What questions do you have regarding homeless services in San Luis Obispo?

It seems like homelessness is in the rise in our City. Is it statistically?

The City of SLO could look at the programs initiated in Texas, Los Angeles, Chicago, New Mexico, and Colorado, that offer homeless citizens the opportunity to clean up the streets and pull weeds for a $10 an hour wage. Continuum of Care provides grants to cities that offer the homeless a way to make a wage and work their way out of homelessness. HUD Secretary Ben Carson announced in January 2018 that the agency gave a record-breaking $2 billion to homeless programs across the nation through Continuum of Care grants.This information was in the January 21, 2018 Newsweek online edition.

I would like the panel to specifically address how, as individual entities, they will continue purposeful and outcome oriented discussions which have outcomes that include detailed, goal specific and measurable plan.

I am open to speaking at the forum on 6/27/2018. I currently am consulting at Sunny Acres, Additionally, have worked and volunteered at both a homeless facility and sober living homes. The sober living homes included dual diagnosis and AB109 clients. In my time as a School Board President, many achievements were accomplished utilizing consensus both within the school district and in creation of a consortium with 5 individual school districts working together to harness resources and reduce costs for specific common goals.

Regards, Gerald Anderson

Thank you for your time
When a known Mentally Ill person (someone who has done this before and has had to spend jail time waiting for treatment) goes off their medications and the sheriff department has been notified.
What is the plan county now has in place for this?
How long before ill person is helped?
What is the plan for helping ?
What are all reasons for county not to help?
Will family who care and have been actively involved be alerted?

I have a business on McMillan ave and everyday at 5 pm the people come to park and go to eat at the shelter. During that time I have witnessed many drug deals, alcohol and drug consumption before they go and eat. My questions is aren't they suppose to be sober to use the facility and why don't the police ever come down and monitor the area at that time? If you go down McMillan there is garbage every where and also several vehicles that people are living in and they are using the bushes as bathrooms. We have called several time and requested they monitor the area but I never really see any police unless someone calls in a direct complaint. Thanks

I asked my church a while back to start a program that families would help a homeless person kinda like fostering them, the city helps with financing and those serious get help those not will not. I will be willing and able to go that mile to help. We are all in this together. Alot of us are not trained for foster kids either and we do it and nothing can stop us from doing this also, plus some people can get some extra income and can also make a difference. Really this is a federal state and local problem, lets involve them all for aid.

I have lived in san luis obispo for 63 years and have a relative who is mentally ill and homeless. I am often told that person has the right to be mentally ill.How can this person get help if she doesn't think she has a problem. How can she get housing if she doesn't trust people and is hard to work with due to the illness.
Growing up in this town we had people that cared about their neighbors. Now we have people who don't want to help fix the problem and don't want the problem in their neighborhood.The 2017 homeless census and point in time survey does not show the real homeless counts unless you have a blind eye. I hope they keep the existing shelter open and use it for some purpose and have things like job training/ life skill rebuilding at the new shelter not just hanging out..Also when our hospitals want to expand or rebuild they should be required to add a mental health ward up to 16 beds. This would not cost much but they will make it sound like it does because mental health doesn't make money like the rest of the hospital programs.For those of you that moved here and ruined our town or to escape the area you came from, spend a little less time watching house prices and more time helping people or volunteering at a shelter.

My question I would like to know what day this event was in the planning, because many of my clients just got wind of it today, Friday June 22? When inviting the public make it time reasonable to get these questions out there, not the day of. It is frustrating, and gives us all reason to wonder why so last minute? As far as my question for the homeless issue, can we demand that all developers that are building in the future be required to establish a % for subsidized housing based on the number of homes being built in all San Luis Obispo County? This meaning for every five apartments/condos/ new housing developments one in five be designated to subsidized housing? This allows all areas to have quality homes, as well as healthy communities in all of the county.

For homeless people who have alcohol or substance abuse/addiction problems, and are therefore not eligible to spend their days at Prado, where can they go during the day, to pass the time or get out of the heat/cold on extreme weather days?

Clearly there is an enormous conflict between the need for homeless people to have a place to be, both during the day and at night, and the residents and visitors who want to make sure our parks and other public areas are clean, safe, and family-friendly. How do we find the right balance and make sure everyone is given input and treated with respect? I sincerely hope that everyone can keep in mind that those of us who are fortunate enough to have a place to live (in SLO no less) are in no position to judge those who are not -- with a few changes in life circumstances, any one of us could find ourselves in a similar position.

How can we work on meeting the needs of the homeless population? With home ownership and rental costs increasing, our mild weather, and a lack of wrap-around services to meet the needs, this population will continue to grow. How are APS, local hospitals, community organizations, houses of worship, county and private mental health agencies, police and EMS, and the city working together to meet the needs? Are they working together as a team or is everyone at odds with each other? Has a needs assessment even been completed and if so, by whom and what were the results of the assessment? What has the needs assessment shown as far as what funds are lacking that we as residents can help with? Are there any companies in town providing employment opportunities for those who qualify for work programs?