[Housing and Homelessness Solutions on October 22, 2024.]
[00:00:04]
THE TIME IS 9 0 9, AND WE ARE CALLING THE HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS SOLUTIONS COMMITTEE.
FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.
FIRST BRIEFING ITEM, A GOOD MORNING CHAIR.
COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, CHRISTINE CROSLEY, OFFICE OF HOMELESS SOLUTIONS DIRECTOR.
AND TODAY, UH, WE ARE HERE TO DO OUR QUARTERLY ALL NEIGHBORS COALITION REPORT, UM, ON OUR HOMELESSNESS SYSTEM.
AND OF COURSE, UH, YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH, UH, CEO AND DIRECTOR KHAN, BUT I'D ALSO AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT WE HAVE A LARGER CONTINGENT TODAY TO TALK ABOUT SOME SPECIFIC ASPECTS.
SARAH? HEY, GOOD TO BE BACK WITH YOU GUYS TODAY.
I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT WITH SOME VERY CLOSE COLLEAGUES IN THIS WORK.
UM, DARLY BIER, WHO IS A SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR THE MEADOWS METRO HEALTH POLICY INSTITUTE.
AND MATT ROBERTS, WHO'S THE CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER WITH THE NORTH TEXAS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AUTHORITY.
THEY'VE JOINED ME TODAY, UM, BECAUSE WHILE I'LL BE PROVIDING A BIT OF A RECAP ON THE FIRST PHASE OF THE STREET TO HOME INITIATIVE, WE WANTED TO SPEND A LARGE PORTION OF OUR TIME TALKING ABOUT REALLY THE GROUNDBREAKING PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE CREATED TO INTEGRATE THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM INTO OUR REHOUSING RESPONSE.
AND SO THEY'LL JOIN ME FOR THE SECOND PART OF THAT PRESENTATION.
SO IF WE COULD GO TO THE FIRST SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO, UH, IN 2021, AS WE'VE REPORTED TO THIS COMMITTEE BEFORE, THAT REALLY MARKED, UM, THE YEAR THAT WE REALLY CHANGED THE WAY THAT WE DO BUSINESS AS A SYSTEM AND ALIGNED AND COORDINATED AROUND STRATEGIES THAT COULD HAVE THE MOST DRAMATIC IMPACT ON REDUCING HOMELESSNESS FROM YEAR TO YEAR.
AND WE JOINED UNDER A UNIFIED STRATEGY TO, UM, TO, WITH SUPPORT FROM THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS THROUGH THE REAL TIME RAPID REHOUSING INITIATIVE THAT THE CITY WAS A CHAMPION AND INVESTOR IN TO ENSURE THAT WE WERE MOVING PEOPLE OFF THE STREET AND INTO PERMANENT HOUSING WITH SERVICES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
THAT EFFORT OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS SINCE 2021, HAS RESULTED IN A 24% REDUCTION IN UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS.
AND AS A COALITION, WHILE WE'VE MADE PROGRESS, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO, UM, AND WE CONTINUE TO, UM, KNOW THAT NOT EVERYONE IS FEELING THAT PROGRESS BECAUSE WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF VULNERABLE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING OUTSIDE.
AND SO, AS A SYSTEM, WE HAVE REALLY SET OUR SIGHTS ON THE NEXT BIG MILESTONE, WHICH IS ACHIEVING A 50% REDUCTION IN UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS BY 2026.
AND WE ARE GOING TO DO THAT WITH THIS $30 MILLION STREET TO HOME INITIATIVE, WHICH IS TWO-PRONGED.
THE FIRST PRONG IS WE MUST CONTINUE REHOUSING AT THE HISTORIC PACE THAT HAS ALLOWED US TO HOUSE OVER 12,700 INDIVIDUALS SINCE 2021.
SO AS REALTIME DOLLARS WIND DOWN STREET TO HOME REALLY PICKS UP WHERE THAT HAS LEFT OFF TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T MISS A BEAT IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WE NEED TO HOUSE EACH MONTH TO KEEP PACE WITH THOSE FLOWING IN, WHICH MEANS WE'RE DIRECTLY HOUSING OUT OF SHELTER AND OFF THE STREET.
THE SECOND COMPONENT IS, UM, MORE STRATEGICALLY TARGETING STREET HOMELESSNESS IN PUBLIC SPACES ACROSS DALLAS AND COLLIN COUNTIES.
AND SO TODAY WE'RE GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE EARLY RESULTS, UM, OF THAT EFFORT.
SO IF YOU COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
WITH STREET TO HOME, WE'RE DEPLOYING A MORE ENHANCED ENCAMPMENT DECOMMISSIONING MODEL.
WE'VE PRACTICED WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS AND DDI, UM, FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, BUT THIS NEW WAY OF DOING BUSINESS TOGETHER REALLY ANSWERS THE CALL FROM OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR BUSINESS PARTNERS, UM, TO REALLY ADDRESS PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERNS BY, UM, TARGETING LOCATIONS WHERE THERE ARE PEOPLE SLEEPING OUTSIDE AND FAST TRACKING THEM BACK INTO PERMANENT HOUSING WITH COMPREHENSIVE CARE.
AND THERE ARE A COUPLE OF FEATURES THAT ARE REALLY IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS NEW WAY OF DOING BUSINESS.
[00:05:01]
THE CITY OF DALLAS HOUSING FORWARD, AND DDI HAVE ALL MADE THIS A TOP PRIORITY WITHIN OUR AGENCIES, AND WE ARE REALLY BRINGING A DO WHAT IT TAKES APPROACH TO THIS PROBLEM.UM, CHRISTINE CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ONE OF THE KEY FEATURES MOVING FORWARD IS THE CITY OF DALLAS HAS MADE A RENEWED COMMITMENT TO ENSURING THAT AFTER WE HAVE REHOUSED EVERYONE IN A SPECIFIC LOCATION, THAT THOSE LOCATIONS ARE NOT REPOPULATED WITH PEOPLE SLEEPING AND CAMPING IN THEM.
AND WE CAN OPEN UP THOSE PUBLIC SPACES AND KEEP THEM OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AFTER WE HAVE CLOSED A SITE.
AND CHRISTINE, YOU CAN TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT JUST THE COMPREHENSIVE CLOSURE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM THAT YOU GUYS ARE RUNNING.
SO, UM, IN ADDITION TO, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE OUR STREET OUTREACH TEAM THAT HAS THE DEDICATED CONTINGENT THAT WORKS IN TERMS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT, UM, WITH SARAH'S TEAM ON THIS, UH, A GAME CHANGER HERE HAS REALLY BEEN CLOSURE MAINTENANCE, WHICH IS RUN THROUGH THE OFFICE OF, OH, LET'S SEE IF I CAN GET THIS RIGHT.
I THINK IT'S EMERGENCY AND CRISIS RESPONSE.
SO IT WAS O-I-P-S-S AND OEM, UM, UNDER DIRECTOR ODIN THAT IS NOW REALLY ABLE TO PULL ALL OF THE DIFFERENT FACETS TOGETHER THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR EFFECTIVE CLOSURE MAINTENANCE, WHICH IS NOT JUST OUTREACH, BUT THERE'S ALSO AN ENFORCEMENT CONTINGENT, SOME, UH, CONTINGENT MOBILE CRI, UH, MOBILE CRISIS CONTINGENT, SOMETIMES A RIGHT CARE CONTINGENT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE ARE REGULAR, THERE'S REGULAR MONITORING AROUND THE CLOCK OF THESE DOWNTOWN AREAS.
AND THAT WILL CONTINUE WITH OTHER STREET TO HOME SITES.
AND THAT HAS REALLY BEEN CRITICAL IN NOT ONLY DOING THE H UH, NOT ONLY CLOSING THE SITES, BUT KEEPING THEM CLOSED.
UM, EVEN AS NEW PEOPLE ARE ATTRACTED TO DOWNTOWN, BECAUSE OF THINGS LIKE STREET CHARITY, WE CAN STILL SEE THAT THE DOWNTOWN AREA IS BEING KEPT CLEAR THROUGH THAT CLOSURE MAINTENANCE.
SO, THE FIRST PHASE OF STREET TO HOME LAUNCHED IN JULY, UM, THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS, DDI, UM, HOUSING FORWARD, AND OUR PARTNERS IN THE ALL NEIGHBORS COALITION, WE SET OUT ON AN OPERATION TO HOUSE OVER A HUNDRED PEOPLE IN THE DOWNTOWN CORE.
WE HOUSED 107 PEOPLE ACROSS THREE ZONES IN 86 DAYS, WHICH IS REMARKABLE.
UM, AND THE WAY THAT WE DID THAT WAS FIRST, UM, IN THE EARLY PARTS OF THE SUMMER, DDI, THE CITY AND HOUSING FORWARD HAD TEAMS OF PEOPLE GOING OUT AT FIVE IN THE MORNING TO ASSESS WHERE THERE WERE THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATIONS OF REGULAR SLEEPERS AND PEOPLE CAMPING OUTSIDE IN THE DOWNTOWN CORE.
AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME, UM, THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF PEOPLE REALLY SURROUNDED THREE ZONES.
THE FIRST ZONE WAS THE AREA IN FRONT OF THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
ZONE TWO WAS THE AREA BETWEEN YOUNG AND CANTON STREET, AS YOU SEE ON THE MAP.
AND ZONE THREE WAS THE AREA FROM CANTON TO GRIFFIN STREETS, WHICH ALSO THEN EXTENDED INTO THE STRIP ALONG I 30 NEAR THE LORENZO HOTEL.
UM, SO WE SET OUT TO CLOSE EACH OF THOSE ZONES BY HOUSING PEOPLE IN THOSE AREAS.
UH, WE CLOSED EACH ZONE WITHIN SIX WEEKS, AND WE EXPEDITED THAT CLOSURE BY REALLY RECOGNIZING THAT FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE REGULAR SLEEPERS IN THESE AREAS, WE NEEDED TO BRING THE WHOLE HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM TO MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY WERE AT OUTSIDE.
SO WE HAD, UM, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT DIG INTO A LITTLE BIT, BUT WE HAD BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, UM, CARE COORDINATORS, PEER SUPPORT SPECIALISTS, OUTREACH STAFF, UM, HOUSING NAVIGATORS, HOUSING CASE MANAGERS.
WE HAD PARKLAND STREET MEDICINE TEAM ALL JOINING ONSITE TO WORK WITH PEOPLE DAILY TO GET THEM CONNECTED TO CARE AND TO SUPPORT THEM TO NAVIGATE ALL OF THE STEPS THAT ARE REQUIRED TO MOVE BACK INTO PERMANENT HOUSING.
AT THE END OF THE CLOSURE OF EACH OF THOSE AREAS, WE MOVED PEOPLE DIRECTLY INTO THEIR OWN APARTMENTS AND THAT CARE THEN FOLLOWED THEM INTO THE COMMUNITY.
UM, SO THIS WAS THE FIRST THREE LARGE ZONES THAT WE'VE TACKLED.
WE'RE ONTO THE NEXT THREE ZONES, AND WE WILL SYSTEMATICALLY TARGET LOCATIONS ACROSS DOWNTOWN AND ACROSS THE CITY OF DALLAS, UM, TO ENSURE THAT NO ONE HAS TO SLEEP OUTSIDE.
SO, THE EXCITING NEW FEATURE OF OUR SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION THAT WE WANTED TO TALK ABOUT WAS REALLY BECAME THE BACKBONE OF THE STREET TO HOME EFFORT, WHICH IS OUR ABILITY TO INTEGRATE BEHAVIOR, THE BEHAVIOR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, AND THE HOMELESS RES RESPONSE SYSTEMS. AND WE WANNA SORT OF HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THAT WORK, UM, WHICH INCLUDED A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN NORTH TEXAS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AUTHORITY, UH, MEADOWS MENTAL HEALTH POLICY INSTITUTE, AND SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE ALL NEIGHBORS COALITION.
UH, WHEN I FIRST GOT TO DALLAS, STARTED WORKING IN DALLAS IN 2021, WHAT WE HEARD FROM PROVIDERS IS THAT FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, WE HAVE BEEN LEAVING IT UP TO SERVICE PROVIDERS, OUTREACH WORKERS AND HOUSING PROVIDERS TO PIECE TOGETHER ALL OF THE SUPPORT THAT SOMEONE NEEDS.
[00:10:01]
KNOW, LOOK AT A POPULATION WHO HAS VERY COMPLEX SUPPORT NEEDS OR SEVERE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, SOMETIMES PROVIDERS ARE HAVING TO PIECE TOGETHER 15 TO 20 DIFFERENT RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE CARE THAT'S COMPREHENSIVE ENOUGH FOR THAT POPULATION.SO, UM, WE EMBARKED ON AN EFFORT TO DO THREE THINGS IN RESPONSE TO WHAT WE WERE HEARING FROM THE COMMUNITY.
FIRST, WE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE WE WERE PROVIDING BETTER ACCESS INTO COMPREHENSIVE CARE.
SECOND, WE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE PROVIDING A STANDARD SYSTEM-WIDE RESPONSE, AND NOT LEAVING IT TO PROVIDERS TO FIGURE THIS OUT ON THEIR OWN, WHICH IS HISTORICALLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED.
AND THIRD, WE NEEDED TO ACCESS MAINSTREAM RESOURCES SO THAT THESE BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE SERVICES COULD BE FUNDED, UM, SUSTAINABLY AND VIABLY.
AND SO WE EMBARKED ON A, A PARTNERSHIP THROUGH A SUPPORTIVE SERVICES WORK GROUP, UM, IN THE ALL NEIGHBORS COALITION.
AND OUR GOAL WAS TO ENSURE ACCESS TO COMPREHENSIVE CARE FOR ANYONE IN SUPPORTIVE HOUSING WHO NEEDED IT AND WANTED IT.
AND SO TO DO THAT, WE EMBARKED ON IN INTEGRATING BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE IN THREE IMPORTANT WAYS.
I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT TWO OF THEM, AND CHRISTINE CAN DIG INTO THE THIRD ONE.
THE FIRST IS, UM, OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT.
UH, MATT IS GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE FIRST TWO LEVELS OF INTEGRATION, OUTREACH, AND ENGAGEMENT.
UM, WE KNEW THAT WE WANTED TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO CARE FROM THE VERY FIRST POINT THAT WE WERE ENGAGING SOMEONE ON THE STREET.
AND SO INTEGRATING BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE INTO OUR ACCESS POINT AND OUR OUTREACH TEAMS WAS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THAT.
SECOND, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT AS PEOPLE MOVED BACK INTO HOUSING, THAT THEY HAD COMPREHENSIVE CARE, UM, AS THEY TRANSITIONED IN HOUSING IN THE COMMUNITY.
THE THIRD LEVEL IS WHAT WE'RE CALLING CRISIS RESPONSE.
AND THIS IS, UM, AN AREA WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THERE IS A, A VERY, A VERY SMALL BUT IMPORTANT GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING OUTSIDE, WHO HAVE SUCH SEVERE BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE ISSUES THAT NEITHER OF THOSE LEVELS OF CARE, UM, ARE EQUIPPED TO SUPPORT THAT GROUP OF PEOPLE.
AND SO IN THAT INSTANCE WHERE SOMEONE IS NOT PRACTICING SELF-CARE OR IS A THREAT TO THEMSELVES OR OTHERS, THE CITY HAS DONE GREAT WORK TO BE ABLE TO INTEGRATE THE RIGHT CARE TEAM AND OTHER CRISIS RESPONSE EFFORTS FROM A PUBLIC SAFETY PERSPECTIVE INTO THIS RESPONSE SO THAT WE CAN BE BETTER, UM, COORDINATED, UM, AS A, AS A HOMELESS RESPONSE TEAM.
UM, CHRISTINE, DO YOU WANNA TALK AT ALL ABOUT RIGHTCARE BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE OTHER PHASES OF INTEGRATION? UH, JUST THAT, THAT IS SOMETHING, I KNOW IT'S BRIEFED AT PUBLIC SAFETY, SO THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF CROSSOVER HERE THAT YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE SEEN BEFORE.
BUT AGAIN, THAT'S BECAUSE FOR THE CITY, WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO BE MORE EFFICIENT IN TERMS OF UTILIZING EVERY TOOL IN OUR TOOLKIT.
AND AS SARAH SAID, THERE IS A VERY, VERY SMALL BUT OFTEN HIGHLY VISIBLE POPULATION THAT NEEDS MORE THAN WHAT IS APPROPRIATE THROUGH THIS SYSTEM.
UM, AND SO AGAIN, IT HAS TO BE SOMETHING THAT WITHIN THE LAW IS AN IMMEDIATE DANGER TO THEMSELVES OR OTHERS.
AND AT THAT POINT THEN, RIGHT, CARE IS STEPPING IN.
UM, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE ITERATIONS OF CARE, UH, TRIED BEFORE THEN SOMETIMES THROUGH THIS GROUP HERE, UM, SOMETIMES THROUGH MOBILE CRISIS.
BUT THAT'S REALLY THE CITY'S ROLE IS, UH, AND I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE HEARD ME SAY THAT BEFORE, IS THE HEALTH AND SAFETY PORTION OF THIS OUTREACH AND THE CLOSURE MAINTENANCE.
AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE REALLY EMBRACING AND STEPPING INTO SO WE CAN FOCUS ON THAT AND THEN LET THE REST OF OUTREACH DO WHAT IT IS THAT THEY DO, WHICH IS MORE OF THE ACTIVE HOUSING.
AND IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
I'M, UM, EXCITED TO PASS IT OVER TO MATT ROBERTS WITH NORTH TEXAS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AUTHORITY, WHO'S GONNA DIG IN AND BRING LIFE TO WHAT THAT INTEGRATION ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE.
UH, IF I MAY, LET'S ZOOM IN TO TWO ELEMENTS OF THE COORDINATION THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
ONE IS THE OUTREACH ENGAGEMENT, WHERE WE FIRST HAVE CONTACT WITH THE INDIVIDUAL WHO'S UNHOUSED AND NEEDING SERVICES.
AND THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT ONCE WE'VE MADE CONTACT AND CONNECTED THE ONGOING SERVICES.
SO, UM, FOR THE OUTREACH TO THE UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS, UH, THAT STARTS WITH COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS, UH, PEER SERVICE PROVIDERS, CARE COORDINATORS, OUTREACH WORKERS, UH, AND I'VE SEEN THAT IN THAT INTERACTION.
START WITH, UH, HEY, CAN I COME OVER AND TALK WITH YOU? UH, AND THAT, UH, INITIAL CONVERSATION, UH, LEADS TO WORK WITH A CARE COORDINATOR, UH, AND THE CARE COORDINATOR, THEIR JOB IS TO HELP CONDUCT THE INDIVIDUAL WHO WANTS SERVICES OVER TO A CONNECTION WITH THE PEOPLE WHO CAN PROVIDE ONGOING SERVICES.
UH, BECAUSE WE RECOGNIZE THAT, UH, IT'S A TASK TO GET CONNECTED, UH, THOSE STAFF ARE PROFESSIONALS AT HELPING PEOPLE GET CONNECTED AND STAY ENGAGED ALONG THE WAY.
NOW, WHEN THEY GET OVER TO ONGOING SERVICES, THOSE ARE GONNA BE PROVIDED BY NAMES THAT YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD OF, THAT'S METROCARE CHILD AND FAMILY GUIDANCE CENTER, UH, SOUTHERN AREA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH.
UM, AND THOSE ARE THE FOLKS WHO WILL PROVIDE THE TEAM-BASED SERVICES,
[00:15:01]
UH, AS THEY GO FORWARD.UM, AND THOSE SERVICES, THE ONGOING SERVICES ARE INTENSIVE CASE MANAGEMENT AND ASSERTIVE COMMUNITY, UH, COMMUNITY TREATMENT.
AND THE ADDED LAYER OF SERVICE WITHIN THE NEW PROJECT THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS MORE CASE MANAGEMENT, SO THAT THERE'S MORE ATTENTION GIVEN TO THE INDIVIDUAL WHO IS IN SERVICES TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S EASIER FOR THEM TO STAY ENGAGED.
SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK, MAYBE MORE OFTEN, VISITS FROM, UH, A MEMBER OF THE CARE TEAM, AN INTEGRATED CARE TEAM THAT, UH, HELP THE PERSON STAY ENGAGED AND STAY IN THE SERVICES THAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN.
SO, UH, IF I MAY, I'LL DRAW, I'LL, UH, ADDRESS ONE PARTICULAR CASE WE HAD.
SO THIS IS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO, UH, WAS LIVING UNHOUSED.
THEY HAD BEEN UNHOUSED FOR AN EXTENDED AMOUNT OF TIME.
THEY, EVEN FROM A YOUNG AGE, THEIR FAMILY TOLD THEM, THERE'S JUST SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU.
UH, THEY EXPERIENCED PARANOIA.
THEY WERE NOT TRUSTWORTHY OF PEOPLE, THEY DIDN'T LIKE BEING AROUND PEOPLE.
UM, OUR CARE COORDINATOR MET THEM AT THE ENCAMPMENT, AND OVER A SERIES OF FOUR DIFFERENT MEETINGS WITH THEM, FOUR DIFFERENT ENCOUNTERS WITH THEM, UH, WAS ABLE TO BRING, UH, FORWARD SOME TRUST WITH THE INDIVIDUAL.
AND FINALLY THE INDIVIDUAL SAID, OKAY, I'LL GIVE THIS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH THING A TRY.
SO FROM THAT WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY, THE CARE COORDINATOR CONNECTED THEM TO A SERVICE PROVIDER WHO GOT A MEDICATION APPOINTMENT.
THE INDIVIDUAL GOT A DIAGNOSIS OF MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER, UM, STARTED MEDICATIONS AND WAS ABLE TO BUILD ON THAT RECOVERY.
UH, AND THEY WERE, OF COURSE, THROUGH THE PROGRAM, THEY GOT HOUSING AND TO DATE, UH, THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN THEIR HOUSING, UM, THEY'RE STABLE IN IT.
AND, UM, THEY SAID THEY ENDED UP TELLING THE, THEIR SERVICE PROVIDER, UH, IT WASN'T SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME, I JUST NEEDED A LITTLE EXTRA HELP.
UH, AND THAT'S WHAT, UH, THIS PROGRAM DOES, IS PROVIDE EXTRA HELP FOR THE INDIVIDUAL BY MAKING SURE THAT WE AGENCIES, UH, WHO HAVE SORT OF OPERATED SEPARATELY HAVE NEW, UH, TOOLS AND MECHANISMS, UH, TO BE, TO BETTER COMMUNICATE.
WE TRACK PEOPLE ACROSS THE SYSTEM AND MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE GET INTO CARE.
IF YOU GO IN THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UH, AND NOW DARLIN'S GONNA DIG IN A LITTLE BIT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A SUBJECT SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT IN THIS AREA ABOUT WHY AS A COMMUNITY WE'VE DECIDED TO MOVE IN THIS DIRECTION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, SARAH, AND THANK YOU, UM, VERY MUCH.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR IT, THE OPPORTUNITY.
UM, SO, UM, HOUSING FORWARD EN ENGAGED THE MEADOWS MENTAL HEALTH POLICY INSTITUTE A LITTLE BIT OVER A YEAR AGO, UM, TO COMPLETE A SYSTEM SCAN AND A VISIBILITY ASSESSMENT, RECOGNIZING THAT THERE WAS A SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION THAT, UM, CONTINUED TO STRUGGLE, MEANING THOSE INDIVIDUALS WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS, SUBSTANCE USE CONDITIONS, UM, OR COMORBID CONDITIONS, UM, INCLUDING, UM, CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS AND, UM, COMPLEX NEEDS.
UM, OUR TEAMS ENGAGE WITH HOUSING FORWARD AND NPA, UM, STAKEHOLDERS IN THE COMMUNITY AND COMPLETED A, UM, SIGNIFICANT, UM, SCANNING, UM, OF THE REGION.
AND, UM, IT WASN'T, UH, TO OUR SURPRISE, BUT IT REALLY BROUGHT TO LIGHT, UM, WHAT HOUSING FORWARD, UM, THOUGHT THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO DEDICATE, UM, THE EFFORTS TO SUPPORT THIS POPULATION IN WAYS THAT HAD NOT BEEN DONE BEFORE, BY CREATING A COLLECTIVE IMPACT PROJECT TO BRING, UM, SERVICES FOR THIS POPULATION.
WHAT WE FOUND DURING THAT SCAN WAS THAT OF THOSE UNSHELTERED IN DALLAS, 40%, UM, EXPERIENCED SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS, 32% EXPERIENCED SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS, AND 14% OF THE UNSHELTERED POPULATION HAD BOTH.
AND JUST TO BRING SOME PERSPECTIVE TO THE NUMBERS, UM, THOSE WITH SMI, UH, WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS AMONG, UM, THOSE INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, IT'S EIGHT TIMES HIGHER THAN THE GENERAL POPULATION.
AND THOSE WHO ARE UNSHELTERED AND THOSE EXPERIENCING SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS, IT'S DOUBLE THAN WHAT IS OBSERVED IN THE GENERAL POPULATION.
SO RECOGNIZING, UM, THAT, UH, THAT NEED, WE LOOKED INTO HOW MANY OF THIS POPULATION WAS ENGAGED IN SERVICES, AND WE FOUND THAT, UM, APPROXIMATELY 55% OF THIS POPULATION WAS ALREADY SERVICE CONNECTED.
HOWEVER, THE, UM, A GOOD NUMBER ABOUT 45% OF THIS POPULATION WAS NOT SERVICE CONNECTED, NOT BECAUSE THE SERVICES WERE NOT IN PLACE, BECAUSE THE SYSTEM IS WELL EQUIPPED TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES, BUT BECAUSE THE SERVICES WERE NOT YET FULLY COORDINATED IN A FASHION THAT
[00:20:01]
COULD ADDRESS ALL NEEDS FOR THIS VERY SPECIFIC, UM, SEGMENT, SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION.THE OTHER, UM, CHALLENGE THAT, UH, WE, UH, NOTED IN THE SCANNING OF THE SYSTEM IS THAT ONLY PERCENT OF THIS POPULATION HAS MEDICAID, WHICH MEANS THAT IT REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT, UM, FROM NPA AND INDIGENT CARE PARKLAND AS THE HOSPITAL DISTRICT AND THE STATE TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO THIS VERY, UM, UH, SPECIFIC, UH, POPULATION.
WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE CRISIS, UTILIZATION WAS HIGHER THAN ANY OTHER, UM, AMONG, UM, AMONG INDIVIDUALS, UM, EXPERIENCING, UM, UM, HOMELESSNESS.
AND WE BROUGHT THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER TO DECIDE WHAT WAS THE BEST APPROACH.
AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS WE PROVIDED WAS TO BRING TOGETHER, UM, ALL SERVICE PROVIDERS AND REALLY REMOVE THE BARRIERS BETWEEN HOUSING, HEALTHCARE, AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TO FULLY INTEGRATE AND CREATE SPECIALTY TEAMS. SO WHAT MATT IS TALKING ABOUT, THE SPECIALTY TEAMS THAT HAVE BEEN RIGHT NOW ROLLING OUT, I LIKE TO CALL THEM THAT THEY'RE LIKE THE NAVY SEALS OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH.
SO THIS ARE SPECIALTY TEAMS THAT ARE FULLY DEDICATED JUST TO SERVING INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE CHRONICALLY HOMELESS WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS AND SUBSTANCE USE CONDITIONS.
THEY ARE TRAINED TO MANAGE THE COMPLEXITY OF THIS, UM, THIS POPULATION IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE THEY NEED IT THE MOST.
SO WE'RE CONNECTING THIS INDIVIDUALS DIRECTLY INTO ENCAMPMENT, DECOMMISSIONING, AND THE CRISIS RESPONSE ALL THE WAY THROUGH HOUSING, WHILE PROVIDING, UM, THE ABILITY FOR PEOPLE TO CHOOSE, WE HAVE TO, THE FIRST PART OF THIS WORK IN ENGAGING THIS POPULATION IS TO ENSURE THAT THEY TRUST, THEY TRUST THE PROVIDERS, AND THEY TRUST THAT THEY WILL GET THE CARE THEY NEED WHEN THEY NEED IT.
SO ENGAGING FROM INCUMBENT, DECOMMISSIONING ALL THE WAY TO HOUSING ON A CASELOAD OF ONE TO 10.
SO HISTORICALLY CASE MANAGERS IN THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SYSTEM, BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF RESOURCES, COULD HAVE ANYTHING UP TO 25 50 CLIENTS IN ONE CASELOAD.
THIS SPECIALTY TEAMS HAVE A CASELOAD OF ONE TO 10.
SO IF SARAH IS EXPERIENCING AN ISSUE, DARLING IS EXPERIENCING AN ISSUE, IT WILL BE EASIER FOR THAT TEAM TO RESPOND.
WHAT WE'RE SEEING ACROSS THE COUNTRY IS THAT WHEN THE SPECIALTY TEAMS ARE IMPLEMENTED IN THE COMMUNITY, IN WILL COURT AND WILL COORDINATED, WE SEE A REDUCTION IN HOSPITALIZATION, A REDUCTION IN SERVICE UTILIZATION FROM THE JUSTICE SYSTEM, UM, INCARCERATIONS AND, UM, ULTIMATELY IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE.
SO IT'S EXCITING TO SEE THIS MOVING FORWARD AND, UM, AND I KNOW WE KNOW THAT WE WILL SEE GREAT OUTCOMES OVER TIME.
JUST TO WRAP UP, UM, JUST AS AN UPDATE, WE'RE FINALLY HAVE THESE TEAMS ROLLING OUT.
UM, AND SO THERE ARE NEW TEAMS ON THE GROUND THAT LAUNCHED WITH STREET TO HOME IN JULY, AND WE HAVE, I THINK NOW ABOUT 115 INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE SERVICE CONNECTED.
UM, AND SO WE'RE EXCITED TO BE GROWING THAT ACROSS THE PORTFOLIO OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, BUT OBVIOUSLY STILL EARLY DAYS.
UM, THIS WAS ALL MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE WHITE HOUSE, UM, INITIATIVE THAT WE WERE INVITED INTO THE ALL INSIDE INITIATIVE.
WE WORKED VERY CLOSELY WITH THE WHITE HOUSE AND WITH HUD, AND WE RECEIVED A, A FIRST OF ITS KIND WAIVER FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT TO BE ABLE TO, UM, VERY CREATIVELY COMBINE FEDERAL RESOURCES WITH LOCAL STATE RESOURCES TO EXPAND CAPACITY FOR THESE TEAMS AND TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR FOLKS WHO OFTEN GET LEFT OUT OF CARE HAD DIRECT ACCESS INTO THESE BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE.
SO, UM, IT'S REALLY SORT OF CUTTING EDGE, EXCITING WORK THAT'S HAPPENING.
UM, HUD IS VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS, SO IS THE WHITE HOUSE, BECAUSE IT'S JUST AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WE CAN CUT THROUGH RED TAPE AND MAKE SURE ON THE GROUND WE'RE ADAPTING OUR SYSTEMS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUALS VERSUS HAVING THEM ADAPT TO US, WHICH IS HISTORICALLY WHAT'S HAPPENED FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
UM, SO WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE THIS PARTNERSHIP GROW AND WE'RE EXCITED TO CONTINUE TO UPDATE YOU ON OUR PROGRESS.
I, I WILL SAY THE LAST THING ABOUT THAT, THE, THE THING THAT'S IMPORTANT WITH THIS NEW PAYMENT STRUCTURE IS WE IMMEDIATELY, THE, THE END GOAL HERE IS TO IMMEDIATELY GET MORE OF THIS POPULATION ON MEDICARE.
SO AS DARLENE MENTIONED, ONLY 8% OF OUR POPULATION WAS ON MEDICAID WHEN THEY ORIGINALLY DID THEIR RESEARCH.
THE GOAL WITH THESE TEAMS IS TO IMMEDIATELY INCREASE THAT PROPORTION.
SO WE GET MEDICAID PAYING FOR THESE SERVICES,
[00:25:01]
WHICH IS A WIN-WIN FOR EVERYBODY AND MAKES THEM MORE SUSTAINABLE.AND THEN THE LAST SLIDE IS JUST A QUARTERLY UPDATE OF WHERE WE ARE IN OUR SYSTEM-WIDE HOUSING PLACEMENTS.
UM, SINCE 2021, WE'VE HOUSED OVER 12,700 INDIVIDUALS.
UM, WE INTRODUCED SYSTEM-WIDE DIVERSION IN, UH, APRIL OR MAY.
UM, AND SO THIS JUST OUTLINES OUR REHOUSING PLACEMENTS ACROSS DIVERSION, RAPID REHOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING DURING THAT TIME.
TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU FOR QUESTIONS CHAIR.
I'M GONNA START TO MY RIGHT, UH, WITH COUNCILMAN
DO YOU WANT ME TO SKIP YOU?
I'M SORRY I MISSED THE BEGINNING OF THIS, BUT I DID REVIEW IT.
UM, SO I REALLY AM INTERESTED IN THE HOME-BASED STABILIZATION PROGRAM.
SO YOU SAID THERE WERE 115 SERVICE CONNECTED PEOPLE, SO THIS MEANS THEY HAVE BEEN PLACED IN HOUSING BUT HAVE THIS INTENSIVE HOUSING, HEALTHCARE, MENTAL HEALTH PACKAGE SURROUNDING THEM.
YEAH, SO THESE TEAMS ARE VERY, VERY NEW.
WE'VE JUST DEVELOPED THIS OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS IT'S PEOPLE WHO HAVE EITHER BEEN CONNECTED THROUGH OUR OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT TEAM OR AFTER THEY'VE BEEN INTO HOUSING, BUT THE IDEA IS WE WANT NO WRONG DOOR.
SO YES, THEY HAVE BEEN REFERRED THROUGH CARE COORDINATORS THAT NORTH TEXAS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AUTHORITY HAS INTEGRATED INTO OUR HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM.
AND THEN THEY ARE BEING CONNECTED TO THESE TEAM BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE TEAMS, WHICH ARE MULTIDISCIPLINARY HOUSING FIRST, ASSERTIVE COMMUNITY TREATMENT AND INTENSIVE CASE MANAGEMENT TEAMS. AND THE FUNDING IS STATE AND FEDERAL? YEAH, IT'S A COMBINATION.
SO THE, UM, THE WAIVER THAT WE RECEIVED ALLOWED US TO CREATE A PAYMENT STRUCTURE THAT MATCHED THE STATE PAYMENT STRUCTURE SO THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY DO COST SHARING BETWEEN THE TWO RESOURCES AND EXPAND THE CAPACITY OF THESE TEAMS ON THE GROUND TO SERVE OUR POPULATION.
SO 115 HAVE BEEN SERVED SINCE JULY THE INCEPTION.
SO WHAT IS THE TARGET FOR A YEAR? SO THE TARGET FOR THE YEAR WOULD BE, I'M JUST THE, THE IDEA IS WE WANNA, WE ARE WORKING TO, TO MAKE THIS SERVICE AVAILABLE FOR ANYONE WHO'S ELIGIBLE FOR IT, WHO NEEDS IT.
THIS FIRST PILOT IS WITH THE 480, UM, INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE BEING PLACED IN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
UM, I THINK STARTING IN JO, I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER THE DATE THAT WE STARTED JANUARY TO JANUARY.
SO IT WOULD BE ABOUT 480, I GUESS WOULD BE THE WOULD, WOULD BE THE TOTAL GOING INTO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING THAT WE'RE PILOTING THIS WITH.
AND OUT OF THAT DARLIN, YOU COULD PROBABLY GIVE US A BETTER ESTIMATE OF THE PERCENTAGE THAT YOU ANTICIPATE WOULD NEED THIS LEVEL OF CARE.
SO I WOULD SAY THAT, UM, OF THE 480, WE ANTICIPATE THAT, UM, ALMOST ALL OF THEM WILL NECESS TAKE AT LEAST INTENSIVE CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES.
WE'RE FOCUSING ON INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE BEEN, UM, EXPERIENCING CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS AND INTENSIVE CASE MANAGEMENT WILL BE NEEDED.
OUT OF THE 480, I WOULD SAY THAT PROBABLY ABOUT 50 55 WILL NECESSITATE A TEAM LEVEL OF CARE, AND THE REMAINDER WILL RE, WILL REQUIRE SOME LEVEL OF SUPPORT THROUGH INTENSIVE CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES.
SO YOU MENTIONED PSH, SO WHAT ABOUT THOSE THAT ARE BEING PLACED THAT MAY BE KIND OF ON THE BUBBLE, THAT COULD REALLY USE THIS SORT OF CARE TO STAY PLACED AND BE STOOD UP AND, AND, AND BE SUCCESSFUL IN THAT? UM, I MEAN, WILL THIS BRIDGE INTO THAT AS WELL? AND WILL YOU PULL THAT MIC UP CLOSER TO YOU IF YOU, NOT YOU.
I, I THINK THE EXCITING THING THAT WE'VE LEARNED, WE WENT INTO THIS EFFORT REALLY WITH A LASER FOCUS ON CREATING THESE BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE TEAMS IN HOUSING, AND WE QUICKLY REALIZED ONE, ONE SECOND.
UM, IF SOMEONE HAS, WHO'S NOT SPEAKING, HAS THEIR MIC ON, IF Y'ALL CAN TURN IT OFF, THANK YOU.
I THINK WHAT WE QUICKLY REALIZED IS THERE WERE SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTEGRATION.
WE IMMEDIATELY REALIZED FROM THAT FIRST POINT OF ENGAGEMENT, ALL, ALL OF OUR ACCESS POINTS.
WE'D LIKE TO INTEGRATE CARE COORDINATORS ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO HOUSING.
AND SO WHILE WE'RE STARTING WITH PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, THERE ARE MANY OPPORTUNITIES.
UM, I THINK FOR US TO REALLY THINK ABOUT SEAMLESS CONNECTIONS ACROSS THE ENTIRE REHOUSING SYSTEM AND THE DEGREE THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING HAND IN HAND HOURS A DAY FOR MANY, MANY DAYS NOW, UM, I THINK JUST CREATES THE PARTNERSHIPS TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS THOSE, THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
SO ON PSH, I HAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT THAT IS ALREADY COMING WITH A LOT OF SERVICES THAT ARE BUILT INTO WHERE YOU LIVE.
SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THIS WITH REGARD TO MAYBE THOSE 55 OUT OF THE 480 THAT HAS THE MENTAL HEALTH COMPO, I MEAN, THOSE 55 ARE, THEY MAY BE NEEDIER THAT THEY HAVE TO GO, THIS HAS TO GO OVER AND ABOVE WHAT A NORMAL PSH ENVIRONMENT WOULD BE PROVIDING.
JUST TO, JUST TO CLARIFY, 55%, NOT 55% INDIVIDUALS.
ABOUT 55% OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS WILL NECESSITATE THE HIGHEST LEVEL
[00:30:01]
OF CARE THAT THE SYSTEM IS ABLE TO PROVIDE.SO THE COORDINATOR, THE CO COORDINATION, UM, WILL TAKE PLACE BETWEEN THE PSH CASE MANAGERS AND THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TEAM WE'RE CREATING.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE MET WITH ALL OF THEM, UM, LAST WEEK.
UM, WE BROUGHT TOGETHER THE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING CASE MANAGERS AND THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TEAMS TO CREATE THE FRAMEWORK AND THE STRATEGY AND HOW TO WRAP INDIVIDUALS WITH SUPPORT AS ONE TEAM.
HISTORICALLY, THIS PROJECT, THIS PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN SILOED.
AND WHAT WE WANTED REALLY TO DO WAS FOR THE TEAMS TO WORK AS ONE AND FOR THE INDIVIDUALS TO KNOW, THIS IS MY TEAM, NOT, THIS IS METRO CARE'S TEAM, AND THIS IS THE BRIDGE TEAM.
THIS IS MY TEAM THAT IS WORKING TOGETHER TO ADDRESS MY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NEEDS AND SUPPORTING MY HOUSING INSTABILITY.
