Abstract
Change in city contract for overnight homeless shelter and counseling services, without competitive bid, invoked ire of the public. This case is situated in a major metropolitan area of the southwest, United States of America (USA). Based on high volume of calls into law enforcement emergency dispatch (2024-2025), the city council switched the non-profit organization administering the facility. Public information data from these calls, selected for mention of homeless or unhoused, and identified by street address, compare shelter calls to the balance of the city. Categories range from disorderly conduct, animal welfare, suspicious vehicle, wanted person, warrant service, domestic disturbance, battery, drug overdose, etc. Ratios are 4.55 times (1197/263) calls complaining about the homeless shelter compared to the balance of the city. These data are compiled and analyzed by complaint type, and between the former and new administration. City email are also coded for themes.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Unhoused, Homeless, Crime, Welfare Checks, Drug Overdose
