Lodi Committee on Homelessness — November 12, 2026
Regular Meeting · Thursday, November 12, 2026 · 2:30 p.m.
Rick Cromwell Community Room, Lodi Police Department, 215 West Elm Street, Lodi, CA 95240
Chair Lisa Meyers-Hill · Secretary Linda Opp. The packet does not list voting members. Designating them is Item VI.
Summary
The Access Center is turning away more men. The Lodi Access Center's overnight waitlist turned away 66 men in October, up from 14 in August. It turned away 16 women both months. The center had 80 overnight clients and 217 day-use clients. The day count is the highest in 22 months of reporting (November 12 packet; September 10 packet).
Five providers helped 42 people move forward last month. Combined, they reported 11 people who found jobs, 17 who entered treatment or other programs and 14 who moved into housing. The 2026 totals are 112 jobs, 159 program placements and 287 housing moves. This summary removes people counted by both the Access Center and the Salvation Army. Lodi House and Adventist Health were not part of that check, so the totals may still include some double counting. The August summary was labeled "DRAFT-Only" for the same reason.
The committee is correcting its own report to the public. LCOH's September report said City staff told the Council the City's share of Access Center funding would run out at year-end. The committee now says that was wrong. City contract funding runs through 2027. Longer-term money depends on a pending Caltrans grant.
Homeless-related police calls fell by two-thirds. Officers logged 89 homeless-related calls in October, down from 267 in September. RV parking in the industrial area is down since September's large clean-up.
Meeting Details
Date & Time: Thursday, November 12, 2026 at 2:30 p.m.
Location: Rick Cromwell Community Room, Lodi Police Department, 215 West Elm Street, Lodi, CA 95240 (City facility page)
Remote Access: No Zoom link is on this agenda. The City's Homelessness Initiatives page says meetings offer a Zoom option posted on the agenda. It also says the committee meets on the first Thursday of the month, but the September, October, November and December meetings all fall on the second Thursday.
Agenda Requests and Questions: Email the Chair at lcohca@gmail.com.
Committee Role: The Lodi Committee on Homelessness is an advisory group of service providers, City staff, police, county agencies and residents. Its mission is "to bring people together to collaborate and advocate solutions to homelessness." Providers submit monthly reports that the committee publishes in its packet. LCOH has no budget authority over City funds. It controls a small fund of its own, a little over $2,000 as of October.
Reporting Period: Provider and subcommittee reports cover October 2026. The City's LCOH Agenda Center has no packet for the October 8 meeting. September figures in this summary come from the trend charts in the November packet. August figures come from the September 10 packet.
Next Meeting: Thursday, December 10, 2026.
Agenda
I. Welcome and Introductions
Members introduce themselves, and the mission statement is read.
II. Notes From October Meeting
Approval of the October 8, 2026 minutes, submitted by Secretary Linda Opp. They include a correction to the Access Center's September housing numbers and the committee's discussion of LAC fundraising.
III. Additions, Comments, and Questions on Submitted Reports
1. Service Providers: Lodi Access Center; Hope Harbor / Salvation Army Lodi Corps Family Services Center; Lodi House; Adventist Health Lodi Memorial; Agape Love, with an "Update Addressing Community Concerns"; LPD Liaison Officer.
2. Subcommittee Reports: Data Enhancement & Metric Analysis; Community Engagement & Public Relations, with discussion of the January 28, 2027 Town Hall and a vote on paying to print the Resource Guide; San Joaquin Continuum of Care meeting; Lodi City Council, with an amendment to the September report.
IV. Update From City Staff
No written material.
V. Website Review
Progress on a new LCOH website. No written material.
VI. Voting Members Designation
New item. No written material.
VII–IX. Action Items, Non-Agenda Items, Public Comment
The packet lists no non-agenda items. Any will be raised at the meeting.
X. Next Meeting
December 10, 2026.
Item II — What Happened in October
The October 8 minutes set up several of this month's items (November 12 packet, pp. 2–4).
