On heels of survey, City of Long Beach commits to 'zero' veteran homelessness by year's end

Cory Bilicko
Managing Editor

There are now fewer homeless people on the street, more people have access to housing and homeless services in Long Beach, and the City plans to reduce the homeless veterans population to zero by the year’s end.
Those are recent announcements made by Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia and other city officials in the past week, based on a recent homeless count and the City’s newfound commitment to the national Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness, which the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development initiated last year.
However, that goal of reducing the number of homeless veterans to zero comes with a caveat— it’s what is called a “functional zero.”
Homes for all veterans
During a press conference on Wednesday afternoon in front of the Veterans Affairs building, Garcia explained the genesis of his commitment to the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness.
“No one who has served in our country’s military should ever have to worry at night where they have to sleep or where they’ll get food or shelter,” Garcia said. “And today we’re announcing some important steps in that goal. Just a few months ago, I was at the White House, [in] an important meeting with the VA secretary, Robert McDonald, as well as a group of mayors from across the country. We were in the process of discussing President Obama’s initiative to end veteran homelessness. At that table was the mayor of [New Orleans,] Louisiana— Mayor [Mitch] Landrieu. As we all know, New Orleans became the very first city— major city— to end veteran homelessness within the United States. And Mayor Landrieu and the President encouraged all of us mayors to take up that charge as well and to ensure that we did everything we could in our community to end veteran homelessness.”
Garcia said he “enthusiastically” joined the Challenge within his first week as mayor and that, by Christmas of this year, all veterans who remain on the street will be sheltered within the city of Long Beach.
“And we’ve already made great progress over the past several years,” he said.
He then acknowledged the work of Kelly Colopy, Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services director, as well as local veterans groups, housing organizations, the VA Hospital, faith leaders, churches, social workers and the federal government.
Garcia then introduced Colopy, who said the city’s 2011 homeless count found 309 veterans living on the street, but the 2013 count identified 164 homeless veterans, and the 2015 count found 94 veterans without a home.
“We know that, by the end of this year, we’ll meet the goal to end homelessness of veterans in Long Beach,” Colopy said. “It is a bold commitment. It’s a commitment we’re glad the mayor has made, and we’re on track to meet it.”
She commended the work of the Long Beach Housing Authority, the Veterans Administration, Mental Health America, the U.S. Veterans Initiative and the Continuum of Care, which she described as a coordinated effort of over 10 organizations led by the Long Beach Health and Human Services Department.
“All of these partners working together are very closely connected to connect homeless veterans to housing and other supportive services, to expedite housing solutions for veterans experiencing homelessness in Long Beach,” she said. “Each organization plays an essential role in the system to support our veterans and their families.”
Colopy explained that through federal funding, the City has received $6.4 million, which equates to 664 vouchers for housing since 2008. The City also has $2 million for supportive services for veterans and their families, as well as 500 housing units at the Villages of Cabrillo that are providing homes for veterans.
“To assist the homeless veterans to find these resources, the Continuum of Care conducts multi-agency outreach efforts to engage homeless veterans who are on the street and to expedite referrals to permanent housing resources.”
Colopy said the City continues to seek out landlords to provide homes for veterans, and she encouraged those interested in participating in the voucher program to contact the housing authority.
After thanking Garcia and the City, Long Beach Veterans Affairs Director Michael Fisher said he too is confident that the City’s goal can be reached.
“I too think we can reach the goal by the end of 2015, and I’m here to pledge all my staff and other resources for that to become realized,” Fisher said.
He added that the City’s partnership with the VA and other organizations has led to a 53-percent increase in sheltered veterans from 2009 to 2013. Fisher also acknowledged the efforts of Steve Peck, who is the CEO and president of the U.S. Vets Initiative, which hosts numerous programs at the Villages of Cabrillo, which, Fisher said, on any given night houses over 550 homeless veterans.
Garcia also added that the support for veterans will be an ongoing venture and that, as others may become homeless, the City will address their needs.
In response to a media question about whether the City will be able to house all veterans, even those who are not willing to accept assistance, Susan Price, Homeless Services officer with the Long Beach Health Department, explained that an important consideration in helping homeless veterans is “the right to self-determination.”
