This report is comprised of summaries which detail the components of policy programs as well as the political and fiscal feasibility of each. They are grouped by policy area; these areas are: housing, prevention and partnership, mental health, and infrastructure based recommendations. While each recommendation attempts to address the city’s concerns related to homelessness, both cost and political feasibility must be taken into account. Cost is an obvious concern for a small, local government entity, and political feasibility, or the likelihood that there will be community support for the tools, is an important factor to consider. At present, it may be that only a few policy tools are feasible for the city to pursue, however other tools may become more feasible over time. This report acknowledges the challenges associated with each tool, but should the city have the means and motivation, these tools are a logical starting point.

Recommendations most feasible for National City, at the current time, are both the municipal shower program and the extension of the ARTS partnership. These tools take into account existing city resources, rely on nonprofit collaboration, and encourage the city to take an active role in addressing homelessness. The municipal shower program would incorporate public safety personnel and community volunteers in providing open shower times for homeless individuals. The program would rely heavily on community donations for shower supplies. It is a novel approach to the issue of pollution in the waterways and in providing essential or basic services to the homeless in the city. The ARTS partnership has the potential to result in both the beautification of the community and the provision of services to youth experiencing homelessness in National City.

While other tools represent higher costs, at some point in time they may become viable solutions for the city. This report can serve as a guide to a variety of potential strategies for addressing homelessness in National City.

The Sage Project Contact Info
Kristofer Patron
Program Administrator
kpatron@sdsu.edu
(619) 594-0103

University Faculty Contact
Shawn Flanigan
Public Administration

Local Government / Community Contact

Development

To accomplish these goals, political science students partnered with the City of San Diego and the Sage Project at San Diego State University to prepare an objective analysis of the program. Data was gathered from the San Diego Police Department, Mental Health Systems, and other agencies in order to present a snapshot of the effectiveness and efficiency of SIP. All comparisons were made between what SIP offers, in terms of treatments and costs, to the alternative of letting the target population continue without assistance. At the end of the project, we found evidence that SIP has been effective in reducing the number of homeless individuals who suffer from serial inebriation and also offers substantial cost savings to local governments.

The apparent effectiveness and efficiency of SIP prompted us to recommend an expansion of this model to other homeless populations. In addition, we recommend ways to make SIP more effective at its own goals. In short, we recommend that SIP expand its eligibility classifications, aim for better communication among and between agencies, and create an avenue for post-treatment tracking of those who complete the program. As a part of the cost-benefit analysis, we also recommend that a separate report be completed singularly on the costs and benefits of SIP. Without the concerted effort of all those involved, this report would not have been possible. For that, we are grateful and hope this report shows the progress and impact that the Serial Inebriate Program has and will continue to have in San Diego.

The Sage Project Contact Info
Kristofer Patron
Program Administrator
kpatron@sdsu.edu
(619) 594-0103

University Faculty Contact
Brian Adams
Political Science

Local Government / Community Contact

Police

The Sage Project Contact Info
Kristofer Patron
Program Administrator
kpatron@sdsu.edu
(619) 594-0103

University Faculty Contact
Kristen Maher
Political Science

Local Government / Community Contact

Assistant City Manager

The Sage Project Contact Info
Kristofer Patron
Program Administrator
kpatron@sdsu.edu
(619) 594-0103

University Faculty Contact
Kurt Lindemann
Communication

Local Government / Community Contact

We interviewed the homeless residents of the East Village regarding the services they access, their desire to obtain permanent housing, and their interactions with law enforcement—both the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) in general and the SDPD’s Homeless Outreach Team (HOT).

Our findings indicate that access to permanent housing for homeless individuals remains low. Major barriers to housing include: difficulty meeting requirements, such as delays in qualifying for and receiving Supplemental Security Income; the expense of housing in San Diego and the dwindling availability of single room occupancy facilities; the lack of safety in some temporary housing options that serve as a pipeline to permanent housing, including shelters and transitional housing; and the inability of current housing options to deal with issues of addiction, especially for active drug users. Our research participants vocalized a need for more sensitivity on the part of the City and the SDPD in general to the various circumstances which precipitate homelessness, rather than a blanket assumption of deviance. Our participants also vocalized the need for safe outdoor spaces, lockers, and bathrooms for those living on the streets while awaiting housing. While there is ample awareness among homeless individuals of the HOT’s presence, the team faces an array of obstacles in connecting homeless individuals in need with available resources. Barriers, including coordination across diverse service providers and a dearth of skilled nursing facilities in the local area, and recommendations for the HOT are discussed.

Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.

Sustainable City Years Program Contact Info

University Faculty Contact
Rick Kvitek
Natural Sciences
Professor
rkivtek@csumb.edu

Local Government / Community Contact
Rick Riedl
Public Works
City Engineer
rriedl@ci.seaside.ca.us
831-899-6886

Homelessness is a complex issue that affects a city in its entirety. This project aims
to analyze and evaluate the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness and lists potential
action items that could work towards mitigating homelessness in the City of Auburn.
As well as providing a preliminary assessment of each of the 61 action items the
task force identified, we drafted the most applicable and practical action items
into potential policy recommendations. Next, literature was examined concerning
various homelessness policies and applied to the City of Auburn’s context to create
working recommendations for aiding those experiencing homelessness in Auburn.
We propose two overarching sets of policy recommendations based on the action
items developed by the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness. The first set of
recommendations seeks to create a campaign that would 1) familiarize the residents
of Auburn with the causes of homelessness and humanize those experiencing
homelessness to gain support for future assistance endeavors and 2) improve
interagency communication between various institutions. This campaign seeks to
combine enhanced public knowledge of situations surrounding homelessness with
a more responsive, integrated social service ecosystem in order to build advocacy
and capacity. The second set of recommendations involves utilizing different
housing policy models to identify space and potential funding to sustain affordable
housing in Auburn.

Livable City Year Contact Info
Teri Thomson Randall
Program Manager
terir@uw.edu
206.221.9240

University Faculty Contact
Kyle Crowder
Sociology
Professor
kylecrow@uw.edu
(206) 616-1203

Local Government / Community Contact
Nancy Backus