Meeting Information

MINUTES
SHELTER MONITORING COMMITTEE
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
10:00 AM
City Hall, Room 421
San Francisco, CA 94102
Members present:
Vice Chair Henry Belton
Secretary Aram Hauslaib  
 Committee Member Anthony Beliso
 Committee Member Diana Greer
Committee Member Elihu Hernandez
Committee Member Rita Lark
Committee Member Aubrey Moore
Committee Member David Nakanishi
Committee Member Maxine Pauson
Committee Member Ramses Teon-Nichols
Committee Member Amanda Thompson              
Committee Member Cindy Ward

 Members excused:
 Chair Quintin Mecke
 Committee Member David Nakanishi 

I. MINUTES      
 The Committee made corrections to pages 1 and 2 in the Minutes.
Action: Approved Amended March 4, 2009 Minutes
m/s/c (Ward/Moore/Uunanimous)

II.  REPORTS      
Committee Member Cindy Ward stated that there were 46 additional beds added at Next Door.  Committee Member Ward reported that the emergency winter shelter for families, Bethel AME, had closed and that the Providence shelter had reduced the number of mats for women to make additional space for families, providing 15 mats for families.

Committee Member Ward stated that the Hamilton Emergency Shelter turned away 42 families in the month of March.  The Connecting Point Waiting List has 161 families on it, three of which have been prioritized.

Committee Member Ward stated that budget conversations were still on-going and that the Human Services Agency had also been part of a workgroup which was discussing how to spend the stimulus package. The next meeting will be on Friday, April 3 at 170 Otis at 1:30 PM.
The Committee asked Committee Member Ward to e-mail out information regarding the RFP process for shelters.

B.  Department of Public Health  David Nakanishi 
Committee Member David Nakanishi was not present at the meeting, but provided his report in writing to the Committee.

C.     Standard of Care (SOC)  
Chair Quintin Mecke was not present.  Staff Bernice Casey provided a written report to the Committee regarding Standard of Care from April 1, 2008-March 31, 2009.

III.  PUBLIC COMMENT     
Tomas Picarello, a member of the public, said he would like to see more public comment after each report given. He also asked for documentation on the time period it took to process SOC complaints.  He encouraged Committee Members to review the legislation.  He said that Project Homeless Connect [in April] should be open to the whole community not just families.  He said that Providence has mats not beds.

A client at MSC South stated that sexual harassment was permitted at that site.

A client said that there as an air quality problem at Next Door because the site allowed smoking inside the shelter.  The client said that Sanctuary had bad air as well and that when it rained, the staff allowed clients to smoke with the door open.  The client said when she complained to staff, staff threatened to kick her out.  The client also said that she had not been accommodated with a late pass based on her needs.  She requested that Sanctuary open its windows.

Charles Pitts, a member of the public, stated that the Committee did not have purview over clients' property rights and told the Committee Members to review the legislation.

A client at MSC South said that conditions were bad at MSC South and he had signed a petition.  He said the community meetings had less than 12 people were pointless.  He said the director brags about what a great job she does and her fan club insults anyone who complains, stating they should be "grateful for MSC South."

IV. NEW BUSINESS     
A. Committee Outreach    
Committee Member Elihuh Hernandez suggested that when conducting site visits to speak to multiple clients and provide information about the Committee.  He suggested going to community meetings on site.  He also suggested having a suggestion box or the Committee at each site.

The Committee discussed doing outreach to both clients and staff about the work of the Committee.  The Committee discussed which sites have community meetings and asked staff to research if sites other than MSC South have community meetings. 

Committee Member Ward said that family shelter have community meetings.
Committee Member Aubrey Moore asked if there was a way the Committee could approach line staff directly about the complaints and concerns the Committee had received.  Committee Member Moore also asked that the Committee provide any written policies discussed [by the City & County of San Francisco and the Committee] to the shelter staff themselves.

Vice Chair Henry Belton stressed the need to fall the Standard of Care check list and to make sure the Committee was reported on what it saw when it was on site visits.

Committee Member Moore asked that the SOC complaints be sent to shelter line staff.

Committee Member Ward said that information has been provided multiple times to shelter directors, who were responsible for informing line staff.

Committee Member Moore said that if problems could be taken directly to line staff that issues could be resolved quickly.  Committee Moore also asked that clients are educated about the origins of policy changes, stating the earlier check-in time for the Episcopal Community Services shelters was a City & County of San Francisco policy change not a change made by the shelters.

Vice Chair Belton asked that the minutes reflect all the outreach suggestions made by the Committee.

Public Comment
Tomas Picarello said that he suggested that the Committee meet in shelters 12 months ago and encouraged the Committee to have public forums.  He said inspections should be more than 20 minutes.

Jenny Wiley from Hospitality House stated that her site had community meetings and that each new staff completed the Shelter Grievance Training before working on any shift solo. 

A client stated that de-escalation training is not happening in the shelters and staff gets defensive with clients.  The client stated that staff needs to develop a better relations hop with clients.

A client stated that she needed a notice of the Committee's upcoming meetings.  She said that the nutrition component of the shelters needed to be evaluated.  She said that she wanted to be able to cover her cough using a paper towel and to dry her hands with a paper towel, but that there were no paper towels at Next Door or Sanctuary.

Charles Pitss said that the Committee should meet with staff who are retaliating against clients.  He said that outreach is long overdue [by the Committee] and that the Committee should look at the Village in Los Angeles.

A client said that MSC South was run by a prison and that staff behave like guards and the director is like a warden.  The client said that when a client complains they are persecuted.  The meals do not meet the dietary needs of clients and there are little to no complex carbohydrates served.

Ms. Casey said that the Committee had received a petition from 120 clients at MSC South and that petition had been forwarded to City agencies as well by the Committee. Ms. Casey stated that on March 25, a tentative investigation of some of the issues had begun.  Ms. Casey reported that MSC South has stated they would be unable to comply with the SOC response timeline, but would respond by April 23, 2009.  Ms. Casey stated that she would forward the site's response to the full Committee upon receipt.

B. Americans with Disability Act Overview  
Executive Director Susan Mizner with the Mayor's Office on Disability provided an overview on the ADA and shelters in writing.  The Committee and members of the public submitted questions to Ms. Mizner and asked her for a response.  Her responses will be made available at the May 2009 Committee meeting.

V. OLD BUSINESS     
A. Property Rights     
This item was tabled.

VI. INFORMATION REQUESTS     
A. Staff Report      
Ms. Casey introduced the newest staff member to the Committee, Marta Rebolledo, a Health Worker IV with over 13 years of clinical experience working with indigent, homeless, and high risk clients.  Ms. Casey also acknowledged the contributions of Maren Shipe, an Americorp Vista volunteer, specifically her data analysis and presentation of SOC data.  Ms. Casey provided a written staff report for the Committee's review.

B.   Information Requests    
Ms. Casey reported that Chair Mecke had requested the nutritionist hired present at the May 2009 Committee Meeting and provide the Committee with a more detailed check-list for nutrition and kitchen conditions.  The Committee requested a break down of types of vacancies from HSA.
  
C. Announcements     
Committee Member Greer requested that the conversation regarding the petition circulated at MSC South be fully captured in the Minutes.  Ms. Casey stated that she would also provide a copy of the petition to the Committee.
 
  ADJOURNMENT     
  The meeting was adjourned at 12:01 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 415.255.3643 or Bernice.casey@sfdph.org at least two business days before the meeting.

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