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ALRIGHT. WONDERFUL. ARE WE READY? OKAY. THANK YOU, EVERYONE. WELCOME TO THE PCDC AGENDA OR MEETING FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7TH. WE WILL START WITH A QUICK ROLL CALL.
QUORUM. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU. BOTH COUNCILMAN PELAEZ AND VIAGRAN ARE ON THEIR WAY. COUNCIL MEMBER VIAGRAN HAD A BIG CELEBRATION IN HER DISTRICT TODAY. WE WILL START WITH THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM JANUARY 23RD. I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR PLEASE SAYAYE. ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? ALRIGHT. MOTION CARRIES.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE ARE MOVING ON TO PUBLIC COMMENT BUT WE DON'T HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP, DO WE, DEBBIE? OKAY.
WONDERFUL. NO PROBLEM. SO LET'S SEE.
WE WILL START WITH -- WELL, ACTUALLY, IS SHE OKAY WITH THE PRESENTATION? OKAY, PERFECT. WE WILL START WITH ITEM 2, A DESIGNATION OF A PETITION-INITIATED TAX INCREMENT REINVESTMENT ZONE TO BE NAMED AND SO I WILL ACTUALLY TURN IT OVER. IT'S SPECIFICALLY FOR ROSILLO CREEK IN DISTRICT 3.
>> COMMITTEE MEMBERS -- OH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. PERFECT.
I WILL GO QUICKLY THROUGH THE BACKGROUND AND THE PROPOSED PROJECT WHICH IS A TIRZ CREATION. THE PROJECT IS APPROXIMATELY 1800 ACRES LOCATED SOUTHEAST OF THE INTERSECTION OF LOOP 410 AND NEW SULPHUR SPRINGS ROAD, WITHIN COUNCIL DISTRICT 3, WITHIN THE EAST CENTRAL INDEPENDENCE SCHOOL SDRISHTHS WITHIN THE VICINITY OF MAJOR EMPLOYERS, HEB, DISTRIBUTION CENTER AND APEXSIGN GROUP. TEXAS SENATE DISTRICT 21 AND TEXAS HOUSE DISTRICT 118. IN CONJUNCTION WITH THIS TIRZ, THERE IS ALSO PROPOSED ANNEXATION WITH THE PROPERTY, ABOUT 795 ACRES IN THE EASTERN HALF OF THE CURRENT PROPOSED PROPERTIES OUTSIDE THE CITY BOUNDARIES WITH NO ASSIGNED ZONING.
THE STATUS IS PRESENTLY AGRICULTURALLY EXEMPT. IT WILL BE CATEGORIZED AS BUSINESS MIXED USE. THE ANNEXATION WILL BE CONSIDERED CONCURRENTLY WITH THE TIRZ DESIGNATION IF APPROVED TO MOVE FORWARD. THE PROPOSED PROJECT INCLUDES A MIX OF USES THAT INCLUDES SINGLE FAMILY, MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL, WITH AMENITIES SUCH AS A COMMUNITY PARK AND OPEN GREEN SPACE.
THE PROJECT IS ENVISIONED TO BE PHASED OVER 30 YEARS. IT INCLUDES OVER 1,000 ACRES OF RESIDENTIAL, ESTIMATED OVER 5,200 SINGLE FAMILY MARKET RATE UNITS.
THE AVERAGE HOME PRICE OF THOSE UNITS IS EXPECTED TO BE A LITTLE OVER $315,000.
67 ACRES OF MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT, 170 ACRES OF COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND 424 ACRES OF BUSINESS PARK. WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT, THERE ARE A LITTLE -- IS AROUND 330 ACRES THAT WILL BE USED FOR OPEN AND GREEN SPACE FOR THE RESIDENTS IN THE COMMUNITY.
AS IT RELATES TO DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS, THE TOTAL DEVELOPMENT COST IS ESTIMATED TO BE AT OVER $1.2 BILLION. THE DEVELOPER THROUGH HIS APPLICATION IS SEEKING TIRZ REIMBURSEMENT AND DESIGNATION, TIRZ DESIGNATION REIMBURSEMENT FOR PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT IN AN AMOUNT UP TO $156 MILLION. THE COSTS INCLUDE UTILITIES, SAWS, STATION IMPROVEMENTS, WATER AND CPS IMPROVEMENTS AND ARTERIAL ROADWAYS.
A BREAKDOWN OF THOSE COSTS IS THERE ON THE SLIDE. IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE UPDATED TIRZ POLICY, THE PROJECT WILL BE PROVIDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT WILL BE IN THE FORM OF LAND DONATION TO THE SAN ANTONIO HOUSING TRUST, APPROXIMATELY 50 ACRES.
THAT WILL SERVE AS A SITE FOR FUTURE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.
THIS STRATEGY IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH OUR STRATEGIC HOUSING IMPLEMENTATION PLAN WHICH SPECIFICALLY CALLS OUT FOR LAND BANKING TO ENSURE THAT AS WE GROW AND THE CITY MOVES TO INVEST IN AREAS THAT ARE CURRENTLY UNDEVELOPED OR UNDERDEVELOPED WITHIN THE CITY, THAT WE PLAN FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING TO BE INTEGRATED.
THE SITE WILL BE SUITABLE FOR SINGLE AND MULTI-FAMILY AND IT WILL BE DEVELOPED ONCE INFRASTRUCTURE AND AMENITIES IN THE SURROUNDING AREA HAVE BEEN BUILT OUT TO ENSURE ADEQUATE ACCESS TO LOW INCOME RESIDENTS. IN ADDITION TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING, THE PROJECT IS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE TIFF POLICY.
IT MEETS THE GOALS OF THE CITY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, SPECIFICALLY THE SOUTHEAST
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COMMUNITY PLAN, BY CONVERTING THE UNDERDEVELOPED PROPERTY TO INCLUDE A MIX OF USES INCLUDING QUALITY RESIDENTIAL HOUSING, COMMERCIAL AREAS, PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS, PARK AND OPEN SPACE AND THE PROJECT WILL ALSO CREATE A NUMBER OF SINGLE FAMILY HOMES AND INCLUDE MULTI-FAMILY UNITS TO HELP ACCOMMODATE THE FUTURE POPULATION GROWTH OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. THE PROJECT ALSO PROMOTES THE CITY'S TRANSPORTATION AND CONNECTIVITY GOALS BY IMPROVING MAJOR CORRIDORS, LOOP 410 AND NEW SULPHUR SPRINGS ROAD, CONSTRUCTING NORTH-SOUTH AND EAST-WEST ARTERIAL ROADWAYS AND INCLUDING ADDITIONAL PARKS AND GREENWAYS TO PROVIDE MODES OF MOBILITY THROUGHOUT THE DEVELOPMENT. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO PROMOTE THE CITY'S UNIVERSAL DESIGN GUIDELINES AND ACCESSIBILITY GOALS BY REQUIRING ALL HOMES TO BE CONSTRUCTED WITHIN THE TIRZ BOUNDARIES COMPLY WITH THE CITY'S UNIVERSAL DESIGN POLICY.THE UNIVERSAL DESIGN POLICY SPEAKS TO ITEMS SUCH AS DOORWAY WIDTH, HALLWAY WIDTH, INCLUDING BACKING FOR GRAB BARS WITHIN BATHROOMS, AND MAKING SURE THAT LIGHT SWITCHES AND OTHER AMENITIES ARE WITHIN HEIGHT FOR ALL ABILITIES.
THE PROPOSED RECOMMENDED TERMS FOR THE TIRZ ARE 25 YEARS WITH THE CITY PARTICIPATION RATE OF 70%, THE MAXIMUM DEVELOPER REIMBURSEMENT WOULD BE UP TO $156 MILLION THE DEVELOPER IS SEEKING. THIS ASSUMPTION INCLUDES A 3% ANNUAL GROWTH RATE AND 95.8% COLLECTIONS RATE. IF THE DEVELOPER IS ABLE TO RECEIVE THEIR MAXIMUM REIMBURSEMENT AMOUNT PRIOR TO THAT 25-YEAR TERM, THE TIRZ WOULD TERMINATE. AS FAR AS TIME LINE, WE ARE HERE AT PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TODAY, FEBRUARY 7TH. BOTH ITEMS INCLUDING THE ANNEXATION AND TIRZ DESIGNATION, WOULD BE PROPOSED FOR FEBRUARY 20TH OF THIS MONTH. SO WITH THAT, STAFF RECOMMENDS THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY REFER THE PROPOSED TIRZ FORWARD TO CITY COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION. MYSELF, STAFF AND THE DEVELOPER ARE HERE TO ANSWER
ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU FOR MY COLLEAGUES FOR AGREEING TO AN ADDITIONAL SPECIAL CALLED MEETING.
WE HAD A COUPLE ITEMS WE NEEDED TO ADD INTO THE AGENDA.
THANK YOU FOR THAT. I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT THE WORK THAT'S BEEN MADE AND THE PROGRESS ON THIS PROJECT FROM WHERE WE STARTED, I KNOW IT'S IN COUNCIL WOMAN VIAGRAN'S DISTRICT, IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE HAVE TYPICALLY SEEN BEFORE.
BUT THE NEARLY 50 ACRES OF THE SET-ASIDE TO SAN ANTONIO HOUSING TRUST ARE A GREAT COMPONENT. I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITIES OF THAT.
I THANK THE DEVELOPERS, I KNOW PAUL IS HERE AND THANK YOU ALSO, DANIEL, FOR WALKING ME THROUGH THE PROCESS AND HOW YOU ALL ARRIVED HERE. LORI HOUSTON HAS ALSO BEEN A BIG COMPONENT OR PART OF THIS, SO I THINK SHE MIGHT HAVE SOMEONE ALSO ON THE WAY.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND GREEN SPACE AND HOW SOMETIMES IT'S FORGOTTEN ABOUT THIS AREA, WE LOVE OUR GREEN SPACES AND SO IT'S VERY LITTLE THAT WE STILL HAVE IN SAN ANTONIO. SO I'M APPRECIATIVE OF THAT.
THERE ARE TWO COMPONENTS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN TRADITIONALLY A PART OF, AND THAT IS THE GREEN SPACE. SO ONE OF THOSE TO ME IS VERY IMPORTANT AND OF COURSE, THE SET-ASIDE LAND. SO FAMILIES TO MOVE -- THAT USUALLY MOVE INTO THESE WANT TO SEE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AROUND. SO WE HEAR THIS ALL THE TIME IN OUR AREA AND I HOPE THAT THERE WOULD BE NICE WIDE SIDEWALKS, ACCESSIBILITY.
I SAW THAT THE NEWLY IMPLEMENTED STANDARDS ARE GOING TO BE CRITICAL AND SO ENCOURAGE THAT PAD PADPEDMOBILITY. I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
WILL THE DEVELOPER ALSO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONNECTING THE HOUSING TRUST PROPERTY TO
UTILITIES? >> SO THE INFRASTRUCTURE WOULD BE EXTENDED AS A PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT THAT THE DEVELOPER IS PLANNING. BY DOING THAT, THEY ARE MOVING THE UTILITIES CLOSER TO THE PROPERTY WHERE THE SAN ANTONIO HOUSING TRUST WILL BE DEVELOPING. TYPICALLY WHEN THE PROPERTY IS DEVELOPED FOR WHATEVER USE THAT IS, IT WILL NEED TO TIE INTO THOSE UTILITIES. SO IN A WAY, YES.
BUT THERE WILL STILL BE SOME FEES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT DEVELOPMENT THAT WILL NEED TO BE PAID AT THAT TIME. THAT WILL LARGELY DEPEND ON WHAT TYPE OF DEVELOPMENT GOES IN THERE. TALK TO PETE, WE HAVE EXPLORED MULTI-FAMILY, EVEN POTENTIALLY SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING WITHIN THE AREA. THOSE ARE SOME FACTORS.
>> GARCIA: GOT IT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I LOOK FORWARD TO THAT EVENTUAL DISCUSSION AT THE HOUSING TRUST AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN CONTINUE WORKING WITH THE DEVELOPER TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS EVENTUAL PROPERTY IN THE AREA WOULD HAVE THAT CONNECTIVITY THAT I JUST MENTIONED ABOUT AND THE DESIGN IS TO THE SAME
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STANDARDS. WITH THAT, MY COLLEAGUE FROM D3 HAS WALKED IN.THIS IS IN HER AREA SO I WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND THE COURTESY OF HAVING HER
ADDRESS THIS FIRST. IT'S ALL YOURS. >> VIAGRAN: THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. SO THIS IS JUST A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS PART OF TOWN. WE HAVE GOT A LOT OF SPACE THAT IS READY TO BE DEVELOPED. WE JUST, I'M SORRY, I SHOULD SAY IS THERE TO BE DEVELOPED.
THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOT WHERE IT SHOULD BE BUT WHEN WE HAVE DEVELOPERS AND GROUPS COMING IN THAT HAVE IDEAS THIS BIG AND KIND OF LONG-TERM PROJECTS, WE SEE THE OPPORTUNITY THERE. I DO LIKE THE ASPECT OF WHAT WE CAN DO WITH THE SAN ANTONIO HOUSING TRUST ABOUT AFFORDABILITY AND I THINK NOW IS A GOOD TIME FOR US TO TAKE A LOOK AS A CITY WITH OUR ORGANIZATIONS THAT HELP SAY OKAY, WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS IF WE ANTICIPATE PRICES INCREASING OR BECOMING HARDER AND HARDER TO BUILD HOMES OR MULTI-FAMILY OR SINGLE FAMILY. I THINK WE ARE READY TO MOVE ON THIS AND I'M EXCITED ABOUT THIS TIRZ. IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S NEEDED AND I THINK IT WILL HELP AS WE BRING IN MORE PROPERTIES AND MORE COMMUNITIES INTO THAT DISTRICT, AND I THINK WHAT WE HAVE TO DO AS A CITY IS KIND OF WAIT AND SEE WHAT'S OUT THERE AND HOW DEVELOPERS AND BUILDERS GET CREATIVE.
WHETHER IT'S PRE-MANUFACTURED HOMES, SINGLE FAMILY HOMES, MULTI-FAMILY, HOW WE DO THAT AND BRING AN AFFORDABILITY ASPECT TO IT. I LOOK FORWARD TO MOVING, I THINK THE RECOMMENDATION WAS TO MOVE IT FORWARD TO FULL COUNCIL?
I MAKE A MOTION TO MOVE THIS FORWARD TO FULL COUNCIL. >> GARCIA: THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND. WE WILL CONTINUE WITH THE DISCUSSION.
COUNCIL WOMAN CASTILLO? >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, CHAIR.
TYPICALLY MY SENTIMENT IS I BELIEVE THAT GROWTH SHOULD PAY FOR GROWTH AND I OFTEN HAVE THE CONCERNS ABOUT THE COST OF MAINTAINING INFRASTRUCTURE, SOLID WASTE AND ENSURING THAT PUBLIC SAFETY IS ACCESSIBILITY WHEN WE HAVE ANNEXATIONS AS A CITY. HOWEVER, WHAT I LEARNED THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS PARTICULARLY IN THE SOUTH SIDE, WE OFTEN HAVE ANNEXATION AND LACK OF INVESTMENT ANYONE IN INFRASTRUC. THERE ARE MANY SOUTH SIDE RESIDENTS WHO AREN'T CONNECTED TO OUR SEWAGE SYSTEM. I SEE THIS AS A MECHANISM TO ENSURE THAT FOLKS ON THE SOUTH SIDE HAVE ACCESS TO THINGS LIKE WATER AND SEWAGE.
SO WITH THAT, I THINK WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED TO US TODAY IS THE DONATION OF THE 50 ACRES OF LAND FOR THE HOUSING TRUST TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING STOCK IN THAT AREA. ONE THING THAT COMES TO MIND, I WANTED TO THANK PAUL AND DANIEL FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTION, WHAT WE'RE SEEING ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY, PARTICULARLY WITH OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS, IS MANY SCHOOLS HAVING TO CLOSE THEIR DOORS BECAUSE OF LACK OF ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING, THE BIRTHRATE, SO ON AND SO FORTH. WHAT I SEE WITH THE OPPORTUNITY WITH THIS DENSITY IS MORE FAMILIES TO SUPPORT THAT SCHOOL SYSTEM.
MY CONCERN IS THAT THERE MAY BE, I UNDERSTAND DECISIONS CAN'T BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME, BUT THE CONSTRUCTION OF CHARTER SCHOOLS WITHIN THE TIRZ THAT WOULD THEN NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE, PAUL, FOR YOU TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, IF ANY HAVE BEEN HAD, AND I UNDERSTAND THESE ARE ONGOING CONVERSATIONS, NO DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE, BUT CAN YOU JUST SHARE IF THERE HAVE BEEN ANY CONVERSATIONS?
>> YES, ACTUALLY THERE'S BEEN PLENTY OF CONVERSATION. AS YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, CENTRAL DID LOSE THEIR BOND CAMPAIGN SO THEY WILL PROBABLY RECOVER, GET BACK TOGETHER AND GO OUT FOR ANOTHER CAMPAIGN AT SOME TIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
THAT BEING SAID, I KNOW THAT IN TALKS WITH EAST CENTRAL, THEY HAVE MONEY RIGHT NOW TO PURCHASE LAND. THEY ARE LOOKING FOR AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FIRST.
WE HAVE TALKED TO THEM ABOUT SOME PROPERTIES OFF OF CASILLAS ROAD.
IT'S NOT SPELLED RIGHT BUT IT'S CASTILLAS AND FOSTER ROAD.
ONCE THEY EVENTUALLY PASS THEIR BOND, WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT A MIDDLE SCHOOL. SINCE FOLKS ARE MOST LIKELY OR MORE LIKELY TO WALK OR RIDE THEIR BIKES TO MIDDLE SCHOOL, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PUTTING THE MIDDLE SCHOOLS MORE INTERNAL TO THE PROJECT. ELEMENTARY WOULD BE MORE ON THE EDGES TO SUPPORT THE TRAFFIC IMPACT, AND THEN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL WOULD BE IN THE MIDDLE.
THEY'RE NOT TALKING HIGH SCHOOL YET, BUT EAST CENTRAL HAS DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF LOOKING AT THEIR DEMOGRAPHICS, SEEING THEIR GROWTH AND PLANNING FOR THEIR GROWTH. THAT'S WHY WE ARE IN SUCH EARLY TALKS WITH THEM.
>> CASTILLO: I APPRECIATE THAT. I APPRECIATE THE ONGOING CONVERSATIONS WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. THESE ARE CONCERNS AND THINGS WE ARE LEARNING, RIGHT, AND I'M JUST GLAD TO SEE THAT THAT IS A PRIORITY FOR YOU TO INCLUDE THEM IN THE CONVERSATION. THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION FOR YOU. THANK YOU. BUT AGAIN, JUST EMPHASIZING I
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HAVE GONE TO DISTRICT 4 AND I LEARNED THAT FOLKS AREN'T CONNECTED TO SEWAGE LINES AND IN DISTRICT 3 IT'S THE SAME THING. WE HAVE ANNEXATION BUT NOT NECESSARILY THE INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE FOR STREETS, SIDEWALKS, DRAINAGE AND SO MUCH MORE. HERE'S WHERE I SEE A TOOL TO HELP ENSURE THAT AS WE ANNEX, THERE IS GOING TO BE THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT ALL FOLKS DO DESERVE.OF COURSE, I DO HAVE THE CONCERN WITH THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH EXPANDING PUBLIC SAFETY SERVICES, SOLID WASTE AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. BUT ULTIMATELY, I WILL BE
SUPPORTIVE OF THIS ITEM. THANK YOU, CHAIR. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU.
COUNCILMAN -- SORRY. COUNCILMAN PELAEZ JUST WALKED IN.
COUNCILMAN COURAGE? >> COURAGE: THANK YOU, CHAIR. I WOULD LIKE TO JUMP ON WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT SCHOOLS BEING SUPPORTIVE OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE AREA.
I WOULD JUST HOPE THAT THE DEVELOPERS DON'T SIMPLY LET TWO OR THREE CHARTER SCHOOLS SAY WE WANT TO GO AHEAD AND BUILD HERE. WE NEED TO SUPPORT THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS. I'M GLAD TO HEAR YOU TALKED WITH THEM.
I HOPE THAT THAT IS A STRONG COMMITMENT THAT DEVELOPERS HAVE ON THIS PROJECT.
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT.
OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT IN PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY, OUTSIDE OF THE CITY. SO WE HAVE HAD PIDS WHICH ARE SIMILAR TO A TIRZ, WHERE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS ARE BEING PAID FOR BY THE DEVELOPER AND THROUGH A RECOVERY PROCESS OF GETTING THE MONEY AS DEVELOPMENT GROWS TO TAKE CARE OF THOSE EXPENSES, AND SIMILAR IN SOME OF THOSE PIDS, WE HAVE WANTED TO ENSURE THAT THE CITY GETS A RETURN ON COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT. NOW, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT THIS TIRZ MIGHT HAVE AVAILABLE TO US AND WHAT THE PID HAS, BUT I GUESS THE POINT I'M GETTING AT IS, WILL ANY KIND OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THAT TAKES PLACE, WILL THEY HAVE A REDUCTION OF THEIR PROPERTY TAXES BY 70%, BECAUSE THEY'RE BUILDING IN THIS AREA THAT'S BEING DEVELOPED?
>> THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN. IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. THE PROPERTY WITHIN THE TIRZ WILL ALL BE SUBJECT TO THE TERMS WITHIN THIS AGREEMENT. SO 70% OF THE TAXES THAT ARE COLLECTED FROM ANY OF THE TYPES OF DEVELOPMENT, RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL OR INDUSTRIAL, THAT WILL BE REBATED BACK TO THE DEVELOPER FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND 30% WILL BE COLLECTED. SO THERE'S NO DISCOUNT, NECESSARILY, TO THOSE ORGANIZATIONS OR COMPANIES. HOWEVER, THIS DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THE REIMBURSEMENT OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE, IS MAKING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE POSSIBLE FOR THOSE INDUSTRIES
TO BE ABLE TO MOVE IN. >> COURAGE: I KNOW ONE OF THE ARRANGEMENTS WE HAVE MADE WITH AREAS OUTSIDE OF THE CITY WHEN THERE'S BEEN DEVELOPMENT, THOUGH, IS WE HAVE COME TO AN UNDERSTANDING ON SALES TAX REVENUE, THAT THE CITY GETS A PERCENTAGE OF THE SALES TAX REVENUE FROM COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN PIDS AND ARE WE, BECAUSE THESE ARE NOW COMING INTO THE CITY LIMITS, GOING TO RECEIVE 100% OF THE SALES TAX REVENUE
THAT WE WOULD NORMALLY GET WITHIN THE CITY? >> YES.
WE WILL. >> COURAGE: OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE OF THAT. HOPEFULLY, SOME GREAT DEVELOPMENT MIGHT COME INTO THE AREA. AT THE SAME TIME I HOPE THEY DON'T COME TO US SAYING WE WANT OTHER KINDS OF REDUCTIONS OR HANDOUTS FOR OUR DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE THEY ARE GETTING 70% OFF THEIR PROPERTY TAXES FOR 25 YEARS. BUT I THINK THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS. I'M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTH PART OF TOWN, WHETHER IT'S SOUTHEAST, SOUTHWEST, SOUTH CENTRAL.
I WILL BE VOTING FOR THIS TODAY. THANK YOU.
>> GARCIA: THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN COURAGE. COUNCILMAN PELAEZ?
>> IF I CAN CLARIFY REALLY QUICK, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THERE IS NO DISCOUNT IN THEIR PROPERTY TAXES. THEY WILL STILL PAY THEIR PROPERTY TAXES, 70% OF THAT WILL BE RETURNED TO THE DEVELOPER FOR INVESTING IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE.
30% OF IT -- >> COURAGE: I UNDERSTAND. >> OKAY.
>> PELAEZ: THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION THAT I MISSED. I DID READ THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS AND I HAVE HAD A CONVERSATION WITH THE TEAM WHO IS WORKING ON THIS.
THANK YOU, MR. ORTIZ, FOR WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO DO OVER THERE.
I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SOMETHING. COUNCILMAN COURAGE AT TOWN HALLS ALWAYS, IT'S ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I HAVE HEARD ANY ELECTED OFFICIAL ON THE NORTH SIDE SAY. HE SAYS I'M THE ONLY ELECTED OFFICIAL UP HERE FROM THE NORTH SIDE THAT IS WORKING MY TAIL OFF TO MAKE SURE THE SOUTH SIDE GETS DEVELOPED.
