Task Force To Prevent And End Homelessness — Columbia, SC
Date: 2022-09-21
Time: 16:00

COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS
 MEETING AGENDA
 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2022


The Columbia Task Force to Prevent and End Homelessness will conduct a meeting on
Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. at the Busby Street Community Center, 1735
Busby Street, Columbia, SC 29203. For questions regarding the meeting, please contact the City
Clerk at (803)545-3045 or cityclerk@columbiasc.gov.

 Honorable Aditi Bussells, Chair
 The Honorable Edward H. McDowell, Jr., District II  The Honorable William Brennan, District III

Prior to entering the meeting please turn all electronic communication devices to the silent, vibrate or off
 position. All presenters are asked to speak directly into the microphone for recording purposes.

CALL TO ORDER
APPROVAL OF MINUTES

1. Approval of August 17, 2022 Meeting Minutes

COMMITTEE DISCUSSION

2. Meeting Overview - The Honorable Will Brennan

3. Review of Ordinance Requiring Permits for Free Distribution Events - The Honorable
 Aditi Bussells, Committee Chair

4. Long-term Strategies and Final Report to City Council - The Honorable Aditi Bussells,
 Committee Chair

5. Looking Ahead: Potential Partnership with Richland Library - Ms. Melanie Huggins
 Executive Director / Richland Library

ADJOURNMENT




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COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS
 MEETING AGENDA
 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2022


The Columbia Task Force to Prevent and End Homelessness will conduct a meeting on
Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. at the Busby Street Community Center, 1735
Busby Street, Columbia, SC 29203. For questions regarding the meeting, please contact the City
Clerk at (803)545-3045 or cityclerk@columbiasc.gov.

 The Honorable Aditi Bussells, Chair
 The Honorable Edward H. McDowell, Jr., District II  The Honorable William Brennan, District III

Prior to entering the meeting please turn all electronic communication devices to the silent, vibrate or off
 position. All presenters are asked to speak directly into the microphone for recording purposes.

CALL TO ORDER
APPROVAL OF MINUTES

1. Approval of August 17, 2022 Meeting Minutes

COMMITTEE DISCUSSION

2. Meeting Overview - The Honorable Will Brennan

3. Review of Ordinance Requiring Permits for Free Distribution Events - The Honorable
 Aditi Bussells, Committee Chair

4. Long-term Strategies and Final Report to City Council - The Honorable Aditi Bussells,
 Committee Chair

5. Looking Ahead: Potential Partnership with Richland Library - Ms. Melanie Huggins
 Executive Director / Richland Library

ADJOURNMENT




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MEETING DATE: September 21, 2022

DEPARTMENT: City Clerk

FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk

SUBJECT: Approval of August 17, 2022 Meeting Minutes
FUNDING SOURCE &
ORIGINAL BUDGET:


ATTACHMENTS:
  TPEH_MN_08172022 (PDF)




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The Columbia Task Force to Prevent and End Homelessness conducted a meeting on Wednesday,
August 17, 2022 at the Busby Street Community Center, 1735 Busby Street, Columbia, SC 29203.
The Honorable Aditi Bussells, Chair called the meeting to order at 4:02 p.m. and the following
members were present:

 Attendee Name Title Status
 Aditi Bussells Chair Present
 Edward H. McDowell District II Present
 Will Brennan District III Present
 William "Skip" Holbrook Columbia Police Chief Present
 Matt Kennell City Center Partnership Present
 Steve Cook Five Points Association Present
 John Wilkinson Elmwood/Downtown Coalition of Neighborhoods Present
 George Whitehead Department of Probations, Pardon and Parole Absent
 Allison Farrell SC Department of Mental Health Present
 Bret Kloos USC Department of Psychology Present
 Amy McCulloch Probate Judge Absent
 Kieley Sutton Assistant Public Defender Present
 Matthew Brock Associate Probate Judge Present
 Antonio Flores Jr. Wal-Mart Absent
 Treacy Dobbins Inspire Real Change Present
 Doreen Skelton Advocate Present
 Jamar Ogburn Advocate Present

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

1. Approval of the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes

Upon a motion made by Mr. Brennan and seconded by Mr. Brock, task force members voted
unanimously to approve the June 29, 2022 Meeting Minutes.

COMMITTEE DISCUSSION

2. Overview - The Honorable Will Brennan




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Councilor Will Brennan provided an overview of the meeting. He said thank you for sticking with
us for such an important topic. It is a topic that we want to take forward as a major quality of life
issue that needs some TLC from us. To know where we want to go is to know how we got here
and the current state of services that our wonderful partners provide. It takes businesses,
communities, and the religious sector to make it happen. We looked at a case study this week. The
Columbia Police Department shut down a store that we can all agree was a nuisance to several
neighborhoods, a business district, and a hospitality district.

Chief Skip Holbrook, Columbia Police Department said people know what was referred to as the
blue store. It was mentioned in our last meeting when they reviewed the 2013 task force report.
That business was identified as a problem. The store was contributing to and taking advantage of
some of those who are down on their luck and suffering from addiction. They seemed to be a
fueling spot for a voluminous number of purchases by people that were experiencing
homelessness. Oftentimes, they were the same folks we would see aggressively panhandling and
obstructing traffic and at times being intimidating and being intoxicated. Over the last 18 months,
we were taking a hard look at some of the numbers and reviewing our reports. There was an excess
of 200 calls for service. A lot of it was quality of life type violations centered around alcohol sales,
alcohol abuse, public intoxication and other things that come with that. We had a few serious
assaults. Hopefully, it will be impactful for the immediate area, the surrounding neighborhoods,
and the people suffering from addictions.

Councilor Will Brennan said thank you for safely providing those services. We asked these groups
to present because they are wonderful partners with the city when it comes to funding and
partnering in services. We will hear from five groups today.

Councilor Aditi Bussells said we’ve had a lot of meetings to understand the breadth of services,
our options, and the history. The 2013 task force had strategies that aligned with the conversations
we've been having. It was important for us to get our providers that work closely with the
unsheltered population in the room to share their experiences and also for us to have a collaborative
discussion around the issues you all have raised. Prior to today’s meeting, we sent four questions
to our providers that are directly and indirectly funded. We have a set amount of funds from our
community development dollars that trickle down from federal HUD funding. We also have
general fund dollars which is direct city money. It is about one million dollars in direct funding
and a couple of million in terms of community development. We look at that as our city’s
investment in the prevention of homelessness. We believe this is a pivotal point for us to think
about addressing the gaps that you all have discussed during task force meetings and other avenues.
The four questions came from previous task force discussions. Some responses are in writing. This


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task force decided that we cannot solve every facet of homelessness but we can focus on the
unsheltered population that we typically see interacting within our entertainment districts and
neighborhoods. At the last meeting, we talked about the lack of options after 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
or weekend hours. We learned from Treacy Dobbins’ presentation that we have amazing programs
but they are widely spread. What are some ways we can streamline that to ensure we have a
deliberate response while addressing the facets that contribute to homelessness or our consequence
of that? Today’s meeting is dedicated to our discussion with providers. We will start with our
general fund recipients.

PRESENTATIONS

3. Responses from Homeless Service Providers - Ms. Jennifer Moore, Vice President of
 Community Impact for United Way of the Midlands / Ms. Kristen S. Connors, LMSW,
 Director of Supportive Housing & Medical Case Management for Prisma Health-Midlands
 Supportive Housing Services / Mr. Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions / Ms. Lila Anna
 Sauls, EdD, HDFP, President & CEO of Homeless No More / Ms. Julie Ann Avin,
 Executive Director of MIRCI

 a) CPD estimates that there are approximately 200-250 unsheltered people. What are your
 recommendations for addressing the growing number of unsheltered homeless on the street?

 b) The Taskforce has identified a lack of coordination and services after 5:00 p.m. What would you
 suggest on how to address this?

 c) What are the biggest challenges you see in this work?

 d) The Taskforce has identified over 100 services addressing homelessness in the midlands. How can
 these services be better streamlined to address the needs of the unsheltered population? Where do you
 see your role?

United Way of the Midlands

Ms. Jennifer Moore, Vice President of Community Impact for United Way of the Midlands said
we are a six county United Way. We work in the field of health and human services. We fund a
variety of programs. Through our unrestricted funding, we work with certified impact partner
agencies that go through a vetting and review process. We have three roles in the homelessness
space. We are the community’s largest private funding source of homeless and emergency
services. We provided $2.3 million this year for emergency services, emergency shelter, street
outreach and prevention services (rent, mortgage, and utility assistance). Through partnerships


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with the school districts, we started a two generation approach to look at families who are homeless
or precariously housed. Through our McKenzie Scott gift we dedicated $5 million to affordable
housing for a variety of incomes and voucher supported housing to permanent supportive housing.
We recently funded two home repair projects. We are also working on three projects that will add
160 new units in Richland and Lexington County. We operate the homeless management
information system (HMIS), which is an internet based database that our shelters and service
providers use. The vast majority of our mainstream providers use this system to log a shelter stay,
client progress, and the coordination of services across agencies. We do research on the
information that we get from the system. We are the lead for the local homeless continuum of care
bringing in federal resources for homelessness. The Midlands Area Consortium for the Homeless
(MACH) was established in 1994 as an all-volunteer organization covering 13 counties. Our role
is to secure federal resources for housing for people who are experiencing homelessness and all of
the federal compliance. That equates to $3.5 million this year for over 500 units of housing for
individuals and families with children.

