[FY 2024 Budget Workshop: Housing and Community Development]
[00:00:20]
REMEMBER EDWARD POLLARD AND THE VICE CHAIR OF THE BUDGET AND FISCAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, AND I CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE.
WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER PAR JACKSON, AND STAFF FROM LETICIA PLUMMER, DAVID ROBINSON, MIKE KNOX, CARLOS CISNEROS, AND ABBY CAYMAN.
WE'RE ALSO JOINED BY STAFF OF THE CHAIR, DAVE MARTIN, DISTRICT E.
TODAY'S BUDGET WORKSHOPS ARE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, WHICH WE'LL BE PRESENTING AT ONE O'CLOCK AT THIS HOUR, FOLLOWED BY HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT AT TWO SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT AT THREE.
AND WE'LL CLOSE WITH THE MUNICIPAL COURTS AT 4:00 PM.
ADDITIONALLY, THE BUDGET WORKSHOP SCHEDULE IS POSTED ON THE BFA WEBSITE.
ALL BUDGET AND FISCAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MEETINGS AND BUDGET WORKSHOPS ARE BROADCAST ON HTV THROUGH THE CITY'S MUNICIPAL CHANNEL.
IN ADDITION TO STREAMED ON THE HTV FACEBOOK PAGE, A PUBLIC SPEAKER'S LIST HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO EACH COUNCIL MEMBER FOR TODAY'S PRESENTATIONS.
HOWEVER, IF THERE ARE ADDITIONAL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THAT ARE HERE IN PERSON AND DID NOT GET A CHANCE TO SIGN UP BY YESTERDAY'S DEADLINE, THERE'S A SIGN IN SHEET AT THE FRONT TABLE AND MY STAFF WILL BE MONITORING THE PUBLIC SPEAKER'S LIST.
THE MAIN PUBLIC HEARING ON THE FY 24 BUDGET IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 31ST.
DURING OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED CITY COUNCIL MEETING AT 9:00 AM COUNCIL MEMBERS SHOULD SUBMIT ANY DEPARTMENT BUDGET WORKSHOP QUESTIONS IN A WORD DOCUMENT AND UPLOAD IT TO SHAREPOINT BUDGET WORKSPACE.
OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS, THE DISTRICT E STAFF HAS SHARED LINKS TO THE SHAREPOINT BUDGET WORKSPACE AND HELD A REFRESHER TRAINING TO MAKE SURE COUNCIL OFFICES ARE PREPARED FOR THIS BUDGET SEASON.
ALL PRESENTATIONS FOR BUDGET WORKSHOPS WILL BE POSTED ON THE SHAREPOINT 48 HOURS BEFORE THE DAY OF THE DEPARTMENT WORKSHOPS AND DELIVERED TO COUNCIL INBOXES IN THE ANNEX LOBBY.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR STAFF IS UTILIZING THE WORKSPACE AND PICKING UP DEPARTMENT PRESENTATIONS IN YOUR MAILBOXES IN A TIMELY MANNER.
THESE PRESENTATIONS WILL THEN BE UPLOADED TO THE BFA WEBSITE.
DEPARTMENTS HAVE BEEN DIRECTED TO PROVIDE RESPONSES WITHIN 48 HOURS OF THE CONCLUSION OF THEIR PRESENTATION TO ANY QUESTIONS POSTED BEFORE THE START OF THE WORKSHOP.
DEPARTMENT RESPONSES WILL ALSO BE UPLOADED TO THE SHAREPOINT FOR ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS TO REVIEW IF QUESTIONS ARE SUBMITTED AFTER THE PRESENTATION, DEPARTMENTS HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND VIA SHAREPOINT FROM THE TIME OF POSTING.
QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS CAN BE UPLOADED AT ANY TIME DURING THE BUDGET WORKSHOP PROCESS.
THE EARLIER THE BETTER, ALLOWING DEPARTMENTS PLENTY OF TIME TO PROVIDE RESPONSES.
PUBLIC SPEAKERS SHOULD HAVE SIGNED UP ONLINE BY 3:00 PM YESTERDAY.
THE FY 2024 BUDGET AMENDMENT TEMPLATE HAS ALSO BEEN UPLOADED TO THE SHAREPOINT BUDGET WORKSPACE.
MAYOR TURNER SENT OUT A MEMO TO ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS AND COUNCIL OFFICES TO ENSURE PRODUCTIVE DISCUSSIONS ON THE FY 2024 BUDGET PROCESS RELATED TO COUNCIL MEMBER AMENDMENTS.
PER HIS MEMO ONLY OPERATION BUDGET RELATED AMENDMENTS WILL BE CONSIDERED.
POLICY AMENDMENTS SHOULD NOT BE SUBMITTED AND WILL BE RULED OUT OF ORDER.
PLEASE SEE THE MAYOR'S MEMO FOR ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE.
THIS, THAT'S ALL FROM THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.
I ENCOURAGE ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS TO REACH OUT DIRECTLY TO THE MAYOR IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE SURE YOUR AMENDMENTS ARE SUCCESSFUL OR YOU CAN WORK WITH THE MAYOR TO IDENTIFY A PATH FORWARD.
I THINK HE JUST WANTED ME TO SAY ALL THAT AMENDMENTS ARE DUE ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 31ST.
FOR THE COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO ARE ATTENDING VIRTUALLY WE ARE ACT YOU ARE ASKED TO PLEASE KEEP YOUR CAMERAS ON.
IF YOU LEAVE THE MEETING, UH, TURN YOUR CAMERA OFF, AND IF YOU LEAVE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, YOU WILL BE REMOVED.
COUNCIL MEMBERS ATTENDING VIRTUALLY IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND AND TYPE THAT IN THE CHAT.
MY STAFF WILL THEN COMMENT IN THE CHAT WITH EXISTING QUEUE AND PROVIDE UPDATES AS AVAILABLE.
ONCE YOUR COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN EXECUTED, PLEASE LOWER YOUR HAND AND WE WILL PROCEED WITH THE REST OF THE QUEUE.
THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE, AND LET'S GET STARTED ON OUR FIRST PRESENTATION.
AT THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
[00:05:01]
DIRECTOR KEITH BYNUM TO PROVIDE THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROPOSED BUDGET.ONCE AGAIN, IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE, UH, TO PRESENT OUR BUDGET.
IF WE GO TO THE NEXT PAGE, UH, YOU WILL SEE, UH, OUR DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATION SHORT.
JUST A MOMENT FOR TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.
ALRIGHT, WE'RE BACK IN BUSINESS.
UH, THIS IS OUR DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATION CHART.
AS YOU SEE, UH, MY EXECUTIVE TEAM, UH, AND SOME OF MY SENIOR, UH, TEAM MEMBERS ARE ON THIS, UH, ON THIS CHART, HAVE A DIRECT REPORT TO ME.
OVER TO THE LEFT, YOU WILL SEE THE NUMBER OF DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE FUNDED THROUGH OUR DEPARTMENT.
UH, I MIGHT ADD THAT, UH, DON HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND LIBRARIES ARE THE THREE DEPARTMENTS THAT REALLY DO NOT HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON OUR DAILY OPERATION.
ALL THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS ARE, ARE, ARE, ARE IN A SUPPORT ROLE TO OUR DAILY OPERATION.
SO, UH, THAT SHOULD GIVE YOU SOME PAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT FIRST ONE.
IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THE NEXT SLIDE, THE EXPENDITURES BY CATEGORY.
UH, WE HAVE PERSONNEL SUPPLIES, OFFICE RENT, RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS, AND OTHER SERVICES AND CHARGES.
AND THEN YOU CAN SEE IF WE GO ACROSS, UH, THE LINE ON PERSONNEL, THAT THERE IS A CHANGE, A, A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE ON THOSE THAT IS DUE TO SOME REDUCTION IN STAFF.
WE HAVE SOME PROGRAMS THAT HAVE WOUND DOWN.
SO THOSE AS, AND AS YOU KNOW, THE MAJORITY OF OUR, UH, OUR STAFF IS ON GRANT FUNDING.
SO AS THOSE PROGRAMS GO AWAY, THEN UH, THOSE PERSONNEL INDIVIDUALS GO AWAY AS WELL.
UH, THE NEXT ONE THAT HA THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IS IN RENT.
UH, WE ARE LOCATED AT 2100 TRAVIS.