BEFORE THIS EFFORT, WE LEFT IT TO THE PSH PROVIDERS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PIECE TOGETHER COMPREHENSIVE CARE.
IN A LOT OF INSTANCES, WE'VE HEARD FOR 20 YEARS NOW, RIGHT.
FROM PROVIDERS, WHEN YOU DO THAT, OFTEN THEY'RE HAVING TO PIECE TOGETHER 15 TO 20, SOMETIMES 30 DIFFERENT RESOURCES TO MAKE A CARE PACKAGE THAT WORKS.
AND WHEN WE DO THAT, WE OFTEN FALL SHORT OF WHAT PEOPLE NEED AND IT'S INEQUITABLE BECAUSE YOU COULD GET A DIFFERENT CARE PACKAGE DEPENDING ON WHICH PROVIDER YOU WOULD MATCH WITH.
SO THIS IS JUST CREATING A SYSTEM-WIDE COMMITMENT TO SAY ANYONE GOING INTO ANY OF OUR PSH PROJECTS WILL HAVE ACCESS NOW TO THIS LEVEL OF CARE.
I MEAN, I'M EXCITED TO HEAR THIS BECAUSE WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE CHRONICALLY HOMELESS AND THE SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES THAT THAT USUALLY PRESENTS, I MEAN, THIS SEEMS LIKE IT, IT IS SOMETHING THAT COULD ACTUALLY HELP MOVE THE NEEDLE ON THAT TO BRING SOME STABILITY.
AND I LOVE THAT THE FUNDING IS COMING FROM THE STATE AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TOO.
SO THANK YOU CHAIR, CHAIR WEST.
UH, GREAT PRESENTATION, GREAT UPDATE AS ALWAYS.
UM, SO CAN YOU CLARIFY ON THE, UH, MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE, UH, WHAT, HOW DOES THE MEDICARE WAIVER WORK? WHAT CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE FUNDING PROCESS OF THIS? LIKE IN, I, I, I NEED TO JUST CLARIFY THE FUNDING STREAMS HERE.
SO FOR, FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS INITIATIVE, WE, UM, DID A FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT LOOKING AT WHAT THE STATE RESOURCES CURRENTLY ALLOCATE TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES AND THE GAP THAT EXISTED TO ENHANCE THE SERVICES NEEDED IN NORTH TEXAS.
AND, UM, WE BROUGHT TOGETHER, UM, A, UM, A RATE OF, WE LOOKED ALSO AT THE MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE SERVICES.
THE MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE SERVICES IN THIS REGION IS VERY LIMITED.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, ONLY 8% OF THIS POPULATION HAS MEDICAID, WHICH MEANS THAT FOR MOST OF THE RESOURCES, THE STATE NPA THROUGH THEIR INDIGENT FUNDS HAVE BEEN MANAGING THE PROVISION OF CARE BY BRAIDING HUDS RESOURCES REALLY INCREASED THE CAPACITY OF THE SYSTEM TREMENDOUSLY.
SO CURRENTLY WE EXPANDED SERVICES TO 480 INDIVIDUALS.
SO IT'S LOOKING AT THE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM HUD, THE RESOURCES THAT NEVA ALREADY HAS, THE LITTLE BIT THAT WE HAVE FOR MEDICAID TO BRAID IT.
INITIALLY, THE GOAL IS TO INCREASE MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT OKAY.
AND MAXIMIZE THE HEALTHCARE FUNDING THAT COULD BE BROUGHT TO BAYER TO SUSTAIN THE TEAMS. THAT'S VERY INTERESTING.
AND IS THIS SOMETHING THAT'S PRETTY COMMON COMMONLY DONE NATIONWIDE? OR IS THIS KIND OF PACKAGING WITH THE MEDICARE, UM, PIECE NEW? I, I HADN'T HEARD OF IT BEFORE.
SO THIS INITIATIVE IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND.
THAT ALL, ALL ARE, ARE, ARE, ARE DOING INCREDIBLE WORK.
BRINGING TOGETHER, UM, HUD STATE LOCAL FUNDING, PRIVATE FUNDING TO BREAK SOMETHING LIKE THIS, TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THIS PROJECT CAN REALLY HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN REDUCING UN SHELTER POPULATIONS WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS.
UM, YOU'RE REALLY AHEAD THE AHEAD OF THE CURVE.
I THINK THE INNOVATION HERE THOUGH, IS REALLY ABOUT USING THESE HUD DOLLARS THAT WERE COMING INTO THE COMMUNITY AS INITIAL SEED FUNDING TO GET THESE TEAMS GOING SO THAT WE CAN IMMEDIATELY GO TO MANAGED CARE ORGANIZATIONS AND GET A MORE VALUE-BASED STRUCTURE AND TO GET MEDICAID PAYING FOR MORE OF THESE TEAMS. BECAUSE ULTIMATELY WE WANT THE HUD DOLLARS OBVIOUSLY PAYING FOR RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND OTHER HOME SERVICES, RIGHT? SO THE, THE INNOVATION WAS LET'S USE THE HUD DOLLARS COMBINED WITH STATE DOLLARS AS SEED FUNDING TO THEN QUICKLY NEGOTIATE WITH MANAGED CARE ORGANIZATIONS WHO REALLY, I THINK UNDERSTAND NOW THE, THE MINUTE WE PUT SOMEONE INTO HOUSING WITH THIS TYPE OF SUPPORT, IT REDUCES HEALTHCARE COSTS.
AND SO IT'S A NO BRAINER, UM, FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR MEDICAID TO BE COVERING THESE COSTS.
AND SO IT POSITIONS US TO IMMEDIATELY BE ABLE TO START THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH MANAGED CARE.
[00:35:01]
JUST MAKE SURE, AND, AND I KNOW YOU WILL, THAT WE, WE TRACK THE DATA AND HOPE THE HOPEFUL SUCCESS THAT COMES FROM THIS SO THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, RELAY THIS TO OUR, UM, OUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES, UM, TO MAKE SURE THIS CONTINUES TO GET SUPPORT AND HOPEFULLY MORE SUPPORT AS YOU'RE ASKING FOR WHAT'S THE SIGNIFICANT SARAH IN, UM, IN THIS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INITIATIVE IN, IN MEETING THE 50% TARGETED GOAL BY, UM, 2026.SO THE 50% GOAL IS A COMBINATION OF CONTINUING THE RATE AT WHICH WE'RE HOUSING PEOPLE, RIGHT? AT THE HISTORIC PACE THAT WAS STARTED IN A REAL TIME AND TARGETING ENCAMPMENTS VERY STRATEGICALLY OUTSIDE.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS INTEGRATION IS WE ALL KNOW THAT AS WE START TO HOUSE PEOPLE WHO ARE UNSHELTERED, UM, THERE ARE POPULATIONS OF PEOPLE OUTSIDE WHO NEED VERY COMPREHENSIVE CARE.
AND WE HAVE TO BE EQUIPPED AS A SYSTEM TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT CARE WHEN IT, WHERE, WHEN AND WHERE IT'S NEEDED SO THAT WE'RE IMPROVING HEALTH OUTCOMES AND HOUSING OUTCOMES.
BUT WE'RE ALSO CONTINUING TO MOVE AT A PACE THAT ALLOWS US TO KEEP, KEEP HOUSING PEOPLE AND GET THOSE NUMBERS DOWN.
SO, SO YOU SEE THIS AS A KEY PIECE TO HELPING MEET THAT GOAL? ABSOLUTELY.
AND IT'S A, IT'S A GREAT, IT'S JUST THE NEXT PHASE OF OUR TRANSFORMATION WHERE WE'RE WORKING ON BEHALF OF OUR PROVIDERS FOR THE SYSTEM TO PROVIDE A RESPONSE AND NOT LEAVING IT UP TO OUR PROVIDERS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PIECE RESOURCES TOGETHER.
AS WE, AS A COUNCIL ANTICIPATE FUNDING PRIORITIES FOR THIS TYPE OF WORK MOVING FORWARD, WHERE SHOULD WE, IN YOUR OPINION, BE FOCUSING OUR EFFORTS ON, ON USING GENERAL FUNDS FOR, FOR HOMELESS HOMELESSNESS PROJECTS AND OUTREACH? YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK THE CRITICAL WAYS WHERE THE CITY HAS ALREADY PLAYED AN INCREDIBLE ROLE AND WHERE WE NEED THE CITY TO CONTINUE PLAYING A ROLE ARE IN TWO PLACES.
ONE IS THE 16 OUTREACH WORKERS THAT HAVE HELPED FILL OUT OUR COORDINATED OUTREACH TEAM ARE ESSENTIAL TO ALL THE WORK THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TODAY.
AND THEY'RE WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH CARE COORDINATORS FROM THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IN A SEAMLESS WAY.
UM, AND THE SECOND PART IS REHOUSING.
SO AS REAL TIME, UM, RESOURCES RAMPED DOWN, CONTINUING TO FILL IN THE GAPS IN THE REHOUSING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T MISS A BEAT ON THE NUMBER OF PLACEMENTS THAT WE ARE DOING EACH MONTH.
AND I WOULD ALSO ADD, UM, AND THIS IS MORE DISCUSSION FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE, BUT ALSO THE CLOSURE MAINTENANCE YES.
THE WHAT? MAINTENANCE CLOSURE.
UH, LET'S SEE, WHAT DO I WANNA, UM, I THINK I GOT SLIDE TWO, I THINK THERE, YOU MENTIONED IT EARLIER, OVER FOUR DIFFERENT ENCOUNTERS.
WHAT WAS THE TIMEFRAME FOR THAT? I THINK YOU MENTIONED THAT, SO YOU MENTIONED THERE WAS, UH, FOUR DIFFERENT ENCOUNTERS.
WHAT WAS THAT TIMEFRAME BEFORE THEY FINALLY, BEFORE YOU FINALLY GAINED THAT TRUST? SO THAT'S GONNA BE OVER THE COURSE OF JUST WHILE IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE THAT JUST WHILE THE, UH, ENCAMPMENT DECOMMISSIONING WAS HAPPENING.
SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT, UH, A MATTER OF WEEKS, UH, TO GAIN THAT, UH, THAT RAPPORT.
AND THEN I, I, WHERE, I GUESS I, WHERE WERE THEY HOUSED? UM, MANY OF THESE, THESE 115 OR SO WHERE, SO WE HOUSING FORWARD, UM, WE HAVE A TEAM OF FIVE HOUSING LOCATORS AND THEIR ENTIRE JOB CENTERS AROUND BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS WITH LANDLORDS ACROSS DALLAS COUNTY.
AND WE'RE TRYING TO GROW MORE PARTNERSHIPS IN COLLIN COUNTY AS WELL.
SO WE HAVE, UM, LANDLORD PARTNERS.
AND WHEN THOSE LANDLORD PARTNERS HAVE AVAILABLE UNITS, WE NEGOTIATE WITH THEM TO GET ACCESS INTO THOSE AVAILABLE UNITS SO THAT WE CAN REALLY, UM, SCALE OUR HOUSING PROCESS.
AND SO WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE PLACED, SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
HOW MANY OF THEM WERE HOUSED IN ANY OF THE CITY FACILITIES THAT WE HAVE IN THE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE? AND I THINK I MAY KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT, BUT I WANNA HEAR IT FIRST.
WELL, THE ONLY, SO THE FACILITY WE HAVE RIGHT NOW THAT WE ARE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH IN TERMS OF FUNDING ARE THE TWO, WELL, THREE NOW ST.
JUDE FACILITIES, UM, ONE OF WHICH THE VANTAGE POINT JUST GOT THEIR VOUCHERS ONLINE, SO I'M NOT SURE.
I KNOW WE'RE WORK, YOU GUYS WE'RE WORKING TO PLACE PEOPLE THERE.
UM, AND THEN OF COURSE, 1950 FORT WORTH AVENUE IS GONNA BE ROLLING OUT LATER AS IS 41 50 INDEPENDENCE DRIVE.
UM, AND THEN OF COURSE, FAMILY GATEWAY THAT IS NOT PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UM, FOR FAMILIES.
THEY DO WORK WITH PSH WHEN NEEDED, BUT THAT'S MORE TEMPORARY SHELTER FOR FAMILIES.
SO WE WOULD HAVE TO PULL IN NUMBERS TO SEE HOW IN THE SYSTEM THE ST.
JUDE BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN IMPACTED.
BUT I, I DON'T KNOW IF THEY TRACK IT BY FUNDING SOURCE.
[00:40:01]
I THINK IT'S JUST THEY RUN PSH AND PEOPLE MOVE IN WHEN THEY MOVE IN.AND DO YOU, DO WE TRACK SPECIFICALLY FOR THE ST.
JUDE BUILDINGS? HOW MANY HAVE COME FROM THESE PROJECTS? I DON'T THINK WE DO.
AND I GUESS THE, I I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PROCESSES OF SOMEBODY THAT, THAT'S ON THE STREET THAT GOES AND GETS PERMANENTLY HOUSED VERSUS, UH, SOMEONE, AND I JUST KEEP USING MS. ZINA AS THE EXAMPLE THAT KEEPS COMING BACK AND I'M NOW STARTING TO SEE, UM, MORE AND MORE OF THOSE FOLKS.
I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WAS PHASE ONE IN THIS ZONE, BUT FOR PEOPLE LIKE MS. ZENA, WHAT DOES THAT PROCESS LOOK LIKE FOR THEM? AND WOULD THIS TEAM BE THE TEAM THAT WOULD ADDRESS SOMEONE LIKE MS. ZENA, DAR, YOU'VE RUN THESE TEAMS BEFORE? DO YOU WANNA ANSWER THAT? SO, I DON'T KNOW THIS PERSON, BUT I KNOW THIS PERSON.
UM, SO, UH, WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT, UM, THEY ARE, UM, OUR FAVORITE CLIENT.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DEVELOPING A RELATIONSHIP AND ADDRESSING, UM, THEIR, THEIR GOALS, UM, GETTING TO KNOW THEM AS PEOPLE AND ULTIMATELY, UM, HELP THEM WITH HOUSING STABILITY.
INDIVIDUALS WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS OFTENTIMES FIND THEMSELVES IN A, UM, IN A CYCLE OF CRISIS.
AND IT TAKES THEM SOME TIME TO STABILIZE, TAKE MEDICATIONS ONCE THEY ARE CONNECTED TO A SERVICE PROVIDER THEY TRUST.
SO MY GOAL IS THAT FOR THIS INDIVIDUAL THAT, YOU KNOW, AS MANY AS I HAVE KNOWN THROUGHOUT MY CAREER, THAT THIS TEAM WILL PROVIDE THE CARE THAT THEY NEED TO STABILIZE AND ULTIMATELY THEN, UM, NOT NEED CRISIS SERVICES.
STATISTICALLY ACROSS THE COUNTRY, 92% OF INDIVIDUALS THAT MOVED INTO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING WITH THIS LEVEL OF INTENSITY OF SUPPORT SERVICES REMAIN HOUSED FOR A YEAR OR LONGER.
SO I WOULD HOPE THAT HE OR SHE WOULD BE PART OF THE 92%.
AND I CAN SAY SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT INDIVIDUAL THAT HAS LARGELY BEEN CITY OUTREACH TEAMS AND THEN BRINGING IN OTHER PROVIDERS, UM, BUT YOU KNOW, THIS TEAM HAS REALLY BEEN FOCUSED ON STREET TO HOME IN THE CENTER OF DOWNTOWN FOR THE SUMMER.
AND SO NOW THAT THAT'S KIND OF EXPANDING, THERE'S THE ABILITY TO FLAG THE TEAM, AND I BELIEVE THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN FLAGGED WITH SOME OTHER OUTLYING AREAS AND, AND PEOPLE LIKE THAT, UM, WHO REALLY, REALLY NEED THIS HELP.
AND THEN I JUST, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT BUILDINGS.
SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PERMANENT HOUSING, THAT CAN EITHER BE A VOUCHER PAIRED WITH A MARKET RATE UNIT, OR IT CAN BE A PROJECT BASED BUILDING WHERE EVERY UNIT IS PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
SO IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT PSH, IT'S ALL JUST A DESIGNATED BUILDING WHERE PEOPLE HAVE TO GO.
UM, AND THEN AS FAR AS, AS FAR AS THE TIMELINE IN TERMS OF SPAN, EXPANDING OUT INTO SOME OF THOSE, THOSE OTHER AREAS THAT I TALKED ABOUT IN, IN DISTRICT THREE IN PARTICULAR, UH, I'VE SEEN 'EM IN DISTRICT FOUR.
UH, AND THEY'RE, AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE SPOTTY, BUT THESE ARE THE ONES THAT THE COMMUNITY BASICALLY KNOWS AND, AND THEY'VE BEEN THERE AND KIND OF LIKE, OKAY, YOU GOT ONE SIDE OF THE COMMUNITY THAT'S CONTINUES TO FEED.
THERE'S ONE LADY, I THINK SHE'S MOVING DOWN CAMP WISDOM WITH ABOUT THREE BASKETS, UH, SHOPPING CARTS, UH, IN, IN A BAG IN HER HAND.
I SAW HER THIS MORNING, UH, AND SHE WAS JUST UP BY, UH, UH, UH, TACO CABANA PROBABLY A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, AND SHE'S JUST SLOWLY MIGRATING.
I'M NOT SURE WHERE SHE'S GOING.
BUT, UM, THOSE ARE THE, THOSE ARE SOME OF THOSE FOLKS THAT WE KNOW COULD HAVE SOME IMMEDIATE NEEDS THAT WE SEE EVERY SINGLE DAY.
SO WE'RE WONDERING WHAT THE TIMELINE WOULD BE TO EXPAND TO, TO MEET SOME OF THOSE, UH, NEEDS OUT THERE.
SO THERE'S TWO TRACKS TO ENGAGING THOSE FOLKS.
ONE IS THROUGH THE ENCAMPMENT RESPONSE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, WHICH IS A VERY TARGETED EFFORT TO FIGURE OUT WHERE ARE THOSE SITES THAT ARE CAUSING THE BIGGEST PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSUES WHERE WE HAVE A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF PEOPLE WHO ARE VULNERABLE, WHO ARE SLEEPING OUTSIDE.
BUT THE OTHER OPPORTUNITY IS THROUGH THE COORDINATED OUTREACH TEAMS THAT THE CITY INVESTED IN.
UM, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, A TEAM OF 30 PLUS PEOPLE WHO ARE ASSIGNED GEOGRAPHICALLY TO ZONES THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND NOW THAT THAT HAS NOW BEEN FULLY IMPLEMENTED, UM, WE WILL HAVE SPECIFIC OUTREACH WORKERS WHO ARE IN THAT GEOGRAPHIC REGION CONSISTENTLY.
AND IT'S THAT CONSISTENTLY THAT GETS TO WHAT DARIN WAS TALKING ABOUT, THE ABILITY TO BUILD RAPPORT AND ENGAGE IN A WAY WHERE WE HADN'T BEFORE BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT STRUCTURE IN PLACE WHERE WE HAVE THE SAME PEOPLE
[00:45:01]
GOING TO, TO THE SAME GEOGRAPHIC AREA CONSISTENTLY DAY AFTER DAY TO ENGAGE THE SAME PEOPLE.SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT ELSE IS NEW ABOUT THIS.
AND I WANNA SAY AGAIN, LIKE THE, THE, YOUR STAFF, CHRISTINE, THEY HAVE BEEN WONDERFUL AND THEY HAVE BEEN GOING OUT AND BUILDING THESE RELATIONSHIPS, AND I THINK I'M GONNA SPEAK ON THE COMMUNITY SIDE, OR THE COMMUNITY SIDE IS A LITTLE BIT FRUSTRATING THAT THEY DON'T NECESSARILY SEE THE RESULTS.
AND WE, WE GET THE NUMBERS AND THOSE KIND OF THINGS, AND THEN WHEN WE DO SEE THE RESULTS AND THEY COME BACK, THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN EXPERIENCING.
THEN THE OTHER SIDE IS WHAT STAFF HAS BEEN DOING, AND THEY'VE BEEN OUT THERE BUILDING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND DOING THESE THINGS.
