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Home My WebLink About02/22/2022 Staff: Committee Members: Christian Clegg, City Manager Councilmember, Ken Weir – Chair Anthony Valdez, Assistant to the City Manager Councilmember, Patty Gray Crystal Rubio, Administrative Analyst III Councilmember, Eric Arias Regular Meeting of the Homelessness Ad Hoc Committee of the City Council – City of Bakersfield Tuesday, February 22, 2022 12:00 p.m. City Hall North, First Floor, Conference Room A 1600 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield CA 93301 A G E N D A 1. ROLL CALL 2. PUBLIC STATEMENT 3. ADOPTION OF THE JANUARY 25, 2022 AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT 4. STAFF REPORTS 5. NEW BUSINESS A. Presentation by Kern County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) regarding mental health and substance programming for homeless individuals in the City of Bakersfield – Presenters: BHRS Director of Behavioral Health Services Stacy Kuwahara and BHRS Deputy Director of Behavioral Health Services Allison Burrowes will. 6. COMMITTEE COMMENTS 7. ADJOURNMENT /S/ Christian Clegg Staff: Committee Members: Christian Clegg, City Manager Councilmember, Ken Weir – Chair Anthony Valdez, Assistant to the City Manager Councilmember, Patty Gray Crystal Rubio, Administrative Analyst III Councilmember, Eric Arias Special Meeting of the Homelessness Ad Hoc Committee of the City Council – City of Bakersfield Tuesday, January 25, 2022, 12:00 p.m. City Hall North, First Floor, Conference Room A 1600 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield CA 93301 AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT The meeting was convened at 12:05 p.m. 1. ROLL CALL Committee Members: Councilmember, Ken Weir, Chair Councilmember, Patty Gray Councilmember, Eric Arias City Staff: Christian Clegg, City Manager Anthony Valdez, Assistant to the City Manager Kevin Truelson, Assistant to the City Manager Mario Orosco, Budget Officer Eric Galvan, Communication Coordinator Crystal Rubio, Administrative Analyst Aliya Varela, Administrative Analyst Josh Rudnick, Deputy City Attorney Jeff Burdick, Bakersfield Police, Lieutenant Paul Saldana, Economic and Development Services Nina Carter, Homeless Services Principal Jason Cater, Principal Planner Chris Boyle, Development Services Director Additional Attendees: Members of the public 2. PUBLIC STATEMENTS There were no public statements. DRAFT Ad Hoc Committee on Homelessness Special Meeting January 25, 2022 Agenda Page 2 3. NEW BUSINESS A. Discussion and recommendations regarding City of Bakersfield programs related to homelessness – Valdez Assistant to the City Manager Valdez provided a PowerPoint presentation outlining a general overview of where the city currently stands on homelessness efforts, expenditures, city Initiatives, collaborating partners and topics for further discussion. Valdez noted the Ad Hoc Committee will meet monthly for the next twelve months to enable better discussion and collaboration. Committee member Arias thanked everyone for their great work and contributions. He requested additional information regarding the affordable housing strategy and inquired about the strategic plan to reduce the backlog of individuals receiving vouchers and accessibility to affordable housing. Principal Planner Cater stated an affordable housing strategic plan will be presented to the full City Council at future council meeting. Committee member Gray inquired about affordable housing placements, in particular who qualifies, what are the requirements, etc. Principal Planner Cater provided the committee with an overview of the rental assistance program and the affordable housing voucher program. A member of the public stated not all property crimes are committed by homeless transients B. Overview of How the City of Bakersfield Tracks Homeless Services Contractor Performance and Metrics – Valdez Assistant to the City Manager Valdez provided a PowerPoint presentation regarding the performance management and metrics of contractors, who have partnered with the City to collaborate on services. C. Discussion and Committee Recommendation Regarding Adoption of the 2022 Committee Meeting Schedule –Valdez The committee meeting schedule was adopted as submitted 4. COMMITTEE COMMENTS Committee Chair Weir requested a timeline of the future planning function outlined in staff’s presentation. 5. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 1:05 p.m. DRAFT Page 1 Monthly Report for Bakersfield City Council Homelessness Ad Hoc Committee January 2022 The City of Bakersfield contracts with Flood Ministries to provide street outreach services for unsheltered individuals to convince them to accept services and enter a shelter. January Report Weekly Average Contacts with homeless individuals in the field 94 Shelter arrangement made but individual canceled at last minute 7 City’s Brundage Lane Navigation Center (BLNC) turn-aways (includes field contacts, walk-in, and call-ins) 92 BLNC turn-aways due to lack of dorm capacity 37 • Male 22 • Male with pet 1 • Female 9 • Female with pet 1 • Couple (# of individuals) 4 BLNC turn-aways due to lack of pet capacity 6 • Male 1 • Female 3 • Couple (# of individuals) 2 JANUARY UPDATE: In December, Flood Ministries launched a new river team. The new river team has successfully completed an inventory of the encampments that exist along the riverbed. The City of Bakersfield contracts with Mercy House to operate the City’s Brundage Lane Navigation Center (BLNC). Mercy House has helped place 112 clients in permanent housing since the BLNC opened in October 2020. January Report Weekly Average Maximum Capacity % of Capacity Filled Weekly City’s Brundage Lane Navigation Center beds filled 126 150* 84% • Male 66 76 87% • Female 48 54 89% • Couple (# of individuals) 12 20 60% * BLNC’s maximum capacity is 150 beds. Each night four (4) beds are held open for the Bakersfield Police Department to utilize which brings the functional capacity to 146. JANUARY UPDATE: BLNC was affected by COVID-19 shelter-in-place requirements, resulting in a reduction of guests. In January, Mercy House helped place 5 clients in permanent housing. Staff has been preparing for the construction of the BLNC expansion project that will begin at the end of February. Page 2 The City of Bakersfield contracts with the Bakersfield Homeless Center (BHC) for a jobs program serving multiple City functions, including but not limited to downtown ambassadors, green solid waste, high-way clean- up, animal shelter, and sump cleaning. The Bakersfield Homeless Center jobs program employed 43 individuals who were shelter clients in 2021. A new City-funded BHC Jobs Center building was completed in December. January Report December Total January Total Maximum Capacity % Filled Newly hired employees 7 2 Current employees 94 94 109 86% • Male 56 58 • Female 38 36 Program participants placed in permanent jobs 2 1