Councilor Will Brennan asked if local municipalities participate in MACH meetings.

Ms. Jennifer Moore, Vice President of Community Impact for United Way of the Midlands said
yes and we would love to have strong representation from Columbia.

Councilor Aditi Bussells said that is a very large coalition of counties and Columbia is the only
one that has a low barrier shelter like Transitions. Have you seen that we are taking on the burden
of the other counties because we are the only ones that invest in those services?

Ms. Jennifer Moore, Vice President of Community Impact for United Way of the Midlands said
the City of Rock Hill has a sophisticated system. They have strong participation with city
government and they run a program for rapid rehousing. Between here and Charleston there is one
shelter in Orangeburg. There are needs across the state. In a year we see 10% to 15% of new people
who are not from the Midlands.

Mr. Matt Kennell, City Center Partnership said when the Inclement Weather Center is open we
seem to have less people on the streets. It is a seasonal shelter. Having the low demand shelter
helps. Do you have any thoughts on that?

Ms. Jennifer Moore, Vice President of Community Impact for United Way of the Midlands said
the city came to us six years ago to help coordinate a cold weather center. We work with partners
and we work with HMIS on the data side. We work with Transition, Salvation Army and private


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security. The average head count last year was 104 people. We need to get people to where they
can increase their income and then identify housing because affordable housing is scarce. In HMIS,
we measure track system performance measures. Last year, we saw 2,989 unduplicated people that
qualify as homeless. We have 2,081 beds year round and 269 seasonal beds. These are the 13
county statistics, but 80% is Richland County. You have a gap on any given day of 639 people
who need housing. For Richland County, you have over 500 people on any given day who need
housing.

Ms. Teresa Wilson, City Manager asked if there is a way to break down the numbers for the city’s
unsheltered population being that United Way is the coordinating entity for the City of Columbia’s
efforts.

Ms. Jennifer Moore, Vice President of Community Impact for United Way of the Midlands said
we are working on that. Sheltering facilities are easier to identify than unsheltered people.

Ms. Teresa Wilson, City Manager said if you all are still working with us in the space going
forward I would suggest that it is an important number for us to know and understand. It also goes
to a bigger discussion about the continuum of care in the 13 counties. A lot of that information is
mixed up and we are trying to get more micro as to what is going on here.

Ms. Jennifer Moore, Vice President of Community Impact for United Way of the Midlands said
there is complexity to HUD’s formula. We put the $3.5 million in continuum of care funds into a
big pool and typically 90% of those dollars are focused here. Those are housing units. Based on
the HUD allocation, Columbia is supposed to get $300,000. Lexington County is $1.5 million. As
a lobbying effort, I would suggest looking at the HUD allocations. South Carolina gets far less
money per capita than comparable states. Connecticut is a tiny state with less homeless people and
they get about ten times per person than we do here.

Chief Skip Holbrook asked how many of the 500 people experience a gap after hours. Who do you
contact? Where do you go?

Ms. Jennifer Moore, Vice President of Community Impact for United Way of the Midlands said
there is very little intake afterhours and on weekends. The unfortunate reality is that our shelters
are full. If you interacted with someone there likely will not be a bed for them to go to if there was
intake available. We have to look at the systems. We need more ranges of housing options for
people so we can free up beds at Transitions and the Oliver Gospel Mission. I don’t advocate for
additional shelter beds. I advocate for more housing options that will allow the system to flow


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faster for everyone. The average length of time people are homeless is 59 days in a shelter bed. It
should be half of that.

Councilor Aditi Bussells said currently the United Way contracts with Transitions to provide
support services at the Inclement Weather Center. In the past it has been Christ Central Ministries.
We've had a lot of different models.

Transitions

Mr. Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions said our mission is to engage and equip homeless adults in
the Midlands to transition into stability and permanent housing. We do not regard ourselves as a
normal shelter. We are a one-stop facility where people can go and ideally partners are there and
they can get help from case managers. We have 260 beds and we are at 91% occupancy. We are
almost full every night especially at the lower level emergency beds. Some of the veteran beds
may not be full but we don't tend to take people off the street and put them in the veteran rooms.
We placed 3,298 folks into permanent housing since we opened. We touch over 3,000 people a
year. We have provided 3.2 million meals since we opened. We are the largest feeding
organization. We only give meals to people at lunch if they don't have beds. We only do breakfast
and dinner for those that have a bed. That is per city guidance. Everybody can take advantage of
job searching and the bathrooms. We conducted 214 outreach outings last year where we worked
with 247 people and 143 of them got beds at Transitions. We are always trying to get people into
the shelter beds at Transitions and move them on to permanent housing. I thank all of our major
partners. I love when partners come in because it helps with the one-stop concept. Streamlining is
important. Transitions helps people work through barriers, aid them in recovery and get them into
permanent housing. Jobs are critical because 70% of our folks need a job to pay for an apartment.
The Day Center is a way to reach the unsheltered population. We can engage them in services and
get them off the street. I caution you to maintain what works. We need sheltered beds, but I don't
know that we need to build more. It is important to have an outreach person to work with the
Yellow Shirts and CPD. It is challenging to define what success is. I don't know if we will get
every homeless person off the street. The VA uses the term functional zero. It would be beneficial
for the task force to help define that. The bus ticket program was very successful but we ran out
of funding. An outreach worker is important for services after 5:00 p.m. Chief and I have talked
about a police drop off point but there are safety considerations. I would be interested in discussing
that further. The Department of Mental Health is a key element. People are more open to discussion
during the day. Bathrooms are an issue. We had port-o-lets but they are gone now. That may be
worth looking at again. Our biggest challenges are affordable housing, single occupancy rooms,
ADA compliant rooms, and funding because we have been at one million for ten years and inflation


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is 8% this year. The chronically homeless are tough to house. Partners need to help with mental
health and addiction issues. Incomes have not kept pace with the inflation for rental units. We do
not take sex offenders per the city’s agreement. The hospitals need to come back to work with
Transitions and we can work to reduce ambulance calls. There are 100 agencies because there is a
lot to this problem and we need to work together. We avoid duplication the best we can. I don’t
want to do something that another agency is doing well. I want them to come help at Transitions.

Chief Skip Holbrook asked how many people are turned away after confirming they are sex
offenders.

Mr. Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions said it is a small number. We will help them during the day.
We can take a former murderer but we can't take a sex offender. We need to look at that.

Chief Skip Holbrook asked what causes someone to be banned, how often bans happen, and can
you get unbanned.

Mr. Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions said bans are caused by a discipline infraction that is
threatening to staff or clients. They can come back after talking with the program director or by
being referred by another provider.

Chief Skip Holbrook inquired about the bus ticket program.

Mr. Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions said the bus ticket program was done by our outreach
person. The case manager has to talk to a relative or close friend who agrees that they will take
them in, help them get a job, and help support them. We don’t do cold sends.

Ms. Jennifer Moore, Vice President of Community Impact for United Way of the Midlands said
we track the bus ticket data and returns through HMIS. We had 25 bus tickets last year and 47
tickets the previous year. Half are in state and half are out of state. We have a 15% return rate. It
is a great program and we would encourage you to continue that.

Chief Skip Holbrook said I am a big believer in this. It has reunified a lot of people with loved
ones and the criteria for purchasing the ticket and putting somebody on the bus is very responsible.

Mr. Steve Cook asked if Mr. Currey is aware of any provider that accepts sex offenders.
Mr. Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions said no. Federal guidelines are very strict against sex
offenders. We help them during the day, but they can’t have a bed.


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Mr. Steve Cook said in the entertainment districts, we are seeing that the problematic homeless
are resistant to any kind of housing or any kind of assistance. It sounds like you have the same
issue in your facility with folks you have to ban. Where do those folks go?

Mr. Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions said they are only banned from us and during the winter
they can go to the Inclement Weather Center. We ban no one from the Inclement Weather Center.
They could try going to the Oliver Gospel Mission. The federal government is changing some of
their guidance.

Mr. Steve Cook asked Colonel Currey if Mr. Currey communicates with the Oliver Gospel Mission
or is there a database to track people causing problems.

