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Home My WebLink AboutCP 252 CIT FO WO , TEXAS 1a ❑ 0 COUNCIL PROPOSAL Date: File Number: Subject: 05/17/05 CP252 Adoption of Resolution Creating Mayor's Advisory Commission on Homelessness Proposed By: City Manager's Review: Page: Councilmember Ralph McCloud City Attorney's Review: a PAGE 1 OF 1 6/1 It is proposed that the City Council: 1. Adopt a Resolution creating a standing Mayor's Advisory Commission on Homelessness. DISCUSSION: In April 2004 Mayor Moncrief appointed a citizen Planning& Advisory Committee on Homelessness (the "Committee")to develop recommendations in response to the increasing incidence of homelessness in the City of Fort Worth (the "City"), concerns expressed by neighborhood representatives regarding community impact, and encouragement from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD") which provides federal grants that fund approximately sixty percent(60%)of homeless services in the City and Tarrant County. The Committee presented its final report to City Council on February 22, 2005. A summary of the Committee's recommendations from its Final Report is attached to the accompanying Resolution. Chief among the recommendations was the creation of a standing Mayor's Advisory Commission on Homelessness (the "Commission"), similar to existing commissions on other issues. The Commission's purpose would be to develop and oversee implementation of a Ten-Year Plan to Address Chronic Homelessness, as recommended by HUD. This Ten-Year Plan will help to ensure that the City and Tarrant County continue to compete effectively for federal grants. The Commission will also advise the City Council on issues regarding homelessness and balance the interests of those directly affected by this complex issue through its broad representation from all stakeholder groups. LEGALITY: The Department of Law finds that this proposal is legal and that it is within the authority of City Council. FISCAL NOTE: pppROVED The Finance Director certifies that the approval of this Resolution will not require the appr0p�iTtinQWWQII 1mds at this time. MAY 1 7 2005 CITY MANAGER'S COMMENT: Staff supports the creation of a standing Mayor's Advisory Commission on Homelessness as Committee. City of Fort Worth,Texas d' IAI l C ncilmem er Councilmemb ' i ❑ LEGALITY ❑ FISCAL NOTE ❑ CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS "' ❑ CITY POLICIES MANUAL A Resolution N O.X03�5 az�S CREATING THE MAYOR'S ADVISORY COMMISSION ON HOMELESSNESS AND OUTLINING DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION WHEREAS, homelessness is a serious problem in the City of Fort Worth (the "City") and Tarrant County, growing by 40% since 2000, up to 5278 persons county-wide at any point in time; and WHEREAS, homelessness has many impacts on the community, such as persons camping in public rights-of-way, overflowing emergency shelters, negative effects on Central City economic development, public health concerns, and "quality of life" crimes that victimize homeless persons and neighborhoods alike; and WHEREAS, homeless persons are the City's most vulnerable residents, subject to mental illness, substance abuse, chronic unemployment, and limited opportunities for improving their situations; and WHEREAS, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development are encouraging local communities to develop Ten-Year Plans to Address Chronic Homelessness ("Ten-Year Plan") to use federal grants most effectively, and such grants pay for approximately 60% of homeless services in the City and Tarrant County; and WHEREAS, a dedicated group of concerned citizens was appointed to a Planning & Advisory Committee on Homelessness by Mayor Mike Moncrief in April 2004 (the "Committee") to develop recommendations for addressing homelessness through a Ten-Year Plan; and WHEREAS the Committee presented its Final Report to the City Council on February 22, 2005, including the following key recommendations: • The City should take a leadership role in addressing homelessness. • A standing Mayor's Advisory Commission on Homelessness (the "Commission") should be appointed, with broad representation from all stakeholders and appropriate City staff support. • The issue of homelessness should be included in the City's Comprehensive Plan, and in the City's legislative agenda for federal, state and local lobbying efforts, and additional resources should be dedicated to address homelessness, including City tax dollars. • A centralized one-stop resource facility for the homeless should be established. • The City should simultaneously address multiple issues, to ensure cohesion by stakeholders and focus on long-term cost-effective solutions, including scattered site affordable and service- enriched housing, increased public safety resources in homeless-impacted areas, and improved accountability for achievement of outcomes across the homeless service system. CXTT or raver wonvit NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS THAT: 1. The City Council hereby accepts the Final Report of the Mayor's Planning & Advisory Committee (the "Committee") on Homelessness and expresses its sincere appreciation to the Committee for its dedicated service to all Fort Worth citizens and particularly homeless citizens; and 2. The City Council hereby authorizes creation of a standing Mayor's Advisory Commission on Homelessness (the "Commission") and directs that its membership include representatives from all stakeholder groups, including homeless service providers, neighborhood organizations, businesses, the faith community, experts on mental health, substance abuse and public health, the affordable housing industry, the criminal justice system, and Tarrant County government; and 3. The City Council hereby directs the Commission to develop a Ten-Year Plan to Address Chronic Homelessness (the "Ten-Year Plan") for presentation to the City Council by March 2006, and to develop further recommendations for the City Council regarding the issue of homelessness as necessary to implement the Ten-Year Plan, building upon the recommendations contained in the Committee's Final Report; and 4. The City Council hereby directs the City Manager to ensure that the issue of homelessness is included in the City's Comprehensive Plan and Legislative Agenda, to request that all City departments assess their activities with regard to developing and implementing the 10-Year Plan, to request that each department evaluate the costs of implementing the Committee's recommendations for