Captain and Commissioner, could you give us that framework in writing so that we can make it part of the record? 72 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 What the unit is, and so. Can you give us that?
And your description seems to be very thorough. I'd like to look at it.
I was going to give -- the captain took care of giving most of my testimony. So, yes. We have an outline here which I will make sure we enhance and get to you.
Please do that. And we will -- I think out of this we will convene a meeting of the different stakeholders as we talked about, so we can bring Judge Presenza. We can bring Judge Fox and Field and the advocates together so that we can have a good understanding of the direction that we're going.
There's one more piece of domestic violence issues that the department has been involved in, and Carol Tracy had asked me to mention it today, and I think the Police Commissioner would feel it was important. About a year half ago, almost two years now, we embarked on a pilot program up in northeast police division. And we were working with the cop's office of the Department of Justice. They had a 73 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 rather nice-sized grant to do what was called the Best Practices Stalking Protocol, knowing that 85 to 89 percent of all stalking victims are a result of domestic violence. Carol Tracy became knowledgeable of this very early on. We ran a pilot project up in northeast police division, which has since been printed in a cop's manual and it's extremely --
Absolutely. I'll get you one of these. It was very complimentary to both the City and that protocol that we used. We have continued that project now to enhance it to a citywide project. And at our meetings are meetings of the victim provider groups, the Police Department, and DA's Office. And I have, in many years working on projects, never worked with that group together. And we've been meeting fairly consistent to put this project together. I do believe that the partnership may be a pilot program success, and I believe that's going to help us.
I see you oversee the CompStat process. Did you ever map out areas in the City for domestic violence into it? 74 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613
Actually, Sergeant Healey can get some maps and show you some. One of the things I do, and I think I've mentioned --
One of the things we do at CompStat when we look at aggravated assaults, we color code them differently. So I can look at a map to see which ones are domestic violence related and which ones are not. Because there is a different --
Absolutely. Those maps can be run in any number of ways, and Fran was nice enough to have those done. But at CompStat every week when we look at aggravated assaults, they're specifically color coded.
There are so many dots in there. What period of time does one map have?
You can make it as long as you want. That's one year. I can do it for a week, a month, a year, two years.
Well, these maps are one year. So if I ask you -- I didn't see the 75 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 numbers, but obviously most of those little dots never get to court, never get to Municipal Court, never get to file a --
Well, let's not jump the gun. All those dots also don't mean a crime occurred. It could just be a disturbance between related parties.
I didn't say that. But, obviously, where there's smoke, there's fire sometimes. A disturbance usually is the precursor to a more violent incident later on. To me, those yellow dots -- obviously, you have the numbers. How many yellow dots are in there, do you know?
Okay. I'll find out. I'll get. But there's huge numbers in there.
And the green then -- explain to me the differences for the record of the three maps.
The first map is, what it maps out by Councilmatic district is the domestic-related part one crimes; robbery, homicide, 76 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 rape, burglary and theft, and arson too, I believe.
They'll be the yellow dots, yes. Just part one crimes. And the chart next to it identifies the number.
The green ones are just the domestic-related incidents that police officers responded to. What happens is, we get a call. It could be a disturbance. When the officer gets there, you realize it could be mother/child, husband/father, whatever the case, grandparent-involved. But that means there's no 16 arrest involved in that case. That's just a domestic-related incident that has been adjusted.
The third one is just the same map in a different format. It's done in a density format, versus us putting dots, because the dots get all confusing. What it does is, the darker the green shows where the highest density of dots went. So it's two of the same map. One is just 77 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 easier to read, that's all.
These numbers are given to any of the victims services group that want them. As a mater of fact, I think that the Science and Technology people print you up all the stats that we have. So there's nothing that we have that we don't make available.
In any police facility -- well, I shouldn't say that. In most police facilities, we have the ability to bring up maps and show you any of that. Actually, if you would like, we could, I'm sure, speak to the Police Commissioner about doing something with the mapping for all of you.
Because it would help us in terms of how we develop these hearings.
That would be fine. Anything you would like in terms of mapping.
That is very, very telling. That we have the ability to be able -- because I think it could be a prevention tool, actually. 78 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613
In the districts, the captains or these VAOs will be able to go to their district and pull that up. The beauty of our system is that it's in real time, so when I come in in the morning, if I'm a VAO, not only do I read every incident that occurred, but I could conceivably print them out.
