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“This cannot ever happen again,” Mayor Mike Duggan said.
The mother of Darnell Currie Jr., 9, and A’millah Currie, 2, had
called the city on Nov. 25 to say their temporary housing was
about to end, but no one followed up and she didn't call back,
Duggan said.
Homeless outreach teams, meanwhile, were not looking in cars for
people who needed shelter, he said.
Darnell and A’millah were among five children and two adults in
a van in a casino parking garage on Feb. 10. The two siblings
were taken to a hospital, likely victims of exposure to the
cold, when others noticed they weren't breathing. They were
subsequently pronounced dead.
The van had stopped producing heat while the temperature was
under 20 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-6.6 degrees Celsius).
“This is something that's going to be hard to accept for a long
time, that we had the beds in place,” Duggan said of shelter
beds.
Police said the family chose the casino garage that night
because it was free and provided access to restrooms.
The mayor two weeks ago ordered a report on the city's contacts
with the family as well as a review of services for people who
are homeless or on the verge of losing a place to stay.
“When there are emergency calls, even if someone is still housed
with minor children, there will be an onsite visit from an
outreach worker,” Duggan told reporters. “You cannot, when
you're just dealing with phone calls, understand how close
somebody is to being out.”
He said police will also watch for people living in vehicles and
an emergency housing hotline will be available 24 hours.
Duggan said he met privately with the children's mother, Tateona
Williams, before their funeral.
“It was a very emotional and difficult meeting. ... I told them
the entire city shared their pain,” the mayor said.
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