Title
Strategies to Address Homelessness Plan Task Force Recommendations to the City Manager
Description
This report provides the Community and Cultural Investment Subcommittee the recommendations made to the City Manager from the Strategies to Address Homelessness Plan Task Force.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
In June 2020, City staff presented a Strategies to Address Homelessness Plan (Plan) to the Mayor and City Council. This initial draft served as an outline for strategies and goals for City efforts moving forward. Under City Council direction, staff presented the Plan to the public to gather community input. In October 2020, the City Council adopted the Plan along with several recommendations gathered during the public meetings. Among them was the creation of a City Manager’s appointed task force (Task Force) to prioritize and provide ongoing feedback on the City’s efforts to deploy the Plan. In late 2020, with recommendations from the Mayor and City Council, staff invited 19 community members to join the Task Force.
In January 2021, a task force made up of neighborhood leaders, service providers, and homeless advocates began meeting to prioritize and provide recommendations on the City’s efforts to deploy the Plan. Throughout the year, the Task Force engaged in evaluation, prioritization and in adding items to the strategies as outlined in the Plan. In January 2022, the Task Force met and unanimously supported the recommendations made to the City Manager detailed in Attachment A.
The Task Force recommendations serve as a companion document to the Plan. Many of the recommendations align with and provide additional detail on strategies already in the Plan. The process was an opportunity for the Task Force to highlight priorities and also to recommend how certain priorities should be implemented. As a group, the Task Force conveyed a sense of urgency with implementation of priority strategies. Key takeaways from the recommendations are provided below:
- Distribute shelters and services throughout the community and in each City Council district;
- Use all opportunities to provide additional shelter beds and permanent supportive housing;
- Work closely with neighborhoods when establishing new shelter opportunities;
- Recommend better use of data to drive and improve services;
- Recommend improved outcome measures;
- Provide more transparency with respect to services and outcomes;
- Replace the concept of “service resistant” individuals and instead recognize a Service Readiness Continuum to describe the concept; and
- Prioritize tailoring City responses to the unique needs of those being served and the communities impacted.
As the Task Force reviewed the strategies of the Plan, the discussions and recommendations focused on a few primary areas. The areas of discussion below offer a summary of the recommendations made by the Task Force.
Outreach and Resources
The Task Force recommended evaluating outreach services, implementing best practices and ensuring there are meaningful ways to measure the services success. This includes ensuring City-funded providers are providing every opportunity for clients to access appropriate services. Some of the highlights include the following:
- Targeting outreach to areas most in need of services based on data mapping;
- Coordinate criminal justice diversion throughout the process;
- Ensure meaningful metrics of success; and
- Transparency through an outward facing dashboard.
Shelters
The Task Force recommended the City work to increase shelter beds in ways that serve the diverse needs of people experiencing homelessness. There is a priority to recognize the likelihood that many people in need of shelter have experienced trauma and shelters should be designed around a trauma-informed model. The Task Force also recommends identifying City-owned and other public property as potential sites for shelter opportunities. Finally, the Task Force composed guidance for no/low barrier shelters which includes ways to minimize the impacts on the surrounding neighborhoods.
- Include trauma informed design and care guidance for future shelters;
- Establish smaller, specialized shelters spread throughout the city and in every City Council district;
- Creation of new shelter beds as quickly as possible;
- Implement a storage program to enable people to safely store their belongings;
- Utilize No/Low Barrier Shelter Guidance to inform the development of future procurements for shelter services/acquisition; and
- Consider a structured campground model of services.
Housing - Prioritized Housing Phoenix Plan Initiatives
The Task Force used the Housing Phoenix Plan as a starting point for discussion surrounding affordable housing. The Task Force expressed strong support for the Housing Phoenix Plan (HPP) and provided feedback that the HPP does not prioritize strategies to those most in need, including the extremely low and low-income residents. There was discussion on the use of City resources toward housing that addresses those most in need. Additionally, there was support for accessory dwelling units and to provide incentives in the zoning process for affordable housing. In addition, the Task Force asked that staff convene a work group to continue the discussion around utilizing data to drive housing strategies. The Task Force prioritized and expressed strong support for the following items in the HPP:
- Amendments to the zoning ordinance;
- Redevelop City-owned land;
- Expand efforts to preserve existing affordable housing (landlord incentives); and
- Educate Village Planning Committees and increase membership for more housing representation.
