Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance Minutes January-September 2003 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO READ MINUTES

January 3, 2003
MDHA Meeting Minutes

Paige Flink opened the meeting with introductions. The Advocates for Change Report was given by James Waghorne. He reported that the last Advocates meeting was held in the main room of the Stewpot with about 200 people. The homeless were encouraged to become more involved with MDHA. Mr. Waghorne said that he believed a "road map" to help direct people through the social services system in Dallas should be developed. Paige Flink asked if the VISTAs could help develop the map and proposed that agencies specializing in certain issues offer their input. Waghorne replied that the VISTAs would need MDHA support. Elizabeth Alexander, a homeless advocate, suggested that the library be used as a resource center for the homeless. Mark Gilman, a library rep. replied that the library could play some kind of role as a resource for the homeless community. He said that they already had a housing information center and he is currently working on a website of agencies to refer people. Mr. Gilman said that although the library has been working on developing information resources, it is not a total solution. Melody Shatzer, of ABC Behavioral Health, stated that she thought paper products (booklets, websites, etc) had merit but Dallas really needed more case management- person to person contact. Ms. Shatzer recommended that we ask agencies to send a visiting representative (caseworker) to the Stewpot at least once a week on a rotating basis. James Waghorne agreed, stating that he thought that was a good idea and he would speak to the Stewpot about it. Clora Hogan, of Endless Choices, said that she was concerned that we merely give out phone lists of agencies to the homeless. This was problematic because often homeless people don't have access to a telephone. Mr. Gilman added that these lists and other directories were produced for agencies, not for homeless people to use. He stated that the directories were often hard to understand or didn't give enough information for the average person, who wasn't familiar with the system, to make good referrals. Ms. Flink requested that James Waghorne and Ms. Shatzer speak with the Stewpot about case managers. Dorothy Masterson said that good case management was necessary and brought up the need for homeless people to get help registering with services such as the Housing Authority. Case managers would be needed to do paperwork and to simply collect mail. Clora Hogan said the homeless were getting their mail mainly at the Stewpot and that the Day Resource Center does a very limited service. It had been reported that general delivery at the post office has not been working. Karen Boudreaux, of the City of Dallas, said that the Day Resource Center had to limit their service due to liability and not enough staff to handle it. She added that case workers at the DRC could have mail sent through them. The VISTA Report was then given by James Waghorne. January 21 is the count date. The count will be from 5pm till midnight, volunteers going outside to survey will meet at the DRC. Mr. Waghorne passed out a sample of the new survey and explained that it would provide the same information, but it had been simplified to make it easier to understand. Don Maison, of AIDS Services of Dallas, suggested that the new survey include a question regarding whether or not someone has been tested for HIV/AIDS to get a more accurate view of the situation. Ms. Alexander wondered why that question should be asked; adding that she thought it might be seen as an invasion of privacy or stereotyping. Mike Anderson, also from AIDS Services of Dallas explained that the information was necessary to know where to put resources, to show gaps in services. Janet Cobb, then mentioned the fact that Turtle Creek Manor had new HIV outreach workers. Mr. Waghorne asked if there were any other suggestions regarding the new survey form. He also stated that he would be emailing the HUD definition of homelessness out to all the service providers. Rev. Alfred Walker has agreed to help out, Clora Hogan will be working to coordinate the downtown volunteers, and MDHA has contacted several possible groups about volunteering. MDHA has been working on the jail taking part in the count. Waghorne stated that the jail at this time does not have a good database which would allow us to find homeless people within their institution and that he would try to work around the difficulties. Mark Gilman said that he would look into using a public meeting room at the library for the count volunteer training.
Lee Schimmel gave the Resource Development Report. Ms. Schimmel announced that the Dallas Urban League has agreed to give MDHA ,000 to be used as seed money to raise funds for a consultant, executive director, or operating expenses. Ms. Schimmel thanked Jonathan Vickery, who is on the Board of Dallas Urban League for setting the meeting up. She also thanked Bennett Miller for all his valuable help and support. Ms. Schimmel and Mr. Miller were now addressing the RFP for the ten year plan consultant. Karen Boudreaux passed out information on the HUD grant announcements. Ms. Boudreaux said she wasn't sure why HUD decided to fund the way they did. She said that she had spoken to HUD but has yet to receive an answer. It was also reported that everyone had been renewed and that Life Net had received a new grant. Ms. Boudreaux said we did not get the bonus. James Waghorne said that Linda Hadley from HUD had accepted an invitation to be at the next COC meeting on January 28. Karen Williams, of Rainbow Days then gave the Continuum of Care Report. Ms. Williams handed out papers on the application filing options and goals. Both options 1 & 2 (consolidated and associated) were considered equally competitive however HUD reps weren't familiar with the Associated Application. Dallas had previously used the Consolidated Application; HUD warned that changing our filing method could be seen as a red flag to reviewers. It was recommended that each agency assign someone to shepherd its application through the consolidated process. Melody Shatzer said it was important to create a timeline to follow and get the work done. She also said each service providers needed to be responsible, that the City shouldn't have to induce them to participate or present all their paperwork. Ms. Williams said that there was a peer review last year. Most agencies had something wrong with their paperwork, but other people at the review were able to catch the mistakes and offer advice. She then stated that the COC committee needed to know if MDHA wanted to go with a Consolidated Application or not. Jennifer Morrison motioned that we use the Consolidated Application, it was seconded by Jesse Aguilera; the motion was carried. Ms. Williams then reviewed the Exhibit 1 Goals handout. Goal 1 count- was proceeding well, Goal 2 retain individuals and families in housing- we need clarification about how METSYS will be used to link services. Ms. Boudreaux stated that for Step 2 of this goal, seek private funding for HMIS, we need to expand beyond 20 agencies in the system. She also said that we needed extra funds so that the system could be linked and used for referrals. Ms. Williams then said that we should revise the goal statement. Ms. Williams continued with Goal 3, contract with a local university or nonprofit to perform an assessment of low, low income housing in Dallas. Ms. Boudreaux said that this was on schedule and she advised MDHA to send a representative to attend the Consolidated Planning meetings which will start in January. Ms. Williams proceeded to Goal 4, reduce the number of chronically mentally ill and chronic substance abusers who are homeless and caught in the criminal justice system. Melody Shatzer suggested that she, Betts Hoover, Jesse Aguilera, and Clora Hogan address this goal and funnel information to the COC committee. Carol Webster, of the City of Dallas Crisis Intervention Unit, reported that her work was being held up by bureaucracy. Ms. Shatzer spoke about her agency's intake coordination and help group that works with directing people to service providers. Ms. Williams read the "other goals to address homelessness" Goal 1- secure pledges from city governments of Dallas, Mesquite, Irving, Grand Prairie, and Garland. It was suggested that the Mayors and County Commissioners be more involved. Ms. Boudreaux said that it was a necessity to elicit elected officials participation and support for the homeless issue. Ms. Shatzer proposed getting both a City and County-wide proclamation signed as a show of their support. Ms. Flink said that she would take the matter to the Board. Ms. Williams continued with Goal 3- develop outcome measures. Ms. Boudreaux said that the outcome measurements would help develop the ten year plan. Bennett Miller recommended that we start with a draft then revise as needed. Ms. Williams reminded us that there were already other ten year plans available, which could be consulted for ideas. Mr. Thompson from Union Gospel asked if the plan would include homeless prevention. Ms. Williams replied that it was a requirement to incorporate homeless prevention as a part of the plan. Ms. Boudreaux said the Consolidated Plan would address that issue as well. Ms. Williams said a ten year plan would be very comprehensive and include back up plans. Goal 5 heighten public awareness, Jennifer Morrison suggested asking suburban officials to take part in the kick off for MDHA. It was also suggested that P.R. events be documented to prove that we have been working on this point. Paige Flink asked for Old Business- none. New Business, Ms. Boudreaux passed out a current count of the local emergency shelters. She said that the shelters were full and that there was an obvious need for more E.S. beds. Waghorne and Hogan cautioned that the numbers may be misleading; a cold spell could double the numbers. Mr. Dale McEowen, of Promise House said holiday staff reductions could also be throwing off the numbers. James Waghorne questioned whether the Bunkhaus was listed as an emergency shelter or not. Ms. Boudreaux said she would look into the matter.
Meeting was adjourned.




