City of Lawrence, Kansas
HOMELESS ISSUES ADVISORY COMMITTEE
October 13, 2015 Minutes (Lawrence City Commission Room)
Members present: Teri Smith (DGCO Emergency Management), Trent McKinley (LPD), Cary Strong (Lawrence Business Community), Brad Cook (Bert Nash Homeless Outreach Team), Laurie Hooker (LDCHA), Michael Brouwer (Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Re-Entry Program)
Members absent:
Staff present: Danelle Dresslar, Caitlyn Cargill
Public present: Liz Stuewe (Willow Domestic Violence Center), Alana Winner (HOPE-LDCHA), Jim Gilbert, Evan Holt
The meeting was called to order at 8:34 by Chair Cook.
ITEM NO. 1 Introductions
The members of the HIAC and public introduced themselves.
ITEM NO. 2 Approval of Agenda and the July 14, 2015 Minutes
Motion by Smith to approve the July 14, 2015 minutes of the HIAC; Seconded by McKinley.
The motion passed 6-0.
ITEM NO. 3 Receive Bert Nash Homeless Outreach Team 2nd Quarter Report
This item was received. There were no further questions from the committee.
ITEM NO. 4 Receive citizen correspondence
Dresslar said staff received correspondence about a circuit court decision in Idaho regarding homeless camping. She confirmed with City Legal staff that the decision has no bearing on local laws or codes. Strong said it was an interesting article. Cook asked about the request in the letter to obtain the number of camping arrests made locally. Dresslar said she sent a reply to the citizen to explain how to formally make a request for those records. Cook said it would be interesting to see the numbers. McKinley said he’s not certain whether illegal camping is prevalent or not without looking at the numbers. He said many people are moving out of the Downtown corridor to camp, but many were camping on buildings and lighting fires which posed a significant hazard. He said Downtown Lawrence Inc. was concerned about camping in trash enclosures near transformers, but he’s unaware of any citations. Cook said the only citations he’s seen were a few years ago. Dresslar said it was a big issue about seven years ago. Brouwer said he couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen a citation for camping in booking records. They agreed that obtaining those citation numbers would be helpful. McKinley asked how far back they plan to seek records and what specific information is desired. Cook said it might be helpful to see illegal camping citations and dispositions for the last four years. McKinley confirmed that it would be the City, not the County, handling the request.
Motion by Cook to obtain illegal camping citation records from the City for the last four years; Seconded by McKinley.
The motion passed 6-0.
ITEM NO. 5 Housing Vision Reports
Dresslar mentioned that there were several agencies that are interested in speaking to the HIAC, but all had declined the invitation to this meeting and will attend in January.
a. Non-Housing
Dresslar said that Kate Watson with the Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition will be at the January meeting. She said staff is still looking for a regional coordinator for Douglas County who would be directly involved with continuum activities.
b. Emergency Shelter/Temporary Housing –
Dresslar mentioned there has been staffing changes at Willow. Liz Stuewe, Willow Domestic Violence Center, said they have new directors and are fully staffed for the first time in a long time. She said they are interested in expanding into underserved areas and seeking funding for extra positions. She said the shelter gets busier when the weather turns cold and they are working with community partners to find transitional housing. Cook asked if she took over Anna’s position. Stuewe said no.
Cook asked about bus passes. Stuewe replied that Becca Burns is the appropriate contact for bus passes.
McKinley suggested they invite someone from the shelter to come talk about safety, particularly as it pertains to women and children. He said the issue has been in the media and he’s aware of a few police reports. Dresslar said she would contact someone to attend the January meeting. McKinley said they should be able to discuss their Code of Conduct, if it has been finalized. Cook said they do have one but it has not been updated because changes must be approved by the City Commission. McKinley questioned how they protect the population through admission, noting the increasing capacity and outside law enforcement agencies frequently dropping people off. Hooker asked if Lawrence Police would give someone a ride to another county. McKinley said no, that is an outdated practice. He said if other agencies pick someone up they typically take them where there are services (Lawrence). Dresslar mentioned that Johnson County does not have a shelter.
c. Transitional Housing/Supportive Services
There were no items discussed.
d. Permanent Supporting Housing
Alana Winner with the Hope Building at LDCHA explained they’ve had a low application turnover and hopes after discussions with HUD they’ll be able to serve a broader range of eligible clients. Currently, they can only serve the chronically homeless- those who can prove they’ve been on the street or abandoned for over 1-3 years- and substance and mental abuse victims do not qualify. She said Hope Building does take females, males, and transgender.
Hooker asked about the Project Able program. Dresslar said they can house 12-15 people under Project Able. Hooker asked if they have openings. Dresslar wasn’t sure.
e. Permanent Housing
Dresslar said they are finalizing the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and may have $120,000 or so to work with. The meetings are being set and the discussions will start pertaining to projects, funding sources, and other items.
Cook asked if the rental inspection program is in full swing. Dresslar said it was supposed to be fully functioning by July and it has effectively been serving its purpose. Cook and Strong expressed interest in hearing from the rental licensing staff at the next meeting.
ITEM NO. 6 Calendar/Miscellaneous
Dresslar said the next meeting will be on January 12, 2016, and hopes the Salvation Army position will be filled by then. Cook said he noticed others will be expiring at the end of the year. Dresslar said she would be contacting those people to make sure they want to seek another term, and then it must go to the City Commission.
Strong mentioned a Justice Matters event will be held on Thursday at the Methodist Church.
ITEM NO. 7 Public Comment
There was no public comment.
ITEM NO. 8 Adjourn
Motion by Strong to adjourn the October 13, 2015 meeting of the HIAC; Seconded by Cook.
The motion passed 6-0. Meeting was adjourned at 9:30am.