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REGULAR MEETING November 13, 2017
<br /> are funded, we know that they are going to need to be programmed in great detail, including the
<br /> funding program, the inspection program, lead exposure mitigation, support for early childhood,
<br /> health and addiction issues, inclusive economic developments, and a number of other programs
<br /> that are, of course, existing and articulated that we need to carry forward with the resources that
<br /> the Council has approved. The My SB Parks and Trails budget was also approved and now we
<br /> are fully underway, as you may have noticed if you have passed by the Charles Black Center or
<br /> Howard Park, or any of the other sites that are getting some of these improvements. So, we're
<br /> very excited for the opportunity, in the coming months and years, to unveil a lot of major
<br /> developments across our parks. You're probably getting some communications, as I am, about
<br /> leaf pickup. I just want to let you know help is on the way, so we're working now on a third pass.
<br /> A lot of folks are wondering, "Did I miss my shot? Two (2)passes have come through my
<br /> neighborhood and the leaves aren't even down, yet." So, what we're going to do is we're going
<br /> to continue working as much as weather will permit. We hope to announce very soon a plan for a
<br /> third pattern of sweeps, and, if there's still a need after that,we'll do as much as we can before it
<br /> gets prohibitive because of the weather. Please stay tuned on that front.
<br /> Mayor Buttigieg continued, I also want to spend just a couple of minutes talking about
<br /> the issue of homelessness. I think it's something that's on everybody's minds. I know some
<br /> people have joined today to speak about this, too. In our office, we've been hearing from people
<br /> who represent a spectrum of opinion, and there are some who are demanding to know why
<br /> people are permitted to remain in a public right-of-way. There are other people who believe it is
<br /> cruel to disrupt the lives of people in that public right-of-way, at all. So, what we're trying to do,
<br /> as an administration, is find an approach that balances law, compassion, and—most
<br /> importantly—safety for everybody that's involved. As you know, for the better part of a year,
<br /> we've had a working group on homeless issues, which represented a very diverse range of
<br /> opinion and backgrounds and has been gathering to discuss solutions and present them to the
<br /> Administration. We received those recommendations in August. For those who are interested,
<br /> the full report of that working group is available online, including a lot of research that went into
<br /> the recommendations. Those recommendations are the framework, as far as my administration is
<br /> concerned, for our policies going forward. We know that the best solutions have to do with
<br /> sheltering and services, so that's where the bulk of our attention is going. It's become clear from
<br /> our experience as a community that an enforcement-only approach doesn't work, but it's also
<br /> clear that abandoning enforcement is a mistake. There is a balance to be struck among all of the
<br /> different approaches, and that's what we're seeking to do as an administration. The good news is
<br /> our community is blessed with a number of first-rate services that have an excellent track record
<br /> of supporting those in need and, most importantly of all, a good track record of moving people
<br /> out of homelessness. But we estimate approximately one-hundred and twenty-five (125)
<br /> unsheltered homeless people living in St. Joseph County, and the bulk of those are in South
<br /> Bend. Many of them are unable or unwilling to use the services that are available here,
<br /> sometimes because of mental health challenges that they're facing or substance abuse issues.
<br /> These are,by definition, some of those most in need of services, and those most difficult to serve
<br /> in our community. We don't have any hard data that shows any evidence that the number of
<br /> unsheltered homeless in our community has increased, but certainly the visibility of the issue has
<br /> increased, due partly to an encampment that has formed immediately south of the downtown
<br /> area.
<br /> Mayor Buttigieg continued, Our approach, as laid out in the working group report, is
<br /> guided by a housing-first mentality this has emerged as a best practice for cities dealing with
<br /> these issues. In order to do housing-first properly,you need two (2) elements—and we're acting
<br /> to do both. One (1) is that you have a need for permanent supportive housing. So,the working
<br /> group estimates about eighty (80) additional units are needed. Meeting with the Fuse Project,
<br /> which is opening very shortly on the site of the former Oliver School—we expect to have the
<br /> first thirty-two (32) of these needed units becoming available. The second thing that's needed is
<br /> an intake center, and that's why the City has committed$1,500,000 to help establish a center like
<br /> that, which we hope will be in action by this time next year and that we envision as an entry
<br /> point to the system of care, as well as a location for some of the housing-first services that are
<br /> needed. I believe right now, the City is putting the most concentrated effort and investment on
<br /> this issue that we have seen since the establishment of the Center for the Homeless, and we
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