Because those incidents that, as you say, that no arrests occur may lead an agency to try to maybe communicate with the family somehow, whatever, and maybe follow-up on the issue.
We do have a system somewhat in place now. If an officer responds to an incident and it's domestic related and there's no 16 arrest, the officer is supposed to put in big letters, DOM, D-O-M, on the 48, which means that it's supposed to be follow-up with. So there is a process.
If we could put a process in place in which no arrest takes place, but that the precinct or the officer that you have in charge periodically can follow-up on the family and say, hey, what's going on, anything?
There is one piece of this 79 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 that we didn't discuss, and that is when this uniformed officer reviews these incidents every day -- Fran just touched on it -- and one is domestic in nature, that job is currently being sent to the detective division where we have what's known as a DOM team, a domestic violence team, which was started in 1993 and into '94. The theory of that team is that they have precursive contact. That they go out ahead of time when there is a DOM assignment. Part of the Victims Services Division's responsibility will be to ensure that the VAOs and those DOM teams in the detective divisions are not only communicating with each other, but with the service providers as well. We have six divisional victims service providers, in addition to the domestic violence providers. We had one of them with us today. They have constant contact with our police officers now, with these Victims Assistance Officers. That's a huge help. The next step is to get them to have constant interaction.
I used to have something that periodically told me to contact a client, just to find out how the client was and so on. 80 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 If you have incidents that do not lead to arrest, maybe we could have a system in place at every precinct to contact that family that reported that incident, just to keep in touch and say, what's going on. And maybe see if anything else has transpired. Thank you very much. Commissioner, we look forward to the documents. Mr. Hess.
Thank you, Mr. Hess. We had a conversation the other day, so tell me where are we now?
Great. Great. We appreciate the opportunity to be here today. As we discussed the other day, this is a huge issue for us. In fact, we don't even know how significant an issue it is. We know or we believe that at least 50 percent of the women that come into our shelter system have been a victim of domestic 81 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 violence or sexual abuse at some time. But we don't actually know what the real number is. We have seen some informal studies that have been as high as 70, 80, 90 percent. Part of the reason we don't know is because -- just like the absolutely tragic story we heard earlier today -- when folks get to the shelter door, they are already in crisis. And the level of trust is not great in many cases. And so it takes time working with social workers and others, over a period of time, sometimes months, sometimes years before the issue of domestic violence or sexual abuse will actually surface and we can begin to deal with it. Having said that, we do have professional social workers. We do ask the question at the front door of the shelter system if somebody has been a victim of domestic violence or sexual abuse. Most of the time the answer is no, and that tends to change, again, over time as relationships are developed. We know it is a huge and significant issue. We're concerned about it. We also recognize that housing is a critical issue.
Let me -- so that we can -- we discussed this. I want to be able to -- 82 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 the other day we discussed the number of beds that were available. And you said there were 2,300 beds available in the system?
And I want to get on the record, how many of those are for women and/or families?
How many of them are categorized as emergency and others as transitional?
All of the 2,300 are emergency. The transitional would be in addition to that.
600. And they are all presently occupied. And what are the standards, what are the criteria that places you in an emergency or places you in the transitional?
In most cases individuals will start in the Emergency Shelter System where 83 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 they will be assessed by social workers. A case plan is developed, a housing plan is developed, based upon the individual circumstances. And there will be applications made for either transitional or permanent housing.
Well, a combination of apartments that are scattered slate and have case management support attached to them and other types of support, and also some are congregate living arrangements.
Some might have a separate room, a bedroom, but might have common areas and may receive cafeteria kind of situations.
In these areas, when it's like that, is there a sort of case worker involved in those houses?
And when you place somebody in a transitional house, a case worker goes with that? 84 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613
A woman comes to you, like Ms. Pitman, for example, what would happen? What would be the process?
If a family comes to us and makes us aware they have been a victim of domestic violence or sexual abuse, they automatically have a meeting with a social worker who begins to figure out the extent of the immediate threat and then we, on a case by case basis, work with the administrator and the directors to determine what is the best and most appropriate placement for that family. Often times that will not be the Emergency Shelter System, but som other alternative housing. It could be Women Against Abuse, if there's space available. It could be a placement outside the county. In certain circumstances, it could be a placement in one of our emergency relocation apartments. We have of 21 those that are scattered across the City, all of 22 which have case management support. The other thing --
What is the criteria for something like that, an emergency relocation? 85 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 Last time you used the term, legitimate abuse issue. And how would you define legitimate abuse issue? Who makes that determination?
