SLO County supervisors extend shelter crisis declaration to help combat homelessness
As a winter chill settles over San Luis Obispo County, thousands of residents living in cars and creek beds don’t have a safe, warm place to sleep.
On Tuesday, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to extend the declaration of a shelter crisis in the county for another year.
“The homeless crisis is certainly not over, it’s only going to get worse,” Supervisor Jimmy Paulding said.
This ordinance allows the county and its partners to bypass state and local laws that regulate the construction and operation of emergency shelters on county-owned land — making it easier to get those shelters up and running, according to Laurel Weir, the county’s Homeless Services Division administrative services manager.
The board originally declared a shelter crisis on Sept. 28, 2021, and extended it for another year on Nov. 1, 2022, a county staff report said.
On Tuesday, the board extended the declaration again to Dec. 31, 2024.
SLO County supervisors, non-profits push for more shelters
At least 1,448 people are experiencing homelessness in the county, according to its 2022 Point in Time Count. But the true number is likely higher, Weir said.
The ongoing declaration has helped county officials to expand services for those residents.
Relaxing state and local regulations with the declaration accelerated the approval of the Cabins for Change project, a non-congregate shelter in Grover Beach, according to Weir.
The shelter includes 30 cabins designed to house a single adult or couple while they find permanent housing. The 5Cities Homeless Coalition manages the shelter, and coordinates case management services for each resident.
According to Weir, at least 70% of Cabins for Change residents have been placed into permanent housing. Meanwhile, the program is in high demand with a wait list of at least 200 people, she said.
Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg said she hopes extending the declaration of a shelter crisis could facilitate the creation of more shelters like Cabins for Change.
“A very robust program, mixed with housing, can really get people to this next step of self sufficiency,” Ortiz-Legg said.
How should SLO County use $4.8 million of housing grants?
On Oct. 6, the county launched a survey to ask SLO County residents what challenges they face related to housing, according to county program manager Marge Castle.
The goal of the survey was to inform the county how to best use local, state and federal housing and homelessness grant funding — which totals about $4.8 million, according to the staff report.
When the survey closed on Nov. 5, 348 people had responded to the survey, Castle said.
Of the survey respondents, 94% were community members, while others were representatives of non-profit organizations and local government.
According to Castle, 57% of respondents owned their residences, 41% rented their residences and 2% had other living arrangements.
When asked how burdened they were by housing costs, 61% of respondents said they spent 30% or more of their monthly income on housing, Castle said.
Of survey respondents looking for housing since January 2020, 85% reported that they found it difficult.
According to Castle, 157 survey respondents elaborated on why it had been difficult to find housing since January 2020.
The top four reasons included, “available housing options were outside of (the respondent’s budget), competition from other renters or buyers, lack of housing options near work, school, family or transportation, (and) difficulty meeting income or credit requirements,” she said.
When asked to rank what they hoped the county would prioritize, respondents asked supervisors to make the production of affordable rental housing its top priority, followed by providing financial renal assistance, providing supportive services and developing non-congregate shelters.
On April 9, the board will approve an action plan for the $4.8 million of funding, Castle said.
