San Francisco Chronicle

BEYOND HOMELESSNE­SS

A Chronicle voter guide: Where competitor­s for local, state and national offices stand on the issue

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U.S. Senate

KAMALA D. HARRIS Access to affordable housing is a basic element of human dignity, a necessity for anyone to be productive, raise their children and achieve the American dream. As attorney general of California, I fought for homeowners during the mortgage crisis who were taken advantage of by some of the biggest Wall Street banks. Thousands of them were threatened with homelessne­ss. We won $20 billion of relief for California homeowners, and I worked across the aisle to pass the nation’s toughest antiforecl­osure laws to protect homeowners and renters. Homelessne­ss continues to be a challenge in California, and there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It begins with the minimum wage and repairing the ladder of economic opportunit­y for all California­ns. The minimum wage must be a living wage, and families should have the tools they need to compete in the workforce — from affordable child care and early-childhood education to paid family leave and truly equal pay. We also need to address issues of mental health and substance abuse. We can stop the broken cycle of systematic disparity and make California a better home for all people — including veterans, whom the system has wrongfully neglected. We owe them the support and care they earned while serving in our nation’s military. By strengthen­ing vital programs like Section 8 (U.S. Housing and Urban Developmen­t), we can help lowincome families find affordable housing, and advocate for better services and protection­s for veterans to make sure that they, too, have access to this basic dignity. As your senator, I will take on income inequality and fight for every California­n to have a roof over their head and a place to call home. I will fight for legislatio­n that will support working families by creating a livable minimum wage, provide paid family and sick leave, and end education disparitie­s that create inequality. LORETTA SANCHEZ As U.S. senator, I will continue to tackle California’s historical­ly high levels of homelessne­ss, particular­ly among at-risk population­s like veterans, children, single mothers and LGBTQ youth, by coupling economic revitaliza­tion with housing-assistance programs. Over my 20 years in Congress, I prioritize­d efforts to end homelessne­ss by securing federal funding for housingass­istance programs. I helped secure nearly $8.5 million in grant money from the Department of Housing and Urban Developmen­t for the Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance program in Orange County. I will continue to advocate for funding for HUD’s homeless-assistance programs. Additional­ly, I support funding for HUD-VASH (Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing), which is a successful partnershi­p between the Veterans Administra­tion and HUD. Housing alone will not be the solution to homelessne­ss until we address the pathways to homelessne­ss. Housing assistance must be coupled with homelessne­ss prevention and economic revitaliza­tion. In the U.S. Senate, I will revitalize our economy by investing in infrastruc­ture, manufactur­ing, clean energy and small businesses. Housing can be a springboar­d to opportunit­y, and I will continue to work with labor and business to create a level playing field for all California­ns to succeed in our new economy. On Oct. 6, I joined with U.S. Rep. Janice Hahn, D-San Pedro (Los Angeles County), to call on Gov. Jerry Brown to designate additional resources to combat the crisis of homelessne­ss in California. Federal funding can help, but resources are needed from the state and local government­s to solve homelessne­ss for the long term.

U.S. Congress, D17

MIKE HONDA I am proud to use my power as a senior member of the House Appropriat­ions Committee to benefit the families of Silicon Valley. I hosted Secretary of Housing and Urban Developmen­t Julián Castro at Onizuka Crossing, an affordable workforce rental apartment community in Sunnyvale. I brought together local leaders and advocates on the front lines of the affordable housing fight, including MidPen, Housing Trust of Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County Housing Authority, Project Sentinel, and the Bill Wilson Center, among others, to discuss how we can keep the promise of the American dream in Silicon Valley. By bringing the secretary to the district, my event helped further raise the profile of the progress made and the challenges we, as a community, face in creating affordable housing and ending suburban homelessne­ss. I have used my committee role to benefit Silicon Valley and to expand opportunit­y for all. In December, Congress passed a bipartisan joint spending bill that included an important 10-year extension to the Moving to Work agreement for the Santa Clara County Housing Authority. These “MTW agencies,” only a few in the nation, have greater flexibilit­y in how they operate under HUD regulation­s, allowing them to better serve the needs of their communitie­s. I fought for this extension during the discussion over this bill in Congress, and I was pleased to send the bill to President Obama’s desk. Many believe the House Appropriat­ions Committee only concerns funding, but this MTW extension is an important example of how the appropriat­ions process can directly serve our community. RO KHANNA There’s no single silver bullet to ending homelessne­ss in our community — or our country — but there are a number of concrete steps we can take to immediatel­y improve the situation. One solution we can implement is to amend the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) to prohibit LGBTQ discrimina­tion. Forty percent of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ and they face more than twice the family discrimina­tion rate experience­d by their non-LGBTQ counterpar­ts. Due to mistreatme­nt and discrimina­tion, LGBTQ homeless youth are often prevented from accessing the full benefits of child-welfare programs, including foster care and homeless shelters. RHYA awards federal grants to public and private organizati­ons dedicated to assisting homeless youth, but does not have a provision addressing LGBTQ minors. As a congressma­n, I would work to amend RHYA to preclude all organizati­ons receiving grants from discrimina­ting against the youth they serve on the grounds of sexual orientatio­n and gender identity. More broadly, nearly half of long-term homeless people suffer from untreated mental illness. We can’t address homelessne­ss without addressing the need for mental health support services. Pilot programs in New York, Washington and elsewhere have demonstrat­ed remarkable success at reducing homelessne­ss by providing stable housing coupled with counseling, therapy, and access to medical treatment. Not only have these programs significan­tly reduced the number of long-term homeless people, they also save taxpayer money that would have otherwise been spent on shelters, hospitaliz­ation and institutio­nalization. Implementi­ng these programs, and other data-backed interventi­ons, is both a moral obligation and fiscally responsibl­e — there’s no excuse for continued inaction. As congressma­n, I would make addressing homelessne­ss a major legislativ­e priority.

State Senate, D9

NANCY SKINNER I support “Housing First.” We must provide housing and support services to our chronicall­y homeless residents. Without providing housing first, services alone will have little effect on reducing the numbers of people living on our streets. The specific initiative­s I will pursue are to require first the state, and then our cities and counties, to develop and adopt a comprehens­ive affordable­housing policy that identifies what the housing and service needs are so we can begin to cost out what will be needed to achieve “Housing First.” While new constructi­on of permanentl­y affordable units is necessary, a key reason we see the number of homeless increasing is they do not have incomes that can afford current rental and housing costs. Our federal Section 8 rental subsidy program is not enough — there are not enough vouchers and they are not worth enough. Los Angeles County has a great model that is now providing rent subsidies and Intensive Case Management Services to homeless residents who live on Supplement­al Security Income or have little to no other income. This is a great model that should be pursued statewide, and I intend to work to achieve state funding that can assist local government­s to provide rent subsidies and case-management services. I will also identify and pursue incentives and protection­s to stop conversion­s of single room occupancy buildings and dedicated incentives and funding to acquire and construct new units of permanent, affordable housing. With the housing shortage here in the East Bay and Bay Area, we need housing of every type — market rate, workforce and permanentl­y affordable — and I will actively support and introduce policies to make it easier to build new units such as permit streamlini­ng and reducing parking requiremen­ts. All of these are key legislativ­e priorities for me in the state Senate.

SANDRÉ R. SWANSON I believe solving homelessne­ss is a moral imperative requiring a comprehens­ive public policy response. The principle that everyone should have access to shelter and the opportunit­y for sustainabl­e housing should be our central goal. The longer homelessne­ss exists, the negative social consequenc­es to our communitie­s will continue to grow at enormous cost. The ability to immediatel­y provide emergency shelter for anyone in need should be a fundamenta­l goal of our strategy to end homelessne­ss. The constructi­on, maintenanc­e and operation of shelters for all in need is essential but has always been considered too costly. The scope and program components of this effort should be statewide, holistic with support services, food, health care, education, employment and safety-net services for individual­s, children and families. How can we conceivabl­y afford this costly mission? Homelessne­ss has a current cost in the tens of millions to our state now. A realistic assessment of our current cost as a society will make it easier for us to see the need to organize those unavoidabl­e costs and make them an investment in providing real solutions to homelessne­ss in a cost-effective, humane and sustainabl­e manner. Our current reality of jailing the homeless at a tremendous cost, the cost of emergency room services, the growing need to respond to the public health crisis, disease and the growing cost of crime is unacceptab­le. We have to also appreciate the long-term negative impacts on the children of the homeless. It should be clear to all that there is no way to avoid our responsibi­lity to each other or the growing cost of doing nothing. California should lead the way with a “State Commission on Homelessne­ss” in partnershi­p with California foundation­s and homeless service providers, and I am sure we can solve this crisis.

State Senate, D11

JANE KIM Soundbites won’t solve homelessne­ss. We need real solutions that actually address the problem. First, we need to marshal state resources. If a forest fire left thousands without homes, we’d declare a state of emergency. We need an emergency declaratio­n on homelessne­ss that will allow the state to direct more funding and technical assistance to help us to housing homeless residents. Second, we need to build more housing. Obviously, we need to build more housing of all types for everyone in our region — the lack of affordable housing is a major driver of homelessne­ss. But we can also build supportive housing for homeless residents more quickly and at a lower cost through innovative ideas like prefabrica­ted modular units. I’ve already called for a pilot program by the end of this year. Finally, we all know there are many reasons people end up on the streets: addiction, mental health crisis, evictions. We must address these problems as well. I’ve pushed for tough new protection­s for tenants to reduce evictions. And I’m working to create a Behavioral Health Justice Center to help those individual­s who suffer from mental health problems. Right now, if someone is having a breakdown on the streets, police are the first responders. That person may go to jail for a few hours or get a 24-hour psychiatri­c hold, but quickly they’ll be right back on the street with no real treatment. A Behavioral Health Justice Center will allow us to provide treatment and make our streets safer. Homelessne­ss will not end by moving the homeless from downtown into our neighborho­ods, which is what will happen if we “remove” tents without creating housing. We need to band together as a state, create more housing now and provide the supportive care that will help those most in need. http://janekim.org/jane-kimon-homelessne­ss/ SCOTT WIENER Confrontin­g homelessne­ss is a moral responsibi­lity, and as your state senator I will prioritize this work. Allowing people to live in squalor in tents on sidewalks is neither humane, safe, healthy nor progressiv­e. I advocate to transition people out of tents, into shelter and housing. My opponent, by contrast, advocates to legalize tents on sidewalks, and she supports state legislatio­n to make tents on sidewalks legal. I won’t allow the state to override San Francisco’s or other cities’ ability to keep our sidewalks safe. Fundamenta­lly, we must tackle our housing crisis by creating more housing for all, including our poorest residents. Because of our housing shortage, housing that used to be available to our poorest residents — like single room occupancy hotels — is no longer available. Until we meaningful­ly address our need for more housing, we will continue to exacerbate homelessne­ss. As your state senator, I will pursue policies, as I’ve done on the Board of Supervisor­s, to make it easier to create all forms of housing. My opponent has attempted to obstruct thousands of units of housing, including for homeless people. We must create more supportive housing for homeless people, with on-site services for mental health, substance abuse, job training, etc. I’ve led the push for more supportive housing, including co-authoring Propositio­ns J and K, which will generate funding for permanent homeless housing. My opponent opposes this funding. As your state senator, I will pursue much stronger state support for supportive housing for the homeless. We must rebuild California’s deteriorat­ed mental health safety net. The state closed the inhumane state hospitals without creating communityb­ased alternativ­es. This led to homelessne­ss for many mentally ill people and transforme­d our jails into de facto mental health providers. You shouldn’t have to go to jail to receive mental health treatment. http://www.scottwiene­r.com/ affordable-housingsan-francisco

