• Supportive housing communities like the ones created by DignityMoves and Good Samaritan Shelter are five times more successful in helping people secure and maintain safe and stable housing, and we are eager to replicate their success here in the City of San Luis Obsipo.
• Similar successful programs include 5Cities Homeless Coalition's Cabins for Change in Grover Beach, Transition's-Mental Health Association's Bishop Street Studios in San Luis Obispo, and the DignityMove's pilot program located in the heart of Santa Barbara.

• The County evaluated several potential site locations and ultimately selected the Health Agency Campus due to proximity to services, and the feasibility of being able to develop it for this use.
• The County of SLO's Health Agency Campus on Johnson Avenue provides integrated access to nearby medical centers, behavioral outpatient services, sobering center, and crisis stabilization unit.
• Conveniently located near grocery stores, two bus stops, the SLO Railroad Safety Trail, and other important amenities.

• Welcome Home Village will enable the City and County to work collaboratively to address encampments throughout the City - starting with those encamped on the Bob Jones Bike Trail.
• Those housed in the program will be subject to rigorous screening requirements and case management services.
• Sex offenders registered under Penal Code 290 will not be allowed to enroll, live, or visit the Welcome Home Village. If a person registered under PC 290 is identified during the outreach efforts, they will be connected with and/or referred to more appropriate programs.

The Welcome Home Village will be comprised of two different programs:

• Those enrolled in the interim supportive housing program will be enrolled in a "90-day program," where residents will seek stabilization and permanent housing for the duration of the program. For those needing additional time but on their way to a sustainable and healthful lifestyle, a reasonable and limited extension will be permitted. Residents in similar programs on the Central Coast have an average length of stay of approximately 100 days.
• The permanent supportive housing program will provide a long-term and stable housing option for residents in need of long-term rental assistance and supportive services. People that live in permanent supportive housing environments include the elderly, those with mental or physical disabilities, and people that need supportive housing services for a longer period of time than provided in the interim housing program before finding self-sufficiency. An example of permanent supportive housing is T-MHA's Bishop Street Studios located near Johnson Avenue in San Luis Obispo.

Most of the residents moving to Welcome Home Village will not have a vehicle since people referred to this program have been living unsheltered and do not have access to a vehicle.

Residents will be encouraged to use alternative forms of transportation:

• Walking: The neighborhood surrounding the Welcome Home Village is considered to be walkable for activities such as completing errands, buying groceries, and employment opportunities.
• Biking: The City of San Luis Obispo is host to world-class biking infrastructure which allows most daily errands to be accomplished by bicycle.
• Public Transit: The SLO Transit System has two bus stops directly outside the perimeter of the Welcome Home Village. This will allow residents to use the bus to travel throughout the City, or, after reaching the Downtown Transit Center, throughout the County using the San Luis Obispo Regional Transit Authority (RTA)

For necessary appointments that are not reachable by alternative forms of transportation due to location or schedule needs, a resident transportation service is offered.

The County is actively working on a parking plan to minimize disruption to the neighborhood.

Welcome Home Village will have staff and security professionals on site 24/7. The security will be contracted by a private security company. In addition, the community will be under constant video surveillance with cameras scattered throughout the property at all entrances.

Several Central Coast communities have been using supportive housing models to restore community gathering places and vibrant economic hubs.

Isla Vista

In 2021, the People's Park and the surrounding areas in Isla Vista were impacted for use by community members due to illicit camping. The County of Santa Barbara contracted Good Samaritan Shelter to establish a 20-unit interim supportive housing community in Isla Vista to help stabilize and relocate those living in People's Park. During its 12 months of operations, Good Samaritan's program was able to permanently place nearly 50 individuals.

Today, People's Park is still clear of encampments and remains accessible and safe for all members of the public.

Santa Barbara

The Dignity Moves project has been quietly operating in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara since August 2022. Despite initial hesitancies about the project among nearby businesses, neighbors have been surprised by how quiet the site is and by the reduction of people sleeping on sidewalks in the downtown district. There have been no complaints of loitering or an increase in crime incidents near the site.

Grover Beach

The 5Cities Homeless Coalition is the service provider behind Cabins for Change, a 20-unit interim supportive housing community in Grover Beach. The facility provides its residents with 24/7 support, case management, and connections to food services, recovery and housing stabilization guidance.

For additional examples of current and future supportive housing communities please go to DignityMoves' website.

The 40 Prado Homeless Services Center is a congregate shelter run by CAPSLO that provides on-site services to program participants and walk-ins, including meals, showers, laundry, and access to case management. Participants that choose to stay in the overnight shelter are allowed to check-in after 4:30PM, sleep overnight in a shared room with other program participants, and may be asked to leave before 7:00AM. CAPSLO's acute response services are critical in the mission to reduce homelessness in San Luis Obispo County.

The Welcome Home Village creates another option in San Luis Obispo through its non-congregate supportive housing program. People living at Welcome Home Village will be provided a private room that allows them to stabilize, address their wellness concerns, and begin developing an exit plan to stable housing. All residents must engage in mandatory case management and actively pursue permanent housing. The community amenities, including internet access, laundry, food services, restrooms, and community areas, are only offered to current residents.

The Welcome Home Village will not provide any services to the general public or walk-ins. Instead, potential residents are identified by Good Samaritan Shelter's housing navigation staff and collaborating outreach partners prior to referral to the Welcome Home Village. People are likely to be engaging with in-the-field case managers and outreach specialists for months prior to their transition to the Welcome Home Village. This is an intentional approach to ensure the participants' success and the success of their fellow residents.

No illicit drugs or alcohol are permitted at the Welcome Home Village. While sobriety is not a requirement of the program, residents with substantial behavioral health conditions that may affect their success or the success of their neighbors will be referred to a service specifically tailored for treating those conditions.

The Welcome Home Village is not a publicly accessible program and no admittance will be permitted to any walk-ins. All program referrals are done by local homeless service providers through a fair and consistent countywide assessment process known as the Coordinated Entry System.

The Welcome Home Village will accept referrals from local nonprofit service providers - such as Good Samaritan Shelter, Transitions-Mental Health Association, and CAPSLO - and government programs, including the City of San Luis Obispo's Homelessness Response Teams and County of San Luis Obispo's Behavioral Health. Initially, individuals living in the Bob Jones Bike Trail Encampment Corridor (and then individuals located in encampments throughout the City) will be evaluated and their information placed into the Coordinated Entry System, a standardized intake assessment and referral system. After their initial intake, a person's unique needs will be assessed to determine which programs will be the best fit for them.

No visitors are allowed on site except for service providers and community resource agency representatives whose presence is necessary for the success of the site and its residents.

Pre-scheduled and escorted facility tours will be permitted on a limited basis.

Many supportive housing communities like the Welcome Home Village have successfully integrated into business parks, commercial zones, and residential areas.

While there are often concerns regarding an increase in disruptive behaviors around supportive housing communities, the research and recent documentations are able to dispel these reservations:

• Property values: There has been little evidence to suggest that supportive housing communities cause nearby property values to decline. In fact, five years after the completion of the supportive housing community, research suggests that properties within 500ft of the community appreciate at a faster rate than similar properties over 1,000ft from the community (NYU Furman Center, 2008).
• Visibility: Through thoughtful design, supportive housing communities can blend in seamlessly with their neighboring building. This is why the County of San Luis Obispo is partnering with DignityMoves, an organization dedicated to creating beautiful and dignified communities purpose-built to meet the needs of the surrounding area. Please view other projects created by DignityMoves at DignityMoves.org.
• Crime: There is no statistically significant evidence that suggests that supportive housing communities increase neighborhood crime rates in the surrounding areas (Glaster, 2022; National Church Residences, 2017).

Thank you for your interest in supporting the Welcome Home Village. While this program is still in the development stages, we will be eager to share how community members can support the program through volunteerism, donations, and other involvement opportunities soon.