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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOMMUNITY OF CHRIST SEASONAL OVERFLOW SHELTER - BDR ..... SECOND NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING - BDR160020 - MINUTES/NOTES - CORRESPONDENCE-NEIGHBORHOOD MEETINGI COMMUNITY OF CHRIST CHURCH SEASONAL F City t"t Collins SHELTER /"� Project- Community of Christ Church Seasonal Overflow Meeting Date' December 19`", 2016 Shelter Facilitator: Clay Frickey I Place/Room: . community of Christ Church LIMINa ��• � �i3c�G4v � k ,41 r �y ii3f'o T�JcfU/�c�. D✓� %c;rz, ro���N�, n�o C LU �30 �s�.� Y05Z� �-1-�,,�C����t_�LC oRG C,kahuvlcL rv�e rc�y 805@� y may%.can C�- �Gg�� �w7 �nL✓� n� �Sbc,2� rl�o I��, �,tE Cowrc°� ��� �Pr -f j �'DS.2� M�.�a� � � Coo/ v�✓✓Pr? , u L16c G(�'v ey caeo /J e, - L � �McQE VVX NOTICE: The City of Fort Collins will use the contact information you provide on this sign in sheet to deliver any additional information related to the topic of this meeting to you. This sign in sheet and the contact information you provide (except email addresses) is considered a public record. Page of accepting vouchers either. Response (Applicant): We have lots of people in the community that accept vouchers and most tenants are good. Housing prices is still the main issue. Comment (Church): Just to follow-up on the Mennonite Church issue, the idea is they provide 4 families with children a place to sleep one week per quarter. People behind the church are not a part of this program. This is a police issue, these folks are trespassing. The program is in the process of expanding. Eventually, these families will move to a group home proposed on Sherwood Street so they can get help with finding housing. Comment (Church): The police are coming the last Sunday in January to talk about these issues and figure out what works and what doesn't. Question (Citizen): Is this only open to the congregation or is this open to the whole neighborhood? Response (Church): It is for the congregation but I am inviting you. Question (Citizen): Can anyone get meals and stay at the Rescue Mission? Response (Applicant): Yes. Comment (Citizen): Police told me to go to City Council and talk about my experience. Comment (Citizen): We have meetings about this all the time and it is hard to come to meetings. I've very frustrated. These meetings aren't convenient. The only people that come to these meetings are retired. Response (City): What times would work better for meetings? Response (Citizen): No time works. No one listens. You've already made your decision. It's very frustrating. It feels like you're just checking a box and this is just a courtesy. Response (Applicant): Thanks, I hear you. I'm sorry you feel frustrated. We have a new program called Outreach Fort Collins to help manage issues with the homeless population. Our Safe Place to Rest program also came out of our outreach to this neighborhood. We can't sit here and do nothing. Comment (Citizen): What infuriates me is it is only this neighborhood bearing the burden due to its location. If we had real facilities with transportation we wouldn't be the only neighborhood impacted. If we could disperse this to other parts of the community there would be less violence, rapes, and knife fights. It feels like convenience. Response (City): It's not just convenience. We don't like feeling like we're having the same conversations with the community either. We're all community members too and we're doing our best to manage these issues and provide solutions. If I lived in your neighborhood I would probably be right there with you in seeking solutions for this problem. Response (Applicant): We're trying to disperse this population. Come to Council and speak. Homeless folks provide one side of the story. But urban core neighborhoods will have urban issues such as homelessness. Comment (Citizen): This will only get worse as the number of people in the community increases. Comment (Church): 5 years ago we tried to do this at Knights of Columbus Church. We had lots NIMBYism for both the Redtail Ponds Project and Knights of Columbus. We're trying to provide this service and deal with police issues. Comment (Citizen): Location/convenience is a part of this conversation. But this will be happening with or without this overflow shelter. This won't solve other problems. Comment (Citizen): I'm not convinced this won't bring more homeless people into our neighborhood. I had a situation one night where I was walking down Oak to get to Ace Hardware. There 12-15 people loitering on the corner at College Ave. One guy was laying down, spread eagle near the Cupboard and roaring like a lion. I guess my point is that voting down the mental health facility was bad. Question (Citizen): I'm confused on Safe Place to Rest. Is the building opening to only 5-10 people or could someone do this at their private residence? Response (Applicant): Yes, this is designed for faith based or