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I THINK THIS IS HELPING COUNCILMAN COURAGE DELIVER ON THAT PROMISE.I'M VERY IMPRESSED THAT YOU GUYS ARE TAKING A CHANCE ON THE EAST AND WEST AND SOUTH SIDE. THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT THING THAT YOU'RE DOING AND IT'S GOING TO HELP A LOT OF PEOPLE. THE PROJECT LOOKS TO BE VERY IMPACTFUL AND TRANSFORMATIONAL. BUT ALSO, IT'S A BET THAT YOU'RE PLACING ON SAN ANTONIO AND YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES WE NEED FRONTIERSMEN TO SHOW EVERYBODY ELSE IT CAN BE DONE AND IT CAN BE DONE THE RIGHT WAY AND THAT THERE'S A REALLY SERIOUS BUSINESS CASE FOR TAKING THESE CHANCES. I THINK YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO DO GREAT. I REALLY DO. WE HAVE GOT THE RIGHT TEAM PUT TOGETHER FOR THIS. ARE THOSE SUFFICIENT GLOWING REMARKS? AND THE OTHER THING, TOO, IS I'M ALWAYS LOATHE TO DISTURB THE WORK THAT A COUNCILPERSON DOES IN THEIR OWN DISTRICT, IN THIS CASE, YOUR COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE DOWN THERE HAS SCRUBBED THIS VERY, VERY WELL AND HAS CHECKED ALL THE BOXES TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S THE RIGHT THING FOR THAT COUNCIL DISTRICT'S CONSTITUENCY. YOU KNOW, YOU ARE THE EXPERT IN YOUR DISTRICT, AND THERE SHOULD BE NOBODY FROM ANY OTHER DISTRICT QUESTIONING HER HOMEWORK. NOBODY IS WORKING HARDER ON MAKING SURE HER DISTRICT GETS THEIR FAIR SHARE OF THE CHEESE SO CONGRATULATIONS. I'M PROUD OF YOU AND I'M ALSO INCREDIBLY ENVIOUS I DON'T GET A COOL PROJECT LIKE THIS ON MY SIDE.
THANK YOU. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN PELAEZ.
I THINK WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO SAY IS IT TAKES COURAGE. I'M KIDDING, Y'ALL.
>> COURAGE: WHEN IS FILING DEADLINE? >> GARCIA: I LOVE IT.
ALRIGHT. LET'S TAKE A VOTE. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAYAYE.
ANY OPPOSED? ANY ABSTENTIONS? MOTION CARRIES.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE TEAM. LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL.
LOTS OF HARD WORK AHEAD. WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER 3, 2024 ANNUAL HOMELESS REPORT. PATRICK, IT'S ALL YOURS. THANK YOU.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON. THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBERS. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN THE HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT. GLAD TO PRESENT TO YOU THIS AFTERNOON OUR FIRST EVER HOMELESSNESS ANNUAL REPORT WHICH COVERS FY2024. WE ARE HANDING HARD COPIES OUT RIGHT NOW. I KNOW IT WAS DISTRIBUTED TO YOUR OFFICES A FEW WEEKS AGO.
QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE REPORT. WE START OFF GOING OVER THE RESPONSE SYSTEM'S STRUCTURE, HOW WE GOVERN AND THE AGENCIES THAT WE WORK WITH AS THE CITY ORGANIZATION ON HOMELESSNESS RESPONSE. LOOK AT SOME OF THE DATA AND TRENDS, BOTH IN OUR CITY HOMELESSNESS COUNT AND HOW IT COMPARES TO THE NATION AS A WHOLE AND OTHER CITIES.
LOOKING AT THE BUDGET AND SPENDING PATTERNS IN PY2024 ON HOMELESSNESS AND SOME OF THE DATA THERE. AND THEN MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, THINGS WE ACCOMPLISHED IN FY2024 AND OUR KEY PRIORITIES LOOKING FORWARD INTO THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR. OUR RESPONSE SYSTEM IS HIGHLY COORDINATED ACROSS MULTIPLE NONPROFIT AGENCIES, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, LOT OF FUNDING GOING INTO THIS FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES. THE CITY'S ROLE IS LARGELY COORDINATED THROUGH DHS BUT WITH MANY OTHER DEPARTMENTS OF THE CITY ORGANIZATION, PLANNING AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT, WORKING WITH THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGEMENT, OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT PRIMARILY WITH PUBLIC SAFETY, THE COORDINATION ACROSS BOTH THOSE NONPROFIT AND GOVERNMENT FUNDING AGENCIES, ACROSS THE SYSTEM, AND THEN OF COURSE, THE DOLLARS THAT OUR CITY COUNCIL AND CITY BUDGET INVEST INTO THESE AGENCIES AND THEN THE DIRECT SERVICES THAT WE DO PROVIDE AS PART OF THE HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM, WORKING DIRECTLY WITH CLIENTS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
I WANT TO MENTION CLOSE TO HOME, OUR LEAD CONTINUUM OF CARE AGENCY THAT'S DESIGNATED BY HUD AS THE CONTINUUM OF CARE LEAD, THEY DO SEVERAL THINGS.
THEY COORDINATE THAT LARGE FEDERAL CONTINUUM OF CARE GRANT, ONE OF THE KEY FUNDING SOURCES FOR HOMELESSNESS. THEY CONDUCT THE ANNUAL POINT IN TIME COUNT, OPERATE OUR HOUSING PRIORITIZATION SYSTEM CALLED HOME LINK, THEY TRACK AND REPORT DATA WITH OUR HMIS, HOMELESSNESS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM, AND THEY DO WORK AS A COORDINATING ROLE, AND WE ARE IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH THEM. THE CITY HAS LEADERSHIP ON THE BOARD, MELODY IS A BOARD MEMBER, AND WE DO WORK DAILY WITH THAT CLOSE TO HOME TEAM.
I DO WANT TO MENTION, WE WORK ACROSS ALL OF THESE FUNDING AGENCIES, THE COUNTY, UNITED W WAY, OUR COUNTERPARTS AT THE FEDERAL AND STATE LEVEL AS WELL, THE STAFF MEET MONTHLY TO ENSURE WE ARE ON THE SAME PAGE ACROSS ALL THESE FUNDING
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SOURCES. IT'S WORKED WELL IN WORKING WITH OUR AGENCIES.I THINK THEY APPRECIATE, NONPROFITS APPRECIATE OUR COORDINATION AS WELL, AND IN TIMES OF UNEXPECTED THINGS, WE USE THIS GROUP TO MAKE SURE WE ARE ON THE SAME MESSAGE ACROSS OUR ENTIRE HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM. I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE WORK WE DO HERE AT DHS SPECIFICALLY. SO OUR PLANNING AND COORDINATION AS I HAVE TALKED ABOUT, OUR OVERSIGHT OF THE DOLLARS THAT ARE INVESTED THROUGH THE CITY BUDGET WITH OUR CONTRACTS MONITORING TEAM, WE DO THAT CONTRACTING WORK FOR STREET OUTREACH, SHELTER, HOUSING AND OTHER SUPPORTIVE SERVICES TO HELP FOLKS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. WE DO THAT ACROSS FIVE DIFFERENT FUNDING SOURCES. WE WORK WITH ABOUT 15 DIFFERENT NONPROFIT AGENCIES.
THEN WE DO PROVIDE DIRECT SERVICES. THE COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS HOTLINE IS A TEAM OF CITY STAFF AS WELL AS OUR STREET OUTREACH TEAM WHICH I KNOW MANY OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH, WHO GO OUT EVERY DAY WORKING WITH THE UNSHELTERED POPULATION. OUR TEAM COORDINATING THEIR ENCAMPMENT RESPONSE WITH OUR SITE ABATEMENTS. WE HAVE A TEAM MEMBER DEDICATED EACH TO VETERANS AND TO YOUTH TO HELP CASE MANAGE THOSE SPECIFIC POPULATIONS.
THEN WE DO DATA REPORTING, DASHBOARDS AND POLICY RESEARCH AND COMMUNICATIONS.
I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THOSE TWO TEAMS WHO HELP PUT THIS REPORT TOGETHER ALONG WITH OUR HOMELESS DIVISION AND ADMINISTRATION -- ADMINISTRATORS OVER THOSE THREE AREAS ARE JOINED HERE TODAY, KATHY, LAURA AND MARIE.
THE COORDINATION ACROSS OUR SYSTEM IS REALLY MANIFESTED IN THIS CHART, SHOWING THAT CONTINUUM OF SHELTER AND HOUSING THAT WE HAVE ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY TO HELP PEOPLE ACROSS WHEREVER THEY ARE IN THEIR SITUATION OF LIFE. SO THAT STARTS WITH OUR CONTINUUM STARTS WITH LOW BARRIER SHELTER, WHICH IS A LOW BARRIER SAFE PLACE TO SLEEP EVERY NIGHT. WE HAVE ABOUT 1,000 BEDS, MOST OF THOSE ARE ON THE HAVEN FOR HOPE COURTYARD, OUR SOUTH CAMPUS. OUR LOW BARRIER SHELTER AT THE HOLIDAY INNMOTEL FACILITY THE CITY IS INVESTED WITH. OUR SHELTERS INCLUDING THE CAMPUS SIDE OF HAVEN FOR HOPE, SALVATION ARMY, FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION SERVICES, THOSE SHELTER BEDS ARE AN ADDITIONAL 1600. TRANSITIONAL HOUSING, PRIMARILY THE LIVING AND LEARNING CENTER, REPRESENTS A LITTLE BIT LONGER TERM TEMPORARY PLACE. THEN WE HAVE OUR PERMANENT HOUSING.
SO HOUSING UNITS THAT ARE DESIGNED EITHER FOR PEOPLE SPECIFICALLY EXITING HOMELESSNESS OR THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE FOR PEOPLE LEAVING HOMELESSNESS OR AT RISK OF HOMELESSNESS. THOSE ARE HIGHLIGHTED HERE. THIS IS IN CLOSE COORDINATION WITH OUR NHSD TEAM AND THE WORK OF THE STRATEGIC HOUSING IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
GETTING INTO SOME OF THE DATA. THIS CHART SHOWS OUR POINT IN TIME COUNT. THE POINT IN TIME COUNT IS A ONE-NIGHT SNAPSHOT, JUST HAPPENED A FEW WEEKS AGO FOR OUR 2025 COUNT. BUT THIS IS A ONE-NIGHT SNAPSHOT OF A VERY FLUID AND DYNAMIC SYSTEM. SO WE HAVE OTHER WAYS OF SHOWING THATDYNAMISMOF OUR RESPONSE SYSTEM. I WILL GET TO THAT IN A COUPLE SLIDES. THE BENEFIT REALLY IN ADDITION TO RALLYING THE COMMUNITY BEHIND A ONE-NIGHT COUNT IS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO COMPARE YEAR OVER YEAR TO SEE TRENDS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY AND COMPARE OURSELVES TO OTHER COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY SINCE EVERYONE IN AMERICA, EVERY COMMUNITY IN AMERICA DOES THIS POINT IN TIME COUNT. YOU CAN SEE OUR LAST NUMBERS FROM 2024, 3,372 WAS THE POINT IN TIME SNAPSHOT OF THOSE, AND I THINK WE HAVE A POWER POINT ISSUE HERE BUT THE SMALLER BAR SHOULD BE THE PURPLE, 888 FOLKS WHO ARE LIVING ON THE STREETS AND ANOTHER 2,484 WHO ARE IN SHELTERS. THAT'S THE HAVEN FOR HOPE AND OTHER SHELTER BEDS I TALKED ABOUT ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE. THAT HAS GROWN SLIGHTLY, GROWTH OF ABOUT 6.8% SINCE LAST YEAR. THE NUMBERS ACROSS THE BOTTOM, THOUGH, SHOW ON A PER CAPITA BASIS, RELATIVE TO OUR COUNTY'S POPULATION GROWTH, THAT NUMBER HAS MAINTAINED RELATIVELY FLAT, FLUCTUATING BETWEEN 14 AND 16 PER 10,000 POPULATION THAT OUR PER CAPITA NUMBER HAS MAINTAINED RELATIVELY FLAT OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS. THAT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE, BECAUSE COMPARING TO THE COUNTRY ON A PER CAPITA BASIS, THE NATIONAL ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS LOOKED AT HUD DATA AND SHOWS OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS, THAT SAME PERIOD, HOMELESSNESS PER CAPITA HAS GROWN BY ALMOST 11% NATIONALLY. AS I MENTIONED, IN SAN ANTONIO, FAIRLY FLAT, ABOUT .4% GROWTH. OUR OTHER TEXAS CITIES, AUSTIN, DALLAS AND FT.WORTH, HAVE SEEN MUCH LARGER PER CAPITA GROWTH.
HOUSTON BEING THE OUTLIER. THE SUCCESS STORY THERE WITH THE DECREASE OF 35% PER
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CAPITA. I WILL NOTE A FEW THINGS GOING ON IN HOUSTON SINCE IT IS SUCH A UNIQUE OUTLIER IN OUR MODEL IS A FEW THINGS, REBUILDING EFFORTS FROM HURRICANE HARVEY, THEY FOCUSED A LOT OF DOLLARS ON LOWER AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND STARTING IN THE MID 2010S, WORKING WITH HUD CLOSELY ON HEAVY HOUSING FIRST EMPHASIS. THEY FOCUSED A LOT OF FEDERAL DOLLARS, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DID, INTO HOUSTON. BUT I DO HAVE TO MENTION EVERY TIME I SPEAK WITH A LEADER OVER IN HOUSTON, THEY CAUTION THAT WITH FEDERAL FUNDS ENDING, THAT DOES REPRESENT A CHALLENGE FOR THAT COMMUNITY TO MAINTAIN THE SUCCESS THAT THEY'VE HAD.UNDOUBTEDLY, THEY HAVE MADE STRIDES IN HOMELESSNESS. LOOKING IN OUR DATA, AS IT COMPARES TO OTHER COMMUNITIES, THE REPORT HIGHLIGHTS SOME AREAS WHERE WE ARE DOING REALLY WELL, NOT JUST ON THAT PER CAPITA BASIS, BUT SINCE 2014, NATIONALLY, THE TOTAL POINT IN TIME COUNT HAS GONE UP 33%.
