Thrive Grove credited with steep drop in unsheltered homelessness as council hears public-safety updates

Thousand Oaks officials on Tuesday credited local investments in coordinated homeless services for sharp reductions in unsheltered homelessness, while police outlined new tools to speed emergency response and curb illegal e-motorcycles.

Assistant City Manager Ingred Hardy told the council the Thrive Grove Navigation Center, which approaches its one-year anniversary, has remained at or near capacity and has produced “four positive exits,” including three people placed into permanent housing and one who secured full-time employment as a live-in caregiver. ‘‘Those outcomes are not incidental and they reflect the strength of the navigation center model,’’ Hardy said, describing referrals that continue to outpace available beds.

Chief Paris said countywide homelessness has fallen 28% since 2023 and unsheltered homelessness is down 34%, with Thousand Oaks reporting the largest local decrease — 46% — in unsheltered counts since the last point-in-time tally. Paris tied that progress to the navigation center, strengthened outreach and enforcement.

The council pressed staff on capacity and timelines. Staff said the facility was built for 50 beds but currently operates 30; short-term data show average stays under a year with some successful exits in roughly seven to eight months. One official noted an operational average length of stay of about 121 days in a recent report.

Police briefed the council on public-safety trends and tools. Paris reported an overall 8% reduction in crime versus 2024, including a 39% drop in commercial burglary and a 16% decline in residential burglary (51 reports in 2025). He also described stepped-up enforcement of illegal e-motorcycles and a proposed drone-as-first-responder program that would pre-position drones across the city to gather scene intelligence before deputies arrive. ‘‘We’re looking to get to those calls in like under two minutes,’’ Paris said of the drone goal; current average priority-one response time was described as just under seven minutes.

Council members asked how expansion of Thrive Grove and additional permanent supportive housing would affect turnover and placement; staff said countywide construction (192 units under construction and 875 in pre-development) and increased rental assistance will help move residents into permanent housing as units come online.

The discussion underscored both operational questions — staffing and ongoing operations costs if the city expands capacity — and cross-agency coordination, including links between Thrive Grove and a planned East County Family Justice Center. The council did not take formal action on expansions at the meeting but directed staff to return with planning and cost details.

Next steps: staff said they will return with expansion options, cost estimates and operational plans for council consideration.