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EVERYONE.[Veteran Affairs Commission on November 10, 2022.]
WE JUST STARTED BY THAT WE HAVE QUORUM.SO WE'RE GONNA GET, UH, THIS MONTH'S OR THIS, UH, MEETING, UM, STARTED.
SO IT'S, UM, NOVEMBER THE 10TH, 1105, AND THE VETERAN'S AFFAIRS COMMISSION, UH, UH, COMMISSION, REGULAR MEETING, COMMISSION'S, REGULAR MEETING HAS NOW COME TO ORDER.
AND, UM, THE FIRST THING ON OUR AGENDA IS GONNA BE REVIEW THE, UH, MINUTES FROM OUR LAST MEETING.
I THINK BEFORE WE EVEN DO THAT, UH, WE'RE GONNA DO A, UH, JUST A SHORT, UH, INTRODUCTION OF THE NEW COMMISSIONERS, CUZ WE HAVE A COUPLE, UH, THAT ARE JOINING US.
AND IF THERE'S ANYONE ONLINE THAT I DON'T SEE OR KNOW OF, UH, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO TO, TO JUMP IN.
BUT WE'LL START WITH, UH, MISS, UH, COMMISSIONER.
COMMISSIONER GALEN SHERMAN, UH, CITY COUNCILMAN, UH, RESENDEZ, UH, DISTRICT FIVE, UM, UNITED STATES NAVY, UH, GULF GUERA VETERAN.
UH, US ARMY VETERAN, 1971 TO 1973.
UM, IS APPOINTED BY UH, COM, UH, COUNCILWOMAN SCHULTZ, ALTHOUGH I LIVE IN, UH, CHAD WEST DISTRICT.
UH, BUT SHE WAS HAVING TROUBLE FINDING A VETERAN AND CHAD SUGGESTED ME.
SO HERE I AM, LOCAL, LOCAL BOARD.
IS THERE ANYONE ONLINE? YES, THIS IS STEVE RAMOS.
UH, I'M, UH, I'VE BEEN APPOINTED BY COUNCIL MEMBER PAUL BLACKMAN.
COULD YOU REPEAT THE NAME AGAIN? STEVE RAMOS.
UM, COMMISSIONER RAMOS, CAN YOU TURN ON YOUR CAMERA SO WE CAN COUNT YOUR PRESENCE? OKAY.
ANYONE ELSE? ALL SEE, COMMISSIONER HINTON, DO YOU WANNA INTRODUCE YOURSELF? YES.
I REPRESENT DISTRICT EIGHT, UH, VIA, UH, I, MA'AM.
UH, REPRESENTING DISTRICT EIGHT VIA COUNCILMAN ATKINS.
WE'RE JUST GOING AROUND AND DOING EVERYBODY.
UM, INTRODUCING, WHAT'S THAT WAY? WHAT EVERYBODY KNOW.
I AM SERVING AT THE PLEASURE OF THE HONORABLE COUNCIL MEMBER CASEY THOMAS, DISTRICT THREE.
HI, I'M DIANE BIRDWELL, US ARMY.
I, UH, SERVE FOR DISTRICT SEVEN BUCKNER TERRACE, PARKDALE, AND PARTS OF SOUTH DALLAS.
AND I AM DIS LET'S SEE, DISTRICT SEVEN.
AND I'VE BEEN ON THIS FOR OVER A YEAR NOW, BUT I, THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW TIMES I GET TO COME IN PERSON CUZ I TOOK OFF FROM SCHOOL.
FRED WELLS, US ARMY, UH, DISTRICT 12, PETER SMITH, US ARMY DISTRICT 14, PAUL RIDLEY.
UH, I'M THE CO-CHAIR, UH, RONNIE MEUS, DISTRICT SIX, UH, NAVY RETIRED.
AND I'M THE, I'M CHAIRING THIS MEETING AND A FEW OTHERS, UH, DUE TO DEFAULT
SO, UH, BUT THIS IS MY PLEASURE AND PLEASURE MEETING EVERYONE.
AND AT, WITH THAT, UH, WAS A SUGGESTION THAT WE START THIS MEETING WITH THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND I DON'T HEAR OF ANY OBJECTIONS, ANYBODY.
WE'LL START WITH THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, NATION UNDER, UNDER GOD IN INVISIBLE LIBERTY.
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THANK YOU.SO WE'RE GONNA GET STARTED THEN.
SO WE'LL START WITH THE, THE MINUTES, UH, THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.
SO, I DON'T KNOW, UH, WE ALL NEED A LITTLE BIT TO JUST REVIEW THAT.
JUST GIVE YOU A MINUTE TO LOOK AT THAT.
MR. CHAIRMAN, I MOVE APPROVAL SECOND.
I PASSED OUT A LITTLE HANDOUT, UH, BEFORE I CAME IN.
UM, BOTH OF THE SPEAKERS FROM THE LAST MEETING WHEN WE ASKED THEM WHAT WE COULD DO TO HELP THEM, UM, THEY DIDN'T ASK FOR FUNDS, THEY DIDN'T ASK FOR VERY MUCH.
ONE THING THEY SAID IS, IS VISIBILITY.
THEY'RE SAYING, UH, PARTICULARLY AMONG THE YOUNGER VETS ON THE STREET, NOBODY KNOWS THEY'RE THERE.
NOBODY KNOWS HOW TO GET AHOLD OF THEM AND THEY COULD HELP ANYMORE.
UH, I'M SUGGESTING THAT WE ADD TO OUR RECOMMENDATIONS THAT, UH, THE CITY DEVELOP A HANDOUT WITH MAYBE THEIR PHONE NUMBERS OR, OR CONTACT INFORMATION.
SO WHEN, FIRST, WHEN FIRST, UH, RESPONDERS MEET THE VETS ON THE STREET, WHETHER IT BE POLICE, FIRE OR WHATEVER, THAT THEY MAYBE HAND THEM THIS CARD OR, OR A HANDOUT THAT WOULD SAY, IF YOU'RE A VET, YOU CAN GET HELP BY CALLING THIS NUMBER, ET CETERA.
CUZ THE VETS DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIND THEM.
YEAH, I, AND THEY, THEY DID EVERYTHING FROM HELP, UH, UM, VETS GET BURIED.
THE ONES THAT COULDN'T FIND A DD TWO 14 YEAH.
TO, UH, HELP 'EM GET JOBS OR WHATEVER.
SO I, I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US, IF WITH YOUR PERMISSION, UH, MAKE THAT RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY.
UM, WELL, WHAT WE'LL DO, IF YOU DON'T MIND, AND, UH, WE'LL FOLLOW THE AGENDA AND THEN BRING THAT RECOMMENDATION TOWARDS THE END OF THE, UH, TODAY'S MEETING AND MAKE THAT PART, YOU KNOW, AS, AS WE FOLLOW THE AGENDA, THEN WE'LL MAKE THAT MOTION RECOMMENDATION.
AND SO WE'LL HOLD THAT THOUGHT.
