City of Lawrence, Kansas
May 12, 2009 Minutes (Lawrence City Commission Room)
Members present: Wes Dalberg, Katherine Dinsdale, Loring Henderson, Charlotte Knoche, Shirley Martin-Smith, Robert Mosely, Shannon Murphy, Sandra Winn Tutwiler
Members absent: Jeanette Collier, Hubbard Collinsworth, Mike Monroe
Staff present: Danelle Dresslar, Margene Swarts
Public present: Carla Helm, Heather Hoy, David Tucker, Hilda Enoch
ITEM NO. 1 INTRODUCTIONS
Dinsdale called the meeting to order at 8:35am. Members of the Community Commission on Homelessness introduced themselves.
ITEM NO. 2 Approval of the Agenda and the April 14, 2009 Minutes
Martin-Smith submitted a correction to the Minutes regarding the motion concerning the Camping Proposal submitted by David Tucker. The motion in the minutes read”
“ACTION TAKEN
Collier moved that the CCH recommend the campsite proposal be sent to the City Commission for further review. Collier said that she works with several individuals and families that are camping. Their dream is to be in housing. Until the community has shelter and adequate housing this is much needed.”
Martin-Smith said that her understanding was that the motion should have read:
“ACTION TAKEN
Collier moved that the CCH recommend the campsite proposal be sent to the City Commission for approval. Collier said that she works with several individuals and families that are camping. Their dream is to be in housing. Until the community has shelter and adequate housing this is much needed.”
ACTION TAKEN
Motion by Martin-Smith, seconded by Dinsdale to approve the April 14, 2009 minutes with the corrected wording regarding the camping motion.
Motion passed unanimously.
ITEM NO.3 APPOINTMENTS BY CHAIR TO THE CCC – KATHERINE DINSDALE
Dinsdale recommended that three appointments be made to the CCC. She said that Randy Hershey with Midland Mediation, David Tucker with Bert Nash, and Kathleen Ames Oliver have all expressed interest in joining the CCC and Dinsdale has received a recommendation for all three from Sara Taliaferro for the appointment to the CCC. Letters have been sent to the City of Lawrence in support of their appointments.
ACTION TAKEN
Motion by Dinsdale, seconded by Knoche to approve the appointments of Kathleen Ames Oliver, Randy Hershey, and David Tucker to the CCC.
Motion passed unanimously.
Henderson asked that since the CCC is a subsidiary to the CCH do the names of the appointees need to go to the City for approval or can the CCH alone approve the appointments.
Swarts told him that the Chair of the CCH has the authority to appoint the members to the CCC with the support of the CCH.
ITEM NO. 4 POINT IN TIME COUNT UPDATE – MARGENE SWARTS
Swarts told the CCH that there are no numbers available yet from the United Way of the Plains regarding the homeless count, however staff is expecting the results within a few weeks.
Martin-Smith asked why the United Way of the Plains was running the count.
Swarts explained that the United Way of the Plains was working with the Kansas Housing Resource Corporation (KHRC) to administer the first State-wide homeless count. The counts are required every two years by HUD, and each Continuum of Care and many communities have administered the counts as their own initiative in the past. The United Way of the Plains worked with leaders from the Continuum of Cares in the State of Kansas, Wyandotte, Johnson, Shawnee, and Sedgwick counties, as well as leaders from Douglas and other counties. The State of Kansas was divided up into four tiers based on county populations. This was to determine a cross section of the State. After the mathematical parts were done they added an additional two counties, Montgomery and Kiowa due to the recent tragedies that they have suffered of the floods and the tornado. The count was a very structured process and the United Way of the Plains required that everything be sent back to them within a day of the count so that they could start the data analysis and the count. Douglas County turned everything into the United Way of the Plains and did not do any preliminary counts.
Dinsdale asked how count was related to the Federal Homeless Point in Time count.
Swarts said that this is the HUD required Point in Time count.
Martin-Smith asked if the numbers would be released to the media before the CCH would have a chance to look at them.
