Title:
Title
Small Temporary Residential Shelters Ordinance Immediate Implementation - Tiny Home Purchase, Siting, and Operations [Continued from 01/26/2021]
End
FileID
File ID: 2021-00093
Location
Location: Citywide
End
Recommendation:
Recommendation
Adopt a Resolution: 1) providing City Council direction for procurement of 25 tiny homes or other efficiency housing product in the next 30 days to be added to an existing inventory of eight previously purchased homes with all to be operable and housing the unsheltered within 30 days; 2) further directing the City Manager to procure an additional 30 tiny homes or other efficiency housing product within 50 days; 3) identifying resources needed to operate the sites by either the city, private and or/non-profit sponsors; 4) recognizing meeting the timelines described will depend upon maximum cooperation between councilmembers, city and Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency staff and the community; and 5) directing the City Manager to report back to the City Council biweekly as to the procurement and siting progress and thereafter with quarterly dashboards detailing the number of people housed the prior months.
FileName
Contact: Julia Burrows, Special Assistant to the Mayor, (916) 808-5440; Mayor Darrell Steinberg, (916) 808-5300, Office of the Mayor
Body
Presenter: None
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Resolution
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: The number of unsheltered persons in Sacramento is increasing despite significant investment by the City, Sacramento County, the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA), Sacramento Steps Forward and numerous partners. The humanitarian crisis impacts those who are living outdoors and the entire community including residents, businesses, and visitors and there is an urgent need to act to bring more people indoors.
On January 5, 2021, the Mayor introduced and City Council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 2021-0004, a resolution creating a Master Siting, Programmatic Operations and Financing Plan (Comprehensive Master Plan) to address the homeless crisis in a sustained and successful way through a Council-led community engagement and siting process to be completed by June 2021. The City Council also reaffirmed that addressing homelessness is a top priority for 2021 with confirmation that both short and long-term measures must be taken to bring people indoors.
To that end, on January 12, 2021, the City Council, extended the Shelter Crisis declaration under state law, extending a previously adopted declaration from the previous January. The declaration allows the City Manager to take administrative actions to streamline shelter provisions and the City to qualify for state funding to implement these actions.
Further, on January 19, 2021, the City Council approved Ordinance No. 2021-0002, an Interim Emergency Ordinance for Small Temporary Residential Shelters and Temporary Shelter Facilities. The adopted ordinance creates an administrative permit process during a declared Shelter Crisis for small temporary residential shelters and temporary shelter facilities. “Small temporary residential shelters” are defined in the City’s Planning and Development Code as temporary residential shelters having not more than 24 beds and which are located within brick-and-mortar, building-code compliant facilities. The ordinance also creates a new land use for “temporary shelter facilities,” which is defined in the draft ordinance as a facility that provides short-term, temporary shelter to not more than 24 individuals using tents, park trailers, emergency sleeping cabins, or other types of emergency housing that comply with the California Building Code.
On January 19, 2021, the Mayor introduced the attached resolution to accelerate implementation of the Interim Emergency Ordinance for Small Temporary Residential Shelters. The action outlined by the Mayor during the Interim Emergency Ordinance discussion and listed on this agenda for adoption directs the City Manager to procure 25 tiny homes or other efficiency housing product within 30 days under his purchasing authority. These will be added to an existing inventory of eight Pallet Homes and deployed to provide emergency shelter for people living outdoors as soon as sites are identified with maximum cooperation by the councilmembers, city and SHRA staff and the community with a goal of deployment in this 30 day timeframe. An additional 30 tiny homes will be purchased and deployed within 50 days from the date of the resolution.
Policy Considerations: The proposed actions implement the City’s Housing Element and the Central City Specific plan. The 2013-2021 Housing Element of General Plan includes goals (H-3.2 Special Needs) to house special needs populations including the homeless and (H-3.2.3 Ten-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness and the Continuum of Care) to support efforts to meet the needs of homeless families and individuals. Another relevant goal (H.3.5 Emergency Shelters) states the City will continue to support existing emergency shelters and additional shelter capacity both in the plan area and citywide.
Economic Impacts: Not applicable.
Environmental Considerations: This report does not involve activities that constitute a “project” as defined by Sections 15061(b)(3) and 15378(b)(4) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. The purchasing, deployment and operation of tiny homes and other efficiency housing for the housing of unsheltered persons during a declared shelter crisis are exempt from CEQA review pursuant to Section 15269(c).
Sustainability: Not applicable.
Commission/Committee Action: None.
Rationale for Recommendation: Homelessness is a humanitarian crisis in the City of Sacramento and across the State of California. Thousands of people sleep outdoors each night with estimates in Sacramento County from the most recent Point in Time Count at over 5,500. Since the 2019 count, the number of unsheltered persons in the City of Sacramento has increased. Rents continue to rise as demand for housing has outpaced new construction. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought an unanticipated and surging increase in numbers due to the economic devastation of many residents and the public health orders. Limited resources for the unsheltered in need of substance abuse and mental health services are resulting in complex case management and housing needs.
The adoption of Ordinance No. 2021-0002, an Interim Emergency Ordinance for Small Temporary Residential Shelters and Temporary Shelter Facilities provides the City another option to act with a sense of urgency and purpose. Funds for acquisition of the tiny homes have been set aside by the City Council. Each Council member is conducting outreach and identifying sites appropriate for short term solutions and longer term permanent housing. This directive provides a goal and timeline for immediate implementation of the Council action taken on January 19, 2021.
Financial Considerations: The City Manager will use the existing resources set aside for the purchase of tiny homes and efficiency housing from previous Council action in August 2020 to fund Homelessness and Rapid Re-Housing Recovery and procure the tiny homes. The City Manager in consultation with partners including SHRA and the community will also provide a recommendation regarding staffing and any other resources needed to meet the deployment and operations of the tiny homes or other efficiency housing product in the timelines approved in the attached resolution.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.