Annual HEAP Reports by CoCs submitted to the CHCFC in September of 2019

HEAP Annual Reports:

Cities

Long Beach:  The City is also contracting with a local church to facilitate a Safe Parking program on their church lot which will provide 15 parking slots for people (families and singles) living in their vehicles. The goal of the safe parking program is to move individuals who are residing in their cars, off of the street and into safe parking spaces, while simultaneously connecting them to basic essential services and making the connection to social service programs to transition them into permanent housing. The City is working with the faith-based partner to provide site improvements including lighting, proper fencing, striping and collocation of porta potties with washing stations in preparation for utilization of this site. HEAP funds will provide for the operational costs of the program.

Oakland: RV Safe Parking Site Development-Capital $121.196.00, Operations - $209,464.00

City HEAP funds have primarily contributed to the goal of reducing unsheltered homelessness in our community. During the reporting period, HEAP funds have allowed the City to increase its capacity to deliver critical services to the unsheltered population by expanding the City's shelter capacity by 100 year round beds, or 365,000 bed nights; the creation of three Community Cabins sites (navigation centers) that collectively provide 154 beds or 56210 bed nights along with housing navigation and other wrap around services; and the creation of an RV Safe Parking site that provides 45 parking spaces (serving approximately 90 people) with electricity, drinking water, 24 hour security. In addition to ending unsheltered homelessness, the HEAP funds have been used to improve health and hygiene for people who remain unsheltered. Funding has covered the expansion of mobile hygiene services to include mobile showers and laundry service at ten encampment sites; and the addition of 1 FTE Outreach worker whose focus is to work with entire encampments on health and safety issues. 

All HEAP-funded activities and programs are aligned with "Housing First" principles. The emergency shelter, Community Cabins and Safe Parking programs are extremely low barrier for entry and accept clients without preconditions including those with active substance use, criminal backgrounds, lack of income, and those who are experiencing mental health symptoms. The City ensures that all its HEAP funded programs employ a housing first model and that low-barrier standards are adhered to by all service providers. 

San Diego:  HEAP funds have contributed to the City of San Diego’s goal in serving the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness, providing safe and sanitary living conditions, and connecting them to services and housing opportunities. This funding provided an opportunity to build a new bridge shelter, serving 138 adults, expand an existing bridge shelter to serve women, families, and transitional aged youth, create a new criminal diversion program, and expand access for individuals to access a secure storage facility. Additionally, HEAP funds have also supported rental assistance in the form of rapid rehousing and landlord engagement in addition to expanding family reunification and diversion programs. These investments, which would not have been possible without the HEAP grant funding, have created additional services, more capacity, and a stronger network of homeless providers in the region. The City is pleased with the immediate impacts of HEAP funded programs and looks forward to continued growth. The following is an example of how a select number of the City’s HEAP funded programs have contributed to the City’s local homelessness goals: 

Bridge Shelter Program HEAP funds were used to fund the construction of a new Bridge Shelter located in Downtown San Diego, the City's fourth new shelter since 2017. In this reporting period, the City spent $1.13 million in capital improvements on this effort. This shelter funded an additional 138 beds for people experiencing homelessness. This shelter provides a year‐round (365 days per year) "bridge" housing program in alignment with Housing First principles. The program provides safe, low barrier bridge housing, as well as stabilization and supportive services, to prepare persons experiencing homelessness for the most appropriate longer term or permanent housing interventions, contributing to the regional goals of ensuring instances of homelessness are rare, brief, and non‐recurring. The program’s target population is flexible in nature and the shelter may serve more than one subpopulation at a time. The shelter provides: beds, showers, restrooms and laundry for the clients. The shelter opened in October; the next reporting period will include the data of individuals served. 

Safe Parking Program To provide a safe place for people living out of standard and recreational vehicles and to connect those individuals to critical services, $377,149 HEAP funds were used during this reporting period to support a Safe Parking Program at three different locations. The City of San Diego’s Safe Parking Program provides secure locations for individuals and families experiencing homelessness to park overnight and receive services. Two of the lots provide safe parking spaces for 120 standard vehicles. The third lot offers flexibility in serving up to 200 standard vehicles or 80 recreational vehicles. On site Case Management teams are available to address needs of individuals and families. Supportive services include: food assistance, employment development, emergency support, benefits access, and asset building. Additionally, Housing Specialists are available to develop plans to find permanent housing solutions. 

Criminal Diversion Prosecution and Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion Services (PLEADS) is designed to provide an early access point to existing City and County treatment resources for individuals experiencing homelessness who also suffer from substance use disorders. This program diverts individuals from the traditional criminal justice system by taking them to a safe alternative environment, where they are provided referrals and transportation to services, when accepted by the individual. By providing an alternative to incarceration, PLEADS offers a meaningful opportunity for assessment and treatment, at a critical moment in the individual's experience. 

Other Programs: HEAP funds are utilized to enhance existing programs within the City of San Diego. These enhancements include the creation of additional storage bins for individuals experiencing homelessness, an expansion of the Family Reunification Program into additional neighborhoods within the City of San Diego, and an increase in the number of beds available at the City's existing Bridge Shelters. These programs support local initiatives to decrease the number of unsheltered families and individuals as well as provide additional resources to resolve housing instability. 

The Landlord Engagement and Assistance Program (LEAP) utilizes HEAP funding to provide to individuals experiencing homelessness by providing security deposits, a contingency fund to mitigate landlord financial risks, and financial incentives for landlords to rent to individuals experiencing homelessness. These programs are coordinated with the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC). HEAP funds also allow SDHC’s Homelessness Prevention & Diversion program to serve more individuals and families who are at‐risk and newly homeless, specifically households in need of a higher level of financial assistance than LEAP may provide. In addition, HEAP funds enable SDHC to reduce wait time for referrals and support program expansion throughout the community.

San Jose:  Sections 3 and 4 were intentionally left blank in this reporting period as the only expenditures were for construction of the new Bridge Housing Communities (tiny homes) site, which will offer interim housing for homeless individuals with housing subsidies who are actively searching for housing. 

CoCs

Bakersfield:  Rental Assistance-Forty-six individuals were served with 30% of them being Chronically Homeless; and . Our CoC has reached a functional zero for homeless veterans. Capital Improvements-Individual homelessness (non-family individuals) increased 36%. This funding will add 40 beds to the CoC's inventory to reduce individual homelessness. Services-(Low Barrier Beds) has contributed to Bakersfield/Kern CoC by providing low barrier beds for homeless individuals who are shelter resistant or denied shelter due to separation from pets, excessive belongings or companions. The program extends services to this homeless population and allows service providers to remain in contact with participants. There are exiting participants that secured permanent housing or exited into a safe exit. (Homeless Prevention) The CoC's approach to prevention is preventing evictions and safeguarding housing. Fifteen individuals, with an average of services each, were served during this first six months of the project. By providing housing stability case management, housing search and placement, landlord-tenant legal services, up to 6-months of rental assistance, rental arrears, utility payments, security and utility deposits, and moving costs. Linkage to services includes employment, income, health care, mental health (including substance abuse) and transportation. 

Chico-Paradise-Butte:  During this report period, HEAP funds have contributed to the progress toward local homeless goals for our CoC by: 1) Creating 19 family dwellings to transitionally house homeless families, which resulted in the removal of 19 families from the Coordinated Entry list. 2) Providing the down payment for the purchase of a mobile clinic to assist persons with chronic conditions and medicine management, which is expected to be operational in January 2020. 3) Funding the purchase of a duplex to house transitional age youth expected to take occupancy in January 2020. 4) Funding the ongoing operations of a day shelter providing services to 537 unduplicated individuals. 5) Funding services to prevent families from entering the homeless population by providing rental assistance, arrears payments for rent or utilities, and other financial assistance to reduce barriers to obtaining and/or maintaining housing. 