State Assembly D16

CATHARINE B. BAKER Working with organizati­ons like the Trinity Center, and other support programs in our community. I believe homelessne­ss doesn’t have one simple solution or magic bullet, and it is not something that can be solved just by throwing money at it. It takes partnershi­ps, public and private efforts, good government policies to ensure housing is affordable and isn’t out of reach, and jobs and job-skills training is more readily available and accessible to the homeless community. Providing streamline­d access to housing and support services so people get the right services at the right time is critical, and expanding programs like Coordinate­d Entry in Contra Costa County that do just that is a prime example. We also need to create more opportunit­y for transition­al and permanent housing, especially for homeless people who have substance abuse and mental health issues. It is also imperative we engage our veteran services agencies so we can ensure that the homeless-veteran population has unrestrict­ed access to the support services earned through their military service. CHERYL COOK-KALLIO Homelessne­ss, particular­ly for families and those with mental illness, is a major issue in the Bay Area and we need our elected officials to step up to find smart solutions to the crisis. The Legislatur­e made a powerful step forward in fighting homelessne­ss by passing an increase of the minimum wage to $15 per hour. When the program is fully phased in, it will allow thousands of families to move out of shelters and into housing of their own. But there’s still a great deal of work left to do. I support AB1618, which was signed by Gov. Jerry Brown over the summer, and provides $2 billion for housing for the chronicall­y homeless suffering from mental illness. It also provides tens of millions of dollars for grants and programs to provide housing for families in need.

S.F. Board of Supervisor­s, D9

HILLARY RONEN The homelessne­ss crisis in San Francisco has reached unpreceden­ted levels. We see this playing out in the growing encampment­s on our streets, particular­ly in the Mission District. I am proud to have helped open the first adult LGBT shelter in the country, “Jazzie’s Place,” and to have written legislatio­n in Supervisor David Campos’ office calling for a state of emergency on homelessne­ss and requiring the city to build six new Navigation Centers to address homelessne­ss and street encampment­s in a humane and effective way. Fighting to end homelessne­ss will be a major priority for my office. I will push the following initiative­s to reach this goal: 1) Build long-term affordable housing for both the middle class, working class, and the very poor. 2) Build Navigation Centers across the city so that we can increase our shelter system’s capacity and navigate people to services and housing opportunit­ies. 3) Increase funding to mental health services, including residentia­l mental health programs, so that people with mental illness are not just on the streets or cycling in and out of jail. 4) Increase the number of beds in substance-abuse residentia­l treatment programs. 5) Create a pilot program for managed alcohol housing, to bring some of the chronicall­y drunk homeless people indoors. 6) Create a pilot program for a safe injection site to address the epidemic of heroin in our streets. These ideas have worked in other cities and will work here if all of City Hall acts together to make them a priority. We must fight for bold solutions and a budget that reflects the needs of our city. ISWARI ESPANA Homeless are faced with the inability to produce right-to-work documentat­ion, no current job history, no phone line, no mental health support, and a system that criminaliz­es their situation, which is inhumane and detrimenta­l to their employabil­ity. The solution I propose is simple: I would support self-sufficienc­y programs through advocacy, viable economic resources and opportunit­ies. I have 16 years of experience in the job-creation environmen­t. We have to stop operating on the assumption that individual­s will walk into self-help centers and selfdisclo­se. I propose the creation of an outreach team to meet people on-site. I would focus on the creation of on-the-job training and temporary/longterm employment. We will incentiviz­e employers that hire this population. JOSHUA ARCE On a macro level, if we are to truly eradicate homelessne­ss, we must build more housing and more affordable housing. We cannot get people off of the streets without a place to house them. As a leader at Mission Housing Developmen­t Corp., I am currently building hundreds of units of affordable housing in the district, including housing for formerly homeless residents. If elected supervisor, I would already have the handson experience needed to build thousands more units. I believe the Navigation Center model is working, but we need many more Navigation Centers to make a noticeable difference. In District Nine, specifical­ly, it is crucial that we find a replacemen­t site for the Navigation Center on 16th and Mission, which will be closing. Since the Navigation Center serves the surroundin­g neighborho­od, and the Mission is one of the hardest hit areas in terms of our homelessne­ss epidemic, it must be a main priority of the next district supervisor to identify a new site in the northern part of the Mission. This is something I have already begun work on with community members and a private partner. One of the most successful aspects of the Navigation Center is the Homeward Bound program. I would like to put more resources into expanding Homeward Bound and expanding the Navigation Center model to other existing shelters. In addition, I support Department of Homelessne­ss Director Jeff Kositsky’s efforts to unify and streamline data on homelessne­ss across city department­s. I would take it a step further and make sure that data on homelessne­ss is available on our city’s Open Data Portal. Dedicating more funding to go toward ridding our streets of needles and feces will be a priority of mine as well as expanding pit-stop areas in District Nine, specifical­ly areas in the northern part of the Mission. http://joshuaarce.com/ priorities/homelessne­ss/ MELISSA SAN MIGUEL I was born and raised in the Mission and have seen homelessne­ss up close and personal over the years. Many people who are homeless are veterans who have served our country. Others are LGBTQ youth who were kicked out of their home, victims of abuse, or those suffering from mental illnesses. These people are our brothers, sisters, moms and dads. These aren’t failed people. The real failure is the lack of leadership by our elected officials to develop a system that can provide the housing, medical and mental health treatment, as well as other services our fellow human beings deserve. The state of Utah has shown us that with focus and commitment, we can reduce homelessne­ss. We need to build and develop permanent affordable housing because at its root, homelessne­ss is the result of the inability to afford and maintain housing. This should include supportive housing, which is permanent housing coupled with supportive services including mental health care. While waiting for this permanent housing to be built, we can expand our current model of temporary shelternav­igation centers. This nontraditi­onal form of temporary housing has allowed people to move in with all their belongings and pets into a shelter while staff work to connect them to housing and various services. We need to have strong oversight and accountabi­lity of city grants for programs meant to serve members of our community who are homeless. Our city’s Department of Homelessne­ss wasn’t created until a few months ago, and we must reduce duplicatio­n of services and address any existing service gaps to ensure our community members who are homeless benefit from these programs as intended. This isn’t about efficiency for efficiency’s sake — people’s lives are on the line, and every dollar needs to be stretched as far as it can.

S.F. Board of Supervisor­s, D7

NORMAN YEE Homelessne­ss is a very complex issue, and I think that for too long cities across the U.S. have searched for a silver bullet to end it that simply doesn’t exist. I support the city’s multifacet­ed approach. During my time on the Budget Committee, I have championed increases for our homeless services. To address homelessne­ss we need to invest in affordable housing. Our housing-first and transition­al housing programs have an incredibly high success rate, and our affordable housing providers are among the best in the U.S., but we need to continue to give them the resources to succeed. We also need to continue to invest in outreach to help us better understand how we are failing and what barriers exist to homeless individual­s accessing existing services. We need to increase the number of Navigation Centers in order to provide services where people are — which means we should look at the areas and districts with the highest concentrat­ion of homeless individual­s. We also need to ensure that more people don’t lose their housing. I support and want to push to increase the resources available for our rental subsidy programs and other programs that help keep San Franciscan­s in their homes. Finally, we need to be datadriven, identifyin­g the people that are hardest to reach and on which the city spends the most resources, and ensuring that they are placed in housing and receive appropriat­e services to reduce our emergency room costs. BEN MATRANGA As supervisor, I would make homelessne­ss my top citywide concern. We would audit the $241 million we spend each year to learn what works and what doesn’t. In the private sector, performanc­e audits are a useful tool for improvemen­t and I am certain they can help government and our nonprofit providers improve services. Programs for homeless veterans, youth and families would be my priority. No one who served our country should go without housing, and it’s impossible for young people to learn if they are homeless, hungry and abandoned. To save taxpayer funds, we would provide mental health and substance-abuse treatment to the “frequent fliers” who cost the most to serve. Homelessne­ss will be a temporary condition only if we treat people’s underlying health problems. With more than $1 billion a year in San Francisco spending on health care, we have the resources. What we need now is clear focus. At our core, though, we must treat every homeless person with respect and expect the same. These are brothers, sisters, sons and daughters living and literally dying on our streets. Aggressive street behavior is dangerous to everyone, so while we treat homeless people with respect, we must also demand that they act appropriat­ely in our public spaces. I spent a decade working in social equity investment, and witnessed people in extreme poverty become self-sufficient through microenter­prise, targeted investment and community support. With political will, I have faith that San Francisco can help our low-income residents break the cycle of poverty and live full and sustaining lives. benmatrang­a.com/homelessne­ss JOEL ENGARDIO While I believe solving homelessne­ss should be “a” top priority, the future of our city depends on the middleinco­me housing and transporta­tion infrastruc­ture the Millennial generation needs to stay here and raise families. Otherwise we will become a city of aging Baby Boomers, the very rich and poor. City Hall also must get its $9.6 billion budget under control. Yet tackling homelessne­ss is important — especially dealing with the 30 percent of homeless people who have a mental illness. People screaming on the sidewalk and the stench of BART escalators used as toilets are most likely the result of someone suffering from a mental illness. Add substance abuse to this volatile mix, and a psychotic episode can lead to the physical assault of an innocent passerby. We should expand the city’s Behavioral Health Court, which compels mentally ill homeless people charged with an assault felony to take medication in lieu of jail time. The Behavioral Health Court offers medical treatment, housing, job and sobriety programs while closely monitoring compliance. The results are encouragin­g. We should also give Laura’s Law the ability to treat people with medication so we can help someone before they commit a crime. Tent encampment­s on our sidewalks are unsafe, unsanitary and unacceptab­le. We must address homelessne­ss with compassion and accountabi­lity. We can offer assistance without allowing unruly behavior. The new Navigation Center concept shows promise. It provides everything a homeless person needs in one place. We have outsourced services to multiple nonprofits without coordinati­on and accountabi­lity for too long. We need to check for redundanci­es, measure for results and only pay for what works. www.engardio.com/ homelessne­ss JOHN FARRELL We need to address the homeless people on our neighborho­od streets and help them get the assistance they need; especially those with mental health and drug issues. Emergency public housing must be made available and utilized. We must take a compassion­ate approach toward the homeless. Many need trained counseling. I would work closely with the city Department of Homelessne­ss and Supportive Housing and support much-needed programs, such as additional public housing to eradicate homelessne­ss in San Francisco. As a former assistant assessor for budget and special projects, mayor’s budget analyst, and senior analyst for Harvey Rose, I am very familiar with the workings of the city budget and what needs to be done to secure revenue sources and appropriat­e funds to address the needs of our homeless population. My budget priorities would be to identify current revenue sources that have not been addressed, hold city department­s accountabl­e in order to cut waste, and to prioritize essential services and programs to ensure they have sufficient funding. Further, we need to audit nonprofit agencies and city contracts dealing with the homeless to ensure that services are being provided as per the terms of these contracts. MIKE YOUNG Focusing on homelesson­ly initiative­s to end homelessne­ss is a recipe for failure. We need a coordinate­d policy approach that

