* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
           
          [00:00:09]
HELLO AND WELCOME 
          [Connecting on Homelessness in Austin Panels]
TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN PANEL SERIES ON HOMELESSNESS. 
          MY NAME IS LAURA M FOSS, AND I'M THE HOMELESSNESS COMMUNICATIONS PRIORITY LEAD AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE. 
          THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS HOSTING A SERIES OF THREE PANELS TO DISCUSS THE PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE OF THE ISSUE HERE IN OUR CITY. 
          TODAY'S TOPIC IS UNDERSTANDING THE CRISIS AND HOW WE GOT HERE. 
          WE'VE INVITED LEADERS FROM AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFE, INTEGRAL CARE, AND LIFEWORKS AND TODAY'S PANEL WILL BE MODERATED BY CATHERINE FLOWERS OF THE DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL. 
          SHE'S A PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR AND THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18TH. 
          WE HOPE YOU TUNE IN AT NOON FOR THE PANEL WHAT'S HAPPENING PROGRAMS AND ACTION. 
          WE'LL BE JOINED BY LEADERS FROM ECHO THE OTHER ONE'S FOUNDATION, THE HOMELESS OUTREACH STREET TEAM OR HOST, AND THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY WEDNESDAY'S PANEL WILL BE MODERATED BY JUDY MAZZEO FROM AUSTIN PBS ON FRIDAY 1120. 
          ALSO AT NOON, THE PANEL WILL BE INNOVATIONS AND WHAT'S ON THE HORIZON FEATURING LEADERS FROM MOBILE LOAVES AND FISHES FAMILY, ELDER CARE, THE UT SCHOOL OF PHARMACY AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN. 
          AND THAT FINAL PANEL WILL BE MODERATED BY TAYLOR COOK OF THE DESIGN INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH, A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL, THE COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AUSTIN. 
          HOMELESSNESS IS A COMPLEX ADAPTIVE PROBLEM THAT TOUCHES EVERY MAJOR CITY IN TEXAS, INCLUDING AUSTIN. 
          AS YOU MAY KNOW, HOMELESSNESS CAN STEM FROM BOTH INSTITUTIONAL FAILINGS AND ADVERSE LIFE EVENTS, SUCH AS AN UNEXPECTED HEALTH ISSUE OR LOSING A JOB OR ESCAPING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. 
          WE'RE DELIGHTED. 
          YOU'VE CHOSEN TO TUNE IN TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOMELESSNESS AND WHAT HOMELESSNESS LOOKS LIKE IN AUSTIN AND THE SYSTEMIC AND INDIVIDUAL FACTORS THAT LEAD TO HOMELESSNESS AND THE UNIQUE, UNIQUE CHALLENGES FACING OUR COMMUNITY. 
          AT THIS TIME. 
          I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE OUR MODERATOR FOR TODAY. 
          CATHERINE FLOWERS FROM DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL. 
          CATHERINE, THANK YOU, LAURA. 
          WELCOME EVERYONE. 
          IT'S WONDERFUL TO HAVE EVERYBODY HERE TODAY. 
          WE HAVE A GREAT PANEL FOR YOU. 
          UM, AND BEFORE WE START, I'D LOVE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO LET THEM BRIEFLY INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AND SHARE, UH, WHAT ORGANIZATION THEY'RE WITH AND THEIR ROLE THERE SO THAT YOU KNOW WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO. 
          SO WE'LL START WITH ELLEN RICHARDS. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          MY NAME IS ELLEN RICHARDS AND I SERVE AS THE CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER FOR INTEGRAL CARE AS WELL AS THE DIRECTOR OF THE INTERVAL CARE FOUNDATION. 
          AND WE'RE A GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY THAT WORKS TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH SERIOUS MENTAL, WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS, SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER AND INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. 
          THANKS, ELLEN. 
          JULIA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF? SURE. 
          HI, THANKS FOR HAVING ME. 
          I'M JULIA SPAN. 
          I'M CO CEO AT THE SAFE ALLIANCE AND SAY FORKS AT THE INTERSECTION OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, SEXUAL EXPLOITATION, AND CHILD ABUSE. 
          AND, UM, I'VE BEEN WORKING ON HOMELESSNESS SINCE I MOVED TO THIS TOWN IN 1993. 
          SO HAPPY TO BE HERE. 
          THANK YOU TO LEAH MICHELLE THE AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. 
          MY NAME IS MICHELLE MILES. 
          I'M THE ACTING PROGRAM MANAGER WITH THE HOMELAND SERVICES DIVISION WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH. 
          AND WE WORK TO DEVELOP STRATEGIES FOR ENDING HOMELESSNESS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF AUSTIN COLLABORATION WITH MULTIPLE CITY DEPARTMENTS, COMMUNITY AGENCIES, AS WELL AS ALL STAKEHOLDERS. 
          UM, THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU, MICHELLE. 
          AND FINALLY SUSAN HAPPY MONDAY, EVERYBODY I'M SUSAN MCDOWELL, CEO OF LIFEWORKS, AND WE ARE FEARLESS ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH AND FAMILIES ON THEIR PATHWAY TO SELF-SUFFICIENCY AND WE'RE ALSO ROBUSTLY INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITIES MOVEMENT TO MAKE YOUTH HOMELESSNESS RARE, BRIEF. 
          AND NON-RECURRING THANK YOU, SUSAN. 
          UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK IS MOST IMPORTANT TO, TO THIS WORK AND TO UNDERSTANDING THE EXPERIENCE OF HOMELESSNESS, BOTH HERE AND ELSEWHERE IN THE COUNTRY, UM, IS JUST HOW DIFFERENT EVERY PATH IS TO HOMELESSNESS. 
          UM, EACH PERSON'S JOURNEY IS VERY UNIQUE, UH, AND EACH OF YOUR ORGANIZATIONS KIND OF SERVES DIFFERENT POPULATIONS. 
          UM, I'D LOVE FOR US TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHO DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION SERVE? UM, WHAT FACTORS ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS THAT YOU GUYS ARE SERVING EACH DAY? UM, AND I WILL LET, WHOEVER WANTS TO JUMP IN FIRST TAKE THAT QUESTION 
          [00:05:01]
AND WE CAN JUST GO AROUND. 
          SO PEOPLE HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ORGANIZATIONS ON THE HUB REPRESENT. 
          WELL, UH, I'LL, I'LL JUMP IN THERE REPRESENTING KIND OF THE YOUNGER END OF THE CONTINUUM, YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT HOMELESSNESS, AND LIKE JULIA, I HAVE DONE THIS WORK FOR A LONG TIME. 
          AND WHEN I STARTED MY CAREER IN THE MID NINETIES, YOUTH, HOMELESSNESS LOOKED VERY DIFFERENT THAN IT DOES TODAY. 
          YOUTH HOMELESSNESS WAS, UH, PARTICULARLY AN ISSUE OF YOUTH WHO HAD BEEN KIND OF THROWN OUT OF THEIR HOMES OR THERE WAS A LOT OF FAMILY CONFLICT GOING ON, OR YOU'VE KIND OF TRAVELING THE COUNTRY FROM KIND OF ONE SIDE TO ANOTHER. 
          BUT WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT YOUTH HOMELESSNESS IN TRAVIS COUNTY NOW IS THAT 78% OF YOUTH EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS HAVE BEEN IN FOSTER CARE, JUVENILE JUSTICE OR BOTH. 
          SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT YOUTH HOMELESSNESS AS A PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED, YOU REALLY HAVE TO LOOK AT THE SYSTEMS THAT ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, WERE NEVER REALLY INTENDED TO RAISE AND NURTURE CHILDREN OR PREPARE THEM FOR ADULTHOOD AND WHAT THE CONSEQUENCES ARE WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY AGE OUT WITHOUT RESOURCES OR A SUPPORT NETWORK AROUND THEM. 
          THANKS, SUSAN. 
          AND I THINK THOSE SYSTEMS ARE CRUCIAL. 
          ELLEN, DID YOU WANT TO MENTION WHAT INTEGRAL CARE SERVES? SURE. 
          SO, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, WE FOCUS ON THREE PRIMARY POPULATIONS, PEOPLE LIVING WITH SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS, THOSE LIVING WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER AND PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AND, UM, INTEGRAL CARE HAS WORKED IN THE AREA OF HOMELESSNESS FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS. 
          WE HAVE FOLKS THAT WORK, UM, DIRECTLY IN OUTREACH ON THE STREETS AND IN CAMPS AND WHERE ANY, WHERE ANYONE MAY BE SHELTERING, UM, ALL THE WAY TO MOVING PEOPLE INTO HOUSING AND SUPPORTING THEM ON A PATH TO RECOVERY AND STABILITY AND INDEPENDENCE. 
          AND, UM, I THINK THAT THE ISSUES, UM, FOR OUR, UH, FOLKS ARE A VARIETY OF THINGS. 
          I THINK LIVING WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS OR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER OR INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO SOMEONE BECOMING HOMELESSNESS. 
          BUT I THINK, UM, THE, THE, A COUPLE OF THOSE ISSUES, MENTAL ILLNESS AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER CAN COME ABOUT AFTER SOMEONE BECOMES HOMELESS AS WELL. 
          UM, AND I THINK FOR OUR POPULATIONS, SOME OF THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS, UM, IN OUR COMMUNITY ARE THINGS LIKE RAPIDLY RISING COST OF HOUSING, UM, HIGH NUMBERS OF EVICTIONS, UM, IN THIS COMMUNITY WHERE, UM, PROPERTY VALUES HAVE INCREASED THOSE SIGNIFICANTLY, UM, PROPERTIES THAT WERE ONCE AVAILABLE AND AFFORDABLE FOR, UM, MULTITUDES OF POPULATIONS ARE NO LONGER, UM, AVAILABLE. 
          THEY'VE BEEN SCRAPED AND REBUILD. 
          AND SO FOR FOLKS THAT WE SERVE, THEY OFTEN LIVE ON, THEY MAY LIVE ON THE EDGE OF POVERTY. 
