* 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. [ CITY OF BAYTOWN NOTICE OF MEETING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 5:30 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBER, CITY HALL 2401 MARKET STREET, BAYTOWN, TEXAS 77520 AGENDA CALL TO ORDER AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF QUORUM ] [00:00:03] I WOULD LIKE TO, I WOULD NOW LIKE TO CALL THIS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ADVISING COMMITTEE LEADING TO ORDER THE TIME BEING 5:31 PM TODAY IS TUESDAY, MAY 7TH, 2024. OUR FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS ITEM ONE A, WHICH IS CITIZENS' COMMENT. THE PURPOSE OF CITIZEN'S COMMENT IS TO GIVE ALL INTERESTED CITIZENS THE RIGHT TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS. EVERYONE DESIRING TO SPEAK SHOULD HAVE EITHER SIGNED THE APPROPRIATE LIST IN THE FOYER OR EMAILED THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STAFF PRIOR TO THE POSTED TIME OF THIS MEETING. EACH CITIZEN SHALL GIVE HIS OR HER NAME AND ADDRESS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE A PROPER RECORD OF THESE COMICS. THE RULE OF THE RULES, EXCUSE ME, ALLOW EACH PERSON ONE MINUTE TO SPEAK. A CITIZEN MAY PASS HIS OR HER TIME TO ANOTHER PERSON WHO HAS REQUESTED TO ADDRESS THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ADVISING COMMITTEE. HOWEVER, NO CITIZENS, UM, WERE MARKED SHALL EXCEED THREE MINUTES IN TOTAL. EITHER THE ONE MINUTE OR THE THREE MINUTE LIMIT MAY BE EXTENDED BY MAJORITY VOTE OF THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ADVISING COMMITTEE. I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO BE AS BRIEF AND TO THE POINT AS POSSIBLE. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ADVISING COMMITTEE CANNOT DISCUSS OR DELIBERATE ON ITEMS FOR ORIGINAL. THIS HAD NOT BEEN HERE ON THIS AGENDA SINCE THERE IS NO ONE ELSE, SINCE THERE IS NO ONE DESIRING TO SPEAK. THIS CONCLUDES THE CITIZEN COMMENT PERIOD OF THE AGENDA. I WOULD NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM TWO, A [a. Conduct a public hearing regarding the City of Baytown Community Development Block Grant funding for the 2024-2025 program year.] PUBLIC HEARING, CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING THE CITY OF BAYTOWN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOR THE 20 24 20 25 YEAR. AND THE FIRST ONE ON THE AGENDA IS, UM, PARKS HAVE HANDS OF BAYTOWN, AND THAT IS TAB NUMBER NINE. OKAY. OKAY. HELLO EVERYBODY. YOU MADE THE ROOKIE GO FIRST. SO, UM, I'M ACTUALLY PRETTY OKAY WITH THAT BECAUSE THEN I GET IT OVER WITH . UM, SO I'M PATTY O'NEILL, AND I'M ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR A HEARTS AND HANDS OF BAYTOWN. BOTH OF YOU MIGHT KNOW NIKKI REONE, IF YOU'VE HEARD THESE PRESENTATIONS BEFORE. SHE'S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UM, AND SHE IS ENJOYING SOME MUCH NEEDED VACATION THIS WEEK AND NEXT WEEK. UM, SO YOU HAVE ME, UH, BUT I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD FOR, UM, THREE YEARS NOW, AND I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE PROGRAM. UM, I WILL SAY BY DAY I'M AN EXXONMOBIL EMPLOYEE. I SAID, BUT IF ANYBODY REALLY WORKS TOO CLOSE WITH ME OR, OR TALKS WITH ME FOR TOO LONG, YOU'LL SEE MY PASSION ARE THE NONPROFITS IN OUR TOWN IS SPECIFICALLY HEARTS AND HANDS OF BAYTOWN. THE MOST BASIC NEED FOR SURVIVAL IS FOOD. AND AN UNACCEPTABLE NUMBER OF FAMILIES NEED FOOD ASSISTANCE IN OUR COMM, IN OUR COMMUNITY. FOOD INSECURITY IS THE RESULT OF MANY FACTORS, AND IT'S GREATER THAN JUST BEING HUNGRY. IT PRODUCES ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, CHRONIC ILLNESS, AS WELL AS BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS, BELIEVING NO ONE SHOULD GO HUNGRY. HEARTS AND HANDS OF BAYTOWN WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2014 TO ALLEVIATE THE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL HUNGER OF THOSE IN NEED IN A DIGNIFIED AND SUPPORTIVE MANNER. SO, RECOGNI, RECOGNIZING THE DEVASTATING IMPACTS OF FOOD SECURITY HEARTS AND HANDS OF BAYTOWN. AND WE ARE A TOP RATED PARTNER OF THE HOUSTON FOOD BANK, IS LEADING THE FIGHT TO ADDRESS FOOD INSECURITY WITH OUR FIVE PROGRAMS. SO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS SLIDE SHOWS OUR, UM, CURRENT FIVE PROGRAMS, IF ANYBODY'S BEEN TO OUR ACTUAL SITE. YOU'LL SEE THE CLIENT CHOICE FRESH MARKET, OUR FOOD FOR CHANGE MARKET, PRIMARILY FOR STUDENTS AND PEOPLE LOOKING TO MAKE A MEDICAL CHANGE, FOOD FAIR, MOBILE DISTRIBUTIONS. WE GET A LOT OF POUNDS OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY TO PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM. THE PROGRAM I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT TONIGHT IS DOORSTEP BLESSING. AND THEN WE HAVE PAULA'S PANTRY, WHICH PROVIDES DAYAKS FOR THE HOMELESS, UH, IN OUR AREA. AND THOSE ARE DISTRIBUTED FROM OUR LOCATION ON 3 0 7 CEDAR BAYOU. AND THEY'RE ALSO GIVEN TO OTHER PLACES, UM, THAT DO SERVE THE HOMELESS OR TYPICALLY THE SOURCE OF THOSE PACKS. OKAY, THE RIGHT, UH, EXCUSE ME, THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE PAGE, YOU CAN SEE SOME WHAT I REGARD ARE PRETTY IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS IN OUR COMMUNITY IMPACT SUMMARY. UM, THE ONE THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO ME, AND THE ONE I'M MOST PROUD OF IS 2.9 MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD. SO THAT'S BEEN CONSISTENT OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS THAT WE'VE PUT NEARLY 3 MILLION POUNDS OF FOOD OUT INTO THIS COMMUNITY. AND I'M ESPECIALLY PROUD OF THE FACT THAT 50% OF THAT [00:05:01] FOOD IS FRESH PRODUCE AND LEAN MEATS. SO WE ARE NOT SOLELY A SOURCE OF, YOU KNOW, CANNED VEGETABLES, CANNED BEANS AND RICE. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US TO PUT OUT HEALTHY, APPROPRIATE FOOD INTO THE COMMUNITY, AND WE'RE VERY WELL GROUNDED WITH MD ANDERSON AND THE BE WELL BAYTOWN EFFORTS IN OUR AREA. OKAY, SO A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE DOORSTEP, UM, LESSON PROGRAM. IT IS A DELIVERY PROGRAM THAT PUTS VOLUNTEERS WITH AT-RISK POPULATIONS WHO FACE HONESTLY TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS IN ATTENDING THE TRADITIONAL PROGRAM, AND OFTENTIMES GOING AS OFTEN AS, UM, YOU OR I MAY GO TO THE GROCERY. UM, SO A TYPICAL CLIENT ENROLLED IN OUR DOORSTEP LESSON PROGRAM ON A LARGELY MONTHLY BASIS WILL RECEIVE 50 POUNDS OF FRESH PRODUCE. UM, A 50 POUND BAG IN TOTAL THAT'S FRESH PRODUCE, LOW FAT DAIRY, MEAT, PROTEINS, BAKED GOODS, NON-PERISHABLES, AND EVEN SOME PERSONAL CARE ITEMS. SO THESE ARE DISTRIBUTED TO LOW INCOME FAMILY APARTMENT COMPLEXES TO, UH, SENIOR APARTMENT COMPLEXES. AND THEN THERE ARE SOME INDIVIDUAL DELIVERY LOCATIONS. SO TOGETHER WITH OUR COLLABORATING ORGANIZATIONS THROUGH DI DIRECT DELIVERY TO AN INDIVIDUAL ADDRESS OR THESE LARGER APARTMENT COMPLEXES, UM, WE GIVE OUR CLIENTS TYPICALLY IN THE LARGER SETTINGS, ALMOST A SHOPPING EXPERIENCE. WE'LL SET OUT AN ARRAY OF DESSERTS, WE'LL SET OUT AN ARRAY OF CHOICES OF BREAD TYPES, YOU KNOW, WHOLE WHEAT ROLLS, DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT, SALADS THAT WE GET FROM RETAIL PROVIDERS. WE WILL TRY TO GIVE THEM AS MUCH OF A MARKET EXPERIENCE AS REALLY THE LOCATION AND OUR AVAILABILITY OF ITEMS, UM, BEARS SO THAT THEY DO HAVE SOME DIGNITY OF CHOOSING THEIR OWN FOOD, SOME ASPECT IN, IN WHAT THEY'RE, UM, RECEIVING. AND THEN THERE IS A SACK OF SOME OF THE MORE STAPLES, RIGHT, THAT'LL HAVE YOUR, EVERYBODY GETS KIND OF THE SAME SET OF PRODUCE. EVERYBODY GETS MAYBE SOME OF THE SAME SET OF, UM, MEAT MEATS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT WE TRY TO GET AS MUCH, UM, INFORMATION OUT ON THE FOOD THAT WE'RE GIVING, SUPPORTIVE SERVICES. UM, SO THERE'S SOME PAPERWORK THAT'S HANDED OUT TO PEOPLE THAT THEY CAN FILL. OTHER, UM, PROGRAMS THAT THEY MAY QUALIFY IN THE AREA, AGAIN, SO THAT WE CAN TRY TO ELEVATE THEM, UM, OUT OF THEIR FOOD, FOOD SITUATION. SO WE SERVE SEVEN SITES IN THE CITY OF BAYTOWN, AND HERE'S SOME PICTURES, UM, FROM SOME OF THOSE SITES. SO ON THE TOP LEFT, THAT'S, UH, BAYTOWN CHRISTIAN ALLIANCE, AND THEY SERVE, THEY SERVE EDISON COURTS AND PIEDMONT APARTMENTS. SO THEY'RE TYPICAL VOLUNTEERS THAT GO TO THOSE LOCATIONS. THEY CAN ESTABLISH RELATIONSHIPS WITH CLIENTS AND, AND HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE ROBUST CONVERSATION DURING THE EXPERIENCE. IF WE GO DOWN TO THE BOTTOM LEFT, FAITH LEADERSHIP CHRISTIAN ACADEMY, UM, THEY TAKE CARE OF THE VILLAS AND THE PEOPLE IN THE ORANGE T-SHIRTS KIND OF IN THE CENTER, RIGHT? UM, THEY ARE SECOND BAYTOWN AND THEY SERVE BAY TERRACE. SO THOSE ARE, UM, FOUR OF OUR LOCATIONS. THE OTHER THREE ARE WYNDHAM PARK, BIRDSONG PLACE, AND THE MISSION. YOU CAN SEE FROM SOME OF OUR, UH, COMMENTARY FROM THE CLIENTS. UM, THEY'LL TALK ABOUT, UH, TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS, RIGHT? THIS PROGRAM HELPS A LOT. I DON'T HAVE A VEHICLE. WE'LL BE ABLE TO GO TO SOME OF THE TRADITIONAL, UM, FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS. UM, THE BOTTOM RIGHT ONE, THESE SENIORS NEED THIS HELP. AND SO MANY ARE EMBARRASSED, BUT HEARTS AND HANDS PROVIDES EVERYTHING WITH LOVE, AND I ENCOURAGE OTHER RESIDENTS TO COME AND PARTAKE IN THIS BLESSING. OKAY, AND THEN SOME OTHER GOOD PICTURES. UM, IF ANYBODY'S BEEN TO OUR LOCATION ON CEDAR VALUE, YOU'LL RECOGNIZE THE TOP LEFT. SOME OF OUR, UH, CLIENT CHOICE MARKET PICTURES, WE MAKE IT LOOK AS MUCH LIKE A SHOPPING EXPERIENCE AS POSSIBLE. THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO US, THAT PEOPLE FEEL DIGNITY, UH, WHEN THEY RECEIVE OUR FOOD. THE BOTTOM CENTER ONE IS ANOTHER FUN ONE. THAT'S OUR FOOD FOR CHANGE MARKET. THINK OF IT MORE LIKE A LITTLE BOUTIQUE FOOD, UM, EXPERIENCE FOR, UH, ESPECIALLY OUR COLLEGE STUDENTS, UM, THAT ARE ENROLLED. AND WE CAN PROVIDE THEM FOOD SUPPORT, UM, THROUGH OUR FOOD FOR CHANGE PROGRAM SO THAT THEY CAN, UM, CONTINUE TO FURTHER THEMSELVES. NOW, THE DOORSTEP BLESSINGS, UM, GO TO THE BOTTOM RIGHT, THE PEOPLE WITH THE RED BAGS. SO THOSE ARE THE BAGS OF, UM, LET ME KIND OF SAY SOME OF THE PRIMARY GROCERIES THAT OUR DOORSTEP BLESSING, UH, PEOPLE GET. AND THEN THE OTHERS ARE KIND OF LAID OUT MORE IN THE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE. BUT THOSE RED BAGS, WHEN THEY'RE PACKED, THOSE ARE VOLUNTEERS PUTTING TOGETHER, UM, THE DOORSTEP BLESSING BAGS, UM, FROM OUR PANTRY [00:10:01] SHELVES. OKAY, SO IF WE GET TO THE NUMBERS, UM, FOR OUR DOORSTEP BLESSING PROGRAM THAT WE ARE ASKING FOR FUNDING TONIGHT, THERE ARE SEVEN UNIQUE SITES. UM, THAT COMP, UH, COMPREHENDS ABOUT 72 DISTRIBUTIONS. UM, IN 2023, WE SERVED 605 UNIQUE HOUSEHOLDS. UM, AND THEN NIKKI'S GOT A WAY THAT SHE TRACKS ALL OF OUR DATA. TYPICALLY, UH, THAT WOULD BE 350 FAMILIES A MONTH. SO YOU CAN SEE NOT EVERYBODY COMES EVERY MONTH, 605 UNIQUE HOUSEHOLDS IN THE PROGRAM. AND, UM, 3,500 SERVICES PROVIDED. AGAIN, MAYBE IT'S THE EXXONMOBIL AND ME, I'M ALL ABOUT THE POUNDS. UM, AND I SEE THAT WAS NEARLY 100,000 POUNDS THROUGH THE HANDS OF VOLUNTEERS DELIVERED INTO OUR COMMUNITY. SO THAT'S OVER 77,000 MEALS SERVED. UM, AND AGAIN, A LOT OF VOLUNTEER HOURS. OKAY, SO MORE DETAILS. UM, WE ARE, UM, OBVIOUSLY QUITE AWARE THAT THIS IS A CITY PROGRAM. SO, UH, WE CHECK ALL CLIENT, UM, REGISTRY FOR THIS PROGRAM AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY LIVE WITHIN THE CITY OF BAYTOWN. IT'S A, A SMIDGE OF A SHAME, BUT OUR MAP THERE, UM, IT DOESN'T, IT DOESN'T PROJECT QUITE TRUE TO COLORS, BUT WE HAVE IT VERY CLEARLY IDENTIFIED IN PINK. UM, THE CITY OF BAYTOWN ADDRESSES SO THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY OF OUR PROGRAM AND KNOW THAT PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE ARE QUALIFIED FOR THE PROGRAM. UM, NIKKI PUT A LITTLE BIT OF AN ORG CHART IN HERE. UH, WE ARE ASKING FOR $5,000 OF, UM, PROGRAM SUPPORT FOR STAFFING. AND SO THAT IS, UM, A SMALL PORTION OF NIKKI AS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OUR DOORSTEP BLESSED COORDINATOR WHO SECURES THE, UM, LOCATIONS AND THE DATES, UM, WITH TYPICALLY THESE APARTMENT COMPLEXES. UM, WE'VE GOT OUR DATA MANAGER, HE WHO KEEPS US STRAIGHT AND TRACKS OUR NUMBERS AND OUR POUNDS. UM, AND THEN WE WOULDN'T RUN WITHOUT OUR INVENTORY AND VOLUNTARY CO INVENTORY AND VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR. SO SHE BRINGS THE FOOD IN AND THEN ENSURES WE'VE GOT THE VOLUNTEER, UM, FORCES TO DELIVER AND SERVICE THE LOCATIONS. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED. WE ARE IMMINENTLY GONNA GET, UM, UH, A 15 FOOT REFRIGERATED BOX TRUCK. UM, PRETTY EXCITING FOR US. UM, THE HOUSTON FOOD BANK HAS SOME SURPLUS EQUIPMENT, SO WE EXPECT TO GET THAT. SO THIS IS A TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM, RIGHT? EFFECTIVELY, UM, PEOPLE CAN'T COME TO US OR COME TO OUR LOCATION, SO WE TAKE THE FOOD TO THEM AND WE TAKE THE FOOD TO THEM, UH, THE LARGER LOCATIONS, SOMETIMES THROUGH A RENTED U-HAUL OR SOMETIMES THROUGH A CARAVAN OF PICKUP TRUCKS AND SUVS. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING A PROGRAM EFFICIENCY, UM, TO BE ABLE TO MORE APPROPRIATELY AND EASILY GET OUR FOOD TO THESE LOCATIONS. AND WE'RE VERY PROUD OF OUR, UM, COLLABORATION. UH, WE HAVE A LOT OF, UM, SERVICE, UH, PROVIDERS THAT GIVE US FOOD IN VOLUNTEERS IN, I'M GONNA SAY PROGRAM SUPPORT, WHERE WE CAN PROVIDE WRAPAROUND SERVICES FOR OUR FOLKS THAT ARE IDEALLY GOING TO, UM, NOT CONTINUALLY NEED FOOD ASSISTANCE. OKAY. WE LIKE TO THINK WE'RE ALL ONE BIG PART OF THE PUZZLE. UM, WE SERVE HEARTS AND HANDS. UH, WE SERVE THE COMMUNITY AND, AND I'D LIKE TO THINK WE REALLY ARE THE COMMUNITY WITH OUR VOLUNTEERS AND, AND THE PEOPLE THAT WE FEED. OKAY. HOPEFULLY I DELIVERED THAT AS NIKKI WOULD HAVE, UM, MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT, UM, SMOOTHER TO HER. I'M HAPPY TO TAKE, UM, ANY QUESTIONS OR TALK ABOUT ANY OF THE BUDGET AMOUNTS THAT WE HAD OR ANY OF THE APPLICATION PROGRAM INFORMATION. OKAY. GET QUESTIONS. WE ONLY FUND THE SALARY OF THE PROGRAM COORDINATOR. IS THIS SOMETHING NEW WITH ADDING A PORTION OF NIKKI SALARY IN THERE? UM, SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE APPLICATION, UM, IT'S FOR $5,000 OF SALARY. AND SO, UM, UM, I BELIEVE NIKKI'S ANSWER WOULD BE IT'S A PIECE OF ALL OF THAT. SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE BUDGET SHE'S GOT FOR THE TOTAL PROGRAM, UM, SALARIES ARE $32,000 FOR A PIECE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT I DESCRIBED. AND SO SHE'S ASKING FOR CDBG FUNDING OF 5,000 OF THAT TOTAL 32. YEAH, I KNOW NORMALLY WHENEVER YOU, WE, UH, REIMBURSE YOU FOR SALARIES, YOU SUBMIT TIME SHEETS. YEAH. SO I KNOW WE NORMALLY ONLY FUND PROGRAM COORDINATOR, SO I WAS JUST WONDERING, THAT WAS SOMETHING YOU, UM, LET'S GO WITH NIKKI'S ANSWER, NOT MINE. OKAY. YEAH. SO IF SHE TURNS IN THE TIME SHEETS WITH THAT, THERE ARE NO CHANGES, UM, WITH WHAT SHE'S PLANNING TO SUBMIT ON THAT. UM, AND SO, UM, UM, THAT WOULD BE, I BELIEVE THAT TO BE NATALIE. AND SO THAT WOULD BE NATALIE'S TIME. YES. THANK YOU. I HAVE A QUESTION. YES. SPECIFY. YOU, YOU, [00:15:01] YOUR, UM, ORGANIZATION HAVE REQUESTED $2,000 FOR A TRAINING AND TRAVEL, YOU SPECIFY ON THAT? YES, SIR. UM, SO FOR DOORSTEP BLESSING, THIS IS A TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM, RIGHT? AND SO IT'S FOR THE CLIENTS, UM, THAT'S THE BARRIER THAT WE'RE RESOLVING FOR THEM. SO THAT'S $2,000 OF TRANSPORTATION FOR US. SO IT'S ON A LINE ITEM CALLED TRANSPORTATION AND TRAINING. UH, THIS IS THE TRANSPORTATION PIECE OF IT. SO IT WOULD BE, UM, FOR THE LARGER SITES, IT WOULD BE, UM, SUPPORTING U-HAUL DELIVERY, OR IT WOULD SIMPLY BE, UM, FUEL, UM, FOR SOME OF THE, SHE'LL DO GAS CARDS FOR VOLUNTEERS, RIGHT? IF THEY'RE REGULAR VOLUNTEERS, SHE'LL PROVIDE SOME GAS CARDS. I MEAN, SOME OF THESE LOCATIONS THEY GO REPEATEDLY, UM, TO THEM. SO WE'RE PROVIDING THAT LEVEL OF TRANSPORTATION. YEP. YEAH, NO, NO TRAINING ON THAT LINE. HONOR ANY MORE ADDITIONAL QUESTION, COMMENTS OR COMPLAINTS I DO IN PRINTING? IS THAT JUST THE GENERAL TO GET FLYERS OUT OR HOW DOES THAT YEAH, SO, UM, WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THE, UM, COLLABORATIVE SERVICES THAT WE HAVE. UM, AND, UM, SOMETIMES IT'LL BE LIKE THE UNITED WAY. I'LL PUT OUT A 2 1 1 SERVICE PROGRAM. SOMETIMES IT'LL BE, UM, A LEGACY HEALTH PAMPHLET OR A PAGE, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO IT'S, UM, IT'S MATERIALS OF THAT NATURE, UM, NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION. SOMETIMES YOU DON'T, IF IF WE, IF WE'RE, UM, BE QUITE HONEST, KIND OF LONG ON A VEGETABLE, UM, WHICH, WHICH WE CAN ON A SEASONAL NATURE BASE, SOMETIMES SHE'LL, UM, PRINT OUT A RECIPE CARD, UM, TO TRY TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO PREPARE SOMETHING IN A NEW WAY OR TO TRY SOMETHING. MAYBE THEY DON'T, THEY ASK FOR TWO REASONS. ONE, I, I TRY, IN MY JOB, I TRY TO REDUCE PAPER. YEP. SO MUCH WE, WE GO DIGITAL. SO WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO, YOU KNOW, HANDHELD PHONES AND QRS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE THAT ARE ABLE TO JUST, YOU KNOW, LIMIT THE, THE TRASH AND THE AMOUNT THAT WE, YEAH, NO, UM, DEFINITELY, UH, I'M WITH YOU. I THINK, UM, I THINK THE ANSWER BACK TO THAT IS, YOU KNOW, WITH THE SENIOR POPULATION AND IN, IN THESE APARTMENT, UM, SENIOR APARTMENT SITUATIONS, I THINK WE STILL HAVE, UM, A LITTLE BIT OF A PAPER NEED IS, IS WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE. UM, YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF NIKKI'S MATERIALS ARE VERY QR CODE ORIENTED. UM, SO SHE IS VERY FRONT FACING ON THE, THE QR CODES. UM, BUT IN SOME, IN SOME MACHINES, I THINK THERE STILL IS AN AVENUE OF, UM, PAPER. THANK YOU, MA'AM. SURE. ONCE YOU'RE FINISHED PRESENTING, YOU CAN FEEL FREE TO, UM, LEAVE IF YOU READY TO SIGN IN OR YOU CAN STAY. IT'S COMPLETE MATTER. I WILL NOW, UM, CALL BAY AREA HOMELESS SHELTER. DO YOU HAVE A BILL RECORD TAB NUMBER FOUR? NUMBER CALL. THANK YOU FOR HAVING, I'M BILL ECKARD, I'M EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BAY AREA HOMELESS SERVICES. I'VE BEEN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THAT AGENCY SINCE, UH, JULY OF 2011, THANK GOODNESS. SO, UH, WE'RE DOING WELL, THANK YOU. UH, ALSO PROUD TO SAY THAT WE ARE A COLLABORATIVE PARTNER OF ARTS AND HANDS. WE'VE JUST STARTED A, UH, COWS FAMILY NUTRITION PROGRAM, UH, SHELTER USING OUR COMMERCIAL KITCHEN IN THE, UH, FOLKS FROM HEARTS AND HANDS ARE COMING OVER AND, UH, SHARING, UH, COOKING TIPS WITH US AND, UH, WITH OUR, WITH OUR RESIDENTS AND OUR KIDS. AND THEY, WELL, ESPECIALLY THREE DIFFERENT WEEKLY SESSIONS, AND THEY'RE COMING BACK THREE DIFFERENT TIMES TO COME DO THAT. SO WE'RE ALL EXCITED ABOUT THAT, AND I'M VERY, VERY TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTED. DISAPPOINTED THAT OUR LOGO WAS NOT ON THAT LIST OF, UH, COLLABORATIONS. I, BECAUSE WE'RE, WE WERE LATE EDITION, SO THAT'S OKAY. SO PROJECT BRIDGE TO THAT, MY PRESENTATION'S GONNA BE RELATIVELY SHORT BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN ASKING FOR PROJECT THREE 20 FOR, UH, LET'S SEE, SINCE 20 20 12, I BELIEVE WAS COMING BACK THIS LAST YEAR. YOU MAY LOOK AND SEE, WELL, BILL, BILL, YOU DIDN'T, WE, WE DIDN'T ASK FOR ANY MONEY LAST YEAR, BUT WE GOT TRANSITION IN OUR PROGRAM WITH OUR, OUR STAFF. AND, UH, BY THE TIME I REALIZED THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, I WAS LOOKING FOR, FOR THE MONEY, FOR REIMBURSEMENT FOR OUR CHILD CARE PROGRAM, UH, COME TO FIND OUT THAT OUR PROGRAM MANAGER THAT WAS IN CHARGE OF SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION DECIDED TO DO THAT. SO, UH, SO THIS YEAR WE MADE SURE THAT, THAT [00:20:01] WE GOT OUR, OUR MATERIALS IN. AND, UH, SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR AN EXPLANATION FOR A GAP IN FUNDING FOR A YEAR, THAT'S, THAT'S THE REASON STUFF HAPPENS IN SMALL ORGANIZATIONS. AND WE ARE VERY DIFFERENT IN SMALL ORGANIZATION. SO OVER THE COURSE OF OUR ANY YEAR, WE HAVE ABOUT 50 OR SO CHILDREN, UH, THAT COME THROUGH OUR SHELTER AGE 14 AND BELOW. AND THIS PRESENTS PROBLEMS FOR OUR, FOR OUR PARENTS, FOR THE SIMPLE REASON THAT WE'RE AN EMPLOYMENT ORIENTED AGENCY. AND SO OUR FOLKS HAVE TO GO OUT AND EITHER SEARCH FOR JOBS OR WHEN THEY GET A JOB, THEY HAVE TO FIND A WAY TO PREPARE THEIR KIDDOS, UH, WHILE THEY'RE, WHILE THEY'RE DOING THEIR FIRST COUPLE WEEKS OF WORK, AND THEN BEFORE THEY GET PAID. AND SO OPERATION BRIDGE IS THAT PROGRAM, IT'S THE BRIDGE BETWEEN UNEMPLOYMENT OR EARLY EMPLOYMENT. AND WHEN PARENTS CAN GET CHILDCARE TO A DIFFERENT, TO A DIFFERENT UNION, OKAY? CHILDCARE IS TERRIBLY, TERRIBLY EXPENSIVE. AND I KNOW THAT MOST OF YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THE CURRENT STATISTICS SAY THAT CHILDCARE RIGHT NOW, FULL-TIME CHILDCARE RUNS SAME CLASSES, ACKNOWLEDGE EDUCATION. THAT TO ME, IT'S MIND BOGGLING PHRASE. IT JUST WHAT IT IS. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU SAY YOU, WELL, HOMELESS SHELTER, THEY SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU HAVE? WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S A MOVIE NIGHT AT OUR, AT OUR ORGANIZATION. WE HAD A MOVIE NIGHT LAST YEAR, AND WE HAD 15 OR SO CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 12, AND THEN THE MOVIE NIGHT AND, UH, ENJOY A GOOD EVENING OF ENTERTAINMENT. SO WE DO HAVE, ON A REGULAR BASIS, A NUMBER OF CHILDREN AT OUR SHELTER. AND I CHECKED THIS MORNING, AND WE HAVE 11 CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 15 AT OUR SHELTER TODAY. SO THAT MAY, WE MAY BE DOWN TO 12 OR 11 BY TOMORROW OR WHATEVER, BUT, UH, UH, , OUR CLIENTELE FLUCTUATES . SO THE PURPOSE OF THE OPERATION BRIDGE IS TO FUND CHILDCARE FOR OUR UNEMPLOYED UNDEREMPLOYED RESIDENTS WHILE THEY FINE NET FIRST PAYCHECK AND CAN AFFORD CHILDCARE ON THEIR OWN ONE THING. OR WE, OUR CASE MANAGERS WORK WITH EACH FAMILY TO TRY TO GET THEM INTO NCI, THE OTHER CHILDCARE, UH, OPERATION, WHICH IS MUCH BETTER THAN WHAT WE CAN PROVIDE THE SHELTER. AND SO WE ARE THAT BRIDGE BETWEEN WHERE THEY ARE NOW AND WHERE THEY HOPE TO BE IN ANOTHER BY GOING TO NCI OR GETTING A BETTER EMPLOYMENT TO WHERE THEY CAN AFFORD CHILDCARE ON THEIR OWN. SO, LET'S SEE. THE SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS OF HAVING OUR PROGRAM ARE, THEY'RE GOOD. IT'S GOOD FOR THE PARENTS BECAUSE THEY'RE ABLE TO INCREASE THEIR INCOME, ABLE TO SEARCH FOR EMPLOYMENT. BUT IT'S GOOD FOR THE KIDDOS TOO BECAUSE IT EXPOSES THEM TO OTHER CHILDREN, EXPOSES THEM TO OTHER OPPORTUNITIES, EXPOSES THEM TO EARLY LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT THEY WOULDN'T HAVE IF THEY HAD TO BE STUCK AT THE SHELTER WITH SAY, BABIES OR WHATEVER HAPPENED. AND WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, STAFF MEMBERS THAT THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE WATCHING THE KIDDOS, BUT THEY, THEY CORRAL THE MOMS TOGETHER AND PARENTS TOGETHER, AND THEY, THEY PROVIDE SOME, A LITTLE BIT OF CHILDCARE, BUT THAT'S NOT IDEAL AT ALL. BUT WE WANT TO PROVIDE GOOD CHILDCARE FOR OUR, FOR OUR RESIDENTS. YOU'LL SEE THAT THE NUMBER THAT WE ASK FOR IS UP TO 30 CHILDREN PER YEAR. NOT ONLY WE'RE ASKING FOR $4,000 TO HELP BRIDGE THAT GAP BETWEEN WHERE THEY ARE NOW AND WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO DO. AND IT'S NOT A, NOT AN INSIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY. BUT THEN AGAIN, WHEN CHILD, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT CHILDCARE EXPENSES, IT'S, IT'S NOT A WHOLE LOT TO HELP A LOT OF KIDDOS. SO WE SAY UP TO 30 KIDDOS, BUT IN REALITY, NORMALLY WE, IF WE LOOK AT THE STATISTICS GOING BACK, SOMETIMES THERE ARE 15 OR 20 CHILDREN. SOMETIMES THERE ARE ONLY THREE OR FOUR OR FIVE THAT GET SISTANCE DURING THE PROGRAM. 'CAUSE IT'S A REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM. UH, REALLY WE, WE MASSAGE THOSE NUMBERS TO, YOU KNOW, TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE PROVIDE AS MUCH ASSISTANCE AS WE POSSIBLY CAN TO THE KIDDOS THAT ARE AVAILABLE AND THE PARENTS THAT WANT THE KIDS TO BE IN CHILDCARE TOO, BECAUSE IT'S A PARENT CHOICE AS WELL. YOU JUST SAY, WELL, IF YOU'RE OUT LOOKING FOR WORK, YOU HAVE TO DO THIS. BUT THEY CHOOSE TO, THEY CHOOSE NOT ONLY TO PUT THEIR CHILDREN IN CHILDCARE, BUT THEY ALSO CHOOSE THE CHILDCARE PROVIDERS. THEY'RE ALL LICENSED CHILDCARE PROVIDERS, AND THEY CHOOSE WHICH CHILDCARE PROVIDERS THEY WANT THEIR CHILDREN TO ATTEND. SO BENEFITS ACCRUE TO BOTH ENTIRE FAMILY. SO I HAVE SOME SUCCESS STORIES [00:25:02] AND, UH, LET'S SEE. HD IS A SINGLE MOTHER CAME, CAME WITH A 2-YEAR-OLD SON. MY PICTURES, THAT'S HD'S, A SINGLE MOTHER CAME, 2-YEAR-OLD SON, CAME TO OUR AGENCY. UH, WE WERE ABLE TO HELP HER WITH CHILDCARE FOR HER SON AND TRANSPORTATION THAT ALLOWED HER TO STAY UNTIL SHE RECEIVED THE THIRD PAYMENT. UH, SHE WAS HIRED THE WEEK THAT SHE CAME TO OUR SHELTER. SHE WAS HIRED ON AS A TEACHER FOR THE PAY OF $63,000 IN A YEAR. SO SHE WAS ABLE TO MOVE QUICKLY JUST IN A, IN A WEEK OR TWO RIGHT. FROM OUR SHELTER FOR TEACHING JOB. AND WE, WE WERE THE BRIDGE FOR HER AND HER SUCCESS. YES, FAMILY CAME TO US AFTER SLEEPING IN THEIR VEHICLE FOR A NUMBER OF WEEKS. THEY FOUND IMPORTANT, UH, ASSISTANCE AT OUR, AT OUR SHELTER. AND, UH, THE WEEK THAT THEY CAME TO OUR SHELTER, WE ASSISTED THEM IN GETTING A JOB. AND, UH, THEY, AS WE GAVE THEM CHILDCARE, THEY WERE ABLE TO WORK. THEY WERE ABLE TO MOVE OUT IN A MATTER OF THREE WEEKS. THIS ASSISTANCE ALLOWS FOLKS TO MOVE ON RATHER QUICKLY FROM OUR SHELTER. THAT'S A GOOD ONE, A BIG SUCCESS. BUT WHAT I LIKE TO TELL IS A BIG SUCCESS IS THE JAY FAMILY. AND THAT'S THEM. THAT'S ONE OF THEM UP THERE. R AND TJ CAME TO OUR SHELTER WITH A 4-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER. WE'RE DOING CASE MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE, REFERRALS TO COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND REFERRALS TO CHILDCARE WHILE THEY WERE THROUGH SHELTER ASSISTANCE FOR CHILDCARE TURNED INTO ASSISTANCE TO GET IN THAT CHILD, DID THE HEAD START. AND THEN THE CHILD AND THE PARENTS WERE ABLE TO LEAVE OUR, OUR SHELTER SUCCESSFULLY. AT THE EXIT, UH, THE FATHER WAS ABLE TO GET A JOB AT A SCHOOL DISTRICT STARTING AT $18,500 A YEAR. AND BY THE TIME HE GOT FINISHED WITH THE, THE PROGRAM AT OUR SHELTER, HE WAS EARNING $28,912 A YEAR. BUT WAIT, THERE'S NO MOM GOT A JOB AT A, AT A, UH, TIME-WISE, WHICH I LIKE, A CONVENIENCE SOURCE SORT OF THING RIGHT AWAY TO HELP BRIDGE THAT GAP AND GET SOME MONEY COMING IN. AT THE TIME THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN, THAT'S MOM RIGHT THERE. I'M TALKING TO MOM, MOM, UH, JUST GOT HIRED ON AT COMMUNITY TOYOTA AS A, UH, AS A FULL-TIME RECEPTIONIST LOADER, OKAY. WHICH HE'S, HE'S HAPPILY EMPLOYED THERE AND BIG INCREASE OVER WHAT HE WAS GETTING AT TIME-WISE. BUT DAD UNFORTUNATELY DID NOT KEEP HIS JOB WHERE HE WAS BEFORE. HE, UH, HE WAS HIRED ON BY A, BY A COMPANY AS AN OPERATOR AT ONE OF THE PLANTS HERE IN TOWN. AND HE'S MAKING GOOD MONEY. BUT IT WAS ALL POSSIBLE 'CAUSE OF THE CHILDCARE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE CASE MANAGEMENT THAT WE PROVIDED FOR THAT. NOW, WHAT MAKES THIS STORY REALLY EXTRAORDINARY, MOM, UH, SHE'S NOT SITTING THERE JUST CHATTING WITH ME BECAUSE SHE LIKES TO CHAT WITH BILL ABOUT SO MANY PEOPLE HERE. BUT, UH, THE THING IS, SHE WAS AT OUR PROGRAM COMMITTEE MEETING, WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A COMMITTEE THAT MEETS ONCE A MONTH TO FOSTER DIFFERENT PROGRAMS FOR OUR SHELTER TO GIVE A INSIDER'S PERSPECTIVE AS WHAT THE SHELTER NEEDS, WHAT WE SHOULD BE PROVIDING TO THE, TO THE, THE SHELTER RESIDENTS. MOM IS A MEMBER OF THAT PROGRAM COMMITTEE, HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF THAT PROGRAM COMMITTEE SINCE SHE LEFT TO GO TO WORK AT PINELAND AND BEAUTY TOYOTA GIVES HER TIME OFF TO COME TO LEBANON. . WELL, THE HELP THAT WE GET FROM OPERATION DRILL HELPS THESE FAMILIES TO GET AHEAD. IT HELPS THEM IN THAT INTERIM PERIOD BETWEEN THE TIME THEY COME TO OUR SHELTER AND THE TIME THEY LEAVE. AND THEY ONLY ASSIST THEM FOR THE AMOUNT OF TIME THEY NEED UNTIL THEY CAN GET CHILDCARE FROM ANOTHER SOURCE. SO THAT'S OUR STORY. THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ASKING THE MONEY FOR. ALL OF OUR MONEY THAT WE ASKED FOR GOES INTO SERVICES, COMPLETELY SERVICE, UH, MONEY, THE PROGRAM FOR SERVICES. SO, UH, I KNOW THAT WAS A QUESTION CAME UP EARLIER. SO THAT'S, [00:30:01] THAT'S MY ANSWER TO THAT. I'LL HEAD THAT OFF AT THE ASK IF I CAN. SO THAT, THAT'S WHAT OPERATION BRIDGE IS. THAT'S WHAT WE DO. UH, AND I'LL BE GLAD TO TAKE QUESTIONS FROM THAT OPERATION BRIDGE. YEAH. UM, I JUST, I, I'D LIKE A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ABOUT HOW THE PROCESS WORKS. SO THE FAMILY WILL COME TO YOU GUYS AND REQUEST, UH, CHILDCARE SERVICES. SURE. AND, UM, HOW DO, HOW DO, HOW DO THEY, HOW IS IT VETTED THE SERVICES THAT ARE NEEDED? DO YOU PAY THE FAMILIES DIRECTLY OR ARE YOU PAYING THE CHILDCARE FACILITIES OUT? YEAH, WE PAY THE CHILDCARE FACILITY. OKAY. WHEN, WHEN FOLKS COME TO OUR SHELTER FOR ONE THING, THEY'RE ALL LOW INCOME OR LOW INCOME INDIVIDUALS. THEY'RE ALL MEETING OUR FINANCIAL CRITERIA. SO THEY COME TO US, THEY ASK FOR SERVICES. WE DO A VERY INTENSE, UH, CASE WORK INTERVIEW WITH THEM AND WE SEE WHAT SERVICES THEY NEED. AND A LOT OF TIMES THEY DON'T EVEN MENTION I NEED CHILDCARE, BUT THEY'VE GOT TWO LITTLE, WERE SITTING AROUND THERE, WELL, WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR CHILDCARE? YOU KNOW, WHY YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO GO LOOK FOR WORK. WHAT YOU GOTTA DO FOR CHILDCARE? I DON'T KNOW, BUT MAYBE SO AND SO CAN HELP. BUT WE DO A GOOD INTENSIVE, UH, CHILD OR INTENSIVE CASE WORK INTERVIEW AND SEE THAT THEY HAVE A NEED. AND WE MENTION THE FACT THAT WE HAVE CHILDCARE ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE. OKAY. SO IF THE PARENT CHOOSES TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT, THEN WE'RE ABLE TO PUT THEM IN OUR CHILDCARE PROGRAM AND WE, WE ASSIST THEM WITH CHILDCARE. WE GIVE THEM A LIST OF AVAILABLE OPTIONS THEY CAN CHOOSE. 'CAUSE IT'S PARENT CHOICE. AND A LOT OF OUR PARENTS CHOOSE THE OPTION WHERE THE DAYCARE WILL PICK UP THE CHILD AT SCHOOL AND BRING THEM TO BROTHER AFTER WORK, OR TAKE THEM TO TAKE THEM TO CHILDCARE DURING THE DAY AND BRING THEM BACK AT NIGHT WHILE, SO THAT LEAVES THE PARENTS FREE TO GO LOOK FOR WORK OR TO WORK. SO THAT'S, THAT'S ALWAYS A PARENT'S CHOICE. NOW, WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR LIKE, SINCE ABOUT 2012 WITH K AND UH, LAST YEAR WE WEREN'T FUNDED THAT WE BECAUSE WE DIDN'T ASK. OKAY. BUT BECAUSE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PROGRAM, WE CONTINUE THAT PROGRAM, THEY STILL COME CHILDCARE. SO IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT, THAT WE DON'T BELIEVE IN OR JUST GO GET SOME MONEY AND WE'LL GO DO IT. BUT WE BELIEVE IN THE FACT THAT THESE FOLKS BENEFIT FROM CHILDCARE AND FAMILIES BENEFIT FROM CHILDCARE. UM, HOW ARE THE CHILDCARE FACILITIES TODAY? HOW IS THE LIST ACROSS? WELL, THEY'RE ALL LICENSED CHILDCARE. WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ALL LICENSED AND WE, WE DO NOT OURSELVES GO OUT AND INSPECT THE FACILITY. BUT IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE A LICENSED CHILDCARE FACILITY, WE, WE FIGURE THOSE ARE, THOSE WORKS ARE SAFE. YEAH, SURE. UH, HOW MANY OF THESE FAMILIES RETURN? I MEAN, ONCE THEY GO THROUGH YOUR PROGRAM OR, UH, UH, WHAT'S THE TURN RATE? OKAY, SURE. YOU'D HAVE TO ASK THAT QUESTION. , IF ONLY I HAD AN ANGEL. OH, WAIT A MINUTE. I DO. PRETTY SURE YOU DO. I DON'T THINK I DO. YEAH. UH, THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR FOLKS THAT COME THROUGH OUR FAMILY CENTER, YOU KNOW, OUR WRITTEN FORD FAMILY CENTER, THE NATIONAL AVERAGE OF FOLKS LEAVING A HUD FUNDED TRANSITIONAL HOUSING PROGRAM, THAT USUALLY LASTS TWO YEARS. OKAY. UH, WHERE THEY GET CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS, AND THEN THEY LEAVE THE SHELTER AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. NATIONAL AVERAGE IS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 25 AND 35% OF THOSE FOLKS RETURN TO A SHELTER WITHIN A YEAR. WE TRACK OUR, OUR FOLKS FOR A YEAR AFTER THEY LEAVE OUR SHELTER, WE'RE AT ABOUT BETWEEN TWO AND 5%. OKAY. WE HAVE THE HMIS, WHICH IS THE HOMELESS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM THAT WE USE. AND SO WE'RE ABLE TO TRACK OUR RESIDENTS WHEN THEY LEAVE. AND SO WE KNOW IF THEY'VE SHOWED UP AT ANOTHER SHELTER, WE KNOW ABOUT IT. THAT'S HOW WE TRACK IT. YEAH. AND YOU, YOU ATTRIBUTE THAT TO THE SUCCESS, UH, BECAUSE OF THE, UH, HOUSING THE CHILDREN ARE YOU, YOU KNOW, GIVING THEM 'EM TALKING. I ATTRIBUTE THAT TO THE ENTIRE BAHS EXPERIENCE. OKAY. NOT JUST, NOT JUST THE CHILDCARE PORTION, BUT THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE THAT THE FAMILY GETS. WE, OKAY, WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT. WE, WE GIVE THEM A INTENSIVE CASE WORK EXPERIENCE. WE DO FINANCIAL LITERACY TRAINING WITH ALL THE, ALL THE PARENTS. WE DO, UH, EMPLOYMENT SERVICES TRAINING TO TEACH PEOPLE HOW TO GAIN A JOB. AND WE SAY, NOT TO GAIN, BUT TO GAIN, TO, WE TRAIN TO GAIN AND THEN MAINTAIN A JOB BECAUSE A LOT OF FOLKS DIDN'T FIND A JOB AND THEN LOSE IT REAL QUICK. OKAY. BUT WE TRAINED PEOPLE TO MAINTAIN A JOB AS WELL. OKAY. AND THEN ALSO WE'RE GONNA START, THIS IS IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS, WE'RE GONNA [00:35:01] BE STARTING OUR PARENTING PROGRAM AS WELL. SO WE'LL BE DOING THAT. THEN WE THROW IN LITTLE THINGS LIKE THE NUTRITION PROGRAM THAT HEARTS ENHANCE WITH RIGHT NOW. SO IT'S A, IT'S AN ENTIRE WRAPAROUND PROCESS THAT WE USE. WE CALL IT A PATHWAY TO SUCCESS AT OUR SHELTER. BUT THANK YOU FOR ASKING. THANK YOU, SIR. I HAVE A QUESTION. SURE. IS IT A REQUIREMENT THAT THE CHILDCARE FACILITIES ARE IN BAYTOWN, UH, LET'S SAY FROM A FAMILY AND I WORK IN CROSBY AND I WANNA PICK A FACILITY IN CROSBY. CAN I CHOOSE THAT FACILITY? HOW IS THAT VERIFIED? YOU KNOW WHAT, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND I'LL FIND THE ANSWER TO THAT. 