Nov 06, 2024 Public Health Committee

[CALL TO ORDER]

[00:00:05]

GOOD MORNING.

MY NAME IS VANESSA FUENTES, AUSTIN CITY COUNCILMAN FOR DISTRICT TWO, CHAIR OF OUR AUSTIN PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE, AND I CALLED TO THIS MEETING TO ORDER AT 10:00 AM ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH, 2024.

WE ARE AT CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS.

WELCOME EVERYONE TO OUR NOVEMBER PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE.

I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR PARTICIPATION TODAY, ESPECIALLY AFTER ELECTION DAY.

UH, THIS IS OUR SECOND TO LAST MEETING OF THE YEAR.

TODAY WE HAVE WITH US OUR VICE CHAIR COUNCIL MEMBER VELASQUEZ, AS WELL AS COUNCIL MEMBERS RYAN ALTER, AND COUNCIL MEMBER ZOE CAUDRY.

WE HAVE A FEW ITEMS ON OUR AGENDA TODAY.

SO LET'S GET STARTED.

WE'RE GONNA START FIRST WITH PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS.

THEN OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM IS ON APPROVING THE MEETING MINUTES FROM OUR SEPTEMBER 4TH MEETING.

FROM THERE, THE COMMITTEE WILL THEN HEAD INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO TAKE UP PERSONNEL MATTERS RELATED TO THE CENTRAL HEALTH BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

WE WILL THEN RETURN TO DISCUSS THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE DATES FOR 2025, AND WE'LL HAVE A BRIEFING ON THE STATE OF HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM IN AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY BY ECHO.

AND PLEASE NOTE THAT ITEMS FOUR AND FIVE HAVE BEEN POSTPONED TO OUR DECEMBER COMMITTEE MEETING.

THE ITEMS FOUR AND FIVE HAVE BEEN POSTPONED TILL NEXT MONTH.

THESE ITEMS INCLUDE AN UPDATE FROM CENTRAL HEALTH ON THE HOU HOUSING FOR HEALTH PARTNERSHIP RESPONSE CARE AND SERVICES FOR UNHOUSED COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AS WELL AS AN UPDATE ON YOUTH HOMELESSNESS FROM OUR HOMELESSNESS STRATEGY OFFICE.

ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THE AGENDA? OKAY.

WE WILL MOVE TO PUBLIC

[Public Communication: General]

MAY THE CLERK'S OFFICE PLEASE START US OFF WITH THE FIRST SPEAKER.

UM, GOOD MORNING MA'AM.

CHAIR, THERE ARE NO SPEAKERS SIGNED UP THIS MORNING.

THANK YOU.

NOW

[Approval of Minutes]

CAN I GET A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE? FEBRUARY 7TH, 2024 MEETING MINUTES MOTIONED BY VICE CHAIR VELASQUEZ, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER CADRE.

ANY OBJECTION TO APPROVING THE FEBRUARY MEETING MINUTES? IS IT, WAS IT FEBRUARY? LEMME JUST MAKE SURE BECAUSE I, I READ FEBRUARY, BUT WAS THAT OUR MEETING MINUTES? UH, SEPTEMBER 4TH.

THERE, THERE YOU GO.

.

UM, SO THE MOTION IS TO APPROVE THE SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2024 MEETING MINUTES.

IT WAS SECONDED.

ANY OBJECTION TO APPROVING MINUTES? SEEING NONE, THOSE MEETING MINUTES.

STAND APPROVED.

[2. Discussion and possible action to consider appointments to the Central Health Board of Managers. Sponsors: Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, and Council Member José Velásquez]

I'D LIKE TO TAKE A

[Executive Session]

THE COMMITTEE WILL NOW GO INTO CLOSED SESSION TO TAKE UP ONE ITEM PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 5 1 0.074 OF THE GOVERNMENT CODE.

THE COMMITTEE WILL DISCUSS PERSONNEL MATTERS RELATED TO ITEM SIX, DISCUSSION AND SELECTION OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CENTRAL HEALTH BOARD OF MANAGERS.

ARE THERE ANY OBJECTION INTO GOING TO EXECUTIVE SESSION AS ANNOUNCED? SEEING NONE, I WILL NOW MOVE THE COMMITTEE INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION.

YOU'RE OUT OF CLOSED SESSION.

IN CLOSED SESSION, WE DISCUSS PERSONNEL MATTERS RELATED TO ITEM SIX.

WE'LL NOW RESUME RESUMING TO ITEM TWO.

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE GREAT DISCUSSION.

SO OUR NEXT ITEM

[3. Discussion and possible action to approve the Public Health Committee meeting dates for 2025. Sponsors: Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, and Council Member José Velásquez]

THE DATES FOLLOW OUR CURRENT SCHEDULE FOLLOW ON THE FIRST WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH AT 10:00 AM.

UH, PLEASE NOTE THAT THE COMMITTEE WILL NOT MEET DURING THE MONTH OF JULY.

COLLEAGUES, I DO WANNA POINT OUT THAT OUR FIRST JANUARY COMMITTEE MEETING IS JANUARY 8TH, WHICH IS JUST A FEW DAYS AFTER WE DO THE SWEARING IN OF OUR NEW COUNCIL COLLEAGUES.

AND SO I'M THINKING IT MIGHT BE BEST THAT, UM, WE NOT MEET IN JANUARY IN CONSIDERATION OF THAT TRANSITION PERIOD FOR THE DIOCESE.

ANY OBJECTION FOR REMOVING THE JANUARY MEETING DATE? SO OUR FIRST MEETING OF 2025, WHICH WILL GIVE US TIME FOR COMMITTEE PLACEMENTS AS WELL WILL BE FEBRUARY, WEDNESDAY THE FIFTH.

CAN I GET A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE DATES FOR 2025? MOTION BY VICE CHAIR VELASQUEZ.

SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER.

ANY OBJECTION? SEEING NONE THOSE MEETING MINUTES STAND APPROVED.

WE'LL NOW

[7. A briefing on the State of the Homelessness Response System in Austin and Travis County by the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO).]

SO I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME OUR, OUR CHIEF, I WAS GONNA SAY OUR CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER, DAVID GRAY.

PLEASE WELCOME.

AWESOME.

THANK YOU.

GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY.

UM, HAPPY WEDNESDAY.

UH, IN A MOMENT YOU'LL HEAR FROM OUR GOOD FRIENDS AT ECHO, THEY'LL BE PRESENTING TO YOU, UH, SOME WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE AROUND MODELING NEEDS FOR OUR HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM HERE IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY.

[00:05:02]

THE BEAUTY OF THIS SYSTEM MODELING, UH, TOOL THAT ECHO HAS DEVELOPED, UH, IS THAT IT PRESENTS US WITH SOME GREAT INSIGHTS AS TO, UH, WHAT WE NEED TO DO AS A CITY AND AS A COUNTY, AS A COMMUNITY TO HELP BUILD THE HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM THAT OUR CLIENTS TRULY NEED IN ORDER TO END THEIR HOMELESSNESS.

THE OTHER BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT THIS TOOL IS THAT IT'S A LIVING TOOL.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN WORK WITH ECHO AND MODIFY ASSUMPTIONS, UH, MAKE SOME TWEAKS TO SOME DATA POINTS AS WE GO SO THAT, UH, UNLIKE SOME OF THE PREVIOUS WORK THAT HAD BEEN DONE WHERE YOU GET KIND OF A MOMENT IN TIME SNAPSHOT OF THE SYSTEM IN THE SYSTEM'S NEEDS, UH, WE'D BE ABLE TO ADD AND ADJUST AS WE GO TO RECALIBRATE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE REMAIN ON TRACK WITH RESPECT TO OUR GOALS AND OUR PRIORITIES.

