* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Quality of Life Committee on January 5, 2026.] [00:00:15] GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE. HAPPY NEW YEAR. WELCOME TO OUR FIRST QUALITY OF LIFE COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE YEAR. WE'RE PLEASED TO HAVE ANOTHER, UM, INTERESTING AND WORTHWHILE AGENDA FROM OUR HOUSING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, FOLKS. UM, MY NAME IS JULIAN RAMIREZ. I'M CHAIR OF THIS COMMITTEE, AND WE ARE JOINED TODAY BY A COUPLE OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS. COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN IS HERE, AS IS COUNCIL MEMBER JOAQUIN MARTINEZ. WE ALSO HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MARIO CASTILLO'S OFFICE. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK'S, OFFICE COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN'S OFFICE, AND A LOT OF HELP FROM MY OWN STAFF, UH, IN THE FORM OF LEAH AL AND SARAH DAVIDSON. ONLINE, WE HAVE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS JOINING US AS WELL, AND STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MARTHA CASTEX TATUM'S OFFICE. SO GLAD TO HAVE EVERYONE. AND, UM, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND GET INTO OUR AGENDA. WE HAVE FROM THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT, OUR DIRECTOR, UM, MIKE NICHOLS, AND ONE OF HIS ASSISTANTS, MELODY BARR. AND SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU FOLKS, UH, TO GO AHEAD AND GET US STARTED. UH, THANK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN. WE HAVE, WE DO HAVE SOME INTERESTING TOPICS TODAY AND ORDINANCES TO DISCUSS AND LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR COMMENTS. I'LL TURN THIS OVER TO MELODY BARR, WHO'S IN CHARGE OF OUR PUBLIC SERVICES DIVISION. ALL RIGHT, GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE. IS IT ON NOW? ALL RIGHT, GREAT. SO HAPPY NEW YEAR ONCE AGAIN. SO TODAY I'LL BE PRESENTING FOUR ITEMS. WE'LL START WITH THE FIRST ITEM, ITEM TWO A. THE DEPARTMENT IS PRESENTING A FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE SUB-RECIPIENT AGREEMENT WITH THE COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS OF HOUSTON HARRIS COUNTY, TO PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL $1,076,763 IN BOTH HOMELESS HOUSING SERVICES PROGRAM, WHICH IS HHSP FUNDS, AND IN TERMS AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUNDS FOR THE CONTINUED OP ADMINISTRATION OPERATION OF THE HOUSING NAVIGATION CENTER. THE COALITION THROUGH A PROCURED SUBRECIPIENT MANAGES THE OPERATIONS AND ADMINISTRATIVE AND COMPLIANCE ACTIVITIES FOR THE HOUSING NAVIGATION CENTER. THE FACILITY PROVIDES BRIDGE BEDS FOR 200 CLIENTS ANNUALLY TO STAY DURING HOUSING PLACEMENT PROCESS. AND SO WHAT BRIDGING MEANS IS IT'S THE TIME FROM HOUSING ASSESSMENT TO PLACEMENT INTO PERMANENT HOUSING FUNDING WILL SUPPORT SHELTER OPERATIONS SUCH AS, BUT NOT LIMITED TO UTILITIES, FOOD SUPPLIES, SECURITY FACILITY STAFF, AND CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES. POTENTIAL CLIENTS MUST BE REFERRED AND TRANSPORTED TO THE LOCATION BY EITHER A HOMELESS SERVICE AGENCY OR A FIRST RESPONDER TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR ENTRY. THE TERM OF THIS AGREEMENT IS FROM NOVEMBER 4TH, 2024 THROUGH FEBRUARY 28TH, 2026. THIS AMENDMENT WILL EXTEND THE TERM THROUGH JUNE 30TH, 2026. THERE WERE NO FINDINGS IN THE LAST MONITORING REVIEW. THE COALITION HAS EXCEEDED THEIR SERVICE GOAL AND HAS DRAWN DOWN APPROXIMATELY 65% OF THEIR FUNDING. TODAY. WE HAVE UE RODRIGUEZ, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY AND STRATEGY HERE WITH US IN THE AUDIENCE. CHECK ME TO CONTINUE OR MS. YES, MR. CHAIRMAN, I FEW COMMENTS ABOUT THIS. UH, ONE IS THAT, UM, AS YOU MAY REMEMBER, THIS WAS, UH, THE F FACILITIES OWNED BY THE CITY OF HOUSTON. UH, WE LEASE IT TO THE COALITION WHO THEN DOES THEIR OWN NOFO AND HAS A, UH, OPERATOR. AND THAT OPERATOR IS HARMONY HOUSE. UH, THIS HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR HOW MANY YEARS? ABOUT THREE, ALMOST THREE YEARS. UM, THE TOTAL COST TO RUN THIS IS ABOUT $3.6 MILLION PER YEAR. UM, THAT THIS WILL GET US THROUGH THE JUNE 30TH DATE THAT THIS IS SET. AND THEN WE'LL BE BACK TO YOU IN JUNE ON ANY CHANGES THAT MAY BE MADE IN BOTH THE CONTRACT AND IN THE FUNDING. THAT'S FINE. YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND CONTINUE. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ITEM TWO B, THE DEPARTMENT'S PRESENTING BEFORE COMMITTEE A SECOND AMENDMENT TO THE SUBRECIPIENT AGREEMENT WITH SEARCH HOMELESS SERVICES TO EXTEND THE TIME OF PERFORMANCE TO JANUARY 31ST, 2027, AND PROVIDE UP TO AN ADDITIONAL $1,111,687 FOR THE ADMINISTRATION AND THE OPERATION OF THE SEARCH ENGAGEMENT CENTER. THIS SUNNY WILL PROVIDE SERVICES FOR UP TO 770 HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES. SO PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CITATION ON TODAY'S AGENDA, UM, PROVIDED STATES THAT WE WILL BE SERVING [00:05:01] 700, I'M SORRY, 700, YES. 700 INDIVIDUALS THAT WILL BE CHANGED. AND WE REVISED ON THE FINAL COVER SHEET. THE FUNDING FOR THIS PROJECT CONSISTS OF THREE FUNDING STREAMS, $611,687 IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT, $400,000 IN HOMELESS HOUSING SERVICES PROGRAM FUNDS, AND $100,000 INTS FUNDING. NOW, THE SERVICES UNDER THIS AGREEMENT INCLUDE THE ENGAGEMENT SERVICES, HOUSING, CASE MANAGEMENT, NAVIGATION, INTEGRATED HEALTHCARE, AND PEER SERVICES. UH, SEARCH HAS RECEIVED FUNDING THROUGH THE CITY FOR VARIOUS CONTRACTS SINCE 2000. AND TODAY WE HAVE A PLETHORA OF REPRESENTATION. HERE WE HAVE ALEXIS, LOVING THE PRESIDENT, AND CEO, LARRY KRAUS, THE VICE PRESIDENT OF GOVERNMENT GRANTS. PHOEBE WONG, THE DIRECTOR OF HOUSING, AND KELLY WARD, DIRECTOR OF ENGAGEMENT AND STABILIZATION SERVICES. AND THEY'RE HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS SHOULD YOU HAVE THEM. UM, MOVING ALONG, I'M GOING TO GO TO ITEM TWO C. THE DEPARTMENT IS PRESENTING A SECOND AMENDMENT WITH CAPITAL ID HOUSTON TO EXTEND AND PROVIDE UP TO AN ADDITIONAL $250,000 IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUNDS FOR THE CONTINUED ADMINISTRATION OPERATION OF A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, SERVING 110 LOW TO MODERATE INCOME PARTICIPANTS. THIS PROGRAM INCLUDES EDUCATION TRAINING SPECIFIC TO IN-DEMAND PROFESSIONS, FIELDS, CAREERS, INDIVIDUALIZED CASE MANAGEMENT, SUPPORT GROUPS, TRANSPORTATION AND REFERRALS TO OTHER SERVICES IN DEMAND PROFESSIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, REGISTERED NURSING, SURGICAL TECHNICIAN, DIAGNOSTIC, MEDICAL SONOGRAPHY, AND CHAIN SUPPLY MANAGEMENT. THIS AMENDMENT WILL EXTEND THE TERM OF SERVICES UNTIL FEBRUARY 28TH, 2027. CAPITAL IDEA HAS RECEIVED FUNDING SINCE 2012 FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON. CAPITAL IDEA HAS SURPASSED THEIR INITIAL GOAL OF 110 CLIENTS SERVING 125, AND HAS DRAWN DOWN APPROXIMATELY 85% OF THEIR FUNDING TODAY. WE HAVE ANIKA GORHAM, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS HERE IN THE AUDIENCE. OUR FINAL ITEM IS ITEM 2D AND THE DEPARTMENT'S PRESENTING A FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE SUB-RECIPIENT AGREEMENT WITH NORTHWEST ASSISTANCE MINISTRIES PROVIDING A BUDGET CHANGE. THIS BUDGET CHANGE WILL REDUCE EIGHT $83,912 AND 15 CENTS IN HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM. AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN, ALSO COMMONLY REFERRED TO HIM AS HOME A RP, WHICH HAS BEEN ALLOCATED FOR THE ADMINISTRATION COSTS AND PROVIDE FUNDING. SO WE'RE GONNA INCREASE FUNDING AND $83,912 AND 15 CENTS FROM THE IN STREET HOMELESS FUND, WHICH IS FUND 2012 FOR THE ADMINISTRATION COSTS TO CONTINUE OPERATING A PROGRAM THAT WILL SERVE APPROXIMATELY 65 HOUSEHOLDS ANNUALLY WHO ARE AT RISK FOR OR EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. THIS FUNDING IS FOR THE HOMELESSNESS DIVERSION SERVICES FOR PERSONS AND HOUSEHOLDS EXPERIENCING, OR AT RISK OF HOMELESSNESS. SERVICES WILL INCLUDE DIVERSION CASE MANAGEMENT, INCLUDING WRAPAROUND SERVICES SPECIFIC TO CLIENT NEED. THE