February 7, 2003
MDHA membership meeting minutes

Dorothy Masterson opened the meeting with introductions. She then asked to approve the previous months' minutes. Jennifer Morrison moved that the minutes be approved and it was seconded by Yvonne Butler, the minutes were approved.

Advocates for Change Report. James Waghorne reported that the Advocates meetings had been put on hold due to the homeless census. Mr. Waghorne went on to say that MDHA was getting a lot of media attention. MDHA was discussed on 5 radio stations, TV channels 11 and 33, and a feature about homelessness was scheduled to appear in this Sunday's Dallas Morning News. Clora Hogan added that Advocates for Change were looking for more homeless volunteers to join their Speakers' Bureau and asked local agencies to encourage their clientele to get involved. Mr. Waghorne stated that he believed that right now we should focus on the bond issue. Money for a homeless shelter has been proposed in the new bond package. Citizens will have the chance to vote on this later this spring, so public support is crucial.

VISTA Report. Waghorne reported that that MDHA VISTAs are finishing the data entry of the surveys and working on a report of the findings. There were 5,188 people counted on January 21. Last August 2002 count was 4,658 and in January 2002 3,989 people were counted, indicating 100 new people experienced homelessness each month. The winter count boasted the largest participation ever with over 85 volunteers and 36 police officers. Dallas County participated and gave a jail count for that night. One change in the homeless population documented was an increase of individuals with higher education. Waghorne believes this trend is reflective of the poor economy. Waghorne said that he thought MDHA would be able to improve the count process in the future.

Continuum of Care Committee Report. Jan Mitura summarized the last COC meeting. The COC Committee wanted to nominate people to the peer review panel to look at new applicants. Ms. Mitura moved that Keisha Ward of the City of Mesquite, Ellen Emmert of the City of Garland, Jerell Daniels from Dallas County, and Dorothy Masterson be nominated to be on the panel, along with chairpersons Lee Hutchins and Lee Schimmel. Jennifer Morrison seconded this and the motion was passed. At the COC meeting Bodicea White had announced that there would be public meetings regarding the COC on March 13 at City Hall at 2pm, and another meeting on March 20 at the Day Resource Center at 3pm. The COC committee would like the MDHA P.R. committee to promote these meetings and MDHA needs to appoint a facilitator. The next COC meetings will be on February 11 and February 25 both at Family Gateway at 9 am. Linda Hadley is scheduled to be at the February 25 meeting. James asked if there was a deadline for the METSYS system. Martha Blaine of CCGD said that they were ahead of schedule but that all agencies must be in the system by the national deadline of 2004. A meeting with the HUD applicants is scheduled for February 10 at 8:30 am at City Hall.

Report on the Human Services Commission. Clora Hogan gave a report. Ms. Hogan was appointed to the commission by Mayor Miller. Ms. Hogan passed out copies of the committee goals. She announced that the chairmen of the commission, Candice Marcum, had announced her resignation last week. She said that the commission had been reviewing the Day Resource Center for the past 6 six months in order to report back to their council members about the situation. Ms. Hogan said that she believed that it was important for members of the community to speak with their council members about what they thought the new intake center should entail. Ms. Hogan also said that about two weeks ago there had been some discussion on whether the lease for the Day Resource had actually been renewed or not. Sandra Conway of Day Resource Center said that the lease had been extended for the next 3 years. Ms. Bodicea White said that last January 22 a resolution was passed and the lease had indeed been extended until January 31, 2006.

Resource Development Report. Mr. Bennet Miller reported that he and Lee Schimmel have been working on proposals to request money for MDHA costs. The Urban League has not confirmed their grant to MDHA yet because they need State approval. Jonathan Vickery added that the Board has done work on the RFP for a consultant to do the 10 year plan.

The Public Relations Report. The report was given by Clora Hogan and Ben Johnson. The committee has drafted a plan to get information out to the public. James Waghorne added that MDHA is riding a wave of publicity right now, channel 11and 33 had done reports on the count and on the issue of homelessness recently. He said that service providers and the homeless needed to get info out to the media.

Dorothy Masterson said we needed individuals and agencies to start paying MDHA membership dues. Bill Thompson of Union Gospel (and MHDA treasurer) stated that MDHA has over ,000 in a CD. He passed out some letters requesting membership dues and he will be sending out letters to members not present. Mr. Vickery added that MDHA needs dues for operating expenses and also needs community input.

Old Business. Ms. Masterson called for Old Business, none was put forth.

New Business. Ms. Hogan asked how the MDHA Board would keep us updated. Mr. Vickery said that currently the Board is reviewing their schedule and that future meeting would be publicized so that people could attend. The Board plans to have a liaison for MDHA membership and a committee to give regular reports to the membership. At the Moment, Paige Flink is acting as liaison to the Membership.

Ms. Hogan then asked who the liaison was for the City Interdepartmental Homeless Committee. Mr. Dave Hogan said that he was the chair of that committee which is made up of representatives from the Police Department, Code Enforcement, Streets and Sanitation, Public Works, the City Attorney's Office, the Crisis Intervention Team, and Library. He went on to say that one purpose of the committee was to facilitate communication between city staff and departments that work with the homeless. He also said that the committee members have been very busy; usually they meet once a month but that they have met less frequently lately.

Ms. Clora Hogan reported that she had attended a Consolidated Plan meeting. She provided a housing priority survey which could be filled in and sent to the City by February 17. The MDHA has a say in ESG and CBDG funds. Agencies and individuals should voice their concerns about housing.

Lee Hutchins reported that according to the policies and procedures manual many cities were using a HUD approved formula for estimating their homeless population. The cities use an estimate based on an average then a general sampling is done with surveys to get other data. Melody Shatzer moved to have a task force look into the formula and other ways of gathering population data, and Jennifer Morrison seconded it. The motion was passed.

Clora Hogan reported an incident that occurred on Tuesday at Young and Ervay near City Hall. A homeless man was assaulted by DART Police. It was reported that the homeless man, who is partially blind, was arrested for jaywalking by DART police. The police smashed the man's face against their squad car injuring the man and drawing blood. Several homeless people tried to come to the man's aid and the police turned on them. The DART Police officers reportedly maced several homeless people, drew their guns, and beat people with their nightsticks. An employee, of the Dallas Public library, witnessed the event and has filed a compliant. Ms. Hogan said that DART gave her incorrect instructions on how to file a complaint on behalf of the homeless individuals involved, but she has since found the correct method. Mr. Vickery advised Ms. Hogan to get in touch with the Department of Justice. The Department will investigate harassment and Civil Rights violations. Mr. Waghorne questioned whether DART Police had authority outside their property. Dave Hogan of the City said he believed that as sworn in officers, the DART police could go outside their jurisdiction. DART Police have no connection to the City of Dallas and do not have the same training standards. Mr. Hogan said he would like to see educational talks given to DART Police the way the police academy hosts educational speakers on the homeless issue. Ms. Janet Cobb, of Turtle Creek Manor, also said that her clients complained of DART Police harassment. One person in particular had his disabled persons bus pass confiscated by a DART Police officer because he didn't look disabled enough. Clora Hogan plans to pursue this matter.

The V.A. announced that Dianne Kneeland, a female case manager/ benefit counselor, would be at the Day Resource Center Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 to 4:30 in room 17, she will focus on homeless women vets.

The Bond issue was discussed. The City has proposed putting 3 million into the Bond for a homeless shelter. Council members want detailed information and plans from the community. It was recommended that we send out another position statement addressing the bond issue directly. It was also suggested that we publicize endorsements from coalitions and faith based organizations. Dale Mc Eowen recommended that a Press Conference be called to announce count data and endorsement of the Bond issue.

