[Citizen Homeless Commission on August 15, 2024.]
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WELCOME TO THE CITIZENS HOMELESSNESS COMMISSION BOARD, MEM MEETING.
TODAY IS THURSDAY, AUGUST THE 15TH.
MY NAME IS RENITA GRIGGS, THE BOARD LIAISON.
I WILL NOW TURN THIS MEETING OVER TO CHAIR LINDA GARNER.
THANK YOU TO OUR BOARD LIAISON, RENITA GRIGGS.
UH, TODAY'S THURSDAY, AUGUST 15TH, 2024.
THE TIME IS NOW 1:02 PM THE CITY OF DALLAS CITIZEN HOMELESSNESS COMMISSION.
REGULAR MEETING FOR JUNE, UH, HAS BEEN CALLED TO ORDER RENITA.
IF YOU COULD CALL THE ROLE PLEASE.
WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME, PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU'RE PRESENT, AND PLEASE KEEP YOUR CAMERA FACE VIEW IF YOU'RE ONE OF OUR VIRTUAL V VIEWERS.
AND I WILL BEGIN THE ROLL CALL AT THIS TIME.
DISTRICT ONE COMMISSIONER KEYS PRESENT.
DISTRICT THREE, VICE CHAIR OWENS.
DISTRICT FOUR, COMMISSIONER HAUCK.
DISTRICT FIVE, COMMISSIONER SANTOS.
CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF.
I'M NOT SURE WHY YOU CAN'T HEAR ME.
TURN YOUR VOLUME UP, BUT WE SEE YOU ON VIDEO.
COMMISSIONER FLORES, IF YOU'RE JOINING US BY, UH, VIRTUAL ON THE TELEPHONE, PLEASE, UH, ACKNOWLEDGE YOURSELF WITH YOUR NAME AND YOUR, UM, FACE.
COMMISSIONER BROWN, PRESENT IN PERSON.
DISTRICT NINE, REVEREND BOONE.
REVEREND BOONE, I SEE THAT YOU'RE VIRTUAL.
CAN YOU TURN YOUR, UH, CAMERA FACE ON, PLEASE? THANK YOU.
DISTRICT 11, COMMISSIONER CNHA.
DISTRICT 13, COMMISSIONER EINSTEIN.
UH, YOU HAVE TWO VACANCIES, EIGHT AND 15, AND YOU HAVE TWO ABSENCE.
UH, LETITIA OWENS AND, UH, COMMISSIONER FLORES, YOU MAY PROCEED.
LEGAL NOTICE HAS BEEN POSTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT, AND THIS MEETING HAS BEEN DULY CALLED WELCOME COMMISSIONERS AND WELCOME STAFF.
AND WELCOME TO OUR AUDIENCE MEMBERS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
UM, AS USUAL, WE ALWAYS BEGIN OUR COMMISSION MEETING WITH A READING OF THE MISSION STATEMENT, UH, TO KEEP OUR FOCUS WELL-INTENTIONED OR IN INTENTIONED, UH, THE CITIZEN HOMELESSNESS COMMISSION IS AN ADVISORY BODY.
THE PURPOSE OF THE CHC IS TO ASSURE PARTICIPATION FROM AND INCLUSION OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING THOSE WITH PAST OR PRESENT EXPERIENCE WITH HOMELESSNESS, TO DEVELOP POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS TO ENSURE ALIGNMENT OF CITY SERVICES WITH REGIONAL SERVICES TO ENHANCE EFFICIENCY, QUALITY, AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE COMMUNITY-WIDE RESPONSE TO HOMELESSNESS.
THE CHC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE ONE, ADVISE THE CITY MANAGER AND THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL ON ISSUES AFFECTING HOMELESSNESS.
TWO, ASSIST THE CITY IN EVALUATING NEW AND EXISTING PROGRAMS. THREE.
COORDINATE WITH OTHER LOCAL AND REGIONAL BODIES ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS.
PERFORM SUCH OTHER DUTIES ASSIGNED BY THE CITY MANAGER OR THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL.
WITH THAT, WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM TWO, WHICH IS PUBLIC COMMENTS AND SPEAKERS.
UH, EACH SPEAKER IS PROVIDED TWO MINUTES.
UH, RENITA, DO WE HAVE ANY SPEAKERS WHO ARE RE WHO HAVE REGISTERED AND WISH TO SPEAK? DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS, REGISTERED SPEAKERS IN THE AUDIENCE THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK AT THIS TIME? CHAIR.
WE DO NOT HAVE ANY SPEAKERS, SO NO SPEAKERS.
MOVING ON TO ITEM THREE, WHICH IS APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE JUNE 13TH, 2024 CHC MEETING.
IS THERE A MOTION FOR APPROVAL, MR. HOW I MOVE TO APPROVE MINUTES AS WRITTEN? WE HAVE A
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MOTION TO APPROVE.SO WE HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER HOWICK AND A SECOND FROM GALL FROM COMMISSIONER SILHAN.
UH, ANY DISCUSSION RELATED TO CORRECTIONS OR CHANGES TO THE JUNE MEETING MINUTES? CAN, UH, SOMEONE CONFIRM THAT MY MIC IS WORKING? I COULD HEAR YOU.
SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES DECISION ON GRANTS PASS VERSUS JOHNSON AND CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR NEWSOM'S EXECUTIVE ORDER, UM, ON ENCAMPMENT CLEARANCE.
AND THE REASON WHY I CHOSE THIS FOR TODAY, UM, AS, UH, DR.
MARCY JACKSON HAD PRESENTED AT OUR RETREAT, WE START AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND WE BRING IT DOWN TO THE LOCAL LEVEL.
UM, THE SUPREME COURT DECISION IS A FEDERAL DECISION.
IT WILL AFFECT, IMPACT US IN SOME CAPACITY, AND I KNOW THAT, UM, AS WE WATCH, AS THE EXECUTIVE ORDER IS BEING ENACTED IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, WE ALL HAVE QUESTIONS AS IT RELATES TO DALLAS POLICY.
SO THAT IS THE PURPOSE OF TODAY'S DISCUSSION.
UM, I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE LOTS OF QUESTIONS, UM, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE ASSURANCES TO COMMISSIONERS AND CITIZENS AND UNHOUSED, UM, ON HOW WE WILL BE MOVING FORWARD.
SO WITH THAT, WELCOME DIRECTOR, CROLEY.
GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR AND COMMISSIONER MEMBERS.
GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN, AND SO MANY IN PERSON TODAY.
UM, CHRISTINE CROSLEY, OFF OFFICE OF HOMELESS SOLUTIONS DIRECTOR.
SO, UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY ON THIS.
I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DISCUSSION ON HI.
UM, I'M NOT SURE IF THE MIC CUT OFF, UM, BUT I I CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING ANYMORE.
WE HAVE ORDINANCES THAT PROHIBIT SLEEPING IN A PUBLIC PLACE AND AUTHOR UNAUTHORIZED PLACEMENT ERECTION OR MAINTENANCE OF TEMPORARY SHELTERS ON DESIGNATED PUBLIC PROPERTY OR OVERNIGHT CAMPING IN PARKS WITHOUT A SPECIAL PERMIT.
UM, AN INTERESTING THING TO NOTE, UH, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK I'VE SAID THIS BEFORE, THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE EAST COAST AND THE WEST COAST.
AND SIMILARLY, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THAT IS BETWEEN TEXAS AND CALIFORNIA.
FOR ONE THING, TEXAS HAS A, I THINK RIGHT NOW I CHECKED LAST NIGHT, UH, HOVERING AROUND A 10% HOUSING VACANCY RATE.
UM, A LOT OF CITIES IN CALIFORNIA HAVE ALMOST NO VACANCY RATE.
UM, OUR COST OF LIVING, THOUGH HIGH IS STILL MUCH LOWER THAN THAT IN CALIFORNIA.
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TIME, WELL, WE HAVE NOT BEEN GOVERN BY MARTIN B BOISE.SO WHEN YOU LOOK BACK IN 2021 AND OUR TEXAS LEGISLATURE PASSED HOUSE BILL 1925, THAT MADE CAMPING IN PUBLIC PLACES A MISDEMEANOR PUBLISHABLE PUNISHABLE BY A FINE OF UP TO $500.
UM, NOW FOR DALLAS, AS I SAID, WE ALREADY HAD THE PREVIOUSLY STATED ORDINANCES.
SO THAT DIDN'T SNAP INTO PLACE HERE BECAUSE THAT WAS ONLY SET TO SNAP INTO PLACE WHEN YOU HAD, UH, A WEAKER LAW OR NO LAW IN PLACE.
UM, BUT REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS IN CALIFORNIA TRIED TO PASS VERSIONS OF THAT BAN, AND THEIR BILLS DIED IN COMMITTEE.
SO NOW THAT THEY'VE HAD THE GRANTS PASS RULING, THEY COULD THE THEORETICALLY DO WHAT TEXAS HAS ALREADY BEEN DOING FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
AND SO WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT WHAT GOVERNOR NEWSOM IS PASSING, THAT IS KIND OF A REACTION TO THAT, UM, TO TRY AND GET TO A PLACE THAT WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN FOR SOME TIME.
NOW, WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT THAT? I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF DISCUSSION AROUND THE, UH, TEXAS CAMPING LAWS IN DALLAS, AND AS WE HAVE STATED BEFORE, UM, OUR SUBMISSION TO THE AG, UM, HAS BEEN AND, AND HAS BEEN APPROVED, THAT WE ARE WORKING THROUGH THE REAL TIME REHOUSING INITIATIVE TO HOUSE PEOPLE SUSTAINABLY AND TO YES, BRING THEM OUT OF THESE SITES WHERE THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE, WHERE THEY'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO BE, BUT TO DO IT IN A WAY THAT IS SUSTAINABLE AND DOES NOT JUST CONTINUE THE CYCLE OF HOMELESSNESS, CONTINUE TRAUMATIZING PEOPLE, AND ALSO INCUR THE TAXPAYERS MORE MONEY.
