AgdaPkt 2016-12-12 Closed and Joint SA PFA

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rn NA -40 Homeless Needs Assessment — 91.205(c) D Introduction: v Homeless people, victims of abuse, and other individuals represent housing needs that may not be met by traditional housing stock. Persons facing homelessness require temporary housing and assistance at little or no cost. The homeless population of Redwood City is diverse in terms M of ethnicity, race, age, and background. The County's efforts to address homelessness arose from a tradition of collaboration. The County's Continuum of Care (CoQ Collaborative began with the formation of a blue ribbon Commission on Homelessness by the County Board of Supervisors, in response to issues raised by the Hunger and Homeless Action Coalition. The Commission, with broad representation from public, private and community-based organizations, issued an action report in August 1991. In 1992, recognizing that homelessness was a growing problem, and consistent with recommendations in the action report, the County created the Center on Homelessness, at that time, associated with the Office of Housing in the County's Human Services Agency. In 2005, when the County formed a separate Department of Housing, the Center on Homelessness stayed with the Human Services Agency. Charged with coordinating and developing resources and policy to stem and address homelessness, the Center on Homelessness staffs the Continuum of Care (CoQ Collaborative, the clearinghouse and conduit for making annual funding applications for McKinney-Vento Act HUD funds. The County's Homeless CoC Collaborative includes non-profit service providers, elected officials, homeless persons, city, county and foundation staff, neighborhood association members and others. In 2006, the County completed the HOPE Plan (Housing Our People Everywhere), the 10 -year plan to prevent and end homelessness in the County. It noted: Every year in San Mateo County an estimated 4,000 children, men and women are homeless and another 26,000 are just one paycheck or medical emergency away from losing their home. People who are homeless struggle to meet basic human needs like food and clothing. They face significant barriers to participation in the workforce and in community life. The human and financial costs of homelessness are enormous and are not only borne by those in crisis, but also by our entire community in the form of diminished community well-being including the financial burden of paying for emergency and social services that generally do not end homelessness for those served. Still the County's blueprint, the HOPE Plan recommended a "housing first" strategy, reflective of the successes of other communities. Housing first calls for increasing the supply of permanent affordable and supportive housing for homeless persons and developing strategies to help them move into permanent housing as rapidly as possible. The second strategy called for preventing homeless individuals and families from falling into homelessness by offering assistance to maintain and stabilize them in their housing. Consolidated Plan REDWOOD CITY 53 OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 07/31/2015)