[00:00:01]
[CALL TO ORDER]
GOOD MORNING.MY NAME IS VANESSA FUENTES, AUSTIN CITY COUNCILWOMAN FOR DISTRICT TWO.
I CALLED TO ORDER THIS MEETING OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE.
THE TIME IS 10:00 AM ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8TH, 2023, AND WE ARE HERE IN THE CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS.
I WANNA WELCOME EVERYONE FOR OUR FIRST PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE MEETING OF THIS YEAR.
I AM HONORED TO, TO SERVE AS CHAIR AND TO HAVE, UH, MY COLLEAGUE, COUNCIL MEMBER VELASQUEZ SERVE AS VICE CHAIR.
UH, WELCOME AND THANK YOU MAYOR FOR ALSO SERVING ON THIS COMMITTEE.
AND WE ARE ALSO JOINED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ZOE CADRE, WHO IS JOINING US FOR TODAY'S TOPIC.
SO WE HAVE, UH, A LOT TO, TO ACCOMPLISH TODAY AND A LOT OF TOPICS TO COVER.
UM, AND SO I WANNA LAY OUT TODAY'S AGENDA, UH, WHICH INCLUDES, FIRST WE'RE GONNA HAVE PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS.
THEN WE WILL HOP INTO APPROVING MINUTES FROM THE PAST TWO PREVIOUS COMMITTEE MEETINGS.
UH, FROM THERE, DIANA GRAY, OUR HOMELESSNESS STRATEGY OFFICER, WILL PROVIDE US A, A BRIEFING ON THE LATEST ISSUES RELATED TO HOMELESSNESS, AS WELL AS AN UPDATE REGARDING, REGARDING THE CLOSURE OF THE SALVATION ARMY SHELTER DOWNTOWN.
WE ALSO HAVE HERE WITH US TODAY REPRESENTATIVES FROM SH SALVATION ARMY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.
SO WE'LL BRING THEM, UH, UP TO THE PODIUM.
FROM THERE, WE'LL MOVE INTO A BRIEFING LED BY DIRECTOR WEEKS REGARDING THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY LONG RANGE STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND FROM THERE, WE WILL HOLD THE REMAINING OF OUR TIME TOGETHER TO BRAINSTORM FUTURE AGENDA MEETING TOPICS AND ITEMS. UH, BIG THANK YOU TO OUR PUBLIC HEALTH TEAM, UH, ESPECIALLY JUANITA JACKSON, WHO IS OUR LIAISON TO THE COMMITTEE AND DIRECTOR ADRIAN STIR FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK AND, AND SUPPORT AND MAKING TODAY'S COMMITTEE MEETING FUNCTION SO SEAMLESSLY.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THE AGENDA SO FAR? ALRIGHT.
UH, AND ALSO JUST WANNA THANK AMELIA CAST WITH MY TEAM FOR HER SUPPORT ON THIS COMMITTEE.
UH, NOW WE'LL HAVE, WE'LL WELCOME SPEAKERS FROM THE COMMUNITY, AND I SEE THAT WE HAVE A NUMBER OF SPEAKERS SIGNED UP.
UH, CLERK, DO YOU WANT ME TO CALL THE SPEAKERS OUT, OR, OR WILL SOMEONE LIST THEM? WE CAN CALL THE NAMES OUT.
AND I HAVE A RASPY VOICE, SO PLEASE FORGIVE ME IF I MISPRONOUNCE A NAME.
UM, CELENTE, UM, REQUESTING THANK, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE.
I'M FROM THE TEXAS HARM REDUCTION ALLIANCE.
I'M THE ORGANIZING DIRECTOR, AND WE HAVE, UH, NEW A NUMBER OF RESIDENTS HERE THAT ARE READY TO TESTIFY AS WELL.
BUT WE WERE HOPING WE COULD GET AN UPDATE ABOUT THE CITY'S CONVERSATIONS BEFORE WE TESTIFY AND HAVE A MOMENT TO RESPOND, BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE HAVE BEEN CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE NOT PRIVY TO.
[3. Briefing and discussion on issues related to homelessness]
THAT SOUNDS, IF THAT'S OKAY WITH THE COMMITTEE, WE WILL, UH, SAVE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION UNTIL AFTER THE UPDATE.UM, JUST TO CLARIFY, YOU WANT EACH SPEAKER THREE MINUTES? YES, PLEASE.
WE'RE GONNA MOVE INTO THE UPDATE PROVIDED BY DTA GRAY, AND THEN WE'LL TAKE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION RIGHT AFTER, UM, RIGHT AFTER WE HEAR FROM SALVATION ARMY.
GOOD MORNING, CHAIR, FUENTES, UM, AND, UH, COMMITTEE MEMBERS.
I'M VERY HAPPY TO, UH, BE SPEAKING TO YOU FOR THE FIRST TIME AS THE NEWLY CONSTITUTED PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE.
UH, SO TODAY WE'LL BE GIVING YOU AN UPDATE, UM, PRETTY BROAD OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE HOMELESS, UH, RESPONSE SPACE.
UM, AND I, I THINK IN PARTICULAR, KNOWING THAT WE HAVE A COUPLE OF NEW MEMBERS WANTED TO DO THAT OVERVIEW ALSO TO TEE UP THE CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT SOME OF YOUR PRIORITIES WILL BE FOR FUTURE MEETINGS.
SO IF WE CAN GO AHEAD AND, UH, BRING UP THE SLIDE DECK, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD TO THAT.
SO, JUST AN OVERVIEW OF THE HOMELESS STRATEGY DIVISION.
UM, THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICER POSITION WAS CREATED IN THE FALL OF THE, OF 2018, UH, IN THE BUDGET PROCESS.
UH, AND THEY HAD SEVERAL INTERIM OFFICERS, UH, UNTIL JANUARY OF 2020 WHEN THE DIVISION WAS CREATED WITHIN AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH.
IT WAS ALSO AT THAT TIME, UM, THAT, UH, WE HAD ANOTHER INTERIM OFFICER, UH, VALLA CARMEN, WHO
[00:05:01]
IS, CONTINUES WITH THE DIVISION TODAY.AND I CAME ON BOARD IN JANUARY OF 2021.
UH, WE HAVE, UM, UH, GRADUALLY STAFFED THE DIVISION.
UH, AT PRESENT WE HAVE 12 REGULAR FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT STAFF, UH, PEOPLE, UM, AND THEN ABOUT 15 TEMPORARY OR GRANT FUNDED STAFF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN CRITICAL IN ALLOWING US TO RUN A SHELTER, UH, DIRECTLY, WHICH, UM, WE, WE ANTICIPATE BEING A TEMPORARY FUNCTION AND TO HANDLE THE VERY SIGNIFICANT CONTRACTING RELATED TO OUR ARPA DOLLARS GOING OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, JUST IN GENERAL, OUR, UH, OUR PRIMARY ROLES OBVIOUSLY ARE AROUND POLICY AND PLANNING, MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL AND LEADERSHIP ABOUT, UH, STRATEGIES WE CAN TAKE TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE.
UH, WE ALSO PLAY A VERY SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN HELPING COORDINATE ACROSS DEPARTMENTS.
THERE ARE ABOUT 16 DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE MEANINGFULLY INVOLVED IN THIS, UH, IN THIS WORK.
AND IT'S BEEN REALLY IMPORTANT TO DEVELOP SOME INFRASTRUCTURE, UH, FOR THAT COORDINATION.
WE, UH, SERVE AS, IN MANY CASES THE PRIMARY POINT OF CONTACT FOR THE COMMUNITY, UH, BOTH AROUND CONCERNS AND COLLABORATION.
UH, IN PARTICULAR, OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ENDING COMMUNITY HOMELESSNESS COALITION, WHICH IS THE HUD MANDATED, UM, UH, CONTINUUM OF CARE AGENCY IS A REALLY KEY RELATIONSHIP, BUT MANY, MANY STAKEHOLDERS.
AND THEN FINALLY, GENERAL COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
UH, WE INTERACT WITH, UH, UH, REALLY A HUGE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUAL CONSTITUENTS, AS WELL AS COMMUNITY GROUPS, ET CETERA, UM, TO TRY TO INCREASE OUR RESPONSIVENESS AROUND THIS ISSUE, KNOWING THAT IT IS OF GREAT CONCERN AND INTEREST TO MANY PEOPLE.
I THINK THAT I WANNA TOUCH BRIEFLY ON OUR SYSTEM, UH, SORT OF THE STATUS OF THE POPULATION, UM, IN AUSTIN TODAY, AND HOW OUR SYSTEM HAS FUNCTIONED HISTORICALLY.
UH, MOST RECENT, UH, ESTIMATES BY ECHO, AND THIS IS BASED ON SOME, UH, STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, WE WILL HAVE A POINT IN TIME COUNT RESULT HERE RELATIVELY SOON AS WELL, WHICH IS A PHYSICAL CENSUS.
BUT THE STATISTIC ANALYSIS INDICATES THAT WE HAVE OVER 4,600 PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS ON ANY GIVEN DAY IN AUSTIN, UH, ABOUT A LITTLE OVER 800 IN SHELTER AND 3,800 PLUS UNSHELTERED.
AND PREDO, PREDOMINANTLY UNSHELTERED POPULATION.
UH, OUR SERVICE PROVIDERS, UH, HISTORICALLY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REHOUSE, UH, BETWEEN 1700 AND 1900 HOUSEHOLDS PER YEAR, UH, IN PROGRAMMING SOME FOLKS SELF-RESOLVE.
UH, BUT IN OUR, UH, FUNDED PROGRAMS, THAT HAS BEEN OUR HISTORIC NUMBER, UH, WE ARE HOPING TO, UH, MARKEDLY INCREASE THAT THIS YEAR AND NEXT YEAR, WHICH WE'LL SPEAK ABOUT IN A MOMENT.
UH, BUT THE OTHER PIECE TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT IN THOSE PROGRAMS, UH, ONCE PEOPLE ARE REHOUSED, THE STABILITY IS, IS PRETTY POSITIVE.
NOT EVERYONE STAYS HOUSED, BUT THE, OUR, OUR NUMBERS TELL US THAT ONLY ABOUT 12% OF PEOPLE HOUSED THROUGH A PERMANENT HOUSING PROGRAM RETURNED TO HOMELESSNESS WITHIN THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
UH, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE OF SCALE.
WE HAVEN'T HAD ENOUGH SERVICES TO MEET THE NEED, BUT WE UNDERSTAND ALSO THAT THERE'S AN INTEREST IN WHAT THE CITY'S INVESTMENT IS IN HOMELESSNESS, AS WELL AS WHAT OUR OTHER JURISDICTIONAL PARTNERS ARE INVESTING.
AND SO THE FIRST, UH, THE, THE FIRST PIECE HERE, UH, GIVES OUR FISCAL YEAR, UH, FISCAL 23 BUDGET, UM, SEPARATED INTO THE FOUR MAJOR CATEGORIES.
WE TRACK, UH, PREVENTION CRISIS RESPONSE, WHICH INCLUDES SHELTERS AND STREET OUTREACH, HOUSING STABILIZATION, SO THAT IS RAPID REHOUSING.
AND PS H AND I DO WANNA BE CLEAR HERE, THIS IS BOTH CAPITAL AND OPERATIONAL DOLLARS.
SO VERY SIGNIFICANT CAPITAL INVESTMENT, WHICH OF COURSE IS AN ASSET THAT OUR COMMUNITY WILL ENJOY FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.
AND THEN FINALLY, ABOUT ALMOST 7 MILLION ON PUBLIC SPACE MANAGEMENT THAT PREDOMINANTLY CORRESPONDS TO THE COSTS OF CLEANUP, UM, THROUGH A R R, PUBLIC WORKS, ET CETERA, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE STAFFING RELATED TO ENGAGING, UM, WITH PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN PAR, IN WATERSHED, ET CETERA.
UM, THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE OUR ARPA MONEY, BUT IT DOES INCLUDE, UM, OTHER FEDERAL DOLLARS THAT FLOW THROUGH THE CITY ANNUALLY IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH OF THE EFFORT AROUND HOMELESSNESS THE CITY FUNDS.
UM, WE ARE THE LARGEST SINGLE FUNDER, UH, FOR DIRECT INTERVENTION IN HOMELESSNESS.
YOU'LL SEE THE GRAPH THERE BELOW, I BELIEVE IT IS AROUND 65% OF THE TOTAL.
BUT WE DO HAVE SIGNIFICANT, UM, UH, INVESTMENT AT THE FEDERAL, UM, COUNTY AND STATE LEVELS, UH, IN PARTICULAR, THE FEDERAL DOLLARS, UH, COME
[00:10:01]
DOWN THROUGH THE CONTINUUM OF CARE.THOSE ARE DOLLARS THAT ARE LARGELY COORDINATED BY OUR HOMELESS COALITION.
AND THE OTHER PIECE THAT IS SO CRITICAL, THERE ARE OUR PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITIES WHO HAVE BEEN SETTING ASIDE VOUCHERS.
WE'LL GO AHEAD TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO, IN ORDER TO SCALE THE SYSTEM, AND REALLY WHAT WE HOPE TO DO IS TO, UH, RESOLVE SOME OF THIS, UH, MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR HOUSING, UH, FOR, FOR SO LONG.
IN EARLY 21, UH, THERE WAS A SUMMIT TO ADDRESS UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS, WHICH RESULTED IN AN INITIATIVE NOW KNOWN AS FINDING HOME A T X, WITH THE GOAL OF REHOUSING AND ADDITIONAL PEOPLE OVER OUR BASELINE, UM, UH, FROM 2022 TO 2024.
SO THOSE 3000 PEOPLE THAT WE HOPE TO REHOUSE 1300 WOULD BE ACCOMMODATED IN NEW BRICK AND MORTAR HOUSING UNITS.
AND THE OTHER 1700, UM, THROUGH, UH, PORTABLE, UH, RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND CASE MANAGEMENT IN PRIVATE RENTAL UNITS.
A AND THIS, IT WOULD BE, UH, ACCOMPANIED BY A VARIETY OF OTHER FUNDING STREAMS THAT STRENGTHEN OUR SYSTEM IN AREAS LIKE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH BENEFITS, ENROLLMENT, UH, LANDLORD ENGAGEMENT, AND, UM, AND EMPLOYMENT, FOR EXAMPLE.
SO, BRIEFLY HAVE THE TABLE, UM, TO THE RIGHT THAT, UH, SHOWS THE HIGH LEVEL OF THE OVERALL INVESTMENT PLAN, WHICH WAS 515 MILLION.
SO THAT IS A VERY SIGNIFICANT, UH, PRICE TAG AND AMBITIOUS GOAL.
UH, WHEN WE STARTED THIS PROCESS, WE HAD IDENTIFIED, I THINK, ABOUT 235 MILLION, UH, TOWARD, UH, THAT GOAL AND THAT INVESTMENT PLAN.
