All-day event designed to bring governments together to share information, seek solutions

Riverside, Ca – The City of Riverside will bring together representatives from local governments around Southern California to discuss what strategies are working to reduce the incidence of homelessness and how various agencies can work together more effectively.

The Oct. 23 event, which is not open to the public, will give elected and appointed officials at the city and county level the opportunity to share information, foster an even greater sense of cooperation and identify resources that can be utilized across the region.

“We know that government works best when it breaks down silos and finds best practices,” Mayor Rusty Bailey said. “This forum will present a great opportunity to share information and build towards a common strategy for increased cooperation on this key issue.”

Cities and county governments in Riverside and San Bernardino counties are expected to send city managers, city administrators, mayors, mayors pro tem, police chiefs, sheriffs and homeless and/or housing managers to the event.

Each agency is expected to present a 10-minute overview on that agency’s efforts to combat homelessness and challenges that agency is experiencing. In addition to the overview, officials are being asked to prepare remarks on current and future strategies being implemented.

Some of the agencies already work together by virtue of being in close proximity to one another, but regional leaders in the effort to reduce homelessness have never come together on this level before.

“Homelessness is affecting every community in the Inland area, so we must make sure that we all are pulling in the same direction,” said Riverside City Councilmember Chuck Conder, who conceived the idea. “It’s heartening to see our region’s leaders coming together to share our insights.”