Swarts said that the intent would be to let the CCH discuss the numbers before it hits the media. Staff is still waiting on the time line from the United Way of the Plains, however.
Martin-Smith said that the concern she had was how those numbers will be reported to the public. The numbers have been used in the past in ways that are not correct. It is important that the CCH members have all the information so when they are approached by citizens they can explain the numbers.
Dalberg agreed that a number can mean anything you want it to mean.
Henderson said that as a courtesy to the community that there should be an advanced notification.
Knoche asked if the City of Lawrence would be able to do its own press release.
Swarts said that we will know more about the process when the team leaders meet prior to the release of the numbers. The United Way of the Plains has announced plans to meet with the area team leaders to discuss the release of the numbers and this is all information staff will find out at that time. The CCH will be notified at the first possible opportunity.
Martin-Smith said that this count is very important to the Community and the CCH. The Housing Vision was based on the 2007 count. The very first business on the agenda for June should be to review those numbers that are received.
Henderson asked that when the number comes out will it be for the State or for the Balance of State Continuum of Care.
Swarts said that the counts will be combined and also separated. The report will have the Statewide effort including the Continuum of Cares and the Balance of State. The main parts of the report analysis will be concerning Sedgwick, Shawnee, Wyandotte, and Johnson counties and the Balance of State. Staff worked with United Way of the Plains to make sure that Lawrence and Douglas County analysis was included as a separate item as well and not just lumped into the Balance of State.
Henderson added that the number for the State of Kansas will be a large one.
ITEM NO. 5 E-HOUSING CONNECTION UPDATE / STIMULUS FUNDS UPDATE – CHARLOTTE KNOCHE
Heather Hoy distributed and discussed the E-Housing Connection update. It can be found here.
Hoy reported the LDCHA Board of Directors has approved the case manager position for LDCHA that was discussed at the April CCH meeting. This position will be able to assist with the E-Housing Connection as well as other capacities within the organization.
Hoy discussed upcoming activities including a Landlord Summit that LDCHA will be hosting to begin a good dialog with landlords looking to fill their vacancies and allow a discussion to happen regarding the program. She also said that there was an effective E-Housing meeting in April where a lot of relevant information was discussed.
Dinsdale asked where the eight case managers would fit in to the program.
Hoy said that E-Housing was designed so the client needed to be tied to a case manager. When the LDCHA was looking at the numbers of service providers and their case loads at the last E-Housing meeting the number eight is the amount of additional case managers that would need to be hired across the board to satisfy the case load already managed. Sometimes one client can have three or four case managers instead of one point person, and usually this is a case where the other case managers do not know that there are other service providers involved with the client as well. People and places are overloaded.
Murphy agreed that in order to have the wrap-around case management approach that the clients need there needs to be a point person, and that person needs to be able to effectively balance the case management of all their clients. That is a dilemma that the service providers are faced with.
Dinsdale said that from a personal standpoint in working with Family Promise she has witnessed one overwhelmed individual working with 11 different agencies and no point person to guide them. She asked who can take the leadership role in appointing a point person for these clients.
Murphy said that the case mangers should be able to be the continuum of needs that the clients face and the support that they truly need.
Hoy said that Knoche and Barbara Huppee, Executive Director of LDCHA, have had meetings with clients where there have been case managers, but there is not a point person so they typically will revert back to old habits and their original starting position. The person who can lead them through the process and help them to maintain their housing is an important component of the tool box. Service providers feel bad when they determine that someone has fallen back out of housing because they did not have the tools and knowledge to remain housed. The providers said that they wanted to help their clients more, but they are overwhelmed on their current case loads. Through the development process of E-Housing they have found that things are getting worse and worse in this capacity and that families that can not pay rent really do not have any choices for housing.
Knoche added that the majority of these families are doubled up, and that could be a five member family living with another five member family in one location.
Hoy agreed and said that there are many families doubled up, and the shelter space issue is huge as well.