LESS THAN HALF THAT RATE HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. OUR UNSHELTERED COUNT, PEOPLE LIVING OUT ON THE STREETS, HAS ACTUALLY GONE DOWN BY ABOUT A QUARTER OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS AND IS OPPOSITE THE NATIONAL TREND, WHICH HAS SEEN A GROWTH OF ABOUT 30% IN UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE CHRONIC HOMELESS RATES, THOSE ARE FOLKS WHO HAVE BEEN HOMELESS FOR MORE THAN ONE YEAR, OR AT SEVERAL DIFFERENT INTERVALS OVER THE LAST YEAR, THAT'S 20% OF THE HOMELESS POPULATION NATIONALLY AND ONLY 14% HERE. SO I THINK THAT'S OUR LARGE PART DUE TO OUR ROBUST SHELTER SYSTEM HELPING FOLKS GET BACK ON THEIR FEET FASTER, LIMITING THE DURATION OF HOW LONG FOLKS ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.
FAMILY HOMELESSNESS IS AN AREA WE CLOSELY MONITOR. IT DID GO UP LAST YEAR IN SAN ANTONIO BY 11% BUT COMPARED TO THE NATIONAL TREND OF NEARLY 40%, IT'S A MUCH, MUCH LOWER RATE OF GROWTH OF HOMELESSNESS. THIS CHART ILLUSTRATES THAT UNSHELTERED NUMBER, SO THE FOLKS WHO ARE LIVING ON THE STREETS, THE RED LINE IS THE COUNTY POINT IN TIME COUNT. OUR PROPORTION OF UNSHELTERED RELATIVE TO THE TOTAL HOMELESS POPULATION, YOU CAN SEE THE DECLINE RELATIVE TO THE NATIONAL RATE.
AGAIN, ATTRIBUTING THAT SUCCESS TO OUR RESPONSE SYSTEM, OUR SHELTER PROVIDERS WORKING ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY. SO THIS SLIDE IS OUR ONLINE DASHBOARD THAT A SNAPSHOT OF LAST -- OF THE 2024 FISCAL YEAR NUMBERS OF OUR ONLINE DASHBOARD SHOWING THE FLUIDITY OF OUR SYSTEM. SO THE NUMBER OF FOLKS COMING IN, WHETHER IT'S WE ARE ENCOUNTERING THEM ON THE STREET OR THEY HAVE ACCESSED AN EMERGENCY SHELTER, THE LEFT SIDE SHOWING THE SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES FOR THOSE FOLKS.
OVER 2,000 FOLKS WERE HELPED FROM AN UNSHELTERED SITUATION INTO AN EMERGENCY SHELTER OR INTO HOUSING DIRECTLY. FOLKS WHO WERE IN SHELTER, NEARLY 3,000 HAVE BEEN HOUSED OVER -- IN FISCAL YEAR 2024. REMOVING SOME FOLKS WHO MADE BOTH OF THOSE ADJUSTMENTS OR LEAPS WITHIN THE SAME YEAR, THAT'S A TOTAL OF 4548 PEOPLE.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE DID SEE NEW INCOMING PEOPLE, COMING, EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. 2200 PEOPLE EXPERIENCED HOMELESSNESS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FISCAL YEAR 2024. 650 PEOPLE -- WE HAVE DATA BACK ALMOST 15 YEARS IN THE SYSTEM. WE CAN SEE IF SOMEONE HAS ENCOUNTERED A HOMELESS PROVIDER IN THE LAST 15 YEARS AND 650 FOLKS HAVE RETURNED TO HOMELESSNESS.
COMBINED AND DOING THE MATH ON THIS, THAT'S A NET OF ABOUT 1600 NET INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE HELPED INTO A BETTER LIVING SITUATION BY OUR HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM.
BUT THERE IS AN ILLUSTRATION HERE OF THAT CONTINUED NEED, THAT CONTINUED GROWTH IN SEEING THAT WE MUST CONTINUE SERVING FOLKS WHO ARE COMING TO THE SYSTEM FOR THE FIRST TIME. SO THE NEXT SECTION OF THE REPORT DOES TOUCH ON OUR CITY INVESTMENTS. THE BUDGET 2024 BUDGET ALLOCATED $32.3 MILLION TOWARD HOMELESSNESS ACROSS VARIOUS FUND SOURCES. ABOUT HALF OF THAT IS FROM THE GENERAL FUND. THE EXPENDITURE AMOUNT IS $28.7 MILLION.
THAT UNEXPENDED GAP IN BETWEEN THOSE TWO NUMBERS ARE LARGELY REPRESENTED BY FEDERAL GRANTS THAT COVER MULTIPLE YEARS. SO THOSE ARE ALLOWED TO ROLL FORWARD AND THE TERM IS INTENDED TO COVER MULTIPLE YEARS TO SERVE PEOPLE ACROSS MULTIPLE YEARS. THIS IS BROKEN OUT FURTHER IN THE REPORT.
WE ALSO HAVE -- ACCOUNT FOR THE INDIRECT COSTS, THE POLICE AND FIRE ESTIMATED
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COST FOR RESPONDING TO PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IS CAPTURED AT ABOUT $20 MILLION FOR A TOTAL OF $48.8 MILLION ON HOMELESSNESS ACROSS THE CITY ORGANIZATION.THE REPORT ALSO BREAKS THAT $32.4 MILLION DOWN BY HOMELESS STRATEGIC PLAN AREAS. SO WE HAVE OUR HOMELESS STRATEGIC PLAN THAT WAS PRESENTED TO THE COUNCIL IN 2020 WITH SIX KEY RECOMMENDATIONS.
EACH OF THOSE AREAS IS DETAILED IN THE REPORT, EACH PROVIDER AND EACH PROGRAM IS DETAILED BUT AT SUMMARY LEVEL, LARGEST CATEGORY BEING HOW WE CONNECT UNSHELTERED INDIVIDUALS INTO HOUSING, LARGELY THROUGH OUR SHELTER SYSTEM THAT I HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, AND AS I MENTIONED, THE FURTHER DETAIL IS PROVIDED IN THE ANNUAL REPORT ON EACH OF THOSE PROGRAMS AND HOW IT ALIGNS WITH OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. NOW, OUTSIDE THE STRATEGIC PLAN, THERE ARE COUNCIL PRIORITIES AND COMMUNITY PRIORITIES THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING THAT ARE MORE MINOR RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN, BUT THINGS THAT WE ARE ALLOCATING FUNDS TOWARD, PARTICULARLY ENCAMPMENT ABATEMENTS.
HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION. THIS IS FUNDS TO HELP PEOPLE MAINTAIN THEIR HOUSING.
I WILL NOTE IT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE ADDITIONAL FUNDS FROM NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING SERVICES, RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. THOSE ARE NOTED FURTHER IN THE REPORT. THIS NUMBER REPRESENTS HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAMS TO HOMELESS SERVING AGENCIES TO PREVENT HOMELESSNESS AND EMPHASIS ON THE VETERAN SUBPOPULATION IS A KEY PIECE OF OUR HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM AND OUR DHS WORK. SO I WILL ELABORATE A LITTLE, I WON'T GO INTO EACH OF THE PROGRAMS BUT I DO WANT TO TOUCH ON SOME OF THE BIG ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND PROGRAMS WE OPERATED IN FY2024. THE BIGGEST IS OUR LOW BARRIER SHELTER.
WE EXPANDED FROM 45 ROOMS TO 200 ROOMS IN FY2024 AT A LARGER HOTEL FACILITY.
YOU WILL SEE PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS A LOT OF THESE BECAUSE IT DOES TAKE ALL OF OUR COLLECTIVE WORK. THAT HOTEL SERVED ABOUT 330 INDIVIDUALS IN LAST FISCAL YEAR. IT CONTINUES THIS YEAR. LAST YEAR, WE PILOTED A CENTRALIZED SHELTER COORDINATION PROGRAM WITH HAVEN FOR HOPE TO QUICKLY HELP OUR STREET OUTREACH WORKERS FIND AN AVAILABLE AND ELIGIBLE SHELTER BED FOR THE PERSON THEY WERE ENGAGING WITH ON THE STREET AT THAT TIME.
THAT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN FY '24. WE ARE CONTINUING IT THIS YEAR. IT SERVED OVER 500 PEOPLE LAST YEAR.
QUICKLY HELPING THEM GET INTO A SHELTER BED. AS WE ENGAGE WITH PEOPLE ON THE STREET. I MENTIONED OUR ONLINE DASHBOARD.
WE HAVE THE SCREEN SHOT OF THAT. IT LAUNCHED IN APRIL.
AGAIN, SHOWING THAT FLOW OF OUR SYSTEM. IT'S UPDATED MONTHLY, CONTINUES TO BE UPDATED MONTHLY AND WE ARE LOOKING AT WAYS TO ACTUALLY UPDATE IT EVEN ON A DAILY BASIS USING OUR LIVE INFORMATION SYSTEMS. FINALLY, ON THIS SLIDE, OUR ENCAMPMENT ABATEMENT PROGRAM, WE ADDED RESOURCES LAST FISCAL YEAR WITH DHS AND WITH SOLID WASTE, COORDINATED NEARLY 1300 SITE ABATEMENTS. WITH THAT NEW BUDGET AND OPERATIONAL CHANGES, WE WERE ABLE TO RESPOND WITHIN TWO WEEKS TO ABOUT 95% OF OUR CALLS FOR SERVICE FROM RESIDENTS SINCE THOSE WERE IMPLEMENTED IN JANUARY.
PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, NHSD I THINK IS HERE TO TALK MORE ABOUT THE WORK AND THE SUCCESSES THERE, BUT WE DID OPEN 41 UNITS IN FY2024. 124 UNITS SINCE THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOND WAS APPROVED IN 2022. AND THAT'S WITH THE 366 THAT ARE IN THE DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE AND ARE GOING TO GROUND-BREAK HERE SOON, INCLUDING THE COMMONS WHICH CLOSED LAST WEEK, CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THOSE INVOLVED WITH THAT, THAT WILL GET US TO HALF OF OUR 1,000 UNIT PSH GOAL WHICH IS A TEN-YEAR GOAL BUT WE ARE OVER ALMOST HALFWAY THERE ALREADY. THIS ONE, THE STAFF TRAINING FRAMEWORK IS ONE THAT'S NEAR AND DEAR TO ME. THIS IS A PROJECT WE WORKED WITH OUR STAFF DIRECTLY ASKING THEM HOW THEY WANTED TO BE TRAINED, HOW THEY WANTED THEIR PEERS TO BE TRAINED, AND CLOSE TO HOME HAS COORDINATED THAT ACROSS THE ENTIRE SYSTEM TO ENSURE A LEVEL OF PROFESSIONALISM AND STANDARDIZED ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR STREET OUTREACH TEAMS, ALL OF OUR PROVIDERS THAT ARE RECEIVING THE SAME TRAINING NO MATTER WHAT AGENCY YOU'RE WORKING FOR. THERE'S A LEVEL SET ACROSS THE SYSTEM AND IT BEING BORN OUT OF OUR STAFF AND TEAMS DIRECTLY MAKES IT ESPECIALLY VALUABLE. OUR SKILLED NURSING PILOT PROGRAM, THIS WAS AGAIN, A PARTNERSHIP WITH CLOSE TO HOME, LAUNCHED IN MAY. WE HAD A HANDFUL OF CLIENTS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GET FROM THE STREET INTO A SKILLED NURSING CARE FACILITY TO PROVIDE THE 24-HOUR CARE THEY NEEDED, THAT THEY WERE CERTAINLY NOT GETTING ON THE
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STREETS, THAT NO TRADITIONAL SHELTER IS ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT LEVEL OF MEDICAL CARE.AND AS WE CONTINUE WORKING WITH THOSE CLIENTS ON THEIR BENEFITS FOR LONG-TERM CARE, WE DID HAVE ONE INDIVIDUAL GET INTO THIS WHO PASSED AWAY SHORTLY AFTER GETTING INTO THE NURSING PILOT PROGRAM, BUT ACROSS THE COMMUNITY, THERE WAS A SENSE OF RELIEF THAT THAT PERSON WAS NOT ON THE STREETS WHEN HE DIED OF A TERMINAL ILLNESS BUT WAS ABLE TO ACCESS THE MEDICAL CARE AND BE IN A COMFORTABLE PLACE.
