* 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. AND IT'S [00:00:01] TWO OH THREE. WE'RE GOING TO CALL THIS TODAY'S MEETING TO ORDER. [CALL TO ORDER] IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WE HAVE NO INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. UM, WE DO HAVE TWO PRESENTATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN SHARED WITH ALL OF US TODAY THIS MORNING. THANK YOU LUCY, FOR GETTING THOSE TO US. UH, ONE ON BRIEFING NUMBER TWO AND ONE ON BRIEFING NUMBER THREE. SO [1. Approve the minutes of the special called Health and Human Services Committee meeting on March 10, 2021.] I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM OUR MARCH 10TH MEETING MAYOR PRO TEM HARPER MEDICINE. THERE'S APPROVAL. IS THERE A SECOND? I REALIZED I CAN'T SEE COUNCIL MEMBER FUND DICE. THERE YOU ARE. UH, VICE CHAIR. PHYTASE UM, SECOND THAT ALL IN FAVOR. AND THAT'S UNANIMOUS ON THE DYESS WITH MAYOR ADLER OFF THE DAYAS MAYOR ADLER, UM, HAS A CONFLICT TODAY. AND SO HE WON'T BE ATTENDING OR DOES I BELIEVE HE WAS ABLE TO ATTEND MOST OF THE MEETING. UM, BUT DID SEND ON SOME COMMENTS ABOUT, UM, OUR ITEM NUMBER FOUR. SO WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT WHEN WE GET THERE. UM, OKAY. SO OUR SECOND BRIEFING TODAY IS, UM, WELL MAYOR PRO TEM HARPER, MADISON, WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE US? THIS CAME FROM A RESOLUTION, I BELIEVE YOU SPONSORED. IF YOU'D LIKE TO SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT IT AND OUR PRESENTERS TODAY ARE GOING TO BE BRIANNE OAKS, BRIAN OAKS, SORRY. UM, AND ADRIAN STIRRUP, BRIAN OF COURSE IS DIRECTOR OF THE EQUITY OFFICE. AND ADRIAN IS THE ADRIAN STIRRUP IS THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH. I'M GONNA PRETEND, DID YOU WANT TO SAY YOU CAN'T HEAR ME? OKAY. I COULD HAVE PUT ANYONE ELSE HERE. YES. SO WE CAN HEAR YOU COUNCIL MEMBER TOVO I THINK, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER, MADISON IS HAVING SOME ISSUES SHE'S TRYING TO RECONNECT RIGHT NOW. OKAY. WELL, LET'S GIVE HER A MINUTE TO RECONNECT. I DON'T WANT HER TO MISS THE BRIEFING. UM, AND THEN WE'LL START WITH THE BRIEFING. AND THEN AGAIN, AS, AS IT WAS A RESOLUTION SHE LET ON, SHE MAY, SHE MAY WANT TO SAY A FEW WORDS AFTER THE BRIEFING. WE'LL JUST, WE'LL JUST PAUSE HERE FOR A MINUTE AND GIVE HER AN OPPORTUNITY TO RECONNECT. CAN WE GET A QUICK MIC CHECK FOR THE STAFF? BRIAN OAKS AND, UH, ADRIAN STIRRUP. HI, GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. THANKS SO MUCH. GOOD AFTERNOON. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. THANK YOU. RESHARE KEN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR. SO WHILE WE'RE WAITING FOR THE MAYOR PRO TEM TO RECONNECT, UM, I'D [Items 5 & 6] LIKE TO JUST SKIP DOWN TO ITEM SIX WHILE WE HAVE A FEW EXTRA MINUTES, AND THAT IS, UH, THE IDENTIFICATION OF ISSUES TO DISCUSS AT FUTURE MEETINGS. ONE THAT I'D LIKE TO PUT ON OUR JUNE, OUR JUNE CALENDAR, THERE HAD BEEN A CONVERSATION BACK, UH, BACK AT THE TIME THAT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH CHANGED ITS NAME. THERE HAD BEEN A COUNCIL CONVERSATION THAT I GUESS NEVER MADE IT TO THE POINT OF, OF REALLY MOVING FORWARD. BUT, UH, THE, THE QUESTION WAS WHETHER WE SHOULD CHANGE THE NAME OF OUR COMMITTEE SO THAT IT MIRRORS THE NAME OF SOME OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT WE S THAT WE WORK WITH MOST CLOSELY. SO THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD INVOLVE A NAME CHANGE OF THIS COMMITTEE TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE. SO I JUST WANTED TO THROW THAT OUT THERE, UM, AS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN REVISIT IN JUNE, UM, WE'RE NOT POSTED HERE TODAY TO TALK ABOUT IT, BUT AGAIN, JUST IN THE INTEREST OF USING OUR TIME TODAY HERE. WELL, I WANTED TO JUST PUT THAT OUT THERE. THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE ITEMS I'D LIKE TO DISCUSS. UM, I SEE OUR MAYOR PRO TEM IS THAT, BUT VICE CHAIR OF QUANTIS, DID YOU HAVE AN ITEM TO CONSIDER? THANK YOU, CHAIR. TO-GO I WAS JUST GOING TO SHARE MY SUPPORT OR FOR A NAME CHANGE, UH, FOR THE COMMITTEE AND ALSO ADD TO IT THAT, YOU KNOW, THROUGH CONVERSATIONS I'VE HAD WITH THE COMMUNITY. AND IT'S FROM MY UNDERSTANDING THAT A FEW YEARS AGO, RECOMMENDATION CAME, UM, FROM THEN DIRECTOR SHANNON JONES ABOUT POSSIBLY EXPLORING THE CREATION OF A PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION. I THINK, YOU KNOW, IF WE WOULD HAVE HAD A PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION DURING THE PANDEMIC, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SUCH A GREAT RESOURCE, UM, FOR US TO HAVE A COMMUNITY CHANNEL, UH, OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELDS THAT ARE ABLE TO ADVISE ON PUBLIC HEALTH POLICIES. SO I'D ALSO LIKE TO PITCH THAT AS A TOPIC FOR US TO EXPLORE AS WELL, SPECIFICALLY CREATING A PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION. [00:05:05] YOU'RE ON MUTE. CERTO SORRY ABOUT THAT. I SAID, I THINK THAT THANK YOU FOR RAISING THAT. I THINK THAT PAIRS NICELY WITH THE CONVERSATION AROUND A POTENTIAL NAME CHANGE. SO WE'LL PUT, WE'LL TAKE THAT UP. UM, ANY OTHER, ANYBODY ELSE HAVE SOMETHING PRESSING THEY WANT TO ADD TO THAT LIST? OF COURSE YOU CAN ALWAYS BE IN TOUCH AFTERWARDS. I SEE MAYOR PRO TEM PREPPER MADISON HAS RECONNECTED. SO WE'LL, WE'LL MOVE FROM ITEM SIX FACT TO OUR AGENDA ITEM AND [2. Briefing on Resolution No. 20200729-113 declaring racism a public health crisis. ] BEGIN WITH THE BRIEFING AND TO, AND TO CARE. I THINK YOU WERE ASKING ME TO, TO, TO CUE IT UP. AND SO, UH, ESSENTIALLY, OR, OR LATER, WHATEVER YOU'RE MORE COMFORTABLE WITH. WELL, I'LL TRY TO KEEP THE TIME SHORT. I KNOW IT TOOK SOME TIME, BUT WHEN THE INTERNET TOOK ME INTO NEVER, NEVER LAND. SO I AM I, THIS, THIS BRIEFING IS GOING TO BE ADDRESSING RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS. UM, AND, UH, I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO BRIAN OAKS FROM THE EQUITY OFFICE AND ADRIAN STEER UP WITHOUT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT. UM, SORT OF GIVEN US SOME, SOME GENERAL INFORMATION AND SOME, SOME OUTLINES THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT. I APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR THAT INTRODUCTION. AND I'M REALLY INTERESTED TO HEAR THIS PRESENTATION AND I APOLOGIZE, I DO NEED TO CLARIFY THAT MAYOR PRO TEM HARPER MADISON HAD ACTUALLY PUT ON OUR AGENDA FOR JUNE, UM, THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION. SO MY APOLOGIES FOR NOT REMEMBERING THAT AS WE WERE JUST DISCUSSING THAT ISSUE. SO WE'LL MAKE SURE TO RECOGNIZE YOU HAVE TO HAVE THAT ON A JUNE AGENDA AGENDA. NOW THAT TWO OF YOU HAVE, UM, HAVE REQUESTED THAT TOPIC FOR INCLUSION. ALL RIGHT. WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. I'M BRIAN OAKS, CHIEF EQUITY OFFICER FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN. AND I AM JOINED TODAY BY MY CO PRESENTER, ADRIAN STEWART ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH. AND, UH, WE'RE GOING TO DO A TWO-PART PRESENTATION FOR YOU FOR TODAY'S BRIEFING. UM, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT, UH, THE RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS RESOLUTION IN A GENERAL SENSE OF THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING ACROSS THE CITY, BUT WE ALSO THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD TODAY TO SORT OF SEE EXACTLY HOW THAT WOULD WORK THAT WE'RE DOING AS AN EQUITY OFFICE, REALLY DRILLS DOWN TO THE DEPARTMENT LEVEL. AND IN THIS CASE, AN INSIGHT INTO HOW THE AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH HAS REALLY TAKEN SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING GLOBALLY ACROSS THE CITY AND HOW I REALLY STARTED MANIFEST ITSELF WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT AND, UH, WHAT THAT WORKLOAD LOOKS LIKE. AND SO, UH, IF WE COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, JUST FOR THE PUBLIC FOLLOWING, ALONG WITH US TODAY, UH, THE WAY THAT WE REALLY LOOKED AT THIS RESOLUTION WAS IN, UH, TWO PARTS. AND THE FIRST PART WAS A CALL TO ACTION TO REALLY ADVOCATE LOCALLY, UH, AND THROUGH THE NATIONAL AND STATE LEVELS TO REALLY SERVE, LOOK AT OTHERS, UH, GOVERNMENT ENTITIES, AS WELL AS, UH, OTHER SORT OF LEADING NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN THE SPACE OF GOVERNMENT, UH, TO REALLY ALSO ADOPT THIS SORT OF MANTRA THAT RACISM IS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS. AND SO THE FIRST UPDATE THAT I WANTED TO PROVIDE WAS TO LET YOU ALL KNOW THAT OUR INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS OFFICE PROVIDED A COPY OF THE RESOLUTION VIA EMAIL TO THE STATE LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION FOR AUSTIN, UH, THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES AND THE TEXAS MUNICIPAL. WE ASKED YOU THAT THEY JOINED IN DECLARING RACISM OF PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS AND ENACTING EQUITY IN ALL POLICIES OF THE STATE OF TEXAS. IN ADDITION, THE LANGUAGE TO SUPPORT LEGISLATION AND FUNDING, TO DISMANTLE SYSTEMIC RACISM, INCLUDING EFFORTS TO ADDRESS PUBLIC HEALTH DISPARITIES DUE TO RACIAL INEQUITY, UH, IS ALSO A PART OF ADOPTED CITIES, 87 STATE LEGISLATIVE AGENDA. AND IT'S INCLUDED IN THE CITY'S FEDERAL AGENDA AS WELL. AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST COMPONENTS OF THE RESOLUTION TO GO TO THE SECOND, UH, Y SO THE SECOND CALL TO ACTION, UH, WITHIN THE RESOLUTION, IT REALLY SORT OF CALLED ON A CITY MANAGER, UH, TO CONTINUE WORK, TO ADVANCE THE CITY OF AUSTIN AS A RACE EQUITY AND JUSTICE ORIENTED ORGANIZATION WITH THE EQUITY OFFICE AND DEPARTMENTAL LEADERSHIP, CONTINUING TO IDENTIFY SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES TO FURTHER ENHANCE DIVERSITY AND TO ENSURE ANTI-RACIST PRINCIPLES ACROSS LEADERSHIP, CD STAFFING, CONTRACTING, AND EDUCATION, AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES TO JUST SORT OF NAME A FEW OF THOSE. AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT ADRIAN I WANTED TO TALK MOST ABOUT IN OUR BRIEFING TODAY. SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE REALLY WANTED TO SORT OF BE ABLE TO, TO SORT OF TALK ABOUT, UM, WHAT DOES THIS WORK WITH WORK LIKE AT THE CITY, THE STRUCTURE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD. AND I WOULD SAY ULTIMATELY, [00:10:01] UH, WE WERE IN THE PROCESS OF TRYING TO CHANGE OUR CULTURE. AND IT'S AN IDEA TO SAY THAT, UH, THE NEED FOR THIS SORT OF SYSTEMIC ANALYSIS FILE RUNS ACROSS EVERYTHING THAT WE DO AS A CITY. AND THE WORK THAT YOU'LL SEE AS EQUITY OFFICE IS REALLY CENTERED IN THAT. UM, BUT YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE YOU ALL KNOW THIS, I'M PROBABLY PREACHING TO THE CHOIR, BUT I THINK FOR THOSE THAT ARE FOLLOWING ALONG IN THE PUBLIC, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RACISM AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, I THINK WE CAN ONLY LOOK TO THE PANDEMIC, UH, TO REALLY SEE THAT. AND I KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN A PART OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS. AND I THINK FOR SOME OF US EARLY ON, YOU KNOW, SOME PEOPLE WERE REALLY SURPRISED TO SEE THE RACIAL DISPARITIES PLAY OUT AS IT RELATED TO COVID-19. AND I THINK MANY OF US WERE NOT SURPRISED AT ALL BECAUSE WE KNEW PRIOR TO COVID-19, UM, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITIES OF COLOR BY WHAT YOU'RE SUPPORTING ME IN A LOWER PAYING JOB, I'M MORE LIKELY TO BE UNINSURED OR BE MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED, UH, FOOD INSECURE AREAS. AND SO IT RUNS THE GAMUT. I KNOW ADRIAN'S GOING TO TALK ABOUT, UH, THOSE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS LATER, UH, TO RELEASE OUR ABILITY TO BETTER ILLUSTRATE. I THINK THE TIMELINESS OF THIS STUFF IS, OR THIS RESOLUTION AND REALLY THIS WORK AND ON THE RIGHT, YOU COULD SORT OF SEE THAT THIS WAS PRE COVID, A UT SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. DID THIS ANALYSIS WHERE THEY LOOKED AT SORT OF THE PREVALENCE OF, UH, SORT OF PRE-EXISTING RISK FACTORS FOR COMPLICATIONS FROM COVID. AND SURE ENOUGH, YOU CAN SEE THAT MOST OF THE RED AREAS FOR OUR CITY COVERT EASTERN CRESCENT, WHICH WE HAVE A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT, BUT WE JUST THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO INCLUDE FOR THE PUBLIC THAT'S FOLLOWING ALONG AROUND, UH, WHEN WE SAY RACISM IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, YOU REALLY SORT OF SEE HOW THIS PLAYS OUT IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND IT'S VISUALLY, I ALWAYS THINK THAT THIS IS STILL IMPACTFUL AND STARTING TO REALLY SEE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AND HOW IT PLAYS OUT. IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, RESPOND TO THE RESOLUTION, I REALLY SORT OF CALLED AROUND HOW DO WE SORT OF CREATE THIS ENVIRONMENT, UH, AROUND SORT OF LOOKING AT SYSTEMIC RACISM AND ALSO SORT OF BEING A JUSTICE ORIENTED CITY. AND WE SORT OF SAY THAT THAT JOURNEY REALLY STARTS WITH US, ESPECIALLY AS AN EQUITY OFFICE OF DEVELOPING A SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT SORT OF EQUITY MEANS. AND WHEN WE FIRST STARTED THE OFFICE AND, UH, 2016, OUR FIRST PROJECT WAS REALLY TO CLEARLY DEFINE AND HAVE THE SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT EQUITY WOULD REALLY MEAN FOR US AS WE DID THIS WORK. AND WE ACTUALLY SPENT OUR FIRST YEAR OF WORKING WITH COMMUNITY TO REALLY COME UP WITH A COLLECTIVE DEFINITION. AND FOR US, I'LL ALSO SAY BASED SOMETIMES IT'S LIKE THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL THING ABOUT US, BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT EQUITY, WE WE'RE REALLY INTENTIONAL AROUND LEADING WITH RACIAL EQUITY. AND IT'S THE CONDITION WHEN RACE NO LONGER PREDICT A PERSON'S QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOME IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT EQUITY IS A BROADER UMBRELLA AND THERE ARE OTHER SOCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND OTHER SOCIAL DETERMINANTS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THAT AS WELL. AND WE ACKNOWLEDGE THOSE AND WE BRING THOSE INTO THE FULL, BUT WE ALWAYS REALLY LEAD WITH RACE IN THIS WORK, BECAUSE WE WILL SAY THAT IT'S THE ONE THAT'S MOST RELIABLE, IT'S MOST PREDICTIVE OF, OF THE DISPARITIES IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND WE CAN NEVER REALLY TRULY HAVE THE IMPACT THAT WE NEED TO HAVE IF WE DON'T CENTER IT AND SORT OF TACKLE RACE, HEAD ON AS THEY RELATE TO SORT OF THE INEQUITIES THAT WE SEE IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND SO WE'RE VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT THAT. AND WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS, ESPECIALLY WITH STAFF AROUND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN QUALITY AND EQUITY AND, YOU KNOW, EQUITY IS REALLY ALL ABOUT, UH, PEOPLE NEED DIFFERENT THINGS TO GET THEM TO WHERE WE NEED THEM TO BE. AND SO THAT PLAYS OUT IN A LOT OF DECISIONS THAT WE MAKE AS A CITY ON A DAILY BASIS. AND SO WE'RE ALWAYS REALLY SORT OF TRYING TO CENTER OR DEVELOP THAT SHARED UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IS IT THAT WE'RE REALLY WORKING TOWARDS WHEN WE DO THIS PARTICULAR WORK. SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT, WHY, SO HOW DO WE REALLY SORT OF, YOU KNOW, BRING THIS, THIS CHANGE A CULTURE, UH, WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND THE WORK THAT WE DO. AND WE ARE REALLY CENTERED ON DEVELOPING WHAT WE CALL AN EQUITY LENS. UH, WE BELIEVE THAT EVERY CITY DEPARTMENT THAT WE HAVE, UH, HAS SORT OF A ROLE TO PLAY IN UNDOING SYSTEMIC RACISM, BUT ALSO BEING ABLE TO ADVANCE RACIAL EQUITY FOR US. AND THE WAY THAT WE DO THAT IS, UH, YOU'LL SEE US ALWAYS FOCUSED IN THESE THREE AREAS TO REALLY CENTER THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING ACROSS ALL OF OUR CENTER, UH, OF OUR CITY DEPARTMENT. AND SO WE WILL FEEL IT IN THE BUSINESS OF WHAT WE CALL A NORMALIZING OR DEVELOPING A SHARED UNDERSTANDING. WE INVEST A LOT OF TIME AND RESOURCES, UH, INTO THE SORT OF THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING ACTIVITY OF STAFF AND COMMUNITY TO REALLY SORT OF CENTER PEOPLE IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT RACISM, SYSTEMICALLY, UM, UNDERSTANDING [00:15:01] HISTORY AND HOW THAT PLAYS OUT IN DECISION-MAKING, BUT ALSO INTRODUCED SENSOR TO NEW TOOLS OR NEW WAYS OF BEING TO REALLY SORT OF DEVELOP DIFFERENT OUTCOMES. AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS AS AN OFFICE THAT WE ARE REALLY APPRECIATIVE OF IT THAT TWO YEARS AGO, THE CITY COUNCIL ACTUALLY APPROVED OUR FIRST LONG RANGE TRAINING PARTNERSHIP WITH A GROUP CALLED THE PEOPLE INSTITUTE FOR SURVIVAL AND BEYOND. AND THEY HAVE A CURRICULUM CALLED UNDOING RACISM. AND AS AN OFFICE, WE ACTUALLY HOST A MONTHLY ON DOING RACISM WORKSHOP FOR CITY STAFF, UH, AS WELL AS COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO COME TOGETHER TO REALLY INSERT ALARM PRINCIPLES AROUND HOW WE CAN UNDO RACISM, HOW WE CAN TACKLE, UH, SYSTEMIC RACISM IN OUR INSTITUTION, HOW CAN WE CAN ORGANIZE TO SORT OF DEVELOP DIFFERENT OUTCOMES. AND OVER THAT TWO YEAR PERIOD, WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN ABLE TO TRAIN 750 PEOPLE. UH, WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN ABLE TO TRAIN REPRESENTATIVES FROM LIKE 42 OF OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS. WE GO BACK AND FORTH WITH WHAT THE BASELINE FOR CITY DEPARTMENTS ARE BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME OFFICES THAT SNEAK INTO THAT TOTAL COUNT, BUT WE ALMOST LIKE AT A HUNDRED PERCENT, UH, OF, OF STAFF BEING TRAINED FROM, YOU KNOW, OF ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTS AND AT AN EXECUTIVE LEVEL WE'VE HAD ABOUT 45, UH, EXECUTIVE LEVEL STAFF, UH, GO THROUGH THIS TRAINING AS WELL. AND SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO DO THAT. WE ACTUALLY ARE DOING AN UNDOING RACISM WORKSHOP TODAY, UH, AS A MATTER OF FACT, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO THAT, THAT'S NOT THE ONLY TRAINING OFFERING. WE, WE SORT OF BRING GOING FORWARD. SO IT GOES TO GOING BACK TO THE RESOLUTION WHERE IT CALL ARE THOSE TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES. WE DO AN EQUITY ONE-ON-ONE WORKSHOP, UH, WITH, WITH CITY STAFF AND COMMUNITY. UH, WE ALSO ARE INTRODUCING A NEW CURRICULUM THAT I THINK COMPLIMENTS, UNDOING RACISM CALLED THE GROUND WATER ANALYSIS, WHERE WE'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF WORK WITH, UH, AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT AROUND THAT COURSE AS WELL. AND JUST LAST YEAR IN 2020, WE'VE TRAINED WITH, TO ACTUALLY TRAIN A THOUSAND PEOPLE. UM, LAST YEAR IN THE SORT OF COLLECTIVE OFFERINGS THAT WE HAVE, UH, AS AN OFFICE. AND THAT'S JUST ONGOING WORK FOR US AS WE DO THAT, WE ALSO ARE REALLY FOCUSED ON, UH, ORGANIZING AROUND RACIAL EQUITY. SO, YOU KNOW, WE BELIEVE THAT IN ORDER TO SORT OF CREATE THIS, UH, THIS CULTURE OF BEING SORT OF AN ANTI-RACISM JUSTICE ORIENTED ORGANIZATION, IT'S WORK, THAT'S NOT ME TO BE DONE IN SOLOS OR NEED TO BE DONE INDIVIDUALLY IT'S WORK THAT'S REALLY MADE TO BE COLLECTED. AND SO WE BUILT AN INFRASTRUCTURE IN TERMS OF HOW WE ORGANIZE, YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, AS WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS WORK, WE HAVE 20 DEPARTMENTS RIGHT NOW THAT HAVE FORMAL EQUITY TEAMS THAT ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN SORT OF SCOPES OF WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING WITHIN THEIR DEPARTMENT. AND OUR GOAL IS TO, YOU KNOW, EVENTUALLY GET TO A HUNDRED PERCENT OF ALL OF OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS HAVING FORMAL TEAM. UH, WE ALSO ARE SORT OF MOVING INTO A NEW, EXCITING AREA FOR US, UH, WHERE WE HAVE STAFF THAT ARE ACTUALLY INVESTING IN RESOURCES, INTENTIONALLY STAFFING AROUND EQUITY. AND SO, UH, UH, WE ACTUALLY HAVE OUR HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT, OFTEN TRANSPORTATION, OFTEN ENERGY, AS WELL AS OUR LIBRARY DEPARTMENT ARE ALL MOVING FORWARD TO HIRE THEIR FIRST EQUITY MANAGERS TO ACTUALLY HOLD, UH, RACIAL EQUITY WORK WITHIN THEIR DEPARTMENT, WHICH WE THINK IS GONNA REALLY ENHANCE AND ELEVATE THE IMPACT THAT WE CAN HAVE. AND THEN WE ALSO PARTNER WITH COMMUNITY. WE HAVE AN EQUITY ACTION TEAM THAT MEETS ON A MONTHLY BASIS WHERE WE HAVE ABOUT 60 CITY AND, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT COME TOGETHER AND THEY HELP THEM WORK ON DIFFERENT SORT OF BARRIERS, EQUITY PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE GOING ON. AND WE HAVE ABOUT OVER 500 PEOPLE IN OUR TOTAL NET NETWORK. AND THEN THE LAST PART THAT WE'RE GOING TO KIND OF DIG DEEPER IN TODAY, AS IT RELATES TO, UM, THE SPIRIT OF THE RESOLUTION IS OUR WORK AROUND OPERATIONALIZING A RACIAL EQUITY, WHICH IS REALLY AROUND HOW DO YOU TAKE A LOT OF THE LEARNINGS, THE EDUCATION, THE THEORY THEN REALLY SORT OF PUT THEM INTO ACTION, UH, TOTALLY THEY CAN MANIFEST THEMSELVES IN THE WORK IN, AND THE OUTCOMES THAT YOU SEE WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. AND ADRIAN'S GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFICALLY TO THAT. UM, BUT WE'LL KIND OF TALK ABOUT OUR PROCESS OF HOW WE REALLY OPERATIONALIZE, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, THIS STUFF AND REALLY JUST SORT OF PUT IT INTO ACTION. SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT I, AND JUST GO ONE MORE. AND, UH, SO FROM A, UH, I THINK FROM A GLOBAL SENSE IN TERM, YOU KNOW, AS WE DO THIS WORK, UH, WITH, WITH DEPARTMENTS, WE REALLY ARE, UM, TRYING TO GET THEM TO EXAMINE, YOU KNOW, THE HISTORY OF GOVERNMENT IN THE UNITED STATES AND REALLY THIS PROGRESSION OF WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO GO. AND SO IN A LOT OF OUR TRAINING AND EDUCATION THAT WE'RE DOING FOR OUR DEPARTMENTS, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT THE HISTORY OF [00:20:01] GOVERNMENT AND UNITED STATES, WHICH WAS EXPLICITLY RACIST, RIGHT? WE HAVE POLICIES ON WHO CAN MARRY, WHO, WHERE YOU COULD LIVE, UM, WHO WAS CONSIDERED PROPERTY OR NOT, RIGHT. WHO COULD EVEN OWN A BUSINESS, UH, WHO COULD GET A HOME LOAN, BUT WE WERE REALLY ROOTED IN VERY EXPLICITLY RACIST POLICIES AND LAWS THAT GOVERN OUR, OUR NATION AND WITH THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, WE SORT OF PROGRESSED, UH, TO WHAT WE CALL A RACE NEUTRAL, UM, GOVERNMENT, WHICH DIDN'T DIDN'T, WHICH IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU COULDN'T SORT OF HAVE EXPLICITLY RACIST SORT OF POLICIES OR LAWS AND ORDINANCES, UH, TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS. BUT WHAT WE REALIZED WAS THAT, ALTHOUGH WE DIDN'T NAME IT, OR WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT IT, RACISM CAN CONTINUE TO EXIST AND MANIFEST ITSELF WITHIN OUR SYSTEMS INSTITUTION. AND IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO PROGRESS AS REALLY BEING A, WE CALL IT AN EXCLUSIVELY, HAD ADVANCING RACIAL EQUITY AND REALLY BEING INTENTIONAL AROUND HOW WE HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS AND HOW WILL YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, UM, HOW WE DO THIS WORK, UH, TO REALLY SORT OF CLOSE THE GAP. AND IF WE SAID THAT WE CAN'T INTENTIONALLY HAVE THOSE SORT OF TYPES OF CONVERSATIONS, THEN WE'LL NEVER GET THERE. AND, YOU KNOW, RACIAL EQUITY, UH, FOR THE CITY STAFF, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT HOW IT'S EMBEDDED AS AN ANCHOR IN OUR STRATEGIC DIRECTION. AND WE SORT OF USE OUR RACIAL EQUITY TOOLS TO REALLY START TO OPERATIONALIZE AND CENTER THIS COMMITMENT FOR US TO REALLY ACTIVELY ADVANCE RACIAL EQUITY IN THE WORK THAT WE DO. SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT ONE, OH, WAS THAT PRIMARILY THROUGH WHAT WE CALL THE EQUITY ASSESSMENT PROCESS, WHICH IS REALLY THE FOUNDATION OF OUR OFFICE. BACK IN 2015, THE COUNCIL PASSED A RESOLUTION, DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER, UH, TO DEVELOP AND CREATE AN EQUITY ASSESSMENT TOOL THAT WOULD BE UTILIZED ACROSS ALL OF OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS AND ALSO IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BUDGET PROCESS. BUT WHEN WE STARTED THE OFFICE IN 2016, THAT WAS REALLY OUR CALLING CARD. AND WE REALLY WANTED THAT TO BE THE FOCAL POINT OF OUR OFFICE AND REALLY BE THE BEDROCK OF EVERYTHING THAT WE DO. AND THIS IS THE CORNERSTONE WAY OF, UH, OF HOW WE OPERATIONALIZE, OR WE PUT A LOT OF THESE SORT OF THEORIES OR CONCEPTS AROUND RACIAL EQUITY INTO ACTION. SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE DID THIS, UH, EQUITY ASSESSMENT TOOL, THE FIRST YEAR THAT THE OFFICE WAS ESTABLISHED. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF, OF IS THAT WE LOGGED OVER 900 HOURS OF COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER TIME. THEY REALLY HELP US FILL THAT TOOL. AND WE KNEW THAT IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE SUCCESSFUL, IT HAD TO BE OWNED AND REALLY ROOTED IN THE COMMUNITY FOR US TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. UH, WE BRAG ABOUT OURSELVES A LITTLE BIT IN OUR TOOL BECAUSE WE WOULD SAY THAT NATIONALLY, IT HAS BECOME ONE OF THE PROMISING PRACTICES. WE WERE RECOGNIZED BY THE OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP AS A STAR LEVEL INTERVENTION FOR, FOR TRANSPARENCY, UH, AND IMPACT THAT OUR TOOL CAN HAVE. AND, UH, WE ALSO, UM, ALSO ACTUALLY BE AN INTERVIEW BY BLOOMBERG IN, IN A FEW DAYS COMING UP TO ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING ON, UH, ON OUR TOOL. SO WE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT, UH, ABOUT THAT WORK AND, YOU KNOW, BY 2021, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ON A PROCESS ACTUALLY THIS YEAR, A HUNDRED PERCENT OF OUR DEPARTMENTS HAVE ACTUALLY LAUNCHED THE EQUITY ASSESSMENT CYCLE. AND WE'LL KIND OF TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE NEXT SLIDE. SO OUR TOOL IS REALLY ROOTED IN WHAT I LIKE TO CALL THE SIX P. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE WORK THAT WE DO AND ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENT, WE SORT OF SAY, WELL, WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU TO ACTUALLY INTENTIONALLY ADVANCE RACIAL EQUITY? THAT WHENEVER WE WORK WITH DEPARTMENTS, WE'RE ALWAYS TRYING GET THEM TO LOOK AT THE SIXTIES. AND SO WE, YOU KNOW, WE SORT OF SAY THAT, UM, THE EQUITY OR INEQUITY CAN BE CREATED IN YOUR PLANNING. AND SO, YOU KNOW, DO YOU PRIORITIZE RACIAL EQUITY AND YOUR LONG RANGE PLANS FOR ALL OF THE STRATEGIC PLANS OR THE MASTER PLAN? SO ALL OF THESE SORT OF LONG RANGE PLANS, WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE WITHIN THOSE THAT ACTUALLY INTENTIONALLY, AND THEN RACIAL EQUITY. WE ALSO TALK A LOT ABOUT PROCUREMENT AND BUDGETING. UM, I LOVE HOW COUNCIL, HOW YOU ALL SAY BUDGETS ARE MORAL DOCUMENTS, RIGHT? AND SO THEY REALLY SORT OF THING IF I, WHAT WE CARE ABOUT, BUT WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU AS A DEPARTMENT? UM, PERSONNEL IS NUMBER IS ONE OF THOSE AREAS. WHO DO YOU HIRE? WHO DO YOU RETAIN, UM, WHO DO YOU HAVE IN CERTAIN ROLES? AND WHAT DO YOU VALUE IN TERMS OF PERSONNEL AND DOING THIS WORK ALSO SORT OF DRILLING DOWN TO PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES IS REALLY IMPORTANT AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. SO, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU LISTEN TO COMMUNITY? HOW ARE YOU CONNECTED WITH THOSE SORT OF MOST MARGINALIZED OF THOSE MOST NEGATIVELY IMPACTED? AND WHAT DOES THAT BODY OF WORK LOOK FOR YOU? SO WE'RE ALWAYS KIND OF CLOSER TO GETTING OUR DEPARTMENTS THAT LOOK AT THESE SIX PS AND EVERY TIME WE SORTA DO WORK WITH THEM, WE'RE ALWAYS SORT OF DRILLING DOWN IN MULTIPLE AREAS OF THIS FOR THEM. AND THE [00:25:01] TOOL ACTUALLY HELPS THEM BE ABLE TO DO THIS AS WELL. IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. UH, SO JUST REAL QUICK ON THE PROCESS, UH, AS OUR DEPARTMENTS DO THIS WORK AROUND OPERATIONALIZING EQUITY, THROUGH EQUITY ASSESSMENT TOOLS, UM, WE, SO WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, A GUIDELINE FOR THEM, AND THIS IS REALLY SORT OF A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IS THAT THEY ALL HAVE TO BUILD A TEAM. UM, THEY ALL HAVE TO PARTICIPATE IN TRAINING, UH, SO THEY CAN DEVELOP A SHARED UNDERSTANDING AS THEY DO THIS WORK. THEY GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF COMPLETING THE TOOL, UH, AND THEN, UH, THE EVALUATION OF THE ASSESSMENT IS DONE IN A SWAT ANALYSIS. AND THEN THEY HAVE TO DEVELOP AN EQUITY ACTION PLAN AND THEN IMPLEMENT THAT ACTION PLAN. AND SO IF YOU GO FORWARD, I PROBABLY LATE ON TIME. SO I'LL KIND OF GO FORWARD A FEW SLIDES AND JUST TO SORT OF SHOW YOU WHAT MORE, UM, AT A HIGH LEVEL, AS WE DID TO WORK WITH COMMUNITY, TO DESIGN THE TOOL, WE CAME UP WITH THESE, UH, EQUITY ASSESSMENT CORE VALUES, AND REALLY, YOU KNOW, AS WE WORKED WITH COMMUNITY, WE SAID, WELL, HOW ARE THE, WHAT ARE ALL THE PAIN POINTS THAT YOU HAVE OF ACTUALLY WORKING WITH THE CITY AND YOUR EXPERIENCE OF THE CITY? AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS REALLY A LOT OF WHAT CAME OUT OF THOSE DISCUSSION. UH, AND SO YOU'LL SEE THAT THESE CORE VALUES ARE REALLY EMBEDDED IN THE EQUITY ASSESSMENT PROCESS. AND AS WE TALK ABOUT CULTURE CHANGE, THESE ARE SOME OF THE ELEMENTS OF THE CULTURE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO INTRODUCE AND REALLY CREATE THE CHANGE WITH WITHIN OUR INSTITUTION. IF YOU GO ONE MORE. UH, AND SO THIS IS AT A HIGH LEVEL, LIKE WHAT DOES A SWAT ANALYSIS LOOK LIKE? AND WE ACTUALLY DID THIS ONE AT A SORT VERY HIGH LEVEL, COLLECTIVELY OF ALL THE DEPARTMENTS THAT WE'VE HAD THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH THIS. AND I WON'T SORT OF GO INTO TOO MUCH DETAIL ON ALL OF THESE, UH, BUT JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME INSIGHTS, SOME OF THE CONSISTENT WEAKNESSES THAT WE SEE COME UP IS AROUND DATA COLLECTION AND MANAGEMENT, WHERE WE DON'T HAVE THIS AGGREGATED DATA, DATA BY RACE AND ETHNICITY AND OTHER DEMOGRAPHICS, BECAUSE SOMETIMES WE MAY ASK THE DEPARTMENT, WELL, HOW DO YOU KNOW WE'RE SERVING EVERYONE? OR HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT, THAT EVERYONE IS ENGAGED WITH WHAT YOU'RE DOING? BECAUSE WE KNOW FROM BASED ON RACE PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCE WITH US AND HE REALLY DIFFERENT. AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THAT DATA IN THE WORK THAT WE DO. UM, SOME OTHER AREAS WHERE WE STARTED TO SEE CONSISTENT STRENGTHS IS THAT, UH, IN THE HIRING AND TRAINING AREAS, MANY OF OUR DEPARTMENTS ARE REAL INTENTIONAL ABOUT USING DIVERSE HIRING PANELS, UH, ARE REALLY SORT OF TRYING TO OUTREACH BROADER AND DEEPER ON HOW THEY PROMOTE JOB OPPORTUNITIES. AND SO THAT WAS CONSISTENT ACROSS A LOT OF OUR DEPARTMENTS. AND THEN WE ALSO SORT OF SEE SOME OPPORTUNITIES. UH, WE CERTAINLY OPPORTUNITIES TO REALLY ELEVATE WHAT WE'RE DOING. AND ONE OF THE WAYS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE SORT OF SEE THAT THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES WHERE WE MAY HAVE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS WHO ARE SORT OF WORKING ON A DIFFERENT ISSUE AND THEY COME IN AT IT FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE, BUT WHAT'S THE OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY KIND OF CONNECT THE DOTS AND ALIGN MORE IN THE WORST THAT WE CAN HAVE A GREATER OR DEEPER LEVEL OF IMPACT. AND IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE REAL QUICK, UM, WE ALSO MAKE ALL OF THIS DATA AVAILABLE FOR THE PUBLIC. AND SO WE HAVE A RACIAL EQUITY DASHBOARD AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY DRILL DOWN ON ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE DONE THEIR ASSESSMENT, AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT PHASE THEY'RE IN. SO IF THEY'VE DONE AN ACTION PLAN, UH, YOU CAN SEE, UH, YOU KNOW, WHERE THAT ACTION PLAN IS AND THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON. YOU CAN ALSO LOOK AT THEIR SWAT ANALYSIS. UM, YOU CAN ALSO GET A SENSE AND WE SORT OF DO THIS FOR COMMUNITY THAT IF YOU HAVE AN EQUITY ISSUE OR CONCERN, AND YOU WANT TO CONNECT WITH STAFF WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH RACIAL EQUITY TRAINING, WE SORT OF HAVE THAT CAPTURED AS WELL. AND WE ALSO HAVE STAFF THAT ARE PART OF OUR EQUITY ACTION TEAM. SO JUST TRYING TO CREATE SOME OPPORTUNITIES, UH, FOR, UH, AREAS AS YOU FROM THE COMMUNITY TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE WHO REALLY ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS. AND THEY KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM. AND WE ALSO HAVE SOME OTHER PERFORMANCE INDICATORS THAT WE SORT OF, UH, UH, HIGHLIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD AS WELL. AND THEN NOW I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO ASIA AND SO THAT SHE CAN REALLY GIVE YOU ALL A GLIMPSE OF HOW YOU TAKE THIS FROM THE DASHBOARD AND YOU PUT THIS INTO ACTION AND WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU, BRIAN. AND, UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO, AS, AS BRIAN POINTED OUT AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, I BELIEVE WHAT YOU CALL US AS ONE OF THE COURAGEOUS EIGHT. I LIKE THAT ONE OF THE FIRST EIGHT DEPARTMENTS TO ACTUALLY GO THROUGH THE, UM, EQUITY TOOL. AND I WILL SAY FOR ME, AT LEAST IT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF AN EYE-OPENER OFTEN AS YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC AS A PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF PERSON. I FELT THAT WE WERE REALLY AHEAD OF THE CURVE WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT HEALTH EQUITY AND ALL OF THE PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE OUT IN COMMUNITY TO ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES. BUT WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT, UM, LEADING WITH [00:30:01] RACE, UM, WE FOUND IT WAS QUITE A DIFFERENT STORY FOR US. AND SO UP ON THE SCREEN HERE, YOU CAN SEE, UM, OUR SWAT ANALYSIS. UM, THAT WAS A RESULT OF THE, THE, UH, US GOING THROUGH THE EQUITY ASSESSMENT AND REALLY QUICKLY LIKE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND TRAINING. YOU KNOW, THOSE WERE OUR STRENGTHS. SURPRISINGLY, WE SHARED THE WEAKNESS THAT SOME OF THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS HAD, AND IT WAS REALLY NOT ABOUT COLLECTING DATA BECAUSE AS A PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT, OF COURSE, WE'RE ALWAYS COLLECTING DATA ON THINGS AND STRIVING TO MAKE, UM, DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS. BUT WE WEREN'T REALLY ALWAYS LOOKING AT THE DATA IN A WAY THAT WOULD HIGHLIGHT, UM, DIFFERENCES BY RACE AND ETHNICITY AND BECAUSE OF DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCES OR GRANT PROGRAMS, WE WEREN'T ALL COLLECTING, UM, DATA IN A STANDARDIZED WAY THAT ALLOWED US TO REALLY GET THAT DEEP DIVE LOOK BY RACE AND ETHNICITY. UM, AND WHILE WE OFFERED A LOT OF TRAINING AROUND THE ISSUE FOR STAFF, WE DIDN'T HAVE A STANDARD FOR EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OR IMPACT OF THOSE TRAINING ACTIVITIES. UM, AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY OF, OF COURSES WITH POLICY, UM, PROGRAMS CAN ONLY TAKE YOU SO FAR. UM, POLICIES WILL BE THE PLACES WHERE WE CAN MAKE REAL IMPACTFUL CHANGE, UM, OPPORTUNITIES FOR CROSS DEPARTMENT COLLABORATION. FOR US, IT WAS REALLY LOOKING AT OUR JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND MAKING SURE THAT, UM, WE WEREN'T UNINTENTIONALLY, UH, LOCKING OUT CERTAIN GROUPS FOR OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN PUBLIC HEALTH. FOR EXAMPLE, THE COMMUNITY WORKER POSITION IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE, UM, MOST ENTRY LEVEL POSITIONS IN OUR DEPARTMENT. AND, UM, WE LIKE TO RECRUIT PEOPLE THAT HAVE LIVED EXPERIENCE IN COMMUNITY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE REQUIRE EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS THAT MIGHT, YOU KNOW, UNINTENTIONALLY KEEP THOSE FOLKS FROM SUCCESSFULLY APPLYING. IF YOU LOOK AT BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES, THERE ARE HIGHER RATES OF HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT. AND SO LOOKING AT THAT JOB DESCRIPTION, AND IS IT REALLY NECESSARY TO HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, OR IS THERE A WORK EXPERIENCE OR VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE OR EVEN LIFE EXPERIENCE THAT COULD BE MORE VALUABLE? UH, THREATS FOR US WERE OKAY, ALWAYS LOOKING AT RESOURCE ALLOCATION BASED ON CENSUS DATA AND POPULATION CHANGES RATHER THAN PUBLIC HEALTH DATA. UM, AND THEN AGAIN, THE ISSUES WITH THE DATA COLLECTION AND MEASUREMENT, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND SO, UM, I WILL ECHO, UM, BRIAN'S ACCOLADES SUIT COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, STARTING FROM 2016, WHEN WE MADE A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN HEALTH EQUITY INITIATIVES, INCLUDING THE SETUP OF THE OFFICE. IT REALLY ALLOWED US IN PUBLIC HEALTH TO TALK ABOUT THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH WITH A RACIAL EQUITY LENS. SO WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF THOSE THINGS THAT AFFECT WHERE PEOPLE WORK, LIVE AND PLAY, AND THEN SUBSEQUENTLY THEIR HEALTH OUTCOMES. UM, THERE ARE SOME SYSTEMIC RACIAL, UM, RACIST, AND WHAT IS THE WORD I'M LOOKING FOR? I JUST LOST IT. SO EQUITIES, THANK YOU THAT CAUSE, UM, ARE BLACK AND BROWN NEIGHBORHOODS, MAYBE NOT TO HAVE AS MANY WALKABLE PARKS OR TRAILS OR LIMITED ACCESS TO GROCERY STORES. UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE TALK ABOUT THE 1928 MASTER PLAN AND THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS THAT WE SEE ON THE EAST SIDE OF AUSTIN AS A RESULT OF THAT AND HOW IT'S PLAYING OUT. UM, NOT ONLY WITH CHRONIC DISEASES, BUT NOW WITH COVID, UM, WITH HOMELESSNESS, ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT ARE THE TOP OF OUR LIST TO ADDRESS AS A CORE PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES FOR OUR COMMUNITY. AND THEY CAN BE TRACED BACK TO THESE INEQUITIES THAT INFLUENCE OUR SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH. AND SO LOOKING AT HOW APH CAN TAKE THE INFORMATION THAT WE GAINED FROM THE EQUITY TOOL AND THE SWAT ANALYSIS AND APPLYING THOSE SIX P'S IN OUR PLANNING. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CONSISTENT ACROSS ALL PROGRAMS ABOUT OUR DATA COLLECTION, UM, AND HOW WE'RE LOOKING AT THE DATA AND HOW WE'RE PARTNERING WITH COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS WITH OUR PROCUREMENT AND BUDGETING. UM, WE WERE REALLY LUCKY IN 2016 AND THEN I THINK IT WAS 2018 TO GET AN INFUSION OF STAFF TO DO HEALTH EQUITY WORK. AND SO, YOU KNOW, FOR DIRECT SERVICES, WE'RE CONTINUING TO MAKE STRIDES IN THAT AREA, BUT THEN REALLY LOOKING AT OUR SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTING PROCESS. UM, IS IT AN EQUITABLE AND FAIR PROCESS? ARE WE ENGAGING COMMUNITIES THAT, UH, HAVE CULTURAL RELEVANCE TO THE POPULATIONS THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO SERVE IN TERMS OF PERSONNEL? RIGHT. WE WANT A DEPARTMENT THAT IS REFLECTIVE OF THE STAFF THAT WE ARE TRYING TO SERVE AT ALL LEVELS. UM, AND SO BEING REALLY [00:35:01] INTENTIONAL AND WORKING WITH OUR HR DEPARTMENT TO DRAFT A RECRUITMENT PLAN, WE HAVE AN EQUITY ACADEMY WHERE WE OFFER, UM, UH, A COURSE, UH, SELECTION THAT INCLUDES IMPLICIT BIAS AND MICROAGGRESSIONS. IT INCLUDES, UM, CULTURAL AND RACIAL HUMILITY. IT INCLUDES, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THOSE THINGS THAT HELP STAFF, UM, IDENTIFY AND ADDRESS AND BE ABLE TO ADDRESS PERSONAL BIASES AND BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE WHERE SYSTEMIC BIASES MAY BE AT PLAY. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE, FOR POLICY DEVELOPMENT, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DRAFTING A RACIAL EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION PLAN, AND IT WILL ADDRESS MAYLEE IN THIS FIRST ITERATION OR HIRING PRACTICES AGAIN, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE EMPLOYING A DIVERSE WORKFORCE, UM, THAT FIFTH P FOR OUR PRACTICES AND PROCEDURES, AGAIN, GOING BACK TO THE, UM, SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTING AUDIT, THERE'S $50 MILLION OF GENERAL FUNDING GRANT DOLLARS THAT GO OUT INTO COMMUNITY. AND SO WHAT BETTER WAY TO MAKE A HUGE IMPACT IN ADDRESSING RACIAL EQUITY AS A CITY, AND MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE STRATEGIC IN OUR INVESTMENTS, NOT ONLY IN THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO PUT FORTH, BUT IN THE AGENCIES THAT WE ARE INVESTING IN TO DO THAT WORK. SO MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE LOOKING AT BARRIERS, WE ARE LOOKING AT OUR EVALUATION PROCESS, WE ARE TRAINING OUR EVALUATORS. SO, UM, BIASES DON'T GET IN THE WAY OF EVALUATING AN APPLICATION. AND THEN THE LAST P WHICH IS PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, WE ALL KNOW ABOUT THE CHOC CHIP. YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE GOOD ON THAT. I THINK COVID WAS A GOOD TEST RUN OF US, REALLY ENGAGING IN WITH COMMUNITY AND RESPONDING IN REAL TIME. I THINK BACK TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE MADE BY THE AUSTIN LATINO COALITION, WITH RESPECT TO TESTING AND THE HISPANIC AND LATIN X COMMUNITY AND THE DEPARTMENT REALLY BEING RESPONSIVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ADJUSTING OUR STRATEGIES TO MEET THE TIME NEEDS THAT WERE BEING EXPRESSED. AND NOW WHEN WE TALK ABOUT VACCINATION AND THE RATES IN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY CONTINUED TO BE LOW. AND SO UNDERSTANDING THAT, YOU KNOW, FROM A, A PERFECT RESOURCE STAND STAND UP POSITION, WHAT WE HAVE IN PLACE MAY WORK TEXTBOOK, BUT IT'S NOT WORKING FOR OUR BLACK COMMUNITY. SO REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD HAS REALLY TAKEN TIME TO MEET WITH DIFFERENT COMMUNITY GROUPS. AND SHE BRINGS THAT INFORMATION BACK TO STAFF. AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE PUTTING ON A SHELF WE'RE, WE'RE ACTIONING IMMEDIATELY. UM, AND SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE MORE MOBILE CLINICS. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MORE PILOTS AT CHURCHES WHERE WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, REGISTER BEFOREHAND. WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO, YOU KNOW, JUMP OVER THAT TECHNOLOGY HURDLE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE REALLY SERVING THAT POPULATION AND MAKING OURSELVES AVAILABLE AS A HEALTH DEPARTMENT TO TAKE AWAY SOME OF THE MYSTERY AROUND VACCINES. UM, AND MY WATCH IS TELLING ME MY TIME IS UP. SO I'LL MAKE TWO MORE COMMENTS BEFORE I CLOSE OVER IT TO, UM, QUESTIONS, UM, MAKING SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER PROGRAM, BECAUSE NO, WE'VE HEARD THE COMMUNITY SAY THAT THAT IS A EVIDENCE-BASED PROVEN COMMUNITY STRATEGY THAT, UM, WE'RE READY TO GET BEHIND, BUT ALSO HEARING, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH TRAINING, THERE'S NOT ENOUGH ONGOING JOB OPPORTUNITIES. SO WHERE CAN WE AS A PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT, INSERT OURSELVES TO MAKE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE. AND WITH THAT, UM, TO BE RESPECTFUL OF TIME, I WILL CLOSE AND SEE IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL HAVE FOR EITHER BRIAN OR MYSELF. THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO BOTH OF YOU FOR THAT REALLY INTERESTING AND VERY USEFUL PRESENTATION. UM, COLLEAGUES, WHAT QUESTION? AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF STAR DID YOU NEED A FEW MORE MINUTES TO, I DON'T WANT TO CUT YOU SHORT IF YOU'VE MISSED A FEW KEY POINTS. NO, I THINK IT WAS GOOD TO, FOR BRIAN TO LAY IT OUT. AND THEN FOR YOU TO GET A SNAPSHOT OF HOW, UM, THE DEPARTMENT IS WORKING ON THESE THINGS. I THINK THERE'LL BE OPPORTUNITIES AS WE TALK ABOUT HOMELESSNESS AND OTHER ISSUES TO CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, COLLEAGUES, WHAT QUESTIONS, OBSERVATIONS, MAYOR PRO TEM, HARPER MEDICINE, HE CHAIR, UM, ADRIAN, I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT, I THINK IT WAS THE LAST SLIDE THAT HAD COMMUNITY. IT WAS ABOUT, UM, OUTREACH, COMMUNITY OUTREACH [00:40:01] AND INVOLVEMENT. UM, THE, ONE OF THE BULLETS WAS COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS. I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW THAT'S GOING. AND, UM, IS IT, IS IT SOMETHING THAT WE COULD HELP SUPPORT? I'M JUST WONDERING WHAT'S GOING ON WITH, WITH THAT? OKAY. SO INTERNALLY IT'S GOING REALLY WELL. WE'RE WORKING WITH HRD TO CREATE A CAREER LADDER FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS WITHIN PUBLIC HEALTH. UM, AND SO THAT NOT, AND WE'VE REVISED THE JOB DESCRIPTION SO THAT WE CAN RECRUIT FOLKS THAT HAVE LIVED EXPERIENCE AND, UM, THAT VALUES ARE EQUALIZES LIVED EXPERIENCE AND JOB EXPERIENCE WITH EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT. UM, SO THAT'S EXCITING. I THINK, UM, THE INVESTMENTS THAT COUNCIL HAS APPROVED IN COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS HAS BEEN HELPFUL. WE CONTINUE TO, UM, PARTNER WITH COMMUNITY TO SEE WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO SPEND THOSE DOLLARS. UM, SO AT THIS POINT, I THINK WE'RE GOOD IF WE HEAR SOMETHING OR SOMETHING COMES UP FROM BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, CAUSE COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS ARE ALWAYS A HOT TOPIC. WE CAN REVISIT THAT. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT. AND THEN I DID HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION. UM, 20 DEPARTMENTS HAVE EQUITY TEAMS AND THE GOAL IS A HUNDRED PERCENT. IS THERE A, OBVIOUSLY NOT A TIME CERTAIN, BUT IS THERE A GENERAL IDEA ABOUT WHEN WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THAT 100%? WE THINK THAT WE'LL DEFINITELY BE THERE IN THE TWO YEARS, THAT'S THE MOST. UM, I WILL TELL YOU THAT THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE HAD, UH, WITH SOME DEPARTMENTS IS THAT, YOU KNOW, MOST DEPARTMENTS RIGHT NOW, DON'T HAVE SORT OF A STAFF THAT FORMALLY TAKE ON THIS ROLE. SO IT'S KIND OF LIKE YOU'VE BEEN VOLUNTOLD TO DO SO. AND SOMETIMES WITH CHANGES IN DEPARTMENTS, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD A HISTORY OF SOME WHERE WE STARTED OUT WITH CERTAIN TEAMS THAT WENT ON TO OTHER ROLES WITHIN THE CITY OR LESS THAN THE CITY. AND WE HAD TO SORT OF COME BACK AND REVISIT AND BE ON THE TEAM AGAIN. AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HOPE THAT CAN HELP US IS THAT FOR THE DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH ACTUALLY HIRING EQUITY MANAGER WILL THEN IT GIVES US A LOT MORE SORT OF THE ABILITY AND CONSISTENCY IN TERMS OF REALIZING THAT THERE'S A PERSON WHOSE JOB IT IS TO REALLY KIND OF HOLD THIS WORK, BECAUSE IN ALL HONESTY, IT'S A LOT OF WORK FOR THE DEPARTMENT TO REALLY TAKE ON THIS ASSESSMENT PROCESS, TO ORGANIZE YOUR TEAM, TO REALLY SORT OF START TO DIG ON YOUR STRATEGIES AND YOUR POLICIES AND ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'RE ASKING YOU TO DO. I APPRECIATE THAT. AND, AND I'M, UH, THAT'S SORTA WHAT I WAS GETTING AT WITH THE, HOW SOON DO WE REACH A HUNDRED PERCENT? CAUSE I'D LOVE TO SEE WHAT THE DATA LOOKS LIKE TO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GO TO ESTABLISH PROFICIENCY AND JUST SORT OF SEE WHAT CHANGED, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE WERE IN A POSITION, UM, DID NOT HAVE THE EQUITY TEAMS AND THEN WHAT HAPPENED, SUBSEQUENT DESKS DEVELOPING THE EQUITY TEAMS. AND THAT JUST SORT OF BE IN THE STANDARD. I'M CURIOUS TO SEE WHAT PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCE, UM, IN, IN THEIR ROLES, UM, WILL BE, YEAH, WE CAN ACTUALLY START TO DO SOME OF THAT. NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, SOME OF THE DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE MORE, UM, STANDING LONGER SORT OF RANGE TEAMS, LIKE ADRIAN MENTIONED AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH WAS ONE OF OUR COURAGEOUS EIGHT, UH, DEPARTMENTS. SO THEY GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THIS WORK AND WE HAVE OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING WHERE WE COULD REALLY KIND OF MONITOR AND LOOK INTO THAT MORE. THAT WOULD BE REALLY INTERESTING. AND THEN, UM, ESPECIALLY A GOOD LEAVE ROOM FOR MY COLLEAGUES. THE LAST QUESTION I HAVE IS I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH, UM, WITH CAROL JOHNSON, WHICH BY THE WAY, I'M SO HAPPY THAT I GET TO WORK WITH HER. UM, BUT THAT SAID, WHAT DO YOU SEE IF ANY, UM, ROLE FOR THE CIVIL RIGHTS OFFICE ALONGSIDE, YOU KNOW, ADJACENT THIS WORK WITH THE EQUITY OFFICE IN AUSTIN, PUBLIC HEALTH? I THINK FOR US, WE ARE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE CAROL ON BOARD WITH THE CIVIL RIGHTS OFFICE, BECAUSE FROM A POLICY PERSPECTIVE, UH, WE HAVE REALLY, UH, SOME REALLY GOOD ORDINANCES IN PLACE AND I'M OPEN THERE CAROL AND HER TEAM TO SORT OF HELP US ELEVATE THE ENFORCEMENT OF SOME OF THOSE ORDINANCES AND PROTECTION, UH, FOR, FOR CLASSES THAT HAVE BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST. AND THEN ALSO, UM, WE LIKE TO PUT AN OPTION TO SORT OF BE ABLE TO LOOK PROACTIVELY, UH, INTO ISSUES AS OPPOSED AS OPPOSED TO ALWAYS READING THE, TO RESPOND TO A COMPLAINT. RIGHT. UM, BUT HOW DO WE SORT OF, HOW ARE WE PROACTIVE IN SOME OF THESE SITUATIONS? AND WE HOPE THAT, UH, THAT WE LOOK TO PARTNER WITH THE CIVIL RIGHTS OFFICE TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, TO DO THAT AS WELL. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU, MEMBER TIM VICE CHAIR FOR CINTAS. [00:45:01] THANK YOU. UH, SO MY QUESTION IS FOR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH. SO IT SEEMS LIKE DIS-AGGREGATED DATA IS AN AREA OF WEAKNESS. AND BRIAN, I WOULD VENTURE TO SAY THAT MAY HAVE BEEN AN AREA OF WEAKNESS THAT CAME UP FROM MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS WHO DID THE ASSESSMENT. AND SO I'M WONDERING, UH, AND THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAS BEEN MY FRUSTRATION THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC. IT HAS BEEN HOW LONG IT'S TAKEN US TO GET DATA THAT HAS RACIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN, UH, WHEN IT CAME TO TESTING, WHEN IT COMES TO VACCINE ACCESS AND HAVING A COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW VACCINES ARE BEING ADMINISTERED IN OUR, IN OUR, IN OUR COUNTY. UM, SO WHAT COULD YOU TALK US THROUGH WHAT, KNOWING THAT THIS WAS IDENTIFIED DIS-AGGREGATED DATA AND JUST HAVING A BETTER HANDLE ON OUR, UM, HOW WE DO DATA FOR ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENTAL PROCESSES, UM, THAT WAS IDENTIFIED IN 2017, WHAT, AS A WEAKNESS, UM, WHEN YOU, WHEN APH DID THE ASSESSMENT, SO WHAT WORK HAS BEEN DONE IN THE LAST FEW YEARS TO, TO FULLY ADDRESS THIS ISSUE? SO WE'RE ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS OF WORKING WITH OUR OFFICE OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT, UM, ON SORT OF DEVELOPING, UH, WHAT WOULD BE SORT OF LIKE A UNIVERSAL GUIDELINES AROUND, UM, DATA MANAGEMENT, I THINK FOR THEM MORE UNIVERSAL GUIDELINES ON ALL OF DATA MANAGEMENT AND COLLECTION, BUT FOR US, UH, IT'S THAT RACIAL EQUITY PIECE WITHIN THAT. AND WE'VE ACTUALLY JUST STARTED CONVERSATIONS WITH OFFICE OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT, UH, AROUND WHAT SOME OF THAT WORK, YOU KNOW, WITH LOOK LIKE. AND THEY HAVE A LOT OF GOOD INSIGHTS THAT THEY SORT OF SHARED, YOU KNOW, WITH ME IN THAT, UM, THERE'S SORT OF, THERE'S VARYING LEVELS OF WHAT THE DATA COLLECTION AND DATA MANAGEMENT LOOKS LIKE ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT. AND I THINK THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME WORK TO KIND OF, UM, BRING THAT UP TO UNIT TWO TO UNIFORM IT, BUT THEN ALSO WORK THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO TO REALLY SORT OF TRY TO SORT OF LAY OUT SOME SPECIFIC GUIDELINES OR EXPECTATIONS ON WHAT THE COLLECTION, UH, WOULD LOOK LIKE. AND ALSO BE HONEST AND CANDID WITH YOU ALL TO TELL YOU THAT THERE'S SOME SENSITIVITIES IN TERMS OF THE TYPE OF DATA THAT IS COLLECTED. AND, UM, AND IN SOME DEPARTMENTS WE'VE GOTTEN SOME PUSHBACK, UH, FROM COMMUNITY AROUND COLLECTING CERTAIN DEMOGRAPHIC DATA TO THAT WE'D HAVE TO SORT OF BE ABLE TO WORK THROUGH. THANKS, BRIAN. AND I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY ON, ON THE PART OF US IN PUBLIC HEALTH. SO WE WERE ALWAYS COLLECTING THAT DATA, BUT NOT IN THE SAME WAY ACROSS PROGRAM, FOR EXAMPLE. AND ONE OF THE PROGRAMS THAT I KNOW VERY WELL, UM, LATIN X IS CONSIDERED A RACE WHERE OTHER PROGRAMS USE THE CENSUS DEFINITION, WHERE THAT'S AN ETHNIC GROUP VERSUS A RACE. AND SO WE HAVE ALREADY DONE THIS WORK THAT, UM, BRIAN HAS TALKED ABOUT AND CREATING CAUSE CONSISTENT STANDARDS ACROSS ALL PROGRAMS, UM, FOR THAT. AND I THINK IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT OUR, UH, VACCINE DASHBOARD AND AT THE TESTING DASHBOARD, YOU CAN SEE THAT INFORMATION BROKEN DOWN BY RACE AND ETHNICITY FOR, FOR DIFFERENT THINGS, FOR POSITIVITY RATES, FOR HOSPITALIZATIONS, FOR DEATHS, UM, THE SAME THING WITH, UH, THE RATES OF VACCINATION, WHICH IS WHY WE, UM, NO, WELL, IT'S EASIER FOR TESTING VERSUS VACCINATION BECAUSE WE'RE A HUB, BUT FOR TESTING, WE WERE ABLE TO MEET WITH COMMUNITY AND, UM, THERE WAS DATA TO SUPPORT WHAT THEY WERE TELLING US ON THE GROUND, YOU KNOW, THAT WE NEEDED TO HAVE A MORE FOCUSED EFFORT IN LATIN X COMMUNITIES. AND SO IT WAS MORE ABOUT THAT CONSISTENCY FOR US IN THE DEFINITIONS OF A RACIAL GROUP VERSUS AN ETHNIC GROUP SO THAT WE COULD GIVE A FULL PICTURE OF OUR PROGRAMS. THANK YOU. YEAH, NO, THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND THAT CERTAINLY HELPS. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, AS A POLICYMAKER, OUR FIRST LINE OF QUESTIONS, ALWAYS GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE DATA, TELL US, YOU KNOW, WHO AND HOW ARE WE SERVING OUR COMMUNITY AND THAT'S ALL ANCHORED AND ROOTED IN THE DATA. I MEAN, THAT TELLS A STORY. AND SO IT'S ALWAYS, IF WE CAN, IF WE KNOW THAT THAT IS GOING TO BE A CONSTANT, UM, ANCHOR FOR OUR POLICY-MAKING, IF WE CAN MAKE SURE SINCE WE HAVE STANDARDIZED, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE HAVE MORE OF A STANDARDIZED WAY OF GOING ABOUT COLLECTING IT, THAT WE DO IT, UH, THAT WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION READILY AVAILABLE AND THAT WE'RE COLLECTING IT, UM, AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN, ESPECIALLY IN TIMES OF CRISES. UM, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD WAS AROUND THE EQUITY TOOL. UM, AND SO I GUESS I GOT A LITTLE BIT OFF THERE WITH UNDERSTANDING. SO IT SEEMS THAT THAT ALL DEPARTMENTS HAVE LAUNCHED THE ASSESSMENT, BUT NOT, BUT ONLY 40% ROUGHLY HAVE COMPLETED IT. HAS THERE BEEN ANY MOVEMENT AND GETTING THE DEPARTMENTS TO DIFFERENT TIERS [00:50:01] OF THE PROCESS FOR THE TOOL? AND HAVE WE SEEN ANY MOVEMENT? LIKE, I'M JUST TRYING TO GET A SENSE, LIKE, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT ANYTIME YOU LAUNCH A NEW TOY, THERE'S ALWAYS EXCITEMENT WITH IT. AND THE FIRST YEAR YOU'RE GOING TO GET A LOT OF PEOPLE WANTING TO, TO PERFORM AND EXECUTE. UH, BUT SINCE IT'S BEEN A FEW YEARS NOW, SINCE WE'VE HAD THIS TOOL, UM, WHAT HAS THE MOVEMENT BEEN LIKE WITH THE DEPARTMENTS? SO BE CONSTANTLY OUR SMALL OFFICE, WE ACTUALLY, UH, TAKE DEPARTMENTS, GROUPINGS OF COHORT. AND SO FOR OUR FIRST YEAR, UM, WE ACTUALLY HAD EIGHT DEPARTMENTS THAT SECOND YEAR, I THINK WE WENT UP TO ABOUT 20 AND WE STARTED MAINTAIN THAT PACE. AND SO THIS YEAR WE'RE ACTUALLY IN OUR FINAL GROUPING OF COHORTS TO GO THROUGH THEIR FIRST, UM, EQUITY ASSESSMENT. AND THIS IS LIKE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT FOR US. SO YOU DON'T ASSESS ONE TIME AND, UH, AND, AND THAT YOU'RE DONE. SO APH IS ACTUALLY ON OUR SCHEDULE TO COME UP TO ACTUALLY REASSESS AGAIN. AND YOU GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS OF GUINNESS WHILE THEY DO ACTION PLANNING, CAUSE IT'S JUST LONG RANGE WORK FOR US. UH, SO FOR US TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THE WORKLOAD IN THE PACE, WE SORT OF STAGGERED THE DEPARTMENTS THROUGHOUT MULTIPLE YEARS. AND THEN WE HAVE, UH, SOME DEPARTMENTS IN PARTICULAR. UM, AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT IS VERY UNIQUE, UH, IN THAT, UH, THAT'S SUCH A LARGE DEPARTMENT AND THEIR FEEDBACK FROM US INITIALLY WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR DIVISION, OUR HANDLE REALLY STARTED DIFFERENT SCOPES OF WORK. AND IT'S SORT OF HARD TO GET THIS SORT OF UNIVERSAL DEPARTMENT VIEW OUR ASSESSMENT. SO WITH THEM, WE ACTUALLY ARE GOING BY DIVISION WITHIN APD. AND WE ACTUALLY STARTED COMPLETED A REPORT THAT CAME OUT IN DECEMBER OVER THE FIRST FIVE DIVISIONS OF APD THAT HAD GONE THROUGH THAT PROCESS. AND WE'LL BE WORKING WITH THEM TO SORT OF DO THEIR NEXT FIVE DIVISION. SO, UH, IT LOOKS A LITTLE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, I THINK FOR THE DEPARTMENT, BUT, UH, IN TERMS FOR US TO BE ABLE TO KEEP OUR SANITY, IF NOT, HAVE WE GET THE SHEER NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS THROUGH, WE'VE KIND OF STAGGERED THAT APPROACH. SO, AND JUST A CLARIFYING QUESTION. SO WHEN A DEPARTMENT GOAT IS PART OF THE COHORT, DO THEY GO THROUGH ALL STAGES OF THE ASSESSMENT CYCLE? SO THEN EACH DEPARTMENT SHOULD HAVE AN ACTION PLAN THAT WE COULD FALL PULL UP IF NEEDED, RIGHT? YEAH. IF YOU GO TO OUR DASHBOARD, YOU CAN SEE THEIR ACTION PLANS, YOU CAN SEE WHAT THEIR ASSESSMENT LOOKS LIKE. AND, UH, YOU CAN SEE WHAT SORT OF PHASE THAT THEY'RE IN. SO WE WOULD HAVE SOME DEPARTMENTS WHOSE DELIVERABLE IS THEIR ACTION PLAN THIS YEAR. UH, SOME DEPARTMENTS WHO ARE ACTUALLY STARTING THEIR FIRST ASSESSMENT, BUT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SORT OF SEE HISTORICALLY WHERE ALL OF THEM HAVE GAINED FROM OUR DASHBOARD. AND WE CAN SHARE THAT LINK WITH YOU ALL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY, ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, BRIAN. THANK YOU, ADRIAN. THIS IS REALLY, UH, IT'S. I ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE THE JUXTAPOSITION OF KIND OF THE GENERAL WORK THAT'S GOING ON CITYWIDE AND THEN REALLY BEING ABLE TO, TO SEE IT IN ACTION WITHIN AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH. UM, THAT WAS EXTREMELY ILLUSTRATIVE. I HAVE ONE, ONE QUICK QUESTION. UM, AND THEN WE NEED TO PROBABLY MOVE ON AND I THINK THIS IS FOR YOU ASSISTANT DIRECTOR STIRRUP. I'M LOOKING AT THE THREAT TO THE FUNDING UNDER THE THREATS, UM, IN THE SWAT ANALYSIS FOR APH, THE RESOURCES BEING ALLOCATED BASED ON CENSUS DATA AND POPULATION CHANGES RATHER THAN POPULATION HEALTH DATA. WHAT IS THE MECHANISM BY WHICH WE SHIFT THAT PARADIGM? WHAT, HOW IS THAT SOMETHING THAT APH STAFF ALREADY WORKING ON WORKING TOWARD? IS THAT SOMETHING YOU NEED POLICY DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL ON THAT SEEMS TO BE A REALLY CRITICAL PIECE OF BEING ABLE TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY WELL, AND TO REALLY NEED THE HEALTH NEEDS AS THEY ARE. I WOULD SAY POLICY, I'LL SEE DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL WITH, YOU KNOW, APH PROVIDING YOU THE INFORMATION AND DATA TO HELP YOU, UH, CRAFT THAT POLICY. I WOULD, I'D BE INTERESTED IN GETTING SOME MORE INFORMATION. UM, IT ALWAYS HELPS ME IF I CAN KIND OF SEE THAT IN SOME CONCRETE EXAMPLES OF, OF WHERE THAT WOULD REALLY SHIFT OUR RESOURCES TO WHERE THEY NEED TO, HOW, HOW THAT WOULD'VE PLAYED OUT IN TERMS OF THE SHIFTING OF RESOURCES, TO WHERE THEY BETTER NEEDED TO BE, TO SERVE, TO BE, UM, REALLY MORE RESPONSIVE TO THEIR NEEDS AS THEY PRESENT THEMSELVES. SO PERHAPS MY OFFICE, UH, CAN BE IN CONVERSATION FURTHER WITH APH ABOUT, ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR PIECE. UM, AND I WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE DIRECTOR HIDDEN HOWARD, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US AS WELL ON THIS HAD ANY, ANYTHING YOU WANTED TO ADD BEFORE WE MOVED ON TO THE NEXT PRESENTATION? GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU ALL. UM, IT WAS A GREAT [00:55:01] PRESENTATION AND I ENJOY LISTENING TO, TO, UH, BRIAN AND ADRIAN. I THINK THEY DID A GREAT JOB. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORTIVE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. YEAH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU BOTH. AND THANK THE STAFF WHO HAVE WORKED ALONGSIDE YOU. UM, OKAY, ALEX, LET'S MOVE ON TO [3. Briefing and discussion on issues related to homelessness.] THE UPDATE ON HOMELESSNESS, GRAY. I THINK DIANA IS PRESENTING ALONGSIDE, UM, FELLA CARMEN. SO THANK YOU. AND IF WE COULD MOVE BOTH OF THEM OVER AND JUST COMMITTEE MEMBERS, JUST AS A TIME CHECK, WE HAVE ABOUT AN HOUR LEFT. UM, AT THE VERY MOST, WE HAVE A HARD STOP AT FOUR O'CLOCK AND WE'RE LOSING ONE OF OUR, ONE OF OUR COLLEAGUES, UH, FIVE TO 10 MINUTES EARLIER THAN THAT. SO WE'RE GOING TO, WE MAY HAVE TO CUT SHORT SOME OF OUR CONVERSATION ABOUT FOUR AND FIVE. SO WHILE WE'RE MOVING BELLA AND DIANA OVER, I JUST WANT TO SAY, I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS IN A PREVIOUS, IN A PREVIOUS COMMITTEE MEETING ABOUT MEETING MORE FREQUENTLY, AT LEAST FOR A TIME GIVEN THE PANDEMIC. AND SOME OF THE REALLY PRESSING CHALLENGES WE HAVE BEFORE US WITH REGARD TO ONE OF OUR PRIORITY AREAS, WHICH IS HOMELESSNESS. SO IT'S MY PROPOSAL THAT WE MEET FOR AWHILE ANYWAY, UM, ONCE A MONTH UNTIL OUR SPRING BREAK, I MEAN UNTIL OUR SUMMER BREAK AND I AM GOING TO CIRCULATE SOME SOMETIMES IN TO Y'ALL'S OFFICES. I THINK THAT WE MIGHT BE MORE PRODUCTIVE IF WE HAVE OUR MEETINGS IN THE MORNING. SO WE'RE GOING TO, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT, I'M GOING TO ASK, GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM YOU ALL ABOUT MORNING MEETINGS, FIRST THING IN THE MORNING, AND TRYING AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO AVOID COUNCIL WEEKS. CAUSE I KNOW THOSE, THOSE TEND TO BE CHALLENGING FOR ALL OF US STAFF INCLUDED. I DON'T HAVE TO SUPPORT THE COMMITTEE. OKAY. THANK YOU, FELLA. UH, DIANA, ARE YOU GOING TO START US OFF? I WILL. THANK YOU. SUPER, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. ABSOLUTELY. UH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. UM, THIS IS MY FIRST, UH, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, UH, MEETING. AND SO I AM PLEASED TO BE WITH YOU HAVE MANY CONVERSATIONS. UH, TODAY WE HAVE UPDATES ON A NUMBER OF TOPICS I, SINCE WE HAVEN'T HAD A CONVERSATION FOR A WHILE. AND SO THOSE ARE ON THE SCREEN IN FRONT OF YOU, WE'RE GOING TO TOUCH BASE ON PRO LODGES COUNCIL MEMBER TOBO AND THE COMMITTEE HAVE ASKED US TO GIVE REGULAR UPDATES ON PRO LOGISTICS AS LONG AS THEY ARE OPERATING. SO WE WILL DO THAT. WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HOTEL CONVERSION STRATEGY. UM, A BIT OF OUTCOME DATA ON WINTER STORM URI, UH, SOME RECAP OF THE GUIDED PATH PILOT PROGRAM THAT OCCURRED IN LATE 20, 19 AND EARLY 2020. AND THAT IS REALLY SORT OF AS A PRELUDE IN, UH, TO OUR CONVERSATION AROUND THE HEEL RESOLUTION. SOME OF THE LEARNINGS THAT WE GATHERED THROUGH THAT PROCESS THAT WE ANTICIPATE APPLYING, UH, IN THIS INITIATIVE, VELA