City Council
Meeting: September 26, 2006
Agenda Item: 1-G
To: Mayor and City Council
From:
Subject: Acceptance of
Recommended
Action
It is recommended that the City Council accept County
of Los Angeles grant funds in the amount of $458,000 over a one-year period for
supportive services and housing in conjunction with a monthly Homeless
Community Court; appropriate funds and make necessary budget changes; and
authorize the City Manager to execute any necessary grant agreements.
Executive
Summary
The City of
The motion creating the program was introduced by Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky
and was approved unanimously by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on
June 26, 2006. Funding for this program
is part of the County’s $80 million Homeless and Housing Program Fund. Authorization for the County Chief
Administrative Officer to execute a Project Agreement with the City of
Discussion
Background
The proposed Homeless Community Court is predicated on the notion
of “therapeutic justice” – combining consequences and help to effectively
address the underlying problems contributing to the proliferation of
quality-of-life crimes. In the therapeutic justice model, when local police
departments make arrests for such crimes, these cases are all handled in a
single court by the same judge and prosecutor and other court personnel. The judge uses the individual’s contact with
the criminal justice system a means to link the individual to supportive
services and housing. Supportive service
staff consults with the officers of the court and are often present at the
court proceedings.
In the context of homelessness, the goals of these
“problem-solving” courts are to use the criminal justice system as a component
of a continuum of care dedicated to moving chronically homeless individuals off
of the streets and into supportive services and housing; to maximize the
efforts of the multiple systems working with the individual to achieve
successful outcomes; to use the authority of the court to establish a
commitment from chronically homeless offenders, increase their accountability,
and decrease their interaction with law enforcement and the criminal justice
system.
The
Santa Monica Homeless Community Court is designed as a community court
specifically for homeless individuals.
As such, it will prioritize chronically homeless individuals cited with
“presence” crimes including camping, sleeping in doorways, lying down on the
Promenade, park closure, abusive solicitation and some trespass cases. Participants will be provided with supportive
services and housing in order to address underlying causes of their offenses –
often their homelessness coupled with substance abuse or mental health
issues. Persons with serious criminal
convictions, including felons, would not be eligible for the program. Charges for
“presence crimes” would be filed, but sentencing or dismissal would be deferred
while the
The
In
order to maximize coordination and communication, a service coordination
consultant (Resource Coordinator) will be contracted by the Human Services
Division to serve as the primary liaison between law enforcement, court room
staff and service providers in
The
$458,000 in funding awarded to the City of
It is anticipated that the City will enter into a contract for services with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health for psychiatric services and medication; and will issue a Request for Proposal to procure the additional supportive services, emergency housing and treatment beds from area providers. Funding for additional costs incurred by the Superior Court for the operation of the monthly court session and pre-session meetings has been allocated by the County but will not pass through the City.
The program will be evaluated for successful outcomes
including: participants’ use of services and placement in permanent
housing. Changes in participants’
interactions with law enforcement before and after intervention will also be
measured. City staff has engaged in
initial positive discussions with County staff regarding continued funding
beyond the initial twelve months should the program demonstrate positive
outcomes.
Budget/Financial Impact
The $458,000 in funds is one-time funding for a pilot Santa Monica Homeless Community Court Program. The City is providing the following in-kind resources to the program: program space (Council Chambers and meeting rooms); security assistance from the Santa Monica Police Department; staff time (from the City Attorney’s and City Manager’s offices and from the Human Services Division); and existing supportive service and housing resources available through the Chronic Homeless Program (including housing subsidies), and the Federal Housing for Persons Who Are Homeless and Addicted to Alcohol Grant.
Program costs are expected to begin November 1, 2006 and will continue for twelve months. The following budget changes are needed to record receipt of the grant funds in FY 2006-07 and make it available for program use. Remaining grant funds at year-end will be carried over to FY 2007-2008.
1) Establish a revenue budget in the amount of $458,000 at account 20262.406160;
2) Appropriate the same amount at account 012628.561600;
3) Establish interfund transfers between General Fund and Miscellaneous Grants Fund at 01695.570260 for $458,000 and 20695.570260 for $458,000.
The City is under no obligation to continue the program absent funding.
Prepared by: Stacy Rowe, Human Services Administrator
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Approved: |
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Forwarded to Council: |
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Director
of Community and Cultural Services |
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P. City
Manager |