Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) Funding (REGULAR) - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Emergency Solutions Grant, CFDA No. 14.231; Emergency Solutions Grant COVID-19 Funds

44:39No, I know we have people signed up for this one, so Good afternoon.

44:44Good afternoon, Commissioner. Marcy Esberg, Director of Community Development. I'm also here as the Chair of the Continuum of Care, and we're here to present the Coordinated Investment Plan. We have some slides coming up.

45:03Next slide. So the county was awarded a second round of Emergency Solutions Care Act funding. The purpose of the funding is to prepare, prevent, prepare, or respond to the COVID-19 virus. We've been awarded over $3.8 million from housing and urban development. And today we are before you to approve an amendment to our 2020 action plan. This

45:33is the way that HUD requires us to look at new funding. And as way of approving it, we also are pre presenting to you the way that we plan to spend the money, which is called a coordinated investment plan recommended by the Continuum of Care. In the next slide, we go over some of the data about homelessness in Pasco County. So before we want

46:03to go ahead and make a plan on how to use the money, we want to make sure that this plan is data driven. So we're looking at what is the status of homelessness in our community. So if you look at the information from our twenty nineteen point time count, we find that over six hundred and eighty eight persons were unsheltered, meaning that they were living in the woods in cars in a place not fit for human habitation and 206 were sheltered. the

46:34m uh the majority of our uh of our People that experiencing homelessness are single adults with 609 single adults being unsheltered versus 53 being sheltered as opposed to the groupings in families with 77 being unsheltered and 132 being sheltered. So I know that the word unprecedented has been used a lot the last six months, but we are seeing unprecedented

47:05amounts of funding for homelessness. And we wanted to make sure that our plans were strategic and that whatever we decided to do and present to you to do would really make a visible difference to our community. With the bottom line of believing that the most effective way to prevent, uh prepare, and respond to COVID-19 is to safely and permanently house those who are experiencing homelessness. So we wanted to make sure

47:36in our next uh the slide before, um targeted response. Okay, keep going.

47:47That there's unprecedented funding. The funding includes a targeted response, very clear goals, specific focus, making a visible difference, ensuring that the effort would be coordinated, that the it wouldn't be done as silos. And we wanted to make sure that our funds would be leveraged and we would use our community agents. So let's take a quick look at some of the funding that we do have coming in at all of the funding and

48:17not just the unjust the funding that we're talking about today. But we have funding coming in from to our continuum of care partners. That are all of our slides are kind of confused here. Are uh funding uh coming to the county and funding also coming to the coalition. And we have noted that there is over $7.3 million dedicated to homelessness. And so

48:47again, we wanted to make sure that this funding and what we are looking at today is the funding in in bold in the middle, the ESG COVID nineteen money. The the commissioners have already approved eight hundred and thirty five thousand. You did that in June, so this is the three point eight million dollars. So what we did was we went to the Florida Housing Coalition and we asked them what are best practices for using this funding. And they worked with

49:17us to create what's called a coordinated investment plan. This coordinated investment plan has four elements, and the four elements include firstly setting local rehousing goals based on the needs of the people experiencing homelessness, which is why we talked about in the beginning what homelessness looks like in our community, because we want to tailor it to what is needed in our community. The second part is to look at the um Permanent

49:49housing interventions, what types, what's needed, the amount of assistance based on people exiting homelessness or preventing it. The third part is looking at the resources that are available, and we looked at the list of all the different funding sources, not only the emergency solutions grant, but funding that comes into the continuum of care, funding that comes Into the county and funding that goes directly to the homeless coalition. And then the last part of this plan is to merge all

50:19of those things together, to merge your resources and the goals that you've made and put them together with a plan to make homelessness rare and brief and put people into housing. So in the next slide, you could see some of The steps that we've taken in this process. So, first, this has been very time-constrained. At the end of June, we went to the Continuum of Care and presented this strategy to them. They voted to

