Public meeting of the City Council's working group on homelessness.

I think recognize several faces from our last meeting, so thanks for those of you who were at our last meeting for coming back.

Um to hear from some of the professionals who work with our those in our community experiencing homelessness about kind of the scope of the issues related to homelessness that the city is dealing with.

And my idea for this meeting is to kind of explore some ideas, some ways that city council can jump in and start working to address the issues that we know are there.

And so we have of course Councilman Henderson here.

Some of that work is is already being done by different community partners, and of course, we heard from Urban Street Angels and the work they're doing out in San Diego to assist with homeless youth out there.

And there are some initiatives here in Chattanooga that I'm familiar with.

Do the work I do as a child welfare attorney.

So there are groups such as Chambless and the Partnership for Family Children and Adults who for young folks who are aging out of foster care.

So in other words, they're turning 18 and they're still in foster care, don't have anywhere to go.

There are groups that step in and provide housing and assistance with employment or education and transportation for those youth, which seems like kind of the same space that Urban Street Angels is working in out there.

And so one priority I would have is for council to work with those groups and provide additional resources for those youth who aren't exactly homeless, but the idea is that they don't become homeless.

And so one thing that Carta has already done that I've I've met with Charles Fraser about and they've already put into place is providing bus passes for those youth who live in independent living that Chambliss and the partnership provides.

Right now it's a pilot program.

And something else those youth have that they need, which they don't necessarily have.

They're required to have either a job or to be in school, which is great, but they don't often have much in the way of any sort of emergency fund or bank account at all.

And that's something that I would like to see if the city could look into providing some sort of emergency fund in the form of a savings account for those youth so that they have that as a safety net.

And so that if they do get a job, they have a bank account they can deposit their paycheck into that helps them to work on building credit and setting them up for financial success later in life.

So those are a few things on that issue that I'd like to look at.

Morning, Councilman.

Thanks for joining us for just getting started.

for those youth so that they have that as a safety net um and so that if they do get a job they have a bank account they can deposit their paycheck into and also that helps them to work on building credit and um and setting them them up for financial success um later in life so those are a few things on on that issue that I'd like to look at good morning counseling thanks for joining for just getting started I I started this right on time since I have to leave early so um so those are a couple ideas as it relates to um homeless youth or youth at risk of uh becoming homeless um just a couple ideas that that I've had and I've challenged other council members to to come with ideas and um so feel free to to jump in if there's anything that sparks your interest here um the other kind of priority need uh I think we identified last time is just uh uh kind of the vast shortage and emergency shelter beds that we have across the city um and uh kind of in and thinking about that issue as a a starting point to address that need um what what I would like to see and and to hear others thoughts on as well is um the idea of having um a a church or another community partner in each city district who could provide the sort of emergency shelter that chap foundation um already provides for you know extreme cold weather um providing a shelter like that in each city district for extreme weather as as a starting place um would would be an idea that I have along those lines um so those are kind of the two areas at least that that I identified um and and some thoughts that I have and I'd be happy to hear from my fellow council members any ideas that that you all have uh councilman harvey I was just kind of explaining um kind of the the purpose at least as I foresee for this meeting is to start getting into some ideas to address the issues that we um that we outlined or heard about at our last meeting so Casey do we have a database of churches that we work with or that are willing to work with us for the homeless I mean like we we've actually got a compiled list I guess is what I'm asking that yeah we do we do not have um a list of bake base um we started that a few years ago we had those meetings um but we didn't get a whole lot of participation so we have a few that we know of that that wants to do something but they don't know what and how they want to do it so there is a few but no we don't have like a master list.

Well I would say we have access to it though council and yeah on on that point if I could jump in because uh Linda uh Hershey right who's here this morning she was at our last meeting and she was kind enough to provide us just such a list just a list of these are just a few I mean I certainly don't know all of them but there are a few and I'm also inviting you all to come make biscuits with us.

My oh is this the biscuit biscuit brigade and so I noticed just looking over this list there's several churches in my district that I was aware um I'm I'm glad to see them on the list and I was aware of these things that they're they're doing.

And like I say these are just a few because I certainly don't know all of them but it seems like there should be some kind of coordination of services and things.

Well that's reason I was thinking if we could from whole you know from our standpoint create a database and I feel like there's a lot of churches that have facilities that they would be able to house especially in in a cold weather situation or maybe even some long term I mean almost all churches have a building somewhere that could house even if it's one individual or you know whatever I just but I think what we need to start off with is a database and maybe then have a meeting with all of those churches you know coordinating and finding out and and there but you know these churches may be able to help in ways that they're not even thinking that they can help.

You know they may I you know they may want to get involved but they don't even know how to get involved.

If you look at this list you'll also know the shower up which is a trailer that goes out and provide a place for people to take showers and several churches support that and food pantries and and uh I don't belong to first centenary but they've got an amazing mustard pre ministry that you should really should look into.

I feel like we do a pretty good job with food pantries and giving out food.

I think I think we need to capitalize on that and figure out how we can come alongside and assist because it you know what uh what I what we don't want to do is just get in the habit of enabling right them to be homeless, but like what kind of services can we come in behind if we're gonna distribute the food, what kind of services can we come in behind and support and say you know, how can we get you housed, and you know, if there's make two other quick suggestions.

One is there needs to be a glossary of what exactly homelessness means because there's so many different groups, and they're not really identified, they're just all piled together in one, and it'd be sense like chronic homelessness and you think.

Well, I think we do have those definitions, right?

Yeah, I I would love if I could get a copy of that, I would love to see that, please.

And also federal definition.

It's the federal definition that we use.

Yeah, okay.

It's a federal definition that we use.

Okay, and then the other thing is I would urge you all to have a citizen advisory group, like we do for women and for something else.

That's a good idea.

I like that a lot.

If I can just add to that, uh, my name is Cassie, I work across the street.

I don't um I think there are a lot of churches and and non-faith-based organizations and just citizens that want to help, and there's not that coordination, and so I think that's a place where the city could have you know, as part of OSH or whatever, but could coordinate because I think there's a lot of well, we know there's a lot of misinformation.

I think there's also a lot of best practices that the general public doesn't know about in working um towards homelessness, so that we are getting people ready for success and to be housed, and we're providing all those services.

Um, I think a lot of places don't understand that that sometimes even just being in a church is a barrier for folks who maybe are queer and they've been shunned by the church or you know have some kind of history.

So having like someone who can provide trauma-informed trainings and provide best practices on homelessness.

Um I think that's that's something that would really kind of like give this some momentum and some direction as well.

I'd be curious to know going back to uh the emergency shelters.

You hit on this just a minute ago, but uh not just specifically for faith-based institutions, but a number of beds citywide that are considered emergency shelter.

Do we have that?

We do have that.

Okay, citywide.

We the the coalition is on their website, um, and it's in the annual report as well, as far as like how many beds are citywide, but that's also countywide.

Um, but I want to say we did I did the math, and we have 124 beds in the city right now, uh, and the majority of that is family shelter or DV shelter.

Okay, to your point a minute ago, sorry, Councilman Henderson.

Um, you know, it's wonderful that we have these um organizations who are willing to provide the showers and and food and and things like that.

I I think where we lack, not not just in the city of Chattanooga, but as a country, is um the follow-up uh somebody you know walking with these people to say, what do you need?

What can we do to to give you a hand up to get out of your situation?

And that that I think is is truly the crux of the problem is um and I I want to invite um the Chattanooga uh room in the inn.

I think their model is excellent, not only for what they do at Chattanooga Room in the end.

Is Taylor here Taylor Hickson?

Um they do a phenomenal job over there.

Um they took a tour a couple weeks ago and just the model I think not only serves again, not just what they do, but but could really serve as the model uh to help solve the problem of of homelessness in our city uh and in countrywide, I think.

So I'd like to invite her at some point to um kind of give us uh another explanation of how and what they do.

I think the the biggest thing of what they do again is is they provide a a person uh to walk with these folks through their uh their situation councilman, counsel.

And uh and are able to say, all right, you know, let's walk with you if you fall, we're here to catch you.

What can we do to help you get through this to a point where uh you know we like they help folks go to trade school, they help folks go to the military if that's appropriate for them.

They help folks get a college education, a job, um whatever it is, but they help these folks and see them through instead of just saying, Okay, here's something, good luck with your life, go back to your your camp, and that's the end of it.

Um and then we we go and we clean them out and then they move down the road even further, and and so we we've got to it's gotta be some sort of organized process where we have somebody walking through uh with these folks to get them out of homelessness, otherwise it's just gonna be a perpetual problem.

Yeah.

And Casey, if I could just ask what's the extent of the work that your staff does on that front, correctly.

Yeah, so we um we we do do case management for up to a year after the after we house folks.

Um the problem is is we can't do intensive case management.

We just don't have the staff or the time time to do that.

Um so we do touch points, um, and we check in and we like to try to prevent folks from um returning to homelessness.

Um we have a fairly good retention rate right now, around uh eighty nine percent, I believe is that the retention rate for the folks that stay within our program.

Um but it's it's a constant battle, and sometimes a year is is not enough either.

Um we're talking about uh uh like eighty-nine percent.

What number is that?

Uh I can get you that number, 114.

114.

10 percent of that was 89 percent of 114.

Okay.

You mentioned Shutting Group in the end as the model are also addressing youth homelessness as well.

Emergency shelter and homelessness.

This is the two topics that we're talking about today.

I would definitely recommend you guys go further in with them because they're looking at a major expansion.

Yeah, they're wanting to have happen as soon as possible.

So to have city council come alongside, figure out what those barriers are, what are the problems, what are the goals to make that happen.

You're gonna be in business on both of those fronts.

Awesome.

Yeah, I know you mentioned you met with them.

I've got a meeting coming up, so yeah, very excited about that.

Yeah, awesome.

And another organization uh launchpad is a great example as well for their model.

So y'all might want to look into that with Scottie.

Uh I think she's presented a couple of times to council, but they uh they have an amazing model as well.

Awesome.

Councilman because I guess action item.

Can we create a database of churches that we'll get for work with and maybe try to get around the table?

And start figuring out where the where the holes are and just at least identify to them, you know, what the needs are somebody might say, hey, we can take care of that need.

Yeah, yes, you know, yeah, but that they're even unaware that there is that need.

But I think if we could start there, that would probably help.

Yeah.

Second thing, can we create a database of teens that are aging out of foster care?

Is that even possible?

So we do, we currently have a youth program that's 18 to 24.

Um prior to 18.

I I usually don't see them because they're not a we're not able to house them, but legal.

Um but the 18 to 24s, we do have a database.

We do have a database with that.

Yes, yes, because we have the youth program that's running through partnership.

Um, and they focus on youth 18 to 24.

And as far as that under 24, I can get that information for students.

Yes.

I mean under 18.

Right.

Those who are gonna be aging out.

Yeah.

Those who are looking at the aging out of foster care without uh a solid place to go.

I can I can get that information.

How many how many do you think that how many of some I hate to guess and be wrong?

Um certainly more than any of us would like, but yeah, but I can work on getting that information.

Okay.

Another action item to add to our list.

I love the idea of a board of some sort, a continual citizen working group.

I think there a lot of the players are in this room.

And so if you're here, you're interested in serving on that board.

Uh I'd encourage you to uh email our our county clerk, or county clerk, city clerk, uh Nicole Gwynn and she can clerk.

What's that?

Council clerk.

Council clerk, sorry, I'm on.

I need to finish my coffee this morning.

Um city council clerk Nicole Gwynn uh and just express your interest.

Um I think that would be uh a great start to to start developing some ideas.

I just want to point out also that to do that and for it to be a true community initiative where you're getting all the voices and we need to have people who are unsheltered as part of that.

Okay, sure.

Comes in coming.

Yeah.

Um I'm Alyssa Turner.

I'm representing the Unbroken Coalition this morning.

We're a grassroots group of citizens who are pulling together nonprofits, citizens, churches, uh people who are interested in coming alongside our homeless neighbors and helping.

Um we are developing a database, so we'd be happy to share that with you.

We'd also like to raise a question about the low barrier shelter.

Uh it's been on the table for many, many years, and we'd like to know where you're at with that project.

Basically a location.

Do we need one or do we need several?

We should start with one.

Yeah, yeah.

I'm just trying to be funny.

Oh, I'm not here for me.

We got at least one of them.

Yes.

Do well.

You mind sharing it.

Just to go for the state.

I mean, a bureau organization.

Yes, congregate shelter is not best practices.

Should I say it again?

A large congregate shelter where you've got like hundreds of people to there.

Not best practice.

That's you know, and I'm just thinking about like citizen buy-in.

Um we haven't been able to get the one shelter idea in a dis one district.

What if we thought about smaller ones in several different well and that was kind of my ideal with getting the churches together because there is lots of there's buildings with lots of rooms, and to your point, even if it's one or five, then you don't have that large congregate.

You've you've you broken it up into smaller pieces, but you've created many low barrier shelters, and I think I think a little bit of the pushback from the community is building a large or uh low barrier shelter and uh as a place for people to congregate that seems to be the pushback, but if we could develop several kind of throughout the city with and and there may be uh I mean there may be other organizations that have room that they could cancel uh be able to give you know for a knot or a week or whatever.

If I may, I'm Barron King with the Chad Foundation.

Um cities that have effectively reduced homelessness and typically used a two-pod approach with a 24-7 low barrier shelter.

It has to be paired with robust supporting services.

So if you're looking to put a shelter in a place where you lack public transportation, you lack support services, uh chances are it's not going to be effective.

It's just going to be a building with people in it.

When we look at a 24-7 low barrier shelter, we envision it as a vehicle to launch people from homelessness.

Not a place to congregate, it's a place to get stable, addressing issues, move forward.

We're fortunate on 11th Street that you have uh two organizations that provide over 35 different services to people experiencing homelessness.

It would seem uh given the population there, the sport service locations there.

Um that that would be a great place to start.

Um we've submitted uh three proposals for the 24-7 low barrier shelter, and we have another concept that just kind of fell on our lap about two weeks ago.

Um I I think working on youth, I think working on the foster care things.

I think that's that's important.

Um but I feel like a lot of these are really small measures compared to uh uh housing and stabilizing uh hundreds of people throughout the Chattanooga area.

I would love to have you all come take a tour, meet with our folks.

Um you know, like I said, we provide my organization provides over 35 services.

Most people don't know need all those, and we do uh work through individualized assessment to see what type of interventions can get people stabilized and moving forward quickly.

Mr.

Truman's great up a little bit, sorry.

If I could are you guys willing to run point on a low barrier shelter?

We have for about 10 years.

Okay.

Do you mind sharing your proposals to council?

I'd be happy to and uh colleagues, this is kind of my thought.

And you know, when politicians get involved, things get screwed up.

Everything is screwed up.

That's absolutely oftentimes when government gets involved, things equally get screwed up.

Yes.

I would like to I I think if you all are willing to run point, how can we as government support resources, land, whatever that looks like to support it?

So it takes some of the weight the it removes some of the roadblocks from government trying to run point.

I know Casey, Richard, this has been on you guys' shoulders for years, and you guys have done a phenomenal job trying to push this, but oftentimes we run into politicians and everything that comes with that.

So I would love to explore what that route will look like because we need to figure out how do we get to some type of low barrier shelter.

And I and I frankly that's just probably the biggest lower low-hanging fruit.

So hearing that a partner is willing to do that, it's just a matter of like how do we show up and support from there, right?

They kind of eliminate some of those hurdles.

I'd love to.

Have you got a card that you can share with us?

More and you guys have spoken about the showers and the food and the city that might able people.

Um but there are churches who are creating relationships on an individual basis with the people that are in home sense that are creeping closer to feeling more comfortable potentially with the idea of utilizing space to host these people that they've now got relationships with by providing showers and resistance basis for the past years.

And there are models by other nonprofits in other cities who have measured success.

Um going with the same theme of Chadnegroom in the end, there's a nonprofit called Rimini that operates not too far from here.

Is it Nashville?

Nashville.

Uh and they have plenty of training, plenty of orienting information that they can come and host and invite these faith groups that are edging closer to feeling more comfortable to that idea.

If y'all want reading material, they have a congregational model curriculum.

Congregationalizing base-based groups, how housing housing and hosting people.

Um I have that congregational model of PDF.

It's easily simple.

I can get it to you all.

We'll just send it to the uh council and staff.

Okay.

Uh email, and then we'll all have it.

Uh but it goes through like how they break down training.

They've been doing it since the 80s, so they've kind of mastered uh how to do it.

And there's sheer responsibility.

So everyone, everyone who needs shelter that night goes to a central location, all these different churches, and then you go to this church every day of the week it's higher between them.

So that's a good idea.

Hundreds, hundreds of churches now.

Nashville is Nashville.

We're attending it, so I understand that uh they have a whole curriculum pretty perfect.

I'm gonna leave things in your capable hands.

Councilman Harvey, that's fine.

Thank you all again so much for being here and being involved.

Good points.

Um Baron, yeah, I think we'd love to have a tour as soon as possible.

It'd be great.

Um so we can uh notice the public, we're gonna notice the public and let them know that we'll be together and touring your place, but I think that's a good idea.

Uh of the services that you provide, I'm assuming that there's uh mental health treatment, drug treatment.

We run um some some sobriety groups, uh mental health and uh those treatment issues, we partner with homeless health care that provides those who don't have the capacity to do uh the physical and mental health component of that.

Okay, um, but we do partner with them and affected.

There's been great expansion for us at Homeless Healthcare to provide those services past year.

Both both drug and in mental health treatment.

I mean, I think that that's imperative.

If we're going to put some sort of system together, that has to be part of that has to be.

Um, very good.

You know, I I think as I sit here and think about the low bearer shelter, obviously another one of the big uh barriers is cost to to build something like this.

So, you know, I think it's if we find a place um that the city is willing, or if we you know, collectively find a place where we can uh get public buy-in on this, I would ask uh that the uh nonprofit organizations, you know, we we launched some sort of fundraising effort with the public.

I mean, it's gotta be a philanthropic uh philanthropic uh buy-in as well.

Um assist with capital campaigns uh if we can put together a partnership that makes sense.

We do have um, you know, our our facility is a block long.

Um we do have some space that could be converted.

Uh it would not be the most affordable route to go because you're talking about replacing certain facilities with other facilities.

There's also a building uh that's uh a block away, well from Baldwin.

Um the uh family promise building that uh we've already walked through with an architect and envisioned that we could house up to 80 people uh that property is owned by the city, um so that seems like that uh could be a very viable option, and it would be within walking distance to the supportive services, which uh is essential.

Okay, very good.

This is good.

Um is anybody else here who would like to give any input um while we're here?

Please.

Like with uh white old bicycle again, um for Blake Pierce with uh White O'Bicy School.

We provide uh transportation services.

Uh last last year, just down the street, we provided through our partner agencies over 400 individuals fights for transportation through our distribution center uh at iPix it.

Um I know transportation is a small piece of it, but it's uh as the as we think about follow-up, you know, we want to think about how can we get these individuals in places like jobs or resources, and I think pulling together groups like Carta, White Oak, our GIS friends, and and our agencies to find out where people living and where jobs that we can get them to, and how can we connect that to make sure that as we get as we set up individuals for success, we can ensure that they have a way to get there.

And we all know that Quarto, we're we face challenges there.

Uh bikes have been very impactful.

Um, and so I think that could be a great idea of how as we work with this, let's let's look at transportation as a whole.

Great, yeah, great idea.

You got a car.

Uh you didn't give us any contact information.

For grassroots, we don't have cars.

But there's all of our in the right here.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

And we'll be following up with you.

Yes, thank you.

Thank you.

This is what I envision uh as uh uh as we try to come together and and solve this problem.

Um it's not just a city council problem, it's not just a county commission problem, it's a community problem.

And I'm glad that you all are here today to give us your thoughts as we try and come up with solutions uh to to help our neighbors live the American dream uh like you and I.

Um I think everybody uh has that opportunity, we need to make it happen for those um who are struggling.

So give them a hand up.

Just one more thing.

Typically, what ends up happening when we talk about shelter and building shelter as far as the public's view of that is there's this fear that creeps in that if we build if we build it, they will come.

And that's true for the people that will be near the shelter.

But it is not true.

I didn't say this as one of the last outreach workers this community has that face to face with these people in these encampments.

They're not coming from St.

Elmo and Rossville to come all the way downtown.

You can build a nicest shelter that money can buy, and it's just not gonna happen.

So as things go forward, and we're looking at community buy-in, public buy-in of this idea of building a shelter that has to be made clear.

Yeah, yeah, as the other outreach record in the city.

Yeah as the other outreach record um absolutely what he said and so when we're talking about delay a low barrier shelter downtown we're talking about the people who are already downtown um and like you said not the camps we will I mean that will continue to be an issue as long as our housing situation is what it is and we all know that you know right now that is what it is so um just as we're having these conversations about low barrier shelters if we could also keep in mind that like you said they're our neighbors like these people are my neighbors um in my neighborhood I don't live here and I still want them to be here for and so I think that during these conversations we also need to be talking about how we can reduce harm and increase stability where we can for those people as well I just wanted to tag on that comment there.

And um what I have seen even increased in the last few months is more enforced evacuations of encampments and people on the streets and I don't know what the city agenda is but there is an agenda there's something going on because it is increased significantly in the timing that I have just been out and so I love that this council but we also did not do harm to forcing evaluations of a unhouse population we are seeing more harm and increased risk of harm to the unhoused patients then they are out and they're moved increase it significantly you can look at studies on that they're increased risk of death morbidity mortality we don't have I mean somebody from the grain camp is now dead so we don't have I mean those studies exist it's here that exists here someone who is living in that camp with their community passed away after they lost their community if I can also add our church provides tents and sleeping bags and vacuum stuff and even just we've like five thousand dollars worth of tents and things have just been the story not the the life the wife is much more important but it's just continually that we're buying tents and things I want to go back and address something that you said just a minute about it seems to be the evacuation of these camps seems to be picking up so let me offer a flip side of that just a minute there are businesses that are negatively affected by these by some of these homeless camps and I can I I know one business owner that has a trailer that they store hay in they set up camp sort of in his trailer and build fire to stay warm and set the whole trailer on fire.

