Home Antioch Antioch City Council Approves Spending $150k on Homeless Services

Antioch City Council Approves Spending $150k on Homeless Services

by ECT

On Tuesday, the Antioch City Council voted 5-0 to amend the fiscal year budget by allocating $150k to a newly created Homeless Services account within the City Manager budget.

The move comes after the City Council had created a Homeless Encampment Ad-Hoc Committee which provided a series of recommendations to the full council on both short-term and long-term solutions to address homelessness in the city.

During the October 22 City Council meeting, the council went through a laundry list of items to address the quality of life within the city and the homeless.

The list for quality of life came out to $50k which includes:

  • $5k – Dumpster & Sharps Containers
  • $5k – Portable Toilets
  • $10k – Portable Shower Units
  • $20k – Laundry Services
  • $10k – Miscellaneous

The list for Immediate Short-term Housing came out to $100k which includes:

  • $10k – Motel Services
  • $35k – Safe Parking Lots
  • $45k – Warming Centers
  • $10k – Miscellaneous

According to the staff report, the purpose behind the $20k for miscellaneous is for any unforeseen overages.

Councilwoman Lori Ogorchock said she was in favor of moving forward with the quality of life issues and spending the $50k, but suggested they hold off on the $100k for Immediate Short-term Housing until they have a homelessness coordinator hired who could research and find out exact costs for those services.

Mayor Pro Tem Joy Motts stated her confusion explaining she thought they had went through all these items.

“We made some decisions,” said Motts. “I am a little confused because I think we all supported this. Some of these things on the second page, I think these immediate short-term needs for motel services, safe parking lots, and warming centers, these are just critical through the winter.”

Motts further highlighted that it was important that somebody from staff look at all the different options and that they hire the consultant as soon as possible because none of what they are proposing is available from the county right now.

“Everything we’re doing right here is above and beyond what the County is doing. So we’re taking the extra step to try to help people find some solutions,” said Motts. “I think these things are critical.”

Ogorchock further explained her position stating the quality of life issues, they all had agreed they were important and were going to look at the other ones (Immediate Short-term Housing)

“We don’t have a staff person to look at these, we don’t have a staff person to implement these. We don’t have a staff person to go look into how to go about this,” stated Ogorchock. So my request would be that we have the homeless coordinator look into these to find out where there are going to go, where is the safe parking lot going to go, where’s the warming center going to go, is it going to go at the library or some other place. The motel services, I’m sure you have to partner with the motel service to see who is going to allow to anybody to stay there.”

Ogorchock clarified her stance say she wasn’t saying it shouldn’t be done, but needed more investigation and it should be completed by the homeless coordinator.

Councilmember Lamar Thorpe immediately then made a motion to move forward to amend the 2019-20 budget to allocate the $150k in funding. The motion was seconded by Motts.

Ogorchock then proposed a substitute motion asking to split the items to approve the $50k for quality of life and then have the homeless coordinator further investigate the other items and bring it back with actual costs calling the current proposal “guesstimates”.

Ogorchock had substitute motion die for lack of a second.

Motts contended they had already discussed this at a previous meeting and utilizing services already available from the Winter Nights Program and the Safe Parking Program.

Thorpe agreed saying that they already discussed this saying part of how they got to this point was to accommodate both Ogorchock and Mayor Sean Wright.

“So then you two voted against the homeless coordinator and I think we just need to vote and move on because this is exactly how we laid it out for staff and it was to accommodate specifically the both of you,” said Thorpe.

Ogorchock said they did discuss it but nothing was approved because it had to go before them with the budget. She also said no one from staff has been delegated to do these items.

“I understand it has been brought up. We have no homeless coordinator and we don’t have anybody to do these jobs,” said Ogorchock.

Councilmember Monica Wilson stated she remembers discussing this.

“It feels like we are getting ready to discuss our way out of doing something and I don’t want that to happen,” said Wilson who clarified with staff if they don’t use the money, they can re-allocate later and the money is still there.

The council voted 5-0 to approve the budget allocation from the general fund to a homeless services account.

By creating this specific fund, they hope to improve accountability on spending and simplify accounting of expenditures for these purposes.

Back in September, the Council agreed to spend $100k on an Unhoused Resident Coordinator (consultant).

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5 comments

Joey Munson Nov 13, 2019 - 8:19 am

1. Lori Ogorchock was 100% right in this conversation.
2. Joy Motts stating her confusion for the 1000000th time. If she is confused all the time, why is she elected to make decisions?
3. Nothing from the mayor? What is his position ECT? Why is that not being reported or left out? Which is it?

Tom brady Nov 13, 2019 - 8:26 am

I spent many years volunteering for the homeless of Antioch, these people are not down on their luck. They chose to live like this.
Please take some time out of your lives to speak with the majority of the homeless population in Antioch and you will realize the same thing. We are simply throwing money at a problem that doesn’t want to be fixed.

Reality Check Nov 13, 2019 - 9:35 am

Ironic that the City Council gave the economic development director $0 budget to work with when he was hired, but they are giving a homeless coordinator $150k to work with. A$$ backwards city council.

Simon Nov 13, 2019 - 11:48 am

The Antioch City Council has its heads up its butt. This is an OPPORTUNITY for all police department across the bay area to highlight just how much of a homeless OPPORTUNITY this is. Go to Antioch, we will buy you a bus or bart ticket and they will give you free motels and rv parking lots. Antioch giving more opportunities to homeless than they are local residents and business. 2020 cant come soon enough.

Victoria Fuentes Nov 15, 2019 - 12:10 am

My name is Victoria Fuentes and I am currently homeless is Antiioch CA I don’t really understand none of this decision cause I feel if that money is suppose to be for the homeless, Why is nobody asking the homeless what is needed? All I see is a group of people with no knowledge of homeless needs. Why would you use that much money on something that will never help us prosper. what we need is to stop being judged looked at like we ain’t nothing. why would you not spend it on first and foremost stability oppurtunities with jobs resources all we need is a stepping stool and you worried about miscellaneous things we in the ocean you guys in a kiddy pool I really trying to reframe from saying exactly what I want to but really are you guys that dumb I think lodgics and reguardless of what you guys think everybody out here for a reson if you take a second out you irrelavent work and see you might as well just throw that money in a dumpster I’m just like what is wrong with the world/society if it was back in the western days first come first serve all I would have to do is get to land first and claim it then build which I do very well can build my own house from ground up and a female but all this housing Shit is ridiculous cause there still gonna be waiting list that is years and years to get if you lucky I hope to god you guys have another council meeting on what to spend that money on.

Sincerely,
Victoria A Fuentes

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