HSC - Item 2A - Minutes of June 29, 2023
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MINUTES OF THE ROSEMEAD HOMELESSNESS SUBCOMMITTEE
REGULAR MEETING
JUNE 29, 2023
The Regular Meeting of the Rosemead Homelessness Subcommittee was called to order by Mayor
Steven Ly at 6:03 p. m. in the Rosemead City Council Chamber located at 8838 East Valley
Boulevard, Rosemead, California.
PRESENT: Subcommittee Members: Eilers, Garcia, Ly, and Tang
ABSENT: Subcommittee Member Dang
1. PUBLIC COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE
Mayor Ly opened the Public Comment period.
No Public Comments were received. Mayor Ly closed the Public Comment period.
2. CONSENT CALENDAR:
No items for the consent calendar.
3. MATTERS FROM STAFF
A. Overview of Subcommittee Purpose and Goals
Mayor Ly mentioned that the purpose of the Subcommittee is not to solve
homelessness for the whole state, the whole county, or the whole nation, but to take
the first steps to address and try to see what can be done to help those that are
experiencing homelessness in Rosemead. It is important to figure out a way to solve
a chronic issue that is affecting our community from a quantitative policy level
down to a personal level. The City will need to look at what resources are in place
and then figure out from there what is the best way to allocate those resources to
help as many people as possible. Mayor Ly shared his personal philosophy, which
is in line with a saying from Mother Teresa, who said, “if you can't save the world,
save one person.” This is the direction in which the Subcommittee is heading
towards. Mayor Ly invited the Subcommittee members to share their thoughts as
to what they see as their own personal goals on homelessness. From there, the
Subcommittee can develop overall objectives of this Subcommittee.
Subcommittee Member Teresa Eilers shared that she has lived in Rosemead for
about four years and grew up in South Pasadena. She commented that she believes
the homelessness crisis is tied to the housing crisis and people, including herself,
are feeling the pinch of rising housing prices. Ms. Eilers does public affairs
consulting, as well as political consulting. She was Sheriff Robert Luna’s campaign
manager and has been working in political campaigns for about 10 years. She was
also involved with consulting with the United Way of Greater LA for two years in
Union Station for homeless services. With her experience, there is a full
understanding of the perspectives from the public safety side, political and housing
side of homelessness, as well as services. As a working professional, she also
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struggles to find housing for herself in the area where she grew up and knows
individuals experiencing homelessness.
Public Safety Commissioner Stephanie Garcia shared that she has been living in
Rosemead for most of her life and works in the City as well. Working in the
community, she hears resident concerns, primarily from parents with children in
elementary and middle school. Commissioner Garcia agreed with Mayor Ly and
stated that even though the issue of homelessness may not be solved, any
improvements made in the City will help and will be a positive step forward.
Planning Commissioner John Tang shared that his view on the homeless crisis is a
growing problem and has been a growing problem for a long time. It didn't happen
overnight. It's been a series of neglect and issues that have transpired to where we
are today. As a City, it is important to take proactive steps to come up with a
strategy and come up with a plan. The homeless count numbers were released, and
it shows that there has been a substantial increase in the homeless population. If we
want our economic vitality to be vibrant here in the City of Rosemead, it is
necessary to solve the homeless issue because businesses will not want to invest in
the City. There also needs to be a humanitarian approach and housing is an
important piece of it. People experience homelessness for a variety of reasons, not
just housing. There are also several factors that need to be investigated to help those
individuals achieve self-sufficiency in their life.
Mayor Ly mentioned it will be important to identify the current City resources as
well as the constraints. The City is bound by some legal precedents, some cases,
that dictate how we can handle the homeless situation. This is also an evolving
issue, as Sacramento and the Governor's Office continue to also address this and
set certain frameworks on how to deal with this. In order to get a person off the
street, there needs to be a place for that person to go. There need to be resources to
get them permanently off the street and back to a functioning member of society.