BECAUSE YOU CAN'T ARREST YOUR WAY OUT OF HOMELESSNESS.
SOMEONE WILL BE BACK ON THE STREET AND NOW THEIR BARRIERS TO HOUSING ARE THAT MUCH HIGHER, AND YOU'VE RETRAUMATIZED PEOPLE AND DAMAGED ANY TRUST THAT YOU HAD WITH THAT PERSON THAT YOU WERE WORKING WITH.
UM, THERE'S ALSO THE TEMPORARY HOUSING STRATEGY THAT IS COMING BACK TO HHS IN SEPTEMBER, AND THAT'S GOING TO BRING BACK A LIST OF IDENTIFIED PROPERTIES BASED ON THE CRITERIA OF THIS BODY AND OF THE HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS SOLUTIONS COMMITTEE FOR WHAT THEY WANNA SEE.
AND THOSE SITES WILL BE DEBRIEFED WITH RELEVANT COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THEIR COMMISSIONERS PRIOR TO THAT MEETING.
UM, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, REALLY WHAT, WHAT RESIDENTS HERE SHOULD EXPECT IS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING, WHICH IS THE PERMANENT SUSTAINABLE CLOSURE OF LONG-TERM HISTORICAL ENCAMPMENTS.
UM, THERE ARE SOME LARGER SCALED UP EFFORTS UNDERWAY NOW.
UH, I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE HEARD US TALKING ABOUT STREET TO HOME AND OUR FOCUS ON REDUCING UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS IN THE NEXT YEAR, BRINGING IT DOWN, UH, DECREASING IT BY 50% FROM ITS CURRENT, 24% DECREASE BY THE END OF 2026.
SO STILL VERY, VERY MUCH A HIGH, UM, HIGH LEVEL OF DEDICATION TO REDUCING CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS AND VISIBLE HOMELESSNESS OUTSIDE.
UM, BUT NOT ANYTHING THAT SHOULD BE TOUCHED BY GRANT'S PAST VERSUS JOHNSON RIGHT NOW.
UH, THAT WAS BRIEF AND THAT IS CONCISE AND PERFECT.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO OPEN THE FLOOR TO DISCUSSION.
UM, ANYONE HERE AT CITY HALL WHO WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN QUESTIONING? JUST RAISE YOUR HAND, JUST TAKE YOUR MICROPHONE.
YOU'LL JUST RAISE THE LIGHT ON AND THEN RAISE IT UP LIKE IT'S RAISING YOUR HAND SO I KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
AND WE WILL START, LET'S START AT THE FAR END.
YES, COMMISSIONER BROWN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR AND WE WILL DO TWO ROUNDS OF DISCUSSION IF THIS GETS, UM, UH, IF NEEDED.
SO, UM, YOU, YOU MAY START, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES.
I AM GOING TO MAKE IT PLAIN SO THAT WAY MY COMMISSION, NOT MY COMMISSION, BUT, UH, THOSE WHO ARE IN MY DISTRICT UNDERSTAND.
I JUST WANNA PLAINLY ASK, UM, WILL THE UNHOUSED IN DALLAS BE ARRESTED AND FINED? NO.
NO, GRANTED, IF SOMEONE ATTACKS AN OFFICER, THEY'RE GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, DEALT WITH THE SAME WAY ANYONE WOULD BE.
BUT IF SOMEONE IS JUST PEACEABLY GOING ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS AND WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM, UNLESS THEY'RE IN AN AREA THAT'S BEEN SUSTAINABLY CLOSED, IN WHICH CASE WE CAN SAY, HEY, YOU CAN'T BE HERE, THEN NO.
AND EVEN IN THOSE CASES, I THINK WE MIGHT HAVE HAD MAYBE ONE CITATION OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS.
UM, IT REALLY IS NOT THE NORMAL COURSE OF BUSINESS.
PEOPLE ARE GENERALLY VERY WELL EDUCATED ABOUT THIS AND WORKING WITH THEIR CASEWORKERS AND THEY MOVE ALONG TO THE NEXT LOCATION.
UH, WE HAVE COMMISSIONER JACOB, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
SO JUST TO CLARIFY, WE HAVE THE ORDINANCE, BUT IT'S NOT BEING ENFORCED BECAUSE YOU CAN ONLY, YOU, YOU ONLY KNOW OF ONE CITATION.
UH, COMMISSIONER JACOB, CAN YOU SPEAK IN YOUR MICROPHONE? WE HAVE THE ORDINANCES, BUT THEY'RE NOT BEING ENFORCED.
SO WE HAVE THE ORDINANCES AND THE WAY THAT WE HAVE SUBMITTED TO THE AG THAT THEY'RE BEING ENFORCED IS THROUGH THE REAL TIME REHOUSING.
SO THE CITATIONS HAVE ONLY BEEN NEEDED WHEN WE HAVE A PLACE THAT IS CLOSED OR IF THERE'S AN EMERGENCY CLOSURE THROUGH THE HEART TEAM, WHICH OBVIOUSLY IS NOT WITH A GOLD STANDARD, BUT
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SOMETIMES HAPPENS.AND IF SOMEONE BECOMES COMBATIVE, UM, WITHIN THAT SPACE, AND IT REALLY RARELY HAPPENS.
UM, AND YOU HAD TALKED ABOUT, I MEAN, THE TEMPORARY HOUSING STRATEGY AND THE PERMANENT CLOSURE, UH, OF ENCAMPMENTS.
AND I'VE ASKED THIS QUESTION BEFORE, AND I HAVEN'T REALLY GOTTEN A WHOLE LOT OF SUBSTANTIVE RESPONSE.
WHAT IS OUR STRATEGY FOR PERMANENTLY CLOSING ENCAMPMENTS? SO THE STRATEGY FOR PERMANENTLY CLOSING ENCAMPMENTS IS MOVING PEOPLE INTO HOUSING.
AND THEN AS THE PEOPLE ARE MOVED INTO HOUSING, IT'S USUALLY A EIGHT OR SIX TO EIGHT WEEK PROCESS, AND WE PLACE UP SIGNAGE THAT SAYS THIS SITE IS PERMANENTLY CLOSED.
UM, AND THEN THERE'S A ROBUST CLOSURE MAINTENANCE STRATEGY THAT INCLUDES LAW ENFORCEMENT TO ENSURE IT IS CLOSED.
AND THAT HAS ACTUALLY BEEN REVAMPED LATELY.
WE'RE NOW WORKING WITH, UH, INTEGRATED PUBLIC SAFETY SOLUTIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT REALLY IS A LOT MORE ROBUST.
AND I CAN TELL YOU IT'S, IT'S NIGHT AND DAY.
UM, IT'S A REALLY GREAT RESPONSE.
AND PART OF A STRATEGY TYPICALLY INCLUDES A TIMELINE FOR, UH, IMPLEMENTATION, BUT ALSO TIMELINE FOR, IN THIS CASE, CLOSURE, PERMANENT CLOSURE OF ENCAMPMENTS.
WHAT IS OUR TIMELINE FOR THE PERMANENT CLOSURE OF ENCAMPMENTS IN DALLAS? SO WITH EACH ENCAMPMENT, IT'S A BEHAVIOR CHANGE.
AND SO I WOULD SAY IT'S GENERALLY BEST PRACTICE NOW IS KIND OF A ROBUST 60 TO 90 DAY DEDICATED SITE CLOSURE AND THEN ROTATING BACK THROUGH AS IS NECESSARY.
AND I'M SORRY, I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE, THE TI THE OVERALL TIMELINE, NOT AN INDIVIDUAL ENCAMPMENT TIMELINE.
OH, THE OVERALL TIMELINE, YES.
UM, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR OVERALL TIMELINE RIGHT NOW IS LESS ABOUT HOW MANY ENCAMPMENTS WE'RE GOING TO CLOSE AND MORE ABOUT HOW MANY UNSHELTERED INDIVIDUALS WE ARE GOING TO MOVE INTO HOUSING.
AND THAT'S THE, SO WE DON'T HAVE A PERMANENT, WE DON'T HAVE A STRATEGY THEN FOR THE PERMANENT INC PERMANENT CLOSURE OF THE ENCAMPMENTS.
WE, IF WE'RE LOOKING AT IT FROM THE, FROM THE STANDPOINT OF NUMBER OF PEOPLE SERVED RATHER THAN ENCAMPMENT ENCLO, WELL, WE DO, BUT THAT'S BECAUSE THE WAY TO LOOK AT IT IS NOT IN TERMS OF LOOKING AT WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO GO NEXT.
YES, ENCAMPMENTS ARE, YOU KNOW, YOU TAKE THOSE INTO CONSIDERATION, BUT THAT'S DYNAMIC AND EVER CHANGING.
IT'S THE SAME REASON THAT YOU CAN'T LOOK AT 3 1 1 AND SAY, THIS IS A DEFINITIVE NUMBER OF ENCAMPMENTS BECAUSE IT CLOSE IT, THEY CHANGE ALL THE TIME IN REACTION TO WEATHER, TO CLEANINGS, TO TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS.
I MEAN, THEY, THEY CHANGE ALL THE TIME.
BUT WHAT YOU CAN LOOK AT IS THE OVERALL COUNTS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE OUTSIDE AND HOW MANY OF THOSE WE'RE TARGETING.