CARMEN, UH, WILL BE JOINING US FOR A COUPLE OF THESE TOPICS. THE FIRST OF WHICH WILL BE THE PRO LODGES. SO I WILL GO AHEAD AND HAND IT OVER TO VILLA. GOOD AFTERNOON. THIS IS VELA CARMEN I'M WITH THE HOMELESS STRATEGY DIVISION WITH AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH. UM, AND, UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND TALK ABOUT, UM, AN UPDATE ON THE PROLOGUE IS JUST A QUICK OVERVIEW. UM, THE PROTECTIVE LODGES OR PRO LODGES ARE PART OF OUR, UM, EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. UM, AND THEY ARE A PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTION. THEY ARE TEMPORARY SHELTERS, NON CONGREGATE SHELTERS, AND THEY ARE NOT HOMELESS SHELTERS. THEY ARE PART OF OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE, UM, JUST AS WE STOOD UP SHELTERS DURING THE STORM URI AS A TEMPORARY EMERGENCY RESPONSE. UM, BUT MOST OF THE GUESTS ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, UM, BECAUSE THEY ARE SET UP FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED SOCIAL DISTANCING AND ACCESS TO HEALTH AND HYGIENE RESOURCES WHO DON'T HAVE THAT ACCESS AT HOME. AND SO THE MAJORITY OF FOLKS ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS WHO ARE ACCESSING OUR PRO LODGES. UM, SOME OF THE SERVICES ON SITE THAT ARE PROVIDED ARE, UM, TELEHEALTH APPOINTMENTS, AS WELL AS IN-PERSON APPOINTMENTS WITH, WITH COMMUNITY CARES, MEDICAL MOBILE TEAM. THERE'S ALSO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES. THERE ARE STAFF FROM INTEGRAL CARE THAT ARE ONSITE FOR, UM, MENTAL HEALTH, UM, APPOINTMENTS AND ASSISTANCE, UM, SUBSTANCE USE, UM, ASSISTANCE AND CONNECTION TO TREATMENT AND SERVICES AS WELL AS PEER SPECIALIST SERVICES. AND THOSE ARE PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE WHO, UM, REALLY KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE IN THE POSITION OF SOMEONE THAT MIGHT BE STRUGGLING WITH, UM, UH, MENTAL HEALTH, MENTAL ILLNESS, UM, OR, OR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER OR SOMEONE WHO'S EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS. AND SO, UM, THEY [01:00:01] ARE TRAINED AND STAFFED AND, AND REALLY HELPFUL TO THE GUESTS AT THE PRO LODGES. THERE ARE ALSO JUST CONNECTIONS GENERALLY TO OTHER BASIC NEEDS, UM, FOR HEALTH AND WELLNESS AND SERVICES. AND THEN, UM, BASIC NEEDS SERVICES THAT HAPPEN AT THE SHELTER, THREE MEALS, A DAY SECURITY, TRASH PICKUP AND LAUNDRY SERVICES AMONG, UM, AMONG OTHER SORT OF BASIC NEEDS SERVICES. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND SO THE, UM, THE CURRENT CENSUS IS 206 INDIVIDUALS AT THE FIVE PRO LODGES. THERE IS A T AND THEY ARE IN JUST UNDER 200 ROOMS. SO WE HAVE ABOUT 10 ROOMS THAT HAVE MORE THAN ONE PERSON IN THE ROOM THAT SOMETIMES WOULD BE A PARENT AND A CHILD. UM, MORE OFTEN IS TWO ADULTS. UM, MAYBE THAT OUR PARTNERS, UM, OR A CAREGIVER AND, AND ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL, THAT'S AN ADULT. WE HAVE 340 TOTAL ROOMS IF EVERYTHING WAS OPERATIONAL AND READY TO GO. UM, BUT SEVERAL OF THE ROOMS ARE OFFLINE. UM, AND THERE'S SOME REASONS LISTED HERE, RENOVATIONS, SOME REPAIRS THAT WERE NEEDED AFTER THE STORM, ALTHOUGH THOSE HAVE ALL BEEN COMPLETED. UM, THERE WERE REPAIRS NEEDED AT MULTIPLE LOCATIONS, UM, DURING THE STORM, ALL OF THE ALL FIVE FACILITIES, UM, LOST POWER AND OR WATER FOR SOME TIME. UM, BUT THE GUESTS REMAINED THERE AND STAYED SAFE AND HEALTHY. UM, AND THEN, UM, CONSOLIDATION OR DEMOBILIZATION PLANNING. SO AGAIN, THIS IS A TEMPORARY RESPONSE. AND SO WE ARE CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT, UM, THE INCIDENTS OF COVID-19 IN THE COMMUNITY, LOOKING AT THE INDICATORS OF THE, UM, THE VIRUS SPREAD AND DETERMINING HOW LONG WE WILL NEED TO, UM, KEEP THE SHELTERS ACTIVATED, BUT WHAT'S NOT ON HERE. UM, WHICH IS ACTUALLY THE MOST SIGNIFICANT REASON WHY ROOMS MAY BE OFFLINE AT ANY GIVEN TIME IS THAT THERE'S JUST, UM, TURNOVER. WHEN PEOPLE EXIT THE PRO LODGE ROOMS, THERE ARE REPAIRS NEEDED, DEEP CLEANING, DECONTAMINATION, UM, AND, UM, OFTEN MOVING OF, UH, BELONGINGS AND, OR, UM, REPLACEMENT OF ITEMS WITHIN THE ROOM. SO GETTING THOSE READY FOR THE NEXT GUEST, WHEN WE HAVE, UM, LOTS OF EXITS, THEN WE HAVE LOTS OF ROOMS THAT ARE OFFLINE TEMPORARILY, UM, GETTING READY FOR THE, FOR THE NEXT IT HAS TO COME IN IN TERMS OF EXITS. UM, THERE HAVE BEEN 405 PEOPLE THAT HAVE STAYED AND EXITED SO FAR. I'M REALLY HAPPY TO SAY THAT THE MAJORITY OF THOSE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE EXITING TO HOUSING. AND WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AT THE NEXT SLIDE. UM, OTHER ACCENTS WOULD BE TO HEALTHCARE FACILITIES, UM, EXITS TO OTHER TYPES OF SHELTER. OTHER EXITS, UM, IS A CATEGORY. AND THAT INCLUDES ANY NUMBER OF REASONS WHY PEOPLE MIGHT LEAVE INCLUDING SOME PEOPLE. UM, SO THEY'RE JUST, THEY'RE LEAVING, THEY'RE DONE AND THEY HAVE SOMEWHERE ELSE TO GO. THERE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE WHO'VE EXITED TO, UM, UH, CRIMINAL JUSTICE OR OTHER INSTITUTION. UM, WE HAVE HAD SOME PEOPLE PASS AWAY. UM, NONE OF THE DEATHS THAT HAVE OCCURRED HAVE BEEN COVID-19 RELATED. UM, AND SO THAT'S, I THINK JUST A TRUE SUCCESS TO THE INTENT OF THE PROGRAM OF THE PRO LODGES IS REALLY KEEPING THOSE GUESTS PROTECTED. BUT BECAUSE THE GUESTS THAT ARE STAYING THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS WITH ADVANCED AGE OR, AND, OR, UM, CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS PER THE CDC GUIDANCE. UM, THERE'S JUST SOME PEOPLE THAT REALLY HAVE SIGNIFICANT HEALTH PROBLEMS AND SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE BEEN CONNECTED TO HOSPICE SERVICES. UM, AND, AND THERE, WE HAVE HAD A FEW PEOPLE PASS AWAY WHILE, WHILE AT THE PROLOGIS AND THEN, UH, 97 PEOPLE, NO EXIT INTERVIEW. SO IT DOES HAPPEN WHERE PEOPLE ABANDON THE ROOM OR THEY'RE GONE, UM, WITHOUT, UM, A CHANCE TO FIGURE OUT, UM, WHERE THEY NEXT, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND THEN JUST TO TALK, TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE REHOUSING EFFORTS. SO THE PROLOGUE OPERATIONS IN AND OF THEMSELVES ARE PART OF THE, THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE UNDER OUR, UM, EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER, UM, AND OUR HOMELAND SECURITY AND MANAGEMENT, UM, DEPARTMENT WITH THE CITY. UM, BUT WE HAVE COUPLED ON TOP OF THAT HOUSING PROGRAMS AND COMMITTED, UM, BOTH FEDERAL DOLLARS AND LOCAL DOLLARS, UM, IN PROGRAMS, UM, TO CONNECT PEOPLE TO HOUSING OPTIONS WHEN THEY EXIT AGAIN, SO FAR TO DATE, 186 INDIVIDUALS HAVE MOVED INTO HOUSING. UM, AND THEN IF THE CURRENT GUESTS 111 HOUSEHOLDS ARE CONNECTED TO A HOUSING PROGRAM, SO THEY'RE ENROLLED IN EITHER, UM, UH, RAPID REHOUSING OR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAM, UM, [01:05:01] BUT WORKING WITH THEIR CASE MANAGER TO LOCATE THAT HOUSING, GETTING THEIR NECESSARY DOCUMENTS TOGETHER, UM, AND, UH, AND, AND EVENTUALLY MOVING INTO, UM, HOUSING. AND THEN THERE ARE 84 HOUSEHOLDS THAT ARE WAITING ON PROGRAM REFERRAL. UM, AGAIN WITH THE HOUSING PROGRAMS, UM, PRIMARILY PRIMARILY THAT'S RAPID REHOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, OR PSH, WE HAVE, UM, A HUGE NUMBER OF PARTNERS WHO ARE, UM, PRIORITIZING AND SERVING PEOPLE AT THE PRO LODGES TO INCLUDE FAMILY ELDER CARE, THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT, SALVATION ARMY, CARA TOSS, FRONT STEPS, THE VETERANS ADMINISTRATION INTEGRAL CARE, AND SOME OTHER PARTNERS. UM, I WILL SAY OF THOSE 84 HOUSEHOLDS CURRENTLY WAITING, UM, FOR PROGRAMMING FOR ALL, WE HAVE A LARGE PROGRAM THAT'S GOING TO BE FUNDED WITH SOME OF OUR FEDERAL, UM, CARES ACT FUNDING, OUR ESG OR EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS, GRANT FUNDING FROM HUD THROUGH THE CARES ACT, UM, THAT IS ALL BEEN EXECUTED AND, UM, THAT CONTRACTING READY TO GO. AND SO WE EXPECT QUITE A FEW OF THOSE HOUSEHOLDS TO BE, UM, CONNECTED TO HOUSING PROGRAMS HERE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. AND THEN SOMETHING THAT WAS REALLY EXCITING FOR OUR COMMUNITY IS AGAIN, THROUGH THE CARES ACT, UM, FUNDING AND THE, THE FEDERAL FUNDING, UM, IN RESPONSE TO COVID LAST YEAR, UM, OUR LOCAL HOUSING AUTHORITY, UM, HAKA, OR THE HOUSING AUTHORITY, THE CITY AUSTIN APPLIED FOR AND WAS AWARDED 100 NEW VOUCHERS, UM, WHICH IS AN ONGOING HOUSING SUBSIDY, UM, AND PRIORITIZED FOR PEOPLE STAYING AT THE PRO LODGES. AND SO THOSE VOUCHERS ARE BEING USED IN CONNECTION WITH THE RAPID REHOUSING AND THE PSH, UM, PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE CONNECTED. AND I BELIEVE THAT'S IT. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO I WILL TAKE OVER FROM VELA TO TALK JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, HOTEL CONVERSION STRATEGY AT PRESENT. WE HAVE FOUR HOTELS THAT WE EITHER OWN, OR WE HAVE, UH, CONTRACTS ON FOR PURCHASE. SO THE TWO THAT WE OWN CURRENTLY ARE THE ROADWAY INN, WHICH IS 87 ROOMS AND THE COUNTRY. AND, AND ACTUALLY I'M GOING TO MAY LET, UM, VALID CORRECT ME HERE. I THINK IT'S 75 TO 80 ROOMS AS WELL. BOTH OF THOSE ARE CURRENTLY OCCUPIED AS PRO LODGES, BUT EVENTUALLY WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO THE CITY FOR OTHER PURPOSES. UH, THE CANDLEWOOD SUITES AND TEXAS BUNGALOWS, WHICH WE PLACED UNDER CONTRACT LATE JANUARY, EARLY FEBRUARY, WOULD BE, I BELIEVE, EXPECTED TO CLOSE LATER THIS SUMMER. UH, AND THEN WE WOULD HAVE SOME RENOVATION TO DO BEFORE CONVERTING THOSE OR OPENING THOSE AS PERMIT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, WHICH WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT. AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS ALSO OF, UH, DEVELOPING CONTRACTS WITH THE OPERATORS OF THOSE TWO PROPERTIES, WHICH WE ANTICIPATE BEING CARITAS FOR CANDLEWOOD SUITES AND INTEGRAL CARE FOR TEXAS BUNGALOWS, TEXAS BUNGALOWS ACTUALLY ALSO WAS RECENTLY AWARDED 50 PROJECT-BASED VOUCHERS THROUGH HAKA THROUGH A SEPARATE RFP THAT THEY RELEASED. SO VERY, VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR PROJECT BASED VOUCHERS IN PSH, WHICH IS JUST AN INCREDIBLY CRITICAL RESOURCE FOR US, BUT MAKING THESE PROJECTS MORE SELF-SUSTAINING. AND FRANKLY, ALLOWING US AS THE CITY ALSO TO UTILIZE SOME OF OUR LIMITED FUNDS TO DIRECT MORE TOWARDS SERVICES OR ADDITIONAL PROJECTS. AND SO IT'S A REALLY GREAT PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN, UH, US AND THE, THE HOUSING AUTHORITY ON THAT FRONT. I THINK THE, THE ORIGINAL GOAL OF COUNCIL, AS I UNDERSTAND IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 300 UNITS OF A FOUR HOTEL CONVERSION. AND AT PRESENT, WHEN WE CLOSE ON CANDLEWOOD IN TEXAS BUNGALOWS, WE WILL BE VERY CLOSE TO THAT. UH, BUT THE COUNTRY IN IS BEING DISCUSSED AT A, FOR A SEPARATE PURPOSE, UH, FOR, I BELIEVE THE DV SHELTER, WHICH MEANS THAT IT WOULD NOT SORT OF FALL INTO THE EXPLICITLY HOMELESS SHELTER USE. UH, AND THEY, THE BOND FUNDS THAT WERE UTILIZED TO PURCHASE THAT PROPERTY, UH, MIGHT BE ESSENTIALLY REPAID TO, UM, INTO THE, THE, UH, THE POT THAT IS AVAILABLE FOR HOTEL PURCHASES, FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. AND SO WE WOULD ANTICIPATE HAVING, UH, ENOUGH CAPITAL WE BELIEVE FOR AT LEAST ONE MORE PURCHASE GOING FORWARD. IT'S GREAT. I APOLOGIZE FOR INTERRUPTING YOU, BUT, UM, I LIKE THE POLICY THAT ONE OF MY FORMER COLLEAGUES STARTED OF, OF NOT USING ACRONYMS. AND YOU SAID THE DV SHELTER, I THINK YOU PROBABLY MEANT THE DOMESTIC [01:10:01] VIOLENCE SHELTER, RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME. SO I'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. AND SO I'M GOING TO SPEAK BRIEFLY TO THE NEXT TOPIC, WHICH IS A WINTER STORM URI. UH, AND I KNOW THAT YOU WILL, COUNCIL MEMBERS WILL HAVE QUESTIONS AFTER WE'RE COMPLETED ON, ON MANY OF THESE TOPICS. SO JUST KNOW THAT WE ARE PREPARED TO ANSWER THOSE AS WE WRAP UP. SO, AS WE ALL REMEMBER VERY WELL, UH, IN EARLY FEBRUARY, WE HAD A COLD WEATHER EVENT THAT, UM, REALLY WAS, UH, HISTORIC IN NATURE. AND WE EARLY IN THE WEEK BEFORE THE VERY, VERY COLD WEATHER HIT, UH, FOLLOWED OUR EMERGENCY PLAN AND OPENED UP THREE COLD WEATHER SHELTERS AT REC CENTERS. UH, HISTORICALLY WE HAVE ALSO PARTNERED WITH CHURCHES THAT, UM, IN THE CONTEXT OF COVID, WE HAVE NOT BEEN DOING THAT BECAUSE MANY OF THE VOLUNTEERS WERE OFTEN, UH, ADVANCED IN AGE OR JUST IN GENERAL, IT, IT REPRESENTED A RISK FOR THE CHURCH VOLUNTEERS TO HAVE THE SHELTER AND CONGREGATE SHELTER THEIR, UH, IN THEIR FACILITIES. SO WE OPENED THE THREE RECREATION CENTERS THURSDAY EVENING WITH A MAXIMUM CAPACITY OF ABOUT 195 PEOPLE ON FRIDAY NIGHT. WE ESSENTIALLY MAX THAT CAPACITY OUT OR VERY, VERY CLOSE TO IT. AND AS THE WEATHER WORSENED, UH, THAT EVENING MADE THE DECISION TO TRAMP TRANSITION SHELTERS TO 24 SEVEN OPERATIONS. THEY ARE TYPICALLY NOT THAT, UM, IN A SORT OF AN, A NORMAL WEATHER EVENT, THEY STAY OPEN NORMALLY ONLY SO LONG AS, UM, THE TEMPERATURE IS UNDER A PARTICULAR MARK. SO ON SATURDAY PALMER EVENTS CENTER WAS OPENED, UH, AS A WARMING CENTER, UH, IN GENERAL. AND I THINK IT BECAME APPARENT VERY, VERY QUICKLY THAT WE WERE GOING TO NEED TO UTILIZE IT AS AN ADDITIONAL 24 SEVEN SHELTER. UH, WE STARTED OFF WITH CAPACITY FOR 110 INDIVIDUALS, AND, UM, REALLY THROUGH AN INCREDIBLE EFFORT OF STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS WERE ABLE TO EVENTUALLY CREATE, UH, CAPACITY FOR A CENSUS OF OVER 400 PEOPLE, 50 PEOPLE, I BELIEVE OUR MAXIMUM WAS 459, UH, ON THE NIGHT THAT WE HAD MOST PEOPLE. AND WE ACHIEVED THAT BY ACCESSING, UH, ONE OF THE SECOND HALL, WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY SET UP FOR THE STAGING AREA FOR THE INITIATIVE. UH, SO WE MOVED THOSE ITEMS AND FRANKLY, WE WERE VERY LUCKY THAT THEY WERE THERE, THAT THAT WAS THE STAGING AREA, BECAUSE IT MEANT THAT WE HAD FOOD ONSITE, UH, UNTIL SUCH TIME, AS WE WERE ABLE TO BEGIN HAVING FOOD DELIVERED, WE ALSO WERE ABLE TO DELIVER, EAT BAGS TO THE THREE RECREATIONAL CENTERS AND WITH OTHER PEOPLE AS THEY TRANSITIONED TO, UM, ALTERNATE SITES IN THE COMMUNITY. SO I THINK THAT WAS A REAL LESSON FOR US IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, VERY GRATEFUL THAT THAT WAS THERE AND IS PROBABLY SOMETHING WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT FOR THE FUTURE IN TERMS OF HAVING SHELF STABLE FOOD IN PLACE. MANY, UH, OTHER SHELTERS, UH, OPENED OVER THE COURSE OF THE WEEKEND, INCLUDING SOME AT AISD, UH, THEY TENDED TO CLOSE SOONER THAN THE CITY SHELTERS DID. AND SO WHAT OFTEN HAPPENED WAS THAT AS THEY CLOSED, IF PEOPLE STILL FELT THEY NEEDED A PLACE TO SHELTER, THEY TRANSFERRED TO PALMER. AND SO CONSEQUENTLY, WE DID STAY OPEN FOR A FULL 14 DAYS AFTER THE BEGINNING OF THE WEATHER EVENT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE ASKED US ABOUT WAS SORT OF WHAT HAPPENED AT THE, AT PALMER IN PARTICULAR, IN TERMS OF EXITS FOR PEOPLE IN OUR ABILITY TO SUPPORT THEM IN RETURNING TO THE COMMUNITY, IDEALLY NOT RETURNING TO HOMELESSNESS. UM, I DO WANT TO SAY THAT NOT EVERYONE THAT WAS AT PALMER WERE, WERE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, PARTICULARLY AS OUR INFRASTRUCTURE BEGAN TO, UM, TO STRUGGLE A BIT, WE STARTED TO HAVE MORE FOLKS WHO WERE HOUSED, BUT EITHER HAD NO HEAT OR HAD WATER DAMAGE, ET CETERA, THAT MADE THEIR HOMES IN HOUSE UNINHABITABLE. SO AFTER IT TOOK US TWO OR THREE DAYS FOR REALLY THE ROADS TO BE CLEAR ENOUGH TO BEGIN GETTING SOCIAL WORK PARTNERS ONSITE. BUT ONCE WE DID, WE HAD FOLKS FROM, UH, FROM THE CITY NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS, TRAVIS COUNTY NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS, INTERVAL CARE, WAS THERE, UM, BOTH WITH THEIR IAM COT TEAMS OR THEIR CRISIS INTERVENTION TEAMS AND A VARIETY OF OTHER DISCIPLINES WITHIN INTEGRAL CARE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN COMMUNITY COURT WAS THERE DOING, [01:15:01] UH, DURING COORDINATED ASSESSMENTS AND REALLY JUST A LOT OF VERY SLEEVES