Homelessness [split from Leadville and Salida Ranger Districts]

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I just can't agree that all directors and administrators are that cynical or craven. Here and there - maybe. That's the same argument that some people use to discount climate science. IE: claiming that the scientists will criminally lie or mislead because it could be better for them personally. Or that doctors don't want to cure you if they can make more money keeping you sick. Well, I don't buy any of that either. I think most people are honest and actually care about other people. Most of the one's I've ever met anyway.
Not all, but some. The higher the salary, the more moral hazard will play a role.
 
Folks, don’t forget that while the role of senior administrators is to manage other folks, a very important secondary role is to make sure that the program is properly funded and achieves it’s charter. This might also mean raising money for the organization which could easily require interfacing with private businesses to obtain those funds and get inexpensive resources. That will mean that the salaries in some places will be much larger than you might think. Those folks are not going to be running a volunteer soup kitchen.

I donate a good deal of money to Habitat for Humanity and I periodically receive email where they have a 2-for-1 fund raising event sponsered by a major corporation. And the administrators would have had to get that corporation to agree to help them with their revenue drive. I doubt they would have been successful if they didn’t have top level administrators and that’s going to require a good salary.
 
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Your 8 points are good, but you forgot to mention the directors and administrators who run the homeless program. They are paid a 6 figure salary and up to $250k. They will do their best to keep their job by not solving the homeless problem. The more problems the homeless cause, the more secure their jobs will be. The higher the salary, the less incentive there is to solve the problem of homelessness.
If they don't make progress in addressing the homelessness issue, they will lose their job. The job requires a Bachelor's, but preferably a Master's; plus five years experience. Pretty sure they will be required to provide examples of success in some form during those five or more years of employment.

Not an exorbitant salary considering the location and size of the city. What surprised me on that website (Huntington Beach @ the govjobs site) was the crap wages the city is paying many of the other government workers. Yikes!
 
  • https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/huntingtonbeach/classspecs?keywords=homeless

  • Some are paid up to $250,000; they don't want to lose that income.

  • DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF HOMELESSNESS & BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES

    • 0860
    • $151,465.60 - $187,636.80 Annually
    • JOB SUMMARY Under general direction, develops, organizes and manages internal efforts and coordinates external efforts and community partnerships related to homelessness services, and develops the most strategic and effective ways to invest City resources towards these efforts. SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED: Reports to: City Manager / Assistant City Manager Supervises: Professional, Paraprofessional, Administrative Support staff and volunteers DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS The primary purpose of this position is to recommend, promote and implement the City’s homelessness and behavioral health related goals and objectives. This position will coordinate programs and City resources...
  • HOMELESS SERVICES MANAGER

    • 0908
    • $113,744.80 - $152,428.64 Annually
    • JOB SUMMARY Under general direction, plans, organizes, oversees, and reviews internal efforts and coordinates external efforts and community partnerships related to homelessness and behavioral health services. SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED: Reports to: City Manager / Assistant City Manager Supervises:
This sounds like a conspiracy theory rant. Have you looked at what are the minimum job requirements are and having them what might these people make in other jobs? People that make a lot of money do NOT automatically mean they will do bad things just to keep those jobs. Although in the case of SOME politicians I might agree. I looked at your link and it just showed some of City of Huntington Beach's listed jobs. Nothing that supported any of your claims.

I am personally more concerned with the systemic causes of homelessness and possible solutions going forward than an assumption that everyone making more than $X dollars is automatically a crook or worse. Or willing to keep other people living on the streets under tarps just to maintain a high paying job. If that was the case we should research highest paying professions and assume none of them can be trusted. I am sure we could put more trust in a Witch Doctor working for live chickens over the advice of someone that went to medical school and charges too much $$$. I don't argue that medicine doesn't cost too much, just that this alone does not make them wrong on their diagnosis.
 

People qualified for these positions hold graduate degrees that command salaries in this range. If the gov't wants to compete for people in this somewhat rarified field, they need to offer commensurate salaries. Nothing sinister going on here, just supply and demand.
 
What is your point?

High priced areas will tend to have higher wages. Although at least out of college I could have made more working at Caterpillar in rural IL, than aerospace in the LA megalopolis.
 
People qualified for these positions hold graduate degrees that command salaries in this range. If the gov't wants to compete for people in this somewhat rarified field, they need to offer commensurate salaries. Nothing sinister going on here, just supply and demand.
I'm not saying that hiring should not match qualifications. The higher the salary, the more exposure to moral hazard. The salary could be adjusted (bonus) to meet some objectives that will help reduce homelessness.
 
