Submitted by: Council Vice President Waszczak
Submitting Department: Legislative
Agenda Section: Discussion
Item Title:
title
FY25 Council ARPA/Budget Amendment: Homeless Action Plan
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Suggested Action:
recommendation
For discussion: I move the Mayor and Council dedicate $15,000 (of remaining ARPA funding if possible) to contract with a consulting firm that has proven expertise in both systems mapping and homelessness.
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Summary Background:
The consulting firm will produce a systems map to catalog, and depict relationships and interactions between, entities that provide services to people experiencing homelessness in the cities and towns along the Route 1 Corridor (from Mt. Rainier to College Park). The consulting firm will also make initial recommendations for a community homelessness action plan. By depicting the existing network of service providers and how they are interconnected, Route 1 cities and towns will be in a position to better leverage our assets and address our gaps. This will allow us to form key partnerships, develop strategies for change, and improve coordination between local governments and social service providers as we strive to end homelessness and support people experiencing homelessness.
¹ Systems mapping is not the creation of a geographical map of offices. Rather, it is the process of identifying and depicting 1) a complex issue, 2) the system of players/stakeholders who impact that issue, and 3) the current connections and disconnections, strengths and challenges in that system. Systems thinking can help us tackle large, complex problems like homelessness that demand a strategic multi-agency response. It is beneficial to have an account of organizations that make and implement policy, run facilities, deliver services, etc. so we can capture a system-wide understanding of problems and solutions. This will help Route 1 local governments better collaborate with each other, with state and county government agencies, and with community based organizations, and identify approaches that are most likely to have meaningful impact on individuals and the community.
In 2023, the City of Hyattsville sent a cohort of employees to a training program facilitated by the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), a national network of local and regional governments working to achieve racial equity and advance opportunities for all. The Hyattsville GARE cohort decided to focus its group learning project on homelessness in Hyattsville.
Hyattsville also sent CMs Sandino and Waszczak to GARE training in 2022. Other communities in the Route 1 corridor have also participated in GARE (Greenbelt, College Park), or in the National League of Cities Racial and Equity Leadership (REAL) program (North Brentwood) that offers tools and resources designed to help local elected leaders build safe places where people from all racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds thrive socially, economically, academically and physically.
Our shared equity training experience and commitment means there is a foundation for municipal employees and elected officials to work together on addressing Route 1’s shared homelessness crisis.
Hyattsville’s Equity Officer and our other GARE cohort members will spearhead and participate in the systems mapping project. They will leverage the new systems map and the consultant’s recommendations to lead the development of a coordinated homelessness action plan for the Route 1 corridor.
The Equity Officer will also manage the contract.
• Hyattsville’s Equity Officer and the other members of our GARE Learning Cohort will convene a kickoff meeting focused on recognizing our shared homelessness crisis and identifying an initial list of organizations that serve people experiencing homelessness in the cities/towns of Mt. Rainier, Brentwood, North Brentwood, Hyattsville, Riverdale Park, University Park and College Park. We will invite municipal staff representatives and elected officials who have training and experience with equity, homelessness and/or systems mapping. We will describe the corridor level project and partnership we are envisioning and secure a commitment to this partnership from as many of the cities as possible.
• The City will issue an RFP for a consulting firm that has the requested expertise to support this project. We will include qualitative and quantitative data about Route 1 corridor homelessness, including:
o H3’s report summarizing in-depth interviews with people experiencing homelessness in the City of Hyattsville
o Takeaways from community listening sessions hosted by the GARE Learning Cohort
o HUD point in time count data
o Maryland Continuum of Care data
o Route 1 local government work re homelessness
Next Steps:
Council discussion.
Fiscal Impact:
$15,000 in FY25 Budget or ARPA
City Administrator Comments:
Recommend the City collaborate w/ the county efforts towards mapping services and cataloging support organizations. Our staff has been engaging with the County Department of Social Service and they are in the process of updating their Homelessness Action Plan. They will be engaging municipalities for collaboration on the continuum of care effort. The staff fully supports meeting with surrounding municipalities, and can share our current and updated resource guide with them. However, recommend we work with the county on the mapping and Homeless Plan so that we do not duplicate efforts. Our GARE Team and staff are developing relationships and continue to engage with local, non-profit, and private organizations who provide services for the homeless.
Community Engagement:
N/A
Strategic Goals:
Goal 5 - Strengthen the City’s Identity as a Diverse, Creative, and Welcoming Community
Legal Review Required?
N/A