“So, the folks that we are working with have the right and the ability to make decisions on their own behalf, and so, basically, when we’re talking about ending veteran homelessness, we’re talking about ‘functional zero,'” Price said. “What functional zero is, is basically looking at, in any given month, how many veterans do we house? And from that number, say if we house 20 veterans a month, if there’s less than that on the streets at any given time, that is the definition of a functional zero.”
After the press conference, the Signal Tribune asked Price what happens when a homeless veteran enters a program, is accepted into a facility but does not abide by the rules of the program.
“Well, that’s entirely part of the reality and the self-determination that I’m talking about— that everybody has the right and ability to make decisions on their own behalf,” she said. “What we’re doing right now is we have a whole portfolio of resources that we’re using to address homelessness. There’s no one solution, and there’s no one perfect fit for any individual.”
Price said there might be a Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program for a veteran who requires supportive services but that there are vets who do not want those services. “They could go into a regular Section 8 voucher that we have set aside with the housing authority, where it doesn’t have, like, a service component to it. Then we also have units at the Villages of Cabrillo if they want to be a part of a broader community where homeless veterans are currently living. Or, if they want to live out in the community, in an apartment all to themselves, where they’re not being dictated by any sort of program structure, they can move into a market-rate unit. And the Supportive Services for Veterans and their Families— SSVF— is one of the other resources that we were talking about— the $2 million. That’s for move-in deposits and rental subsidies for people moving into their own apartment.”
Price added that an issue that had not been discussed during the press conference is the fact that not all veterans are healthcare-eligible for VA services, but those who do have a history of being in the military may be able to enter another program.
“If they’re not eligible for VASH, there’s Section 8, there’s SSVF, and there’s HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) homeless programs,” she said. “There’s a whole host of options of what people are ready and willing to accept.”
Beyond veterans
A week before the news conference regarding local efforts to address veteran homelessness, the City released the results of its biennial homeless survey, which is a requirement to receive HUD funding to provide services to the homeless.
According to that homeless count, which was conducted by the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, from 2013 to 2015, there was an 18-percent overall reduction in the total number of persons experiencing homelessness, from 2,847 to 2,345. The survey also showed: a 13-percent reduction in chronically homeless persons, from 1,061 to 927; a 24-percent reduction in the number of children experiencing homelessness, from 334 to 255; and a 42-percent increase in permanent housing beds, from 854 to 1,214.
Additionally, according to the City’s survey, since 2011 there has been: a 26-percent reduction in the total number of persons experiencing homelessness, from 3,164 to 2,345; an 18-percent reduction in chronically homeless persons, from 1,127 to 927; a 32-percent reduction in the number of children experiencing homelessness, from 371 to 255; and a 177-percent increase in permanent-housing beds, from 438 to 1,214.
The increase in permanent housing resources is a result of new programs funded and developed for specialized subpopulations and expansion of rapid rehousing units, according to city officials.
The survey involved more than 300 community volunteers deployed citywide earlier this year to conduct a “street count” of unsheltered homeless persons. To better align the data collection with other Continuum of Care jurisdictions and HUD requirements, the 2015 count focused only on homeless-designated beds for the shelter count, according to the City.
To ensure the greatest impact, city officials have organized a street-outreach network, reaching out to faith-based and food-distribution sites to ensure connectivity to resources that end homelessness.
The central hub for intake and assessment for the Long Beach Continuum of Care is the multi-service center (MSC), which averages 26,000 client visits annually, making it the primary point of entry for persons seeking homeless services assistance in Long Beach, according to the City, which stated that the center houses staff from the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services and 11 other public and private partner organizations that cooperate to promote self-sufficiency and rebuild the lives of those experiencing homelessness.
“The MSC has been a critical resource in facilitating opportunities for homeless men, women and children to achieve housing stability and empower clients by actively engaging them in service planning, building on their strengths, and helping them to achieve their goals,” states a City press release that included the survey’s results. “This focus on the goals of economic stability, employment, stable housing and reintegration has had positive impacts for those served and the broader community.”