AND THEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT A YEAR OVER YEAR DECREASE IN TRENDS.
BUT WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE CLOSURE OF ENCAMPMENTS, YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT IT BY, WE HAVE ALL THESE CHRONICALLY HOMELESS PEOPLE, WE NEED TO HOUSE, LET'S HOUSE MORE OF THEM.
AND THEN THE RATE THIS, THE ENCAMPMENTS GET SMALLER.
DO I HAVE TIME OR ARE WE WAITING? TEN SECOND.
UH, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE DIDN'T HAVE THE, UM, TIMER ON OUR TIMER PERSON NOT HERE.
YOU WANNA THROW ONE MORE IN? GO AHEAD.
WE'RE GONNA DO TWO ROUNDS ON THIS, SO IT'S FINE.
COULD YOU PROVIDE US A COPY OF THE STRATEGY FOR THE PERMANENT, UH, CLOSURE OF ENCAMPMENTS THAT DETAILS THE BUDGETARY SPEND YEAR OVER YEAR, UH, OR THE, THE BUDGETARY OUTLAYS FOR CLOSING ENCAMPMENTS? WE HAVE DONE SO THROUGH OUR QUARTERLY UPDATES, WHICH OUTLAY BUDGETS AND TIMELINES.
IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE YOU'RE LOOKING FOR? WELL, I MEAN, TYPICALLY A STRATEGY IS VERY DETAILED AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT IS JUST A QUARTERLY UPDATES.
I MEAN, THE STR THE, I GUESS, I GUESS THE STRATEGY I'M LOOKING FOR IS WHAT ALL IS ENTAILED WITH DECIDING WHICH ENCAMPMENTS ARE BEING CLOSED? UH, LOOKING AT METRICS FROM THE CYCLICAL NATURE OF ENCAMPMENTS REOPENING, AND HOW MUCH OF A DEDICATED BUDGETARY SPEND IS THE CITY OF DALLAS AND OHS PROVIDING FOR THE CLOSURE OF ENCAMPMENTS? SURE.
I MEAN, IT HAS BEEN PROVIDED BEFORE, BUT I, I THINK YOU'RE WANTING A COUPLE DIFFERENT DISPARATE PARTS.
WE HAVEN'T PULLED TOGETHER IN ONE PRESENTATION BEFORE.
UM, AND PART OF THAT IS, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE DEDICATED STAFF WHO WORK ON THIS.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, THERE REALLY IS NO AVERAGE COST PER ENCAMPMENT.
UM, BUT WE CAN TELL YOU, AND AND I PRESENTED THIS ON THE FIRST TEMPORARY HOUSING SLIDE, THAT WHEN YOU'RE, OR PRESENTATION THAT WITH EACH PERSON YOU'RE HOUSED, UH, IN TERMS OF THE STREET OUTREACH WORKER AND THE HOUSING NAVIGATION, YOU'RE LOOKING AT A SUNK COST PER PERSON OF 25,000 TO HOUSE SOMEONE.
BECAUSE WE ALSO LOOKED AT THE COST, UM, AND TIME ADD IF YOU'RE DOING TEMPORARY HOUSING ON TOP OF THAT SUNK COST.
SO WE CAN PULL THAT ALL TOGETHER FOR YOU.
COMMISSIONER JACOB? COMMISSIONER SILHAN, DID YOU HAVE YOUR, YOUR HAND RAISED EARLIER? NO.
WE'LL JUMP BACK TO COMMISSIONER KEYS.
DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YEAH, JUST
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APROPOS TO, TO BOTH OF Y'ALL'S QUESTIONS.UM, I, I KNOW I REACHED OUT TO YOU, CHRISTINE, EARLIER THIS WEEK ABOUT ANOTHER, OR LAST WEEK, AND YOU MENTIONED CTAS OR CTA IS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL TO, UM, PERMANENTLY CLOSE ENCAMPMENTS.
SO A CTA, UH, CRIMINAL TRESPASS ASSET AFFIDAVIT IS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR PRIVATE PROPERTY TO HELP MITIGATE HOMELESSNESS ON THEIR PROPERTIES.
AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT HOMELESSNESS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY, YOU KNOW, OHS IS WORKING WITH, WITH THOSE OWNERS, BUT YOU HAVE TO GET PERMISSION AND OFTEN, YOU KNOW, IT REALLY, IT, IT REALLY THEN WORKS WITH CODE AS WELL TO TALK ABOUT WHAT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PROPERTY OWNER, WHICH I CAN'T SPEAK TO AS ELOQUENTLY AS CODE CAN.
UM, BUT IT'S MORE OF A PARTNERSHIP THAN IF IT WAS JUST PUBLIC PROPERTY AND WE COULD GO IN AND ADDRESS THE NEEDS.
AND HAVING THAT CRIMINAL TRESPASS AFFIDAVIT CAN REALLY HELP PUT MEASURES IN PLACE SO THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO KEEP COMING BACK TO IT AS A ONE OFF.
SO CTAS CANNOT BE PUT UP BY CITY OF DALLAS PER SE, IF SOME SOMEBODY'S SLEEPING ON THEIR PROPERTY? UH, NO.
I MEAN, BASED ON THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S INTERPRETATION, UM, WHICH AGAIN, I AM NOT THE MOST, UH, SUBJECT MATTER, I'M NOT THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT ON THIS, BUT I WILL SAY THAT THEY'RE NOT, UM, WE, THAT THE PUBLIC CTS ARE NOT ENFORCEABLE.
UM, ANY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY.
UM, AND IF I MAY COMMENT ON THAT, THE CTA IS FOR PRIVATE PROPERTY AND IT'S INITIATED BY THE PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNER, AND THEN THEY WORK THAT OUT, BUT WITH DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT AND, UM, IT'S ENFORCEABLE FOR UP TO TWO YEARS.
AND AT WHICH POINT, IF THERE IS A PERSON ON THE PROPERTY THAT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THERE, THE POLICE ARE ALLOWED TO GO ON THAT PROPERTY WITHOUT THE PROPERTY OWNER'S? WELL, THE CTA IS A GENERAL CONSENT THAT THE POLICE CAN GO AND REMOVE THAT PERSON.
AND IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, CHAIR, UM, IT ALSO CAN APPLY TO RENTERS AS WELL.
THEY CAN APPLY FOR A CTA, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN.
I BELIEVE IT'S JUST THE OWN, THE PERSON WHO OWNS OR POTENTIALLY RENTS THE PUBLIC, THE PRIVATE PROPERTY CAN FILE THE CTA, BUT I CAN'T TELL YOU THE KIND OF FIND HAIRS OF WHO WAS ABLE TO FILE IT.
UM, COMMISSIONER KEYS, I'LL FOLLOW UP ON THAT.
I HAVE, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTIONS AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY TOO, COMMISSIONER KEYS.
AND COMMISSIONER HOWICK, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
CROSLEY, AS A FORMER RESIDENT OF SAN FRANCISCO FOR 25 YEARS, AND OFTEN SEEING GAVIN NEWSOM AT WORK, HE OBVIOUSLY HAS A METHOD TO HIS MADNESS, WHAT HE WENT AFTER HERE.
AND TO HEAR YOU SAY THAT WE DON'T THINK IT SETS ANY PRECEDENT OR THAT WE'RE GONNA FOLLOW IT, I'M CURIOUS AS TO WHY.
IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT'S EARLY IN THE DECISION, BUT I THINK IT IS WORTH FOLLOWING BECAUSE CALIFORNIA DIDN'T LOOK AT DALLAS AND SAY, WE WANNA DO IT YOUR WAY.
THEY'VE SAID, WE'RE GONNA DO IT OUR WAY.
AND I THINK IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT IT STAYED AS BIG AS CALIFORNIA WITH THE CHALLENGE IT HAS WITH HOMELESS PEOPLE, SHOULD BE SOMETHING WE WATCH AND SEE.
'CAUSE OBVIOUSLY IT'S A BIGGER PROBLEM IN A LOT OF CALIFORNIA, BUT I WOULD ARGUE THAT IN DALLAS, OUR PROBLEM'S GROWING RAPIDLY.
WELL, AND LET ME CLARIFY THAT WHEN I SAID, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT AFFECTS US HERE, THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE'RE NOT GOING TO WATCH IT, OF COURSE WE'RE GOING TO WATCH IT.
BUT IN TERMS OF LEGAL PRECEDENT AND HOW IT AFFECTS DALLAS, THE INTERPRETATION THAT HAS BEEN MADE HERE IS THAT IT'S NOT AFFECT US AT THIS POINT.
THANK YOU, DIRECTOR CROSSLEY FOR THAT ANSWER.
I AM LOOKING TOWARDS MY RIGHT.
AND IS THAT YOU? COMMISSIONER WRIGHT? OKAY, THERE YOU GO.
THANK YOU, CHRISTINE, FOR YOUR UPDATE.
UM, SO I TOO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT ENFORCEMENT.
UM, AS YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN TRACKING ALONG WITH TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, WORKING WITH, UM, SOME PARTNERS OVER THERE, UM, AND THEIR SECURITY DEPARTMENT TO FOLLOW ALONG WITH SEVEN HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS THAT ARE BEING, UM, MONITORED PRETTY MUCH 24 7 BECAUSE THEY INTERFACE, UM, WITH THE TEXAS INSTRUMENTS PRIVATE PROPERTY, BUT SO THAT THE INDIVIDUALS HAVE TO WALK THROUGH THE, THE TI PROPERTY TO ACCESS UNDER THE BRIDGES AND WATERWAYS AND CREEK SYSTEMS TO WHERE THEY'RE ALL SLEEPING.
