[Call to Order ]
[00:00:05]
IT'S 10 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING ON AUGUST 6TH, 2024, AND I WILL CALL TO ORDER THE WORK SESSION OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL.
WE ARE MEETING IN CITY HALL, THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, WHICH ARE LOCATED AT 3 0 1 WEST SECOND STREET IN AUSTIN, TEXAS.
AND WE HAVE A QUORUM OF THE CITY COUNCIL PRESENT.
[1. Presentation and discussion of the City Manager's Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Proposed Budget]
PURPOSE OF TODAY'S MEETING IS A PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF THE CITY MANAGER'S FISCAL YEAR 20 24, 20 25, PROPOSED BUDGET.BUT YOU WILL RECALL THAT THERE WAS A REQUEST BY COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES THAT WE TALK ABOUT SPECIFICALLY, UH, ITEMS RELATED TO, UH, HOMELESSNESS.
AND SO THAT'S WHAT, UH, THIS HAS BEEN SET UP FOR.
YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU, UH, A HARD COPY OF THE PRESENTATION THAT WILL BE GIVEN TODAY, AND I'LL TURN FIRST TO THE MANAGER TO SEE IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT YOU WANNA SAY OR I'LL PITCH IT TO MS. LANG.
WE'RE GONNA PITCH IT TO MS. LANG.
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
CARRIE LANG, BUDGET OFFICER WITH THE FINANCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
UM, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED WITH THE CONVERSATION.
WE'LL GIVE THE HOMELESSNESS SERVICES OVERVIEW AND THEN, UM, JUST TALK ABOUT NEXT STEPS.
UM, WE STARTED THE CONVERSATION LOOKING AT THE FISCAL YEAR 25, PROPOSED BUDGET FOR HOMELESS SERVICES.
WE SHOWED YOU THIS SLIDE, UM, A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, BREAKING OUT THE, UM, FUNDING THAT IS PLANNED FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 IN THE DEPARTMENT.
UM, 27 MILLION IS SOCIAL SERVICE CONTRACTS OVER THE SERVICE AREAS OR PROGRAMS OF FOCUS LISTED THERE.
UM, AND THEN THE 3.3 MILLION THAT IS LISTED IS FOR THEIR OPERATING, THAT'S FOR STAFF AND THE OPERATING FUNCTIONS OF THE OFFICE.
WE'LL FOCUS TODAY'S CONVERSATION, UM, AROUND HOMELESS SHELTER, RAPID REHOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
AND SO JUST GENERALLY AS WE LOOKED AT THOSE, AT THOSE, UM, BUCKETS FOR, FOR THOSE THREE PARTICULAR, UM, AREAS IN HOMELESS SHELTER, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A GAP FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 AT $2.8 MILLION.
THAT'S FOR NORTH BRIDGE AND SOUTH BRIDGE SHELTERS.
UM, AND IT'S BASED ON THE DOUBLE OCCUPANCY THAT WE BEGAN IN, UH, JUNE OF 2023 TO CONTINUE THAT THROUGH FISCAL YEAR 25.
THAT'S, THAT HAS CREATED A $2.8 MILLION GAP.
AND THEN WHEN WE LOOK AT RAPID REHOUSING, UM, WE DON'T ANTICIPATE A GAP IN RAPID REHOUSING BECAUSE THERE ARE ARPA DOLLARS THAT HAVE, UM, THAT ARE IN THAT PROGRAM AREA THAT HAVE NOT BEEN ALLOCATED TO A CONTRACT TO DATE.
SO THERE ARE OPEN DOLLARS IN THE RAPID REHOUSING PROGRAMMING AREA WITHIN ARPA THAT THE TEAM FEELS LIKE THEY CAN ALLOCATE TO CONTINUE THE RAPID REHOUSING WORK THROUGH FISCAL YEAR 25 AS THEY WORK ON ANALYZING THE PROGRAM TO DETERMINE THE ONGOING NEEDS BEYOND NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
AND THEN FINALLY, WHEN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A $2.6 MILLION GAP BASED ON THE UNITS THAT WILL BE GOING ONLINE IN FISCAL YEAR 25.
THE OVERALL GAP THAT HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IS 4.2 MILLION, BUT WE BELIEVE IN FISCAL YEAR 25, WE NEED 2.6 MILLION, AND THEN THE REMAINING 1.6 MILLION WILL BE NEEDED IN FISCAL YEAR 26 FOR THE NEW UNITS COMING ON LATER IN THE CALENDAR YEAR OF 2025.
CAN I ASK A QUESTION ABOUT THAT? YES.
I, I, I, I UNDERSTOOD WHAT YOU JUST SAID, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE, BECAUSE WE HAD ALWAYS BEEN OP I SAY WE, A NUMBER OF US THAT HAD BEEN PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO THIS AND WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS BUDGET, UH, HAD THE MONEY FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING WRAPAROUND SERVICES.
THE NUMBER WE HAD BEEN WORKING ON ACTUALLY HAD BEEN 2.8, BUT, YOU KNOW, 2.6 TO 2.8 IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, THERE'S BEEN A BIG PUSH TO SAY IT NEEDS TO BE OVER 4 MILLION, WHATEVER THAT NUMBER IS.
WHAT I WANNA BE CLEAR ABOUT, BECAUSE I WANT US TO GET THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF MONEY, UH, ON THIS, WHAT I WANNA BE CLEAR ABOUT IS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT IF YOU LOOK AT THE, THE HOUSING THAT'S COMING ON IN 25, THE, THE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING THAT'S COMING ON IN 25, THAT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY NEEDED TO ADDRESS THAT, THAT HOUSING IS THE 2.6 TO 2.8, THE NUMBER WE'RE HEARING OF THE LARGER NUMBER OVER 4 MILLION TAKES YOU THROUGH 2026.
[00:05:01]
AMOUNT NEEDED BASED ON WHAT WE KNOW IS COMING ONLINE THROUGH 26 IS $4.2 MILLION.BUT THE TIMING OF THOSE ITEMS OF THOSE UNITS MEANS THAT WE ONLY NEED 2.6 IN FISCAL YEAR 25.
THE REMAINING 1.6 OF THAT 4.2 WILL BE NEEDED IN FISCAL YEAR 20.
THE 2.8 THAT IS UP THERE IS FOR THE EMERGENCY SHELTERS.
BUT I'D ALSO HEARD 2.6 ON THE PERMANENT, UH, SUPPORTIVE HOUSING UNDERSTAND WRAPAROUND.
THAT'S WHY I USED THAT NUMBER, BUT I, I'LL STICK WITH YOUR 2.6, UH, IS MORE ACCURATE.
IT'S BEEN SAID BY SOME, INCLUDING THE, THE TESTIMONY WE HEARD LAST WEEK THAT THE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, THE GOOD NEWS IS, I GUESS THE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING UNITS THAT WE WANTED ARE COMING ONLINE FASTER THAN WHAT HAD BEEN ANTICIPATED.
AND THAT'S WHY THERE WAS THE ARGUMENT FOR THE INCREASE OF FOUR POINT PLUS MILLION.
WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS, Y'ALL HAVE DONE THE MATH IN ORDER TO KNOW WHAT WE NEED IN 25 AND WHAT WE WILL NEED IN 26 BASED UPON THOSE COMING ONLINE IN REAL TIME.
WERE YOU AT THE END? THAT'S THE END.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY, WHEN YOU SAY THE GAP IN FUNDING FOR THE HOMELESS SHELTERS, CAN YOU EXPLAIN AGAIN, WHICH ASPECT OF THE HOMELESS SHELTERS THERE'S THE GAP, BECAUSE I WASN'T SURE IF IT WAS THE EMERGENCY SHELTER.
SO THOSE ARE, THAT IS AT NORTH BRIDGE AND SOUTH BRIDGE.
THE REMAINING SLIDES ARE JUST NEXT STEPS, SO AS THE TIMELINE, TIMING AND TIMING, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN A SECOND.
UM, OTHER COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES.
I WANTED TO FIRST START OUT BY, UH, SHARING WHY WE ASKED FOR THE SPECIFIC BRIEFING ON HOMELESSNESS AND WHAT WE'VE HEARD, UH, THROUGHOUT THE TOWN HALLS THAT WE POSTED.
CERTAINLY THE TOWN HALL I HOSTED IN SOUTH AUSTIN AND THROUGH, UH, REPEATED TESTIMONY AT THE VARIOUS PUBLIC HEARINGS WE'VE HAD ON THE BUDGET ARE FROM INDIVIDUALS WHO'VE EXPERIENCED CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS.
AND PART OF THE, WHAT WE'RE HEARING FOR FROM, AND THE FEEDBACK WE'RE RECEIVING IS THE NEED FOR THE CITY TO INCREASE INVESTMENTS, PARTICULARLY IN RAPID REHOUSING.
AND I TAKE TO HEART THIS TESTIMONY, ESPECIALLY FOR THE, FROM THOSE INDIVIDUALS WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE.
AND SO WHEN WE ASK STAFF, UM, TO PRESENT ON OUR HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM OVERALL, I'M A LITTLE DISHEARTENED TO HEAR THAT WE DO NOT NEED INCREASED INVESTMENTS IN RAPID REHOUSING AND THAT WE CURRENTLY, UM, YOU KNOW, HAVE SUFFICIENT FUNDING AVAILABLE.
UH, I DON'T THINK THAT'S THE CASE.
AND SO I WOULD LIKE TO DIG DEEPER INTO, UM, OUR HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM, PARTICULARLY AROUND RAPID REHOUSING.
AND I POSTED TO THE MESSAGE BOARD ON FRIDAY AND, AND HAVE FLAGGED FOR CITY STAFF TO COME PREPARED TO SPEAK TO THOSE QUESTIONS THAT BOTH MYSELF AND COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER HAVE RAISED.
AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT STAFF HAS INFORMATION TO SHARE WITH US ON THOSE QUESTIONS.
GOOD MORNING, STEPHANIE HAYDEN HOWARD, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER.
UH, WE LOOKED ON THE MESSAGE BOARD ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON TO RECEIVE THE INFORMATION THAT YOU POSTED, AND WE SHARED THAT INFORMATION WITH THE HOMELESS SERVICE, HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICER OFFICE.
UM, THAT DATA, WE RECEIVE IT FROM ECHO, WE IMMEDIATELY SENT IT TO ECHO.
UM, AND LATE LAST NIGHT, WE DID RECEIVE SOME INFORMATION.
OUR STAFF HAVE REALLY TRIED TO KIND OF GO BACK AND FORTH WITH ECHO SINCE LAST NIGHT TO REALLY GET TO A RESOLUTION ABOUT THE INFORMATION THAT THEY SHARED, BECAUSE THE BOTTOM LINE IS, IS THAT SOME OF THE INFORMATION IS NOT CALCULATING APPROPRIATELY.
AND SO, UM, WE CAN HAVE STAFF THAT CAN COME UP HERE AND SHARE SOME OF THE INFORMATION WITH YOU, BUT IT IS INCOMPLETE.
WELL, WELL, I WOULD SUGGEST YOU DO THAT AND, AND LET US KNOW WHAT'S INCOMPLETE.
BECAUSE THIS IS, OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS SOMETHING THE WHOLE COUNCIL CARES DEEPLY ABOUT AND WANTS TO GET OUR FINGERS IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.
UM, I'M GONNA ASK, UM, CHARLES LUEN TO COME UP AND, UM, BE ABLE TO PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION.
HE HAS SOME ADDITIONAL STAFF WITH HIM AS WELL.
UM, AND SO HE CAN COME UP RIGHT NOW.
[00:10:07]
GOOD MORNING, MAYOR.COUNCIL MEMBERS, CHARLES LUON WITH THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE.
UM, SO THE, THE FIGURE THAT WAS PRESENTED EARLIER OF THE UNMET NEED FOR, UH, OR EXCUSE ME, THE, UH, THE RESERVE FUNDS THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE FOR RAPID REHOUSING ARE INTENDED TO SHORE UP, UH, ANY SERVICES FOR CLIENTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN RAPID REHOUSING PROGRAMS. AND SIR, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA ASK YOU EITHER TO BE MORE EXCITED ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING
SO JUST DO WHATEVER YOU NEED TO DO.
I, UH, MANAGE THE POLICY AND PLANNING UNIT OF THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE, UH, HERE FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, AND, UM, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT RAPID REHOUSING.
UM, OUR COMMUNITY IS CERTAINLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND THE OUTCOMES FOR THE FOLKS WHO'VE BEEN, UM, UTILIZING AND ACCESSING THOSE SERVICES.
UM, OUR TEAMS HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT THE PROGRAMS, UM, AS THEY EXIST NOW.
SO, UM, WE'VE BEEN FUNDING A NUMBER OF, UH, RAPID REHOUSING PROGRAMS THROUGH, UH, THE ARPA, UM, FUND.
UM, AND AS WE ALL KNOW, THOSE FUNDS WILL COME TO A CLOSE IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
UM, AND THERE'S NO FUTURE FUNDING CURRENTLY COMMITTED FOR THOSE PROGRAMS. UM, AND SO, UM, OUR OFFICE HAS BEEN LOOKING AT ALL OF THE CONTRACTS AND ALL THE PERFORMANCE AND ALL OF THE CURRENT ENROLLMENTS AND ALL OF THE SPENDING, UM, ACROSS ALL OF THOSE PROGRAMS TO, UM, UNDERSTAND IF THERE'S ENOUGH FUNDING FOR ALL OF THE FOLKS WHO ARE ENROLLED IN THOSE PROGRAMS TO COMPLETE THEIR, THEIR PROGRAM TO, TO, UM, FULLY COMPLETE AS MUCH AS THEY NEED OF THAT PROGRAM.
FOR SOME FOLKS, IT MIGHT BE, UM, 12 MONTHS.
FOR SOME FOLKS IT MIGHT BE 24 MONTHS.
AND SO MAKING SURE THAT THE PROVIDERS HAVE ENOUGH MONEY, UM, AND ENOUGH FUNDING TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THEIR PARTICIPANTS ARE MADE WHOLE AND ARE ABLE TO SUCCEED IN THE PROGRAM.
UM, THAT WORK HAS BEEN PRETTY INTENSIVE.
UM, AND, UH, WE'RE STILL, UM, AS A TEAM, BOTH MY TEAM AND OUR CONTRACTS TEAM ARE, UM, STILL DIVING INTO THOSE NEEDS.
SO WE JUST THIS WEEK STARTED TO RECEIVE THE FINAL RUNDOWN OF HOW MANY CLIENTS ARE ENROLLED, HOW MANY CLIENTS ARE HOUSED, HOW MANY ARE UNHOUSED, AND THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT ARE STILL LEFT IN THEIR CONTRACTS.
SO WE ARE, WE'RE REVIEWING THAT NOW, BUT AS CHARLES, UH, LUON SHARED, UM, AND AS, AS CARRIE LANG SHARED AS WELL, UH, WE DO HAVE $2.5 MILLION IN ARPA FUNDS READY TO DEPLOY TO SHORE UP THOSE CONTRACTS, UM, AS NEEDED.
UM, AND THEN ON THE UNMET NEEDS QUESTION, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES, UM, OUR PARTNERS AT ECHO, UH, PARTICULARLY AKMAL TURK, UM, HAS BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD ON DEVELOPING A SYSTEM MODEL ALONG WITH, UH, AN OUTSIDE CONSULTANT, UH, FUNDED BY, UM, SOME HUD TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE GRANT.
AND WE'VE, WE'VE PARTNERED WITH THEM ON THIS TO BUILD OUT A SYSTEM MODEL THAT WE CAN USE.
I KNOW THAT'S BEEN ALLUDED TO IN THE PAST, AND, UM, I WISH IT WAS READY FOR THIS BUDGET CYCLE.
UH, BUT AT THIS TIME WE, WE REALLY HAVE THE FIRST DRAFT AND, UM, OUR PROJECTIONS RIGHT NOW ARE, UM, IT'S REALLY SYSTEM WIDE AND YOU REALLY HAVE TO INVEST IN ALL PARTS OF THE SYSTEM TO MAKE THE MODEL WORK.
UM, AND LOOKING OUT ABOUT 10 YEARS, I KNOW THAT WE'VE HEARD, UM, IN THE COMMUNITY THAT, UM, THERE'S A NEED FOR A REALLY HIGH NUMBER OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING UNITS.
