Special Meeting of the Downtown Austin Community Court Advisory Board July 10, 2020 Downtown Austin Community Court Advisory Board to be held July 10, 2020 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (July 9, 2020 by Noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the July 10, 2020 Downtown Austin Community Court Advisory Board Meeting, residents must: Call or email the board liaison at Edna Staniszewski at 512-974-1260 no later than noon, (the day before the meeting). The information required is the speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, and a telephone number or email address. Once a request to speak has been called in or emailed to the board liaison, residents will receive either an email or phone call providing the telephone number to call on the day of the scheduled meeting. Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. Handouts or other information may be emailed to Edna.Staniszewski@austintexas.gov by Noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. If this meeting is broadcast live, residents may watch the meeting here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live . DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT ADVISORY BOARD JULY 10, 2020 AT 10:00am-11:30am VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Darilynn Cardona-Beiler, Chair Lea Downey Gallatin, Vice Chair Kergin Bedell Jason English Kate Garza Ann Howard Gary Ponder Susan Requejo Seneca Savoie Andrew Williams AGENDA THERE MAY BE DISCUSSION AND ACTION ON ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS. CALL TO ORDER MINUTES 2. NEW BUSINESS 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MAY 6, 2020 SPECIAL CALLED MEETING a. Status of DACC operations during COVID-19, changes in operations, any new trends noticed. (Cardona-Beiler/Downey Gallatin) – Pete Valdez, Court Administrator, Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC) b. DACC’s involvement with the management of the Protective Facilities and rehousing efforts (Cardona-Beiler/Downey Gallatin) - Pete Valdez, Court Administrator, Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC) c. Homeless Services updates: – Vella Karman, Interim Homeless Services Officer i. Upcoming report from Barb Poppe and Mathew Doherty ii. Hotel/ …
DACC Advisory Board MEETING MINUTES Friday, July 10, 2020 SPECIAL MEETING FRIDAY, July 10, 2020 DACC ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES The Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC) Advisory Board convened in a special meeting on Friday, July 10, 2020 in Austin, Texas. Chair Darilynn Cardona-Beiler called the Board Meeting to order at 10:05am. Board Members in Attendance: Jason English, Lea Downey-Gallatin, Kate Garza, Ann Howard, Gary Ponder, Susan Requejo, and Andrew Williams Staff in Attendance: Pete Valdez, Jennifer Sowinski, Edna Staniszewski, Judge Coffey 1. APPROVAL OF MAY 6, 2020 SPECIAL CALLED MEETING MINUTES Board Member Andrew Williams moved to approve the May 6, 2020 meeting minutes. Board Member Ann Howard seconded the motion. Motion passed by 8-0 vote. 2. NEW BUSINESS a. Status of DACC operations during COVID-19, changes in operations, any new trends noticed. (Cardona-Beiler/Downey Gallatin) – Pete Valdez, Court Administrator, Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC) - Since March 16, 2020, DACC has a skeleton crew onsite. Facilities are restricted in space and room needed to be available for the clients. b. DACC’s involvement with the management of the Protective Facilities and rehousing efforts (Cardona-Beiler/Downey Gallatin) - Pete Valdez, Court Administrator, Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC) - Most personnel have been reassigned to the Protective Lodges with the Emergency Operations Center which Robert Kingham is taking the lead. c. Homeless Services updates: – Vella Karman, Interim Homeless Services Officer Upcoming report from Barb Poppe and Mathew Doherty Hotel/ Motel Conversion strategy update Budget Considerations Covid-19 response and RFA’s The Board received an update. d. Public Space Management initiatives (Cardona-Beiler/Downey Gallatin) – Ramesh Swaminathan, Engineer, Watershed Protection – item moved to September’s meeting. 1 DACC Advisory Board MEETING MINUTES Friday, July 10, 2020 e. Storage update –Jennifer Sowinski, Clinical Operations Manager, gave an update on the storage bins and their location. f. Annual Internal Review Report – Report due at the end of the month. Before the Chair submits the final report to the city clerk’s office, staff will forward a draft copy for the commissioners to review. 3. OLD BUSINESS a. City Ordinance Review (sit/lie, camping, solicitation) (CardonaBeiler/Gallatin) a. Update on Coordinated Entry prioritization strategies (Cardona-Beiler/Downey Gallatin) FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT Chair Darilynn Cardona-Beiler adjourned the meeting at 11:37am without objection. 2
HOMELESS SERVICES UPDATES Downtown Austin Community Court Advisory Board July 10, 2020 VELLA KARMAN INTERIM HOMELESS SERVICES OFFICER Updates from Homeless Services Division 1. Upcoming report from contracted national consultants 2. Motel Conversion Strategy update 3. Budget considerations 4. COVID-19 response and RFAs City Contracts for National Homelessness Consultants Barbara Poppe & Associates Report being released in July 2020 Matthew Doherty Assisting with implementation of report recommendations Motel Conversion Strategy May 6th update provided by Office of Real Estate Services & Neighborhood Housing and Community Development 300 unit goal (3-4 converted motels) Housing First approach to provide permanent supportive (PSH) housing Funding sources: CDBG GO/Housing Bonds Certificate of Obligation Other Motel Conversion Strategy Update 2711 IH-35 South (formerly Rodeway Inn) purchased Repairs, mitigation and minor renovations Likely temporary use for emergency response to COVID-19 7400 IH-35 North Current lease to purchase agreement Operating as protective lodging for COVID-19 Possible purchase August – September Future acquisitions – property layout ready for PSH Budget Considerations Homelessness is top priority for City Council COVID-19 having a significant economic and financial impact Public Safety funding is being discussed Important Budget Dates City Manager’s proposed budget presentation (2pm) July 13 July 23 July 28 July 30 Aug 4 Budget & tax rate public hearing City Council Work Session Budget & tax rate public hearing Budget & tax rate public hearing Aug 12-14 Budget adoption COVID-19 Response & RFAs 4 Primary Response Areas 1. Hygiene resources for unsheltered individuals 2. Food/Water access for unsheltered individuals 3. Infection control protocols for congregate shelters / Planning 4. Isolation & Protective lodging (ProLodges) 1. Hygiene Resources for Unsheltered Individuals Public showers and restrooms in City parks / trails Portable toilets and handwashing stations in 20 areas Contracting with nonprofit to run mobile shower/hygiene trailers Violet Bag (trash pick-up) sites near high activity areas – daily service Face masks, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, hygiene products distributed 2. Food Access – Eating Apart Together (EAT) Shelf-Stable Food Distribution – 1,000 weekly bags containing 5-6 days worth of food for unsheltered individuals outside downtown core – 1,000 weekly bags containing 5-6 days worth of food for unsheltered individuals in the downtown core, and for recently housed individuals Also distributed in bags: dog food, hygiene supplies, feminine hygiene supplies, toilet paper, face masks, COVID-19 …