UH, SINCE THEN, THERE'S BEEN SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS MADE.
WE ARE AT 89% OF THE GOAL RIGHT NOW, AND THAT IS, UH, IN PART DUE TO ABOUT 50 MILLION IN, IN PRIVATE MONEY THAT HAS BEEN INVESTED, AS WELL AS VERY SIGNIFICANT, UH, DIRECTION OF ARPA FUNDS TO THIS EFFORT FROM BOTH THE CITY AND THE COUNTY.
SO, JUST TO GIVE A SENSE, AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE IN TERMS OF DEDICATING THE 106.7 MILLION OF, OF AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT, UH, RESOURCES DIRECTED TO HOMELESSNESS.
UH, WE ARE AT ABOUT 74 MILLION COMMITTED, UM, IN CONTRACTS OR, UH, TO SPECIFIC, UH, CITY STAFF, ET CETERA.
UM, OF THE 107 MILLION, I WILL SAY THAT THEY'RE, OF THE, THE BALANCE THERE, WHICH IS I THINK 32 MILLION, UM, WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ABOUT 11.4 MILLION FROM THE FEDS, SO WE CANNOT COMMIT THAT UNTIL IT IS IN HAND.
SO WE'RE WELL ON OUR WAY, SPENT MUCH OF LAST YEAR IN A SERIES OF AGGRESSIVE SOLICITATIONS TO MOVE THESE DOLLARS INTO THE COMMUNITY, UH, TO THE SERVICE PROVIDERS.
THEN DOLLARS SPENT ARE RELATIVELY MODEST BECAUSE THOSE CONTRACTS WERE EXECUTED EFFECTIVE FOR THE MOST PART, OCTOBER 1ST.
AND SO OUR SERVICE PROVIDERS ARE RAMPING UP NOW, UH, AND WE SHOULD BEGIN TO SEE THOSE DOLLARS FLOW, UH, IN A MUCH MORE ROBUST FASHION OVER THE, THE COMING MONTHS.
UH, LET'S MOVE FORWARD, UM, IN TERMS OF WHAT WE EXPECT TO GET OUT OF THE, UM, THE, PARTICULARLY THE SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE, UH, WE HAVE SECURED THROUGH THESE DOLLARS.
UH, HERE YOU HAVE THE, THE ANNUAL METRICS OF PEOPLE TO BE SERVED, UM, RAPID REHOUSING OVER 3000 PEOPLE, UH, STREET OUTREACH, YOU KNOW, SERVING 2,600 PEOPLE, UH, AND SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS ACROSS THE OTHER.
UM, THE OTHER SERVICE CATEGORIES, AND I WILL SAY THAT THIS IS ONE YEAR, UM, UH, METRIC, WE DO ANTICIPATE RENEWING THESE CONTRACTS FOR A SECOND YEAR OF FUNDING.
SO I DON'T KNOW THAT THESE NUMBERS WOULD DOUBLE, BUT WE WILL SEE AN, UH, ADDITIONAL PEOPLE SERVED OVER THE, THE PERIOD.
I MENTIONED THAT UNDER FINDING HOME ATX, WE HAD A VERY AGGRESSIVE GOAL OF CREATING ADDITIONAL UNITS SET ASIDE FOR PEOPLE EXITING HOMELESSNESS.
AND THIS HAS BEEN, UH, ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT AS OUR ALWAYS TIGHT RENTAL MARKET HAS FURTHER TIGHTENED.
WE'VE REALLY NEEDED TO HAVE DEDICATED UNITS IN ORDER TO GET PEOPLE INTO THAT HOUSING.
AND SO THIS SH SHOWS THE CUMULATIVE TRAJECTORY OF THE NUMBER OF UNITS WE HAVE HAD SET ASIDE FOR DIRECT REFERRAL THROUGH THE COORDINATED ENTRY SYSTEM THAT ECHO, UM, THAT ECHO, UH, ADMINISTERS.
AND THAT IS ESSENTIALLY OUR REFERRAL SYSTEM.
SO, UH, IN 2021, WE HAD SOUTH OF 500 UNITS SET ASIDE.
AND THROUGH MUCH OF THE FUNDING THAT IS COMING THROUGH FINDING HOME ATX, WE EXPECT TO HAVE, UH, BETWEEN 2024 AND 2025 OVER 1500 UNITS.
SO WE WILL, WILL TRIPLE OUR PORTFOLIO IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, AND, UH, REPRESENTS TREMENDOUS EFFORT ON THE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY SPONSORS OF THESE PROJECTS, AS WELL
[00:15:01]
AS THE HOUSING DEPARTMENTS, BOTH OF THE CITY AND THE COUNTY.SO WE WANNA TURN, UH, THEN, UM, FROM THE PERMANENT HOUSING AND LONG-TERM, UH, HOUSING RESOURCES TO OUR RESPONSE TO THE UNSHELTERED POPULATION, UH, WHICH AS WE HAVE NOTED IS SIGNIFICANT.
UM, AND WE HAVE LAUNCHED SOMETHING, UH, LAST FALL CALLED THE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT MANAGEMENT TEAM.
UH, IT WAS LAUNCHED IN, UM, IN, WE DID THE PLANNING IN THE EARLY 2022, AND WE HAVE 10 DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE REGULARLY INVOLVED IN THIS STRUCTURE.
IT IS BASED ON THE INCIDENT COMMAND STRUCTURE USED FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE.
SO WE HAVE A LEADERSHIP TEAM THAT IS, UH, IN CHARGE OF APPROVING MAKING DECISIONS, ET CETERA, SERVES ESSENTIALLY AS AN EXECUTIVE GROUP, UH, FOR DECISION MAKING.
AND WE HAVE A PLANNING SECTION.
WE HAVE AN OPERATIONS SECTION, AND WE HAVE A POLICY SECTION.
AND SO, UM, ONE OF THE PIECES THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US IN TERMS OF, UH, PROVIDING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THIS WORK WAS DEVELOPING A SYSTEM TO TRACK, UH, ENCAMPMENTS IN THEIR LOCATION, THEIR POPULATION, AND THE CONDITIONS THERE.
UH, WE ACROSS DEPARTMENTS AND MANY OF THE SEVERAL LAND HOLDING DEPARTMENTS WERE ALL GETTING INFORMATION, UM, COMPLAINTS, CONCERNS, ET CETERA.
UM, AND WE DID NOT HAVE, UH, AN INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE TO REALLY, UH, GET A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT THE ISSUE, UH, AND MAKE SURE WE WEREN'T D DUPLICATING EFFORT.
SO WE HAVE A MOBILE APPLICATION THAT ALLOWS US TO IDENTIFY, UM, ENCAMPMENTS AND FOR ASSESSMENTS TO BE DONE IN THE FIELD.
WE HAVE, UH, ROUGHLY 40 CRITERIA THAT LOOK AT PUBLIC SAFETY.
THEY LOOK AT HEALTH ISSUES FOR THE OCCUPANTS.
THEY LOOK AT, UM, UM, PROXIMITY TO, UH, PUBLIC SERVICES AND FACILITIES OR OBSTRUCTION OF ACCESS TO THOSE WITH THE IDEA THAT WE REALLY, KNOWING THAT THE THE NEED IS EXTREMELY LARGE, WE NEED TO BE REALLY CLEAR AND DATA DRIVEN ABOUT WHERE WE INTERVENE IN WHAT ORDER SO WE CAN PRIORITIZE THE WORK AND GET THE BEST USE OF OUR CITY RESOURCES AND STAFF, UH, TO DO THAT WORK.
SO THIS HAS NOW BEEN, UM, BEEN OPERATING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, UH, WITH THE FORMAL LAUNCH.
I WILL SAY THAT WE WERE BETA TESTING MUCH OF THIS, UH, FOR, UH, IN EARLY LAST YEAR.
WE ARE WORKING ON HAVING A FORMAL ADOPTION OF ENCAMPMENT RESPONSE PROCEDURE.
SO WHEN WE CLEAR AN ENCAMPMENT, WHETHER THAT IS THROUGH HEAL AND WE TRANSFER PEOPLE TO SHELTER, OR IT IS ENFORCEMENT, UM, THAT WE HAVE CLARITY ABOUT HOW THAT IS DONE.
AND THIS IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH STATE LAW ABOUT THE RESOURCES THAT ARE OFFERED TO PEOPLE BEFORE ENFORCEMENT OCCURS.
UH, WE, UM, WANT TO BUILD OUT SOME OF THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE MOBILE APPLICATION.
UH, I THINK ONE PIECE THAT, UH, LAYS BEFORE US IS REALLY STREAMLINING THOSE SERVICE REQUESTS.
UH, WE HAVE MADE SOME PROGRESS THERE, BUT AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WE RECEIVE, UH, REPORTS OF ENCAMPMENTS THROUGH THREE 11 THROUGH DIRECT CALLS TO THE IMP UH, DEPARTMENTS, CERTAINLY TO YOUR OFFICES THAT YOU PASS ALONG TO US.
AND SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN MAKE THAT AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE.
UH, AND THEN EVENTUALLY WE'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO, UM, TRACK OUR RESOURCES AND CONTRACT EXPENDITURES CROSS DEPARTMENTALLY.
UH, THIS WORK IS DONE THROUGH NOT ONLY THROUGH DIRECT STAFFING, BUT THROUGH SEVERAL, UH, THIRD PARTY CONTRACTS, UH, THAT BECAUSE OF THE FUNDING SOURCES ARE HELD BY PUBLIC WORKS BY A ARR, UM, IN ONE CASE, UH, AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, BECAUSE IT'S WITH A NONPROFIT THAT EMPLOYS PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
IN TERMS OF UNMET NEEDS, I THINK THERE ARE A COUPLE THAT ARE REALLY, UH, KEY HERE, UM, THAT WILL, I THINK, NOT BE TOO MUCH OF A SURPRISE TO ANY OF YOU.
WE HAVE, I THINK LAST YEAR EXPERIENCED THAT EVEN WITH SOME INCREASED RESOURCES FOR CLEANUP, UH, AND DEBRIS REMOVAL.
WE SPENT DOWN THOSE CONTRACTS VERY QUICKLY AS WE SPED UP THE WORK, UM, UH, INTERVENING IN ENCAMPMENTS.
AND THEN OBVIOUSLY IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO DO THE BEST WORK HERE, WE WOULD BE, UM, MOVING FOLKS ON OFFERING THEM SHELTER WHEN, UH, AN ENCAMPMENT IS, UH, IS GOING TO BE RESOLVED.
AND WE SIMPLY NEED MORE PLACES FOR PEOPLE TO GO TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
UM, THERE IS A QUICK SORT OF WORKFLOW HERE ABOUT HOW, UH, WE ARE APPROACHING THE WORK.
YOU KNOW, WE GET COMPLAINTS OR REPORTS.
UH, WE SEND, UM, OUR, UH, STAFF INTO THE FIELD TO DO THE ASSESSMENT, TO PRIORITIZE, UH, THE ENCAMPMENT AND, UM, USUALLY SEND OUT OUTREACH TEAMS, UH, TO THOSE ENCAMPMENTS IF THEY'RE NOT ALREADY ACTIVE THERE.
UM, AT THAT POINT, WE HAVE REALLY THREE, UH, PRIMARY OPTIONS FOR, UH, FOR RESPONSE.
ONE IS, IDEALLY WE CAN DO HEEL IN THAT ENCAMPMENT IF IT'S A VERY HIGH PRIORITY ENCAMPMENT.
UH, THE SECOND IS THAT WE CAN DO SOME MITIGATION THERE.
IF, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S SIGNIFICANT FIRE RISKS, THERE'S SIGNIFICANT DEBRIS, UH, WE CAN HOPEFULLY MITIGATE SOME
[00:20:01]
OF THOSE RISKS.AND THE THIRD IS STRAIGHT ENFORCEMENT, UM, OF, UH, THE, THE CAMPING, UH, BAN BOTH LOCALLY AND AT THE STATE LEVEL, ACKNOWLEDGING THAT WHEN THAT DOES HAPPEN, TYPICALLY THE RESULT IS WE MAY RESOLVE THE ISSUES IN THAT LOCATION, BUT PEOPLE TEND TO MOVE WITHOUT SOMEPLACE ELSE TO GO TO ANOTHER LOCATION.
AND SO WE ARE THEN LOOKING AT A NEW ENCAMPMENT AND HAVE NOT, UM, REDUCED THE OVERALL POPULATION OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
I WILL SAY THAT WHEN A ENFORCEMENT OCCURS, FOR THE MOST PART, IT IS MET WITH VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE.
SO WHEN LAW ENFORCEMENT ASKS PEOPLE TO VACATE AN AREA, THEY TYPICALLY DO, UM, BECAUSE OF THAT, OUR NUMBER OF CITATIONS IS RELATIVELY MODEST.
WE HAVE HAD 336 THROUGH THE END OF JANUARY SINCE, UH, THE ROLLOUT OF THE, THE ORDINANCES IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER OF 21.
SO, AS I SAID, OUR PREFERRED, UH, INTERVENTION IS TO BE ABLE TO DO, UM, THE HEAL INITIATIVE, OR TO CARRY OUT THE HEAL INITIATIVE IN AN ENCAMPMENT.
AND THE HEAL INITIATIVE WAS, UM, WAS STARTED AND APPROVED BY COUNCIL IN EARLY 2021.
ESSENTIALLY, WHAT IT SAYS IS WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT THE MOST DANGEROUS ENCAMPMENTS, UH, FROM A HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDPOINT.
UH, WE'RE GOING TO SELECT THOSE ENCAMPMENTS, OFFER PEOPLE IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO SHELTER, UH, AS WELL AS LONGER TERM RESOURCES FOR, UM, HOUSING AND CASE MANAGEMENT TO ALLOW THEM TO MOVE OUT OF THAT SHELTER INTO PERMANENT HOUSING.
UH, SINCE INCEPTION, WE CLEARED OUR FIRST ENCAMPMENT IN, I BELIEVE, JUNE OF 2021.
UH, WE HAVE MOVED MORE THAN 470 PEOPLE INTO SHELTER, UM, OF THAT'S THROUGH 12 ENCAMPMENTS.
UM, AND, UH, AT THE TIME OF THIS REPORT, WHICH, UM, I BELIEVE IS THE END OF JANUARY, 171 PEOPLE PERMANENTLY HOUSED, OF COURSE, WITH MANY PEOPLE STILL IN SHELTER.
UH, WE DO HAVE SOME ATTRITION FROM SHELTER, WHICH IS, I THINK, AN ONGOING EFFORT.
THE AVERAGE TIME FROM THE TIME THEY ENTER SH PEOPLE ENTER SHELTER INTO HOUSING MOVE-IN HAS BEEN INCREASING BECAUSE OF THE MARKET.
SO RIGHT NOW IT'S AT ABOUT SIX MONTHS TO GET THEM INTO CASE MANAGEMENT AND WORK THROUGH FINDING A UNIT.