It would be determined by the social worker and the social worker's supervisor, who would review the particulars of that individual case.
Is there a time when -- remember we had the testimony here the other day. Is there a time when a clerk interviews someone and that family or that woman does not get seen by a social worker for the next 30 days? That was the issue that was presented to us.
If a women comes into the shelter system and indicates that domestic violence is an issue, she automatically sees a social worker that day.
The social workers does a case work-up, determines what the circumstances are, talks to their supervisor to determine what the best housing placement could be for that family.
He or she doesn't give them an appointment to come back in two weeks? 86 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613
He or she takes care of the problem right there in terms of relocation and placement.
One the factors that are considered is that we do our best to ensure that they would not be placed in any housing that would be in close proximity to where they were living or where the abuse took place.
So that person immediately is -- it's like the 911 system. It's given a priority system in terms of relocating of the violent nature of the situation?
That's correct. It's going to be a day-long process, probably, if she goes through the process. But, yes, she's not going to be turned away and said to come back in three weeks.
You mentioned previously that there were three sites that you place individuals. The Luther House, Salvation Army Red Shield and Stenton Family Manor. Can you describe to us what other services are provided at these places, and the number of beds that are available? 87 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613
I'll ask Lettie Hinton. Lettie is the Director of our Quality Assurance Unit. She can better answer those specifics.
Leticia Egea Hinton, Quality Assurance at Adult Services. Most of the services that are provided at these particular facilities include anything from -- well, includes case management and assessment. Most of the providers themselves conduct an intake when the family comes in where they try to assess where a family is. If a family comes in and they identified themselves as leaving a site where they were being abused, generally what happens is, at intake in particular, what we're going to try to do is try to make sure that, number one, we're not going to place them anywhere near where the perpetrator, where the abuser is, is first. Secondly, if we can connect them to appropriate services, which would be Women Against Abuse, then we're going to try to do that. If for some reason there's not enough space, which is generally the issue, then what we're going to try to 88 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 do is to try and move the family as quickly as possible away. One of the major reasons why we're really usually very protective of the places where the families are being placed, we try not to advertise where the facilities are located, because we recognize that many of the women are running from abusers. One other thing we try to do, or at least case management tries to do, is to get the woman, in particular -- or it could be a man that's being abused also -- is to submit for a restraint order against the abuser. So there are a number of steps that we're trying to do all at once. But the major priority is to get the family, if there are children involved, in particular --
Could you give us the number? If you don't have it right now, you can --
What is the length of time that a family can stay, or a woman stay at 89 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 these places?
They can stay as long as they need to, but I think the important fact is that emergency shelter is a point of entry, not a point of destination. And so we want to, as quickly as possible, move the family along with the appropriate support services to transitional or permanent housing. That is one of the reasons that we worked with the previous Managing Director and the current Managing Director to create the Housing Support Center, where we can have a central point of gatekeeping for transitional or permanent housing programs to be able to identify all the options that are available much faster and be able to move families in a faster, more efficient way to the appropriate transitional or permanent housing site.
Do you have a number of people over the last year that have gone through this system?
I would appreciate that. And where, how, what has happened, and what was the nature, and so on. If you can get us that. 90 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613
We can certainly give you all the information we have on that. We have about 400 families at any given time in our shelter system. And so the average length of stay tends to be between four and six months. But we can get you the actual annual number for the last year.
Thank you very much. If you had to identify one, two or three gaps, based on all the information we've heard here today, what would they be, question one. And question two, what priority areas would you put on a one, two, three list, if given the opportunity for additional dollars?
I think the largest gap is the availability of safe, decent, affordable housing, of permanent housing. I would say that is the largest gap. I think probably the second largest gap would be our ability to provide the kind of comprehensive training that we would like to be 91 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 able to provide our staff and providers on an ongoing basis. And number three -- and it really might be number two -- I have to think it through a little bit -- would be the ability to do a better job of assessment at intake. We know that out of the 400 plus families in shelter at any given time, over 50 percent have been victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse, but it's a very, very small percentage that actually will tell us that when they enter the system. And so we would like to figure out a better way to do that assessment on the front end so that we can move folks faster to the kind of support services that they might benefit from.
