[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6362051,"mediaKeyId","2168902-023bacf247cce4176f33d33aba608626","parentId",2168902,"title","Mayor details homeless outreach gains and a county-backed mental health pilot","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",1628000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2168902-023bacf247cce4176f33d33aba608626&start=1628&end=1628","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2168902-023bacf247cce4176f33d33aba608626/thumbnail_1628000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6362051/Florida/Mayor-details-homeless-outreach-gains-and-a-county-backed-mental-health-pilot","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6362051-64ef90428c54a1c712337ead2469c322/orig.mp4?Expires=1774669754&Signature=e-mb~IUTfBFAeYNYptpi7dSKtD848DVmGSN9JqMfBTAlnLitmwTk~827mpWDghfyMtZUjs-yHToSGLqR5bXhlbSxET2d3aGwZMKgErcSYyyO5qQP2YxbTtA0w-6wBMktYnL9WA-V7zmgTXXd3kltAVL8JzJH8CHAI5o5fg5~i5ULtaQUVNC5PkzhfpD6hPDHF6u~kjrUyeCOnyszByqGvZ-PuiaA9egvZ9oWjuUO1ygUPTh~TsGZSqLRjb2UWPNG0EnX5YigvuuqqzoU4POJJoNXl6LpRTprAw5lNQl1oFvMNajiUaUnJcXykZ5Kv-qzh8YF~NOuOVBb0bnEJA19Dg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of West Palm Beach, FL","date","2025-01-30T17:09:33Z","article","Mayor Keith James described expansions to the city's homeless outreach and a new mental-health intervention pilot with the county.

\"When I first came in the office we had one person on a homeless outreach team. Within my first term of office we increased that number from one to 10 full-time employees,\" James said, describing a larger street outreach effort that makes daily contacts with people experiencing homelessness.

He gave a series of program metrics: the homeless outreach team successfully housed or sheltered 302 chronically homeless individuals, reconnected 75 people through the city's Home Rebound program, provided 156 individuals with mental-health or substance-abuse services, and conducted 2,743 engagements in parks, neighborhoods and other targeted locations.

James also described a pilot program launched with the Healthcare District of Palm Beach County to provide assistance to people who do not meet the threshold for a Baker Act but still require support. He said the pilot has helped 55 people so far and that the county provided some funding for the effort. \"As this initiative evolves we aim to someday establish a one‑stop facility to address a range of quality-of-life issues,\" he said.

The mayor framed homeless outreach as a combination of services and individualized engagement, and he credited the outreach team with practical outcomes including arranging hospital discharges and transport plans back to family members or shelters.

Ending: James said the city’s approach balances empathy and enforcement and called continued partnership across agencies and nonprofits essential to reduce homelessness and support vulnerable residents.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025 State of the City Address by Mayor Keith A. James","oneSentenceSummary","In his State of the City address, Mayor Keith James said the city expanded homeless outreach staff, housed more chronically homeless individuals and launched a pilot with the Healthcare District of Palm Beach County to support people who fall short of Baker Act thresholds.","taxTitle","Events, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida","taxId",80519,"location","Florida","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6362056,"Mayor says public safety is 'job number one,' cites crime declines and staffing investments",357,1096000,1453000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2168902-023bacf247cce4176f33d33aba608626&start=1096&end=1453","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2168902-023bacf247cce4176f33d33aba608626/thumbnail_1096000.jpg","/articles/6362056/Florida/Mayor-says-public-safety-is-job-number-one-cites-crime-declines-and-staffing-investments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6362056-6d339a64ff6f4cc88b5f9e4ab3958bc2/orig.mp4?Expires=1774669754&Signature=N6Ahr4VGqYK~MJhoJJ32jPtG3cn6n7cukMv9GbAATh0HPuZlmDOVLvp~fuMQXloxx3AexwRcq5dzy3kxnpLXVmXF3SwlHY-KOsa3Mz25zOucnsJJCVpwN3qx~9g6ZeuhaeLulmC-pULky6nwmexyhHDhAXvBmHC9GXwpt4VBHoUNkIfvwAhmeqbu6zr6jGYiVxLTv-kIwvgktiPFXZfts2dRM622gPXWm440-Hk8BLlR3F3k-uVW3WYo0OQ1Rwbdf4SGkDFnpnzxFSmBx2DQGVIqKTu~~YwAhCbh6V7X-fnPFPL12P-YG6AeXfYzrfMIXPlifD8ZRGkmLQAWeSNtUw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor Keith James said public safety is the city’s top priority and pointed to recent crime reductions and personnel investments as evidence of progress.

\"Public safety is job number one,\" Mayor Keith James said during the State of the City address, adding that if people live in fear, \"nothing else we do matters.\" He told attendees that the city saw a 12% decrease in overall crime in the most recent reporting year, a 8.2% reduction in violent crime in 2023 and a 14% reduction in violent crime in 2024.

James described a range of enforcement and personnel actions he said contributed to those trends. He said the police department conducted 14 prostitution operations in 2024 that resulted in 111 arrests and pointed to a new contract with the Fraternal Order of Police that included a 22% pay increase for officers, sergeants and lieutenants and increased pension contributions. \"Prioritizing public safety is helping us retain dedicated individuals and invest in advanced technology,\" he said.

On fire services, the mayor said the Fire Department responded to more than 30,000 calls last year and transported over 13,000 patients. He noted the department added a new tiller (ladder) truck stationed at Fire Station 1 and that 36 firefighters received specialty driver training.

James acknowledged setbacks within the police department's leadership. He said in October he learned of alleged financial improprieties involving top command staff and an officer-involved incident in Boynton Beach he characterized as showing \"a gross disregard of professional judgment.\" He said those incidents demonstrated misalignment with the department’s mission and that he replaced the police chief as a result. He said restoring trust requires decisive action and that the city remains committed to high standards.

Ending: James framed the reductions in crime and the department investments as outcomes of partnership-driven strategies and reiterated that community engagement remains central to sustaining public trust and safety.","Mayor Keith James told the Chamber audience that public safety remains his top priority, citing recorded crime declines, a new police contract and fire department investments while acknowledging recent leadership issues in the police command.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_46":93,"_48":94,"_50":95,"_52":96,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":97,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":98,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6362061,"West Palm Beach mayor highlights housing gains, Vanderbilt and Cleveland Clinic partnerships",181,829000,1010000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2168902-023bacf247cce4176f33d33aba608626&start=829&end=1010","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2168902-023bacf247cce4176f33d33aba608626/thumbnail_829000.jpg","/articles/6362061/Florida/West-Palm-Beach-mayor-highlights-housing-gains-Vanderbilt-and-Cleveland-Clinic-partnerships","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6362061-7430f012f0167d5019c87257d6cf7972/orig.mp4?Expires=1774669754&Signature=gfCXYvOZ1AAXt9TEX~otPqh9KZ76yEwB1AXQ7h8JKVEP2Imd9kKMyYY~y01akvvVkGAAt-FvPBhq~1ECdEDO0CmRN5typRevfXecRscZ-SVQf0NyYRrO~mB4nJO1rIgQ5wm--FoWpwUldPrcQSGfF5Ed~kZXvZ6f1GSGgx83dwRG0VSrTo6jIhWt2YeBwkGYllegpkCI9jqm-EL9msOIU7Y~~BwmH64JrkIrnQ501R82tEo9Zn90px1IqIsiofUGobCH7~0GICwuj18F5JsRwzihKZwkt7zHukkg77LFKBmu-a2TjYzAtHTzwR8SvHiC9K4t~Q2eE9augVuSnqE9Jg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor Keith James said West Palm Beach has exceeded earlier affordable housing targets and is on track to reach an even larger goal by the end of his term.

\"When I became mayor, I set a goal of 300 affordable and workforce housing units to be completed or under development in the ensuing three years,\" Mayor Keith James said. He told the Chamber of Commerce audience that the city surpassed that benchmark in the first year and that he later raised the target to 1,400 units by the end of his mayoral tenure in 2027. \"I'm proud to announce that we are on track to exceed that goal as well,\" James said.

The mayor said that since 2019 the city has seen 815 housing units either completed or under development, and that in 2024 specifically 263 units began construction and 269 entered pre-development. He singled out two private developments supported by city incentives: The Spruce, which he said will add 117 affordable and workforce units in Northwood Village, and a project at 8111 South Dixie that he said will deliver 90 units on a long-vacant site. James credited tools such as density bonuses, grant funding and tax-increment financing for helping attract private investment.

James used the speech to announce and defend large institutional partnerships he described as transformational. He said the city donated land to support a proposed Vanderbilt University Innovation Hub focusing on artificial intelligence, data science and business programs, calling the hub an investment in a future workforce and local entrepreneurship ecosystem. \"Welcome Vanderbilt,\" he said, adding the partnership would bring research and academic resources to the region.

He also said Cleveland Clinic will open a new hospital and outpatient clinic downtown, calling it the first new hospital in the downtown area in more than a century and saying the expansion would broaden specialty care in the city.

James highlighted philanthropic-backed projects as further signs of investment: he said the Cox Science Center and Aquarium had broken ground on a $115 million expansion with nearly $100 million raised privately; the planned Boys & Girls Club at Dreher Park will be built on city-designated land with a $13 million price tag, which the mayor said has been entirely raised through donations; and a foundation tied to a former municipal golf course had raised more than $55 million for a redevelopment with community programs called PATH.

The mayor framed these efforts as part of a broader strategy to pair public incentives and private capital to create affordable housing, jobs and educational opportunities.

Ending: James closed by urging continued collaboration among city government, private partners and philanthropies, saying those partnerships will shape the city’s workforce and housing landscape in coming years.","Mayor Keith James said the city is on track to exceed aggressive affordable and workforce housing goals and touted major institutional partnerships with Vanderbilt University and Cleveland Clinic during the State of the City address.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Mayor details homeless outreach gains and a county-backed mental health pilot

Mayor says public safety is 'job number one,' cites crime declines and staffing investments

West Palm Beach mayor highlights housing gains, Vanderbilt and Cleveland Clinic partnerships