Dinsdale said that she sees that with Family Promise also. The families are ready to move into housing, but there is no housing available. She sees two issues with the problem. The first is a lack of leadership on a case management team for the clients, and the second is what can be done for the families that can not pay rent. She asked who is addressing these two issues and can the CCH have an effect on solving those problems.
Martin-Smith said that as the CCH is listening to the presentation on E-Housing that she feels that the Housing Vision is right on target with what they are doing. She is very encouraged by this. She said that as she watched the City Commission meeting on May 5, she recalled the City Commission discussion on homeless issues and things that the CCH can play an important role from a leadership standpoint. The CCH can help the community by convening a group to have that discussion. She asked how the case managers of the original task force play into this scenario. She said that there have been meetings with case managers from the early onset of the E-Housing Connection. The CCH and the case managers need to stay open and continue to talk, and she is encouraged that they can find solutions. There are a lot of community resources that can be utilized. She asked if a message can be taken to the LDCHA Board to thank them for their commitment to E-Housing. She wanted to send word back to the Board from the CCH for their appreciation to this commitment.
Dinsdale asked Henderson if he could provide an update on the overflow shelter and the relocation process for the main shelter.
Henderson said that he has been looking for an interim shelter building for those currently housed by The Salvation Army that will be displaced after the shelter portion closes at the end of May. He has submitted an application for a special use permit for the area at 13th and Massachusetts. All of the property is currently being used by Douglas County Public Works. Part of the facility is storage and it can be cleared out. It is possible at this time that this is where the overflow shelter may be located. The current timeline is that the final approvals will be July 7. He is going to ask the City Commission’s permission for emergency access because of the time frame. There will need to be bathrooms built and a sprinkler system will need to be installed. Each project will take a couple of weeks but can be done at the same time. He hopes to submit the letter to the City this week. The overflow shelter will be run like the Salvation Army is currently managed. It will be a place for those who are not drinking as well as for families. The building used to be a church, so there is a nice space that functioned as the nursery. It is big enough to house a couple of families away from the other population and allow them a separate space. The overflow shelter will only be a nighttime facility. This will minimize the effect on the neighborhoods since it is a temporary situation. The Fire Department said that the facility can hold up to 50 people. There is not a plan B at this time.
Knoche wanted to clarify that this is an additional location or if it is a new location in regards to the current shelter.
Henderson said that it is an additional location so there will be two under operation until a new permanent site can be found. There will also be an evening meal at this site. It will operate the same as the current shelter as volunteers will cook food and bring it in. There will be cereal and coffee in the morning.
David Tucker, Bert Nash PATH Outreach worker, asked how the staff will be managed since there will be two operational shelters.
Henderson said that he will be hiring additional staff to accomplish this. When the two shelters close and the new permanent facility is opened, they will need the additional staff for that as well, so they will bring the new employees on now and they will be ready for the move when it happens. He added that people are working very hard to be helpful and make this happen.
Dinsdale asked Henderson about the costs associated with the overflow building.
Henderson said that it is roughly $120,000. This includes the bathrooms, sprinklers, outside exit work, outside and inside ramps, and walls to create some separation within the facility.
Dinsdale asked Dalberg what the last day of operations for the Salvation Army emergency shelter would be.
Dalberg said that the emergency shelter will close on May 31.
ITEM NO. 6 DISCUSSION REGARDING FUTURE TASKS AND WORK OF THE CCH / STUDY SESSION WITH CITY COMMISSION.
A. FUTURE TASKS.
B. PLANNING RETREAT.
C. ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATION REGARDING THE HOUSING VISION.
D. 10 YEAR PLAN DISCUSSION.
E. OTHER.
Dinsdale told the CCH that she had requested this item be placed on the agenda for this meeting. She said that she puts a high value on her time and energy and a high value on the time and energy of each member of the CCH. The opportunity and talent that the CCH possesses, as well as the staff support that they have is significant. This is a relatively new body for the City, and the CCH is consistently redefining their business. There is an amount of frustration that the CCH has been spinning their wheels and putting out fires instead of moving forward in a fashion to fulfill the goals that were set forth by the Mayor in 2005. She poses the questions where does the CCH go from here, does the CCH want to go anywhere from here, and what is the best use of their time.
