Chapter 18.120 EMERGENCY SHELTERS

Chapter 18.120
EMERGENCY SHELTERS

Sections:

18.120.010 Purpose.

These regulations are intended to establish procedures and standards for emergency shelters in compliance with State law. (Ord. 1934 § 1, 1-13-15).

18.120.020 Definitions.

“Emergency shelter” means housing with minimal supportive services for homeless persons that is limited to six months or less by a homeless person. No individual or household may be denied emergency shelter because of an inability to pay. (Ord. 1934 § 1, 1-13-15).

18.120.030 Provisions.

(a) Emergency shelters are a permitted use in the ML (Light Industrial) zone, provided they meet the minimum property development standards in which they are located when, on the date that a complete shelter management plan as required in subsection (d) of this section is submitted to the City, the number of existing shelter beds within the City is fewer than the City’s most recent annual count of homeless persons residing within the City.

(b) If the demonstrated need as defined in subsection (a) of this section has already been met, additional emergency shelters may be conditionally permitted in the ML (Light Industrial) zone, subject to conditions with the issuance of a use permit pursuant to Chapter 18.110 SCCC. The determination required by this subsection shall occur on the date the operator submits the materials required by subsection (c) of this section.

(1) The lot coverage per shelter occupant shall be at least one hundred fifty (150) square feet and the maximum number of occupants to be served at any given time shall not exceed fifty (50).

(2) A minimum distance of three hundred (300) feet shall be maintained from any other emergency shelter.

(3) The maximum stay at the facility shall not exceed one hundred eighty (180) total days in a three hundred sixty-five (365)-day period.

(4) On-site client waiting and intake areas shall be located inside the building and shall be screened from public and private property where feasible. If not feasible, an exterior waiting area shall be provided which:

(A) Contains a minimum of ten square feet per bed provided at the facility;

(B) Shall be in a location not adjacent to the public right-of-way; and

(5) Hours of intake shall be between the hours of 5:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. Overnight occupants shall not be permitted to leave the facility on foot before 7:00 A.M. the following morning.

(6) A minimum of one employee per fifteen (15) beds, in addition to security personnel, shall be on duty and remain on site during operational hours whenever occupants are on the site.

(7) Security personnel shall be provided during operational hours whenever clients are on the site or when people are waiting outside the facility.

(8) Exterior lighting shall be provided for the entire outdoor area of the site. Exterior lighting shall be stationary, directed away from adjacent properties and public rights-of-way, and be of an intensity compatible with the neighborhood.

(9) Off-street parking shall be provided at the rate of one parking space per emergency shelter employee or as set forth in Chapter 18.74 SCCC, whichever is least restrictive.

(10) The shelter may provide the following services and facilities to occupants in a designated area separate from the sleeping areas:

(A) A recreation area either inside or outside the shelter. If located outside, the area shall be screened from public view.

(B) A counseling center for job placement, educational, health care, legal, or mental health services.

(D) One or more kitchens for the preparation of meals.

(E) Dining hall.

(F) Client storage areas (i.e., for the overnight storage of bicycles and personal items).

(G) Similar services supporting the needs of homeless occupants.

(11) The operator of the facility shall provide, at the City’s request, an annual report of the use of the facility that demonstrates that the facility is in compliance with the requirements of this chapter and the development standards for the use.

(12) Deliveries of goods to the shelter shall only be made within hours that are allowed by this Code.

(13) The facility shall not generate lighting at levels adversely affecting surrounding properties.

(14) Professional and on-site management, with experience managing emergency shelters, shall be provided at all times.

(15) The facility shall develop and implement an emergency preparedness plan, including a shelter-in-place plan.

(d) The proposed shelter operator shall demonstrate compliance with the requirements of subsection (c) of this section by providing the Director of Planning and Inspection with a shelter management plan. The shelter management plan shall consist of a written description of the characteristics of the planned shelter along with preliminary plans for the existing or proposed shelter facility, including parking. The shelter management plan must address the following:

(1) Hours of operation;

(2) Admission hours and process;

(3) Staff training;

(4) Neighborhood outreach and privacy;

(5) Security; and

(6) Resident counseling and treatment.

The submission shall include sufficient detail for the Director of Planning and Inspection to assess whether the proposed shelter will satisfy the requirements set forth in subsection (c) of this section. Within thirty (30) days of receiving a complete application, the Director of Planning and Inspection shall inform the proposed operator whether the submission satisfies subsection (c) of this section. If the Director of Planning and Inspection determines the proposed emergency shelter fails to satisfy the requirements of subsection (c) of this section, the proposed operator shall be informed in writing of the conclusion, the reasons for the conclusion, and the facts on which the conclusion was based.

(e) Any emergency shelter must operate in accordance with the terms of the shelter management plan approved by the Director of Planning and Inspection, this Code, and if applicable, the approved use permit.

(f) Nothing in this section, or approval of any use permit or shelter management plan, shall relieve a proposed operator from the obligation to satisfy all applicable building, zoning, environmental and other laws, regulations or ordinances that may otherwise apply to the construction, location, or operation of the emergency shelter. (Ord. 1934 § 1, 1-13-15).