Meeting was adjourned.

March 7, 2003 MDHA
Membership meeting minutes


Jan Mitura opened the meeting with introductions.

Potential Client Service: The Art of Living Foundation is an international non-profit educational and humanitarian organization operating in over 140 countries. The Foundation is dedicated to eliminating stress, creating a sense of belonging and restoring human values. A representative demonstrated a yoga breathing technique intended to alleviate stress. Trainers will come to any agency and conduct a 1 hour session for 4 days. The course is free of charge. Ms. Mitura will send everyone contact information (Art of Living phone: 972-985-8071).

Advocates for Change Report: James Waghorne gave the Advocate for Change Report. He said that there were repeated requests for more advocacy by MDHA. Participation within MDHA seemed to be limited and members weren't active enough. Mr. Waghorne said that it was necessary to show the community that MDHA cares and is supportive.

VISTA Report: Mr. Waghorne announced that the new MDHA website is ready to be downloaded onto the internet next week. The new website will have comprehensive links that will be useful to both service providers and homeless individuals. News updates, MDHA meeting minutes, and articles by homeless individuals will be featured. The new site will also have count reports available, including both the MDHA complete count report and the City of Dallas report based on surveyed individuals only. James Waghorne added that any suggestions would be welcomed.

Resource Committee Report: Lee Schimmel reported that the committee has prepared material to present to foundations for funding. The finance committee of the Board is in the process of finishing the details of the budget. A major issue MDHA faces is completing the 10 year plan. Melody Shatzer expanded saying that just last year over million was lost, and emphasized that we needed to work on the 10 year plan to score higher on the COC.

Continuum of Care Report: Jan Mitura gave the report. She stated that the COC points from 2002 were reviewed. One item to be improved was the housing vs. services ratio. 53% of the funding requests were for services while only 47% were requests for housing. The committee recommends a 40% services request and a 60% housing request split. The next item was the need for a variety of participants in MDHA and the COC grant process use of Mainstream Services is an item that needs addressing. Ms. Mitura said that mainstream services will be the focus of March 13 COC meeting, which will be attended by Linda Hadley of HUD. The MetSys system needs improvement and more agency involvement. Troy Wynne is working on this problem along with a committee. And finally, strong leadership to encourage community support is an item which needs to be dealt with by MDHA.

Mark Gilman noted that it was clear to him that HUD was forcing collaboration between agencies and promoting the development of long term housing. Mr. Waghorne said that it seemed necessary to update the public on the situation and reminded everyone that MDHA wasn't just an organization focused solely n obtaining HUD grants. MDHA is about supporting the homeless population and eventually eliminating homelessness. Ms. Jennifer Morrison asked Ms. Mitura to briefly define the "SuperNofa". Ms. Mitura explained that in the past HUD announced different grants throughout the year. Then HUD changed their methods and decided to release a mass grant notification which is called the SuperNOFA. The SuperNOFA consists of several grant packages such as the COC and other grants specifically for the disabled, elderly, or PWA.

Ms. Barbara Van Pelt, of the Dallas Foundation said that MDHA needed to consider the spring funding cycles of foundations She said that the Dallas Foundation had an upcoming deadline of April 15 for the "Field of Interests" funds. Ms. Schimmel replied that they were aware of the situation and were working on it.

Ms. Schimmel went on to speak about the COC Peer Review Panel. The purpose of the panel is to review potential applicants for the COC HUD grant package. Ms. Schimmel said that on March 6 the Peer Review Panel met to discuss criteria for inclusion. The criteria weighed heavily HUD priorities with housing being an important issue. Cost per person served will also be examined closely. Ms. Schimmel said that agencies will receive the criteria with the self assessment letter.

Mr. Bill Thompson asked if there was any information from HUD concerning cost effectiveness per unit. Ms. Shatzer reported that she had had a conference with HUD about the grants denied ABC Behavioral Health. HUD clarified that agencies which have a current acquisition that has not closed, would be denied a new grant. They further explained that if ABC had applied for leasing the project would likely been funded. The HUD staff reported that the ABCBH Safehaven was not funded due to "it was not cost effective". HUD could not provide clear guidelines on cost effectiveness for Safehaven projects. Dr. Shatzer recommended that we request cost effectiveness guidelines from HUD Washington.

James Waghorne said the MDHA had surveyed some Safe Havens about cost effectiveness and funding sources.

Troy Wynne gave a METSYS update. Mr. Wynne tried to contact participating agencies and was unable to contact everyone. He said that he thought the system was user friendly, but that it was necessary for agencies to call Deb Wood of CCGD for troubleshooting. Mr. Wynne said that the biggest concern agencies had was confidentiality of clients. Ms. Dorothy Masterson asked if it might be possible for agencies to put in whatever information they wanted. Mr. Wynne confirmed that possibility. Ms. Shatzer said that the fear that some agencies had was that this system could be accessed or that personal information could be guessed at simply by what sort of agency was doing the referrals. For instance, someone at Family Place was obviously a victim of Domestic Violence. Ms. Mitura said that the METSYS committee and CCGD would try to set up regular meetings with the agencies.

A special COC meeting will be held March 13 at 8:30am and the regular COC meeting will be March 25 at 9am, both meetings will take place at Family Gateway.

Public Relations Report: The report was tabled because Clora Hogan was not in attendance. Ms. Bodicea White of the City of Dallas said the public hearings for the COC grant package had to be rescheduled due to the P.R. committee not publicizing this event as promised. Ms. White agreed to promote it herself.

Formation of Committee for Intake Facility: Ms. Boudreaux wasn't in attendance, so Ms. White spoke on her behalf. Ms. White announced that the City would like input regarding upgrading the Day Resource Center. Anyone wanting to participate should call 214-670-5122, Ms. White also passed around a sign up sheet. Ms. Mitura asked if MDHA hadn't already done this before, referring to the position statement approved last summer. Ms. White said an updated and detailed position statement was needed. Ms. Masterson said that yesterday the MDHA Board had elected people to participate. At the Board meeting it was also decided that Paige Flink would redraft a statement.

Mainstream Resources: Ms. White reported Dallas only received 3 points for mainstream services on the COC HUD report last time. This issue will be discussed at the March 13 COC meeting. Local agencies need to better document what they are doing to get clientele to these resources. Lee Hutchins suggested that each agency write up some kind of report on what they have been doing to link clients with mainstream services for the March 13 meeting.

New Business/ Announcements: James Waghorne reported that at the Board meeting members agreed to do at least three things to help influence the vote on the bond issue. The bond issue includes a million request for funding of a homeless shelter. Voting for this bond will take place in May. Mr. Waghorne suggested that each agency also help in lobbying for the million.

Ms. Jackson, of the V.A., said MDHA agencies will also be applying for the Interagency Council's initiative to End Chronic Homelessness grants. There is an April 15 deadline for this grant package. Ms. Jackson said that the V.A. will keep everyone updated about any new grants coming from the V.A. Mr. Seifu Yigezu, of the Urban League, said that they would be collaborating with Parkland Hospital and Turtle Creek Manor.

Ms. Melody Shatzer announced that ABC Behavioral Health is closing on 4 houses. The new houses will serve 16 residents starting in April and ABC is currently screening to choose the new occupants. Ms. Shatzer said that ABC Behavioral was looking for donations of furniture and house ware for the new facilities.

James Waghorne updated us on an incident where a blind homeless man was beaten by DART police for jaywalking. Protesting bystanders were also arrested after trying to defend the disable man. Statements from the victims and witnesses have been taken, and an ACLU lawyer has been contacted. Mr. Waghorne said that DART doesn't have an Internal Affairs Department, and are self regulated. The question of educating the DART police on homeless issues was brought up. So far there haven't been any courses. Mr. Dave Kellogg added DART police were taking sensitivity training courses for the mentally ill.

Meeting Adjourned.



April 4, 2003
MDHA Membership Meeting Minutes

Paige Flink opened the meeting with introductions.

