Residents press council on homelessness; members seek bed-counts and task-force accountability

Multiple speakers at the June 2 meeting criticized what they described as slow progress on homelessness and asked the council to press for concrete solutions.

Mike Mancini said he had heard from people living unsheltered and argued that the mayor's unsheltered task force has not produced meaningful results for people on the streets. "When nothing happens, nothing gets accomplished," he said, urging council participation on the panel and more direct service coordination.

Councilmember Dr. Rothchild and others said the task force receives HUD funds and donations and that the city supplements services through HUD allocations. Councilmembers asked administration for clearer reporting on task-force activities and for an additional council member to join the mayor's panel so council has broader representation.

Councilmember Flynn committed to reporting back with an accurate count of shelter beds for women within the city—including beds at the Katherine McCauley Center—saying the widely circulated claim that the city has only six beds for women was not correct. Flynn said he would provide exact numbers at the next meeting.

Speakers proposed using underused municipal spaces, such as a rec center, for coordinated nonprofit services, and urged the city to follow up on service gaps exposed during outreach.

What comes next: Council asked administration and nonprofit partners for a clear inventory of shelter beds and a report on task-force resources and outcomes; Flynn said he would return next week with exact bed counts for women available in the city.