SO, SO TO START, UH, WE HAVE, UM, UM, ORGANIZATION CALLED HOUSING FORWARD, A VETERAN INITIATIVE, AND WE HAVE A SPEAKER.
I'M SARAH CRAIG WITH HOUSING FORWARD.
IF YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD OF OUR ORGANIZATION, IT MIGHT BE BECAUSE ON SEPTEMBER 30TH, WE ACTUALLY CHANGED OUR NAME.
UM, WE WERE THE METRO DALLAS HOMELESS ALLIANCE, M D H A BEFORE THAT.
SO, UM, WE, THERE ARE SEVERAL REASONS FOR THIS NAME CHANGE.
THE MAIN ONE BEING THAT WE REPRESENT DALLAS AND COLLIN COUNTY, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF CITIES WITHIN DALLAS COUNTY THAT AREN'T DALLAS.
AND SO REMOVING A LOCATION SPECIFIC, UH, CITY IN OUR NAME JUST HELPS OTHERS FEEL MORE INCLUDED IN THE SERVICE AREA THAT WE PROVIDE SERVICES AND JUST BETTER REPRESENTS THE PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE.
WE ALSO, UH, WANTED TO HAVE A MORE POSITIVE NAME THAT REPRESENTS KIND OF THE FORWARD MOTION OF OUR SYSTEM.
OUR HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM HAS UNDERGONE TREMENDOUS CHANGE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS.
AND AS YOU'LL YOU'LL HEAR AS I SHARE, WE'RE MOVING WITH MUCH MORE POSITIVE FORWARD MOMENTUM.
AND WE WANTED A NAME THAT REALLY REPRESENTED THAT WELL.
AND, UM, WE HAVE ALSO JUST, UH, WE'RE HOUSING MORE PEOPLE FASTER THAN EVER, AND ALSO WE HAVE INCREASED COLLABORATION AMONG OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, MORE ALIGNMENT OF KIND OF VERY FOCUSED GOALS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO WORK TOWARD.
UM, AND THEN AS YOU CAN SEE THE SECONDARY NAME, THE ALL NEIGHBORS COALITION, THAT IS THE GROUP OF OVER 120 NOW PLUS, UH, ORGANIZATIONS, CITIES, GOVERNMENT ENTITIES THAT ARE A PART OF THIS GROUP THAT REALLY COMES TOGETHER TO SERVE OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS IN SOME CAPACITY.
UH, MANY OF THEM MIGHT BE DIRECT CARE SERVICE PROVIDERS OR THEY MIGHT, UM, THAT MIGHT JUST BE A PORTION OF THEIR POPULATION.
SO THEY'RE MEMBERS OF THIS GROUP.
WE'RE CONSTANTLY ALL WORKING TOGETHER.
THERE'S WORK GROUP MEETINGS, MONTHLY MEETINGS.
WE HAVE A VETERANS WORK GROUP WHERE WE'RE SOLELY FOCUSED ON UNHOUSED
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VETERANS AND HOW CAN WE HELP SERVE THAT POPULATION BETTER.SO THAT'S MADE UP OF MEMBERS OF THE ALL NEIGHBORS COALITION.
WE HAVE SEVERAL VETERANS GROUPS THAT ARE MEMBERS OF THAT COALITION, SO THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY, AGAIN, WORKING ON KIND OF THAT TARGET POPULATION.
SO, UM, FEEL FREE TO INTERRUPT ME AT ANY POINT IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR, UH, WANT MORE CLARITY ON SOMETHING AS I SHARE.
SO, UM, AND YOU CAN GO TO THE, THE NEXT SLIDE.
AND ACTUALLY, I ALSO DID NOT HAVE YOU ADVANCE IT SO YOU CAN GO ONE MORE
SO, UM, AS A SYSTEM, WE ARE WORKING MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN WE EVER HAVE.
IF YOU LOOK AT QUARTER THREE OF THIS YEAR, COMPARED TO QUARTER THREE OF LAST YEAR, WE ARE HOUSING PEOPLE 35% FASTER THAN WE EVER HAVE, BUT ESPECIALLY IF YOU LOOK YEAR OVER YEAR.
AND, UM, THAT IS DUE TO MAJORITY IN PART TO THE DALLAS REALTIME RAPID REHOUSING INITIATIVE.
AND WE HAVE NOW THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND ALL OF THAT TO, UH, BEGIN TO SERVE OUR NEIGHBORS AND OUR COMMUNITY MORE EFFECTIVELY.
UM, WE ARE SEEING, SO EVEN AS WE'RE HOUSING MORE PEOPLE THAN EVER, WE ARE SEEING INCREASED PRESSURE ON OUR SYSTEM.
UM, WITH OBVIOUSLY RISING RENTS IN DALLAS, UH, A TIGHTER HOUSING MARKET, WE ARE SEEING MORE INDIVIDUALS AND HOUSEHOLDS KIND OF SEEKING ASSISTANCE.
AND SO AS A COMMUNITY, UM, YOU CAN ADVANCE TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
I JUST HAVE A QUESTION ON THAT.
IS THE 17%, IS THAT ACROSS THE BOARD OR IS THAT IN THE SUBSECTION OF LOW INCOME THAT YOU MENTIONED IN THE, SO THAT WAS A STAT WE FOUND ACROSS THE BOARD, AND THAT WAS AC WE DID NOT RUN THAT DATA.
IT WAS A, A STAT THAT WAS PUBLISHED.
UM, SO, BUT IT'S ACROSS THE BOARD.
BUT ONE THING, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN, AN IDEA OF, SINCE YOU ASKED ABOUT KIND OF THAT LOW INCOME SUBSET, UH, WHEN YOU LOOK AT KIND OF THE D F W AREA, THAT'S 30% A M I AVERAGE MEDIA AND INCOME.
AND BELOW, UH, IF YOU LOOK AT HOW MANY AVAILABLE UNITS THERE ARE IN OUR AREA, THERE ARE ONLY ABOUT 20 HOUSING AVAILABLE UNITS FOR EVERY HUNDRED HOUSEHOLDS.
SO CLEARLY THAT MATH DOESN'T WORK, RIGHT? SO THERE'S ALWAYS HOUSEHOLDS WHO ARE LEFT OUT OF HOUSING WHEN YOU ARE LOOKING AT THAT VERY LOW TO NO INCOME, UH, GROUP OF PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
OUT OF THIS 35% MORE PEOPLE, UH, CAN YOU TELL HOW MANY WERE VETERANS? WE CAN, UM, AND I HAVE SOME OF THAT DATA.
I DON'T HAVE THAT SPECIFIC NUMBER TO TELL YOU, BUT ONE THING I WILL TELL YOU AND WE'LL, UH, GO THROUGH THIS IS THAT, UM, WE ARE VERY CLOSE TO GETTING READY TO ACTUALLY, WE'RE SEEKING AN OFFICIAL DECLARATION TO HAVE EFFECTIVELY ENDED VETERAN HOMELESSNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, SO IT'S A LONG PROCESS, SO IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.