- Better data. Hope Harbor, the Access Center and Family Promise now attach client ID numbers to their reports, so people counted twice can be removed. The Access Center's September figures were corrected to 4 people housed and 10 placed in programs. Dave Myers warned that some numbers will not match until every provider's data is separated.
- Hope Harbor barriers. The Chair asked providers to list barriers to entry in future reports. Shelter Director John Narvaez said the biggest one is failing the drug screen. This month's reports include a barriers section.
- Hospital housing staff. Adventist Health Lodi Memorial lost grant money. One housing staff member left, and the remaining staff member is working the caseload down to a manageable size.
- Funding confusion. Kari Chadwick, a City Community Development program specialist, said the Access Center has $1.6 million in City money through 2027. The City has also applied for a Caltrans Encampment Resolution Fund grant. If awarded, it would pay for operations in 2028–29.
- Complaints near Gravity Church. Residents had complained to the City Council about trash, loose dogs and marijuana smoking on Monday mornings near Gravity Church, where Agape Love serves meals. Officer Kyle Shadman said most of the problems come from surrounding blocks, not the church, and that the area around Hope Harbor sees the same thing. Access Center Director Johnny Coughran said Agape Love volunteers would step up monitoring.
- The fundraising question. Doug Kuehne asked to add a donation slide to the LCOH presentation he gives to service clubs and businesses. Chair Meyers-Hill said that since the Access Center has opened, the committee's main goal is now coordination among providers. Members agreed donation requests can fit some audiences. They also noted that the Access Center must raise about $400,000 in 2027 on top of the City's $1.6 million.
- Pet fostering tabled. Pet fostering was put off until 2027 or until Access Center funding is settled. The center's two 40-foot shipping containers could become kennels and a dog run at the permanent site. Hope Harbor accepts only service animals.
- Action items. Lisa Meyers-Hill will send members the corrected Council report. David Myers and Steve Opp will build a website. Johnny Coughran and Steve Opp will make the donation slide.
Open Issues to Watch — Item II
- Wrong Council date. The minutes say the Gravity Church complaints came at a "September 7" Council meeting. The Council did not meet that day, which was Labor Day. The complaints appear in the official October 7, 2026 Council minutes, the night before LCOH met. The date can be fixed when the minutes are approved.
- Unclear fire panel. City staff said clients can't be placed until a fire panel is replaced. The minutes don't say which building.
- Missing October packet. The City's archive has no October 8 packet, so the September provider reports the committee discussed are not in the public record.
Item III.1 — Service Provider Reports
Combined results for October
The packet's summary page adds up jobs, program placements and housing moves by provider. Matching HMIS client IDs between the Access Center and the Salvation Army removed people counted by both. HMIS is the Homeless Management Information System, the county-wide database providers use to track clients. The packet says the check covered three providers, but it names only those two. Lodi House and Adventist Health are not mentioned, so these totals can still double count. Family Promise's housing count includes its shelter, shelter-diversion and eviction-prevention programs (November 12 packet, p. 7).
| Provider | Jobs Oct | Jobs 2026 | Programs Oct | Programs 2026 | Housing Oct | Housing 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lodi Access Center | 6 | 58 | 7 | 42 | 8 | 90 |
| Salvation Army / Hope Harbor | 4 | 33 | 9 | 96 | 4 | 57 |
| Adventist Health Lodi Memorial | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 26 |
| Family Promise | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 0 | 94 |
| Lodi House | 1 | 7 | 1 | 21 | 0 | 20 |
| Total | 11 | 112 | 17 | 159 | 14 | 287 |
October 2026 outcomes by provider. Family Promise reported housing only and filed no October report page. Source: November 12 packet, p. 7.