UM, AND MANY OF THOSE ARE IN THE PIPELINE, BUT MANY ARE, ARE NOT YET, YOU KNOW, TO BE BUILT OR, OR EVEN FUNDED AT THIS POINT.
UM, AND WHEN WE LOOKED AT RAPID REHOUSING, UM, THE CURRENT ESTIMATE WOULD BE AROUND 3000 UNITS.
SO AROUND 3000 PEOPLE, UH, PER YEAR SERVED BY RAPID REHOUSING IN THE IDEAL SYSTEM MODEL.
UM, TO PROVIDE CONTEXT HERE, UH, THE ARPA FUNDING THAT WE HAVE, WE CURRENTLY HAVE ABOUT 900 INDIVIDUALS OR
[00:15:01]
HOUSEHOLDS, UM, ENROLLED IN OUR ARPA FUNDED RAPID REHOUSING PROGRAM, AND THAT'S AT THE COST OF ABOUT $20 MILLION A YEAR.UM, SO IT'S, IT'S A LARGE INVESTMENT.
AND THAT'S, SO LET'S, LET'S START THERE BECAUSE THAT'S A, A GREAT, A GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHY I THINK THE, THE NEED THAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY FOR THE EXISTING INDIVIDUALS THAT WE HAVE IN RAPID REHOUSING.
SO WE KNOW THAT 900 PLUS INDIVIDUALS ARE WITHIN RAPID REHOUSING RIGHT NOW, SUPPORTED BY THE PROVIDER CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE, CORRECT.
THERE'S ACTUALLY MORE, BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME GENERAL FUNDS CONTRACTS, UM, ALSO FUNDING RAPID REHOUSING.
UM, THOSE PROJECTS VARY A LITTLE BIT IN MODEL FROM THE ARPA FUNDED PROJECTS.
UM, BUT IN TOTAL, I BELIEVE IT'S AROUND 1400 INDIVIDUALS, UM, CURRENTLY SERVED BY RAPID REHOUSING, FUNDED BY THE CITY OR ARPA, BUT MANAGED BY THE CITY 1400.
AND I REMEMBER AT EITHER A PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE MEETING OR PERHAPS AT A PREVIOUS WORK SESSION, UH, STAFF PRESENTED AN ESTIMATE THAT IT'S ABOUT 35,000 PER INDIVIDUAL WHO IS IN PERMANENT, WHO IS IN RAPID REHOUSING.
IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS PER YEAR PER, UM, SO, SO PER 12 MONTH PERIOD.
SO IF SOMEBODY NEEDED 12 MONTHS OF ASSISTANCE, UH, THE COST WOULD BE FOR BOTH SERVICES AND RENTAL ASSISTANCE.
OUR ESTIMATE BASED ON CURRENT SPENDING IS $35,000 A YEAR.
UM, IF, IF THERE WAS A 24 MONTH NEED, UH, THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD DOUBLE TO 70,000.
UM, AND, UM, THERE IS A POTENTIAL AS WELL FOR A LITTLE BIT OF, UM, SERVICE NEED BEFORE THAT WHEN FOLKS ARE STILL BEING ENGAGED IN THE COMMUNITY AND ENROLLED IN THE PROGRAM AND GOING THROUGH THE HOUSING SEARCH.
UM, AND SO THAT RENTAL ASSISTANCE REALLY DOESN'T KICK IN UNTIL THEY ACTUALLY ARE HOUSED.
UM, AND, AND JUST TO CORRECT, UM, OUR, OUR ANNUAL GOAL BASED ON ALL OF OUR RAPID REHOUSING PROJECTS IS, UM, 1,875 CLIENTS.
UM, BUT IN TOTAL, AS OF THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 23, WE SERVE 2,226 THROUGH THE PROGRAM.
UM, BUT CURRENTLY IT'S ABOUT 1400.
AND KNOWING THAT IT'S ABOUT 35,000 PER ANNUAL PER YEAR TO SERVE ONE INDIVIDUAL WITH RAPID REHOUSING, AND YET WE ARE ONLY ALLOCATING 4.2 MILLION, OR EXCUSE ME, 2.5 MILLION, UH, IN THIS GENERAL FUND BUDGET, HOW ARE WE, HOW DOES THAT NUMBER SHAKE OUT WITH THE NEED THAT YOU HAVE HIGHLIGHTED? JUST FOR THE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE CURRENTLY IN RAPID REHOUSING COLLEAGUES THAT DO WANNA DIFFERENTIATE THAT THIS IS NOT EVEN GETTING TO THE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE ON THE WAIT LIST FOR RAPID REHOUSING WHO ARE IN OUR, UM, HOMELESSNESS ECOSYSTEM WHO HAVE NOT YET BEEN, UH, PROVIDED A, A VOUCHER COUNCIL MEMBER.
CAN I JUST CLARIFY? THERE IS, UM, 4.5 MILLION IN GENERAL FUND FOR RAPID REHOUSING AND THEN AN ADDITIONAL 2.5 MILLION IN APA FUNDS TO, TO ASSIST WITH THAT.
SO SIX POINT WHAT NUMBER SIX, WHAT'S THE TOTAL ON THAT SIX POINT? JUST SEVEN.
SO WE HAVE 7 MILLION FOR RAPID REHOUSING.
AND HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS DOES THAT SERVE WITH THAT 7 MILLION? SO ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE MORE COMPLICATED PIECES OF THIS IS, UM, IF WE WERE STARTING EVERYBODY AT THE BEGINNING AT AT MONTH ONE, IT WOULD BE 35,000 A YEAR, BUT NOT EVERYBODY IS AT MONTH ONE, RIGHT? SO A, A HIGH NUMBER OF FOLKS HAVE BEEN HOUSED ALREADY, AND SO OUR WORKING THEIR WAY THROUGH THE PROGRAM, AND SO THEY DON'T NEED ANOTHER 24 MONTHS OF ASSISTANCE AT THIS POINT, UM, BECAUSE THE PROGRAM CAN'T SERVE THEM PAST THAT.
AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE BIG PIECES THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH OUR PROVIDERS TO UNDERSTAND IS WHERE OUR FOLKS IN THE PROGRAM SO THAT WE CAN BETTER ESTIMATE YOUR, YOUR FINANCIAL NEEDS, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS PROGRAM ENDS SUCCESSFULLY FOR EVERYBODY INVOLVED.
AND SO, UM, AT THIS POINT, WE HAVE THAT 2.5 MILLION IN ARPA, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT AN UNMET NEED BECAUSE WE'RE STILL KIND OF ANALYZING AND DIVING INTO THOSE REALLY FINER DETAILS.
AND WE HAVE SOMEONE HERE FROM ECHO WHO CAN SPEAK TO THE UNMET NEEDS OVERALL IN THE SYSTEM.
IS THAT RIGHT? YEAH, THEY'RE HERE.
UM, SO I JUST WANNA FOCUS CURRENTLY ON, ON THE EXISTING INDIVIDUALS IN, IN RAPID REHOUSING.
UM, YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED THAT THEY COULD BE AT DIFFERENT VARYING STATES OF, OF, YOU KNOW, ON THEIR OWN, UM, PROCESS OF HOW MANY MONTHS THAT THEY ARE ON.
I THINK THERE HAVE BEEN QUESTIONS RAISED TO WHETHER OR NOT, UM, THEY'RE GETTING THE FULL 24 MONTHS SUPPORTS.
THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN RAPID REHOUSING, UH, WHO NEED TO BE IN PERMANENT
[00:20:01]
SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.BUT BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THOSE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING UNITS ONLINE, THEY, UM, ARE IN THIS LIMBO PERIOD UNTIL WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE THOSE OPTIONS AVAILABLE.
I HAVE, I HAVE HEARD, UH, CONFLICTING INFORMATION THAT THEY ARE BEING GIVEN THE FULL 24 MONTHS.
I KNOW STAFF HAS MAINTAINED THAT ALL OF OUR CONTRACTS ARE FOR 24 MONTHS, BUT I DO THINK THERE IS SOME DISCREPANCIES OUT THERE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE HIGH LEVEL OF NEED WHO, WHO NEED TO BE IN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING HAVE NOT YET BEEN, BEEN PLACED.
AND SO, UM, I DO WANNA MOVE INTO UNDERSTANDING THE UNMET NEED BECAUSE WE KNOW WITH THE 7 MILLION THAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY ALLOCATED BOTH THROUGH A MIX OF GENERAL FUND DOLLARS AND ARPA DOLLARS, UM, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT REALLY GETS TO THE FULL EXTENT OF PROVIDING THE LEVEL OF CARE FOR INDIVIDUALS FOR THAT, THOSE FULL 24 MONTHS SHOULD THEY NEED THE FULL 24 MONTHS.
UM, AND WE KNOW THAT BECAUSE FROM THE INFORMATION WE'VE BEEN PROVIDED, UM, IT SAYS ONLY ABOUT 46% HAS BEEN THE FIGURE THAT'S BEEN CITED ACTUALLY EXIT INTO A PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING TYPE OF SITUATION.
UH, SO WE KNOW THAT LESS OF HALF OF INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN RAPID REHOUSING ARE ACTUALLY MOVING INTO A PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING OR ANOTHER TYPE OF PERMANENT HOUSING SITUATION.
SO, UM, SO THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO HAVE A ROBUST RAPID REHOUSING, UH, SYSTEM AS A KEY PART OF THE OVERALL RESPONSE EFFORT.
UM, IF I CAN HAVE AN INDIVIDUAL, WHOEVER IS BEST TO SPEAK TO THE UNMET NEED, I, I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THE, THE REASON WHY WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE ADDITIONAL FUNDS AND RAPID REHOUSING SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO PLACE PEOPLE INTO HOUSING AS THE NEED ARISES.
YES, MR. MALIKA, CHARLES WOULD, UM, I LOOK TO YOU, WHO WOULD BE THE BEST PERSON TO, OKAY.
AND AS HE IS MAKING HIS WAY TO THE FRONT, UM, THE, THE RAPID REHOUSING ARPA SPENDING FRAMEWORK HAS, UM, AN ALLOCATION OF $42,532,000.
UM, THAT IS, MOST OF THAT IS AN EXISTING AGREEMENTS, SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE INCLUSIVE OF THE APA FUNDING AS WELL AS THE GENERAL FUND.
SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE, WE NOTE THAT AS WELL.
UM, AND CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, I'M REALLY PROUD OF THIS COUNCIL FOR, FOR INVESTING SIGNIFICANTLY IN OUR HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM AND COLLEAGUES, JUST TO UNDERSCORE, THE REASON WHY I'M REALLY HONING INTO RAPID REHOUSING IS BECAUSE THAT IS THE PREVAILING THEME THAT WE HAVE HEARD IN OUR BUDGET WORK SESSIONS IN OUR TOWN HALLS AS AN AREA OF NEED DIRECTLY COMING FROM INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS.
AND SO, AGAIN, JUST WHY I'M PARTICULARLY WANTING TO SPOTLIGHT THIS KEY PIECE OF OUR HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE EFFORT.
I THINK IF YOU COULD WALK THROUGH, UM, WITH US, CURRENTLY THE ASSESSMENT THAT WE HAVE WITH HMIS OR IN OUR HOMELESSNESS OR OUR COORDINATED ENTRY SYSTEM ON INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE CURRENTLY ON THE WAIT LIST FOR RAPID REHOUSING.
UH, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, MANAGER AND, UH, AND CITY STAFF.
MATT MALIKA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ENDING COMMUNITY HOMELESSNESS COALITION, OR ECHO.
UM, WANNA JUST FIRST SAY HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE HAVING A WORK SESSION DEDICATED TO, UH, HOMELESSNESS AND THE BUDGET.
SO THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES AND, UM, MAYOR WATSON FOR SUPPORTING THIS.
THIS IS A BIG, UM, STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, I THINK, FOR US.
SO WE PROVIDED, UM, YOU KNOW, AS, UM, Y'ALL ARE AWARE, UM, THE MESSAGE BOARD WAS POSTED ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
WE RECEIVED A REQUEST FROM CITY STAFF TO SUPPORT, UM, GETTING SOME DATA FOR THIS WORK SESSION.
UM, WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE DATA TOGETHER, UM, FOR CITY STAFF LAST NIGHT, UM, AND SENT OVER.
UM, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS WHAT'S CURRENTLY IN OUR SYSTEM.
SO WE'RE, WE WENT BACK JUST IN THE LAST YEAR AND SAYING, OKAY, THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE AND WHAT OUR MODELING TELLS US THE NEED IS.
SO THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS I WANNA MENTION ABOUT THE RAPID REHOUSING GAP THAT I'M GONNA PROVIDE YOU.
THE FIRST IS THAT WE ARE INCLUDING THE FUNDING THAT, UM, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, HAYDEN HOWARD MENTIONED, THAT IS SUPPORTING THESE FOLKS.
THE ARPA FUNDING IS INCLUDED IN THIS NUMBER.
SO THERE'S A BIGGER GAP THAN THE ONE THAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT RIGHT NOW, UM, THAT THE SYSTEM SHOWS.
SO RIGHT NOW FOR RAPID REHOUSING, UM, AND AGAIN, THIS IS BASED ON FOLKS WHO HAVE TAKEN COORDINATED ASSESSMENTS.
SO THERE ARE, THERE'S A DELTA BETWEEN WHO'S IN OUR SYSTEM AND WHO'S ON OUR STREET.
UM, BUT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE CAPACITY IN OUR SYSTEM FOR ABOUT 1,369 RAPID REHOUSING UNITS.
OUR SYSTEM NEEDS ABOUT 3,100 RAPID REHOUSING UNITS.
[00:25:01]
GAP OF, UH, 1,731 RAPID REHOUSING UNITS, UM, NEEDED IN OUR SYSTEM.AND IF WE KNOW THAT IT'S ABOUT 35,000 PER ANNUAL PER YEAR TO, FOR ONE INDIVIDUAL ON RAPID REHOUSING, CAN OUR STAFF HELP US DO THE MATH THERE ON WHAT THAT THAT FUNDING AMOUNT WOULD TOTAL FOR THIS 1007 INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE CURRENTLY ON THE WAIT LIST? ALL THE MATH IS BEING DONE.
I WANNA JUST TAKE A MOMENT ALSO TO MENTION THAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM FOLKS IN OUR RAPID REHOUSING PROGRAMS WHOSE, UM, RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND SERVICES AREN'T LASTING LONG ENOUGH, AND HOW WE'RE LOOKING AT MOVING FOLKS FROM THOSE PROGRAMS INTO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, WHICH WE NEED MORE OF IN ORDER TO SUPPORT A HEALTHY SYSTEM.
AND SO THIS DOESN'T, THIS ALSO DOES NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THOSE FOLKS WHO ARE IN A RAPID REHOUSING INTERVENTION OF WHICH THAT MIGHT NOT BE SERVING THEM THE BEST AS WELL.
SO I WANNA JUST MAKE SURE WE'RE CONTINUING TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THERE ARE FOLKS IN OUR, IN OUR PROJECTS AND IN OUR SYSTEMS THAT NEED DIFFERENT LEVELS OF CARE THAT WE NEED, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE TO THEM, WHICH DON'T CURRENTLY EXIST RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS ANOTHER BUDGET DISCUSSION, I THINK.
AND THANK YOU MS. MALIKA, FOR HIGHLIGHTING THAT.
THAT IS ALSO ANOTHER KEY PIECE THAT THIS COUNCIL HAS SUPPORTED VIA THE RESOLUTION THAT WE PASSED EARLIER THIS YEAR CAUSED FOR A CREATION OF A BRIDGE TO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UH, PROGRAM.
AND TO ESTABLISH A POLICY BECAUSE TO, TO THE POINT THAT YOU JUST MADE, THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS CURRENTLY, UH, IN RAPID REHOUSING WHO NEED TO BE IN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, AND WE NEED TO HAVE A POLICY AND PROGRAM IN PLACE TO HELP WITH THAT TRANSITION.
SO FOR 12 MONTHS OF, UH, SERVICES FOR 1,731 INDIVIDUALS IS $60.6 MILLION.
UM, COLLEAGUES, YOU CAN SEE THAT'S, THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT FUNDING GAP.
I THINK THAT IS JUST UNDERSCORES THE LEVEL OF NEED THAT WE HAVE.
I UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE NOT ABLE TO ADDRESS THAT, UM, IN, IN ONE FISCAL YEAR, AND NOR SHOULD WE BE THE ONLY ONES ADDRESSING IT AS THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, BUT I DO THINK THAT IS WHY, UH, AND PART OF THE REASON WHY I'M BRINGING FORWARD A BUDGET AMENDMENT, WHICH I SHARED ON THE, UM, MESSAGE BOARD THAT CALLS FOR AN ADDITIONAL TWO TO 4 MILLION INVESTMENT IN RAPID REHOUSING SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO ADDRESS THE NEED THAT WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY WITH THE A THOUSAND PLUS INDIVIDUALS ON THE WAIT LIST FOR RAPID REHOUSING, AND TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE SUFFICIENT SUPPORT FOR THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN RAPID REHOUSING THAT THE CITY IS SUPPORTING.
COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER VELA, FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE, THEN MAYOR PRO TEM.
AND LET ME, UH, MR. MALE, AS LONG AS YOU'RE UP THERE, MY UNDERSTANDING FROM THE, THE, THE MISMATCH, I GUESS WITH OUR, ARE THE, THE PROBLEM THAT WE'RE RUNNING INTO WITH REGARD TO RAPID REHOUSING IS THAT, I GUESS THERE ARE A LOT OF FOLKS THAT WE WERE, AGAIN, TRYING TO GET INTO HOUSING AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, BUT, UH, MY UNDERSTANDING THE RAPID REHOUSING IS MEANT MORE FOR KIND OF AVOIDING CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS WHERE, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE IS ABOUT TO BE HOMELESS, HAS NEVER BEEN HOMELESS BEFORE.
WE DON'T WANT THEM TO BECOME HOMELESS BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE NEGATIVE, UH, THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO FOLKS WHO ARE HOMELESS.
AND THEN RAPID REHOUSING CAN KIND OF PICK SOMEBODY UP OUT OF THAT SITUATION, UH, AND KIND OF RETURN THEM TO, UH, STABILITY.
BUT MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT WE WERE USING A LOT OF THE RAPID REHOUSING MONEY FOR FOLKS THAT ARE PROBABLY BETTER SUITED TO PERMANENTLY SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, WHERE, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE BEEN CHRONICALLY HOMELESS, THEY HAVE MULTIPLE, UH, UH, ISSUES THAT EITHER PRE-EXISTED OR HAVE ARISEN BECAUSE OF THEIR HOMELESSNESS, AND, UH, THEY'RE GOING TO NEED LONG-TERM, UH, SUPPORT.
UH, I, I, I MEAN, IS THAT AN ACCURATE, IS MY PERCEPTION ACCURATE THERE? WHAT IS KIND OF THE, THE SITUATION ON THE GROUND WITH REGARD TO HOW WE'VE USED THE RAPID REHOUSING FUNDS AND, AND, AND PSH FUNDS OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS? YEAH, SO, UH, APPRECIATE THAT.
I THINK WHAT'S CLEAR IS WE HAVE A REAL DEFICIT IN OUR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING STOCK RIGHT NOW.
AND, AND WE HAVE, UM, MANY PEOPLE IN OUR RAPID REHOUSING PROGRAMS THAT WOULD QUALIFY FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, AND THAT WOULD BE A MORE APPROPRIATE INTERVENTION FOR THEM, UM, GIVEN THEIR DISABLING CONDITIONS AND LENGTH, LENGTH OF TIME ON THE STREET.
AND I THINK WHAT WE'VE FOUND OURSELVES DOING OVER THE YEARS IS IN AN ABSENCE OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING OPTIONS FOR FOLKS, PROVIDING CHOICES TO FOLKS WHO ARE ON OUR STREETS IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO US.
AND OF COURSE, WITH WHEN GIVEN THE CHOICE, DO YOU WANT RAPID REHOUSING OR NOTHING, FOLKS ARE ASKING FOR RAPID REHOUSING.
AND SO IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT AS WE LOOK AT, UM, THE GAP IN OUR, YOU KNOW, THE, THE LARGEST GAP, UH, OUT OF ANY INTERVENTION IN OUR SYSTEM IS BY FAR OUR PERMANENT SPORT OF HOUSING STOCK.
UM, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO MEET THE NEED IN
[00:30:01]
PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, WE NEED 5,050 UNITS OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS.I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT'S, I SAY THAT AGAIN.
WE'RE GONNA NEED 5,050 UNITS OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS IN ORDER TO MEET THE NEED IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS GET SLOTTED IN AND HAVE AVAILABLE TO THEM THE RIGHT PROGRAMS, UH, FOR, FOR WHAT THEY, UM, WHAT THEY QUALIFY FOR AND WHAT THEY NEED.
WE HAVE MORE THAN 4,500 PEOPLE, UM, WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, WHO QUALIFY FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IN THAT SPACE.
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT TO THEM.
AND WITH REGARD TO, UH, AND AGAIN, I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THAT WE GOTTA GET PEOPLE OFF THE STREETS, AND EVEN THOUGH THIS MA PROGRAM'S NOT A PERFECT MATCH, YOU KNOW, LET'S, LET'S PUT 'EM IN A HOME AND GET 'EM OFF THE STREETS.
WHAT'S THE COST DIFFERENCE IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, PROVIDING ONE UNIT OF RAPID REHOUSING VERSUS PROVIDING ONE UNIT OF, OF, UH, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING? UH, UH, WHAT'S THE, THE, THE BALANCE THERE? ARE THEY SIMILAR? IS ONE MORE COSTLY THAN THE, THAN THE OTHER? AND, AND THIS, THIS IS A GOOD QUESTION FOR CITY STAFF, UH, UH, AS WELL, BUT YEAH, I'M HAPPY TO JUST TALK GENERALLY ABOUT, SO, UM, THE COSTS, THE ANNUAL COSTS FOR FOLKS WHO ARE IN RAPID REHOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UM, DIFFER.
UM, AND THE MAIN WAY THAT THEY DIFFER IS OUR RAPID REHOUSING PROGRAMS TYPICALLY WORK IN THE PRIVATE MARKET.
UM, AND, AND THOSE RENT COSTS CAN BE, CAN CHANGE AS YOU KNOW, FREQUENTLY.
UM, AND SO THE SERVICE DELIVERY COSTS FOR FOLKS WHO ARE IN RAPID REHOUSING, IT CAN BE SIMILAR TO THE COST FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING OUTSIDE OF THE FOLKS IN PSH NEEDING ACCESS TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH, AND SUBSTANCE TREATMENT SERVICES AT HIGHER RATES.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, TY, TYPICAL SERVICE NUMBERS, UM, AND OPERATING DOLLARS FOR PEOPLE IN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING WOULD BE SOMEWHERE IN THE RANGE OF $39,000 A YEAR, INCLUDING THE OPERATING SUBSIDY.
AND IN RAPID REHOUSING, IT'S A, CAN BE A LITTLE BIT LOWER, UM, AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN 32, 30 $3,000 A YEAR TO SERVE FOLKS IN THOSE PROGRAMS. ALRIGHT.
AND IF, UH, UH, TO TELL YOU WHAT, LET, LET'S GET STAFF UP FROM OUR OFFICE THAT CAN HELP US WITH THE POLICIES THAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO PUT INTO PLACE WITH OUR OFFICE.
GARY P*****K FROM THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE.
UM, WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT COSTS FOR OUR PROGRAMS PRETTY CLOSELY, UM, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
UH, WE ARE AVERAGING, OR WE'RE ESTIMATING ABOUT $20,000 PER UNIT PER YEAR FOR SERVICES ALONE.
AND WHEN WE LOOK AT FAIR MARKET RENT, WHICH IS SENT, UH, SET BY HUD, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UM, WE SEE ABOUT $19,000 A YEAR IN RENTAL ASSISTANCE.
SO THAT'S THE PACKAGE THERE, NOT INCLUDING THE CAPITAL OF POTENTIALLY BUILDING PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IF IT'S SITE BASED.
UM, IF IT'S COMMUNITY BASED THERE, THE CAPITAL IS REDUCED BECAUSE WE'RE RENTING APARTMENTS, UM, OR UNITS IN THE COMMUNITY AND NOT BUILDING THEM OURSELVES.
UM, RAPID REHOUSING RIGHT NOW, UM, AS, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, OUR COSTS ARE ABOUT $35,000 PER PERSON PER YEAR, UM, FOR 12 MONTH PERIOD.
UM, AND I THINK, UH, GERMANE TO THIS CONVERSATION AROUND, UM, CHRONICALLY HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS AND RAPID REHOUSING AND, AND THE, THE MATCHING BETWEEN OUR PROGRAMS. UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY WORKING, UM, WITHIN OUR COC, OUR COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE, UM, AS WELL AS WITH OUR PARTNERS AT ECHO, UM, TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES TO, UM, MAKE BETTER MATCHES TO OUR RAPID REHOUSING PROGRAM.
UM, THAT MIGHT INCLUDE IDENTIFYING FOLKS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, WHO HAVE INCOME, UM, WHO COULD POTENTIALLY TAKE ON MORE OF THE RENT, UM, AS THEY WORK THROUGH THE PROGRAM.
AND THAT WOULD DRIVE DOWN THE COST OF RAPID REHOUSING OVER TIME.
AND WOULD HELP US STRETCH THOSE DOLLARS FURTHER.
AND ARE THERE ANY SIGNIFICANT OUTCOME DIFFERENCES IN TERMS OF RAPID REHOUSING VERSUS A PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING? SO, UM, A POINT OF CLARIFICATION.
I KNOW A NUMBER WAS THROWN OUT, I THINK IT WAS 46% OF INDIVIDUALS, UM, EXPERIENCING NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE OUTCOMES FROM RAPID REHOUSING.
AND THAT IS FOR FOLKS WHO ARE CHRONICALLY HOMELESS WHO ENTER THE PROGRAM WHEN THEY ARE CHRONICALLY HOMELESS.
UM, GENERALLY WE JUST VERIFIED WITH AKRAM FROM ECHO IN THE BACK.
UM, POSITIVE OUTCOMES IN GENERAL FOR RAPID REHOUSING ARE AROUND 76%.
UM, WHEN IT COMES TO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, THE METRIC IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT 'CAUSE FOLKS REMAIN IN THOSE UNITS FOR, FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME.
AND SO THE WAY THAT IS GENERALLY MEASURED, UM, IS THAT, UM, IT'S, UH, WHETHER FOLKS ARE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THEIR HOUSING OR MOVE ON TO A, A PERMANENT HOUSING DESTINATION.
AND OUR COMMUNITY HAS GENERALLY SEEN EXTREMELY HIGH RATES OF
[00:35:01]
SUCCESS IN THAT METRIC.UM, OH, AND I JUST GOT A CLARIFICATION.
IT'S 70% SUCCESS FROM RAPID REHOUSING ACROSS THE BOARD.
UM, LOT OF NUMBERS FLYING AROUND RIGHT NOW.
UM, BUT YES, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
UM, THE, THE MAINTAINING THE HOUSING OR MOVING ON TO PERMANENT DESTINATIONS IS USUALLY IN THE HIGH NINETIES, UM, PERCENTAGE WISE FOR, AND MY, MY SENSE THEN WOULD BE THAT THE, THE SUCCESS RATE AND, AND THE COST ARE BECAUSE OF THE RICHER MIX OF SERVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED AS PART OF THE PERMANENTLY SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
UM, THERE'S A LOT MORE LEEWAY, THERE'S FEWER EVICTIONS, RIGHT? THERE'S JUST A, IT'S A DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT THAN, THAN SOME OTHER, UM, ENVIRONMENTS, YOU KNOW, LIVING, UH, MAYBE INDIVIDUALLY IN THE PRIVATE MARKET WITHOUT WRAPAROUND SERVICES AND SUPPORTS.
CASE MANAGERS ARE ABLE TO WORK MORE CLOSELY WITH LANDLORDS IN THE PRIVATE MARKET IF IT'S A NON SITE BASED OR SCATTERED SITE AS WE CALL IT, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAM.
SO THERE'S A LOT MORE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND PARTNERSHIP IN THAT KIND OF ENVIRONMENT.
UM, AND THAT SAID, THOUGH, ACCORDING WE HAVE A GAP IN THE SERVICES, A $2.6 MILLION GAP IN THE COST OF SERVICES FOR THIS COMING BUDGET YEAR, IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO, UH, UH, PROVIDE.
AND, UH, IS, WHERE IS THAT GAP COMING FROM? UM, SO THERE ARE THREE PROJECTS IN, IN, IN WHAT OUR COMMUNITY CALLS THE PSH PIPELINE.
UM, SO THERE'S THREE SITE-BASED PROJECTS COMING ONLINE, UM, BY THE END OF 2025.
DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES CHANGED FREQUENTLY.
UM, I KNOW THAT A DIFFERENT NUMBER WAS PROPOSED ORIGINALLY, AND THAT WAS BASED ON DATA FROM APRIL.
WE RECEIVED NEW DATA FROM OUR PARTNERS AT ECHO, UM, AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS MONTH, END OF JUNE.
AND, UM, THAT, THAT CHANGED SOME OF THE PROJECTIONS THAT WE ALREADY HAD.
UM, SO THERE'S, THERE'S THREE PROPERTIES THAT WE, WE, WE SEE AS LIKELY OPENING, UM, BY 2020, THE END OF 2025.
UM, AND, UM, THERE'S BEEN A CHANGE AS WELL IN THE MIX OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING UNITS THAT REQUIRE SERVICE DOLLARS.
ONE OF THOSE PROPERTIES, UM, HAD 25 UNITS THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY THE, THE VA THROUGH THE, THE VA'S, UH, SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROGRAM.
AND, UM, WE'VE HEARD THAT ADDITIONAL SUPPORT IS NEEDED FOR THOSE UNITS.
UM, ANOTHER PROPERTY WAS ABLE TO OBTAIN 50 MORE VOUCHERS, AND SO THEY WERE ABLE TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF, UM, UNITS WITH WRAPAROUND SERVICES AND VOUCHERS ATTACHED TO IT, UM, DRAMATICALLY.
SO THAT INCREASED OUR PROJECTIONS AS WELL.
UM, AND, UM, THE LAST PROPERTY, UM, KIND OF MOVED UP IN THE, IN THE PIPELINE AND ANOTHER PROPERTY FROM THE SAME PROVIDER ACTUALLY MOVED DOWN.
SO THERE WAS KIND OF A, A SWITCH THAT HAPPENED IN OUR PROJECTIONS THERE.
UM, BUT, UM, THE 2.6, UM, IS BASED ON OUR BEST ESTIMATE OF THE, THE SERVICE NEEDS BY THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 26, UM, OR 25, RIGHT? 25.
AND THESE ARE NEW, UH, SERVICES THAT ARE COMING ONLINE THAT WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO FUND NOW.
UH, I'VE, I'VE, UH, TALKED TO, UH, FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT, UH, OUR EXISTING, UH, SERVICES THAT WE HAVE BEEN, UH, TRYING TO, THAT WE HAVE BEEN FUNDING.
UH, AND, AND AGAIN, ONE OF MY SENSES THAT THE, THE, THAT WE'VE UNDERESTIMATED, AND WHEN I SAY WE, I THINK BROADLY IT'S A, IT'S A, BROADLY SPEAKING, WE, NOT JUST THE CITY, BUT, UH, HOW, UH, EXPENSIVE, UH, THE SUPPORT SERVICES FOR A PSH, UH, GONNA BE.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT OR DO WE HAVE AN ESTIMATE? 'CAUSE WHAT, I GUESS WHAT I DON'T WANT TO DO, GIVEN THAT, UH, THE SUPPORT SERVICES ARE SO CRITICAL IN THE LONG-TERM SUCCESS OF, UH, FOLKS IN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, I DON'T WANNA CUT THAT OFF OR, OR, OR REDUCE THAT TO THE POINT WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE, UH, CREATING PROBLEMS AND, AND JUST TO, I HAD A, A, A DEVELOPMENT IN MY, UH, DISTRICT, UH, UH, THE, THE REDFIELD, UH, UH, PROPERTY THAT WAS ESSENTIALLY, UM, HOUSING WITHOUT THE SUPPORT SERVICES AND WITHOUT GETTING INTO THE DETAILS, UH, IT WAS A DISASTER.