AND, UM, A FEW WEEKS AGO I DID GO, UM, MYSELF WITH THEIR TEAM IN DPD AND HAD INVITED SOME OF YOUR STAFF TO ATTEND AS WELL, WHEN THE DATE KIND OF GOT MIXED UP.
BUT I WAS, UM, A BIT CONFUSED AND CONCERNED BECAUSE ONE, THE EMAIL THAT I GOT FROM YOUR STAFF SAID THAT OHS DOES NOT DO ENFORCEMENT.
SO THAT SOUNDED KIND OF CONFUSING AND CONFLICTING TO,
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TO HOW THE QUESTION WAS, UM, ANSWERED PREVIOUSLY.AND IN DOING, UM, HAVING DPD TAG ALONG, THEY, THEY KNOW THIS, THIS PERSON HAS CHRONICALLY BEEN IN THE SAME PLACE.
AND THEN THE, THE SECURITY GUARD'S TELLING ME STORIES OF JUST THE WEEK BEFORE THIS INDIVIDUAL LIGHTING A, A BED ON FIRE FOR SOMEBODY ELSE THAT TRIED TO COME AND JOIN HIS ENCAMPMENT AND JUST ALL OF THE CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR THAT'S TAKING PLACE.
I DON'T WANNA CRIMINALIZE THE HOMELESS ASPECT, BUT THE, THE PUBLIC SAFETY ELEMENTS AND, UM, THE BURDEN ON TI AND OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING AND FINDING THESE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE JUST HIDING, UM, YOU CAN'T SEE THEM.
THEY, BUT THEY'RE THERE AND THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.
AND, UM, AND, AND, AND WE WANT TO PROVIDE THEM HELP AND COMPASSION.
BUT, UM, IN THAT SITUATION, I WOULD JUST LIKE A LITTLE BIT MORE FEEDBACK TO REPORT BACK TO WHAT THE, WHAT THE, UM, ENFORCEMENT STRATEGY IS IN THOSE SPECIFIC SCENARIOS AND HOW I CAN HELP FURTHER THAT ALONG.
UM, AND THEN MY NEXT QUESTION WOULD BE FOR EMERGENCY HOUSING, HOW MUCH EMERGENCY HOUSING IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE AND HOW DOES THIS CORRELATE TO THE RAPID, RAPID REHOUSING MODEL WITH THE DATA FLOW AND, UM, AND STRATEGY THAT'S PRESENTED TO THE AG? SO KIND OF TALK THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RAPID REHOUSING AND EMERGENCY SHELTER.
UM, FOR THE FIRST PART, YOU'RE CORRECT.
OHS DOES NOT ENFORCE, WHICH IS WHY WE GO OUT WITH THE, UH, DALLAS MARSHALS SOMETIMES IF IT'S VERY SERIOUS WITH DPD.
UM, BUT MAINLY WHAT WE DO IS HOUSE PEOPLE THROUGH, AS I SAID, THE REAL TIME RAPID REHOUSING INITIATIVES.
SO HOUSING PEOPLE THROUGH GETTING THEM, YOU KNOW, UH, ON A LIST OF INDIVIDUALS WORKING WITH OUR OUTREACH, UM, AND OUR CONTINUUM OF CARE'S OUTREACH, WHO HAS WHAT NEEDS, WHAT ARE THE DOCUMENTS YOU NEED, THE BARRIERS YOU HAVE, AND THEN GETTING PEOPLE INTO HOUSING WITH THE RENTAL AND SERVICE SUPPORTS NEEDED TO THRIVE IN HOUSING.
AND THEN THAT BREAKS THE CYCLE.
AND THROUGH THAT WE CAN PUT UP SIGNAGE THAT SITES CITY CODES AROUND THIS SITE BEING CLOSED SO THAT THEN ENFORCEMENT CAN COME BACK AND MOVE PEOPLE OFF OF THAT SITE BECAUSE WE'VE CLOSED IT.
UM, OUTSIDE OF THAT, WHEN YOU'RE JUST SEEING PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THESE AREAS, THE WAY THAT WE WORK IS IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS DANGEROUS, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE, I MEAN, YOU, YOU'RE ALREADY WORKING WITH THE CORRECT PEOPLE ON THAT.
THERE'S CONFIRMED ACTIVITY THERE THAT IS VERY, VERY DANGEROUS.
UM, WE CAN USE THE HOMELESS ACTION RESPONSE TEAM TO CLEAR IT WITHIN 24 TO 48 HOURS.
AND THAT DOES INCLUDE THE DALLAS CITY MARSHALS.
UM, WE HAVE LEGAL NOTICES THAT WE PASS OUT DEPENDING ON WHEN A SITE IS EITHER GOING TO BE REMOVED OR SUSTAINABLY HOUSED OR CLEANED, BUT IT'S ALL BACKED BY A LEGAL NOTICE.
AND SO THE OFFICE OF HOMELESS SOLUTIONS HANDS OUT THE NOTICES AND HELPS PEOPLE CONNECT WITH RESOURCES OR UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING AND MOVE ALONG IN A WAY THAT REALLY REDUCES THE, UM, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR ANY MORE TRAUMA IN THAT SITUATION.
BUT ASIDE FROM THAT, WE ARE NOT AN ENFORCEMENT BODY.
AND SO THAT REALLY IS THAT INTERDEPARTMENTAL PARTNERSHIP ON THAT.
UM, AND THEN OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE CLEANING, YOU'RE MOVING PEOPLE ALONG BASED ON A LEGAL NOTICE, NOT BECAUSE YOU ARE ARRESTING THEM OR SAYING YOU CAN'T BE HERE, BUT BECAUSE THERE'S MASSIVE EQUIPMENT COMING TO CLEAN AND IT'S A LIABILITY FOR THAT EQUIPMENT TO BE AROUND PEOPLE.
I MEAN, SOMEONE COULD GET SERIOUSLY HURT.
SO THEY'RE VERY, VERY DIFFERENT SITUATIONS AND THEY ALL HAVE LEGAL NOTICES THAT BACK THEM.
BUT I DO KNOW WE'VE HAD SOME MISCOMMUNICATIONS ON THAT ONE, AND I WANNA GO OUT WITH YOU.
UM, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE WE MIGHT HAVE GROUNDS TO TAKE SOME FASTER ACTIONS ON THAT ONE.
AND THE, THE OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS TOO, UM, ALL THE DEBRIS AND, UM, TOXIC WASTE MATERIAL THAT'S ENTERING THE CRATE SYSTEM, THAT IS OF CONCERN AS WELL.
UM, AND THEN THE EMERGENCY HOUSING QUESTION.
UM, SO WHAT WE HAVE IN TERMS OF HOUSING INVENTORY IS SHELTER.
AND THEN WE HAVE, UM, VARIOUS DIFFERENT TYPES OF, UH, PERMANENT OR RAPID REHOUSING.
UM, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF BRIDGE HOUSING DONE BY SOME ORGANIZATIONS, UM, WHO'VE DONE IT SUCCESSFULLY.
BUT REALLY WHAT WE FOCUS ON AS A COMMUNITY, AND I KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE SEEN, UH, PRESENTED BEFORE, IS THE WIDENING OF THE EXIT FROM HOMELESSNESS, NOT THE ENTRY.
BECAUSE IF WE'RE FOCUSING ON HOW DO WE CAPTURE PEOPLE AT THE BEGINNING WITHOUT FOCUSING ON WIDENING THE EXIT OF THE FUNNEL, YOU'RE GOING TO GET A BACKSTOP OF PEOPLE.
RIGHT NOW, I CHECKED THE NUMBERS THIS MORNING, WE'VE HOUSED OVER 12,000 PEOPLE SINCE 2021.
ABOUT HALF OF THAT IS RAPID REHOUSING.
AND THEN, AND THIS IS NOT GONNA MAKE A PERFECT PIE, BUT THIS IS WHY MY MAJOR IS NOT MATH.
UM, AND THEN A LITTLE OVER A FOURTH OF IT.
UM, SO LIKE MORE THAN THAT IS, UM, DIVERSION.
AND THEN THERE'S A VERY, VERY SMALL, MAYBE LIKE 1500 OUT OF THIS WHOLE AMOUNT ARE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
SO A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY CHRONICALLY HOMELESS AND NEEDING PERMANENT HOUSING SUPPORTS THE REST DIVERSION AND RAPID REHOUSING REALLY DO THE TRICK.
[00:30:01]
BUT OBVIOUSLY THIS PRO THIS, UM, ISSUE HAS BEEN YEARS IN THE MAKING.AND SO IT'S TAKING TIME TO, UM, TO SOLVE AS WELL.
AND OF COURSE, WE CAN ONLY CONTROL THOSE WHO ARE IN THE SYSTEM THAT'S NOT TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE UPSTREAM FACTORS THAT ARE PUSHING PEOPLE INTO HOMELESSNESS.
SO FOR US, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS JUST STAYING ABOVE WATER AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE EXITING MORE PEOPLE PER YEAR THAN COME INTO THE SYSTEM.
SO EMERGENCY HOUSING WOULD BE COUNTED AS SHELTER.
NOW I THINK THAT'S ALSO PART OF WHY YOU'RE SEEING THESE CONVERSATIONS HAD AT THE COUNCIL LEVEL ABOUT TEMPORARY HOUSING AND, YOU KNOW, SUPPORTING PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, SUPPORTING THE BEST PRACTICES OF HUD.
BUT THERE IS ALSO VERY MUCH A LOCAL INTEREST IN EXPLORING BULKING UP OTHER TOOLS IN THE TOOLBOX AS WELL.
