ECHO AD HOC SUMMARY 2022-04-20 1
CITY OF EL PASO DE ROBLES
“The Pass of the Oaks”
ECHO Ad Hoc Committee
SUMMARY MINUTES for April 20, 2022
Committee Members: Mayor Pro Tem John Hamon and Councilmember Steve Gregory City Staff Liaison: Julie Dahlen, Community Services Director
1. Police Chief Damian Nord and Community Action Team Officer Josh Lewis will provide information regarding the community impact of ECHO Paso Robles from a law enforcement perspective, report on the number of Police Department calls for service, and articulate any PD security concerns relevant to homeless services moving forward.
Police Chief Damian Nord presented statistics of Homeless-Related Call for Service indicating the following:
• There has been a marked increase in complaints in the ECHO Paso Robles neighborhood since the initiation of homeless services at the former Motel 6. • The CAT team has not seen a decrease in riverbed encampments. • ECHO has made a recent effort to increase outreach to area businesses. • Communication between ECHO and PD has improved over the past month.
2. Fire Chief, Jonathan Stornetta, will describe the community impact of ECHO Paso Robles from an Emergency Services perspective, report on the number of Emergency Services calls for service, and articulate any ES concerns relevant to homeless services moving forward.
Fire Chief Jonathan Stornetta shared the following related to Homeless Service Calls at 1134 Black Oak Drive:
• 76% of ES calls were for medical emergencies.
• A drug and sobriety center is needed.
• The homeless problem is being prolonged by not offering mental health care.
There is concern that ECHO only offers mental health services (through TMHAA) every 2 weeks.
In addition, Chief Stornetta raised the question of how mental health care would improve/increase if ECHO received additional funding. ECHO wants TMHA to increase its service days with a goal to connect clients to whatever services are available.
3. ECHO Paso Robles staff will answer any follow-up questions from the April 6 ad hoc committee meeting.
ECHO Paso Robles staff answered multiple questions from committee members and the public pertaining to the following topics:
• Capacity of the ECHO Paso Robles facility
• Mental health treatment availability within the county and at the site ECHO AD HOC SUMMARY 2022-04-20 2
• Homeless services within the county
• Statistics at the Paso Robles ECHO facility
• ECHO’s intended plans for fund if they are granted
• ECHO rules and regulations including drug and alcohol monitoring • Safety concerns of the general public
• Demographics of the clientele at Paso Robles ECHO facility • Estimated unhoused statistics within the county
4. Public Comment
Angela McKee, Jim Cogan, Jonathan Gannon, Aurora Williams, John Gannon, Matt Masia, Gina Fitzpatrick, and Ron Cuff
5. Adjournment to next scheduled meeting anticipated to be held on Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at 1:00 PM.