Sebastopol is taking a number of steps to address the homeless issue. Please review the full June 30, 2022 Town Hall presentation for an overview of the various efforts that have been implemented. In essence, we are partnering with programs that take people off the streets and provide them with the case management services they need to move back into productive society. Those programs are overseen by West County Community Services, Sonoma Applied Village Services, and Disaster Emergency Medical Assistance. These programs offer housing and shelter options for the formerly unhoused, plus outreach to those still on the streets in Sebastopol. A primary task for the outreach worker is to bring those currently sleeping rough into the County’s coordinated entry program in order to locate housing and services for those who have not yet found a shelter or housing option. The City Council has also embarked on the Relaunch Sebastopol program, which is focusing on creating real, tangible deliverables that improve the business and civic environment of Sebastopol. One example of the results the Relaunch Sebastopol program has produced to support downtown businesses is the Visit Sebastopol website, which highlights many downtown businesses and markets Sebastopol as a great place for residents, and a destination for visitors. 
 
Relaunch Sebastopol will be working with Public Works to facilitate cleaning the plaza, sidewalks and possible plantings to beautify the downtown area.

The lawsuit filed against the City of Sebastopol challenging Horizon Shine has been dismissed. The City trusts the courts to have produced the appropriate outcome in that case.
 
 

Sebastopol’s Homeless Outreach Worker has reported that the number of homeless in Sebastopol has in fact decreased substantially since the opening of Horizon Shine. In June, that number is reported to be under 25 persons. In response to concerns expressed by the community, officers have increased security checks in and around the Redwood Marketplace and are moving people along or taking enforcement action when appropriate. People are encouraged to call police if they see violations occurring. Police have been in communication with the property manager of Redwood Marketplace about various measures that could be taken to lessen the appeal of loitering on the property. Generally, overnight campers in the town square are moved along and connected with Sebastopol’s Homeless Outreach Worker (if desired).
 

Please see the proposed budget for 2022-23 for details of next year’s budget. The City’s long-term plan for spending on homeless services is to continue to act in a socially and fiscally responsible way, leveraging available funds, and fostering effective partnerships to the benefit of the community at large. 
 

The City Council has provided substantial time for public discussion on this topic including many hours of public meeting time over the course of at least ten separate meetings from October 5, 2021 to April 19, 2022.*

The Ad Hoc Committee for the Unhoused has provided information to the public on proposals to address the homeless issue in Sebastopol.  The Council has listened to, read,  and considered hundreds of public comments submitted over the course of more than six months of discussions. The City Council always encourages the community to participate in its public meetings. To stay up do date on what the City Council is tackling, consider subscribing to receive City Council meeting agendas here and/or news about Housing and Homelessness here.  

*Find meeting minutes and records here:
October 5, 2021
October 27, 2021
November 2, 2021
November 30, 2021
December 7, 2021
January 18, 2022
February 1, 2022
March 15, 2022
April 5, 2022
April 19, 2022
 

The June 30 Town Hall was a genuine effort by the Ad Hoc Committee for the Unhoused to report out on the status of services to Sebastopol’s unhoused. Citizens who would like to hold their own meetings or discussions on this or any other topics are encouraged to do so. As to attendance by any specific City Councilmember at any privately arranged meeting, that will be an individual decision by the Councilmember who is invited. 

Citizens who would like to hold their own meetings or discussions on this or any other topics are encouraged to do so. As to attendance by any specific City Councilmember at any privately arranged meeting, that will be an individual decision by the Councilmember who is invited. 
 

Councilmember Una Glass is the City Council’s appointee to the Sonoma County Continuum of Care. She will report to the City Council on developments and will advocate for more effective uses of funding, particularly regarding use of funds to benefit the municipalities. Councilmembers Una Glass and Diana Rich will continue to serve the community in a transparent manner that seeks to provide full and complete information to the citizens of Sebastopol.

The police have responded a number of times to Redwood Marketplace to speak to individuals who have been reported as disruptive. The police have also provided the owners of Redwood Marketplace with information about signage that would assist the owners in enforcing parking limitations in their parking lot (City police officers have very limited parking enforcement authority in privately owned public parking lots such as the one at Redwood Marketplace). The police continue to respond to calls at Redwood Marketplace. The City requests that any disruptive conduct be immediately reported to the police for possible investigation. For emergencies, the number to call is 9-1-1. For non-emergencies, the police department can be contacted directly at 707 829-4400.
 
See the similar response to Question 3 and Chart below provided in response to Question 10.
 

