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Durham council urges staff to address tent distribution for unsheltered residents while policy is finalized
Summary
Council members pressed city staff to act urgently after HSAC raised questions about the distribution of tents to people sleeping unsheltered. Council gave managers guidance to allow frontline workers discretion to provide tents while the Homeless Services Advisory Committee finalizes an encampment policy.
Durham City Council members on Tuesday directed city staff to treat the distribution of tents to unsheltered residents as an urgent operational issue while the Homeless Services Advisory Committee (HSAAC) finishes a formal encampment policy.
Council Member Chelsea Cook, who serves on the HSAAC, asked the council to “remove the ban on handing out tents until that policy is developed,” saying the city does not currently have shelter capacity for everyone who has sought help and that waiting for a final policy could put people at risk as temperatures fall.
The council’s discussion clarified that the pause on issuing tents originated after concerns were raised by some HSAAC members and by staff. Deputy City Manager Beau Ferguson said the HEART community response teams had earlier distributed tents using departmental…
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