Stephens/Mansoor Homelessness Forum

SEEMED LIKE AN APPROPRIATE VENUE
Last night more than 100 people gathered in the sanctuary of the Newport Mesa Church on the campus of Vanguard University in Costa Mesa for a forum on Homelessness hosted by Costa Mesa City Councilmen John Stephens and Allan Mansoor.

 FRANCIS MODERATED
The evening was moderated by Assistant City Manager Rick Francis and included serveral "subject experts" on this issue to provide insight and perspective.  It's been a busy week for him - he moderated the discussion on Measure X the afternoon before.

THE TEAM
Following opening comments by Mansoor and Stephens, Francis led off by introducing members of his "team", city employees and volunteers who provide active support to the Network for Homeless Solutions.  Among those introduced were Code Enforcement Officer Mike Brumbaugh, former Planning Commissioner Jeff Mathews, Pastor Ian Stevenson, Executive Director of Trellis,  Pastor Bill Nelson of Fresh Beginnings Ministries and consultant Muriel Ullman.

PERSPECTIVE
Francis gave us some perspective on the scope of the Homelessness issue in Costa Mesa.  He told us that 269 individuals have been directed to housing, of which 203 are still housed.  He affirmed that his group doesn't just put folks on a bus, plane or train without them actually having a place to house them at the other end.  He said, "We don't just ship them out to nothing."

CITY GOALS
He then went through a PowerPoint presentation which outlined the history of his program.  He began with the Key Goals adopted by the City Council in 2011:
1 - Define who is a Costa Mesa Homeless Individual
2 - Centralize in-house homeless services coordination
3 - Integrate law enforcement, mental health and legal strategy as a collaborative approach to reducing homelessness.
4 - Research Permanent Housing
5 - Review Interim Housing Options

4-POINT STRATEGY
He described the implementation of this plan, which included a 4-Point Strategy, beginning with the Creation of the Network for Homeless Solutions.  Those four points were:
1 - In-house coordination and enforcement collaboration
2 - Service delivery coordination with outside agencies
3 - Direct Outreach Services
4 - Reconnection

STATISTICS
Francis provided some statistics for us as follows:
From the onset of the Program in 2013, the Network for Homeless Solutions Outreach Workers have;

• Initiated 4638 contacts with Costa Mesa Homeless Individuals.
• Placed 269 individuals in permanent housing.
• Facilitated 70 Reconnections
• Made 2280 Linkages to substance abuse, medical and mental health services.
• Performed 617 other supportive services actions to assist the homeless population in Costa Mesa.

Additionally, as of December 31, 2016:
152 active homeless Costa Mesa clients we had contacted within 2016,
     38 of the 152 were homeless in 2013
269 individuals have been housed since 2013,
     203 individuals remaining in housing
     10 deceased
     56 Service Resistant, fell out of housing, or whereabouts unknown
     75 were still receiving followup services during 2016
     (Retention rate 75%)
 
And:

• In 2016, 20 active clients took up 49% of the total number of case management hours
• Homeless clients took up 41% of the total case management hours
• Housed clients took up 59% of the case management hours
• The average number of hours spent with individual clients is approximately 7
• 81 veterans have been helped since the onset of the program

Since 2013, when this program began, of the 269 individuals housed, 38 were housed in 2013; 50 in 2014; 92 in 2015; 89 in 2016.

HOUSED INDIVIDUALS
Of those housed only 12% were housed in Costa Mesa.  44% were housed in other Orange County cities; 9% were housed in other counties in California; 13% were housed in other states and 22% were housed in "other".

FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
He also showed charts demonstrating the kinds of services and percentages of hours spent by four faith-based partners in this effort.

• Trellis
• Fresh Beginnings Ministries
• Lighthouse Church
• Broken Hearts Ministries

Francis then introduced the panel of "experts":
Captain Mark Manley of the Costa Mesa Police Department who heads up Field Operations for the CMPD.

