Contribute your feedback and ideas to the City's first Strategic Plan to Prevent and Address Homelessness

The City of San Luis Obispo officially adopted its first-ever formalized plan to prevent and address homelessness within city limits. While the City has been working for years to address homelessness, San Luis Obispo relies heavily on the County of San Luis Obispo government to take the lead and coordinate homeless services, including shelter, outreach, mental health services, and social services that can help prevent homelessness.  

The City’s 45-page strategic plan was developed over a two-year period as staff learned and put into practice some of the plan’s strategies. It was presented to City Council on Tuesday, March 21, when Council adopted it unanimously. The strategic plan is guided by the vision that all community members in SLO City are empowered to successfully prevent and address concerns related to homelessness through equitable access to a variety of resources. Periods of unsheltered homelessness within SLO City are reduced due to the regional capacity to conduct timely outreach and connect individuals and families to a range of housing options.

City staff began creating this plan in 2022 and public engagement has been a critical component of the strategic planning process. Nearly 600 community members responded to our online survey through Open Town Hall and City staff interviewed 23 unsheltered and unhoused individuals to incorporate their lived experiences. The City also held six feedback sessions with key stakeholders – Homeless Services Providers, Housing Services Providers, Healthcare Providers, Grassroots / Activist Groups, Business Community, Faith-Based Groups – to ensure the plan was inclusive of their perspectives and priorities. 

Learn more about the City’s Homelessness Response Strategic Plan at www.slocity.org/living/neighborhood/homelessness/strategic-planning.