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44 Alameda Countywide Homeless and Special Needs Housing Plan homelessness, mental illness and/or substance use issues, and involvement with the criminal justice ~~m. I African Americans in particular continue to be disproportionately affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic nationwide, as well as in Alameda County. The prevalence ofHIV/AIDS among African Americans is exacerbated by disparities in access to health care and health outcomes. In 1998, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution declaring a State of Emergency due to the prevalence ofHIV/AIDS in its African American community. It was the first time a local government in the United States has declared a regional disaster due to HIV. Overarching Issues Facing Plan's Populations in Alameda County in 2005-06 In meetings related to the plan, consumers, providers, and government representatives consistently raised similar overarching issues facing the plan's populations. Many of these issues had been identified by the sponsors previously, and were part of the motivation to start the plan. The main issues are as follows: I. Costs and availability of housing. Existing market rate housing is not affordable for people with low incomes, especially people with disability incomes (SSI), which is just $812 per month in 2005. Although vacancy rates have increased in the past few years, apartments renting at the lowest price ranges are still too expensive for many people with extremely low incomes. Even in a softer housing market, many people in the three target populations are screened out by landlords due to bad credit and histories of incarceration. 2. Amount of dedicated housing. There is not nearly as much housing dedicated to serving people who are homeless, mentally ill, and/or living with HIV/AIDS as there are people in need. Waiting lists are very long and often closed. 3. Prevalence of substance use. At least a third of each population has active substance use. There are few housing and service programs working with active substance users, and no detox facility in Alameda County. 4. Information about existing programs. Despite some centralized resources, information often seems inconsistent, unavailable, and/or overwhelming for consumers and service providers, 5. Complex eligibility requirements. Even basic assistance usually has many eligibility requirements. Eligibility criteria are set at the federal, state, and local levels and when combined, can seem complicated and mutually exclusive. 6. Limited collaboration and communication between systems. Providers in different systems may not be collaborating, even when working with the same issue or consumer population. Providers often have difficulties getting consistently updated information about the resources in other systems. Eligibility criteria of other systems are not always clear, often because they require technical knowledge of another issue area. 7. Institutional discharge. Exiting hospitalization, jailor prison, and foster care leads to homelessness for many. There are few options for people at discharge. Having a criminal history affects a person's eligibility for housing and services for years. 8. Distribution of help. Although Oakland and Berkeley are home to the majority of the county's homeless population, homelessness, HIV/AIDS, and mental illness occur all over the county. However, housing and services are not available proportionately throughout jurisdictions, with residents of South and East County often needing to travel greater distances to access assistance.