On May 28, 2019, a City Council Study Session was held to discuss the City’s Comprehensive Approach to Address Homelessness, an overview of homeless activities and resources deployed in the City to address the increasing homelessness challenges together with the 2019 Point in Time Count data, the Garden Grove Police Department Special Resources Team (SRT) efforts, and FY 2018-19 fiscal impacts.  Since then, the City has actively expanded homeless resources and programs:

•  Prioritized Public Safety and Street Outreach with SRT, which was expanded from two officers to four officers with seven-day coverage, and supportive homeless street outreach services through City Net.

•  Funded OC-211 and Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to collect Garden Grove homeless data into an interactive dashboard database, and coordinate deployment of a countywide comprehensive referrral system of health and human services and support, accessible 24 hours a day.

•  Programmed Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) towards homeless prevention, shelter services and street outreach programs and activities.

•  Expanded the City's food box/hot meal programs to seniors, individuals and families impacted by COVID-19.

•  Implemented the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rental Transition (HEART) program to provide rental assistance.

•  Formed Garden Grove’s Coalition to End Homelessness to bring together local non-profits, local governmental agencies, faith-based organizations, the homeless and formerly homeless, interested business leaders, schools, and other community groups.

•  Coordinated with regional partners including the County of Orange, Commission to End Homelessness, and the Central Service Planning Area (SPA) cities. 

A copy of the May 2019 Comprehensive Approach to Address Homelessness is provided as Attachment No. 1 and also available on the City’s website at ggcity.org/endhomelessness

As uncertainty of the economy, unemployment, and housing instability compounded with the public health emergency due to the COVID pandemic persists, it is important to bring awareness of current efforts and seek public input about homelessness in Garden Grove to help guide long-term priorities of post-COVID recovery. It is an extreme challenge to forecast some of the short-term and long-term impacts that the COVID pandemic has had or may have on those individuals experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness. However, the objective is to continue having a proactive community dialogue, share homeless resources information, and provide a forum in which public engagement can occur. To that end, a preliminary roadmap in the form of the Draft Comprehensive Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness is presented this evening. 

Staff recommends undertaking a robust community engagement process to communicate the City’s existing homeless resources, share information about homelessness prevention and outreach programs that were expanded with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Emergency Solution Grant (ESG) funds under the CARES Act to support individuals and families impacted by COVID-19. This community engagement process would continue to build upon the extensive public outreach process for the City’s Five-Year Consolidated Action Plan for 2020-2025 and FY 2020-21 Action Plan (December 2020), the Orange County Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice for FY 2020, and the Housing Element Update (October 2021). This information has been incorporated in the draft document.  Over the next few weeks, a series of virtual meetings and information webinars would be initiated including: 

• Engage Garden Grove’s Coalition to End Homelessness and community partners.

• Encourage community participation in the upcoming virtual Homelessness 101 webinar hosted by Orange County Unitied Way as part of their United to End Homelessness initiative that is scheduled on February 9, 2021.

• Encourage community participation in the upcoming virtual Advocacy 101 webinar hosted by Orange County Unitied Way as part of their United to End Homelessness initiative that is scheduled on February 19, 2021.

• Conduct a virtual Community Information Forum with Garden Grove's local service providers and partners in spring 2021.
  
  
• Collaborate with Fair Housing Foundation to present Fair Housing Rental Counseling Workshops.

• Update and transform the City’s homeless resources website to a new Garden Grove Homelessness Toolkit website.

In addition to advancing the community engagement process, it is envisioned refinement of the Draft Comprehensive Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness will be brought back to the City Council for adoption and would ultimately serve to guide and coordinate efforts to alleviate homelessness and align Garden Grove’s local efforts with regional coordination at the County of Orange, Central Service Planning Area (SPA) cities, and the OC Commission to End Homelessness.

The key components of the Draft Comprehensive Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness is intended to be flexible and adaptable to community needs, while developing a framework of goals and strategic actions to implement homelessness prevention activities and solutions over the next five (5) years, given opportunities and available resources.

A brief summary of the preliminary goals outlined in the Draft CSP-GG are listed below and a copy of the Draft Comprehensive Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness is provided as Attachment No. 2.

 Goal #1: Develop community engagement efforts around homelessness and raise awareness about available resources and best practices.

 Goal #2: Expand homelessness prevention efforts.

 Goal #3: Enhance data tracking and homeless outreach activities among city staff and service providers.

 Goal #4: Explore options for emergency housing.

 Goal #5: Increase access to affordable and supportive housing.

Further refinement of the goals and strategic actions would be accomplished through the community engagement process of the Draft Comprehensive Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness.

A comprehensive fiscal impact analysis would be conducted to determine fiscal impact to the General Fund, if and when additional homeless programs and activities are recommended for implementation.