Fresno Madera Continuum of Care (7/13/23)

July 13, 2023 — Fresno Madera Continuum of Care

Documented by Andy Hansen-Smith

 Here’s what you need to know

• A letter was created by the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care (FMCoC) Ad hoc committee in response to the Fresno City Council additions to its ordinance that limits where homeless can camp. The committee members said it criminalizes homelessness as well as potentially jeopardizing the CoC’s HUD funding for permanent housing and supportive services for the homeless. 
• There were many homeless advocates in the audience that were unhappy that most of the city and county government entities voted to abstain rather than vote aye or nay, even though it ultimately passed without those votes. 
• A second mobile shower will be coming online in Fresno in the next few weeks at Hedges and Blackstone. Urban navigators will be looking to focus on the unsheltered to work toward finding permanent housing rather than working with temporarily sheltered.

Fresno-Madera Continuum of Care Board Members NOTE: This was Vice Chair Jody Ketcheside’s last meeting. Those present were:

• Laura Moreno, LM FMCoC chair, regional representative for Fresno
• Jody Ketcheside, JK FMCoC vice-chair, Turning Point of Central California Inc.
• Sara Mirhadi, SM FMCoC secretary chief programs officer, Poverello House
• Misty Gattie-Blanco, MGB FMCoC treasurer and sanctuary and supportive services director, Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission
• Alex Sanchez AS FMCoC, member at-large and Lived Experience Advisory Board (LEAB) chair
• Katie Wilbur KW FMCoC, member at-large, executive director, RH Community Builders
• Joel Bugay JB FMCoC, regional representative for Madera Deputy CAO, County Administration, County of Madera
• Philip Skei PS FMCoC, regional representative Assistant Director, Planning & Development Department, city of Fresno
• Claudia Cazares CC FMCoC, regional representative, Clovis affordable housing program manager
• Doreen Eley DE, Collaborative Applicant representative, senior manager at Fresno Housing Authority
• Shawn Jenkins SJ, immediate past chair, deputy COO, WestCare Western Region

GOALS VIA THEIR WEBSITE: The Fresno Madera Continuum of Care (FMCoC) is organized, meeting the requirements of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to provide a comprehensive coordinated homeless housing and services delivery system called a continuum of care (CoC). The Fresno Madera Continuum of Care assists homeless people to make the transition from homelessness to independent or supportive permanent housing; accessing education, health and mental health services, employment training and life skills development. We are dedicated to increasing community awareness of homeless people and their problems; and the development and implementation of strategies to create permanent solutions to homelessness in our community.

SCENE There were approximately 60-70 attendees all by Zoom. Chair Moreno asked for those who are able to do so to turn on their video screens. Most complied, at least for the first hour of the two-hour meeting. It was made up of a mixture of homeless advocates, and representatives of some nonprofits and government entities.

