Future steps are discussed to ensure the continuity of services for the Daytime Homeless Respite Center
By KATYA OKS — city@theaggie.org
On Sept. 16, the Davis City Council held a meeting to review and discuss future steps concerning the future of the Davis Daytime Homeless Respite Center, which “provides services including laundry, food, showers, telephone, transportation arrangements […] [and] case management, medical referrals and employment and housing resources” to the Davis homeless population, according to the city of Davis website.
The city council meeting was held in order to “provide feedback to staff on securing a service provider and/or potential locations for Davis Daytime Respite Center services,” according to the Davis City Council Agenda for the Sept. 16 meeting. This step was taken because the current provider (Downtown Streets Team) is ceasing operations on Oct. 31.
The meeting included a staff presentation, a public comment section for concerned and impacted individuals and the commissioners’ and council’s discussion of next steps.
Before the staff presentation, Vice Mayor Donna Neville clarified the purpose and goals of the meeting.
“I want to be very clear that when the Downtown Streets Team stops operations at the respite center on Oct. 31, we want the city to have a very clear plan in place for ensuring continuity of services,” Neville said.
Neville also clarified why temporarily closing the current location of the respite center is being considered.
“What I think some folks may not realize when not at the Respite Center on a regular basis is the physical state of the actual infrastructure […] itself,” Neville said. “It’s not a place where people can go to do their laundry — it doesn’t offer that service now because the water pressure hasn’t been sufficient for that purpose for about four months. Not all the showers are even functioning now, there are 88 compliance issues, there is no shade. It’s not a place that is really conducive to true respite that offers the kind of compassionate care that we would like to see offered for the people in our community.”
“So I want to be just super clear with everyone: we want to continue services, but we don’t see that location as the ideal place,” Neville said.
The meeting then transitioned into the presentation of “Social Services Commission: Subcommittee Report and Discussion” and “Landscape Assessment and Community Navigator Proposal,” submitted by Commissioners Judy Ennis and Chris Ringer.
The presentation highlighted four of their priority findings, including a “high need for shelter of all types, lack of consistent access to mental health professionals, lack of access to detox and residential substance abuse treatment and increasing numbers of housing insecure seniors, as well as increasing rates of seniors experiencing homelessness.”
The recommended actions to address this issue include the continued support of shelter access at the Davis Respite Center and Paul’s Place, a transitional housing community, during the daytime, as well as an increase in the service hours of both shelters.
With regards to the future of the respite center specifically, the presentation included four options for the city council’s consideration.
The options were to either to keep operations at the Davis Respite Center temporarily, look for another contractor for the respite center to replace the Downtown Streets Team, find a different location to house the respite center or to tell staff that the site would be closed starting Oct. 31.
The meeting then opened for public comment.
Ezra Beeman, a Davis resident with three children, testified to his children’s experience and his community’s views on the respite center.
“I’m proud to live in a community where we try to do the right thing and we look after the weakest [members],” Beeman said. “I do worry that if we don’t manage the fraction of folks that are breaking the law, threatening our kids, threatening me — which is what happened walking [home] through downtown. My kids have been chased, my neighbors have had someone on their roof taken down their flag poles — that’s going to really turn members of the community against being compassionate. […] We need to address [this issue] in the right way, but it’s in the interest of the community who support this initiative that we deal with that.”
Another public commenter who shared only their first name, Alex, noted the importance of not closing the respite center, even temporarily. Alex, a volunteer at the Davis Night Market, recounted their personal experiences.
“I don’t think it’s feasible — or really right at all — to shut down the respite center for 90 days,” Alex said. “That’s just not an option for so many of our unhoused folks here in Davis.”
Alex also highlighted the importance of compassion in such discussions.
“I’ve interacted with many homeless folks in Davis because of the volunteer work that I do. […] I just want to say that being scared of someone or having a negative interaction with someone does not take away from their humanity. And fear doesn’t always mean harm is being caused. We should always try as hard as we can to lead with compassion and empathy for other people, even if sometimes they make us [feel] uncomfortable or scared.”
At the conclusion of the meeting, the motion for there to be no disruption of services — as well as to maintain the current location — passed unanimously.
Written By: Katya Oks — city@theaggie.org