non-profit buildings, not for private homes. The place of worship or non-profit would provide the volunteers to run the facility. Comment (Citizen): I used to accept Section 8 vouchers at my rentals but I can't handle it anymore. The quality of the tenants is deteriorating. I know others have had the same experience and they don't like Question (Citizen): Are you finding there is more of a need for long-term sheltering? Response (Operator): The main issue is housing prices. It's difficult to sustain low -wage jobs. The living wage in Fort Collins is $18 per hour, which is a lot higher than what many people make. That equation causes issues. We require clients to save 30% of their income but there are not many apartments for rent under $700 per month here. We need more low -middle income housing. Comment (Citizen): I was talking to a police officer about this. After talking to some homeless people, he said that many move to Harmony since they make more money in the south end of town. The services are up here, though, and they will not walk far in the cold to reach services. Comment (Citizen): I read story in the news that said the MAX has caused more camps to move to the south end of town. Comment (Citizen): The murder at the lumber yard on Harmony was terrible. Response (Applicant): Yes, that was terrible and we try to keep people out of abandoned buildings. Comment (Citizen): The behavior of the homeless population seems to have changed. I've noticed more murders, stabbings, and needles lately. Response (Applicant): Perhaps, but keep in mind that homeless people are more likely to be victims of crime rather than perpetrators of crime. I'm sorry this has happened but it is most likely the exception and not the rule. Comment (Citizen): It is usually a crime against themselves. Comment (Citizen): We've found that a lot of the transients have addresses in other communities and are not from Fort Collins. Comment (Citizen): I don't doubt the statistics but people are aggressive. A lot of these situations could have escalated. Response (Applicant): Call the police if something bad happens. Keep in mind that the Library lets people come inside to get warm. Comment (Citizen): A friendly patrol could help with behavioral issues. Comment (Citizen): The police can't do everything. Question (Citizen): I'm looking at this and comparing it to the behavior I've seen at the Mennonite Church. Who should we call if we have an issue with people hanging out on that site? Two things would help: more patrolling and a contact person for the operator. Response (Church): 1 will call them. Response (Applicant): Call Guy or Catholic Charities. I will also call the police and ask for a patrol. Question (Citizen): Will there be a City Council meeting related to this? Response (City): No, this will be a staff level decision. You will be able to appeal this decision to the Planning & Zoning Board. Comment (Citizen): Are just spinning our wheels here? Can we just put this in City Hall since it's not being used at night? Question (Citizen): Do you perform background checks? Response (Operator): We don't on overflow shelters but we do for our staff members. Keep in mind this shelter is only for 1 night. They can get breakfast at other places. Question (Citizen): Is this facility for sleeping only? Response (Operator): Yes, we don't even allow them to shower. They get here, sleep, and then leave. Question (Citizen): Can you expound upon your training? Response (Operator): We only shelter folks, we don't provide treatment. Lots of our staff are students in the psychology or social work program at CSU that want to get experience. We train our folks on boundaries, behavior, policies, conflict management procedure, emergency procedures, and crowd control. 99% of the time the job is boredom. Our guests have a 15 minute window to arrive and get bedded down. They leave at 6:15. Nothing happens unless someone can't sleep. We also do periodic checks to make sure nothing is going on during the night. Question (Citizen): Do staff members stay overnight? Response (Operator): Yes, two staff members stay overnight. Response (Citizen): I've volunteered with Catholic Charities before and I am impressed by them. People have respect for the operators and I have only heard of one police phone call. Response (Operator): We provide a lot of de-escalation training to make sure everyone feels satisfied with the outcome of a contentious event. We are not a treatment program. If folks need to take medication during their stay, we make sure they are able to perform self -care. Question (Citizen): Do you provide blankets and pillows? Response (Operator): We provide blankets but not pillows. Question (Citizen): Will this be a permanent shelter? Response (Operator): No, we are looking to transition to the Safe Place to Rest model. This is based on how Nashville, TN manages their homeless shelters. It's a program where places of worship and other community organizations