* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] HI EVERYONE. THANK YOU FOR COMING TO THIS COMMUNITY MEETING TONIGHT. UH, MY NAME IS SARAH KECKLER. I'M THE CHIEF OF STAFF FOR THE TOWN OF ADDISON. SO, FIRST I WANNA THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT AND SPENDING SOME TIME WITH US TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOMELESSNESS, LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT THE TOWN OF ADDISON IS DOING TO STRENGTHEN OUR RESPONSE AGAINST HOMELESSNESS, AND THEN HOW WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS OVERALL. UM, AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE TWO OF OUR KEY PARTNERS HERE TONIGHT TO SHARE MORE WITH OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND HOW WE'RE ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS IN THE AREA AND IN THE REGION TO TRY TO MAKE HOMELESSNESS RARE, BRIEF AND NON-REOCCURRING. UM, SO TONIGHT WE'RE GONNA INVITE EACH OF THOSE PARTNERS UP. THE FIRST WILL BE METROCREST SERVICES AND TOWN STAFF WORKS WITH THEM VERY CLOSELY ON STREET OUTREACH. UM, WE WORK WITH THEM WHEN WE MAY ENCOUNTER AN INDIVIDUAL THAT'S IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE. MAYBE THEY'RE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OR THEY'RE AT RISK OF EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. SO FROM A TOWN STAFF PERSPECTIVE, WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH METRO REQUEST SERVICES AND REALLY VALUE THAT THE WORK THEY DO FOR OUR COMMUNITY. AND THEN THE SECOND PARTNER THAT WE'RE GONNA INVITE UP IS HOUSING FORWARD, AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO INTRODUCE THEM. UM, THEY'RE SUCH, UH, A CRUCIAL ROLE. UM, OVERALL THEY ARE THE LEAD AGENCY AND THE CONTINUUM OF CARE FOR BOTH DALLAS AND COLLIN COUNTIES. SO THEY ARE WORKING, UM, ON STRATEGICALLY ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE REGION. UM, AND SO THEY HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION TO SHARE, A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION, UM, AND REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT THEY DO. SO, UM, I'M GONNA INVITE UP EACH A REPRESENTATIVE FROM EACH OF THESE AGENCIES. THEY'RE GONNA SPEND NO MORE THAN 15 MINUTES WITH EACH PRESENTER. UM, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA OPEN IT UP FOR A Q AND A FROM OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS. SO AT THAT TIME, YOU CAN ASK ANY QUESTIONS OF OUR PRESENTERS, UM, FOR MYSELF IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE TOWN. AND THEN ALSO WE HAVE OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT HERE TONIGHT. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THEM AS WELL. SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA OPEN IT UP AND START WITH METRO CROSS SERVICES. UH, MELANIE ING IS GOING TO START US OFF. THANKS SARAH. UH, THANKS. UM, THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING. I KNOW I RECOGNIZE SOME OF YOU FROM, UH, THE TALK THAT I DID LAST NOVEMBER. SO THANKS FOR COMING BACK AGAIN. THIS HAPPENS TO BE, UM, A SUBJECT THAT IS NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART. UM, AND I JUST WANNA TALK FOR A BRIEF MOMENT ABOUT WHAT HOMELESSNESS IS. AND PEOPLE TEND TO THINK, WELL, THAT'S CRAZY. I KNOW WHAT HOMELESSNESS IS 'CAUSE I CAN SEE IT OUT ON THE STREET. BUT I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT HOMELESSNESS IN TERMS OF HUMANITY PERSPECTIVE. AND HOMELESSNESS IS REALLY ABOUT PEOPLE WHO WERE LIVING IN DAILY INSTABILITY THAT HAD SOME KIND OF CRISIS AND THEY LACKED SOCIAL SUPPORT TO GET THROUGH THAT CRISIS. UM, I KNOW FOR MANY OF US, IF WE HAD, UM, A NUMBER OF CRISES, WE'D NEVER BECOME HOMELESS OR WE THINK THAT WE WOULD NEVER BE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. BUT IF YOU LIVE IN DAILY INSTABILITY AND YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT TUMBLES YOU LIKE A DIVORCE OR ILLNESS OR YOUR, UM, THE PLACE WHERE YOU'VE WORKED FOR MANY, MANY YEARS SHUTS DOWN, YOU LOSE YOUR INCOME AND CAN'T FIND ANOTHER JOB. THAT, THAT BECOMES CRITICAL IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYONE ELSE IN YOUR BUCKET TO HELP KEEP YOU SUSTAINED. SO OFTENTIMES PEOPLE WILL THINK, WELL, HOMELESSNESS IS JUST CAUSED BY SUBSTANCE ABUSE, OR PEOPLE DON'T WANNA GET A JOB OR THEY DON'T WANNA LIVE INSIDE. AND, UM, HOMELESSNESS REALLY HAPPENS FOR MOST PEOPLE WHEN AN EVENT HAPPENS AND THEY DON'T HAVE ANYONE ELSE THAT CAN HELP THEM. SO I JUST WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT WHAT PO POVERTY AND HOMELESSNESS KIND OF GO HAND IN HAND, RIGHT? UM, AND I'M NOT GONNA READ OUT THIS SLIDES 'CAUSE YOU COULD READ 'EM YOURSELF, BUT I THINK ONE OF THE MOST COMPELLING THINGS FOR ME IS THAT 40% OF AMERICANS CAN'T COVER A $400 EMERGENCY EXPENSE. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CRISIS AND SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS, SOMETHING THAT MIGHT SEEM LIKE NOT A BIG DEAL FOR YOU AND I, UM, IF IT'S AN EXPENDITURE OF OVER $400, THEN PEOPLE START LOOKING FOR WAYS TO, TO UM, GET THROUGH THAT, RIGHT? THEY PUT THINGS ON CREDIT CARDS, THEY GO TAKE OUT PAYDAY LOANS, THEY GO TO CHECK CASHING PLACES, THEY DO ANYTHING THAT THEY CAN TO KEEP GOING, AND THEY END UP, UM, JUST COMPILING THE PROBLEM. SO I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT HOMELESSNESS AS AN EMERGENCY AND NOT A LIFESTYLE. UM, I'VE MET VERY FEW PEOPLE OUTSIDE THAT SAY THAT THEY WANNA STAY OUTSIDE. MOST OF THEM WHO SAY THAT MEAN THAT THEY DON'T WANNA GO THROUGH SHELTER, BUT THEY'D REALLY LIKE TO HAVE A HOME. SO THERE'S A DIFFERENCE IN THAT OF, UM, WHETHER PEOPLE ARE MAKING THOSE CHOICES OR WHETHER IT REALLY IS AN EMERGENCY. SO A LOT OF THE MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT PEOPLE IS THAT HOMELESSNESS IS MAINLY CAUSED BY MENTAL ILLNESS OR MAINLY CAUSED BY DRUG ABUSE OR SOME OTHER FORM OF SUBSTANCE ADDICTION. AND IT'S ACTUALLY NOT. SO IF YOU LOOK AT THAT, ABOUT 30% OF FOLKS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS HAVE ISSUES WITH DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION, ABOUT 30% WITH MENTAL ILLNESS. AND WITHIN THAT, YOU, THERE'S ABOUT 50% OF THOSE THAT HAVE CO-OCCURRING, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY HAVE BOTH. UM, HERE'S ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITES. HOMELESSNESS, PE [00:05:01] PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS DON'T WANNA WORK. UM, AND I'M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT ABOUT THERE'S ABOUT 40% OF OUR POPULATION EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS THAT ACTUALLY ARE WORKING, UM, TODAY THAT WENT, WENT TO WORK. AND, AND WHEN WORK GOT OVER, THEY GOT BACK IN THEIR CARS AND THEY WENT TO FIND A SAFE PLACE TO PARK FOR THE NIGHT. SO HERE'S SOME BARRIERS ABOUT, UH, GETTING HOUSED TO GET IN. 'CAUSE PEOPLE WILL SAY, WELL, WHY DON'T THEY JUST GO GET A JOB? OR WHY DON'T THEY JUST SAVE THEIR MONEY AND GET A HOUSE? I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE BIG DEAL IS. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT, UM, SOME OF THE BARRIERS THAT KEEP PEOPLE OUTSIDE, IT SEEMS PRETTY SIMPLE FOR YOU. AND I, UM, PEOPLE LACK A PERMANENT ADDRESS. UM, AND BECAUSE OF THAT, FOLKS THAT ARE IN OUR AREA USE OUR, UM, OUR ADDRESS TO GET THEIR MAIL SO THEY CAN KEEP UP WITH DOCUMENTS AND KEEP UP WITH CORRESPONDENCE THAT THEY NEED UNTIL THEY CAN GET HOUSED. UM, A LOT OF TIMES THEY THINK FOLKS THINK THAT YOU CAN ARREST YOUR WAY OUTTA HOMELESSNESS. AND I'M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT IN FACT, YOU CAN'T DO THAT. UM, EVERY TIME THAT WE ARREST SOMEBODY, FOR ALL MY POLICE OFFICER FRIENDS IN THE BACK, MIKE VINCENT, I LOVE YOU AND TJ SPENCER, BUT WHEN WE START LOOKING AT ARRESTING PEOPLE FOR MINOR OFFENSES, WE'RE JUST, WE'RE HELPING THEM. BIGGER DIGGER HOLE, UH, DIG A BIGGER HOLE. UM, INABILITY TO KEEP A HYGIENE ROUTINE SEEMS KIND OF COUNTERINTUITIVE. WHO REALLY CARES ABOUT THAT? RIGHT? BUT IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A JOB AND YOU SMELL, UM, YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT EMPLOYABLE. AND WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO COME THROUGH OUR WORKFORCE PROGRAM AT METROCREST SERVICES, AND ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS EMPLOYERS WILL ASK OUR TEAM IS CAN THEY SHOWER? DO THEY HAVE A PLACE TO WASH THEIR CLOTHES BECAUSE THEY CAN'T DEAL WITH HYGIENE ISSUES? UM, THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO, BUT IT'S UNCOMFORTABLE FOR PEOPLE. MOST PEOPLE DON'T LIKE TO TALK ABOUT, UH, TO SOMEBODY ABOUT HOW THEY SMELL. UM, THERE'S UN MET, UH, MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS AND THEN LACK OF, UM, DOCUMENTS. AND IF YOU ARE SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT WERE IN HERE WHEN I WAS TALKING TO THE CITY COUNCIL, THAT SEEMS LIKE A REALLY EASY THING. BUT IF YOU DON'T HAVE, UM, A BIRTH CERTIFICATE AND YOU DON'T HAVE, UM, YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY CARD, THEN YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO GET A DRIVER'S LICENSE. AND IF YOU CAN'T PROVE THAT YOU LIVE SOMEWHERE, YOU ALSO CAN'T JUST WALK IN AND GET A DRIVER'S LICENSE. SO I DON'T KNOW IF ANY OF YOU HAVE TRIED TO GET AN APPOINTMENT LATELY TO RENEW YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE, BUT YOU ACTUALLY NEED TO BE ON A COMPUTER TO MAKE THE APPOINTMENT AND YOU NEED THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THE DRIVER'S LICENSE ONCE YOU GET THERE. SO YOU, YOU START BACKING THAT UP AND YOU'RE LIKE, OKAY, WE NEED A