The Homeless Outreach Street Team or HOST is a new, innovative and collaborative initiative that operates in the Downtown and West Campus area, occasionally assisting other parts of the city to address the needs of people living on the streets. HOST is modeled after similar successful programs that have taken root in other cities in the U.S.
The test initiative is using existing resources to determine the effectiveness of the program. HOST is a proactive approach to addressing peoples’ needs using appropriate resources before they reach a state of crisis, begin to violate laws or ordinances that typically result in admission to an emergency room, emergency psychiatric facility or result in an arrest or citation.
HOST consists of:
- Two police officers
- Two behavioral health specialists
- One paramedic
- One outreach social worker
The test program began June 1, 2016 and will last indefinitely with the anticipated goals of:
- Fewer arrests and citations
- Reduced jail bookings
- Increased safety
- Reduced EMS transports and Emergency Room usage
- Reductions of people in crisis
- Increased case managed clients
- Increased enrollments in Coordinated Assessment and Homeless Management Information System
- Increased opportunity for permanent housing
- Identification of key services gaps and needs
- Building a case for policy change(s)
- Institutionalize HOST program
- Funding support to fill service gaps
Contact our Host Partners:
