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Southeast Community Facility Commission
MINUTES
THURSDAY, December 12, 2002
6:00 P.M.
1800 Oakdale Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94124
I. Call to Order
Commission President Millard Larkin called the Thursday, December 12, 2002 meeting to order at 6:17 p.m. in the Alex L. Pitcher Community Room at 1800 Oakdale Avenue.
II. Announcement
Commissioner Larkin read the Sunshine Ordinance aloud and welcomed everyone to the meeting.
III. Roll Call
Present: Commissioner Millard Larkin, Commissioner Heidi Hardin,
Commissioner Bobbrie Brown, Commissioner Enola Maxwell,
Commissioner Kim Nguyen
Not Present: Commissioner Malik Looper (excused)
Commissioner Atiliai Tofaeono (excused)
Staff Present: Robert Bryan, Deputy City Attorney; Toye Moses, Exec. Dir. SECFC;
Annette Price, SECF Commission Secretary.
IV. Approval of Minutes
Commissioner Hardin moved and Commissioner Maxwell seconded to accept the minutes of Monday, November 25, 2002. Motion passed to accept minutes as presented.
V. Public Comment
No public comment was offered at this meeting.
VI. Communications
Letter from Gary Dowd, Dir. of PUC Real Estate Services and Carlos Jacobo, PUC Budgets Director in response to request from Commission requesting rent income generated from all the “Clean Water Fund” tenants and total amount of SECF yearly operation & Maintenance expenses to date.
VII. Presentations
Jesse Williams, Jr., Chief Probation Officer San Francisco Juvenile Probation Department (JPD) distributed information packets regarding services provided by the Juvenile Probation Department. JPD funds over 30 community-based programs/services. Some specific issues I would like to address tonight are: Services to young women, San Francisco JPD Systems Overhaul, and the Construction of a New Juvenile Hall.
About 20% of our juvenile hall population is young women. In partnership with other city agencies and community service providers, we’ve expanded the amount of funding we provide to girls from $40,000 in 1997-98 to over $700,000 today. All services are targeted toward doing basically four (4) things: Reduce the flow of young women into the system, reduce their length of stay in juvenile hall, connect them with programs/services while they’re in the hall, and transition them back into the community.
In 1999, a survey was conducted of the SF Juvenile Justice System with an eye toward pinpointing problems that contribute to the disproportionate representation of minorities in the juvenile justice system. We used that report as a springboard to the Casey Foundation, which has been involved in successful systems reform efforts in a number of urban jurisdictions. We entered into an agreement with Casey in June of 2001 and in January of 2002 launched our JDAI Project, which focused not only on reducing the percentage of youth population in detention centers but also reducing the percentage of minority youth in detention centers.
With the support of the Mayors Office of Criminal Justice, the Dept. of Public Works, Mayor’s Financing Office and significant support from the Board of Supervisors, we have secured funding for a new juvenile hall. We plan to break ground in February or March of 2003.
Mr. Williams then reviewed the numerous program offerings of the JPD.
Comm. Brown asked if a direct difference is seen with the young people that are coming into juvenile hall now and so many people that are unhoused. Has JPD been impacted by that. I can’t draw a direct line from that issue to our population. Comm. Maxwell wanted to know whether any studies have been conducted as to what causes delinquency. Poverty is not the defining reason that children become delinquent. However, young people who live in deprived situations and in communities where there is substance abuse, access to firearms, lack of equal educational and employment opportunities are the real issues that define the likelihood of whether young people are going to be more at risk of becoming delinquent. Comm. Larkin asked what are the major causes of disproportionate minority confinement and how do statistics from San Francisco compare nationally. Chief Williams answered minority youth are disproportionately represented in juvenile/criminal justice systems in every major urban jurisdiction in the country. Contributing factors are lack of equal opportunities for employment, lack of access to adequate education, lack of appropriate legal representation at every stage in the juvenile justice system, disparity practices in arrests and/or diversion by police officers on the street. Dr. Moses asked whether there were any transition programs made available to juveniles who reach the age of 18 that are no longer in the system and whether support programs exist for the caregivers of these children. JPD funds the Kinship Caregivers Program. Through that program, we make an attempt to work with kinship caregivers and provide them with support and direction. In regard to people who turn 18, some of the prevention and intervention programs that we fund can be accessed beyond 18 years of age. Comm. Nguyen was curious to know what percentage of the children who came into the system and returned back to the community eventually came back into the system. 1994-96 data collected on average showed 70% of the people that are referred to JPD come one time and never return; another 20-21% come a second time and never return; the remaining 9-10% are recidivists. Comm. Hardin asked of the 9% that repeats over and over, are they primarily the ones with mental health and substance abuse problems. It is a contributing factor but not exclusively. The 90-91% figure from 1994-96 that returned a maximum of twice a year is pretty consistent with what we see across the state from year to year.