AND SO, UH, WITH THAT I'LL INVITE UP KATE MOORE AND THE ECHO TEAM TO PRESENT TO YOU THE WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE AROUND SYSTEM MODELING, UM, AS WELL AS TO, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU ALL.

THANK YOU.

GOOD MORNING.

MY NAME IS KATE MOORE.

I'M THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM STRATEGY FOR ECHO.

I AM HERE WITH ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES, JOSEPH MONTANO.

UM, HE IS THE RESEARCH AND EVALUATION DIRECTOR AND ONE OF MY FORMER COLLEAGUES WHO HAS JOINED TO COME BACK TO, UM, HELP US PRESENT THIS, WHO WORKED ON THIS MODELING AL TURK.

UM, HE IS NOW WITH, UM, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS.

SO LET'S SEE IF I CAN DO THIS.

ALL RIGHT, SO THAT'S US.

SO ECHO, UM, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO AREN'T FAMILIAR, WE ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM HERE IN AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY.

UM, ONE OF OUR, OUR ROLES IS THE LEAD AGENCY FOR THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY CONTINUUM OF CARE.

UM, AND ONE OF OUR MAIN, UM, RESPONSIBILITIES IS TO LEAD AND ALIGN A COALITION RESPONSIBLE FOR PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING COMMUNITY-WIDE STRATEGIES TO END HOMELESSNESS.

AND THIS MODELING FITS RIGHT IN LINE WITH THAT GOAL.

SO, UM, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A BRIEF, UM, INTRODUCTION AND THEN GO OVER THE AGENDA.

UM, AS DAVID SAID, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO PRESENT TO THESE PROJECTIONS TO YOU TODAY.

IT'S PRESENTED ON DATA MODELING ON HOW OUR HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM WOULD NEED TO GROW OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS IN ORDER TO WORK FOR EVERYONE WHO NEEDS IT AND REACH FUNCTIONAL ZERO, THAT MEANS THAT WE PROJECT THAT IF OUR COMMUNITY FUNDS THIS ENTIRE PROJECTED NEED, THAT WITHIN THE NEXT DECADE, WE WILL BE ABLE TO HOUSE EVERY PERSON CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND BE ABLE TO QUICKLY REHOUSE ANYONE WHO BECOMES NEWLY HOMELESS.

TODAY WE'LL BE TALKING TO YOU ABOUT CURRENT INVESTMENTS IN THE HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM, INCLUDING SUBSTANTIAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

THIS SUPPORT HAS BEEN CRITICAL TO GROWING OUR SYSTEM, AND YOU'LL HEAR HOW PROVIDERS ARE DELIVERING ON THESE INVESTMENTS, HELPING MORE PEOPLE FIND HOUSING IN 2023 THAN EVER BEFORE.

WE KNOW THERE IS MORE WORK TO BE DONE, WHICH IS WHY WE WILL ALSO BE PRESENTING FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS OF WHAT IS NEEDED TO MEET THE ESTIMATED NEED TODAY.

AND THROUGH THE NEXT 10 YEARS, YOU'RE GONNA BE SEEING SOME LARGE NUMBERS.

HOWEVER, WE BELIEVE THESE INVESTMENTS ARE NECESSARY TO REACH THE GOAL OF SUPPORTING AND HOUSING ALL OF OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS.

AND WE BELIEVE THAT THAT IS A GOAL WORTH REACHING FOR.

THE MODELING OF THE NEED THAT WE ARE PRESENTING TO YOU TODAY IS BASED OFF OF WORK THAT WE DID WITH A FEDERAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDER AND IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY'S HOMELESSNESS STRATEGY OFFICE.

WE WANNA THANK DAVID AND HIS TEAM FOR WORKING WITH US CLOSELY ON THIS MODELING TO ENSURE THAT THE PROJECTIONS ARE AS ACCURATE AS POSSIBLE.

WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT AFTER THIS PRESENTATION TODAY THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE CITY, THE COUNTY, AND THE LARGER COMMUNITY ON CREATING A PLAN TO MEET THESE NEEDS AND THAT WE CONTINUE TO PROVIDE UPDATES TO YOU ON OUR COMMUNITY'S PROGRESS AND ADJUST OUR COLLECTIVE STRATEGY AND RESPONSE.

ALL RIGHT, SO I'M GONNA DIVE IN.

SO, UM, WE'RE GONNA START WITH PRO PROVIDING YOU, UM, SOME BASELINE NUMBERS OF WHERE OUR SYSTEM IS NOW.

SO THIS IS ONE NUMBER THAT WE LOOK AT WHEN WE ARE ASKED THE QUESTION OF HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY.

AND THERE'S A COUPLE DIFFERENT WAYS TO LOOK AT THAT.

UM, THIS IS A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE TOUCHED OUR SYSTEM IN ANY WAY.

SO THIS IS, INCLUDES PEOPLE WHO HAVE, UM, ARE RECEIVING A DEEP DIVE SERVICE SUCH AS PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, OR IT COULD BE SOMEONE WHO RECEIVED ONE SERVICE ON ONE DAY AND HAPPENED TO BE ENTERED INTO OUR HOMELESSNESS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SERVICE AND OUR DATABASE.

SO THIS IS EVERYBODY WHO'S BEEN EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, UM, IN OUR SYSTEM.

SO YOU CAN SEE THE GROWTH FROM 2019 TO 2023 IS PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL.

ANOTHER WAY THAT WE LOOK AT, UM, ANSWERING THAT QUESTION OF HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY IS THE POINT IN TIME COUNT.

UM, AND SO WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT TYPES

[00:10:01]

IN EVERY COMMUNITY.

IT'S A SHELTERED POINT IN TIME COUNT HOW MANY PEOPLE ON A CERTAIN DAY IN LATE JANUARY OR SHELTERED, UM, IN OUR EMERGENCY SHELTERS, AND HOW MANY ON THAT SAME DAY ARE UNSHELTERED.

UM, WE HA DO A FULL CENSUS, UM, WHERE WE, WE TRY TO TO GET ABOUT 1000 VOLUNTEERS TO SPREAD THROUGHOUT AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY AND TALK TO OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS AND DO ACCOUNT AND FIND OUT SOME DEMOGRAPHICS.

UM, SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THOSE NUMBERS HAVEN'T DRASTICALLY CHANGED OVER THE YEARS, BUT THERE WAS, UM, AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 600 IN THE SHELTERED POINT IN TIME COUNT FROM 23 TO 24.

WE DID NOT DO A UNSHELTERED POINT IN TIME COUNT IN 2024, BUT WE WILL BE DOING ANOTHER ONE IN 2025, UM, IN JANUARY.

SO COMING UP SOON.

SO THIS CHART ON THE RIGHT, UM, A COUPLE THINGS WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT FOR THIS.

UM, SO THIS IS NOT BASED OFF THE POINT IN TIME COUNT COUNT NUMBERS.

THIS IS BASED ON THE, THE NUMBERS IN HMIS.

UM, THIS IS SHOWING US THAT, UM, OUR HIGH CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS NUMBERS.

