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Council accepts $174,970 police homeless outreach grant for two-year outreach teams
Summary
The council approved a $174,970 grant to fund two officer outreach teams for a two-year homeless outreach and referral program; city and police leaders said the grant requires no local match and will pay for field tablets and outreach activities in partnership with local providers.
Taylor City Council approved acceptance of a $174,970 homeless outreach and referral grant for the Taylor Police Department.
Police Chief (speaker 16) described the program and said the grant has "no strings attached" — there is no matching requirement and no need to hire additional officers. Chief explained the operational plan: two officer teams working four hours per day, four days a week, over two years, to locate and engage people experiencing homelessness and connect them to treatment and services; tablets for sign-in and referrals will be provided by a guidance center at no cost to the city.
Council members expressed support. Councilwoman Witten called the program a "great opportunity" and said it is a start to addressing a persistent local need. The chief and lieutenant Alex Stellini, who helped design the program, described the grant as a successful shot at community policing using COPS-grant-style federal funding.
What to watch: city staff will implement the program through the police department with partner organizations for behavioral health and housing referrals. Council did not discuss reallocating general-fund dollars for operational costs because the presenters said the grant and partner contributions cover anticipated expenses.
Quote: "There are none. There's no matching requirement, nor is there any need for us to hire further officers," the police chief said when asked about grant strings or matching requirements.
