Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy, County Manager
Subject: Board of Supervisors' Response to the 2019-2020 Civil Grand Jury Report "A Slow-Moving Catastrophe: Finding the Ill Homeless A Place to Heal."
RECOMMENDATION:
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Approve the Board of Supervisors' response to the 2019-2020 Civil Grand Jury Report, "A Slow-Moving Catastrophe: Finding the Ill Homeless A Place to Heal."
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BACKGROUND:
On October 13, 2020, the 2019-2020 San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury issued a report titled "A Slow-Moving Catastrophe: Finding the Ill Homeless A Place to Heal." The Board of Supervisors is required to submit comments on the findings and recommendations pertaining to the matters over which it has some decision-making authority within 90 days. The Board's response to the report is due to the Honorable Danny Chou no later than January 11, 2021.
DISCUSSION:
The Grand Jury made 13 findings and 11 recommendations in its report. The Board responses follow each finding and the 11 recommendations that the Grand Jury requested that the Board respond to within 90 days.
FINDINGS
Finding 1: There is no County department or division which coordinates the County's efforts to comprehensively address the issues faced by the homeless or ill subset. Currently, the County has at least seven departments or divisions - including HSA, the Department of Housing, SMMC, the Division of Public Health, Policy, and Planning, BHRS, and the Sheriff's Office - involved in some part of the lives of ill homeless people.
The County partially disagrees with this finding. The County provides multiple programs for homeless residents with health issues, including street medicine, mental health support, and outreach, engagement and case management through the Homeless Outreach Teams (HOT). While there is no one agency that coordinates the health issues for the homeless, the Human Services Agency...
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