Compared with the August year-to-date totals in the September packet, the 2026 totals grew by 22 jobs, 25 program placements and 32 housing moves over September and October combined (September 10 packet, p. 7).
a. Lodi Access Center
The Access Center at 710 North Sacramento Street is run by Outreach Ministries International (OMI) under a City contract. It offers overnight shelter and a day center with meals, showers, rides and case management, which means one-on-one help with ID, benefits, health care and housing. Director Johnny Coughran submitted the report.
| Measure | October | Earlier month |
|---|---|---|
| Overnight shelter clients | 80 | 70 in September; 87 in August |
| New overnight enrollments / returning clients | 17 / 10 | 18 / 15 in August |
| Day-use clients | 217 | 212 in September; 221 in August |
| New day-only enrollments / returning clients | 32 / 27 | 42 / 22 in August |
| Overnight services | 1,399 | 1,263 in August |
| Day-use services | 2,650 | 2,540 in August |
| Meals (1,134 breakfasts, 1,550 lunches) | 2,684 | 2,497 in September |
| Showers | 1,587 | 1,464 in September |
| Rides / people given rides | 135 / 62 | 113 / 45 in September |
| Non-emergency rides that took the place of an ambulance | 14 | 6 in September |
| Estimated savings from those rides | $42,000 | About $3,000 per ambulance trip avoided |
| Clients employed | 6 | 7 in September; 9 in August |
| Moved to housing (4 overnight, 4 day-use) | 8 | 10 in August |
| Placed in programs (4 overnight, 3 day-use) | 7 | 5 in August |
| Case-management services | 141 | 128 in August |
| Housing navigation help | 12 | 31 in August |
| ID help | 15 | 14 in August |
| Clients helped with income benefits | 3 | 0 in August |
| Clients contributing money or work / times | 9 / 15 | 15 / 40 in August |
| Police calls requested / ESR requests | 2 / 18 | 1 / 14 in August |
| Average stay, overnight / day-use (days) | 18 / 13 | County 68; national 166 |
| Successful overnight-shelter exits | 10.0% | 12.6% in August; county 9.2%; national 32.4% |
Case-management help in October included 12 mental-health referrals, 5 medical and dental insurance referrals, 3 substance-use referrals, 1 VA referral and 3 general-assistance cases. Clients ranged from 1 child under 5 to 52 adults over 61. The largest age groups were 35–44 (71) and 55–61 (59). Fourteen were children and teens.
Access Center clients per month, January 2025–October 2026. The packet says the center served 4,226 day-use clients over the period, about 192 a month. The chart labels August 2026 day use as 211; that month's written report says 221. Source: November 12 packet, chart p. 1.
Outreach. Access Center outreach workers made 94 contacts with 74 people. Of those, 24 were new, 7 returning and 43 already in regular contact. Eight were referred to San Joaquin County Behavioral Health Services (BHS). Just over half (51.6%) of people enrolled in outreach are chronically homeless, meaning homeless for a year or more, or repeatedly, with a disabling condition. In August, 112 people were reached in 164 contacts, and 67% were chronically homeless.
Barriers. The men's overnight waitlist turned away 66 people and the women's turned away 16. One person had no connection to Lodi. One needed more mental-health care than the center can provide.
Successes. Two clients who had cycled between the center and the street for four years entered year-long recovery programs, one at Gospel Center Rescue Mission in Stockton and one at Adult & Teen Challenge San Francisco. County BHS began filling rooms at Reimagined Housing on Main Street, and a long-waiting Access Center client now has a room of his own.
Access Center rides (columns) and people given rides (line) per month. October's 62 riders is the highest monthly count since reporting began. Source: November 12 packet, chart p. 2.
Open Issues to Watch — Access Center
- Turn-aways more than quadrupled. 66 men turned away in October, up from 14 in August, while the center reported 80 overnight clients. The packet doesn't say whether the permanent building, with more beds, is open to overnight clients yet, or what is holding it up.
- Savings math doesn't add up. The transition-savings chart says 278 clients at $7,311 each saved "$2.32m." 278 × $7,311 is about $2.03 million, which matches where the chart line ends. The note also says "January 2025 – September 2026" on a chart that runs through October.
- Ride totals mislabeled. The transports chart says 2,430 rides "from June 2025 – October 2026." The 22 monthly bars starting January 2025 add up to 2,430. June 2025 onward totals 1,854.
- September split may be reversed. The transitions chart shows September as 10 housed and 4 in programs. The October minutes corrected September to 4 housed and 10 in programs.