Permanent Supportive Housing
The Task Force recommended identifying additional funding for supportive services required for permanent supportive housing and also encouraged additional units through providing project-based vouchers.
- Increase Project-Based Vouchers;
- Fund supportive services; and
- Research and implement best practices for exit strategies from permanent supportive housing.
Eviction Prevention
The Task Force recommended identifying funding for flexible financial assistance that arise when assisting individuals experiencing homelessness. Recognizing that the need for eviction prevention assistance always outstrips available funds, the Task Force recommended exploring ways to target outreach and funds to those most at risk.
- Designate funds for flexible financial assistance; and
- Target funds and outreach to those most at risk of eviction.
Neighborhoods
The Task Force engaged in robust discussions regarding the impacts of homelessness on neighborhoods, geographic equity in the placement of shelters and services, and how the City can mitigate impacts. The Task Force recommended continuing the interdisciplinary approach the City currently takes in addressing homelessness by involving multiple City departments in addressing homelessness. The Task Force also provided strong support for dispersing services equitably throughout the community and in every City Council district. The Task Force recommended detailed actions for shelter providers, specifically:
- Targeted resources to neighborhoods most impacted by homelessness;
- Private property clean-up program;
- Public safety plans required when shelters are sited;
- Expansion of the Gated Alley program; and
- More support of the Healthy Giving Council and public education.
Task Force Work Groups
The Task Force came to consensus in drafting recommendations, many of which included challenging issues with no easy answer. This required detailed discussions in several areas. Many members participated in separate work groups which addressed subjects in greater detail to bring back to the full group.
No/Low Barrier Shelters Work Group
The need for shelter beds emerged as a top priority of the Task Force. Members recognized that there are many people experiencing homelessness who struggle to engage in shelter services. A work group convened to:
- Define no/low-barrier shelter for the City of Phoenix in alignment with national best practices;
- Ensure that any no/low barrier shelter provider would work in coordination with neighborhoods, residents, and local businesses to avoid negative impacts; and
- Create a framework for the City when considering funding for shelters and in the zoning and procurement processes.
The work group created a summary of best practices that includes case management/services, exits to permanent housing, safety and order, neighborhood engagement and access.
Service Resistant Terminology Work Group
The Task Force convened a work group tasked with identifying new terminology for the term “service resistant” as well as identifying possible solutions for the Task Force to consider for those who do not want to accept services. The work group recognized the first step to identifying possible solutions was to acknowledge individuals may be at different levels of service readiness when it comes to accepting services. The term “service resistant” does not fully encompass all individuals experiencing homelessness who may not accept services. The Task Force identified a Service Readiness Continuum to use in replacement of “service resistant” when determining an individual’s readiness to accept services.
Housing Data Work Group
The work group on Housing Data accessed data available through the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) to evaluate the number of shelter beds available in Phoenix, the availability of affordable housing, and the cost to build and operate Permanent Supportive housing. There was recognition of the remarkable progress toward the goal of creating housing units in the Housing Phoenix Plan. The team recommended the City prioritize the use of City-owned vacant land for affordable housing use. They also recommended a policy to preserve affordable housing units. Given the recommendation to use data more effectively, they also recommended to convene a panel of affordable housing experts to evaluate housing policies, trends, needs and other information to recommend additional strategies for City consideration.
The recommendations presented in Attachment A, and summarized above, were made in consensus among the Task Force members and were presented to the Phoenix City Manager. In addition, the Task Force felt it important to take a vote to approve the final product which was a unanimous. Throughout the process, the input and concerns of the Task Force informed the work of City staff in addressing homelessness. In addition, staff crafted budget requests and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) proposals which were informed by Task Force recommendations. The recommendations will continue to inform the priorities and work of City staff in implementation of the Strategies to Address Homelessness Plan. In addition, the members will continue to serve as a resource in addressing homelessness. The Task Force will meet again in six months to evaluate the implementation of the Plan and the recommendations made to the City Manager.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Gina Montes and the City Manager's Office.