LOCAL HOMELESS AGENCIES and members of the public came together recently in Redwood Valley to brainstorm ideas for an updated version of Mendocino County’s “Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness” and share their concerns about misinformation in the community.
The July 9 meeting at the Consolidated Tribal Health Project center was organized by Mendocino County Homeless Services Continuum of Care, the county’s Social Services Department, and the Rural Community Assistance Corporation, a nonprofit that provides trainings to rural communities.
It was held to discuss a renewed version of the strategic plan for how the community should support its homeless population. The guide contains goals and strategies based on the county’s specific needs.
About 25 to 30 people filled the meeting room. Attendees were seated in a horseshoe-shaped arrangement of chairs facing a large screen displaying a presentation. Most attendees had notepads, pens and other materials for taking notes.
Mendocino County’s latest Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness was written in 2020, and the Continuum of Care — also known as the CoC — plans to update it this year.
The CoC is a local planning body that coordinates housing and services for people experiencing homelessness. It operates as part of a larger federal program overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The CoC holds meetings and workshops where service providers, nonprofits and government agencies collaborate on a plan to mitigate homelessness in Mendocino County.
On Wednesday, attendees discussed different topics such as permanent housing availability, the number of empty beds at local shelters, and the need for workforce development. One of the most common themes discussed at the meeting was the need for improved communication. Attendees also spoke about the spread of misinformation in the county.
Looking for actionable solutions
Priest Martinez, empowerment and supportive services manager at the Northern Circle Indian Housing Authority, a Native American housing agency that serves five Mendocino County tribes, said one of the most important priorities in addressing homelessness is improving communication among local government agencies.
Martinez added that there also needs to be more input from the community. He said that he was frustrated with residents’ negative comments that aren’t backed up with actionable solutions.
“We get beat up a lot — being organizations that work on homelessness. We go to town, we go to meetings, and sometimes we are just getting beat up,” Martinez said. “I just want the people of this county to help us find solutions. We’re not the problem. You’re not the problem. It’s not a problem; we just need solutions.”
Martinez added that he would like to see an increase in the number of people attending homeless services meetings. He believes that more public officials, law enforcement officials and community members are needed for these meetings to better understand how local agencies should use their resources.
“I wish every person in this county could be at meetings like this, so we could talk through these things together and come up with real solutions. That’s the biggest issue. We can have a shelter, but we’re not going to build another one unless we know what is needed,” Martinez added. “To me, the key is getting every organization in the county, and county leadership too, together in one place to say, ‘Let’s find solutions instead of fighting each other over scraps of funding.’”
The meeting room had dim lighting and large glass windows overlooking the Redwood Valley vineyards, creating a warm and comfortable environment for attendees.
“We get beat up a lot — being organizations that work on homelessness. … I just want the people of this county to help us find solutions. We’re not the problem. You’re not the problem. It’s not a problem; we just need solutions.” Priest Martinez, Northern Circle Housing Authority
Supervisor Maureen Mulheren emphasized the importance of local homeless organizations sharing their positive initiatives with the community to help dispel negative rumors.
“The communication with the community has not moved. I am trying to tell your story to other people. I keep telling it as much as I can, but I need your help,” Mulheren said to the homeless organization representatives. “Without that, I keep hearing misinformation.”
Mulheren, who represents District 2, which encompasses the city of Ukiah, noted that she gets contacted by constituents who are concerned about homelessness in the area.
“I think I get targeted more than any other elected official in the county, literally daily, about homelessness,” Mulheren said. “The people who come after me aren’t in this room. We need to find a way to reach those people. They need to be here. They need to be part of this conversation.”
‘So much misinformation’
Makayla Caldwell and Frank Ortiz, who both work at Redwood Community Services in Ukiah — which operates the homeless resource center Building Bridges — said in an interview that they want the public to know that a lot of the information in the community doesn’t actually reflect the struggles homeless people face.
“There’s so much misinformation in our community. A lot of people have opinions that aren’t accurate about what’s really going on with the homeless population,” Caldwell said. “There are so many misunderstandings about who they are, what they do day to day, how they’re looking for housing, and how they’re accessing health care.”
Ortiz, a care manager at Building Bridges, helps people experiencing homelessness transition into permanent housing. He noted that miscommunication between homeless service organizations often complicates the collaboration needed to support these communities.
“I strongly believe there’s a lot of miscommunications between organizations that are trying to end homelessness,” Ortiz said. “Bringing together community members and organizations that want to help clear up misunderstandings and bring clarity. It helps us identify solutions we can agree on and work together.”
More information about the Mendocino County Homeless Services Continuum of Care and upcoming meetings on homelessness and the “Strategic Plan to Address Homelessness” can be found on the CoC’s website.
The CoC will hold another meeting to discuss the strategic plan on July 21 at 1:30 p.m. at the Mendocino County Social Services Department, 737 S. State St., in Ukiah. The public is invited to attend.
This story originally appeared in The Mendocino Voice.