Daly City/San Mateo:  HEAP Annual Report September 2018-September 2019 San Mateo County Human Services Agency Section 5 

1. Describe how HEAP funds have contributed to your Continuum of Care making progress towards local homelessness goals (e.g. additional services provided, capacity created, systems building, investments made, lower waitlists, etc.) San Mateo County’s Continuum of Care, led by the San Mateo County Human Services Agency (HSA), established planned usage of HEAP funds in compliance with HEAP requirements and in alignment with the community’s strategic plan on homelessness and with emerging local needs. The goal of the community’s strategic plan is to reach a functional zero level of homelessness by creating a cohesive homeless crisis response system, investing in best practices, and reorienting the homeless system towards housing crisis response. HEAP funding is providing opportunities to implement pilot programs to help address specific challenges and fill gaps, to add new services to improve outcomes, and to complete one-time projects to improve program facilities. As part of the process to determine how HEAP funds would be utilized locally, HSA requested feedback from stakeholders, such as cities, safety net and homeless service providers, and County agencies that serve people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. HEAP funds are being utilized to support a wide variety of programs helping people who are experiencing homelessness to return to housing as quickly as possible and also programs that help people who are at risk of homelessness to maintain their housing and not become homeless. Examples of services being funded with HEAP include additional rapid re-housing services, new street outreach programs, housing voucher navigation services, new housing search support services, emergency financial assistance for housing costs, and diversion services. HEAP funding is also being utilized for shelter facility projects to promote safe, habitable, and welcoming living environments for the clients they serve. One of these shelter facility projects is utilizing HEAP funding towards a project to add additional bed capacity to a shelter that serves adults and provides housing-focused case management services (also known as a navigation center). 

2. Describe how HEAP funds have contributed to your Continuum of Care making progress towards local youth homelessness goals (e.g. additional services provided, capacity created, systems building, investments made, lower waitlists, etc.) 1 HSA works collaboratively with community partners to ensure that there are services available to assist youth who are at risk of or who are experiencing homelessness. HSA has a strong partnership with StarVista, which is a local community-based organization that has a long history of providing services to youth who are experiencing homelessness, as well as providing other safety net and mental health services. HSA provides funding to StarVista’s transitional shelter, which is tailored to the needs of transition aged youth, however, prior to HEAP funding, there had not been a rapid re-housing program that was tailored to transition aged youth. With HEAP funding, HSA is expanding the community’s existing rapid re-housing program portfolio by funding a rapid re-housing program specifically for youth. This rapid re-housing program aligns with the best practices of rapid re-housing with youth-centered, culturally sensitive services. StarVista will be operating this program, expanding upon its existing services. StarVista has already begun participating in rapid re-housing training and technical assistance provided by HSA in order to implement a program that will have the most significant impact possible on ending youth homelessness. This new rapid re-housing program adds an important new component to the homeless crisis resolution system to provide new intensive services to house youth who are experiencing homelessness. 

3. Describe the alignment between HEAP-funded activities and “Housing First” principles (as defined in Welfare and Institutions Code section 8255). HSA and its community partners are committed to a Housing First approach throughout the homeless crisis response system. Housing First is a foundational strategy in the community’s strategic plan on homelessness, since it is so critical in the work to reach a functional zero level of homelessness. Housing First is included as a requirement in HSA Requests for Proposals (RFP) and contracts for homeless services. One key goal of the community’s Coordinated Entry System (CES) is to ensure that every household is assisted with connecting with permanent housing as quickly as possible and that households with long histories of homelessness and highest barriers are prioritized for the available programs that provide intensive housing support, such as permanent supportive housing and rapid re-housing programs. Emergency and transitional shelters, outreach programs, rapid rehousing programs, and permanent supportive housing programs have low barriers to program entry and provide housing-focused case management services to help each client return to housing as quickly as possible. HEAP-funded housing services are accessed via CES, in order to ensure they are fully integrated into the homeless crisis response system and to ensure that they are serving clients with the highest needs. Over the past several years, HSA has also worked closely with community partners and providers to support Housing First implementation in all homeless 2 service programs by providing training and technical support to each provider agency to help them deepen their implementation of Housing First in all programs and to provide support as providers are doing this work in the very challenging local housing market. 

4. Please provide any additional feedback on the impact of HEAP funds that you would like to share with the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council. (Optional) HEAP funding is providing important opportunities to implement one-time projects and to pilot new approaches and service models to help meet some of the significant challenges that our community is facing. 

5. Additional Comments Since this report is only able to include information as of September 30, 2019, it’s important to note that there has been significant progress in obligating HEAP funds since September 30. As of the end of December 2019, over $3.4 million of HEAP funds have been obligated. 

El Dorado County:  HEAP funds have given the Continuum of Care the following: Additional Services: HEAP funds have paid for all new services. HEAP funded programs did not exist prior, so additional Rapid Rehousing programs and other supportive housing programs have been a lift to the Coordinated Entry System and CoC. Capacity Created: As these were one time funds, the CoC used them wisely, funding projects that could be re-funded if awarded in HUD’s annual NOFA competition through the CoC. There are two traditional child welfare agencies that are implementing youth programs now through HEAP funds specifically for homeless youth, so HEAP funds have allowed them to use their strengths and knowledge to implement housing first programs, building their capacity as providers, to now be able to compete for HUD NOFA Funding, which is renewable. The goal is to create renewable youth programs. Additionally, funds were used to pay for a Transitional Housing Rapid Rehousing (THRRH) Hybrid program through Probation, targeting the reentry population, prioritizing those who are homeless and most vulnerable, first. Similarly, Probation has not traditionally implemented a housing first program, so HEAP funding is directly building their capacity as a provider, improving their odds of competing and being awarded in annual HUD NOFA competitions. Systems Building: The described youth and Probation projects have developed a system of supportive housing services that can be referred to from Coordinated Entry. By having capacity, these agencies can have an immediate impact, while hopefully leveraging renewable funding to keep these programs indefinitely operating, building our local system response to homelessness. Additionally, the largest portion of our HEAP allocation ($850,000) was set aside for the purchase, construction, or rehab of a property that can be dedicated to a temporary housing program. El Dorado County has never had a year-round temporary housing program, and so these funds will directly be used to build an emergency system response. 

The El Dorado Opportunity Knocks Continuum of Care (EDOK) is currently developing a 5-year strategic plan in which one of its goals will be to develop a temporary housing program. As it is completed by July or August 2020, HEAP Funds will support that goal being accomplished, adding temporary housing program systems, locally. Investments Made: As mentioned, the providers currently implementing programs have directly received funding that now positions them to gain capacity as providers, increasing their ability to house homeless people successfully, and improving their odds of competitiveness through HUD NOFA competitions to receive renewable funding for their programs. HEAP funds were directly utilized as investments in these providers, to grow as agencies to meet local needs related to homelessness for youth and the reentry population. Additionally, with the larger potion of HEAP funds set aside for the development of a temporary housing project, that pot of funding will be utilized to invest in a temporary housing program that is intended to remain a constant resource for the CoC. Lower Waitlists: Through having three youth programs added to the CoC, the by-name list for youth has decreased. Additionally, with HEAP funds supporting homeless prevention and diversion for homeless youth, the youth by-name list also was not added to by new homeless youth, those youth households that were prevented or diverted from becoming and remaining homeless. 

Specific to Transition Age Youth, ages 18 – 24, three projects were funded with the following agencies: Tahoe Youth and Family Services (TYF), Liliput Families, and Whole Person Learning (WPL). TYF is an experienced homeless provider, serving homeless youth, and this funding allowed them to launch a new Transitional Housing Rapid Rehousing (THRRH) Hybrid project. They are renting a transitional home, allowing a low barrier room for any homeless youth on the street to immediately resolve their immediate unsheltered homelessness. While in that transitional/temporary apartment, TYF can help them to connect with a permanent destination through family or friends, or Rapid Rehousing funds can be available if a unit has been located. Specific to Lilliput and WPL, both providers are traditionally services providers to foster youth or former foster youth. HEAP funds allowed for these two providers to support the Continuum of Care, providing their traditional child welfare services in a tailored way to homeless youth. Often times, homeless and foster youth have very similar backgrounds or life experiences and can both benefit from services that are offered to foster or former foster youth. HEAP funds have directly allowed the CoC to have these programs available through its Coordinated Entry System, in which these traditional child welfare-focused programs did not exist prior. WPL is making available funds for homeless prevention/diversion, 

Rapid Rehousing, and host homes. Lilliput is providing a family finding service, linking homeless youth to friends or family that can reconnect with the young person to provide stable and permanent housing. This program functions much like a host-home program, except the home is that of a family member or friend that has lost contact with the young person. Lilliput, Whole Person Learning, and Tahoe Youth and Family Services had their contracts live as of July 1st, giving them only 3 months of this Year 1 HEAP report to operate. As such, the majority of the time was used to ramp up operation. Toward the end of 2019, significant referrals have picked up into the programs, and numbers for the Year 2 report are anticipated to reflect much of the hard work put into ramping up and integrating the programs into the CoC's Coordinated Entry process. As new CoC providers, Lilliput and WPL have been building up their capacity to receive referrals, while at the same time the CoC gained a new Coordinated Entry lead agency in September 2019. TYF also took the first 3 months to locate a house to rent as their transitional home, though they did prevent one parenting youth household from becoming homeless. Through monthly case management meetings occurring specifically for youth funded projects in the CoC since October 2019, and as the new Coordinated Entry Lead agency gains more experience, referrals and housing placement has already increased tremendously, and the three HEAP Funded youth providers will begin to occur more regularly, each month (i.e. snow ball effect)