50:49go ahead with it and they established a small local planning group that has met weekly since the end of June to put this plan together. In addition to that, we've determined local goals, defined cohorts or groups of people that we've wanted to serve. We've determined what interventions were appropriate. We've estimated the number of households in each cohort, how much this would cost us. We inventoried all the available

51:20resources and determined how best to deploy those resources. So next I'm going to share the uh the goals that we've set before you today, and it starts with rehousing uh Uh two hundred and twenty five households uh in a hundred and eighty days. So we've created these cohorts based on the significant number of unsheltered people that we have experiencing homelessness, one of the first slides. We know that we have a number

51:50of unhigh unnumbered sheltered because we have smaller numbers of emergency shelter beds. And high barrier shelters here in the county. We know that we have a high significant adult male population. And we also recognize that we have hot spots in the area that I've spoken to each of you a considerable amount of times about and worked with law enforcement about. So, with those things in mind, here are the goals that we have. First,

52:20starting with 80 unsheltered who are elderly, disabled, a longtime homeless, but not considered chronically homeless based on HUD's definition. And the plan is to do outreach, to do go ahead and identify and assess them. And for these people who are very vulnerable, we're going to be bringing them into motels for safety reasons and then surrounding them with case management, one-on-one case management with a focus on

52:51rehousing, rapid rehousing, are our H stands for rapid rehousing. The second group of people, 80 unsheltered as well, but they're not elderly or disabled or long-term homeless. And these people can be housed right from the streets and the encampments. So again, the outreach, the assessment, and then going right into rapid rehousing. The third group of people are 30 unsheltered who are chronically homeless. So those are people that have a disabling

53:21condition as well as being long-term homeless. Again, most vulnerable, we want to bring them off the streets, out of the encampments, keep them safe, and then put them in motels, surround them with case management, housing. Focus and put them into a program called Permanent Supportive Housing where they're going to get more high-touch case management in their housing journey. And then lastly, those the first three are

53:51all single adults. Again, most of our population are single adults, and the next group are 35 homeless families with the intervention of either unsheltered or from a shelter case management into rapid rehousing. Along with keeping people, bringing people into housing, we want to next also prevent people from becoming homeless. In our next slide, we talk about 100 people in 180 days preventing

54:22homelessness. And we would do this with two strategies. The first strategy is for 40 families that are recognized. As probably temporarily homeless here, and they have connection and supports in other locations. So we help them with diversion by getting back to where they have family and support so they could be housed. The second group of 60 at-risk families, we believe, is probably a very low number based on what's happening now with

54:52rentals and foreclosure possible. Closures and evictions, but helping those at-risk families stay housed by giving them rental assistance and making sure they don't cycle into homelessness. So that's a lot of information, and it sounds like it might be really expensive, but uh in the next slide we'll go over the costs with you. The anticipated costs to provide housing for 225 households and prevent 100 households from becoming homeless

55:23is $3.8 million. That includes the outreach, the case management, and the rental assistance, the housing for them. So, in the slide that we looked at all of our resources, we saw that we identified $7.3 million that's dedicated for homelessness. So there's sufficient funding to do this. And the leverage part of it is using the coronavirus

55:54relief funds that have come into the county. Being awarded to our nonprofit providers, as well as the money that's come in to community development, leveraging the initial money for motels and for move-in expenses with funds that have to be expended by 12:30, and then using the rental assistance money that could be used further after that. I know that. Uh one of the questions that we are uh often

56:24asked about this is where are people gonna go? Where is the housing coming from? And we've actually identified over 150 units throughout the county country county, east side and west side, uh and uh people will be uh be be able to choose uh uh units to go into. ready existing. We're not talking about building one group of housing for everybody to go into at once. On our next

56:54slide. We uh I want to show you how this system is gonna work. This is This is a strategy that is both systems and data based. So this would be how the workflow will be implemented. First and foremost, this is an initiative of the Pasco County Continuum of Care. We are a recognized geographic CoC of Housing and Urban Development.

