15 April Agenda Questions and Responses 15 April Agenda Questions and Responses smartsheet
Date Submitted By Type li�l J= J�� M Question/Comment Staff Response
4/1/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Individual C ID 25-687 City Secretary's Office I would like to request a list of partnerships,per.... City Secretary has requested the information from the applicant.
1 Consideration
Sec.2-272(c):City Officials who have knowledge of being a partner with one of the owners of a Business
Interest with a Pending matter must file a disclosure with the City Auditor.
4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit How does slide#4 align with your align with your statement on slide#1"This audit generally evaluated the The City's encampment response process was evaluated for alignment with Federal guidelines issued by the US Interagency Council on Homelessness in June
effectiveness of the City's homelessness assistance programs and enforcement activity compliance with 2022 and compliance with State law.Encampment response involves enforcement actions as it based on the State and local laws discussed in the report and on
relevant laws and alignment with Federal guidance."In the title it states"Should be Further Slide#3.The title's"further coordinated"language references the findings that the response is not currently well coordinated or well tracked so it is difficult to tell if
2 Coordinated"...which to me implies future actions.Versus the request to look at the effectiveness of the encampments on City property are being identified,noticed,cleared,and cleaned timely.Further there is not a documented process to monitor or track
current homelessness assistance program.How are you evaluating its effectiveness if it is not being done? encampments on private property and the current process may disincentivize private property owners from requesting clearance and cleanup because they face a
Please help me understand and be prepared to explain in detail during work session. code violation once the property is cleared due to left over debris.Because there is a lack of clear data or tracking for City property or a written process for public
property the process does not appear effective.
4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Slide#5:Have you studied peoples private rights as it relates to the next steps you mentioned.Did the Yes,Audit spoke to the clinical supervisor as part of the audit project.Clinical staff expressed safety concerns regarding going to encampments alone.The
3 responding person have the right to proceed and do more and elected not to do so?Did you speak to any Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care Best Practice Toolkit recommends that"[f)or
licensed clinical staff?Did they express any safety concerns? safety and optimal engagement,two person teams should be put in place to support emergency department and justice system diversion.Emergency medical
services should be aware and partner as warranted."
4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Slide#6:"Housing stability"does the city offer housing stability to its residents?If not,how does this align The Community Services Department has historically offered grants to residents to promote housing stability under the Consolidated Plan,including the Minor
with your evaluation of the cities programs?Please share what data guides you to conclude that street Home Repair Program,Rental Repair Program,and Homebuyer Assistance Program.Based on discussions with City and contracted staff,there was a lack of
outreach program,homeless out reach team and contractor do not coordinate.Please share your definition strategic coordination about encampment response and data sharing about current encampment residents and site conditions,such as discussing what should be
of"efficiency"and what data would change if that goal is obtained.Did you consider and calculate the effect done about existing and recently closed encampments,coordinating outreach to occur before clearance and cleanup when possible,and discussing active street
of the groups that do not partner with the city,but are active in similar efforts?Re:"Does not appear to outreach clients through case conferencing.Per Government Auditing Standards"a government program or activity is efficient when it gets the most value from
effectively"...please again define Effectively in the context you used it.Please explain"appear"?...what available resources;"there appears to be a duplication of effort by having HOT and the Street Outreach Contractor performing the same role without coordination
information/data are you reviewing that leads you to this conclusion?Again,did you evaluate the persons as they are likely visiting the same encampments and offering services to the same individuals.A more efficient practice would be for these two groups to
civil rights?...was the party able to do more and what leads you to that finding? coordinate and share information about site conditions so that efforts are not duplicated and needed actions are taken by the most effective resources.Groups that
do not partner with the City were considered,but,because they do not receive funding from the City,data was not available for review.Still it may be more efficient
for these groups to be given clear opportunities to engage in the City's ongoing homelessness response efforts as it would create additional resources for City
4 efforts.Per Government Auditing Standards a program"is effective when it achieves the intended results."According to Federal guidance issued by the US
Interagency Council on Homelessness in June 2019,"The goal of street outreach is to make connections to stable housing with tailored services and supports..
A written document outlining the goals of HOT other than this was not available.Review of a statistical sample of 92 OUTREACH Police Department calls were
reviewed.Of these 40 of 48 self-initiated calls did not have any documentation recorded about who was contacted or what services were offered,making it difficult
to determine if a party was able to do more or what was occurring during these visits.Further,there were three self-initiated calls where assistance was provided:
one person was given directions to the shelter,one person was advised about rehab services,and one person was transported to a non-profit in Lewisville for an
appointment by an officer.The lack of clear documentation for self-initiated OUTREACH calls makes it difficult to determine the outcomes of these interactions.