Pastor Bill Nelson of Fresh Beginnings Ministries, who has worked with the homeless since 1986 and whose organization has fed 49,000 people.

Pastor Ian Stevenson, the Executive Director of Trellis.  He was a pastor at Crossings for 26 years.  He coined the phrase, "We're better together", describing the collaborative effort among the various participants.

Muriel Ullman, a former Costa Mesa City employee who now provides consultative support for the Network for Homeless Solutions and is the main focus of City activities.  Among the things she's been involved in is attempting to set up a "mini-county" outreach program, but better.  She spoke about the difficulty of getting good contract staff, so the City has designated staffers to work on this issue.  She described the job is one that attempts to achieve a balance between the homeless and the residents.

Rick Francis was the other member of the panel.  Among the things he spoke about in his introduction on the panel was the question, "Why does it appear that the homeless problem has grown?"  Among the contributing factors was ineffective legislation - AB 109 and Prop. 47, for example, which resulted in more homeless folks state-wide.  Also, the growing proliferation of rehab homes in Costa Mesa has produced a large number of homeless as failed clients are "curbed" - dumped on Costa Mesa city streets without any means of support.  He spoke of the creation of the Network for Homeless Solutions and said many Orange County cities have modeled their efforts after it.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Members of the audience then asked questions of the panel.  Mansoor and Stephens scampered around the sanctuary with wireless microphones to the speakers, and occasionally offered their views on the issue at hand.

Among the questions asked were:
What kind of assessment is done for mental health homeless folks?  Ullman and Nelson responded to that one with statistics of the number of assessments done - more than 200.  The level of mental illness - it's a wide range - depends on the kind of services provided.

Many people ask about using the Fairview Developmental Center property for a homeless site.  The responses included the fact that the sale of that property is still a few years off - 2021.  The City has designated that site for specific types of uses in the most recent General Plan Update.  If the State chooses to transfer that land to another state agency the City can do nothing about it.  There are a lot of moving parts and the City has no lock on the land - no rights to it.

The issue of "curbing" was discussed.  The City has recently discussed a new ordinance, modifying existing Sober Living ordinances, which will soon appear before the Planning Commission.

What about a campground for homeless?  The reply was, "I don't know where we would put it!"  Francis went on to state that what is really needed is housing.  He spoke of the situation in Anaheim, where officials dislodged homeless from the riverbed and an encampment was created near a mobile home park which has turned out to be a serious safety problem.

What can we do to help with the political process?  The answer was to pay attention to current and proposed legislation - State Senator John Moorlach's bill, for example.  Francis referred folks to Scott Carpenter in Moorlach's local office.

What about crime by homeless?  Manley said it's a complicated issue.  Simply being homeless is not a crime.  He described the collaborative effort with the faith-based organizations and improving communication.  He said the CMPD handles over 100,000 calls for service each year and they don't want to handle the same one over and over again.  In response to the question about "who do we call", the answer was, "Don't wait for a response to an app." -  if you feel you're in an unsafe situation, threatened, by all means call the CMPD.

Locking bathrooms and removing picnic shelters in the parks?  A lengthy discussion took place on this issue, describing the closure of bathrooms at Lions and Wilson parks as extreme measures dictated by criminal activities being conducted in those facilities.  Speakers bemoaned the loss of the bathrooms, especially for children.  It makes the parks unusable for some of them.  Stephens, addressing this issue, said he's going to ask the City to take a fresh look at this issue, to try to find a better solution.

What about feeding the homeless?  Several groups apparently regularly feed homeless folks in parks and elsewhere.  Stevenson spoke of the difference between a hand out and a hand up.  The objective is to not just provide a sandwich to a homeless person, but to connect with them and help direct them to much more substantive services available to them.  Get to know them.  Nelson spoke of asking the person to "tell me your story" - to build rapport and confidence.  He said they've served over 61,000 meals over the past 3 years and that each should come with a prize, not a price.