SO YOU CAN SEE, UM, SO FOR INSTANCE, IN 2019, WE HAD ABOUT 25% OF, UM, FOLKS IN OUR SYSTEM WHO WERE CHRONICALLY HOMELESS, MEANING THAT THEY HAVE A DISABILITY AND THAT THEY HAVE BEEN HOMELESS FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.

UM, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT NUMBER HAS CREPT UP, UM, IN 2021, CLOSE TO 30%, AND, AND STAYED AT ABOUT 30% IN 22 AND 23.

THIS IS MUCH HIGHER THAN OUR, UM, PEER CITIES AND AROUND THE NATION.

SO THIS, THIS NUMBER IS CONCERNING TO US.

UM, WE ARE GONNA SEE IN OUR COMMUNITY, UM, PARTIALLY DUE TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S INVESTMENT, UM, AN INCREASE IN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.

WE'RE ALREADY SEEING AN INCREASE IN, IN PEOPLE MOVING INTO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.

THIS WILL HELP US ADDRESS THIS, UM, BUT IT'S, WE NEED TO KEEP OUR EYE ON THIS NUMBER.

UM, ANOTHER ONE TO HIGHLIGHT FOR YOU THAT IS HIGH, UM, IS OUR NUMBER OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVORS IN THE SYSTEM.

YOU CAN SEE ABOUT A THIRD OF THE FOLKS THAT WE SERVE IN OUR SYSTEM ARE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVORS.

OKAY? SO, UM, WE HAVE HAD A LARGE INVESTMENT IN OUR HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM.

UM, AND YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS CHART, UM, THESE ARE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT WE ARE SERVING.

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT, UM, IN THE BLUE AS MINIMAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE.

THAT IS A LIGHT TOUCH, TYPICALLY ASSISTANCE, MAYBE A DIVERSION, UM, ASSISTANCE, UM, WHERE SOMEBODY HAS QUICKLY BEEN REHOUSED.

TYPICALLY PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IS A PERMANENT INTERVENTION.

THERE'S NOT A LOT OF TURNOVER WITH THAT.

YOU SEE A LITTLE BIT OF INCREASE FROM 22 TO 23, UM, AND YOU SEE A LARGE INCREASE FROM 22 TO 23 OF PEOPLE HOUSED IN RAPID REHOUSING, LARGELY TO DO WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S INVESTMENT IN RAPID REHOUSING.

UM, AND SO YOU'VE SEEN OUR, OUR COMMUNITY PROVIDERS HAVE STEPPED UP AND WE HAVE HELPED OVER 3000 PEOPLE FIND A PLACE TO LIVE IN 2023.

UM, AND THAT'S A 73% INCREASE FROM 2019, AND THAT'S EXCITING.

UM, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANNA HIGHLIGHT IS, DESPITE THIS LARGE GROWTH IN THE SYSTEM, WE ARE STILL PLAYING CATCH UP, RIGHT? SO AUSTIN'S INVENTORY OF SHELTER AND HOUSING REMAINS THE LOWEST AMONG BIG CITIES IN TEXAS AND AMONG THE LOWEST AMONG OUR PEER CITIES.

SO THIS WAS AN ANALYSIS THAT WE DID AT ECHO TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE SEEING THIS CHRONICITY NUMBER GO UP.

AND YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS CHART, FOR INSTANCE, THAT HOUSTON HAS A MUCH HIGHER RATIO OF BEDS PER PERSON THAN WE DO IN AUSTIN, WHICH IS IN THE BLUE.

SO THE ORANGE CITIES ARE OUR PEER CITIES, WHICH HAVE A HIGHER RATIO, AND THE PURPLE ARE OUR PEER CITIES NATIONALLY.

UM, AND WE ARE AMONG THE LOWEST IN OUR PEER CITIES AS WELL.

SO I AM GONNA TURN IT OVER AT THIS POINT TO .

GOOD MORNING COUNCIL MEMBERS.

UM, THANKS KATE AND JOSEPH FOR INVITING ME TO, TO JOIN YOU ALL.

AND THANKS TO DAVID AND THE HSO TEAM FOR WORKING WITH US ON THE SYSTEM MODELING.

UM, I'M JUST GONNA, YOU KNOW, JUMP INTO, YOU KNOW, HOW DID WE GET TO THE NUMBERS THAT JOSEPH IS GONNA SHOW YOU? UM, I WANNA START OFF WITH, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE FRAMEWORK THAT WE TRY TO USE FOR THIS SYSTEM MODELING, RIGHT? UM, SO WHEN WE TYPICALLY THINK ABOUT HOW DOES A HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM OPERATE, WE TYPICALLY THINK ABOUT SHORT TERM SERVICES THAT ADDRESS SHORT TERM NEEDS FOR FOLKS.

SO YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT'S, YOU KNOW, A EMERGENCY SHELTER OR MAYBE A ONETIME, YOU KNOW, RENTAL DEPOSIT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

AND THEN WE'VE, WE THINK ABOUT THEN LONG-TERM SERVICES LIKE RAPID REHOUSING, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN SIX AND 24 MONTHS OF, OF, UH, OF SUPPORT OR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, WHICH AS KATE MENTIONED, IS MORE PERMANENT, UH, FOR, FOR A LOT OF FOLKS.

SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE ARE IN THIS SYSTEM MODELING AND THE NUMBERS YOU'RE GONNA SEE,

[00:15:01]

SO WE DIDN'T JUST FOCUS ON ONE OR THE OTHER.

WE WANTED TO FOCUS HOLISTICALLY ON THE NEEDS THAT EVERYBODY THAT IS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN AUSTIN HAS.

AND THE FIRST STEP TO US DOING THAT IS TO GET THE DATA AND TO USE DATA TO KIND OF INFORM OUR FRAMEWORK AND OUR NUMBERS, RIGHT? UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THAT IS THE FIRST STEP THAT, THAT WE TOOK.

WE, WE LOOKED AT HMIS DATA, WHICH IS OUR CENTRALIZED DATABASE TO, TO SEE HOW MANY FOLKS ARE NEED, WHAT WE WOULD CONSIDER SHORT-TERM SERVICES, AND HOW MANY, UH, NEED LONG-TERM SERVICES.

AND I'M GONNA GET INTO THAT IN A SECOND.

BUT THAT IS WHAT WE DID WITH, UH, UH, AS KATE MENTIONED, A, UH, CONSULTANT WHO HAS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE DOING THIS IN A LOT OF CITIES AND, UH, AND STATES ACROSS THE, THE COUNTRY.

UM, AND SO EVEN THOUGH WE DO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS BOTH SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM NEEDS, WE FEEL LIKE WE HAVE TO STILL TAKE ONE APPROACH.

AND SO ON THE LEFT HERE, YOU SEE THAT ONE, ONE POSSIBILITY IS TO REALLY GROW THE SHORT TERM SERVICES, RIGHT? TO HAVE A FUNNEL LIKE THIS.

ANOTHER APPROACH WOULD BE TO REALLY GROW AND HAVE AN INVERTED FUNNEL, UM, AND TO REALLY FOCUS ON LONG-TERM, LONG-TERM NEEDS AND LONG-TERM SERVICES, UM, WHILE STILL TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE SHORT TERM NEEDS THAT FOLKS HAVE.

