Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Task Force - May 15, 2014 - Meeting Minutes
SRO HOTEL HEALTH AND SAFETY TASKFORCE
Meeting Minutes May 15, 2014
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
1650 Mission, Room 403
Members Present: Bruce Burge (SRO Operator); Dan Jordon (SRO Tenant); Yvonne Mere (City Attorney); Sam Patel (SRO Operator); Amelia Rudberg (Non-Profit SRO Operator); Wolfgang Stuwe (Environmental Health; DPH);
Excused Members: Rosemary Bosque (DBI); Pratibha Tekkey (Central City SRO Collaborative);
Unexcused Members: Nicolette Alexander (SRO Tenant); Angela Chu (Chinatown SRO Collaborative); Dr. Johnson Ojo (DPH); Scott Walton (HSA); Josh Vining (Mission SRO Collaborative);
Guests: Paul Fernandez (Chinatown SRO Collaborative); Thomas Picarello (SF Tenant); & Charles Pitts (SRO Tenant)
Minutes: Theresa Muehlbauer (DBI-HIS)
1. Call to Order
Meeting called to order at 9:15.
2. Roll Call / Determination of Quorum
There is no quorum.
3. Approval; of Meeting Minutes for March 20, 2014 and April 17, 2014
Yvonne Mere stated there are no Minutes to be approved at this meeting. This item is tabled until the next meeting.
Yvonne Mere asked if there were any public comment.
Public Comment on Agenda Item #3
Charles Pitts asked if he could get a copy of the draft minutes in the meeting.
Yvonne Mere stated she was unsure about the draft minutes procedures.
Thomas Piccarello asked if everyone could introduce themselves. He further state that the sunshine ordinance requires public agencies post draft minutes 10 days after the meeting. He asked if the public could see them on website. He that stated he assumed that the members who were not here had unexcused absences.
Yvonne Mere stated that she did not believe those who are absent are unexcused.
Thomas Picarello requested the information from the administrator.
Theresa Muehlbauer stated that some of the members are excused, and some of the members are not excused.
Thomas Picarello stated it was important to a have quorum so action can be taken on agenda items.
4. Administrative Announcements
None
5. Presentation by Mark Salazar Program Manager for the Mental Health Association and Matthew Luton Housing Inspector for the Department of Building Inspections regarding the peer response teams and the pilot program for Hoarding and Cluttering
Matthew Luton introduced himself as a Housing Inspector for the Department of Building Inspection. He is part of the pilot program for hoarding and cluttering. The program is called the Hoarding Intervention and Tenancy Preservation Pilot Program. The goal is to try to prevent evictions which result from hoarding and cluttering. At the same time trying to meeting all the health and safety standards which come to rise with hoarding a cluttering issues.
The pilot program is based upon a hoarding and cluttering program from Boston. Given the issues in the city it is a good model for us to try.
The program is client-centered intervention strategy using a multifaceted response, with different partners and agencies to respond to issues about hoarding and cluttering. The program was launched in January this year. The current collaborative agencies are APS, DAS, DBI and Mental Health Association of SF (MHASF). Mark Salazar, from MHASF, will discuss about the peer response portion which provides in-home support services.
The program uses a small group of clients already within the APS system. It is still in a pilot program and it is being evaluated to see if it can be used on a broader bases. The program uses a harm reduction model. We can make decisions; develop tools for assessing problems and dangers of hoarding cluttering. This program focuses on long and short terms goals.
Mark Salazar stated that the pilot program is about 18 months long and will end June 2015. In the Boston the program, worked with 70 clients. MHASF partnered with DBI, APS and DAS to test the program. MHASF provide mental health services that the clients may need. By using the peer model, the program has helped about 24 clients, reducing evictions.
MHASF has a treatment group and peer groups that anyone could access for free. If an individual can fit the treatment group and peer group, they would involve them. At the end of the pilot program, a comprehensive evaluation of the groups will be done.
Bruce Burge asked if it was a voluntary program.
Mark Salazar stated the model makes individuals accountable for their own health.
Bruce Burge asked what does harm reduction mean.
Mark Salazar stated that harm reduction finds methods or ways to reduce the harm and self-injuries.
Bruce Burge asked how this it applies.
Mark Salazar stated that harm reduction focuses on safety issues then health issues.
Yvonne Mere stated that legal services are a part of this program.
Mark Salazar stated that legal services are somewhat involved not fully involved.
Matt Luton stated that there are limited stake holders right now.