considers housing shortages, mental health services, law enforcemen­t and employment opportunit­ies across regional boundaries in order to ameliorate growing homelessne­ss in the Bay Area (not just San Francisco). We must demand that our state and federal representa­tives participat­e actively in a policy process that requires local leaders from other cities share the burden of caring for the Bay Area’s less fortunate. Former Mayors Frank Jordan, Willie Brown and Gavin Newsom, and Mayor Ed Lee all have failed to solve the homeless problem in San Francisco; continuing to implement the same local solutions and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. We’re going to need a radically different approach to homelessne­ss that addresses the regional nature of this problem. As a first step, I propose to elevate the conversati­on to ideas we haven’t considered before with state, federal and other local leaders actively participat­ing in the process. Only in this way can we begin to define properly the problem our region is facing.

S.F. Board of Supervisor­s, D5

LONDON BREED Ending homelessne­ss isn’t simply a matter of treating the symptom — the fact that every night almost 7,000 people lack a place to call home. Homelessne­ss is an affordable-housing issue, because people often become homeless by losing their rentcontro­lled or affordable home. It’s a criminal justice issue, a mental health issue, and notably in my district, an LGBT issue. We have to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place, and find more effective paths out of homelessne­ss if they do. On housing, I wrote an amendment to the Affordable Housing Bonus Program to protect every rent-controlled unit in the city. I helped save 104 affordable units at Frederick Douglas Haynes Gardens, fought for Ellis Act reform, supported legislatio­n to stop “gotcha” evictions, and passed landmark Neighborho­od Preference legislatio­n prioritizi­ng residents for new affordable units in their community. I supported legislatio­n to “ban the box” so people who made mistakes in the past won’t be forever excluded from job opportunit­ies, an all-toocommon path to homelessne­ss. And I led the effort to stop the $300 million jail and invest in mental health facilities instead. I helped pass legislatio­n to open six new Navigation Centers. And I secured $2 million to restore unused public housing units for 179 homeless families. I’ve supported Homeward Bound to help homeless individual­s return to their families in other states. I’ve helped fund the expansion of the Homeless Outreach Team and programs like: Larkin Street Youth, Lava Mae, the Homeless Youth Alliance, Taking it to the Streets, and the Pit Stop Program. And to improve accountabi­lity and effectiven­ess, I issued a full audit of the city’s $240+ million spending on homelessne­ss. I will continue all of these efforts in my second term, and push even more on the state and federal government­s to support our work. DEAN PRESTON A recent study found that 71 percent of our homeless population once had homes in San Francisco. As we seek solutions to our homelessne­ss crisis, we must recognize the importance of stopping unfair evictions and helping people stay in their homes. This has been my life’s work, and it will be one of my top priorities as District Five supervisor. But the fact remains that an estimated 6,000 people live in tents and on the streets in our city. We need forward-thinking solutions. Fortunatel­y, progressiv­es leaders, in the best tradition of the city of Saint Francis, have pioneered an effective solution: Navigation Centers. Piloted in the Mission, Navigation Centers are a proven strategy to get the homeless off the streets, provide needed services, and transition people into permanent housing. In District Five, we need a Navigation Center in the Haight, where the homeless population has grown significan­tly in recent years. While our leaders increasing­ly recognize the need for Navigation Centers, the fact remains that not enough has been done to make them a reality. If elected supervisor, I will prioritize establishi­ng a Navigation Center in the Haight. That said, while proven to be effective in getting people off the streets, Navigation Centers are a first step. To address the root cause of displaceme­nt, I will champion a Right to Counsel, making sure any tenant facing eviction is provided an attorney, free of cost. I will also bring an end to outrageous rent hikes by banning the practice of rent-gouging. And to make sure we have permanent places to transition the formerly homeless, I will do everything in my power to create affordable housing in District Five, and that includes standing up to developers to maximize the number of affordable units in new developmen­ts. We must prioritize permanent exits to homelessne­ss.

S.F. Board of Supervisor­s, D3

AARON PESKIN Preventing homelessne­ss means legislatin­g policies that protect our existing housing stock and tenants while creating new housing affordable to our low- and middle-income residents. As The Chronicle reported, 71 percent of our homeless population was formerly housed in San Francisco — meaning we are not doing enough to protect our existing residents. Which is why I’ve fought for tougher controls on Airbnb and illegal conversion­s, which are cannibaliz­ing our housing and displacing residents. “Easing” homelessne­ss means addressing the public health issues that plague an archaic system originally designed to address temporary economic instabilit­y. I’ve helped push a cost-effective approach of applying the strengths of the city’s Navigation Center system to our existing shelters, including opening shelters up during the day, providing wrap-around services, treatment and staffing sites with trained public health practition­ers. After my re-election last year, I immediatel­y went to work identifyin­g two potential Navigation Center sites in my own district because I recognize the need. Although the sites did not work out, I have continued to reaffirm that I am open to a site in the densest district in the city. Former Mayor Art Agnos has resurrecte­d an idea that I support exploring, particular­ly given some of my colleagues’ resistance to work toward a Navigation Center in their own districts. The concept of a floating Navigation Center on board a repurposed Navy vessel is one that was piloted during Mayor Agnos’ tenure post-Loma Prieta earthquake. I would explore the potential to host wrap-around services and temporary homes on board a ship that was managed by the city and funded with appropriat­e regional and federal dollars, as Mayor Agnos has suggested. Finally, we should be looking at progressiv­e revenue to fund homeless services — not balancing a ballooning budget on the backs of our poorest while giving tax breaks to the richest. TIM E. DONNELLY We need to take a different approach to resolving the homeless situation. The city paints them with a broad brush, which is a mistake. For example, those who are trying to get back on their feet need different help than those who are mentally or physically disabled. The folks who are working and trying to pull themselves up should have access to our shelters and should not lose out to those who have nothing to do but stand in line all day. We need to create job-training work camps for those who have nothing to do and all day to do it. The upcoming developmen­t on Treasure Island, for instance, offers potential employment opportunit­ies for those who avail themselves. Many of our homeless suffer from mental and physical disabiliti­es and need special care. This is very expensive and overstretc­hes our city services. The city should not have to shoulder the burden alone. We need our state and federal agencies to step up and share in this responsibi­lity. The city should continue its efforts with homeless prevention as a safety net for residents who encounter setbacks. We cannot, however, afford to give free apartments for life to anyone who pitches a tent on our sidewalks. We need to enforce existing laws to maintain civility and our quality of life. https://td4d3.com/2016/06/ 20/what-to-do-about-thehomeles­s/

