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TESTING. TESTING. TESTING. >> GOOD AFTERNOON. THIS ITEM IS CONSIDERATION OF
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REGARDING A DECLARATION OF A HOUSING CRISIS. SO WE -- THE CCR ASKS US TO LOOK AT DEVELOPING A HOUSING CRISIS INDEX THAT WOULD SET CRITERIA FOR CITY COUNCIL TO DECLARE A HOUSING CRISIS, MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR APPROPRIATE RESPONSES, AND OUTLINE HOW WE WOULD ACTIVATE THOSE RESPONSES. SO WITH THE ADOPTION OF THE STRATEGIC HOUSING IMPLEMENTATION PLAN ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO, OUR COMMUNITY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WE DO HAVE A HOUSING CRISIS IN SAN ANTONIO AND THE SHIFT IDENTIFIES A DEFICIT OF HOUSING THAT'S AVAILABLE FOR FAMILIES AT -- ESPECIALLY AT 30% OF THE AREA MEDIAN OR BELOW, SO A FAMILY MAKING LESS THAN $25,000 PER YEAR. IT ALSO ACCESSORY KNOWLEDGES THAT WE DEFINITELY HAVE A SHORTAGE OF HOUSING FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS.AS OUTLINED IN THE CCR, WE ARE TRACKING A VARIETY OF COMMUNITY METRICS ANNUALLY, AND WE AGREE THAT THERE IS A LOT OF THOSE METRICS INDICATING THAT THE HOUSING CRISIS IS ONGOING, FOR EXAMPLE, THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES IN THE HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER WAIT LIST HAS INCREASED INCREASEDFROM 50,000 TO 90,000. AVERAGE HOUSING HAS INCREASED, AND MEDIAN HOME VALUES HAVE GONE UP FASTER THAN AREA MEDIAN INCOME AND FAMILY INCOMES HAVE KEPT PACE.
SO OUR RESPONSES HAVE BEEN TO LOOK AT HOW WE CAN PRODUCE MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, HOW WE CAN AFFORD THE HOUSING WE HAVE, AND HOW WE CAN ALIGN THE SERVICES TO FOCUS ON THOSE IN NEED.
AS ADOPTED. THE STRATEGIC HOUSING IMPLEMENTATION PLAN IS A PLAN THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE ISSUE, BUT ALSO HOW WE ALIGN AND DEPLOY OUR RESOURCES TO ADDRESS THESE CONCERNS. THE PLAN IDENTIFIES THAT WE WILL STABILIZE HOUSEHOLDS BY PRESERVING AND PRODUCING HOUSING AND CREATING NEW, AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPTIONS, AND LEVERAGING TOOLS LIKE THE VOUCHER AS WELL AS WORK FORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS SO WE'RE NOT ONLY CREATING THEM, BUT BOOSTING INCOMES. THIS IS A COMMUNITY-WIDE EFFORT. WE KNOW THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO ALONE CANNOT ADDRESS THESE, SO THIS WAS A PLAN DEVELOPED WITH THE SAN ANTONIO HOUSING TRUST, AND OPPORTUNITY HOME. AND THE SHIP REALLY GUIDES ALL OF OUR COLLECTIVE EFFORTS TO FOCUS ON HELPING THOSE MOST IN NEED. WE WERE ASKED TO LOOK AT HOW WE COULD PROVIDE QUARTERLY UPDATES ON THESE EFFORTS, AND WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT.
IT'S UPDATED ONLINE QUARTERLY. WE HAVE A PROGRESS PAGE THAT IDENTIFIES WHERE WE ARE IN RELATION TO OUR PRODUCTION AND PRESERVATION GOALS.
WE UPDATE THOSE COMMUNITY METRICS ANNUALLY AND PUT THEM ON THERE SO EVERYONE CAN SEE HOW THE METRICS ARE CHANGING, AND THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DASH BOARD IDENTIFIES THE CHANGES WE'VE MADE IN HOUSING, AND THERE'S AN INTERACTIVE MAP SO YOU CAN SEE EXACTLY WHERE THOSE INVESTMENTS ARE BEING MADE. ALL OF OUR PROGRESS, EVEN THOUGH IT IS A 10-YEAR PLAN, WE HAVE A PLAN AND A COMMITMENT TO REEVALUATE AND REVIEW ALL OF THAT IN YEAR FIVE OF THE SHIP, WHICH IS 2026. SO THE SHIP OUTLINES A VARIETY OF RESPONSES TO THE HOUSING CRISIS, AND WE'RE WORKING WITH ALL OF OUR PARTNERS TO ADDRESS ALL OF THE 36 STRATEGIES THAT ARE THERE. THE PROGRAMS ON THE LEFT REALLY SPEAK TO HOW WE'RE
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LOOKING AT SYSTEM-WIDE EVICTION AND FORECLOSURE THROUGH OUR RENTAL ASSISTANCE, THROUGH OUR EFFORTS TO HELP FAMILIES FIND NEW, AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT MEETS THEIR NEEDS, AND HOW WE CAN HELP FAMILIES WITH FREE LEGAL AID SERVICES THAT ARE FACING A CRISIS.THE MIDDLE COLUMN IDENTIFIES HOW WE'RE HELPING HOMEOWNERS REMAIN IN THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING WE ALREADY HAVE, AND THAT'S THROUGH A VARIETY OF CITY-LED EFFORTS AND PARTNERING WITH NONPROFITS THAT HELP PEOPLE NOVNAVIGATE RESOURCES AND APPLYR BENEFITS.
ON THE FAR RIGHT, WE'RE ADDRESSING THE NEED TO PRODUCE 1,000 UNITS OF PERMANENT HOUSING OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS AND DOING THIS BY COORDINATING OUR HO HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEMS AND FOCUSING ON HOW TO CREATE NEW HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS UNHOUSED, ADDING TO EMERGENCY SHELTER OPTIONS, AND OF COURSE INCREASING THE PRODUCTION OF THOSE PHS UNITS.
ALL OF THESE EFFORTS ARE REALLY BEING ACCELERATED BY THE PASSING OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSE BOND. IT'S HELPED US NOT JUST ADVANCE OUR HOUSING GOALS, BUT HELP US WORK QUICKLY ON THE PRODUCTION OF THE NEW, AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN OUR COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS PRESERVING OUR EXISTING HOUSING STOCK. THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOND, ALL OF THE PROJECTS ARE IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR SHEPHERDIES AND FOCUS ON NEW HOUSING.
AND ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE USED -- TO HELP EXPAND IN OUR COMMUNITY.
THE BOND, THANKS TO THE VOTERS, WE HAVE $150 MILLION TO FOCUS EFFORTS ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING. WE DO THAT ACROSS ALL FIVE CATEGORIES.
EVERYTHING FROM HELPING HOMEOWNERS FIX AND REPAIR THE HOMES THEY'RE IN, HELPING IMPROVE THE RENTAL HOUSING, THE AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOUSING STOCK WE HAVE.
HELPING BUILD NEW, AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS IN SAN ANTONIO, AND HELPING BUILD NEW SINGLE FAMILY HOME OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, AND WE DO STILL HAVE FUNDING SET ASIDE IN OUR PERMANENT SUPPORT.
TO DATE, WE'VE AWARDED $81 MILLION OF THE HOUSING BOND, AND THAT HAS HELPED INCENTIVIZE THE CREATION AND PRESERVATION OF OVER 4,000 AFFORDABLE HOMES, AND AS MENTIONED, WE CONTINUE TO HAVE FUNDING SET ASIDE SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO PURSUE SOME OF THESE SHIP STRATEGIES AND BOND SET ASIDE TO CONTINUE WITH OUR PHS EFFORTS. AS OUTLINED, WE DO HAVE SEVERAL PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES THAT WE'RE UTILIZING TO REALLY HELP ENSURE THAT FAMILIES CAN HELP FIND AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR HOME OWNERSHIP. WE'VE INCREASED THE AMOUNT OF FUNDING THAT GOES TO HOME REHAB PROGRAMS, UP 136% SINCE THE SHIP WAS ADOPTED IN 2021.
WE ALSO NOW HAVE A NEW PROGRAM, OPERATION REBUILD WHICH HELPS VULNERABLE RESIDENTS FACING A DEMOLITION ORDER AND HOW HELP NAVIGATE THE PROGRESS, HOW TO HELP SAVE THEIR HOME.