TERM OF THIS AGREEMENT IS FROM SEPTEMBER 9TH, 2025 TO AUGUST 31ST, 2026. NAM HAS RECEIVED FUNDING FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON SINCE 2020. THERE WERE NO FINDINGS OR CONCERNS IN THE MOST RECENT COMPLIANCE MONITORING REVIEW, UM, FOR OTHER FUNDED PROJECTS. SO ESSENTIALLY WE ARE REDUCING THE ADMIN PORTION UNDER HOME A RP AND THEN, UM, ADDING THE HOME THE FUND 2012. THIS IS BECAUSE, UH, UNDER HOME A RP ADMINISTRATION COSTS ARE NOT ALLOWABLE TODAY. WE HAVE MARCIUS SUMMER, THE DIRECTOR OF HOUSING HERE IN THE AUDIENCE. AND THEN LAST, UM, AND, AND IT IS JUST, UM, AS A NOTE IS THAT I WANTED TO JUST HIGHLIGHT BECAUSE I THINK THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS. UM, AND I JUST WANTED, UM, FOR EVERYONE'S AWARENESS THAT WE HAVE A SPECIFIC COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS, UM, HOTLINE. SO SHOULD ANY CONSTITUENT OF, OF ANY, ANYONE, ANY HOUSTONIAN, ANY PERSON TRYING TO ACCESS SERVICES, BE UNABLE TO ACCESS SERVICES OR HAVE A COMPLAINT, WE DO HAVE A PHONE NUMBER THAT THEY CAN REACH OUT TO, WHICH IS 8 3 2 3 9 4 6 2 0 0 EXTENSION TWO. OR THEY CAN EMAIL HCDD COMPLAINTS APPEAL@HOUSTONTX.GOV. UM, AND AS WELL, THEY CAN COME UP TO 2100 TRAVIS STREET ON THE NINTH FLOOR TO MAKE AN IN-PERSON, UM, COMPLAINT OR, UM, INQUIRY. BUT I JUST, I JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT. AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION. UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT. UH, MELODY, IN REGARDS TO WHAT YOU JUST SAID, UH, REGARDING COMPLAINTS, IS THAT INFORMATION ALSO ON YOUR HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORK? YES. WEBSITE. IT'S, IT ABSOLUTELY IS, YES. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, SO LET ME ASK YOU, UH, AND, AND I NOTICED THAT YOU DID, YOU DID SEND US A REPORTING TEMPLATE MM-HMM . UM, WHICH WE APPRECIATE. WILL YOU BE SHARING DATA [00:10:01] TO GO ALONG WITH THAT, THE DATA THAT IS, UH, INPUT INTO THE, UH, TEMPLATE. UM, BUT WE CAN, IF YOU, THAT'D, IF YOU'D LIKE TO REQUEST, IF THERE'S LIKE A, LIKE A, LIKE ANNUALLY, QUARTERLY, OR HOWEVER, YOU KNOW, WHEN REQUESTED, WE CAN SEND THAT TO YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, WE APPRECIATE REPRESENTATIVES FROM OUR SERVICE PROVIDERS BEING HERE. WE, WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU GUYS DO TO TRY TO, UH, HELP US ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS IN THE CITY CONTINUES TO BE A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM. AND WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T DEAL WITH IT WITHOUT YOUR HELP. AND SO WE SINCERELY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU ALL DO IN THAT REGARD. UM, SO I'VE GOT A QUESTION ABOUT CAPITAL IDEA. MM-HMM . UM, AND, AND THAT IS WHEN WILL THE NEXT COHORT BE, BE STARTING, UH, IN REGARDS TO THAT? RIGHT. OKAY. I'D LIKE TO CALL ANIKA GORHAM TO, UM, SURE. TO COME TO THE PODIUM. HI. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. SURE. TO INTRODUCE YOU. AND, AND BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION, CAN YOU JUST EXPLAIN, UH, WHAT YOU ALL DO, WHAT THIS, WHAT THIS SERVICE RELATES TO? SURE. UM, MY NAME IS ANIKA GORUM. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AT CAPITAL IDEA HOUSTON. WE'RE A NONPROFIT WORKFORCE INTERMEDIARY WHO'S BEEN DOING GOOD WORK HERE IN THE HOUSTON AREA SINCE 2010. WE PROVIDE UNDER AND UNEMPLOYED ADULTS WITH FULL EDUCATIONAL SPONSORSHIPS TO TRAIN AND EARN CREDENTIALS FOR A HIGH GROWTH, HIGH DEMAND CAREER, LOTS IN HEALTHCARE, ALSO IN SPECIALTY TRAITS. AND SO, UM, ALL OF THIS IS DONE WITH NO LOANS OR PAYBACKS REQUIRED, AND EVERY PERSON IS PAIRED WITH A NAVIGATOR THAT PROVIDES SUPPORT FROM ENROLLMENT TO EMPLOYMENT. MM-HMM . UM, AND THEN IN TERMS OF WHEN OUR NEXT COHORTS ARE STARTING, WE ARE AN INTERMEDIARY. SO WE WORK WITH TRAINING PROVIDERS ACROSS THE, THE GREATER HOUSTON METROPOLITAN AREA, INCLUDING HOUSTON CITY COLLEGE, LONE STAR COLLEGE, SAN JACINTO COLLEGE. BUT WE ALSO WORK WITH SMALL BUSINESSES TO PROVIDE SPECIALIZED, UH, VOCATIONAL TRAININGS