Homelessness In Sonoma County
WHO IS HOMELESS?
Homelessness is a circumstance through which people pass, not a personal characteristic.
For some it is a short-term emergency caused by a job loss, a medical problem, a large increase in rent, or some other unavoidable situation. With some assistance, many of these families and individuals can regain some form of stable housing within weeks or months. Some situations take much longer to solve, due to large family size, credit problems, eviction history, lack of accessible housing for people with disabilities, or housing costs greatly exceeding what average incomes can support.
For others, it is a chronic problem, often aggravated by a mental or physical disability, and/or substance abuse. For people who have spent years on the street or who cycle repeatedly through bouts of homelessness, more intensive support is needed to stabilize their lives and maintain long-term housing.
Most homeless people look like, and in many cases are, you and me. People of every ethnicity are homeless in Sonoma County, with the greatest number being Caucasian. Many homeless people are working, and there are numerous families with children, as well as seniors on fixed incomes and people with disabilities facing homelessness. Large families find it particularly difficult to find affordable housing. Also, people with mental illness, substance abuse issues, illiteracy, emotional instability, depression, or personal problems often find it very difficult to manage their lives independently and too often become homeless for lack of effective treatment and supportive housing. Most who are homeless here have lived in Sonoma County for considerable time, and may have their only family, friends, and job contacts here.
Characteristics most homeless people have in common are lack of funds to secure appropriate housing, lack of a support system (many have outstayed their welcome with friends and family), and some level of fear and trauma. Many are constantly afraid due to the dangers and uncertainties of living on the streets, and/or experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to military service or childhood abuse.
NUMBERS
It is difficult, perhaps impossible with existing resources, to accurately determine the number of homeless people in Sonoma County. First, the population is likely to be fluid, rising somewhat with housing costs and employment layoffs and leveling off in better economic times. Second, there are differing definitions of who is homeless. A count of homeless people accomplished in late 2001 and described on the web site of the Sonoma County Community Development Commission (see Data Resources below) defined homelessness narrowly according to HUD parameters. It did not include the many homeless people temporarily sleeping on friends' or relatives' couches or floors, in motels, hospitals, or jails. While efforts were made to locate encampments and people were interviewed and counted in many, it did not reach or count anyone not willing to be interviewed, many of whom are out of sight in their vehicles, or in remote or hidden camps throughout the county. Health services, schools, and the Task Force define homelessness more broadly as including anyone who does not have a living space under their control (e.g. as a legal renter or owner).
While 1450 people were counted in the 2001 point-in-time study, later adjusted to 1761 due to people missed in certain transitional housing beds*, HUD generally estimates 1% to 1.5% of an area's population to be homeless. Our local Continuum of Care has agreed to use an estimate of 1.2%. That would equal c.5760 people in a county of approximately 480,000 such as Sonoma.
*Please see the Sonoma County Community Development Commission web site for the study itself and for additional information on local homelessness.
WHY ARE PEOPLE HOMELESS IN SONOMA COUNTY?
Sonoma County consistently ranks among the top ten (usually the top 5) least affordable areas in which to live in the entire United States. Housing prices may be higher in other parts of the Bay Area and elsewhere in the U.S., but it is the mismatch between prevailing wages and the cost of housing that makes our situation so extreme. The California Association of Realtors notes that the "Northern Wine Country" along with Santa Barbara, is the least affordable area in California, with only 15% of residents able to afford to purchase the average priced home. And that study was done prior to the 21.9% housing price rise in 2003/4. High purchase prices produce high rents. Lack of housing affordability affects many occupations, and has created increasing problems in recruiting police, firefighters, teachers, doctors, and other professionals.
Making our situation even more dire, Sonoma County has large numbers of low-wage workers in agriculture, tourism, retail, lumber, fishing, and service industries, many of whom are part-time, and/or seasonal employees with few if any benefits. While our vibrant local economy depends on these workers, they increasingly have few if any options to find housing in our county. It is these workers who are most at risk for homelessness, along with people challenged with mental or physical disabilities, substance abuse problems, lack of education or job skills, women and children fleeing domestic abuse, youth aging out of foster care or running from abusive or uncaring households, and those confronting overwhelming personal issues.
Homeless people often find themselves victims of discrimination. Even when housing can be found and when the homeless person or family has money in hand, some landlords may be wary of renting to them because of their perception of the reliability of someone who has experienced homelessness. The homeless person may need help with rental deposits, or with guarantees to offset prior questionable credit history. They may have physical limitations that housing must accommodate. Ramps, wider doorways, larger bathrooms, and handrails may be necessary. As housing becomes less and less affordable, there may be even fewer units available that meet accessibility needs as well as economic realities for the physically challenged (Please see article entitled "Homelessness is a Disability Issue" from the April/May Task Force Reporter in our newsletter archive section.)
Some homeless people have criminal histories, in part because many find jail to be their primary accessible housing program, and because many are picked up for behavior that would not happen if they were not homeless, such as trespassing, being drunk in public, or urinating in public. Finding housing is extremely difficult for these people. Of course there are also, just as in the general population, those who have committed serious crimes, but this is not by any means the majority of homeless people, or even of those who have spent time in jail. In terms of cost to society, both financial and otherwise, it is far more effective as well as humane to help a person to stabilize their lives and secure and maintain housing than it is to keep them in jail.
Some homeless people have pets that are their closest companions, and have trouble accessing shelter or housing because they refuse to be separated from the animals who often have been their best friends and protectors for many years.
Childcare and related costs are issues for many parents who must work to afford housing. In addition, homeless people have often used up their savings and credit capability simply trying to live. Often they own no personal vehicle and must rely on public transport. It is then important that their housing is close to transportation lines so they can reach jobs, shopping, medical facilities, and supportive services.