Wolfgang Stuwe asked how many individuals were in the San Francisco program since the Boston program had 70.
Mark Salazar stated that there 20 individuals, presently. There is one case manager, currently. They are trying to determine the capacity for each case worker.
Wolfgang Stuwe asked if the program was full.
Mark Salazar stated that the cases are existing individuals within the APS system. There are regulations; participants must seek mental health treatment. It takes an individual about 4-5 years to fully recover. It manifests itself through things, but is seen as a mental health issue.
Yvonne Mere asked if there is an ability to refer clients to the program?
Mark Salazar stated that no referrals are available at this time. Clients must be APS clients, but they are increasing services to these individuals. These services are peer services. Research has proven that peers are just as effective as professionals. These services are not limited to SRO Tenants.
Matt Luton stated this is an exciting program because it looks at the issue as a mental health issue.
Mark Salazar stated instead of focusing on the stuff in the home we focus on the mental health aspects first.
Public Comment
Thomas Picarello stated that some hoarder/clutters are in SRO’s but they didn’t know about the program. He asked how they are getting the information out to the public about the program.
Mark Salazar said clients come from APS once the pilot program ends; we will try to expand their services to the rest of the tenants of the city.
Matt Luton said that there is no outreach at this point. The goal is to have a successful program then getting it out to everyone. We don’t want a failure program to be started and let everyone down.
Thomas Picarello asked if the residents in the program are defendants in an unlawful detainers.
Mark Salazar stated that they were generally.
Thomas Picarello asked what happens if they are in an unlawful detainer.
Mark Salazar stated that the MHASF works with both parties to alleviate the situation. If they cannot, the process keeps moving. The program is not there to stop the process, just provide another option.
Yvonne Mere stated that this offers an additional tool to deal with the issues. It cannot stall it but it can help.
Thomas Picarello stated that the program only has 20 clients and is too small to determine if it’s successful.
Mark Salazar said if the model is successful, then it can be expanded. The difference between San Francisco and Boston is MHASF doesn’t know the buildings, so we cannot control the whole process. If the program works on this scale, we will expand to the rest of the city. If it does not show success, then the model can be modified. The programs are working, however there is insufficient funding. Additional funding is needed to expand upon the program.
Matt Luton said that the sample size is small due the funding constraints.
Mark Salazar said it appears that the program appears to be working. But we have to see how the monitoring goes see if clients maintain.
Charles Pitts stated that hoarder/clutterer is in the DSM-V. It was recently added as a mental health issue. He asked where he could get a copy of the program being used. So that the SRO residents we can try to replicate these programs.
Mark stated that MHASF does presentations to the community to show how to replicate the peer response model. They would gladly go out to do presentations on-site.
Charles Pitts asked if outreach can be done to the service providers?
Mark Salazar stated that they are requesting that individuals with this issue be referred to APS, which then n refer them to the pilot program,
Charles stated that his feelings on APS are they are barrier themselves because they rush you into making decisions. Clients have no opportunity to screen the APS workers who enter their homes.
Mark Salazar thanked Charles Pitts for his feedback. Those things are not supposed to happening. He further stated that he would take the feedback back to APS.
Yvonne Mere thanked you Mark Salazar and Matt Luton for the presentation.
6. Reports from SRO Collaboratives
Raul stated that yesterday they went to talk to the supervisors for more support for families in SROs. Supervisors are planning to help.
7. Prioritization of Future Meeting Topics
Yvonne asked for Future meeting topics. None were given.
Public Comment on Agenda Item for Agenda Item No. 7
Charles Pitts stated that the task force needed to talk about food distribution. Perhaps, best practices for distribution inside the building. In some building it works really well, some buildings it works really poorly. He’d like a discussion about kitchens and how to handle issues including how to keep those clean. He would like the task force to talk about the lawsuit regarding several SROs and blight issues. Hoping we can take a leadership role. He’d like an analysis the process and what it took to get there. What’s changed in the last 8 months in DBI? He wants analysis from the legal stand point. He wants to find out what the grievance process is if you have an issue with an Inspector. Specifically, if an inspector comes out to unit and acts inappropriately what happens to said inspector. There is no current policy.
Thomas Picarello agreed with Mr. Pitts. He wanted to know how the decision is made by the city attorney. There are many more SROs that are in terrible condition. I would like to see the city attorney make a presentation how this decision was made. Many other SROs are in these conditions, they should also prosecuted.
8. General Public Comment
None
9. Adjournment
Adjournment at 9:52AM.
