Homelessness Services

Livable

Housing & Human Services

FY2024 Budget

Program Budget Overview

Description

  • Homelessness Services supports a variety of interventions to transition community members from homelessness to housing. Homelessness Services creates programming and partners with other city, regional and nonprofit agencies to provide programs addressing the needs of underserved and vulnerable community members experiencing homelessness. These activities include targeted and coordinated outreach and engagement, finding unique housing solutions for high system utilizers, mitigating of the impacts of encampments within public spaces, providing critical weather sheltering, and connecting unhoused persons with mental and behavioral health treatment. Key initiatives include support of sheltering options for people experiencing homelessness; management of a local vouchering program; creation of coordinated service hubs including a Homelessness Day Services Center and a respite center; and providing housing retention and peer support services to recently housed formerly unhoused community members.

Summary of 2024 Budget Enhancements/Realignments:

  • The 2024 Budget includes the continued investment in a new Day Services Center, including $5 million in the Governmental Capital Fund for capital contribution and $1.6 million from the General Fund in ongoing operational costs, to support daytime resource navigation and service provision to assist individuals experiencing homelessness,.
  • Increased ongoing funding of $100,000 for targeted permanently supportive housing vouchers. These vouchers are generally used in housing high system utilizers. The local voucher program is comprised of supportive services and monthly rental assistance. There has been increased community demand to find housing solutions for people camping in public spaces, and rental costs have increased significantly. There are currently 391 people on the countywide list of people in the housing queue.

Sustainability, Equity and Resilience (SER) Goals & Objectives: Livable

  • Objectives
    • Provides a variety of housing types with a full range of affordability.
    • Supports community members who are unhoused or underhoused to navigate systems, programs, and services to achieve housing security.

Program Outcomes

  • Reduced returns to homelessness.
  • Increased transition from homelessness to housing.

Measurements

  • The Adult Homelessness Dashboard tracks progress along designated outcomes, specifically including exits from housing. Progress data is also measured, including shelter bed capacity, turn-aways, etc.
  • Regular analysis of program effectiveness, with respect to high system utilizers and other key initiatives, is regularly performed in partnership with other city departments and county partnerships.