- ESR is never explained. The report counts 18 "ESR requests" without saying what ESR stands for.
b. Salvation Army Lodi Corps / Hope Harbor Family Services Center
Hope Harbor is the Salvation Army's clean-and-sober shelter and family services center. It also runs the walk-in dinner line and does laundry for the Access Center. John Narvaez submitted the report.
| Measure | October | August |
|---|---|---|
| Walk-in dinners | 2,594 | 2,579 |
| Walk-in showers and hygiene kits | 335 | 269 |
| Clothing items / people receiving clothing | 672 / 156 | 428 / 97 |
| Loads of laundry for the Access Center | 283 | 246 |
| People seen by Community Medical Centers on site | 71 | 66 |
| New alcohol and drug treatment clients | 7 | 11 |
| Taken to six-month residential treatment (Salvation Army ARC) | 3 | 5 |
| ARC graduates joining the transitional support team | 1 | 4 |
| Found full-time jobs | 4 | 4 |
| New families entering Hope Harbor | 1 | 0 (full) |
| Overnight guests given extensions | 4 | 8 |
| Helped into permanent housing | 4 | 5 |
| Given rides | 22 | 19 |
Hope Harbor walk-in services, August vs. October 2026. Walk-in dinners (2,579 and 2,594) are left out because they would dwarf the other bars. Sources: September 10 and November 12 packets.
Barriers and openings. Some people can't pass the drug and alcohol screen. When beds are open, some are referred to the Access Center. In August, Hope Harbor's family units were full and families were being turned away. In October, it had two playroom beds for single mothers and two family units open, and family calls had dropped.
Successes. A single mother and her son were reunited with family and housed. Three transitional-living clients moved into permanent housing. A Hand-Up program client was hired at FedEx in Tracy. Staff gave out five bus passes.
Open Issues to Watch — Hope Harbor
- Two different ride counts. The table says 22 guests got rides. The success stories say 24.
- Why did family demand drop? Family units went from full in August to two open in October. The minutes in August described a 200% jump in families over two months.
c. Lodi House
Lodi House shelters homeless mothers and their children. Its shelter program offers five private rooms for four to six months. Its transitional program offers ten apartments for up to two years, and residents must work. Roya Main submitted the report.
| Program | Moms | Kids | Ineligible | Openings | Counseling hrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelter (5 rooms) | 5 | 13 | 5 | Full; no waitlist | 6 |
| Transitional (10 apartments) | 6 | 13 | 0 | 4 apartments empty | 10 |
One mother found full-time work within 30 days of arriving. Another moved in with her 7-month-old son. Everyone in the transitional program is working full time and finished a nine-month financial literacy course taught by Bank of Stockton. October results were 1 job, 1 program placement and 0 housing moves. Lodi House's 2026 totals are 7 jobs and 41 moves to programs or housing (21 and 20).
Barriers. Of the five ineligible applicants, three missed or never scheduled an interview. One is in an active domestic-violence situation and was referred to Prevail, a San Joaquin County domestic-violence and sexual-assault agency. One would not meet the work requirement because she plans to homeschool. In August the shelter had 3 mothers and 5 empty apartments, and three applicants were turned away for marijuana use.
Open Issues to Watch — Lodi House
- Full shelter, empty apartments. The shelter is full while four transitional apartments are empty. The report doesn't say whether any shelter mothers will move up soon.
d. Adventist Health Lodi Memorial — Housing Supports
The hospital's Housing Supports program helps homeless patients find and keep housing. It is paid through Medi-Cal "Community Supports" under CalAIM, the state's Medi-Cal reform. Patients' health plan, Health Plan of San Joaquin (HPSJ), must authorize each client. The goal is fewer repeat emergency-room and hospital stays for conditions that can be managed at home.
- Caseload of 52: 24 clients are getting help finding housing (housing transition navigation). 18 are getting help keeping it (tenancy and sustaining services). 10 are waiting on health-plan-paid security deposits.
- 79 HPSJ members served from September 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026.
