Task Force To Prevent And End Homelessness

COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING AGENDA - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2022 The Columbia Task Force to Prevent and End Homelessness will conduct a meeting on Wednesday, August 17, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. at the Busby Street Community Center, 1735 Busby Street, Columbia, SC 29203. Members of the public may view the meeting online at www.columbiasc.gov. For questions regarding the meeting, please contact the City Clerk at (803)545-3045 or cityclerk@columbiasc.gov. The Honorable Aditi Bussells, Chair The Honorable Edward H. McDowell, Jr., District II  The Honorable William Brennan, District III CALL TO ORDER APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approval of the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes COMMITTEE DISCUSSION 2. Overview - The Honorable Will Brennan PRESENTATIONS 3. Responses from Homeless Service Providers - Ms. Jennifer Moore, Vice President of Community Impact for United Way of the Midlands / Ms. Kristen S. Connors, LMSW, Director of Supportive Housing & Medical Case Management for Prisma Health- Midlands Supportive Housing Services / Mr. Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions / Ms. Lila Anna Sauls, EdD, HDFP, President & CEO of Homeless No More / Ms. Julie Ann Avin, Executive Director of MIRCI a) CPD estimates that there are approximately 200-250 unsheltered people. What are your recommendations for addressing the growing number of unsheltered homeless on the street? b) The Taskforce has identified a lack of coordination and services after 5:00 p.m. What would you suggest on how to address this? c) What are the biggest challenges you see in this work? d) The Taskforce has identified over 100 services addressing homelessness in the midlands. How can these services be better streamlined to address the needs of the unsheltered population? Where do you see your role? COMMITTEE DISCUSSION ADJOURNMENT Page 1 of 1  1 MEETING DATE: August 17, 2022 DEPARTMENT: City Clerk FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk SUBJECT: Approval of the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes FUNDING SOURCE & ORIGINAL BUDGET: ATTACHMENTS:  TPEH_MN_06_29_22 (PDF) Updated: 8/16/2022 11:42 AM Page 1 Packet Pg. 2  1.a COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING MINUTES Attachment: TPEH_MN_06_29_22 (7797 : Approval of the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes) WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2022 The Columbia Task Force to Prevent and End Homelessness conducted a meeting on Tuesday, June 29, 2022 at the Busby Street Community Center, 1735 Busby Street, Columbia, SC 29203. The Honorable Aditi Bussells, Chair called the meeting to order at 4:09 p.m. and the following members were present: Attendee Name Title Status Aditi Bussells Chair Present Edward H. McDowell District II Present Will Brennan District III Absent William "Skip" Holbrook Police Chief Present Matt Kennell City Center Partnership Present Steve Cook Five Points Association Present George Whitehead Department of Probations, Pardon and Parole Present Allison Farrell SC Department of Mental Health Present John Wilkerson Elmwood/Downtown Coalition of Neighborhoods Absent Bret Kloos USC Department of Psychology Absent Amy McCulloch Probate Judge Absent Matthew Brock Associate Probate Judge Present Kieley Sutton Assistant Public Defender Present Antonio Flores Jr. Wal-Mart Absent Doreen Skelton Advocate Present Jamar Ogburn Advocate Present Treacy Dobbins Inspire Real Change Present INVOCATION The Honorable Edward H. McDowell, Jr. offered the invocation. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approval of the May 18, 2022 Task Force Meeting Minutes - The Honorable Aditi Bussells Upon a motion made by Mr. McDowell and seconded by Mr. Kennell, task force members voted unanimously to approve the May 18, 2022 Task Force Meeting Minutes. Task Force to Prevent and Homelessness June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes - Page 1 of 13 Packet Pg. 3  1.a COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING MINUTES Attachment: TPEH_MN_06_29_22 (7797 : Approval of the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes) WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2022 COMMITTEE DISCUSSION 2. Welcome - The Honorable Aditi Bussells and The Honorable Edward H. McDowell Councilor Aditi Bussells said we held our first meeting almost five weeks ago. Since then, there has been a lot of activity and great discussion around the ways in which we continue this work. We have great perspectives and much needed expertise around the ways in which we can continue to address this complex issue. I want to acknowledge two new members: Mr. Jamar Ogburn and Ms. Doreen Skelton. 3. Task Force Goals and Outcomes - The Honorable Aditi Bussells Councilor Aditi Bussells said I want to frame today’s conversation and talk through some of the things I found to be the most salient in our discussion. We learned how much the city has invested in homelessness. We have one million dollars for city services specifically around our Inclement Weather Center. For the last several years that has been awarded to United Way with a pass through to several other providers. We provide dollars for security at Transitions, which is a shelter at the end of our Main Street corridor. A lot of our community development funding also goes towards homelessness. About $2.5 million from our American Rescue Plan Act funding will be going towards non-congregate housing which is housing that allows people to not live in shared spaces. We continue to support providers to include Homeless No More and MIRCI. We expanded the Pathways Unit which is focused on embedding mental health clinicians within the Columbia Police Department. We cannot solve the entire problem of homelessness. We can do our part in leading efforts that we can control or influence. This task force will focus on the chronic and visible homeless. Typically, these are folks interacting with our commercial districts including downtown, Harbison and Garners Ferry. We are not focused on other populations like youth in transition, families and other populations that may be interacting with services. We want to focus on those that are visible and often resistant to services. We talked about the need to balance the increase in crime with the need to provide effective options and services for this population. Crime is often a consequence of these other complex factors that lead to homelessness. We talked about the importance of inclusive language. HUD uses the term unsheltered homeless. That is the term that we can continue to use. Instead of saying the homeless, let’s say people experiencing homelessness as a more inclusive way of talking about the population that we are interested in serving. This task force was created with the intention of existing for six to eight months. The goal is to develop short-term immediate solutions to address the urgency of this issue. A lot of systemic change needs to happen. I need your help to find those short term immediate solutions. Task Force to Prevent and Homelessness June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes - Page 2 of 13 Packet Pg. 4  1.a COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING MINUTES Attachment: TPEH_MN_06_29_22 (7797 : Approval of the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes) WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2022 We talked about how important it is to hold service providers accountable. One strategy that came out of that was to revisit the request for proposals (RFP) process for city homelessness service providers and to determine what your accountability metrics will be. Another strategy is to ask and advocate for regional and state investment around the work we are doing. Many of our community providers are serving the Midlands but the burden of support often