On March 10, 2020, the City Council adopted the Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness (Strategic Plan) that is designed to address homelessness through programs and practices that have proven successful in other places, but are tailored for Vista. The Strategic Plan is a living document that requires ongoing development and updates based on funding sources, legislative changes, community need, and program outcomes. The Strategic Plan utilizes a three-pronged approach, blending together services, resources, and enforcement to address the following primary goals:

• Prevent Homelessness
• Improve Quality of Life
• Reduce Homelessness
• The City has seen an increase in questions and concerns around homelessness and has put together responses to the most frequently asked questions here.

» Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness

Strategies to Address Homelessness

System Coordination

Internal Homelessness Task Force

The formation of the Task Force promotes better cooperation and coordination among City staff
and departments, as well as staff education and development of innovative ideas to improve
the delivery of City services related to homelessness.  The goals of the task force include:

• Develop uniform messaging and coordination among all departments
• Identify unmet needs of each department
• Define priority actions and develop strategies to achieve them
• Identify necessary funding resources or means of accomplishing goals
• Create metrics to assure progress is being made towards achieving priority goals
• Establish metrics to quantify costs incurred by the City associated with homelessness

Business Resource & Reference Guide

» A business and reference guide to homelessness

Prevent Homelessness

Homelessness Prevention Program

The City of Vista has established an Homelessness Prevention Program for Vista households who are at risk of becoming homeless as defined by HUD, and focuses on self-sufficiency and stabilization.  Services include rental assistance, first/last month rent and/or deposit, utility assistance, transportation assistance, and case management.  Payments will be issued directly to services provider/landlord.

To be eligible, you must:

• Be a resident of incorporated Vista and have a current lease or rent agreement (or utility agreement if applying for utility assistance).
• Have an extremely low household income (30% AMI) based on >HUD income limits for San Diego County.
• Be at risk of becoming homeless as defined by HUD.

Home Share Coordination Services

Home Sharing is an increasingly popular way to match people looking for low-cost housing with homeowners in a more formal and accountable manner than via social media or other informal meals.  Home Share Coordinators match home providers with home seekers, conduct outreach in the community, locate housing inventory, assist with shared living agreements, and provide ongoing support to home providers and seekers. 

The City is currently drafting a contract with the selected home share service provider.  This page will be updated as information becomes available.

Improve Quality of Life

Historic Downtown Daytime Outreach Program

On weekdays, a full-time trauma-trained paraprofessional will make contact and build relationships with the unsheltered and offer transportation to a North County Day Center. At the Day Center, people are required to participate in some therapeutic intervention and sign a contract with agreed upon goals, and are not permitted to bring alcohol, drugs or weapons on site. Participants will have access to meals and showers. They would return to Vista at night unless through the Day Center they are able to access a shelter or other housing. The transportation vehicle can accommodate up to seven individuals with limited possessions.

Implementation of the Historic Downtown Daytime Outreach Program has been delayed up to twelve months until the City's contracted social worker can assess the prospective Outreach Program utilization among the Downtown homeless community.

Encampment Clean-up

The City conducted encampment clean-ups quarterly when the Strategic Plan was initially drafted.  Encampment clean-ups are costly and each clean-up generally results in moving persons experiencing homelessness from one open space in Vista to another. Increasing clean-ups will allow broader enforcement of City ordinances for environmental impact and open areas and riverbanks. Frequency of encampment clean-ups were increased to occur on a regular as-needed basis. 

Governmental and Legislative Advocacy

Actions taken at the Federal or State level can have a significant impact on how local governments plan and implement important actions.  In 2018, a federal court ruling, Martin v. Boise, set significant restrictions on enforcement of public loitering and camping laws, requiring that a shelter bed be available in order to enforce these laws. At the state level, homelessness prevention and reduction has increased in importance, and more funding has been made available. However, funding often comes with requirements that not all agencies will want to agree to, such as weakening zoning laws and mandating certain types of housing. At the October 22, 2019 City Council meeting, by consensus the City Council directed staff to establish a process to successfully advocate for legislation, funding, programming, and other tools that will assist the City in the prevention and reduction of homelessness.

Reduce Homelessness

Secure Shelter Beds

The City has entered into an agreement with the Alliance for Regional Solutions (Alliance) to secure up to ten beds per night in existing low-barrier shelters that are a part of the Alliance Bridge Shelter Network. A low barrier facility is defined as a facility which will accept individuals who may have an addiction problem so long as they are not using drugs or alcohol in the facility. Case management is provided to people, and options to deal with addictions are available; however, the services are not required to enter the shelter. Once accepted into the shelter, a person can remain for 60-90 nights, and perhaps more, if involved in supportive programs.

If you are in need of emergency shelter, please contact 2-1-1.  

Full-Time Social Worker

Nationwide research and local outcomes achieved by neighboring North County cities demonstrate that chronically homeless people are reluctant to accept services from law enforcement; rather, teams reaching out to chronically homeless people with a trauma informed care approach led by a social worker show more success.

The City has contracted with Exodus and has hired a full-time Social Worker. The social worker conducts outreach with the Sheriff's Department, County Health and Human Services Agency representatives, mental health providers, and other local services providers.  The social worker will provide a bi-annual report to the City Council that includes anonymized client data, detailed program activities, and itemized expenditures.

Contact

Housing and Homeless Services Division
760.639.6191
email

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