Housing Authority boosts efforts to combat homelessness.

Come May, some of the most vulnerable homeless people in Monterey County will have a better chance at securing rental assistance.

For months, officials with the Housing Authority of the County of Monterey have worked on setting aside 100 Section 8 vouchers, strictly for homeless individuals. The effort is unprecedented, given that each voucher requires a case manager to be assigned to every tenant.

“We want to be sure that the clients are getting services and are not being dropped when they get housed,” says Jean Goebel, HACM’s executive director.

The case management services will be particularly appealing to landlords, who may be hesitant to take on homeless individuals as tenants. With a case manager on call, a landlord may feel more comfortable having a contact in case problems with the tenant arise.

Despite this option being available, Goebel says willing landlords are still hard to find. One of the reasons: It is more profitable for them to rent to tenants who can pay market rate.

High rents, combined with a shortage of housing and low wages, are at the heart of the county’s ongoing battle with homelessness, says Katherine Thoeni, executive officer of the Coalition of Homeless Service Providers.

Last year, 2,308 people were counted as homeless in the county, according to a biennial homeless census. Salinas and Monterey, followed by Marina and Seaside, have the highest concentrations of homeless in the county.

The scope of the HACM voucher effort will aid individuals countywide – whether a person is living in a tent or under a tarp in Salinas’ Chinatown, or sleeping in a park near downtown Monterey.

A background check that reveals any conviction for a sex crime, other violent crimes or narcotics sales will make that person ineligible for a voucher.

“Once people are housed, their physical appearance, sense of safety and security is improved,” Goebel says. “You see a turnaround almost immediately.”

While this is a countywide effort, the push to house the homeless long-term sheds light on current events in Salinas’ Chinatown. This week, Salinas will begin to enforce its controversial ordinance by clearing homeless encampments from city-owned property. An estimated 200 people are expected to be displaced, while the city’s long-term vision to help them remains elusive.

HACM’s endeavor will be part of the solution, but it continues to be challenged by funding and a flood of applicants.

“It’s a lot of work. [The HACM] didn’t have to do this. It shows their commitment to end homelessness,” Thoeni says.

There are about 2,000 people on the waitlist for a Section 8 voucher. The waitlist last opened in 2009 and 5,000 applications came in. The application process is closed now, but homeless people who come in with a referral from a service provider will be considered.

“The whole community, outside of government as well as government, needs to agree this is a humanitarian issue we need to address as a whole – and fast,” Goebel says.