LTC 91-2002CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Mana er
Letter to Commission No. 2Z2zg,f.
To: Mayor David Dermer and Date: April 2, 2002
Members of the City Commission
From:
Subject:
STATUS REPORT~ON THE HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAM
This Letter to the Commission is to advise of the most recent status of the Police Department's Homeless
Outreach Team and it's accomplishments.
First, let me start by congratulating the Members of the Police Department's Homeless Outreach Team. They
have bean selected as one of the recipients for the City of Miami Beach Community Heroes Award. On April
2, 2002 they were presented with their award at a ceremony held at the 21St Street Community Center. Vice
Mayor, Saul Gross and Joanna Revelo, Director of Community Development were the presenters at the
ceremony.
Homeless Outreach Statistics: December 16, 2001 .... March 17, 2002
These statistics represent the combined efforts of the Mission Teams and the Patrol Division, The social
services offered in the program includes immediate access to a Salvation Army Homeless Shelter where a
variety of services are provided including medical care and employment assistance. The ultimate goal is to
get our homeless population entry into the continuum of care where they are provided with an opportunity to
become self-sufficient.
Missions: 34 Arrests: 202
FI Cards: 112 Contacts: 575
Placed: 6 Accepted: 25
Pending Beds: 20 Refused: 326
Specifically, the greatest obstacle continues to be the lack of available beds for those who accept the program.
The vast majority of the homeless arrested were those who committed life sustaining misdemeanors and
refused shelter (when available), were in violation of the law or had open arrest warrants.
We will continue to provide updates as the program prograsses.
JMG\I~\CNM..GW