UH, AND, UH, I DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN AT ONE OF THE PROPERTIES THAT WE ARE, 'CAUSE WE HAVE SPENT SO MUCH TIME BUILDING TRUST WITH THE COMMUNITY SAYING THAT, HEY, THIS PSH IS GONNA BE GREAT.
IT'S NOT GONNA BE, IT'S NOT GONNA CREATE PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF THE RICH MIX OF SUPPORTIVE SERVICES.
SO I JUST, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT WE NOT BREAK TRUST WITH THE COMMUNITY AROUND THAT PROMISE THAT WE MADE.
[00:40:01]
UM, AND I'LL REITERATE, WE DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN AGAIN EITHER.UM, I THINK THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT, UM, POINT FOR US.
UM, AND, AND OUR PARTNERS IN THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT AND OUR PARTNERS AT ECHO AS WELL, UM, WE VIEW THAT THAT PROJECT AS A GREAT, YOU KNOW, UH, IMMENSE LESSON LEARNED.
UM, AND SO WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE SERVICES, WE, WE DID LOOK AT OUR CURRENT BUDGETED PSH, UM, SERVICE PROGRAM.
UM, SO WE DO FUND, UM, A NUMBER OF, I THINK IT'S ABOUT, IT'S A LITTLE OVER 600 UNITS OF PSH CURRENTLY.
SOME OF THAT IS SITE-BASED, UH, INTEGRAL CARES, UH, TERRACE AT OAK SPRINGS PROPERTY AS WELL.
UH, AND THEN, UH, THERE'S ALSO THE SPARROW AT RUTLAND PROJECT FROM, UM, CARITAS.
AND, UM, THEN THERE'S A NUMBER OF, UH, COMMUNITY-BASED SCATTERED SITE PSH PROJECTS WE SUPPORT AS WELL.
UM, AND, AND THE COST VARIED A, A FAIR AMOUNT, AND SOME OF THAT IS DUE TO THESE CONTRACTS EX UH, BEGINNING OR BEING EXECUTED OVER VERY DIFFERENT PERIODS OF TIME.
UM, AND THEN WE, WE, WE, UM, REVIEWED DATA FROM, UH, THE PROVIDERS WHO ARE DEVELOPING PROPERTIES THROUGH THE TRAVIS COUNTY SUPPORTIVE HOUSING COLLABORATIVE AND THEIR ESTIMATES FOR SERVICES.
AND, UH, WE TOOK A CLOSE LOOK AT THOSE AND TRIED TO AVERAGE THEM OUT AND, AND COMPARE THAT TO WHAT OUR CURRENT CONTRACTS ARE.
AND THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE LANDED WITH THE $20,000 ESTIMATE.
UM, BUT I, I ADMIT THAT WE STILL HAVE TO KIND OF SEE HOW THIS WILL PLAY OUT IN SOME WAYS.
AND, UM, AS I MENTIONED, ADDING, UM, ADDITIONAL SUPPORT ON TOP OF THOSE VA SUPPORTED SUPPORTIVE HOUSING UNITS SHOULD OFFER A LITTLE EXTRA SUPPORT.
UM, BUT I DO THINK, UM, WE, AS WE CONTINUE TO ROLL OUT PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IN OUR COMMUNITY, WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO TO MAKE SURE IT'S A SUCCESS.
AND MAYOR, I CLOSE, I KNOW, UH, UH, MR. UH, MORROW FROM, UH, FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES IN THE AUDIENCE, AND I KNOW THEY'VE HAD A, A, A LONG EXPERIENCE WITH, UH, UH, AGAIN, WITH YOUR, UH, IT WOULD BE GOOD TO HEAR FROM HIM.
COUNCILMAN RE HAS A QUESTION FOR YOU, MR. ROYA, YOU'VE BEEN LISTENING TO THE CONVERSATION.
A ANY JUST THOUGHTS ON THE COST OF PROVIDING, HOW MANY UNITS DO YOU, UH, DOES FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES MANAGE THAT, UH, ARE PERMANENTLY SUPPORTIVE HOUSING THAT PROVIDE THAT, THAT WRAPAROUND, UH, SUPPORT SERVICES? WE, WE HAVE EIGHT, EIGHT COMMUNITIES CURRENTLY.
GARDEN TERRACE OPEN 22 YEARS AGO.
UM, ABOUT A THOUSAND RESIDENTS, COMBINATION OF BOTH CAPITAL PSH FOLKS THAT WERE ON THE CHRONIC LIST, BUT ALSO FOLKS THAT ARE OTHERWISE HOMELESS, LIKE IT'S HOMELESS PREVENTION TO PROVIDE HOUSING AND SERVICES.
UM, OUR SERVICE BUDGET THIS YEAR FOR A THOUSAND RESIDENTS WAS SIX AND A HALF MILLION.
UM, I'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS.
WE'VE GOT ABOUT A TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLAR GAP WE USE.
WE DO A LOT OF PRIVATE FUNDRAISING.
WE HAVE SOME CITY CONTRACTS WITH SOME FEDERAL, SOME VETERAN FUNDS.
UM, SPRING TERRACE WE OPENED IN 2008.
THOSE ARE BOTH CITY OWNED HOTELS THAT WE LEASE AND WE'VE BEEN PAYING FOR ALL THE OPERATIONS, UH, RENT.
WE'VE HAD ONGOING CONVERSATIONS THIS YEAR WITH DAVID GRAY AND HSO AND I THINK HE UNDERSTANDS WE JUST, WE NEED TO MAINTAIN HOUSING FOR THOSE 260 RESIDENTS.
UM, WE'VE, I THINK HE'S IDENTIFIED ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS OF ONE-TIME FUNDING THAT CAN HELP US OUT.
UM, BUT WE'LL BE BACK NEXT YEAR BECAUSE THIS IS A, A ONGOING SERVICE GAP, UH, THAT MAY NOT BE ON THE CITY STAFF CHARTS YET.
'CAUSE THESE AREN'T THE NEW BUILDINGS OPENING.
THESE ARE JUST EXISTING BUILDINGS.
AND CAN YOU, AND JUST FOR BRIEFLY, COULD YOU DESCRIBE SOME OF THE, THE SERVICES WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LIKE SUPPORT SERVICES, JUST KIND OF WHAT, WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THAT WE'RE PROVIDING THAT YOU'RE PROVIDING? YEAH, THE, THIS REALLY COVERS THE SITE SITE-BASED STAFF THAT HELP PEOPLE DAY TO DAY FRONTLINE, UH, FROM DESK CLERKS TO NURSES, TO, UH, EACH COMMUNITY HAS THREE OR FOUR SOCIAL WORK STAFF, UH, AND THEIR SUPERVISORS.
UM, SOME OF THE FUNDS IN THAT SIX AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS BUDGET ARE GO TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY SUPPORT, UM, WITH, UM, MENTAL HEALTH CRISES, WITH, UM, PHYSICAL HEALTH ACCESSING SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES.
UM, IT'S REALLY THE FRONTLINE CARE THAT KEEPS HOUSING FOR PEOPLE.
SO I, I, I THINK OF IT NOT JUST AS PSH, BUT REALLY HOMELESS PREVENTION, UM, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE PERSON WHERE THEY WERE ON THE LIST.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE, THE COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER.
UH, KIND GOING OFF OF, UH, UH, SOME CONVERSATION THAT COUNCIL RIVERA WAS HAVING AROUND THE 2.6 MILLION FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UH, THAT STAFF HAD RECOMMENDED.
DO WE KNOW HOW LONG THOSE CONTRACTS
[00:45:01]
WOULD BE FOR? SO I BELIEVE THAT THE 2.6 THAT'S BEING REQUESTED WOULD BE, UH, ONGOING SERVICES FUNDING FOR THOSE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING UNITS THAT WE ANTICIPATE WILL COME IN SERVICE IN FISCAL YEAR 2025.AND IT WOULD GO INTO THE NEXT, NEXT FISCAL YEAR AS WELL? CORRECT.
AND THEN I GUESS JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY, DO WE KNOW HOW OTHER CITIES, UH, FUND PSH SUPPORT SERVICES? YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY CITIES HERE IN TEXAS, DALLAS, SAN ANTONIO, HOUSTON.
I'M GONNA INVITE GARY BACK UP TO TALK A LITTLE BIT, UH, ABOUT WHAT HE IS FAMILIAR WITH, UH, IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS AND, AND HOW THEY FUND THEIR PSH SERVICES.
UH, GARY P*****K, HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE.
UM, SO THERE'S, THERE'S REALLY A, A MIX.
I THINK THAT CITIES APPROACH IT VERY DIFFERENTLY, UM, AS WELL AS, UH, COUNTIES AND, AND STATES.
UM, AND THERE'S A LOT OF ENTITIES AND THEN THERE'S A LOT OF, I THINK, PRIVATE FUNDERS IN SOME COMMUNITIES THAT ALSO ARE A BIG PART OF THE FUNDING EQUATION.
UM, HOUSTON, UH, RECEIVES, UM, A PARTICULARLY LARGE NUMBER OF HOUSING VOUCHERS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
UM, AND THEY ALSO, UM, PRIORITIZE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AS A CITY.
UM, AND THEY RELY ON PRIVATE PARTNERS TO PROVIDE SERVICES LIKE EMERGENCY SHELTER.
UM, SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY DIFFERENT MIX OF FUNDING IN HOUSTON.
UM, DALLAS SIMILARLY, UM, DOES NOT FUND A GREAT DEAL OF SHELTER IN THEIR COMMUNITY, BUT, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF, UM, PRIVATELY FUNDED SHELTERS IN, UM, DALLAS, WHICH ALLOWS THE CITY TO DIVERT SOME OF ITS ATTENTION TO STREET OUTREACH, UM, AND RAPID REHOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AS WELL.
UM, I KNOW I, I USED TO WORK, UM, IN HOMELESS SERVICES IN, IN NEW YORK, UH, NEW YORK CITY AND, UM, THE STATE OF NEW YORK, UM, AND THE CITY OF NEW YORK FUND A GREAT DEAL OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UM, THROUGH A NUMBER OF PROGRAMS. AND SO THEY'RE LOOKED TO AS THE MAJOR FUNDERS, UM, IN, IN THAT AREA.
UM, OBVIOUSLY VERY DIFFERENT TAX BASE, VERY DIFFERENT STATE AND SITUATION IN GENERAL, BUT, UM, YEAH, IT'S THE FIGURING OUT A SUSTAINABLE FUNDING APPROACH FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UM, IS, IS SOMETHING OUR COMMUNITY REALLY NEEDS TO, I THINK, RECKON WITH, UM, IN THE COMING YEARS.
DO WE SEE THAT CITY STATE, I GUESS, PARTNERSHIP IN, IN MANY STATES, OR IS IT, YOU MENTIONED NEW YORK, BUT DO WE SEE IT AS ELSEWHERE? UM, IT'S GROWING.
UM, I, I DID LEARN, UM, LAST WEEK, UH, THAT THERE'S, UH, SOME NEW EFFORTS IN ARIZONA.
FOR INSTANCE, THE STATE OF ARIZONA, UM, JUST CREATED A NEW FUND FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, AND THEY'RE PILOTING IT RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND SO, UM, THERE'S CERTAINLY EFFORTS, YOU KNOW, IN DIFFERENT STATES.
UH, OF COURSE, UM, MEDICAID EXPANSION SOMETIMES ALLOWS MORE FLEXIBILITY IN THAT REALM.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT BEING ABLE TO BETTER LEVERAGE MEDICAID AND, AND BILLING MEDICAID IN OUR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECTS IS ONE OPPORTUNITY, CERTAINLY.
AND FIGURING OUT POTENTIALLY BETTER PARTNERSHIPS WITH HHSC AND CENTRAL HEALTH AND INTEGRAL CARE TO, TO HELP FRAY SOME OF THE CITY'S DIRECT COSTS IN OUR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UM, PROJECTS WILL BE REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND, UM, AND I'LL HIGHLIGHT THE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UH, HEALTHCARE COLLABORATIVE THAT ECHO AND, UM, DELL, UH, SETON, UH, HOSPITAL MEDICAL TEAM HAVE BEEN, UM, REALLY, UM, INSTRUMENTAL IN, IN LAUNCHING.
AND I'VE HEARD SOME ESTIMATES THAT THAT WILL HELP PHRASE SOME OF THOSE MORE KIND OF LICENSED, UM, PSYCHIATRIC AND, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH SERVICES, UH, THAT ARE REQUIRED IN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UH, PROPERTIES SO THAT, UM, THE CITY'S CONTRACTS MAY NOT NEED TO FUND THINGS LIKE PSYCHIATRIC NURSES ON SITE BECAUSE INTEGRAL CARE OR CENTRAL HEALTH MIGHT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT INSTEAD.
UH, WHEN IT COMES TO PSH EXITS INTO, INTO, YOU KNOW, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, OTHER, OTHER AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPTIONS, WHAT, WHAT NUMBER ARE WE LOOKING AT? IS IT 50%, IS IT 70%? IS IT 90% CURRENTLY? YEAH, CURRENTLY, UM, IT'S, SO THERE'S NOT A LOT OF FOLKS WHO EXIT RIGHT NOW FROM OUR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECTS ON A REGULAR BASIS.
UM, IT'S BEING TRACKED THOUGH, RIGHT? IT IS BEING TRACKED IN OUR HMIS.
UM, MY, I THINK OUR LAST DATA POLL, UM, WAS AROUND 85 INDIVIDUALS OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR.
UM, AND, UM, IT WAS ABOUT A QUARTER OF THEM EXITED POSITIVELY, UM, INTO HOUSING.
AND SO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK AS A COMMUNITY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT NEXT STEP IS FROM PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
UM, IT'S GENERALLY CALLED MOVE ON, LIKE MOVING ON
[00:50:01]
FROM PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.UM, AND, UM, MY, MY TEAM HAS, HAS BEEN LOOKING INTO MOVE ON PRACTICES, UM, BECAUSE WE REALLY WANTED TO TRY AND WORK WITH OUR PROVIDERS, ESPECIALLY AS PSH ROLLS OUT, YOU KNOW, IN THIS IMMENSE WAY IN OUR COMMUNITY, UM, THAT WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS THESE MOVEON GOALS, THAT, UM, HUD IS ACTUALLY JUST STARTING TO BRING TOGETHER PARTNERS WHO ARE SUCCEEDING IN THE MOVEON REALM, UM, TO DEVELOP SOME PRACTICES AND BEST PR AND GUIDELINES FOR COMMUNITIES TO FOLLOW.
SO YES, WE WANNA MOVE IN A MORE POSITIVE DIRECTION THERE.
UM, AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION'S, I GUESS BUDGET RELATED AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE.
UM, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE, WE GET NUMBERS RIGHT.
UM, I SAW THE MAYOR HAD PUT OUT, UM, UH, FOR, FOR $4.2 MILLION BASED, BASED ON HSO RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT WE'VE SEEN CALCULATIONS WITH HSO AND SPEAKING TO ECHO THAT THE NUMBERS SHOULD BE 4.4, IS THERE A DIFFERENCE WHY WE'RE HEARING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SEEING THE 4.2, BUT WE'RE ALSO HEARING 4.4? UM, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
UM, THE DATA THAT WE RECEIVED FROM ECHO SUPPORTED 4.2 MILLION BASED ON THAT $20,000 PER UNIT ESTIMATE.
UM, THE 4.4 WAS THE NUMBER THAT ECHO WAS USING, UM, IN THEIR ADVOCACY.
UM, BUT UM, AGAIN, THE DATA THAT WE HAD SUPPORTED 4.2.
AND, BUT THAT IS ALSO, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, OVER A TWO YEAR PERIOD OVER A TWO YEAR PERIOD.
THAT, THAT'S WHAT MS. LANG WAS POINTING OUT.
THAT'S WHY I ASKED THE QUESTIONS I ASKED IS I WAS WANTING TO MAKE SURE WE HAD THE RIGHT NUMBER MM-HMM.
THE 4.2 IS WHAT IS NEEDED OVER TWO YEARS THROUGH 26 FOR FISCAL YEAR 25.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, RYAN ALTER AND THEN THE MAYOR PRO TIP.
I WAS HOPING TO KIND OF LOOK ALL THE WAY TO THE, THE FRONT END OF THE SYSTEM AS IT WERE.