There are 5 projects funded through HEAP: 1) Set aside of dollars dedicated to temporary housing project 2) Probation – reentry project 3) Tahoe Youth and Family Services (TYF) 4) Whole Person Learning 5) Lilliput 1. As the temporary project is not permanent housing, it will be a ‘no-barrier,’ program. As the strategic plan is developed, all parties understand that any temporary beds made available cannot have any preconditions to entering the project, such as clean credit, being sober, having medications, etc. Access to any temporary bed will not be contingent upon participating in services. It is anticipated that the project may likely be dedicated to serving chronically homeless individuals, which then by definition these folks would have at least one disabling condition that prevents them from retaining housing. As such, the project must be ‘no-barrier,’ to ensure that all eligible chronically homeless can access the beds without preconditions, making all services available to them that can be produced, but not requiring services participation to have access to the temporary program bed. 2. All of the other projects participate in Continuum of Care quarterly meetings, where trainings occur around Housing First principles, equal access and fair housing, and more. Also, monthly Coordinated Entry workgroup meetings occur, being led by the CoC’s Coordinated Entry Lead Agency, who helps ensure that the most vulnerable, eligible individual on the byname list can be referred to each organization. As all HEAP funded programs operate through the CoC, the agencies understand that they must follow the CoC’s written standards, which highlight the CoC’s priorities for housing programs. The CoC only supports housing first programs, ensuring that there are no preconditions to entering a program, that services are made available where possible but are only provided at the request of the individual experiencing homelessness, and that any available HEAP funded bed is not contingent upon participating in services.

Fresno City/Madera:  The addition of HEAP funding has had a significant impact on the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care's progress toward ending homelessness. The funding has facilitated a careful look at the existing services and the gaps in the system. It has also prompted continual evaluation of the Coordinated Entry System processes to ensure homeless clients are receiving appropriate, timely, and effective services. New Diversion services are engaging households up front at Navigation (Triage) Centers and across the homeless response system. Although these services began late in 2019, the program is seeing great success in the current year. 

Diversion is a critical component in reducing the inflow of homeless individuals and families into the system. In June and July of 2019, the Continuum opened three Navigation (Triage) Centers, bringing 90 low barrier, 24-hour emergency shelter beds allowing pets, possessions, and partners. These are the first of their kind in the Continuum and each was full within hours of opening. At the Triage Centers, clients are able to remain in a single location and receive food, shelter, and services toward permanent housing, making it a more desirable solution for the homeless and easier for providers coordinate services. With 33 new Transitional Housing (Bridge) beds added on a shared campus with one of the Triage Centers, clients can move from shelter to transitional housing once assessed and matched to the appropriate permanent housing intervention as appropriate. Also co-located with one of the Triage Centers is a 24-unit project-based Rapid Rehousing (RRH) program which offers subsidized housing based on individual needs, while clients acquire the skills and rental history to move on to other permanent housing, or transition into permanent housing in place. In addition to the project-based program, this new RRH program offers tenant-based services with a focus in the rural areas of the County, enabling the Continuum to build capacity outside of the metropolitan areas. In order to accommodate the need for navigation services to support clients in these new programs, HEAP funding was also used to fund Housing Navigation (3 Expanded Coordinated Entry Navigators). Throughout the extreme heat of the summer and the cold winter nights of the valley, homeless individuals and families have been sheltered and permanently housed as a result of HEAP funding and the efforts of the partners in the Continuum. 

Glendale:  The Glendale Continuum of Care has (4) sub-recipients of HEAP funding that support homeless services in the community through outreach, homeless prevention, hospital discharge planning, and youth services. Ascencia homeless outreach program responds to the ongoing needs of literally (recently) and chronically (longer-term) homeless people in the City of Glendale. According to the 2019 homeless count, there was a 6.5% decrease from 260 in 2018, to 243 persons experiencing homelessness in Glendale. This, in conjunction with the collaboration with other community agencies and organizations in the City of Glendale's Continuum of Care, indicates that the strategy being utilized to reduce, and ultimately end, homelessness is demonstrating success. Ascencia outreach team is dedicated to helping our homeless neighbors find housing. The homeless prevention provider Catholic Charities has assisted i families with rental or utility assistance. The families serve are allowed to focus on continuing their life goals by eliminating the stress of becoming homeless. The youth service provider Glendale Youth Alliance has been in the community for over 27 years providing serving such as employment assistance, job training and most recently with the funding from HEAP motel vouchers for youth age 16 -24, some who are experiencing homelessness. Glendale Youth Alliance is impacted by the homeless crisis and the number of homeless youth is increasing. A new partner to the continuum is Adventist Glendale Hospital which has HEAP funding to provide a dedicated staff person to provide personalized navigation services for homeless inpatients and outpatients with complex care needs to connect them with services such as mental health, housing, specialty care, and other vital resources. 

Client Success Story: In September 2019 - Ascencia outreach team, in collaboration with Glendale Police Department, came in contact with had been sleeping on a bus bench in front of a Whole Foods store in the City. Like many of our homeless neighbors, suspicious of those who approached with efforts to help, but Ascencia outreach team and the GPD worked with until eventually allowed them to assist Upon assessment and connecting with outreach staff learned that originally from Oregon and that inability to keep a working phone, was creating a barrier for to stay connected to family and most importantly, to . The outreach team realized that this immediate need was to be connected to so with assistance from the Portland Police Department, first connected to by telephone. Then, through further conversation and coordination, the GPD and Ascencia were able to reunify with They worked tirelessly with local agencies to purchase to Portland, where would be living while utilizing services there to get back on feet. While Ascencia has had much success in housing clients initially engaged through street outreach, this success story is directly afforded to the funding we received from the HEAP program. Through the addition of an additional Outreach Case Manager, was willing to be connected to help and to be reunified with Wifamily in permanent housing, reducing Glendale's homeless count by

Humboldt:  We were in the process of contracting with several providers throughout the reporting period so we expended a relatively small amount of our HEAP funds. The vast majority of funds we expended in this period went to startup costs for a mobile hygiene unit- namely purchasing the hygiene trailer and a truck to tow it. That project provided no services during the reporting period but is now operational. A motel voucher program started operating in the final month of the reporting period and paid for a one month motel stay for experiencing homelessness. A project that provides background check services to people experiencing homelessness also began operating in the final month of the reporting period. By obtaining a background and credit check from the vendor that local landlords use prior to applying for housing, the person knows what will show up before applying for housing, and can devise a strategy with a service provider for overcoming negative information on their background checks. Program participants are receiving housing navigation services and have rental subsidies available from a variety of funding sources, but the background check program itself does not have housing outcomes in the sense of exit destinations. 14 households benefitted from this service. 

The mobile hygiene unit was not yet operational during the reporting period, but it is now. That project focuses exclusively on providing services to people living in places not meant for habitation and it never screens people out for any reason other than violence. The motel voucher and background check services project do not screen people out because of use of alcohol or drugs. Services in all of these projects emphasize engagement and problem solving over therapeutic goals, and all services are informed by a harm-reduction philosophy. 

Imperial:  Throughout the years, it has been difficult for Imperial County to expand its homeless assistance programs and capacity to coordinate existing services due to limited funding opportunities. HEAP funds are allowing Imperial County's CoC to increase its efforts on strategies to address homelessness in our community through capacity building, expansion of homeless services, increase of homeless prevention services and an increase of permanent supportive housing beds dedicated to homeless or at risk homeless individuals in our community. 

The Imperial Valley Continuum of Care (IVCCC) Executive Board established the following funding principles that will be supported through local HEAP funded projects and help make progress toward local homeless goals: a) Invest in programs that support Imperial County's service priorities: permanent housing, rapid re-housing, emergency shelters, transitional housing and supportive services to end homelessness; b) Invest in programs that support Imperial County's homeless population priorities and align with HUD-recommended subpopulations such as veterans, youth, families and chronically homeless individuals; c) Invest in programs that work towards eradicating homelessness in the region by addressing the underlying causes and lessening the negative impact on individuals, families, and community; d) Invest in programs that address significant service gaps among the chronically homeless and establish accountable, long-term, and sustainable results; e) Invest in programs that support the housing first policy and emphasize on a comprehensive coordinated service delivery approach to wraparound services to ensure successful housing and self-sufficiency outcomes. 