WE INITIALLY MOVED IN, UH, TO THAT BUILDING JANUARY 1ST, 2019.
WE OCCUPIED THREE FLOORS, AND BECAUSE OF, UH, THE WINE DOWN OF, UH, DR 17 AND SOME OF THE ISSUES WITH THE GLO, WE HAVE NOW REDUCED, UH, THAT FOOTPRINT AND ELIMINATED ONE OF THE FLOORS.
SO THAT IS THE REDUCTION IN RENT THAT YOU SEE THERE.
IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU'LL SEE OUR FY 2023 PERSONNEL VERSUS NON-PERSONNEL COSTS.
UH, IT IS, UH, PRETTY SIMPLE HERE.
33% OF OUR BUDGET IS FOR PERSONNEL, AND 67 IS NON-PERSONNEL.
THAT NON-PERSONNEL IS OUR RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS OFFICE RENT AND OTHER SERVICES CHARGE FOR A TOTAL OF 1,000,500, UH, $48,629.
OUR PERSONNEL COST IS, UH, INDICATING IS AT, UH, 143,880, UH, $878.
UH, AS YOU SEE ON THE, ON THE CHART TO THE RIGHT, UH, OFFICE RENT OCCUPIES, UH, 8% OF THAT BUDGET.
OTHER SERVICES AND CHARGES ARE 1% AND 91% IS THE RESTRICTED CHARGES.
UH, IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, OUR GENERAL FUND REVENUE OVERVIEW ON GENERAL FUND FY 22, OUR ACTUALS WAS 435,000, UH, $780.
IT WENT UP IN FY 23 TO 876,450.
AND THEN IN FY 24, IT WILL TAKE A SIGNIFICANT JUMP TO $1,692,507.
THE VARIANCE OF THAT IS 816,000, UH, $57.
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THAT JUST SHOWS YOU A GRAPH OF HOW, UH, PUTTING IT IN REAL LIFE ON WHAT THAT JUMP AND INCREASE IN, UH, IS FOR THE MOST PART.THAT IS, UH, PRETTY MUCH THE END OF THE PRESENTATION.
BUT I WOULD LIKE YOU TO GO TO SLIDE, UH, ADVANCE TO, UH, SLIDE NINE.
AND ON THAT SLIDE YOU WILL SEE OUR NEW AWARDS.
THIS WILL GIVE YOU A BETTER, UH, SNAPSHOT OF WHAT FUNDING IS AVAILABLE IN THE DEPARTMENT AND WHERE THAT FUNDING IS COMING FROM.
SO AS YOU SEE ON THE CHART, UH, WE HAVE C-D-B-G-D-R 21.
UH, THAT FUNDING WILL BE JUST A LITTLE BIT UNDER 51 MILLION.
THEN OUR REGULAR CDBG FUNDING FROM OUR ENTITLEMENT SIDE IS JUST UNDER 25 MILLION.
TERRORIST FUNDING IS JUST UNDER 14 MILLION.
OUR HOPPER FUNDING IS JUST OVER 13 MILLION.
HOME FUNDING IS JUST UNDER 12 MILLION BONDS, 3 MILLION, UH, ESG IS, UH, JUST OVER 2 MILLION.
UH, GENERAL FUND WILL BE JUST, UH, AT 1,692,507.
AND OUR HHSP FUNDING IS, UH, JUST UNDER 1,000,006, UH, 1.6 MILLION FOR A TOTAL OF $122,000,717 AND 524.
AND THAT GIVES YOU, IN THE CHART TO THE RIGHT, GIVES YOU JUST EIGHT PERCENTAGE BREAKDOWN OF WHAT THAT FUNDING IS FOR THE DEPARTMENT.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, IS JUST THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF, UH, THE MAKEUP OF THE DEPARTMENT.
IT GIVES YOU, UH, UH, UH, IDENTIFIES, UH, THE DEPARTMENT BY MALE, FEMALE AND ETHNIC, UH, BREAKDOWN.
AND MR. CHAIR, THAT IS ALL WE HAVE FOR OUR PRESENTATION.
THANK YOU DIRECTOR AND, UH, TO YOUR CFO, UH, MR. TAMIKA JONES IN THE ENTIRE, UH, HOUSING DEPARTMENT.
WE WANNA, UH, SHOW OUR APPRECIATION FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK, UH, THROUGHOUT THE FISCAL YEAR.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN AND COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN, WHO HAVE JOINED US IN CHAMBERS AS WELL AS STAFF FROM VICE MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM'S OFFICE.
UM, THE, THE SLIDE THAT HAD THE BAR GRAPH TO SHOW THE INCREASE FROM FISCAL YEAR 23 TO 24 WAS SLIDE, SLIDE SIX PAGE.
UH, CAN YOU ELABORATE MORE ON THAT? ON, ON THE, UH, ON THE FY 2023 ESTIMATE COMPARED TO THE FY 2024 BUDGET? SO THE DEPARTMENT OVERALL HAS NOT RECEIVED, UH, UH, HAS A HISTORY OF NOT RECEIVING VERY MANY, VERY MUCH IN GENERAL FUND DOLLARS.
UH, THE GENERAL FUND DOLLARS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR SPECIFIC DOLLARS THAT, UH, THE GRANT COULD NOT PAY FOR.
AND HERE WE HAVE THE SIMILAR SITUATIONS.
SO THERE WERE MORE LINE ITEMS THAT, UH, THE GRANT COULD NOT PAY FOR IN 23.
UH, SO YOU SAW THAT INCREASE GOING FROM, FROM WHAT IT WAS, UH, IN 22 TO 23.
AND THEN IN 23 TO 24, THERE HAVE BEEN MORE ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, THAT WE, UH, CANNOT CHARGE TO THE GRANT FOR A VERY, FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.
AND I CAN LET, UH, THE CFO JUMP IN AT ANY POINT WHEN SHE, UH, WHEN, WHEN I START STRAYING TOO FAR OFF.
BUT WE HAVE A NUMBER OF, OF, UH, PROGRAMS THAT, UH, CANNOT BE CHARGED TO THE GRANT SIMPLY BECAUSE WE DO BUSINESS WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON IN SOME CASES, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, CELL PHONES AND CELL PHONES, UH, FOR THE DEPARTMENT, IF IT WAS NOT FEDERALLY COM PROCURED, IT GIVES US SOME ISSUES WITH BEING ABLE TO CHARGE THAT TO THE GRANT.
SO WHEN WE ARE DOING BUSINESS WITH CITY, AND THE CITY DOESN'T FOLLOW ALL OF THE, OR NOT REQUIRED TO FOLLOW HUD GUIDELINES, IT ALWAYS PUTS US IN A LITTLE BIT OF A, UM, A POSITION THAT DOESN'T ALLOW US TO, UH, PASS THAT, THAT PARTICULAR CHARGE ONTO THE GRANT.
SO THAT'S WHY THE, AND WE HAVE A NUMBER OF THOSE KINDS OF SITUATIONS.
SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE SUCH A LARGE JUMP IN THE, UH, UH, IN THE BUDGET FOR 2024.
MS. JONES, YOU LIKE TO CHIME IN AT ALL? YEP.
I JUST WANNA ADD TO WHAT, UM, DIRECTOR BYNUM SAID, UM, PRIMARILY ONE OF THE LARGE EXPENDITURES THAT WE ANTICIPATE IS GOING TO BE EMPLOYEE EXIT COST.
UM, THOSE ARE THE EMPLOYEES, LIKE OUR DIRECTOR BYNUM, WHO WE ARE GOING TO KEEP HERE AS LONG AS POSSIBLE
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BECAUSE WE CANNOT AFFORD FOR HIM TO LEAVE THE CITY OF HOUSTON.BUT SEVERAL OF THOSE EMPLOYEE EXIT COSTS ARE NON-REIMBURSABLE TO THE GRANTS.
AND SO WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO FIND A LOCAL FUNDING SOURCE, UM, THAT WE CAN USE TO COVER THOSE EMPLOYEE EXIT COSTS.
FIRST IN THE QUEUE IS COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN.
THANK YOU CHAIR, AND THANKS FOR THE PRESENTATION.
AND ALONG THOSE SAME LINES, HE ASKED MY QUESTION, UH, THAT'S THE, THE BULK OF THESE, OF THE INCREASE IN THE GENERAL FUND IS JUST FOR THE, THE RESTRICTED ACCOUNTS, APPLICATION SERVICES, DATA SERVICES, GIS, VOICE, INTER, YOU KNOW, ALL THAT KRONOS DRAINAGE.