The other self-initiated calls resulted in a verbal warning to leave the premises(2)or no contact(3).The remaining 44 were initiated by a call for response,15
resulted in no contact,16 resulted in a person voluntarily leaving the scene after contact,only one of which had clear documentation that services were offered.
The remaining nine included five referrals to services:one to HOT,one without clear documentation of what services were offered,and three referrals to the shelter
that were refused.
4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Slide#7:When you say"best practices"what are you relying on to offer this opinion? Historically,the US Dept.of Housing and Urban Development has encouraged Continuums of Care and providers to implement and strengthen Housing First
5 approaches based on guidance issued by the US Interagency Council on Homelessness.This guidance was in place at the time that the MSOA was executed
(2021)and that contract included requirements for the Community Shelter to operate under housing-first and low-barrier approaches.If Federal guidance changes
in the future this will be reflected in any follow-up work performed.
4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Slide#8:Did you ask for additional details regarding expelled individuals?Does the city have similar Yes,a statistical sample of 38 incident reports were reviewed as part of the audit procedures.City staff is not aware of any documented progressive punishment
'progressive systems'to help compel voluntary compliance?Please provide a list of hours(or estimated systems used by the City to compel compliance.Audit staff spent 10-15 hours onsite discussing and observing processes and documentation with Community
6 number of hours),city staff(for official business,not simply volunteering)have been on site at the shelter. Shelter staff as part of this project.Additional time was spent onsite by other City staff in preparation for Work Session Item B.Auditors asked both Community
How do you know feedback was not sought? Shelter Contractor and Community Services Department staff if feedback provided by shelter guests was requested or reviewed by City staff as allowed by the
contract and was told it had not been by both parties.
4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Temporary storage:Please share data on storage complications that the city manages at the police station. As part of the audit,the City's encampment response practices were compared to Federal guidelines issued by the US Interagency Council on Homelessness titled
Please share health concerns related to items located at encampments,and how that affects the ability to "7 Principles for Addressing Encampments"in June 2022.Principle 4 in this resources is titled"Address Basic Needs and Provide Storage."However,items
store those items. located at encampments may be hazardous and may not be appropriate for storage.Rec.4,"Explore options for providing temporary storage to people
experiencing homelessness,"was issued to reflect Federal guidance while recognizing that temporary storage may not be operationally feasible.Previous audits of
the Police Department's Property and Evidence Room contain more detailed information about storage issues there.
4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Low-risk 911 calls:How do you suggest this be achieved?If the call is a 911 call,you only have the Risk would be assessed based on the information reported by the caller and resources would be dispatched based on guidance made available to Public Safety
information provided by the caller.How do you suppose that be evaluated further,to avoid sending the Communications staff.This prioritization process is not unusual as dispatchers may currently only dispatch one type of resource,such as just an ambulance,
8 police? based on the information reported by the caller.Further,as detailed in the report,some calls for response did not receive a physical response,only a virtual
response(e.g.,over the phone).If appropriate guidelines were developed dispatchers could offer for some of these calls to be directed to on call clinicians easing
the burden on law enforcement.Similar guidelines may be possible for instances where a physical response is requested,though safety risks should be
considered.
4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Recommendation 8:1 will ask questions live,but be prepared to explain what data source suggested this This practice is recommended by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care Best
practice and what exactly you are suggesting(practical application). Practice Toolkit.SAMHSA is a branch of the US Department of Health and Human Services.In particular,some calls for response only required a discussion with
the caller over the phone,indicating they may be lower risk.It may be possible for some of these calls to be addressed by mental health clinicians without the use
of finite law enforcement resources.
10 4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Recommendation 15:Please give actual examples of"arbitrary exits".Please provide your definition of Arbitrary meaning that the exit was not based on a guest's actual behavior within the shelter,but instead on chance.The lottery system is not based on guest
arbitrary. behavior,such as progress on their housing plan or disruption to the shelter environment,but on chance and so creates arbitrary exits.
4/1 312 0 2 5 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Recommendation 16:Please explain how this is to be enforced.How do you"ensure"someone does This recommendation is directed towards Community Services to monitor if guests at the Community Shelter are assigned a dedicated case manager and provided
11 something against their will? with a housing plan timely.Based on City staffs recommendations in Work Session Item B,they are recommending that length of stay at the shelter be tied to
housing plan progress,which will help to ensure that the Shelter's housing assistance resources are being used to support those actively seeking more stable
housing.