There has a been an increase in homeless-related issues in the area near Horizon Shine, but there is no evidence that Horizon Shine residents are responsible for those incidents. As to incidents Sebastopol-wide, there has been an increase in homeless-related issues in the downtown area. 
 

550 Grav. Hwy N. (Pacific Market) and 870 Grav. Hwy. N. (William Henry Wine Works)
	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Calls re: vehicles	22	38	21	37	31
Calls re: persons	40	65	48	46	69
Thefts	29	38	58	37	29
Welfare checks	35	24	24	21	28
Calls re: drug/alcohol	0	5	4	6	5
Unknown suspicious circumstances	10	13	12	8	9
Security checks	32	17	65	36	78
Disturbing the peace	10	5	10	16	32
Meeting requests/extra patrol requests	13	32	32	26	24
Municipal code violations	5	3	1	2	14
Fraud	3	0	2	1	1
Vandalism	0	4	1	3	2
Calls re: weapons	2	0	3	1	1
Crime against a person(s)	5	8	1	0	0
Total incidents logged including those listed above	206	255	286	241	326

The City of Sebastopol pays nothing for Tim Miller and Dannielle Danforth of West County Community Services (operating Park Village), Michelle Patino of Disaster Emergency Medical Assistance (operating Elderberry Commons), and Adrienne Lauby of Sonoma Applied Village Services (operating Horizon Shine). They are paid by the nonprofits that employ them. 

The City of Sebastopol does not have any contracts with Disaster Emergency Medical Assistance (DEMA), but does have contracts with Sonoma Applied Village Services (SAVS) and with West County Community Services (WCCS). 
 
DEMA: As stated, the City of Sebastopol does not have any contracts with Disaster Emergency Medical Assistance, which operates Elderberry Commons. That site is owned by the County of Sonoma, which holds the contracts relating to that site. 
 
SAVS: The City of Sebastopol does have a contract with Sonoma Applied Village Services, to operate Horizon Shine. That contract requires Horizon Shine to comply with terms related to services and operations at Horizon Shine. It also has a funding provision, which the City of Sebastopol met through an $80,000 grant from the County of Sonoma, thus there is no net cost to the City of Sebastopol for this contract. The full operating budget for Horizon Shine is the responsibility of SAVS, and is substantially more than this $80,000 grant amount. 
 
WCCS: The City of Sebastopol has two contracts with West County Community Services. One is to manage the Park Village Mobile Home Park, a property owned by the City. The City is obligated to manage the mobile home park, and has contracted with WCCS for that purpose, in order to support housing for Sebastopol’s low income residents and the formerly homeless who reside there. The contract amount has declined over the years. In 2021-22 it was $87,000, and for 2022-23 it is proposed to be $72,000. Over the course of the years, WCCS has added 13 additional housing units at Park Village, while also reducing the contractual amount Sebastopol pays for this program. This is because WCCS is proactively managing additional revenue streams from sources other than the City in order to reduce the cost to the City of Sebastopol. Sebastopol also contracts with WCCS to provide an outreach worker to serve Sebastopol’s homeless. That contract was $72,000 in 2021-22, and is proposed to be $75,000 for 2022-23. The outreach worker coordinates with the City’s police department to facilitate placement and delivery of services, taking people off the streets through active case management. This process allows effective implementation of solutions for these social issues, and permits the City’s officers to focus on law enforcement issues.  
 

Each of these sites is operated and funded differently. 
 
Park Village is owned by the City of Sebastopol. The City pays West County Community Services to manage the mobile home park, out of the City’s general fund budget. Park Village was previously managed by a for-profit management company at considerably higher cost to the City. 
 
Horizon Shine is operated by Sonoma Applied Village Services, a nonprofit that has obtained its own independent grant funding to cover operating expenses. The property where Horizon Shine is located is under lease to Sonoma Applied Village Services by the owner, St Vincent de Paul Sonoma County. The City was awarded a grant by the County of Sonoma to assist in operations at Horizon Shine, which resulted in a net zero cost to the City of Sebastopol for operations at Horizon Shine. 
 
Elderberry Commons is owned and managed by the County of Sonoma, which funds all operations at that site. 
 

