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Ventura County's 2014 homeless population way down, but there's a catch [Ventura County Star, Calif. :: ](Ventura County Star (CA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) April 16--The number of men, women and children who were homeless on a day in January dropped 18 percent compared to last year, according to results from the 2014 Ventura County Homeless Count. While the results are reason for those who work with the population to cheer, they come with a caveat: Oxnard's numbers appear to be artificially low, those involved with the count said Wednesday during a meeting of cities, the county and social services providers. Oxnard's figures were low "due to an unresolved reporting discrepancy and the winter warming shelter being located in Ventura," Christy Madden, Ventura County's deputy executive director of Community Development, wrote in a memo to the Board of Supervisors and city managers. Overall, the count found 1,449 homeless people, down from 1,774 in 2013. Oxnard and Ventura consistently trade off the No. 1 and 2 rankings, depending on the location of the West County Winter Warming Shelter. This season, it was held in Ventura. In Ventura, which took the top spot, 495 people were counted. Oxnard was second with 379 people, its lowest number since the count started in 2007. Madden said it appeared that some of the information received from Oxnard's shelters wasn't complete. Providers that receive funding from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development are required to report information through its Homeless Management Information Systems or risk losing money. "It's more difficult to rely upon the data for these programs" that receive no HUD funding, Madden said. The Ventura County Rescue Mission and The Lighthouse in Oxnard, a faith-based operation which receives no government money, reported 117 fewer people this year than last. "We don't think there were that many empty beds that night," said Cathy Brudnicki, former executive director of the Ventura County Homeless and Housing Coalition and now a consultant with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. "We have asked them to go back and verify the data." Even if the numbers come back 100 people higher, it's still a nearly 13 percent drop from last year. Tim Hockett, executive director of the Community Action of Ventura County, called that a positive step. The next step would be to create "smaller, localized, community-based solutions" that include some type of emergency housing, he said. To be effective, assistance centers would have to open in several communities at the same time. "Services draw people. If it's there, it will draw people there," he said. In Ventura, where the homeless population is most visible, the total dropped by 24 people from last year. That's despite having the winter shelter in the city. In 2012, when the shelter was last in Ventura, 701 people were counted. "It was exciting and satisfying that we reversed a trend," Ventura's Community Services Manager Peter Brown said. He attributed the drop to "coordinated services and shared information systems" between housing providers and law enforcement. Brown referred to Homeless 2 Home, a tri-agency effort that has housed more than 100 people in the last two years. It's a program other communities in the county have expressed interest in emulating. The number of homeless people in Ojai grew to 62 from 43, which officials said could be tied to Ventura clearing homeless encampments from the Santa Clara and Ventura rivers. Todd Goehner, who works with Help of Ojai's Community Assistance Program, said their unofficial count noted roughly 38 people. "We housed 10 people over the course of the year," he said, adding that Ojai was small enough the homeless are usually known. "The numbers don't add up." Rob Orth, Salvation Army Ventura social services director, said the hard work lay ahead, as providers labored to find affordable housing. "How do we fit 495 new people into a community that is basically full?" he said. The answer won't be found in new construction but in different solutions that could include shared housing and, for example, time limits on government housing subsidies known as Section 8, Orth said. To see the full report, go to http://bit.ly/1hWrFaj ___ (c)2014 Ventura County Star (Camarillo, Calif.) Visit Ventura County Star (Camarillo, Calif.) at www.vcstar.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |