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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 7099 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7099 Ta To the Mayor and Members of the City Council March 18, 1986 10* Milt Subject: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE ON THE HOMELESS In August 1985, Mayor Bob Bolen commissioned a concerned group of individuals to serve on a Committee on the Homeless. This committee is comprised of members from the business and church community, healthcare and social services providers, as well as city and county officials. The Chairman of the Committee is Dr. Robert Bohl , Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church. The Mayor's charge to this group was to investigate the problem of homelessness in the City of Fort Worth and recommend to the City Council a specific plan of action with which to address this issue. At its first regular meeting, the committee adopted four goals. They were: 1 ) establish the degree of need of the homeless in Fort Worth by conducting additional research; 2) identify existing resources and gaps in Fort Worth; 3) develop a plan and make recommendations on how to alleviate the problems caused and experienced by the homeless; and 4) identify possible resources to implement the committee's recommendations. In order to better its understanding of the condition of the homeless and the extent of the problem, the Committee understood several immediate tasks. It attempted to conduct a census of, and categorize the various subgroups within, the homeless population; inventory the existing services which are available; and survey the real and perceived needs of the homeless population. Numbers: In September 1985, a census of the homeless in Fort Worth was conducted. Seven hundred seventy individuals were subsequently counted as being homeless. The breakdown is as follows: Northside 17 Downtown 34 Southside 233 Other Outdoors 11 Shelters, Jail , Hospitals 485 TOTAL 770 However, due to advance publicity of the census, the committee concurs with several service providers who feel that this 770 figure represents only 50% of the actual number of homeless in Fort Worth on any given night, i .e. , approximately 1500. Demographics: The Fort Worth Survey of the Homeless (September 1985) revealed that of 139 survey respondents, the average homeless individual is a single white male in his late 30's with 9 to 12 years of education who has been in the city less than one year. However, a significant number (35%) have been in Fort Worth for over a year. Institutionalization: The survey also attempted to determine the degree of institutionalization experienced by the homeless. The breakdown is as follows. -ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER I FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7099 (page 2) ,##Jtnoto To the Mayor and Members of the City Council March 18, 1986 cis Subject: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE ON THE HOMELESS NUMBER PERCENT Mental Health Facility 30 23 Drug/Alcohol Arrest 40 30 Drug/Alcohol Treatment 28 22 Criminal Arrest 16 12 SHELTER SERVICES There are primarily four shelter operations in Fort Worth. Presbyterian Night Shelter, 600 E. Rosedale. Capacity 299. Salvation Amy Adult Rehabilitation Center, 2901 N.E. 28th Street. Capacity 89 men. Salvation Amy Transient Lodge, 201 Jones Street. Capacity 40 men and 7 women/children. Union Gospel Mission, 1331 East Lancaster. Normal Capacity 250. Can be expanded in emergencies by an additional 50. TOTAL SHELTER CAPACITY -- 736 Homeless without shelter = Estimated homeless less shelter capacity. (1500 - 735 = 765 homeless without shelter) As a result of these findings and several meetings over the past 7 months, the Committee has identified 3 priority needs for homeless individuals in Fort Worth. 1 ) Alcohol Divergence Unit; 2) 24 Hour triage center; and 3) Housing ALCOHOL DIVERGENCE UNIT The top priority is the need for a safe, secure, treatment facility for persons referred or arrested for alcohol related offenses to receive treatment. Substance abuse is a major problem among the homeless population. The Texas Commission on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse has a model detoxification program, called a Detoxification, Evaluation and Referral (DEAR) unit, in operation in three test cities which could be adapted for use in Fort Worth. Fort Worth Cares has been looking into the possibility of establishing a DEAR unit in Tarrant County. The DEAR unit would offer medically supervised intervention for clients in alcohol withdrawal and provide a client assessment. Other services include twenty-four hour supervised environment, room and board, two hours of alcohol education per week, eight hours per week of group or individual counseling and Alcoholics Anonymous orientation. Referral or counseling services for the clients' family members will be provided whenever appropriate and follow-up -ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7099 (page- j%fk T 1"11, I March 18, 1986 �_`o To the Mayor and Members of the City Council t J? U?x Subject: RECOMMENDATION FROM THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE ON THE HOMELESS contracts will be made sixty days after the client is discharged. Referrals for continued treatment are made for all terminated cases. These units would be available for referrals 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At present, Texas has three model units. The estimated cost for a 20 bed facility is $250,000 a year. 24 HOUR CENTER The Committee also established as a priority the need for a center which can receive homeless individuals during the day and make shelter referrals at night. A model center might