BUT THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A NEED FOR EMERGENCY SHELTER.
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A NEED FOR EMERGENCY SHELTER.
BUT IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE IF WE ONLY FOCUSED ON THAT, THEN WE WOULD, THEN EVERYBODY WOULD JUST BE STUCK IN EMERGENCY SHELTER.
SO IT'S A BALANCE OF LOOKING AT YOUR HOUSING INVENTORY AND SEEING WHAT YOU NEED MORE OF.
AND WE KNOW BASED ON, AND I THINK WE'LL PROBABLY HAVE ANOTHER ONE COMING SOON.
THE LAST HOUSING STOCK HOUSING INVENTORY LOOK WE DID WAS A COUPLE CYCLES AGO, I THINK, UM, IN OUR SYSTEM PRESENTATIONS.
AND WE SAW THAT WE NEEDED, I WANNA SAY LIKE 1500 TO 2000 MORE UNITS OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
AND THAT WE ACTUALLY DIDN'T NEED THAT MUCH MORE SHELTER BECAUSE WE WERE MOVING PEOPLE THROUGH SO QUICKLY.
UM, DOES THAT MEAN THAT SHELTER BEDS AREN'T FULL? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
THEY'RE FULL, BUT THEY'RE FULL WITH NEW PEOPLE BECAUSE WE'VE MOVED THE OLD PEOPLE OUT.
SO THERE IS A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THAT SHELTER CAPACITY THAT WE COULD BUILD.
IT'S JUST WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT A SYSTEM OF LIMITED RESOURCES, WHAT ARE YOU PRIORITIZING? RIGHT? AND I WOULD PRIORITIZE THE ENFORCEMENT ASPECT OF GETTING THE ENCAMPMENTS CLOSED, BUT WE NEED TO HAVE THIS STRONG STRATEGY AND PLAN OF WHERE THEY'RE GONNA GO, IF THERE'S ENOUGH RAPID REHOUSING AVAILABLE, IF THE EMERGENCY SHELTER NEEDS TO SUPPORT THAT PROCESS.
YOU KNOW, JUST LOOKING AT THE MAP THERE.
WE'LL, WE'LL SAVE IT FOR ROUND TWO.
UH, WE WANNA CONTINUE THIS DISCUSSION.
SO, UM, I'M STILL LOOKING TO MY RIGHT.
ANYONE ELSE? OKAY, SO, UH, COMMISSIONER SILHAN, YOU HAD A QUESTION.
UM, GOING BACK TO CALIFORNIA, DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY, UM, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ARRESTED AND WHEN THEY WERE ARRESTED AND PUT IN JAIL, THEN WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? I MEAN, I CAN'T TELL YOU OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT I MEAN, BASED ON WHAT HAPPENS HERE, IF YOU ARE, AND AGAIN, I'M NOT A LEGAL EX, NOT A LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPERT, BUT IF YOU'RE ARRESTED, YOU'RE GENERALLY HELD FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS AND THEN RELEASED AGAIN.
AND A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ARRESTED, UNLESS THERE'S SOMETHING VERY SERIOUS OR THEY HAVE A BUNCH OF WARRANTS OUT WHO ARE HOMELESS, ARE RIGHT BACK IN THE SAME SPOT THEY WERE BEFORE THEY WERE ARRESTED.
SO MY CONCERN WITH THAT STRATEGY, AND I KNOW THAT I'M, UH, A MINORITY IN THIS, IN THIS, UH, OPINION, BUT I HAVE A HARD TIME WITH WANTING TO ARREST HOMELESS PEOPLE BECAUSE OF THAT.
THERE'S NO, WHEN THERE'S A PLACE TO PUT THEM, THAT'S HUMANE AND IT WORKS.
I'M IN, WHEN WE JUST SEND THEM TO JAIL AND THEY STAY AND THEY REVOLVE THAT DOOR AND THEY GO RIGHT BACK OUT, IT'S JUST USED RESOURCES AND IT'S GONNA MAKE OUR BUDGET CITY BUDGET GO UP.
AND I'M REALLY SICK AND TIRED OF OUR BUDGET GOING UP
WELL, AND I ALSO, THIS IS CRAZY.
SO, UM, IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, LET'S, UH, I JUST, I JUST THINK THAT I GET IT, AND THE MAIN THING THAT I THINK MOTIVATES ALL THIS IS THAT OUR CITIZENS ARE, ARE TIRED OF SEEING IT.
AND SO EVEN CITY COUNCIL, EVERYBODY WANTS THEM SOMEWHERE.
THEY WANNA PUSH 'EM SOMEWHERE WHERE WE CAN'T SEE 'EM.
WHICH IF WE COULD, YOU KNOW, BE HUMANE AND DO THAT AND HAVE THEM CLOSE TO THEIR RESOURCES AND EVERYTHING ELSE, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
BUT THAT'S GONNA TAKE A FOCUSED EFFORT.
AND SO I DON'T WANNA FOCUS ON, UH, UH, PENALIZING THEM OR, OR JAILING THEM FOR BEING HOMELESS.
I WANT TO, I WANT TO FOCUS ON THE CONTINUUM AND GETTING IT SO THAT IT WORKS BEFORE WE RUSH TO, TO A DECISION THAT IT'S NOT REALLY TENABLE.
AND, AND I WILL SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, ARRESTING THOSE WHO ARE UNSHELTERED IS NOT THE CITY OF DALLAS POLICY.
IT HAS NOT, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT'S NOT, UH, THE OHS POLICY, THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE BEING ASKED TO DO.
UM, AND WE, YOU KNOW, DO HAVE A STRATEGY THAT IS, YOU KNOW, VERY, VERY MUCH SUCCESSFUL.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THAT FOR ALMOST FOUR YEARS AND WE ARE STILL WORKING ON GETTING TO EVERYONE BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE.
UM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE KNOW THAT IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY FEEL THAT WAY AND THAT PEOPLE ARE FRUSTRATED.
AND SO THAT'S WHY I THINK, AS I SAID, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE LISTENED TO THIS GROUP.
WE HAVE LISTENED TO THE HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS SOLUTIONS COMMITTEE AND ARE EXPLORING, UM, ADDITIONAL
[00:35:01]
OPPORTUNITIES TO BRING PEOPLE INTO OTHER TYPES OF HOUSING BECAUSE THAT HAS BEEN REQUESTED.SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE ALL FOR ALL THE CREATIVE APPROACHES.
AND, AND TO THAT POINT, UM, IF YOU RECALL FROM OUR JUNE MEETING COMMISSIONERS, UM, WE WERE PRESENTED WITH A TEMPORARY HOUSING UPDATE.
AND ONE OF THE, UH, MEMORABLE SLIDES WAS THAT FROM ENCAMPMENT TO HOUSING IS SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS THE PATHWAY TO HOUSING.
AND THEN IF WE INSERT THIS TEMPORARY, UM, HOUSING EFFORT, WHICH WOULD BE EITHER THE MANUFACTURED HOUSING OR THE ONE WITHOUT THE PERMANENT, UM, STRUCTURE, UM, THAT ADDS TO THE TIMELINE AND THE PATHWAY TO HOUSING, BUT IT GIVES THEM A PLACE TO GO.
THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF THAT FOR THAT TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX.
I WILL ALSO SAY GIVING PEOPLE A PLACE TO GO DOES NOT FORCE THEM TO GO THERE.
YOU CANNOT JUST PICK THEM UP AND THEN DRIVE THEM SOMEPLACE AND MAKE THEM STAY THERE.
SO NO SOLUTION IS A SILVER BULLET.
YOU CAN CERTAINLY ADD TO THE TOOLBOX, BUT NO ONE SOLUTION IS GONNA FIX EVERYTHING.
SO I THINK WE JUST NEED TO BE REALISTIC ABOUT WHAT THAT IS GOING TO ACHIEVE WHILE ALSO UNDERSTANDING, AS YOU SAID, THE HUMANITARIAN BENT BEHIND IT.
UM, AND BEFORE I MOVE ON TO OUR COMMISSIONERS IN VIRTUAL LAND, UM, I SEE YOUR HAND, COMMISSIONER FLORES.
UM, I JUST WANNA WELCOME, UM, SOME AUDIENCE MEMBERS THAT WE HAVE.
AND I SEE, UH, PATRICIA BLAZ, SHE'S THE CHIEF EXTERNAL RELATIONS OFFICER FOR HOUSING FORWARD.
AND I THOUGHT I SAW SCOTT GOLDSTEIN'S COME IN HERE.
HE HAS THE, UM, ESTEEMED MEETINGS OF INTEREST WEEKLY EMAIL THAT COMES OUT ON SUNDAY EVENINGS THAT JUST WON AN AWARD, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH.
UM, BUT I HOPE EVERYONE SIGNS UP FOR THAT.
AND THEN BEHIND ME, I HAVE, UM, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME COUNCIL MEMBER MORENO FOR BEING HERE.
HE ALSO CHAIRS THE HOUSING AND HOMELESS SOLUTIONS COMMITTEE.
AND HIS, UH, POLICY ANALYST, DEVIN SKINNER.
UM, THANK YOU FOR ALL BEING HERE FOR THIS MEETING TODAY.
AND I'M GONNA MOVE INTO VIRTUAL LAND AND I SEE YOUR HAND RAISED.
COMMISSIONER FLORES, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
UM, SO MY QUESTION IS, UM, FOCUSED ON THE UNDOCUMENTED, UM, HOUSELESS COMMUNITY.
