One of the “most challenging aspects of addressing homelessness is that no one single agency, entity, or non-profit holds sole responsibility” for getting them help.

That’s one of the responses from Yolo County’s Health and Human Services Agency to a 2023-24 Grand Jury finding on the issue of homelessness.

As part of its overall report, “Addressing the Issue of Homelessness in Yolo County,” the Grand Jury found a number of problems for getting help to those in need. And while the county’s response generally found “agreement” with the Grand Jury findings, the overall reason simply seems to be a lack of coordination under any single agency.

“At the local level, homelessness is often addressed by a complex network of county, city, non-profit, and faith-based organizations, and partners,” the county’s response states. “Each county and/or CoC is unique, and Yolo County does not have adequate resources or staffing levels to assist all county homeless residents.”

Currently, the Health and Human Services Agency has three staff dedicated to homeless services who serve individuals who are medically fragile.

The unit is funded through a grant that expires Dec. 31, 2027.

“There are no other case managers or housing navigators within the county or HHSA to support our clients who are experiencing homelessness,” according to the response. “There are a variety of homeless case managers employed by cities, non-profits, and faith-based organizations throughout the county. While we are collectively doing our best to meet these growing needs in Yolo County through careful coordination and collaboration, this area is significantly under-resourced and underfunded.”

Efforts to coordinate these entities “is commendable, but this remains a core barrier to effectively addressing homelessness across the state of California,” the county’s response finds.

“Lastly, the applications clients are likely to need assistance with are nested within the Yolo County Housing Authority, federal benefit programs, Veterans Services, and elsewhere. In many cases, even when these applications are completed — like in the case of housing vouchers — there is incredibly limited inventory of available and/or eligible units.”

The report is scheduled to be presented to Yolo County supervisors on Tuesday. The response was presented in advance to Yolo County Superior Court Judge Timothy Fall as well as County Administrator Gerardo Pinedo and others.

The Grand Jury study looked at seven different areas, that ranged from providing shelter and housing, “mapping services” for those seeking assistance from local agencies such as location and hours of operation, lack of meeting times by the county’s Executive Commission to Address Homelessness and “outdated links, missing phone numbers and incorrect employee and contact links” on county websites.

In general, the county agreed with many of the findings and committed to addressing the problems “through a systematic and strategic approach.”

The Gand Jury also recommended that Yolo County Health and Human Services, in conjunction with the Homeless Poverty Action Coalition, needs to evaluate alternative screening tools to assess individuals experiencing homeliness and wants to see a new “screening tool” in place by Oct. 31 this year.

County officials agree with the recommendation but note Health and Human Services will need more time to determine if another form of assessment is available.

Supervisors may discuss the findings at their meeting, which will be held in the Erwin Meier Center on Court Street, starting at 9 a.m.