TASK FORCE MISSION
The Sonoma County Task Force on the Homeless is a catalyst and leadership resource bringing the community together to:
- Promote Affordable Housing
- Prevent Homelessness
- Assist People Who Are Homeless
2004 GOALS: INTRODUCTION
The Task Force Board of Directors developed these 2004 goals. They are built upon our 2003 goals, which were generated with considerable community input, but are adjusted to address current community conditions. As last year, the Board targeted five principal goals to help focus Task Force energy during the year. These help guide committees as they structure and prioritize their work, but do not exclude other relevant activities. Specific goals were also formulated within each of the major Task Force work areas - Advocacy, Education, Funding, Coordination, and Operations.
There are five Task Force Committees to help accomplish these goals. These are Advocacy/Funding (combined this year for more focused action), Education (including the editorial team for our newsletter and web site), Fundraising (for Task Force support), October in Paradise (the committee for our primary annual fundraiser), and the Executive Committee of the board. Our Coordination work is accomplished through specific projects such as the Court Homeless Protocol Project and the Frequent Users of Health Services Initiative, so there is no specific committee on coordination. All committees but the Executive Committee invite additional members. Each designs time-specific measurable objectives and priorities, and implements objectives under the guidance and policy direction of the Board, with the support of the whole Task Force, and in cooperation with each other and with related organizations and community efforts.
The Board strongly encourages each Task Force participant to be a full partner in creating and implementing objectives. We invite your leadership and participation in committees and projects, as well as ongoing feedback on the goals themselves. We hope to continue to become an even more effective vehicle for community collaboration toward ending homelessness in Sonoma County.
PRINCIPAL 2004 TASK FORCE GOALS
Change community attitudes to make homelessness, not homeless people, unacceptable in Sonoma County, and highlight the costs of homelessness to the broader community, including health, law enforcement, etc.
Initiate, support, and participate in alliances and cooperative programs and resource development activities among those serving, funding and advocating for homeless people, leading to adequate, effective, and integrated service delivery.
Work to ensure that the components of the homeless shelter and service system address the greatest needs throughout the County, including in rural areas.
Identify and promote solutions to chronic homelessness, such as affordable permanent supportive housing, a court protocol for the homeless, integrated delivery of health, mental health, and substance abuse services, etc.
Actively advocate for policies at all levels of government that facilitate ending homelessness, and encourage community participation.
SPECIFIC 2004 GOALS BY AREA
Goals are not in priority order. Several goals address more than one area, but are assigned to one committee for implementation, to be coordinated with other committee work by the Board.
ADVOCACY & FUNDING
(Especially for Making Housing Affordable and for Adequate Operational Homeless Services Funding)
- A. Advocate for shelter and services throughout Sonoma County, with particular focus on unmet needs.
- B. Continue to lead a dialog on securing and maximizing adequate operational funding for homeless services, help lead a community process to clarify operational funding priorities and their strategic context, and help direct funds (ours and others') to priority operational gaps.
- C. Maintain and expand alliances with related advocacy groups, coordinate actions with them whenever possible, and advocate for housing policies that better serve homeless & extremely low-income people. Assure effective advocacy at a political level.
- D. Monitor projects and issues that need action, testimony, etc., and expand the process to respond effectively.
- E. Advocate for low to extremely low-income housing development. Of the affordable units built, advocate that a significant portion be for extremely low income, e.g. people living on SSI, and explore the feasibility of vouchers being attached to projects under development.
- F. Advocate for policies such as living wage that better serve homeless and extremely low-income people.
- G. Advocate emergency shelter that serves people who cannot or will not meet standards of other shelters such as those now served at the Armory.
- H. Help the community optimize use of available operational funding vs. capital funds.
- I. Work with service providers and funders to increase flexibility in service populations.
- J. Allocate money to the Fund for the Homeless, and decide how to use it in ways that directly assist homeless people. (e.g. support a discretionary fund for direct client assistance, continue Voicemail support, and Spirit of Service Award, etc.).
COORDINATION
- A. Continue monthly General Meetings for information, sharing, and focusing on common concerns, and coordinate better understanding among service providers through presentations at General Meetings, newsletter articles, and possibly sponsoring special meetings.
- B. Participate on Continuum of Care Planning Group, and Steering, HMIS, SITIM, Ending Chronic Homelessness, and other committees.
- C. Participate in Shelter Solutions.
- D. Participate in the Frequent Users of Health Services Initiative to plan for and secure implementation funding to best serve homeless people.
- E. Work with the Superior Court, law enforcement, and homeless service providers to develop a protocol for dealing with homeless defendants.
- F. Maintain support for and encourage participation in the VoiceMail Project countywide.
- G. Support an HMIS that could better coordinate intake and share information on vacancies.
- H. Take advantage of opportunities to coordinate and participate in relevant community-wide projects.Provide opportunities for homeless people to work together on improving relationships in the community.
EDUCATION
- A. Bring attention to emergency situations of homeless people in our county, re-defining homelessness as an emergency.
- B. Make the community aware of who the homeless are, why they are homeless, and how many are looking for shelter and help, and help eliminate myths about homelessness.
- C. Highlight the need for affordable housing appropriate for various populations, including extremely low income and special needs populations.
- D. Produce a Visual Map of who is doing what regarding homelessness in Sonoma County.
- E. Publicize what the Task Force is doing and what we have available.
- F. Develop a strategic action plan regarding whom we want to educate about what - e.g. business community, religious congregations, public entities, etc. Contact business and other organizations regarding our availability to speak on these issues, and send trained speakers.
- G. Educate Policy-Makers. Hold individual meetings with each public official purely for education and relationship building. Leave written materials with them. Emphasize establishing relationships with newly elected officials and candidates.
- H. Tell stories of real homeless people and give them opportunities to tell their own stories. (Publish Newsletter articles written by homeless people as well as about them. Encourage public and commercial media to do the same. Nurture relationships with columnists and other media people).
- I. Gather and disseminate information on successes in this and other communities.
- J. Produce Homeless Education Week (pre-planned event, petition, etc.) hopefully coordinated with Affordable Housing Week in June.
- K. Continue to inform homeless people of their rights under the McKinney-Vento Act, and to distribute brochure informing homeless parent of their right under this act to enroll their children in the school of their choice.
- L. Continue to utilize our newsletter and mainstream media, and develop a web site and speakers bureau to help accomplish these goals.
FUNDRAISING
Fundraising for Task Force and Fund for the Homeless
- A. Develop a comprehensive fundraising plan, including October In Paradise (OIP), building donor relationships, targeted* solicitations, membership campaigns and services, targeted* grant searches, planned giving, participation in the Human Race, Evening of Giving, and perhaps other fundraising opportunities. Set dollar targets for each activity.
- B. Improve the Task Force Donor program:
- 1. Reorganize our database to use individual "card" entries.
- 2. Assure donors prompt thanks, newsletter recognition, information on issues and activities, opportunities to participate, possible special events, input requests.
- 3. Send a donor request letter in February which targets specific activities of the TF.
- C. Membership: Regard donors of over $25 as members, giving them a vote, including them in member surveys, and enlarging our constituency for advocacy strength. Continue to inform members and consult them on Task Force goals and projects. Print more copies of one newsletter issue and distribute it widely. Continue quarterly dues reminders.
- D. Human Race: Start early to organize businesses and individuals to walk or run for TF and Fund.
- E. October in Paradise: Start planning in April for October 2nd, 2003 event. Consider ways to improve quality and quantity of food, and control the number of attendees.
- F. Consider special fundraisers, (e.g. evenings where restaurants, theaters, etc., share profits).