Last year, Signal Hill City Manager Carlo Tomaino and Deputy City Manager Grissel Chavez created the Neighborhood Enhancement Team (NET) made up of 10 staff members who meet monthly to address quality of life issues in a proactive approach.
Signal Hill officials said the NET was one of the most effective measures taken that led to the successful rehousing of 45 Signal Hill and Long Beach residents on March 14.
The NET is made up of representatives from various City departments such as the City Attorney’s Office, Code Enforcement, Parks and Recreation, the Police Department and Public Works.
Homelessness in Signal Hill was one of the main issues discussed monthly, Tomaino told the Signal Tribune. Members of the NET would then coordinate daily across departments attempting to carry out the solutions suggested at the monthly meetings.
“The key to the Neighborhood Enhancement Teams is to be proactive and problem-solving issues before they get bigger, before they become complaints from the community,” Chavez said at a March 26 city council meeting.
The NET model for tackling homelessness focused on these efforts:
- Discussing individual cases of homeless residents and solutions
- Coordinating efforts with all service providers
- Identifying alternative solutions depending on each case and person
- Dividing complex problems into actionable solutions
- Sharing information across all City departments
Tomaino added that the Neighborhood Enhancement Team provides “consistent maintenance” of issues in the city and acknowledged Signal Hill officials for employing a hands-on approach for outreach and building trust with residents.
Read the full story on Signal Hill’s rehousing efforts:
