Third-time boast still doesn't make it true

 Unlike the clarity of having a Public Health official whose word is believed on the virus, confusion still exists in the Sonoma County concerning what is being planned for homeless housing.  It isn't made clearer when the Gazette repeats for the third time a boast by the Board of Supervisors in receiving Homekey funding that "Sonoma County is one of only a handful of counties to receive funding for two housing projects."  Seventeen of the 35 counties awarded Homekey grants received two or more awards.  A list of all Homekey awards that I created from the Governor's press releases (awaiting his last release), and have posted on the Sonoma County Homeless Data Library Google Blog, contains detailed information which refutes the boast.  Reversing the boast even more is the that fact that our awards appear to top the list of most expensive and among the last awarded.

It's an example of the myopic and privileged view held by our officials around Sonoma's openness, transparency, and collaboration in presenting information in housing planning, especially homeless housing.  We will see if the resurrection of Sonoma County's Homeless System Continuum of Care, and its support from the County staff, will herald a new burst of effective planning and participation.  But we  expect the Gazette to perform a higher degree of investigative journalism, and not simply parrot governmental pronouncements.

County Listing of Project HomeKey Awards (to be completed)




 

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