AND WE'VE PARTNERED WITH SEVERAL NONPROFITS IN OUR COMMUNITY TO EXPAND THE SERVICES WE OFFER TO HELP FAMILIES WHO HAVE HAD HOMES IN THEIR FAMILIES FOR GENERATIONS, HOW TO GET CLEAR TITLE AND RESOLVE SOME ISSUES SO THAT THEY CAN PASS THAT AS SET ON TO THEIR HEIRS OR TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OTHER PROGRAMS THAT MAY BE AVAILABLE. WE ALSO CONTINUE TO OFFER SUPPORT FOR RENTERS IN OR COMMUNITY. WE HAVE OUR EVICTION PROTECTION EFFORTS AND OUR RIGHT TO COUNCIL SERVICES. WE CONTINUE TO OFFER RENTAL AND RELOCATION, AND THROUGH DHS, WE HAVE DIVERSION FUNDS AND ASSISTANCE FOR FAMILIES THAT NEED THAT ONE-TIME SUPPORT. FINALLY, WE KNOW NOT EVERY HOUSEHOLD AT RISK NEEDS A NEW HOME, SO ALL OF OUR EFFORTS CONTINUE TO ADDRESS COST BURDEN BY INCREASING FAMILY AND SUPPLEMENTING INCOMES THAT THEY HAVE THROUGH OUR READY-TO-WORK PROGRAM AND BRINGING MORE HOUSING VOUCHER TO THOSE FAMILIES. IN ADDITION, WE HAVE MORE FULL TIME CASE MANAGERS THAN EVER BEFORE THROUGH OUR DEPARTMENT AND DHS, REALLY HAVING THOSE INDIVIDUALS ON CITY STAFF THAT CAN HELP FAMILIES SUPPORT ONGOING CASE MANAGEMENT THEY NEED. SO WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DEPARTMENT FOR HUMAN SERVICES, OUR TEAMS ARE COLLECTIVELY FOCUSED ON CREATING ADDITIONAL HOUSING OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, THIS WAS DETAILED ALSO AT PCDC LAST WEEK, THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF OUR MAYOR AND COUNCIL AND NONPROFIT PARTNERS, THE CITY HAS INCREASED THE CAPACITY FOR LOW BARRIER STRUCTURE TO 200 UNITS. WE'VE ALSO WORKED WITH OPPORTUNITY HOME TO GET MORE VOUCHER TO OUR CONTINUING CARE PARTNERS AND GET THOSE AVAILABLE TO FAMILIES WHO NEED THEM QUICKLY. THIS COUPLED WITH OUR RAPID REHOUSING FUNDING IS PROVIDING LONG TERM ASSISTANCE FOR FAMILIES THAT JUST NEED MORE
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TIME TO FIND STABLE HOUSING. IN ADDITION, AS MENTIONED, WE KNOW WE NEED ONE THOUSAND UNITS OF PERMANENT HOUSING IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND THE HOUSING BOND DID SUPPORT THE CREATION OF 300,000 NEW PHS, THAT BRINGS US, WITH THE UNITS ONLINE WE'RE OVER 1/3 OF THE WAY TO THAT GOAL, AND WE'LL BE RELEASING A NEW SOLICITATION FOR MORE THAN 10 MILLION OF PHS FUNDING TO CREATE MORE UNITS IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO I'VE OUTLINED VARIOUS PROGRAMS THAT DIRECTLY SUPPORT OUR RESIDENTS AND HOW OUR HOUSING GOALS ARE MAKING PROGRESS THANKS TO ALL OF OUR COLLECTIVE EFFORTS. BEYOND PROVIDING DIRECT FUNDING, WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT OUR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT GOALS ARE IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR CITY DEVELOPMENT CODE. SO OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, OUR RESIDENTS, CITY STAFF, AND COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS HAVE REALLY WORKED TOGETHER TO IDENTIFY HOW NEW DEVELOPMENT SHOULD OCCUR IN OUR CITY. THE HOUSING COMMISSION, REMOVING BARRIERS SUBCOMMITTEE A YEAR AGO HELPED SUPPORT NEW CITY CODE AMENDMENTS, UDC AMENDMENTS THAT REALLY HELP MAKE SEVERAL OF THE BARRIERS EASIER TO OVERCOME. FOR EXAMPLE, THEY HELP SUPPORT THE PASS ANG OF SEVERAL AMENDMENTS THAT MAKE HELP BUILDING DWELLING UNITS EASIER, THAT CHANGE ALONE HAS CREATED A LOT OF ENERGY IN THE COMMUNITY. WE RECENTLY HOSTED AN ADU DESIGN COMPETITION, AND EVERYTHING FROM SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN TO OLDER ADULTS TO SUBMIT PLANS AND IDEAS OF HOW THEY WOULD USE ADUS IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. AND SO JUST SOME OF THESE SIMPLE CODE AMENDMENTS ARE REALLY GETTING PEOPLE TO THINK OF NEW, INNOVATIVE WAYS THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO REACH OUR HOUSING GOALS. SO ALSO, AT THE MAYOR'S RECOMMENDATION, THE HOUSING CONDITION CREATED A TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP ON TRANSIENT DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING, AND THIS GROUP WILL WORK IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR TEAM AND STAKEHOLDERS TO FURTHER REDUCE BARRIERS TO DEVELOP HOUSING, VARIOUS HOUSING CHOICES SPECIFICALLY ALONG AERT LINES. SO ALL OF THESE EFFORTS ARE DONE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MANY.IT'S CERTAINLY NOT JUST THE CITY TEAM ALONE, AND ONE STRATEGY OUTLINED IS THAT WE GET THIS INFORMATION OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY, REALLY MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF THE EFFORTS AND THE PROGRAMS AND OUR WORK. SO I WILL START BY HIGHLIGHTING TWO CAMPAIGNS THAT HAVE BEGUN AND ANOTHER ONE THAT'S STARTING TO GET UNDERWAY THIS YEAR. OUR PROPERTY TAX HELP CAMPAIGN DONE LAST YEAR WAS REALLY FOCUSED ON HELPING HOMEOWNERS REDUCE THEIR TAX BURDENS BY RAISING AWARENESS ON THE EXCEPTIONS THAT THEY MAY QUAFF FOR, HOW TO GET THOSE EXCEPTIONS, AND HOW TO PROTEST THEIR TAX APPRAISALS. WE HELPED SERVE OVER 2,000 HOUSEHOLDS WHO ATTENDED OUR SESSIONS AND SEVERAL HUNDRED FAMILIES THAT WERE ABLE TO FILE FOR EXCEPTIONS ON SITE.
THROUGH OUR TENANTS RIGHT CAMPAIGN, THIS BEGAN IN SPRING OF LAST YEAR, AND CULMINATED IN CITY COUNCIL, PASSING A RESOLUTION, ATTENDING TENANT'S RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, AND THIS YEAR, WE'RE FOCUSED ON CONTINUING THAT CAMPAIGN WITH A SERIES OF EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS, REALLY HELPING OUTLINE WITH ALL OF THOSE TENANTS RIGHTS AND THAT RESOLUTION ENTAILED AND ENSURING PEOPLE KNOW HOW WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT THEM. SO BUILDING ON ALL OF THAT, OUR TEAM WILL BE PARTNERING WITH ALL OF OUR OTHER COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS AND PARTNERS TO LAUNCH A CITY-WIDE PUBLIC CAMPAIGN THAT WILL INCREASE AWARENESS ABOUT OUR HOUSING AFFORDABLE AND HOMELESS PREVENTION INITIATIVES. SO ALL OF THIS WORK IS BEING DONE IN RESPONSE TO THE ADOPTION OF THE SHIP AND IN RESPONSE TO THE COMMUNITY THAT WE SERVE.
HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. >> ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, VERO VERONICA. THIS WAS FOR BRIEFING, SO I'LL OPEN IT UP FOR COUNCIL DISCUSSIONS, STARTING WITH COUNCILMEMBER GARCIA.
>> GARCIA: THANK YOU, VERONICA AND TEAM, AND I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING.
YOU'RE AWESOME ALL THE TIME. THANK YOU.
WHEN I SUBMITTED THE CCR, I SUBMITTED IT BECAUSE THERE WAS NO OFFICIAL INDEX ON WHEN A CRISIS CAN BE DECLARED, AND THE SHIP IS A 10-YEAR PLAN, AND I KNOW WE'RE REVISITING IN 2026, BUT I WAS JUST MORE AFRAID OF WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT; RIGHT? SO ONCE WE ACHIEVE ALL OF OUR GOALS BECAUSE I KNOW WE'RE GOING TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS, BUT WHAT HAPPENS; RIGHT? OR HOW DO WE LOOK AT OTHER THINGS? AND I FEEL WE HAVEN'T DISCUSSED IT.
SO WE KNOW THAT WE CAN'T GET A HOUSING CRISIS DECLEARED BY T.R.
M.A. FOR INSTANCE, WE KNOW THAT. HOWEVER, THERE'S OTHER MUNICIPALITIES, THAT EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSING HOUSING CRISIS, AND SO SEATTLE AND PORTLAND, THE WHOLE STATE OF HAWAII, AND SO SAN DIEGO, ALSO, AND SO THAT WAS SPECIFIC TO THE SHORTAGE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING; RIGHT? AND SO
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WHAT I WAS HOPING TO DO, SPECIFICALLY, WAS WITH THIS -- MAYBE LOOK AT THE INTAKE NUMBERS AT HAVEN; RIGHT? AND THE EVICTION FILINGS, AND WE HAVE THAT; RIGHT? BUT THEN ALSO, UTILITY DISCONNECTIONS, AND HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER RECIPIENTS, ET CETERA; RIGHT? AND CONSUMER PRICE INDEX, AND UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, EVERYTHING, SO I WAS TRYING TO LOOK FOR SOMETHING THAT WAS COMPREHENSIVE THAT SAYS WHEN DO YOU SWITCH THE LIGHT TO A HOUSING CRISIS. AND SO I APPRECIATE -- AND I'M GLAD THAT MARK HARMONA IS HERE BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTINUE THE WORK. THERE'S -- AND I APPRECIATE ALL OF THE PARTNERS HERE AS WELL, AND AGAIN, MY INTENT WITH THIS WAS WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE TEN YEAR SHIP, AND SO HOW DO WE TURN ON THAT CRISIS; RIGHT? EVEN AGAIN AS WE MEET OUR GOALS. AND SO IT WAS MEANT TO BE MORE FOR US AS POLICYMAKERS TO HAVE KIND OF AN ALERT OF WHEN WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING; RIGHT? AND WHEN WE NEED TO GET SOME ADDITIONAL THINGS GOING, INCENTIVES, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, HOW DO WE INVEST MORE. BUT I'M WONDERING, IF MARK IS HERE, MAYBE IF HE CAN -- DO YOU KNOW HOW OTHER CITIES KIND OF CALCULATE? OR I DON'T KNOW WHO WOULD TAKE THAT ANSWER? LIKE, HOW DO THE OTHER CITIES KIND OF SAY, LIKE, THIS IS AHOUSING CRISIS. THANK YOU, LAURA. >> WE CAN LOOK INTO THAT.