WE HOPE THAT WILL SHORTEN AS MORE OF OUR BRICK AND MORTAR, UH, UNITS COME ONLINE AND WE'RE ABLE TO, UH, INCREASE THE, THE REFERRALS INTO EXISTING HOUSING.
I DO WANNA, UM, UH, CALL OUT SOME OF THE IMPACTS THAT WE SAW AT ROY G ROY GUERRERO PARK, EXCUSE ME, UH, AFTER WE DID HEAL.
AND JUST AS A BIT OF CONTEXT HERE, UM, THERE WAS ALREADY IN THE, UH, IN 2021, AN ENCAMPMENT AT ROY GUERRERO, OR A COUPLE OF ENCAMPMENTS IS QUITE A LARGE SITE, UH, BUT RELATIVELY MODEST IN SIZE.
AND SO MY UNDERSTANDING IS 20 TO 40 PEOPLE, WHICH IS NOT SMALL, BUT, UM, SPREAD OUT ACROSS THE PARK.
WE THEN AS, UM, WE BEGAN TO ENFORCE THE CAMPING BAN SAW ENFORCEMENT AT NEAR, UH, AT A NEAR PARK AOSA, WHICH IS UNDERSTANDABLY, YOU KNOW, A PRIORITY FOR THE COMMUNITY AND ALONG THE RIVERSIDE DRIVE CORRIDOR.
UM, AND SO WE, THOSE PLACES WERE CLEARED, BUT WHAT RESULTED, UH, FROM THOSE IN OTHER, UH, SOURCES OF EN ENFORCEMENT WAS REALLY THE CREATION OF AN EXTREMELY LARGE ENCAMPMENT AT ROY GUERRERO PARK, UH, ARE ESTIMATES THAT WERE, THAT WE HAD BETWEEN 120 AND 150 PEOPLE THERE.
UM, AND REALLY, UM, VERY DIFFICULT, VERY SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON, ON THE ENCAMPMENT, EXCUSE ME, ON THE PARK AND THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE WERE ABLE TO DO HEAL THERE, UM, UH, RELOCATED ALMOST A HUNDRED PEOPLE, UM, FROM THAT ENCAMPMENT AT ONCE, ESSENTIALLY INTO BRIDGE SHELTER, WHICH IS A VERY DIFFICULT THING TO DO TO GET ALL OF THAT VACANCY AT ONE TIME.
AND WHAT THE, THE LIST ON THE RIGHT HERE SHOWS YOU IS THE CHANGE IN, UM, REPORTS OR CALLS TO A P D OF THREE MONTHS PRE AND POSTAL.
SO WE SAW A VERY SIGNIFICANT, UM, REPORTS OF PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS.
UM, AND FOR US, THAT IS, UM, EVIDENCE, FURTHER EVIDENCE OF HEAL, REALLY HELPING TO RESOLVE ISSUES IN AREAS WE HAVE NOT SEEN THE SAME KINDS OF REDUCTIONS WHEN WE, UM, GO INTO AN ENCAMPMENT AND THEY'RE SIMPLY ENFORCEMENT.
SO I WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE ON THE HORIZON FOR, UH, NOT ONLY HSD, BUT OTHER CITY STAFF.
AND SOME OF THESE ARE COUNCIL DIRECTIVES.
UH, WE, UM, HAVE BEEN ASKED TO ASSESS FUNDING AND LEGAL OPTIONS FOR RETAINING BRIDGE SHELTER CAPACITY.
AND THAT IS IN RELATION TO, UH, THE PLANNED CONVERSION OF THE NORTH NORTH BRIDGE SHELTER TO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
THAT WAS THE, UH, THE INITIAL PLAN FOR THAT FACILITY.
AND WE HAD BEEN USING IT TEMPORARILY, BUT THERE'S A QUESTION NOW
[00:25:01]
ABOUT HOW WE RETAIN THAT, UM, THAT BRIDGE SHELTER CAPACITY, IF AND WHEN, UH, CONVERSION TO PSSH HAPPENS.UH, WE HAVE A COUNCIL DIRECTIVE AROUND HUMAN TRAFFICKING, UH, PARTICULARLY EDUCATION.
UM, UH, FOR OUR, UH, SERVICE PROVIDERS, WE HAVE BEEN DIRECTED TO COMPLETE AN AS ASSESSMENT AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OUR COMMUNITY-WIDE EMERGENCY SHELTER SYSTEM, UH, WITH RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND INCLEMENT WEATHER.
AS A SUBSET OF THAT WORK, UH, OUR, UM, HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN ASKED TO LOOK BROADLY AT THE RENTAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND REVIEW WHETHER THERE ARE WAYS WITHIN THAT FUNDING STREAM TO FURTHER INCENTIVIZE AND SUPPORT, UH, UNITS, UH, THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY SET ASIDE FOR THIS POPULATION.
AND WE ALSO HAVE SOME DIRECTION AROUND EXPLORING, UH, OPTIONS WITHIN THE AUSTIN CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS FOR USING THAT VEHICLE, NOT ONLY FOR, UM, EMPLOYMENT OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, BUT POTENTIALLY, UH, FOR PROJECTS THAT WOULD BENEFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND OUR HOMELESS, UH, RESPONSE SYSTEM.
UM, ALONG WITH THOSE COUNCIL DIRECTIVES, WE STILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT FUNDS TO, UH, SOLICIT OF FOR ARPA.
WE HAVE AN OPEN RFP RIGHT NOW FOR TARGETED PREVENTION SERVICES, UH, AND WE ALSO HAVE A DIRECTIVE FROM COUNCIL WILL BE RES SOLICITING THE ARCH AND SOUTHBRIDGE SHELTER CONTRACTS, UH, WHICH WERE AWARDED THROUGH AN EMERGENCY PROCESS LAST YEAR WHEN, UM, THE RELATIONSHIP WITH FRONT STEPS, UH, CAME TO A CLOSE, UH, SO LOT OF SOLICITATION, WHICH WE'LL DO IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY-BASED RESOURCES, UH, UNIT IN AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH, CONTINUE THE WORK WORK OF THE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT MANAGEMENT TEAM.
UH, AS YOU MAY RECALL, THIS YEAR FOR COLD WEATHER SHELTER, WE HAD KIND OF A HYBRID MODEL WHERE, UM, OUR NEW VENDOR, AUSTIN, UH, AREA URBAN LEAGUE, UH, REALLY WORKED WITH THE CITY STAFF IN CITY FACILITIES.
WE EXPECT NEXT YEAR FOR THAT TO TRANSITION TO SITES THAT, UM, URBAN LEAGUE, UH, HAS SECURED THEMSELVES AND WILL OPERATE MORE INDEPENDENTLY.
AND SO WE NEED TO SUPPORT SOME OF THAT PLANNING.
UH, WE DO WANT TO HAVE A CONCERTED EFFORT TO ENGAGE FAITH-BASED COMMUNITIES MORE DIRECTLY, UH, AND ARE ALSO, UM, UH, UH, SOLICITING FOR, UM, SUPPORT WITH, UH, DOING AN OVERALL COMMUNICATIONS PLAN FOR HSD AND AROUND HOMELESSNESS IN GENERAL.
UH, SOME OF OUR CHALLENGES, UH, WHICH WE, I KNOW WILL TURN TO HERE IN A MOMENT, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE MARKET, WE HAVE SEEN, AS I'VE MENTIONED, UH, REALLY DIFFICULT TIME FINDING UNITS IN THE OPEN MARKET.
THIS IS BOTH BECAUSE OF THE TIGHTNESS OF THE RENTAL MARKET.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS ECHO HAS, UH, SIGNALED TO US IS THAT THERE IS A LOT OF SHIFT OF OWNERSHIP OR TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP.
SO THEY MIGHT HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH A LANDLORD OR AN OWNER.
THE PROPERTY CHANGES HANDS AND THEY HAVE TO START OVER, UM, WITHIN THE SERVICE PROVIDER PORTFOLIO.
UM, I, IT IS IMPROVING NOW, BUT THEY'VE HAD SIGNIFICANT STAFF TURNOVER IN SHORTAGES, UH, AS MANY EMPLOYERS HAVE OVER THE COURSE OF THE PANDEMIC.
UM, AND THEN I THINK IN, IN THE CONTEXT OF, UM, A REAL CRISIS AROUND THE UNSHELTERED, UH, POPULATION, UH, WE DID HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON FEBRUARY 17TH.
THE, THE DOWNTOWN SHELTER, UH, WAS, WOULD BE CLOSED BY SALVATION ARMY AS OF MARCH 15TH.
SO IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I'LL GIVE A JUST A FEW POINTS ON THE SALVATION ARMY CLOSURE ON OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THAT.
AND THEN, UH, MAJOR RECLINE FROM THE SALVATION ARMY HAS JOINED US TODAY, UH, TO, UM, UH, SPEAK A BIT ABOUT THEIR PROCESS AND ANSWER QUESTIONS.
SO, AS I MENTIONED, THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE, UM, FEBRUARY 17TH, UH, ANNOUNCING A MARCH 15TH CLOSURE DATE.
THERE WAS A COMMITMENT TO ENSURE CLIENT RELOCATION AND ACCESS TO CONTINUING SERVICES.
UH, UH, JUST A NOTE THAT IN CONTRAST TO SOME OF OUR OTHER SHELTERS, UH, THIS PROPERTY IS WHOLLY OWNED BY THE SALVATION ARMY HAVING OPENED IN 1988.
SO, UH, QUITE AN AGED, UH, BUILDING, UH, WHICH WAS ONE OF THE, THE CHALLENGES THAT SALVATION ARMY HAS, HAS, UH, CITED AS, UH, THE PART OF THE DECISION TO CLOSE.
WE CURRENTLY HAD, UH, AS OF THIS YEAR CAPACITY OF A HUNDRED, BUT THAT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THE PREVIOUS CAPACITY WHEN IT WAS OPERATING AS A, A, A FACILITY THAT HOUSED BOTH ADULT SINGLES AND FAMILIES.
UH, THE CAPACITY WAS 242 WAS REDUCED, UH, DUE TO THE PANDEMIC AND HAD NOT, UH, INCREASED TO FULL CAPACITY SINCE THEN.
UH, THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL SAFE SLEEP PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS WOMEN TO, UM, WALK IN, UH, ON A PARTICULAR NIGHT WITHOUT NECESSARILY, UM, HAVING A SET ASIDE RESERVED BED THERE, UH, TO ALLOW FOR FOLKS TO, UH, RESPOND TO SAFETY CONCERNS, ET CETERA.
[00:30:01]
RIGHT NOW, THE, THE CLIENT POPULATION CONSISTS OF SINGLE MEN AND WOMEN, UH, ABOUT HALF AND HALF, AND I'M SURE MAJOR RECLINE CAN GIVE US SOME MORE DETAIL THERE.AS I SAID, THE SITE DID INCLUDE FAMILIES PRE 2019.
UH, THEY, UH, MOVED WHEN THE RATHGABER CENTER OPENED, AND I BELIEVE BELIEVE IN JANUARY OR FEBRUARY OF 2020, ALL THE FAMILIES WERE MOVED TO OTHER FACILITIES.
SO IN TERMS OF THE CITY FUNDING OF, UH, THE DOWNTOWN SHELTER, UM, HAS BEEN AROUND $600,000 ANNUALLY.
UH, HISTORICALLY FOR FISCAL YEAR 23, IT WAS INCREASED TO ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS, UH, BOTH THROUGH, UH, AN INCREASE IN OR, UH, AN ALLOTMENT OF ARPA FUNDS AND AN INCREASE IN THE HOMELESS HOUSING AND HOUSING SERVICES PROGRAM THROUGH THE STATE.
UM, WE INCREASE THAT AMOUNT FROM, I BELIEVE, ABOUT 250,000 TO HALF A MILLION.
I WILL SAY THAT WE HAVE CONTRACTING STAFF HERE AS WELL TO ANSWER SPECIFIC CONTRACTING QUESTIONS.
UM, AND SO THE CURRENT STATUS, ACTUALLY, I THINK WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF AN UPDATE SINCE THIS SLIDE, UH, DECK WAS SUBMITTED.
UM, AS OF MONDAY, WE UNDERSTOOD THAT THERE WERE 64 CLIENTS REMAINING IN SHELTER.
UH, I BELIEVE AS OF YESTERDAY, UH, WE WERE IN THE THIRTIES TO FORTIES, IS THAT CORRECT? UM, I'M SURE REC MAJOR CAN GIVE US A SPECIFIC NUMBER.
UH, WE MET WITH THE MAJOR, UM, UH, ON THE 24TH, I BELIEVE, OF FEBRUARY.
AND AT THAT TIME, UM, UH, SALVATION ARMY ASKED US, IDENTIFIED A POINT PERSON, UH, FOR US TO WORK WITH, TO SUPPORT, UH, IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL RELOCATION OPTIONS THAT HAS BEEN ONGOING.
UM, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT, AND I'M SURE THAT WILL BE A PIECE OF OUR CONVERSATION TODAY.
UH, AND THEN, UH, I THINK JUST KNOWING THAT, UH, CONTRACTING AND LEGAL REVIEW ARE UNDERWAY TO UNDERSTAND THE, UH, THE DISPOSITION OF THE EXISTING CONTRACTS FOR THE DOWNTOWN SHELTER.
SO WITH THAT, I WILL, UM, SEED THE PODIUM TO MAJOR RECLINE, UH, ALLOW HIM TO SPEAK TO YOU, BUT WE REMAIN AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
IF WE CAN HAVE MAJOR RECLINE, JOIN US AT THE FRONT, COLLEAGUES, UM, WE'RE GONNA HEAR FROM REPRESENTATIVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM SALVATION ARMY.
AND THEN, UH, TAKE QUESTIONS FROM OUR COMMITTEE IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MS. DIANA GRAY REGARDING THE OTHER UPDATES THAT SHE GAVE AROUND HOMELESSNESS, IF WE COULD SAVE THOSE TILL THE END.
ALSO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE OUR COLLEAGUE, COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN AL ALTER HAS JOINED US.
UH, IN AN EMAIL I SENT TO, UM, MR. LITTLEFIELD AND MS. GRAY LAST NIGHT, UH, WE EXPLAINED TO THEM THAT WE ARE DOWN NOW TO ABOUT 32 CLIENTS STILL NEEDING TO BE RELOCATED, AND THAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING DILIGENTLY WITH THEM TO SEND SOME, UH, TO OTHER SHELTERS IF THAT WERE SOMETHING THAT THEY COULD BE WORKED OUT.
WE HAVE ALSO FOUND THAT SOME OF 'EM DID HAVE SOME HOMES THEY COULD GO TO, AND WE WERE ABLE TO HELP ASSIST IN, IN GETTING THEM BACK TO THEIR HOMES.
