RES 97089 - Laserfiche WebLink

Chapter 1: Introduction and Plan Development Not every homeless person will access every portion of the continuum, but the system must be designed to ensure that people make the housing and service connections they need. HUD has proposed to develop a block grant for a Continuum of Care that will allow local jurisdictions the ability to plan and coordinate interrelated services to meet homeless needs, and to fund housing and services to eliminate homelessness. In Alameda County there are fifteen jurisdictions, including 14 cities and the County, most of which invest some portion of their locally controlled resources in homeless services and housing. Under a HUD homeless block grant, three jurisdictions are likely to be recognized for direct federal funding: Berkeley, Oakland and the Alameda County Urban County (a CDBG-designated jurisdiction comprised of the Unincorporated County and the cities of Albany, Dublin, Emeryville, Newark and Piedmont). The remaining cities in the County are most likely to receive funding only as a consortium, and depending on the federal formula, that consortium or individual cities may be required to apply to the State for funds rather than receive these funds from the Federal government. The Cities of Berkeley and Oakland, in preparation for a possible block grant, have participated in the development of this county- wide Plan in addition to committing to develop their own Continuum of Care Plans, in coordination with this county-wide Plan. The county-wide Plan encompasses the Urban County. , The Alameda County-wide Continuum of Care Plan is needed if we are to break the pattern of fragmentation. This county-wide Plan is intended to link the homeless policies of all the jurisdictions and provide an overarching set of principles and priorities which each jurisdiction can put into practice in accordance with its own funding guidelines. It also identifies gap areas and needs in which multi jurisdictional cooperation and funding is beneficial to the furtherance of a complete continuum. Preparation for Development of a County-wide Continuum of Care Plan Many efforts and collaborations have laid the groundwork for the development of a county- wide homeless continuum of care plan. These efforts have brought together multiple service providers, fenders and affected community members to address needs along the continuum through coordinated planning and organizing. Some of these efforts include the establishment of the Emergency Services Network of emergency and food service providers (1983); the formation of the East Bay Housing Organizations coalition of housing developers and development professionals (1989); formation of Coordinet, the southern Alameda County collaborative of shelter, employment and service providers (1991); the creation of the Homeless Base Conversion Collaborative to respond to impending base closures in the county (1993); and establishment of the Alameda County Food Bank by a network of faith-based and community organizations (1995). The Continuum of Care also builds on previous planning Alameda County-Wide Homeless Continuum of Care Plan: April 1997 3