WE DID NOT LOOK INTO THAT. WHEN WE DECLARED THE HOUSING CRISIS, WE LOOKED AT METRICS, WHAT IS THE WAIT LIST FOR SECTION 8 VOUCHER, HOW MANY HOUSING UNITS ARE WE SHORT ON EACH OF THOSE CATEGORIES. WE LOOKED AT THE NUMBER OF -- YOU KNOW, IF WAGES WERE INCREASING WITH THE ACTUAL INCREASE IN HOME VALUES, AND SO THOSE ARE THE METRICS THAT WE HAVE, AND WE HAVE THOSE ON THE DASH BOARD, WE COULD PROBABLY DO A BETTER JOB OF PLACING THEM ON A MORE VISIBLE PLACE ON THE DASH BOARD, SO WE COULD USE THEM AS A BENCHMARK QUARTERLY, BUT THOSE ARE THE METRICS WE'LL USE IN FIVE YEARS WHEN WE SAY, WHEN WE DECLARED A HOUSING CRISIS, THESE WERE THE THINGS WE WERE SAYING. SO AS VERONICA SAID, WE HAD 50,000 INDIVIDUALS ON THE VOUCHER WAIT LIST WHEN WE DECLARED THE CRISIS, NOW IT'S AT 90,000.
AND WE WANT TO LOOK AT IF THAT'S GONE DOWN AT 2026 OR 2031, AND THOSE ARE THE TIMES OF METRICS WE'LL BE LOOKING AT WHEN WE DETERMINE, DO WE NEED TO KEEP THIS AS A DECLARATION OF HOUSING CRISIS, OR DOWNGRADE IT. BUT LOOKING AT WHAT WE'RE SEEING, WE WOULD NOT DO THAT.
>> GARCIA: OKAY. SO WE WOULD NOT DOWNGRADE IT IS WHAT
YOU'RE THINKING. >> I MEAN, IF 2026, THE TRENDS WE CONTINUE TO SEE WITH HOUSING PRICES GOING UP, THE WAGES STAYING THE SAME AND THE VOUCHER LIST CONTINUING TO GROW, THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO DOWNGRADE IT BECAUSE WE SAW HALF OF THAT WHEN WE DECLARED A HOUSING CRISIS IN 2022, AND SO THOSE ARE THE METRICS WE'LL LOOK AT EVERY YEAR, AND THEN FOR SOME REASON IN 2026, WE SEE A DRASTIC DECREASE, THAT'S WHEN WE HAVE A CONVERSATION AT PDCD, SAYING, OKAY, WE MAY WANT TO REVISIT THIS. BUT P.D.C.D. IS THE COMMITTEE THAT GETS QUARTERLY UPDATES, AND WE CAN MAKE SURE WE INCLUDE THESE ITEMS IN
THAT UPDATE. >> GARCIA: THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU COUNCILMEMBER GARCIA.
>> THANK YOU, MAJOR, AND THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION -- WHERE'D SHE GO? I APPRECIATE THE THOUGHT OF IT, AND I DO THINK THE CITY IS -- YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAND UP. I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU. DOING THE WORK. I RECALL DURING THE LAST BUDGET SCENE THAT THE SURVEYS -- I MADE THE COMMENT THAT IN THE FOUR YEARS I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL, I'VE NEVER SAW AFFORDABLE HOUSING AS ONE OF THE TOP ISSUES THAT PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED ABOUT.
SO I THINK THAT YOU ARE -- THE CITY IS DOING THE WORK.
I THINK THAT EVERY COUNCIL I'VE BEEN ON, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HOUSING, AND THEN OF COURSE DECLARED THE HOUSING CRISIS WHEN THE SHIP WAS ADOPTED IN 2021 I BELIEVE; RIGHT? SO I THINK OUR COMMUNITY IS GETTING IT. THEY'RE GETTING THE MESSAGE.
THE BOND ELECTION AS YOU MENTIONED, IS A BIG INDICATOR AS WELL, AND I'M THANKFUL TO SEE A LOT OF THAT BOND MONEY HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED.
I GUESS I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU OR LORI. WELL, YOU MAY HAVE ANSWERED IT. I GUESS I -- YOU WERE -- YOU TALKED ABOUT THE CRITERIA WAS DEVELOPED BACK IN 2021 TO DEVELOP THE SHIP. I WAS A LITTLE CONFUSED ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION BECAUSE -- AND THEN H HEARING COUNCILWOMAN SPEK ABOUT THE INTENT TO CREATE AN INDEX, BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THERE IS CRITERIA, AND I DIDN'T SEE ANY NEW CRITERIA IN THE PRESENTATION. SO I'M JUST A LITTLE BIT -- IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A DISCONNECT FOR ME ON WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS. I WANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE PLAN WE'RE DISCUSSING TODAY EITHER COMPLEMENTS OR OVERLAPS WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN ESTABLISHED
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AS PART OF THE SHIP. >> I THINK THAT PART OF IT IS OUR FAULT.
WE DIDN'T EXPLAIN THE CRITERIA WHEN WE BENT FORWARD WITH THE SHIP ADOPTION.
THERE WAS SO MUCH COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND COMMUNITY INPUT AROUND IT, WE REALLY DEPENDED ON THAT COMMUNITY FEEDBACK TO HELP US CRAFT THESE STRATEGIES, BUT THERE WAS A LOT OF DATA COLLECTED, AND WE COLLECTIVELY, AS HOMELESS RESPONSE, TALK ABOUT THAT DATA REGULARLY.
AND SO THERE -- EVERYTHING THAT COUNCILWOMAN HAS ASKED FOR, WE HAVE, AND WE'RE TRACKING.
IT JUST WASN'T -- IT'S NOT OUT FRONT BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT DIFFERENT OUTCOMES, AND WE
NEED TO BE LOOKING AT BOTH. >> SO THEN HOW -- ALL RIGHT. SO I GUESS I DON'T SEE THE -- I SEE THE INTENT TO CREATE THE INDEX. I DON'T SEE THE CHANGE.
SO I GUESS WHAT I'M CONFUSED ABOUT IS THE -- MAYBE THIS ISN'T A QUESTION FOR YOU.
IT'S -- WHAT IS GOING TO BECOME OF THIS CCR FROM HERE? IF WE'RE ALREADY DOING IT? IS IT MAKING IT PUBLIC? IS IT MAYBE SHOWING THE CRITERIA?
>> WHAT STAFF IS GOING TO DO -- FIRST, WE HAVE A DASH BOARD.
PEOPLE AREN'T LOOKING AT IT REGULARLY. AND WHEN WE GO TO P.D.C.D., WE'LL HIGHLIGHT THE DASH BOARD, WE'LL GO QUARTERLY TO TALK ABOUT THE SHIP, AND IF IT'S RELATED TO THE SHIP, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE SHIP GOALS, SO THAT'LL BE FRONT AND CENTER TO TALK ABOUT THE
SHIP, MAKE SURE THAT CRITERIA IN THE INDEX IS OUT. >> OKAY.
SO AS I UNDERSTOOD IT, THE PROPOSAL WAS TO CREATE THIS SET OF TRIGGERS AND RESPONSES.
IT SEEMS LIKE WE ALREADY HAVE THE METRICS AND THE PROCESSES IN PLACE, AND YOU MENTIONED P.D.C.D. SO I GUESS I'M JUST GOING TO END WITH I'M A LITTLE -- I DON'T WANT TO BE UNSUPPORTIVE, BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHERE -- WHAT THE OUTCOME OF THE C.C.R., AND
AGAIN, MAYBE THAT'S NOT A QUESTION FOR YOU. >> THIS IS A BRIEFING BECAUSE WE FELT WE ALREADY DECLARED IT A HOUSING CRISIS, AND THEN AFTER TALKING TO THE HOUSING COUNCIL, WE REALIZED WHY SHE WAS CREATING THE C.C.R., AND THAT'S WHEN WE REALIZED, WE HAD INDEX NUMBERS,
AND WE'RE NOT SHARING IT. >> OKAY. ALL RIGHT.
>> SO THAT'S WHAT IT IS. TO CLARIFY WHAT WE'RE ALREADY DOING.