falls on the city. We talked about having beat cops and a consistent police presence downtown to enforce regulations. We also talked about holding community groups accountable for waste that comes from meal sharing and the need to coordinate these efforts. Finally, we learned about our Homeless Court. We talked about competency and options for pathways out of homelessness. Perhaps the court can be a partner in making that happen. Are there any other strategies that you would like to bring up at this time? Mr. Steve Cook said here is mental illness, drug addiction and a criminal element among the homeless in Columbia. It is important to be honest and realistic about that. As a member of the business community, this is important to me. I have a different issue with someone who needs help versus someone who is actively doing criminal activity in neighborhoods. That seems to get pushed underneath when we talk about law enforcement. Mr. Jamar Ogburn recalled interactions with the police when he stayed at Transitions. When you look and act a certain way, you get labeled. The police have to change their attitude. Chief Skip Holbrook said it is interesting that the first conversation is about law enforcement. We spent a lot of time at the last meeting talking about how to get law enforcement out of the solution. I can assure you that we would prefer not to spend 60% of our time in the Metro Region dealing with unsheltered homeless. Especially now with the staffing challenges we have, we are very reactive. For us, public contact is almost entirely based on complaints or a reported crime. We have various corridors that are more active than others. There are a lot of quality of life and criminal violations that occur in the area where Transitions is located. More goes on that is unenforced and that is a sticking point for a lot of the businesses. Law enforcement is always going to have to interact when there are violations of law. No matter the situation, we have to treat people with respect and dignity and justify our actions. There are lots of checks and balances. We wear body cameras. A lot of trespassing charges are based on a business owner giving law enforcement the authority to act on their behalf after someone has been properly noticed. Councilor Aditi Bussells said that is what we hear from constituents as well. How do we solve this in a way that is meaningful? Task Force to Prevent and Homelessness June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes - Page 3 of 13 Packet Pg. 5  1.a COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING MINUTES Attachment: TPEH_MN_06_29_22 (7797 : Approval of the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes) WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2022 Chief Skip Holbrook said we had dozens of complaints in the Forest Drive corridor. We had to do a special operations to address this particular quality of life issue. In two days, we made nine custodial arrests. Every one of those were personal recognizance (PR) bonds and they were right back out. A lot of resources were drained for two days and those same people are back in the same place doing the same thing. Then the unsheltered homeless may have had a bad experience. They are mad at us and the business owner is mad at us because we did not affect a change. I would like to hear solutions. Councilor Edward McDowell said we need to recognize that law enforcement officers are there to enforce the law. What is the responsibility of the providers? We hired clinicians to effectuate and navigate through crisis in the community. We want officers to be reasonable, compassionate and sensible, but we also want them to enforce the law. Mr. Steve Cook said the only tool given to business owners is through the police department. It is incredibly unfair for officers to be the frontline for triaging this. We would love to have another agency to call or have the counselors come first. Councilor Aditi Bussells said we have heard that consistently. Folks naturally call 911. We find that people struggle to find services after hours. It sounds like we need to identify an afterhours and first point of contact that can respond in a timely manner without putting the burden on CPD especially for instances where there isn’t criminal activity. Chief Skip Holbrook said we have one clinician. We had 337 calls for service, interacted with 214 different clients and made 238 different referrals. Those 214 clients were homeless and they did not go to jail. The discussion needs to be about the disposition of those 214 clients. We have to effectively deal with these persons who are experiencing homelessness that come into contact with the Pathways Unit. They are in crisis whether it is through addiction to alcohol or drugs, they are on the street, and they suffer from mental illness. Councilor Aditi Bussells said the challenge is also that our services are all over the city or beyond the city. It is hard to interact if you don’t have transportation or someone helping you navigate these things. There is no single point of entry that people have found consistent success with. We have folks that need services and we don’t have a seamless process for that. We have folks that are engaging in criminal activity as a consequence of homelessness and it has affected neighborhoods and businesses. Task Force to Prevent and Homelessness June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes - Page 4 of 13 Packet Pg. 6  1.a COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING MINUTES Attachment: TPEH_MN_06_29_22 (7797 : Approval of the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes) WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2022 Mr. Jamar Ogburn said when working at the Inclement Weather Center, I would call a number for clients with mental issues, but I was told that they had no one to send out. I had to call the police and they tell me to call mental health. Something needs to be in place 24 hours a day. Ms. Allison Farrell said there is a resource called Mobile Crisis that is available in every county 24/7 for 365 days a year. Call (833)364-2274 and two clinicians will be dispatched along with law enforcement if it is a mental health crisis. When will law enforcement identify it as a homeless issue? Is it during dispatch? Chief Skip Holbrook said it could be the complainant through dispatch or after we interact with them on scene. It could be based on field interviews, arrest reports or incident reports where an address is not listed. Mobile Crisis works well and it complements our Pathways Unit. Ms. Kieley Sutton said I represent almost everyone who comes through the City of Columbia Municipal Court with a competency issue. Competency is when your mental health is so significant that you don’t understand what’s going on in court and you don’t care to participate in your defense. That also means that you can’t engage in services. It is not necessarily a resistance to services; it can be an inability to engage and follow through in an appropriate way. Since January 1, 2022 through June 22, 20222, there were 113 arrests for 10 different people who have pending competency evaluations. [Correction received on June 30, 2022: The number of arrests is 34 for 10 unique individuals who collectively spent 405 days in jail as of June 22, 2022.] These individuals cannot be tried. They cannot engage in services. There is no solution. They can’t comport their behavior in a way that allows them to stay in a shelter or participate in services. They can’t be probated because they usually don’t have family. The hospitals can’t or won’t engage with them longer than the 24 hour or one-week hold. They don’t have insurance to keep them in a program. With all of those issues, the appropriate thing would be a competency evaluation and the restoration process after they are charged criminally. That doesn’t exist but we are working on this with the city. There was a 2019 State Supreme Court order saying that the mechanism needs