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Indybay Feature

City Council Must Take the Next Logical Step Toward Addressing Homelessness

by Steve Pleich (spleich [at] gmail.com)
Creation of Task Force on Homelessness Remains a Good Idea
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At its May 9 session, the Santa Cruz City Council presented to our community the Homeless Coordinating Committee Final Report. And though this effort did yield a number of immediate and feasible options to address the condition of homelessness, it did little to create a framework within which many of the proposed actions can be fully realized. I have previously suggested that a Task Force composed of concerned community members be formed to address the issue of homelessness. I believe, in light of the template created by the Committee’s Final Report, the need for and efficacy of the formation of such a task force is greater than ever. Here’s why.

The task force model has been used in the recent past to address pressing community issues such as public safety and water supply and this problem solving model should now be applied to our most challenging current issue, that of services and support for people experiencing homelessness. And although questions remain concerning the scope, composition, appointment process and duration of such a task force, a discussion about the relative merits and substantive effect of a task force approach is both practically appropriate and arguably helpful at this time. As mentioned, recent task forces have addressed public safety and water supply with differing degrees of success. The recommendations of the public safety task force were widely viewed as either unwieldy or impractical and were virtually ignored by city staff. Although several of the recommendations may have worked some substantive good or needed change, the fact that very few, if any, were actually implemented rendered the overall effectiveness of that task force virtually nil. The water supply task force, on the other hand, has received wide support from both staff and the Water Department itself and has substantially contributed to a workable and sustainable plan to insure our future water supply. However, several things need to happen to create the opportunity for even modest success.

Firstly, the scope of the work must be broad enough to include both “housing first" and "shelter now" strategies. Indeed, the call for the creation of a year-round shelter (an item that was included in the report as a 3-5 year option) was a consistent theme of speakers at the May 9 session. Virtually all of the time, money and effort being applied to the issue of homelessness manifests itself in housing first models and the more substantive options offered in the Committee Final Report clearly reflect this approach. While noble in an altruistic sense, these models remain presently impractical in view of our lack of available rentals and dearth of affordable housing. On any given night there are as many as 1,000 women, men and children unsheltered in Santa Cruz; as many as 2,500 in the county. Note that these figures are about 25 percent above that reported in the 2015 Homeless Census and Survey which is believed by most observers to be under reported by about that percentage biannually. These numbers are not intended to inflate the problem, but are simply offered to present a more accurate and realistic picture of the local landscape of homelessness.

Secondly, the composition of such a task force must reflect those segments of our community most profoundly impacted by this issue and include stakeholders whose participation can insure post task force success. This was an issue also raised by several speakers at the May 9 council session. These would include the faith community, neighborhood groups, local business leaders and retailers, representatives from nonprofits which primarily serve people experiencing homelessness, advocates for the homeless and, of course and most importantly, members of our local homeless community. This is only a preliminary and suggested list and is not to be taken as complete nor inclusive. There are surely other concerned groups and stakeholders whose input and participation would be key to the success of the task force.

Lastly, it is crucial that the task force have an early "sunset" date. Although we don't want to rush to judgment on such an important issue, the plight of people experiencing homelessness is nothing if not emergent. We must strategize thoughtfully, but we must also act with all deliberate speed if we are to see substantive options generated and implemented in a time frame that reflects the importance and urgency of the situation. The efficacy and wisdom of the Committee’s Final Report will, as with all things, be most accurately assessed in hindsight. Let's hope council’s foresight is as prescient with the creation of a task force to make sure that both the letter and the spirit of that report are fully implemented.
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