County of San Diego Homelessness Solutions and Prevention Action Plan
Anastasia P Schmeeckle | Published on 9/15/2023
| Kim Knox |
Fri, Sep 15, 2023 at 1:11 PM |
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To: HSEC-OHS.HHSA@sdcounty.ca.gov
Cc: Rosette Garcia <president@lwvncsd.org>
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Good Afternoon,
The League of Women Voters of San Diego and the League of Women Voters of North County San Diego commend the County of San Diego for developing the Homelessness Action Plan that is compassionate and based on proven data. The Plan’s comprehensive framework is excellent, addressing root causes, mitigation, services, emergency and interim housing, and permanent supportive housing.
We offer these comments:
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The Plan’s organization of the interconnected roles in County operations is significant, however, our concern is that the Regional Task Force on Homelessness (RTFH) / Continuum of Care (CoC) is not acknowledged in the Plan as coordinator throughout the County. RTFH / CoC’s role as the geographical Continuum of Care is defined and recognized by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and by California’s Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH).
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The RTFH / CoC should provide comprehensive financial transparency summarizing all regional funding and expenditures for homelessness services, publicly accessible in a timely manner.
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The RTFH / CoC should refine a system of checks and balances applied to the Plan, to give public visibility of the coordination among all stakeholders.
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The RTFH / CoC should further define measures of effectiveness of the Plan to link costs to outcomes that can be applied universally across the region.
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The League supports the Plan’s concept of a coordinated effort on law enforcement across all jurisdictions which can ensure uniformity, equity, and consistency of a law enforcement response.
The Leagues support programs and policies to assist those who are homeless or about to become homeless in meeting their basic human needs. To makehomelessness a brief and one-time experience requires intensive and coordinated planning with support from various government and community groups.
The Leagues support intergovernmental relations with an effective and equitable balance of responsibility and authority among the levels of government with accountability to the public, providing consolidation of functions to deal with area-wide problems. (See LWVC Action Policies and Positions)https://lwvc.org/position/intergovernmental-relationships
The Leagues further support a regional government agency that serves as the coordinator of intergovernmental policies and can override local jurisdictions when efficiency of services can be clearly measured and can improve the scale of operations. (See Leagues’ joint position on Structure of Government in San Diego County and Region (1986, 2001, 2002).)
Respectfully submitted,
Kim Knox
President
League of Women Voters of San Diego
Rosette Garcia
President
League of Women Voters of North County San Diego
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