'CAUSE I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW. ALL OF OUR SUCCESSES COME FROM, ALL OF OUR EXPERIENCES COME FROM, FROM THE BAYTOWN AREA, FROM THE, FROM THE, FROM THE, UH, SHE OR THE, UH, SERVICE PROVIDERS IN BAYTOWN. OKAY, WELL THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE DO NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE FUNDS STAY IN THE COMMUNITY. SO SOMEBODY, IF YOU'RE SENDING THOSE FUNDS TO, I CAN GET YOU THAT ANSWER, BUT I'VE NOT, I'VE NOT COME ACROSS THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, WE DO SERVE AS, WE SERVE AS CHAMBERS, WE SERVE AS LIBERTY COUNTY AS WELL. RIGHT. UM, BUT THAT'S WHERE, THAT'S WHAT WE CALL OUR SERVICE AREA. ABOUT 50 TO OR MORE PERCENT OF OUR RESIDENTS COMING FROM HOUSTON. HOUSTON CLEAN DOWNTOWN AND THE FENCE. AND ONE THING ANOTHER TO COME TO BAYTOWN AND TO OUR SHELTER TO BE SAFE. SO, UH, BUT I, I CAN GET THAT ANSWER FOR YOU, BUT I DON'T, I CAN'T REMEMBER, AND ALL THE TIME THAT I'VE BEEN HERE, CAN'T REMEMBER US EVER PAYING A PROVIDER THAT WAS OUTSIDE THE CITY PAY. I'VE NEVER PROCESSED A REIMBURSEMENT. I MEAN, I'VE DONE THEIR YEAH. USUALLY, OR YEAH. YEAH. I APPRECIATE THAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YES. AND WE'LL MOVE ON TO, UM, TAB NUMBER FIVE NEXT, 4 0 6 STIMULATION IS KIND OF UNUSUAL AND I ASKING FOR DEMOLITION MONEY, BUT, UH, ALRIGHT, HERE'S THE DEAL. I MEAN, WE CAN, WE CAN ASK, YOU KNOW, AND SO WE ARE, FEEL FREE TO ASK ABOUT THAT. UH, WE'RE ASKING FOR $30,000 TO DEMOLISH OUR CURRENT ADMINISTRATION BUILDING. MOST OF YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE ON A PROGRAM RIGHT NOW TO RENOVATE OUR CAMPUS TO, TO RENEW OUR CAMPUS. AND THE FIRST STEP IN RENEWING OUR CAMPUS IS TO DEMOLISH OUR EXISTING, UH, ADMIN BUILDING AT 34 0 6 WISCONSIN STREET. THE REASON FOR THAT IS 34 0 6 WISCONSIN STREET WAS BUILT IN 1930. IT'S AN OLD WOODEN, WOODEN STRUCTURE. IT WAS BUILT AS A SINGLE FAMILY HOME. AND I LIKE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, YOU BUY A BRAND NEW HOME HERE IN BAYTOWN OR ANYWHERE ELSE NOWADAYS, AND YOU MOVE INTO THAT BRAND NEW HOME, IT'S WELL INSULATED USUALLY. UH, IT'S GOT SOME NICE AMENITIES LIKE AIR CONDITIONING, UH, A ROOF THAT DOESN'T LEAK, HOPEFULLY, THINGS LIKE THAT. AND IT'S GOT A LOT OF STORAGE, AT LEAST DECENT AMOUNT OF STORAGE. NEVER HAVE. MY WIFE SAYS WE NEVER HAVE ENOUGH STORAGE, BUT IT'S GOT A GOOD AMOUNT OF STORAGE. THESE HOMES BUILT IN 1930, WERE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDES FOR FOLKS WITH, REMEMBER, IT WAS A DEPRESSION. NONE OF YOU REMEMBER. IT WAS A DEPRESSION, BUT FROM SCHOOL, IT WAS A DEPRESSION. PEOPLE DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING. THEY DIDN'T NEED A PLACE TO STORE THINGS. SO THERE WASN'T A WHOLE LOT OF STORAGE IN THESE OLD HOMES. SO, UH, THIS WAS A, AN OLD STRUCTURE. IT WAS OLD. IT WAS OLD IN 1985 WHEN WE PURCHASED IT. OKAY. IT WAS OLD THEN. AND IT'S ONLY GOTTEN WORSE BECAUSE WE'VE HAD MORE THAN 12,000 PEOPLE COME THROUGH THE TWO BUILDINGS. WE'VE HAD 12 MORE THAN 12,000 PEOPLE COME THROUGH. 34 0 4 AND 3 4 0 6 WISCONSIN STREET. AND PEOPLE ARE NOT AS GENTLE WITH OTHER PEOPLE'S THINGS AS THEY ARE WITH THEIR OWN THINGS. AND WE POURED A GREAT AMOUNT OF MONEY INTO MAINTAINING THESE BUILDINGS THAT WERE NOT BUILT FOR THE PURPOSE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE WE USE 'EM FOR. OKAY. SO WE WANT TO BUILD TWO PURPOSE, PURPOSE BUILT BUILDINGS. SO WHY I, OUR ROOF DOESN'T NECESSARILY LEAK, BUT IT DOES LEAK INSIDE. OKAY. FOR THAT. UH, AND WE CONSTANTLY HAVE TO HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT [00:40:01] THOSE MOISTURE ISSUES. FRONT PORCH IS DETERIORATING WHERE WE PUT, WE'VE HAD A VOLUNTEER GROUP PUT IN A BRAND NEW FRONT PORCH. A COUPLE YEARS AGO, MAYBE ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO, I THINK IT WAS, THAT THE UNITED WAY GROUP CAME IN AND REDID OUR FRONT PORCH, BUT NEXT TO THE PORCH, WE WERE DETERIOR READY. ARE, YOU KNOW, REMEMBER I MENTIONED AIR CONDITIONING? THAT NICE THING TO HAVE. OKAY, WELL, ALL OF THESE WINDOWS IN THIS BUILDING AND ALSO OUR MEN'S SHELTER, UH, WHEN WE WANT TO COOL THAT ROOM OFF, IT'S GOT A WINDOW AIR ER, AND THOSE THINGS LEAK. AND OVER TIME THE CONDENSATION FROM THE, FROM THE MACHINES, WE DAMAGE OUR, OUR WOOD, THAT PARTICULAR STRUCTURE THERE, THAT'S ONE OF OUR, OUR ROOMS IN THE ADMIN BUILDING THAT FRAMEWORK AROUND THAT AIR CONDITIONER THAT'S BEEN REPLACED AT LEAST TWICE SINCE I'VE BEEN THERE. BUT IT KEEPS LEAK AND THEN DON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. SO THAT'S NOW OUR ACCESS TO OUR PIPE SYSTEM. I, I'M HOPING I'M NOT DOING THAT. NO, YOU'RE NOT. OKAY. OKAY. OUR ACCESS FOR OUR PIPES SYSTEM, SOMETHING IS A CRAWL SPACE UNDERNEATH THE, UH, UNDERNEATH THE BUILDING. MY GOODNESS. OKAY. SO THIS IS A LITTLE BIT INCONVENIENT WHEN WE HAVE, WE HAVE TO MAKE A REPAIR AND LET'S SEE WHAT'S, A YEAR AGO, A CHRISTMAS ASSIGNMENT WAS REALLY, REALLY COLD. AND WE WERE WORRIED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, UH, FREEZING PIPES AND ALL THAT. SO WE DECIDED TO TURN THE WATER OFF IN THAT BUILDING, BUT WE COULD TURN IT OFF ON THE MAIN, BUT WE ALSO HAD TO TURN IT OFF UNDERNEATH THE, WE, WE HAD A BUSTED PIPE AND, AND WE HAD TO GET IN THERE AND FIX THE BUSTED PIPE UNDER THE, UH, UNDER THE BILL. SO A LOCAL GENTLEMAN ON, ON OUR BOARD BY THE NAME OF RD BURNSIDE THAT MANY OF YOU MAY KNOW, UH, RD AND HIS FRIENDS ON CHRISTMAS DAY, TOOK A BREAK AND CAME TO OUR SHELTER AND CRAWLED UNDER THERE AND FIXED OUR, OUR LEAKY PIPE. SO THIS IS, THIS IS NOT GOOD FOR A, FOR MODERN BUSINESS. THERE'S A SPACE UNDER OUR, OUR, UH, STORAGE ROOM FLOOR. AND, UH, PART OF THE FLOORING HAD BEEN REPLACED. THAT'S A, THAT'S THE BACK PART NEXT TO OUR BACK DOOR AREA WHERE THE, UH, WHERE THE ROOF HAD A, HAD A HOLE IN THE, IN THE EAVES AND LEAKED DOWN. AND, UH, AND THAT WAS ROTTED. AND THAT'S THE STORAGE BUILDING THAT WE HAVE TO REPLACE ANYWAY, BECAUSE IF WE KNOCK DOWN THE, THE ADMIN BUILDING, THAT BUILDING'S GONNA GO TOO, BECAUSE IT NEEDS TO GO IN ORDER TO PROVIDE ACCESS FOR THE, FOR THE DEMOLITION CREW. UH, THE BUILDING ON THE LEFT IS A CURRENT BUILDING. THE STRUCTURES ON THE RIGHT ARE WHAT WE HOPE TO ATTAIN WITH OUR BUILDING PROJECT. THE BUILDING ON THE LEFT OF THE GREEN ROOF IS, IS THE MEN THE NEW MEN'S SHELTER. AND THAT'LL BE BUILT WHERE THE ADMIN BUILDING IS NOW THAT WE WANT IT TO ABOLISH. AND THEN THE BUILDING NEXT TO THAT ON THE RIGHT, WHICH ARE THE ADMIN BUILDING. SO WE HAVE TO FLIPFLOP THE PROPERTIES, BUT WE HAVE TO BUILD THE MEN'S SHELTER FIRST ON THE ADMIN BUILDING PROPERTY BECAUSE, WELL, FOR SOME REASON, THE CITY AND UNITED WAY AND ALL THESE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, THEY WANT US TO CONTINUE TO HOUSE PEOPLE. AND SO WE HAVE TO HAVE A, A MEN'S SHELTER OPERATIONAL DURING THE ENTIRE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD IS THAT I'M DOING NOW. SO WE QUESTION. YEAH, SURE. UH, Y'ALL OWN THE BUILDING THAT'S ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE BEHIND THAT TOO, RIGHT? THAT'S WHERE THE MEN LIVE. THE, THE MEN ACTUALLY LIVE ON THE BUILDING. IF YOU, IF YOU'LL LOOK ON THE NEW, WHERE THE NEW BUILDINGS ARE, THE BUILDING ON THE RIGHT IS THE MEN, IS IS CURRENT, WOULD BE THE CURRENT MEN'S BUILDING SITE. THAT'S WHERE THE MEN ARE. THEN THERE'S A TWO STORY BUILDING BEHIND THAT BUILDING WITH THE GREEN ROOF. AND THAT'S A WOMEN'S SHELTER. THAT'S OUR WOMEN'S BUILDING. AND THEN BEHIND THAT, FACING OUT THE 34 OR FIVE, MINNESOTA IS A BRAND NEW FAMILY CENTER THAT WE BUILT IN 2016, WHICH IS, IT'S ON THE OTHER, ON, ON ANOTHER, ON THE OTHER STREET. YEAH. IT BACK, IT BACKS UP ONTO, BACKS UP ONTO THAT ALLEY AND FACES ONTO MINNESOTA. AND THE HOUSE IS JUST NOTHING BUT MEN. THE HOUSE THAT WOULD BE ON THE RIGHT, I'M TALKING ABOUT EXISTING, THE ONE YOU JUST BUILT IN TWO SIX 2016. NO, WE JUST BUILT IS THE FAMILY CENTER. 2016 IS A FAMILY CENTER. IT'S WRITTEN FULLER CENTER FOR INTACT FAMILIES. OKAY. SO ONLY, ONLY MOMS AND DADS OR INTACT FAMILIES OF [00:45:01] SOME SORT LIVE IN THAT BUILDING. OUR HOUSE THAT THEY KEEP THE KIDS SEPARATE FROM THE MEN'S. IT'S MEN'S ONLY, ONE'S ONLY FAMILIES ONLY. OH, GOOD. FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN. THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO KNOW. WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN THE WOMEN'S, IN THE WOMEN'S BUILDING. SO WHY DID WE ASK FOR $30,000? WELL, WE HAD TWO ESTIMATES. WE HAD AN ESTIMATE, UH, MAYBE ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO TO KNOCK THAT BUILDING DOWN WHEN WE FIRST FIGURED OUT WHAT THIS PROJECT WAS GONNA TAKE. AND THAT WAS ABOUT $8,000. AND THEN WE HAD ANOTHER ESTIMATE, WHICH I THINK WE INCLUDED IN THE PACKET HERE, WHICH IS WHAT, $15,000 GIVE OR TAKE. AND THEY ADVISED US THAT THAT REASON THAT WAS THAT LOW WAS THEY WEREN'T TAKING ASBESTOS INTO CONSIDERATION. AND IF WE WERE TO DEMOL THE BUILDING, WE WOULD HAVE TO DO, UH, ASBESTOS REMEDIATION. AND WE REINFORCED THAT IDEA OF WHEN WE HAD AN ENGINEER COME OUT AND DO A, AN ENGINEERING STUDY ON OUR, ON OUR PROPERTY JUST A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. AND HE SAID PROBABLY ASBESTOS IN THAT BUILDING. SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE ASKING FOR, FOR MORE MONEY THAN WHAT YOU'D SEE ON THE ESTIMATE THERE. OKAY. I SEE THAT THIS, UH, DEMOLITION COMPANY IS OUT OF WALLER. UH, YES. HOW WAS THAT COMPANY SELECTED? WERE COMPANIES LOCALLY LOOKED AT? WE, WE GOT OUR ORIGINAL ESTIMATE, I THINK IT WAS FROM CHERRY, UH, DEMOLITION IN HOUSTON I BELIEVE. AND CHERRY WENT OUT OF THE DEMOLITION BUSINESS. THEY A DIFFERENT TYPE OF WORK NOW. AND THEY GAVE THEIR DEMOLITION BUSINESS TO THIS PARTICULAR COMPANY. AND SO THEY WERE REFERRED TO THEM. WE WERE TO THEM, WE CONTACTED THEM. THEY CAME RIGHT OUT TO DO THE, THE ESTIMATE. OKAY. IF WE WANT, IF IT'S THE CITY'S DESIRE TO HAVE SOMEONE MORE LOCAL THAN, UH, THAN THE WALLET, THEN WE WOULD BE GLAD TO GET ANOTHER ESTIMATE. BUT THIS WAS JUST A YES NO, BUT HE HAD IT IN HANDS. OKAY. IT WAS EXPEDIENT. PRIOR TO BILL SUBMITTING HIS APPLICATION, WE ACTUALLY MEANT TO DISCUSS THIS PROJECT. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE GOING TO CONSIDER WAS USING THE CITY'S DEMOLITION CONTRACTOR. 'CAUSE THE CITY DOES HAVE A CONTRACT FOR ALL OF OUR SUB STANDARD STRUCTURES. YEAH. AND, UM, IT SHOULDN'T BE A PROBLEM FOR US TO USE THE CITY'S DEMO CONTRACTOR. WE COULD PROBABLY ALSO CUT THE COSTS DOWN. YEAH. AND, UM, I HAVE A PHONE NUMBER FOR SOMEBODY, SOMEBODY THAT I COULD CONTACT REGARDING A SPECIMEN AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THAT IS SOMETHING. SO THAT COST COULD COME DOWN A LITTLE BIT IF WE USE THE CITY'S DEMO CONTRACT. AND I THANK YOU SHARON, FOR MENTIONING THAT BECAUSE I, I WASN'T GONNA MUDDY THE WATERS BY, BY MENTIONING THAT WE ASKED THE CITY FOR SOME DEMOLITION MONEY BACK BEFORE WE BUILT OUR NEW FAMILY CENTER. WE HAD TO KNOCK DOWN A GARAGE APARTMENT TO MAKE WAY OF THAT. AND WE, WE COME TO CDBG FOR, FOR FUNDING FOR THAT PROJECT. WE WERE GRANTED THE MONEY AND THE CITY DID PROVIDE THE DEMOLITION, UH, TEAM TO COME OUT AND DO THAT. SO THAT I DIDN'T, DIDN'T WANT MENTION THAT CASE. THAT WASN'T A POSSIBILITY FOR THE SUB AROUND. SO OUR, OUR GOAL IS NOT TO GET THE DOLLARS. OUR GOAL IS TO GET THE BUILDING DEMOLISHED PROPERLY OKAY. SAFELY, SO THAT WE CAN BUILD A, A BETTER BUILDING AND TO DO BETTER FOR WISCONSIN STREET. OKAY. SO THAT'S WORK. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? WILL THE NEW BUILDING BE SLAB ON GRADE? WILL IT BE PEER AND ABUSIVE? THE NEW BUILDING IS SCHEDULED TO BE SLAB ON GRAVE. YEAH. I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT IT HAD TO BE PEER AND PURE ON BEAM, BUT NO, I THINK IT'S THAT WAY. I WAS GONNA ASK, UM, HOW, HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOING ON, I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THE OVERALL PROJECT FOR A COUPLE YEARS NOW. YEP. HAS HOW MUCH PROGRESS HAS BEEN? WELL, WE HAVE ABOUT FOUR $50,000 GIVE IT TAKE RIGHT NOW IN THE BANK WATCH FOR THE BAYTOWN SUN THIS WEEKEND BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA GET ANOTHER LARGE GIFT FROM OUR FRIEND ROGER ELDER. OKAY. WHICH IS A GOOD THING. AND, UH, WE HAVE GRANTS REQUESTING ADDITIONAL MONEY. WE HAVE A VERY LARGE PRECINCT TWO GRANT 10. AND SO WE, WE HOPE TO GET SOME MONEY FROM THAT PRECINCT TWO INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT. AND ONCE WE DO, ONCE WE GET THAT, THEN WE'LL BE OFF, OFF IN LINE. YEAH. THANK YOU. THE NAME YOU JUST MENTIONED, ROGER ELLSWORTH. ROGER ELLSWORTH. ELLSWORTH ELLSWORTH. YEAH. HE OWNS COMMUNITY HONDA TOYOTA. OKAY. KIA CARIA. MM-HMM. A COUPLE DEALERSHIPS IN LOUISIANA. BIG HOME IN UTAH. YEAH. AND, AND HE IS A GOOD FRIEND. HE'S ALWAYS BEEN A GOOD FRIEND OF OUR AGENCY. HE'S A GOOD FRIEND THAT PUT A LOT OF AGENCIES HERE AND IN BACON. HE COLLABORATED WITH [00:50:01] HEARTS AND HANDS. DO WE'LL DO A BIG FOOD, UH, DISTRIBUTION OVER A BIG THING CHURCH. UH, MAYBE LAST YEAR I BELIEVE IT WAS. YEAH. SO YEAH. ROGER'S A NICE, YOU TELL MY SISTER THAT. . ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, MR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I APPRECIATE IT. I'LL ALLOW CALL, UM, BAY AREA COUNSEL ON DRUGS AND ALCOHOL LIFE RECOVERY SERVICES. TAB NUMBER THREE. OKAY. I DO NOT HAVE SLIDES. UH, THIS IS A NEW PROGRAM SO THERE WASN'T ANYTHING TO KINDA TAKE PICTURES. . MY NAME IS SUE ROBERTS. I'M THE, UH, I'M THE BRAND NEW, UH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR THE BAY AREA COUNCIL AND DRUGS AND ALCOHOL, ALSO KNOWN AS DAKOTA. WE'VE BEEN IN BUSINESS, UH, WE'RE FIXING TO CELEBRATE OUR 50TH YEAR IN THE THE GULF AREA. UM, BEEN IN BUSINESS SINCE 1974, PROVIDING DRUG AND ALCOHOL SERVICES TO THE COMMUNITY, PROVIDING RESOURCES, THAT TYPE OF THING. I BROUGHT WITH ME, UM, MIKE FLORES, HE'S OUR, UM, OUR, OUR BILINGUAL COUNSELOR. HE SERVICES THE BAYTOWN AREA OFFERING COUNSELING. HE WORKS AT THE POINT WITH THE KIDS. UH, HE, UM, HAS DONE A LOT OF STUFF IN BAYTOWN. WE WANT HIM DOING MORE. AND THAT'S WHAT THIS PROJECT'S ABOUT. UH, STEPHANIE AL, SHE'S OVER OUR, OUR COALITIONS UP IN THIS AREA AND AMBER CARTER, SHE IS HAS HOW MANY YEARS HERE IN THE, UM, I'VE BEEN THE COALITION COORDINATOR IN THIS AREA FOR 10 YEARS. UM, I'M ALSO A BAYTOWN RESIDENT AND MY HUSBAND ALSO WORKS AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. SO, AND THE COALITION IS FUNDED BY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, UH, TEXAS. AND THEY, UM, UH, WORK IN THE COMMUNITY TO ADDRESS UNDERAGE DRINKING AND DRUG USE AND DO A LOT OF EDUCATION. IF YOU NEED A PRESENTATION ON FENTANYL OR SOME OF THE OTHER NEW CRAZY STUFF OUT THERE, AMBER'S YOUR PERSON. SO, UM, UH, ANYWAY, THE, UM, WE WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY, UH, WE WANTED MORE PEOPLE, UH, GETTING HELP AS FAR AS DRUG AND ALCOHOL COUNSELING. AND, UM, THEN WE REALIZED THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE BURIED IN THE DISEASE OR THEY JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GET HELP AND FAMILIES. AND WE LOOKED AT THE, UH, OUR SITUATION AND MIKE WILL ATTEST THAT, UH, MANY OF OUR FAMILIES WE, UH, DEAL WITH HAVE OTHER PROBLEMS AS WELL. UH, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THEY, THEY NEED A JOB OR THEY NEED, UH, FOOD OR THEY NEED, UH, OTHER SOCIAL SERVICES. SO, UM, WHAT WE CAME UP WITH WAS A C COMMUNITY HEALTH EDUCATOR AND DEDICATED JUST TO BAYTOWN WHAT WE WANT THIS PERSON TO DO. IT SHOULD BE A ONE MAN, PRO LADY PROGRAM. MM-HMM . THAT, UH, CAN GO THROUGHOUT BAYTOWN AREA, WORK WITH OTHER SOCIAL SERVICES AS WELL AS OUR, YOU KNOW, ADVERTISE OUR STUFF, BUT GO INTO THE COMMUNITY AND DO PRESENTATIONS, NETWORK WITH THE OTHER SOCIAL SERVICES. AND, UH, MORE OR LESS SATURATE THE BAYTOWN COMMUNITY. SO THESE PEOPLE WILL KNOW THAT THERE IS HELP AVAILABLE. AND MOST OF THIS HELP IS FREE. IT'S FUNDED BY UNITED WAY, UH, OR OTHER, OTHER GRANTS IN THE COMMUNITY. SO WHAT WE, WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS, UH, HIRE A COMMUNITY HEALTH EDUCATOR DEDICATED TO THE BAYTOWN AREA AND, UH, UM, KEEP THAT PERSON BUSY, UH, IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, DOING GOOD THINGS. SO, AND ADDITIONALLY, UM, WE WANT THAT PERSON TO BE BILINGUAL. UM, BECAUSE, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I SEE WHEN I'M OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, I DO A LOT OF WORK WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, UM, AND WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT IS, UM, A LOT OF FAMILIES ARE SPANISH SPEAKING. UM, SO WE WANNA BE ABLE TO PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS, UH, IN SPANISH AND THEN ALSO HAVE A PERSON WHO'S BILINGUAL, UM, WHO CAN TALK WITH THOSE FAMILIES AND WORK WITH THEM. AND WE HAVE, UH, BILINGUAL PEOPLE ANSWERING PHONES. AND MIKE IS BILINGUAL. WE JUST, UH, WANT TO HELP MORE PEOPLE IN THE BAYTOWN AREA. AND, UH, UH, SEE IS WHERE DO YOU GET HELP? WHAT WE CALL, CALL THE ? WE CALL, UH, UH, [00:55:01] SOME OF THE OTHER SERVICES OUT THERE. BUT, UH, UH, LIKE I SAY, OUR FAMILIES THAT COME IN AND NEED OUR HELP NEED SO MANY OTHER SERVICES. AND THE UNITED WAY, GREATER HOUSTON, WHICH FUNDS MY POSITION, UH, IS PUTTING TOGETHER WHAT THEY CALL IT A, UH, CLIENT INTEGRATED JOURNEY WHERE OKAY, THEY GET HELP FROM US, BUT WE DO A SOFT HAND OVER TO, UH, THE, TO THE NAVIGATOR WITHIN THE UNITED WAY AND THEY MAKE SURE THEY GET THE OTHER HELP AND, UH, KEEP TABS. WE KEEP TABS OF THE PEOPLE AND, AND MAKE SURE THEY, UM, FOLLOW THROUGH. 'CAUSE FOLLOWING THROUGH IS, IS NOT THEIR STRONGEST SUIT SOMETIMES, UH, BUT THEY CAN'T GET HELP UNLESS THEY KNOW HELP OF THE DAY WITH BOTTOM LINE. AND YOUR PROPOSAL LAST YEAR, AND AGAIN THIS YEAR YOU SPEAK OF HAVING, UH, KIND OF HAVING, UH, RADIO SPOTS MM-HMM . AND, UM, ENGLISH AND SPANISH. WHAT RADIO STATIONS WOULD THESE BE ON? WE'VE WORKED WITH UNIVISION BEFORE AND, UH, WE, UNIVISION IS A VERY STRONG PARTNER, UM, THAT WE HAVE THAT, UH, MANY OF OUR COORDINATORS HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWS OR THEY REACHED OUT TO US ON LOCAL STORIES THAT ARE HAPPENING. UM, SO THEY'RE OUR CURRENT BIG PARTNER MEDIA. MM-HMM . YEAH. MEDIA, BAYTOWN, SUN COVERS A LOT OF OUR, OUR STORIES. MM-HMM . UM, AND THEN WE USED, UM, AT SHOWBIZ THEATERS, WE HAD, UM, A LOT OF SPOTS THERE TOO TO TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH BECAUSE WE ALSO, UM, WORK WITH, UM, GETTING THE WORD OUT ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AS WELL. SO AN ISSUE WITH THAT WOULD BE, UM, THESE FUNDS ARE SUPPOSED TO TARGET SPECIFICALLY CITY BASED OUT RESIDENTS. SO HOW CAN YOU BE SURE THAT THAT'S WHO YOU'RE REACHING? WELL THIS PERSON WOULD, LIKE I SAID, BE A ONE PERSON. WELL, I MEAN WITH THE ADVERTISING ADVERTISING, I MEAN, HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THE PERSON WATCHING ION THAT DAY IS UHHUH A BAYTOWN RESIDUE. HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? BECAUSE WE HAVE TO REPORT THOSE NUMBERS TO HUD. I'D HAVE TO SPECIFICALLY TELL THEM THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SERVED. SO WE WERE GONNA REIMBURSE YOU FOR THAT. HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE SERVED BY THAT ADVERTISEMENT? HOW CAN YOU TRACK THEM? WE HAVE A MEDIA COORDINATOR WHO DOES, WHO WOULD PROBABLY HAVE THAT ANSWER. UM, UH, DANIELLE MEYER, SHE IS OUR MEDIA COORDINATOR AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN OTHER INSTANCES WHERE THEY'VE ASKED THAT QUESTION. SHE WOULD HAVE THAT ANSWER. WE CAN DO THAT. SO HAVE Y'ALL RECEIVED FUNDING IN THE PAST THAT'S SPECIFIC TO A CERTAIN AREA? UM, WELL, WITH UNITED WAY. WITH UNITED WAY AND UM, WE DO HAVE A, UH, GRANT WITH THE STATE WITH, YOU HAVE TO REPORT NUMBERS TO THE STATE AS WELL. BUT THAT'S FOR THE WHOLE STATE, IS IT NOT? NO, NO MA'AM. IT'S, UM, THE SELECTED, SELECTED COUNTIES AREA. MM-HMM . OUR AREA CODES. MM-HMM . AREA CODES. CORRECT. SO WE HAVE TWO FEDERAL GRANTS THAT ARE, UH, ONE'S PASADENA SPECIFIC AND ONE IS LAPORTE SPECIFIC. SO YOU MENTIONED RECEIVING FUNDING FOR THE UNITED WAY OF GREATER HOUSTON, BUT YOU'RE OPERATING IN THE SERVICE AREA OF THE UNITED WAY OF GREATER BASED HUNTER CHAMBERS COUNTY. HOW DOES THAT WORK? UH, WE'RE ALLOWED, UH, UH, GREATER HOUSTON, WE ARE ALLOWED TO SEE PEOPLE AND WE REPORT ZIP CODES. UH, SO THEY, THEY PREDOMINANTLY WANT THEIR ZIP CODES, BUT THEY, WE TELL PEOPLE WE DO NOT TURN ANYBODY AWAY. AND, UH, WE