Homelessness Solutions Strategic Plan

Members of the community are invited to participate in a virtual Community Input Session to help shape development of the city’s new Homelessness Solutions Strategic Plan. This will be a forum for community members to participate in the initial information gathering phase of the strategic planning process.

Virtual Community Input Session

When: Monday, May 23, 2022, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

To Participate:

Approximately 75 community members participated in a virtual Community Input Session on May 23, 2022: VIEW INPUT SESSION

Purpose of the Community Input Session

To provide technical assistance in developing a five-year Homelessness Solutions Strategic Plan, the City has engaged Focus Strategies, a national consulting firm based on the West Coast that has over 16 years of experience helping communities improve efforts to end homelessness by using local data and national research to shape program and system design.

The Community Input Session is intended to be a forum for community members to participate in the initial information gathering phase of the strategic planning process. The information gathered in this session, along with other stakeholder engagement efforts, will be used by Focus Strategies to develop an understanding of the current state of the homelessness response in the City of Santa Rosa and begin identifying goals and strategies to incorporate into the Plan. Outreach will be conducted to a wide range of stakeholder groups including sheltered and unsheltered community members who are experiencing homelessness, business and non-profit groups, and members of the greater Santa Rosa community.

The meeting will begin with a presentation by Focus Strategies about the strategic planning process and some contextual information about the City’s current approach to addressing homelessness. This will be followed by an opportunity for input from meeting participants on how they would define success for the Plan and elements they would like to see incorporated. Focus Strategies and City of Santa Rosa staff will be available to answer any questions about the strategic planning activities.

Background

In March 2022, following a competitive Request for Proposals process, City Council authorized a consulting services agreement with Focus Strategies, a national consulting firm based on the West Coast, to develop a five-year Homeless Solutions Strategic Plan for the city. The plan will identify step-by-step actions to address homelessness in the community and achieve “Functional Zero” homelessness in alignment with the Sonoma County Continuum Care. The plan will be prepared over six to 12 months, starting with an assessment of existing systems and stakeholders, followed by drafting and delivering a final strategic plan. For information on the consulting services selection process and the scope of services to be provided: Read Staff Report.

More information on the city's response to homelessness in Santa Rosa is available on the city's website at: Homeless Solutions.