Kings/Tulare: The HEAP funds have been extremely impactful in addressing homelessness in Kings and Tulare Counties. Through the funding, we are in the process of opening a new navigation center (15 beds), two new bridge housing projects (37 beds), a new sponsor based rental assistance project (11 beds), a warming center (100 beds), and a stabilization project. These projects would not have come to fruition without the influx of financial support from the state. The bulk of these projects are scheduled to open Jan/Feb of 2020. Clients will be able to have a safe place to sleep while being connected to services and developing a path to permanent housing. Additionally, service providers will have a designated place to locate clients while working on obtaining documents necessary to secure mainstream benefits and housing. We have also implemented an integrated Pool for Homeless Initiatives Locally (PHIL). PHIL is a collaboration between the Alliance, Tulare County HHSA and Kings County HSA that combines multiple funding streams into on Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). This is an unprecedented effort focused on dismantling operational silos by consolidating funding opportunities, streamlining processes and increasing transparency. 

Marin:  Though many Marin programs performed basic diversion services at program entry, diversion remained a significant gap in our system o f care. The diversion program we have created with HEAP funds works closely with our emergency shelter to catch those who are newly homeless and divert them from our system of care as quickly as possible. Additionally, we anticipate that HEAP funds as yet unexpended for capital development will add much-needed, highly supportive permanent supportive housing to our system of care.

Mendocino:  Our HEAP funding has injected a vital boost in capacity for our Continuum of Care. Funds have supported the facility work necessary to create entirely new services and sheltering capacity at Building Bridges - a full-service navigation center and emergency shelter in Ukiah. Funds have also provided vital improvements at our local domestic shelter and our homeless shelter and navigation center in Fort Bragg. HEAP funds have also expanded the ability of our County Office of Education to provide food and services to hundreds of children experiencing homelessness. 

Our Continuum of Care is especially enthusiastic about allocating HEAP funds to two large, new, Permanent Supportive Housing projects in Fort Bragg and Ukiah. These projects will provide new housing for some of our must vulnerable homeless residents. Overall, HEAP funding has provided catalyst funding to substantially increase capacity to both serve and house homeless individuals and families in Mendocino County. Please note that this report does not include substantial demographic information related in Section 3: Outcomes. The majority of our HEAP-funded projects were still in the development and/or construction phase by the end of the reporting period. As such, homeless individuals have not yet benefited from these incomplete capital projects. In our next annual report, we anticipate a significantly more detailed summary of individuals served by HEAP funds.

Merced:  1.  HEAP funding has allowed our Outreach and Engagement center to become a full service center that is able to offer services, case management, transportation, street outreach, vouchers for motels and rental assistance. Prior to the HEAP funding the Center was only able to make referrals to other agencies, now they are able to partner with the local service providers to provide assistance to those in need. Through the management of CES these extra services have proven to decrease the time it takes to provide services to an individual or family experiencing homeless or at risk of homelessness. 2. The HEAP funding has provided 2 transitional housing units for a total of 18 beds. One of the transitional houses is 10 bed unit for 18 -24 youth, no youth housing existed prior to this project, the other transitional house is a 8 bed unit for adults in the city of Los Banos which has no shelter or any other temporary housing available, this house was opened November 20, 2019. Both offer case management and service coordination to the individuals housed in order to assist them with finding permanent housing and remaining in permanent housing. 3. HEAP funding has provided us with the opportunity to establish a service program dedicated to seniors ages 50-64. This population is fast growing and has little available resources to draw from. This program provides flexible services to those experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, including service coordination for medical appointments, Social Security appointments, Cal Fresh appointments, landlord engagement and navigation for available housing or retaining housing.

Napa:  During the first reporting period, Napa County obligated $1,000,000 to two capital projects to address homelessness. The first project is Manzanita Affordable Apartments. The County has committed $750,000 in funds in exchange for the reservation of 6 units for individuals or families existing homelessness via the Coordinated Entry System. For a period of 55 years, the County and Continuum of Care will always have six units in the 50 unit complex occupied by individuals/families placed by the Coordinated Entry System. Manzanita family apartments is expected to break ground in March 2020. 

The second project is upgrades to the South Napa Homeless Shelter owned by Napa County and operated by Abode Services. The Shelter opened in 2005 years but was not designed to serve the 69 individuals currently residing in the shelter. Additionally, a Day Use Center (known as the Hope Center) was relocated to the South Napa Shelter and serves 50+ additional adults a day with shower facilities, case management, mental health services, clinical services and other housing placement services. The center is in need of major repairs and upgrades to remain operational and serve the high volume of clients seeking services. A total of $250,000 has been obligated to this project. A consultant has been hired to complete a needs assessment and put together bid documents for projects. It is anticipated that the first project will be the repair and upgrade of the men's bathroom.

Oakland/Alameda:  Alameda County’s 2019 Point-In-Time count (PIT) represented a 43% increase in those experiencing homelessness throughout the community; this increase was also reflective of the 2017 PIT. Of the 8,022 individuals, 79% (6,312) represent as unsheltered. Given the increased need for shelter and housing options, Alameda County HEAP funds are contributing to the creation of (three) new Navigation Centers (and continuation of services within another pre-existing center). Additionally, HEAP funds will contribute to increased outreach and crisis intervention capacity, Mobile Hygiene Units in geographic regions not formerly served, and the addition of new Safe Parking Solutions. Further, HEAP funds will support progress in expanding creative and supportive options such as secure storage lockers, expansion of site-based shower and laundry sites, as well as flexible funding options for expansion of rapid rehousing and landlord engagement efforts. HEAP funds are used to support local Strategic efforts (outlined in the following documents: Homelessness Action Plan, and Plan to End Homelessness).

The expansion of capacity and creation of new short-term housing solutions (Safe Parking, Transitional Housing, rapid re-housing) as a result of HEAP funds utilizing “Housing First” principles and connection to housing resources to those experiencing homelessness. HEAP funded services and housing are using evidence-based practices, which are client-driven and promote the acceptance of applicants, regardless of substance use and without requirements for service commitments

Oxnard/San Buenaventura: HEAP funds have assisted us with building capacity in our homeless crisis response system. In January 2020 we will have a newly constructed navigation center in Ventura. We have a currently operational navigation center in Oxnard in a temporary location and are working collaboratively to get this program into a permanent site. We have added a seasonal shelter program in Santa Paula and the provider is committed to making this a permanent year-round program. We have also increased flexible emergency assistance including homeless prevention and flexible rental subsidies in parts of the County that have not had dedicated funds in their communities. We are building capacity in our youth services system despite some delays in establishing a new youth shelter program. The HEAP funding has increased participation in HMIS data system as well as our coordinated entry system, Pathways to Home. The increased partnership and participation is helping us to link more persons to housing and services and understand the greatest needs in allocating new resources. The increase of resources and programs is also having an impact on system performance. While we are serving a larger percentage of our homeless population, the housing resource deficit is causing people to experience longer episodes of homelessness. We are simultaneously trying to leverage housing funding to increase the supply of housing opportunities. We have also seen a slight decrease in our first-time homeless population when evaluating our system performance measures. 

Redding/Shasta:  With the use of HEAP funds, the NorCal Continuum of Care is better positioned to achieve the foundational priority of ending homelessness through our core strategies. The use of HEAP funding provides opportunity to expand capacity for housing providers across the CoC through capital improvements, expansion of services, expansion of targeted services for homeless youth or youth at risk of homelessness, and rental assistance and/or subsidies. 

Richmond/Contra Costa:  HEAP funding has allowed Contra Costa County to increase outreach geographically and to targeted populations. It has also allowed the County to increase Warming Center capacity so that homeless individuals have somewhere to go every night of the week. We are planning to expand our night-by-night emergency shelter to 7 nights per week from our current service delivery model of 5 nights per week. That increase in capacity will be in place by the end of 2019. 

Riverside:  HEAP Annual Report (1/1/2020): 

Describe how HEAP funds have contributed to your Continuum of Care making progress towards local homelessness goals. Response 1: HEAP has allowed for the funding of additional services that normally would not be available in the community. Although the funded projects were still in the implementation phase during the reporting period, preliminary feedback from the housing/service providers and the CoC has indicated the following: . Flexible funds utilized in the form of motel vouchers and bridge housing units allow for the creation of additional crisis stabilization beds for individuals bridging into permanent housing. HEAP Capital funds has allowed for renovations at four emergency shelters and increased the service capacity for additional shelter beds. HEAP acquisition funds allowed for investments in permanent supportive housing beds in the southwest portion of Riverside County, an underserved portion of the CoC. New housing/service providers to the building capacity to serve homeless individuals.