BIRTH CERTIFICATE, WE NEED A SOCIAL SECURITY CARD. WE NEED SOMETHING THAT SHOWS THAT YOU'RE EITHER EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OR THAT YOU HAVE AN ADDRESS, THEN WE NEED TO SET YOU AN APPOINTMENT AND THEN WE HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. IT GETS REALLY COMPLICATED FOR A LITTLE TINY THING THAT SAYS, YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE. BUT I GET IT BECAUSE OUR SYSTEM IS SET UP TO BE ABLE TO PAY FOR PEOPLE WITH YOU, YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE BENEFITS, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A SOCIAL SECURITY CARD TO GET A JOB, YOU HAVE TO HAVE AN ID TO GET INTO A SHELTER. SO YOU MIGHT BE SOMEBODY THAT WANTS TO GET INTO A SHELTER, BUT YOU CAN'T BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE A STATE ISSUED ID. SO THE AGENCIES AROUND THAT ARE WORKING WITH FOLKS ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, CAN WE GET YOU AN ID TO GET YOU INTO A SHELTER GOING THROUGH THE STEW POT OR GOING TO THE BRIDGE. SO TRYING TO FIND CREATIVE WAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE WHO THEY SAY THEY ARE AND BE ABLE TO HELP KEEP THEM HOUSED IF THEY WANNA GO TO TEMPORARY SHELTER. SO WHEN WE STARTED TALKING TO THE FOLKS THAT ARE LIVING OUTSIDE IN OUR AREA, AND FOR MOST OF YOU, YOU PROBABLY KNOW, BUT METROCREST SERVICES SERVES, UM, COPPEL, ADDISON CARROLLTON AND FARMERS' BRANCH. AND WE STARTED DOING THE PIT COUNT AND WE ADDED ONTO THE QUESTIONS THAT THERE'S A STANDARD SET OF QUESTIONS THAT, UM, HUD ASKS US TO ASK PEOPLE EVERY YEAR. BUT I WANTED TO ADD A COUPLE WHEN I CAME ON BOARD AND I SAID, I WANTED TO KNOW, WHAT DO YOU NEED AND HOW DO WE FIND YOU WHEN THE PIT COUNT IS OVER, HOW DO WE COME FIND YOU TO, TO, UM, HELP YOU WITH WHAT THOSE NEEDS ARE? AND HERE'S WHAT I GOT. I NEED HELP WITH CRITICAL DOCUMENTS. I NEED A PLACE TO SLEEP FOR THE NIGHT. I NEED PERMANENT HOUSING. I NEED HELP WITH MY MENTAL HEALTH, AND I NEED SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT. AND I'M HERE TO TELL YOU THAT THE EASIEST THING THAT WE CAN DO ON THAT LIST IS SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT BECAUSE WE CAN GET THEM INTO TREATMENT CENTERS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES IF THEY WANT THAT. UM, BUT SO WHERE OUR KEY FACTORS IS WE'RE TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE GET, UH, DOCUMENTS AND IF THEY WANNA STAY INSIDE UNTIL THEY CAN GET HOUSED, WE WANNA GET THEM TO SHELTER. UM, AND WE CAN CONNECT THEM TO METROCARE WHO'S NOW COMING TO, UM, METRO CREST SERVICES. BUT WHAT WE REALLY WANNA DO IS HELP THEM AND TO GET, HELP GET THEM INTO PERMANENT HOUSING. AND THE REALLY EXCITING THING FOR ME, UH, STANDING HERE TONIGHT IS THAT YOU'RE GONNA HA HEAR FROM HOUSING FORWARD AND THEY'RE GONNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT WHAT'S IS SEEMS LIKE A VERY COMPLICATED WAY TO GET PEOPLE IN THEIR PERMANENT HOUSING, BUT IT'S HOW WE HAVE TO WORK THE SYSTEM. SO I'M GLAD THAT THEY'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT THAT BECAUSE SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE I'M JUST SAYING, WELL, WE CAN'T, 'CAUSE IT'S COMPLICATED OR IT TAKES A LONG TIME BECAUSE IT'S COMPLICATED AND IT IS. BUT IT'S WORTH ALL THE EFFORT [00:10:01] FOR EVERY PERSON THAT WALKS ACROSS THE THRESHOLD AND IT'S THEIR HOUSE AND THEY HAVE A KEY TO IT AND THEY CAN CALL THEMSELVES AND TELL, TELL THEMSELVES AT THEIR HOME, RIGHT? SO THERE IS REALLY FOUR WAYS IN RESPONDING TO HOMELESSNESS. AND ONE IS, UH, OUTREACH AND ANOTHER ONE'S DIVERSION, EMERGENCY SHELTER AND SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. SO WHAT METRO CREST IS DOING IS DIVERSION OUTREACH, AND WE'RE TRYING TO CONNECT THEM TO EMERGENCY SHELTER. WE'RE TRYING TO CONNECT THEM TO SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. SO DIVERSION IS REALLY WHEN WE MEET SOMEONE, IS THERE SOMEWHERE WE CAN GET YOU WHERE YOU'LL NO LONGER BE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS? IT COULD BE LOS ANGELES, IT COULD BE ABILENE. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU HAVE A SUPPORT SYSTEM SOMEWHERE ELSE AND YOU'VE GOTTEN STUCK HERE GEOGRAPHICALLY, WE WANNA HELP CONNECT YOU IF YOU NEED SOME MEDIATION TO GET BACK AND TALK WITH FAMILY AND SET SOME PARAMETERS SO YOU COULD STAY THERE TEMPORARILY UNTIL YOU CAN GET BACK ON YOUR FEET. LET'S HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS. UM, AND SINCE JANUARY WE'VE DONE, UH, FOUR DIVERSIONS IN ADDISON THAT AFFECTED 13 PEOPLE. 'CAUSE THEY WERE FAMILY GROUPS. SO WHILE THAT MIGHT NOT SOUND LIKE A LOT DIVERSION CAN, UM, WELL QUICKLY WE WANNA MOVE THEM AS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. BUT THE LAST TWO WERE FAMILIES OF FOUR, UM, THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT I THINK HAD CALLED US ABOUT THAT WERE, UM, STAYING IN A CAR ON STREET CORNERS. SO THE, AND WE FIND PEOPLE BY DOING OUTREACH. SO WE CANVAS, UM, ADDISON AND THE REST OF OUR TERRITORIES DURING THE WEEK, AND WE USE A CADRE OF VOLUNTEERS TO GO WITH THIS BECAUSE THERE'S THREE OF US THAT, THAT ARE PAID STAFF AND OUTREACH. AND WE CAN'T COVER THIS WITH THREE PEOPLE. SO WE HAVE ABOUT 10 VOLUNTEERS THAT ARE TRAINED THAT DO AMAZING WORK WITH PEOPLE, AND WE GO OUT AND MEET 'EM WHERE THEY ARE. YOU MIGHT BE UNDER A BRIDGE, YOU MIGHT BE BESIDE A COFFEE SHOP, YOU MIGHT BE LIVING IN YOUR CAR BEHIND A MOTEL. UM, OUR JOB IS TO GO FIND YOU AND SAY, WHAT DO YOU NEED? HOW DO WE HELP YOU? UM, THIS SITUATION LOOKS LIKE IT'S NOT WORKING VERY WELL. WHAT WHAT CAN WE DO TO MOVE YOU FORWARD? UM, AND WE CAN ONLY DO WHAT PEOPLE WANT, RIGHT? IF IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND GET SOMEBODY THAT'S READY TO SAY, YOU KNOW, I I'M, I'M WILLING TO LET YOU HELP ME BECAUSE YOU'RE ACTUALLY GONNA SHOW UP AND DO WHAT YOU SAY YOU DO. AND SOMETIMES THAT TAKES A LONG TIME. UM, MY FRIEND STEVEN, IT TOOK A YEAR, A LITTLE OVER A YEAR BEFORE HE WOULD LET ME HELP HIM WITH ANYTHING. UM, AND IT TOOK ANOTHER YEAR TO GET HIM INTO HOUSING. AND BY THE TIME HE GOT INTO HOUSING, HE HAD BEEN OUTSIDE FOR 13 YEARS. AND THE MOST TRUSTED AND MOST VALUED THING HE HAD WAS A TRASH CAN FROM WALMART THAT I GOT THAT WHEN YOU STEP ON IT, THE LID COMES UP. AND HE SHOWED ME EVERY SINGLE TIME I WENT BACK TO HIS APARTMENT, HAVE I SHOWED YOU MY TRASH CAN? YEAH, YOU DID STEVEN. SO I WANT, UM, IS IS THIS GONNA WORK? YES. SO I WANT YOU, UM, AND I'M, I KNOW I'M ZOOMING THROUGH THIS, BUT I REALLY WANT YOU TO HEAR SARAH AND RAY TALK, BUT THIS IS A GUY THAT WE, UM, HELPED GET INTO HOUSING. I JUST WANT YOU TO HEAR HIS STORIES VERY BRIEF. BUT I WANNA HUMANIZE THIS FOR YOU BECAUSE HE, HE MIGHT SOUND LIKE SOME OF THE STEREOTYPES OF FOLKS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. HE, HE'S AN AMAZING MAN, AND I'LL FINISH THE STORY AFTER YOU SEE THIS. MY NAME IS DEAN MARTINEZ. UM, I'VE BEEN HOMELESS UNDER THIS BRIDGE 35 IN BELTLINE IN CARLTON FOR GOING ON TWO YEARS NOW. I'VE BEEN IN IRVING FOR 10 YEARS. PRIOR TO ME COMING TO CARLTON, I WAS WORKING FOR A TEMP SERVICE FOR ABOUT EIGHT OF THOSE 10 YEARS. AND I GOT FIRED FROM THE TEMP SERVICE. WELL, WHEN I GOT FIRED FROM THE TEMP SERVICE, I DIDN'T HAVE ANY ID OR SOCIAL OR ANYTHING. SO IT, I CAN GO AND GET ANOTHER JOB. SO I CAME AND JUST CAME UNDER THE BRIDGE, THE DOCK TRAIN STATION. 'CAUSE AT THE TIME, YOU COULD PLUG YOUR TRAIN UP, YOUR PHONE UP AND I WAS JUST LIVING THERE, JUST EATING OUTTA GARBAGE CANS. YOU KNOW, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A SMALL GUY. BUT I LOST, UH, IN THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF. I LOST A FEW POUNDS. I RAN INTO METRO, WELL, METRO CREST RAN INTO ME ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO WHEN IT WAS REAL, REAL, REAL, REAL COLD. 17 DEGREES, 11 DEGREES. AND THEY TOOK ME TO A SHELTER. YEAH. YEAH. AND EVER SINCE THEN I'VE BEEN FOOLING UP EVERY WEEK. EVERY WEEK, ACCESS TO THE SHOWER, WEEKLY ACCESS TO CLOTHES. YOU KNOW, IF YOU NEED ANYTHING LIKE A BLANKET OR YOU KNOW, OR WHATEVER, THEY'LL GET IT FOR YOU. YOU KNOW, [00:15:23] THEY CARE. THE THINGS THEY DO, THEY CARE. I MEAN, WOW. SO DEAN WAS WORKING AT TEMP SERVICE IN IRVING AND HE GOT HURT ON THE JOB. AND GUESS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU'RE NOT A FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE WITH BENEFITS AND YOU GET HURT ON THE JOB, YOU DON'T GET PAID. AND THEY DIDN'T WANT HIM ANYMORE BECAUSE HE BECAME A LIABILITY, BECAUSE HE GOT A RELEASE TO GO BACK TO WORK. AND BY THEN THEY SAID, WELL, WE, WE'VE LOST ALL YOUR PAPERWORK. AND HE DIDN'T HAVE ANY OF HIS STUFF. SO HE BECAME, UM, LIVING OUTSIDE 'CAUSE HE COULDN'T PAY HIS RENT. BUT HE HAD BEEN WORKING FULL-TIME FOR YEARS IN IRVING. UM, AND HE HAD MOVED OUT HERE FROM BROOKLYN TO BE BY SOME OF HIS FAMILY MEMBERS WHO HAD BY THEN PASSED AWAY. SO HE WAS STUCK 'CAUSE THERE WASN'T ANYWHERE TO GO BACK TO. UM, THERE WASN'T ANYWHERE TO GO TO. AND HE'D HAD A FRACTURED RELATIONSHIP. AND HE HAD SEEN HIS WIFE FOR OVER 20 YEARS. SO WHEN WE FOUND HIM, HE WAS EXACTLY THE WAY HE LOOKS. AND, UM, AFTER HE GOT HOUSED, HE JUST STARTED BEING ONE OF OUR OUTREACH VOLUNTEERS TWO MONTHS AGO. UM, AND WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO SCRAPE TOGETHER SOME MONEY IN A BUDGET TO PAY HIM FOR COMING BECAUSE DEAN CAN SAY THINGS TO PEOPLE OUTSIDE THAT I CAN'T, HE LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT FROM ME AND HE'S A DIFFERENT SEX, BUT HE'S ALSO WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE. AND THERE IS NO ONE THAT CAN TALK TO SOMEONE THAT'S BEEN LIVING OUTSIDE, LIKE SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN LIVING OUTSIDE. HE'S AN ASSET. HE'S A GOOD FRIEND OF OURS. AND, UM, WE ONLY WANT GOOD THINGS FOR HIM. HE'S IN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING NOW. UM, THROUGH, WE, WE GOT HIM CONNECTED TO HOUSING FORWARD AND GOT HIM ON THE HOUSING LIST AND GOT ALL HIS DOCUMENTS AND, UM, GOT HIS DISABILITY GOING. HE DOESN'T HAVE HIS DISABILITY YET, WHICH IS WHY I'M GONNA FIGURE OUT HOW TO PAY HIM A LITTLE BIT. SO HE'S GOT MONEY 'CAUSE HE DOESN'T BELIEVE IN PANHANDLING AND HE NEVER DID. AND HE WON'T. UM, BUT HE IS GIVEN BACK TO A COMMUNITY THAT HE OWES US NOTHING. UM, BUT IT TOOK A WHILE FOR US TO, TO BE ABLE TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM SO WE COULD HELP HIM MOVE FORWARD. UM, SO WHAT METROCREST IS DOING IS WE'RE WORKING ON DIVERSIONS. WE'RE WORKING AS STREET OUTREACH. UM, WE HAVE A SHOWER, WE HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH MO STREETSIDE SHOWERS THAT COMES. LANCE SOLINSKY OWNS THAT. IT COMES OUT OF, UM, MCKINNEY AND ONCE A WEEK THE MOBILE SHOWERS COME. AND FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING AND FOLKS THAT ARE STAYING OUTSIDE, IT'S A WAY TO CONNECT WITH THEM AND GIVE BACK SOME DIGNITY AND RESPECT AND SOME HOPE. 