to be developed and here we are mid-2022 with no plans. That is arrests and days spent in jail by people who cannot be tried, self-advocate, or participate in services. They are discharged without a plan. At last check, there were 23 people with pending competency evaluations. We have a robust service provider community but none of the services are one size fits all. We need an afterhours or on call individual who is well versed on all of the services available to make appropriate referrals. It is a matter of collaboration, cohesiveness, clear referrals, follow-up, and warm handoffs. Proposals for afterhours peer support specialists and weekend peer support have been presented to MACH. There is an issue with transportation. A lot of the clients that I work with who are interested in engaging in services have been banned or put on trespass notice from the Comet. Task Force to Prevent and Homelessness June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes - Page 5 of 13 Packet Pg. 7  1.a COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING MINUTES Attachment: TPEH_MN_06_29_22 (7797 : Approval of the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes) WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2022 There is no clear policy, notification process, or appeals process. We are putting a gap in the continuity of care which is an additional hurdle to the next level of success. Councilor Aditi Bussells said we have competency up there. We need to talk about clear policies and suggestions for how we are allowing people to become unbanned from transportation. I would add that a lot of people are banned from accessing services. What is the process if you want to engage in services again? What are our accountability metrics to ensure that we are not creating these unintended consequences? A campaign would help people have access, especially business owners and community members to numbers and a set of resources that actually work. I don’t want to hear the desperation of “I don’t know what to do except call CPD.” I want to have options for those who feel like they have criminal activity on their property or in their vicinity. Ms. Kieley Sutton encouraged everyone to recognize that there is going to be two sides to every coin. If I went into my job and didn’t recognize that on one client I could be the best advocate in the world but on the next one I am a public pretender - if I didn’t know that those two perceptions existed, I would be doing clients a disservice. We need to deal with that consistency of interaction and understanding. If the rumor is that your weekend staff is different from your day staff, we as agencies, service providers, and advocates need to be aware of those rumors, recognize if there is truth to it, and be willing to fix it. Councilor Edward McDowell noted that the Department of Mental Health is the only service provider in the meeting. Councilor Aditi Bussells said many of the providers have been invited to our August meeting where they will be presenting on the services they provide. During the next meeting, I would like to hear the questions you have for providers. Councilor Edward McDowell said this is not just a mental health issue; there are layers to homelessness. I don’t think there has been collaboration with providers to discuss resolutions. In August, I will ask what is being done collaboratively towards resolutions that can effectuate themselves. Again, CPD is not in the triage business. We have to do a better job. We have identified the issues, but we haven’t had the hard conversations about what we can do collaboratively. We spend one million dollars per year and I am asked if we are getting a bang for our buck. We will have this conversation in August. Task Force to Prevent and Homelessness June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes - Page 6 of 13 Packet Pg. 8  1.a COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING MINUTES Attachment: TPEH_MN_06_29_22 (7797 : Approval of the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes) WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2022 Ms. Kieley Sutton said there are monthly case conferencing meetings that talks about intensive case conference based on a list provided by CPD or MACH. There is a youth specific meeting, a families meeting, and there used to be a VA meeting. Clean of Heart has the next level services where we do intensive case management as a group table event. The library has partnership days. I don’t think there has been a collaborative effort to discuss what the city can do differently. There have been collaborative efforts to coordinate services and better serve our fellow humans. Councilor Edward McDowell said we are having these intensive conversations with others. Is it working? If it is not working, we need to fix it or find some resolution. If we are not making a difference in terms of that conversation, then we are talking about sounding brass and gonging cymbals. It has to be a collaborative conversation that is going to engender itself around solutions. We can’t do it by ourselves. It doesn’t matter which agency it is; it is not working. It becomes a hard pull for CPD when there are issues and situations and the only thing we do is dial 911. There has to be a genuine conversation between you all. We can effectuate change but what are the end results. There are no results right now. Councilor Aditi Bussells said what is currently happening is not working. We have to revisit the ways in which our community, business owners, and providers are all interacting. We have a lot of great pieces and they are not all moving together in one cohesive puzzle that allows folks to engage with services correctly and allows CPD to stay in their lane and respond to the situations that make the most sense and are in their purview. It is scary to say that. What we are doing is not working, because it continues to escalate. We keep hearing about the increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness. 4. Review of Reading Materials - The Honorable Aditi Bussells Councilor Aditi Bussells said I want to talk about the materials I sent to you all. One being the 2013 Homeless Committee Report. The committee had four subcommittees. I want to summarize some of the strategies they had that may be interesting for our discussion: Winter Shelter, Main Street Corridor, Meals and Feeding, and Sanitation. The four key recommendations for the Winter Shelter Subcommittee were to have a four-year plan to start having effective enough services where they no longer need an overflow. They wanted to make transportation accessible, timely, and reasonable. They shifted the times for when meals and services are provided in the winter. They had recommendations on how to manage overflows. Instead of having those experiencing homelessness move into MLK Park, they suggested using the existing structure to address that. In terms of the Main Street Corridor Subcommittee, the city added more “No Loitering” signs and garbage cans; conducted trash patrols of areas for meal sharing; and handed out posters on how to Task Force to Prevent and Homelessness June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes - Page 7 of 13 Packet Pg. 9  1.a COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING MINUTES Attachment: TPEH_MN_06_29_22 (7797 : Approval of the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes) WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2022 address homelessness. They urged the city to pursue vacant properties. They talked about the blue store that continues to sell single-serve alcohol, which led to an increase in alcohol consumption and substance use around that business. In 2013, they urged us to look at ways to halt single-serve alcohol. Emphasis was placed on the Midlands Area Consortium for the Homeless (MACH) doing a point in time count to estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness and launching a public awareness campaign of the different