B. Current Bed Counts Within a 5 Mile Radius of Rosemead
Assistant City Manager Bruckner addressed the first handout in the packet. Los
Angeles County has broken out into eight service population areas. Those are
predefined areas that LAHSA and other agencies use to measure the activity of
homelessness within those areas. Rosemead is in SPA 3, which encompasses the
San Gabriel Valley. On the spreadsheet, there is a list of service providers along
with the populations that they serve, where they are located, their distance to
Rosemead, and the number of available beds and bed types that are provided. They
don't necessarily serve entire populations. Sometimes they serve specific
populations, whether it be adults or youth, women, LGBTQ, veterans, and disabled
individuals. SPA 3 as a whole is under-resourced in terms of available housing
compared to other areas in the County. There have been some efforts by individual
cities and sometimes a consortium of cities to develop shelters and permanent
supportive housing, but it does not meet the level of homelessness within the San
Gabriel Valley.
The Interim Housing List is available from LAHSA, and it breaks down by SPAs
as well. It is a more comprehensive list than the one that was on the spreadsheet,
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and provides an overview of the types of interim housing, what populations are
served, and how to connect with those housing resources as they become available.
C. Available Resources and Funding
Assistant City Manager Bruckner detailed the Measure H Funded Contractors
handout and stated that they are also listed by service population area. It is not
necessarily housing, but it's those wraparound services that go with trying to treat
and address some of the root causes of how people find themselves entering into
homelessness. Listed are emergency shelters, substance abuse and mental health
facilities, and other programs for those that are experiencing homelessness in order
to start their journey back to becoming a participating member of society.
In addition to that, there is a summary sheet that was provided by the San Gabriel
Valley Council of Governments (COG), it's their regional programs participation.
Last year, the City of Rosemead joined the supplemental homeless services
program that is provided by the COG. The COG was a recipient of Measure H
funds, and they use those funds on behalf of San Gabriel Valley cities to spearhead
a variety of pilot programs, one of those being a supplemental homeless services
outreach program, that the City joined in August of last year. The program allocated
2 homeless navigators and case outreach workers to work in the City for a couple
of hours, one day a week. That was spread between a consortium of cities like
Temple City, Monterey Park, etc. We were all in that Wednesday grouping. The
case workers were embedded with our Code Enforcement team, as well as the
Rosemead Special Assignment Team. They have been going out every Wednesday
contacting individuals trying to offer them services and get them within the
provider’s continuum of care, the provider being LACADA, which is the Los
Angeles Centers for Alcohol and Drug Abuse. They have a boots-on-the-ground
approach and go to where the homeless are, as opposed to the Coordinated Entry
System, which requires the homeless to engage with that system at a specific
location. So instead of it being sort of a one size fits all, they try to tailor their
services to the individual needs of the individual that is experiencing homelessness.
As part of the American Recovery Plan Act that was passed back in 2020, a big
chunk of money was set aside for cities to allocate towards things like homelessness
prevention, domestic violence prevention, and other related services. The City
applied and was awarded $1.2 million from HUD. The City Council approved the
HOME-ARP allocation plan which allocated $1.2 million for homeless services.
Subsequent to that, the City Council entered into a four-year contract with
LACADA to provide 2 homeless outreach navigators/coordinators, 40 hours a
week in the City of Rosemead. The City is going to expand upon the COG
relationship that began last year and try to increase the number of hours and the
number of outreach opportunities as it has proven to be effective. Additionally,
Interim Rosemead Chief of Police Tiwari and the Special Assignment Team have
done a lot to try to bring in County resources to Rosemead as well.
The Homelessness Prevention and Response Plan is a document that was put
together back in 2020 or 2021. When the Measure H money started flowing out to
cities and other agencies, they were required to have a planning document in place
in order to be able to be eligible for any grant funding that potentially cities could
apply for to help reduce the homeless population in their communities. This
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document outlines some of the themes and goals that we have set. There has not
been action taken to date on some of the goals outlined in the homeless plan, but
with the addition of LACADA and with some of the efforts that the City has done
recently to provide more affordable housing, those are all steps in the right
direction. LACADA has designated 4 beds to Rosemead and they are looking to
expand their shelter capacity in the County, so more dedicated beds may be
available to Rosemead over time. In order to enforce anti-camping regulations, and
anti-camping ordinances, as outlined by the Martin v. Boise case, to be able to
enforce the ordinance, you have to offer the alternative first and the alternative is a
place to stay. If somebody turns down the service, and a bed is offered, then
enforcement can take place.
Assistant City Manager Bruckner asked the Subcommittee if they had any questions
about the information provided.