In the last two that you mentioned, that's basically structuring a training system and getting people that knowledge as to the necessary training to be done available to them. Why can't we do that?
Well, I think we can. Part of it is knowledge. And it's really like you've said earlier, Councilman, getting all the right people to the right table at the right time. I was really pleased to hear how comprehensive the 92 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 training is that's available to the police. One of the notes that I made is that we need to touch base with them and see if we can share some of their training ability with some of our staff.
Well, that's what I'm saying. You mentioned three in terms of the gap. Two of them you said really is training based for the intake and then for the workers later on to be able to -- those two seem to be things that we could remedy almost immediately, don't you think? Just putting together the type of program and bringing in the people that can do that with your staff.
With respect to training, I agree. With respect to assessment, I don't know enough to know whether we can craft -- or whether there is an assessment tool that's available that we could train our staff that would be more effective than what we do now.
So is there an opportunity, then, with the professionals at DHS who could lend support and/or cross fertilize? No?
Absolutely what? 93 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613
Absolutely there is that opportunity to work with DHS, and that's the reason that Commissioner Martinez and I have worked to create our joint venture, being the Housing Support Center, to be able to do a much better job at coordination and facilitation of moving people through the process into permanent housing with the appropriate supports faster. It's important to note that one of the primary permanent housing vehicles available to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse is the Family Unification Program, which is operated through the DHS Housing Unit. Commissioner Martinez has moved to the Housing Support Center so that we can process families faster. Now, that's dependent upon federal resources and federal certificates, obviously, but we now, for the first time, have a vehicle, a system, an infrastructure, if you will, that we're putting into place to be able to do this effectively and much faster than it was ever done in the past.
Could you detail the conversations and what the plans are between you and DHS? 94 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613
Yes. At this point, Ms. Martinez and I have crafted a structure for the Housing Support Center that allows the Housing Unit at DHS to be overseen by an Assistant Managing Director, along with the OESS transitional and permanent housing resources to also be overseen by the same Assistant Managing Director for the purpose of joint coordination. And so the staff members still remain DHS staff members and OESS staff members, but under the Managing Director's Office, those efforts are being coordinated in a way that has never happened before.
Well, I have to say I'm -- of the testimony I've heard, there's some bright lights here. Your office and DHS is talking. It gets back again to Carol Tracy's comments regarding the lack of integration of services amongst all the stakeholders. So we can expand that level of communication across the board and -- I'll save the editorial comment with a private 95 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 conversation with the Chair of this Committee. But if we could get that communication working across the board with all the stakeholders, it would move us much further along.
We think that's very important, and we look forward to being part of that dialog.
I think it's needed. I think -- in order to move forward, Councilwoman, I think we need to bring all of these pieces together.
I think it's time and we can't wait any longer. It seems to be increasing, given the maps and all of the situations. Commissioner, I will go over your -- because you answered, and we just got it. Let me go over all of the answers to my questions and we'll be back. I want to thank everybody for coming. PHA is here. I didn't know that. Are you going to testify?
Identify yourself for 96 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 the record, please.
My name is Lieutenant Hal Gindrow, G-I-N-D-R-O-W. I'm at the Housing Choices Investigations for the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
Okay. Were you here during the testimony of Deputy Commissioner Fox about the staff person or training professional -- the training that is happening for the Philadelphia Police along with the other college area police, and we want PHA police to be included in that as well.
Okay. So you'll make sure that the connect happens, correct?
I most certainly will. I have Captain Lynch's phone number, so we will be in contact with him. I think there were some questions --
Well, I work for Housing 97 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 Choice Investigations, and I'm here to present -- I think some questions were asked of PHA Housing Authority. The first question was, a description of any special programs, preference or allowances which victims are eligible for. The answer to that is there are no special housing assistance program regarding domestic violence that's operated by the Philadelphia Housing Authority. In the Housing Choice Voucher Program of the Housing Authority has a preference for involuntary displaced families that includes displacement by domestic violence. There are four preference categories for the Housing Choice Voucher Program. The first one is a local preference for working families certified by Private Industry Council. The second is a local preference for all other working families.
You've got to be certified by the Private Industry Council?
