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Homelessness: What are we going to do about it?

It’s time for the City of Sonoma to accept its responsibility to its residents – those with homes, and those without – and decide it will be a part of the solution. 

By Rachel Hundley

Homelessness is on many minds these days. It’s not a new issue, even in Sonoma, but it has landed in the spotlight after a despicable crime on the bike path – and the hastily drawn conclusion that people become dangerous when they no longer have a home. If we want to start making generalizations, then a more telling statistic is the fact that most sexual assailants are young men… but I’m not here to make generalizations. I’m here to talk about our broken system that is causing an increasing number of people in Sonoma, Sonoma County, and California to become homeless.

Across the country, 17 out of every 10,000 people are homeless. In California, it is 39 out of every 10,000. This translates into at least 43 people for a city the size of Sonoma and almost 200 people in the Sonoma Valley area, and that’s on any given night. Homelessness is a product of our broken system, and it isn’t going anywhere.

The question, then, is what are we going to do about it?

First, we have to accept that Sonoma is not immune to homelessness. The most frequent causes of it in Sonoma County – loss of a job, argument with friend or family, alcohol or substance abuse, and eviction – happen here. As do the biggest obstacles to finding housing once lost – unaffordable rent and low wages.

There’s a common myth that floats around when the subject of homelessness comes up: “Those people aren’t from here.” This simply isn’t true. Talk to anyone who works or volunteers to provide struggling people in Sonoma with the basic necessities of food and a safe place to sleep, and they will tell you that two-thirds of the people they encounter are, in fact, from “here.”

Second, we have to be honest with ourselves. We have to be honest when we don’t really understand a problem. We have to be honest when our actions are being driven by fear. A lack of understanding combined with fear has led to the horrendous treatment of marginalized communities throughout our history, and the current attitudes towards “homeless people” (but more accurately, people who are homeless) seems to be moving in a similar direction.

Third, we have to decide we want to be a part of the solution. Homelessness is a complex and challenging issue. Beyond the initial cause of losing somewhere to live, the experience of homelessness reveals and creates additional obstacles. Lack of sleep. Malnutrition. Chronic pain. Dental, respiratory, and skin issues. Depression. Anxiety. Substance abuse. By ignoring the problem – not of the homeless of our community themselves but of the fact that it happens – we make the problem worse.

For a long time, the City of Sonoma took a back seat on this issue and relied on a network of small organizations to provide food and shelter. Two years ago, Councilmember Madolyn Agrimonti and I recognized we needed to do more, and we embarked on a successful mission to secure more county, state, and federal money for homelessness support services than Sonoma Valley has ever received.

Clearly, we must do more. It is time for the City of Sonoma to accept its responsibility to its residents – those with homes, and those without – and decide it will be a part of the solution. We can’t do it alone, but we certainly can do more.

It has seemed some of my colleagues were hell bent on dismantling our existing homelessness services in Sonoma without any plan or desire to substitute something better. 

I have outlined two proposed plans (see below) addressing our community’s immediate concerns about the Field of Dreams in the short term and partnering with either the county or the other cities in the county to create a regional strategy for addressing homelessness. Both plans (one highlighted here) call for the City of Sonoma to put its money where its mouth is and increase its financial investment.

Rachel Hundley is a member of the Sonoma City Council. R[email protected]

 

Compassionate Action Plan for Homelessness in Sonoma

Option A: City + County Collaboration

SHORT TERM

1. Working Group. Form working group of representatives from Field of Dreams, concerned parents, Sonoma Overnight Support, community members who are or have been homeless, police, and other interested parties to identify specific issues and propose solutions concerning operations of current homelessness services (e.g. safe parking program, day services at The Haven, winter overnight shelter) and Field of Dreams and other uses of nearby public and private property

Examples: Provision of additional private security, additional monitoring of parking lot, more frequent inspection and debris removal of ball fields and/or bike path, signage

2. Review + Implementation. City council subcommittee reviews proposed solutions and directs implementation where feasible

LONG TERM

3. Financial Investment: City. We need to invest in solutions.

• Increase budget allocation for the next five years

1. $100,000 per year out of general fund
       i.      Currently budgeted: $30,000 a year under MOU with SO
        ii.      Supplemental “one time” $20,000 in 2018/2019
   b.  $500,000 from reserves
2. Financial Investment: County. With an unincorporated community three times the size of Sonoma just outside the city limit, we need the county to be our partner.

• Seek comparable matching investment from county—not including state, federal, and other grant funding—based on city expenditure in proportion to population

1. City = 11,000 residents
   b. Unincorporated Sonoma Valley = 33,000 residents
   c.   Comparable match = $300,000 per year for five years, plus $1.5 million
   d.  In addition to allocations of state, federal, and other funding
2. Homelessness Trust Fund.