JUST REPORT THOSE ZIP CODES AS WELL. AND, UH, THEY ACCEPT THEM WHENEVER I DO GO VISIT INDIVIDUALS OR WE CAN GET PHONE CALLS FROM, FROM PEOPLE. I, I DO TRACK THE ZIP CODES OF WHERE, WHERE THEY COME FROM, HOW THEY HEARD ABOUT IT, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE DOLLARS THAT ARE, THAT WE ARE RECEIVING ARE BEING UTILIZED IN, IN AN EFFECTIVE MANNER. COMING TO THE COMMUNITY HERE, UH, I HAVE A SPREADSHEET AND I MAINTAIN, UH, CONFIDENTIALITY DUE TO HIPAA. UH, BUT I GET THE ZIP CODES, THE AGES, UH, AND DEMOGRAPHICS, THINGS LIKE THAT, WHICH I REPORT THROUGH SUPERVISION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE REACHING THE PEOPLE WE REACH. MM-HMM . THE POSITIVE THING THAT'S, THAT I'VE NOTICED THAT HAS HAPPENED HERE IN BAYTOWN, WHICH I KNOW YOU ALL BE VERY HAPPY ABOUT, IS GOING TO THE POINT ONCE THESE KIDS, SOME OF THEM, THE RECIDIVISM RATE IS KIND OF HIGH. THEY, THEY GO IN AND OUT, IN AND OUT BECAUSE OF VAPES OR WHATEVER OTHER DRUGS THAT THEY'RE ON. THEY FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE TALKING TO ME, YOU KNOW, AND TELLING ME EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON. BUT SOME OF THEM, WHEN THEY GO BACK TO THEIR HOME CAMPUSES ARE ASKING FOR INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING, THEY'RE ASKING FOR ME TO COME BACK OUT AND TO HELP OUT. SO IT IS BEING AFFECTED. THEY'VE, UH, THE TEACHERS THERE AT THE [01:00:01] POINT SAY THAT THEY LOVE THERE, THEY LOVE HAVING THAT TIME. THEY LOVE ASKING QUESTIONS AND THEY GET REAL INFORMATION. NOT THE SCARE TACTICS YOU SEE ON TV, BUT REAL WORLD ISSUES OF WHAT HAPPENS. A LONG ENOUGH TIMELINE. WE'RE IN THE SHORT TERM, SO WE HAVE TO MAKE, YOU KNOW, AFFECTING CHANGE HERE. ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAVE, UM, I ALWAYS AM A LITTLE RETICENT TO HIRE SOMEBODY USING CDPG FUNDS. 'CAUSE WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FUTURE IF YOU ALL GET THOSE FUNDS? WHAT IS YOUR PLAN TO ENSURE THAT THIS POSITION WOULD STAY FUNDED, UM, IF THESE FUNDS AREN'T AWARDED IN THE FUTURE? WELL, UH, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, UH, WE'VE GOT A, UH, WE ARE, WE WROTE FOR THE STATE FOR, UM, WE HAVE FIVE COALITIONS, PASADENA, GALVESTON, BRAZORIA, MATAGORDA, WHARTON, AND, UM, TERRACE, SOUTHEAST TERRACE. AND, UH, THE STATE WOULD ONLY ALLOW US TO WRITE FOR FOUR. UH, I I, WE'VE GOT A CRACKER JACK PERSON IN PASADENA. I MEAN, SHE IS FABULOUS AND I WAS HOPING TO MOVE HER OVER. SO, UH, AS FAR AS FUNDING IN THE FUTURE, UM, WE OPERATE OFF GRANTS. UH, WE'RE UNFORTUNATELY USED TO BEING THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE CORRECTION, MA'AM. SURE. MY TIME BEING HERE, AND I KNOW THAT THIS IS GONNA BE BROUGHT UP DURING BUDGET DELIBERATIONS, NOWHERE DOES THIS SPECIFY HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS YOU GOING TO, TO ME, TO ME IT SEEMS LIKE THIS 82,000 WE'RE GOING TO KEEP YOU GUYS OPERATIONAL FOR IT LEAVES THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. WHAT DO YOU THINK TO THE, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT? WELL, THE, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAY, THE MAIN THING IS TO GET OUT AND NETWORK FOR EVERYBODY, NOT JUST US. AND, UM, WE WILL, BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THE NEED IS THERE AND, AND HOPEFULLY THERE'S PEOPLE ON THE FAST TRACK TO RECOVERY AND THEY CAN GET THE ASSISTANCE THEY THAT THEY NEED. BUT ALL I SEE IS WE'RE GOING TO BE FUNDING A, A EMPLOYEE OFFICE SUPPLIES, POSTED, ADVERTISING, TRAVELING CONSULTANTS, AND NOWHERE ELSE TO SAY HOW MANY PEOPLE GOING TO ASSIST FOR THIS PROGRAM. YEAH. SO WE HAVE NUMBERS. SO FOR THE COALITION, I HAVE NUMBERS THAT I HAVE TO REPORT FOR MY STATE GRANT. RIGHT. AND I BELIEVE OUR ADULT NUMBERS ARE SOMEWHERE LIKE 2000 AND OUR YOUTH NUMBERS ARE LIKE A THOUSAND, SO THEY'RE HIGH. THE ISSUE IS, IS THAT ME AND MIKE, WE'RE ONLY TWO PEOPLE. SO I'M WORKING WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, I'M DOING PRESENTATIONS FOR PARENTS, I'M DOING PRESENTATIONS FOR YOUTH. YOU GUYS HAVE LIKE FIVE HIGH SCHOOLS. UM, IT'S JUST, IT'S A LOT FOR ONE PERSON TO DO. AND I'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS. AND THEN WE GOT THE GRANT WITH UNITED WAY SO THAT MIKE COULD COME OVER AND ACTUALLY DO THE ONE-ON-ONE COUNSELING, UM, WITH YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULTS. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, HE'S BEEN GOING OVER TO THE DISCIPLINARY ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL. UM, AND I MEAN, HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE YOU SEEING OVER THERE? UM, TWO SESSIONS. UH, WE TRY TO KEEP IT AROUND 10 TO 12 KIDS AT A TIME. WHEN YOU HAVE MORE IN THAT, IT, IT TENDS TO GET A LITTLE ROWDY, ESPECIALLY WITH KIDS, YOU KNOW. UH, BUT THE OTHER REALITY IS THIS, IS THAT RECOVERY ISN'T LINEAR FOR ANYONE. YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A JAGGED PROCESS, BUT THE INTENT IS THAT WE MAKE GAINS ALONG THAT PROCESS, WHETHER IT'S UP OR DOWN OR WHATEVER. THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF TIME, ACCORDING TO A PELVIC HARVARD STUDY, ABOUT 15 OR SO YEARS AGO, IS THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF TIME PEOPLE GO THROUGH REHAB OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IT'S ABOUT SEVEN, EIGHT. IT COULD BE MORE, IT COULD BE LESS. SOME PEOPLE TAKE THE, THE RECOVERY LIKE THE FIRST TIME. SOME IT TAKES DECADES, YEARS. WE OFFER THE FLEXIBILITY FOR PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO SAY, I'M NOT READY RIGHT NOW. THEY LEAVE. SOMETIMES THEY GHOST ME, THEY WON'T CALL BACK OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. AND THEY COME BACK A FEW MONTHS LATER WHEN THEY'RE READY. YOU KNOW? UH, WE, THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT WE'RE THERE AND YOU KNOW THAT WE'RE THERE AND IT'S A NON-JUDGMENTAL, YOU KNOW, PLACE. AND THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE SUFFERING. WE, WE CANNOT EXPECT, UH, CONSISTENCY FROM PEOPLE WHOSE LIFE IS SOMEWHAT IN CHAOS. YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE HAS TO BE SOME STABILITY SOMEWHERE. WE OFFER THAT STABILITY. BOTH, WELL, I GUESS I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM THIS YEAR. I HAD LAST YEAR WITH IT, AND IT'S KIND OF WHAT BOBBY WAS SAYING ABOUT, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY GONNA BE SERVED. [01:05:01] YOU SAY THEY'RE 15,000, UH, UNDERPRIVILEGED, UH, LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS OF IS THAT, ARE THOSE THE ONLY PEOPLE YOU'RE GONNA SERVE? ARE YOU GONNA SERVE ALL 15,000? THAT'S THE WAY IT READS. SO I REALLY WOULD LIKE SOME IDEA OF THE IMPACT IN NUMBERS OR PERCENTAGE OF WHAT THIS MONEY IS GOING TO ACCOMPLISH WITHIN THE COMMUNITY OF BETA. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S ALREADY BEING PLANNED? I SEE THAT THERE'S 74, 70 $400 GOING TO CONSULTING AND PLANNING. UH, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE, HAVE ALREADY ACCOUNTED FOR SOME TYPE OF CASE STUDY THAT WILL ALLOW US TO KNOW WHAT ACTUAL PERCENTAGE OF BAYTOWN REGISTER ARE BEING HELD BY THIS PROGRAM? YEAH, THAT WOULD BE FOR THE, UH, PUTTING TOGETHER THE NUMBERS AND, AND REPORTING TO Y'ALL. SO THAT WOULD BE, I WOULD SAY TELL US A NUMBER AND, YOU KNOW, DO IT SERIOUSLY. I DON'T THINK WE'RE IN A POSITION TO KNOW THE NUMBER. YOU ARE THE EXPERTS IN THIS AREA AND YOU SHOULD BE TELLING US THE NUMBER THAT IS OUT THERE. AND I KNOW IT'S A BALLPARK FIGURE AND THE NUMBER YOU THINK YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH WITH THE GRANT YOU HAVE ASKED US TO FUND. SO THE, SO YOU'RE ASKING FOR A SALARIES FOR A PERSON AND THEN YOU'RE GONNA HIRE A PERSON TO DO YOUR REPORTING, YOU KNOW? NO, THAT'S PROBABLY GONNA BE CONSULT SERVICES. HE, UM, JUST SMALL PERCENTAGE OF ADMIN PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER. SO, AND MORE, MORE TO THE, IN FACT, I THINK WHAT, WHAT THE BIG CONCERN IS, IS ARE WE BEING AFFECTED? THAT'S OUR CONCERN AT ANY GRANT POPULATION IS THAT WE HAVE, THE MONEY IS USED EFFECTIVELY. SO A A LOT OF THAT IS GONNA HAVE TO BE WITH FOLLOW UPS AND WE DON'T HAVE THE PERSONNEL TO BE ABLE TO FOLLOW UP WITH SIX MONTHS DOWN THE LINE. THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IS SOMEWHERE ABOUT 50% OR LESS. IF A PROGRAM GETS A LITTLE OVER 50%, LIKE 51% IS CONSIDERED A MIRACLE. YOU KNOW, UM, THERE WAS A PROGRAM CALLED THE MATRIX THAT THEY, THAT THEY USED IN WASHINGTON DC AND ALSO IN SKID ROW IN LA AND THEY WERE AT 52% RECOVERY RATE P SIGNIFICANT OR STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. WE CAN PULL THOSE NUMBERS TO YOU AND SHOW IT TO YOU BECAUSE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SUBSTANCE ABUSE, WE'RE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL, THEIR FAMILY, THEIR FRIENDS, EVERYBODY THAT LIVES AROUND, LIVE AROUND. 'CAUSE IT'S NOT JUST OVERDOSES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT POLICE SAFETY. THAT WAS A POLICE OFFICER FOR 24 YEARS. AND THE PEOPLE THAT KNOW MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE ISSUES ARE PSYCHOLOGISTS AND POLICE OFFICERS. 'CAUSE THEY SEE CRISES JUST LIKE US. THERE'S DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, THERE'S PETTY CRIMES, THERE'S ALL THESE OTHER THINGS THAT AFFECT THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. IF WE AFFECT, IF THERE'S 10% OF THE POPULATION THAT'S REALLY HIGH OF BAYTOWN THAT IS SUFFERING FROM SOME KIND OF SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, IT'S AFFECTING EVERYBODY ELSE IN BAYTOWN. IF WE CAN MAKE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THAT 10%, IT AFFECTS BASED ON OVERALL. SO YOU ALL ARE ASKING FOR, FOR QUITE A, QUITE A LARGE AMOUNT. UM, IF THE COMMITTEE JUST REVIEWS THIS AND IS ONLY ABLE TO GIVE YOU A PARTIAL AMOUNT OF IT, DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE A PLAN OF WHAT, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE? UM, WE ARE SEEKING OTHER FUNDING AND WE COULD POSSIBLY DIVIDE, DIVIDE THESE THIS PERSON'S DUTIES BETWEEN BAYTOWN AND, AND GIVE YOU A HALFTIME PERSON. YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU GO TO THE SCHOOLS. YES. UM, SO YOU GO TO APPOINT STUFF LIKE THAT TO REACH THE KIDS. HOW ARE YOU REACHING THE ADULTS THEY CALL IN AND SOMETIMES IT'S FAMILY MEMBERS THAT CALL IN OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. UH, I HAD A PERSON AT THE, UH, HOMELESS SHELTER, UH, A FEW MONTHS BACK THAT, UH, ENDED UP THERE BECAUSE OF THEIR SUBSTANCE USE. SO THEY'LL CALL 2 1 1. UH, PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT US IN THE COMMUNITY. WE DO COMMUNITY HEALTH FAIR WHERE WE GO OUT AND JUST GIVE MATERIALS SO PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE'RE HERE. AND SOMETIMES IT'S JUST THAT COLD CALL. WE DO GET PHONE CALLS FROM PEOPLE THAT ARE GAINFULLY. I HAD A, A MULTIMILLIONAIRE THAT THAT WE HAD TO