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Agenda Item
28 (CONTINUED FROM JUNE 24, 2020) - Request Authorization to Enter Into a Contract with Crisis Response Network, Inc. for a Web-Based Emergency Shelter Availability Portal Due to COVID-19 Pandemic (Ordinance S-46798)
While action to bolster crisis response and improve conditions for individuals and families experiencing homelessness is absolutely necessary, this item allows for the criminalization and abuse of those entities by Phoenix PD. Put these funds toward adding shelter beds and employing social workers and mental health professionals who are much better suited for this work.
Law enforcement should not be involved in matters regarding homelessness. This role should be assigned to service providers who have adequate experience working with the homeless population and know how to de-escalate and humanize interactions with the homeless population. In addition, this money would be better allocated to resources that actually improve homeless shelters instead of just highlight the problem that is already very known.
Based on the Summary language, this is not a COVID-19 Pandemic response.The City of Phoenix is providing funding to 1 COVID property for people experiencing homelessness and that contractor has criteria to use for referrals, which does nor require its own portal. Police have no involvement in this referral/coordination. Shelters were full before COVID; 3800 people were unsheltered in the 2020 point in time count. $200K could be spent on other services to address homelessness more effectively.
The funds allotted for this program are best spent on service providers who are dedicated to assisting our homeless population with all of their housing needs. The police uniform and vehicles used for this potential outreach effort will only add to the negative image already felt by our homeless citizens. Let's make better use of our resources without spending more taxpayer funds on our crime fighters in blue.
Police were intended to fight crime. Homelessness and poverty are not crimes and should not be treated as such. People need protection and shelter as some of our most vulnerable citizens. Do not give more money to PHX PD for this but instead put it towards more beds and shelters as well as trained social workers, mental health professionals and specialists that would help this community not hurt it.
Homelessness should not be criminalized. Police officers are not properly trained To support and provide resources to this population. Instead they escalate the situations, use homelessness as an excuse to find violations and arrest individuals, and often times are abusing towards the homeless individuals , many of which have underlying mental health diagnoses. The police and their aggression should not be handling this vulnerable population or have access to such a database proposed.
Our homeless population needs access to more beds. They need more mental healthcare services. They need access to transitional tools. They DO NOT need to be criminalized and harassed further by the police. These individuals are citizens and human beings. They still have rights and that needs to be remembered by the City Council. I urge you to keep that database out of the hands of the police.
Police should not be responsible for transporting people who are experiencing homelessness to available shelters. Instead of police trying to place these folks at shelters with open beds, the trained staff of those shelters should be utilizing this platform, as they are best equipped to serve this community. While this platform may help the city, the real problem is a lack of shelter beds. We need to expand the capacity of shelters if we want a decrease in homelessness.
Police should not be given access to this portal, service providers that have the skills, knowledge, and resources to support folks experiencing homelessness should be given this tool. In addition, a portal seems counterproductive when the shelters continue to operate at capacity, with at least 400+ individuals not being able to access a bed each night.
There needs to be oversight done by service providers with backgrounds in mental health and social work, not police. Police will only further criminalize homelessness and are not equipped to deal with homelessness. The money should go to more beds and resources to keep homeless people off the streets rather than a system that will put them in jail.
Eliminate police access to the portal. Homelessness is an economic and health crisis, yet police interaction with this population inevitably leads to more fines, arrests, and violence. Only certified, trauma-informed care workers should be utilizing the portal and responding to homelessness calls. Additionally, please schedule a vote to increase shelter beds. Street sweeps have displaced unsheltered people, and a severe lack of shelter beds leaves them with nowhere to go in the summer heat.
The Phoenix Police should not be given access to the shelter availability portal. The only thing that would do is further criminalize homelessness, perpetuating the cycle of homelessness further. We need to focus on funding real services like trauma-informed caseworkers and more shelter beds.
I am in favor of our City providing it's residents support and care, to help prevent the need for the punishment and prosecution of it's people. With the monies available, please provide funds to our Community Service Departments, and enter into contracts with organizations like, the Crisis Response Network. WE NEED TO FINANCIALLY SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS TRAINED TO BE SUPPORT FOR OUR CITIZENS IN CRISIS. Please, do your part to make that happen. Sincerely, Sarah (registered voter, Phoenix)
Any policy that criminalizes homelessness is inhumane. Giving the police another tool with which to apply bias and prejudice is a complete shame for the City of Phoenix. Please understand the consequences of this policy. The City should be putting their dollars towards funding programs to house those experiencing homelessness, not implementing policies that criminalize not having a home, further marginalize communities and strengthening the landscape for police abuse of power & racial inequity.
Policy makers must be aware of the conditions and experiences that may lead individuals to refuse shelter, including but not limited to SMI, Domestic Abuse, sexual trauma and Fear of prejudice linked to race, gender, sexuality. This policy will give the police the power to criminalize homelessness and assumes every homeless individual will feel safe accepting a shelter space. Homelessness is a complex social issue that should to be dealt with by social services experts, not the police.
The City of Phoenix needs to step up and help the homeless population that lives among us. This means investing money in more beds and shelter spaces and providing them help from trained social workers. The police does not need access to a portal to track them. The homeless are still citizens with rights to privacy and safety.
In order to best serve and protect our homeless population, access to the shelter availability portal should be granted to service providers with social work and/or mental health training and backgrounds rather than police officers. Please take the opportunity to redirect this portal and increased funds to providers who offer assistance to this population AND increase the number of shelter beds to help get people off the street.
Please oppose giving Phoenix PD complete access to the emergency shelter portal. Amend this contract to include social workers and mental health professionals. These people are trained and committed to addressing and supporting folks experiencing homelessness and should have access to the portal. Phoenix PD is not the appropriate avenue for addressing these issues in our community. Homelessness should not be criminalized. Fund more shelter beds!
