Oxnard staff recommends dissolving Commission on Homelessness, citing regional CoC and limited staff capacity
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Summary
City staff told a committee that the Ventura County Continuum of Care provides the required regional planning structure for homeless services funding and recommended dissolving the local Commission on Homelessness because of repeated quorum failures and limited staff capacity.
Samantha Shapiro, project manager in the City Manager’s Office, told committee members the item under consideration was “Direction on the Future of the Commission on Homelessness.”
Shapiro said federal rules require participation in a regional Continuum of Care (CoC) for HUD homeless assistance eligibility and that the Ventura County Continuum of Care Alliance fulfills that role for the region. “If Oxnard wants to receive HUD funding for homeless services, it must participate in the planning and implementation of that region’s CoC,” she said.
The presentation traced the Commission on Homelessness’s history: created in 2000 as an 11-member advisory body, the commission’s membership was later reduced and by 2023 the group struggled to fill seats and maintain quora. Shapiro said between 2021 and 2023, 13 of 36 planned meetings were canceled and membership had fallen to four of seven seats; the commission has not met since December 2023.
Shapiro told the committee that supporting the commission requires “a considerable amount of staff time” from the Housing Department and other city departments and that current staff capacity limits the city’s ability to both run the commission and carry out service delivery and CoC participation. She said staff therefore recommends dissolving the Commission on Homelessness while continuing active participation in the Ventura County CoC.
The recommendation is advisory: Shapiro asked the committee to evaluate the report and provide direction to staff. She listed alternatives for community involvement if the commission is dissolved, including attending CoC Alliance governance meetings, applying for CoC Alliance membership, joining CoC advisory committees, participating in the annual point-in-time count, volunteering with local providers or donating to service organizations.
The committee was not recorded taking a final vote in the provided transcript; Shapiro closed by saying staff would be available at the committee meeting to answer questions.