[CALL TO ORDER]
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UM, IT IS 2:05 PM.WE ARE ON THE VIRTUAL BIAS HERE FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE.
I AM COUNCIL MEMBER, JIMMY FLANNIGAN CHAIR OF THIS COMMITTEE.
I HAVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS, VICE CHAIR, UH, CUSTOMER CASAR, AND MAY PRETEND DAHLIA GARZA AS WELL AS COUNCIL MEMBERS, KITCHEN ALTER.
AND TOVO JOINING THE MEETING SO FAR, ALTHOUGH OTHERS MAY JOIN AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
UH, I THINK COUNCILMEMBER ELLIS IS COMING IN RIGHT NOW.
I'VE MOVED YOU INTO, UH, UH, PANELISTS CUSTOMER, LLC.
YOU ARE ALSO WITH US IN THE MEETING.
UM, SO AS I NORMALLY DO AT THE BEGINNING OF THESE VIRTUAL MEETINGS, JUST TO DO A QUICK TECHNOLOGY CHECK, UH, I AM THE HOST OF THE MEETING.
SO I'LL BE ABLE TO MOVE FOLKS IN AND OUT OF THE PANELISTS.
IF YOU ARE A PANELIST, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO IC KESLER HOPPER.
UM, IF YOU ARE A PANELIST, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO TURN ON YOUR AUDIO AND VIDEO, BUT IF YOU ARE NOT A PANELIST, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
I MOVE FOLKS IN AND OUT OF THAT SPACE, UH, TO KEEP THE MEETING SOMEWHAT MANAGEABLE.
UM, ALSO, UH, RATHER THAN JUST KEEP CONTINUALLY ASKING EVERYONE TO MUTE THEMSELVES, I WILL MUTE YOU IF YOU'RE NOT TALKING AND HAVE FORGOTTEN TO MUTE YOURSELF, PLEASE DO NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY.
UM, YOU WILL STILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO MUTE YOURSELF IF YOU ARE A PANELIST.
UM, THESE, UH, HAVE GONE PRETTY WELL SO FAR THROUGH THAT, THROUGH THIS, UH, THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
UM, BUT WE'LL ALL JUST KIND OF KEEP OUR WITS ABOUT US ON THE TECHNOLOGY SIDE TODAY'S AGENDA.
WE ARE GOING TO BE COVERING A LONG LIST OF ISSUES RELATED TO ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF COMMUNITY SAFETY AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE.
WE HAVE A PACKED AGENDA, UH, UH, COUNCILOR COSAR STAFF POSTED TO THE MESSAGE BOARD YESTERDAY.
UH, OUR, OUR HOPE TO STICK TO A PRETTY TIGHT TIMELINE.
SO HOW WE'LL PROCEED IS I WILL BRING ON SPEAKERS IN GROUPS.
FIRST, WE'LL HAVE AMBER GOODWIN WITH A COMMUNITY JUSTICE ACTION FUND.
THEN I'LL BRING, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE.
AND THEN I'LL TALK, WE'LL BRING ON OUR MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE PANELISTS, TIM BLACK, ANDY HOPS, MYERS HOFFMEISTER, AND PJ WAGNER.
THEN WE'LL BRING ON PANELISTS RELATED TO HOMELESSNESS AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE, NOT MALIKA CAKE AS A YANI, JOY RUCKER, AND THEN FAMILY VIOLENCE, KELLY WHITE, MELINDA CANTU, COURTNEY SANTANA.
AND THEN WE WILL BRING ON OUR APD OFFICERS, SHELLY AND CHRIS PERKINS AND THOMAS VILLAREAL.
HOPEFULLY THAT WILL LEAVE US TIME IN THE END FOR ANY CLEANUP CONVERSATIONS.
NORMALLY HOW WE, UH, YOU KNOW, EVERY WORKSHOP THAT WE'RE DOING, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE NOT TRADITIONAL COMMITTEE MEETINGS.
AND, UH, THIS IS INTENDED TO BE A WORKSHOP FOR THE PUBLIC, FOR US TO HEAR FROM THE FOLKS WHO ACTUALLY DO THIS WORK IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, IN THIS CASE, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO DO IN THESE, IN THESE BLOCKS IS HAVE OUR PANELISTS, UH, LAYOUT.
WHAT IS THEY DO SPECIFICALLY FOR TODAY'S CONVERSATION? THE WAY POLICING IMPACTS THE WORK THAT THEY DO AND WHETHER OR NOT THE SERVICE THEY PROVIDE IS COMPATIBLE TO REPLACEMENT FOR, UM, PART OF POLICING, BOTH HOW IT'S BEEN TRADITIONALLY DONE IN AS WE BRAINSTORM INTO THE FUTURE.
AND FOR ALL OF THAT, PLEASE TRY TO KEEP IT TO FIVE MINUTES.
UH, IT DOES REMIND ME BACK IN OUR, IN MY, UH, COUNCIL RACE DAY IS GOING INTO A COUNCIL FORUM AND THEY'D SAY, SOFT TRAFFIC.
YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE TO EXPLAIN.
IT'S NOT GOING TO BE EASY TO DO, BUT WE'RE GOING TO GO AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN.
AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBERS IN EACH OF THOSE BLOCKS, WE WILL DO QUESTIONS BECAUSE THESE TOPICS, WHILE THERE IS OVERLAP, THERE ARE SOME THERE'S ENOUGH DISTINCTION.
I THINK WE SHOULD TAKE QUESTIONS AT EACH BLOCK PREFERENCE QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
FIRST, LET'S TRY TO KEEP OUR, OUR, OUR REMARKS TO ACTUAL QUESTIONS, UH, SO THAT WE CAN GET THROUGH AS MUCH OF THIS AS WE CAN TODAY.
ALSO, IT SHOULD BE NOTED TODAY.
WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE SOLVING THE PROBLEM.
THIS IS AGAIN, A ONE IN A SERIES OF PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE WORKSHOPS.
WE'RE TRYING TO DAYLIGHT DIFFERENT IDEAS, DIFFERENT CONCERNS, DIFFERENT CHALLENGES.
UH, THIS IS THE PUBLIC VERSION OF THIS WORK.
THERE IS ALSO A WORKING GROUP HAPPENING ON THE CITY MANAGER SIDE ON THE STAFF SIDE THAT WILL BE COMPATIBLE WITH THE WORK WE DO TODAY, BUT THIS IS INTENDED TO BE THE PUBLIC FACING SIDE OF IT.
UM, ALSO MANY OF OUR PANELISTS WHO ARE JOINING US TODAY, UH, PROVIDE SERVICE NOW IN THE COMMUNITY.
THIS IS, THIS CONVERSATION IS NOT ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE SERVICE PROVIDED TODAY IS GOOD OR BAD.
THIS IS ABOUT COMING TOGETHER IN THIS MOMENT AND THINKING ABOUT HOW WE CAN TAKE THIS STUFF TO THE NEXT LEVEL MATCH THE SERVICES BEING PROVIDED TO THE NEED, EXPRESSION, OUR COMMUNITY UNDER OUR KIND OF GENERAL UMBRELLA OF RE-IMAGINING OR RETHINKING OR REFORMING OR WHATEVER OUR WORD YOU WANT TO START WITH, UM, HOW YOU DO POLICING IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO THERE'S, HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE A REALLY PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION.
UM, I'M GOING TO TRY TO GET THROUGH STUFF PRETTY QUICKLY.
I'M RIGHT AT TWO 10 TO START WITH GUN VIOLENCE, ANY COMMITTEE MEMBERS WANT TO MAKE ANY COMMENT BEFORE WE START DIGGING IN COUNCIL MEMBER? CASSARA
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JUST TO PLEASE, UM, LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE THAT WE POSTED ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, BECAUSE I KNOW THE CHAIR CAN HANDLE IT AND KEEP US TO IT, BUT I'LL TRY TO AS WELL OUT OF RESPECT FOR MAKING SURE THAT ALL THE PANELISTS WE INVITED GET TO SAY THEIR PIECE QUICK, QUICKLY.I'M CURIOUS ABOUT IF THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT IT, IF NOT, WE CAN HAVE AT ANOTHER TIME, BUT IN THE CONTEXT OF LIKE, UM, BUDGET, IF, IF, IF WHAT THEY PROVIDE, IF THERE'S ANY LIKE COMPARISONS TO OTHER CITIES, IF WHAT THEY PROVIDE, HOW, HOW, HOW IT AFFECTS BUDGETS.
AND THAT, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF THEY'RE PREPARED, IF, IF THAT WOULD EXTEND IT BEYOND WHAT WE'RE PREPARED FOR TODAY.
I THINK THE CHALLENGE ULTIMATELY IS A TIME CONSTRAINT.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO DAYLIGHT INFORMATION.
YOU HAVE, EVEN IF WE DON'T HAVE A FULL HOUR TO DIG INTO THE DETAIL AND THEN FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS TO ASK QUESTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL DATA, WE'RE NOT HEARING ABOUT THAT'LL HOPEFULLY PROVIDE FORUM WHERE WE CAN THEN KIND OF GO BACK AND SOLICIT THAT INFORMATION.
I SEE MAYOR ADLER HAS JOINED THE MEETING AS WELL.
[1. Discussion on alternative methods of community safety and emergency response.]
OUR FIRST SPEAKER, AMBER GOODWIN WITH THE COMMUNITY JUSTICE ACTION FUND.AMBER, I BROUGHT YOU INTO THE MEETING.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO TEST YOUR AUDIO? LET'S TAKE A MINUTE.
HI, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN.
I CAN SEE YOU ALL, BUT YOU CAN'T.
CAN YOU SEE ME? HAVE YOU TURNED ON YOUR VIDEO? MMM.
AND I JUST, FOR TIME PARAMETERS, WE HAVE FIVE MINUTES.
IS THAT CORRECT? OR DO WE HAVE 10 MINUTES TO SPEAK? JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE 15 FOR BOTH YOUR INITIAL COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS.
UM, I WAS PREPARED FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES, BUT I'M GOING TO TRY AND CUT IT DOWN SO I CAN ACTUALLY GET TO, UM, UH, THE COUNSEL OF HIS ACTUALLY QUESTIONS ON SOME OF THE BUDGETING.
SO HOPEFULLY TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT.
UM, BUT, UH, MAYOR ADLER, UH, CHAIR FLANAGAN, VICE CHAIR, CASAR THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE.
THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME TO SPEAK TODAY.
I WANT TO TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT SOLUTIONS TO BUILD A POLICY PATHWAY, TO PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE IN AUSTIN.
AND I REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT DOING THIS IN THE MIDST OF WHILE WE'RE ALL HEALING AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, I'M REALLY PROUD TO BE A, THE MAYOR'S APPOINTEE TO THE AWESOME GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION TASK FORCE.
THAT WAS STARTED LAST NOVEMBER.
I SIT WITH 10 OTHER MEMBERS AS WELL.
AND PART OF WHAT I WANT TO DISCUSS TODAY, WE WILL ALSO BE PROVIDING IN A REPORT IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS TO SIT THE CITY COUNCIL AS WELL.
UM, JUST FOR CONTEXT, GUN VIOLENCE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CONFLICT RESOLUTION SYSTEM IN AMERICA.
SHOOTINGS ARE UP ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AN AUSTIN COMMUNITIES NEED NEW TOOLS AND NEW APPROACHES TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AND THE MIDST OF COVID-19 AND THE SUMMER UPTICKS OF GUN VIOLENCE AND POLICE VIOLENCE.
WE NEED TO LISTEN TO COMMUNITIES ON THE FRONT LINES OF WHAT WE'RE CALLING A PUBLIC HEALTH EPIDEMIC ON GUN VIOLENCE AND AUSTIN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND POLICING ACTUALLY CONTROLS MOST OF THE DATA, THE MEDIA AND THE POLICY RESPONSES THAT SUPPORT A NARRATIVE THAT PUNISHMENT MANY TIMES IS THE GOAL.
WHEN IN FACT MANY OF US ARE ASKING FOR LIBERATION FROM ALL FORMS OF VIOLENCE, THAT INCLUDES POLICE VIOLENCE.
I JOINED WITH OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS AND BELIEVING A HEALING APPROACH CENTERED ON THE COMMUNITY IS ACTUALLY THE ANSWER MAY SKIP OVER A COUPLE OF THINGS TODAY.
I'M ASKING THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL TO BECOME SOLUTIONS ORIENTED AND IMPLEMENT TWO SOLUTIONS ROOTED IN COMMUNITY LED PRACTICES TO FIND PEACE AND NO MORE VIOLENCE MONEY SHOULD BE DIVESTED FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND OTHER CRIMINAL BODIES TO FIRST FUND A PERMANENT OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION WITH A FULL TIME DIRECTOR OR CHIEF COMMUNITY SAFETY OFFICER TO COORDINATE CITYWIDE, GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION SERVICES.
SECOND TO INVEST IN EVIDENCE BASED PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO PROMOTE HEALING, PREVENT FURTHER TRAUMA AND LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH FOR AUSTIN.
THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN FROM CITIES LIKE NEW YORK, OAKLAND, DALLAS, UH, UM, NEW YORK CITY, PHILADELPHIA, WHERE COMMUNITY-BASED EFFORTS HAVE REDUCED GUN VIOLENCE AND ACTUALLY PAID BACK INTO WHAT TAX PAYERS ALREADY PAY.
EVERY TIME SOMEONE IS SHOT AND SURVIVED OR SHOT AND KILLED IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
THESE EVIDENCE-BASED OR COACHES WILL FOCUS ON PREVENTION, INTERVENTION, AND HEALING.
ONE OF THE EVIDENCE BASED MODELS I WILL EXPLAIN VERY BRIEFLY IS CALLED HOSPITAL-BASED INTERVENTIONS.
GUN VIOLENCE CLAIMS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN LIVES EVERY SINGLE YEAR AND MASS KILLINGS ACCOUNT FOR LESS THAN 1% OF ALL OF THE SHOOTINGS THAT HAPPEN IN AMERICA.
SO I WANT TO DOUBLE DOWN ON THAT.
WE MANY TIMES FOCUS NOT ONLY AS POLICYMAKERS, BUT IN THE NEWS ON MASS SHOOTINGS, WHEN THEY ACCOUNT FOR 1% OF ALL THE SHOOTINGS THAT HAPPEN EVERY SINGLE YEAR, A MAJORITY OF GUN VIOLENCE IN AUSTIN IN PARTICULAR, HOMICIDES IS LARGELY
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CONCENTRATED IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.GUN VIOLENCE IS NOT JUST WHEN SOMEONE IS SHOT AND KILLED.
IT'S ALSO WHEN SOMEONE IS SHOT AND SURVIVED, INTENSIVE RESEARCH SHOWS THAT EVEN THE NEIGHBORHOODS WITH THE MOST GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA, A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THEIR PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY IN INCITING.
MOST OF THE VIOLENCE AND MOST CITIES, THE SIZE OF AUSTIN, LESS THAN HALF OF, 1% OF A CITY'S POPULATION IS DRIVING OVER 65% OF THE ACTUAL CRIME THAT'S HAPPENING.
THAT'S A VERY, VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE PEOPLE, RIGHT? RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION IS ONE OF THE HALLMARKS OF STRUCTURAL RACISM OR REFLECTION AND REINFORCEMENT OF STRUCTURAL AND INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM, MANY RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN, AND CONTINUE TO LIVE IN RACIALIZED AND ECONOMICALLY SEGREGATED NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND THIS IS PART OF THE INEQUALITY FOR DECADES.
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN AUSTIN HAS LED TO TRAUMATIZING BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES AND DESTRUCTIVE CYCLES OF RACIST OVER POLICING AND UNDER PROTECTION.
A PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE ASKED THE FOUNDATIONAL QUESTIONS.
I WOULD ASK THE CITY COUNSELORS.
I THINK ABOUT ONE WHERE THE PROBLEM OF GUN VIOLENCE BEGIN.
AND TWO, HOW DO WE PREVENT IT FROM OCCURRING IN THE FIRST PLACE? WELL, OUR RECOMMENDATIONS, THE RECOMMENDATIONS I HAVE FOR YOU TODAY ON THESE TWO ISSUES WILL REQUIRE THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO INVEST FINANCIAL RESOURCES THAT ARE ALREADY STRAINED.
THE COSTS ARE ACTUALLY NEGLIGIBLE COMPARED TO THE TOLL.
WE ARE ALREADY PAYING FOR GUN VIOLENCE EVERY SINGLE DAY AND THE FIRST CRITICAL STEP.
AND I'LL SKIP OVER THESE REALLY QUICK AND THEN GET TO QUESTIONS.
BUT THE FIRST CRITICAL STEP WOULD BE TO ESTABLISH AN OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION.
THIS OFFICE COULD BE VERY MUCH LIKE OFFICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
THERE'S DOZENS OF CITIES THAT HAVE ACTUAL OFFICES OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION.
WE BELIEVE ON NOT ONLY THE TASK FORCE, BUT OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT THE OFFICE SHOULD EITHER SIT IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH OR BE A STANDALONE OFFICE WITH A CITY AND ITS OWN OPERATING BUDGET AND STAFF.
THIS IS A BEST PRACTICE STRATEGY THAT MANY STUDIES HAVE USED ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
THE CITY, THIS MONEY FROM THE CITY SHOULD BE DIVERTED FROM THE APD POLICE BUDGET TO ESTABLISH THE CENTRALIZED OFFICE OF PREVENTION.
THE SECOND CRITICAL STEP WOULD BE TO IMPLEMENT EVIDENCE BASED VIOLENCE PREVENTION STRATEGIES.
I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MORE OF THOSE ARE, BUT I'M GOING TO SKIP AHEAD TO ONE IN PARTICULAR THAT I WANTED TO BRING UP TODAY, WHICH IS A TYPE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION THAT IS BASED IN HOSPITAL BY HOSPITAL BASED INTERVENTION, AND IT'S CALLED HBI PS.
SO THESE ARE PROGRAMS THAT HAVE SHOWN THE EFFICACY OF, I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE ANOTHER PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS THAT WE COULD TALK ABOUT THAT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO DRAMATICALLY REDUCE COMMUNITY BASED VIOLENCE AND VIOLENCE IN CITIES LIKE HOSPITAL-BASED INTERVENTION.
THIS WAS BASED IN A PROGRAM THAT WAS STARTED IN CALIFORNIA IN 1994.
AND STUDIES SHOW THAT INTERVENING AT THE HOSPITAL IS MUCH MORE LIKELY TO HAVE AN IMPACT BECAUSE YOUNG PEOPLE FIND THEMSELVES AT A CROSSROAD.
THEY CAN EITHER CHOOSE TO RETALIATE OR TRANSFORM THEIR TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE.
AND SO THE HIP STRATEGY REALLY IS WORKING WITH PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE ALREADY DOING THEIR JOB, BUT EQUIPPING THEM WITH DIFFERENT TRAUMA INFORMED WAYS TO TALK TO PEOPLE WHO ARE HIGHEST RISK OF COMMITTING VIOLENCE OR HAVING VIOLENCE AGAINST THEM AND BECOMING VICTIMS CASE MANAGERS HELP CLIENTS ACCESS RESOURCES THAT WILL PROMOTE THEIR SAFETY AND RECOVERY.
AND STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THIS FORM OF INTERVENTION ACTUALLY SAVES HOSPITALS AND CITIES MONEY BY PREVENTING FUTURE INJURIES, BOTH FOR THE PATIENT AND ANYBODY WHO THEY WOULD ACTUALLY POTENTIALLY RETALIATE AGAINST A MAY AND CITY COUNCIL.
THE SYSTEMS IN PLACE FOR MANY PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY WHO LOOK LIKE ME AND AUSTIN TO PREVENT ALL ACTS OF VIOLENCE ARE JUST NOT WORKING.
WE NEED A PROACTIVE PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH CENTERED IN HEALING, SURVIVORSHIP, AND JUSTICE AND NOT OVER-POLICING.
WE WILL WORK WITH OTHER ADVOCATES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS YOU'LL HEAR FROM TODAY, DIRECTLY EVERY SINGLE DAY, THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CLOSEST TO THE PAIN AND DOING THIS WORK ON THE GROUND TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE EXACT DOLLAR NUMBER NEEDED.
I CAN TELL YOU WHAT KIND OF, WHERE WE'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF THE TASK FORCE.
UM, BUT THIS CAUSE AND PREVENTING FUTURE GUN VIOLENCE MUST BE CONTAINED.
UM, THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME HERE TODAY.
AND I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE ANY NUMBERS.
THANK YOU, MS. GOODWIN FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO AND FOR WHAT YOU'VE FOUND THE TASK FORCE.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, THERE IS, UH, AUSTIN, WHILE IT IS A SAFE CITY COMPARED TO OTHER CITIES.
WE KNOW THAT IN COMMUNITIES LIKE PARTS OF MY DISTRICT, UH, THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF HARM AND IT'S WHERE A LOT OF OUR GUN VIOLENCE IS CONCENTRATED.
AND THEN OUR STRATEGIES SO FAR HAVE NOT PREVENTED THAT GUN VIOLENCE, YOU KNOW, JUST ENFORCEMENT IS NOT GETTING PEOPLE, UH, THE PREVENTION THAT THEY NEED.
SO I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU BROUGHT UP.
DO YOU HAVE NUMBERS? UH, THIS HAS MANY TO THEIR PRETENSE QUESTION ABOUT HOW MUCH, UM, UH, SIMILARLY SIZED CITIES OR OTHER RIGHT.
INVESTING IN THINGS LIKE THE HOSPITAL VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAM OR FOR THEIR OFFICES OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION.
SO IN CITIES, LIKE I, IT'S HARD TO COMPARE
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US TO NEW YORK CITY, SO I'LL TRY NOT TO DO THAT.UM, BUT MOST CITIES, I THINK MEDIUM SIZED CITIES SPEND ANYWHERE FROM ABOUT 250,000, WHICH IS VOCALLY, I THINK INSIGNIFICANT, BUT THE CITY OF MINNEAPOLIS SENDS ABOUT, HAS EARMARKED AROUND 250 TO $400,000 A YEAR FOR SOMEONE AT SOME SORT OF LIKE OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION THAT WORKS ON GUN VIOLENCE.
UM, BUT THEN THERE ARE CITIES THAT SPEND UPWARDS OF 60, 70, 80, A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.
AND I'LL JUST SAY IN COMPARISON COST COMPARISON, UM, EVERY TIME SOMEONE IS SHOT AND KILLED, THERE'S OBVIOUSLY A PUBLIC SAFETY COST TO THAT.
UM, WHETHER IT'S GOING TO TEXAS SARAH'S OR THE CITY.
AND SO I'M HAPPY TO SHARE AND SEND OVER INFORMATION ON JUST WHAT WE KNOW IN TERMS OF LIKE WHEN SOMEONE IS SHOT AND KILLED HOW MUCH THAT ACTUALLY COSTS.
AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN ASKING PEOPLE IS TO THINK OF HOW MUCH THE PREVENTION WOULD COST ON THE FRONT END.
AND SOME OF THESE PROGRAMS THAT I WILL SEND OVER TO YOU ALL, UM, THE COST BENEFIT OF THEM PUTTING IN AROUND, I THINK A DOLLAR PER, UH, PER ONE OF THESE VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAMS, THE CITY ACTUALLY GETS BACK AROUND 16 TO $18.
SO IT'S A COST SAVINGS AND IT'S ADDING IN COST TO THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF THE CITY WHILE PROMOTING HEALING.
I'M, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THE, WHAT, WHAT IS THE, IN YOUR, YOUR UNDERSTANDING, WHAT IS THE WORK THAT AN OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION DOES? WHAT IS THE ACTUAL WORK THAT THEY DO? YEAH, I HAVE ACTUALLY, THAT WAS PART OF WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY.
UM, I WILL JUST SAY VERY QUICKLY.
SO A LOT OF WHAT THEY WOULD DO IS ACTUALLY COORDINATE A LOT OF THE DATA AND RESOURCES THAT NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT GUN VIOLENCE ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE IN THE CITY AND WORK WITH A LOT OF THE INTERVENTION PROGRAMS THAT I MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY.
SO A LOT IN MILWAUKEE AND OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE STARTED OFFICES OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION, WHEN MILWAUKEE STARTED THEIRS IN THEIR DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, THEY HIRED SOMEBODY.
AND I CAN TELL YOU FROM SITTING ON THE TASK FORCE WITH SOME REALLY WONDERFUL PEOPLE, IT WAS REALLY HARD TO ACTUALLY TRY AND COME UP WITH IDEAS TO TELL THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR, BECAUSE IT WASN'T OUR FULL TIME JOB.
WE WERE GETTING DISTRACTED BY OTHER THINGS.
AND WE ALSO TO BE QUITE FRANK, WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH DATA AND RESOURCES TO ACTUALLY DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM.
UM, AND SO I THINK THE SAME WAY THAT WE WOULD DIAGNOSE AN ISSUE OF HEALTH, WE WANT TO HAVE A CENTRALIZED LOCATION THAT COULD TALK TO THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO TALK TO CITY COUNCIL, TO TALK TO THE, UH, THE PEOPLE WORKING ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND OTHER ISSUES.
SO THEY CENTRALIZE ALL THE DIFFERENT RESOURCES AND THEN KIND OF CREATE NOT KIND OF, THEY ACTUALLY DO CREATE PRETTY MUCH ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM OF HOW VIOLENCE NEEDS TO BE A TOLL AS A DISEASE.
AND SO THEY HAVE A SYSTEM IN NEW YORK IT'S CALLED THE NEW YORK CITY CRISIS MANAGEMENT CENTER.
SO IT'S A VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM, BUT IT, WHAT IT IS DOING IS ACTUALLY PREVENTING CRISIS AND IT'S A MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
SO IT'S NOT JUST ONE PERSON WHO'S KIND OF DECIDING ON GUN VIOLENCE.
THEY'RE WORKING WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT CITY AGENCIES TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE'S ON THE SAME PAGE ABOUT HOW GUN VIOLENCE AND VIOLENCE INTERVENTION CAN WORK.
AND THEN THEY'RE ALSO WORKING WITH CDOS AND COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE EVALUATING THE CITY RESOURCES THAT ARE BEING PUT INTO VIOLENCE PREVENTION, AND ALSO TRYING TO FIGURE OUT OTHER WAYS TO BE MORE INNOVATIVE BECAUSE WHAT'S BEEN WORKING IN OAKLAND MAY NOT WORK IN AUSTIN.
UM, AND SO THEY DO A LOT OF EVALUATION TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S EFFICACY, UM, BETWEEN WHAT THE PROGRAMS ARE ACTUALLY SAYING THEY'RE DOING AND WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DO.
AND TO BE, TO BE FAIR TO YOU, MS. GOOD.
WHEN YOU WENT FIRST AND SO OUR FUTURE SPEAKERS NOW KNOW THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO SAY ALL THE INTRODUCTORY STUFF ABOUT WANTING US TO THINK ABOUT REALLOCATING BUDGETS OR WANTING IT.
I MEAN, THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE.
SO I'LL GIVE, WE'LL GIVE YOU A FEW EXTRA MINUTES TO THIS TOPIC IN ORDER, I THINK COUNCIL KITCHEN, YOU HAD YOUR HAND UP AND JUST AS A REMINDER, MY COLLEAGUES WERE DOWN.
I MEAN, IF WE COULD GET, KEEP OUR LAST FEW STUFF TO LIKE THREE OR FOUR MINUTES THAT WOULD GET US MOVING RIGHT ALONG, I'LL DEFER TO COUNCIL MEMBER ALTAR.
I THINK THE MAYOR WAS NEXT AND THEN COUNCILOR BROTH.
I JUST WANT TO THANK 'EM, UH, I'M AS GOOD ONE FOR THE WORK THAT SHE'S DOING, UH, ON THAT, UH, UH, TASKFORCE AND FOR TESTIMONY HERE AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD, YOU SAID THAT THERE WAS A REPORT THAT WAS COMING OUT FROM THAT GROUP HERE.
THE, THE BITS AND PIECES OF THAT, THAT YOU HAVE COMMUNICATED TO OUR OFFICER ARE REALLY EXCITING.
I THINK THE RECURRENT THEME IN IT AND GOING TO THE CHAIRS, UH, QUESTION IS, UM, WE NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT THESE THINGS DIFFERENTLY THAN WE ARE AND HOW WE ADDRESS THEM DIFFERENTLY AND HAVING AN ADVOCATE INSIDE THE SYSTEM THAT YOU CAN BRING THAT SEEMS TO BE HELPFUL.
UM, MS. GOODWIN, I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL YOUR WORK, UM, READING THE GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION TASK FORCE.
UM, WE INCLUDED IN ITEM 96 THAT, UM, WE SHOULD BE CONSIDERING AN OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION ANTICIPATING THE WORK THAT WOULD COME OUT FROM THE TASK FORCE.
AND I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS SPECIFIC REPORT.
AND I HOPE WE ALSO CAN HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL CONVERSATIONS OUT OF THIS MEETING AS WELL.
UM, BUT I WANTED TO ASK YOU TO DIVE IN A LITTLE BIT MORE TO THE GOOD MODELS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, PART OF CHARTING THIS OUT, IT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR US TO SAY, WE WANT TO HAVE
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THAT MODEL AND HAVE THE INTENTION OF FINDING WAYS TO DO THAT.UM, YOU KNOW, AS POLICYMAKERS, WE HAVE TO CHART OUT HOW WE GET FROM HERE TO THERE AND THE STEPS IN BETWEEN SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A SYSTEM THAT'S EFFECTIVE FOR AUSTIN.
SO CAN YOU SPEAK TO, UM, THE CITIES THAT YOU THINK ARE DOING THIS WELL AND THE CITIES THAT WE SHOULD AVOID, UM, YOU KNOW, THEIR MODELS AS WELL? SURE.
I WILL SAY THERE'S, THERE'S BASICALLY FOUR TYPES OF MODELS.
ALL OF THIS WILL BE IN THE REPORT.
AND I OBVIOUSLY WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND HELPING OUT A LOT OF THE GUN VIOLENCE INITIATIVES.
BUT, UM, ONE MODEL THAT YOU MAY ALL HAVE HEARD OF THAT STARTED IN BOSTON IN THE EIGHTIES AND NINETIES WAS CALLED OPERATION CEASEFIRE.
IT ACTUALLY IS A HEAVILY, UM, CRIME CONTROL METHOD THAT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO LEAD TO MASS INCARCERATION AND OTHER FORMS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST PEOPLE OF COLOR.
BUT, UM, I CAN SEND INFORMATION ON THAT.
AND SO THAT IS ONE THAT HEAVILY INVOLVES LAW ENFORCEMENT AS THE FIRST TRIGGER TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY ARE NOT PREVENTING OR NOT DOING ANY MORE GUN VIOLENCE.
UM, ANOTHER MODEL IS CALLED CURE VIOLENCE AND THAT'S PART OF THIS PUBLIC HEALTH ECOSYSTEM.
AND SO IT WAS ACTUALLY STARTED BY A GROUP OF PHYSICIANS.
UM, AND THAT ALSO IS A SYSTEM THAT, UM, THAT'S THE NEW YORK CITY CRISIS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT BUILDS THIS ECOLOGICAL MODEL THAT NOT ONLY FOCUSES ON WHERE THE GUN VIOLENCE STARTED AND HOW CAN WE PREVENT IT, BUT ALSO WORKS WITH VIOLENCE INTERRUPTERS.
SO PEOPLE JUST SIMILAR TO THE HOSPITAL BASED INTERVENTION, THE CURE VIOLENCE METHOD ACTUALLY HIRES PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF BEING A PERSON WHO WAS A FORMER SHOOTER OR SOMEBODY WHO WAS FROM THE COMMUNITY AND THEY'RE CALLED VIOLENCE INTERVENTIONISTS.
UM, BUT THEY ALSO ARE CREDIBLE MESSENGERS.
THERE ARE PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY WHO TALK THE SAME TALK AND WALK THE SAME WALK AND REALLY UNDERSTAND THE COMMUNITIES AND CAN GO INTO THE COMMUNITIES, USING EVIDENCE, USING DATA AND USING THEIR CREDIBLE MESSAGE AND SAYING, WE NEED TO STOP THE VIOLENCE.
SO WHENEVER YOU HEAR A LOT FROM CITIES LIKE NEW YORK CITY, UM, PARTS OF CHICAGO AND SAN FRANCISCO AND OAKLAND, THEY'RE USING SOME SORT OF CURE VIOLENCE MODEL.
UM, AND THEN I MENTIONED THE HOSPITAL BASED INTERVENTION.
AND SO THAT'S A REALLY POPULAR MODEL TOO.
THAT WAS OBVIOUSLY STARTED BY PHYSICIANS AS WELL.
BUT THAT'S THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE IN THAT BASIS IS WORKING AND STARTING INSIDE THE HOSPITALS WHEN SOMEONE HAS ALREADY BEEN A HIGH RISK BECAUSE THEY'RE IN THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM.
SO WORKING WITH PEOPLE IN THE HOSPITALS TO EDUCATE PEOPLE, UM, AND THEN THE LAST ONE THAT IS A LITTLE BIT MORE INNOVATIVE AND IT HAS A TON OF INFORMATION ON IT TOO, THAT I'M HAPPY TO SEND OVER IS CALLED ADVANCED PIECE.
AND THAT'S A PROGRAM THAT WAS STARTED OUT OF RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA, WHICH STARTED AT ONE OF THE FIRST OFFICES OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION.
THEY CALLED IT THE OFFICE OF NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY.
UM, SO THAT THE MAYOR IN OAKLAND AND IN STOCKLAND, I'M SORRY, IN STOCKTON AND ENRICHMENT BOTH HAVE DONE, UM, IMPLEMENTED THE OFFICES OF NEIGHBORHOOD SAFETY AND I'VE SEEN DRAMATIC REDUCTIONS.
AND SO WHEN I SAY DRAMATIC REDUCTIONS OF GUN HOMICIDES, I DON'T MEAN LIKE 10, 15%.
I MEAN, UPWARDS OF 60% IN A THREE YEAR TIME PERIOD.
SO I WOULD SAY WHATEVER FUNDING MECHANISM, UM, IT SHOULD BE MULTI-YEAR, WE WON'T SEE RESULTS FOR PROBABLY THE FIRST 12 TO 18 MONTHS.
AND THEN YOU'LL PROBABLY WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS THERE'S BEEN A DRAMATIC DROP OFF IN HOMICIDE REDUCTIONS AND HARM AND CRIME AFTER ABOUT 12 MONTHS TO 18 MONTHS.
AND I WANT TO UNDERSCORE A COMMENT YOU MADE EARLY ON THAT MOST OF THE GUN VIOLENCE SITUATIONS ARE NOT THE MASS SHOOTINGS.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE TASK HAS LOOKED CLOSELY AT.
UM, BUT, BUT I JUST WANT TO UNDERSCORE THAT THERE, THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF GUN VIOLENCE AND WHATEVER WE SET UP IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TARGET WHAT'S PREVALENT IN AUSTIN AND, UM, USE WHAT WE CAN TO REALLY TARGET IT TO THE CHALLENGES WE HAVE IN AUSTIN, WITHIN THE FRAMEWORKS THAT WE'RE ALLOWED TO AS A CITY GOVERNMENT, UM, TO ADDRESS THINGS.
UM, AND SO I'M, I VERY MUCH SUPPORT COMMUNITY BASED VIOLENCE PREVENTION STRATEGY AND THINKING ABOUT WHAT AN OFFICE LIKE THIS WOULD LOOK LIKE.
UM, BUT FOR MY COLLEAGUES, I ALSO WANT TO MENTION THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ALSO STEPS THAT WE CAN TAKE WITH RESPECT TO GUN STORAGE AND PUBLIC AWARENESS, UM, THAT ADDRESS SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT ARE, THAT ARE IN AUSTIN, THAT COMBINED WITH THIS, I THINK, UM, ARE GONNA REALLY HELP US TO ADDRESS, UM, THE GUN VIOLENCE STUFF.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK WITH YOU, UM, MS. GOODMAN ON THESE ISSUES.
UM, I THINK WE, WE REALLY GOT TO MOVE ALONG.
OUR NEXT TOPIC IS GOING TO BE ONE WORD OF, IS A LOT OF INTEREST THIS, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR, YOUR BRIEF TIME THIS MORNING.
UH, HOPE YOU DON'T MIND IF WE, IF WE TAP INTO YOU FOR, TO PARTICIPATE AGAIN IN THE FUTURE, I'M ALSO VERY INTERESTED IN HOSPITAL BASED INTERVENTIONS.
UM, BECAUSE, UH, FRANKLY I'M WONDERING IF CENTRAL HEALTH MIGHT BE PARTICIPATING IN A BUDGET SENSE OR TRAVIS COUNTY MIGHT BE PARTICIPATING IN A BUDGET SENSE, UH, UH, KEVIN TROUBLE WHERE YOU, THANK YOU, MS. GOODMAN.
UM, YOU HAD TALKED ABOUT FORWARDING ON SOME INFORMATION AND I WOULD JUST ASK IF YOU WOULD FORWARD IT ON TO ALL OF US.
I THINK THE EXAMPLES YOU'VE OFFERED A REALLY EXCITING, AND I'D LOVE TO REVIEW IT AS WELL, AND I'LL MAKE SURE THAT THE WHOLE, EVERYTHING THAT THE TASK FORCE HAS DONE MYSELF AND THE OTHER 10 OTHER FOLKS,
[00:25:01]
UM, IS IN THERE.AND WE'VE HAD A COUPLE OF SEPARATE, UH, PIECES THAT WE'LL ALSO PUT IN THERE.
WE'LL MAKE SURE IT GETS TO EVERYBODY.
YEAH, WELL, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT ANY INFORMATION SENT TO ANY OF THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS GETS BACK TO THE CLERK FOR DISTRIBUTION TO THE WHOLE COUNCIL.
SO OUR NEXT TOPIC, MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE, I'M GOING TO BRING IN, UH, MR. BLACK AND MR. HOFFMEISTER.
I CAN FIND THEM IN MY LIST GO.
SO MENTAL HEALTH RESPONSE, UH, MR. BLACK, YOUR, YOUR PROGRAM HAS BEEN ON EVERYBODY'S LIPS, UH, OVER THE LAST MONTH.
SO I AM VERY INTERESTED TO HEAR WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY.
WHY DON'T YOU GO AHEAD AND START AND THEN I'LL HAVE OUR OTHER TWO SPEAKERS GO.
AND I'LL TRY TO BE AS BRIEF AS POSSIBLE.
I WANTED TO START OFF BY THANKING THE COUNCIL FOR GIVING ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THE PROGRAM.
UH, JUST A LITTLE BIT TODAY, UH, ANDY HOFFMEISTER, I OWE YOU A PHONE I CALL AND BE LIKE, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
UM, SO RATHER THAN GO INTO A LOT OF DETAIL ABOUT KIND OF THE, THE CAHOOTS PROGRAM THAT, THAT 40,000 FOOT VIEW, THERE WERE A FEW THINGS THAT I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT ABOUT OUR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FIRST RESPONDER PROGRAM.
UH, THE FIRST OF THOSE IS, IS JUST A RECOGNITION OF WHERE WE FALL IN THAT FULL SCOPE OF PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, KAHOOTS IS RESPONDING TO 17% OF THE EXTERNALLY GENERATED CALLS THAT COME THROUGH OUR COMMUNICATION CENTER.
SO THAT'S NOT JUST NINE, 11 OR NINE NON-EMERGENCY, THAT'S REALLY KIND OF LOOKING AT THE ENTIRE CALL VOLUME COMING THROUGH THAT SYSTEM, BEING ANSWERED BY THE CALL TAKERS ARE OUR TEAMS RESPOND TO ALL OF OUR CALLS ON THE SAME PRIORITY CHANNELS AS THE REST OF PATROL AND OUR COMMUNITY.
THAT MEANS THAT WE ARE HEARING EVERY CALL OFFICERS GO OUT ON, WHICH GIVES US OPPORTUNITY TO DIVERT AND RESPOND ALONGSIDE, OR INSTEAD OF OFFICERS FOR THOSE CALLS THAT HAVEN'T MADE IT TO OUR UNITS.
AND THAT ALSO MEANS THAT AS UNARMED CIVILIAN FIRST RESPONDERS, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THAT DIRECT LINE OF COMMUNICATION NATION TO POLICE IN THOSE RARE CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE THINGS DO ESCALATE REALLY BEYOND OUR ABILITY TO MAINTAIN A SAFE, SAFE, SAFE SCENE, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST, JUST ON OUR OWN.
SO THAT EXTENT ABOUT AN EIGHTH OF OUR CALLS DO INVOLVE LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THE MAJORITY OF THOSE CALLS ARE SITUATIONS WHERE BASED ON PRELIMINARY CALL DETAILS AND A CALL WAS INITIATED FOR POLICE, THEY SHOW UP ON SCENE AND THEN RECOGNIZE AS SOON AS THEY GET THERE, THAT THIS MEANS THAT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FIRST RESPONSE.
INSTEAD, UM, LAST CALENDAR YEAR, WE RESPONDED TO 24,000 CALLS FOR SERVICE IN OUR METRO AREA AND ONLY HAD 150 SITUATIONS THAT ESCALATED TO THE POINT WHERE WE NEEDED SUPPORT FROM POLICE TO MAINTAIN A PHYSICALLY SAFE ENVIRONMENT.
SO THAT'S A 150 CODE, THREE LIGHTS AND SIRENS COVERED REQUESTS OUT OF 24,000 RESPONSES FOR METRO AREA LAST YEAR.
IN TERMS, SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOU, TIM, HOLD TIGHT JUST BECAUSE WE WERE ALL MOVING SO FAST, WE DIDN'T GET TO, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE'RE ALIVE ON TV.
SOME FOLKS ARE LIKE, WOW, THIS IS INCREDIBLE.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT THIS PROGRAM? TIM IS IN, FROM OUT OF TOWN AND FROM OUT OF STATE.
SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN EXPAND YOUR KIND OF MODEL HERE IN AUSTIN.
SO THANK YOU OTHER ON SCREENS, IT'S HARD FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT YOU'RE FAR AWAY.
I AM COMING TO OFFER FROM EUGENE, OREGON.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE THE HOOTS PROGRAM HAS BEEN BASED SINCE OUR INCEPTION IN 1989.
UM, YOU KNOW, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT HALF OF OUR CALLS, BASED ON THAT INITIAL PRESENTING INFORMATION WOULD BE CATEGORIZED AS IT BE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RESPONSE.
BUT WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS THAT ALL OF OUR CALLS IN, IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER ARE ABOUT SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, WHETHER IT'S RELATED TO POVERTY, UM, YOU KNOW, ACCESS TO TRADITIONAL MEDICAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RESOURCES, IF IT'S MISTRUST OF PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS, EVEN JUST SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS THE ABILITY TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B, THOSE ARE ALL DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES THAT CAHOOTS IS ABLE TO ADDRESS.
AND BY BEING ABLE TO COME IN AND ADDRESS THOSE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH ALONGSIDE ADDICTION, ALONGSIDE HOUSING, ALONGSIDE BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE REALLY ABLE TO PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FOLKS TO BE DIVERTED FROM THE EMERGENCY ROOM OR FROM CONTACT WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND ULTIMATELY JAIL TIME, SIMPLY BY BEING THERE TO REALLY ADDRESS THOSE NEEDS BEFORE THEY ESCALATE TO THE POINT THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU SEE A SITUATION THAT WOULD REQUIRE POLICE INVOLVEMENT DIRECTLY.
UM, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE SUCCESSES OF OUR PROGRAM, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT ISN'T NECESSARILY, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW MANY DEMOGRAPHICS BOXES CAN WE CHECK? IT'S REALLY LOOKING AT WHAT IS OUR IMPACT IN THE COMMUNITY AND THE BEST WAYS THAT WE CAN MEASURE OUR IMPACT ARE IN OUR DIVERSIONS FROM THE HOSPITAL, UH, FROM THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM AND OUR CONNECTIONS TO THOSE OTHER SERVICES.
SO WHEN WE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, UH, THE, THE HOMELESS COUNT IN OUR COMMUNITY, OUT OF, OUT OF THAT, THAT VOLUME OF FOLKS WHO ARE CONSIDERED UNHOUSED OR HOUSING INSECURE,
[00:30:01]
HOW MANY CONNECTIONS ARE WE ABLE TO MAKE TO THOSE OTHER RESOURCES SO THAT WE CAN EMPOWER SOMEBODY TO DO, TO REALLY GET SHELTERED, GET, YOU KNOW, GET EMPLOYMENT, WHATEVER IT MEANS TO THEM TO FEEL STABLE AND IN A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN MOVE FORWARD WITH THEIR OWN LIVES.UM, AND FINALLY, JUST TO REALLY KIND OF HIGHLIGHT THE VALUE OF THIS PROGRAM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE NOT RESPONDING JUST TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CALLS.
YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, THOSE DO MAKE UP THE BULK OF OUR RESPONSES, BUT THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER THINGS THAT WE DO BEYOND JUST RESPONDING FOR FOLKS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING SUICIDAL IDEATION OR ANOTHER ECU, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CRISIS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE RESPONDING FOR ALL OF THOSE REQUESTS FOR, UH, HOUSING CRISES, UH, FOR, FOR FOLKS WHO ARE REALLY CONFUSED AND OVERWHELMED BY THE LIST OF RESOURCES THAT THEY MIGHT'VE BEEN GIVEN WHEN THEY WENT TO SIGN UP FOR FOOD STAMPS.