57:25Working to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring in our county. The Leadership Council has 21 members and they span a number of different sectors: government, health, law enforcement, schools, courts, and I will tell you that our members of law enforcement have been involved specifically in building this strategy as a small plan.

57:51We will be using the Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County. They are the lead agency of the Continuum of Care, and they will be the fiscal agent for this process. And coming from that, there will be local agencies that will be a part of each of these strategies. So again, a local agency that will be will Help with prevention, diversion, and short-term rental assistance for 100 households,

58:21and then local agencies to do identification and outreach, as well as local agencies working with the motels, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing. So it's a workflow and a system that will start at the Coalition for the homeless, and then span out with subcontracts with all a number of different local agencies. So again, the plan commissioners are very clear, measurable

58:51goals, 225 households in 180 days, and 100 households preventing homelessness. Their goals on the next slide are very measurable. We have identified all the available resources. We are not asking you for any additional money. And there has been support and outreach to our community and different agencies.

59:17Thank you, Marcy. We appreciate everything. What a great plan. At least I think it's a great plan. Uh anybody else want to ask any questions before I go to public comment and then come back to questions? Commissioner Starkey, do you wanna

59:27Um well I can wait out for public comment.

59:31No, we

59:31do.

59:31It's up. If

59:32you guys

59:32want to wait till after public comment, let's go. Okay. Okay. So I know we do have um first do we have anybody on WebEx that's signed up?

59:38Yes, we do have um Don Anderson signed up.

59:43Hey Don, go ahead and just do your

59:45name and address for me. Uh Don Anderson, [address removed]. Uh commissioners, county staff, thank you for the opportunity to uh address you regarding this uh regarding our homeless neighbors. Um I'll make my remarks brief so as not to be too redundant with what Ms. Esperg has uh presented. I think you'll agree if there's a silver lining. To the covet pandemic, it has to be. these

1:00:15monies that become available to address homelessness in our community. And not just homelessness, but those at risk of homelessness, which we all recognize will be a growing concern.

1:00:27The proposed monies, as Marcy has so emphatically stated. Will make it possible to house two hundred and twenty five homeless individuals and families. And prevent homelessness for a hundred families all in a hundred and eighty days, beginning in just weeks. These monies are are inclusive in that they cover the cost of outreach. Which brings our teams into the the streets, into the camps to identify and assess these individuals,

1:00:58as well as rental assistance and maybe more importantly than anything else, cover the cost. of case management which will be extensive in each of these cases. All of this will be done under the housing first model where we look to panels, individuals and families and then rap. served around them in order to address those Critical issues that had prevented them from being housed previously.

1:01:31This is certainly a coordinated plan and it's based upon data and processes and best practices as we've been advised by the Florida Housing Coalition and in particular Dr. Susan Porchot. Um I'd like to acknowledge the the leadership of the community development director, Marcy Esberg, in her role as the COC Leadership Council. I think as well, several other individuals, Greg Armstrong, Captain Tony Roach, Detective

1:02:02Karen Norris, and a special gratitude to our Chief Operating Officer at the Coalition, Thomas O'Connor Bruno. We just very much appreciate this opportunity to provide a service in this community that we're all uh anxious to see results with. Thank you. Thanks, Don.

1:02:23Do we have

1:02:28That video.

1:02:32Can they email it to us individually?

1:02:35Oh no, well we can't they can't put it up on the screen. Not working.

1:02:41But can I get an email of them? We

1:02:42can have them email it to you. Yeah. Sure you can.

1:02:46I was just looking to see if it came in but it hasn't come in.

1:02:48Anybody else signed up to speak via WebEx? Anybody? Do everybody help out at pardon me?

1:02:57We do not have anybody else on WebEx. How about the kiosk?

1:03:01There's

1:03:02no one at the kiosket

1:03:03this time.

1:03:04Um any emails for the record?

1:03:08No emails for P eight.

1:03:10Okay. So that does it for public comment. Open up to More questions, comments? Anybody? Commissioner Oriano.