THAT ARE ACCREDITED LIKE TEXAS TECHNICAL TRADE, INDUSTRIAL WELDING ACADEMY. SO WE ENROLL FOLKS, UM, AT A CADENCE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, DEPENDING ON WHEN SPECIFIC TRAINING PROGRAMS ARE STARTING AND THAT ALIGN WITH, UM, THE, THAT, THE, THAT TIMEFRAME. MM-HMM . AND JUST A ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND, WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR CLIENTS FOR THE MOST PART? SO WE HAVE A REALLY ROBUST MULTI-PRONGED, UM, ENROLLMENT AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS. UM, WE PARTNER WITH OUR TRAINING INSTITUTION, UM, PARTNERS LIKE HOUSTON CITY COLLEGE. WE HAVE A VERY SUCCESSFUL REFERRAL PIPELINE, SPECIFICALLY AT COLEMAN COLLEGE FOR THE HEALTH SCIENCES. BUT WE WORK WITH WEST LOOP, UM, AND WE ARE HOUSED, WE HAVE A BIG SUITE OUT AT THE HCC SOUTHEAST CAMPUS, WHICH IS AT 45 AND WOODRIDGE. AND ALSO WITH OUR OTHER TRAINING PROVIDERS. WE, WE PARTNER TO OFFER OUR SERVICES OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. WE WORK WITH THE METROPOLITAN ORGANIZATION AND SO THEY'RE ENSURING THAT WE'RE TARGETING FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT AREN'T CONNECTED TO HIGHER EDUCATION OR TRAINING INSTITUTION, BUT WANT TO MAKE A BETTER LIVES FOR THEMSELVES. AND SO THERE ARE PASTORS TALKING ABOUT US ON THE PULPITS. THERE WE'RE IN THE BULLETINS WHEN WE, WE STARTED RECRUITING AND WE HOLD INFORMATION SESSIONS AT THESE LOCATIONS. WE'VE HISTORICALLY ALSO PARTNERED WITH THE WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO REACH FOLKS WHO ARE LOOKING FOR UPWARD MOBILITY IN THEIR EMPLOYMENT. UM, AND THEN WE HAVE SOME UPSKILLING MOBILITY SERVICES PROGRAMS WHERE WE WORK WITH EMPLOYERS. SO OUR TWO MOST, UM, OUR TWO ACTIVE AND REALLY SUCCESSFUL PRO PARTNERSHIPS ARE WITH HARRIS HEALTH AND AON. AND WE OFFER APPRENTICESHIPS THROUGH BOTH OF THOSE PROGRAMS. WE ALSO DO OUR OWN SOCIAL MEDIA AND, AND OUTREACH AND MARKETING. WE ATTEND VARIOUS EVENTS. WE ATTENDED THE RED, WHITE, AND U EVENT THAT THE CITY HOSTED BACK AT THE END OF LAST YEAR. SO WE'RE REALLY OUT THERE TO ENSURE THAT FOLKS KNOW ABOUT OUR SERVICES, UM, IN, IN ALL PARTS OF THE COMMUNITY IN ALL KINDS OF WAYS. WELL, THANK YOU FOR THAT AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. UM, I NOTICE ON THE SLIDE THAT TALKS ABOUT, UH, MOST RECENT CLIENT GOAL, WHICH WAS MET 113% OF THE CLIENT GOAL. CAN CAN YOU TELL US HOW YOU MEASURE THAT SUCCESS? SURE. SO, UM, AS Y'ALL KNOW, WHEN YOU GET GOVERNMENT FUNDING, YOU HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT FOLKS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR SERVICES. AND SO EVERY PERSON THAT APPLIES TO OUR PROGRAM HAS A ROBUST PROCESS. WE WORK WITH, UH, WE HAVE A DATABASE WHERE FOLKS ARE ABLE TO SUBMIT THEIR DOCUMENTATION. [00:15:01] SO WE ARE TRACKING THROUGH NEW ORG OUR CLIENT DATABASE APPLICANTS AS WELL AS FOLKS WHO HAVE SELF-SELECTED THROUGH OUR APPLICATION PROCESS. AND THOSE SERVICE, THAT 113% GOAL IS SPECIFICALLY FOR RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON WHO FALL INTO THAT OH SIX ONE GCIS CODE. WE DO SERVE FOLKS ACROSS THE METRO AREA AS WELL. ALRIGHT. AND IF SO, IF SOMEONE CALLS TODAY ASKING FOR HELP, ARE THEY ABLE TO ENROLL IN A PROGRAM THAT THAT IS OPEN RIGHT NOW OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? SO, YEAH, WHEN, WHEN, IF SOMEONE WERE, SO WE JUST GOT BACK FROM FURLOUGH. UM, AND SO IF SOMEONE WERE TO CALL TODAY, UM, THEY WOULD FALL INTO THE NEXT APPLICATION CYCLE, RIGHT? BECAUSE IF FOLKS ARE APPLYING TO DO COMMUNITY COLLEGE, THEY'RE GONNA START WHEN THE SEMESTER STARTS. IT IS A SELF-SELECT APPLICATION PROCESS. SO ONCE FOLKS BEGIN TO SUBMIT THEIR APP, YOU KNOW, SHOW AN INTEREST AND SUBMIT AN APPLICATION, IT IS UP TO THEM TO SUBMIT ALL OF THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS AND FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THE APPLICATION PROCESS SO THAT WE CAN ENROLL THEM. OKAY. GOTCHA. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU FOR THAT. I APPRECIATE YOUR BEING HERE. SURE. ALRIGHT, THANKS YOU. WE DO HAVE A COUNCIL MEMBER IN THE QUEUE, SO WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN. THANK YOU CHAIR. AND THANKS FOR BEING HERE BACK IN 2012. ROXANNE, YOU'RE A MEMBER. WE, WE, WE MET WITH TMO AND LEARNED FIRST ABOUT, ABOUT WHEN I WORKED FOR COSTELLO AND LEARNED ABOUT CAPITAL IDEA AND REALLY IMPRESSED WITH, IT'S NOT JUST THE, THE GETTING PEOPLE TRAINED UP, IT'S ALSO TAKING CARE OF LIKE TRANSPORTATION AND CHILDCARE AND ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE BARRIERS TO PEOPLE REALLY SEEKING UPWARD MOBILITY. SO WE, WE ACTUALLY GOT GENERAL FUND MONEY IN A BUDGET AMENDMENT. IT WAS CRAZY, CRAZY BACK THEN . IT WAS SO COOL WHEN IT HAPPENED. WE RAN THE TABLE AND GOT THAT FIRST MONEY TO CAPITAL IDEA. SO GLAD TO SEE YOU'RE STILL GOING AS FAR AS, UM, I GET THE SUCCESS RATE, LIKE YOUR CLIENTS ARE MEET ALL THE NEEDS, BUT WHAT ABOUT SUCCESS RATE OF PEOPLE'S GETTING THE JOBS AND STAYING IN THE JOBS? YEAH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. AND SO WE DO TRACK PLACEMENT, RIGHT? OUR ULTIMATE GOAL IS EMPLOYMENT. AND SO, UM, WE HAVE AN 89% PLACEMENT RATE OF OUR GRADUATES WITHIN THREE TO SIX MONTHS OF GRADUATION. AND WE ACTUALLY KEEP THEM IN OUR ECOSYSTEM FOR TWO YEARS. AND SO FROM THAT MARK, THAT DATE THAT THEY SECURE EMPLOYMENT AND DEMONSTRATE IT TO US WITH EITHER A CHECK STUB OR AN OFFER LETTER, WE ARE TRACKING THEM EVERY SIX MONTHS FOR TWO YEARS. AND AT THAT POINT WE CONSIDER THEM TO HAVE REACHED FINANCIAL SELF-SUFFICIENCY AND EXIT OUR PROGRAM AND OUR GRADUATES AT THAT TWO YEAR MARK HAVE A 96% RETENTION RATE IN THEIR CAREER FIELDS. AWESOME. OKAY, THAT'S GREAT. I ALSO HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS ON THE COALITION AND THE NAVIGATION CENTER CHAIR. IF, IF THAT, IF THAT'S OKAY? ABSOLUTELY. GO AHEAD. OKAY. UM, SO COME ON UP SINCE YOU CAME ALL THE WAY HERE, IT'S GOOD TO PUT YOU IN THE HOT SEAT FOR A LITTLE BIT. YOU WANT FIRST, WHO DO YOU WANT FIRST? NO, UH, JUST TO JUST GIMME, GIMME A QUICK UPDATE ON, ON THE NAVIGATION CENTER, HOW MANY CLIENTS ARE THERE? WHAT'S KIND OF YOUR AVERAGE OCCUPANCY? IS IT, HOW LONG ARE PEOPLE THERE? JUST SOME OF THOSE STATS. ABSOLUTELY. AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT OUR CURRENT OCCUPANCY IS AT 88 CLIENTS AT THE MOMENT. I'LL NEED TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THE AVERAGE STAY. I DON'T HAVE THOSE NUMBERS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT WE ARE CURRENTLY AT 88, UH, CLIENTS AT THE NAVIGATION CENTER RIGHT NOW. WHAT, WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE DESIGN OF IT? 30 DAYS, 60 DAYS? I MEAN, WHAT, I KNOW EVERYBODY'S DIFFERENT. IT DEPENDS ON THE VOUCHERS AND WHATEVER COMES YOUR WAY, BUT YES, I THINK, UH, ORIGINALLY IT WAS 30 DAYS, I THINK AS WE HAVE EVOLVED OVER TIME AND, UM, WE FELT A CRUNCH ON THE, THE REDUCTION OF AVAILABLE HOUSING AT THE END OF THAT INTERACTION. SURE. IT HAS BECOME LONGER. SURE. UH, TYPICALLY MAYBE 90 DAYS WILL PROBABLY BE THE NORM AT THIS TIME. AND SO ACTUALLY THE AVERAGE CURRENTLY IS, UM, 53 DAYS. HOW MANY? 53 53 DAYS? MM-HMM . OKAY. SO A BIT LOWER THAN WHAT YOU THOUGHT, BUT HIGHER THAN WHAT WE THOUGHT. OKAY. AND SO WE'RE TRYING, WE WERE TARGETING UNDER 90 DAYS. SO THEY'RE STILL ABOVE THEIR TARGET. YEAH. UM, I THINK OUR GOAL WAS ALWAYS LIKE, OH, SO WE SAID WAS 30 DAYS LIKE TO GET THEM IN AND OUT AND EIGHT PRETTY TYPICAL OR I MEAN, OR HAVE YOU BEEN WHAT'S THE MAX? SO IT'S THE MAX IS 100. OKAY. AND SO WE, SO WE TRY TO KEEP IT ANYWHERE BETWEEN 85 TO 90% FULL SO THAT WE HAVE AVAILABILITY FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT DROP OFFS. AH, GOT IT. OKAY. AND, AND SO WE, THE CITY GIVES COALITION THE MONEY AND THEN YOU CONTRACT WITH HARMONY HOUSE. SO THAT'S JUST KIND OF, YOU'RE KIND OF A PASS THROUGH FOR THE MONEY, CORRECT? YES. YOU DON'T HAVE ANY DIRECT, I MEAN, DO YOU MANAGE THE CONTRACT OBVIOUSLY WITH HARMONY HOUSE, BUT DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER DIRECT SERVICES THERE AT THE NAVIGATION CENTER? THE COALITION, NOT FROM THE COALITION, BUT WE DO PROVIDE