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Homeless Committee Meeting Minutes 04.20241 Minutes- Committee on the Homeless City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Florida 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov Committee on the Homeless Meeting DATE: April 9, 2024 SUBJECT: MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE HOMELESS MEETING HELD ON APRIL 9, 2024 ATTENDEES: Charlotte Tomic,Chair Beatriz Herrmann Corey Narson Ariana Hernandez-Reguant Tiffany Heckler, Vice-Chair ABSENTEES: Darren Cefalu Karen Edelstein LIASON: Janay Guerrero (Absent) Marcela Rubio, Acting Liaison GUESTS: Denise Ramirez, Miami VA (Zoom) Sandra Parra, local artist CITY STAFF: Marcela Rubio, Assistant Director, Office of Housing Community Services Laura Cortes Flores, Office of Housing and Community Services Sgt. Jerome Berrian [Virtual attendee], Miami Beach Police Department I. Call to order & Introductions Charlotte Tomic, Chair The Chair called the meeting to order at 3:38 p.m.. Attendance was taken. Marcela Rubio, the Assistant Director of Housing Community Service, was introduced to the Committee in the representation of Janay Guerrero, who was absent from the meeting. II. Approval of Prior Committee Meeting Minutes Charlotte Tomic, Chair Action: Motion to approve March 2024 meeting summary made by Charlotte Tomic, seconded by Tiffany Heckler. Motion passed unanimously. III. Miami VA Presentation During the meeting, the Committee received a presentation from Denise Ramirez from 2 Minutes- Committee on the Homeless the Miami VA. The presentation focused on strategies for conducting coordinated outreach to proactively seek out Veterans in need of assistance. The Miami, VA outreach team aims to connect homeless and at-risk Veterans with various support services, including housing solutions, health care, community employment services, and other necessary supports such as Vocational Specialists, Substance-Use Disorder providers (SUD), and Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF). Questions Asked and Answers Q: On average, how many veterans visit the walk-in center daily? A: On average, five to ten clients visit the walk-in center Q: Is there a way for the Committee to donate or help the VA clients? A: Household items (such as laundry detergent, dish soap, etc.) tend to be quite expensive, and the budget often does not account for these items. Incorporating them would significantly benefit the clients. The Vice-Chair asked staff about the percentage of veterans served. Staff informed the Committee that in FY 22-23, veterans were approximately 4% of the total clients served. IV. Covid-19 Update (Deferred to May) Janay Guerrero, Homeless Program Coordinator V. Lazarus Project Update (Deferred to May) Janay Guerrero, Homeless Services Program Coordinator VI. Miami Beach Police Department Update Sgt. Jerome Berrian, MBPD Homeless Resource Unit (HRU) The following updates were provided: • During the last month, the Police Department actively engaged with the homeless community and recorded the following: o Fifty-four (54) interactions with persons who self-identified as homeless o Three (3) after-hours shelter placements were facilitated o Five (5) Baker acts were executed. o Eight (8) arrests were made. o Nineteen (19) people refused the services. • During spring break, more officers were on outreach missions for complaints. Questions Asked and Answers Q: What was the reason for the eight arrests? A: The arrests were made for trespassing, a person attacking a police officer, drinking in public, and drug-related. VII. Homeless Outreach Services Update (Deferred to May) 3 Minutes- Committee on the Homeless Janay Guerrero, Homeless Services Program Coordinator VIII. Old Business Follow-ups • Homeless Awareness Mural Beatriz Herrmann invited Silvia Parra who is an artist, and she shared the work that she has done before. It was proposed to think about which emotions homeless people experience, and one of the ideas is to purpose hope. The Committee also discussed the possibility of local graffiti artists contribute to the mural. • Clothing Drive (Deferred to May) IX. New Business/ Discussions (Deferred to May) • Mission Statement • Invite guest speaker X. Discussion Items (Deferred to May) • Appropriate terminology to identify unsheltered homeless persons Ariana Hernandez – Reguant XI. Public Right to be Heard • No public members requested to be heard. XII. Adjourn Meeting was adjourned at 4:28 p.m. Next meeting is scheduled for May 14th at 3:30 p.m.