City Council

City Hall Meeting Minutes 601 4th Avenue E Olympia, WA 98501 City Council Information: 360.753.8244 Tuesday, May 8, 2018 5:30 PM South Puget Sound Community College 2011 Mottman Road SW, Building 28 Room 111 Special Meeting to Discuss Homelessness & Housing 1. ROLL CALL Present: 7 - Mayor Cheryl Selby, Mayor Pro Tem Nathaniel Jones, Councilmember Jessica Bateman, Councilmember Jim Cooper, Councilmember Clark Gilman, Councilmember Lisa Parshley and Councilmember Renata Rollins 2. BUSINESS ITEM 2.A 18-0437 Discussion Regarding Homelessness and Housing South Puget Sound Community College President Tim Stokes and Board Chair Leonor R. Fuller welcomed the City Council to campus. Facilitator Nancy Campbell reviewed the Council’s guiding principles, ground rules for behavior, and levels of listening. Councilmembers broke into small groups to identify the problem they are trying to solve on this issue and discuss why it is important to them. The issue of homelessness is important to Councilmembers because: · All people deserve to feel safe · Councilmembers want to help · People want a solution · We were raised to care for others · If we don’t address it, we perpetuate harm · Our inaction erodes community · We remember our country’s history, i.e., the great depression · More uncertainty in the future could make the problem worse · We need to show our values · “A harm to one is a harm to all” · Frustrated we are lagging in responding City of Olympia Page 1 City Council Meeting Minutes May 8, 2018 What the Council believes may work to address this issue includes: A coordinated entry that creates a continuum of care that includes case management services with a toolkit including needed services such as: · Rapid rehousing · Adequate shelter and day capacity · Low barrier services · Trauma informed and harm reduction strategies · PIT (Prevention, Intervention and Treatment) · Low barrier day center · Safe places to camp · Permanent supported housing · Regional partnerships that distribute services · Building up the housing stock · A strategic plan that addresses emergent and long-term needs · A clear vision created with input from those affected, including the unhoused, front- line workers and subject matter experts · Strong community partnerships · Strong leadership · Clear and transparent communication · A willingness to risk and to learn · Building more capacity and resources High Priority Action Items Include: · Create a low barrier day center · Partner with the Community Care Center to: - Support strategies that have proven successful - Mitigate impact on businesses - Work to avoid scapegoating of the homeless · Create managed camping services that include cars and RVs that: - Are based on best practices for management - Include hygiene and storage services as well as trash cleanup Strategies to Address What we “Need to Know” include: · Explore what the outcomes and metrics for the Community Care Center should be · Learn about issues that may help frame the principles for the strategic plan for homelessness and housing to include: - Marginalization - Anti-oppression - Trauma informed care · Identify what we do not know to include: - What is known not to work City of Olympia Page 2 City Council Meeting Minutes May 8, 2018 - Review response plans of other cities - Create a comprehensive list of current community services being provided to include capacity - What other financial and community resources might exist · Explore options for how to most effectively engage homeless people on the streets Issues to be addressed in the Strategic Plan include: Convening a broad coalition of community members to advise the Council in the Strategic Planning process that include but is not limited to: · Subject Matter Experts · Front line workers · Unhoused community members · Establish a vision and principles to guide the plan development · Develop a plan to establish a regional urban response plan to homelessness · Identify what can be done to remove barriers to creating more housing stock · Research the potential to create a detoxification center and respite beds for step down from hospitalization · Use the model of a Coordinated Entry approach to service delivery · Identify needed number and strategy for creating adequate overnight shelter beds Issues for Homelessness Coordinator to pursue: · Develop a rapid business plan to implement the high priority action items · Establish a method for more direct reporting to the Council · Create clear and transparent communication vehicles to keep the public informed of City efforts to address homelessness · Arrange a joint meeting with the Community Care Center staff to discuss outcomes and metrics l Arrange a meeting of the three adjoining cities and the county to discuss how to create a shared response to the issue of homelessness The study session was completed. 3. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m. City of Olympia Page 3