UM, AND SO, SO WHICH, WHICH APPROACH DID WE TAKE? UM, WELL, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE PEOPLE FALL, CONTINUE TO FALL INTO HOMELESSNESS, AND WE'VE ACTUALLY SEEN FROM, UM, THE DATA FROM HMIS, UH, THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE FALLING INTO HOMELESSNESS.

THAT NUMBER HAS INCREASED OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS.

AND SO THE INSTINCT, I THINK WHEN, WHEN WE SEE THAT IS TO GROW THE, YOU KNOW, TO, TO GROW A BIGGER FUNNEL, TO, TO REALLY INCREASE THE SHORT TERM SERVICES.

BUT WHEN YOU LOOK, ENTER OUR DATA A LITTLE BIT MORE CLOSELY, YOU KNOW, WE SEE THAT THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING LONG-TERM HOMELESSNESS IS CONSISTENTLY HIGH IN AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY, RIGHT? UH, KATE MENTIONED SOME OF THE REASONS FOR THAT.

IN, IN, I, I WOULD SAY PROBABLY THE, THE, THE BIGGEST REASON FOR THAT IS THAT WE ARE PLAYING CATCH UP.

LIKE HISTORICALLY SPEAKING, OUR CAPACITY TO HOUSE PEOPLE AND EVEN TO SHELTER AND TO HAVE SHELTER FOR FOLKS HAS BEEN RELATIVELY LOW OUR CAPACITY TO DO THAT.

AND SO THAT HAS, I THINK, CREATED A SITUATION WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING LONG-TERM HOMELESSNESS, WHO ARE CHRONICALLY HOMELESS, WHO HAVE A DISABILITY, AND WHO HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS FOR QUITE SOME TIME.

AND SO, BECAUSE OF THAT, WE THINK THAT THE APPROACH IS MAYBE THAT WE NEED AN INVERT INVERTED FUNNEL SO THAT WE CAN TRY TO REALLY EXIT PEOPLE MORE SUCCESSFULLY INTO HOUSING, ESPECIALLY FOLKS WHO HAVE THOSE LONG-TERM NEEDS.

UM, THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE ARE NOT GONNA FOCUS ON SHORT-TERM NEEDS.

AND AS, AND AS YOU'LL SEE IN A, IN A, IN A FEW MINUTES, WE ARE STILL TRYING TO MODEL THE, THE AMOUNT OF SHORT-TERM NEEDS THAT WE, THAT WE HAVE IN THE SYSTEM.

AND SO, AGAIN, WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT WE STILL NEED TO TAKE A TRUE TWO-PRONGED STRATEGY THAT PROVIDES HOUSING OPTIONS AND SERVICES TO PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM, ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE SYSTEM OR WHO HAVE BEEN CHRONICALLY HOMELESS FOR QUITE SOME TIME.

AND WE STILL ARE, ARE ADVOCATING FOR, UH, BASED ON THE NUMBERS, THE USE OF SHORT-TERM SERVICES LIKE SHELTER AND DIVERSION FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING INTO THE SYSTEM.

UM, SO, YOU KNOW, UH, THE, THE DATA THAT WE USE, AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, COME FROM HMIS, UM, AND, AND THE MODEL IS INFORMED BY THAT DATA.

AND I, I WANT, I WON'T GO INTO THE DETAILS HERE, BUT I JUST WANNA GIVE YOU A SENSE OF THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE LOOKED AT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE MODEL IS AS, AS GOOD AS IT CAN BE.

WE, WE ALL KNOW THAT, UH, MODELS CAN GET THINGS OFF, UM, QUITE A BIT, BUT WE ARE TRYING TO MAKE SOME ASSUMPTIONS THAT WE THINK ARE BASED IN REALITY AND BASED ON BEST PRACTICES THAT WILL MAKE THE MODEL AS, YOU KNOW, AS GOOD AS POSSIBLE.

BUT I WANNA REITERATE WHAT DAVID SAID AT THE BEGINNING, WHICH IS THAT THIS IS A LIVING MODEL.

WE CAN CONTINUE TO ADJUST THE ASSUMPTIONS AND I THINK ECHO PLANS ON DOING THAT.

UM, BUT JUST WANNA START OFF HERE WITH ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LOOKED AT, WHICH IS THE EXPECTED DEMAND.

SO THIS IS BASICALLY LOOKING AT PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF HOMELESSNESS.

YOU KNOW, HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN HOMELESS? HOW MANY TIMES HAVE THEY BEEN HOMELESS? WHAT ARE THEIR HEALTH CONDITIONS? DO THEY HAVE INCOME WHEN THEY ENTER THE, UH, ENTER THE SYSTEM? THINGS LIKE THAT.

AND THEN WE HAD TO MAKE SOME ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THOSE FOLKS, RIGHT? SO PEOPLE WHO ARE CHRONICALLY HOMELESS, WE THINK WOULD BE BEST SERVED BY PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.

UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THOSE FOLKS ARE GONNA BE SERVED BY OTHER PROGRAMS, WE KNOW THAT, BUT THEY WOULD BE BEST SERVED BY A LONGER TERM INTERVENTION, LIKE PSH.

WE ALSO, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER ASSUMPTION, YOU KNOW, IF SOMEBODY HAS

[00:20:01]

SO THAT MIGHT BE, AGAIN, A ONE TIME RENTAL DEPOSIT OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO HELP SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, GET ON THEIR FEET AGAIN.

UM, AND SO THAT'S THE, THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE LOOKED AT PEOPLE'S, YOU KNOW, UM, SITUATIONS, RIGHT? WE ALSO LOOKED AT UNIT TURNOVER RATES, UH, CAPACITY, THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO BASICALLY WE'RE SAYING ON AVERAGE, HOW LONG DO PEOPLE STAY IN, UH, YOU KNOW, IN A SHELTER BED? HOW LONG DO THEY STAY IN RAPID REHOUSING? SO WHAT IS THE TURNOVER RATE FOR THOSE BEDS? UH, ESSENTIALLY IN THOSE UNITS, WE LOOK AT CAPACITY.

YOU KNOW, WE, HOW, HOW MANY SHELTER BEDS DO WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY? THINGS LIKE THAT.

WE ALSO, AND I'LL, AND I'LL END HERE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ALSO LOOK AT THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, EXIT RATES AND RETURN RATES, RIGHT? WE KNOW THAT SOME INTERVENTIONS HAVE BETTER EXIT RATES THAN OTHERS.

SOME HAVE PEOPLE WHO RETURN TO HOMELESSNESS MORE FREQUENTLY THAN OTHERS.

AND SO WE LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS AS WELL TO SAY THAT SOME PORTION OF PEOPLE ARE GONNA RETURN TO HOMELESSNESS, AND WE NEED TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT IN FUTURE YEARS.

THAT'S WHY WE'RE KIND OF DOING A 10 YEAR MODEL.

SO, SO THAT WE CONTINUE TO KIND OF SEE BASED ON RETURNS, BASED ON HOW MANY PEOPLE WE EXPECT TO EXPERIENCE HOMELESSNESS FOR THE FIRST TIME.

WHAT ARE WE GONNA EXPECT IN THE FUTURE, AND WHAT ARE WE GONNA NEED IN THE FUTURE? AND SO, I WON'T GO INTO DETAILS HERE, BUT THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE MODELED.

THESE ARE THE INTERVENTIONS.