Mr. Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions said Travis will call me directly. Our trouble makers don’t
go to the Oliver Gospel Mission. Their folks come our way. We have tried to figure out how to
help some of the hardest folks.

Homeless No More

Ms. Lila Anna Sauls, EdD, HDFP, President and CEO of Homeless No More said recently we
were able to track the violent behavior of a client who started out at Transitions and then made her
way to us. Our worlds do collide at times. There are formal and informal relationships at play.

Mr. Matthew Brock asked Colonel Currey to explain how the process works for getting a bed. Are
they free to leave once they have a bed? Do you lock them in at night?

Mr. Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions said we are not a prison; we cannot lock anybody anywhere.
Generally, you get a bed by walking into the Day Center and asking for a bed. Partners will also
make referrals. We don’t have a waitlist. They can be in the emergency beds for 30 days. Then
they go into the program and self-fulfill. They are free to leave whenever they want; we can’t stop
them.

Ms. Kieley Sutton echoed support for the bus ticket program. We have made referrals to you
especially for folks leaving institutionalized settings. They are transferred to a state hospital or
incarceration facility in Columbia and release doesn’t include transportation back home. We have
used this to help individuals on the registry get to a housing program in Charleston. I hope the bus
ticket program comes back. We have asked you to lift bans for individuals re-engaging in services


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or if there is a change in circumstances. I appreciate your ability to work with us. What are the
limitations on providing beds for those leaving institutional settings after more than 90-days? Is
there a HUD limitation on the definition of homelessness?

Mr. Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions said we are not supposed to be the default solution to the
prison system. Hopefully their preparatory system to get people housed is much better than that.
There is a prohibition from the federal government and we have to adhere to that.

Ms. Kieley Sutton asked do you see folks being dropped off expecting a bed because there hasn’t
been case management prior to their release.

Mr. Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions said there are a lot of ex-offenders at Transitions.

Ms. Kieley Sutton asked why lifting the limitation on sex offenders would help them with
accessing services.

Mr. Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions said the problem is where do sex offenders go when they
are homeless. I can’t answer that. I want to help people and that seems like a hindrance.

Councilor Will Brennan said Transitions is an important destination for persons in need and
operations cost money. You and all of our non-profit partners work hard for funding. What
percentage of funding do you receive from counties and other municipalities?

Mr. Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions said we get up to $60,000 from CDBG funding from
Lexington County. We received COVID money from them last year. Richland County tends to
fund $200,000. They cut us by $100,000 this year. We are 54% Richland County; it is the largest
county by far. Fairfield County and Blythewood gives us money, too. Part of the issue is that
Transitions is in Columbia, but they do acknowledge that their folks go to Transitions. We are
helping everybody from all over the place.

Mr. John Wilkinson said thank you for joining our Coalition of Downtown Neighborhoods
monthly meetings. The issues and concerns of the neighborhoods are well understood. We found
that our residents were reluctant to call the police. The outreach worker that you lost was helpful
when we had concerns. That is something we would like to see included somehow so that there is
an option to get help when it is not a police matter. We see a lot of loitering on the edge of the
neighborhood. What is Transitions’ policy for loitering and how do you manage that?



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Mr. Craig Currey, CEO of Transitions said we have signs up and we don't want people to loiter at
all. Our answer during the day is to come in. The Day Center closes at 5:00 p.m. and the guard
will tell them to move on. We have cameras around the perimeter. I welcome Yellow Shirts and
police presence. Often they are selling drugs and preying on people. They need to go somewhere
else.

Supportive Housing & Medical Case Management for Prisma Health-Midlands Supportive
Housing Services

Ms. Kristen S. Connors, LMSW, Director of Supportive Housing & Medical Case Management
for Prisma Health-Midlands Supportive Housing Services said we offer permanent supportive
housing. We take people experiencing homelessness directly from the street or from shelters and
put them directly into housing. We also provide wraparound supportive services that include case
management, mental health counseling, and medical adherence. It began in Columbia in 2008 as
a pilot program. It was funded by the city in partnership with Supportive Housing and the Housing
Authority. At that time, the city committed to funding the services and the housing units which
included rent and utilities. In 2012, we had a program expansion that included four family units
and we also included Housing of Persons With Aids (HOPWA) units that were HUD funded. We
are trying to diversify the funding. In 2012, the Columbia Housing Authority also received HUD
funding for rental and utility subsidies for the units so that the city’s general fund dollars were only
responsible for supportive services. Since its inception, we housed 157 clients through the Housing
First Program. These clients are historically difficult to engage, resistant to services, and
chronically homeless. All of our clients live with disabling conditions including mental illness,
addiction, and physical disabilities. We track where our clients are discharged from. It is permanent
housing but we like to move people out of the units to free up spaces for people to move off of the
streets. We had 120 discharges since we started the program and 72 of those have moved on to
other permanent housing. This approach is extremely cost effective. We provided services for $24
per client per day. Housing First has been identified as a best practice because it is cheaper than
shelters, jails and hospitals. We have an outreach worker that is partially funded by the city. I
attended a meeting with outreach workers today. We share information and identify clients that
are in need and areas that could use attention. It is a great way for people to work together. I don’t
know if the task force knows that these conversations are happening in real time. Housing is a
challenge. Clients have a lot of barriers to housing: their history, affordability, criminal record,
evictions, and credit. Housing is not available for people with vouchers. I hate when we identify
somebody and they decline services. Outreach workers can identify with that and it is concerning.
People experiencing homelessness don't trust the system. They have been disappointed a lot but
we have to keep trying to engage. A lot of my responses mirrored what Jennifer and Craig said.


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That is a great example of how we collaborate.

Councilor Will Brennan asked if Kristen collaborates with any other department functions at
Prisma. Do you gather data on emergency room visits? What kind of energy is at Prisma in terms
of helping this group move forward?

Ms. Kristen S. Connors, LMSW, Director of Supportive Housing & Medical Case Management
for Prisma Health-Midlands Supportive Housing Services said a study was done on emergency
room diversion. It was on people who were brought into the Housing First Program and whether
there was a difference in emergency room visits pre-housing and post-housing. Currently, we have
access to electronic medical records. We can see if our clients are in any of the Prisma systems.

Councilor Will Brennan said it would be helpful if the healthcare systems would help us in revenue
participation and data collection.

Ms. Kristen S. Connors, LMSW, Director of Supportive Housing & Medical Case Management
for Prisma Health-Midlands Supportive Housing Services said everything is integrated. Prisma has
access to other health systems.

Ms. Teresa Wilson, City Manager said a lot of reference is being made to outreach workers and
the need for more of them. What is the going rate for an outreach worker?

Ms. Kristen S. Connors, LMSW, Director of Supportive Housing & Medical Case Management
for Prisma Health-Midlands Supportive Housing Services said it depends on education and
experience.

Ms. Lila Anna Sauls, EdD, HDFP, President and CEO of Homeless No More said $45,000 to
$70,000 a year.

Ms. Teresa Wilson, City Manager asked about the status of the Crisis Stabilization Unit.

Ms. Allison Smith, Department of Mental Health said we are in the licensure phase and DHEC is
working with us on that. We hired an architect and they are looking at the facility we identified off
of Parklane. We are working as quickly as we can to get it open. For Richland and Lexington
County it will be an unlocked eight bed unit for anyone experiencing a crisis. It will be staffed
around the clock. They can stay for a maximum of 14-days.



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Ms. Teresa Wilson, City Manager asked if there was the capacity to do more beds with partnerships
and funding for non-congregate housing can the center be expanded upon so that it is more than
eight beds.

Ms. Allison Smith, Department of Mental Health said the location and funding are barriers.

Dr. Bret Kloos asked how many Housing First Programs are in the United States. Last time I
checked it was over 100.

Ms. Kristen S. Connors, LMSW, Director of Supportive Housing & Medical Case Management
for Prisma Health-Midlands Supportive Housing Services said it is replicated nationally and
internationally.

Ms. Kieley Sutton said jail funding is around $92 per day per person. My understanding is that
housing is difficult. Would you be able to highlight the specific difficulties we are facing?

Ms. Kristen S. Connors, LMSW, Director of Supportive Housing & Medical Case Management
for Prisma Health-Midlands Supportive Housing Services said rents are going up. We used to have
good relationships with apartment complexes and private landlords. Complexes are being bought
by out of state companies and we no longer have those personal relationships. They have stopped
accepting HUD vouchers and being lenient with background checks. We have clients in other
programs with vouchers that they are not able to use. We have clients without vouchers who can’t
find any housing. The housing market is hard which causes more people to potentially experience
homelessness.

Homeless No More

Councilor Aditi Bussells said now we will hear from our two Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG) recipients.