SO, UH, WERE WE USING, UH, TURS FUNDS THAT WERE MORE FLEXIBLE TO PAY THOSE COSTS BEFORE IF THEY WEREN'T ALLOWED BY THE GRANT? BOTH.
SO WHAT WE DO IS WE EVALUATE THE COST AND DETERMINE IF IT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE GRANT, AND IF IT IS, THEN WE SUBMIT FOR REIMBURSEMENT.
AND THEN OTHERWISE WE'VE INCLUDED IT HISTORICALLY AS PART OF OUR ADMINISTRATIVE COST.
AND THEN, AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE RECEIVED A LOT OF SCRUTINY OVER THE YEARS ABOUT USING TURS DOLLARS FOR SOME OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.
I'D RATHER SEE THE, THE TRANSPARENCY OF THE GENERAL FUND BEING USED FOR THAT.
SO I APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH ON SLIDE NINE, WHEN REALLY THE HOUSING STORY FINANCE WISE IS, IS REALLY THE GRANT MONEY THAT YOU GET.
AND, AND WILL YOU REMIND ME OF THE TIMING OF THE ANNUAL PLAN OR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND, AND WHEN WE CAN WEIGH IN ON, ON, UH, HOW THESE FUNDS ARE SPENT, HOW, HOW DOES THAT CYCLE GO? DO YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT 21? SO THAT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED, RIGHT? WE'VE ALREADY DONE RIGHT.
BUT FOR NEXT YEAR WE'VE ALREADY DONE THE TWO PUBLIC SESSIONS THAT RIGHT.
WE'RE REQUIRED TO DO SO WE'VE ALREADY SUBMITTED OUR ANNUAL ACTION PLAN, SO WE ARE JUST WAITING FOR THAT TO BE APPROVED.
SO WE DO TWO, WE DO ONE IN THE FALL.
UH, AND THAT THE ONE IN THE FALL IS USUALLY DONE IN LATE NOVEMBER, AND THEN WE DO A SPRING, WHICH IS USUALLY DONE IN MARCH.
AND, AND THAT DETERMINES KIND OF THE, THE, THE BUCKETS OR, OR WHAT, WHAT, LIKE SPECIFIC PROJECTS OR SPECIFIC, UM, SPENDS WITHIN THAT? IS THAT PART OF THAT PROCESS OR IS THAT DEVELOPED AFTER? IS IS, IS THE PUBLIC PRO? I, I, I GUESS I NEED TO UNDERSTAND BETTER, LIKE, IS THAT, THAT MORE OF A HIGH LEVEL WHERE, SO WE, SO WE, WE DO ASK THE PUBLIC FOR INPUT FOR THE VARIOUS BUCKETS OF MONEY.
THIS IS ON THE ENTITLEMENT SIDE, RIGHT.
AND WHEN WE INVITE THEM IN, UH, THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO IDENTIFY PROGRAMS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE WHETHER THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE DOLLARS PUT INTO REHAB, UH, PROJECTS VERSUS NEW CONSTRUCTION OR MORE SINGLE FAMILY VERSUS MORE MULTIFAMILY.
SO, SO LIKE THE BROAD TYPES OF THINGS? THAT'S CORRECT.
AND SO WHEN DEVELOPING SPECIFIC, YOU KNOW, WHERE THIS MONEY SPECIFICALLY GOING, IS THERE ANY KIND OF PROCESS WHERE THE PUBLIC IS INVOLVED IN THAT OR IS THAT JUST AN INTERNAL SITUATION? OR HOW, HOW DOES THAT, SO THE SPECIFICS, DEPENDING ON WHICH SPECIFIC, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN WE GET READY TO DO MULTIFAMILY, WE'LL DO A NOVA, RIGHT? AND WE'LL PUT THAT OUT.
AND THEN WHEN THOSE, UH, PROJECTS COME BACK IN, THEY ARE EVALUATED.
WE BRING THAT BACK TO THIS BODY, UH, TO UH, UH, GET A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT PROJECTS WALK THROUGH THE DOOR AND THEN WHAT PROJECTS WE ARE GONNA PUSH FORWARD.
ALSO, WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE VIRTUALLY WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER CAROL, CAROLYN EVANS SHABAZZ.
UM, NEXT IN THE QUEUE IS COUNCIL MEMBER HUFFMAN.
UM, IF WE LOOK AT SLIDE NUMBER THREE, WHEN IT TALKS ABOUT, UM, SUPPLIES AND THERE'S $0 BUDGETED FOR SUPPLIES AND FY 24, HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHY THAT IS.
A LOT OF OUR SUPPLY COST IS GOING TO BE DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO A GRANT.
AND SO WE UTILIZE OUR GRANT FUNDS TO PAY FOR THOSE.
SO WHAT WE DO IS ALL OF THE ITEMS, DEPENDING ON THE NATURE OF THE EXPENSE, IF IT CAN BE DIRECTLY TIED TO SERVING A PURPOSE OF THAT FUNDING SOURCE, WE WILL MAXIMIZE REIMBURSEMENT OF THAT FUNDING SOURCE AND THEN SAVE OUR GENERAL FUND DOLLARS FOR THOSE FUNDS THAT ARE INELIGIBLE FOR REIMBURSEMENT.
SEEING NO OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS IN QUEUE, UH, AGAIN TO THE, UH, DIRECTOR AND YOUR ENTIRE TEAM ON TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND, UM, YOU ALL ARE DISMISSED.
WE'LL NOW JUMP INTO THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD.
PUBLIC SPEAKERS, WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE PODIUM.
WE'RE USING THE LIST OF PUBLIC SPEAKERS WHO SIGNED UP BY 3:00 PM YESTERDAY BASED ON NORMAL COMMITTEE RULES.
SINCE WE HAVE OVER 10 SPEAKERS, WE WILL BE LIMITING THE PUBLIC COMMENT TO ONE MINUTE PER SPEAKER.
UM, BE MINDFUL THAT IN ORDER FOR US TO ENSURE
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WE GIVE YOU ALL, UM, ACCURATE AND PROMPT RESPONSES, WE'RE GOING TO SOMETIMES NOT BE ABLE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS TODAY, BUT WE'LL BE ASKING YOU TO SUBMIT THOSE TO YOUR AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS SO THAT THEY CAN UPLOAD 'EM TO SHAREPOINT AND THE DEPARTMENTS WILL BE ABLE TO GET YOU A DETAILED RESPONSE WITHIN 48 HOURS.THE FIRST NAME ON THE PUBLIC COMMENT LIST IS DOUG SMITH.
I DON'T SEE DOUG IN THE CHAMBERS.
CHRIS VALDEZ, MAXIMO CORTES, LUIS GAO, SARAH SAEED, SARAH'S HERE.
JUST WANTED A POINT OF INFORMATION.
UH, WE HAVE FOLKS WHO WILL NEED INTERPRETATION TODAY.
WILL WE ALLOW MORE THAN A MINUTE FOR THAT CONVERSATION? YES.
UH, IT WILL BE DOUBLED SO THAT THE TRANSLATOR HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, TRANSLATE THE INFORMATION.
I DON'T NEED CON UH, TRANSLATION JUST YET, BUT
I SERVE AS THE SENIOR COMMUNITY ORGANIZER FOR WOODY JUNTOS.
UH, WE'RE A LOCAL ORGANIZATION IN THE KOREAN COMMUNITY CENTER IN THE HEART OF KOREATOWN.
WE'RE DEDICATED TO ADVANCING THE FULL VITALITY AGENCY AND PARTICIPATION OF PEOPLE OF ASIAN DESCENT ALL ACROSS HOUSTON AND IMMIGRANTS IN TEXAS.
TODAY WE'LL BE HEARING FROM KOREAN SPEAKING SENIORS, MANY OF WHICH WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN BUDGET WORKSHOPS.
UH, FOR PUBLIC COMMENT, FOR THE FIRST TIME, EACH INDIVIDUAL WILL BE SHARING A PERSONAL COMMENT, AN OBSERVATION REGARDING THE BUDGET AND A SUGGESTION TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
WE HOPE YOU HONOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO PARTICIPATE AND CONSIDER THE PERSPECTIVE PROVIDED WHEN YOU'RE MAKING IMPORTANT DECISIONS, UH, ABOUT THE BUDGET.