AND THEN THERE MIGHT BE NEW INDEX NUMBERS WHEN WE GO THROUGH P.D.C.D., SAY IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THIS. THIS IS WHAT WE'RE HEARING, AND IF WE'RE COLLECTING THAT,
WE'LL SHARE IT, IF NOT, WE'LL START COLLECTING THAT. >> THAT WAS MY OTHER CONCERN, MAKING IT SO NARROW OF AN INDEX I GUESS THAT WE'RE NOT BEING ADAPTABLE, BUT WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE ADAPTABLE. I MEAN, WE TALK ABOUT HOUSING IN TEN YEARS.
HOPEFULLY WE'RE NOT IN THE SAME SPACE; RIGHT? WE'RE IN A BETTER PLACE, BUT THERE MAY BE
DIFFERENT INDICATORS AND FACTORS RIGHT. >> YEAH AND THE GREAT EXAMPLE MIGHT BE IN THE POINT AND TIME COUNT. WHEN IT COMES OUT, WE MIGHT SEE A POPULATION GROWING DRASTICALLY THAT'S NEVER GROWN BEFORE.
AND WE MIGHT GO TO THE P.D.C.D. DURING OUR REGULAR UPDATE AND SAY WE REALLY WANT TO LOOK AT THIS POPULATION AND TRACK SOMETHING. AND SO IT IS FLUID, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF INPUTS, BUT THE POINT AND TIME COUNT IS SOMETHING WE LOOK AT TO SEE, OKAY, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE, AND THAT'S A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW THAT MIGHT CHANGE, THOSE
INDICATORS. >> OKAY, THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU COUNCILMEMBER.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION, COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE. >> THANK YOU, ONE THING I DON'T SEE WRITTEN IN DETERMINES THE NEEDS IS HOMELESS AND THE NUMBER OF HOMELESS OR THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH OUR DHS DEPARTMENTS TO KEEP FROM BEING HOMELESS, WHO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STAY IN THEIR HOMES, AND I KNOW EVEN A HARDER WAY TO TRACK PEOPLE IS HOW MANY ARE HOMELESS, BUT LIVING ON A FRIENDS' SOFA OR OUT OF THEIR CAR, ET CETERA, AND I DON'T SEE ANYTHING IN HERE THAT HELPS US UNDERSTAND THE CRISIS SITUATION THAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE IN.
WE CAN LOOK AT THE POINT AND TIME COUNT FIND OUT THERE'S 3200 SO-CALLED HOMELESS PEOPLE, AND MANY LIVE IN HAVEN FOR HOPE, AND SOME IN SAM'S SHELTER, THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT I THINK IF WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT A CRISIS, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IN GREATER DETAIL HOW BIG THAT CRISIS IS. ANOTHER THING YOU HAVE HERE IS 90,000 PEOPLE WAITING FOR A HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER. HOW MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY HAVE THEM, AND HOW MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO FIND A PLACE TO LIVE, LET'S SAY WITHIN 90 TO 180 DAYS OF GETTING A VOUCHER,
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AND HOW MANY PLACES ARE AVAILABLE THAT ARE ADVERTISING THEY ACCEPT VOUCHER, AND STATEMAT THESAME TIME HOW MANY E OUT THERE THAT SAY WE DO NOT ACCEPT VOUCHER.I THINK UNDERSTANDING MORE OF THAT KIND OF DATA WOULD HELP US UNDERSTAND THE DEPTH OF THE CRISIS WE'RE IN, AND I WOULD CERTAINLY LIKE TO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THAT INFORMATION
COME OUT. >> SO WE KIND OF PUT OUT THERE WHAT THE WAITING LIST, BUT WE ALSO WORK WITH THEM ON WHAT THE UTILIZATION OF THE VOUCHER DATE, AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE ALSO LOOK AT. AND YOU'RE RIGHT. THERE ARE A LOT OF FAMILIES THAT HAVE VOUCHER, IT'S SOMETHING WE'VE SEEN WITH OUR RELOCATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE FIND THAT NEW UNIT THAT IS AFFORDABLE TO THEM ON AN ONGOING BASIS.
WE'VE SEEN FROM LANDLORDS THE HESITATION TO RENT THE UNIT BECAUSE OF A PAST RENTAL HISTORY. WE'RE EXAMINING. SO OUR PARTNERS ARE ALL SAYING THE SAME THING. IT'S PART OF WHY WE CONTINUE TO OFFER THE RESOURCES WE DO AND HOW WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO BE CREATIVE. THIS PAST YEAR, WE HIRED TWO DIFFERENT COMPANIES, APARTMENT-LOCATING SERVICES WHERE WE WOULD PAY THEM, IF THEY WOULD TAKE ONE OF OUR CLIENTS WHO'S PENDING RELOCATION ASSISTANCE AND SPECIFICALLY FOCUS, AND THEY GET PAID BY GIVING THEM OPTIONS, AND THEN THEY GET ANOTHER STIPEND ONCE THEY GET THEM SIGNED, LEASED, AND REHOUSED. WE'RE TRYING THAT, I KNOW OPPORTUNITY HOME IS TRYING TO SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO AND WE'RE WORKING WITH HAVEN FOR HOPE, SAM MINISTRY TO SEE SOME OF THE ISSUES THEY'RE EXPERIENCING, THE WAIT TIME TO GET A UNIT INSPECTED SO THEY CAN GET THE VOUCHER. ALL ISSUES WE'RE WORKING
THROUGH. >> NOW YOU SAY SOME OF THIS INFORMATION IS ON A DASH BOARD.
HOW WOULD THE AVERAGE PERSON FIND THAT DASH BOARD. WHERE WOULD THEY GO.
>> IT'S ON OUR WEBSITE, THERE'S AN ICON, IT SAYS SHIP UPDATE.
THEY CLICK ON THAT, THERE'S ONE UPDATE THAT HAS THE COMMUNITY METRICS, AND ANOTHER ONE THAT GIVES YOU A MAP, SHOWS YOU THE INVESTMENTS. AND EVERY YEAR WE PUBLISH AN ANNUAL REPORT OF WHERE WE'RE AT. DISTRIBUTE HARD COPIES. AND IN JANUARY, WE'LL BE HOSTING OUR SECOND ANNUAL SHIP UPDATE. COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN COME OUT. HEAR ABOUT THE PROGRESS, AND WE PROMOTE THE DASH BOARD ONLINE AND AS LORI MENTIONED WE DO THE QUARTERLY UPDATES AT P.D.C.D. BUT WE'RE TRYING TO GET THE WORD
UP. >> WITH THE DASH BOARD ONLINE, DO YOU HAVE ANY WAY OF TRACKING USAGE, HOW MANY PEOPLE GO THERE, CLICK ON, AND THEN CLICK ON THE NEXT ONE SO THAT WE
CAN SEE THE EFFECTIVENESS OR THE EFFICIENCY OF THAT. >> YES.
>> DO WE HAVE THAT AVAILABLE. >> I DON'T HAVE THAT WITH ME, BUT WE CAN GET WITH IT AND GET
THAT. CLICK RATES. >> OKAY, BUT IT IS OUT THERE.
>> IT'S POSSIBLE. >> OKAY, ONE OTHER THING BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION, AND I'LL BRING IT TO YOURS. THERE'S A FEDERAL LAW THAT WOULD PROHIBIT VETERANS WHO MAY HAVE A VETERAN HOUSING ALLIANCE, BUT A LOT OF VETERANS GET DISCOURAGED BECAUSE THEY SEE SOMETHING IN THE PAPER OR HEAR WE DON'T ACCEPT THE VOUCHER. NOW, THEY DON'T REALIZE THAT THAT MAY NOT APPLY TO THEM BECAUSE THERE'S A VETERAN AND THERE'S A FEDERAL LAW THAT PROTECTS THEM. BUT STILL, IT PUTS UP ANOTHER BARRIER BECAUSE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE ARE GOING TO THINK, WELL, I CAN'T GO THERE BECAUSE THEY DON'T ACCEPT A VOUCHER. WHAT CAN WE DO TO BETTER EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY, MAYBE PROPERTY OWNERS, THAT IF THEY'RE GOING TO SOMEHOW MAKE IT CLEAR THAT THEY DON'T ACCEPT PEOPLE WITH VOUCHER, FOR WHATEVER REASON THEY CHOOSE TO DO THAT, THEY'LL UNDERSTAND AND STIPULATE THAT VETERANS ARE EXCLUDED. THEY WOULD ACCEPT A VETERAN'S VOUCHER.
I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN GET THAT MESSAGE OUT THERE. >> SURE.
>> AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S 100 VETERANS THAT SUFFER FROM THAT OR HOW MANY HAVE A VOUCHER, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION.
>> OKAY. >> AND I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN REMEDY THAT.
>> YEAH. WE CAN CERTAINLY WORK WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS AND SEE IF THERE'S GROUPS WE'VE WORKED WITH TO TALK ABOUT HOUSING WITH CERTAIN MILITARY GROUPS IN THE PAST. AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE OUR RENTERS RIGHTS CAMPAIGN, AND WE'LL BE DOING A SERIES OF VIDEOS, SO THOSE TEND TO BE MORE POPULAR THAN SAY A WRITTEN RESOLUTION EXPLAINING RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, AND WE'LL ALSO DO MONTHY UPDATES.
