COMMUNITY MEETING AUGUST 1, 2011 PUBLIC COMMENT SUMMARY MATRIC SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL LIKE IMPROVE CONCERNS/IDEAS Behavior is the key factor Test for drugs only if If someone shows up behaving badly drunk and is kicked Need day services since they don t have them today If behavior is fine, they should be allowed in Alcohol gets dumped if its not allowed in center Behavior-based on practical Critical to have day services Open all day is big benefit Use of phones important Day services must be part of the solution and law enforcement Counseling is important and computer use If someone is a danger call sheriff Need rules for behavior-based model to avoid negative impact (and need law enforcement) when outside shelter Drug testing not far and doesn t consider 1 vs 5 drinks Sober people can be problems How to avoid use of shelter as a youth hostel of sorts Should be year round shelter too Difficult to find places so should be closer rather than farther if something can be found Transportation hard Should consider serving children out, where do they go If there is drug testing, who will pass? Eliminates too many people Dry shelter too restrictive (over the top), some people drink and don t cause problems Where do they go during the day? Invasion of privacy if drug tested for a bed Drug testing is an avoidable expense Not practiced for a dry shelter When drug tests are performed, how quickly are results provided? How will behavior standards be defined? Provide counseling to those identified as having behavioral problems 1
Showers important Better/more/any support for mental health Do addicts respond to incentive to clean up to stay in shelter (if it s Having shelter without services is still important but not preferred Good criteria for location (3) Criteria for location (1/2 1 mile) Behavior-based Not wet shelter Not wet shelter Both emergency shelter for year-round drop-in Likes combo drop-in center and emergency shelter Permanent building and stable place Not dependent on other activities (like at a church) Likes limited use for out-oftowners More behaviororiented approach Long-term interaction with repeat clients Job Training Broader referral system (for all populations) Permanent shelter so homeless are sheltered in summer (tourists) ½ mile too far for some funding sources Year round place to sleep Supportive services on site Community gardens provide food homeless work and learn skills in kitchen Year round soup kitchen for entire Require for testing when expelled from shelter dry) Will services be offered to non-homeless? How to prove? Supervision Doesn t address families Behavior-based rather than dry leads to group norms rather than parental always Needs policing of dry or behavior-based Can t ask people to give up alcohol for shelter Wet shelter not OK Dry shelter testing invasive, expensive, complicated Testing not comprehensive (if limited to alcohol) Discriminating against various kinds of substance abuse Flexible model (shifting behavior to dry) 2
(6) Behavior-based (2) Model using multiple smaller (2) Length of time to get shelter going separate units instead of one large area Community advisory group Dry center closer to Funding Dry shelter creates more problems than behaviorbased Likes dry or behaviorbased depending on which is best way to get the desired behavior Metal health services not just beds Collaboration/cooperation of all task group members Behavior extends into Dry shelter no services for clients using town Don t give public resistance such a high priority Could Guerneville River Park be a site? Redwood Gospel Mission operated courtyard in Railroad Square Need daytime services so people don t get kicked out in the morning Need to fund current infrastructure to support more than homeless shelter law enforcement, fire, etc. More than seasonal shelter. Want year round shelter (3) Year round One definition to drop-in center may be a sobering center Dry Shelter Discourage use of substances at dropin center Expand to include permanent supportive housing Who will oversee facility safety/security/training Emergency trailers? What happens to nonlocals turned away? Feasibility Staff qualifications Mass exodus after winter Have sheriff increase patrol on bridge 3
(4) Behavior-based Too small of a for this shelter too seasonal/tourist Increased law enforcement in general Drop-in with services Code of Conduct Code of conduct for whole Out of downtown All in one building Not too far out of town Community Watch program Community input process Code of Conduct Dry Model Behavior-based model All proposed locations are on/close to River Road Still feel abstract/vague. Concerned about location Shelter is different from housing During the day they are outside Community Watch program may put too much responsibility on residents If people break Code of Conduct, where do they go? If it s a dry model, where do the non-dry folks go? Plaza/bridge offers too many opportunities for loitering Use other nontraditional housing methods portables, etc. Needs to be professionally and effectively managed More involvement of Regional Parks to cleanup path Lot of homeless folks where do folks go when winter shelter closed? Where do they sleep when shelter not opened? (2) prefer dry model Faith and based rotating shelter More public restrooms Where do homeless families go? 4
Proximity to hospital/transportation Transportation transitioning to work center, employment and support Code of Conduct Chronic respite medical care plan? Very good as far as it goes Part of the recovery model needs to be services and providers to identify needs of homeless Service providers can decide (prof. decides) Like behavior model segregation of sexes Behavior model most realistic Validity of the statistics Myth if we build it they will come Support available in these economic times for outside people Distance from downtown is problematic Dry shelter is expensive Prefer dry model with supportive services onsite Behavior with rules, both No exclusion due to within shelter and the shelter use and close ties with all services (i.e. WCCS knowledge of clients) (4) Behavior-based model Allows SROs and other forms of housing more across areas DRY MODEL BEHAVIOR MODEL Provide behavior-based with dry component 2--Prefer Behavior-based Costs with implementing dry model Closer to downtown UP to 1/3 of homeless has physical disabilities hard to get around NO ENABLING 5
Year-round services Need to define what behavior-based means what behaviors are we talking about? Drop-in center that provides services Dry model may limit access Services provided should only be to our homeless Zero tolerance for alcohol and drugs and not out of town people Like permanent site Concern about expense and access to drug testing. Don t want people to die Agree need is there 2 homeless people is too many no matter size of Like seasonal shelter concept Continuum of care important No one should die Model includes place for people to be during the day--services What about funding? Local infrastructure already strained. Need a plan beyond the shelter law enforcement, fire dept. People make tents at the river during the summer People also pitch tents in winter Should be in nontourist (i.e. Sebastopol hospital and police) Can you skip shelter and go right to housing? 6