Morro Bay signed on to a countywide push to address homelessness, joining a regional agreement designed to strengthen collaboration between local governments.
At its May 26 meeting, the Morro Bay City Council approved joining the San Luis Obispo County Regional Homelessness and Affordable Housing Compact, a voluntary agreement developed by the county and its seven incorporated cities. The compact lays out shared principles for addressing homelessness, including expanding housing and services, sharing responsibility and resources, improving transparency, and strengthening regional partnerships.
The agreement does not create binding requirements but strengthens cooperation already happening among local governments, according to a May 26 staff report.
“The compact recognizes the complexity of addressing homelessness in San Luis Obispo County and sets forth a voluntary, collaborative regional framework,” a staff report prepared by Morro Bay Police Chief Amy Watkins stated.
All seven incorporated cities are pursuing approval of the compact, with plans for a joint ceremony once each jurisdiction formally signs on.
The proposal builds on broader county efforts already underway. In 2022, San Luis Obispo County adopted a five-year strategic plan to reduce homelessness by 50 percent. Early phases of that plan focused on expanding shelter capacity, improving prevention programs, strengthening case management and mental health services, and increasing coordination among agencies.
During a March 10 presentation to the Board of Supervisors, Linda Welch, deputy director for SLO County Adult and Homeless Services, said the county has seen measurable progress under the plan, including a 31.7 percent increase in people served, a 42.5 percent decrease in first-time homelessness, and a 44.4 percent increase in exits to permanent housing, according to 2025 data.
Welch also highlighted expanded use of the county’s Homeless Management Information System, new safe-parking programs, behavioral-health support embedded in local libraries, and the relaunch of tenant-based rental assistance after a seven-year pause. She said more than 1,000 additional housing units are planned through 2029, pending funding availability.
“The compact recognizes a simple truth, the vast majority of people experiencing homelessness in San Luis Obispo County have lived in our county for more than five years,” Welch said. “They are long-term residents, our neighbors, and part of our community.”
Morro Bay also launched several initiatives in recent years intended to address homelessness, including adopting a camping ordinance in late 2023, implementing a 72-hour process for removing illegal encampments, and expanding shower and laundry services through 805 Street Outreach beginning in 2023.
The city also hired a part-time homeless outreach case manager in 2022 to help connect unhoused residents with mental health and support services.
In an email to New Times, Police Chief Watkins described the compact as a continuation of Morro Bay’s support for the countywide homelessness plan.
“This cooperation and resolution demonstrate the city of Morro Bay’s understanding of the importance of addressing homelessness in our community,” Watkins wrote.
But not everyone saw the compact as a meaningful step forward.
In a written comment submitted before the meeting, Morro Bay resident Betty Winholtz argued that local governments have made little progress.
“Signing this document is well and good,” Winholtz said, “but not much is accomplished with platitudes.” ∆
This article appears in Summer Guide 2026.