* 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 August 17, 2026.] [00:00:15] I WANNA RECOGNIZE THOSE WHO ARE PRESENT FROM CITY COUNCIL. WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER, VICE MAYOR, PRO TIM AMY PECK, ALONG WITH, UH, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER AM MARIO CASTILLO'S, OFFICE COUNCIL MEMBER TWILA CARTER'S, OFFICE COUNCIL MEMBER ALEJANDRA SALINA'S, OFFICE COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN'S, OFFICE COUNCIL MEMBER JOAQUIN MARTINEZ'S OFFICE, UH, COUNCIL, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, CAST TATUM'S OFFICE AND COUNCIL MEMBER TIFFANY THOMAS OFFICE AS WELL. UH, SO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. UM, WE WILL, UH, PROCEED TO GO THROUGH THE AGENDA AND WE'RE JOINED TODAY BY OUR HOUSING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, UH, DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR MIKE NICHOLS, AS WELL AS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, MELODY BAR. AND SO I WILL TURN IT OVER TO YOU FOLKS BEFORE I START, IF I'D LIKE TO TAKE A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE, UM, I, WE JUST LEARNED THIS MORNING THAT, UM, WITH A HEAVY HEART THAT WE, UH, THAT ONE OF OUR EMPLOYEES AT HCD MONICA BURNHAM, SHE'S A STAFF ANALYST IN HOUSING, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCE DIVISION, PASSED AWAY. AND IF WE COULD HAVE JUST A MOMENT OF SILENCE, I'D APPRECIATE THAT POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE. ABSOLUTELY. DIRECTOR. WE'LL HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE WHEN WE WORK WITH PEOPLE DAY IN, DAY OUT AND THERE'S A TRAGEDY. IT FEELS LIKE A FAMILY TRAGEDY. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT TIME. YOU BET. AND SYMPATHIES TO EVERYONE IN THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT AND TO, UH, OUR FAMILY AS WELL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SIR. UM, WE'D LIKE TO BEGIN WITH, UM, I'LL CATCH MY BREATH A LITTLE BIT WITH MELODY BARR DISCUSSING, UM, THE ITEMS THAT ARE COMING UP BEFORE, UM, COUNCIL, UH, BEGINNING WITH THE ITEM FOR THE COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS. GOOD AFTERNOON. GOOD AFTERNOON. SO ITEM TWO A, THE DEPARTMENT IS PRESENTING A SECOND AMENDMENT TO THE CONTRACT FOR SERVICES WITH THE COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS OF HOUSTON AND HARRIS COUNTY, PROVIDING ADDITIONAL $130,226 AND 25 CENTS IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT ADMINISTRATION FUNDS FOR STRATEGIC HOMELESS PLANNING SERVICES. THE COALITION WILL PROVIDE RESEARCH, DATA ANALYSIS, PLANNING, AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT TO ASSIST THE CITY IN EVALUATING HOMELESSNESS NEEDS, STRENGTHENING SYSTEM PERFORMANCE, SUPPORTING FUNDING STRATEGIES, AND INFORMING POLICY AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT. THIS AMENDMENT WILL EXTEND THE AGREEMENT WHICH STARTED MAY 1ST, 2024 THROUGH AUGUST 31ST, 2027. THIS IS A PLANNING ACTIVITY THAT DOES NOT HAVE, UM, BENEFICIARY GOALS. THE COALITION WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE WEEKLY MEETINGS WITH THE CITY TO DISCUSS THE LOCAL HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM DAILY, UM, CITY ACCESS TO THE WAY HOME DATA METRICS, QUARTERLY FEEDBACK FROM INDIVIDUALS WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE, UM, AND REPORTING AS SUCH, THE COALITION HAS NO FINES OR CONCERNS AS OF THE RECENT ANNUAL COMPLIANCE MONITORING REVIEW. AND THAT WAS AS OF, UM, I'M SORRY. AND AS OF APRIL OF 2026, THE COALITION HAS EXTENDED NEARLY 87% OF THEIR ALLOCATED FUNDING. THE COALITION SERVES AS A LEAD AGENCY FOR THE LOCAL HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM THAT WE CALL THE WAY HOME HOUSTON SINCE 2011, AND HAS A LONGSTANDING HISTORY OF LEADERSHIP IN THE LOCAL HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM. I'M NOT SURE IF I HAVE SOMEBODY HERE TODAY FROM THE COALITION, UM, BUT I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. ALRIGHT. LET ME, UM, JUST NOTE, UH, MELODY THAT OVER THE LAST DECADE, UM, THE CITY HAS HAD SOME SIGNIFICANT SUCCESS IN REDUCING THE NUMBER OF, UH, FOLKS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. UH, HOW MANY YEARS HAS THE COALITION BEEN A PART OF THAT IN HELPING TO PROVIDE STRATEGIC SERVICES? ALL OF THEM, I BELIEVE FOR THE LAST 20 PLUS YEARS. ALRIGHT. AND, UM, MY INFORMATION IS THAT, UH, OVER THE LAST YEAR, UH, UH, BASED ON THE MOST RECENT, UH, PIT COUNT NUMBERS, UM, THE HOMELESSNESS NUMBERS ARE ESSENTIALLY UNCHANGED EVEN THOUGH HOUSING COSTS CONTINUE TO RISE. IS THAT THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT. I THINK THERE WAS MAYBE A VERY SLIGHT INCREASE OF LIKE 300 INDIVIDUALS. MM-HMM . BUT YES, OVER THE LAST I BELIEVE FIVE YEARS IT'S BEEN RELATIVELY FLAT. ALRIGHT. SO APPRECIATE [00:05:01] THAT. ALSO WANNA NOTE THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIE DAVIS HAS JOINED US AND, UM, WE HAVE A STAFF FROM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER THOMAS'S OFFICE. LAMBDA'S IN THE QUEUE. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU CHAIR AND THANK YOU MELODY. UM, YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE ARE WEEKLY MEETINGS WITH THE CITY THAT THE COALITION HAS. YES, MY TEAM HAS, UM, A STANDING MONDAY MEETING WITH THE COALITION. OKAY. AND WHAT SORT OF DATA IS REPORTED IN THOSE MEETINGS? SO IT DEPENDS ON WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA, RIGHT? SO A LOT OF TIMES WE ARE LOOKING AT THE INFLOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE OUTFLOW OF RAPID REHOUSING DATA, THOSE NUMBERS. WE'RE LOOKING AT THE UTILIZATION OF DIFFERENT, UM, PROGRAMS. SO MAYBE LIKE NAVIGATION CENTER OR FOUR 19. UM, SOMETIMES WE TALK ABOUT OUR DISCHARGE PLANNING. IT, IT JUST REALLY DEPENDS ON THE TIME OF THE YEAR HONESTLY, AND THEN WHAT OUR PRIORITY IS FOR THAT WEEK. SO IS IT MORE OF LIKE AN OPERATIONAL CONVERSATION ON THEIR END? YES. YES. OKAY. SO NOT NECESSARILY THE, THEIR OUTREACH EFFORTS BY COUNCIL DISTRICT OR DOES THAT COME UP SOMETIMES? CORRECT. OKAY. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. I DON'T, CHAIRMAN, I'D LIKE TO ADD THAT THE COALITION FIRST, I'VE MET MY BIAS 'CAUSE I WAS THE CEO FOR FIVE YEARS. BUT I'VE BEEN VERY IMPRESSED WITH KELLY YOUNG AND HER TEAM BECAUSE OF THEIR ABILITY TO BE, UM, AGILE IN THE WAKE OF CHANGES IN FEDERAL FUNDING AND AGILE IN THE WAKE OF CHANGES IN PHILANTHROPIC FUNDING. UM, IT'S A VERY TOUGH ROLE THAT THEY PLAY AS BOTH THE ADVOCATE FOR MORE THAN A HUNDRED NONPROFITS WHO, UM, WHO WORK ON HOMELESSNESS AND AS WELL AS A, AS THE LEAD AGENCY FOR THE COC, WHICH MEANS THAT SOMETIMES THEY HAVE TO PIVOT AND MAKE OTHER CHANGES. BUT WHAT I'VE SEEN, ESPECIALLY WITH THE ADVENT OF FOUR 19, UM, AND THE CHANGES IN THE FEDERAL FUNDING, THEY HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY AGILE. UM, WE, THE FEDERAL FUNDING'S IN DIFFICULT SITUATION, A RECENT COURT CASE JUST STOPPED HUD'S NEW NOFA AND WE'RE LOOKING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS. WE EXPECT IT TO GO BACK THE WAY THE PREVIOUS NOFA WAS. BUT AGAIN, I'VE BEEN IMPRESSED WITH THE COALITION'S ABILITY TO BE FLEXIBLE, TO BE NUANCED, AND MAKING SURE WE MOVE FORWARD EVEN WHEN THIS UNCERTAINTY ABOUT FUNDING. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THAT DIRECTOR. UM, AND I DON'T SEE ANYONE ELSE IN THE QUEUE, SO IF YOU WANNA PROCEED TO THE NEXT ITEM, THAT'LL BE FINE. SURE. ITEM TWO B, THE DEPARTMENT'S PRESENTING A FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE SUBRECIPIENT AGREEMENT WITH THE HARRIS CENTER, WHICH PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED, UH, $2.6 MILLION IN, IN STREET HOMELESS FUNDS FOR THE OPERATION OF AN INDEPENDENT LIVING PROGRAM FOR INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. THIS AMENDMENT EXTENDS THE AGREEMENT TERM ONLY WITH NO ADDITIONAL FUNDING REQUESTED. THE PROGRAM WILL SERVE A MINIMUM OF 120 INDIVIDUALS ANNUALLY AND WILL PROVIDE PSYCHIATRIC CARE, INDIVIDUALIZED TREATMENT PLANS, AND ACCESS TO TREATMENT BEDS AND SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS TRANSITIONING FROM AN INPATIENT HOSPITAL SETTING TO COMMUNITY-BASED SETTING. THE HARRIS CENTER'S INDEPENDENT LIVING PROGRAM WILL CONTINUE TO OPERATE 32 BEDS UNDER AN INTENSIVE REHABILITATIVE PROGRAM DESIGNED TO STEP DOWN AND TRANSITION INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE UNHOUSED PRIOR TO AND ARE PSYCHIATRICALLY FRAGILE FALLING AN INPATIENT PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL SETTING. PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE COMPREHENSIVE CARE FOCUS ON PSYCHOSOCIAL PRINCIPLES TO DEVELOP EMOTIONAL, COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL SKILLS TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY LIVING AND INDEPENDENCE. THIS PROGRAM OPERATES 24 7 WITH PARTICIPANTS ABLE TO RECEIVE SERVICES FOR UP TO 180 DAYS. THE TERM OF THIS AGREEMENT IS AUGUST 1ST, 2025 TO JULY 31ST, 2027 WITH A ONE YEAR RENEWAL OPTION. UM, THIS AMENDMENT EXTENDS THIS AGREEMENT, I'M SORRY, THIS AMENDMENT EXTENDS THIS AGREEMENT THROUGH JULY 31ST, 2027 WITH NO ADDITIONAL FUNDING. THE HARRIS CENTER HAS RECEIVED FUNDING FROM THE CITY OF HOUSTON SINCE 2008, AND SERVICE INDIVIDUALS THROUGHOUT ALL COUNCIL DISTRICTS. THE PROGRAM HAS EXCEEDED, UM, IT'S BENEFICIARY GOAL BY PROVIDING SERVICES TO 190 INDIVIDUALS COMPARED TO THE 120 GOAL. THIS IS AT 58% HIGHER THAN ANTICIPATED, AND THIS WAS AS OF MAY OF 2026. HARRIS CENTER HAS HAD NO FINDINGS IN THEIR LAST COMPLIANCE AND MONITORING REVIEW. THE ORGANIZATION PROVIDES A CONTINUUM OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY SERVICES AND MORE AT MORE THAN 86 SITES THROUGHOUT HARRIS COUNTY. AND TODAY WE HAVE EVELYN LOCKLIN, THE SENIOR DIRECTOR, AND LALL CAMPBELL, THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR HERE, SHOULD THERE BE ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU FOR THAT. I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THE HARRIS CENTER DOES. AND AS YOU STATED, UH, THIS IS AN EXTENSION, CORRECT? RIGHT. NO ADDITIONAL MONEY IS NEEDED [00:10:01] AT THIS TIME. AND CAN YOU, CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY THIS NEEDS TO COME BEFORE COUNCIL? YES. SO IN OUR AGREEMENTS, WHEN WE FIRST BROUGHT THIS TO CITY COUNCIL, WE BROUGHT THIS FOR, UM, THE FULL AMOUNT THAT IT WOULD COST THIS PROGRAM TO OPERATE FOR 24 MONTHS. BUT WHAT WE LIKE TO DO IS GIVE OURSELVES AN OPTION SHOULD WE WANT TO EXIT THE CONTRACT EARLY, WHICH IS AT 12 MONTHS, OUR CONTRACTS ALL ARE WRITTEN WITH A SIX MONTH CLAUSE IN THERE WHERE WE CAN EXTEND ANYTHING LONGER THAN SIX MONTHS. WE HAVE TO COME BACK TO CITY COUNCIL, WELL, AT LEAST FOR THIS PARTICULAR CONTRACT, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE COMING TO THIS BODY. OKAY, GREAT. I DON'T SEE ANY, ANYONE IN THE QUEUE, SO YOU CAN GO AHEAD. ALRIGHT. UM, ITEM TWO C, THE DEPARTMENT'S PRESENTING A FIRST AMENDMENT TO THE SUB-RECIPIENT AGREEMENT WITH THE HOUSTON RECOVERY CENTER OR HRC PROVIDING AN ADDITIONAL $667,540 FROM FUND 2012 FOR EMERGENCY SHELTER SERVICES. FOR INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, HRC WILL PROVIDE UP TO 34 LOW BARRIER EMERGENCY SHELTER BEDS, NIGHTLY SERVING AT LEAST 525 INDIVIDUALS ANNUALLY. SERVICES WILL INCLUDE ASSESSING AND ADDRESSING IMMEDIATE BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH CONCERNS, DEVELOPING PERMANENT HOUSING PLANS FOR CLIENTS, AND TRANSPORTING CLIENTS TO NEEDED CASE MANAGEMENT AND OR MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS. THIS AMENDMENT WILL EXTEND THE TERM OF THE AGREEMENT, WHICH BEGAN AUGUST 1ST, 2025 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2027. HRC HAS RECEIVED FUNDING FROM THE CITY SINCE 2013, AND AS OF MAY, 2026, HRC HAS SERVED 318 INDIVIDUALS WITH AN AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY AT SEVEN DAYS. AND AN AVERAGE OCCUPANCY RATE OF 71%. HRC HAS NO FINDINGS DURING ITS MOST RECENT ANNUAL COMPLIANCE AND MONITORING REVIEW. ESTABLISHED BY THE CITY OF HOUSTON AS A LOCAL GOVERNMENT CORPORATION IN 2012, THE HOUSTON RECOVERY CENTER HAS EVOLVED FROM AN ORGANIZATION FOCUSED ON RELIEVING LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM RESOURCES INTO A PROVIDER OF SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT AND COMMUNITY CARE COORDINATION FOR VULNERABLE HOUSTONIANS. TODAY WE HAVE SUSAN DEL TORO, THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, AND MELISSA TUCKER, THE PROGRAM MANAGER. THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, AND I APPRECIATE, UH, THE FOLKS FROM HOUSTON RECOVERY CENTER BEING HERE, UM, HAVING TOURED THE HOUSTON RECOVERY CENTER, UM, A COUPLE TIMES AND FROM OUR CONVERSATION, YOU KNOW, IN PREPARATION FOR THIS MEETING, UM, WE DO FEEL LIKE WE COULD BETTER UTILIZE, MAYBE THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT WORD, INCREASE THE NUMBERS OF FOLKS THAT WE'RE SERVING THERE. UH, WOULD YOU AGREE WITH THAT, UM, FROM THE 35 OR FROM OVERALL? OVERALL, I THINK THAT, UM, IT DEPENDS BECAUSE I CAN SPEAK ON THE HOMELESSNESS NUMBERS AND I THINK THAT THE 35 BED COUNT IS A GOOD BED COUNT BECAUSE WHAT HOUSTON RECOVERY CENTER DOES IS IT UTILIZES ITSELF AS AN ENTRY POINT AND THEN WE'RE ABLE TO DIVERT THOSE INDIVIDUALS TO MORE APPROPRIATE LONGER TERM FACILITIES, WHETHER THAT BE IN ANOTHER TYPE OF SHELTER LIKE FOUR 19 OR THE STAR HOPE OR THE NAVIGATION CENTER. AND THEY WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE BEACON TO ASSIST IN, UM, RAPID RESOLUTION. RIGHT. SO NOT EVERYBODY NEEDS, YOU KNOW, A YEAR WORTH OF HOUSING. SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED THAT DEPOSIT BECAUSE YOU'RE WORKING. UM, ON THE OTHER SIDE, I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO KNOW WHAT, WHAT IT'S LIKE ON THE LAW ENFORCEMENT INEBRIATED SIDE. SO I I COULDN'T ANSWER THAT. MM-HMM . YOU MENTIONED THE CITY, I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD. THE CITY DOES GIVE GENERAL FUNDS TO THE HOUSTON RECOVERY CENTER FOR THAT SUPPORT. AGAIN, IT WAS ORIGINALLY SET UP REALLY TO MOVE, KEEP PEOPLE OUT OF THE JAIL SYSTEM WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY HAD AN INEBRIATION ISSUE. AND WE APPRECIATE THEM AGAIN, BEING AGILE TO MOVE TO HELP US IN HOMELESSNESS. UH, MS. DELANO, WE COULD HAVE HER ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU'D LIKE. SURE. THAT THAT'D BE FINE. I WAS GONNA GET WELCOME. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. UH, THE HOUSTON RECOVERY CENTER HAS BEEN OPERATING SINCE 2013 ON A CAN. I'M SORRY, CAN YOU PULL JUST A LITTLE BIT CLOSER? SUSANNA DELTORO, CEO OF HOUSTON RECOVERY CENTER. THANK YOU. UH, THE HOUSTON SOBERING CENTER, OR THE HOUSTON RECOVERY CENTER HAS BEEN OPERATING SINCE 2013 AS A JAIL DIVERSION CENTER. UH, WE RECEIVED CITY OF HOUSTON FUNDS ON THE AMOUNT OF 1.8 MILLION EVERY YEAR, AND WE SERVE APPROXIMATELY 4,000 ADMISSIONS EVERY YEAR. THIS COLLABORATION, IT'S A SEPARATE, UH, PROGRAM AND WE'RE TARGETING CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS. UH, WE STARTED THIS COLLABORATION WITH, UH, WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON ON A SPECIFIC AMOUNT [00:15:01] LAST YEAR, AND WE HAVE SERVED OVER 700 INDIVIDUALS FROM SEPTEMBER, 2025 TO, UM, JUNE, 2026. SO WE ARE, UH, WE LOOK AT THE NUMBERS AND WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, DECREASE THE AMOUNT OF ASKING FOR A ANOTHER YEAR RENEWAL TO BE ABLE TO TARGET ANOTHER 700 INDIVIDUALS THAT WE CAN ABLE TO HOUSE THEIR AND A LOW, UH, THROUGH A LOW BARRIER STAY WITH US UNTIL THEY GET CONNECTED WITH THE HOUSING, UH, YOU KNOW, PROVIDERS IN THE COMMUNITY SUCH, UM, THE BEACON, UH, SEARCH AND, UM, THE NAVIGATION CENTER AND THOSE, UM, PARTNERS, THEY'RE ABLE TO CONNECT, UH, THE, THIS SPECIFIC TARGET POPULATION TO PERMANENT HOUSING. OKAY. AND IF WE COULD GO BACK TO THE PRIOR SLIDE, THERE WAS SOME FIGURES ON, ON THERE. UM, SO YOU