ROLLED UP, UH, WORK, UM, TRYING TO FIND RESOURCES FOR FOLKS. BY THE TIME WE STARTED THAT IN THE CENSUS HAD DECREASED QUITE SIGNIFICANTLY. SO WE WERE AT A HIGH OF 459 ONE NIGHT. AND I DON'T REMEMBER IF IT WAS THE NEXT DAY OR THE DAY FOLLOWING WHEN THE WEATHER REALLY BROKE A BIT WITH THE CENSUS, WENT DOWN BY ABOUT A HUNDRED PEOPLE A NIGHT FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF NIGHTS. SO WE PROBABLY STARTED WITH 150 TO 200 PEOPLE ON SITE ONCE WE HAD THE FULLER SOCIAL WORK TEAM, UM, SET UP. SO WE'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. TALK A LITTLE, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, UM, FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT THE SOCIAL WORK TEAM WAS ABLE TO ENGAGE IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. AND SO LET'S SEE, I'M ACTUALLY NOT ABLE TO SEE THE TOP OF THAT, BUT THE, THESE ARE OF COURSE, A SORTED IN ORDER OF FREQUENCY, IT WAS ATYPICAL THAT WE WOULD HAVE A PERMANENT HOUSING RESOURCE AVAILABLE FOR FOLKS, BECAUSE AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IF THOSE RESOURCES WERE READILY AVAILABLE, WE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE ALREADY USED THEM, UH, PLACED PEOPLE INTO HOUSING PRE-STORM, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO DO A NUMBER OF THINGS, UM, THAT GOT FOLKS INTO SAFE SPACES, UM, IN ORDER TO, FOR THEM NOT TO RETURN TO THE STREETS, I DID HAVE QUITE A, YOU KNOW, OF THESE 164 FOLKS ABOUT, OF A QUARTER OF THEM, DID WE THINK RETURN TO HOMELESSNESS, UH, SAID THAT THEY WANTED TO GO ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE GOING TO GO BACK TO THEIR SITES, BUT TRAVIS COUNTY IN PARTICULAR PLACED, UM, OVER TWENTY-FIVE PEOPLE IN BOARDING HOMES, WE HAD ABOUT THE SAME NUMBER OF PEOPLE GO BACK TO THEIR OWN APARTMENTS FOR THOSE WHO, WHO DID HAVE HOUSING, UH, WE'RE ABLE TO IDENTIFY 11 PEOPLE AT PALMER WHO QUALIFIED FOR THE PRO LODGE AND TRANSFER THEM IMMEDIATELY THERE. AND SO THAT WAS FANTASTIC. AND I WILL JUST SAY AS A SIDE NOTE, UM, DEFINITELY WITHIN THAT POPULATION OF GUESTS AT PALMER, WE SAW AN AWFUL LOT OF, UM, CHRONIC ILLNESS AND CONDITIONS THAT CLEARLY, YOU KNOW, COULD USE SOME SUPPORT IN MANAGING. SO THERE'S A LAUNDRY LIST HERE. I WON'T GO THROUGH ALL OF THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE, UM, THERE ARE QUITE A FEW, QUITE A FEW, UH, DIFFERENCES AT DIFFERENT OUTCOMES, BUT I THINK THE MESSAGE HERE IS THAT THE STAFF ONSITE WERE REALLY, UH, JUST BEING INCREDIBLY RESOURCEFUL AND, YOU KNOW, IDENTIFYING OPTIONS FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL PERSON. AND I THINK THAT IT WAS A GOOD EXPERIENCE AND REALLY LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, IN SOME WAYS A SIGNAL OF HOW WE MIGHT DO A LITTLE BIT BETTER AROUND DIVERSION GOING FORWARD, UM, SORT OF GETTING TO A FAIRLY QUICK RESOLUTION FOR FOLKS. UM, AND AGAIN, I THINK GREAT PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE AGENCIES AND I THINK SOME, SOME LESSONS FOR US THERE GOING FORWARD. SO WITH THAT, I WILL MOVE TO THE NEXT SECTION AND THIS WILL BE SOMETHING THAT BELLA WILL GUIDE US THROUGH. SO I KNOW WE'RE RUNNING SHORT ON TIME AND I WANT TO LEAVE ROOM FOR QUESTIONS. I'LL GO FAIRLY QUICKLY. UM, BUT THIS IS A QUICK, UM, REVIEW AND UPDATES ON THE GUIDED PATH PILOT, WHICH, UM, AS DIANE, AS DIANA MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING WAS SOMETHING THAT STARTED IN OCTOBER, 2019. UM, IT WAS, UM, AN EFFORT WHERE THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE, MULTIPLE CITY DEPARTMENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS ALL CAME TOGETHER AND VERY QUICKLY, UM, DEVISED A STRATEGY TO, UM, ENGAGE WITH THE PEOPLE LIVING OUTSIDE OF THE ARCH AND THE SALVATION ARMY DOWNTOWN. UM, BASICALLY IN ONE, ONE BLOCK AREA, UM, WITH THE GOALS OF MAINTAINING THE PUBLIC SPACE, USING INCLUSIVE, UM, PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT, UM, REALLY TO REDUCE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY RISKS, UM, TO THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE LIVING IN THAT ENCAMPMENT, UM, TO UTILIZE THE EXISTING RESOURCES, UM, FROM OUR CITY CONTRACTS. SO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PILOT, THERE WERE NO ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, UM, AVAILABLE. WE USED WHAT WE HAD, UM, AND, UM, BROUGHT EVERYONE TOGETHER TO SEE WHERE THERE WERE GAPS AND SEE WHERE WE COULD SERVE PEOPLE, UM, BASED ON CURRENT RESOURCES. AND THEN THE FINAL GOAL WAS REALLY TO, UM, ANALYZE AND EVALUATE WHAT HAPPENED AND USE THE LESSONS LEARNED AS WE MOVE FORWARD TO ADDRESSING, UM, FUTURE AREAS WHERE PEOPLE ARE LIVING UNSHELTERED, UM, AND THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT, UM, RISKS TO HEALTH AND SAFETY. NEXT SLIDE, [01:20:01] PLEASE. I FAILED TO MENTION ON THE LAST SLIDE, THERE'S A, THERE IS A, UM, TOO, AND IT CAME FROM A STORY THAT WAS ORIGINALLY DONE BY THE STATESMAN AND GOT PICKED UP BY SEVERAL OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS, UM, A SUCCESS STORY. UM, AND SO HAPPY TO FORWARD THAT ON TO COUNCIL MEMBERS. IF YOU DIDN'T SEE THAT THERE'S A LESS THAN A FIVE MINUTE VIDEO AND A, AND A WRITTEN STORY ABOUT ONE INDIVIDUAL THAT, UM, AND HIS JOURNEY THROUGH GUIDED PATH AND HIS SUCCESS INTO HOUSING, THAT'S, THAT'S PRETTY, UM, PRETTY POWERFUL. SO DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO, TO SHOW THAT HERE, BUT, UM, WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT. SO, UM, ESSENTIALLY THERE WERE, UH, WE DID A QUICK SURVEY OUT WITH OUTREACH TEAMS OVER A DAY AND A HALF OUT TO THE PEOPLE, UM, IN THIS ONE PARTICULAR AREA, 99 PEOPLE, UM, COMPLETED THE SURVEY. AND BASICALLY WE'RE JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO WAS THERE AND WHAT THEIR NEEDS WERE, WHAT THEY WERE INTERESTED IN AND WHAT, UM, RESOURCES THEY MAY ALREADY BE CONNECTED WITH. AND, UM, WE CREATED WHAT'S CALLED A BY-NAME LIST. AND SO ESSENTIALLY WE HAD A LIST OF EVERYONE THAT WE TALKED TO AND WHO THEY WERE AND WHAT THEIR NEEDS WERE. UM, WE WORKED WITH OUR SHELTER PARTNERS WHO HAD EMERGENCY SHELTER BEDS AND, UM, AND RESERVE SOME SPECIFIC SHELTER BEDS THAT WERE IMMEDIATELY OFFERED TO PEOPLE WHO MAY HAVE BEEN LIVING OUTSIDE OF THE SHELTERS. UM, AND JUST HADN'T BEEN ENGAGED TO, UM, TO ASK THEM, HEY, WHY DON'T YOU COME INSIDE? WE HAVE A BED, WE HAVE A PLACE FOR YOU TO PUT YOUR BELONGINGS, YOU KNOW, W WE, WE CAN TALK TO YOU ABOUT WHAT RESOURCES WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO ASSIST YOU WITH OR CONNECT YOU WITH. AND, YOU KNOW, LET LET'S, LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS. UM, AND SO JUST EVEN THAT, UM, THAT SORT OF OUTREACH AND IT HADN'T BEEN HAPPENING KIND OF OUTSIDE ON A REGULAR BASIS HAPPENED, UM, THE SHELTERS WAIVED SOME OF THEIR POLICIES, UM, THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN BARRIERS TO PEOPLE COMING INSIDE BEFORE. AND THERE WAS A QUICK NAVIGATION CENTER THAT WAS SET UP INSIDE, UM, TO DO SOME TRIAGED CASE MANAGEMENT AND NAVIGATION TO RESOURCES, YOU KNOW, WHERE CAN YOU GO TO GET SNAP BENEFITS, UM, WHICH IS THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, UM, FOR, UH, ACCESS TO FOOD. AND THEN, UM, THE SERVICES THAT WERE PROVIDED AGAIN WERE PRETTY EXPANSIVE PEER SUPPORT, SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT, CASE MANAGEMENT, TRANSPORTATION, EMPLOYMENT, UM, SERVICES FOR PETS, AND THEN ALSO RESPITE CARE, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND SO JUST A QUICK UPDATE ON WHERE THINGS STAND, AND THEN I'LL, I'LL JUST MENTION A COUPLE OF LESSONS LEARNED. UM, SO WE CAN, UH, KEEP MOVING THROUGH OUR TOPICS TODAY, BUT AGAIN, THERE ARE 99 INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE ON THAT, THAT BY-NAME LIST OR THAT ORIGINAL LIST. UM, 43 OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS HAVE MOVED INTO HOUSING 12 INTO PSH OR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, 25 HAVE BEEN HOUSED THROUGH A RAPID REHOUSING PROGRAM. AND THEN SIX, UM, UM, GOT INTO HOUSING THROUGH OTHER MEANS THERE WERE ACTUALLY A COUPLE OF PEOPLE WHO ALREADY HAD CASE MANAGERS AND WERE ALREADY ENROLLED IN A HOUSING PROGRAM, UM, BUT WERE LIVING OUTSIDE ON THAT STREET CORNER. AND, UM, AND SO THEY WERE WELL ON THEIR WAY AND MOVED INTO HOUSING. UM, VERY SHORTLY AFTER THE GUIDED PATH ON PROGRAM STARTED, UM, THERE ARE 24 INDIVIDUALS CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN HOUSING PROGRAMS. UM, AND FIVE OF THOSE ARE SHELTERING AT PRO AT PRO LODGES, UM, AT THIS TIME. AND THERE ARE NINE INDIVIDUALS WHO'VE NOT YET BEEN MATCHED WITH, UM, A HOUSING PROGRAM. AND THEN FINALLY THERE ARE 23 INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE SORT OF CALLING INACTIVE, UM, FOR VARIOUS REASONS, 14 PEOPLE, UM, WERE NEVER, WE WERE NEVER ABLE TO FIND THEM AGAIN AFTER THAT INITIAL SURVEY. SO THAT FIRST DAY WHEN THE OUTREACH TEAMS WENT OUT AND TALKED TO PEOPLE AND MET THEM, UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, GOT SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED, UM, 14 PEOPLE WE HAVEN'T SEEN SINCE. AND SO THAT WAS AN INTERESTING THING TO THINK ABOUT IN TERMS OF PEOPLE THAT MIGHT BE COMING OR GOING, OR IN THE AREA FOR A SHORT TIME WHO MAY HAVE RESOLVED, UM, THEIR HOUSING CRISIS OR, YOU KNOW, MAY HAVE GONE TO OTHER PLACES. UM, SIX INDIVIDUALS, UM, ARE CURRENTLY INCARCERATED, TWO HAVE PASSED AWAY. AND THEN ONE, WE KNOW THAT LEFT THE AREA PERMANENTLY. UM, SO JUST A COUPLE LESSONS LEARNED, OF COURSE, WE STARTED THIS, UM, AGAIN WITH NO ADDITIONAL RESOURCES, WE DID ADD SOME FUNDING TO SOME OF OUR SERVICE PROVIDER CONTRACTS FOR SOME CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES, BUT WE DID NOT ADD ANY, UM, FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE OR HOUSING RESOURCES TO THOSE CONTRACTS. [01:25:01] UM, AND THE PROVIDERS HAVE INDICATED THAT THEY HAD AN INITIAL WILLINGNESS AND EXCITEMENT TO, UM, BE INVOLVED IN A REALLY FOCUSED, UM, PILOT PROJECT AND REALLY TRIED TO SERVE A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE QUICKLY. UM, BUT, UM, BUT THERE IS A LACK OF RESOURCES AND THAT, THAT, THAT WAS FRUSTRATING. UM, ADDITIONALLY COVID HIT, UM, SHORTLY AFTER THIS PILOT BEGAN, UM, THERE WERE HIRING FREEZES OR, YOU KNOW, TURNOVER OR STAFFING ISSUES. SO EVEN WHEN THERE WAS FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR STAFFING, UM, THAT HAD BEEN A CHALLENGE THROUGHOUT THE TIME. AND THEN, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE'VE FOUND, UM, OVER TIME IN OUR COMMUNITY IS THAT PEOPLE WHO REALLY NEEDED PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING WHO HAVE CHRONIC DISABILITIES AND WOULD NEED ONGOING HOUSING SUBSIDIES AND ONGOING SERVICES. UM, WE DIDN'T HAVE THOSE RESOURCES. AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO SERVE SOME PEOPLE WITH RAPID REHOUSING, BUT THERE WAS AN OVER-RELIANCE ON THAT, WHICH WE COULD MAKE AVAILABLE. UM, AND WE JUST DID MEET MORE PEOPLE NEEDED PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING THAN WE THEN WE COULD LOCATE FOR. SO THOSE WERE OUR, UM, LESSONS LEARNED FROM GUIDED PATH. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE PASS IT OVER TO DIANA. YEAH. SO THIS SHOULD LOOK VERY FAMILIAR TO YOU, COUNCIL MEMBERS, AND I MEAN, HEY, MS. GREG, CAN I JUST, I'M SORRY TO INTERVENE HERE FOR JUST A SECOND. I KNOW THAT WE'RE, UM, RUNNING SHORT ON TIME AND SINCE WE DID TALK ABOUT THIS YESTERDAY, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT IF IT'S ALL RIGHT WITH YOU ALL, THERE'S CERTAINLY A LOT MORE TO TALK ABOUT WITH REGARD TO HEAL. UM, BUT PERHAPS WE COULD SKIP THIS PIECE AND INSTEAD, UM, TURN TO KIND OF YOUR WRAP UP AND THEN TALK ABOUT, I THINK, I THINK WHAT WE LEARNED IN GUIDED PATH MAY HAVE SOME RELEVANCE TO HEAL. SO I THINK IT'LL COME UP IN THE Q AND A PERHAPS, BUT IF WE COULD POTENTIALLY SKIP THIS SIDE, THESE SLIDES, I THINK THAT MIGHT BE MOST, UM, THAT WOULD PRESERVE OUR TIME FOR QUESTIONS. ABSOLUTELY. THAT WAS MY SAME THINKING. I'M SO VERY HAPPY TO DO THAT. AND I'M ON THE SAME WAY. ABSOLUTELY. UH, YEAH, I, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT, UM, THESE ARE A FEW OF THE MANY THINGS, UM, THAT ARE, ARE HAPPENING WITHIN THE DIVISION IN THE COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW. I'M ANXIOUS TO SHARE MORE WITH YOU AS WE MOVE FORWARD THROUGH THIS YEAR AND THE COMING MONTHS, OF COURSE, THE MOST IMMEDIATE PIECE I THINK ON OUR HORIZON, UH, IS THE ROLLING OUT OF THE SUMMIT OUTCOMES NEXT WEEK, UH, THAT IS SCHEDULED NOW FOR, I BELIEVE THURSDAY MORNING, THURSDAY A WEEK FROM TOMORROW. AND SO WE'LL ANTICIPATE BRIEFING COUNSEL VERY SOON AFTER THAT AND, YOU KNOW, DOING SOME ADDITIONAL PLANNING FOR OUR, OUR WORK GOING FORWARD. AND WITH THAT, I WILL, UH, WE ARE JUST AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS. GREAT. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. UM, THANK YOU FOR HITTING SEVERAL REALLY LARGE TOPICS WITHIN THIS COLLEAGUES. I KNOW THAT, UM, I, I DID ASK, UH, THAT WE GET A BRIEFING, UH, SOME INITIAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE STORM SHELTERING IN THIS PRESENTATION. AND I THINK, I KNOW I HAVE LOTS OF QUESTIONS AROUND THAT PIECE OF THE PRESENTATION. I ALSO KNOW THAT IT IS SCHEDULED AS A TOPIC FOR OUR WINTER STORM WORK SESSION. SO I WOULD SUGGEST, UM, JUST IN THE INTEREST OF OUR TIME THAT FIRST WE START WITH OUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE OTHER SEGMENTS OF THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENTATION AND HOLD OUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SHELTERING DURING THE STORM. UM, FOR A LATER PART, EITHER UP TODAY OR FOR OUR CONVERSATION THAT WE'LL HAVE WITH OUR COLLEAGUES, IF THAT SOUNDS GOOD TO EVERYONE, WHY DON'T WE START WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT THE HOTEL CONVERSION, BUT GUIDED PATH AND THE PRO LODGE SECTION, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN. AND THANK YOU BOTH REALLY FOR ALL OF YOUR TREMENDOUS WORK ON ALL OF THESE INITIATIVES. I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN WORKING NONSTOP SINCE YOU GOT HERE, DIANA AND, AND VALLA. YOU'VE BEEN WORKING NONSTOP FOR YEARS VERY LONG TIME. YES, YES. THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR WORK. UM, I HAVE, UM, UH, I'LL JUST ASK, UH, TWO QUICK QUESTIONS TO GIVE EVERYBODY TIME, BUT, UH, LET ME, UH, FOCUS FIRST ON THE, UH, PRO LODGES. UM, COULD YOU TELL US THE STATUS OF THE FEMA REIMBURSEMENT FOR THOSE PRO LODGES? THE REASON I'M ASKING IS I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND THE STATUS AND, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS THERE'S SOME ASSISTANCE THAT THE COUNCIL COULD PROVIDE, BUT I'M NOT QUITE UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE, UM, AND MAYBE IT'S BEEN SOLVED BY NOW. UH, BUT I WASN'T QUITE UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE HOLDUP MIGHT BE. SURE. I CAN SPEAK TO THAT A LITTLE BIT. UM, SO THERE'S, THERE'S A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT STEPS IN THE FEMA REIMBURSEMENT PROCESS. UM, PRIOR TO, UH, ALL [01:30:01] DURING 2020 COMMUNITIES WERE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT A MONTHLY OR A 30 DAY PRE-APPROVAL LETTER TO FEMA FOR NON CONGREGATE SHELTERING. UM, WE DID THAT, UM, FOR BOTH THE ISOLATION FACILITIES OR ISO FACTS, UM, WHICH WERE QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION ROOMS AS WELL AS FOR THE PRO LODGES. UM, AND WE RECEIVED, UH, RESPONSES TO THAT. THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS IN THOSE, IN THOSE APPROVAL LETTERS IS PRE-APPROVAL RESPONSES FROM FEMA THAT WE WERE CONTINUING TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM ABOUT, UM, BEGINNING IN 2021, UH, THAT 30 DAY PRE-APPROVAL STEP IS NO LONGER REQUIRED. UM, BUT WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR THE REIMBURSEMENT IS THEN TO SUBMIT IT, UM, FOR, FOR