SO, UH, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, ROADBLOCKS TO, TO HAVING SERVICES AVAILABLE FOR THOSE THAT, THAT ARE NOT QUALIFIED AS, AS OR CATEGORIZED AS REFUGEES.
UM, AND SO ARE, YOU KNOW, IN THE SHADOWS UNDOCUMENTED, IF THERE ARE ENCAMPMENT ENCAMPMENTS WHERE UNDOCUMENTED, UM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE, ARE IDENTIFIED, WHAT IS THE PROTOCOL, UM, FOR DEALING WITH THOSE INCIDENTS? AND ARE THERE SPECIFIC NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THAT YOU TYPICALLY REFER THEM TO, UH, OR ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE ABLE TO OFFER SERVICES? SO, THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, DEPENDING ON WHEN SOMEONE CAME INTO THE COUNTRY, IF THEY HAD A SPONSOR OR NOT, HOW LONG THEY'VE BEEN HERE, ALL OF THOSE THINGS TRACK BACK TO THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDING WITH WHICH TO HELP THEM.
UM, IF THEY ARE NEWER INTO THE COUNTRY, WE HAVE AN OFFICE OF WELCOMING COMMUNITIES AT THE CITY THAT ACTUALLY DEALS WITH REFUGEES, UM, OR, YOU KNOW, ANYONE COMING IN WHO NEEDS ASSISTANCE.
SO THAT'S NOT AN OFFICE OF HOMELESS SOLUTIONS AREA.
HOWEVER, WE DO HAVE PEOPLE IN ENCAMPMENTS WHO HAVE BEEN HERE HOMELESS IN DALLAS FOR A VERY LONG TIME, UM, WHO ALSO HAVE THAT ISSUE.
UM, AND SO REALLY IT IS SOMETHING THAT IS WORKED ON, ON A CASE TO CASE BASIS, CASE BY CASE BASIS, UM, AND SOMETIMES WORKING WITH LANDLORDS JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN HOUSE EVERYONE WE COME ACROSS.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE WAY THAT WE TREAT IT IS IF YOU'RE IN DALLAS, THEN, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS WE'RE CONCERNED, YOU'RE A RESIDENT OF DALLAS.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHO WE'RE WORKING WITH.
BUT IT IS DIFFICULT, UM, BECAUSE A LOT OF THE FEDERAL PATHWAYS TO ASSISTANCE ARE VERY CLEARLY FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE FOLLOWED THE PRESCRIBED PATH TO COMING IN WITH A SPONSOR, SHOWING UP FOR YOUR HEARING, UM, ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
SO I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE A PERFECT ANSWER.
WE ARE FOREVER ASKING OURSELVES THAT QUESTION AND LOOKING FOR NEW SOLUTIONS.
UM, IS, IS THERE A LIST OF RESOURCES THAT, THAT YOU MAY HAVE THAT FOCUS ON THIS POPULATION OR MAY BE ABLE TO OFFER SERVICES? YES.
UM, AND I'D BE HAPPY TO, UM, GET THOSE FOR YOU FROM THE OFFICE OF WELCOMING COMMUNITIES AND INTRODUCE YOU TO THEM AS WELL.
UM, THEY DO FANTASTIC WORK AND WE, WE CONSTANTLY WORK WITH THEM ON STUFF LIKE THIS.
[00:40:01]
MM-HMM.COMMISSIONER SANTOS, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR, OKAY.
AND I, I DID OMIT, UM, WELCOMING OUR NEW CITY ATTORNEY, MARISSA HINES.
UM, I JUST WANT THE COMMISSIONERS TO GET, SAY HELLO 'CAUSE SHE WILL BE AS IMPORTANT AS THE REST OF THE STAFF THAT ASSISTS THIS BOARD.
UH, SO THAT COMPLETES ROUND ONE FOR COMM UH, FOR COMMISSIONER QUESTIONS.
UM, WE'RE GONNA BEGIN ROUND TWO AND I'M GONNA START AT THE OPPOSITE END.
AND, UH, COMMISSIONER EINSTEIN, IS THAT YOUR MICROPHONE OR NO? OKAY.
SO, UH, COMMISSIONER KLATTEN HOP, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR.
IN YOUR EXPERIENCE WHEN OUTREACH GOES OUT TO OFFER REALTIME HOUSING OR SERVICES, AND IF THE, UH, PEOPLE SAY NO, ARE THEY GENERALLY SAYING NO TO CONGREGATE SHELTER? OR ARE THEY SAYING, NO, I DON'T WANNA BE IN THE REALTIME PROGRAM? THEY'RE SAYING NO TO CONGREGATE SHELTER.
UM, AND SO WHAT ABOUT, AND DO THE CONGREGATE SHELTERS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TAKE MENTALLY ILL AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER FOLKS? UM, THERE IS NOT A POLICY OF DISCRIMINATING.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU'D HAVE TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE MEDICAL DIAGNOSES TO GO WITH THOSE THINGS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT SHELTERS ARE REALLY LOOKING AT.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, I WILL SAY THE BRIDGE WITH DR.
WOODY SITTING BEHIND ME, UM, IS A, THE LOW ADULT, UH, THE SINGLE ADULT LOW BARRIER SHELTER IN THE CITY.
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T BE ACTIVELY DOING ANYTHING THAT'S ILLEGAL ON CAMPUS, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU CAN HAVE PROBLEMS AND STILL BE ASKING FOR A PLACE TO STAY AND TO RECEIVE SERVICES.
WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE OUT THERE, UM, WHO ARE MENTALLY ILL AND DON'T ACCEPT SERVICES BECAUSE THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT THEY NEED THOSE SERVICES? YOU KNOW, I'M SEEING SOMEONE DETERIORATE OVER THE YEARS, OUT ON 6 35 AND COY, AND I KEEP, YOU KNOW, I CALL RIGHTCARE AND IT'S, I FEEL LIKE IT'S LIKE LETTING CHILDREN GO OUTSIDE.
'CAUSE THIS GUY IS JUST WASTING AWAY, YOU KNOW? AND AT WHAT POINT DO WE DECIDE THIS PERSON CAN'T MAKE A DECISION FOR THEMSELVES? YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT HELPING PEOPLE WHO ARE UNABLE TO HELP THEMSELVES? SO, YEAH, A COUPLE, I MEAN, IT, IT RUNS, THERE'S A SPECTRUM.
SO WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO'S CHRONICALLY HOMELESS, WHICH IS MOST OF OUR VISIBLY UNSHELTERED, YOU ARE LOOKING AT A VERY HIGH PROPENSITY TOWARDS CO-OCCURRING, CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS.
YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE COME IN WITH THOSE, BUT JUST THE SHEER TRAUMA OF BEING OUTSIDE IS GOING TO START TRIGGERING A BUNCH OF THE, YOU KNOW, A DISORDER.
AND THEN YOU MIGHT BE TREATING THAT DISORDER, UH, WHICH CREATES A DIFFERENT DISORDER.
AND SO YOU END UP WITH FOLKS WHO HAVE REALLY RAPIDLY DETERIORATED IN MENTAL OR IN PHYSICAL OR, UH, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH.
AND SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE TEAMS THAT ARE EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH THAT AND RIGHT.
CARE AND MOBILE CRISIS ARE FANTASTIC, BUT THEY'RE REALLY THERE TO ADDRESS, ARE YOU EXHIBITING A DANGER TO OTHERS OR YOURSELF? AND IF YOU'RE NOT, THEN THERE'S, THERE'S NOT REALLY ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE.
UM, BUT SOMETHING THAT WE, AS A CONTINUUM OF CARE HAVE, HAVE REALLY, UM, PIONEERED IS IN OUR BI QUADRANT STREET OUTREACH, THERE ARE NOW BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TEAMS WITH EACH OF THOSE.
AND SO THAT'S A, FORMING A HIGHER LEVEL OF TRUST.
UM, IT'S NOT THE OHS HEALTH AND SAFETY TEAM.
WE'RE GOING OUT TO DO 3 1 1 REQUESTS, HOMELESS ACTION RESPONSE, THAT SORT OF THING.
THESE ARE TEAMS WHOSE SOLE PURPOSE IS TO GO OUT AND KEEP BUILDING THESE RELATIONSHIPS AND BRINGING IN THESE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS.
UM, AND IT'S GOTTA GETTING A HIGHER LEVEL OF RESPONSE BECAUSE WE NEEDED THAT RESPONSE CAPABILITY THERE IN A WAY THAT CAN COME OUT AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.
NOT LIKE A CITY FACILITY, LIKE A RIGHT CARE MOBILE CRISIS THAT HAS A TON OF DIFFERENT EMERGENCIES TO RESPOND TO ALL THE TIME.
UM, SO THEY CAN'T KEEP COMING BACK TO THAT ONE PERSON.
NOW, ON THE OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM, THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST SO MENTALLY ILL THAT IT'S BECOMING A DANGER TO THEMSELVES TO BE OUTSIDE.
IN 15 YEARS, I HAVE HAD THAT HAPPEN TWICE.
SO IT IS RARE AND IT IS A VERY, VERY SERIOUS THING TO TAKE AWAY SOMEONE'S RIGHTS, AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING I WOULD EVER DO LIGHTLY.
THERE'S A LOT OF DOCUMENTATION, A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO APPROVE IT.
UM, AND IT STILL MAY NOT STICK, RIGHT? JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE'S GOING IN FOR A PSYCH EVALUATION DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE STAYING.
SO I THINK THERE'S A DANGER IN DISCUSSING, HELPING PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW THAT THEY NEED THE HELP, BECAUSE I THINK WE, WE ASSUME A CONSERVATORSHIP WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING EXACTLY WHAT THAT MEANS.
