COUNTY CONTINUES TO COMBAT HOMELESSNESS
'There really shouldn't be a homeless problem in Yolo County' Supervisor Jim Provenza said last week
Yolo County is still working toward the goals outlined in the 2019 Yolo County Plan to Address Homelessness.
There are four goals outlined in the plan, the Adult and Aging Branch Director at the Yolo County Health and Human Services Agency, Ian Evans, told the Board of Supervisors earlier this month. Those goals include: strengthening the homeless crisis response system, increase affordable housing, stabilize and maintain physical and behavioral health, and examine systems-level coordination identifying the opportunities for improved partnerships.
In order to address these goals, the county has created a Commission to Address Homelessness. The commission oversees the strategic plan, develops policy recommendations, makes funding decisions and works together to create an “effective response” to homelessness, Evans explained during the April 6 meeting.
Since the first meeting held on March 4, 2020, the commission met 13 times as of April 6.
Evans highlighted the county’s effort to build additional supportive permanent housing units throughout the county, an important piece in the county’s goal to achieve “functional zero” homelessness — measured by the number of permanent housing minus the number of people experiencing homelessness.
As of 2019’s homeless count, there are about 655 people experiencing homelessness throughout all of Yolo County, with 190 in Davis, 192 in West Sacramento, 238 in Woodland and 35 in Winters and the unincorporated areas.
The numbers of those experiencing homelessness do not match up to the number of supportive permanent housing units in the county. Davis has 120 units, West Sacramento has 63 and Woodland has 75.
Davis is currently housing some people in empty student apartments and is working on the Bridge Program — which will keep 20 apartments open through August of 2022. Davis is also in the process of building two more housing programs, which will house operate
about 50 units, West Sacramento is working to build 115 new units and Woodland, which just opened up the East Beamer Way shelter in January, will see another project from Friends of the Mission which will hold about 61 units.
In addition to increased permanent housing, Evans explained that his agency has overseen multiple accomplishments in addressing homelessness over the last year. West Sacramento was where Gov. Gavin Newsom first launched Project Roomkey — a state program that works to house people experiencing homelessness in local motel rooms, in order to protect them against COVID-19 and also prevent crowding in local shelters. Nine motels in Yolo County have been participating in the program.
“It’s individuals that were homeless or at-risk of homelessness that tested positive for COVID but didn’t require hospitalization,” Evans explained. “That were exposed to someone who tested positive but didn’t require hospitalization. Or those 65 and older and/or with chronic health conditions that made them at severe risk of complications if they contracted COVID.”
As of the last time data was collected on Feb. 22, Project Roomkey has hosted 607 people in Yolo County for a combined total of 65,000 nights of shelter. Approximately 140 people were sheltered at the time, and 75 have received permanent housing.
HHSA also supplies medical professionals to the motels so people can have medical check-ins at least once a week. The Yolo Food Bank and local restaurants also partnered with the county to bring food to those in the motels. From July 2020 to Dec. 2020, 373 Project Roomkey clients were provided with physical healthcare, and as of March 19, 191 staff and clients had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
“I remember being in a (California State Association of Counties) meeting where we were talking about Project Roomkey and we already had something like 90 people placed, and some of the other counties were talking about difficulty placing two or three people,” Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Jim Provenza said. “And the reason was, they didn’t have an ongoing effort. They didn’t have people out in the field who knew the homeless people, who were providing services, and having that infrastructure in place when we went into the pandemic was really a key to being able to serve so many people so efficiently.”
Evans highlighted the $1.75 billion in Newsom’s budget for homeless services and permanent housing, and that those funds could allow the county to expand permanent supportive housing.
“It’s been so heartening to see so many people across different governmental jurisdiction, and private sector and community members all pitching in over this past year and to make sure that the folks who are homeless in our communities are welltended,” Supervisor Don Saylor said.