Ms. Lila Anna Sauls, EdD, HDFP, President and CEO of Homeless No More said we do not work
with the chronic homeless. We are a system of care for homeless families. That is defined as
parents, grandparents, or a single parent with a child 17 or under in their custody. We have a family
shelter with emergency services for 30-days; St. Lawrence Place as transitional housing for up two
years with intensive case management and life skill programming; Live Oak Place, which is
landlord-tenant affordable housing, and advocacy. We can proactively change a lot in our
community and state if we attack the systems first. Last year, we served 900 parents and children


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and when given support services and programs, 96% exited to permanent housing. We referred
about 500 families. We track everything in HMIS. I don't work with the unsheltered homeless on
the street. We work with families that the police find in the parking lot at Wal-Mart. On any given
night, I have 65 families in my care. Richland One and Richland Two have 1,100 homeless
children. Our families are the hidden homeless that do not show up on Main Street or in the
hospitality districts. There is a data disconnect when it comes to families and our focus is taking
care of that population. We meet them where they are. We run wide, not deep. If we see mental
illness, we call MIRCI. If we see domestic violence, we call SisterCare. We have a professional
team of social workers but they are resource connecters. We will quickly outsource to other
agencies that run deep. The lack of coordination of services after 5:00 p.m. came into play with us
five years ago as police were finding families in the Wal-Mart parking lot and putting them in
motels out of their own pocket. We created a temporary motel voucher program. At that time, we
received $7,000 as a pass-through grant. If a city police officer found a family in immediate need,
they put the family in that motel and we send a social worker out the next day to work with the
family to come into the shelter system. The $7,000 lasted for six weeks. Once word got out,
families were looking to be placed in motels. We received $10,000 during COVID and we used it
for the families being displaced due to COVID. The rental moratorium was lifted and there was a
tsunami of evictions. We applied and received $75,000 for motel voucher funding. We put families
in motels and they would not come into the shelter after staying in the motel for two nights. They
would decline services or go to another agency with a motel voucher program. We decided to limit
ourselves to 48-hours and 89% of those families now come into the shelter system. That is what
our CDBG funding goes towards. We received $25,000 from the City of Columbia and it is for a
motel voucher program. We estimate that we can serve 20 families. We have contracts with six
motels throughout the city with the goal of keeping families close to the children’s school. Street
outreach is the team that is working with the homeless who are on the street. A social worker is
the person who follows them. You need both. Every organization that receives federal funding is
using HMIS. We can pull any data point that you need. The biggest challenge is affordable
housing. Average market rent is $1,100. The self-sustainability index shows that a family with two
children has to make $60,000 to keep their head above water if they have children in daycare. My
families are not making that. We need to develop affordable housing at 30% to 50% AMI and you
can include support services. We will have 200 units at Live Oak Place in the next twelve months.
It is working with the families but they are lacking budgeting skills and they are having issues
paying rent. Our third challenge is changing the post-COVID environment. The families we serve
are more transient and they are willing to walk out because of rules. The number one challenge for
service providers is doing more with less and with teams that are mentally fried. We are tired but
are not going home because there is work to be done. The only way to keep doing the work is to
have us as part of the conversation. There are not 100 organizations. I am listed four times and


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Live Oak Place is not transitional housing. We are a best practice. At some point, you have to start
listening to those of us on the ground.

Mr. Jamar Ogburn said I have been hearing a lot about the research workers on the street. What
are their hours of operation?

Ms. Lila Anna Sauls, EdD, HDFP, President and CEO of Homeless No More said we are staffed
24/7. We have fulltime positions for weekend staff, but we can't fill those now. We run at capacity.

Mr. Jamar Ogburn asked what is being done to gain the trust of the families.

Ms. Lila Anna Sauls, EdD, HDFP, President and CEO of Homeless No More said a lot of
organizations do not use HMIS. This subculture of motel families know how to go from
organization to organization to sustain this lifestyle.

Mr. Jamar Ogburn asked if the social workers have enough training to identify issues when
speaking with clients.

Ms. Lila Anna Sauls, EdD, HDFP, President and CEO of Homeless No More said my social
workers are licensed and they have backgrounds from DSS to school districts. They are trained in
interviewing and trauma informed care. We are big on meeting families where they are. I have a
professional team of social workers.

Mr. John Wilkinson asked about the conversion rate between the phases of the programs.

Ms. Lila Anna Sauls, EdD, HDFP, President and CEO of Homeless No More said it is not very
high because you can stay at the family shelter for 30 days and at St. Lawrence Place for two years.
Turnover is not as high at St. Lawrence Place. The national average is 48% and ours is 58%. Our
goal is to stabilize. We dig deep with life skills at St. Lawrence Place and the average stay pre-
COVID was 18 months. Our goal is once the families graduate from St. Lawrence Place they don’t
need us anymore.

Dr. Bret Kloos asked how much of your budget is not city or CDBG funds.

Ms. Lila Anna Sauls, EdD, HDFP, President and CEO of Homeless No More said my budget is
$1.8 million. I get $25,000 from Columbia’s CDBG. I get $50,000 in CDBG from Richland
County and 98% of our families come from Richland County. We receive more from Lexington


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County than both combined. The money from Lexington County was to begin a pilot program in
Lexington County. We have a 6% rate of return.

MIRCI

Councilor Aditi Bussells said MIRCI is funded through our Community Development funds. Their
scope and population may be different from some of the focus of this task force.

Ms. Julie Ann Avin, Executive Director of MIRCI said we receive CDBG funds from the city. In
2020 to 2021 we received $45,000. In 2021 to 2022, we received $40,000. We recently received
award notification for this year of $75,000. Those funds go to support our youth that are at risk of
homelessness. We operate a home for males 17 to 22 that are coming straight out of homelessness
or they have been identified by the school system as being at-risk. We also have youth in Housing
First that is funded through HUD. Since 2018, we have housed 84 youth. To address the growing
number of unsheltered homeless, we must have a regional approach. Providers have been
recommending single room occupancy for 20 years. It is a safe place with onsite facilities, security,
behavioral healthcare, physical healthcare, and case management services. Our system in South
Carolina is stretched beyond its means. Our governor has put out an executive order to examine
that system. Health and Human Services is looking at the possibility of privatizing it or
consolidating agencies. Our mental health system has to be addressed. The biggest challenge is the
lack of affordable housing. There are over 5,000 people on a closed waiting list at the Columbia
Housing Authority. Challenges also include shelter beds and funding. The model for Transitions
came to be through a partnership with the business community through the Chamber and the non-
profits that were providing services. The Knight Foundation funded a large portion of that
development and sent us all to Miami to view the Chapman Center. We implemented some of
those things, but we didn’t do the biggest thing that made a difference in Miami-Dade and that was
to include a percent in the hospitality tax to fund the services. There is a need for incentives to
develop affordable housing like the incentive that was done for student housing. The list of services
is being taken out of context. There were three permanent supportive housing programs and 60 of
the services were for food pantries and hygiene products. Those services are not getting people
into housing. The homeless don’t get food from pantries because they don’t have anywhere to
store it. MIRCI’s mission is to provide behavioral healthcare, outreach services and affordable
housing options for people who are vulnerable to the adverse consequences of mental illness. It is
not the whole population. There are not acute or long-term hospital beds for people with mental
illness. I took guardianship of someone who was in the emergency room 18 times in 20 days in
November. He is now living in a nursing home and he is doing great. It took a councilor, our chief
probate judge and the director of an agency to get him off the street. We need better hospital access.


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Nothing good is going to come out of a mental health screening at 10:00 p.m. The best time is
during the day. We will continue to provide outreach, essential services, community based mental
healthcare, and supportive housing. Our budget is $7 million.

Chief Skip Holbrook said we have an after-hours encounter with someone in crisis but it is not the
best time to engage and there may not be a bed. The default is they go to jail or the hospital. We
have to figure out this intermediate stop. After hours is not always at 3:00 a.m. It could be 7:30
p.m.

Mr. Steve Cook said this got resolved because citizens and business owners in Five Points saw this
man dying in public. This is just one person who had a mental health issue. We talk about the
homeless who are resistant to care and that is what we deal with in the business district. They go
into the neighborhoods and the business district. They make it hard for people to do business in
Columbia and they make it hard to have a safe neighborhood in some circumstances. I haven’t
heard anyone address that. How do we get them help? The work you do is great. It is not
compassionate to allow somebody to live on the street. Some kind of engagement of those folks
has to happen

Ms. Lila Anna Sauls, EdD, HDFP, President and CEO of Homeless No More said that is where
single room occupancy will help. You can renovate an old 130-bed hotel with services onsite. They
will start building trust. I live in a downtown neighborhood but I only had to call CPD when I had
drunk college students trying to break in my house when Five Points closed at 2:00 a.m. Part of it
is the general public’s discomfort with somebody experiencing homelessness. People react
differently to someone who is homeless than they do the drunk college kid.