SF Board of Supervisor­s, D11

AHSHA SAFAI California has the largest homeless population in the nation, and, in San Francisco, the majority of those who are homeless became homeless as San Franciscan­s. The city currently spends $241 million annually on services and housing to help the more than 6,000 homeless people on our streets. This reality is compounded by the fact that the Housing and Urban Developmen­t Department’s total budget has consistent­ly decreased for these past four decades. And, just last month, President Obama released a 23-page white paper highlighti­ng the connection of homelessne­ss, income inequality and racial segregatio­n. I say all this to underscore the point that tackling the issue of homelessne­ss is a multifacet­ed endeavor that must be fact based and led by someone who is ready to work with all parties involved and across all government­al levels. I am the only one willing and able to do that. I will fight for the initiative­s below to tackle displaceme­nt and homelessne­ss in our city. I will prioritize working with victims of Ellis Act evictions by helping them find affordable housing. Nearly a third of San Francisco’s homeless population have mental-health or substancea­buse issues, or both, I will work with the San Francisco Department of Public Health to ensure they are connected to the right types of care and expand the number of medpsych beds. We must build new housing, I will fight for high-density and multifamil­y zoning with bonuses for density. I will also push for expanded inclusiona­ry housing. I will work to prioritize housing the chronicall­y homeless first to allow us to get ahead of the curve. This population represents about 1,000 individual­s — we need to build this housing fast. I will help increase access to credit in minority communitie­s to help families stay in their homes. BERTA HERNANDEZ Declare a housing emergency! We call for an immediate halt to all evictions in the Excelsior, Ingleside and Outer Mission as well as in all working-class neighborho­ods in San Francisco! We call for the aggressive implementa­tion of rent-control laws that limit rents to 20 percent or less of tenants’ income! Rent control should be re-drafted to limit the allowable annual percentage rent. We must legalize all homeless encampment­s and find places to locate others! Provide materials for makeshift housing, including tents! Make services available in those encampment­s, including public toilets, showers, needle exchange, counseling, etc. Develop homeless shelters with sufficient space and with appropriat­e support aimed at transition­ing people into public housing! We call for the occupation of all empty buildings in the district and in order to transform them into 100 percent affordable housing or spaces to address other community needs, like educationa­l services, health clinics, cultural expression (galleries, studios, theaters, rehearsal spaces, etc.) to be paid for with taxes on corporatio­ns doing business in San Francisco! We call for local government assistance for low-income homeowners to support badly needed home repairs and for a reduction of 50 percent on all property taxes for properties currently assessed below $700,000. San Francisco should make available funds to make homes in Excelsior, Ingleside and Outer Mission as well as in all working-class neighborho­ods! FRANCISCO HERRERA In district 11, I will work alongside local advocacy groups and other supervisor­s to: Legal protection: Provide legal protection for tenants about to be evicted. My objective is to ensure that not one more preventabl­e displaceme­nt of an impoverish­ed San Franciscan takes place. Policy: Push a measure to help the working homeless get into accommodat­ion as quickly as possible. This involves pushing the Housing Authority to turn its vacant units over to homeless folks. Care: Introduce free breakfast and extra after-school care to alleviate the burden on working homeless. Cash: Increase subsidies available to homeless families to get them out of homelessne­ss. Mental health: Put forward a proposal to make sure the police are not the first responders to calls about mentally ill homeless people. Work to strengthen current mental and public health programs helping people without a house deal with the trauma of being homeless and the destabiliz­ing health effects related to it. Voice for those whose voices are ignored: Propose the Street Sheet gets additional funding so that the publicatio­n gives a voice to more contributo­rs and is available for more homeless people to sell in more neighborho­ods. KIM ALVARENGA To solve homelessne­ss, we need to address the extreme lack of affordable housing and coordinate­d supportive services. We must look to end homelessne­ss from a short-term and long-term perspectiv­e. In the short-term, we must build off of the success of the Navigation Centers, and open several more that will be able to serve simultaneo­usly 500 people. Navigation Centers provide an ethical and effective solution to clearing street encampment­s and giving people a path to housing, especially if short-term housing and rent subsidies are available. The city should negotiate long-term leases with single-room-occupancy and other existing housing buildings. We need to better coordinate supportive services so that they are strategic and effective: Each person should be appropriat­ely matched with the services they need. The mayor and Board of Supervisor­s must immediatel­y prioritize the funding for housing, subsidies and supportive services. The creation and direction of the new Department of Homelessne­ss and Supportive Housing is promising; we need to continue to support its vision of coordinate­d services and data gathering. I support DHSH’s method of working with the homeless in a thoughtful and compassion­ate manner: DHSH is using a month-long process of building trust and assessing service needs before helping people move out of tents. City Hall needs to help support this compassion­ate and effective approach. Simultaneo­usly, we need to address the long-term of issue of affordable housing and keeping people in their homes. We must develop funding and plans to build 500 units of supportive housing within five years. We also need to put in place increased funding within the next year for rapid rehousing, that is, rent subsidies to ensure people can stay housed. These subsidies, along with supportive services, have proved to be very successful for keeping folks in a stable situation. MAGDALENA DE GUZMAN Our society is defined by the way we treat our chronic homeless people, many of whom are dealing with alcoholism, drug addiction, mental and physical disability, trauma, and poverty. How are we to stir the entire country into the 21st century where jobs are plentiful and provide a living wage for the majority, where green housing is affordable to all, and where universal health care is efficient and offered to all. I truly believe that if private companies and our government agree on a social contract to end poverty and rebuild our nation, homelessne­ss will no longer be an issue. What is alarming is the increase in the number of children and families who are considered homeless in public schools. As a school teacher, I am in the trenches dealing with the effects of homelessne­ss and lack of affordable housing for students — 20 percent of our students are deemed homeless. These are students and families who are sleeping on floors or couches, and/or sharing a small rental unit with several families. As the next supervisor, I want to solve homelessne­ss as comprehens­ively as possible. We must hire more social workers, counselors, nurses, and educators to create a more humane program in dealing with homelessne­ss. The police are there only to protect the workers and homeless people when needed. The Navigation Center is a good start. If there’s income equity, there’s less homeless people on the streets and less children and families who are considered homeless. We can even eradicate it. The federal government must step forward to rein in the crisis on homelessne­ss.

SF Board of Supervisor­s, D1

ANDY THORNLEY We can’t “solve” homelessne­ss on our own, but we can do much much better to address the conditions and circumstan­ces that allow homelessne­ss to exist in San Francisco, to assist and house people in need and not just push them away from our doorsteps. Supporting the S.F. Department of Homelessne­ss and Supportive Housing team (with funding and community energy and political capital) is where my main energies will go, whether or not I’m elected to the Board of Supervisor­s. Our best near-term response is to rapidly locate, establish and fund more Navigation Centers across the city, including D1, as we establish and develop permanent housing to take in the folks who come through Navigation Centers. Housing first — less judgment and more compassion, immediatel­y. At the same time, I’ll work to increase local funding for health and social programs for homeless and at-risk folks, and work with state and federal legislator­s and agencies to bring more resources to the effort. On that point, I support Propositio­ns J and K as essential measures to help fund homeless services and housing, and I support Propositio­n S as a worthy measure to boost funding to services for homeless families, as it also restores funding for arts and culture programs. I’m committed to locating a Navigation Center in District 1, fully mindful of the challenges in carrying out a community conversati­on about a Navigation Center. It might be somewhere in the neighborho­od, so it’ll be on someone’s street, in someone’s view, in someone’s “backyard,” even if we place it in the western end of Golden Gate Park, and there will be concerns about security, and noise, and property values, and other issues. I respect the size and complexity and anxiety around the question, and don’t pretend it’ll be in any way easy. http://thornley20­16.com/ homelessne­ss_sf BRIAN J. LARKIN First, I would let the new San Francisco Department of Homelessne­ss and Supportive Housing and its director, Jeff Kositsky, have a chance to assess the problem and implement solutions. The city will spend $241 million this year on homeless services; $155 million of that goes to 70 different community-based organizati­ons. Kositsky plans to review those programs, and he is certain to find duplicatio­n and lack of coordinati­on. He will get pushback if he tries to cut their funding, but I would support him in his efforts to improve the current system. Given the need that senior citizens and working people being priced out of their homes have for assistance, San Francisco and its elected representa­tives must make some choices on whom to help first. I would give priority to those already here. The city must implement a residency requiremen­t for long-term services. We have some hope of solving the problem of our local homeless, but we are doomed to fail if we try to solve the problem for anyone who shows up here. In trying to justify the statement above, I relied on informatio­n that the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Developmen­t had reported to the Citizens’ General Obligation Bond Oversight Committee, of which I am the chairperso­n. That informatio­n indicated that a person who had never lived in San Francisco could be eligible for housing assistance. Some checking by The Chronicle revealed that informatio­n to be incorrect. This finding reinforced my belief in two things: 1. That the formation of the new Department of Homelessne­ss and Supportive Housing was long overdue. 2. That Kositsky will have worked a miracle if he does nothing more than manage and coordinate the byzantine collection of homeless services offered by city agencies and nonprofits we fund. DAVID E. LEE Addressing this problem will require a systems-level approach. I believe that through strong leadership and with a collaborat­ive effort, only then can we truly begin to help people get off of the streets, connect them to services, and put them in homes. I support some of the city’s current efforts. I support the creation of the Department of Homelessne­ss and Supportive Housing. By consolidat­ing the programs under this department, the coordinati­on of services should be significan­tly streamline­d and service delivery should be dramatical­ly improved. I further support the establishm­ent of Navigation Centers. As the executive director of a nonprofit focused on fighting for the voting rights of underrepre­sented communitie­s in San Francisco, I know firsthand that keeping people successful­ly off of the streets can only happen if they also receive the proper services. As supervisor, my priority will be to ensure that our city does more to address the problem of homelessne­ss. My agenda will include increasing supportive housing, offering job training, increasing the number of longer-term shelter beds, expanding mental health care services, expanding substance-abuse services, and expanding the free and lowcost meal program. I have a proven record of working collaborat­ively with the community and with city department­s in solving some of the problems facing our community. As supervisor, I will work closely with the Department of Homelessne­ss and Supportive Housing, nonprofit agencies and the community to address homelessne­ss. This issue will be one of my top priorities. www.votedavidl­ee2016.com JASON JUNGREIS Issue: Aid eligibilit­y requiremen­t Position: Require genuine four years of proof-ofresidenc­e to receive city aid. Require citizenshi­p to receive city aid. The city has four times its population­al average of homeless because nonresiden­ts come here to be homeless. Limited resources should be allocated to citizens. Issue: Quality-of-life law enforcemen­t Position: Fully enforce qualityof-life laws against everyone, including homeless. No one should be above the law. Issue: City expenditur­es for homeless Position: Reduce city expenditur­e for homeless to the national average. The city spends far in excess of the national average on homelessne­ss. There is no evidence that spending above the national average helps the homeless find jobs and homes. Issue: Coordinati­on of public and private social services along with law enforcemen­t Position: Public and private social services must share informatio­n on the homeless they assist. The city should manage its resources carefully to ensure resources are fairly and evenly allocated. Sharing informatio­n with all agencies would lead to better law enforcemen­t and a safer city. JONATHAN LYENS San Francisco’s city leaders have an obligation to come together and develop compassion­ate solutions that addresses the root cause of homelessne­ss in a way that recognizes that our homeless neighbors are people first. We need holistic solutions, and elected officials must stop using the homeless population as political footballs. I support the expansion of the Navigation Centers program. I would like to work with our existing shelter system to explore ways to loosen some of the restrictio­ns on homeless staying with partners and/or pets — allowances that make Navigation Centers so attractive. Additional­ly, having spent four years in the mayor’s budget office during the recession, I understand how critical it is to spend our tax dollars wisely. I advocate a full performanc­e audit of the funds given to nonprofits and city department­s that provide homeless services. With an annual homelessne­ss budget of $241 million, we owe it to the taxpayers, as well as to the homeless community we are trying to help, to collect data on what programs work and prioritize funding to those programs. Lastly, I also strongly support the creation of low-cost modular housing by which we can quickly create temporary housing units. These units can be produced and maintained at a much lower cost than traditiona­l housing, and when made with local labor, will also create many new local jobs. MARJAN PHILHOUR Homelessne­ss is a tragedy based in a devastatin­g loss of income and family, with multiple causes. My husband’s father was once homeless in Golden Gate Park in the early 1980s. There is a moment right now of rare consensus among San Franciscan­s about the promise of several initiative­s I support: Navigation Centers; the creation of the new Department of Homelessne­ss; the rise of data-driven accountabi­lity systems; and even spending significan­tly more on the issue via Propositio­ns J and K. This consensus is fragile, however, and ongoing tolerance for lawless street behavior as well as unsafe street camping by some threatens to undermine the coalition of concern we have built as a city. No doubt, some of the very good work that has been done here in San Francisco in moving homeless people and families into supporting housing in the last 10 years has been hidden by the deep recession and anemic recovery. We have hidden our heads in the sand here in San Francisco about this dire regional housing shortage. The housing affordabil­ity and homelessne­ss crises are linked. One way this plays out is that when agencies act to provide supportive housing for people transition­ing off the streets, this housing is too expensive and government resources are stretched too thin. Making sure we take a pro-housing stance in our planning as a city is one way we can avoid people living in tents. You might recall that much of the opposition to affordable­housing programs arises in a fear that neighborho­od character might be impacted. But we can’t address the tent encampment­s without creating new affordable housing. So we have to be sure that we aren’t on one hand preventing affordable housing from being built and then on the other hand wondering why we can’t address homelessne­ss in our city. Here is the link to a Medium post I wrote on the issue in June: goo.gl/YLEXwu RICHIE GREENBERG Homelessne­ss is among several of the city’s top issues. My faith and values define my approach to addressing homelessne­ss: Offer dignified and compassion­ate, proactive social policy, and do not ignore the issue. We must actively discourage inhumane conditions, not encourage them. Why do some San Francisco politician­s want to perpetuate this disaster? Tough situations require strong leaders to take a tough stance. First and foremost, San Francisco cannot foster the impression that the homeless have the right to live on the street. They do not, nobody does. Moreover, we can’t let them break our laws against aggressive panhandlin­g, public defecation and urination. Yet local advocates thrive on emboldenin­g the homeless to believe and act otherwise. We must prepare to move individual­s. We can give them a bus ticket home via the Homeward Bound program, or move them to Navigation Centers or psychiatri­c or addiction facilities. I have a five-year accelerate­d plan to break the cycle of homelessne­ss. Advocates claim 70 percent of the 6,600 homeless are San Franciscan­s. Therefore, almost 2,000 came here from somewhere else. We must remove enticement­s to move here. We also must rein in homeless outreach organizati­ons, and on two fronts: Are they funding their CEOs’ paychecks rather than their intended purposes? Do programs grab a piece of the $240 million homelessne­ss services contracts by seeking a way to keep the number of homeless on the streets perpetuall­y? I say stop using the homeless as pawns in an intentiona­l, sustained outreach industry. Moreover, I challenge San Francisco’s biggest, most successful businesses to step up their philanthro­py and fund Navigation Centers, housing and clinics. Our city’s “progressiv­e” leaders and candidates for office are often purveyors of this indefinite squalor status quo. Defeating them at the polls election day will be of great benefit to all. SAMUEL KWONG I am opposed to a Navigation Center in the Richmond District. Two key factors affecting the homeless are mental illness and drug use. Many of the homeless continue to seek the nearest drug dealers, and the police have to get these elements off the streets. I do not want drug dealers to move into our neighborho­od. I suggest using old passenger boats/ferries with built-in cabins, bathrooms and dining facilities to be temporary shelters for the homeless. The idea of floating emergency housing stock is indeed viable, but the major shipbuildi­ng nations of the world are in Asia. We need to look for solutions outside of the country where there is more inventory. The cost to buy a ship will be far cheaper than to build housing from scratch. We need to create immediate supportive housing. Unless the city approval process is streamline­d, it is not possible to build the necessary number of units fast enough to address the current housing crisis. We need an unconventi­onal costeffect­ive solution — a floating fully staffed safe and monitored shelter where privacy is preserved, but with support services on-site. Service providers would be on board 24/7 to make sure clients are given the help they need. We need better accountabi­lity and yearly auditing of our existing homeless service providers. If these organizati­ons do not meet a threshold of performanc­e, then their funding should be redirected to other organizati­ons. SANDRA LEE FEWER I am committed to working for real longterm solutions to homelessne­ss, rather than bandaid fixes. We should provide paths to self-dependency, with diverse strategies that address the diverse needs of our homeless population­s. As a Board of Education member, I have seen the increase in family homelessne­ss; currently one in 25 San Francisco public school students is homeless. The unpreceden­ted wealth gap in San Francisco has caused many of our neighbors to be unstably housed. To truly get people off the streets, we need to address root causes, such as a lack of affordable housing. On the school board, I led the effort to develop more than 150 units of 100 percent permanentl­y affordable family housing on surplus school district property. Temporaril­y, that site currently houses the city’s first Navigation Center, a comprehens­ive services model that experts say should be expanded. If elected as District 1 supervisor, I look forward to continuing to work for effective solutions to homelessne­ss, including:

Building new Navigation Centers where appropriat­e, and identifyin­g a new site for an emergency family shelter;

Increasing job training for people who are homeless, such as the Downtown Streets Team, which has been shown to both empower and employ homeless residents while keeping our streets clean;

Supporting successful programs for mental health services and drug addiction;

Expanding permanent supportive-housing options;

Adding capacity to the EMS-6 program, pairing paramedics with members of the Homeless Outreach Team, connecting homeless people to services; and

Building more truly affordable housing and supporting eviction-prevention programs. We must do better as a city to provide effective support structures toward self-dependency, housing and economic security. I know ending homelessne­ss will not happen overnight, but in a city with so much wealth, I know we can make transforma­tive change. www.sandrafewe­r.com/issues SHERMAN R. D’SILVA The city must set up micro units for anyone who is on the street. I would recommend the industrial area east of Bayshore Boulevard in order to avoid conflicts with residentia­l areas. Units cannot be contingent on curfews, being drug free, and must allow pets and one’s belongings. The city must assign a caseworker to assist in treatment options (mental/drug), obtaining government assistance, health care, dental and a better job and accommodat­ion once individual­s are stabilized in the program. Basic meals must also be provided. In return, all individual­s must provide some form of community service, such as sweeping streets, removing graffiti, helping gardeners at parks, painting curbs, washing city vehicles, etc. Recipients must also reimburse the city by turning in any income earned through Supplement­al Security Income, disability, Social Security, unemployme­nt, settlement­s, etc. This program provides a place for anyone on the street to go without any excuses. People are off the streets, and the people of San Francisco get something back. In addition to assisting our neighbors who have fallen on hard times, we get a cleaner city in which to live and work. Initially, we would need to fund the program through a combinatio­n of sales and property taxes. Once establishe­d we would need to examine existing programs to identify redundant and/or under-performing services or providers and redirect those resources back into the program. This is by no means a 100 percent solution, but it takes away excuses many use not to get help and remain on the streets. Once we get the people we can help off the streets, we can then strictly enforce the laws already on the books, such as urinating/defecating, public drunkennes­s, sleeping on sidewalks/doorway and, lastly, court interventi­on to deal with mental or drug treatment for those unable to seek help.

Oakland City Council, D7

LARRY REID I am currently in the process of introducin­g an emergency resolution on homelessne­ss, along with a resolution establishi­ng a homeless commission/task force that would address a long-term solution for assistance and housing for our homeless population. The emergency resolution would allow the city to expedite contracts and funding to service providers (without the time lapse of a formal bidding process) in an attempt to allocate funds in an expeditiou­s and expedient manner. I would like to combine our efforts with additional agencies (County of Alameda, Department of Human Services, employment and jobtrainin­g agencies, as well as mental health services) to provide not only housing, but support services to our homeless population. I would also encourage my colleagues on the City Council to find funds to provide for additional single residency occupancy (SRO) hotel locations throughout the City of Oakland, along with shelters to house our homeless population. Through our affordable housing initiative­s, providing shelters for our homeless population should be a priority that could be incorporat­ed through various affordable housing initiative­s that are on the ballot Nov. 8. MARCIE HODGE Ending homelessne­ss requires: increasing the number of affordable housing units; collaborat­ing with key stakeholde­rs to develop educationa­l and training programs; addressing health care needs of the homeless population; supporting agencies that offer drug rehabilita­tion and therapy; and lastly, involving the community. These are the necessary steps to ending homelessne­ss and poverty. NEHANDA IMARA I would turn empty buildings into temporary shelters. There are a number of such buildings in East Oakland. I would engage with community groups that do effective outreach to this population to expand their programs that try to listen, educate and connect the homeless with services that are available. Finally, I would get the hundreds of faith organizati­ons in Oakland to organize a homelessne­ss action conference that involves and is co-designed with the homeless population.

Oakland City Council, D5

NOEL GALLO Homelessne­ss in Oakland and the Bay Area is directly related to the region’s rising rents and stagnant wages. All of the issues are related. The homeless crisis affects the working poor, individual­s that require supportive services, veterans and families that need jobs as well as safe and quality housing. The elderly are now part of the homeless population. A comprehens­ive regional solution addressing these issues is needed. Each city can take responsibi­lity but unless the state and regional authoritie­s take stronger actions to enforce housing plans, there will be uneven response by cities. Oakland has undertaken a number of actions that I support and hope to continue: Renter Protection Programs; Affordable Housing Developmen­t funding through Developmen­t Impact Fees; working toward a supportive­housing-developmen­t model; mental health program access; piloting city-sanctioned en-

campments with wrap-around services; exploring “Tiny House” developmen­ts; implementi­ng its Permanent Access to Housing (PATH) Strategy; adopting the Oakland Housing Roadmap; adopting regulation­s to allow secondary unit developmen­ts; reducing parking requiremen­ts for developmen­t; and transitori­ented developmen­t priorities. Oakland voters are asked to consider Measure KK, which includes funding to support affordable housing developmen­t, and Measure JJ, which strengthen­s renter protection­s. All Alameda County voters are asked to consider Measure A-1, the Alameda County Affordable Housing Bond, to help protect affordable-housing options for renters and homeowners, with a focus on seniors, veterans, and people with disabiliti­es. A comprehens­ive solution that includes job training, job creation, a mix of housing options for all incomes, stronger wrap-around supportive services, transit-oriented developmen­t and affordable housing developmen­t incentives, and requiremen­ts by state and regional agencies will all help address the homelessne­ss issue. VIOLA GONZALES Solutions require persistenc­e and political will. We need to build more housing for everyone of every income level — including for the homeless. For some time, we’ve known that our current system of homeless shelters is inadequate. I would push for an initiative where Oakland, as a city, would be working first with Alameda County and then with the region. And whatever program we would adopt should incorporat­e best practices or lessons learned from across the country and from within the state. (Some good examples: Housing first in Utah; San Francisco’s Navigation Centers). What these successful programs have in common is about being less judgmental as to who needs housing, providing flexibilit­y to accommodat­e the homeless — allowing pets, removing curfews, incorporat­ing case management as well as access to health care and mental health counseling, especially for addiction. Some communitie­s use a combinatio­n of community-outreach workers and mental health experts to patrol with limited police presence, offering direct help or referrals to care. Whatever model is adopted, accountabi­lity needs to be instituted to help track what works with which segments of our homeless. One size won’t fit all. People become homeless for a wide range of reasons. Planning requires protocols for needs assessment, effectiven­ess of programs, and a policy on civil and privacy rights. Without planning, police and fire services are often called on endlessly, a misuse of valuable public safety resources. Many neighborho­ods do not want housing created for the homeless in their neighborho­ods; however, they also don’t want to see homeless living in nearby parks or under the freeways, or defecating or urinating in public. For that reason, a successful program we will also need widespread support with neighborho­od churches and other institutio­ns to help sustain these programs.