Clora Hogan asked to refute some comments made at the last MDHA meeting. Ms. Hogan said that the City had erroneously stated that the P.R. Committee was responsible for not publicizing the COC public meetings and that those meetings would have to be rescheduled as a result. Ms. Hogan said that in fact the P.R. committee was an ad hoc committee whose sole responsibility was to draft a plan for public relations. Ms. Hogan also wanted written into the minutes a report that she had asked to be read, but was not. The report is as follows: "Meeting held 2/18 ten people attended. Brought everyone up to date on activities of MDHA. Encouraged them to organize and speak out for themselves. One man left the meeting and signed up to speak at the City Council meeting. He presented the hardships of homelessness. He was very articulate, Council members listened. We need more of that. I hope to have Janet Askins or Ben Johnson (on the speakers bureau) to speak on a panel with me on March 7 to discuss homelessness sponsored by Leadership Dallas. Please have your clients participate in Advocates for Change. Meetings are held 3rd Tues. of each month at The Stewpot at 10 am. Thanks, Chairperson of Advocates for Change, Clora Hogan." (sic)

Ms. Hogan then moved to approve March 7 MDHA minutes as amended James Waghorne seconded. The minutes were approved.

Report on the MDHA Board Meeting
Ms. Flink reported that the MDHA Board meeting held April 3 was constructive. Bennett Miller has graciously offered to place an ad to notify the public about the priorities being set for the HUD combined application. The City of Dallas no longer has the money in its budget to advertise the COC. A new Position Statement regarding an updated DRC has been adopted by the Board. This is an update of the statement developed during the membership meetings last summer. A group organized by the Center for Performing Arts wants to lobby to get all the propositions passed in the bond issue. A new Board list will be posted on the MDHA website.

Advocates for Change
Clora Hogan reported that at the last Advocates for Change meeting voter registration was discussed. Advocates will be working to get out the vote and let the homeless voice be heard. Ms. Hogan said that her newspaper, Endless Choices, would continue to operate but that she would be working full time elsewhere. Ms. Hogan believes that she no longer has time to be chair of the Advocates for Change sub-committee because of this and is looking for a new chair person to replace her. Advocates for Change is an advocacy group made up of homeless and formerly homeless individuals working towards community improvement. Currently they met on the 3rd Tuesday of every month but the meeting time is open for change. James Waghorne added that a new site was needed in order to have meetings. Advocates for Change at the moment did not have enough appropriate space for their meetings. Mr. Waghorne nominated Ben Johnson as chair person of Advocates for Change and said that he would approach Mr. Johnson about this issue. Ms. Flink suggested that the VISTAs look for a new chair and a new meeting site for the Advocates.


VISTA Report
The report was given by James Waghorne. The new MDHA website is up and running. www.dallashomelss.org MDHA plans to train homeless people to maintain the website and to contribute articles and photos. It was reported that 3,000 "helping hands" pocket referral lists were given to the Dallas Police Department. Mr. Waghorne said that this month the VISTAs would focus on getting independent apartment owners to cooperate with MDHA. Trinity Works will no longer be handling email forwarding. MDHA has a new email address: mdha@mail.com.

Resource Development Committee
Ms. Schimmel wanted to correct a statement made in Endless Choices concerning the Urban League grant. The grant wasn't denied by the Urban League, it was denied at the state level. The Urban League is still interested in working with MDHA and is presently doing so. The Resource Development Committee was asked to submit a proposal to the Dallas Foundation. The application for that grant would be turned in April 4. MDHA has also been invited to meet with the Meadows Foundation on April 7. The grants are for a consultant to write the 10 Year Plan and staff for the MDHA. It will be at least a month before MDHA gets any word on the status of the grants. Anyone wishing to join the Resource development Committee should contact Ms. Schimmel.

Peer Review Sub-Committee
Lee Hutchins gave a brief update on the Peer Review Sub-Committee. On March 6, the committee met to establish the criterion for ranking proposals. The committee was later contacted by the City and asked to expand on current criteria with more detail. Ms. Schimmel said that a revised copy will be emailed to any agency that needs it. The Peer Review Sub-Committee will make recommendations to the Continuum of Care Committee which will then bring proposals to the Board for final approval.

DRC Update Report
Mr. Waghorne reported that a meeting was held on March 25 to discuss plans for a proposed new Day Resource Center. Members of the ad hoc committee were asked to rank services based on perceived community needs and to indicate which agencies should be on site or rotating days of service. Dale McEowen noted that at least 30 agencies were discussed and 3 or 4 former homeless people who worked for the City participated. Boadicea White reminded everyone that notice about this meeting was given at both the Board and Membership meetings. Ms. White agreed to forward the results of this undertaking but added that the plans for the next steps would be made by the city manager.

Mr. McEowen stated that a main issue discussed was whether or not to include beds into the new facility. Clora Hogan questioned this because the wording of the bond states that it is for a homeless shelter. The bond is supposed to fund a short term emergency shelter. The approved MDH Position Statement clearly calls for 100 beds in the new DRC. Oliver Rayzer noted that the million was a capital grant; building a facility then operating it would cost a lot more than what the bond allows. Mr. Rayzer suggested looking into additional funding sources both private and public.

Continuum of Care Report
Ms. Yvonne Butler gave this report. Ms. Butler said that the main focus of the COC was to develop a comprehensive care system. To create this the whole community needed to work together and pool their resources. The COC Committee has asked local agencies to do an inventory of equipment and resources that they are willing to share and make available to each other. The COC is also working on the HMIS (METSYS) system. The system will improve documentation of the community and referrals. The Committee will address issues of confidentiality and procedures. Supporting HUD applications will be another goal of the COC Committee. The next COC meeting is April 22 at Family Gateway, 711 S. St. Paul at 9am. Anyone wishing to apply for the HUD grants should contact Yvonne Butler or Jan Mitura.

MDHA Committees
Ms. Flink read the list of current MDHA Committees and the chairs of each one: Policy and Advocacy chair is Dorothy Masterson, Audit and Finance chair is Bill Thompson, Resource Development co-chairs are Lee Schimmel and Bennett Miller, Nominations co-chairs are Paige Flink and Don Maison, COC Committee co-chairs are Yvonne Butler and Jan Mitura, The Peer Review sub-committee chairs are Lee Schimmel and Lee Hutchins, The HMIS sub committee chair is Troy Wynne. Anyone wishing to become a member of these committees can contact MDHA or the chairperson directly.

There was discussion about who would write the document for Exhibit 1 concerning the COC goals achieved and the steps that were being taken to complete the 10 Year Plan. It was suggested that Jesse Aguilera, Lee Schimmel, and Bennett Miller who has been preparing a study about the impact of homelessness on Dallas work together to determine status of 10 Year Plan. Ms. Flink volunteered to prepare information about status of other goals in the COC. Ms. White of the City suggested that the document be in either a narrative or bullet format and be turn in within two weeks.

Lobbying for the MDHA was discussed. Ms. Flink suggested that Sally Shipman of the Interagency Homeless Council be contacted as well as Karen Bradford who has been appointed to the Governor's Task Force on Homelessness. Ms. Flink also suggested that City Council members and candidates for the upcoming election be lobbied concerning the bond issue. Mr. Dave Kellogg suggested getting in touch with local candidates and influential groups like the League of Women Voters.

New Business
Mark Gilman said that many people have problems with getting work because of the lack of a fixed address and mail service. At the moment the Day Resource Center and the Stewpot provide limited mail and phone services to clients.

Mr. Gilman also observed that it was difficult for non MDHA members to understand what was going on at each meeting. He suggested that a brief synopsis of MDHA's mission and activities be written and distributed before meetings. Mr. Gilman and Ms. Flink said they would work on it together.

Ms. Flink announced that there will be a HMIS workshop on May 9 at the Center for Community Cooperation.

Meeting Adjourned.




May 2, 2003
MDHA Membership Meeting Minutes

Paige Flink opened the meeting with introductions.