WE RECOGNIZE THAT CHANGE IS NOT CREATED OVERNIGHT, AND WE KNOW THAT REACHING OUT TO OUR INDIVIDUAL COUNCIL MEMBERS IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT, BUT I WILL ADD IT'S MUCH HARDER TO DO WHEN ENGLISH IS A SECOND LANGUAGE AND WHEN IT'S A CHALLENGE TO FOLLOW UP WITH FOLKS WHO, UH, MAY HAVE LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY.
UH, WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO REVIEW THE ANNUAL ACTION PLAN THAT DESCRIBES THE COMPREHENSIVE USE OF FUNDS.
JUST BASED ON THE REVIEW OF THE BUDGET TODAY.
I NOTICED THAT IT WAS ALL IN ENGLISH.
THE PRESENTATION DID NOT GO OVER SPECIFIC GOALS AS MENTIONED IN THE GENERAL REPORT.
I WILL ALSO ADD, UM, IN TERMS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF THE PDF PRESENTATION, IT STILL HASN'T BEEN POSTED ON THE WEBSITE, SO WE WERE HAVING TROUBLE ACCESSING IT.
OH, TERRANCE, YOU MAY WANNA HELP WITH THIS SPACE.
UM, WE ARE HOPING THAT WE CAN HAVE MORE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERSHIP IN SPACES LIKE THIS.
UM, SO FOR THE KOREAN SPEAKERS THAT WE HAVE TODAY, I WILL BE READING, UM, THANKFULLY I TRANSLATED, UH, THEIR PUBLIC COMMENT TODAY, BUT IF YOU DO HAVE QUESTIONS, WE WILL BE USING THE LANGUAGE LINE OPTIONS THAT TERRANCE HAS PROVIDED.
SO IT LOOKED LIKE THE WRONG INTERPRETER WAS CALLED.
SO I THINK TERRANCE IS GONNA FIGURE THAT OUT, BUT I HOPE WE COULD FIGURE THAT OUT BEFORE THE NEXT PERSON IS CALLED.
WE'LL MAKE SOME TIME AND WE WILL, BASED ON THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS LIST, MAYBE WE CAN REARRANGE TO ENSURE MM-HMM
SO, UH, WE APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS.
AND, UH, UM, WE WILL TAKE 'EM ALL INTO CONSIDERATION.
I WILL COME UP WITH EACH PERSON TO HELP OUT WITH THIS.
IS, IS THE TRANSLATOR READY? YEAH.
I JUST RECOMMEND THE SENTENCES.
THE NEXT PUBLIC SPEAKER IS TERRY YUNG INTERPRETER.
YOU CAN BEGIN WHEN THE LADY, UH, HAS SPOKEN.
SHE'S ACTUALLY SPEAKING ENGLISH.
I'M THE SERVICE COORDINATOR WITH URI JUNTOS.
I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF HOUSTON FOR 44 YEARS AND HAVE BEEN A HOMEOWNER IN HOUSTON SINCE 1994.
AND I LIVE IN WEST BRANCH NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE NORTHWEST PART OF HOUSTON.
THE DISTRICT A WHERE A COUNCIL MEMBER AMY
UH, THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS I SERVE AT JUNTO ARE FOR THE MOST PART, FIRST GENERATION IMMIGRANT KOREAN SENIORS, MANY OF WHOM SPEAK LITTLE TO NO ENGLISH AND SOME
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WITHOUT MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION.MUCH OF WHAT I DO IS LANGUAGE ACCESS, TRANSLATING AND INTERPRETING SERVICES, UH, READING MAILS, MAKING CALLS, WRITING LETTERS OR EMAILS FROM OUR CLIENTS AND ASSISTING THEM TO FILE PUBLIC BENEFITS AND HUD APPLICATIONS.
AFTER REVIEWING THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BUDGET, THERE'S NO MENTION OF LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY IN ANY OF, UH, YOUR GOALS.
UH, AND ALSO NOTICE THAT IN YOUR MISSION IT SAYS, UH, THAT THIS DEPARTMENT IS LEADING A NATIONAL CONVERSATION ABOUT THE HOUSING CRISIS, BUT NOWHERE DOES IT ADDRESS HOW.
AND, UH, NOWHERE DOES IT INCLUDE AREAS SUCH AS SPRING BRANCH UNDER THE DEPARTMENT'S SHORT TERM GOALS.
IT STATES THAT THIS DEPARTMENT IS HERE TO HELP RECOVER FROM DISASTERS, BUT AGAIN, UH, DOES NOT LIST WHERE OR HOW.
INSTEAD, UH, WHAT WE ARE SEEING IS AN INCREASE IN BUDGET ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES, BUT A SLIGHT DECREASE IN STAFF.
AND I HEARD THE EXPLANATIONS EARLIER, THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT WAS NOT ABLE TO POST THEIR FULL PDF PHYSICAL YEAR 2024 PRESENTATION IN TIME BEFORE THIS MEETING.
SO ANY FEEDBACK IS BASED ON THE GENERAL BUDGET REPORT, LAST YEAR'S BUDGET, AND WHAT WE HAVE HEARD TODAY IN ORDER TO PUT IN A WORK REPAIR ORDER TO MAKE A COMPLAINT TO RENEW LEASING CONTRACTS OR ASK QUESTIONS, MOST OF OUR CLIENTS WHO ARE KOREAN SPEAKING HAVE A HARD TIME DUE TO LIMITED OR NO ENGLISH PROFICIENCY.
IT THEN FALLS ONTO PEOPLE LIKE ME TO HELP.
MY SUGGESTION IS TO ALLOCATE BUDGET FUNDS TO MAKE THINGS LIKE INTERPRETATION OR TRANSLATION EASIER FOR THINGS THE CITY HAS CONTROL OVER.
WHETHER THAT IS THROUGH TRANSLATED HUD LEASING APPLICATIONS OR EVEN ENGAGING WITH OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS.
NO ONE SHOULD BE CUT OFF FROM SPEAKING BECAUSE THEY DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH.
THERE SHOULD BE A LANGUAGE OPTIONS THAT, UH, AND THERE SHOULD BE, UH, INTENTIONAL OUTREACH.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
UH, AND THERE'S A LOT OF MERIT TO THEM, SO WE WILL TAKE THAT UNDER CONSIDERATION.
JUST KNOW THAT ALL THE PRESENTATIONS HAVE BEEN UPLOADED AT THIS POINT.
UM, OUR HS DEPARTMENT IS, UM, ASSISTING THE DEPARTMENTS WITH ENSURING THAT THE PRESENTATIONS ARE ONLINE.
SOMETIMES THERE'S A DELAY BASED ON CAPACITY OR STAFFING, UH, BUT THEY ARE UP NOW.
SO PLEASE LOOK AT IT, UM, REGARDING ELABORATING ON SOME OF THE GOALS AND PROCESSES.
IF THERE ARE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE, UM, PLEASE REACH OUT TO YOUR AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBER.
WITH THAT, WE WILL GET THE DEPARTMENT TO RESPOND ACCORDINGLY, AND WE WILL DEFINITELY CONSIDER, UH, HOW WE CAN BE AS ACCESSIBLE AS POSSIBLE WHEN IT COMES TO LANGUAGE, UH, GOING FORWARD.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR COMING AND WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE LEADERS AT THE KOREAN COMMUNITY CENTER, SO IF THERE'S EVER, UM, SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, WE CAN ALWAYS BRING PEOPLE TO THE KOREAN COMMUNITY CENTER AND GET A TRANSLATOR AND HELP PEOPLE WITH ANY KIND OF PROCESS THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO APPLY FOR.
WE'RE HAPPY TO ASSIST WITH THAT.
THE NEXT PUBLIC SPEAKER IS DR. PAUL KIM, YOU WANNA DO ENGLISH? OKAY.
UH, MY NAME IS, UH, KIM PAUL Q. KIM.
AND NOW I AM WORKING AS A SENIOR FELLOW IN CIVIC ENGAGEMENT TEAM OF JUNTOS, UH, AS GLOBAL WARMING IS RAPIDLY PROGRESSING ALL OVER THE WORLD OF VARIOUS PART OF THE EARTH ARE SUFFERING FROM UNPRECEDENTEDLY FREQUENT EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS EVERY YEAR IN HOUSTON AREA, NATURALLY JUST CAUSED BY EXTREME WEATHER TO NOT SEE.