AND, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU CALL 50 PLACES WHEN, WHEN YOU'RE NOT EVEN REALLY SURE WHETHER YOU'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE IT TO YOUR APPOINTMENT TOMORROW WITH YOUR THERAPIST? YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE ALL WE, WE PROVIDE WELLNESS CHECKS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE THE FIRST RESPONDER FOR EVERY REPORTED SUBJECT DOWN CALL IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS ANYBODY WHO'S NOT UP AND WALKING AROUND.
SO FOLKS SLEEPING IN THE PARK, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT PERSON WHO IS TOO INTOXICATED AND IS CURLED UP IN A DOORWAY SOMEWHERE DOWNTOWN, THOSE ARE THE OTHER TYPES OF RESPONSES THAT CAHOOTS HANDLES IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THE MENTAL HEALTH CALLS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, AND FINALLY, I'LL WRAP UP BY JUST HIGHLIGHTING A LITTLE BIT BUDGET.
YOU KNOW, THE CAHOOTS OPERATING BUDGET IS INCLUDING COMMUNICATIONS EXPENSES COMES OUT TO ABOUT TWO POINT $2 MILLION A YEAR.
UH, WE ESTIMATE THAT WE ARE SAVING OUR METRO AREA UPWARDS OF 20 TO $25 MILLION A YEAR.
SO THAT'S ALMOST A 10 TO ONE RETURN ON INVESTMENT BASED ON, YOU KNOW, THE COST OF OPERATING OUR PROGRAM VERSUS WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO SAVE OUR COMMUNITY IN DIVERSIONS FROM THE JAIL AND FROM THE EMERGENCY ROOMS ALONE.
AND I'LL, I'LL, I'LL KEEP IT BRIEF CAUSE I'M SURE THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER QUESTIONS AND I DON'T, I DON'T WANT TO, YOU KNOW, END UP, UH, YOU KNOW, ANSWERING SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS AHEAD OF TIME.
SO, UM, YEAH, I'D LOVE TO HEAR WHAT OTHER FOLKS HAVE TO SAY.
WE HAVE TWO MORE SPEAKERS IF WE CAN, AND WE'LL JUST GO REAL QUICK AND THEN WE'LL TAKE QUESTIONS AS WAGNER.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO, UH, COVER YOUR PART? IT'S YOUR CELL PHONE MUTED.
AND THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT WITH YOU AGAIN TODAY, AS YOU KNOW, IN 2019, THE MEADOWS MENTAL HEALTH POLICY INSTITUTE UNDERTOOK AN EXTENSIVE ANALYSIS OF AUSTIN RESPONSE SYSTEMS TO MENTAL HEALTH CALLS FOR SERVICE.
AND IN DOING SO CAHOOTS OUT OF OREGON WAS ONE OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE REVIEWED AND ALL OF THE ELEMENTS THERE.
BUT WE ALSO TOOK A LOOK AT PROJECT ETHAN OUT OF HOUSTON.
UH, THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM DESIGNS THAT YOU'LL FIND IN DALLAS, ABALEEN TULSA AND OKLAHOMA.
WE LOOKED AT SAN ANTONIO, HOUSTON AND OTHERS.
AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN OUR REPORT WERE ACTUALLY A COMBINATION OF THE BEST ELEMENTS OF EACH OF THESE PROGRAMS THAT HAD, UM, SUCCESS, UH, ANCHORED TO THEM.
BUT THAT WE'RE ALSO UNIQUELY DEVELOPED TO FIT KIND OF WHAT IS THE NOVEL NATURE OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
WE LOOKED AT EVERYTHING FROM, UH, THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE CITY, SUCH AS DEMOGRAPHICS AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS OF CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, THE TRAVEL AROUND TOWN, SOME OF YOUR PROGRAMS SUCH AS COMMUNITY COURT SYSTEMS, UH, YOUR COMMUNITY PARAMEDIC SYSTEMS, UH, THAT ARE THE UNIQUE RELATIONSHIPS THAT EXIST BETWEEN INTERVAL CARE, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND ACTUALLY WHAT THAT RESULTED IN WAS A UNIQUE PROGRAM DESIGN THAT WAS SPECIFICALLY FITTED FOR AUSTIN.
IT DOES HAVE A MEDICAL FORWARD RESPONSE THAT IS INTENDED.
IT'S NOT IN LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE AT ALL.
AND SINCE IT IS SO UNIQUE, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF DATA ELEMENTS THAT CAN BE TIED DIRECTLY TO THIS PROGRAM DESIGN.
HOWEVER, THERE IS A PROGRAM VERY SIMILAR TO IT, UM, IN TEXAS THAT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT, UH, THE STATUTES THAT PERMISSIVE INTO PROHIBITIVE STATUTES IN TEXAS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH BOTH MEDIC AND LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES.
SO LET ME JUST PROVIDE YOU A FEW OF THOSE, UH, DATA ELEMENTS, AND THEN GO ON TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT THE DESIGN, THE DESIGN THAT, UH, THE MEADOWS MENTAL HEALTH POLICY INSTITUTE REPORT INCLUDES, LIKE I SAID, IS A MEDICALLY FORWARD PROJECT DESIGN.
IT STARTS IN DISPATCH WITH CLINICAL TRIAGE, WHICH IS, WHICH IS CRITICAL IN ANY CONDUCT DIVERSION OR ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE TO MENTAL HEALTH CALLS FOR SERVICE.
BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO KNOW FROM THE MOMENT OF THAT PHONE CALL, WHAT IS THE BEST AND SAFEST AGENCY TO SEND, BUT THEN IT CONTINUES THROUGH A COMMUNITY HEALTH PARAMEDIC APPROACH PARTNERED WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SOCIAL SERVICES.
AND AGAIN, THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERSHIP IS SPECIFIC TO STATUTES THAT ARE HERE IN TEXAS.
BUT IF WE LOOK AT A DESIGN VERY SIMILAR AND WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE DALLAS DESIGN BECAUSE IT PROVIDES US WITH AN INNER CITY COMPARISON, THE DALLAS PROJECT THAT IS SIMILAR, BUT NOT EXACT TO THE AUSTIN DESIGN ONLY OPERATES IN ONE ZIP CODE IN DALLAS.
[00:35:01]
IS VERY COMPARATIVE TO ITS NEIGHBORING PROJECT, UH, PATROL DISTRICTS.AND SO WHEN WE LOOK, WE CAN SEE THAT SINCE ITS LAUNCH, THERE HAVE BEEN 1,083 OFFICER HOURS DIVERTED AWAY FROM MENTAL HEALTH CALLS FOR SERVICE.
AND THE PROGRAM IS ONLY A YEAR AND A HALF OLD.
THAT'S A SAVINGS OF ABOUT $55,000 A MONTH.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S 1,083 HOURS THAT POLICE OFFICERS HAVE NOT RESPONDED TO A MENTAL HEALTH CALL FOR SERVICE.
AND AT A TIME IN AUSTIN WHERE THE CITY WAS SEEING A 30% INCREASE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT EMERGENCY DETENTIONS AT PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY ROOMS ACROSS THE CITY, THE AREA SAW 25% DECREASE IN THOSE VERY SAME PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY PRESENTATIONS.
INTERESTINGLY, BECAUSE THE PROJECT DOES ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS, UM, UM, HOUSING VULNERABILITIES, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, QUALITY OF LIFE AND MENTAL HEALTH CALLS FOR SERVICE WHILE, UH, DALLAS WAS SEEING AN UPTICK IN CRIME, THE PROJECT AREA, WHICH IS IN SOUTH CENTRAL DALLAS, WHICH IS A VERY, UM, HEAVY CRIME AREA IN DALLAS.
THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT AREA WAS THE ONLY AREA IN THE CITY THAT SAW A DECREASE IN QUALITY OF LIFE, CITATIONS AND ARREST AS WELL AS QUALITY OF LIFE ENCOUNTERS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THE REST OF THE NEIGHBORING, UH, PATROL DISTRICTS SAW UPWARDS OF A 33% INCREASE IN THOSE CONTEXTS WHILE THIS PROGRAM AREA WAS SEEING A DECREASE.
SO WHEN WE TAKE THE TREND AND LOOK AT IT ACROSS A LIFE SPAN OF A YEAR AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A PROJECT, VERY SIMILAR TO THE DESIGN THAT AUSTIN HAS NOW, WE'VE RESOLVED IN 18 FULL TIME.
EQUIVALENT POLICE RESOURCES ARE FTES BEING DIVERTED AWAY FROM MENTAL HEALTH CALLS FOR SERVICE AND AN AVERAGE SAVINGS OF ONE POINT $9 MILLION PER YEAR WITH HIGH FIDELITY IMPLEMENTATION.
UM, WE LOOK AT THAT AS, LIKE I SAID, IN COMPARISON TO DALLAS BECAUSE, UH, THERE'S, THERE'S NOT ANOTHER PROGRAM DESIGN, LIKE THE ONE THAT YOU HAVE FOR AUSTIN.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE THERE'S NOT ANOTHER CITY LIKE AUSTIN, THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THE HIGHWAY DESIGN, THE DYNAMICS OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS, THE CULTURALLY RELEVANT AREAS THAT ARE WITHIN YOUR CITY THAT REQUIRE A VERY SPECIFIC RESPONSE.
WE COULDN'T JUST TAKE A PROGRAM AND PLOP IT DOWN IN AUSTIN AND EXPECT IT TO WORK.
WE WANTED TO DESIGN IT AROUND THOSE THINGS THAT MAKE AUSTIN, UM, UNIQUE THAT WITH A HIGH FIDELITY IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AUSTIN PLAN, WE WOULD EXPECT TO SEE FULL DIVERSION OF MENTAL HEALTH CALLS WITHOUT A PUBLIC SAFETY ELEMENT AWAY FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT TO THIS SPECIALIZED TEAM ARE TO OTHER MORE APPROPRIATE SERVICES, AS WELL AS SIMILAR FISCAL RETURNS THAT WE'VE SEEN IN DALLAS.
AND I WANT TO BACK THAT UP, BUT I ALSO WANT TO GIVE JUST A QUICK SUPPORT TO SOMETHING THAT I HEARD FROM OUR FIRST SPEAKER WHEN SHE WAS SPEAKING ABOUT OGU NEIGHBORHOOD PLANS AND CURE VIOLENCE AS A CRIMINOLOGIST.
SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHEST RETURN GUN VIOLENCE REDUCTION PROGRAMS THAT YOU GUYS COULD LAY YOUR HANDS ON.
UM, MR. OPTIMIZER, YOUR VIDEO'S NOT ON, SO I ASSUME THAT YOU'RE THERE.
IF YOU WANT TO JUST HIT THE HIGH NOTES FROM EMS OR WE'LL TAKE QUESTIONS FOR MR. BLACK AND HIS MINOR COMMITTEE MEMBERS, ANY QUESTIONS? OH, I CAN'T REMEMBER KITCHEN ONCE YOU TO LEAVE TO START US OFF.
JUST ABOUT, UM, WITH HER HUSBAND'S OR WE'RE ANDY, IF HE IS HERE TO SPEAK UP.
SO MY QUESTION, I KNOW WE ONLY HAVE A FEW MINUTES IS, UM, SO, UM, UH, BJ, AS YOU MENTIONED, WE HAD THE MEADOWS AND I KNOW THE MEADOWS REPORT, UM, ALSO, UH, TOOK ADVANTAGE OF LEARNING FROM THE CAHOOTS PROGRAM, AS WELL AS THE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT YOU MENTIONED.
SO CAN YOU JUST TELL US, UH, SINCE WE HAVE, WE INITIATED OUR PROGRAM LAST YEAR, AND SO WE'VE ONLY BEEN DOING IT FOR A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, CAN YOU JUST HIT THE TOP THREE THINGS THAT YOU THINK ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS FOR US TO ACCOMPLISH? UM, AS PART OF THIS PROGRAM TO FULLY EFFECTUATE THE PROGRAM? ABSOLUTELY FIRST FIDELITY FIDELITY TO THE MODEL DESIGN IS VERY IMPORTANT, UM, WITH THE AUSTIN PLAN, BECAUSE IT WAS DESIGNED AROUND THE SPECIFICS OF YOUR CITY AND YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE AND THOSE THINGS THAT MAKE AUSTIN UNIQUE.
BUT, UH, THE MOST IMPORTANT PROGRAM ELEMENT WOULD BE, YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE TRIAGED CLINICAL TRIAGE IN YOUR DISPATCH.
UH, WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE INFORMATION FROM THE PREVIOUS SIX YEARS, UH, EVERY SINGLE UNFORTUNATE ENCOUNTER WITH APD WAS WHEN THAT OFFICER DIDN'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF CALL HE WAS GOING TO, UH, WHEN THEY, WHEN YOU CAN TRIAGE THAT AT DISPATCH AND EITHER SEND THE MOST APPROPRIATE RESOURCES OR SEND THE MOST INFORMED RESOURCES, YOUR CHANCES OF A POOR OUTCOME ARE DRASTICALLY REDUCED OR ELIMINATED.
SO I WOULD, IF YOU HAD TO PICK ONE AREA, YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE THAT CLINICAL KNOWLEDGE AND TRIAGE AND DISPATCH.
[00:40:01]
THE SECOND AREA WOULD BE USING TELEMEDICINE TO THE BEST OF YOUR ADVANTAGE.AUSTIN IS A DIFFICULT CITY AND I LOVE AUSTIN.
IT'S A DIFFICULT CITY TO DRIVE AROUND.
SO IT'S A VERY DIFFICULT CITY TO GET RESOURCES FROM POINT A TO POINT B.
BUT WHEN YOU HAVE TELEHEALTH CAPABILITY CONNECTED TO A CLINICIAN AND IT'S THE RIGHT KIND OF CALL TO GET TO THAT CLINICAL EXPERTISE IS ONSITE IMMEDIATELY.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD YOUR, YOUR PART? SURE.
SO, UH, SO HERE IN AUSTIN, WE PARTNERED WITH INTEGRAL CARE IN THEIR EXPANDED MOBILE CRISIS OUTREACH TEAM BACK IN 2013.
UH, AND THE WAY OUR, THE WAY WE CURRENTLY OPERATE IS THAT A NINE 11 CALL COMES IN.
AND IF IT IS ROUTED TO EMS, OUR DISPATCHERS OR OUR CALL TAKERS, AGAIN, A STANDARDIZED TRIAGE APPROACH, WHICH IS, UM, IT'S, UH, IT IT'S, IT'S AN INTERNATIONALLY ACCREDITED, UM, MODEL.
UH, AND WHAT IT DOES IS IT HELPS US DETERMINE WHAT KIND OF CALL WE'RE RESPONDING TO, WHAT RESOURCES WE SHOULD SEND AND HOW QUICKLY WE SHOULD SEND THEM.
SO WHAT, AND THEN IT ALSO HELPS PRIORITIZE.
SO WE'RE SENDING THE CLOSEST APPROPRIATE RESOURCE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE RIGHT NOW, WHEN SOMEBODY CALLS IN AND THEY'RE EXPERIENCING A MENTAL HEALTH, UH, OR THEY'RE SEEKING OUT MENTAL HEALTH ASSISTANCE, AT LEAST FROM EMS. UH, WHAT WE DO IS WE GO THROUGH THE STANDARD SET OF QUESTIONS AND IT PRO AND WHAT IT DOES IS IT'LL CATEGORIZE IT AS, AS A PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY.
AND THERE ARE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PRIORITY TO THAT.
EVERYTHING FROM SOMEBODY THAT MAY ACT, YOU KNOW, MAY ACTIVELY HAVE A KNIFE AND IS THREATENING SUICIDE TO SOMEONE THAT'S CALLED AND THEY DON'T KNOW WHO ELSE TO CALL, AND THEY'RE JUST, THEY'RE JUST SEEKING OUT ASSISTANCE, BUT THERE'S NO DANGER OR WEAPONS INVOLVED.
AND SO THAT CALL IS PRIORITIZED AND THEN IT'S DISPATCHED TO OUR, UH, TO OUR AMBULANCE CREWS.
AND THE CLOSEST AVAILABLE AMBULANCE IS SET NOW AT THAT POINT, UM, WHEN IT FALLS INTO A CERTAIN CATEGORY AND THOSE PRIORITIES ARE SET.
SO THAT, UH, THINK OF IT IS IN TERMS OF THE, THE HIGHEST PARTY PARTY ONE, UH, WOULD BE WHERE THERE IS LIKE AN IMMINENT THREAT OF SOME KIND OF DANGER OR THREAT TO LIFE OR LIMB.
AND THEN PRIORITY FIVE WOULD BE THE ONE THAT YOU DON'T THAT BASED ON THE WAY THE QUESTIONS WERE ANSWERED, THERE DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE ANY IMMEDIATE THREAT.
UM, AND IT DOESN'T REQUIRE LIGHTS AND SIRENS AND THE SAME KIND OF RESPONSE THAT SOMETHING MORE CRITICAL.
WHAT ARE THOSE CALLS WE AUTOMATICALLY HAVE.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE EPCOT BUILT INTO OUR DISPATCH SYSTEM, SO THAT M CLOT IS AUTOMATICALLY DISPATCHED AND RECOMMENDED FOR THOSE PRIORITY FIVE CALLS.
UH, WE DO THAT FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS.
ONE, THE PARTY, FIVE CALLS, UM, THERE'S NO INDICATION OF VIOLENCE OR WEAPONS INVOLVED, AND WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE, UH, M CAUGHT STARTED, UH, AND HAD JUST HAPPENED, SAY THEY HAPPENED TO BE AROUND THE CORNER AND THEY HAPPEN TO SHOW UP TO A CALL THERE'S ANY KIND OF VIOLENCE OR ANY KIND OF THREAT.
SO, UH, SO M COD IS AUTOMATICALLY DISPATCHED.
WE'VE PROVIDED THEM RADIOS AND THEY HAVE A RADIO CHANNEL THAT THEY CAN COMMUNICATE WITH OUR DISPATCH DIRECTLY.
THEY CONFIRM THEIR RESPONSE, AND THEN THEY RESPOND ALONG WITH THE AMBULANCE GROUP.
IT'S A BIT DIFFERENT IN THAT WE DON'T HERE THE WAY WE HAVE IT SET UP AS IS THEY'RE NOT PARTNERED UP WITH A PARAMEDIC IN THE SAME VEHICLE.
UM, THEY MAY BE OFF DOING ANOTHER CALL, MAYBE, MAYBE THERE'LL BE HELPING WITH, UH, UH, SOME SORT OF A FOLLOWUP OR A RESPONSE WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, UM, BUT THEN CONFIRM THEIR RESPONSE.
AND THEN THEY, AND THEN THEY ARRIVE ON SCENE.
OUR MEDICS WILL JUST CONFIRM THAT THEY'RE, UH, THERE'S NO MEDICAL NECESSITY TO TRANSPORT TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
SO WE'LL WANT TO MAKE SURE, AND WE HAVE A SET CRITERIA FOR THAT.
WE JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THAT SOMEBODY HAS AN INGESTED SOMETHING OR TRIED TO CUT THEMSELVES TO A POINT WHERE IT REQUIRES SUTURES.
BUT IF IT, IF THE PATIENT MEETS THOSE, UH, MEET THOSE CRITERIA, AND WHAT HAPPENS IS, IS WE PROVIDE M COD IS AN OPTION FOR THAT PARTICULAR PATIENT.
THE PATIENT DOES HAVE THE ABILITY TO REFUSE THE PATIENT CAN REFUSE COD AND CAN STILL REQUEST TRANSPORT TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
UM, AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S PART OF THE EQUATION.
THE OTHER PART OF THAT IS, IS THAT WHEN POLICE, UH, IF THE, IF THE PATIENT REQUIRES, UH, AN IMMEDIATE DETENTION OR BECAUSE OF AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO LIFE, OR, UH, SOME SORT OF DETERIORATION IN THEIR MENTAL CONDITION, AND, UM, AND ONLY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, ONLY PEACE OFFICERS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS AND CERTAIN JUDGES AND COURT STAFF HAVE THE ABILITY TO IMPLEMENT AN EMERGENCY DETENTION ONE THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED RIGHT NOW BEFORE THE PATIENT COULD POTENTIALLY LEAVE.
SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOME PROGRAMS
[00:45:01]
AND THEN ESPECIALLY WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IN AUSTIN.UM, THERE ARE FROM THE OUTSET, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CALL, WE ALSO HAVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WHAT KIND OF INDICATORS THERE ARE FOR THINGS LIKE VIOLENCE OR WEAPONS.
THAT'S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS, UH, THIS STANDARDIZED IN THAT PARTICULAR SET OF QUESTIONS FOR THAT CALL TYPE IS THAT, IS THERE, UH, IS THERE VIOLENCE, ARE THERE WEAPONS AVAILABLE OR INVOLVED? AND IF THERE ARE, THEN WE AUTOMATICALLY START POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT MAY BE THE INITIAL INITIAL AGENCY THAT RECEIVES THIS CALL AND THEY MAY REQUEST US THAT AS WELL.
SO, UM, SO THAT'S KIND OF THAT IN A NUTSHELL OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS, UH, WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE'VE ALSO STARTED, UH, PRIORITIZING MAYBE HEALTH PARAMEDICS TO RESPOND TO THOSE CALLS, UH, AND, AND WE'LL SEND THE CLOSEST HELP PARAMEDIC THAT'S AVAILABLE TO THOSE CALLS, UH, AS A WAY TO START IMPLEMENTING THE MODEL, SIMILAR TO WHAT THEY'VE DONE IN DALLAS.
THE ONLY DIFFERENCES IS THAT WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE CLINICIAN SITTING IN THE CAR WITH US, BUT WE ARE, WE ARE MOVING IN THAT DIRECTION CAUSE REMEMBER QATAR.
SO I WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FACT THAT WE'VE GOT TIM HERE, EXCEPT THAT HE JUST SAW IT AS A PURE OFF THE SCREEN, BECAUSE HE'S TELLING YOU, I WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FACT THAT WE HAVE TIM, OH, HI, YOU JUST JUMPED TO THE OTHER SIDE OF MY SCREEN.
I ENDED UP EXPERTS HERE LOCALLY.
SO ANY MBJ, IF Y'ALL COULD BE, YOU KNOW, KEEP IT REALLY BRIEF AS FAR AS HIGHLIGHTING WHAT SOME OF THE WHAT'S SOME OF THE ANTICIPATED PROGRAM DIFFERENCES MIGHT BE BETWEEN HERE AND WHAT'S IN EUGENE.
