEAR PROJECTS, AGAIN, I
WON'T BELABOR THE POINT, BUT
WE'LL SAY IT'S INCREDIBLY
CHALLENGING TO COLLECT DATA FOR
PROJECTS THAT ARE IN PROGRESS
AND TO EVALUATE THEM UNTIL
THEY'VE COMPLETED THEIR, THEIR
LIFE CYCLE, WE ARE CURRENTLY
I'LL TAKE US TO THE VERY LAST
BULLET POINT ON URF. WE'RE IN
YEAR THREE. ARE, I BELIEVE WE'RE
HOPING TO ANNOUNCE AWARDS TODAY,
VERY EXCITED FOR THAT, THOSE
PROJECTS WILL GO FUNDED THROUGH
2027. AND THAT TAKES ME TO OUR
FAMILY HOMELESSNESS CHALLENGE
GRANT PROGRAM, ALSO KNOWN AS
FHC, AGAIN, VERY FLEXIBLE,
FUNDING MADE AVAILABLE TO CITIES
OF ANY SIZE, COUNTIES AND
CONTINUUMS OF CARE BASED ON A
COMPETITIVE APPLICATION.
ELIGIBLE USE CATEGORIES ARE
INCREDIBLY FLEXIBLE AS WELL, BUT
MEANT TO ADDRESS FAMILY
HOMELESSNESS WITHIN A SPECIFIC
COMMUNITY, THESE ARE ALSO MULTI
YEAR AWARDS. SO THE UNIQUE THING
HERE IS THAT TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR
FHC TWO, YOU MUST HAVE BEEN AN
AWARDEE IN FHC ONE, BUT FHC TWO
IS STILL A COMPETITIVE
APPLICATION BASED ON YOUR
OUTCOMES FROM FROM YOUR, YOUR,
YOUR FHC ONE PROGRAMING. AND SO
WITH THAT, BEFORE I TURN IT OVER
TO OUR DIRECTOR OF DATA AND
RESEARCH, SYDNEY BENNETT, I JUST
WANT TO TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THE TREMENDOUS WORK
THAT OUR DATA AND RESEARCH
DIVISION HAS DONE. IT IS A VERY
NEW DIVISION IN CAL ACH,
RESPECTIVELY, YOU KNOW, PUTTING
INTO PERSPECTIVE THAT SAGE WAS
CREATED IN 2016, THE DIVISION OF
DATA AND RESEARCH ONLY BEGAN IN
2021, AND IT WAS NOT UNTIL THIS
FISCAL YEAR THIS DIVISION WAS
FULLY STAFFED, SO THESE THESE
ARE FOLKS WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE ENTIRETY OF DATA AND
RESEARCH ANALYSIS FOR THE
STATE'S, INVESTMENTS IN HOUSING
AND HOMELESSNESS. SO I THINK
THAT A TESTAMENT TO NOT JUST
SYDNEY'S LEADERSHIP AS OUR
DIRECTOR OF DATA AND RESEARCH,
BUT CERTAINLY TO THE COMMITMENT
OF CAL ACH TO CONTINUE TO
IMPROVE UPON AND ENSURE THAT WE
HAVE ROBUST AND ACCURATE DATA TO
HELP DRIVE COMMUNITIES TOWARDS
SOLVING HOMELESSNESS. SO WITH
THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO
SYDNEY BENNETT. THANK YOU, CHAIR
PADILLA AND THE COMMITTEE FOR
THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT
TODAY. I'M GOING TO RUN THROUGH
THE SLIDES PRETTY QUICKLY FOR
THE SAKE OF TIME, AND THEN I'M
HAPPY TO COME BACK TO ANYTHING
AND PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION IF
YOU ALL HAVE QUESTIONS. SO AS
MEGAN MENTIONED, THE HOMELESS
DATA INTEGRATION SYSTEM OR DIS,
WAS ONLY FIRST LAUNCHED MIDWAY
THROUGH 2021, CREATING THE MOST
COMPREHENSIVE DATA SYSTEM
AVAILABLE ON THE PROVISION OF
HOMELESSNESS SERVICES IN
CALIFORNIA AND THE ASSOCIATED
OUTCOMES. HHS IS THE ONLY DATA
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF ITS KIND
NATIONALLY, AND THE DATA IS SO
MUCH MORE DETAILED THAN WHAT'S
COLLECTED AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
HHS IS A COMPILATION OF DATA
COLLECTED BY THE 44 LOCAL
HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEMS,
OR CONTINUUMS OF CARE, AND THAT
DATA THEN GETS AGGREGATED AT THE
STATE LEVEL. CAL ACH IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR VALIDATING AND
PROCESSING THAT DATA, AND WE
CONDUCT THAT PROCESS QUARTERLY
TO ENSURE WE HAVE UP TO DATE
INFORMATION THAT'S ENTERED BY
THE SERVICE PROVIDERS ACROSS THE
STATE. AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL, THE
DATA IN QGIS INCLUDES DATA ON
THE PROJECTS SERVING PEOPLE
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, SO
THAT CAN RANGE FROM THE BED
CAPACITY. IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
A HOUSING OR SHELTER PROJECT,
THE LOCATION, THE TYPES OF
SERVICES PROVIDED STATEWIDE AND
THEN WE ALSO HAVE DETAILED
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA ON THE PEOPLE
ACCESSING SERVICES IN A
COMMUNITY. SO THAT INCLUDES RACE
AND ETHNICITY, GENDER,
DISABILITY STATUS, AGE, AND SO
FORTH. AND WE DO HAVE THAT DATA
AT THE CLIENT LEVEL, WHICH MEANS
WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RACIAL
EQUITY ANALYSIS, WE CAN GET
REALLY DETAILED. SO WE COULD
LOOK JUST AT YOUTH, AND THEN WE
COULD DISAGGREGATE THAT BY RACE
AND GENDER AND SO FORTH. AND
THEN WE ALSO HAVE DATA ABOUT,
EACH ENROLLMENT IN A HOUSING AND
SERVICE PROGRAM. SO WE COULD SEE
IF A CLIENT OR A FAMILY IS
MOVING FROM SHELTER INTO
PERMANENT HOUSING. WE COULD SEE,
YOU KNOW, A YEAR LATER, IF
SOMEONE'S RETURNING TO THE
HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM. SO
WE JUST HAVE THIS HUGE,
INVENTORY OF DATA TO START
LOOKING AT THE PROGRAM OUTCOMES.
WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING HMMIS
SYSTEMS, WHICH IS WHAT GETS
AGGREGATED IN DSS, HAS
TRADITIONALLY ONLY BEEN A
FEDERAL SYSTEM. SO, BUT PRIOR TO
CALIFORNIA REALLY INVESTING IN
OUR, OUR DATA INFRASTRUCTURE AND
IN GIS, WE ONLY HAD DATA ON
PROGRAMS THAT WERE FUNDED BY HUD
AND THEIR FEDERAL PARTNERS. HAP
IS ACTUALLY THE FIRST CALIFORNIA
PROGRAM TO REQUIRE DATA ENTRY
INTO HMMIS, AND THEREFORE GIS.
AND WE'VE NOW EXPANDED THAT TO A
WHOLE HOST OF STATE PROGRAMS,
WHICH WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT IN
A MINUTE. AND THEN I ALSO
INCLUDED SOME OF THE PROVIDERS
WHO ARE NOT REQUIRED TO ENTER
DATA INTO HMMIS. SO THIS HAS
COME UP A FEW TIMES EARLIER IN
THE PRESENTATION. BUT THOSE
PROVIDERS WHO ARE NOT RECEIVING
GOVERNMENT FUNDING OFTEN WOULD
NOT BE INCLUDED IN OUR DATA. AND
THEN THERE ARE A COUPLE OTHER
EXCEPTIONS AS WELL, DATA QUALITY
IS OBVIOUSLY OF THE UTMOST
IMPORTANCE TO CAL ACH, AND IT'S
REALLY A SHARED ROLE IN ASSURING
DATA QUALITY ACROSS OUR LOCAL
PARTNERS AT THE CONTINUUM OF
CARE. AND THEN THE STATE SIDE.
SO THE CONTINUUM OF CARE ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR LOCAL DATA
QUALITY IN THEIR COC. THIS IS A
HUD REQUIREMENT. THEY HAVE LOCAL
DATA QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLANS.
THEY ARE THE ONES CLOSEST TO THE
SERVICE PROVIDERS AND REALLY
KNOW KNOW THAT DATA AND SO
THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING
THE DATA THEY SUBMIT TO CAL. I
ACH IS ACCURATE. OF COURSE WE
ALSO THEN CHECK THAT DATA ON OUR
END AND ALSO STRIVE TO PROVIDE
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO OUR
CONTINUUMS OF CARE. AND WE HAVE
A HUGE RANGE IN DATA CAPACITY
ACROSS THE STATE. AS YOU CAN
IMAGINE, WORKING WITH SMALL
RURAL CONTINUUMS OF CARE ALL THE
WAY THROUGH THE FOUR COX, THAT
MAKE UP LA COUNTY. AND SO CAL
STATE SUPPORTS THEIR WORK AND IS
EXPANDING OUR TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE PROVISION. THEY'RE
BUT WE ALSO JUST WHEN WE TAKE IN
THE DATA, WE LOOK AT IF THERE'S
ANY OUTLIERS IN THE DATA, WE
MAKE SURE THE DATA IS COMPLETE
IN THE CORRECT FORMAT, AND THAT
WE CAN HAVE ACCURATE DATA TO
REPORT ON. AND THEN IF WE DO
FIND ANY ERRORS, THAT'S WHEN
WE'LL REACH OUT TO A CONTINUUM
OF CARE AND REQUEST THAT THAT
DATA BE CORRECTED. AND WE FIND
THAT OUR COC IS VERY QUICKLY
MAKE ANY DATA CORRECTIONS. AND
WE CAN INCORPORATE THAT INTO OUR
NEXT SET OF DATA. HHS DATA IS A
POWERFUL TOOL TO BE USED TO
PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS IN
CALIFORNIA. AND I'LL PROVIDE A
COUPLE OF EXAMPLES OF HOW OUR
WORK IS ALREADY DOING THIS. BUT
WE THINK OF GIS AS A TOOL FOR
MEASURING OUR PROGRESS TOWARDS
PREVENTING AND ENDING
HOMELESSNESS. SO THAT INCLUDES,
THE WORK OF OUR STATE ACTION
PLAN FOR PREVENTING AND ENDING
HOMELESSNESS. AND THEN WE ALSO
USE THIS DATA AS HAS COME UP A
FEW TIMES, BUT LOCALS USE IT IN
THEIR HAP APPLICATIONS AS WELL.
WE ALSO USE THE DATA TO ANALYZE
DISPARITIES IN WHO'S ACCESSING
HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SERVICES,
AND TO TRACK OUR PROGRESS
TOWARDS CLOSING DISPARITIES NOT
ONLY BY RACE AND ETHNICITY, BUT
BY, AGE, GENDER FOR DIFFERENT
SPECIAL POPULATIONS AS WELL. AND
THEN WE ALSO STARTING TO MOVE
INTO HAVING THE ABILITY TO
ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
STATE FUNDED HOMELESSNESS
PROGRAMS, AS THOSE ARE NOW JUST
STARTING TO BE ENTERED INTO THE
GIS. AND SO HERE'S HERE'S AN
EXAMPLE I WANTED TO SHARE ABOUT
HOW WE'RE LOOKING AT STATE
FUNDED HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS.
Y'ALL MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH
ASSEMBLY BILL 977, WHICH
REQUIRED BEGINNING IN 2023, FOR
A SERIES OF STATE FUNDED
HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS TO ENTER
DATA INTO HMMIS. KALISH IS THE
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDER
FOR THE OTHER STATE DEPARTMENTS
IN THIS WORK, AND SO THERE ARE
CURRENTLY 14 STATE PROGRAMS THAT
ARE CURRENTLY OR IN THE PROCESS
OF ENTERING DATA INTO HMAS, AND
THOSE SPAN SIX DIFFERENT STATE
DEPARTMENTS. AND SO AND THEY
REQUIRE DATA ENTRY TO BE IN A
CONSISTENT FORMAT. AND WE
REQUIRE GRANTEES TO USE A CODING
SYSTEM. SO WE CAN SAY THIS
PROGRAM WAS FUNDED BY THIS CDS.
THE CDS FUNDING STREAM. THIS IS
A HOME Kò PROJECT. THIS IS HAP.
SO WE CAN START HAVING THAT
INSIGHT INTO WHICH CLIENTS ARE
BEING SERVED BY WHICH STATE
FUNDING SOURCES. THIS THIS
MONTH, CAL ACH HAS ROLLED OUT
DASHBOARDS TO OUR FIRST SET OF
ADMINISTERING STATE DEPARTMENTS
THAT PROVIDES REALLY DETAILED
DATA ON OUTCOMES FOR THEIR
PROGRAM, AS WELL AS THE
DEMOGRAPHICS OF CLIENTS SERVED.
SO I HAVE A SCREENSHOT ON THE
SLIDE THAT'S JUST, SAMPLE DATA
AS AN EXAMPLE. BUT YOU CAN SEE,
THAT PROVIDES DATA BY RACE AND
ETHNICITY, HOUSEHOLD STRUCTURE,
AGE AND GENDER. AND I CAN'T MAKE
THIS WORK IN THE STATIC FORMAT.
BUT IF YOU ACTUALLY CLICK ON ONE
OF THE BARS LIKE AGE GROUP, IT
WILL MAKE ALL THE OTHER GRAPHICS
SHOW JUST FOR THAT AGE GROUP.
AND WE'VE HEARD JUST IN THIS
FIRST LOOK THE DEPARTMENTS HAVE
HAD THAT THIS IS REALLY SO MUCH
MORE DETAILED THAN THE DATA
THEY'VE EVER HAD ON THEIR
PROGRAMS BEFORE, AND WE FEEL
LIKE WE'RE JUST STARTING TO
UNLEASH THIS ABILITY TO TRACK
OUTCOMES FOR STATE FUNDED
HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS. AND THEN
THE OTHER EXAMPLE I WANT TO
SHARE IS THE CALIFORNIA SYSTEM
PERFORMANCE MEASURES. THEY'RE
LISTED UP ON THE SLIDES, AND I
WON'T GO THROUGH EACH ONE FOR
THE SAKE OF TIME. BUT THESE ARE
METRICS THAT CAL STATE HAS
DEVELOPED TO REALLY UNDERSTAND.
IF OUR HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE
SYSTEMS ARE WORKING AS A WHOLE.
SO WE KNOW THAT WE TALKED ABOUT
HOW THERE'S BRAIDED FUNDING,
THERE'S DIFFERENT STATE, STATE
DEPARTMENTS FUNDING THIS WORK.
FEDERAL, LOCAL FUNDING SOURCES
AND THE SYSTEM PERFORMANCE
MEASURES REALLY STRIVE TO LOOK
AT. ARE THOSE ALL WORKING
TOGETHER TO BETTER SERVE PEOPLE
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS? SO
NOT FOR JUST A SINGLE PROGRAM AT
A TIME. AND SO THESE ARE KIND OF
THE OUTCOMES THAT WE WERE
FOCUSED ON OUR HAP GRANTEES.
LOOK AT THE CALIFORNIA SPMS BY
RACE AND ETHNICITY IN THEIR
APPLICATIONS TO ENSURE THAT
WE'RE TAKING ACTIONS TO CLOSE
THOSE DISPARITIES. BUT TWO, I'LL
JUST POINT OUT, IS THAT WE ARE,
OF COURSE, TRACKING, EXITS TO
PERMANENT HOUSING. WE KNOW
HOMELESSNESS ONLY ENDS WHEN
SOMEONE IS PERMANENTLY HOUSED
AND THEN WE ARE ALSO LOOKING AT,
OF THOSE WHO EXIT TO PERMANENT
HOUSING IF THEY ARE RETURNING TO
THE HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE
SYSTEM. SO OF COURSE, IT'S
REALLY IMPORTANT THAT OUR
HOUSING PLACEMENTS ARE
SUSTAINABLE. AND SO THAT'S ONE
WAY WITH HIS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO
LOOK AT. IF SOMEONE'S MOVING
TOWARDS SELF SUFFICIENCY OR IF
THEY'VE SUSTAINED THAT HOUSING,
WHETHER IT'S SUBSIDIZED OR
UNSUBSIDIZED. AND I'VE INCLUDED
DATA FOR THE LAST TWO, FISCAL
YEARS AS WELL IN THE SLIDES FOR
YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT. AND THEN
WE DO HAVE THAT DATA, BROKEN OUT
BY CONTINUUM OF CARE AND FOR
VARIOUS SUBPOPULATIONS AS WELL.
AND THEN I'LL END TALKING ABOUT
THE FUTURE AND WHAT'S NEXT FOR
US AND SOME OF THE WORK WE HAVE
IN PROGRESS. WE CONTINUE TO WORK
ON IMPROVING THE DATA QUALITY IN
THE LOCAL HMMIS SYSTEMS, BECAUSE
WE KNOW GIS DATA HINGES ON
HAVING HIGH QUALITY DATA
COLLECTED AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. SO
THAT INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM
TRAINING TO WE'RE ACTUALLY
BUILDING OUT A MORE AUTOMATED
TOOL TO CHECK DATA AS IT COMES
IN. AND THEN WE ARE ALSO
SUPPORTING OUR LOCALS WITH
ANALYZING THEIR PERFORMANCE
DATA, NOT EVERY LOCALITY AND
CONTINUUM OF CARE HAS A HUGE
DATA TEAM, RIGHT? ESPECIALLY THE
SMALLER ONES. SO WE'RE REALLY
TRYING TO MAKE, TAKING DATA AND
USING IT TO DRIVE OUTCOMES AS
EASY AS POSSIBLE FOR OUR LOCAL
PARTNERS. WE ARE ALSO VERY
FOCUSED ON RESOURCES FOR OUR
STATE PARTNERS. SO WE ARE
WORKING ON ENSURING THERE'S
COMPLIANCE WITH AB 977 THAT WE
REALLY ARE COLLECTING THIS
STATEWIDE DATA ACROSS ALL OF OUR
GRANTEES. WE ARE ALSO HELPING
OUR STATE PARTNERS ANALYZE
OUTCOMES THROUGH THE DASHBOARDS
I'VE SHOWN. AND THEN WE ARE ALSO
VERY EXCITINGLY PILOTING INTER
AGENCY DATA SHARING WITH OUR
PARTNERS AT THE HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES AGENCY. AND WE HOPE
THAT, THROUGH DATA SHARING WITH
OUR STATE PARTNERS, WE'RE ABLE
TO GET THAT BROADER PICTURE OF
INFLOW INTO THE HOMELESSNESS
RESPONSE SYSTEM AND OUTCOMES
AFTER WE ONLY SEE AT CAL ACH
THAT PERIOD WHERE SOMEONE IS
EITHER EXPERIENCING OR AT
IMMINENT RISK OF HOMELESSNESS
AND ACCESSING SERVICES. BUT
THERE ARE OTHER STATE ENTITIES
THAT HAVE OTHER, YOU KNOW,
PIECES OF THE PICTURE UNDER
THEIR PURVIEW. AND SO WE'LL BE
WORKING TO START AGGREGATING AND
LINKING THAT DATA. AND THEN
WE'RE ALSO, WORKING ON
IMPLEMENTING TWO SENATE BILLS,
914 AND 918, WHICH WILL REALLY
DIG INTO THE DATA AND OUTCOMES
FOR SPECIFIC POPULATIONS,
UNACCOMPANIED YOUTH,
UNACCOMPANIED WOMEN AND
SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
AND SO SIMILAR AND BUILDING ON
THE PERFORMANCE MEASURES WE
ALREADY HAVE, WE'RE REALLY
THINKING ABOUT, WHAT OUTCOMES
AND METRICS ARE APPROPRIATE FOR
THOSE POPULATIONS AND HOW THEIR
NEEDS DIFFER FROM THE OTHER
POPULATIONS WE SERVE. SO THAT'S
JUST A SNAPSHOT OF WHERE WE'RE
HEADING ON THE DATA SIDE IN THE
NEXT FEW YEARS. BUT THE SYSTEM
IS VERY NEW. AND SO A LOT OF
WORK AHEAD. THANK YOU FOR THAT.
DIRECTOR AND I APPRECIATE THE
COMPREHENSIVE SKETCH AND
OBVIOUSLY EXTREMELY VALUED.
JUST, VALUABLE BRINGING IT BACK,
A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. THAT KIND
OF FOCUS ON BOTH IMPACT AND
EFFICACY, ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE
SIDE AND WITH AN EYE TOWARDS THE
BUDGET CONSTRAINT SITUATION
WE'RE IN BOTH TOWARDS, HOW DO WE
MAKE THE, YOU KNOW, EXPENDITURES
MORE IMPACTFUL OVER A LONGER
PERIOD OF TIME IN LIGHT OF IN
LIGHT OF REVENUE CONSTRAINTS,
AND ALSO THINKING ABOUT BETTER
EFFICIENCY. SO ON, PARTICULARLY
ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE, AND ON
ERF, AND ON, FAMILY HOMELESSNESS
CHALLENGE APPLICATIONS, HAVE WE,
YOU KNOW, THAT IS, YOU KNOW,
ALL, ALL TYPES OF VARIED
APPLICANTS QUALIFY OR HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY FOR
FUNDING. AND OFTEN I SEE BASED
ON CITIES AND COUNTIES AND SOME
ELEMENTS OF THE CONTINUUM OF
CARE, THAT THERE IS OBVIOUSLY AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR OVERLAP, I KNOW,
TO SORT OF, YOU KNOW, BRING IT
BACK TO EXPERIENCES AND REGIONAL
GOVERNMENT AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
WITH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK
GRANT FUNDING, BECAUSE IT TELLS
YOU HOW OLD I AM, WHERE ON THE
APPLICATION SIDE, WE CAME UP
WITH ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS
THAT TRIED TO REDUCE DUPLICATE.
WE TRIED TO REDUCE REDUNDANCY
WHERE YOU COULD HAVE A CITY BOTH
APPLY AS A CITY AND AS PART OF A
COUNTY PACKAGE, AND ALSO AS AN
ELEMENT OF CONTINUUM OF CARE.
AND YOU HAD, YOU KNOW, THREE
DIFFERENT POTS FOCUSING FOR THE
SAME PROGRAMS AND OVERLAPPING.
AND THEN THAT HAS A NEGATIVE
IMPACT ON, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY
THE UTILITY OF THOSE FUNDS AND
THE REACH OF THOSE FUNDS IN WAYS
HAVE WE LOOKED AT WAYS TO LOOK
AT ON THE ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE
END, POLICIES WITH REGARD TO
APPLICATIONS THAT ARE
SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO PREVENT
DUPLICITY AND REDUNDANCY AND
OVERLAP WITH AN EYE TOWARDS
MAXIMIZING EXISTING FUNDS? CAN
YOU CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT FIRST,
SURE. SO I WILL SAY FIRST THAT
URF, AGAIN, THE LEGISLATIVE
INTENT WAS THAT IT IS AVAILABLE
TO JURISDICTIONS AS CITIES OF
ANY SIZE COUNTIES AND COX,
UNLIKE HAP, WHICH IS VERY
PRESCRIPTIVE IN TERMS OF WHO IS
ELIGIBLE, THERE ARE PORTIONS OF
THE APPLICATION THAT ARE
WEIGHTED TO ENCOURAGE IN THE
FINAL SCORING OF AN URF
APPLICATION THAT ARE WEIGHTED TO
ENCOURAGE COLLABORATION.