DESIGNATE, UH, MAYBE THE, MAYBE THE SLIDE BEFORE THAT 34 BED 34 BEDS. BEDS, YES. DESIGNATE 34 BEDS, UH, TOTAL FOR, UM, FOLKS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT. SO OUR BED CAPACITY IS 64, SO WE ARE DESIGNATED 34 BEDS JUST FOR THIS PROGRAM, AND THE REST ARE FOR JAIL DIVERSION. SO ANYBODY WHO'S ARRESTED FOR PUBLIC INTOXICATION IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON IN SURROUNDED AREAS, THEY OCCUPIED THEIR REMAINING BEDS. I SEE. AND, AND, UH, IF, IF AN INDIVIDUAL IS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, DO THEY HAVE TO BE INEBRIATED IN ORDER TO BRING THEM TO HRC OR NOT? NO. OKAY. SO INDEPENDENT OF WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE INTOXICATED AT THE, AT THE TIME, THAT'S CORRECT. UM, AND I, AND I BELIEVE THE FIGURE LISTED WAS ABOUT 70% OCCUPANCY? YES. AND, AND IS THAT MEASURED LIKE ON A, ON A DAILY BASIS OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? THAT'S DAILY, WEEKLY, AND MONTHLY. SO, UH, THE JAIL DIVER, THE, THE REASON WHY IS ONLY A 70 PLUS OCCUPANCY IS BECAUSE THE JAIL DIVERSION IS ONLY A FOUR TO SIX HOUR STAY. SO IN THE, THE INDIVIDUALS THAT COME OVER TO OUR CENTER, THEY ONLY STAY FOR INTOXICATED PURPOSES, ONLY THAT SHORT STAY. BUT FOR THIS PROGRAM, WE ARE HOLDING THEM AS LONG AS POSSIBLE UNTIL THEY GET CONNECTED TO THOSE RESOURCES. AND, AND IS THERE AN UPPER LIMIT ON HOW LONG SOMEONE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS CAN STAY THERE? THERE'S NO LIMIT. THEY CAN STAY DAYS, MONTHS, I MEAN, WHATEVER IS NECESSARY. OKAY. AND, BUT WE TRY TO TARGET IT TO 15 DAYS OR LESS, 15 DAYS OR LESS, BUT WE HAVE THE CAPACITY TO, YEAH. ARE ARE THEY ALL BROUGHT IN BY LAW ENFORCEMENT OR, OR DO YOU ACCEPT WALK WALKUPS OR NOT? WE, UH, THERE IS, UM, COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS DOES HAVE A HOMELESS OUTREACH, SO THEY'RE ABLE TO COME IN THROUGH THAT ROUTE ALSO THROUGH LAW ENFORCEMENT. AND ALSO WE ARE MOST RECENT, UH, SERVING AS OVERFLOW TO THE FOUR 19 EMANCIPATION BECAUSE WE ARE OPEN 24 7. SO FOUR 19 HAS A CUTOUT TIME FOR ADMISSIONS, BUT, UM, EVELYN'S HERE PRESENT WITH THE HARRIS CENTER AND WE HAVE A COLLABORATION, UH, THAT WILL EXTEND TO 20, I MEAN, WE ARE OPEN 24 7 EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR. AND, AND SINCE, UH, FOUR 19 HAS BECOME FULL, HAVE Y'ALL EXPERIENCED AN INCREASE IN OCCUPANCY OR, OR NOT REALLY? NOT YET. WE ARE ESTABLISHING A CLEAR PATHWAY TO BE ABLE TO GET THEIR OVERFLOW, BUT WE'RE VERY CLOSE TO DOING THAT. MM-HMM . OKAY. UM, THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES THAT TYPICALLY WILL BRING FOLKS BY, IS IT HPD OR WILL YOU TAKE, UH, HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS FROM ANY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OR WHAT ALL, ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES? MM-HMM . YEAH. WE HAVE, THROUGH THE GENERAL ORDERS, EVERY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY IN THE COUNTY AND AT JENSEN COUNTIES ARE ABLE TO BRING INDIVIDUALS TO US. OKAY. AND, AND DO YOU, I'M SURE YOU KEEP STATISTICS ON WHICH AGENCIES DROP DROP OFF WE DO. ASIDE FROM HPD, WHICH, WHICH ARE THE ONES THAT YOU SEE MOST FREQUENTLY? I WANNA SAY METRO, UH, METRO POLICE, CONSTABLES AND SHERIFF'S. MM-HMM . OKAY. UM, AND, UM, I, I THINK YOU SAID THE UPPER LIMIT, YOU KNOW, THE LONGEST YOU LIKE FOR FOLKS TO STAY IS 15 DAYS. WHAT'S THE AVERAGE THAT SOMEONE STAYS THE AVERAGE? I WANNA SAY MAYBE FOUR OR FIVE DAYS. FOUR OR FIVE DAYS? YES. AND THEN, UH, AND MAYBE YOU CAN HELP WITH THIS MELODY. WHERE, WHERE DO THEY MOVE ON TO AFTER THAT? SO, YEAH, THERE'S SEVERAL PLACES. UM, NAVIGATION CENTERS 1 4 19 IS ANOTHER, THERE'S DIFFERENT SHELTERS, DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE BED CAPACITY. SO IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THAT INDIVIDUAL. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS IN THE QUEUE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. BROUGHT CHAIR. UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION TODAY. UH, GOOD [00:20:01] INFORMATION. JUST A QUESTION, UH, WE KNOW YOU IN THE CAPACITY OF 34 BEDS, WAS THAT CORRECT? FOR THE HOMELESS INITIATIVE? YES. 64 IN ALL FOR JAIL DIVERSION. SAY AGAIN? 64 BEDS FOR JAIL DIVERSION. OKAY. BUT WE ARE ASSIGNING 34 JUST FOR THIS PROJECT. OKAY. SO ARE YOU GETTING ANY, UH, YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS TO TAKE UP BEDS FOR OTHER FACILITIES? DO YOU HAVE CONNECTED TO US ANY OTHER FACILITIES THAT YOU PARTNER WITH HARRIS HEALTH TO DO THAT THROUGH, THROUGH FOUR 19? NO, AT THE MOMENT WE JUST RECEIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT, UH, INDIVIDUALS AND ALSO OVERFLOW FOR, UH, FOUR 19 EMANCIPATION. OKAY. OKAY. YES. NO OTHER, WELL, THERE'S ONE MORE, LET ME REPHRASE THAT. SO WE DO TAKE REFERRALS FROM HARRIS, UM, HEALTH HOSPITALS GOT IT. INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE LOOKING FOR SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENT CONNECTIONS. SO, UM, WE DO GET REFERRALS FROM CERTAIN HOSPITALS. RIGHT. YEAH, I WAS UNDER IMPRESSION THAT THERE WERE SOME REFERRALS THAT YOU RECEIVED FROM OTHERS. WE DO. YEAH. BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL NORMALLY, YOU KNOW, GO THROUGH ANOTHER SYSTEM IN ORDER TO, TO GET THEIR ACCOMMODATIONS. YES. SO IN THOSE, YES, IN THOSE REFERRALS, WE DO GIVE REFERRALS FROM HOSPITALS, UM, HARRIS, UM, HEALTH SYSTEM. OKAY. UH, AND IF THOSE INDIVIDUALS HAPPEN TO BE HOMELESS, WE ASSIGN THEM TO THE HOMELESS PROGRAM. OKAY. OKAY. YES, SIR. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER. AND SO, UM, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, YOUR MODEL DOES NOT INCLUDE ANY OUTREACH TEAMS, CORRECT? UH, WE ARE IN A PARTNERSHIP WITH COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS MM-HMM . SO WE STAFF THAT PROGRAM AND WE DO HAVE AN OUTREACH TEAM. OH, YOU DO HAVE AN OUTREACH TEAM, OKAY. FROM THE COALITION. OKAY. YES. UM, IT'S NOT FUNDED. IT IS NOT FUNDED THROUGH THIS PROGRAM? NOT FUNDED THROUGH THIS PROGRAM. NO. FUNDED. OKAY. DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE, UM, STRATEGIES ABOUT HOW TO INCREASE THAT 70% NUMBER? WELL, WE ARE TRYING TO FO PART OF THIS PROGRAM. WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR IS MAYBE FOCUS A LOT MORE INTO THE HOSPITAL REFERRALS. LIKE, UM, COUNCIL DAVIS WAS, UM, ASKING ABOUT, UM, WE WERE ORIGINALLY LAST YEAR WE WERE JUST FOCUSING ON EVERYBODY WHO WAS COMING THROUGH THE OUTREACH AND ALSO LAW ENFORCEMENT. BUT NOW GIVEN THAT, UH, IF WE GET EXTENDED, OF COURSE, FOR ONE MORE YEAR, WE'LL BE ABLE TO CONNECT A LOT MORE REFERRALS FROM THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM, UH, INTO THE SERVICES. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND I APPRECIATE THAT. AND YOU'VE BEEN IN YOUR POSITION, UH, ABOUT A YEAR NOW, IS THAT RIGHT? I'VE BEEN IN, IN MY POSITION FOR A YEAR, BUT WITH THE ORGANIZATION SINCE WE OPENED UP 2013. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. WELL THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND SO, UM, I DON'T SEE ANYONE ELSE IN THE QUEUE AT THIS TIME, SO APPRECIATE YOUR BEING HERE AND THE INFORMATION THAT YOU'VE GIVEN US. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . IT'S INTERESTING WHAT WE'VE SEEN THIS MOR THIS AFTERNOON, WHICH IS FUNDING FOR THE HOUSTON RECOVERY CENTER, FUNDING FOR THE HARRIS CENTER FUNDING FOR THE COALITION. BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS WE ALL RECOGNIZE IS THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS HAVE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT PATHS OUT OF HOMELESSNESS. AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE SEEING HERE. AND SO MUCH OF WHAT WE DO IS THAT FIRST STEP BEFORE THEY TRANSITION TO OTHER PROGRAMS, UM, THAT ARE SO SUCCESSFUL AROUND THE CITY. SO AGAIN, THAT'S TRUE AT THE HOUSTON RECOVERY CENTER AND WITH THE HAIR CENTER FOUR 19. APPRECIATE THAT DIRECTOR. AND, UH, IF THERE ARE NO OTHER ITEMS, IF YOU WANNA MOVE TO DIRECTOR COMMENTS, THAT WOULD BE, THERE'S ONE OTHER ITEM OKAY. THAT THAT'S PART OF YOUR COMMENTS, BUT IT'S PART OF MY COMMENTS, . OKAY. THAT'LL BE FINE. I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MELODY TO START WITH THIS. AND THIS IS ON, UH, A FUNDING FOR HEART. YES. SO, UH, THERE SHOULD BE SOME SLIDES, I BELIEVE, UM, THAT THEY HAVE. YES. SO THE DEPARTMENT IS PRESENTING A THIRD AMENDMENT TO THE SUBRECIPIENT AGREEMENT WITH EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS, INSPIRING COMMUNITIES FOR THE HOUSING ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND READINESS TRAINING PROGRAM, COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS THE HART PROGRAM, PROVIDING ADDITIONAL $90,000 IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUNDS. HART WILL PROVIDE JOB TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO 45 INDIVIDUALS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND OR DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. THROUGH THE VENDING CONCESSIONS PROGRAM AND CVS HEALTH JOB TRAINING PROGRAM, PARTICIPANTS WILL RECEIVE CLASSROOM AND HANDS-ON RETAIL TRAINING TO PREPARE FOR CVS INTERNSHIPS AND FUTURE EMPLOYMENT. THIS AMENDMENT WILL EXTEND THE TERM OF THE AGREEMENT, WHICH STARTED SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2023 THROUGH JANUARY 31ST, 2027. HART HAS [00:25:01] RECEIVED FUNDING FROM THE CITY SINCE, UM, ACTUALLY SINCE 2005. I DON'T HAVE THE YEAR ON HERE. IT'S 2005 A YEAR BEFORE I STARTED WITH THE CITY. UH, HART HAS, UH, HAS NO FINDINGS FROM ITS LAST MONITORING REVIEW AND THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION IS TO PROMOTE STRUCTURED INDEPENDENCE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES BY PROVIDING INNOVATIVE EDUCATION, TRAINING, HOUSING, AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS. TODAY, WE DO NOT HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE HERE, HOWEVER, THIS ITEM WILL ALSO BE PRESENTED TOMORROW AT THE HOUSING AND AFFORDABILITY COMMITTEE. AND THAT CONCLUDES THAT PRESENTATION. THANK, THANK YOU FOR THAT. OH, JUST A COUPLE QUESTIONS ON THAT, IF YOU DON'T MIND. MM-HMM . UM, SO, SO THIS IS A THIRD AMENDMENT THAT WILL EXTEND, UH, THE TERM WITH ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR ABOUT FIVE AND A HALF MONTHS OR SO? CORRECT. OKAY. AND THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR A WHILE. UH, IN, IN LOOKING AT THE, THE BACKGROUND, UM, SHEET THAT WAS PROVIDED, IT SAYS THROUGH THE HEART JOB TRAINING PROGRAM, TRAINEES WILL CONTINUE TO LEARN HOW TO OPERATE VARIOUS VENDING MACHINES AND WORK CONCESSIONS AT EVENTS ACROSS THE HOUSTON AREA. UM, AND I UNDERSTAND ACCORDING TO THIS, THAT IT'S A, A SIX SIX WEEK, UH, SUPERVISED INSUR INTERNSHIPS AFTER THE CLASSROOM AND, UM, HANDS-ON TRAINING, UH, FOR CVS, FOR, THERE'S A CVS COMPONENT TO IT, AND THAT'S MORE TIME LIMITED. WHAT, UM, IF THE REPRESENTATIVE WAS HERE, WHAT THEY WOULD SAY IS THAT TRAINING FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS THAT PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM, THEIR TRAINEES TRAINING NEVER STOPS. UH, IT'S A CONTINUAL TYPE OF CLASSROOM ACTIVITY. UNLIKE, UM, US PROBABLY MOST OF US IN THIS ROOM, ONCE WE RECEIVE TRAINING, WE GO ON AND, AND WE LEARN AND WE ADAPT. UM, THE INDIVIDUALS THAT HEART WORKS WITH HAVE TO CONSTANTLY RELEARN ACTIVITY. SO IT'S NEVER, UM, IT'S NEVER FULLY OVER FOR THEM. MM-HMM . OKAY. AND, AND THE NOTES INDICATE THAT, UH, AS OF JULY 21ST, 26TH, THE PROGRAM HAS SERVED 45 ADULTS MM-HMM . AND THAT'S GOING BACK TO WITH THE PREVIOUS YEAR OR, UH, SO SOME OF, SOME OF THOSE, UH, 45 ADULTS HAVE PROBABLY BEEN THERE MANY, MANY YEARS. I SEE SOME PROBABLY HAVE BEEN THERE 10 YEARS. SOME MAY HAVE EVEN BEEN THERE SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE PROGRAM, BUT IT IS 45 INDIVIDUAL INDIVIDUALS OR INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE, ADULTS, SORRY. ALRIGHT. AND, AND ARE THERE ANY SORT OF, UH, PERFORMANCE MEASURES IN PLACE OTHER THAN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF, OF FOLKS WHO GO THROUGH THE PROGRAM? YES. LET ME SEE WHAT I HAVE. UM, THEY, WE, WE DO CHECK AND SEE HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS ARE ENROLLED IN THEIR VENDING AND CONCESSION. THAT WAS 38 INDIVIDUALS, 12 WERE, WERE ENROLLED IN THEIR CVS HEALTH RETAIL PROGRAM. UM, THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS PLACED INTO ACTUAL EMPLOYMENT IS 40 . AND THAT'S ALL THE INFORMATION I HAVE AS OF THEIR LAST PROGRAM REPORT. OKAY. AND, AND AGAIN, THAT GOES BACK SEVERAL YEARS. IT, IT GOES BACK SEVERAL YEARS, BUT THIS IS AS OF THIS LAST YEAR. OKAY. ALRIGHT. OKAY. I DON'T SEE ANYONE IN THE QUEUE AT THIS POINT, SO I APPRECIATE THAT INFORMATION. ALRIGHT, WE'LL GO TO DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS AND I AM GONNA ASK EVELYN LOCKLIN TO COME UP AND SIT WITH ME WHEN WE DO OUR REPORT ON FOUR 19 EMANCIPATION. ARE THERE SLIDES? OKAY, GOOD. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I'M NOT MISSING ANY, I'D LIKE TO REPORT ON FOUR 19 EMANCIPATION. EVELYN IS A VERY SENIOR PERSON AT HARRIS CENTER, BUT I THINK SHE NOW SPENDS ALL OF HER TIME AT FOUR 19 EMANCIPATION. UM, AND IS IS REALLY THE EYES ON THE GROUND AT FOUR 19. UM, MY REPORT IS THAT FOUR 19 EMANCIPATION CONTINUES TO OPERATE AT FULL CAPACITY AND EXPAND THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO HELP GUESTS, UH, CLIENTS MOVE TOWARDS STABILITY AND INDEPENDENCE. MOST RECENTLY, FOUR 19 HAS ADDED AS A STOP ON THE PROJECT ACCESS ROUTE, GIVING THE CLIENTS FREE TRANSPORTATION TO 26 LOCATIONS, OFFERING HOMELESS, MEDICAL AND SOCIAL SERVICES, UM, THAT IS THROUGH THE HEALTHCARE FOR THE HOMELESS. IN ADDITION, PNC MOBILE BANK BEGAN BIWEEKLY VISITS ON AUGUST 7TH, PROVIDING CLIENTS WITH AN ONSITE ACCESS TO OPEN BANK ACCOUNTS, ALONG WITH FINANCIAL [00:30:01] LITERACY AND WELLNESS RESOURCES. WE ALWAYS LIKE TO GIVE A STORY, UH, ON THIS ONE QUICK HUMAN IMPACT STORY IS OF AN INDIVIDUAL WHO'S AN ENTREPRENEUR WHO FELL ON HARD TIMES WHILE WORKING TO REBUILD HIS BUSINESS. ENTERED FOUR 19 EMANCIPATION ON JUNE 23. WHILE AT THE CENTER, HE WAS CONNECTED TO MEDICAL CARE, OPERATION ID, PEER SUPPORT, SOBRIETY ASSISTANCE, AND HOW HOUSING NAVIGATION. THROUGH THAT COORDINATED SUPPORT, HE RECEIVED A PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING REFERRAL THROUGH AVENUE 360 AND ULTIMATELY QUALIFIED FOR PLACEMENT AT THE SIC NEW HOPE HOUSING. AGAIN, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FOUR 19, I ALWAYS LIKE TO KEEP IN MIND THE THREE TS TRIAGE, WHICH IS PEOPLE WALK IN AND THEY GET TO, WE GET TO FIND OUT EXPERTS, FIND OUT HOW THEY CAN BEST BE SERVED, TRANSITION, WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE INDIVIDUALS CAN MOVE THROUGH ONE OF THE LITERALLY A HUNDRED DIFFERENT PROGRAMS IN HOUSTON, UH, FOR PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS. AND LAST TREATMENT, WHICH IS THOSE PEOPLE WHO NEED LONGER STAY, RECEIVE THE PHYSICAL HEALTH AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH TREATMENT THAT IS NEEDED COULD BE THROUGH ONE OF THE HARRIS CENTER'S, OTHER FACILITIES. UH, IT COULD BE STAYING RIGHT AT FOUR 19 EMANCIPATION, UM, OF INTEREST THAT PEOPLE LIKE WHAT'S GOING ON IN FOUR 19 EMANCIPATION. SOMETIMES THEY JUST DON'T WANT TO LEAVE. UH, WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK THROUGH THAT PROCESS, UM, AND MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS A GOOD OUTFLOW FOR PEOPLE BASED ON THEIR NEEDS, WHETHER IT'S AN OUTFLOW TO THE NAVIGATION CENTER AND THEN TO HOUSING OR TO ONE OF THE OTHER PSYCHIATRIC BEDS THAT HARRIS CENTER HAS OR THROUGH THE MANY PARTNERS WE HAVE, SUCH AS SALVATION ARMY, OPEN DOOR MISSION, UM, MISSION OF YAHWEH, AND THE VERY, VERY MANY, UH, PARTNERS THAT WE HAVE. THE KEY IS TO KEEP FOLKS OFF THE STREET. AND, UM, I, UH, I'M SAYING THAT THEY CAN DO THAT. UM, I WANNA MENTION ONE OTHER THING BEFORE WE TURN IT OVER TO EVELYN. THIS IS A, I'LL BRING THIS UP AS A NEW IDEA. ALWAYS A DANGEROUS THING TO DO, A NEW IDEA IN PUBLIC, BUT I'LL TRY IT OUT ON ALL OF YOU. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS WE LEARNED AT FOUR 19, I SAID, IF PEOPLE STAYING AROUND AND THE RESPONSE WAS OFTEN ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAYS, THE CLIENTS THERE LIKE TO GO SEE WHO'S GIVING AWAY WHAT. AND THEY GO INTO SHELTERS AND OTHER PLACES. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I'D LIKE TO THINK ABOUT IS A EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF OPENING A TRUNK AND FEEDING SOMEBODY OUT OF YOUR TRUNK. UM, IT REALLY BREAKS DOWN THE RELATIONSHIPS AS PEOPLE WALKING AROUND SAYING, WELL, WHO NEEDS WHAT, WHAT'S GOING ON? WHAT'S GOING ON ON OUT THERE? SOMETHING FOR FREE. AND OVER TIME WE'D LIKE TO DO A BETTER JOB EDUCATING PEOPLE. SO I HAVEN'T EVEN SAID THAT IN PUBLIC YET, BUT I'VE WATCHED IT TOO LONG TO BE QUIET ON THAT. UM, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO EVELYN. AND, UM, AND QUESTIONS GO AHEAD. GLAD TO HAVE YOU WITH US THIS AFTERNOON. UM, SO THANK Y'ALL FOR HAVING ME HERE. AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT JUST BECAUSE WE ARE AT CAPACITY DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE'RE STAGNANT. SO WHENEVER WE HAVE A DISCHARGE, SOMEBODY IS COMING INTO THAT DOOR. AND SO, UM, I THINK YOU ASKED THE SOBERING CENTER. THANK YOU, MELODY. UM, WHEN YOU ASKED THE SOBERING CENTER IF THEY'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN THEIR CAPACITY, WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS, UM, AN INCREASE AT THE NEUROPSYCHIATRIC CENTER WITH PEOPLE BEING BROUGHT IN BY LAW ENFORCEMENT. UM, SO THOSE OFFICERS ARE ENGAGING MORE PEOPLE ON THE STREET. UM, AND BECAUSE FOUR 19 IS THAT CAPACITY, WE'RE SEEING MORE PEOPLE BROUGHT IN FOR PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT, WHICH IS A GOOD THING. SO THEY'RE BEING ABLE TO BE STABILIZED AT THE NPC AND TRANSITION TO OUR OTHER CRISIS RESIDENTIAL SERVICES THROUGH THE HARRIS CENTER. 'CAUSE THE HARRIS CENTER HAS A LARGE CONTINUUM OF CARE. IT'S NOT JUST FOUR 19 EMANCIPATION. IT'S NOT JUST THE MAIN STREET CAMPUS, WHICH Y'ALL ARE HELP, UM, HELPING FUND SOME OF THE BEDS OVER THERE. UM, WE'RE SEEING AN INCREASE IN PEOPLE BROUGHT INTO OUR JAIL DIVERSION CENTER. SO PEOPLE ARE BEING ENGAGED AGAIN BY LAW ENFORCEMENT. AND IT'S A GOOD THING. THERE'S MORE PEOPLE WHO ARE GETTING SERVICES THROUGHOUT OUR CONTINUUM OF CARE AND, YOU KNOW, OVER AT, UH, AT, YOU KNOW, HOUSTON RECOVERY. SO I JUST SEE THIS AS ANOTHER PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN COME AND GET HELP AND THEY DO FEEL SAFE. THEY DO FEEL LIKE THEY'RE GETTING TREATED WITH DIGNITY AND RESPECT. AND IT IS A LITTLE DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO WANT TO MOVE [00:35:01] ON BECAUSE FOR ONCE IN THEIR LIFE THEY FEEL SAFE. UM, AND YOU SEE THAT RECIDIVISM WITH PEOPLE OR FAMILIAR FACES WHERE SOMETIMES THE ONLY PLACE PEOPLE FEEL SAFE IS AT THE HOSPITAL OR AT JAIL. AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THIS A AN A DIFFERENT PLACE. YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO JAIL TO GET THREE HOTS IN A COT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO THE, TO THE ED TO GET THREE HOTS IN A COT. LIKE WE CAN MAKE SOMETHING DIFFERENT HAPPEN HERE. AND SO FOUR 19 IS OUR CHANCE TO HELP SOMEBODY GET EVERYTHING THAT THEY NEED, GET THEIR DUCKS IN A ROW, AND GET ON WITH THE NEXT STEP. AND SO NAVIGATION PLAYS A BIG PART IN THAT. UM, SO HAVING THEM MOVE ON TO THE NAVIGATION CENTER AND, YOU KNOW, THE, THE GENTLEMAN WHO MOVED INTO HIS APARTMENT, UM, THAT WAS A BIG THING. YOU KNOW, HE WAS, THERE'S THIS BELL CURVE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE NEWLY UNHOUSED AND THEN KIND OF THAT MIDDLE GROUND. AND THEN THOSE CHRONICALLY UNHOUSED. THE CHRONICALLY UNHOUSED ARE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN AT MY LOCATION FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS NOW BECAUSE IT TOOK US A WHILE JUST TO EARN THEIR TRUST AND BUILD THAT RAPPORT. AND SO NOW WE'RE FINALLY GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE, HEY, LET'S GET YOU TO THE SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICE. LET'S SEE IF WE CAN REINSTATE THOSE BENEFITS BECAUSE THEY REALLY DO NEED TO LIVE IN A PERSONAL CARE HOME. THEY NEED THAT GROUP HOME LIVING ENVIRONMENT BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE SUCCESSFUL, SUCCESSFUL LIVING IN THEIR OWN APARTMENT. UM, SO THERE'S THIS BIG TRIAGE, TRANSITION TREATMENT KIND OF FOCUS OF IT. IT'S NOT A SHELTER. IT'S NOT THE TYPE OF PLACE WHERE EVERYBODY LINES UP AT THREE O'CLOCK IN THE AFTERNOON TO, TO, YOU KNOW, FIGHT FOR A BED, GET A SHOWER, GET SOMETHING TO EAT, AND THEN WE KICK YOU OUT AT EIGHT O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING AND THEN YOU ROAM AROUND THE STREETS. WE TRY AND DO A LOT ON CAMPUS. UH, MIKE TALKED ABOUT P AND C BANK, THEY'RE COMING BACK ON FRIDAY. OUR FIRST, UM, TEST RUN WAS SO WENT SO WELL THAT THEY EXTENDED THEIR HOURS. THEY'RE ONLY SUPPOSED TO STAY FROM NINE TO 11. AND SO NOW WE'RE GONNA BE, THEY'RE GONNA BE THERE FROM NINE TO THREE, UM, YOU KNOW, EVERY OTHER FRIDAY BECAUSE THEY WANNA DO MORE, UM, WELLNESS CLASSES AND FINANCIAL LITERACY AND MEET WITH MORE PEOPLE FACE TO FACE. AND SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO OPEN UP A BANK ACCOUNT AND BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT DIRECT DEPOSIT AND TO BE ABLE TO JUST DO ALL THE THINGS THAT WE GET TO DO, UM, JUST NORMAL ADULTING THAT THIS POPULATION DOESN'T NECESSARILY GET TO. AND I'VE RAMBLED A LOT AND SO I'M SORRY I'M TAKING UP SO MUCH TIME, BUT I GET EXCITED WHEN I TALK ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING AT FOUR 19. SO THIS ISN'T JUST HOUSING AND GETTING SOMEWHERE, YOU KNOW, THE NEXT STOP. IT'S, IT'S TAKING CARE OF ALL OF THE THINGS. IT'S, IT'S ALL THE DIMENSIONS OF WELLNESS. IT'S THE PSYCHIATRIC, IT'S THE MEDICAL, IT'S THE FINANCIAL, IT'S, IT'S EVERYTHING. IT'S, IT'S THE, IT'S THE FOOD INSECURITY. IT'S, IT'S GETTING PEOPLE ON THE RIGHT TRACK. IT'S THE SUBSTANCE USE, IT'S THE RECOVERY. AND SO THANK Y'ALL FOR SUPPORTING THAT. MM-HMM . NO, THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND, UH, WE APPRECIATE THE, THE INFORMATION AND THE SUCCESS STORIES AND THE EXCITING THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON THERE AT FOUR 19 EMANCIPATION, I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THAT IT TAKES TIME TO BUILD TRUST, SO, SO THAT YOU CAN HELP THEM MOVE ON TO, YOU KNOW, OTHER SERVICES IN IN OTHER LOCATIONS. DO YOU HAVE ANY FIGURES ON HOW MANY FOLKS HAVE GONE THROUGH, UH, THE, THE PROGRAM THERE AND, AND MOVED ON TO ANOTHER LOCATION? WE, WE HAVE, WE HAVE DATA AND I'M SO NERVOUS RIGHT NOW. I DON'T WANNA MAKE ANYTHING UP FOR YOU. I'M GONNA BE HONEST WITH YOU. I'M SURE THE PEOPLE BEHIND ME ARE GIGGLING 'CAUSE THEY KNOW I GET NERVOUS TALKING IN FRONT OF PEOPLE . AND SO I'M SURE WE CAN SHARE SOME, SOME CLEAN DATA WITH YOU. UM, SIR. YEAH, THAT THAT'D BE GREAT. AND I THINK, UH, THE PUBLIC WOULD LIKE, LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT SUCCESS STORIES AS WELL. I'M CURIOUS TO, WE HAVE SO MANY SUCCESS STORIES. YEAH, I SHARE THEM. UM, SO WE, WE HAVE A LOT OF THAT. THAT'S, THAT'S THE HEART OF IT. AND WE HAVE A COUPLE OF VIDEOS, UM, ON SOCIAL MEDIA. WE TRY NOT TO EXPLOIT THE PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE. AND THEN ON THE POLAR OPPOSITE, I HAVE PEOPLE WHO COME UP TO ME AND THEY'RE LIKE, OH, MISS EVELYN, I WANNA SHOOT A VIDEO FOR THE HAIR CENTER. I'M LIKE, MAYBE NOT QUITE YET. UM, BECAUSE PEOPLE GET, YOU KNOW, THEY GET EXCITED AND I'M LIKE, I DON'T THINK WE'RE QUITE TO THE SUCCESS PART OF THE STORY YET. UM, AND SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GOOD. UM, BUT WE DO HAVE SOME EARLY SUCCESS STORIES ALREADY ONLINE. IF YOU WANTED TO LOOK AT THE HARRIS CENTER. UM, I, I THINK THE MAYOR'S OFFICE SHARED ONE OF THEM TOO. MM-HMM . SO THAT'S A GOOD THING. WE'RE AT, UM, WE STARTED MAY 27TH. YES. SO IT'S MAY, IT'S ALL OF JUNE, ALL OF JULY AND SEVENTH. SO WE'RE JUST ABOUT TWO AND A HALF MONTHS INTO IT. UM, I KNOW, AND I'M, I'M EXCITED ABOUT WHAT THE NUMBERS ARE, HOW MANY PEOPLE WALK THROUGH THE DOOR, HOW MANY PEOPLE, WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PEOPLE WHO DECIDE TO LEAVE. WE NEED THOSE, THAT DATA. WE DON'T QUITE HAVE IT YET. UM, AND PARTLY IT'S BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN FOCUSING ON THE CLIENTS RATHER THAN THE DATA. BUT WE'RE GONNA GET THERE. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT. AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE NOT ONLY DO THAT, THAT'S OUR [00:40:01] MODELING, THAT'S HOW WE'RE GONNA JUDGE OURSELVES ON HOW WE'RE DOING. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO SHOWING YOU THAT DATA. UM, AND ALSO AS FAR AS THE PUBLIC GOES AND UM, IS WE REALLY HAVE BEEN VERY CAREFUL NOT TO DO OUR BRAGGING ON FOUR 19 YET, BECAUSE WE STILL ARE IN THE LEARNING STAGES, UM, ABOUT HOW WE KEEP THE DATA, ABOUT HOW WE TREAT PEOPLE, WHAT DO WE DO WHEN THEY LEAVE. SO WE'RE STILL IN THOSE LEARNING STAGES. UM, AND WE LOOK, LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING YOU THAT. AND I THINK WHEN PEOPLE SEE IT, IT WAS, THEY'LL SHOW IT AS A NATIONAL MODEL. I WILL SAY THE ONE, THE THE, UH, THE ONE, UH, VIDEO THAT I SAW WAS, UM, WHERE CHIEF SATELLITE HAD DONE A TRAINING OH YES. EMERGENCY TRAINING. AND I SAID, CHIEF, THAT LOOKS SO GREAT. WHY DON'T YOU DO THAT WITH THE CLIENTS INSTEAD OF THE STAFF? AND HE SAID, THAT WASN'T THE CLIENTS. THEY WERE THE CLIENTS. AND, BUT MY MY VIEW OF AFTER WATCHING THIS EMERGENCY VIDEO WAS, WELL, THAT I THOUGHT THEY WERE STAFF, BUT IT'S VERY IMPRESSIVE. AND THAT'S JUST ONE OF A, OF MANY. BUT I, AGAIN, I, I APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE IN OUR GETTING THESE NUMBERS TOGETHER. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE GOOD, CLEAN NUMBERS THAT WILL TELL US WHAT HAPPENS TO THESE INDIVIDUALS. SURE, SURE. THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND, AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THIS POPULATION IS, IS THE MOST DIFFICULT TO SERVE. SO, UM, WE SHOULD KEEP THAT IN MIND AS WELL. UM, SO I, I WANNA ASK YOU, EVELYN, IF, IF AN OFFICER BRINGS SOMEONE BY, FINDS OUT THAT YOU'RE FULL, WHAT KIND OF GUIDANCE DO YOU, DO YOU GIVE? SO, WELL, WE IMPLEMENTED WHERE THEY, THEY CALL OUR, THEY CALL OUR UNIT SUPPORT FIRST TO SEE IF THERE'S A BED AVAILABLE BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT ANY FRUSTRATIONS ON THE, THE PERSON SERVED PART, BECAUSE IF THEY'RE WILLING TO GET HELP, WE DON'T WANT THEM SHOWING UP AT OUR FRONT DOOR. AND THEN THE OFFICER'S UPSET, THE PERSON SERVED IS UPSET. AND SO WE'VE KIND OF NEGATED ALL THAT BY HAVING THE OFFICER CALL AND SAY, HEY, DO YOU HAVE A BED AVAILABLE? AND WE'LL SAY YES. AND THEY'RE LIKE, OKAY, I'LL BE THERE IN ABOUT 30 MINUTES. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IT'S A EASY PEASY THING. AND SO IF THEY SAY, HEY, DO YOU HAVE A BED AVAILABLE? NO, WE DON'T. AND SO TYPICALLY AT THAT POINT, IF THEY HAVE, UM, COMMITTED A LOW LEVEL MISDEMEANOR NONVIOLENT OFFENSE, THEN THEY HAVE THAT DIVERSION CENTER OPTION. OR IF THE PERSON MEETS EMERGENCY DETENTION CRITERIA OR IF THEY'RE VOLUNTARY AND THEY, AND THEY NEED PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT, THEN THE OFFICER CAN TAKE THEM TO THE NEUROPSYCHIATRIC CENTER OR BEN TODD IF THEY HAD THAT CO-OCCURRING, UM, MEDICAL NEED. SO THERE'S DIFFERENT, UH, HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, ALL OF THE DIFFERENT LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN HARRIS COUNTY ARE REALLY WELL VERSED IN OPTIONS HRC, UM, OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE IN NEED. SO THAT'S, THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF OUR COUNTYWIDE CONTINUUM OF CARE FOR JUST PEOPLE IN GENERAL. SO IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, FOUR 19, IT'S NOT THE ONLY STOP ON THE TRAIN. THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS MM-HMM . AND SO IF WE DON'T HAVE A BED AVAILABLE, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THAT PERSON WON'T GET HELP. UM, AND I, I THINK THAT THAT'S A TEST A TESTAMENT TO ALL THE TRAINING DEPARTMENTS ACROSS, YOU KNOW, ALL THE DIFFERENT PRECINCTS, ALL THE DIFFERENT LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN HARRIS COUNTY. AND, AND FOR A WALKUP, RIGHT, WHEN YOU'RE FULL, WHAT, WHAT KIND OF GUIDANCE DO YOU GIVE IN THAT INSTANCE? SO WE DON'T ACCEPT WALKUPS AND THE COMMUNITY, THE UNHOUSED COMMUNITY IS A VERY TIGHT KNIT COMMUNITY, AND THEY'RE VERY, THEY, THEY PROBABLY HAVE A BETTER COMMUNICATION MODEL THAN WE DO AS AN AGENCY. THEY PROBABLY COMMUNICATE BETTER THAN I DO WITH MY STAFF. AND SO THEY KIND OF GET THE WORD OUT. THEY KNOW THAT WE DON'T ACCEPT WALK-INS. AND SO WE REALLY DON'T GET ANY, IF WE DO ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, WE'RE TYPICALLY ABLE TO, WE HAD A FAMILY WALK UP AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET THEM INTO A, AN A, A SHELTER THAT DID ACCEPT FAMILIES BECAUSE IT WAS A, YOU KNOW, 13-YEAR-OLD FEMALE THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT WOULDN'T NECESSARILY BE BEST SERVED IN OUR ENVIRONMENT KNOWING THE POPULATION THAT WE SERVE. SO WE WERE ABLE TO GET THEM THE, THE CONNECTION THAT THEY NEEDED. MM-HMM . ALRIGHT. AND, UH, UH, DIRECTOR, YOU AND I HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT PLANS TO, UH, EXPAND THE FOOTPRINT OF THE FACILITY, UH, BY TAKING A PARCEL THAT IS BEHIND SORT OF, UM, CAN YOU, DO YOU WANNA SPEAK TO THAT AT ALL? I GUESS THAT, THAT'S MINE TO SPEAK TO. SO, UH, TO THE, THE NORTH OF THE FACILITY IS A, A, UH, STREET THAT HAS BEEN CLOSED AND WE NEGOTIATED WITH THE, UH, ADJACENT LANDOWNER TO GIVE US, TO GIVE THE CITY A QUICK CLAIM FOR HIS OWNERSHIP OF THAT. AND AT THIS POINT, WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF FINDING FUNDING TO BUILD A OUTDOOR RECREATION AREA FOR FOUR 19 EMANCIPATION, UM, FOR THEIR PETS AND FOR JUST TO HAVE [00:45:01] SOME MORE SPACE. UM, THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAD, UM, BEEN INTERESTED FOR MANY YEARS IN A BIKE PATH OR A WALKING PATH UNDERNEATH THE TRAIN TRESTLE THERE. AND WHAT WE'VE SAID TO THEM IS, THAT'S STILL A GREAT POSSIBILITY. UM, THEY NEED TO PULL TOGETHER THEIR FUNDING AND THEIR PERMITS AND THEIR KIND OF THING. AND EVEN IF WE HAVE THE PARK, UM, AND THE LAND, WE'VE ONLY MADE IT EASIER FOR THEM TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT. I THINK THEIRS IS A FOUR OR FIVE YEAR PROGRAM. UM, IT HAS NOT REALLY STARTED, UH, IN ANY KIND OF, UH, DEFINITIVE WAY. UM, SERIOUS, YES, BUT NOT DEFINITIVE, BUT THIS, WHAT WE'VE DONE SO FAR ONLY HELPS THEM MOVE TOWARD THAT DOES NOT STOP THEM FROM DOING. UM, THANK, THANK YOU FOR THAT. AND, UM, THAT PARCEL THAT IS PROPOSED TO BE, UH, EXPANDED INTO, IF YOU WILL, IS ACROSS PRESTON. SO PRESTON IS THE STREET YOU'RE REFERRING TO, IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S ONE THAT, AND I'M, I'M SORRY I'M HAVING A SENIOR MOMENT. I CAN'T REMEMBER THE WORD, WHEN THE STREET IS TAKEN, TAKEN OUT OF, OR OUT OF, UH, OUT OF COMMISSION THAT THERE'S A WORD FOR THAT MM-HMM . OFFICIALLY, BUT THAT STREET'S BEEN TAKEN OUT OF COMMISSION. SO THE, UH, THE PARK WILL WORK THERE. WE NOT A PARK, THE LAND ADJACENT TO FOUR 19 WILL STILL WORK. AND AGAIN, IT DOES NOT PUT ANY ADDITIONAL BARRIERS IN FRONT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD'S DESIRE TO HAVE A WALKING PATH OR A BIKE PATH INTO DOWNTOWN MM-HMM . AND SO STILL A POSSIBILITY AS YOU'RE SAYING THAT IF, IF THIS PARCEL IS EXPANDED INTO THAT, THERE MIGHT ONE DAY BE, UM, AN UNDERPASS, UH, POTENTIALLY SUITABLE FOR, UH, WALKING AND, AND BICYCLES. UH, AGAIN, I, I DON'T KNOW THE ENGINEERING PIECE OF IT. ALL I KNOW IS THAT