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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-06-14; Housing Commission; MinutesMinutes of: Time of Meeting: Date of Meeting: Place of Meeting: CALL TO ORDER HOUSING COMMISSION 6:00 P.M. June 14, 2018 COUNCIL CHAMBERS Chairperson Newman called the Meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioner Williams led with the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL Present: Absent: Staff Present: Commissioners: Arline Carrillo Alan Newman Kristy Randa II Shaunee Williams Joy Evans Community & Economic Director: Debbie Fountain APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes of April 12, 2018, were approved as written. ITEM NOT ON AGENDA There were no items not on the agenda. NEW BUSINESS Chairperson Newman brought the meeting to order. Marie Jones-Kirk, Community Services Manager, gave a presentation on the Homeless Response Plan. She also introduced Sergeant Bryan Hargett. Sergeant Bryan Hargett gave the Housing Commission a summary of his background. The Homeless Outreach Team consists of two full-time officers, Andre Ramirez and Ronald Dement. The team has been working to build a relationship with the homeless individuals. They are also building a relationship with several organization such as Interfaith Community Service, County of San Diego Health and Human Services and McAlister Institute. The team works Tuesday through Friday. McAlister is an addiction program for 20 different types of addiction. Interfaith helps in several different areas. It is our teams' job to figure out and identify people who might need a mental health evaluation. They are able to help with addiction to housing to getting medication. In the beginning, the County of San Diego Health and Human Services assisted with giving the Hepatitis A shots to people in the field. Recently we have had social workers working with us. The best part is that we are all working towards the same goal. We are connecting with the families, and the officers are out acting as a conduit. Chairperson Newman commented that the Housing Commission did want to meet Sergeant Hargett. HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES June 14, 2018 PAGE 2of5 Commissioner Carrillo said it would be nice to have the other officers come to the Housing Commission as well. Sergeant Hargett said they could make that happen. Ms. Jones-Kirk said that once the social workers are on board, we can have them come to the Housing Commission also. The social workers will be doing the case management, which will expand the capacity of our staff. It will also open up the capacity of our officers. Currently, they are filling the case management roll, but now we will have the social workers doing that. Some of the barriers, such as alcohol, prevent individuals from acquiring housing. Now we have residents coming forward and offering help to work with the homeless. We do realize this program is truly unique as there isn't anything else quite like it. Though we are not starting from scratch because of the Homeless Outreach Team Officers. Our Point in Time Count released on May 17th showed that the numbers of homeless increased. Unsheltered homeless in 2017 was 101 and for 2018 it was 152. We reported this increase to the City Council, and it was something we expected. We took a strategic approach, which included R.V.'s that people are living in, people living in bushes as well as in their vehicles. We do feel we have a more realistic number of our homeless now. That number does only reflect the number on January 26, 2018, between 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. Commissioner Randall asked if the vision is to have the social workers join Officers Dement and Ramirez. Ms. Jones-Kirk answered that they will be working with the Homeless Outreach Team as well as other staff, possibly the library, Housing & Neighborhood Services or out in the field. We have had service providers working on a parallel basis, but we don't necessarily know who they are working with so the social workers will be the conduits. There are certain clients they are already working with, such as McAlister Institute, and we will have them transferred to our social workers. We will continue to develop the plan and advocate for the homeless. Ultimately our goal will be to get them rehoused. We do realize consistency will lead to stability. Commissioner Carrillo asked if they have concrete goals, not just paperwork? Ms. Jones-Kirk said that the actual goals will be developed with that individual person. It may be as simple as going to the DMV to get an identification card. The social workers will be doing things like that rather than the officers. We are also looking at possibly doing triage and taking the individuals that the officers have been working with and transfering them to the social workers. There may be some overlap with our fire department so the social workers will also be working with the fire department. Commissioner Randall commented that it will be interesting to watch the evolution of the social workers filling in the roll the officers were doing. Sergeant Hargett said that is our plan. They will continue to work in the front line as well as address other critical issues. We have learned word of mouth through this community is very helpful. Commissioner Randall commented that it is great what they are doing. HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES June 14, 2018 PAGE 3 of 5 Commissioner Carrillo mentioned she met someone from Interfaith at the polls. Ms. Fountain added that is what we want from the Housing Commission; we want them to help educate people with the issues we are dealing with. Chairperson Newman asked Sergeant Hargett if he finds that 60% of the homeless do not want to be homeless. I realize some of the homeless just can't afford a place to live. Do police also work with the working homeless? Sergeant Hargett answered that it is hard to say since everyone is different. We have people who have a job and a car, but they do not have a place to live. Housing is the hardest barrier to get through. With the chronic homeless, they are now beginning to see we are there