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Homelessness Prevention, Intervention and Mitigation Plan September 19, 2017 Page 4 3 Coordination with Courts other Cities and County of Orange In California, counties have a lead role in providing many of the services needed to assist and mitigate homeless issues. They count on local governments to provide enforcement, affordable housing and land zoned to allow for shelter. It is important for counties and cities to work together. The County can provide the shelter and services needed to move individuals from a state of homelessness into stable housing. Local government needs to provide the infrastructure that allows this transition to occur. The County Health Care Agency is a key partner in addressing homelessness. Currently the City of Santa Ana is fortunate to have a mental health professional who accompanies the City's Police Officers when responding to calls related to homeless issues two days per week. This allows an expert to analyze the situation and recommend an appropriate response. Expanding this service to five or preferably seven days per week is key in responding to the challenges police officers face on a daily basis. For the protection of Santa Ana residents, employees and visitors, the enforcement of laws is important. This includes enforcement against homeless individuals who are endangering others or otherwise engaging in unlawful activity, the City use of its police powers make both County and City services more effective. 4 Coordination of Nonprofit and Faith -Based Services A critical part of any community-based plan are the services provided by nonprofit and faith - based institutions. Coordinating all services around a mutually agreed upon strategy is key. Without such a plan, well-meaning efforts provided in the wrong locations (such as needle exchange and serving of food) may well work against the objective of redirecting homeless individuals to emergency shelters or getting them the medical care they need. Developing a strategy with experienced organizations and identifying the roles each organization can best play in implementation is an important part of the work plan for the new position. 5. Legisiation The State of California must play an important role in providing the state-wide policies and resources to tackle the challenges of homeless. Resources for transitional and permanent supportive housing, mental health care and drug -use prevention / intervention are more effective if funded at the state level. Other legislative policy changes can reduce costs or redirect resources to more valuable programs. One example are the rules currently controlling 9-1-1 calls. All 9-1-1 calls that involve transport of a patient must transport that patient to a hospital emergency room. Since entry into the healthcare system for homeless individuals is primarily through 9-1-1, patients that would be better served at urgent care, mental health facilities, or even shelters must instead be transported to the emergency room. Emergency rooms must admit anyone transported by an ambulance resulting in overcrowding and reduced services for people needing emergency care. Fire personnel must stay with the patient until they are admitted which ties up medical personnel for long periods of time. 55C-4