Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Lisa Gauthier, District 4
Subject: Resolution Dissolving the San Mateo County’s Housing Our People Effectively Interagency Council
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution dissolving the San Mateo County’s Housing Our People Effectively Interagency Council (“HOPE IAC”).
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BACKGROUND:
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution No. 068201 to create the HOPE IAC in August 2006. HOPE IAC was created to provide countywide leadership and to foster countywide collaboration between non-profit organizations, public agencies, and the community to end homelessness in the County. However, in the two decades since HOPE IAC’s creation, the County has organized other forums with these same stakeholders to address homelessness and affordable housing in the County.
DISCUSSION:
In November 2024, HOPE IAC members requested a review of HOPE IAC’s purpose, roles, and activities in light of the creation of other countywide forums in the past two decades to address homelessness and affordable housing. A subcommittee of HOPE IAC members formed to explore whether the HOPE IAC should restructure or dissolve.
On January 21, 2025, the subcommittee met and discussed HOPE IAC’s history, concerns with the decline in stakeholder participation at HOPE IAC meetings, and the proliferation of similar countywide forums in the past two decades. The subcommittee developed three proposals for the HOPE IAC: (1) maintain the current HOPE IAC structure and consider reducing the frequency of meetings, (2) dissolve HOPE IAC completely, or (3) restructure HOPE IAC with an existing countywide forum with a shared purpose of addressing homelessness and affordable housing within the County.
On February 5, 2025, the subcommittee shared the potential options with the membership at-large. HOPE IAC members agreed that there is significant redundancy between the activities of HOPE IAC and those of other countywide forums addressing homelessness and affordable housing.
After the February 2025 HOPE IAC meeting, the County’s Center on Homelessness distributed a survey to HOPE IAC members to gather members’ perspectives on the current structure of HOPE IAC and their involvement in other countywide homelessness and affordable housing forums. Survey results showed that current HOPE IAC members also participate in numerous other countywide homelessness and affordable housing forums, including Home for All, HOMESTAT, and the Continuum of Care (CoC) Steering Committee.
On May 1, 2025, the HOPE IAC subcommittee met and reviewed the survey results, which were then shared to the full membership on May 7, 2025.
As a result of these discussions over the past nine months, on August 6, 2025, HOPE IAC members unanimously approved making a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors that the HOPE IAC dissolve effective immediately.
Given the existence of other countywide forums addressing homelessness and affordable housing, dissolving HOPE IAC will reduce redundancy, better utilize HOPE IAC members’ time, and streamline system-wide engagement.
The County Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved the attachment and resolution as to form.
COMMUNITY IMPACT:
The dissolution of HOPE IAC will have a positive impact on the community because HOPE IAC members can utilize their time and engagement more efficiently and effectively in other countywide forums that address homelessness and affordable housing.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with dissolution of HOPE IAC.
Attachment 1:
Proposal to Dissolve San Mateo County’s Housing Our People Effectively Interagency Council (HOPE IAC), August 6, 2025