WE HAVE SPECIAL TRAININGS GEARED TOWARDS RENTERS, SOME GEARED TOWARDS HOUSING PROVIDERS, LANDLORDS, AND THEY UNDERSTAND, YOU DO HAVE TO ACCEPT THESE, HAVE TO DO THIS.
AND SO THE EDUCATION IS ON BOTH SIDES AND WITH THE CONTINUATION OF OUR CAMPAIGN THIS YEAR, WE'LL BE EXPANDING THE TENANT'S RIGHTS AND MAYBE WE'LL MAKE A NOTE TO HAVE A
[00:30:07]
SPECIAL NOTE FOR VETERANS. >> YEAH. I LIKE THE IDEA OF VIDEOS BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE VISUAL LEARNERS. SO DO WE HAVE A VIDEO FOR PROPERTY OWNERS ABOUT VOUCHER, ACCEPTING THEM, WHAT CONDITIONS, HOW TO EXCLUDE THEM. AND COULD WE INCLUDE
SOMETHING ABOUT VETERANS ALSO. >> YEAH. WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT.
ANOTHER THING WE'RE ROLLING OUT IS THE CREATION OF A NEW HOUSING PORTAL THROUGH SACRED, THAT'S OUR PARTNER, AND WE'LL BE DOING FOCUS GROUPS, AND SO ONE MAY BE FOCUS GROUPS OF VETERANS AND HOW TO MAKE SURE THAT PORTAL HAS INFORMATION THAT'S CLEAR AS WELL.
>> DOES THE DEPARTMENT ASSOCIATION HAVE MONTHLY OR ANNUAL MEETINGS OF ITS MEMBERS THAT WE GO TO AND TALK TO A BUNCH OF PEOPLE, NOT JUST THE BOARD MEMBERS AND ZOOM CALL, BUT, I MEAN, GET OUT THERE, MAKE A PRESENTATION IN FRONT OF PROPERTY OWNERS.
>> GARCIA: YEAH, WE CAN CERTAINLY DO THAT. I THINK WE'VE PARTNERED WITH THE ASSOCIATION ON ONE OF OUR MONTH LIEUTENANT'S
BUT THAT PARTNERSHIP IS CERTAINLY THERE. >> OKAY.
THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, VERONICA. >> THANK YOU.
>> TO THE WHOLE TEAM, KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK. YEAH?
>> I APOLOGIZE. I'M A LITTLE NEW TO THE PROCESS HERE.
I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY. WE'LL LOOK IN -- OUR OFFICE WILL LOOK INTO WHAT FEDERAL LAWS THERE MIGHT BE. WE'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE LAW YOU'VE CITED TO.
SO IF SOMEONE IN YOUR STAFF COULD PROVIDE THAT, WE'D BE HAPPY TO TAKE A LOOK.
BUT OUR TEAM WILL WORK WITH THE HOUSING ON DEVELOPMENT, TRAINING, TRAINING ON THE LAW, WE BELIEVE THERE'S STATE LAW THAT GIVES THE CITY SOME AUTHORITY TO TAKE ACTION TO
PROTECT VETERANS, AND WE'LL WORK WITH THEM ON THAT EDUCATION. >> THANK YOU.
>> GREAT. THANK YOU, DEBBIE. ALL RIGHT.
THAT'S ITEM 2. WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER 3.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON MAYOR AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS. THIS ITEM IS C.C.R. SUBMITTED BY COUNCILMEMBER MCKEE RODRIGUEZ ON ENCAMPMENT ABITMENTS.
AND SO D.H.S. COORDINATES BACKGROUND ABATEMENT EVENTS IN ALIGNMENT.
SITES ARE FIRST ASSESSED WITH HEALTH AND SAFETY IN ORDER TO PRIORITIZE THEM FOR THE SCHEDULE. HUMAN SERVICES PROVIDES NOTIFICATION AT LEAST 48 HOURS PRIOR TO ABATEMENT, BOTH VERBALLY AND THROUGH POSTED, WRITTEN SIGNS IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH. RESIDENTS OF THE ENCAMPMENT ARE PROVIDED OUTREACH AND CONNECTION AND ON THE DATE OF THE ABATEMENT. LAST YEAR, DHS COORDINATED 660 ABATEMENTS, MOST ON CITY RIGHT OF WAY OR DRAINAGE FACILITIES, AND CLEANED UP SOLID WASTE. THIS YEAR, WE'LL DO MORE THAN 700 ABATEMENTS, AND CONCURRENTLY MOVE 400 PEOPLE FROM THE STREETS TO SHELTER. THIS NUMBER, 680 ABATEMENTS ALSO INCLUDES COORDINATION WITH PARKS AND RECREATION WITH PARKLAND ABATEMENTS, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FOR PRIVATE PROPERTY, AND TXDOT UNDER THE EXPRESSWAYS. THE FISCAL YEAR ADDED ADDITIONAL IN D.H.S. AND FUNDING IN SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT TO ALLOW FOR FASTER RESPONSE TO CALLS WITH A TARGET OF 2-WEEK TURN AROUND FROM CALL TO THE ABATEMENT.
THE C.C.R. REQUESTS STAFF PROVIDE SPECIFIC KNOWIFICATION REPORTING ON ABATEMENT ACTIVITY, INCLUDING 48 HOURS ADVANCED NOTICE OF SCHEDULED ABATEMENTS TO OFFICES WHEN POSSIBLE, AND STAFF PROVIDE QUARTERLY, SUMMARY REPORTS OF ABATEMENT ACTIVITY BY DISTRICT, SPECIFICALLY, THE C.C.R. REQUESTED QUARTERLY REPORTING ON LOCATION OF THE ENCAMPMENT, THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF PEOPLE LIVING AT THE SITE, THE NUMBER AND DATE OF OUTREACH ATTEMPTS AND THE ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING THE OUTREACH. THE NUMBER OF ENCAMPMENT RESIDENTS WHO ACCEPTED OR DECLINED SHELTER, AND OR THE SERVICES AND THE REASONS THAT THEY DECLINE THE SHELTER OR SERVICES AS WELL AS THE COST OF THE CLEANUP. SO LAST MONTH, D.H.S. CREATED AN ABATEMENT DASH BOARD. IT CURRENTLY PROVIDES THE PUBLIC WITH INFORMATION ABOUT
[00:35:03]
ENCAMPMENTS AND THE ABATEMENT PROCESS AS WELL AS THE WEEKLY SCHEDULE OF ABATEMENT ACTIVITIES ONE WEEK IN ADVANCE AND IS TYPICALLY POSTED ON FRIDAY. WE PLAN TO ADD ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO THE DASH BOARD BY DECEMBER, INCLUDING HOMELESS RESOURCES HOTLINE, STREET OUTREACH, VETERAN HOMELESSNESS, AND LOW BARRIER SHELTER PERFORMANCE.THE SLIDE SHOWS A CLIP OF THE WEB PAGE THAT'S CURRENTLY UP WITH LAST WEEK'S SCHEDULE OF SITES THAT ARE IDENTIFIED BY CROSS STREET AND COUNCIL DISTRICT.
AND SO STAFF IS SUPPORTIVE OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS C.C.R.
WE'VE PROVIDED REPORTS TO COUNCIL OFFICES OVER THE LAST YEAR ISOMETRICS FOR OUR STREET OUTREACH. SITE ABATEMENTS, AND THE HOT LINE.
WE REQUEST MOST OF THE DATA COLLECTED THROUGH THE C.C.R. AND ADD THOSE REQUESTED DATA POINTS TO THE QUARTERLY REPORTS. THE INFORMATION WILL BE POSTED ONLINE AT THAT WEBSITE, AND THIS CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATION. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER
QUESTIONS. >> ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MELODY.
WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL DISCUSSION. >> HAVRDA: THANK YOU.
MAYOR. I KNOW THE COUNCILMEMBER IS EXCITED TO SEE THROUGH THE BUDGET. THE ENCAMPMENT ABATEMENT IS A VICIOUS CIRCLE. I WAS -- SOME OF US WERE IN NATIONAL CITIES THIS LAST WEEKEND. A LOT OF US WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS IS ISSUE. I MEAN, OBVIOUS NOT JUST HAPPENING IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT MANY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY ARE DEALING WITH THIS. ENCAMPMENTS ARE CLEARED, AND THEN PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE ARE MOVED AND THEN ESTABLISH A NEW ENCAMPMENT SOMEWHERE ELSE. I'VE BEEN TO A NUMBER OF ENCAMPMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN THERE FOR A WHILE AND THEN OF COURSE ONES THAT ARE BEING CLEANED UP, AND IT'S PRETTY HEARTBREAKING SOMETIMES TO SEE.
THE WAY OUR PROCESS WORKS NOW, OUR COUNCIL OFFICE DIDN'T KNOW OF PLANNED ABATEMENTS UNLESS WE ASKED FOR IT, SO I DO REALLY APPRECIATE THE DASH BOARD. I KNOW WE'RE ALL BIG FANS OF DASH BOARDS, AND OBVIOUSLY THIS IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, THE ENCAMPMENT ABATEMENT HAS AN IMPACT ON THE CITY, ON OUR NONPROFIT COMMUNITY, ON PUBLIC SAFETY, ON MENTAL HEALTH, AND SO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION TODAY AND FOR THE INITIATIVE.
I JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION. THIS IS JUST KIND OF -- YOU KNOW, JUST CURIOUS. ONE OF THE THINGS I HEARD, AND I'LL SEE, WHAT SOME CITIES ARE DOING -- WHAT IS OURS?
A 48 HOUR. >> A 48 HOUR NOTICE. >> HAVRDA: SOME CITIES ARE DOING TWO WEEKS, AND THEY'RE SAYING THAT'S MORE EFFECTIVE. NOT JUST TWO WEEK NOTICE, BUT HAVING SOCIAL WORKERS GO OUT EACH OF THE DAY TWO WEEKS. DO YOU HAVE AN OPINION?
OR. >> I THINK THERE ARE CITIES DOING MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF NOTIFICATION. WE MADE A COMMITMENT DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS TO RESPOND TO CALLS WITHIN TWO WEEKS AND COMPLETE THE ABATEMENT. AND SO WE'RE DOING THAT OUTREACH AS QUICKLY AS WE GET THE CALL. WE TRY TO GO MORE THAN ONE TIME FOR SURE. AND A LOT OF THE ENCAMPMENTS MAY HAVE ALREADY BEEN VISITED BY OUR STREET OUTREACH TEAM, AND SO THERE'S
SOME HISTORY THERE OF CONTACT WITH THEM. >> HAVRDA: OKAY.
I MEAN, IT'S A BALANCED ISSUE. WE ALSO WANT TO RESPOND TO RESIDENTS WHO ARE NOT HAPPY ABOUT THEM BEING THERE.
SO. >> AND I WANT TO CLARIFY, YOU KNOW, 48
HOURS IS A MINIMUM. >> HAVRDA: OKAY. >> BUT WE GO OUT IN ADVANCED. SO WE HAVE A SPECIAL TEAM THAT FOCUSES JUST ON ENCAMPMENTS. SO THAT TEAM WILL GO OUT AT LEAST 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE TO THE ENCAMPMENT. BUT THEN WE HAVE OUR OTHER 38 OUTREACH TEAM MEMBERS THAT DO THE DAY-TO-DAY OUTREACH.
IF THEY KNOW AN ITEM IS SCHEDULED FOR ABATEMENT, THEY'RE ALSO
DOING THAT OUTREACH IN THE ENCAMPMENT. >> HAVRDA: OKAY.
>> SO IT COULD VERY WELL BE A WEEK TO 2 WEEKS PRIOR TO THAT 48 HOUR REQUIREMENT, BUT THAT 48 HOUR REQUIREMENT IS WHAT WE CAN COMMIT TO, AND THAT'S WHAT OUR OUTREACH ENCAMPMENT TEAM IS DOING.
>> HAVRDA: OKAY. THAT'S AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION. I APPRECIATE THAT. AS I MENTIONED, I DON'T THINK ANYONE WOULD DISAGREE THAT THESE ENCAMPMENTS ARE PUBLIC SAFETY AND NEIGHBORHOOD ISSUES. SO I MOVE THAT THIS ITEM BE SENT TO OUR
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE FOR UPDATES. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: OKAY.
A MOTION AND A SECOND ON THIS ITEM TO MOVE UPDATES TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE. SO WE'LL HAVE A CONTINUED DISCUSSION WITH THAT MOTION. COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE.
>> THANK YOU, MAJOR. I GUESS THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE INVOLVED WHEN IT COMES TO ABATEMENTS. OBVIOUSLY, SOLID
[00:40:08]
WASTE MANAGEMENT, THE POLICE, D.H.S., AND SOME OF THE INDIVIDUAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT MAY SEND PEOPLE OUT TO DO OUTREACH.WHAT I SEE, IN MY DISTRICT, AND I'VE HEARD IN OTHER DISTRICTS TOO.
A LOT OF TIMES, THESE ABATEMENTS ARE LOCATED IN CREEK BEDS AND DRAINAGE AREAS, WHICH ARE, OBVIOUSLY, PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY PROBLEMS BECAUSE IF THESE AREAS GET FLOODED, PEOPLE'S LIVES CAN BE LOST, BUT THEN WE CLOG UP THESE WAYS WITH TRASH AND CAR BADGE BEING ACCUMULATED BY THESE ENCAMPMENTS, AND I'M WONDERING, DO WE HAVE STORM WATER MANAGEMENT AS PART OF THIS TEAM? ARE THEY GOING OUT AND CHECKING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE PROBLEMS WITH STORM
WATER MANAGEMENT BECAUSE OF THESE ENCAMPMENTS? >> YES AND -- SO ON THE SIDE OF THE INDIVIDUAL WHO'S EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, STORM WATER IS ACTUALLY PART OF OUR TEAM IN HELPING NOTIFY PEOPLE THAT A STORM IS COMING, RAIN IS COMING, BUT THEY ALSO HELP US WHEN WE'VE ABATED, FOR EXAMPLE, SEVERAL TIMES AT A LOCATION, AND THERE'S SO MUCH TRASH PILED UP, IT DOES CREATE THAT FLOOD RISK, WE WORK WITH PUBLIC WORKS AND STORM WATER TO POTENTIALLY PUT BARRIERS UP SO PEOPLE CAN'T GET BACK INTO THE DRAINAGE AREAS.
>> OKAY. AND ALMOST EVERY CREEK IN THE CITY FLOWS INTO A RIVER. AND SO WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP WITH SAN ANTONIO RIVER AUTHORITY TO HELP WITH ABATEMENTS AND ANYTHING ELSE IN
THIS AREA? >> THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION, COUNCILMEMBER.
WE DO NOT WORK WITH THE RIVER AUTHORITY RIGHT NOW, BUT WE
CERTAINLY WILL REACH OUT. >> YEAH.
I THINK THAT WE SHOULD. I MEAN, I APPRECIATE A LOT OF THE WORK THEY DO. I LIKE THE IDEA OF WHAT THEY DID, HELPING THE CREEKS THROUGH THE CITY, FLOOD MANAGEMENT, AND THEY'RE GOOD AT BUILDING PARKS ALONG THE CREEKWAYS IN OTHER COUNTIES, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF THEY WOULD HELP BE A PARTNER IN SOME OF WHAT IT TAKES TO KEEP THESE CREEK BEDS CLEANER, HEALTHIER, SAFER, AND OUR WATER SAFER THAT WAY TOO. ANOTHER QUESTION I HAVE, IT'S ONE I WONDER OUR OUTREACH WORKERS ASK, THE PEOPLE OUT THERE HOMELESS, WHEREVER THEY ARE IN CAMP, ARE WE ASKING THEM WHY THEY'RE THERE? AND I DON'T MEAN WHY ARE THEY HOMELESS, BUT WHY ARE THEY ENCAMPING WHERE THEY ARE. AND I SAY THAT FROM THE POINT OF VIEW AS WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE DOWNTOWN, AND THEY'RE ALWAYS DOWNTOWN, AND WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE ENCAMPED IN EVERY SINGLE COUNCIL DISTRICT, AND I'M WONDERING WHY ARE THEY THERE? AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE I KNOW ONE MAN WHO IS RIGHT IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND HE'S THERE BECAUSE HE GREW UP IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD AND THAT'S WHY HE'S HOMELESS AND CAMPING IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. AND I GUESS THE REAL QUESTION OR THE ANSWER THAT GOES WITH THAT IS WILL PEOPLE ACCEPT HOUSING RATHER THAN BEING WHERE THEY ARE? OR ARE THEY JUST WANTING TO BE WHERE THEY ARE? AND NO MATTER WHERE YOU OFFER THEM HOUSING, THEY MAY NOT BE LIKELY TO TAKE IT. SO THAT'S WHY I'M WONDERING HOW DEEPLY WE'RE EXPLORING WHEN SOMEONE IS HOMELESS, WHY ARE YOU HERE? ARE YOU WILLING TO RELOCATE SOMEWHERE ELSE IF THERE'S AN ADVANTAGE FOR YOU TO DO THAT?
SO. >> COUNCILMAN, I CAN ASK THAT FOR YOU.
SO WHEN WE WERE IN THE DRAINAGE CHALLENGES, WE WERE ASKING EVERY INDIVIDUAL THERE IF THEY'RE WANTING TO GET CONNECTED TO RESOURCES. SO WE OFFER SHELTER, HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES, AND IF THERE ARE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES, THEY TAKE US UP ON ANSWERING QUESTIONS, WORKING, HAVE INCOME, AND SO DEPENDING TO THE ANSWER OF THOSE QUESTIONS, WE TRY TO FIND THE BEST FIT AND PATH, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF IF THAT HOUSING IS AVAILABLE AT THE TIME AND HOW
LONG IT TAKES TO GET TO THE PROCESS. >> COURAGE: WOULD YOU SAY IF WE HAD 300,000 AVAILABLE UNITS, AND WE TALKED TO THEM, 2/3 MIGHT SAY, YEAH, WE'D GO YOU HAVE A
PLACE FOR ME. >> IF IT'S AVAILABLE, A HIGH PACTAGE OF FOLKS
WOULD BE WILLING TO TRY THAT ROUTE. >> COURAGE: SO ONE OF THE CONCERNS WE HAVE IS DO WE HAVE THE HOUSING AVAILABLE FOR PEOPLE, AND I KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, WE'RE TAKING ON ANOTHER HOTEL SO WE CAN MAKE HOUSING AVAILABLE, BUT WE'VE GOT HALF THE PEOPLE ON THAT 3200 POINT AND TIME COUNT LITERALLY HOMELESS, THEY'RE NOT IN A SHELTER.