1:03:16Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Marcy, thanks for meeting with me and all your support that you have, and thanks for doing all the research you've done. One of the things I brought up in our conversation was as far as the uh Sun Coast Recovery Center. And after talking with them, they've actually submitted their permit today. I've talked to Sally Sherman, she's working on trying to go through the process. Their first phase would house about 25 people, and they can be ready in about 30 days once the permit's done. There's room to get another 25 on top of that, 30 days even after that,

1:03:46or s subsequently. Um knowing how many males that are out there along US 19, Catherine. Commissioner Starkey you've seen them up and down the near the Wawas. I'm going to tell you up in Hudson, it's even more brutal. And the in between is still brutal. So I I know it's a very important segment for the population to try to get treated. And just it's not just getting them in a place, it's the treatment. Uh drug use is up over 300 percent for meth, uh, mental health is up 69 percent. So those people need that step. And and talking closely with With

1:04:17uh Susan Campbell from the Rope Center, what they deal with is a unique population. Uh recently they even just had someone that was trying to get back in there again after b reoccurring homelessness. Because they failed the drug test, he had no place to go. I don't know where he is right now, but um You know, looking at all the things you get tied in. I just hope that knowing that this could be something coming forward as well, working with the rope center, we talked about Holy Ground a little bit tougher, but working every single angle you can and just keep on going. But it's it's a huge

1:04:47problem, but this hopefully helps us get those. Thank you. Yes.

1:04:50Thank you.

1:04:51Mr. Starkey.

1:04:52Well, uh you kind of touched on a question that I have and it I I have to say I hope I hope COVID goes away and so do these things, because it's a little hard to hear each other. Um What What are the rules with drug test with drugs?

1:05:08So this is uh this program is based on a housing first model. So that means that we put people into housing first, no matter what. And while they're being, yes, and while they're being housed, you're we are building relationships, building trusts, and helping them to identify the additional steps that they need, which might involve Sun Coast Recovery. It might involve career source for job placement or M skills. It

1:05:39might involve mental health counseling. But the difference with this program is that Somebody does not need to jump through additional hoops or ladders in order to get housed. You get them housed, you get them stable in their housing and then work on the other issues. And

1:05:55so that's what you meant when you said social services were involved. Right. Um Um, okay, I have an ask. I didn't think of it when we had our meeting. Um, but I don't know if you all got the email that my assistant was to forward to you all, it may come to all of us, another house in Holiday Lakes that they don't have the garbage pickup. They have vultures uh taking the food from the garbage in the front yards onto the roof of his house. And they're all up

1:06:25there eating on the roof of his house and rats running around. So I hopefully you guys all saw that email. I'm really gonna require, ask that we require that anyone who goes into one of these rentals has a contract for garbage services.

1:06:41So uh HUD requires us to do um housing quality inspections for the places that they go into.

1:06:49But I think we need to have a rule that they have to have garbage service. They can't put it in their backyard. Put it on their side yard. They have to have a contract. Where someone comes and picks it up like everybody else. They have to be a good neighbor.

1:07:06So m most of the units, I expect that it'll be 90% will be in apartments, multifamilies.

1:07:15Okay, but I still I still would like us to have that rule for anyone else. But I mean if you're an apartment you have a con they have a contract with a commer a service. So I what do y'all think? I mean I just think yeah, okay. I think they have to have a garbage contract. Um And then uh the other thing that uh I brought up on our in our conversation and um Is that when these families or these people first go to the motel I

1:07:45think a lot of them are on US 19. Although I think uh Newport Ridge just closed one up. So I'm not sure how many motels are left in the county. Uh but Um they they don't they aren't getting food. So they get a they get a shelter, but they don't have anywhere to go eat. And do and and so I had suggested that maybe um maybe the rotaries get involved, Jack, I know you're in one or or or we have some way that we can adopt Someone Who's been

1:08:16put in a motel? I mean, I am happy to make some meals and take it to a motel. And I just thought maybe the community could help if it's You know, it's not forever. It's during this big push. And I think there are a lot of people who will be willing to help. I don't know what that program looks like, but I had mentioned it to them.