Question 2: Describe how HEAP funds have contributed to your Continuum of Care making progress towards local youth homelessness goals. Response 2: HEAP has allowed for the funding of 4 transitional age youth (TAY) emergency shelter beds and additional street outreach and supportive services coverage to eastern Riverside County including the City of Blythe, an underserved area of the CoC. With HEAP funds, the CoC's youth service provider, Operation Safehouse, was able to build capacity and fill an unmet service gap for transitional age youth in need of emergency shelter. There's much anticipation for the TAY emergency shelter beds. It is anticipated that the creation of the 4 TAY beds will facilitate more placements into emergency shelter and increase positive exits to permanent housing. During the reporting period, the project was still in the implementation phase and, therefore, no data is reported on the project yet. 

Question 3: Describe the alignment between HEAP-funded activities and "Housing First" principles. Response 3: County of Riverside has mandated all HEAP funded projects to adhere to the principles of Housing First under WIC Section 8255; this includes participation in the County's Coordinated Entry System and accepting prioritized referrals from the system. During the reporting period, the funded projects are still in the implementation phase. 

The CoC anticipates that services will be facilitated and aligned to serve the most in need with minimal barriers and make progress towards the goal of ending homelessness. HEAP funded projects have received preliminary technical assistance on the aspects of CA Housing First policy. As the Administrative entity, DPSS will commit more time to technical assistance with the housing and service providers to ensure that program policies align with core components Housing First for the acceptance of referrals, tenant screening and selection, and provision of and participation in supportive services and case management. DPSS will work with housing and service providers to ensure evidence-based practices for client engagement are utilized and services are informed by harm reduction philosophy to ensure the long-term success of participants in HEAP funded programs. 

Roseville/Rocklin:  HEAP funds have been used to expand a low-barrier shelter in Nevada County, as well as expand the same shelter to operate a Recuperative Care dorm that offers a safe space for homeless individuals to recuperate from injuries and illnesses thus preventing the worsening of these health issues. Funds have also been used to renovate a transitional housing facility, transforming it into new permanent supportive housing units. Additionally, funds have been awarded to agencies providing homelessness prevention to households and individuals at risk of homelessness. HEAP funds have also been utilized to help an existing emergency shelter purchase a commercial-grade refrigerator and freezer.

Whole Person Learning has established the first TAY Housing Collaborative in Placer County, joining all providers of TAY housing assistance. In September, 18 agencies were represented. A continuum of housing assistance specific to youth has now been created, and a formalized matrix has been established to increase knowledge of and access to supportive service. A Multi-Agency Authorization has also been established to assist in coordinating services and generating referrals for youth-specific financial housing and/or employment assistance. The Friendship Club, an organization in Nevada County, has used HEAP funds to serve 25 youth, offering ongoing case management services and resource coordination. This agency has provided food, clothing, and school supplies, as well as connecting them to mental/physical health care. Additionally, services have been offered to connect youth to employment services, clothing, college enrollment assistance and other benefits that may be available to homeless youth. The Friendship Club has also used funds to help youth with any move-in costs, resulting in obtaining housing.

Salinas/Monterey:  HEAP funds have provided our CoC with the opportunity to make genuine progress toward local homeless goals- including , but not limited to, much needed shelter and housing inventory, rapid rehousing and rental assistance, and outreach. This has allowed for expansion/continuation of some of the most important resources for our community. Due to the scarcity of housing, one of our main priorities for our HEAP funding was the construction of local homeless shelters. As such, we were able to und two new shelters and transitional housing in the areas with the most need - Salinas, where our largest population of chronically homeless live; Seaside, which saw an increase in persons experiencing homelessness despite the overall number of homeless individuals decreasing in the county; and San Benito County, whose housing inventory for persons experiencing homelessness prior to HEAP funds was one emergency shelter. However, we did not want to solely fund capital projects for shelter and transitional housing without also ensuring there would be servicies to support a pathway to permanent housing and supportive services. With that in mind, we were also able to fund some of our most trusted partners to provide complimentary services. Additionally, we were able to launch and expand outreach teams for youth and adults. This will be the first youth outreach team to include Monterey's south county, thereby extending the reach of the Coalition to ensure equal services throughout our two counties. Not only does the creation and expansion of these teams help to serve their designated populations, but allows for greater outreach capacity throughout the region. It is with these funds that our CORE (Coordinated Outreach & Resources for Encampments) team is being developed. Teams that have lacked the capacity to provide service to our most vulnerable, unsheltered populations now have a little more support to provide much needed outreach and resources for our community. In our efforts to create a holistic system, we also expanded our rapid rehousing programs, which prevent some individuals and families from falling into or deeper into homelessness. 

Factors that lead to youth homelessness are such a multi-faceted intricacy, however, with our HEAP funds we are able to gain a better understanding of their needs. In both counties, HEAP granted the ability to create outreach teams. These outreach teams are equipped to not only gain a better understanding of situations unaccompanied homeless youth find themselves in, but allows for our service providers to administer much needed guidance for these youth, beyond a simple referral to a resource they can connect with. Our youth outreach programs provide street outreach and include case management services in a comfortable and nonthreatening setting. In the initiation of these projects, we are able to expand access to support for unaccompanied youth to prevent and address homelessness while also building trust within the youth community and open the door to more outreach in the future. 

Although Housing First is a federally recognized principle, the reality is that policy restrictions such as these can also have unintended complications. As an example, recovery and treatment programs are weakened when active use by some residents is visible and evident. While having Housing First resources available is essential, not all projects have the ability to function under a blanket policy. Programs need to be able to support the variety of sub-populations experiencing homelessness - which is why Housing First programs are critical resources in the Continuum of Care to serve those who are challenged with programs that have conditions such as sobriety - but this is not effective in all programs. Addressing homelessness requires flexibility due to the intersectional nature of the topic and those exposed to it. People are amalgamations of their experiences, each person experiencing life in a completely unique way. It is due to that variation that requires delicate and specific (intervention/initiatives) in order to truly understand and help a population experiencing extreme hardship. There are multitudes of methodology from which to employ and there is merit in requiring best practices be utilized, but just as other best practices are suggested for inclusion, so should it be for Housing First.

San Bernardino:  In 2009, the San Bernardino County Continuum of Care shifted most of its funded program recommendations to programs that support a strong permanent housing, housing first approach. All of the programs currently funded by the local CoC include only permanent housing in the form of rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing. The San Bernardino CoC promoted homeless prevention as part of its initial homeless strategy and continues to emphasize its importance. HEAP funds are allowing the CoC to fill in the gaps by utilizing a large percentage of these funds for homeless prevention and diversion activities. The CoC has been focusing on minimizing the time it takes to enter someone directly from the streets into housing. Document readiness has been promoted as a way to assist an individual who is homeless, into getting into housing quicker. Some of the HEAP funds provide agencies funding to offer document ready services.

San Diego: The City and County of San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) was the recipient of the Continuum of Care (CoC) HEAP award. HSH is using 94 percent ($16,142,000) of our total CoC Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) funds ($17,107,414.68) to implement critically needed new programs in San Francisco's portfolio of Temporary Shelter, which includes: Shelters, Navigation Centers, and Transitional Housing. During the 9/01/2018-09/30/2019 reporting period, HSH started construction on the new, 200-bed, Embarcadero SAFE Navigation Center. For the 09/01/2018-09/30/2019 reporting period, our CoC HEAP expenditures were exclusively for capital expenses to build the Embarcadero SAFE Navigation Center, and no services were provided. In December 2019, HSH and our partners completed construction on the Embarcadero SAFE Navigation Center. On 12/30/2019, the first adults experiencing homelessness moved into the Embarcadero SAFE Navigation Center. Navigation Centers and other Temporary Shelter opportunities are a key part of the Homeless Response System in San Francisco and are in alignment with the local homeless goals in HSH's 5-Year Strategic Framework. Specifically, Navigation Centers help achieve two main goals in HSH's Strategic Framework: End Large, and Long-Term Encampments by July 2019 and Reduce Chronic Homelessness 50 percent by December 2022. Navigation Centers have been a key intervention to HSH successfully achieving our goal to End Large, and Long-Term Encampments by July 2019 because they provide Temporary Shelter to adults experiencing homelessness and connection to the Coordinated Entry System. Navigation Centers also help achieve HSH's goal to reduce chronic homelessness 50 percent by December 2022 because they provide a stable and temporary place for homeless adults who are prioritized for housing through the Coordinated Entry System to obtain identity documents needed to move into Permanent Housing and to have a safe place to stay while they await their move-in date. 