Dinsdale passed out an article written by Leonard Pitts. It talks about the institution of the NAACP and how they have never been led by personalities, but they continued to move ahead and set up a mission. They were consistently reminded of their roles as a mode of progress. They kept going and going, and one day they looked up and those tiny increments of movement have all of a sudden created change. Dinsdale said that sometimes she felt like the CCH is not making any progress, then she steps back and realizes that they have. Some of the things that they had originally envisioned have come to happen, such as E-Housing and Family Promise. She feels that the private sector needs to be involved. Family Promise has almost 1000 volunteers working. She does not want to get discouraged. She added that when the current Mayor says on the front page of the newspaper that one of his main goals is to get Lawrence Community Shelter into a permanent building that the CCH should feel good about that. The Homeless Text Amendment and the Camping issue put the CCH in a responsive reactive position instead of a proactive position. She suggests that a discussion take place in the CCH so they can all get a view of the body and to discuss possible planning retreat with the City Commission. She wants to determine the best use of their time. If the CCH is not thoughtful in how they go forward they will become irrelevant.
Knoche said that as she looks over the Housing Vision she is encouraged by what they have done and what they have been doing. They are moving toward one shelter as defined in the Vision. That piece of the vision is the one that has gotten most of the focus. The Transitional Housing portion of the Vision has received City support for the Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA), and the LDCHA is working with Bert Nash as well. The Housing Vision is moving forward. Knoche said that the piece of the Vision that she does not see movement toward is Permanent Supportive Housing for those chronically homeless with disabilities. She sees successes with the reentry program as well as the TBRA. She identified two areas that need focus going forward. The first is the shelter issue. The CCH needs to do everything they can to get LCS their new shelter. The second issue is that of Permanent Supportive Housing. If the CCH is still moving towards the Housing Vision these are the two areas that need the increased movement.
Martin-Smith asked Knoche if she felt that the CCH is doing this work.
Knoche said that she did.
Dinsdale said that these are perfect areas to concentrate on. The idea is how can the CCH focus and have an effect on the outcome.
Henderson asked Knoche how the CCH can help those two issues.
Knoche said that the biggest thing that the CCH is doing is putting out the plan and vision and focusing things in that way. They are working with the Community and keeping it focused on a plan. She believes that things that are planned well and implemented according to that plan work better. She feels that this is what the CCH is accomplishing.
Dalberg said that he agreed with what Knoche said. He believes that the CCH must stay focused on the Housing Vision, and that all aspects of the Housing Vision must be given attention and that they can not allow any part to be forgotten. He acknowledged that the closing of the Salvation Army emergency shelter has created difficulties, but it has also caused the Community to move forward. His fear is that if the Salvation Army emergency shelter had stayed open and operational then things would be the same as they have been. In forcing that hand and wanting to help Henderson’s situation at the Lawrence Community Shelter the process has moved along. The CCH said that they wanted this Housing Vision in the community. The CCH as a commission needs to take this Housing Vision and keep pushing that agenda forward in all those areas. They can not become single minded and determine that the shelter is the only solution. The CCH needs to move forward and take the burden off of LCS.
Dinsdale asked Dalberg if he saw a use for the CCH.
Dalberg said that the CCH needs to be the driving force for the Vision. Unless the CCH does that they are not fulfilling the charge that they were given.
Knoche added that the City Commission has seen this Housing Vision and adopted it. The CCH needs to be moving forward. They have not been focusing on Permanent Supportive Housing. The LDCHA operates a six unit permanent supportive program. This is very difficult to do. The CCH needs to foster some research into this and the capacity of local agencies to do this. The Housing Vision says that the community needs 22 of these units, the service providers say 30 are needed.
