Chair Hudson questions DHS on conflict mediation between residents
Hudson asks how DHS handles resident conflict. Fellini says there is no formal mediation process; providers handle conflict, may move residents within a building, or transfer to another shelter.
All right, you're going to get me in trouble with Councilmember Murano taking up so much time.
He's not here, Chair, so you get to do what you want.
Thank you for your questions.
Okay, how does DHS handle conflict between shelter residents, and is there a mediation process?
Thank you.
formal mediation process that DHS issues, but we look to our providers to handle conflict on site, and that can happen in a few ways.
So I mentioned Local Law 49 and our customer service training, which is not just about how to provide good service.
It's about how to interact with clients, with staff, to make sure that everybody feels that they are being treated with respect, that they feel safe.
In instances where conflict seems to not be able to be resolved through the efforts of the provider,
it's possible that we might, the provider might decide to move the client or the household to another side of the building if we're meeting in the hallway and there are issues there.
If things escalate in consultation with the DHS program staff, we might choose to transfer that household to a different shelter.
But there's different levels of engagement that DHS has.
We really look to our providers to implement mediation, trauma-informed approach to the work that they do every day.
And de-escalation security training.
Thank you for that.