AND, UH, I HAVE A QUESTION, I DUNNO IF IT CHARLES OR, OR MATT, BUT I'M JUST CURIOUS, AS WE THINK ABOUT COORDINATED ENTRY, IF SOMEONE IS ASSESSED AND THEN RECEIVES SOME INTERVENTION, LET'S SAY THEY'RE PLACED IN RAPID REHOUSING, ARE THEY STILL COUNTED WITHIN THE HMIS SYSTEM? SO LIKE WHEN WE HEAR THE NUMBER 6,000 OR 6,500 UNHOUSED INDIVIDUALS IN OUR COMMUNITY, ARE THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE WITHOUT ANY INTERVENTION OR ARE THOSE, IS THAT INCLUSIVE OF INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY BE IN RAPID OR OTHERWISE? HI, GARY P*****K, HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE.
UM, SORRY, I WAS TOLD I HAVE TO DO THAT UNLESS YOU'RE TRYING TO GET YOUR STEPS IN
WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE ALL FOR GOOD HEALTH, BUT, BUT YOU MIGHT JUST STATE I COULD JUST JOG AND WALK IN PLACE.
UM, SO USUALLY WHEN WE HEAR THOSE NUMBERS, UM, FROM ECHO, UM, IT'S USUALLY THE ENTIRE POPULATION.
SO THEY'LL EITHER SAY, YOU KNOW, OUR ENTIRE SYSTEM IS, LET'S SAY 7,000 PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS RIGHT NOW.
AND THAT WOULD INCLUDE FOLKS IN EMERGENCY SHELTER OR TRANSITIONAL HOUSING OR SAFE HAVENS.
WE HAVE ONE SAFE HAVEN IN TOWN RUN BY THE VA, UM, OR, UM, EXPERIENCING UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS CURRENTLY.
UM, THAT WOULD NOT INCLUDE FOLKS IN RAPID REHOUSING OR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING BECAUSE THEY ARE CONSIDERED HOUSED.
AND THEN WHEN WE LOOK AT KIND OF INFLOWS VERSUS OUTFLOWS, HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS ARE ENTERING INTO THE HOMELESS SYSTEM OR WE HAVE THE COUNTED THROUGH COORDINATED ENTRY, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY ESTIMATES OUTSIDE THE HO COORDINATED ENTRY SYSTEM, BUT WHAT IS OUR INFLOW INTO HOMELESSNESS EVERY YEAR HERE IN AUSTIN? UM, SO I, I MIGHT PASS THAT OFF TO MY PARTNERS AT ECHO, BUT I WOULD JUST ADD FOR CONTEXT, UM, IN IN RECENT YEARS THERE'S BEEN A, A GREAT DEAL OF WORK THROUGH, UM, STREET OUTREACH TEAMS, BOTH FUNDED BY THE CITY AND THROUGH ECHO, UM, THROUGH THEIR AUSTIN STREET OUTREACH COLLABORATIVE THAT HAVE GREATLY INCREASED OUR, I THINK, RECOGNITION OF THE NUMBER OF FOLKS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
AND SO IT'S, IT'S GREATLY INCREASED OUR ESTIMATES, BUT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY
[00:55:01]
ALL FIRST TIME HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS.SO THE INFLOW PIECE IS NOT NECESSARILY CAPTURED IN THAT DRAMATIC INCREASE WE'RE SEEING.
UM, BUT I'LL HAND IT OFF TO MATT TO ANSWER THAT.
COUNSEL, MATT MALIKA ENDING COMMUNITY HOMELESSNESS COALITION.
I WANNA ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE WE GET VERY CLEAR ON THE MAYOR'S QUESTION THAT'S GONE BACK AND FORTH A COUPLE TIMES.
THE NEED FOR, UM, SUPPORTIVE SERVICES, THE WAY THAT THE UNIT, THE WAY THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THE PIPELINE, THOSE UNITS, WE'RE LOOKING AT THEM IN A CALENDAR YEAR, NOT IN THE, BUT THE FISCAL YEAR FOR THE CITY.
SO WE HAVE A NEED FOR 210 UNITS ARE UNSUPPORTED THROUGH CALENDAR YEAR 2025.
SO I WANNA MAKE THAT THE, BUT THAT, SO THAT BUDGET, WE WILL HAVE MORE UNITS COME ON IN CALENDAR YEAR 2026, WHICH IS PART OF THAT 25 BUDGET, WHICH ARE CURRENTLY UNFUNDED.
SO I WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE REALLY CRYSTAL CLEAR ABOUT THAT NUMBER.
WELL, WE DON'T BUDGET ON A CALENDAR YEAR.
SO WHAT I HEAR STAFF SAYING IS THE WAY THEY'RE ATTEMPTING TO PUT THE BUDGET TOGETHER BASED UPON THE WAY WE BUDGET, NOT THE WAY ECHO DOES ITS NUMBERS ON A CALENDAR YEAR, IS THEY'VE LOOKED AT TO, TO SEE WHAT ARE THE NUMBER OF HOU PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING UNITS THAT WILL NEED SUPPORTIVE SERVICES IN THE BUDGET YEAR AND HOW MANY WILL BE COMING ONLINE, THUS INCREASING THE NEED FOR SUPPORT SUPPORTIVE SERVICES DURING THAT CALENDAR YEAR.
AND THEN WHAT WILL THAT LOOK BEYOND? AS I UNDERSTAND IT, YOU'VE CALCULATED THE NUMBERS IN A, IN A DIFFERENT FASHION, BUT IF WE'RE BUDGETING FOR THIS BUDGET YEAR, YOU DON'T HAVE ANY DIFFICULTY WITH US DOING IT THAT WAY? NO.
SO LONG AS WE'RE PROVIDING THE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING THE WAY PROFESSIONAL STAFF HAS DONE THAT.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER AL ALTER, RYAN ALTER, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, UM, SO A COUPLE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE LOOK AT THE INFLOW OF FOLKS, UM, COMING INTO HOMELESSNESS, BUT THE MAIN WAY, UM, THROUGH OUR MODELING, UM, THE DATA THAT SHOWED US THAT LAST OR WE SEE ABOUT 11,000 HOUSEHOLDS, UH, IN FLOW ANNUALLY INTO, UH, INTO HOMELESSNESS.
AND HOW DOES THAT, WHEN, WHEN WE LOOK AT WHO IS ENTERING, DO YOU HAVE A GENERAL SENSE TO, UM, WHAT MR. P*****K WAS TALKING ABOUT? YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE INDIVIDUALS MIGHT BE INDIVIDUALS THAT BECAUSE WE'RE DOING BETTER OUTREACH, WE ARE CAPTURING, AND SO THEY, BUT THEY MIGHT FALL MORE IN THE CHRONIC HOMELESS, UH, CATEGORY VERSUS HOW MANY OF THESE ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO, YOU KNOW, MAYBE JUST CAN'T AFFORD THEIR RENT OR FOR WHATEVER REASON ARE, ARE FALLING INTO HOMELESSNESS? YEP.
SO WE HAVE, UM, APPROXIMATELY 4,500 FOLKS IN OUR SYSTEM WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS IN PREVIOUS YEARS OF THEIR TIME.
SO THESE ARE WHAT WE WOULD CALL SORT OF LIKE LONG TERM HOMELESS FOLK, UH, PEOPLE IN OUR SYSTEM THAT HAVE MORE COMPLEX NEEDS THAT NEED TO BE SERVED BY WHAT WE THINK IS PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
UM, AND IN ORDER FOR OUR SYSTEM TO BE ABLE TO USE THE MONEY THAT COME, THE EMERGENCY SHELTER MONEY, THE DIVERSION, MONEY PREVENTION MONEY, UM, STREET OUTREACH THINGS OF THOSE, IN ORDER FOR THOSE TO BE EFFECTIVE, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THOSE 4,500 PEOPLE IN EXITING THEIR HOMELESSNESS SO THAT WE'RE NOT SPENDING THOSE RESOURCES ON THE 4,500 PEOPLE OF WHICH THAT INTERVENTION DOESN'T MATCH.
AND SO WE FOUND THAT, UM, THAT OUR SYSTEM DOES A VERY GOOD JOB IN, UH, OUR EMERGENCY SHELTER SYSTEM, OUR DIVERSION SYSTEM, UM, YOU KNOW, THOSE SERVICES DO A GREAT JOB OF CA OF SUPPORTING THOSE 11,000 HOUSEHOLDS THAT COME INTO OUR SYSTEM, UM, OR THAT ARE IN OUR SYSTEM THAT NEED THAT TYPE OF SERVICE.
WE DO THAT EFFECTIVELY AND VERY WELL.
WHAT, HOW DOES OUR CHRONIC HOMELESS PERCENTAGE OF, OF THE SYSTEM COMPARED TO OTHER CITIES, MY UNDERSTANDING IS AUSTIN HAS A MUCH HIGHER CHRONICALLY HOMELESS POPULATION PERCENTAGE THAN OTHER CITIES.
AUSTIN HAS A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER CHRONIC HOMELESS POPULATION THAN OTHER CITIES, UM, OF SIMILAR, UM, SIZE.
UM, WE HAVE, WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY A 30% AND HAVE HELD STEADY AT APPROXIMATELY A 30% CHRONIC POPULATION IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T HAD THIS, THE, THE HOUSING TO GET THOSE FOLKS SUCCESSFULLY HOUSED AND OUT OF THE SYSTEM.
AND WHEN WE COMPARE, YOU KNOW, I HOUSTON IS OFTEN LOOKED TO, FOR ONE REASON OR OR ANOTHER, THEIR CHRONIC HOMELESS POPULATION.
IS IT SOMEWHERE IN THE TEENS OR SO I CAN GET THAT EXACT, WE HAVE THAT DATA, UH, CONNECTED TO A PRESENTATION WE CAN PROVIDE, UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THE MANAGER'S OFFICE, UM,
[01:00:01]
AFTER THE, UM, SESSION.AND, AND THE LAST QUESTION FOR YOU, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT, ARE UNITS AVAILABLE FOR INDIVIDUALS EITHER IN THE SYSTEM OR ENTERING THE SYSTEM? HOW, I GUESS TWO PART QUESTION.
ONE, JUST WHAT IS THE MISMATCH BETWEEN AVAILABLE INTERVENTIONS AND INDIVIDUALS IN THE SYSTEM? AND SECONDLY, HOW DOES THAT COMPARE TO OTHER CITIES IN TERMS OF, UH, UNITS AVAILABLE PER ON A PER CAPITA BASIS, RIGHT.
AS PART OF OUR, UH, THE PRESENTATION IN THE DECK, WE CAN SEND AROUND TO COUNCIL OFFICES AND THE MAYOR AND STAFF, UM, WE HAVE, UM, A CAPACITY, UM, UM, CHART.
UM, SO OUR, OUR CAPACITY IN BEDS, JUST TOTAL NUMBER OF BEDS, WHETHER IT BE SHELTER, PERMANENT HOUSING, UM, AS COMPARED TO OTHER CITIES IN TEXAS AND OTHER COMPARABLE CITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
UM, AND AUSTIN IS AT THE BOTTOM OF, UM, THAT CAPACITY CHART, UM, BY, BY A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT IN, EVEN, EVEN WITH THE INCREASES IN CAPACITY THAT WE'VE SEEN, UM, BECAUSE OF THE ARPA FUNDING AND, AND OTHER AREAS OF INVESTMENT.
UH, I BELIEVE THIS WOULD BE FOR CHARLES, BUT IT MIGHT BE SOMEONE ELSE ON THE STAFF WHO YOU DEFERRED TO WHEN WE LOOK AT PREVENTION, SO TRYING TO STOP SOME OF THAT 11,000 HOUSEHOLD INFLOW, WHAT CURRENTLY IS IN THE BUDGET AS IT RELATES TO PREVENTION? HOW MANY DO WE HAVE A A, DO WE DO IT BY NUMBER OF INTERVENTIONS? LIKE WE, WE WANT TO PREVENT A THOUSAND HOUSEHOLDS, OR IS IT, UM, HOW DO WE GO ABOUT SETTING OUR PREVENTION TARGETS? AND WHAT ARE THOSE? SURE.
THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, AND I WANT TO INVITE GARY BACK UP TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, PREVENTION WORK AND DIVERSION WORK THAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW.
AND I'LL, UH, WHILE HE'S SPEAKING, I'LL TALK, UH, WITH CARRIE HERE AND, AND GET YOU SOME NUMBERS SUGGESTING QUESTION, WHY IS THAT? HI EVERYBODY.
GARY P*****K, HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE.
WHO, UM,
UM, SO WHEN IT COMES TO PREVENTION, UM, THERE WERE FUNDS DEDICATED TO, UM, THE BEST SINGLE SOURCE PLUS COLLABORATIVE, UH, INTENDED FOR PREVENTION IN THE PAST, HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION.
UM, THOSE WERE SHIFTED IN RECENT YEARS TOWARDS RAPID REHOUSING.
UM, AND, UH, ARPA FUNDS, UM, WERE SOME ARPA FUNDS, $2.4 MILLION OF ARPA FUNDS WERE SET ASIDE FOR TARGETED HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION, UM, TO HELP FOLKS, UM, MOST LIKELY TO RESOLVE WITH ASSISTANCE, UH, QUICKLY, UM, IN THEIR CURRENT LIVING SITUATION.
UM, AND, UM, THOSE CONTRACTS WERE FOR ONE YEAR.
UM, AND THOSE CONTRACTS ARE ENDING THIS MONTH.
UM, SO DO WE HAVE ANY PREVENTION DOLLARS FOR THIS PROPOSED BUDGET? SO, UM, LAST YEAR, UM, THROUGH I BELIEVE, UM, YOUR AMENDMENT TO THE BUDGET, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER, UM, WE RECEIVED SOME ONGOING FUNDS FOR DIVERSION, UM, AND DIVERSION FALLS UNDER THE PREVENTION UMBRELLA.
UM, AND SO WE HAVE SOLICITED AND, AND CLOSED THE SOLICITATION EARLIER THIS YEAR AND ARE IN CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS WITH A PROVIDER TO LAUNCH, UM, A NEW DIVERSION PROGRAM IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, WE'VE ALSO, UM, BROUGHT IN SOME, SOME RESEARCHERS FROM UT AUSTIN TO HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND, UM, THAT DIVERSION WORK SO THAT WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND, UH, WHAT'S THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND, AND WHAT'S, WHAT ARE THE COSTS BEHIND THAT EFFECTIVENESS FOR DIVERSION PRACTICES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, AND SO CURRENTLY I BELIEVE IT'S $570,000 ONGOING, UH, TO DEDICATED TO DIVERSION ITSELF.
UH, SOME OF THAT MONEY HAS ALSO BEEN USED TO SHORE UP OUR EMERGENCY SHELTERS TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF OUR SHELTERS HAVE DIVERSION AND RAPID EXIT FUNDING AVAILABLE TO THEM AT THE FRONT DOOR.
SO WHEN FOLKS COME AND APPLY, THEY CAN, THEY CAN BE DIVERTED HOPEFULLY FROM HOMELESSNESS.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THAT IS ALL IN THE BUDGET.
DO YOU HAVE AN ESTIMATE OF HOW MANY PEOPLE THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY WOULD SERVE AT THE TIME? WE DON'T.
UM, AND THAT'S WHY WE WANTED TO HAVE THIS KIND OF DEMONSTRATION PROJECT TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW FAR THIS MONEY CAN GO.
UM, DIVERSION IN OUR COMMUNITY HAS MANIFESTED IN, IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
UM, IN, IN MANY CASES IT'S, UM, THE OFFER OF TRANSPORTATION TO, UM, A HOME SOMEWHERE ELSE, UH, BUS TRAVEL, PLANE TRAVEL, TRAIN TRAVEL, ET CETERA.
UM, IN OTHER CASES, IT IS HELPING WITH ARREARS UTILITY OR RENT ARREARS AND HELPING SHORE UP
[01:05:01]
SOMEBODY'S FINANCES IN THAT SHORT TERM MOMENT.UM, IN OTHER CASES, IT'S A FULL ON CASE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.
UM, AND SO, UH, WHAT WE REALIZED WAS WE DON'T REALLY HAVE A, AN AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, LOCAL, UM, DIVERSION PROGRAM MODEL.
