Millbrae’s new program to help unhoused people get off the streets produced promising results in its first six months of operation, city officials reported this week.
The city launched the program at the beginning of the year in response to growing concern over unhoused people arriving in the city via BART or Caltrain, the majority of whom had traveled from San Francisco, according to a city survey.
The program consists of two social workers from nonprofit LifeMoves, who conduct outreach near the station during evening and nighttime hours when the last trains arrive and those riding must exit the cars. The Millbrae station is at the end of the line, and law enforcement often intervenes to remove those who use the trains as shelter.
“For far too long, the responsibility of caring for unhoused individuals from all over the region has fallen disproportionately to Millbrae,” Mayor Anne Oliva said.
According to LifeMoves, the program has exceeded expectations, with social workers reporting having engaged with 119 people in the first six months, 31 of whom agreed to begin receiving case management. Of those, some have been placed in either detox facilities, shelters or rehab programs.
LifeMoves spokesperson Sarah Fields said there have been 126 placements in such facilities, a figure that includes multiple placements of the same individual. One person was placed in permanent housing, she said.
The program is currently funded for a year of operation, with $150,000 budgeted from the city’s general fund and $100,000 granted from the county’s Measure K funds.
The City Council has in the past made efforts to receive aid from BART to little avail, but City Manager Tom Williams said he hopes the program’s success will help the city gain long-term funding, including from the transit agency.
“Homelessness is a complicated and multifaceted issue that requires collaboration between agencies at all levels,” he said. “For years, BART’s approach has been to simply rely on the intervention of law enforcement agencies who simply remove the unhoused from the trains.”
He said the city’s program, which leads with social service rather than law enforcement, should serve as a model for other cities in the county and beyond.
San Mateo County’s homeless population increased during the pandemic, up 20% from 2019, according to a “point in time” count conducted in February. The count found 1,092 people in the county were unsheltered, a figure that includes those staying in vehicles. In Millbrae, meanwhile, nine people were counted, on par with counts in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
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County officials have described a plan to achieve “functional zero” homelessness, meaning capacity to provide shelter would exceed the number of people unhoused.
The county recently used state funds from the governor’s Homekey program to purchase five motels for a combined 315 beds, some of which have already been filled. Additionally, a navigation center, a location for services being built in Redwood City, will have 240 rooms.
The hotels and navigation center spaces will provide temporary shelter, with the long-term goal of finding people permanent homes.
The Millbrae program is among the county’s “coordinated entry” points to access such resources. LifeMoves operates similar services in San Bruno and South San Francisco.
Isabella Karabed, a senior director for LifeMoves, said the process starts with building trust, which can sometimes take multiple interactions. She said those kicked off the train are often cold and aren’t sure where to turn to get shelter.
“LifeMoves … they can rely on for safety, that two of our case workers are not going to judge them, and they are going to welcome them and transport them to a place where they can feel safe,” she said.
Vice Mayor Gina Papan said part of the issue is that BART shuts down its restrooms at the station at the end of the night after the last train arrives.
Williams said the city also hired an additional police officer to patrol downtown to augment the LifeMoves program. Police Chief Christina Corpus, also sheriff-elect, said those who encounter a person they believe could benefit from outreach should call the station’s emergency number at (650) 363-4911.
(650) 344-5200, ext. 105
(1) comment
This is wonderful news. Having volunteered with Life Moves for many years and more recently having worked with their outreach staff, I know how much better it is for someone from an organization like Life Moves to interact with homeless folks than law enforcement. It can take many many interactions before a person accepts help, if ever, but the trust that is built up over time is priceless. The partnership between the city, county, and Life Moves can serve as a positive example to other cities. Money well spent and the most appropriate resources applied to the situation. Yay.
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