2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 MINUTES
SHELTER MONITORING COMMITTEE
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
10:00 AM to 12:40 PM
25 Van Ness Ave., 8th Floor, Human Rights Commission Conference Room
San Francisco, CA 94102
Members present:
Chair Diana Valentine
Vice Chair Damian Ochoa
Secretary Quintin Mecke
Committee Member Henry Belton
Committee Member Kim Clark
Committee Member Erica Correa
Committee Member Greg Kats
Committee Member David Nakanishi
Committee Member Liz Olson
Committee Member Maxine Pauson
Committee Member Hank Wilson
Members absent:
Committee Member Judi Iranyi
CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL/AGENDA ADJUSTMENTS
Chair Diana Valentine called the meeting to order at 10:00 AM. She moved Item B under New Business, Quarterly Report, to the beginning of the agenda.
B. Quarterly Report Bernice Casey
Chair Valentine asked the Committee to go through each section of the report and report any additions or edits.
Chair Valentine asked that the report note that all operational sites were visited under the Site Inspection section. She also asked that the Annual Report be noted under the Policies and Procedures Section.
Committee Member Kim Clark said that blankets should be included into the hygiene section.
Staff person Bernice Casey noted that blankets were not included in the inspections that focused on hygiene. She also asked that the web-site be added to Areas of Improvement.
Committee Member David Nakanishi said that he wanted a chart included in the report which indicated which sites met the hygiene access criteria.
Committee Member Liz Olson said that she too was a visual person and believed that the addition of charts would better summarize the information.
Committee Member Greg Kats asked that the charts denote the size of the shelter.
Secretary Quintin Mecke said that the format should be changed and suggested an executive summary section be added. He said that he would rework the section and send it to Ms. Casey.
Chair Valentine asked that the information included in the executive summary only include what had been agreed upon by the Committee.
Secretary Mecke said that the policy focus should be on the lack of consistent standard of care in the shelter. He suggested that a sub-committee of the Committee being formed to focus on that policy. He said that the Recommendations should be moved to the front of the report.
Secretary Mecke, Committee Member Olson, Committee Member Clark, and Chair Valentine volunteered to sit on the Committee.
Committee Member Hank Wilson suggested that the Committee also chart complaints received regarding staff.
Chair Valentine asked that the denial of service explanation be footnoted.
Action: Approved Amended Quarterly Report
m/s/c (Mecke/Wilson/Unanimous)
I. PUBLIC COMMENT
A member of the public asked what the Committee's position was on cell phones [if clients should be allowed to charge them in shelters].
Chair Valentine said that the Committee was trying to get information from the City regarding the policy regarding cell phone.
The same member of the public said that some shelters have rules prohibiting cell phones from being charged.
Secretary Mecke said that the Committee had noted there were no consistencies in the shelter system.
Vice Chair Ochoa said that Committee had attempted to learn what types of electricity were available to clients on the County Adult Assistance Program (CAAP).
Abdullah identified himself as a homeless activist. He said that he was here to ask the Committee to investigate the stabbing at Next Door. He said he had been an activist for 23 years. He said that the staff at Next Door had no respect for clients. Abdullah said that 33 police officers showed up at the shelter because of the stabbing. He said that the street was safer than the Next Door shelter. He said that staff was stealing food and clothes and shoes from clients which have been donated. Abdullah said that he had helped get donations. He said that the food provided was of poor quality. He said that he had received cash donations from the Police Chief and the Fire Chief to arrange trips for the clients of Next Door. Abdullah said that Linzie Coleman was jealous of him.
Another member of the public said that Next Door staff does things to disrupt clients' sleep. He said that clients who suffer sleep deprivation by waking up at 6:00 AM can get mental health problems. He said that the staff interaction with clients. He said he could not plug in his cell phone. He said that there had been urine on the floor in one bathroom for a while because the urinal has been out of service. He said that there was signage up telling clients to wash their hands but there was no soap in the bathrooms. He said the shelter staff needs to know more about CHANGES. He said that sometimes he had to be homeless for a night because staff doesn't know the system. He said that there were 30 to 40 people in line to get into a shelter bed. He said staff needs more equipment to do their job.
Committee Member Wilson asked what sites had lines of people.
