COMMITMENT • INTEGRITY • LEADERSHIP	View full PDF report View Selected Abbreviations
Homelessness in California State Government and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority Need to Strengthen Their Efforts to Address Homelessness Report Number: 2017-112

Response to the Survey From —
Riverside City and County CoC

 

HUD provides two lists of California Continuum of Care (CoC) key contacts: one for Northern California and one for Southern California.
You can find these lists at https://www.hud.gov/states/california/homeless/continuumcare.

1. Enter the CoC number for which you are completing the survey.
   
   CA-608
2. Enter the CoC name for which you are completing the survey.

   Riverside City and County CoC

   
   

3. Enter the organization within the CoC that you represent.

   County of Riverside Dept. of Public Social Services

4. What type of organization do you represent?.
Joint Powers Authority
County government agency
City government agency
Non-profit
Other (please specify)





5. How many staff (full-time equivalents) does your organization employ?

   16

6. Does your organization provide homeless services directly for clients?
   No Yes (If so, what types of homeless service programs does your organization provide?)
   
   

7. Are you a direct recipient on your CoC's HUD application?
   No 
   Yes
8. Approximately what percentage of the funding your organization administers is from HUD for the CoC program?
   

   88

9. If not your organization, is there another organization in your CoC that administers the majority of homeless services funding?
   Not applicable. My organization administers the majority of homeless services funding.
   No. There is not one organization in my CoC that administers the majority of homeless services funding.
   If yes, what is that organization?
   
   

10. Does your CoC conduct an unsheltered Point-in-Time (PIT) count annually? (Including those years not required by HUD)
    No (Skip to questions 17-19, and resume the survey on question 20.) 
    Yes (Continue on questions 11-16, and resume the survey on question 20.)
11. In which year did your CoC begin conducting an annual unsheltered PIT count?
    

    2016

12. Why did your CoC decide to conduct an annual unsheltered PIT count?
    
    

    Our CoC decided to conduct the unsheltered PIT Count annually to align the unsheltered count data with the HUD-required annual sheltered PIT Count data. Riverside County chose to join the majority of CoCs across the nation in conducting an annual count.

13. What funding sources do you use to conduct the annual unsheltered PIT count? (Check all that apply.)
    City funding
    County funding
    HUD planning funding
    Private funding
    Other (please specify)
    
    

    In 2014 and 2016, we received funded through the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs to conduct a PIT count that included homeless veterans.

14. How did your CoC facilitate the annual unsheltered PIT count?
    (For example, did you increase the number of volunteers, or find additional funding?)
    
    

    For the biennial unsheltered Point-in-Time counts, the CoC utilized existing funding including HUD Planning and county funding. For 2014 and 2016, the CoC was selected by the Veteran's Adminstration (VA) to receive funding to conduct a complete PIT count to measure progress with ending veteran homelessness. In 2018, VA funding is not available and the CoC is utilizing existing HUD Planning and county funding.

15. Did your organization have any challenges in implementing an annual unsheltered PIT count?
    No.
    Yes. If so, what were they and how did you overcome them?
    
    

16. How has conducting an annual unsheltered PIT count affected your CoC's operations and/or outcomes? If you have any data or analyses, please share specific metrics.
    
    

    By conducting an annual PIT count, the CoC has increased its ability to measure progress with ending homelessness. Annual checkpoints provide more detailed information regarding the total counts and subpopulation data.

17. Why does your CoC not conduct an annual unsheltered PIT count? (Check * all that apply)
    
    Lack of funding
    Lack of volunteers
    Lack of internal capacity
    HUD does not require an annual count
    Annual variations in numbers are not enough to justify the expense of a count every year.
    Other (please specify)
     
    

18. Please elaborate on the reasons why your CoC does not conduct an annual unsheltered PIT count.
    
    
    
    
19. What would cause your CoC to conduct an unsheltered PIT count in the years not required by HUD?
    
    
    
    
    
20. What sources does your organization use to fund the HUD-required PIT count of unsheltered homeless? (Check all that apply)
    
    City funding
    County funding
    HUD planning funds
    Private funding
    Other (please specify)
     
    

21. How much did your CoC's 2017 PIT count cost?
    
    In 2016, the PIT count cost $28,000.
22. How many people did your CoC require to conduct its 2017 PIT count? (Staff, volunteers, and others)
    
    

    About 509 people (volunteers and staff)

23. How many of those identified in Question 22 were volunteers?
    
    

    About 498

24. Does your CoC recruit volunteers for its unsheltered PIT count from organizations outside the homeless services community?
    No.
    If yes, from which organizations/communities (outside of homeless service providers) did you recruit volunteers for the 2017 PIT count?
    
    

    Approximately 498 volunteers were recruited through the following methods: Homeless Service Providers County Agencies Faith-based organizations Local colleges and universities Public volunteers (press releases published in several print and online newspapers throughout Riverside County).

25. Please share your perspective on the reasons your CoC's unsheltered homeless population in 2017 did or did not change from that in its previous unsheltered PIT count.
    