WE ALREADY HEARD ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE ON EMERGENCY DETENTIONS, BUT WHAT OTHER ONE, WHAT OTHER DIFFERENCES ARE THERE? AND TWO, WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO DO WE ANTICIPATE WE CAN GET TO THAT LEVEL OF SCALE OF SOMETHING LIKE 17% OF THE NINE 11 CALLS? UM, SO I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR THAT REALLY BRIEFLY FROM Y'ALL AND THEN GIVE 10, YOUR CHANCE TO SAY, WELL, THOSE DIFFERENCES MIGHT MAKE SENSE, OR WE TRIED SOME OF THOSE THINGS AND WE THINK DIFFERENTLY, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO TELEMEDICINE.
I KNOW THERE'S STILL SORT OF SOME DEBATE ABOUT WHAT WE SHOULD OR SHOULDN'T DO THERE.
SO AMY AND BJ, THIS IS NOT IN THE SPIRIT OF HAVING A CONFLICT.
I THINK WE WANT TO LEARN FROM EACH OTHER AND KNOW WHAT THE DIFFERENCE, WHAT THE ACTUAL DIFFERENCES ARE.
I'LL TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO JUMP IN FIRST, SOMEBODY WAVE AT ME IF I'M TALKING ON MUTE.
UM, BUT I THINK ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO CONSIDER IS KAHOOTS IS A, IS AN AMAZING PROGRAM, BUT EUGENE, OREGON IS ALSO A TOWN OF LESS THAN 200,000 PEOPLE.
WHEREAS AUSTIN IS A MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREA OF 1 MILLION OR MORE AND GROWING FASTER EVERY DAY.
UM, AND SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE PROGRAM DESIGN FOR AUSTIN, IT HAS TO BE THE GRAND SCALE THAT AUSTIN IS YOU HAVE TO, UH, HAVE THE BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY.
AND SO INCORPORATING TELEHEALTH SERVICES FROM THE MOMENT OF NINE ONE, ONE CALL TO ANDY'S DIES OUT THERE IN AN AMBULANCE TO A POLICE CAR, HAVING TELE-HEALTH AND A POLICE CAR WITH OVER 1 MILLION PEOPLE.
AND GROWING EVERY DAY, YOU CANNOT HIRE YOURSELF ENOUGH PEOPLE TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM.
SO YOU HAVE TO USE TECHNOLOGY, UM, TO THE, TO THE GREATEST EXTENT THAT YOU CAN.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE TO CONSIDER THAT AUSTIN IS UNIQUE IN ITS DEMOGRAPHICS.
AND SO YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU TARGET YOUR RESPONSE TO THE AREAS WHERE FOR INSTANCE, WHEN WE LOOKED AT MENTAL HEALTH CALLS FOR SERVICE, UM, ACROSS THE CITY OF AUSTIN IN A THREE YEAR PERIOD, THERE ARE THREE AREAS THAT STAND OUT, WHICH IS EAST AUSTIN, EAST OF ONE 83 OFF OF LAYOLA LANE, NORTH AUSTIN, SOUTH OF ONE 83 IN SOUTH AUSTIN, SOUTH OF JUST TWO 90.
AND SO YOU CAN'T REALLY HAVE A CITYWIDE RESPONSE, UM, UNLESS YOU'RE GONNA DEDICATE, YOU KNOW, $10 MILLION OR MORE TO IT, THAT'S GOING TO BLANKET THE CITY.
SO YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DESIGN A SYSTEM THAT CAN RESPOND TO YOUR CITY CITYWIDE, BUT ALSO FOCUS THOSE, UM, SPECIFIC AND VALUABLE RESOURCES ON THE AREAS OF MOST NEED.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE YOU WOULD NEED A HYBRID OF TELEHEALTH AND IN PERSON RESPONSE, THAT WOULD PAIR A MEDIC FOR THE SOCIAL WORKER AND AN OFFICER FOR CERTAIN AREAS OF THE CITY, BUT THEN SCALE THAT RESPONSE DOWN TO TELE-HEALTH AND MEDICS FOR TELEHEALTH AND LAW ENFORCEMENT IN AREAS WITHOUT SUCH A HIGH CALL VOLUME.
SO THE DESIGN FOR AUSTIN THAT YOU CURRENTLY HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE SCALE, THE SIZE, THE DEMOGRAPHICS, AND THE SPECIFIC TEXAS STATUTES THAT REQUIRE A POLICE OFFICER TO DO AN EMERGENCY DETENTION.
AND I THINK THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE REALLY MOST DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU SEE IN EUGENE.
EUGENE'S A FANTASTIC PROGRAM, BUT AUSTIN'S SAID LARGE MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREA, LIKE THE ENEMY HERE.
I REALLY THINK THAT THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, WITH THE CITY OF THE SIZE OF AUSTIN, THERE IS GOING TO BE ANY EFFORT, SOLID HEALTH, TO BE A COMPONENT OF ANY SORT OF, YOU KNOW, MORE ROBUST MOBILE CRISIS
[00:50:01]
RESPONSE.UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED IN EUGENE IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, MANY, MANY OF THE PATIENTS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH ARE NOT, UH, IN A PLACE WHERE THEY HAVE RELIABLE ACCESS TO THE MEANS FOR TELEMEDICINE, WITHOUT SOME SORT OF FIRST RESPONDERS, BJ MENTIONED COMING OUT TO THEM.
I, THERE, FURTHERMORE THAT THERE'S A LOT OF OUR INTERVENTION THAT'S INFORMED BY THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, YOU KNOW, WHERE, WHERE WE'RE HAVING THAT INTERVENTION, PARTICULARLY IF SOMEBODY HAS UNHOUSED, UM, WE ARE ABLE TO FACILITATE A LOT MORE MEANINGFUL INTERACTION WITH SOMEBODY BECAUSE WE'RE RIGHT THERE WITH THEM IN THAT IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT.
AND SO THAT ALLOWS US TO DO THINGS LIKE EMPATHIZE WITH THEM ABOUT THE WEATHER, UM, BUT ALSO REALLY JUST KIND OF HAVING THAT FACE TO FACE INTERACTION, PARTICULARLY IN, IN, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THE WORLD THAT WE'RE LIVING IN NOW WHERE SOCIAL INTERACTION IS VERY LIMITED.
MANY OF THE FOLKS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH ARE ALREADY OPPRESSED AND MARGINALIZED POPULATIONS AND ARE BEING SHUNNED EVEN MORE, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH THE LEVEL OF CONCERN IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND THAT'S ONE PLACE WHERE THAT TELEMEDICINE IS GOING TO, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY IMPOSE A BARRIER.
UM, SO AS, AS WE LOOK AT WHAT AUSTIN NEEDS, I DEFINITELY THINK THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A HYBRID, BUT THERE REALLY DOES NEED TO BE AN EYE TOWARDS HAVING A NEW TYPE OF FIRST RESPONDER THAT IS TRAINED SPECIFICALLY TO RESPOND TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES.
SO THAT WE'RE NOT IN SITUATIONS WHERE WE HAVE A COLD RESPONSE WHERE SOMEBODY IN CRISIS IS STILL HAVING TO HAVE FORCE TO HAVE AN INTERACTION WITH A UNIFORMED, AN ARMED OFFICER.
UM, THERE, THERE ARE GOING TO BE SITUATIONS WHERE SOMEBODY HAS EVEN EXPERIENCED ADVERSITY, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH EMS, MAYBE NOT IN AUSTIN, BUT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WHEN THEY LIVED IN OKLAHOMA, THEY GOT ROUGHED UP, UM, YOU KNOW, BY, BY PARAMEDICS ON AN OVERDOSE CALL OR SOMETHING.
AND SO WE NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF, OF THE PAST INTERACTIONS THAT VARIOUS COMMUNITIES HAVE HAD WITH THOSE TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY RESOURCES.
AS WE LOOK AT THIS COMBINATION OF NEW FIRST RESPONDERS AND, AND TELEMEDICINE ACCESS, YOU KNOW, BUT, YOU KNOW, I, YOU KNOW, BE JUST RIGHT.
EUGENE IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CITY, DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHICS, DIFFERENT MEANS OF GETTING AROUND TOWN THAN AUSTIN.
UH, AND SO WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO LOOK AT SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY NUANCED AND ORIENTED AROUND THE NEEDS OF AUSTIN.
YOU KNOW, CAHOOTS IS NOT A COOKIE CUTTER PROGRAM THAT CAN JUST BE PICKED UP OUT OF EUGENE AND PLOPPED IN AUSTIN.
UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT WE CAN OFFER FROM 31 YEARS OF LESSONS LEARNED, BUT AGAIN, IT'S GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, WITH AN EYE TOWARDS DEVELOPING SOMETHING THAT IS, IS REALLY DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO MEET AUSTIN'S NEEDS, PRETEND, UM, JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, MS. SWEATER, DID YOU, DID YOU SAY THAT, WERE YOU SAYING THAT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE HYBRID OR MMM.
YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT, OR IT WOULD COST LIKE $10 MILLION, BUT I MAY HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD.
WHAT WAS THE $10 MILLION PART? THE PROGRAM THAT IS CURRENTLY DESIGNED FOR AUSTIN IS EXACTLY WHAT TIM WAS DESCRIBING.
IT IS A PROGRAM THAT'S DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO MEET AUSTIN'S NEEDS TAKING INTO ACCOUNT YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE, THE DIFFICULTY IN TRAVELING AROUND THE CITY, THE NUANCES OF WHERE YOUR CALLS HAPPEN AND THE CULTURAL RELEVANCE OF THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS.
ALSO TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE TYPE OF RESPONDER, WHETHER IT'S MEDIC, WHETHER IT'S LAW ENFORCEMENT, WHETHER IT'S SOCIAL WORKER WITH TELEMEDICINE.
UM, SO THAT PROGRAM THAT IS CURRENTLY DESIGNED IS EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS DESCRIBING.
IT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT LESSONS LEARNED AND WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE IN AUSTIN, BUT TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT REQUIRED AN IN-PERSON RESPONSE OR A DUAL RESPONDER THAT WAS MEDIC AND SOCIAL WORKER OR SOCIAL WORKER WITH, WITH BACKUP, UM, IN PERSON ALL THE TIME WOULD BE EXTRAORDINARILY EXPENSIVE.
THAT'S THE ONE THAT I WAS SAYING, IF YOU WENT FOR AN IN PERSON RESPONSE, THAT WOULD BE, THAT COULD BE UP TO $10 MILLION OR MORE DEPENDING ON THE CLASS OF THE PERSON THAT YOU HIRED PER YEAR, THE HYBRID RESPONSE THAT, UM, IS EXACTLY LIKE MR. BLACK WAS DESCRIBING THAT AS AN AUSTIN PLAN NOW IS PRICED OUT AT MUCH LESS THAN THAT.
AND ALSO HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR RETURNING IN ITS FIRST YEAR ALONE, $2 MILLION.
I WANT TO JUMP IN JUST REAL QUICK.
I KNOW MR. BLACK, I THINK YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE TO LEAVE AT THREE.
I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR, FOR JOINING US REMOTELY.
UM, IT, THE ONE UPSIDE OF THESE REMOTE MEETINGS IS THAT IT'S MUCH EASIER TO PUTTING IN FOLKS WHO HAVE THESE DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES FROM CROSS COUNTRY.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SPENDING SOME TIME WITH US TODAY.
OF COURSE, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO MANY MORE CONVERSATIONS ON THIS, SO THANK YOU ALL.
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE? MY PERSON, IT WASN'T A QUESTION JUST TO MAKE THE POINT.
I, THIS SOUNDS WEIRD, BUT $10 MILLION IS NOT A LOT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT IT CAN COMPARE IT TO, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, OUR BUDGET AS A WHOLE.
SO, UM, I'D LOVE TO HEAR WHAT, WHAT, WHAT PEAK SPEAKERS THINK IS, UM, WHAT, WHAT WOULD BE THE SYSTEM IF MONEY WASN'T AN ISSUE MEAN, YOU KNOW, THREE MONTHS AGO WOULD HAVE BEEN UNIMAGINABLE MAYBE.
AND I THINK WE'RE IN A, WE'RE IN A DIFFERENT TIME AND I THINK RELATIVELY IT'S ALL RELATIVE TO WHAT PERCENTAGE DO WE THINK, ARE WE DIVERTING FOR THAT SERVICE? IF IT'S A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF DIVERSION, THEN
[00:55:01]
OBVIOUSLY THE MATH IS DIFFERENT.OH, I JUST WANTED TO SAY, UM, I'LL REACH OUT TO TIM.
I'M VERY INTERESTED IN WHAT THEY'RE DOING SPECIFICALLY FOR HOMELESS POPULATION.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A HOST TEAM HERE AND I'M CURIOUS ABOUT HOW THOSE RELATE TO, SO I'LL REACH OUT TO HIM ABOUT THAT.
AND I AGREE WITH THE MAYOR, PRETEND THAT IT'S IT'S, UH, THE DOLLARS ARE NOT, UM, NOT, NOT WHAT WE WANT TO LOOK AT FIRST AS A LIMITING FACTOR.
WE WANT THE DESIGN, BUT I THINK I HEAR BJ SAYING THAT THAT'S THE WAY SHE INCLUDED THE DESIGN IN THE MEADOWS PROGRAM, BUT, UH, WE CAN THINK ABOUT THAT.
AND THEN FINALLY, I WOULD JUST SAY WE ARE ALL LEARNING HOW USEFUL VIDEO CAN BE TELEHEALTH AND TELEMEDICINE HAS BEEN UNDER UTILIZED FOR YEARS THROUGHOUT, THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
AND IT IS AN AMAZING RESOURCE WHEN YOU HAVE PHYSICAL.
I MEAN, IT JUST TAKES TIME TO GET FROM ONE SPACE TO ANOTHER SPACE IN A BIG CITY LIKE OURS AND TELEHEALTH IS A, IS A TECHNOLOGY TOOL THAT, UM, THAT WE REALLY NEED TO MAXIMIZE.
UH, IT WORKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.
IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT, UH, WE NEED TO USE IT IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT IT IS A, IT'S A HUGE RESOURCE.
AND WE'RE FINDING THAT NOW, NOW AS PART OF COVID, UM, AND OTHER SITUATIONS, I'M SORRY.
YOU WANT ME TO STOP? WANT ME TO STOP? I DO.
CAUSE YOU AND I HAVE HAD LONG CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT, BOTH IN PUBLIC MEETINGS.
I THINK WE ALL KNOW HOW WE FEEL ABOUT THAT'S TELEHEALTH.
I WANT TO MOVE ON AND IT'S A GREAT PIVOT INTO OUR HOMELESSNESS AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE CONVERSATIONS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING OUR MEETING TODAY.
SO I AM GOING TO BRING UP, UH, GOT MATT MALIKA AND KATE GRAZIANI AND JOY RUTGER COMING INTO THE MEETING, UH, CHAIR, WHILE WE MAKE THAT TRANSITION.
WE'RE WE'RE TRANSITIONING FROM ONE PLACE, BUT IF YOU WANT A DAYLIGHT, SOMETHING I DO, I JUST WANTED TO KNOW AS WE'RE GATHERING INFORMATION, ONE OF THE THINGS I'D LIKE TO EXTRACT IS WHAT DO THOSE COMPARABLE MUNICIPALITIES HAVE IN THE WAY OF RESOURCES FOR MENTAL HEALTH, UM, TREATMENT? I KNOW IT'S PRETTY DISMAL IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
SO IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE DIVERSION OF RESOURCES FROM THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM INTO A DIFFERENT, MORE APPROPRIATE SYSTEM, I JUST LIKE TO KNOW WHAT RESOURCES THEY HAVE ON THE TREATMENT AND WHERE ARE THEY TAKING PEOPLE AND ARE THERE OTHER CITIES WHO'VE HAD GREATER SUCCESS THAT JUST HAVE MORE RESOURCES IN THOSE, IN THAT DEPARTMENT? THAT'S A GREAT POINT.
WE ALL KNOW THE STATISTICS OF TRAVIS COUNTY JAIL BEING THE LARGEST MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDER.
THAT'S NOT, THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE A GOOD SYSTEM FOR US TO BE SENDING TO YOU.
WELL, I THINK IT JUST GIVES US A REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO DAYLIGHT THAT PART OF, YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE SPEAKING OF BROKEN SYSTEMS. YEAH.
MR. MOLLICA, UH, I HAVE A PRESENTATION THAT WAS SENT TO ME, BUT IT TALKS ABOUT COBIT AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE, IF THAT'S THE PRESENTATION YOU'RE TENDING TO USE TODAY.
UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, IS PART OF A PRESENTATION TO USE TODAY.
THE TITLE SLIDE PROBABLY IS A LITTLE MISGUIDED, BUT I'M HAPPY TO WALK THROUGH IT.
I THINK THE JOY KATE WITH THE TEXAS HARM REDUCTION ALLIANCE, WE'RE GOING TO KICK US OFF AND SORT OF A JOINT, UM, DISCUSSION HERE.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE YOU GO FIRST SO WE CAN TIE IT ALL UP.
ARE YOU SEEING THE SCREEN? I'M STARTING TO COME UP? NOT FOR ME.
I DO A DIFF I DON'T KNOW WHY THIS WAS SO HARD FOR IT.
IT WAS HARD IN THE LAST MEETING WE WERE INTO.
THAT'S WHERE I'LL SET THE STAGE A LITTLE BIT AND GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE.
I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE, UM, YOU ALL KNOW IN WITH JOY AND KATE WITH THE TEXAS HARM REDUCTION ALLIANCE, WE THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE MORE IMPACTFUL TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION TOGETHER AS HARM REDUCTION PRACTICES AND HOUSING FIRST PHILOSOPHY.
UM, FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, ESPECIALLY CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS, IT'S SHOWN TO BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO END SOMEBODY WHO'S HOMELESSNESS.
AND SO I, I THINK THAT WE, YOU KNOW, IN, IN DISCUSSION, IN CONJUNCTION WHEN WE SAW THE SCHEDULE COME OUT AND THAT WAS RELEASED FOR THIS, UM, FOR THIS MEETING THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BEST IF WE GOT TOGETHER AND IN OUR PRESENTATIONS AND DISCUSSIONS, UM, WITH Y'ALL AND,
[01:00:01]
UM, ECHO'S GOT A HISTORY OF WORKING WITH THE TEXAS HARM REDUCTION ALLIANCE, JOY RUCKER, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IS ON ECHO'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS.SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I MENTIONED THAT AHEAD OF THE, UH, THE DISCUSSION AND I'M HAPPY TO BE PART OF THIS DISCUSSION REPRESENTING BOTH AGENCIES ARE Y'ALL SEEING THE SLIDES.
I T STAFF'S GOING TO HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT HOW THAT WORKS BECAUSE IT WORKED, IT DIDN'T WORK IN THE LAST MEETING EITHER.
AND I'M HAPPY TO, AND I'M SORRY.
I PUT TOGETHER A PRESENTATION BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT FOR Y'ALL TO SEE, UM, SOME OF THE WORK THAT'S HAPPENING NOW CURRENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH HOUSING HIGH RISK INDIVIDUALS, UM, FOR COVID, UH, PURPOSES, BUT ALSO, UM, THE FOLKS THAT ARE THERE IT IS.
UM, AND THAT'S THE PERFECT SLIDE TO START ON RIGHT THERE.
UH, THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER PLANNING.
UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE WHEN WE'RE TALK ABOUT WHERE WE NEED FUNDING IN OUR COMMUNITY NOW.
AND I THINK WE'VE ALL HAD THIS CONVERSATION BEFORE YOU BELIEVE SERVICES FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IS A PLACE THAT CAN BE VERY IMPACTFUL.
UM, WHEN LOOKING AT THE BUDGET AND SHIFTING FUNDS AROUND, UM, WE, WE HAVE SAID AND STATED MANY TIMES THAT WE THINK IT IS VERY COST EFFICIENT TO HOUSE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, UM, WITH APPROPRIATE WRAPAROUND SERVICES THEN, UM, AND WE DON'T DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE CURRENT MODEL FOR, UM, INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, LIKE POLICING IS NOT A WAY AS WE ALL HAVE HAD THIS DISCUSSION AND IT'S NOT A PUBLIC SAFETY RISK BE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
AND SO WE THINK THAT THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND IMPACTFUL WAY IS THROUGH HOUSING.
AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND COST ASSOCIATED WITH THAT TODAY.
UM, SO THE FIRST COUPLE OF SLIDES ARE JUST, UM, THE FIRST SLIDE HERE TALKS ABOUT THE CURRENT TARGETED POPULATION FOR HOUSING ASSISTANCE.
AND I WANTED TO USE THE COVID, UM, POPULATION FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS.
UM, ONE IS THAT TYPICALLY IF YOU'RE HIGH RISK FOR COVID, YOU ARE ONE OF THE MORE VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY FROM A HEALTHCARE PERSPECTIVE, SUBSTANCE USE PERSPECTIVE AND MENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVE.
AND WE'RE GOING TO GO OVER THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE TODAY.
SO THIS IS THE CRITERIA WE'RE LOOKING AT IN TERMS OF HOW WE'RE PRIORITIZING THE RESOURCES.
WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE RESOURCES NEEDED TODAY.
SO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, MR. MALUKA, I DON'T WANT TO PUSH YOU TOO MUCH, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL EVERYONE THE FULL STORY OF HOMELESSNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
WE'RE TRYING TO STAY FOCUSED ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY IMPACTS AND THEN THERE'S LIMITED TIME.
WELL, RIGHT NOW, WHAT WE'VE GOT, UM, ARE IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE COVID COHORT IS THAT WE HAVE 971 FOLKS WHO ARE HIGH RISK, UM, BASED ON THE CDC GUIDELINES FOR, UM, HAVING A NEGATIVE IMPACT, UM, IF THEY WERE TO GET COVID, UM, POTENTIALLY FATAL IMPACT.
UM, THESE ARE WHERE THEY'RE CURRENTLY RESIDING.
SOME OF THEM ARE IN OUR EMERGENCY SHELTER SYSTEM AT THE ARCH AND SALVATION ARMY SUMMER, AND THE PRO LODGES AND SOME ARE UNSHELTERED.
SO THE NEXT SLIDE WOULD BE GREAT.
SORRY, WE CAN MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
COUNCILMEMBER FLANAGAN, IT LOOKS LIKE MAYBE COUNSELING OR PLAYING AGAINST, UH, INTERNET IS GETTING INTERRUPTED.
SO, UH, THE OTHER, THE NEXT SLIDE THAT WOULD BE PRESENTED TALKS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT, UM, RACE, ETHNICITY AND WHAT WE ALL KNOW.
UM, MOST RECENT POINT IN TIME COUNT SHOWS THAT 36% OF THE FOLKS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS AND OUR COMMUNITY ARE BLACK AFRICAN-AMERICAN.
UM, WE HAVE HIGH PROPORTIONS OF BLACK AFRICAN AMERICAN PEOPLE REPRESENTED IN OUR SYSTEMS OVERALL HERE.