          AND SO, UM, SOMETHING LIKE LOSS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, BEING ON THE EDGE OF POVERTY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO, UM, HOMELESSNESS WHEN YOU'RE IN A REALLY, UH, A COMMUNITY LIKE OURS, WHERE THE PROPERTY VALUES ARE RISING SIGNIFICANTLY. 
          ALONG WITH OTHER ISSUES, I'LL JUMP IN. 
          THIS IS JULIA WAS SAFE AND, UM, YOU KNOW, ABUSE AND TRAUMA ARE PRIMARY CAUSES OF HOMELESSNESS. 
          AND SO PEOPLE WHO ARE IN ABUSIVE SITUATIONS FREQUENTLY HAVE TO FLEE THOSE SITUATIONS. 
          AND AS A RESULT OF FLEEING THOSE SITUATIONS, THEY BECOME HOMELESS, ESPECIALLY IF THEY DON'T HAVE OTHER RESOURCES TO HELP THEM. 
          SO IT'S TIED, UM, INTERESTING LINKS BETWEEN ABUSE. 
          AND WHENEVER I TALK ABOUT THAT, I'M TALKING ABOUT DOMESTIC ABUSE, UM, DATING ABUSE, CHILD ABUSE. 
          UM, WE ALSO LIKE LIFEWORKS SERVE KIDS WHO ARE AGING OUT OF THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM. 
          AND, UM, ALSO PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN TRAFFICKED. 
          SO SEXUAL EXPLOITATION, ALL OF THOSE, THE LINKS TO, UM, HOMELESSNESS ARE REALLY STRONG. 
          AND WELL-PROVEN THAT, UM, ONE OF THE STATS IS THAT 80% OF US MOTHERS WHO ARE HOMELESS HAVE PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. 
          AND SO THEN IF YOU ADD ON SEXUAL ASSAULT AND EXPLOITATION, AND THEN IF YOU START LOOKING AT KIDS IN FOSTER CARE, THE NUMBERS ARE JUST ENORMOUS. 
          ABUSE CAN IMPACT ANYBODY. 
          IT CAN ABSOLUTELY IMPACT ANYBODY, BUT A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE RESOURCES TO HELP THEM. 
          THEY MIGHT HAVE FAMILY SUPPORTS. 
          THEY HAVE MEANS, UM, THEY HAVE, UH, THEY HAVE MONEY AND GOOD JOBS AND TRANSPORTATION, BUT WHENEVER YOU START PAIRING ABUSE AND POVERTY, IT'S LIKE A ROAD STRAIGHT INTO HOMELESSNESS. 
          AND SO HOMELESSNESS BECOMES, UM, JUST, UH, UH, IN SOME WAYS IT'S 
          [00:10:01]
THE RESULT OF THE VIOLENCE. 
          AND THEN IF YOU HAVE BEEN HOMELESS FOR A WHILE, IT PUTS YOU IN A REALLY VULNERABLE SITUATION TO BE MORE EXPLOITED. 
          SO IT'S SORT OF LIKE WHAT ELLEN WAS TALKING ABOUT THAT YOU SEE PEOPLE WHO END UP AT BOTH ENDS OF THAT HOMELESS SPECTRUM, UM, BEING, UH, BEING HOMELESS EITHER. 
          AND FOR US EXPERIENCING VIOLENCE EITHER BEFORE, DURING OR AFTER HOMELESSNESS HAS AWESOME HOME HEALTH. 
          UM, AND WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WE PROVIDE ABOUT $32 MILLION OF INVESTMENT IN THE HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM. 
          AND OUR ROLE IS THROUGH OUR CONTRACT PROCESS, UM, TO ADDRESS VARIOUS AREAS OF THE HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM. 
          AND WE'RE LOOKING TO STITCHER TO STRATEGICALLY ALIGN OUR CONTRACTS, UM, IN A WAY THAT'S MEANINGFUL THAT CAN PROVIDE THE NECESSARY FUNDING AND THE STRUCTURES AND THE METRICS AND GUIDELINES TO THE END OF ENDING HOMELESSNESS. 
          UM, SO WE'RE VERY INTERESTED IN COMMUNITY COLLABORATION AND WORKING ACROSS ALL DOMAINS BECAUSE WE CAN NOT END HOMELESSNESS ALONE. 
          UM, AND WE HAVE TO DO IT AS A COMMUNITY OF GOVERNMENT, CITY COUNTY, DIFFERENT SYSTEMS, HEALTHCARE, MENTAL HEALTH, UM, HOMELESS RESPONSE, UM, JUST YOU NAME IT. 
          WE HAVE TO REALLY LOOK AT THOSE FROM A VERY STRATEGIC AND SYSTEM WIDE FRAMEWORK AND LEVERAGING DOLLARS AND RESOURCES IN A WAY THAT IS MOST IMPACTFUL FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND FOR PEOPLE. 
          THANKS, MICHELLE, THANK YOU EVERYBODY. 
          I THINK WHAT REALLY STRIKES ME IS AS WE THINK ABOUT, UM, PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, HOMELESSNESS IN AUSTIN IS JUST HOW MUCH IT DEMANDS A COORDINATED PERSON CENTERED APPROACH, OR WE'RE REALLY ABLE TO SUPPORT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING THROUGH THIS LIFE EVENT AND HELP THEM GET TO THE OTHER SIDE, WHICH I KNOW ALL OF YOUR ORGANIZATIONS ARE DOING. 
          I THINK FOR FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY, SOMETHING THAT COMES UP A LOT, UM, IS HOW THEY FEEL THEY'VE SEEN HOMELESSNESS CHANGE HERE. 
          UM, WHETHER THAT'S THEY THINK, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MORE INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OR PERHAPS IT SEEMS MORE VISIBLE TO THEM. 
          UM, OUR COMMUNITY HAS GROWN EXPONENTIALLY, UH, IN THE PAST 20 TO 30 YEARS. 
          I KNOW I'VE BEEN HERE 13 YEARS AND I HAVE ONLY BEEN DOING HOMELESSNESS WORK IN THE PAST TWO TO THREE, BUT I REALLY HAVE REFLECTED A LOT ON HOW DIFFERENT, UM, THE EXPERIENCE SEEMS FROM WHEN I MOVED HERE IN 2007. 
          MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THIS SPACE FOR A LONG TIME. 
          I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS HOW HOMELESSNESS HAS CHANGED? I KNOW SUSAN, YOU BROUGHT UP KIND OF THE DIFFERENCE IN YOUTH HOMELESSNESS DURING THIS TIME. 
          UM, BUT HOW IS, HOW IS HOMELESSNESS IN AUSTIN DIFFERENT? UM, WHAT ARE THE ORDINANCES HAVE TO DO WITH THAT? IF ANYTHING, UM, WHAT, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? AND I'LL OPEN THAT TO ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO RESPOND. 
          YEAH, I'LL, UH, I'LL GO AHEAD AND JUMP IN FIRST AND TELL YOU THAT I, I, I CANNOT COUNT THE NUMBER OF TIMES I'VE BEEN ASKED THAT QUESTION IN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF SINCE THE ORDINANCE CHANGE, BECAUSE THERE THERE'S CERTAINLY, I THINK THE PERCEPTION AND THE ACTUAL EXPERIENCE THAT HOMELESSNESS IS MUCH MORE VISIBLE THAN IT USED TO BE. 
          I DON'T THINK WE HAVE THE DEFINITIVE ANSWER AROUND WHETHER OR NOT IT HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AND WHAT THE ROLE OF THE ORDINANCE WISE AND MAKING IT SEEM LIKE THE PROBLEM IS A, IS MUCH BIGGER. 
          AND I THINK IN SOME WAYS, YOU KNOW, MAYBE, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR WAS A NEW KIND OF BASELINE SETTING FOR US BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE RUN AN ACTIVE STREET OUTREACH PROGRAM SINCE THE, SOME OF THE EARLY NINETIES, RIGHT? AND SO IT IS, AS A MATTER OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A TEAM OF BLACKHAWKS WORKS, WHO IS FREE IN SEVERAL OTHER AGENCIES WHO ARE FREQUENTLY TRYING TO DO OUTREACH TO, UH, INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, WHO AREN'T POPPING UP AT SHELTERS WHO MAY BE IN CAMPS IN THE WOODS AND WHATNOT. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, WE CAN TELL YOU THAT A LOT OF, A LOT OF THOSE FOLKS HAVE COME OUT, UH, NOW THAT THE ORDINANCES, UH, HAVE MADE THAT A LITTLE SAFER AND FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF PROVIDING SERVICES AND IDENTIFYING INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES AND ENGAGING WITH THEM THAT, UH, THAT THAT'S, THAT'S A GOOD THING BECAUSE WE KNOW WHERE TO FIND PEOPLE. 
          WE KNOW WHERE TO REACH OUT FOR, FOR HELP AND ENGAGEMENT. 
          UH, FROM THE PERSPECTIVE THOUGH, OF, OF LIVING IN AUSTIN, THAT CAN SEEM VERY, VERY CHALLENGING BECAUSE ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU REALIZE THE PROBLEM IS MUCH DEEPER THAN MAYBE YOU HAD A, YOU HAD PREVIOUSLY REALIZED. 
          SO WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA WRESTLE WITH THAT. 
          AND WE'RE GOING TO WRESTLE WITH THE, UH, UM, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY IMPLICATIONS OF, YOU KNOW, THE VISIBILITY OF OUR, OF OUR NEIGHBORS 
          [00:15:01]
WHO ARE UNHOUSED AND, UH, IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA THROUGHOUT AUSTIN. 
          BUT IT IS A, UH, I THINK WE'RE GETTING A CLEARER PICTURE, UH, BUT, UH, THE EXTENT TO WHICH INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES HAVE REALLY STRUGGLED VERY DEEPLY WITH HOUSING INSECURITY IN AUSTIN THAN WE HAVE IN THE PAST. 
