LTC 064-2020 MBPD Homeless Resource Squad Update MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC# 064-2020 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Mayor Dan Gelber and Members of th City Corn: ission
FROM: Jimmy L. Morales, City Manager L
DATE February 4, 2020
SUBJECT MBPD Homeless Resource Squa Update
This Letter to the Mayor and City Commission is to provide information on the activities of
the Miami Beach Police Department's Homeless Resource Squad (HRS). The HRS is
part of the newly formed Community Affairs Unit and focuses on not just arresting
homeless individuals, but also finding solutions for the many challenges the homeless
population presents for the City Of Miami Beach. These solutions have included engaging
the most chronic members of the homeless population through use of the Marchman Act.
This effort involves a petition process and court related treatment for a segment of the
homeless population suffering from life threatening alcohol and/or drug addiction. The
Marchman Act program currently has 7 individuals enrolled. Since its inception, there have
been 33 participants with 22 successful graduates.
The Homeless Resource Squad also recently partnered with Mt. Sinai Hospital regarding
the release of homeless individuals from the hospital into the community. The
neighborhood surrounding Mt. Sinai and the 41st Street corridor had been experiencing an
influx of homeless individuals that had been released from the hospital. These homeless
individuals had been admitted for Baker Act observation, illness and/or injury. Upon
release, they would wander into the middle area with nowhere else to go. The MBPD's
Homeless Resource Squad with the City's Homeless Outreach Team met with the
leadership of Mt. Sinai Hospital and developed a procedure that would be followed when
discharging patients that were identified as homeless. This new procedure is based on
the after-hours shelter placement protocol already in place. The new program is working
well with 11 individuals placed into shelters in recent weeks. Additionally, at the end of
2019 the MBPD's Homeless Resource Squad had placed a total of 106 homeless
individuals into shelters. This is an impressive amount considering the availability of beds
is a total of 5 at one facility. Other homeless outreach agencies work with multiple shelters
and can do direct placement at multiple facilities.
The Homeless Resource Squad will continue to work hard to assist the homeless
population and find treatment for the most chronic individuals while addressing the crimes
committed by this segment of the population.
JLM:RMC:tr