Brian HoweyCity officials Thursday pledged to abandon the current complaint-driven approach to addressing homeless encampments, saying it has been ineffective in moving large numbers of people from the streets into services and stable housing.
Jeff Kositsky, director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, said that beginning in mid-March, the Healthy Streets initiative — the multi-agency coalition tasked with abating homelessness — would stop relying mostly on calls from neighbors through the city’s 311 hotline.
In an interview, Kositsky said the city would shift its focus away from using police as first responders and toward social workers and specially trained paramedics who can connect homeless people with supportive services. He said that responding to every complaint — the way the system has worked for nearly two years — has been a drain on resources: “When they’re rushing around to close those calls, they’re not engaging people in an effective way.”
Read the full story here.