JURISDICTIONALLY SPEAKING, FOR
PROJECTS THAT, OF COURSE, ARE ON
THE STATE RIGHT OF WAY, THERE IS
A REQUIREMENT THAT THEY SUBMIT A
LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM, FROM
CALTRANS, BUT THERE IS NO
LEGISLATIVE STATUTORY
REQUIREMENT FOR, FOR APPLICANTS
TO COORDINATE AMONGST
THEMSELVES, ALTHOUGH THERE THERE
ARE ENCOURAGEMENTS, IN THE
SCORING PROCESS. AND I'M
WONDERING IF AND OUT LOUD IF, IN
FACT, THAT A LEGISLATIVE
PRESCRIPTION IS IN FACT
REQUIRED, OR WHETHER THERE'S
LATITUDE IN IMPLEMENTING, TO
ENCOURAGE AND OR REQUIRE OR GIVE
PRIORITY TO COLLABORATIVES THAT
SUBMIT COLLECTIVELY AS KHÔNG
POINTS IN A WAY THAT MAXIMIZES
THE IMPACT OF THIS FUNDING. I'M
JUST THINKING THAT. BUT I MEAN,
OBVIOUSLY WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT
A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS,
RIGHT? THINKING ABOUT THOSE
THINGS THAT WAY, I THINK IS
IMPORTANT. SECONDARILY I'M SURE
PROBABLY EVERYONE'S AWARE THAT
AT LEAST I'M AWARE THROUGH
MEDIA, AS I SAID, GOVERNOR'S
OFFICE ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT
WE'RE GOING TO DO SOME
ACCOUNTABILITY UNIT EXPANSION IN
THE DEPARTMENT. I KNOW THERE'S A
TRANSITION WITH RESPECT TO THESE
PROGRAMS THAT'S HAPPENING. BUT
YOU YOU KNOW, I'D LOVE TO KNOW
SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT HOW WHAT
THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE, CERTAINLY
IN THE DATA CONVERSATION. AND
THEN SECONDLY, ONE OF THE ONE OF
THE KEY OBLIGATIONS OF THE
BUDGET COMMITTEES IN EACH HOUSE,
AND CERTAINLY THIS SUB IS TO BE
LOOKING AT WAYS TO ADDRESS THE
CONSTRAINTS SCENARIO THAT WE'RE
IN. AND THERE BY THE VERY NATURE
OF HOW PARTICULARLY, A CHAP
ROUNDS ARE ADMINISTERED, THERE'S
A LOT OF FUNDING YET TO BE
FLOWING AND WILL BE FLOWING EVEN
THROUGH THIS CYCLE. AND SO, YOU
KNOW, HYPOTHETICALLY, I WANT TO
EMPHASIZE THAT, BUT WITH RESPECT
TO ROUND SIX, FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE
WERE TO PUSH THAT OUT A CALENDAR
YEAR OR DELAY THAT ROUND IN
TERMS OF EXPENDITURE AND TIMING
OF EXPENDITURE, WHEN THAT MIGHT
BE ACTUALLY ALLOCATED AND THERE
WOULD STILL BE FUNDING FLOWING
FROM EARLIER ROUNDS THAT WOULD
STILL BE BEING IMPLEMENTED. I'D
LOVE TO KNOW SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT
WHAT PROGRAMMATIC IMPACT THAT
MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE, AS ONE
PARTICULAR OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK
AT THAT, LOOK AT, LESSENING THAT
IMPACT IN THE SHORT TERME. SO
THOSE TWO THINGS, WITH RESPECT
TO THE GÓMEZ PROPOSAL ON
ACCOUNTABILITY UNIT AND THEN,
LOOKING AT THE CONVERSATION
WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO HAVE
AROUND ROUND SIX, AND THE VERY
NATURE OF HOW THOSE FUNDS ARE
ADMINISTERED. SURE. I'LL START
FIRST WITH THE ACCOUNTABILITY
UNIT, AS THAT DOES NOT IS NOT
SOMETHING THAT EXISTS OR WILL
EXIST WITHIN CAL ACH. AND SO I
BELIEVE WE HAVE THE NEXT AGENDA
ITEM. OUR SISTER DEPARTMENT OF
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT WILL WILL BE JOINING
ME UP. I'M I'M SURE THEY'D BE
HAPPY TO OFFER THEIR THOUGHTS ON
ON THAT QUESTION, BUT I BUT THEY
WILL BE UP HERE. WE WILL ASK
THEM IF. YEAH. SO WE REFER TO
OURSELVES AS MARSHALL AND
KIRKEBY. THEY ARE THE TWO
MEGAN'S, NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH
ONE ANOTHER, BUT WITHIN ACH AND
HCD. SO NOT TO DODGE THE
QUESTION AT ALL, CHAIR, JUST TO
SAY THAT THAT'S NOT SOMETHING
THAT EXISTS WITHIN CAL STAGE.
HOWEVER, KALIKE WILL CONTINUE TO
SUPPORT HCD AS IT DOES ALL OF
OUR COUNCIL MEMBER DEPARTMENTS
AND AGENCIES WITH DATA. WE'RE
STATUTORILY OBLIGATED TO DO SO
AND SO. HOWEVER THE
ACCOUNTABILITY UNIT IS DEVELOPED
AND WHATEVER DATA THEY ARE IN
NEED OF TO ENSURE SUCCESS OF
THESE PROGRAMS AS THEY
TRANSITION CALLISTEGE WILL
SUPPORT IN THOSE EFFORTS. AND I
APPRECIATE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND.
THE QUESTION WAS, IN LIGHT OF
THE FACT THAT YOU'VE BEEN
ADMINISTERING THE PROGRAMS AND
THEY UNDERSTAND BE TRANSFERRED,
AND YOU MIGHT HAVE AN INFORMED
OPINION ABOUT, THAT
ACCOUNTABILITY EXPANSION WOULD
LOOK LIKE REGARDLESS OF THE FACT
THAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE
DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE AFTER THE
TRANSFER. AND I CLARIFY, THERE'S
NO CONFUSION ABOUT THE ROLE, I
APPRECIATE THAT. SO, ANYWAY,
WITH THAT, I WILL ASK MY OTHER
COLLEAGUES IF THEY HAVE A SET OF
QUESTIONS. SENATOR SMALLWOOD,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE
PRESENTATION. AND I REALLY,
APPRECIATE THE SCALE OF THE WORK
THAT YOU HAVE TO DO ON A ON A
DAILY BASIS. I I WANT I WANTED
TO JUST CHECK ON THE, THIS
ACTION PLAN. WHAT'S THE STATUS
OF IT AS YOU LOOK AT
IMPLEMENTING THE AUDIT
RECOMMENDATIONS. AND THEN I HAVE
A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS. I WILL
SAY WE'RE VERY HAPPY TO HAVE A
NEW SECRETARY, TAMIKA MOSS, JOIN
BKSH, AS WELL AS AS CO-CHAIR OF
CAL. ACH, SHE'S NOT NEW TO CAL
SAGES COUNCIL WORK. SHE, SHE
WAS, A PRIOR MEMBER AS WELL, AND
SO WE'RE VERY HAPPY TO HAVE HER
LEADERSHIP. WE HAD OUR LAST
COUNCIL MEETING ON MARCH 27TH,
WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE THREE
HOUR MEETING WAS CENTERED AROUND
, THE OVERHAUL AND REIMAGINING
OF THE STATEWIDE ACTION PLAN, TO
DATE, THE STATEWIDE ACTION PLAN
TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS
HAS CONSISTED OF A READOUT OF
SORTS OF, ITS COUNCIL MEMBER
DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES.
CURRENT INVESTMENTS IN
HOMELESSNESS HAS NOT BEEN SO
MUCH A FORWARD THINKING TOOL OR
A OR A TOOL TO MEASURE H
KALLAS'S PROGRESS AGAINST ITS 19
INITIAL STATUTORY OBLIGATIONS,
ALL I WILL SAY AGAIN, THOUGH,
WORK WAS UNDERWAY TO BEGIN THAT
THAT REIMAGINING OF THE ACTION
PLAN IN ADVANCE OF THE AUDIT,
AND SO FROM NOW UNTIL JANUARY,
WHICH IS WHEN WE'RE HOPING TO
ADOPT A NEW ACTION PLAN, WHICH
WILL AGAIN, THIS WILL BE THE
FIRST TIME. THIS IS NOT AN
ANNUAL ACTION PLAN, WHICH FROM
AN EVALUATION STANDPOINT IS VERY
CHALLENGING, AND SO THIS WILL BE
A THREE YEAR ACTION PLAN WITH,
WITH, YOU KNOW, A VARIETY OF NEW
ELEMENTS, INCLUDING, OUR
MEASUREMENT AGAINST OUR ABILITY
TO MEET OUR 19 STATUTORY
OBLIGATIONS. SO WE HAVE SYDNEY'S
A BROTHER DIVISION, I GUESS IN
THIS CASE IS OVERSEEN BY CODY
ZIEGER, WHO'S OUR DIRECTOR OF
STATEWIDE POLICY. HIS TEAM IS
HOLISTICALLY DEDICATED TO THE
WORK OF THE COUNCIL, WHICH IS
DRIVEN BY THE STATEWIDE ACTION
PLAN. AND SO WE HAVE A VERY
ROBUST TEAM THERE THAT IS
FOCUSING HOLISTICALLY AGAIN, ON
ON THAT ENDEAVOR. THAT THAT
UPDATE AND I MY OFFICE WOULD
LOVE TO STAY IN TOUCH AROUND THE
OUTCOMES OF AND THE PHASES THAT
ARE GOING TO BE LAID OUT IN THAT
IN THAT WORK, YOU MENTIONED THE
PROGRAM CENTER, I APOLOGIZE,
YOU'LL JUST SUSPEND FOR ONE
SECOND TO THE SERGEANTS. IF WE
COULD ASK THE ASK OUR FOLKS IN
THE HALL TO REALIZE THEIR VOICES
ARE CARRYING INTO THE HEARING
ROOMS, AND I'M NOT I'M NOT SUPER
OLD, BUT I'M OLD ENOUGH TO WHERE
I'M STRUGGLING A LITTLE BIT,
THAT'S MY APOLOGIES, SENATOR
SMALL, BUT IF WE COULD JUST GET
A MESSAGE OUT TO THE FOLKS IN
THE HALL THAT TONE IT DOWN A
LITTLE BIT, AS I'M, LIKE,
HALFWAY ACROSS THE TABLE TRYING
TO LISTEN TO QUESTIONS, I
APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR THAT, MR. CHAIR.
AND I'LL TRY TO SPEAK A LITTLE
LOUDER. YOU TALKED ABOUT THE,
PROGRAMS THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT
FOR OUR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
SURVIVORS AND TRYING TO FIGURE
OUT WAYS TO LOOK AT SOME OF THE
DISPARITIES OF THAT POPULATION
WITHIN THE OVERALL HOMELESSNESS,
WHICH I THINK IS PHENOMENAL. I
DON'T KNOW, I'M SURE YOU WERE
HERE DURING THE PREVIOUS
PRESENTATION WHERE WE JUST
LOOKED AT THE RATE OF
HOMELESSNESS IN BLACK
COMMUNITIES AND THE EXPONENTIAL
SORT OF GROWTH OF THE PROBLEM IN
THAT IN THAT COMMUNITY. ARE
THERE FUNDING DOLLARS, THAT ARE
DEDICATE LOCATED IN Ã. AND I'M
TRYING TO THINK IN A
PROPORTIONAL WAY THAT FOCUSES ON
SORT OF THE DISPARITIES WITHIN
THE DISPARITY. AND, AND THE
REASON I ASK THAT IS BECAUSE I
THINK ABOUT WE TALKED ABOUT THIS
DIP IN VETERAN HOMELESSNESS OF
40, WHICH IS GREAT. RIGHT, BUT
YOU HAVE ONE COMMUNITY THAT
REPRESENTS 30% OF HOMELESSNESS.
AND TO ME, IF YOU COULD FIGURE
OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THAT
COMMUNITY, K¾T YOU TAKE A CRISIS
TO SORT OF ANOTHER LEVEL, RIGHT?
IT BECOMES A SEVERE PROBLEM, BUT
MAYBE NOT CRISIS LEVEL, BUT YET
I'M NOT SURE, YOU KNOW, HOW DO
YOU DETERMINE WHAT ARE THE
SPECIALTY PROGRAMS, THAT ARE
DEDICATED TO THESE KINDS OF
DISPARITIES, LIKE VICTIMS OF OR
SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE,
LIKE BLACK COMMUNITY IS? AND IS
THERE SOME DEDICATED,
INVESTMENTS THAT YOU'RE SEEING
BEING EARMARKED, PARTICULARLY
FOR THE BLACK COMMUNITY BECAUSE
IT IS SO OVERREPRESENTED IN BOTH
LOCAL AND THE STATE NUMBERS?
SURE. SO WE'LL SAY FOR,
COLLECTIONS, CURRENT INVESTMENTS
AND HALF YEAR AND FAMILY
HOMELESSNESS CHALLENGE, THERE'S
NOT A SPECIAL CARVE OUT FOR, FOR
RACE OR ETHNIC CATEGORIES,
HOWEVER, AGAIN, LOCAL
COMMUNITIES ARE NOT JUST
ENCOURAGED BUT REQUIRED TO
DEVELOP THEIR THEIR LOCAL
PLANNING AND SUBMISSION FOR
THEIR THEIR, THEIR INTENTIONS TO
UTILIZE THESE DOLLARS BASED ON
THEIR LOCAL NEED, AND SO THERE
ARE COMMUNITIES OF EXAMPLE THAT
CALL OUT EXACTLY THE DISPARITIES
THAT, THAT WERE DISCUSSED IN THE
EARLIER PRESENTATION, AND
COLLECT UTILIZES THOSE THOSE
PLANS AS EXAMPLES TO COMMUNITIES
WHERE WE ARE AWARE OF
DISPARITIES BASED ON DATA. BUT
PERHAPS IT'S NOT REFLECTED IN
THE HAP PLAN. AND I UNDERSTAND
THE YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THESE LAWS
THAT NOW MAKE TARGETED DIVERSITY
PROGRAMS ILLEGAL. RIGHT, BUT I
YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST WONDERING
IN TERMS OF THE NUMBERS, LIKE
ONCE A COMMUNITY TIPS INTO A
DISPARITY THAT IS SO DRAMATIC,
364% HIGHER THAN OTHERS, LIKE
WHERE ARE THERE TRIGGERS FOR
OKAY, WE NEED TO SORT OF ARREST
THIS DISPARITY THAT IS GROWING,
BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE ISN'T
ANYTHING THAT'S IN PLACE NOW.
CORRECT I'M NOT AWARE I'M AS IT
RELATES TO HOUSING AND
HOMELESSNESS, INVESTMENTS FROM
THE STATE. I'M NOT AWARE OF A
TRIGGER THAT EXISTS. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH. I JUST WANTED TO
CLARIFY THAT. THANK YOU VERY
MUCH. BEFORE I GO TO SENATOR
NEAL, I JUST I WANTED TO COME
BACK BECAUSE THERE WAS A SECOND
PART TO MY EARLIER QUESTION TO
YOU WITH RESPECT, WITH RESPECT
TO ROUND SIX, AND I WANT TO GIVE
YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO RESPOND TO
THAT. OH, I'M SORRY, SENATOR,
WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU. IF YOU
COULD, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND
REPEATING THE SECOND PART OF
YOUR QUESTION. WE WERE TALKING
ABOUT HOW THE FUNDING IS
ACTUALLY ADMINISTERED AND HOW IT
FLOWS OUT. AND, YOU KNOW,
THERE'S GOING TO BE A
CONVERSATION AROUND A NEXT ROUND
OR NOT. AND WHAT THAT WHAT THAT
IMPACT LOOKS LIKE, WHAT THE
DEMAND SIDE WOULD LOOK LIKE. AND
ONE OF THE CONVERSATIONS THAT
MAY TAKE PLACE IS WHETHER WE
WOULD LOOK AT AROUND SIX, BUT WE
WOULD DELAY THAT, IN TERMS OF
ANY APPROVED EXPENDITURE PLAN
FOR A 12 MONTH PERIOD OR FUTURE
CYCLE, BECAUSE THERE WOULD STILL
BE EARLIER, EARLIER ROUND
FUNDING STILL BEING IMPLEMENTED
OR DRAWN DOWN. AND AND, YOU
KNOW, THE SITUATION THE
LEGISLATURE FINDS ITSELF IN IS
EXTREMELY CONSTRAINED SCENARIO.
RIGHT. AND SO I WANTED TO GET
YOUR REACTION TO THAT POTENTIAL
CONCEPT. IF THERE'S, IMPACTS
POTENTIALLY PROGRAMMATIC, THAT,
YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT WE MIGHT NOT
THINK ABOUT OR NOT SEE OR IF
IT'S SOMETHING THAT MERITS SOME
FURTHER CONVERSATION. THÀNH
GIVEN THE FACT OF HOW THESE
FUNDS ARE CURRENTLY
ADMINISTERED. SURE. SO I'LL
START FIRST BY SAYING THAT WE DO
HAVE A NUMBER OF JURISDICTIONS.
IN FACT, THERE'S ONLY BEEN FOUR
JURISDICTIONS FOR HALF ROUND FOR
FOUR WHO'VE BEEN ELIGIBLE FOR
THE SECOND HALF OF THEIR
DISBURSEMENT, AND SO WHILE THESE
DOLLARS ARE ALLOCATED TO THOSE
JURISDICTIONS, THEY MUST, SHOW
PROOF OF, OF MEETING PROGRESS
TOWARDS THEIR UNIQUELY
IDENTIFIED GOALS, FOR THEIR
RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES. AND THEY
MUST HAVE MET THEIR EXPENDITURE
REQUIREMENT FOR THE FIRST HALF
OF THAT DISBURSEMENT. AND SO OUT
OF OUT OF ALL OF OUR
CONTRACTORS, WE ONLY HAVE FOUR
WHO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THE SECOND
HALF OF HALF ROUND FOUR, THIS IS
NOT INCLUSIVE OF WHAT WHAT IS
WHAT WILL GO OUT FOR HALF FIVE,
I DO KNOW THAT WE HAVE SOME,
SOME FOLKS FROM CITIES, I
BELIEVE, A COUNTY ORGANIZATION,
CERTAINLY A TRIBAL ORGANIZATION
WHO WILL BE SPEAKING LATER IN
THE AGENDA. I WOULD ENCOURAGE
THEM TO OFFER THEIR THOUGHTS ON
THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS FOR THEIR
THEIR RESPECTIVE JURISDICTIONS.
PERHAPS SIX. I THINK I'LL BRING
IT TO SENATOR NILO FOR HIS
QUESTIONS. I'M GOING TO COME
BACK TO SENATOR SMALLWOOD.
CUEVAS. SHE HAD ADDITIONAL
QUESTIONS. SENATOR NHIÀU. THE
AUDITORS REPORT, SPOKE TO A
PROBLEM WITH THE AVAILABILITY OF
DATA. YOU SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF
TIME ON YOUR REPORT TALKING
ABOUT THE REPORTING OF AN
ACCUMULATION OF DATA. THERE
SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING OF A
DISCONNECT THERE. I WILL SAY THE
AUDITORS REPORT WAS VERY
SPECIFIC TO THE HAP HAP ROUNDS.
ONE AND TWO, WHICH MUCH OF THOSE
THOSE ALLOCATIONS AND PROGRAM
REPORTS PREDATED. GIS. AND SO WE
PROVIDED THAT, CONTEXT, I WILL
SAY IN OUR OFFICIAL AUDIT
RESPONSE, BUT IT WOULD ATTRIBUTE
THAT TO, TO THE DISCONNECT, AS
YOU POINT OUT, I HAVEN'T SEEN
YOUR OFFICIAL AUDIT RESPONSE. IT
SEEMS MANY FOLKS HAVE NOT.
SENATOR NILO. SO YEAH, IT IS
PUBLICLY AVAILABLE. IT IS
ATTACHED TO THE AUDITOR'S REPORT
, BUT I'M CERTAINLY HAPPY TO
PROVIDE THAT, TO THIS BODY. I
THINK IT WOULD BE WISE OF YOU TO
DISTRIBUTE THAT SPECIFICALLY TO
EACH LEGISLATIVE OFFICE AS THE
ORIGINAL AUDIT WAS, I WOULD
AGREE. THANK YOU FOR THAT
RECOMMENDATION. I APPRECIATE IT,
ON THE CHART THAT TALKS TO THE
SPM, 2122, 2223, IN TERMS OF THE
NUMBERS, THE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS, HOMELESSNESS FOR
THE FIRST TIME AND THEN THE
NUMBER OF PEOPLE EXITING
HOMELESSNESS TO PERMANENT
HOUSING, FIRST OF ALL, WOULD THE
EXITING TO PERMANENT HOUSING DO
YOU DEFINE THAT AS, SUCCESSFULLY
EXITING HOMELESSNESS AND
BECOMING SELF-SUFFICIENT, EVEN
IF THERE'S SOME SUBSIDY TO THE
HOUSING? I'LL TURN IT OVER TO
SIDNEY TO ANSWER THAT. YEAH. SO
FOR THE EXITS TO PERMANENT
HOUSING, THAT CAN INCLUDE, AN
EXIT THAT'S EITHER WITHIN THE
HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM. SO
LET'S SAY SOMEONE'S EXPERIENCING
CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS HAS HAS A
DISABILITY. THEY MAY EXIT TO, A
HOUSING PROJECT THAT PROVIDES
KIND OF THAT ADDITIONAL LEVEL OF
SUPPORT. AND NOW THEY'RE THEY'RE
PERMANENTLY HOUSED AND VÌ ARE
AND HUD'S DEFINITIONS NO LONGER
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS THAT
ALSO INCLUDES MANY EXITS THAT
ARE ENTIRELY OUTSIDE OF THE
HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM. SO
SOMEONE, MOVING INTO THEIR OWN
RENTAL UNIT, SOMEONE MOVING IN
WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY. SO IT'S
KIND OF THE WHOLE RANGE OF
OUTCOMES. AS LONG AS SOMEONE IS
PERMANENTLY HOUSED. SO THAT
WOULDN'T INCLUDE KIND OF INTERIM
HOUSING OR SHELTER. IT NEEDS TO
BE SOMEWHERE WHERE THAT CLIENT
COULD STAY INDEFINITELY AND IS
NO LONGER EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS, IN TERMS OF THE
PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE TOUCHED
ON THIS, BUT OUR DATA IS ALL ON
PEOPLE WHO ARE ACCESSING
SERVICES WHILE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS. SO YOU'LL SEE, AN
INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
ACCESSING SERVICES WHILE
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, AS
WELL AS FOR THE FIRST TIME. AND
WE BELIEVE THIS TO BE DUE TO THE
STATE'S, INVESTMENTS IN
EXPANDING OUR HOMELESSNESS
RESPONSE SYSTEM. SO WE BELIEVE
MANY OF THE PEOPLE HERE WERE
ALREADY EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS, BUT HAD NO ABILITY
TO ACCESS SERVICES. AND SO WE
DO. WHAT WE DO SEE IN THE DATA
IS, IS AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER
OF PROJECTS AND THE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE, BEING SERVED IN THOSE
TWO NUMBERS ARE KIND OF MOVING
TOGETHER. SO WE CAN'T SAY
DEFINITIVELY WHETHER FROM OUR
DATA, WHETHER MORE PEOPLE ARE
HOMELESS FOR THE FIRST TIME,
JUST THAT THEY ARE, YOU KNOW,
ACCESSING SERVICES AND HADN'T
BEEN ACCESSING SERVICES AS
BEFORE. DO YOU, WITH REGARD TO
THOSE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS FOR THE FIRST TIME
THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE PEOPLE WHO
WERE IN THAT SECOND, THE NEXT
NUMBER, THE EXITING PERMANENT
HOUSING THAT MIGHT HAVE FALLEN
BACK INTO HOMELESSNESS AGAIN. SO
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS FOR
THE FIRST TIME, INCLUDES PEOPLE
WHO HAVE NOT ACCESS SERVICES IN
THE PRIOR 24 MONTHS. AND THAT'S
A HUD DEFINITION OF FIRST TIME
HOMELESSNESS, IF SOMEONE, LET'S
SAY, EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS AS
A CHILD AND NOW THEY'RE AN ADULT
AND THEY'VE RETURNED TO THE
HOMELESSNESS, SYSTEM, THEN THEY
THEY COULD BE COUNTED AS
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AS THE
FIRST TIME FOR THE FIRST TIME,
EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT ACTUALLY
THEIR FIRST TIME EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS. AND TO GET THAT
KIND OF LONGER TIME PICTURE, WE
WOULD NEED ADDITIONAL DATA
SOURCES OR, YOU KNOW, MANY MORE
YEARS OF GIS DATA AS OUR SYSTEM
SYSTEM GROWS IN THE DECADES TO
COME. SO THAT'S SOMETHING
CERTAINLY WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO
LOOK AT MORE LONGITUDINALLY AS
WE ACCUMULATE MORE DATA. AND IF
I CAN JUST ADD TO THAT, SENATOR,
AN EXAMPLE OF DATA THAT WE
CURRENTLY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO
IS, IS CHILD WELFARE DATA AND
OUR SOCIAL SERVICES DATA. RIGHT?