AND WE BELIEVE THAT, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, TARGETING FUNDS FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS CAN IMPACT THAT.
UM, A AND BE, UH, HAVE A RACIAL EQUITY IMPACT, UM, ALL OF THE FUNDING, UM, AND HOUSING, UH, RESOURCES.
I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TIE IN AT THE SERVICES ASSOCIATED WITH THESE RESOURCES, THE MUCH NEEDED SERVICES FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AND FOR RAPID REHOUSING, UH, NEED TO BE ADMINISTERED USING A HARM REDUCTION APPROACH.
UM, AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS MEETING THE PEOPLE WHERE THEY'RE AT WITH THEIR SUBSTANCE USE AND IN SHARING THAT REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU'RE AT WITH YOUR SUBSTANCE USE, ENJOY, AND KATELYN GO INTO THIS MORE,
[01:05:01]
WE'RE GOING TO ALLOW ACCESS TO HOUSING AND PROVIDE HOUSING FIRST BEFORE WE REQUIRE YOU TO ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES.UM, UM, THE SUBSTANCE USE OR MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE, OR, YEAH.
UM, SO SOME OF THESE SLIDES THEY'RE KIND OF TO TALK TO, BUT THERE ARE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM, UM, FOR THE REHOUSING STRATEGY.
UH, AND WE'RE, UM, SORT OF LOOKING AT TOTAL COSTS, UM, FOR FOLKS, WHETHER YOU'RE IN THE PRO LODGES OR NOT, UM, OF UPWARDS OF ABOUT 24 AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN HOUSE THE HIGH RISK FOLKS FOR COVID OVER THE NEXT YEAR.
AGAIN, WITHOUT THE SLIDES, IT'S DIFFICULT TO WALK THROUGH AND SHOW YOU THE VARIOUS BENCHMARKS THAT I'M SURE THE SLIDES CAN BE DISTRIBUTED, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRESENTATION.
UM, BUT WE NEED ESSENTIALLY FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, WE HAD 357 PEOPLE FALL INTO THE BUCKET OF NEED FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AT THE TOTAL COST OF 10 POINT $3 MILLION.
UM, AND WE HAD ABOUT 614 HOUSEHOLDS, UM, THAT FELL ON THE INTERVENTION SCALE FOR RAPID REHOUSING FOR A TOTAL COST OF 14 POINT $3 MILLION.
THE, UM, ANOTHER THING I THINK RICK MENTIONING IS THAT WE ALSO RAN AN ANALYSIS, UM, ON WHAT THE INVESTMENT WOULD NEED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE, UM, THE PROLOGUE RESIDENTS.
AND WE HAVE THOSE GAPS TOO, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COUNCIL HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON.
AND I THINK THE, YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY, UM, NOW I'LL LET JOY AND KATE TAKE OVER, BUT THE MOST EFFECTIVE STRATEGY FOR ENGAGING THESE, THIS POPULATION OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS, UM, THAT'S EXISTING IN OUR COMMUNITY OF WHICH WE HAVE A REALLY HIGH PERCENTAGE OF OUR FOLKS ARE EXPERIENCING PHONICALLY PRODUCT HOMELESSNESS IN OUR SYSTEM ABOUT 48%, UM, WHICH IS A MUCH HIGHER NUMBER THAN OTHER, UM, COMMUNITIES OF OUR SIZE.
AND THAT'S, I THINK BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE, UM, REALLY WELL, UM, DEVELOPED HARM REDUCTION STRATEGIES FOR ENGAGING THAT POPULATION.
SO, UM, I WILL, UM, WE CAN GO THROUGH THE SLIDES.
I SEE COUNCIL MEMBER PLANNING GETS BACK IF NECESSARY, BUT IF NOT, I'LL LET JOEY AND KATE SPEAK A LITTLE BIT TO THEIR, THEIR WORK.
UM, MS. WHY DON'T YOU AND MS. ANY, WHY DON'T YOU JUMP IN MY WEBEX PLATFORM, CRASHED ON GETTING MY STUFF BACK, PUT TOGETHER.
THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOU ALL TODAY ABOUT HARM REDUCTION.
SO I JUST WANT TO GIVE A BRIEF DEFINITION OF HARM REDUCTION AND HARM REDUCTION IS AN EVIDENCE BASED MODEL THAT AIMS AT REDUCING DRUG RELATED HARM, EXPERIENCED BY INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES.
IT'S ALSO A SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENT BUILT ON THE BELIEF THAT PEOPLE THAT USE BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY, AND THEY HAVE THE RIGHT, IF THAT'S WHAT THEIR CHOICE IS TO USE DRUGS, THAT THEY SHOULD NOT BE PENALIZE FROM ANY OTHER SERVICES, BECAUSE THEY'RE CURRENTLY USING SOME EXAMPLES OF HARM REDUCTION OR PERMANENT HOUSING WITH VOLUNTEER SERVICES.
AS MATT WAS TALKING, UH, HOUSING FIRST IS A VERY SUCCESSFUL MODEL THAT IS USED ACROSS THE COUNTRY, UM, AND IT'S LOW BARRIER.
AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE TARGETING THE MOST CHRONICALLY HOMELESS PEOPLE WITH SUBSTANCE USE ISSUES AND MENTAL HEALTH, AND THEY'RE NOT SUCCESSFUL.
AND HIGH BARRIER, UH, PROGRAMS MEDICATED ASSISTED TREATMENT IS ANOTHER HARM REDUCTION, UM, STRATEGY.
AND FOR ALL OF US BIKE, HELMETS AND SEATBELTS.
SO HARM REDUCTION IS REALLY A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO A COMPLICATED SITUATION.
UM, WHY HARM REDUCTION, UH, DECREASES OVERDOSES, UM, HIV, HEPATITIS C INFECTIONS DECREASE FEWER INTACT PATIENTS WITH THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM, FEWER ER VISITS.
MOST PEOPLE ARE HOUSED AND STAY HOUSED.
MOST PEOPLE CONNECT TO TREATMENT AND MORE PEOPLE FIND A PATH TO RECOVERY.
OUR BIGGEST REQUIREMENTS IS THAT PEOPLE WANT TO BE CONNECTED TO, UM, RECOVERY SERVICES.
SO WE WERE FORMED IN 19, UH, 2000,
[01:10:01]
EXCUSE ME, 2019 AS A MOBILE OUTREACH WITH T TOWARD FUNDING FROM THE STATE.CURRENTLY WE OFFER MOBILE OUTREACH SERVICES THAT CONNECT PEOPLE.
WE CONNECT WITH PEOPLE LIVING IN ENCAMPMENTS WHO ARE INJECTING, UH, DRUGS.
WE PROVIDE THEM WITH SUPPLIES AND WE CONNECT THEM WITH P UH, RECOVERY, COACHING AND TREATMENT.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO SET ASIDE IN OUR BUDGET, FIVE WEEKS OF PAID, UM, TREATMENT FOR MEDICATED ASSISTED TREATMENT, AND THEN WORK WITH THE CLIENT AND HAD BEEN WORKING WITH INTEGRAL CARE FOR SUSTAINABLE FUNDING, BUT THAT FUNDING IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE OR HOT.
YOU KNOW, THE DROP IN CENTER WILL OFFER BATHROOM SNACKS, ACCESS TO RECOVERY, COACH PLACE TO CHILL.
UH, WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO BE OPEN BECAUSE OF CULVERT, BUT WE DO HAVE PEOPLE THAT COME BY AND, UH, AND GET SUPPLIES FROM US AND HARM REDUCTION IS REALLY FOR THE FOLKS THAT WE ALL KNOW ARE VERY COMMITTED TO CONTINUING TO USE.
SO WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE C LIKE READY FOR RECOVERY.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE THAT ARE IN PRE-CONTEMPLATION STAGE IN THE CONTINUUM OF, UH, OF THE RECOVERY, UH, WILL.
SO WE BELIEVE A HARM REDUCTION IS A PART OF THE CONTINUUM OF CARE FOR RECOVERY.
GRAZIANI, I'M THE OPERATIONS AND POLICY DIRECTOR.
I WORK WITH JOY, UM, AND I'LL KEEP MY COMMENTS BRIEF.
I KNOW WE'RE RUNNING BEHIND, BUT THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS THAT HAVE COME UP, EVEN WHEN THINKING ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, NINE ONE, ONE MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS CALLS, BUT I WANTED TO TOUCH ON.
SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT A LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE TO SUBSTANCE USE, WE KNOW THAT IT FAILS IN A NUMBER OF WAYS.
UM, WE, I THINK Y'ALL ARE AWARE THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN LOOKING AT OUR FELONY POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, LESS THAN A GRAM ARRESTS IN TRAVIS COUNTY, WE'RE LOOKING AT 29% ARE FOR BLACK INDIVIDUALS.
AND ABOUT HALF OF THEM ORIGINATE FROM A TRAFFIC STOP.
UM, BUT ALSO I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT ABOUT 5% OF THOSE ORIGINATE FROM A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CRISIS CALL AN OVERDOSE OR A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS.
UM, AND IN THE CASE OF OVERDOSES, I'M SURE Y'ALL ARE ALSO AWARE THAT APD HAS RECENTLY REFUSED A DONATION OF NALOXONE, WHICH IS OUR OVERDOSE REVERSAL DRUG.
AND IT'S A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF HARM REDUCTION.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT OFFICERS, UM, UNFORTUNATELY WILL WE'LL WATCH SOMEONE BE REVIVED USUALLY BY EMS, UM, EITHER TAKE THEM TO THE HOSPITAL OR FOLLOW THEM TO THE HOSPITAL.
AND ONCE THEY'VE BEEN RELEASED, THEY ARREST THEM, UM, POSSESSION CHARGES.
SO WE HAVE A LOT OF PRACTICES IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT, UM, CAUSE HARM WHEN WE'RE, WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT SUBSTANCE USE, WHICH WE UNDERSTAND AS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE.
UM, ANOTHER FACTOR IS THE SOBERING CENTER.
UM, AND I WANT TO ALSO TIE IT INTO OUR, BECAUSE IOM QUAD HAS ALREADY BEEN BROUGHT UP.
I WANT TO TIE IT IN LAW ENFORCEMENT ALREADY HAS A COUPLE OF DIVERSION PROGRAMS THAT THEY CAN YOU UTILIZE WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES.
ONE OF THEM BEING OUR, OUR M CUT TEAM, AND ONE OF THEM BEING OUR SOBERING CENTER THEN OF Y'ALL ARE PROBABLY MORE INTIMATELY AWARE OF SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WITH THOSE PROGRAMS OR AT LEAST WITH THE SOBERING CENTER.
BUT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WITH A MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSIS ARE ARRESTED FOR CRIMINAL TRESPASS EVERY YEAR, 100% ARE ELIGIBLE FOR IOM COT.
LAW ENFORCEMENT DOES NOT UTILIZE IOM CUT.
SO THEY HAVE A DIVERSION PROGRAM AT THEIR DISPOSAL.
SAME GOES FOR THE SOBERING CENTER.
UM, WE, THAT IF SOMEBODY HAS A SMALL AMOUNT OF DRUGS ON THEM AND ARE INTOXICATED, THE SOBERING CENTER HAS RIGHT CHANGED THEIR POLICY.
THEY, THEY WOULD ACCEPT SOMEBODY, UM, WHO IS INTOXICATED, UM, USING AN ELICIT SUBSTANCE, BUT AP AGAIN IS NOT UTILIZING THE SOBERING CENTER AND WE COULD BE, AND WE'VE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH NEW LEADERSHIP OVER THERE.
UH, OUR ORGANIZATION ACTUALLY OFFICE THERE BRIEFLY BEFORE WE MOVED INTO OUR DROP IN CENTER.
AND SO WE SEE AN OPPORTUNITY HERE, UM, TO PARTNER WITH THE SOBERING CENTER WITH ECHO.
UM, OUR PROGRAM IS NOW UP AND RUNNING AND AFTER ITS FIRST YEAR OF COMPLETION, WHERE WE CAN REALLY LOOK AT THE INTERSECTIONS OF HOMELESSNESS, MENTAL HEALTH, AND SUBSTANCE USE USING HARM REDUCTION MODEL TO, TO JUST REALLY MOVE THAT OUT OF THE REALM OF LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE ALTOGETHER.
UM, AND THINK ABOUT STRATEGIES AND SOLUTIONS
[01:15:01]
THAT EXIST IN OTHER CITIES.UM, AND SO WITH THAT IN MIND, UM, I THINK A COUPLE OF PROGRAMS THAT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, ONE, OBVIOUSLY THE HOUSING FIRST MODEL Y'ALL FAMILIAR WITH, THERE'S ANOTHER PROGRAM CALLED DIRECT ACCESS TO HOUSING.
UM, AND I THINK BOTH MATT AND JOY HAVE A FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE WITH THOSE PROGRAMS IN THE BAY AREA.
BUT I THINK, UM, AS A WAY TO, TO TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH, UM, I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT RESOURCES.
I THINK WE DO HAVE A LACK OF RESOURCES WHEN IT COMES TO ACCESS TO CARE, BUT, UM, WE ALSO, I MEAN, HOUSING IS JUST SO CRITICAL IN A COMMUNITY THAT IT'S INCREASINGLY UNAFFORDABLE.
I THINK WE HAVE TO BE PAIRING SERVICES WITH HOUSING.
AND I THINK THERE ARE SO MANY BARRIERS FOR FOLKS TO ACCESS.
SOME OF, EVEN THESE HOUSING PROGRAMS, EVEN SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, TREATMENT PROGRAMS, RIGHT? THERE'S SO MANY BARRIERS.
WE NEED HARM REDUCTION AS THAT BRIDGE, AS JOEY WAS SAYING, UM, REALLY WORKING WITH FOLKS WHO ARE, WHO ARE NOT GOING TO ENGAGE, THEY HAVEN'T ENGAGED AND THEY'VE PROBABLY HAD BAD EXPERIENCES, RIGHT? MAYBE THEY DID ASK FOR HELP AT ONE POINT.
AND THEY WERE TOLD, WELL, YOU HAVE A CRIMINAL HISTORY, SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO ALLOW YOU IN THIS PROGRAM.
OR, UM, IF YOU'RE HIGH, WHEN YOU SHOW UP, WE'RE GOING TO KICK YOU OUT IMMEDIATELY.
THERE'S SO MANY BARRIERS WE ERECT.
SO I THINK, UM, IN MOVING TOWARDS A PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES, SUCH AS SUBSTANCE USE AND MENTAL HEALTH CRISES, UM, AN EXPANSION OF HARM REDUCTION PROGRAMS IN COLLABORATION WITH ECHO AND WITH, UM, THIS ROOM CENTER WOULD BE INCREDIBLY BENEFICIAL TO OUR COMMUNITY.
WHAT HARM REDUCTION PROGRAMS LOOK LIKE IN OTHER CITIES INCLUDE, UM, YOU KNOW, EXTENDED OUR DROP IN CENTERS THAT NOT ONLY HAVE SORT OF PEER STAFF, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE MEDICAL STAFF THAT CAN DO WOUND CARE.
PEOPLE CAN TAKE SHOWERS AND DO LAUNDRY.
UM, AND THEN ON DEMAND ACCESS TO METHADONE AND BUPRENORPHINE ARE MEDICATION ASSISTED TREATMENT.
SO SOMEONE COULD BE, UM, AT THE SOBERING CENTER AND GET INDUCTED, OR THEY COULD COME THROUGH OUR DROP CENTER AND WE COULD CONNECT THEM IMMEDIATELY TO THE SERVING CENTER SINCE THEY'RE ALREADY OPERATING AS A 24 HOUR CLINIC.
UM, RIGHT NOW IN A RURAL CARE SECOND STREET, METHADONE CLINIC HAS A SIX TO NINE MONTH WAITING LIST, WHICH FOR SOMEBODY WHO'S TRYING TO GET OFF OPIOIDS IS, COULD BE A DEATH SENTENCE.
UM, WE ALSO CAN LOOK AT RECOVERY COACHING, UM, AND CONNECTION TO HOUSING FOR SOMEBODY PRE-RELEASED FROM INCARCERATION.
SO SOMETHING THAT OTHER HARM REDUCTION PROGRAMS DO, RIGHT.
THEY ACT AS SORT OF A, UH, REENTRY PEER SUPPORT COORDINATOR, HEALTH NAVIGATOR.
AND THEN I THINK WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT PRE ARREST DEFLECTION AND USING THE SOBERING CENTER TO BRING DOWN THOSE ARRESTS ON POSSESSION OF LESS THAN A GRAM FOR SOMEBODY WHO IS INTOXICATED.
UM, AND SO THOSE ARE ALL THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE TO THIS COMMUNITY.
UM, AND I'LL JUST I'LL END THERE.
SO WE HAVE TIME FOR QUESTIONS.
AND, AND OF COURSE WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY TIGHT ON TIME, BUT I WANNA, I WANT TO THANK ALL THREE OF YOU.
UM, YEAH, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF, A LOT OF INTERESTING CONCEPTS HERE AS WE THINK ABOUT OF ALTERNATIVES TO A ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE.
AND, AND I, I COULD HEAR, AS YOU ALL WERE TALKING HOW WE NEED TO BE ENGAGING THE COUNTY IN THESE CONVERSATIONS AS WELL, BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF THE FINANCIAL SAVINGS TO TAXPAYERS MIGHT ACTUALLY HAPPEN ON THE COUNTY SIDE WITH RELATIONSHIP TO JAIL.
WE MAY NOT SEE THOSE COST SAVINGS BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO BE SHIFTING RESOURCES AROUND TO PROVIDE SERVICES IN NEW WAYS, BUT THERE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE SAVINGS ON THE COUNTY SIDE.
AND SO WE HAVE TO BE THINKING ABOUT THIS STUFF, HOLISTICALLY QUESTIONS, BECAUSE WE HAVE A GOOD START.
SO WE HAVE THE BUDGET COMING OUT ON MONDAY.
UH, I'M SURE Y'ALL WILL EMAIL THE COUNCIL, UM, WHAT THESE THINGS WOULD COST AS FAR AS REALLOCATING FUNDS FROM ENFORCEMENT STRATEGIES TO PREVENTION AND HARM REDUCTION STRATEGIES.
BUT CAN YOU GIVE US REALLY QUICKLY TOP LINE SOME COSTS FOR WHAT IT TAKES TO HOUSE PEOPLE, WHAT IT TAKES TO GET PEOPLE THE TREATMENT AND CARE THEY NEED, UH, AT THE SCALE YOU THINK WE SHOULD DO? YEAH.
SO, UH, I COULD TAKE THE FIRST STAB AT THIS.
SO IF, YOU KNOW, JUST LOOKING AT THE FIRST, UM, COHORT OF FOLKS, THERE'S 971 FOLKS WHO IDENTIFIED AS BEING VERY HIGH RISK THAT ARE UNSHELTERED OR IN THE PROLOGUE IS RIGHT NOW, WE KNOW FROM OUR POINT IN TIME COUNT THAT, UH, SELF-REPORT POINT AND TIME COUNT THAT WE SEE AROUND ANYWHERE BETWEEN 60 AND 65% OF THE FOLKS REPORTING A SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE EXPERIENCING UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS.
UM, WE'VE GOT, UM, TO HOUSE THOSE, YOU KNOW, 971 FOLKS, UM, ABOUT A $25 MILLION ANNUAL COST ASSOCIATED THAT 25.6 AND THAT'S TO BRING HOUSING AND SUPPORT AND SERVICES LIKE THE HARM REDUCTION SERVICES, KATE
[01:20:01]
AND JOY MENTIONED IN HOUSING AND TO GET FOLKS ENGAGED OFF THE STREET, ENGAGED WITH OUR, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR HARM REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND, AND INTO HOUSING.AND SO THERE, THERE ARE OTHER COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH SOME OF THE DIVERSION TACTICS THAT JOY MENTIONED THAT KATE MENTIONED THAT THEY CAN SPEAK TO, BUT THAT'S THE BUDGET ASSOCIATED WITH HOUSING AND PROVIDING, UH, HARM REDUCTION, SUPPORTIVE SERVICES TO THAT POPULATION.
AND THAT'S 25 MILLION MORE INCREASE ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT WE DO NOW.
AND IT'S ALSO ABOVE AND BEYOND THE, UH, YES.
G CARES ACT FUNDING THAT CAME INTO THE OKAY.
AND THAT'S 25 BILLION IN AND RECURRING FUNDS PER YEAR.
UM, SO JUST TO HIGH LEVEL, UM, BUDGET NUMBERS, UM, THINKING THROUGH SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I LISTED TOWARDS THE END OF MY COMMENTS, RIGHT ABOUT EXPANDING ACCESS, UM, AND HOURS AT OUR DROP IN CENTER, UM, WE'D ALSO WANT TO BE ABLE TO EXPAND OUR MOBILE OUTREACH SERVICES.
THAT'S A BIG ELEMENT OF HOW WE CONNECT WITH PEOPLE.
ALMOST EVERYBODY WE MEET THROUGH GOING TO ENCAMPMENTS AND BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS, THEY'RE PROVIDING SUPPLIES AND EDUCATION.
AND SO WE'D WANT TO REALLY BE ABLE TO AMP THOSE UP.
UM, AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT TO BE ABLE TO EXPAND OUR DROP IN CENTER, EXPAND OUR MOBILE OUTREACH AND EXPAND ACCESS TO METHADONE.
SO THERE'S NO WAITING LIST FOR SOMEBODY WHO WANTS TO GET ON TREATMENT.
WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS.
UM, SO, SO MATT, UM, WHAT WOULD BE THE ADDITIONAL COSTS FOR RAPID REHOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORT THOUSAND DOLLARS? IN OTHER WORDS, THE DOLLARS IT TAKES ON TOP OF THE 25 MILLION TO HELP PEOPLE MOVE FROM, UM, FROM HOUSING TO PERMANENT HOUSING.
WHY ARE YOU INCLUDING THAT IN YOUR ESTIMATE OF 25 MILLION? MY GUESS IS YOU'RE NOT.
SO THE $25 MILLION WILL HOUSE THE 971 FOLKS WE IDENTIFIED AS BEING THE HIGHEST RISK, UM, FROM A VULNERABILITY HEALTHCARE VULNERABILITY STANDPOINT.
UM, THAT'S NOT THE TOTAL NUMBER TO GET TO OBVIOUSLY TO GET TO TOWARDS FUNCTIONAL ZERO WHERE THE ACTUAL NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY, BASED ON SOME OF THE MODELING WE'VE DONE.
UM, THAT NUMBER IS CLOSE TO $126 MILLION.
UM, SO IS THAT ANSWERING YOUR QUESTION IN CALIFORNIA? I THINK SO.