AN APPLICATION FOR REIMBURSEMENT. AND THERE'S LOTS OF PIECES TO THAT. UM, AND THERE ARE STILL SOME QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE BEEN COMMUNICATING THROUGH, UM, THE STATE, UM, TO OUR FEMA REGIONAL OFFICE ABOUT IN TERMS OF WHAT WOULD BE ALLOWABLE OR ELIGIBLE AND WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE CLARITY ON THAT, UM, BEFORE WE PUT TOGETHER THE APPLICATION FOR REIMBURSEMENT. UM, AND SO THERE'S SEVERAL STEPS TO THAT. SO, UM, THERE HAVE BEEN QUESTIONS ALONG THE WAY. I THINK THAT THERE ARE, HAVE BEEN DIFFERENCES ACROSS DIFFERENT REGIONS. UM, TYPICALLY THE FEMA HEADQUARTERS, UM, HANDLES NON CONGREGATE SHELTERING, BUT BECAUSE THIS WAS A NATIONAL AND CONTINUES TO BE A NATIONAL EMERGENCY, UM, THAT AUTHORITY WAS DELEGATED TO ALL OF THE REGIONAL OFFICES. AND, UM, I THINK AS AN ORGANIZATION, THEY WERE DOING SOME COMMUNICATION ACROSS OFFICES TO DETERMINE AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE RESPONDING TO, UH, YOU KNOW, VARIOUS PROJECTS IN A SIMILAR MANNER. AND SO THAT THOSE CONVERSATIONS WERE HAPPENING, UM, RIGHT WHEN THE STORM, UM, AND SO OF COURSE, THAT KIND OF PUT THINGS OFF FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS FOR AWHILE. SO, UM, SO THAT'S STILL VERY MUCH OUR INTENT TO APPLY FOR THE, UM, THE REIMBURSEMENT. UM, THERE'S NO DEADLINE IN TERMS OF, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, LIKE WE'RE NOT PAST THE DEADLINE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. UM, BUT THE, THE CURRENT WHITE HOUSE ADMINISTRATION DIVIDED ADMINISTRATION HAS ALSO PUT FORWARD, UM, SOME, UM, SOME ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE ON WHAT THAT REIMBURSEMENT MIGHT LOOK LIKE, INCLUDING THE, THE, UM, THE DIRECTION TO LOOK AT A HUNDRED PERCENT OF REIMBURSEMENT RATHER THAN 75%. UM, AND SO I THINK THERE, THERE ARE STILL MANY THINGS IN MOTION, UM, AND MANY STEPS TO THE PROCESS. SO, UM, WE'RE STILL HOPING AND PLANNING ON THAT TO BE PART OF THE, THE FINANCING OF THE NON CONGREGATE SHELTERS. OKAY. ONE QUICK FOLLOW UP. SO IT'S NOT THAT, SO WE HAVEN'T BEEN TURNED DOWN. WE ARE JUST STILL IN THE PROCESS OF APPLYING, RIGHT. THAT'S THE WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT. CORRECT. OKAY. SO, SO THAT MEANS THAT ACCESS TO FUNDING THROUGH FEMA SHOULD NOT BE A DETERMINING FACTOR ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE, OR USE THESE BEDS, BECAUSE IT'S NOT AN ISSUE OF NOT GETTING REIMBURSED FROM FEMA. I MEAN, THERE'S LOTS OF FACTORS THAT GO INTO DECIDING THE BEDS WE NEED, BUT WHAT, BUT FEMA REIMBURSEMENT IS NOT ONE OF THOSE, RIGHT? WELL, WE HAVEN'T BEEN DENIED, BUT WE ALSO HAVEN'T BEEN APPROVED BECAUSE THAT APPLICATION, THAT APPLICATION STEP HASN'T HAPPENED. SO IT IS STILL POSSIBLE. I MEAN, IT IS FEASIBLY POSSIBLE THAT THAT FUNDING, THERE WOULD BE PROBLEMS WITH THAT REIMBURSEMENT WHERE WE'RE JUST, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T, WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN TO THOSE STEPS YET. SO I THINK THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S STILL, THAT'S STILL IS A QUESTION MARK, UM, THAT WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT WHEN LOOKING AT THE DIFFERENT FUNDING RESOURCES. WELL, I GUESS MY POINT, BELLA, THE THING THAT I'M ASKING IS IF, IF, IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE ASKING, WELL, COULD WE OPEN MORE BEDS OR WHY ARE WE NOT KEEPING BEDS OPEN? IT WOULDN'T BE FAIR TO SAY THAT THE REASON IS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE REIMBURSEMENT BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T BEEN TURNED DOWN BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T FINISHED COMPLIANT. SO I I'VE BEEN CONFUSED ABOUT THIS AND IN CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD IN THE PAST, I'VE THOUGHT THAT WE WERE BEING, AND I MAY HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD, BUT I THOUGHT THAT WE WERE BEING CAREFUL, YOU KNOW, BACK IN DECEMBER, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT CLOSING PRO LODGES. AND I THOUGHT THE CONVERSATION AT THAT TIME WAS BECAUSE WE WEREN'T SURE IF WE HAD THE MONEY FOR IT BECAUSE WE THOUGHT I HEARD WE DIDN'T BEEN TURNED DOWN. AND I SOUNDS LIKE I HEARD WRONG, BUT REGARDLESS I WANT TO TAKE AWAY. [01:35:01] I WANT TO TAKE OUT OF THE CONVERSATION ABOUT THE EXTENT TO WHICH WE NEED PRO LODGES, THE QUESTION OF FUNDING. AND I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE CLEARLY SEPARATED. SO, UM, I KNOW THERE'S OTHER THINGS WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT, BUT, UM, BUT CARE THAT'S, THAT'S THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO GET TO BECAUSE IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE, IT'S NOT AT LEAST IT'S IT'S WE DON'T, WE DON'T KNOW YET. SO DO, WHEN ARE WE GOING TO APPLY? UM, I'D HAVE TO CHECK IN WITH, UH, HOMELAND SECURITY, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, HE SOME, UM, AND OUR CONSULTANTS, ET CETERA. SO, YOU KNOW, WE COULD GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT. I DON'T HAVE A DEFINITIVE ANSWER. OKAY. YEAH. IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT'S, UM, THAT IS DEFINITELY AN IMPORTANT QUESTION, BUT I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, MS. CARMEN, THAT WE, THAT NEEDS SOME, SOME UP FROM, FROM EOC. SO PERHAPS, UM, THAT'S INFORMATION THAT WE CAN ALSO TALK TO THE CITY MANAGER ABOUT. OKAY. UM, TOMORROW, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT. OKAY. OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRO LODGES WHILE WE'RE ON THAT TOPIC, I HAVE ONE MORE KATHY, UNLESS YOU WANT TO LET US SHARE THING. YEAH. I'VE GOT A COUPLE, BUT YOU GO AHEAD WITH YOURS. I DIDN'T SEE ANY OTHER HANDS. OKAY. THE QUESTION ABOUT THE PROLOGUE IS DAMN. JUST, UM, UM, SO I'M, I'M WANTING TO UNDERSTAND IF WE'RE LEAVING ANY OF THE ROOMS, NOT FULL UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEXITIES OF WHAT YOU TALKED ABOUT IN TERMS OF THE TIMEFRAMES AS PEOPLE MOVE IN AND OUT AND STUFF LIKE THAT. BUT CAN YOU TELL ME, LIKE, DO WE KNOW THE, HOW LONG A UNIT MAY NOT BE FULL AND IS THERE ANYTHING THAT'S CAUSING THE UNITS TO NOT BE FULL OTHER THAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF HAVING MORE PEOPLE COME IN. SO I, THERE'S JUST A LOT OF DIFFERENT FACTORS. UM, OF COURSE WATCHING THE, THE PANDEMIC AND LOOKING TO SEE WHAT THAT, WHAT THAT NEED MIGHT BE ALSO WITH, UM, THE TWO FACILITIES THAT ARE CITY OWNED THAT HAVE, UM, PURPOSES, UM, OTHER THAN PRO LODGES. UM, AND WHEN THOSE WILL TRANSITION TO OTHER PURPOSES AND KIND OF KEEPING THAT IN MIND, IN TERMS OF OUR, OUR BROADER STRATEGIES IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, AND THEN ALSO LOOKING AT, UM, THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE FOR, UM, FOR CONNECTING PEOPLE TO HOUSING OPTIONS, RIGHT? SO THIS, THE, THE, THE EVENT WITH THE PALMER, UM, SHELTER WAS A GREAT EXAMPLE AND IT'S THE SAME TYPE OF, UM, EMERGENCY SHELTER. IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST, UM, LASTING FOR A YEAR. PLUS IN THAT WHEN WE OPEN THE SHELTERS, WE KNOW WE WILL HAVE TO CLOSE THE SHELTERS AND WE'VE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR CITY COUNCIL'S COMMITMENT TO NOT EXIT PEOPLE INTO UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS. UM, IF WE HAVE ENTIRELY FULL SHELTER BEDS, AND THEN WE HAVE TO CLOSE SHELTERS DOWN, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH A MONTH OR TWO NOTICE, WE, WE, WE WON'T, WE WON'T BE ABLE TO HOUSE 300 PEOPLE IN TWO MONTHS. THAT'S, THAT'S NOT, UM, THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE, UM, IN TERMS OF JUST HOW QUICKLY THAT HAPPENS AND ALL THE DYNAMICS FOR THAT. SO THERE'S MULTIPLE DIFFERENT, UM, FACTORS. AND THEN OF COURSE THE TURNOVER, UM, AND THE ISSUES WITH THE DIFFERENT FIT, THE FACILITIES THEMSELVES. SO THERE'S LOTS OF DIFFERENT FACTORS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT AND WE DO MEET, UM, AND TALK TO OUR NATIONAL CONSULTANTS REGULARLY AND OTHER COMMUNITIES, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO BALANCE ALL THE DIFFERENT PIECES TO THAT. I DON'T KNOW IF DIANA HAD ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD. I DON'T THINK YOU OKAY. SO, UM, I'LL MOVE ON KATHY. OH, STEPHANIE, SORRY. YEAH. SORRY. I, I GOT THE MEETING BACKWARDS DIRECTOR. HADN'T HOWARD. YEAH. THAT'S OKAY. UM, ONE THING I DID WANT TO ADD, UH, FOR THE PROTECTIVE LODGES IS THAT THE MODEL THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED IS, IS THAT WHEN A PERSON IS HOW THAT CASE MANAGER FOLLOWS THAT PERSON TO BE HOUSED. AND SO THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT THING THAT WE ALWAYS HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND. AND SO THE OTHER PIECE TO WHAT VELA WAS KIND OF LAYING OUT IS, IS THAT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THAT CASE MANAGEMENT CAPACITY TO CONTINUE TO, TO FOLLOW PEOPLE. SO, YOU KNOW, START WORKING WITH THEM, YOU KNOW, WITH THE HOUSING TO LOCATE IT, ET CETERA, BUT THEN MAKING SURE WE HAVE THE ADDITIONAL CASE, CASE MANAGEMENT CAPACITY TO FOLLOW PEOPLE AND KEEP THEM SUCCESSFULLY HOUSED. SO I JUST WANT TO MENTION THAT, UM, AS SOMETHING THAT'S WORKING WELL, BUT WE HAVE TO BE, YOU KNOW, VERY CAREFUL, YOU KNOW, [01:40:01] WITH OUR CASE MANAGEMENT CAPACITY. SO IF I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, THE, THE, IT DOES LOOK FROM THIS AS IF THERE ARE QUITE A FEW ROOMS THAT QUITE A FEW ROOMS THAT ARE NOT OCCUPIED. UM, AS YOU INDICATED, THERE WERE 206 INDIVIDUALS THAT SOME INDIVIDUALS ARE, ARE IN THE SAME ROOM. SO I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY INDIVIDUAL ROOMS ARE BEING USED IF OUR CAPACITY THREE 40, EITHER. IT SOUNDS AS IF THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, MORE THAN A HUNDRED ROOMS THAT COULD BE AVAILABLE. I UNDERSTAND SOME ARE BEING RENOVATED. THERE ARE OTHER, SOME ARE IN PROGRESS PROCESS OF BEING, UM, CLEANED AND WHATNOT REPAIRED FOR A FUTURE OCCUPANT. BUT ALSO IF I'M UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, DIRECTOR HAYDEN, HOWARD, SOME OF IT IS A RESOURCE AND CAPACITY ISSUE OF HAVING ENOUGH CASE MANAGEMENT RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THOSE INDIVIDUALS. I THINK IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO KNOW, UM, FOR ME, AND JUST BASED ON COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN'S QUESTIONS AND MAYBE OTHERS, I THINK IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO KNOW HOW MANY OF THOSE ROOMS FALL INTO THOSE CATEGORIES. LIKE I SEE THAT 30 ARE BEING RENOVATED. COULD YOU HELP US, NOT NOW, BUT MAYBE IN A FOLLOWUP SESSION AND MAYBE EVEN NEXT MONTH? UM, NO. WHAT IS THE, WHAT IS THE GAP THERE IN CASE MANAGEMENT RESOURCES? WE KEEP COMING BACK AND AROUND TO THAT. AND, AND I THINK IT EVEN CAME UP IN SOME OF THE SUMMIT CONVERSATIONS LAST WEEK THAT, THAT ONE OF THE REAL LIMITING FACTORS IS NOT JUST THE AVAILABILITY OF HOUSING, BUT THE AVAILABILITY OF SKILLED PROFESSIONALS WHO CAN PROVIDE CASE MANAGEMENT IN THIS COMMUNITY. AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I FLAGGED FOR MY STAFF TO TALK ABOUT IS WHAT, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WAYS THAT WE COULD WORK WITH OUR WORKFORCE PARTNERS TO REALLY ADDRESS THAT GAP, UM, IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND, YOU KNOW, WE SUPPORT SOME GREAT ORGANIZATIONS WORK FOR SOLUTIONS AND, UM, OH MY GOODNESS. I JUST FORGOT ITS NAME CAPITAL CAPITAL IDEA, YOU KNOW, ARE THESE ARE THESE WAYS IN WHICH WE SHOULD, YOU KNOW, AS WE BUILD OUT THIS ECOSYSTEM OF SUPPORT FOR INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN THIS COMMUNITY, UM, IS THAT SOMETHING WE NEED TO BE ATTENDING TO FROM A WORKFORCE ISSUE? UH, BECAUSE IT IS, IT DOES APPEAR TO CONTINUE TO BE A LIMITING FACTOR, BUT MAYBE WE COULD GET SOME ADDITIONAL DETAIL OUTSIDE OF THIS MEETING ON, ON WHAT EXTENT THAT IS REALLY DICTATING, BUT USE OF THOSE ROOMS. UM, THE SECOND THING I WOULD ASK FOR IS IF YOU COULD HELP, HELP ME JUST VERY QUICKLY REMEMBER SOME OF THE, FOR A WHILE, WE WERE JUST CALLING THEM PRO LODGES ONE THROUGH FIVE AND, AND THEY ALSO HAVE NAMES AS HOTELS. AND I'M NOT SURE HOW THEY ALL CORRESPOND IS PRO LODGE THREE, THE DAYS INN AND DISTRICT NINE. SO WE DON'T CURRENTLY OWN THAT. WE'RE JUST LEASING IT. WHY ARE WE RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIRS THAT HAPPENED AS A RESULT OF THE STORM? YOU KNOW, I NEED TO CHECK, THERE WERE REPAIRS AT, UM, NEEDED AT MULTIPLE, UM, FACILITIES. AND SOME OF THOSE MAY HAVE BEEN COVERED BY THE OWNER AND SOME OF THEM MAY HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN OUR LEASE. SO I DON'T HAVE THAT, THOSE DETAILS RIGHT HERE. AND IT WASN'T JUST AT THREE. UM, IT WAS ACROSS THE BOARD. I BELIEVE THAT THERE WERE A COUPLE OF PIPE PIPES BURST. UM, WELL THAT HAPPENED, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE, YEAH. OKAY. SO IT MAY BE, SO IT'S JUST THAT THEY CAN'T BE USED RIGHT NOW. IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THAT IT'S NOT, IT DOESN'T LIKE FALL, BUT IT'S BECOME THE CITY'S RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE AND ABSORB THE FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THOSE REPAIRS. IT'S JUST THAT THOSE UNITS ARE NOW OUT OF COMMISSION FOR AWHILE. RIGHT. GOT IT. OKAY. UM, OTHER OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRO LODGES? I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THE, IT LOOKS AS IF FOURTH, I MEAN, ALMOST 25% OF, OF INDIVIDUALS ARE LEAVING WITHOUT AN EXIT INTERVIEW. I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THAT NUMBER, UM, AND THE REASONS WHY, OR, AND, AND HOPE THAT WE CAN HOPE THAT WE CAN EXPLORE THAT FURTHER TOO, AGAIN, MAYBE OUTSIDE OF THIS MEETING, UM, AND WOULD BE INTERESTED ALSO IN THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY, BUT THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE POINT THAT THOSE WERE NOT FROM COVID. SO IN AS A PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTION DURING THIS PANDEMIC, UM, I THINK THAT SPEAKS, YOU KNOW, THIS, UH, THE INFORMATION YOU'VE PROVIDED TO US ABOUT HEALTH OUTCOMES IS, IS VERY USEFUL, BUT YOU KNOW, HOW VERY SAD THAT THE INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE BEING HOUSED HERE, SO MEDICALLY FRAGILE, FRAGILE THAT WE HAVE HAD, I'VE SEEN SOME, SOME OF THE RESIDENTS PASS AWAY, MAYOR PRO TEM, HARPER MEDICINE. I NOTICED YOU HAD YOUR HAND UP. I DID. THANK YOU. ACTUALLY, I DON'T, I ONLY HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. YOU SAID TURNOVER AND I DON'T KNOW CONTEXTUALLY WHAT THAT WAS IN REFERENCE [01:45:01] TO, UM, AND THEN, UH, FACILITIES ISSUES. I ALSO DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT'S IN REFERENCE TO. I WAS JUST HOPING TO GET A LITTLE MORE CLARITY AROUND WHAT THOSE THINGS MEAN. UH, AND, AND ARE WE STILL TALKING ABOUT PRO LODGES, UH, DURING THE, DURING THAT CONVERSATION, YOU SAID SOMETHING ABOUT ONE OF THE CONSIDERATIONS WAS TURNOVER, AND I JUST, I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU MEANT LIKE EMPLOYEE. NO, NO. ALTHOUGH, ALTHOUGH THE STAFFING HAS ALSO BEEN VERY INTERESTING, UM, UH, BECAUSE THAT HAS CHANGED QUITE A BIT. UM, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED, IT WAS PRIMARILY REASSIGNED CITY STAFF. WE ALSO USE, UM, STAFF FROM TEMP AGENCIES AND CONTRACTED STAFF. SO IT'S, UH, THAT'S ALSO A CHANGE IN EVER-CHANGING ENVIRONMENT FOR DIFFERENT REASONS. I THINK I MENTIONED TURNOVER IN THE SENSE OF PEOPLE EXITING AND OTHER PEOPLE ENTERING, UM, THE ROOMS AS GUESTS. SO WE DO HAVE A PROCESS FOR SCREENING, UM, PEOPLE, UM, FOR, FOR THE HIGH RISK WE HAVE, UM, UM, MULTI-AGENCY TEAM, INCLUDING PHYSICIANS AND, UM, STAFF FROM EMS AND INTEGRAL CARE LOOKING AT, UM, FOLKS WHO MIGHT COME IN, UM, TO SEE THAT THEY MEET THE CDC HIGH RISK CRITERIA, UM, FOR, FOR, UM, FOR SEVERE RISK OF, OF COVID. UM, AND SO