Committee approves resolution to pursue micro community for families at 2395 Richards Avenue

The Quality of Life Committee on June 4 approved a resolution directing the city manager to take all necessary administrative steps to establish a micro community on city property at 2395 Richards Avenue to shelter families experiencing homelessness.

The committee voted with four "yes" votes and one abstention: Councilor Alma Castro, Councilor Travis and Councilor Faulkner voted yes; Councilor Michael Garcia abstained; the chair voted yes. The motion passed and will move to the full governing body for consideration.

Henry Hammond Paul, the city’s community health and safety director, told the committee the resolution would authorize the city manager to pursue land use permitting, site preparation and other administrative steps needed to operate the property as a micro community. "This site is intended to be for families with children," Hammond Paul said, and he described proximity to city services as a key reason for the location. Hammond Paul noted the site’s proximity to city recreation and library resources and to a nearby fire station, and said utilities and relatively flat topography make the property conducive to development.

Staff emphasized community engagement as a precondition to next steps. Hammond Paul described plans for outreach that include mailers to addresses within a proposed radius around the site and identification of neighborhood and business stakeholders for representation at public meetings. He said the project management team already has draft protocols and will begin mailers and scheduling if the governing body approves the resolution.

On operations and services, committee members and staff said the city intends a staffed site with 24/7 service presence. Councilor Michael Garcia asked whether service providers would offer round‑the‑clock support; Hammond Paul said that is a condition and that the city intends a gated site with fencing to protect residents. Hammond Paul said existing contracts call for an operator; staff identified a two‑year contract with Lifeline to operate two sites for a total of $1.9 million (about $450,000 per site per year) and said the operator is accountable to the city under the contract terms.

Councilor Garcia said he planned an amendment to establish the site as a drug‑free zone, to require biannual reports from the city manager to the governing body and to set a three‑year term for the pallet shelter followed by a required renewal; the amendment was presented as a summary and will be handled at the governing body stage. Garcia also requested staff provide data from a nearby micro community; Hammond Paul said staff would supply the breakdown of 17 calls for service referenced for an existing site and indicated the majority were non‑police medical calls such as chest pains or falls.

Committee members raised additional oversight questions. Councilor Alma Castro asked which contractor would provide services on site; Hammond Paul said the service provider (referred to as Lifeline) would manage services and security, while separate project‑management and development contractors would perform community engagement, site design and construction. Staff said contracts should include complaint and response mechanisms and that the city will provide oversight and termination provisions as allowed by contract.

Committee members discussed timeline and next steps. Staff said if the governing body approves the resolution, project managers will begin community outreach immediately and will present a Gantt‑style schedule at the next meeting; mailers and stakeholder outreach are expected throughout June and July. Councilors asked staff to use neighborhood association contact lists and other local amplifiers to reach surrounding residents and to coordinate a reporting plan that aggregates intervention data across multiple homelessness responses.

The committee approved the resolution and will forward it to the governing body for final consideration. Staff said they will return with a schedule, additional contract and budget clarifications and requested data on calls for service from the existing micro community site.