Sebastopol’s direct costs in this 2021-22 fiscal year for homeless programs total $159,000. This includes $87,000 for Sebastopol’s contract with West County Community Services to operate Park Village, which is primarily low income housing, but is partially housing for the formerly homeless. It also includes $72,000 for Sebastopol’s homeless outreach worker, managed by West County Community Services. Although Sebastopol also directed $80,000 to support Horizon Shine, this amount was covered by a grant from the County of Sonoma, with a net zero effect on the City’s budget. Another net zero budget item this fiscal year were the portapotties and hand-washing stations offered on Morris Street and bicycle trails. These totaled approximately $32,000, but were covered by a grant obtained by West County Community Services on behalf of the City of Sebastopol. Next fiscal year 2022-23 the proposed direct expense is $167,000, including $72,000 for management of Park Village (the contract price has declined), $75,000 for the homeless outreach worker, plus $20,000 for porta-potties and hand-washing stations. There is no anticipated expense for Horizon Shine in 2022-23. 

Sebastopol’s budget for the fire department in the present fiscal year 2021-22 is approximately $1,700,000. Total direct expenses for homeless programs in this fiscal year 2021-22 are approximately $160,000. Please see answer to Question 4 for funding details. Based on the proposed budget for 2022-23, the City expects a similar difference between the budgets for the fire department and homeless programs. 
 

The City will continue to leverage County resources as it has done in the past. For fiscal year 2021-22, the City obtained an $80,000 grant from the County, which funded the $80,000 obligation the City had towards operation of Horizon Shine, resulting in a net zero expense to the City for that site. The City also benefited from a grant obtained on behalf of the City by West County Community Services to cover porta-potty and hand-washing station expenses, resulting in a net zero cost to the City for those services. Additionally, the City negotiated a one-time payment from the County to compensate the City for lost transient occupancy taxes when the County purchased the Sebastopol Inn to convert it to Elderberry Commons, with a portion of the resulting payment covering the entire cost of the Sebastopol outreach worker this fiscal year 2021-22. The City will continue its pursuit of County and other grant funds to cover expenses related to the homeless as well as other costs.

Please see the answer to Question 4 for details regarding direct costs for the homeless projects in Sebastopol. To the extent Sebastopol is providing any funding for these projects, data and reports are submitted regularly to the City Council. West County Community Services provides monthly reports and SAVS provides quarterly reports. Contact the City Clerk’s office at (707) 823-1153 or mgourley@cityofsebastopol.org to obtain a copy/copies of the most recent report(s).

Question Continued: How many people received job placement?

The three site operators evaluate each of their residents individually and link them through case management to a range of services as needed, including mental health services, addiction treatment, healthcare, job counseling, housing alternatives, and whatever else is needed to support their efforts to move back into a productive role in society. For each person, services and goals are based on their individual circumstances. The City of Sebastopol does not directly manage these programs. More details and information may be found on the June 30, 2022 Town Hall presentation. For information on how many people have been moved to permanent housing or how many people have received job placements, please contact the providers directly. 

The City of Sebastopol does not directly manage these programs. Please review the full June 30, 2022 Town Hall presentation, with attention to presentations by the service providers operating each site or contact the providers directly for current numbers. 

Elderberry Commons is controlled by the County of Sonoma, and was originally supported by emergency Covid funding. It is the City’s understanding that Elderberry Commons will be transitioning to permanent supportive housing in the near future, but the details are not yet known. The City of Sebastopol expects the County will continue to support that site. Park Village is owned by the City of Sebastopol. The City’s proposed budget for 2022-23 includes continued funding for the City’s management contract with West County Community Services. Horizon Shine funding is under the control of Sonoma Applied Village Services. The City is generally supportive of Sonoma Applied Village Services and its efforts to pursue funding to continue to provide assistance to the current Horizon Shine residents. 
 

The lease for the property at 845 Gravenstein Highway North is between St. Vincent de Paul Sonoma County as the property owner and Sonoma Applied Village Services, operating the Horizon Shine RV Village. The City has a one-year agreement with SAVS to operate the RV Village at that site, but the City is not a party to the lease and does not control the lease terms. The contract between the City and SAVS, to operate Horizon Shine, extends through December of 2022. Please see the full contract between SAVS and the City HERE. The City is open to extending the operating agreement with SAVS beyond the one year arrangement, in order to continue the benefits that Horizon Shine has brought to the community at large, but there have been no specific arrangements made to date. The Ad Hoc Committee for the Unhoused continues to be open to suggestions for alternate future locations for the RV Village, and SAVS continues to express its long-term commitment to providing shelter for those currently residing at Horizon Shine. 

Homelessness is a national problem. There is no easy, quick solution. The roots of this problem can be traced to income inequality, the defunding of mental health programs, addiction, and the defunding of social services. Sebastopol is doing its best to address the issue in a manner that is compassionate and responsible, both fiscally and socially, and addresses the needs of the unhoused, residents, businesses, and visitors to the town.