[00:45:01]
THEY'RE UNSHELTERED. SO I JUST WANTED TO EXPLORE THAT.>> AND I WANTED TO CLARIFY SOME THINGS. WE HAVE HOUSING, AND WE'LL OFFER INDIVIDUALS HOUSING. TYPICALLY, THE HOUSING WE HAVE IS AT HAVEN. THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO DON'T WANT TO GO TO CONCRETE SHELTER. SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ASK IF YOU HAD 300,000 UNITS AND WE OFFERED EVERYONE A HOUSING UNIT.
THERE'S SO MANY -- IT DEPENDS ON THE HOUSING, IF IT'S IN THIS LOCA LOCATION, IF I CAN BRING MY FAMILY. IF IT'S MY OWN ROOM, IF IT'S CONGRAT. AND WE HAVE INDIVIDUALS WHO GO TO HAVEN, WHO HAVE GO TO A LOW BARRIER SHELTER, AND THEY LEAVE BECAUSE THEY MISS THEIR COMMUNITY. LIKE YOU SAID, THEY LIKE THAT LOCATION, THEY LIKE THEIR COMMUNITY. SO THERE'S JUST SO MANY DIFFERENT CONDITIONS THAT HAVE TO EXIST FOR SOMEONE TO BE ABLE TO TAKE HOUSING, BUT RIGHT NOW, IF WE HAD 3,000 HOUSING UNITS AT HAVEN, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF CAPACITY IN THE COURTYARD, THE MAJORITY WOULD NOT TAKE IT BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT WHO DON'T WANT CONGREGATE SHELTER, AND THEY NEED THAT SUPPORT OF HOUSING OR INDIVIDUAL HOUSING OR THEY WANT TO STAY OUT. SO I WANTED TO ADD THE CAVEAT THAT I DON'T WANT TO DISAGREE, BUT THERE'S SO MANY TYPES OF HOUSING THAT WE WOULD NEED TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
>> COURAGE: YEAH. AND WE'VE HEARD THERE'S A HARD CORE NUMBER OF PEOPLE, 500, 800, WHATEVER. WHO WILL NEVER COME OFF THE STREET UNLESS SOMETHING DRAMATIC HAPPENS TO THEM INDIVIDUALLY. BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF OTHERS, AND I THINK ALL OF US RECOGNIZE HOMELESS CAN BE HELPED IF THERE IS A HOME FOR THEM TO BE IN OR A HOUSE OF SOME KIND.
EVEN HAVEN IS FULL. THEY COULDN'T KEEP 300 PEOPLE TOMORROW AND KEEP THEM PERMANENTLY, MIGHT HOUSE THEM OUTSIDE.
SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON PROVIDING MORE HOUSING IF WE'RE GOING TO BEAT THIS HOMELESS PROBLEM.
THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, ERIC. LOOKS LIKE YOU WANT
TO JUMP IN. >> YEAH. COUNCILMAN ASKING ABOUT RIVER AUTHORITY. WHO DOES DO CLEANUPS ALONG THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER ON THE SOUTH SIDE AREAS THEY'RE MAINTAINING, SO THEY DO HELP IN THAT SENSE, AND I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THE COUNCIL WAS AWARE OF
THAT PIECE THEY HELP US WITH. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS? AND BEFORE WE TAKE UP THE MOTION, ERIC, HAVE WE SCHEDULED THAT -- HAVE WE HAD THAT B SESSION YET WHERE WE'RE CONVENING ALL OF OUR HOMELESS AND HOUSING ECOSYSTEM PROVIDERS AND ORGANIZATIONS? DO YOU REMEMBER WE TALKED ABOUT THAT SEVERAL MONTHS AGO.
>> I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S ON THE SCHEDULE YET, MAYOR, BUT WE CAN
ADD IT TO EITHER THE JANUARY OR FEBRUARY. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: YEAH.
OBVIOUSLY THIS IS AN IMPORTANT DISCUSSION FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND ALL THE FACETS OF THIS ISSUE AND HOW IT RELATES TO EVERYTHING WE'RE DOING AS A CITY. I KNOW WE HAVE METRO HEALTH HERE, BUT IT CERTAINLY BRINGS TO INTO THE DISCUSSION THE PREVIOUS -- THE HOUSING CRISIS AND PUBLIC RESPONSE. I THINK WE'RE DOING BETTER THAN MOST CITIES ON PUBLIC OUTREACH AND HELPING PEOPLE WHO ARE DISCONNECTED FROM THIS ISSUE HELP UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE, WHICH IS WHY WE SUCCESSFULLY PASSED THAT HOUSING BOND BY LARGE NUMBERS BECAUSE I THINK THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH.
BUT MAKING SURE WE LEVEL THE DISCUSSION IN ALL THE DIFFERENT PIECES IS IMPORTANT. MARK IS HERE. MARK'S WORK ON THE HOUSING SYSTEM CONNECTS BOTH MELODY AND CLAUDE AND MIKE RAMSEY AND MANY OTHER PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY, MAKING SURE WE HAVE UNITS OF ALL KINDS FOR PEOPLE TO ACTUALLY GO INTO IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
WE'RE JUST SCRATCHING THE SURFACE ON THIS, AND I JUST TALKED TO A GROUP OF SENIORS TODAY IN FORD SAM HOUSTON, AND HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES OF THE HOMELESS SITUATION AS IT RELATES TO WHAT WE'RE SPENDING MONEY ON IN THE HOUSING BOND AND IT'S NOT AS EASY AS CALLING IN AN ENCAMPMENT. IF WE DO THAT, WE HAVE NO PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO GO, THEN WE'LL JUST BE CALLING IT AGAIN. SO I THINK IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT DISCUSSION, AND WE SHOULD MAYBE THINK ABOUT THE VENUE FOR THAT DISCUSSION NOT BEING IN THIS ROOM, BUT MAYBE SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT MORE PUBLIC SO WE CAN HAVE THAT
[00:50:04]
CONVERSATION OPENLY ABOUT ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT PIECES, AND HOW IT IMPACTS EVERYBODY'S LIFE INSAN ANTONIO. >> MAYOR, MEGAN SHARED WE'RE SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 15.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: PERFECT. MAYBE WE MOVE IT INTO THE CHAMBER AND
PUBLICIZE IT. >> PERFECT. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THERE'S ONE OTHER THING I WANT TO SAY. BUT I -- OH, I DID REMEMBER.
SO WE HAVE A LOT OF DASH BOARDS. I LOVE DASH BOARDS TOO. I ASKED THIS ONE TIME, NOW I'VE GOT MORE WITNESSES. WE NEED A DASH BOARD OF DASH BOARDS. CAN WE GET -- AND I'M BEING SERIOUS -- ON THE FRONT PAGE, CAN WE HAVE JUST A DATA LINK THAT LINKS TO A PAGE THAT WE CAN CLICK ON OR WHATEVER, BUT JUST MAKE IT FRONT AND CENTER FOR EVERYBODY, WHETHER THAT'S DIGITALIN COLLUSION, HOMELESSNESS, WORK FORCE, ANY OF THAT STUFF, BUT MAKE ALL OF THAT DATA THROUGH A SINGLE PORTAL. I'M ONLY SEEING HEAD NODS, SO I THINK IT'S UNANIMOUS APPROVAL
THERE. OKAY. >> IT'S ONE OF THE INTERNAL ISSUES THAT WE HAVE BECAUSE THERE'S A LIST OF 15 OR 20 THINGS THAT I WANT TO SEE AS CITY MANAGER, LIKE, WEEKLY. THERE'S ANOTHER 10 THAT I WANT TO SEE MONTHLY.
AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO ALIGN SO THAT WE HIT THOSE THINGS, AND WE CAN COMMUNICATE BETTER.
WE'VE GOT THE THREE PLUS NINE REPORT WE DO FOR COUNCIL ON A QUARTERLY BASIS THAT NEEDS A REFRESH, AND PROBABLY MORE ALIGNED WITH THE THINGS TO DO, THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ON HOMELESS THAN SOME OF THE OTHER ISSUES ON THERE, SO WE'LL TRY TO UPDATE THAT AND WE'LL FOLLOW UP
ON THAT, MAYOR. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: OKAY. GREAT.
IN MY OPINION, THERE'S NOT A BETTER CITY IN THE COUNTRY TO MODEL ON THAT ISSUE THAN THE CITY OF BALTIMORE. SO IF WE COULD LOOK AT THEIR DATA OUTPUT INTERFACE. YOU DON'T LIKE IT? I WAS IMPRESSED WHEN I WENT THERE.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: ALL RIGHT. >> WELL I GUESS WE'LL HAVE TO SUPPRESS YOU
HERE. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: IMPRESS ME. BUT THERE IS A DASH BOARD -- WELL, AT LEAST FOR SOME ITEMS. BUT WE CAN DO IT BETTER.