Mosely said that he felt as if the CCH was doing their job. They have done everything the City has asked them to do. The City needs to stop talking and do what they say they want to do. The Shelter could have happened two years ago. Here the CCH is, two years later and they are still talking about the same thing. The solutions have been handed to the City. The community does not have these things because the City does not follow through. The CCH is doing the work and the City Commission just has to vote thumbs up or thumbs down. He asked what they have accomplished if the City Commission will not back them. He said that the City Commission does not listen to the CCH and they do what they want to do.
Murphy said that it is good to keep the conversations in the forefront. The CCH is keeping those conversations out there for the City Commission and the community.
Mosely said that two years ago they City Commission did not want a homeless shelter relocated to the area that was under consideration and not look at the situation now. The City has the power to use the empty buildings in Lawrence. They can take over some of these buildings as other communities are doing. The City cannot have it both ways.
Dinsdale said that the CCH is continuing to keep the issues in the face of the City Commission.
Murphy said that she understands the frustration of the continuing conversations. When one looks back they can see that the CCH is making little steps, but they are steps nonetheless. Looking at all five steps in the Housing Vision is a large undertaking. The CCH needs to continue looking at the Vision as steps, but as one is accomplished then the focus needs to be shifted to another. It is important to do that. The Sheriff’s office is trying to education the public and community about the inmates that are reentering the community. Murphy said that is what she does, and the conversation is always there in the front. That is how the CCH should move forward. Keeping the conversations in the front and taking the steps in accomplishing the Housing Vision.
Mosely said that idea is all well and good if all you want is conversation. If the CCH wants to accomplish something they need to look at what has been done and what has actually not been done. The CCH has done these things for a long time. They have done everything the City Commission has asked them to. The CCH does things and sends recommendations and the City Commission does not do anything. He does not know what the solution is. The City Commission needs to get move involved. Do not just say that you support something but show that you support something. There has never been a City Commission member at the CCH meetings, and when one goes to see them nothing happens. Mosely said he needs the City Commission to show the CCH that they are really behind this charge and tell the CCH what they will do about it.
Martin-Smith said that when she was Chair of the CCH she asked when the body would stop having relevance, and at that point would the CCH even need to exist. She last visited this question when they voted last month to recommend the campsite. She went home after that meeting and told herself that her work was done. She is listening to the CCH members and looking at the agenda and she understands how Mosely feels. She said that she was formerly a City Commissioner and she loves this form of Government where citizens sit on boards to advise the City Commission. The CCH has appeared before the City Commissioners in study sessions and have always been well received. They needed to have five votes originally for the Housing Vision, and after watching last week’s City Commission meeting it would be easy to get that five again. The current Commissioners with tenure get it. As she was watching last week the City Commission indicated they were committed to moving forward. Those five commissioners will stand with the LCS to make it happen. On the other hand, she does not think that the City Commission remembered the other parts of the Housing Vision. If the CCH is going to have relevance they need to not be divided but united in where they are going. She felt like it was time for her to leave once they CCH got off the course of the Housing Vision. That Vision was the only thing that anchored this body. She is hearing from the LDCHA and other bodies that there is commonality on the Vision.
Knoche asked if they could bring forward a motion to update the Housing Vision with the homeless count from this year. She suggested getting the Housing Vision in front of other boards such as Bert Nash and the LDCHA. The CCH can show them where their programs fall under the Vision, and that will make the agencies continue to be active in terms of housing for their clients. The Community needs to see this Vision and embrace it and become part of it.
Dinsdale asked if there is relevance for this committee. She suggested that they plan a specific time that they can meet to come up with particular tasks going forward. The CCH can be more useful if each member takes ownership of the Housing Vision. The members need to work outside of the committee in the community.