          THANKS, SUSAN. 
          YOU WANT TO ADD ANYTHING TO THAT? I THINK THERE WAS I'LL JUMP IN AND GO AHEAD, MICHELLE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I THINK IT REALLY SPEAKS TO THE NEED FOR GREATER, UM, COLLABORATION, UH, GREATER, UM, UH, SHELTER FOR PEOPLE, UH, WITH THE LIFTING OF THE ORDINANCE. 
          WE REALLY HAVE REALLY SEEN THE SCOPE OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND THEY SEE THE NUMBERS, AND THERE'S ALSO GOING TO BE AN IMPACT DUE TO COVID-19 AND PEOPLE HAVING AN INABILITY TO WORK, UH, DUE TO COVID-19. 
          AND SO THE EVICTION MORATORIUM HAS BEEN HELPFUL AND KIND OF STAVING OFF PEOPLE FLOWING INTO HOMELESSNESS, BUT WE RECEIVE, UM, REPORTS FROM PARTNERS, GROUPS THAT SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE CHOOSING TO LEAVE THEIR HOUSING, UM, MAKING ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE PROPERTY JUST TO ABANDON THEIR UNIT. 
          UM, AND THEN THEY GO INTO HOW INTO HOMELESSNESS, UH, SO AVOID RACKING UP A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF DEBT. 
          SO THERE IS GOING TO BE AN IMPACT DO THE 12 AT 19, BUT THEN IN TERMS OF THE, THE ORDINANCE, IT, IT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE SCOPE OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND THE NEED FOR GREATER SHELTER. 
          UM, THE NEED FOR US TO REALLY WORK STRATEGICALLY AND TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY TOWARDS ENDING HOMELESSNESS, WITH ROBUST STRATEGIES TO INCLUDE ROBUST UNIFY OUTREACH STRATEGIES WITH HOUSING TIED TO THOSE HOURS TO THAT OUTREACH. 
          SO, UM, I'LL JUMP IN, UM, AND JUST OFFER, UM, SOME THOUGHTS ON WHERE WE'VE BEEN, UM, LIKE WHAT WE SEE KIND OF CHANGING OVER TIME. 
          UM, I THINK THE THING THAT, UM, WE REALLY EXPERIENCED IN OUR CLIENTS OR THE PEOPLE THAT WE WORK WITH OUT ON THE STREETS IS THAT THE LEVEL, THESE ARE FOLKS WITH THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF NEED AND THE LEAST RESOURCES, AND THEY HAVE A LOT OF, A LOT OF CHALLENGES AND BARRIERS TO GETTING OUT OF HOMELESSNESS. 
          AND SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING FOLKS TO REALLY UNDERSTAND IS THAT HOW HARD IT IS FOR PEOPLE TO MOVE OUT OFF THE STREETS AND, UM, TO A MORE STABLE, UM, STABLE, INDEPENDENT LIFE. 
          SO WE SEE PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING OFF THE STREETS WITH TWO OR THREE CO-OCCURRING CONDITIONS. 
          SO THEY HAVE A MENTAL ILLNESS, THEY ARE LIKELY TO HAVE A SUBSTANCE USE ISSUE, AND THEN THEY VERY LIKELY MAY HAVE A CHRONIC DISEASE AS WELL. 
          AND SO THEY'RE, THEY'VE BEEN OUT THERE A LONG TIME. 
          THEY'RE VERY, VERY ILL AND THEY NEED A LOT OF SUPPORT TO RECOVER. 
          AND, UM, I THINK INCREASINGLY EVERYONE IS UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S REALLY EXPENSIVE FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING ON THE STREETS, WHO ARE REALLY ILL AND, UM, IT'S MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE AND COST EFFICIENT. 
          UM, I MEAN THEY, THE HUMANE SIDE APART, YOU KNOW, UM, IT'S VERY MUCH MORE COST-EFFECTIVE TO ACTUALLY HOUSE PEOPLE AND PROVIDE THE REHABILITATIVE SUPPORTS THAN TO HAVE THEM CYCLING THROUGH A MULTITUDE OF SYSTEMS, UM, INCLUDING ENGAGEMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS AND FIRST RESPONDER SYSTEMS, AS WELL AS, UM, HOSPITAL AND PSYCHIATRIC SYSTEMS. AND JULIA AND SORRY, I HAD KIND OF JUMPED IN FRONT OF YOU. 
          NO, YOU'RE GOOD. 
          YOU'RE GOOD. 
          ELLEN. 
          YOU KNOW, WE HAVE HAD A VERY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE, UM, AND CERTAINLY THE ORDINANCES HAVE NOT, OR HAVE IMPACTED THIS IN A DIFFERENT WAY. 
          FAMILY HOMELESSNESS IS ACTUALLY PRETTY INVISIBLE. 
          AND SO WHENEVER YOU LOOK AT THE FOLKS WHO ARE NOW NEEDING AND CHOOSING TO STAY UNDER OR UNDER, UM, THE UNDERPASSES AND BEING SIGNIFICANTLY MORE VISIBLE, IT IT'S JUST, ONE ARE PART OF THE, OF THE POPULATION WHO ARE HOMELESS AREN'T SEEN. 
          SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT, THINK ABOUT A MOM WHO HAS CHILDREN, WHO'S FLEEING ABUSE AS A RESULT OF FLEEING THE ABUSE, NOT ONLY LOST HER HOME, BUT, UM, IS PERHAPS BEING TRACKED AND IN A LOT OF DANGER HAS HER KIDS WITH HER. 
          [00:20:01]
AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, REALLY CAN'T JUST, CAN'T ENTER THE SYSTEM VERY EASILY AND THESE FOLKS AREN'T COUNTED AS MUCH. 
          SO WHENEVER YOU DO THE ANNUAL, UM, POINT IN TIME COUNT, YOU'RE NOT SEEING THEM. 
          AND THOSE FOLKS WILL LIVE IN THEIR CARS. 
          THEY'LL GO BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN A HOTEL FOR A COUPLE OF NIGHTS AND THEN THE CAR, AND THEN MAYBE SOMEBODY ELSE'S HOME AND THAT THEY REALLY HAVE A LOT OF IT CAN LAST FOR A VERY LONG TIME, THIS SITUATION. 
          AND THAT'S A PART OF HOMELESSNESS. 
          THAT'S REALLY RATHER INVISIBLE TO THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION. 
          AND A LITTLE LATER ON, I'M GOING TO WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHY THAT, UM, IS PREVENTABLE AND WHY IT ACTUALLY IS REALLY DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT BECOMES PREDICTIVE FOR FUTURE VIOLENCE OR FUTURE HOMELESSNESS WELL AND VIOLENCE TOO. 
          AND SO THAT'S, WHENEVER WE LOOK AT WHAT'S THE LONG-TERM PICTURE, WHENEVER YOU HAVE KIDS WHO ARE HOMELESS, THAT'S A REAL PROBLEM, YOUNG AND ADULTS, BECAUSE IT BEGINS TO NORMALIZE THAT AND MEANS THAT OTHER OPPORTUNITIES LIKE WORK. 
          AREN'T JUST GOING TO BE AS POOR AS POSSIBLE FOR YOU, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE A YOUNG ADULT AND EXITING THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM, YOU JUST, AREN'T GOING TO HAVE ALL THE SUPPORTS. 
          IT'S, IT'S A BAD SITUATION. 
          SO WHERE WE'RE ACTUALLY WORRIED ABOUT EVERYBODY, WHO'S HOMELESS. 
          ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY. 
          BUT WE ARE IN, PARTICULARLY IN PARTICULAR, WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT, UH, FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN BECAUSE WE THINK THAT THEY'RE UNDERREPORTED AND THEY'RE UNDER-RESOURCED THANKS, JULIA. 
          THOSE ARE GREAT POINTS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I THINK WE CAN ALL THINK OF A LOT OF REASONS WHY FAMILIES MIGHT HAVE DIFFICULTY ACCESSING SERVICES, NOT WANT TO REVEAL THEIR HOMELESSNESS. 
          IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. 
          UM, SEVERAL OF YOU BROUGHT OUT COUNTS AND KIND OF VISIBILITY AND HOW MANY PEOPLE THERE MIGHT BE OUT THERE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. 
          AND I DO WANT TO TOUCH ON THAT BECAUSE I THINK WHEN I ENCOUNTER PEOPLE THAT AREN'T AS FAMILIAR WITH HOMELESSNESS IN AUSTIN, OR, YOU KNOW, MAY HAVE JUST OBSERVED IT IN THEIR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE, THEY OFTEN WONDER, WELL, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE THERE REALLY? YOU KNOW, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE HOMELESS AND IT ACTUALLY TURNS OUT THAT'S A VERY DIFFICULT QUESTION TO ANSWER FOR SOME OF THE REASONS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE ALREADY BROUGHT UP. 
          UM, BUT IT'S A COMMON QUESTION. 
          AND THE POINT IN TIME COUNT THAT YOU MENTIONED JULIA, UM, IS SOMETHING THAT SOME PEOPLE MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH. 
          IT'S AN ANNUAL WAY THAT THE CITY, UM, AS WELL AS THE OTHER HOMELESSNESS PROVIDERS COLLABORATES TOGETHER TO COUNT PEOPLE EVERY JANUARY WITH VOLUNTEERS OVER A COURSE OF TIME, BUT NOT EVERYBODY CAN ALWAYS BE COUNTED, FOUND SEEN DURING THAT TIME PERIOD, UM, THAT MOST RECENT COUNT FOR AUSTIN SHOWS THAT AROUND 2,500 PEOPLE ARE HOMELESS ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT. 
          UM, BUT AS I SAID, LIKE ANY MEASUREMENT, THIS IS A SNAPSHOT IN TIME, RIGHT? AND, UM, LIKE ALL DATA, IT HAS INHERENT CHALLENGES. 
