HEAL Initiative - Connecting individuals to housing

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Ann Kitchen
Posts: 294
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2015 4:04 pm

HEAL Initiative - Connecting individuals to housing

Post by Ann Kitchen »

Colleagues

My co-sponsors and I have posted the HEAL Initiative for the February 4th agenda. HEAL represents an effective addition to the valuable efforts that our homeless service partners and city staff are currently pursuing in our community.

What is HEAL?
--This resolution asks the City Manager to implement and fund a Housing-Focused Homeless Encampment Assistance Link (“HEAL”) initiative to connect individuals experiencing homelessness to housing-focused services and supports, including social, health, behavioral health, and substance use services as needed.
--The purpose of the HEAL initiative is to immediately house individuals in safe shelter, create a path to permanent housing, and over time, eliminate the necessity for unsheltered camping in our city.

This resolution helps us achieve our top priority as a Council - ending homelessness. I welcome your support and an opportunity to move forward together to address our shared goals.

Best Regards
Ann Kitchen
City Council D5

Link to HEAL Resolution
http://assets.austintexas.gov/austincou ... 65150.docx
Ann Kitchen
Council Member District 5
Mackenzie Kelly
Posts: 73
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2021 2:56 pm

Re: HEAL Initiative - Connecting individuals to housing

Post by Mackenzie Kelly »

Colleagues,

I am grateful to CM Kitchen as well as, CM Pool, CM Tovo, and CM Renteria and staffs, for working so hard to craft this solution. The “healing” that Housing-Focused Homeless Encampment Assistance Link aims to accomplish is in part the mending of relationships between housed and unhoused neighbors here in the City. We may best respect our neighbors experiencing homelessness when we offer assistance that is both wanted and effective. In addition we best respect our wider community by ensuring that public areas in which we live, work and play, are welcoming, clean and safe.

These aims do not need to be in conflict. While the goal of eliminating homelessness is lofty, we believe the piece of the puzzle presented in this item is an essential step in the right direction. We ask the wider Council’s support in our goal of treating each homeless resident of Austin as an individual, with particular needs and possible supports needed. This item is not a broad-brush approach to hide the problem, but one in which, location by location, person by person, we work to regain the trust of our neighbors.

Let us have the chance to prove that this highly individualized and hyperlocal approach is not only compassionate but cost-effective. We will rely on the guidance of our private and non-profit partners, and aim to enable supports that are as time-limited and economically trim as possible. While not turning the tide completely on the situation that has exploded across our City, we hope that this will bring needed change to certain areas and to many individuals.
Council Member, District 6
Leslie Pool
Posts: 229
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:22 pm

Re: HEAL Initiative - Connecting individuals to housing

Post by Leslie Pool »

All, I'm happy to join with my co-sponsors in support of CM Kitchen's HEAL initiative, and thank CM Kitchen for bringing it to the Council on Feb 4. Kitchen's resolution advances our collective work to address and end homelessness, a continuing challenge - and priority - for our city, as it is in so many places around the country. I like the comments CM Kelly posted on this thread: she sums up our broader goals and the more specific details that lie within the goals really well.

Our work on homelessness continues. The visible, on-the-ground need in our city motivates me to dig deep and to think expansively, to keep pushing for the progress and the positive change that we all desire.

I look forward to insightful and productive discussions with you all.

Best,

Leslie
Leslie Pool
Mayor Pro Tem
Council Member, District 7
Alison Alter
Posts: 211
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2017 3:52 pm

Re: HEAL Initiative - Connecting individuals to housing

Post by Alison Alter »

Colleagues,

Thank you for your hard work on this challenging and complex issue. The HEAL initiative aligns well with our shared goal to make homelessness in Austin brief, non-recurring, and rare. I appreciate how it builds on many initiatives our council has supported to provide housing and support services to our neighbors experiencing homelessness in targeted and focused ways.

I’ve long encouraged staff to prioritize providing resources and referrals for individuals experiencing homelessness living at 183 and Oak Knoll in particular. I’m optimistic that this location would meet the criteria of the Phase 1 prioritization. In addition, I’d like to request that the description of the Phase 2 prioritization be revised before adoption to also incorporate areas where camping is currently prohibited, such as parkland. With that understanding, I’d like to be listed as a co-sponsor of this item.

Regards,
Alison Alter
Council Member, District 10
Leslie Pool
Posts: 229
Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:22 pm

Re: HEAL Initiative - Connecting individuals to housing

Post by Leslie Pool »

CM Alter, thanks so much for your support of CM Kitchen's HEAL resolution. CM Kitchen asked me to pass along to you (she's not near a computer at the moment) that she accepts you as cosponsor and that you can expect your language to be added. Any suggested wording that you'd like to send to us or post here would be helpful.

Thanks!

Leslie
Leslie Pool
Mayor Pro Tem
Council Member, District 7
Ann Kitchen
Posts: 294
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2015 4:04 pm

Re: HEAL Initiative - Connecting individuals to housing

Post by Ann Kitchen »

Please see Corrected Message Board Post - with a FACT Sheet, Question and Answer, and list of clarifications to be posted later today.

Best
Ann Kitchen
City Council D5
Ann Kitchen
Council Member District 5
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