IT PROBABLY WON'T HAPPEN BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR, THAT TYPE OF THING.
BUT I'LL GET A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO KIND OF WHAT THAT MEANS, KIND OF WHAT ARE THOSE MEASUREMENTS AND THAT TYPE OF THING.
UH, WE DO KNOW THAT SINCE 2019, WE HAVE HOUSED OVER 1400 VETERANS THROUGH THE SYSTEM.
AND SO ONE OF THE WAYS, AS WE'RE SEEING KIND OF MORE NEIGHBORS COME TO THE FRONT DOOR OF OUR HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM VIA SHELTERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, ONE OF THE THINGS WE ARE WORKING TO DO AS A SYSTEM IS INCREASE DIVERSION.
DIVERSION IS A VERY COST EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE TO SHELTER.
UH, WHAT DIVERSION IS, IS ESSENTIALLY, UH, LIKE ONE OF OUR PARTNERS, FAMILY GATEWAY HAS BEEN PRACTICING DIVERSION FOR MANY YEARS.
WHEN A FAMILY REACH IS OUT AND SAYS THEY NEED SHELTER, THE A CRISIS MANAGER ACTUALLY EXPLORES WITH THEM.
DO THEY ACTUALLY NEED TO COME INTO SHELTER OR DO THEY, CAN THEY, MAYBE, CAN THAT CRISIS MANAGER HELP TALK TO THE LANDLORD THAT THEY'RE WORKING WITH? IS THERE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THEY JUST LOST A JOB AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE REALLY KIND OF JUST MISSING A GAP IN, IN INCOME, BUT THEY'VE ALREADY GOT THE NEXT JOB.
THEY'RE JUST REALLY KIND OF NEEDING A LITTLE BIT OF AN INTERVENTION THERE.
SO THEY SEE KIND OF WHAT INTERVENTIONS ARE AVAILABLE.
SOMETIMES IT'S, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A FAMILY MEMBER THAT MAYBE THEY, UH, HAD, UH, AN ARGUMENT WITH AND MAYBE THAT WE NEED TO KIND OF WORK TO MEDIATE BETWEEN THE TWO AND, AND MAYBE FAMILY IS AN ALTERNATIVE.
UM, NO MATTER HOW NICE THE SHELTER, SHELTER IS A TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE.
SO IF WE CAN AVOID, UH, INDIVIDUALS OR FAMILIES HAVING TO COME INTO A SHELTER EXPERIENCE, THAT'S REALLY BEST.
IT ALSO, AGAIN, AS THEY MENTIONED, IS COST EFFECTIVE.
SO, UM, CURRENTLY, AGAIN, FAMILY GATEWAY HAS BEEN DOING DIVERSION FOR MANY YEARS.
SO WE HAVE THE DATA THAT SHOWS THAT ON AVERAGE, UH, AN INTERVENTION THROUGH DIVERSION COSTS ABOUT $1,200 PER HOUSEHOLD, WHEREAS A SHELTER STAY ON AVERAGE IS ABOUT $12,000.
SO YOU CAN SEE AS A COMMUNITY, IF WE CAN DO MORE DIVERSIONS AND ACTUALLY DIVERT FOLKS FROM SHELTER, UNLESS THEY REALLY NEED IT, THEN THAT'S BETTER FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS, THOSE HOUSEHOLDS, AND THAT'S THE SYSTEM OVERALL.
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YOU, UH, WORK WITH THE TEXAS TENANT UNION AND OR THE EVICTION RESOURCE CENTER? I CAN'T REMEMBER THE EXACT NAME, BUT YEAH, WE WORK WITH A LOT OF THOSE FOLKS, YES, PRETTY FREQUENTLY.UM, SO FOR US, WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON THE FOLKS WHO ARE UNHOUSED WHO REALLY NEED THAT ASSISTANCE.
WE DO HAVE, OBVIOUSLY, CONNECTIONS THROUGHOUT THE EVICTION SPACE, THROUGHOUT, UM, LOW INCOME SPACE, ALL OF, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ALL OF THOSE TYPES OF SPACES.
UM, BUT REALLY OUR IS FOLKS WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY UNHOUSED AND NEEDING THE HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM.
AND THEN, UM, JUST LASTLY, WE'RE WORKING AS THE ALL NEIGHBORS COALITION TO REALLY SCALE DIVERSION ACROSS THE SYSTEM.
SO, UM, WE HAVE A COUPLE ADDITIONAL PILOT PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE STARTED TO KIND OF, UH, HELP WITH THE IN INCREASE.
UH, WE ARE SEEING THE INCREASED NEED WE'RE SEEING.
SO JUST TO GIVE YOU A REAL, UH, UPDATE ON DALLAS REALTIME RAPID REHOUSING INITIATIVE, WHICH, UH, IF ANY OF YOU ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH THAT INITIATIVE, IT'S A 72 MILLION, UH, INITIATIVE THAT WAS PASSED, UH, OCTOBER, JUST THIS PAST OCTOBER WAS A CELEBRATION OF KIND OF THE YEAR MARK OF IT.
AND, UM, IT WAS A LARGE INITIATIVE, A BIG PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN LOTS OF DIFFERENT GOVERNMENTS AND CITIES AND FOLKS TO KIND OF INCREASE FUNDING TO SERVE OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS.
IT'S A COMBINATION OF VOUCHERS.
UM, PLUS THERE WAS 10 MILLION OF PRIVATE MONEY RAISED TO HAVE SOME OF THAT FLEXIBLE FUNDING.
UM, WE ALL KNOW GOVERNMENT FUNDING CAN MANY TIMES BE VERY, VERY RESTRICTED.
SO THE FLEXIBLE FUNDING GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, GIVE LANDLORD INCENTIVES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, WHICH I'LL DISCUSS IN JUST A MOMENT.
SO OUR DALLAS REALTIME RAPID REHOUSING INITIATIVE HAS HOUSED OVER 1200 INDIVIDUALS AT THIS POINT.
UM, AND EVEN SINCE I EMAILED THIS REPORT, I, I WANNA SAY THEY UPDATED THE NUMBERS WE'RE AT OVER 1,265 AT THIS POINT FOR WHERE WE'RE AT, UH, WITH THAT.
AND THAT'S EVEN WITH KIND OF THE TIGHT HOUSING MARKET WE'RE EXPERIENCING.
THAT'S WITH, UM, JUST TO GIVE YOU ALL AN IDEA, THAT'S WITH ONLY 7% OF APARTMENTS IN THE DFW COMMUNITY, ACTUALLY, EXCEPT VOUCHERS.
SO THAT'S KIND OF WITH THOSE VERY CHALLENGING CONDITIONS.
WE'VE, WE'VE, UM, HOUSED THAT MANY INDIVIDUALS, WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING.
