Wednesday, March 18,
Alameda County Supervisors plus mayors, virtual meeting notes
(No minutes are posted so far, but listing for this meeting: https://alamedacounty.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=alamedacounty_b9c923a0f88de756b194e0d1b9b42fce.pdf&view=1)
There was a meeting today by telephone/zoom at 2 pm, AC City Mayors plus AC Supervisors Chan and Carson. Colleen Chawla (County Health Director) and Kerry Abbott (County Homeless Care Coordinator) talked quite a bit. I only found out about it at the last minute, after it had already started, but did take some notes. (I couldn't always tell who was talking, and in some cases sound was poor and I couldn't hear, so forgive any errors.)
Outreach effort to encampments is through Healthcare for the Homeless
Christine Daniels (Emeryville) mentioned that Emeryville is keeping public restrooms open for better sanitation, including at night, providing hot meals for seniors even though senior centers shut down. Trying to understand latest info on hotel rooms.
(Over 300 hotel rooms to be leased by state*. SFGate reported this, hotels near airport to be used for people tested Covid-positive or showing symptoms.) *To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the state is moving hundreds of homeless individuals off the streets and into Oakland hotel rooms.Governor Gavin Newsom told KCBS that state officials had secured 393 rooms for the homeless in two hotels near Oakland International Airport. The two hotels were not named. Newsom said state officials were working to "get people out of encampments and into environments where we can address their growing anxiety and our growing concern about the health of some of our most vulnerable Californians."
Guidelines for nonprofits being worked up for health safety services at such hotels.
Mayor Schaaf mentioned a frightened call from downtown Marriott worried their hotel would be taken over. HHAP funds might be available to lease hotel space. Mayor Schaaf suggested that this might be used to contribute to eventual purchase of some facilities for permanent use for homeless transition housing.
Mayor Schaaf in close touch with state, mayors tell her this is wonderful lobbying.
Mayor Jesse Arreguin (Berkeley) chairing this meeting. Talked of strengthening relationship between cities and county in four areas:
- joint planning
- implementation
- funding
-agreeing on goals.
Mentioned cooperation on state and fed funding aplications, and asking county to engage cities in planning processes.
Mayor Schaaf: cities in charge of siting facilities and capital improvements, but encampment management is crushing load; need increased county services, need more housing for extremely low income. Jesse agrees
Mayor Barbara Halliday (Hayward) trying to leverage and coordinate existing nonprofits, food efforts, etc.
Supervisor Keith Carson mentions period between working sessions of the county-mayors working group. Wants to convene all agencies regarding things like trash management: Caltrans, Waste Mgmt, Public Works Depts and get all in one room.
Supervisor Chan: how to pay for operational costs. County in charge of health care, but what about the other things?
Mayor Schaaf: ongoing funding problems. Also, evaluation of efforts, need combined data.
Colleen Chawla: nearing expiration of "whole-person care" five-year programs. Talked about the combined community health record system with medical as well as housing information, coordinating medical and nonprofit agency info.
Kerry Abbott: efforts on permanent supportive housing "pipeline", meeting with City of Oakland, offers to meet with other cities.
Keith Carson mentions Measure A-1 (2016) aff. housing bond, provisions for extremely low income units. Wants to convene working group relationship with city managers.
Mayor Schaaf: Oakland has strong mayor, so she is not on council, doesn't want to leave them out, wants to include her staffer Radu and maybe a councilperson to take part in above-proposed working group.
Marchand: city administrator liaison works for Livermore, and a number of other cities.
Wilma Chan: will continue working on ballot measure perhaps for Nov. 2020, not sure if there's a recession whether that will be a good idea, but working on it and county will poll the idea.
Kerry Abbott pursuing meetings with mayors
Kathleen Clanon (AC Medical Director) mentions wraparound services
Abbott (I think): Currently there are 6 street health outreach teams with nurse practitioner, mental health, and housing person on each. Now with Covid each team visits 4 encampments/day, 5 days a week, to identify ill people. 14 zones covered, 6 are particularly dense.
Additional team(s?) are to be added.
Fremont City Mgr. asked if there was a tri-city team. Answer: yes, working through Fremont Health Centers.
Kerry Abbott mentions Livermore subcontracting thru Abode.
Kerry Abbott mentions she will keep everyone posted on "the framework" (we should try to find/get this)
Mayor Arreguin: mayors/supervisors group is to meet quarterly, maybe should be monthly during covid period. Wants to discuss role of Everyone Home.
Next meeting should be beginning of May.
Mayors are meeting 2nd Wed. each month at 5 pm (I don't know where or how to keep up with this, nor whether these would be public meetings). Maybe a county rep should attend?
Maybe All Home organization can facilitate or staff or participate those meetings?
Someone asked if there were any public speakers so I asked how to get info on these meetings in advance, plus any backup info. Mayor Schaaf chimed in and basically said "not a public meeting!" but then others said it was. I said I wasn't needing to hold forth, but that ShelterOak was intensely interested and wanted to know what is going on. (We should follow up with supervisors' staff and figure out how to stay in the loop.) No other public speakers.
There was confusion about what kind of meeting this was but it was noticed as "Health Committee." Also there was both a notice and a cancellation notice on the county website.
