Setting priorities

Jennifer Griggs has had her hands full since taking on the position of coordinator for the Butte Countywide Continuum of Care in January. For one, it was a job that hadn’t been filled full-time—ever. It had been a part-time job “many years ago,” she said, with several of her duties falling to contractors to fulfill.

The Continuum of Care (COC) is a multiagency body with a board of directors. Its goal is lofty, especially these days: to end homelessness. As coordinator of the COC, Griggs is an integral part of the solution, working with many agencies and helping them collaborate, supporting grant-writing, facilitating the biennial Point-in-Time Homeless Survey and addressing the 10-year strategy to end homelessness.

“I’ll be trying to understand everything and work through how we can get the most money possible to our county through those grant programs,” she said by phone Tuesday (May 15). The day before, she’d addressed the full COC membership at a meeting open to the public, highlighting her progress in the few short months she’s been on the job and what she’s learned, and setting out what she sees as a core set of community priorities.

Several organization heads offered status and statistical updates, and all reflected an increase in homelessness—which is a national trend that is expected to continue, reported Ed Mayer, executive director of the Butte Housing Authority. The Torres Community Shelter, for instance, saw a 4 percent increase in individuals helped in 2017 over 2016. The nightly average of guests, however, rose 28 percent. The center is currently hovering around capacity (160 beds), said Executive Director Joy Amaro.

Several people agreed that the biggest obstacle organizations are up against when helping people to get into permanent housing is lack of said housing.

“We’re trying to find ways to house folks that have some pretty significant barriers,” said Tom Dearmore, program manager at the Esplanade House, which serves families with children. “Landlords, with [such a low] vacancy rate, they can be pretty picky. So, we’re spending quite a bit of our time in landlord recruitment—convincing them that this can benefit them and the community as a whole.”

Quite a bit of discussion revolved around creating a coordinated entry for homeless clients, which many other COCs are pursuing but would require the coordination of Butte’s municipalities. There was also talk of legalizing a campground or RV park to temporarily offer some ease of mind to those living outdoors. New affordable housing was mentioned, but seemed an unrealistic expectation in the near future.

“The cost per unit to build affordable housing is $250,000—per apartment in a complex,” one woman said. “There is no funding. But communities are finding ways at low cost to provide housing in tent camping facilities, tiny house villages … . We need to create the kind of community that recognizes our humanity, or we will keep coming back to these kinds of meetings and not solve the problems.”

Other trends to watch: The average age of local homeless is rising. In Paradise, Sojourner’s House on the Ridge reported that the majority of its 18 guests are over 40. Also, while many people are able to gain income while staying at the Torres Shelter, Amaro said most of that income is not through employment, but rather through Social Security.

“We can surmise that things aren’t going to get better until we can increase employment income,” Griggs said.

Which brings us to priorities. The list is evolving, Griggs said; she hopes the various committees within the COC can help fine-tune it. Chief among them: Coordinated entry in Butte’s municipalities; a full-time “housing navigator”; a formal street-outreach program; cooperation with local hospitals and jails on discharge plans; a mobile clinic to help those with chronic conditions; a low-barrier seasonal shelter during the hottest and coldest months; and a 30-day housing plan for the most vulnerable populations.

Griggs has a background in business, not social service. She said that was a conscious decision by the COC when hiring her—she was chosen for her business acumen. Prior to joining the COC, she spent 20 years in sales and operations for a telecom company. She grew up in Chico and cares about the community, she said.

“I chose to make a change in employment to do something more philanthropic,” she said. “I wanted to give back. This position filled a lot of boxes I wanted to check in my personal life.”

She realizes she’s not coming into a well-oiled machine. The COC has been no stranger to controversy in recent years. Recall 2016, when Stairways Programming Executive Director Michael Madieros left $72,000 in funding unclaimed, citing a lack of support from and mistrust of the COC. Regardless of what’s happened in the past, Griggs said she feels she’s up to the task.

“I came in with my eyes pretty open,” Griggs told the CN&R. “Not being new to Chico, I knew who the players were. I knew what players had past challenges with each other. I really have taken the approach of, ‘I’m Switzerland.’ I can’t change the past—everyone is entitled to their opinion. I just ask that if you’re working with me that you’re respectful of each other. I’m here to listen to everybody and all sides.”