Shasta County defends decision to turn over homeless program to Redding after criticism

Supervisors on Tuesday defended Shasta County’s decision to hand administrative duties for a state homeless program to the city of Redding.

District 1 Supervisor Joe Chimenti called it an innovative collaboration between the city and county and hopes to see more of the same type of teamwork in the future.

“So, when anyone who wonders where the county is in all of this, we’re the organization that sends $8 million to the city for the city to do things that they believe are necessary to mitigate homelessness,” Chimenti said in a five-minute speech he gave during his weekly report to the board.

At the Oct. 18 Redding City Council meeting, before councilors voted unanimously to take on the state’s Housing and Homeless Incentive Program, Councilwoman Julie Winter was blunt in her disappointment with the county.

“I’m grateful for our staff … but honestly the county should be taking this program on, and it saddens me that they are unwilling or unable to do so, which is actually, if you think about it, quite telling to the lack of leadership in our county right now. And I’m not denigrating the HHSA staff, they are suffering from vacancies, but it’s kind of like they’re AWOL,” she said.

On Tuesday, Chimenti said homelessness is not a city or county problem, rather “a humanity issue.”

“So now we took this money and we passed it through to where the city can now evaluate. And if you stop to think about it, the cities, whether it’s Anderson, or Redding, Shasta Lake, they’re going to be in the best position to understand what their needs are,” Chimenti said.

The state program was created to get people on the streets into housing and it will work with Medi-Cal clients to connect them with needed housing services.

District 3 Supervisor Mary Rickert thanked Chimenti for shining a light on the issue.

“I think it’s really important for the public to be aware of that, and it’s unfortunate that the county does not have the capacity right now to take on a project like that. But as we all know, we just don’t have the resources — I mean the people — to be able to implement that project,” Rickert said.

Redding City Manager Barry Tippin at the Oct. 18 meeting said it would have been difficult for the county’s Health and Human Services Agency to administer the program because it was short-staffed.

District 5 Supervisor Les Baugh, who chairs the board, asked acting County Executive Officer Patrick Minturn if that was true, or if selecting the city of Redding was a better path forward.

“The truth is probably somewhere in between. We are stretched for capacity. We were willing to take it on if we had to as the provider of last resort, but the city was equally viable as a candidate and they have a housing unit, we have a housing unit. Homeless issues are prevalent in the city of Redding, so they have plenty of opportunities in the city to spend those funds,” Minturn said. “They were in a position where they have the capacity to take it on, and we’re happy to see them take it on.”

Baugh sees it as "an amazing opportunity for the city of Redding to administer. And frankly, the bulk of the homeless population receives services and lives within the city of Redding."

Burch named Health and Human Services Agency director

After eight months as acting director, supervisors made it unanimous on Tuesday and appointed Laura Burch as county Health and Human Services Agency director.

Burch became the interim director when Donnell Ewert resigned in early April after about 10 years on the job.

As director, Burch will make $203,496 a year. The Health and Human Services Agency encompasses the Department of Social Services, mental health services and public health, which has been at the center of the county's efforts to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic at the county level.

Supervisors on Tuesday also approved the appointment of Miguel Rodriguez as the acting director of Mental Health Services.

HHSA's public health branch was ground zero for critics of the county's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ewert cited the public upheaval as a reason for his retirement. Supervisors voted 3-2 in May to fire former county Health Officer Dr. Karen Ramstrom. The county still hasn't found her replacement.

But what had been a bitterly divided board during the pandemic came together Tuesday to eagerly endorse Burch and Rodriguez.

"I think we have the right two people at the right time," District 4 Supervisor Patrick Jones said. Jones had been very critical of public health's handling of the pandemic and was in the 3-2 majority to terminate Ramstrom's contract.

Burch told supervisors she looks forward to leading the department.

"I think we're turning a corner and things are getting better," she said.

More night meetings in 2023

Addressing calls for more night meetings, the Board of Supervisors have at least four scheduled for next year.

Supervisor Jones, who is in line to be the board's chairman in 2023, suggested night meetings for Feb. 21, April 18, May 16, and Sept. 5 of next year. The times of the meetings were not announced.

Supervisors unanimously voted to approve next year's meetings calendar, including the four night meetings that Jones recommended.

All told, supervisors will hold 31 public meetings in 2023.

David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Shasta County defends turning over homeless program to Redding