Mr. Damone Hale, President Juvenile Probation Commission, thanked the Commission for the opportunity to present. Mr. Hale stated when referring to homeless youth in the Bayview, it is not your traditional on-the-street type of situation. Homeless youth in BVHP refers to children that go from friend’s home to friend’s home or relative’s home to relative home. Lack of security, food and warmth are all risk factors attributable to homeless youth.
Mr. George Smith, Director of Mayors Office on Homelessness distributed his Homeless Count Report taken in October of 2002 and directed the audience to look at Page 8. The homeless count in District 10 showed 811 people as being homeless. 49% of homeless people in our service system are African-American and fewer than 50% of the families are African-American. We must put in place in these service systems education and other things that people need in order that they become stable. The methods for collecting information in this community are totally inadequate. A pilot service that has been introduced here in the Bayview called CHANGES is a computerized system that provides real-time information on people that enter into the system and identify each incident of homelessness.
Comm. Larkin asked do you think Prop N will be successful. Prop N will not solve homelessness, but what it represents for me is a change in attitude in the City and County of San Francisco. Comm. Brown was curious as to what the “unsure” column meant in the homeless count report. That column refers to undetermined gender. Comm. Nguyen was curious whether San Francisco has the highest amount of homelessness. We have one of the highest in the bay area. Dr. Moses stated based on statistics compiled in your report, the Southeast Sector is pretty alarming. Is it possible to divert some of this money to provide more shelter programs in the Bayview to reduce our homeless population. We must prepare people for housing by ensuring they are provided with services and treatment necessary for them to become stabilize before they go into housing. Comm. Hardin asked how many of the total homeless people are on GA. 2800 people are in that class. Comm. Maxwell asked how many people were residing in San Francisco before they became homeless. Mr. Smith responded not a lot. However, many people come to San Francisco with the hope that their situation will improve.
Several members of the audience voiced their concerns regarding insufficient programs being made available to BVHP residents, mitigation fees being given back to the community, and affordable housing.
Barbara Brown, Exec. Dir., United Council of Human Services distributed her information packet, which listed all the services provided by her organization. We are open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. At Bayview Multi-Service Drop-in Center, we operate BVHP Drop-in Center, Mother Brown’s Dining Room, Bayview Hope, and an offsite center – Pantry Program and Clothing Bank. We serve about 6000 meals a month, up to 1500 families a month, and 300 people or more in case management. Mother Brown addressed several issues regarding homelessness: Affordable housing, client placement, and substance abuse. Our organization has an opportunity to purchase several properties -- one located at 1415 Van Dyke. We need support from the Commission in trying to acquire these properties in order to expand and help people in a better way.
Comm. Nguyen asked what is United Council’s annual budget and what is the cost to purchase the property. Our annual budget is a little over $1 million. The total cost for all three (3) buildings is $3 million. Comm. Hardin asked if 12-step programs are run by United Council and if so, does AA or NA come in on a consistent basis. We work along with Positive Directions who does a 12-step program through some of their relapse prevention programs. Comm. Larkin stated with regard to United Council’s request for support in purchasing property at 1415 Van Dyke, we can as a Commission draft a letter of support and see that it goes to appropriate persons. Mother Brown thanked the commission and invited the Commission to come by and see the work that United Council is doing first-hand.
VIII. Directors Report:
a) Directors Report of 11/14/02 was accepted and approved.
b) Letter from Gary Dowd and Carlos Jacobo for Commission review.
c) Leamon Abrams has not as yet appointed a community liaison.
d) Replacement of floor in the Alex Pitcher Community Room will take place in January.
e) EP Mills Center is doing well.
Commission Hardin moved and Comm. Brown seconded to accept the Director’s report. Motion passed unanimously to accept report as presented.
IX. Introduction of New Business
Ø Elections of Officers for SECF Commission for 2003
X. Announcement
Mr. Damone Hale announced that on 12/28/02 at Bayview Opera House and Joseph Lee Rec. Center there will be a Kwanzaa celebration from 12:00 noon to 11:00 p.m.
XI. Adjournment
Comm. Hardin moved and Comm. Brown seconded to adjourn the SECF Commission Meeting. Meeting adjourned at 9:04 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
_____________________
Commission Secretary