So we sort of are faced with a two-edged sword we want businesses to thrive in Chattanooga and do well and we get complaints from some of these businesses there's a business right down here off of people street that talk about the human waste that they have to clean up every morning just to open their doors right that's not fair to them either right so we we have to we have to address it from both sides I mean we've got to have compassion on these individuals that are homeless but we also have civic obligation I feel like to these businesses that have invested their money and their time to to make Chattanooga a better place so I think while we are trying to address the homeless situation yes there are instances where we have to address what's going on with the businesses in our community and and they have to thrive as well.

I mean, we we have to be able to protect our businesses, but at the same time, okay, then how do we do that while we you know treat these the the people that are homeless humanely?

So that's the reason we're having these discussions, and I think you know it's it's not well.

I guess it is sort of intentional, I guess maybe the the increase in relocation, but but it's not that we're it's not that we're trying to harm or do harm towards these unhoused individuals, but we do have an obligation to these businesses.

Um I mean, I I can just name business after business where they have to clean up messes in the morning to be able to open up, and that's the things that we're trying to uh to figure out a solution to.

So seems like we could capitalize on business incentive to.

I mean, it I'll be honest, I've lived in a few cities and I've done a lot of research on other cities.

Chat New is unusual in how little support we have for helping folks.

And I say that as something, for example, is it um the fact that there's human ways, the fact that people are setting fires and businesses, that's survival, right?

So the more that we have shelter options, the less you're gonna see that, and that should incentivize businesses to financially have a stake in this.

If you have a downtown business, then you know you have a nice hotel and someone's using the bathroom and the stairwell at the parking garage.

How do we solve that?

By giving someone a place to use the bathroom.

No one does that for fun.

That's it.

That's human needing.

And I'll say also with the displacement, we are it's it has changed our landscape in a few months.

So I'm a post-housing case worker, I work with folks after they get moved in.

People don't trust me anymore.

People don't tell me you work with them.

I almost died because of you.

I went over here and I was raped.

I didn't have protection, I didn't have my safe place because it might be outside, but it's someone's home and it's somewhat safe place, and when they don't have that is also destructive.

Coming over into he doesn't work for the city, and I don't work for the city, but we're working with the same people.

They don't care what organization we're working for.

So our people now don't trust me, and they don't trust him because I understand what you're saying about we do, we have to protect people's private property.

Something has changed within the last six months.

Let me comment.

I I know I I appreciate y'all, and I think in the last meeting, it's so good.

I've been listening remotely traveling here, and yes, I will be at the next biscuit uh thing that you guys are doing.

So hold me to that.

I think at the last meeting I told you guys that I was that our meeting should be about action items.

So I appreciate Councilman Henderson saying here is our action item because we will get in a room like this, we're going one by one by ones, and we are we know what the problem is.

I really want to address a couple things head on, if that's okay.

Um, I do realize that some of our we we don't have the the amount of unsheltered opportunities that we need, and I think there's a solution coming for that that I think that's forthcoming.

Secondly, um we use terminology like unhoused um and unsheltered, but we really have to start looking at this as a public health crisis.

Um and I would like for and I know you work in, we both work in public health.

Um this is a behavioral health issue that sometimes causes unhoused issues or unsheltered issues, and I would like for us to really create more actionable items and how we partner with behavioral health.

And I'd like to hear some of your thoughts on that.

So that's one item if somebody's writing this stuff down.

Um we have to create stronger partnerships.

Yes.

The second part is that what I've heard from Linda Hershey and her group is that when we do extractions of homeless camps, that there's a process that might be a little inhumane as far as how we're removing people's items that you all have purchased.

Um, I did have a conversation with the police chief.

It's not, I can't remember what department's doing it, but apparently when we go in and remove an encampment, you know, it's a cleanup effort.

Uh perhaps we could do have some internal conversations about creating a protocol of if a organization like your church, Ms.

Hershey, has donated those items.

Maybe we can call you guys back to get those items and preparation to wherever they're moving because what we're losing also, which people don't talk about why this is a public health crisis, is their medication in the removal of those camps.

So we've got to be we've got to create a more sensitive, literally a standard operating procedure, step one, step two.

Um here's the protocol in which we do it.

We call the brick biscuit brigade first to come in and remove help remove or whatever.

I would like for us to create a standard operating procedure for that plan uh that's in writing about how we create a more in uh a more humane way of extractions of homeless camps.

Secondly, uh what is our behavioral health protocol?

Uh if we do come into if we encounter individuals who we know are having some medical emergencies, it then becomes bigger than housing.

Because as ministry, to me, and I and I agree with councilman Henderson is that business do have an obligation to to their business.

But that also could be an opportunity we could create for businesses to because people in Chattanooga are very philanthropic and most this is for the most part a faith-based community.

If there is an opportunity for those businesses to be in partnership, because I know I heard us talk about creating a database or church coalition, I think there's an opportunity there.

Um that we are missing out on because when those businesses are calling complaining, I wanna be like, hey, I get you, I wanna get them, you know, removed into a safe place where we can give them the medical treatment, but can you help us?

You know, what can you do to help us?

Because we don't want to.

Okay, seriously.

Siri's ready to help.

I don't understand why.

So I just want us to be intentional, right?

About identifying some opportunities or gaps that we can fill in and start doing something about it.