I HAVE LIVED IN HOUSTON FOR ALMOST 30 YEARS AS A HOMEOWNER AND HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY FREQUENT HURRICANE AND, UH, FLOODING.
MY EXPERIENCE INCLUDE VARIOUS DAMAGE TO ROOFS, UH, FENCE, UH, WINDOW, UH, GLASS CARPET, AND, UH, VEHICLES.
I HAVE PAID THE COST FOR REPAIRS MYSELF.
UNFORTUNATELY, THESE DAMAGE ARE STILL BEING, UH, REPEATED ALMOST EVERY YEAR.
I HAD A PERSONAL DESIRE THAT SUCH A COMPENSATION BUDGET UNCLAIMED SHOULD BE EXCLUSIVELY SPENT ON, UH, EXPANDING GREATLY, UH, IMPROVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO SOLVE SUCH A REPEATED THE PRIOR PROBLEMS.
[00:30:01]
WE CANNOT DELAY EVEN FOR A MOMENT, A STITCH IN TIME, SAVE NINE IN, UH, IN THE NEAR FUTURE.UH, IF WE DO NOT, UH, RESPOND TIMELY TO TREMENDOUS DAMAGE, MAY BE, UH, STOP, MAYBE, UH, MAY NOT STOP, UH, OCCURRING IN THE HOUSTON AREA DUE TO ITS, UH, CEMENT RICH NATURE.
THE SOIL WIDELY DISTRIBUTED IN HOUSTON AREA IS NOT LIKELY TO DRAIN WELL.
CONSEQUENTLY, UH, I REALLY HOPE THAT, UH, SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED.
THE BUDGET IN 2024 WILL BE ALLOCATED TO DEVELOP AN ADVANCED DRAIN DISEASE SYSTEM AND THE FLOOD FREE RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES IN PREPARATION FOR EXTREME WEATHER AND THE FLOOD.
DENNIS, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.
I THINK THOSE WERE SOME EXCELLENT POINTS THAT YOU MADE.
WE HAVE BEEN, UH, HIT BY LOTS OF NATURAL DISASTERS OVER THE PAST SEVEN YEARS.
UM, AND I THINK WE'VE LEARNED A LOT FROM EACH OF THEM.
UH, THE CITY HAS PUT IN LOTS OF SAFEGUARDS AND CONTINGENCIES.
I THINK BASED ON THE FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE RECEIVED FROM THE PUBLIC, THAT INFRASTRUCTURE IS ONE OF THE TOP PRIORITIES AND WE'RE LOOKING TOWARDS, UH, BIG INVESTMENT IN THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
UH, WHEN IT COMES TO INFRASTRUCTURE, ESPECIALLY FLOOD MITIGATION, UH, KNOW THAT WHEN IT COMES TO SOME OF THE BIGGER PROJECTS, UM, WE HAVE TO GET FEDERAL REIMBURSEMENT FOR THAT.
AND WE ARE ACTIVELY WORKING WITH OUR FEDERAL PARTNERS AND TRYING TO EXPEDITE THOSE.
UM, BUT YOUR COMMENTS ARE SPOT ON.
I AGREE WITH YOU THAT, UH, WE HAVE TO BE PROACTIVE WHEN, UM, CONSIDERING WHERE WE LIVE IN THE EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS THAT WE'RE FACED WITH.
AND, UH, WE'LL CONTIN CONTINUE TO DO SO.
UH, CAN I NOW DO THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION? HELLO, MY NAME IS UNG KIM.
I'M A SENIOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT FELLOW AT URI JUNTOS, LOCATED IN THE KOREAN COMMUNITY CENTER IN THE SPRING BRANCH AREA.
I'VE BEEN RESIDING IN THE LAKEVIEW SENIOR APARTMENTS IN SPRING BRANCH FOR TWO YEARS, AND HAVE LIVED IN HOUSTON FOR OVER 30 YEARS.
MY COMMENT IS THAT RECENTLY AN ELDERLY WOMAN WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR, SUDDENLY EXPERIENCED A DETERIORATION IN HER HEALTH, A KOREAN WOMAN.
[00:35:01]
EXPRESSED HER ACUTE PAIN, BUT THERE WAS NO ONE AROUND WHO COULD CALL 9 1 1 BECAUSE THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND HER.I HURLY MADE AN EMERGENCY CALL AND AN AMBULANCE ARRIVED TO HANDLE THE SITUATION.
THERE WAS ALSO A LOT OF MAIL FROM GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, INCLUDING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PILED UP WITHOUT EVEN BEING OPENED.
NOTICES DISTRIBUTED WITHIN THE APARTMENT COMPLEX ARE NOT UNDERSTOOD, AND WE ARE UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE PROPERLY WITH EACH OTHER OR THE STAFF AT THESE APARTMENT COMPLEXES.
AFTER REVIEWING THE BUDGET AND LISTENING TO THE DEPARTMENTS TODAY, IT IS UNCLEAR WHERE LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY IS PRIORITIZED.
THE LANGUAGE ACCESS PLAN FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON WAS LAST UPDATED NINE YEARS PRIOR, AND NEXT YEAR IT WILL BE 10 YEARS SINCE IT WAS LAST UPDATED.
MY SUGGESTION IS TO ALLOCATE FUNDS TO ENSURE HOUSING PRACTICES ARE LANGUAGE ACCESSIBLE, AND INCLUDE AN UPDATED LANGUAGE ACCESS PLAN THAT IS REFLECTED IN THE BUDGET AND MAKE IT AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES.
I ALSO WELCOME AN AMENDMENT REGARDING LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY AND A LANGUAGE ACCESS PLAN, AND URGE EACH CITY COUNCIL MEMBER TO HAVE A POSITION ON LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY IN HOUSTON.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THOSE POINTS.
UM, ALTHOUGH IT ISN'T DIRECTLY FOR THIS PARTICULAR BUDGET PRESENTATION, I DO THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO LOOK INTO.
JUST FOR A CLARIFICATION, UH, FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.
IF YOUR NEIGHBOR IS SOMEONE YOU KNOWS, DOES NOT, UM, FEEL AS IF THEY'RE GETTING THE INFORMATION AND THE LANGUAGE THAT THEY CAN RECEIVE, I WOULD ALWAYS START WITH YOUR DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER.
AND AS COUNCIL MEMBER PECK STATED BEFORE, WE WILL WORK TO TRY TO FIND A WAY TO ENSURE THAT THERE IS LANGUAGE ACCESS IN THE MOMENT, AND THEN BUILD FROM THERE TO WHERE AS A CITY, WE'RE STARTING TO EXPLORE MORE WAYS TO MAKE IT MORE EFFICIENT.
BUT, UH, PLEASE LET YOUR NEIGHBOR KNOW NEVER TO LET THE, THE, THE MALE PILE UP.
IF THEY SEE IT FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TO TRY TO FIND A WAY TO CONTACT YOUR DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER.
WE WILL FIND SOMEONE THAT IS ABLE TO SPEAK IN THAT LANGUAGE, UH, TO PROVIDE SOME FEEDBACK.
CAN THAT BE TRANSLATED FOR MS UH, KIM? SURE.
BY THE TRANSLATOR OR INTERPRETER RATHER? YEAH.
DID YOU HEAR THE RESPONSE FROM THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBER BACK TO MS. UH, KIM? OH, SORRY.
I THOUGHT EACH MEMBER, EVERY TIME WHEN THEY SPEAK THERE IS ANOTHER INTERPRETER.
UH, I DON'T, I WAS WONDERING WHY AM I HERE? AND SORRY I DIDN'T PAY ATTENTION TO THE PERSON, LAST PERSON.
AND ALSO THERE'S A LOT OF ECHOING.
LET ME, UH, TURN IT OVER TO COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PITT.
UM, SO HPD ALSO HAS, UM, TRANSLATORS AS WELL.
SO IF THERE'S AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, UM, ANYONE SHOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE CONTACTING HPD BECAUSE THEY CAN, UM, FIND A TRANSLATOR.
BUT AS FAR AS JUST DAY-TO-DAY THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THAT APARTMENT COMPLEX, WE'RE HAPPY TO ASSIST.
JUST CONTACT MY OFFICE AND WE CAN, UM, DEFINITELY GET SOMEONE WHO CAN ASSIST.
JENNIFER, WERE YOU ABLE TO TRANSLATE THAT FOR MS. KIM? SIR, I COULDN'T HEAR THAT WELL AND QUITE FAR, AND SO I COULDN'T HELP.