SO INSTEAD USING SIDNEY'S
EXAMPLE, IF YOU ARE NOW AN
ADULT, BUT YOU ARE IN FACT A
CHILD WHO WAS A PART OF A FAMILY
THAT RECEIVED CALWORKS, THAT
INCLUDED SUBSIDIES RELATING TO,
TO HOMELESS SERVICES THAT WOULD
NOT BE KNOWN TO US UNLESS THE
ADULT CLAIMED IT AND HAD THAT
RECOLLECTION FROM THEIR
CHILDHOOD. DÍAS DOES NOT HAVE
THAT CONNECTIVITY CURRENTLY
WITHIN THOSE RESPECTIVE SYSTEMS
TO IMMEDIATELY IDENTIFY THAT
PERSON AS SOMEONE WHO HAS
PREVIOUSLY, INTERSECTED WITH
WITH OTHER SYSTEMS WHO ARE
SUPPORTING PERSONS EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS. AND ONE PIECE I
THINK I DIDN'T MENTION IN MY
EARLIER PRESENTATION THE FIELD
SINCE MY SYSTEMS ARE A FEDERALLY
REQUIRED SYSTEM, IT'S HUD WHO
DEFINES THE FIELDS AND HOW
THEY'RE DEFINED IN HMAS, NOT THE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA. SO WE ARE
WE'VE COME UP WITH CREATIVE WAYS
TO ENSURE ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS
CAN ACCURATELY FIT INTO HMAS ON
THE STATE SIDE, BUT FOR EXAMPLE,
HOW WHICH LIKE OUTCOMES ARE
TRACKED, HOW DIFFERENT
POPULATIONS ARE DEFINED. ALL OF
THAT COMES FROM THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT AND NOT FROM THE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA. AND,
LOOKING AT THE, THOSE THE
ABSOLUTE NUMBERS, THE, WITH THE
PEOPLE EXITING BEING 60 SOME
THOUSAND AND PEOPLE EXPERIENCING
IT FOR THE FIRST TIME, 160, SOME
THOUSAND, THAT IS AN INCREASE IN
NUMBERS OF 100,000. AND THEN THE
FOLLOWING YEAR, LOOKING AT IT
SIMILARLY, IS AN INCREASE IN
NUMBERS OF ABOUT 112,000. IT'S
AN INCREASING NUMBER. OBVIOUSLY,
IT JIVES WITH THE GRAPH THAT WE
SEE THE EXPLOSION OF
HOMELESSNESS SINCE 2015 OR 16.
DO YOU HAVE DATA THAT ACTUALLY
ASSESSES WHY PEOPLE ENTER
HOMELESSNESS, WHETHER IT'S
BECAUSE THEY LOST THEIR DWELLING
, LOST A JOB, LOST THEIR
DWELLING BECAUSE THEY HAD
SUBSTANCE ABUSE ISSUES AND OR
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, AND, FELL
INTO HOMELESSNESS. DO YOU, DO
YOU HAVE DATA THAT TRACKS ANY OF
THAT, THAT DATA WOULD NOT BE
TRACKED IN DÍAS, BUT THERE WAS A
RECENT LARGE SURVEY, THE CASPER
REPORT, THAT DID, SURVEY MANY
PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
AND DID ASK ABOUT CAUSES OF
HOMELESSNESS, EVENTS THAT
PRECIPITATED HOMELESSNESS. AND
SO THAT REPORT IS A WEALTH OF
INFORMATION ON SOME OF THE
QUESTIONS THAT YOU'RE ASKING. I
REMEMBER A FEW YEARS AGO, I READ
AN ARTICLE IN THE SACRAMENTO BEE
ABOUT A POINT IN TIME COUNT AND
THE, PREMISE OF THE REPORT WAS
THAT, MOST HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE
ORIGINALLY FROM, IN THIS CASE,
THE SACRAMENTO AREA, AND THAT
THE CAUSE WAS NOT LARGELY MENTAL
ILLNESS OR SUBSTANCE ABUSE. AND
THE REASON FOR THAT IS THE POINT
IN TIME COUNT. COUNTERS ASKED
THEM, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS
CURIOUS BECAUSE IF YOU ASK A
PERSON WHO IS ADDICTED TO DRUGS,
IF THEY'RE ADDICTED TO DRUGS,
YOU'RE NOT LIKELY TO GET AN
HONEST ANSWER. AND PROBABLY
SIMILARLY FROM FOR SOMEBODY FROM
MENTAL ILLNESS. SO I THE DATA IS
PROBABLY DIFFICULT TO TRACK
ANYWAY, WHICH I THINK IS, THE
REASON WHY LARGELY WE ATTRIBUTE
IT TO THE AVAILABILITY OF
AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AND TO THE
EXTENT THAT THE CAUSE TRULY IS
INITIALLY PEOPLE WHO ARE, HAVE,
DRUG ABUSE ISSUES AS WELL AS
MENTAL ILLNESS ISSUES, THEN
WE'RE AIMING AT THE WRONG TARGET
TO A CERTAIN EXTENT. SO THIS
CAUSATION DATA IS, IS REALLY
IMPORTANT. AND OBVIOUSLY YOU
INDICATED YOU DON'T HAVE IT. YOU
MENTIONED ANOTHER REPORT, WHICH
IS WHAT WAS IT AGAIN IT'S THE
CALIFORNIA STATEWIDE STUDY OF
PEOPLE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS. IT WAS BY UCSF
BENIOFF. IT CAME OUT, EARLIER IN
2024 OR TOWARDS THE END OF 2023,
I WILL SAY OUR DATA SHOWS THAT
PEOPLE ARE NOT MOVING AROUND
WHEN ACCESSING SERVICES. SO THAT
IS ACTUALLY ONE THING WE CAN
TRACK IN DÍAS WE SEE OVER A
THREE YEAR PERIOD, IT'S LIKE
OVER 97% OF CLIENTS ARE ONLY
SERVED IN ONE CONTINUUM OF CARE,
AND MOST OF THOSE SERVED IN
MULTIPLE CONTINUUMS OF CARE.
THEY'RE LIKE VERY NEIGHBORING.
SO WHERE WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, TWO
COUNTIES THAT LINE UP OR IN LA
COUNTY, WE HAVE THREE CITIES
WITHIN THE COUNTY THAT HAVE
THEIR OWN CÁC. SO, YOU KNOW,
SERVICE BOUNDARIES CAN BE PRETTY
MURKY, BUT WE DEFINITELY DON'T
SEE FOLKS MOVING AROUND THE
STATE TO ACCESS HOMELESSNESS
SERVICES. THANK YOU. THANK
CENTERS. MOORLACH CHÁVEZ. I JUST
HAD A FOLLOW UP QUESTION, ABOUT
ABOUT TWO ONE ABOUT THE
DATABASES, BECAUSE YOU SAID
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. AND I
WAS WONDERING WHY NOT EDUCATION
AND WDR? I FEEL LIKE IN THOSE
TWO AGENCIES, THERE'S A PROCESS
BY WHICH FOLKS COME INTO THE,
THEY ARE SURVEYED OR ASKED
QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR HOUSING
SECURITY AND IT'D BE INTERESTING
WHERE PARTICULARLY STUDENTS AND
FAMILIES WHO ARE IN OUR K
THROUGH 12, AND THEN FOLKS WHO
ARE ACCESSING WORKFORCE
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. SO I'M
CURIOUS WHY THOSE AGENCIES ARE
NOT PART OF THE DATA INTEGRATION
. THÀNH. AND THEN MY SECOND
QUESTION, GOES BACK TO OUR LAST
MONTH, LAST WEEK'S HEARING. AND
EARLIER YOU MENTIONED ABOUT HOW
YOU'RE HELPING LOCAL ENTITIES
WITH THEIR PERFORMANCE
EVALUATION AND SORT OF LOOKING
AT THE IMPACTS OF EXPENDITURES.
AND WE HAD HEARD FROM SOME
DEPARTMENTS WHO WERE OVERSEEING
HOMELESSNESS SERVICES AND
INVESTMENTS AND WERE PROPOSING
CUTS, BUT COULDN'T TELL US THE
IMPACTS OF THOSE CUTS. SO I'M
CURIOUS IF YOUR SYSTEM AND THE
DATA THAT YOU'RE COLLECTING IS
THERE A WAY TO SORT OF TO
PROVIDE? AND I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE
IT'S A POLICY FIX THAT NEEDS TO
HAPPEN SO THAT WE SEE WHAT THE
PROPOSED IMPACTS ARE OF PROPOSED
CUTS THAT ARE BEING PUT BEFORE
THE LEGISLATURE, PARTICULARLY AS
IT RELATES TO HOMELESSNESS
FUNDING AND INVESTMENT. SO THOSE
ARE THE TWO QUESTIONS I HAVE.
THANK YOU, SENATOR. SO I'LL
START FIRST WITH YOUR YOUR
SECOND QUESTION TO SAY THAT, THE
INTENDED USE OF THE STATEWIDE
ACTION PLANS, PART OF THAT
REIMAGINING IS TO USE THE
STATEWIDE ACTION PLAN TO PREVENT
HOMELESSNESS AS A AS A POLICY
ENFORCEMENT TOOL. AND SO HOPING
TO UTILIZE AGAIN, OUR DATA FROM
GIS, FROM OUR COLLECTIVE COUNCIL
WORK, THERE ARE A 19 MEMBERS ON
THE STATEWIDE, CALIFORNIA
INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON
HOMELESSNESS. A LITTLE CONFUSING
BECAUSE WE HAVE THE WORK OF THE
GREATER COUNCIL, AND THEN WE
HAVE CAL ACH AS AN ENTITY THAT
IS ALSO DOING WORK, ON BEHALF OF
THE STATE, THERE IS A DATA
SYSTEM FOR EVERY SINGLE ONE OF
THOSE 19 COUNCIL MEMBER
DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES, HEALTH
AND HUMAN SERVICES WAS SIMPLY
HIGHLIGHTED AS THE FIRST, FOR US
TO PILOT. WHAT WOULD DATA
SHARING LOOK LIKE? WHAT WOULD
DATA INTEGRATION LOOK LIKE? A
PART OF OUR COUNCIL AS WELL ARE
OUR MEMBERS FROM DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION, HIGHER EDUCATION, OUR
COMMUNITY COLLEGE, YOU KNOW,
UCS, CSUS, ETC. SO THOSE THOSE
SYSTEMS CERTAINLY ARE, ARE AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR INTERSECTION. WE
ARE SIMPLY STARTING WITH HEALTH
AND HUMAN SERVICES, FOR, FOR
NEEDS TO, TO DO IMMEDIATE
PROGRAM EVALUATION. SO THE, THE,
THE ACTION PLAN YOU'RE PUTTING
TOGETHER WILL HAVE SOME
TIMELINES AND BENCHMARKS FOR
SORT OF WHEN NEW AGENCIES GET
INTEGRATED IN AND THEN ARE YOU
ALSO SAYING THAT THE SORT OF,
IMPACT ASSESSMENTS OF CUTS THAT
ARE PROPOSED BY THE STATES THAT
THERE WILL BE AS PART AGAIN OF
THE ACTION PLAN, SOME, SOME,
TIMELINE AND BENCHMARKS FOR WHEN
WE COULD LOOK FORWARD TO
RECEIVING DATA THAT BETTER
INFORMS US ON THE IMPACTS OF
CUTS. SO THE WAY THAT STATUTE
IS, IS CURRENTLY WRITTEN IS THAT
COUNCIL MEMBER DEPARTMENTS AND
AGENCIES HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
REQUEST DATA INTERSECTION WITH
HDIS. THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED TO,
A PART OF OUR OF OUR RESPONSE TO
THE AUDIT. OF COURSE, IS THAT,
WE ARE LIMITED BY STATUTE. WE
CANNOT REQUIRE THESE DEPARTMENTS
OR REQUIRE THEIR RESOURCES TO BE
DIRECTED, FOR, FOR DATA
INTEGRATION IN THIS WAY, BUT CAL
ACH WOULD CONSIDER IT IF THOSE
RESOURCES WERE MADE AVAILABLE.
AND AGAIN, I WILL ABSOLUTELY
CIRCULATE OUR FORMAL AUDIT
RESPONSE JUST SO THAT THIS BODY
IS INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH WITH
WHAT OUR, OUR ABILITIES ARE AND
WITHIN CURRENT GUIDELINES. SO IT
WILL BE LAID OUT IN THE ACTION
PLAN. AS FAR AS A TIMELINE IS
CONCERNED, IT'S CURRENT STATUTE
LIMITS US. SO IF WE STICK WITH
CURRENT STATUTE, WE ARE NOT ABLE
TO SAY K¾T. I'LL JUST USE AS AN
EXAMPLE CDE, UNLESS THEY REQUEST
TO BE INTEGRATED AND HAVE THAT
DATA INTEGRATION, WE CANNOT HOLD
THEM TO A TIMELINE THAT THEY DID
NOT AGREE TO. SO AND WHAT ABOUT
THE IMPACT ASSESSMENTS IN TERMS
OF DATA THAT HELPS US BE ABLE TO
HAVE THE EVIDENCE TO INFORM
WHERE CUTS? I CAN'T IMAGINE THE
ACTION PLAN WILL SAY EXPLICITLY,
YOU KNOW, WE RECOMMEND X, Y AND
Z NOT BE CUT, BUT CERTAINLY THE
DATA FOR, POPULATIONS OF EXTREME
INTEREST, INCLUDING, YOU KNOW,
THOSE WHO ARE OVERREPRESENTED IN
UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS,
INCLUDING OUR BLACK AFRICAN
AMERICAN ÁP AND INDIGENOUS
POPULATIONS, ONES, WE WILL
CERTAINLY HIGHLIGHT THOSE AREAS
THAT WE HAVE DATA TO SUPPORT.
THIS IS AN OVERREPRESENTATION
THAT WILL ABSOLUTELY BE
AVAILABLE. WELL STAY IN TOUCH. I
WILL BE IN TOUCH ON THE ACTION
PLAN AND HOW WE CAN FIGURE OUT
THE IMPACT ASSESSMENTS FOR THAT.
AND IF POLICY CAN BE A HELP TO
HELPING TO REFINE THAT DIRECTIVE
. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE
APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU BOTH
VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION
AND PRESENTATIONS. THANK YOU.
THAT WILL TAKE US NEXT TO ISSUES
THREE THROUGH SIX WILL BE
PROGRAM RELATED SPECIFIC BUDGET
PROPOSALS. AND WHEN WE GET
WHOEVER WE WANT TO GET SITUATED,
CERTAINLY INVITE DOV TO COME UP
AND FIND A COMFORTABLE SPOT. AND
.
ALL RIGHT. WELCOME. ISSUE THREE
IS TRANSITION OF HOMELESS
RELATED GRANT ADMINISTRATION
FROM THE INTEGRATED COUNCIL TO
THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, WELCOME.
PLEASE PROCEED. WHEN READY.
WELCOME, MR. CHAIR. MEMBERS, MY
NAME IS MATT SCHULER, DEPUTY
DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION WITH
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT. AND IF IT PLEASES
YOU, I'LL GO AHEAD AND START THE
ITEM. OKAY SO WHAT? THE STAFF
HAD WORKED OUT AT A DOCKET
ORDER, AND THAT INDICATED THAT
DOV WOULD PRESENT AND YOU WOULD
COMMENT. SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU
WERE IN THAT LOOP, BUT, WE'LL GO
TO THE DOV ON THAT AND WE'LL
COME TO YOU FOR COMMENT AS WELL
AS THE LAO, OF COURSE. HI, KALIA
WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE.
SO IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE
PROVISIONS OF ASSEMBLY BILL 129,
THE HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS
TRAILER BILL FOR THE 2023 BUDGET
ACT THAT TRANSFERS
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
ADMINISTRATION OF HOMELESSNESS
PROGRAMS FROM THE INTERAGENCY
COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND
DEVELOPMENT. THE GOVERNOR'S
BUDGET PROPOSES TO TRANSFER 22
EXISTING POSITIONS THAT SUPPORT
THOSE HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS FROM
CAL, ACH TO HCD. IN ADDITION TO
THESE TRANSFER PROGRAMS, THE
GOVERNOR'S BUDGET PROPOSES TO
PROVIDE FOUR NEW POSITIONS TO
HCD TO FURTHER SUPPORT THEIR NEW
RESPONSIBILITIES. THE DEPARTMENT
OF FINANCE IS PREPARED TO ANSWER
ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. ALL
RIGHT. WE'LL GO TO THE LÀ Ó AND
THEN THE DEPARTMENT FOR COMMENT.
JENNY BELLA WITH THE LEGISLATIVE
ANALYST'S OFFICE, WE'VE REVIEWED
THE PROPOSAL AND WE DIDN'T HAVE
ANY PARTICULAR CONCERNS WITH IT.
ONE THING WE WOULD SAY IS WITH
THE ANNOUNCEMENT OUT OF THE
ADMINISTRATION TODAY OF
INCREASED OVERSIGHT AND
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HOMELESSNESS
PROGRAMS, WE AGREE WITH THE
STAFF RECOMMENDATION TO KEEP
THIS ITEM OPEN AS WE LEARN MORE
ABOUT THE FULLER PICTURE OF THE
VISION ON THAT OVERSIGHT. NOW TO
THE DEPARTMENT. WELL, WE
CERTAINLY SEE THIS PROPOSAL AS
THE FINAL EFFECTUATION OF THE
TRANSFER TO HCD, REALLY THE
LIFTING AND SHIFTING OF THE 22
POSITIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY
DOING THE WORK, AND THEN THE
SLIGHT AUGMENTATION IN ADDITION
TO THE STATUTORY CHANGES THAT
ARE NECESSARY. ALL RIGHT. ANY
ADDITIONAL COMMENT? OKAY. GO
RIGHT AHEAD. I THINK I THINK WE
CAN GET INTO YOUR QUESTIONS,
BUT, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO TALK A
LOT ABOUT THE TRANSFER AND
ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T COME UP IN
YOUR QUESTIONS. WE CAN ADD
ADDITIONAL DETAIL SPECIFIC TO,
EXISTING PROGRAM. THERE'S
ADMINISTRATIVE RETENTION AND SET
ASIDE THAT YOU HAVE SOME
SUBSTANTIAL UNEXPENDED FUNDS, AS
I UNDERSTAND IT. AND THEN YOU
HAVE A FORWARD LOOKING INTO, YOU
KNOW, ESTIMATE OF WHAT'S GOING
TO BE NEEDED ON THE DEMAND SIDE.
SEEMS KIND OF LOW, BUT I'M JUST
WONDERING YOU COULD COMMENT ON
THAT. AND SECOND OF ALL, WOULD
ALSO LIKE TO HAVE A BETTER
UNDERSTANDING IN THIS ON THIS
ITEM ABOUT, INPUT AND YOUR
KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE OVERSIGHT
UNIT, ACCOUNTABILITY UNIT AND
YOUR INPUT ON THAT. SO FEEL FREE
TO ANSWER. GREAT, I'LL GET
STARTED ON THAT. BUT A LOT OF
THE THINGS YOU'LL HEAR ME TALK
ABOUT, I'M TRYING TO FIND THE
RIGHT MIC THERE, AND MAYBE I
SHOULD TELL YOU WHO I AM. SO I'M
MEGAN KIRKEBY, AS, MEGAN
MARSHALL INDICATED, THE
TRANSFERS FROM ONE MEGAN TO
ANOTHER. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S IN
SAFE HANDS, AND I'M OUR DEPUTY
DIRECTOR FOR HOUSING POLICY AT
THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF
HOUSING AND COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT. SO WE'VE BEEN
WORKING ON THIS TRANSFER FOR
ABOUT SIX MONTHS. AND SO WE'VE
BASICALLY BEEN CO-LEADING THIS
PROGRAM DURING THAT TIME,
GETTING READY FOR THAT SORT OF
JULY 1ST HCD TIME TIMELINE, BUT
I THINK TO HIT ON THE TWO THINGS
YOU TALKED ABOUT FIRST. MARSHALL
AND MYSELF HAVE TALKED QUITE A
BIT ABOUT THE UNOBLIGATED
FUNDING FROM THE HAP ONE THROUGH
FOUR AND THE UNEXPENDED FUNDING
FROM THE HAP ONE THROUGH FOUR.
AND I THINK REALLY, YOU CAN SEE
A LOT OF THIS DRIVE TOWARDS
ACCOUNTABILITY IN SOME OF THE
CHANGES THAT WENT OUT IN THE HAP
FIVE NOFA. SO REALLY LOOKING AT,
CLARITY WITH OUR GRANTEES THAT
WE'RE SEEING THOSE MONIES BE
SPENT ON ELIGIBLE USES BEFORE
ADDITIONAL TRANCHES OF,
DISBURSEMENT ARE GIVEN OUT. AND
SO THOSE THOSE WERE LEGISLATIVE
CHANGES WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO
IMPLEMENT THOSE CHANGES TO
REALLY INCREASE THE LEVEL OF
ACCOUNTABILITY ON THE GRANTEES,
TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE
OBLIGATIONS OF FUNDING ARE
HAPPENING, THAT THOSE
EXPENDITURES OF FUNDING ARE
HAPPENING, I THINK IN REFERENCE
TO SORT OF YOUR QUESTION ABOUT
THE ACCOUNTABILITY ANNOUNCEMENT
TODAY THAT LEADS RIGHT INTO THAT
A BIG PART OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN
WORKING ON. AND AS MARSHALL
INDICATED, EVEN PRE-AUDIT REALLY
THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE GET IN
THE WEEDS WITH OUR GRANTEES AND
REALLY ENHANCE TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE HERE TO SAY GRANTEE,
YOU HAVE X, Y, Z UNOBLIGATED
FUNDS PROVIDING VERY INTENSE TO
ON WHAT THOSE ELIGIBLE USES ARE,
WHAT EXAMPLES OF SUCCESSFUL,
GRANTEES HAVE DONE IN TERMS OF
SPENDING THOSE ELIGIBLE USES
REALLY DIRECT TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE TO WORK WITH THE
GRANTEES AND ENSURE THAT THOSE
FUNDS ARE SPENT ON ELIGIBLE USES
SO THAT THAT'S BEEN BAKED IN TO
WHAT WE'VE BEEN PLANNING FOR AS
PART OF THE TRANSFER. SO I THINK
THAT'S A BIG PIECE OF WHAT
YOU'RE HEARING ABOUT FROM THAT
ACCOUNTABILITY MESSAGING, AS
REALLY AS WELL AS REALLY LOOKING
INTO, ENSURING THAT WE ARE
RECEIVING, CLEAR INFORMATION
FROM OUR GRANTEES ON WHERE THOSE
FUNDS ARE GOING AND, AND WHAT
USES ARE HAPPENING THERE. AND I
THINK AND, AND I THINK OUR HOPE
IS TO DO THIS IN A WAY THAT
PROMOTES, FLEXIBILITY, MAINTAINS
THAT FLEXIBILITY THAT GRANTEES.
THIS IS MEANT TO BE A FLEXIBLE
PROGRAM, BUT HDD HAS A HISTORY
OF BEING ABLE TO SHOW
FLEXIBILITY WITH ACCOUNTABILITY.
