2021-091 Homeless Response-Resources UpdateDate: October 22, 2021 Report No. 2021-091
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT
TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT:
City of Denton Homelessness Response Resources
BACKGROUND:
HB 1925 went into effect September 1, 2021 and prohibits camping in a municipally-owned public
space, with exceptions, unless permission to allow such camping is received by the state. The bill
creates a Class C Misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 for those who are cited under
the statute and details an entity may not adopt a policy that prohibits or discourages the
enforcement of any public camping ban. Staff drafted an ISR that in July (ISR 2021-052) that
provided information on HB 1925 and the City's approach to homeless encampment response. Our
thoughtful approach and goals to connect, engage, and assist individuals will remain the same, but
depending upon the impacts of HB 1925, it may require us to have a timelier response.
DISCUSSION:
Current Homeless Response Resources
City of Denton Homeless Response Team: An internal, cross-departmental team has been
meeting monthly since 2018 to collaboratively address the impacts of homelessness on City
property and improve connections to available community resources. The team includes
Community Services (Community Development and Community Improvement), Economic
Development, Fire, Health Inspections, Legal, Libraries, Parks and Recreation, Police, Public
Affairs, Police and Watershed. This team developed a process to identify, assess, outreach, and
if necessary clean sites where people are living unsheltered on public property is active and a
public health or public safety concern is present. The process of outreach/engagement can be
immediate or may carry out over a period of days, months or more if the site is not determined
to be an immediate threat to public health and safety and does not present any life safety
threats.
Denton Police Department (DPD) Mental Health (MH) Division: DPD’s MH Division is
composed of the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) and the Crisis Intervention Response Team
(CIRT). The mission of the DPD MH Division is: “To serve our most vulnerable citizens with
compassion and steadfastness by connecting those in a serious mental health crisis or
experiencing homelessness with help. The Mental Health Division strives to reduce arrests of
people suffering from mental illness while increasing the likelihood they will receive mental
health services.”
o HOT: The City deploys a collaborative approach to homeless street outreach
including law enforcement and nonprofit partners, and HOT is the first response to
people experiencing homelessness in Denton, responding to community concerns and
assisting patrol with complaints regarding people experiencing homelessness. HOT
employs two full-time officers who engage with people living unsheltered.
HOT has partnered with Giving HOPE, a local nonprofit, to connect people living
unsheltered to housing, mental health, substance use treatment and other resources.
Date: October 22, 2021 Report No. 2021-091
HOT has been instrumental in assisting people living unsheltered with obtaining
government IDs. HOT responds to community requests and proactively connects with
people living unsheltered to address any health and safety concerns and help people
move from homeless to housed.
o CIRT: DPD launched the CIRT in May of 2021 and is composed of four (4) co-
responder teams (one Officer and one Mental Health Clinician) who respond in real-
time with patrol. The CIRT Clinicians bring mental health expertise to crisis calls and
the CIRT Officers can administer Emergency Detention Orders to connect people in
crisis to a mental health hospital for emergency treatment. CIRT Clinicians conduct
short and long-term follow ups with previous participants to assess progress and
reconnect them treatment services as needed. DPD has also seen a 282% increase in
the number of mental health information reports completed by patrol officers with the
added benefit of follow up from the CIRT Clinicians. Performance data for the CIRT
are included below:
Number of Emergency Detention Orders (May to October): 95
Number of mental health information reports completed by DPD officers:
January to September 2020 – 199
January to September 2021 – 761
Number of mental health follow ups by CIRT (May to August): 682
Future Plans/Programming
HOT Expansion: Utilizing American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding HOT will expand in
2022 with the addition of a Stability Case Worker (a licensed social worker) and a Community
Health Paramedic to enhance the team’s efforts to connect with individuals living unsheltered.
The Stability Case Worker will make referrals to housing and follow up with HOT program
participants throughout their housing process, ultimately providing an extra layer of support
and stability. The Community Health Paramedic will accompany HOT to assess medical
conditions, provide medical assistance and connect individuals living unsheltered to
appropriate healthcare resources. The goal of adding a paramedic to HOT is to address minor
healthcare needs and reduce emergency department visits.
New Homeless Services Coordinator: Community Services is in the process of hiring for a
new position, a Homeless Services Coordinator, who will support the coordination and
alignment of the City’s internal and external homeless response initiatives and investments.
Street Outreach Standards of Care: Community Services and HOT will collaborate in the
coming months to develop a Standards of Care for Street Outreach detailing the
City’s street outreach approach and identifying standards and expectations for community
partners conducting street outreach that are funded by the City and/or partnering with HOT.
Work Programs for People Experiencing Homelessness: Parks and Recreation is currently
evaluating the possibility of implementing a work program for people experiencing
homelessness in the City of Denton. Working with a local employer, the program would
employ individuals experiencing homelessness and staying at local shelters through local
vendors to build work experience and income.
Date: October 22, 2021 Report No. 2021-091
Ambassador Program: The City’s internal Homeless Response Team has begun evaluating
the feasibility of implementing an Ambassador Program in the downtown area and/or in City
parks. The team has researched various Ambassador Programs deployed with the goal of
hospitality and maintenance of local downtown areas and parks designed to give cities a more
visible presence in commonly used areas. These programs often deploy ambassadors on foot
or by bicycle to provide directions, keep areas clean and safe, provide escort to parking
lots/garages and even employ specially-trained positions to build rapport with and provide
resource referrals to people experiencing homelessness. Parks and Recreation
is considering the possibility of expanding or tying existing contracts for the downtown
area for litter cleanup and power-washing into a potential Ambassador Program. The future
Homeless Services Coordinator will support an in-depth feasibility study of a potential
Ambassador Program in Denton in early 2022. Examples of Ambassador Programs are
included below:
o Downtown Santa Monica Hospitality and Maintenance Ambassador
Program (linked)
Operates 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
Funded through downtown business improvement district
City provides General Funds to contract with their downtown association
to administer an additional pilot program (now in its second year) that deploys
Parks Ambassadors in three of their most popular ‘downtown adjacent’ parks
in addition to the traditional downtown Ambassador services.
o Downtown Fort Worth Ambassador Program (linked)
Operates 7 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Funded through downtown Public Improvement District (PID)
STAFF CONTACT:
Courtney Douangdara, Community Services
REQUESTOR: (List Council Member Name/Board, Commission or Committee/Staff Initiated)
Staff Initiated
PARTICIPATING DEPARTMENTS:
Community Services, Denton Police Department Mental Health Division, Parks and Recreation
STAFF TIME TO COMPLETE REPORT:
2 hours