• Moreno said agendas are only sent to the 200 on their email list. For the next meeting, they will start posting them the Tuesday prior to the Thursday meeting. 
• Action Item:
  • Approved letter of response to the Fresno City Council’s vote last month to add articles to the city ordinance on homelessness that prohibit camping and blocking city sidewalks 500 feet from public areas, schools and buildings provided by the city to house homeless people.
    • FMCoc Ad hoc committee generated the letter (quoting from letter) “that we believe that this ordinance criminalizes the presence and possessions of people experiencing homelessness in various locations throughout Fresno.”
    •  FMCoC Care currently receives approximately $11.7 million annually through the Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD requires that CoCs “implement specific strategies to prevent the criminalization of homelessness within the CoC’s geographic area” and “work with law enforcement and their state and local governments to eliminate policies and practices that criminalize homelessness.” 
    • Fresno’s ordinance potentially jeopardizes the CoC’s HUD funding for permanent housing and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness within Fresno and Madera counties, they said. With the July 5 release of the 2023 NOFO, “it is important that we meet before the CoC’s application for funding is due in September.” 
    • COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE: Dez Martinez: says she was hurt by this anti-Dez sentiment and wished the committee had an emergency meeting and got the letter out earlier. Moreno said there are 40 organizations plus individuals in this group “and it is hard to move a body like this. I also did not wish to do this without the approval of the board.”
    •  COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE: Rajwinder Kaur asked if the FMCoC has a representative at Fresno City Council meetings “so we can get ahead of these ordinances?” Moreno: FMCoC is not a legal entity and other than the person who helps with the applications, has no staff. The letter was approved with 21 ayes and nine abstensions. The nine abstensions were cast by the behavioral health departments of both Fresno and Madera counties, the cities of Fresno and Madera, the Madera Department of Social Services, Madera Housing Authority and other similar entities. 
    • PUBLIC DEBATE This led Kaur to put in the Zoom Chat Box “They are choosing not to vote on it one way or another.”
    • OUTCOMES Moreno told Martinez that FMCoC didn’t follow its own by-laws. Moreno asked her to meet to discuss offline and questions about staffing.
    • INFORMATIONAL PORTION OF MEETING:
    • HUD CoC NOFO Release by Maya Spark, Homebase, says a HUD funding opportunity for permanent housing will be available July 18 from 9-11 a.m. Technical assistance will be available for interested organizations now or in the future.
    • HHIP Plan Update: Poverello House and EOC by Moreno, Sara Mirhadi, Poverello House, Chrystal Streets said EOC Navigators currently focus on homeless who are already in a shelter. 
    • Eight new Urban Navigators would target those who are unsheltered on the street. Agencies that were doing that such as Poverello House have now expanded. 
    • Fresno’s MAP requires people to come to them. Navigators will make a copy of unsheltered IDs as many lose them when sweeps take all of their possessions. 
    • Moreno said homeless individuals should not be required to get into a shelter before they can start working toward getting into permanent housing. 
    • An HMIS presentation by Marcella Lopez-Schmidt of the Fresno Housing Action Camp is scheduled for July 26. The continuum of care is hoping to align HMIS data with FMCoC goals, and advised audience to go to these events to find out what is going on with FMCoC.
    • Lived Experience Advisory Board (LEAB) Update: Alex Sanchez, LEAB chair said the board will move from one meeting a month to two due to the amount of work they are doing.They had discussed the Mobile Shower outreach; additional language and their experience with HART sweeps and discussed there must be away to first store belongings before the sweeps throw them away. 
    • Alex Sanchez led a presentation on gender identity after the meeting. He noted that California is forming a state version of LEAB as well. 
    • City of Fresno update by Joe Pasillas:
      • A request for proposal (RFP) on the Mobile Shower is going out, as well as an RFP for Youth Services. The second Mobile Shower will be ready in a few weeks. In 2023 the shower has been used 2,694 times. Hedges and Blackstone avenues will be the location of the second Mobile Shower. 
      • Turning Point and Marjaree Mason were awarded more shelter beds by the City Council. 
      • Brandi Nuse-Villegas asked if the city can provide cooling center flyers in multiple languages that state which bus lines are serviced by FAX. Also there is an issue with the cooling centers allowing pets inside but the buses don’t.
    • County of Madera update by Joel Bugay, county of Madera:
      • With the closure of Madera Hospital they are looking for options.
      • The good news is a that 128-bed mental health center will be opening.
    • Marjaree Mason Center Update by Laura Lopez:
      • Shared screenshots of data provided.
    • COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE Martinez suggested to the audience that as the weather gets hotter to employ “Stop, Check and Ask” when you drive by someone lying down. She suggested that a good thing to do is hand out bags of frozen washcloths to help them cool off. 
    • Moreno said the Point of Time homeless data will be released at the end of this month and before the press conference on it occurs.
    • The continuum of care will meet again on Thursday, Aug. 10 at 8:30 a.m. 

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at fresnodocs@fresnoland.org with “Correction Request” in the subject line.