San Francisco:  The City and County of San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) will use the CoC HEAP funds, in combination with HSH's Large City HEAP funds, reflect an unprecedented investment in Temporary Shelter and Rapid Rehousing for youth experiencing homelessness. HSH will use the entire $855,366.00 of the Youth Set-Aside in the Continuum of Care (CoC) HEAP award toward a Navigation Center for Transition Age Youth (TAY). The use of the $855,366.00 of Homeless Youth Set-Aside funds toward a Navigation Center for TAY are in alignment with the local homeless goals in HSH's 5-Year Strategic Framework. HSH's 5-Year Strategic Framework Youth Addendum outlines our goal to reduce homelessness among youth by 50 percent by 2023. The Navigation Center for TAY will provide a safe place for youth experiencing homelessness who are prioritized for housing through the Coordinated Entry System. Some youth, due to their age, identity, and other vulnerabilities will greatly benefit from a Navigation Center for TAY. HSH's investment in more TAY-focused Temporary Shelter and Rapid Rehousing has also been an effort to create a more proportionate amount of Temporary Shelter and Housing opportunities with the number of youth experiencing homelessness in San Francisco. Further, these investments in TAY-focused programs will not only created added capacity but they have also been celebrated by the community of providers who serve youth experiencing homelessness. While we do not have expenses to report toward the Homeless Youth Set-Aside, HSH has been urgently and diligently working on identifying a site for the Navigation Center for TAY during the entirety of the reporting period 09/01/2018-09/30/2019. As of December 2019, HSH has identified a potential site for the Navigation Center for TAY and our Department is working quickly to determine if we can move forward with the site so that we can implement this critical resource.

San Luis Obispo: HEAP funds are helping us to expand homeless assistance around the county. In the South County, the funds helped us to acquire a building that will be used as a day services center for the South County. Funds were also awarded to a nonprofit housing developer to acquire a property on which 19 units of permanent supportive housing will be built, along with 5 transitional housing units for homeless youth. HEAP will also fund a housing and services program for homeless youth. In the North County, the funds will be used to help an existing shelter expand from a 12-hour, 50 bed shelter to a 24-hour, 60 bed shelter. In addition, funds will also be used in the North County to build a Homeless Navigation Center in a city that currently has no shelter or day services for people experiencing homelessness. This will add approximately 35 emergency beds plus case management in the North County. The funds will also be used to help build an approximately 10-12 bed withdrawal management facility on our Homeless Navigation Center campus in San Luis Obispo. There currently are no withdrawal management beds in our county for people experiencing homelessness apart from the hospital, so this will fill a critical gap in our system. 

Santa Ana/Anaheim: HEAP funds have contributed tremendously to the Continuum of Care in making progress towards addressing local homeless goals. With HEAP funds the CoC has been able to add additional homeless services County wide. The CoC strategically distributed HEAP funds amongst all service planning areas within the county in order to make sure every city had access to resources. In the North Service Planning Area HEAP funds have been allocated for capital improvements to build 2 navigation centers; one in City of Placentia and one in City of Buena Park. In the Central Service Planning Area (10 cities), street outreach has been expanded to coordinate existing street outreach teams in the region. In the South Service Planning Area- capital improvement funds have been allocated to rehabilitate an existing Alternative Sleeping Location (ASL) facility. In addition, more outreach services have been extended to provide outreach in 7 cities. Moreover, HEAP funds have also allowed the operations to the ASL program, to be expanded to be 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a drop in day center enrollment program. Countywide, a homeward bound program was created to reconnect families and individuals to any support outside of Orange County. Lastly, a countywide HEAP funded program was developed to provide financial assistance, rental assistance and flexible housing funds to families at risk of homelessness or experiencing homelessness in collaboration with the Family Solutions Collaborative, which is comprised of 22 family service providers in Orange County

Santa Rosa/Sonoma/Petaluma: HEAP funds came available concurrently with the implementation of a redesigned and unified Homeless System of Care to align homeless services planning and funding countywide, branded "Home Sonoma County." The new decision-making body, the Home Sonoma County Leadership Council, made up of five elected officials and four representatives from a 25-member Technical Advisory Committee. serves as the Continuum of Care Board for federal and state competitive funding processes, and is responsible for setting the vision and direction for ending homelessness in Sonoma County. Using data from the 2018 Homeless Count and from the Homeless Management Information System (2016-2018), the Community Development Commission, which staffs HOME Sonoma County, updated its estimate of housing needed to end homelessness and evaluated the best potential uses of the one-time infusion of funds from HEAP, which was equal to 50% of Sonoma County's existing ongoing funding for its homeless system of care. Based on this review, the Commission recommended to the Leadership Council that HEAP dollars be used assist in creating enough permanent housing to reach "functional zero" homelessness for key homeless subpopulations. To that end, the HOME Sonoma County Leadership Council allocated $1.85 million for projects targeting youth, who constitute 13 percent of Sonoma County's homeless population (significantly more than the 5 percent minimum). The recommendations also considered the need to increase program capacity n a way that is sustainable, or in a way that could be ramped up and down within HEAP's two-year timeframe. The strategic use of HEAP funding in Sonoma County has resulted in a two-prong approach that focuses on services and capital development. HEAP augmented existing supportive services for individuals experiencing homelessness and broadened the local system of care with several new projects. Capital dollars have supported the development of housing and shelter sites in response to the homeless emergencies declared by jurisdictions around Sonoma County. Supportive services and capital investments funded with HEAP dollars will be required to use the Coordinated Entry System to allow persons experiencing homelessness to access shelter and permanent housing and to reduce waitlists for housing services. Services HEAP has expanded services available through the homeless system of care by adding resources to Street Outreach, Emergency Shelter, Rapid Re-Housing, and Permanent Supportive Housing projects. Additionally, to reduce the number of individuals and families entering homelessness, HEAP funds will support Homelessness Prevention projects that serve households at imminent risk of losing their homes. The use of HEAP funds to build service capacity in smaller jurisdictions and rural areas of the County has allowed for services to individuals and families located in more remote areas. These additional resources will have a marked impact on the communities to address homelessness better in these areas. Two subrecipients have received HEAP funding and have begun coordinated entry and outreach services to more remote areas where people experiencing homelessness tend to be isolated from services, allowing programs to "meet people where they are' both geographically and with needed resources. 

Throughout the County, there are now six Rapid Re-Housing projects accepting referrals through Coordinated Entry. Regionally focused Rapid Re-Housing services allow subrecipients most familiar with their communities to make relationships with landlords, which increases available housing opportunities for unsheltered persons. In the first three months, 31 individuals and families experiencing homelessness were able to secure safe, permanent housing in communities of their choice. These Rapid Re-Housing programs have been successful in offering short-to-medium term rental assistance with HEAP funds, which allow a person/family experiencing homelessness to secure housing. Emergency Shelters serving the most vulnerable population of Sonoma County identified the need to increase staffing and supportive services to those staying at the shelter. Often those in need a higher level of care (as identified through the VI-SPDAT) experience behaviors and symptoms that cause difficulty within a typical shelter environment. The increase in shelter staffing can better assist those who need a higher level of care to gain stability and housing through the shelter system. One subrecipient of HEAP funds connects unsheltered individuals and/or those at risk of homeless with seniors in need of financial assistance to maintain their housing. Case management and other support services offered by the subrecipient allow older adults to age in place while providing housing opportunities to at-risk or unsheltered persons. This strategy can provide safe, stable housing in exchange for rent, work-exchange, or a combination of rent and work-exchange as arranged between the home provider, the renter, and the service provider. Additional services provided through HEAP funding include case management services and move-on assistance to persons in Permanent Supportive Housing projects to transition to the Housing Choice Voucher program. The County of Sonoma offers 'move-on' vouchers to residents of Permanent Supportive Housing projects who, by taking advantage of supportive services, stabilize and no longer require the intense level of care offered in PSH projects. These individuals can receive a Housing Choice Voucher to secure housing elsewhere in the County. The opening created allows another person experiencing homelessness to move into the Permanent Supportive Housing unit. HEAP funding also assists individuals moving on from PSH units with moving costs to limit the financial shock associated with moving and foster long-term stability. 