The member of the public replied it was the system designed and that he had seen it happen in the three different locations.
Committee Member Henry Belton said that he had stayed at Next Door for over 5 years. He said there were things wrong there just like other shelters.
The member of the public said there were people waiting in line at MSC South and he believed the City & County of San Francisco could afford new computers.
Linzie Coleman, from Next Door, said that there were 40 7-day beds at the Next Doro shelter. She said that there was usually no wait for the beds. She said that some clients never leave the shelter during the day.
Chair Valentine asked if Ms. Coleman was familiar with problems with CHANGES.
Ms. Coleman said that sometimes staff cannot check in clients. She said that sometimes resource centers send people over with a case management bed. She said her staff attempts to work with everyone who comes in to get them a bed.
II. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
Item moved to February 2007 Committee Meeting.
IV. NEW BUSINESS
A. Mobile Assistance Patrol (MAP) Max Haptonstahl 30 min
Program Director Max Haptonstahl provides an overview of the services provided by MAP, including its history. He said that MAP started in 1975 with one van.
Committee Member Maxine Pauson arrived at 11:10 AM.
Mr. Haptonstahl said that MAP funding came from the Department of Public Health (DPH).
Secretary Mecke asked that the capacity of MAP to answer calls.
Mr. Haptonstahl said that there the number of shifts [employees] decreased since the late 1990's. He said that in July of 2005 the Human Services Agency cut funding for MAP. He said that now MAP had 25 regular staff and would be adding medical respite staff.
Committee Member Pauson asked for a breakdown of the full time employees.
Mr. Haptonstahl said he would provide that to the Committee later.
Committee Member Wilson asked what MAP's capacity to transport disabled people. He said that he had placed calls and had been told there were no vans with wheelchair ramps.
Mr. Haptonstahl said that MAP had worked with the Mayor's Office on Disability and DPH and now was borrowing a lift van from DPH until MAP's federal funding for a van comes.
Committee Member Clark asked if the drivers were trained in CPR and First-aid.
Mr. Haptonstahl said they require their drivers to have CPR and first-aid training.
Chair Valentine asked if CHANGES had been put into MAP vans.
Mr. Haptonstahl said that MAP was in discussion about installing CHANGES, but he didn't believe that MAP vans would be a practical replacement for a resource center.
Public Comment
Pat Harrison from Sanctuary Shelter thanks Mr. Haptonstahl and his staff for help at Sanctuary.
Abdullah asked for the number of MAP vans.
Mr. Haptonstahl said that with the loaner, MAP had 8 vehicles and 4 were in operation during peak hours.
Chair Valentine asked Mr. Haptonstahl to follow up with Ms. Casey regarding requested information.
III. COMMITTEE MEMBERS QUESTIONS/COMMENTS
Chair Valentine reminded the Committee of the joint meeting with the Local Homeless Coordinating Board and the Ten Year Planning Council today at 1:00 at City Hall.
Committee Member Wilson announced that the Haight/Ashbury Drop-in center was hosting a community meeting tonight from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at 1735 Mission Street.
Vice Chair Damian Ochoa announced an upcoming human trafficking conference in March at San Francisco State University.
Committee Member Wilson said that he would like to have the Committee review the training and role of security guards at the shelter.
Ms. Casey noted that an inspection team had challenges accessing Next Door shelter and that she had made an announcement at the Shelter Directors Meeting and the Family Shelters Directors Meeting and reviewed the legislation.
Public Comment
Ms. Coleman said there were new staff working and thought the inspection team was the Coalition on Homelessness.
A member of the public suggested that staff be trained to be able to identify clients with mental health problems.
Abdullah said that the client who stabbed the other client at Next Door had mental health issues and staff knew. He suggested the Committee visit a shelter in San Jose especially designed for clients who are mentally ill.
C. Participation by the Human Services Agency Diana Valentine
The Committee reviewed a draft letter to the Human Services Agency regarding information requests by the Committee and the role of the Committee Member representing HSA.
Action: Approved draft letter
m/s/c (Wilson/Ochoa/Unanimous)
V. Old Business
A. Data Review Bernice Casey
The Committee reviewed a letter requesting follow up information from the Human Services Agency regarding the request for shelter data originally submitted September of 2006.
