To: Board of Supervisors
From: Anna Roth, Health Services Director
Report Title: Council on Homelessness “Homelessness Awareness Month” Presentation
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
ACCEPT presentation recognizing November 2024 as Homeless Awareness Month by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Council on Homelessness; ADOPT resolution declaring November as Homelessness Awareness Month in Contra Costa County; ADOPT resolution declaring December 21st as Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day in Contra Costa County.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact for this action.
BACKGROUND:
November is National Homelessness Awareness Month. The Council on Homelessness will join the national effort to highlight the various housing and homelessness issues in our community and showcase the myriad efforts within the homeless Continuum of Care that is making a real impact on reducing homelessness.
In Contra Costa, we are marking this month in a number of ways including;
1) Granting awards and hosting a reception on November 12th to celebrate nearly 40 people, projects and businesses who have made an impact on the lives of people facing homelessness (Register for the event at https://forms.office.com/g/tMuvKZKNTg. See full slate of recognized parties attached to this item)
2) Co-hosting a panel on Youth and Young Adult Homelessness with the Youth Action Board and Contra Costa College on November 14th (Register for the event here: https://forms.office.com/g/WFWLpF5bXy
3) Co-hosting a Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day event with Contra Costa Crisis Center, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Contra Costa and Safe Organized Spaces (SoS) Richmond on Friday, December 20th (Register for event here: https://forms.gle/ghBmTGTgZnn141s27
4) Requesting the Board of Supervisors to adopt two proclamations a) November as Homelessness Awareness Month and b) December 21st as Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
N/A
The Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County, California
IN THE MATTER OF recognizing the month of November as Homelessness Awareness Month in the United States
WHEREAS, the purpose of the proclamation is to acknowledge and raise awareness of the problems faced by youth, families and individuals at risk of and experiencing homelessness in Contra Costa County; and to encourage support for the Contra Costa Continuum of Care focused on ending homelessness, funding permanent housing solutions, promoting program access, and optimizing self-sufficiency; and
WHEREAS, 14,002 individuals accessed homeless services in Contra Costa in 2023 (a 28% increase since 2019); and
WHEREAS, homelessness is more closely associated with housing availability, and housing costs, than with poverty; and
WHEREAS, renters in Contra Costa County need to earn $43.63 per hour - 2.5 times the City of Richmond minimum wage - to afford the average monthly asking rent of $2,269; and
WHEREAS, racial disparities continue to be evident for those experiencing homelessness in Contra Costa, with Black/African American/African people represented is four times higher, and people with Multiple Races is almost four times higher in our system of care compared to the county population; and
WHEREAS, there was an 89% increase in households with minor children, a 71% increase in the number of seniors aged 65+, and a 36% increase among Transition Aged Youth (ages 18-24) since 2019, and
WHEREAS, the Contra Costa Continuum of Care (CoC) unites over 50 organizations, cities, towns and individuals with a shared mission to prevent and end homelessness in Contra Costa County; and
WHEREAS, the Council on Homelessness is both an Advisory Board to the Board of Supervisors and the planning body for the Contra Costa Continuum of Care and coordinates the community's policies, strategies, and activities toward preventing and ending homelessness in Contra Costa County and welcomes community participation and engagement; and
WHEREAS, the Health, Housing and Homeless Services Division of Contra Costa Health, which staffs the Council on Homelessness, is committed to making homelessness short-lived and non-recurring by ensuring an integrated system of housing and support services for persons experiencing homelessness in Contra Costa County; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Contra Costa County hereby proclaims November as Homelessness Awareness Month.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors affirms its commitment to ensuring Contra Costa County continues to build and maintain a well-resourced, coordinated, and supportive Continuum of Care to meet the complex and multifaceted needs of people experiencing homelessness and ultimately end homelessness in Contra Costa County.
The Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County, California
IN THE MATTER OF naming December 21, 2024 National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day
WHEREAS, December 21, 2024 marks the first day of winter and is the longest night of the year; and
WHEREAS, the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council have designated December 21, 2024 as National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day; and
WHEREAS, thousands of people across the United States die each year without stable housing; and
WHEREAS, homelessness raises one’s risk of illness, injury and death; and
WHEREAS, non-elderly people experiencing homelessness have 3.5 times the mortality risk of those who are housed, accounting for differences in demographic characteristics and geography, and that a 40-year-old homeless person faces a similar mortality risk to a housed person nearly twenty years older; and
WHEREAS, the Contra Costa Coroner reported 113 people experiencing homelessness who died during calendar year 2023,; and
WHEREAS, drug and alcohol related accidental deaths represented the highest cause of death for this group in 2023, followed by natural causes and non-substance related accidents; and
WHEREAS, 14,002 individuals accessed homeless services in Contra Costa in 2023, a 28% increase from 2019; and
WHEREAS, Contra Costa County encourages all residents to recognize that thousands of people in Contra Costa do not have housing and need support from government, citizens and private/public nonprofit service entities to address the myriad challenges of homelessness; and
WHEREAS, the Council on Homelessness is both an Advisory Board to the Board of Supervisors and the planning body for the Contra Costa Continuum of Care and coordinates the community's policies, strategies, and activities toward preventing and ending homelessness in Contra Costa County and welcomes community participation and engagement; and
WHEREAS, the Health, Housing and Homeless Services Division of Contra Costa Health, which staffs the Council on Homelessness, is committed to making homelessness short-lived and non-recurring by ensuring an integrated system of housing and support services for persons experiencing homelessness in Contra Costa County; and
WHEREAS, a Homeless Person’s Memorial event coordinated by the Contra Costa Crisis Center, SoS Richmond, NAMI and the Council on Homelessness, will take place on Friday, December 20, 2024 at the Walnut Creek Library from 11 am - 1:00 pm to remember those who died while experiencing homelessness (Registration: https://forms.gle/UM2iqk7Vux6xTqyS7); and
WHEREAS, by joining together and remembering our neighbors, we can honor their lives by working to provide solutions to end homelessness within the County;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED That December 21, 2024 is hereby named National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day in Contra Costa County, to remember those who have died while experiencing homelessness, to encourage residents to come together to celebrate their lives, and commit to working to resolve factors that lead to homelessness within the County.