Department manager outlines upcoming initiatives to support the city’s unhoused community
PASO ROBLES — Homeless Services Manager Ashlee Hernandez provided Paso Robles City Council with an update on Homeless Services during the Tuesday, July 15, City Council meeting. Hernandez discussed various programs and services, and efforts being made to assist the unhoused throughout Paso Robles.
Hernandez said, “My first 90 days have been about building trust.”
She was appointed back in April when the city created the first homeless services manager, a newly created role within the Community Services Department aimed at coordinating efforts to address homelessness and related social and behavioral health issues. Paso Robles is the second city in San Luis Obispo County to establish this type of position, reflecting the City Council’s ongoing priority since 2023 to develop a strategic, data-driven approach to homelessness.
Hernandez, a longtime North County resident and Cal Poly graduate, brings extensive experience from her previous role directing Fresno’s Community Health Improvement Partnership, where she launched programs connecting vulnerable populations to essential services. She will serve as the city’s primary contact on homelessness, working with community partners and using data to guide progress.
“I did not come with all the answers,” said Hernandez. “I came in wanting to understand what’s already working, where are the gaps, and how can the homeless services division show up better, smarter, and with purpose.”
During the meeting, Hernandez overviewed the divisions’ coordination with local and regional efforts to address homelessness. This fall, the division is launching a North County stakeholder group to develop shared priorities and implementation strategies. Hernandez says they plan to strengthen the city’s partnership with ECHO and will soon be finalizing an MOU amendment that includes tracking quality improvement measures and neighborhood impacts.
Hernandez told council that access to behavioral health also remains a priority as her division works to partner closely with the County Behavioral Health to improve access to mental health and substance use services. Additionally, Hernandez says the Paso Robles Police Department has expanded its Community Action Team (CAT) to include a third member.
The Homeless Services Division is also working on community outreach to build public awareness regarding homelessness and available resources. Hernandez says that they have heard from those in the system that knowing what services are available is confusing. To rectify this, the Homeless Services Division is working with the County, ECHO, and those who have previously experienced homelessness to develop a resource guide to make those services more clearly available.
For more information on the Homeless Services Division, visit prcity.com/Homelessness
The next Paso Robles City Council meeting is scheduled for Aug. 5 at 6 p.m.