I THINK, YOU KNOW, YOU ALL KNOW THESE VERY WELL, YOU KNOW, WE LOOKED AT HOW MANY SHELTER BEDS DO WE NEED, HOW MANY RAPID REHOUSING UNITS AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING UNITS WOULD DO WE NEED? AND THEN WE ALSO FOCUSED ON THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE LESS OF IN THE SYSTEM, BUT WE HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED, I THINK BOTH AS A, YOU KNOW, A CITY, UM, UH, HSO HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THIS, ECHOES ACKNOWLEDGED THIS, THAT WE ALSO NEED PREVENTION AND DIVERSION, WHICH ARE THE KIND OF SHORTER TERM, UH, SERVICES, PREVENTION BEING BEFORE SOMEBODY EXPERIENCES HOMELESSNESS AND DIVERSION BEING, YOU KNOW, A LIGHT TOUCH SERVICE AFTER SOMEBODY EXPERIENCES HOMELESSNESS.

SO WE'D REALLY TRY TO INCLUDE ALL OF THESE.

WE KNOW THAT THE SYSTEM ACTUALLY INCLUDES MUCH MORE THAN THIS, RIGHT? THERE'S OUTREACH, THERE ARE OTHER SERVICES THAT ARE PROVIDED, BUT WE WANTED TO, YOU KNOW, SIMPLIFY IT TO WHAT WE THINK ARE THE MOST PREVALENT SERVICES AND THE ONES THAT WILL PROBABLY COST THE MOST, RIGHT? SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO JOSEPH.

THANK YOU ALL.

SO THE FIRST STEP TO UNDERSTANDING WHAT OUR NEED IS ACROSS OUR SYSTEM IS TO REALLY UNDERSTAND THE HOUSEHOLDS THAT ARE UTILIZING SERVICES WITHIN OUR SYSTEM.

AND THIS TABLE IS SHOWING, UH, THE HMIS DATA THAT WE REVIEWED TO ESTIMATE RESOURCE UTILIZATION FROM PREVIOUS SERVICE DATA.

AND THIS TABLE IS SHOWING THE NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS EXPECTED TO ACCESS SERVICES THIS YEAR.

SO WE HAVE, ITS SPLIT UP BY SINGLES AND FAMILIES, AND YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THE INTERVENTIONS THAT WERE PROVIDED BEFORE.

BUT THIS IS BASED ON THE PAST YEARS OF HMIS DATA, HOW MANY PEOPLE WE EXPECT AND PRETTY CONFIDENTLY KNOW, ARE GOING TO BE ACCESSING THESE DIFFERENT INTERVENTIONS THIS YEAR, BOTH FOR SINGLES AND FAMILIES.

THE NEXT STEP THEN IS AKRA MENTIONED, IS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT OUR CURRENT CAPACITY IS.

SO THE NUMBERS THAT ARE LISTED ON THIS TABLE ARE THE NUMBER OF UNITS FOR EACH OF THESE INTERVENTIONS.

UH, WE ARE INCLUDING DIVERSION AND PREVENTION, EVEN THOUGH THEY DON'T HAVE TYPICAL UNITS LIKE A SITE-BASED BUILDING OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

BUT THOSE NUMBERS ARE DETERMINED BY THE CONTRACT AMOUNTS DIVIDED BY HOW MUCH IT TAKES ON AVERAGE TO SERVE SOMEBODY THROUGH THAT PROGRAM.

SO OVERALL, THIS IS NOT GONNA BE BEDS, WHICH IS, CAN BE SOMETIMES CONFUSING WITH, WITH PEOPLE UNDERSTANDING FROM OUR HOUSING INVENTORY COUNT.

WE SOMETIMES TALK ABOUT BEDS, UNITS, THIS IS TALKING ABOUT UNITS, SO JUST ONE ENTIRE UNIT.

SO FOR EMERGENCY SHELTER RAPID REHOUSING, WE HAVE ABOUT 1,282 UNITS FOR SINGLES, AND THEN 207 UNITS FOR FAMILIES.

AND IT GOES ACROSS THE TABLE LIKE THAT.

SO THESE ARE THE TWO MAIN FIGURES THAT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE AND SHOW YOU ALL, BECAUSE WE TAKE THESE FIGURES AND THEN THAT'S HOW WE ESTIMATE AND CALCULATE HOW MUCH, I'M SORRY, CAN I JUST INTERRUPT? YES.

THE, THE SYSTEM BASELINE IS THE PROJECTION THAT YOU NEED, THAT YOU'RE, THAT ECHOES IS GIVING FORECASTING BASED ON THE NEEDS.

AND THEN THIS SLIDE IS THE CURRENT CAPACITY.

IS THAT RIGHT? I JUST WANNA, SO THIS IS THE NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS, SO FAMILIES OR PERSONS THAT WE EXPECT TO UTILIZE THESE SERVICES.

AND THIS IS THE ACTUAL UNITS THAT WILL HOUSE OR SHELTER THOSE HOUSEHOLDS.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

SO THE NUMBER LESS, BECAUSE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT GET SERVICED BY EACH OF THOSE INTERVENTIONS IS GONNA BE MULTIPLE TIMES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FROM TURNOVER.

GOT IT.

SO WE TAKE THOSE MAIN FIGURES AND STARTING OFF FROM THE PREVIOUS SITE THAT WE JUST REVIEWED, WE START WITH OUR CURRENT CAPACITY.

AND WE USE THAT NUMBER TO CALCULATE HOW MANY HOUSEHOLDS EXIT TO HOUSING WITHIN A YEAR.

SO FROM THE PREVIOUS SIDE, IF WE'RE LOOKING AT 1,282

[00:25:02]

AND THEN WE ALSO CALCULATE, IN ORDER TO MAKE IT AS REALISTIC, UH, AS POSSIBLE, WE CALCULATE THE UTILIZATION RATE BECAUSE THERE'S TIMES IN BETWEEN PEOPLE ENTERING ROOMS OR UNITS, THINGS LIKE THAT.

WE REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT HOW MANY TIMES THIS UNIT IS GETTING USED IS AS ACCURATE AS POSSIBLE FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

SO WHEN WE MULTIPLY THAT CURRENT CAPACITY BY THE TURNOVER RATE AND UTILIZATION RATE, WE GET AT THE TOP, THE HOUSEHOLDS EXITED TO HOUSING, WE THEN TAKE THAT NUMBER AND WE GO TO THE BOTTOM FORMULA, AND WE TAKE THAT BASELINE THAT I ORIGINALLY SHOWED YOU, SO WE KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE ENGAGING IN SERVICES.

WE SUBTRACT HOW MANY EXIT FROM THAT TOP FORMULA, AND THEN WE ACCOUNT FOR SELF RESOLUTIONS, RETURNS TO HOMELESSNESS, AND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO BE NEWLY HOMELESS WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR.

AND WHAT THAT TELLS US THEN IS THAT KIND OF GIVES US OUR BASELINE FOR THE NEXT YEAR.

AND THAT TELLS US HOW MANY UNITS ARE NEEDED REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE THEM IN OUR SYSTEM.

SO FOR EXAMPLE, OUR BASELINE SHOWED THAT 3,720 HOUSEHOLDS WILL BE UTILIZING EMERGENCY SHELTER THIS YEAR.

OUR CURRENT CAPACITY FOR EMERGENCY SHELTERS IS 1,282.

SO WE MULTIPLY THAT BY THE TURNOVER RATE, WHICH IS 2.43, AND OUR UTILIZATION RATE OF 90% TO GET 2,808 HOUSEHOLDS SERVED.