volunteer to run nighttime shelters for 6-12 people. Each location is responsible for getting people to and from their site. This model disperses the homeless population throughout the community and doesn't require any City money to operate. Right now, we have 3 locations and are looking to expand the program to numerous other locations. Question (Citizen): Are all of the Safe Place to Rest locations in Old Town? Response (Operator): We sent out the request City-wide and asked for each location to provide transportation to and from the site. Nashville has 180 churches that participate. Response (Applicant): This is a pilot year where the 3 locations operate 3 nights per week. 2 more churches have recently stepped up. Not all of the locations are in Old Town. Comment (Citizen): They should be dispersed. We bear the burden and it is not a good experience. Response (Applicant): We heard that at the previous meeting and that is why we are promoting the Safe Place to Rest program. free pass. Response (Applicant): Boulder also has 90-day shelters so some go there to stay for a while. Question (Citizen): So this means some go to Boulder for a while and then come back? Response (Applicant): Yes. Question (Citizen): Do you re -check every person every night? Response (Operator): Yes. We also have two tracks. We have one track for folks looking to get out of homelessness and one track for folks looking for a place to stay on a night -to -night basis. This is also a dry shelter so we don't allow intoxicated people to stay with us. They know this so we don't typically see intoxicated people show up. Question (Citizen): So that drunk guy trying to put all of his whiskey in his coffee mug wouldn't be allowed into the shelter? Response (Operator): Our managers are trained to catch people doing things like this. We check water bottles, coffee mugs, etc. for alcohol. Our staff also continually monitor behavior while they are in the shelter for the night. The more people that are in the shelter, the more they are off the street. We recognize it is a double-edged sword by allowing these folks in the neighborhood but we feel they will cause less trouble to neighbors if they are in a shelter rather than on the street. Comment (Citizen): I think that's great, but I am still conflicted. Comment (Citizen): If the numbers of homeless people are staying the same, it shows that people flow in and out of homelessness or your program to transition people out of homeless isn't working. Response (Applicant): HUD wants to see these numbers go down. We've gotten better at counting folks and word has gotten out that they shouldn't be afraid of being counted. Response (Operator): One of the questions we ask is how long they have been homeless. 20% are chronic, meaning they have been homeless for 2 or more years. Of the 300 we count, many are episodically homeless. As people leave homelessness, others enter. Response (Applicant): We're working on trying to match people with the appropriate program. The City is only one partner of many working on this issue. The City focuses on supporting community organizations that try to prevent homelessness. Red Tail Ponds, for example, has living accommodations for 54 folks transitioning out of homelessness. We can move some people through the system by having better housing options. Question (Citizen): So this means 75 folks are chronically homeless? Response (Operator): Yes, 60-75 are chronically homeless. We will have updated counts at the end of January. Response (Applicant): Homeward 2020 publishes these results. Question (Citizen): Do you provide sleeping mats? Response (Operator): Yes, we provide shelter mats. They are about 4" thick and aren't terribly comfortable. Question (Citizen): So like an exercise mat? Response (Operator): Yes, but they are thicker like a FEMA mat. They are not a draw to our facilities. Comment (Citizen): There's only so much presence the police can have. This is not realistic. Response (Applicant): These are all existing problems so more patrol could help. Comment (Citizen): We'll need a larger police force with our increasing population. Question (Citizen): Did you say the shelter is not open now? Response (Applicant): Right, it will not open until January. There was no shelter here last year. Comment (Citizen): I am all for a shelter for women and children, but not for transient men. Response (Applicant): We anticipated a need for women and children two years ago but the most we ever had overnight was 8 people. This is not the demographic with the most need from a numbers perspective. We need to figure out the need. Our providers are guessing, too. We will have a better guess in January. Response (Operator): We would have a population of 12-17 maximum where the shelters are beyond capacity. Our Safe Place to Rest at 3 locations each accommodate 6-8 people most nights. This past weekend we saw more due to the cold. Safe Place to Rest locations, however, are not