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Homelessness Plan Update 2023 - 2027 JUNE 7, 2023 ---PAGE BREAK--- This page intentionally left blank. ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Palmdale Homelessness Plan 2 Background In 2017, voters approved Measure H to provide an estimated $355 million countywide for 10 years to fund ongoing services and housing to address the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles County. With these resources and the original 47 approved strategies that were later expanded to 51 strategies to prevent and combat homelessness serving as a framework, the Los Angeles County Homelessness Initiative provided planning grants to cities interested in developing local strategies and partnerships to provide the housing and program services necessary to successfully and permanently house homeless residents in our community. In 2022, the County Board of Supervisors reassessed and streamlined the Homelessness Initiative strategies to five core categories of actions with refreshed strategies under each category tailored to the homeless rehousing system, mainstream government systems, and participation of Cities including Palmdale. This updated City of Palmdale Homelessness Plan (Plan) provides an assessment of homelessness in Palmdale, a description of the resources available to address the challenge, opportunities for local and regional collaboration and local goals to address the specific housing and supportive service needs of Palmdale’s homeless residents. This mid-term Plan update refocuses local efforts with a goal to ensure that all residents of the City are housed. The period of performance for the goals of the original Plan was July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2023. The updated City of Palmdale Homelessness Plan period of performance will be July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2027. Why did Palmdale develop a homelessness plan? The City and its local community partners developed this Plan to: • Provide a process to identify the extent of homeless individuals and families in the City and their needs; • Identify regional and local funding for local community partners to provide resources and services for identified needs of individuals and families who are homeless; and • Improve coordination among community partners when addressing the needs of homeless individuals and families. Methodology The initial Plan was developed in accordance with the planning framework established by the Los Angeles County Homelessness Initiative. This updated Plan incorporates the streamlined County strategies and is organized in the order of the suggested format supplied during the Los Angeles County Homelessness Initiative’s technical assistance workshops. In the development of the original Plan, from December 2017 through May 2018, the City: • Met with Community partners to help collaborate, plan and identify the City’s homeless in order to assist in developing a comprehensive plan based on current facts and data to address current and future needs in relation to homeless issues • Gathered sample survey questions from different national sources to help create our local survey for the homeless and the community ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Palmdale Homelessness Plan 3 • Sent draft survey to community partners and City staff for recommendations and input • Contract for fieldwork executed and approved with Advancing Communities Together (ACT), a local community partner • Planning Grant Statement of Work submitted to county and contract between the County and City approved • Invoice submitted to County in order to receive a portion of the grant money • Public outreach material including informational video, media outreach prepared for release (both English and Spanish) – Press releases, Survey posted on City website for resident input (English and Spanish) – Facebook ads letting residents know everything the City is currently doing for homelessness, how Measure H funds can make an impact and inviting residents to complete the online survey • Community Outreach teams selected and trained (four teams made up of two group leaders from Victory Outreach Ministry per team and two or three YouthBuild Students per team) so they would be prepared and better able to interact with homeless in the field • Community meetings were held to engage with the public about the issue of homelessness, their current perception of the issue, and to seek community-specific solutions. Three Community Outreach meetings were held to take place during the canvassing period: o March 6, 2018 – Victory Outreach Church o March 13, 2018 – Antelope Valley YouthBuild Campus o March 20, 2018 The Highlands Christian Fellowship Church. • Canvassing of the City was divided into four areas with each area canvassed for one week and follow-up to all areas was conducted as needed • Canvassing started February 26, 2018 for a period of four weeks concluding on March 22, 2018 to identify homeless individuals and their current needs • Field team debriefings with City staff to discuss progress and any adjustments to procedures. Surveys were submitted weekly to the City for data collection and statistical summary • Staff attended County training sessions, Homeless Initiative meetings, strategy meetings and the 1st Annual Conference • Participated in webinars and conference calls • Surveys were collected from 180 homeless individuals and data entered into database for analysis of the needs of local homeless residents • Hosted a Partners review/debrief