RIGHT. WE WANT WE DO THINK YOU
HAVE LOCAL KNOWLEDGE THAT'S
IMPORTANT TO BRING TO THE TABLE,
BUT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE MAKE
SURE THAT YOU'RE DOING THE THAT
THAT LOCAL FLEXIBILITY IN LINE
WITH THE PROGRAM, WHAT THE
PROGRAM IS ASKING YOU TO DO. SO
I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A
LOT OF ENHANCEMENT THERE, BUT
THE MESSAGING IS ALSO ABOUT
REALLY LIFTING UP THE WORK
THAT'S IN MY, MY DIVISION
THROUGH THE HOUSING
ACCOUNTABILITY UNIT. AND WE'VE
BEEN SAYING THIS FOR A LONG
TIME, BUT, HOUSING IS THE
SOLUTION TO HOMELESSNESS, THESE
ARE INCREDIBLY LINKED. I MEAN,
YOU HEARD THIS FROM THE
PRESENTER IN THE MORNING, BUT
COST BURDEN, IT SOUNDS LIKE A
WONKY TERME, BUT WHEN WE START
PAYING TOO MUCH OF OUR INCOME
TOWARD OUR HOUSING COSTS EACH
MONTH, WE GET IN THAT RISKY
SITUATION, RIGHT? WHERE THAT ONE
CAR BREAKDOWN, OR MEDICAL,
SITUATION AWAY FROM STARTING A
CYCLE OF HOMELESSNESS. SO WHEN
WE SEE COST BURDENS GO UP, THAT
THAT IS A BIG, THAT IS A BIG
RISK FACTOR FOR US AS A STATE TO
UNDERSTAND. WE NEED TO
INTERVENE. WE NEED TO INCREASE
THAT SUPPLY OF HOUSING,
PARTICULARLY, HOUSING SUPPORTS
THAT SUPPORT PEOPLE WHO ARE
FORMERLY HOMELESS. SO THE
HOUSING ACCOUNTABILITY UNIT, I
THINK THIS IS THIS IS A SHIFT IN
OUR BRANDING, BUT IT'S, IT'S
CORE TO WHO WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN IS
, A BIG HEART OF WHAT WE
STEWARD. THERE IS STREAMLINING
PROVISIONS OF LAND USE LAW THAT
SAY SUPPORTIVE AND TRANSITIONAL
HOUSING NEED TO BE STREAMLINED,
THAT BY RIGHT THAT LOW BARRIER
NAVIGATION CENTERS NEED TO BE BY
RIGHT, THE SUPPORT WE'VE DONE
AROUND AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERING
FAIR HOUSING AS WELL COMES INTO
PLAY THERE. SO THOSE ARE SOME OF
THE THINGS I THINK YOU'RE GOING
TO SEE COME OUT OF THE
ACCOUNTABILITY PROPOSAL AND ARE
REALLY BAKED INTO THE TRANSFER,
AND SO, MARSHALL HAS BRINGS
EXPERTISE TO THE TABLE THROUGH
CAL. ACH. SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO
LET GO OF WHAT ARE THOSE
ELIGIBLE USES. THE DATA TELLS US
HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT. AND
HOW DO WE HOW TO AND THEN WE CAN
TAKE HCD'S ROLE OF GREATER
LEVELS OF INFRASTRUCTURE,
GREATER EXPERIENCE WITH
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. AND THOSE
RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE ALREADY
HAVE THROUGH THE HOUSING ELEMENT
, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE
EIGHT YEAR HOUSING PLANS, WHICH
I THINK, AGAIN, YOU KNOW,
SOMETIMES WHEN WE SAY HOUSING,
WE DON'T REALIZE WE MEAN HOUSING
AND HOMELESSNESS. AND ALREADY
EVERY LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS MAKING
EXTREME COMMITMENTS, DOING THE
HARD WORK TO WORK WITH HCD TO
COME UP WITH THOSE EIGHT YEAR
PLANS. AND WE'RE HOLDING THEM
ACCOUNTABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT
THOSE ARE HAPPENING. SO THE
OTHER LINKAGE THAT HAPPENS
THROUGH THIS TRANSFER THAT'S SO
IMPORTANT IS MAKING SURE THAT
THE ORGANIZATION THAT'S MAKING
THOSE PLANS WITH THE LOCALS IS
ALSO TALKING TO THEM ABOUT HOW
THE MONEY IS BEING SPENT, SO
THAT WE DON'T HAVE THAT SORT OF,
CHANCE TO SORT OF HIDE THE BALL
A LITTLE BIT THERE. RIGHT? LIKE,
HEY, YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO
DO THIS. THERE'S THIS MONEY.
THIS MONEY CAN HELP YOU DO THAT.
ARE YOU USING THAT MONEY TO DO
THE THING YOU PROMISED TO DO?
AND REALLY MAKING SURE ALL THOSE
CHECKPOINTS ARE HAPPENING IN A
CENTRALIZED WAY, I THINK, IS TO
IMPROVE THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE,
CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE FOR
THE GRANTEE AS WELL. SO THOSE
ARE THOSE ARE THE THINGS WE'RE
GOING TO BE WORKING ON. AND THE
GIS PRESENTATION I YOU HEARD, I
THINK IS A BIG PIECE OF,
RESPONDING TO SOME OF THE
COMMENTS THAT YOU WERE YOU WERE
TALKING ABOUT. RIGHT. LIKE
MARSHALL AND I AGREE, LIKE THE
AUDIT POINTED OUT SOME THINGS
ABOUT DATA THAT WE DON'T FEEL
GREAT ABOUT, BUT THEY WERE
THINGS THAT WE WERE ALSO NOT
FEELING GREAT ABOUT BEFORE THE
AUDIT. AND SO WE'VE BEEN PUTTING
IN PLACE THIS RESEARCH AND DATA
TEAM YOU'VE HEARD FROM, AS WELL
AS THIS REALLY CONCERTED EFFORT
AROUND HOW DO WE HOW DO WE TAKE
THESE DOLLARS AND HAVE THEM AND
DO, DO, DO THE RIGHT THING FOR
THE CALIFORNIA PEOPLE TO HAVE
THE MOST IMPACT PER DOLLAR SPENT
HERE, AND WORK WITH GRANTEES AS
PARTNERS TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. SO
I THINK THAT THAT'S SORT OF MY
BEST SUMMARY SO FAR OF, THE
ANNOUNCEMENT THAT YOU HEARD THIS
MORNING. BUT AS I SAID, LONG
TIME COMING. YES, I AGREE, AND
THANK YOU, SENATOR, AND
QUESTIONS. ONE COMMENT THAT YOU
MADE, IN AN ABSOLUTE FASHION WAS
HOUSING IS THE CAUSE OF
HOMELESSNESS. THAT WOULD IMPLY
TO ME THAT, OTHER ISSUES SUCH AS
SUBSTANCE ABUSE OR MENTAL
ILLNESS THAT MAY CAUSE PEOPLE TO
FALL INTO HOMELESSNESS ARE DE
MINIMIS. HOUSING IS THE SOLUTION
TO HOMELESSNESS IS A, IS A IS A
TÂM WE FEEL PRETTY CERTAIN
ABOUT. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW,
PROBABLY SIMILAR COMMENTS TO THE
SPEAKER YOU HEARD FROM THIS
MORNING THAT FOR US, THAT, THAT
COST BURDEN AND THE WHEN WE
INTERVIEW FOLKS ABOUT THEIR
CYCLES OF HOMELESSNESS, THE REAL
STARTS DROVE FROM BEING AT THAT
MARGIN IN TERMS OF PAIN AND TOO
MUCH TOWARD THEIR HOUSING COST
AND THEN NOT BEING ABLE TO MAKE
IT WORK. SO, SENATOR, IF I MAY,
THE CORRECTION IS THAT THE
COMMENT WAS THAT HOUSING IS THE
SOLUTION TO HOMELESSNESS, NOT
THE CAUSE OF HOMELESSNESS, WHICH
IS WHAT I BELIEVE. I'LL GRANT
THAT CORRECTION IN MY, DEPICTION
OF THE QUOTE. BUT MY POINT IS
STILL THE SAME, IF WE HAVE
PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM
HOMELESSNESS WHO ARE SEVERELY
MENTALLY ILL, AND SEVERELY
SUBSTANCE DEPENDENT, THAT, IF WE
GET THEM INTO HOUSING AND THEY
ARE STILL SEVERELY MENTALLY ILL
AND SEVERELY SUBSTANCE,
DEPENDENT. WE HAVE NOT SOLVED
HOMELESSNESS. SO I'LL, I'LL ADD
SOMETHING AND THEN ENCOURAGE
MARSHALL TO SPEAK AS WELL ON
THIS. BUT I DO WANT TO
RECOGNIZE, I THINK I THINK
YOU'RE NOT ALONE IN CALLING OUT
THAT, THERE ARE A LOT OF
OVERLAPPING ISSUES GOING ON FOR
PEOPLE THAT HAVE ENTERED CYCLES
OF HOMELESSNESS. AND SO THERE'S
BEEN A LOT OF RECOGNITION IN THE
AFFORDABLE, HOUSING THAT WE
BUILD AND MAINTAIN NOW AS A
STATE TO REALLY RECOGNIZE THE
NEED FOR THOSE SUPPORTIVE
SERVICES AS PART OF, HELPING
PEOPLE GET INTO A DIFFERENT
GETTING INTO A DIFFERENT
SITUATION. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I
THINK IT'S A PLACE WHERE WE'RE
WE'RE ALWAYS INTERESTED IN THE
MORE THAT WE CAN LEARN ABOUT
WHAT REALLY ENDS A CYCLE OF
HOMELESSNESS FOR SOMEONE WE
KNOW. THAT FIRST STEP IS
HOUSING, BUT THERE ARE
SUPPORTIVE SERVICES THAT COME
WITH IT. AND SO MANY OF THE
HOUSING SOURCES THAT HAVE BEEN
FUNDED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS
REALLY RECOGNIZE THE NEED TO
PAIR, THE RIGHT SERVICES WITH
THE FOLKS THAT ARE IN THE HOMES,
THAT WE'RE PROVIDING AND MAKING
SURE THAT WE CAN SUPPORT, OUR
HOME, OUR FAMILIES AND OUR
INDIVIDUALS THAT WE ARE WE ARE
HOUSING WITH THE RIGHT SERVICES
THAT END THAT CYCLE. SO I DON'T
KNOW IF YOU WANT TO ADD MORE TO
THAT. MEGAN. THANK YOU. SO WE
SAY HOUSING FIRST, BUT NOT
HOUSING ONLY, IT IS JUST THE,
THE OPPORTUNITY FOR, FOR A
PERSON TO ENTER INTO HOUSING
THAT WE KNOW FROM A DATA
PERSPECTIVE. AND WE CERTAINLY
HEARD FROM, FROM DOCTOR FINNEGAN
EARLIER TODAY. WE KNOW PERSONS
DO NOT GET WELL ON THE STREET.
THAT'S A FACT THAT WE KNOW, SO
WHETHER THEY NEED, YOU KNOW,
PLACEMENT IN A PERMANENT HOUSING
UNIT AND INTERIM, YOU KNOW,
SHELTERING PROGRAM, TO YOUR
EARLIER POINT AS WELL, SENATOR,
IN A IN A TREATMENT PROGRAM,
THOSE ARE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE
SYSTEMS SHOULD MAKE AVAILABLE TO
A PERSON WHO'S EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS FOR WHATEVER THERE,
WHATEVER THEY'RE MITIGATING
CIRCUMSTANCES MIGHT BE, BUT JUST
WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE WAY THAT
KELLY IS MOVING INTO THE FRAMING
OF HOUSING FIRST IS THAT IT'S
HOUSING FIRST, BUT NOT HOUSING
ONLY, TO DRAW ON A POINT THAT I
MADE EARLIER, WE ALSO HAVE WHAT
IS CALLED RECOVERY HOUSING,
WHERE IF PEOPLE WANT TO RECOVER
FROM THEIR DEPENDANCE UPON DRUGS
AND THEY WANT TO BE IN A DRUG
FREE ENVIRONMENT, HOUSING FIRST
DOES NOT ALLOW FOR STATE FUNDING
TO PROGRAMS LIKE THAT. AND I
JUST I THINK THAT'S A PROBLEM,
AND THE OTHER THING THAT I THINK
ESPECIALLY BASED UPON, THE
STATED NEED FOR AVAILABLE AND
LOWER COST HOUSING, THE STATE
HAS GOT TO DO A STUDY OF WHAT
THE STATE DOES TO DRIVE THE HIGH
COST OF HOUSING, AND THAT JUST
DOESN'T HAPPEN. WE DON'T WANT TO
ADMIT THAT SOME OF THE THINGS
THAT WE IMPOSE ON, THAT WE
MANDATE ON HOUSING DEVELOPMENT,
MAYBE NEEDS TO BE MODIFIED,
PARTICULARLY IN THE LOW
AFFORDABILITY AREA. THERE'S A
REFUSAL TO EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THE
NEED FOR THAT, LET ALONE
ACTUALLY ASSESS IT. SENATOR,
THERE ARE CERTAIN ALLOWANCES
WITHIN HOUSING FIRST, DEPENDING
ON POPULATION AND ALL USE, OUR
DEPARTMENT OF SO CDCR AS THE
EXAMPLE, IF YOU'RE A PERSON
WHO'S ON PAROLE AND A CONDITION
OF YOUR PAROLE IS THAT YOU
MAINTAIN SOBRIETY, YOU MUST
MAINTAIN SOBRIETY OR RISK, YOU
KNOW, VIOLATING YOUR PAROLE. AND
SO THERE ARE CERTAIN ALLOWANCES
WITHIN HOW THE HOUSING FIRST
LANGUAGE THAT ALLOWS FOR,
NUANCES BASED ON POPULATION NEED
, SO RECOVERY PROGRAMING BEING
ONE LICENSE PROGRAMING, LICENSE
OR, RECOVERY PROGRAMING, I
SHOULD SAY VERY SPECIFICALLY
THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, MULTITUDE
OF COMMUNITY BASED SERVICES THAT
ARE NOT EVIDENCE BASED
NECESSARILY OR HAVE NOT BEEN
RECOGNIZED AS, AS EVIDENCE
BASED, WHO ARE UNLICENSED, WHO
ARE OPERATING, YOU KNOW, SOBER
HOMES, AND THEY CERTAINLY HAVE A
PLACE IN COMMUNITIES. BUT BUT
HOUSING FIRST ALLOWS FOR THOSE
NUANCES AND LICENSE FACILITIES.
AND JUST ON THE COST POINT, I
THINK HEARD THERE AND YOU WON'T
GET A LOT OF COMPLAINTS FROM US.
I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE WORK
ON, CONSISTENTLY. IT'S A PLACE
OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT FOR
OUR HCD, AND WE LOOK AT WHERE
COSTS COME FROM, AND THEY DON'T
COME FROM ONE SINGLE PLACE.
RIGHT. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT
THINGS UP FRONT LIKE INNOVATIVE
BUILDING TECHNIQUES. BUT WE'RE
ALSO LOOKING AT TIME DELAYS. I
MEAN TIME DELAYS ARE A BIG PIECE
OF CONTRIBUTING COSTS. AND WE'VE
REALLY WORKED, PARTICULARLY IN
THE SPORT OF HOUSING SPACE, IN
THE AFFORDABLE HOME SPACE, TO
REALLY LOOK AT STREAMLINING
OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE GOING TO
SAY, OKAY, DOES THIS MEET OUR
COMMUNITY'S OBJECTIVE STANDARDS
OF THE KIND OF HOUSING WE WANT
TO SEE? THEN LET'S NOT HAVE SIX
DIFFERENT HEARINGS ABOUT IT.
LET'S MOVE. LET'S MOVE FORWARD.
AND THOSE THINGS ARE SHOWN TO
HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON
COSTS IN HOUSING THAT SAVE THAT
SAVE REAL, REAL DOLLARS AND
LEGAL FEES, FRANKLY, THAT, YOU
KNOW, COULD BE BETTER SPENT,
BETTER SPENT ON MORE HOMES. AND
SO WE COULD HAVE A LONG
CONVERSATION ABOUT IT. BUT I
THINK WE ARE TRYING TO LOOK AT
IT AS A COST AS A MANY PRONGED
ISSUE AND LOOKING AT HOW DO WE
TACKLE EACH PHASE OF THAT
PROCESS TO MAKE SURE WE'RE
BRINGING COSTS DOWN EVERYWHERE
WE CAN? BUT OF COURSE, YES,
THERE ARE A LOT OF POLICY GOALS
ON EVERY NEW UNIT OF HOUSING,
AND THAT'S A GOOD THING. YOU
KNOW, IT MEANS EVERY NEW UNIT
DOES A LOT OF GOOD IN THE WORLD,
BUT THAT'S A LOT OF PRESSURE ON
ON ONE PARTY. SO WE'RE TRYING TO
BALANCE THAT AND MAKE SURE THAT
THAT VERY GOOD POLICY GOAL CAN
GET THROUGH THE PROCESS QUICKLY
IN A WAY THAT'S THAT IS COST
EFFICIENT. AS LONG AS WE LOOK AT
ALL ASPECTS OF HOUSING, BUILDING
COSTS THAT IS AFFECTED BY, A, A
GOVERNMENT IMPOSED MANDATE, ALL
OF THEM, AND EXCUSE THE
ABSURDITY OF MY COMMENTS, BUT IT
ILLUSTRATES THE ABSURDITY OF THE
NUANCE. IF A PERSON IS SUBSTANCE
DEPENDENT AND THEY WANT TO GET
IN A DRUG FREE ENVIRONMENT TO BE
FREE OF THAT, THEY'VE GOT TO GO
TO PRISON FIRST. I EXCUSE ME, I
SAID IT. I WAS GOING TO MAKE AN
ABSURD STATEMENT TO ILLUSTRATE
THE ABSURDITY OF THE EXCEPTION,
I DON'T SEE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
A, A PAROLE MANDATED, FREEDOM
FROM SUBSTANCE AS AN EXCEPTION
TO HOUSING FIRST, VERSUS SOMEONE
WHO TRULY WANTS TO GET OFF DRUGS
AND NEEDS TO BE IN A DRUG FREE
ENVIRONMENT. I UNDERSTAND THE
ARGUMENTS SOMETIMES OF THE
LICENSURE OF FACILITY LIKE THAT,
AND THAT DOES EXIST. AND TO THE
EXTENT THAT IT'S DEFICIENT, IT
COULD BE FIXED. BUT TO ALLOW
THAT, PRIVILEGE, IF YOU WILL,
ONLY FOR SOMEBODY WHO IS ON
PAROLE OUT OF PRISON JUST SEEMS
OVERLY RESTRICTIVE TO ME. AND I
APOLOGIZE, SENATOR. I THINK THAT
WAS JUST A PERHAPS A BAD EXAMPLE
ON MY END. CERTAINLY THERE ARE
OTHERS. GOOD EXAMPLE, BUT IT
PERHAPS JUST FOR THE ILLUSTRATES
THE STIFFNESS. SURE. I WILL SAY,
AGAIN OUR OUR COLLEAGUES AND,
WHO'S AGAIN A COUNCIL MEMBER OF
THE GREATER COUNCIL WORK IS
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CARE
SERVICES, WHO, YOU KNOW,
PROVIDES TREMENDOUS AMOUNTS OF
FUNDING TO, SUBSTANCE TREATMENT
PROGRAMS TO OTHER LICENSED CARE
FACILITIES, WHO WE WORK VERY
CLOSELY WITH TO WHERE
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE DESIROUS OF
TREATMENT, WHO WOULD LIKE
TREATMENT TODAY AND NOT, YOU
KNOW, 16 WEEKS FROM NOW, THAT
DEPARTMENT IS WORKING VERY
CLOSELY WITH, WITH LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS TO ENSURE THAT THOSE
SERVICES NOT ONLY EXIST BUT ARE
STAFFED APPROPRIATELY, AND ARE
AVAILABLE IN THE WAY THAT, THAT
WE SEE DATA SUPPORTING GREAT
OUTCOMES FOR. SO THANK YOU.
SENATOR. THANKS TO PANELIST I'LL
BE HELD. WE'LL MOVE TO ISSUE
FOUR WHICH IS DELAYS IN
SUPPLEMENTAL AROUND FIVE. WE'LL
ASK DOV TO HIT IT OFF. SO THE
GOVERNOR'S BUDGET MAINTAINS $1.1
BILLION GENERAL FUND FOR ROUND
FIVE OF THE HOMELESS HOUSING
ASSISTANCE AND PREVENTION
PROGRAM, OR HAP. HOWEVER, TO
MAINTAIN A BALANCED GENERAL
FUND, THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET DOES
PROPOSE TO DEFER $260 MILLION IN
HALF ROUND FIVE FUNDING FROM
2023 24 TO 20 2526, THE
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE IS
PREPARED TO ANSWER ANY
QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, THANK YOU,
LEO. WE DON'T HAVE ANY CONCERNS
WITH THE DELAY OF THE 260
MILLION. IT'S OUR UNDERSTANDING
THAT THAT'S LIKELY THE TIMELINE
BY WHICH THAT MONEY WOULD BE
ACCESSED ANYWAY. AND SO IT'S
REALLY SORT OF AN ALIGNMENT WITH
THAT. SO WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY
CONCERNS TO RAISE. ALL RIGHT.
BACK TO THE DEPARTMENT COMMENT.
MISSION COMMENT I'M SORRY. NO
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. YEAH. IT
WAS PARTIALLY ADDRESSED TO LEO,
BUT DISBURSEMENT TIMELINE. CAN
WE WANT TO UNPACK THAT AND SORT
OF EXPLAIN THAT FOR FOLKS WHO
AREN'T EXPERTS IN CHAP
ADMINISTRATION AND UNDERSTANDING
WHAT THAT ACTUALLY MEANS IN
TERMS OF ANY PROGRAMMATIC IMPACT
THAT WE CAN SEE IN THE NEAR TUM?
ABSOLUTELY. SO, THIS IS AGAIN
PART OF THAT SORT OF BLENDED ERA
WE'RE IN, OF KALOCSAY AND HCD
WORKING TOGETHER, I DON'T
REMEMBER THE MONTH THAT WENT
OUT, BUT THE HAP FIVE NOFA WAS
SOMETHING WE GOT TO INFORM BUT
PUT OUT BY CAL. ACH, THE HAP
FIVE APPLICATIONS CLOSED ON
MARCH 27TH, SO WE'RE NOW IN THAT
PERIOD OF REVIEWING THOSE
APPLICATIONS, BUT IT'S KIND OF
IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT
GIVEN THAT THESE ARE A BLOCK
GRANT THAT'S ABOUT WORKING WITH
THE GRANTEES, TO APPROVE THOSE
APPLICATIONS. SO THAT'S THAT'S
NOT JUST LIKE WE'RE GOING TO
APPROVE DENY. IT'S ABOUT, YOU
KNOW, ADDRESSING, ADDRESSING ANY
ISSUES THAT ARE FOUND AND KIND
OF WORKING WITH THE GRANTEES. SO
THE GOAL IS TO GET EVERYONE
ACROSS THE THRESHOLD ON THAT, AS
WE WORK TOGETHER, BUT WE WILL BE
MAKING THE FINAL AWARDS FOR
THAT. THE GOAL IS TO DO THAT
AFTER THE TRANSITION TO HCD, AND
THEN THE, THE, THE FUNDING, THE
STANDARD AGREEMENTS WOULD ALSO
COME OUT UNDER HCD, THERE ARE A
FEW AWARDS THAT ARE GOING TO
COME OUT UNDER CAL ACH THIS
MONTH AND THE NEXT, BUT THOSE
BECAUSE WE ARE LESS THAN 90 DAYS
OUT FROM SORT OF JULY 1ST
TRANSITION, WE'LL BE WORKING IN
THE BACKGROUND TO MAKE SURE THAT
THE, THE STANDARD AGREEMENTS
THAT GET CREATED FOR THOSE, TO
GO ALONG WITH THOSE AWARDS AND
THE DISBURSEMENTS WILL COME FROM
HCD. SO MAYBE A LITTLE TOO MUCH
DETAIL THERE. BUT BUT THAT'S
WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT. AND
THIS IS ALL POSTED ON OUR NOFA
CALENDAR AS WELL ON THE HPD
WEBSITE TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW,
LAY OUT WHEN THE TIMING OF THESE
THINGS IS HAPPENING. AND THAT'S
HELPFUL. AND I APPRECIATE THAT
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT.
THAT WILL BE HELD. WE'LL MOVE TO
ISSUE FIVE, WHICH IS REVERSION
OF THE HAP ADMINISTRATIVE
SAVINGS. AS DOV. THE GOVERNOR'S
BUDGET PROPOSES TO REVERT $100.6
MILLION GENERAL FUND AND
ADMINISTRATIVE SET ASIDES FOR
VARIOUS ROUNDS OF HAP AND FOR
THE FAMILY HOMELESSNESS
CHALLENGE GRANTS AS GENERAL FUND
SAVINGS. BECAUSE THESE FUNDS ARE
NOT REQUIRED BY THE
ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENTS, THE
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE IS HAPPY
TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK
YOU. I'LL WE HAVE NO CONCERNS
WITH THE REVERSION OF THE OF THE
100 MILLION. MEMBERS. QUESTIONS.
JUST A THOUGHT. I'M NOT
ADMINISTERING PROGRAM HERE, BUT
IT'S A BIGGER NUMBER
PROGRAMMATICALLY RELATIVE TO
PROGRAM, RIGHT? NOT TO THE
BUDGET, BUT WE'RE MAKING WE'RE
TRYING TO FIND A WAY TO BE
STRATEGIC IN DECIDING WHERE
WE'RE GOING TO CONSTRAIN IN THIS
CYCLE. MAYBE THAT HAS OTHER
USES, PROGRAMMATIC OR OTHERWISE.
