SLO County supervisors unite on a new plan to reduce homelessness by 50%

It was a momentous — maybe even historic — day at the county Board of Supervisors.

The board approved a sweeping plan to reduce homelessness on Tuesday — a decision that could bring lasting change to every community in San Luis Obispo County.

The pervasive spirit of collegiality in the room was almost as impressive as the decision itself.

The board — so often hopelessly at odds on major issues like redistricting, affordable housing and groundwater management — was in total agreement Tuesday.

There was no lecturing from the dais. No obstinacy. No sighs of exasperation.

Lynn Compton repeatedly said she was happy.

Bruce Gibson called it a remarkable day.

Debbie Arnold echoed everything her colleagues had to say.

At the risk of putting a negative spin on the occasion, it was almost bittersweet.

Can you imagine what this board might have accomplished had it set aside ideological differences long ago and worked together on every major issue?

What this plan does

In the past, the board has taken a mostly reactive, piecemeal approach to homelessness.

For instance, when there were complaints about people living out of their campers and cars along a major street in Los Osos, only then did the board open a safe parking facility — an action many other California communities took years ago.

This new strategy, on the other hand, is both regional and proactive, with a goal of reducing homelessness by 50% over the next five years.

That’s a far more realistic benchmark than the old “10-Year Plan to End Homelessness” — a document that was required by the state of California in order to receive funding for supportive housing.

That was a well-intentioned effort, but homelessness has only gotten worse. On top of that, services are unevenly distributed, and there is no centralized leadership.

The new plan — which has buy-in from the seven cities — aims for a less siloed approach.

Here are some of the key elements:

• Create a Homeless Services Division within the county Department of Social Services.
• Establish a Homeless Operations Center at the Oklahoma Avenue location of Animal Services, which will be moving to a new facility.
• Increase non-congregate shelter facilities like tiny homes, pallet shelters, cabins and safe-parking lots.
• Seek funding to expand services for mental health and substance abuse disorders.
• Improve coordination of services through better use of the Health Management Information System (HMIS).
• Complete more affordable housing projects — a goal for the latter part of the five-year time frame.

At the request of the Board of Supervisors, another element was added on Tuesday: Appointing a citizens advisory oversight committee to evaluate progress.

There was some discussion about whether the committee should be subject to Brown Act regulations, which would require more transparency.

For the record, we would strongly urge the board to go that route. If supervisors sincerely want to be held accountable — as they indicated they did — it makes sense to loop the public in as much as possible.

How did it come about?

Much credit for the new homeless services plan is due to a hard-working staff led by County Administrative Officer Wade Horton, to city officials, nonprofit homeless service providers, and to the Homeless Services Oversight Council chaired by Atascadero Councilwoman Susan Funk.

Former state Sen. Sam Blakeslee and attorney Greg Gillett also played a role in drawing attention to the urgency of the homeless crisis. They voluntarily completed a study on the state of homeless services and recommended forming a countywide joint powers authority to increase cooperation and avoid duplication of services.

A JPA never gained traction, though the current plan does call for a Regional Compact on Homelessness that would foster cooperation among the various jurisdictions.

That satisfied Blakeslee and Gillett.

“We don’t want the perfect to be the enemy of the good,” Blakeslee said. “We believe that what we heard today ... is a substantive step forward and we want to lend our support.”

Of course, there is no guarantee of success; the supervisors themselves acknowledged the challenges ahead, including the need to dedicate more funds to homeless services.

“Sustaining the increased effort that we’re proposing to do, and getting to that increased effort is going to require difficult conversations and difficult votes,” Supervisor Gibson said. “And I think we need to bear that in mind.”

Yet the Board of Supervisors is demonstrating a new resolve to act — perhaps aided by the fact that this is an election year and the homelessness crisis is top-of-mind with many voters.

Regardless of the board’s motivation, each supervisor deserves recognition for acknowledging the seriousness of the situation and, more importantly, approving a strategy that has widespread support.

It’s a huge step, but that’s all it is — a step. We can’t afford to forget that.

Every member of this county has a stake in the success of this plan. It’s up to each one of us to make sure our elected officials translate it into action.

This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 1:41 PM.