12 4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Recommendation 18:Is this a city responsibility or a contractor's responsibility? The MSOA requires the Community Shelter Contractor to adopt a clear policy and procedure regarding violations of rules that result in removal from the
Community Shelter.As the contract manager the City is responsible for for ensuring this policy exits and complies with the City's contracted expectations.
4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 City Manager's Office/ Please research the following incidents so that you can answer questions:1.January 2nd,2025,Pedro Staff found several news reports regarding the incidents.Public media articles found are linked below:
Community Services Torres Jr.was accused of attacking a 7-year-old girl at North Lakes Park(previous record of violence).2.
July 7th,2024,Dylan Gurley was found deceased.Michael Tooley was charged with homicide Pedro Torres:
(encampments).3.1 do not have the date,but research the Downtown Ambassador who was attacked.4. https://dentonrc.com/news/crime/denton-man-arrested-after-7-year-old-girl-attacked-at-north-lakes-park/article_f356ec50-c94a-11ef-86cd-871477ef3024.html
Please provide all criminal complaints filed by the security team at the community shelter.
Dylan Gurley/Michael Tooley:
https://www.d a I I as news.com/news/cri me/2024/07/30/d enton-h o m icide-victim-identified-as-20-year-old/
13 https://www.hrc.org/news/hre-remembers-dylan-gurley-young-transgender-woman-tragicaWy-RiTFed-in--Texas
ps: www.n c .cam news oca ransgen er-woman-mur ere - en on
ps: www. eranews.org news ow- ome essness-gen er-i en i y-an -violence-intersect-in-denton-county
https://www.mytexaSdaily.com/north-texas/denton-man-charged-in-murder-at-abandoned-property-atter-inerimi-n-aTi-ng---pffone-calls/article-bO83c468-le62-5ac3-
9b12-9acI7cIbea23a3.htm1
https://www.cityoldenfo-n-.-com/Civ!cAlerts.aspx?AID=831
No public records from the media or the City were found related to the Downtown Ambassador.There was some third-party footage that we found on social media.
The Police Department has received a police report regarding the incident.
14 4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Report Page 1:"encampment response processes are reactive".Do you consider no trespassing signs In general,a no trespassing sign is a proactive measure unless it is posted in response to previously experienced behavior.
reactive or proactive?
4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Report Page 1:"Likely bars more people than necessary from assistance."Question:Based on what This information is based on a review of expulsion and suspension incident reports as detailed on page 30-32.There is additional Federal guidance not specifically
15 data/metrics?Please confirm that there are other resources available not listed in your report?Were those referenced in the audit report that is generally available at www.hudexchange.info on a number of housing-related topics.There is an ongoing policy discussion
other options calculated?Please confirm there is an ongoing debate in the legal community...if people are about the impacts of enforcement actions on people experiencing homelessness.This audit was based on Federal guidance available at the time of the work being
jailed too often or not often enough. reviewed(i.e.,FY2023 and FY2024 for most of the project);if Federal guidance changes in the future that will be reflected in follow-up work.
4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Report Page 2:"Communities have begun assisting."What other cities adjacent to Denton provide Based on their website,the City of Lewisville funds a Street Outreach program(Metro Relief)as well as emergency shelter services for homeless teens(Journey to
16 assistance? Dream)and people experiencing homelessness due to domestic violence(Denton County Friends of the Family).In addition,the City of Dallas has designed a
"Four-Track strategy"to address homelessness.In addition,other Texas cities outside of the DFW metroplex(e.g.,Houston and Austin)have begun assisting
people experiencing homelessness as well as other cities and counties in the United States.
Exported on April 14,2025 3:15:42 PM PDT Page 1 of 2
Date • -• C •- •- -•. w • • Response
4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Report Page 4:Are we talking about a finite number of people experiencing homelessness?If not,how can Information published by the Bureau of Justice Assistance,a division of the US Department of Justice,indicates that people experiencing homelessness are about
you state"reduce demand"?You failed to note other communities have sent people to Denton.Do you 10 times more likely to be incarcerated than the general population due to living unsheltered and unmet behavior health needs.This would indicate that assisting
dispute that fact? people to access more stable housing would result in less calls for service.However,over the past five years the number of people experiencing homelessness
has continued to increase in Denton and nationwide.There is evidence that other communities have referred people experiencing homelessness to the Denton
17 Community Shelter.This evidence was not reviewed in detail because the audit focused on the systems in place to assist people experiencing homelessness.The
audit did find that the Community Shelter does not currently prioritize individuals seeking assistance based on any documented criteria with the exception of
prohibiting children.The audit recommends that a prioritization system be established based on individual needs(Rec.15);if the City wishes to implement a policy
to prioritize people experiencing homelessness from Denton it may do so like it does with other assistance programs(i.e.,PLUS One,Minor Home Repair,etc.),
but this criteria should be clearly documented to ensure consistent application.