          SOME OF WHICH WE JUST TALKED ABOUT IN TERMS OF PEOPLE WANTING TO BE COUNTED AND WANTING TO BE FOUND, UM, BEING SEEN WHEN THEY'RE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, UH, OUR LOCAL SYSTEM THAT TRACKS PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS WHO WERE ACCESSING SERVICES IN 2019, THERE WERE OVER 9,000 PEOPLE THAT ACCESS SERVICES THROUGH THAT SYSTEM. 
          UH, THE HOMELESS INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, EITHER WITH LITERAL HOMELESSNESS OR AT RISK OF HOMELESSNESS, YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THAT. 
          NOT IN THOSE NUMBERS. 
          UM, ANYBODY WATCHING TODAY MAY BE THINKING, WOW, THAT'S THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, UM, THAT ARE COUNTED IN ONE SYSTEM AND NOT ANOTHER. 
          AND WHY IS THAT? UM, BUT I THINK IT POINTS TO THE CHALLENGES AROUND GETTING A COMPLETE AND ACCURATE COUNT, UM, AND WHY THAT VISIBILITY PIECE, SOME PEOPLE MAY THINK, WOW, THIS PROBLEM HAS EXPLODED, BUT MAYBE WE'RE JUST SEEING PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN HERE FOR QUITE A WHILE, COMING OUT INTO THE OPEN A LITTLE BIT MORE. 
          SO I'D LOVE TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW DO Y'ALL DATA, WHAT DOES THE DATA IN, IN AUSTIN ABOUT HOMELESSNESS TELL YOU, AND HOW YOU SERVE YOUR CLIENTS. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE THE PEOPLE? DO WE KNOW WHO THE PEOPLE ARE, WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, UM, AND WHAT DO THEY NEED, UH, AND IS THAT SOMETHING WE'RE COLLECTING WE COULD BE COLLECTING? ARE THERE BETTER WAYS WE COULD BE DOING THIS? BECAUSE I THINK IT'S A REALLY COMMON, COMMON THING THAT I HEAR FROM PEOPLE I TALK TO IS LIKE, WELL, IF WE COULD JUST COUNT EVERYBODY AND WE KNOW WHAT THEY NEED, WE COULD PUT THEM INTO THE RIGHT SYSTEMS. RIGHT. 
          UM, BUT MAYBE IT'S NOT AS EASY AS THAT. 
          RIGHT. 
          SO RIGHT. 
          I'LL, UH, I'LL JUMP OUT AND I'M, I'M LAUGHING BECAUSE IT IS SO UNSATISFYING FOR SOMEBODY TO HEAR HOW COMPLICATED IT IS TO EVEN BEGIN TO, TO, TO DESIGN A METHODOLOGY FOR COUNTING THAT IS RELIABLE, THAT CATCHES EVERYBODY. 
          AND I'M LAUGHING BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF MY CHIEF FRUSTRATIONS. 
          HAVEN'T DONE THIS WORK FOR A VERY LONG TIME. 
          RIGHT. 
          I CAN TELL YOU THAT NOT ONLY DOES IT DEPEND ON HAVING THE, THE SYSTEMS AND THE COLLABORATION AND ALL OF THE AGREEMENTS TO COLLECT ALL OF THIS INFORMATION, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS OF HOMELESSNESS DEPENDING ON LIKE KIND OF WHICH FEDERAL SILO YOU'RE LOOKING AT. 
          UM, ONE OF THE, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN I, WHEN WE STARTED THIS MOVEMENT TO END YOUTH HOMELESSNESS, ONE OF OUR, OUR CHIEF 
          [00:25:01]
CHALLENGES WE'RE ACROSS, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THESE FEDERAL POLICY SILOS, PEOPLE HAD A HARD TIME, NOT JUST AGREEING ON A DEFINITION OF HOMELESSNESS, BUT AGREEING ON A DEFINITION OF YOUTH, RIGHT? AND SO THAT'S GOING TO PRESENT SOME DATA CHALLENGES RIGHT THERE WHEN YOU HAVE ALL OF THAT IN PLAY. 
          SO IT, YOU KNOW, IT SPEAKS TO WHAT MICHELLE WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, WHICH IS THAT WE HAVE AN A AND AN AUSTIN. 
          WE ACTUALLY DO A DECENT JOB OF THIS, AND WE CAN DO A MUCH BETTER JOB MOVING FORWARD, WHICH IS WORKING TOGETHER, COLLABORATING AT THE SYSTEMS LEVEL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE AGREEMENTS AROUND THE DATA TOOLS AND THE METHODOLOGIES THAT WE'RE USING, OUR SHARING THAT INFORMATION. 
          SO PEOPLE DON'T FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS AND THAT WE HAVE, UH, SERVICES AND HOUSING AVAILABLE TO EVERYBODY. 
          THAT'S NOT DUPLICATIVE. 
          THAT'S WELL COORDINATED. 
          I CAN TELL YOU WITH YOUTH, SINCE YOUTH IS ABOUT 8% OF THE YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULT ABOUT, UH, 8% OF THE OVERALL POPULATION EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE DONE A REAL DEEP DIVE INTO THE SYSTEM DATA AND, AND, AND FEEL LIKE WE'VE GOT A REALLY CLEAR PICTURE. 
          AND ACTUALLY ALL OF THE AGENCIES, INCLUDING SAFE AND CARITAS TOSS, AND INTEGRAL CARE, EVERYBODY WHO IS INVOLVED IN THE, UH, THE YOUTH HOMELESSNESS MOVEMENT. 
          WE ACTUALLY HAVE A DASHBOARD THAT WE CAN LOOK AT. 
          THAT'S UPDATED EVERY MONTH WHERE WE KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY YOUTH ARE ON THE WAITING LIST FOR HOUSING, WHO'S ENTERED THE SYSTEM IN SOME WAY THAT NEEDS TO GET ON THAT WAITING LIST. 
          HOW MUCH INFLOW HAVE WE HAD, HOW MUCH OUTFLOW HAVE WE HAD FROM THE SYSTEM, AND WE CAN MEASURE AND IMPROVE OUR SERVICES AND COMMUNICATIONS BASED ON THAT. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO, HOW TO OPERATE SYSTEM ON IT, WEB, UH, WITH THAT KIND OF ACCURACY TOO. 
          BUT IT TAKES A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF COORDINATION WITH A VERY MOBILE AND VERY VULNERABLE POPULATION WITH A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONAL PLAYERS WHO ARE BALANCING HOW MUCH TIME THEY CAN SPEND ON THAT AND HOW MUCH TIME THEY NEED TO SPEND WITH, UH, INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD URGENT CRISIS NEEDS TO BE, TO BE SAFE. 
          I'D LIKE TO GO NEXT. 
          UM, I THINK, UM, REGARDING DATA, WE CAN'T, AS A COMMUNITY THROUGH COLLABORATION, WE COULD DO A BETTER JOB. 
          I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT IS COMPLEX TO COLLECT THE DATA AND WE DO NEED TO, UM, ESTABLISH SOME OPERATIONALIZE DEFINITIONS OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO COLLECT. 
          WE NEED TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHO WAS COMING INTO THE SYSTEM AND FROM WHERE, AND THEN WHERE ALONG THE CONTINUUM, OUR PEOPLE ARE, THE, THE INTERCEPT POINTS, THE GATEKEEPING POINTS THAT IS, UM, MAKING IT EASIER FOR SOME PEOPLE TO ENTER THE SYSTEM AND DIFFICULT FOR OTHERS TO ENTER THE SYSTEM. 
          UM, AND ALSO WHO'S EXITING THE SYSTEM, BUT THERE'S ALSO SOME DATA QUALITY ISSUES THAT WE NEED TO WORK THROUGH AS A SYSTEM, UM, AND TO PROVIDE GREATER TRAINING FOR PEOPLE AND TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THE WORK, UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DATA, WHY WE COLLECT THE DATA, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR AND HOW THE DATA ULTIMATELY IS GOING TO DRIVE THE WORK IS GOING TO IDENTIFY WHERE WE NEED TO TARGET WHAT WE NEED TO DO. 
          UM, AND WHAT INTERVENTIONS WE NEED TO DEPLOY DATA IS SUCH A VERY IMPORTANT AND CRUCIAL ASPECT OF ENDING HOMELESSNESS. 
          YOU KNOW, PART OF ENDING HOMELESSNESS, AS WELL AS DEALING WITH SOME OF THE SYSTEMIC ISSUES TO INCLUDE SYSTEMIC RACISM, AFRICAN-AMERICANS MAKE UP 8% OF A POPULATION OF AUSTIN. 
          AND ABOUT 35 TO 40% OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS NATIONALLY, THE NUMBER ONE PREDICTOR OF HOMELESSNESS IS BEING AFRICAN-AMERICAN. 
          SO THERE ARE SOME SYSTEMIC THINGS THAT ARE, THAT HAVE HAPPENED THROUGH POLICIES, THROUGH LAWS, THROUGH THE BELIEF SYSTEM OF HULU WHO WAS DESERVING OF SERVICES AND WHY WE SHOULD CUT ONE PROGRAM VERSUS ANOTHER PROGRAM BECAUSE OF WHO IT TARGETS OR DOESN'T TARGET. 
          SO THE DATA WILL HELP US TO MAKE BETTER INFORMED DECISIONS ON AND ON THE INTERVENTIONS, BUT MORE SO ON THE POLICIES THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. 
          YOU KNOW, WHEN, UM, DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION, WHEN PEOPLE ARE OUT OF WORK, PEOPLE HAVE HOUSING, WHAT DO WE DO? FDR DID THE NEW DEAL AND THROUGH POLICY DECISION, HE CREATED THE LARGEST MIDDLE-CLASS THAT WE'VE EXCEEDED THE, BE THE EXPERIENCE UNTIL THAT TIME HE CREATED JOBS, HOUSING, UM, ALL THESE THINGS THAT HELPED ELEVATE 
          [00:30:01]
THE COUNTRY AND CREATE A BOOMING ECONOMY. 
          AND THAT WAS THROUGH POLICY. 