AND, UM, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE DONE TO KIND OF COMBAT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WE'RE FACING WITH THE TIGHT HOUSING MARKET, WE HAVE A LANDLORD ENGAGEMENT TEAM THAT WAS REALLY A PART OF THIS INITIATIVE, WAS TO BUILD CAPACITY WITHIN THE SYSTEM.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE IDENTIFIED A NEED FOR ARE FOLKS WHO ARE SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON FINDING HOUSING.
SO FINDING LANDLORDS AND, AND PROPERTY MANAGERS WHO MAYBE THEY'VE NEVER ACCEPTED VOUCHERS BEFORE, UM, OR, AND THEY NEED TO BE WATCHED THROUGH THE PROCESS.
MAYBE THEY, UM, HA HAVE ACCEPTED SOME AND, YOU KNOW, JUST, UH, MIGHT NEED SOME ENCOURAGEMENT TO DO ADDITIONAL.
I ACTUALLY SPOKE WITH A LANDLORD YESTERDAY WHO HOUSES SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORS, AND I SAID, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE SUPPORT YOU RECEIVE? YOU KNOW, DO YOU FEEL SUPPORTED AS A LANDLORD IF THERE'S AN ISSUE? AND HE SAID, YOU KNOW, I, I HAVEN'T HAD ANY ISSUES.
HE SAID, THE FOLKS WHO ARE IN THIS PROGRAM, THEY WANNA STAY IN THE PROGRAM.
AND HE SAID, THEY'RE FANTASTIC.
THEY FOLLOW THE RULES, THEY DO WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO.
UM, HE'S LIKE, THERE ARE SOME OF THEM IN OUR COMMUNITIES WHO ARE THE PROPERTY MANAGER'S KIND OF FAVORITE PERSON BECAUSE THEY JUST, THEY'RE RESPONSIVE, THEY DO WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO DO AND, AND ALL OF THAT.
SO IT'S GOOD TO HEAR VERY POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM A LANDLORD WHO HAS MULTIPLE PROPERTIES WHERE WE HOUSE OUR NEIGHBORS.
DO YOU, DO YOU WORK WITH, UM, DEVELOPERS WHO ARE, DON'T HAVE PROPERTY OUT FOR RENT YET? I MEAN, WE WERE BUILDING SO MANY APARTMENTS IN THE DFW AREA.
YOU, YOU, YOU OUGHT TO START, I SHOULD SAY OUGHT TO.
COULD YOU START EARLIER IN THE PROCESS, I GUESS, TO GET THESE LANDLORDS SIGNED UP? YEAH, WE, WE ARE WORKING ON IT.
UM, ONE OF THE TOUGH THINGS, WE, A LOT OF THE APARTMENTS THAT ARE BEING BUILT NOW ARE, YOU KNOW, DEFINITELY MAYBE OF THE HIGHER, HIGHER RATES THAN WHAT, BUT THERE ARE TAX ADVANTAGES TO SOME SET ASIDES.
SO WE ARE, WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING TO ENGAGE LANDLORDS.
WE WORK, UM, WE'VE HAVE A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE THE APARTMENT ASSOCIATION AND FOLKS LIKE THAT OF GREATER DALLAS.
SO WE'RE CONSTANTLY KIND OF SEEING HOW WE CAN WORK WITH THEM TO KIND OF HELP THEM JUST BE AWARE THAT THE PROGRAM IS THERE.
AND ALSO BE AWARE OF KIND OF HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS.
ONCE FOLKS ARE HOUSED, THEY IMMEDIATELY ARE IN CONTACT WITH A CASE MANAGER WHO PROVIDES THEM WITH ANY WRAPAROUND SUPPORT SERVICES THEY MIGHT NEED AND REALLY SURROUNDS THEM WITH ANY SUPPORTS THEY MIGHT NEED TO MAINTAIN THAT HOUSING TO BE A GOOD TENANT AND TO, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO BE HOUSED EVEN AFTER THE PROGRAM.
MS. CRAIG, IF I COULD ASK, UM, YES, REALLY QUICKLY, HOW MANY APARTMENT COMPLEXES DID YOU INDICATE THAT, UH, RAPID HOUSING IS WORKING WITH? YOU KNOW, I DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE THE NUMBER OF HOW MANY WE HAVE ENGAGED WITH.
UM, WE DEFINITELY HAVE THAT INFORMATION.
I JUST DON'T HAVE IT HERE TODAY, BUT I CAN GET IT FOR SURE.
MY QUESTION IS, YOU SAID YOU WORK WITH THE APARTMENT ASSOCIATION OF GREATER DALLAS AND ALL THAT AND THEY WORK WITH, OR THEY USED TO WORK WITH THE MARINE CORPS, YOU KNOW, TOYS FOR TOTS AND ALL THAT.
SO MAYBE YOU CAN HIT 'EM UP ON THAT TO SAY, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANNA WORK WITH THE MARINES, YOU MIGHT WANNA
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HELP 'EM WHEN THEY'RE HOMELESS.BUT, UM, MY QUESTION IS HOW IS IT LEGAL FOR THEM TO REFUSE SECTION EIGHT? TO ME, THAT'S DISCRIMINATION.
IT IS, BUT IN TEXAS YOU CAN ACTUALLY DISCRIMINATE BASED ON PAYEE SOURCE, BUT WOULDN'T FEDERAL LAW DISCRIMINATION TRUMP THAT? UM, NOPE.
IN TEXAS YOU CAN JUST, LANDLORDS AND PROPERTY OWNERS CAN DISCRIMINATE BASED ON THE TYPE OF OF PAY.
SO THEY CAN SAY, EVEN THOUGH A VOUCHER HOLDER CAN PAY THE FULL RENT, THEY CAN SAY, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANNA GO THROUGH THE GOVERNMENT PROCESS AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
WHERE WOULD I FIND THAT? CUZ I, I MEAN, THAT TO ME JUST IS FASCINATINGLY AWFUL, YOU KNOW? AND SO I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHERE, I KNOW I BELIEVE YOU, BUT WHERE WOULD I LOOK THAT UP? UM, LET ME GET A LINK FOR YOU SO I CAN SEND THAT, UH, TO, DO YOU WANT ME TO SEND IT TO YOU? YEAH.
I'LL, I'LL SEND THAT ON AND KEEP SHARED.
CAUSE I THINK VETERANS KNEW THAT SOME, YOU KNOW, SINCE WHAT, UP TO ONE THIRD OF SOME, IN SOME CITIES UP TO ONE THIRD OF THE HOMELESS CAN BE VETERANS AND THEIR YOUNGER ONES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TO DISCRIMINATE LIKE THAT, JUST, THAT'S NOT WHY WE SERVED.
AND YOU KNOW, ANY OF US COULD BE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL A PAYCHECK AWAY FROM HOMELESSNESS.
SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THEY CAN SAY NO, YOU KNOW, I GREW UP WHEN THEY COULD SAY, NO, WE HEAR YOU, WE SUPPORT YOU IN THAT
AND SO, YES, UH, I AM LIVING ON THE STREET, I'M A VET.