SO THE 25 MILLION YEAR, INCLUDING IS, IS NOT FOR SHELTER HOUSING, IT'S FOR PERMANENT HOUSING FOR PEOPLE ACT SERVICES, ALL THE SERVICES IT TAKES TO HELP SOMEONE GET TO PERMANENT HOUSING, WHETHER THOSE SOCIAL SERVICES, MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, HARM REDUCTION SERVICES, OR FIRST MONTH RENT IT'S BANG IS WHAT YOU'RE COUNTING FOR.
SO FOR THOSE 971 INDIVIDUALS, IT'S THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR THOSE FOLKS? THAT'S CORRECT.
I CAN TALK TO YOU OFFLINE, BUT I DON'T KNOW.
I'LL ALSO LIKE TO DELVE INTO WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO GET US TO FUNCTIONAL ZERO.
AND I THINK THERE STILL IS SOME GOOD CONVERSATION TO BE HAD ABOUT THE, HOW, HOW STANDING UP SOME OF THESE ADDITIONAL SERVICES CAN HELP US REALLOCATE WHERE WE'RE CURRENTLY SENDING LOSING RESOURCES, BECAUSE WE'RE ONLY LOOKING AT ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS VERSUS COMPLIANCE OR PROTECTION OR SUPPORTIVE ACTIONS.
YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S JUST OBVIOUSLY THE WHOLE WORK BECAUSE WE CAN'T INVENT MONEY OUT OF NOTHING REALLY.
AND CAN I MAKE ONE QUICK POINT? I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANT TO REALLY HARP ON IS OUR HARM REDUCTION SERVICES THAT KATE AND JOY YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
IF WE'RE ABLE TO GET THOSE TYPES OF SERVICES INTO OUR COMMUNITY, ULTIMATELY WE'LL BE DRIVING DOWN THE COST OF HOUSING FOLKS LONG TERM.
LIKE THOSE ARE THE TYPE OF RESOURCES WHERE WE CAN DIVERT PEOPLE OUT OF THE SYSTEM MORE QUICKLY.
IT'S, IT'S THE TOURNIQUET ON THE FAUCET ON THE POWS, THAT OF FOLKS COMING INTO THE SYSTEM, BOTH OF THESE, BECAUSE WE FAILED ON FOE LIKE HER FOLKS FOR SO LONG, BOTH OF THESE INVESTMENTS ARE NEEDED.
UM, BUT WE NEED TO ALSO BE REALLY CONSIDERATE OF HOW WE CAN START TO DIVERT FOLKS THROUGH HARM REDUCTION PRACTICES ON AN OUTREACH LEVEL, OUT OF OUR SYSTEM MORE QUICKLY.
SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HIGHLIGHT THAT, THAT PART OF THE DISCUSSION THERE MUCH NEEDED RESOURCES AS WELL.
DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING? JUST ONE TO INDICATE SUPPORT AND I WAS ENJOYING THE CONVERSATION.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. MULLICA.
MS. RUCKER, MR. GRAZIANI YOUR PARTICIPATION TODAY? UM, WE NEED TO GET INTO OUR FAMILY VIOLENCE CONVERSATION.
UH, SO I'M GOING TO BRING IN, UM, SEE IF WE'VE GOT EVERYBODY HERE, KELLY WHITE AND, UH, LINDA.
[01:25:03]
AND COURTNEY.WE CAN SEE AND HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR THE SANTANA MS. WHITE.
YOU WANT TO TEST YOUR AUDIO? TRY ONE MORE TIME.
MS. CANTU, ARE YOU THERE? I'M HERE.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? WE CAN HEAR YOU.
YOUR VIDEO'S NOT COMING IN YET, BUT IF YOU'VE JUST TURNED IT ON, IT MIGHT TAKE A SECOND.
UM, SO Y'ALL HAVE BEEN IN OH GREAT.
SO Y'ALL BEEN FOLLOWING ALONG THE WHOLE TIME, SO WE DON'T HAVE TO GIVE YOU THAT.
WHAT WE'RE, WHAT WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU.
UM, MS. WHITE, MS. CANTU, WHY DON'T YOU ALL START? AND THEN WE'LL HAVE MS. SANTANA GO.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE TODAY.
UM, I AM KELLY COZ AT SAFE ALLIANCE, I'M GOING TO START GOING TO KIND OF GIVE AN OVERVIEW AND THEN I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO MELINDA.
WHO'S OUR VICE PRESIDENT OF HOUSING HEALING AND SUPPORT SERVICES.
SO, UH, ON A STATE UPFRONT THAT, UH, THIS IS A HUGE ISSUE.
THE NEEDS ARE ENORMOUS AND THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM FOR MULTIPLE STRATEGIES.
AND I'M THINK YOU'RE GONNA HEAR ABOUT SOME MULTIPLE STRATEGIES HERE TODAY.
THIS MORNING SAFE ALSO SENT YOU AN OVERVIEW OF SAFE POSITION ON POLICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY IN AUSTIN, THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AND THAT SHORT PAPER WILL PROVIDE A LOT MORE DETAIL ON FAITH'S POSITION REGARDING OUR BELIEFS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW THE CITY OF AUSTIN MIGHT CONSIDER MOVING FORWARD IN THINKING ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, THROUGH THE LENS OF CREATING PEACEFUL, SAFE, AND EQUITABLE COMMUNITIES.
AND IT STRIKES ME AS YOU TALK ABOUT THIS, THAT WE ALREADY DO MASSIVE ALTERNATIVES TO LAW ENFORCEMENT.
AND THE REALITY IS IS THAT WE JUST NEED MORE.
WHAT WE HAVE IS SO HORRIBLY, HORRIBLY, UM, UH, IT'S JUST NOT ENOUGH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES CONFIRM OVER 11,000 CASES, A YEAR OF FAMILY VIOLENCE IN AUSTIN.
AND THE ACTUAL NUMBER WE KNOW IS MUCH HIGHER BECAUSE ABUSE LIVES IN THE SHADOWS AND IT'S WIVES AND SECRECY SAFE SERVE 6,628 CLIENTS IN 2000, 1940 9% OF WHICH WERE HISPANIC, LATINO, 22% WHITE, 16% BLACK, AFRICAN AMERICAN, 2% WERE ASIAN.
WE ALSO PROVIDE SERVICES SPECIFICALLY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
AND WE ARE PART OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, FAMILY VIOLENCE, HIGH RISK TEAM, MORE THAN 50% OF OUR DIRECT SERVICE STAFF ARE BILINGUAL.
AND OUR SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS ARE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE VERY DIVERSE COMMUNITY THAT WE SERVE.
WE CURRENTLY OFFER A MYRIAD OF SERVICES.
I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU THE LAUNDRY LIST, BUT IT INCLUDES COURT BASED LEGAL ADVOCACY, HEALTHY PARENTING COUNSELING, RAPID REHOUSING FOR YOUTH AND FAMILIES EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND ABUSE.
I'M GOING TO HOUSING THROUGH THE LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT PROJECT, 24 HOUR CHAT, TEXT, AND CALL SAFE LINE.
AND WHAT I'M REALLY GOING TO TALK ABOUT TODAY IS WE HAVE 105 BED FAMILY SHELTER SAFE HAS FEWER EMERGENCY SHELTER BEDS TODAY AVAILABLE TODAY THAN IT HAD 15 YEARS AGO, ALMOST ALL SAFE PROGRAMS OPERATE WITH LENGTHY WAITING LISTS AND THE STATUS QUO JUST ISN'T ACCEPTABLE.
IN 2019, THE BOARD ESTABLISHED, ADOPTED A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN WITH THAT PRIORITIZED INCREASING EMERGENCY SHELTER FOR SURVIVORS OF FAMILY VIOLENCE.
AND ONE ADVOCATE USED THE WORDS THAT SAID, THIS IS WHAT THIS REALLY IS, IS A MURDER PREVENTION PROGRAM.
PRE-CONFERENCE ABLATION IS NOW DYER.
PEOPLE HAVE CALLED US SINCE COVERT STARTED, BUT 15 TO 20%, UH, ARE BETWEEN 850 AND 1100 OF THOSE CALLS, RIGHT? AS MODERATE TO HIGH LETHALITY AS THE RISK THAT'S SCORED ON THE CAMPBELL DANGER ASSESSMENT.
THE DAY THAT, UM, THE ASSESSMENT IS ALSO UTILIZED BY APD, UH, BECAUSE IT WAS DESIGNED FOR USE BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROGRAMS. OUR SAFELINE DIRECTOR IS CERTIFIED IN DOING THAT IN THAT, DOING THAT ASSESSMENT.
AS AN EXAMPLE, DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY, WE HAD FOUR FAMILIES, THAT'S MOMS WITH CHILDREN AND ANOTHER FIVE SINGLE WOMEN WITH CVA SCORES OF 18 OR ABOVE THAT IS HIGH, HIGH LETHALITY RISK.
UH, WE ALSO HAD ANOTHER 12, SIX WOMEN AND SIX FAMILIES THAT WERE AT A MODERATE LETHALITY RISK.
UM, EVERY EFFORT IS MADE TO GET THESE INDIVIDUALS WHAT WE CALL BEHIND THE GATE.
UH, AND IF WE'RE NOT ABLE TO, WE DO EXTENSIVE SAFETY PLANNING AND THEY ARE OFFERED ALTERNATIVE REFERRALS, BUT BEHIND THE GATES IS AN INTENSE, INTENSE FOCUS ON SAFETY.
[01:30:01]
ALSO THE, UH, UH, ATTENTION TO CASE MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT SERVICES IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT WHEN WE CONSIDER LONGTERM CHANGE ABOUT NOT HAVING TO ADDRESS THE LONGTERM HOMELESSNESS OF WHICH FAMILY VIOLENCE IS A HUGE ISSUE AND RARELY IS IT A MATTER OF NIGHTS OF SHELTER AND ALL AS WELL ON THEIR WAY? I THINK IT'S, UM, MOST OF YOU KNOW, THAT I WAS ONCE IN A SHELTER, I WENT WITH MY TWO CHILDREN AND I KNOW THAT I WAS THE EXCEPTION.I KNEW IT THEN BECAUSE I WAS WHITE.
I HAD RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION.
I HAD CONNECTIONS, A GOOD JOB, A HOME.
AND REALLY IMPORTANTLY, BECAUSE OF ALL THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT, BELIEVE ME, WHAT I SAID THAT I WAS GOING TO BE KILLED.
UM, I ONLY NEEDED TO BE IN SHELTER FOR A FEW DAYS AND I WAS ABLE TO GET IN AND GET OUT.
I DIDN'T MEET ALL THOSE SERVICES, BUT I WAS THE EXCEPTION TO THE NORM.
AND MOST PEOPLE THAT IS NOT THE CASE.
SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD TO CREATE SERVICES TO ADDRESS THAT, THAT THOSE PROGRAMS THAT WE SEE THAT WHAT WE CALL OUR MURDER PREVENTION PROGRAM.
AND I'M GOING TO TURN OVER MELINDA TO TALK MORE ABOUT THAT.
THANKS SO MUCH, KELLY, CAN EVERYBODY HEAR ME AND FEEL GOOD? OKAY.
UM, SO JUST, I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT, UM, THANK YOU.
UM, PART OF WHAT WE REALLY, UM, STARTED TO DO AS WE STARTED, UM, AS WE MOVED INTO THIS PANDEMIC, IS THAT WE KNEW THAT SURVIVORS WERE GOING TO NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.
AND WE KNEW THAT WE NEEDED TO ADDRESS PRECAUTIONS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL SANITATION, UM, SPECIFICALLY IN OUR CONGREGATE CARE SETTINGS, WHICH IS THE BEHIND THE GATES PROGRAMMING.
SO WHAT WE REALLY STARTED TO DO AS AN ORGANIZATION IS REALLY START TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE CAN GET SOME OF THOSE MORE DISCREET SPACES OR IMMEDIATE SHELTER.
UM, NOW OVER THE YEARS, WE'VE ACTUALLY WORKED CLOSELY WITH APD AND VICTIM AND THE HOSPITALS TO IMMEDIATELY SERVE HIGH RISK SURVIVORS.
UM, AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, WE ARE IN OUR SHELTER AND I'VE BEEN THERE SINCE 1990, ALMOST ALWAYS FULL WE'RE CONSTANTLY TRYING TO, I ALWAYS SAY IT'S A CHESS GAME OF FIGURING OUT WELL PEOPLE WHERE PEOPLE ARE INSIDE, WHERE THEY CAN GO, WHERE THOSE ARE OUTSIDE, HOW THEY CAN GET IN, UM, AND, AND TRYING CONSTANTLY TO THINK ABOUT OVERALL SAFETY.
SO, UM, WE REALLY WERE STARTING TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE IDENTIFY THOSE, UM, AND, AND, AND HOW APD AND THE HOSPITALS WE'RE GOING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET PEOPLE, MAYBE NOT BACK HOME AND INTO OUR SHELTER.
IF WE WEREN'T ABLE TO DO THAT, WE WORK WITH THEM TO IDENTIFY HOTELS.
UM, NOW WHAT I FOUND OUT OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEARS IS THAT MANY OF THOSE SURVIVORS, UM, WERE REALLY SCARED.
THEY FELT ISOLATED AND THEY WERE, UM, FRIGHTENED AND CONCERNED.
AND PARTICULARLY IF THEY HAD CHILDREN, UM, IT WAS REALLY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO GO FROM LEAVING A VERY, VERY SCARY SITUATION INTO A HOTEL WHERE THEY MIGHT'VE FELT ISOLATED.
SO AS I WAS THINKING, AND AS OUR, UM, SHELTER LEADERSHIP WAS THINKING IN OUR EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP WAS THINKING, WHAT WE REALLY STARTED TO DO IS THINK ABOUT ON THE BACKEND OF SHELTER, WHAT, UM, YEARS AGO WE USED TO CALL 'EM TRANSITIONAL SHELTER.
WE STARTED TO THINK ABOUT THAT MODEL, WHERE WE HAD PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN IN SHELTER, WHO HAD GOTTEN SOME SUPPORTIVE SERVICES WHO MAYBE HAD GOTTEN, UH, PROTECTIVE ORDERS ALREADY IN PLACE.
UM, THEY WERE MUCH SAFER, BUT THEY WERE WAITING TO GO INTO THE NEXT SAFE PLACE.
A LOT OF TIMES THAT IS HOUSING IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND I JUST HAVE TO SAY, UM, JUST THE INFORMATION THAT, UM, JOY AND MATT, UM, TALKED ABOUT.
UM, AND, AND KATE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER THAT REALLY LOOKING AT HOUSING FIRST AND PEER SUPPORT AND HARM REDUCTION HAS A REALLY, THOSE ARE PHILOSOPHIES THAT WE'VE, THAT I'VE GROWN UP AROUND AND REALLY, UM, ARE VERY WELL SUITED TO SURVIVORS IN THIS COMMUNITY.
AND I WOULD SAY THAT SO MANY OF THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO ARE HOMELESS ARE ALSO TRAUMA SURVIVORS AS WELL.
SO JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT MODEL, WE WERE LOOKING AT HOW WE COULD WORK WITH MAYBE ONE, UM, HOTEL.
AND WE HAD A FEW THINGS THAT WE REALLY WANTED TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION.
WE WANTED A SINGLE POINT OF ENTRY BECAUSE WE KNOW, UM, DANGER LEVELS.
UM, WE WANTED A PLACE WHERE CHILDREN WOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE AND SAFE.
WE WANTED CLOSE ACCESS TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND FOOD.
UM, AND WE WANTED STAFF TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH A TEAM OF STAFF IN A HOTEL, UM, WHERE THEY COULD WORK COLLABORATIVELY AND DO SOME TRAINING AND SUPPORT, UM, BECAUSE WE KNOW JUST THE, THE MYRIAD OF ISSUES, UM, AND, AND, UH, SERVICES THAT SURVIVORS COME WITH.
SO WHAT WE DECIDED TO DO WITH STAFF, THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM, THE SHELTER AWAY PROGRAM WITH DEDICATED EMPLOYEES THAT WOULD BE RESPONSIVE TO THE, AND THE CHILDREN STAYING IN THE SHELTER AWAY PROGRAM.
[01:35:01]
REALLY, I AM A CHILDREN'S ADVOCATE BY HEART.AND, UM, ONE OF THE VERY MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT I KNOW IS THAT, UM, KIDS CAN SOMETIMES FEEL FORGOTTEN AND ALSO HAVE SUCH HUGE FEAR.
AND THEY'RE SOMETIMES NOT, UM, COMFORTABLE TALKING TO THEIR PARENT ABOUT IT BECAUSE THEY'VE MADE THESE HUGE STEPS IN TRYING TO GET STATE.
THEY DON'T WANT TO ADDITIONALLY BURDEN THEM WITH THEIR OWN CONCERNS.
SO WE WANTED TO PUT A LOT OF RESOURCES TO THOSE KIDDOS.
SO OUR SHELTER WAY PROGRAM IS SET UP, UM, TO REALLY OFFER A HOTEL STAYS IN ONE SPECIFIC HOTEL IN AUSTIN.
BUT, BUT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE, UM, THAT THE FAMILIES WHO WERE MOVING OVER THERE HAD A LOWER LETHALITY RISK.
UM, WE ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAD A HOUSING PLAN.
UM, AS YOU HEARD FROM MATT, UM, EARLIER, THERE'S A LOT OF ADVOCACY AND SUPPORT THAT GOES INTO GETTING PEOPLE LONGTERM, SAFE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND GOING FROM A SHELTER PROGRAM INTO HOUSING CAN BE QUITE DIFFICULT.
AND ALL OF THE OTHER, UM, RESOURCES THAT PEOPLE MAY NEED ACCESSING MAINSTREAM BENEFITS.
UM, AND, AND SOMETIMES FOR PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN SO ISOLATED WITHIN THEIR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SITUATION, THAT THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S THE FIRST STEP.
UM, SO ALL OF THAT ADVOCACY, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT PIECE WAS DONE BEFORE THESE FOLKS MOVED INTO OUR SHELTER AWAY PROGRAM.
SO LOWER LEVELS OF RISK AND ALL SCOPE.
REALLY THESE FOLKS HAD AN ACTIVE HOUSING PLAN IN PLACE.
I WANT US TO KEEP MOVING ALONG.
UM, UH, MR. GENERAL, WHY DON'T YOU TAKE A MINUTE OR TWO AND TALK ABOUT YOUR PROGRAM AND THEN WE'LL DO QUESTIONS.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE ALTERNATIVE MODELS FOR POLICING.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE CALL IS ABOUT, BUT FOR SURVIVE TO THRIVE OVER THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, WE'VE BEEN WORKING SPECIFICALLY WITH DISPLACED AND HOMELESS VICTIMS OF VARIOUS FORMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE.
AND WE'VE NOTICED THAT POLICE OFFICERS IN GENERAL, AND IN OUR INTERACTIONS WITH THEM IN CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM, WE'VE DONE FOCUS GROUPS WITH THEM.
THEY'RE UNCOMFORTABLE AND DEALING WITH VICTIMS THAT THEY ENCOUNTER WHEN THEY GO ON THESE CALLS.
UM, WE MEET REGULARLY WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THEY CITE THAT THERE'S A LOSS OF MAN HOURS.
UM, WHEN OFFICERS HAVE TO DRIVE FROM POINT TO POINT, AND THERE IS NO PLACE FOR THESE VICTIMS TO GO, UM, TO QUOTE RETIRED POLICE OFFICER, UM, POLICE, CHIEF, TODD SMITH.
HE SAYS, WE SPENT, WE CAN SPEND UP TO EIGHT HOURS EASILY IN A CAR, JUST LOOKING FOR A SAFE PLACE FOR VICTIMS TO GO BECAUSE THE SHELTERS ARE FULL.
UM, THE GOAL OF APD AND THESE CALLS AND ON THE SCENE IS TO MITIGATE ANY DANGER THAT THE VICTIM MIGHT BE FACING AND TO REMOVE THE VULNERABLE PARTY FROM THE SCENE.
SO WE'VE ENLISTED THE ASSISTANCE OF VICTIM SERVICES WITH APD AND THE CRT, THE CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM TO FURTHER THAT ASSISTANCE FOR OUR CLIENTS.
AND WE BELIEVE THAT WE COULD REALLY ALLOCATE SOME OF THE APD BUDGET TO TRULY BE BENEFICIAL IN ASSISTING VICTIMS IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS, UM, THE ALLOCATION OF MORE BUDGET TO HIRE MORE VICTIM SERVICES COUNSELORS.
SO JUST MOVING THAT MONEY OVER TO THE VICTOR VICTIM SERVICES COUNSELORS GROUP, UM, THERE ARE 13 CURRENTLY, AND THEY'RE DEALING WITH ALL OF THE LETHAL CASES THAT COME INTO APD.
SO THEY ARE GOING TO TRAFFIC FATALITIES, CHILD ABUSE TRAFFICKING.
IF WE CAN HAVE A DEDICATED RESPONSE TEAM JUST FOR, UM, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND FAMILY ASSAULT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
AND SEXUAL ASSAULT, UM, ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR CASEWORKERS FOR, UM, SUPPORTING MPOS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR VICTIMS AS THEY ARE PLACED IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT.
SO ONCE THEY'RE PLACED IN THAT ENVIRONMENT, I THINK THAT THEY MENTIONED THAT THIS ISOLATION, THAT VICTIMS FEEL WHEN YOU HAVE CASE MANAGEMENT AND YOU HAVE CONNECTION EITHER THROUGH PHONE CALLS THROUGH THE VIRTUAL WAYS THAT WE'VE HAD TO DO IT SINCE COVID-19 BECAME A THING, UM, CLIENTS ARE MORE LIKELY TO MOVE FORWARD.
ALSO ADDITIONAL DVSA TRAINING FOR APD OFFICERS AS THEY RESPOND TO THESE CALLS.
UM, THE METHODOLOGY THAT THESE OFFICERS ARE USING IS IN OUR EXPERIENCE IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS, IT'S INCONSISTENT.
AND SOMETIMES IT PUTS OUR VICTIMS AT RISK.
UM, ALSO I FEEL LIKE THERE IS A LACK OF TECHNOLOGY THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT CAN BE USING.
WE ARE WORKING WITH APD RIGHT NOW TO CREATE A TOOL WHERE THEY KNOW WHERE AVAILABLE SAFE SPACES ARE.
I DON'T NECESSARILY AGREE WITH THE IDEA THAT ONE HOTEL IS, IS A SMART MOVE.
UM, A SAFETY NET OF HOTELS THAT WHEN A CLIENT MIGHT BE FOUND IN ONE HOTEL CAN, THEY COULD BE MOVED TO ANOTHER HOTEL.
AND ON OTHER SIDE OF TOWN IS IT'S BIBLE.
WE'VE HAD THAT HAPPEN SEVERAL TIMES WHERE A CLIENT WOULD BE IN A HOTEL.