SO THAT WOULD BE THE TOP NUMBER.

WE TAKE THAT 3,720, SUBTRACT THAT 2,808 FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE EXITED.

WE ACCOUNT FOR SELF RESOLUTIONS, RETURNS TO HOMELESSNESS AND NEWLY HOMELESS.

AND THAT GETS US 2,983 PEOPLE THAT STILL NEED SERVICES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT YEAR.

AND SO WE DID THIS OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND WE TESTED OUT DIFFERENT UNITS, HOW MANY UNITS WE COULD INCORPORATE, WHAT TYPES OF UNITS AND WHAT WOULD BE THE RATIO BETWEEN RAPID REHOUSING PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING TO GET THE NUMBER THAT WOULD GET US TO FUNCTIONAL ZERO AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE TO WHERE AS MANY PEOPLE ARE ENTERING, THE SYSTEM WILL BE EXITED WITHIN THAT YEAR.

AND SO THIS IS THE SYSTEM MODEL.

THESE ARE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF UNITS THAT ARE GOING TO BE REQUIRED IN ORDER TO MEET FUNCTIONAL ZERO WITHIN 10 YEARS.

SO FOR EMERGENCY SHELTER, WE'RE GOING TO NEED 550 UNITS OF EMERGENCY SHELTER.

ALL OF THESE NUMBERS ARE BOTH SINGLES AND FAMILIES INCLUDED.

FOR RAPID REHOUSING, WE'RE GOING TO NEED 2,355 UNITS OF RAPID REHOUSING AND 4,175 UNITS OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.

WE'VE INCLUDED THE TOTAL COSTS THERE ON THE BOTTOM.

SO YOU CAN SEE THAT FOR EMERGENCY SHELTER OVER 10 YEARS, IT'S GONNA COST US APPROXIMATELY $24.4 MILLION FOR RAPID REHOUSING, IT'S 104.4 MILLION.

AND THEN FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, IT'S 217.4 MILLION.

UM, WE KNOW THAT IT'S NOT GONNA NECESSARILY BE POSSIBLE TO INJECT THIS MANY UNITS AT ONCE.

AND SO OUR MODEL ACCOUNTS FOR TRYING TO INCREMENT THE NUMBER OF UNITS AS GRADUALLY AS POSSIBLE WHILE STILL MEETING FUNCTIONAL ZERO AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

SO THE VERY TOP ROW OF THIS TABLE IS SHOWING YOU ON A, LIKE, NOT ON AVERAGE, BUT THE MOST FREQUENT INCREASE OF UNITS THAT FOR THAT INTERVENTION PER YEAR.

AND WE'LL GO OVER THAT MORE IN DETAIL WITH THE NEXT SLIDE.

UM, WE, WE, WE'LL ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE YEAR BY YEAR BREAKDOWN FOR ALL OF THESE UNITS, BUT I JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT WE HAVEN'T INCLUDED, UH, ESTIMATES FOR ADDITIONAL DIVERSION OR PREVENTION.

UM, AND THAT'S JUST BECAUSE WE DON'T REALLY HAVE ENOUGH HISTORICAL DATA TO REALLY ESTIMATE HOW THEY'RE GOING TO BE EXITING AND RETURNING FROM THOSE INTERVENTIONS.

THOSE INTERVENTIONS ARE FAIRLY NEW WITH A LOT OF GREAT INVESTMENTS FROM THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

UM, BUT WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE HISTORICAL DATA TO DEVELOP THE SAME TYPES OF MODELS THAT WE COULD FOR EMERGENCY SHELTER, RAPID AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.

AND IN ADDITION, THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE SERVICE DOLLARS THAT ARE GONNA BE REQUIRED FOR THE PSH PIPELINE.

WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT PIPELINE COMING ONLINE.

UM, BUT THE PER COST, UH, PER UNIT COST FOR THESE, UH, ARE NOT THE SAME IF IT'S JUST REQUIRED TO HAVE SERVICES.

SO THE COST WOULDN'T BE ACCURATE IF WE INCLUDED THOSE NUMBER OF UNITS.

SO AS I PROMISED, THIS IS THE YEAR BY YEAR BREAKDOWN FOR SINGLES ACROSS THESE DIFFERENT INTERVENTIONS.

AND SO AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, THE MEDIAN, UH, INCREASE FOR EMERGENCY SHELTER WAS A HUNDRED.

AND YOU CAN SEE ON THE TOP ROW THAT WE'RE SUGGESTING AN INCREASE OF A HUNDRED UNITS FOR SINGLES OVER FIVE YEARS.

ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE NOTATED, UH, KNOWN CHANGES IN OUR SYSTEM, SO THAT INCLUDES THE NUMBERS IN RED.

WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE LOSING A LOT OF UNITS FROM THE ARPA CLIFF THAT'S COMING UP.

UM, AND THAT'S EXPECTED.

AND SO WE'VE INCLUDED THOSE IN TERMS OF HOW THAT'S GONNA AFFECT THE NUMBER OF EXITS THAT WE HAVE, AS WELL AS THE PSH PIPELINE, BECAUSE WE WANT TO INCLUDE HOW MANY EXITS ARE GONNA BE RESULTING FROM THOSE UNITS, EVEN IF WE CAN'T ACCOUNT FOR THE COSTS.

AND THEN FROM THERE, WE HAVE THE YEAR BY YEAR BREAKDOWN.

UM, ON MOST FREQUENTLY THE INCREASE IS GONNA BE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN RIGHT OVER $30 MILLION FOR ALL INTERVENTIONS PER YEAR.

[00:30:10]

IT MEANS THAT PEOPLE WILL BE EXITING THE SYSTEM QUICKER, AND IT MEANS THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO REACH FUNCTIONAL ZERO SOONER.

WE ALSO DISCOVERED THAT EARLY INJECTIONS OF EMERGENCY SHELTER ARE VERY BENEFICIAL FOR MOVING PEOPLE OUT OF THE SYSTEM MORE QUICKLY.

AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'VE INCLUDED, UH, INVESTMENTS EARLY ON FOR EMERGENCY SHELTER WITH GRADUAL INCREASES FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IN RAPID TO TRY TO MAKE IT AS MINIMAL AND INCREASE PER YEAR AS POSSIBLE WHILE STILL REACHING FUNCTIONAL ZERO AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

AND SO FROM THERE, I'M GONNA SHOW THE FAMILY SLIDE HERE SO THAT YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBER OF UNITS THAT ARE SUGGESTED, AND THEN I'LL PASS IT OFF TO KATE MOORE FOR OUR RECOMMENDATIONS.

ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU, JOSEPH.

SO THIS IS THE FAMILY SLIDE, AND THESE ARE OUR RECOMMENDATIONS.

SO, UM, WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU EXPAND INVESTMENT AS INVERSION.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THIS IS A VERY COST EFFECTIVE, UM, WAY TO GET FOLKS OUT OF HOMELESSNESS VERY QUICKLY.

UM, WE ALSO SUGGEST, UM, DEVELOPING NEW INVESTMENTS IN PREVENTION.

WE KNOW THIS IS AN INTEREST OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN AS WELL, BUT THIS WOULD HELP US STABILIZE THE INFLOW OF FOLKS MOVING INTO HOMELESSNESS.