HELP, UH, RECENTLY. UM, IT'S ONCE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE HESITANT TO USE THEIR EAPS OR THEIR INSURANCE BECAUSE WHOEVER PAYS FOR THE INSURANCE ALSO GETS THEIR MEDICAL RECORD. THOSE PEOPLE KNOW THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO LOSE THEIR JOBS BECAUSE OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY'RE SUFFERING FROM. SO WE COME, WE ARE THAT OTHER RESOURCE THAT HELPS THEM OUT WHERE THEY CAN GET THE TREATMENT THAT THEY NEED AND WE CAN FIGURE OUT A WAY FOR THEM TO GET TO RECOVER AND STILL, YOU KNOW, MAINTAIN THEIR EMPLOYMENT. THERE'S A LOT OF PLANTS AROUND HERE. THERE'S A LOT OF CHANCES FOR CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENTS. AND [01:10:01] JUST BECAUSE SOMEBODY'S NOT HIGH OR DRUNK ON THE DAY THAT THEY GO TO WORK DOESN'T MEAN THAT THEY'RE NOT AFFECTED THE REST OF THE WEEK WHILE THEY'RE AT THEIR JOBS. SO THIS IS A BIGGER PROBLEM THAN JUST THEM ALL. AND THE INDIVIDUAL DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE THE WORKER MAY BE THE WORKER'S, UH, DAUGHTER WHO, WHO STAYED OUT ALL NIGHT, UH, UH, OR IT COULD BE SOMEBODY ELSE IN THE FAMILY. SO IT, IT'S A PERVASIVE ISSUE IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE WORK WITH THE CASE WORKERS BECAUSE I, YOUNG ADULTS, WE HAVE PAMPHLETS THAT WERE PRINTED OUT THERE, LITTLE PAMPHLETS. AND I HAVE GONE TO BAY ON POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, THE EMS SERVICES, THE PORT, ALL THE, ALL THESE AREAS BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS ACROSS THE BRIDGE, THIS AND VICE VERSA. UH, BUT THESE PAMPHLETS ARE FOR FIRST RESPONDERS TO BE ABLE TO, IN THEIR VEHICLES AND GIVE THEM TO THE PEOPLE AND SAY, HEY, GIVE THIS PERSON A CALL. THE OTHER POSITIVE THING ABOUT POLICE OFFICERS HAVING THIS, THIS, UH, RESOURCE OR THESE DOCUMENTS IS INSTEAD OF BEING AN US VERSUS THEM, YOU KNOW, THING, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH POLICE OFFICERS, IT'S, OH MY GOD, THIS POLICE OFFICER GAVE ME, HE ACTUALLY CARES. HE WANTS TO HELP. YOU KNOW, SO IT'S, IT'S BETTER COMMUNITY RELATIONS. THESE WE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. SO IT'S JUST A MATTER OF GETTING OUT THERE. YOU KNOW, WE JUST GETTING THE INFORMATION, GETTING PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT WE'RE HERE. SO WE ARE ON A BIT OF A TIME CRUNCH. UM, CDAC. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO ASK THEM, WE'LL SEND THEM TO ME. I CAN THEN FORWARD THEM OUT TO SOUP. AND IF YOU CAN HAVE THEM ANSWER FOR US PRIOR TO OUR BUDGET DELIBERATION MEETING THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING, THEY'LL BE STARTING IN A LITTLE BIT AND THEY MIGHT MEET. SO WE'LL HAVE, SO I DO APOLOGIZE WE STILL HAVE MORE PRESENTERS. YES. SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE GET EVERYTHING. THANK YOU TIME. THANK YOU Y'ALL. THANK YOU. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO UM, POLICE DEPARTMENT. UM, EMERGENCY HOTEL PROGRAM. THAT IS TAB NUMBER SEVEN. I'M SORRY, THEY SAID, I'M SORRY. POLICE DEPARTMENT. I DON'T DISTURB YOU . GOOD EVENING. UM, WE WORK AT BAYTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT FAMILY VIOLENCE UNIT. WE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT NOBODY LIKES TO SEE, BUT THEY NEVER NEED US UNTIL THEY NEED US. AND THEY WE'RE ON CALL 24 7. AND WHEN I SAY WE'RE ON CALL 24 7, IT'S A SOLID 24 7. UM, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, WE WILL GET A CALL AND WE HAVE STAYED AT THE PD FOR THREE DAYS BECAUSE WE HAVE NO SHELTER. UM, SHELTERS ARE ALWAYS FULL WHEN DEPENDING ON THE SITUATION, WE CAN'T PUT A VICTIM IN A HOTEL BECAUSE IT'S NOT SAFE. IF THE OFFENDER IS HAS NOT BEEN CAUGHT, WE CAN'T CHANCE PUTTING THEM IN A HOTEL. WE EXPECT THESE PEOPLE TO TRUST US AND TAKE US AT OUR WORD THAT WE ARE THERE TO ASSIST THEM. IT'S, IT ALMOST FEEL LIKE IT'S NOT FAIR BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW US AND THEY ARE FAMILIAR WITH, IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW VIOLENT THE SITUATION IS. AT LEAST THAT'S SOMETHING THEY'RE FAMILIAR WITH. THEY DON'T KNOW US. THEY DON'T NECESSARILY TRUST THAT WE HAD THEIR DEATH, THEIR HEART DURING THE PANDEMIC, FAMILY VIOLENCE WENT UP 8%. IT'S NO DIFFERENT THAN BAYTOWN BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER PEOPLE ARE SHUT IN. I KNOW IT'S EASY TO THINK AND ASSUME THAT ALCOHOL IS THE BIGGEST FACTOR IN FAMILY VIOLENCE WHEN IT'S REALLY NOT. IN FACT, MOST OF OUR CALLS INVOLVES ABSOLUTELY NO ALCOHOL OR ANY SUBSTANCE, NONE WHATSOEVER. THESE PEOPLE, WE HAVE TO KEEP THEM SAFE, BUT WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE'RE SAFE AS WELL BECAUSE AGAIN, THEY'RE AFRAID THAT WE HAVE PUT THEM IN SHELTERS. THEY WILL CALL THE OFFENDER. YOU CAN'T HAVE THE OFFENDER GOING TO THE SHELTER. 'CAUSE NOW EVERYBODY IN THE SHELTER IS IN DANGER. SO NOW WE HAVE TO GO REMOVE THE OFFENDER BECAUSE THE SHELTER WILL NO LONGER KEEP THEM. [01:15:01] 'CAUSE NOBODY FEELS SAFE. WE STAY THE NIGHT. OUR OBJECTIVE IS ALWAYS TO GET THE OFFENDER OUT OF BAYTOWN. YOU WANT TO PUT DISTANCE BETWEEN THE OFFENDER AND THE VICTIM BECAUSE OTHERWISE THEY WILL GO BACK TO WHAT THEY'RE FAMILIAR WITH. LAST YEAR IN 2023, WE HAD TWO HOMICIDES. FAMILY VIOLENCE, HOMICIDES. BAYTOWN IS NOT THAT BIG. THIS IS NOT ATLANTA, NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES. ONE DEATH IS TOO MANY. BUT TWO FROM FAMILY VIOLENCE IS HORRIBLE. EVERY YEAR WE HAVE AT LEAST ONE DEATH OF FAMILY VIOLENCE. TWENTY TWENTY THREE, SEVEN HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FIVE. FAMILY VIOLENCE CALLS 275 ADULTS CALLS WERE AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS. AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS MEAN THERE WAS A WEAPON INVOLVED, OR MOST LIKELY SOMEONE WAS EATING REALLY BAD OR STRANGULATION WHERE THEY ACTUALLY LOST CONSCIOUSNESS. WE HAD 304 INTIMIDATION OF STALKING. WE GET A PROTECTIVE WATER. BUT A PROTECTIVE WATER IS A PIECE OF PAPER. IT DOES NOT STOP A KNIFE, A GUN, A STRANGULATION. SO WE'RE ALWAYS CONSTANTLY CHECKING ON OUR VICTIMS AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE NOT ALLOWED THE OFFENDER TO BREAK THE PROTECTIVE ORDER. UH, PROBABLY 75% OF THE TIME THEY DO. AND THEY DO THAT BECAUSE OTHER THAN BEING PHYSICALLY ABUSED, YOU HAVE THE FINANCIAL ECONOMICS ABUSE, THEY DON'T WORK. SO THEY DEPEND ON THEIR ABUSER FOR EVERYTHING. THAT'S A LOT. HE'S, THEY'VE NEVER BEEN ALLOWED TO WORK. THEY'VE BEEN ISOLATED FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS. THEY DEPEND ON THEM FOR EVERYTHING AND THEY WILL GO BACK. WHICH IS WHY IN THE 48 HOUR PERIOD, WE PROBABLY, 90% OF THE TIME WE HAVE THEM ON A BUS OUT OF BAYTOWN. WE WILL SHELTER THEM OUTSIDE OF BAYTOWN. THE ONLY TIME WE EVER SHELTER VICTIM IN BAYTOWN IS WHEN THE OFFENDER HAS BEEN ARRESTED AND ASSAULT WAS SO BAD THAT THEY'RE IN COUNTY. SO IT'S UNLIKELY THAT GONE OUT. WE HAD 938 CPS CALLS. I'M SORRY WHAT? 938 CPS CALLS. CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES. AND OUT OF THE 9 38 THERE WERE 90 CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE. THAT'S NOT COUNTING THE MEDICAL NEGLECT AND JUST THE NEGLECT FOR SUPERVISION. WE ALSO HAD 99 ADULT SEXUAL ASSAULT. NOW WITH ANY VICTIM OF CRIME, SEXUAL ASSAULT AND FAMILY VIOLENCE, WE CAN APPLY TO THE STATE SO THAT WE CAN ASSIST THE VICTIM IN RELOCATING, IN GETTING COUNSELING. 80% OF THE TIME THE VICTIMS TELL US, YOU DON'T NEED, I DON'T NEED COUNSELING. I PROMISE YOU WILL. YOU NEED COUNSELING. YOU MAY NOT NEED IT NOW, BUT AT SOME POINT YOU'LL CRASH AND BURN. TAKE THE COUNSELING. WE ALSO HAD 300, WELL 134 RUNAWAYS. RUNAWAYS ARE ALWAYS VICTIMS. THEY'RE CHILDREN. THEY, THEY'RE CHILDREN. THEY DON'T KNOW. AND IT IS SO FRIGHTENING THAT NOBODY IN BAYTOWN ACTUALLY TEND TO BELIEVE THAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING IS A REAL THING. IN FACT, I HAD OLD CITY MANAGER ASK ME, BECAUSE I HAD ASKED FOR A PROCLAMATION TO BE SIGNED AND HE ASKED ME, IS, IS TRAFFICKING A REAL THING IN BAYTOWN? YEAH, WE HAVE I 10 THERE. ALL OF US KNOW OR KNOW OF SOMEONE THAT IS A VICTIM OF FAMILY VIOLENCE. STATISTICALLY THE CITY OF BAYTOWN WITH THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES THEY HAVE ROUGHLY 117 PEOPLE ARE VICTIMS. CITY EMPLOYEES. WE'VE HAD LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. YEAH. IN MY, WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICE, THAT'S HOW AGGRESSIVE ABUSERS CAN GET. THESE PEOPLE LEGALLY CARRY WEAPONS AND YOU ARE ABUSING THEM. IT'S A REAL THING. I, [01:20:01] TWO YEARS AGO WITH OUR NUMBERS CRUNCHED, IT WAS, WE AVERAGED 2.3 VICTIMS EVERY DAY. NOW WE'RE AT 5.7. WE MIGHT BE PROBABLY, PROBABLY, BUT IT, IT IS, IT IS HORRIBLE. AND, AND WE TRY TO KEEP THESE PEOPLE SAFE, BUT WE, WE TRY TO KEEP THEM SAFE, BUT WE HAVE TO KEEP OURSELVES SAFE AS WELL. UM, WE HAD AN INCIDENT THREE WEEKS AGO WITH A, I DUNNO IF ANYBODY, THE REVEREND MOTEL, NOBODY SHOULD BE LIVING THERE. NO HUMAN BEING. BUT HE WAS 22 AND HE WAS FOUR ZERO WELFARE. SHE HAD CAUGHT, CAUGHT CALLED IN LAW ENFORCEMENT WERE OUT AND GEAR UP. THEY CALLED US, PUT IN A SHELTER. SHE HAD A MELTDOWN IN THE SHELTER BECAUSE SHE ACTUALLY HAS AN EMOTIONAL SUPPORT THAT, AND THE SHELTER WON'T PAY CASH, SO YOU HAVE TO PULL OUT OF THE SHELTER BECAUSE EVERYBODY IN THE SHELTER IS SCARED TO DEATH OF HER. WE HAVE TO PULL OUT OF THE SHELTER, GET BACK TO THE PD. WHEN SHE PICKED UP FROM THE SHELTER, SHE BRINGS IN, I WALKED OUT IN, OUTSIDE MY OFFICE BEFORE I COULD EVEN SPEAK TO HER. SOMEONE FROM THE FRONT COMES BACK THERE AND SAYS, CHERYL, THERE'S A GAL OUT HERE, HE'S ASKING FOR YOU. WHY, WHO IS IT? HE SAID, WELL, HE SAYS, YOU HAVE HIS CAT. I WAS LIKE, OH MY GOD. AND I DID HAVE THE CAT SEND THE CAT TO THE SHELTER. AND I SAID, YEAH, I'M NOT HERE. WHICH RIGHT THEN OUR PLANS CHANGED. NOW WE CAN'T PUT IN A HOTEL 'CAUSE WE CANNOT BE SEEN WITH HER BECAUSE SHE WOULD GET KILLED AND SO WOULD WE. SO WE HAD TO STAY THE NIGHT UNTIL HER MOTHER DROVE FROM TENNESSEE, NASHVILLE. AND SHE WAS ALSO MENTALLY CHALLENGED. NOBODY, NOBODY WANTS THIS JOB, BUT SOMEBODY HAS TO DO THIS JOB. SOMEBODY HAVE TO KEEP THE PEOPLE SAFE AND EDUCATE THEM AT THE SAME TIME. MOST OF THE PEOPLE WE DEAL WITH, AND IT'S JUST NOT THE VICTIMS, IT'S ALSO THE COMMUNITY. THEY DON'T KNOW HOW FAMILY VIOLENCE WORK. MOST PEOPLE ASSUME THAT THERE'S A PUNCH OR SOMETHING PHYSICAL, BUT IT'S NOT, IT'S SEXUAL. IT'S, IT'S PHYSICAL, IT'S VERBAL, IT'S EMOTIONALLY. 