HomeMy WebLinkAboutBackup - Homeless Commission Presentation April 7 2021City of Miami Commission Discussion Item
Our Goal
• Our goal is to improve the coordination, integration
and frequency amongst key departments to improve
the cleanliness of our streets and meanwhile attempt
to reduce the overall population of unsheltered
homeless persons on City streets.
• Provide homeless individuals dignified, humane
assistance by referring them into the established
"Continuum of Care", which includes appropriate
housing and/or shelter when available.
Definitions
• ENCAMPMENT: An encampment is considered to be (10) or more unsheltered
homeless individuals living in relatively close proximity to one another in an
obviously visible location.
• HOT SPOT: A hot spot can be considered a location whereby recurring
homeless issues have occurred, (such as a previous encampment, illegal
dumping, and an overall solid waste nuisance). If left unattended, this could
once again lead to an encampment, and a public health hazard.
• SHELTER RESISTENT: Unsheltered homeless persons who consistently refuse
offers of shelter are referred to as "shelter resistant". The most prevalent
conditions contributing to individual shelter resistance are mental health and
substance abuse issues.
Proposed
Steps for
Improved
Effectiveness
• IMPROVED COORDINATION — The Homeless Outreach
Team, MPD and Solid Waste, in coordination with
Neighborhood Service Center Administrators, assigned
waste collectors per office, Continuum of Care providers,
such as Camillus House and Neighborhood Resource
Officers (NROs) to develop scheduled "maintenance" trash
routes in designated "hot spots" to eventually minimize the
major cleanups.
• IMPROVE INTEGRATION - Integrating the City's Homeless
Outreach Team (Green Shirts) into the MPD's Public Safety
Access Point Network.
• IMPROVED FREQUENCY - Increase the frequency of
maintenance cleanup operations. This proposal
recommends conducting two site cleanups at identified
homeless encampments each day, three to five days a
week.
Focus on
Specific Areas
• 54% (355) — Downtown
• 13% (89) — Overtown
• 9% (58) - Little Havana
• 4% (24) - Little Haiti
• 5% (35) — Wynwood
• 3% (22) — Flagami
• 3% (20) — West Flagler
• 3% (18) — Allapattah
• 2% (11) - Upper East Side
• 2% (11) - Model City
• 1% (6) - Coral Way
• 1% (5) - Coconut Grove
Clean Up Data
Major Clean
Ups
Conducted
23
Average
Placements
per clean
up
10
Garbage in
tons
20+
Average #
of Police
per clean
up
3
Average #
of Green
Shirts per
clean up
3
Average #
of Waste
Collectors
per clean
up
2
Outreach Data
City of Miami - Homeless Outreach (Green Shirts) Data
Total Placed
Chronically Homeless (homeless for at least a year or repeatedly)
Clean Ups
Total
3,613
1075
47
Oct Nov
622 564
182 172
12 5
Dec Jan
600 592
195 157
7 11
Feb Mar
598 637
191 178
3 9
Before Photos
After Photos
Strategies in
Play & Longer
Term
• LCSW: This proposal includes hiring a licensed clinical social worker for
mental health and addiction concerns (which is in the Dept. of Human
Services' budget enhancement request for FY2021-2022.
• Maintenance Waste Collection: Using existing designated waste
collectors assigned to both elected official offices and Neighborhood
Service Centers (NSC), in coordination with NROs, NSC Administrators and
key Homeless Outreach Team members, will set up a recurring daily and
weekly schedule to properly remove debris and garbage from potential
hotspots.
• Legal Review/Police Training: The Law Department will complete a review
of changes to Police enforcement restrictions following the conclusion of
the Pottinger agreement. This review will inform changes to Police policy,
which will be communicated to the workforce through video training and
annual in-service training. It is also recommended to have a dedicated
police team and training staff to aid in navigate the homeless system with
all resources available within the Continuum of Care.
LONGER -TERM STRATEGIES
• Installation of Large Feeding Ordinance Signs: Obtain quotes for proper
installation of large group feeding signs in key locations throughout the
City to maximize coverage.
• Mental Health and Addiction Care Coordination: There are already some
initiatives in the works through some of the Continuum of Care providers
such as Camillus House to expand specialized outreach services to the
mentally ill and those suffering with substance abuse.
• Comprehensive Communication Strategy: Offering a comprehensive
messaging and education to the public.
City of Miami Commission Discussion Item