UM, WE, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE, UM, YOU KNOW, COLLABORATE WITH YOUR, UM, UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS, COLLABORATE WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE USED THESE SERVICES, UM, COLLABORATE WITH THE COUNTY AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS.

UM, AND, UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THIS A LIVING MODEL WE, WE INTEND TO DO SO.

UM, AND WE WOULD, UM, WELCOME AN INVITATION TO COME BACK ON A REGULAR BASIS AND PRESENT TO YOU UPDATES ON THE MODEL AS THINGS CHANGE AND EVOLVE.

UM, AND WE LASTLY ENCOURAGE YOU, UM, EVEN THOUGH YOU SAW SOME BIG NUMBERS, WE THINK IT'S POSSIBLE WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO PARTNER WITH OTHER FUNDERS OF THE SYSTEM AND TO FULLY FUND THIS MODEL, UM, BECAUSE HOUSING EVERYBODY, UM, IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL.

AND, UH, WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TODAY AND WE WELCOME ANY QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU, COLLEAGUES.

COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER, YOU'D LIKE TO KICK US OFF.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UM, WHERE TO BEGIN, I'M CURIOUS, WE HAD A MODEL, AND I SEE GARY HERE IN THE ROOM.

UM, THE CITY DEVELOPED A MODEL A FEW YEARS BACK ON WHAT WE FELT WE NEEDED.

AND I'M CURIOUS FROM HS O'S PERSPECTIVE HOW THIS MODEL MATCHES WITH OURS AND IF FROM VICE VERSA, IF Y'ALL HAVE LOOKED AT THAT AND, AND CAN SEE.

BUT I JUST WANNA KNOW, ARE THESE, ARE THESE SIMILAR CONCLUSIONS, DIFFERENT CONCLUSIONS? ARE THEY BASED ON EACH OTHER? I'LL LET ACROBAT IF HE HAS ANYTHING, BUT IT'S, WE USE THE SAME CONSULTANT IF IT'S HELPFUL TO KNOW THAT THE CITY, UM, USED FOR, UM, THE INVESTING FOR RESULTS REPORT.

SO THE CITY HAD HIRED BOB POPPY AND ASSOCIATES, UM, TO DO A REPORT THAT INCLUDED A MODELING.

UM, AND SO, UM, WE WERE LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH MATT WHITE WHO, UM, WAS THE PERSON WHO SHE, SHE HAD WORKING WITH, WITH THE CITY ON THAT MODELING.

UM, SO MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THEY, UM, IS THAT MATT USED, UM, BUT THE SAME METHODOLOGY IN MANY WAYS, BUT WAS IMPROVING AS HE GOES BECAUSE HE'S BEEN DOING THIS NATIONALLY.

UM, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO, TO TAP INTO THAT SAME EXPERTISE.

DOES THAT FEEL LIKE IT ACCURATELY CAPTURED IT? OKAY.

I CAN ADD REALLY QUICKLY THAT IF YOU LOOK AT THE, UM, NUMBERS FROM THAT REPORT, I MEAN, I THINK IT, THEY'RE VERY SIMILAR, AT LEAST THE BREAKDOWNS.

I THINK I REMEMBER THAT, I THINK IT WAS A PROPOSAL OF OR PROPOSED THAT WE NEED MORE THAN 4,000 PSH UNITS.

I, I, I THINK I'M REMEMBERING THAT, UH, NUMBER CORRECTLY.

UM, AND SO IN TERMS OF LONG TERM VERSUS SHORT TERM SERVICES, IT, I THINK THE BREAKDOWN IS VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE HAVE HERE, SO, GOT IT.

AND Y'ALL HAVE ANNUALIZED THESE NEEDS.

I'M CURIOUS HOW YOU HAVE FACTORED IN POPULATION GROWTH AND INCREASES INTO OUR HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM.

ARE WE TAKING KIND OF THE, THE CURRENT NEED AND DISTRIBUTING IT OUT AND THEN APPLYING ANY ADJUSTMENT FACTOR FOR, WE KNOW OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS WE'RE GOING TO HAVE EVEN MORE? OR HOW, HOW IS THAT ACCOUNTED FOR IN THIS? WELL, I MEAN, IT'S NOT A VERY COMPLICATED WAY OF DOING THAT, BUT WE JUST, WE DO ACCOUNT FOR PEOPLE, NEW PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.

UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO IT.

[00:35:01]

I THINK WE DID IT A LITTLE BIT MORE SIMPLY AND JUST ASSUMED THAT THERE'S GONNA BE A, UH, YOU KNOW, A A STEADY NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS FOR THE FIRST TIME.

UH, SO WE ARE AT LEAST WE'RE TAKING THAT INTO ACCOUNT.

I THINK WE COULD CERTAINLY REFINE THAT, BUT WE'RE DEFINITELY TAKING THAT INTO ACCOUNT.

OKAY.

I CAN INTERJECT REAL QUICK.

I JUST WANNA CONTEXTUALIZE WHAT THIS MODELING DOES AND, AND, AND FIRST AND FOREMOST, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ECHO AND, AND TEAM FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.

THIS IS EXACTLY THE TYPE OF INFORMATION THAT WE NEED AS A COUNCIL TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE MAKING THE APPROPRIATE INVESTMENTS INTO OUR HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM.

AND JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT THE SHEER SCALE OF THE NEED THAT WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

WHAT YOU HAVE LAID OUT HERE IN YOUR ASSESSMENT OF OUR OVERALL HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM IS IN NEED OF ABOUT 350 MILLION OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS.

IS THAT FAIR TO SAY, OKAY, 350 MILLION NEEDED OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS? IT MIGHT, TO ME THAT SOUNDS LIKE A MANAGEABLE NUMBER THAT WE CAN MAKE IF WE, IF WE MAKE THE NECESSARY STRATEGIC POLICY, UH, POLICY PROPOSALS, IF WE ADVANCE THEM AS WELL AS MAKE THE NECESSARY INVESTMENTS.

BECAUSE WE KNOW IN THE LONG RUN, THAT IS A MORE COST EFFECTIVE WAY FOR US TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE STABILITY FOR EVERYONE THAT LIVES IN OUR CITY.

SO I GUESS PART OF MY QUESTION I HAVE AND OR COLLEAGUES, WHAT I WANNA HIGHLIGHT BRINGING TO YOUR ATTENTION IS THAT THE INVESTMENTS NEEDED BY YEAR, YOU'LL SEE FOR 2025 FOR RAPID REHOUSING, WE HAVE A DEFICIT OF 430.

WE'VE KNOWN THE ARPA CLIFF THAT IS COMING, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT AT OUR LAST BUDGET CYCLE.

AND I JUST WANNA LAYER IN, UH, FOR THE NEXT BUDGET CYCLE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT IT WILL COME FASTER THAN WE KNOW IT.

UM, IF WE CAN HAVE MR. GRAY, OUR HOMELESSNESS STRATEGY OFFICER, KIND OF WALK US THROUGH, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THE, THE ASSESSMENT THAT WE SEE HERE AND KNOWING THE PSH PIPELINE UNITS THAT WE HAVE COMING ONLINE BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, UM, AND OF NEXT YEAR, CAN YOU JUST TALK US THROUGH, YOU KNOW, HOW THESE NUMBERS LOOK OR HOW, HOW MIGHT THEY LOOK DIFFERENTLY WHEN YOU ACCOUNT FOR THE PSH PIPELINE UNITS THAT WE HAVE? SURE.