1:08:35Mr. Mariano, one another question. I was gonna add just to add on that. Um you know, when we when we talked about this, par part of the problem is like if you go to in front of Beacon Woods the Walmart that's there, there's a church that was it's a r it was a restaurant.

1:08:49Teaching teaching the gospel at the same time feeding people as a as a as a place. Well, that's burnt down now, but they still feed 'em. And all those people there from where they're getting fed from different sources, they go there and they just they live under the bridge. They live alongside the woods. And they go back into the woods, they come back out. What we need to do and we talked about this is actually get to those people that want to feed these people and let them go to the motels, let them go to the recovery centers, let them go to the rope center, and bring the food there rather than out in the public where now they're hanging around and waiting

1:09:19for the next one to come by. Because otherwise they're standing

1:09:22on nineteen even though

1:09:23they're not

1:09:23supposed to be.

1:09:25No, we we uh have we have started that conversation and we hope to connect also with members of the faith community and and bring them on board so that we're all working and rowing in the same direction is getting people housed, uh helping them while they're in motels, getting food, and then perhaps even once they're situated in their housing, transitioning them. with doing work in a grocery store, how to buy food,

1:09:55how to, you know, all those kinds of things and working with our non nonprofit partners, our faith-based partners to be a part of this effort.

1:10:04Yeah, and I I think we should name it. I think you should come up with a name.

1:10:08Good name.

1:10:08We should market it. We should brand it. Okay. And like I said, I am willing to cook. And um and I think there's other people that will too. So I I I hate to see that we bring 'em out of the woods, they go in a motel, no money to buy food. It's We just need to give them that extra little help, I think.

1:10:29Commissioner Weightman. Marcy, maybe it's an opportunity like we've been doing for others in need where we're using these local restaurants. Maybe we can I know we're gonna have some additional carers money. Maybe it's something that we we do that way. And we have a couple restaurants up and down 19 that can deliver to certain motels. Um just Just thinking out loud. Um and I was gonna say something else. I mean it's a great program. I appreciate Everything you're doing and like um feeding Pasco's elderly. I mean we have funding there,

1:11:00human services like the seniors, if they're homebound, we're putting them in a motel or a house or homebound, but we can get them on the list and deliver them meals that way. So just a thought. So Yeah.

1:11:10I agree. Good idea. I mean It's more incentive too, right? So if either think you're gonna go, you're not gonna eat, they maybe want to stay where they are 'cause they know they're gonna at least get fed. So I think it's a great thought you guys have.

1:11:24So um the Commissioner's the other thing. Did I

1:11:26get back I'm sorry. Yeah. Commissioner Oakley was waiting.

1:11:29Oh

1:11:29sorry.

1:11:30I wasn't I had one more thing.

1:11:31Marcia I told you before this is a great program. Uh appreciate all the work y'all have done. Um As always, it's never enough when you got this kind of void in our county that east and west have have homeless people. Uh the sooner it's gone, the better we'll all feel about it. But thank you for all you do and your staff.

1:11:51So Thank you. Commissioner Starkey you had something else, please.

1:11:54Yeah, the the other um issue that we talked about during our meeting was um when they when they uh do move them out of the um is it rapid housing? A into a home. Right now it's one per house. Is that right?

1:12:09No, it is it uh so it's a household. So if I identify as a single person as a household, then I'd be going into a unit for myself. But if I have a partner or a child, then that's considered a household as well. And again, confirm that it's not all single families. As a matter of fact, In fact, it will be very little single family housing. It'll be mostly multi-family housing.

1:12:40Excellent. Any other questions or comments? With that I'll entertain a motion.

1:12:45Oh, I'll move to approve. With the stipulation that they have a garbage contract.

1:12:50I have a okay. I have a motion and I have a second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. All opposed to same signal motion passes five zero. Thanks, Marcy.

1:12:58Thank you.