Ms. Flink welcomed Bill and Stella Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell, a formerly homeless person, introduced his agency Community of Hope. The faith based non-profit is newly established and is currently in the process of obtaining their charter. Community of Hope will serve ex-offenders with supportive programs for improving job skills, building self esteem, and developing a positive attitude for the future. At the moment Community of Hope is doing research on the Texas penal system and working with prison ministries. Ms. Flink mentioned that addressing the issue of ex-offenders re-entering the community successfully will be an important component of the Dallas's Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness.


Report on the MDHA Board Meeting
Ms. Flink read the list of Board Members as follows:
Karen Bradford, Rev. Bruce Buchanan, Danna Campbell, Commissioner Mike Cantrell, Paige Flink, State Rep. Jesse Jones, Clair Laric, Don Maison, Bennett Miller, Jan Mitura, Klaire Powers, Phil Romano, Lee Schimmel, Lou Smith, Catherine Steele, Rev. Bill Thompson, Jonathan Vickery, James Waghorne, Rev. Alfred Walker, Senator Royce West, Effie Worrell, and one membership position is vacant at this time.

Mr. Robert Hollins asked to be re-instated on the Board as a homeless representative in the vacant position. Mr. Hollins stated that he did not submit a formal resignation. Paige Flink agreed to re-instate Mr. Hollins based on this.

Diana Bunch moved to ratify the Board; this was seconded by Jennifer Morrison. The motion was passed.

Ms. Flink read the Executive Committee slate as follows:
Chair, Danna Campbell
Vice Chair, Bennett Miller
Treasurer, Rev. Thompson
Secretary, Clair Laric
Membership, Paige Flink
At Large, Klaire Powers
Past Chair, Jonathan Vickery.

Anyone wishing to participate on MDHA committees may contact Paige Flink.

Committee Reports:

Advocates for Change
Ben Johnson gave the Advocates for Change Report. He has been asked to be the chair of Advocates for Change. Mr. Johnson said that he accepted this position but may need to resign in the future. Mr. Johnson is applying for a VISTA staff position with MDHA which will begin at the end of July. He feels that the chair position should be held by representative of the homeless community who is not employed by VISTA or MDHA and he will seek a capable replacement. Kit Lowrance continued the report announcing that Advocates for Change plans to meet more regularly. The next meeting will be held on at 9:30am on May 6 and will meet every two weeks at Cathedral Guadalupe, 2215 Ross Ave., Dallas. The group is in the process of reorganizing and is looking to get food donations for the meetings.

VISTA Report
Mr. Lowrance gave the VISTA Report. James Waghorne has finished his contract with VISTA. Mr. Waghorne will act as a MDHA Board member and continue to participate as much as possible. At the moment the VISTA staff has been busy researching affordable housing in Dallas County.

Continuum of Care Report
Jan Mitura gave this report. She gave a summation of the criteria which will be used to rank applicants. Housing will be given the highest priority. Other criteria such as leveraging, past use of funds, good management, and community needs will be taken into account. There will be a mandatory meeting at 9:00 on May 13 at Family Gateway to discuss this issue. Any agency not willing to participate will not be allowed to submit proposals for the COC. Issues of confidentiality and Ms. Butler's draft of the policy manual will be discussed at this meeting. A person with authority to sign documents for each agency needs to attend. It is recommended that personnel who will be using the system also attend.
May 30 is the deadline for METSYS compliance. A letter will be sent to all applicants concerning the meeting and the May 30 deadline.

Ms. Mitura read the list of people who will be on The Grant Review Committee:
Chair, Barbara Van Pelt- The Dallas foundation
Molly Bogen- Senior Source
Steve Davidson- Meadows Foundation
Hedy Helsell- Center for Non-Profit Management
Michael Meadows- Southwestern Medical Foundation
Sarah Cotton Nelson- Dallas Women's Foundation
Rhoda Pherigo- Center for Non-Profit Management
Klaire Powers- The Baron and Blue Foundation
Susan Saunders- SGS Solutions
Michelle Smith- Foundation for Community Empowerment
James Waghorne- formerly homeless, MDHA
Jenny Walsh- Grants Specialist, Parkland Hospital
Robert Washington- formerly homeless, City of Dallas VISTA
Clair Laric- formerly homeless, US District Courts

The Homeless census will be done only once a year during winter. The COC Committee has recommended to the Board that Priorities for the COC be based on surveys plus count data and not determined by public hearings.

Rating of the suburbs- the COC Committee has recommended that suburban applications be given strong consideration to be ranked above similar applicants everything else considered equal. Dallas County needs to be more inclusive of the suburban areas. At this point there are only two suburban applicants New Beginning Center and Brighter Tomorrows.

The timeline for the COC is as follows: The Peer Review Team will start site visits as soon as the City turns over the proposals, the Grant Review Committee will start by mid May, all materials should be turned in by agencies by June 16. A Review Team will check applications and a Grant Application Team will do the numbering and correlating of pages.


New Business:
Agency Spotlight
It was suggested that in order to give the public a more clear view of MDHA activities and purpose, member agencies volunteer to give informal presentations at Membership meetings.

Jennifer Morrison of New Beginning Center volunteered to present information about her agency for this meeting. New Beginning was founded 20 years ago in 1983 to serve victims of domestic violence and their families. The agency is located in Garland but in fact serves all of northeast Dallas County. About 60% of their funding comes from the government while the other 40% is composed of private donations.
Services Include:
A. An Outreach Program offering education and counseling
B. A Child and Adolescent Program which offers play therapy
C. bi-lingual staff
D. 24 hour/7 days a week Crisis Intervention with referrals and emergency shelter for victims of violence. It has a 30 day shelter in a location which is confidential.
E. BIP (Battering Intervention Program) to counsel abusers
F. Legal advocacy for victims. New Beginning Center offers this service to any victim of abuse on a walk-in basis.
G. Resale shop to help raise funds for victims of abuse. Many clients are forced to flee their homes without personal belongings and resources.

New Beginning Center has a variety of community education initiatives. The purpose of these programs is to create awareness and advocate on behalf of clients.
New Beginning Center is located at: 218 N. Tenth Street, Garland, TX.
Phone: Outreach and Administration at: 972-276-0423
The 24 hour hotline for Crisis Intervention/shelter: 972-276-0057

Spray Drive
Dallas usually has blanket drives in the winter. Community activist and Advocates for Change Chair Ben Johnson proposed an insect spray drive for the summer season. Mosquitoes are a great irritant for the homeless who sleep outside and more importantly are known to spread diseases, such as the West Nile Virus. A single can costs almost . Mr. Johnson has requested Off insecticide (or similar product) be donated this summer. It was agreed that this was a good idea and that the Advocacy Committee should look into it. Dr. Melodie Shatzer said that ABC Behavioral Health would be willing to donate a case of insecticide for homeless use.

Panhandling Ordinance
Mr. David Shelton asked what MDHA's position was as far as the new panhandling ordinance. MDHA does not and did not have a formal position on this matter. Troy Wynne of the City of Irving suggested that it was too late to come up with a position statement but that MDHA could lobby for repeal. Ron Cowart of the City of Dallas said that although it is too late to stop the ordinance MDHA could lobby for how the money collected in fines will be spent. The current situation has the money going towards general funds. MDHA could request the revenue be spent on homeless programs. It was also suggested that in place of a ticket, that some homeless people be given the option to do community service or participate in some sort of self improvement program. It was suggested that the Advocacy and Resource Development Committees address this issue. The Downtown Homeless Neighborhood Association held its first meeting on April 30 to discuss this issue. Ben Johnson reported that at the Association meeting Police Lieutenant Vince Golbeck stated that the ordinance was a public safety issue, attempting to keep panhandlers out of traffic. Mr. Golbeck reportedly said that the police would be "firm but fair". The panhandling ordinance should appear on the City Hall website.

Diana Bunch reminded everyone that this was an opportunity to do P.R.

There may be many good Samaritans who would be willing to donate money to MDHA directly instead of giving it to panhandlers. The public might feel more confident about the money going towards the truly homeless and not a con. It was suggested that MDHA investigate putting containers to collect donations in local stores. Mark Gilman and Jay Cole agreed to help with this issue.


Ten Year Plan Committee
Jesse Aguilera reported on the Ten Year Plan Committee meetings. The committee has reviewed plans nation-wide and found all the plans use the National Alliance to End Homelessness 4 steps to Ending Chronic Homeless which includes:
A. Plan for Outcomes- planning, evaluating, and managing results using a set of strategies which has community-wide support and commitments.
B. Close the Front Door- invest in homeless prevention and deal with the chronically homeless. Stop the revolving door aspect of homelessness.
C. Open the Back Door- transition people out of the system. People should be helped to exit homelessness as quickly as possible through the housing first approach.
D. Build the Infrastructure- increase the supply of affordable housing. Change the system to be more comprehensive and wide-ranging.

The Ten Year Plan Committee is using the Columbus Plan as a model at this point. The Committee is working closely with the RFP Committee.
The next committee meeting will take place on May 13 at 1:30pm. The meeting location is Center of Hope, 4815 Cass Street, Dallas


Treasurer's Report
Rev. Thompson gave the Treasurer's Report to the Board. There is a total of 14,373.59 in the bank at present. These funds include MDHA's CD and dues collected. The only expenditures were 435.74 and another 276, not yet listed on the budget, for VISTA expenses. Bennett Miller has graciously provided 475 for 19 scholarships to enable homeless people to become MDHA members. Any homeless person wishing to access the scholarship should contact Rev. Thompson at the Union Gospel Mission. Rev. Thompson will once again send out letters/invoices to agencies for their records. Agencies will be able to format the invoices themselves if needed.

Goals for Exhibit 1
Boadicea White is on a committee which will discuss possible community goals for Exhibit 1 of the HUD COC grant. Suggestions taken from the membership include the following:
A. 50 chronically homeless people will secure permanent housing
B. Increase the stock of affordable housing
C. Increase the stock of subsidized housing units
D. 50% of population moved from transitional to permanent housing (not necessarily chronically homeless).
E. 60% of population eligible for services be connected to Mainstream Resources
F. 80% of population on waiting for subsidized housing

It was suggested that the employment statement be about job retention and not numbers obtaining employment. 50% of the population would secure employment after receiving transitional housing was also suggested. The bad economy could make this a hard goal to meet.

Next Meeting is June 6, 2003 at 9 am, Dallas Public Library.

The meeting was adjourned.

Submitted by,
Paula Melvin

NOTE: The May 13 COC METSYS meeting has been rescheduled for 2pm at Family Gateway. The Ten Year Plan Committee will be rescheduled.


June 6, 2003
MDHA Membership Meeting Minutes



Paige Flink opened the meeting with introductions.

Mr. Robert Hollins announced his resignation from the Board.


Approval of May 2 Membership Minutes
Jennifer Morrison moved to approve the May 2 minutes. This was seconded by Yvonne Butler. The minutes were approved.


Report on the MDHA Board Meeting
Ms. Flink reported on the Board meeting which took place at South Side on Lamar on June 5. The Goals and Objectives for the COC grant were approved by the Board. The Goals and Objectives read as follows:
2003/04 MDHA Objectives for the COC Grant:
18 months- Chronic Homelessness
Require all new permanent housing to use 50% of their housing spaces for the chronically homeless
100 chronically homeless persons will receive legal representation in securing previously denied mainstream benefits.
200 chronically homeless persons will receive financial assistance to secure proper identification and case management assistance in applying for mainstream resources.
Other Homelessness
By 2005, 25% of the persons in SHP Programs (transitional housing) will be employed.
Follow the HUD mandate to limit social services funded through the COC Grants by limiting new housing grants to 20% social service funding and 80% housing funding- effective in this application.
Develop affordable non supportive permanent housing to be available to homeless persons/families.

Ms. Flink reminded everyone that HUD is focusing on chronically homeless individuals, so 3 of the goals are specifically related to that issue. The goal which focused on legal aid was developed due to the need for more homeless to gain access to mainstream resources and benefits. The Board requested that all goals have a measurable outcome. Danna Campbell, Board Chair, has retained a law firm to handle the 501C3 status change pro-bono.


Committee Reports:

Advocates for Change
Kit Lowrance gave the Advocates Report. The Advocates for Change meeting will be relocated to the Stewpot, 1822 Young Street starting at 10am every other Tuesday. This month the issues of panhandling and the services at the new intake center were discussed. Mr. Lowrance stated that when a more consistent group of core members begin to attend regularly, the Advocates will begin planning more public speaking engagements.

VISTA Report
Mr. Lowrance gave the VISTA Report. The OFF insecticide spray campaign is underway to aid homeless people living outside. The Johnson Wax Company has been contacted and MDHA received a generous donation of 432 cans. The spray will be distributed at the DRC and by Hunger Busters. PSAs and press releases will call for more donations throughout the summer. Any agency wishing to distribute spray may contact MDHA at 214-560-2511 x 408. Mr. Lowrance noted that he and other VISTA staff have also been researching affordable housing in Dallas County.

Continuum of Care Report
Yvonne Butler gave the COC Report. There are 16 members and meetings are open to the public. The COC Committee has been working on a collaborative grant package from HUD. Agencies prepare applications which are attached to an "Exhibit 1" document outlining the situation of the homeless population here in Dallas County. The agencies have submitted their proposals to the Peer Review team, and those proposals have been ranked. Once the grants have been written, the Application Review Team will look them over and make recommendations to the Board. The COC Committee has been considering the formation of a sub-committee to deal with the HUD COC grant in the future. The COC is a community-wide effort to organize comprehensive care for all of Dallas County and should not focus on one grant.



METSYS Report
Yvonne Butler reported on the METSYS/HMIS System. This system is a database which will be used community-wide to track the homeless population and make referrals. All cities throughout the U.S. are required to have such a system up and running by October 2004 or face being denied HUD funding. At the May 13 COC meeting Ms. Butler distributed 2 forms, a user agreement between agencies and a sample of a release form for client consent. Martha Blaine has not received any additional user agreement forms since the May 13 meeting. If your agency needs to sign one, please contact the COC Committee co-chairs, Yvonne Butler and Jan Mitura, or contact Ms. Blaine directly. Ms. Blaine stated that CCGD will be seeking funding for more user licenses and to have more functions for the system. Any new agency that would like to participate should contact Debbie at: 214-871-5065

Q: What the consequences for not participating? (Mark Gilman).
A: The Board has voted that non-compliance would result in a reduced ranking for this year's HUD grant. By October 2004, HUD will not allow any agency not participating to apply (Butler).
Q: Can photo I.D.s be made with this software? Many homeless people lose their I.D.s (Rev. Cole)
A: Yes, photos can be taken- the system has various functions (Blaine)
Q: What about HIPAA (patient privacy laws)? (Kohankie)
A: Not a problem unless your agency does Medicare or Medicaid billing. (Blaine)
Q: Are the confidentiality problems being looked into? (Flink)
A: Yes we are looking at other communities (Blaine).

Troy Wynne announced that Deb Wood is going to conduct a demonstration for the City of Irving on June 24. The demo will be in Irving at 4400 Nursery Road, and will be located on the 2nd floor. Anyone who would like to see that system demonstrated is welcome to come. You can contact the City of Irving for more information at 972-721-4803

Treasurer's Report
Rev. Thompson was not present. Ms. Flink stated that many people have not paid membership dues and asked those who have not to do so. There are dues scholarships available for the homeless thanks to Mr. Bennett Miller.