I'VE REACHED OUT TO OTHER SALVATION ARMIES IN THE STATE TO SEE IF THEY WERE WILLING TO ACCEPT ANY OF THE CLIENTS, IF THEY WERE WILLING TO GO TO THESE LOCATIONS.
THE, THE ONLY ONE WHO HAD ROOM, UH, IS THE DALLAS SALVATION ARMY, AND WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A FEW OF THE CLIENTS WHO HAVE, UH, INDICATED THAT THEY WOULD GO THERE.
UM, AND THAT WE ARE STILL LOOKING TO, UM, HOUSE THOSE THAT ARE LEFT, AS I SAID, ABOUT 32 LEFT.
UM, AND WORKING WITH THE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS IN TOWN.
UM, ALSO UNDERSTAND PLEASES THAT THERE ARE SOME CLIENTS WHO HAVE YET TO GET BACK TO THEIR CASE MANAGERS AS, AS WE'VE ASKED THEM TO.
SO IT'S, IT'S HARD TO DETERMINE WHAT THEIR FUTURE LOOKS LIKE BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO, TO SPEAK WITH THEM.
BUT, UM, WE ARE MOVING TOWARDS THIS.
AND, UM, WE'VE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION, UM, WITH, UH, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AND WITH, UH, THE CITY MANAGER.
AND WE ARE LOOKING AT, UM, WHAT THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE HOLDS AND, AND HOW WE CAN MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS IF NECESSARY, AND WHAT THOSE ADJUSTMENTS WILL LOOK LIKE.
BUT WE WILL CONTINUE TO, UM, TRY TO RELOCATE THE CLIENTS.
ANY QUESTIONS? UH, I DO, MAYOR.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MADAM CHAIR.
UM, MAJOR, I, I WANT TO YOU USE THE WORD ADJUSTMENTS AND, AND ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO ASK ABOUT IS, UH, WHEN YOU AND I AND OTHERS MET, AND YOU INDICATED THAT YOU WERE GOING TO ANNOUNCE A CLOSURE IN JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS AND THEN CLOSE WITHIN A MONTH, AS I POINTED OUT IN MY LETTER TO YOU YESTERDAY, AND I THINK YOU AGREE THAT, THAT YOU INDICATED THAT YOUR CURRENT CLIENTS WOULD HAVE THEIR HOUSING OR SHELTER NEEDS RESOLVED BY THE ARMY BEFORE YOU CLOSED YOUR FACILITY.
UM, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT ADJUSTMENTS, YOU'RE, YOU'RE CURRENTLY SCHEDULED AS, UH, BY YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT TO CLOSE, UH, IN JUST A FEW DAYS IN SEVEN DAYS.
UH, NOW IS ONE OF THE ADJUSTMENTS THAT IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO PLACE YOUR CLIENTS,
[00:35:01]
UH, THAT YOU WILL EXTEND THE PERIOD OF TIME, UH, THAT YOU REMAIN OPEN BEFORE YOU CLOSE.SIR, THAT IS A CONVERSATION WE'RE HAVING, UM, THE, UH, THE BOARD OF THE SALVATION ARMY.
I WILL BE HAVING A CONVERSATION FRIDAY MORNING, AND THAT IS THE PRIMARY TOPIC OF THAT DISCUSSION.
UH, IT'S NOT A GUARANTEE, BUT IT IS A CONVERSATION.
WELL, I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT IN THAT IT'S A, IT'S A POWERFUL CONVERSATION.
BECAUSE OF, I, I THINK THE SALVATION ARMY SHOULD BE COMMITTED TO NOT CLOSING ITS DOORS BEFORE IT HAS PROPERLY, UH, ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF, OF ITS CLIENTS.
AND OF COURSE, YOU AND I HAVE HAD THAT CONVERSATION BEFORE, AND, AND IN MY LETTER TO YOU YESTERDAY, WHICH I, I BELIEVE IS PART OF THE REASON WE HAD SO MUCH ACTIVITY YESTERDAY.
UH, AND, AND INCLUDING SOME POSITIVE ACTIVITY.
UM, IT, WE, WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO ADDRESS THAT.
ANOTHER QUESTION IS, WILL YOU BE ADDRESSING WITH YOUR BOARD THE ABILITY FOR, AND, AND AGAIN, WE'VE, THIS HAS BEEN MENTIONED, UH, IN THE PAST, BUT THE ABILITY FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO UTILIZE THAT BUILDING, UH, FOR NEEDS RELATED TO THOSE LIVING HOMELESS, UH, WHILE IT, IT'S IN, IN THE LIMBO OF NOT BEING SOLD OR TO BE SOLD, UH, IN, IN THAT NATURE.
SO AS WE JUST HEARD THAT PRESENTATION, THERE IS A CONTINUING NEED FOR, UH, SPACE, AND THIS WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, UH, ALTHOUGH NOT OPERATED BY THE SALVATION ARMY, UH, BUT OPERATED BY PROFESSIONALS SO THAT WE COULD MEET THE NEEDS OF OTHERS LIVING, HOMELESS, UH, THAT THE SALVATION ARMY WOULD CONSIDER ALLOWING THE CITY TO UTILIZE THAT BUILDING FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.
WE WERE EXPECTING AN MOU, AND, AND IT HASN'T, HASN'T GOTTEN TO MY DESK YET.
UH, IT IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, THROUGH THE BOARD, WE HAVE HAD THAT CONVERSATION.
I WOULD JUST REMIND YOU, SIR, WE ARE A GEORGIA CORPORATION.
SO AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, I HAVE DO NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO SIGN IT.
I WOULD'VE TO PROCESS THAT, BUT WE'RE CERTAINLY WILLING TO, TO INTRODUCE IT TO THE, THE CORPORATION FOR THEM TO MAKE THE DECISION ON THAT.
BUT, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE CERTAINLY OPEN TO IT, SIR.
UM, I WANNA ASK ABOUT, AND AND WE SPOKE VERY BRIEFLY IN THE BACK, SO I DON'T WANT TO, UH, UH, SURPRISE YOU WITH THIS, BUT, BUT THE, THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE ARE BEING SENT TO DALLAS, UM, I, I EXPRESSED TO YOU THAT I HAVE A NEGATIVE INSTINCTIVE REACTION TO THAT, UH, FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS.
ONE IS THAT, UM, THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE HAVE, HAVE, HAVE CHOSEN AUSTIN AS THEIR HOME, UM, TO, TO, OR THEIR PLACE TO LIVE, UH, EVEN THOUGH THEIR, THEIR CIRCUMSTANCES MAY, UH, NOT BE OPTIMAL, THAT WE WOULD, WE WOULD MOVE PEOPLE TO ANOTHER CITY CAUSE OF, UH, A DECISION MADE TO CLOSE, UH, THE PLACE WHERE THEY'RE CURRENTLY RESIDING.
EXPLAIN TO ME WHY IT IS THAT WE'RE MOVING PEOPLE TO ANOTHER CITY.
WE'RE ASKING THE CLIENTS IF THEY WOULD BE OKAY WITH THAT.
WE ARE NOT MANDATED ANY OF THAT.
WE'RE GIVING 'EM CERTAIN OPTIONS AS THEY WORK THROUGH THEIR CASE MANAGER.
AND ONE OF THE OPTIONS IS WE DO HAVE A SHELTER THAT WE CAN ACCESS IN, IN DALLAS.
IF IF YOU WANTED TO GO THERE, WE COULD TAKE YOU THERE.
IT'S SIMPLY, UH, IF IF THEY'RE WILLING TO DO THAT, WE WOULD BE WILLING TO TAKE THEM THERE.
WELL, I'M JUST GONNA GONNA SAY THAT IT, IT, IT STILL BUGS ME.
AND, AND THE REASON IT BUGS ME IS THAT, UM, UH, IF TOMORROW, LET, LET'S ASSUME THAT THE SHOE WAS ON THE OTHER FOOT AND THE SALVATION ARMY WAS NOT CLOSING ITS DOORS IN AUSTIN, BUT IF TOMORROW I WAS TOLD THAT OTHER CITIES WERE, UH, MOVING PEOPLE AND TAKING UP SHELTER SPACE, THAT MAY BE, THAT IS BADLY NEEDED IN AUSTIN, UH, I WOULD WANT TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT AS WELL.
SO, UH, I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY HOW TO ADDRESS THAT OTHER THAN MAYBE, UH, WELL, I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY HOW TO ADDRESS THAT OTHER THAN TO EXPRESS THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS THAT I THINK WAS CREATED BY SUCH A RAPID, UH, CLOSURE OF THE FACILITY.
UM, AND I THINK IT PROBABLY SPEAKS TO THE NEED FOR THE SALVATION ARMY ON THINGS LIKE THE MEETING AS YOU'RE HAVING ON FRIDAY, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WHEN IT WOULD CLOSE, UH, WHEN, WHEN YOU ACTUALLY CLOSE THE DOORS, OR WHETHER YOU'RE GONNA LET THE CITY OF AUSTIN UTILIZE THAT BUILDING, THAT IT COULD, IT, IT COULD DEFINITELY UTILIZE, UM, I WOULD THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE ONE OF THE CONSIDERATIONS YOU WOULD PLACE INTO THIS.
COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE, UM, MAJOR, I GUESS I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS, UH, FOR YOU.
[00:40:01]
FIRST IS, WHERE WOULD, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE TRANSITION PLAN FOR FOR STAFF THAT'S CURRENTLY AT THE SALVATION ARMY? OUR OTHER SHELTERS.AND THEN ARE YOU ABLE TO SHARE WHERE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN, UM, I, I GUESS REASSIGNED WHERE, WHERE THEY'VE GONE IN REFERENCE TO THE CLIENTS OR YEAH, IN, IN REFERENCE TO THE CLIENTS? YES, SIR.
UM, THE REPORT THAT I TURNED IN YESTERDAY, WE HAVE, UM, SOME THAT ARE GOING TO DIFFERENT, UM, PLACES HERE IN AUSTIN.
WE HAVE, UM, SOME WHO'VE LEFT TO AN EXTENDED STAY ON THEIR OWN MM-HMM.
UM, WE'VE HAD SOME WHO JUST LEFT THE SHELTER PERIOD, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY WENT, WHICH IS NOT UNCOMMON.
UH, ONE HAS ASKED TO GO TO SAN ANTONIO.
UM, FIVE, UM, MOVED INTO FRONT STEPS, UH, SIX WILL BE MOVED INTO INDEPENDENT HOUSING.
THESE ARE THE NUMBERS THAT THEY GAVE ME FOR THE FOLKS THEY SPOKE WITH YESTERDAY.
ONE HAS FAMILY AND WEMBERLEY THAT THEY WANT TO GO TO.
ONE HAS FAMILY IN IDAHO THAT THEY WANT TO GO TO.
SO WE'RE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH WHAT THEY'RE, AS WE MEET WITH A CASE MANAGER, WE'RE ASKING 'EM WHAT, WHAT THEY FEEL WOULD BE BEST FOR THEM.
AND THIS IS WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO WORK OUT WITH SOME OF THEM.
WERE THERE SOME FOLKS THAT WHEN THEY HEARD ABOUT THE CLOSURE OF THIS SHELTER, KIND OF LEFT WITHOUT Y HAVING ANY SORT OF INTERACTION WITH THEM? NO.
SO EVERYONE THAT'S LEFT, YOU GUYS HAD CORRECT.
AND SO WHAT THE OTHER PART OF THAT WAS, WE HAD ASKED 'EM TO, UM, MEET WITH OUR CASE MANAGERS AND WE DIDN'T GET SOME RESPONSES AT TIMES MM-HMM.
SO WHEN MEAN, I GUESS MY INTENTION OF THE QUESTION IS THAT ONCE A SH A SHORT TERM SOLUTION IS FOUND, UH, CAN THE CITY CONNECT WITH THE FORMER RESIDENTS OF THE SHELTER, UH, TO FIND THEM PLACEMENT IN, YOU KNOW, IN A, IN, IN ANOTHER SHELTER? YEAH.
WE'RE, WE'RE STILL CASE MANAGING NOW.
THANK YOU MAJOR FOR JOINING US TODAY AND FOR, UH, PROVIDING AN UPDATE.
YOU KNOW WHAT, I GUESS THE QUESTION I HAVE IS UNDERSTANDING FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, FROM SALVATION ARMY'S PERSPECTIVE, IF YOU FORESAW A, A, A CLOSURE, WHY ONE, WHY ACCEPT FUNDING FROM THE CITY? I THINK, UH, DIANA, MS. DIANA GRAY TESTIFIED OR SHARED WITH US THAT A MILLION, ALMOST A MILLION DOLLARS WAS PROVIDED IN FUNDING ON, UH, TO SALVATION ARMY FOR SHELTER CAPACITY AND SERVICES.
WHY ACCEPT THESE DOLLARS? WHERE DO THOSE DOLLARS GO? AND THEN SECONDARILY, WHY DID THE RESIDENTS JUST FIND OUT ABOUT THIS CLOSURE? IT SEEMS LIKE THE CONVERSATIONS, IF, IF SALVATION ARMY KNEW THAT THIS CLOSURE WAS GONNA HAPPEN, WHY NOT ENGAGE WITH THE CITY, HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CITY ABOUT THE CITY, LEASING THE FACILITY, PURCHASING THE FACILITY, YOU KNOW, HAVING A MORE COORDINATED RESPONSE ON THE RELOCATION OF OUR RESIDENTS.
I, I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THE, THE PROCESS THAT SALVATION ARMY HAD HERE WITH, UH, DETERMINING THE CLOSURE, NOTIFYING RESIDENTS, AND THEN ALSO THE FUNDING PIECE.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO THOSE THREE ELEMENTS? WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, MA'AM, THE, UH, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF MEETINGS WITH THE CITY AND NONE OF THOSE FOLKS ARE TO TABLE NOW.
AND SO IT'S HARD TO SPEAK TO THAT.
AND SO THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING CONVERSATION FOR A VERY SIGNIFICANT PERIOD OF TIME, UM, AND IN HOPES THAT WE COULD WORK SOMETHING OUT AND MAKE IT WORK.
WE CONTINUE TO DO BUSINESS AS USUAL.
AND SO OUR THOUGHT WAS WE CONTINUE TO SERVE, WE CONTINUE TO OPEN, WE CONTINUE TO DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO FOR THE CLIENT, UH, UNTIL WE ARE AT A POINT WHERE THERE IS NO ROOM LEFT FOR US TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN CLOSE THE FACILITY DOWN.
UH, AND THAT'S WHEN THE DECISION WAS MADE TO GO AHEAD AND, AND ACT ON, UH, A, A LONG PERIOD OF TRYING TO MAKE IT WORK.
