HomeMy WebLinkAboutmelissa-measure-w-fund-comm-mtg-2025-12-08Presentation Summary – Melissa Moore Alameda County Measure W/Home Together Fund Community Meeting, District 2
Monday December 8th, 5-6:30pm Presenter: Melissa Moore Background & Experience
-Seven years of lived experience with homelessness -Former Community Health Outreach Worker, Tiburcio Vasquez -Board Member, Street Medicine Institute -Founder, RISE (Rising Into Self-Empowerment) — street outreach focused on engagement, dignity, and self-determination
Purpose of Presentation This presentation walked participants through the homelessness response system from both lived experience and service provider perspectives, highlighting system successes, structural failures, and opportunities for improvement.
-Accessing the System Fragmented and inconsistent entry points Access depends heavily on provider capacity and follow-through Primary access pathways discussed:
-Street Medicine Teams/Street Outreach
-HMIS / Clarity System Street Medicine Teams Strengths Medical providers meet people where they are Immediate diagnosis and engagement in non-clinical settings Challenges Understaffed due to funding limitations Inconsistent return visits result in loss of engagement and continuity of care -HMIS / Clarity System Strengths
Centralized client information Supports housing navigation when used correctly Challenges Inaccurate or false data entry Lack of follow-up after initial contact
Clients stagnate and are not housing-ready -Encampment Sweeps Often conducted without preemptive planning Needed before sweeps: Early legal aid and advocacy
Storage provided in advance Credible, humane alternatives for relocation Preemptive coordination preserves dignity and reduces trauma
-Housing Models Non-congregate interim housing should be prioritized Congregate shelters:
Do not work for many individuals Create additional barriers Do not resolve homelessness
System-Level Needs -Stronger accountability and oversight of large nonprofit providers -Meaningful integration of people with lived experience and peer support -Expanded legal advocacy to protect basic human rights -Community collaboration and storytelling to build public support
Sanctioned Encampments Proven effective in other jurisdictions A local pilot project can demonstrate feasibility and impact
Measure W Funding: Closing Message & Call to Action
Measure W funding is critical and should be used to: Challenge traditional ideology Question existing system structures Build new bridges that actually move people off the streets
Funding should be outcome-driven, not system-preserving:
Do not continue to expand or sustain programs that fail our people Invest in real-world solutions highlighted throughout this presentation Targeted Measure W investments include:
-Fully staffed and consistent street medicine teams -HMIS/Clarity training, audits, and accountability -Preemptive sweep response: legal aid, storage, credible relocation options -Non-congregate interim housing -Lived-experience leadership and peer transitional support
-Community collaboration and storytelling -Pilot projects like sanctioned encampments The goal of Measure W funding is clear: To get people off the streets — not to maintain ineffective systems or programs that do not serve the people most impacted