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE WANNA DO FOR FOLKS. AND ONCE YOU START BUILDING THAT WITH PEOPLE, THEY START SEEING THAT MAYBE YOU'RE OKAY AND, UH, MAYBE I CAN WORK WITH YOU. WITHOUT THE RELATIONSHIP, WE CAN'T MOVE FORWARD VERY WELL BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT SURE THAT THEY'RE, THAT WE'RE EVER GONNA COME BACK AND TALK TO THEM. SO IT'S BEEN A VERY COOL EXPERIENCE AND GOT THE COMMUNITY INVOLVED IN PROVIDING LUNCHES FOR FOLKS. AND MY NEXT THING IS TO SEE IF WE CAN FIND SOMEBODY TO DO HAIRCUTS AND, UM, SOME OTHER THINGS THAT STREETSIDE SHOWERS BRINGS A TRUCK THAT HAS CLOTHES. SO YOU GET CLEAN CLOTHES, YOU GET A MEAL, AND YOU GET A BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE FOR 20 MINUTES. AND IT'S SHOWER THAT LOOKS LIKE A A DOES IN A SMALL APARTMENT, WHICH, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S GIVING SOMEBODY BACK DIGNITY AND HOPE. UM, SO PEOPLE ASK, HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED? AND OF COURSE WE, ANYBODY WHO'S WORKING IN THE ARENA OF HOMELESSNESS NEEDS MONEY. UM, BUT WE ALSO NEED VOLUNTEERS PROBABLY AS MUCH AS I NEED MONEY BECAUSE WE WANNA TOUCH AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE CAN. WHEN WE KNOW SOMEBODY'S LIVING OUTSIDE, WE CAN HELP THEM GO SOMEWHERE. WE DON'T KNOW THEY'RE LIVING THERE. THEY JUST SIT. SO OUR BIGGEST THING IS WE WANNA GO BE OUT IN THE STREETS AND, UM, MEETING ALL THE FOLKS THAT WE CAN AND SEEING WHAT WE CAN, CAN DO TO CONNECT THEM TO PEOPLE OR HELP THEM OURSELVES. AND THEN REALLY ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT I WANT IS THAT EVERY TIME YOU COME TO ONE OF THESE PRESENTATIONS, YOU LEARN A LITTLE MORE ABOUT HOMELESSNESS. AND WHEN YOU LEARN A LITTLE MORE ABOUT HOMELESSNESS, YOU CAN TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT THAT AND SAY, ACTUALLY THAT'S NOT TRUE. THIS IS WHAT I LEARNED. ACTUALLY, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I HEARD AT A PRESENTATION, I WANNA TELL YOU ABOUT IT. BECAUSE UNTIL WE START PUTTING HUMANNESS AND HUMANITY BACK IN HOMELESSNESS, WE DON'T HAVE A WING AND A PRAYER BECAUSE THESE ARE REAL PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD AMAZING AND TOUGH EXPERIENCES AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN THAT NEED A LITTLE HELP. UM, BUT I THINK WHAT PEOPLE SEE IS THAT THERE'S SOMEBODY THAT'S DIRTY AND THEY SMELL AND THEY'RE PUSHING ALL OF THEIR STUFF IN A CART, WHICH IS WHAT CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS LOOKS LIKE SOMETIMES, RIGHT? THERE'S ALSO MOMS AND KIDS AND DADS AND SINGLE PEOPLE LIVING IN CARS THAT GO TO WORK EVERY DAY. THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO LIVE INSIDE ANYMORE. [00:20:01] 'CAUSE THE COST OF HOUSING HAS EDGED THEM OUT OR THEY'VE HAD SOME KIND OF CRISIS IN, THEY'RE JUST OUT AND NOT BY ANY FAULT OF THEIR OWN. SO I THINK THAT'S ME. I JUST, I TRY TO BE BRIEF SO WE CAN HAVE QUESTIONS AFTERWARDS, BUT I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU TO, TO MEET TWO OF THESE WOMEN THAT, THAT WE ARE REALLY FORTUNATE TO CONNECT WITH, WITH HOUSING FORWARD. AND I THINK RAY IS UP FIRST. RAY'S THERE, UM, NO, SARAH, SORRY. SARAH'S THE CEO OF HOUSING FORWARD AND I JUST INTRODUCED HER AS RAY SARAH CON. I DID TAKE ORDERS FROM RAY . RAY WILL COME UP IN A MINUTE. , THANKS SO MUCH. WE WOULD NOT BE THE COALITION THAT WE ARE WITHOUT METROCREST. Y'ALL ARE PHENOMENAL PARTNERS AND DO SO MUCH GREAT WORK FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS ACROSS THE REGION. AND UM, YEAH, WE'RE JUST REALLY FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO PARTNER WITH YOU, MELANIE, AND LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO FIND MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO THAT. UM, NICE TO WORK WITH OR TO BE HERE WITH ALL OF YOU AS WELL. UH, LET'S SEE HERE. OH, THERE WE GO. UM, AS MELANIE SAID, I'M SARAH KHAN, I'M THE CEO OF HOUSING FORWARD, AND WE USED TO BE METRO DALLAS HOMELESS ALLIANCE. HAS ANYONE, DID ANY, HAVE ANYONE EVER HEARD OF METRO DALLAS HOMELESS ALLIANCE? OKAY, SO WE WENT THROUGH A TRANSFORMATION, UM, A FEW YEARS AGO AND WE BECAME HOUSING FORWARD. AND WE ARE THE LEAD AGENCY FOR, UM, THE ALL NEIGHBORS COALITION, WHICH IS NOW, IT SAYS 140 NOW. WE'RE ABOUT 150 ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS DALLAS AND COLLIN COUNTY THAT ARE ALL WORKING IN A VERY COORDINATED WAY TO RESOLVE HOMELESSNESS TOGETHER. AND, UM, HUD HAD THE FORESIGHT IN THE, I THINK EARLY NINETIES, LATE EIGHTIES TO REALLY REALIZE THAT A COLLECTIVE IMPACT MODEL IS THE BEST WAY TO APPROACH HOMELESSNESS. AND SO HUD REALLY REQUIRES THAT WE WORK AS A REGION UNDER A UNIFIED STRATEGY TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL FUNDING, WHICH IS WHAT THE INCENTIVE WAS FOR ALL OF US TO KIND OF, UM, COORDINATE TOGETHER IN A COLLABORATIVE WAY. UM, IN 2021, WE WENT THROUGH A PRETTY BIG, WE STARTED A PRETTY BIG TRANSFORMATION OF HOW WE, UM, OF HOW WE TACKLE HOMELESSNESS IN THE REGION. AND WE DECIDED THAT WE REALLY NEED TO, NEEDED TO MAKE SOME CHANGES TO BE MORE COORDINATED. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AT THAT TIME THE, UH, MEMBERS OF THE COALITION WERE DOING INCREDIBLE WORK. UH, BUT EVERYONE WAS SORT OF DOING THAT WORK IN SILOS, WHICH MEANT TO THAT AGENCIES WERE SOLVING HOMELESSNESS, BUT SOLVING HOMELESSNESS, REALLY ONE PERSON AT A TIME, HAVING TO, YOU KNOW, GATHER RESOURCES ON THEIR OWN, COMPETE FOR FUNDING ON THEIR OWN, REALLY, WE LEFT IT UP TO AGENCIES TO FIGURE THINGS OUT, . AND SO IN 2021 WE CHANGED THAT AND WE SAID, WE NEED MORE OF A SYSTEM APPROACH. WE NEED A STRONG LEAD AGENCY THAT CAN BRING THIS COORDINATED RESPONSE TOGETHER. SO WE'RE BRINGING OUR COLLECTIVE STRENGTHS TOGETHER AND FIGURING OUT HOW TO CREATE SYSTEMS CHANGE THAT GETS THE RESULT THAT WE'RE ALL LOOKING FOR. AND SO A BIG PART OF THAT EFFORT WAS FIRST SETTING A SHARED VISION AND SHARED GOALS, AND THEN REALLY BRINGING ALL OF OUR PROVIDERS TO REDESIGN WHAT OUR HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM LOOKS LIKE. AND SO TODAY WE HAVE A NEW RESPONSE SYSTEM THAT IS MORE COORDINATED. WE'VE STREAMLINED PATHWAYS FROM THE STREET BACK INTO PERMANENT HOUSING AND MADE SURE THAT THERE ARE WRAPAROUND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE. UM, AND THERE'S A, A FEW EXAMPLES OF THAT. ONE IS WE'VE CREATED A COORDINATED OUTREACH TEAM. SO THAT MEANS THAT NOW AS OF THIS YEAR, WE HAVE OUTREACH TEAMS THAT ARE COVERING EACH ZONE ACROSS THE REGION, WHICH MELANIE IS A PART OF IN THIS AREA. AND THAT WILL BE A CONSISTENT OUTREACH TEAM THAT CAN ENGAGE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING ON THE STREET IN THIS AREA VERY CONSISTENTLY. SO THEY SEE THE SAME FACES IN THE SAME AREAS OF TOWN CONSISTENTLY. AND NOW THOSE OUTREACH WORKERS HAVE THE TOOLS TO BE ABLE TO, UM, PROVIDE ASSESSMENTS AND TO PUT PEOPLE ON A PATHWAY BACK INTO PERMANENT HOUSING WHILE LINKING THEM INTO SUPPORTIVE SERVICES. AND SO THERE ARE SOME NEW STRATEGIES THAT ARE ROLLING OUT LIKE THAT, UM, THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO EXPAND OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. ANOTHER PART OF OUR TRANSFORMATION WAS, UM, REALLY BRINGING THE PUBLIC AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR FUNDING TOGETHER LIKE NEVER BEFORE, SO THAT WE COULD EXPAND AND SCALE THESE EVIDENCE-BASED STRATEGIES. AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THAT LEVEL OF COORDINATION IS LEADING [00:25:01] TO SOME VERY EARLY, EARLY WINS AND BIG, BIG RESULTS. SO IN 2021, UH, AFTER WE TRANSFORMED OUR HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM, AS OF TODAY IN 2024, SINCE THAT TIME, WE'VE SEEN AN OVERALL REDUCTION OF HOMELESSNESS BY ABOUT 19%. AND THEN SPECIFICALLY UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS. THAT MEANS PEOPLE WHO ARE LITERALLY LIVING OUTSIDE. WE'VE DECREASED UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS BY 24%, AND THIS YEAR WAS THE LOWEST COUNT THAT WE'VE HAD IN NEARLY A DECADE. SO THAT'S GIVING US SOME REALLY IMPORTANT SIGNALS THAT THE STRATEGIES ARE WORKING. UH, AND WE CLEARLY HAVE A LOT MORE WORK TO DO , WHICH MEANS WE'VE GOTTA STAY THE COURSE AND CONTINUE TO INVEST IN THE, IN THE THINGS THAT ARE STARTING TO TURN THE BATTLESHIP AND MOVE US IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. UH, WE