While action to bolster crisis response and improve conditions for individuals and families experiencing homelessness is absolutely necessary, this item allows for the criminalization and abuse of those entities by Phoenix PD. Put these funds toward adding shelter beds and employing social workers and mental health professionals who are much better suited for this work.
Law enforcement should not be involved in matters regarding homelessness. This role should be assigned to service providers who have adequate experience working with the homeless population and know how to de-escalate and humanize interactions with the homeless population. In addition, this money would be better allocated to resources that actually improve homeless shelters instead of just highlight the problem that is already very known.
Based on the Summary language, this is not a COVID-19 Pandemic response.The City of Phoenix is providing funding to 1 COVID property for people experiencing homelessness and that contractor has criteria to use for referrals, which does nor require its own portal. Police have no involvement in this referral/coordination. Shelters were full before COVID; 3800 people were unsheltered in the 2020 point in time count. $200K could be spent on other services to address homelessness more effectively.
The funds allotted for this program are best spent on service providers who are dedicated to assisting our homeless population with all of their housing needs. The police uniform and vehicles used for this potential outreach effort will only add to the negative image already felt by our homeless citizens. Let's make better use of our resources without spending more taxpayer funds on our crime fighters in blue.
Police were intended to fight crime. Homelessness and poverty are not crimes and should not be treated as such. People need protection and shelter as some of our most vulnerable citizens. Do not give more money to PHX PD for this but instead put it towards more beds and shelters as well as trained social workers, mental health professionals and specialists that would help this community not hurt it.
Homelessness should not be criminalized. Police officers are not properly trained To support and provide resources to this population. Instead they escalate the situations, use homelessness as an excuse to find violations and arrest individuals, and often times are abusing towards the homeless individuals , many of which have underlying mental health diagnoses. The police and their aggression should not be handling this vulnerable population or have access to such a database proposed.
Our homeless population needs access to more beds. They need more mental healthcare services. They need access to transitional tools. They DO NOT need to be criminalized and harassed further by the police. These individuals are citizens and human beings. They still have rights and that needs to be remembered by the City Council. I urge you to keep that database out of the hands of the police.
We need community resource groups involved in this.
Police should not be responsible for transporting people who are experiencing homelessness to available shelters. Instead of police trying to place these folks at shelters with open beds, the trained staff of those shelters should be utilizing this platform, as they are best equipped to serve this community. While this platform may help the city, the real problem is a lack of shelter beds. We need to expand the capacity of shelters if we want a decrease in homelessness.
Police should not be given access to this portal, service providers that have the skills, knowledge, and resources to support folks experiencing homelessness should be given this tool. In addition, a portal seems counterproductive when the shelters continue to operate at capacity, with at least 400+ individuals not being able to access a bed each night.
There needs to be oversight done by service providers with backgrounds in mental health and social work, not police. Police will only further criminalize homelessness and are not equipped to deal with homelessness. The money should go to more beds and resources to keep homeless people off the streets rather than a system that will put them in jail.
Eliminate police access to the portal. Homelessness is an economic and health crisis, yet police interaction with this population inevitably leads to more fines, arrests, and violence. Only certified, trauma-informed care workers should be utilizing the portal and responding to homelessness calls. Additionally, please schedule a vote to increase shelter beds. Street sweeps have displaced unsheltered people, and a severe lack of shelter beds leaves them with nowhere to go in the summer heat.
The Phoenix Police should not be given access to the shelter availability portal. The only thing that would do is further criminalize homelessness, perpetuating the cycle of homelessness further. We need to focus on funding real services like trauma-informed caseworkers and more shelter beds.
I am in favor of our City providing it's residents support and care, to help prevent the need for the punishment and prosecution of it's people. With the monies available, please provide funds to our Community Service Departments, and enter into contracts with organizations like, the Crisis Response Network. WE NEED TO FINANCIALLY SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS TRAINED TO BE SUPPORT FOR OUR CITIZENS IN CRISIS. Please, do your part to make that happen. Sincerely, Sarah (registered voter, Phoenix)
Any policy that criminalizes homelessness is inhumane. Giving the police another tool with which to apply bias and prejudice is a complete shame for the City of Phoenix. Please understand the consequences of this policy. The City should be putting their dollars towards funding programs to house those experiencing homelessness, not implementing policies that criminalize not having a home, further marginalize communities and strengthening the landscape for police abuse of power & racial inequity.
Policy makers must be aware of the conditions and experiences that may lead individuals to refuse shelter, including but not limited to SMI, Domestic Abuse, sexual trauma and Fear of prejudice linked to race, gender, sexuality. This policy will give the police the power to criminalize homelessness and assumes every homeless individual will feel safe accepting a shelter space. Homelessness is a complex social issue that should to be dealt with by social services experts, not the police.
The City of Phoenix needs to step up and help the homeless population that lives among us. This means investing money in more beds and shelter spaces and providing them help from trained social workers. The police does not need access to a portal to track them. The homeless are still citizens with rights to privacy and safety.
In order to best serve and protect our homeless population, access to the shelter availability portal should be granted to service providers with social work and/or mental health training and backgrounds rather than police officers. Please take the opportunity to redirect this portal and increased funds to providers who offer assistance to this population AND increase the number of shelter beds to help get people off the street.
Please oppose giving Phoenix PD complete access to the emergency shelter portal. Amend this contract to include social workers and mental health professionals. These people are trained and committed to addressing and supporting folks experiencing homelessness and should have access to the portal. Phoenix PD is not the appropriate avenue for addressing these issues in our community. Homelessness should not be criminalized. Fund more shelter beds!
Our homeless are not the enemy. Please take action to help these people, not hurt them more.