Meeting Notes from 05/03/2016

1) Annouce BoS hearing:

FILE NO. 160278 – [Administrative Code – City Navigation Centers for the Homeless]

Thursday May 5th at 9:30am in Room 263 @ City Hall
The BoS Government Audit and Oversight Committee will be discussing this ordinance proposed by Campos, Avalos, and Mar
Ask people to attend and or send public comments to the committee clerk and it’s members:

Clerk: erica.major@sfgov.org
Members: London, Peskin and Yee

 

2) Build Public presentation on Eagle Plaza

Description of plaza, plan, etc

Q&A

  • Great idea, if someone sets up a tent in the center of the plaza, how are you going to deal with that?
    • Friends of Eagle plaza are empowered to be stewards of the plaza
    • We are working with the same group that manages Yerba Buena park and other spaces
    • CFDs as funding entities are very flexible, we’re starting with 2 buildings backing the plaza but it can expand as other
    • We might be able to get revenue from renting space to a food truck, etc.
    • Build public is beginning a phase 2 project to extend the plaza all the way to Folsom St, as a linear park that does not close traffic but expands the sidewalk
  • Have you thought of using shipping containers
    • We had a coffee kiosk in earlier iterations of the plan, but it takes a lot of space. It’s not currently in the plan.
  • <Question on funding for programming / maintenance>
    • Events on the plaza will pay an event fee to Friends of Eagle Plaza
  • Does it shut down at some point?
    • It’s a public open space, and the model we’re looking at is to partner with the property management group for the buildings so that the staff of those buildings can be 24-hr presence in terms of keeping an eye on the plaza
    • We’re hoping to also apply the Rec & Park guidelines to this space which would be enforcable rules which set standards for conduct
  • This area doesn’t have the same activity as Hayes valley, etc.
    • There is a lot of development going in, the challenges are real but we are problem solvers and we are committed to making this work
    • That area of Hayes used to be terrible, with a freeway, unsafe, etc. it has changed a lot and this area can as well.

3) Concrn Presentation by Jacob

Grew up in Palo Alto, worked from 15-21 as a cadet responder with the police. Over time because aware of the revolving door people are stuck in with prison, hospitals, etc. Switch from police to music, in Eugene Or found the Whitebird(?) clinic. Www.whitebirdclinic.org They send mental health responders to mental health crises.

Instead of calling 911, you use their app to make a report ala SF311 and they will send a responder to the person in crisis, they work to establish a relationship then connect the person to services. Clients connected to them are more likely to make it through their service and treatment.

They started with the tenderloin, and are expanding into SOMA, etc. Hoping to cover the Bart corridor within a year. They are open to volunteers for compassionate response, which incorporates self-defense, mental health training, etc.

Q&A

    • We’re building relationships with service providers and connecting up with them, also get a lot out of just being present on the streets and seeing people day-to-day
    • We work with Lava-Mae to provide outreach and such at their shower-bus. Instead of displacing people when they are in the way, we will try to pave a way for them to a service provider, in a way that is more negotiation than authoritative.
  • Do you have ways of tracking your clients
    • We work to establish repoire, then work from a place of lifting them up rather than having pity for them.
    • We work to link them back to their case manager, we call it meta-case management.
  • I used your app about a month ago, I opened the app, snapped a photo, I don’t know if it worked, but 30 mins later this person is no longer there, what happens?
    • We have 3 tiers of responders: lead responders, who have 100+ hours of training, regular responders: 20+ hours of training, and trainee responders: <20 responders
    • Until recently we were just trying to respond in the Tenderloin. Usually we can respond within 5 minutes. We went from averaging 1-5 reports per day, then after a few blog posts we had 50 per day which caused us to need to revamp our software – there’s a new app coming out.
    • Text number for reports: 415-881-8278
  • How much staff do you have, what percent of calls can you respond to, what’s your average response time?
    • We call the HOT team when we need transport.
  • Would you then call the HOT team?
  • I’m unclear on when I would call you.
    • We can usually get out their quicker, so I would call us and we can call in the HOT team because we have a direct line to them
    • People running in street, we can get their attention. When there’s someone smoking crack near a school, we can gently remind them that there is a school here and can them move somewhere elese.
  • What’s the end goal?
    • The goal is to empower and humanize the homeless population, support them to get treatment and housing.
  • Is this more specifically for people with addictions and mental health disorders? We see a lot of people who can not look after themselves.
    • It’s difficult to say what is mental health issue and what isn’t. Mental stability often comes from financial stability.
  • If someone is running down the street and having a psychotic break?
    • Yep that’s our bread and butter.
  • But if they’re a danger to themselves or others, then it’s 911
    • Yes, but we seek to get in before it gets to that point, but even then we’ve been able to intervene. We saw a fight break out the other day, a guy grabbed a girl around the neck and we were able to diffuse it without having to turn to emergency services.
    • There’s a lot you can do by not showing up with a gun and authority.
  • Metrics for success will be number of calls placed to you, tracking the logevity of people to services, and the efficiencies gained by the police department, and because of that, police can be working on things that are more life-threatening to the public.
    • Totally agree with 2 & 3, but not 1, there are a lot of calls that are not compassionate to the individuals
    • Do people have a better batting average when they’re connected to us, for their service provision, that’s a metric we’re watching
  • You have substantial overlap with 311
    • Yeah we work well together, we want to get there sooner, we like to capture the crisis in the moment, because that’s when you have
  • What’s your new neighborhood
    • We’re radiating out into SOMA and into the Mission
    • I can’t guarantee response, probably wouldn’t respond to the Richmond
    • Soon we’ll be down to Ceasar Chavez. I challenge you to test us because once in a while, we are able to respond farther out.
  • We both have 510 numbers, would that throw something off?
    • If you’re using the app, it will send its location. If you send a text message, please include your location
  • What’s the cut-off point on safety etc.
    • A guy pulled out an axe the other day, and we’re not equipped to deal with an axe
    • We don’t like to call 911, we have built relationships with officers, we call them and know they are less likely to escalate.
    • It happens, we see things that are dangerous. We always go out in teams of 2, sometimes more. We have radio contact & support.
    • Trainings are on Saturdays, 3-4, at our headquarters in the Tenderloin. 5 4-hr trainings gets to 20 hrs.
  • How are you guys funded?
    • Just barely, I’ve been volunteering for a long time

4) Fiona talks about the pending State Senate debate

We’re co-sponsoring, it’s set down in Mission Bay at the Mercy Housing Community Room. Co-sponsors are the South Beach Democratic club and the Homesharer’s Democratic Club. We can give 6 questions, but we need to provide them by Friday. They’ll debate the issues.

The 6 topics:

  • How to make the district more affordable
  • Address mental challenges
  • Make the district safer
  • Address Homelessness
  • Address other quality of life issues, e.g. Transportation
  • Address socioeconomic opportunity

2 min response to each question, 90 second rebuttal

We’re looking for a timekeeper.
Also runners to take question cards from audience.
I’ll send out info.

If Jane Kim gets elected, Ed Lee will select a supervisor for the next 2 years.

5) Ben

Create a CFD for new developments to fund

Crowd source funding for private security

  • Atlanta is divided into 25 Neighborhood Planning Units, we would have plans and expectations for developers via a Master Plan, we could make that the norm here
  • Presidio Knolls School is paying with Chris Foley for security on their block – how can we extend coverage more broadly. We could link these groups up.
  • I am offering help – we have waze but for crime, connecting people around you to protect you from crime. App name: Village Defense
    • Yes we don’t have good numbers for where the crime is happening
  • Criminals have a better playbook, they’re working together and we’re not. My door got kicked in and a neighbor had
  • Regarding the funding of this, can we ask the city for the money?

 

 

 

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