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HOUSING INNOVATIONS AND SOLUTIONS
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Housing Innovations and Solutions News Notes – 3-15-17 Vol. 1.1
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Housing Innovations and Solutions promotes sustainable housing options and best practice services to alleviate and end the conditions of homelessness and the housing crisis through advocacy, strategic planning and development. It is my hope to share encouraging news focusing on successful programs, initiatives and developments leading those who are houseless to dignity, safety, independence and housing. As co-chair of the Housing and Services committee of the COC Alliance of Ventura County, and chair of the Ventura Social Services Task Force Housing and Services committee, I will keep you informed of important developments. Contact me with news to be considered for upcoming publications.
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CITY OF VENTURA
UPCOMING COUNCIL MEETING
The City of Ventura Planning Commission voted 7-2 to support the City’s staff recommendation to permit shelter and services through a change in the City’s zoning last Wednesday evening. The Ventura Social Services Task Force and its Faith and Shelter & Housing subcommittees urge you to make your voices heard in supporting the zoning change at this
Monday
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s (3/20/17) Ventura City Council Meeting held at City Hall. This has been a 20+years persistent struggle to get zoning that would allow shelter year-round with services! You can send emails of support to City Council at:
council@cityofventura.net
Veteran Housing RFQ response from developers
A packed room of local and experienced developers from Southern and Central California, elected officials and their reps, met with City of Ventura Councilmember Heitmann, Community Development Director Jeffrey Lambert and Dyer Sheehan Group, consultants for the city who facilitated the meeting at the Veterans Home last Wednesday. The City put out Request for Qualifications to develop 9.68 acres adjacent to the present Veterans Home located at Telephone and Wells Rd. This is a great opportunity to develop the many urgently needed affordable housing units, supportive services, and related facilities for the benefit of Veterans and their families living in the tri county area (Ventura/ Santa Barbara/ San Luis Obispo Counties). Developers were encouraged to team up and work cooperatively with a wide range of options for housing and services for Veterans ranging from emergency housing, board and care, permanent supportive housing and independent living. For more information contact the Dyer Sheehan Group:
Paul@DyerSheehan.com
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LOS ANGELES COUNTY
Measure H and Proposition HHH
Excerpts reprinted from The L.A. Times, Tuesday March 8, 2017 by Doug Smith
"Measure H has received 67.44% of the votes counted thus far.
Measure H follows the successful L.A. City’s Proposition HHH from the last election which provides a $1.2 Billion bond to provide 10,000 units of permanent supportive housing for the chronically homeless.
Measure H is projected to add about $355 million annually for homeless programs over 10 years. The money would provide support services for the new housing in Los Angeles as well as rental subsidies and services for thousands more units around the county.
Even before the final tally was in, [County Supervisor] Ridley-Thomas and Supervisor Janice Hahn introduced a motion Wednesday that would direct the county’s chief executive officer to expedite the spending of that money.
But L.A. County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan estimated Wednesday afternoon that 295,000 ballots remained to be counted, including provisional ballots and absentee ballots received at polling places and by mail. More absentee ballots could be received by mail through Friday.
Conclusive results will likely not be available until next week or later. The vote has to be certified by March 31, a spokesman for the registrar said.
Steve Barkan, campaign strategist for Measure H, said he expects the uncounted ballots to be similar to those cast at polling places on election day, which came in more than 71% in favor of the initiative."
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Judy Alexander's Op Ed reprint with permission VC Star
Jan 15, 2017
This past fall the Ventura Social Services Task Force (VSSTF) presented an easy-to-use public online survey through Survey Monkey regarding homelessness in the City of Ventura. Close to 150 residents responded to 4 questions offering their input regarding concerns about those without housing, proposed solutions/services/resources to be provided at a facility, objections to a homeless facility as well as an “other comments” section where respondents voiced their opinions, solutions and concerns. We wholeheartedly support opening a year-round crisis/emergency housing facility with supportive services in Ventura to house our neighbors currently living without a home.