Ms. Doreen Skelton said each person having an individual place would solve a lot of these
problems. We could have facilities with all of the resources. They would have rules and regulations
and be able to participate in cleaning.

Dr. Bret Kloos sought clarification on MIRCI’s budget.

Ms. Julie Ann Avin, Executive Director of MIRCI said our budget is $7 million. We house 335
people at any given time. In 2021, we saved the hospital systems $7 million in emergency room
visits and hospitalizations. In 2022, our data analysis came in at $5.7 million. We have a
partnership with the Department of Revenue and Fiscal Affairs to receive the cost of
hospitalization and emergency room visits that each person experienced in the year prior to and
post to coming into services and housing with MIRCI.


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 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2022


Ms. Jennifer Moore, Vice President of Community Impact for United Way of the Midlands said
we have high skilled outreach across several different agencies in the Columbia area. That is
important for engagement but if you don’t have the appropriate range of housing you have an
ambulance with no hospital to go to.

COMMITTEE DISCUSSION

Councilor Aditi Bussells said we have a lot to think about over the next several weeks as we
prepare for our next meeting. I want to thank the service providers for taking the time, for being
so thoughtful in their responses, and for sharing strategies that we can all start thinking about. This
is just the beginning of our continued discussions.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 6:13 p.m.

Respectfully submitted:


Erika D. Moore Hammond, CMC
City Clerk




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 2




MEETING DATE: September 21, 2022

DEPARTMENT: City Clerk

FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk

SUBJECT: Meeting Overview - The Honorable Will Brennan
FUNDING SOURCE &
ORIGINAL BUDGET:




Updated: 9/20/2022 11:00 AM Page 1
 Packet Pg. 20
 3




MEETING DATE: September 21, 2022

DEPARTMENT: City Clerk

FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk

SUBJECT: Review of Ordinance Requiring Permits for Free Distribution
 Events - The Honorable Aditi Bussells, Committee Chair
FUNDING SOURCE &
ORIGINAL BUDGET:


ATTACHMENTS:
  Revised Draft Feeding Ordinance 9122022 (PDF)




Updated: 9/16/2022 8:15 PM Page 1
 Packet Pg. 21
 3.a




Amending the 1998 Code of Ordinances of the City of Columbia, South Carolina, Chapter 15, Parks and
Recreation, Sec. 15-2, Permits for group use of parks or a festival and adding Sec. 15-6, Permits for free
 distribution events




 Attachment: Revised Draft Feeding Ordinance 9122022 (7912 : Permits for Free Distribution Events)




 Packet Pg. 22
 Permit issuance.

 Application procedure.

 Permit required; conditions.




Packet Pg. 23 3.a
 Attachment: Revised Draft Feeding Ordinance 9122022 (7912 : Permits for Free Distribution Events)
 3.a




 Attachment: Revised Draft Feeding Ordinance 9122022 (7912 : Permits for Free Distribution Events)
Fees.


Appeals.




Effect of permit.


Revocation.




Definitions


Director

Free Distribution Event




Organizer


Public Space



Free Distribution Event permit required.




 Packet Pg. 24
Packet Pg. 25 3.a
 Attachment: Revised Draft Feeding Ordinance 9122022 (7912 : Permits for Free Distribution Events)
 Designated Free Distribution Event locations




Packet Pg. 26 3.a
 Attachment: Revised Draft Feeding Ordinance 9122022 (7912 : Permits for Free Distribution Events)
 Fees.
 Penalties Appeals.
 Revocation
 Conflicting provisions
 Effect of permit.




Packet Pg. 27 3.a
 Attachment: Revised Draft Feeding Ordinance 9122022 (7912 : Permits for Free Distribution Events)
 4




MEETING DATE: September 21, 2022

DEPARTMENT: City Clerk

FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk

SUBJECT: Long-term Strategies and Final Report to City Council - The
 Honorable Aditi Bussells, Committee Chair
FUNDING SOURCE &
ORIGINAL BUDGET:




Updated: 9/16/2022 8:10 PM Page 1
 Packet Pg. 28
 5




MEETING DATE: September 21, 2022

DEPARTMENT: City Clerk

FROM: Erika Hammond, City Clerk

SUBJECT: Looking Ahead: Potential Partnership with Richland Library -
 Ms. Melanie Huggins Executive Director / Richland Library
FUNDING SOURCE &
ORIGINAL BUDGET:


ATTACHMENTS:
  Do Good Columbia 2023 RCPL (PDF)




Updated: 9/21/2022 1:19 PM Page 1
 Packet Pg. 29
Packet Pg. 30 5.a
 Attachment: Do Good Columbia 2023 RCPL (7911 : Looking Ahead: Potential Partnership with Richland Library)
Packet Pg. 31 5.a
 Attachment: Do Good Columbia 2023 RCPL (7911 : Looking Ahead: Potential Partnership with Richland Library)
Packet Pg. 32 5.a
 Attachment: Do Good Columbia 2023 RCPL (7911 : Looking Ahead: Potential Partnership with Richland Library)
Packet Pg. 33 5.a
 Attachment: Do Good Columbia 2023 RCPL (7911 : Looking Ahead: Potential Partnership with Richland Library)
Packet Pg. 34 5.a
 Attachment: Do Good Columbia 2023 RCPL (7911 : Looking Ahead: Potential Partnership with Richland Library)
 5.a




How might we… connect, collaborate and coordinate
across agencies and organizations to provide services




 Attachment: Do Good Columbia 2023 RCPL (7911 : Looking Ahead: Potential Partnership with Richland Library)
to individuals experiencing homelessness during the
evening hours?

How might we… ensure that the pallet home village
meets the needs of individuals experiencing
homelessness in an efficient, equitable, respectful and
compassionate way?

 Packet Pg. 35
 5.a




Great designs come from great constraints.




 Attachment: Do Good Columbia 2023 RCPL (7911 : Looking Ahead: Potential Partnership with Richland Library)
Timeline and Budget
The project must be able to be completed within six to nine months.

Budget
The total project cost must be $25,000 or less.

Location : Partner Organizations : Customized Requirements



 Packet Pg. 36
 5.a




Persona




 Attachment: Do Good Columbia 2023 RCPL (7911 : Looking Ahead: Potential Partnership with Richland Library)
A fictional character based upon
research in order to represent different
user groups. Creating personas helps us
understand people’s needs,
experiences, behaviors and motivations.




 Packet Pg. 37
Packet Pg. 38 5.a
 Attachment: Do Good Columbia 2023 RCPL (7911 : Looking Ahead: Potential Partnership with Richland Library)

COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING
 MINUTES
 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2022

The Columbia Task Force to Prevent and End Homelessness met on Wednesday, September 21,
2022 at the Busby Street Community Center, 1735 Busby Street, Columbia, South Carolina
29203. The Honorable Aditi Bussells, Chair called the meeting to order at 4:02 p.m.

Attendee Name Title Status
Aditi Bussells Chair Present
Edward H. McDowell City Council District II Absent
Will Brennan City Council District III Present
William "Skip" Holbrook Police Chief Present
Matt Kennell City Center Partnership Absent
Steve Cook Five Points Association Present
George Whitehead Department of Probations, Pardon and Parole Remote
Allison Farrell SC Department of Mental Health Present
John Wilkinson Elmwood/Downtown Coalition of Neighborhoods Present
Bret Kloos USC Department of Psychology Present
Antonio Flores Jr. Wal-Mart Absent
Kieley Sutton Assistant Public Defender Present
Treacy Dobbins Inspire Real Change Absent
Matthew Brock Associate Probate Judge Present
Doreen Skelton Advocate Present
Jamar Ogburn Advocate Present

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

1. Approval of August 17, 2022 Meeting Minutes

Upon a motion made by Dr. Bussells and seconded by Mr. Brennan, taskforce members voted
unanimously to approve the August 17, 2022 Meeting Minutes, as amended to correctly identify
comments made by Julie Ann Avin.

COMMITTEE DISCUSSION

2. Meeting Overview - The Honorable Will Brennan




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 COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING
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Councilor Will Brennan said this is the third and last formal meeting. We have come a long way.
I appreciate learning from service providers about the important quality of life services you
provide to an important population of our city, in the Midlands, and our state. There is still a lot
of work to be done. From our conversations, the city has stepped forward to be a stronger partner
with the service providers. We are listening to you as to what you need to be successful to serve
the citizens that are in need and in hope of getting back on the right path. The announcement for
the Inclement Weather Center (IWC) converting to a year-long shelter was made a couple weeks
ago. That was intentional because we needed to give our staff time to pull that plan together. We
heard about the importance of single resident occupancy (SRO) units. We did our research and
put together a plan for 50 SRO units at Rapid Shelter Columbia through Pallet. It's not going to
solve everything but we hope that it starts the process for a permanent solution to help the
homeless population. It is going to take Columbia, the Midlands, counties, and the state to work
through this. We currently have job postings for a homeless coordinator and two staff to help
coordinate and communicate with the service providers. If you have any good candidates please
send them to our job portal. The input doesn't stop today. We're going to work together as we
move forward to bolster our homeless services here in Richland County, Lexington County, the
city of Columbia, and in the state of South Carolina.

