Homeless Plan | Goals and Strategies for City Council Consideration

Concord City Councilmember Laura Nakamura

Written by
October 24, 2023

On November 7th, an update on the work of the Homeless Strategic Plan Working Group will be presented to the Concord City Council. Included in that presentation will be Goals for City Council Consideration, currently in draft. 

In the last few months, the Working Group has hosted presentations from experts on successful homeless service delivery models. City and consulting staff have conducted surveys and interviews. This research has been distilled down to two documents, a Background Report and the Goals for City Council Consideration. What follows is a very brief summary of the key recommendations for the City Council on November 7th. 

The Goals and Strategies Document for the City Council outlines two core strategies to address homelessness in Concord:

  • Mobile Decentralized Resource Center: A mobile resource center would provide services such as case management, shower/bathroom trailers, hygiene/food distribution, and referrals to healthcare, income assistance, employment, and housing programs at three different outreach locations three days per week. The City would partner with Contra Costa County to operate the center, and both entities would contribute staffing and funding.
  • Temporary Housing Support: This strategy would provide immediately accessible temporary housing to persons experiencing homelessness, including tiny home communities, scattered site interim housing, and rapid rehousing. The City would provide funding for these programs, and would also work to build partnerships with other organizations to provide supportive services.

The document also identifies the following draft goals for the strategic plan:

  • Increase coordination of emergency response efforts
  • Explore avenues of equitable support for target populations
  • Strengthen system support
  • Increase homeless prevention services
  • Create immediately accessible temporary housing
  • Create a safe place for the unhoused to dwell

The document concludes by noting that the City will need to consider not just the best strategy but whether there will be sufficient resources to effectively manage the program long-term.

Please visit the City of Concord webpage for the full Goals and Strategies Document - DRAFT. (The link will be updated here when it is available).