That the City Council approve the addition of a new position and job classification of Community Outreach Liaison to the City's Compensation Schedule and authorize the appropriation of $90,000 from Non-General Fund sources in the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 budget as part of a new Community Outreach pilot program in the Community Services Department.

For the past several years the City of La Habra has worked closely with the County of Orange, a coalition of local cities in the North Orange County Service Planning Area, and the non-profit and faith based community to serve the needs of the homeless in the La Habra community. Services have included emergency and longer term sheltering, housing aid, health and welfare outreach, mental health and substance abuse counseling, provision of food, as well as other related social services and programs.  Services have been offered and provided to those who were experiencing homelessness, at risk of becoming homeless, as well as for those individuals who suffer from social/emotional/physical disabilities, and underserved individuals, including veterans and senior citizens.

Staff from various City departments, including Community Services, Housing and Economic Development, and the Police Department work closely with County resources, non-profit and for-profit vendors, the faith-based community, and other government organizations to help find housing and programs for those in need that are willing to accept assistance. Part of the City's homeless outreach efforts in the past was to utilize the services of City Net, a private firm specializing in homeless outreach.  As City Council is aware, the City's homeless outreach support from City Net expired at the end of their most recent agreement in June 2021 when the grant funding directed to the North Orange County Public Safety Task Force expired.  Since that time, homeless outreach efforts in the community have been provided by the La Habra Police Department Homeless Liaison Officers and other City staff, as well as County of Orange outreach staff on a bi-weekly basis.
 
While the City's homeless outreach efforts have provided much needed assistance to many individuals in the community, staff nevertheless recognizes the need for continued and enhanced service support and to develop a long-term plan for success. The challenge to provide effective homeless outreach is complex, as are the many overlapping programs and services that are available from regional and state government agencies, as well as non-profits and privately operated programs.  To help navigate these varied programs and services, as well as to develop a more robust local knowledge of the La Habra homeless community, staff proposes dedicating a specific position in the City to provide outreach to the homeless community, as well as to coordinate the City's homeless programs with other service agencies.  Staff believes this approach will provide greater long-term benefits, particularly in areas of program effectiveness, oversight, collaboration, and results.

City Net Background
In 2016 the City executed an agreement with City Net, a private community outreach contractor, to develop and administer a homeless outreach program for the City of La Habra.  Pursuant to that agreement, City Net staff worked in partnership with La Habra Police Department Homeless Liaison Officers, as well as other local civic and non-profit organizations to provide the opportunity for homeless residents to move from the streets to short term housing, with the goal of placing them on a path toward permanent housing. This effort was facilitated by encouraging stakeholders, civic organizations, and advocacy groups to end homelessness, and discourage well-intended activities that often ended up enabling the homeless to be comfortable remaining homeless.  At the time of the initial contract, City Net was to provide the equivalent of 1.25 full-time employees (50 hours per week) as a cost of approximately $90,000 per year.

While the partnership with City Net yielded positive results, the costs to provide the service increased to approximately $150,000 per year, and the overall agreement to provide these services transitioned from the City to the North Orange County Public Safety Task Force (Task Force) on behalf of the participating cities, including La Habra, when grant funding was secured to pay for these types of programs. In June 2021, the State grant funding for the Task Force expired and the agreement with City Net was not renewed. Staff from several cities, including La Habra, met with City Net at that time to evaluate the program and discuss potential methods of reorganization. 

After taking into consideration the costs and benefits of entering into a new agreement with City Net, City staff determined that it may be more effective to establish a City managed pilot Community Outreach program and provide more extensive targeted services with a specific focus on serving the needs of those in the La Habra community who are experiencing homelessness or at-risk of becoming homelessness, as well as other vulnerable populations. This concept, which is also being considered or has already been adopted by other local jurisdictions, would dedicate resources and full time assigned City staff to work in close collaboration with civic and non-profit partner organizations, as well as local schools, the faith-based community, the County of Orange, and other cities in the North Orange County Service Planning Area.

Staff proposes that these new duties and a new position be assigned to the Community Services Department as part of its current social services mission. The new position would not only take on the role and function that had been previously fulfilled by City Net contractors, serving as the first line of contact for individuals in need of services related to homelessness, but also to provide outreach and services to other vulnerable populations in the community. The person hired and assigned to this new role in the Community Services Department would work closely with the La Habra Police Department Homeless Liaison Officers to ensure safe contact can be made with those who are experiencing homeless and who may require social, emotional, medical, substance abuse, or mental health services.
 
It is clear that no single program will eradicate the conditions that can lead to homelessness and that changing the circumstances that lead some to homelessness will not occur overnight; however, the issues surrounding homelessness have far-reaching impacts both to the homeless population themselves, as well as the community as a whole; therefore, developing an in-house program to address these needs may provide for better oversight, effectiveness and accountability, with the goal of delivering a higher level of service to all impacted groups in the community.

In the event the City Council approves the establishment of a pilot Community Outreach Program and staffing model, the staff person hired to help lead this effort will serve the needs of the homeless as described above, but will also have the following responsibilities:

If the program is approved, staff will evaluate its effectiveness through the next fiscal year and will report back to City Council with any recommended program changes or modifications as part of the annual budget process.

The City currently has sufficient grant funding dedicated for homeless services to fund all direct and indirect costs, estimated at $90,000, associated with the proposed Community Outreach Program's staffing plan for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2021-2022.  As such, there will be no impact to the General Fund.

Costs associated with the Community Outreach Liaison position and the program will be paid for through a combination of direct State funding for law enforcement and support for the unhoused, as well as from Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) - Coronavirus funds, and SB2 funding, if necessary.