SO FOR ME, IT'S HARD FOR ME TO PROCESS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING AND WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AND HOW THE OUTCOME WILL BE DIFFERENT.
I'M STILL NOT PROCESSING THAT, UH, COMPLETELY.
UH, BUT I DO APPRECIATE THE WORK.
AND AGAIN, IT'S, IT'S NOT TO SAY THAT IT'S NOT HAPPENING, IT'S JUST PERSPECTIVE OF THE COMMUNITY.
AND THEN FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, TRYING TO PROCESS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO, UH, I DON'T REALLY SEE IT JUST YET.
YEAH, I MEAN, I, I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT COMMENT AND I, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE UNDERSTAND PEOPLE ARE NOT FEELING THE PROGRESS WHEN THEY ARE SEEING VERY VULNERABLE PEOPLE LIVING OUTSIDE.
AND I THINK AS A REMINDER, BETWEEN 2015 AND 2021, UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS TRIPLED, WHICH MEANS WE STILL HAVE WORK TO DO,
SO YEAH, AND A LITTLE BIT OF THE DIFFERENCE THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO SHOW AS WE COME FORWARD IN THE FUTURE, BECAUSE THIS TEAM IS NOW ROLLED OUT AND HAS TRIED AND AND TESTED, IS THE RESOURCES FOR WHERE PEOPLE GO.
UM, AND THE AS AS WAS SAID, I THINK THE BEHAVIORAL RESOURCES THAT KEEP THEM THERE, UM, IT'S ONE THING TO GET SOMEONE OFF THE STREET, IT'S ANOTHER TO KEEP THEM FROM COMING BACK WHEN THEIR MENTAL DETERIORATION IS VERY NEGATIVELY IMPACTED.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE BEEN PIECING THOSE RESOURCES TOGETHER, BUT IT'S REALLY HAVING THIS DEDICATED TEAM THAT CAN BE THERE EVEN BEFORE THEY MOVE IN AND HOLD THEIR HAND THE ENTIRE WAY THAT'S GONNA MAKE THE DIFFERENCE FOR THAT VERY NICHE POPULATION.
THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARITY CHAIR, MENDELSON.
I HAVE QUITE A FEW QUESTIONS ACTUALLY.
SO CHAIR, PLEASE FEEL THE PERIOD TO STOP ME IF NEEDED.
UM, I GUESS MY FIRST QUESTIONS GONNA BE, CHRISTINE, A COUPLE TIMES YOU'VE MENTIONED THE PA PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE AND, UH, THE ITEM EITHER BEING BRIEFED OR MORE OF A CONCERN FOR PUBLIC SAFETY, AND I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
UM, WHEN YOU HAVE A CLOSURE, EXPLAIN TO ME PLEASE, HOW THE PUBLIC SAFETY, UM, AREA IS INVOLVED WITH CLOSURE MAINTENANCE.
UM, AND I CAN TALK TO KEVIN ABOUT THAT BEING BRIEFED.
UM, IT IS, I WAS TRYING TO ORGANIZE IT IN MY HEAD WHEN, SO WHEN WE ARE MOVING INTO THE CLOSURE PHASE, UM, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY AND CRISIS RESPONSE, IF I'M SAYING THAT CORRECTLY, UM, FOR MULTIPLE WEEKS TALKING ABOUT THE AREA THAT'S GOING TO BE CLOSED AND THE FACT THAT WE'RE GOING TO NEED 24 7, UM, COVERAGE OF THE AREA, THE SIGNAGE THAT'S GOING TO BE PUT UP TO MAKE SURE THAT THE AREA STAYS CLOSED AND EXACTLY WHAT CODES ARE GOING TO BE USED TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO BE MOVED ALONG.
AND ALL OF THAT IS RUN THROUGH DIRECTOR ODIN'S OFFICE.
UM, HE'S HELPED US UPDATE THE SIGNAGE, WHICH NOW INCLUDES A SPECIFIC CODE THAT IS CITED TO TALK ABOUT HOW PEOPLE ARE MOVED.
UM, TALKS TO US, AND WHEN I SAY US, I MEAN MYSELF AND SARAH AND THE REST OF THE PEOPLE ON THE STAKEHOLDERS GROUP ABOUT THE VARIOUS CONCERNS THAT HE'S SEEING.
AND THEN HE ALSO, ON THE LAW ENFORCEMENT SIDE, IS WORKING NOT ONLY WITH DDI AND UM, THE HEART TEAM, BUT ALSO WITH, UH, DPD, UH, DDFR, AND ANY OTHER SECURITY PERSONNEL WHO ARE GOING TO BE UTILIZED TO GUARANTEE THAT COVERAGE.
SO RIGHT NOW, UM, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF ACTIVE CLOSURE FOR THESE ZONES DOWNTOWN THAT WILL RUN THROUGH THE END OF NOVEMBER.
AND HE HAS PULLED ALL OF THAT TOGETHER.
AND AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO THESE OTHER ENCLO, TO THESE OTHER DECOMMISSIONINGS, HE WILL BE ON THOSE CALLS ADVISING US, UM, ABOUT THE DIFFERENT CONCERNS THAT HE HAS IN DIFFERENT AREAS AND HOW BEST TO PULL RESOURCES TOGETHER TO GUARANTEE CLOSURE MAINTENANCE.
WELL, WHAT YOU'RE OUTLINING THOUGH SEEMS TO BE THE PROCESS OF CONDUCTING THE CLOSURE.
AND MY QUESTION IN WHAT YOU HAD STATED EARLIER WAS ABOUT CLOSURE MAINTENANCE.
AND SO MY QUESTION IS, ARE YOU EXPECTING
[00:50:01]
THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT IS GONNA HAVE SOME ROLE IN CLOSURE MAINTENANCE, MEANING LONG TERM THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE SANDING GUARD SOMEWHERE, THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING SOMETHING ACTIVELY.AND SO I APOLOGIZE IF THAT WASN'T CLEAR.
WHEN I TALK ABOUT THE CLOSURE MAINTENANCE, YES, HE IS HELPING US PLAN FOR THE ACTIVE DAY OF CLOSURE, BUT THEN THOSE, UM, 24, THAT 24 7 COVERAGE CONTINUES FOR UP TO 90 DAYS OR MORE AS NEEDED.
SO IT IS ACTUALLY ACTIVELY GOING ON NOW.
AND, UM, NO, WHAT WE, WE DON'T OBVIOUSLY WANT DPD TO BE, UM, JUST STANDING GUARD, BUT WE ALSO DO NEED THE AMALGAMATION OF ENFORCEMENT THAT DIRECTOR ODIN PULLS TOGETHER.
AND AGAIN, I CAN TAKE THESE QUESTIONS DOWN FOR HIM.
HE WASN'T ABLE TO BE HERE WITH US THIS MORNING, UM, AND GET THEM BACK TO YOU TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO HAVE THAT COVERAGE FOR THE NEXT LITTLE WHILE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BEHAVIOR CHANGE STICKS.
WELL, I DIDN'T HEAR YOU SAY THE MARSHALS, BUT I DON'T SEE DPD WITH A ROLE IN GUARDING AN AREA THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY A HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT.
AND I APOLOGIZE THE MARSHALS ARE IN THAT MIX.
UM, I GUESS THE, THE LARGEST QUESTION I'M GONNA ASK IS, ARE WE ACTUALLY EQUIPPED TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES NEEDED TODAY TO PEOPLE WHO ARE, UM, HAVING A SERIOUS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE OR DEALING WITH A SIGNIFICANT ADDICTION ISSUE? OH, THERE YOU GO.
UM, THE, AS WE MENTIONED, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING OUTSIDE WHO HAVE SERIOUS MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, UM, CAN BE CARED FOR THROUGH THE TWO LEVELS OF INTEGRATION THAT WE TALKED ABOUT THROUGH OUR OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT ON THE STREET AND THROUGH OUR HOME-BASED CARE TEAMS IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AS WE MENTIONED, THERE IS ALSO, UM, A, A SMALL BUT IMPORTANT GROUP OF PEOPLE, A VERY SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE WHOSE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AT A PARTICULAR POINT IN TIME ARE SO SEVERE, UM, AND PEOPLE ARE FACED WITH ILLNESS AND NOT POTENTIALLY NOT PRACTICING IN SELF-CARE, POTENTIALLY A THREAT TO THEMSELVES OR OTHERS.
AND IN THAT SITUATION, UM, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, VERY GLAD TO BE ABLE TO INTEGRATE WITH WHAT CHRISTINE TALKED ABOUT, WHICH IS THE RIGHT CARE RESPONSE AND OTHER CRISIS BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE RESPONSE.
SO I'M, I'M GONNA PAUSE YOU THERE.
SO IF YOU HAVE SOMEBODY WHO HAS ONE OF THESE VERY SIGNIFICANT MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES WHO ARE A DANGER TO THEMSELVES OR OTHERS WHO AREN'T, AS YOU SAY, PRACTICING SELF-CARE, SURE, THE RIGHT CARE TEAM COMES OUT.
MAYBE THEY'RE EVEN COMPELLED TO, UM, TO, THERE'S AN A PAL THEY'RE GONNA GO TO, UH, HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH HOLD, BUT GENERALLY, AREN'T THEY BEING RELEASED THE SAME DAY? AND I THINK THE OPPORTUNITY, WHICH I THINK DARLY AND MATT COULD PROBABLY TALK MORE, IS THROUGH THIS INTEGRATION.
WE NEED TO WORK ON HOW WE MOVE BEYOND THAT AND AS WE HAVE THOSE, AS WE'RE ABLE TO COMPEL THOSE INDIVIDUALS INTO CARE, UM, MEETING THEM WHERE THEY'RE AT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE ONGOING ENGAGEMENT.
AND SO WE DON'T LOSE THOSE PEOPLE AND WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THEM TO TRY TO MOVE THEM INTO, UM, HOW PERMANENT HOUSING WITH SUPPORTS THROUGH THESE AVENUES.
SO MATT, I DON'T KNOW IF, SO ARE YOU SAYING YOU HAVE THIS TODAY OR ARE YOU SAYING THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE ASPIRING TO? SO, MATT, DO YOU WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT CRISIS RESPONSE LOOKS LIKE TODAY? SURE.
SO, UM, WE HAVE CURRENTLY, UH, CAPACITY TO DO THE SERVICE WE, UH, TALKED ABOUT TODAY.
UH, SO WE HAVE CONTRACTORS THAT ARE PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES PRESENTLY.
BUT, SO CAN I JUST PAUSE FOR A SECOND BECAUSE MA'AM, THE SERVICES YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY ARE CASE MANAGEMENT WHERE THEY'RE GOING OUT ONCE A WEEK, RIGHT? YES.
WELL, THESE ARE MUL, DARLY CAN TALK.
THESE ARE MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAMS WITH A RANGE OF DIFFERENT PRACTITIONERS PROVIDING HEALTHCARE, BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE, PRIMARY CARE, PSYCHIATRIC MEDICATION MANAGEMENT.
BUT HE SAID IT WAS ONCE A WEEK.
DARLING, DO YOU WANNA DIG INTO WHAT THE ACT TEAMS LOOK LIKE ON THE GROUND? SO THE, SO THE, THE ACT TEAMS ARE COMPOSED OF, UM, 10 TO 12, UM, CLINICIANS, AND THEY, IT'S A MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESPONSE TEAM.
UM, IT'S AN EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE THAT INCLUDES PSYCHIATRISTS, NURSING, UM, LICENSED CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY COUNSELORS, PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE WORKING AS CERTIFIED PEERS, CASE MANAGERS, AND UM, LICENSED, UM, CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS.
UM, THESE TEAMS ARE NEW TEAMS. THIS ARE NOT THE SERVICES THAT EXISTED BEFORE.
THESE ARE TEAMS THAT HAVE BEEN, UM, CREATED
[00:55:01]
TO SUPPORT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE MOVING FROM UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS INTO HOUSING.THE SYSTEM, UM, HAD CASE MANAGEMENT BEFORE AND ACT TEAMS BEFORE.
HOWEVER, THIS ARE NEW TEAMS AND NEW RESOURCES COMING INTO THIS COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT, UM, TO SUPPORT THE NEEDS.
IN TERMS OF THE, THE, THE CRISIS RESPONSE SYSTEM, UM, THE, THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, UM, LANDSCAPE IN NORTH TEXAS IS VERY ROBUST.
UM, YOU HAVE, UM, REALLY, UM, ONE OF THE LARGEST LOCAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES IN, IN THE STATE WITH HUGE REACH THAT MATT REPRESENTS, AND HE CAN SPEAK FOR THAT.
BUT THE RESOURCES ARE STILL LIMITED BASED ON THE DEMANDS OF THIS POPULATION.
SO THESE ARE, I WANT TO INTER REITERATE, THESE ARE NEW SERVICES THAT ARE BEING BROUGHT TO BEAR IN THE COMMUNITY.
I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S JUST IMPORTANT TO NOTE TOO THAT THE REASON THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM, AND NOW THE INNOVATION THAT WE ARE USING WITH HUD PAYS FOR A CASE RATE FOR THESE TEAMS IS BECAUSE THEY ARE REQUIRED THROUGH THEIR, THEIR CONTRACT WITH NPA TO PROVIDE AS MANY HOURS AS, UM, IS REQUIRED THROUGH TREATMENT PLANS THAT ARE CREATED WITH EACH INDIVIDUAL, SO THAT THOSE TEAMS CAN REALLY TAILOR THE AMOUNT OF HOURS THAT EACH INDIVIDUAL GETS BASED ON WHAT IS CLINICALLY RECOMMENDED FOR THAT PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL.
SO I THINK THAT'S ANOTHER PART OF THE INNOVATION IS NOT SAYING IT'S A ONCE A WEEK AND WE'RE DONE, BUT MORE, UM, HOW THIS ACTUALLY ROLLS OUT IS YOU ARE CONTRACTED TO PROVIDE WHAT IS BEEN CLINICALLY RECOMMENDED FOR THAT INDIVIDUAL.
CAN YOU CLARIFY HOW MANY INPATIENT MENTAL HEALTH, WHAT BEDS THERE ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE HOMELESS? UH, SO THE QUESTION IS HOW MANY, UH, INPATIENT BEDS ARE AVAILABLE? UH, THE COMMUNITY HAS, UH, UH, A ROUND NUMBER, A COUPLE OF HUNDRED OF TOTAL, UH, INPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC BEDS.
UH, AND OF THOSE, UH, NIPA HAS, IS CONTRACTED FOR AROUND 50 SOMETHING BEDS A DAY.
UH, AND THOSE WOULD BE, UH, ACCESSIBLE BY, UH, UH, UH, PROCESSED, BUT IT, UH, INDEPENDENT OF THEIR HOUSING STATUS.
UM, ARE THEY, ARE ALL THOSE BEDS FULL RIGHT NOW? UM, UH, TYPICALLY, UH, MOST BEDS IN THE COMMUNITY ARE FULL.
UM, BUT IT, WE ALSO DO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLACE PEOPLE EACH DAY.
SO, UM, THERE WE TEND TO BE AT CAPACITY, YES.
BUT, UM, WE CAN MOVE PEOPLE INTO BEDS EACH DAY.
I WOULD LIKE TO, I WOULD LIKE TO.
SO HOW LONG IS AN AVERAGE STAY? IF SOMEBODY'S INPATIENT, IF YOU HAVE 50 BEDS AND YOU CAN MOVE PEOPLE IN EVERY DAY? SO, UM, THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF THE STATE VARIES, BUT IT'S, UH, BETWEEN 20 AND 30 DAYS, UH, DEPENDING ON THE LOCATION, DEPENDING ON THE INDIVIDUAL.
SOME ARE MUCH SHORTER, SOME CAN BE LONGER, UH, IF THEY'RE MUCH LONGER THAN THEY TYPICALLY GET, UM, UH, IN LINE TO MOVE OFF TO THE STATE HOSPITAL.
UM, BUT IT DEPENDS ON THE INDIVIDUAL.
AND THIS CAN BE FOR, UM, VOLUNTARY AND, AND INVOLUNTARY? YES, MA'AM.
AND IT'S WHETHER THEY'RE ON MEDICAID OR NOT, UH, OR THEY MUST BE ON MEDICAID? NO.
SO THE, THE BEDS THAT I'M TALKING ABOUT ARE THE NON-MEDICAID, JUST THE INDIGENT BEDS THAT, UH, NIPA MANAGES, UH, THE MEDICAID BEDS, UH, THOSE WOULD BE ACCESSED, UH, ON TOP OF THAT.
AND THEN WHAT ABOUT FOR, UM, ADDICTION SERVICES? HOW MANY INPATIENT BEDS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THAT? UM, I'M SORRY, I DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
I WOULD NEED TO GET IT BACK TO YOU ON THE NUMBER OF, UH, RESIDENTIAL PLACEMENTS THAT WE HAVE, BUT I'M HAPPY TO GET THAT NUMBER FOR YOU.
SO I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR THIS NUMBER ACTUALLY FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
CAN YOU PROMISE ME YOU'LL GET IT TO ME? I CAN, YES.
AND CHAIR MIDON BACK TO YOU CHAIRMAN MENDELSON.
WE ALSO HAVE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, ALINA HERE, SO I'LL MAKE SURE SHE, UM, GETS THAT NOTE.
NO, I'VE ALREADY ASKED HER FOR IT TOO.
SO, UM, YOU'VE GOT THESE 480 THAT YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT ARE GOING TO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING THAT ARE PART OF THIS COHORT THAT YOU'RE GONNA TARGET.
BUT WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT THE ONES THAT ABSOLUTELY ARE GONNA REJECT HOUSING? SO YOU'RE GONNA GO OUT, YOU'RE GONNA MEET WITH THEM, YOU'RE GONNA TRY OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
NOW WHAT? WELL, THANKFULLY OUR EXPERIENCE HAS TOLD US THAT THAT'S A VERY SMALL PERCENT, BUT WE'RE GONNA KEEP TRYING AND KEEP ENGAGING.
AND THAT'S REALLY, I THINK THE NATURE OF THESE TEAMS IS, YOU KNOW, WE SEE PEOPLE MOVING INTO HOUSING AFTER BEING ON THE STREET FOR 20 YEARS AND BEING VERY SUCCESSFUL IN THAT ENVIRONMENT.
AS LONG AS WE HAVE THE COMPREHENSIVE CARE, UM, TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT PEOPLE.
AND NOW WITH THIS NEW TOOL, I THINK WE'RE MUCH BETTER POSITIONED TO NOT
[01:00:01]
ONLY ENGAGE THE POP POPULATION THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, BUT TO ENSURE THAT ONCE THEY ARE HOUSED, THAT THEY STAY THERE.WELL, I THINK ACTUALLY, UM, I'M TALKING ABOUT A DIFFERENT POPULATION BECAUSE IT'S NOT PEOPLE WHO'VE NECESSARILY BEEN ON THE STREET FOR 20 YEARS.
MANY OF THE PEOPLE I'M SEEING NOW ARE IN THEIR TWENTIES AND THEY HAVE SIGNIFICANT ADDICTION ISSUES.
THEY'RE POSSIBLY DEALING DRUGS, AND I'M DEFINITELY TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THE FAR NORTH DALLAS AREA, UM, BOTH DISTRICT 11 AND 12, AND, UM, THEY DO NOT WANT HOUSING.
THEY DO NOT WANT MENTAL HEALTH CARE.
THEY WANNA CONTINUE THEIR LIFE LIVING UNDER BRIDGES AND IN THE CREEKS AND BEHIND SHOPPING CENTERS.
AND I, I DON'T SEE HOW YOU'RE ADDRESSING THOSE ISSUES.
AND THEY'RE VERY PROBLEMATIC FOR THE COMMUNITY.
WE'VE GOT BUSINESSES LEAVING TOWN, WE'VE GOT RESIDENTS WHO FEEL UNSAFE.
THERE ARE ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES HAPPENING.
THERE'S PEOPLE PASSED OUT ON SIDEWALKS AND, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M SURE CHRISTINA'S SICK AND TIRED OF HEARING ME TALK ABOUT THIS, BUT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE MIGHT BE REMOVED, BUT THEY'RE BACK THE NEXT DAY.
