Homeless Committee Meeting Minutes 06.20241
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: June 11, 2024
SUBJECT: MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE HOMELESS MEETING HELD ON
JUNE 11, 2024
ATTENDEES:
Charlotte Tomic, Chair
Corey Narson
Karen Edelstein
Beatriz Herrmann
Ariana Hernandez
ABSENTEES
Tiffany Heckler
LIASON:
Janay Guerrero
GUESTS:
Luis F. Atencio
Commissioner Joe Magazine
CITY STAFF:
Janay Guerrero, Program Coordinator, Office of Housing Community Services
Laura Cortes Flores, Office of Housing and Community Services
Police Officer Alan Perez, Miami Beach Police Department,
I. Call to order & Introductions
Charlotte Tomic, Chair
The Chair called the meeting to order at 3:33 p.m. by the Chair. Attendance was taken
by the liaison.
II. Approval of Prior Committee Meeting Minutes
Charlotte Tomic, Chair
Action: Item deferred to next meeting.
III. Covid-19 Update
Janay Guerrero, Homeless Program Coordinator
The following updates were provided:
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• There have been no reported COVID-19 outbreaks within the City’s contracted
homeless shelters. However, New Hope, the City’s contracted provider for Afterhours
outreach and substance abuse treatment, has reported a minor outbreak, leading to
the necessary quarantine and isolation of selected individuals. The City’s three (3)
contracted treatment beds with New Hope are still available for use but additional beds
may be limited based on outbreak status.
IV. Lazarus Project Update
Janay Guerrero, Homeless Services Program Coordinator
The following updates were provided:
• The Lazarus Project maintains providing the service to individuals throughout the
week, operating five days a week. Referrals to the agencie are routinely processed
by the office, which also coordinates client encounters to ensure access to their
medication.
• Currently the Lazarus Project has three individuals that have accepted medication
management for mental health conditions.
Questions Asked and Answers
Q: What is the best number to call when encountering a homeless individual exhibiting
psychotic behavior, and one is uncertain about the appropriate actions to take?
A: Such cases would depend on the severity of the situation. The best and safest
suggested option would be to call 911 immediately to ensure the proper help and care is
dispatched.
V. Miami Beach Police Department Update
Officer. Alan Perez, MBPD Homeless Resource Unit (HRU). [Sgt.Jerome Berrian was not
present]
The following updates were provided:
During the last month, the Police Department actively engaged with the homeless
community and recorded the following:
• During the last month, the Police Department provided 59 after-hours shelter
placements, 2 treatment placements for substance abuse, 2 detox transfers,
placement of 2 females in treatment facilities, and Baker Acted 2 individuals for mental
health ilness.
• The Police Department (PD) has allocated two police officers per shift to enforce the
camping ordinance.
• Concerning trends have emerged in the City:
o Increase in elderly individuals experiencing hoomelessness
o Increase in females experiencing homelessness.
o Increase in the presence of sex offenders observed between areas 3 and 4.
Assisting this population has proven to be challenging, as they often are
ineligible for available services due to criminal backgrounds.
o Agencies are transporting clients from Miami and Hialeah to Mount Sinai for
Baker Acts instead of utilizing closer facilities in their respective areas. This
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transportation pattern contributes to the increasing numbers of homeless
individuals with mental illness in our City.
o
• Police believes that the following would be beneficial to their operations:
o Expanding access to female beds, treatment beds, and bottom bunks for
individuals who are physically disabled.
o Increasing the number of Homeless Resources Officers.
Questions Asked and Answers
Q: Why do homeless sexual offenders not qualify for services?
A: Individuals experiencing homelessness that are sexual offenders do not qualify for
shelter placement services due to shelter policies and regulations. While various options
for this population have been considered, they often prove to be costly. However, one
service they do have access to is identification services
Q: What is the ratio of male to female homeless individuals?
A: This precise data is unavailable at the time; however, typically, there are more males
than females among the homeless population, but there is currently an unusual trend
where the number of females experiencing homelessness is notably higher than usual.
Q: What area do the two police officers Patrol that are assigned to enforce the camping
ordinance?
A: The police officers patrol citywide as needed and determined by the Supervisor.
Q: Where are the after hours beds located?
A: The after hours beds are located at The Salvation Army. Three beds are available for
placements, one of which is designated for females.
Q: When a person is placed into shelter during an after-hours placement, is that bed only
guaranteed for one (1) night?
A: Yes; cnce an individual is placed, the Homeless Outreach Services Team conducts an
assessment the following business day to determine further services (including shelter)
the client is eligible for.
Q: How many beds are needed to meet the demand?
A: At least 3 to 4 additional female beds, as well as bottom bunks, are needed to partially
meet the demand.
Q: What is the process to lobby for the acquisition of more beds?
A (by Commissioner Magazine): One step that has been utilized by other Boards &
Committees is to submit a recommendation via Letter to Commissioner (LTC).