services available in Columbia. The Meals and Feedings Subcommittee suggested that we have fixed locations for meals. They suggested having specific times because so many programs were overlapping. They also suggested discouraging outdoor meal providers and enforcing and revising city regulations to ensure that they are sharing meals in fixed locations to help address issues with trash. Lastly, the Sanitation Subcommittee explored options for public sanitation. They did not include specific recommendations but said they were talking with Savannah and Asheville to look at models for public bathrooms and sanitation options. This was in 2013 and we continue to talk about many of these issues. I would love to hear your reactions to these recommendations and if you think there are some that we should continue to pursue. Mr. Matt Kennell said the blue store is a major issue. I testified before the Department of Revenue and for a year or two they were not allowed to sell alcohol. Somehow they were allowed to open and it has been a major problem ever since. The single-serve alcohol from there, El Cheapo and other places is a major problem. That is an issue that perhaps council could deal with by ordinance. The city has put in porta johns and there have been maintenance issues over the years. Anybody that works in the Main Street District would say that it is better than it used to be. There are better solutions. Austin, Texas installed The Portland Loo®. It is a beautiful thing but it is expensive. Councilor Aditi Bussells said I would like to put that down as a solution. We are brainstorming and we will see what is feasible. Ms. Allison Farrell asked why some of the recommendations did not go forward. What were the barriers to getting some of these recommendations addressed in 2013? Councilor Aditi Bussells said I will try to find out. Mr. George Whitehead said during COVID there were handwashing stations all around town but they went away. I would like to see some of them come back. That was a great resource. Task Force to Prevent and Homelessness June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes - Page 8 of 13 Packet Pg. 10  1.a COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING MINUTES Attachment: TPEH_MN_06_29_22 (7797 : Approval of the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes) WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2022 Chief Skip Holbrook said every one of those areas have been touched in one way or another since that committee brought forward the recommendations. The winter shelter has been massaged and worked over and over again. It is not perfect but it has been an important resource for managing the situations with homeless individuals in inclement weather. The Main Street corridor has changed. There has been a dramatic shift in the complaints of people relieving themselves. The porta johns aren’t the greatest thing to look at. It would be awesome if this group could come up with a solution to meal sharing. It leads to a lot of issues with trash. We have meal shares that occur throughout the day, every day and in various places. Some are scheduled but more are not. It is nearly impossible to coordinate. All of these areas have been touched in one way or another and with various successes. Hopefully we can build on those successes as those are all important areas. Mr. Matthew Brock said the problem with coordinating meals can be solved with some type of technology and by getting all providers and those who share meals regularly in a room. That way, not only do the homeless know but the police can know and we can have that coordination. Councilor Aditi Bussells said we have churches and other non-profits that are not traditionally in the provider community but want to do something kind. These come up and there is no way to capture all of them until after they happen. Then we get a call about trash and bags of clothes being left behind. The United Way did a great job with trying to organize the meal shares but there is much more happening that is tangential and happens on its own. Mr. Matthew Brock suggested having an ordinance requiring 24-hour notice before going to feed. Councilor Aditi Bussells said I like the idea of a 24-hour notice. Mr. Jamar Ogburn said don’t feed them. There is a major difference from when I moved here in 1988 to what we have today. In 1988, the Salvation Army, Oliver Gospel Mission and the church on Washington Street were the only place that offered meals. On Sunday, you had the church on Senate Street. Back then, the Salvation Army and the Oliver Gospel Mission didn’t let you take food out. Now you have massive churches and law firms. If you don’t feed them, you don’t have it. Coordinate it in a certain area but move it away from the city and the main corridor. Let the main people do what they have been doing and stop the extras. Task Force to Prevent and Homelessness June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes - Page 9 of 13 Packet Pg. 11  1.a COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING MINUTES Attachment: TPEH_MN_06_29_22 (7797 : Approval of the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes) WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2022 Councilor Aditi Bussells noted that the city attorney mentioned several cities have tried this approach. In many cases, these groups sued and they won on the rights of the first amendment to be able to feed. There are creative ways to help people understand the unintended consequences. Legally, we won’t be able to say you can’t feed at all. Ms. Jacqueline Pavlicek, Esq., City Attorney’s Office said pursuant to the first amendment, the City of Columbia doesn’t regulate churches. There have been numerous law suits largely based on the first amendment. The City of Columbia cannot have an official policy that would fine them for that. Councilor Aditi Bussells said another strategy is continuing to find ways in which we can help people understand those unintended consequences. Mr. Jamar Ogburn asked if we can setup a central location for meal sharing. Councilor Aditi Bussells suggested looking at policies around waste and to-go containers. Doreen Skelton said one solution is for us to help people have a place of their own where they can feed themselves. Several states have done it. Cities have worked with social workers and community programs to have tiny homes where each person has their own sleeping quarters. They are able to put their belongings in it and they setup bathrooms and resources. A lot of money has been put out for bathrooms. You can use recyclables to help them and they can help build the places. Councilor Aditi Bussells said one strategy we did not talk about but has been key to this task force is understanding the landscape of our provider network. There are a lot of robust services and there may be opportunities to strengthen it. What is happening right now is not working for all of the people experiencing homelessness. We tasked Treacy and his organization with cataloging these agencies and providing us with a presentation. This will flow into our conversation in July where we will prepare for our providers to be with us in August where we can have questions and make sure we are on the same page for how we would like to collaborate with our providers on developing solutions. Please read the three articles in your packet. Task Force to Prevent and Homelessness June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes - Page 10 of 13 Packet Pg. 12  1.a COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING MINUTES Attachment: TPEH_MN_06_29_22 (7797 : Approval of the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes) WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2022 5. Social Service Network Catalogue Presentation - Mr. Treacy Dobbins, Inspire Real Change Mr. Treacy Dobbins, Inspire Real Change said we entered into a partnership with the city to do a social services advancement project. We realized that there were