3. Review of Ordinance Requiring Permits for Free Distribution Events - The Honorable
 Aditi Bussells, Committee Chair

Councilor Aditi Bussells said one of the other ideas that came out of our discussions was finding
ways in which we can coordinate the multiple feedings that occur across the city especially those
that pop up and don't have a regular schedule but end up being in places that the city and
residents may not know about. I'd like for our legal team to provide a brief overview of this
ordinance. This is a draft ordinance that we'd like your input on and then it will be formally
submitted to City Council.

Jacqueline M. Pavlicek, Esq., Assistant City Attorney said before you today is a draft ordinance
that addresses the popup distribution events. Much of our discussions in these taskforce meetings
have centered on feeding-based events. However, it's currently drafted in a way that's slightly
broader to help accommodate for unanticipated circumstances such as the need to deliver
services, beverages, or clothing items. It is not completely limited to food distribution. The
ordinance itself builds on our current ordinance governing large group activities in our parks.
You'll see language that mirrors what we see in the regular event permit process. From there it
builds on a program that stemmed from the city of Miami. We incorporated aspects that we felt


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  COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING
 MINUTES
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were hitting on some of the points that the taskforce and others had voiced. It also provides for a
deposit instead of an actual fee so that the organizers are able to get their money refunded to
them after responsibly holding an event. It's currently drafted with five general locations. We
anticipate that staff will look at the current facilities that we have available and where they are
located in proximity to the unhoused or other individuals in need of services. This a starting
point and if there are points of departure or areas of concern, we welcome any feedback that we
can get.

Matthew Brock said it mentions designating five public places but no less than two. Are
organizations allowed to bring their own public places or are locations going to be designated by
the city as the only places that they are allowed to do these type of free distributions.

Jacqueline M. Pavlicek, Esq., Assistant City Attorney said people can organize a free distribution
event under the current permitting plan. That plan requires deposits and fees and a whole lot of
other things that are not always the most practical when you are trying to hold an event with
purely altruistic purposes. Modifying the timetable should be able to help us to address
immediate needs.

Matthew Brock asked if the city is going to designate these places or can organizations do it
where they feel is appropriate after they get the city’s permit.

Jacqueline M. Pavlicek, Esq., Assistant City Attorney said distribution events will be at specific
locations within the city that have appropriate facilities like bathrooms, parking, and hand
washing stations. They will be selected by the city ascertaining the locations that are most
appropriate and also the locations that have appropriate features like lighting and security.

Matthew Brock asked if his permit will be denied if he organizes an event at a location that is not
at one of the designated areas.

Jacqueline M. Pavlicek, Esq., Assistant City Attorney said absolutely; if it is not in one of these
approved locations. If there are locations that providers are currently utilizing, please voice that
to staff. We can try to make sure that the designated locations are going to suit the most amount
of people and purposes and serve the community that we're trying to address.

Matthew Brock said the draft requires me to disclose all of my affiliates. I'm assuming it's not for
double permitting.


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  COLUMBIA TASK FORCE TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS MEETING
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Jacqueline M. Pavlicek, Esq., Assistant City Attorney said I think we can just modify the
language to make sure it's clear. We don't want people double dipping. There are a lot of
organizations that want to provide services. There will likely be a limited number of locations to
do that. Depending on the volume of requests we can make modifications to best suit the city’s
needs.

Matthew Brock said it's dependent on the availability of the locations.

Jacqueline M. Pavlicek, Esq., Assistant City Attorney said Finlay Park is up for a lot of
renovations. In the future, that location may not be suitable for free distribution events year-
round. We want to make sure that we're accommodating that.

Matthew Brock said there's a provision in here that says that if you're having a free distribution
event, you need to have your organization’s name on the plates, cups, bags, etc.

Jacqueline M. Pavlicek, Esq., Assistant City Attorney said the name and the date. This helps us
to track litter and it helps the people who are receiving those food items to know the date that
they were originally distributed.

Matthew Brock said I understand that point. I want to make sure that it’s not an undue burden for
the people that are trying to have these events.

Jacqueline M. Pavlicek, Esq., Assistant City Attorney said it just requires labels to be printed.

Dr. Bret Kloos asked what risk the city takes with this ordinance. There's always a risk analysis
in law in terms of freedom of assembly. What’s the boundary between an event and people
gathering and sharing food that they bring in? Who will be enforcing this?

Jacqueline M. Pavlicek, Esq., Assistant City Attorney said the enforcement should be through
Parks and Recreation. This should be a civil infraction so it's not going to be enforced by law
enforcement. There's the freedom to assemble but the city has the right to implement appropriate
time, place, and manner requirements. It's only governing the free distribution events.

Elaine Cooper, Food Not Bombs and Homeless Helping Homeless said the newspaper reported
that there is no forward momentum on Finlay Park. Finlay Park is open to the public and to the
right to assemble and feed hungry people and have picnics. Do churches have to pay a fee?


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They're going by their religious beliefs: feed the poor, help others in need, and love others. How
much will they have to pay?

Jacqueline M. Pavlicek, Esq., Assistant City Attorney said they would have to pay what
everyone else pays.

Elaine Cooper, Food Not Bombs and Homeless Helping Homeless asked what would they have
to pay if they just go ahead and have an event out of the right moral compass that leads them.

Jacqueline M. Pavlicek, Esq., Assistant City Attorney said religious groups will be treated just
like everybody else; not worse, not better off. They would need to pay a deposit which would be
refunded to them.

Elaine Cooper, Food Not Bombs and Homeless Helping Homeless said Miami ran into a lot of
civil courts and problems. Food Not Bombs, churches and other non-profits took them to court. I
want the city of Columbia to be aware that it's still an ongoing situation in Miami. I can supply
you with that information from the national and international founder of Food Not Bombs who is
based in Miami.

Councilor Aditi Bussells said the Miami case was focused on eliminating feedings altogether and
that's not what we are doing. This is simply creating parameters to ensure that we don't have
duplication. There are over 44 services that are dedicated to feeding already so it's not that we
don't have those services. If you are a church and you have private property that you choose to
feed on, this does not affect you. This is simply public spaces that the city has to take on the
burden to clean up litter and deal with the aftermath of people coming in doing a kind thing but
leaving a lot of consequences for us.

Elaine Cooper, Food Not Bombs and Homeless Helping Homeless asked how many containers
the city supplies for these sites to handle the litter.

Matthew Brock said if you are approved through the permitting process, the city will then know
what you are doing and they will provide the necessary resources. That's the point of the process.
The city would be informed enough to be able to help and assist. The point of the permitting
process is for the people that are going to do the free distribution events to come with as much
information as they have so that the city can plan accordingly. The ordinance asks for you to
estimate how many people are going to be there and it doesn't say that you can't overestimate.


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The city is trying to do everything that it can to help with resources because the burden is on the
city to clean up if you don't. There is a good balance here. There may be a future problem with
the two days’ notice especially when you're asking for resources.

Kieley Sutton asked if the designated locations for these events will also be hosting other city
events. Will free distributions be competing for time with other organizations and city funded
events? Will that then reduce access? Will that interfere with availability or will these locations
be specifically designated for distribution events? This is a beautiful and well-located facility but
it has a lot of city events. If we're looking at spaces like this, think about that availability
competition that didn't exist prior to this ordinance and make sure that places are not only
convenient but available. Has there been any kind of consultation with folks who typically do
meal service or free distribution events? While we've had service provider input for this
taskforce, a lot of the meal service providers have not been able to have input. I'm sure they’ve
had hurdles or obstacles that were not identified by this group and may need to be considered.

Councilor Aditi Bussells said the three new folks that will be coordinating our services will also
collaborate, align and engage different stakeholders with this new rapid shelter and they will
have that opportunity for input. We’re not passing this tomorrow. We want to be very thoughtful
and intentional but we also know that there's a certain level of urgency. We’ve seen that there are
multiple services. We’ve heard from people even on this committee that have experienced
homelessness saying that there are so many options in duplication of services around lunchtime
that we're not spreading out our resources well. The intention behind this is to make sure that
there is something available every single day and you don't have 10 groups doing the same thing
between 11 and 1 on a Monday. If it's a private property, a coffee shop, or a church they can do
whatever they want. This is specifically for city-owned property and spaces.