DID ALL OF THAT BY HOUSING SINCE 2021, OVER 10,100 PEOPLE. UH, AND METROCREST IS A BIG PARTNER IN THE THOSE HOUSING INTERVENTIONS. BUT, UM, THAT'S WHAT ALLOWED US TO GET THE PROGRESS THAT YOU'RE SEEING TODAY. UM, THE OTHER THING THAT'S IMPORTANT IS THAT IS SETTING US APART NATIONALLY. RIGHT NOW, UH, IN 2023, WE WERE ONE OF A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF COMMUNITIES ONLY ABOUT 27% OF COMMUNITIES THAT ACTUALLY SAW REDUCTIONS IN HOMELESSNESS. UM, FOR A LONG TIME HOMELESSNESS WAS, YOU KNOW, DECREASING IN THE NATION. BUT OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS WE'VE SEEN HOMELESSNESS SKYROCKET AS HOUSING COSTS HAVE GOTTEN OUT OF CONTROL AND IN INCOMES JUST AREN'T KEEPING PACE WITH THE COST OF HOUSING. AND SO, AS MELANIE SAID, WHEN A CRISIS HAPPENS, WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF HOMELESSNESS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE INTERVENTIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PUT IN PLACE HAVE NOT ONLY HELD AT BAY THOSE INCREASES, BUT WE'VE ALSO BEEN ABLE TO CHIP AWAY AT THE PROBLEM. SO, UM, I THINK ALL OF THAT IS TELLING US WE'RE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. HOWEVER, I AM HERE TO TELL YOU THAT I KNOW I TALK TO PEOPLE EVERY DAY, , INCLUDING TODAY. MY MORNING STARTED OFF WITH TALKING TO DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES AND I REALIZED THAT NOT EVERYONE IS FEELING THAT PROGRESS BECAUSE WHEN YOU SEE SOMEONE ON YOUR WAY TO WORK OR WHEN YOU SEE SOMEONE, YOU WHEN YOU GO SHOPPING, UM, WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE STILL LIVING IN UNACCEPTABLE CONDITIONS, RIGHT? AND I THINK THAT MAKES IT FEEL AS THOUGH WE'RE NOT MAKING AS MUCH PROGRESS. AND SO RAY IS GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT'S NEXT BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THAT AND WE UNDERSTAND THE NEED TO GO BIGGER AND TO DO MORE THIS YEAR, BUT ALSO TO PUT A SPECIAL FOCUS ON UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS, WHICH IS NOT ONLY VISIBLE HOMELESSNESS, BUT THOSE ARE THE, OUR MOST VULNERABLE NEIGHBORS WHO ARE FACED WITH THE MOST COMPLEX CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS AND OR MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS. AND SO WE'RE PUTTING A NEW RENEWED FOCUS ON THAT EFFORT, AND RAY CAN TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT. THANK YOU, SARAH. ONE THING SARAH DIDN'T JUST POINT OUT, BUT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU GUYS, UM, SAW WAS THAT WE WERE ONE OF THE TOP PERFORMING COMMUNITIES, UM, IN THE NATION, AND THROUGH THAT WE'VE BEEN GIVEN INCREASED FUNDING FROM HUD. SO ONE THING IS THAT WHEN YOU'RE PERFORMING WELL, HUD NOTICES THAT WHEN YOU'RE ALIGNING TO THEIR PRIORITIES AND THEY'RE SEEING THOSE REDUCTIONS HAPPEN, THEY GIVE MORE MONEY TO THE COMMUNITY. AND IT'S NOT JUST ONE CITY, IT'S OUR WHOLE DALLAS AND COLLIN COUNTY. ALL RIGHT? SO I TELL EVERYONE, THIS IS MY FAVORITE THING TO TALK ABOUT, IT'S THE FUNNEL. SO, UM, A FEW PEOPLE WERE AT OUR, UM, WHEN WE TALKED TO COUNCIL, BUT THIS JUST TALKS ABOUT THE WAY SYSTEMS ARE BUILT AND WHAT OUR NORMAL TENDENCY IS TO BE. SO, UH, THE FIRST SIDE, OUR NORMAL TENDENCY IS TO JUST GROW THE FUNNEL. IF THERE'S PEOPLE OUTSIDE, THEN WE SHOULD BUILD MORE SHELTERS TO PUT THEM IN. THAT'S EVERYONE'S KIND OF NORMAL INTUITION. HOWEVER, WHEN YOU GROW THAT AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY OUTPUT FROM IT, YOU DON'T HAVE ANYWHERE FOR THEM TO BE HOUSED. ALL YOU'RE DOING IS PUTTING MORE PEOPLE IN SHELTER AND LEAVING THEM THERE FOR LONGER. AND WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT WHEN PEOPLE STAY IN HOMELESSNESS, YOU KNOW, OVER A YEAR, REALLY THE COST GOES WAY UP. THE TRAUMA IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD TO GET OVER IN SOME OF THOSE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. AND, UM, SUBSTANCE ABUSE YOU, YOU SEE IS BECAUSE THEY'RE TRYING TO DEAL WITH THE INHUMANE OF THAT. SO OUR NATURAL TENDENCY TO JUST BUILD THIS BIGGER TUNNEL AND PUT EVERYONE IN IT IN HOUSE, IT'S NOT ACTUALLY WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE SYSTEM OR FOR THE PEOPLE IN IT. SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE ARE LOOKING AT A SYSTEM WHERE WE ACTUALLY FLIP THE TUNNEL. YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT INPUT AND SAY, HOW DO WE STOP THE, THE FLOW GOING INTO HOMELESSNESS? AND WE ARE THE HOMELESS CRISIS SYSTEM. SO FOR US, WHEN PEOPLE COME TO THE [00:30:01] FRONT DOOR, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING. WE'RE TRYING, UM, OUT DIVERSION. WE'VE PILOTED WITH FAMILIES AND FAMILY GATEWAY, WHICH IS OUR ONLY FAMILY SHELTER. UM, CURRENTLY THEY'VE DIVERTED OVER 1,246 PEOPLE THROUGH DIVERSION IN JUST ONE YEAR. SO THAT'S ONE 10TH OF THE COST OF AN AVERAGE SHELTER STAY. UM, AND NOT ALL OF THEM EVEN NEED, UM, MONETARY RESOURCES. SOMETIMES IT'S JUST VERY BIG PROBLEM SOLVING, HELPING WITH MEDIATION, WITH FAMILIES, WHATEVER THAT MAY BE. SO THAT'S ONE WAY THAT WE'RE PREVENTING AND SHRINKING THE INFLOW. THEN WE'VE ADDED LOTS OF HOUSING RESOURCES SO THAT THAT FUNNEL NOW OPENS UP WIDER AT THE BOTTOM. SO PEOPLE, AS THEY COME IN, WE HAVE A SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS THEM TO COME OUT AND GO INTO SOME TYPE OF PERMANENT HOUSING. UM, THERE'S DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE HAVE, AND I USED A LOT OF ACRONYMS. WE'VE GOT RAPID REHOUSING, WHICH KEEPS, UH, IT'S ABOUT A 12 TO 24 MONTH SUBSIDY. AND THEN WE HAVE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, WHICH IS ONGOING, THINGS LIKE VOUCHERS. UM, BUT ALL OF THAT WE'VE WRAPPED AROUND SOME TYPE OF SERVICES THROUGH CASE MANAGEMENT, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, ALL THOSE THINGS TO TRY TO HELP PEOPLE NOT ONLY GET INTO HOUSING, UM, BUT STAY IN THEIR HOUSING. AND, SORRY, I SHOULD'VE MENTIONED ONCE WE GET TO THE KIND OF OUR EQUILIBRIUM POINT OR WHERE WE ARE H UM, HOUSING PEOPLE AS QUICKLY AS THEY COME IN, THEN YOU'RE, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH HOUSING RESOURCES FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND THAT TUNNEL, IT STAYS WHERE INFLOW IS SMALL, OUTFLOW IS BIG, BUT WE CAN KIND OF SHRINK IT BACK TO KNOW THAT WE JUST HAVE EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED IN THAT SYSTEM. SO IF YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO SEE OUR STATE OF HOMELESS ADDRESS, UM, SARAH WAS AMAZING AT IT. , YOU'LL FIND OUT THAT WE HAVE A NEXT BIG MILESTONE. THAT NEXT BIG MILESTONE IS FOR US TO REACH A 50% REDUCTION IN UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS. SO FROM THE SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION THAT SHE TALKED ABOUT IN 2021, WE'VE ALREADY HAD A 24% REDUCTION IN UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS. FROM OUR MOST RECENT PIT COUNT, WE'RE GOING FOR A GOAL OF 50%. SO, YOU KNOW, SHARE, SARAH TALKED ABOUT HOW WE'VE HOUSED 10,100 AND I THINK IT WAS 37 PEOPLE, UM, WHICH IS GREAT, BUT PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS LIKE, BUT IF YOU HOUSE THAT MANY PEOPLE, WHY DO WE STILL HAVE, YOU KNOW, LIKE, WHY DOES OUR ACCOUNT SAY THIS? AND THAT'S BECAUSE OUR OTHER GOALS DIDN'T ACCOUNT FOR THE INFLOW COMING INTO THE SYSTEM. SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE A GOAL THAT ACTUALLY DEALS WITH BOTH THE INFLOW AND THE OUTFLOW, AND WE'RE DEFINITELY LOOKING AT OUR MOST VULNERABLE NEIGHBORS, UM, IN THIS GOAL. SO HOW WE'RE DOING THAT, WE HAVE WHAT'S CALLED THE STREET TO HOME RESPONSE, UM, WHICH IS AN AWESOME INITIATIVE. WE'VE ALREADY STARTED IT, BUT WE'RE GOING KIND OF ALL IN ON THE STRATEGY, UM, THIS YEAR. AND IT'S ALL ABOUT, UM, ENCAMPMENT RESPONSE AND HELPING PEOPLE WHO ARE UNSHELTERED. SO THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT FOR THEM TO GO INTO, YOU KNOW, AN EMERGENCY SHELTER OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. WE MEET THEM WHERE THEY ARE. WE HAVE AMAZING OUTREACH TEAMS THAT GO OUT AND WORK WITH THEM AT THE ENCAMPMENT. UH, WE WORK ON DOCUMENT COLLECTION. UM, WE WORK ON, UM, WE HAVE MENTAL HEALTH TEAMS THAT MEET THEM THERE AND THEY START WORKING ON VERIFICATION OF DISABILITY, ALL OF THOSE THINGS. BUT THE END GOAL IS HOUSING FOR THEM. SO AS THEY WORK THROUGH THIS PROCESS, IT TAKES SOME TIME BECAUSE THERE'S, UM, ALIGNMENT OF RESOURCES WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING. UM, ALSO WE HAVE A LANDLORD ENGAGEMENT TEAM THAT WORKS FOR HOUSING FORWARD JUST TO TALK TO LANDLORDS IN THE AREAS TO SAY, WILL YOU HOUSE USING A VOUCHER? YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF BARRIERS DO YOU HAVE WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING? CAN THEY HAVE A BACKGROUND? CAN THEY HAVE PAST EVICTIONS, WHATEVER THAT MAY BE. SO WE HAVE A WHOLE TEAM BECAUSE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS YOU CAN SAY, I HAVE A VOUCHER, AND THAT LANDLORD CAN TURN YOU AWAY AND SAY, I DON'T TAKE THAT. SO WE HAVE TO WORK REALLY HARD, UM, WITH TEAMS THROUGH INCENTIVES, ALL THOSE TYPES OF THINGS TO TRY TO GET, UM, OUR NEIGHBORS JUST INTO, UM, A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM TO LIVE. SO WE'RE DOING ALL OF THIS. WE'VE BEEN DOING IT IN, UH, DALLAS, UM, IN COORDINATION WITH THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT THERE, THE OFFICE OF HOMELESS SOLUTIONS, BUT ALSO MANY OF THE PARTNERS THROUGHOUT THE ALL NEIGHBORS COALITION. SO WE'VE GOT SEVERAL TEAMS THAT ARE FROM, UM, METRO RELIEF. WE HAVE, UM, TEAMS FROM AUSTIN STREET, FROM STEWPOT. IT'S ALL KIND OF, EVERYONE'S BRINGING THEIR BEST IN IN ORDER FOR US TO DO THIS. AND WE'VE BEEN, UM, SUCCESSFUL. SO THIS YEAR WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO CLOSE MORE ENCAMPMENTS THAN WE HAD THE FOLLOWING YEAR ALONE. AND RIGHT NOW THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE JUST CONTINUING TO ALIGN RESOURCES IN ORDER TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN IN A BIGGER WAY ACROSS THE WHOLE REGION. OKAY. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. OH, I KEEP DOING THAT. IT'S FINE. , IT WAS THE SAME THING THAT MELANIE SAID, SO I WAS LIKE, [00:35:01] I DON'T KNOW IF I REALLY NEED TO, UH, SAY IT, BUT IF YOU'RE, HOW YOU GET INVOLVED, IT'S STAYING INFORMED, ADVOCATING FOR US, AND THEN ALSO VOLUNTEERING. UM, OUR ANNUAL PIT COUNT IS PRETTY MUCH THE, UH, BIG VOLUNTEER EVENT THAT HOUSING FORWARD HAS THAT I KNOW LOTS OF PEOPLE, UM, MAY HAVE ALSO BEEN A PART OF BEFORE. BUT FOR, YOU KNOW, IN YOUR AREA, THINGS LIKE THAT, THEN HOOKING UP WITH METROCREST WILL BE A GREAT OPTION FOR YOU. OKAY, THANKS SARAH. WELL, THANK YOU MELANIE, SARAH RAY, REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. UM, SO THAT WAS THE END OF THE FORMAL PRESENTATION. UM, WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO ASK QUESTIONS OF OUR PARTNER AGENCIES OF TOWN STAFF, OF OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT. UM, SO PLEASE DON'T HESITATE, DON'T BE SHY. PLEASE ASK US SOME TOUGH AND CHALLENGING QUESTIONS. UM, WE'RE HERE TO ANSWER THEM AND TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY. UM, I WILL ASK IF YOU CAN COME UP TO THE MIC AND ASK THE QUESTION. UM, IF YOU'RE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THAT, JUST RAISE YOUR HAND AND ASK THE QUESTION AND I CAN REPEAT IT INTO THE MICROPHONE. WE'RE RECORDING THIS. SO MARLON WILLISON, UH, 4,100 JULLIARD DRIVE. SO IF ONE OF OUR RESIDENTS, UM, SEES SOMEBODY OUT IN THE, YOU KNOW, OUT OUT, UH, IN IN TOWN, HOW DO YOU WANT THEM TO, TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION? SURE. UM, THERE'S MANY DIFFERENT WAYS, UM, COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN DO THAT. UM, IF IT'S SOMEONE THAT YOU SEE THAT YOU THINK MAY BE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND MAY NEED SOME ASSISTANCE, UM, YOU CAN ACTUALLY REPORT IT THROUGH THE FIX IT APP, UM, NOW AND, UM, WE'LL TRY TO CONNECT OUR METROCREST SERVICES, OUTREACH, OUTREACH TEAM TO MAYBE VISIT THAT AREA, SEE IF THEY CAN CONNECT WITH THE INDIVIDUAL OR JUST TO COME TO THAT AREA MORE GENERALLY AND TRY TO MAKE THE CONTACTS. UM, IF YOU, YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT OUR PD NON-EMERGENCY NUMBER. UM, IF THERE IS A VIOLATION OF AN ORDINANCE OR LAW OR SOMETHING THAT'S TAKING PLACE IMMEDIATELY, OUR PD CAN COME OUT AND ADDRESS THAT, UM, WITH THE INDIVIDUAL AND ALSO MAYBE HELP CONNECT THAT INDIVIDUAL TO SERVICES THAT THEY NEED. SO, OKAY, THAT'S A FEW DIFFERENT WAYS. I'M JUST GONNA FOLLOW UP. UM, I, I DID I USE THE ADDISON FIX IT UP A LOT, AS YOU KNOW, AND I, AND I RECENTLY USED THE HOMELESSNESS FEATURE, UM, AND, AND I LIKE THAT THAT'S AVAILABLE TO OUR RESIDENTS. UM, UH, BUT I, I DON'T KNOW HOW THE EMAILS GET, UH, WHERE THEY GO AND HOW, HOW THAT WORKS. BUT, UH, ONE OF THE THOUGHTS THAT I HAD WAS IF IT, IF, IF IT'S NOT IMMEDIATE, YOU'VE GOT A SITUATION WHERE AN EMAIL'S GOING AFTER HOURS OR ON THE WEEKEND, UM, AND YOU MAY HAVE SOMEBODY THERE THAT NEEDS HELP RIGHT THEN AND THEY MAY NOT COME BACK. SO I DON'T KNOW HOW, WHAT THE ANSWER TO ALL OF THAT IS, BUT I DID WANT TO SHARE IT. OKAY, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANKS. UM, AND I WILL SAY WE ARE TOWN STAFF IS WORKING WITH METROCREST SERVICES AS WELL TO COORDINATE, UM, MAYBE EASE HOW WE CAN ROUTE REQUESTS TO METRO CROSS SERVICES. SO WE MAY HAVE SOMETHING COMING SOON TO HELP WITH THAT . UM, BUT YOU CAN ALWAYS REACH OUT TO THE PD NON-EMERGENCY LINE AS WELL IF YOU THINK THERE'S HELP OR RESPONSE NEEDED IN THAT MOMENT. MIKE, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD TO THAT? OKAY, , I DON'T WANNA SPEAK FOR YOU. SO, . HI, MY NAME'S KEVIN MCCOY. I LIVE ON AZURE LANE. UM, A COUPLE OF CLARIFYING POINTS, UH, SOME OF THE STATISTICS THAT YOU SHARED TODAY, UM, IN TERMS OF THE REDUCTION AMOUNTS, WHAT WAS THE POPULATION? IS THAT DALLAS AND COLLIN COUNTIES? OKAY, THANK YOU. AND YOU ALSO MENTIONED, UM, CLOSING ENCAMPMENTS AND WHAT, WHAT'S THE DEFINITION OF CLOSING AN ENCAMPMENT? IS IT JUST GETTING THE PEOPLE DIVERTED AND OUT OF THAT SPACE OR IS IT PERMANENTLY CLOSING THAT AREA? SO FIRST QUESTION, UM, IT'S DALLAS AND COLLIN COUNTIES IS WHAT WE REPORT AS A REGION AND WE, IT'S ENCAMPMENT DECOMMISSIONING. UM, YOU MIGHT HEAR THAT WORD FROM OTHER PLACES, BUT IF HOUSING FORWARD IS PART OF THAT, UM, STREET TO HOME RESPONSE, THEN THAT MEANS THAT NOT ONLY DO WE FIND HOUSING FOR THEM, BUT IT'S CLOSED, IT'S CLEANED. AND THEN, UM, SO IT DEPENDS ON THE PRINCIPALITY OR MUNICIPALITY THAT'S THERE. THEY'RE THE ONES WHO REALLY DO THE AFTERCARE OF THE SITE. SO YOU SHOULD NOT SEE ENCAMPMENTS COMING BACK. THERE SHOULD BE ENFORCEMENT INVOLVED, UM, IN IT. SARAH, DO YOU WANNA ADD ANYTHING ELSE TO THAT? NO, YEAH, I MEAN I THINK THE GOAL IS TO HOUSE EVERYONE HOUSING. MM-HMM, , UM, IT'S USUALLY IN ABOUT AN EIGHT WEEK CYCLE WHERE WE CAN ENGAGE PEOPLE, [00:40:01] CONNECT THEM TO SERVICES, MOVE THEM INTO HOUSING, AND THEN AFTER THAT IT'S OBVIOUSLY, UM, UP TO COORDINATION WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT, THE CITY TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THOSE SITES CLOSED THROUGH VARIOUS MEANS. AND, YOU KNOW, I DO NOTICE, UM, MOVEMENT AND PEOPLE UNDER THE BRIDGES FROM THE DALLAS NORTH TOLLWAY MM-HMM , I DON'T KNOW IF NTTA HAS A ROLE IN CLEARING AND CLEANING SOME OF THAT PROPERTY. RATHER THEY TRY TO ENFORCE THE AREA THAT THEY MANAGE UNDER THE TOLLWAY, UM, SPECIFICALLY, UM, HOW THOSE PEOPLE ARE BEING MANAGED AND HELPED. SO, UM, DEPENDING ON THE LOCATION, SOME OF THOSE SITES ARE SITES WHERE WE'VE HAD TEAMS GO IN AND DO REHOUSING OUT OF THOSE SITES AND THEN COORDINATED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY REMAIN CLOSED AND THEY'RE CLEANED. BUT, UM, OBVIOUSLY THE CITY OF DALLAS AND OTHER CITIES AROUND COLIN AND UM, DALLAS COUNTY ALSO HAVE CLEAN TEAMS UHHUH. BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS WHEN THOSE TEAMS GO IN, WHEN THOSE, WHEN THAT TYPE OF OUTREACH GOES OUT TO A SITE, THEY'RE TYPICALLY JUST MOVING PEOPLE ALONG AND CLEANING THE AREA. BUT WHAT THAT MEANS IS PEOPLE JUST GO FOUR BLOCKS DOWN OR TO THE NEXT, UM, UNDERPASS AND SET UP CAMP THERE, AND THEN IT COMES BACK AGAIN. AND SO IT'S LIKE A GAME OF WHACK-A-MOLE, RIGHT? WHERE PEOPLE ARE JUST MOVING ALL AROUND OUR TOWNS AND CITIES. AND SO I THINK THIS NEW TOOL THAT WE'RE INTRODUCING AND GIVING OUR OUTREACH TEAMS NEW TOOLS IS WE WANNA HOUSE THOSE PEOPLE AND THEN WE CAN ACTUALLY RESOLVE THE ENCAMPMENT VERSUS HAVING IT MOVE DOWN THE STREET AND COMING BACK AGAIN. AND THE ONLY WAY WE DID DO THAT, I MEAN, YOU CAN TICKET PEOPLE OR ARREST PEOPLE, BUT WHAT WE SEE FROM OTHER CITIES AND THE DATA SHOWS THE SAME PEOPLE JUST GET TICKETED OVER AND OVER. IT'S NOT ABLE TO CHANGE BEHAVIOR BECAUSE WE CAN'T, WE HAVEN'T HOUSED THE PERSON. AND SO THAT'S A BIG FOCUS OF THIS YEAR, THAT'S WHY I ASSUME. YEAH. OKAY. . SO, UM, AND JUST TWO, UH, PRACTICAL QUESTIONS IF YOU DON'T MIND. YEAH. MAYBE THEY'RE RELATED, BUT UM, OBVIOUSLY WE WANNA HELP. UM, ONE IS, IS THERE A ROLE FOR CHURCHES AND UM, CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS TO PARTNER WITH YOU ALL? AND IF SO, UM, WHAT MIGHT BE THE BEST APPROACH FOR, LET'S SAY A CHURCH TO UM, HELP ? ABSOLUTELY. YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. AND YES, THERE IS A ROLE AND MELANIE, I'M WONDERING IF YOU CAN REINFORCE SOME OF THE WAYS THAT YOU GUYS ARE WORKING WITH VOLUNTEERS HERE. BECAUSE IN THIS AREA IT'S ALL ABOUT METROCREST AND THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S ALL ABOUT METROCREST, BUT, WELL WE TEND TO BE HERE . HOW MANY PEOPLE WANNA HELP WITH THIS AND WHEN CAN YOU START? SO PART OF WHAT WE WANNA DO IS GET OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGED, RIGHT? BECAUSE SO MANY OF THE FOLKS THAT WE WORK WITH THAT ARE OUT HERE ON THE STREET HAVE LIVED HERE FOR A VERY LONG TIME, WHICH PEOPLE ARE SURPRISED 'CAUSE THEY THINK, OH, ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE COMING IN ON, YOU KNOW, IN MASSIVE GROUPS. AND, UM, WHILE THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING UP THE TOLL WAY THAT ARE COMING OFF ON A BUS DART, UM, UH, OR THE TRAIN STATION, THE PREDOMINANT MEMBERS THAT WE SEE OUTSIDE LIVED HERE AND BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE BECOME HO EXPERIENCE HOMELESSNESS WITHIN TWO MILES OF WHERE THEY LIVED. SO WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO GET COMMUNITIES AND CHURCHES AND TO COME OUTSIDE OF THE WALLS OF THE CHURCH AND TO COME OUTSIDE OF THE BUSINESSES AND SAY, OKAY, WAIT A SECOND. WE NEED TO COLLECTIVELY DO SOMETHING FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE LIVING OUTSIDE. SO WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME OTHER WAYS BESIDES OUTREACH AND THE SHOWERS TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE. AND UM, SO WE HAVE SOME, UH, VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON TO, TO CONNECT PEOPLE WITH, UH, A LIKE A MENTORSHIP OR LIKE A BUDDY PROGRAM WHERE YOU CALL THEM AND SAY, HEY, HOW ARE YOU DOING? BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS IS PEOPLE LOSE SOCIAL CAPITAL, RIGHT? AND THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT CAN'T HELP THEM, UH, SUSTAIN THEM 'CAUSE THEY'RE ALSO, YOU KNOW, ABOUT THE SAME LEVEL, BUT THEN THEY LOSE ALL THEIR SOCIAL CAPITAL AND THEY DON'T HAVE ANY ANYMORE. SO IF YOU CONNECT TO SOMEBODY THAT'S OUT ON THE STREET AND THAT'S JUST YOUR PURSE THAT YOU CHECK ON 'EM HOW YOU DOING, HAVEN'T TALKED TO YOU IN A WEEK, AND YOU START ASKING THINGS ABOUT THEM AND YOU START THIS RELATIONSHIP PRETTY SOON YOU'RE LIKE, WELL, OH, OH, YOU NEED THIS. WELL I KNOW THIS PERSON OVER HERE WHO CAN HELP. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE MONEY, IT'S ABOUT THE SOCIAL CAPITAL. AND SO ALL OF A SUDDEN PEOPLE START HAVING CONNECTIONS AGAIN AND THEY CAN START PUTTING THEIR LIFE BACK TOGETHER. IT TAKES ALMOST NOTHING TO DO THAT. AGAIN, NOT ASKING PEOPLE TO GIVE MONEY, BUT TO GIVE TIME AND TALENT, RIGHT? TO MAKE THOSE KIND OF CONNECTIONS. SO WE'RE WORKING ON SOME, UM, DIFFERENT PROGRAMS LIKE THAT TO JUST A COUPLE THAT WE WANNA PILOT TO SEE IF IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE BECAUSE SOME OF THE RESEARCH SAYS THAT IF YOU HELP PEOPLE PUT THAT THOSE, UH, SOCIAL SYSTEMS BACK IN THERE, PEOPLE CAN WORK THEIR WAY OUT OF IT. SO, GREAT QUESTION. I CAN LEAVE YOU MY CARD. LOVE TO HAVE YOU. THAT'S GREAT. AND I DO WANNA SAY ONE THING. UM, WHEN SARAH CAME ONTO THE CITY OF ADDISON, [00:45:01] SHE STARTED, UM, WANTING TO PUT MORE OF A FORMALIZED, UH, RELATIONSHIP TOGETHER WITH METRO CREST AND THE CITY OF ADDISON. AND, AND ALSO 'CAUSE WE KNOW THAT THAT THE, UM, NTTA CORRIDOR RIGHT, IS AN ISSUE, BUT THERE'S DIFFERENT, UM, REGULATIONS WITH THAT BECAUSE IT'S NTTA PROPERTY. MM-HMM, . SO, UM, WE STARTED MEETING REGULARLY WITH, UM, OFFICE OF HOMELESS SOLUTIONS WHO HAS A, UM, MEMO, UH, AN MOU TO WITH NTTA THAT SAYS, HEY, WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM HERE AND WE NEED YOU TO WORK WITH US SO WE CAN GO DEAL WITH THAT ISSUE THAT'S UNDERNEATH THAT, YOU KNOW, 6 35 OR, UM, ON TOP OF THE NORTH DALLAS TOLLWAY. SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM WITH A RESPONSE. AND WHILE I'M REALLY PLEASED THAT THERE'S A RELATIONSHIP GROWING, UM, THERE'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF TRUTH TO WHAT SARAH JUST SAID ABOUT WHACK-A-MOLE. SO IF, IF WE CLEAR, JUST CLEAR PEOPLE OUT, SO WE DON'T LOOK AT THEM ANYMORE, WE TAKE ALL THEIR STUFF, WHICH USUALLY MEANS YOU'RE TAKING VITAL DOCUMENTS THAT WE NEED TO DO THE STUFF THAT WE SAID WE NEEDED TO DO BEFORE, WHICH MAKES YOU HAVE TO START ALL OVER AGAIN OR ALL THEIR MEDS. IF THEY'RE, UH, WE, WE START DOING THAT WITHOUT ANY KIND OF CONVERSATION ABOUT WHERE WE CAN PUT YOU THAT'S PRODUCTIVE, THEN THEY END UP DOWN THE ROAD A HALF A MILE OR FARTHER INTO ADDISON OR SO IT HAS TO BE SYSTEMATIC. SO I, THERE'S A BALANCE THERE, RIGHT, OF PEOPLE HERE DON'T WANNA HAVE GARBAGE HEAPS IN THEIR BACKYARDS. I GET THAT. AND UM, SO WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE HELP PEOPLE MOVE FORWARD AND ALSO MAKE PEOPLE COMFORTABLE IN THE PLACE THAT THEY LIVE AND PAY TAXES AND MAKE THIS ALL WORK TOGETHER. 'CAUSE IT GETS REALLY COMPLICATED, BUT IT CAN BE DONE WITH BETTER COMMUNICATION. AND MARLON, I'M GONNA TELL YOU THIS, IT'S NOT LIVE YET, SHOULD BE NEXT WEEK, I MADE A RESPONSE THING FOR PEOPLE TO, TO GO FROM THE WEBSITE AND SAY, I THINK I'VE SEEN SOMEONE THAT I THINK IS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND THESE QUESTIONS, DO YOU KNOW THEIR NAME? WHY DO YOU THINK THEY'RE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS? TELL ME WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE. AND IF YOU WANT A RESPONSE TO THAT, LEAVE YOUR NAME AND NUMBER BECAUSE IT'LL GO DIRECTLY TO OUR TEAM AND WE'LL GO OUT AND CHECK ON IT AND THEN GIVE YOU A CALL OR AN EMAIL AND SAY, HEY, THIS IS WHAT WE DID. 'CAUSE A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE JUST WANNA KNOW, DID YOU HEAR WHAT I WAS SAYING AND WHAT DID YOU DO ABOUT IT? BUT THE POLICE LIKE US CAN'T DO ANYTHING IF IT'S SEVEN O'CLOCK ON A FRIDAY. 'CAUSE THERE'S NOWHERE TO TAKE PEOPLE, RIGHT? SO IF SOMEBODY'S THERE AND, AND THEY'RE REALLY EXPERIENCING A CRISIS, THEN YOU CALL MIKE AND HIS TEAM. BUT IF THEY AREN'T, THERE IS NOWHERE TO TAKE THEM BECAUSE WE CAN'T, THERE'S NO SHELTER SPACE. UM, IF THEY'RE NOT HAVING A PSYCHOTIC EPISODE OR ANOTHER MEDICAL KIND OF THING, THERE'S NO HOSPITAL, THERE'S NOWHERE TO TAKE 'EM. SO IT, IT'S KIND OF A PE IT'S KIND OF, UM, DIFFICULT SOMETIMES 'CAUSE PEOPLE ARE LIKE, WELL I WANT YOU TO DO SOMETHING. IT'S LIKE, WELL I CAN'T DO ANYTHING IF YOU'RE NOT DOING SOMETHING ILLEGAL AND IF YOU'RE NOT WILLING TO GO SOMEWHERE, EVEN IF WE HAD SOMEWHERE. SO, BUT WE WANNA RESPOND AS MUCH AS WE CAN AND WE WANNA LET PEOPLE KNOW WE'RE WORKING ON IT. WE'RE TALKING TO PEOPLE AND TRYING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S HELPFUL TO YOU, BUT THAT'S AN ANOTHER AVENUE THAT WE WANNA GIVE PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE MORE COMMUNICATION AND JUST SAY, HEY, WE'RE ACTUALLY BEING HEARD AND WE'RE TRYING TO WORK FORWARD ON PEOPLE WITH PEOPLE. SO ONE LAST QUESTION, JUST AS A PRACTICAL MATTER, AND I'M SORT OF NEW TO THE ISSUE. UM, DO WE HELP OR HURT THESE PEOPLE AND SUPPORTING THEM BY GIVING THEM MONEY OR BUYING BREAD IN THE PARKING LOT? SARAH MADE ME TAKE OUT MY PANHANDLING SLIDE. YOU CAN, YOU CAN SHARE, SARAH CAN UM, SPEAK TO THIS AND RAY CAN SPEAK TO THIS. I'M GONNA TELL YOU THAT, UM, MOST PEOPLE THINK THAT WHEN YOU GET PEOPLE, UM, EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS MONEY, THAT THEY'RE GONNA GO BUY DRUGS AND ALCOHOL. AND IT IS TRUE. THERE IS A PERCENTAGE THAT DOES THAT. RESEARCH ALSO SAYS THERE'S A HUGE PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO DO NOT. THEY'RE, UM, PAYING TO WASH THEIR CLOTHES. THEY'RE DOING SHOWERS, THEY'RE BUYING FOOD, THEY'RE BUYING BUS TICKETS, THEY'RE USING THAT TO GET THEIR NEEDS TO GET BY. THERE IS A WIDE RANGE OF DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE WHO ARE PANHANDLING 'CAUSE THEY NEED TO GET BY AND THEY'RE HUNGRY AND THEY'RE, AND AND ONES WHO ARE DOING THAT BECAUSE IT SEEMS EASIER THAN ANYTHING ELSE, WHICH I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY STANDING OUT IN CONCRETE ONCE 105 SEEMS LIKE AN EASY THING. BUT THERE'S A RANGE. MOST PEOPLE WILL TELL YOU THAT YOU SHOULD GIVE MONEY TO AGENCIES WHO ARE WORKING AND HELPING PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. SO GIVE YOUR TREASURES THAT DIRECTION. YOU, I CAN'T ARGUE WITH THAT. BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT WHETHER SOMEONE CHOOSES TO OR CHOOSES NOT TO GIVE SOMEONE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IS A VERY PERSONAL DECISION THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO MAKE FOR THEMSELVES. BUT WE HAVE TO BE REALLY [00:50:01] CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT THOSE EXPECTATIONS ARE, RIGHT? UM, PEOPLE WILL SAY, WELL I TRIED TO GIVE THIS GUY, UH, MY LEFTOVERS FROM THE RESTAURANT AND HE DIDN'T WANT IT. AND I WANNA SAY, DID YOU, DO YOU WANT HIS LEFTOVERS? OR, I WENT AND GOT THEM A HAMBURGER. THEY DIDN'T LIKE IT. WELL, MAYBE SEVEN PEOPLE BEFORE THAT GAVE 'EM A HAMBURGER. THEY DIDN'T ASK FOR IT. MAYBE THEY HAVE NEEDS EATING NEEDS WHERE THEY JUST CAN'T TAKE WHATEVER ANYBODY GIVES THEM. 'CAUSE WE, I, WE HAVE PEOPLE LIKE THAT AND WE MAKE SURE WE HAVE EXTRA FOOD THAT THEY CAN EAT. BUT, SO I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE'S A RIGHT AND A WRONG ANSWER. I KNOW WE'LL SAY, HEY GIVE TO FOLKS THAT CAN HELP WITH THAT. BUT, UM, IF YOU FEEL SO COMPELLED, I DON'T THINK IT'S ANYBODY'S BUSINESS, BUT YOU'S WHAT YOU DO WITH THAT AND JUST DON'T HAVE EXPECTATIONS WHEN YOU GIVE IT. IT'S LIKE GIVING A BIRTHDAY GIFT TO SOMEONE. YOU GIVE IT BECAUSE YOU WANT TO, YOU HAVE NO EXPECTATION ON WHAT THEY DO WITH IT ONCE YOU GIVE IT, I, YEAH, YOU CAN GIVE YOUR, NO, I WOULD SAY THE SAME THING, BUT YOU MIGHT SAY SOMETHING DIFFERENT. . I MEAN MELANIE IS RIGHT THAT, THAT IS A PERSONAL CHOICE. FROM A TOWN PERSPECTIVE. WE WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO HELP SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE LEADING THE SYSTEMS, THE STRATEGIES, THE TEAMS, THE VOLUNTEERS, UM, TO REALLY TRY TO HELP THE WHOLE SITUATION, THE WHOLE PERSON TO GET THEM BACK ON INTO HOUSING, INTO STABILITY. UM, 'CAUSE WHY THAT PEOPLE HAVE REALLY BIG HEARTS AND THEY WANNA HELP THAT PERSON RIGHT THEN AND THERE. IT ONLY HELPS THEM FOR THE HOUR THE DAY WHERE WE WANNA REALLY GET THEM CONNECTED WITH THESE ORGANIZATIONS AND BACK ON THAT PATH TO HOUSING AND STABILITY. SO FROM, THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONSIDER, UM, AND THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY TO CONSIDER. WHEN YOU SEE PEOPLE ALWAYS IN THE SAME LOCATION, CAN YOU DRAW ANY CONCLUSIONS FROM THAT AS TO WHETHER OR NOT IT'S AN INDIVIDUAL, SOME KIND OF ORGANIZED, NEVER. I'M GONNA, THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEBODY, FOR EXAMPLE, DOWN THE SAM'S, WALMART, . SO I'LL REPEAT THE QUESTION. THE QUESTION WAS, IF YOU SEE SOMEBODY IN THE SAME LOCATION OR YOU SEE A GROUP IN THE SAME LOCATION, CAN YOU DEFER OR, UH, INFER THAT IT MIGHT BE THE SAME PERSON THERE EACH TIME MAYBE DOING TARGETED PANHANDLING? THIS IS A MELANIE QUESTION. . YEAH. ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT PANHANDLING? YES. YEAH. THEY ALWAYS HAVE A LITTLE SIGN. YEAH. IT SAYS THEY'RE PEOPLE BAD OR, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER. YEAH, FOOD. AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, NORMALLY IT'S THE SAME PEOPLE, SAME PERSON. OVER THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS THERE'S BEEN ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL THAT I'VE BEEN SEEING OUT THERE. SO I'VE HEARD STORIES ABOUT THEY GO DOWN TO THE SHELTERS, PICK UP A CAR LOAD OF 'EM, BRING 'EM BACK TO PLACES, AND THEN THERE'S ACTUALLY WHATEVER THEY COLLECT, THERE'S A SHARE THAT WHOEVER BROUGHT 'EM OUT GETS. AND WHETHER ANY OF THAT'S TRUE OR NOT, I HAVE NO IDEA. WELL, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE WOULD KNOW THAT ANY OF THAT'S TRUE. UM, I DO KNOW THAT PEOPLE TEND TO PANHANDLE IN PLACES WHERE THEY'RE COMFORTABLE AND THEY'LL, THEY'LL GO TO THE SAME SPOT BECAUSE THEY'RE THE MOST COMFORTABLE THERE. AND IF THEY'RE PANHANDLING REGULARLY FOR SOMETHING, THE REGULARS THAT GO THROUGH THOSE INTERSECTIONS KNOW THEM AND WE WILL GIVE THEM MONEY. THOSE STORIES THAT I KNOW ABOUT THAT ARE ACTUALLY PEOPLE WHO USE THAT MONEY TO BUY FOOD AND THEY TRY AND SCRAPE UP ENOUGH FOR A MOTEL ROOM. 'CAUSE THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT THEY'LL DO IS PANHANDLE AND TRY AND KEEP THEMSELVES INSIDE FOR A NIGHT. SO, YOU KNOW, IT TAKES A LOT WHEN IT'S 65, $70 A NIGHT FOR A ROOM. UM, IT, IT TAKES A WHILE TO COLLECT THAT MUCH. I, I DON'T THINK YOU CAN INFER ANYTHING BY THAT BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S EXPERIENCE IS SO DIFFERENT. BUT I DO KNOW THE PEOPLE THAT WE'VE COME ACROSS OVER THE YEARS THAT ARE PANHANDLING THE GO TO THE SAME SPOT BECAUSE IT, IT'S, IT IS THEIR COMFORT ZONE. UM, AND PEOPLE CAN GET REALLY TERRITORIAL ABOUT, THIS IS MY SPOT, THIS IS MY SPOT WHERE I AM, THIS IS WHERE I'M COMFORTABLE. I DON'T WANT ANYONE ELSE HERE. AND CERTAINLY I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE, WHO ARE PANHANDLING THAT DON'T REALLY NEED, I MEAN, THEY'RE, THAT'S A CHOICE THAT THEY'RE MAKING. BUT I, I DON'T KNOW IN ANY OF THE SHELTER PEOPLE THAT WE KNOW, I DON'T THINK ANYONE'S EVER KNOWS ABOUT PICKING UP CARLOADS OF PEOPLE TO GO PANHANDLE. THAT'S A REALLY DIFFICULT WAY TO BUY A BURGER. UM, AND WHEN YOU'RE IN A SHELTER, YOU'RE IN AIR CONDITIONING AND HEAT AND YOU GET FOOD THREE MEALS A DAY. SO I'M NOT SURE WHY ANYONE WOULD PANHANDLE WHEN THEY CAN HAVE THAT FOR FREE, BUT I DON'T KNOW. IT IT, THAT'S A TOUGH, IT'S A LEGITIMATE QUESTION FOR SURE, BUT IT'S A TOUGH ONE TO ANSWER. ADD ANYTHING? [00:55:01] NO, I MEAN, THE ONLY THING I WOULD SAY IS I THINK, UM, THERE'S ALSO THIS IDEA ABOUT EXPECTATIONS. THERE'S ALSO A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO, IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW MUCH SHELTER SPACE THAT YOU HAVE, THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE CHOOSING NOT TO GO INTO SHELTER. SO WE OFTEN HEAR THAT PEOPLE ARE SERVICE RESISTANT BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANNA GO INTO SHELTER. BUT WHEN WE OFFER HOUSING, 95% OF THE TIME PEOPLE SAY YES TO WORKING WITH US, TO GETTING BACK HOME. BUT THOSE SAME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LIVING OUTSIDE FOR A WHILE AND WILL NOT GO INTO SHELTER. AND THERE'S A WHOLE RANGE OF REASONS WHY PEOPLE DON'T WANNA GO INTO SHELTER. WHETHER THEY DON'T WANNA BL LEAVE THEIR BELONGINGS. WE'VE HEARD FROM PEOPLE THAT IT'S TOUGH TO TAKE THEIR MEDICATION. SO SOME PEOPLE HAVE COOLERS WITH THEM OUTSIDE. UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE FACING A CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITION, BEING IN CLOSE QUARTERS COULD BE QUITE UNCOMFORTABLE OR A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION. UM, THERE'S JUST A WIDE VARIETY OF REASONS WHY PEOPLE DON'T WANNA GO INSIDE. AND SO I THINK THAT'S ANOTHER, UM, THING THAT WE HEAR OFTEN THAT PEOPLE MISINTERPRET THAT AS, OH, PEOPLE DON'T WANT HELP OR PEOPLE DON'T WANT THE SERVICES THAT WE'RE OFFERING. IT'S LIKE, WELL, THEY DON'T WANT THE SERVICE THAT YOU'RE OFFERING, WHICH IS WHY THEY'RE SAYING NO, THEY'RE RESISTANT TO SHELTER, BUT DO WANT HOUSING. SO YOU WERE GONNA SAY, ASK A QUESTION. , I, UM, MARY REED, UM, 3 7 78 TRIBUNE WAY, I, UM, SERVE ONCE A MONTH AT THE BRIDGE. AND, UM, I DON'T, I DIDN'T KNOW HOW MUCH CONNECTION YOU HAVE WITH THEM OR DO YOU REFER PEOPLE TO THEM? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. THEY'RE ONE OF OUR STRONGEST PARTNERS. YEAH. OKAY. AND WE HAVE A CENTRAL CRISIS HELPLINE THAT IS, THAT WE USE TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO EMERGENCY SHELTER. AND THE BRIDGE IS ONE OF THE PRIME EMERGENCY SHELTERS THAT PEOPLE GET CONNECTED TO. SO IF PEOPLE, I MEAN, HE WAS TALKING ABOUT THE GUY AT SAM'S. IF HE, IF THAT PERSON WANTED TO GO TO THE BRIDGE, IS THERE ANY WAY THAT YOU WOULD TRANSPORT THEM THERE? OH, SOME OF OUR OUTREACH TEAMS HAVE TRANSPORTATION. UM, ACTUALLY THE MAJORITY OF THEM DO HAVE A WAY TO BRING PEOPLE. YEAH. OKAY. YEAH, SURE. SO SOMETHING THAT I ALWAYS WANNA MAKE CLEAR IS THAT NOT ALL PANHANDLER ARE ALSO EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. SO JUST BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE YOU SEE THEM, UM, IT DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY MEAN THAT THEY'RE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. I LIVE IN THE CITY OF ROULETTE AND WE HAD A PRETTY GOOD AMOUNT OF PEOPLE PANHANDLING. OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT DID A LOT OF WORK WITH THEM, UM, TO SEE ABOUT GETTING THEM IN SHELTER AND ALL THOSE, BUT A LOT OF THE PEOPLE HAD PLACES TO STAY AT NIGHT. UM, HOWEVER, THEY SAID THE PEOPLE OF ROULETTE ARE SO GIVING AND NICE, AND THAT'S WHY IT'S JUST LIKE WHAT MELANIE SAID, WHEN YOU GET TO A PLACE OF COMFORT WHERE YOU, THE SAME PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO GIVE TO THEM, UM, THEN, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT, UM, THEY TEND TO GO BACK TO. SO JUST WANTED TO MAKE IT CLEAR. NOT EVERY YEAH, THAT'S TRUE. UM, SO I HAVE LIKE LITTLE CARDS I CAN GET OUT FOR THE BRIDGE, BUT IF THEY DON'T HAVE TRANSPORTATION TO GET THERE, THAT'S NOT, UM, GOOD. SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAVE CARDS THAT YOU COULD, WE COULD HANDLE PEOPLE TO SAY, TO REFER TO YOU. SO I'M GONNA, SOMETIMES I, THEY SAY THINGS THAT AREN'T VERY POPULAR. HERE'S WHAT I'M GONNA SAY TO YOU. THERE ARE OUTREACH TEAMS THAT WILL GET THEM TO THE BRIDGE. HOWEVER, THESE FOLKS WE WORK WITH ARE INCREDIBLY RESILIENT AND INCREDIBLY STRONG. AND IF THEY WANT SOMETHING BAD ENOUGH, THEY WILL FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET IT DONE. IT'S ABSOLUTELY TRUE. IF THEY WALKED OVER TO METRO CREST AND SAID, HEY MELANIE, I REALLY WANNA GO TO THE BRIDGE. CAN I HAVE A BUS PASS? HERE YOU GO. YOU CAN HAVE IT. SO THE QUESTION I WOULD POSE TO THAT GENTLEMAN IF YOU WERE TALKING TO HIM IS, WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN GOING TO THE BRIDGE IF WE CAN GET YOU TRANSPORTATION AND SEE WHAT HE SAYS, BECAUSE YOU CAN GET HIM TRANSPORTATION TO THE BRIDGE, BUT DOES HE WANNA GO? MM-HMM. SURE. BECAUSE WE HAVE PEOPLE IN WHEELCHAIRS THAT GET THEMSELVES DOWN THE STEW POT AND BACK 'CAUSE THEY'RE WORKING ON DOCUMENTS BECAUSE THEY REALLY WANT IT AND THEY CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE IT WORK BECAUSE THEY FIGURED OUT FOR A LONG TIME HOW THINGS, HOW TO MAKE THE SYSTEM WORK FOR THEM. SOMETIMES, A LOT OF TIMES IT'S, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO PUT ALL THESE PIECES TOGETHER IN THE RIGHT ORDER AT THE RIGHT TIME TO MAKE THAT WORK LESS THAN I CAN'T OR I WON'T DO IT. IT JUST, IT'S, IT'S HARD, RIGHT? WE GIVE PEOPLE RIDES TO THINGS PROBABLY MORE THAN WE NEED TO BECAUSE OUR TEAM'S REALLY SOFT SOFTHEARTED . UM, AND IF I SEE YOU WORKING FOR SOMETHING, I WILL GO OUTTA MY WAY TO MAKE IT EVEN BETTER FOR YOU. NO DOUBT. AND SO WILL THE PEOPLE THAT WORK FOR ME OR THEY DON'T WORK FOR ME. HOWEVER, IF YOU'RE NOT WILLING TO DO SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF AND YOU WANT ME TO DO IT ALL FOR YOU, I'M NOT DOING IT. SURE. BECAUSE ONE PERSON ISN'T MORE ENTITLED THAN OTHERS [01:00:01] AND I ONLY HAVE THIS MUCH MONEY AND I ONLY HAVE THIS MUCH TIME AND BANDWIDTH WITH PEOPLE. SO IF YOU'RE WILLING TO WORK, I WILL MATCH THAT AND MORE. MM-HMM, . SO I WOULD ASK THAT GENTLEMAN, DO YOU WANT TO, ARE YOU INTERESTED IN, HOW WOULD YOU GET THERE? I WOULDN'T SAY, DO YOU WANNA RIDE? HOW WOULD YOU GET THERE? BECAUSE MOST OF THEM KNOW HOW THEY WOULD. SO IT'S A KIND WAY OF SEEING ARE YOU WILLING TO WORK FOR SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO YOU? AND IF IT IS, LET ME SEE IF I CAN GET YOU SOME HELP. IF YOU CAN'T FIGURE IT OUT BECAUSE IT, IT FEELS GOOD TO ACCOMPLISH THINGS. RIGHT? AND YOU THINK, WELL THAT'S NOT MUCH ACCOMPLISHING MUCH. YOU'RE JUST GETTING TO THE BRIDGE. IT'S A HUGE DEAL. YOU KNOW WHERE THE BRIDGE IS. AND IF YOU'RE TAKING A BUS TO A TRAIN AND THE TRAIN DOWN AND THEN YOU GOTTA GET ANOTHER BUS TO GO ACROSS INTERSTATE 30, IT'S A BIG DEAL. BUT IF PE PEOPLE WANT TO, THEY'LL FIGURE IT OUT. OKAY. OR YOU THINKING THAT MY HEART IS HARD 'CAUSE IT'S NO, NO, NO. I, I GET IT. I GET IT. SO, SO IF I WANTED TO GO TO METROCREST THEIR, OKAY. SO IF I WANTED TO GO TO METROCREST, YOU HAVE LIKE LITTLE CARDS WITH YOUR ADDRESS THAT YOU COULD HAND TO THEM ABOUT METROCREST PEOPLE DO IT EVERY DAY FOR MADISON. THEY WALK IN OUR DOORS EVERY DAY. OKAY. OKAY. STRAIGHT DOWN BELTLINE TO JOSIE ALL THE TIME. YOU, YOU CAN'T BELIEVE HOW RESILIENT PEOPLE ARE AND THEY'LL DO IT. OKAY. PEOPLE IN WHEELCHAIRS. OKAY. YEAH. AND THERE'S NO PLANS TO HAVE A SHELTER IN THIS AREA? NO, I THINK THE MAYOR AND I THINK MARLON COULD PROBABLY ANSWER THAT IN A QUICK SECOND. I, I LIKE THE FUNNEL THING THAT WHAT RAY, UM, THAT RAY WAS TALKING ABOUT. AND PEOPLE SAY, WELL YOU NEED SHELTER AND WE DO NEED SHELTER BEDS 'CAUSE WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE OUT ON THE STREETS THAT STAY IN SHELTER. RIGHT? BUT IT, BUT IT MAKES SENSE THAT YOU, YOU CAN ONLY HOUSE SO MANY AND YOU GOTTA GET THEM OUT OF THERE SO YOU CAN ACCOMMODATE THE REST. SO IT'S MORE ABOUT, I NEED HOUSING UNITS MORE THAN I NEED SHELTER BEDS BECAUSE A HOUSING UNIT WILL KEEP SOMEBODY SUSTAINABLE. NOT EVERYONE, BUT THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE GET IN THERE FOR A LIFETIME. AND A SHELTER BED IS SUPPOSED TO BE A FINITE AMOUNT OF TIME. SO IF YOU JUST BUILD MORE SHELTER BEDS AND PUT ALL YOUR ENERGY THERE, THEN PEOPLE ARE JUST SETTING AND WOULDN'T WE RATHER THEM OUT AND TRYING TO STABILIZE THEM SO MAYBE THEY CAN BECOME PART OF THE SOCIETY AND PAYING BACK TAXES AND WORKING AND YOU KNOW YEAH. TAKING CARE OF PROPERTY. UM, SO IT'S A TOUGH ONE 'CAUSE WE ALSO DON'T HAVE WARMING AND WARMING STATIONS AND COOLING STATIONS THAT I WOULD DIE ON THE HILL FOR, BUT IT'S PROBABLY NOT GONNA HAPPEN. BUT WHAT WE DO IS WHEN IT GETS REALLY HOT OR GETS REALLY COLD, IS THAT WE WATCH WHO'S OPENING UP THEIR, WHO'S WARMING UP THEIR WARMING STATIONS. 