          BUT ALSO, LIKE I SAID BEFORE THROUGH POLICY, WE EXCLUDE A CERTAIN SET OF SEGMENTS OF THE POPULATION, YOU KNOW, UM, FROM BEING ABLE TO ACCESS THE, UM, THE BENEFITS OF THE NEW DEAL, YOU KNOW, THROUGH LAW, YOU KNOW, WE EXCLUDED AFRICAN-AMERICANS, WE COULDN'T OWN UP BUY A HOME. 
          YOU COULDN'T GET A LOAN FOR A HOME, YOU COULDN'T DO ALL THOSE THINGS. 
          AND SO BY LOOKING AT THE DATA, LOOKING AT THE POLICY, GOING TO THE ROOT OF HOMELESSNESS, GOING TO THE ROOT OF SOCIAL CAPITAL TO FIGURE OUT HOW THIS IMPACTS OTHERS, HOW THIS IMPACTS COMMUNITIES, HOW THIS IMPACTS INDIVIDUALS, UM, IS VERY CRUCIAL TOWARDS ENDING HOMELESSNESS. 
          UM, I'D LIKE TO PICK UP ON SOMETHING, UM, THAT MICHELLE, UH, RAISED IN THAT IS THAT, UM, NOT NECESSARILY, I THINK THIS IS RELATED TO THE DATA, UM, QUESTION, AND THAT IS THAT CRIMINAL JUSTICE INVOLVEMENT IS A SIGNIFICANT BARRIER TO, UM, EXITING HOMELESSNESS. 
          AND IT'S, IT'S REALLY HARD TO, UM, LIVE ON THE STREETS AND NOT ENGAGE IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. 
          AND THAT'S WHY SOME OF THE CHANGES IN THE ORDINANCES HAVE BEEN SO IMPORTANT IS TO TRY TO REDUCE THE CRIMINALIZATION OF HOMELESSNESS. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, I, UM, I JUST THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO, UM, RECOGNIZE THE DISPARITIES OF, FOR PEOPLE, UM, AFRICAN AMERICANS AND THEIR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND, UM, THE, THE LINKAGE THAT, UM, THOSE KINDS OF ISSUES CREATE TILL HOMELESSNESS. 
          I'LL JUMP IN AND JUST ADD TO THAT, THAT I SO AGREE WITH YOU, ELLEN, UM, AROUND THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND WITH YOU MICHELLE, ABOUT THE DISPARITY IN THE DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE, UM, AFRICAN-AMERICAN, AND, AND IN THE AREA OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, ALSO, UM, WOMEN WHO AND MEN WHO, UH, ARE LATIN X AND, AND IT'S REALLY TROUBLING BECAUSE SO MANY OF OUR FAMILIES HAVE STARTED OFF IN THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM. 
          AND WE KNOW THAT THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM IS ONE OF ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY HAS PEOPLE OF COLOR INVOLVED IN IT. 
          AND THAT'S AN, AND SO IT JUST KILLS ME. 
          WE KNOW THAT THE BEST PLACE FOR KIDS TO BE RAISED IS WITH THE, AND IF YOU CAN HAVE A SAFE PARENT, YOU CAN HAVE SAFE KIDS, RIGHT. 
          UM, AND SO ARE WE SURROUNDING, UM, MOMS WITH ENOUGH SUPPORT SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE THEIR KIDS REMAIN WITH THEM? I THINK THAT'S REALLY ESSENTIAL. 
          AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE CONCERNED, WE THINK THAT THE DATA DOESN'T ADEQUATELY SHOW THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES THAT ARE IMPACTED, BUT I WAS STRUCK NOT THIS YEAR, BUT THE, UM, TWO YEARS AGO, WHEN ECHO DID THE POINT IN TIME COUNT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY ASKED THEM WAS WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF THE HOMELESSNESS. 
          AND 62% OF PEOPLE SAID THAT TRAUMA OR ABUSE HAD CAUSED THEIR HOMELESSNESS. 
          NOW THAT MIGHT BE SOMEWHERE WAY BACK IN THEIR PAST THE BEGINNING YEARS. 
          BUT I THINK THAT IF WE HAVE A SYSTEM THAT'S KIND OF ADDRESSING ALL THE MULTIPLE STRATEGIES, INCLUDING EARLY INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION AND DIVERSION, AND THEN SHELTER TO HOUSING, WE'RE GOING TO BE SO MUCH BETTER OFF, UM, YOU KNOW, GREAT, GREAT PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE AND ABUSE AND TRAUMA, AND ANY OF THESE AND OPPRESSION WILL HELP PEOPLE AVOID HOMELESSNESS IN THE FUTURE. 
          WE SHOULD KEEP OUR EYE ON THAT CHILI. 
          I WANT TO UNDERSCORE SOMETHING YOU SAID, AND I KNOW YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN THIS STUDY TOO, BUT THERE WAS A STUDY FROM 2016 WITH, UM, YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. 
          AND THE QUESTION, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS PUT TO THEM WAS, UH, WHAT, WHEN WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS? AND, YOU KNOW, WE, AS ADULTS MIGHT EXPECT THEM TO SAY, OH, YOU KNOW, WHEN I GOT KICKED OUT AT 16, OR I RAN AWAY FROM A FOSTER HOME AT 15 OR WHATEVER IT WAS, BUT THE, THE ANSWER HEAVILY TENDED TO BE WHEN THEY, UH, WHEN THEY TOOK ME FROM MY FAMILY WHEN I WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD. 
          SO IT WASN'T LOTS OF THE HOME THAT TO THEM SIGNIFIED HOMELESSNESS, IT WAS LOSS OF FAMILY. 
          SO YOUR POINT ABOUT SUPPORTING THE SUCCESS OF FAMILIES AND THE, UH, JUST THE, THE RESULT WE COULD GET FROM, FROM THAT HEART AND THAT INVESTMENT IN, UH, IN LATER YEARS, HOMELESSNESS IS TREMENDOUS. 
          YEAH. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, WHENEVER WHAT WE HEAR FROM SO MANY 
          [00:35:01]
OF OUR CLIENTS, AND, YOU KNOW, I JUST LOOKED TODAY, 52% OF THE PEOPLE ON THE WAITING LIST FOR THE SAFE SHELTER ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE CURRENTLY HOMELESS. 
          SO IT'S NOT JUST THAT THEY'RE FLEEING VIOLENCE, IT'S THAT THEY ARE LITERALLY HOMELESS RIGHT NOW. 
          AND SO JUST PUT THAT INTO NUMBERS. 
          THAT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S 52 PEOPLE, SO PRETTY STAGGERING, THAT'S ALL IN A DAY. 
          AND, AND WHAT, BUT WHAT WE HEAR FROM FOLKS IS THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO BE COUNTED BECAUSE THEN THERE'LL BE REPORTED CPS. 
          THAT'S THEIR FEAR, WHETHER IT'S REAL OR NOT. 
          UM, IT'S NOT REAL ACTUALLY, BECAUSE THOSE WHO COUNT ARE NOT GOING TO AUTOMATICALLY POINT, UM, TURN SOMEBODY IN TO CPS BECAUSE THEY'RE LIVING IN THEIR CAR, BUT THAT'S THE HUGE RELUCTANCE TO EVEN BE COUNTED. 
          SO WE HAVE A HUGE DATA PROBLEM BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL QUESTION. 
          AND I'D LIKE TO ADD THE STRENGTHENING FAMILIES IS REALLY IMPORTANT, UM, IN TERMS OF TRAUMA AND ABUSE, YOU KNOW, IF A CHILD EXPERIENCES A TRAUMA AND HAS A SUPPORTIVE FAMILY UNIT AROUND THEM, THEY'RE ABLE TO HEAL FROM THAT TRAUMA, RIGHT? AND THEN BECAUSE THE FAMILY WRAPS AROUND THE CHILD AND SAYS, THE CHILD HAS VALUE, AND I LOVE YOU, AND YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG AND GET THEM HELP AND ALL THOSE THINGS. 
          BUT IF YOU EXPERIENCED TRAUMA AND YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK DOES NOT HAVE THAT STRUCTURE BUILT INTO IT, IF YOU DON'T HAVE THAT SOCIAL CAPITAL, THEN THE ODDS OF YOU BEING ABLE TO RECOVER IS VERY LITTLE. 
          AND THEN YOU WILL EXPERIENCE COMPLEX PTSD, WHICH IS JUST TRAUMA UPON TRAUMA, UPON TRAUMA ON TRAUMA, WHICH IS VERY DIFFICULT TO RECOVER FROM. 
          SO STRENGTHENING FAMILIES INCREASING THE SOCIAL CAPITAL OF COMMUNITIES IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ENDING HOMELESSNESS. 
          IT IS, UM, REALLY A BREAKDOWN OF SO MANY SYSTEMS. AND I THINK A LOT OF THE FIXES ARE A LITTLE SIMPLER THAN WE THINK THEY ARE. 
          AND IT, IT, IT, IT REALLY, IT IS THE WAY IN WHICH WE THINK WHO ARE DESERVING AND WHAT'S NEEDED AND NOT TO NECESSARILY INSTITUTIONALIZE EVERYTHING BECAUSE SOME THINGS CAN JUST BE ORGANIC AND NATURAL LISTED, LOVING, CARING, AND COMPASSIONATE, AND REALLY JUST GOING BACK TO CREATING STRONGER FAMILIES AND STRONGER COMMUNITIES. 
          YOU ALL, I THINK THIS IS REALLY INSIGHTFUL. 
          SOME OF THE TURNS WE'VE TAKEN HERE, AND I COMPLETELY AGREE. 
          I THINK TRAUMA IS SOMETHING I WANT TO JUST TOUCH ON A LITTLE BIT MORE FOR A SECOND. 
          I THINK, UH, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WATCHING ARE FAMILIAR WITH ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES, BUT TRAUMA IN CHILDHOOD. 
