To: 

Honorable Hannah-Beth Jackson, 19^th Senate District

Honorable Das Williams, 37^th Assembly District

Santa Barbara County Supervisors

Santa Barbara City Council

We are writing to you to express serious concerns over AB 5, currently in Appropriations. While we have no theoretical problem with a Homeless Bill of Rights, one wonders why the US Constitution doesn’t provide adequate protections. Having read this bill thoroughly, in its initial presentation, and again on revision, our concerns, at a minimum, relate to one central issue with the bill:

It dismantles several excellent local and grassroots-based solutions that actually work to help homeless individuals, but provides nothing to replace them.

Our neighborhood has experienced serious problems relating to homelessness, but in the past few years, have made excellent strides working with various agencies, departments and officials on this issue.

There are many programs and efforts in place, all of which would be basically gutted under this bill:

1.     The City of Santa Barbara’s Restorative Policing program has assisted more than 120 individuals into programs and housing placements. The police act as social workers, and use outreach workers and enforcement practices to bring homeless individuals into contact with services and housing.

2.     The City Housing Authority has placed 181 homeless individuals into housing.

3.     Common Ground launched a countywide effort in 2011 to count and interview homeless individuals and find out what they need in terms of services. Hundreds of people in our community participated in that effort. From that effort we were able to identify the 100 most vulnerable, in terms of health, and house them. Our count found 10% fewer homeless individuals in 2013 than in 2011, proof that these programs are working to reduce homelessness.

4.     A countywide collaborative, called Central Coast Collaborative on Homelessness, or C3H, made up of municipal and county government officials, agencies, and community leaders that works to address shortages of services and housing for the county.

5.     Restorative Court, where homeless individuals with repeat offenses are encouraged to enter services and housing as part of eliminating fines or penalties.

6.     The county recently received a homeless deaths report that showed 29 deaths in 2012, as compared to 50 in 2010. Working to assist the most vulnerable has clearly worked.

7.     Our neighborhood has a monthly meeting, the Milpas Action Task Force, to partner with city officials and our homeless shelter to collaborate on solutions that reduce the effects of homeless issues on the community.

We have programs and efforts in place, as a compassionate community, that are successful, and humanitarian.

AB 5 makes many of those activities patently illegal. Worse, it burdens homeless shelters with the threat of continued litigation, with a state-provided attorney, from anyone who feels their rights were violated under this bill. Shelters by definition are charitable enterprises and would not have the vast financial resources necessary to defend themselves against repeated litigation. Few of them would be able to stay open after the passage of this bill under these conditions. Cities are similar at risk of litigation under the bill, and municipal budgets across the state are already in trouble.

For all those reasons, and more, please stand up for your community and the work we’re doing to reduce homelessness.

We urge you to vote against this bill until the state is able to present a far better solution, fully-funded, to replace the myriad successful efforts our county and cities have put in place.

Signed,

The Milpas Community Association

Milpas Action Task Force

Sponsor

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