'CAUSE I DON'T WANNA FIND SOMEONE FROZEN ON THE SIDEWALK. I DON'T WANNA DO THAT. AND EVERY YEAR WHEN IT GETS HOT, IT GETS COLD LIKE THAT I THINK. OR ARE WE GONNA, IS THIS IS THE YEAR I'M GONNA FIND SOMEONE THAT'S FROZEN TO DEATH, BUT WE GO OUT PRIOR TO THAT HITS AND SAY, HEY, IT'S COMING. HERE'S WHERE YOU CAN GO, HEY, IT'S COMING. BECAUSE THEY MAKE A REALLY GOOD EFFORT OF GETTING PEOPLE FROM UP HERE DOWN TO WHERE ALL THE WARMING STATIONS ARE WITH, WITH COORDINATED EFFORTS FOR TRANSPORTATION. AND SO OUR JOB IS TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO ALL OF THAT BECAUSE THEY'RE REALLY WORKING HARD TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR FOLKS STAY, STAY SAFE. BUT AGAIN, THEN YOU ASK PEOPLE TO LEAVE THEIR BELONGINGS TO GO IN AND BE WARM. AND A LOT OF 'EM ARE I'LL TAKE THE RISK. YEAH, I'LL TAKE THE RISK. YEAH. I CAN'T LEAVE MY STUFF OR I CAN'T LEAVE MY DOG. YEAH. BECAUSE THAT, IF THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE IS THIS STUFF, HOW LIKELY ARE YOU TO WALK AWAY FROM IT? 'CAUSE IT'S PROBABLY NOT GONNA BE THERE WHEN YOU GET BACK. RIGHT. YEAH. WELL THE ONLY, ONLY OTHER COMMENT I HAVE IS THAT I HOPE THE TOWN, AND I THINK THE TOWN AND MOST OF THE POPULATION WILL LOOK AT THIS NOT AS A NUISANCE. THAT NEEDS TO BE GET RID, GETTING RID OF. BUT THESE ARE PEOPLE WITH REAL PROBLEMS THAT NEED HELP. WELL, I LIKE THE WHOLE LINE ABOUT, UM, THAT THAT, UM, PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESS ARE PEOPLE TO BE LOVED, NOT PROBLEMS TO BE FIXED. RIGHT. IF WE LOOK AT THEM AS PEOPLE TO BE LOVED, THEN YOU CAN START COMING UP WITH CREATIVE WAYS TO COME TO SOLUTIONS. IF IT'S JUST A PROBLEM, YOU TAKE THE HUMANNESS OUT OF IT, THAT THEN YOU JUST, YOU GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE, GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE. AND IT DOESN'T FIX ANYTHING THAT, THAT'S THE HARD PART. 'CAUSE THE FIX ISN'T EASY ANYWAY. BUT I, I DON'T WANT AN ENCAMPMENT IN MY BACKYARD EITHER. I DON'T. BUT IF WE DON'T KNOW WHO THOSE PEOPLE ARE THAT ARE LIVING IN OUR COMMUNITIES, THEN WE CAN'T HELP SOLVE THE PROBLEM. AND BY PRETENDING LIKE THEY'RE NOT THERE OR BEING DISGUSTED BY 'EM ISN'T GONNA FIX IT EITHER. SO WHERE DO YOU COME TO THE BALANCE OF NOT EVERYBODY WANTS TO GO BE A HOMELESS OUTREACH VOLUNTEER. I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT MAYBE THAT'S THE PERSON THAT DOES SOME EDUCATION, OR MAYBE THAT'S THE PERSON THAT DOES, DOES ANOTHER THING THAT DOESN'T, YOU'RE NOT FACE TO FACE [01:05:01] WITH SOMEONE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, BUT YOU'RE WILLING TO BE PART OF THE, THE SOLUTION. UM, THERE'S, THAT IS ONE. HOMELESSNESS IS ONE OF THE MOST DIVISIVE THINGS I KNOW. YOU KNOW, OR, OR IT REALLY IS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE ON TWO SIDES OF THE CAMP. AND I CAN SEE BOTH SIDES OF IT. I I THINK I'LL JUST ADD THAT WE UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE TO TAKE A VERY BALANCED, THOUGHTFUL APPROACH. SO, UM, WELL, WE WANNA BE COMPASSIONATE OFFER SERVICES, DO OUTREACH. THERE'S SOMETIMES THAT WE MAY NEED TO TAKE AN ACTION JUST TO MAINTAIN OUR PUBLIC SPACES, MAINTAIN IT FOR OVERALL THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS THOSE INDIVIDUALS. UM, WE WANNA, WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT THEIR HEALTH AND SAFETY AS WELL. SO EACH SITUATION MIGHT BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT, BUT WE TAKE THAT BALANCE APPROACH. WE WORK VERY COLLABORATIVELY ACROSS OUR ORGANIZATION WITH THE PD, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, OUR CODE, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE COMING UP WITH THE BEST RESPONSES FOR EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY. COULDN'T RESIST. , THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT AND FOR THE PRESENTATIONS. GREAT INFORMATION. AND Y'ALL SAT DOWN JUST A LITTLE BIT TOO SOON, I'M AFRAID. . UM, SO THE QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU IS ABOUT THE, THE DATA AND THE REPORTS THAT LOOK GOOD, THAT THE NUMBERS ARE COMING DOWN BASED ON THE POINT IN TIME. AND SO MY, MY QUESTION ABOUT THAT IS HOW ACCURATE DO WE FEEL LIKE THAT NUMBER IS? BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S ONE NIGHT AND THERE'S SO MANY VARIABLES THAT COULD COME INTO THAT ONE NIGHT WHEN, WHEN THE VOLUNTEERS ARE GOING OUT, WHETHER YOU HAVE ENOUGH VOLUNTEERS OR WHETHER IF THE WEATHER'S BAD OR PEOPLE JUST DON'T WANT ANYBODY TALKING TO 'EM THAT NIGHT. HAVE WE HAD CONVERSATIONS ABOUT DOING MULTIPLE NIGHTS AND EXTRAPOLATING SOME SORT OF AVERAGE OR MEDIAN OUT OF THAT TO GET REAL NUMBERS? BECAUSE I THINK IF PEOPLE START TO SEE POSITIVE NUMBERS LIKE IT'S IMPROVING, THEN MAYBE THEY DON'T CARE AS MUCH. BUT I THINK ANECDOTALLY YOU'LL HEAR FROM PEOPLE THAT IT'S NOT GETTING BETTER, BUT IT'S GETTING MUCH WORSE PRETTY QUICKLY. YEAH, AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT I SAID AT THE BEGINNING. I KNOW WHEN PEOPLE SEE HOMELESSNESS, THEY DON'T ALWAYS FEEL THE PROGRESS, BUT I WOULD SAY THE POINT IN TIME COUNT, UM, IS EQUALLY INACCURATE EVERY SINGLE YEAR, WHICH IS WHY IT'S ACCURATE FOR MEASURING TRENDS. AND WE FOLLOW REALLY STRICT GUIDANCE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND WE DO THE COUNT AT THE SAME IN THE SAME WEEK AS THE OTHER 480 COMMUNITIES THAT REPORT DATA TO HUD USING THE SAME METHODOLOGY YEAR AFTER YEAR. OF COURSE, WE WILL NEVER CAPTURE EVERY SINGLE PERSON EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS THROUGH THAT METHODOLOGY, BUT TO THIS POINT, THE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAVEN'T FOUND ANOTHER TOOL THAT GIVES US BETTER DATA AND THEY'VE EVALUATED THIS QUITE SUBSTANTIALLY. SO IT'S STILL THE BEST TOOL THAT WE HAVE. IT'S THE BEST TOOL THAT THAT, UM, MEASURES BOTH UNSHELTERED AND SHELTERED HOMELESSNESS. THERE'S NO OTHER TOOL THAT PROVIDES THAT. WE OBVIOUSLY KNOW THAT, UM, NO COMMUNITY IS EVER GONNA CAPTURE EVERY SINGLE PERSON EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, BUT WHEN WE DO, WHEN WE USE A CONSISTENT METHODOLOGY FROM YEAR TO YEAR, WE CAN REALLY USE IT FOR TRENDS. AND THAT'S ALL WE HAVE TO DRAW ON OTHER DATA TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THE FULL SCOPE AND, YOU KNOW, AND DYNAMICS OF HOMELESSNESS. BUT WE CAN USE IT FOR TRENDS TO KNOW WHEN WE'RE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. YEAH. IT JUST SEEMS TO ME LIKE WE COULD, WE COULD BE A TRENDSETTER, DO OUR OWN THING TO GET REAL, REAL DATA. YEAH. THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S USEFUL FOR US. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOESN'T ALWAYS DO THINGS THAT WORK THE RIGHT WAY AS WE KNOW. YEAH. I MEAN THIS IS THE ONLY TOOL WE USE FOR TREND OR THIS IS THE TOOL WE USE FOR TRENDS. WE DRAW ON OUR HMIS DATA AND OTHER TOOLS FOR, YOU KNOW, DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AND THAT KIND OF THING. YEAH. UNDERSTAND. OKAY. OR, OR LOOKING AT THE ANNUAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE. OBVIOUSLY WHEN WE LOOK AT THE POINT IN TIME, THAT'S SPECIFICALLY TO UNDERSTAND TRENDS. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ACCESS THE SYSTEM OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, THAT'S MORE LIKE 7,000 PEOPLE OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR VERSUS WHAT YOU SEE ON A SNAPSHOT. OKAY. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE YOUR HARD WORK. YEAH, THANK YOU. I WANTED TO ECHO THOSE, THE COMMENT ABOUT THANK YOU FOR THE HELP, THE PRESENTATION VERY INFORMATIVE. ALSO WANTED TO GIVE SOME KUDOS TO THE, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT HAD SOME EXPERIENCE IN CONTACTING THE NON-EMERGENCY RESPONSE LINE. UH, FOR SOME INDIVIDUALS IT LOOKED LIKE THEY MAYBE NEEDED HELP AND THEY ACTUALLY KNEW WHO THEY WANTED. GOOD. SO, WELL, THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT APPRECIATION. I KNOW THEY, THEY LIKE TO HEAR THAT. AND I'M NOT SURE IF TJ IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANNA ADD FROM THE COMMENTS THAT WE PROVIDED TONIGHT? UM, NO. SO JUST THANK YOU FOR COMING AND AS ALWAYS GIVE US A CALL, SEE . OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? [01:10:02] NO. OKAY. WELL, WE'LL STICK AROUND AFTER IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO ASK US. AND THANKS AGAIN FOR COMING OUT TONIGHT. WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANK. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.