so many resources and organizations in Richland County. We needed to understand who is out there, who’s doing what, and how they are operating. Our goal was to build a functional catalog. It is 41-pages that contain information on each program to include eligibility and contact information for 102 programs and services. We included the Inclement Weather Center under shelter services. The transitional housing programs are broken down by the demographic they serve. We have nine veteran services that are directly related to somebody who is unsheltered or at-risk. There are 33 organizations that serve food and they are linked to a map. This is the first part of our project. The 102 programs are strictly within Richland County, not Lexington County. Our continued work is to evaluate and assess the current social services delivery system within Richland County. We will be looking at how services are delivered from a big picture perspective and from a service level perspective through case studies. We will evaluate the challenges, the gaps in services, and the need. The latter part is to provide the task force with recommendations on the potential restructure or consolidation of services that would improve delivery to these individuals and bring efficiencies to the system. Councilor Aditi Bussells said the catalog is available in the task force members’ packets. We plan on releasing this to the public and sharing it with those who helped in gathering this information including our providers. There are 102 services in Richland County, yet we are still seeing these challenges. This continues to reinforce that we have the puzzle pieces but it is not put together in a way that is working. We have a compassionate city but we are facing a lot of changes and we need to revisit how we are providing some of this support. Mr. George Whitehead said there is a lot of transitional housing out there. Is anyone evaluating if a place should come off the list or if we shouldn’t be referring people to these places? Are you looking at quality assurance? Mr. Treacy Dobbins said there is no real quality control within the system. People start sober living homes under an organizational name and they are chartered to perform services but there is no real quality control piece to validate who is doing what. Mr. George Whitehead said my concern is that we will refer people to places that are not going to make them successful and no one has gone to these places to vet them. Task Force to Prevent and Homelessness June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes - Page 11 of 13 Packet Pg. 13  1.a COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING MINUTES Attachment: TPEH_MN_06_29_22 (7797 : Approval of the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes) WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2022 Councilor Aditi Bussells said for the one million we are investing directly towards professional services, I am in full support of accountability metrics and outcomes that need to be monitored over time and treating these contracts as grants where we are able to see what will be accomplished in the short-term and the long-term. That has not happened. That is a question I’d like to table for the providers. What accountability mechanisms do you have with each other? Where is the quality control? How do you work with each other to identify some of that? I am aware that a lot of federal opportunities are coming down the pipeline through HUD to address homelessness. We want to make sure that we are receiving those funds and they are making a difference in our communities. There are certain touch points where evaluation has to happen as part of those grants. It will be helpful to hear what those look like. 6. Task Force Discussion Public Input form Ms. Diane Wiley, Belvedere Community resident said we shouldn’t have homeless in America. People want a roof over their heads. Give them a chance. I am homeless from the flood and if it wasn’t for my mother I wouldn’t have a place to stay. Give them shelter, pride and a job. If they have a mental problem, have a place where they can go. There are a lot of people sleeping in Finlay Park. The tiny homes are a great idea. You need shelter for 24 hours. It is hot and it will get cold. They need a place to lay their head and go to the bathroom. Ms. Doreen Skelton presented solutions to help anyone that is experiencing homelessness. My intent is to provide houses for the homeless to be able to go to every night. Some people are hard to get off the streets. The benefit is having resources onsite like social workers and employment. The first phase would be to get the people off the street. The tiny homes do not have bathrooms. All of the facilities are on community property. They have weekly meetings to discuss issues. There is a fence around the perimeter. They can’t go out or come in without going pass a guard. We can use recyclables. Builders donate their time and materials. This is my solution for getting people off the streets. I give people food and I talk to them. The solution is to give them the resources and a place to sleep. Councilor Aditi Bussells said there are great examples of tiny homes across the country and we will put that down as a potential solution. The committee will receive a link to the video. Task Force to Prevent and Homelessness June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes - Page 12 of 13 Packet Pg. 14  1.a COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING MINUTES Attachment: TPEH_MN_06_29_22 (7797 : Approval of the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes) WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2022 Ms. Missy Caughman said Chief Holbrook addressed what Ms. Farrell was saying about the 2013 study. A couple outcomes from that study were worked on such as the meal sharing through United Way’s coordination. There’s a food share committee. We will talk more about that during the August meeting with the providers. We did the solicitation and now we have an inclement weather center. Other things were mentioned and will be discussed in future meetings. We will also talk about who will be invited to the August meeting. Councilor Aditi Bussells said we will talk about the structure of that meeting. I want it to be an opportunity for all of you to get as many questions answered with the providers as possible. Before that meeting, send your questions over. I want to have some of those hard conversations. We will dedicate our July meeting to thinking about some of those metrics; following up on conversations we’ve had; and responding to the examples we have seen in other cities. This was an incredible conversation and I appreciate everyone being open-minded about a difficult topic. 7. Closing Remarks - The Honorable Edward H. McDowell, Jr. Councilor Edward McDowell said what a good day to have this conversation and resolutional things that we can institute and initiate as our city continues to grow and expand. Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to be a part of this dialogue. I want to thank Councilwoman Bussells for her leadership. Councilman Will Brennan could not be here today, but I am sure he senses that this conversation was needed within the confines of this community. We look forward to seeing you in July and August. It is going to be an interesting time. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was closed at 5:57 p.m. Respectfully submitted: Erika D. Moore Hammond, CMC City Clerk Task Force to Prevent and Homelessness June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes - Page 13 of 13 Packet Pg. 15  2 MEETING DATE: August 17, 2022 DEPARTMENT: City Clerk FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk SUBJECT: Overview - The Honorable Will Brennan FUNDING SOURCE & ORIGINAL BUDGET: Updated: 8/16/2022 1:04 PM Page 1 Packet Pg. 16  3 MEETING DATE: August 17, 2022 DEPARTMENT: City Clerk FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk SUBJECT: Responses from Homeless Service Providers - Ms. Jennifer Moore, Vice President of Community Impact for United Way of the Midlands / Ms. Kristen S. Connors, LMSW, Director of Supportive Housing & Medical Case Management for Prisma Health-Midlands Supportive Housing Services / Mr. Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions / Ms. Lila Anna Sauls, EdD, HDFP, President & CEO of Homeless No More / Ms. Julie Ann Avin, Executive Director of MIRCI FUNDING SOURCE & ORIGINAL BUDGET: PURPOSE: a) CPD estimates that there are approximately 200-250 unsheltered people. What are your recommendations for addressing the growing number of unsheltered homeless on the street? b) The Taskforce has identified a lack of coordination and services after 5:00 p.m. What would you suggest on how to address this? c) What are the biggest challenges you see in this work? d) The Taskforce has identified over 100 services addressing homelessness in the midlands. How can these services be better streamlined to address the needs of the unsheltered population? Where do you see your role? ATTACHMENTS:  UWM Report to City Task Force 081722 (PDF)  USC Housing First Homeless Taskforce Report 8-12-2022 (PDF)  Transitions Homeless TF presentation Aug 22 (PDF) Updated: 8/16/2022 1:11 PM Page 1 Packet Pg. 17  3.a Response to City Task Force Questions 8/12/22 Overview of United Way United Way of the Midlands (UWM) addresses critical health and human services needs in Calhoun, Fairfield, Lexington, Newberry, Richland, and Orangeburg counties. UWM focuses on helping provide a Attachment: UWM Report to City Task Force 081722 (7796 : Responses from Homeless Service Providers) strong safety net, space for non-profit collaboration, and pathways to resiliency. More than 30,000 donors support United Way, and we work with 69 certified Community Impact Partners that provide a variety of services across the lifespan from educational programs for children, healthcare, and programs for seniors. Our annual impact on the Midlands is over $20 million serving nearly 100,000 people last year. We also directly operate initiatives such as our Midlands Reading Consortium children’s tutoring program and the WellPartners free dental and eye care clinics. UWM’s Role with Homelessness 1. Funder – UWM provides competitive funding across our six counties to organizations that provide homeless prevention, emergency shelter, street outreach, and long-term housing with case management. We also have funding for a new Two-Generation approach to stabilizing families in crisis. We will provide over $2.3 million in 2022 for these services assisting people in crisis. Additionally, UWM has $5 million dedicated over the next three years to affordable housing creation with portions dedicated to three projects under development in the Midlands plus two home repair programs to prevent homelessness. 2. Research & Data Collection – UWM operates the local homeless coalition’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). HMIS is an internet-based client and bed management system for homeless and at-risk populations. The system covers the coalition’s 13 counties and supports agency users which represent a mix of homeless housing, shelter, and service providers. The system allows service providers to coordinate care across agencies. UWM uses data from HMIS for federal reporting, data collection for the homeless coalition’s annual point-in-time count, monitoring system effectiveness, and research into homelessness. An example of current research: UWM, in partnership with Chapin Hall, the nation’s lead authority in youth homelessness, we are working a project entitled ‘Estimating the Prevalence and Probability of Homeless Youth.’ With Chapin Hall and homeless service providers from Travis County, TX (Austin) and New York City, some overarching goals include: • Exploring innovative approaches to linking and analyzing different sources of administrative data to produce actionable insights on youth homelessness. • Develop methods to improve estimates of youth homelessness • Better understand of young people’s pathways into and through homelessness • Examine racial and intersectional inequities 3. Lead for Federal Resources – The Midlands has a homeless coalition called the Midlands Area Consortium for the Homeless (MACH). Established in 1994, MACH is an all-volunteer 501c3 covering 13 counties. UWM provides support for the coalition’s required Continuum of Care efforts to secure federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to fund homeless permanent housing programs. Annual funding supports $3.5 million dollars’ worth of housing vouchers equating to over 500 housing units of vulnerable individuals and families with children that need long-term housing with services. We recently submitted a new federal application 1 Packet Pg. 18  3.a to address youth homelessness and are working on renewal of the current homeless voucher funding and two new federal applications via HUD. We seek to bring resources into the Midlands for housing and look for opportunities to improve collaborations. UWM’s work on behalf of the 13 county Continuum of Care include: • Securing federal housing resources for people experiencing homelessness Attachment: UWM Report to City Task Force 081722 (7796 : Responses from Homeless Service Providers) • Examining system effectiveness of federal homeless programs • Monitoring federal HUD homeless grantees • Maintain priority listing for housing voucher vacancies based on vulnerability • Convening case conferencing • Examining racial disparities in homeless services • Ensuring homeless coalition’s compliance with HUD regulations • Operate the Homeless Management Information System • Coordinating an annual point-in-time count • Providing data and input to local government Consolidated Plans • Coordinating with the State of South Carolina Emergency Solutions Grant program • Support coalition meetings and committees Recommendations Based on the Task Force’s Four Questions 1. What are your recommendations for addressing the growing number of unsheltered homeless on the street? CPD estimates that this is approximately 200-250 people. Response: We can share data from HMIS and the point-in-time count and discuss what CPD is seeing with recommendations for improved communication and referrals. We have built a good relationship with CPD and would like to support their work. Since the Inclement Weather Center is closed for the season, there are currently more people on the streets. During the January 2021 one-day point-in-time count 243 people were identified as unsheltered across the homeless coalition’s 13-counties. This reflects a snapshot on a single day. The average time a person is homeless in the Midlands is 59 shelter beds nights. This is too long. In 2021, 19% of people engaged in street outreach services progressed to housing. Of people who successfully move on to long-term housing from shelters, 18% return to the streets within two years. Recommendations: • Provide City funding for more affordable housing units across a range of needs including permanent supportive housing, housing vouchers, and rental housing for people with low incomes. • Do not add additional shelter beds; however, limited motel vouchers could be helpful in assisting vulnerable populations with short-term assistance matched with services to develop a long-term housing plan, such as permanent supportive housing. Also, parks facilities could offer temporary sheltering options during short-term periods of increased populations rather than construction of new permanent sheltering facilities. Affordable housing is the answer not new shelter beds. • Encourage the Columbia Housing Authority to offer a preference for homelessness in their Housing Choice (Section 8) Voucher program. This will help with unsheltered placements, but also adds needed points during the highly competitive annual HUD Continuum of Care application to secure more resources for homeless housing units beyond the Housing Choice Vouchers themselves. 