I DON'T KNOW IF THERE ARE
CONSTRAINTS ON THAT STATUTORILY,
BUT WE CAN APPLY $100 MILLION
INTO PROGRAM RATHER THAN SAYING,
LOOK WHAT WE DID IN THE DELTA
HERE, IF IN FACT, THAT'S
RELEVANT. BUT MAYBE THAT'S PART
OF A FUTURE CONVERSATION,
RECOMMENDATION IS TO HOLD THAT
ITEM OPEN. IT WILL BE HELD,
TAKES US TO ISSUE SIX, WHICH IS
ROUND SIX. DODD ADDRESS. AND
THEN WE'LL COME. CHRIS HILL,
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE, AS YOU
KNOW, THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET DOES
NOT PROPOSE FUNDING FOR ROUND
SIX OF HALF IN 2025, 26,
HOWEVER, THE GOVERNOR'S BUDGET
DOES SIGNAL THE ADMINISTRATION
WILLINGNESS TO WORK WITH THE
ADMINISTRATION OR WORK WITH THE
LEGISLATURE ON POSSIBLE WAYS TO
FIND SOME SOME MEANS TO PERHAPS
FUND AROUND SIX, DEPENDING
PRIMARILY ON REVENUE
AVAILABILITY, WHICH, AS WE ALL
KNOW, IS RATHER, TIGHT SITUATION
RIGHT NOW. BUT, I THINK WE'LL
HAVE A BETTER IDEA AS TO WHERE
WE ARE IN TERMS OF REVENUE
AVAILABILITY AFTER THE MAY
REVISION WHEN WE HAVE OUR
UPDATED REVENUE ESTIMATES. ALL
RIGHT, LEAH, NOTHING TO ADD.
COMMENT FROM DEPARTMENT. NO
COMMENT. I THINK I REFERENCED
THIS IN MY OPENING COMMENTS. I
REFERENCED IT IN SOME OF THE
CONVERSATION EARLIER AND MAYBE
REVISITING THAT. I THINK MORE
COMPREHENSIVELY. ANY QUESTIONS
FROM THE ALL RIGHT, WE'LL HOLD
THAT ITEM AND THANK YOU ALL,
WE'LL TAKE A MOMENT TO GO TO
ISSUE SEVEN, WHICH IS TO GET
SOME INPUT AND TESTIMONY FROM
SOME DISTINGUISHED PANELISTS,
WITH RESPECT TO THE PERSPECTIVE
OF PROGRAM RECIPIENTS. AND WE
WILL DO SO, WITH FOLKS FROM
LARGE CITIES, THE COUNTY
CONTINUUM OF CARE AND TRIBES. SO
COME ON UP. SLASH MAYOR SLASH.
HOW ARE YOU, SIR? HELLO,
SENATOR. GOOD TO SEE YOU. ALL
RIGHT.
ALL RIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
WE DO HAVE JOINING US TODAY, THE
HONORABLE DARRELL STEINBERG,
MAYOR OF THE CITY OF SACRAMENTO.
IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU BACK
AGAIN, SIR. FROM THE COUNTY WE
HAVE, THERE'S PLENTY OF PICTURES
RIGHT UP HERE, TOO. HE'S PLAYED
MANY OF ROLE. A PRETTY GOOD
PICTURE, TOO. RIGHT UP THERE.
THEN FROM THE COUNTY. GRAHAM
NELSON, CEO, CALIFORNIA STATE
ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES. TAMARA
KOHLER, CEO, REGIONAL TASK FORCE
ON HOMELESSNESS, HOMELESSNESS.
AND EMILY TRUJILLO, DIRECTOR,
PALABAN AND MISSION INDIANS IN
THE HOUSING RESOURCE CENTER. I
THINK I WANT TO START WITH JUST
AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND THANK MISS
TRUJILLO FOR COMING TO SPEAK, ON
THE TRIBAL PERSPECTIVE, HER
LEADERSHIP OF THE TRIBAL HOUSING
RESOURCE CENTER, AND IT'S
REPRESENTING THE TALIBAN AND
MISSION INDIANS WHO ARE TRIBAL
CHAP ONE AND TRIBAL CHAP TWO
AWARDEES, THE TALIBAN AND
MISSION INDIANS, IS SOVEREIGN
TRIBAL NATION WITHIN THE STATE
OF CALIFORNIA, LOCATED IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. BY
EXECUTIVE ORDER IN 2019,
GOVERNOR NEWSOM ACKNOWLEDGED THE
STATE'S ROLE IN THE VIOLENCE,
EXPLOITATION, DISPOSSESSION, AND
THE ATTEMPTED DESTRUCTION OF
TRIBAL COMMUNITIES, AND HE
AFFIRMED A COMMITMENT TO
PURSUING POLICIES THAT EMBRACE
TRIBES UNIQUE STATUS AND ISSUES
AND PRIORITIES. I THINK YOU'LL
HEAR THE SUCCESS OF TRIBAL CHAP
THUS FAR CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO
EXTENSIVE GOVERNMENT, TO
GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION AND
COLLABORATION. THE TRIBES. IT'S
OUR INTENT AND DESIRE TO FURTHER
THAT CONSULTATION AND
COLLABORATION. THÀNH HERE TODAY,
I THINK WE HAVE SOME AGREEMENT
ABOUT WHERE WE'RE GOING TO
TARGET TIMELINES FOR EACH
DISTINGUISHED PANELIST, WE WILL
GO RIGHT DOWN THE NOTICE, IN
ORDER. AND I'D LIKE TO ASK MAYOR
STEINBERG TO PRESENT WHEN READY.
WELCOME, SIR. THANK YOU VERY
MUCH, MR. CHAIRMAN. AND MEMBERS
OF THE COMMITTEE. I SPEAK TODAY
NOT ONLY ON MY BEHALF, BUT ON
BEHALF OF THE BIG CITY MAYORS,
WHICH IS AN ORGANIZATION OF
MAYORS FROM THE 13 MOST
POPULATED CITIES IN THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA. I WANT TO BEGIN BY
SAYING SOMETHING WHICH I THINK
IS OBVIOUS, BUT MAYBE DOESN'T
GET SAID ENOUGH. NOT AS ANY
EXCUSE OR DEFLECTION. BUT CITIES
WITH RARE EXCEPTIONS, SAN
FRANCISCO BEING ONE OF THEM.
CITIES ARE NOT HOMELESS. SERVICE
AGENCIES WE'RE NOT HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICE AGENCIES. WE ARE A
MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS THAT ARE
LARGELY RESPONSIBLE FOR
PROVIDING BASIC AND DIRECT
SERVICES TO OUR CONSTITUENTS.
AND YET FOR ALSO OBVIOUS REASONS
THE GROWTH IN HOMELESSNESS, THE
INCREASE IN HOMELESSNESS OVER
THE LAST HALF DOZEN OR MORE
YEARS, THE CITIES, ESPECIALLY IN
THE LARGE CITIES AND MAYORS HAVE
DECIDED THAT WE HAVE TO, GET
DIRECTLY INVOLVED, NOT BECAUSE
WE DON'T HAVE GOOD COUNTIES OR,
OR GOOD COLLEAGUES ON THE COUNTY
SIDE, BUT, WE CANNOT JUST WAIT
FOR THE DECISIONS OF OTHER
GOVERNMENTAL BODIES TO HELP
DETERMINE HOW QUICKLY WE GET
PEOPLE OFF THE STREETS. AND THUS
WAS BORN THE ORIGIN OF WHAT WAS
THEN HEAP AND HAS SINCE BECOME
HAP. WE ARE NOW SEEKING OUR
SIXTH ALLOCATION, OUR SIXTH
ALLOCATION, AND IT'S THE FIRST,
I BELIEVE, DIRECT ALLOCATION OF
FUNDING FROM THE STATE TO CITIES
FOR THIS KIND OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES FUNCTION. NOW
ALSO STATED, OBVIOUSLY THE
PROBLEM OF HOMELESSNESS HAS NOT
BEEN SOLVED, AND YET THERE ARE
DEPENDS WHICH SIDE OF THE
LOOKING GLASS ONE WANTS TO LOOK
THROUGH. IF WE'RE LOOKING AT THE
NET INCREASE, CALIFORNIA STILL
OBVIOUSLY HAS A SIGNIFICANT
PROBLEM, AS DO OUR OTHER MAJOR
CITIES. THE FACT OF THE MATTER
IS, IN LOS ANGELES, EACH DAY,
207 PEOPLE ARE HOUSED AND 227
PEOPLE ENTER HOMELESSNESS IN SAN
DIEGO. IT'S 10 TO 13. IN
BAKERSFIELD, IT'S 9 TO 7. THAT'S
ACTUALLY A LITTLE BETTER
PERCENTAGE IN SAN JOSE, IT'S 1
TO 4. AND IN SACRAMENTO, LIKE IN
SAN DIEGO, TEN PEOPLE EXIT
HOMELESSNESS, 13 PEOPLE ENTER.
SO WHAT HAVE WE DONE WITH THE
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT THE
STATE, THE LEGISLATURE AND THE
GOVERNOR HAVE PROVIDED THROUGH
HAPS ONE THROUGH FOUR? WE HAVE
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED BED
CAPACITY, 15,722 ADDITIONAL
BEDS. NOW, THE PROBLEM WOULD BE
MUCH WORSE, NOT JUST ARGUABLY,
BUT OBVIOUSLY IF THE STATE HAD
NOT STEPPED UP IN THE WAY YOU
HAVE. AND WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR IT,
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITIES
AND THE COUNTIES, TO ENABLE US
TO FUND THE THOUSANDS OF
ADDITIONAL BEDS WE SERVED ALMOST
150,000 PEOPLE. AND YES, WE'VE
HAD OVER 40,000 PEOPLE. AS WE
ACCUMULATE OUR DATA FROM THE BIG
13 CITIES, OVER 40,000 PEOPLE
WITH POSITIVE EXITS, EITHER
REUNITING WITH FAMILY OR
ENTERING INTO A DIFFERENT PART
OF THE CONTINUUM OF CARE,
PERMANENT HOUSING OR PERMANENT
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. SO WE
BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE DONE
EVERYTHING ASKED OF US. AND WE
ARE ALSO NOT AFRAID OF
ACCOUNTABILITY. WE ARE COMMITTED
TO OUR REGIONAL, HOUSING PLANS
THAT WERE REQUIRED BY THE
LEGISLATURE STATEWIDE TO REDUCE
UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS BY AT
LEAST. AND IT'S A FLOOR, NOT A
CEILING. AT LEAST 16% BY 2025.
AND TO INCREASE OUR EXITS FROM
TEMPORARY SHELTER TO PERMANENT
HOUSING BY AT LEAST 16. AND SO
WHILE WE KNOW THAT THE STATE HAS
A SERIOUS BUDGET DEFICIT, AND
CERTAINLY SENATOR NILO AND I ARE
NO STRANGER TO BUDGET DEFICITS,
IT WAS A GREAT, GREAT COLLEAGUE,
DURING MY DURING MY TIME AS PRO
TEM, THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS,
THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE NECESSARY
INVESTMENT. ISN'T ANOTHER
BILLION DOLLARS PLUS THE ASK TO
RELEASE THIS 300 PLUS MILLION
DOLLARS OF SO-CALLED BONUS
FUNDING THAT WAS PROVIDED, BUT
HAS NOT YET BEEN ALLOCATED
BETWEEN THE HAP ROUNDS 3 OR 4,
THREE AND FOUR, BETWEEN 2122 AND
2223, $360 MILLION, WITHOUT
THIS, THE BOTTOM DROPS OUT. AND
OF COURSE, YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR
A LOT OF SAD STORIES AND A
BUDGET DEFICIT YEAR. I
UNDERSTAND IT, BUT WE ARE
LITERALLY FUNDING. WHEN I
STARTED AS MAYOR OF SACRAMENTO,
WE WERE FUNDING AND OPERATING
LESS THAN 100 BEDS A NIGHT. WE
ARE NOW UP TO 1350 A NIGHT AND
GROWING AND A SIGNIFICANT
PORTION OF THAT FROM THE CITY
SIDE IS FUNDED BY WHAT WAS THEN
HEAP AND NOW HAP. AND WE'RE
INCLUDING OUR GENERAL FUND,
WHICH IS REALLY NOT WHAT CITIES
AGAIN, TRADITIONALLY HAVE DONE.
BUT THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO DO.
SO WITHOUT THIS ADDITIONAL
FUNDING FOR THE BIG CITIES OF
CALIFORNIA, THE BOTTOM WILL DROP
OUT. AND THE STATE'S MOST SEVERE
CRISIS WILL ONLY GET WORSE. WE
ALL WANT TO TURN THAT CORNER
WHERE OUR NUMBERS OF EXITS ARE
LARGER THAN THE PEOPLE ENTERING,
AND THAT'S A LARGER DISCUSSION,
AND SOMETHING THAT I'M HAPPY TO
TALK ABOUT IN THE QUESTION AND
ANSWER. AND FINALLY, I JUST WANT
TO SAY, BECAUSE I HEARD THE
PRIOR TESTIMONY AND LISTEN TO
SENATOR NEIL'S QUESTIONS, YOU
KNOW, FOR MYSELF, I'VE BEEN
INVOLVED IN THIS ISSUE FOR A
LONG TIME, AND I AGREE THAT
HOUSING FIRST HAS SOME ISSUES.
BUT THE PROBLEM, IN MY VIEW, IS
THAT IT IS NOT EITHER OR. IT'S
NOT HOUSING AND OR MENTAL HEALTH
AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE. FOR MANY
PEOPLE, IT'S ALL THE ABOVE.
PEOPLE CAN'T SUCCEED IN HOUSING.
WHO HAVE SEVERE UNDERLYING
CONDITIONS UNLESS THEY GET THE
HELP THEY NEED VOLUNTARILY,
FIRST OR INVOLUNTARILY IS
NECESSARY. Kò AND WE CAN'T
PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT
TO PEOPLE LIVING UNDER THE
FREEWAY. AND SO I JUST HOPE YOU
KNOW, IT'S NOT IT'S NOT A
PARTIZAN ISSUE, BUT THAT MAYBE
THE VERNACULAR NEEDS TO CHANGE.
MAYBE HOUSING FIRST ITSELF IS A
BAD TURN BECAUSE IT SPEAKS TO
HOUSING, BUT IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY
SAY TREATMENT. BUT TO ME, IT'S
ALWAYS BEEN THE COMBINATION FOR
THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE WHO
NEED IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
APPRECIATE YOU VERY MUCH, MR.
MAYOR. AND, A COUPLE THINGS I
MIGHT DIRECT YOUR WAY. ONE OF
THE VIRTUES OF THE PROGRAM MORE
BROADLY IS THE FLEXIBILITY FOR
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, BECAUSE WE
DEAL WITH ACUTE SCENARIOS MOST
OF THE TIME. AND I ALSO WORK
MANY YEARS IN LOCAL AND REGIONAL
GOVERNMENT, IS TO TRY TO GET
SHELTERING IMMEDIATE, IMMEDIATE
INTERVENTIONS, TEMPORARY
SHELTERS, AS WE HAD SOME
CRITIQUE IN THE AUDIT ADDRESSING
CERTAINLY ROUND ONE, I SAID
EARLIER IN THE HEARING, I THINK
THAT SORT OF INCOMPLETE, IN
TERMS OF SOME OF THE CRITIQUE
THERE, JUST BECAUSE OF THE
NATURE OF THE PROGRAM. BUT
SHOULD WE BE FOCUSING ON HOW CAN
WE PARTNER OR SHOULD WE BE
FOCUSING MORE ON PERMANENT
HOUSING? ULTIMATELY, IS THE
LOCAL GOVERNMENT APPROACH STILL
PRIORITY? ONE IS IMMEDIATE
INTERVENTION. THÀNH WHAT ARE
YOUR EXPERIENCES AND THOUGHTS
ABOUT THAT TENSION? BECAUSE, YOU
KNOW, THE VIRTUE IS THE
FLEXIBILITY IN THE PROGRAM.
OBVIOUSLY BOTH, BUT THE
FLEXIBILITY IS VERY, VERY
IMPORTANT BECAUSE WHAT OUR
CONSTITUENTS ARE RIGHTFULLY
DEMANDING IS THAT OUR STREETS BE
SAFER AND CLEANER AS WELL. AND
WE HAVE TO RESPOND TO THAT.
THAT'S REAL. AND IT'S
UNDIGNIFIED FOR HUMAN BEINGS TO
BE LIVING IN, IN, ON THE STREETS
, IN THE COLD AND IN THE HEAT.
AND WITH ALL OF THE RISKS OF
ASSAULT AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT
GOES WITH IT. AND SO, YOU KNOW,
IT'S MASLOW'S HIERARCHY. THE
FIRST ORDER IS TO BRING PEOPLE
INDOORS AND INSIDE. AND YES,
THEN WE MUST BE COMMITTED TO
FUNDING CREATIVELY, THE
CONTINUUM THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE TO
GO INTO PERMANENT HOUSING. NOW,
I WOULD SAY ANOTHER THING THAT
IS WASN'T ON MY TALKING POINTS
HERE, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO DO
MUCH BETTER WITH ELEVATING THE
CAUSE OF MANUFACTURED HOUSING.
IT'S BECAUSE IF AS LONG AS IT'S
TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT AND
THAT'S THE FRAME, THEN WE'RE
ALWAYS GOING TO BE HAVING THE
FEAST OR FAMINE AND YOU MAKE THE
CHOICE QUESTION. BUT THIS IS THE
STATE OF THE SILICON VALLEY.
THERE ARE SO MANY OF THESE
PRODUCTS THAT ARE REALLY
INTERESTING AND SOME OF THEM
REALLY GOOD, AND YET WITH OUR
ARCANE SYSTEM OF FINANCING
AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND PERMANENT
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, WE HAVEN'T
FIGURED OUT WHY THIS HASN'T GONE
TO ANY KIND OF SCALE WHEN IT'S
LESS EXPENSIVE AND IT IS FASTER
TO BUILD AND WOULD ENABLE US TO
PUT PEOPLE INTO HOUSING. I MEAN,
MAYBE IF THE USEFUL LIFE OF SOME
OF THESE NEW HOUSING TYPES ARE
NOT 30 YEARS, HOW ABOUT TEN?
BRING SOMEBODY IN FOR TEN AND
THEN YOU'RE STARTING TO TALK
ABOUT A BRIDGE TO SOMETHING MORE
PERMANENT. I APPRECIATE
QUESTIONS FOR THE MAYOR. MR.
SENATOR. I THINK I'LL WAIT ON MY
QUESTION AND COMMENTS UNTIL I
HEAR FROM ALL THREE. THANK YOU
SIR. ALL RIGHT, MR. KRAUSS,
WELCOME. THANK YOU, GOOD
AFTERNOON, CHAIRMAN PADILLA AND
MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, REALLY
APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
JOIN YOU TODAY. I'M GRAHAM
CANALS. I'M THE CEO OF THE
CALIFORNIA STATE ASSOCIATION OF
COUNTIES, WHICH OF COURSE,
REPRESENTS EVERY CALIFORNIAN AND
EVERY, IN TERMS OF ALL 58
COUNTIES OF THE STATE. I'M
REALLY PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO
TALK TO YOU ABOUT HOMELESSNESS,
WHICH WE SEE AS THE HUMANITARIAN
CRISIS OF OUR TIME, AND ONE IN
WHICH THERE IS A CALL FOR US TO
DO EVEN MORE THAN WHAT WE'VE
DONE THUS FAR. I WANT TO START
BY MAKING CLEAR THAT FROM OUR
PERSPECTIVE OF EVERY EVERY LEVEL
OF GOVERNMENT AND NONPROFIT,
FAITH BASED ENTITY AND OTHERS
THAT ARE WORKING ON HOMELESSNESS
ARE DOING IT WITH GREAT INTENT
AND WITH FULL ENERGY TO SOLVE
THIS ISSUE. WE DON'T HAVE ANY
QUESTION OF THAT. THAT DOESN'T
SOLVE IT ON ITS OWN. AND I'M
GOING TO SHARE SOME PERSPECTIVE
THAT IS SPECIFIC AND BROAD,
COMING FROM WHAT WE'VE SEEN, AND
THEN I'LL HAVE, THREE VERY
SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS. FIRST,
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT A COUPLE OF
HIGHLIGHTS. RELATIVE TO, THINGS
THAT HAVE BEEN WORKING, FIRST,
IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY, THEY'VE
BEEN USING THEIR HAP FUNDING TO
INCREASE, HOUSING, PARTICULARLY
THEIR SUPPORTIVE HOUSING
PORTFOLIO, WHICH THEY'VE
INCREASED 15% FOR INTERIM
HOUSING PLACEMENTS IN THE PAST
TWO YEARS, AND 18% AS IT RELATES
TO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
THAT'S FANTASTIC, THE NEED FOR
THAT IS MUCH GREATER, AS
HIGHLIGHTED BY THE NUMBERS IN
TERMS OF THE GROWTH OF
HOMELESSNESS THAT CONTINUES TO
OCCUR THERE AND IN OTHER PARTS
OF THE STATE. BUT THAT IS A
DIRECT RESULT OF THE INVESTMENTS
FROM, FROM THE HAP PROGRAM,
SECOND IN SAN DIEGO, THEY'VE
BEEN USING HAP FUNDS FOR THEIR
COMMUNITY CARE COORDINATION,
STRAIGHT TO HOME PROGRAM. AND
THAT IS ABOUT INDIVIDUALS THAT
ARE EITHER, THEY'RE FINISHING
THEIR THEIR TIME INCARCERATED OR
THEY'VE BEEN RECENTLY RELEASED.
AND THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE AT
GREAT RISK OF HOMELESSNESS DUE
TO MEDICAL ISSUES, BEHAVIORAL
HEALTH ISSUES, OR OTHERS. AND IN
THE CASE OF SAN DIEGO, THIS
SPECIFIC PROGRAM OF THE, NEARLY
100 FOLKS THAT HAVE TOUCHED THIS
PROGRAM, 98% WERE HOUSED,
RECENTLY, FOLLOWING, FOLLOWING
BEING BACK IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.
THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD BE FUNDING
THOSE THINGS AND MANY OTHER,
LIKE IT BROADLY, OF COURSE, HAP
HAS BEEN A CRITICAL FUND SOURCE
FOR ALL LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND
ENTITIES THAT HAVE THAT HAVE
RECEIVED THE FUNDS. AND YET,
THINGS WOULD BE FAR WORSE. WERE
IT NOT FOR THE INVESTMENTS THAT
HAVE BEEN MADE OVER THE PAST FEW
YEARS. AND, AND I AGREE WITH THE
MAYOR THAT THE KEY INGREDIENT OF
THIS IS ABOUT FLEXIBILITY, WHAT
IS NEEDED TO SOLVE HOMELESSNESS
IS DIFFERENT FROM COMMUNITY TO
COMMUNITY. AND SO WHAT WORKS IN
MERCED COUNTY IS DIFFERENT THAN
WHAT WORKS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY
IS DIFFERENT THAN ALPINE COUNTY,
THAN HUMBOLDT COUNTY, THAN
ALAMEDA COUNTY. AND HAVING THE
FLEXIBILITY OF HAP, ALLOWS THAT
TO BE REAL. AND EFFECTUATED
APPROPRIATELY IN COMMUNITIES. I
THINK, WHAT RECENT INVESTMENTS
HAVE REALLY DONE IN TERMS OF HAP
IS THAT FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER,
THEY'VE ALLOWED US TO MOVE FROM
A MODEL WHERE ALL LEVELS OF
GOVERNMENT, STATE, COUNTIES AND
CITIES SIMPLY POINTED FINGERS AT
EACH OTHER. THAT'S WHAT WE DID.
THAT'S WHAT WE ALL DID. WE ALL
NEED TO OWN THAT, AND THERE WAS
NO MONEY ON THE TABLE, WITH
INVESTMENT COMES BOTH PROGRESS
AND AWARENESS OF THE THINGS THAT
ARE WORKING AND THE THINGS THAT
ARE NOT WORKING AND, AND
IDENTIFYING THÀNH OF GAPS IN
DATA, IN OUTCOMES, IN TERMS OF
WHAT WE NEED TO, OVERALL SOLVE.
AND I THINK WE BELIEVE THAT,
THAT THIS IS EXACTLY WHERE
CALIFORNIA HAS HISTORICALLY
STEPPED IN THE DOOR HAS BEEN
OPENED FOR THIS STATE TO DO WHAT
IT HAS ALWAYS DONE ON
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES, LEAD THE
COUNTRY, AND THERE IS MORE WORK,
BETTER WORK BEING DONE IN
CALIFORNIA RIGHT NOW ON
HOMELESSNESS THAN I BELIEVE IS
THE CASE IN ANY OTHER STATE IN
THE COUNTRY. BUT THERE'S MUCH
MORE THAT WE NEED TO DO, AND WE
CAN DO BECAUSE BECAUSE OF WHO WE
ARE AS AS AN ENTITY. LAST YEAR,
CSAC DEVELOPED THE AT HOME PLAN,
WHICH WAS A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM
TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS, CLEAR
RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE STATE
FOR COUNTIES AND CITIES FOUNDED
IN ACCOUNTABILITY, AND THAT WAS,
THAT REMAINS IN ATTEMPT TO MAKE
SOME PROGRESS IN THIS DIRECTION.
