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COURTESY PHOTOChuck Flacks, the city of Goleta’s first homelessness services coordinator, said the Goleta Homelessness Strategic Plan includes creating more affordable and permanent supportive housing.
Chuck Flacks recently assumed his position as the first homelessness services coordinator for the city of Goleta.
“Goleta is my home. I’ve long wanted to work for the city because cities are where policy meets action and residents are involved and engaged,” Mr. Flacks told the News-Press.
“Homelessness is solved by one-on-one connection and problem solving,” he said. “This position will allow me to connect with Goleta residents (both housed and without homes) to work on problems related to homelessness and help people take the next right steps.”
The News-Press asked Mr. Flacks, who began his work on Dec. 5, how his career has prepared him for this.
“I have worked in the nonprofit sector (working closely with the government) since 1992. My focus has been on community development including affordable housing, workforce development, nonprofit capacity building and homelessness. I have worked at senior policy levels and hands-on counseling with homeless people.”
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESSCarts full of items gathered by a transient sit Thursday on Hollister Avenue in Goleta. “Homelessness is solved by one-on-one connection and problem solving,” said Chuck Flacks, Goleta’s new homelessness services coordinator.“I’ve worked in homelessness policy and services in Santa Barbara since 2015. I was the executive director of the Central Coast Collaborative on Homelessness from 2015-2017 and director of programs for PATH Santa Barbara from 2017-2020,” Mr. Flacks said. “I started a homelessness consulting company, Flacks Seed Consulting, in 2020 with both the county of Santa Barbara and city of Goleta as clients. In addition, in 2021-2022, I was a manager of homeless data for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.”
Jamie Valdez, Goleta’s Neighborhood Services director, explained how the new homelessness services coordinator position came to be.
“The position came from a multi-year effort to pass the Homelessness Strategic Plan, coordinating across jurisdictions, agencies, law enforcements, Caltrans and more,” he told the News-Press. “It really depends on the person and their story, so we thought a coordinated effort would be the best solution.
“We are trying to address things holistically in Goleta and implement the plan in a way that makes sense and makes progress,” Mr. Valdez said. “We saw how much more need there was, and it made sense to have a coordinated effort. The plan demonstrated the need for this type of position over time. There were more complaints and calls for service, and we needed one centralized place for service.”
Mr. Flacks holds a bachelors sociology and politics from UC Santa Cruz. He also holds two masters degrees, one in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and one in family and child counseling from San Diego State University. And he has received International Coaching Federation ACC Certification.
The News-Press asked Mr. Flacks how he plans to reduce homelessness. “Implementation of the Goleta Homelessness Strategic Plan includes creating more affordable and permanent supportive housing, outreach and engagement with homeless people, supporting robust referral and resource development in mental health and alcohol and drug treatment, and development of emergency services such as showers, food and street-level case management. But ultimately, homelessness is ended by helping someone 1:1 find housing.”
“My role is to support efforts to create housing,” Mr. Flacks said. “Currently, Goleta has one project, Tierra Buena, under development by the county housing authority that will provide over 50 units of permanent supportive housing to formerly homeless people.
“There are another 100 units of very low-income housing units (some of which set-aside for people with disabilities) in the approval process,” he said. “And there are another 50 units of very low-income housing units on the Goleta border seeking approvals. Given that Goleta has approximately 100 homeless people identified by the Point in Time Count, these new homes will make a significant difference for Goleta.”
The News-Press asked Mr. Valdez what the city expects of the homelessness services coordinator.
“They serve as a point of contact for community residents, businesses and service providers by responding to residents on questions and concerns,” he said. “Policy direction comes from the city council, but the director is on the ground in person implementing the policy.”
“One thing to point out is that Chuck grew up in the Santa Barbara/Goleta area,” Mr. Valdez added. “He is connected to the community, and it’s part of who he is as a person. It’s different when you have a close connection to a place.”
Mr. Flacks said he’s been preparing for this work for many years.
“I know Goleta well. I’m passionate about solutions. I also understand how to bring policy and best practices to the streets,” said Mr. Flacks. “The city of Goleta has created a new position to coordinate the resources, people and information that will help to meet the needs of those impacted by the problem of homelessness. I feel honored to have been selected to work in this role. Ultimately, developing solutions to homelessness means addressing the problem of affordable housing — an issue that affects all of us. I hope to play my part and implement Goleta’s visionary strategies.”
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
FYITo learn more about the Homelessness Strategic Plan, visit cityofgoleta.org/projects-programs/studies-and-other-projects/homelessness-strategic-plan.
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