AND NOW WE HAVE A SAFETY NET ACROSS THE CITY.
UM, THIS PLATFORM WAS CREATED AND IT'S AVAILABLE NOW TO APD AND A PILOT SO THAT THEY CAN FIND AVAILABLE SAFE SPACES.
AND SINCE WE'VE BEEN DOING THESE DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES AND DIFFERENT TACTICS, UM, SINCE APRIL 13TH, WE HAVE HAD 86 INTERACTIONS
[01:40:01]
WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT WHERE WE WILL BE ABLE TO QUICKLY PLACE DVSA CLIENTS AND TRAFFICKING VICTIMS, UM, WITHIN AN HOUR, OR WE'VE HAD OVER A THOUSAND CALLS TO OUR FILM DAY AND OUR OFFICES FOR ASSISTANCE, WE'VE PLACED OVER A HUNDRED FAMILIES AND OUR SAFETY NET OF HOTELS ACROSS THE AUSTIN AREA.AND WE'VE ASSISTED 18 OF THOSE FAMILIES TO MOVE INTO PERMANENT HOUSING DURING COVID-19.
I AGREE WITH, UM, I ALSO AGREE WITH MATT, THE HOUSING FIRST OPTION IS THE BEST OPTION CLIENTS.
ONCE THEY'RE SAFE, ARE LOOKING FOR A WAY FOR THEM NOT TO HAVE TO GO BACK TO THEIR ABUSE.
AND WE'VE MODELED A LOT OF OUR PROGRAMMING, UM, TO THE ROSE ANDOM CENTER IN DENVER, WHERE THEY DO HAVE THAT HOUSING FIRST OPTION.
UM, SO I I'M OPEN FOR THE MORE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS, BUT I FEEL LIKE THE IMPACT OF ALL OF THIS COMES FROM A COORDINATED EFFORT OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN, APD, TRAVIS COUNTY, THE SERVICE PROVIDERS, NONPROFITS, LOCAL SHELTERS, LIKE SAFE AND HOPE ALLIANCE AND ROUND ROCK.
AND THE 1200 AVAILABLE HOTEL ROOMS MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE, UM, AUSTIN HOTEL AND LODGING ASSOCIATION, MORE FUNDING TO ADDRESS THIS AND THIS WAY WE'RE ALL COLLABORATING INSTEAD OF LOOKING FOR ONE OPTION WOULD ACTUALLY PROVIDE AN EXPONENTIAL IMPACT FOR THE WHOLE CITY.
THANK YOU, MS. SANTANA, AND THANK YOU, MS. WHITE, MS. CANTU.
I THINK IT'S, IT'S A GREAT, IT'S A GREAT KIND OF LAYOUT TO SEE THIS, THE SUITE OF SOLUTIONS THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR SUCH A COMPLEX PROBLEM.
AND IT WILL BE SOME GOOD WORK TO LOOK INTO THE TYPES OF DIVERSION SERVICES THAT HAVE BEEN PROVIDED IN THE PAST TO HAVE A KIND OF QUANTIFY HOW WE MAY HAVE WALKED DOWN THIS ROAD A LITTLE BIT ALREADY, AND THEN LEARN MORE FROM OUR, OUR APD FOLKS AND OTHERS ABOUT HOW MUCH TIME THERE'S, THEY'RE BEING SPENT ON THINGS THAT MAYBE DIDN'T HAVE TO BE OFFICER'S SPENT ON THOSE THINGS, EVEN IF IT'S NOT AS MUCH OF A FIRST RESPONSE ALTERNATIVE, BUT MAYBE IT'S INSTEAD OF A FOUR, EIGHT HOUR CALL, IT NOW BECOMES A ONE HOUR CALL, WHICH ALLOWS US TO MORE, BETTER, BETTER USE OUR POLICE RESOURCES, ANY QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT SOUNDED GOOD.
AND I HAD NOT, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WE ARE AT FEWER SHELTER BEDS AT SIEGE NOW THAN 15 YEARS AGO.
SO THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT, UH, AS FAR AS BUDGET NUMBERS, BECAUSE WE HAVE THE BUDGET COMING OUT ON MONDAY, WHAT WOULD BE A SIGNIFICANT AND MEANINGFUL INVESTMENT FOR FORGETTING PUBLIC SAFETY FOR A LOT, FOR A LOT OF THE, OF YOUR CLIENTS.
A LOT OF OUR NEIGHBORS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING GENERALLY VIOLENCE, I'D LIKE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION IN THE MODEL AND THE MODEL THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY USING RIGHT NOW.
WE KNOW THAT ONCE OUR CLIENTS ARE PLACED INTO THE HOTEL, THEY NORMALLY, UM, START OUR PROGRAM AT ABOUT $2,500 THAT'S TO GET THEM PLACED, TO TAKE CARE OF THEM FOR PROBABLY A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO PROVIDE FOOD RESOURCES, UM, COUNSELING SUPPORT.
AND IN CASE MANAGEMENT SUPPORT, ONCE WE WERE TRYING TO REHOUSE THEM, IT'S BETWEEN THREE AND $5,000, BECAUSE THAT INCLUDES ALL THE RELOADING COSTS TO ALL OF THE ASSOCIATED MOVING FEES, ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WOULD COME UP AS A RESULT OF SOMEBODY TRYING TO MOVE.
UM, IN TOTAL, WE LOOK AT THE TOTAL COST FOR THAT BUDGET TO BE CLOSE TO FIVE POINT $6 MILLION.
AND WE'RE LOOKING AT PROVIDING THAT FOR ABOUT 300 FAMILIES A YEAR.
THAT'S WHY, SO WE COULD INCREASE AND LOOKING AT OUR, OUR, OUR, OUR INITIAL PLAN WOULD BE THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO INCREASE OUR, OUR SHELTER BEDS BY, UH, WITH THROW HOTEL AND MIND YOU THAT'S IS, IS IT IT'S, UH, IT FLUCTUATES BECAUSE IT HAS TO DO WITH FAMILY.
AND SO WE COULD MAKE, WE GENERALLY FACTOR IN AN ADULT WITH TWO CHILDREN, SO WE COULD INCREASE OUR SHELTER BEDS BY ABOUT 90 SHELTER BEDS, A YEAR 90 SHELTER BEDS.
WE COULD GO UP BY 90 SHELTER BEDS, AND I HAVEN'T ACTUALLY FIGURED OUT HOW MANY PEOPLE THAT WOULD BE IN A YEAR, BUT WE COULD DO THAT FOR ABOUT ONE POINT $2 MILLION A YEAR.
AND THAT, AND THAT WOULD BE THE OPERATING COSTS WITH THE CITY MAKING A CAPITAL INVESTMENT IN THAT BUILDING, CORRECT? CORRECT.
THAT'S THAT'S WE WOULD NOT BE DOING THAT, THAT THE BUILDING.
AND LET ME JUST SAY, I MEAN, WE TALK ABOUT SHELTER AWAY, BUT WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT UNLESS WE HAVE SOME FUNDING FOR IT, WHICH WE DON'T HAVE.
AND SO WE WERE LOOKING AT THAT AS IT'S BEEN, UM, REALLY SUCCESSFUL AND WONDERFUL, AND WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CONTINUE IT.
AND, AND WHAT IS THAT FUNDING GAP ON THAT IT'S ABOUT, SINCE WE'VE DOING IT AT A DECREASED RATE RIGHT NOW, I DON'T WANT TO SAY AN AMOUNT AND HAVE IT WRONG, MAYBE YEAH.
AND JUST TO ADD IN, BECAUSE WE TALK ABOUT RAPID REHOUSING, WE HAVE THREE LARGE HAD GRANTS TO DO RAPID REHOUSING.
UH, ONE, ONE A, WELL, WE DON'T HAVE ONE WORD.
[01:45:01]
MUCH PARTNERS IN THE RAPID REHOUSING WITH LIFEWORKS, AND WE ALSO THEN HAVE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, RAPID REHOUSING GRANTS FOR HOMELESS FAMILIES THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED ABUSE AND TO DO RAPID REHOUSING FOR THEM AND THEIR, UH, AND THOSE, EACH OF THOSE GRANTS REQUIRE SOMEWHERE AROUND A FOUR TO $500,000.THAT'S ALSO A CHALLENGE FOR US.
RIGHT NOW IT'S SHELTER AWAY WITH JUST FIVE TO 10 FAMILIES.
WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT DOING, UM, BUDGET WORK RIGHT IN THIS MOMENT.
SO WE'RE JUST, JUST TRYING TO GET, GET COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC A SENSE OF SCALE.
THE BUDGET PROCESS IS GOING TO BE A COMPLICATED ONE, GIVEN PANDEMIC, GIVEN TAX CAPS, GIVEN ALL THE THINGS.
IF YOU COULD GET THE BUDGET, IF YOU COULD GET THESE NUMBERS INTO THE BUDGET BY MONDAY, MS. SANTANA JESSAMINE ASS, YOU SAY THAT THE HIGHLY SALADY CASES SHOULD BE GOING TO THE SHELTERS.
I TOTALLY, TOTALLY, AND COMPLETELY AGREE WITH THAT.
THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE HAVE CLIENTS THAT BECAUSE OF THEIR SITUATION, THEY SHOULD TOTALLY BE INSIDE OF A SHELTER INSIDE OF THE WALLS.
BUT FOR THOSE WHO DON'T NEED THAT, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE COMING UP WITH INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES FOR WHERE THEY SHOULD BE, AND WE SHOULD BE COLLABORATING AND PARTNERING TO CREATE THAT SAFETY NET FOR THOSE CLIENTS.
UM, RIGHT NOW, I, I WANT, I MEAN, WE CAN'T REALLY TALK ABOUT BUDGET BECAUSE WE'RE NOT TALKING COLLABORATIVELY WITH ALL OF THE SERVICE PROVIDERS THAT PROVIDE ALL OF THOSE RESOURCES.
IT'S, IT'S BEEN A CHALLENGE IN A LOT OF AREAS.
WE'VE HAD THAT CHALLENGE ON HOMELESSNESS.
WE'VE HAD THAT CHALLENGE IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND WE'RE ALL, WE'RE ALL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT BETTER WAYS TO KIND OF STREAMLINE ECOSYSTEM AROUND EVERY, EVERY COMMUNITY CHALLENGE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? WE HAVE ONE MORE PAYMENTS TO THE PANELS, OUR OFFICERS WHO ARE GOING TO COME JOIN US CAUSE REMEMBER HOPPER MADISON.
UM, WELL FORTUNATELY IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, MS. SANTANA JUST ANSWERED TWO OF MY QUESTIONS, UM, AS, ESPECIALLY AS IT PERTAINS TO COLLABORATION WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS, PLURAL, UM, I JUST WANTED TO, I'VE HEARD SOMEBODY SAY EARLIER ON, UM, THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION BETWEEN SERVICE PROVIDERS, PLURAL AND I, SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE OPEN TO EXPLORING WHAT ALL THE OPTIONS ARE.
I THINK MS. WHITE MIGHT'VE SAID, OR MAYBE IT WAS, I'M SORRY, I FORGET WHO SAID IT, BUT SOMETHING ABOUT THE ECOSYSTEM THAT SURROUNDS THIS PARTICULAR TOPIC AND SUBJECT MATTER.
SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IT, YOU KNOW, SORT OF COMPREHENSIVELY.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD WAS MS. SANTANA, YOU SAID, UM, SOMETHING THAT REALLY PEAKED MY INTEREST IN, AND BECAUSE WE'RE NOT TALKING BUDGET TODAY, I THINK I'LL ASK YOU OFFLINE WHAT YOU THINK THAT NUMBER LOOKS LIKE IN WHICH CASE I WON'T ASK WHAT THE NUMBER IS, BUT I WILL ASK, UM, FROM A PRACTICAL APPLICATION PERSPECTIVE, WHAT DOES MAKING CERTAIN, THAT PUBLIC SAFETY FOLKS HAVE THE APPROPRIATE DV AND ESSAY TRAINING? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE AS WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOING AN AUDIT AROUND TRAINING ACADEMY RIGHT NOW, WHAT, WHAT SHOULD WE BE PAYING ATTENTION TO? ARE THERE OTHER CITIES WHO ARE GETTING IT RIGHT? UM, JUST ANY GUIDANCE YOU CAN OFFER US THERE.
WE WORKED WITH THE ROSE ANDOM CENTER AND DENVER, AND DID A PRETTY COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF THEIR PROGRAM.
LITERALLY THEY HAVE A POLICE SUBSTATION INSIDE OF THEIR BUILDING.
THEY WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AND, UM, MUCH OF THE TRAININGS THAT OTHER STAFF MEMBERS ARE RECEIVING.
SO ARE THESE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENTS, UM, LAW ENFORCEMENT, UH, THE DEPARTMENT DOES, SO THEY'RE WORKING VERY, VERY, VERY CLOSELY.
I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S ENOUGH TRAINING AND I WOULD BE, I WILL GO AND GET THOSE NUMBERS FOR YOU BECAUSE IT'S SO INCONSISTENT FROM OFFICER TO OFFICER, HOW THEY ARE HANDLING CLIENTS.
I THINK IF THEY HAD MORE CONSISTENT TRAINING THAT WAS BLACK AND WHITE AND THEN PASSED OFF THE CLIENTS, TYPICALLY THEM SERVICES FOR MORE HANDLING AND THEN OFF TO SERVICE PROVIDERS, THEY WOULD BE A LOT HAPPIER ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
SO I WILL GET YOU THAT INFORMATION.
IT MAKES ME THINK ABOUT THE EMS PRESENTATION EARLIER WHEN THEY HAD MENTIONED TO DISPATCH DISPARITIES.
AND I WOULD, I WOULD VENTURE TO GUESS THAT IT'S THE SAME ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
SO I THINK THE CLOSER WE CAN GET TO SORT OF A UNILATERAL EXPECTATION AROUND TRAINING THERE, THE BETTER OFF WE ARE.
THANK YOU, MS. WHITE, MS. CANTU AND MS. SANTANA FOR YOUR TIME TODAY, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO OUR LAST SET OF PANELISTS.
[2. Discussion on Austin Police Department General Orders and tactics.]
WE ARE, WE'VE GOT A FEW, UH, APD FOLKS ON THE LINE AND MY LIST PULLED UP HERE.OFFICER IMPORTANT TECH PERKINS, OFFICER VILLAREAL,
[01:50:02]
OFFICER BORDEN.AND OFFICER VILLAREAL, NO, I'M HERE.
SO Y'ALL, Y'ALL HAVE BEEN VERY PATIENTLY WAITING, UH, BACKSTAGE WATCHING ALL OF THE CONVERSATION TONIGHT.
UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT A FEW MINUTES, UM, BUT I'M, I'M INTERESTED IN HEARING KIND OF YOUR EXPERIENCE ON THE JOB AND IN THESE AREAS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TODAY, GUN VIOLENCE, MENTAL HEALTH, HOMELESSNESS, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, FAMILY VIOLENCE.
OBVIOUSLY THESE ARE BIG TOPICS AND WE DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, HOURS AND HOURS TO GO INTO IT.
BUT, BUT AS WE THINK ABOUT ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE OR, OR EVEN MAKING YOUR JOBS EASIER WHERE YOU'RE NOT SPENDING AS MANY HOURS ON A CALL, LIKE W WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE OR INFORMATION MIGHT YOU ADD TO THE CONVERSATION TODAY? OKAY.
I'D LIKE FOR CHRIS TO START OFF AND THEN GO TO SHELLEY.
I KNOW WE'RE SHORT FOR TIME, SO IF I DON'T TALK TODAY, THEN THAT'S OKAY WITH ME AND, AND ME OFFICER PERKINS, WHY DON'T YOU START US OFF? HI EVERYBODY.
MY NAME IS DETECTIVE CHRIS BERKINS, UH, I'VE BEEN WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR ABOUT 21 YEARS.
THOMAS ASKED ME TO COME HERE, UH, KIND OF FROM A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE WHEN IT DEALS WITH CRISIS INTERVENTION.
UH, I ACTUALLY SEVERAL MAYORS AGO, UH, WAS ON WHAT WAS CALLED THE MAYOR'S MENTAL HEALTH TASK FORCE.
I WAS A FULL TIME CIT, UH, OFFICER, UH, WITH THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, WAY BACK IN THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS.
I ACTUALLY TRAINED THE MAJORITY OF THE POLICE OFFICERS BACK THEN, UH, THE NEW ONES THAT WERE COMING IN AND, AND THE, UH, THE FOLKS ON THE STREET.
UH, SO I TRAVELED AROUND THE COUNTRY AND, AND TAUGHT A FEW OTHER PLACES.
UH, SO I'VE KIND OF BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS FOR, FOR, FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
I, I, AT FIRST WANTED TO TALK ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS, UH, COUNSELING, UH, FLAGGING HAD BROUGHT UP JUST HOW WE CAN MAKE THIS A LITTLE BIT EASIER.
I, I, I GRABBED SOME DATA FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
CURRENTLY WE HAVE ABOUT 19% OF OUR CALLS FOR SERVICE, HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH COMPONENT ATTACHED TO IT.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, WHEN IT COMES TO, I GUESS, UN-BUNDLING POLICE SERVICES, AS IT RELATES TO THE RESPONSE OF, UH, MENTAL HEALTH CALLS, I DON'T THINK THE AVERAGE POLICE OFFICER WOULD, WOULD DISAGREE THAT THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO HANDLE THIS.
UM, BUT THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION IS, AND IF WE'RE TRYING TO EDUCATE EVERYBODY THAT'S LISTENING TODAY, UH, TEXAS HAS A, HAS A PRETTY RIGID STATE STATUTE WHEN IT TALKS ABOUT DEALING WITH THOSE FOLKS IN SEVERE CRISIS.
AND I SAID THIS BACK IN 2002, WHEN I FIRST STARTED, I DON'T KNOW WHY WE'RE SENDING A POLICE OFFICER, BUT IN THE STATE OF TEXAS RIGHT NOW ONLY A POLICE OFFICER CAN GET SOMEONE INTO A PSYCHIATRIC FACILITY ON AN EMERGENCY DETENTION, UM, WITHOUT A WARRANT.
THE OTHER OPTION IS AN ORDER OF PROTECTIVE CUSTODY IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
WE HAVE ONE PROBATE JUDGE WHO DEALS WITH THAT, AND THAT ESSENTIALLY MEANS A PSYCHIATRIST HAS TO DRAW SOMETHING UP, GET IT TO THAT PROBATE JUDGE THAT PRIVILEGED JUDGE HAS TO SIGN OFF ON IT.
AND THEN THEY HAVE TO, AND YOU'RE DEALING WITH SOMEONE WHO'S IN SEVERE CRISIS WHO IS TRULY IN DANGER, UM, DUE TO THEIR MENTAL HEALTH STATUS.
AT THAT POINT IN TIME, YOU DON'T HAVE THE SECONDS.
SO IT'S A COMPLETELY UNMARRIED US FROM THE PROCESS WOULD TAKE A LOT MORE THAN I THINK WE COULD DO JUST ON A LOCAL LEVEL.
UM, BUT I, I, I'VE SEEN A LOT OF PROGRESS BEING MADE IN THE CITY, UM, WITH M SCOTT AND, AND WITH MORE AND MORE TRAINING, UH, OUR, OUR POLICE OFFICERS HAVE CONTINUED TO TRAIN WELL BEYOND WHAT I TAUGHT BACK IN 2002.
UM, AND SHELLY'S GOING TO TALK HERE IN A SECOND ABOUT THE HOST TEAM.
I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD THINGS WE COULD DO, BUT IF YOU'RE ASKING FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, UM, WOULD IT BE BENEFICIAL, UH, TO LOWER THE AMOUNT OF THESE TYPES OF CALLS THAT POLICE OFFICERS GO TO? YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET DISAGREEMENT FROM PROBABLY ANYBODY, UM, AND IN MY LINE OF WORK.
UM, BUT WE STILL HAVE, WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES TO OVERCOME.
AND THERE ARE CERTAIN SITUATIONS THAT YOU JUST CAN'T REMOVE THIS FROM.
IF SOMEONE'S ACTIVELY VIOLENT, YOU JUST, YOU JUST CAN'T REMOVE US FROM THAT PARTICULAR SITUATION AS IT SPEAKS, BUT I I'VE BEEN WELL AWARE OF THE EUGENE, UH, MODEL FOR, FOR A LONG TIME.
AND TO SEE THAT THEY RESPOND TO TWO MORE THINGS.
SO I STILL WORK QUITE A BIT OF OVERTIME ON PATROL, AND I CAN TELL YOU, WE GET DISPATCHED ALL THE TIME.
TWO PEOPLE JUST SLEEPING AND I, IT, IT STILL DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME.
WHY A UNIFORM OFFICER HAS TO GO TO SOMEONE'S SLEEPING.
IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT AGAINST THE LAW TO SLEEP IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
I DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT WE WERE DISPATCHED.
THAT'S JUST THE WAY THINGS ARE.
AND YOU COULD COME UP WITH A MODEL WHERE YOU SALT SENT SOMEONE OUT THERE THAT CAN WAKE THEM UP AND THEN ASK THOSE QUESTIONS.
HEY, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT I CAN DO FOR YOU? I THINK THAT WOULD BE, THAT WOULD BE GOOD.
AND IF YOU COULD KEEP THE AVERAGE PATROL OFFICER FROM RESPONDING TO WHAT IS ESSENTIALLY ONE FIFTH OF THE CALLS THAT ARE REALLY IMPORTANT TO GET OUT IN THE COMMUNITY TO GET TO KNOW THE NEIGHBORHOODS, THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE GOT AWAY FROM, BECAUSE WE'RE SO CALLED DRIVEN BECAUSE WE'RE RESPONDING TO SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF THINGS.
SO THAT'S JUST MY, MY THOUGHTS ON WHAT'S GOING ON.
[01:55:01]
I'M THINKING DETECTIVE OFFICER BORDEN, DID YOU WANT TO ADD, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.UM, I, I AGREE WITH CHRIS A HUNDRED PERCENT, ANYTHING THAT WE CAN DO TO IMPROVE THE, THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM, UM, AND THE WAY THAT IT'S, IT'S CURRENTLY BEING RUN.
I DON'T THINK YOU'RE GOING TO GET ANY, UH, ANYBODY IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THAT'S GOING TO GRIPE ABOUT THAT.
I, I, I DO HAVE THE PLEASURE OF, OF BEING ON THE HOST TEAM.
AND, UH, CHRIS MENTIONED 19% OF OUR CALLS HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH ASPECT TO IT.
I WORKED, YOU KNOW, IN THE DOWNTOWN, IN THE WEST CAMPUS AREA, AND I TEND TO BELIEVE IT'S HIGHER, AT LEAST FOR MY DAILY ENDEAVORS.
UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TIMES WE'RE JUST OUT MAKING MONEY, JUST OUT MAKING CONTACTS WITH, WITH HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS AND IN A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE WILL COME UP.
UM, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU JUST CAN'T WALK AWAY FROM.
UM, WE'RE DEALING WITH A LOT OF TIMES WHEN WE ARE INVOLVED, WE'RE DEALING, WE'RE DEALING WITH PEOPLE THAT ARE TRULY IN CRISIS, UM, TO THE POINT WHERE A CITIZEN IS WALKING BY.
AND THEY'RE SCARED OF IF YOU'VE NEVER SEEN ANYBODY IN CRISIS, UM, IT CAN BE A SCARY THING.
AND THEY'LL, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE PEOPLE CALLING NINE 11 JUST ON THE SURFACE OF WHAT THEY'RE OBSERVING.
SO, UM, AGAIN, WE HAVE TO RESPOND TO THOSE THAT SOMETIMES ARE SEVERE SITUATIONS WHERE I CAN'T CALL EM, CUT.
UM, THIS PERSON ISN'T GOING TO GO WITH THEM WILLINGLY.
UM, THEY MAY NOT EVEN BE TO A POINT WHERE THEY'RE DANGER TO THEMSELVES OR OTHERS, BUT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE SO VOLATILE THAT YOU JUST CAN'T TURN THEM OVER TO, UH, A CRISIS COUNSELOR THAT'S ARRIVING IN THEIR PERSONAL VEHICLE.
AND THEN TRYING TO GET THAT PERSON TO GO WITH THEM IS ISN'T REALISTIC.
UM, I'VE, I'VE HAD TO TAKE PEOPLE IN ON A POLICE OFFICERS COMMITMENT, UH, DURING THE COURSE OF A DAY, YOU TAKE THEM TO YELLOW POD AT DELL SETON.
AND BEFORE THE END OF YOUR, MY DAY, BY THE TIME I DAVE'S, UH, COMING TO AN END, I SEE THAT PERSON WALKING DOWN THE STREET, YOU KNOW, I'VE TAKEN THEM THERE BECAUSE THEY BECOME A DANGER TO THEMSELVES OR SOMEBODY ELSE YET THEY WALKED AWAY.
THEY WALKED AWAY FROM THE HOSPITAL.
AND FOR ME, THAT'S, THAT'S FRUSTRATING.
AND I KNOW IT'S FRUSTRATING FOR OTHER OFFICERS.
UM, A LOT OF TIMES BEING A PART OF HOSTS, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO GO INTO THE HOSPITAL.
WE HAVE THE TIME AND THE, THE, UM, THE COMMITMENT TO THAT PERSON TO GO IN AND ADVOCATE FOR THEM.
AND THEN WE CAN KIND OF PUT IT INTO SOMETHING MORE TO HAPPEN.
BUT A LOT OF TIMES THESE PEOPLE JUST GET LOST IN THE SHUFFLE OF BEING AT A HOSPITAL.
SO YOUR, ANYTHING THAT YOU, ANYTHING THAT ANYBODY CAN DO TO IMPROVE THE, THE WELLBEING OF THESE PEOPLE THAT ARE EXPOSED OUT THERE, THEY'RE ON THE STREETS.
THEY'RE NOT IN A HOUSE OR HAVE FAMILY MEMBERS THAT ARE LOOKING OUT FOR THEM.
UM, THEY'RE OUT THERE WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS AND THEY'RE ON THE STREETS AND IT'S A, IT'S A DEVASTATING THING TO WATCH.
UM, SO ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE THAT I DON'T, I THINK ANY OFFICER WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT IS GONNA APPLAUD IT.
UM, AND I WANT TO LET, LET WE'RE, WE'RE JUST A FEW MINUTES OVER OUR SCHEDULED TIME.
I THINK WE CAN, WE CAN FUDGE OUR, OUR TIME A LITTLE BIT.
UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO THANK Y'ALL AGAIN FOR CONTINUING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WORKSHOPS AGAIN, WITH ALL OF OUR, UH, COMMUNITY EXPERTS THAT JOINED US THIS TIME AROUND WE'RE, WE'RE MIXING UP THE FORMAT EVERY TIME I, EVERY ISSUE IS GOING TO TAKE A DIFFERENT APPROACH.
I THINK THAT'S THE, THE WATCH PHRASE FOR LITERALLY EVERYTHING WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
WE NEED A MUCH MORE NUANCED APPROACH TO ALL THIS STUFF AND, AND IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC TO KNOW THAT WE'RE, WE'RE DOING THIS WORK AS A COMMUNITY.
AND NOBODY'S, UH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK IT'S, IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT THERE'S SOME ABSOLUTE ANSWER TO EVERY QUESTION.
AND IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A THING THAT YOU DO 50%, ONE WAY AND 50%, ANOTHER WAY NOW, IF WE CAN TWEAK THAT UP TO 80 20, YOU'VE SAVED MONEY, YOU'VE TARGETED YOUR RESPONSE.
YOU HAVEN'T ELIMINATED ENTIRELY BECAUSE THEY'LL JUST SOME THINGS THAT HAPPEN.
YOU GOTTA BE PREPARED FOR SOME THINGS THAT HAPPENED, BUT SOMETIMES I THINK WE SENT THE WRONG TOOL TO THE WRONG PROBLEM, AND Y'ALL, Y'ALL ENDED UP BEING THE TOOL FOR EVERY PROBLEM.
AND THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE CHALLENGE THAT WE'VE GOT TO ADDRESS, UH, ANY, ANY LAST QUESTIONS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, KITCHEN, HOLD ON.
UH, OFFICER, PERHAPS WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS OFFLINE, BUT CAUSE I DON'T WANNA TAKE TOO MUCH TIME, BUT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IMPROVEMENTS YOU THINK WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR THE HOST TEAM.
UM, I HAVE A GREAT RESPECT FOR WHAT YOU ALL DO AS HOSTS AND WHETHER IT'S ADDITIONAL HOST TEAMS, WHICH IS ONE THING THAT I'VE LOOKED AT FOR AWHILE OR WHETHER IT'S SOMETHING ELSE.
UH, I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHAT THAT IS.
AND ONE THING YOU JUST POINTED TO IS WHICH IS THE FACT THAT I THINK SOMETHING THAT COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON ASKED ABOUT EARLIER, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SOME PLACE TO TAKE PEOPLE TO.
SO, UM, SO ANYWAY, UM, JUST OPENING UP THAT CONVERSATION FOR HER LATER AND I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU.
[02:00:01]
WHAT SPECIFICALLY YOUR THOUGHTS MIGHT BE THAT WE COULD HAVE.I THINK OUR TEAM WOULD LOVE TO MEET WITH YOU AND TALK ABOUT IT.
UH, OFFICER REALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO ADD SOMETHING.
JUST WANT TO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR, INCLUDING US.
UM, I'LL ECHO JUST REAL QUICKLY.
WHAT, WHAT SHELLY AND CHRIS HAVE SAID, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ANY PUSHBACK FROM THE POLICE ASSOCIATION ON, ON TRYING TO FIND BETTER WAY TO HANDLE SOME OF THESE CALLS.
UM, YOU KNOW, UH, MRS. SANTANA FROM SURVIVE TO THRIVE, MADE A COMMENT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HAVING, HAVING ADDITIONAL TRAINING.
WE'RE NEVER GONNA, WE'RE NEVER GOING TO TAKE THE POSITION THAT OUR OFFICERS, UM, HAVE ENOUGH TRAINING.
WE CAN ALWAYS USE MORE TRAINING.
WE RECOGNIZE WE CAN ALWAYS BE BETTER IN OUR SERVICE TO THE FOLKS THAT WE SERVE.
AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, SITTING HERE TODAY, I'LL TELL YOU GUYS, I, FOR A LONG TIME HAVE, HAVE STRONGLY BELIEVED THAT, YOU KNOW, THE LEGISLATIVE ASPECT TO THE PART OF THE PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, UM, IT NEEDS TO TAKE A COLLABORATION BETWEEN BETWEEN MANAGEMENT AND LABOR.
UM, WE, WE NEED TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE WHEN WE GO TO THE LEDGE TO, TO FIGURE THIS OUT.
I MEAN, IT SAYS, OBVIOUSLY IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A BIGGER ISSUE THAN JUST THE CITY OF AUSTIN ISSUE.
UM, BUT WE, WE SHOULD BE ON THE SAME PAGE AS WE GET ALLEGED TO, TO AS A STATE.
RE-IMAGINE WHAT IT MEANS TO, TO, TO SERVE THE PEOPLE IN MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS.
SO THAT'S MY COMMITMENT TO YOU GUYS TODAY, AND I, I GREATLY APPRECIATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO CONTINUE TO ENGAGE US IN THESE CONVERSATIONS.
SO WE DEFINITELY HAVE TO LOOK AT THE WHOLE SYSTEM TOP TO BOTTOM.
THERE ARE CHANGES THERE'S THERE ARE JOBS THE STATE NEEDS TO DO LIKE CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES.
THEY FAIL AT, UH, OR FOSTER FOSTER CARE SYSTEMS THAT THEY, THAT THEY FAIL AT.
UM, CERTAINLY STATE LAWS THAT REQUIRE US THEN OFFICERS THINK DON'T HAVE, THE OFFICERS MIGHT BE THAT MIGHT, UH, IT'S ON OUR LIST TO CATCH WHATEVER TOBO.
IS, ARE YOU ON THE ONE NOW? YEAH.
ARE YOU ABLE TO HEAR ME ON THE LINE THE WHOLE TIME? I THINK I WAS JUST UNABLE TO BE UN-MUTED UM, THANK YOU, DETECTIVE BORDON FOR YOUR, FOR REALLY ALL OF YOUR WORK, GETTING HOSTS UP AND RUNNING.
UM, YOU'VE JUST BEEN SUCH A VITAL PART OF THAT IN JUNE.
WE HAD A CONVERSATION ABOUT EXPANDING POSTINGS.
UM, AND I WONDERED IF YOU COULD ADDRESS HOW IMPORTANT YOU FEEL IT IS THAT THERE'D BE A POLICE OFFICER AS PART OF THE HOST TEAM.
YOU KNOW, THE CONVERSATION WE TALKED ABOUT JUST VERY, VERY BRIEFLY IN EARLY JUNE, THIS ADDRESSING THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING HOST TEAMS THAT DID NOT INCLUDE.
SO IF YOU CAN TALK THROUGH REALLY WHAT THE OFFICER'S ROLES ARE WITHIN THAT HOST TEAM AND JUST RESPOND TO THAT QUESTION.
I KIND OF, I WAS KIND OF HANDPICKED FOR THIS POSITION.
UM, I'VE WORKED DOWNTOWN FOR 12 YEARS AND I HAD A PRETTY GOOD KNOWLEDGE BASE OF A LOT OF THE HOMELESS PEOPLE DOWNTOWN.
SO I THINK, I THINK, UH, AN OFFICER, UH, BEING ON THE, ON THE TEAM IS, IS GOOD FOR A VARIETY OF OBVIOUSLY SAFETY REASONS, BUT ALSO IT'S, IT'S, IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO YOUR, UM, YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH, WITH A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE.
UM, I'VE KNOWN A LOT OF THEM FOR SUCH A LONG TIME THAT THEY'LL ASK FOR ME.
UM, ESPECIALLY NOW THAT I'M IN THIS ROLE, THEY KNOW THAT I'M IN A, IN A DIFFERENT POSITION TO WHERE IF THEY NEED SOMETHING, UM, THEY CAN ASK FOR ME, THEY, I GET CALLS FROM THE DAY SHIFT OFFICERS ALL THE TIME, WHETHER IT'S FOR CLOTHING OR FOR, UM, HELP WITH THEIR MEDICATIONS BEING LOST.
SO IT'S, IT, IT'S A, IT WORKS, IT WORKS FOR THIS TEAM THAT WE HAVE BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH A, AN INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF, OF OUR, OUR PEOPLE.
UM, AND I THINK THAT GOES FOR MYSELF AND THE OTHER OFFICER IN OUR MEDIC.
UM, WE, WE, WE, WE, WE HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THESE PEOPLE.
SO AS LONG AS, AS LONG AS AN OFFICER THAT MAYBE WORKS SOUTH HAS A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY AND IS, HAS A TRUSTED ROLE.
I THINK IT'S, I THINK HAVING A POLICE OFFICER ON THE TEAM IS, IS A GREAT IDEA.
UM, BECAUSE YOU HAVE SO MANY POLICE OFFICERS OUT THERE AND THEY'RE JUST ONE, YOU KNOW, ONE CLICK OF THE RADIO, THEY CAN GET ME OR THEY CAN GET HELP OR THEY CAN GET SOMEBODY MIGHT NEED CLOTHES.
UM, SO AS LONG AS, AS LONG AS YOU HAVE SOMEBODY THAT'S WILLING TO DO IT AND HAS, YOU KNOW, A KNOWLEDGE BASE OF, OF THE PEOPLE, I THINK IT'S, IT'S, IT'S REALLY A VITAL PART OF THE TEAM.
THANK YOU, OFFICER REPORT AND DETECTIVE PERKINS, OFFICER VILLAREAL, WHERE WE'RE 10 MINUTES PAST, UM, I WANNA ALLOW COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO MAKE ANY FINAL COMMENTS THAT THEY WISH WELL,
[02:05:01]
UM, I'D LIKE TO THANK ALL THE PANELISTS AND THANK YOU TO THE OFFICERS FOR PARTICIPATING AND, UH, APPRECIATE THAT YOU SHOULDN'T BE THROWN AT, UH, AS THE CITY'S, UH, RESPONSE TO EVERY, EVERY CHALLENGE OUT THERE.UH, AND, AND I JUST THINK THAT THIS WAS A REALLY GOOD SESSION.
I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY COMING TOGETHER ON THIS.
UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN SOME, UH, UH, CONVERSATION ABOUT WHETHER THE COUNCIL CARES ABOUT VIOLENCE THAT OCCURS IN OUR CITY, AND IT COULDN'T BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH THAT WE DON'T CARE ABOUT VIOLENCE.
THIS WHOLE SESSION HAS BEEN ABOUT HOW DO WE PREVENT HARM AND, AND PREVENT VIOLENCE AND INTERRUPT VIOLENCE, UH, AND REDUCE HARM IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, BUT AS WE HEARD IN THE FIRST PRESENTATION, YOU KNOW, WHILE PEOPLE THAT COMMIT GUN VIOLENCE, UH, SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, THAT ACCOUNTABILITY PROCESS DOES NOT NECESSARILY PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE.
AND IN FACT, GUN VIOLENCE IS A, UH, A CONTAGION.
AND SO OFTEN SOMEONE THAT, UH, SURVIVES GUN VIOLENCE, IT IS OFTENTIMES A PERSON THAT MIGHT COMMIT IT.
AND SO US FINDING WAYS TO INTERVENE IN THAT, I THINK IS SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT.
WE HEARD TODAY, UM, OBVIOUSLY ARREST YOU CAN'T ARREST YOUR WAY OUT OF SUBSTANCE USE PROBLEMS AND YOU CAN'T ARREST YOUR WAY OUT OF, UH, OUT OF HOMELESSNESS.
AND SO I THINK, UH, THE CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW DO WE ACTUALLY GO IN AND, AND, AND TREAT THOSE ISSUES IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND OF COURSE, AS WE KNOW, THE LARGEST CHUNK OF VIOLENT CRIME IN OUR COMMUNITY IS FAMILY VIOLENCE.
AND THERE'S, YOU CAN PATROL THE STREETS ALL YOU WANT THAT DOES NOT PREVENT, UM, A FAMILY VIOLENCE THAT'S GOING ON INSIDE OF OUR OWN HOMES.
AND, UH, THE FACT THAT WE HAVE FEWER SHELTER BEDS THAT SAVE FOR EXAMPLE TODAY THAN 15 YEARS AGO, JUST ISN'T ACCEPTABLE.
SO I THINK THAT THIS YEAR WE HAVE A REALLY IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, TO INVEST IN WAYS THAT WILL ACTUALLY REDUCE THE AMOUNTS OF HARM IN OUR COMMUNITY IN A SUBSTANTIVE WAY, IN A WAY THAT WE HADN'T BEFORE.
I MEAN, MANY OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WERE PRESENTED TO US TODAY EXIST IN OTHER CITIES AND JUST DON'T EXIST HERE.
UH, SO IF WE CAN RESPOND TO MENTAL HEALTH CALLS WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, IF WE CAN HOUSE FOLKS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, TREAT PEOPLE WITH SUBSTANCE USE CHALLENGES AND PREVENT GUN VIOLENCE BEFORE IT EVEN OCCURS IN THE FIRST PLACE.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE A REALLY MEANINGFUL INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND I THINK THAT THAT'S WHAT THE COUNCIL IS LOOKING TO DO.
THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER, COSAR, UH, CUSTOMER TOVAR.
ARE YOU STILL ON THE LINE? YEAH, I'M A DAD.
I'VE BEEN ON THE LINE THE WHOLE TIME.
I JUST GOT BUMPED OFF THE COMPUTER.
SO APOLOGIZE FOR BEING A DISEMBODIED VOICE.
THERE WAS A CONVERSATION EARLIER ABOUT THE SOBERING CENTER AND I, I ABSOLUTELY RECOGNIZE AND APPLAUD THE EFFORT TO GET MORE WORK ON OUTREACH, BUT I DID WANT TO JUST MAKE THE POINT THAT THAT EXISTS IN MANY AREAS.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE NUMBER ONE, I WANT TO SAY THE SOBERING CENTER AS A YEAR AND A HALF OLD TO IT'S STILL VERY EARLY.
IT HAS HAD A CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP THAT HAS CHANGED BY NECESSITY, CHANGED IT, FOCUS A BIT TO HIRING THAT NEXT LEADER.
AND WE HAVE A WONDERFUL LUNCH IN LAURA, SO VINE ON BOARD, BUT THERE ARE MULTIPLE AREAS WHERE THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE OUTREACH, INCLUDING WITH UT, WITH EMS, WITH APD, BUT I DIDN'T WANT IT TO BE OUT THERE.
I SAID THAT THE POLICE OR ANY OTHER ENTITY IS NOT BRINGING INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS FROM CENTER R AND WE'VE HAD TERRIFIC PARTICIPATION ON OUR BOARD FROM ASSISTANT CHIEF CON, UM, BUT ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPAND THAT? ABSOLUTELY.
AND WE REALLY NEED THE COMMUNITY TO ASSIST IN THAT.
SO ESPECIALLY BECAUSE WE'RE AT A POINT WHERE WE WANT THE COMMUNITY TO INVEST THEIR DOLLARS IN THE CENTER AS WELL.
I WANT THEM TO KNOW THAT IT HAS BEEN A SUCCESS.
AND I, I WELCOME BOTH THE PANELISTS IDEAS ABOUT DO THAT AS WELL AS THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER TURBO.
I THINK SOBERING CENTER IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THAT SUITE OF ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS TO A 10TH OF PROBLEMS. COUNCILMEMBER KITCHEN, JUST QUICKLY.
I WOULD JUST SAY THAT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS.
THIS HAS BEEN VERY ENLIGHTENING AND HELPFUL TO HEAR ALL THIS.
I THINK THAT, UM, UM, AS A COMMUNITY WE HAVE, UM, WE'VE INVESTED IN, UM, A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS ALREADY, UH, LIKE THE HOST TEAM AND THE MENTAL HEALTH DIVERSION TEAM THAT WE STARTED LAST YEAR.
WHAT WE'RE LEARNING IS THERE'S, THERE'S MUCH MORE THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE IN ALL OF THESE AREAS.
UH, WE CAN LEARN FROM OTHER COMMUNITIES AND WE CAN CONTINUE TO INVEST IN WHAT WE'VE ALREADY STARTED, UM, AND INVEST IN A MUCH BIGGER WAY.
UM, AND THEN WE ALSO NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT IN ADDITION TO INVESTING IN THESE PROGRAMS LIKE HOST IN THE MENTAL HEALTH DIVERSION AND SOBERING CENTER AND OTHERS AS, UM,
[02:10:01]
COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO MENTIONED, UM, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE BECAUSE THERE'S MORE TO THIS SYSTEM THAN WHAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.CAN'T REMEMBER ANY OTHER FINAL COMMENTS.
WELL, THANKS AGAIN, TO ALL OF OUR PANELISTS, TO OUR OFFICERS WHO ARE HERE WITH US, STICK WITH US THROUGH ALL THE WAY TO THE END.
A LOT OF REALLY GREAT WORK, A LOT OF GREAT IDEAS.
AND AGAIN, FOR THE PUBLIC, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS PROCESS IS TODAY IS NOT GOING TO ANSWER A FINALLY ALL QUESTIONS, BUT HELP ENSURE THAT THIS WORK MOVES FORWARD INTO, AT A DELIBERATE PACE AND THAT ALL OF THE RELEVANT EXPERTS AND FOLKS WHO DO THE WORK NOW AND THE DESIRES OF THE PUBLIC, OR ARE CONSIDERED AS WE, AS WE GO THROUGH THIS WORK AS COUNCIL MEMBER CASAR SAID THAT THE BUDGET AND THAT THE MANAGER'S INITIAL BUDGET COMES OUT NEXT WEEK, IT WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY NOT HAVE ALL OF THE AMAZING THINGS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE TODAY, BECAUSE IT TAKES TIME TO BUILD A BUDGET.
AND EVEN IF WE WERE TO DECIDE TOMORROW TO STAND UP A WHOLE OTHER AGENCY FOCUSED ON MENTAL HEALTH, IT STILL TAKES TIME TO RECRUIT AND TRAIN AND LAUNCH AND DO ALL THE LOGISTICS AND ALL THE THINGS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M HEARING SOME GOOD STUFF ON THE ADVOCATE SIDE OF THE COMMUNITY WHERE THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT GOALS OVER A COUPLE OF YEARS.
I THINK THAT'S THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR US TO BE HEADED, BECAUSE THAT GIVES US TIME TO ENSURE THAT WE GET THESE SOLUTIONS, RIGHT.
WE WOULD HATE TO STAND UP THINGS TOO QUICKLY OR TOO INEFFICIENTLY, AND THEN THEY DON'T WORK.
AND THEN WE'RE BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED.
SO I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD WORK GOING ON.
AND AGAIN, THOMAS, THANK YOU FOR, FOR JOINING US.
AND I HOPE THAT, UH, I HOPE THAT THE POLICE ASSOCIATION, UH, CONTINUES TO ENGAGE IN PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS, UH, BECAUSE I THINK WE'RE ALL TRYING TO DO RIGHT BY OUR COMMUNITY AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE PROTECTING THE PUBLIC AND, AND DOING EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN.
IT IS 4:17 PM AND I ADJOURN THIS MEETING FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE.