Title
Update By George Keller, Deputy City Manager, And Jaime Hernandez, Emergency And Government Affairs Manager, On The Implementation Of Specific Action Steps In The City’s Homeless Services Plan
Strategic Plan Focus
Quality of Life & Strong Neighborhoods
Body
Staff Recommends: Update on the implementation of the specific action steps included in the Homeless Services Plan, which was presented to the Hollywood City Commission on July 7, 2021.
Explanation:
The City of Hollywood presented a Homeless Services Plan to the Hollywood City Commission for adoption by the Commission and implementation by City staff. The City Commission supported the plan and upon its unanimous adoption on July 7, 2021, staff began working on implementing recommended action steps detailed in the Plan. The following is an update on the implementation status of the action steps:
1. Increase the reserved bed capacity for homeless individuals in the City of Hollywood at the Broward Outreach Center (BOC). This process is currently ongoing. BOC representatives have advised City staff they are interested in increasing its overall bed capacity from the current City Commission-approved limit of 110 beds to 175 beds. City staff toured the BOC on September 15, 2021 to evaluate conditions and services at the BOC. Staff was impressed with the quality and comprehensiveness of the services offered at the BOC, including sheltering, educational, medical, financial, family and child services, and other programs the BOC has to help individuals and families recover from homelessness. These programs are provided at no cost to homeless clients. The BOC is preparing to submit a formal request to increase its bed capacity. City staff advised BOC representatives that separately from any change in the BOC’s bed capacity, the City is interested in reserving additional beds for homeless individuals and families in the City of Hollywood. The BOC representatives advised they are open to accommodating such a request. The BOC has been operating at 60 percent capacity since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. Appoint the Hollywood Police Department’s Homeless Coordinator to the Broward County Homeless Continuum of Care (CoC) Board. Officer Dwayne Chung rejoined the Hollywood Police Department as the City’s Homeless Coordinator in June 2021 after a year of retirement. Prior to his retirement, Officer Chung served as the City’s representative on the CoC Board. Officer Chung has resumed attending the CoC board meeting with the City’s current CoC representative, Steve Werthman, to assist with any topics or issues that involve the City of Hollywood. Mr. Werthman, who was appointed to the CoC board by the Broward County Commission in 2020 after Officer Chung retired, has expressed interest in continuing to represent Hollywood on the CoC board.
3. Establish a City of Hollywood Police Department Homeless Task Force comprised of six (6) sworn Hollywood Police Officers. The Hollywood Police Department currently has 27 Neighborhood Team Leaders (NTLs) and 4 NTL Sergeants, all of whom actively seek to make contact with and assist the homeless by connecting them with available rehabilitative services. They work closely with the Officer Chung in performing these duties. Though they are active throughout the City of Hollywood, the areas of most frequent contact with the homeless are east Hollywood (Federal Highway Corridor, downtown Hollywood, 2000 block of Scott Street), Hollywood Beach and sections of State Road 7/US 441.
4. Increasing the hourly and daily coverage of existing field representatives for The TaskForce Fore Ending Homelessness who serve the City of Hollywood to locate, identify and assist homeless individuals and families. The City of Hollywood and the Task Force Fore Ending Homelessness have agreed to initiate a one year pilot program (with four renewable one year options) to have two social workers seek out homeless individuals and families throughout the City five days a week, eight hours a day and connect them with available rehabilitative services through the Broward County Continuum of Care. City staff is presenting an agreement between the City and the Task Force Fore Ending Homelessness to the Hollywood City Commission for consideration and approval during on October 20, 2021.
5. Enter into an Interlocal Agreement with Dania Beach and Hallandale Beach to establish a local transportation system for the homeless population in the three cities that delivers them to critical rehabilitative and assistive services. City staff held a virtual meeting with representatives from Dania Beach, Hallandale Beach, the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) Dania Beach District, Hallandale Beach Police Department and the Task Force Fore Ending Homelessness on Wednesday, September 8, 2021. The topic was a possible partnership to establish a tri-city transportation system for the homeless. Dania Beach representatives indicated during the meeting that their city does not have a large homeless population (approximately 13 according to BSO) and questioned how the cost of such a transportation system could be shared. The BSO representative advised that deputies typically transport homeless individuals to rehabilitative services and questioned the need for a transportation system in Dania Beach. Hollywood City staff made clear that the transportation system being considered would only serve the homeless as needed for transportation to rehabilitative services throughout Broward County. Hallandale Beach representatives stated they have fewer than 30 homeless individuals in their city. Hollywood Police advised that the homeless individuals use the Hallandale Beach shuttle to enter the City of Hollywood during the evening hours. After some discussion, representatives from all three municipalities agreed to continue to discuss and explore the idea of a tri-city transportation system, albeit with less apparent need than was originally described.
6. Work cooperatively with the Broward County judicial system to develop and implement a Community Service program in lieu of traditional criminal conviction and jail time for misdemeanor offenses. Judge Corey Amanda Cawthon of the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, Broward County South Satellite Courthouse has advised City staff that the 17th Judicial Circuit created a diversion program in 2019 that is directed at Hollywood municipal ordinance cases involving homeless defendants. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic derailed much of the progress that was made with the diversion program in 2019. City staff is coordinating a meeting with Judge Cawthon for mid-October 2021 to discuss resuming the diversion program and any other possible legal solutions.
7. Camping Ordinance - Currently under review.
8. Enhance funding and resources for the Hollywood Police Department Homeless Reunification Program. Between October 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021, the Hollywood Police Department reunited five (5) homeless clients with their families. Since the program’s inception in 2015, HPD has reunited 90 homeless clients with their families. HPD continues to have adequate funding for the Reunification Program through revenue generated through the Textile Donation Bin Program, which was discontinued in early 2020. HPD can increase funding for the Reunification Program from other sources in the future if needed.
Fiscal Impact:
This item will not fiscally impact the City.
Recommended for inclusion on the agenda by:
Jaime Hernandez, Emergency and Governmental Affairs Manager
George R. Keller, Jr., CPPT, Deputy City Manager