The third part is that I hear your piece.

Can I say one thing?

I think businesses would get on board if we had a solid plan.

If we had a solid plan.

Yeah.

Or like a business coalition of of people that we know, because I remember the Harbor Freight situation in my district, the they were very cooperative, and from my understanding, were not complaining.

But there were some complaints coming in from the individuals who were on the levy, but the business community was like, you know, they're in the back, they're not you know, disturbing us per se.

But I think had we engaged them that we could have created a ministry opportunity to say, can you help us?

And so I think we just have to be intentional about that.

And one second, and to your point, um, about how some of the staff members, because I've heard this before, and um that there seems to be this utilization of staff members who are supposed to go in doing social services, uh, but there might be a distrust because maybe they're being more useful enforcement measures.

And so I think we need to take an internal look at how that is being crossed.

I've heard that more than once.

I'm concerned about that.

So that's my important point.

Thank you, Councilman Clark.

I mean, those are those are good points.

Let me let me say this uh uh after listening for a few minutes.

You know, there's a balance to this approach.

Um we I think are coming at this with the the mindset to to use a biblical character like Samuel.

We've got to be in the middle somewhere.

Uh so there's a balance to this.

Um, you know, so that so that's why we're coming uh together to try and solve this in a way that um is a balanced approach and makes sense.

Um the the whole point of this is we don't ever want to see anybody living in a tent in the woods.

We don't I know your organization does a great thing, but what a wonderful thing it would be if you didn't have to provide tents and and sleeping bags, a wonderful thing that we didn't have to do that, and and that is what I think we're trying to accomplish.

And and I realize that sounds bold, but um to me that's the goal is to um give a hand up to these folks, like Councilman Clark, you hit the nail on the head from a behavioral health treatment standpoint.

Otherwise, if we don't provide that, it's not gonna work.

Um so I wholeheartedly agree with some sort of plan uh where we come together and we meet in the middle to really try and in um and be the Samuel, so to speak, uh to make a balanced approach to this.

So thank you for your thoughts.

Like maybe uh partnering with Erlanger, I know Erlinger is in behavioral health, but maybe there should be a wing.

Well, they do have a behavioral health for but for unhoused individuals.

Oh, I don't know.

That's what I'm saying.

I think you know maybe we need to approach um and create wings of our hospitals that is specifically designed for long-term unhoused individuals who are suffering with behavioral health issues.

I don't know if that already exists, so maybe someone can educate me on that, but I think we need to be think outside the box a little bit more.

Sure, sure.

But I think somebody's dying to say something.

Just going back, I'm trying to I always try to look ahead whenever people are doing those hopeful solutions to again the public buy-in for business owner.

It has to be presented in the way of hey, when we when these people do get removed, if we don't have a place to put them with, um they're gonna go down the street to your neighboring business, and it's gonna be sharing the cost over and over again.

So to be able to say in the intervention, you have the opportunity as your business to say we're gonna put a stop to this by actually financially supporting these people to exit homelessness.

Yes because when you look at the cost that it takes to clean up Harvard Freight, yeah, tens of thousands of dollars, maybe even more.

But if you were to take tens of thousands of dollars to house those people, guess what?

The business next to Harbor Freight where those people are now at, they're not gonna have to expend that cost either because those tens of thousands of dollars have ended homelessness for those people.

So the cost is coming anyway, so it's a cost-benefit analysis that has to be presented in the right way.

So look you may not care about these people, but you care about your business, you care about your profits, money is going to be spent by somebody the longer the homelessness continues for these people.

So why not instead of continuing that revolving door that revolving roll of money downhill?

Uh let's put an end to it by actually exiting these people.

We also spoke 10% of our arrests every month are people who are homeless, and half of those are for being homeless, like sleeping on the sidewalk.

So the amount of money we are dumping into the Hamilton County jail, that's our shelter is the Hamilton County jail.

And that's unusual and the ER.

That's the jail and the ER are the shelters that you have right now.

Gelsman Hirson.

So uh Casey, I want to follow up on our uh removal procedures and we have any policy changes.

There is no policy changes, there's no new initiative with the city.

Um we do have a standard operating procedure for camp removal, it's been in place for years.

Um you want to go kind of go through it or so whether or not it's a private property owner or a public property, we have two different routes that we go, but if a private property requests to have someone removed from their property, they usually contact my office specifically, or they'll go to constituent services or 311, which gets routed to my office.

Um it is our responsibility to go out, check out what's going on and whether or not it's a codes issue with just trash and litter, or is there actually someone on their property?

If there's someone on their property, we then notify them that hey, the private property owner does not want you on their property, and we try to give them we know negotiate with the property owner for whatever X amount of days.

That property owner could say, I want them going immediately, or they could say, Yeah, I'll give you a week, or I'll give you two weeks, or I'll give you 24 hours.

Really after that private property owner what they want, but we work with them to try to figure that out.

We go out ahead of time, we notify the folks that hey, you can't be here, you're gonna have to leave.

Um, and then when we have that date set, CPD goes in and enforces that order of trespassing from the property owner.

And then what happens to um their belongings?

So we we try to give them the opportunity to get their belongings out.

Okay.

Uh that's why we notify them and give them X amount of days to move on.

Um the perception of enforcement has increased, it's not that enforcement has increased, it's that we have no exit plan now.

Right.

So two years ago, if we would have went into an encampment and said, hey, everybody's gotta leave because you can't be here.

We had options, we had public housing units, we had section eight vouchers, we were able to work with the folks within those two weeks to get them into a public housing unit, get them a section eight voucher to try to find them a house.