meeting with various community partners including ACT, Antelope Valley YouthBuild, Victory Outreach, Antelope Valley Partners for Health (AVPH), Mental Health America – AV (MHA), Valley Oasis, Salvation Army, Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD), South Antelope Valley Emergency Services (SAVES), LDM Associates, Inc. (Plan consultant), outreach team members and City staff • Hosted meeting and debriefing with Antelope Valley YouthBuild Outreach team members, students, City Manager, City staff and consultant to provide a synopsis of the field study and to hear team members’ personal accounts of individuals they encountered, sharing their personal experiences of homelessness, answering questions asked of City staff and providing feedback ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Palmdale Homelessness Plan 4 • Provided names of 77 homeless individuals that requested follow-up to Valley Oasis and/or MHA for follow-up to provide resources, resulting in: o 47 people called from the list ▪ 19 were left voicemails – follow-ups are in process as of this writing ▪ 18 numbers were disconnected ▪ 7 housed themselves (self-resolved) ▪ 3 needed enrollment to Coordinated Entry System (CES) - completed • Convened a meeting of The homelessness partners community team and Neighborhood Advisory Committee meeting on May 22, 2018 to review the draft Plan and provide additional input • Presented the original Plan during a City Council workshop on June 26, 2018 For the 2023 Plan update, the City: • Met with Community service providers to help collaborate, plan and identify the City’s homeless in order to assist in developing a comprehensive plan based on current facts • Updated survey questions within the City’s homeless questionnaires for the homeless and for the community • Executed an outreach contract with Advancing Communities Together in partnership with Victory Outreach Ministries • Prepared and disseminated public outreach material including informational materials in English and Spanish • Implemented community survey on Homeless Perception to determine if perceptions of homelessness have changed in the last five years • Selected and trained community outreach teams, including four teams made up of two group leaders from Victory Outreach and two or three YouthBuild students • Convened three community meetings to engage with the public about the issue of homelessness, their current perception of homelessness, and to seek community-specific solutions o March 7, 2023 –The Highlands Christian Fellowship Church o March 14, 2023 – Victory Outreach Church o March 20, 2023 - Antelope Valley YouthBuild Campus • Canvassing by Advancing Communities Together and Victory Outreach from March 9 – March 16, 2023 to identify homeless individuals and their current needs • Analysis of survey results and Plan update ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Palmdale Homelessness Plan 5 Homeless Survey Results Through an extensive canvass of the City, the outreach teams built a bridge of trust and understanding between the community of service providers and the homeless community. The 2018 canvass was conducted over a period of four weeks and the 2023 canvass was conducted over a period of two weeks. Often, the survey interactions confounded expectations in the sense that the homeless truly opened up to the outreach team members and provided an honest assessment of their individual needs and their willingness to accept help. Through repeated compassionate contact, relationships were formed and the outreach team gained an in-depth understanding of the issues homeless individuals in Palmdale are facing. Based on the canvass fieldwork completed in 2018 and 2023 and the homeless individuals encountered during that time, there were many instances where the outreach team would have multiple contacts with a single homeless individual. This approach built trust and understanding between the outreach team and a given homeless individual. It said “we are here” and “we care” about you. The challenge that lies ahead for the greater Palmdale community is to consistently deliver on these sentiments – “we are here” and “we care”—so that the small amount of trust and credibility built during the last four weeks draws people closer to local service providers, housing opportunities and economic opportunities—and further away from homelessness. The survey included over 20 questions designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the factors contributing to an individual person becoming and remaining homeless in Palmdale, the help that each individual homeless person needs to become stably housed, the barriers to assisting that person and their willingness to accept help. The 2018 canvass resulted in 180 surveys. The 2023 canvass resulted in 104 surveys. Palmdale Survey & LAHSA PIT 2018 2023 City of Palmdale Total homeless contacted 188 104 City of Palmdale Total surveys completed 180 104 LAHSA Point-In-Time Count (unsheltered) 203 241 (2022) For comparison purposes, from 2018 to 2022, Palmdale’s unsheltered homeless population increased by 19 percent while the unsheltered population in the Antelope Valley, represented as Service Planning Area 1, increased from 2,523 to 3,570 or 41 percent according to the Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. Local efforts after the 2018 Homelessness Plan resulted in the identification of 68 people experiencing sheltered homelessness in the City during the 2022 PIT count. People are considered sheltered when they are residing in emergency shelter or