On April 11, the Rohnert Park City Council reviewed the status of homelessness within the city and discussed a response. As a part of the city’s response to the issue, the council was asked to enforce the Sonoma County Continuum of Care (CoC) Five Year Strategic Plan to help guide the regional board to better deal with the issue of homelessness.

The CoC is the regional body that’s responsible for addressing homelessness through different means such as prioritizing services and access to shelter for populations, and advising Sonoma County on allocating a significant portion of federal and state funds. Rohnert Park has two of its 17 seats on CoC board, and the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has endorsed the CoC’s five year plan, with other cities predicted to follow suit as well.

The CoC’s Strategic Plan is centered around three themes; the investment in more housing and homelessness prevention, strengthening existing support services, and operating as one coordinated system. Some of the high priorities within these three themes include; the expansion of existing temporary housing programming to provide more non-congregate settings, housing-focused care management, and support services, the prioritization and funding of interventions that are more likely to reduce chronic homelessness, and the system of care allocating funds based on need and providing the same level of access to everyone in Sonoma County, regardless of where they live.

On top of that, the plan also includes action items that help this plan further reach the roots of the cause. Some of the action items under the plan include adopting a long-term funding strategy for homelessness services, developing a more robust communication strategy to further inform the public about services, policy changes, challenges, and victories, and adding 200 permanent supportive housing and 100 non-congregate shelter beds.

In regards to the latter action item, it’s important to note that Rohnert Park has no overnight shelter according to the city’s website, and most of the homeless individuals within Rohnert Park often find themselves directed towards full and waitlisted shelters in Santa Rosa and Petaluma.

The issue of homelessness is rampant throughout California, and it’s especially present in Sonoma County. Over the past two years, the number of chronically homeless people in Sonoma County has risen according to a February 2022 census of the region’s homeless population. The census showed that there was an overall 5% increase to Sonoma County’s overall homeless population, and an alarming 43% increase in chronic homelessness from 2020. In addition, a 2020 survey of homeless says that 9% of Rohnert Park’s overall population is homeless.

In a Press Democrat article published in March about the Labath Landing interim housing site, HomeFirst’s Director of Emergency Housing Julian Elliot said that about 90% of Labath Landing’s 70+ residents are considered chronically homeless, and that “50% of residents have been homeless for most of their adult life.”

Resources such as Labath Landing are certainly a step in the right direction. According to the Sonoma County’s Department of Health services, the average number of days where people are staying in homeless shelters has overall decreased from 231 days in October 2022 to 125 days in February 2023. However, it’s also important to acknowledge the progress being made, these are just some of the first steps, and further action must be taken. 

A statement released on the City Council’s website on April 7 acknowledged homelessness as a local and statewide issue, as well as stating that “Many factors contribute to homelessness. These include insufficient income, housing costs, lack of mental health services or lack of support. While these are factors, they are less important than a single core issue: lack of housing.”

For further research, the agenda and video of Rohnert Park’s City Council meeting on April 11 can be accessed and viewed on the City Council website at rpcity.org. The Rohnert Park City Council meets at 5 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month at City Hall, 130 Avram Ave. Rohnert Park, and meetings can be accessed remotely on Cable Channel 26 or on their YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/CityofRohnertPark.