include all or some of the following. The center's intake section would provide referral services, benefit determinations, goal setting couseling and job placement assistance. The center would provide access to telephones for job search, mass transit assistance for employment purposes and a mailing address whereby clients can receive mail such as Social Security checks and job notices. Mental health assessments and medical treatment would be available on a regular basis. Included in the center would be public sanitary facilities providing public op, restrooms, showers (towels, soap, shampoo, razors, etc.) , laundry facilities, and secured storage areas. Atlanta has developed such a triage center. The funding for this comprehensive center comes from a variety of sources including a federal CDBG grant, donations from corporations and other private sources. Physicians, psychiatrists, nurses and other support persons are provided by other community agencies. Their operating budget for 1985 was $196,000. They served 125-200 persons per day. HOUSING Instead of acquiring a large, warehouse-like structure to provide only shelter, the committee recommends scattered, temporary housing arrangements which also provide a variety of services such as job retainment support groups, money management assistance and goal setting assistance. After a client attains a consistent work history, they will be eligible for permanent housing such as a single room occupancy apartment (SRO), boarding house, rental house or apartment. Families with children will be given priority for permanent housing. Two cities, Memphis and Milwaukee, supplement their regular shelter programs with housing assistance. Memphis rents HOD-owned houses for $1 .00 per year plus the cost of repairs and rehabilitation. This program places families who are referred from other agencies in these homes. No rental charge is assessed during the transitional period, the length of which is agreed upon by both client and agency. Milwaukee has a Security Deposit Guarantee Refund which was established with a $5,000.00 grant from a private foundation. Since many families do not have the money to pay both rent and security deposit, the fund is meant to help relocate families from shelters to permanent housing. Arrangements are made with cooperating landlords to ensure up to a month's rent for a six month period. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS (Rage 4)p INFORMAL REPORT' .0 CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 7099 (- *fArf pt OPP To the Mayor and Members of the City Council March 18, 1986 Subiect: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE ON THE HOMELESS This guarantee covers vacancy without proper notice or damage to the unit normally covered by a security deposit. During this period, the tenant deposits one-sixth of his rent with the landlord until the landlord receives the entire security deposit. Approximately 50 families are helped - each year by this program. It is quite obvious to the Committee that all 3 of these needs will require financial support. Moreover, these monies will most likely have to come from a variety of sources such as the state, local , and federal levels of government and the private sector -- charities and foundations. FUNDING A recent survey of 25 cities conducted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors entitled "The Growth of Hunger, Homelessness and Poverty in America's Cities in 1985", indicated that city government funds -- either locally generated revenues or federal or state grants -- are used to support local shelters or other services specifically for homeless persons. These funds come from a variety of sources. FUNDING % OF CITIES EXAMPLES OF CITIES op, Local funds 82 Boston, Charleston, Chicago - Detroit, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Trenton, San Juan State funds 59 Chicago, Detroit, Hartford, Nashville, San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, Portland, Salt Lake City, Trenton General Revenue 24 Chicago, Louisville, Nashville, San Francisco, Seattle, Trenton CDBG 55 Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Portland, St. Paul , San Antonio, San Francisco, San Juan, Seattle, Trenton, Washington-, D.C. FEMA 77 N/A Other sources used by the cities to assist homeless persons include the Community Services Block Grant, Social Services Block Grant, and the Health Care for the Homeless Program sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Pew Memorial Trust and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. San Francisco uses funds from the State's Emergency Shelter Program and the Mayor's Fund for the Homeless; ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS 00,11, los- INFORMAL REPORT 10 CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No.— 7099 (page 5) MfpTiNtp To the Mayor and Members of the City Council March 18, 1986 'I.U�m 0), Subject: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE MAYOR'S COMMITTEE ON THE HOMELESS Detroit has a Mayor's Relief Fund. Denver and several other cities provide general assistance to homeless persons. Phoenix uses money made available by the County and other local governments to assist the homeless. If the City of Fort Worth does choose to become involved in supporting services for . the homeless, it has a number of financing options. For example, it can buy or lease facilities for itself or others to run. It can expand current City services to include the homeless or it can contract out the needed services. Contracting of services is a common arrangement in several other large cities in dealing with their homeless population. Douglas Harmanx-/1-1 City Manager [ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS