Homelessness is an issue that affects people in every community throughout California and our nation. The City of Concord works closely with Contra Costa County and local non-profit organizations to provide assistance to our unhoused residents.
To more clearly share information about the ways in which the City is responding to the needs of the unhoused, Concord recently created a new homeless services fact sheet and updated its web page on this topic.
The Concord City Council and City staff have been working to develop additional ways to address the growing problem of homelessness, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Council recently approved two additional staff positions; a City staff person to assist the current team of 2.5 employees in the Housing Division and a County position who will work in the field directly with unhoused residents. The two new positions are:
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A Social Worker for the Coordinated Outreach Referral and Engagement (CORE) program, who will conduct trauma-informed street outreach. The job is now open; read the job description here.
- A Community Services Manager, who will oversee and coordinate the City’s response to homeless issues. Concord will be recruiting for this position in first quarter of 2022.
Additionally, the City of Concord recently applied for and will receive non-competitive funding through the state’s Permanent Local Housing Allocation grant. The City received more than $488,000 for fiscal year 2019 and more than $759,000 for fiscal year 2020. Concord will also receive funding for the next three fiscal years, with approximately $2.9 million expected over the five-year grant period.
The funds will be used for the CORE social worker mentioned above as well as a significant investment in Rapid Rehousing, which helps individuals and families move quickly from homelessness and shelters into long-term housing, and provides case management services to give people the help they need to get back on their feet after a setback.
What You Can Do
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Call 211 if someone needs services through CORE. 211 is a countywide call center and the County’s main entry point to its system for assisting the unhoused. It is a 24-7 hotline and resources database run by the nonprofit Contra Costa Crisis Center.
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Call 911 if someone poses an immediate risk to him/herself or others.
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Use the Concord Connect mobile app to report an encampment posing safety or health issues.
