LTC 143-2002
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No. / l..J3 . c:1tJoa
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From:
Mayor David Dermer and Date: June 11, 2002
Members of the City Commission
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REPORT ON NEIGHBORHOOD SERVIZ DEPARTMENT OFFICE OF
HOMELESS COORDINATION
To:
Subject:
The commission workshop held on January 7, 2002, outlined the Administration's program
to address the homeless which includes the following:
. Homeless prevention
. Expanded outreach, assessment and encampment closure
. Enhanced participation in the Continuum of Care
. Homeless database
. Affordable housing
. Coordination of homeless services and providers
In implementing our homeless program, on October 1,2001, I approved the hiring of a full
time homeless coordinator, Ms. Olga L. Vazquez. Subsequently, a full time homeless case
manager was hired on January 2, 2002, to work directly with the Police Department
Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) and conduct additional outreach with the homeless
coordinator. Proactive homeless outreach missions have been conducted; some of which
involve the assistance of the Miami Beach Police Department when needed, to address the
high volume of business and citizen complaints. To date, we have had a number of
successes in our homeless outreach efforts. The following details the performance of our
program.
Demographics
According to the Dade County Homeless Trust census conducted during the month of
November 2001, there are between 300 to 600 homeless individuals living in the City of
Miami Beach. From October 1, 2001, to April 30, 2002, Neighborhood Services
Department Office of Homeless Coordination offered assistance to 297 homeless and/or
near homeless individuals either through proactive homeless outreach, referrals from the
police department orwalk-ins at City Hall. Ofthe 297 homeless individuals served, 243 are
males and fifty-four (54) are females. The 297 also includes six (6) families and fourteen
(14) children ages ranging from newborn to fourteen years of age who were assisted with
shelter placement, child-care, school enrollment, referral for psychiatric evaluation, rental
assistance and relocation services.
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June 11, 2002
Report on Office of Homeless Coordination
Shelter and/or Permanent Housing
A total of 177 homeless individuals and families accepted placement services as follows:
Ninety-four (94) individuals were placed in shelter at the Salvation Army or directly into a
substance abuse treatment facility. Twenty-four (24) of the Salvation Army clients were
given referrals for psychiatric services through Douglas Gardens and/or the Office of
Veterans Affairs. An additional seventy-four (74) individuals were placed directly into other
emergency shelters such as Miami Rescue Mission and/or Camillus House. It is important
to note that we have developed a working relationship with the Dade County Homeless
Trust and as such are placing individuals directly into Dade County Homeless Trust funded
beds to supplement those purchased by the City of Miami Beach. In addition to emergency
or transitional shelter placements, staff has been able to find permanent housing for nine
(9) individuals that were assisted with permanent housing through FEMA funding and/or
employment. Although these 9 individuals truly represent success stories, unfortunately,
they do not reflect most of homeless population, which is defined as chronic homeless and
with a history of mental illness and/or substance abuse problems (dually diagnosed).
It is important to note that although 177 homeless individuals accepted the offer of shelter,
all individuals contacted were made an offer of shelter. Additionally, 120 homeless
individuals were offered and accepted other services such as relocation, food vouchers or
simply refused all forms of assistance. The following will detail the services provided to the
120 individuals that accepted or required other services and explains the process for those
that refused placement and/or assistance. The employment portion is provided for
informational purposes and to further illustrate the ongoing case management provided by
staff.
Relocation and Reuniting Family
Relocation services consist of providing a homeless individual orfamilywith transportation
to return home and be reunited with family members. Prior to providing the bus ticket, we
verify that there is a family member that is willing and able to assist the homeless
individual. As of October 2001, twelve (12) clients were assisted with relocation services
and reunited with their families. Of these, seven (7) were relocated to Frederick, Maryland,
one (1) individual was reunited with family in Jefferson, Arkansas, and a couple (2) was
relocated to Nashville, Tennessee. Additionally, two (2) individuals were reunited with
family in Miami.
Miscellaneous Services
In addition to providing outreach, assessment and placement, staff has assisted sixty-three
(63) individuals with food vouchers, bus tokens, clothing, social security benefits and
HIV/AIDS treatment. Forty-five (45) individuals were offered shelter and/or assistance and
refused. For the individuals that initially refuse services, staff completes a refusal of
services form and continues to contact the individual(s) through proactive outreach. Our
goal is that through frequent contact with the homeless individual we will develop a trusting
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June 11, 2002
Report on Office of Homeless Coordination
relationship that will enable us to provide placement assistance in either an emergency
shelter or transitional housing.
Employment
Of the 297 individuals that were assisted with aforementioned services, 124 individuals
were referred to employment through Jewish Community Services. Of the 124, forty-eight
(48) individuals who were referred to employment services were also placed at Salvation
Army, twenty-three (23) were secured with Day Labor jobs and fifteen (15) were secured
with permanent employment. The types of employment secured for the homeless have
been in the areas of food service, housekeeping, security, United Parcel Service, Miami
International Airport among others. The remaining thirty-eight (38) are still either working
with the employment specialist and/or have not followed up to secure employment.
While the program is still in development, Neighborhood Services Department, Office of
Homeless Coordination has been actively assisting our homeless population. However, our
daily challenge continues to be finding sufficient beds and services for all the individuals
that request or accept services. As you know, demand for homeless services far exceeds
the supply of emergency shelter and/or homeless resources, However, with the
emergency/transitional-housing Request for Proposal that is currently being pursued,
resources will be added that will assist the department in taking a more proactive approach
to solving the concerns of our residents and business owners.
Should you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact
this office.
JMG\RCM\~
C: Robert C. Middaugh, Assistant City Manager
Vivian P. Guzman, Director, Neighborhood Services Department