SO, MAJOR, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND JUST TO, TO CLARIFY, YOU'RE SAYING THAT THE CITY LEADERSHIP WAS AWARE OF THE CHALLENGES SALVATION ARMY WAS FACING, AND, AND SALVATION ARMY DID APPROACH THE CITY IN PERHAPS SEEKING AN ALTERNATIVE, UH, OWNERSHIP OR MANAGEMENT OF THE SHELTER? CORRECT.
AND THOSE INDIVIDUALS ARE NO LONGER WITH THE CITY? CORRECT.
I CERTAINLY WILL BE FOLLOWING UP WITH CITY STAFF TO, TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED.
UH, AND THEN CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE NOTIFICATION OF, OF RESIDENTS, WHY, WHY THE SUDDEN, UH, ANNOUNCEMENT JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO? BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN WE DE DETERMINED INTERNALLY THAT WE WERE GOING TO MAKE THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND, UM, WE WERE ASKED TO, TO DELAY IT, AND WE DID.
AND THEN THAT WAS JUST THE, THE PROCESS OF WHICH WE DETERMINED WE WERE GONNA DO IT.
COLLEAGUES, ANY, UH, YES, COUNCIL MEMBER, ALTER
KIND OF FOLLOWING UP ON, UM, CHAIR FUENTES QUESTIONS.
IT SEEMS TO ME, AND THIS MAY BE OBVIOUS THAT Y'ALL, THE,
[00:45:02]
THE QUICK NATURE IN WHICH YOU'RE OPERATING HERE OR THAT, THAT YOU'VE GIVEN THIS SHORT NOTICE, YOU FOUND SOMEBODY TO PURCHASE THE LAND, IS THIS NO, WE HAVE NOT.SO WHAT IS THE IMPETUS BEHIND THE IMMEDIACY OF YOUR ACTIONS? IS THIS FINANCES AND THEN THAT IS A, A DAY-TO-DAY, DAY-TO WHAT, WHAT IS YOUR NET LOSS ON A 3 MILLION A YEAR.
AND SO BASED ON WHAT NUMBERS, IS THAT YOUR CURRENT 64? NO, BASED ON OCCUPANCY.
AND HAVE, HOW LONG HAVE Y'ALL BEEN OPERATING AT THAT LOSS? I'VE BEEN HERE THREE AND A HALF YEARS, SIR.
AND IT'S, IT'S BEEN 3 MILLION THE WHOLE TIME.
AND, AND WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING WE COULD TO TRY AND SUPPLEMENT IT AND MAKE IT WORK.
UH, BUT WE'RE AT A POINT NOW WHERE IT'S JUST BECOMING IMPOSSIBLE.
AND SO LET'S SAY YOU MOVE THESE RESIDENTS OUT.
WHAT NEXT ARE YOU, ARE YOU GONNA LIST IT FOR SALE? ARE YOU GONNA LIST IT FOR LEASE? ARE YOU, WHAT, WHAT'S THE FUTURE PLAN FOR THIS? SURE, WE WILL, WE WILL LIST IT FOR SALE.
AND, UM, AGAIN, AT GEORGIA CORPORATION, THEY WOULD HAVE TO APPROVE IT.
AND ONCE THEY APPROVE, THEN WE WOULD, WE WOULD PUT IT ON THE MARKET.
AND SO IF THE CITY CAME TO YOU TOMORROW AND SAID, WE WILL OPERATE THIS FACILITY SO THAT YOU'RE NOT OPERATING AT A LOSS, THAT WOULD BE BY Y'ALL.
I'M CAREFUL TO SAY FINE, BUT WE WOULD CERTAINLY, UM, ENTERTAIN THE CONVERSATION.
CAUSE I KNOW FROM THE FIRST DAY I'VE BEEN HERE, TRYING TO FIND SPACE FOR SHELTER HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING.
AND HERE WE HAVE UPWARDS OF ALMOST 250 POTENTIAL SPOTS THAT WE ARE REMOVING FROM THE EQUATION.
AND I, I, I'VE STRUGGLED TO FIND 5, 10, 20, AND I, I GET YOUR FINANCIAL CHALLENGES.
Y'ALL ARE DOING, YOU KNOW, I WENT OUT TO THE RATH GAVER CENTER, Y'ALL ARE DOING GREAT WORK, BUT, BUT WE ARE ALL TRYING TO SOLVE THIS CHALLENGE.
Y'ALL ARE PART OF THIS STRUGGLE THAT, THAT WE ARE TRYING TO FIX.
BUT IF, IF YOU'RE GONNA BE A PARTNER, WE'VE GOTTA BE A PARTNER AND TO COME AT THE, YOU KNOW, I, I UNDERSTAND PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS HAVE BEEN HAD, BUT, BUT TO HAVE THIS SHORT OF A RUNWAY AND, AND TO CREATE THIS ALMOST FEELING ARTIFICIAL IMMEDIACY DOESN'T FEEL LIKE A GOOD PARTNER.
AND SO IF, IF THERE IS A WAY THAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT HOW THE CITY CAN, IF IT STEP IN, I DON'T KNOW.
BUT SOMETHING'S GOT TO BE DONE TO KEEP THESE SPACES OPERATIONAL BECAUSE AS DIANA MENTIONED, WE, WE JUST DON'T HAVE ENOUGH.
I DON'T THINK WE DISAGREE WITH YOU, SIR.
UH, I, I, I CAN TELL YOU, WE, WE'VE TRIED, WE, WE HAVE EARNESTLY TRIED AND IT, IT HASN'T GOTTEN ANYWHERE.
AND SO WE, WE WERE AT A POINT WHERE WE HAD TO MAKE A CRITICAL DECISION.
AND ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS TO THE COMMUNITY AS THOUGH IT WAS A QUICK DECISION, IT WAS NOT A QUICK DECISION.
IT WAS A VERY LENGTHY DECISION AND PROCESS.
UM, BUT YEAH, WE, WE, WE WERE WILLING TO LISTEN AND, AND HEAR ANYTHING.
UM, BUT WE JUST DIDN'T GET GREAT COMMUNICATION AT THAT TIME.
HAVE Y'ALL HAD EVALUATION DONE OF, OF THE PROPERTY? UM, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF DOING THAT NOW.
UM, BEFORE I TOSS IT OVER TO COUNCIL MCC CADRE, I DO WANNA REMIND MY COLLEAGUES THAT, UM, WE STILL NEED TO TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT AND WE HAVE ANOTHER BRIEFING FROM OUR LIBRARY DIVISION.
SO COUNCIL MCC CADRE'S, YOURS WILL BE THE LAST QUESTION.
ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT OUR CITY MANAGER IS HERE ON THE DAY.
THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER FOR BEING HERE.
AND JUST WANNA REITERATE, YOU KNOW, OUR SUP OR MY SUPPORT FOR THE CITY IDENTIFYING, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, A POSSIBLE PARTNERSHIP HERE WITH REGARDING THE, THE SALE OF THE LAND OR LEASE COUNCIL.
ONE, ONE THING I WANNA TOUCH ON IS WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, RYAN ALTER HAD MENTIONED YOU.
YOUR ANSWER WAS THAT, UH, THE SHELTER HAD BEEN OPERATING ON A LOSS OF $3 MILLION A YEAR.
WHAT, YOU KNOW, AND THE REASON FOR THE CLOSURE IS ALL, ALL TIED TO FINANCES.
WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE IF THE SHELTER WAS TO REMAIN OPEN FOR ANOTHER WEEK OR TWO? UH, AGAIN, IT'S A FINANCIAL, THAT'S PRIMARILY A FINANCIAL QUESTION.
I THINK WE CAN ACCOMMODATE WHAT THE MAYOR HAS ASKED IF THE, THE FUNDING.
WE JUST, WE DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS.
AND, AND SO WHEN WE DIRECT OUR RESOURCES, AS HE INDICATED TO RATH G CENTER AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT,
[00:50:01]
UM, WE HAD, WE JUST RAN OUT OF THAT, THAT PORTION OF OUR INCOME.I'M SAYING, WHAT WOULD THE NUMBERS BE FOR ANOTHER WEEK OR TWO? UH, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE 30.
WHAT WOULD THE FINANCIAL NUMBERS BE? YEAH,
UH, WE ARE ESTIMATING IT'S ABOUT A A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH.
SO IT WOULD BE ABOUT, BECAUSE WE SCALED IT DOWN CORRECTLY.
SO IT'D BE 50 K FOR THE, FOR AN ADDITIONAL TWO WEEKS? YES.
UM, WANNA, WANNA QUICKLY TOUCH BACK ON THAT UNEMPLOYMENT QUESTION.
I, I THINK I HAD ASKED WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO THEM.
YOU SAID THEY, THEY'RE GOING TO, UH, STAFF WILL BE TRANSITIONED.
HAVE THEY ALREADY BEEN TRANSITIONED OR IS THAT THE PLAN THAT NO, THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD BE, THEY WILL BE GOING, THEY'RE STILL IN INTACT RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE STILL HAVE CLIENTS.
SO THEY'VE BEEN ADVISED, BUT THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A JOB WHEN THE SHELTER GOES NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.
THE, THE, THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN TOLD THEY'RE GONNA BE MOVING TO ONE OF OUR OTHER FACILITIES, SO, SO THAT PROCESS IS ALREADY SET.
THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ANYONE WHO'S GOING TO BE UNEMPLOYED.
WE HAD THREE THAT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO, TO GO BECAUSE OF THE POSITION THAT THEY HAD, UH, ARE NOT POSITIONS THAT WE HAVE IN THE OTHER SHELTERS.
UM, AND THEN COMMUNICATION, UM, OBVIOUSLY WITH THE FOLKS THAT ARE THERE, BUT WHEN FOLKS ARE, HAVE THERE BEEN FOLKS COMING INTO THE SHELTER, AND IF THEY HAVE, WHAT DOES THE COMMUNICATION BE GIVEN TO, TO NEW RESIDENTS WHO HAVE MAYBE, YOU KNOW, ENTERED THE SHELTER SINCE UH, Y'ALL DECIDED TO, TO CLOSE SHOP? YEAH.
THE DAY OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT, WE MADE A DECISION AT THAT TIME THAT WE WOULD NOT BRING IN ANY NEW CLIENTS OKAY.
AND WORK WITH THE ONES THAT WERE ALREADY IN-HOUSE.
UH, UH, UH, MADAM CHAIR AND THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS, UH, I GOT A CHANCE TO SPEAK TO, TO THE MAJOR LAST NIGHT.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT THIS IS, UH, AN ISSUE THAT'S IMPORTANT TO THE COUNCIL AND IMPORTANT, UH, TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO WE'RE GONNA, WE, WE PROMISE THAT WE WOULD GET TOGETHER WITH THE STAFF TO SEE WHAT THE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS WOULD BE, UH, WHETHER IT'S THE THIR 30 DAYS FOR A HUNDRED THOUSAND OR SOMETHING LESS THAN THAT, TO MAKE SURE WE ACCOMMODATE THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE BEING SERVED BY THE, BY THE SHELTER.
I, I THINK ON THE COMMUNICATION ISSUE, WHAT I, WHAT I CAN SAY IS THAT, UH, UH, WE ALSO ON OUR END COULD HAVE, UH, REACHED OUT TO THE MAJOR TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT THIS, UH, AT LEAST FROM MY OFFICE, THAT, THAT, THAT FROM, FOR AS NEAR AS I CAN TELL, THAT DID NOT HAPPEN.
AND, UH, AND SO I, I PROMISED HIM LAST NIGHT THAT WE WOULD GET TOGETHER, WE WOULD TALK ABOUT THIS AND FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT A, UH, TAKE THIS SITUATION THAT IS A DIFFICULT ONE, BUT MAKE IT, MAKE THE BEST WE CAN OF IT.
UH, THANK YOU MAJOR FOR JOINING US.
[Public Communication]
PUBLIC COMMENT IF YOU ARE AVAILABLE, AND IF YOU CAN, UH, IF YOU COULD STAY AND TO HELP, UH, LISTEN AND HEAR FROM OUR RESIDENTS ON THE COMMENTS.CLERK, IF YOU CAN CALL THE NAMES.
WE HAVE AMANDA MAGANA AND TO ADD SANG.
UH, IF YOU WERE IN THE, UM, AUDIENCE, PLEASE COME TO THE MIC.
ARMANDO MAN MANNA AND TWO YET SANG LU.
I THINK WE ALSO HAD, UM, PAULETTE WAS LISTED.
I'M NOT SURE IF SHE, UM, SHE SPOKE AND LEFT, I BELIEVE.
I THINK SHE JUST GAVE A BRIEF, UM, UPDATE.
HELLO TO, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
UM, MY NAME IS ANG AND I AM A, UM, CURRENT RESIDENT AT THE SALVATION ARMY.
UM, I HAVE SAID A LOT ABOUT ME AT A CONFERENCE, SO I'M NOT GONNA WASTE MY TIME HERE.
UM, I AM BEING THANKFUL FOR ALL THOSE TIMES THAT, UM, STAYING AT THE SALVATION.
UM, SO I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE LOSS THAT THE, THAT THE GENTLEMAN THERE THAT HAS BEEN GOING THROUGH.
UM, BUT STILL, I'M, I'M THANKFUL THAT THEY OFFER ME A PO UM, A REPLACEMENT TO DALLAS, TEXAS.
UM, OF COURSE I DIDN'T, I HAVEN'T BEEN GIVEN A SECOND OPTION, BUT TO GO TO DALLAS.
UM, THE THING IS, I HAVE BEEN HERE SIX MONTHS AND, UH, I'VE BEEN FOLLOWING WITH MY MEDICAL CARES AND EXCUSE ME, AND THAT, UM, I AM, I'M SORRY, THIS GETS, UH, IT GETS A BIT EMOTIONAL.
CAN YOU PULL COURSE? CAN I GO OUT? YES, OF COURSE.
WE'RE GONNA SWITCH PLACES FOR JUST A SECOND.
SO THANK YOU ALL FOR HAVING US.
I'M PAUL AT SULTANI, THE DIRECTOR OF THE TEXAS HARM, OR, UH, ORGANIZING DIRECTOR AT THE TEXAS HARM REDUCTION
[00:55:01]
ALLIANCE.UM, I WANTED TO START BY SAYING THERE'S THREE THINGS THAT WE'RE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT.
UM, THE FIRST IS THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF HOLDING THIS PROVIDER WHO'S OPERATING IN OUR CITY, HAVING SOME ACCOUNTABILITY AND OVERSIGHT OVER THE SALVATION ARMY AND HOW THEY CONTINUE TO DO WORK IN OUR CITY AND OTHER PROVIDERS, FUTURE PROVIDERS.
THE SECOND, AND THIS IS ACTUALLY IN REVERSE ORDER.
THE FIRST IS WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN IN DETAIL, EXACT DE DETAIL WITH THE EXISTING RESIDENTS AT THE SALVATION ARMY.
IT IS VERY, VERY DISCOURAGING AND CONCERNING THAT SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LOST.