Subcommittee Member Eilers asked how long LACADA beds are available to
individuals and what type of services are provided once they have access to a bed.
Assistant City Manager Bruckner mentioned that the bed is available as long as it
is needed. In terms of the services, it's a full spectrum continuum of care.
Subcommittee Member Eilers stated that it was her understanding that LACADA
provided access to a bed for either 30 or 60 days. She asked if the length of time
could be verified. She also asked about the Maryvale housing development and
whether the committee would be discussing it.
Mayor Ly announced that the Maryvale Project must go through the zoning side of
the house, which is a Planning Commission function. The project can be talked
about as an overall policy framework; however, Commissioner Tang may not be
able to participate in those conversations. If he expresses opinions in this forum, he
will then be locked out of any decision-making ability when he's a Commissioner
on the Planning Commission. So, if and when Maryvale comes up, Commissioner
Tang and Mayor Ly will not be able to participate.
Assistant City Manager Bruckner added that the Maryvale is currently supporting
women who are fleeing domestic violence. It is not necessarily open to the broad
spectrum of individuals experiencing homelessness, but a specific subset that is
looking for refuge in those circumstances and that's women and children.
Commissioner Tang mentioned that in SPA 3, he noticed that there are a couple of
shelters that are designated crisis versus bridge versus interim housing. He asked
about the difference between the three and if there is a legal definition for it.
Commissioner Tang emphasized the importance of the definitions to ensure the
subcommittee can be effective and figure out how to deploy resources.
Assistant City Manager Bruckner replied that he can provide the distinctions in
another meeting along with the populations served and how it breaks out.
Commissioner Tang asked when the 40-hour LACADA services will begin. Also,
the data will help dig deeper, possibly including a heat map.
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Assistant City Manager Bruckner stated that the contract with LACADA begins on
July 1; however, LACADA indicated that they need some time to ramp up staffing
and acquire a van and set up for services. The start of the program is anticipated at
the beginning of August. LAHSA does do a point-in-time count. It's an annual
count where they go out with volunteers, as well as representatives from LAHSA
to try and get a roundabout estimate. It's not entirely perfect. The homeless count
from last year was 83, which seems arguably low.
The Subcommittee recessed at 6:53 p.m. and resumed at 7:07 p.m.
Assistant City Manager Bruckner informed the Subcommittee that Subcommittee
member Garcia had a family medical emergency during the meeting and has since
excused herself from the meeting. The quorum was lost due to Commissioner
Garci’s absence.
Mayor Ly asked to continue the meeting as no action will be taken beyond offering
staff direction. Any voting items will be reserved for voting when there is a quorum.
Assistant City Manager Bruckner continued that the numbers from the homeless
count seem too low. He mentioned the heat map could be troublesome due to the
transient nature of homelessness. There are certain areas where there is high
frequency. The Code Enforcement team does track in terms of where they're
engaging with homeless individuals which can provide an idea of where this is
occurring.
Commissioner Tang replied that the information would be helpful, and it is essential
to determine how to deploy resources and where there are opportunities to develop
policies that help address why those areas are suitable for homeless encampments.
Subcommittee Member Eilers asked for clarification on the RFP that was awarded
to LACADA. She asked if it was through the COG through Measure H funds. She
also inquired about the County of Los Angeles and its budget in working with local
cities.
Assistant City Manager Bruckner replied that there's a quarter-cent sales tax
Measure H that the County voters in Los Angeles County passed several years ago
that's specifically allocated to homeless outreach, homeless services, homeless
prevention, building affordable housing, shelters, and so forth. In addition to all of
that, a portion of the Measure H funds is set aside for subrecipients to provide
services. The San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments applied on behalf of its
member cities to provide homeless outreach services. The City of Rosemead is a
member of the COG through and through the COG’s contract with their provider
LACADA, Rosemead received those supplemental homeless services. It did not
cost the City anything. The RFP was solely in response to the $1.2 million and
federal HOME-ARP funds that were allocated to the City. Those federal dollars are
being used to contract directly with LACADA to provide additional services.
Commissioner Tang asked how long the $1.2 million awarded to LACADA will
provide services.
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Assistant City Manager Bruckner stated it would be 4 years.
