Santa Rosa increases funding to get homeless off the streets

The Santa Rosa City Council agreed Tuesday to boost funding aimed at getting the most vulnerable homeless people off the streets.

The council, which last August declared a homeless emergency in the city, added $125,000 to this year’s budget for “rapid rehousing” funding.

It had previously allocated $200,000 for such services, which include paying housing expenses such as rent and security deposits, putting the homeless in lodging or paying their travel expenses to return home if they are stranded.

But the city’s service provider, Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa, has already dedicated all that funding to housing people through June, said Jennielynn Holmes, the nonprofit’s director of shelter and housing. Holmes estimated the new funding could get another 25 people off the streets, including transitional-aged youth, on whom about half the money would be focused, she said.

Despite some questions other homeless advocacy groups raised about the fairness of the mid-year increase in funding, City Manager Sean McGlynn called it “the most efficient process” to accomplish the council’s goals.