CUSTOMER, DAVID GRAY, HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICER, I DO BELIEVE THAT THE SYSTEM MODELING, UH, HAS INCLUDED OR INCORPORATES THE, THE PSH UNITS THAT ARE COMING ONLINE, THE RAPID REHOUSING, UH, SLOTS THAT, THAT WE'RE LOSING.

YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THE BEAUTIFUL THING ABOUT THIS MODEL IS THAT WE CAN ADJUST IT AS WE GO.

AND SO AS WE SEE UNITS COME ONLINE SOONER OR LATER, WE COULD ALSO PLAY AROUND WITH THAT, THOSE ANNUAL COUNTS OF HOW MANY MORE UNITS WE THINK WE'RE GONNA NEED.

JUST TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION AROUND THE ARPA, YOU KNOW, YOU ARE RIGHT, WE'RE AT THE POINT NOW WHERE, UH, ALL THE ARPA DOLLARS ARE, ARE ALLOCATED IN ABOUT A MONTH OR SO, THEY'RE ALL GONNA BE ENCUMBERED.

UH, AND NOW WE'RE JUST MANAGING THOSE CONTRACTS AND SPENDING THOSE RESOURCES DOWN FOR PROGRAMS LIKE RAPID REHOUSING WHERE WE KNOW WE HAVE CLIENTS WHO ARE RECEIVING THAT SERVICE AND THEY JUST NEED MORE TIME.

WE FOCUSED A LOT OF OUR ENERGY TO PUTTING MORE FUNDS INTO THOSE CONTRACTS TO TRY TO SUSTAIN AND, AND EXTEND THE TIME HORIZONS THAT THOSE CLIENTS HAVE TO RECEIVE SERVICES UNTIL WE'RE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT A SUCCESSFUL EXIT STRATEGY LOOKS LIKE FOR THOSE CLIENTS.

THE OTHER WORK THAT WE'RE DOING KIND OF PARALLEL TO THIS IN OUR OFFICE IS WE'VE BEGUN LOOKING AT DIFFERENT CITIES AND, AND DIFFERENT FUNDING STRUCTURES IN OTHER CITIES.

MM-HMM, .

SO TRYING TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW OUR PEERS ARE FUNDING THEIR HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM, WHETHER IT'S PRIMARILY THROUGH CORPORATE GIVING AND PHILANTHROPY OR MAYBE THROUGH A MULTITUDE OF PUBLIC FINANCING STRATEGIES.

UH, EVERYTHING FROM DEDICATED TAXES TO, UH, ENDOWMENTS THAT ARE MANAGED BY CITIES AND COOPERATIONS WITH LOCAL FOUNDATIONS.

AND SO, UH, THERE'S A MULTITUDE OF, OF APPROACHES THAT WE CAN TAKE TO TRY TO ADDRESS THE FUNDING NEEDS THAT WE KNOW ARE, ARE COMING AND ACTUALLY ARE, ARE HERE RIGHT NOW.

UM, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO PRESENTING THAT INFORMATION TO YOU AT, AT A FUTURE DATE.

THE LAST THING THAT I'LL JUST SAY REALLY QUICKLY IS, YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT THIS MODEL LOOKS AT IS THE ADDITIONAL CAPACITY THAT WE NEED IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE FUNCTIONAL ZERO.

WE ALSO KNOW THE REALITY IS WE HAVE EXISTING SERVICES, EXISTING PROGRAMS THAT ALSO HAVE BUDGET DEFICITS AND, AND BUDGET GAPS.

WE HAVE NEW SHELTER COMING ONLINE AT CAMP ESPERANZA, AND WE NEED SUPPORTIVE SERVICES FOR THOSE.

WE HAVE OUR NEW PSH UNITS THAT ARE ABOUT TO OPEN, AND AS WE TALKED ABOUT DURING THE BUDGET WORK SESSIONS, WE ALSO NEED NEW SUPPORTIVE SERVICES FUNDING FOR THOSE.

AND SO THE, THIS, UH, NUMBER IS A GOOD NUMBER IN TERMS OF THE SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE TO BUILD.

THE OTHER WORK THAT OUR OFFICE IS DOING IS LOOKING AT WHAT'S THE TRUE FUNDING GAP FOR THE SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE TODAY? MM-HMM.

, UH, AND HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT AS WE BUILD FOR THE FUTURE,

[00:40:01]

THANK YOU FOR THAT DISTINCTION, BECAUSE I, I DID, THAT BRINGS TO MIND ONE OF THE PREVIOUS WORK SESSIONS THAT WE HAD, AND I WANT TO, CAN YOU CLARIFY, WAS IT A 22 MILLION OR 11 MILLION THAT HSO IS RECOMMENDING AS ONGOING FUNDING NEEDS FOR THE CURRENT SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE? THE GAP, UNLESS I DON'T HAVE THAT NUMBER COMMITTED TO MEMORY AND I'M GONNA LOOK TO GARY, GARY DOESN'T HAVE THAT NUMBER COMMITTED TO MEMORY.

CAN WE GET BACK TO YOU WITH THAT NUMBER COUNSELOR? ABSOLUTE MEMBER.

I DO APOLOGIZE WHEN I HAVE THAT INFORMATION READILY AVAILABLE BECAUSE ON THE ONE THING, YOU KNOW, WE WENT THROUGH THAT WORK SESSION, THE THOUGHTS I HAD AFTER THE WORK SESSION, ONCE WE HAD TIME TO SIT WITH THAT PRESENTATION WITH THAT TO ME STILL SEEMED LOW AS FAR AS THE GAP FUNDING NEEDED FOR OUR CURRENT CAPACITY.

UM, AND, AND SO REALLY KNOWING THAT WE HAVE A GAP TO FUND OUR EXISTING SYSTEM AS IT IS TODAY, WE NOW HAVE THIS REALLY GREAT FRAMEWORK FOR THE MODELING OF HOW DO WE BUILD OUT A ROBUST HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE SYSTEM AND KNOW AND KNOWING THE FUNDING NEEDED FOR EMERGENCY SHELTERING, FOR RAPID REHOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, NOT TO EVEN COUNT THE PR UH, THE PREVENTION AND DIVERSION SERVICES PART OF IT.

YOU MENTIONED STAFF WORKING ON A RECOMMENDATION, A POTENTIAL FINANCING TOOLS AND METHODS FOR COUNCIL TO CONSIDER.

WHEN DO YOU THINK MIGHT BE AN APPROPRIATE TIME FOR US TO HAVE A MORE EXTENSIVE CONVERSATION? BECAUSE FOR ME IT'S GONNA BE REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS WELL IN ADVANCE OF NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET SESSION.

CORRECT.

SO OUR, OUR INTERNAL CLOCK IS TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT I HAVE INFORMATION THAT I COULD SHARE WITH, UH, CITY MANAGER'S, OFFICE AND CITY LEADERSHIP BEFORE WE GET TO THE MIDYEAR SPENDING PLAN SESSION.

THAT WAY WE HAVE MULTIPLE MONTHS TO KIND OF SIT WITH THE INFORMATION AND UH, REALLY LOOK AT MY BUDGET TO SEE ARE THERE THINGS THAT I COULD CHANGE THIS YEAR TO HELP, UH, ADDRESS NEEDS.

AND THEN AS WE PLAN FOR FUTURE BUDGET CYCLES, KIND OF, YOU KNOW, HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS EARLY.