• Using the above contributions, create dedicated Sonoma Valley Homelessness Trust Fund

6. Homelessness Coordinator. We need someone looking at the valley-wide region holistically who has expertise on this complicated issue.

• Create city staff position of Homelessness Coordinator (using new Sustainability Coordinator as model) to focus on planning and implementing an effective and coordinated strategy to address homelessness in Sonoma Valley

7. Survey + Report. In order to address a problem, we need to better understand it.

• Homelessness Coordinator, with city and county support, will:
  
  a.  Analyze current needs in city and valley
  b.  Analyze projected needs in city and valley
  c.   Produce report identifying gaps and redundancies 

8. Strategic Plan. A complex issue requires a well-thought out plan to solve it.

• Create strategic plan for coordinated services based on results of survey and report, identifying existing service providers, negotiating complimentary but not overlapping services, and conducting outreach to fill gaps

9. Capital Investment. The need has outgrown the city’s current facility.

• Locate and purchase/lease facility with greater capacity to enable needed coexisting services; secure financing if needed

10. Implementation. Equipped with a dedicated staff member, localized data, and a plan.

• Work with existing and new service providers to execute strategic plan

11. Financial Outreach. The needed services and facilities are going to cost more that the city and county contributions to the Sonoma Valley Homelessness Trust Fund. We should use our partnership and our plan to get funding from other agencies, including a piece of the $1 Billion earmarked by Governor Newsom specifically for homelessness support.

• Identify and apply for grant and other funding to support existing services, capital improvements, and other financial need

 

 

Compassionate Action Plan for Homelessness in Sonoma

Option B: City + Other Cities

SHORT TERM (Sonoma only)

1. Working Group. Form working group of representatives from Field of Dreams, concerned parents, Sonoma Overnight Support, community members who are or have been homeless, police, and other interested parties to identify specific issues and propose solutions concerning operations of current homelessness services (e.g. safe parking program, day services at The Haven, winter overnight shelter) and Field of Dreams and other uses of nearby public and private property

Examples: Provision of additional private security, additional monitoring of parking lot, more frequent inspection and debris removal of ball fields and/or bike path, signage

2. Review + Implementation. City council subcommittee reviews proposed solutions and directs implementation where feasible

LONG TERM (Participating county cities)

3. Form JPA or other entity. If the county is not willing to be an effective partner, there are many other cities in the county who are equally as interested in sharing resources and knowledge and creating a regional strategy to address homelessness in Sonoma County.

• Work with the eight other cities in Sonoma County to form a joint powers authority or other entity or arrangement for the purpose of creating regional strategy and sharing and coordinating resources to address homelessness

4. Financial Investment: City. We need to invest in solutions.

• Increase budget allocation for the next five years

1. $100,000 a year out of general fund
       i.      Currently budgeted: $30,000 a year under MOU with SOS
        ii.      Supplemental “one time” $20,000 in 2018/2019
   e.  $500,000 from reserves
2. Financial Investment: Other Cities. We can’t afford the needed resources on our own, but a proportional investment from the other cities will enable us to launch a coordinated effort and be competitive for additional grant funding.

• Seek comparable matching investment from other cities based on city expenditure in proportion to population (or other contribution schedule based on feasibility and scope of coordinated effort)

6. Homelessness Fund.

• Using the above contributions, create dedicated Cities of Sonoma County Homelessness Trust Fund

7. Joint City Homelessness Direcotr. We need someone looking at the cities in Sonoma County holistically who has expertise on this complicated issue.

• Create JPA or other entity staff position of homelessness director, including necessary support staff

8. Survey + Report. In order to address a problem, we need to better understand it.
9. Analyze current needs in each participating city
   b. Analyze projected needs in each participating city
   c.   Produce report identifying areas with gaps or redundancies based on feasible coordination and shared resources
10. Strategic Plans. A complex issue requires a well-thought out plan to solve it.

• Create strategic plans for coordinated services based on results of survey and report, identifying existing service providers, negotiating complimentary but not overlapping services and conducting outreach to fill gaps for both countywide and individual cities. Including establishing regionwide standards and goals for participating cities

10. Implementation. Equipped with a dedicated staff member, localized data, and a plan.

• Work with existing and new service providers to execute strategic plan

 

11. Capital Coordination + Investment. The need has outgrown the city’s current facility.

• Identify, lease/purchase, and/or improve facilities

12. Financial Outreach. The needed services and facilities are going to cost more that the city and county contributions to the Sonoma Valley Homelessness Trust Fund. We should use our coalition and our regional plan to get funding from other agencies, including a piece of the $1 Billion earmarked by Governor Newsom specifically for homelessness support.

• Identify and apply for grant and other funding to support existing services, capital improvements, and other financial need

 

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