HOW WOULD I KNOW ABOUT YOU? HOW WOULD I FIND YOUR ORGANIZATION? SO WE WORK WITH A LOT OF THE VETERAN ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE OUT DOING VARIOUS, UH, AND EVEN NON-VETERAN ORGANIZATIONS.
SO, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, WAS A PART OF THIS KIND OF, AGAIN, CAPACITY BUILDING OF THE SYSTEM WAS MAKING SURE THAT IT, WHEN A VETERAN ENCOUNTERED THE HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM, WHETHER IT'S COMING TO THE BRIDGE, MEETING A STREET OUTREACH WORKER WHO'S ENGAGING THEM IN AN ENCAMPMENT OR WHEREVER IN THE SYSTEM THEY MIGHT ARRIVE.
UM, WE MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE QUICKLY IDENTIFIED.
THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S KIND OF AN ASKED INITIALLY.
SO THEY'RE QUICKLY IDENTIFIED.
AND THEN ONCE WE KNOW THEY'RE A VETERAN, THEY'RE LITERALLY PUT ON A PATHWAY VERY QUICK TO HOUSING.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT AS A COMMUNITY, YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SHOW IN ORDER TO GET AN OFFICIAL DECLARATION THAT YOU HAVE ENDED VETERAN HOMELESSNESS.
ONE OF THOSE MARKERS, THERE'S LIKE SIX, BUT ONE OF THEM IS THAT YOU HAVE TO SHOW THAT VETERANS WHEN THEY'RE IDENTIFIED AND THEY, THEY COME INTO THE HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM, THEY'RE IDENTIFIED REHOUSED WITHIN 90 DAYS OR LESS.
SO IT'S NOT TO SAY THAT NO VETERAN WILL EVER BECOME UNHOUSED IN OUR COMMUNITY AGAIN, BUT IT'S TO SAY THAT WHEN THAT HAPPENS, WE ARE SET UP TO RESPOND QUICKLY, IDENTIFY THEM, AND GET THEM BACK ON A PATHWAY TO HOUSING.
VERY QUICKLY, I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION.
UM, DO YOU, OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD, ARE YOU DEALING MOSTLY WITH SINGLE VETS OR ARE YOU ALSO DEALING WITH FAMILIES? UH, WE'RE, I KNOW WE'RE DEALING WITH BOTH, BUT I DON'T HAVE THE STATISTICS TO TELL YOU TODAY WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS.
SO YOU, ARE YOU HELPING A FAMILY GET HOUSED AS WELL AS A SINGLE? ABSOLUTELY.
AND THESE, UH, THE DALLAS REALTIME RAPID REHOUSING INITIATIVE HAS HELPED FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS, SO, GOOD.
FOR THE VETERAN SPECIFIC PROGRAM, UH, THOSE SIX METRICS YOU MENTIONED, CAN YOU SHARE THOSE AS WELL WITH CHRISTINA? OKAY.
I I, I KNEW SOMEBODY IN HERE WAS GONNA ASK ME WHAT THE SIX WERE WHEN I WALKED IN.
IT'S OKAY IF YOU DON'T KNOW THEM OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD.
I'M JUST WONDERING IF YOU COULD SHARE IT WITH CHRISTINA, CUZ I YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
THE, UH, THE QUESTION THAT I GUESS I HAVE IS, IS ONCE THEY'RE, UH, I ACTUALLY HAVE SEVERAL ONCE.
UH, VETERAN HAS IDENTIFIED THEY'RE PUT INTO THE PROGRAM.
THEY HAVE 90 DAYS TO GET REHOUSED.
DO THEY HAVE TO, UH, REMAIN HOUSED FOR A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME? AND HOW DO WE, UH, AND BY THAT I MEAN YOU, YOUR ORGANIZATION AND US DALLAS VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMISSION ENSURE THAT THAT PERSON STAYS HOUSED.
IT'S, THAT'S JOBS, INCOME, THAT KIND OF STUFF.
ALSO WORKING WITH THE, I'LL STOP THERE AND THEN I'LL ASK THE OTHER QUESTION.
SO, UM, RIGHT NOW, IF YOU LOOK AT THE DALLAS REALTIME RAPID REHOUSING NUMBERS MM-HMM.
SO IT TOOK A COUPLE MONTHS TO GET SYSTEMS IN PLACE, GET IT UP AND RUNNING.
SO WE RAN THE LAST SIX MONTHS OF FOLKS WHO'VE BEEN HOUSED IN THAT PROGRAM, AND 99% ARE STILL HOUSED.
SO THEIR CASE MANAGERS ARE ENSURING THAT THAT PERSON, YOU KNOW, HAS WHAT THEY NEED TO TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS, WHEN WE ACTUALLY MOVE A PERSON, IF A PERSON IS MOVING FROM, SAY, UH, THROUGH OUR ENCAMPMENT WORK, THEY'RE MOVING FROM AN ENCAMPMENT INTO HOUSING, WE ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE THE BASIC FURNITURE ESSENTIALS THEY NEED, THEY MAKE, WE MAKE SURE THEY HAVE THINGS LIKE POTS AND PANS TO COOK DINNER.
UM, YOU KNOW, HAVING THOSE SOFT GOODS MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE IN A HOME, NOT JUST IN SOME EMPTY, CAVERNOUS SPACE.
IMAGINE GOING FROM THE QUIET, YOU KNOW, FROM THE, FROM THE NOISE
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OF THE STREETS TO THE QUIET OF A HOME.IT CAN BE QUIET A TRANSITION FOR FOLKS.
SO OUR CASE MANAGERS, THEIR CONTACT WITH INDIVIDUALS IS MUCH MORE FREQUENT INITIALLY.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IT TAPERS OFF AND THE CONVERSATIONS ARE ALWAYS, THEY START WITH KIND OF, WHAT'S THE GAME PLAN HERE? WHAT'S THE END, END RESULT HERE? SO FOR SOME FOLKS, THEY NEED, UM, AND THIS IS KIND OF ACROSS OUR SYSTEM FOR SOME FOLKS, THEY NEED A LIGHT LEVEL OF INTERVENTION.
MAYBE THEY LOST A JOB AND THEY JUST NEED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE SOME SPACE TO GET ANOTHER JOB, GET BACK ON THEIR FEET.
FOR OTHER FOLKS THAT MIGHT BE, THAT THEY MIGHT NEED MORE OF A LONG-TERM INTERVENTION.
THEY MIGHT NEED SOME, SOME, OR A MEDIUM TERM, IF YOU WILL.
THEY MIGHT NEED 18 MONTHS OR SO.
MAYBE THEY'RE RECOVERING FROM SOME TYPE OF CONDITION, OR THEY NEED TO, TO GET, UH, SOMETHING HEALTH CONDITIONS OR SOMETHING UNDER CONTROL BEFORE THEY CAN REALLY BE ON THEIR OWN.
AND THEN OTHER FOLKS NEED PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
AND, UH, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT FOLKS WHO MIGHT HAVE DEBILITATING, YOU KNOW, MENTAL OR PHYSICAL, JUST TRUE DISABILITIES, THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO BE A WORKING CITIZEN WHO CAN, YOU KNOW, WORK TO HAVE AN INCOME ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THEM.