Tutwiler said that she had three comments regarding the CCH. She appreciates what Martin-Smith said. She first wondered what would have happened last week in the City Commission if the CCH had voted 8-0 in favor of recommending the campsite, and what impact the unanimous vote from the CCH would have had on the decision. The second comment is that she wonders what the belief system is behind the Housing Vision. There needs to be a collective belief system that keeps the CCH somewhat clumped together and becomes a larger voice of what should be happening in Lawrence. This can be a discussion that happens and if there is some commonality it will give it more emphasis. The third comment is that she sees a lot of “what” being discussed, but not a lot of ‘how”. She said that if she was going to do something, she looks at how she is going to see this thing move forward. She asked how the CCH as a body can have an impact on the Homeless shelter.
Henderson said that he supported the Housing Vision. The Vision is broad and strong. He promotes it wherever he goes in the City and community. It is a good framework to build from, and a good way to be united in various things that they are each doing as individuals and as agencies in town. The Shelter situation needs the help of the CCH. He said the Permanent Supportive Housing issue bothers him as well. There are people stuck at the shelter who need this permanent supportive housing. Permanent Supportive housing is evolutionary and it is tough and expensive. The Lawrence Community Shelter is working on submitting an application for a site to bring in these services. He said that LCS sees it as their responsibility to help those in the shelter find their way out. The CCH does not have anyone at the table that supports an agency for mental health. The CCH needs that voice so they can move forward. Homelessness as we know it would not exist with that mental health component. Sometimes he wonders about the CCH because all the things that are happening are happening from the bottom up. The role of the CCH is to oversee the Housing Vision and communicate it to the public so they can understand the complicated nature of homelessness. The CCH is a platform to do this. If the CCH ceased to exist then it would just get created again. The CCH should be a place where issues related to homelessness can come. When there is an issue as relevant as camping where else can those people go? They went through the process and had a good hearing at the City Commission. Camping is still out there and it will go on, but there was at least a platform and an arena for that issue to be heard. The CCH needs to be ready at times, without pulling away from the Housing Vision, as the place for the homeless to come. Henderson said that as someone who works with the homeless, without the CCH he would be lost. The issue is the Vision. The Housing Vision was stumbled onto in a way in the beginning, but the CCH has put it together the right way and it is a good vision and they should stick to it.
Murphy agreed that there needs to be a body such as the CCH with a forum that the homeless can come to. The CCH can go beyond the Housing Vision if that is what they want to do. Educating the public and the community needs to be listed in the Housing Vision. Also the charge of the CCH needs to be listed as well.
Dinsdale said that those have always been part of the plan, but are not specifically part of the Housing Vision itself. The vision statement needs to be updated.
Murphy said that the vision statement needs to be updated. It will help to direct the CCH to show that they are in the arena of being a forum for homelessness issues.
Henderson said that one of the Board members that he spent an hour with recently was Dolph Simons, Jr. Henderson opened the Housing Vision up for him to use for demonstrative purposes and faced it toward him as they were conversing. As they talked Henderson kept referring to the Vision. It was very helpful to him in that conversation. Using the Housing Vision and going forward with it is a role for the CCH. It is important for the community to look to the CCH as that leader.
Dinsdale asked staff to set up a time for a planning retreat where the CCH can continue this conversation and get down on paper a division of labor and specific goals and next steps for this group. She proposed to ask the City Commission to be a part of the discussion. She asked the CCH if there is support for this suggestion.
Martin-Smith supported the idea of the planning retreat. There have been new CCH members that have come on board since the last retreat so it is a good idea to meet again to prioritize goals. She asked that the City Commission members not be invited to the planning retreat because this is not the only Advisory Board in the City. The CCH will be most helpful to them when they can meet with them after the retreat and update them on the Housing Vision and how the CCH is moving forward. There also needs to be a discussion on the Lawrence Community Shelter included in the talks with the City Commission. The planning retreat and the meeting with the City Commission are two separate things.
Knoche agreed. The Housing Vision needs to be updated through a planning retreat so the CCH can be around a table and fuse in the most current homeless count numbers and changes in the community. The time to move forward to the City is when that retreat is complete.
Dinsdale said that the City can suggest the dates to the CCH that would be most appropriate for a study session and a planning retreat.
Dinsdale asked for a motion to extend the meeting.
