County To Consider Merging Homeless Services
Alcohol, drug shortfall also on agenda
County to consider merging homeless services
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The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors will consider dissolving the county’s homeless advisory committees today and reorganizing them along with nonprofits and other efforts to form one collaborative public-private organization.
The proposal, put on the agenda by 3rd District Supervisor Doreen Farr, follows a number of reports on homeless needs including one from the Santa Barbara County Grand Jury and another on recidivism in the county jail. The reports advocate for merging homeless resources to improve efficiency and save money and resources.
The end result would be to provide more effective and efficient homeless-related services and accountability in a coordinated effort, resulting in smarter practices and better outcomes for the community, according to Farr.
The discussion is set for 1:30 p.m. at the hearing room on the fourth floor of the county administration building at 105 E. Anapamu St. in Santa Barbara. The public can address the board in person or by using the remote audio and video equipment at the Betteravia Government Center, 511 E. Lakeside Parkway, Santa Maria.
“What we’re trying to do is, on a bigger scale, do what worked so well for the warming centers,” Farr said, “come up with a more streamlined collaborative model for the county, cities and existing nonprofit organizations and community-based organizations that are involved in this issue.”
Farr noted that the reorganization has been in the works for months, and that numerous public meetings have been held on the topic to get input.
The plan calls for merging the collaborative community group Common Ground Santa Barbara, the nonprofit Bringing Our Community Home: the Ten-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness (BOCH) and the county homeless advisory committees in Santa Barbara, Lompoc and Santa Maria.
The new effort would have a policy council including two members of the Board of Supervisors and representatives from the county’s larger cities, which would somewhat mirror the existing homeless advisory committees.
A dedicated staff coordinator based in a yet-to-be determined nonprofit, and appropriate county staff from Public Health, Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health, Social Services, Community Services, Veterans Affairs, Probation, Sheriff’s Department and the courts would be efficiently coordinated into the new structure, allowing for better use of staff time and using county and community-wide resources more strategically.
“We’re trying to do better with the resources we have,” Farr said. “There’s already a lot of energy behind this. Hopefully, the rest of the board will agree.”
Farr said the savings will not always be visible.
“Some will be quantifiable, and some won’t be,” Farr said. For example, she said, “Instead of Dr. Wada (the county Public Health Director) sitting in a meeting, his time is freed up to spend on other things. I’m not sure how you quantify that, but when you consider (all the departments) involved in these efforts and you multiply that out, that’s huge right there.”
Also today, the board will:
- Receive and discuss a report on ways to handle a $6.4 million shortfall in the county Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services Department.
- Consider petitions for review of a Dec. 20, 2011, arbitrator’s decision in a rent-control case involving homeowners and management at the Nomad Village Mobile Home Park in Santa Barbara.
- Consider recommendations regarding retirement benefits for general employees hired on or after June 25.
There is a live stream broadcast of the Board of Supervisors’ meetings, and copies of agendas and minutes of the meetings are available at www.countyofsb.org.
Read more: http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/county-to-consider-merging-homeless-services/article_c4f58ae0-9e5d-11e1-9f1d-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1uwnzMN1Y
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