HEC Updates 06/24/2021
enr...@bchealthcouncil.org
HEC Community!
IN THIS EMAIL
1 – La Mesa Neighborhood Garden Park Fire
2 – NMPHA Awards Ceremony, Friday, July 9, 12PM
3 – Gateway Brainstorm
This is a short and important email. Just trying to get
1 – La Mesa Neighborhood Garden Park Fire
I'm sorry to share that someone intentionally started a fire and did great damage at our La Mesa Neighborhood Garden Park yesterday. AFD was able to put out the fire but not before the gazebo, two picnic tables, a planter box and possibly some nearby trees were completely destroyed.
This Garden Park was designed, built, and maintained by our International District community to create a place of beauty and peace. This senseless act of arson and all the increased violence in our community hurts us all. I suspect that yesterday's fire is related to the two other fires this past year next door at La Mesa Presbyterian Church, a lead partner for the Garden Park. I would hope that AFD is investigating this.
This morning many of us will be taking down and removing the damaged park items. Plans to rebuild will come in the future. Today we can start the healing process. Unless our pain is transformed within us, we will just keep transferring our pain into others. We as community need to help each other in this healing process.
John Bulten
For those interested in helping out they are working right now at Española and Copper NE. You can head over now if you’re available.
2 – NMPHA Awards Ceremony, Friday, July 9, 12PM
NMPHA and Business meeting will be on Friday July 9 at noon. Please see the attached flyer.
3 – Gateway Brainstorm
Hello All:
I’ve been thinking about the concerns of the City not having a plan. While I’m not an expert at facility operations, I have decades of time supporting people with mental health issues and substance use issues. Often families are left to deal with a great deal of work without support. There is a counseling approach of “we help people when they are ready.” I do understand that, however for those who isolate as part of their issues this leaves them essentially abandoned. A proactive approach that does not increase forced treatment is a good balance. I have no expectations of this being a perfect plan. It’s my contributions from my experience with the community, the issues, and in public health. We will discuss this in more detail next month.
Gateway Center Operating Brainstorm:
Instead of one large shelter the space can accommodate a variety of centers. These centers would require a 24/7 universal triage to direct people to the appropriate center or services located elsewhere. These would likely best be used in conjunction with Community Safety Department or staffed by those workers. Outsourcing is common for this yet countering the privatization of services with some re-publicization may be important.
Potential Gateway Services:
- 10-20 bed Soteria House for those dealing with psychosis without medication.
- 30-100 beds for families with children.
- 20-30 beds for women and pets.
- 20-30 beds for men and pets.
- 20-30 beds for people who are non-binary or gender non-conforming and pets.
- 10-30 beds for families where someone is using some substance (not in recovery).
- 10-20 beds for women who are using some substance (not in recovery).
- 10-20 beds for men who are using some substance (not in recovery).
- 10-20 beds for non-binary or gender non-conforming community who are using some substance (not in recovery).
- Safe use space (need to plan this more).
- 10-20 parking spaces for those living in vehicles.
- 10-30 safe outdoor spaces in the parking lot for those wanting to sleep outside.
- Space for people to store their carts and other items.
- Veterinary services for pets.
- Shower and clothing services.
- Psycho-Social Rehab (PSR) services for 20-30 people.
- Medical Respite for 10-20 people at a time.
- Adult Respite for families who are supporting an adult family member with mental health issues for 10-20 people at a time.
Universal triage and overlapping of services for the different mini-centers/hubs can help to reduce infrastructure costs. A universal file system for intake and referral will also allow for use of multiple services as needed. Evaluation must also measure if people feel like they are being treated with dignity as well as other things such as recovery, becoming housed, employment, etc.
Some of these services can also serve as homelessness prevention. If people are treated with dignity and feel welcome at the Gateway Health Hub then people will actually use services. This will remove a number of people from the street in significant numbers. As time goes forward there will be a better sense of what are the true needs of unhoused people in the area. It is possible to find out how many of the unhoused neighbors lived in the community for a long period of time.
These are quick initial thoughts on actual operation. As someone who has lived in the neighborhood a long time and have interacted with neighbors without addresses for a while without having issues that others have reported I can share that my concerns with safety are for the unhoused. I think an increased presence with the new Community Safety Dept. can hopefully help with that. Pathways Navigators and advocates will be important supports.
In Solidarity for Health Equity!
Enrique Cardiel, MPH
Executive Director | Health Equity Council
He/Him/His also Camarada
P: 505.246.1638
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