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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)
I oppose this plan because the Phoenix Police Department should not be involved -- their access to such a database will 1) discourage individuals from seeking help and resources and 2) increase harm to the unsheltered population in Phoenix through interactions with the PD. Instead, this contract funding should be used to develop a program run and accessed exclusively by trained social workers/mental health professionals and/or towards increasing shelter bed availability.
Please keep the police away. Bring in trauma informed care workers to respond to calls for the unhoused. Every interaction police have with the unhoused is an opportunity for harassment and criminalization. Police don't de escalate they escalate. Many unhoused folks are traumatized by police. Please stop investing into police and invest in the community.
Giving the police sole access to shelter database is only going to hurt the unsheltered. Police interactions lead to tickets, arrests, new charges, and loss of belongings. They literally kick people when they are down, which further fuels the situation and keeps people trapped in homelessness (charges prevent employment, tickets lead to debt, etc.). I am begging you to reconsider, and instead give people who can actually help (social workers) access to the database. Please have some compassion.
Phoenix PD has long terrorized the unhoused and I adamantly oppose making it easier for this violent organization to track our cities vulnerable population. Instead we must see
1. A provider portal funded 100% with no PD access.
2. Immediately schedule the vote to increase shelter beds.
3. Only certified trauma informed care workers responding to calls for homelessness.
The city's unhoused have enough to deal with as is, they don't need more goons telling them that their existence is illegal.
This database should not be accessible by the police. This information should be highly protected and only accessible to competently-trained professionals (social workers, mental health professionals) who understand the systemic factors contributing to the crisis of shelterless individuals. Police are a danger to priority populations. The proposed investment in this contract should be redirected to the expansion of services, facilities, and trained mental health professionals.
Phoenix PD only bring increased harm to homeless people in Phoenix. Keep the police out of any and all services for homeless people. The police carry out a campaign of harassment, ticketing and arresting homeless people for minor "offenses," and throwing away personal property including medication. Do NOT give PD portal access. Instead, increase shelter beds and allow only certified trauma informed care workers to respond to calls related to homelessness.
The police department does not need access to the web-based shelter portal and instead it should be given to those who are more qualified like social workers or mental health specialists. We do not need to invest 200,000 dollars in this contract and instead NEED homeless shelter beds or affordable housing! The information on shelter bed availability should be used by social workers to help people find shelter NOT by police officers responding to calls.
As we have seen time and time again, giving more power to the police department in order to ensure "peace" tends to have the opposite effect. Officers routinely harass, cite, and bully the homeless population in Phoenix. Our homeless friends and community members deserve care in the form of more beds and more social workers - not more police presence.
I oppose this because I do not think police should be the ones responding - it should be service workers trained to do so who are interested in helping. We already know there are not enough beds, so involving police will only put lives at risk. We need funding and policies that work to end homelessness, not police it.
It is a huge mistake to depend on the police to address homelessness. It's like trying to cram a square peg in a round hole. Social workers, counselors, and mental health professionals are actually equipped to do this job. GIVE THEM THE TOOLS, INSTEAD OF THE POLICE. The police don't need to be using their time destroying property of the homeless. The vulnerable population need care and resources from people trained to provide it. This is not a job for the police!
I don’t understand why you put the health and well-being of this cities most vulnerable people into the hand of a police force that systematically kills its black and brown citizens. Phoenix Police Department DONT EVEN WEAR MASKS when interacting with citizens. You are putting our unhoused neighbors at serious risk during one of the deadliest times of year to be living outside in Phoenix. Put this money and 10% of phxPD budget into a new govt office that specifically helps the unhoused.
The Phoenix Police Department should categorically NOT be included in this plan. This will actively discourage participation by homeless populations and increase vulnerability and exposure to harm. Access should be provided to fully to trained care/social workers and other relevant providers, and NOT Phoenix PD.
My reason for the opposition still stands as it did last week. A contract like this should not exist with the police department. 1 the homeless community has quickly learned not to trust law enforcement. 2 law enforcement should not be given additional responsibilities after showing they cannot handle what they already have. Provide this to the members who already assist the homeless day in and day out. Not law enforcement in an attempt to make them look better.
I oppose the inclusion of Phoenix Police Department in this plan. While having closer to real-time data about shelter resources is fantastic, no information about the unsheltered should be available to Phoenix PD. I am a researcher at ASU & studies repeatedly show that any information sharing with law enforcement for programs working with stigmatized populations (e.g., homeless) reduces the willingness of participants to use those programs. You are shutting out the people you intend to serve.
I oppose because this plan doesn't seem to actually benefit or advocate for the health and safety of our unsheltered population. Please revise this so that the people reaching out, waking people from their sleep in the hot heat, are people with social work or mental health backgrounds. Invest the $200,000 in beds and sheltering. 800-1000 people are sleeping outside because shelters are full. New technology for tracking is good, but this contract needs to be revised. Thank you
It is insane not to give access to this portal to those already providing every other service to our unhoused neighbors, and twice as insane to instead give that access EXCLUSIVELY to Phoenix PD. PHX PD regularly harasses, robs, assaults, arrests, & displaces those in the weakest position in our society under the pretense of enforcing laws meant to protect us. The nature in which the city planned, proposed, and voted on this ordinance with no community involvement is similarly shameful.
It would be better if social workers provided these services, rather than police officers. Currently police officers are not equipped with sufficient training for best providing these services. Further, there are currently trust issues between the public and police. It would not help to put officers in situations where they don't have the proper training to compassionately provide support.Please reconsider using these funds in a way that will directly support Phx's homeless population.Thank you!
The flaw in this plan is placing police at the center of a resource to address homelessness. When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Police are motivated to find crimes. A plan that relies on police to facilitate this resource (and, moreover, EXCLUDES other types of social services responders), makes no sense. We’ve seen police officers’ callous disregard for the humanity of our unhoused community. They’ve demonstrated they can’t be trusted with this.
I oppose this plan because the Phoenix Police Department should not be involved -- their access to such a database will 1) discourage individuals from seeking help and resources and 2) increase harm to the unsheltered population in Phoenix through interactions with the PD. Instead, this contract funding should be used to develop a program run and accessed exclusively by trained social workers/mental health professionals and/or towards increasing shelter bed availability.
This is regression. We need more reform for the PPD and less control over the powerless and vulnerable in our community.
Please keep the police away. Bring in trauma informed care workers to respond to calls for the unhoused. Every interaction police have with the unhoused is an opportunity for harassment and criminalization. Police don't de escalate they escalate. Many unhoused folks are traumatized by police. Please stop investing into police and invest in the community.
Giving the police sole access to shelter database is only going to hurt the unsheltered. Police interactions lead to tickets, arrests, new charges, and loss of belongings. They literally kick people when they are down, which further fuels the situation and keeps people trapped in homelessness (charges prevent employment, tickets lead to debt, etc.). I am begging you to reconsider, and instead give people who can actually help (social workers) access to the database. Please have some compassion.
Phoenix PD has long terrorized the unhoused and I adamantly oppose making it easier for this violent organization to track our cities vulnerable population. Instead we must see
1. A provider portal funded 100% with no PD access.
2. Immediately schedule the vote to increase shelter beds.
3. Only certified trauma informed care workers responding to calls for homelessness.
The city's unhoused have enough to deal with as is, they don't need more goons telling them that their existence is illegal.
More law enforcement interacting with our unsheltered population just criminalizes them. The lack of compassion is unreal.
This database should not be accessible by the police. This information should be highly protected and only accessible to competently-trained professionals (social workers, mental health professionals) who understand the systemic factors contributing to the crisis of shelterless individuals. Police are a danger to priority populations. The proposed investment in this contract should be redirected to the expansion of services, facilities, and trained mental health professionals.
Phoenix PD only bring increased harm to homeless people in Phoenix. Keep the police out of any and all services for homeless people. The police carry out a campaign of harassment, ticketing and arresting homeless people for minor "offenses," and throwing away personal property including medication. Do NOT give PD portal access. Instead, increase shelter beds and allow only certified trauma informed care workers to respond to calls related to homelessness.