available every night. This proposal could accommodate 50 people maximum, but we won't see anywhere close to that many people. Question (Citizen): Is our homeless population increasing every year? Response (Operator): No, our counts for the homeless population is a HUD requirement. We do these counts the last week of January every year. Since 2014, the numbers have remained steady. We conduct the survey by surveying shelters and people out on the streets. The numbers have varied by about 4 people since 2014. We have counted 295-300 people every year since 2014. During the summer time, these numbers increase by 150-200. This jump in population is due to transients. Our winter numbers, though, have remained stable at around 300 people. Comment (Citizen): Remember that the church is part of the neighborhood, too. We consistently find trash and human waste on the front doorway. Once we found a sleeping bag on the roof along with a gun. We called the police but they couldn't find anyone. One time we had a guy sleeping in the building and we had to kick him out. These issues are not related to this proposed shelter. They will do this anyway. Response (Operator): As the operator, we monitor the behavior of our guests. If they misbehave before, during, or after staying with us, we will not allow them to use our shelter for a period of time. This encourages better behavior. If there are consequences for bad behavior, then we will see better behavior over time. We will not attract bad actors as a result. Question (Citizen): Where do they go once they are kicked out? Response (Operator): A lot will live in their car for a while. We do not kick them out permanently. This is a teaching moment. Many have a source of income whether it be a small job or disability payments. They can stay in a hotel usually for a while until we allow them back. Comment (Citizen): It sounds like there are two populations: transients and non -transients. It is difficult to tease them out. Response (Operator): We're trying to create awareness on the difference between the two. There is no Response (Applicant): I hear you're conflicted. We have transient folks with or without homeless shelters. We have no idea if this guy was actually homeless. Comment (Citizen): The Mennonite Church has not been successful. They have a group of men that hang out there and yell at people. They yelled at my friend when they were walking their dog. Response (Applicant): I know the Mennonite Church has a warming but on Friday evening. Comment (Citizen): This is during the day. Response (Applicant): When we have a remote location, we have better leverage to get the location to monitor behavior. I am not sure what is going on in this particular instance. Comment (Citizen): While it's nice people are checking the church to make sure people aren't loitering, no one is checking a block away. Response (Applicant): This happens with or without the shelter. Comment (Citizen): I saw someone a block down clumsily pouring a half gallon of whiskey into a travel coffee mug to hide their alcohol. I thought that this person would be going to a shelter. I don't feel safe in my home anymore. I don't want this new breed of transient in Fort Collins. Question (Citizen): This seems like a build it, and they will come sort of scenario. I have a rental on 329 E Olive St. where we have had multiple tenants leave since they didn't like the people around the Library. It's constant. It seems to be an attraction. If this facility opens at 10 PM, what do you do between 5 PM and 10 PM? Response (Applicant): They go to Catholic Charities. We have several warming locations that operate from 6 PM —10 PM. We have more of these locations now than what we had before due to our community partners. Question (Citizen): What are the qualifications of the on -site managers? Response (Operator): We follow the Catholic Charities training protocols. Our training includes how to administer a breathalyzer, behavior analysis, bedding down, how to deal with behavior issues, and leaving in the morning. Question (Citizen): Can you leave in the middle of the night? Response (Operator): No, once you're in you have to stay. Also, once you're out or leave, you're out. Question (Citizen): What happens to folks that show up intoxicated? Response (Operator): We turn them over to the Rescue Mission since they run a damp shelter. We sometimes turn them over to police to escort them if they are very intoxicated or we take them over ourselves. Question (Citizen): I've been in Fort Collins for 50 years. I helped found Crossroads Safe House, so I am sympathetic to shelters. But the waves of these shelters radiate beyond the help centers. One idea I have is to have people walk through Library Park to help cool things down. Right now, these folks have a license to create mischief. The presence of response people could help. Comment (Citizen): Homeless Gear had a police presence. Could the police also patrol this area