THEY NEED PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
AND KIND OF THE NEXT PHASE OF THIS FOR OUR UNHOUSED COMMUNITY, WE HAVE APPLIED FOR A SPECIAL NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY THAT CAME AVAILABLE, UM, JUST A COUPLE MONTHS AGO.
UM, AND IT'S SPECIFICALLY TO TARGET UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS, AND IT'S TO INCREASE YOUR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING.
SO IN OUR COMMUNITY, UH, IN THE, UH, STATE OF HOMELESSNESS ADDRESS THAT HAPPENED IN MAY, UM, WHICH IF YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO, TO CHECK IT OUT ON OUR WEBSITE, I, I TAKE THAT OPPORTUNITY JUST HAS A, IT'S ABOUT AN HOUR LONG, BUT IT HAS A LOT OF REALLY GOOD INFO AND KIND OF THE STATE OF THINGS IN OUR SYSTEM.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SAW THIS LAST, UH, POINT IN TIME COUNT, UM, WHICH HAPPENS ANNUALLY, IT'S KIND OF OUR CENSUS OF OUR NEIGHBORS TO SEE KIND OF HOW OUR SYSTEM'S DOING.
AND WE SAW A 40% INCREASE IN CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS, AND THAT SURGE JUST DID NOT HAPPEN ALONE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
THAT HAPPENED ACROSS OUR NATION.
SO OUR NATION SAW SIMILAR TRENDS.
UM, AND A LOT OF THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU THINK OF IT AS KIND OF THE STILL AFTER EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC.
A LOT OF TIMES, ESPECIALLY IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC, WE COULD NOT ENGAGE WITH OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS FOR THEIR SAFETY OR, YOU KNOW, FOR OUR STAFF, FOR EVERYONE'S HEALTH SAFETY.
YOU KNOW, WE WERE SORT OF DISTANCING, RIGHT? SO, UM, MANY PEOPLE WHO, UH, FELL INTO HOMELESSNESS DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME WERE NOT QUICKLY PUT ON A PATHWAY TO HOUSING.
SO, UH, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IF YOU ARE LIVING ON A SIDEWALK, ANY PHYSICAL OR MENTAL, YOU KNOW, UH, ISSUES YOU MIGHT HAVE OR EVEN THAT YOU HAVEN'T HAD BEFORE, IT CAN BEGIN TO BE EXACERBATED DURING JUST BECAUSE OF THAT SITUATION.
SO, UM, THAT, THAT'S NOT SURPRISING THAT WE SAW THAT BECAUSE OF JUST THE GAP IN SERVICES THAT WE'RE ABLE TO BE GIVEN.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE, UM, HUD IS OBVIOUSLY WATCHES THOSE TRENDS AND THEY ARE, UH, THAT WAS KIND OF WHAT THE OPPORTUNITY WAS, WAS TO BRING ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING INTO OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, SO AS I SAID, THE CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS NUMBERS KIND OF SURGE BY 40%, WHICH, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT WHO ARE THOSE FOLKS, THOSE ARE THE FOLKS TYPICALLY WITH SOME TYPE OF DISABILITY THAT'S GONNA PREVENT THEM FROM, THEY DON'T JUST NEED KIND OF A HAND UP AND THEN THEY'RE ON THEIR WAY.
THEY REALLY NEED KIND OF A PERMANENT, UH, UH, SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR, FOR RENT AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND, UM, SO OUR NUMBERS GREW BY 40%, BUT OUR STOCK OF PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IN OUR COMMUNITY HAS ONLY GROWN BY ABOUT THREE TO 5%.
UH, OR EXCUSE ME, I THINK IT'S, IT'S ONLY GROWN BY 3% IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
SO, UM, IT'S NOT INCREASED AT THE RATE THAT OUR POPULATION NEEDS HAVE.
THAT, SO IT'S SOMETHING WE'RE TRYING TO, MY SECOND QUESTION IS, IS GOING, IS REALLY ABOUT THAT YOU MENTIONED 7%, EXCEPT 7% OF, OF OPEN UNITS NOW ACCEPT VOUCHERS.
WHAT IS A PATH, OR HOW DO WE THE DALLAS CITY COUNCIL THROUGH OUR RECOMMENDATIONS CREATE MORE PATHS FOR SPECIFICALLY HOMELESS VETERANS, BUT THEN HOMELESS? YEAH.
YOU KNOW, HOMELESS PEOPLE OVERALL.
UM, WE NEED MORE LANDLORDS AND PROPERTY OWNERS TO, UH, IS IT, IS TAX INCENTIVES ENOUGH? DOES THAT, DOES THAT ACTUALLY WORK? IS IT LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, I WE NEED TO MARKET THE BENEFIT OF HAVING HOMELESS VETERANS BE THE, THE TARGET AUDIENCE? UM, LIKE WHAT'S THE PATH? YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK IT'S ALL A ALL IN BOTH, RIGHT? I THINK, UM, I THINK OUR, IF OUR CITIES AND OUR COMMUNITIES CAN HELP TO GIVE ADDITIONAL INCENTIVES FOR LANDLORDS AND PROPERTY OWNERS, THAT'S GREAT.
I MEAN, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE ASPECTS OF THE DALLAS REALTIME RAPID REHOUSING INITIATIVE WAS ACTUALLY THOSE PRIVATE DOLLARS THAT I TALKED ABOUT.
THOSE WERE ACTUALLY SPECIFICALLY RAISED TO GIVE US ROOM TO GIVE LANDLORDS INCENTIVES.
SO, UM, SOME LANDLORDS MIGHT SAY, YOU KNOW, I'M A LITTLE NERVOUS OF, OF HOUSING SOMEONE WHO'S COMING, YOU KNOW, FROM, FROM LIVING ON THE STREETS.
UM, WE CAN GIVE, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL DAMAGE MITIGATION FEES THAT MIGHT HELP
[00:30:01]
THEM FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE TO FEEL LIKE, OKAY, I CAN, I CAN RESTORE MY PROPERTY IF SOMETHING HAPPENS.UM, OR IT MIGHT BE THAT WE FIND A LANDLORD, YOU KNOW, KIND OF AS YOU WERE SAYING, THOSE UNITS THAT ARE COMING ON BOARD.
ONE THING THAT WE DO IS WE'RE CONSTANTLY WORKING WITH LANDLORDS AND PROPERTY OWNERS TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT UNITS DO YOU HAVE COMING ON BOARD NEXT MONTH? AND, AND IF YOU HAVE FIVE UNITS, 10 UNITS, 20 UNITS, CAN I PUT A DEPOSIT ON THOSE UNITS NOW AND HOLD THEM SO WE CAN MOVE FOLKS INTO THEM NEXT MONTH? SO THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT OUR TEAM IS CONSTANTLY WORKING ON.