- 2 new referrals in October. They join the caseload when the health plan approves them. The program may take a small number of referrals directly from the health plan.
- Income: 2 participants began receiving disability benefits. One woman was approved for SSDI (federal disability insurance) after an eight-month wait and can now apply for housing after three years homeless. A mother with a severely autistic child was approved for Section 8 and is moving in this month.
- Barriers: Few units are affordable on Social Security or disability income. Few landlords will rent to low-income tenants with credit problems while the health plan's deposit approval is still pending after move-in.
- Turnover: Clients who reach one year of stable tenancy will leave the program to open spots for new ones.
The combined summary shows 2 people housed in October (26 in 2026) and no jobs (14 in 2026). The October minutes noted that grant money ended and one staff member left.
e. Agape Love — Monday Meals at Gravity Church
Agape Love serves a Monday meal at Gravity Church, with Access Center case workers on hand. It also sends to-go plates to the Access Center. Darren Schlack submitted the report.
| Week | First plates | Second plates | Meals on site | To-go plates for Access Center | Food boxes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 162 | 18 | 180 | 20 | 1 |
| Week 2 | 131 | 27 | 158 | 0 | 0 |
| Week 3 | 165 | 15 | 180 | 0 | 1 |
| Week 4 | 117 | 27 | 144 | 54 | 2 |
| October | 575 | 87 | 662 | 74 | 4 |
Agape Love plates served each Monday in October 2026. Source: November 12 packet, p. 15.
First plates averaged about 144 a Monday. In August, Agape Love told the committee its Monday outreach was seeing about 100 people a week. The written report has no commentary for October. The "Update Addressing Community Concerns" will be given in person.
Background on the concerns. At the City Council's October 7 meeting, residents Maria Rufino and Rosa Carderos, speaking through a translator, complained about homeless people near the church on Central Avenue. They also raised trash, illegal activity at a liquor store and problems at the empty lot at Central Avenue and Tokay Street. Mayor Ramon Yepez said he had received other complaints about Gravity Church and asked staff to help. At the October 21 meeting, Ms. Rufino said she could not reach 911 the week before. She blamed phones used by homeless people and said the City wastes money on homelessness.
Open Issues to Watch — Agape Love
- What changed on Mondays? Has monitoring increased since October 8? What did City staff find after the Mayor's request, and has Council heard back?
- To-go plates were uneven. Plates for the Access Center ran 20, 0, 0 and 54 across the four weeks. The report doesn't explain why.
f. Lodi Police Department Community Liaison Officer
Officer Kyle Shadman is the department's Community Liaison Officer (CLO). He handles homeless-related complaints, outreach with the Transient Outreach Team (TOT), and clean-up and towing enforcement.
| Measure | October |
|---|---|
| Complaints received (17 email, 5 text, 10 phone, 2 voicemail) | 34 |
| Liaison officer shifts (0.5 reassigned to cover patrol) | 10.5 |
| Proactive enforcement calls | 60 |
| Calls for service | 29 |
| Shopping carts collected | 7 |
| Vehicles towed under other Vehicle Code sections | 2 |
| Abatement postings / clean-ups posted | 3 / 3 |
| Citations and arrests, liaison officer | 14 |
| Outreach team: contacts / offered help / accepted help | 57 / 57 / 33 |
| Citations and arrests, outreach team | 7 |
Homeless-related police calls per month, June 2025–October 2026. No data was reported for May 2026. Source: November 12 packet, chart p. 6.
October's 89 calls were the fewest since August 2025. Two RVs were towed for expired registration under Vehicle Code 22651(o), and RV parking in the industrial area has dropped since the September clean-up. Officers met several young couples, ages 18 to 21, who are newly homeless in Lodi. SJ Cares, the county's outreach program, is working to reunite a man found on Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) property with family in Idaho. The City and UPRR are negotiating an agreement to clean and maintain the north-south rail corridor through Lodi.
Open Issues to Watch — Police
- Fewer calls, or fewer officer hours? The report doesn't say whether the drop reflects fewer problems or the 10.5 liaison shifts worked. September had 267 calls; the packet shows no September shift count.
