Thread by @shayshinecastle

OK, now homelessness.

Brockett wants it open every night October-May. Asking Kurt Firnhaber how many nights it stays open now. We had this number once but I've forgotten.

Lord, Firnhaber takes forever to answer qs. Lovely guy, but damn.

OK he's saying BoHo, who used to run shelter, went from mid-November to mid-March. Brockett asking if we can/would shift a bit

Bridge House says they can't operate winter sheltering past March, apparently.

Mid-March would be easiest, but they def can't go past March.

Cost is not a significant impact, Firnhaber says.

Friend: Staff has said all-winter sheltering will jeopardize housing first. Can we consider this a pilot and gather data to see if that threat materializes?

Firnhaber: That's an important point. We've also been discussing whether "there's some sort of trigger" to the housing-focused shelter.

Basically, what criteria will send someone using winter sheltering to housing-focused shelter? "Looking at the data this spring will be a great opportunity to look at any policy choices for next year."

Yates: I know this is the last year Bridge House will be doing severe weather shelter.

Firnhaber: When we have 3Q check in, that will give us enough time to define parameters as we search for a new provider.

Nagle: Last year "we voted against this bc we felt it would hinder or harm the process you've been working so hard on."

"We didn't do this last year for a reason. I understand it's not that many more days ... What are your thoughts on this."

Firnhaber: "We have concerns about it drawing more individuals to the community."

But we have a good communication plan to let unhoused folks know what our capacity is. "That's certainly been pretty effective," he says.

Also putting additional resources to diversion (i.e. sending ppl out of town and/or connecting them with family/friends)

Firnhaber: "As we make those transitions, we'll really have to pay attention to how they're working."

Weaver is supporting all-winter sheltering.

He was the wild card; last year he tended toward support but I wasn't sure. Everyone else is pretty clear cut.

"We have to be careful it doesn't distract from housing-first," he says. But we need to prevent frostbite, hypothermia, etc.

Weaver: "We need to make sure we keep focused on long-term homeless" in our community. The data shows a large % of ppl using winter sheltering have been here 6 mos. or later; "that's OK." We want to take care of ppl.

OK, so Brockett's proposal is to keep shelters open every night through March, then maybe next year Nov. 15-end of March.

There *is* a public hearing for this, which I wasn't sure.

I'll figure this council thing out eventually. Probably.

Isabel McDevitt, Bridge House CEO: "With the continuance of service as it is, the goal is to engage ppl for a housing exit. I can't stress enough that the work we've done as a community, collaborative, service providers... is especially important."

By getting to ppl early, we've been able to be more "creative" and effective than ever before.

"Shelter is not a solution unto itself."

30%+ of high-utilizers of shelter are some of our chronically homeless. "It's not just ppl new to the community. It's also ppl who are service resistant. We have a tremendous opportunity there."

"We cannot sustain every person experiencing homelessness in a sheltering model. And we can't house everyone in a tiny unit. We'll only get outcomes if we continue to innovate."

"It's important for the entire community — landlords, employers, everyone — to look at innovative models."

Young: The 30% you mentioned, you said we need to focus on outreach. Does this proposal deflect from helping those individuals?

McDevitt: I think the challenge we've always faced ... the stated purpose was the save lives. Coordinated entry is really designed to get ppl engaged with services. There's always been a bit of a disconnect.

We need to acknowledge some ppl are not going to be able to access more traditional services. They're more comfortable in winter sheltering. "We need to be OK with that."

Maybe they should "leapfrog" and skip the step of going through Boulder Shelter before getting housing. Maybe get them directly into housing, she says.

The idea that coordinated entry would get everyone on their way to housing "that just hasn't happened."

We need to engage ppl "in a trauma-informed way."

We're voting.

Unanimous vote.

Surprisingly. Everyone votes to keep shelter open every night through March. Whoa.

For April, it will go back to weather-dependent. Temperature and precipitation thresholds.

Council still talking a bit more about what additional solutions they will bring for council to study.

That study session will happen in April to firm up that list; staff will report back in October.

Swetlik: "What we did tonight is just the floor of things that need doing. this is a very broad and deep issue and it's going to take a very, very comprehensive set of Dif things to address it in the way it needs to be addressed."

"This is just the very, very beginning," he says.
Weaver: I would say it's a continuation.

Brockett: It would be great for staff to do analysis before tht April study session. If possible.

Friend thanks Brockett for bringing this up 2 yrs in a row. "Obviously it is our No. 1 duty to protect lives."

She has some clarifying qs about the impending encampment removal sweep council OK'd at the retreat.

"I did not vote yes for that. I still don't know what happens to ppl when we're going to be moving ppl along."

Brautigam: "The police chief doesn't know what happens to those folks, of course."

We will try to have a host of social services to offer, she says.

Firnhaber: When we present to city council on homelessness, we don't cover everything. We present what we think is most important.

We've engaged really deeply in a way we never have before on mental health this year, he says.

Young: The early engagement team, where do they fit in?
Firnhaber: The majority of responses are for those who are housed.

Brockett clarifies: That's the police team who specifically deals with mental health.

Something I didn't know: Severe weather sheltering is open during the day on holidays (when city gov't offices are closed)

Joseph asking what I want to know (even though I already made a guess): What happens after March 31?

Brautigam confirms what I thought: After March, it will go back to temperature-triggered until May 30.

So slight correction to my earlier tweet which I think indicated that sheltering closed at the end of April.

Swetlik raising something else I didn't know: Point-in-time count is coming up on Jan. 27.

Weaver: Severe weather shelter is not in a vacuum. They definitely make an attempt to engage as ppl are packing up for the day, grabbing food, etc.

"You can't force ppl to do whatever they don't want to do. But that's one more opportunity every time they go into severe weather shelter."

Brockett giving a thanks to council members for voting for this.

I can't believe we're done at 9:15. This council is *slaying.*

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