Action: Approved next steps
m/s/c (Ochoa/Belton/Valentine/Clark/Correa/Nakanishi/Olson/Pauson/Wilson
Opposed (Kats)
Secretary Mecke left before the vote and Committee Member Judi Iranyi was not present at the January 24, 2007 meeting.
B. St. Boniface
Committee Member Kats said that HSA had met with Dolores Street and St. Boniface last week and had agreed on a service plan. He said that HSA's goal was to send it to the [Human Services] Commission in February. He said that John Weeks from St. Boniface said that they could not go to the Commission.
Public Comment
Mr. Weeks said that plan was being internally discussed and the current proposal was a huge departure from what St. Boniface had proposed. He said that there was still the capital piece to be considered as well.
Committee Member Nakanishi asked what the timeline would be to open the site once the contract was signed.
Mr. Weeks said his contractor had said anywhere from 2 to 4 months.
Committee Member Kats said it would be closer to 4 months, based on what he has seen. He said that the service plan was developed in collaboration with St. Boniface, Dolores Street, and the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT).
A man said that he was a victim of the shelter system and wanted to talk to the Committee.
Chair Valentine explained that general public comment section had been earlier on and that she would make herself available after the meeting.
C. Policies and Procedures Bernice Casey 10 min
The Committee reviewed draft changes to the policies and procedures of the Committee regarding the conduct of Committee members.
Vice Chair Ochoa asked if the changes were needed.
Ms. Casey said that she had discussed the changes with Chair Valentine and believed they were needed.
Action: Approved draft Policies and Procedures
m/s/c (Wilson/Nakanishi/Unanimous)
VI. REPORTS
A. Shelter Status Greg Kats
Committee Member Kats said that MAP vans had been helping transport clients to shelters during the cold spell. He said that there continue to be vacancies in the shelter system.
Public Comment
Briana Wirrom from HAS said that shelters were calling in vacancies. She said that late-night shelters like 150 Otis and Ella Hill Hutch were opening up earlier.
Committee Member Kats said that HOT had been conducting welfare checks.
Ms. Harrison asked when the sites will know when the cold spell is done.
Committee Member Nakanishi said that HSA would provide direction.
B. Health David Nakanishi
Committee Member Nakanishi said that DPH was working in collaboration with HSA on training protocols and confidentiality. He said there had been a delay in the reopening of the respite floor at Next Door. He said that the 13th Street drop-in center would open in late March and 39 Fell would be closing in March.
Committee Member Wilson said that he noticed that 39 Fell went up to full capacity during the cold spell.
ADJOURNMENT
Meeting adjourned at 12:40 PM>
To obtain copies of the agenda, minutes, or any explanatory documents, please contact Bernice Casey at 415.255.3653 or Bernice.casey@sfdph.org 72 hours before the meeting.
To obtain a disability-related modification or accommodation, including auxiliary aids or services to participate in the meeting, please contact Bernice Casey at 415.255.3653 or Bernice.casey@sfdph.org at least two business days before the meeting.
25 Van Ness Avenue is accessible to persons using wheelchairs and others with disabilities. Assistive listening devices are available and meetings are open-captioned. Agendas are available in large print. Materials in alternative formats, American Sign Language interpreters, and other format accommodations will be made available upon request. Please make your request for alternative forma or other accommodations to the Shelter Monitoring Committee at 415.255.3642. Providing at least 72 hours notice prior to the meeting will help ensure availability.
The nearest BART station is Civic Center Plaza at the intersection of Market, Grove, and Hyde Streets. The MUNI Metro lines are the F, J, K, L, M, and N (Civic Center Station or Van Ness Avenue Station). MUNI bus lines serving the area are the 47 Van Ness, 9 San Bruno, and the 6, 7, 71 Haight/Noreiga. Accessible curbside parking is available on Oak and Hickory Streets.
The ringing of and use of cell phones, pagers, and similar sound producing electronic devices are prohibited at this meeting. Please be advised that the Chair may order the removal from the meeting room of any person(s) responsible for the ringing or use of a cell phone, pager or other similar sound-producing electronic devices.
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Frank Darby, Administrator
Sunshine Ordinance Task Force
City Hall, Room 244
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102-4689
Phone 415.554.7584
Fax 415.554.5784
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