Kieley Sutton said I respect and understand that. I'm just trying to think of what we might have
missed in our discussions. I'm sure that there are others that are going on. I've been a part of meal
services where the donation of protein got delayed by a day. We haven't talked about that kind of
hurdle. I’m just making sure that's put into consideration with this ordinance because there are
things that are unique to free distributions that are different than generic homelessness issues that
we've talked about.

Jacqueline M. Pavlicek, Esq., Assistant City Attorney said there is language in the draft
ordinance requiring at least 24 hours advance notice regarding cancellations. However, we may
need to be more flexible on that or provide different parameters.


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Kieley Sutton said talk about how to reschedule and navigating conflicts. A lot of the food
services that I had been participating in were working on doing more collaborative events
because if folks are coming for meals then why not throw in a flu shot, talk about how to apply
for insurance, or schedule your mental health screening. Partnerships were being developed. If
this is going to disqualify affiliated agencies from pursuing their own permits within that week,
then I think that would discourage collaboration. I am trying to figure out how to eliminate the
city having the final and only say on a denial and having no recourse outside of the people who
enacted the ordinance. Will the definition of free distribution in Sec. 15-6 include only goods or
is this going to be for information. The definition is broad enough to include the distribution of
information and that is something to think about and address.

Dr. Bret Kloos asked if a coordinating function is included in the ordinance.

Councilor Aditi Bussells said that will fall under the three new positions that we are hiring. We
are taking back the coordination of services that the city funds. The Parks and Recreation
Department will have a role as well. This is an existing ordinance that we are modifying to
include this event. We already have a permit system for large events in parks, whether it is
relating to feeding or not.

Allison Farrell said the Department of Mental Health has an RV that goes out. Is there a way to
consider permanent or intermittent types of permits? I’m interested in the frequency of applying
for a permit.

Jacqueline M. Pavlicek, Esq., Assistant City Attorney said a permit would not be required for
events done in partnership with the city of Columbia. There is a provision to allow the city
manager to waive the deposit.

John Wilkinson asked how many distribution events are on private property versus public
property.

Councilor Aditi Bussells said there are about 44 faith based organizations that were identified as
providing regular weekly feedings based on the cataloging of services. That doesn’t include the
popup feeding events.




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Kieley Sutton said Be Kind, Be Great Inc. doesn’t have funds for operational overhead. All of
their food and volunteer services are donated. The requirement to have labels and to-go boxes
could be cost prohibitive for some organizations who are regular providers of meals. Is that type
of financial limitation being taken into consideration? Will there be other waivers for these
financial requirements?

Councilor Aditi Bussells said this is to make our services better. There are always different
events and context. There is always a certain level of discretion and conversations that we have
and we have always been able to adjust accordingly. If we are able to come to a mutual
agreement, I don’t see why that would be an issue. The end goal is to have a clear understanding
and coordination of events in our parks.

Kieley Sutton suggested that the level of openness be included as language on the city’s website,
not in the ordinance.

Teresa Wilson, City Manager said we do that now and most of the time because there hasn’t
been a tone set about the massive amount of resources. We are more than friendly and more than
compassionate. We are trying to strike a balance. I don’t know that the tone of any city ordinance
is always meant to be touchy feely.

Matthew Brock suggested that the application provide space for an organization to express any
limitations they may be experiencing.

Doreen Skelton said my understanding is that the city wants to hold providers accountable for
cleaning up. The ordinance mainly talks about food and trash.

Councilor Will Brennan said let us talk about where the ordinance draft will go and the timeline
to continue receiving public input as the ordinance makes its way to City Council at a work
session and then to City Council for the readings.

Teresa Wilson, City Manager said that would be the recommendation that I have. The taskforce
has done a great job of providing input. Legal took a great stab at it and we need to put it before
all of your colleagues in a public meeting. I need to review it more in the context of things that
have been said today. Director Davis for the Parks and Recreation Department and Assistant City
Manager Simons will need to review this, too. There are a lot of additional steps and we will
make sure that all of the input is taken into account.


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Councilor Will Brennan asked for the best contact for the taskforce, service providers and the
public to send feedback to.

Teresa Wilson, City Manager said we have been setting up a database in my office. We may
need to standup a homeless services page on the website to include a compilation of what has
come out of the taskforce. That may also be a place for questions, suggestions, and observations.

4. Long-term Strategies and Final Report to City Council - The Honorable Aditi Bussells,
 Committee Chair

Councilor Aditi Bussells said I want to recap some of the strategies that you all have determined
in terms of what you would like to recommend to City Council and then I will open it up to see if
there is anything else you would like to add. In addition to the short-term changes Councilman
Brennan announced, here are some of the strategies that came out of this discussion:

 1. Identify and create an infrastructure for services after 5:00 p.m. There is a gap. Most
 services are provided from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. While we have expanded our mental
 health clinicians within our Pathways Unit, there continues to be a need for us to create a
 system where a business owner or community member can call and be directly connect to
 a set of services after 5:00 p.m.

 2. Increase beds and single occupancy beds for the chronically unsheltered. Some of that
 will be addressed through Rapid Shelter Columbia and the 50 Pallets, but our work
 continues in terms of identifying permanent housing solutions for those triaged through
 the Rapid Shelter.

 3. Continue to streamline and coordinate feedings (meal shares) that are occurring across
 the city.

 4. Revisit and address competency with the state and local courts and how to move forward.

 5. Increase regional and state cooperation in support of all that Columbia is doing. We
 learned from the United Way of the Midlands (the continuum of care provider) that out of
 19 counties in the Midlands, Columbia is the only city that has a low barrier shelter like
 Transitions. The funding formula is lower in South Carolina than a lot of other states. We
 need to push to our delegation the importance of getting more funding to address those
 needs.


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 6. We don’t want law enforcement to be the first point of entry. We want to see a greater
 presence of beat cops within the hospitality districts, use our Yellow Shirts Program, and
 ensure that we have resources to help people that may be experiencing a mental health
 crisis and address those individuals who may be engaging in criminal activity.

 7. The 2013 Homeless Taskforce wanted to have the Main’s Best Convenience Store (The
 Blue Store) shut down. We were able to do that and we have seen drastic improvement in
 terms of the criminal activity that has occurred there.

 8. Coordinate our services as a city. That is where you are seeing the approach of having
 homeless coordination housed in the city to help develop outcomes, shared understanding
 of success, and collaboration with our providers. We hope this will be a way to resolve
 issues that result from working in silos or not having a shared understanding of the things
 we want to accomplish.

 9. Having an appeal process for The Comet’s trespass notices.

 10. Tracking and accountability: Compiling annual data on the number of individuals using
 sheltering services. Currently, the data for the emergency shelter is reported through
 HMIS. This should be included in the job descriptions. Track where people go when they
 leave. This can be linked to the affordable housing taskforce.

Dr. Bret Kloos said I want to know that the money is going to something that won’t move
problems somewhere else. I don’t know if Chief Holbrook was informed that the Sheriff was
going to close down the field near Wal-Mart. That’s a coordinating function. The 50 pallets will
expand our capacity greatly.

Chief Holbrook said there was coordination. We share similar processes for when we identify a
homeless camp. We engage our service providers and we provide notice in order to get people
into the service they choose. We can’t force that but we give them ample time to vacate from the
property. These properties have significant public health issues and oftentimes criminal activity.
It is important to know where folks are going on the backend but I am always curious to know
how they got here on the front end.




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Dr. Bret Kloos said the United Way tracks the conditions people came from and the type of
services they have accessed.

Councilor Aditi Bussells said as Jamar has openly shared, he has engaged in a lot of different
services for the homeless. Oftentimes, we would have reflections after the meetings. He wanted
to share a little bit of his story and give strategies that he thinks would make sense in terms of
moving forward.

Jamar Ogburn said I was homeless over a number of years stemming from living in New York
and moving to South Carolina. Back then, the Salvation Army and Oliver Gospel Mission were
the providers. It was a cold and dark experience. You are living in filthy conditions. The showers
were nasty. The facility was nasty. In 1995, I remember being in a small hotel room with four
bunkbeds and eight grown men. We shared a small shower and a toilet. Only two people out of
the eight overcame homelessness. The odds aren’t great. There weren’t many places feeding
individuals. I last experienced homelessness in 2014 and I was at Transitions. If Transitions
wasn’t there, I don’t know if I would be sitting here today. I had some bad experiences, but it
wasn’t all bad. My reality was based off of a foundation that came from my parents that told me
that I could be anything that I wanted to be. In remembering what they shared with me, I knew
that I could overcome it. I just had to do something about it. I worked and in the process I
became friends with the social workers. They truly cared about the individuals but because of
politics, their hands were tied. After I left, they asked me to come back to facilitate the Men
Making a Difference group. That was my pride and joy. I didn’t want to do it because I wasn’t
that far removed. There is hope and there is always that fire. I was a manager at the IWC and
people want me to come back. Homeless people are not bad. If you look past what they are
doing, you will find out that they are good people in a bad situation. I hope that the city,
community, and services can somehow get together to formulate a plan. I believe wholeheartedly
that we will be able to formulate an active plan that doesn’t put a band aid on the wound but
allows us to heal as a community and grow from there. I hope that when the homeless come to
our city they say I may not be homeless for long.

