Plan Development Process

communication and collaboration, even projects indicated as high priority in the General Plan, like increasing housing opportunities in the City, are suspended while the City seeks additional funding and available resources (2015-2020 Consolidated Plan, 90) Homelessness must be addressed as a regional issue for two primary reasons. First, the majority of funding from the County and State levels is distributed in a regional way. Second, people experiencing homelessness may travel between cities to access resources and avoid interactions with law enforcement, for example. While this plan is specifically targeted to address homelessness in Downey, the City is committed to participating in and supporting regional efforts to address homelessness. Participation in the Gateway Cities Council of Governments (GCCOG) efforts is a priority for City Council and the GCCOG Homeless Action Plan 2018 Regional Goals have been included in Appendix D.

The City of Downey, in partnership with PATH, developed this collaborative plan through input from elected City officials, City staff, faith communities in the City, homeless service providers that operate in the City, and input from an individual who experienced homelessness in the City. Three stakeholder meetings were convened to hear from specific stakeholders groups. (Appendix A contains notes from the stakeholder meetings and Appendix B is a list of stakeholders engaged in this process). Expert interviews were conducted with a number of organizations, City departments, and individuals that had unique insight into the state of homelessness in the City. Each stakeholder meeting and expert interview was formatted to first discuss the challenges that exist in addressing homelessness in the City, followed by a conversation about the possible solutions to each identified challenge. The Goals and Supporting Actions listed in this plan are primarily influenced by the discussions that occurred at stakeholder meetings and in expert interviews. Also included with each Action Item is alignment with the City’s current guiding policy, as it relates to homelessness and funding opportunities, outlined in the following publicly approved documents:

 2005-2025 Downey Vision General Plan  2014-2021 Housing Element  2016 General Plan Annual Report  2017 Annual Action Plan (used to apply Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnership (HOME) grants)  2015-2020 Consolidated Plan (submitted to the Federal Department of Housing and

Urban Development (HUD) and serves as a comprehensive housing affordability strategy, community development plan, and submission for funding under HUD’s entitlement formula grant programs)

The City also recognizes its role in regional efforts to combat homelessness. As such, the following regional documents were consulted in the development of this plan:

 Gateway Cities Homeless Action Plan  Homelessness Task Force Report-Tools and Resources for Cities and Counties, prepared by the League of California Cities, California State Association of Counties, and the Institute for Local Government  Local Zoning Best Practices for Shelter and Transitional and Supportive Housing¸ prepared by Public Counsel