Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 4/20/2021 - Memorandum From Jackie Kozak Thiel And Honore Depew Re: Homelessness Advisory Committee Update City Hall 300 LaPorte Ave. PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 970.221.6505 970.224.6107 - fax fcgov.com MEMORANDUM Date: April 14, 2021 To: Mayor Troxell and City Councilmembers Through: Darin Atteberry, City Manager Kyle Stannert, Deputy City Manager From: Jackie Kozak Thiel, Chief Sustainability Officer Honore Depew, Interim Policy and Project Manager Re: Homelessness Advisory Committee Update This is an informational memo with no near-term action expected from Council. The purpose of this memo is to provide Council with an overview of the work completed by the temporary Homelessness Advisory Committee 2.0, since the October 27, 2020 work session in which Council directed staff to: convene a balanced subset of the HAC 1.0, plus additional strategic partners, to focus on potential impacts and opportunities, sharing recommendations for implementation with City Council in 2021 . In November of 2020, a subset of the Homelessness Advisory Committee (HAC 1.0) was convened, made up of committee members who volunteered to continue and build on the work of the first HAC, plus additional strategic partners. The committee, referred to as HAC 2.0, has been asked to consider key questions and deliver recommendations to the City Manager. This phase of committee work builds on the findings from HAC 1.0 by starting at the major point of consensus around the need for a 24/7 shelter in our community and refining the areas that needed more deliberation and details for next steps. The committee is Key Questions for Consideration 1. What amenities and services should be co-located with a 24/7 shelter? 2. Where can a new 24/7 homeless shelter be located? o What trade-offs will exist? 3. How can impacts be addressed and mitigated? o What type of engagement is needed? 4. What funding considerations are recommended? The Trebuchet Group is facilitating deliberative and productive meetings to work through the Key Questions, with staff support from numerous City departments. The committee consists of 11 members representing business owners, service providers, healthcare professionals, nonprofits, and Larimer County: Brian Ferrans Health District of Northern Larimer County Cheryl Zimlich Bohemian Foundation David Rout Homeward Alliance Dean Hoag North Fort Collins Business Association Desiree Anthony Fort Collins Rescue Mission Gloria Kat The Family Center Joe Domko - Catholic Charities Julie Brewen Housing Catalyst Laura Walker Larimer County Matt Robenalt Downtown Development Authority Seth Forwood Fort Collins Rescue Mission The committee has completed an assessment of future shelter needs (space and amenities) including scalable options from a building to accommodate 300 persons per night up to a building scenario for 700 persons per night. Over the course of the final several meetings, the committee will consider what makes various identified locations effective or ineffective to host a shelter, capture ideas for mitigating impacts and leveraging opportunities at each potential location, suggest engagement strategies, and offer funding considerations by location. Because members of the HAC 2.0 bring diverse community perspectives, the committee is unlikely to form consensus around a single shelter location for recommendation. It is expected that the final deliverable will include tiered recommendations based on how effective a location may be, as well as a decision matrix with relevant considerations for leaders to utilize. Deciding whether to build and new 24/7 shelter and where to site it will not be up to the City alone. There are numerous community collaborators in this space, as there have been for development of other shelters in the past. The work of the committee is being followed closely by many in the community and a recent article in the Coloradoan provides some useful insight into the process: https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2021/04/12/fort-collins-homeless-shelter- panel-narrows-site-options-4/7186620002/ Meetings are open to the public. Meeting notes, agendas, and information on observing may be found at https://www.fcgov.com/homelessnesscommittee/ Next Steps: The HAC will hold its final meeting May 21, 2021 and will deliver resulting recommendations and considerations to the City Manager, for future Council discussion, this summer.