LAST YEAR'S HOMELESSNESS BILL,
HB 129 THAT WAS DISCUSSED
EARLIER, HAS A NUMBER OF
ELEMENTS OF IT THAT COME OUT OF
OR ARE CONSISTENT WITH WHAT WAS
PROPOSED IN THE ACCOUNTABILITY
OF AT HOME. AND HUGE THANKS TO
THE LEADERSHIP OF THE GOVERNOR
AND THE LEGISLATURE, OR ELSE WE
WOULD NOT HAVE EVEN KNOWN WHAT
WAS NEEDED TO SOLVE, BECAUSE OF
THE INVESTMENTS AND ALSO THE
PROGRESS THAT WAS MADE LAST YEAR
VERY QUICKLY AT HOME IS
ACCOUNTABILITY K¾T CLEAR
RESPONSIBILITIES ALIGNED TO
AUTHORITY AND RESOURCES FOR ALL
LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT. SO THAT'S
CLEAR STATE RESPONSIBILITIES,
COUNTY RESPONSIBILITIES, SET OF
RESPONSIBILITIES, TRANSPARENCY.
AND THIS WAS TOUCHED ON EARLIER.
WE HAVE TO KNOW WHAT'S WORKING
AND WHAT'S NOT WORKING. AND THAT
IS ABOUT DATA AND ENSURING THAT
WE HAVE ACCESS TO IT. AND IT IS
APPROPRIATELY INTEGRATED HOUSING
WHICH HAS BEEN DISCUSSED. SITING
AND OPERATING SHELTER BEDS,
APPROPRIATELY TRANSITIONAL
HOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE
HOUSING, WHICH IS SO CRITICALLY
NEEDED IN IN OUR COMMUNITIES
OUTREACH THAT EMERGENCY RESPONSE
SYSTEM, WHEN FOLKS INITIALLY
FALL INTO HOMELESSNESS AND WE
SAW WE CAN SEE ON THE SCREEN
RIGHT THERE THE NUMBER OF
INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE NEWLY
HOMELESS CONTINUES TO GROW,
WHICH IS A WHICH IS A HUGE
ISSUE, MITIGATION THÀNH, WHICH
IS REALLY THE STATE'S SAFETY NET
SYSTEM THAT COUNTIES OPERATE ON
YOUR BEHALF. AND THERE'S GREAT
PARTNERSHIP THERE. WE NEED TO
KEEP IT STRONG. WE NEED TO
PROTECT IT, NOTWITHSTANDING
WHERE WE ARE OVERALL RELATIVE TO
THE BUDGET, AND ENSURE THAT THAT
REMAINS STRONG. SO FOLKS ARE
HAVE HAVE OPPORTUNITY THERE. AND
THEN FINALLY ECONOMIC
OPPORTUNITY WHICH IS EDUCATION
AND EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
PATHWAYS OUT OF POVERTY. AND
ALSO RECOGNIZING THERE ARE SOME
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE SO SEVERELY
DISABLED, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO
BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT AND WE
NEED TO ADDRESS THAT TO ENSURE
THAT THEY ARE NOT HOMELESS. AND
SO I, I RAISE THESE BECAUSE WHAT
WE'VE LEARNED IS THERE IS NO
POLICY AREA IN THIS STATE, THAT,
DOES NOT HAVE CLEARLY
ARTICULATED RESPONSIBILITIES IN
STATUTE FOR ALL LEVELS OF
GOVERNMENT, IT, I MEAN, ALL LET
ME FLIP THAT, EVERY SIGNIFICANT
POLICY ISSUE IN THIS STATE, WITH
THE EXCEPTION OF HOMELESSNESS,
HAS CLEARLY ARTICULATED
RESPONSIBILITIES ALIGNED TO SOME
SEMBLANCE OF FUNDING IN STATUTE,
CHILD WELFARE, K-12,
TRANSPORTATION, HEALTH, WHATEVER
IT MAY BE. AND WE BELIEVE THAT
THERE'S A CRITICAL OPPORTUNITY
RIGHT NOW TO DO THE SAME RELATED
TO HOMELESSNESS, TO ENSURE THAT
WHEN WE'RE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL,
THAT WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE
STATE PRIORITIES ARE, WHO SHOULD
BE DOING WHAT LEVEL OF WORK
AROUND HOMELESSNESS AND IF WE
FAIL, WHO YOU CAN HOLD
ACCOUNTABLE FOR THAT. AND
COUNTIES ARE IN THE
ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE
IMPLEMENTATION BUSINESS, AND WE
WANT TO DELIVER ON THE STATE'S
PRIORITIES AROUND, AROUND THIS
ISSUE. AND SO LET ME GO TO
THREE, THREE SPECIFIC
RECOMMENDATIONS. FIRST, AND THIS
WAS MENTIONED BY THE MAYOR. WE
NEED TO HAVE ONGOING FUNDING. WE
CANNOT SOLVE A SIGNIFICANT
ONGOING PROBLEM WITH ONE TIME
MONEY WE HAVE. THERE MUST BE
ONGOING FUNDING IN ORDER TO
ACCOMPLISH THAT. AND WE BELIEVE
THERE THE BILLION DOLLARS IS
NECESSARY TO CONTINUE FROM A FOR
A SIX, IN THE UPCOMING BUDGET TO
, TO UNDERSCORE THAT
HOMELESSNESS IS THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT PRIORITY THAT THE
STATE MUST ADDRESS, AND THEN,
SECOND, WE NEED TO REMOVE WHAT
IS A SUCCESS PENALTY THAT IS, IN
THE CURRENT ALLOCATION. THÀNH.
AND SO, IN, IN MONTEREY COUNTY,
THEY WERE THEY REDUCED THEIR
POINT IN TIME COUNT 15% YEAR
OVER YEAR, MOVING FROM HALF 3 TO
4. AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THAT,
THEY WERE CUT 25. AND WE NEED TO
REMOVE THAT SUCCESS PENALTY
BECAUSE SOME OF THE INVESTMENTS
THAT THEY MADE TO BE SUCCESSFUL
ARE NOW BEING ERODED BECAUSE THE
DOLLARS WENT AWAY AND THEY LOST
FUNDING. SO WE WANT TO ADDRESS
THAT. THAT IS NOT AN ASK FOR NEW
MONEY. THAT IS AN ASK FOR HOW
THE DOLLARS ARE DISTRIBUTED.
CURRENTLY AND THEN FINALLY, ON
THAT SAME THEME, FOR THE
SMALLEST COUNTIES IN THIS STATE,
MUCH LIKE OCCURS IN MANY OTHER
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PROGRAMS, WE NEED TO HAVE A
MINIMUM ALLOCATION FOR THOSE
COUNTIES WHERE THEY DON'T HAVE
THE SUFFICIENT ALLOCATION FOR
SCALE. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE
CAN SOLVE, WE CAN SOLVE IT,
FAIRLY EASILY. SO TO ENSURE THAT
THEY CAN STAND UP A REAL PROGRAM
TO ADDRESS THEIR ALSO REAL
HOMELESSNESS ISSUE, HIRE THE
RIGHT LEVEL OF STAFF, HAVE THE
RELATIONSHIPS WITH WITH, IN
THEIR COMMUNITIES AND
PARTNERSHIPS TO BE ABLE TO MOVE
FORWARD, AND ONCE AGAIN, JUST
HUGE THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY
TO JOIN YOU TODAY AND CERTAINLY
AVAILABLE FOR ANY QUESTIONS THAT
YOU MAY WANT TO HAVE. THANK YOU.
MR. ANY QUESTIONS FOR THIS
PRESENTER AT THIS POINT, BEFORE
WE MOVE ON? ALL RIGHT. WE WILL
THEN MOVE TO THE CÁC
PERSPECTIVE. MISS KOLLER.
WELCOME. THANK YOU, I'M TAMARA
KOLLER. I'M THE CEO OF THE
REGIONAL TASK FORCE ON
HOMELESSNESS IN SAN DIEGO,
CHAIR. HAPPY TO BE HERE, WE ARE
THE CONTINUUM OF CARE OR CÁC
LEAD AGENCY. WE ARE UNIQUE AS A
NONPROFIT, STRONG PARTNERSHIP
WITH BOTH OUR COUNTY, NOT ONLY
OUR PRIMARY CITY OF SAN DIEGO,
BUT THE 18 JURISDICTIONS AND THE
18 TRIBES THAT ARE IN OUR REGION
AS WELL. I AM ALSO A PART OF A
STEERING COMMITTEE, A COALITION
OF THE 44 CONTINUUM OF CARE IN
THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. WE HAVE
PUT TOGETHER A COALITION CALLED
THE CAL CUB TO BE ABLE TO REALLY
PROVIDE INFORMATIONAL RESOURCES
TO POLICY MAKERS. I THINK MANY
TIMES WE NEED TO BETTER
UNDERSTAND THE HOMELESS RESPONSE
SYSTEM IN A LOT OF WAYS, AND
WE'RE COMMITTED TO DO THAT. I'M
HERE TODAY REPRESENTING ALL OF
THOSE CONTINUUMS OF CARE, AND I
WANT TO TALK ABOUT OUR ROLE IN
ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS AND HOW
HAP FUNDING HAS REALLY HELPED US
FACILITATE THIS CRITICAL WORK.
CÁC DESIGNATED BY HUD WERE
PRIMARILY FUNDED BY HUD, IT
WASN'T UNTIL 2018, WITH THE
STATE'S HEAP FUNDING, THAT WE
BECAME A PARTNER WITH THE STATE
IN THIS IMPORTANT WORK, WE HAVE
THREE PRIMARY ROLES THAT ARE
REQUIRED BY HUD. MANY OF THESE,
YOU KNOW, DATA, THE DATA
COLLECTION, DATA AGGREGATION. WE
ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HMMIS OR
THE HOMELESS INFORMATION SYSTEM.
IT'S ADMINISTERED ON A LOCAL
LEVEL TO HOLD PROGRAM LEVEL
INFORMATION AND OUTCOMES. WE
ALSO, WITHOUT FUNDING NOW ARE
ABLE TO REPORT THAT UP TO THE
STATE'S LARGE AGGREGATE DATABASE
. THAT IS ONLY POSSIBLE BECAUSE
OF THE HAP FUNDING AND THE
REQUIREMENT. AND SO IT'S
IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT
FUNDING BRINGS US TO THIS
IMPORTANT HISTORIC THRESHOLD TO
BE ABLE TO DO THAT. IT ALSO
ALLOWS US THE CAPACITY AND
CAPABILITY TO DO BETTER
REPORTING. MOST OF THE PROGRAMS
THAT WE HAVE HAD IN MÁS FOR
YEARS HAS BEEN PRIMARILY THE HUD
FUNDED PROGRAMS. AND SO WHEN WE
TALK ABOUT WHAT WE CAN'T GET
FROM DATA, PART OF IT IS BECAUSE
OF WHAT IS SINGULARLY HELD IN
ONE DATABASE. WE ALSO
ADMINISTERED COORDINATED ACCESS
OR COORDINATED ENTRY SYSTEMS
SIMPLY, THAT IS A LOCAL APPROACH
TO ACCESSING HOMELESS HOUSING
RESOURCES. IT NEEDS TO BE,
PREDICTABLE, CONSISTENT,
TRANSPARENT AND EQUITABLE. LAST,
AND MAYBE WHAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T
KNOW IS ONE OF OUR GREATEST
STRENGTHS. WE ARE PLANNING
BODIES. THAT IS OUR PRIMARY
ROLE, DESIGNATED FROM HUD. WE
BRING STAKEHOLDERS TOGETHER,
BRINGING ALL OF THE FUNDING,
RESOURCES. AND WHAT IS REALLY
FANTASTIC ABOUT HEAP IS IT'S ONE
OF THE FIRST FUNDING SOURCES
THAT HAS REQUIRED THOSE PARTNERS
TO BE AT THE TABLE, BRINGING
TOGETHER SO MANY OF THOSE
IMPORTANT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
PIECES, ALSO EXPANDING YOUTH
SERVICES, PARTNERING WITH
GOVERNMENT, PHILANTHROPIC AND
MANAGED CARE PLANS. THIS SORT OF
HAP ORGANIZATION TO BRING US ALL
TOGETHER IS CRITICAL IN HOW WE
ARE ABLE TO ACHIEVE OUR OUTCOMES
. ALSO IN HAP IMPORTANT WAS
LIVED EXPERIENCE INPUT. IT'S
ALSO ADDRESSING EQUITY,
INTENTIONALLY ADDRESSING EQUITY
IN THE DISPARITIES THAT WE SEE
AND PARTNERING SPECIFICALLY WITH
THE TRIBES, WHICH IS CRITICAL
ALSO IT WAS MENTIONED HOW UNIQUE
HAP FUNDING IS. NOT ONLY IS IT
FLEXIBLE, BUT IT IS A MULTIYEAR
FUNDING SOURCE, WHICH ALSO MAKES
IT HARDER TO REPORT ON AS A
CONTINUUM OF CARE. OUR FUNDING
IS ACTUALLY ALLOCATED OVER
MULTIPLE YEARS, SO THAT OUR
PROVIDERS CAN RUN THOSE
PROGRAMS. THEY KNOW THEY'LL HAVE
FUNDING FOR STAFFING FOR MANY
TIMES FOR OUR MAYORS, IT'S A ONE
YEAR ALLOCATION. THEY GOT IT.
THEY THEIR COST OF SHELTER AND
THINGS ARE VERY EXPENSIVE AND
THEY'RE BURNING THROUGH THAT
MONEY FASTER THAN CONTINUUMS OF
CARE. AND THAT PARTNERSHIP IS
REALLY CRITICAL. SO WHEN YOU
LOOK AT HAP NEEDS AND HAP
FUNDING, IT'S FLEXIBLE. IT'S
UNIQUE TO LOCAL NEEDS, BUT IT'S
ALSO UNIQUE TO THE THREE,
LEADING ORGANIZATIONS THAT
RECEIVE THAT LARGE CITIES, OUR
COUNTIES AND CONTINUOUS. IT'S
IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT CONTINUUM
OF CARE TAKES A SYSTEM APPROACH.
WE LOOK AT THE ENTIRE SYSTEM.
IT'S ALSO WHY AND WE'VE HAD SOME
CONVERSATIONS. BUT STATEWIDE WE
ARE SEEING HISTORIC TAX ON THIS
SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE NEVER SEEN
BEFORE. THE SYSTEM WORKS. AND
HAP FUNDING HAS HELPED, BUT
HISTORICALLY WE ARE SEEING MORE
AND MORE PEOPLE FALLING INTO
HOMELESSNESS, AS THE MAYOR SAID,
AND SHARED OUR NUMBERS IN SAN
DIEGO, AND WE JUST RERAN THEM
AND FORTUNATELY, THEY'RE NOT
TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
IT'S NOW, FOR EVERY TEN THAT WE
HOUSE, 16 MORE EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS FOR THE FIRST TIME.
AND THAT'S THE VERY FIRST TIME
THEY'RE TOUCHING THE SYSTEM THAT
IS NOT TAKING OUT THOSE THAT
RETURN. THIS IS LITERALLY IN OUR
DATABASE THAT WE'VE HAD FOR
YEARS. THE FIRST TIME PEOPLE ARE
EXPERIENCING A SIGNIFICANT
AMOUNT OF THEM ARE AGING, AND
THEY HAVE A REALLY COMPLEX
NEEDS. THEY ARE BEING PRICED OUT
OF THE VERY LIMITED HOUSING
STOCK THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO
MAINTAIN OVER THE LAST 24
MONTHS. AS WE HAVE TRACKED THIS,
WE HAVE NOT SEEN A MONTH WHERE
WE HAVE HOUSED MORE PEOPLE THAN
WE HAVE SEEN IN OUR SYSTEM. IT
TAXES OUR ABILITY TO MEET THEIR
NEEDS. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT
WE'RE NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE
SERVICES. IT MEANS THE DEMAND IS
INCREASING AND CONTINUES ON.
IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT THAT WE
UNDERSTAND THAT HAP IS A
CRITICAL AND ESSENTIAL FUNDING
SOURCE FOR COX. FOR BEST
PRACTICES, BEST PRACTICES, AND
INNOVATIVE PROJECTS. THERE ARE
13. IS IT STILL 13 LARGE CITIES?
THEY GET THE FUNDING. THERE ARE
44 CONTINUUMS OF CARE. SO THE
MAJORITY OF OUR CONTINUUMS OF
CARE DON'T HAVE THE ADDITIONAL
FUNDING FROM CITIES WHO ARE
GETTING HAP FUNDING AS WELL. SO
FOR SOME OF OUR CONTINUUM OF
CARE, THIS IS THEIR PRIMARY
SOURCE. THEY ARE NOT SEEING IN
THEIR CITIES AND SUPPORTING
THEIR CITIES CITIES WITH THAT
FUNDING. IT'S CRITICAL TO
SUSTAIN THE SERVICES AND THE
SUCCESSES WE SAW IN THE
PANDEMIC. IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT
FOR THOSE REALLY INTENTIONAL
LOCAL ISSUES, DEPENDING ON HOW
YOU'RE ADDRESSING SHELTER, THAT
MAY BE SAFE PARKING, SAFE
SLEEPING, PALLET SHELTERS, BEING
ABLE TO WORK WITH WHAT YOUR
COMMUNITY IS WILLING TO SUPPORT
IS CRITICAL AND HAP FUNDING AND
NOT RESTRICTING THAT LEVEL OF, I
THINK DEFINITIONS ARE REALLY
CRITICAL AS WELL. IT ALSO HAS
INCREASED EXITS TO HOUSING WITH
NEW PROGRAMS FOR MANY OF OUR
COMMUNITIES. THEY DID NOT HAVE
ANY OUTREACH WHEN WE FIRST GOT
HEAP FUNDING. THAT WAS ONE OF
THE FIRST THINGS WE INVESTED IN
SAN DIEGO. HALF OUR POPULATION
IS UNSHELTERED. WE NEED STREET
OUTREACH, BUT WE ALSO NEED
PREVENTION AND DIVERSION
RESOURCES AS WELL. THE CRITICAL
SYSTEM CAPACITY THAT IT FILLS
AND IMPROVE THE EXPANSION OF OUR
CURRENT DELIVERY OF SYSTEMS. HAP
HAS REALLY FUNDED SUCCESSFUL
ENGAGEMENT AND CONNECTING PEOPLE
TO HOUSING. AS I MENTIONED IN
SACRAMENTO, IN SACRAMENTO, OVER
600 PEOPLE WERE HOUSED. LÀ HAS
LEVERAGED THEIR FUNDS TO HOUSE
OVER 12 OR 10,000 PEOPLE TO
PERMANENT HOUSING. WE ALSO HAVE
ESTABLISHED REALLY INTENTIONAL
ECOSYSTEMS. AND WHEN I MEAN THAT
WITH FLEXIBLE FUNDING, IT ALLOWS
US TO DO THINGS LIKE HOUSING,
NAVIGATION, LANDLORD ENGAGEMENT,
WHICH OUR FEDERAL FUNDS DON'T,
ALLOW US TO DO, TO HAVE THE
FLEXIBLE FUNDS FOR MAYBE THREE
TIMES DEPOSITS, WHICH IS WHAT
THEY'RE ASKING FOR WITH SOMEONE
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OR
ARREARS. CREDIT REPAIR AND
THINGS LIKE THAT. IN SAN DIEGO,
WE ESTABLISHED A FLEXIBLE
HOUSING POOL BECAUSE WE HAVE
SUCH A HIGH COST OF HOUSING AND
LIMITED HOUSING STOCK, WE VERY
INTENTIONALLY HAVE A
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION THAT
IS LOOKING AND BRINGING
LANDLORDS AND A PORTFOLIO OF
UNITS SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS
POPULATION, BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A
TIGHT MARKET. THROUGH THAT, WE
HOUSED OVER 500 HOUSEHOLDS, AND
WE'RE ABLE TO LEVERAGE ANOTHER
500 THROUGH OTHER HOUSING
PROGRAMS THROUGH HAP. HAP IS
ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL TO FUND
SHELTER BEDS. AS I MENTIONED,
THE ADDITIONAL INCREASE IN
SHELTER BEDS IS LIFE SAVING. I
CANNOT IMAGINE WHERE WE WOULD
HAVE BEEN GOING INTO A PANDEMIC,
WHEN THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST
RESOURCES THAT WE USED, AND TO
BE ABLE TO BRING PEOPLE IN AND
SAFELY SHELTER THEM WAS CRITICAL
. WE, AS I SPEAK ABOUT THE
DIFFERENT CONTINUUMS, BUTTE
COUNTY, A COMMUNITY RECOVERING
FROM THE WILDFIRES, SHELTERED
OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE LAST
YEAR. OUR RURAL COMMUNITIES HAP.
IS THAT ONLY SOURCE FOR THEIR
SHELTER PLACES LIKE LAKE COUNTY
CÁC WITHOUT THIS FUNDING, THEIR
SHELTER PROGRAM WILL CLOSE. IT
ALSO WORKS IN OUR URBAN
COMMUNITIES. AS WE KNOW,
SACRAMENTO IS SHELTERED OVER
3000 PEOPLE AND ALAMEDA COUNTY
1500 AND LOS ANGELES COUNTY
SHELTERING OVER 12,000 PEOPLE.
BUT THE MAJORITY AGAIN OF THE
CLCS DO NOT HAVE THOSE LARGE
CITIES. SO IT'S CRITICAL THAT WE
HAVE THAT FUNDING TO SUPPORT
THEM. HAP IS ALSO THIS THIS
IMPORTANT GLUE AND GAP FILLING
THAT WE HAVEN'T HAD. WE'VE
TALKED ABOUT HOW IT'S SO HARD TO
INTEGRATE DATA. IT'S ALSO HARD
TO GET A LOT OF THESE FEDERAL
FUNDED PROGRAMS OR COUNTY FUNDED
PROGRAMS TO FILL THE GAP. I'LL
GIVE YOU A CLEAR EXAMPLE. VASH
VOUCHERS DO NOT COVER THE
SECURITY DEPOSIT. I CAN HAVE THE
SERVICES. I CAN HAVE THE HOUSING
PAID FOR AND NO SECURITY
DEPOSIT. AND IF THAT INDIVIDUAL
HAS TO PAY THREE TIMES THE RENT
FOR A SECURITY DEPOSIT, THAT'S
WHERE THE FLEXIBILITY IS SO
CRITICAL. THAT'S WHY IT FILLS
THE GAPS IN A WAY THAT WE HAVE
NEVER SEEN AND IS IMPORTANT.