I THINK THE, THE, THE MAJOR TALKED ABOUT 10 COULD NAME OFF 10 PEOPLE THAT HAVE, HAVE LEFT THE SHELTER AND HAVE GONE SOMEWHERE ELSE.
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT A HUNDRED, A HUNDRED RESIDENTS LESS THAN A WEEK AGO.
AND SO IT'S, IT'S EXTREMELY CONCERNING THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHERE SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE HAVE GONE, AND WE STILL DON'T HAVE DETAIL ABOUT WHAT'S GONNA BE HAPPENING IN THE NEXT WEEK.
AND SO TODAY YOU'RE GONNA HEAR FROM OTHER RESIDENTS ABOUT THAT SPECIFIC PIECE.
IS THAT UNTIL WE HAVE THE DETAIL, THIS IS INCREDIBLY DESTABILIZING AND ANXI PRODUCES SO MUCH ANXIETY AND, AND STRESS TO PEOPLE THAT ARE LIVING THERE.
UM, I'M JUST GONNA CALL THIS WHAT IT IS.
AND IT IS NEGLIGENCE, UH, IT'S NEGLIGENCE FROM THE MOMENT THAT THIS WAS COMMUNICATED TO RESIDENTS IN A AND TO THE PUBLIC IN A BLOG POST.
THE FACT THAT WE'VE CALLED ON THE SALVATION ARMY IN MAJOR RECLINE TO SPEAK TO THE PUBLIC, TO RESIDENTS OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND HAVE HEARD, HEARD, SILENCE.
IT, IT IS PURE NEGLIGENCE THAT THE ONLY OPTION THAT THIS PROVIDER IS GIVING IS A BUS TICKET TO DALLAS WHEN PEOPLE HAVE MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS HERE IN AUSTIN AND SO MANY OTHER THINGS.
AND SO WE SHOULD CALL THAT WHAT IT IS.
WE NEED OVERSIGHT OVER SALVATION ARMY AND PROVIDERS LIKE SALVATION ARMY.
AND WE NEED DETAILS ABOUT WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN TO THE LIVES OF PEOPLE THAT ARE STILL LIVING AT THE SALVATION ARMY.
NEXT WE'LL HAVE CAROLYN WILLIAMS AND NEW HOMIE ADAMS. I THINK, UM, UH, THIS, I THINK SHE HAD SOME, A FEW MORE COMMENTS TO PROVIDE.
I'M HOPING THAT, UM, I WILL GET SOME HELP FROM THE CITY THAT ALLOWING ME TO STAY HERE TO CONTINUE WITH MY MEDICAL CARE.
UM, I KNOW THAT THE, I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN, UM, DEALING WITH THE CRISIS HOMELESSNESS IN HERE IN THE CITY, BUT I KNOW THAT THE CRISIS IS SCARY, BUT LACK OF HUMANITY IS SCARIER.
UM, AND THAT MICHAEL STATEMENT FOR TODAY IS YOU RIP WHAT YOU SAW.
SO I BELIEVE THAT THE GOOD THING IS THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO PUT OUT, YOU WILL GET BACK IN THE END.
THE NEXT SPEAKER WE HAVE IS ARMANDO MAGANA, AND THEN CAROLYN WILLIAMS. SPEAKER, YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE ON THE COUNCIL.
UM, MY NAME IS CAROLYN WILLIAMS. UM, I HAD, UM, BEEN HOMELESS SINCE JANUARY THE SEVENTH.
I CAME TO THE SALVATION ARMY ON SEP, FEBRUARY THE SEVENTH.
WHEN I GOT THERE, I THOUGHT THAT WAS MY SAVING GRACE.
THOUGHT I HAD A PLACE TO STAY, BUT APPARENTLY NOT.
I'M BEING EVICTED FROM THERE TOO.
ME AND MY SON CAME TOGETHER THROUGH THE STRESS.
UM, JUST LAST WEEK I WAS HOSPITALIZED.
JUST GOT OUT THE HOSPITAL YESTERDAY.
THE PEOPLE THAT'S HOMELESS IN THE SHELTER, THEY'RE DEPRESSED.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO.
WE WERE JUST WARNED ABOUT THEM CLOSING A SHELTER.
WHAT, ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO? TWO WEEKS AGO? THREE, THREE WEEKS AGO, I GUESS, WITH NO NOTIFICATION.
PEOPLE AS HOMELESS ALREADY HAVE A SITUATION ON THEIR BACKS, BEING HOMELESS AND THEN FINDING OUT THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE HOMELESS AGAIN.
THAT JUST BRINGS OUT A LOT OF ANXIETY AND STRESS AND EVERYTHING.
WE'VE BEEN, I THINK IT'S A SLAP IN THE FACE, REALLY, BECAUSE THEY'RE TREATING US LIKE WE JUST THROWAWAYS.
JUST BECAUSE WE ARE HOMELESS, WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS.
AND I THINK IT'S INHUMANE THAT SOMEBODY JUST WANT TO GIVE YOU A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO FIND A PLACE TO STAY.
IF WE COULDN'T FIND A PLACE TO STAY
[01:00:01]
OUT THERE, WHAT MAKES YOU THINK WE GONNA FIND A PLACE IN, IN THAT SHORTER PERIOD OF TIME? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE.WHO DOES THAT? I THINK THE SALVATION ARMY NEEDS TO REEVALUATE THEIR CRITERIA AND GET SOME MONEY OR DO SOMETHING.
PUT US IN A SHELTER TO GIVE US HOTELS.
WE, WE DIDN'T ASK TO BE THIS WAY.
NEXT SPEAKER, NAOMI ADAMS. AND AGAIN, ARMANDO MAGANA.
IF YOU ARE IN THE ROOM, PLEASE COME TO THE MIC.
NEXT UP WILL BE WILLIAM KAFER.
UM, HELLO COUNSEL MAYOR WATSON.
I HAVE BEEN UNSHELTERED FOR QUITE SOME TIME.
WE WON'T GET INTO THOSE NUMBERS.
AND, UM, THAT WAS AN OPTION THEY GAVE ME.
WELL, DON'T YOU HAVE FAMILY? WELL, SURE I DO.
I IMPLORE ANY OF YOU TO JUST PACK UP THE LITTLE BIT THAT YOU HAVE AND GO MOVE IN WITH YOUR DAUGHTER.
GO MOVE IN WITH YOUR SON, MOVE IN WITH YOUR MOTHER, AND MAKE HER, YOU KNOW, DRIVE HER CRAZY.
YOU KNOW, I'M AN ABLE-BODIED HUMAN BEING.
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU IN A SHORT TIME, YOU KNOW, PHYSICALLY, UM, MENTALLY, THANK GOD I STILL HAVE MY FACULTIES.
YEAH, I'M CRAZY, BUT I'M NOT INSANE.
UM, AND, UH, I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT IT BECAUSE I'VE BEEN THERE.
I'VE SLEPT ON A SIDEWALK, AND I'M A PROUD MEMBER OF THE HOMELESS COMMUNITY.
NOW, I'VE SAID IT BEFORE, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT LIES FOR ME, UM, COMING AHEAD, BUT THERE ARE SOME OF US IN THIS TYPE OF COMMUNITY, UM, THAT WE ARE DILIGENT AND WE DO WANT TO PICK OURSELVES UP.
WE WANT TO ASCEND THE LATTER, AND WE WANT SHELTER.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, UM, UNLESS I HEARD IT WRONG, UM, THAT THE, UM, MAJOR RAICHLEN, PARDON ME, UM, IF I DIDN'T PRONOUNCE HIS NAME RIGHT, UM, RECLINE, EXCUSE ME, THAT THEY'VE KNOWN SINCE LAST SEPTEMBER, SOMETHING.
UM, WE WERE, I, I WAS BLESSED TO BE WORKING THAT PARTICULAR DAY AND SOME TEMPORARY WORK THAT THEY HAD A, NOT EVEN A MEETING, THEY CAME INTO THE DINING ROOM.
UM, SOME OF THE LADIES HAD TOLD ME AND TOLD, UH, THEM THAT, UH, GUESS WHAT, YOU GOTTA BE OUT IN THIS PARTICULAR, YOU KNOW, AT THIS TIME.
AND, YOU KNOW, SO, UH, PEOPLE ARE ON EDGE.
YOU KNOW WHO'S GOING TO GO WHERE.
UM, BUT WE DIDN'T GET ANY, UM, SAID MEMO OF ANY, YOU KNOW, WHERE'S MY MEMO? BUT, UM, I HAVE FAITH AND, UM, THAT THE, THE, THOSE OF US THAT ARE DILIGENT, AND WE DO GET UP IN THE MORNING AND WE ARE PRODUCTIVE IN SOCIETY.
WE JUST DON'T LAY AROUND AND WAIT FOR THINGS TO COME TO US.
YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO BE IN A PLACE WHERE WE CAN BE PART OF, UM, THIS SOCIETY AGAIN, YOU KNOW? BUT WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, WE'RE STILL HERE.
AND, UM, I WAS THINKING THIS, I WAS READING IN THE CHRONICLE, AND IT KIND OF SET ME BACK CONSIDERING WE, WE ARE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT JUST NUMBERS, WE'RE PEOPLE.
SPEAKER, YOUR TIME IS UP AGAIN, KATIE RIEL, KEFFER WILLIAMS. IF YOU'RE IN THE AUDIENCE, PLEASE COME TO THE MIC.
I WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
AND I DIDN'T WANNA GET EMOTIONAL, BUT I'M OVERWHELMED, SO BARE WITH ME.
UM, TODAY I LOOK EXTREMELY TIRED FOR THE REASON OF THE FACT THAT I WORKED NIGHTS.
AND SINCE THIS SITUATION HAS STARTED,
[01:05:01]
I HAVE GONE TO WORK, AND THEN A COUPLE HOURS LATER SHOWED UP TO PAST CONFERENCES TO NOT NECESSARILY FIGHT FOR MYSELF, BUT FIGHT FOR OTHERS THAT HAVE LESS THAN DO.I WOULD LIKE TO START OFF WITH A COUPLE OF DATES, 2 7 2 22 17, 3 2 3 8, AND 3 15, 2 7, WHICH WOULD BE FEBRUARY 7TH.
SHORTLY AFTER I, UM, GOT INTO THE SHELTER, I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH COMPLEX P T S D AS YOU CAN, THAT'S 10.
THE NEWS BROKE BETWEEN THE RESIDENTS BY ONE OF THE RESIDENTS COMING IN AND ASKING SHELTER STAFF IF THE BLOG THAT WE SAW WAS TRUE.
SHORTLY AFTER THAT, EVERYONE WITH THIS TELEPHONE WAS GOOGLING ABOUT THE SHELTER CLOSURE.
WE HAD OUR QUESTIONS, BUT WE KNEW WE HAD TO WAIT TILL THE NEXT MONDAY, WHICH WOULD BE FEBRUARY 20TH, WHEN THEY CAME INTO OUR LUNCHES AND OFFICIALLY TOLD US THAT THEY WERE OFFICIALLY CLOSING AS OF MARCH 15TH.
WE WERE TOLD AT THAT TIME WHEN ANOTHER RESIDENT HAD ASKED ABOUT THE RELOCATION.
AND AT THAT TIME, THEY, THE STAFF LOOKED AT US AND SAID, UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAD TO SAY THAT ABOUT THE RELOCATION.
AND THEN WE WERE ASKED IF WE HAD ANY FRIENDS OR FAMILY THAT WE COULD GO TO.
THERE ARE SOME OF US THAT ARE FORTUNATE THAT WE DO HAVE FAMILY MEMBERS, BUT THE UNFORTUNATENESS OF, WE DO NOT HAVE THOSE FAMILY MEMBERS TO GO TO.
UM, THEN THREE, TWO, THAT WOULD BE THE DATE OF OUR PRESS CONFERENCE THAT PARTICULAR DAY.
AGAIN, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, I HAD APPROXIMATELY FOUR HOURS OF SLEEP THAT DAY BEFORE I WENT TO THE PRESS CONFERENCE.
I WENT TO THE PRESS CONFERENCE TO BE SUPPORT.
NO, I DID NOT SPEAK THAT DAY BECAUSE I WAS TOO EXTREMELY TIRED TO, TO SPEAK THAT PARTICULAR DAY.
THE SALVATION ARMY DECIDED TO CALL ME WHILE I WAS AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE AND ASKED ME ABOUT MY
NEXT UP TO SPEAK IS REAL OGLE TREE AND MARIA, UH, SAP.
HOW YOU DOING COUNSEL? MAYOR WATSON.
UM, SO THE FIRST THING I WANNA SAY IS THAT THE DAY THE NEWS BROKE, SALVATION ARMY WAS CLOSING, AS HE JUST SAID, HE WAS TURNING PEOPLE AWAY THE DAY THE NEWS BROKE, THE BLOG POST BROKE.
I MOVED INTO THE SALVATION ARMY THAT EXACT DAY.
I WAS ACTUALLY ON HOLD WAITING IN THE LOBBY, UM, FOR THEM TO GET OUTTA THEIR MEETING, WHICH THEIR MEETING WAS EV EVIDENTLY ABOUT THE CLOSURE OF THE SALVATION ARMY.
UM, BUT THEN BEING TOLD, WE DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GONNA GO, GONNA HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT YOURSELF, AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN TELLING COME TO US, TELLING US, HEY, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO GO TO DALLAS IF THERE'S SPACE? I TRIED TO INFORM THEM, HEY, LET ME THINK ABOUT IT.
LET ME MAKE MY DECISION, BECAUSE I'M FROM AUSTIN.
I GET TOLD, OH, WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO WAIT.
WE'RE GONNA MAKE YOU DECIDE RIGHT NOW.
THAT'S NOT THE WAY TO HANDLE US.
LET US MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION INSTEAD OF TRYING TO FORCE SOMETHING ON US THAT IS, THAT WE MAY NOT WANT TO DO.
IT MAY NOT BE THE RIGHT DECISION FOR US.
UM, WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO WHEN TIME COMES? AND WE, WE DON'T GO TO DALLAS, OR WE DON'T GO HERE OR THERE.
IS THE CITY GONNA HELP US GET HOTEL ROOMS? IS THE CITY GONNA HELP MAKE SURE THAT THEY PLACE US SOMEWHERE? THAT'S OUR FEAR IS WHERE ARE WE GONNA, WHERE ARE WE GONNA GO? WE'RE A FAMILY AT THE SALVATION ARMY.
WE'VE LIVED TOGETHER EVERY DAY.
WE SEE EACH OTHER, SO I DON'T WANNA SEE ANY ONE OF THEM.
THEY DON'T WANNA SEE ANY, ANYBODY ELSE ON THIS STREET.
