SUBJECT:
Title
Boulder County Invitation to Regional Homelessness Meetings
Body
DEPARTMENT: Town Manager
Department
PRESENTER(S): Malcolm Fleming, Town Manager
First Name Last Name, Title
TIME ESTIMATE: 10 minutes
only required for non-consent items
POLICY ISSUES:
What is the most efficient and effective way to develop policies and action steps to help reduce the number of people in the region experiencing homelessness, to assist people who are experiencing homelessness, and to mitigate the negative impacts associated with people experiencing homelessness.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Discuss Boulder County’s invitation and decide whether to designate a member of the Town Council to attend the elected official working group proposed by Boulder County, and if so which Council member(s), or to recommend that instead of forming an elected officials working group, Town Council ask the Boulder County Commissioners direct their staff to work with staff from surrounding jurisdictions on this matter, and bring proposed action steps to each jurisdiction’s governing body for consideration.
End
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND OF SUBJECT MATTER:
As a follow-up to the May convening of regional local elected officials regarding homelessness, Boulder County has invited each city and town to designate one elected official to represent the council/board perspective on a working group with meetings hosted by Boulder County Commissioner Marta Loachamin. The meetings are scheduled for 5:30-7:30PM on Aug. 14, Sept. 18 and Oct. 9 at the Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl Street, Boulder.
The County suggests jurisdictions designate someone who attended the May 8, 2024, meeting in Lafayette, where cities, towns and the county shared information on current programming related to homelessness. Further, the County says each community may designate an alternate who can attend if the assigned elected official is unavailable on the scheduled date/time. Boulder County asks that we respond by noon on Friday, Aug. 2, with contact information for our representative and whether any key town staff will attend the meetings in support roles.
While discussing this invitation during the monthly virtual meeting of area City/County/Town Managers, Longmont City Manager Harold Dominguez suggested that due to the technical nature of the issue this should be handled at the staff level and then taken to elected governing bodies after staff work out recommended action steps for consideration. He also noted that for Longmont, doing this at the elected level would violate Longmont’s Home Rule Charter. As Erie’s Town Manager, I agree with Manager Dominguez and ask for the Erie Town Council’s support to recommend that instead of forming an elected officials working group, the Boulder County Commissioners direct their staff to work with staff from surrounding jurisdictions on this matter, and bring proposed action steps to each jurisdiction’s governing body for consideration.
In the County’s invitation, Boulder County Administrator Jana Petersen included the information below as helpful to review:
Current regional consensus from May 8, 2024, meeting:
1. Regional approach is essential.
2. Housing First is the agreed-upon guiding framework.
Discussion Themes Identified by City/Town Officials:
Cities and towns identified the following themes (with the number of times mentioned) during the discussion on May 8, 2024, as potential topics for the working group discussions:
1. Concern about federal funds going away/funding gaps and how to sustain successful programs - 5
2. Expanding units available for people experiencing homelessness - both permanent and transitional units - 5
3. Mental/behavioral health struggles and intersection with homelessness - 4
4. Public safety related concerns (jail impact/repeat offenses/wildfire risks) - 4
5. Prevention/keeping individuals and families from entering homelessness - 3
6. Hidden homelessness/people working but can't find housing so are couch-surfing - 3
7. Preserving existing mobile home communities - 1
8. Workforce pillar/workforce housing - 1
9. Aging out of foster care creating a high risk of future homelessness - 1
Federal All-In Plan to End Homelessness <https://www.usich.gov/sites/default/files/document/All_In.pdf>
Metro Area County Commissioners homelessness meeting series <https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9oCsIhQEQOFGcn84Hgle-8eMonj9JOc8> from 2023 - you are welcome to view the whole series and particularly the April meeting on collaborative governance
Sample discussion questions:
What does a regional approach to collaboration on homelessness look like?
What does a collaborative approach mean for your jurisdiction?
What opportunities in collaboration are not being optimized and where is there space for improvement?
If we were working together at the regional level, what solutions currently under way could be optimized? Where are new solutions needed?
COUNCIL PRIORITY(S) ADDRESSED:
ü Prosperous Economy
ü Small Town Feel
ü Safe and Healthy Community
ü Effective Governance
ü Fiscally Responsible
ATTACHMENT(S):
1. Boulder County Invitation