So we weren't just what I call whack a mole in it, because we had an exit plan for the folks that were in the encampment.

We no longer have that exit plan because there is no section eight vouchers.

HUD has frozen, our community hadn't had them in a year.

Public housing is completely full.

Like we we every available unit we get, but they're full.

So that exit plan is even harder now than it was prior.

So it's not that enforcement has increased.

It's just that we're still doing the same enforcement that we have always done, except for we have no exit for the folks that we're having to enforce.

Well, Casey, I want to thank you and your team for all you do.

You're doing the best you can, and we appreciate your, you know, you got a heart for this, and so we appreciate you and what you all do.

Um and so that again, I think that's that's why we're here is we're trying to find some sort of exit plan.

Um because you know, again, at the end of the day, the goal is by all parties involved, is we don't want folks on the street.

None of us want to see somebody living on the street.

Nobody.

That's the calls we get is so and so well.

I've got somebody on my property.

Again, nobody wants to see a person on the street.

So that's why we're trying to come together and find some sort of uh exit plan.

Otherwise, we're just moving people from place to place to place and sort of exit.

Does that mean like how into like a solution a housing solution like housing solution?

Whether that that's uh transitional housing, permanent housing, shelter, like there's just unless you're employed and pay marked rate rent, there is very limited options community-wide right now for for anyone.

How many homeless percentage of homeless do you feel like are justice involved?

There's a large amount.

Um 90% of them, would you say I would say I would say and it a lot of it is what I relate to as homeless crimes, not necessarily violated.

So it's minimum as charges just simply for trespassing or public in talks or stealing of something, um like that, which gets on justice possible.

We still zero for housing our veterans, homeless veterans.

We we are close.

The the the VA leads that effort now on veterans, and I think we may have 70 homeless veterans in that the Chattanooga area, um, but they are the VA is pretty pretty responsive to working um with them as well as volunteer, has the SSBF program that serves uh veterans that are also veterans but also veterans that don't have uh VA health care connections, so the VA only serves uh can serve people that are VA health care eligible while SSVF can serve the ones that are our veterans but not VAF health care eligible.

Okay, I got a question um regarding our involvement with private property owners, Casey.

Um are we doing any are we using code enforcement when we are finding unhoused individuals on private property?

Are we doing what type of pressures are we using as code enforcement with those property owners, if any?

That you're aware of only if it's a trash violation and codes finds the the property owner, that's it.

There's there's no nothing attached to that, no.

Uh let me ask I think CPD was here earlier.

Um that may be this may be a question for them, but um, do we have any sort of numbers that that show how many um of our either say panhandlers or and or homeless folks have gone to jail and are repeat offenders?

Is it most of them?

Is it does that make a difference?

Do we have that information anywhere that y'all know of?

Chief Jones was here, they do have they do have some data.

Okay, so we would have to get with him that it's sure specific to CPD.

I don't have access to it.

Okay, but they do have some data.

Um I'm curious to see that, yeah.

And I also we also have several case study examples just from our office.

Um there's a gentleman who has been arrested like six times in the last few months for the holidays for part of the favorite quote.

He has real arrest.

So prior to the several arrest republican application, because he's an old man who has a substance use disorder.

Sure.

When he was housed, not a single arrest the entire year.

We have a million examples.

So they talk about behavioral health too.

Mental health symptoms and substance use disorder symptoms are exacerbated by homelessness.

Nothing.

They're good.

They can shower.

They can sleep on a bed.

They're good.

So it's, I mean, when you talk about substances and things like that, that's survival as well.

Because people have had very traumatic experiences of homelessness, and if not, almost it's very dramatic.

So it's incredible the link between someone being housed and the reduction in symptoms of mental health and substance of insurance.

I just would like to kind of help move this conversation along, Councilman Harvey.

Is you know there seems to be some opportunities for us to, and I you have one more.

I think there seems and this is what the hey hey, Councilman Elliott.

Um there seems to be an opportunity for us to create public policy.

That's our job.

Sure.

Yes.

Um I do believe that there has been missed opportunities internally to for us to do this.

And I said in our last meetings, I was like, I want to come to moral meetings unless we have some plans.

We read, we know the issues.

I really think there's a lack of a comprehensive plan.

Yeah.

Um I think we have policies that says, oh, there's a homeless in camp, let's go remove it.

And I think we've my my fear is that we've become more of an enforcement agency, um, and not a social service agency.

And I'm also curious to why we don't partner as much with uh we have a department of public health or office of public health with the city of Chattanooga.

Um, and I don't think they're doing any work in that regard.

Are y'all partner with them at all?

I think so.

So there's what I'm saying is that in itself is an opportunity.

Like we have a whole office of public health, and there's no interagency work within our own city.

And so I think what we need to do is to create some standard operating procedures that have not been done, and we can enshrine that in our uh ordinance as far as like this is our expectation.

Um because I don't want to come to your winners' meetings where we we ask questions, go back and forth, we do data, we you know I that annoys me.

I would like for us to get to the bottom of this now.

Councilman Henderson, are we gonna be able to solve all that?

Are we gonna be able to house everybody?

Absolutely not.

There is a percentage of people who because of our I really strongly believe some uh behavioral health issues choose not to be housed, and we know that, and you all know that.

Um that's why I believe it goes beyond housing.

We have to add this public health component that has a housing element to it.

We've got to bring in Erlanger.

We've gotta, you know, we just created an incentives to give people incentives to um do down payments for houses.

Maybe we should go into our budget and say, hey, maybe we should create some housing vouchers since the federal government's not doing it right now.

Right.