AND SO I DON'T SEE A STRATEGY TO DEAL WITH THAT AT ALL.
SO I THINK THE NEW TOOL, WHAT'S NEW ABOUT THIS VERSUS HOW WE'VE ADDRESSED TREAT HOMELESSNESS AND ENCAMPMENTS PRIOR TO THESE EFFORTS IS THAT WITH THE OFFER OF HOUSING, THAT HAS BEEN A NEW TOOL OF ENGAGEMENT WHERE PEOPLE ARE SAYING YES TO WORKING WITH US ON HOUSING, EVEN IF THEY DO NOT WANT TO GO TO SHELTER FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, WHICH I THINK EVERYONE ON THIS PANEL COULD, COULD SPEAK TO, BUT WITH THE OFFER OF HOUSING, WE'RE NOT ONLY RES ABLE TO ACTUALLY END SOMEONE'S HOMELESSNESS, BUT WE'RE RESOLVING THAT ENCAMPMENT INSTEAD OF, TO YOUR POINT, GOING, MOVING PEOPLE ALONG, OFFERING A SERVICE THAT PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO ACCESS, AND THEN THEY'RE COMING BACK TO THAT SITE.
SO I THINK BY ENDING SOMEONE'S HOMELESSNESS AND THEN KEEPING THOSE LOCATIONS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, UM, THAT'S I THINK HOW WE'RE PLANNING TO TACKLE WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, YOU'RE NOT ACTUALLY ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF IF THEY DON'T WANT HOUSING.
AND SO, YES, COUNCIL, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, AS I THINK YOU AND I ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH, UM, THERE IS A POINT AT WING ITT NEEDS TO BE A BEHAVIOR CHANGE.
AND THAT'S WHERE THE CITY OUTREACH, UM, AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, CODE AND PUBLIC WORKS, UM, AND OUR MOBILE CRISIS AND RIGHT CARE SOMETIMES DO COME IN AND IT REALLY IS ABOUT, WE ARE GOING TO HELP PEOPLE AS MUCH AS WE CAN, BUT THERE ALSO IS AN EXPECTATION OF WHAT THE PUBLIC LAND AND OCCUPATION WILL LOOK LIKE.
AND WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT HERE IS CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN THE TWO, BECAUSE WE REALIZE, AND I I HEARD YOUR FRUSTRATIONS AS WELL, THAT WE CAN'T DO THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AND AGAIN TO NO EFFECT.
BUT WHAT WE CAN DO IS KEEP WORKING ON THE SITE, CLEANINGS THE SITE, HARDENING THE BEHAVIOR CHANGE WHILE OFFERING SERVICES, WHILE THESE NEW GROUPS ARE GETTING CLOSER TO CLOSING THAT GAP SO THAT WE ARE AFFECTING REAL CHANGE INSTEAD OF JUST DOING THE SAME THING AND EXPECTING A DIFFERENT OUTCOME.
WELL, I KEEP HEARING THAT THERE'S GONNA BE SITE HARDENING ON THE TOLLWAY AND IT STILL HASN'T HAPPENED.
UM, IF I CAN GO TO PAGE TWO OF YOUR PRESENTATION, YOU'VE GOT A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT, UM, YOU ARE SAYING HAVE BEEN HOUSED.
CAN YOU SHARE WITH US HOW MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE, UH, LOST THEIR HOUSING, WHERE THEIR LAST PERMANENT HOUSING WAS FROM THE CITY OF DALLAS AS OPPOSED TO SOMEWHERE ELSE? AND ALSO HOW MANY OF THOSE MIGHT BE MIGRANTS? COULD YOU REPEAT THE FIRST QUESTION? SO, OUT OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN HOUSED SINCE 2020, IF YOU GO TO SLIDE TWO, RIGHT? SO YOU'RE SHOWING THAT YOU, YOU'VE HOUSED 12,713 SINCE 2021.
IT USED TO BE A STANDARD QUESTION.
WE DON'T CONSISTENTLY TRACK LAST ADDRESS.
CAN WE ASK YOU TO DO THAT? SO THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS CONTRACTUALLY REQUIRED, UM, BECAUSE LAST ADDRESS IS NOT A GOOD INDICATOR OF WHERE SOMEONE HAS ACTUALLY BEEN.
UM, THEIR LAST ADDRESS COULD HAVE BEEN SIX MONTHS AGO.
IT COULD HAVE BEEN THREE MONTHS AGO.
AND I KNOW THAT WE'VE SAID HERE BEFORE, IF THEY'RE IN THE CITY OF DALLAS, WHEN WE COME ACROSS THEM, THEN WE JUST TREAT THEM AS IF THEY'RE A RESIDENT OF DALLAS.
UM, FOR MIGRANTS, WE ACTUALLY DON'T DEAL WITH THAT.
THE SYSTEM'S NOT SET UP TO DEAL WITH THOSE DIFFERENT LEGAL ISSUES AND BARRIERS.
SO WE PATCH THEM THROUGH TO THE OFFICE OF WELCOMING COMMUNITIES WHO WORKS WITH, UM, IMMIGRATION ISSUES.
WELL, I'M HAVING PROVIDERS TELL ME THAT THEY MOST CERTAINLY ARE DEALING WITH MIGRANTS AND NUMBER ONE
[01:05:01]
AND NUMBER TWO, I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT POLICY QUESTION FOR US.IF WE FIND THAT THE LAST KNOWN ADDRESS, UH, THE LAST PERMANENT ADDRESS PEOPLE HAVE HAD HAS BEEN OUTSIDE OF TEXAS VERSUS IN TEXAS, OR IF EVERYBODY'S COMING FROM GARLAND, MAYBE WE NEED TO BE DEALING WITH THAT ISSUE.
AND I, I THINK, AND, AND I'M JUST USING GARLAND AS AN EXAMPLE, UM, LET ME ASK YOU ON PAGE THREE, UM, THERE'S A LINE THAT SAYS MAINTAIN CLOSURE LONG-TERM WITH PARTNERS OTHER THAN DDI, WHAT PARTNERS ARE YOU CURRENTLY, UM, WORKING WITH TO MAINTAIN CLOSURES? OR ARE THERE ANY, OR WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DEVELOP? HAVE YOU IDENTIFIED OTHER PARTNERS? SO THAT DRAWS BACK TO WHAT I TALKED ABOUT IS GOING THROUGH DIRECTOR ODIN IN TERMS OF THE SITE CLOSURE MAINTENANCE.
UH, HE RUNS THE PARTNERSHIPS THAT KEEP THE SITES CLOSED DOWN, UM, AND THEN PULLS IN OTHER OUTREACH, UM, OTHER OUTREACH PROVIDERS THROUGH OHS.
SOMETIMES IT'S, UM, MY OUTREACH STAFF, SOMETIMES IT'S HEART, UM, SOMETIMES IT'S, AS YOU SAID, MARSHALL CITY SECURITY, THAT SORT OF THING.
SO IT REALLY IS JUST, UM, A HODGEPODGE OF WHOEVER IS NEEDED THAT DAY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE SEVEN DAY A WEEK COVERAGE.
WELL, I THINK OTHER THAN THE PIDS, I'M NOT SURE WHAT PARTNERS ARE AVAILABLE AND HAVE THE RESOURCES TO DO THAT.
SO I THINK THAT'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA NEED MORE ATTENTION.
ON PAGE FOUR, UM, WHERE YOU'VE GOT THIS FIRST PHASE THAT WAS LAUNCHED DOWNTOWN, I'M WONDERING WHAT, UM, WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO ABOUT SOME OF THE AREAS THAT ARE NOT AS CONCENTRATED.
MEANING, YOU KNOW, ARAPAHO AND TOLLWAY, THERE'S A HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT THAT DUDE'S BEEN THERE AT LEAST THREE YEARS.
HE'S RUNNING OFF OTHER BUSINESSES IN THAT AREA AND NOTHING'S HAPPENING FOR THAT.
SO, UH, SPRING VALLEY AND THE TOLLWAY, LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE I KNOW IN THE PAST TWO OR THREE WEEKS, THERE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING OUT THERE.
IT'S A LITTLE BIT SMALLER THAN IT'S BEEN FRANKFURT IN THE TOLLWAY ONGOING PROBLEM.
MOCKINGBIRD 35, ALL ALONG 35, UM, FOREST AND 75, YOU KNOW, POPS BACK UP EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE.
BUT I MEAN, WE'VE GOT PROBLEMS ALL ACROSS THE CITY.
I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW A COUNCIL MEMBER THAT CAN'T SAY I'VE GOT A LOT OF PROBLEMS HERE, THERE OR THERE.
AND HOW, HOW ARE YOU GONNA ADDRESS THIS IN OTHER PLACES? THERE'S, AND WHEN THERE'S TWO, THERE'S, THERE ARE TWO STRATEGIES FOR RESOLVING STREET HOMELESSNESS.
ONE IS THE ENCAMPMENT REHOUSING RESPONSE, WHICH IS INDICATED ON THE ZONES THAT YOU SEE HERE.
WE CONTINUE TO IDENTIFY AND WORK ON ZONES, AND WE'LL BE REPORTING BACK TO YOU AS THOSE, UH, LARGE ENCAMPMENTS CLOSE AND ARE REOPENED TO THE PUBLIC.
THE OTHER WAY IS THROUGH OUR NOW, UM, FULLY IMPLEMENTED COORDINATED OUTREACH TEAM, WHICH IS WHERE WE HAVE 30 PLUS OUTREACH STAFF THAT ARE ASSIGNED TO SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS, WORKING WITH PEOPLE, THE SAME PEOPLE WORKING THE SAME AREA, TALKING TO THE SAME PEOPLE, TO ENGAGE THEM IN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT GETTING CONNECTED WITH CARE THROUGH THIS NEW PARTNERSHIP AS WELL AS HOUSING CHAIR MIDDLETON, ABOUT TWO MORE MINUTES.
UM, SO I'LL, I'LL ASK YOU ON THIS ONE FOR ZONE ONE, WHICH YOU HAVE AS THE LIBRARY IN CITY HALL.
WHEN YOU CAME IN TODAY, DID YOU NOTICE THE HOMELESS? SO AS I HAVE SAID, THERE IS CLOSURE MAINTENANCE THAT MOVES PEOPLE ALONG.
SO IF YOU NOTICE, THOSE PEOPLE ARE NOT THERE 24 7.
HOWEVER, PEOPLE ARE ALSO ALLOWED TO SIT AND ENJOY THE WEATHER AS ANYONE ELSE IS, NO MATTER WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE.
I, OH, I THINK THAT WAS FAIRLY OFFENSIVE WHAT YOU JUST SAID.
UM, I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH ANYBODY NO MATTER WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE SITTING AND ENJOYING THE WEATHER.
I DON'T THINK THAT'S WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
UM, WHAT KIND OF GROWTH IS METROCARE GONNA, UM, UNDERTAKE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
WE HAVE A NETWORK OF PROVIDERS.
SO, UH, THEY'RE, UH, INDIVIDUAL PROVIDERS LIKE METROCARE, UH, HAVE GROWN TO ACCOMMODATE THE NEW SERVICES.
WE'RE ALSO ADDING OTHER PROVIDERS IN OUR NETWORK TO THE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECT THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.
UM, SO, UH, THE ANSWER SPECIFICALLY, WE'LL BE ADDING, UH, ADDITIONAL TEAMS WITH ADDITIONAL CONTRACTORS, UH, SPECIFICALLY CHILD AND FAMILY GUIDANCE AND SOUTHERN AREA BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE.
AND FOR MOST OF THE, UM, SERVICES RECEIVED, ARE THEY GOING TO YOUR FACILITY IN, IN, IN, IN LAKE HIGHLANDS AREA, OR ARE THEY ALL OVER THE CITY? HOW IS THAT WORKING? SO FOR THE ONGOING SERVICES,
[01:10:01]
UM, THEY CAN CHOOSE ANY PARTICIPATING MEMBER IN OUR NETWORK.UM, BUT FOR, FOR THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE TEAMS, THE IDEA IS THAT WE MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY'RE AT IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO THESE ARE MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAMS, AND DEPENDING ON WHICH SERVICES ARE CLINICALLY RECOMMENDED FOR THAT INDIVIDUAL, THOSE PRACTITIONERS WOULD MEET PEOPLE IN THEIR HOMES OR IN PLACES THAT ARE CONVENIENT FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO HELP PEOPLE INTEGRATE INTO THEIR COMMUNITY.
BUT THE CLIENT IS STILL, UM, MANAGING APPOINTMENTS AND HAVING TO GET THEMSELVES TO AN APPOINTMENT.
SO FOR THE, FOR THE MOST PART, THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO THEY'RE COMMUNITY BASE OR HOME BASE.
THAT'S WHAT, UM, WHAT SARAH WAS REFERRING TO.
SO CLINICIANS WOULD GO TO THE INDIVIDUAL'S HOME TO PROVIDE THE SERVICE, AND, AND THAT IS A VERY IMPORTANT DISTINCTION FROM CLINIC BASED SERVICE BECAUSE THEY'RE LOOKING, UM, AT THE HOME ENVIRONMENT ASSESSING HOW THEY'RE MAINTAINING THEIR HOME.
AND THAT IS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF HOUSING STABILITY.
UM, AND FOR SERVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED TO, UH, PROVIDED BY THE PSYCHIATRIST, THAT CAN BE PROVIDED VIA TELEHEALTH OR ALSO IN CLINIC.
SO THE TEAM WILL HELP THAT INDIVIDUAL MAKE IT TO THE APPOINTMENT OR ARRANGE FOR TRANSPORTATION FOR THAT PERSON TO MAKE IT TO THE CLINIC TO SEE THE PSYCHIATRIST.
BUT MOST SERVICES ARE PROVIDED IN THE HOME.
SO THE CASE MANAGER'S GOING TO THE HOME, BUT THERE'S NOT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL GOING TO THE HOME.
UM, LICENSED CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY COUNSELORS GO TO THE HOME, UM, LICENSED MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIANS, AND SOME PSYCHIATRISTS DO THAT TOO, FOR THIS TEAM, FOR THIS PARTICULAR POPULATION.
UM, THEY ARE, UM, IT'S, IT'S INNOVATIVE IN THAT, UM, IT'S REMOVING, UM, THE WALLS OF THE CLINIC AND JUST BRINGING THE CLINIC TO WHERE PEOPLE ARE.
UM, HOW MANY PSYCHIATRISTS DO YOU HAVE THAT DO HOME VISITS? YOU KNOW, THAT'S A, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY HERE IN NORTH TEXAS, BUT I KNOW WHERE I COME FROM.
IN TRAVIS COUNTY, WE HAD ABOUT THREE OF THEM THAT WERE FULLY DEDICATED, UM, IN TRAVIS COUNTY TO PROVIDE HOME VISITS.
SO YOU HAD THREE IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
DO WE KNOW, HAVE AN ANSWER FOR METROCARE? I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBER FOR METROCARE.
THANK Y'ALL FOR, FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SPENT, UH, ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF ON THIS CONVERSATION.
IT CONTINUES TO BE A TOP PRIORITY OF MINE, UH, AND SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES.
AND SO APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE.
OBVIOUSLY WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE, UH, 12,007, 713 PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN, UH, HOUSED IN PLACEMENTS.
CAN YOU GIVE ME A DEFINITION OF DIVERSION, RAPID REHOUSING, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, AND THE, UH, POPULATION THAT WE'RE SPEAKING TO? ARE WE TALKING ABOUT CHRONICALLY HOMELESS? ARE WE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THE VERGE OF HOMELESSNESS? ARE WE TALKING ABOUT SOMEONE THAT'S BEEN HOMELESS FOR A WEEK? AND IF WE CAN GET THOSE NUMBERS AS WELL, BUT IF YOU CAN JUST GIMME THE DEFINITIONS OF HOW PEOPLE ARE CLASSIFIED.
SO ON THE LAST SLIDE, IT BREAKS DOWN THOSE HOUSING PLACEMENTS BY THE INTERVENTIONS THAT YOU'RE DESCRIBING.
ONE OF THE NEW INNOVATIONS THAT WAS IMPLEMENTED, UM, BETWEEN I GUESS MARCH AND TODAY WAS REALLY ROLLING OUT, UH, SYSTEM-WIDE DIVERSION TO ALL OF OUR MAJOR ACCESS POINTS.
SO ACCESS POINTS ARE TYPICALLY OUR SHELTERS OR OUR OUTREACH TEAMS. AND DIVERSION IS NOW A PROBLEM SOLVING CONVERSATION THAT WE WANT ANYONE ACCESSING EMERGENCY SHELTER TO HAVE THEIR FIRST CONVERSATION BE A DIVERSION PROBLEM SOLVING CONVERSATION WHERE, UM, IDEALLY WE WOULD BE ABLE TO, AS PEOPLE ARE, HAVE JUST, JUST BECOME HOMELESS AND ARE ACCESSING SERVICES ON DAY ONE, WE WOULD LIKE TO FIND A SOLUTION THAT MEANS THEY DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A LONG STAY IN SHELTER, BUT WE CAN IMMEDIATELY SUPPORT THEM TO GO LIVE WITH A COUSIN OR MAYBE MEDIATE THE RETURN TO THEIR PREVIOUS HOUSING SITUATION.
SO TYPICALLY, I KNOW IN OUR FAMILY SHELTERS, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, ELLEN MAGNUS AND FAMILY GATEWAY PIONEERED THIS WITH FAMILIES.
AND SO A LOT OF OUR EVIDENCE TO DATE IS WITH THE FAMILY POPULATION.
WE WILL NOW GET NEW EVIDENCE FOR WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE WITH SINGLE ADULTS AFTER THIS YEAR OF ROLLING OUT.
BUT IN THE FAMILY SPACE, UM, FAMILIES ARE STAYING FOR, YOU KNOW, ON AVERAGE FOUR OR FIVE NIGHTS IN SHELTER BEFORE THEY'RE REHOUSED.
SO THAT'S A QUICK RAPID EXIT FROM THE SHELTER.
AND IDEALLY, WE WANNA GIVE THAT TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.
IT'S THE CHEAPEST INTERVENTION.
IT'S THE INTERVENTION THAT, UM,
[01:15:01]
THAT, UH, HELPS FAMILIES AVOID THE TRAUMA OF LONG STAYS IN CRISIS.UM, FOR ANYONE WHO IS NOT RECEIVING A DIVERSION INTERVENTION AND DOESN'T LEAVE SHELTER ON THEIR OWN, WE WANNA RESERVE RAPID REHOUSING, WHICH IS, UM, AGAIN, THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS BECAUSE OF ECONOMIC REASONS WHO, UM, CAN BENEFIT FROM RENTAL ASSISTANCE, TYPICALLY UP TO 12 MONTHS WITH CASE MANAGEMENT TO HELP PEOPLE GET BACK ON THEIR FEET.
AND THEN FOR ABOUT 15% OF OUR POPULATION WHO'S EXPERIENCING CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS, THIS IS A POPULATION WHO'S SHOWN US THAT THEY CAN'T LEAVE ON THEIR OWN AND THEY NEED SOMETHING THAT'S HAS MORE COMPREHENSIVE CARE.
AND SO WE TARGET PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, WHICH IS A PERMANENT RENTAL ASSISTANCE SUBSIDY WITH THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE TEAMS AVAILABLE THAT WE JUST DESCRIBED.
AND SO THAT'S THE SMALLEST, MOST INTENSIVE, MOST EXPENSIVE INTERVENTION FOR THAT GROUP.
SO, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY WE, WE, WE WANT TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM GOING INTO HOMELESSNESS AS WELL.
UH, THE CHALLENGE THAT I HAVE IS THAT, UH, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING OF HAVING, UH, 1,856 INDIVIDUALS WHO, WHO MEET THAT CRITERIA AND REALLY WANTING TO SEE THAT NUMBER GROW.
AT THE SAME TIME WE'RE SAYING, WE'RE SAYING THAT THERE'S A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT, UH, PRACTICING SELF-CARE OR ARE THREAT TO THEMSELVES.
DO WE HAVE A, A NUMBER OF THAT POPULATION? I MEAN, I WOULD SAY WHAT LESS THAN A HUNDRED PEOPLE.