consideration in the upcoming City budget, and to assess the possibility of dedicating additional resources to address this serious community need. DULY APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT WORTH, TEXAS ON THIS THE JT_�% DAY OF MAY, 2005 APPROVED: Mike Moncrief, MAYOR ATTEST: APPROVED --------------------------- Marty Hendrix, CITY SECRETARY CITY COUNCIL APPROVED AS TO FORM MAY 1 7 2005 — ------- ---------------- Cityse�y of the Assistant City Attorney City of Fort worth,Texas ct*r,v or raver wonfr Executive Summary Report of the Mayor's Committee on Homelessness History &Purpose of the Committee In April 2004, Mayor Moncrief appointed a 47 member Advisory Committee on Homelessness. The purpose of the committee was to develop policy recommendations for addressing homelessness in Fort Worth. The Committee was created to respond to two issues: increasing concerns expressed by neighborhoods about the negative community impacts of homelessness, and a federal-level initiative encouraging all large cities to develop 10-Year Plans to End Chronic Homelessness. Membership on the committee included representatives from all stakeholders, including neighborhood associations, business interests, homeless service providers, affordable housing developers, religious organizations, the Ft. Worth Independent School District, and health services professionals. Findings of the Committee 1) Homelessness has a significant impact on the entire Fort Worth community, particularly on central city neighborhoods in the central, southeast, and south side. In addition to the homeless persons often seen "flying a sign" asking for money along main thoroughfares, visible impacts include trash and litter accumulation, camping and "hanging out" in vacant lots and public rights-of-way, and overflowing populations in emergency shelters. Less visible effects include negative impacts on central city economic development, public health issues with tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases, vandalism and damage to private property, increases in Part II "quality of life" crimes, and costs for emergency responders and public hospital emergency rooms. 2) The Tarrant County Homeless Coalition and Tarrant County government provide excellent service to the City of Fort Worth, collecting information on the local homeless population through biannual surveys, and leading an annual federal funds application process to ensure continued receipt of grants averaging $5 to 7 million per year. However, efforts by homeless service providers and county-level government lack the authority to address the impacts that homelessness has on city neighborhoods and the business community. 3) Recent estimates indicate that 4375 persons are homeless in Tarrant County at any point in time, 75% of these concentrated within the city limits of Fort Worth. The homeless population has grown significantly in the past 10 years, with no end in sight. Services to this population are provided by a number of loosely coordinated non-profit and governmental entities, stretched to their limits, with sometimes divergent goals. Despite many successful collaborative efforts, reduction in Fort Worth's homelessness is unlikely to occur without enhanced coordination of planning, resource development, and information management. Key Recommendations of the Mayor's Committee The City of Fort Worth must begin to play a stronger role in addressing homelessness, by partnering with the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition and Tarrant County government to improve existing processes, and by actively taking on new initiatives to address needs. Specific recommendations include: ■ Form a Standing Citizen Advisory Committee on Homelessness o Should have broad representation from all stakeholders, o Would advise City Council regarding homelessness, and would develop and oversee implementation of a specific step-by-step plan to address homelessness o Should be supported by dedicated city staff in the City Manager's office. ■ Include homelessness in the Comprehensive Plan, and add homelessness to the city's legislative agenda ■ Pursue additional resources to address homelessness, including dedication of city tax dollars. ■ Establish a centralized one-stop resource facility for the homeless. ■ Multiple issues should be addressed by the city simultaneously, to ensure continued cohesion of all stakeholders and to focus on long-term cost-effective solutions. These include scattered site affordable and service-enriched housing, increased public safety resources in homeless-impacted areas, adequate funding, a centralized intake center, and improved accountability for achievement of outcomes across the homeless service system. Why These Recommendations Are Important 1) The City of Fort Worth needs a 10-year Plan to ensure continued receipt of federal funds. Lack of a Council-adopted plan will weaken the City of Fort Worth's and Tarrant County's competitiveness in national competitions for such funds. Up to 60% of local homeless services are funded through federal grants; if that resource diminishes, homelessness is likely to become more visible and create further negative community impacts. 2) Homelessness is a growing problem that has not decreased despite continued economic growth in the city, generally affordable housing conditions, and expanded investment of both community and federal grant resources. Best available information indicates that the number of emergency shelter residents and unsheltered homeless persons in Fort Worth has grown nearly 68% since 1997. 3) In addition to having a profound negative impact on the homeless individual or family, homelessness has a clear negative impact on neighborhoods and quality of life in Fort Worth. Possible Next Steps for Council Action 1) Approve resolution accepting the Mayor's Committee Report, creating and appointing a Standing Committee on Homelessness, and directing the Committee to develop a 10-Year Implementation Plan. 2) Approve budget for staffing to support the Mayor's Standing Committee 3) Approve inclusion of homelessness in the City's Comprehensive Plan and Legislative Agenda 4) Direct staff to develop an ordinance clarifying the role and duties for the Mayor's Standing Committee,to be returned for Council review at a later date 5) Direct staff to assess the costs and options involved in implementing the various recommendations contained in the present Mayor's Committee Report, to be reported to the Standing Committee & the Council at a later date 2