BUT THAT'S THE FEAR THAT WE RUN TO IS WHERE ARE WE GONNA END
[01:10:01]
UP? ARE WE GONNA END UP ON THIS STREET? UM, AND SO IT'S JUST, WE, WE NEED THE ANSWERS OF WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.HOW ARE THEY GONNA BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, AND WHAT ARE THEY, WHAT ARE Y'ALL GONNA DO TO PROTECT US? SO THAT WAY WE'RE NOT ADDED TO THE STATISTICS OF BEING HOMELESS, BEING ON THE STREET, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW IT'S, IT FEELS LIKE IT'S DALLAS OR ON THE STREET.
THOSE ARE THE TWO OPTIONS WE HAVE.
I DON'T HAVE FAMILY IN DALLAS.
I DON'T WANNA LEAVE MY FAMILY.
I DON'T WANNA, I HAVE, I CAN'T LIVE WITH MY FAMILY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, APARTMENTS HAVE RULES.
BUT IT'S NOT SO MUCH OF A RUSH DECISION THAT WE SHOULD BE FORCED TO, IT SHOULD HAVE, SHOULD HAVE BEEN LONGER THAN A MONTH.
IT SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN, OH, YOU HAVE A MONTH TO FIGURE IT OUT.
IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TWO MONTHS, THREE MONTHS, FOUR MONTHS.
IT FEELS LIKE IT WAS JUST A RUSH DECISION.
SPEAKER MARIA, STEP MADAM CHAIR.
UM, AS, AS THE NEXT SPEAKERS COMING DOWN, I WAS GONNA WAIT TILL AFTER EVERYBODY HAD, UH, SPOKEN, BUT I, THAT WAS A VERY COMPELLING TESTIMONY WITH A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS THAT WERE ASKED.
AND SO I, I'M JUST GONNA, UH, TALK RIGHT NOW FOR A SECOND.
I WANT TO, I WANNA START BY SAYING THAT, UH, I THINK I CAN SPEAK FOR THIS CITY COUNCIL AND, UH, THIS, UH, INTERIM CITY MANAGER AND HIS, HIS, UH, STAFF IN THE, IN HIS OFFICE RIGHT NOW, THAT EVERYONE'S DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED IN THIS.
UH, THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO DO BUSINESS WITH ANYONE, UH, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO ARE FIGHTING THEMSELVES IN A VULNERABLE SITUATION WITH LITTLE CHOICES, UH, GIVEN TO THEM.
AND I ALSO WANNA SAY THAT I APPRECIATE MY COLLEAGUES THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS AS WE'VE, UH, WORKED TO TRY TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION.
AND I APPRECIATE THE INTERIM CITY MANAGER'S, UH, IMMEDIATE EFFORT TO GET INVOLVED IN THIS, UH, AND, AND, AND DO IT IN A WAY WHERE WE HAVE, UH, WE, WE HAVE SOME VIABLE, UH, OPPORTUNITIES.
THIS CITY, I I, I HAVE VISITED WITH THE CITY MANAGER AND, AND, UM, AND I CAN, I, I CAN SAY THIS, THIS CITY IS NOT GOING TO LET ANYONE BE LEFT WITHOUT A PLACE TO GO AND, AND NO ONE ON THE STREET.
AND THAT WILL INCLUDE PEOPLE THAT DON'T HAVE TO GO TO, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO ANOTHER CITY IF YOU DON'T WANT TO.
WE'RE GONNA WORK WITH THE SALVATION ARMY, UH, TO MAKE ADDITIONAL TIME AVAILABLE.
IF, IF THAT COSTS SOME MONEY FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO MAKE ADDITIONAL TIME AVAILABLE, WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT.
BUT THE SALVATION ARMY NEEDS TO BE WILLING TO KEEP THAT SHELTER OPEN SO THAT WE CAN DO THAT.
AND FOR THOSE, THERE'S STILL SOME WORK TO DO.
SO BY FRIDAY, THE CITY WILL HAVE A PLAN SO THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE, UH, WHO ARE, UH, BEING ABANDONED.
SO, I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT MADAM CHAIR, BUT I, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THANK YOU.
AND THANK YOU MAYOR, FOR COMMITTING TO THAT FRIDAY UPDATE.
UM, CITY MANAGER, IF WE CAN HAVE AN UPDATE THAT TALKS THROUGH WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE, UM, YOU KNOW, INTERIM SOLUTIONS THAT THE CITY HAS IDENTIFIED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SALVATION ARMY AND WITH OUR DIVISIONS.
AND, UH, UH, MADAM CHAIR, JUST SO YOU KNOW, I, I WANT TO THANK, UH, STEPHANIE AND ADRIAN AND DIANA FOR ALL THE WORK THEY'RE DOING ON THIS.
THEY'VE COMMITTED TO ME THAT THEY'LL CONTINUE AS THEY HAVE IN THE PAST, CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE, THE MAJOR AND THE EXECUTIVES OF SALVATION ARMY.
SO WE HAVE A RESOLUTION BY FRIDAY.
SO I THANK THEM FOR THEIR HARD WORK ON THIS.
AND, UH, WE JUST WANT SOME HELP.
WE JUST WANT, UH, TO RELOCATE TO, UH, TO A SAFE PLACE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO, DO WE HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS? OKAY.
UM, SO YEAH, I THINK ONE OF THE, THE MAN GOT UP WHEN I WAS SUPPOSED TO SPEAK.
I THINK IT'S A MISTAKE, BUT ANYWAY, MY NAME IS IDENTIFY YOURSELF.
MY NAME IS SHE, MY NAME IS RAEL AKRE.
AND, UH, I'M AT THE SHELTER NEXT DOOR TO THE SALVATION ARMY.
BUT, UH, WE'RE ALL HERE AND I'M HERE FOR SIMILAR REASON THAT'S HAPPENING NATIONWIDE.
IT'S PRACTICALLY A PANDEMIC, WHICH, UH, IS A
[01:15:01]
HOMELESS CRISIS, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? AND, UM, YOU CAN'T TURN A BLIND EYE TO THE SOLUTION BY KICKING PEOPLE OUT ON THE STREET.I MEAN, AND THEN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW, OH, I HEAR, CAUSE I HEAR A LOT OF PEOPLE TALK ABOUT, OH, MAN, YOU KNOW, THIS CITY REALLY USED TO BE A GREAT CITY, AND IT'S TRASH NOW, YOU KNOW.
WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE THE, THE PEOPLE OUT HERE, UH, SAY ALL THIS STUFF, THEY DON'T EVER TALK ABOUT A SOLUTION TO IT.
THEY DON'T, UH, KNOW WHY WE'RE ON THE STREETS, ANY OF THAT STUFF.
YOU KNOW, THEY'LL ASSUME THAT WE'RE ALL STRUNG OUT ON DRUGS, UH, LIKE, OR TRASH TO THEM, BASICALLY.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, SO I COULD SEE WHY MAYBE TO THE MAJOR, IT WAS NO PROBLEM FOR HIM TO SHUT DOWN THE SALVATION ARMY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, HE DOESN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE THINGS WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT.
YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? HE'S, HE'S ALREADY SET, PROBABLY GUYS NOT HIS HOUSE AND ALL THAT.
SO THE BOTTOM LINE IS, IF HE HAD A HOUSE, HUMAN DECENCY AND ANY TYPE OF MORAL AND ETHICAL STANDARDS, HE WOULD, WOULDN'T, WE WOULDN'T EVEN BE HERE TODAY TO BE DISCUSSING THIS, BECAUSE HE SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT WE NEEDED MORE TIME TO MAKE DECISIONS, TO FIND A PLACE TO STAY.
AND ALL WE NEED IS OPPORTUNITY JOBS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? AND IT'S LIKE, I DON'T THINK THAT'S TOO MUCH.
UH, WE NEED SHELTER FIT FOR HUMAN BEING.
YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? LIKE, UH, WE DON'T NEED TO BE LIVING LIKE A FREAKING ALLEY, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? INTENSE UNDER THE FREEWAY, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? LIKE, THAT'S BASICALLY ALL WE WANT, YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? SO THAT'S ALL I FEEL ABOUT THAT.
AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO JOINED US TODAY TO TESTIFY, TO SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES, AND THANK YOU TO OUR, OUR STAFF, AND TO, TO THE MAJOR FOR JOINING US FOR TODAY'S UPDATE.
[1. Re-approve the Public Health Committee meeting minutes for November 28, 2022, to correct scrivener’s errors.]
WE ARE GONNA MOVE ON WITH OUR AGENDA.THERE ARE A COUPLE ITEMS THAT WE NEED TO GO BACK TO, AND THAT INCLUDES APPROVING MINUTES.
UM, SO THE FIRST ITEM BEFORE US IS THE APPROVAL OF THE CORRECTED NOVEMBER, 2022 MEETING MINUTES.
SO FOR ITEM NUMBER ONE, CAN I GET A MOTION? THE MAYOR MOTIONS, UM, AND SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR VELASQUEZ.
ANY DISCUSSION OR CORRECTION OF THE MINUTES? SEEING NONE, LET'S TAKE A VOTE.
ALL IN FAVOR? OKAY, THAT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.
[2. Approve minutes of the Public Health Committee meeting on December 14, 2022.]
GONNA MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER TWO.UH, CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE DECEMBER 14TH, 2022 MEETING MINUTES AS PRESENTED? VICE CHAIR VELASQUEZ'S MOTIONS, SECONDED BY THE MAYOR.
ALL IN FAVOR? HEY, PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.
[4. Receive staff briefing for Council to adopt the Austin Public Library long-range Strategic Plan per accreditation requirements under Title 13 of the Texas Administrative Code, Section 1.83(6).]
WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BRIEFING TO COUNSEL TO A, A BRIEFING TO COUNCIL ON THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY LONG RANGE STRATEGIC PLAN.IF WE CAN HAVE DIRECTOR ROOSEVELT WEEKS JOIN US, UM, HE WILL BE PROVIDING THIS BRIEFING ON THE LONG RANGE PLAN.
GOOD MORNING, MADAM CHAIR, COUNCIL MEMBERS MAYOR, MR. MAYOR.
UH, MY NAME IS ROOSEVELT WEEKS, AND I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY, PROUD DIRECTOR OF THE AUSTIN PUBLIC LIBRARY, UH, WHERE WE HAVE 24, UH, SERVICE POINTS, 20 BRANCH LIBRARIES, ONE CENTRAL LIBRARY, THE AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER RECYCLE READ IN OUR BOOK, MOBILE.
I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU A PROJECT OVERVIEW OF THIS PROJECT IS A YEAR LONG PROJECT.
WE WORK WITH, UH, A VENDOR, UM, GROUP FOUR TO HELP US WITH THIS EFFORT.
UH, WE HAD A GREAT, UH, TURNOUT IN, IN REACHING OUR, UH, COMMUNITY TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE US DOING.
AND THEN WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE KEY THEMES THAT CAME FROM IT, OUR LIBRARY VISION, MISSION, AND STRATEGIC GOALS, AND THEN TALK ABOUT OUR FACILITIES.
AND AT THE END, WE'LL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS, UH, MAKE ROOM FOR SOME QUESTIONS.
UH, THE PURPOSE OF THE, UH, PROJECT WAS TO DEVELOP A VISION, UH, FOR AUSTIN FUTURE LIBRARY SERVICES IN SPACE, DEVELOP A STRATEGIC PLAN TO GUIDE APL FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, DEVELOP A PLAN TO GUIDE FUTURE APL STRATEGIES PROGRAM IN SPACES, AND THEN STRENGTHEN APL POSITION AS A KEY PARTNER IN THE CITY, UH, IN SERVING THE COMMUNITY ISSUES, ADDRESS THE COMMUNITY ISSUES.
UH, DURING THIS PROCESS, WE SPOKE TO NEARLY 6,000 COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UH, IN WORKING ON THIS PLAN.
400 PLUS STAFF MEMBERS TO HELP US TO DEVELOP THIS PLAN, AND 70 STAFF, UH, 70 PLUS STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTNERS, UH, DURING THIS PROCESS.
LET'S LOOK AT SOME OF THE KEY THEMES THAT CAME OUT OF THE, UH, OUT OF THE PROJECT.
MOST OF US KNOW THAT AUSTIN IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE.
UH, GREAT PARKS, NEIGHBORHOODS, GREAT LIBRARIES, UM, AND IT'S A WALKABLE COMMUNITY.
WE LOVE BEING PART OF THE CITY.
BUT WE ALSO FACE CHALLENGES, AFFORDABILITY,
[01:20:02]
UM, TRAFFIC, COST OF LIVING.TRANSPORTATIONS ARE SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT WE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY.
UM, AND OUR LAST COMMUNITY-WIDE, UH, SURVEY, 82% OF THE COMMUNITY, UM, RESPECTED LIBRARY, LIBRARY, LOVE LIBRARIES.
AND WE WILL SECOND ONLY TO THOSE, UH, CHIEF JOE BACON AND THOSE CAPE WEARING FIREFIGHTERS.
AND OUR GOAL IS TO BE THERE, UP THERE WITH THEM.
UH, NEXT TIME THE SURVEY COME OUT, WE DON'T WEAR CAPES.
UH, AUSTIN WANT US TO DO MORE, UH, THE MORE, UH, WE PROVIDE GREAT SERVICE.
UH, AND SOME OF THE THINGS THEY WANNA SEE US TO DO IS TO COLLABORATE AND CONNECT, UH, BE A, BE A PLACE TO CONNECT IN THE LIBRARY, TO TALK ABOUT COMMUNITY ISSUES, TO HELP US TO FIND SPACE, TO RES, UM, TO COME UP WITH SOME SOLUTIONS.
UH, THEY ALSO WANT US TO EXPAND OUR LENDING, UH, OUTSIDE OF BOOKS AND MATERIALS AS WELL AS LAPTOPS.
THEY WANNA SEE US START, UH, LENDING, UM, HOME GARDENING TOOLS, SEWING EQUIPMENT, AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
AND WE ARE STARTING TO DO SOME OF THAT.
UH, BUT THEY WANNA SEE US DO MORE OF THAT.
THE THIRD THING THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE US DOING IS TO CREATE A SPACE WHERE WE CAN, WE CAN, UH, CAPITALIZE ON THE MUSIC, LIVE MUSIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD BY PRODUCING, UH, AV MUSIC, RECORDING, UM, STUDIOS FOR THAT, FOR THAT WORK.
AND THEN FINALLY, THEY WANNA BE ABLE TO LEARN NEW SKILLS.
UH, WE BELIEVE THAT THE LIBRARY IS A PLACE, UH, FOR EVERYBODY.
UH, WE LIKE TO CALL IT THE PEOPLE UNIVERSITIES TO GET THOSE SKILLS AND THE OPPORTUNITIES TO, TO GROW THEM, GROW THEM PERSONALLY.
AND THEY ALMOST ALSO WANNA SEE US TO PARTNER WITH MORE ORGANIZATIONS SO THAT WE CAN GET OUR MESSAGE OUT TO DO SOME OF THE WORK, EXPAND THE WORK THAT WE ARE DOING.
