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Q&A
Overview and metrics of the Subway Safety Plan
0:46:15
·
3 min
Council Member Brannan inquires about the Subway Safety Plan, its funding, and how DHS measures its success. Commissioner Park explains the three primary metrics used to track progress on unsheltered homelessness engagement:
- Number of touchpoints with clients
- Number of placements into transitional housing
- Permanent housing placements
• The commissioner emphasizes the importance of focusing on permanent housing solutions rather than just shelter placements. • Administrator Carter adds information about preventing 'feeder systems' into unsheltered homelessness and collaborating with other agencies.
Justin L. Brannan
0:46:15
Last for me.
0:46:16
I just wanna talk about the subway safety plan.
0:46:18
02/18/2022, the mayor released the subway safety plan outlining the city's strategy to address street homelessness and public safety on public transit.
0:46:28
It was first announced and funded in the FY twenty three executive plan with 171,300,000.0 which was baselined.
0:46:36
So a considerable amount of additional funding has also been added to DHS's budget since the announcement back in '22.
0:46:43
So how is DHS measuring or quantifying the success or the progress of the Subway Safety Plan?
Molly Wasow Park
0:46:51
So there's three primary metrics that we look at to track how we're doing on unsheltered homelessness engagement.
0:47:01
One is the number of touch points that we have with clients, and by we I'm including both DHS providers and our contracted outreach providers.
0:47:10
Two is the number of placements that we make into transitional housing.
0:47:16
That might be shelter.
0:47:17
It could be the low barrier beds like safe havens.
0:47:20
And three is permanent housing placements.
0:47:22
I will say that the permanent housing side of things is relatively new to the focus for this world.
0:47:28
We used to declare victory when we got somebody off of the streets and into shelter, but shelter isn't the goal for anybody.
0:47:34
We want to get them to permanent housing, so that has become an important part of our metric.
0:47:40
Given the nature of unsheltered homelessness, which is really we at DHS have a mandate and a mission to engage with those experiencing unsheltered homelessness but very limited ability to prevent it, we have to be looking at the volume of services that we are providing and the number of people that we are getting off the streets, but also recognizing that this is a multi level problem.
0:48:10
So just to make this really concrete, last year for example we placed about 1,200 people living in low barrier beds and safe havens and stabilization beds into permanent housing.
0:48:24
Almost exactly the same number of people were discharged from upstate psychiatric hospitals to DHS.
0:48:30
So as much as I would like to say the metric should be exactly the number of people who are experiencing unsheltered homelessness, I think in terms of what we can actually control it is the level of our engagement in the number of people for whom we are solving the issue.
0:48:50
And then we need to continue to work with other agencies and other levels of government to make sure that we are addressing the upstream issue.
0:48:58
Administrator Carter, anything you'd like to add?
Jocelyn Carter
0:49:00
Commissioner, I think you really have touched on it.
0:49:03
I mean I think one of the things that we've been looking at is how do we prevent feeder systems into the, into you know, unsheltered homelessness.
0:49:11
So, we've been really trying to work comprehensively and collaboratively with those specific agencies.
0:49:17
So, we're doing some work around that as well as doing real meetings with other city partners and state partners really in looking at are we doing weekly meetings, are we out doing engagements, you know, what is the work that needs to be done above and below ground with those who are unsheltered.
0:49:36
So, we're doing that work.