FROM:
Housing
SUBJECT:
Title
Adoption of Homeless Solutions Action Plan Update
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Adopt Resolution No. 2025-098, Homelessness Solutions Action Plan Update and direct staff to implement strategies laid out in plan.
End
COUNCIL GOALS:
• Create and maintain a dynamic team by promoting stability and predictability by providing consistent policy direction.
• Concentrate on Inter-governmental relations by pursuing financial participation from county, state and federal governments.
DISCUSSION:
Despite the City’s continued efforts to reduce homelessness through expanded housing options and enhanced services, the 2025 Point-in-Time Count identified 364 individuals experiencing homelessness in Fontana-271 unsheltered and 93 sheltered-representing an overall increase of 63 individuals from the previous year. While the growth in sheltered placements demonstrates progress in expanding the City’s capacity, the data underscores that significant challenges remain. This data highlights both the growth of shelter capacity and the urgent need for expanded prevention, housing, and support services.
Over the past year, staff has worked closely with the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Homelessness, which has played a central role in reviewing trends, identifying service gaps, and shaping the 2025-2026 Homeless Solutions Action Plan update. The Mayor’s Advisory Council on Homelessness will review and update this Plan on an annual basis to address emerging challenges, incorporate new initiatives, and guide the City’s ongoing efforts to reduce homelessness.
Homelessness Solutions Action Plan (2025-2026)
The updated Action Plan builds upon the foundation established in 2024, refining strategies through three primary operations while integrating lessons learned from previous efforts and community feedback. These operations are designed to function together as a coordinated framework: each complements the others to create a comprehensive approach that addresses both immediate needs and long-term solutions. By focusing on these strategic operations, the City aims to strengthen its system of care, improve access to services, and promote sustainable pathways out of homelessness for Fontana residents.
Operation 1: Network Enhancements - Strengthening the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Homelessness, optimizing resources through improved information-sharing, and building stronger outreach networks across providers. This operation ensures that all stakeholders are aligned, information flows efficiently, and individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness can be quickly connected to appropriate services.
Operation 2: Foundational Support Services - Expanding case management, wrap around services, and prevention programs to stabilize individuals and families at risk, while enhancing regional service coordination and communication. By providing a solid foundation of support, this operation addresses the underlying causes of homelessness, including lack of access to healthcare, employment, and social services.
Operation 3: Housing Capacity & Stability - Increasing permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, and prevention resources; improving landlord engagement; and pursuing funding for new facilities including emergency shelters and navigation centers. This operation is focused on creating safe, stable, and accessible housing options, ensuring that individuals and families have the opportunity to achieve lasting stability.
Together, these operations form the backbone of the Plan, creating a holistic system that balances prevention, support, and housing solutions. The Plan also emphasizes prevention strategies, recognizing that keeping households from entering homelessness is critical to reducing overall system demand. These strategies are reinforced through expanded outreach, new mobile opioid response services, and enhanced rapid rehousing efforts that provide immediate intervention and tailored support to vulnerable populations.
Accountability remains a cornerstone of the Plan. Success will be measured not only by reductions in the number of individuals experiencing homelessness, but also by improved service delivery efficiency, expanded housing opportunities, and strengthened long-term stability outcomes. The Plan incorporates ongoing data collection and performance monitoring to ensure that strategies are evidence-based, effective, and responsive to emerging trends and community needs.
Finally, the Plan outlines a clear timeline for implementation. Staff will continue to provide the City Council with annual updates, including measurable progress reports, identified challenges, and recommended adjustments to ensure that the Plan remains adaptive, results-driven, and aligned with Fontana’s commitment to ending homelessness.
In summary, the differences between the City of Fontana’s 2024-2028 and 2025-2026 homelessness plans reflect a clear shift in strategy and focus. The earlier plan emphasized broad system improvements-such as strengthening coordination, expanding general services, and preventing homelessness among youth, veterans, and individuals with disabilities. In contrast, the 2025-2026 plan takes a more targeted and responsive approach. It introduces mobile outreach for individuals with substance use, shifts street outreach to a proactive model, and narrows the focus of navigation centers to serve the chronically homeless. It also enhances prevention efforts to support at-risk households before they lose housing and adds rapid re-housing services to help newly homeless individuals and families regain stability. Overall, the newer plan moves from a broad, population-wide framework to more specialized, population-specific strategies.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed Homeless Solutions Action Plan update aims to address and mitigate homelessness within the city through a series of targeted initiatives. The plan encompasses the development of affordable housing, enhanced support services, and coordinated efforts among various stakeholders. There is no direct or immediate fiscal impact associated with adopting this plan. However, the plan anticipates both short-term and long-tern initiatives that will have specific financial impacts. Information on funding requirements and funding sources will be provided upon approval any such future initiates.
MOTION:
Approve staff recommendation