transitional housing, but not when they are receiving rapid rehousing assistance or residing in permanent supportive housing. Among individuals experiencing sheltered homelessness, 61 (90%) were in emergency housing and 7 (10%) were in transitional housing. “We judge the homeless, but when you talk to them, they are not out of their mind. They’ve just lost hope. They were surprised to see us out there a second, third or fourth time. They were uplifted. They want hope and faith restored. They are counting on us this time.” -David Ayon YouthBuild Outreach Team Member ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Palmdale Homelessness Plan 6 Evaluation of the surveys from 2018 and 2023 provides the following comparative profile homeless individuals in Palmdale. Age 2018 2023 5-20 19 0 21-29 26 13 30-39 43 32 40-49 29 27 50-59 40 12 60-69 24 13 70-79 4 2 80+ 2 2 Prefer not to answer 5 3 Gender 2018 2023 Male 103 65 Female 77 26 Transgender 0 1 Prefer not to answer - 13 Marital Status 2018 2023 Single 127 79 Married / Other 53 25 Race / Ethnicity 2018 2023 White 53 41 Black / African American 50 20 Hispanic 56 28 Other / Prefer not to answer 21 15 ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Palmdale Homelessness Plan 7 Support Networks / Future Housing 2018 2023 Has family in the Antelope Valley 70 – (39%) 15 – (14%) Would prefer to reunite with family instead of remaining homeless 68 – (38%) 7 – Housing Situations 2018 2023 Willing to share a housing unit with someone else 88 – (49%) 48 – (46%) Couch surfing at time of survey 32 – (18%) 11 – (18%) Lives in car 2 – 1 – Lives in motel 4 – - Lives at a shelter 2 – - Lives in RV 77 – (44%) 14 – (22%) Lives on the street (tent, encampment, shed) 57 – (33%) 36 – (58%) Employment 2018 2023 Individual has specialized skills 113 – (63%) 28 – (27%) Receptive to work in their field 108 – (53%) 20 – (19%) Works at least part-time 28 – (16%) 14 – (13%) Education 2018 2023 Less than High School Diploma 45 – (25%) 45 – (43%) High School Diploma 51 – (28%) 34 – (33%) Vocational Certificate 41 – (23%) 17 (16%) Some College or a Degree 43 – (24%) 9 – Willing to enter an educational program to complete their education 74 – (41%) 33 – (32%) ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Palmdale Homelessness Plan 8 Pets 2018 2023 Individual has pets dogs, cats, other) 27 – (15%) 22 – (21%) Of those with pets, presence of pets is the reason they cannot find a suitable place to stay 15 – (55%) 2 – Substance Abuse 2018 2023 Recent drug use 140 – (78%) 30 – (29%) Of those with recent drug use, the number willing to enter a program to end their addiction 40 – (29%) 10 – (33%) Domestic Violence and Abuse 2018 2023 Has been a victim of Domestic Violence or Abuse 61 – (34%) 22 – (21%) Has been a victim of parental or adult abuse in their childhood 41 – (23%) 16 – (15%) Currently homeless due to abuse 25 – (14%) 11 – (10%) Has been a victim of sexual abuse 41 – (23%) 12 – (11%) Crime 2018 2023 Has previously been incarcerated 95 – (53%) 46 – (44%) Recently 16 - (17%) 4 - Within last 6 months 16 - (17%) 6 - (13%) 1 year ago 10 - (10%) 10 – (22%) 2-5 years ago 22 - (23%) 13 – (28%) 6-10 years ago 14 - (15%) 6 – (13%) Over 11 years ago 17 - (18%) 7 – (15%) ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Palmdale Homelessness Plan 9 Nutrition and Health 2018 2023 Eats less than once a day 29 – (16%) 15 – (14%) Eats at least once a day 72 - (40%) 37 – (36%) Eats more than once a day 79 - (44%) 52 – (50%) Has a physical disability or condition that needs treatment now 81 - (45%) 23 – (22%) Receiving or need to receive dental services 79 - (44%) 33 – (32%) Suffer from a mental or emotional condition that requires medical treatment 80 - (44%) 29 – (28%) Previously hospitalized for a mental health condition in the past 43 - (24%) 12 – (12%) Feel anxious every day 38 – (21%) 20 – (19%) Feel angry, resentful or have aggressive tendencies to others 38 – (21%) 16 – (15%) Reported previously attempting suicide 36 – (20%) 15 – (14%) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Less than one year 1-3 Years 4-10 Years 11-25 Years 25-40 Years Over 40 Years 14 58 46 36 12 4 15 25 22 23 2 4 How long have you lived in Palmdale? 2023 2018 ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Palmdale Homelessness Plan 10 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% Grocery Store Fast Food Restaurant Church Convenience Store Other Service Provider Friends Discarded Food School 38% 29% 10% 15% 10% 4% 9% 10% 3% 48% 29% 20% 11% 10% 6% 6% 4% 2% Where do you primarily find your food? of respondents indicating each source as a primary source) 2018 2023 ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Palmdale Homelessness Plan 11 Strategies In accordance with the Los Angeles County Homelessness Initiative’s strategies adopted in 2022, the City of Palmdale will: 1. Engage in local annual planning and pertinent regional planning efforts 2. Continue to infuse problem solving into local services 3. Foster outreach and navigation with linkages to local rehousing services and encampment decommissioning 4. Support co-investment in permanent supportive housing and interim housing 5. Support local eviction prevention efforts Los Angeles County Homeless Initiative Strategies – Updated 2022 ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Palmdale Homelessness Plan 12 Local Goals Palmdale’s 2023-2027 goals include homelessness prevention, creation of pathways to housing including new housing opportunities, empowerment of local service providers with resources/information and