Notes by Naomi Schiff, ShelterOak
also see reports of earlier Supervisor / Mayors meetings: January 28, 2020; and July 22, 2019
Alameda County Supervisors plus mayors, virtual meeting notes
(No minutes are posted so far, but listing for this meeting: https://alamedacounty.granicus.com/DocumentViewer.php?file=alamedacounty_b9c923a0f88de756b194e0d1b9b42fce.pdf&view=1)
There was a meeting today by telephone/zoom at 2 pm, AC City Mayors plus AC Supervisors Chan and Carson. Colleen Chawla (County Health Director) and Kerry Abbott (County Homeless Care Coordinator) talked quite a bit. I only found out about it at the last minute, after it had already started, but did take some notes. (I couldn't always tell who was talking, and in some cases sound was poor and I couldn't hear, so forgive any errors.)
Outreach effort to encampments is through Healthcare for the Homeless
Christine Daniels (Emeryville) mentioned that Emeryville is keeping public restrooms open for better sanitation, including at night, providing hot meals for seniors even though senior centers shut down. Trying to understand latest info on hotel rooms.
(Over 300 hotel rooms to be leased by state*. SFGate reported this, hotels near airport to be used for people tested Covid-positive or showing symptoms.) *To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the state is moving hundreds of homeless individuals off the streets and into Oakland hotel rooms.Governor Gavin Newsom told KCBS that state officials had secured 393 rooms for the homeless in two hotels near Oakland International Airport. The two hotels were not named. Newsom said state officials were working to "get people out of encampments and into environments where we can address their growing anxiety and our growing concern about the health of some of our most vulnerable Californians."
Guidelines for nonprofits being worked up for health safety services at such hotels.
Mayor Schaaf mentioned a frightened call from downtown Marriott worried their hotel would be taken over. HHAP funds might be available to lease hotel space. Mayor Schaaf suggested that this might be used to contribute to eventual purchase of some facilities for permanent use for homeless transition housing.
Mayor Schaaf in close touch with state, mayors tell her this is wonderful lobbying.
Mayor Jesse Arreguin (Berkeley) chairing this meeting. Talked of strengthening relationship between cities and county in four areas:
- joint planning
- implementation
- funding
-agreeing on goals.
Mentioned cooperation on state and fed funding aplications, and asking county to engage cities in planning processes.
Mayor Schaaf: cities in charge of siting facilities and capital improvements, but encampment management is crushing load; need increased county services, need more housing for extremely low income. Jesse agrees
Mayor Barbara Halliday (Hayward) trying to leverage and coordinate existing nonprofits, food efforts, etc.
Supervisor Keith Carson mentions period between working sessions of the county-mayors working group. Wants to convene all agencies regarding things like trash management: Caltrans, Waste Mgmt, Public Works Depts and get all in one room.
Supervisor Chan: how to pay for operational costs. County in charge of health care, but what about the other things?
Mayor Schaaf: ongoing funding problems. Also, evaluation of efforts, need combined data.
Colleen Chawla: nearing expiration of "whole-person care" five-year programs. Talked about the combined community health record system with medical as well as housing information, coordinating medical and nonprofit agency info.
Kerry Abbott: efforts on permanent supportive housing "pipeline", meeting with City of Oakland, offers to meet with other cities.
Keith Carson mentions Measure A-1 (2016) aff. housing bond, provisions for extremely low income units. Wants to convene working group relationship with city managers.
Mayor Schaaf: Oakland has strong mayor, so she is not on council, doesn't want to leave them out, wants to include her staffer Radu and maybe a councilperson to take part in above-proposed working group.
Marchand: city administrator liaison works for Livermore, and a number of other cities.
Wilma Chan: will continue working on ballot measure perhaps for Nov. 2020, not sure if there's a recession whether that will be a good idea, but working on it and county will poll the idea.
Kerry Abbott pursuing meetings with mayors
Kathleen Clanon (AC Medical Director) mentions wraparound services
Abbott (I think): Currently there are 6 street health outreach teams with nurse practitioner, mental health, and housing person on each. Now with Covid each team visits 4 encampments/day, 5 days a week, to identify ill people. 14 zones covered, 6 are particularly dense.
Additional team(s?) are to be added.
Fremont City Mgr. asked if there was a tri-city team. Answer: yes, working through Fremont Health Centers.
Kerry Abbott mentions Livermore subcontracting thru Abode.
Kerry Abbott mentions she will keep everyone posted on "the framework" (we should try to find/get this)
Mayor Arreguin: mayors/supervisors group is to meet quarterly, maybe should be monthly during covid period. Wants to discuss role of Everyone Home.
Next meeting should be beginning of May.
Mayors are meeting 2nd Wed. each month at 5 pm (I don't know where or how to keep up with this, nor whether these would be public meetings). Maybe a county rep should attend?
Maybe All Home organization can facilitate or staff or participate those meetings?
Someone asked if there were any public speakers so I asked how to get info on these meetings in advance, plus any backup info. Mayor Schaaf chimed in and basically said "not a public meeting!" but then others said it was. I said I wasn't needing to hold forth, but that ShelterOak was intensely interested and wanted to know what is going on. (We should follow up with supervisors' staff and figure out how to stay in the loop.) No other public speakers.
There was confusion about what kind of meeting this was but it was noticed as "Health Committee." Also there was both a notice and a cancellation notice on the county website.
Notes by Naomi Schiff, ShelterOak
also see reports of earlier Supervisor / Mayors meetings: January 28, 2020; and July 22, 2019