New Business:
Agency Spotlight
Herbert "Bill" Mitchell of Community of Hope presented information about his agency for this meeting. The faith based non-profit is newly established and is currently in the process of obtaining their charter. Community of Hope will serve ex-offenders with supportive programs for improving job skills, building self esteem, and developing a positive attitude for the future. Clients are referred from churches and other faith-based agencies, they do not take walk-ins.
Services Include:
a comprehensive two-year educational training and work program
education- math, reading, GRE, social and drug awareness
goals and leadership program
residential program

Contact: Community of Hope, P.O. Box 35243, Dallas, TX 75235
Phone: 214-739-5878 or email: sbmitchell@myexcel.com

Meeting Day Rescheduling Proposed
Ms. Butler proposed that the Board of Directors not the Membership meeting be rescheduled for another day. Currently the Board meets the day before the general Membership meeting. This means any issue brought up at a Membership meeting has to wait a month until the next Board meeting comes around to get approval or consideration.
Ms. Flink will take this issue to the Board for suggestions.

Intake Center
James Waghorne reported that at the June 5 Board meeting the new intake facility was discussed. The Mayor is already looking for a site on which to build the facility, which she hopes to have donated. At the Board meeting, Ms. Bradford reportedly stated that the City has been researching several areas throughout the city. Ms. Waghorne feels that any facility located more than a mile away from downtown shelters such as Dallas Life Foundation and Austin Street could become a serious hardship for many homeless individuals, as they may be unable to afford transportation to get to the needed services. Ms. Karen Williams questioned how open the input process in planning for the new location was. Mr. Waghorne stated that the City has by-passed conferring with the homeless community and has already started searching for a site. Karen Boudreaux replied that the Mayor will announce a lead person we can direct questions to after June 9. The City of Dallas has actually been looking for a site for about 2 years. The City must consider zoning laws and making good use of tax payer money. Dale McEowen made a motion that MDHA write a letter to the Mayor offering our services and sending 2 representatives to discuss this issue. Jesse Aguilera seconded and the motion was passed. Ms. Flink volunteered to draft the letter. James Waghorne and Rev. Bill Thompson were elected as the representatives.


Update on the Donation Containers
Rev. Jay Cole updated us on the donation containers. During last month's membership meeting the idea of placing donation cans in local stores was suggested, Rev. Cole and Mark Gilman of the Library volunteered to look into the matter. Rev. Cole reported on similar projects already attempted in Palo Alto, CA. and in Dallas. Palo Alto's alliance, Clara-Mateo Alliance has canisters in about 50 different locations. They raise approximately $1,000 per month (see www.clara-mateo.org and click on "another way"). Patty Klienknecht with the Central Dallas Association placed about 25 cans throughout the Dallas area. -20 per month was raised, the money dwindled down significantly from the time when they had initial the press releases.

Dale McEowen and Dr. Shatzer recommended contacting Dallas Morning News Charities for donations.

Announcements
James Waghorne was elected chair of the Downtown Homeless Neighborhood Association. The group will be addressing homeless advocacy issues. The Downtown Homeless Neighborhood Association will meet on July 25 at 2pm at Dallas Life Foundation. Previous meetings dealt with panhandling and violence against homeless women. Carol Webster, of the City of Dallas Crisis Intervention team, agreed to help form a sub-committee to address the concerns of homeless women. For more information contact Mr. Waghorne at trumpetcall@mail.com.

Jesse Aguilera said that Dallas MetroCare Services will host a Family Education event June 14 at 9:30am. This presentation will be in Spanish.

Paige Flink announced that free tickets to Pepsi KidAround event taking place June 7 and 8 were available. For more information contact: Love for Kids at 214-349-6886

Due to the holiday the next meeting will be on July 11, 2003 at 9:15 am, Dallas Public Library. Please note the time change.

The meeting was adjourned.

Submitted by,
Paula Melvin

July 11, 2003
MDHA Membership Meeting Minutes



Kit Lowrance opened the meeting with introductions.

Approval of June 6 Membership Minutes
Melody Baylor moved to approve the June 6 minutes. This was seconded by Carol Webster. The minutes were approved.


Report on the MDHA Board Meeting
Kit Lowrance reported on the Board meeting which took place at Dallas City Hall on July 1. Main issues discussed:
The United Way has agreed to help develop the Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. Several committees will meet in the next few weeks to discuss the Plan.

The ranking for the COC HUD grant was approved by the Board.

Ms. Campbell and Ms. Flink have met with Mayor Miller and Dorothy Budd. The Mayor has appointed Ms. Budd to address several tasks. Her main focus at present is to encourage faith based organization to participate in helping families move from the Cadillac Heights flood plain area. Ms. Budd will not direct the intake facility.


Committee Reports:

Advocates for Change
Ben Johnson gave the Advocates Report. The Advocates for Change is an advocacy group made up of members of the homeless community. The group meets every other week to discuss issues facing the homeless. Recently the advocates have been discussing the new intake facility. Members of the homeless community, as consumers, want input on this new facility. The general feeling at the meetings was that although the DRC was a useful resource, the homeless community needed a 24 hour center. Mr. Johnson also announced that the Downtown Neighborhood Association held a public march to Dallas City Hall on July 1. You can read more about this event on the MDHA website: www.dallashomeless.org.

CHALENG Survey
Ms. Jackson of the V.A. asked everyone present to fill out the 2003 V.A. CHALENG Survey. The survey is used to identify gaps in services. Last year the V.A. used the survey to demonstrate there was a need for more dental care and the V.A. was able to obtain a grant to fulfill that necessity. Oliver Razyer asked if the final report would be available to the public. Ms. Jackson answered that the report would be made public. She added that the survey data would take a couple of months to compile and would probably cite national rather than local statistics.

VISTA Report
Mr. Lowrance gave the VISTA Report. The VISTAs are in a transition. New staff members will be added while old staff members will be leaving at the end of the month. Currently the VISTAs are setting up Peer Groups for the homeless and looking into funding opportunities.

Continuum of Care Report
Jan Mitura gave the COC Report. Ms. Mitura summarized the progress of the HUD Grant. The Peer Review Team finished scoring and the Application Review Team looked over the grants. The grants were then ranked and the final approval was given by the Board. The application will be ready for the July 15 deadline.

Ms. Mitura warned that if any agency has not provided Karen Boudreaux with a leveraging form, they needed to do so. Dr. Shatzer requested that a copy of Exhibit 1 be made available at the next COC meeting.

Lee Schimmel noted that 65% of the requested funds were for housing needs, an improvement since last years COC application.

The next scheduled COC Meeting will be held on August 26 2003, 9am at Family Gateway



METSYS Report
Ms. Mitura also reported on the METSYS/HMIS System. Yvonne Butler has submitted a Policy and Procedures Manual to the Community Council. The manual will be reviewed and there will be further discussion at the next COC meeting.



New Business:
Agency Spotlight
Pam Turner presented information about LifeNet for this meeting. The agency was founded in 1977. LifeNet works with homeless individuals who suffer from mental health problems. Dually diagnosed (mental illness/ substance abuse) clients are also treated at LifeNet.

Services Include:

Psychiatric Services (via psychiatrist and psychiatric R.N.) Medication, Evaluation, Monitoring
Psychological Services: Diagnostic Interview, Individual, couples, group, family psychotherapy
Psychological assessment (intellectual, academic, personality)
Supportive Housing - Everything it takes to find, maintain appropriate housing, including rental assistance when necessary - location services, furniture, kitchenware, linens, cleaning supplies, etc.
Case Management (basic & intensive)
12-Step recovery for dual diagnosis (mental illness & substance abuse)
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
Individual substance abuse counseling
Aftercare
Comprised of education (e.g. anger management, communication skills, assertiveness training, etc.) and group therapy
Day Treatment
Community Living Skills Training - Hygiene, budgeting, preparing meals, laundry, housekeeping
Supported Employment (landscape, janitorial, temporary services)- Finding, keeping, maintaining a job - vocational services to include training, counseling, placement, transportation, interview attire.
Family Support Services
24 Hour On Call
Director: Betts Hoover
Address: 10405 E. Northwest HWY, Suite 100, Dallas, TX 75238
Phone: 214-221-5433 fax: 214-932-1978
Website: www.lifenettexas.org


Announcements
Ben Johnson announced that The Stewpot will be holding its 3rd annual Mental Health Day on Monday, July 14 at 2pm. The Stewpot is located at 408 Park Avenue, Dallas, TX 75201

Dale McEowen suggested that members read the current issue of the Dallas Observer, which includes letters to the editor and remarks in response to last week’s article on the homeless/ downtown library.