- "People assisted" shows 0. The table lists 0 people assisted, while the narrative counts 33 who accepted help.
- Rail corridor agreement. The City–UPRR agreement has not yet appeared on a Council agenda.
Family Promise (no October report)
Family Promise of San Joaquin County runs a family shelter, a shelter-diversion program and an eviction-prevention program. Families must have a child under 18 in their custody, pass a background check, stay drug- and alcohol-free and have no pets. The November packet has no Family Promise report page. The summary lists 0 housing moves for October and 94 for 2026. Its charts run through September: 19 clients that month, 424 clients since January 2025 and 209 housing moves since January 2025.
Open Issues to Watch — Family Promise
- Two different 2026 housing totals. The housing chart shows 120 moves in 2026: 209 by September minus 89 at the end of 2025. The summary table says 94. Because the summary also counts eviction prevention, it should be the larger number, not the smaller.
- Zero, or no report? The packet doesn't say whether October's 0 means no placements or no report.
Item III.2 — Subcommittee Reports
a. Data Enhancement & Metric Analysis
No written report. This group builds the summary page and charts. In August it was asked to fix double counting between agencies. Johnny Coughran suggested reporting client ID numbers instead of names. October's summary removes Access Center and Salvation Army duplicates. The August summary was labeled "DRAFT-Only" because duplicates could not yet be checked. The figure conflicts flagged above under Access Center and Family Promise are the next cleanup.
b. Community Engagement & Public Relations
Steve Opp and Linda Opp submitted the report on the subcommittee's October 6 meeting.
- Presentation. Updated thumb drives and scripts for the LCOH presentation were handed out. Members discussed adding a slide on Access Center funding.
- Resource Guide. Members reviewed updates to the community and homeless resource guide. Linda Opp will bring a draft to the subcommittee's November 17 meeting.
- Website. The planned site would include the resource guide, promotional videos and an LCOH history. It would also explain Point-in-Time count history and methods (the federally required one-night count of homeless people). Other planned content: partner links, FAQs, past agendas and minutes, police liaison reports, county and state comparison data, drawings of the new Access Center, recent Supreme Court rulings on homelessness enforcement, causes of homelessness and how to donate.
- Facebook (last 28 days). 619 followers, 2,588 views (down 15%), 160 engagements (down 4%). The page published 23 posts in October, on holiday programs, food distributions, Access Center news, county behavioral-health construction and community fundraisers. Followers have nearly tripled since early 2025, but views have fallen since an August peak.
Town Hall, January 28, 2027. The City approved Kirst Hall at Hutchins Street Square and waived the fee. Security may be required. Don Messengill offered to provide it free. The October minutes say the date "will need to be changed," but the agenda still lists January 28. The event is meant for LCOH to present information and answer questions. Lisa Shinn suggested a handout with a donation QR code.
Resource Guide printing vote. The committee will vote on paying to print the guide. The packet gives no cost or quote. October minutes show a little over $2,000 in LCOH funds, which must also cover website hosting, a Farmers' Market booth and possibly Town Hall security. Members suggested asking the Lodi Community Foundation for a grant and crediting it in the guide.
Open Issues to Watch — Community Engagement
- Vote before the draft. The printing vote comes on November 12, five days before the revised draft is due on November 17. The packet doesn't say how many copies or what they would cost.
- Town Hall date. Is January 28 still the date, or will it move?
c. San Joaquin Continuum of Care (SJCOC)
No written report. SJCOC is the county-wide body that ranks and distributes federal and state homelessness grants. Johnny Coughran represents LCOH and hopes to join its board. In October, the committee heard that SJCOC voted against letting St. Mary's Dining Room's shelter skip competition for grant money. St. Mary's received $5 million from the City of Stockton and will compete for the remaining $2 million it needs. SJCOC is discussing setting aside money for every shelter in the county.
d. Lodi City Council
Chair Lisa Meyers Hill submitted the Council report.
