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Homeless advisory chair seeks outreach funding; board limits T-shirts to committee and trims bags
Summary
At the June 1 meeting Marie Scott, chair of Hope Mills' Homeless Advisory Committee, requested about $2,300 for outreach materials and hygiene supplies. Commissioners limited T-shirts to committee members and cut the proposed 100 outreach bags to 50; police raised safety concerns about civilians administering Narcan.
Marie Scott, chair of the town’s Homeless Advisory Committee, asked the Board of Commissioners on June 1 to approve approximately $2,300 in committee spending for outreach materials, hygiene supplies and branded items to support the committee’s outreach work.
Scott said the packet included two invoices — about $565 to the Marius Maximus Foundation for hygiene goods and a second invoice for shirts, bags and other outreach items — and that committee colleagues had vetted and approved the requests. “We have outreach work. We have events planned,” Scott said, defending the request for T-shirts and outreach materials.
Commissioners questioned the scale and purpose of some items. Board members expressed concern about buying 150 T-shirts and recommended limiting purchased shirts to committee members. After discussion the board reached consensus that T-shirts should be for committee members only; Scott said she would order a small number for the committee rather than the originally requested 150. The board also agreed to reduce the number of outreach bags from 100 to 50.
Scott said some items included complimentary giveaways contingent on the larger order and that she would ask the vendor to reissue invoices after the quantities were cut. She also noted the committee has about $6,000 in its budget for the fiscal year.
The committee described plans to have members trained to administer Narcan. Police leadership cautioned against unaccompanied civilians administering Narcan, citing safety and training concerns. The police chief recommended that Narcan administration be handled or supervised by trained law enforcement or medical personnel.
No formal punitive action was taken against the committee; the board approved the reduced purchases and directed staff and the committee to reconcile invoices and proceed according to the revised quantities.
