City Council Meeting: September 26, 2006

Agenda Item: 1-I  

To: Mayor and City Council 

From: Barbara Stinchfield, Director of Community and Cultural Services

Subject: Appropriation of Funds for Costs Related to the Temporary Relocation of

Homeless Food Providers to Facilities at 612 Colorado Avenue

Recommended Action

It is recommended that the City Council appropriate an amount not to exceed $197,000 for costs related to the temporary relocation of homeless food providers to indoor facilities at 612 Colorado Avenue.

Executive Summary

At the direction of City Council, in March 2006, the City staff and the City’s Special Representative on Homeless Issues convened a series of meetings with five of the organizations who feed homeless persons in Santa Monica’s public parks. These organizations are comprised of volunteers and do not receive funding from the City of Santa Monica. The purpose of the meetings was to encourage these providers to relocate their activities to an indoor location conducive to linking the provision of food with outreach and case management services. After a series of meetings, two of the largest food providers agreed to move to an interim City-owned location at 612 Colorado. The proposed appropriation of funds will cover the costs of necessary non-structural improvements to the facility, furnishings and equipment, and operating costs for one year. The facility will only be available to the food providers until August 2007 when the building will be demolished for the Big Blue Bus campus expansion. Use beyond August 2007 would result in significant cost increases for the expansion project.

Discussion

Background

Beginning with the adoption of “The Santa Monica Task Force on Homelessness: A Call to Action” in 1991, City policy has promoted the linking of food services for homeless persons with those supportive services designed to move homeless persons off of the streets. Policy further encourages that the food be provided at an indoor location. Since that time, various efforts to achieve this goal, including local legislation, have met with limited success. Some of the smaller feeding groups have successfully relocated to the OPCC Access Center. However, one limiting factor has been the lack of an indoor location with the capacity and amenities needed to house both the larger organizations and the desired supportive service functions.

The proposed relocation of the current OPCC Access Center to its new site at 505 Olympic Boulevard provides an opportunity to accommodate feeding larger groups of people within the context of a multi-service center. However, the new Access Center will not be completed until the late summer of 2007. Therefore, an interim location at 612 Colorado has been identified and two of the largest food programs, Hand to Hand and HOPE, have agreed to relocate their programs to this interim location until the building is demolished for the Big Blue Bus expansion. Currently, Hand to Hand provides pre-packaged food in front of City Hall on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m., and HOPE provides hot meals in Palisades Park on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 3:00 p.m. Both groups estimate that they serve 150 people each week.

Relocation Plan

A large portion of the building at 612 Colorado is currently unoccupied. In conjunction with the food providers, a space plan has been developed, reconfiguring the existing floor plan, with as few modifications as possible, to provide areas for indoor queuing, supply storage, conference rooms for social services, food service and seating. The program will have a seating capacity of approximately 150 persons.

During their relocation to this interim location, both Hand to Hand and HOPE plan on keeping a similar meals schedule. Food program participants will enter and leave the interim location through the current path of travel for the existing OPCC Access Center and SWASHLOCK. The food providers have worked out detailed operational plans to facilitate queuing, guest oversight, food service and clean-up.

City staff has begun scheduling social service providers to be at the facility during the scheduled meal times to link clients to supportive services. City staff will be on-site during the hours of operation to coordinate the supportive services and handle any facility issues which may arise. Both the food providers and City staff will monitor the exterior of building before, during and after program hours to remove litter and address any other impacts of the program. Other volunteer groups currently providing meals outdoors in Santa Monica have expressed an interest in relocating to 612 Colorado, pending a positive outcome for Hand to Hand and HOPE. Additional operating funds may be required to support the relocation of additional feeding programs to the site.

Staff has begun neighborhood outreach activities to businesses and residents proximate to the interim location. It is anticipated that the tenant improvements will be complete and the food programs can complete their relocation by the end of October.

Budget/Financial Impact

Staff is requesting that the City Council appropriate an amount not to exceed $197,000 from previously reserved homeless set-aside funds to support the interim facility. The budget includes approximately $131,000 for one year of ongoing personnel and operations costs including solid waste services, supplies, rent to the Big Blue Bus for the use of 612 Colorado Avenue, and insurance costs, as well as use of a van during the early weeks of the program; and $66,000 in one-time remodeling, equipment and furniture costs.

Staff recommends that funds be appropriated as follows:

1. From Homeless Set-Aside funds, appropriate $127,000 to account 012628.561700 (Feeding Program).

2. Transfer $70,000 from account C0100626.589000 (Access Center Construction Project) to account 012628.561700 (Feeding Program). These funds were appropriated to the Access Center Project from the Homeless Set-Aside funds. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds have recently become available to cover the costs of the Access Center (see below).

3. Transfer $70,000 from account C19005004.589000 to account C1900626.589000 (Access Center Project). This transfer of funds is below the 10% threshold for CDBG budget modifications required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Prepared by:

Approved:	Forwarded to Council:
Barbara Stinchfield	P. Lamont Ewell City Manager