UM, AND REALLY IT'S JUST GETTING THE WORD OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR FOLKS ARE UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS, ARE PEOPLE JUST LIKE YOU AND I, AS YOU SAID.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL, WE'RE ALL, UH, A VERY MANY OF US DON'T REALIZE KIND OF HOW CLOSE WE ARE AT TIMES TO, TO BEING UNHOUSED FOLKS OURSELVES.
UM, IT'S JUST THAT A LOT OF FOLKS HAVE JUST A LACK OF THOSE SOCIAL SAFETY NETS, YOU KNOW, A LACK OF FAMILY, FRIENDS, COMMUNITY.
UM, A GENTLEMAN I SPOKE TO ABOUT A MONTH AGO AT OUR, WE HAVE A HOMELESS ALLIANCE FORUM WHERE ONCE A MONTH FOLKS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY WHO'VE BEEN UNHOUSED OR HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH HOMELESSNESS, THEY ACTUALLY CAN, CAN COME TO THAT AND GIVE US FEEDBACK ON HOW THEIR EXPERIENCE WAS WITH THE SYSTEM.
UM, CAN, CAN ALSO GAIN RESOURCES FROM THAT.
UM, BUT THIS GENTLEMAN, HE WAS IN HIS MID SIXTIES, HE WAS HERE IN THE DFW AREA FOR WORK WHEN HE HAD A MEDICAL ISSUE, A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, HE ENDED UP MEETING OPEN HEART SURGERY.
AND BY THE TIME HE WENT THROUGH REHAB AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND WAS ABLE TO GET OUT, HIS, HIS ENTIRE HOUSING SITUATION HAD FALLEN APART.
UM, AND HE, YOU KNOW, HE, HE DID NOT HAVE ANYWHERE TO GO.
SO, UM, HE'S CURRENTLY AT AUSTIN STREET SHELTER AND HE, YOU KNOW, WAS KIND OF TALKING ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE THERE.
YOU KNOW, HE'S HAVING, HE'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, FOR WHAT IT IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S A GOOD EXPERIENCE AND THEY DO WHAT THEY CAN TO MAKE PEOPLE COMFORTABLE AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
HE'S VERY EDUCATED, VERY, YOU KNOW, SPEAKS ELOQUENTLY.
UM, HE'S A GENTLEMAN WHO'S RIGHT NOW EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS BECAUSE OF JUST HIS SITUATION.
SO, UM, IT'S SOMETIMES HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND AND REALIZE THAT LIKE IT COULD BE ANY OF US AT ANY TIME.
GO BACK FOR A MINUTE, IF I COULD OH, GO AHEAD.
IF, IF I COULD RESPECTFULLY REQUEST FOR MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN ARMS, WE ARE AT 1137.
WE GOT A COUPLE MORE SPEAKERS IF WE CAN ALLOW HER TO GET THROUGH THIS WONDERFUL PRESENTATION BECAUSE IT'S CHALKED WITH GOOD STATS AND I ENJOY NUMBERS.
CUZ I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY SLIDES YOU HAVE REMAINING, BUT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO HEAR REST.
I THINK WE'RE ON SEVEN, SO WE'RE GET THERE.
UM, AND THIS JUST GIVES US AN, AN IDEA SNAPSHOT OF KIND OF THE RACIAL EQUITY COMPONENT OF IT, KIND OF THE RACIAL MAKEUP OF, OF WHO WE'RE HOUSING.
UM, AS WE KNOW, UH, BLACK INDIVIDUALS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY REPRESENTED IN THE HOMELESS POPULATION.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, 76% OF THOSE ARE, ARE BLACK HOUSEHOLDS ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE BEEN HOUSED.
UH, AND THEY MAKE UP 54% OF THE TOTAL HOMELESS POPULATION.
SO WE ARE HOUSING THOSE FOLKS, UM, AT A, AT A HIGHER RATE.
AND WE ARE STILL FINDING THAT THERE'S A, A GAP IN THE LENGTH OF TIME IN THEIR HOUSING SEARCH.
SO BLACK HOUSEHOLDS ARE IN THEIR HOUSING SEARCH FOR 96 DAYS, WHEREAS THE OVERALL POPULATION IS 94 DAYS AND IT'S 87 DAYS FOR WHITE HOUSEHOLDS.
AND OUR LANDLORD ENGAGEMENT TEAM, YOU KNOW, THEY DO FIND, UH, THAT SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, THEY DO EXPERIENCE SOME BIAS IN THINGS FROM LANDLORDS AND FROM PROPERTY MANAGERS.
UM, SO WE'RE JUST WORKING AGAIN TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, UH, ADDRESS THOSE AS WE SEE THEM.
UM, JUST AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, KIND OF OUR ENCAMPMENT WORK.
ONE OF THE WAYS, UH, THAT WE ARE HELPING WITH ENCAMPMENTS THAT'S VERY DIFFERENT THAN HOW, UH, WE HAVE AS A CITY ADDRESSED THEM IN THE PAST.
UM, WE ARE WORKING WITH MULTIPLE PARTNERS.
WE HAVE LOTS OF PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS.
WE HAVE LOTS OF PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER NONPROFITS WITHIN THE ALL NEIGHBORS COALITION, AND WE ARE ACTIVELY COMING TOGETHER AND WORKING TO, UH, ADDRESS ENCAMPMENTS.
AND WE ARE ACTUALLY HOUSING FOLKS FROM ENCAMPMENTS AND THEN CLOSING THOSE ENCAMPMENTS.
UH, WE HAVE DONE A TOTAL OF NINE ENCAMPMENTS SO FAR.
AND THEN, AND THAT CAN SOUND KIND OF LIKE A SMALL NUMBER, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE STATISTICS, IT'S 112 FOLKS HAVE BEEN ENGAGED THROUGH THOSE ENCAMPMENTS, AND 108 OF THEM HAVE BEEN HOUSED ON A PATHWAY TO HOUSING.
SO, UM, THAT, AND THOSE ARE FOLKS, THOSE ARE OUR CHRONICALLY UNSHELTERED FOLKS.
A LOT OF THEM ARE FOLKS WHO, WHO ARE LIVING IN THOSE ENCAMPMENTS.
SO, UM, AND THE NEXT SLIDE JUST KIND OF GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF KIND OF WHAT THAT PROCESS LOOKS LIKE.
UM, WE GET A LOT OF QUESTIONS AS TO, UM, YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE WHENEVER YOU'RE READY.
UM, KIND OF WHO'S INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS? SO IT'S, UM, THE SITE PLANNING BEGINS AND IT'S KIND OF THE, UH, BASED ON THE CITY OF DALLAS AND KIND OF HEALTH RISK, SAFETY RISKS THAT KIND OF BUMPS UP THE PRIORITY OF, OF WHICH ENCAMPMENTS ARE, ARE BEING ADDRESSED.
UM, AND WE WORK CLOSELY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM.