I MEAN, IT, I DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE DATA ON THAT SPECIFIC POPULATION, DO WE? I THINK THAT THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN, UM, LOOK FURTHER AND YEAH, PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION TO YOU.
I, I, I WOULDN'T WANNA COME UP WITH A, WITH A FIGURE, UM, WE CAN MAKE THAT INFORMATION AVAILABLE AND OBVIOUSLY THAT WOULD BE AT A POINT IN TIME, WE WOULD WANNA GIVE THAT NUMBER 'CAUSE THAT THE PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCE CHANGES FROM DAY TO DAY, DEPENDING ON SURE.
AND SO, UH, UH, CHAIRMAN GRACIE ASKED THE QUESTION OF, OF WHERE ARE PEOPLE BEING HOUSED, WHETHER THAT'S PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UH, CITY FACILITY OR MARKET RATE.
AND, UH, WE SAID THAT THOSE WERE SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
MM-HMM,
SO IT WOULD BE AN INVASION OF PRIVACY TO TRACK THEIR ADDRESSES.
BUT REGARDLESS, I MEAN, OUR, THE, THE, THE MAIN GOAL OF OUR HOUSING LOCATION TEAM IS TO DIVERSIFY A PORTFOLIO OF UNITS SO THAT WE GIVE EVERY PERSON, WHETHER YOU'RE ON THE STREET OR IN SHELTER, OPTIONS FOR WHERE YOU WANT TO LIVE, AND PEOPLE CHOOSE AN OPTION THAT BEST MEETS THEIR NEEDS, WHICH MEANS WE WANNA PULL IN AS MANY UNITS TO OUR CENTRALIZED PORTFOLIO AS POSSIBLE.
THEY'RE ALL, AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY, AND WE SEE THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING, BUT WHEN WE'RE GOING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITIES, IT'S VERY CHALLENGING TO SAY, YES, WE KNOW THAT THIS PERSON HAS BEEN HOUSED.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE JUST GOING ON, ON DATA THAT'S BEING PROVIDED TO US.
WHERE IS THE MEASURE? HOW, HOW DO WE REFERENCE SOMETHING THAT WE'RE NOT, UM, HAVING ANY SORT OF, UH, INFORMATION PROVIDED TO US, WHETHER THAT IS INTERNAL OR, UH, FORWARD FACING.
SO THE CONTRACTUAL MEASURE IS, UM, THAT THEY ARE WITHIN THE CONTINUUM OF CARE.
AND SO WE DO TRACK THAT AND WE WORK ON A CONTRACTUAL LEVEL TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE WITHIN THE COC.
AND WE HAVE A COMMUNITY-WIDE DASHBOARDS.
SO WE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE PLACED THAT PULLS FROM OUR HOMELESS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM.
SO ANYTIME THERE'S A PLACEMENT IN PERMANENT HOUSING, THAT'S A DATA ELEMENT THAT HUD REQUIRES US TO REPORT ON.
AND SO THAT DATA ELEMENT, THE, THE MOVE IN
SO THIS IS JUST A VERY HIGH LEVEL VIEW OF THE DATA, BUT ON THAT DASHBOARD, YOU CAN KIND OF DRILL DOWN INTO, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS, YOU CAN LOOK AT IT BY MONTH, BY RACE AND ETHNICITY, GENDER, ALL OF THOSE DRILL DOWNS.
UM, AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT STREET TO HOME, UM, WANT TO GIVE Y'ALL SOME CREDIT THERE.
I THINK WE'VE SEEN SOME SUCCESS.
WE'VE ALSO THOUGH SEEN, UM, SOME MOVEMENT INTO FOUNDERS PLAZA, WHICH IS OUTSIDE OF ZONE ONE, UH, WHERE WE HADN'T THE, A PARK WHERE WITH ZERO HOMELESSNESS.
AND NOW AFTER THE CLOSURE OF THESE THREE ZONES, WE HAVE A CONCENTRATION OF HOMELESSNESS AT THIS PARTICULAR PARK.
UM, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, STREET TO HOME, YOU SAID PUBLIC SPACES, OUTDOOR SPACES, DOES THAT INCLUDE INDOOR PUBLIC SPACES AS WELL, OR EXCLUSIVELY OUTDOOR SPACES? SO STREET TO HOME, OBVIOUSLY
[01:20:01]
WE'RE TARGETING STREET HOMELESSNESS IN A PARTICULAR WAY THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TODAY, BUT WE'RE ALSO HOUSING PEOPLE OUT OF SHELTER.IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE REFERRING TO? UH, FOLKS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET AT OUR LIBRARY WHO, OH, UM, YEAH.
WHO ARE SLEEPING, UM, INSIDE THE LIBRARY.
YEAH, I MEAN, THOSE, SOME OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS ARE ALREADY ACCESSING OUR SHELTERS.
SOME OF THEM ARE LIVING IN OTHER UNSHELTERED LOCATIONS.
AND THE IDEA IS THAT WE WANNA SYSTEMATICALLY TARGET ALL OF THOSE LOCATIONS, BUT ALSO CONTINUE TO HOUSE OUT OF SHELTERS AS WELL.
SO, SO YOU GUYS ARE GOING, UH, PHYSICALLY INSIDE PUBLIC BUILDINGS AS WELL? MM-HMM.
UM, SO THE, AGAIN, I THINK THIS IS A GREAT PROGRAM THAT'S BEEN IMPLEMENTED.
MY QUESTION IS WHY HAVEN'T WE BEEN DOING THIS? WHAT, WHAT, WHAT, HOW DID WE GET HERE TODAY WITH BEING ABLE TO HOUSE A HUNDRED INDIVIDUALS, 107 INDIVIDUALS IN A HUNDRED DAYS? WHY DIDN'T WE SEE THIS TWO, FIVE YEARS AGO? SO A LOT, OUR SYSTEM HAS DONE A COMPLETE TRANSFORMATION TO BE ABLE TO OPERATE IN THIS WAY.
AND I THINK IT'S A GREAT POINT BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO REFLECT ON THE HUGE SHIFTS THAT WE'VE MADE AS A COMMUNITY, UM, AND THOSE KEY INGREDIENTS THAT HAVE LED TO THE SUCCESS.
FIRST IS MAKING IT A TOP PRIORITY, BUT HAVING, I SEE DANIEL OVER HERE HAVING PARTNERS LIKE AUSTIN STREET, THE BRIDGE, ST.
STUPOT, ALL OF OUR PROVIDERS, FAMILY GATEWAY, I COULD NAME ALL OF THEM, BUT ALL OF OUR PROVIDERS REALLY SPEAKING UP TO SAY WE'RE READY TO WORK IN A COORDINATED WAY AND WE'RE READY TO HAVE A LEAD AGENCY THAT CAN BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER AROUND A SHARED VISION THAT CAN HELP US RAISE FUNDING AND DESIGN A SYSTEM THAT CAN TACKLE THIS PROBLEM.
AND IT TAKES SEVERAL DIFFERENT PARTNERS COMING TOGETHER, WORKING, UM, IN HARMONY TO MOVE THIS REHOUSING PROCESS FORWARD.
AND IT'S JUST BEEN AN INCREDIBLE SHOWING FROM OUR PARTNERS WHO ARE NOT, WE'RE UP FOR THAT CHANGE, BUT NOW ARE LIVING THAT CHANGE BY SHOWING UP AND WORKING HAND IN HAND WITH EACH OTHER TO MOVE PEOPLE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
AND I DO WANT TO, UH, TALK ABOUT OUR PARTNERS WHEN IN PARTICULAR, DDI HAS BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE IN A AND A BIG CHAMPION.
HOW DO WE MOVE THESE PROJECTS, THESE INITIATIVES TO NEIGHBORHOODS THAT DON'T HAVE A, A, A PIT OR A GROUP THAT CAN ASSIST? AND HOW DO WE LEVERAGE THE WORK THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING WHEN WE DON'T HAVE THAT SUPPORT IN, IN OTHER COMMUNITIES? SO I THINK THAT GOES BACK TO OUR SYSTEM-WIDE OUTREACH, THAT'S BY QUADRANT THAT NOW HAS THESE GROUPS ATTACHED TO IT AS WELL.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE WORKED ACROSS ALL OF DALLAS FOR THE PAST THREE AND A HALF YEARS, BUT IN TERMS OF HAVING THIS DEDICATED, HEY, WE'RE JUST GONNA FOCUS ON THOSE WHO ARE, ARE OUTSIDE WITH THIS CHRONICITY AND WITH THE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TEAMS THAT IS NEW.
AND SO THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
UM, AND I DO WANNA STATE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A PILOT PROGRAM, UM, FIRST IN THE NATION, AND SO WE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT, BUT AS SARAH SAID, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, BY NO MEANS, UM, IS THIS EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN DO? AND, AND THERE'S STILL A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
AND SO I WANNA SAY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A, A GREAT FIRST STEP.
THIS SUMMER HAS BEEN REALLY SUCCESSFUL, AND NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT RAMPING IT UP.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE, WE KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT COMING TODAY SAYING WE'VE SOLVED THE PROBLEM.
WE'RE SAYING THAT THIS ISN'T A NEW ERA OF THE PROBLEM SOLVING.
AND, AND MY FINAL QUESTION, COMMENT IS THE SUCCESS THAT WE'VE HAD WITH HOUSING THESE INDIVIDUALS IN, IN THESE THREE ZONES, WHILE IT MIGHT LOOK GOOD TODAY, WHAT'S THE PLAN AND THE EFFORTS SIX MONTHS A YEAR DOWN THE ROAD? I KNOW THAT YOU MENTIONED THE MONITORING OF THE SITES AND, UH, THE MARSHALS EFFORTS.
CAN YOU SPEAK, UH, ON WHAT RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS OWNERS SHOULD BE DOING IF THEY SEE A TENT POP UP IN ONE OF THESE ZONES? WHO SHOULD THEY BE REACHING OUT TO? IS THAT 3 1 1 IS THAT, UH, THE CIS A APP? WHO SHOULD WE BE REACHING OUT TO, UH, WHEN A BUSINESS OWNER SEES A TENT POP UP IN FRONT OF THEIR, UH, SIDEWALK, AND IT'S BOTH OF THOSE.
SO THE CIS A APP 3 1 1, UM, THE CONCENTRATED PATROLS AND, UH, CLOSURE EFFORTS THAT WE HAVE NOW TO AFFECT THE BEHAVIOR CHANGE, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE CONSTANT RIGHT NOW.
AND THEN IN TERMS OF BEING CONSTANT, OUR GOAL IS NOT TO NEED THEM CONSTANTLY, BUT TO BRING THEM BACK AS NEEDED BECAUSE BEHAVIOR CHANGES ARE NOT STATIC.
IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, A ONE AND DONE.
SO THERE WILL BE TIMES THAT THEY NEED TO COME BACK ONLINE FOR THIS SITE AND FOR NEW SITES.
UM, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, YES, CS A APP 3 1 1.
[01:25:01]
WE ALSO, THROUGH OHS AND OUR OTHER PARTNERS, UM, ARE VERY, VERY ACTIVE WITH BUSINESS OWNERS TO TRY AND GIVE THEM THAT TRANSPARENCY INTO WHO WE ARE AND HOW THEY CONTACT US, UM, AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE THAT AGENCY TO GET IN CONTACT AND VOICE THEIR FRUSTRATIONS.AND CHRISTINE, WITH, WITH STAFFING CHANGES THAT JUST NATURALLY OCCUR, WHAT'S DIFFERENT IN THE 3 1 1 SYSTEM THAT DESIGNATES THAT THIS IS A CLOSED ZONE OR A ZONE THAT'S BEEN DECOMMISSIONED? IS THERE SOMETHING THAT WHEN AN ADDRESS IS PULLED IN THAT TRIGGERS, UH, THAT IT IT'S ONE OF THESE LOCATIONS TO ALERT THE CLEAN TEAM OR, OR WHATEVER DEPARTMENT IT MIGHT BE THAT THERE'S A ZERO TOLERANCE IN THAT, UH, PERIMETER? SO 3 1 1 IS CURRENTLY OVERHAULING RIGHT NOW, I BELIEVE.
UM, AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN PUT IN.
RIGHT NOW IT'S ALL BACK OF HOUSE.
AND WE JUST HAVE A VERY, VERY HEIGHTENED UNDERSTANDING OF WHO'S, OF WHICH ZONES ARE UNDER WHICH COMMAND STRUCTURE.
BUT THAT'S SOMETHING I WILL DEFINITELY LOOK AT.
UM, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO, UM, AGENDA OR A BRIEFING ITEM B, AND I THINK CHRISTINE WILL STAY WHERE SHE'S AT.
UM, AGAIN, CHRISTINE CROSLEY, ALSO HOMELESS SOLUTIONS.
UM, HAPPY TO HAVE DANIEL ROBY, CEO FOR AUSTIN STREET WITH ME HERE TODAY.
AND, UM, JUST BECAUSE I KNOW WE'RE SHORT ON TIME AND THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER THINGS WE NEED TO GET THROUGH, UM, AND YOU GUYS HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE, WE'RE JUST GOING TO DO A VERY HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW AND TRY TO GIVE MOST TIME BACK TO QUESTIONS.
UM, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY ON THIS, IF WE CAN GO TO SLIDE THREE.
THIS IS A SYSTEM THAT, UM, HAS BEEN LONG IN THE MAKING, UM, AND REALLY CAME TO BE, UH, THROUGH CHAPTER 45, WHICH WAS, UH, APPROVED.
I KNOW IT CAME THROUGH THIS COMMITTEE AND ALSO THROUGH THE CHC, UH, AND WAS APPROVED IN DECEMBER OF 2020.
SO VERY GRATEFUL TO HAVE THAT INFRASTRUCTURE.
UM, AND OF COURSE, CITY MANAGER AND CITY COUNCIL SUPPORT THAT HAS ALLOWED US TO NOT ONLY HAVE THE FINANCIAL AND UH, CITY CODE STRUCTURE TO ENACT INCLEMENT WEATHER, SHELTER RESPONSE, BUT ALSO TO HAVE, UH, CONTRACTS WITH PARTNERS, WHICH I BELIEVE, UH, GOSH, I REMEMBER THOSE WERE APPROVED TWO YEARS AGO ON DECEMBER 14TH, SO THAT WE COULD ENACT SHELTER OVER CHRISTMAS.
SO VERY, UM, VERY GRATEFUL FOR THOSE.
AND OF COURSE, OUR PARAMETERS CONTINUE TO BE 36 DEGREES IN WET WEATHER WITH 50% OR MORE PRECIPITATION PREDICTED, OR 32 DEGREES IN DRY WEATHER.
AND BOTH OF THOSE ARE FOR THREE HOURS, UH, OR LONGER BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 4:00 PM AND 8:00 AM.
AND SO WE'LL GET INTO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE VERY, VERY SPECIFIC ZIP CODES THAT WE LOOK AT FOR THAT, BUT I KNOW THAT'S ALWAYS A QUESTION OF WHEN DOES INCLEMENT WEATHER SHELTER GET TRIGGERED? SO IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I'M JUST GONNA DO A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PHASES ONE, TWO, AND THREE.
SO PHASE ONE, AS WE TALKED ABOUT IS THE CONTRACT THAT ALLOWS, UM, ALLOWS AUSTIN STREET TO TAKE OVER, UH, WITH THEIR SITE, WHICH IS THE OLD AUSTIN STREET BUILDING, AND THEN PULL EVERYBODY TOGETHER.
UM, PHASE TWO IS WHERE WE'VE RE WE'RE REACHING CAPACITY THERE AND MAYBE OTHER SITES OPEN.
WE'RE REALLY TRYING NOT TO OPEN THE LIBRARY SITE JUST BECAUSE WE'D PREFER NOT TO USE THAT RESOURCE THAT WAY.
UM, AND DANIEL IN A MINUTE CAN TALK ABOUT SOME BEST PRACTICES WE FOUND THAT REALLY JUMP OVER THAT MIDDLE GROUND AND TAKE A STRAIGHT TO PHASE THREE, WHICH IS, UM, THE SHORT TERM LEASE WITH FAIR PARK THAT THE CITY STILL, UM, THE CITY HAS WHERE WE SAY, HEY, WE NEED TO OPEN UP, UH, ONE OF THE FAIR PARK BUILDINGS.
AND THEN IF THEY HAVE ONE THAT'S OPEN, WHICH THERE'S A REASONABLE EXPECTATION THAT THEY WILL, WILL, BECAUSE IT'S A SLOWER SEASON, WHEN IT'S COLDER IN THE WINTER MONTHS, UM, THEY WILL OPEN UP SPACE FOR US.
AND I KNOW THERE'S BEEN SOME CONCERN ABOUT FAIR PARK, THAT CONTRACT IS STILL ONGOING.
WE HAVE VERY GOOD STAFF CONTRACT, UH, CONTACTS OVER THERE, AND SO WE ARE NOT WORRIED ABOUT BEING ABLE TO USE THAT SPACE THIS WINTER.
AND SO IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I'M GONNA HAND IT OVER TO DANIEL.
THANK YOU, CHRISTINE, AND THANK YOU CHAIR MORENO, VICE CHAIR MENDELSSOHN AND COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THIS TIME.
UH, TRY TO GO OVER THIS BRIEFLY TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE ROOM FOR QUESTIONS.
SO, UH, BASICALLY AUSTIN STREET CENTER IS MANAGING A LEASE AGREEMENT, UM, UH, CONTRACT WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS TO BE ABLE TO OPEN UP OUR SITE AND PROVIDE, UH, ADDITIONAL SUPPORT RESOURCES.
SO YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
WE'RE WORKING WITH A MULTIPLE CITY DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.
OUR PRIMARY ROLE HERE IS A COORDINATOR ROLE.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, OPERATING IN A SENSE OF, YOU KNOW, UNIFIED COMMAND WHERE,
[01:30:01]
UM, AUSTIN TREATS, MAKING SURE THE COMMUNICATION HAPPENS, THAT WE ARE DEPLOYING ALL THE RESOURCES THAT WE NEED, THAT EVERYTHING IS SET UP IN TERMS OF, UH, THE SHELTER LOCATIONS THAT WE'RE DOING INTAKE ACCORDING TO HMIS, UM, AND PULLING IN PARTNERS THERE.AND THAT WE'RE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR COMMUNICATION, AND THAT MEANS BOTH, UH, INTERNALLY TO THESE VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS, CITY DEPARTMENTS.
UM, AND THAT'S, UH, BOTH IN A REAL-TIME BASIS AS WELL AS, UH, DAILY, UM, MEETINGS DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER AND MONTHLY PLANNING MEETINGS.
AND THEN WE'RE ALSO, UH, RESPONSIBLE FOR REPORTING BACK.
SO ALL THE DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU GUYS NEED, UH, FOR THAT SO WE CAN, UH, SHARE HOW IT WENT.
UH, THIS IS A, A BRIEF PICTURE OF AUSTIN STREET AND IT SHOWS YOU THAT WE HAVE EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED AT THAT LOCATION, STAGED RIGHT NOW.
SO WE ARE PREPARED TO GO, UM, YOU KNOW, AS A, UM, UH, WITH OUR AGREED UPON TIMELINE OF MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO OP TO OPEN WITH JUST A, A HANDFUL OF HOURS.
UH, WE ARE WORKING WITH MULTIPLE CONTRACTORS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WORK WITH SECURITY CONTRACTORS, OTHER NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.
WE HAVE A MINIMUM RATIO FOR THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE PER CLIENT POPULATION.
WE'RE WORKING WITH ANIMAL SERVICES AND SPCA FOR MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE KENNELS AVAILABLE.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, UH, THREE MEALS A DAY FOR FOLKS DURING THE INCOME WEATHER EVENT.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE ALSO PROVIDE, UH, THIRD PARTY JANITORIAL CONTRACT AS WELL.
THIS REVIEWS, UH, OKLAHOMA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH.
SO WE HAVE, UM, THEY TYPICALLY DO 75 TO 80.
THEY CAN EXPAND IF, IF WE NEED TO, UM, BUT WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE WHAT THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO OPEN THERE AT THAT LOCATION.