          UM, AND CERTAINLY MY BACKGROUND IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY, WE THINK A LOT ABOUT THIS, BUT TRAUMA AND CHILDHOOD IS SUCH A HEAVY PREDICTOR OF PEOPLE'S HEALTH AND THEIR MENTAL HEALTH, THEIR PHYSICAL HEALTH LATER ON, AND SOMETHING I THINK IS, UH, YOU KNOW, VERY SAD, BUT ALSO VERY INSIGHTFUL ABOUT HOMELESSNESS IS THAT PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AS ADULTS, THEIR RATE OF ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES IS ASTRONOMICAL COMPARED TO THE GENERAL POPULATION. 
          AND, UM, I'D LOVE TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT, I MEAN, I KNOW ALL OF YOU JUST BY NATURE OF WORKING IN HOMELESSNESS, BUT PARTICULARLY SOME THE POPULATIONS YOU SERVE, YOU'RE SEEING A LOT OF CLIENTS THAT HAVE TRAUMA. 
          UM, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT, THAT YOUR ORGANIZATIONS ARE DOING TO HELP KIND OF INTERRUPT THIS? I MEAN, I THINK THE FAMILY PIECE AND SUPPORTING FAMILIES IS SO IMPORTANT. 
          HOW DO YOU KIND OF IN YOUR DAILY WORK DO THAT? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE DOING TO KIND OF INTERRUPT THAT CYCLE? SO, OH, GO AHEAD. 
          GO AHEAD, JULIA. 
          YEAH. 
          I W NONE OF THE, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FIRST THINGS YOU CAN EVER DO AND PROMISE IS TO START BY BELIEVING. 
          SO WHEN SOMEBODY TELLS YOU WHETHER IT'S A CHILD OR A TEEN OR AN ADULT ABOUT THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED TO THEM THAT ARE TRAUMATIZING, BELIEVE THEM, I AM CONVINCED. 
          AND THE RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THAT FIRST RESPONSE, IF SOMEBODY IS NOT BELIEVED THAT THEY'RE TOLD THAT MAYBE A FAMILY MEMBER COULD NOT HAVE DONE THAT TO THEM, UM, THAT, THAT WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT THIS TRUSTED FRIEND COULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED, UM, THAT THERE IS SURROUND THEIR SUPPORT, UH, UM, TOWARDS THE PERSON WHO HAS HURT THE OTHER PERSON, THAT FIRST EXPERIENCE OF BEING TOLD IT'S NOT. 
          SO IS REALLY TRAUMATIZING. 
          AND I THINK THE OTHER THING YOU CAN DO IS IT'S NOT ATTACHED TO IT, A KIND OF, WHAT DID YOU DO? 
          [00:40:01]
WHAT DID YOU DO? THAT'S WRONG, UM, THING, BUT INSTEAD TO JUST SAY WHAT HAPPENED AND SO GOOD, ALL OF OUR ORGANIZATIONS, I AM ABSOLUTELY SURE USING TRAUMA INFORMED PRINCIPLES, DOING TRUST-BASED RELATIONAL, LENNAR THEM, BUT, YOU KNOW, JUST ON A HUMAN PERSON TO PERSON STANDPOINT, THAT'S REALLY PRETTY EASY. 
          IT'S ABOUT NOT JUDGING. 
          IT'S ABOUT TRYING TO BELIEVE IT'S ABOUT LISTENING TO THE STORY AND THEN OFFERING HELP. 
          AND EVERY ONE OF US CAN DO THAT. 
          I THINK IT'S ALSO ABOUT FOR, FOR THOSE OF US SEMESTER US ON THE LINE, OUR SERVICE PROVIDERS REALLY, UM, REALLY BEING VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS, RIGHT? AND IT'S NOT A SERVICE ORGANIZATION, YOU KNOW, LIKE A LIFEWORKS OR A SAFE, IT'S NOT A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE COME TO BE FIXED. 
          IT IS A PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO COME FOR SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIPS AND OPPORTUNITY, AND ALSO THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP CONNECTIONS AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT AROUND THEM. 
          RIGHT. 
          I MEAN, THAT'S THE REAL PATH TO SELF-SUFFICIENCY. 
          IT'S NOT FOR US TO SAY, HEY, HERE'S WHAT WE THINK YOU NEED FROM OUR OPINION AND WHERE WE THINK IT CAN TAKE YOU, IT'S REALLY ABOUT WHAT DO YOU, WHAT DO YOU WANT IN LIFE? WHERE ARE YOU, WHERE ARE YOU HURTING? WHERE DO YOU FEEL GREAT AND HOW CAN WE HELP? AND OFTEN ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE, UM, THAT WE'VE VERY MUCH EXPANDED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS IS, UH, THE USE OF WHAT WE CALL PEER SUPPORT, WHICH ARE INDIVIDUALS, PROFESSIONAL INDIVIDUALS WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE, WHICH THEY CAN SHARE WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE WITH OUR YOUTH WHO ARE ON THEIR JOURNEYS TO, UH, TO EXITING HOMELESSNESS AND OFTEN THAT PERSPECTIVE, RIGHT. 
          YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT, WE'VE GOT AMAZING CLINICIANS AT LIFEWORKS. 
          WE HAVE AMAZING CASE MANAGERS AND WORKFORCE SPECIALISTS AND ALL OF THAT. 
          BUT, YOU KNOW, VERY OFTEN, YOU KNOW, IF ONE OF THOSE FIRST RELATIONSHIPS IS SOMEBODY WHO CAN JUST LISTEN, SHARE WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH TO JULIA'S POINT ABOUT BEING, YOU KNOW, NONJUDGMENTAL AND WHO ALSO COMMUNICATES IT'S OKAY FOR THIS JOURNEY TO TAKE A WHILE, RIGHT? YOU'RE NOT ON THIS TIME CLOCK, THAT'S GOING TO JUDGE YOU. 
          IF, UH, YOU TAKE A FEW STEPS FORWARD, THEN HAVE TO HAVE TO PAUSE ON TO LET IT, UH, LET IT, LET IT ASSIMILATE AND, UH, AND MOVE ON. 
          I THINK THE, THE OTHER THING, JUST ON THE POINT ABOUT IT, IT TAKING SOME TIME IS THAT OFTEN I THINK WE, WE HAVE THIS IDEA THAT, UH, IF WE CAN JUST GET PEOPLE, A PLACE TO LIVE, WE'VE SOLVED THEIR HOMELESSNESS. 
          BUT WHAT WE SEE WITH YOU BECAUSE OF WHAT IS OFTEN VERY COMPLEX LONG-TERM TRAUMA, IS THAT WE WILL, WE WILL TRAVEL A JOURNEY WITH OUR YOUTH SIDE BY SIDE TO, UH, TO GET THEM HOUSED. 
          YOU KNOW, MAYBE IN AN APARTMENT MAY BE, UM, A, UH, IN A GROUP SETTING. 
          AND BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN IN SURVIVAL MODE THAT, UH, THAT PHYSICAL SAFETY THEN KIND OF AFFORDS THEM THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY KIND OF LET DOWN THEIR GUARD AND PROCESS THE TRAUMA THAT THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH, THEY MAY FEEL ISOLATED BECAUSE MAYBE THEY'VE LEFT SOME PEERS BEHIND ON THE STREET. 
          THEY MAY FEEL OVERWHELMED BECAUSE AGAIN, ALL OF A SUDDEN EVERYTHING THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH IS BECOMING PRESENT TO THEM. 
          SO REALLY FOCUSING ON HELPING SOMEBODY WHO HAS, WAS TRAVELED THAT JOURNEY FROM HOMELESSNESS, ESTABLISH OR REESTABLISH WHAT THEIR COMMUNITY SUPPORT SYSTEM LOOKS LIKE, BECAUSE HONESTLY THAT'S WHAT KEEPS ALL OF US SELF-SUFFICIENT, REGARDLESS OF OUR, OF OUR EDUCATION OF, UM, OF OUR EMPLOYMENT LEVEL, IT IS HAVING AN ADEQUATE SUPPORT SYSTEM AROUND US TO, UH, TO WEATHER, KIND OF THE CHALLENGES PROCESS, THE OPPORTUNITIES, UH, ALL OF THAT. 
          SO WE'VE PUT A LOT OF WORK AND, AND WE ACTUALLY RAN A, A STUDY WHERE OUR YOUTH WERE ACTUALLY THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS AND SAYING, OKAY, WHAT, WHERE IS IT THAT YOUTH WILL BE VULNERABLE IN THOSE FIRST THREE, FOUR OR FIVE MONTHS OF HOUSING? AND HOW CAN WE HELP CREATE A COMMUNITY, UH, THE SUPPORT THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY CO-CREATING TO, UH, TO LEAD TO STABILITY. 
          I'D LIKE TO JUST JUMP IN AND, UM, FOR TAG SOMETHING THAT SUSAN SAID, AND THAT IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE LIVE IN A TIME WHEN PEOPLE WANT EVERYTHING FASTER AND QUICKER, AND IT'S JUST REALLY, WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT, UM, INVESTMENT IN THE LONG TERM THAT PEOPLE COMING IN OFF THE STREETS DO NEED A LOT OF SUPPORT AND THAT THE CHANGE IN, UM, THEIR, THEIR HEALTH STATUS AND THEIR STABILITY IS GOING TO TAKE TIME. 
          AND WE SEE WHEN WE GET SOMEONE INTO HOUSING AND WE USE LOW BARRIER HOUSING, AND THOSE PEOPLE PRETTY MUCH DIRECTLY FROM THE STUDENTS INTO HOUSING. 
          UM, IT REALLY TAKES TIME 
          [00:45:01]
FOR THEM TO, UM, TO STABILIZE AND LEAVE SEEING AFTER THE FIRST SIX MONTHS, REAL IMPROVEMENTS, FAVORED UTILIZATION OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          BUT REALLY IT'S IN TWO YEARS THAT WE SEE PEOPLE REALLY GET THEIR FEET UNDER THEM AND ENGAGE WITH, UM, PREVENTION SYSTEMS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, SO THAT PEOPLE CAN HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT, UH, WHAT THE INVESTMENT ROLE LOOKS LIKE IN TERMS OF, UH, REHABILITATION SUPPORTS AND HOUSING. 