THE 90 FAMILIES IN 90 DAYS CHALLENGE WAS A REALLY FOCUSED EFFORT, PARTICULARLY AROUND THE FAMILIES AT HAVEN FOR HOPE TO MARSHAL OUR HOMELESS RESOURCES AND VOUCHERS AND OTHER THINGS WE HAD IN THE COMMUNITY TO TRY TO HELP CONNECT THOSE FOLKS INTO HOUSING AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. WE WERE ABLE TO HOUSE 95 FAMILIES IN 95 DAYS. IT TOOK ONE WEEK EXTRA BUT WE EXCEEDED THAT GOAL.
AND WE HAVE LEARNED THINGS ACROSS -- FROM THOSE THREE MONTHS THAT WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTINUE, ESPECIALLY HOW WE WORK AND GET FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO USE VOUCHERS QUICKLY SO THAT THEY CAN ACCESS HOUSING. THREE MORE QUICK THINGS.
OUR HOMELESS COMMUNITY COURT EXPANDED IN FY2024. WE HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH MUNICIPAL COURT MISDEMEANORS AND THE MISDEMEANOR JUDGES AT THE COUNTY LEVEL.
THIS PROVIDES AN ALTERNATIVE TO FINES AND CONTINUED JUSTICE INVOLVEMENT, OFFERING DEFERRED ADJUDICATION FOR FOLKS IF THEY ARE ENGAGING WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS, DHS PROVIDING THAT COORDINATION WITH OUR SERVICE PROVIDERS AND BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH THE JUDGES. A MAJOR ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S CONVICTION INTEGRITY UNIT, WHO HAS BEEN AN ADVOCATE FOR THIS.
WE WERE ABLE TO HOUSE 24 PEOPLE, WE HAVE 36 MORE FOLKS AT THE END OF LAST FISCAL YEAR ENROLLED IN THOSE PROGRAMS. I'M EXCITED TO CONTINUE AND EXPAND THAT WITH OTHER SPECIALTY COURTS AND MUNICIPAL COURT IN 2025.
A COUPLE THINGS THAT STARTED LAST YEAR THAT WE'RE WORKING ON INTO 2025.
LOOKING TO EXPAND THAT CORAZONMEDICAL CARE FOR PEOPLE ON THE STREETS LOOKING FOR HIGH LEVEL MEDICAL CARE. THE CITY PROVIDED FUNDING TO START FACILITY PLANNING AND WORKING ON THAT, BECAUSE IT IS A MAJOR UNDERTAKING. AND STREET PSYCHIATRIC CARE, WITH CHRISTIAN ASSISTANCE MINISTRY OR CAM, THEY WERE SEEING PEOPLE ON THE STREETS WITH SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS, MENTAL ILLNESS SO SEVERE IT WAS CREATING BARRIERS TO ACCESSING THE AVAILABLE MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES IN THE COMMUNITY.
THEY ARE PROVIDING PSYCHIATRIC CARE AND MEDICATION MANAGEMENT DIRECTLY TO THOSE FOLKS AS THEY ARE ON THE STREETS, WITH THE GOAL OF TREATING THEM, BRINGING FOLKS MORE STABILITY ON THE STREETS AND THEN THEY CAN FURTHER ENGAGE WITH THE SERVICES THAT OUR RESPONSE SYSTEM OFFERS. SO THAT LAUNCHED JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO WITH CAM. SO LOOKING FORWARD, INTO 2025, THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, THESE EIGHT OBJECTIVES ARE IDENTIFIED BY CLOSE TO HOME, OUR CONTINUING CARE LEAD AGENCY. WENT THROUGH A PROCESS LATE LAST YEAR WITH PROVIDERS AND STAKEHOLDERS AND PUT THIS OUT TO THE PUBLIC AND IDENTIFIED THESE AS EIGHT TOP PRIORITIES FOR OUR SYSTEM. WITHIN EACH OF THESE EIGHT, THERE ARE SIX OR EIGHT MORE ADDITIONAL HARD AND TANGIBLE THINGS THAT THE COMMUNITY IS WORKING ON.
THEY HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED TO WORK GROUPS AND SUBCOMMITTEES AND I DO WANT TO SAY THIS IS OUR COMMUNITY WORK PLAN ACROSS ALL OF OUR PROVIDERS LED BY CLOSE TO HOME.
WITHIN THE CITY AND WITHIN DHS SPECIFICALLY, THESE ARE OUR 2025 STRATEGIC PRIORITIES. THE FIRST BEING TO CREATE THE ANNUAL REPORT WHICH WE ARE PROVIDING, DISCUSSING HERE TODAY. ON OCTOBER 1ST WE LAUNCHED THE COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS HOTLINE, WHICH WILL BE A REBRAND OF OUR HOMELESS CONNECTIONS HOTLINE. SAME PHONE NUMBER AND SAME SERVICES WILL BE OFFERED AS WE HAD AT THE HOMELESS CONNECTIONS HOTLINE BUT WANTED TO BRING IT A LITTLE MORE UPSTREAM. IN THE 2025 BUDGET, WE ALLOCATED OR MOVED OUR BENEFITS NAVIGATION PROGRAM THAT WAS WITHIN DHS, THEY ARE NOW PART OF THE COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS HOTLINE AND WE ARE BRINGING SOME SYNERGY AND EFFICIENCIES WITHIN THOSE TWO PROGRAMS, COMBINING THEM UNDER THE COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS HOTLINE TO BE ABLE TO HELP FOLKS WHO ARE CURRENTLY HOUSED BUT MAY BE AT RISK OF HOMELESSNESS TO MAINTAIN THEIR HOUSING THROUGH WHATEVER MEANS THAT WE CAN CONNECT THEM WITH.
INCREASING HOUSING OPTIONS. I HAVE TALKED ABOUT PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AND WE DO HAVE AN RFP WE ARE LOOKING TO ALLOCATE ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO CONTINUE THE WORK WE HAVE STARTED WITH PSH. 1300 ENCAMPMENTS IS OUR RESPONSE GOAL FOR RESPONDING TO ENCAMPMENT ABATEMENTS. WE ARE SO FAR IN THIS FISCAL YEAR ON TRACK TO MEET OR JUST EXCEED THAT NUMBER. WE ARE CONTINUING THAT CENTRALIZED SHELTER COORDINATION PROGRAM WITH HAVEN AND ANTICIPATE EXCEEDING 500 CLIENTS AGAIN, PLACED FROM THE STREETS INTO SHELTER BEDS THIS FISCAL YEAR.
WE ARE MAXIMIZING THE OPIOID SETTLEMENT DOLLARS THAT METRO HEALTH IS MANAGING AND HAS
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BROUGHT TO COUNCIL AND LOOKING TO EXPAND SOME OF THE GENERAL FUND AND OPIOID TREATMENT DOLLARS TO HELP FOLKS WHO ARE ON THE STREETS SPECIFICALLY ACCESS TREATMENT OPTIONS SO THAT THEY CAN CURB THEIR ADDICTION TO OPIOIDS. AND THEN MOVE FORTH AURTHER ALO IN HOUSING PLANNING. AND FINALLY, THE STRATEGIC PLAN GUIDING ALL THIS WORK THAT WAS PRESENTED TO COUNCIL IN 2020 WAS ENVISIONED TO BE A FIVE-YEAR PLAN.SO WE ARE LOOKING AT POTENTIALLY A REFRESH OF THAT.
THAT WOULD BE IN COORDINATION WITH CLOSE TO HOME. LOOKING AT THE GOALS TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE STILL DOING WHAT THE COMMUNITY NEEDS ARE NOW THAT WE ARE FIVE YEARS INTO THE CURRENT STRATEGIC PLAN. SO THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. I WOULD BE GLAD TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION.
>> GARCIA: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO AND I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, YOU ARE EVERYWHERE. SO I NOTICE THAT. I THINK WE SEE YOU AND I APPRECIATE VERY, VERY MUCH THE WORK THAT YOU DO. THIS IS DEFINITELY AN IMPORTANT UPDATE THAT YOU ARE GIVING. I VOLUNTEERED FOR THE POINT IN TIME COUNT SO I WENT TO THE LATE SHIFT, AND SO IT WAS VERY DARK AND SOME PEOPLE WERE ALREADY ASLEEP SO WE COUNTED THE PEOPLE THAT WERE ALREADY ASLEEP.
WE DIDN'T WANT TO DISTURB THEM. BUT THERE WAS A GENTLEMAN IN HIS 40S AND HE WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, HAPPY ALMOST TO TALK TO SOMEONE OR THAT SOMEBODY WAS JUST WILLING TO TALK TO HIM, AND WE ASKED AND HE HAD BEEN HOMELESS FOR 14 YEARS.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT -- AND SO HE HAD A BIG BACKPACK SO DIDN'T TALK TOO, TOO MUCH BUT HE WAS JUST HAPPY THAT WE WERE THERE, WE GAVE HIM A LITTLE CARE PACKAGE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I NOTICED IS THAT 650 PEOPLE RETURNED TO HOMELESSNESS SO I WOULD IMAGINE LIKE MAYBE HE REACHED OUT FOR HELP AT ONE POINT, I DON'T KNOW IF HE'S ALWAYS BEEN IN SAN ANTONIO OR IN DIFFERENT PLACES, BUT HOW DO WE HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE RETURNING, LIKE WHAT DO WE DO, HOW DO WE IDENTIFY THAT AND WHAT CAN WE DO TO FURTHER
HELP THEM? >> SURE. WE KNOW THAT THROUGH THE HOMELESS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM, SO ANY TIME WE ARE ENGAGING WITH SOMEONE, THAT'S THE FIRST THING IS TO LOOK UP AND SEE WHAT THEIR SYSTEM ENGAGEMENT HAS BEEN IN THE PAST. SO THE BENEFIT OF THAT LONG-TERM SYSTEM IS THAT WE HAVE ALL THE CASE NOTES THERE AS WELL AS ANY SERVICE ENROLLMENTS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH. SO THAT HISTORY HELPS GOOD CASEWORKERS TO KNOW WHERE TO START. SO WE TRY TO BE EVERYWHERE, JUST LIKE I DO.
OUR STREET OUTREACH TRIES TO MEET EVERYONE WHO IS ON THE STREET SO IF SOMEONE HAS BEEN ON THE STREET THAT LONG, MY HOPE IS THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ENGAGED AT SOME POINT.
IF WE ARE ABLE TO LOOK HIM UP, STARTING WITH ALL THOSE CASE NOTES, THAT HISTORY IS WHERE WE WOULD START, THEN HELP NAVIGATE THEM FROM WHEREVER THEY ARE AND WHAT
THEIR SITUATION'S BEEN. >> GARCIA: GOT IT. THANK YOU.
THERE WAS ANOTHER GENTLEMAN THAT WE APPROACHED AND HE WAS TRYING TO KEEP HIS DOG SCRAP WARM. SO HE HAD HIM IN A BLACK PLASTIC BAG AND HE GOT SO HAPPY WHEN WE GAVE HIM DOG FOOD BECAUSE WE WERE CARRYING AROUND ALSO DOG FOOD.
THANK YOU FOR THAT. BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU DON'T THINK ABOUT IT UNTIL YOU SEE IT. BUT HE STARTED FEEDING HIM IMMEDIATELY.
THEN WE CAME BACK AND HE WAS STILL IN THE SAME AREA AND HE APPROACHED US FOR SOME ADDITIONAL HELP, AND THE VIA BUS PASSES WERE A GREAT HELP. THEY SAID HEY, YOU SHOULD COME BACK. HE HAD STAYED AWAY BECAUSE HE SAID THERE WASN'T ANY KENNEL SPACE THE LAST TIME HE HAD GONE, AND HE DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE SCRAP ALONE.
SO IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, JUST HEART-WARMING TO SEE HOW MUCH LOVE HE HAD FOR HIS PET.
SO WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. SO AGAIN, I APPRECIATE THAT YOU ALL HAD DOG FOOD WITH US TO BE ABLE TO OFFER. SO THERE WAS RECENTLY SOME NEWS THAT STATED THAT SAN ANTONIO HAD ONE OF THE HIGHEST, IF NOT THE HIGHEST, RATES OF HOMELESSNESS IN TEXAS. SO THERE WAS SOME UPROAR ABOUT IT. CAN YOU CLARIFY WHY THE CITY DISAGREED WITH THAT HEADLINE?
