10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY october 12-18, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com If last year’s Lead Me Home Summit on Homelessness for Monterey and San Benito counties proved anything, it’s that people are eager to talk about solutions, with over 500 people registered for the first-ever virtual event. This year the summit on Thursday, Oct. 19 is set to take place in person, and by Oct. 10 the free tickets were nearly gone—though there is an option to participate online. The interest shows there is “a commitment to tackle homelessness,” says Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo, who also serves as chair of the Lead Me Home Council. The second annual summit, which invites elected officials, nonprofit leaders and the public to participate, comes at an interesting point in time for Monterey County and the region. The county has experienced success in reducing homelessness over the past several years, with the number of people without homes decreasing by 15 percent between 2012 and 2022, in large part thanks to an influx in state and federal cash, the political will to use it and a commitment to collaboration between agencies and nonprofits. At the same time, cracks have appeared in the system that some people seeking help have fallen through. It’s also evident that despite the collaboration that enabled more people to get into homes, there’s still a long way to go: Of the 12 cities in Monterey County, only four—Salinas, Monterey, Soledad and King City—have signed a commitment to the Lead Me Home five-year plan to reduce homelessness by 50 percent, along with the counties of Monterey and San Benito. In another example of cracks that need filling, last month negative feelings among some elected officials in Marina bubbled over concerning a now-closed Project Roomkey program. While councilmembers complained no one told them about the transitional housing program launched during the Covid-19 pandemic in a hotel, Mayor Bruce Delgado pointed out during a council meeting on Sept. 12 that the city bore some of the responsibility for not participating in efforts like Lead Me Home. The summit is organized by the Coalition of Homeless Service Providers, a federally recognized continuum of care agency that tracks homelessness in Monterey and San Benito counties and is authorized to accept federal and state funding for projects to combat homelessness. One focus this year is how to seal one of the cracks when it comes to assessing who needs help, says Genevieve LucasConwell, outgoing executive director of the Coalition. The system that the Coalition uses, the Coordinated Assessment and Referral System, or CARS, acts as a triage tool, assessing who is the most vulnerable and needs help first. Summit participants are invited to share how they think that system can be more equitable and effective. “How do we assess vulnerability in the first place, and let’s look at how we reimagine it,” says Lucas-Conwell. “Who are we missing in the coordination?” Other workshops include a roundtable discussion with landlords, who play a crucial role in accepting people with housing vouchers. Other workshops focus on inequities in housing access and the relationship between housing and health issues. Another lets people with “lived experience” take center stage. One local resident who’s lived through trying to find stable housing, Lyvesha Franklin, brings her own experience as a Black woman to the summit, both as a panelist and moderator. “It’s very challenging in this county when you are a Black woman,” she says. “Anti-Black racism is thick in navigating the resources in this county.” Franklin says a big problem is a lack of representation among those who make the decisions about who gets help and who does not, as well as a lack of training in how to effectively interact with people who have experienced a tremendous amount of trauma throughout their lives. “There’s not enough trauma-informed training or intentional learning of how to serve this underserved, very abused and neglected community.” Franklin describes a harrowing experience having gone from being a homeowner and landlord in another state, to losing her mother, leaving a relationship and subsequently starting over in California with her three young children. Unable to afford her own place, she rented a room in a home without a lease, which under state education laws meant her family was defined as homeless. “As soon as my paperwork said ‘homeless’ I was no longer human, no longer a part of the community. I felt like garbage,” she says. “Having people like me with lived experience to speak and be a part of system change is very beneficial,” says Franklin, who believes an intentional effort to increase representation at every level of service and policy making is necessary. Alejo says the summit’s goal is to shed light on challenges and progress, but also to bring more elected officials and decision makers into the fold. Bringing an end to homelessness takes courage and leadership, he says. “When they feel alone, it’s harder to make a decision. When we are supporting each other and collaborating, we’re more effective.” Learn more about the Lead Me Home Summit or register to attend at chsp.org/continuum-of-care/2023lead-me-home-summit. In House Collaboration and solutions are the focus of the region’s homelessness summit. By Pam Marino news Clean Culture Volunteer to help keep Salinas beautiful. Join Amor Salinas volunteers for a community gathering, park cleanup and a celebration of the release of a new bilingual book about the Amor Salinas initiative. 9-11am community cleanup; 11am-1pm book release celebration Saturday, Oct. 14. La Paz Park, 567 Roosevelt St., Salinas. Free. tinyurl. com/VolunteerSalinas. Get a Job More than 30 employers from a range of industries will be talking about job and internship opportunities at this upcoming job fair. Employers include California State Parks, Special Kids Connect, the Santa Cruz Police Department and more. Bring a fresh copy of your resume and prepare to impress. Noon-2pm Tuesday, Oct. 17. CSUMB University Center, 4314 6th Ave., Seaside. Free for students; $375/ business registration; $210/nonprofit registration. 262-1076, rmercadal@ csumb.edu, csumb.edu/career/recruiting-fairs. Coffee with a Cop Here’s a chance to interact with members of the Monterey Police Department in a non-confrontational way: over coffee. Join this gathering to ask questions and get to know local law enforcement officers. 1-3pm Wednesday, Oct. 18. Nitro Cycle Coffee booth on Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey. Free. 646-3914, monterey. org. Children First One way to help local families and children is to serve as a First 5 Monterey County commissioner, and there are vacancies. Commissioners work to implement First 5’s strategic plan and improve the lives of Monterey County families. The last day to apply is Monday, Oct. 23. For more information, visit bit.ly/ First5MCcommission, call 444-8549 or email joanna@first5monterey.org. To apply, visit /bit.ly/First5MCapplication. Cool School Monterey Peninsula College is seeking nominations for its MPC Lobo Hall of Fame. There are two categories: distinguished MPC alumni and alumni athletes. The selection process has started and you can submit your suggestions for alumni who deserves this honor. The last day to submit nominations is Tuesday, Oct. 31. 655-5507, mpc.edu/ lhf. Virginia and Raymond Cardenes enter their Homekey apartment in Salinas in 2021. The state’s pandemic-era permanent housing program is continuing to add units. e-mail: publiccitizen@mcweekly.com TOOLBOX “As soon as my paperwork said ‘homeless’ I was no longer human.” Daniel Dreifuss
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