Capital: More than 50% of HOME Sonoma County's HEAP awards were made for projects in the Capital Improvement category, supporting increased and/ or enhanced Permanent Supportive Housing and Emergency Shelters through acquisition, development, and rehabilitation of structures. Capital Improvement projects are leveraged with local, state, federal and private dollars to maximize all resources wherever possible. HEAP funds dedicated to Capital improvements are instrumental for Sonoma County to reach the goal of ending homelessness. HEAP Capital funds are strengthening HOME Sonoma County through the addition of Permanent Supportive Housing units, rehabilitation and redesign of emergency housing and shelter spaces . These service-enriched capital projects are designed to support persons experiencing homelessness to move them towards attaining and retaining permanent housing. 

Capital Funds from HEAP are awarded in the form of a loan to the developer and secured against each property. Loan payments are deferred, at a 3% simple interest rate, due at maturity. HEAP dollars are funding rehabilitation or expansion of four Emergency Shelters that serve a variety of specific populations, and diverse geographies in the County. One serves vulnerable women referred from across the county. HEAP funds will provide for necessary repairs at this shelter, ensuring the facility can meet the ongoing need to provide shelter and services. Another shelter serves Sonoma Valley and will use HEAP funds to rehab an existing structure and to acquire an additional site to expand services. The other two shelters are the largest emergency shelters in central and southern Sonoma County and HEAP funds will be used to expand capacity and address health and safety issues with capital improvements. Two additional projects in northern Sonoma County and western Sonoma County will leverage federal funds to add emergency housing, housing navigation and case management space and will rehabilitate permanent supportive housing units at existing sites. HEAP funds will also be used to rehabilitate and acquire three single family homes used for permanent supportive housing in northern Sonoma County. Another project will provide 53 additional Permanent Supportive Housing and affordable housing units in the southern part of the county. These units will be accessible to low income seniors and senior veterans with twenty-seven apartments set aside for Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program voucher recipients, while the balance of the units will have another twenty-six vouchers provided by the County of Sonoma, for persons aged 62 years and older. An MOU with the Veterans Administration will allow for the provision of services for the twenty-seven VASH residents with case management services provided by the Petaluma People Services Center for all at-risk seniors. The property will utilize the Housing First model and Coordinated Entry for the designated homeless units. HEAP funds will also support the acquisition and conversion of a former motel in Santa Rosa in need of rehabilitation. This project will provide 55 individuals and families with Permanent Supportive Housing. The sub-recipient has proven success with the acquisition and rehab of another motel in 2014, providing housing to 104 individuals annually. The project will require no additional public dollars, creating a self-contained and self-sustained program to help people out of homelessness. Revenue generated from Rental voucher income will generate cash flow for the sub-recipient to cover debt service on the property, complete capital improvements to the units and, most significantly, provide sufficient funding for robust services, such as psychological counseling, job training, financial education, and housing navigation. HEAP funding provided by the State has strengthened all programs in the HOME Sonoma County homeless system of care. Every part of HOME Sonoma County is benefitting from HEAP funds: street outreach, coordinated entry, emergency shelter, rapid re-housing, permanent supportive housing, case management, homelessness prevention, and capital improvements. In the coming year, HOME Sonoma County is undertaking a strategic planning process. Measuring the outcomes of projects funded in FY 2019-2020 will be an important part of strategically deploying limited resources in future years. 

/

All projects and program funded with all homeless services funding sources administered by the Sonoma County Community Development Commission, including HEAP, align with the principles of 'Housing First.' Additional units funded with HEAP Capital dollars will support the acquisition and rehabilitation of units that create more Permanent Supportive Housing that will receive referrals from Coordinated Entry. These units will allow more persons who are experiencing homelessness to access low-barrier shelter and permanent housing. Individuals and families receiving services at shelters and supportive housing programs will work with case managers to identify and obtain services necessary to retain housing. By working together, Sub-recipients under contract through the Commission's Homeless Services funding cycle serve the most vulnerable persons experiencing homelessness. Sub-recipients work to accept individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness into their programs instead of 'ruling them out.' Participants are not denied access to housing and/or services due to substance use and their participation in a recovery program is not mandated. Poor or no credit history, lack of rental history, evictions and criminal history are not factors that keep a potential participant from gaining access to a program. Sub-recipients accept referrals through the Coordinated Entry system, which matches participants with the highest vulnerability based on VI-SPDAT and SPDAT scores. Once an individual or household experiencing homelessness gets connected with a housing provider, that individual/household and provider work together to identify and obtain a unit based on the household/individual' choice, as a program participant. Sub-recipients also link participants to appropriate services to assist them in retaining permanent housing. Participants hold the lease and engage with and accept services at their own will. Sub-recipients have trained staff in evidence-based practices including Motivational Interviewing, Strengths-Based Perspective, Harm Reduction, and Seeking Safety. All of the Sub-recipients have reasonable accommodation policies and procedures. These policies assist in ensuring that participants who have disabilities can obtain housing/accommodations that will meet their needs.

In addition to the array of services listed, HEAP funds have been instrumental in reducing the impact of trash and debris from homeless camps on the environment while also providing health and housing resources to individuals experiencing homelessness. One HEAP sub-recipient has in 3 months, removed over 46,950 pounds of debris and 27 tires from homeless amps. While providing health education and debris removal services, the sub-recipient builds rapport with individuals who are currently homeless and, when ready, evidence-based strategies connect the individual to coordinated entry and shelter services. HEAP funds have been instrumental in filling identified gaps in services. Sub-recipients have been able to align their projects with Housing First National Best Practices. For example, permanent supportive housing and project-based rapid re-housing projects have been able to increase staff to include a property manager separate from the case manager. Additionally as persons with a higher vulnerability, due to mental health and/or substance use, are matched through coordinated entry to emergency shelters and/or permanent supportive housing increase in staff in these projects is needed to ensure the safety of all residents and to ensure the person is successful in the housing/shelter program. 

One HEAP funded project that is contractually obligated, and has launched but has not provided direct assistance to-date is a Mental Health Integration project. This project is a collaborative project between the sub-recipient and another HOME Sonoma County service provider. HEAP funds will support the hiring of a mental health clinician who will be available to street outreach teams, emergency shelters and permanent supportive housing. The mental health clinician will be available to assist in assessments, engagement, provide referrals, crisis intervention and de-escalation. This position will assist providers who are working with the most vulnerable populations that may have behaviors from mental health symptoms and substance abuse that would make it difficult for them to be in a shelter/housing. Currently, the sub-recipient is in the hiring process of the mental health clinician and will begin services upon filling the vacant position. The remaining capital projects are in various stages, staff is collecting due diligence items to ensure the appropriate level of underwriting and loan document preparation prior to loan origination and disbursement of funds. The Commission expects to close on three more capital projects in January 2020 and to maintain two to three closings each month thereafter. 

Stockton/San Joaquin: Our CoC is focused on reducing the number of homeless individuals living in the San Joaquin County region through the expansion of emergency shelter and permanent supportive housing. The local process designed by the CoC with the support of County staff to solicit, score and rank HEAP proposals was intended to give priority to projects that proposed to meet those goals. As a result, three permanent supportive housing projects and two shelter expansions were funded. One program focusing on single males exiting incarceration has used HEAP funds to expand their operation with 21 new shelter beds, bringing their total capacity to 45 beds and more than doubling the number of bed nights. Another program provides an additional 12 units of permanent supportive housing for transition-aged youth. These two programs were able to engage HEAP funds quickly through the expansion of existing programs for which there was already additional capacity that only required additional funding to utilize. The flexibility of HEAP funds compared to other more restrictive sources of funding was a key factor in each of these program's ability to bring new capacity online quickly. In the cases of the other three projects being funded locally through HEAP, their work is ongoing to start up new facilities and programs. In the case of one PSH project located in Stockton, they have purchased the land and are preparing the site for construction. Another PSH project, this one in Lodi, has two sites identified and is currently in negotiations with landowners. Once these two projects come online, it is anticipated that they will create as many as 23 new units of PSH for individuals exiting directly from local shelters. Whether these funds have already been used to provide direct services to the homeless or are being put to work for the future provision of those services, the CoC is making significant strides toward making homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring in the San Joaquin County region through HEAP. 