UM, WHICH THIS INCLUDES NORTH TEXAS BE HEALTH AUTHORITY, HAVING, UH, QUALIFIED MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS AT EACH LOCATION TO BE ABLE TO ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTHCARE NEEDS.
SO WE'RE ALREADY KINDA REVIEWED.
THE INITIAL SITE IS AUSTIN STREET CENTER'S OLD BUILDING AT 29 29 HICKORY STREET, ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR CURRENT FACILITY.
AND THEN WE, UH, OPEN UP MORE FACILITIES AS NEEDED.
SO THAT MAY, UH, INVOLVE ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE LIBRARY TO, TO HER POINT, WE ARE TRYING TO LIMIT, UH, THE USE OF THE LIBRARY FOR MULTIPLE REASONS.
PRIMARILY, THEY, IT'S DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO OPERATE SHELTER AND THEIR DAILY OPERATIONS DURING COLD WEATHER.
SO REALLY, UNLESS THE LIBRARY'S CLOSED DOWN, IT'S DIFFICULT TO USE.
AND EVEN THEN, UH, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S CERTAIN THINGS THEY DON'T HAVE THERE, SHOWERS, ET CETERA.
SO, FAIR PARK IS, UH, WHERE WE NEED TO GO IF WE'RE GONNA HAVE A MULTI-DAY EVENT.
SO IF IT'S GONNA BE THREE, FOUR NIGHTS OR LONGER, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PLANNING ON STAGING FAIR PARK.
THAT CAN BE A CHALLENGE, UM, BECAUSE IT, IT'S A LARGER FACILITY, BUT IT REQUIRES MORE KIND OF COORDINATION AND COMMUNICATION.
CHRISTINE'S BEEN GREAT AS WE WORK WITH HER TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT FACILITY IS OPEN WHEN WE NEED IT TO BE.
UH, DEPENDING UPON WHICH FACILITY THAT COULD BE AS MANY AS, YOU KNOW, 1200 OR MORE FOLKS, UH, IN A BUILDING LIKE THE AUTOMOBILE BUILDING, OR IT COULD BE, UH, A SMALLER BUILDING.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE OPERATED, UH, THAT HAS CLOSER TO 800 CAPACITY, SO DEPENDING UPON WHICH FACILITY THAT WE'RE IN.
I MEAN, A TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
AUSTIN STREET OPERATES ITS CONNECTOR PROJECT, WHICH IS A 40 PASSENGER BUS, AS WELL AS WE HAVE A NEW SHUTTLE BUS THAT WE WILL USE, UH, TO FACILITATE INCLEMENT WEATHER PICKUP LOCATIONS KIND OF ACROSS THE CITY, UM, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE DO EVERY YEAR.
UM, AND THEN WE ALSO WILL WORK WITH, UH, THE FOLKS THAT HAVE, UH, VANS, THE OFFICE OF HOMELESS SOLUTIONS, OTHER ORGANIZATIONS LIKE OUR CALLING THE STEW POT, UH, SOME VOLUNTEER CHURCH PARTNERS, WHICH ALL OPERATE VANS TO GO PICK UP PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, AT THEIR, UM, UNSHELTERED LOCATION AND BRING THEM TO THE INCLEMENT WEATHER SITE.
AND THEN DALLAS FIRE RESCUE PICKS UP, WE USUALLY CLOSE DOWN AROUND, UH, NINE, AND THEN DALLAS FIRE RESCUE PICKS UP OVERNIGHT AND HAS THOSE SAME A DA VANS.
AND THEN I JUST WANNA SAY ON THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS IS A MOCKUP OF WHAT THE ZONES LOOK LIKE.
UM, WE'VE HAD SOME DISCUSSIONS ALREADY, UM, I KNOW WITH THE CHAIR ABOUT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS AND CONCERNS, AND SO THESE WILL BE, UM, DYNAMIC AS WE GO, WHICH IS WHY IT'S ALWAYS SO IMPORTANT, AS YOU'LL SEE ON THE COMMUNICATION PLAN TO GO BACK TO THE OHS WEBSITE WHERE THESE ARE LISTED BECAUSE THINGS MAY CHANGE FROM SITUATION TO SITUATION.
YEAH, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO MENTION THAT THIS IS A CRISIS RESPONSE.
AND SO ESSENTIALLY WE ARE OPERATING WITH WHATEVER THE INFORMATION IS, YOU KNOW, LIVE ON THE GROUND.
SO LOCATIONS WHERE THERE ARE NOT UNSHELTERED INDIVIDUALS, NOW THERE'D BE NO NEED TO PICK UP THERE, BUT IF THERE ARE OTHER LOCATIONS WHERE WE HAVE A NEW POPULATION OF FOLKS THAT, YOU KNOW, HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET TO THEM SO THAT THEY CAN ACCESS THE INCLEMENT WEATHER SHELTER.
THIS IS PRIMARILY ABOUT LIFE SAFETY.
THAT IS WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH HERE.
MULTIPLE PARTNERS, AS YOU MENTIONED, DALLAS FIRE AND RESCUE, UH, AS WELL AS THE OTHER NONPROFITS.
UM, YOU KNOW, VERY THANKFUL, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A COMMUNITY-WIDE EFFORT, AND IT REQUIRES PEOPLE TO VOLUNTEER TIME OVER AND ABOVE WHAT THEY TYPICALLY DO.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO THIS WITHOUT OUR PARTNERS, UM, THAT ARE LISTED HERE AMONG MANY OTHERS.
AND SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, THIS IS OUR COMMUNICATION
[01:35:01]
STRUCTURE.UM, AS, UH, CHAPTER 45 LISTS, OHS HAS TO ACTIVATE INCLEMENT WEATHER SHELTER, AND THAT ALLOWS THIS ENTIRE STRUCTURE TO ROLL DOWN TO, UH, DANIEL.
AND THEN ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT, UM, ROLL THROUGH TO EVENTUALLY FAIR PARK IF IT IS NEEDED.
AND WHAT THAT'S LOOKED LIKE IN THE PAST IS A PRESS RELEASE THAT GOES OUT AT 4:00 AM FROM, UM, FROM THE OFFICE OF HOMELESS SOLUTIONS, THE DAY OF, UM, REFLECTING A DECISION THAT'S BEEN MADE BY, UM, MYSELF AND DANIEL AND THE OTHER STAKEHOLDER PROVIDERS THE DAY BEFORE TO ACTIVATE INCLEMENT WEATHER SHELTER.
AND THEN THAT TRIGGERS THIS ENTIRE OPERATION.
THIS IS A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE, UH, CAPACITIES AT EITHER LOCATION, UM, THAT WAS MENTIONED.
IT DOES DEPEND ON WHAT FACILITY AT FAIR PARK WERE ABLE TO OPERATE.
NEXT SLIDE COMMUNICATION STANDPOINT.
YOU KNOW, UM, INITIALLY AS CHRISTINE MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, IT GOES, UH, FIRST, UM, INFORMATION IS THE CITY OF DALLAS WEBSITE, UM, THE OFFICE OF HOME SOLUTIONS WEBSITE, AND THEN THERE'S A CORRESPONDING SERIES OF COMMUNICATIONS THAT TAKE PLACE.
AND, UH, THAT INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM TEXT ALERTS, UM, YOU KNOW, FROM BOTH THE CITY OF DALLAS AND FOR OTHER NONPROFITS THAT HAVE TEXT RECORDS OF, UH, HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS.
IT ALSO, UH, YOU KNOW, INVOLVES, UH, A LOT OF SOCIAL MEDIA, YOU KNOW, SHARING AND, AND USUALLY THERE'S MEDIA INVOLVED AT SOME POINT.
UH, YOU KNOW, WHENEVER WE ANNOUNCE INCLEMENT WEATHER, WE USUALLY GET THOSE REQUESTS EARLY ON.
AND THEN OF COURSE, WE HAVE THE COLD WEATHER KITS, UH, THAT ARE, UH, COMPRISED OF THE THINGS YOU SEE HERE ON THE SCREEN.
THOSE ARE ONLY HANDED OUT TO PEOPLE WHO ARE REFUSING TO GO INSIDE, UM, TO SHELTER, BECAUSE THAT'S THE BEST CHANCE AT KEEPING THEM ALIVE.
WE ALSO ARE ABOUT TO BE STARTING A COAT DRIVE.
UM, I THINK THERE'S A COMPETITION BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS HERE AT THE CITY OF DALLAS, BUT THEN THERE'S ALSO A LARGER ONE THROUGH FRIENDS OF OHS.
ALL OF THOSE COATS GO BACK TO THE INCLEMENT WEATHER SITE SO THAT THEY CAN BE DISPERSED THROUGH AUSTIN STREET AND THEIR SUBCONTRACTORS TO PEOPLE AT THE SHELTER.
WE CAN, UH, SKIP THROUGH THIS NEXT SLIDE REAL QUICK.
BASICALLY, WE HAVE MENTAL HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AT EACH SITE AS MENTIONED, AND THEN WE ALSO ARE MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE IN COMPLIANCE WITH WHATEVER THE COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS, YOU KNOW, REQUESTING IN THE PAST THAT'S BEEN COVID SPECIFIC, UM, ITEMS THAT ARE NEEDED.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE, UH, JUST HYGIENE AND PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT AS NEEDED.
I MENTIONED THAT WE ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, RESPONSIBLE FOR REPORTING OUT.
I HAVE SOME OF THAT INFORMATION TODAY.
UM, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, IT, UH, CHANGES BASED UPON THE LENGTH OF AND SEVERITY OF THE WEATHER, UM, AND WHAT FACILITIES WE'RE ABLE TO OPEN.
AND THE EXCITING THING ABOUT THAT, I THINK YOU GUYS WERE ABLE TO SEE LAST YEAR IS THAT WE WENT FROM BED COUNTS.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE X NUMBER OF BEDS TO UNIQUELY IDENTIFIED PEOPLE, AND WE COULD SAY, NOT BEDS, THIS IS HOW MANY PEOPLE WE SERVED, AND THEN DO THE DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWNS.
UM, SO IT'S REALLY A MUCH MORE SOPHISTICATED NOW THAT WE'RE ABLE TO SUBCONTRACT IT OUT TO AUSTIN STREET.
AND THIS IS, THIS A REVIEW OF WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY, WHICH WAS A, A PRETTY THOROUGH TABLETOP EXERCISE HOSTED BY OFFICE OF EMERGING MANAGEMENT.
VERY GRATEFUL FOR THEIR SUPPORT THAT INVOLVES ALL THE DIFFERENT CITY DEPARTMENTS, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, UH, THAT, UM, ARE INVOLVED IN INCLEMENT WEATHER, YOU KNOW, ACTIVATION AND OPERATION.
UH, WE WENT THROUGH VARIOUS DIFFERENT, UM, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL, UH, SCENARIOS THAT INVOLVES DIFFERENT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE COORDINATED AND EVERYBODY'S ON THE SAME PAGE.
AND WITH THAT, WE WILL HAND IT BACK OVER FOR QUESTIONS.
COUNCIL MEMBER, BRO WILLIS, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I APPRECIATE, UH, HOW QUICKLY YOU ALL MOVED THROUGH THAT
UM, SO YOU MENTIONED THE PRIMARY FUNCTION HERE IS LIFESAVING, SO YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT DANGEROUS WEATHER CONDITIONS AND, UM, THIS IS THE LINE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH FOR SOME PEOPLE WHO WOULD HAVE TO, UH, SPEND TIME OUT IN THAT WEATHER.
BUT SECONDARILY, I LIKE TO LOOK AT, UH, THE CAPTIVE AUDIENCE.
AND, UM, IT LOOKS LIKE BY WORKING WITH AUSTIN STREET, WE'RE GOING TO GET THOSE BENCHMARKS OF THE, THE CORE DEMOGRAPHICS AND START GETTING SOME INFORMATION.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO INTO A TON OF DEPTH, BUT WHILE WE HAVE THAT CAPTIVE AUDIENCE, UM, WHAT ARE SOME OTHER THINGS THAT YOU COULD SHARE WITH ME THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LEARNING SOME MORE ABOUT FOLKS SO THAT IT'S ALSO LIFESAVING MAY, MAYBE NOT IN SUCH AN ACUTE WAY, BUT THAT BY GETTING INFORMATION, UM, WE ARE SAVING A LIFE BY HELPING THEM ALONG.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR QUESTION.
UM, SO EVERY PERSON WHO RECEIVES INCOME WITH SHELTER SERVICE IS GETTING ENROLLED INTO HMIS.
SO, YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO SEEK SHELTER DURING INCOME, WHETHER, AND THEY DON'T ANY OTHER TIME OF THE YEAR, RIGHT? SO THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY THERE.
WE WANT TO MAXIMIZE IT WHILE RECOGNIZING THAT, YOU KNOW, STAFFING IS LIMITED, MOST EMERGENCY SHELTERS ARE OPERATING THEIR OWN FACILITIES, THAT EXPANDING CAPACITY IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING STAFFING FOR, UM, INCLEMENT WEATHER SHELTER.
AND SO THERE ARE SOME LIMITATIONS TO WHAT WE CAN DO IN TERMS OF, UH, GETTING PEOPLE ACTUALLY ENROLLED IN THE HOUSING PROCESS.
BUT WE INITIALLY WERE ABLE TO AT LEAST GET ALL THE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION INTO HMIS FOR FUTURE
[01:40:01]
FOLLOW UP FROM OUTREACH AND OTHERS TO MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, THAT WE, UH, WE BASICALLY KNOW WHO FOLKS ARE AND WHAT THEIR SITUATION IS.SO, UM, SO IT'S BRIEF, BUT IT'S, IT'S A LOT BETTER THAN WE WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE.
THEN ON THE TAIL END OF THAT, WE TYPICALLY FIND PEOPLE WHO, UM, WOULD HISTORICALLY REJECT SHELTER MAY BE INTERESTED FOR THE FIRST TIME, RIGHT? IF YOU'VE BEEN SHELTERED FOR A WEEK, THE WEATHER IS COLD, IT MAY BE IS NOW ABOVE FREEZING, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOTTEN USED TO SHELTER AT THIS POINT IN TIME, WE FIND A LOT OF PEOPLE ACCESS SHELTER THAT WAY.
SO USUALLY POST AN INCOME WITH A SHELTER EVENT, ALL REGULAR EMERGENCY SHELTERS ARE OPERATING AT THEIR MAXIMUM CAPACITY.
AND TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT BEDS ARE AVAILABLE, YOU KNOW, UPON THE, UH, TEAR DOWN OF ANY INCOME WHERE A SHELTER THAT WE'RE OPERATING.
SO I SEE YOU'RE CALLING FOR VOLUNTEERS.
WHAT ARE SOME ROLES, I MEAN, DO THEY NEED TO BE TRAINED AND MAYBE COULD THEY HELP GET MORE PEOPLE INTO HMIS OR IS THAT A PRIVACY ISSUE? OR WHAT WOULD A VOLUNTEER DO IF THEY SIGN UP? WELL, AND LET ME SAY OHS VOLUNTEER, YES, VOLUNTEERS CAN COME THROUGH TO US, BUT REALLY WE TRY TO BE THE CONNECTIVE TISSUE THAT PUSHES THEM TO THE ORGANIZATIONS ALREADY DOING THE WORK.
SO IT DOESN'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH US.
YOU CAN CONTACT AUSTIN STREET DIRECTLY.
THEY'RE PEOPLE WHO GO TO OUR CALLING WHO GO TO OAK LAWN DIRECTLY.
SO WE'RE JUST HERE TO TRY AND ROUTE PEOPLE TO WHERE THEY WANNA GO.
ALRIGHT, WELL, MR. ROBY, WHAT, WHAT IF SOMEONE SIGNS UP, WHAT MIGHT THEY DO? YEAH, SO, UM, I IDEALLY, UH, WE'RE CERTAINLY CONTACTED IN ADVANCE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER EVENTS, SO WE TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO SOME TRAINING BEFOREHAND.
UH, AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TYPICALLY HAVE A GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS THAT, UH, SHOW UP KINDA YEAR OVER YEAR.
A LOT OF THESE THINGS ARE A LOT ABOUT, UH, MEAL SERVICE, YOU KNOW, ORGANIZATION, YOU KNOW, RESPONSE TO CLIENT NEEDS.
YOU KNOW, WE DON'T TYPICALLY DO HMIS ENROLLMENT, UM, THROUGH, UM, VOLUNTEERS BECAUSE THERE IS SOME, YOU KNOW, PROTECTED HEALTH INFORMATION AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S TAKES A WHILE TO BE ABLE TO TRAIN AND ENROLL TO BE ABLE TO USE THE HMIS SYSTEM.
UM, BUT THAT SAID, WE STILL NEED LOTS OF VOLUNTEERS, AND THAT MEANS IN KIND DONATIONS WITH PEOPLE THAT CAN DONATE, YOU KNOW, CLOTHING AND, YOU KNOW, COATS, BLANKETS, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF SWEATPANTS AND SWEATSHIRTS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, HATS AND GLOVES AND THAT SORT OF THING.
UH, AND THEN WE ALSO, UH, YOU NEED ALL KINDS OF SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, FOR THE STAFF THAT'S ESSENTIALLY, THAT'S THERE AROUND THE CLOCK.
UH, DANIEL, THANK, THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'RE GONNA BE DOING THIS YEAR AND WHAT YOU'VE DONE PREVIOUSLY.
THIS IS ABOUT, UH, LIFE SAFETY AND SO THANK YOU, UH, FOR WHAT YOU DO.
UM, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO REACH OUT TO DFR EARLIER SO THAT WE CAN GET A, A HARD NUMBER ON OUR CAPACITY IN MAKING SURE THAT THAT'S, UM, THAT WE CAN SERVE AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.
UM, CHRISTINE, THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING THE LIST OF, UM, PICK UP LOCATIONS.
I THINK THAT THAT'S CRITICAL AND, AND I WOULD ASK THAT YOU WORK WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, THAT'LL BE AFFECTED, UH, MAKING SURE THAT THOSE LOCATIONS ARE IDEAL, UH, FOR THEM.
AND THEN JUST LAST IS DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO GO INDOORS.
I KNOW, UM, IT'S DIFFICULT AND I KNOW WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR WEATHER KITS FOR THOSE WHO REFUSE SERVICE.
UM, AND OBVIOUSLY WE WANT THEM TO GET THAT, BUT IF THERE'S ANY WAY TO PULL 'EM INDOORS, THAT SHOULD BE, UM, WHERE ALL OUR EFFORTS GO.
AND THEN ONCE THEY ARE INDOORS, GETTING THEM INTO HMIS AND, UM, GEARING THEM TOWARDS THAT PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING THAT, UH, WE, UH, STRIVE TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY, UM, HOMELESS INDIVIDUAL GETS, GETS HOUSED.
SO, SO THANK YOU FOR, UH, WHAT Y'ALL ARE GONNA BE DOING AND HOPEFULLY WE DON'T HAVE TOO MUCH OF AN EXTREME WEATHER THIS SEASON.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING ON C, C IS ONE THAT KEEPS COMING UP AND IT'S REALLY, UH, MORE INFORMATIVE THAN NO, JUST THANK YOU FOR PUTTING, KEEPING IT ON THERE SO WE CAN KEEP AN EYE ON EVERYTHING.
UM, THIS IS ON MEMO C ON THE, THE PSH NOFA.
WE DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY SUBMISSIONS.
DO WE HAVE ANY INSIGHT ABOUT THAT? AND I SEE THAT WE'RE REOPENING IT.
SO DID WE MAKE ANY MODIFICATIONS TO ENCOURAGE SUBMISSIONS? DARWIN WADE, ASSISTANT HOUSING DIRECTOR, GOOD MORNING CHAIR AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, UH, WE, THE FIRST ROUND, UH, THOSE APPLICATIONS WERE DUE IN SEPTEMBER.
WE DID NOT RECEIVE ANY APPLICATIONS.
HOWEVER, WE, UM, DID A RE-RELEASE.
UH, WE DID NOT MODIFY, UM, ANY OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NOFA.
WE BASICALLY, UH, PROVIDED INFORMATION BACK OUT TO THE PUBLIC.