Correction to the September report. LCOH's September report said Deputy Community Development Director Cynthia Marsh told the Council on September 16 that the City's share of Access Center funding would run out by year-end, possibly forcing the City to repay large grants. The committee now calls that "inaccurate." On October 8, Coughran and Chadwick told LCOH that the City has the money to meet its contract through 2027, and that longer-term funding awaits a Caltrans grant decision. The correction ends: "there is no immediate shortfall within the next two months."
The official September 16 minutes show that Marsh and Coughran gave the quarterly Access Center update. It covered the construction budget and schedule, budget status, the Year One contract budget, first-quarter spending in Year Two and client results. Council members asked about county funding, behavioral-health funding, General Fund costs tied to homelessness and round-the-clock operation. They asked staff for a data report. Council Member Lisa Craig-Hensley and Mayor Pro Tem Mikey Hothi were assigned to meet with San Joaquin County. LCOH Chair Meyers Hill spoke during public comment. The minutes summarize topics only and don't quote the funding statement. That night the Council also extended the Access Center construction-management contract through March 31, 2027, by a 4–0 vote with Council Member Cameron Bregman recused.
October 21: security contract. Item C.8 added $325,000 to the City's contract with A1 Protective Services and extended it to December 31, 2026, or until a new contract is signed. The new total is $2,781,000 (Amendment No. 4). A1 provides citywide security and the Safety Ambassador program. Craig-Hensley pulled the item for questions. Administrative Services Director Jamie Bandy confirmed that security at the Access Center is paid from the General Fund, the City's main operating budget. Bregman asked for a breakdown of which locations the contract covers. The item then passed with the consent calendar (October 21 minutes). LCOH's report says there are "ongoing discussions" about moving some private-security money to hire a second police Community Liaison Officer. The Council minutes don't mention that, and LCOH says it has asked staff for clarification.
Since then. The November 4 Council agenda had no homelessness item. Its consent calendar approved the October 7 minutes, including the Gravity Church comments. The October 27 and 28 special meetings covered facilities maintenance and the State of the City.
Open Issues to Watch — City Council
- The data report. When will the report the Council requested on September 16 come back, and what has the county meeting produced?
- Security breakdown. Has Bregman's requested breakdown of A1 locations been delivered? It would show how much of the $2.78 million goes to the Access Center area.
- New security contract. The A1 extension ends December 31. A new citywide security contract would have to reach the Council before then.
- Caltrans grant decision. The award would fund Access Center operations for 2028–29.
Items IV–X — Staff Update, Website, Voting Members and Open Business
IV. City staff update. No written material. Open items from earlier meetings:
- The fire panel that had to be replaced before clients could be placed
- The Caltrans Encampment Resolution Fund application
- Reimagined Housing on Main Street, which county BHS has begun filling
- The City–UPRR rail-corridor agreement
- Council's September request for a data report
V. Website review. David Myers and Steve Opp are building the site from the content list above. Planned features include past agendas, minutes and monthly reports. Since the City's archive is missing the October packet, the LCOH site could become the fuller public record.
VI. Voting members designation. This is new, with no supporting material. In October, the Chair handed new attendees a "New Members Policy Standards" document. Neither that document nor a member list is in the packet, so the public can't yet see who votes on items such as the Resource Guide expense.
VII. Action items. October's assignments: Lisa Meyers-Hill to send the Council report correction, which is now printed in the packet. David Myers and Steve Opp to build the website. Johnny Coughran and Steve Opp to make the donation slide.
VIII. Non-agenda items. None listed in the packet. In October, the only one was Doug Kuehne's donation-slide request.
IX. Public comment. Open to anyone attending.
Questions to Ask Thursday
- When will the permanent Access Center take overnight clients, and how many of October's 66 turned-away men could it hold?
- Who are the voting members, and what are the rules for becoming one?
- What will the Resource Guide cost to print, how many copies will be made, and will the Lodi Community Foundation be asked to help?
- Has anything changed on Monday mornings near Gravity Church since the Council complaints?
- Will the data subcommittee fix the savings, ride and Family Promise totals before the Town Hall presentation?
- Is January 28, 2027 still the Town Hall date?