THERE, AND THEN, UM, ALSO PEOPLE COME IN, UM, THROUGH, THROUGH, THROUGH THE REFERRAL PROCESS, IF THEY, UM, IF THEY GO TO THE ISO FAC AND, UM, MEET THE HIGH RISK CRITERIA, THEN THEY CAN ALSO BE REFERRED THROUGH THAT PROCESS, BUT THEY ALSO GET SCREENED THERE AS WELL. SO THERE'S CONSTANT CHANGE IN TERMS OF, UM, PEOPLE EXITING, UM, FOR VARIOUS REASONS. AND THEN PEOPLE, I THINK THAT'S WHAT I REFERENCED WHEN I SAID TURNOVER AND THEN FACILITY ISSUES. UM, UH, THE BROOMS HAVE, UH, HAVE TAKEN QUITE, QUITE A BEATING AT TIMES, UM, IN TERMS OF JUST CONSTANT LIVING AND, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S DIFFERENT THAN A HOTEL ROOM, UM, WHERE THERE IS DAILY CLEANING SERVICE, UM, BECAUSE, BECAUSE OF THE USE OF THE FACILITY FOR, FOR COVID, WE DON'T HAVE PEOPLE GOING INTO ROOMS WHO AREN'T LIVING THERE. SO THERE IS, UM, CHECKS ON THE ROOMS AND THERE'S TRASH PICKUP, BUT MEALS ARE DELIVERED OUTSIDE OF THE ROOMS, ET CETERA. SO, SO MAINTAINING THAT SOCIAL DISTANCE SCENE AND KEEPING THAT PROTECTION IN PLACE IS A BIG PART OF THE PROLOGUE PROGRAM. UM, BUT, UM, THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF WEAR AND TEAR ON THE ROOMS. AND SO IT'S JUST SORT OF CONSTANT THAT, THAT JUST HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE ARE STAYING AND, AND BECAUSE OF THE, UH, THE PANDEMIC, PEOPLE ARE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME IN THOSE ROOMS. SO NOTHING NEFARIOUS, JUST KIND OF HOW, HOW LIFE GOES IN TERMS OF WEAR AND TEAR ON THE FACADE. I APPRECIATE IT. I'VE LEARNED BETTER THAN TO MAKE ANY ASSUMPTIONS IN THIS JOB, BUT YOU BETTER ASK. UM, AND SO THEN THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD WAS I, I PULLED UP THE SLIDES, BUT THEN I GOT FASCINATED BY ANOTHER ONE. SO I DON'T KNOW, I LOST IT SOMEWHERE. UH, ONE OF THE RESOLUTIONS THOUGH, WAS SELF RESOLVED OR SELF RESOLUTION. I WAS JUST CURIOUS WHAT THAT MEANS. I'M SORRY. I, UH, I THINK THAT POSSIBLY WAS IN THE GOD PATH INITIATIVE. I THINK THERE WAS A NUMBER FOR SELF RESOLVED. SO, UM, WE USE THAT TERM IF SOMEONE, UM, UH, BASICALLY, UM, DEALS WITH THEIR HOUSING CRISIS ON THEIR OWN. SO THEY DON'T, THEY DON'T ENROLL IN A RAPID REHOUSING PROGRAM, A SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAM, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAM. THEY, THEY RESOLVE THEIR HOUSING CRISIS, UM, ON THEIR OWN. THEY MAY GET SOME ASSISTANCE, MAYBE THEY, THEY JUST NEED, UH, YOU KNOW, HELP PAYING OFF A UTILITY BILL. THEY HAVE A PLACE TO LIVE, THEY MAY HAVE A LEASE PENDING, BUT THEY HAVE ONE SMALL BARRIER. AND SO THEY'RE ABLE TO SORT OF, UM, SELF SELF RESOLVE THEIR HOUSING CRISIS. UM, THAT TYPICALLY, I DON'T THINK I ARTICULATED WELL, BUT THAT'S WHAT I WAS ASKING. SO WHEN PEOPLE SELF RESOLVE, WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT, WHAT'S THE MANIFESTATION OF THAT? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? AND I THINK YOU ANSWERED MY QUESTION, SO THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH. THEN THE LAST QUESTION I WOULD ASK, UM, UH, THERE WAS, UH, THERE WAS, UH, IN THAT SAME SECTION, THERE WAS A, UH, A SECTION FOR GREYHOUND BUS. I THINK THAT WAS PART OF THE REUNIFICATION PROCESS. AND I THINK THAT WAS PART OF THE, THE STORM URI, THE DIFFERENT PLACES THAT PEOPLE WENT, BUT WE DID HELP A LOT [01:50:01] OF PEOPLE. I WAS WORKING IN THE DEL VALLEY, UM, HIGH SCHOOL SHELTER, AND I KNOW WE CONNECTED SOME PEOPLE WITH, UM, BUS TICKETS, SOME PEOPLE THAT WERE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS OR THAT JUST, UH, HAD DAMAGE TO THEIR HOMES AND NEEDED A, YOU KNOW, HELP TO GO STAY WITH A FRIEND OR A RELATIVE, UM, EITHER FOR SHORT-TERM OR LONG-TERM. SO I THINK THAT'S WHAT THAT REFERENCES, I DON'T KNOW. DIANA DOES THAT SOUND RIGHT? THAT'S RIGHT. THANK YOU. THERE'S A LOT. I HAVE ABOUT A ZILLION QUESTIONS STILL REMAINING, AND WE'RE RUNNING SHORT ON TIME. I'D LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT WE KEEP, UM, THESE PRESENTATIONS ATTACHED TO OUR NEXT MONTH'S MEETING AS WELL, SO THAT WE CAN, AND REALLY NEEDING TO DIG INTO THESE. AGAIN, SOME OF THESE ISSUES WE'LL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DIG INTO IN TWO DIFFERENT FORUMS, THE EMERGENCY STORM, UM, THE EMERGENCY STORM WORK SESSION WITH REGARD TO THE SHOW AND DIANA, YOU MAY BE PRESENTING ABOUT HEAL BEFORE OUR NEXT MEETING OF THIS COMMITTEE. AND SO THAT WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TALK THERE, BUT I JUST WANT TO THROW OUT THERE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS I HAVE ABOUT THE HOTEL MOTELS, UM, EFFORTS, I THINK ARE NOT, ARE NOT THINGS WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET IN TODAY, BUT I, I WANT TO RETURN TO SOMETHING THAT SOME THINKING THAT I'VE BEEN DOING, UM, RELATED TO THE MAYOR PRETENSE QUESTION ABOUT FACILITY USE WITH REGARD TO OUR HOTEL MOTEL. SO WE'RE LEARNING SOMETHING ABOUT FACILITY USE IN THOSE PRO LODGES AND, AND, AND ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO MAINTAIN THOSE SPACES WHEN PEOPLE ARE STAYING IN THEM OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, AS THEY DO IN MORE PERMANENT HOUSING. AND I'M THINKING BACK ON A COMMENT THAT, UM, SOME, ONE OF THE SUMMIT PARTICIPANTS MADE LAST WEEK, UH, SHE WAS, UH, SHE IS A PERSON WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE AND TALKED ABOUT, AND JUST MENTIONED THAT IT WAS THAT HOTEL MOTELS CAN PRESENT SOME, SOME CHALLENGES FOR RESIDENTS AND, AND THERE WASN'T AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY, FOR HER TO ELABORATE ON THAT. SO I'VE BEEN RUMINATING ON WHAT THOSE MIGHT BE, BUT ONE QUESTION, I GUESS, I, I WANT TO THROW OUT THERE, MAYBE NOT FOR DISCUSSION TODAY, BUT AS WE CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT THE HOTEL MOTEL STRATEGY ARE THESE SPACES THAT ARE REALLY BUILT FOR PERMANENT MORE PERMANENT OCCUPANCY. UM, ARE THEY BUILT DIFFERENTLY FROM SAY MULTI-FAMILY APARTMENTS AND DO THEY LEND THEMSELVES AS WELL TO LONG-TERM OCCUPANCY FOR THE RESIDENTS? SO, YOU KNOW, ARE WE, UH, IN OUR, IN OUR, UM, ZEAL AND I THINK IT'S A GOOD SEAL AND AN IMPORTANT MOVE TO GO TOWARD HOTEL MOTELS, BUT IS, IS THAT THE ONLY PLACE WE WANT TO INVEST? DO WE WANT TO ALSO LOOK AT MULTIFAMILY APARTMENTS IS THE HOUSING SIMILAR IS A CONSTRUCTION, UM, AS TAILORED AS IT NEEDS TO BE REALLY FOR, FOR, UM, THE USES TO WHICH WE'RE NOW TALKING ABOUT, PUTTING IT FOR THAT'S A HORRIBLE SENTENCE GRAMMATICALLY, BUT YOU KNOW, IF PEOPLE ARE LIVING IN IT, BASICALLY, IF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO STAY THERE AS PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, ARE THESE PLACES REALLY WELL SUITED? I MEAN, FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES, CONVERSIONS HAVE BEEN TERRIFIC AND SHOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THOSE CAN BE REALLY DYNAMIZED PLACES, UM, TO LIVE IN. ARE WE GOING TO DO THE SAME KINDS OF RENOVATION? ARE WE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY, UM, DO WE NEED TO, TO QUESTION THAT BEFORE WE CONTINUE ON THE PATH OF BUYING HOTEL MOTELS, OR SHOULD WE ALSO CONSIDER ADDING SOME MULTI-FAMILY APARTMENTS TO OUR TOUR MIX SO THAT WE HAVE A VARIETY? SO, SO VERY QUICKLY, I'LL SAY I AM ALL ABOUT DIVERSITY IN OUR PORTFOLIO. YOU KNOW, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THAT AND THAT, UM, I AGREE THAT AS WE ACQUIRE HOTELS, UH, MANY OF THEM ARE VERY CLOSE TO READY FOR OCCUPANCY, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE RECOMMEND AGAINST SIMPLY MOVING FOLKS IN. WE NEED TO LOOK TYPICALLY THOUGHTFULLY AT, UM, THE CONFIGURATION OF THE HOTEL AND THE MATERIALS AND FINISHES THAT ARE THERE AND MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED TO BETTER SUIT THE LONGER-TERM USE, UM, BY COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN. THANKS FOR JOINING US. I KNOW I HAVE TO LEAVE, SORRY. UM, THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, DIANA AND I HAVE, I'LL SEE IF I CAN FIGURE OUT A WAY TO SHARE IT. I'M ASHLEY RICHARDSON ON MY STAFF ALSO MADE ME AWARE OF A REALLY INTERESTING TALK THAT SHE, UM, VIRTUALLY ATTENDED ABOUT DESIGN ELEMENTS THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WITH REGARD TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING THAT I THINK MIGHT ALSO BE OF INTEREST AS WE CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT THESE OPTIONS, COLLEAGUES TO US. UM, ANY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COUNCILMEMBER, FRONT? I SAID IT, YOU HAVEN'T HAD AN OPPORTUNITY IN THIS SEGMENT. I JUST WANT TO RECOGNIZE YOU IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. NO QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME. YEAH. THANK YOU. GREAT. THANKS ANY OTHERS? WELL, AGAIN, I THINK I HAVE ABOUT, LET ME SEE IF I HAVE ANY QUICK, QUICK ONES, UM, BUT TO HAVE ONE CHAIR. YEAH. AND I THINK IT MIGHT ACTUALLY TIE INTO WHEN WE GET TO [01:55:01] THE PART WHERE WE DISCUSSED FUTURE ITEMS TO TAKE UP. UM, AND IT'S ABOUT REUNIFICATION, I GUESS I'M JUST TRYING TO FIND OUT AS MUCH AS I CAN. MY HOPE IS THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO MAYBE GET A PRESENTATION FROM THESE FOLKS, BUT, UM, CHRIS, OVER AT, UM, TO INTRODUCED ME TO, UM, GRACE AT THE GREEN LIGHT ARE Y'ALL FAMILIAR WITH THEM. UM, IT'S A REUNIFICATION PROJECT OUT OF NEW ORLEANS, UM, CHILE, I, THIS ISABELLA, UM, CARMEN, I ACTUALLY MET THEM, UM, WITH, UM, THE OTHER ONE'S FOUNDATION ON MONDAY. UM YEP. UM, SAW THEIR PROPOSAL AND TALKED ABOUT, UM, THAT TYPE OF PROGRAM. AND I, I ABSOLUTELY THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING WE NEED MORE OF IN OUR COMMUNITY. I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT. CAUSE THAT'S WHAT I WAS SORT OF WANTING TO KNOW. AND I'M HOPING THAT MAYBE, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OUR CHAIR, UM, IS REALLY WANTING TO FOCUS, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF OUR ATTENTION WITH THIS COMMITTEE ON HOMELESSNESS, THAT'S A, THAT'S A PART OF THE CONVERSATION THAT I HOPE WE GET TO EXPLORE SOME MORE, WHAT ALL THE OPTIONS ARE. SOUNDS GOOD. THANK YOU. THANKS FOR MENTIONING THAT. I HAVE, UM, TOO MANY QUESTIONS TO ASK, BUT I'M GOING TO ASK ONE LAST ONE ON THE GUIDED PATH PILOT, THANKS FOR THIS INFO. UM, VERY QUICKLY, MY FIRST LEVEL COMP QUESTIONS ON THIS, THE TWO INDIVIDUALS WHO PASSED AWAY WHO WERE PART OF THE BY-NAME LIST, IF YOU COULD EITHER NOW OR EVENTUALLY PROVIDE ME WITH INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THEY WERE PRIORITIZED FOR HOUSING, I'D LIKE TO GET A SENSE OF WHETHER OUR, I THINK IT'S THE ABUSE, THE DEBT, UM, SYSTEM, HOW WELL IT IS CAPTURING INDIVIDUALS WITH WHO ARE HIGHLY MEDICALLY VULNERABLE. UM, AND SO THAT MAY BE ONE WAY OF JUST, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT. I'M ALSO WONDERING ABOUT, UM, SOME DETAILS YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT SOME INDIVIDUALS WERE ALREADY INVOLVED WERE ALREADY PRIOR TO THE CREATION OF THE BY NAME LIST. AND I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR AUDIENCE WHO MIGHT BE WATCHING THAT DIDN'T MEAN THEY WERE IN HOUSING. UM, THAT JUST MEANT THEY WERE IN THE QUEUE FOR HOUSING AND BEING CONNECTED IN THE PROCESS OF BEING CONNECTED OR WHERE WERE THEY IN THE PROCESS OF BEING CONNECTED TO HOUSING THAT'S RIGHT. THEY WERE NOT IN HOUSING. THEY WERE ENROLLED IN A HOUSING PROGRAM WITH THE CASE MANAGER. UM, BUT OUR COMMUNITY, UM, AS IS, UM, RECOMMENDED, UM, DOESN'T ONLY HOUSE PEOPLE THAT ARE STAYING IN SHELTERS. SO WE CONNECT PEOPLE AND WE DON'T HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY ENOUGH SHELTER BEDS FOR EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO ACCESS SHELTER TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. SO, UM, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING ON SHELTER RIGHT NOW WHO ARE, UM, GET ENROLLED, UM, IN A HOUSING PROGRAM, WHETHER THAT'S A RAPID REHOUSING OR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAM, THEY WORK WITH THE CASE MANAGER, THEY GO THROUGH ALL THE SAME STEPS, UM, THAT SOMEONE IN SHELTER WOULD, UM, THAT'S LOOKING FOR HOUSING IN TERMS OF LOCATING A PLACE AND DOING THE APPLICATION AND GETTING ANY DOCUMENTS, IDS, THAT SORT OF THING. UM, BUT THEY WOULD, UM, THEY WOULD MOVE STRAIGHT FROM BEING, UM, LIVING OUT ON THE STREETS OR LIVING OUT ON SHELTERED, UM, INTO PERMANENT HOUSING. AND I THINK OUR COMMUNITIES ABOUT 50, A LITTLE OVER 50% OF THE PEOPLE, UM, THAT GET HOUSED, UM, GO THROUGH THAT ROUTE. SO, AND THAT HAPPENS THROUGH OUTREACH TEAMS. OUR HOST TEAM CERTAINLY CONNECTS PEOPLE TO HOUSING PROGRAMS, PROGRAMS, UM, AND PATH AND LINK AND OTHER, UM, I KNOW THE OTHER ONE'S FOUNDATION WHO'S, UM, WORKING AT IT, UH, ESPERANZA, UM, DO THAT AS WELL AND THEY CONNECT PEOPLE TO HOUSING. UM, SO DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? IT DOES. AND AGAIN, I THINK THERE'S MORE TO, MORE TO LEARN FROM THE GUIDED PATH PILOT, ESPECIALLY AS WE MOVE INTO ANOTHER ENCAMPMENT RESPONSE STRATEGY. UM, ESPECIALLY I THINK THERE'S A LOT TO LEARN ABOUT THE NEED TO REALLY RESOURCE IT, BUT GETTING, GETTING A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION, MORE DETAILED INFORMATION WITHIN THIS COMMITTEE WOULD BE USEFUL THEN. AND IF I CAN, I'LL TRY TO, UM, LET YOU KNOW SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS IN ADVANCE OF OUR NEXT MEETING, BUT HOPEFULLY AGAIN, WE'LL LEAVE THIS AS, UM, THIS IS GREAT. THIS IS A GREAT OVERVIEW OF THE ITEMS THAT WE ASKED YOU TO FOCUS ON AND WE'LL RETURN TO THEM NEXT MEETING WITH ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, ALLOWING, ALLOWING OUR, OUR COMMITTEE TO ASK ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. MAYOR PRO TEM HARPER, MADISON HAS REQUESTED THAT WE DISCUSS, UM, SOME REUNIFICATION PROGRAMS. AND WE'LL SEE IF WE CAN PUT THAT ON NEXT MONTH'S AGENDA TOO, DEPENDING ON WHAT ELSE WE HAVE. I'D ALSO LIKE TO DISCUSS THAT ISSUE KIND OF IN THE CONTEXT OF SOME OF THE BROADER EFFORTS I KNOW, UM, OR CODE GAVE A TRAINING TO ALL OF OUR HOUSING PROVIDERS BACK IN 2019 REGARDING DIVERSIFICATION AND REUNIFICATION STRATEGIES. AND SO IT'D BE INTERESTING TO [02:00:01] KNOW WHAT SOME OF THE, WHAT SOME OF THE RESULTS OF THAT WORK HAS BEEN. AND I KNOW THE DA WAS EXPLORING THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN ALLIANCE HAS EXPLORING YOU ALL NEED TO REMIND ME IF I USE ACRONYMS. UM, THE DOWNTOWN ESTELLE ALLIANCE HAS BEEN EXPLORING SOME REUNIFICATION PROGRAMS AND LOOKING AT MODELS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SO THAT WOULD BE, THAT'D BE A GOOD CONVERSATION FOR NEXT TIME. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE [4. Discussion regarding the prospect of designated camping areas.] TO SKIP, UH, THE LAST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA THAT WE HAVEN'T TAKEN UP YET. AND THAT IS THE ENCAMPMENT, UM, THE CONVERSATION AROUND DESIGNATED AMPING AREAS. WE SO WITH, UM, THAT'S PROBABLY ONE THAT WE'LL JUST HAVE TO TAKE UP AS A FULL COUNCIL IN THE CONTEXT OF, OF SOME OTHER WORK, AT LEAST FOR TODAY. ANY LAST THOUGHTS BEFORE WE MOVE ON, WE DID TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT FIVE AND SIX. SO WE'RE GOING TO ADJOURN ONCE WE'RE DONE ME A PRETEND HARPER MEDICINE SHARE WITH ME THAT INFORMATION FROM THE, FROM THE STUDY THAT WAS CONDUCTED IN 2019. SURE. I WILL SEE, I WILL, UM, TRY TO GET THAT TRACK DOWN. I THINK THE WORK HAPPENED BETWEEN IN, UM, OCTOBER, 2019, AND I WILL ASK MY STAFF TO, TO, UH, WORK WITH YOUR STAFF. AWESOME. THANK YOU ON THAT. YEP. ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY. THANKS SO MUCH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, DIANA. THANK YOU, DIRECTOR HAYDEN HOWARD. THIS IS REALLY GREAT INFORMATION. I LOOK FORWARD TO IT BEING KIND OF FOUNDATIONAL FOR SOME OF OUR MEETINGS I HAD. ABSOLUTELY. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR WORK. THANK YOU. . * 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.