ONCE THE LANDS IN THE CONTROL OF THE CITY, WHICH IT IS NOW, IT CERTAINLY MAKES THAT MUCH EASIER. WE JUST WANNA USE IT FOR THERAPEUTIC RECREATION. AND SO IT WOULDN'T BE, WE'RE NOT GONNA DO ANYTHING TO IT THAT'S GONNA MAKE IT PERMANENTLY ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. MM-HMM . OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, THAT'S ALL THE QUESTIONS I HAVE. WE HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER MARTINEZ, OFFICER OFFICE IN THE QUEUE. THANK YOU CHAIR. AND I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE WORK YOU'RE DOING FOR 19 EMANCIPATION. UH, IT'S GREAT TO LEARN ABOUT ALL THE PROGRAMS YOU HAVE. AND IT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION WHEN YOU MENTIONED THE FINANCE, FINANCIAL LITERARY SERVICES THAT YOU WERE GIVEN. AND I'M JUST CURIOUS TO KNOW, ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO EXPAND PROGRAMS LIKE THAT TO DIFFERENT AREAS AND, AND KEEP EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY THAT IS IMPORTANT 19 EMANCIPATION TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE FUTURE? ABSOLUTELY. AND SO COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS ARE WHERE IT'S AT. AND SO I CAN DO MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT ALL DAY LONG. AND SO THANKS TO A LOT OF OUR CONNECTIONS THROUGH THE CITY, THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, UM, THROUGH OTHER, UH, COMMUNITY PARTNERS, WE'RE ABLE TO BRING OTHER THINGS TO OUR STONE SOUP. AND SO THAT, THAT'S WHERE IT IS. AND SO PNC BANK ALSO GOES TO OUR DIVERSION CENTER. THEY GO TO MAIN STREET CAMPUS. UM, WE MADE A CONNECTION TO EAST END MAKER HUB A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, AND NOW WE HAVE AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING TRAINING, UH, CLASS THAT'S GONNA START IN OCTOBER FOR 12 OF OUR RESIDENTS OUT OF MAIN STREET CAMPUS. SO IT'S LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT WHERE WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO GET PEOPLE WITH GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT, YOU KNOW, AND SO IT'S EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IS BECAUSE JOAQUIN MADE A CALL OR SENT AN EMAIL AND SAID, HEY, EVELYN, CONNECT WITH THIS PERSON. AND THEN WE TAKE THAT LEAD AND RUN WITH IT. AND SO ALL OF TWILA, I MEAN, SHE'S THE QUEEN OF SENDING ME A LEAD. AND SO IT'S THAT THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE TAKE AND RUN WITH IT. AND SO IT'S LITTLE THINGS AND IT STARTS USUALLY WITH AN EMAIL AND YES, SO WE'RE ALL ABOUT EXPANDING AND USUALLY IF IT HAPPENS ON ONE OF MY CAMPUSES, THEN WE'LL PILOT IT SOMEWHERE. AND IF IT'S SUCCESSFUL, THEN WE JUST SPREAD IT OUT TO ALL OF 'EM BECAUSE IT'S THE SAME POPULATION, IT'S THE SAME NEED. WE ALL NEED FOOD, CLOTHING, SHELTER, BASIC NECESSITIES. AND SO EVERYBODY NEEDS FINANCIAL LITERACY, EVERYBODY NEEDS THE THINGS LIKE THAT. THE PNC, WE STARTED OUT AT, AT 61 60 AND THEN I ROLLED IT OUT TO MAIN STREET CAMPUS AND THEY COULDN'T WAIT TO GET TO FOUR 19 EMANCIPATION. AND EVEN LIKE WITH THE CERT, I HAVE A STORY ABOUT THE CERT, I KNOW IT'S PROBABLY LATE AND Y'ALL WANNA GO. UM, BUT I HAVE A STORY ABOUT THE CERT. SO THE CERT IS THAT COMMUNITY, UM, EMERGENCY RESPONSE TREATMENT. AND UM, SO LITERALLY A COUPLE OF DAYS AFTER WE HAD OUR GRADUATION, THAT'S WHEN, UH, TROPICAL STORM BERTHA CAME THROUGH. AND SO A COUPLE OF OUR GUYS GOT STUCK OUT IN THE RAIN AND THEY, UM, THEY WERE FAR ENOUGH AWAY FROM THE BUS STOP TO WHERE THEY WOULD'VE GOT PNEUMONIA IF THEY WALKED TO IT. AND SO THEY ASKED THIS, UM, THIS MAN FOR A RIDE TO THE BUS STOP AND IN 2026 HE SAID YES, RIGHT? AND SO THEY'RE WALKING TO THIS GENTLEMAN'S SUBURBAN [00:50:01] AND THEY SEE THIS CERT STICKER ON HIS SUBURBAN AND THEY'RE LIKE, HEY, WE JUST GRADUATED FROM CERT. AND SO THEY HAD THIS WHOLE CONVERSATION WITH THIS MAN IN HIS SUBURBAN ABOUT CERT AND ABOUT DISASTERS AND RESPONDING AS A COMMUNITY. AND YOU KNOW, HERE THESE MEN WHO WERE FORMERLY UNHOUSED, LIVING IN EMANCIPATION WENT THROUGH THIS CERT TRAINING AND NOW THEY'RE PART OF THIS FRATERNITY AND TALKING TO THIS GENTLEMAN ON THEIR WAY TO THE, THE BUS STOP. AND SO, I MEAN, THAT'S THE KIND OF MAGIC THAT WE GET TO MAKE HAPPEN, UM, BECAUSE OF Y'ALL'S SUPPORT. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THAT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. WE WILL MOVE TO STAFF FROM, UM, MAYOR PRO TEM CASTEX TATUM'S OFFICE. THANK YOU CHAIR. MS. EVELYN, I'D LIKE TO ASK YOU A QUESTION IN REGARDS TO, 'CAUSE IN DISTRICT EIGHT WE DEAL WITH AN EXTENSIVE AMOUNT OF HOMELESSNESS. AND I WANTED TO KNOW, IN TERMS OF YOUR INTAKE PROCESS, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT INTAKE PROCESS AND THE CRITERIA THAT ALLOWS AN INDIVIDUAL TO MOVE INTO THAT FACILITY? SO THEY HAVE TO BE WILLING , LIKE IT'S, IT'S THAT WILLINGNESS IF THEY ARE INEBRIATED. SO IF THEY'RE INEBRIATED, WE'RE GONNA TRY AND GET THEM TO HRC SO THEY CAN DRY OUT AND THEN COME TO SEE US. IF THEY'RE IN PSYCHIATRIC NEED, THEN I'M GONNA TRY AND GET THEM TO MY NEUROPSYCHIATRIC CENTER SO THEY CAN STABILIZE AND THEN THEY CAN TRANSITION TO MAYBE THEY NEED MY HOSPITAL TO HOME PROGRAM, MAYBE THEY NEED SOMETHING ELSE. AND SO IT'S THAT CRISIS CONTINUUM. SO IF THEY SHOW UP TO FOUR 19, MAYBE THAT'S NOT THE BEST PLACE FOR THEM TO BE. I HAD A GRANDFATHER REACH OUT TO ME VIA EMAIL. HE GOT MY NAME SOMEWHERE, AND THEN HE REACHED OUT TO ME AND HIS GRANDSON IS LIVING IN THE BAYOU NEXT TO THE JAIL. AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, HE GOT HIS, HE WAS LIKE, I REALLY WANT HIM TO BE AT FOUR 19 EMANCIPATION. AND THE MORE HE DESCRIBED HIS GRANDSON TO ME, THE MORE I REALIZED HIS GRANDSON DID NOT NEED TO BE AT FOUR 19 EMANCIPATION. AND WE GOT, HE HAD AN AIR TAG ON HIS GRANDSON, AND SO HE GOT HIS GRANDSON VOLUNTARILY TO THE NEUROPSYCHIATRIC CENTER. AND THEN WE GOT HIM TO OUR CRISIS STABILIZATION UNIT AND AFTER THAT WE TRANSITIONED HIM TO OUR HOSPITAL TO HOME PROGRAM. SO SOMETIMES THAT INTAKE PROCESS AT FOUR 19 IS THAT TRIAGE THAT MIKE WAS TALKING ABOUT. IT'S THAT, IS THIS THE THE SAFEST PLACE FOR YOU BECAUSE THERE'S INDEPENDENCE AT FOUR 19 AND THERE'S A CERTAIN LEVEL OF FUNCTIONING THAT SOMEBODY HAS TO BE AT. AND IF SOMEBODY'S NOT SOBER YET, THERE'S A LOT OF TEMPTATION AND THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN THERE. SO MAYBE WE ARE LOOKING AT RESIDENTIAL SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT. MAYBE THAT MIGHT BE THE OPTION THAT WE PUT ON THE TABLE FOR THEM FIRST. UM, BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE WRESTLING WITH A LOT OF DEMONS AND WE CAN'T NECESSARILY GET THEM ON THE RIGHT TRACK IF THEY'RE STILL WRESTLING WITH A LOT OF THAT. AND SO A LOT OF THAT ENGAGEMENT THAT WE DO IN THE BEGINNING IS JUST, HEY, YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU WANT TO TO, TO GET AN APARTMENT, YOU WANNA GET A JOB? UM, BUT I COULD, I COULD SMELL THE, THE ALCOHOL ON YOUR BREATH EVERY TIME YOU COME IN FROM YOUR, FROM YOUR DAY PASS WHERE YOU'RE LOOKING FOR WORK. SO WE HAVE TO HAVE A LOT OF DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS. SO THAT INTAKE PROCESS IS REALLY A QUICK NEEDS ASSESSMENT. AND UH, ARE THEY PSYCHIATRICALLY STABLE? ARE THEY MEDICALLY STABLE? WE HAVE HARRIS HEALTH ON CAMPUS. I DON'T KNOW IF WE MENTIONED THAT. SO THERE'S PHYSICAL HEALTHCARE ON CAMPUS TOO, AND THE PSYCHIATRIC, SO THAT THAT INTAKE PROCESS IS WILLINGNESS, UM, SAFETY AND THEN JUST KIND OF LIKE, WHAT, WHAT DO THEY REALLY NEED AND IS THIS THE RIGHT SPOT FOR THEM? AND IF IT ISN'T, HOW DO WE TRIAGE THEM TO THAT RIGHT SPOT? SO I GUESS ALSO WHEN I, WHEN I TALK ABOUT THAT INTAKE PROCESS, WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL ARRIVES FROM A REFERRAL, IF AN HPD OFFICER IS BRINGING THEM TO YOUR LOCATION, YOU'VE ALREADY DECIDED THAT THERE'S AN AVAILABILITY, THEY ARRIVE ON LOCATION. IS THERE A SPACE WHERE SOMEONE TAKES 'EM INTO A ROOM AND INTERVIEWS THEM AND THEY