Gardena Homeless Strategic Plan

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Focus Strategies worked alongside local government staff and community stakeholders to identify the core challenges and strategic opportunities for preventing and reducing homelessness in the city. City staff and Focus Strategies have developed a Strategic Plan with achievable goals and actionable strategies to respond to homelessness in the city.

PROJECT OVERVIEW TIMELINE

• December of 2021: Approved for funding & $110,000 (30,000 for plan and 80,000 for position)

• February 2022: RFP (request for proposal) completed to develop our Plan.

• April of 2022 awarded contract to Focus Strategies to develop the Plan.

• May of 2022 to January 2023 meetings for planning.

• The goal is to develop a plan to reach functional zero in 5 years.

*Functional Zero is the point when a community's homeless services system is able to prevent homelessness whenever possible and ensure that when homelessness does occur, it is rare, brief and one-time.

REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

REVIEW OF DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS EFFORTS

STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGED

FORM OF ENGAGEMENT

Internal City Stakeholders

Interviews

External Stakeholders Survey Tool, Community Input Session, Interviews

People Experiencing Homelessness

Interviews, Survey Tool

City Data and Related Documents (e.g., Point-intime Count Data)

Gardena Homeless Taskforce

Quantitative Data Collection

Group Discussion, Qualitative Data

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS

Based on information gathered through the data collection and stakeholder engagement process, 4 key findings emerged related to Homelessness in Gardena:

Homelessness has increased over recent years and is a common concern in the community.

There are public health and safety concerns associated with people experiencing homelessness, particularly unsheltered homelessness.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS (CONT’D)

Homelessness response services and housing linkages are working for some unhoused people; strategies are needed to scale current successes and expand housing opportunities for unhoused people in Gardena.

There is an insufficient supply of affordable housing for current and future needs of city residents.

CLIENT SUCCESS STORY

Client 1- At-Risk Homelessness. Male, Senior- On a fixed income and at risk of homelessness. Was being evicted because he could no longer afford his rent. Dianna conducted intake and concluded based on his case that Share Housing would be a possible solution to rehouse him somewhere more affordable. Client followed up with Dianna and shared he loved his new home and has been housed for two years.

Client 2- Homeless. Adult Family, two women, pet dog- Family came to Human Services Building and expressed they had been sheltering in their car. Due to the pandemic, they had lost their employment and eventually lost their housing. Dianna conducted intake and referred them to People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) and were connected to housing.

PURPOSE OF THE PLAN

This Homelessness Strategic Plan will guide Gardena’s efforts to address the needs of people who are at-risk of homelessness and experiencing homelessness within the city by:

Reducing inflow into homelessness through targeted prevention and diversion efforts

Strategically funding local initiatives to reduce homelessness

Promoting housing development and affordability.

Boosting existing homelessness response efforts through increased coordination and participation in the regional homelessness system

MAIN FOUR GOALS OF THE PLAN

Expand City participation in local and regional homelessness system planning bodies that support homelessness prevention and response strategies for households in Gardena.

Increase coordination between City, local non-profits, and regional homeless service and housing providers to improve collaboration, leverage resources, and foster a more robust homelessness response in Gardena.

Increase education about homelessness in Gardena to expand awareness about best practices and available resources.

Adopt and strengthen policies to promote affordable housing preservation and development within the City.

GOAL #1: Expand City participation in local and regional homelessness system planning bodies

ACTIONS

1. Continue to convene Gardena Homeless Taskforce on a regular basis

2. Participate in the annual Greater Los Angeles regional Point-in-Time Count.

3. Continue to participate in the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG) homelessness taskforce planning and response efforts.

GOAL #1: Expand City participation in local and regional homelessness system planning bodies

ACTIONS

4. Utilize the regional Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and Coordinated Entry System

5. Key City department staff participate in regional trainings on problem-solving that the City can use to improve effectiveness when engaging with unhoused people.

GOAL #2: Increase coordination between City, local non-profits, and regional homeless service and housing providers

ACTIONS

1. Develop and operate the City’s homelessness prevention program through the Emergency Services Division to serve individuals and families at-risk of homelessness.

2. Designate city resources for prevention and diversion program expansion and/or sustainability beyond current program period.

3. Expand access to basic needs services within Gardena (showers, laundry, mailing address, transportation resources, etc).

GOAL #2: Increase coordination between City, local non-profits, and regional homeless service and housing providers

ACTIONS

4. Expand outreach and engagement services focused on people living unsheltered in Gardena including GHMET (Gardena/Hawthorne Mental Evaluation Team).

5. Improve access to emergency housing/ temporary placements.

6. Explore and, as appropriate, pursue opportunities to apply for and/or direct funds to existing strategies and programs addressing homelessness in Gardena.

GOAL #3: Increase education about homelessness in Gardena to expand awareness about best practices and available resources.

ACTIONS

1. Develop and implement a training strategy for city departments regarding availability of and ways to access homelessness response resources.

2. Develop partnership with schools and organizations that serve families with children and provide regular updates on available resources including homelessness prevention resources.

GOAL #3: Increase education about homelessness in Gardena to expand awareness about best practices and available resources.

ACTIONS

3. Develop and implement a communications strategy to increase awareness within Gardena about homelessness and available prevention and response resources, including a strategy that is tailored toward local schools, healthcare facilities, and business community.

GOAL #4: Adopt and strengthen policies to promote affordable housing preservation and development within the City

ACTIONS

1. Within the Housing Element, monitor and preserve affordable housing & expand housing stock prioritizing very-low-income households.

2. Develop an engagement and outreach strategy to strengthen partnerships with Gardena landlords and property owners to:

• Provide education

• Encourage renting to people with housing subsidies or rental assistance.

GOAL #4: Adopt and strengthen policies to promote affordable housing preservation and development within the City

ACTIONS

3. Develop and post a listing of affordable rentals in Gardena for public access.

4. Explore opportunities to utilize HUD

HOME-ARP and Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) funding for affordable housing with dedicated units to households who are at-risk of experiencing homelessness.

"When people say there is no place like home, the first to agree are the homeless. - JR Rim"