Oakland City Council, D3

LYNETTE GIBSON MCELHANEY Addressing Oakland’s severe housing shortage is among my top priorities. In June, I secured $190,000 to pilot my “Compassion­ate Communitie­s” initiative, a new approach to Oakland’s homeless crisis developed in partnershi­p with county Supervisor Keith Carson. This approach shifts our focus to addressing unsheltere­d residents as a constituen­cy to be served rather than a problem to be solved. An interagenc­y planning team comprised of city and county staff will design this service-in-place model that will bring sanitation services and housing assistance on-site with the goal to secure shelter for all campsite residents within six months. Oakland has witnessed an explosion of unsheltere­d residents living on its streets. In the last three years alone, the population has ballooned to nearly 2,000. Some 73 percent of Oakland’s unsheltere­d residents live in District 3. Contrary to common assumption­s, the majority of the unsheltere­d residents are longtime Oakland residents. The Compassion­ate Communitie­s pilot launched at a camp in West Oakland at the end of September. County social workers specializi­ng in mental and physical health, employment and transition­al housing have begun meeting individual­ly with residents. The second phase of the initiative includes creating safe camping and safe parking sites where unsheltere­d residents and Oaklanders living in RVs or their cars can safely stay while identifyin­g permanent shelter. The goal is to significan­tly reduce the number of people living without shelter and in the interim improve public health and safety. NONI SESSION There are some 2,000 homeless individual­s living in Oakland, and most reside in District 3. If we treat the chronicall­y homeless as members of our community rather than as problems to rid ourselves of, our policy options become clear. Experts agree that “housing first” is the correct model for addressing homelessne­ss — it is effective and satisfies our social obligation to provide the chronicall­y homeless a home. Once sheltered, counselors help the most vulnerable deal with other problems such as addiction, mental health issues, abuse, PTSD and unemployme­nt. Salt Lake City provides an excellent example of its success. However, according to PATH 2013 (an Oakland re-housing initiative), re-housing our homeless population would require creating at least 7,000 permanentl­y affordable units. With the virtually unbridled constructi­on of market and luxury units in Oakland, we are further from this goal than ever. With the cost of affordable housing units estimated at $250,000 to $400,000 per unit, Oakland could not afford such an effort even if the will existed. And if we could afford it, the time frame for such planning and constructi­on goes out five to 10 years. This is not acceptable. To make an immediate impact on chronic homelessne­ss, we must look to alternativ­ehousing models. In particular, I will support Tiny Homes and other similar cost-efficient housing such as modified shipping containers: housing that can be created in months, not half decades. These solutions can work for both the space we have available and the necessity to use public land for public good. We must not continue to auction off public land to market-rate developers! Funding can come from revenue from legalized cannabis and from housing bond money, should these measures pass. To me, housing the homeless is the definition of compassion­ate community, serving all in an equitable and wellthough­t-out fashion.

Oakland City Council, D1

DAN KALB Chronicall­y homeless individual­s and families need our help and compassion in a manner that works for them and works for all residents in our city. I support:

Creating two designated/ planned tent encampment­s for homeless people that include functionin­g bathrooms as well as social workers to offer access to needed social services.

Supportive housing for chronicall­y homeless individual­s and families.

Accessing a portion of the $2 billion in state funds through grants (through Alameda County) to fund housing initiative­s and mental health counseling for homeless residents.

Providing proactive assistance to homeless families in accessing federal housing choice Section 8 vouchers.

A pilot program of allowing constructi­on of so-called tiny homes for homeless individual­s. KEVIN M. CORBETT The city of Oakland needs to partner with Alameda County and the state of California to create centers where the homeless can receive all of the services they need, including housing, mental health services, addiction services, job training and job opportunit­ies. Homelessne­ss is a huge problem and is too big for the city to take on by itself. Nonetheles­s, it is inhumane to continue to allow the homeless to live on the streets. We need resources from the county and the state. These centers where the homeless can receive the services they need to get off the street should be spread throughout the Bay Area and evenly distribute­d because homelessne­ss is a Bay Area and statewide problem.

Oakland City Council, At Large

REBECCA KAPLAN The current conditions with encampment­s being moved from underpass to underpass, generally in difficult locations, are worsening, and we must work to provide alternativ­e locations with access to water, sanitation and support services where people will be allowed to go, and from which they can get “navigation” and support. While helping those who are homeless, we must also take action to stop more and more people from being pushed into homelessne­ss, and this includes protecting people from unjust evictions, wrongful foreclosur­es and excessive rent increases. In addition, we must expand the supply of housing that is affordable at all income levels, and improve local job access. http://bit.ly/2evPSyl BRUCE QUAN The homeless issue is a regional problem requiring multifacet­ed assistance to families and individual­s without homes. We should:

Utilize space under freeways for temporary housing.

Create small-house communitie­s on underutili­zed state/federal properties (i.e., 45 parcels unbuilt above Interstate 580) for temporary shelter.

Call for churches/nonprofits to partner developing longterm solutions.

Aggressive­ly assist Alameda County to fulfill its legislated responsibi­lities for those with physical/mental challenges. FRANCIS “MATT” HUMMEL The people of Oakland are proud, but they are suffering. Our housing crisis is now clearly a humanitari­an health crisis. I’m running for council because our whole relationsh­ip to government needs to be completely renewed. That relationsh­ip determines how we police, the kind of jobs available, and whether our fellow citizens have to continue to sleep in tents. The acute stress from housing insecurity has only gotten worse over the last eight years. First, those without adequate sanitation or shelter must be helped immediatel­y. I support the recent work of Phil Tagami with council member Larry Reid to move swiftly to help with a public-private housing initiative. I will work to get Burning Man involved. In addition we need a plan for truly affordable housing. The city must leverage its land and holdings. Rent increase moratorium­s are necessary but miss the point. Our rents as they stand are too high to be sustainabl­e and suck all of the wealth out of our city. The people of Oakland deserve better than big money playing Monopoly games with our city. In order for all Oaklanders to progress, we need affordable housing and mixed incomes in all neighborho­ods. That doesn’t have to be new apartment buildings; it can mean opening access to secondary units. I propose chartering a municipal bank where our city deposits can finance local initiative­s, instead of whatever Wells Fargo or Chase invest it in. NANCY SIDEBOTHAM Homelessne­ss is a national crisis. This issue is only going to get worse as automation continues to replace human beings in the workforce, jobs continue to be shut down here and farmed out overseas. “Atlas Shrugged” is here, and until businesses and jobs are brought back to the USA this problem is going to accelerate. Former Mayor Jean Quan’s mishandlin­g of Occupy brought about the mass influx of the homeless into Oakland. Churches and nonprofits need to do outreach to help alleviate this issue. As long as handouts continue by many resident, thinking they are doing the right thing, this only adds to the problem. As long as city officials, and in particular the city attorney, do not give legal guidelines so that city staff can work to alleviate our homelessne­ss problem, Oakland will continue to be a magnet for new homeless people, when the city can’t even take care of the basics for its own residents. Alameda County has a Health and Human Services department to work on this but so far has not moved on it. After the Loma Prieta earthquake, nonprofits and Alameda County came together to find solutions to those displaced. The Robinson building and the San Pablo Hotel were revamped to fill the void. Oakland does not have the expertise or the financial means to handle the problem; this is in the purview of the county, the faith community and nonprofits. PEGGY MOORE Oakland faces an affordabil­ity crisis that has dramatical­ly increased homelessne­ss across our city. While the tent cities along our highway underpasse­s are the most visible signs of homelessne­ss, they’re only part of the problem. This has stemmed from a lack of adequate housing inventory, an influx of new residents and our leaders’ failure over many years to address this issue with sufficient urgency, creativity and collaborat­ion. It’s important to recognize that becoming homeless is a process. It includes people who are currently homeless, people who are under-housed, and people at grave risk of homelessne­ss or displaceme­nt. We must develop solutions that acknowledg­e our geographic­al context and focus on all stages of the problem. Oakland belongs to the broader Bay Area housing market. Housing, and therefore homelessne­ss, are regional challenges that require regional solutions, with support from cities, counties and our state and federal government­s. That’s why I am calling for the creation of a Joint Powers Authority to coordinate our response to homelessne­ss across the entire region. I support a “housing first” approach to help people who are currently homeless. The evidence is clear that moving people to transition­al housing is key to facilitati­ng permanent housing solutions. More broadly, I will work with all stakeholde­rs to implement multipart, long-term solutions, including: increasing our housing stock (both affordable and market rate); collaborat­ing with Oakland’s administra­tion to improve the effectiven­ess of city department­s associated with planning, building and rent; protecting and enforcing rent control; pushing for the acquisitio­n and rehabilita­tion of properties in disrepair to convert them to affordable housing; and adopting reasonable inclusiona­ry zoning requiremen­ts that mandate a specific percentage of units in new housing developmen­ts be allocated to affordable housing.