The police department does not need access to the web-based shelter portal and instead it should be given to those who are more qualified like social workers or mental health specialists. We do not need to invest 200,000 dollars in this contract and instead NEED homeless shelter beds or affordable housing! The information on shelter bed availability should be used by social workers to help people find shelter NOT by police officers responding to calls.
As we have seen time and time again, giving more power to the police department in order to ensure "peace" tends to have the opposite effect. Officers routinely harass, cite, and bully the homeless population in Phoenix. Our homeless friends and community members deserve care in the form of more beds and more social workers - not more police presence.
I oppose this because I do not think police should be the ones responding - it should be service workers trained to do so who are interested in helping. We already know there are not enough beds, so involving police will only put lives at risk. We need funding and policies that work to end homelessness, not police it.
It is a huge mistake to depend on the police to address homelessness. It's like trying to cram a square peg in a round hole. Social workers, counselors, and mental health professionals are actually equipped to do this job. GIVE THEM THE TOOLS, INSTEAD OF THE POLICE. The police don't need to be using their time destroying property of the homeless. The vulnerable population need care and resources from people trained to provide it. This is not a job for the police!
I don’t understand why you put the health and well-being of this cities most vulnerable people into the hand of a police force that systematically kills its black and brown citizens. Phoenix Police Department DONT EVEN WEAR MASKS when interacting with citizens. You are putting our unhoused neighbors at serious risk during one of the deadliest times of year to be living outside in Phoenix. Put this money and 10% of phxPD budget into a new govt office that specifically helps the unhoused.
The Phoenix Police Department should categorically NOT be included in this plan. This will actively discourage participation by homeless populations and increase vulnerability and exposure to harm. Access should be provided to fully to trained care/social workers and other relevant providers, and NOT Phoenix PD.
My reason for the opposition still stands as it did last week. A contract like this should not exist with the police department. 1 the homeless community has quickly learned not to trust law enforcement. 2 law enforcement should not be given additional responsibilities after showing they cannot handle what they already have. Provide this to the members who already assist the homeless day in and day out. Not law enforcement in an attempt to make them look better.
I oppose the inclusion of Phoenix Police Department in this plan. While having closer to real-time data about shelter resources is fantastic, no information about the unsheltered should be available to Phoenix PD. I am a researcher at ASU & studies repeatedly show that any information sharing with law enforcement for programs working with stigmatized populations (e.g., homeless) reduces the willingness of participants to use those programs. You are shutting out the people you intend to serve.
I oppose because this plan doesn't seem to actually benefit or advocate for the health and safety of our unsheltered population. Please revise this so that the people reaching out, waking people from their sleep in the hot heat, are people with social work or mental health backgrounds. Invest the $200,000 in beds and sheltering. 800-1000 people are sleeping outside because shelters are full. New technology for tracking is good, but this contract needs to be revised. Thank you
It is insane not to give access to this portal to those already providing every other service to our unhoused neighbors, and twice as insane to instead give that access EXCLUSIVELY to Phoenix PD. PHX PD regularly harasses, robs, assaults, arrests, & displaces those in the weakest position in our society under the pretense of enforcing laws meant to protect us. The nature in which the city planned, proposed, and voted on this ordinance with no community involvement is similarly shameful.
It would be better if social workers provided these services, rather than police officers. Currently police officers are not equipped with sufficient training for best providing these services. Further, there are currently trust issues between the public and police. It would not help to put officers in situations where they don't have the proper training to compassionately provide support.Please reconsider using these funds in a way that will directly support Phx's homeless population.Thank you!
The flaw in this plan is placing police at the center of a resource to address homelessness. When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Police are motivated to find crimes. A plan that relies on police to facilitate this resource (and, moreover, EXCLUDES other types of social services responders), makes no sense. We’ve seen police officers’ callous disregard for the humanity of our unhoused community. They’ve demonstrated they can’t be trusted with this.