4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Report Page 6:Please be prepared to discuss the dangers of encampments(crime,drugs,fires).What has Based on discussions with City staff,HOT has taken steps to post no trespassing signs at some City property locations where encampments have been cleaned
Denton done to prevent encampments?Are you suggesting a policy that delays the enforcement of and staff do visit previous encampment sites that have been cleaned;however,these efforts are not clearly documented and previous site monitoring is not clearly
trespassing laws?Are all citizens of Denton provided access to additional city-provided storage?Do private coordinated with the Street Outreach Contractor.The audit recommends establishing a clear process and timeline for responding to encampments on City and
property owners'rights supersede trespassers'rights?Do you agree that the city is doing what it can by private property so that enforcement actions are taken in a timely manner and clearly documented(Rec.1,2,and 5).At this time there is no guidance for when a
providing a shelter,understanding the city does not own other housing&considering fair housing laws? property owner should be notified about an encampment,which may delay enforcement action needed to ensure public health and safety as encampments may be
18 unsafe or hazardous.In addition,responsibility for City property encampment response was disparate,which may have resulted in delays as well.In general,most
residents are not provided with storage by the City.Private property owners do have the right to control who enters or remains on their property.The audit found
that the City has contracted to provide a housing-first,low-barrier emergency shelter that provides meals,hygiene services,care coordination,and housing
placement services.These services are generally not provided by other municipalities within Denton County,with the exception of Lewisville and Dallas to differing
extents.However,the audit found that the City does not appear to have closely monitored this contract to assure compliance with all contract requirements as
detailed in the report on page 26-33.
19 4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Report Page 8:Is it important to criminally charge individuals so that we have data vs.no record of previous The decision to criminally charge individuals is based on the discretion of the officer and the policy of the City and Police Department.The effectiveness of
violations? enforcement activities as a deterrent for criminal behavior was not evaluated as part of this audit;however,actual enforcement records were reported for context.
20 4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Police/Marketing Report Page 9:How many people that were experiencing homelessness have been found deceased in The Police Department's current forms related to death do not include housing status.
Denton,in the last 3 yrs?
21 4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Community Services Report Page 10:Does an encampment,once discover,proceed to immediate cleanup regardless of Public When the City receives a report of an encampment on public or private property,the cleanup process begins immediately.However,the procedures and timelines
or Private? differ for public and private land.
4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Report Page 13:Please confirm if encampments are simply monitored,they are likely to grow,then the cost It is possible that encampments that are left without intervention will grow,which would increase cleaning costs.The City is responsible for providing for the public
22 to clean up the encampment increases?Please confirm that one of the city's core responsibilities is health and safety of its residents.The audit recommends establishing a clear process and timelines for responding to and tracking/monitoring identified
providing safety(Private and Public property)? encampments on both City and private property to better monitor response timeliness in the future(see Rec.1,2,and 5).
4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Report Page 14:Please confirm the city is charged with attempting to treat everyone the same,because we The City has adopted policies for assistance programs that are aimed at specific populations.For example,many of the City's housing assistance programs are
23 are spending the taxpayer's dollars? only available to households below a certain income level.These types of programs do not result in treating every taxpayer the same,but should result in treating
all eligible individuals the same(i.e.,evaluating assistance needs per written criteria that aligns with the City's policy and awarding assistance based on that
assessment).
4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit CIRT follow-up:Does the CIRT team have the true authority to detain people during the follow-up process? Police officers have the authority to seek emergency detention orders.It is possible an emergency detention order may be needed during a crisis call follow-up,but
24 that is not generally the purpose of following up on crisis calls per the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Guidelines for
Behavioral Health Crisis Care Best Practice Toolkit.
25 4/13/2025 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A ID 25-337 Internal Audit Report Page 18:What does"danger"look like or how is it defined? Danger generally refers to acts of violence that would harm the health or well-being of the caller or another person.
Exported on April 14,2025 3:15:42 PM PDT Page 2 of 2