Term Defines When Placement of Unhoused Individuals to Interim or Permanent Housing Surpasses the Number of Individuals Who Become Homeless Over a Six-Month Period
REDONDO BEACH, CALIF., October 30, 2024 – The South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG) today announced the city of Redondo Beach as the region’s first city to achieve Functional Zero Street Homelessness. The SBCCOG’s Functional Zero pilot is designed to give South Bay cities an accountability goal based on homelessness data collected and analyzed weekly. To achieve Functional Zero, the number of individuals placed in interim or permanent housing must be greater than the number of individuals who become homeless over a six-month period, and the homeless population, as a whole, must have a median duration on the streets of less than 90 days.
Functional Zero is an understanding that homelessness can still occur at any time. However, solutions now in place—through collaborative efforts between the city, L.A. County and the state—will help to ensure that the experience is brief and one-time.
“The community of Redondo Beach, in partnership with local governments and the state, is stepping up and showing what is possible when we all work together to address homelessness,” said Governor Gavin Newsom of the achievement.
Specifically for the January to June, six-month measurement period, the city had an inflow of 65 homeless individuals and an outflow of 66. Median street duration for the population is at 14 days, with 25 active street cases—down from 261 in 2017, according to the SBCCOG’s Functional Zero calculations.
Cities participating in the program conduct weekly case conferencing with the SBCCOG’s Homeless Services team, at which time a roster of individuals is updated, and person-centric interventions are discussed. Using a framework designed by SBCCOG’s Homeless Services Manager Ronson Chu, data is examined at a micro level to evaluate the resource investments and opportunities. A city must maintain Functional Zero for six consecutive months to graduate from the program.
“We have been working tenaciously with our cities on all fronts to solve the homeless crisis. What we’ve learned through the Functional Zero achievement is proof that with the combination of data and services we can successfully get people off the streets,” said Rodney Tanaka, Gardena Council member and SBCCOG 2024/2025 chair.
Redondo Beach began its Functional Zero journey in 2017, when it hired a case manager to tackle a homeless count of 261 people. Tasked with addressing the city’s growing homeless issue, City Attorney Mike Webb also launched multiple programs utilizing federal, state and county funding and collaboration to provide resources for the city’s unhoused:
- Homeless Court – In 2020 Redondo Beach launched the first-of-its-kind outdoor Homeless Court during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Homeless Court program gives homeless defendants the opportunity to complete social programs in exchange for clearing their backgrounds. In addition to its federal HOME American Rescue Plan funding allocation, the city leveraged $500,000 in state investment, secured by 66th District Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi to support the Homeless Court program. “Redondo Beach’s Homeless Court program has been effective in getting homeless individuals off the streets,” said Muratsuchi. “The program balances compassion for the homeless with ensuring public safety in our communities by providing treatment and support services for mental health, alcohol, substance abuse and job training.”
- Pallet Shelter Interim Housing – In 2021, with funding from L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, the city opened its first 15-unit pallet shelter to help facilitate housing readiness for participants (in partnership with Harbor Interfaith Services). “The pallet shelter meant delivering essential protection from the elements not in a matter of months or years, but in just weeks,” said Hahn. “We cannot afford to leave any potential solution off the table in getting people into housing. Redondo Beach was a model of the creativity and urgency we need to bring at every turn as we fight our homeless crisis.” To sustain the pallet shelter, the city has utilized roughly $500,000 in state Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) funds
- Project Homekey Housing Site – In 2024 the city opened Project Moonstone, 20 units of interim housing a former hotel site, in partnership with Century Housing. The site is the city’s first state-funded Project Homekey housing site. Project Homekey provides regional and local public entities an opportunity to develop a broad range of housing types as interim or permanent housing.
- Client Aid and Single Room Occupancy Beds – With L.A. County voter-passed Measure H funding, the SBCCOG has provided city participants with just-in-time Client Aid funding to city and agency case managers. This pays for expenses to place clients in housing, shelter or an employment situation. Funds can also be used for needs such as transportation expenses for job interviews or family reunification, assistance with first/last months’ rent, security deposits and application fees. Measure H dollars have also funded single-room occupancy beds through Swami International, a regional property management company.
In addition, LA County’s CEO-Homeless Initiatives Office has also been instrumental in delivering state and Measure H funding and in providing technical assistance to the city.
“Redondo Beach reaching Functional Zero is a milestone for my district and Los Angeles County overall. The partnership between the county and Redondo Beach centers on compassion and dignified solutions that work,” said Holly Mitchell, member, L.A. County Board of Supervisors, 2nd District. “I am proud to have provided resources to support the expansion of Redondo Beach’s Pallet Shelter Interim Housing. Functional Zero is the goal for Los Angeles County and thank you to Redondo Beach mayor, City Council and city attorney for being one of the 2nd district’s exemplary cities in showing that housing and wrap-around services end homelessness.”
To sustain Functional Zero, Redondo Beach plans to increase investments in homeless services. The SBCCOG Homeless Services team, recently worked with Redondo Beach to secure a $1.3 million investment from health insurance provider Health Net to expand its Pallet shelter and to launch a mobile alternative crisis response program, a non-uniformed response to individuals with behavioral health emergencies.
“It has been inspiring to watch people overcome the obstacles that led them to living on the street once they were provided access to transitional housing and the services necessary to overcome those obstacles,” said Mike Webb, Redondo Beach city attorney. “In striving to maintain Functional Zero, we will work closely with our partners to also include after care for those placed in housing, so they don’t return to the streets, as well as programs to help those most at risk of becoming homeless.”
The SBCCOG will host a celebration event on October 30, 2024, to recognize Redondo Beach’s achievement and to congratulate the next South Bay cities for enrolling in the SBCCOG Functional Zero Program. The cities of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Torrance will be the next cities to work with the SBCCOG using its Functional Zero framework.
ABOUT SOUTH BAY CITIES COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
The South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG) is a joint powers government agency of 16 cities and the County of Los Angeles which share the goal of maximizing the quality of life and productivity of the subregion. Within this structure, cities and Los Angeles County maintain the qualities and characteristics that make them unique and independent, while also coming together collectively to address issues of common interest for a greater good of the communities through fostering cooperation, collaboration and innovation. For more information about the SBCCOG visit http://southbaycities.org