From what they're telling me, Councilman. The third is a need-based preference. 98 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 Transitionally-housed, homeless families. And the fourth is a need-based preference which includes all other families. All four preference categories have equal weight. The preferences include a ranking preference for the elderly and disabled applicants over other applicants with the same preference. Involuntary displacement is included in category four, but the preferences are slightly different for the public housing side of it.
Does PHA make any Section 8 Vouchers or set aside any Section 8 vouchers for persons or families who have been abused?
Well, me personally, I couldn't answer that question, but I could get the answer for you to that.
And if a family in a PHA housing development -- a woman in a PHA housing development has an abusive relationship going on, what happens?
She's already living 99 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 in a PHA housing development.
Well, she can changed. The criteria, from what I know in being in investigations, if she's being harassed or tormented or being abused, she can be moved. All she has to do is put in a request to be moved, which Lieutenant Heartfield will that go over that procedure.
Does PHA have any social workers, case workers, that deal with maybe women who have been abused or are in abusive relationships?
What I do believe -- I think Lieutenant Heartfield will speak on it -- they do have a Domestic Relations Unit. What they consist of and what they actually do, he can explain it. He has details on that, if you want him to answer for it.
My name is Lieutenant Raymond Heartfield. I'm assigned to the Community 100 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 Development Resource Social Service Department that houses the Domestic Violence Unit from the Police Department, the Housing Police Department. At present we have two officers dedicated to handling domestic violence-related incidents within PHA. These officers, as well as patrol officers, also receive training from the domestic violence project of the Lutheran Settlement House. The training consists of 40 hours; counseling, advocate, curriculum, and requires officers to man a domestic violence hotline before they receive their certification.
We don't have the hotline. But in part of their training, they are required to man the hotline through the training process.
Well, they get trained to man a hotline, and there's no hotline.
Each day these officers review the Police Department's incident reports and when they come across domestic violence, they will follow-up on it and contact the family. 101 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613
Does PHA or does your department, obviously, do you have any figures any statistics such as the ones that we're seeing in this map of domestic violence incidents or domestic-related incidents in PHA developments that your department is called to?
Yes, sir. I have figures from 2001 and figures from 2002. I don't have the figures for 2003 yet.
Yes, I do. 2001 initial complaints received were 285. 2002, 395.
And when you say initial complaints received, what does that mean?
Those were domestic violence calls that came through our radio room.
Was there a follow-up investigation? 102 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613
That follow-up investigation is done by our Domestic Violence Unit, yes.
So is there any figures and data as to those investigations?
We have some, but I don't have them with me. I'll have to get them to you.
Could you make that available, please, for those two years?
And if those cases have gone on to court and through the judicial process, if you have that type of information, I'd like to see that.
Now, in my program, as I repeated before, I'm in charge of investigations for the Complaint Department for Housing Choice Voucher Program. We don't receive complaints of domestic violence, even though there might be some, because of the program, the way it's set up. Most of our 103 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 complaints are for unauthorized occupancy. It might be for nuisance complaints, complaints of that nature. Most of the time when the participants in the program, they're on the voucher program, what they do is, they have to report --
When you say they're on the voucher program, does that mean vouchers, Section 8?
That's correct. They have to report change of family composition. I would say about 80 percent of them are females with children. So when they do bring somebody else into the family structure, they have to report it to their service reps. And some probably don't. So I would say on that side, the Police Department sometimes will be called, rather that the PHA Police Department so that statistics might be involved in their statistics for our program.
Do you have anything else to add? Any questions from the panel? Thank you. By the way, did you have to get permission from Carl Green to come? I just wanted to know. 104 04/22/03 - PUBLIC HEALTH/SAFTEY - RES. 020613 I want to thank everybody for coming. It's been really informative. Carol, you and I and some of the people in the Committee will get together and make this meeting happen. We will call this meeting together expeditiously. Expeditiously. We will bring everybody together within the next two weeks, hopefully, and make some movement happen in this process. Make some movement happen. We will meet. We will call. We will get -- during the next couple of days and move forward with this process so we can have something to come back to. This hearing stands recessed to the call of the Chair. (Council adjourned at 12:25 p.m.) - - - 105 C E R T I F I C A T I O N I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of April 22, 2003, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. RE: COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY ___________________________ Lisa C. Bradley, RPR and Notary Public