WE SOUGHT OUT ADDITIONAL DEVELOPERS.
AND SO FAR THOSE EFFORTS HAVE PROVED SUCCESSFUL.
WE HAVE, UH, HAD A COUPLE SITE TOURS TWO, AND WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL INTERESTED PARTIES COME OUT TO TOUR THE SITE.
I DO EXPECT WE WILL HAVE, UH, APPLICATIONS ON NOVEMBER
[01:45:01]
THE 18TH FOR THE SUBMITTAL.WE'RE GOING TO NOW TAKE ITEMS, UM, THE NEXT TWO ITEMS, UM, COLLECTIVELY, UM, CHAIR WEST ENF CHAIR.
YEAH, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR STAFF ON THIS, ON THESE TWO.
SO I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, READING THE MEMO THAT THIS WAS ORIGINALLY GONNA COME IN NOVEMBER, UH, TO THE HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS SOLUTIONS COMMITTEE, BUT HAS BEEN MOVED UP, UM, DUE TO SCHEDULING ISSUES.
UM, SO WE GOT THESE MEMOS ON FRIDAY EVENING.
I HAVE NOT, DID NOT SPEND THE WEEKEND REVIEWING THEM, BUT I'VE TRIED AND, AND I'M TRYING TO GET CAUGHT UP ON THEM.
I GUESS I'M GOING TO ASK COLLECTIVELY.
SO THESE ARE BOTH HFC RELATED PROJECTS.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK ALL OF US UP HERE ARE ENCOURAGING OF, OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UH, CERTAINLY WHAT KIND OF STRUCK ME IS, IS AND BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT THESE ITEMS IS, IS A LOT OF TIMES WE APPROVE NEW CONSTRUCTION DEALS UP HERE.
SO WHEN WE'RE TAKING SOMETHING OFF THE TAX ROLLS, IT'S USUALLY JUST VACANT LAND.
IT'S NOT A MARKET PERFORMING PRODUCT THAT'S, THAT'S CURRENTLY HELPING US WITH OUR GENERAL FUND EXPENSES.
UM, THIS IS A SITUATION THAT STAFF IS PROPOSING WHERE WE'RE TAKING A, UM, A TOTAL OF, I WANNA SAY 675, 760 $8,000 COLLECTIVELY OFF THE TAX ROLLS.
I MEAN, THAT PAYS FOR QUITE A BIT AT THE CITY, UM, IN EXCHANGE FOR SOME AFFORDABILITY.
SO I'M GONNA DIVE INTO MY QUESTIONS IF I CAN GET ORGANIZED HERE.
SO THE DEFINITION OF THE HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION PROGRAM THAT I TOOK FROM THE CITY'S, UM, HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WEBSITE IS THAT THE DHFC PROVIDES TAX EXEMPT MORTGAGE REVENUE BONDS AND OTHER SUPPORT FOR THE ACQUISITION CONSTRUCTION OR SUBSTANTIAL REHAB OF MULTIFAMILY HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS FACILITATED BY THE DOW DALLAS HOUSING FINANCE CORP FINANCING PROVIDE HOUSING FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES EARNING 60% OR BELOW A MI.
SO IF THAT'S OUR POLICY AND WE'RE STICKING TO IT, UM, FIRST HOW CAN WE JUSTIFY OFFERING BOTH TAX EXEMPT BONDS AND ALSO, UM, TAX ABATEMENTS FOR PROPERTIES.
I'LL ASK AARON WITH HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION TO COME UP AND ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS.
BUT LET ME ALSO SAY SOMETHING TO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU MENTIONED.
THE HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION HAS TAKEN MULTIPLE PROPERTIES OFF THE TAX ROLL FOR THIS TYPE OF, UH, REFINANCING.
OKAY? SO THEY TYPICALLY DON'T DO NEW CONSTRUCTION ON EVERYTHING THEY DO, UH, REHAB AND REWORKS OF EXISTING PROPERTIES.
SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THAT CLARIFICATION.
UM, FOR ME IT JUST, IT TRIGGERS LIKE WE NEED TO LOOK AT THIS CAREFULLY BECAUSE WE NEED EVERY TAX DOLLAR WE CAN GET HERE IN THE CITY.
YOU'VE HEARD THAT CONVERSATION A MILLION TIMES, SO YES SIR.
UM, SO AARON, IF YOU CAN JUST, UM, GIVE US YOUR NAME AND YOUR TITLE.
I'M THE GENERAL MANAGER OF THE DALLAS HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION.
SO OUR CORPORATION, IT, IT HAS MULTIFACETED PROGRAMS. THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PROGRAMS ARE GEARED TOWARDS LITECH DEVELOPMENT AND REHABILITATION, UH, WHICH SERVES MUCH LOWER INCOMES.
THERE ARE VERY SPECIFIC TIMES WHEN, WHEN THE BOARD OF THE HFC WOULD LIKE TO CONSIDER SOME OF THESE PROJECTS, AND THESE TWO ARE SOME OF THOSE EXAMPLES.
MAINLY BECAUSE WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT AFFORDABILITY AND WHAT OUR MISSION IS, WE'RE TRYING TO PROVIDE AFFORDABILITY WHERE THERE CURRENTLY ISN'T AT ACCESS, RIGHT? AND SO ON THESE ACQUISITIONS WHERE IT IS A, UM, A PERFORMING MARKET RATE PROPERTY, YOU ARE GIVING UP THOSE TAXES IN EXCHANGE FOR ACCESS, UM, OF AFFORDABILITY IN A, IN A VERY TARGETED AREA.
AND SO THE BOARD LOOKING AT THESE SPECIFIC PROJECTS, UM, THEY, THEY WANTED TO EXPAND THEIR REACH TO THESE SPECIFIC AREAS OF, OF THE CITY, NAMELY IN OAK LAWN, UM, WHERE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE SEEN THE, THE SUBMARKET REPORTS, BUT A LOT OF THE NEW STUFF GOING UP IS RENTING FOR MORE THAN $5 A SQUARE FOOT.
UM, THIS IS VERY, VERY UNAFFORDABLE TO ANYONE MUCH LESS, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE MAKING 60 OR 80% A MI.
AND SO IT'S IN RESPONSE TO THOSE TRENDS AND
[01:50:01]
IN THESE VERY TARGETED AREAS, UM, THAT WE'RE TRYING TO PRESERVE OR EVEN INJECT SOME AFFORDABILITY INTO, INTO THESE SMALL AREAS.NOW, AGAIN, I'LL EMPHASIZE THE FOCUS OF THE HFC IS NOT TO DO THESE ACQUISITIONS, BUT IF GIVEN OPPORTUNITIES AT, AT THESE VERY SPECIFIC INSTANCES, THEY'LL TAKE A LOOK AT 'EM AND SAY, HEY, THIS IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GO AHEAD AND, AND TRY TO CONVERT SOME OF THESE UNITS TO AFFORDABLE UNITS WHERE IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE THROUGH REGULAR MARKET FORCES AND THROUGH OUR OTHER PROGRAMS TO BUILD, LIKE YOU SAY, ANYTHING AFFORDABLE TO THAT LEVEL.
WOULD YOU AGREE THAT THE DEFINITION OF THE HFC INCLUDES A FOCUS ON 60% OR BELOW A MI CATEGORY? I I DON'T THINK IT'S STATED, UM, CORRECTLY THERE BECAUSE THEIR FOCUS IS AFFORDABILITY.
SO WHETHER THAT BE 60% OR 80% OR SOME OTHER LEVEL, UM, I I IS THAT ON THE CITY WEBSITE? IS THAT IT'S IT'S THE FIRST PARAGRAPH UNDER WHEN YOU PULL UP THIS PAGE, AND I WASN'T TRYING TO WALK YOU INTO THE TRAP, I JUST PULLED IT UP MYSELF, BUT, UM, IT, IT, IT IS.
AND SO IF WE'RE GONNA BE STRAINED FROM THAT, WHICH THESE PRO THESE PROJECTS, OAK AND ELLUM IS ONLY PROVIDING 20% OF THE UNITS AT 60% OR BELOW, THE REST ARE MUCH HIGHER THAN THAT, AND THE YCL IS ONLY 10% OF THE UNITS AT 60% AND BELOW.
SO IF WE'RE GONNA BE STRAYING FROM THAT, WE NEED TO AMEND OUR MISSION, I THINK, AND, AND I'M OKAY WITH THAT, BUT I WANT TO CHANGE THE POLICY INSTEAD OF JUST DOING ONE-OFFS.
YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? I'LL BE HONEST, I I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THAT STATEMENT HAS BEEN UP THERE, SORRY, OR WHO ACTUALLY PUT IT UP ON THAT WEBSITE.
UM, BUT WE'LL PROBABLY NEED A LITTLE REVISION TO CLARIFY WHAT THE BROADER MISSION IS.
UM, BUT THAT BEING SAID, CAN I, CAN I JUST JUMP BACK IN HERE? YEAH, SURE.
LIKE HOW DO WE, I MEAN, AS I CAPTURE THIS, YOU KNOW, YOU WERE GREAT ABOUT SENDING ME, UM, YOU KNOW, THE THE UNDERWRITING REPORTS, UH, A LITTLE BIT AGO.
UM, IF THIS IS SET FOR AGENDA TOMORROW FOR US TO VOTE ON, IF, IF WE DELAY THAT FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS, IS THAT GONNA KILL THESE DEALS? UM, THAT'S GONNA, I MEAN, IT MAY HAVE TO, BUT I I, I I NEED MORE TIME IS WHAT I'M ASKING.
RIGHT? NO, THAT'S, THAT'S COMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD.
NOW, ORIGINALLY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO TAKE A WIDER LOOK AT ALL THE OPERATIONS, RIGHT? TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE DOING WHAT THE COUNCIL WILLS US TO DO BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY YOU GUYS ARE IN, IN CHARGE OF THE HFC, UM, THROUGH YOUR BOARD AND THROUGH YOUR APPOINTEES.
UH, AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE VERY SENSITIVE TO ANY FEEDBACK THAT, THAT Y'ALL WANT TO GIVE US.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, ONE OF THESE PROJECTS IS SET TO CLOSE AND HAS A CONTRACT DATE, I THINK OF THE 26TH OUTSIDE CLOSING DATE.
YEAH, YEAH, THE 26TH OF NOVEMBER.
AND SO THAT'S WHY THERE WAS A BIT OF A, UM, A PUSH TO GET THIS SEEN BY YOU ALL AND, AND BY THE COUNCIL BEFORE THEN, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE WERE CERTAIN HARD MONEY CONTRACT DATES AND, AND THEY PUT IN QUITE A BIT OF, OF TIME AND INVESTMENT AND INTO GETTING THIS DEAL PUT TOGETHER.
UM, AND SO, WELL THE LAST, THE TIME IS UNFORTUNATE.
THE LAST THING I WANT TO DO IS TO DISCOURAGE PEOPLE FROM PARTICIPATING IN OUR PROGRAMS. AND SO THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT.
I'M SORRY FOR PROBABLY CAUSING ALARMS TO GO OFF IN EVERYONE'S HEAD OVER HERE, BUT I AM CONCERNED ABOUT, UM, LIKE OUR POLICY AND US GETTING A STRAIN FROM IT, AND THEN ALSO ON OUR RETURN AND INVESTMENT ON AFFORDABILITY FROM OUR TAX ABATEMENTS HERE.
SO WHAT I WILL DO, UM, CHAIR, I WILL SEND ALL MY QUESTIONS TO THEM AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THAT ANSWERED BY TOMORROW AND SURE.
UM, BUT IF NOT, YOU KNOW, I'LL LET YOU KNOW IN THE MORNING IF I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS, COUNCILMAN? YEAH.
IF I CAN CLARIFY, THESE ITEMS ARE SCHEDULED TO GO ON THE NOVEMBER 13TH, UH, COUNCIL AGENDA, THEY'RE NOT SCHEDULED FOR TOMORROW.
SO I'M GONNA GO BACK TO THAT PURPOSE HERE AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE THE DEFINITION.
I MEAN, WE DON'T RENT CONTROL, SO THIS IS SORT OF BETTING ON THE COME, WHAT IS THIS AREA GONNA BE LIKE, WHAT'S THE NEW DEVELOPMENT LOOKING LIKE? WE KNOW IT'S GONNA TURN OVER AND HOW DO WE PROTECT AFFORDABILITY? SO, UM, I THINK THAT WHAT MAKES THAT STING A LITTLE SOMETIMES IS THAT WE DON'T HAVE AS MUCH OF THE NEW CONSTRUCTION SIDE, AND I THINK THAT THERE'S HEART FOR THAT AT THE COMMITTEE.
I MEAN, IS THERE, ARE WE JUST, WHY ARE WE NOT SEEING THAT? I MEAN, YOUR COMMITTEE, I MEAN, THAT THAT CORPORATION HAS ABILITY TO FINANCE THINGS IN INTERESTING WAYS THAT COULD MOVE THE NEEDLE, RIGHT? AND WE, WE ACTIVELY LOOK AT, WE ARE ACTIVELY LOOKING AT TRYING TO GET NEW CONSTRUCTION FINANCED,
[01:55:01]
BUT IN THESE PARTICULAR AREAS, SAY IN OAK LAWN OR IN, IN DOWNTOWN, AND I UNDERSTAND ABOUT THOSE, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE OTHER SIDE THAT WOULD MAKE THIS, YOU KNOW, ABOUT NEW CONSTRUCTION AND MAYBE THAT'S A DIFFERENT DISCUSSION THAT WE SHOULD HAVE.I MEAN, I'M, I'M JUST CONCERNED THAT WE'RE NOT DOING THAT, SO WE'RE NOT ADDING TO THE STOCK, RIGHT? WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE WANNA DO, RIGHT? BUT THEN AS I GO BACK TO THE DEFINITION, I MEAN, I WOULD BE HESITANT TO CHANGE THIS.
I COULD SEE MODIFYING IT TO MAYBE HAVING AN EMPHASIS ON INDIVIDUALS EARNING 60% OR BELOW, UM, VERSUS THAT'S THE FOCUS.
BUT AS WE LOOK AT PFC DEALS AND PULLING THINGS OFF OF THE TAX ROLLS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, YOU KNOW, IT'S 80%, IT'S 120% OF THE MARKET RATE.
AND SO, OR THE, THE A MI RATHER.
UM, AND SO ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I THINK SOME OF THOSE GO THROUGH WITH SUCH LOW PERCENTAGE OF THE 60% A MI IS, BECAUSE WE KNOW WE HAVE THE HFC, YET I'M LOOKING AT THIS PROJECT AND IT LOOKS LIKE 20% ARE AT THE 60%.
SO, YOU KNOW, THAT DOES SEEM A LITTLE ASKEW FROM WHAT THE INTENT IS, RIGHT? UM, UNLESS YOU OVERLAY THE FACT THAT THIS IS LOOKING AT THESE AREAS AND PROTECTING AFFORDABILITY THERE, RIGHT? AND, AND AGAIN, LET ME EMPHASIZE OUR, OUR MISSION.
WE, WE DO VERY LITTLE OF THESE PROJECTS.
THE VAST MAJORITY ARE, YOU KNOW, 60% AND BELOW PURE, LIKE A HUNDRED PERCENT AFFORDABLE DEALS, RIGHT? UM, BUT TO THE EXTENT THAT WE CAN INJECT AFFORDABILITY INTO THESE AREAS THAT IT'S JUST SO VERY HARD TO DO THROUGH OTHER PROGRAMS. LIKE IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO BUILD A LITECH DEAL, WHICH IS MOSTLY 60% AND BELOW AT ANY ONE OF THESE, UM, LOCATIONS, RIGHT? AND SO THESE NEIGHBORHOODS, THEY ARE WHAT THEY ARE RIGHT NOW, AND THEY'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND, AND THE RENTS ARE GONNA CONTINUE TO GROW.
AND SO TO TRY TO BE ABLE TO JUST INJECT ANY AFFORDABILITY THERE, THESE ARE KIND OF THE, THE TOOLS WE HAVE TO DO THAT.
AND I, AND AS YOU, I UNDERSTAND THAT I, I GUESS THIS IS MY CHARGE TO YOU, RIGHT? NEW CONSTRUCTION AND HOW WE BEGIN TO, I MEAN, I APPRECIATE IT.
I GET THE DEAL HERE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S GREAT.
WE'RE GONNA ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS BEFORE NOVEMBER 13TH, BUT ON THE MORE BROAD SCALE, UM, IS TO BRING MORE, UM, OF THE NEW CONSTRUCTION SIDE SO THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY ADDING TO THAT HOUSING STOCK IN THAT AREA THAT WE KNOW WE'VE GOT SUCH A DEFICIT IN.
SO THAT IS, THAT IS WHAT I'M GETTING AT.
AND I SEE SOME VACANCIES ON THE COMMITTEE.
IS THAT AFFECTING THE WORK? I, I THINK THERE'S ONLY THREE CURRENT VACANCIES, UM, BUT YOU'RE ABLE TO HAVE A QUORUM AND YOU'RE ABLE TO RIGHT.
UM, PFCS AND HFCS, WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH THEM FOR A LITTLE BIT OF, OF TIME NOW, AND SO WE'RE GETTING A LITTLE MORE, UM, FOCUSED IN ON 'EM OR UNDERSTANDING THEM A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
BUT WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND SO, UH, WE WILL BE HAVING A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING TO ADDRESS A LOT OF THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE ARISING.
UH, WHEN I SAW, UM, ITEM EI HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS ON IT.
THE NUMBERS WERE EVEN WORSE 'CAUSE THERE WERE SOME MISPRINTS ON THE, THE MARKET RATE AND THE UM, UM, THE 60%, UH, A MI, THEY WERE BASICALLY THE, THE SAME FIGURES.
AND SO I, I'VE BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THESE PROJECTS, ESPECIALLY IN DISTRICT TWO.
'CAUSE I SEE THE TRENDS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN DISTRICT TWO AND KNOW THAT THESE LAND VALUES ARE GONNA ONLY CONTINUE TO, TO RISE AND WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO MAKE THESE PROJECTS PENCIL OUT AND, AND WORK, UH, IN THE FUTURE.
UM, BUT THE MINIMAL RENT SAVINGS THAT I'M SEEING JUST DO NOT JUSTIFY NOT RECOVERING, UH, THAT TAX THAT WE'RE, WE'RE OFFSETTING.
AND SO I LOOK FOR FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO TAKE A, A DEEPER DIVE AND LOOKING AT THE A MI MIX, I BY NO MEANS WANT YOU TO GO AND JUST REWORD WHAT'S, WHAT'S OUT THERE.
I MEAN, THIS IS THE, THESE ARE THE POLICIES, THE PRIORITIES THAT THIS COUNCIL HAS SET, AND WE WANT TO FOCUS ON THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE BELOW 60% A MI NOT CONTINUE TO JUST TARGET THOSE AT 60%.
AND SO I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT OF GREAT DISCUSSION.
WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT OTHER CITIES ARE DOING ACROSS THE STATE.
UM, AND SO, UM, THANK Y'ALL FOR BRINGING THESE FORWARD AND HOPEFULLY, UH, CHAIR WEST, UM, YOU'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET YOUR, YOUR QUESTIONS, UM, ANSWERED PRIOR TO THESE COMING TO, UH, FULL COUNSEL.
WITH THAT, UM, I JUST LOST MY BOOK.
IS, WAS THAT THE LAST ITEM? I THINK SO.
UH, D UM, CAN WE PUT D OFF OR NOT D MONTHLY, THE MONTHLY REPORT AND WE CAN GET THAT.
DD IS OUR, OUR IS JUST OUR REPORT ON PERFORMANCE MEASURES.
BUT I DO WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT AND SAY, IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED, ALL OF OUR NUMBERS HAVE INCREASED FROM LAST YEAR
[02:00:01]
AND WITH THE COMMITMENTS THAT WE HAVE IN THE PIPELINE, THEY'LL JUST CONTINUE TO GROW.SO I WAS VERY HAPPY TO SEE THE END RESULT OF THE YEAR.
UM, WITH THAT, THE TIME NOW IS 1109 AND WE ARE ADJOURNED.