SUPPORT TO HARMONY HOUSE. SO FOR EXAMPLE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE [00:20:01] ARE VERY INSTRUMENTAL WITH, WITH HARMONY HOUSE IS THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ASPECT OF THE NAVIGATION CENTER. SO WE, UH, WORK WITH THEM TO MANAGE THE FIFTH WAR ADVISORY COUNCIL. SO THEY'RE THE GROUP OF COMMUNITY ADVISORS THAT WE PROVIDE UPDATES AND WE ENGAGE AND WE ALSO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO CONNECT WITH HARMONY HOUSE, CONNECT WITH THE CLIENTS, AND CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY SO THAT IT'S NOT JUST A RANDOM BUILDING IN IN THE COMMUNITY, BUT RATHER THE COMMUNITY'S AWARE OF WHAT IT IS AND HOW THEY CAN, UH, CONNECT WITH THE FACILITY SO THAT THEY, IT'S ALSO HELPING THE COMMUNITY. WHAT'S GOING ON WITH, THERE WAS LIKE A FIELD OUT THERE, REMEMBER LIKE THERE WAS GONNA BE SOME STUFF, A SOCCER FIELD ADJACENT TO IT AND I THINK THE PARKS DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN ENGAGED TO, TO HELP WITH THAT. BUT THINGS HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT SLOW. OKAY. MONEY'S TIGHT. WELL, YEAH, THE BUDGET ACROSS THE CITY'S TIGHT. UM, I DID WANNA ADD THOUGH, WITH THE COALITION THAT YES, THEY ARE A PASS THROUGH ESSENTIALLY AND IT LOOKS LIKE THAT ON PAPER. HOWEVER, THEY'RE EXTREMELY ENGAGED WITH THE OPERATION YEAH. SIDE OF IT. OKAY. SO THOUGH THEY'RE NOT PROVIDING THE CASE MANAGEMENT OR THEY'RE NOT PROVIDING THOSE DIRECT SERVICES, THOSE INDIRECT SERVICES AND MAKING SURE THAT THE, THE COUNT IS CORRECT AND THAT, UM, UM, HOW LONG STAYERS ARE THERE AND ARE THEY ON THE HOUSING WAIT LIST TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ENGAGED WITH THE PROPER NAVIGATION PERSON OR WITH THE, THE PROPER MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDER. SO THEY DO STUFF THAT'S INDIRECT VERSUS THE DIRECT PIECE THAT YOU ARE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO. APPRECIATE IT. OF COURSE. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. AND SO LET, LET ME ASK YOU AS WELL SINCE, SINCE WE'VE GOT YOU HERE. UM, SO CLIENT IS IN NAVIGATION CENTER FOR 90 DAYS, LET'S SAY, WHAT HAPPENS AT, AT, AT THAT POINT? DO THEY CONTINUE TO, TO STAY THERE AS LONG AS THEY NEED TO OR? YEAH. WELL THIS IS ALL, UH, PER BASIS, UH, PER PERSON. UM, TYPICALLY, OF COURSE OUR END GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CONNECTING THEM WITH A HOUSING SOLUTION AT THE END OF THAT ENGAGEMENT. OF COURSE, IF THEY NEED ADDITIONAL TIME, WE WILL PROVIDE THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, OUR, OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO HAVE THE HOUSING SOLUTION, WHICH COULD BE A PLACE TO LIVE, BUT IT COULD BE OTHER, UH, SERVICES SUCH AS MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES OR, UM, UM, UM, WELL, IT, IT, IT ALSO DEPENDS, RIGHT? BECAUSE THE MONEY FOLLOWS THE CLIENT, MEANING THAT THOSE SERVICES ARE UNIQUELY INDIVIDUALIZED TO THAT CLIENT. AND SO AT 90, REALLY AT THE ENTRY OF NAVIGATION CENTER, THE CASE MANAGERS ALREADY ARE WORKING ON AN EXIT PLAN. WHAT IS YOUR EXIT PLAN? LET'S TALK ABOUT A 30 DAY, A 60 DAY EXIT PLAN. SO WHEN YOU'RE PAST 60 DAYS, WHAT'S THAT NEXT STEP? AND SOMETIMES IT IS JUST WAITING 'CAUSE WE KNOW THAT THERE IS A UNIT AVAILABLE FOR THEM, BUT THE VOUCHER ISN'T READY YET. AND SO IN THAT CASE, SOMEBODY CAN STAY MUCH LONGER THAN 90 DAYS IF THEY NEEDED TO. AND OTHER CASES, IF THEY'RE NOT WORKING THE PROGRAM OR THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE JUST NOT REALLY INTERESTED IN DOING THIS, THEN WE'RE GONNA GO AND TRY TO HELP THEM FIND ANOTHER SOLUTION. IT COULD BE ANOTHER SHELTER, IT COULD BE, UM, THAT WE REUNITE THEM WITH FAMILY MEMBERS, UM, THAT THAT'S A POSITIVE, UM, OUTCOME. AND THEN SOMETIMES, UNFORTUNATELY, CLIENTS LEAVE. MM-HMM . OKAY. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, I DON'T SEE ANYBODY ELSE IN THE QUEUE, SO APPRECIATE THAT PRESENTATION THERE. THE OPPORTUNITY TO NO. OKAY. ASK QUESTIONS. . ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. YOU BET. THANK YOU MELODY. SO WE'LL GO NOW TO OUR, UH, DIRECTOR COMMENT PERIOD, AND DIRECTOR NICHOLS, WE'LL HEAR FROM YOU NOW. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. CHAIRMAN. AGAIN, HAPPY NEW YEAR. HAPPY NEW YEAR. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS YOU GOT A CHANCE TO HEAR TODAY, THERE ARE TWO THINGS THAT I WANNA MAKE SURE THIS I'M UNDERSTANDING ON. ONE WAS ON THE, UH, COMPLEX FINANCIAL MANEUVERS WITH CAPITAL IDEA MOVING MONEY AROUND. AND ONE OF EVERY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S SO IMPORTANT TO KNOW IS FEDERAL MONEY IS DIFFICULT TO USE AND PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT AND LIMITED IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE DOLLARS. AND SO YOUR NONPROFITS OFTEN HAVE TO COME UP WITH THE ADMINISTRATIVE DOLLARS ON THEM BY THEMSELVES, OR WE HAVE TO FIND EITHER LOCAL FUNDS, WHICH ARE GENERAL TS FUNDING OR SOME OTHER FUNDING LIKE THE 2012 FUND TO LEVERAGE THOSE FEDERAL FUNDS. AND THAT'S A BIG PART OF WHAT OUR STAFF DOES IS TRY TO MAKE THAT LEVERAGE WORK. SO THAT'S ONE THING. THE SECOND THING IS WE TALKED ABOUT THE NAVIGATION CENTER. AGAIN, IT'S BEEN, I THINK IT'S SUCCESS. AND WE KNEW FROM THE VERY BEGINNING WHAT SUCCESS WAS LIMITED BY THE NUMBER OF AMOUNT OF HOUSING AVAILABLE. 'CAUSE THAT'S THE SUCCESS THAT'S NEEDED. UM, IT IS A GOOD PROGRAM AND IT'LL CONTINUE TO BE A GOOD PROGRAM AS WE GET FOR, UH, FORT 19 EMANCIPATION ONLINE. WE WILL NEED TO LOOK AND SEE WHAT KIND OF CHANGES [00:25:01] NEED TO BE MADE THERE. UH, ONE OF THE CHANGES WILL BE MOST DEFINITELY IS THAT THE MOST OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT DROP OFFS WILL BE AT FOUR 19, NOT AT THE NAVIGATION CENTER. AND THERE'LL BE SOME WAY WE HAVE TO WORK THROUGH WHAT SHOULD BE AT THE NAVIGATION CENTER AND WHAT SHOULD BE AT FOUR 19. THE NAVIGATION CENTER HAS, MANY, HAS FEW SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE TRULY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE HOUSING READY, WAITING FOR THEIR HOUSING. THERE IS A HEALTH CLINIC THERE THAT'S BEEN USED BY BOTH THE COMMUNITY AND BY THE RESIDENTS AT FOUR NINE AT, AT THE NAVIGATION CENTER AS WELL AS A, UM, SERVICES BY HARRIS CENTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND, UH, SOBERING ISSUES. SO AGAIN, IT'S A GOOD PROGRAM. IT'S NOT, NOT GONNA HAVE THE, IT WILL NEVER HAVE THE WIDE VARIETY OF SERVICES THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE AT FOUR 19. AND AGAIN, IT DOESN'T TAKE THE KIND OF COMPLEX CASES THAT WILL BE AT FOUR 19. UH, OTHER OTHER ISSUES ARE, AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE, UH, PURCHASE OF FOUR 19. WE'RE ENDING OUR FEASIBILITY PERIOD. HOPEFULLY EVERYTHING WILL GO WELL AND WE'LL CLOSE ON THAT BUILDING SOMETIME IN JANUARY. UH, WE DO HAVE THE NO OUTSTANDING FOR AN OPERATOR AND LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING THAT FOR YOU SOMETIME IN EARLY FEBRUARY. AGAIN, THE FUNDING FOR THAT IS COMING FROM DR 24, UM, AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING THAT FUNDING APPROVED BY HUD. EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE GOING GOOD AT THIS TIME. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU FOR THAT UPDATE. LET ME ASK YOU, YOU ABOUT A COUPLE OF OTHER, UH, THINGS GOING ON. UH, THE COMPREHENSIVE HOUSING PLAN, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THE, WHAT THE STATUS OF THAT IS? HOW THAT'S GOING? YEAH. UH, ONE IS IT'S, WE, WE HAVE WORKED CLOSELY. WE HAVE FOR OUR FIRST DRAFT FROM THE, UM, FROM THE, UH, CONSULTANT, UM, WE ARE LOOKING AT THAT DRAFT. THE TEAM IN THE COUNTY AND THE CITY ARE LOOKING AT THAT DRAFT, MAKING SUGGESTIONS AND CHANGES. THEY WILL BE BACK IN TOWN DOING SOME INTERVIEWS, INCLUDING WITH THE, UH, CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSING COMMITTEE, UH, AT THE END OF JANUARY, JANUARY 25TH AND 26TH. AND SO WE'RE MOVING FORWARD ON THAT OF INTEREST. AND YOU'VE SEEN IN THE PAPER RECENTLY, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST IN AFFORDABILITY OF HOUSING. SOME OF THE ARTICLES THAT CAME OUT WERE, WERE