How to Follow This Yourself
- Monthly LCOH packets, including provider reports and charts, are posted at the City's LCOH Agenda Center. If a month is missing, ask the Chair at lcohca@gmail.com.
- Council agendas, staff reports and minutes, including the quarterly Access Center update, are at the City's Council Agenda Center and the Legistar meeting calendar. The November 18 agenda is the next one to check for the A1 security contract and Access Center items.
- Report homeless-related concerns to the Police non-emergency line, (209) 333-6728. The Transient Liaison Officer can be reached at clo@lodi.gov or (209) 333-6858 (Homelessness Initiatives).
LodiEye is the original civic-reporting and analysis arm of Lodi411.com, a citizen-run civic data and transparency platform serving Lodi, California and San Joaquin County. LodiEye gathers information of public interest, applies editorial judgment to public records, meetings, and data, and publishes original explanatory reporting for its readers — the work of a newsroom, and a representative of the news media as that term is defined under federal law. Our reporting emphasizes primary sources, public data, and full source transparency so readers can check every claim. LodiEye complements, and does not replace, the other outlets covering this region; for additional reporting on Lodi, San Joaquin County, and the broader region, we also encourage readers to consult the Lodi News-Sentinel, Stocktonia, The Sacramento Bee, CalMatters, and other established news organizations. Our full editorial standards and news-media-status statement is published at lodi411.com/editorial-standards.
This LodiEye report was produced using artificial intelligence tools under the direction and review of the founder. Lodi411 uses multiple AI platforms in its research and publication workflow, including Anthropic’s Claude (primarily Opus and Sonnet models) and Perplexity AI across a variety of large language models offered by each. These tools were used in the following capacities:
Source Discovery: AI-assisted search and retrieval located the Nov. 12, 2026 Lodi Committee on Homelessness agenda packet and the committee's Sept. 10, 2026 packet with August provider reports. It also found the City Council's Sept. 16, Oct. 7 and Oct. 21, 2026 meeting records and minutes, the A1 Protective Services Amendment No. 4, the Nov. 4, 2026 Council packet, and the City's Homelessness Initiatives and Rick Cromwell Community Room pages.
Credibility Validation: Provider counts were taken from the written reports and trend charts in the packet and checked against the packet's combined summary and the August reports. Where the packet's own figures conflict, the report gives each figure and its location. Statements in the LCOH Council report were checked against the official Council minutes and contract documents.
Analysis and Synthesis: Claude and Perplexity assisted in comparing October results with earlier months, reconciling chart totals with the monthly tables, and identifying open questions for each agenda item.
Presentation: Claude and Perplexity assisted in drafting, structuring, and formatting the report for clarity and readability, including the provider tables and the six charts.
Final Review: Throughout the process, the editor sets the report's goals, scope, and tone; creates and shapes draft content; reviews and edits the report; integrates independent fact checks; and reviews the AI cross-checks and validations.
Lodi411/LodiEye believes that transparency about how our research is produced — including our use of AI under human direction — strengthens trust with readers and the broader information ecosystem. Readers who spot an error are encouraged to write editor@lodi411.com so we can correct it.
References
Meeting record
- LCOH agenda packet, November 12, 2026 (28 pages) — agenda, October 8 minutes, October provider and subcommittee reports, trend charts
- LCOH agenda packet, September 10, 2026 — August 13 minutes and August provider reports
- LCOH Agenda Center
City Council records
- Council meeting, September 16, 2026 — Item G.1, Access Center quarterly operations, construction and funding update; Item C.2, Resolution 2026-189
- Council packet, September 16, 2026
- Council meeting, October 7, 2026 — public comment and Council comments on Gravity Church and Central Avenue
- Council meeting, October 21, 2026 — Item C.8, A1 Protective Services Amendment No. 4
- A1 Protective Services Amendment No. 4 (Word document)
- Council packet, November 4, 2026 — includes draft October 7 minutes
- City Council Agenda Center
City pages
- Homelessness Initiatives — LCOH meeting information and police contacts
- Rick Cromwell Community Room
- Legistar meeting calendar