Manley spoke of his Community Policing Team, indicating that they were working on a daily basis at Lions Park.  He also mentioned the state legislation, which is not helping local law enforcement at all.  He spoke of "Hybrid Homeless" - folks who are down and out with drug syringes in their pockets.  He expressed the view that it's frustrating and exhausting because of the number of those who return, time after time.  He said he "loves to put people in jail", but that's not a solution to homelessness.

With only 18 beds in Orange County, how do we deal with that?  Ullman spoke of relationships, and cited Redgate, which provides county housing.  Yes, there is a NEED for housing in Costa Mesa.  Francis referred to a facility in San Antonio, Texas that he has visited that may be a model we can follow.  Stephens, Mayor Katrina Foley (who also attended this meeting) and staffers will journey to Texas to view this site next week.

How do we deal with folks that don't want help?  Ullman responded that we don't want those people around.  She gave an anectodal story about one specific individual to elaborate on that issue.  Mansoor again spoke of the failures of AB109 and Prop. 47.  Francis spoke of the huge uptick in addiction problems nationwide.  He also spoke of one community that addressed the homeless housing issue by creating a village of "tiny houses".  Stephens observed that only housing 12% of our homeless in Costa Mesa is not acceptable.

Should there be a taskforce for drug addicted homeless?
Nelson responded to this one with a summary based on his experience.  He said, out of 10 homeless they encounter:
4 want help
3 are mentally ill
1 is a veteran
2 are criminals

TESTIMONY BY TWO "SUCCESSES"
Before the meeting closed testimony was provided by two freshly-scrubbed formerly homeless folks who have been helped by the efforts of the groups involved.  Marie described the tragedies in her life that placed her on the streets and the assistance she received to now have a home.  English Joe described his path to homelessness and now, through the help he has received, he has a home, job and a car.

The meeting was closed with a prayer led by Pastor Stevenson.

MY TAKE...
My take on this meeting?  First, a lot of work has been done by City staff, led by Francis and many others, to actually address the homelessness problem in the city.  The theme of "collaborative efforts" was a thread through most of the discussions.  The statistics bear out that progress is being made, but the problem is far from solved.  Many of the attendees were legitimately concerned about the safety of the homeless, and of the safety of the residents who deal with them.  We continue to look for solutions, as mentioned above.

SOBER LIVING HOME IMPACT
The impact of Sober Living Homes cannot be ignored in this issue.  Failed clients who are summarily dumped onto our streets become a big - very big - part of our homeless problem.  Foley recently told us about her trip to Sacramento to lobby for a bill in the Assembly that would house a state inspector of licensed Sober Living Facilities in Orange County on a trial basis - she actually offered space at City Hall for such an inspector.  She told us that there are 108 state-licensed Sober Living Homes in Orange County, and that Costa Mesa has 82 of them!  That is a staggering number, and doesn't really define the problem because it doesn't account for the hundreds of unlicensed facilites that infest our residential neighborhoods.

KUDOS
Kudos to Rick Francis and all the folks who make up the Network for Homeless Solutions.  Each individual - from Mike Brumbaugh who holds business owner's feet to the fire on the security of their properties, to Muriel Ullman who helps guide this little boat through pretty darn treacherous seas and the other organizations who play a large role in trying to help manage this issue.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND WILL IN PLACE
Although there certainly appears to be "management infrastructure" in place to appropriately addess this issue, as is the case with most issues facing city governments, money is a key.  We need money to hire more law enforcement officers.  We need money to try to find a place for homeless housing.  There seems to be a will by our elected leaders to "do something" about this problem.  Let's hope it bears fruit, and that we see the number of homeless folks on our streets reduced - it will likely never be eliminated.

COSTA MESA BRIEF COVERED THE EVENT
Barry Friedland of Costa Mesa Brief was on hand to make a video record of the event.  That record should be up on his YouTube Channel and available for viewing soon.

Another Successful "Coffee With A Cop" In The Books

IT WAS GOOD EVEN THOUGH...
Despite the fact that Mayor Steve Mensinger - who is suing the men and women of the Costa Mesa Police Department - showed up and stayed for an hour, the latest Coffee With A Cop event at the Starbucks store at Harbor and Wilson today went very well.