[00:45:01]
RUNS THE GAMUT AND I THINK THERE'S A MUCH EASIER WAY TO HELP PEOPLE THAT'S FAR LESS TRAUMATIZING THAT APPLIES TO MOST INDIVIDUALS WHO NEED THAT HELP.AND COMMISSIONER WRIGHT, DID YOU WANNA ADD TO ROUND TWO? YES.
UM, I JUST WANNA CONFIRM, UM, JUST TO, JUST A FEW POINTS.
UM, ONE, JUST TO, TO STATE THAT I AM ON MORE OF THE COMPASSION SIDE THAN ENFORCEMENT SIDE, JUST WANT ALL MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS TO HEAR THAT.
UM, I DO A LOT OF OUTREACH, UM, BUT I, I DO BELIEVE IN ENFORCEMENT TOO.
AND SO TRYING TO GET THAT RHETORIC SO THAT I CAN SHARE WITH, UM, CONCERNED MEMBERS OF MY COMMUNITY, MOMS SPECIFICALLY, THAT DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR KIDS BEING EXPOSED TO SOME OF THE BEHAVIORS THAT MANIFEST THEMSELVES.
UM, SO I'M, I'M JUST TRYING TO KIND OF FINE TUNE MY OWN, UM, VERBIAGE, UM, TO, TO JUST COMPLIMENT THE WORK, UM, AND ADVOCATE FURTHER.
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU REALLY ARE PUSHING HARD FOR MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND I THINK THAT HAS JUST BECOME THE TRIGGER TERM.
EVERYBODY NEEDS AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
IT'S THE SOLUTION FOR EVERYTHING.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T SIDESTEP THE ENFORCEMENT PART EITHER.
YOU KNOW, THERE WE DO NEED TO BE CONCERNED OF PEOPLE, THEIR SAFETY BEING OUT THERE AND THE ABUSE THAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SLEEP OUTSIDE.
ALSO, UM, HAVING WORKED WITH TRAFFIC VICTIMS, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING I WANT KEEPING, YOU KNOW, ENABLING THE RISK.
AND SO, UM, SO REALLY JUST, YOU KNOW, LOOKING FOR MORE FEEDBACK AND DIRECTION TO SAY, WHAT CAN I DO? HOW CAN I CHANNEL THE ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS TO FURTHER THE COMPASSION? YEAH.
UM, AND, AND I WILL SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, OHS IS ALSO, I THINK SOMETHING THAT OUR, OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE COINED IS, UH, ENFORCEMENT PLUS COMPASSION.
UM, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I STAND BY.
UM, AND IT REALLY IS, THAT'S THE PURVIEW THAT, UH, I SEE THAT AS THE PURVIEW OF OHS OUTREACH.
WE FILL THE HEALTH AND SAFETY BUCKET FOR THE CONTINUUM OF CARE.
AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS WE GO OUT FOR 3 1 1 REQUESTS.
WE ARE AT THE CRIME WATCH, IS THE HOA MEETINGS, A CONCERNED NEIGHBOR WANTS TO TALK TO SOMEBODY.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING OUT WITH THE PARK RANGERS.
WE DO, UH, THE HOMELESS ACTION RESPONSE TEAM.
SO IF THERE ARE EMERGENCIES OR PLACES WHERE WE CANNOT WAIT TO GET TO THAT GOLD STANDARD OF CARE WHERE WE'RE ENDING THE CYCLE OF HOMELESSNESS BECAUSE IT'S JUST TOO DANGEROUS FOR THIS CURRENT ITERATION OF THE ENCAMPMENT TO STAY, THEN WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT REMOVING PEOPLE FROM THIS SITE IS NOT GOING TO END THEIR HOMELESSNESS AND IT'S NOT GOING TO SOLVE OUR PROBLEM.
BUT IF IT IS JUST TOO UNSAFE FOR THAT AREA, THEN THEY DO HAVE TO BE MOVED.
AND WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT RESIDENTIAL AREAS AND CHILDREN AND SCHOOLS, UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS JUST A, A NO-GO.
UM, AND I, I WISH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WILL GET TO THE POINT.
I DO BELIEVE WE WILL GET TO THE POINT WHERE THAT RESPONSE IS IN LINE WITH US BEING ABLE TO QUICKLY HOUSE PEOPLE.
AND IT WILL BE, HEY, YOU CAN'T BE HERE BECAUSE I CAN OFFER YOU HOUSING.
AND SO WE DO LIVE IN THIS GRAY SPACE THAT IS UNCOMFORTABLE AND DOES NOT SOLVE EVERYONE'S PROBLEM.
BUT THAT'S REALLY WHERE OHS STREET OUTREACH CAN THREAD THE NEEDLE AND SAY, WE'RE HERE FOR THE UNSHELTERED, BUT WE'RE ALSO HERE FOR THE RESIDENTS.
THANK YOU FOR THAT, CHRISTINE.
AND I'M GONNA MOVE TO ONE MORE QUESTION, UM, AND JUST A LITTLE REMINDER TO KEEP IT, UM, YOU KNOW, PERTINENT TO THE ITEM THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING AS IT RELATES TO, UM, ENCAMPMENT PROCESSES, UM, RELATED TO THE ITEM.
SO I SEE YOUR, UH, MICROPHONE RAISED.
COMMISSIONER JACOB, THANK YOU.
UH, THIS IS ALL, I MEAN, IT'S CONVOLUTE, IT'S LIKE A THREE PART QUESTION, BUT IT, IT'S ALL GERMANE TO THE ISSUE.
UH, YOU TALKED ABOUT, UH, WE HAVE HOUSED 12,000 PEOPLE SINCE 2021.
UH, WHAT'S THE UNIQUE NUMBER ON THAT? IS IT 12,000 UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS OR HAVE THERE BEEN A NUMBER THAT HAVE RETURNED MULTIPLE TIMES FOR HOUSING? SO THE RECIDIVISM, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
THE RECIDIVISM RATE IS FAIRLY LOW.
UM, BUT WE ARE WORKING AS A SYSTEM ON THAT NUMBER NOW BECAUSE WE'RE TRACKING THE RECIDIVISM.
SO IT'S GOING TO SWITCH FROM INDI.
I MEAN, IT IS INDIVIDUALS HOUSED, BUT IN TERMS OF THE UNIQUE COUNT, WE ARE LOOKING AT THAT NOW, SO YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE IT.
UM, AND IF MY RESEARCH IS RIGHT, UH, COUNCIL, UH, APPROVED BUDGETARY SPEND LAST YEAR, 4.1 MILLION FOR, UH, UH, THE ADJUSTMENT OF, UH, HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS.
WERE ABOUT SIX WEEKS BEFORE THE END OF FISCAL YEAR.
WHERE DO WE LOOK? I MEAN, WHERE IS THAT IN YOUR MIND? WHERE HAS THAT MONEY BEEN SPENT WISELY, APPROPRIATELY, AND HOW MANY ENCAMPMENTS HAVE CLOSED AS A RESULT OF THAT SPEND? SO I'M NOT SURE, DO YOU HAVE A BREAKDOWN OF THE 4.1? YEAH, IT WAS 1.5 ON DECOMMISSIONING, UH, 1.5 ON BUILDING FENCES TO KEEP HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS OUT.
AND ANOTHER 1.1 ON THE CLEANING OF ENCAMPMENTS, IS THAT ALL MONEY THAT IS DEDICATED TO OHS? IS IT, UH, DISPERSED THROUGH THE, UH, VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS? NO,
[00:50:01]
IT'S ALL WITH US, BUT WE DON'T, I WOULD NEED TO LOOK BACK AT IT, BUT WE HAVE, WE HAVE JUST, WE HAVE ABOUT 2 MILLION AND HALFS FOR CLEANING AND HALF IS FOR FENCING.UM, AND THEN WE HAVE THE AMOUNT FOR, UM, THEN WE HAVE ANOTHER AMOUNT THAT IS FOR OUR STAFF, BUT THAT'S IT.
THERE'S NOT A, THERE'S NOT A ANOTHER AMOUNT THAT'S JUST FOR DECOMMISSIONINGS.
UM, WHAT WE DID HAVE WAS THAT 800,000 TOWARDS STREET OUTREACH THAT IS 1.4 MILLION IN THIS BUDGET FOR THE FINAL YEAR.
UM, BUT FOR THE REST OF IT, IT WAS NOT, THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY DEDICATED TO ENCAMPMENTS.
A LOT OF WHAT WE END UP DOING IS CLEANINGS AROUND HOTSPOTS.
SO I HAVE THE, UM, PERCENTAGES BUT NOT IN FRONT OF ME.
UM, ALL OF THE FENCING THAT WE HAVE DONE HAS BEEN ON RIGHT OF WAYS, UM, GENERALLY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TXDOT WHO'VE BEEN REALLY GREAT ABOUT THAT.
UM, AND THEN A LOT OF CLEANING HAS BEEN IN CONJUNCTION WITH THAT REMOVALS AND THEN SOME ENCAMPMENTS THAT WE'VE CLEANED.
SO I CAN PULL THE NUMBERS FOR YOU.
I DON'T HAVE IT RIGHT NOW, BUT I CAN GIVE THAT TO YOU.
AND I'LL FOLLOW UP, UM, OF COURSE THIS WITH AN EMAIL SO WE CAN GET A, A MEMO OUT TO COMMISSIONERS ADDRESSING THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO ADDRESS TODAY.
UM, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR QUESTIONS ON THAT.
UM, WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM.
UM, AND CHRISTINE, YOU STILL HAVE THE FLOOR.
