Greenwell: In October of 2022, the City of Riverside adopted its “Homelessness Action Plan,” with a mission to reduce homeless through creating and maintaining affordable housing, and supporting individuals and families to achieve housing stability and self-sufficiency through a whole-person” approach.
I spoke with Mayor Pro Tem, and Ward 1 Councilmember, Erin Edwards, about how past practices evolved into current best practices, and where that leaves us today.
Edwards: We really have the formula correct now. We just need time to do the work and to see it come to fruition.
Greenwell: The plan has six goals: to increase affordable housing production, increase the availability of services, prevent homelessness, provide emergency shelter services, expand public awareness, and develop a coordinated regional infrastructure.
The goals were created with specific, measurable data points that could be tracked to measure their effectiveness.
Edwards: It’s important to have a plan to address homelessness, to know what data you’re tracking, and to allow yourself the time to track that data. So, of course, pivot is something is dramatically not working, but also, it will take time to see if the best practices you have in place are actually the best ones for your city and the populations of people that are experiencing homelessness in Riverside, and you need to give it that time.
Greenwell: And now, a year after the plan’s implementation, the data is encouraging, and reveals what’s working, and where adjustments may need to be made. The full council will review the ‘Homelessness Action Plan Update’ at its Tuesday night meeting.
Edwards: I think that the brave political decision now, is to choose to do something, even when we don’t know if it will work, rather than continuing to articulate the problem, and offer no solution.
For KVCR News, I’m Jessica Greenwell