Community members are invited to attend the City’s first Homelessness Response Forum at the Ludwick Community Center on June 5, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
“Bringing this forum to our community is a key task in the City’s Homelessness Strategic Response Plan and we want attendees to walk away with a better understanding of this issue locally, what we’re doing to address it, plus where, how and when to reach out for assistance,” said Daisy Wiberg, the City’s Homelessness Response Manager.
The event will include an informative presentation about the current state of homelessness in the City of San Luis Obispo, a panel discussion featuring leaders from the City, County, and CAPSLO, an overview of how community members can help and an information and resource expo featuring local service providers. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.
Earlier this month, the County of San Luis Obispo released preliminary data from the Point-in-Time (PIT) Count conducted in January, which shows that on January 22 there were 1,171 individuals experiencing homelessness in San Luis Obispo County. A full report will cover more in-depth information, including how many people experienced homelessness on that day in the City of San Luis Obispo. The County plans to release the full report later this spring once the data has completed the verification process with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The City’s first Homelessness Response Strategic Plan was adopted by the City Council in March 2023, in alignment with the Countywide Plan to Address Homelessness. While the City does not receive direct funding from the State of California to provide social services or behavioral health services, including services that prevent homelessness or lift people out of homelessness, the City hopes that with strategic planning and regional collaboration, it can have a positive, lasting impact on homelessness in San Luis Obispo.
The City’s vision is that all community members in SLO City are empowered to successfully prevent, and address concerns related to homelessness through equitable access to a variety of resources, and that periods of unsheltered homelessness within SLO City are reduced due to regional capacity to conduct timely outreach and connect individuals and families to a range of housing options.
However, we acknowledge that addressing homelessness is complex. One of the City’s strategic goals to prevent and reduce homelessness is to increase transparency so that all community members are aware of efforts to address gaps in service and so that everyone knows where, how and when to reach out for assistance to address concerns related to homelessness. This annual forum will help the City get closer to achieving those goals.
Community members interested in attending can register for the event online at www.slocity.org/Homelessness. Space is limited. People interested in going will also have the opportunity to submit questions in advance, which will be incorporated into the panel discussion at the event.