Subcommittee Member Eilers asked regarding the funding that the City has gone
after and whether it included a portion of the $25.5 million in the budget for LA
County.
Assistant City Manager Bruckner mentioned the City had not gone after that pot of
money. Staff will look into what it entails and provide an update.
Subcommittee Member Eilers asked if an update could be provided on the City's
policies on building affordable housing on religious-based properties and if there
are any faith-based organizations that have applied to build any type of affordable
housing in Rosemead to help alleviate homelessness,
Assistant City Manager mentioned there are none that he is aware of but he will
reach out to the Community Development Department and come back to the
Subcommittee with an answer.
Mayor Ly asked how often the City is engaging with communities that are close to
homelessness, vulnerable communities that are a paycheck away from being
homeless, or situations like that.
Assistant City Manager Bruckner replied that is not something he is aware of;
however, through our Housing Division, staff is contacted by individuals who are
seeking support services and things of that nature and are directed to resources that
are available through nonprofits or through the County. There is no City support
for those that are on the verge of losing housing or in distress. They will usually be
referred to partner agencies since we don't have the infrastructure or programs in
place to support them.
Mayor Ly followed up by asking about individuals who are homeless but are asking
for help, a bed, or other resources, and how often they are engaging or contacting
the City.
Assistant City Manager Bruckner replied that it is almost every day. The Code
Enforcement team is out there seven days a week and they run into individuals who
are experiencing homelessness. Prior to LACADA, the City would provide them
with phone numbers to call for resources or shelter. Through the course of the week,
members of the Code Enforcement team are coming into contact with homeless
individuals and the City is pre-planning and letting our homeless outreach provider
know when they're in town and try to find them and get them access to services
since they expressed an interest. That type of outreach is already occurring, but it
is limited to two to three hours every week. The 40-hours a week is going to be a
game changer.
D. Overall City of Rosemead Strategy
Mayor Ly stated the importance of identifying how many homeless are there in
Rosemead and the surrounding areas, and what resources are currently available to
address the overall strategy. Addressing the low-hanging fruit, or five-minute
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target, is the most critical, like providing resources to those that are on the cusp of
homelessness to keep them from tipping over. The next five-minute target is
providing support for those who do want help and case management programs are
a great first step. It is important on the staffing end that there is follow-through on
that and a conversation to fully work through issues. The third, and controversial
item, is going to be how do we how do we help those who don't want that help.
Staff will need more research on where a lot of the major cities are going towards
in California and where the Governor is going as well in terms of conservatorship
courts. That brings up the question of should this committee analyze and have a
conversation about getting the funding necessary to build a housing project. The
City cannot force someone off the street without having a place for them to go,
which means the City may need to consider either building our own housing. Or
should the City support a regional approach to provide the necessary funding to get
those beds going so that we have an allocation somewhere for 82 plus beds.
Mayor Ly recommended the Subcommittee spend the next meeting or two flushing
out ideas and asking staff for more research so that by meeting three, the
Subcommittee has a comprehensive approach and recommendation for the City
Council. This year, the City Council will go back into a strategic plan update. And
if all goes well, the Subcommittee recommendations can be implemented in that
strategic plan update.
Commissioner Tang asked how the City helps those who need help, especially if
the City does not have that specific resource and what is the strategy for that.
Subcommittee Member Eilers stated that the easiest and cheapest way to solve
homelessness is to prevent homelessness. She expressed an interest in more data on
who is experiencing homelessness and why. With that information, resources can
be provided and recommended. Why did these individuals fall into homelessness
and what could have been done to prevent it? Lastly, regarding the individuals who
are currently experiencing homelessness, what pots of money are available for the
City to go after?
Commissioner Tang mentioned it would be great to be innovative and come up with
a model that other cities will look to. It would be great to connect those experiencing
homelessness with existing services such as the senior lunch program or
recreational programs to provide a sense of normalcy.
Subcommittee Member Eilers asked staff to look at other cities to see what it is that
they are doing successfully to be able to create a model for Rosemead.
4. MATTERS FROM SUBCOMMITTEE
A. Subcommittee Comments
5. ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 7:43 p.m. The next Homelessness Subcommittee meeting will
be held on Thursday, July 20, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers.
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__________________________________
APPROVED: Jennifer Pineda, Management Analyst
_________________________
Steven Ly, Mayor