Page 16 - Sonoma County Gazette - January 2018

2018 Homeless Count - FAQ
HUD (Housing and Urban Development) requires recipients of federal homelessness assistance funds to conduct a point-in-time census of homeless people in their jurisdictions at least once every two years. In 2016, Sonoma County moved to an annual count to better track changes in the homeless population and progress toward ending homelessness.
For Sonoma County, this Point-in-Time Count is required to maintain eligibility for the approximately $3M in federal funding that ows to homeless programs throughout the County.
New Year, New Day in the Sheriff ’s Department
The Community Development Commission is lead agency for Sonoma County’s Continuum of Care, which coordinates planning for actions to assist currently homeless people and prevent currently housed people from becoming homeless, and oversees the Point-in-Time Count.
The Sheri ’s Department of Sonoma County has been the target of much community criticism in recent years. Since 2008, there has been continuing controversy over the o ce’s cooperation with ICE in the detention of undocumented members of our community. Then came the shooting of Andy Lopez and the Sheri ’s decision to keep the o cer responsible on the streets. Many felt there was a need for a change.
throughout the major sectors of the County.
The Sheri made it a point to reach out to the immigrant community and assure the undocumented that they would not be targeted for deportation in shelters for re victims. He provided commanding leadership during the crisis in a manner that was accessible and with an approach that was sensitive and humane.
The same methodology is being employed in 2018 as was used in all previous counts since 2009, to facilitate a longitudinal analysis of the results.
Second, the Sheri correctly spoke out when the Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) chose to attack the County’s sanctuary policy, wrongly attributing blame for the wild res ravaging the County to an immigrant arrested for an unrelated incident 7 days after the res started. Sheri Giordano immediately condemned ICE’s action for causing fear in a community already are exhausted and scared. “ICE attacked the Sheri ’s O ce in the midst of the largest natural disaster this county has ever experienced,” he declared hours after the ICE
The Count depends heavily on volunteers willing to perform the census-tract based enumeration in the early morning hours.
In all previous counts since 2009, County employees made up a signi cant portion of the volunteer base that teamed-up with paid homeless individuals, or recently homeless individuals, to canvass the entire county.
Volunteers with automobiles, flashlights and cell
phones are especially in high demand. Volunteers who sign up will receive training prior to the Count date. There will be multiple training locations and dates and time, and there will be an online option.
Giordano’s bold response got the attention of the New York Times, which did a feature story on this acting County Sheri from the wine country who rightfully took to task the federal government’s Director of ICE for politicizing a tragic human event and spreading false rumors about the cause of the res.
Risk Management has cleared County employees for participating in the Count provided they can meet the work requirements of the Count. Employees may use County vehicles for this work pursuant to policy.
Third, Sheri Giordano has been a huge improvement on the issue important to those of us who work with our immigrant community – that is, our local law enforcement’s role in the Trump Administration’s campaign to deport large numbers of our undocumented.
Employees must receive permission from their supervisor before participating in the Count and supervisors are encouraged to approve employee participation if it is operationally feasible. The CDC does not have funding
to pay County employees to participate in the Count. Due to the time of the Count, supervisors have some options as to how allow County employees to participate: 1) if it occurs during an employees’ regular work schedule, it can be considered normal work time; 2) supervisors can allow employees to ex their work schedule to allow for the Count time. Allowance of ex time must also be in accordance with any applicable MOU provisions. Questions regarding how to allow employees to participate in the County from a pay or work schedule standpoint should be directed to your department’s assigned Employee Relations Analyst.
Within weeks of taking o ce, Sheri Giordano rewrote the o ce’s policies relating to cooperation with ICE. He cut back on the instances when ICE would be noti ed of the release of immigrants from custody. Deputy Walker and Ms. Harris have been frequent participants in community forums, clarifying the new policies and listening to concerns from the public. The new leadership made community relations a priority.
If you would like to volunteer to help with the 2018 Count and have received permission from your supervisor, please sign up at this URL: surveymonkey.com/r/2018HomelessCountRegistration
INFO: Michael Gause, 565-1977 or Michael.Gause@sonoma-county.org. 16 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 1/18
I recently met with the Sheri and found him to be very thoughtful and sincere, well-informed yet open to input, and quite simply, a very likeable guy. Most people who know Rob Giordano well feel the same and the new Sheri has made many fans in our County since taking o ce.
HUD prescribes the Point-in-Time Count to be conducted during the last 10 days of January in order to be able to compile results nationally. However, due
Now there is new leadership in the Department and it’s time to give credit to those who run things there now. Acting Sheri Rob Giordano has done an outstanding job since taking over upon the retirement of Steve Freitas last summer. He and his top sta members including Deputy Sheri Randall Walker and Community Engagement Liaison Misti Harris have made public accessibility and transparency a priority for the Department.
not be visible and therefore not counted.
This year’s Point-in-Time Count will be conducted on Friday, February 23, 2018. The timeframe is approximately 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. There will be ve deployment sites
dissemination of public information with frequent press conferences and public appearances. He and his sta worked long hours for weeks, carrying out rescue e orts, protecting the public and facilitating delivery of aid to the victims.
to the impact of the res
in Sonoma County, HUD has approved a one month delay for this year’s count to February 2018.
Here’s a few positive developments:
The winter date was selected by HUD to maximize the number of people seeking and using shelters to reduce the number of unsheltered homeless people who may
First, the Sheri ’s leadership during and after the restorm that hit our County was extraordinary. Two months on the job when the crisis came, Sheri Giordano handled a di cult situation exceedingly well. He was up front, directing the
Now, in light of SB54, the new state law which strictly limits law enforcement cooperation with ICE statewide, the Sheri and his team have issued a draft policy which would implement the new law in a way that is faithful to legislative intent. It fairly balances public safety with the priority our County places on protecting our immigrant community.
At that time, Giordano announced that he would not run for election as Sher- i in November. That might be the only important decision the popular Sheri has made so far that I would take issue with.