Um maybe as a city, if we come into an agreement with a person that we know has a behavioral health issues, we'll say, hey, Erlang, we're partnering with you, give you some financial incentives, kind of like a down payment, some of the down payment assistance for this unhoused person, because to your point, when we move them, we're not solving the problem, we're just moving the problem to somebody else's property.

And so I think we need to have a uh strategic planning meeting to talk about what the public policy process is for us and put a fiscal note on it to see if we can assist and collaborate with some organizations who can create more housing opportunities.

I know there's an organization that that's about to do it, uh, which I'm really really excited about, but I think we need to create public policy around this gentleman.

Councilman Anderson.

So I wanted to follow up with Casey.

You're sort of running point on the studio.

What are we what are we missing here at this point?

Well, my piece around.

You got any follow-up to what we need to address how we can address something different.

Uh I mean I have a lot of thoughts.

Um one of the main things is figuring out the housing.

I mean, that is the key to to solving homelessness is housing.

Um, and and that is where we're lacking right now, uh, especially with no section eight vouchers, no public housing, uh subsidized units like patent towers, like we have very few of those in the city.

Um so and if they if they do exist, they're full.

There's a wait list, years long wait lists for them.

So like housing number one.

Talking about like mental health services and and substance abuse.

We have a lot of partners already in the substance abuse uh arena that work very closely with us that are very responsive with the mental health, it's a lot more challenging.

We're not a Medicaid expanded state, so it is very hard to get someone covered for mental health services.

So, like when we're looking at expanding those services, uh like Councilman Clark says, there's gonna have to be financial compensation to these organizations to provide those services because they can't bill for them, and that's where mental health is mostly funded is through bill of services.

So anything else?

I mean, there's a lot.

So well, I mean, look, that's what we're here.

I mean, if we're gonna build a comprehensive plan, yeah.

We need we need to know what the plan is.

Well, I think we have to build the comprehensive plan.

Well, I understand that, but we need to understand where all the potholes are, right?

I mean, like what we're trying to address.

Well, what I like to do is call to action to the people that are here, because there's policy people here, there's social workers here.

I like for you all to uh start drafting um you know what that comprehensive plan looks like if it includes an extraction policy or some other things of that nature.

But let me say this earlier, um we we asked the folks in this in this room um who have skin in the game if they would be interested in serving on some sort of input board uh citizens citizens or yeah, yeah.

And we had good response.

And so uh we've asked everybody to uh email uh Nicole uh if they have interest in and we'll we'll get that rolling, but um one more thing and then we're gonna wrap up.

Yes, sir.

I I totally agree.

Strategic plan is is critical.

Um I know two years ago City of Chad maybe a pay consultants to develop a five point strategic plan to end homelessness or are you aware of that?

No.

Did that relate to um the veterans?

No.

That was no general population.

Can we get a copy of that?

There was one in two thousand seven as well, I believe, and then the homeless coalition has a a list of policy recommendations.

Here's what you do from their are these policy recommendations that we can enshrine in our city code, is that what you're possibly yeah, they're and it recommendations for specific things to work that is uh from the over homeless service.

Oh, okay, all right, there's the other two.

And a few years ago the homeless coalition.

Well, that's the problem.

I I'm sorry, talking so much I've seen catchment as it's everyone.

Um you mentioned housing vouchers.

So for someone who gets a social security check, um, that's less than a thousand dollars a month, and rent here is like fourteen hundred dollars on average.

So over seventy percent of our homeless population has a disability and A, it is really hard to get disability benefits, so most of them are zero income, but B, if they get it, they still can't afford rent.

There's 21 states right now that supplement those.

So if you get SSI, you get your 993, the state supplements that you can actually afford rent.

Um I think that is a really it it that's a way that you're looking to go.

Having some kind of voucher for people who are chronically homeless, uh qualify for disability benefits or receive disability benefits, and just bridging that gap and having, you know, just like a church will sponsor a family of hey, somebody a business here can sponsor like one year of that supplement.

Um there's a lot of opportunity for that, and that is the only way, because we talk about we talk about health, we talk about people getting jobs.

Well, most of these people are too old or too sick to get jobs, let's be real.

Um that's uh that's uh right.

So you're gonna have people who are too old and too sick to work who will never have more than 993 in their pocket every month.

And so the only way to do that is to supplement and help that because I mean over 90% of what our office could do two years ago at KC Lib2 is decimated.

We got over 600 people housed in here because we can get them on Section 8, and they had a subsidies to that, and that is completely gone out.

So it's gonna get so much worse if we don't take action like that, and I think that is an excellent step to take in some kind of stuff that but you're saying our the excuse my ignorance on this, and I apologize.

You're saying our state does not create have a supplement like that.

Correct.

But there could be an opportunity for our city to create such things.

Um the disability, like what would it cost to put them right over the edge to be able to afford since we're not doing vouchers?

That what would the be for two years to take 200 of those people with a supplement?

What would be the cost for that?

Is there a calculation anywhere?

Is that something you need to be happy to do?

Okay, please do that.

And we'd be happy to start as a council working on a strategic plan to see how we can maybe include something in our budget as a step.

Again, I don't think we're gonna be able to solve homelessness, but I think to do something that puts a dent in it is our goal.

Take about a million dollars.

About what?

Okay, there you go.

Million dollars.

Oh, Chad, let's raise a million dollars.

There we go.

It would probably mean more in the 10 million dollar range.

Well, to do 200 people for a supplement, that's what I was talking about.

It's more two people.

Okay.

Thank you all for being here.

We appreciate your input.

Let's make a difference here at Chad Nooga.

Thank you.

Let's do it.

We're adjourned.

Thank y'all.