Over the past several years, the CoC has leveraged funding from ESG, RHY, and the California Department of Justice to address housing and service needs of homeless youth. Currently the CoC has a 10 bed shelter for unaccompanied youth under 18 and an 8 bed transitional housing project for youth between 18 and 24. Expanding capacity to serve homeless youth is one of several medium-term goals of the CoC as it strives to promote community-wide engagement in the development of effective strategies intended to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring in the San Joaquin County region. Local organizations that have traditionally been focused on serving youth experiencing homelessness increased participation in the CoC to expand collaboration with other public and private agencies engaged in the provision of support services with the goal to increase accessibility to housing and services needed by all youth experiencing homelessness. Using HEAP funds, the CoC set aside 9.8% of the total available to meet housing and service needs of youth who are homeless. The result is an expansion project that contributes to the CoC's strategy to increase the availability of housing and services for youth experiencing unsheltered homelessness through the provision of 12 new one bedroom, scattered site units. 

Tehama County: Tehama County is a small, rural county with a steadily growing homeless population that currently has no year‐round emergency shelter. Development of our 10‐Year Plan to End Homelessness began in mid‐2017 and included a wide variety of local stakeholders. As part of this process, the stakeholders identified both a year‐round shelter and a “one‐stop center” as urgent priorities. At the time, though, the collaborative had difficulty identifying any funding streams through which these priority areas could be addressed. HEAP funds have contributed significantly to our ability to move forward towards addressing these priority areas. HEAP funds, along with other state funds and a recent CDBG award are being combined to plan and build a much‐needed Navigation Center in Tehama County that will provide case management services designed to get individuals and families experiencing homelessness connected to permanent housing while also providing temporary assistance with basic needs like shelter, clothing and food. This Navigation Center will serve as a one‐stop solution at which persons experiencing homelessness can connect with vital health services and as a home‐base for a Street Outreach team, whose goal will be to build relationships with our unsheltered populations to allow us to assess their needs and develop interventions that will meet those needs as well as an expansion of Tehama County’s existing Rapid Rehousing program.

The mere existence of HEAP funds has contributed significantly towards the development of services to address youth homelessness in Tehama County. While our 5% set‐aside for youth homelessness has not yet been contracted to a service provider, it is out to RFP as of the time of this writing. Tehama County is a small, rural county in which services specific to homeless youth are currently limited to those offered to homeless students by the local school district and two very small rental assistance programs for which eligibility is limited to specific subpopulations of youth – one for aged‐out foster youth and another for justice‐involved youth. The availability of HEAP youth set‐aside funds led the CoC to develop a Subcommittee on Youth Homelessness. This subcommittee’s initial objective was simply to determine local priorities to be considered when selecting a program or programs to fund with HEAP funds, however, their work led the CoC to prioritize addressing youth homelessness in general and has even influenced decisions regarding allocation of other available funds. While the CoC had initially planned only to offer the $29,617.29 in HEAP funds through its youth‐specific RFP, the RFP ultimately released includes an additional $14,000 in EHCY funds as well as $25,000 in CESH funds. The CoC hopes to see programs that are experienced at providing housing services to youth subpopulations expand to include youth that are currently underserved through this funding, and plans to include addressing the needs of homeless youth in future funding allocation decisions.

Tehama County is starting from the ground up with regards to offering comprehensive services to address homelessness. Our community includes several services that are designed to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness, we have long known that they do have not sufficient capacity to serve the community’s need and that they lack the integration needed to function as a seamless safety net for our unhoused community members. The availability of HEAP funds, as well as other recently available state funds, is allowing us to make significant progress towards developing an adequate system that can be easily navigated by those it serves.

Tuolumne/Calaveras:  Central Sierra CoC Board voted to divide HEAP funds evenly across all 4 rural Counties as each County struggles with many of the same issues, including lack of capacity, housing scarcity, and an influx of homeless up from the 2017 PIT count. HEAP funding has brought awareness and educational opportunities to all County Leads and Government leadership. CoC participation and a new Governance Board structure has been encouraging and positive. Emergency shelter that sleep 30 nightly was repainted and maintenance was brought up to standard. Amador Food Bank is adding 2 new showering facilities for local homeless and sharing emergency food kits to those sleeping outside. Jackson Police Department is preforming street outreach and assisting in trainings that connect with Behavior Health. Tuolumne County leveraged funds to purchase a 10 unit apartment complex with NPLH funding. Calaveras purchased a Transitional Housing property and plan to assist homeless youth, families and elderly. Mariposa erected their first emergency shelter and assists 25 people nightly with warmth and services. The connection with in our CoC has been strengthened. Our regional collaborative efforts are gaining momentum. HEAP funds moved more efficiently through our CoC due to Capacity funding provided by CESH.

Vallejo/Solano:  HEAP funds have helped to establish a firm foundation of care coordination and services for homeless persons and persons at risk of homelessness. HEAP funds have also helped increase the number of program managers, case managers, and youth volunteers to begin providing services as well as tracking their respective outcomes for services clients receive. 

A collaborative comprehensive Prevention and Diversion program was developed between Community Action North Bay and SHELTER, Inc., two homelessness service providers, along with Resource Connect Solano, the local Coordinated Entry Operator. This collaboration caters to all homeless and at risk of homelessness persons' individual needs, keep clients out of homelessness and work towards self-sufficiency and permanent housing. The three organizations meet monthly to refine referral procedures, consult with each other on available funding, and anticipate upcoming client referrals. In addition, SHELTER's anticipated emergency shelter expansion project will increase the number of shelter beds provided, as well as include a new kitchen facility to feed additional homeless persons and persons at risk of homelessness, which will increase the provision of nutritious meals for those without access to food. HEAP funds also created two new youth service centers that provide homeless youth with additional learning opportunities and access to resources for homeless youth development. 

Watsonville/Santa Cruz:  Contributions of HEAP funds toward our strategic plan goals have included all of the following listed by plan goal areas: (1) Transforming the Crisis Response System: Expanding and improving coordinated entry; expanding prevention programs; increasing shelter/navigation center capacity (by 30%); improving linkages from shelter to housing; enhanced health and hygiene for unsheltered persons; expending and integrating outreach; supported ons-stop center in South County. (2) Increasing Access to Permanent Housing: Increasing RRH capacity; and adding subsidies linked to PH. (3) Integrating Systems and Community Support: reducing public perception and costs of street homelessness; increased access to mainstream benefits/employment services for varied homeless populations; improved homeless system coverage in South County and San Lorenzo Valley coverage; and reduced crime relating to unsheltered homelessness. (4) Initiating a Response to Youth & Young Adult (Y&YA) Homelessness: Added to the Continuum of housing options for homeless Y&YA, including host homes pilot; helped prevent Y&YA from falling out of foster care into homelessness; helped in establishing a Y&YA drop in center with emergency beds; support our YHDP Initiative with addition resources; and strengthened the network of Y&YA providers. 

The above strategic plan goals were reviewed, expanded, and developed through our successful YHDP planning process. The following specifies how $1.27 million in youth-targeted HEAP funds have contributed to key projects of our $2.20 million YHDP Initiative: (1) added $58,300 in capacity and services to Host Homes pilot; (2) added $422,835 in capacity and services to the Youth Homelessness Response Team; and (3) and provided $787,003 to help fund establishment of the youth drop-in center. Contributions of HEAP funding toward YHDP Initiative goals: (1) establishing a single point (drop In center) for Y&YA to access services; (2) expanding the continuum of Y&YA housing with varied options; (3) expanded and improved the integration of the Y&YA service system, including healthcare, education, employment, mental health, and substance treatment; (4) better integrated Y&YA into the CES system; and (5) better connecting schools with Y&YA programs. 

Yuba City/Sutter:  HEAP funds have been used to establish the first emergency shelter located in Sutter County. Sutter County Health and Human Services purchased 20 tuff sheds with an occupancy of 40 beds. Each participant is provided with a bed, bedding, chair, footlocker, food bin and lantern. On site there are two porta-potties, one being ADA compliant, two hand washing stations and tables where participants can sit outside their units. Additionally, the shelter has 2 offices, a staff bathroom, a kitchenette where participants can store food, and a common area that can be used to keep warm/cool as well as a working space for participants needing to complete employment or housing applications. HEAP funds have also been used to construct a brand new transitional housing facility. The first year of operation will be used to house individuals who have been displaced by the Camp Fire. Additionally, Habitat for Humanity was awarded funds to expand the Coordinated Entry Center to include 25 emergency shelter beds, allowing individuals experiencing homelessness to have stability while they are receiving much needed supportive services. 

For more posts containing information on California's Homeless Systems Continuums of Care, click here