ACTION TAKEN
Motion by Murphy, seconded by Martin-Smith to extend the meeting until 10:15a.m.
Motion passed unanimously.
ITEM NO. 7 PUBLIC COMMENT
Hilda Enoch spoke to the CCH and said that they were created with the purpose of solving the homeless problem in the community. She said that they were the Community Commission on Homelessness and with having that title means that is where the public turns for answers and support. The CCH needs to collaborate with those interested in housing such as Tenants to Homeowners, housing developers, and Habitat for Humanity. It feels to her like if the CCH went outside of this committee and look to those who have the answers. The CCH needs to look at the Housing Trust and work to find money to help with funding to help these people. There needs to be a broad collaboration to bring in others who work on those types of projects. The CCH has a purpose in existing and they are the body that the community turns to for answers. In denying the Tent City the CCH and the City Commission have made a strong commitment to the Housing Vision. They are waiting for the CCH to go before them with something specific. Commissioner Dever and Mayor Chestnut said that they are taking an active role in this. The CCH needs to bring people together to solve this housing problem one step at a time. Whatever is needed in the Community is what the CCH is charged with.
Dinsdale agreed with Enoch that Mayor Chestnut is committed to taking a role in this issue and she had recently received a note from him saying that the work that the CCH has done has shown a clear direction to the City Commission.
David Tucker said that the CCH really is a very relevant body. He went to the City Commission with his campsite proposal and the City Commission referred him back to the CCH. The CCH is the voice for those who are not involved with City government can turn to. The CCH has a serious reason to be here, and it is not just because of the Housing Vision. If the CCH can come with a majority support for something then they can take that issue to the City Commission and advocate for that issue. Mosely was correct when he said that the CCH and the City Commission can talk about these issues all the time, but when the CCH gets behind an idea they need to advocate strongly for it. The City Commission needs to want to focus on the issue. The CCH needs to come up with the “hows”. He said that the CCH give the voice to those who can not be there. The CCH has access to City staff and the ability to contact the City Commissioners on their off time. The CCH really does have a serious mission to advocate for others because they have the ability and the power to do so. The service providers advocate the CCH point of view to the City. He said when he speaks to the City Commissioners about an issue he voices his support for the Housing Vision of the CCH. Even if there is not a majority vote there needs to be a serious unified voice or the City Commission will not listen.
Heather Hoy spoke as a private citizen and not on behalf of LDCHA. She said that speaking about the Housing Vision and keeping it in front of the City Commission is a marketing strategy for the entire face of homelessness in Lawrence. Not enough attention is brought to the fact that the homeless are not just individuals. The what, the how and the who needs to be highlighted. The CCH needs to start getting the word out on this fact. The children affected by homelessness need to be brought to the front of the issue. The community does not want to say these things or acknowledge that this is part of the issue but this is the other face of homelessness that needs to be talked about.
Dinsdale asked if the planning retreat needed to happen after the homeless count has been released.
Swarts said that staff can put the retreat together and by that time the homeless count should be released. She said that staff will look at the calendar and send out some possibilities for the date.
Martin-Smith said that she knew that the City Commission is busy with budget issues, and that it will be nice for the CCH to meet the new Commission after the planning retreat with their direction and future tasks.
Swarts said that the original request for the Study Session with the City Commission has been placed on the backburner. With the planning retreat moving forward this discussion with the City Commission can take place in June while they are still on the current budget cycle. She indicated that she would speak with the City Manager’s office and request a Study Session date toward the end of June. Fine tuning the Housing Vision and the charge of the CCH before this Study Session is a good idea.
ITEM NO. 8 MISCELLANEOUS/CALENDAR
Dinsdale clarified that the next calendar steps are to plan the retreat, have the June Study Session with the City Commission, and possibly have another meeting in the middle. Staff will let the CCH know the dates.
ITEM NO. 9 ADJOURN
ACTION TAKEN
Motion by Dinsdale, seconded by Martin-Smith to adjourn the meeting at 10:12 a.m.
Motion passed unanimously.