measuring/tracking local progress. GOAL 1: Prevent episodes of homelessness, including individuals and families. Planned Actions: 1. Relocation of the South Antelope Valley Emergency Services program facility 2. Domestic Violence Shelter a. Identify resources and partnership to develop and operate a local domestic violence shelter within the City 3. Foster Family Housing a. Develop housing for Foster Children where they can continue to live with their siblings as a family and deter the impact young adult cases of homelessness GOAL 2: Assist homeless individuals and families by providing relevant and accurate information creating a path for them out of homelessness and also create housing opportunities that meets their needs. Planned Actions: 1. Relocation of the South Antelope Valley Emergency Services program facility 2. Establish a working relationship with a local non-profit within the City of Palmdale that has a proven track record of creating affordable housing, educating the public and provides meaningful career development, life skills, collaboration with community partners and mental health specialists. 3. Establish paths of housing to meet the needs of those unhoused 4. Support the Palmdale winter shelter in partnership with Advancing Communities Together and Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority to provide quality of life services a. Up to 50 beds, nurse practitioners, supportive services consultation 5. Tiny Home Development a. Up to 20 units of housing that will include supportive services and provide immediate housing for individuals/couples and their pets 6. Transitional Housing a. 12 or more units provided by the City in partnership with Hope the Mission through Operation Home Key 7. Family Housing a. 4 units of housing provided by the City in partnership with Victory Outreach Ministries for single parent families 8. Permanent Supportive Housing a. Secure units developed and currently being developed by non-profit development partners 9. Designated Affordable Housing a. Through an approved program partnering with the City of Palmdale Housing Authority, designated housing for families who are working to re-establish themselves through educational/vocational programs ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Palmdale Homelessness Plan 13 GOAL 3: Empower local service providers, community partners and stakeholders to improve their response to individuals and families experiencing homelessness by working collectively with City support. Planned Actions: 1. Establish a working relationship with a local non-profit within the City of Palmdale that has a proven track record of creating affordable housing, educating the public and provides meaningful career development, life skills, collaboration with community partners and mental health specialists. 2. Establish paths of housing to meet the needs of those unhoused 3. Identify Future Funding for Sustainability 4. Research opportunities to maintain local sales tax funding when Measure H terms/expires to keep local funds to combat homelessness GOAL 4: Develop an approach to track City, local service providers and community support group progress in preventing, reducing, and ending homelessness to increase opportunities for them to create and maintain a sustainable lifestyle that includes affordable housing, education, and employment/ vocational training opportunities. Planned Actions: 1. Establish a working relationship with a local non-profit within the City of Palmdale that has a proven track record of creating affordable housing, educating the public and provides meaningful career development, life skills, collaboration with community partners and mental health specialists. 2. Establish paths of housing to meet the needs of those unhoused 3. Identify Future Funding for Sustainability 4. Research opportunities to maintain local sales tax funding when Measure H terms/expires to keep local funds to combat homelessness Implementation The City of Palmdale staff members listed in the table below shall be primarily responsible for implementation of the Plan in collaboration with community partners and in consultation with stakeholders and residents. Primary Contact for Plan Implementation Name & Position Address & Email Phone % of Time Sophia Reyes, Director of Neighborhood Services 38250 Sierra Highway, 2nd Floor Palmdale, CA 93550 [EMAIL REDACTED] [PHONE REDACTED] 10% Becky Bartlett, Management Analyst 38250 Sierra Highway, 2nd Floor Palmdale, CA 93550 [EMAIL REDACTED] [PHONE REDACTED] 10% ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Palmdale Homelessness Plan 14 Collaboration Collaboration frequently occurs between City departments, with non-governmental City partners, and with other cities or regional entities throughout Los Angeles County. The City is an active member of the Antelope Valley Homeless Steering Committee and also the Antelope Valley Homeless Coalition. The City has strong existing relationships with local/regional service providers and community organizations that are currently providing and/or developing housing units specifically for persons experiencing homelessness. By participating on the regional level the City supports co-investment in permanent supportive housing and eviction prevention. efforts to address homelessness. The City will also continue to work with its community partners who are based within the City of Palmdale and continue to meet with those groups periodically to discuss and develop and implement strategies that directly bring positive change within the immediate community.