The VSSTF believes our community would be well on the way to improving the Homeless Crisis by implementing suggestions provided by our Ventura residents in this survey. In summarizing the community’s responses, we found that:
- Over 80 % agreed that the top two concerns for our population of those without housing is having no place to sleep and no place to attend to personal hygiene;
- Close to 60% responded with the concern that our community’s members without housing do not have any place to store their belongings.
These basic unmet needs of these members of our City and County result in behavioral concerns of (community) respondents including panhandling, impact on business, unruly behavior, public intoxication and difficulty in using the public parks.
Respondents commented that if we had a year-round shelter and day center most of these concerns would dissipate as well as be cost-effective for the community in dollars spent on police and ER/hospital costs that manage those without housing. Getting these members of our community off the street and in to some form of effective care could bring huge savings to our City.
Respondents offered good ideas for solutions, recommending year-round safe shelters with 24-hour services, prioritizing services that would fill the gap in mental health, emergency mental health services and substance abuse treatment programs. A shelter with a kennel was also suggested. Transitional housing or a place to live while securing permanent housing was also identified as an important part of the solution by making use of unused buildings and land to establish low cost permanent housing. Interim solutions were also suggested such as more social services engagement, less police engagement, “right to sleep” areas, and daytime lockers.
The “Objections to a facility providing shelter and services what might they be?” question had the least respondents (107) of the four items being considered and brought to light stereotypes and fears that some hold in relation to those without housing. Location and security seemed to be the main concern – “not on my block or near the beach”, followed by concerns of substance misuse, drug dealing, and enabling homelessness. One respondent commented “Build it. We treat animals better than Homeless. At least animals have a shelter”.
Under “What type of resources and services would you want included in a facility?” 80% responded that the facility should be equipped with adequate toilets, showers and sleeping facilities and focus on job training as part of it services. 70% wanted additional services including safe detox, access to medical care and separate areas for female clients. 50-60% responded that they wanted additional services including storage for possessions, mail service, allowance for animals, dental and eye care, and educational programs covering finance and budgeting and GED classes and tutoring available.
One respondent challenged our community by stating: “LET’S CONTINUE THE WORK WE’RE DOING AND IMPROVE UPON IT; LET’S GET IT GOING NOW, NOT LATER”. The Ventura Social Services Task Force urges the community to stay involved at this crucial crossroads and use the above suggestions in advocating for and bringing about a year-round shelter with services in 2017. In March the Ventura City Council will be deciding whether to support these efforts and we call on you to voice your support to our elected officials for a year-round facility in Ventura.
Judy Alexandre, Chair Ventura Social Services Task Force
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Karol Schulkin - Letter to the Editor
reprint with permission VC Star - Saturday, February 11, 2017
Stop counting, start building
Re: your story Jan 25, “Ventura County seeks to tally every homeless person”.
For over 20 years we’ve been counting and surveying our homeless population. I wonder how much more we need to know? They live among us, tired, cold, hungry, unwanted and without a place to sleep each night. Daily they search for a place where it is OK for them to sit down or use a bathroom.
Every winter for 10 years, from 1997-2006, I organized and conducted a survey of people using the winter shelter that alternates between the Ventura and Oxnard armories. I wanted to better understand why they become homeless and what would help.
On weekends, a friend and I would tally the results, titling each report with a feature of the findings: “Socks & Dignity,” “No Place to Call Home,” “And Mommy Makes Three,” “A Car is Not a Home,” and so on. I found very little change over the years.
About a third were both homeless and mentally ill, a third were physically disabled or had chronic health conditions, a third drank or used drugs and a quarter were veterans. Over the decades, the number of women and the elderly increased. Year after year when asked, “What is your greatest need?” the most frequent response was “a job,” followed by “a place to rent.”
Twenty years later, except for more homeless youth, the profile and numbers of our homeless population have not substantially changed. Neither has our response. It’s time to stop counting and start building.
Each community needs a year-round shelter for the homeless – a gateway off the streets and into housing. It’s time to remodel existing buildings, repurpose resources and construct affordable, decent, safe modest rental units.
New efforts for sheltering options are under way in Ventura and Oxnard. Ask you city leaders how you can help. In truth, everyone does count.
Karol Schulkin, Ventura
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