HCLS SIGNIFICANTLY LEVERAGE HAP
DOLLARS FOR LONG TERME HOUSING
LIKE OUR HUD EMERGENCY HOUSING
VOUCHERS, ALL OF THE FUNDING TO
SUPPORT THAT WENT TO THE HOUSING
AUTHORITY'S CONTINUUMS OF CARE
DIDN'T GET ANY FUNDING. WE
SUPPORTED THAT WITH HOW HAP
SUPPORTS OUR ADMINISTRATIVE
ROLE. ALSO WITH THE STATE
HOMEKEY AND ENCAMPMENT FUNDS,
MOST RECENTLY, THOUGH, THE HALF
ROUND FIVE HAS REQUIRED A LEVEL
OF COORDINATION AND PLANNING
THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE AND
CONTINUOUS OF CARE WHO REALLY
LED IN THAT? I BELIEVE AS WE GET
CLOSER TO ACCOUNTABILITY AND
UNDERSTANDING BEST PRACTICES,
HAP ROUND FIVE IS THE BEST PLAN
FUNDING SOURCE THAT WE PUT
TOGETHER ON A STATE LEVEL. IT'S
ALSO IMPORTANT, AS WE LOOK AT
THE STATE AUDIT. THESE ARE THE
FIRST YEARS OF HAP, AND WE WERE
ALSO IN A PANDEMIC, AND WE WERE
ALSO USING THESE VERY FLEXIBLY,
AND WE WERE USING THEM OVER
MULTIPLE YEARS. AS THE STATE
BECOMES MORE ATTUNED TO MISS
DATA. AND THIS AND WE UNDERSTAND
WHAT THE STATE IS LOOKING FOR,
THOSE MULTI YEAR FUNDING
PROGRAMS, WE CAN HELP YOU PUT
TOGETHER THE RIGHT MEASURES. WE
CAN DO A YEAR REPORT. WE CAN
MAKE SURE THAT THE PROVIDERS
KNOW WHAT WE NEED FOR THAT. IT'S
VERY HARD TO BACK INTO OUTCOMES
IF THOSE WERE NOT DETERMINED AND
REQUIRED IN THE BEGINNING. AND
SO AS CONTINUUM OF CARE, WE ARE
INCREDIBLY COMMITTED. WE ARE THE
EXPERTS IN HMMIS LOCALLY. WE
BELIEVE IN STRONG DATA
COLLECTION AND COMPLETENESS OF
THAT. BUT I WILL ALSO SAY WHEN
WE HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT
COMPLETENESS, WHEN HALF YOUR
POPULATION IS UNSHELTERED, WE
START WITH VERY INCOMPLETE DATA
AND WORK TO MORE TOWARDS MORE
COMPLETE DATA AS WE ENGAGE THE
INDIVIDUAL AND WORK THEM ALONG
THE CONTINUUM OF CARE TO
HOUSING. SO I THINK WE NEED TO
BE REALLY INTENTIONAL WHEN WE
TALK ABOUT INCOMPLETE DATA,
BECAUSE IT'S INTENTIONAL. I'M
GOING TO GET AS MUCH ABOUT YOU
AS I CAN. I DON'T HAVE TO HAVE
ALL OF THAT TO GET YOU IN THE
SYSTEM. AND START COORDINATING
THE EFFORTS. I REALLY APPRECIATE
AN OPPORTUNITY TO REPRESENT OUR
CONTINUUM OF CARE AND HAPPY TO
ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. I
APPRECIATE SEEING YOU. ALL
RIGHT. TO THE TRIBAL
PERSPECTIVE. YOU'VE BEEN VERY
PATIENT, MISS TRUJILLO. WELCOME.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR HAVING
ME. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE. AND I
WANT TO THANK YOU FOR
HIGHLIGHTING A FEW POINTS THAT
YOU MADE, INCLUDING TRIBAL
SOVEREIGNTY. OUR GOVERNMENT TO
GOVERNMENT RELATIONSHIPS AND AS
WELL AS THE EXECUTIVE ORDER,
FROM, GOVERNOR NEWSOM THAT
REALLY, YOU KNOW, OUT OF
RESPECT, I REALLY THANK YOU FOR
THAT. I'M HERE TODAY TO TALK
ABOUT TRIBAL HAP AND HOW
SIGNIFICANT IT IS FOR OUR TRIBAL
PEOPLE FOR THIS PROGRAM TO
CONTINUE. BUT FIRST, TO
UNDERSTAND HOW THIS PROGRAM HAS
MADE AN IMPACT FOR TRIBES, YOU
NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE OTHER
PROGRAMS THAT HAVE FAILED US,
THERE IS WAS A $130 MILLION IN
TRIBAL SET ASIDES FROM OTHER
STATE PROGRAMS, THAT THE TRIBES
ARE ONLY ABLE TO ACCESS THE AB
1010. WITH THAT ONLY, I BELIEVE
IT WAS 45 MILLION OF THAT WAS
ACTUALLY AWARDED, AND OUT OF
THAT, ONLY 6 MILLION WAS,
ACTUALLY RELEASED TO THE TRIBES.
I THINK THERE'S A LITTLE BIT
MORE THAT'S BEEN RELEASED NOW,
BUT IT WAS A GOING BACK AND
FORTH THING BECAUSE THE STATE
PROGRAMS DIDN'T UNDERSTAND
TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY, THEY DIDN'T
UNDERSTAND TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS,
AND THE PROGRAMS WEREN'T
DESIGNED WITH TRIBES IN MIND. SO
WHEN TRIBAL HAP CAME AND THE
FLEXIBILITY WITH THAT PROGRAM,
IT WAS LIKE A GODSEND TO US
BECAUSE WE'RE LIKE, FINALLY,
THERE'S A PROGRAM THAT IS
WORKABLE FOR US BECAUSE WHO
KNOWS BETTER THAN WHAT OUR
PEOPLE NEED IS OUR OWN TRIBAL
GOVERNMENTS, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE
THERE WITH OUR PEOPLE. I'VE BEEN
WORKING IN TRIBAL HOUSING FOR 27
YEARS, AND WITH THE TRIBE FOR
30, SO I'VE GROWN UP ON THE
RESERVATION. I WAS THERE WHEN WE
DIDN'T HAVE MUCH, WHEN WE DIDN'T
HAVE HOUSING, WHERE WE HAD THE
BASIC GOVERNMENT HOUSING, HOUSES
THAT WERE CALLED LINDA VISTA
HOMES, AND THE STATE PROMISED
HOUSING TO OUR PEOPLE. THOSE
FIRST HOUSES WERE, I BELIEVE
THEY WERE, MILITARY HOMES THAT
WE HAD TO PUT TOGETHER. THERE'S
ONE, I BELIEVE, 1 OR 2 STILL
STANDING, THE OTHER HOMES THAT
WERE BUILT WERE HIP HOMES, AND
THAT WAS FOR THE LOWEST OF THE
LOW INCOME. SO BASICALLY YOU HAD
TO, YOU KNOW, BE BELOW POVERTY,
WHICH MOST TRIBES WERE AT THE
TIME, ARE PROBABLY ALL OF THEM,
BUT TO UNDERSTAND THE
DISPARITIES THAT THE TRIBE HAS
AND WHY, AND I KNOW THAT SOME OF
THE QUESTIONS WERE, HOW DO
PEOPLE BECOME HOMELESS? WELL, WE
KNOW HOW THE TRIBES BECAME
HOMELESS, AND THAT WAS BY ACTION
OF THE STATE, WITH REMOVAL, WITH
TERMINATION AND WITH RELOCATION
THÀNH OF OUR PEOPLE, OF OUR
FIRST PEOPLE. SO THAT'S HOW WE
FIRST BECAME HOMELESS. AND I DO
WANT TO REITERATE, AND I WANT TO
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS AS
WELL. WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND THE GAP WITH
HOUSING AND, AND HOW THAT
CONTRIBUTES TO HOMELESSNESS,
BECAUSE TRIBES HAVE THE HIGHEST
NUMBER OF HOMELESSNESS, TRIBES
HAVE THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF MIP.
AND IF THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T
KNOW WHAT THAT IS, IT'S MISSING
AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS PEOPLE.
AND THAT ALL CONNECTS BACK TO
HOUSING. WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE
SAFE, ADEQUATE HOUSING, WHAT
HAPPENS? YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT
OF OUR PEOPLE THAT ARE THAT HAVE
ADDICTIONS. THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW,
NOT ONLY MENTALLY A SUBSTANCE
ABUSE IS HIGH RATES ON
RESERVATIONS. WE HAVE A LOT OF
DRUG USE. WE'RE CLOSE TO THE
BORDER. SO THERE'S DRUGS COMING
IN AND OUT. WE HAVE GANG MEMBERS
THAT TARGET OUR TRIBAL PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, JUST BECAUSE IT'S SO
EASY, LIKE, HEY, LET'S GO TO
THIS RESERVATION AND HOOK UP
WITH, YOU KNOW, SHACK UP THERE,
YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH, OUR TRIBAL
PEOPLE BECAUSE IT'S EASY. WE'RE
EASY TARGETS OR WE WERE EASY
TARGETS. SO A LOT OF OUR, OUR
DISPARITIES COME FROM THAT. THEY
DO COME FROM SUBSTANCE ABUSE.
AND UNTIL WE CAN TACKLE THAT AND
COME UP WITH A SOLUTION TO ALSO
ADDRESS THAT ISSUE, BECAUSE WHEN
YOU'RE READY FOR HELP AND YOU'RE
READY TO GO IN, YOU CANNOT WAIT
A WEEK OR TWO. IN THAT WEEK OR
TWO, YOU CAN HAVE AN OD, WHICH
WE'VE SEEN MANY TIMES, NOT ONLY
ON OUR RESERVATION, BUT ON
OTHERS AS WELL. AND I KNOW THAT
POLICY IS DRIVEN ON DATA. THERE
IS HARDLY ANY DATA FOR TRIBES.
SO THAT'S ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT
WE'RE HAVING. AND WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT CFC. AND I'VE BEEN ASKED
TO BE ON THE BOARD FOR SAN DIEGO
TRIBES HAVE NEVER BEEN INCLUDED
WITH THE COX, THE HMMIS SYSTEM.
SO THAT DATA IS TRULY LACKING ON
THE TRIBAL SIDE, WHEN YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT LIKE, OKAY, DO YOU
HAVE THIS DATA READILY
AVAILABLE? TRIBES USUALLY HAVE
THEIR OWN DATA. SO IT'S AN
INDIVIDUAL TRIBAL UNIQUE TO WHAT
THEY, YOU KNOW, THEIR
RESERVATIONS. BUT HERE, WITH
JUST BEING HERE AND TALKING
ABOUT THOSE ISSUES WITH HOUSING,
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOW TRIBAL
HAP HAS HELPED US BECAUSE IT IS
SO FLEXIBLE AND WE'RE ABLE TO
IDENTIFY THE NEEDS OF OUR PEOPLE
AND HOW TO BETTER ADDRESS THOSE
NEEDS THAN WE WOULD, YOU KNOW,
HAVING TO APPLY FOR HOME Kò OR,
OR ANYTHING THAT'S KIND OF MORE
STRICT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T
FIT EVERYTHING INTO THIS BOX. WE
ALL HAVE DIFFERENT ISSUES. WE
ALL HAVE. WE NEED HOUSING. WE
NEED, YOU KNOW, WE NEED
SUBSTANCE ABUSE HOUSING. WE
NEED, YOU KNOW, MENTAL HEALTH,
ASSISTANCE. IT'S ACROSS THE
BOARD FOR US. AND WE'VE NEVER
BEEN OR I SHOULD SAY, TRIBES
HAVE NEVER BEEN INVESTED IN AT
THE STATE LEVEL, EVEN FOR
HOUSING. WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN
EXCLUDED. SO BEING INCLUDED NOW
IS SO IMPORTANT FOR US, FOR, YOU
KNOW, NOT ONLY OUR HOUSING
CRISIS, OUR MIP CRISIS, OUR
SUBSTANCE ABUSE CRISIS, IT ALL
INTERLINKS TOGETHER. SO FOR ME
TO SIT HERE AND RELAY THAT
MESSAGE, I FEEL VERY HONORED
BECAUSE WE DON'T USUALLY HAVE A
SEAT AT THE TABLE WHEN IT COMES
TO DISCUSSION. AND IT'S NICE NOW
TO HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE. AND
I DO SIT ON SEVERAL BOARDS AND
ELEVATE THESE ISSUES AS WELL,
BECAUSE HISTORICALLY WE HAVEN'T
BEEN HEARD AND WE HAVEN'T BEEN
INCLUDED. AND, YOU KNOW,
NOBODY'S REALLY MADE THE EFFORT
TO COME DOWN AND LOOK AT THE
RESERVATIONS OR VISIT, YOU KNOW,
LIKE IF YOU ARE IN A LOCAL
JURISDICTION AND YOU HAVE A
RESERVATION IN YOUR BACKYARD, GO
VISIT THEM, BECAUSE MOST LIKELY
IT'S AN EYE OPENER, YOU KNOW,
AND THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE
THE BEGINNING OF TIME. BUT FOR
WITH HOME Kò, THERE'S $1
BILLION, I BELIEVE THAT WAS
GOING TO BE ALLOCATED OR, YOU
KNOW, OR FOR ROUND SIX, I'M NOT
REALLY SURE, BUT FOR TRIBES,
IT'S 20 MILLION AND 980 MILLION
GOES TO LOCAL CITIES, YOU KNOW,
JURISDICTIONS, BUT 20 MILLION IS
NOTHING FOR TRIBES. THERE'S 110
FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES
THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA. AND IF THEY
INCREASE, IF WE COULD INCREASE
THAT SOMEHOW, BONUS FUNDS, WE
DIDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO THAT, AND
SO I WAS LISTENING, TAKING
NOTES. SO I HAVE NOTES ALL OVER
THIS PAPER. BUT, FOR THE BONUS
FUNDS, IT'S LIKE THE TRIBES
WEREN'T, PRIVY TO THAT OR
COULDN'T APPLY FOR IT. AND ALSO
JUST, YOU KNOW WHAT? TALK ABOUT
WHAT WE DID WITH OUR TRIBAL
FUNDS IS WE WERE ABLE TO HOUSE.
WELL, FIRST OF ALL, OUR
ALLOCATION WAS $300,000, AND
THAT'S FOR OUR TRIBE. AND THAT
WAS FOR THE LATE THIS LATEST
ROUND. BUT WE WERE ABLE TO HOUSE
SEVEN OF OUR TRIBAL MEMBERS THAT
WERE HOMELESS. AND WE HAVE A
HOUSING WAITING LIST OF 120
TRIBAL MEMBERS ON THERE. AND
GROWING, WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO
HELP WITH SOME UTILITY COSTS,
WITH SOME DILAPIDATED HOUSING
FOR OUR SENIORS, AND THEN WE
ALSO DID PURCHASE WITH THE FIRST
ROUND, WHICH WE GOT $600,000, A
MANUFACTURED UNIT THAT WE COULD,
HAVE FOR TEMPORARY PERMANENT
HOUSING FOR FAMILIES THAT ARE IN
NEED. NOW, THE PROBLEM WITH THAT
IS NOW OUR UTILITY COMPANY IS
TAKING OVER A YEAR TO GIVE US
UTILITIES FOR THAT UNIT. AND
THESE ARE ISSUES THAT WE FACE,
YOU KNOW, EVERY DAY, IS HOW
WE'RE GOING TO HOUSE OUR PEOPLE,
WE ALSO CREATED A YOUTH PROGRAM
BECAUSE IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO
US, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR YOUTH IS
TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE BEING
INVESTED IN BY US. SO THEN THEY
CAN INVEST IN THEMSELVES SO THAT
YOUTH PROGRAM, I THINK WE HAVE
ABOUT 50 YOUTH THAT ARE SIGNED
UP FOR IT. AS FOR COMMUNITY, AND
SOMETIMES WE GET 15 YOUTH,
SOMETIMES WE GET TEN. IT JUST
DEPENDS. BUT WE WANTED TO HAVE A
FACILITY OPEN, SO THEY CAN COME
IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANYWHERE TO
GO. AND WE OFFER ALL KINDS OF
SERVICES, MENTAL HEALTH, YOU
KNOW, OR, RESOURCES FOR MENTAL
HEALTH, RESOURCES FOR SUBSTANCE
ABUSE, ANYTHING THAT THEY WOULD
LIKE TO HAVE BECAUSE IT'S
SUPPOSED TO BE FOR YOUTH BY
YOUTH. SO THEY KIND OF DESIGN
IT. WE DID OFFER COOKING
CLASSES. SO A CHEF CAME IN AND
SHOWED THEM HOW TO COOK SO THEY
CAN BE SELF-SUFFICIENT. AND IF
THEY HAVE TO COOK FOR THEIR
ELDERLY, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE FOR
TRIBES IT'S A CULTURAL THING,
YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE THE KIDS ARE
COOKING FOR THEIR ELDERS,
THEY'RE COOKING FOR THEIR
GRANDPARENTS. AND THEY'RE
HELPING IN THAT TYPE OF WAY. AND
WE'RE ALL CLOSE FAMILY, YOU
KNOW, BASICALLY FOR EVERY TRIBE,
IT'S LIKE THAT. SO WHEN I'M UP
HERE SPEAKING FOR PAULA AND THE
PAULA HOUSING RESOURCE CENTER,
I'M ALSO SPEAKING FOR A LOT OF
THE OTHER TRIBES THAT WE WORK
WITH, AND TRIBES USUALLY
TYPICALLY COME TO US FOR
SUPPORT. THEY GO TO NORTHERN
CIRCLE, FOR SUPPORT AND JUST FOR
ANY TYPE OF ASSISTANCE. SO
TRIBAL HAP I HOPE HOPE GETS
FUNDED. AND I REALLY DO HOPE
THAT THERE'S MORE MONEY THAT'S
ALLOCATED THERE FOR TRIBES,
BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A FAILED
PROGRAM. THIS IS A SUCCESSFUL
PROGRAM FOR TRIBES. THE ONLY
THING THAT I WOULD SAY IS
THERE'S NOT ENOUGH MONEY. THANK
YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MR. I
APPRECIATE IT. AND, WE'LL GO TO
SENATOR NG¯ÜI. NÓ WAS RESERVING
QUESTIONS FOR THE PANEL AS A
WHOLE. SO, SENATOR NILO, YOU'RE
ON. I, I HAVE MORE COMMENTS THAN
QUESTIONS, BUT I WELCOME
REACTION TO IT, FIRST OF ALL,
THE LAST POINT ABOUT, ONGOING
FUNDING. WE HAVE A HORRIBLE
BUDGET DEFICIT, AND IN MY
OPINION, PROBABLY GETTING WORSE,
BUT NONETHELESS, A BUDGET IS A
STATEMENT OF PRIORITIES. AND
THIS ISSUE DOES HAVE TO HAVE
PRIORITIES, AND WE JUST HAVE TO
FIND OUT WHAT OTHER THINGS DON'T
QUITE HAVE THAT PRIORITY FROM
WHICH FUNDS CAN COME. BUT THAT'S
GOING TO BE THE CHALLENGE OF THE
LEGISLATURE. AND I'VE BEEN
SOMEWHAT CRITICAL OF THE WHAT I
VIEWED AS INSUFFICIENT ACTION SO
FAR, BECAUSE THE LESS THAT WE DO
TO THE CURRENT BUDGET YEAR, THE
MORE WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO
TO THE NEXT BUDGET YEAR. AND
MAYOR STEINBERG MADE REFERENCE
TO WHEN, HE AND I AND OTHERS AT
THE TIME WERE IN THE SOUP IN
2009, IT WAS MORE SEVERE, BUT WE
SETTLED THAT BUDGET IN FEBRUARY
THREE OF 2009, NOT JUST CHANGING
THE CURRENT YEAR'S BUDGET, BUT
WE ACTUALLY ADOPTED THE OH 910
BUDGET IN FEBRUARY. SO FEBRUARY
20TH, BY THE WAY. THANK YOU. A
MEMORABLE DATE, AND SO THE
URGENCY IS IMPORTANT AND
PRIORITY SETTING IS IMPORTANT,
WE TOUCHED A LITTLE BIT ON
HOUSING FIRST. AND MAYOR
STEINBERG SAID, HOUSING FIRST
DOES NOT MEAN HOUSING ONLY. I'M
NOT I WANT TO STRESS I'M NOT
OPPOSED TO HOUSING FIRST. BUT
WHAT I AM OPPOSED TO IS HOUSING
FIRST ONLY, AND I THINK THAT
LIMITS FLEXIBILITY. AS I WAS
TALKING BEFORE ABOUT RECOVERY
HOUSING NOT BEING ELIGIBLE FOR
GOVERNMENT FUNDING BECAUSE IT
REQUIRES SOBRIETY. AND THERE'S
ANOTHER PROGRAM RIGHT HERE IN
SACRAMENTO THAT IS TREMENDOUSLY
SUCCESSFUL, THAT DOES NOT
RECEIVE, CANNOT RECEIVE PUBLIC
FUNDING FOR ITS CORE PROGRAM.
AND THAT IS SAINT JOHN'S PROGRAM
FOR REAL CHANGE. AND, I THINK
THAT'S A SHAME, BUT IT IS
BECAUSE IT IS NOT JUST HOUSING
FIRST, IT'S ONLY HOUSING FIRST.
AND I JUST THINK THAT'S
SHORTSIGHTED. WE WERE ALSO
TALKING EARLIER ABOUT THE COST
OF HOUSING. AND, ONE THING I
WANTED TO POINT OUT BEFORE THIS
HEARING ENDS IS AN ARTICLE THAT
WAS IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL A
FEW WEEKS AGO ABOUT A DEVELOPER
IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WHO BUILT
ON ITS OWN WITHOUT GOVERNMENT
INVOLVED, RENT AN APARTMENT
COMPLEX WHERE THEY END COST WAS
ABOUT $250,000 PER UNIT. THINK
ABOUT THAT. HOW MUCH DO WE SPEND
ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS
THAT ARE GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED?
FIVE $600,000 A UNIT? SO, THE,
COST OF HOUSING IS A PROBLEM.
AND, TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, IT'S
LIKE THAT OLD POGO SAYING WE
HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND IT IS US.
PERHAPS AN OVERSTATEMENT, BUT WE
NEED TO TAKE A HARDER LOOK AT
THAT. MR. CANALS, HE AND I HAVE
TALKED ABOUT THIS QUITE A BIT.
I'M AN OLD COUNTY GUY MYSELF. I
SERVED ON THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS HERE OVER 20 YEARS
AGO. BUT YOU MENTIONED ECONOMIC
OPPORTUNITY, AND YOU ALSO USE
THAT WORD SELF-SUFFICIENCY THAT
I DON'T HEAR ENOUGH AROUND HERE.
AND WE COULD POTENTIALLY DRAW ON
THE LESSONS OF WELFARE REFORM OF
THE MID 90S, WHICH WAS A
TREMENDOUSLY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM.
IT'S BEEN SOMEWHAT WATERED DOWN
SINCE, BUT I WOULD POINT OUT
THAT THE SUCCESS OF THAT PROGRAM
WAS SUCH THAT WHEN WE HAD OUR
FIVE YEAR REVIEW IN SACRAMENTO
COUNTY, WHEN I WAS LEAVING THE
BOARD, WE HAD REDUCED
HOMELESSNESS FROM ABOUT 40,000
PEOPLE DOWN TO BOUNCING BETWEEN
25 AND 30,000 PEOPLE. BUT I
ASKED THE QUESTION IN THAT
REVIEW HOW MANY OF THOSE 25 OR
28,000 PEOPLE WERE ON WELFARE
WHEN THIS PROGRAM BEGAN FIVE
YEARS AGO, AND THE NUMBER WAS
LESS THAN A THOUSAND? WE HAD THE
DATA AND IT WAS TREMENDOUSLY
SUCCESSFUL. AS I SAID, I THINK
IT'S BEEN WATERED DOWN SOMEWHAT
SINCE. BUT THE CHALLENGE WE HAVE
HERE IS SOMEWHAT SIMILAR, AND
THE, THE DRIVING GOAL OF THIS
HAS GOT TO BE GETTING PEOPLE OFF
OF HOMELESSNESS AND ON THEIR
OWN. AND THE KEY TO THAT IS
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. AND YOU
CAN'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ECONOMIC
OPPORTUNITY IF YOU'RE HOOKED ON
DRUGS OR SUFFERING FROM SEVERE
MENTAL ILLNESS. SO I JUST WANT
TO STRESS THAT AGAIN, AT THE
RISK OF BEING, A MEMBER OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF REDUNDANCY,
DEPARTMENT, NOW, MR. CANALS ALSO
TALKED ABOUT, A CLEAR
RESPONSIBILITY OF PROGRAMS,
ONGOING FUNDING, REMOVING THE
SUCCESS, PENALTY. BUT, AND
YOU'VE ALL BEEN PARTICULARLY THE
LAST TWO SINGING THE PRAISES OF
HAP WE HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE
LAST SEVERAL YEARS OVER 30
PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS
. HAP IS THE ONLY ONE THAT IS
FLEXIBLE FUNDING TO LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS, PARTICULARLY
COUNTIES AND, AND TRIBAL,
COMMUNITY. HIS, THE REST ARE
ARE, STATE MANDATED PROGRAMS
THAT ARE ARE SEEMINGLY EXECUTED
THE SAME IN LOS ANGELES AS THEY
ARE IN MODOC COUNTY, AND I THINK
WE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN A CLOSER
LOOK AT THAT. BUT IT IS MANY OF
THEM ARE A ONE SIZE FITS ALL.
AND THERE IS NOT CLEAR
RESPONSIBILITY AS TO WHO IS
DOING WHAT. AND, BUT HAP DOES
THAT, AND I THINK THE BIG
MISTAKE THAT WE MADE AS A STATE
OUT OF MAKE TO, TO MAY MAY
MISTAKES, BUT ONE WITH REGARD TO
THE STATE, THE OTHER WITH REGARD
TO THE LEGISLATURE AS A STATE.
WE ADOPTED MORE OF A TOP DOWN
APPROACH TO HOMELESS PROGRAMS,
AS I SAID, HAP BEING THE ONLY
ONE THAT'S FLEXIBLE, LOCAL
FUNDING AND THE CLEAR
RESPONSIBILITY DOES NOT EXIST.