A (By Janay Guerrero): Action on LTC submission must be deferred to next meeting, as
voting items are not permitted via Zoom meeting. In addition, on the side of the Homeless
Outreach Services Program, the Administration prioritizes proactive efforts to facilitate
client transitions. The office collaborates closely with the shelter providers to acquire
secure as many beds as possible to ensure efficient placement and address the demands
and needs of the clients. The program is actively exploring avenues for expanding the
portafolio. Most recently, as previously reported, the Program recently acquired six (6)
additional beds at Camillus House.
Q: What are the after hours placements?
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A: The Homeless Outreach Services Office operates during standard office hours, with
exceptions made for families in need of after hours services. Three beds are accessible
by Miami Beach Police after the Homeless Services Offices is closed and are designated
for individual placements. Miami Beach Police officers can facilitate transportation to The
Salvation Army for these individuals. Subsequently, clients undergo service assessments
the following day.
Q: Is the Salvation Army the only shelter for after hours placement? If so, has anyone
been denied the access to the Salvation Army?
A: Salvation Army is currently the only shelter where Miami Beach Police has designated
beds. If an individual is banned from Salvation Army, Police may reach out to New Hope
to assist with possible placement into an overnight bed at Camillus House contingent,
upon availability.
Commissioner Joe Magazine requested a follow-up analysis on Miami Beach Police’s
report on the rising number of sex offenders, including how this rise is affecting other areas
of the County, to be reported either back to the Committee on the Homeless at the next
meeting or via a Letter to Commission (LTC).
VI. Homeless Outreach Services Update
Janay Guerrero, Homeless Services Program Coordinator
The following updates were provided:
• During the current fiscal year, the Division has facilitated 374 shelter placements,
190 family reunifications (relocations).
• At the last meeting, the percentage of assistance provided by the program was
requested. Since October 1st, 1,028 individuals have been assessed by the
Program; 668 represents the quality data assessments. Of the 668,
approximately 306 are unduplicated shelter placements, which represents
approximately 45%. It is also worth noting that the Program has ordered 112 birth
certificates, and 115 identification waivers for persons experiencing homeless to
replace essential identification documents..
• The office is participating with the Miami Dade County Homeless Trust to address
the extreme heat season and help people experiencing homelessness manage
excessive heat. The team distributes water bottles, face gaiter masks, and
electrolytes. Individuals can also be transported to local cooling sites, such as
selected libraries, homeless shelter, community centers, and parks.
Questions Asked and Answers
Q: Do these numbers include families?
A: While overall services do include families, these numbers specifically account for heads
of households, as children are not able to make decisions.
Q: Do the percentages provided include individuals within and outside the City of Miami
Beach; considering the recent census indicating 154 homeless individuals belonging
specifically to the City of Miami Beach? And would it make sense to have a moving
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average of the homeless population to determine how many persons experiencing
homelessness are in the City at any given time?
A (by Committee member, Ariana Hernandez Reguant): The disparities in the numbers
are due to the census being performed only twice per year, representing oly a snapshot
of the amount of persone experiencing homelessness at that particular time. A more
precise estimation would require conducting the census on a more frequent basis, such
as monthly or weekly, and subsequently calculating the average would be necessary.
However, she emphasized that this would require additional funding.
Q: How do the clients learn about heat assistance and cooling sites?
A: The office outreach staff communicate the information to the clients, and transported
the clients to the cooling center on the beach like the library. The Miami-Dade county
website also provided the information about the community centers availables. The
Homeless trust informed PD, and park rangers, for the client also obtain the information
from other city teams.
VII. Old Business/Discussions Follow-up
• Homeless Awareness Mural
o Ariana Hernandez Reguant reported that she contacted the Camillus
House artist to inquire about his willingness to donate the mural; however,
he was reluctant to paint the mural without compensation. Beatriz will be
provided with the phone of the artist from Ariana and will reach out to him
for further conversation.
o Beatriz Hermann reported that she has not heard from the artist she invited
to April’s meeting, Silvia Parra, but will follow up as well.
• Clothing Drive / Donations :
o Charlotte Tomic reported that she has some items for VA donation. Due
the weather conditions she will bring it for next meeting. She also proposes
to create an email with a list of the donations to prevent duplicating the
donations. Janay Guerrero will be responsible for emailing the committee,
and they will review which supplies are already assigned to each member.
VIII. New Business/ Discussions
• Mission Statement
Action: Item deferred to next meeting.
•
IX. Discussion Items
Appropriate terminology to identify unsheltered homeless persons
Ariana Hernandez – Reguant
• Action: Item deferred to next meeting.
Sharing of articles by Committee members
• Committee member, Ariana Hernandez-Reguant, expressed concern regarding
the sharing of articles and information that may not be beneficial to Committee
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business and has opted to only receive information that is relevant to the
Committee and its business.
X. Public Right to be Heard
• No public members requested to be heard
XI. Adjournment
• Meeting was adjourned at 4:25 p.m.
Next Meeting
July 9, 2024 at 3:30pm
Miami Beach City Hall- City Manager’s Small Conference Room
1700 Convention Center Dr. 4th Floor
Miami Beach, FL 33139