YEAH, AND IT'S LIKE A TSA KIND OF SCREENING THEY GO THROUGH. WE MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S NO SURVIVAL TOOLS OR PARTY FAVORS THAT GET ONTO THE UNIT. AND SO BECAUSE WE, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T WANT LIGHTERS ON THE UNIT, YOU DON'T WANT CERTAIN THINGS. AND THE PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE, THEY DO HAVE TO PROTECT THEMSELVES WHEN THEY'RE LIVING ON THE STREET. AND SO ANYTHING THAT IS, COULD BE CONSIDERED, I ALWAYS SAY SURVIVAL TOOLS, OTHER PEOPLE ARGUE WITH ME AND CALL 'EM WEAPONS, BUT YOU KNOW, WHATEVER, POTATO, POTATO. UM, BUT THAT'S THE KIND OF THINGS. SO YES, WE DO HAVE, AND IF Y'ALL COME TO CAMPUS AND Y'ALL TOUR, WE DO, YOU KNOW, THERE IS TSA SCREENING AND THEIR BAGS GO THROUGH AN ACTUAL, YOU KNOW, CONVEYOR BELT AND WHATNOT. AND EVERY TIME THEY COME IN, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'LL TAKE OFF SOCKS AND SHOES AND WE SHAKE OUT OUR SOCKS AND SHOES TO MAKE SURE THERE'S NO PARTY FAVORS TUCKED ANYWHERE. AND I MEAN, THAT'S JUST PART OF IT. AND SO THAT INTAKE PROCESS IN THE, IN THE INTERVIEW, WE TRY AND MAKE IT AS BRIEF [00:55:01] AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE THAT WINDOW OF TOLERANCE, AGAIN, IF I SAT YOU DOWN AND ASKED YOU FIVE HOURS WORTH OF QUESTIONS, YOU WOULD JUST GET UP AND LEAVE AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES AND SAID, I'M NOT DOING THIS. WHY ARE YOU NEED MY LIFE STORY? I JUST WANTED TO GET SOMETHING TO EAT IN A PLACE TO SLEEP. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT WOMAN? YOU TALK TOO MUCH. THANK YOU. SO IF I UNDERSTAND THE LINGO, NO WEAPONS OR DRUGS, NO. SURVIVAL TOUR AND PARTY FAVORS , RIGHT. OKAY. AND WE DO HAVE PRECINCT WINE WILL COME AND THEY DO, UM, THEY DO PERIMETER CHECKS FOR US IN THEIR SURPRISE CHECKS. AND SO, BUT WE HAVE REAL, AGAIN, REALLY GREAT RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS AND SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS MY SECURITY DETAIL INSIDE. AND SERGEANT TEMPLE IS AMAZING AND LIKE THEY'RE THERE BUT WE DON'T WANT THEM TO BE THERE AND THEY JUST KIND OF BLEND IN. YOU KNOW, IF, IF SOMETHING POPS OFF, WE KNOW THAT THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS THERE, BUT WE DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO POP OFF. EVERYBODY SHOULD BE VERY PROACTIVE. IT SHOULD BE VERY COOL LIKE THAT JUST KIND OF LIKE SHERIFF'S OFFICE IS HERE BUT THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE HERE, THEY'RE HERE BECAUSE THEY WANNA BE. 'CAUSE IT'S JUST A REALLY GREAT PLACE TO BE. RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR THAT. SO DURING THIS MEETING WE'VE GOTTEN A REALLY GOOD OVERVIEW OF HOW MANY ACTORS ARE INVOLVED IN THIS AND HOW EVERYBODY'S GOTTA BE ROWING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND PLAYING THEIR PART. AND IT'S A VERY COMPLICATED AND, AND, UH, COMPLEX, DIFFICULT ISSUE TO WORK ON. BUT, UH, APPRECIATE WHAT YOU DO. YEAH. THANK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN. THAT'S ALL WE HAVE. ALRIGHT. UM, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. NO ONE ELSE IN THE QUEUE. SO WE WILL CONCLUDE THIS PART OF THE MEETING AND GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT AND, UM, WE HAVE ONE PERSON SIGNED UP AT THIS POINT, DOMINIC MAZO, IF YOU'D COME FORWARD AGAIN. WELCOME. DO YOU WANNA TURN THIS MIC ON? THANK YOU BRUCE. IS THIS MIC ON? TURN THIS MIC ON. OKAY. I NEED SEEING ALL CHAMBERS. I'M START, START THIS CLOCK NOW. UH, THERE'S SEVERAL THINGS. I WAS READING THE POWERPOINTS BEFORE THE MEETING AND SOME THINGS I'VE HEARD TODAY. NUMBER ONE, AS, AS YOU WELL KNOW, HOUSTON ADVANCED SCHOOL DISTRICTS MIGHT BE SHUTTING DOWN SOME SCHOOLS AND MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING IN THE FUTURE FOR FUTURE OUTREACH. MAY FOR A TEST MAYBE RENT A, RENT AN OLD SCHOOL FROM HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND SEE IF THAT COULD BE USED AT LEAST FOR TEMPORARY HOUSING. LIKE I SUGGESTED BEFORE, I WOULDN'T WANT EVERY, I WOULDN'T WANT TO PUT EVERYBODY IN THE DUMP. THAT'S NOT GOOD. BUT WE HAVE CLASSROOMS. YOU COULD PUT SOME BUNK BEDS AND SOME DESK IN EACH CLASSROOMS. YOU HAVE A SHOWER, YOU HAVE A KITCHEN. THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING TO TO CONSIDER AND THEY MOVE AN AGREEMENT TO RENT OR, UH, THE SCHOOL IS BANK IF THE EASTERN, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT NEEDS IT BACK. THAT'S GOOD. HOUSTON IS SO BIG THOUGH. YOU, DEPENDING ON HARRIS HEALTH, I THINK THE THING IS THOUGH, YOU GOT KINGWOOD THAT'S ACTUALLY IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY. SO I THINK, UM, THINKING FORWARD, UH, FOR MENTAL HEALTH IN THE, PARTICULARLY AROUND THE, UH, PERIPHERY OF THE CITY. UM, AND IN THOSE COUNTIES, THEY'RE NOT HARRIS. MAYBE YOU NEED TO LOOK AT, UH, UH, MONTGOMERY COUNTY HOSPITAL DISTRICT. MAYBE THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT USE IN THE KINGWOOD AREA. UH, SEE RESOURCES. UH, WILLIE, YOU'RE THE, YOU'RE THE HEAD PERSON FOR THE MAYOR'S COUNCIL OF OF PASTORS. HAS IT BARELY BEEN THOUGHT OF BRINGING IN YOUR RESOURCES? I KNOW, I KNOW GALVESTON, HOUSTON ARCHDIOCESE HAS A CONTRACT WITH THE SAFE, YOU KNOW, TO HELP IN, IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS. YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU'VE GOT SOME RESOURCES WITHIN YOUR COMM, VARIOUS COMMUNITIES TO, UH, TO HELP OUT. UH, ALSO TOO, UH, WE ALSO HAVE THE UH, CATHOLIC WORKER, THE DO DAYS. SHE FOUNDED THIS GROUP OF THE CATHOLIC WORKERS AND THEY HAVE A FACILITY ON OFF WASHINGTON AVENUE, JUST SOUTH WASHINGTON AVENUE AT SHEPHERD DURHAM. THAT MIGHT, I THINK WE NEED TO PUT EVERYTHING ON THE TABLE AND SEE IF IT WORKS. MAYBE IT WON'T WORK, BUT I DON'T THINK WE JUST HAVE TO, WE SHOULDN'T SAY NO BECAUSE IT'S A CRAZY IDEA. I THINK THE CRAZY DAY I DID, BUT IT MIGHT JUST, JUST WORK. AND AGAIN, UH, ALRIGHT, DOMINIC, THANK YOU. UH, I THANK COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. SCOTT, THANK YOU. UH, BROTHER CHAIR. UH, BACK TO YOU MY FRIEND. THANK YOU FOR SUGGESTING THAT ITEM. ACTUALLY DIRECTOR, UH, NICHOLS HAVE BEEN [01:00:01] TO OUR MINISTRY ADVISOR BOARD TO THE MAYOR, UH, THAT WE PUT TOGETHER THAT I KIND OF SPEARHEADED. AND MATTER OF FACT, WE HAVE A PASTOR HERE NOW WITH US TODAY, UH, PASTOR CY ALLEN. AND WE ARE INVOLVED IN MAKING SURE THAT MANY OF THE PASTORS HAVE PARTICIPATION. THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY PASTORS AND CHURCHES THAT HAVE THE FACILITIES THAT YOU KNOW, AND OTHER RESOURCES TO HELP OUT WITH THAT. SO WE, WE'VE BEEN IN VERY CLOSE PROXIMITY WITH THE DIRECTOR TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE SOME OF THOSE CHURCHES THAT ARE ALREADY OUT THERE DOING CERTAIN PROGRAMS. THAT'S WHY I ASKED A QUESTION EARLIER ABOUT EXTENDED RESOURCES BEYOND WHAT'S THERE. SO THAT THOSE PASTORS AND OTHER CHURCHES, UH, MANY OF OUR, UH, PASTORS AND MINISTRIES ACROSS THE CITY, UH, HAVE MEANS AND OTHER WAYS TO RE OF RESOURCE. SO WE YES, WE ARE, WE ARE THROWING IN. GOOD. THANK YOU FOR THE, THANK YOU FOR THE SUGGESTION. OH, 96 RED LINE. WALKED OVER HERE. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVIS. UH, AND DOMINIC, JUST A VERY SMALL PART OF KINGWOOD IS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY. MOST OF IT'S IN, IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, IN, IN HARRIS COUNTY. SO VERY SMALL PART OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. NO, I KNEW THAT. BUT I'M JUST, JUST PUT SO AND SAY THANK YOU. YOU BET. UH, DOMINIC'S THE ONLY PERSON WE HAVE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, BUT IF ANYONE ELSE PRESENT WOULD LIKE TO COME FORWARD AND OFFER PUBLIC COMMENT, WE WILL BE HAPPY TO HEAR YOU. OKAY. SEEING NONE, WE WILL THEN GO AHEAD AND ADJOURN THE MEETING. I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE AND, UH, WE'LL MEET AGAIN IN EARLY SEPTEMBER. THANK YOU. * 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.