>> SO IT IS ACCURATE TO SAY THAT IN THE LAST -- THE 2024 POINT IN TIME COUNT, OUR TOTAL HOMELESSNESS, THE ABSOLUTE NUMBER, WAS THE SECOND HIGHEST IN TEXAS, AMONG TEXAS CITIES. WE ARE ALSO THE SECOND LARGEST TEXAS CITY, SO THAT I THINK EXPLAINS A LARGE PART OF IT. OUR BIG SUCCESS IS ON THE UNSHELTERED NUMBERS. I'M LOOKING AT COMPARISONS WITH AUSTIN, A HIGHER RATE OF UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS. LOOKING AT OUR GROWTH, AS I TALKED ABOUT OUR PER CAPITA GROWTH BEING DIFFERENT, BEING FLAT COMPARED TO OTHER TEXAS CITIES OTHER THAN HOUSTON.
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HOUSTON BEING -- IS A BIG OUTLIER, AS THE LARGEST TEXAS CITY, SO WE ARE NUMBER TWO BEHIND DALLAS. DALLAS IS A SLIGHTLY LARGER POINT IN TIME COUNT.IT IS ACCURATE THAT WE ARE THE SECOND, BUT BIG SUCCESSES, ESPECIALLY WITH THE UNSHELTERED POPULATION. DIFFERENT SERVICE MODELS, HAVEN FOR HOPE MAKES US UNIQUE AMONG ALL U.S. CITIES, HAVING THAT CAPACITY, THE WRAP-AROUND SUPPORT SERVICES.
THERE'S A FEW FACTORS. THERE'S MORE TO THE STORY THAN JUST THE TOP NUMBER, BUT
THAT TOP NUMBER IS ACCURATE BUT A LOT MORE BEHIND THAT. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU.
>> VIAGRAN: JUST TO CLARIFY, CAN YOU CONFIRM THAT WE WEREN'T THE SECOND HIGHEST
WHEN IT CAME TO OUR UNSHELTERED COUNT? >> CORRECT.
>> VIAGRAN: I WANT TO STRESS THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE A STRONG SHELTER SYSTEM AND WE WANT PEOPLE TO BE IN SHELTER. SO THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE MORE PEOPLE IN SHELTER THAN
YOU HAVE UNSHELTERED IS POSITIVE. >> RIGHT.
>> VIAGRAN: SO IF YOU WERE JUST TO COMPARE THE UNSHELTERED NUMBER, WE WOULD NOT BE SECOND HIGHEST. I THINK THAT'S WHAT'S IMPORTANT IS THAT YOU CAN HAVE PEOPLE IN SHELTER AND THEY CAN STAY THERE FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS UNTIL THEY'RE READY TO GO TO A PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING UNIT.
BUT WE ARE HELPING THEM AND THEY ARE IN CONTACT WITH A SERVICE PROVIDER.
IT'S TUN SHELTERED THAT WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT. WE WERE NOT THE SECOND
HIGHEST WHEN IT CAME TO UNSHELTERED. >> RIGHT.
AMONG THE BIG FIVE CITIES, EVEN HOUSTON HAS LESS AST POINT IN TIME COUNT WAS 1100.
WE ARE FIFTH AMONG THE BIG FIVES. WE HAVE THE SMALLEST UNSHELTERED POPULATION COMPARED TO AUSTIN, DALLAS, FT. WORTH AND EVEN HOUSTON.
>> GARCIA: THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION. I JUST CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE OUR PARTNERS THAT DO THIS WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY.
I ALSO NOTICED THAT ALMOST EVERYONE THAT WE TALKED TO HAD CATHOLIC CHARITIES BLANKET. EVEN PARTNERS WHO DON'T ONLY DO THAT WORK ARE ALWAYS LOOKING OUT FOR HOW TO HELP. MY NEXT QUESTION CENTERS AROUND FUNDING.
WE KNOW THAT A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF THAT FUNDING IS COMPRO COMPROMISED TO FEDERAL FUNDING. WHAT IS OUR PLAN SPECIFICALLY
WHEN WE FINISH WITH OUR ARPA FUNDING? >> THE LARGEST ARPA FUNDING INVESTMENT IS THE SAM MINISTRIES SHELTER. THAT WILL END THIS FISCAL YEAR. LOOKING AT WAYS TO MAINTAIN SOME OTHER WAY OF PROVIDING A SIMILAR SERVICE. IT WON'T LOOK EXACTLY LIKE IT DOES.
WE ALSO HAVE HUD GRANTS, THE HOME-ARPA FUNDING STREAM. THAT IS A LITTLE BIT LONGER TERM SO WE ARE ANTICIPATING THOSE CONTRACTS TO RUN A LITTLE LONGER THAN THE GENERAL STATE AND LOCAL ARPA DOLLARS. THEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION, WE WILL CONTINUE ADVOCATING WITH HUD FOR OUR TFEDERAL FUNDING.
A LARGE PART OF THAT DOES COME THROUGH CLOSE TO HOME AND CONTINUUM OF CARE GRANT, BOTH WHAT OUR SYSTEM RECEIVES AND OUR PARTNERS WILL CONTINUE ADVOCATING FOR THAT.
>> GARCIA: PATRICK, EXCLUDING PUBLIC HOUSING AND THE DEEPLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WHERE ARE MOST OF THE OTHER HOUSING UNITS THAT YOU HAVE LISTED LOCATED? IF YOU DON'T HAVE THEM TODAY, IT'S OKAY. YOU CAN FOLLOW UP MAYBE WITH A MEMO OR AN E-MAIL WITH A MAP OR SOMETHING. THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE
BETTER. OKAY. >> THE SHELTER AND YES, WE
CAN GET THAT TO YOU. >> GARCIA: OKAY. THANK YOU.
SO SPECIFICALLY I'M LOOKING, WE HAVE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS IN ALL AREAS OF TOWN. SO ONE OF THE AREAS FOR MY DISTRICT IS 410 AREA.
BUT YOU KNOW, OUTSIDE THE CITY, PEOPLE TEND TO THINK ABOUT JUST DOWNTOWN.
REALITY IS IT'S EVERYWHERE. WE HAVE A LOT TO DO. AGAIN, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE AT THE CITY, TO ALL OF OUR PARTNERS WHO ARE HERE, WHO DO THE WORK DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
I APPRECIATE THE COMPASSION THAT OUR RESIDENTS HAVE OFFERED BECAUSE EVERY TIME IT'S GOING TO FREEZE, PEOPLE START THINKING ABOUT IT, PEOPLE START ASKING, E-MAILING AND THEY ARE PROACTIVE AND KEEPING US AWARE THAT THEY ARE WATCHING.
SO THANK YOU ALL. AND THEN I WILL TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THAT IRIS IS HERE. SHE IS RECOVERING BECAUSE SHE'S ACTUALLY GOING TO GO WORK FOR HIAVEN FOR HOPE. WE NEED HER WITH STORYTELLING AND GRANT WRITING OVER THERE.
IRIS, YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ANSWER TO MY QUESTION TO PATRICK EARLIER, WHAT HAPPENS WITH FEDERAL FUNDING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE WISH YOU THE BEST.
THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR WORK. I WILL CONTINUE ON WITH COUNCIL DISCUSSION QUESTIONS.
[00:55:01]
IMPORTANT REPORT AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THOSE FINAL NUMBERS COMPARING 2025, WHAT WE HAVE JUST DONE, WITH LAST YEAR. ONE THING WE DON'T PUT IN THESE REPORTS OR MAYBE I DIDN'T SEE IT IN THE HARD COPY ONE THAT YOU HAVE, IS HOW MANY PEOPLE WE HELPED NOT BECOME HOMELESS. THAT'S BEEN, I THINK, ONE OF THE MAJOR EMPHASIS IN DHS FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE HELPED PEOPLE PAY RENT AND KEEP THEM FROM BEING EVICTED AND BECOMING HOMELESS.HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS, HOW MANY FAMILIES. YOU KNOW, I KNOW SINCE WE WENT THROUGH THE PANDEMIC AND ALL THE YEARS AFTER THAT, WE WERE LITERALLY HELPING THOUSANDS OF SAN ANTONIO RESIDENTS STAY IN A HOME SOMEWHERE OR AN APARTMENT SOMEWHERE. AND HELPED THEM OVERCOME BECOMING A HOMELESS FAMILY ON OUR STREETS. WE CONTINUE TO DO THAT. AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD EMPHASIZE SO THAT THE PUBLIC COMES TO UNDERSTAND IT'S NOT JUST THESE 3,000 INDIVIDUALS OR FAMILIES, BUT THERE'S LITERALLY THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS MORE THAT COULD BE HOMELESS, BUT BECAUSE OF THE COMMITMENT OF THIS CITY TO HELP PEOPLE AT A HOUSED, WE ARE REALLY IN A MUCH BETTER SITUATION THAN WE COULD BE.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO BRAG ON THAT A LITTLE BIT AND ADD SOME OF THAT, HOW MANY PEOPLE DID WE SAVE, SO TO SPEAK, FROM HOMELESSNESS THROUGH ALL THE ACTIONS THAT GO THROUGH DHS AS WELL AS THE ACTIVITIES OF OUR PARTNERS. WE TALKED ABOUT, I THINK, IN THIS OVER $40 MILLION IN CITY DOLLARS THAT WENT INTO HOMELESSNESS, BUT WHAT WE DON'T PUT IN HERE, WHICH I THINK WE SHOULD, AS AN ASTERISK, HOW MANY MORE MILLIONS ARE BEING SPENT TO FIGHT HOMELESSNESS BY ALL OF OUR PARTNERS, ALL OF THE EFFORTS COMBINED TOGETHER WHICH WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT OVER THE YEARS AND I THINK I HAVE HEARD NUMBERS OF $75 MILLION WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF OUR COMMUNITY GOES TO FIGHT OR ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS. AND THOSE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT I THINK WE SHOULD BE SPEAKING ABOUT SO THAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS THE GRAVITY OF THE PROBLEM THAT WE FACE BUT HOW EFFECTIVE WE ARE IN FACING THAT PROBLEM AND HELPING PEOPLE, AND HOW THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER PARTNERS THAT ARE COMMITTED TO DOING THIS AND IT JUST DOESN'T FALL ON THE BACK OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
SO I APPRECIATE THE REPORT AND THE ACTION THAT EVERYBODY IS TAKING IN THIS AREA, AND I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR US TO TRY AND EMPHASIZE THOSE OTHER ASPECTS OF WHAT
WE DO AS WELL. THANK YOU. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU,
COUNCILMAN COURAGE. COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO? >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, CHAIR. THANK YOU, PATRICK, FOR THE PRESENTATION.
YOU REALLY ARE EVERYWHERE AND VERY RESPONSIVE, WHETHER IT'S A PHONE CALL OR E-MAIL.
JUST REALLY GRATEFUL FOR YOU AND THE WORK OF YOUR TEAM. I THINK ABOUT IN 2021, MY FIRST YEAR ON COUNCIL, I SUBMITTED A BUDGET AMENDMENT FOR A PSYCHIATRIST TO SUPPORT THE HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAM AND I'M GRATEFUL TO SEE THAT IN 2024, WITH CAM, THERE IS A PART NERSHIP TO PROVIDE PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATIONS AND MEDICATION FOR FOLKS.
THIS IS SOMETHING WE HAVE KNOWN HAS BEEN NEEDED AND GRATEFUL TO SEE THAT INVESTMENT AND PARTNERSHIP HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED. ON THAT SAME NOTE, I'M JUST, I WANT TO THANK YOUR TEAM FOR ALL THE WORK YOU DO TO TACKLE THIS ISSUE.
IT CONTINUES TO BE A PRIORITY ON OUR BUDGET SURVEYS AND I THINK THERE WOULD BE VALUE IN HAVING A FULL B SESSION AROUND THIS WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE PRESENTED TO US AND ALLOW MY COLLEAGUES TO GIVE INPUT ON WHAT THEIR QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS MAY BE.
I DID HAVE THE SAME QUESTION REGARDING FUNDING AND ACKNOWLEDGING THAT MANY OF THESE PROGRAMS ARE GRANT FUNDED AND I SEE THAT THE COUNTY IS ALSO PARTNER IN THIS WORK AND IN 2024, IN THE HAVEN FOR HOPE NEWSLETTER, IT SHARED THAT BEXAR COUNTY ESTABLISHED A PILOT WITH OUTREACH AND THAT THAT OUTREACH PILOT WOULD EXPAND TO FOUR DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES AFTER THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS.