OTHER SENIOR STAFFERS
Not only did Mensinger grace us with his formidable presence, but CEO Tom Hatch, Assistant CEO Rick Francis and new Public Information Officer Tony Dodero also attended the event.  Councilwoman Katrina Foley showed up and visited with police, staff and residents.

MANY OF COSTA MESA'S FINEST
From the CMPD, Chief Rob Sharpnack, Captains Mark Manley and Bryan Glass, Lieutenant Vic Bakkila, Sergeant Clint Dieball, Community Service Specialist Kelly Vucinic and many other officers came and went, stopping to visit with residents.

RESIDENTS AND ACTIVISTS
Throughout the morning residents came and went, many stopping to chat with officers and to get a free cup of coffee.  I saw many familiar faces and many new ones - folks on their way for their morning cup of Joe who saw the police officers and stopped to visit.  Former City Council candidate and homelessness activist Tony Capitelli, who works for Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, also showed up to chat with the police and residents about homelessness.

RECRUITING
I saw young people, enthralled by the weaponry carried by the police officers, stop to ask questions.  We saw some disabled folks, including one disabled Marine, stop to say "Hello".

THE CHIEF IS OPTIMISTIC
We stood there as Chief Sharpnack told residents about all the exciting things happening in his department - new hires and new recruits in the pipeline; re-staffing the Detective Bureau and a new spirit of optimism.  It was good to hear.

JOSE TORRES
We had a chance to visit with long-time officer Jose Torres, now astride one of our new bicycles, who shared stories about this new adventure for the CMPD.

MIKE BRUMBAUGH
We had a chance to visit briefly with Code Enforcement Officer Mike Brumbaugh - shown below on the left - who recently lost a boss when Jerry Guarrancino abruptly left the employ of the city.  Brumbaugh will be part of the other Code Enforcement team now, but basically maintain the same assignments.

A CHUCKLE
I had to chuckle as I saw a CARE Ambulance team snuggle their rig in next to a CMPD vehicle.  CARE is at the core of controversy regarding our proper use of our brand new quarter million dollar rescue ambulances, but that's another story.

A VISIT TO WILSON PARK
On my way to Starbucks I stopped at Wilson Park, just a block East of the site, to see how many homeless/junkies/prostitutes were hanging out there.  Residents apparently have reported such activities, so we've locked the bathrooms and removed the picnic tables.  Instead of miscreants I found only Park Ranger Ann Harkey, on the job.  She and I visited about the situation in the park, which is better today than it was a month ago.  When I asked about the locked bathrooms she told me stories that made me cringe - stories about several people being seen emerging from the bathrooms following whatever illicit activities they had engaged in.  She told me about having the drains cleaned from the bathrooms and found them packed with drug residue - syringes, etc.  No, I wouldn't let a child use those bathrooms today.  When I left heading for Starbucks she also departed, leaving for a meeting, but was replaced with another Park Ranger, who was still there two hours later when I drove home.  There was still no sign of bad actors in the park.  See, a greater law enforcement presence CAN and DOES make a difference, despite with Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer tells us.

KUDOS TO ALL
So, another good day for Coffee With A Cop.  I hope this series continues because it provides an excellent opportunity for residents to meet and chat with officers in a very casual setting.  Kudos to all.

It's Almost Party Time!

FAIRGROUNDS OPEN HOUSE
The staff of the Orange County Fair and Event Center (Fairgrounds), headed by new CEO Kathy Kramer, held an Open House in the Administration Building on the Fairgrounds Tuesday night to tell the community about their plans for the upcoming 125th Orange County Fair this summer - operating for a month beginning July 17, 2015 - and to introduce the theme of this year's fair - One Big Party!

SORRY...
I apologize for the poor quality of the images this time.  I took my backup camera with a slow lens.  That, coupled with the light glaring across the screen, have made for some shoddy images.