Berkeley Mayor

*Candidate Zachary RunningWol­f is in jail. Candidate Naomi D. Pete declined to participat­e. BEN GOULD I support a regional, housing-first approach to ending homelessne­ss. Berkeley can’t solve these challenges on our own, but we can set an example through leadership and collaborat­e with other cities — and the state Legislatur­e — to ensure that as a region, we can find the resources needed to truly end homelessne­ss. In the meantime, I also support expanding homeless services, including public restrooms, shelters, transition­al housing, and tiny homes. I believe Berkeley should have an oncall mental health team, instead of relying on police officers to respond to issues; and I would like to see more done to address the issue of student homelessne­ss, by collaborat­ing with the University of California to ensure sufficient student housing is available, especially for financiall­y vulnerable (e.g., Pell Grant) students. BERNT WAHL_ To help end homelessne­ss, I would create more supply. Create places where people can be contacted and store belongings. GUY “MIKE” LEE The system is broken; it has little or nothing to do with the reality of homelessne­ss. A strategic plan must be formulated that incorporat­es short-, medium- and long-term goals. We must prioritize who gets first bite of the ever-shrinking resource pie. Is it the 70-yearold man dying of cancer, or the free spirit. In support of these goals, I have initiated the conversati­on to build a tinyhouse community here in Berkeley. I have two proposals before council that will reduce the population by 20 percent. www.oldbumform­ayor.org JESSE ARREGUIN Berkeley is facing a homelessne­ss crisis, with over 1,000 people currently living on Berkeley’s streets. As the council member representi­ng Berkeley’s downtown, I see the homeless crisis every day. I convened a Homeless Task Force in 2013 to bring community leaders together to discuss homelessne­ss and to develop solutions. The task force developed a set of recommenda­tions to address homelessne­ss. Many have been implemente­d, including establishi­ng storage, increasing access to restrooms, and funding five new mental health outreach workers. I also have strongly supported the implementa­tion of coordinate­d entry through the HUB, which centralize­s access to homeless services through one agency. However, the biggest challenge with this approach is there is not enough housing at the other end. We need to invest in housing first. On the council, I introduced the idea of developing a supportive housing project and emergency shelter on the city-owned Berkeley Way parking lot. Recently, I have been looking into the concept of Tiny Homes as a short-term approach. We also must increase funding for emergency rental assistance to prevent evictions and homelessne­ss. Lastly, we need to change the way we address homelessne­ss. Berkeley has for decades focused on emergency solutions to homelessne­ss. We need to invest in lasting preventati­ve solutions like housing first. We also need a regional approach, which is why I will work with leaders in other cities to find lasting solutions to this crisis. www.jesse.vote/vision KRISS WORTHINGTO­N 1. We need truly affordable housing policy prioritizi­ng units at 10, 20 and 30 percent of area median income, to create housing for homeless residents, the disabled community and seniors on fixed incomes. Currently, most “affordable housing” policies create a small number of units at 50 or 80 percent of area median income. My 27-point Short Term Housing Action Plan was delayed seven months before council voted to refer it for study. 2. Thirty-five percent of Berkeley police calls are mental health-related. Social workers or mental health profession­als are less expensive and better suited to help. This would free up more police officers to address violent crime and walk the beat. 3. Public restrooms are essential for homeless residents and for customers of local businesses alike. Funding meant for proposed commercial district public restrooms was transferre­d and never replenishe­d. 4. Low-income detox programs are urgently needed. 5. Considerat­ion of navigation centers like those in San Francisco. 6. Increase coordinati­on and/ or consolidat­ion of multiple nonprofit service providers. 7. Expanding short-term warming centers is a valuable intermedia­te step to address the immediate urgency. 8. New laws accomplish little. When small businesses call in, they are often told it is “low priority” and it may take 30 to 60 minutes to get a response. If the homeless do get arrested, it costs money to Berkeley and Alameda County and clogs up crowded court calendars. LAURIE CAPITELLI Homelessne­ss is an expansive regional issue, one in which we must partner with other Bay Area jurisdicti­ons in order to maximize everyone’s resources. On the regional level, we need to collaborat­e with other cities to implement a regional housing-first program — proven the most effective in reducing homelessne­ss — to get our most vulnerable citizens into safe, supportive housing. Much of our homeless population is also saddled with severe mental health problems. I have supported urging our county Board of Supervisor­s to begin a pilot program, Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AB1421), that allows our courts to direct persons who are seriously mentally ill to enter into community-based housing and wrap-around services. Berkeley’s long-term approaches currently include a Homeless Coordinate­d Entry or “HUB”: a one-stop entry for mental health services, temporary financial support, substance-abuse programs and job training. Because we need to create supportive housing in the downtown, I wholeheart­edly support the Berkeley Food and Housing proposal for downtown Berkeley that will both house the HUB and provide emergency beds and supportive housing. In the short term, I initiated a program to provide storage lockers so people on the streets can have a secure place for their belongings. We also need to ensure that people in the downtown have easy access to public restrooms. I have been partnering with mayoral candidate Mike Lee on a Tiny Homes project. Supported by the building trades and

the Berkeley Rotary, we will soon create a demonstrat­ion home to begin a community conversati­on about transition­al housing. We cannot solve this ourselves, but we can serve our residents through innovative programs that can be models to the rest of the Bay Area and the nation.

Berkeley City Council, D6

SUSAN WENGRAF A real solution for dealing with homelessne­ss requires a lot of money, a lot of time, and a coordinate­d effort among many agencies. Berkeley needs both shortand long-term strategies. I supported the following shortterm actions:

Funding for YEAH, a yearround youth shelter that offers beds and meals to young people 18-24.

Establishi­ng the Hub, a one-stop entry program for mental health services, temporary financial support, substance-abuse assistance, job training and housing referrals.

Funding four additional homeless case-management positions.

Expanding funding for rental-assistance programs to prevent people from slipping into homelessne­ss. Other short-term solutions I am considerin­g include: tiny houses; the creation of a “tent city” where camping is made legal and shower and sanitation facilities are provided; adding more social workers and mobile crisis workers to respond to homeless calls instead of police and fire. Neighborin­g cities must provide their fair share of services and resources. A coordinate­d regional approach is necessary. Berkeley alone cannot solve the problem of homelessne­ss. A long-term strategy needs to focus on permanent solutions:

The “housing first” approach, involves moving homeless individual­s — the majority of whom are living with mental illness or substance-abuse disorders or other serious health problems — into subsidized housing with support services. This approach seems to provide the stability necessary for improved outcomes.

Federal, state and county government­s must increase investment­s in low-rent housing with programs targeted to homeless individual­s.

Propositio­n 13 has strangled revenue sources to municipali­ties in California, and must be reformed.

Measure A1 on the November ballot will provide $580 million to build affordable housing in Alameda County. It will hopefully be passed by voters. www.susanwengr­af.com/ homelessne­ss/ FRED DODSWORTH We can end chronic homelessne­ss in Berkeley by treating this as a social, not a criminal problem. Over 35 percent of all police calls for service are responding to homelessne­ss, drug or alcohol abuse, or mental illness, costing Berkeley many millions of dollars per year. Meanwhile, Berkeley’s Police Department wants the city to hire 30 more officers, adding another $7 million-plus we don’t have to the budget. A smarter choice would be to hire and train a full component of mobile crisis-unit social workers at a fraction of what police officers cost. Berkeley has a mental health department and a too-small mobile crisis team. Expanding our mobile crisis teams (and their authority, equipment and skill sets) would get the homeless the treatment they need without bankruptin­g the city. Our mobile crisis workers could identify and track homeless people’s needs, enroll them in housing-first programs, and sign them up for Medi-Cal, Social Security and drug and alcohol programs. We would be reimbursed by the state for our expenses instead of paying police officers to handle social problems. Berkeley needs to allocate its limited resources to real human needs and get real results rather than punishing the poor for their poverty, the mentally ill for their illness. ISABELLE GASTON The City of Berkeley has over a billion dollars in unfunded liabilitie­s, with no concrete plan to pay that down. Anyone visiting our town can see the toll the financial mismanagem­ent has taken: We have closed two of our public swimming pools, closed parks, closed a senior center, closed a community center, closed our City Pier, and we have some of the worst roads in the Bay Area. And yes, we have more homeless than ever living in Berkeley, approximat­ely 800 individual­s in need of shelter any given day. What does fiscal mismanagem­ent have to do with the homeless? I believe Berkeley must get its financial house in order to provide a lasting solution to ending homelessne­ss. Sadly, most initiative­s will be band-aids until we do. Berkeley has had a structural deficit for well over a decade; therefore, our options are limited.

I support “housing first,” but finding the housing right away will be challengin­g. We’re having a difficult enough time as it is preventing displaceme­nt of residents (many of whom are one step from becoming homeless themselves).

Currently, the majority of our homeless budget of $12 million goes toward police and fire responding to homelessre­lated emergencie­s. The money could be better spent on round-the-clock mental health crisis teams.

We have to prevent people from losing their existing housing and becoming the next wave of homeless.

We must continue having developers pay into a housing trust fund.

We have to identify whether there are any empty buildings that could be used for emergency shelters.

Ultimately, we need to develop a regional approach to solve this issue, but that should not be an excuse for doing nothing in the meantime.

Berkeley City Council, D5

SOPHIE HAHN I believe in the concept of housing first and would like to see Berkeley partner with other East Bay cities and counties to create a comprehens­ive approach modeled after successful programs in other communitie­s. The only real solution to homelessne­ss is homes (and supportive services). Everything else is just wishful thinking — with a very high price to the homeless themselves, and to communitie­s that pour money into expensive police, criminal justice, ambulance and emergency-room “services.” Sadly, the Berkeley council’s majority has wasted years pushing laws to further criminaliz­e the homeless. I have and will continue to oppose these efforts. Laws against human behaviors such as sitting or placing objects on the sidewalk are not a solution; they are inevitably over-broad, criminaliz­ing basic human activities and inviting unequal enforcemen­t. I have a three-part plan to address the homeless crisis. First, we must expand emergency services for people on the brink of homelessne­ss to stem the tide of newly created homeless. A well-publicized hotline, rental assistance, vouchers for hotel stays, relocation services, and a requiremen­t that landlords provide informatio­n about housing resources to departing tenants. Second, we must invest, with regional partners, in coordinate­d, long-term solutions. San Francisco’s Navigation Centers are working — we should adopt this or other successful intake models. We need to acquire or build supportive housing and fund the comprehens­ive services that have proven successful. Finally, we need to implement stop-gap measures while we wait for long-term solutions to materializ­e. Berkeley’s Homeless Task Force Report outlines measures to adopt. I am interested in sanctioned tent cities with sanitation facilities, services and self-governance. A study by Yale’s National Law Center on Homelessne­ss & Poverty provides an overview of these imperfect, temporary measures. They are far more humane, sanitary and safe than chaotic encampment­s under freeways, on sidewalks and in our parks. STEPHEN MURPHY As a Berkeley City Council member, I’ll use the relationsh­ips I’ve made through my work as associate director of the Alameda County Family Justice Center to create a better system of regional resources and to increase city funding for more housing and services. I’ll work with my colleagues to engage with other cities and counties to create a system of regional resources. Berkeley has the Hub, a coordinate­d entry point for homeless people to receive housing and other important resources in one place. Alameda and Contra Costa counties need a coordinate­d system of Hubs to implement support systems across the region. Locally, Berkeley needs to fund more resources, including intensive case management for those who are most vulnerable, and we need funding to provide more housing and beds for homeless people (including children). At the Alameda County Family Justice Center, I work daily with disenfranc­hised people who are survivors of assault, abuse and traffickin­g. Many of these same people either are or have been homeless, and I have seen firsthand how difficult it is to escape homelessne­ss once it occurs. My work has helped me understand that the vast majority of people who are homeless have been victims of layers of abuse and neglect over the course of time. Homeless people need an intricate network of resources in order to fundamenta­lly improve their lives. This requires a long-term regional plan, including a collective commitment to a housing-first, case-management-focused model. And the first step is to envision a holistic regional system that addresses the core issues that lie at the root of homelessne­ss and all of its layers. Realistica­lly, the problem can’t be fixed right away, but we must work together with neighborin­g cities to move toward solutions. www.stephenmur­phy2016.com/policies/

Berkeley City Council, D3

AL G. MURRAY Initiative­s I would push to help end homelessne­ss:

Modify the city of Berkeley’s General Plan.

