FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Vicki van den Eikhof
Campaign Manager, Funk for County Supervisor 2024
(805) 391-4440
June 13, 2023
Atascadero, CA–Susan Funk, a member of the Atascadero City Council since 2018 and currently Mayor Pro Tem, participated in a statewide press release of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC). The CSAC is urging the state to adopt the AT HOME Accountability language as part of the state budget for 2023-24.
Susan chairs the San Luis Obispo County Homeless Services Oversight Council and spearheaded the development of the Countywide Plan to Address Homelessness, which was approved unanimously by the County Board of Supervisors in 2022. It is because of her pioneering work in coalition-building that Funk was invited to speak.
When it comes to providing services to the homeless, “...getting the job done is harder than it needs to be. We’re often scrambling to piece together funding from an alphabet soup of changing options and differing requirements,” says Funk.
“That [bureaucracy] slows us down, and providers get cold feet about expanding even highly successful programs if ongoing funding might suddenly disappear. The AT HOME Accountability budget trailer bill language will remove many of those barriers.
“And there is flexibility to accommodate smaller counties like ours where cities can’t fund and manage shelters, as well as the Big Cities where they can. In San Luis Obispo County, our old way of fighting homelessness was pretty much a scramble system, where lots of dedicated, hard-working agencies tried to do as much good as they could with whatever funding they could get their hands on.
“We’re already on the way to having a Local Homeless Plan with clear roles and shared and meaningful goals, just like this trailer bill language envisions statewide. It is exciting and powerful to see our County, cities, and not-for-profits beginning to row in the same direction.
We need our State rowing with us. And that’s needed in County after County statewide.
I’m proud today to stand alongside colleagues and other stakeholders to urge the Governor and Legislature to include the AT HOME Accountability trailer bill language in this year’s budget act.”
Funk has worked to build a broad coalition to support systematic action on homelessness. She is collaborating with City Councils, City Managers and civic and business leaders throughout the county to get everyone working together in a coordinated, community-wide effort to address and prevent homelessness.
Funk is looking to expand her ability to serve the citizens of San Luis Obispo County by running for District 5 Supervisor.
For more information about Funk and her campaign, please visit funkforsloco.com.
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