AND SO WE WANT TO CREATE ADDITIONAL PARTNERSHIPS OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND THEN WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT OUR NEW, UH, VISION, MISSION STATEMENT, AND OUR STRATEGIC GOALS.
AND THIS IS OUR NEW VISION AND OUR NEW MISSION STATEMENT.
UH, OUR VISION STATEMENT IS A MODEL OF EQUITY, INCLUSION, ACCESS, AND DIVERSITY.
OUR MISSION IS TO INSPIRE, INSPIRING ALL TO DISCOVER, LEARN, AND CREATE.
AND THESE ARE THE FIVE GOALS THAT, UH, THAT CAME FROM THE, FROM THE, UH, WORK, UH, IN WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY, OUR STAFF, UH, AND OUR PARTNERS.
UH, WE WANNA PROVIDE COMMUNITY-CENTRIC PROGRAMS AND SERVICES, DESIGN AND DEVELOP SPACES FOR COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS, FOSTER STAKEHOLDERS RELATIONSHIP.
AND THAT'S WORKING WITH OUR FOUNDATION, OUR AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER ASSOCIATION.
UM, AND MOST OF ALL THE COMMUNITY THAT WE SERVE.
UH, AND WE WANNA, AND LIBRARY ACCESS.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE DO IS TO CREATE, UH, TO, TO GET RID OF SOME OF THE BARRIERS OUT THERE FOR, UH, MEMBERS TO USE OUR SERVICES.
AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN EXPAND THOSE ACCESS TO EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND THEN WE WANT TO ENGAGE OUR STAFF.
WE GOT THE BEST STAFF, AND THIS IS MY OPINION, UH, THE BEST STAFF IN THE CITY, UH, THEY LOVE WORKING WITH, UH, THE COMMUNITY.
THEY ARE DEDICATED, THEY'RE PASSIONATE, UH, AND THEY'RE VERY SMART AT WHAT THEY DO AND THE SERVICE THEY PROVIDE.
AND THEN LET'S TALK ABOUT OUR FACILITIES.
I GOT THE WARNING, I'M GONNA KEEP GOING.
UM, UH, AUSTIN LIBRARIES ARE COMMUNITY HUBS, AND THIS IS WHAT WE HEARD.
AND THIS IS THE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO CAPITALIZE ON.
AUSTIN LIBRARIES PROVIDE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO LIBRARY SPACE AND SERVICES.
UH, THE LIBRARY HAVE THE CAPACITY TO SERVE ITS GROWING POPULATION, UH, AND THE, AND THE LIBRARY NETWORK GROWTH SUBSTANTIALLY.
THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO DO.
OUR COMMUNITY HUBS, WE ARE IN EVERY COMMUNITY.
WE ARE IN MOST OF THE COMMUNITIES, UH, HERE, BUT OUR COMMUNITY IS GROWING, SO WE WANT TO BE THAT COMMUNITY HUB.
UH, SPACE FOR OUR CORE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES.
OUR SPACE FOR OUR HIGH PROGRAMS, UM, AND, AND EVENTS.
UH, OUR CENTRAL LIBRARY IS A GREAT SPACE TO PROVIDE SOME OF THOSE MAJOR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES, BUT WE NEED MORE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.
WE WANNA BE A SPACE FOR PARTNERSHIPS.
AND AS WE ALL KNOW, THE LIBRARY IS A PLACE FOR EVERYBODY, NO MATTER WHAT BACKGROUND YOU HAVE, WHAT YOUR LIVING STATUS, IT IS A PLACE FOR EVERYBODY.
IT'S A PLACE FOR ART AND CULTURAL SHOWCASE.
AND THEN BE READY FOR THE FUTURE.
THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO FOR OUR LIBRARIES.
NOW, THE CENTRAL LIBRARY AND THE AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER ARE, ARE TWO OF OUR COMMUNITY RESOURCES.
[01:25:01]
CONTINUE TO EXPAND UPON THE WORK THAT WE ARE DOING AT OUR CENTRAL LIBRARY.WE'RE DOING SOME WORK AT THE AUSTIN HISTORY CENTER AND EXPANDING INTO THE FOG BUILDING.
UH, THAT WORK IS GOING ON NOW FROM A 2018 BOND.
UH, THERE'S SOME GREAT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE, UM, UH, FOG BUILDING AS WE EXPAND INTO THAT SPACE.
UH, WE LOOKING TO PARTNER WITH, UH, THE TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, ARCHIVES TO EXPAND INTO THAT SPACE TO USE TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE THAT SPACE LONG TERM.
AUSTIN USES MULTIPLE BRANCHES, ALSO NOT USE MULTIPLE BRANCHES.
THEY DON'T JUST LIVE IN THEY NEIGHBORHOOD.
THEY DON'T USE THOSE BRANCHES, BUT THEY GO OUT, GO ACROSS THE CITY TO USE, UM, BRANCHES.
UM, BRANCHES USE IS SHAPED BY GEO GEOGRAPHIC FACTORS, INCLUDING I 35 AND THE RIVER.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IN ALL FOUR QUADRANTS, UM, OF THE CITY, WE HAVE EQUITABLE BRANCH LIBRARY CAPACITY FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE POPULATION SIZE.
AS WE ALL KNOW, THE CITY IS GROWING AT A GREAT RATE.
UH, AND SO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR THOSE SPACES.
AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, UH, A MINI CENTRAL LIBRARIES IN ALL QUADRANTS OF THE CITY SO THAT PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO, UH, TRAVEL AS FAR WE CAN REDUCE OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT.
WE ARE ABLE TO, UH, REDUCE THE TRAFFIC AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR THE COMMUNITY, UM, WITH THEIR BASIC, WITH SOME OF THE NEEDS THAT THEY WANT.
AND THEN WE WANT TO CREATE RESILIENCY HUBS IN THE FOUR QUADRANTS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD SO WE CAN RESPOND TO EMERGENCY SITUATIONS WHEN THEY COME UP.
UH, THIS SLIDE, UH, TALKS ABOUT WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW FROM A SPACE, UH, UH, PER SQUARE FOOTAGE, UH, BASIS ON CAPITAL, CAPITAL SPACE PER SQUARE FOOTAGE.
WE SHOULD BE AT ZERO POINT 0.068 TO 0.08 SQUARE FOOTAGE.
WE HAVE TO, UH, BUILD AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY AND SOME OF OUR, UM, UM, LIBRARY SYSTEM, PEER LIBRARY SYSTEM WAY AHEAD OF US WHEN IT COME TO THAT.
UM, WE ARE DOWN THERE WITH, UM, NASHVILLE.
UM, AND IT'S ANOTHER SMALL, UH, CITY, UH, LEWISVILLE.
WE IN THAT RANGE, WE NEED TO, WE REALLY WANT TO BE IN THE RANGE OF 0.06, 0.0 6.8.
AND HOW WE DO THAT, WE HAVE TO EXPAND OUR FOOTPRINT IN THE COMMUNITY.
HERE'S OUR LOAN RANGE PLAN THAT WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO.
AND HOPEFULLY, UM, IN THE NEXT BOND ELECTION, WE CAN INCLUDE SOME OF THIS WORK, UH, GOING FORWARD.
UH, BUT THIS IS A, A NEXT FIVE TO 15 YEARS PLAN.
UH, WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS MAINTAIN THE, THE SIZE OF THESE CURRENT LIBRARY LOCATIONS, UH, EXPAND AND REPLACE, UH, TO 30,000 SQUARE FEET AT THE, UH, THE OTHER LO LOCATION THAT WE HAVE.
AND THEN CREATE, UH, FOUR REGIONAL LIBRARIES, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND THAT'S IN THE FAR NORTH, UH, EAST FOR NORTHWEST, FOR SOUTHEAST AND FAR SOUTHWEST.
AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU.
THANK YOU, DIRECTOR RES, I'M, I'M SUPER EXCITED TO HAVE THIS BRIEFING.
I LOVE THAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT WHAT OUR NEEDS ARE AS A COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY IN A GROWING CITY LIKE AUSTIN, AND UNDERSTANDING THAT WE ARE BELOW THE TARGET OF LIBRARY SPACE FOR A CITY OUR SIZE AND UNDERSTANDING WHERE WE NEED TO POSITION, UH, THE EXPANDED, UM, LIBRARY FACILITIES AND OR NEW LIBRARY FACILITIES THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
MAYOR, COUPLE QUICK QUESTIONS.
UM, AND YOU MAY HAVE SAID THIS, AND I JUST MISSED IT, AND I APOLOGIZE.
THE 0.045, WHERE WE ARE, RIGHT? AND THE POINT, OH, YOU SAID 0.06, 8.06, 2.08 IS WHERE WE WANTED TO 0.062.
THAT, THAT, THAT ACTUALLY MAKES SENSE NOW I THINK ABOUT IT.
SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT IT BEFORE I ASKED THE QUESTION.
AND THEN WHAT'S THE, UH, TIMELINE FOR THE FA LIBRARY? UH, WE ARE SCHEDULED TO COMPLETE THAT IN THE LATE FALL OF THIS YEAR.
AND THAT'S ONLY FOR THE, THE, UH, TWO, UH, LET'S SEE, THE SECOND, THIRD FLOOR IS WHAT WE'RE GOING, THAT WE'RE DOING.
WE'RE PUTTING AN ARCHIVAL SPACE IN PLACE, RIGHT.
UH, WE STILL HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL DOLLARS THAT WE NEED.
IT'S PROBABLY ABOUT 50,000, 50 MILLION ADDITIONAL DOLLARS TO COMPLETE THE RENOVATION OF THE WHOLE BUILDING.
BUT RIGHT NOW WE'RE JUST FOCUSING ON EXPANDING THE, THE HISTORY CENTER INTO THAT SPACE SO WE CAN GET OUR ARCHIVES BACK FROM IRON MOUNTAIN AND, AND OTHER PLACES.
SO BECAUSE OF THE NEED TO EXPAND THE HISTORY CENTER, WHEN THE CENTRAL LIBRARY OPENED, IT ALLOWED FOR FAULK TO BE USED FOR THAT, AND THE INITIAL MONEY JUST WENT FOR THAT EXPANSION AND NOT BEYOND? THAT'S CORRECT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR DIRECTOR WEEKS? THANK YOU.
[5. Discuss future agenda items.]
LEADS US TO OUR FINAL ITEM FOR OUR MEETING TODAY.AND IT'S A DISCUSSION ON FUTURE ITEMS.
[01:30:01]
UM, WOULD LOVE TO HEAR BACK FROM THE COMMUNITY.I KNOW COUNCIL CADRE, YOU HAVE A SUGGESTION AS WELL, BUT MAYOR, UH, VICE CHAIR OF ALASKAS, ANY, UM, SUGGESTIONS ON TOPICS FOR THE COMMITTEE TO COVER? OKAY.
NOT RIGHT NOW, BUT I'LL BRING SOME.
UM, YOU KNOW, FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WANT TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTEZ FOR ALWAYS TAKING MY CALL AND NO MATTER HOW, HOW LATE IT MIGHT BE
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE THING THAT WE'RE GONNA SHOW AS A, AS A COUNCIL, MY HOPE IS, UH, THE SENSE OF URGENCY.
I TALKED TO MAYOR WATSON ABOUT THAT, UH, ESPECIALLY WITH THIS, UH, SITUATION WITH, UH, OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS AND, AND THE SALVATION ARMY.
UH, AND I THINK THAT THAT SAME SENSE OF URGENCY SHOULD BE, UH, SHOWN AND AFFORDED TO ALL COMMUNITIES, UH, IN THIS CITY.
UH, AND, AND I WANNA TALK ABOUT, UH, SPECIFICALLY TODAY FOR SOMETHING TO BE TALKED ABOUT.
NEXT MEETING, UH, THE, THE INTERSEX COMMUNITY.
UH, THIS WAS BROUGHT UP TO ME, UH, LATE LAST NIGHT.
UH, AND LIKE I SAID, I, I REACHED OUT TO, UH, THE CHAIR AND, UH, SHE, WHEN WE TALKED IT THROUGH, AND I, I JUST WANTED TO BRING IT UP.
SO IN 2021, UH, AUSTIN PASSED A HISTORIC RESOLUTION TO CONDEMN NON-CONSENSUAL SURGERIES AND TO DIRECT THE CITY TO EXPLORE METHODS TO IMPLEMENT A PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN, TO PROVIDE ACCURATE, AFFIRMING INFORMATION.
DID THE DOCTORS AND PARENTS OF INTERSEX CHILDREN ABOUT THESE CHILDREN'S HEALTH TO COUNTER MISINFORMATION, UH, THAT CAN BE PRESENTED AS MEDICAL ADVICE.
WE WERE THE SECOND CITY IN THE US TO PASS LOCAL POLICY LIKE THIS AFTER NEW YORK CITY.
AND I BELIEVE THE FINAL REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE PROVIDED, UH, SOMETIME IN SOMETIME IN JULY.
UH, AS I SAID, I'VE SPOKEN WITH CHAIR FUENTES, AND DUE TO THE TIME SENSITIVE NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF THIS ITEM, I'D LIKE TO REQUEST FOR THE NEXT PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE MEETING TO ADD THIS ITEM TO THE AGENDA TO GO OVER THE DETAILS.
UH, IN THE MOST RECENT MEMO DISTRIBUTED JUST YESTERDAY SPECIFICALLY, I THINK IT'LL BE HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND, UH, THE BARRIERS ARISEN BY THE STATUTORY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN DIFFERENT HEALTH DEPARTMENTS AND ACTIONS WE AS A COUNCIL, UH, CAN TAKE TO MITIGATE THOSE BARRIERS.
SO, UH, YOU KNOW, LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT, UH, IN THE NEXT PUBLIC HEALTH MEETING.
COUNCIL MCC CADRE, UM, THAT IS A TOPIC THAT WE CAN SLATE IN IN ONE OF OUR UPCOMING MEETINGS.
UH, COLLEAGUES, AUSTIN WANTED TO DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO SOME OF THE TOPICS THAT ME AND MY TEAM HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT.
UM, IS CONVENING A CONVERSATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS ON GUN VIOLENCE AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, UM, AND THAT WE COULD DO IN JUNE, ALSO DOING AN UPDATE ON OUR, OUR FOOD SYSTEM, CHILDCARE, MENTAL HEALTH LANGUAGE INCLUSION, HOUSING, EMPLOYMENT.
AS YOU CAN TELL, THERE'S MANY INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN OUR PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE AREA AND THE TOP ISSUES THAT OUR CITY FACES.
SO THIS IS A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US AS A COMMITTEE, UH, TO REFLECT ON, ON THESE ISSUES AND HA AND BRING AND CALL ATTENTION TO IT FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE.
UNLESS THERE'S ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION.
IT IS 1133 AND I ADJOURN THIS MEETING.
HAD TO DO WAS WRITE ME ROCK AND ROLL SONG.