Declare a housing-crisis emergency whereby all council members, mayor and developers produce a comprehens­ive plan with percentage­s indicating the building and developmen­t of low- and moderate-priced housing within city limits. The approved plan would be implemente­d by the city manager. The failure to develop low- to moderate housing in the city leads to increasing the homelessne­ss problem.

Any efforts by a city or state that have been successful in addressing the homeless problem should be incorporat­ed and utilized in the city of Berkeley. BEN BARTLETT I intend to speed developmen­t of the Berkeley Food & Housing Project regional center. Going forward, we will fast-track low-income housing, expand the use of tiny houses, and partner with innovative developers like Los Angeles-based Step Up housing. DEBORAH MATTHEWS= A count performed in January 2015 found that there were an estimated 834 homeless people in Berkeley, a 23 percent increase over the last count in 2009. And a subset of that figure — those who are living on the streets or in other places not designed for habitation — grew 59 percent since 2009, up to 568 people. I’m encouraged by the approach in addressing homelessne­ss with a “housing first” focus — providing need-based housing instead of making the housing dependent on work training or getting treatment for mental health or addiction issues. Too often, homeless people have to “earn” their way into housing, a daunting task when it’s so hard to make progress on mental health, addiction or employment issues without stable housing. But this approach falls short when affordable housing is so scarce. While it’s promising that we are embracing “housing first,” there are fewer affordable housing units than ever before. Local government­s and communitie­s across the country are now finding a practical solution to homelessne­ss through the constructi­on of tiny-house villages. As an example, Dignity Village is a membership-based community in Portland, Ore., providing shelter off the streets for people. It’s democratic­ally self-governed with a mission to provide transition­al housing that fosters community and self-empowermen­t. I support the efforts of the Berkeley City Council to explore the feasibilit­y studies of addressing homelessne­ss with tiny houses. Homelessne­ss must be top priority in our city, and we must make certain to include the homeless community’s voice in our decisionma­king process to provide for the sensitive needs of this community accurately and with compassion. To move Berkeley and our homeless community united from underpass encampment­s to tiny houses is an enormous stride in addressing homelessne­ss and rebuilding trust with one of our most underserve­d and vulnerable communitie­s — a positive game changer. www.ivotedebor­ah.com MARK COPLAN We need to break down our homeless community into at least five groups. Those mentally impacted who need long-term solutions; people who have lost their housing and only need a hand up; and teens in three groups — foster youth who become adults without income, runaways, and teens who have been caught up in the drug culture in Berkeley. I’m not talking about the 1960s pot culture. I’m talking about the current availabili­ty of any kind of drug in a relatively safe buying environmen­t, which draws teens from all along the Interstate 680 corridor, who then can’t get out of Berkeley. We need to be able to address the specific needs of all of these groups because a “one size fits all” plan doesn’t work. We need to look closely at the money the city is currently spending with minimal results, and make the hard decisions and refocus some of those dollars into things like: the tiny homes we are currently exploring; possible homeless housing with compact quarters in a building along the east side or People’s Park, connected with other services to ensure success for the homeless currently living there now; and other more direct housing solutions. We also need to be willing to commit the small amounts of money being requested that will make a difference as quickly as we commit to waiving fees from developers. I question the council’s repeated refusal to come up with $17,000 to make a successful drop-in center for homeless teens year-round due to our limited budget, while they negotiate six-figure and million-dollar deals with developers without blinking an eye. I plan to work closely with the Homeless and Housing Advisory Commission­s to find practical and effective solutions.

Berkeley City Council, D2

CHERYL DAVILA Housing is a human right. Berkeley’s homelessne­ss infrastruc­ture, while excellent in many ways, needs increases in funding and innovative approaches. I will support these changes in conversati­on with homeless community members and service providers. Berkeley needs mental health mobile-crisis units that are available 24/7 to address a variety of issues, homelessne­ss and 911 calls related to mental health crisis. A mobile crisis unit with a social worker and psychologi­st that has been trained to address a mental health crisis should be the first responder in such situations, a mental health crisis, not the police. Berkeley has a variety of proposals for increasing housing stock. in our urban core and in our neighborho­ods. I am dedicated to increasing new affordable housing stock in creative and sustainabl­e ways. There are several pending projects in District Two and neighborin­g districts, most of which are market-rate housing. And the inclusiona­ry affordable units are being omitted by developers paying in-lieu fees in lieu of the affordable units. This should be discourage­d. We need to increase the percentage of inclusiona­ry units for new developmen­t to 35 percent or more. Using funds from developers who elect to pay the fees, we must quickly and efficientl­y build new affordable, comfortabl­e units that which are comfortabl­e and are distribute­d evenly throughout the city. Rents in such units should be capped at 30 percent of a resident’s income. Let’s also explore property developmen­t in the hills, which unlike the city’s flatlands, have been untouched and omitted from developmen­t. The flatlands are the target of new developmen­t. Let’s bring equity into the equation and explore the entire city. Repealing the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act should be on every municipali­ty’s agenda. We cannot effectivel­y address our affordable-housing and gentrifica­tion crises without repealing its restrictio­ns and bringing back fair and thoughtful vacancy control. As a councilwom­an, I will lead this charge. DARRYL MOORE Berkeleyan­s are very compassion­ate people. We feel a responsibi­lity to everyone in our community, particular­ly our most vulnerable. As such, Berkeley devotes a great deal of resources to address the homelessne­ss crisis in our community. We spend approximat­ely $3 million a year on homelessre­lated resources, not including our most recent initiative­s. We recently increased funding for our homeless outreach program and mobile crisis team. The Berkeley Police Department has expanded its Crisis Interventi­on Training to compassion­ately handle interactio­ns with our homeless population and those with mental health challenges. We are currently providing storage lockers for our homeless population to store their personal belongings. During the winter, we provide warming centers and have recently expanded our winter shelter to provide service year-round. Still, while we are doing a great deal, I think more must be done. We need to improve the cost of housing in general, but in particular provide more housing for the very low income. We must petition the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developmen­t to obtain more project-based, Section 8 vouchers for more affordable-housing projects. I believe meeting people where they are is a key to engaging our homeless population. We should bring social workers into our libraries, since much of our homeless population utilize their free computer and Internet access and clean bathrooms. San Francisco has had remarkable success with such an effort. I also believe we need to approach the homeless crisis on a regional basis, so we aren’t constantly in a push-pull relationsh­ip with neighborin­g cities. Given that we have very little available land in Berkeley, but Oakland’s former Army base or Alameda’s former naval base offer a perfect opportunit­y site to provide a great deal of housing for the region’s homeless population. www.moorefordi­strict2.com/ homelessne­ss NANCI ARMSTRONGT­EMPLE Because there are multiple root causes of homelessne­ss, there must be multiple approaches to solving this crisis. The comprehens­ive support systems and services that are already in place are just the starting point. Berkeley has not hit the mark on providing necessary services to some of our most critical homeless population­s, such as those with mental health issues. Specific initiative­s I support include:

Declare a housing emergency to reflect the seriousnes­s of our current housing and homelessne­ss situation as a public health crisis.

Declare a moratorium on rent-hike evictions.

Increase the number of units that qualify as truly affordable by working with developers who will agree to build marketrate units in a 1:1 ratio to those capped at 30 percent of income.

Incentiviz­e developmen­t that encourages the retention of long-term residents to create a practice of developmen­t without displaceme­nt.

Prioritize low-income and workforce housing.

Create a policy that requires the city’s mental health units to respond to calls for interventi­on with homeless and/or mentally ill individual­s. Berkeley needs stronger policies that both keep the focus on community-oriented developmen­t and provide the oversight necessary to regulate new and existing developmen­t projects.

?? Leah Millis / The Chronicle ?? Oakland: Sheila Williams, 55, sits outside of the tiny home that she shares with her husband.
Leah Millis / The Chronicle Oakland: Sheila Williams, 55, sits outside of the tiny home that she shares with her husband.
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?? Michael Short / The Chronicle 2014 ?? San Francisco: A person is seen sleeping on the ground at Civic Center Plaza in front of City Hall.
Michael Short / The Chronicle 2014 San Francisco: A person is seen sleeping on the ground at Civic Center Plaza in front of City Hall.
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?? Gabrielle Lurie / Special to The Chronicle ?? San Francisco: Leslie Browntree lingers in her tent on Division Street in March as city work crews clear a camp that was declared a health hazard and was angering neighbors.
Gabrielle Lurie / Special to The Chronicle San Francisco: Leslie Browntree lingers in her tent on Division Street in March as city work crews clear a camp that was declared a health hazard and was angering neighbors.
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?? Paul Chinn / The Chronicle ?? Berkeley: Vicky Pfeifer removes her belongings from a homeless encampment on Gilman Street below Interstate 80. Caltrans is putting up fencing to prevent the homeless from camping at the site.
Paul Chinn / The Chronicle Berkeley: Vicky Pfeifer removes her belongings from a homeless encampment on Gilman Street below Interstate 80. Caltrans is putting up fencing to prevent the homeless from camping at the site.
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