SO, UM, ITEM FIVE IS, UH, IT'S A DISCUSSION, UM, ON THE AGENDA OF THE CONTRACT FORECAST AND PROPERTIES UPDATE.
SO, UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF STUFF COMING ON THE 28TH.
UM, THE ILA FOR, UM, THIS, THE FIRST ONE IS ACCEPTANCE OF THE, UM, OH, IT'S, OKAY.
THE FIRST ONE IS ACCEPTANCE OF, UM, 1 MILLION FROM DALLAS COUNTY THAT, UH, COMES ANNUALLY TO US TO, UM, PUT TOWARDS THE BRIDGE STEPS.
UM, AND SO THIS IS JUST ACCEPTANCE OF THAT FUNDING.
UM, AND THEN THE NEXT ONE IS, UH, TDHC, A TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY.
THERE ARE TWO, UH, THINGS IN HERE.
SO WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS OUR ANNUAL FUNDING, UM, IN THE AMOUNT OF 937,885, UM, FOR THE 24 25 FUND.
AND THEN A LITTLE BIT MORE FROM A REALLOCATION AND THE REALLOCATING FROM THE 2023 POT OF A HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN, SIX HUNDRED EIGHTEEN.
UM, SO LOOKING AT THAT THERE, THAT BRINGS US TO THE 1 0 5 TOTAL.
UM, THAT WILL BE, I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING ELSE IN THERE, UM, THAT'LL BE RELEVANT A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SOME OTHER STUFF.
WE HAVE, UM, ANNUAL POTS OF FUNDING FROM THE STATE AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
AND THEN EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE THEY'LL SAY, HEY, WE HAVE FUNDS FROM A PRIOR FISCAL YEAR THAT WE HAVE QUAD BACK FROM ANOTHER PROGRAM.
YOU GUYS ARE REALLY GOOD AT SPENDING.
COULD WE REALLOCATE IT WITH YOU? AND THEN YOU HAVE A TRUNCATED AMOUNT OF TIME TO SPEND IT DOWN.
UM, WE OBVIOUSLY DON'T LIKE TO SAY NO TO ADDITIONAL MONEY, UM, BUT IT DOES HAVE TO BE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN RESPONSIBLY SPEND DOWN.
AND SO YOU'LL SEE THINGS LIKE THAT WHERE IT'S A DIFFERENT FISCAL YEAR, AND THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S A REALLOCATION WITH A SHORTER TIMELINE TO SPEND.
UM, SO THIS IS JUST ACCEPTING THAT MONEY.
AND THEN WHEN YOU GO FURTHER DOWN, SO WITH THE BRIDGE, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT, OH, THIS IS JUST A NORMAL CONTRACT THAT WE DID A COMPETITIVE FUNDING GRANT FOR A HUNDRED AND, UH, $49 AND 149,000, $10 AND 44 CENTS, UM, TO DO SOME ADDITIONAL, UM, RAPID REHOUSING.
UM, AND THE BRIDGE HAS HAD A STANDALONE RAPID REHOUSING PROGRAM FOR A WHILE.
SO THEY WERE THE BEST COMPETITOR.
AND, UM, THIS IS A PROPOSAL TO AWARD THOSE FUNDS TO THEM.
AND THEN IF WE GO DOWN, THANK YOU.
UM, SO WHEN I TALKED ABOUT THE T-D-H-C-A, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
SO, UM, FOR THE BRIDGE, WE USUALLY DO A-T-D-H-C-A AMOUNT WITH THEM AS WELL AS OUR, UH, ONE THAT'S PART OF THE TOTAL OF THE 4 MILLION OR THAT GOES INTO, OR 5 MILLION THAT GOES INTO THE BRIDGE IS SOME OF THE, SOME OF THAT IS GRANT FUNDING.
AND THIS IS A REDUCTION OF FUNDING, NOT BECAUSE IT'S PUNITIVE, NO ONE'S DONE ANYTHING WRONG, IT'S JUST THE STATE HAS LESS TO GIVE THIS YEAR.
AND SO IT'S A REDUCTION IN FUNDING WHERE THEY SAID, HEY, WE THINK WE HAVE THIS MUCH TO GIVE YOU.
AND NOW THEY'VE COME BACK AND SAID, ACTUALLY, WE DON'T, WE NEED TO TAKE SOME OF THAT BACK FOR SOMETHING ELSE.
SO IT'S JUST AN ADJUSTMENT TO THAT BECAUSE THE STATE HAS COME BACK AND ADJUSTED THEIR NUMBERS.
UM, AND THEN TRANSITION RESOURCE ACTION CENTER, UH, OR TRACK THAT IS THE YOUTH PROGRAM THAT USED TO BE WITH CITY SQUARE AND HAS SINCE BRANCHED OFF INTO ITS OWN 5 0 1 C3.
I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE WHEN CITY SQUARE ANNOUNCED ITS CLOSURE, WERE REALLY WORRIED ABOUT THE TRACK YOUTH PROGRAM, BUT IT'S BEEN ITS OWN STANDALONE NONPROFIT FOR A WHILE NOW, WHICH IS GREAT.
UM, AND SO WE ARE ABLE TO USE SOME OF THAT TDHC MONEY,
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UM, THAT IS YOUTH SPECIFIC, WHICH AGAIN, IS THAT 18 TO 26 POPULATION OR 18 TO 24 FOR TRACK AND PUT IT TOWARDS THEM.SO, UH, LIKE I SAID, WE HAVE A LOT OF THINGS COMING ON THE 28TH, AND I KNOW THE T-D-H-C-A REALLOCATION VERSUS WHAT'S NEW CAN BE A LITTLE CONFUSING, BUT THE MAIN TAKEAWAY IS THAT SOME OF IT IS ANNUAL, A SMALL PART IS REALLOCATION.
AND WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT ITEM 28 FOR THE BRIDGE, THE REDUCTION IS NOT PUNITIVE, IT'S JUST THE STATE CAME BACK AND ADJUSTED THEIR NUMBERS.
ANY QUESTIONS FROM COMMISSIONERS? OKAY.
WE HAVE COMMISSIONER EINSTEIN.
I'LL GIVE ONE MINUTE ON THIS ROUND.
UM, I LOVE TO HEAR THAT TRACK IS RECEIVING SOME FUNDING.
UM, I SEE THAT, UM, IN THE SECOND BOX THAT YOU HAVE YOUTH SET ASIDE REALLOCATION FUND FOR ABOUT 114,000.
UM, WHAT WILL THAT GO TO SPECIFICALLY? AND IS, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT RECEIVES FUNDING ANNUALLY, SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUTH? AND IS THAT YOUNGER THAN 18? THIS IS A LOT OF QUESTIONS I DIDN'T REALIZE I HAD.
AND IS IT FOR FAMILIES OR JUST YOUTH? SO THE YOUTH SET ASIDE FUND AND RANITA, CAN YOU GO BACK TO THAT ONE? I THINK IT'S ON THE TOP.
BOX TWO, UM, THE YOUTH SET ASIDE FUND IS JUST ANOTHER ONE OF THE FUNDING BUCKETS THAT THEY HAVE.
IT'S STILL THE YOUTH 18 TO 24.
AND SO THAT'S JUST GOING INTO ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS THAT SERVE THAT MORE FRAGILE SUBSET OF THE ADULT POPULATION.
AND IT'S SOMETIMES IT'S A FUNDING LINE THAT THEY HAVE AND SOMETIMES IT'S NOT.
UM, AND JUST A REMINDER TO COMMISSIONERS, IF YOU, YOU KNOW, HAVE SPECIFIC CONCERNS ABOUT ANY OF THESE ITEMS, THEY ARE GOING TO BE ON THE COUNCIL AGENDA ON THE 28TH, UM, AND YOU CAN REACH OUT TO YOUR COUNCILMAN FOR DISCUSSION AS WELL.
AND THEY'RE GOING TO HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS AND SOLUTIONS ON THE, WHAT DATE IS THAT BEFORE THAT? THERE YOU GO.
HHS IS, UM, I DON'T HAVE MINE AUGUST 26TH AT 9:00 AM SO YES, TWO DAYS BEFORE THAT.
THEY'LL ALSO GO TO, UH, HHS AND IT'LL, UH, UH, THAT'S IN CITY HALL.
ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS HAVE QUESTIONS? IT LOOKS LIKE, IS UH, COMMISSIONER BROWN, IS THAT, THAT'S YOUR MICROPHONE.
YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE FOR A QUESTION.
I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I REALLY DO HOPE THAT WE ARE GOING TO GIVE THE BRIDGE SOME MORE MONEY AND THAT THEY WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR MORE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN DOING A TON OF WORK, AND ESPECIALLY WITH CITY SQUARE BEING CLOSED DOWN, WHAT, DECEMBER.
I REALLY HOPE THAT WE'RE GONNA SEE SOME MORE ALLOCATED FUNDS GOING TO THE BRIDGE.
SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT STATEMENT OUT THERE.
BUT THANK YOU COMMISSIONER BROWN AND COMMISSIONER JACOB.
JUST IN RESPONSE TO THAT, I MEAN, I'M, I'M ALL FOR THE BRIDGE.
I'M A BIG PROPONENT OF THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE, BUT I MEAN, UH, ST.
STUPOT IS PURCHASING, UH, CITY SQUARE'S, UH, PROPERTY AND OVERTAKING A LOT OF THE SERVICES THAT CITY SQUARE PROVIDED.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE CITY SQUARE IS GOING AWAY.
AM I CORRECT IN SAYING THAT? SO YES, BUT A LOT OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS BEING OVERTAKEN BY TWO POD.