HOMELESS SUPPORT SYSTEMS MERGER AT SB BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETINGS
| 4:40pm May 7 |
Call for Help & Action:
Support for the Merger of Bringing Our Community Home, Common Ground, and the County Homeless Advisory Committees
Agenda Item: Homeless Support Systems Merger
Please come to the Board of Supervisors meeting room on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. The Board of Supervisors Hearing starts at 9am. You can call (805) 568-2240 for an update on the time of agenda item. If you can't make it, please send emails, calls and letters to all of our BOS members. We need all people who care about the homeless crisis in our County to advocate for improved policies and coordination that will ensure more streamlined and efficient delivery of services to the homeless.
WHAT:
In order to save the lives of the most vulnerable people in our County, those struggling with homelessness, there is an immediate need for a better coordinated, comprehensive, countywide system of care that promotes collaboration and coordination of resources to the homeless.
In our current economic climate, the impacts of reduced social services and a limited supply of permanent affordable housing have seriously affected our most vulnerable community members, and the number of those who need permanent housing and social services continues to grow. It is critical for government, the private sector, and the nonprofit community to collaborate to provide efficient and effective services to the homeless in our communities. The merging of homeless-related services, resources and expertise within a comprehensive public/private partnership will establish a structured process for policy making, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of services allocated to housing those vulnerable people living on our streets.
The current service delivery model includes many isolated government, nonprofit, business and community based programs and services focused on specific aspects of homelessness and does not promote collaboration among service providers or encourage coordination of resources.
This new collaborative model will promote the “Housing First,” and “Housing Ready” models and help to identify duplication of activities and gaps in services, and will also reduce the use of costly emergency and public safety related systems as a safety net, thus better serving this needy population at the least cost to County and community resources.
Please let the Supervisors know now is the time to implement better strategies for reducing homelessness in our County by 1) approving the proposed merger; 2) proposing amendments to existing ordinances that will reflect this new collaborative structure, and 3) by directing County staff to allocate resources for homeless services within the new structure and investigate additional funding options for the County’s portion of this new effort.
How To Contact The Board:
Persons may address the Board at the County Administration Building, Board Hearing Room, Fourth Floor, 105 East Anapamu Street, in Santa Barbara or at the Betteravia Government Center, Board Hearing Room, 511 East Lakeside Parkway, Santa Maria.
Board Members:
1st District: Salud Carbajal, Vice-Chair
Phone: (805) 568-2186
SupervisorCarbajal@sbcbos1.org
2nd District: Janet Wolf
Phone: (805) 568-2191
jwolf@sbcbos2.org
3rd District: Doreen Farr, Chair
Phone: (805) 568-2192
dfarr@countyofsb.org
4th District: Joni Gray
Lompoc: (805) 737-7700
jgray@co.santa-barbara.ca.us
5th District: Steve Lavagnino
Phone: (805) 346-8400
steve.lavagnino@countyofsb.org
Support for the Merger of Bringing Our Community Home, Common Ground, and the County Homeless Advisory Committees
Agenda Item: Homeless Support Systems Merger
Please come to the Board of Supervisors meeting room on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. The Board of Supervisors Hearing starts at 9am. You can call (805) 568-2240 for an update on the time of agenda item. If you can't make it, please send emails, calls and letters to all of our BOS members. We need all people who care about the homeless crisis in our County to advocate for improved policies and coordination that will ensure more streamlined and efficient delivery of services to the homeless.
WHAT:
In order to save the lives of the most vulnerable people in our County, those struggling with homelessness, there is an immediate need for a better coordinated, comprehensive, countywide system of care that promotes collaboration and coordination of resources to the homeless.
In our current economic climate, the impacts of reduced social services and a limited supply of permanent affordable housing have seriously affected our most vulnerable community members, and the number of those who need permanent housing and social services continues to grow. It is critical for government, the private sector, and the nonprofit community to collaborate to provide efficient and effective services to the homeless in our communities. The merging of homeless-related services, resources and expertise within a comprehensive public/private partnership will establish a structured process for policy making, coordination, implementation, and evaluation of services allocated to housing those vulnerable people living on our streets.
The current service delivery model includes many isolated government, nonprofit, business and community based programs and services focused on specific aspects of homelessness and does not promote collaboration among service providers or encourage coordination of resources.
This new collaborative model will promote the “Housing First,” and “Housing Ready” models and help to identify duplication of activities and gaps in services, and will also reduce the use of costly emergency and public safety related systems as a safety net, thus better serving this needy population at the least cost to County and community resources.
Please let the Supervisors know now is the time to implement better strategies for reducing homelessness in our County by 1) approving the proposed merger; 2) proposing amendments to existing ordinances that will reflect this new collaborative structure, and 3) by directing County staff to allocate resources for homeless services within the new structure and investigate additional funding options for the County’s portion of this new effort.
How To Contact The Board:
Persons may address the Board at the County Administration Building, Board Hearing Room, Fourth Floor, 105 East Anapamu Street, in Santa Barbara or at the Betteravia Government Center, Board Hearing Room, 511 East Lakeside Parkway, Santa Maria.
Board Members:
1st District: Salud Carbajal, Vice-Chair
Phone: (805) 568-2186
SupervisorCarbajal@sbcbos1.org
2nd District: Janet Wolf
Phone: (805) 568-2191
jwolf@sbcbos2.org
3rd District: Doreen Farr, Chair
Phone: (805) 568-2192
dfarr@countyofsb.org
4th District: Joni Gray
Lompoc: (805) 737-7700
jgray@co.santa-barbara.ca.us
5th District: Steve Lavagnino
Phone: (805) 346-8400
steve.lavagnino@countyofsb.org
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