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Temecula outlines results, funding and next steps for homeless outreach after local census and new family assistance fund
Summary
City staff and contracted outreach partners presented a year-end review showing a modest drop in the local unhoused count, new flexible family shelter funding and continued focus on mental health and substance-use services; council did not take formal action but asked staff to continue evaluation and pursue funding.
The City of Temecula’s homeless outreach team reported a modest decline in the local unhoused population and highlighted new short-term shelter funding and program outcomes at the Jan. 14 council meeting.
The city’s homeless outreach administrator, Lacey Sizzler, told the council the city’s two‑day local census, conducted Nov. 20–21, found 50 unique people experiencing homelessness in Temecula, down from 56 in 2023. Sizzler said the 2024 census showed a continuing local pattern: many people experiencing homelessness have long-term local ties and high rates of mental-health and substance‑use needs.
The outreach team emphasized why that context matters. “Often, addiction and mental illness seem to present our most significant hurdles,” Sizzler said. She and other staff described outreach work that pairs repeated, street‑level engagement with flexible financial assistance and cleanup/accountability actions aimed at moving people into services.
The nut graf: city staff and partners credited their combined outreach and prevention work with an increase in measurable exits from the street while urging more capacity for local, immediate shelter options for families.
City staff and SWAG (the city’s contracted outreach team) reported 135 documented exits from streets in 2024 and 402 street exits since SWAG tracking began in 2021. Staff said the city launched a Flexible Family Assistance program in November after the council allocated $140,000 for transitional, motel- and rapid‑rehousing support for households with children and other high‑vulnerability cases. Patrice Brown, a homeless outreach staff member, said the program has already helped several families: “Since the program’s launch on November 14, 2024, we have expended $41,209 in funding,” she said, adding the December assistance helped six households (seven adults and nine children).
Sizzler summarized key findings from the Nov. census: 66% of survey respondents reported a diagnosed mental‑health condition; 76% reported regular substance use; 88% reported a history of arrests; 46% reported Temecula as their most recent permanent residence; and 74% reported being homeless in Temecula for more than a year. She cautioned that the data are self‑reported and likely understate certain needs.
The outreach effort includes multiple partners. Staff described a regional mobile mental‑health crisis team operated through Riverside University Health System (RUHS) and the city’s CORE (community outreach resources and engagement) team that supports law‑enforcement engagement and cleanup operations. Staff also said some funding sources the city investigates require program terms the city will not accept (for example, restrictions on cleanups and enforcement).
On data and next steps, staff said the city will continue annual local censuses and will participate in the regional Point‑in‑Time (PIT) count scheduled for Jan. 22. Sizzler and Brown said outreach priorities for 2025 include expanding connections to medical insurance (staff found nearly 20% of people surveyed lacked coverage despite qualifying), targeting mental‑health and substance‑use interventions, and identifying funding to support environmental cleanups and local shelter options for families.
Council members commended staff and outreach partners for persistent engagement and for emphasizing local, data‑driven tactics. Several members asked how residents should report encampments and quality‑of‑life issues; staff said 911 for emergencies, the Riverside County Sheriff’s non‑emergency number for suspicious but non‑urgent criminal activity, or the city’s website/app or city hall line for reports that trigger the city’s expedited cleanup process.
Ending: staff did not request immediate formal council action beyond ongoing funding and program development; they asked the council to continue supporting the Flexible Family Assistance program and to allow staff to pursue additional funding and operational refinements in 2025.
