Alameda County Mayors Celebrate City-County Partnership in New County Homelessness Plan
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
This week, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors will discuss their Home Together 2026 Community Plan, which lays out the goals, strategies and investments needed to dramatically reduce homelessness by 2026 and combat racial disparities in homelessness. This plan also includes a Framework for City-County Partnership, which is a game-changer for local cities.
Mayors from across Alameda County are praising the Alameda County Board of Supervisors for their work to include cities in their homelessness planning. Over the course of the pandemic, Alameda County has strengthened its partnerships with cities to address homelessness. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Alameda County was one of the first in the State to step up and successfully implement Project Roomkey. Through that effort, cities and counties have partnered to successfully house over 1,400 of our most vulnerable homeless residents.
“Over the past decade, Alameda County and its cities have seen dramatic increases in homelessness, including a staggering 222% increase in unsheltered homelessness. The conditions our neighbors are forced to live in – and the very real impacts this is having on our communities – are unconscionable and unacceptable. We need to act quickly and work together. The Framework for City-County Partnership really lays a foundation for future collaboration in our collective fight to end homelessness,” said Mayor Barbara Halliday, City of Hayward.
“Cities and counties are also depending on flexible funding (Homeless Housing Assistance Program) from the State budget to leverage other local and federal sources of funding. We urge the Governor to include $3 Billion over 3 years of Homeless Housing and Assistance Program funds in his FY 22-23 budget,” said Mayor Jesse Arreguín, City of Berkeley and Chair of the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG).
“As we advocate for additional funding to tackle the homelessness crisis, it only makes sense that we should work together to make the most efficient use of our funding. The County brings services and expertise to the table that we as cities just don’t have, while cities can navigate local zoning issues, capital costs and outreach for homelessness interventions,” said Mayor Bob Woerner, City of Livermore
“We look forward to the ongoing partnership with Alameda County, as we work to more strategically align our resources in the fight against homelessness,” said Mayor Libby Schaaf, City of Oakland.