Title
DEVELOP A PROCESS TO CONDUCT A SECOND HOMELESS COUNT TO GAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND A FULLER UNDERSTANDING OF ALAMEDA'S UNSHELTERED HOMELESS
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One of the functions of the SSHRB is to assess and report to the City Council the social service needs of the people and the methods of meeting those needs.
In response to community concerns raised about a perceived increase in the number of homeless on the streets of Alameda, Vice Mayor Ezzy-Ashcraft and a concerned citizen joined SSHRB President Biggs for a walking tour of Webster Street for the purpose of gathering first-hand information. Following the walking tour, President Biggs invited various service providers, the Police and other stakeholders to the Board's meeting on April 24th, 2014, to receive input and discuss which actions might be appropriate to respond to these concerns.
After receiving input at the meeting, which was attended by then Vice-Mayor Marilyn Ezzy-Ashcraft, Liz Varela, Executive Director - Building Futures with Women and Children (Midway Shelter / Bessie Coleman Court), APD Officer Ledbetter and Sgt.Munoz, Victoria Johnson, the Housing Authority's Director of Housing and Community Development, and Jackie Krause - Manager of the Mastick Senior Center, the Board voted to move forward with developing and conducting a survey of homeless people living on the streets of Alameda.
A working group of the SSHRB developed a survey tool to be used for the count, and developed a plan for carrying out the survey. Volunteers were recruited from the APD Volunteers in Policing Program, the Alameda Collaborative for Children Youth and Their Families, service providers and members of the public. A training session was held for the volunteers and a version of the training was posted online. More than thirty-five volunteers participated in the Homeless Count. The volunteers were divided into six groups and sent out to engage with and interview persons identified as being homeless. ...
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