AND, I, I THINK THAT THAT HAS
HAD A LOT TO DO WITH OUR
INABILITY TO CONTROL THE PROBLEM
, MAYOR, MAYOR STEINBERG SAID
YOU WE HAVEN'T, WE HAVEN'T
SOLVED THE PROBLEM OF
HOMELESSNESS. I THINK WE NEED
TO. IT IS COMPLEX ENOUGH THAT
MAYBE WE NEVER WILL COMPLETELY
SOLVE IT. WE DID HAVE
HOMELESSNESS EXISTING WHEN I WAS
ON THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 25
YEARS AGO, BUT IT WAS NOWHERE
NEAR THE PROBLEM THAT IT IS
TODAY. IT'S EXPLODED FOR VARIOUS
REASONS, SOME OF WHICH I'VE
ARTICULATED, BUT IF WE COULD,
CLEAN THE SLATE, IT WOULD SEEM
TO ME THE APPROACH SHOULD BE TO
PROVIDE FUNDING TO LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS, COUNTIES AND THE
TRIBAL COMMUNITIES,
PARTICULARLY, WITH CLEAR
GUIDELINES AS TO SETTING GOALS.
THAT IS, THE COUNTY SETS THE
GOALS, WORKING WITH CITIES AND
CLEAR, ACCOUNTABLE REPORTING AND
ACCOUNTABILITY. AND I DO NOT
THINK WE WOULD BE IN THIS
PARTICULAR PROBLEM. THE OTHER
THING IS THE LEGISLATURE WE HAVE
AUTHORIZED, ALL OF THESE THINGS
IN TERMS OF FUNDING, AT THE
REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR OR
OTHERWISE. AND THEN WE DID
NOTHING WITH IT. I THINK
PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO THE
AUDIT THAT CAME OUT. I THINK THE
LEGISLATURE HAS ABDICATED ITS
RESPONSIBILITY FOR SEEING THAT
THE PROGRAMS THAT IT FUNDS, EVEN
IF IT'S PURELY AT THE REQUEST OF
THE GOVERNOR AND NOT NECESSARILY
THE CREATION OF THE LEGISLATURE,
THAT IF WE AUTHORIZE THESE
PROGRAMS AND AUTHORIZE THE
FUNDING FOR THESE PROGRAMS THAT
WE SHOULD SOMEHOW BE FOLLOWING
UP ON THE OVERSIGHT OF IT AND WE
HAVEN'T. THE AUDITOR REPORT
DIDN'T SPECIFICALLY MENTION IT,
BUT THAT SURE SCREAMED OUT AT ME
WHEN I REVIEWED IT. SO, THERE
THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS EMBEDDED
IN THERE, BUT I WELCOME THE
PANELISTS TO REACT TO IT IN ANY
WAY THAT I AM SHOCKED TO HEAR
THAT FROM MY DISTINGUISHED
COLLEAGUE. AND I'LL GIVE THE
PANELISTS AN OPPORTUNITY IF THEY
CHOOSE TO ADD ANY COMMENT AND
RESPONSE, I WILL, I'LL GO. I
WILL BE VERY BRIEF, I WANTED TO
SPEAK TO THE AUDIT FOR A SECOND,
BECAUSE THE AUDIT, IS RELEVANT.
THERE ARE RECOMMENDATIONS IN
THERE THAT ARE THAT HAVE MERIT
IN NEARLY EVERY SINGLE ONE IS
ALREADY IN PLACE. AND THEY'RE IN
PLACE BECAUSE THE LEGISLATURE,
THE GOVERNOR, AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT CHANGE THE STRUCTURE
OF THE HAP PROGRAM, TO ENSURE
THAT THERE WAS GREATER CLARITY,
CHANGE THE STRUCTURE OF THE HACK
HAP PROGRAM TO ENSURE THAT THERE
WAS MORE GREATER CLARITY ABOUT
IT. WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO
ACCOMPLISH, WE BELIEVE WE CAN GO
EVEN FURTHER RELATED TO THAT.
BUT BUT WE'VE DONE WE
COLLECTIVELY HAVE DONE SOME
REALLY GOOD WORK OVER THE PAST
COUPLE OF YEARS, AND
PARTICULARLY IN AB. 129, BECAUSE
WE'VE LEARNED TO A LARGE DEGREE
AND THERE'S MUCH MORE FOR US TO
LEARN AND ADAPT TO, NO QUESTION
WHATSOEVER, BUT I THINK WE'RE IN
A MUCH BETTER PLACE BECAUSE OF
THE WORK, AND LEADERSHIP OF
FOLKS ON THIS DAIS AND IN YOUR
LARGER BODY. AND THE GOVERNOR
AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT WORKING
TOGETHER. AND I HOPE THAT THAT
WOULD CONTINUE. AND WE CAN WE
CAN BUILD ON THAT TO AN EVEN
GREATER DEGREE. AND WE LOOK
FORWARD TO BEING PART OF THAT
CONVERSATION. MR. CANALS. MR.
MAYOR, THANK YOU. I AGREE WITH
GRAHAM THAT THAT THE STATE AND
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE BEGUN TO
MAKE STRIDES IN ALIGNING
RESOURCES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
AND BEGINNING TO HAVE A LONG
OVERDUE CONVERSATION ABOUT REAL
OUTCOME BASED ACCOUNTABILITY.
NOW WE HAVE A WAYS TO GO. AND
HERE'S THE THING. HAP IS ONE
PROGRAM. IT'S A VITAL PROGRAM AS
WE HAVE SAID. BUT REALLY WHAT
IT'S ABOUT IS MAKING SURE THAT
THERE IS ALIGNMENT AND
ACCOUNTABILITY AROUND COUNTIES,
CITIES, AND COX, IF NOT MERGING
THEIR MONEY FUNCTIONALLY WORKING
TOGETHER SO THAT OUR OUTCOMES
ARE EVEN BETTER. AND I'LL TELL
YOU THE BEST EXAMPLE, IT'S PROP
ONE. I DISAGREE A LITTLE BIT.
RESPECTFULLY, SENATOR NILA, WITH
THE IDEA THAT, HAP IS THE ONLY
PROGRAM WHERE THERE'S LOCAL
FLEXIBILITY. ACTUALLY, THE
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACT,
PRIOR TO PROP ONE, THE COUNTIES
HAD COMPLETE FLEXIBILITY IN
TERMS OF HOW TO SPEND THOSE
DOLLARS. AND NOW WE'RE SORT OF
RECALIBRATING THE STATE LOCAL
GOVERNMENT RELATIONSHIP, I
THINK, IN AN APPROPRIATE WAY.
THE VOTERS SAID YES, BARELY. BUT
THEY DID SAY YES TO SAY THAT
IT'S INCUMBENT ON THE STATE AND
THE COUNTIES AND THE CITIES AND
THE COX TO SET OUTCOME BASED
MEASURES NOT ONLY FOR HAP, BUT
FOR PROPOSITION ONE AND FOR ALL
THE OTHER FUNDING SOURCES. IN
FACT, THAT'S WHAT PROP ONE SAYS.
IT'S NOT LIMITED TO JUST MHSA
AND TO ACTUALLY DELIVER
TRANSPARENT OUTCOMES THAT CAN
CREATE THE RIGHT KIND OF
COMPETITION AMONG BETWEEN
COUNTIES AND CITIES AND PROVIDE
US WITH A BETTER SNAPSHOT
STATEWIDE OF THE PROGRESS THAT
THAT WE ARE MAKING, THAT'S THE
NEXT STEP OF SYSTEMS REFORM, IN
MY VIEW. I THINK WE HAVE STARTED
WITH THE REGIONAL HOUSING,
REGIONAL HOMELESS PLANS THAT
CITIES AND COUNTIES AND COX HAVE
DEVELOPED TOGETHER. BUT NOW PROP
ONE IS GOING TO COMPEL US. I
THINK, TO BE MUCH CLEARER. AND
BY THE WAY, LAST THING WHEN I
TALK ABOUT DATA, YOU KNOW, I
THINK SOMETIMES AS MY EDITORIAL
COMMENT WHEN IT COMES TO OUTCOME
BASED ACCOUNTABILITY, THE OLD
CLICHE OF MAKING THE PERFECT THE
ENEMY OF THE GOOD. SOMETIMES WE
OVER DATA THIS THING TOO MUCH
AND THEN THEN WE DON'T PRODUCE
ANYTHING. SO REALLY WHAT PEOPLE
WANT TO KNOW, I THINK REDUCTIONS
IN DAYS OF HOMELESSNESS FOR
CUMULATIVELY WITHIN CITIES AND
COUNTIES, REDUCTIONS IN
PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALIZATIONS,
REDUCTIONS IN THE NUMBERS OF
PEOPLE HOUSED IN SHELTER AND OR
PERMANENT HOUSING, REDUCTION OF
DAYS OF TIME IN JAIL OR ARRESTS.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE INDICATORS. DO
4 OR 5 OF THOSE, PUT THEM OUT
THERE AS THE STATEWIDE FRAMEWORK
OUT OF PROP ONE, AND ALL OF THIS
WORK, AND THEN BEGIN MEASURING
OUR IMPACT WITH ALL OF THESE
RESOURCES TOWARDS THOSE THINGS
WILL GET A MUCH BETTER SENSE OF
HOW WE'RE DOING AND WILL FORCE
OURSELVES THROUGH THAT KIND OF
OUTCOME BASED ACCOUNTABILITY TO
DO EVEN BETTER. THANK YOU VERY
MUCH, MR. BROWN. THANK MY
DISTINGUISHED PANEL. I'LL JUST
ADD A FINAL THOUGHT ON THIS, AND
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO BE
REMINDED THAT THERE ARE SOME
COMPLEX DYNAMICS AT PLAY WHEN IT
COMES TO DEALING WITH THOSE THAT
ARE UNSHELTERED ACUTELY,
OTHERWISE PERMANENTLY, WHO ARE
LONG TUM HOMELESS, WHICH IS ALSO
, OF COURSE, RELEVANT TO THE
QUESTION OF AFFORDABILITY AND
LACK OF ACCESS TO HOUSING MORE
PERMANENTLY. PUT SIMPLY, YOU
CAN'T EXTRICATE THE TWO, A
PERSON'S MENTAL, EMOTIONAL AND
PHYSICAL WELL-BEING HAS A DIRECT
CORRELATION TO THEIR ECONOMIC
CIRCUMSTANCES AND VICE VERSA.
AND THE IDEA THAT IT'S ONE OR
THE OTHER, I THINK WE HAVE TO
RECOGNIZE NOT JUST INCREASING
PREVALENCE OF THAT DYNAMIC, BUT
THE FACT THAT THERE'S ANOTHER
FEATURE THAT DIRECTLY ADDRESSES
BOTH LONG TERME HOUSING
AFFORDABILITY AND ACCESS, AND
ALSO WHERE PEOPLE END UP
UNSHELTERED AND HOMELESS, LONG
TERME. AND THAT IS SOMETHING WE
DON'T LIKE TO TALK ABOUT IN THIS
STATE. AND I HAVE BEEN BEATING
THE DRUM ABOUT AND MAKING PEOPLE
UNCOMFORTABLE, AND I'LL CONTINUE
TO DO THAT. AND THAT IS THE
INCREASING PREVALENCE OF WORKING
POVERTY IN THIS STATE. WHAT THE
HELL DO I MEAN BY THAT? WELL,
WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THAT MORE
AND MORE PEOPLE IN THIS
WORKFORCE, ALMOST A THIRD, RELY
ON LOW WAGE OR MINIMUM WAGE JOBS
FOR 100% OF THEIR SURVIVAL.
THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN OUR
GRANDPARENTS. IT ALSO MEANS THAT
THEY DEMANDS ON THEIR LABOR AND
SERVICES ISN'T GOING ANYWHERE
UNLESS IN CALIFORNIA. WE'RE
GOING TO OUTLAW THE SERVICE
ECONOMY, AND WE LOVE OUR SERVICE
ECONOMY IN CALIFORNIA,
ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE OF US WHO
CAN AFFORD TO PARTICIPATE IN
CALIFORNIA'S ECONOMY AND HAVE
ANY DISPOSABLE INCOME. SO WE
HAVE MORE AND MORE OF OUR
WORKFORCE HAVING TO RELY ON LOW
WAGE JOBS TO SURVIVE IN
CALIFORNIA. AND GUESS WHAT? THE
DEMAND FOR THEIR SERVICES ISN'T
GOING ANYWHERE, AND THEY HAVE TO
WORK MORE AND MORE HOURS IN
ORDER TO MEET BASIC NEEDS. THAT
MEANS WE HAVE MORE AND MORE
PEOPLE WORKING 60 HOURS A WEEK,
SEVEN TÊ HOURS A WEEK,
PARTNERING UP WITH PEOPLE TO
SHARE AN APARTMENT. THE ECONOMIC
AND SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL PRESSURE THAT THAT
PUTS ON AN INDIVIDUAL OR A
FAMILY IS HARD TO DESCRIBE, BUT
IT'S A VERY REAL FACTOR. OH, BY
THE WAY, 40 SOME PLUS YEARS AGO
AND IT'S BEEN GREAT IN SOME
RESPECTS IT'S BEEN HORRIBLE. IN
OTHERS. WE RE-ENGINEERED OUR OUR
FUNDAMENTAL TRACKS TAX STRUCTURE
IN THE STATE THAT WE UNDERMINE
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ABILITY TO
EVEN KEEP UP WITH THE DEMANDS ON
INFRASTRUCTURE AS THE STATE'S
POPULATION GREW. SO IT'S NO
WONDER WHY, WITH SCHOOL
DISTRICTS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS,
WE CAME UP WITH ALL KINDS OF
REALLY COOL, SPECIAL WAYS TO
ASSESS AND TO FUND
INFRASTRUCTURE JUST TO KEEP UP
WITH, WITH, WITH INTRINSIC
POPULATION GROWTH. IT'S KIND OF
STUPID. BUT WE DID. AND SO WE
HEAR A LOT ABOUT HOW LOCAL
GOVERNMENT MAKES IT TOO
EXPENSIVE TO BUILD HOMES,
BECAUSE WE HAVE TO PUT
DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES AND
SPECIAL ASSESSMENT DISTRICTS AND
DO ALL THESE THINGS TO BE ABLE
TO JUST PAY THE BASIC FREIGHT OF
HAVING A CITY OR HAVING A STATE.
I THINK WE NEED TO GRAPPLE WITH
THAT BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT THAT
GOES INTO MAKING ACCESS TO
HOUSING INACCESSIBLE IN
CALIFORNIA. THERE'S A LOT THAT
GOES INTO WORKING POVERTY AND
INTO THE DYNAMIC THAT IS
PERMANENT AND LONG TIME
HOMELESSNESS. AND THE STATE CAN
BE A GREAT PARTNER. AND I THINK
PART OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO
DECIDE THE THINGS WE'RE
INVESTING IN, HOW THEY'RE
WORKING, AND HOW THEY CAN BETTER
WORK, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE HAVE A
LOT FEWER RESOURCES, AND THOSE
OF US GENIUSES UP HERE AND
TOGETHER WITH YOUR EXPERTISE, WE
GET TO TRY TO FIGURE THAT OUT.
AND I HOPE THAT WE'RE WORTHY OF
IT. I WANT TO I WANT TO THANK
OUR DISTINGUISHED PANEL FOR
COMING IN, SHARING YOUR INPUT
AND YOUR THOUGHTS. IT'S
INCREDIBLY VALUABLE. I THANK YOU
FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR PATIENCE.
ALL OF YOU. THANK YOU. AND NOW
THE BEST PART OF THE HEARING, IF
THERE'S ANYBODY THAT'S GOT
ENOUGH PATIENCE, WE HAVE PUBLIC
COMMENT, FOR FOLKS THAT HAVE
HUNG AROUND THE SUBCOMMITTEE
WELCOMES YOUR INPUT AND
PARTICIPATION VERY MUCH. WE'LL
GIVE OUR PANELISTS A MINUTE TO,
TO GATHER THEIR STUFF AND EXIT,
AND THEN IF THERE ARE FOLKS WHO
WANT TO ADDRESS THE SUBCOMMITTEE
UNDER PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE GO
AHEAD AND KIND OF LINE UP BY THE
MIC. IF THERE ARE FOLKS IN THE
HEARING ROOM THAT WOULD LIKE TO
DO THAT. AND WE'LL BEGIN WHEN I
WHEN I'M READY. BUT JUST GIVE ME
A MOMENT. WE'LL LET THE HEARING
ROOM SETTLE HERE. AGAIN, THE
SUBCOMMITTEE WELCOMES YOUR
PARTICIPATION. WE'RE INTERESTED
IN YOUR TESTIMONY AND THE
INTEREST OF TIME, PLEASE COME
FORWARD. STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE
RECORD, AND LIMIT YOUR COMMENTS
TO ONE MINUTE. THANK YOU AND
WELCOME. KIM LEWIS, REPRESENTING
THE CALIFORNIA COALITION FOR
YOUTH. AND I WANT TO TALK ABOUT
OUR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE TOO
OFTEN UNSEEN. AND WE KNOW THAT
THEIR PATHWAYS AND TRAJECTORIES
INTO HOMELESSNESS ARE OFTEN MUCH
DIFFERENT THAN OTHER POPULATIONS
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. AND
CHAPIN HALL HAD SOME RESEARCH
AROUND, LIKE 35% OF YOUNG PEOPLE
THEY INTERVIEWED HAD LOST A
PARENT OR CAREGIVER, AND THAT
LED TO THEIR HOMELESSNESS. 40%
ARE OVERREPRESENTED BY BEING
LGBTQ. WE NEED SOME ONGOING
DOLLARS BECAUSE THE PROGRAMS
THAT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BE
CREATED SUPPORT OUR YOUTH
THROUGH HAP HAVE BEEN
INSTRUMENTAL IN FOUNDATIONAL.
AND WE CAN'T GO BACKWARDS
BECAUSE BEFORE THAT, WE WERE
ONLY INVESTING $2 MILLION
ONGOING IN OUR YOUNG PEOPLE
EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN OUR
STATE BUDGET. AND WHEN WE TALK
ABOUT PRIORITIES AND HOW DO WE
WANT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO EXIT
AND BE HAVING GREAT LIVES, AS WE
ALL ENVISION FOR OUR CHILDREN
AND WHAT WE WANT THEM TO BE, AND
KNOW THAT THEIR EXPERIENCES ARE
DIFFERENT AND OUTCOME MEASURES
FOR THEM ARE ALSO NEED TO BE
DIFFERENT AND MATCH WHAT WE'RE
EXITING FOR THEM. BECAUSE MAYBE
FAMILY REUNIFICATION AND GOING
AND LIVING WITH AUNTIE IS A
SUCCESSFUL, POSITIVE EXIT FROM A
SYSTEM, AND WE SHOULD RECOGNIZE
THAT AND DEVELOP IT ACCORDINGLY.
THANK YOU. HI THERE, I'M LAUREN
AND I'M WITH HOUSING CALIFORNIA
AND, I'M HERE TODAY TO EXPRESS
THE IMPORTANCE OF HAP AND THE
IMPORTANCE OF HOMELESS FUNDING
WRIT LARGE. CALIFORNIA
COMMUNITIES IN THE STATE OVERALL
CANNOT AFFORD THESE CUTS. THE
CUTS ARE SHORT SIGHTED, AS WE
KNOW THAT RISING HOMELESSNESS
WILL COST THE STATE FAR MORE
THAN FUNDING HOUSING AND
SERVICES TODAY. THESE CUTS WILL
REDUCE THE NUMBER OF HOUSING
PLACEMENTS BY THOUSANDS ANNUALLY
, DRIVING UP THE NUMBER OF
PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
AND LEAD TO A DIRECT REDUCTION
IN THOUSANDS OF SHELTER BEDS,
INCREASING THE RATE OF
UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS AROUND
THE STATE, GIVEN ALL THAT, NOW
IS NOT THE TIME TO CUT FUNDING
TO HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS. WE
URGE THE SENATE TO WORK WITH THE
GOVERNOR TO, NOT TO AVOID CUTS
TO THESE VITAL PROGRAMS AND
MAINTAIN LEVEL FUNDING FOR HAP.
ROUND SIX. THANK YOU. THANK YOU
VERY MUCH, MR. CHAIR. DYLAN
ELLIOTT, ON BEHALF OF THE
COUNTIES OF MADERA, FRESNO, SAN
JOAQUIN AND HUMBOLDT, ALL
ECHOING THE SAME SENTIMENTS
ALREADY SAID ABOUT THE
IMPORTANCE OF THE HAP FUNDING
AND STRONG SUPPORT OF CONTINUING
THAT. THANK YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON.
MY NAME IS LEWIS BROWN, JUNIOR.
I'M WITH THE CORPORATION FOR
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, THANK YOU,
CHAIR, FOR THIS FOR THIS
HEARING. I JUST WANT TO ECHO THE
COMMENTS ABOUT HAPPENED ABOUT
THE NEED, AS SENATOR NEAL NILO
SAID, TO PRIORITIZE HOMELESS
FUNDING IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET,
ALSO WANT TO, TO ENCOURAGE THE
COMMITTEE, AS WE HEARD TODAY, TO
THINK ABOUT, TARGETED PREVENTION
PROGRAMS. SO INCLUDING $25
MILLION, WE'RE ASKING FOR RENTAL
ASSISTANCE, PILOT PROGRAM FOR
OLDER ADULTS AND ADULTS WITH
DISABILITIES, WE TALKED ABOUT
EARLIER TODAY, OLDER ADULTS ARE
THE FASTEST GROWING HOMELESS
POPULATION IN RENTAL ASSISTANCE,
AS IS EVIDENCED BY THE FEDERAL
PROGRAM, IS A PROVEN SOLUTION.
SO WE'D LIKE TO ENCOURAGE THE
COMMITTEE. WE KNOW THAT THAT
ASKING FOR NEW FUNDING FOR ANY
PROGRAMS IN THIS BUDGET CLIMATE
IS DIFFICULT. WE WANT TO
ENCOURAGE YOU TO THINK. THINK
ABOUT THAT ALSO, WE'RE ASKING
THE COMMITTEE TO THINK ABOUT,
FUNDING $25 MILLION FOR A
PROGRAM THAT WOULD INCENTIVIZE
LANDLORDS TO TAKE FEDERAL
VOUCHERS MORE QUICKLY, WHICH
WOULD PREVENT PEOPLE FROM
FALLING INTO HOMELESSNESS WHILE
THEY'RE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE THAT
WOULD TAKE THEIR VOUCHER. SO WE
THINK THESE TARGETED PROGRAMS
CAN HELP SAVE THE STATE MONEY IN
THE LONG RUN. THANK YOU. THANK
YOU. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS
JENNY JOYCE. I'M TALKING ON
BEHALF OF CALIFORNIA COLLEGIATE
COALITION'S YOUTH, YOUTH
ADVISORY BOARD. I HEAR FROM
THESE YOUNG PEOPLE THAT THEY
NEED MORE ACCESS TO PROGRAMS AND
HOUSING FOR THEM, AND THEY WOULD
LIKE TO BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE
IN PROGRAMS, WITH YOUTH, LIKE
ANY OTHER YOUNG PERSON. THE
HOUSING MARKET IS VERY
COMPETITIVE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
WHEN THEY DON'T HAVE RENTAL
HISTORY LIKE CREDIT HISTORY AND
DON'T HAVE THE KIND OF SAVINGS
NEEDED FOR A FIRST AND LAST
MONTH'S RENT FOR DEPOSITS.
TRANSITIONAL HOUSING, WHICH IS A
FORM OF INTERIM HOUSING, WORKS
WELL FOR YOUTH, YET NOT WHERE
LOCALS ARE INVESTING RESOURCES.
WE WANT TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF
HOMELESSNESS AND BELIEVE THE
BEST WAY TO BREAK THE CYCLE IS
BY ENDING YOUTH HOMELESSNESS.
YOUTH WILL MOVE ALONG IN THE
PATHWAY TO CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS.
IF THERE'S NO INTERVENTION TO
CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY. THE SET
ASIDES AND PROGRAMS SUCH AS HAP
AND HOMEKEY HAVE BEEN CRITICAL
TO ENSURE THAT COMMUNITIES DON'T
FORGET THIS POPULATION. WE URGE
THE LEGISLATURE TO PROVIDE THE
ONGOING HAP AND INCREASE THE SET
ASIDE TO 25. BECAUSE MOST
COMMUNITIES ARE VIEWING THE SET
ASIDE AS A CEILING RATHER THAN
THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU.
ANYONE ELSE WISH TO ADDRESS
SUB-COMMITTEE NOT WANT TO THANK
EVERYONE FOR YOUR PATIENCE,
PARTICIPATION AND INPUT. ANYONE
WHO WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE
ADDITIONAL INPUT CAN DO SO
DIRECTLY TO COMMITTEE STAFF OR
ONLINE. APPRECIATE THE PATIENCE.
GOOD HEARING. AT THIS TIME. THE
SUBCOMMITTEE WILL STAND
ADJOURNED.