AND SO OUR HOPE WAS, UM, IN THE FIRST COUPLE OF YEARS TO REALLY FLESH OUT WHAT THAT MODEL COULD LOOK LIKE, WORK WITH THOSE RESEARCHERS TO UNDERSTAND AND THEN BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW MANY FOLKS WE CAN SERVE WITH THAT, THAT FUNDING.
WELL, YOU DID MENTION THE BSS PLUS, AND I DO SEE JOE CATHERINE OUT THERE, AND I ACTUALLY HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS FOR HER IF SHE WOULDN'T MIND.
AND, AND WE HAD A GREAT PRESENTATION FROM BSS PLUS AT THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE ABOUT DIVERSION AND THEIR SUCCESSES.
AND SO I WAS HOPING YOU COULD SPEAK BRIEFLY ABOUT THAT PROGRAM, THE MODEL WHO IT SERVES, YOU KNOW, HOW YOU MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE DOLING OUT THOSE DOLLARS TO INDIVIDUALS OR HOUSEHOLDS THAT YOU, UH, ARE AT A HIGH RISK OF ACTUALLY BECOMING HOMELESS, RATHER, YOU KNOW, YOU MIGHT HAVE SOMEONE WHO'S BEHIND ON THEIR RENT, BUT WILL NOT ENTER HOMELESSNESS FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER.
CAN YOU JUST TALK BRIEFLY ABOUT SURE.
THAT THE BEST SINGLE SOURCE PLUS COLLABORATION, UM, HAS, UH, ABOUT 11 AGENCY MEMBERS, AND WE HAVE HAD AS MANY AS, UH, 12, UH, AGENCY MEMBERS ACROSS THE HISTORY OF THE COLLABORATION, WHICH STARTED IN 2005.
SO WE HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE, A DEPTH OF EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH THE POPULATION OF PEOPLE WHO ARE EITHER EXPERIENCING SHORT-TERM HOMELESSNESS, OR, UH, ARE IN THE PROCESS OF BECOMING HOMELESS.
AND WE ENGAGE THEM TO PREVENT THEIR HOMELESSNESS.
AND SO WE, THE WAY WE WORK IS OUR VARIOUS AGENCIES REPRESENT DIFFERENT VULNERABLE POPULATIONS ACROSS THE COMMUNITY.
UH, AND SO WHEN YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT GOODWILL AS A PARTNER, THEIR VULNERABLE POPULATIONS THAT ARE SEEKING GOODWILL SERVICES, GOODWILL THEN HAS THIS BUILT IN HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION AND RAPID REHOUSING RESOURCE THAT THEY CAN OFFER TO THEIR CLIENTS THAT ARE COMING TO THEIR ORGANIZATION.
THE SAME WOULD BE FOR ANY BABY CAN SERVING FAMILIES WHO HAVE CHILDREN WITH SERIOUS, UH, MEDICAL NEEDS AND SO ON AND SO FORTH.
YOU KNOW, GO THROUGH, GO THROUGH THE PARTNERSHIPS.
UH, CARITAS IS THE LEAD AND FISCAL AGENT OF THE COLLABORATION, AND IN 2023, WE SERVED 681 HOUSEHOLDS BETWEEN OUR 11 COLLABORATING AGENCIES.
AND OUR COST PER HOUSEHOLD IS $2,353 PER HOUSEHOLD ON AVERAGE.
I'M GONNA PAUSE RIGHT THERE JUST FOR A SECOND.
$2,300 PER PERSON TO PREVENT SOMEONE FROM BECOMING HOMELESS WHEN, AND WE'RE TALKING A LOT ABOUT NUMBERS TODAY, 35,000 FOR RAPID, 39,000 FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
I THINK IT'S, IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO LOOK UPSTREAM OF OUR SYSTEM.
WE HAVE A, A, A REAL CHALLENGE DOWNSTREAM, AND, AND WE'VE HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATION ABOUT PARENT SPORTS, HOUSING AND RAPID REHOUSING.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO GET OUR HANDLE ON.
BUT IF WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO SPEND A 10TH OF THE MONEY PER PERSON TO HAVE A BETTER OUTCOME, TO MAKE SURE THEY DON'T BECOME CHRONICALLY HOMELESS AND TO MAKE OUR RESOURCES GO FURTHER, MM-HMM,
SORRY TO CUT YOU OUT, I JUST THAT NO, IT, THAT'S FINE.
UH, THE NUMBER THAT, UM, MATT SHARED EARLIER ABOUT THE PERCENTAGE OF CHRONICALLY HOMELESS HOUSEHOLDS THAT WE HAVE IN THIS COMMUNITY IS A DIRECT REFLECTION ON YEARS AND YEARS OF NEGLECT OF HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION.
BECAUSE WHEN A PERSON BECOMES CHRONICALLY HOMELESS, THEY AREN'T IMMEDIATELY CHRONICALLY HOMELESS.
WHEN THEY, I INITIALLY FALL INTO HOMELESSNESS, THEY HAVE LANGUISHED IN HOMELESSNESS FOR A LONG TIME, AND THEN THEY BECOME CHRONICALLY HOMELESS.
SAUDI ISN'T BORN CHRONICALLY HOMELESS.
[01:10:02]
SO WE, WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND THIS IS A WHOLE SYSTEM, AND UNLESS WE ARE ADEQUATELY INVESTING IN THE ENTIRE SYSTEM, IT'S GOING TO BE UNEVEN AND PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO GET THE SERVICES THAT THEY DESPERATELY NEED.WHAT'S THE SUCCESS RATE OF INDIVIDUALS IN RECEIVING YOUR PREVENTION SERVICES? 97% OF OUR HOUSEHOLDS DO NOT RETURN TO HOMELESSNESS.
THANKS FOR YOUR WORK IN THE COMMUNITY.
I, UH, HAVE A COUPLE SHELTER RELATED QUESTIONS.
GREG MCCORMICK, GARY, CAPACITY EXTENSION AND SYSTEMS INTEGRATION.
SO WE'LL GIVE GARY A BREAK FOR A MINUTE.
UM, LOOKING AT THE RESPONSE THAT Y'ALL SENT ABOUT THE ARPA DOLLARS TO COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES, UH, BUDGET, QUESTION NUMBER 33, AS IT RELATES TO SHELTER, WE HAVE OBLIGATED 24 OF OUR $25 MILLION.
10 MILLION OF THAT IS OBLIGATED, BUT UNSPENT.
SO I WONDER IF YOU COULD TALK FIRST ABOUT WHAT THAT $10 MILLION IS FOR, HAS BEEN EARMARKED FOR, UM, ACTUALLY ANY OF THE BUDGET NUMBERS I WOULD DEFER.
UM, I CAN TALK ABOUT ANY OF THE SHELTER SITUATION OR, UM, THE ONGOING SERVICES THAT WE'RE PROVIDING AT THE SHELTER.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF KELLY, GOOD MORNING, KELLY AND, UM, HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE.
COULD YOU REPEAT THE QUESTION AGAIN? I WAS, MY QUESTION.
SO, IN, IN YOUR ARPA EMERGENCY SHELTER LINE, AS IT WERE THERE, IS THERE'S BEEN $24.2 MILLION THAT HAS BEEN OBLIGATED.
10.2 OF THAT HAS NOT CURRENTLY BEEN SPENT.
IT'S, IT'S OBLIGATED, BUT UNSPENT, I'M CURIOUS WHAT THAT 10.2 WILL GO TOWARD FOR, FOR ALL OF OUR RFA PROGRAMS, JUST FOR THE SHELTER LINE.
I THINK WE'LL HAVE TO GO BACK AND, AND DIG INTO THAT AND GET YOUR A RESPONSE COUNCIL MEMBER.
UH, AS WE LOOK TO OUR SHELTER, UM, SYSTEM, THE NORTH BRIDGE SOUTHBRIDGE, RIGHT NOW IN THE BUDGET, THERE'S ENOUGH MONEY ESSENTIALLY TO OPERATE ONE OF THOSE, BUT NOT BOTH.
IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
THE CURRENT ASK AND THE UNMET NEED THAT YOU SEE IN THE SHELTER LINE, UM, OF, I BELIEVE 2.8 MILLION IS WHAT WE NEED TO MAKE SOUTHBRIDGE AND NORTHBRIDGE WHOLE.
UM, SOME MAY REMEMBER THAT NORTHBRIDGE ORIGINALLY WAS TEMPORARY.
IT, IT WAS A PRO LODGE ORIGINALLY, IT WAS A, IT WAS EVEN BEFORE THAT GOING TO BE PERMANENT HOUSING.
NOW AS, UH, BEING AN ONGOING SUCCESSFUL SHELTER, WE NEED THAT FUNDING TO KEEP IT RUNNING.
AND THAT IS WHAT THE, THE MAYOR'S AMENDMENT DOES, WHICH I ASKED TO BE A CO-SPONSOR.
I THINK THAT'S, WE HAVE TO HAVE TO HAVE, UH, THOSE SHELTERS RUNNING, UH, AS WELL.
I, I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN ASKED THIS QUESTION IN NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT WE'RE A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN THE CALENDAR.
HAVE WE IDENTIFIED ANY POSSIBILITIES AS IT RELATES TO THE MARSHALING YARD REPLACEMENT FACILITY OR DISPERSION? WE, WE HAVE NOT.
SO WELL, THE DISPERSION, WE DO HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE.
OUR GOAL IS THAT, UM, EVERYONE THAT IS IN THE SHELTER, WHEN WE ARE CLOSING IT, UH, WE'LL HAVE AN OPTION BESIDES THE STREETS.
AND WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT WITH OUR EXISTING SHELTER SYSTEM AND STRUCTURE.
UM, WE HAVE NOT IDENTIFIED A REPLACEMENT FOR MARSHALING YARD, BUT ARE STILL, UH, LOOKING AND CAN YOU REMIND US, WE HAD THAT SHELTER NEEDS ASSESSMENT OF SOME NUMBER OF MONTHS BACK.
WHAT IS OUR CURRENT EMERGENCY EMERGENCY SHELTER BED NEED? SO WITH THE ADDITION OF THE MARSHALING YARD 300, OUR NEED AFTER THAT WAS BETWEEN 600 AND 800 ADDITIONAL SHELTER BEDS.
THAT WILL INCREASE, OBVIOUSLY, UH, WHEN WE LOSE THE MARSHALING YARD.
ASSUMING WE DON'T HAVE A REPLACEMENT, WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN.
I HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION AS IT RELATES TO PSH, AND THAT IS WHEN WE FUNDED THE PSH THAT WE ARE NOW SEEING COME ONLINE, IS IT CORRECT TO SAY THAT THAT FUNDING WAS PRIMARILY THROUGH ARPA DOLLARS, THE CAPITAL MONEY FOR
[01:15:01]
THOSE PROJECTS? THAT IS CORRECT, YES.SO IF WE ARE LOOKING AT A NEED 5,000 UNITS OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS, 500 UNITS A YEAR SHORT OF ANOTHER ARPA, WHERE DO WE FIND THAT LEVEL OF CAPITAL? WILL IT HAVE TO BE BOND FUNDS? WILL IT HAVE TO BE PHILANTHROPY? WHAT, WHAT GETS US TO 5,000 UNITS IN 10 YEARS? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
IT WAS A COMBINATION OF ARPA AND OUR RHDA AND I'D LIKE TO INVITE MANDY DE MAYO UP, UH, FROM THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT TO SPEAK IN MORE DETAIL, MANDY DE MAYO HOUSING DEPARTMENT.
UM, SO WHEN WE LOOK AT THE PSH PIPELINE, OUR DEPARTMENT THROUGH AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION PROVIDED THE BULK OF THE FUND, THE CAPITAL FUNDING.
IN ADDITION, UM, WE OPERATE THE LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHER PROGRAM THROUGH OUR HOUSING TRUST FUND DOLLARS.
SO FOR A LOT OF THESE PROJECTS, WE ARE ALSO PROVIDING A LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHER, SOMETIMES IN COORDINATION WITH HAKA.
THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
THEY'VE BEEN AN INCREDIBLE PARTNER BRINGING, UH, PROJECT-BASED VOUCHERS, UM, TO COMPLIMENT AND OR AUGMENT OUR LOCAL HOUSING VOUCHER.
AND THAT CAPITAL MONEY FOR THE RHODA LARGELY CAME FROM GEO BONDS, IS THAT CORRECT? UH, GEO BONDS AS WELL AS OUR DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS DOLLARS.
SO ONE OF THE PROJECTS IN THE PIPELINE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION IS SEABROOK SQUARE TWO, WHICH IS, UH, A, A PROJECT WITH AUSTIN HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION AND INTEGRAL CARE, UH, THAT RECENTLY BROKE GROUND, UH, THAT WAS, UH, PRIMARILY DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS, WHICH IS DEDICATED TO LOW BARRIER PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR THE CHRONICALLY HOMELESS.
SO IF WE'RE GONNA NEED 5,000 UNITS, WHAT, ASSUMING THERE'S NO ARPA 2.0 MM-HMM,
UH, GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS ARE THE LARGEST FUNDING SOURCE.
UM, WE'RE CURRENTLY IN YEAR THREE OF A PROJECTED, UH, SIX YEAR SPEND PLAN.
UM, SO CURRENTLY FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR, WE HAVE ABOUT, UH, 70 45, UH, 70 MILLION, UH, THAT'LL BE GOING INTO HOUSING INVESTMENTS FOR A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT, UH, HOUSING INVESTMENTS INCLUDING RENTAL HOUSING OWNERSHIP HOUSING, UM, HOME REPAIR AND LAND ACQUISITION FOR FUTURE, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE A VARIETY OF, UH, OTHER FUNDING SOURCES, INCLUDING OUR HOMESTEAD PRESERVATION DISTRICT, TURS.
UM, SO SHOULD PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING BE WITHIN THE GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES OF THE TURS, WE WOULD CERTAINLY PRIORITIZE THAT.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE A VARIETY OF FEE AND LIE, UM, PROGRAMS THAT ARE MOSTLY GEOGRAPHIC SPECIFIC, LIKE PLAZA, SALTILLO, NORTH BURN GATEWAY.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE OUR FEDERAL FUNDING, UM, WHICH WE HAVE PRIORITIZED FOR OTHER SOURCES, BUT WE DO HAVE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCES AND PROJECT CONNECT DOLLARS.
BUT AGAIN, THAT'S GEOGRAPHIC SPECIFIC, BUT WITHOUT GEO BOND DOLLARS, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I'M CLEAR 'CAUSE WE'RE HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS OVER THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO.
ARE ALL THE FUNDING SOURCES YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT ENOUGH TO BUILD 5,000 PERMIT SUPPORT HOUSING UNITS? NO, THEY'RE NOT.
ONE THING I MIGHT MENTION IN THAT QUESTION, IN THAT ANSWER IS THAT THERE'S ALSO A SIGNIFICANT PUSH AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.
UM, OF COURSE WE'VE GOT A, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN IN THAT REGARD, BUT THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT PUSH AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL ON A VARIETY OF POTENTIAL PROGRAMS, INCLUDING A CHANGE IN, UH, THE CAP ON VOUCHERS THAT CAN BE USED FOR SPECIFIC BUILD.
UM, I'M PART OF A, A TASK FORCE OR STRIKE FORCE OR WHATEVER IT'S CALLED, I CAN'T REMEMBER NOW, BUT, UM, THAT IS PUSHING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, BOTH IN CONGRESS AND IN THE ADMINISTRATION.
ALTHOUGH I, I FIND THE ADMINISTRATION TO BE VERY OPEN TO THIS, UM, TO INCREASE THAT CAP SO IT CAN BE PART OF THE STACK FOR FUNDING ABSOLUTELY.
WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR MORE BUILDING THE PERMANENT SUPPORT.
SO I THINK THERE'S SOME ADDITIONAL THINGS THAT THERE MAY, THAT WE MIGHT BE HOPEFUL ABOUT.
WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO BETTER LEVERAGE OUR DOLLARS AND, UH, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS ONE, UM, OF THE BEST WAYS TO, TO, TO DO THAT.
AND SO WE'RE FOLLOWING LEGISLATION CLOSELY AND INVOLVED IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
UH, MAYOR PRO TIM, FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ALLISON ALTER, AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE.
