Deputy Mayor Turnage and DMHHS brief council on shelters, encampment protocol and Interagency Council on Homelessness cuts

Deputy Mayor Wayne Turnage provided a brief opening statement for the Committee on Health's June 9 hearing and described the deputy mayor's office responsibilities for policy coordination and encampment response. Committee questions focused on the city's encampment clearance protocol, the new Ashton stabilization center, and staffing for the Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH).

Encampment notice period and shelter offers

DMHHS said it changed the standard encampment notice period from 14 days to seven days; officials said the 7‑day protocol is posted and that staff may still adjust schedules if additional time is needed for specific situations. DMHHS said its practice is to offer shelter beds when closing encampments, but officials acknowledged shelter capacity is constrained and that only a small percentage of people historically accept offered shelter placements. The agency said it is working to increase shelter bed capacity and expedite lease‑up and voucher use to reduce pressure on emergency shelter.

New shelter and program openings

Turnage and DMHHS staff said the Ashton stabilization center and other recent additions (the Aston and other facilities) are operating and that the Ashton had an initial census with a majority of residents coming from unsheltered encampments. The deputy mayor said Ashton residents had an average length of stay of about 72 days and a high rate of voucher matching among residents entering from the street.

Interagency Council on Homelessness staffing and budget

DMHHS said the FY26 proposal reduces contract funding for the ICH by about $110,000 and removes one FTE from the office. DMHHS explained the decision as a reallocation of some operating costs into personal services to create an internal DHMHS data capability and to onboard several new ICH staff; the agency said it also deferred consumer stipends until the office is fully staffed and able to administer them.

Concerns and next steps

Committee members pressed the deputy mayor on whether those changes might create access problems for people who work shifts or for residents who may feel unsafe waiting in lines at service centers. Turnage said he would follow up with agency leaders and the city administrator on operational details and staffing plans. The committee requested data on how many shelter vouchers in other agency portfolios remain unused and asked DMHHS to coordinate with partners to accelerate voucher lease‑up.

Speakers quoted in this report are identified in the meeting record and were sworn for testimony.