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Mayor’s office outlines four‑part public health and safety strategy; officials urge community engagement on homelessness response
Summary
The mayor’s office presented a four‑goal public health and safety framework — workforce, crime enforcement, crisis care access and safe infrastructure — and officials described steps to prioritize encampment abatements, public engagement events and short‑term rental assistance to address homelessness and RV encampments.
The mayor’s office on March 5 presented a broad public health and safety strategy to the Public Health and Safety Committee and described steps to engage the public and deploy short‑term housing supports aimed at reducing large encampments.
"We have 4 main goal areas," Thea Agnewbemben of the mayor’s office said, listing workforce, law enforcement/crime reduction, expanded crisis care and safe roads/parks/trails and emergency preparedness as the strategy’s pillars. Committee members focused discussion on homelessness and rising RV encampments.
Why it matters: Committee members and the public have raised concerns about large camps and growing RV presence in neighborhoods such as the Davis Park area; officials said resources and coordination guide when and where abatements occur and urged residents to use community councils and a March coordinated response event to channel concerns into action.
Key points from the presentation and discussion
• Strategy pillars: Agnewbemben described four priorities — strengthening the public health and safety workforce through recruiting and cross‑training; enforcing law and targeting high‑rate crime areas; expanding crisis and prevention services, including substance‑use treatment and infectious‑disease prevention; and improving safety for roads, parks and emergency preparedness.
• Camps and abatement priorities: In response to Member Raleigh and Christopher Constant, Agnewbemben said camp cleanups follow municipal code and are prioritized based on reports submitted through the municipal system; she said the Healthy Spaces team conducts daily camp cleaning and that tonnage of removed material is reported weekly. She acknowledged resource limits and encouraged public reporting and engagement through revitalized community boards.
• Short‑term rental assistance and housing funds: Agnewbemben said the municipality is deploying a third tranche of Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA2) funds — which are short‑term and must be obligated and expended on federal timelines — and that the health department is working to get about $5.5 million in rental assistance and housing services to partners to move people from shelter and into housing.
• RVs and designated parking: Thea Agnewbemben and staff noted work on a designated parking project to address growing RV parking and said that resources will be sought to support it.
Quotations from officials
"One of the things that I think is a a good response to provide to people is just to get involved," Agnewbemben said, urging residents to participate in community conversations and a March coordinated response event. Member Christopher Constant described the Davis Park vehicle problem as "growing without management" and urged stronger plans.
Next steps and public engagement
Officials highlighted a March 21 two‑day coordinated response event to end homelessness and a World Cafe session designed for community input. Agnewbemben said five community‑facilitated conversations have been completed and their themes will inform the coordinated response.