    

    Riverside County was under a severe thunderstorm warning by the National Weather Service in the weeks and days leading up to the PIT Count. In addition, the region received amounts of rain that were record-breaking in the days before the PIT Count, including the day before. As the majority of Riverside County's unsheltered homeless population resides in unsheltered settings, a partnership with first responders to raise awareness for the PIT Count and to promote the outreach services for homeless veterans, youth and families taking place on the day of the Count had a significant impact. This message was layered onto an existing safety advisory initiated by first responders to warn homeless individuals of the dangers of residing in riverbeds, flood control channels and areas prone to mudslides during thunderstorms. In 2017, following HUD's new requirements to have a separate youth count, efforts to obtain a more accurate count of youth ages 24 and under that are experiencing homelessness were increased. Youth friendly partners were invited to assist in implementing the youth count. These partners included: youth opportunity centers, transitional age youth programs, youth emergency shelters, city leaders, and other public, private, and non-profit agencies focused on the goal to end homelessness for youth. The knowledge and experience that each collaborative partner brought to the table helped us better identify homeless youth during both the traditional and the youth counts. By having youth friendly volunteers, youth experiencing homelessness were more willing to participate in the PIT Survey. The total 2017 count for youth ages 24 and under is 193 (interview and observational); a 103% increase from last year's count. This increase is likely due to an increased collaboration and focus on youth experiencing homelessness.

26. Has your CoC reallocated funding in the past?
    No.
    Yes. If yes, please provide additional details or comments regarding reallocation you would like to share.
    
    

    Our CoC has cumulatively reallocated at least 20 percent of the CoC's Annual Renewal Demand between FY 2013 and FY 2017 CoC Program Competitions. Low-performing projects with unspent funds were reallocated. The reallocated funds were used to create new permanent supportive housing projects for chronically homeless.

27. How often does your CoC reevaluate final priority rankings for the HUD CoC Program Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), based on HUD priorities?
    Never
    Every year
    Other (please specify)
    
    

28. How often does your CoC perform the following gap analyses?
    
    Housing gap analysis—We do not have a regular schedule for this.
    
    Funding gap analysis—Last was conducted in 2017.
    
    Service gap analysis—Last was conducted in 2016.
    
    Other (please specify)—
    
    
29. In what year did your CoC perform each of the following for the first time, or leave the row blank if it is not applicable.
    
    Housing gap analysis
    Unknown
    
    Funding gap analysis
    2017
    
    Service gap analysis
    2016
    
    Other (as you identified in question 27)
    
    
30. Does your CoC employ specific strategies for identifying alternative funding for programs that are reallocated or do not receive HUD funding?
    No.
    Yes. (If yes, please share some strategies your CoC employs to identify replacement funding.)
    
    
    
    
31. Does your CoC have a strategic plan that integrates other publicly-funded programs that provide services, housing, and income supports to poor persons whether they are homeless or not (mainstream benefits and services)?
    No. (Skip to question 36.)
    Yes. (Continue to questions 32-35 and skip question 36.)
    
    
32. Please provide a web address to your CoC's most recent strategic plan or email it as an attachment to CoCSurvey@auditor.ca.gov.

33. When did your CoC complete its first strategic plan?
    
    

34. How often does your CoC update its strategic plan?
    
    

35. How has your strategic plan benefited your CoC?
    
    
    
    
36. Why has your CoC not developed a strategic plan?
    
    

    We have a 10-year plan from 2007 that is being updated and revised this year. A strategic plan has been created by a county-led oversight committee that formed in 2016. This committee is led by the county's Executive Office and includes department heads from key county agencies working to address homelessness. It also includes CoC representative. The strategic plan will be presented to the County Board of Supervisors early next year for their approval and implementation.

37. What grant-seeking or fundraising activities does your CoC engage in?
    
    

    None.

38. Are there any strategies or unique actions your agency takes that have strengthened your CoC?
    
    

    We restructured our CoC Board of Governance in 2015 to include new members who are elected officials, executive directors and other representatives in leadership positions. The CoC board prior to that was made up of representatives from agencies that were receiving HUD funding and was very conflicted. We also created an objective review and evaluation process that includes performance metrics and outcomes that HUD projects are required to adhere to so they can continue to receive funding. This included creating an Independent Review Panel of members elected by the CoC membership and using a performance scorecard for each project to evaluate effectiveness and other measures related to performance.

39. Please provide any information about these strategies or actions.
    Feel free to provide web addresses to any reports or email them as attachments to CoCSurvey@auditor.ca.gov.
    
    

    All of the documents related to strategies and actions by the CoC membership, standing committees and CoC Board of Governance can be accessed on the DPSS website, Homeless Programs Unit page. The link is: http://dpss.co.riverside.ca.us/homeless-programs/housing-and-urban-development

40. If you have any additional perspective or concerns, please provide this information in the space below.
    For example, if you would like to share additional information regarding homelessness, services, or funding.
    
    

    We would like to encourage the state to continue to look for linkages to homelessness and lack of a safe, stable and permanent home among all of the vulnerable and impoverished populations and groups being served through various sources of funding. When any funding is made available to counties, we encourage the state to consider a housing component as a mandate. There is funding available for services, however, these same sources to not always allow funds to be used to provide housing subsidies or assistance with rent, security deposits, etc. This is a critical need for our most vulnerable and at-risk populations.

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