2 Packet Pg. 19  3.a • Require programs funded with City resources to adopt a Housing First approach, which means offering housing then services to mitigate the immediate needs of people on the streets being unhoused. • Provide funding or require City funded programs to offer longer-term case management matched to street outreach engagement efforts. Unsheltered people often need navigation to secure documentation (photo ID, Social Security card, Birth Certificate), apply for disability benefits or Attachment: UWM Report to City Task Force 081722 (7796 : Responses from Homeless Service Providers) social security, and transportation to appointments. These steps prepare people to enter housing. • Continue City funding for the successful bus ticket program to reunite people with family and supportive environments in their home communities. • Require all City funded programs participate in the Homeless Management Information System. 2. The Taskforce has identified a lack of coordination and services after 5pm. What would you suggest on how address this? Response: There is limited intake for services after hours and weekends and this creates issues. Also complicating is that sheltering facilities are at maximum capacity daily; therefore, after hours if someone needed a bed, the shelters would already be full. Recommendations: • City staff participate in local homeless coalition meetings to discuss this issue with providers. • Require City funded programs to participate in the Homeless Management Information System, point-in-time count, local homeless coalition, and case conferencing meetings. • Resources to offer more services and triage after hours. 3. What are the biggest challenges you see in this work? Response: Lack of community understanding of the systems in place and understanding system limitations based on federal requirements, resources, and limited capacity. Also, understanding the gap in affordable housing and individual workforce skills. 4. The Taskforce has identified over 100 services addressing homelessness in the Midlands. How can these services be better streamlined to address the needs of the unsheltered population? Where do you see your role? Response: There are a high number of non-profits in the more populated areas of South Carolina, which can cause a competitive fundraising environment to sustain operations. At United Way, we strive to prevent duplication of our funding across agencies that provide similar services and require collaborative efforts versus siloed approaches. For homeless services, agencies often specialize in specific populations since best practice interventions tend to align with population type. For example, families with children need different approaches than single individuals living on the street for prolonged periods. Some agencies will have targeted populations such as Veterans, ex-offenders, or people living with mental illness. In the homeless space, this can create the perception of many agencies, when the interventions are different and tailored to population needs. 3 Packet Pg. 20  3.a Recommendations: • Encourage any entity engaged in homeless services, including the City and CPD, to participate in the local homeless coalition and all direct service agencies should participate in the Homeless Management Information System and case conferencing. Please note, not all grassroot or smaller providers have capacity to participate in HMIS due to staffing levels. • Encourage use of 2-1-1 or www.sc211.org. This is the state’s searchable database for health and Attachment: UWM Report to City Task Force 081722 (7796 : Responses from Homeless Service Providers) human services to promote resources that are available rather than organizations creating new programs. The database is updated for accuracy according to AIRS accreditation standards. • We will continue our role as a funder, researcher, and conveyor to bring in additional resources for housing. We welcome opportunities to improve collaboration and to be a partner in that work. 4 Packet Pg. 21  3.b Supportive Housing Services Attachment: USC Housing First Homeless Taskforce Report 8-12-2022 (7796 : Responses from Homeless Service Providers) Housing First Response to Homeless Task Force 8/17/2022 History and Summary of Services: 2008: Housing First began as a pilot program funded by the City of Columbia with Supportive Housing Services and Columbia Housing. The permanent supportive housing serves chronically homeless individuals. Housing First is nationally recognized as a best-practice model and uses a team approach to provide outreach, case management, medical adherence services, and mental health & substance abuse services on site and in the home. 2012: The program expanded its initial scope of services to introduce 4 family units and 15 units specifically designated for clients living with HIV/AIDS. Program Outcomes • 7/1/2021-6/30/2022: 43 clients housed 6 new clients housed 6 clients discharged 49 clients provided supportive services 223 clients seen via outreach • 7/1/2008-present: 157 clients housed in a Housing First unit 26 months average length of stay $24.18 cost per client per day for services Homeless Task Force Questions: 1. What are your recommendations for addressing the growing number of unsheltered homeless on the street? CPD estimates that this is approximately 200-250 people. • We recommend increasing affordable housing overall, in both capacity and access. • While emergency shelter beds are an integral part of the continuum of care, affordable housing is ideally a permanent and more sustainable solution. • Along with affordable housing, the City would benefit from services such as outreach and inten- sive case management, either in conjunction with or in addition to the currently funded ser- vices, to people who are historically difficult to engage. • The Housing first model is a best practice strategy and offers immediate access to permanent, supportive housing, which means that participants are offered services such as intensive case management and mental health support. We recommend continuing the current program and considering ways to replicate or expand the current model as it is nationally recognized and Packet Pg. 22  3.b Supportive Housing Services Attachment: USC Housing First Homeless Taskforce Report 8-12-2022 (7796 : Responses from Homeless Service Providers) Housing First Response to Homeless Task Force 8/17/2022 listed as a HUD priority. The approach is cost effective and the current program using City fund- ing for services estimates serving 26 clients for approximately $58.04 per day ($33.86 for hous- ing, $24.18 for services.) The program targets individuals who are resistant to or unsuccessful in traditional programs and services, and the majority are chronically homeless. 2. The Taskforce has identified a lack of coordination and services after 5pm. What would you suggest on how to address this? • We recommend that shelters are staffed for intakes 24 hours a day, contingent upon bed avail- ability. • Additionally, the issue can be discussed during the Street Outreach Coordination Meeting and Case Conferencing (i.e., targeting specific cases, areas.) • Increase support for outreach workers to focus on unsheltered individuals during nights and weekends. 3. What are the biggest challenges you see in this work? • The biggest challenge in this work is housing availability and access to housing. • For most people that we work with, affordability, criminal history, eviction history, and credit history are all issues and barriers that keep them from accessing adequate and stable housing. • People may also lack required documentation such as identification or Social Security card to successfully obtain housing. Assistance is required from housing agencies and case managers to navigate the systems on behalf of the clients. • Accessing affordable housing with the assistance of a Housing Choice Voucher, also known as Section 8, has become increasingly difficult. 