A GOOD CROWD
The crowd of more than five dozen people paid close attention as Kramer spoke of their plans and the relationship the Fairgrounds has with the Costa Mesa Police Department, since noise, rowdiness and neighborhood parking issues are major concerns of nearby residents.  I noticed many community activists in the crowd, but most were residents of College Park and Mesa del Mar - the two residential areas closest to the Fairgrounds.  With the exception of the members of the CMPD present, I saw no elected or appointed city official, nor did I see any member of the city staff.

CMPD INTERACTION

Captain Mark Manley spoke from the CMPD standpoint and introduced Lieutenant Vic Bakkila and Sergeant Bryan Wadkins, who will be the command staff in charge the CMPD interface with the Fair staff.

ENTERTAINMENT

Dan Gaines, who heads up the Entertainment element of the Fair, spoke briefly about that subject.  We learned that they usually have about 80% of returning acts, but this year in the Hanger there will be 40% new acts.

EVENTS

Joan Hamel spoke about the events planned, as listed on this image.  As you can see, they include a new ice skating attraction, Fairenheit 32 and the ever popular Cattle Drive on August 8th.

SECURITY
Nick Buffa, who manages Safety and Security, ( I apologize for having no good photo of Nick, son of former Costa Mesa Mayor Peter Buffa) then spoke about the new Neighborhood Ambassador Program, which is designed to have eyes and ears in the two main communities around the Fairgrounds to help head off problems.  The folks will patrol in 2-person teams in GEM electric cars and be dressed in bright Orange uniform shirts.  They will have dedicated VOIP telephones with which they can report problems as they roam through the neighborhoods.  They will NOT be sworn officers - all police-related matters will be directed to the CMPD.

SOUND CONTROL
Sound guru Gary Hardesty spoke briefly about the efforts that will be made to contain and control the sound from the musical acts this year.  He told us that there will be two self-contained sound monitoring units placed in the community - one in College Park and one in Mesa del Mar - to provide valuable real-time information to help with this year's Fair and into the future.

COMMUNICATIONS
Robin Wachner told us of the communication tools that will be used, as listed on this image.  She also gave us a link, HERE, which will take you to the page shown below for more information.

BEHAVIOR
Then Kramer took questions from the audience and had her team available to answer them.  The concerns expressed covered the gamut - drunkenness, rowdiness, trash and unwelcome parking in the neighborhoods.  To those kinds of questions Manley and Wadkins advised us that the CMPD will be properly staffed to handle those issues.  Resident Jeff Wilcox advised folks concerned about parking to go to the City and request resident-only parking stickers.

AND THE NOISE...
Noise - from the musical groups and the car, motorcycles and truck events that happen during the fair - were concerns of many residents.  I smiled as Hardesty tried to console them with vague assurances that they will try to control the musical groups.  The automotive noise will be addressed.  For example, if the contract requires mufflers on vehicles and they show up without them, the event will be cancelled.

VANGUARD CONCERNS
Residents along Vanguard expressed concern about parking and rowdy folks, indicating they feel neglected because they are a little farther away from the Fairgrounds.  They were encouraged to immediately call the police if there are problems.

CMPD ON THE JOB
Wadkins assured the neighbors that the CMPD would be there to manage the traffic during the Fair, and to route it to alternate parking sites when the Fairgrounds parking filled up.

OTHER STUFF
Other issues, like being able to buy tickets with a smart phone and not have to print it out, entering the Fair from Gate 5, were discussed.  Kramer, who has only been on the job about 4 months, has a nice, easy style and did her best to make the members of the community feel welcome and appreciated.

IT SHOULD BE ANOTHER GREAT FAIR
This meeting was video taped and will be made available somewhere on the OC Fair web site in the near future.  It sounds like we have yet another terrific Fair ahead of us.  For the past decade more than 1,000,000 people attended the Fair - the ninth largest county fair in the country.  Last year over 1.3 million folks attended.  To learn more about the Orange County Fair and Event Center and the Fair click HERE.