The next MDHA Membership meeting will be on August 1, 2003 at 9:15 am, Dallas Public Library.

The meeting was adjourned.

Submitted by,
Paula Melvin


AUGUST 1, 2003
MDHA Membership Meeting Minutes

Kit Lowrance opened the meeting.

Approval of minutes
Bob Stewart moved/Dale McEowen seconded. The motion passed.

Ben Johnson gave the Advocates Report. VISTA mission. Tammy McLaughlin gave a report on the most recent meeting. Concerns discussed were:

1. They want more positive recognition from city.
2. Want City to make Stewpot alley a drug free area.
3. More input regarding prop 17 and the resource center.
4. Wants empty buildings refurbished.
5. Need foam pads for outside homeless to sleep on year round.

VISTA Report Kit Lowrance began the report by introducing new VISTAs, Ben Johnson and Linda Cahanin. Projects are Housing, Peer Groups, and Safety Issues for women.

Ten Year Plan Update Kit Lowrance United Way Delloite and Touche will be the consulting firm, and United Way will be the convener. Committees will begin meeting in mid-August. Dave Kellogg asked if everyone could come to the committee meetings. Kit told him that if the VISTAs got the information, they would pass it along to everyone.

Continuum of Care Jan Mitura reported that there would be no July meeting. The next meeting will take place on August 26th at 9:00a.m. Exhibit 1 and METSYS manual/policies will be discussed.

METSYS Update Martha Blaine handed out the METSYS report for the month of July, which provided a comparison since February. There are 2,336 people entered. One weak point is that a lot of info is missing on gender, race, marital status, etc. which is throwing off numbers.
All agencies are participating in some way. A meeting with agencies will be scheduled soon. HUD requirements are out and Martha will send out a summary (what kind of data standards) on Federal Register. Meeting within 2-3 weeks and not collecting family data right now.
Jan asked why marriage stats were so important and how marriage was to be defined. Pamela Coles asked whether educational status was being recorded. Lee Hutchins recommended age break out similar to local shelters, providing the example of Austin Street shelter, which only accepts men aged 45+. It would give us a better idea of beds available vs. age requirement. Ms. Blaine explained that this would all be discussed at the upcoming meeting. She also stated that clients will be purged from the System if no activity was seen from them for a long time, most likely 12 months.


Dale McEowen went to HUD training in Austin and received HIMS standards, which are available from Martha Blaine or online at the Federal Register website.

Agency Spotlight Leonor Marquez of the HOMES Program from Parkland Hospital.

HOMES Program has been operating 12 years with 3 vans. Also medical clinic at the Resource Center. The vans go to 18 sites throughout the city. They saw 11,000 patients in 2002 with 23,000 total visits. If a patient has Medicare/Medicaid they will charge, but the only prerequisite is that a patient must be homeless. No ID needed.
Dale McEowen said there is a free clinic at his church, Grace United Methodist Church at Junius and Haskel on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. A schedule with info on free medical clinics and locations will be made available soon.

NEW BUSINESS

David Maynard (homeless) said Park Ave is a problem. He asked how it could be made a drug free, weapons free zone. Lee Hutchins said she would be glad to look into it, as The Stewpot is concerned and has looked into it before, but it is not easy. She will try to get someone to go to Advocates meeting. Dale McEowen suggested that someone speak with Danny Garcia (DPD) or put in an anonymous police tip box at the Stewpot. Linda Cahanin suggested that people just tell Stewpot police and they will handle the problem.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

HUD/ Dept of Labor Grant, HHS award for at risk youth or the homeless. Both announcements should have been sent through MDHA mail.

Hattie Johnson
1. Dallas Partnership give her a call if you would like to go to meetings- they look at grants and discuss collaborative work. Aug 18 at 3:00 PM call 214-857-0702.
2. Nov 21st VA and City will do a homeless stand down (for homeless vets and non-vets) all day event. Ms. Johnson wants all agencies to participate. The next meeting will be August 20 at 10 AM at the VA Hospital call 214-857-0702 for more info.

Meeting adjourned.

Submitted by
Linda Cahanin
VISTA volunteer

Next meeting- September 5.


MDHA Membership Meeting Minutes
September 5, 2003

Paige Flink opened the meeting with introductions,

Paige discussed the Bennett Miller scholarships were discussed. There are 17 scholarships available for homeless individuals to become MDHA members. The homeless who were in attendance were encouraged to join and tell others.

Approval of August 1 Membership Minutes
Jennifer Morrison moved to approve the August 1 minutes. This was seconded by Ben Johnson. The minutes were approved.

Report on the MDHA Board Meeting
Ms Flink reported on the Board meeting which took place at the Center for Non-Profit Management on September 4. There were more people selected to serve on the various committees. Paige announced that there will be a kickoff press conference at Dallas City Hall, Flag Room on Wednesday, September 24, at 9:00 a.m. and then an Inaugural Meeting at the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Associates First Capital Board Room, September 24, at 10 a.m. The position of Executive Director of MDHA was discussed.

Committee Reports:

Advocates for Change
Ben Johnson gave report for Advocates for Change. A new day and time was announced, Monday at 2 p.m. This date and time is subject to change as Ben wants to find the best date and time.

The last meeting of Advocates for Change sleeping in public was discussed. There will be a meeting at the Stewpot regarding this issue.

The situation at the library was brought up about the homeless not being able to enter the library with their bags. Sometimes it just depends upon which security officer is there as to whether a certain size bag will make it past them. Advocates for change want a central place that bags could be stored in the library, maybe centralized lockers. Mark Gilman said he would have to inquire about that possibility, but for right now if your bag does not fit in a measuring box you may not be able to get into the library.

VISTA Report
Kit Lorance gave report on Vistas. Kit has been looking at Exhibit 1 regarding the 10-year-plan and that Linda has been working on housing.

Continuum of Care
The Continuum of Care had talked about hiring a grant writer and it was approved. Also discussed was the position of the Executive Director and the duties they are supposed to be doing.
Martha Blaine's update on METSYS. It was questioned at to the pertinence of the questions asked regarding the data or do we need more info. If you have a question regarding this matter you should send your questions to DebbyK@ccgd.org and this should be done by next week.

There is a lot of confidential information that most of the attendees at the meeting would not like linked to their social security number if it were them and so a vote was taken. The consensus was that the METSYS system was opposed


New Business.
Michael Anderson was their to discuss the agency he represents, AIDS Services of Dallas. There are several housing developments for AIDS patients and their families. There is The Ewing Center there are 76 rooms such at 22 private units, Revlon Apartments with 27 units, Spencer Gardens for families with AIDS/HIV which has 12 units, and then there is Hillcrest House with 64 SROs (single room occupancy). Hillcrest House ha a long waiting list as it is a tenant based Section 8 program. AIDS Services opened it's first facility in 1988. Through the AIDS Services of Dallas there are many other benefits such as meals, transportation, on site social workers, and medical care.

Deloitte and Touche will work with the United Way for the 10 year plan. There are four different committees working on different aspects of the plan.

Announcements
Sept 24 will be the kick off with a press conference to announce the Ten Year Plan, 9 AM Flag Room in City Hall, everyone is invited.

At the MDHA Board meeting the location for the new resource center was discussed and there were three major factors were agreed upon.
1. Location no more than 1 ½ miles from City Hall.
2. No Larger than 10 acres, or less than 3 acres
3. Close proximity to other services providers.

Hattie Johnson from the VA again announced the stand down (all homeless) to be held on November 21, and they are in need for items such as coats, blankets, sleeping bags, gloves and hats, sweatshirts, T-shirts underwear, socks, bags, etc. Any help appreciated. The meeting was adjourned at 10:30.

Submitted by
Linda Cahanin
Americorps/VISTA

October 2003 minutes will be posted after first week of November