City Evaluates Expanded Homeless Housing Alternatives

Greetings!

This Tuesday, the Santa Rosa City Council will review staff reports on both its existing homeless shelter and support services, and several new short-term housing designs.  The reports respond to requests from the Council to know the costs of making existing services "Housing First" compliant, and adopting the same standard for other non-shelter housing alternatives.  It's unlikely that any new alternatives will be approved, and existing services may not fare much better.

The price tag for the standard is between $10,000 and $12,750 a bed annually, with a possible total cost of up to $1.1 million.  The report cautions the Council that its fire-related costs have dangerously drained the City reserves, and states: 

"Additionally, an appropriation of funding will increase the General Fund’s structural deficit annually, which may result in reductions to other General Fund programs, or drawing General Fund reserves further out of compliance with Council policy."

Bringing existing programs into compliance with the Housing First doctrine, as well as expanding the hours of the Homeless Services Center, will also add $852,000 more to their budgets. No detail for the budget figures is included in either report.

Let's be clear.  Homeless Action! did not ask for the City to require its homeless programs to be Housing First compliant.  Beyond lowering barriers to entry to longer, more frustrating shelter stays, we aren't sold that additional costs are proving effective.  We proposed the City support housing alternatives like safe parking and safe encampments because we believe they require much less expensive funding, and have proven much more effective at stabilizing the lives our our residents, and helping them improve their chances of obtaining permanent housing.

Here's the link to the City Council agenda reports (Agenda Items 15.1 and 15.2).  I encourage those concerned about a serious setback in the support of the City for efforts to address homeless issues to read the reports, and email the Council with your comments.

Gregory Fearon