more? Question (Citizen): Do you have information on the demographics of the homeless population? For some, homelessness is a way of life. Response (Applicant): There's all different kinds of people who are homeless. Some are situationally homeless, some are chronically homeless. We see families that are homeless as well. It's our desire to work with people to get them out of homeless should they choose. Question (Citizen): Why is this located in the center of town? I've thought people have different maturity levels and require permanent living situations to transition out of homelessness. Some want help in this regard while others don't. Response (Applicant): People are resourceful if they want to live the homeless lifestyle. Many, however, have mental health issues that keep them from transitioning out of homelessness. We have one permanent supportive housing development called Red Tail Ponds. The proposal we are talking about tonight is for a temporary, emergency shelter. Community of Christ is a willing participant and has offered their facility for use and it just so happens it is located in the center of town. This location is also close to existing shelters and other services. Catholic Charities manages the flow of people from one shelter to the other so closer locations work better. Our Safe Place to Rest locations are also relatively close but they could be anywhere in the community. Question (Citizen): It sounds like this works really well for the operator but what about for the neighborhood? I've lived on Oak for 5 years. The change in the homeless population over this period of time has been incredible. This is more the behavior of homeless folks and not the number of people. We had no problems for the first 3 years. Recently we've had a stabbing, someone pull a gun, and they escaped between my house and my neighbor's house. We keep piling shelters next to the Library and families. I have a tenant in one house with two little girls. Their mother was walking their dog when she heard someone in the dark yelling and it made her feel uneasy. She walked back to the house and the guy ran after her. Her husband chased the guy away but then he went back and joined a group of guys nearby. They called the police and there is an active police report. I had an experience recently where a guy started to pound on my front door. I live alone so I got nervous. This was on Saturday night at about 9 PM but I had John over. He kept pounding on the door until he went to one of my windows and when I saw him, he asked where Community of Christ Church was. John then came over to show I wasn't alone. He left when John came. I think more shelters will result in more homeless people in our neighborhood. I called the police. When they called back, they told me a story about how when they were in Atlanta, they checked a local message board and on the board someone had posted that they should go to Fort Collins if they were homeless since we treat homeless people well here. Response (Applicant): Our services here are not extraordinary. Comment (Citizen): I feel conflicted because we need to help but I have to stand up for myself. I don't want transient men around here. Response (Applicant): I'm sorry for what happened. I am glad you called the police. Comment (Citizen): The police didn't come out but they didn't feel like they needed to. This needs to be on the record. People pee on driveways, they go through your trash, one time I saw a guy rolling around behind Nelson's moaning, so I went inside and called the police. Community of Christ Church Seasonal Overflow Shelter Neighborhood Meeting Summary Date: December 19, 2016 Location: Community of Christ Church — 220 E Oak St. City Staff: Clay Frickey (Planning) Applicant: Sue Beck-Ferkiss (Social Sustainability, City of Fort Collins) Guy Mendt (Operator —Catholic Charities) Rick Bunch (Church) Summary of City Staffs Presentation: • Second neighborhood meeting for this proposal o First held in June 2016 • Follow-up from June meeting • Exploring ways to improve Memorandum of Understanding between City and operator • Applicant looking for facility to open in January 2017 • Seasonal Overflow Shelter would be permitted use for 5 years Summary of Applicant's Presentation: • Looking to run facility from January — April 2017 • Would supplement Safe Place to Rest program o Operates 3 days per week o Volunteer churches and non -profits that run nighttime shelters for 6-12 people o Provide transportation to and from church o Staffed by volunteers • Seeking feedback on Memorandum of Understanding o Hours of operation o No loitering o No cars allowed o Dry shelter o Will operate from January — April Summary of Question and Answer Session: Question (Citizen): Is your mind made up on this project? Response (Applicant): I am the applicant, so yes, I would like to see this project move forward. Planning is neutral. All of the feedback from this meeting will help inform Planning's decision.