UM, I WILL GO BACK AND HAVE, UH, SOMEBODY TRANSLATE THAT TO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU, MS. PAC.
UM, I'LL ALSO TALK ABOUT THE HPD OPTION IF THERE IS AN EMERGENCY.
AND THEN MR. POLLARD, I WILL ALSO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR FEEDBACK IS ALSO PROVIDED TO MS. KIM AT A LATER TIME.
ENGLISH ONE GOD KNOW ONE SECOND.
SYLVIA, DO WE NEED ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF YOUR COMMUNITY THAT SPEAKS BOTH LANGUAGES THAT MAY BE ABLE TO BETTER INTERPRET THAN THIS MACHINE THAT WE HAVE? YEAH, THAT WOULD BE SO GREAT.
THANK, WE ALWAYS TRY TO FIND A WAY ALL.
[00:40:04]
HELLO, MY NAME IS SYLVIA CHUNG.I'M A CLIENT OF LOCATED IN THE KOREAN COMMUNITY CENTER IN THE SPRING BRANCH AREA.
I'M A 66-YEAR-OLD WIDOW, RETIRED AND BEING TREATED FOR CANCER WITH MY LOW INCOME, I'M UNABLE TO LIVE IN A REGULAR APARTMENTS.
I LIVE WITH MY SON IN VENTRAL LTS APARTMENTS NEAR GASTRO IN WESTHEIMER.
AND I'VE LIVED IN HOUSTON FOR TWO YEARS.
I'VE BEEN, I'VE BEEN ON A WAIT LIST FOR SENIOR INDEPENDENT LIVING HOUSING APARTMENTS IN KOREATOWN FOR ONE YEAR AND A HALF.
UH, MY COMMENT IS THAT, UH, DURING COVID I SUBMITTED AN APPLICATION THROUGH A DROPBOX BECAUSE THE OFFICE WAS ALWAYS LOCKED, TWO BEDROOM.
UH, RECENTLY I'M BY THE OFFICE, WHICH WAS OPEN, AND FOUND OUT 18 MONTHS LATER THAT MY APPLICATION WAS INCOMPLETE.
I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT FOR A SINGLE OCCUPANT, THERE WAS A SIX TO 12 MONTH WAITING TIME FOR, UH, FOR STUDIO APARTMENT.
UM, AND THEN THREE YEARS FOR ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT, AND FIVE YEARS FOR A TWO BEDROOM APARTMENT.
ALRIGHT, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED.
UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENT.
UM, THAT ISN'T SPECIFIC TO THIS BUDGET PRESENTATION, BUT IF YOU COULD PLEASE PROVIDE THAT FEEDBACK TO, UH, YOUR DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER.
UH, THEY SHOULD HELP IN FACILITATING, UH, A RESPONSE FOR YOU.
CAN WE JUST GET A 30 SECONDS AND I'LL JUST FINISH TWO PARAGRAPHS AND WITHOUT HER SAYING, IS IT RELATED? IS IT RELATED TO THE BUDGET PRESENTATION? IT HAS THE OBSERVATION AND SUGGESTIONS.
I THOUGHT THAT WAS VERY IMPORTANT.
THE OBSERVATION, UH, IS THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO SIGNIFICANT FUNDING INCREASE, AND THERE'S NO WAY TO KNOW HOW THE BUDGET TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION APPLICATION TIMES, OR WHICH APARTMENT COMPLEXES HAVE WAIT LISTS.
WE ALSO DO NOT KNOW OF ANY KOREAN SPEAKING APARTMENT COMPLEX SIX COMPLEXES ACROSS HOUSTON THAT ARE AVAILABLE OTHER THAN THE TWO LOCATIONS IN KOREATOWN.
MY SUGGESTION IS THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE AVAILABILITY OF SENIOR INDEPENDENT LIVING FACILITIES IN SPRING BRANCH AREA, ESPECIALLY IN KOREATOWN NEAR THE, UH, ZIP CODE 7 7 0 8 0.
AND THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE TRANSPARENCY OF WAIT LISTS AND APPLICATION TIMES.
ANY QUESTIONS? NO, NO QUESTIONS.
[00:45:51]
HELLO, MY NAME IS ANG.I'M A SENIOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT FELLOW WITH JUNTOS, LOCATED IN HOUSTON COMMUNITY CENTER IN SPRING BRANCH AREA.
I'VE BEEN LIVING IN HOUSTON FOR 42 YEARS.
I OWN MY HOUSE AND OPERATED LAUNDRY BUSINESS FOR 40 YEARS, PAID TAXES ON TIME, AND LIVED COMFORTABLY IN MY OWN HOME.
MY COMMENT IS, WHEN I DECIDED TO RETIRE AND SELL MY BUSINESS, THE BUYER ACCUSED US OF FRAUD AND REFUSED TO PAY THE PURCHASE PRICE, CITING POOR MANAGEMENT AND A DOWN, UH, DOWNTURN IN THE ECONOMY.
AS A RESULT, WE HAD TO SELL OUR HOUSE, AND THE FINANCIAL LOSS HAS MADE LIFE VERY DIFFICULT FOR US.
I'VE BEEN LIVING IN A REGULAR APARTMENT FOR PAST THREE YEARS, STRUGGLING WHILE WAITING FOR SENIOR LIVING LOW INCOME APARTMENT TO BECOME AVAILABLE.
LIVING IN REGULAR APARTMENT WITH MY RETIREMENT PENSION HAS BEEN EXTREMELY CHALLENGING, AND I WANT TO MOVE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
AFTER LISTENING TO THE BUDGET PRESENTATION AND REVIEWING THE BUDGET BRIEFLY, MY OBSERVATION IS THAT NO FUNDS FOR ADDITIONAL CONSTRUCTION OF SENIOR APARTMENTS IN KOREATOWN WILL BE ALLOCATED IN 2024.
I ALSO HAD A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING IT.
MY SUGGESTION IS THAT MANY OTHER SENIORS ARE FACING THE SAME SITUATION.
I'LL BE GRATEFUL IF THE CITY OF HOUSTON WOULD BUILD MORE SENIOR APARTMENTS IN THE SPRING RANCH AREA AND ALLOW US TO MOVE IN WITHOUT HAVING TO WAIT FOR SUCH A LONG TIME.
UH, WE DO PRIORITIZE TRYING TO BRING IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ESPECIALLY SENIOR LIVING COMPLEXES, UH, ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND, UM, WE WILL TAKE YOUR NOTES INTO CONSIDERATION GOING FORWARD.
WE DEFINITELY NEED MORE SENIOR HOUSING, ESPECIALLY IN SPRING BRANCH, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN PUSHING FOR TALKING TO THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT AND ANY DEVELOPER THAT HAS BEEN TRYING TO BUILD ANY KIND OF TAX CREDIT APARTMENTS, WE'VE BEEN ASKING FOR MORE SENIOR HOUSING IN SPRING BRANCH.
AMY, PEGGY, CITY COUNCIL MEMBER BRANCH AREA COUNCIL MEMBER, TIFFANY THOMAS.
UM, I WOULD WELCOME YOU TO COME BACK, UM, AROUND JANUARY, FEBRUARY, EVERY YEAR.
THAT'S WHEN WE RELEASE THE PROPOSAL OF DEVELOPMENTS.
UM, AND OFTENTIMES THERE ARE, UH, SENIOR DEVELOPMENTS PROPOSED, AND THERE'S A WHOLE PROCESS WHERE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND YOUR VOICE AND COMMENTS WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL IN SUPPORT OF, BUT THAT'S THE TIME WHERE WE DO THAT BETWEEN JANUARY AND MARCH, UM, EVERY YEAR.
SO HOW DO WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT DATES WE CAN BE HERE? UM, YOU CAN, I'LL GET YOUR INFORMATION, BUT I CHAIR THE HOUSING COMMITTEE AND WE CAN HAVE YOU ON THAT LIST.
YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS AND DEVELOPERS TALK TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS, BUT WE HAVE PRIORITIZED SENIOR HOUSING MM-HMM
UM, AND YOUR COMMENTS ARE VERY HELPFUL.
UM, SO DEVELOPERS THAT HAVE LAND THERE, THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, ARE MORE MOTIVATED TO DO THAT.
UM, AND THE CITY SUPPORTS SENIOR HOUSING.
SO, BUT JANUARY TO MARCH IS WHEN WE START THAT PROCESS.
SO YOUR COMMENTS WILL BE, UM, VERY IMPORTANT DURING THAT TIME.
AND TO ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS, JUST BE MINDFUL THAT THE DISTRICT E OFFICE HAS SENT OUT A LIST OF ALL OF THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS, SO YOU WILL HAVE THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION AVAILABLE.
[00:50:28]
UH, MY NAME IS JOSHUA NA.UH, I AM THE, UH, UH, THE RECEPTIONIST FOR URI JUNTOS IN SPRING BRANCH.
I LIVED IN HOUSTON FOR FIVE YEARS, UH, FROM, UH, 2018 TO 2021.
UH, FOR FOUR YEARS HE LIVED HOW IN HUD APARTMENTS? UH, RIGHT NOW HE'S A PASTOR AND HE RESIDES, UH, INSIDE THE CHURCH.
UH, HE WOULD LIKE TO SHARE HIS COMMENTS AND, UH, OBSERVATION AND, UM, SUGGESTIONS.
UH, MY COMMENT IS THAT, UH, FOR SOMEONE WHO LIVED IN HER HUD APARTMENTS, UH, AND LIVING IN, IN A CHURCH, UM, HOUSE, UH, IT'S VERY HARD.
HE KNOWS HOW HARD IT IS TO, UH, MOVE INTO HER APARTMENTS, UM, STAFF AND, UH, EDUCATION, UH, BUDGET.
UH, HE COULDN'T, HE COULDN'T, UM, HE COULDN'T FIND THAT.
OH, HE SAYS, UH, IN 20 20, 23 BUDGET, UH, FOR THE STAFF IT WAS, UH, 0.3, BUT IN 2024 IT WENT DOWN TO 0.2.
SO HE THINKS THAT NOT ENOUGH FUNDS HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED FOR STAFF SWIMMING.
SO, UH, EX UH, EXPECTATION OF, UH, PEOPLE LIVING LONGER NOW AND, UH, THE SENIORS GROWING IN POPULATION, UH, IT'S SO MUCH SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE, UM, THE HUD UH, HUD AVAILABILITY OF HUD APARTMENTS, UH, AND, UH, HAVE MAYBE A STAFFING, UH, BUDGET, BUDGET ALLOCATED TO THE STAFF.
UM, UH, THAT COULD SPEAK BILINGUAL IN THE HER APARTMENTS IF THERE'S LIKE A LOT OF KOREANS LIVING IN THERE.
AND THOSE ARE SOME GOOD POINTS.
UH, WE'LL TAKE THEM INTO CONSIDERATION.
ALSO, IF YOU HAVE YOUR, UM, TALKING POINTS, IF YOU ALL WANT TO SHARE THOSE WITH YOUR AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBER, WE CAN GET THOSE UPLOADED AND FOR SPECIFIC QUESTIONS WITHIN THOSE, THE DEPARTMENTS WILL RESPOND.
UH, WE'LL RESPOND TO YOU ONLINE.
[00:56:12]
HELLO, MY NAME IS MONICA TURMAN.I'M A CLIENT OF JUNTOS LOCATED IN THE KOREAN COMMUNITY CENTER IN SPRING BRANCH IN NOVEMBER, 1988.
AT THE AGE OF 40, I IMMIGRATED TO UNITED STATES.
I HAD NO FORMAL SECONDARY EDUCATION, SO I WORKED AS AN EMPLOYEE IN A RETAIL STORE JUST TO MAKE A LIVING.
MY COMMENT IS THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO SAVE MONEY AND RECENTLY APPLY FOR A SENIOR APARTMENT UNDER HUD HOUSING IN THE SPRING BRANCH AREA.
HOWEVER, I'M NOW WAITING, UH, NOW WAITING FOR UP TO FIVE YEARS AT THE AGE OF 80, AT THE AGE OF 80.
I AM UNSURE WHEN I WILL LEAVE THIS WORLD AND IT'S REGRETTABLE THAT I HAVE NEVER HAD A COMFORTABLE BED TO SLEEP IN.
MOREOVER, THE HOUSING PRICES ARE SO INFLATED THAT I COULD NOT AFFORD TO HAVE MY OWN HOME.
AND IT SADDENS ME TO THINK THAT I MIGHT PASS AWAY WITHOUT EVER HAVING ONE.
MY OBSERVATION IS THAT THE ELDERLY POPULATION IS INCREASING, BUT THERE'S A SHORTAGE OF AFFORDABLE PLACES FOR THEM TO LIVE.
I KNOW I AM NOT ALONE IN THIS SITUATION.
MY SUGGESTION IS TO HAVE MORE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK FOR YOUR BUDGET AND PARTNERSHIP FROM PEOPLE LIKE ME TO CREATE BETTER SOLUTIONS.
I THINK THE CITY OF HOUSTON WOULD BENEFIT FROM A BOARD OR A GROUP OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO PROVIDE INSIGHT INTO BUDGET ALLOCATION.
MS. TURMAN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
UH, AND WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING BRAVE ENOUGH TO LET US KNOW ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.
AND, UH, WE HAVE SOME COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU SOME FEEDBACK.
CHAIRMAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR COMMENTS.
UM, THAT'S AN UNFORTUNATE SITUATION, AND YOU'RE RIGHT, YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE.
UH, THERE'S A CLOSE TO 38,000 PERSON WAIT LIST FOR HUD UH, VOUCHERS IN THE CITY.
UH, THE CITY'S HOUSING DEPARTMENT DOES NOT MANAGE THAT PROCESS DIRECTLY.
UM, THAT'S THE HOUSTON HOUSING AUTHORITY, THAT'S A RECIPIENT OF THOSE VOUCHERS.
UM, AND YES, THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF INVENTORY AND THERE IS AN INCREASED DEMAND FOR THAT.
UM, UM, AND SO SOMETIMES THAT'S CONFUSED THAT THE CITY, THE BUDGET THAT YOU SEE TODAY PRESENTED, UM, THAT SEPARATE OF WHAT THE HOUSING AUTHORITY.
AND I DO BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE, UM, A TYPE OF A COMMUNITY ADVISORY WHERE THEY RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM TENANTS, UM, AND OR COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
BUT THE WAIT LIST IS SOMETHING THAT ALL OF US HAVE BEEN.
WE HAVE OUR HANDS ON THAT BECAUSE IT'S AN INCREDIBLE DEMAND.
UM, THE CITY, WE DON'T, WE DON'T DEVELOP, WE SUPPLEMENT FUNDING, UM, AND PROPOSE CERTAIN PROJECTS IN PARTNERSHIP.
UM, AND I'M SURE YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER, AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING IN WRITTEN FORM THAT YOU NEED, UM, MR. CHAIRMAN, IF DO WE GIVE THAT TO BFA AND THEN IT GOES OUT, THEN WE CAN GET THAT TO BFA SO THEY CAN HAVE THAT.
BUT I'VE HEARD THE, THE HOOD VOUCHER A COUPLE OF TIMES.
AND, AND HER, I'M SURE, UM, IF SHE REACHES OUT TO HER DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER OR THE AT LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO ASK ABOUT HOW TO GET ASSISTANCE WITH COMMUNICATING WITH THE HOUSTON HOUSING AUTHORITY, WHICH IS OVER THE HUD VOUCHERS, WE CAN ASSIST WITH THAT.
UM, YEAH, PLEASE CONTACT MY OFFICE.
WE'LL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP.
AND TO ALL THE SPEAKERS FROM THE KOREAN COMMUNITY WHO CAME OUT TO
[01:00:01]
SPEAK, UH, THIS AFTERNOON, WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME AND YOUR EFFORTS AND WE'VE HEARD YOU LOUD AND CLEAR.WE WILL, WE WILL TAKE YOUR THOUGHTS INTO CONSIDERATION AND PROVIDE FEEDBACK.
I'M VICE PRESIDENT OF THE THIRD WARD SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD IN OUR COMPLETE COMMUNITIES ACTION PLAN.
THERE'S ABOUT A DOZEN GOALS WHERE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IS IDENTIFIED AS THE LEAD.
I CAN'T SAY I KNOW A SINGLE PROGRESS UPDATE ON ANY OF THOSE GOALS.
AND I CAN'T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME SOMEONE FROM THAT DEPARTMENT CAME TO A SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING.