I'M SURE WE CAN. OKAY. THERE IS A MOTION IN A SECOND FOR APPROVAL OF -- OR FOR MOVING UPDATES ON THIS ABATEMENT NOTIFICATION POLICY TO PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
ANY OPPOSED? THANK YOU COUNCILMEMBER RODRIGUEZ.
ALL RIGHT. WE'LL GO TO ITEM NUMBER 4. >> GOOD AFTERNOON MAYOR AND COUNCIL. ITEM NUMBER 4 IS A BRIEFING ON A COUNCIL CONSIDERATION REQUEST FROM COUNCILMEMBER CASTE OPIOID CASES AND NARCAN. JUST A BACKGROUND.
FILED IN JUNE 2023, REQUIRE THAT WE DESIGNATE OPIOID RELATED OVERDOSES ON A PUBLIC CRISIS AND FOCUS ON DIFFERENT EFFORTS TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THIS. NUMBER 1 IS DEVELOPING A BUDGET AND A PLAN WITH REDUCTION STRATEGIES FOR THE EXTENSE OF FUNDS FOR AN OPIOID SETTLEMENT AND STARTED TO RECEIVE A PORTION OF THE FUNDING. NUMBER 2, EXPAND THAT AVAILABILITY, TRAINING, AND USE OF NARCAN FOR COMMUNITY-BASED NONPROFITS AND PUBLIC-FACING CITY OF SAN ANTONIO DEPARTMENTS. AND FINALLY, TO FUND A SPONSORED PROGRAM FOR PREGNANT PEOPLE AND NEW MOTHERS EXPERIENCING OPIOID ADDICTION. SOME THINGS ADOPTED IN THE BUDGET, AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED CLOSE TO HALF A MILLION DOLLARS FOR TWO PROGRAMS, AN OPIOID PROGRAM CRISIS RESPONSE. THESE PROGRAMS ARE TAILORED TO ASSIST THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE CONTACTED 911 AND ARE EXPERIENCING A CRISIS RELATED TO OPIOIDS, FIRE DEPARTMENT, THIS WOULD PROVIDE THOSE ITEMS WITH THE RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED AND CONNECT THEM TO SERVICES AS WELL. IN THE METRO HEALTH DEPARTMENT THROUGH THE EFFORTS THAT WERE FINAL THROUGH OUR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE.
THERE WAS APPROVAL OF CLOSE TO $650,000 OVER TWO YEARS TO FUND A PROGRAM FOR WHICH WE HAVE
[00:55:07]
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING HARM REDUCTION PROGRAMS TO OUR COMMUNITY.AND FINALLY, THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED $100,000 IN THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
THESE RESOURCES WILL PROVIDE MEDICALLY ASSISTED TREATMENT FOR ABOUT 30 INDIVIDUALS WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. SO THAT'S JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME BACKGROUND OF THOSE PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON AND CURRENTLY FUNDED IN OUR BUDGET. NOW, IN TERMS OF THE OPIOID SETTLEMENT, WHAT WE KNOW TODAY IS THE CDC IS ANTICIPATING TO RECEIVE CLOSE TO $1.6 MILLION OVER A SHARE OF AN OPIOID SETTLEMENT. THIS IS TO BE PAID OUT OVER 18 YEARS.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT SCHEDULES ON HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET THIS FUNDING, BUT OVERALL, IT'S 18 YEARS. WE HAVE RECEIVED THUS FAR $1.3 MILLION OF THE $6.1 MILLION. WE ALREADY HAVE THAT IN THE BANK.
AND SO IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THE C.C.R., WHAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING TO THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE IS THAT WE'LL BE LEADING A PLAN THAT WE'LL BRING FORWARD TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL AT A B SESSION, AND THAT B SESSION WILL COINCIDE WITH THE THREE PLUS NINE FINANCIAL REPORT THAT WE TYPICALLY DO IN THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY. THIS PLAN WILL BE WORKING THROUGH OUR METRO HEALTH DEPARTMENT WILL ADDRESS THE EFFORTS THAT ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN THE C.C.R. AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE $1.3 MILLION THAT WE CAN PUT INTO PRODUCTION RIGHT AWAY, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A PLAN FOR THE REMAINING AMOUNT OF THE SETTLEMENT. AND, AGAIN, THIS IS TO PROVIDE SOME ALTERNATIVES TO THE COUNCIL AND GET YOUR FEEDBACK IN THAT B SESSION. THAT CONCLUSION MY PRESENTATION, AND CLAUDE JACOB FROM THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT IS HERE WITH ME, SO WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY
QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: GREAT.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MARÍA. AGAIN, AN ITEM FOR BRIEFING. SO WE'LL MOVE RIGHT TO COUNCIL DISCUSSION.
COUNCILMEMBER GARCIA. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU, MAYOR. AND I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT CRIB CASTILLO DID ON THIS. MARÍA, YOU MENTIONED IT WOULD BE DURING THE THREE PLUS NINE BUDGET BRIEFING, AND I FEEL LIKE THERE'S JUST SO MUCH GOING ON JUST DURING THAT PERIOD, IS THERE ANY WAY THAT IT WOULD COME TO CHECK FIRST? LIKE, WOULD THERE BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRING IT THROUGH CHECK FOR
ADDITIONAL INPUT? >> I THINK IF THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE WOULD LIKE US TO DO THAT, WE COULD DO THAT COMING TO THE B SESSION.
>> GARCIA: OKAY. I MOVE THAT WE SEND IT TO CHECK. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: ALL RIGHT.
THERE WAS A MOTION TO MOVE TO THIS TO CHECK FOR THE UPDATES IN CHECK. THERE WAS -- WE'LL CONTINUE A DISCUSSION.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION, ERIC? >> WELL, IT WASN'T UPDATE TO CHECK, IT WAS TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION WITH CHECK
IN ADVANCE TO THE FULL COUNCIL; RIGHT? >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: YEAH, THE THREE PLUS NINE DISCUSSION FIRST AT CHECK. OKAY.
YEAH. COUNCILMEMBER HAVRDA. >> HAVRDA: THANK YOU.
MAYOR. I WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT NARCAN; RIGHT? WHEN IT GOES TO COMMITTEE AND GOES TO -- COMES BACK TO US, THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HOW WE USE SOME OF THESE FUNDS AT LEAST TO ACCESS NARCAN, THAT'S ONE OF THE PRIMARY
GOALS; CORRECT. >> THAT IS CORRECT, AND IN CONVERSATIONS WITH METRO HEALTH AND, AGAIN, WE'LL HAVE THIS IN MORE DISCUSSION WITH THE COUNCIL, THERE ARE OTHER ADDICTIONS THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS EXPERIENCING OUTSIDE OF OPIOIDS, SO WE WOULD LIKE TO LAY OUT A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, BUT DEFINITELY WE'LL INCLUDE, AND THEY'RE EXPANDING THE ABILITY AND TRAINING FOR THE USE OF NARCAN.
>> HAVRDA: OKAY. THANK YOU. >> AND REMEMBER, WE ALSO HAD -- IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, HARM REDUCTION STRATEGIES THAT WERE INCORPORATED. IT WOULD ENCOMPASS SOME OF THOSE ASPECTS, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE DIRECTLY RELATED TO OPIOID.
AND THEN YOU'VE GOT -- ON THE SLIDE THEY'RE SHOWING, THE PROGRAMS WE FUNDED. I THINK THE STATE REDUCED A GRANT THAT WE RECEIVED PREVIOUSLY THAT WAS BEING SERVICED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ON RESPONSE. SO THOSE COULD BE PART OF THE GENERAL
CONVERSATION AS WELL, I THINK. >> HAVRDA: OKAY.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MARÍA. >> MAYOR NIRENBERG: THANK YOU
[01:00:01]
COUNCILMEMBER H HARASS VRDA. COUNCILMEMBER COURAGE. YEAH.TODAY WE RECEIVED THIS LETTER, AND IN IT, THERE WAS DISCUSSION ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WOMEN WHO ARE PREGNANT CAN RECEIVE NARCAN AS A WAY OF TREATING THEIR OUD, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE THIS GETS PASSED ON TO THE COMMITTEE AS IT DISCUSSES THAT ISSUE BECAUSE I THINK IT'S
RELEVANT. THAT'S ALL. >> THANK YOU COUNCILMAN, AND, YES, THAT'S ONE OF THE THREE EFFORTS WE PLAN TO INCORPORATE IN
THAT WAS AN EMAIL PASSED ALONG FROM DR. CLEVELAND.
SO. ALL RIGHT. THERE IS A MOTION TO SECOND TO MOVE THIS RECOMMENDATION TO THE CHECK COMMITTEE -- WE'RE
STILL CALLING IT THE CHECK? >> UH-HUH.
>> MAYOR NIRENBERG: WHATEVER IT'S CALLED NOW. OKAY.
YEAH. COMMUNITY HEALTH COMMITTEE.
C.H.C. CHECK. WE'LL CALL IT CHECK.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
ALL THOSE OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. I THINK THAT'S THE BALANCE OF THE AGENDA. IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE,
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.