Thank you, people, and I agree.

If a little non profit were paying these kinds of salaries to non-degreed or marginally experienced I might raise an eybrow.

These salaries seem pretty modest, to me, for administrative positions in Huntington Beach, California.
 
Perhaps, but given this is the median, across the entire country, the cost of living in Huntington Beach, California, and the extent of the homeless population in California, that would not be my first thought.
 
Geesh…

Huntington Beach is in Orange County, next to Anaheim - you know… Disneyland. The cost of living there is more than 50% higher than the national average. The median income (not just for those with advanced degrees) in Huntington Beach is $104,000. The salary listed is not out of line for a position requiring an advanced degree in that location.

As for the need because of homeless folks. Huntington Beach is on the Pacific Ocean and would have a lot of homeless folks staying on the beach given that it is a suburb of Los Angeles. I suspect that they are trying to deal with the problem rather than let it become as bad as downtown LA.
 
The cost of living there would be high.
But whoever gets that job may not necessarily live in Huntington Beach. Santa Ana, CA, is 8 miles away, and the average income as of December 23, 2023, is $55,676; I don't think the cost of living in Huntington Beach is what dictates the high salary for that position. Do you give up?
 
Has anyone read this Atlantic article?
But whoever gets that job may not necessarily live in Huntington Beach. Santa Ana, CA, is 8 miles away, and the average income as of December 23, 2023, is $55,676; I don't think the cost of living in Huntington Beach is what dictates the high salary for that position. Do you give up?

Read what is expected of the person who gets that job. The list is very long. And, the buck stops with that person.


Examples of Essential Duties:

Plans, manages, and oversees the daily functions, operations, and activities related to assigned programs, including the operations of
the homelessness initiatives and the City’s mobile crisis response team; provides guidance to City leaders and staff on City-run homelessness initiatives

Manages and participates in the development and implementation of projects, goals, objectives, policies and priorities in area of assignment, including identifying every individual in Huntington Beach that is unhoused, and categorizing each person into a specific affinity group (i.e., chronic homeless, Veteran homeless, etc.)

Develops and standardizes procedures and methods to improve and continuously monitors the efficiency and effectiveness of assigned programs, service delivery methods, and procedures via local data collection and reporting; assesses and monitors workload, administrative and support systems; identifies opportunities for improvement and makes recommendations to higher-level management

Coordinates the provisions of homelessness services and helps organize the efforts of local agency, faith-based, and non-profit groups to support the unified goal of ending homelessness in Huntington Beach

Identifies resources needed to implement goals and objectives, including developing transitional housing program options, assisting with the development of additional permanent supportive housing units in the community, and identifying navigation / shelter options for families / children

Participates in the development, administration, and oversight of division budgets and authorizes expenditures and approves invoices

Develops and implements a premier homeless prevention program

Participates in the selection, training, motivating, and evaluating of assigned personnel; works with employees to correct deficiencies

Oversees the City’s HB Care Volunteer Program and maintains a robust corps of volunteers to assist program efforts in various capacities

Serves as a subject area expert on homelessness matters, providing technical advice to other departments and agencies

Prepares staff reports and makes presentations to City Council, boards, commissions the business community and other groups regarding programs and recommendations

Oversees the related contracts with service providers

Prepares grant applications for homeless and behavioral health programs and services, monitors compliance with grant-funding requirements, and ensures all the required reports are submitted in a timely manner

Performs various public relations activities, which may include development of promotional materials and press releases

Attends and participates in professional group meetings; stays abreast of state and federal legislation and innovations relating to homelessness programs and funding

Use a computer, accessories, software applications and other modern office machines and equipment to perform job-related tasks

Reports to work as scheduled and works a variety of schedules including evenings, weekends and holidays as required

Maintains a regular and consistent attendance record

Travels to offsite locations within and outside the City

Performs related duties and responsibilities as required

The preceding duties have been provided as examples of the essential types of work performed within this job classification. The City, at its discretion, may add, modify, change or rescind work assignments as needed.
 
Other duties as required! Lol!!! Apparently who ever had the job or was responsible for getting those things done hasn’t been able to or the problem wouldn’t exist! If anyone thinks it’s a good job go get educated and apply for it! Sounds like the city is desperately looking for someone to blame to me because they haven’t been able to deal with the problems! Lol!!! As in look we are paying all this money and still have a problem. Looks like to me they need more people than just one over worked person in my opinion.
 

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