Mayor’s office reports 300 shelter beds available this summer; RFPs for designated parking and micro‑units underway

Karina Brown, the mayor’s special assistant for health and homelessness, told the commission the RFP for designated parking closed at noon that day and purchasing was reviewing responsive proposals. She said a separate RFP for construction of municipal micro‑units held a pre‑proposal conference on June 27 and that proposals are due by 4 p.m. on July 21.

Brown said the administration was winding down confidential negotiations for a scatter‑site congregate shelter and highlighted that, for the summer, the municipality has about 300 shelter beds available (200 at East 56th Avenue and 100 at the Alex operated by MAC). She said those counts represent bed capacity and that daily turnover varies; at 1 p.m. on the meeting day, staff reported eight beds were available.

Brown reviewed abatement procedures the municipality follows, saying the administration typically provides notice and most abatements use a 10‑day notice period (24‑ and 72‑hour notices exist for exigent circumstances). She described outreach and service offers made before abatements, noting that during a recent Davis Park abatement outreach teams offered services and 25 individuals accepted shelter on the day of abatement. Brown said abatement prioritization and notice timelines are governed by municipal code and by current abatement protocols.

Commissioners asked for clarifications about counts and bed turnover; Brown said outreach partners and shelter operators maintain a nightly shelter occupancy dashboard that updates and that staff would circulate occupancy data to commissioners. She also confirmed that if a private site contracted with the municipality receives municipal funds it must comply with municipal permit and contracting requirements.