to help them. It is like having 152 children; though we do have a group of about 30 that are addicted to drugs and they are the hardest to deal with. The addiction is so hard with the opioid crisis. Ms. Jones-Kirk added that when we presented to the City Council, we called it compassionate enforcement. We are not here to support their lifestyle, but we are here to help and provide resources to help them. We will be working with the case management of the individuals and looking for gaps. We may have a social worker focus on a certain population. Commissioner Williams commented that staff is doing a great job on a brand-new program. Commissioner Carrillo agreed. Ms. Jones-Kirk said we want to continue coming before the Housing Commission and to provide some type of education such as having presentations around addiction and mental health. We are also looking at possibly bringing in some of our homeless residents. Sergeant Hargett commented that some of the homeless have become friends with him. One individual who owns a large bird also has a boyfriend who we were able to help by getting him into a program and he is now sober. The homeless woman with the bird will need to find a home for the bird before she can be placed in a program. We have reached out to a bird sanctuary and are waiting to hear back if they can shelter the bird while she is in treatment. We have been able to help this certain individual find money she didn't know she had. Ms. Jones-Kirk also shared that three weeks ago while she and Sergeant Hargett were meeting in her office, a homeless woman came to the front desk of Housing & Neighborhood Services looking for assistance. Sergeant Hargett knew who she was and she recognized him. We were able to discuss her situation with her and within ten minutes Andre Ramirez arrived and he had previously worked with her also. We hope in the future the homeless residents will see we are here to help them. The sad part is this individual is pregnant and still using drugs. Sergeant Hargett said that it is amazing how much their attitudes change when they are actually looking for help. Ms. Jones-Kirk commented they then realize we are a team. HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES June 14, 2018 PAGE 4 of 5 Commissioner Randall said since she is in education, what would you advise me as a citizen in the city if I saw a homeless individual who is not causing a disturbance; how do I help in this moment? Is there someone we should call? What would you like us to tell people? Sergeant Hargett said his advice is if you see something, say something. Definitely be careful. You can always call the police for a welfare check, but if it is not an emergency, the police will get there as soon as possible. You can try and ask her if she is okay. We will be having resources on our website soon. Commissioner Randall added, can we refer people? Ms. Jones-Kirk said it is clear from Mayor Hall that he wants to see ways for people to engage and help. We have considered having door hangers that we can distribute for people's education. My experience is that I engage in a conversation with them and more often than not they want money or for you to buy them something. It is best to connect them with resources rather than just giving them something. Ultimately our goal is to get them connected to resources. I know this does not help your heart strings, but it is the best thing to do. Sergeant Hargett said that sometimes it is best to refer them to resources. I helped a woman today who had a boyfriend in the hospital and we took her there to see him. Commissioner Carrillo added, as long as they do not see you as a threat. Sergeant Hargett said they are used to the officers who have been interacting with them. Ms. Jones-Kirk added that so much is focused on the Homeless Outreach Team, but there are also other officers that would like to be part of this project. Certain officers have been working with the homeless for a long time, and now they do have more services available for them. It used to be the homeless were arrested or moved along. Sergeant Hargett said we now have the access to resources. We do have some homeless people who have a drug problem and are now ready to get into a program. We can put them into a rehab program in Escondido through Interfaith. If we are able to get the people help, we will have less service calls and that is a win-win situation. Ms. Fountain added that Marie Jones-Kirk and Sergeant Hargett and his team have been working really, really hard since the City Council approved this plan. They make it look easy, but it has taken quite a bit of effort. As Marie said, we are on the cutting edge and we do not have a lot of models to learn from; we are creating the models as we go. Each resident they are dealing with will have different issues so it will take a different plan. Once the social workers are able to work with individuals and if they lose track of them, our hope is the officers will be able to find them again. We are proud of this team and what they are able to accomplish. In the future, we see the Housing Commission participating in education. We will ask you to spread the good news in the community and educating you will give you the tools to answer questions. HOUSING COMMISSION MINUTES June 14, 2018 PAGE 5 of 5 Sergeant Hargett said to remember no call is too small if you are looking into the welfare of an individual. That is true for any law enforcement agency now. Ms. Fountain said we want to arm the Housing Commission with information so you will be able to add to our staff. There are a lot of community members out there that would like to help and we would like to give them a job. We will keep you updated. Chairperson Newman said you will be the model for other cities. Ms. Fountain said that is what we are trying to do. Ms. Jones-Kirk added that currently we are focusing on the City of Carlsbad. The Housing Commission for June 14, 2018, was adjourned at 6:44 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Deborah Fountain Community & Economic Director PATRICIA CRESCENTI, Minutes Clerk MINUTES ARE ALSO RECORDED AND KEPT ON FILE UNTIL THE WRITTEN MINUTES ARE APPROVED.