Agenda - 02-18-2014 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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29 1 Commissioner Pelissier said the jail alternatives workgroup discussed the issue of 2 permanent supportive housing today. She said this was a roadblock to all of the individuals 3 cycling in and out of the jails. 4 Commissioner Price asked if work is being done with employment agencies to help 5 people get out on their own and be able to stay in a home. 6 Jamie Rohe said income and housing are essential to ending homelessness. She said, 7 for people who are able to work, one of the primary initiatives of the partnership is the job 8 partners program. She said this is administered by the Community Empowerment Fund. She 9 said this group is also working with Job Link and the Skills Development Center, as well as 10 other partners in the community. 11 She said the partnership is recommending the prioritization of investing in permanent 12 supportive housing and rapid re- housing, and she would like to have a richer dialogue with the 13 Board and elected officials to explain why. She said there is not enough affordable rental 14 housing, and this is a huge problem. 15 Commissioner Rich asked if the Board could continue this discussion in more detail at a 16 later date. She would like to know where these homeless people are staying if they are not 17 staying at the shelters. She said this is a good start, but the conversation needs to be 18 continued. 19 She said she is not yet requesting another shelter, though she has not crossed that off 20 either. She said it is important that the information be shared, so decisions can be made. She 21 said the IFC does not want to be an emergency shelter anymore. She would like to keep the 22 conversation open so that decisions can be made. She does not want this to be put on a shelf. 23 Commissioner Pelissier suggested the Board should have a work session to look at the 24 big picture and the revised plan when Jamie Rohe returns. 25 Commissioner Price requested some statistics for this work session on who is using the 26 facilities. 27 Jamie Rohe said she would encourage the County to have the dialogue with all of the 28 local governments. She would like to see coordination of efforts for affordable housing. 29 Chair Jacobs said this was discussed at the Assembly of Governments, and there has 30 been further discussion with the manager regarding the creation of this kind of partnership. He 31 said if the Board decides to consider an affordable housing bond, there will need to be 32 coordination of the needs and an understanding of who is doing what. 33 34 PUBLIC COMMENT: 35 Mark Peters said he and his family have donated significant time and money to fight 36 homelessness in the Triangle and other parts of the Country. He said it is good to see the rapid 37 re- housing and permanent supportive housing work addressing the dismantling of alternatives 38 for the mental health system. 39 He said he has looked at the report, and he would like to see a clear accounting of what 40 is needed overall and what is available at specific facilities in the area. He said he would like 41 these details to be included in the agenda materials. 42 He asked where the men's emergency shelter beds will be provided. He is concerned 43 that there is a hole here. He asked who will be providing the emergency beds when the shelter 44 closes. 45 He said read the last statement in the report, which stated there is no need to invest in 46 emergency shelter capacity. He said this is not supported by the report, unless there is a men's 47 shelter capacity in the County that he is not aware of. He said if the writer's intent is simply to 48 advocate for funding other initiatives, which leaves the emergency shelter unfunded, then this 49 should be plainly stated.