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Police, council seek assurances after state-run emergency shelter opens at Envision Hotel
Summary
After councilors raised public-safety concerns, the Everett Police Chief discussed call volumes and screening procedures at a state-run emergency shelter. Council invited the police chief to discuss operations and later referred the resolution back to its sponsor for follow-up.
Councilors sought public-safety details about an emergency shelter operating at the Envision Hotel and invited the chief of police to brief the body on calls for service and security arrangements.
Councilor De Perera introduced a resolution requesting the chief appear before the council to describe steps the city is taking to ensure public safety at any state-run emergency shelter in Everett. The council voted to invite Chief Strong, who described recent checks by the police department and said calls for service at the hotel have been limited and mainly medical in nature.
Why it matters: Councilors sought to reassure residents after media reports of criminal incidents at a shelter in another city. They pressed for clarity about screening, security staffing and how relocations would be handled if the shelter closed.
What officials said - Chief Strong said police sent a community outreach officer and a detective to perform a quality-control check and review calls for service; the chief said roughly 60 calls had been logged at the site since the shelter opened and that most were medical. - The shelter is run by Elliott Community Services and staffed in part by New England Security, the chief said. He said state agencies conduct eligibility screening and CORI checks for U.S. residents; the chief added checks for non-U.S. records are limited. - Chief Strong relayed an email he had received saying the shelter would likely close by August or by year-end; he said the city will notify the council when the closure is confirmed.
Council questions and follow-up - Councilors asked who performs background checks, whether security is 24/7, how long the hotel can hold residents, and whether displaced families would be relocated inside Everett or elsewhere. The chief said the state nd contracted staff handle screening and that relocations could occur outside Everett. - Councilor Rogers asked whether displaced families would remain in Everett; the chief said re-housing could be anywhere depending on state placements. - Councilor Gitantonio asked about capacity and the chief said he did not have a precise current count but that the hotel had been close to capacity when operations began.
Formal action - The council voted to invite Chief Strong to present (motion carried) and later voted to refer the resolution back to the sponsor for further action.
Ending: The council asked to be kept informed of any change in the shelter—losing date and sought additional reports on screening, security arrangements and call data as the situation develops.