5. Looking Ahead: Potential Partnership with Richland Library - Ms. Melanie Huggins
 Executive Director / Richland Library

Councilor Aditi Bussells said the work does not end here. There are going to be plenty of
opportunities to stay engaged. I would like to introduce Melanie Huggins and her team from
Richland County Library. They have a potential opportunity for us to continue some of this


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work, come together to talk about some of the strategies, and develop a long-term plan to make
Columbia a place where you can access services seamlessly.

Melanie Huggins, Executive Director / Richland Library said we serve people and meet their
needs where they are. We have an opportunity that we want to bring to this taskforce. We look
forward to seeing the full report because it will inform our work as well. Over the past few years,
library staff has become good at service design, which is using a human-centered approach to
solving community problems by putting the lived experience of the people you are servicing at
the center of what you are designing. In 2017, we created Do Good Columbia. We tackled how
to make our riverfront more enjoyable and accessible. We worked with 113 citizens over 2.5
days to develop ideas that could be completed within 6 to 12 months. We had 13 teams that
pitched ideas to a panel of judges that included city staff. The winning team received $50,000 to
implement their idea. This resulted in the installation of hammocks, a mural, and signage at
Riverfront Park. Last year, the Midlands Business Leadership Group asked us to assist with
attracting and retaining black and brown talent to their organizations. We used the same process
to interview over 60 employees. We drafted a report for the business community with
recommendations on how to do a better job with attracting and retaining talent. We are here
today, because we have grant funding for another Do Good process. We wanted to tackle how
we might respond better in times of crisis, but when I found out about this taskforce I contacted
Dr. Bussells about taking your recommendations to do another Do Good process. Now that you
know what you want to do, we can help you figure out how you want to do some of those things.

Georgia Coleman, Chief Operating Officer / Richland Library said human center design is a
collaborative process where you bring together diverse groups of stakeholders. We center
people’s stories, experiences, thoughts, feelings, and actions in order to design solutions that
work for real humans. Design thinking teaches us to approach problems as questions. How do we
collaborate and connect across agencies to serve people after hours? How can we ensure that the
experience of people at the IWC is equitable, respectful and compassionate? These are the types
of questions we could tackle through a Do Good process. We also know that great designs come
with great constraints. Rather than thinking outside the box we build the right shape box to think
inside of. You would help us define the timeline, project costs, partner organizations, and other
requirements. We can customize a workshop process that would generate solutions that meet the
needs that you are setting forth. Then we would develop personas or representative stories that
we can design around. Additional information can be found online at
https://www.dogoodcolumbia.com.



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Melanie Huggins, Executive Director / Richland Library said we have to spend the money by
April. We just need to know if there is interest in us being a part of taking these
recommendations, putting together a process, and moving forward. The city would need to be a
collaborative and supporting partner and commit to funding whatever comes out of it. If not, we
will find a different problem to apply these skills to.

Councilor Aditi Bussells said I think this is something that folks are interested in pursuing. We
can have you work with Erika to get the taskforce members’ information. We worked with
several other stakeholders that are also helping us get Rapid Shelter Columbia off the ground.
We can include the three new hires and members of the general public. This is another
information gathering point. My only thing for us to consider is that the City of Columbia
doesn’t hold the dollars for homelessness; it resides with the Midlands Area Consortium on
Homelessness (MACH). I would ask them to make the same commitment because they have
millions of dollars that are given out every year. That is where we can move the needle.

Julie Ann Avin, MIRCI said MACH’s money is already spoken for. That is HUD money and we
can’t just direct it to whatever comes out of this. The funds go straight into housing.

Councilor Aditi Bussells said there were many opportunities identified for better streamlining of
the service providers that participate in MACH. They should be a part of this conversation about
collaboration and alignment. There is a competitive environment of homeless services and we
need to address that in order for us to have a true continuum of care for people experiencing
homelessness.

Teresa Wilson, City Manager said Rapid Shelter Columbia has moved fast in order to open by
November 1, 2022. There is still a lot of work to be done. I have a few pictures of what is going
on down there. We are moving along steadily with the construction schedule. Site clearing began
on September 7, 2022. After site clearing began, we completed engineering drawings because
grading and storm drainage has to be addressed. A new service line and transformers from
Dominion Energy have been installed. As the site prep continues, you will see additional things
like sidewalk installation, artificial grass, and fencing leading up to the Pallet Shelters tentatively
arriving on October 26, 2022. At that point, we will engage our internal forces and volunteers to
assist with anchoring and electrical connections for the shelters for a tentative opening on
November 1, 2022. The Pallet Shelter is a 64 sq. ft. unit that includes air conditioning, shelving,
power outlets, fire extinguishers, heat, a folding bed, and an egress door with storage. The Pallet
shelter units are well-equipped and safe. Over 3,000 shelters have been deployed across the


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country with us being the first in the southeast. There is a 100 sq. ft. unit as well. The site plan
shows that 40 shelters will be on the left side for men and ten shelters will be on the right for
women. We are sorting through administrative guidelines and the question of couples. I want to
thank Colonel Craig Curry with Transitions for his insight. Through their partnership with the
United Way, they have already worked at the Inclement Weather Center. We are working
towards our staffing model. We take this seriously. This has to be safe and secure. We will get
the work done and roll it out at the right time, in the right way, with the right staff and with the
right rules. I appreciate the patience, compassion and concern that this group has shown in the
work of Dr. Bussells and her colleagues to allow us to even attempt to do this.

Chris McGuire asked if there is plan for people who are going to become homeless.

Councilor Aditi Bussells said some of our great providers talked about those services at our last
meeting. This taskforce is focused exclusively on addressing the chronically unsheltered. We
identified that as a gap in services. We also catalogued all of the organizations that serve people
and families that are on the cusp of becoming homeless.

Chris McGuire asked if an advocate is onsite to point folks in the direction they can go in when
you clear out camps. I feel like I am about to face homelessness within a few weeks. I lost my
job because I gave a homeless person my employee meal.

Councilor Aditi Bussells said there are service providers in the audience that would be happy to
connect you with services.

Jamar Ogburn said I can direct you and help you with a few job openings.

Chris McGuire suggested that the taskforce educate employers because the homeless get a bad
rap.

Tom Clements said I have volunteered at the IWC for seven years and I have seen a lot. I am
concerned about how the expanded services will impact me. Clients ask why the IWC is not
open all the time. Is there a way to accommodate storage of people's belongings? They stash it
somewhere and it is thrown away or it is stolen while they are asleep. I hope there is a feedback
mechanism for people on the ground.




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Regi Solis, Needful Things said I was homeless for six years. I am no longer homeless because I
received an inheritance. I share information with the homeless. I only know of 30 groups that
provide meals and not all of them do it on a regular basis. What will the $150 registration fee
cover when the Parks and Recreation Department was issuing permits for free? A lot of these
organizations receive donations. They don’t have money to pay that.

Councilor Aditi Bussells agreed to provide the catalog of services. They are not paying to
register; it is a deposit. The cost to clean up after feedings is much more than $150 when you
factor in labor and materials. It is a way to hold people accountable of leaving the place better
than they found it.

Regi Solis asked if the city is supplying adequate trash facilities. I have a list for Richland
County and Lexington County. Some of the listed services no longer exist and some of the
locations were not doing what the website said they were doing. There are more than 250
homeless people. Is there a law that says you have to be housed? The city has plenty of empty
land to provide a place for people who do not want to be housed. Why are people being
harassed? The 6th Federal District Court ruled that unless you can provide viable shelter for
people, then it is constitutional for people to sleep in public and it does not include shelters like
the Oliver Gospel Mission, which is faith based. It also excludes spaces like Transitions that has
strict regulations.

Chief Holbrook said we are not forcing anybody to shelter. We’re providing shelter for
unsheltered people who may have been averse to staying in Transitions or congregate settings.
This is a sheltering philosophy that gives people their own space. We are not taking people there
against their will; it is an option for an identified part of a very vulnerable population.

ADJOURNMENT

Upon a motion made by Mr. Ogburn and seconded by Chief Holbrook, taskforce members voted
unanimously to adjourn the meeting at 5:36 p.m.

Respectfully submitted:


Erika D. Moore Hammond, CMC
City Clerk


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