Chair Stevens on long-term strategy for shelter capacity
Stevens asks about long-term strategy for ensuring adequate beds. Escamilla-Davies says DYCD monitors and responds to changing needs, while Haskell emphasizes the agency's investment in this population across a continuum of care, not on the margins.
What long-term strategy, and I know the commissioner talked more about, like, the overall strategy just around, like,
the agency in itself of trying to make sure that we're evaluating and interagency stuff and stuff like that.
But what long-term strategy is the YCD pursuing around increasing RHY shelter capacity and ensuring that we always have the right amount of beds anytime young people need it?
Well, I just want to say we have been responsive.
We're constantly monitoring.
We saw a period of retraction.
We've seen a period of growth.
The situation can change, and we have to be responsive to that.
We can't get a bed up and running in 24 hours, but we can help direct certain resources to those most in need.
And it's sometimes, you know, it isn't infrequently that somebody who shows up on a shelter access report who didn't get a bed on that day will ultimately get the placement they need maybe the next day.
And that's not.
acceptable.
We want young people to be able to act as their service on the day they need it, but we are paying attention to those numbers and trying to be responsive.
The other thing I would add is that we're invested in this community.
In this population.
So it's the same way that we are making investments in expansion in after school and tending to the needs of kids in after school.
We're also tending to the needs of this population.
It is very center to what's important to us and we're thinking about care across a continuum.
We're not willing to put this on the margins.
No, I mean, I appreciate that because it often feels that way.
And often folks are not talking about it and not talking about the work that's being done to ensure that if a young person needs access, that they do.
And so, you know, I want to I will not I'm going to keep pushing on this issue and make sure that we're highlighting and not and not.
Cutting any corners because it's not okay.
And it has been.
And even when we do get the wins, it's usually in the fringes and after we're like losing our minds, right?
And even thinking of like the housing navigators and things like that, that we have to fight for every year where it's like those things need to just be baselined and a part of the work because we know how crucial and essential they are.
I'm going to go into a question regarding...