I'M REALLY GLAD THAT THE, UM, INCREASE, UH, PROGRAMMING AND, AND FUNDING FROM AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL HAS, HAS COME UP.
AND I, I REALLY WANT TO FOCUS ON THAT BECAUSE, UM, WITHOUT THE HELP FROM OTHER GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES, INCLUDING THE STATE OF TEXAS, WE,
[01:20:01]
WE CAN'T, CITY OF AUSTIN CAN'T DO THIS ON OUR OWN.I MEAN, WE HAVE AMPLY DEMONSTRATED THAT WE CAN'T, AND WE'VE BEEN AMPLY DEMONSTRATING THIS FOR THE, ALMOST THE ENTIRE TIME I'VE BEEN ON THIS DAIS.
THIS PROBLEM HASN'T GOTTEN ANY SMALLER.
IN FACT, IT'S GOTTEN LARGER EVERY YEAR, AND I'M GLAD WE HAVE A STRATEGIC APPROACH TO HOMELESSNESS BECAUSE THAT IS THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO MEASURE IT SUFFICIENTLY SO THAT OUR FUTURE ACTIONS CAN, CAN ADJUST.
UM, AND SO I'M, I'M REALLY HOPEFUL IN THAT WAY, WHEREAS OFTEN THESE CONVERSATIONS LEAVE ME HONESTLY WITH TRYING REALLY HARD TO HANG ON TO HOPE IT'S HARD.
I DID HAVE ONE QUESTION, AND THAT'S IT AT THIS POINT, BECAUSE I THINK WE HAVE REALLY FULLY, IF NOT ENTIRELY EXAMINED THIS LANDSCAPE.
AND THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HOMELESSNESS, BUT I APPRECIATE THE DEPTH THAT WE'RE DIGGING INTO IT TODAY.
I WAS TAKEN BY A COMMENT ABOUT THE GRANTS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND IT WAS THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S PARTICIPATION IN THOSE PROGRAMS WAS CHARACTERIZED AS, AS ROBUST AND SUCCESSFUL IN WAYS THAT POTENTIALLY, OR POSSIBLY THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S HASN'T MATCHED OR ISN'T AS SUCCESSFUL, OR HASN'T GOTTEN AS MUCH FROM THE FEDERAL PROGRAMS. AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS WHAT WAS INTENDED IN THAT COMMENT, BECAUSE IT WAS JUST A GLANCING COMMENT, BUT, UM, MR. P*****K, WAS THAT YOU WHO WAS TALKING, WHO WAS TALKING ABOUT THE GRANTS THAT, AT ANY RATE, I WANTED JUST TO GET A SENSE, AND MR. P*****K CERTAINLY HAS THE SHORT STRING FOR US TODAY.
SORRY, GARY P*****K, GLAD TO SEE YOU BACK, ALMOST GARY OFFICE BACK AT THE, AT THE PODIUM.
CAN YOU JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHY IS IT THAT HOUSTON HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN GARNERING SUCH A LARGE SHARE OF FEDERAL DOLLARS, AND WHAT MIGHT BE THE POSSIBILITY FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO GIVE THEM A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY? THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, SO ON SOME LEVEL, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S FORMULAIC THE SIZE OF YOUR POPULATION AND NEED OVER TIME CAN DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OFFERS.
UM, AND SO, UM, HOUSING VOUCHERS ARE OFTEN, UM, DECIDED IN THAT WAY AND LEVEL OF NEED, UM, OVER TIME.
AND SO AS OUR NEED GROWS, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HOPEFULLY WILL RECOGNIZE OUR NEED IS GROWING AND, AND CAN HELP, YOU KNOW, INCREASE THEIR SHARE, UM, OF FUNDING FOR US.
ADDITIONALLY, UM, THE COC PROGRAM'S CALLED THE CONTINUUM OF CARE PROGRAM, WHICH IS THE, THE REGIONAL, UM, HOMELESS FUNDING, UM, APPROACH, UM, THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, OUR COC HAS BEEN INCREASING ITS, UM, UH, AWARD YEAR OVER YEAR THROUGHOUT THE, THROUGH THE COMPETITION.
AND TO DO THAT, UM, OUR SYSTEM HAS TO CONTINUE TO SHOW POSITIVE OUTCOMES.
SO WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO SHOW THAT, THAT WE'RE INCREASING OUTCOMES, THAT MORE FOLKS ARE GETTING HOUSED, THAT OUR PERMANENT SUPPORTS, UH, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UM, PARTICIPANTS ARE MAINTAINING THEIR HOUSING.
SO THAT'S WHERE THAT, THAT 98% FIGURE COMES IN REALLY WELL FOR US.
AND THAT HELPS US INCREASE OUR, OUR POTENTIAL AWARD EVERY YEAR WHEN THE COC UM, NOTICE OF FUNDING COMES OUT.
UM, AND THAT, THAT IS UNPREDICTABLE.
SO SOMETIMES HUD SAYS, YOU KNOW, OUR COMMUNITY HAS ANOTHER $2 MILLION POTENTIAL, IF WE CAN APPLY FOR THAT $2 MILLION AND BE COMPETITIVE TOWARDS THAT.
UM, SOMETIMES IT'S, IT'S 10 MILLION OR IT'S, UM, YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IN THE PAST A, A SPECIAL NOFO AND THAT WAS, UM, GEARED TOWARDS, UM, PROGRAMS THAT'S DIRECTLY SERVE FOLKS WHO ARE UNSHELTERED.
UM, AND SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO, THROUGH, THROUGH ECHO'S LEADERSHIP, UM, AND A LOT OF COMMUNITY COLLABORATION, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO INCREASE OUR AWARDS IN, IN THOSE, IN THAT AREA THROUGH THE COC COMPETITION.
UM, AND, UM, UNFORTUNATELY WE CAN'T PREDICT WHAT THAT COC COMPETITION WILL WILL SAY THIS YEAR, BUT WE ARE AWAITING THAT ANNOUNCEMENT VERY SOON.
AND THAT WILL GENERALLY SUPPORT, UM, THE, UH, SERVICES AND POTENTIALLY THE RENTAL ASSISTANCE AS WELL IN SOME OF OUR PROGRAMS. UH, IS ONE OF THE CRITERIA, HOW MANY MORE OR THE SIZE OF THE HOMELESS POPULATION IN AUSTIN IN COMPARISON TO OTHER TEXAS CITIES OR OTHER CITIES OF OUR SIMILAR SIDE SIZE, IS THAT A CRITERIA FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONSIDERING IF, IF INDEED WE HAVE A A 30 PLUS PERCENT LARGER NUMBER HERE THAN, UM, OTHER CITIES? THAT WAS ANOTHER NUMBER THAT WAS MENTIONED THIS MORNING.
UM, TO BE HONEST, I DON'T KNOW THAT I CAN ANSWER THAT, BUT
[01:25:01]
I'M GONNA LOOK TO MY HUD EXPERTS TO SEE IF THEY HAVE A BETTER SENSE.IS IT, DO THEY USE OUR PROPORTION OF NEED TO CALCULATE? YEP, THAT'S PART OF IT, PART, JUST COME ON UP.
MATT MALIKA A NEW COMMUNITY HOMELESSNESS COALITION.
UM, SO THERE, THE WAY THAT HUD CALCULATES OUR, UH, UH, PRO RATA NEED, UM, HONESTLY, IT CHANGES YEAR TO YEAR.
IT'S NOT EVEN, IT'S NOT EVER THE SAME.
WE JUST GOT RELEASED THE CONTINUUM OF CARE NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS YEAR, A COUNCIL MEMBER, AND WE'RE, THEY'RE HOSTING A WEBINAR, HONESTLY, IN TWO DAYS, THAT'S GONNA HELP US UNDERSTAND BETTER WHAT THE NEED, WHAT OUR ABILITY TO APPLY FOR IS IN THIS COMMUNITY.
UM, AND SO IT'S DIFFICULT TO SAY, THEY DO USE OUR POINT IN TIME COUNT NUMBERS EVERY YEAR, WHICH WE KNOW IS AN UNDER COUNT IN EVERY COMMUNITY ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
BUT THAT'S THE WAY THAT THAT HUD UM, FEELS LIKE THEY CAN BEST COUNT THE POPULATIONS, UH, UM, FAIRLY ACROSS JURISDICTIONS THAT MIGHT HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, REALLY LAR IT'S LIKE IT'S THE ONE WAY THAT THEY THINK, UM, EVERYONE CAN DO IT THE SAME WAY THROUGH THE METHODOLOGY.
UM, SO WE CAN PROVIDE COUNSEL, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, UM, THE INFORMATION ON HOW OUR NEED WAS CALCULATED BY HUD THIS YEAR WHEN, UM, WHEN WE DO GET THAT, UM, INFORMATION.
AND I, AND I ALSO WANNA SAY COUNCIL MEMBER, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE, PART OF WHAT THE MAYOR SAID IS HUD HAS REALIZED THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THEY HAVE TO DO OVER THE NEXT, UM, YOU KNOW, FEW YEARS TO BE ABLE TO INCREASE THE OPTIONS FOR BUILDING HOUSING.
AND SO THEY ACTUALLY RELEASED THIS YEAR A, A CAPITAL NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY.
IT'S THE FIRST TIME HUD HAS, UM, RELEASED MONEY TO BUILD PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IN COMMUNITIES.
AND AUSTIN IS ELIGIBLE FOR ABOUT $8 MILLION OF THAT FUNDING.
AND WE'RE, THAT COMPETITION IS OPEN NOW, AND WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING FOR PROJECTS TO APPLY.
SO THERE ARE SOME, SOME AREAS ALONG WITH THE VOUCHER CAPS THAT THE MAYOR MENTIONED THAT THEY'RE LOOKING TO BE ABLE TO INCREASE THE SUPPLY OF, OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITIES.
AND, AND I JUST SEND UP A, A HOPEFUL PRAYER THAT IN FACT, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL STEP UP IN A LARGER WAY AND MAYBE, UM, NEXT YEAR THEY WILL.
I, I HAVE, I'LL MENTION TWO THINGS REAL QUICKLY ABOUT THAT REGARD.
FIRST OF ALL, JEFF OLIVER, WHO, WHO IS THE, UH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE US INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOME, INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS.
I NEVER CAN REMEMBER ALL THE, THE WORDS IN THAT.
UM, HE IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH AUSTIN AND FRANKLY, VERY, UM, COMPLIMENTARY AND APPRECIATIVE OF WHERE AUSTIN IS HEADING ON ALL THIS.
HE WAS JUST RECENTLY IN TOWN, AGAIN ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO SPEAKING, UH, DOING A KEYNOTE SPEECH, UH, RELATED TO HOMELESSNESS AND THE ROLE THAT TEXDOT, WHICH HAS BECOME A NATIONAL LEADER, FRANKLY, IN IN HELPING WITH HOMELESSNESS.
UM, AND DIRECTOR GRAY AND I HAD BREAKFAST WITH HIM AND TALKED ABOUT WHERE THINGS MIGHT GO IN, IN THAT REGARD.
UM, AND, AND I THINK THAT'S HELPFUL.
THE SECOND THING IS I'M CONVINCED THAT DEPENDING UPON HOW THINGS PLAY OUT OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, UM, THERE'S THE POTENTIAL FOR A HOUSING AND HOMELESS, UM, UH, PLATFORM AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL THAT RIVALS OF THINGS LIKE THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE BASED UPON WHAT I'M HEARING, UH, IN, IN VISITS IN, IN WASHINGTON D DC, DC AND WITH PEOPLE LIKE MR. ALL DIRECTOR, ALL OF THAT.
SO, UM, THANK YOU, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALLISON ALTAR, FOLLOWED BY COUNCIL MEMBER CODRE.
I HAVE A QUESTION, I THINK FOR THE BUDGET OFFICE.
UM, SO THIS YEAR WITH THE MOVE TO THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE, THE GLANCE THAT WE GET AT OUR HOMELESS SPENDING IS REALLY JUST FOCUSED ON THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE.
BUT IN PRIOR BUDGETS, WE HAD A WHOLE PAGE THAT TALKED ABOUT ALL OF THE SPENDING KIND OF TOGETHER.
AND I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE ARE RELATIVE TO LAST YEAR OR YEARS BEFORE IN TERMS OF OUR SPENDING.
AND, AND SORT OF THE 30 MILLION LISTED UNDER THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE DOESN'T REALLY MATCH WITH THE NUMBERS FROM PRIOR YEARS.
UM, SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE THAT NUMBER OR IF THAT'S SOMETHING YOU CAN GENERATE IN A Q AND A TO GIVE US THAT SORT OF SNAPSHOT, BECAUSE I KNOW A RR DOES THINGS AND, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS DO IT.
I DON'T IF YOU HAVE IT NOW, THAT'S GREAT, BUT IF NOT, IF YOU COULD COULD PUT THAT INTO A Q AND A, THAT'D BE REALLY HELPFUL.
I DON'T HAVE THAT DATA, UM, RIGHT HERE, READILY AVAILABLE.
AND I, I BELIEVE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT IT, WE TALK ABOUT THOSE DEPARTMENTS IN THEIR OPERATING BUDGET, BUT ALSO THE CAPITAL FUNDING.
UM, AND SO WE'LL, UM, LOOK AT HOW WE CAN CRAFT THAT OR GET A, A, UM, A SUMMARY OF WHAT THOSE INVESTMENTS ARE.
[01:30:01]
WE'LL WORK ON IT.I, IT'S GONNA TAKE A LITTLE BIT FOR STAFF TO LOOK AT ALL THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS TO TRY TO CRAFT SOMETHING THAT'S HOLISTIC, BUT WE'LL WORK ON IT.
AND HOPEFULLY IT CAN BE A GUIDE WHAT YOU DID LAST YEAR, AND YOU'RE LOOKING IN SIMILAR, SIMILAR PLACES, BUT I'M TRYING TO GET A SENSE OF WHETHER, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH MORE WE'RE SPENDING OR IF WE'RE NOT SPENDING MORE THAN WE WERE.
UM, I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT AS WE'RE TRYING TO WEIGH, YOU KNOW, THE DIFFERENT CHOICES THAT WE'RE MAKING MOVING FORWARD.
UM, AND THEN, UM, THIS IS PROBABLY FOR THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE, BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN WE COMMITTED A HUNDRED AND I THINK IT WAS $11 MILLION OF ARPA MONEY AND, AND THE, UM, ADDITIONAL, THERE WAS SOME ADDITIONAL POT AS WELL, AND THE COUNTY DID THEIR A HUNDRED MILLION, THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A HUNDRED MILLION FROM PHILANTHROPY.
WHERE IS THAT TOTAL AT, AT THIS POINT? SO CLARIFY, I THINK, UH, THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S CONTRIBUTION THROUGH ARPA WAS 106.7 MILLION.
AND THEN, UH, TO THE QUESTION THAT WAS RAISED EARLIER ABOUT ARPA CONTRIBUTIONS IN SUPPORT OF CAPITAL, THE COUNTY CONTRIBUTED ABOUT 100 MILLION.
AND I BELIEVE THAT THAT WAS, IF NOT MOSTLY ENTIRELY DEDICATED TO CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT.
UM, I'D LIKE TO INVITE MATT MALIKA BACK UP TO THE PODIUM, UH, TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE PHILANTHROPIC FUNDRAISING EFFORTS THAT ARE OCCURRING IN OUR COMMUNITY AND PROVIDE AN UPDATE.
HI, MATT MALIKA ENDING THE COMMUNITY HOMELESSNESS COALITION.
YOU KNOW, I THINK, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, THAT'S GONNA BE A GREAT, UH, QUESTION FOR THE FOLKS AT FINDING HOME A TX.
UM, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT ECHO TRACKS, UM, ON OUR OWN, UM, BUT I DO CERTAINLY REMEMBER THOSE COMMITMENTS.
UM, AND I'M NOT CERTAIN WHERE, UM, THEY LANDED ON THEIR FUNDRAISING GOALS FOR, FOR PHILANTHROPY.
UM, I THINK IT'S SAFE TO SAY IT'S WELL BELOW THE A HUNDRED MILLION AT THIS POINT.
UM, AND I POINT THAT OUT JUST BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE NOT JUST BEHIND HOUSTON IN TERMS OF FUNDING BECAUSE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS NOT CONTRIBUTING AT THE SAME LEVEL, UM, FOR A VARIETY OF, OF, OF, UM, POLICY REASONS.