SO WHAT DOES THAT CONVERSATION LOOK LIKE THE COUNTY IN TERMS OF ESTABLISHING THESE PILOTS, BECAUSE WE KNOW HAVEN FOR HOPE IS IN DISTRICT 5 AND OFTENTIMES, DISTRICT 5 RESIDENTS HAVE TO NAVIGATE WITH THE OVERFLOW ISSUES THAT DO TAKE PLACE AT HAVEN SO I'M CURIOUS WHAT THAT CONVERSATION IS WITH THESE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AND THE COUNTY WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING A DECISION HERE IN
CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. >> SURE. YEAH, THE COUNTY HAS MADE CAPITAL INVESTMENTS IN HAVEN FOR HOPE, SOME OPERATING INVESTMENTS INTO HAVEN FOR
[01:00:04]
HOPE AND LAST YEAR, LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO, THEY HAVE SEEN GROWTH ESPECIALLY IN THE VALLEY AREA, ON THE BOUNDARIES WITH CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, OUR TEAMS CERTAINLY ARE ONLY FUNDED FOR WORK REALLY IN THE CITY LIMITS OF SAN ANTONIO, SO THAT HAS BEEN A CONVERSATION THAT HAVEN OUTREACH TEAM THAT IS THE COUNTY AND LEON VALLEY PILOT DOES COORDINATE CLOSELY WITH OUR TEAMS. WE HAVE OUR OUTREACH WEEKLY MEETING OR BIWEEKLY MEETING OF THE STAFF TO MAKE SURE WE ARE NOT DUPLICATING EFFORTS AND STEPPING ON EACH OTHER'S TOES GEOGRAPHICALLY. SO THEY ARE FULLY COORDINATED INTO THAT RESPONSE SYSTEM WORK. SO THAT WE ARE ENSURING EQUAL COVERAGE OF THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE HOMELESSNESS IS EVERYWHERE. BUT THE COUNTY HAS CONTRIBUTED PART TO THE OPERATIONS AT HAVEN FOR HOPE AS WELL.
>> CASTILLO: IN TERMS OF GENERAL FUND CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE COUNTY AND THE CITY, CAN YOU SHARE WHAT THOSE CONTRIBUTIONS LOOK LIKE ON THE COUNTY'S END AS WELL AS
THE CITY'S? >> YES. THE THE CITY'S IS A LITTLE OVER $5 MILLION. COUNTY, I DON'T HAVE OFF-HAND
BUT I CAN GET THAT TO YOU. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU FOR THAT.
I WOULD APPRECIATE IT. I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITY THAT I UNDERSTAND THE PARTNER WITH THE ALLIANCE BUT I THINK THERE'S OPPORTUNITY ON HOW CAN WE HELP THESE UNINCORPORATED CITIES ESTABLISH INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT THEIR UNHOUSED COMMUNITIES, BECAUSE WE KNOW HOMELESSNESS BASED OFF OF THE SURVEY DATA THAT IT IS A PRIORITY FOR OUR RESIDENTS. I THINK IT'S GOING TO TAKE PARTNERSHIP WITH THESE CITIES AND THE COUNTY TO ENSURE WE ARE NOT JUST RELOCATING UNHOUSED INDIVIDUALS BUT PROVIDING THE SUPPORT WITHIN THEIR COMMUNITIES TO GET THEM CONNECTED TO SERVICES.
I KNOW THAT'S GOING TO -- THE WORK IS ALREADY BEING DONE WITH FOLKS CONVENING BUT I THINK HAVING A LARGER CONVERSATION ON WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT WHETHER IT'S LEON VALLEY OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE, WE ARE HELPING WITH THAT INFRASTRUCTURE TO PROVIDE SERVICES. IN TERMS OF THE ALIGNMENT OF HOMELESSNESS AND HOUSING, I'M CURIOUS, TOO, ON THE DATA WHERE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS LOCATED THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
I THINK THIS GOES TO THE POINT THAT IN 2019, WE HAVE SEEN A DECREASE IN SOME OF OUR PUBLIC HOUSING STOCK AND WE ALSO SEE BASED OFF THE PRESENTATION HOW IT'S INSTRUMENTAL TO OUR HOUSING ECOSYSTEM AND IF WE CONTINUE TO REMOVE, WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO SEE MORE UNHOUSED INDIVIDUALS, AND I UNDERSTAND THE ARGUMENT THAT WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL THAT FOLKS ARE IN SHELTER AND THAT MEANS IT'S LESS FOLKS ON THE STREET, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, HAVING FOLKS CAPPED OUT AND MAXED OUT IN SHELTER MEANS THERE'S NO PLACE FOR US TO MOVE THEM INTO FOR LONG-TERM HOUSING SOLUTION.
JUST EMPHASIZING THE NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF THE WORK OF THE HOUSING TRUST AND THIS COMMITTEE IN PRODUCING THAT DEEPLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING. BUT I THINK JUST HAVING MORE NUMBERS ON WHAT THE CONTRIBUTION LOOKS LIKE ON THE COUNTY'S END AND THE CITY'S END WOULD BE HELPFUL. THEN ALSO, AGAIN, HAVING A FULL B SESSION BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD HAVE A CONTINUED CONVERSATION ABOUT ON HOW WE CAN RECALIBRATE AND SUPPORT THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM NEED. THANK YOU.
>> GARCIA: THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN VIAGRAN? >> VIAGRAN: THANK YOU, CHAIR.
THANK YOU, PATRICK, FOR THE PRESENTATION. I THINK IT WAS MY FIRST TERM OR EARLY IN MY FIRST TERM THAT I HAD PATRICK AND IAN SITTING TOGETHER AT A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT'S MEETING AND GETTING QUESTIONS AND INPUT FROM THE NEIGHBORS ABOUT WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO, AND REALLY GLAD TO BE HERE TODAY AND SEE HOW WE HAVE -- HOW WE ARE FOCUSING ON THE HOUSING AND THE CONTINUUM OF THE HOUSING. I THINK THAT THAT'S GOING TO BE KEY AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND YOU KNOW, FROM BOTH OUR OUTREACH WORKERS TO WHAT WE DO AT NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING TO GET PEOPLE INTO HOMES, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO CONTINUE TO TALK TO EACH OTHER.
I THINK WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BRING IN CODE ALSO, BECAUSE I THINK KEY RIGHT NOW FOR HOMELESS IS GETTING THOSE DANGEROUS AREAS WHERE THERE'S SQUATTING AND FIRES ARE POSSIBLE, WE NEED TO GET THOSE SECURED SO THAT THEY ARE NO LONGER THERE AND WE CAN EASILY IDENTIFY WHERE THE HOMELESS ARE AND HOW WE CAN HELP TAKE CARE OF THEM AND HOW WE CAN HELP THE COMMUNITY GET THEM THE SERVICES THEY NEED.
I THINK ALSO IT'S CRITICAL, MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE THE REST OF THE MUNICIPALITIES AND ACOG'S INVESTMENT ON THAT BECAUSE I WANT TO TAKE THIS TO A B SESSION, TOO, AND I WANT TO TAKE THIS TO THE FULL COUNCIL BUT I'M AFRAID WE WILL GET COUNCIL MEMBERS SAYING THAT OTHER MUNICIPALITIES ARE BRINGING THEIR HOMELESS TO SAN ANTONIO. I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S A PROVEN FACT.
I THINK WE ARE ALL, ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES WITHIN THE ALAMO AREA WITHIN BEXAR
[01:05:02]
COUNTY ARE TRYING TO THE ONE THING I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT, ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR AND IN THE WEST SIDE, AND EAST SIDE, IS WHAT HOUSING -- WHAT OF THE DAILY RATE MOTELS AND AREAS ARE REALLY JUST FUNCTIONING AS SHELTERS FOR HOMELESS. WE REALLY NEED TO FIND A WAY IF WE CAN CREATE POLICY, TO MONITOR THAT. BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT MONITORING AS A HOTEL. THEY ARE MONITORING -- THEY ARE A FORM OF HOUSING.WE NEED TO REGULATE THAT IF THEY ARE GOING TO CHARGE FULL PRICE TO PEOPLE WHEN THEY GET THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY CHECKS, THEN LOCK THEM OUT UNTIL THEY GET THAT CHECK BACK.
WE NEED TO FIND OUT WHO THOSE ACTORS ARE. I THINK PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IS GOING TO BE KEY. I THINK GETTING THE SERVICES THERE IS GOING TO BE HELPFUL.
BUT I THINK WE ALSO DO NEED TO GET OUT IN THE COMMUNITY MORE AND EXPLAIN, HAVE OUR PARTNERS EXPLAIN BETTER THE KIND OF LINE WE HAVE, WHICH IS THE HOMELESS THAT TRAVEL MAYBE BECAUSE IT'S WARMER NOW IN SAN ANTONIO THAN IT IS UP NORTH, SO THEY ARE TRAVELING HERE. THE ONES THAT COME FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD, MAYBE BECAUSE GRANDMA OR MOM LIVES THERE BUT THEY GET OFF THEIR MEDS AND THEY ARE ON THE STREETS.
THE OPIOID ADDICTIONS AND HOW THAT IS GOING TO IMPACT THE NEIGHBORHOOD, IF THERE IS A HOME THAT THEY BELIEVE THEY ARE DEALING IN, THAT DRUG DEALERS ARE AT.
I THINK WE NEED TO GO INTO THE COMMUNITY AND HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND MAYBE NOT DO IT NECESSARILY AROUND PUBLIC SAFETY, BECAUSE RESIDENTS WHEN THEY GET FRUSTRATED, THEY JUST WANT TO ARREST AWAY THE PROBLEM. BUT REALLY GOING IN EITHER AS METRO HEL AHEALTH AND COMMUNICATE AND EDUCATE OUR POPULATION ON WHAT THEY ARE SEEING IN THE COMMUNITY. THEY SEE THE ENCAMPMENTS WHEN IT COMES UP.
THAT'S FOR SURE. BUT ALSO DO SEE THAT ONE NEIGHBOR THAT CONTINUES TO JUST COME AROUND AND YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALWAYS THAT OTHER NEIGHBOR THAT'S GOING TO GIVE THEM THAT 10, 15 BUCKS AND THEY ARE GOING TO KEEP COMING.
SO HOW DO WE WORK ON THAT. BUT THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND WORKING.
I THINK WE DO NEED TO MOVE ON CODE BECAUSE MY AREAS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, WE ARE PLANNING TO REALLY SECURE THOSE HOMES THAT CURRENTLY, THEY ARE USING TO SHELTER IN DURING THESE COLD DAYS AND WE JUST HAVE TO DO SOMETHING BECAUSE OF THE FIRES.
ONCE THAT HAPPENS, THAT MEANS MORE PEOPLE ON THE STREET, POSSIBLY MORE ENCAMPMENTS AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE ARE ALL WORKING TOGETHER ON THAT. THANK YOU, PATRICK, FOR THE PRESENTATION. THAT'S A LOT OF WORK AHEAD AND WE WILL FIND THE MONEY BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO SEE US GO PAST THE 16% WE ARE CURRENTLY AT.
I THINK THAT'S KEY THAT WE FIND THE DOLLARS TO CONTINUE WHAT WE -- OUR CURRENT LEVEL
OF SERVICES. THANK YOU. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU.
COUNCILMAN PELAEZ? >> PELAEZ: SO THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION AND I KNOW THE TEAM, MELODY, AND I KNOW EVERYBODY WORKING ON THIS VIEWS THIS NOT AS A STATISTICAL PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE ATTACKED MATHEMATICALLY, BUT AS A PROBLEM OF HUMANS NEEDING DECENCYAND COMPASSION. YOU ALL HAVE ALWAYS LED WITH COMPASSION IN THIS SPACE. I KNOW SAN ANTONIO WILL ALWAYS LEAD THAT WAY.
HAVEN FOR HOPE, ONE OF THE REASONS IT IS HUGELY SUCCESSFUL IS BECAUSE THEY PULL FROM EVERY LEVER TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT JUST TREATED AS HOMELESS, BUT TREATED AS HUMAN BEINGS FIRST WHO HAPPEN TO BE HOMELESS AND WE ARE TRYING TO HELP THEM GET BACK UP ON THEIR FEET. I HAVE NEVER SEEN NUMBERS, HOWEVER, COMING OUT OF HAVEN AND IF I HAVE, I JUST DON'T REMEMBER THEM AND I'M HOPING SOMEBODY CAN GET THEM TO ME, SHOWING SUCCESS RATE AS IT RELATES TO PEOPLE GETTING OUT OF HOMELESSNESS.
ARE WE WAREHOUSING HOMELESS PEOPLE, ARE WE FEEDING THEM, ARE WE PROVIDING THEM SERVICES AND THEN THEY'RE JUST STAYING IN HOMELESSNESS? YOU KNOW, IF WE ARE, THAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN SO THAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT.
IF WE'RE NOT, IF PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY TRANSITIONING OUT OF HOMELESSNESS AFTER GOING THROUGH THE HAVEN PROGRAM, FANTASTIC. WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THAT. SO THAT IS A BIG QUESTION MARK AND I DON'T -- I DON'T
[01:10:01]
KNOW WHY WE'RE NOT MAKING MORE NOISE ABOUT THAT TRANSITION.I'M WORRYING -- I WORRY THAT THE REASON IS NOT A GOOD REASON.
