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Council Member Avilés questions Dr. Long on trauma-informed policies for asylum seekers

1:12:01

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Council Member Alexa Avilés engages in a discussion with Dr. Ted Long about the trauma-informed nature of the city's policy to evict asylum seekers from shelters after 30 or 60 days. Avilés presses Long on whether this policy is appropriate given the trauma experienced by asylum seekers.

Avilés directly asks if evicting someone after 30 or 60 days is a sound, trauma-informed policy.
Dr. Long attempts to redirect the conversation to the importance of providing immediate help and work opportunities.
Avilés concludes by stating that the eviction policy is not trauma-informed, despite efforts to set up a responsive system.

Alexa Avilés

1:12:01

Doctor.

1:12:01

Long, thank you so much.

1:12:03

You you have seen much of the trauma that people are coming with, on a daily basis, and I and I do believe you spent an enormous amount of time with people.

1:12:14

Do you think, eviction after 30 days or eviction after 60 days is a sound policy, a trauma informed policy, and the right thing the city should have employed?

Ted Long

1:12:27

Yeah.

1:12:27

Thank you for asking.

1:12:28

So to to, so just acknowledge the first thing that you said.

1:12:32

I mean, I, we really have spent a lot of time with people and we, by hearing them I I have all of these stories in my head of the that I've been told or that, of those that, my team has spoken with.

1:12:46

So, people have experienced intense trauma to get here, and trauma is not just medical.

Alexa Avilés

1:12:51

Doctor.

1:12:52

Long, I'm sorry.

1:12:52

I'm just gonna interrupt you really quickly.

1:12:54

As as a doctor, having seen the trauma, do you think evicting someone from a shelter after 60 days is an appropriate trauma informed policy?

UNKNOWN

1:13:05

Well, I'll tell

Ted Long

1:13:05

you what I do think.

1:13:07

I do think it's important, and again, this is not just my perception as a doctor, but what I've been told by people that I've cared for, is that people need help right away.

1:13:16

So there is an issue of timing.

1:13:18

And you heard this from some of the, panelists too.

1:13:22

Everybody wants to work, and people want to work, as soon as they can.

1:13:26

So I do think it's important from a timing perspective that we offer help to people, ideally as soon as they arrive, and that's why we've started to submit, applications for people from the arrival center.

1:13:37

Mali has been the closest

Alexa Avilés

1:13:39

to a community.

1:13:39

There's no disagreement that, the system that has been set up certainly to receive people and respond immediately to to their arrival is an important one.

1:13:51

I think I think what you're not answering, and I understand why you're not answering it, is that eviction after 60 days is not a trauma informed policy.

1:14:01

Fundamentally, it is not.

1:14:02

And I think we just need to agree to the reality of that and acknowledge that the system is we are trying to set up a system, but it's important for human dignity to acknowledge that this policy does not meet a trauma informed policy, though we are trying our best.

1:14:22

So I I think I'll I'll leave it there, and I'll pass it back to you Thank you.

1:14:25

Council member.

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