4. The Taskforce has identified over 100 services addressing homelessness in the midlands. How can these services be better streamlined to address the needs of the unsheltered population? Where do you see your role? Each agency has a specific purpose depending on capacity and funder’s expectations and limitations. However, many service providers regularly work together on individual client cases, targeted geographic areas, and on collaborative community efforts. Additionally, agencies should: • Attend local homeless coalition meetings, trainings, and events. • Join Case Conferences and the Street Outreach Coordination meeting. • Participate in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) in order to access and share information, which in turn streamlines services. Packet Pg. 23  3.b Supportive Housing Services Attachment: USC Housing First Homeless Taskforce Report 8-12-2022 (7796 : Responses from Homeless Service Providers) Housing First Response to Homeless Task Force 8/17/2022 The role of Supportive Housing Services’ (SHS) Housing First program is to provide housing units in partnership with Columbia Housing for chronically homeless and disabled individuals and families, including persons living with HIV/AIDS. The Housing First team works to provide intensive case management to clients who are historically difficult to engage. Housing First services target the most vulnerable individuals and families experiencing homelessness and provide ongoing home-based support. The services provided by SHS are crucial to ensure clients can manage living independently and avoid returning to homelessness. Housing First staff provides and facilitates case management, outreach, medical adherence, and mental health and substance abuse support services. We also provide street outreach services to unsheltered individuals and link people to resources even if they are not eligible for the Housing First program. Packet Pg. 24  3.c Transitions’ Impact on the Homeless Community in the Midlands and Impact of Moving the Facility August 12, 2022 Transitions provides: 1. Its mission is “engaging and equipping homeless adults in the Midlands to Attachment: Transitions Homeless TF presentation Aug 22 (7796 : Responses from Homeless Service Providers) transition into stability and permanent housing.” 2. Transitions is a one-stop facility to help homeless off the street into immediate beds, address barriers, and achieve permanent housing as quickly as possible. 3. We partner with some 50+ agencies to address client needs. 4. 260 beds that keep that number of adults off the street every night and the day center that helps another 70 on average a day (330 homeless helped every day). 5. Placed 3,298 into permanent housing since opening in 2011. 6. Engaged 3,139 total clients last year. 7. Served 181,984 meals last years (almost 2.3M since opening in 2011) 8. Has access to resources like internet, showers, bathrooms, laundry, clean clothing, job searches, health care, mental health and substance abuse counseling, and legal help without a need to travel around town. 9. 214 outreach outings last year--worked with 247 clients and got 143 into Transitions beds. 10. Major partners include Salvation Army which helps with the meals, Cooperative Health that operates a clinic on site, CAMH that brings its van on site for counseling and referrals, LRADAC does Peer Support classes, Dorn VA Regional Medical Center partners with us with GPD beds on site, and Richland Bar/SC Legal Services comes on site to provide pro bono legal help. 11. These services are prime examples of streamlining our efforts with our partners to best serve our clients at the Transitions facility. Remembering Transitions’ Original Vision and Concept: 1. Not a shelter, but a place where someone can stay while they work through their barriers while seeking housing. Not a “band aid” or a “warehouse” for people, its programs are designed to help house people and to aid in recovery from issues. 2. Jobs are critical to about 70% of our clients who need employment job to be self-sufficient. For most, they must self-resolve as they will not be on a supplemental income. 3. Day Center provides protection during the day from heat and cold while offering services and encouraging engagement, and the courtyard is a nice place where they can be away from the downtown areas. Homeless Task Force Questions: 1. Recommendations to address unsheltered population: a. Maintain what works. Keep shelter beds open with full services to address the non-chronic and chronic homeless populations. Maintain Packet Pg. 25  3.c low barrier beds that unsheltered can get into. Don’t forgo the larger percentage of sheltered clients to deal exclusively with the unsheltered problem. If we don’t help all the homeless, the unsheltered population will immediately grow and become harder to serve dispersed on the streets. Attachment: Transitions Homeless TF presentation Aug 22 (7796 : Responses from Homeless Service Providers) b. Provide an FTE outreach worker to cover downtown, work with Yellow Shirts and CPD, and address neighborhood and business concerns with homeless in certain areas, particularly in the BID. Outreach person would work for Transitions and have immediate access to beds. c. Increase education on the homeless issue to inform the public on actual numbers and desired end state for homelessness. Do we define success as “functional zero?” d. Maintain the Inclement Weather Center program to have people off the streets in cold weather and the bus ticket funding to send people to their family homes. 2. Services after 5:00 PM: a. Have the FTE outreach worker mentioned above to help target those who are not in a shelter bed and on the street after 5:00 PM. b. Explore using the IWC in the off-season for a police drop-off point for the city. There were 104 people a night at the IWC last season, so they are on the street in the off-season. c. Increase DMH mental health teams in street outreach to refer and hospitalize those who should be. d. There need to be city bathrooms after 5:00 PM. There were port-o-lets used for months. Why were they taken down? There need to be some fixed-site bathrooms, so people can go to the bathroom in an appropriate place. 3. Biggest challenges: a. Need more affordable housing—single room occupancy. b. Need rooms for disabled people that are ADA compliant. c. Fund more towards homeless issues. Comment has been the city “pays a million dollars a year” for the last 10 years. Inflation has eaten at this amount over the years. d. Chronic homeless population is 32% at Transitions. These clients are harder to house because of their disabling conditions. e. Rental units are in short supply with increased rents. Incomes have not kept pace with rents. f. Mental Health (46% self-report) and addiction issues (40% self-report) continue to be challenging to house. g. No place to house sex-offenders. Remove any city limitation on housing them in shelters or housing units. 4. Streamline 100 services for unsheltered population? a. Transitions’ role is a one-stop facility for people on the street to get help with barriers. We partner with some 50 agencies now and welcome more. Agencies should go to facilities such as Transitions to target all the homeless to include some 70 day users who need help. Packet Pg. 26  3.c b. Educate the public on what various agencies do to help the homeless. It takes a “toolbox” full of various tools to help those who are homeless. Trying to make everyone a hammer will not work. Agencies must address the various barriers to housing within their expertise. c. Mental health, substance, and hospitals should position workers Attachment: Transitions Homeless TF presentation Aug 22 (7796 : Responses from Homeless Service Providers) forward at Transitions and other areas to limit emergency room visits and help the unsheltered population receive services. d. Transitions works to avoid duplication. If a partner does the service, we work with them to help the clients. Packet Pg. 27