THAT MAYBE THAT TRANSITION ISN'T HAPPENING AND IF IT'S NOT HAPPENING, THEN I CONSIDER THAT TO BE A FAILURE. THE SECOND THING IS THAT WHENEVER WE TALK TO NEIGHBORHOODS AND LORI, YOU HAVE BEEN THERE WHEN YOU HAVE TALKED TO -- EVERYBODY IN SAN ANTONIO IS AN EXPERT ON HOMELESSNESS, BY THE WAY.
WAY TOO OFTEN, THEY WILL SAY THINGS ALL OF YOU HAVE HEARD AT YOUR TOWN HALLS WHICH IS YOU JUST NEED TO ARREST THESE FOLKS, OR YOU NEED TO FORCE THEM TO GO WITH YOU TO HAVEN FOR HOPE. LORI IS THE ONE THAT TAUGHT ME THAT THERE'S ACTUALLY A WORD FOR THAT. IT'S CALLED KIDNAPPING. WE DON'T KIDNAP PEOPLE OFF THE STREETS AND TAKE PEOPLE AGAINST THEIR WILL TO SOMEWHERE THEY DON'T WANT TO GO. SO MUCH OF THIS IS WANTING AND -- TO GO, AND THESE MEN AND WOMEN ON THE STREET HAVE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AND THEY ARE WORTHY OF DIGNITY AND SO I DO THINK WE HAVE DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB OF HONORING THOSE RIGHTS AND MAKING SURE WE TREAT THEM LIKE HUMANS FIRST. I ALSO THINK THAT PART OF THAT SENTIMENT WHICH IS IT'S EASY, JUST PICK THEM UP AND HAUL THEM OFF, IS A PRODUCT OF JUST NOT KNOWING WHAT THEY DON'T KNOW. AND I THINK LORI, YOU HAVE DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB AND THE TEAM HAS DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB OF EDUCATING THE PUBLIC.
OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A BIG GAP OF KNOWLEDGE THAT STILL HAS TO HAPPEN AND YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC HAS A ROLE. PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING IN HOMES AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF HAVING GREAT JOBS, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES DON'T REALIZE THE WAY TO ERADICATE HOMELESSNESS JUST MIGHT BE TO SUPPORT SALVATION ARMY A LITTLE MORE, MIGHT BE TO SUPPORT THESE HOMELESSNESS ORGANIZATIONS JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE SO THAT THEY CAN INCREASE THEIR CAPACITY TO ABSORB MORE FOLKS AND PUSH THEM THROUGH THE SYSTEM SO THAT WE CAN GET MORE AND MORE PEOPLE OUT OF HOMELESSNESS INTO HOMES.
WHAT WORRIES ME ALSO, AND YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN THE THEME OF THE WEEK, IS THAT THERE IS STILL NOTHING OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE AS FAR AS WHAT THEIR INTENT IS TO DO WITH HUD AND HUD FUNDING OTHER THAN JUST SIMPLY SAY HEY, WE ARE GOING TO FREEZE EVERYTHING UNTIL WE ARE GOOD AND READY TO SPEND MONEY AGAIN.
BUT IF THIS PRESIDENT'S PRIOR ADMINISTRATION IS ANY INDICATION OF WHAT THIS ADMINISTRATION'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE, THEY WERE HOSTILE TO HOUSING FIRST PROGRAMS. BEN CARSON ACTUALLY REQUESTED THAT HOUSING FIRST BE ERASED FROM THE BOOKS AND THAT THEY ADOPT THIS HOUSING FOURTH MODEL OR THE VELVET GLOVE, THE VELVET HAMMER MODEL.
WHAT BREAKS MY HEART IS THE VELVET HAMMER AND HOUSING FOURTH MODEL IS AN INVENTION OF ROBERT MARBOCKS. LITERALLY I WAS JUST READING THE ARTICLES, QUOTE UNQUOTE, THE REASON HOMELESSNESS ISN'T HE RERADICATED IS BECAUSE CITIE HAND OUT TOO MANY GOODIES AND YOU HAVE TO MAKE THESE HOMELESS PEOPLE WORK FOR THE REWARDS, AS IF HOMELESSNESS IS A PRODUCT OF LAZINESS AND OF NOT WANTING TO WORK HARD ENOUGH.
WHEN WE ALL KNOW THAT'S NOT TRUE. YESTERDAY, I HAD A WOMAN CALL MY OFFICE BECAUSE SHE WAS GETTING EVICTED BECAUSE SHE'S JUST, LIFE HAS DEALT HER SOME TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE CARDS BY NO FAULT OF HER OWN. SHE WAS BEGGING US, PLEASE INTERVENE WITH THE LANDLORD. THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO. TODAY SHE'S HOMELESS.
IT'S NOT BECAUSE SHE'S LAZY AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE SHE WANTS GOODIES BECAUSE SHE'S HOMELESS. THANK YOU FOR BEING A HUMAN BEING.
THANK YOU FOR NOT BUYING INTO THIS HOUSING FOURTH VELVET HAMMER GARBAGE.
THE ONLY WAY WE ARE GOING TO RESOLVE THIS IN SAN ANTONIO IS THE HOUSING FIRST MODEL.
I THINK YOU HAVE COMPLETE BUY-IN ON CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU.
>> GARCIA: THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN. GO AHEAD, LORI.
>> GALL >> I WANT TO THANK THE COUNCILMAN FOR THAT.
I WANT IRIS TO KNOW AS YOU GO ON TO YOUR NEXT ROLE, SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS SURPRISED TO HEAR IS HOW MANY CHILDREN ARE AT HAVEN ON A DAILY BASIS.
WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THEY ARE LAZY, THEY DON'T WANT A JOB, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO CHANGE THEIR MIND BUT WHEN YOU GO AND TALK ABOUT BUT WHAT ABOUT THEIR CHILDREN, AND DON'T THEY DESERVE A CHANCE, THEY KIND OF SOFTEN UP A LITTLE BIT.
ALSO, WHEN PEOPLE ARGUE ABOUT THEY'RE LAZY, NEED TO QUIT DRINKING, AND I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THEY ARE NOT LAZY, THEY ARE HARDWORKING PEOPLE. THEY DO WANT JOBS. AND WITHOUT A HOME, THEY CAN'T KEEP THAT JOB SOMETIMES. THEY DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO SHOWERS.
AND SO YOU ALL KNOW THIS. BUT I JUST WANT TO SPEAK TO IRIS AND TELL HER THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT RESONATE WITH PEOPLE, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT HOMELESSNESS AND MAKE SURE THEY UNDERSTAND, LIKE, IT'S A WAGE ISSUE. THEY WANT TO WORK.
[01:15:05]
THERE'S NOT AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR THEM TO LIVE IN. >> GARCIA: IRIS, I THINK WE JUST PUT THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD ON YOUR SHOULDERS, BUT WE BELIEVE YOU CAN DO IT.
GO AHEAD, COUNCILMAN. >> SORRY. I ALSO I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE TALK IN TERMS OF NOT JUST THE PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING THROUGH THE HOMELESSNESS CRISIS, RIGHT? BUT THAT WE TALK ABOUT THEIR FAMILIES.
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE FOLK THAT IS WE TALK ABOUT IN THIS POINT, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM HAS A MOM, DAD, OR A GRANDPARENT WHO IS CRYING THEMSELVES TO SLEEP EVERY SINGLE NIGHT BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEIR KID IS ON THE STREETS WITHOUT FOOD, CLOTHES, SHOWERS, WITHOUT DENTAL CARE, HAVING TO PANHANDLE. AND THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD GO I, RIGHT? AND I THINK THAT THAT'S THE STORY, TOO, IRIS. WHILE YOU'RE PUTTING TOGETHER THINGS TO DO -- (LAUGHTER) -- THE STORY IS THAT THESE ARE HUMAN BEINGS, RIGHT? AND I HATE IT WHEN FOLKS CALL THEM THE HOMELESS.
THEY'RE PEOPLE, RIGHT? "THE HOMELESS" DEPERSONALIZES THEM.
I CHALLENGE ALL OF US TO REALLY START CALLING THEM "PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS" AS OPPOSED TO "HOMELESS PEOPLE". THEY'RE HUMANS FIRST. ANYWAY, CAN YOU TELL I'M ANGRY ABOUT THIS? I GOT WORKED UP. I'M GOING TO CALM DOWN
>> GARCIA: THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN. MEGAN AND GARRETT, YOU'RE FEELING LEFT OUT. COUNCILMAN CASTILLO. ONE THAT WORKS IN THE SAME
SYSTEM. >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU, CHAIR. I THINK IN ADDITION TO THINGS LORI STATED, I WOULD EMPHASIZE BEING HONEST WITH COMMUNITY ABOUT CAPACITY AND VACANCY OF BEDS. FOR EXAMPLE, THIS NEWSLETTER THAT I CITED ABOUT THE PILOT, IT ALSO GOES ON TO STATE THAT HAVEN IMPLEMENTED A CHANGE TO DISCHARGE POLICIES REQUIRING CLIENTS WHO ARE DISCHARGED TO WAIT 30 DAYS BEFORE THEY CAN RETURN TO SERVICES.
AND OFTENTIMES IN COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS, THE IMPRESSIONS ARE THE SERVICES ARE THERE 24/7 AND ACCESSIBLE TO ANYONE WHO SHOWS UP TO THE GATES OF HAVEN. THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE.
WE KNOW THERE ARE PARTNERS WHO TAKE ON DIFFERENT ROLES. THAT'S WHY THIS COLLABORATION THAT DHS HAS PUT TOGETHER WITH EVERYONE HAVING DISCUSSIONS IS VERY IMPORTANT.
BUT ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING THAT HAVEN CAN'T TAKE ON EVERYTHING. AND IT SEEMS LIKE WE'VE ALLOCATED SO MUCH WORK TO THEM. AND I THINK WE NEED TO START HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT PROVIDING ACCESS TO SERVICES FOR FOLKS ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AND I KNOW WHEN IT COMES TO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AND SO MUCH MORE, BUT IN TERMS OF WHAT HAVEN SERVES AS A HUB FOR, I THINK JUST HAVING ONE SOLE LOCATION ISN'T ENOUGH. AND I HAVE SEVERAL EXAMPLES IN WHICH MY TEAM HAS SENT CONSTITUENTS TO HAVEN, AND THEY GET TURNED AWAY, RIGHT? SOME OF THOSE CONSTITUENTS HAVE CHILDREN WITH THEM AND GET TURNED AWAY.
I THINK BEING HONEST THAT THERE ARE BARRIERS WITH SOME OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS DO EXIST, I THINK CAN HELP EASE AND CORRECT SOME OF THAT MISINFORMATION THAT RESIDENTS MAY HAVE, THAT THERE'S SERVICES AND THEY'RE JUST NOT ACCEPTING THEM. AND THAT'S NOT THE CASE, RIGHT? SO I THINK JUST EMPHASIZING THAT PIECE THAT THERE ARE CAPACITY WHEN IT COMES TO BEDS, DETOX BEDS, SO ON AND SO FORTH, DO EXIST, AND WE DO HIT THAT THRESHOLD SOMETIMES AND IT DOES COME BACK DOWN, BUT IT'S JUST NOT SERVICES THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE.
AND I JUST WANT TO BE SURE THAT I THINK MARIA IS RIGHT, WE'VE HAD INSTANCES WHERE WE'VE HAD TO CALL THE BATTERED SHELTER BECAUSE A BATTERED WOMAN GETS TURNED AWAY.
AT THE SAME TIME, NOT EVERY UNHOUSED INDIVIDUAL KNOWS TO GO TO THEIR COUNCIL OFFICE OR CALL THE CITY COUNCIL OFFICE. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO CALLED US AND CONNECTED THEM WITH SERVICES. PATRICK HAS BEEN ON THE RECEIVING END OF THE EMERGENCY CALLS, SO THANK YOU, AGAIN, PATRICK. I THINK JUST TALKING ABOUT THE THRESHOLD AND CAPACITY THAT THE.
THANK YOU, CHAIR. >> GARCIA: THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO.
THAT BRINGS US TO THE END OF OUR CONVERSATION. LORI, IS THIS GOING TO BE TAKEN
TO A FULL B SESSION? >> WE ARE GOING TO BE TAKING THIS TO THE FEBRUARY 26TH B SESSION. AND WE'LL TAKE SOME OF YOUR FEEDBACK.
IF YOU GUYS HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLARITY OR THINGS YOU WOULD LIKE US TO PUT IN THERE, WE CAN
LOOK AT THAT. >> GARCIA: WONDERFUL. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR MY COLLEAGUES FOR ALLOWING US TO ADD AN EXTRA SESSION THIS GO AROUND.
THE TIME IS NOW 2:22, AND WE ARE ADJOURNED. THANK YOU.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.