UM, BUT WE'RE ALSO BEHIND BECAUSE WE NEED OUR COMMUNITY, UM, AND PHILANTHROPY TO STEP UP AND HELP US TO SOLVE THE CHALLENGE.
RIGHT NOW, WE'RE TAKING ALL OF THIS ON AS THE CITY, AND IT'S NOT ALWAYS CLEAR THAT THINGS ARE THE CITY'S ROLE.
AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE THESE PROBLEMS AND WE WANT TO STEP IN, BUT EVERY TIME WE STEP IN, IT BECOMES MORE ON THE CITY INSTEAD OF BEING A COLLECTIVE EFFORT.
UM, AND SO I THINK WE CONTINUE TO NEED TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
AND I, AND I'M, I'M, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT JUST PUTTING MORE AND MORE MONEY WITHOUT GETTING SOME COMMITMENTS FROM OTHERS TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION THAT ARE EFFECTIVE AND, AND, AND WORKING.
UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THIS CAN TAKE OVER OUR ENTIRE ENTIRE BUDGET.
UM, AND SO I JUST THINK WE NEED TO BE, WE NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT.
UM, AND THEN GOING TO THE SORT OF THE CONTINUUM OF CARE, UM, SIMPLIFYING IT GREATLY AND JUST SAYING THAT WE HAVE PREVENTION, WE HAVE SHELTER, BOTH EMERGENCY AND BRIDGE.
WE HAVE RAPID REHOUSING, AND WE HAVE PSH, UM, WE HAVE, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES HAS BEEN DOING A LOT OF WORK WITH HER PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME HERE WHO ARE SAYING, WE, WE NEED TO DO, UM, RAPID REHOUSING AND MAKING A VERY STRONG CASE FOR THAT.
UM, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE, IN THE DOCUMENT THAT YOU GAVE US TODAY AND IN THE UNMET NEEDS THAT OUR STAFF IS SAYING THAT WE NEED TO BE INVESTING IN SHELTER AND WE NEED TO BE INVESTING IN PS PSH.
AND SO I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE SHOULD BE EMPHASIZING IT GIVEN WHERE OUR CONTINUUM IS AND THE STATE OF OUR CONTINUUM RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO DO ALL OF THOSE.
UM, SO WHERE SHOULD WE, ACCORDING TO OUR STAFF, BE PUTTING OUR MONEY? AND AT THIS TIME, BASED UPON WHAT WE HAVE DOCUMENTED ON THIS SLIDE, WE FEEL LIKE THE INVESTMENT RIGHT NOW SHOULD BE HOMELESS SHELTERS.
SO WE CAN ENSURE WE CAN CONTINUE WITH OUR HE EFFORTS AS WELL AS OUR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UM, EFFORTS THAT WE KNOW THE UNITS ARE COMING ONLINE.
SO THOSE ARE OUR BASICALLY TOP TWO RECOMMENDATIONS BASED UPON THE DATA THAT WE HAVE, AS WELL AS THE INFORMATION THAT OUR STAFF HAVE REALLY DONE A DEEP DIVE TO LOOK AT VERY CLOSELY.
AND, AND I'M JUST TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY GOOD ARGUMENTS HERE.
I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M UNDERSTANDING, UM, WHERE, WHERE, WHERE THE INFORMATION IS AT AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
UM, SO, SO I, SO I APPRECIATE, APPRECIATE, UM, THAT INFORMATION.
[01:35:01]
YOU.COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE.
UM, I'M NOT SURE WHO IT'S GONNA GO TO, BUT I GUESS, YEAH, WE'VE NEVER HEARD FROM MR. P*****K, SO IT MIGHT GO IN WHO, WHO'S GOT HIM ON THE BINGO CARD? COME ON.
UH, SO FIRST QUESTION, UH, THE NORTH BRIDGE AND SOUTHBRIDGE SHELTERS, THEY RELY ON RAPID REHOUSING TO EXIT PEOPLE INTO HOUSING.
HOW DO YOU SEE US DOING THAT WITH THE CURRENT RAPID REHOUSING LEVELS AND AS ARPA FUNDS ARE, ARE WINDING DOWN? OH, COME ON.
BINGO AND WE'LL CALL IT A DAY.
UM, WE CURRENTLY DON'T HAVE, UM, FUNDS TO SUPPORT THAT PROGRAM IN THE FUTURE FOR THE HEAL PROGRAM.
DO YOU KNOW WHEN WE FULLY RUN OUT OF FUNDS? UM, I BELIEVE I, WHAT'S THAT? I THINK WE'LL NEED TO GET BACK TO YOU.
I DON'T HAVE THOSE NUMBER ANSWERS TO THAT QUESTION.
CAN CAN, CAN I INTERRUPT? SURE.
BUT, BUT THE, IF THE UNMET, IF IF THE AMENDMENT THAT I'VE OFFERED, IF THAT AMENDMENT IS ADOPTED AS PART OF THE BUDGET, THAT WOULD CONTINUE THE FUNDING SO THAT IT, IT WOULD NOT BE AS YOU JUST ANSWERED HIS QUESTION, THAT WE WOULD BE OUT OF THAT MONEY.
UM, SO I BELIEVE YOUR PROPOSED AMENDMENT IS FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING? NO, UH OH, UH, SHELTER OPERATIONS, RIGHT? CORRECT.
SO THAT'S FOR THE, THE SHELTER ITSELF, UM, BUT NOT FOR THE HOUSING SUPPORT PIECE THAT HAS BEEN TIED TO THE BRIDGE SHELTERS TO THIS POINT.
UM, SO A RAPID REHOUSING PROGRAM.
WELL, I'M, WE'VE SPENT ALL THIS TIME AND NOW I'M REALLY CONFUSED.
UM, ALRIGHT, WELL WE'LL GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THAT.
SORRY FOR INTERRUPT YOU COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE.
I THOUGHT I HAD AN ANSWER FOR YOU.
UH, I THINK, DO WE HAVE AN ANSWER YOU WANNA ADD? YEAH, IF I, IF I CAN ADD SOMETHING.
AND SO AS MANY OF YOU ARE AWARE, WE DOUBLED OCCUPANCY AT OUR BRIDGE SHELTERS THIS LAST YEAR AS WE NEEDED MORE SHELTER.
SO WE'VE BROUGHT MORE FOLKS IN TO SHELTER.
UM, BUT WE HAVE EXHAUSTED ALL OF OUR RAPID REHOUSING DOLLARS THAT WERE DEDICATED TO HEAL.
AND SO I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE, I MISUNDERSTOOD WHAT YOU, OKAY.
SO WE NEED TO, SO THE MONEY THAT IS CURRENTLY BEING SLATED FOR THE UNMET NEED IS TO CONTINUE THE BRIDGE SHELTERS AND CONTINUE THEM OPERATING AT DOUBLE OCCUPANCY.
WE CAN BRING FOLKS IN, WE JUST DON'T HAVE, HIS QUESTION WAS ABOUT RAPID RE COUNSELING AND I ANSWERED A DIFFERENT QUESTION.
I I, I'M, I CONFUSED MYSELF, SO I CAN'T BLAME ANYBODY.
SO JUST TO CLARIFY, YOU'RE MENTIONING THAT WE CURRENTLY DO NOT HAVE FUNDING FOR RAPID REHOUSING FOR OUR BRIDGE SHELTERS FOR INDIVIDUALS IN THE MARSHALING YARD, I'M ASSUMING IS ALSO INCLUDED IN THAT.
IS THAT A FAIR, IS THAT AN ACCURATE STATEMENT? THAT IS ACCURATE, YEAH.
AND I JUST WANTED, 'CAUSE I, MY COUNCIL, MY COLLEAGUE COUNCILOR ALLISON ALTER, TALKED ABOUT HOW STAFF IS NOT RECOMMENDING ANY INCREASED INVESTMENT IN, IN, OR SHE POINTED OUT THAT EVEN THOUGH OUR STAFF, OUR PROFESSIONAL STAFF IS NOT RECOMMENDING AN, AN INCREASED INVESTMENT IN RAPID REHOUSING OTHER THAN WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THE, IN THE BASE BUDGET PROPOSAL, THERE ARE STILL UNMET NEEDS WHEN IT COMES TO RAPID REHOUSING.
SO I JUST WANNA BE CLEAR, UM, THAT THERE ARE NEEDS, AND THAT IS JUST FOR THE NEEDS WITHIN THE CITY'S OWN SHELTERING SYSTEM WITHIN OUR OWN PROVIDERS NOT TALKING ABOUT THE 1700 INDIVIDUALS CURRENTLY ON THE WAIT LIST FOR RAPID REHOUSING.
SO I'D LIKE TO OFFER A POINT OF CLARIFICATION AND THAT IS THE, I BELIEVE 4.5 MILLION IN GENERAL FUND LIGHT ITEM FOR RAPID REHOUSING IS STILL AVAILABLE TO CLIENTS THROUGH THE HEAL INITIATIVE.
THAT 4.5 MILLION IN RAPID REHOUSING IS JUST NOT DEDICATED SPECIFICALLY TO THE HEAL INITIATIVE OR CLIENTS WHO ARE CURRENTLY OR WILL BE IN BRIDGE SHELTERS IN THE FUTURE.
UH, SO THEN TO WHAT EXTENT WOULD THE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FUNDS THAT ARE ALLOCATED TOWARDS RAPID REHOUSING IN THE BASE BUDGET PROPOSAL COVER THE INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY ENTER THE HEAL INITIATIVE IN THE COMING MONTHS OR AT ANY TIME DURING THE FISCAL YEAR 25? COUNCIL MEMBER? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND I HAVE NOTED THE QUESTION AND WE'LL NEED TO CONDUCT ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS AND GET BACK TO YOU WITH AN ANSWER.
COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE, WE INTERRUPTED YOU, BUT HERE YOU'RE FINE.
YEAH, I GOT ONE MORE QUESTION.
UM, OUTTA THE FOUR RAPID REHOUSING CONTRACTS.
THE, THE, THE, THE CITY HAS THE ONE WITH FAMILY ENDEAVORS IS SET TO EXPIRE, I BELIEVE IN SEPTEMBER.
SO, SO NEXT MONTH AND THERE'S ABOUT 40% REMAINING.
UH, OF THAT, UM, OF THAT CONTRACT.
[01:40:01]
IS THERE A REASONING FOR THAT? SO FOR RAPID REHOUSE FOR ENDEAVORS, THEY HAVE A ARPA AND HES.SO WHICH ONE ARE YOU REFERRING TO IF I MAY ASK? I'M, I'M SORRY.
I I DIDN'T WHICH ONE? YOU SAID RPO OR, OR GENERAL FUNDS? UH, GENERAL FUNDS.
SO WE STILL HAVE, THEY'RE STILL WORKING DOWN, THEY'RE STILL SPENDING DOWN ON THAT AGREEMENT.
UM, I DON'T HAVE ANYBODY ELSE IN THE, THE QUEUE.
THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY GOOD DISCUSSION.
UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES, THANKS FOR, UM, ASKING FOR IT, UH, STAFF YOU WANT TO WRAP UP WITH ANYTHING? OH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALLISON ALTER, UM, YOU GAVE US A REALLY HELPFUL CHART FOR THE OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION ABOUT WHAT WAS FUNDED LIKE IN FISCAL YEAR 24 AND WHAT IS BEING FUNDED IN FISCAL YEAR 25.
I'M WONDERING IF THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL, SOMETHING SIMILAR FOR, UM, THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE BECAUSE IT'S HARD TO, TO FOLLOW, UM, WHAT IS BEING FUNDED AND WHAT IS NOT BEING FUNDED.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT, IT, IT'S, IT, IT'S FROM THIS CONVERSATION, I'M MORE CONFUSED THAN WHEN I STARTED ABOUT WHERE EXACTLY THE GAP IS THAT IF WE HAVE LIMITED DOLLARS WE SHOULD BE PUTTING OUR MONEY, UM, AND WHERE WE ARE LEAVING OPEN, UM, PROBLEMS THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO, TO SOLVE.
UM, SO I THINK THAT THAT CHART, UM, THAT THEY DID FOR, FOR THE OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION REALLY WAS HELPFUL AND THEY WERE ABLE TO DO IT FOR DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF MONEY, WHETHER IT WAS, YOU KNOW, FEDERAL OR ARPA OR, OR DIFFERENT THINGS.
AND, AND, AND THEN WE COULD SORT OF, AND MAYBE YOU CAN SAY THERE'S THE GAPS AS WELL, WHICH THEY DIDN'T DO PER SE, BUT, UM, I THINK THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL FOR US TO, TO SEE WHERE WE'RE, WHERE WE'RE FLOWING, UM, FROM THIS YEAR.
BUT YOU WILL NEED THE GAP FUNDING FOR LIKE THE DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY.
WE'LL, WE'LL START, UM, WE'LL GO BACK AND START WORKING WITH THE HSO TEAM TO BEGIN CRAFTING THAT, TO PUSH IT OUT TO YOU ALL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THANK YOU COUNCILOR RONALD, I JUST WANNA BE CAREFUL THOUGH, AS WE LOOK AT THAT, THAT PRESUMES THAT OUR CURRENT SPENDING BALANCE IS IN BALANCE, RIGHT? IF WE'RE SAYING WHERE OUR CURRENT ALLOCATIONS ARE IN THIS FISCAL YEAR AND LOOKING AT HOW THEY'VE CHANGED INTO NEXT FISCAL YEAR, LET'S SAY THERE'S A BIG DROP OFF IN DIVERSION.
AND IF WE'RE TRYING TO TRUE THAT UP, THAT IS ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT NUMBER OR THE RIGHT BALANCE OF DIVERSION.
SO AS YOU PREPARE WHATEVER YOU PREPARE, CAN YOU ALSO JUST INCLUDE WHETHER IT'S COMMENTARY OR OTHERWISE OF WE'RE REALLY SHORT HERE, OR, OR THIS IS WHY A, A REBALANCING IS GOING ON BECAUSE I DON'T THINK OUR SYSTEM VERSUS OUR INVESTMENTS ARE LINED UP AND, AND SO JUST TO LOOK YEAR TO YEAR COULD BE MISLEADING.
ANYTHING ELSE Y'ALL WANT TO ADD IN REGARDS TO THIS DISCUSSION? I THINK WE'VE COVERED IT ALL.
ALRIGHT, IN THAT CASE, MEMBERS LET A COUPLE OF OF QUICK ANNOUNCEMENTS.
ONE IS, UH, I'VE BEEN ASKED TO, UH, NOTE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY IS OFF THE DAIS BECAUSE OF AN UNEXPECTED MEDICAL SITUATION.
UM, AND THAT'S WHY SHE WAS NOT WITH US TODAY.
I WILL ALSO FOR THE PUBLIC AND, AND A REMINDER OF THE COUNCIL THAT WE HAVE A ONE O'CLOCK SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER A RESOLUTION RELATED TO THE CITY MANAGER'S APPOINTMENT OF A NEW CHIEF OF POLICE UNDER SECTION 1 43 0.013 OF THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, COUNSEL HAS PUT UP ON THE MESSAGE BOARD, UH, AND IS PROVIDED, PROVIDED TO BUDGET OFFICE, THE BUDGET OFFICE, UH, PROPOSED AMENDMENTS AND IFCS, UH, THAT ARE PROPOSALS FOR THE BUDGET.
WE WILL HAVE A WORK SESSION OF THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL ON THURSDAY, AUGUST 8TH, AND THE PURPOSE OF THAT SESSION WILL BE FOR US TO EACH LAY OUT OUR PROPOSED AMENDMENTS AND PROPOSED IFCS TO ALLOW FOR A DISCUSSION, DETERMINE REDUNDANCY, UM, THO THOSE PROVIDE COMMENTS, THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
AND THEN WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14TH IS WHEN WE WILL TAKE UP THE BUDGET AND A POTENTIAL VOTE ON THE BUDGET.
[01:45:01]
THURSDAY THE 15TH AND FRIDAY AUGUST 16TH IF NECESSARY.THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS TO COME BEFORE THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL AT THIS BUDGET WORK SESSION WITHOUT OBJECTION.
WE ARE ADJOURNED IN AT 11:45 AM THANKS MEMBERS.