Title
Recommendation to Authorize the City Manager to Execute a Contract in the Amount of $120,000 with Operation Dignity to Provide Mobile Outreach Services for Alameda's Homeless Population for Fiscal Year 2019-20. (Community Development 001-7011)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The 2019 Point-In-Time count found that the City of Alameda's (City) homeless population increased by 13% in two years, with the majority of homeless individuals living at encampments, parking lots, bridge underpasses, tunnel entrances, parks, sidewalks, and other areas not suitable for human habitation. Mobile outreach, which includes case management and harm reduction services that are delivered where homeless individuals are located, is a critical support for people experiencing homelessness. Staff is recommending that the City Council authorize the City Manager to execute a $120,000 contract with Operation Dignity (OD) to provide Mobile Outreach services for Alameda's homeless residents for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019-20. Operation Dignity provided the same level of services at the same cost for FY 2018-19.
BACKGROUND
OD is a non-profit organization that has been at the forefront of fighting homelessness in Alameda County since 1993, providing shelter, housing, street outreach, and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness, with expertise in serving homeless veterans. In 2016, OD was instrumental in assisting the City with developing a plan to dismantle the homeless encampment located at the Jean Sweeney Open Space Park due to construction of the park. OD also played a critical role in August 2019 to transition people who are homeless and living at Estuary Park and were successful in housing five people at their community cabin sites in Oakland. Since 2016, OD has been providing critical supportive services for homeless individuals on the island.
As a mobile outreach provider serving the City's homeless population, O...
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