Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Homelessness topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City outlines homelessness outreach, point-in-time count and trends to joint committee
Summary
City staff described outreach capacity, recent point-in-time count results and migration patterns; committee discussed outreach emphasis to keep unsheltered people off school property.
City of Davis social services staff updated the City of Davis and Davis Joint Unified School District 2x2 committee Wednesday on homelessness outreach, recent point-in-time counts and observed patterns of people moving through the city.
City Manager/Staff (City) said the city’s social services department includes a homeless outreach coordinator and two public safety specialists who perform outreach, connect people with shelter and services, and document contacts. The city’s most recent winter point-in-time count recorded roughly 65 unsheltered people in Davis; staff said that number is likely an undercount.
Dana Bailey, director of social services (referenced by staff), told the committee the city is seeing migration patterns, with people passing through Davis from the Bay Area or Sacramento, sometimes staying temporarily in visible locations. City staff said much of the outreach work is aimed at reconnecting people with services in their places of origin where benefits and supports are accessed.
City staff said outreach contacts are now being reported by district so staff can identify where contacts occur. The city also provides pocket cards with QR codes and phone numbers residents can use to report concerns and direct people to services.
Committee members asked whether mental-health support needs among people who are unhoused have increased. City staff said the majority of people encountered by outreach staff have mental-health and/or substance-use challenges; they did not provide time-series data showing an increase. Another staff member noted an observed rise in the number of older adults among the unhoused population.
Officials and trustees discussed the relationship between homelessness and school site issues. Committee members asked outreach staff to stress during contacts that people should avoid sleeping or staging belongings on school property while school is in session. The district said strategic fencing at several campuses is intended in part to reduce trespassing from adjacent public spaces.
City staff said they produce a monthly outreach report breaking down contacts by district and location and that contacts appear across the city rather than concentrated in a single neighborhood. They also noted several community-based organizations and county partners assist with services and shelter placements.
No formal actions were taken on homelessness at the meeting; staff said they will continue monthly reporting and coordinate outreach messaging with the district.