FASCINATING TO ME. COMPLEX ARTICLES, UH, NEEDED MORE ANALYSIS. AND WE GOT FROM THE PAPER. ONE WAS THAT THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAD, UH, LOWER COST HOUSING HAD THE GREATEST INCREASE IN PRICING. UM, THINKING THROUGH THAT SENSE OF, NO, THAT'S INTERESTING. BUT AGAIN, RIVER OAKS, A 10% INCREASE IN PRICING OR OAKS COULD BE, COULD BE $200,000, A 40% OR A HUNDRED PERCENT PRICING IN SETTER GAS COULD BE $40,000. SO IT IS INTERESTING ON THAT. AND EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD IS DIFFERENT BASED ON THE KIND OF BUILDING THAT'S GOING ON. UH, THE NEED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING CONTINUES TO BE THERE BOTH IN MULTI-FAMILY AND IN SINGLE FAMILY. AND IT'S SOMETHING WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK ON. UM, IT IS DIFFICULT WITH THE WAY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S BEING RUN RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'LL CONTINUE TO TALK TO THEM AND FIND WAYS TO CONTINUE TO BRING AFFORDABLE HOUSING INTO HOUSTON. WELL, THANK YOU FOR MENTIONING THAT. I, I DID SEE THE ARTICLE, I DID READ IT AND, UH, YES, I THINK IT WAS SPEAKING TO THE INCREASE IN VALUATION IN, IN CERTAIN ZIP CODES, UM, WHICH IS TIED OF COURSE TO WHAT HCAD DOES IN THEIR APPRAISAL PROCESS. BUT ONE THING THAT INTERESTED ME FROM THAT ARTICLE WAS, UM, THE FACT THAT, UM, OR AT LEAST THE, THE CLAIM WAS MADE THAT IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS, FEWER PEOPLE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. THAT'S SO INTERESTING. AND, AND THERE'S, THERE'S SOMETHING FOR US TO WORK ON THERE, I THINK. UM, LET ME ASK YOU AS WELL ABOUT, ABOUT, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. I JUST WANNA SAY I HAD THE SAME REACTION. I WAS WONDERING, IS THERE SOMETHING WE CAN DO IN OUR PRESENTATIONS? AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, UH, TWO, UM, UM, PRESENTATIONS, PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS A YEAR, AND I CERTAINLY THINK THAT OUGHT TO BE ONE THAT CAN, WE CAN WORK ON. UH, AGAIN, MOST OF US, UM, WHO WOULD, UM, WHO WOULD DO SOME KIND OF CHECK, EITHER MAKE SURE WE GET THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION OR IF YOU HAVE TO FILE A, UH, UH, A, A REQUEST FOR REDUCTION, WE MAY USE AN OUTSIDE FIRM. MM-HMM . IT DOESN'T COST US ANYTHING UPFRONT TO DO THAT. SO WE JUST HAVE TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO GET THAT INFORMATION TO OUR LOWER INCOME RESIDENTS. UH, TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU. EDUCATION IS A BIG, A BIG PIECE OF THAT. I'LL ASK YOU ABOUT, UH, THE EMANCIPATION, UH, PURCHASE AND, AND HOW, HOW THAT'S GOING. EXCUSE ME, UH, FOUR 19 EMANCIPATION. HOW'S [00:30:01] THAT GOING? YEAH, I WOULD SAY THE, AGAIN, WE'RE IN OUR FEASIBILITY STUDY, WE'VE BEEN NEGOTIATING WITH THE OWNERS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BUILDING WE RECEIVE HAS THE CORRECT REPAIRS THAT HA AS AGREED UPON. SO IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT, I SEE NO PROBLEMS GOING TO A CLOSING AGAIN SOMETIME IN JANUARY FOR THE PURCHASE. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT DIRECTOR. UM, I DON'T SEE ANYBODY ELSE IN THE QUEUE, SO I THINK YOU'RE OFF THE HOOK. ALWAYS GLAD TO BE HERE. APPRECIATE YOU. ALRIGHT, THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS, UH, PRESENTATION FROM OUR HEALTH DEPARTMENT. OH, I'M TOLD THAT WAS CANCELED. SO IT LOOKS LIKE, UH, WE ARE DOWN TO PUBLIC COMMENT. SO IF ANY MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC WHO IS HERE WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT, YOU ARE WELCOME TO COME FORWARD. I DON'T THINK WE HAD ANYBODY SIGN UP, BUT, UM, WE'LL, WE'LL TAKE YOUR COMMENTS NONETHELESS. IS THERE ANYONE HERE FROM THE PUBLIC WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK? OKAY. HEARING NO ONE. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADJOURN THE MEETING AND WE'LL SEE YOU, UH, AT OUR NEXT QUALITY OF LIFE COMMITTEE MEETING NEXT MONTH. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.