          I'D LIKE TO ADD SOMETHING ABOUT, UM, ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES. 
          UM, THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT THE RESEARCH AROUND THAT IS HOW ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES IMPACTS CHILDREN AS WELL AS ADULTS, BECAUSE CHILDREN ULTIMATELY BECOME ADULTS. 
          AND WITH MORE ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES, AND AS YOUR ACE SCORE INCREASES YOUR LIKELIHOOD OF HAVING EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, EXPERIENCING DIFFERENT HEALTH CONDITIONS INCREASES, UM, AND UNDERSTANDING HOW THOSE EXPERIENCES AND UNDERSTANDING HOW TRAUMA AFFECTS OUR FUNCTIONING, OUR PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING, OUR ABILITY TO INTEGRATE AND FORM RELATIONSHIPS, UM, UH, THE PHYSICAL TOLL THAT TAKES ON OUR, ON OUR BIOLOGY BY JUST THE, THE FLOODING, THE BODY OF DIFFERENT STRESS HORMONES THAT CAUSES SYSTEMS TO BREAK DOWN BY UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF TRAUMA, THE OVERALL SYSTEM IMPACT THAT TRAUMA HAS ON THE PERSON, ON FAMILIES, ON COMMUNITIES IS VERY IMPORTANT. 
          SO IT AWESOME PUBLIC HEALTH, YOU KNOW, THROUGH OUR CONTRACT THAT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THIS DIRECT SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE TO THE COMMUNITY, WE WORK TO HELP ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE ISSUES, YOU KNOW, THROUGH, YOU KNOW, WIC PROGRAM OR THROUGH OUR CONTRACTING WITH BARRIERS, HOMELESS, UM, SERVICE PROVIDERS, OR JUST SOCIAL SAFETY NET PROVIDERS TO TRY TO, UM, UH, PROVIDE THE SUPPORT NEEDED FOR PEOPLE AND FOR COMMUNITIES. 
          BUT I THINK IN A HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM, UNDERSTANDING THE ACE AND THE ACE SCORING IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT CAN HELP CHANGE THE WAY WE PERCEIVE PEOPLE. 
          I THINK WE HAVE BIASES LIKE EVERYONE ELSE WITHIN THE HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM. 
          AND TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS A FUNDAMENTAL IMPACT THAT TRAUMA HAS ON PEOPLE, FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGES THE WAY PEOPLE ARE STRUCTURED, FUNDAMENTALLY IMPACTS YOUR PHYSICAL SYSTEM BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE STRESS RESPONSE TO HAVE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT WE'RE NOT JUDGING PEOPLE AND, UM, HAVING THESE, UM, UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS OR NOT UNDERSTANDING WHY PEOPLE ARE RESPONDING CERTAIN WAYS, UM, THAT WE WOULD THINK WOULD BE QUOTE UNQUOTE NORMAL, RIGHT? BECAUSE WHEN YOU'VE EXPERIENCED SOMETHING AND YOU HAVE IN DOWN TALKING ABOUT TRAUMA, AND YOU REPEAT THE EXPERIENCE REPEATEDLY THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE, IT CHANGES THE WAY YOU RESPOND TO THINGS BECAUSE YOU'RE RESPONDING THINGS FROM A PLACE OF BEING ACTIVATED FROM YOUR STRESS RESPONSE. 
          SO YOU'RE, YOU'RE HEIGHTENED TO EVERYTHING THAT YOU, YOU DO. 
          YOU'RE, HYPER-AWARE HYPERVIGILANT, YOU KNOW, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, ON EDGE ALL THE TIME, WHICH IS, IS NOT A, IT'S NOT A COMFORTABLE WAY TO PUT IT MILDLY. 
          SO I THINK, UM, UNDERSTANDING OF THE AES AND THE ACE SCORE, UM, IS REALLY IMPORTANT, UM, TOWARDS ENDING HOMELESSNESS. 
          THANK YOU ALL. 
          AND, UM, OBVIOUSLY I REALLY AGREE, MICHELLE. 
          I THINK THE, THE ACES WORK IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, ANYBODY CAN COME IN AND UNDERSTAND. 
          UM, IT'S VERY SIMPLE TO UNDERSTAND. 
          SO I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO LOOK THAT UP IF THEY ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH IT, BECAUSE I DO THINK IT'S CRUCIAL TO UNDERSTANDING, UM, WHAT MANY PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS ARE FACING IN TERMS OF KIND OF THAT UPWARD PATH, UH, TO, UM, TO FINDING HOUSING AND, UH, BEING SUPPORTED, UM, AS OPPOSED TO KIND OF A DOWNWARD SPIRAL THAT MANY, MANY TIMES PEOPLE WILL FIND THEMSELVES IN. 
          SO, UM, THIS HAS BEEN SUCH A GREAT CONVERSATION SO FAR. 
          I WANT TO SWITCH GEARS A LITTLE BIT, UM, JUST TO TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY, UH, EVERYBODY EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT. 
          ALL THE POPULATIONS HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS, DIFFERENT FEATURES. 
          UM, BUT I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW DO WE GET PEOPLE OUT OF HOMELESSNESS LOCALLY? YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU THINK REALLY NEED TO BE BROUGHT UP 
          [00:50:01]
TO THE TOP, UM, OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING HERE LOCALLY, WHICH THERE ARE MANY GOOD THINGS GOING ON. 
          AND I THINK MANY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST FEW YEARS WITH CERTAIN POPULATIONS. 
          SO WHAT'S BEING DONE. 
          UM, WHAT CAN AUSTINITES DO TO GET INVOLVED LOCALLY AND TO HELP SUPPORT THESE EFFORTS? SO I'LL, UH, I'LL JUMP IN HERE. 
          I THINK THE, THE, THE ANSWER IS, UH, THERE'S NO ONE ANSWER FOR WHAT SOLVES HOMELESSNESS. 
          THERE ARE A LOT OF EFFECTIVE APPROACHES THAT NEED TO BE TAILORED FOR INDIVIDUALS AND INDIVIDUAL POPULATIONS. 
          WITH YOUTH. 
          WE HAVE A SYSTEM BALANCED WITH DIVERSION SERVICES, WORKING WITH YOUTH WHO HAVE NOT YET EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS, BUT ARE AT HIGH RISK OF HOMELESSNESS. 
          MAYBE THEY'RE ABOUT TO AGE OUT OF FOSTER CARE. 
          AND WE ARE WORKING CAREFULLY TO SEE THAT THEY HAVE AN EXIT PLAN INTO STABLE HOUSING, AND DON'T HAVE TO EXPERIENCE THAT TRAUMA. 
          THAT'S A NECESSARY PART OF IT, BUT ALSO TO MAKE SURE ONCE, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY DOES EXPERIENCE HOMELESSNESS, THAT WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, AN ADEQUATE LEVEL OF SHELTER. 
          SO THEY ARE NOT ON THE STREET OR THEY'RE ON THE STREET FOR AS BRIEF AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. 
          BUT THEN WE HAVE, UH, WE HAVE PROGRAMS LIKE RAPID REHOUSING, WHICH IS A TIME LIMITED PROGRAM THAT FOCUSES ON FINDING A PLACE TO LIVE TEMPORARY FINANCIAL SUPPORT, UM, SURROUNDING, UH, WRAPAROUND SUPPORT SERVICES TO ENSURE THAT THAT HOMELESSNESS IS, UM, UH, ONLY ONE TIME. 
          SO THE WAY WE SAY IT IS BUILDING A SYSTEM THAT WORKS WITH INDIVIDUALS TO MAKE YOU TO MAKE HOMELESSNESS RARE, BRIEF, AND NON-RECURRING, AND FOR INDIVIDUALS WHERE, FOR WHATEVER REASON THE HOMELESSNESS WILL, UM, UH, OR THEY JUST REQUIRE A LONGER TERM SUPPORT, UM, BUILDING OUR CAPACITY IN THE COMMUNITY FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING THAT PROVIDES AGAIN, SUPPORT AND A SAFE PLACE TO LIVE FOR FOLKS WHO ARE, WHO ARE JUST FACING A LOT OF BARRIERS TO, UH, TO THEIR WELLNESS AND, UH, AND THE WORKFORCE. 
          SO IT TAKES A, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF INNOVATIVE SERVICES AND, UH, IN THE COMMUNITY, THERE'S NO ONE ANSWER, BUT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO BUILD AND TO SCALE, UH, KIND OF A MENU OF PROGRAMS THAT CAN WORK TOGETHER TO MEET THE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES. 
          YEAH. 
          I, I WOULD JUST ADD ONTO THAT, THAT THIS RICH CONVERSATION ABOUT TRAUMA AND, UM, BUT THEN LAYER ON INTENSE POVERTY AND THEN LAYER ON AND TEMPS OPPRESSION. 
          WE STILL LIVE IN A COMMUNITY THAT IS DISCRIMINATORY, AND WE LOOK AT THE WEALTH GAP IN OUR COMMUNITY AND IT IS EXTREME. 
          AND WE LOOK AT THE LACK OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND IT IS EXTREME. 
          AND WHILE WE HAVE AMAZING AND BRILLIANT SERVICES THROUGHOUT THIS COMMUNITY AT ALL THESE AGENCIES THAT ARE HERE TODAY, WE STILL HAVE BIG GAPS. 
          IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO MEET THE NEEDS. 
          AND, UM, AND, AND, AND THEN YOU HAVE TO HAVE SERVICES THAT HELP PEOPLE NOT HAVE IT BE REOCCURRING AS SUSAN TALKS ABOUT IT, YOU HAVE TO HAVE WORK THAT PAYS AND BE PREPARED TO BE ABLE TO BE COMPETITIVE FOR THAT WORK. 