SOLUTIONS
Solutions to homelessness require a wide range of activities and services. We must create adequate affordable housing that is accessible to those who need it. Permanent supportive housing must be available to people with disabilities that lead to chronic homelessness. Some people can avoid homelessness with a small amount of assistance to pay a bill or cover the mortgage for a month. Emergency shelter and services must be available on a short term basis for those who suddenly find themselves homeless or those currently on the streets, and transitional housing and services are important resources for those who need time to build income and stability to find permanent housing on the open market. Many clients benefit from ongoing support even after finding housing so they can retain their stability. And people must have access to essential services and benefits for which they are eligible such as food stamps, Social Security, and health care.
Sonoma County agencies and programs have a strong record of success with those homeless people they have the capacity to serve. We do know what works for people. We have the will, the caring, and the knowledge to help people reach their goals. What is often lacking is the funding to provide essential services and to offer those services to the number of people in need and for the length of time some need them. We also lack enough facilities (and community support to site facilities) in which to provide such housing and services, and the affordable, accessible housing stock for people who could otherwise live independently.
Sonoma County agencies are working together effectively to address gaps in the service system and to secure the resources to provide services. Each aspect of the local service system, our continuum of care for the homeless, is generally described here. Please see Data Resources below for guidance to additional more specific data.
Affordable Housing Development (including supportive related government policies) Policies that local cities and the county unincorporated area can and in some cases already do use to facilitate the development and accessibility of affordable housing include:
- Jobs-Housing Linkage Fees
- Inclusionary Zoning
- Housing Trust Funds
- Fee waivers
Prevention Services
Prevention services include funds to assist people in paying one-time rent or mortgage to avoid eviction, or deposits to help people secure rental housing. In Sonoma County, the HCA Fund operated through Community Action Partnership- Sonoma and the Season of Sharing Fund are some examples of such programs. Mental health and substance abuse treatment also assist people in avoiding homelessness. Since many homeless people were abused as children, leading to low self-esteem and impaired coping skills, child abuse prevention and treatment also are preventive of homelessness.
Emergency Shelter and Services
Emergency shelters are generally available on short notice to people on the streets. Most provide 30 to 60 days accommodations while clients search for housing, jobs, and/or address their personal issues and needs related to homelessness. Some provide primarily overnight shelter. Information on specific shelters in Sonoma County can be found in the resource directories and Continuum of Care Plan referenced elsewhere on this site.
Transitional Housing and Services
Transitional Housing provides six months to two years of housing during which the client pays some portion of the rent, though less than market rate, builds income and saves money for the transition to permanent housing, and receives services to help them stabilize their lives. Specific transitional housing programs are detailed in the resource directories and Continuum of Care Plan referenced elsewhere on this site.
Permanent Supportive Housing
Permanent Supportive Housing provides permanent housing for people with disabilities combined with the services necessary to assist them to function at their highest possible level. Permanent Supportive Housing has proved to be highly effective in terms of outcomes for clients and saves public funds through avoiding hospitalization and other institutionalization.
Ongoing Support
Many people need new personal support systems - a new sense of community and connection - to help them maintain their situations once they have achieved their goals for housing and jobs. Programs like the Family Connection of S.O.M.E. that match teams of housed people with homeless families graduating from shelter programs have been very successful in helping these families to form healthy relationships in the community and to maintain stable and productive lives.
Ending Chronic Homelessness by 2012
HUD has set a national goal to end chronic homelessness by 2012, and Sonoma County is making efforts to achieve that goal locally, coordinated through the Ending Chronic Homelessness Committee of the Continuum of Care. See the county Continuum of Care Plan or the article from the April/May/June 2004 Task Force newsletter entitled "End Chronic Homelessness By 2012" archived on this site for details.
Collaborative Planning and Program Development
The Task Force on the Homeless offers advocacy, community education, resource and fund development, and collaborative program development. It explores issues in depth, shares information, discusses joint action at its monthly General Meetings, and works through its committees and collaborative projects. Current collaborative program development efforts include the Homeless Court Protocol Project, a Health Care for the Homeless clinic, and participation in the Frequent Users of Health Services Initiative.
The Continuum of Care is a countywide planning body that prepares an annual plan to secure funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and works year round through committees on issues such as Services Integration, Training, and Information Management, Ending Chronic Homelessness, Community Housing Development, Community Acceptance, a Homeless Management Information System, and related issues.
DATA RESOURCES
We urge you to search the archives of the Task Force Reporter Newsletter for articles related to homelessness and disability, ending chronic homelessness, the count of homeless people done in 2001, and related subjects for more detailed information on our local situation.
The most comprehensive information and statistical data on homeless shelter, services, and plans to address homelessness in Sonoma County is available in the Sonoma County Continuum of Care Plan, a document that is constructed cooperatively by Sonoma County public jurisdictions and non-profit agencies, and submitted annually to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in order for local programs to be eligible for HUD funding. You can download a copy of the plan from the Sonoma County Community Development Commission web site at: http://www.sonoma-county.org/cdc/comdevhomeless.htm.
(Note: The 2004 Plan is currently being developed by the Continuum partners for submission at the end of July 2004, and will be posted some time thereafter. Until then, the 2003 Plan is available online at the address above. The County Community Development Commission web site contains additional information on homelessness in the county as well).
For information on causes, circumstances, and solutions to homelessness nationally, we suggest you visit:
- National Alliance to End Homelessness
http://www.endhomelessness.org/ - Solutions for America
http://www.solutionsforamerica.org/thrivingneigh/homelessness.html?source=google - Beyond Shelter
http://www.beyondshelter.org/ - The National Coalition for the Homeless
http://www.nationalhomeless.org/ - The Corporation for Supportive Housing
http://www.csh.org/ - The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty
http://www.nlchp.org/