'CAUSE IT'S DESIGNED TO CARRY YOU DOWN AND KEEP YOU WHERE YOU ARE UNDER SOMEONE ELSE'S CONTROL. OKAY. OH LORD. I KNEW YOU WAS GONNA ASK SOMETHING 'CAUSE YOU JUST COULDN'T SEE THIS. WELL, NO, I WAS JUST LOOKING THROUGH THE APPLICATION AND IT DOESN'T LIST HOW MANY PEOPLE IT IS THAT YOU WANT SERVE. UM, DO YOU KNOW EXACTLY HOW MANY PEOPLE IT IS THAT YOU, BETWEEN 12 AND 15 HOUSEHOLD? SEE, IT IS KINDA, IT'S KINDA REALLY TOUGH PINING THAT DOWN BECAUSE WHEN WE SAY BETWEEN 12 AND 15 HOUSEHOLDS, WE'VE HAD PEOPLE WITH EIGHT CHILDREN. TO ME THAT'S LIKE THREE HOUSEHOLDS. BUT WE'VE HAD PEOPLE WITH EIGHT CHILDREN, EIGHT HOUSEHOLDS. YEAH. THAT'S A HUGE HOUSEHOLD. AND WHICH MEANS THAT EVEN TO PUT THEM IN A HOTEL THAT'S LIKE TWO ROOMS BECAUSE YOU CANNOT PUT NINE PEOPLE IN ONE ROOM. YOU CAN'T PUT NINE PEOPLE IN ONE ROOM. IT'S JUST NOT SO AT 36 90 FOR THE HOTEL STAYS, UM, ARE YOU GONNA LIMIT THE NUMBER OF NIGHTS THAT EACH HOUSEHOLD WOULD BE ABLE TO STAY IN THE HOTEL? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE. NOT IF WE WANT TO KEEP THEM SAFE AND, AND GET THEM TRANSPORTED OUTSIDE OF BAYTOWN. UM, WE, WE TARGETED THREE NIGHTS PER FAMILY. BUT REALISTICALLY IT, IT DEPENDS ON HOW SOON CAN GET THEM OUT. WHEN FAMILIES ARE, WHEN, WHEN THEY EXIT THE HOME, A LOT OF TIMES THEY LEAVE WITH NOTHING BUT THE CLOTHES ON THEIR BACKS. BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, LIFE TRUMPS ANY MATERIAL THING. SO THAT MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO TRY AND GET THEM AN [01:25:01] ID BECAUSE THE BUS WILL NOT TAKE PEOPLE WITHOUT SOMETHING OF ID. BUT WITH GREYHOUND, WE'VE WORKED WITH THEM SO MANY TIMES AND SO OFTEN WE CAN ACTUALLY SIGN AN AFFIDAVIT FOR GREYHOUND AND THEY WILL ALLOW THEM ON THE BUS. BUT IF IT'S, IF THEY'RE TRYING TO GET ON A PLANE AND GO, THAT'S KIND OF IFFY. WE NEED SOME ID SOMEHOW THERE BECAUSE THE AIRLINES, THEY'RE NOT HAVING THAT. I GOT A QUESTION. UH, IF, IF THEY, THEY COME AND YOU, YOU GET A CASE, RIGHT? MM-HMM . YOU PUT 'EM ON, YOU PUT 'EM WHERE YOU NEED TO PUT THEM, RIGHT? MM-HMM . UH, WHEN, UH, SO WHEN YOU SAY THEY KEEP 'EM THREE DAYS, RIGHT? WE DON'T, WE DON'T ALWAYS KEEP 'EM THREE DAYS. WE'VE ACTUALLY, UH, HELPED PEOPLE TO EXIT THE SAME DAY. IT DEPENDS ON WHAT TIME OF DAY WE'RE CALLED. IF WE'RE CALLED AT TWO O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, WE CAN PROBABLY GET THEM OUT RIGHT THEN. BUT IT IS AMAZING HOW THEY CAN BE GETTING ABUSED ALL WEEK AND THEY WILL NOT NOTIFY LAW ENFORCEMENT UNTIL SATURDAY. WELL, OKAY. AND, AND WHATEVER DATE IT IS, THEN HOW COME WE, AND YOU'RE SAYING YOU JUST CAN'T JUST BRING THEM TO THE WOMEN'S CENTER BECAUSE THE WOMEN'S CENTER'S ALWAYS FULL. THEY'RE FULL. THEY'RE ALWAYS FULL. EVEN IF WE HAD AN MOU AND I CALL THE WOMEN'S SHELTER ALL THE TIME WHILE SHE HAS THE VICTIM IN HER OFFICE. I'LL STEP OUT, MAKE THE CALLS TO TRY. I WILL CALL EVERY SHELTER THAT WE KNOW ALL OVER HOUSTON. AND THEY'RE ALWAYS FULL. ALWAYS. EVEN IF WE HAD AN MOU ALWAYS FULL. SO THAT'S WHY WE NEED THE HOTEL BECAUSE AT LEAST WE CAN PLACE THEM UNTIL WE CAN GET 'EM OUT HERE. OH, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE HOTEL. ARE THESE HOTELS IN BAYTOWN OR IN HOUSTON? IT OR DOES IT DEPENDS. IT DEPENDS ON WHETHER OR NOT THE OFFENDER HAS BEEN ARRESTED. OKAY. UM, AND WE STILL TRY TO PUT SOME DISTANCE BETWEEN THE OFFENDER AND THE VICTIM. UM, WE DON'T WANT HIM HAVING ACCESS TO THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE SO FEARFUL. THEY ARE SO INCREDIBLY FEARFUL THAT THEY WILL OPEN THE DOOR. AND WE HAVE TO CONSIDER NOT JUST THE VICTIM, BUT PEOPLE IN THE HOTEL. BECAUSE WHEN WELL, HOW WOULD THEY GET THAT INFORMATION? ESPECIALLY COMING FROM BAYTOWN PD. HOW, HOW, HOW OFFENDER, HOW WOULD THE, HOW WOULD THE, HOW WOULD THE, THE THE THE GET THAT INFORMATION IF IT DON'T COME FROM WITHIN Y'ALL THE VICTIM. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. YES. THE CALLS THE OFFENDER, WHICH IS WHAT HAPPENED TO, THAT'S A, THAT'S A THREE WEEKS AGO. THAT'S A REALLY A CATCH 22 FOR Y'ALL. IS THAT CORRECT? OH YES IT IS. OH YEAH. BECAUSE IN HER CASE, SHE LET HIM KNOW THAT SHE WAS AT THE SHELTER. SO THEY'RE, THEY CALL ME, THEY CALLED DISPATCH. I HAD JUST MADE IT HERE BACK TO THE PD AND THEY CALLED DISPATCH THIS. THEY LEAVE A MESSAGE. I NEED TO COME AND GET HER. SO THEN I HAVE TO CALL HER, LET HER KNOW I GOTTA GO BACK AND GET HER. WHAT HAPPENED? I GET THERE. THEY TELL ME SHE MADE THE CONTACT WITH HIM. WE MAKE IT BACK. WE WEREN'T EVEN IN THE BUILDING FIVE MINUTES WHEN HE WAS ALREADY OUTSIDE. YEAH. LOOKING FOR ME. I'M LIKE, NO. YEAH. HOW COME PD D DON'T GRAB HIM RIGHT THEN AND THERE? HUH? BECAUSE HE, WE HAD, IT WAS A WELFARE CONCERN CHECK. IT WAS NOT THE VICTIM CALLING. IT WAS FAMILY FROM OUTSIDE THE STATE. SO ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT CAN, WHEN LAW ENFORCEMENT GOT THERE, THE VICTIM HAD ALREADY PACKED UP HER STUFF AND, AND SAID, COME ON, LET'S GO BEFORE HE COMES HOME FROM WORK. SO SHE HAS NO INJURIES ON HER AND THEY ALWAYS SAY, I DON'T WANT TO PRESS CHARGES. AND WE ARE LIKE TELLING LAW ENFORCEMENT, I DON'T CARE WHAT TIME OF DAY IT IS, WHEN THEY SAY THEY DON'T WANT TO PRESS CHARGES, YOU NEED TO GET A HOLD OF ONE OF US BECAUSE WHEN THEY DON'T PRESS CHARGES, THEIR RESOURCES ARE PRETTY MUCH NOTHING. BECAUSE WITH THE STATE, YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT TO PROSECUTE THE OFFENDER TO GET HELP FROM THE STATE. THAT'S, THAT'S THE POINT. AS I KNOW THEY WANT US TO WRAP UP REAL QUICK, BUT IN THE CASE OF THE YOUNG LADY, THREE WEEKS AGO, SHE HAD A CAT. IT WAS ON A FRIDAY. IT WAS ALREADY AFTER HOURS. THE SHELTER WOULD NOT COME GET THE CAT. SO WE MADE PROVISIONS FOR HER TO KEEP THE CAT SO WE COULD FIGURE OUT WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO WITH THE CAT. BECAUSE NOT NINE TIMES OUTTA 10, THE VICTIM WON'T LEAVE IF THEY HAVE A PET 61% OF THE TIME. THAT'S A HUGE NUMBER NOW. AND HERE'S THE CATCH 22, WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH VICTIMS, GOD BLESS 'EM. SHE TELLS THE GUY, I HAVE THE CAT. AND, BUT AT THE SAME TIME SHE TELLS ME, PLEASE DON'T LET HIM TAKE MY CAT. PLEASE DON'T LET HIM TAKE MY CAT. SO WHAT DOES [01:30:01] HE DO? HE CALLED LAW ENFORCEMENT HARASSING THEM. I WANT MY CAT TO HEARD Y . I WAS LIKE, SO THEY CALLING ME SAYING, CHERYL, DO YOU HAVE THE CAT? YES, I HAVE THE CAT. I GIVING THE CAT BACK. HE CALLED. NEXT THING YOU KNOW, THEY CALLED HER AND SHE WAS LIKE, WELL YES, WE CAN HAVE THE CAT. BY THE TIME I GET TO WORK ON MONDAY DILEMMA, BY THE TIME I GET TO WORK ON IT'S IN DANGER. I I WANNA TRY AND HELP, UM, YOU, BECAUSE I WANT TO KEEP THINGS KIND OF MOVING ALONG. UM, AGAIN, I THAT'S THERE'S A LOT OF INTERESTING, UM, I THINK DETAILS ABOUT A LOT OF THE STUFF THAT YOU GUYS DO. UM, I, UH, PLEASE LET'S FOCUS ON THE PROGRAM AND THE DOLLARS AND KIND OF HOW THAT, HOW THAT WORKS WITHIN THE PROGRAM. UM, I WILL SAY FROM MY EXPERIENCE IN OTHER COMMUNITIES, UM, USING MONEY FOR A HOTEL PROGRAM SUCH AS THIS IS FAIRLY COMMON AND IT'S ALWAYS THE SAME ANSWER. THE SHELTERS ARE ALWAYS FULL. IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW BIG THE CITY IS. THE SHELTERS ARE VERY, VERY IN DEMAND. AND SO NOT TO PUSH IN ONE DIRECTION OR ANOTHER, BUT I CAN CORROBORATE WHAT THESE LADIES ARE SAYING. UH, I I IT'S PRETTY COMMON. I AGREE WITH THE PROGRAM. I I JUST WANT TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT THE PROBLEMS AND HOW, HOW ARE WE GONNA, HOW DO WE GET, HOW DOES THIS NUMBER, AND I WOULD SAY THE OTHER THING IS TO MAYBE FOCUS ON, UM, I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT KIND OF WHERE MONEY IS SPENT. AND, AND AGAIN, THERE IS A REAL PROBLEM WITH KEEPING THEM HERE IN BAYTOWN. THE MONEY IS SPENT ON COMMUNITY MEMBERS EVEN IF IT'S NOT SPENT IN BAYTOWN. SO MAYBE THAT, THAT I THINK THAT'S KIND OF IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER. IT'S FOR COMMUNITY BENEFIT. EVEN IF THE MONEY'S GOING OUT OF BAYTOWN. THANKS. BECAUSE ONE, IF YOU'RE A BAYTOWN RESIDENT, IT'S OKAY IF THE HOTEL IS NOT IN BAYTOWN. AS LONG AS IF BARBARA GOT MAD AT YOU AND WE HAD TO PUT YOU IN A HOTEL ROOM, I'M GOOD BECAUSE YOU'RE A BAYTOWN RESIDENT. OKAY. BUT THAT, THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA ASK. YES. SO THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA ASK. OBVIOUSLY Y'ALL TAKE EVERY CALL THAT COMES THROUGH, RIGHT? 'CAUSE Y'ALL ARE, IT'S LAW ENFORCEMENT, RIGHT? YOU'RE GONNA TAKE THE CALL. BUT LET'S JUST SAY THIS, THIS LADY FROM REBEL HOTEL WAS NOT A BAYTOWN RESIDENT. SHE WAS HERE VISITING IF SHE WAS A VICTIM IN BAYTOWN. SO BECAUSE SHE IS A VICTIM IN BAYTOWN, THIS PROGRAM IS OUR HELP THEM. NO, IT'S BAY TOWN'S CASE, BUT THIS PROGRAM WILL ABSOLUTELY, AND SHE WAS LIVING HERE FOR SIX MONTHS. OUR PROGRAM, SHE WOULD HAVE TO BE IN RESIDENTS FOR SIX MONTHS AND LOW, LOW INCOME. SO, BUT SOMETIMES I BELIEVE HUD WILL DEFINE BATTERED SPOUSES AS OF LOW INCOME INCOME ALREADY LOW INCOME. SO, UM, BUT AGAIN, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO WRAP THIS UP BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY HAD A COUNCIL MEMBER TRY TO COME IN. MM-HMM. SO, UH, SORRY IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, IT'S OKAY. I FEEL LIGHTED. IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S NORMAL. YEAH, YEAH. YOU'RE GONNA WALK. THANK YOU. BUT, UM, IF Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CDAC MEMBERS, PLEASE EMAIL THEM TO ME AND I WILL GET THEM OVER TO CHERYL AND PAUL AND HAVE THEM ANSWERED SO THAT WE CAN GET 'EM BACK TO YOU IN TIME FOR BUDGET DELIBERATIONS. SO THAT IF IT'S A QUESTION THAT YOU FEEL LIKE WASN'T ANSWERED DURING THIS MEETING, WE CAN AT LEAST GET THAT ANSWER TO YOU PRIOR TO YOU DECIDING ON WHETHER OR NOT THEY'LL RECEIVE FUNDING. OKAY. HOLD, THANK YOU. THERE IS NO ONE ELSE HONOR TO SPEAK OVER. NOW CLOSEST PUBLIC HEARING CONCERNING THE PROPOSED 2024 THANK YOU DEPARTMENT. OKAY, MS. SHARON, [a. Receive the Community Development Manager's Report.] GO AHEAD. PROGRAM MANAGER'S. REPORT. REPORT. BYE. NO, UM, THREE NEW MEMBERS ARE HERE. WE'LL HAVE THEM INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AT THE NEXT MEETING SO THAT, UM, WE CAN GET OUT OF THE WAY OF THE NEXT MEETING THAT'S COMING UP. I'M SURE SOME OF YOU MIGHT SAY FOR IT. UM, THE NEXT MEETING IS AT BUDGET BOARD. NO, THE, OUR NEXT MEETING HERE FOR CDAC IS ANOTHER RFPA PUBLIC HEARING. THAT'LL BE NEXT WEEK. AND THEN INSTEAD OF HAVING, UM, OUR BUDGET DELIBERATIONS ON THE 21ST, WE'RE GONNA MOVE IT TO THE 28TH. UM, SO THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH TIME. Y'ALL HAVE ENOUGH TIME. 'CAUSE THIS IS A LOT MORE PROPOSALS THAN WE USUALLY GET. WELL, WE USED TO GET A LOT MORE THAN THIS, BUT IN THE, IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THIS IS A LOT MORE. SO WE'LL AT LEAST GIVE YOU TWO WEEKS TO DO YOUR BUDGET DELIBERATIONS. BUT WE WILL DISCUSS MORE OF THAT AT OUR NEXT MEETING. SO NEXT WEEK IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS, COUNCIL CHAMBERS, UM, ALIA WILL HAVE CANDY VINCENT'S BEEN WRITTEN AND, UM, WE'LL BE ABLE TO MEET NEXT WEEK. AND THEN WE'LL PROBABLY INTRODUCE OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS. OKAY. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO RETURN? I MOVE. OKAY. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, CATHERINE. AYE, OUR HOST. OKAY. * 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.