Tackling Homelessness

Tackling Homelessness in Concord

Introduction

In 2022 the Concord City Council committed to creating a Homeless Strategic Plan during 2023. The City places a high priority on addressing homelessness and helping people experiencing homelessness to get and stay housed. The Homeless Strategic Plan is a roadmap for achieving this goal.

Early in 2023, a special Homeless Strategic Plan Working Group was appointed to facilitate this work. I am serving as the Chair of the Working Group, with Vice Mayor Edi Birsan as the second council member participant.

The Homeless Strategic Plan

The Homeless Strategic Plan is intended to guide future City efforts and investments related to responding to the impacts from and the needs of Concord's unsheltered population, using data and fact-based information.

The Plan will incorporate significant community engagement with breadth of perspectives and depth of experience. The Working Group is expected to develop a vision, goals, and objectives with measurable performance targets.

Progress to date

The Working Group has been considering a wide variety of possible programs and has heard from many experts in the field at their meetings. On June 27th, an update was provided to the City Council with a detailed Background Report on Homelessness in Concord.

In August, the City Council approved the following Vision Statement for the Homelessness Strategic Plan:

The City of Concord envisions a community where every person has a safe, affirming, and stable place to live. This vision endeavors to reduce homelessness through community involvement, collaboration with partner agencies (government and nongovernment), and enhanced services that are carried out in a dignified, compassionate, and equitable manner.

My Updates

I will be posting updates on the progress of the working group here. Please check back periodically for new information. Click this link to see all My Updates.

Useful Links

You can also visit pages related to the Plan and the Working Group on the City of Concord’s website:

The City of Concord has committed resources to tackling homelessness in the past, and has partnered with Contra Costa County and local non-profit organizations to provide assistance to unhoused Concord residents. The Homeless Strategic Plan is a significant enhancement to those existing programs.