SO I WOULD LOVE ASSISTANCE IN SETTING UP AN UPDATE SESSION WITH THEM.
I NOTICED THAT THERE'S MILLIONS OF DOLLARS BEING TRANSFERRED BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT AND S THE MIDTOWN TURNS OWES, UH, OWNS OVER A HUNDRED, UH, HUNDREDS OF PROPERTIES IN THIRD WARD THAT HAVE BEEN VACANT FOR 30 YEARS.
IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, 8,000 PRIMARILY AFRICAN AMERICAN RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN DISPLACED.
AND, UH, WE ALSO WERE TOLD THAT THE ION WOULD BE SETTING ASIDE HOUSE, UH, FUNDING FOR HOUSING.
BUT THERE HASN'T BEEN A SINGLE PUBLIC MEETING SINCE THE CBA WAS APPROVED, UH, BY ALL OF YOU, EXCEPT FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS, PLUMMER, THOMAS, AND SHABAZZ.
AND SO THE OTHER 14, WHERE'S THE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
UM, IF YOU WANT TO PUT THOSE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS OUT TO YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER, WE'LL GET THOSE UPLOADED.
I'M SURE THAT THE DEPARTMENT WILL BE ABLE TO RESPOND WITH SOME, UH, DIRECT ANSWERS TO YOU.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL PROVIDE FEEDBACK THERE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. JASON OLIVER.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE.
I LIVE IN DISTRICT G I'VE BEEN MISSING, SO YOU ALL MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT I'VE BEEN MISSING.
THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I'VE BEEN REQUESTING, UH, WHY MANY OF US HAVE BEEN REQUESTING THE RETURN OF THE VIRTUAL OPTION PARTICIPATION.
IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO GET HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY AT WHATEVER TIME IT IS, ONE O'CLOCK, TWO O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON.
SO I WANT TO KEEP PUSHING THAT.
I KNOW, UH, THAT, THAT THIS IS A CHANGE.
WE'RE, WE'RE MOVING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION IN TERMS OF ACCESSIBILITY.
I'M GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE PEOPLE OF WARRIOR JUNTOS AND THE KOREAN COMMUNITY AND OTHER FOLKS WHO HAVE COME IN TERMS OF HOUSING.
UH, WHAT WE'RE HEARING, AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I'M JUST WALKING IN IS I WAS HELPING SOMEBODY TRY AND NAVIGATE A, A TERRIBLE HOUSING SITUATION IN IN THIRD WARD WITH THEIR LANDLORD.
BUT WE NEED MORE, UH, WE NEED MORE ACCESSIBILITY IN TERMS OF THESE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOUSING.
YOU SAY IT'S THE HOUSTON HOUSING AUTHORITY, I UNDERSTAND THAT, RIGHT.
I'VE BEEN HERE YEAR AFTER YEAR.
BUT THERE ARE ALSO THINGS IN A CITY THAT'S PRIMARILY RENTERS THAT THE CITY CAN AND SHOULD DO TO WORK WITH RENTERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEIR NEEDS ARE BEING MET.
WE KNOW THAT THE HOUSING AUTHOR OR THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN COMING HERE SAYING WE NEED MORE FUNDS TO ACTUALLY HELP RENTERS SPECIFICALLY, RIGHT.
IN A CITY THAT'S MAJORITY RENTERS, I'M HOPING.
EVEN AS WE SEE IN THIS DEPARTMENT THAT WE'RE GETTING LESS ADMIN DOLLARS FOR, UM, LESS GENERAL FUND DOLLARS FOR ADMIN IN THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT.
WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE SEEING AS ED SAID, AS A RETURN FOR OUR INVESTMENT IN TERMS OF TRYING TO IMPLEMENT THESE GRANTS AND THEN ALSO TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FILLING IN THE GAPS WHERE GRANTS CAN'T COVER IT, FOR EXAMPLE, FOR RENTERS.
EVERYONE WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY, BUT UM, YEAH, I AGREE WITH THAT.
THE FIRST QUESTION IS, THERE IS A PROGRAM, I'M FROM OST, SOUTH UNION COMMUNITY AND UM, THERE'S A PROGRAM THERE WHERE HOUSES ARE BEING, UM, CONSTRUCTED FOR THE ELDERLY POPULATION.
CAN I GET THE NAME OF THAT PROGRAM? I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S HOME REPAIR HOUSTON.
I THOUGHT THOSE FUNDS WERE EXHAUSTED, BUT THERE ARE SOME NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY FOR THE ELDERLY.
ANYONE HERE ANSWER THAT QUESTION IF YOU CAN? UH, SINGLE FAMILY.
AND SO THESE ARE SENIORS WHO ARE LIKE 80, 85 YEARS OLD AND I DUNNO IF IT'S A MATTER OF THE REPAIRS ARE TOO EXPENSIVE.
AND SO THEY'RE, UH, BUILDING NEW HOMES ON THAT PROPERTY.
SO IF YOU WANNA SUBMIT THAT, UH, OR SUBMIT IT, WE WILL LOOK INTO IT AND PROVIDE
[01:05:01]
FEEDBACK.REACH OUT TO YOUR DISTRICT COUNCIL MEMBER ON THAT PARTICULAR I DID.
THAT'S DISTRICT DI HAVE, I'VE DONE THAT.
CONTINUE TO REACH OUT OR ONE OF YOUR AT LARGEST.
AND THEN THE NEXT QUESTION, UM, WHAT TYPE OF RESOURCES OR ANY FUNDING, UH, IS BEING MADE AVAILABLE IN THIS BUDGET TO, UH, PROTECT RENTERS? BECAUSE THEY ARE BEING DISPLACED DUE TO THE NEW CONSTRUCTION AND THESE THREE STORY PROPERTIES THAT ARE TURNING INTO AIRBNBS.
AND MOST OF THE LANDLORDS IN THIS COMMUNITY ARE OLDER AND SO THEY'RE UNABLE TO REALLY ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES AND THERE'S JUST NOTHING BEING DONE AT THE MOMENT.
COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN ON THE SHORT TERM RENTAL ISSUE.
THE ADMINISTRATION'S LOOKING AT THAT VERY THING AT, AT SOME OF THE, WE DON'T WANNA REMOVE AFFORDABLE HOUSING FROM THE CITY TO TURN THEM INTO VIRTUALLY HOTELS.
UM, SO WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING, UH, THE ADMINISTRATION'S LOOKING AT THAT RIGHT NOW.
UM, YOU MENTIONED OST SOUTH UNION.
UM, BUT MIDTOWN ALSO THEY'RE DEVELOPING, UM, THE, THE MIDTOWN TURS AREA.
THEY'RE DOING SOME DEVELOPMENTS.
UM, BUT I'M NOT FAMILIAR OF A DEVELOPMENT, A SINGLE FAMILY THAT'S SPECIFICALLY FOR SENIOR CITIZENS.
UM, 'CAUSE I, I THINK YOU SAID IT'S A NEW CONSTRUCTION AND THEN HOME REPAIRS.
SO THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. BUT IF YOU HAVE A, A SPECIFIC ADDRESS, THEN YOU KNOW, LEAVE IT.
BUT I HAVE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION 'CAUSE YOU SIGNED UP AND WE CAN FOLLOW UP, UM, TO CLARIFY THAT.
AND THEN FOR THE EMERGENCY HOME REPAIR PROGRAM, UH, WE DID EXTEND THAT MASTER CONTRACT.
I BELIEVE IT'S A COUPLE OF HUNDRED HOMES THAT WOULD FULLY SUBSCRIBE IT.
I, OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I, I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE AT, BUT I KNOW WE ARE ACCEPTING, STILL ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THAT.
WE MIGHT BE FULLY SUBSCRIBED, I'M NOT SURE.
UM, BUT IF THERE'S A SPECIFIC, UM, ISSUE WITH AN APPLICATION THAT'S IN QUEUE OR YOU'RE CURIOUS ABOUT A STATUS, WE CAN GET THAT INFORMATION ON EMERGENCY HOME REPAIR FOR YOU TOO.
THERE ARE NO ADDITIONAL PUBLIC SPEAKERS.
THIS CONCLUDES OUR HOUSING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP.
WE'LL NOW ADJOURN OUR HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP AND TAKE A FIVE MINUTE BREAK WHILE SETTING UP FOR THE HOUSTON HEALTH DEPARTMENT BUDGET WORKSHOP.