          AND IF YOU'VE LIVED UNDERNEATH EITHER VIOLENCE OR OPPRESSION OR DISCRIMINATION, IT'S JUST HARDER AND HARDER TO DO ALL OF THAT. 
          AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I LOVE HEARING FROM ALL OF THE PANELISTS, NO ONE TALKED ABOUT IT. 
          YOU KNOW, YOU'RE LOOKING AT A COUPLE OF YEARS, AT LEAST BEFORE, BEFORE PEOPLE CAN REALLY START TURNING. 
          WE WE'VE LEARNED THAT INCREASINGLY OVER THE YEARS. 
          AND SO WHAT I WOULD SAY TO WHAT CAN PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY DO IS THEY CAN CHECK THEIR ASSUMPTIONS AND BE CAREFUL NOT TO AUTOMATICALLY MAKE SOME ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WHY PEOPLE ARE HOMELESS. 
          THEY'VE GOT STORIES. 
          THESE ARE, THESE ARE SONS AND DAUGHTERS AND CHILDREN AND AUNTS AND UNCLES WHO WE SEE LIVING ON THE STREETS, OR MAYBE DON'T SEE LI LIVING ON THE STREETS, BUT WHO ARE HOMELESS. 
          AND SO CHECK YOUR ASSUMPTIONS AND GET INVOLVED. 
          ALL OF OUR ORGANIZATIONS NEED YOU. 
          WE NEED YOU AS DONORS. 
          WE NEED YOU AS VOLUNTEERS, NOT SO MUCH DURING COVID, THAT'S A LITTLE HARDER, BUT, UM, THAT WE REALLY DO NEED YOU. 
          UH, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, WE HAVE DONORS WHO SEND US, UM, WE HAVE A DONOR WHO SENDS US DIAPERS EVERY MONTH. 
          A PALLET OF DIAPERS DID IT FOR YEARS. 
          THOSE ARE THINGS THAT REALLY MAKE IT EASIER IN THIS OREGON, AS IN, IN OUR, IN OUR AGENCIES, IF SICK PEOPLE HELP US OUT WITH IN KIND AND CASH DONATIONS. 
          SO PLEASE GET INVOLVED, LEARN THE STORIES, UH, AND, UH, 
          [00:55:02]
AND JOIN US IN THIS WORK TO END HOMELESSNESS. 
          WELL, JUST TANYA. 
          UM, I WOULD SAY INTEGRAL CARE PERSPECTIVE. 
          WE'VE MADE A SIGNIFICANT COMMITMENT TO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AND THAT'S HOUSING WISDOM. 
          SO, UM, TODAY WE HAVE MORE THAN 850 PEOPLE, AND, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY IS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS. 
          THEY, UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE SAY, WELL, LET'S PUT UP MORE SHELTER, AND FILTER'S A GREAT IDEA IF IT'S CONNECTED TO A LONG-TERM SOLUTION LIKE HOUSING. 
          SO I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT, UM, THERE ARE MANY SOLUTIONS PREVENTATIVE, AS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT. 
          WE NEED TO INTERVENE EARLIER. 
          ALL OF THESE KINDS OF THINGS. 
          ONCE SOMEONE'S ON THE STREET, THEY NEED A SAFE AND STABLE PLACE TO LIVE AND IN WHICH THEY CAN RECOVER. 
          AND, UM, THAT WOULD BE PERMANENT HOUSING FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE. 
          AND, UH, WE APPRECIATE THE STRONG COLLABORATIONS WE HAVE ACROSS THE COMMUNITY WITH MANY ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE COMMITTED, UM, TO REALLY TRY TO REDUCE HOMELESSNESS AND IMPROVE PEOPLE'S LIVES AND HELP THEM BECOME, UH, REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL AND CONTRIBUTE TO OUR COMMUNITY. 
          I THINK WE NEED A REALLY STRONG, UM, STRATEGIC PLANNING, UM, AND FOR US TO AGREE WHAT ENDING HOME BUSINESS MEANS FOR OUR COMMUNITY, UM, FOR US TO WANT TO DO DIFFERENT AND DIFFERENT. 
          WE GOT HERE THROUGH A LOT OF, UH, POLICY DECISIONS OR JUST THINGS THAT JUST HAVE HAPPENED. 
          THE GLOBALIZATION, UM, AUTOMATION, UM, JOB LOSSES, UM, GENTRIFICATION, DIFFERENT THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN IMPACTING PEOPLE IN SQUEEZING PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED MARGINALIZATION, UM, AND JUST GREAT IS EVEN MORE SO IMPACTED. 
          UM, SO THE GROUP COLLABORATION THROUGH STRATEGIC PLANNING, INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY, UM, KIND OF CHECKING OUR EGOS AT THE DOOR, UM, TO REALLY PUT ALL OUR SHOULDERS MOVING IN THE SAME DIRECTION TOWARDS ENDING HOMELESSNESS, TO BE UNAPOLOGETIC ABOUT IT, UH, TO WORK IN UNISON, YOU KNOW, IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. 
          I THINK, UM, IT IS SUCH A CHALLENGING, UM, COMPLEX THING TO ACCOMPLISH, BUT I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH IT. 
          UM, AND IT'S THROUGH, YOU KNOW, EMPOWERING, EMPOWERING PEOPLE, EMPOWERING ORGANIZATIONS, EMPOWERING, UM, PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, PROVIDING THEM WITH SUPPORT, EMPOWERING CASE MANAGERS ARE PROVIDING PROPER TRAINING, UM, UH, PROVIDING APPROPRIATE FUNDING, UM, IN PROVIDING, UH, A LIVABLE WAGE, YOU KNOW, PROVIDING MECHANISMS AND WAYS FOR PEOPLE TO INCREASE MORE OF THEIR BOUNCE OF THAT MAKES SENSE MORE OF THEIR ABILITY TO WITHSTAND, YOU KNOW, UM, LIFE IMPACTS, ECONOMIC IMPACTS. 
          UM, SO THERE'S KIND OF CONTROLLING YOUR INFLOW INTO HOMELESSNESS AND THEN INCREASING THE OUTFLOW OUT OF HOMELESSNESS AND DOING THOSE STRATEGIES IN BETWEEN AS CONNECTED TO, UM, DESK CONNECTED TO HOUSING. 
          YOU KNOW, I WAS THINKING ABOUT THIS THE OTHER DAY AND I WAS LIKE, WELL, IF MY HOUSE WAS FLOODING, I WOULDN'T GET A MOP BUCKET OR PAPER TOWEL TO GET THE WATER OUT. 
          THE FIRST THING I GO IS, GO TURN THE TAP OFF OF WHEREVER IT'S FLOODING FROM, YOU KNOW, AND THEN IF IT'S, DEPENDING ON HOW BAD IS FLOODING, I MAY GET A PUMP THAT IS IN THE BASEMENT AND I'LL PUMP THE WATER OUT. 
          AND THEN AFTER THAT, I'LL JUST GET MY MOP BUCKET AND WHATEVER, AND THEN GET THE WATER OUT. 
          BUT I THINK SOMETIMES WE'RE USING THE MOP BUCKET AND A MOP AND THE PAPER TOWEL TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM OF PEOPLE HOMELESSNESS VERSUS TURNING THE TAP OFF, AND THEN USING THE BIG, HEAVY THINGS TO GET ALL THE WATER OUT, YOU KNOW, AND THEN DOING THE STUFF TO DO THE PREVENTION OR THE HELPING PEOPLE TO GET UP, MOVE ALONG AND MOVING TO HOUSING, TO STABILIZE. 
          SO HAVING A VERY STRATEGIC APPROACH TO IT AND A VERY REALISTIC APPROACH TO IT IS VERY CRUCIAL TO ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS. 
          THANKS, MICHELLE. 
          I THINK THAT ANALOGY IS FANTASTIC. 
          UM, AND UNFORTUNATELY WE'RE, WE'RE OUT OF TIME. 
          UM, THIS HAS BEEN A GREAT CONVERSATION AND I THINK WE COULD ALL KEEP GOING FOR QUITE A WHILE. 
          UM, BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S TIME 
          [01:00:01]
TODAY ON THE PANEL. 
          I'M HOPE THOSE WATCHING LEARNED A LOT. 
          UM, AND I BELIEVE THIS DO AUSTIN MAY HAVE A FEW ANNOUNCEMENTS TO MAKE, JUST TO WRAP UP THE CONVERSATION TODAY. 
          YES. 
          THANK YOU, CATHERINE. 
          AND THANK YOU ALL FOR TUNING IN AND FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THE PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE OF HOMELESSNESS AND AUSTIN, AS YOU'VE HEARD ON THE PANEL TODAY, HOMELESSNESS IS A COMPLEX ISSUE AND STEMS FROM DEEPLY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, STRUCTURAL FLAWS AND RACIAL INEQUITIES. 
          WE HOPE YOU TUNE IN FOR THE REMAINING TWO PANELS ON WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY TO DISCUSS PROGRAMS AND ACTION AND INNOVATIONS, AND WHAT'S ON THE HORIZON. 
          THERE'LL BE@NOONONATXN.TV. 
          THESE PANELS ARE ALSO RECORDED AND CAN BE ACCESSED AT ANY TIME AND THE ATX AND ARCHIVES. 
          YOU CAN ALSO TUNE INTO FACEBOOK LIVE TO WATCH THESE PANELS. 
          I'D LIKE TO QUICKLY EXTEND A BIG THANK YOU TO MICHELLE MILES, JULIA SPAN, SUSAN MCDOWELL, ELLEN RICHARDS, AND OUR MODERATOR FOR TODAY. 
          CATHERINE FLOWERS, ALSO A BIG THANK YOU TO THE CREW FROM ATX N AND RACHEL FRIEDMAN FOR HER SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATION AND KIM CALDWELL FOR ALL HER HARD WORK. 
          THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR TUNING IN, AND WE'LL SEE YOU ON WEDNESDAY. 
          .
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.