AND THEN IT'S ASSESSED TO KIND OF SEE, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE OUR RESIDENTS HERE, WHAT ARE THEIR PHYSICAL NEEDS, THEIR MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS, HOW CAN WE PROVIDE RESOURCES? THEN WE BEGIN KIND OF DOCUMENT COLLECTIONS.
SO IT'S MAKING SURE THEY HAVE A BIRTH CERTIFICATE OR SOMETHING SO THAT THEY
[00:35:01]
CAN SIGN A LEASE WHEN THAT TIME COMES.AND THEN IT BEGINS HOUSING IDENTIFICATION.
SOME OF OUR FOLKS HAVE BACKGROUNDS THAT ARE CHALLENGING TO HOUSE, WHETHER THEY, THEY MIGHT HAVE SOME TYPE OF, UM, CONVICTION ON THEIR RECORD THAT MIGHT MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE CHALLENGING TO HOUSE THEM.
SO WE BEGIN TO LOOK FOR HOUSING FOR OUR FOLKS, AND THEN THE LEASE UP PROCESS.
AND THEN, UM, OF COURSE, JUST THE CLOSURE MAINTENANCE OF THE SITE.
SO, UM, THE KEYS TO SUCCESS FOR THIS PROGRAM ARE REALLY, AND YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE WHEN YOU'RE READY.
UM, THE KEYS TO SUCCESS FOR THIS PROGRAM ARE REALLY FINDING HOUSING AND THEN KEEPING HOUSING.
SO AS I MENTIONED, HOUSING PLACEMENTS ARE UP 35%.
UM, AND THEN ALSO OUR RESIDENTS ARE MAINTAINING THAT HOUSING WITH GOOD CASE MANAGEMENT, WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF THOSE WRAPAROUND SUPPORT SERVICES THEY MIGHT NEED.
THEY MIGHT NEED EMPLOYMENT SERVICES, WHATEVER THOSE LOOK LIKE, WE'RE GETTING THEM THE THINGS THAT THEY NEED.
AND OVER 99% REMAIN HOUSED AFTER SIX MONTHS.
AND YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, AND THIS IS WHERE YOU ALL, OF COURSE, THIS SLIDE WILL INTEREST YOU ALL SPECIFICALLY, UM, THROUGH THE PROGRAM.
WE'VE HOUSED OVER 1400 VETERANS SINCE 2019.
AND THEN ALSO, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL SAW, THERE WAS A PRESS RELEASE FROM HUD AND THE VA JOINTLY, UM, THAT THEY'VE SEEN A DECLINE BY 11% NATIONWIDE OF VETERANS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.
SO, UM, THAT'S THE LARGEST DECLINE WE'VE SEEN IN FIVE YEARS.
IT MEANS THAT ALL OF THE POLITICAL WILL, ALL OF THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES THAT HAVE BEEN PUT TOWARD THIS, UM, WE ALL BELIEVE THAT OBVIOUSLY IF SOMEONE HAS SERVED OUR COUNTRY, THEY, NO ONE SHOULD SLEEP ON THE STREET.
BUT ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE SERVED, SERVED YOUR COUNTRY, THERE'S DEFINITELY NOT, UM, WE DO NOT WANT THOSE FOLKS SLEEPING ON THE STREETS.
AND THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF, UH, POLITICAL WILL AND, AND RESOURCES TO MAKE SURE THAT'S NOT HAPPENING.
SO, UM, SO JUST TO, TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA, UM, THERE ARE KIND OF THREE PARTS TO REALLY OUR SYSTEM.
AND IT'S, UM, WE HAVE AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM THAT ACTUALLY FLAGS VETERANS AS THEY'RE ENTERING THE HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM.
AND THEN WE HAVE, UM, GATHERED KIND OF ALL THE SPECIFIC VETERAN RESOURCES TOGETHER.
UM, AND THEY HAVE KIND OF, THEY'RE IN A WORK GROUP TOGETHER, AND WE ALSO WORK TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE KIND OF ALL THE INTERVENTIONS THEY MIGHT NEED.
OUR VETERANS MIGHT HAVE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, T S D OR DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THEY NEED HELP WITH THAT ARE, UH, THEY NEED SPECIFIC INTERVENTIONS FOR US.
WE MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THOSE.
WE ALSO HAVE WHAT'S CALLED A BY NAME LIST, AND THEY LITERALLY WORK THROUGH THAT LIST AND ENSURE THAT THERE'S A PLAN FOR KIND OF EVERY VETERAN THAT'S ON THAT LIST.
WE KNOW WHERE THEY'RE OUT IN THE PROCESS, UM, WHAT'S HAPPENING.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, UM, UH, AND I'M READING SOME OF THESE NOTES FROM MY COLLEAGUE SARAH, UH, WHO'S NOT HERE, BUT, UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING IN THE NEXT, UH, MONTH, COUPLE MONTHS TO BE REALLY READY FOR THAT, UM, VISIT FROM UNITED STATES INTERAGENCY COUNCIL AND HOMELESSNESS IS MAKING SURE THAT SOME OF OUR VETERANS WHO ARE SORT OF OUTLIERS THAT ARE KIND OF SEEMING TO LINGER IN THE SYSTEM, SOMETIMES IT'S BECAUSE REALLY THEIR INTERVENTION, THEY WANT TO END UP WITH FAMILY.
AND SO IT'S TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT, UM, THAT THEY'RE READY TO DO THAT, READY TO REUNITE WITH FAMILY AND THAT WE CAN HELP MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
SOMETIMES IT'S THAT THEY'RE IN, UM, SOME TYPE OF TRANSITIONAL HOUSING, AND SO REALLY HOW CAN WE GET THEM MOVED INTO A PERMANENT HOUSING SOLUTION? SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING CURRENTLY.
AND AGAIN, THAT BY NAME LIST, EVERY VETERAN IS REALLY, YOU KNOW, IDENTIFIED.
AND THEN KIND OF THAT TIME CLOCK STARTS, THE MOMENT THEY'RE IDENTIFIED THAT LIKE WE NEED TO QUICKLY GET THEM ON A PATHWAY TO HOUSING.
AND THEN, UM, AND OUR TEAM IS, WE HAVE A TEAM MEMBER WHO IS VERY FOCUSED ON VETERANS.
THAT'S A, A LARGE PART OF HER JOB.
IT'S PRETTY MUCH HER ENTIRE JOB AT THIS POINT.
UM, AND SO SHE CONSTANTLY WORKING WITH OUR PROVIDERS TO ENSURE HOW WE CAN, UH, QUICKLY HOUSE OUR VETERANS AND HELP THEM, UM, RECEIVE WHAT THEY NEED.
UM, OUR THREE BIG GOALS AS A COMMUNITY, AND YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE WHEN YOU'RE READY.
OUR THREE BIG GOALS AS A COMMUNITY ARE, UH, REDUCING UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS, REDUCING CHRONIC UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS.
AND CURRENTLY WE ARE WORKING TO SCALE PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AND HAVING TO EXPAND THAT PROGRAM SO THAT WE CAN SERVE ALL OF THOSE FOLKS THAT WE'VE SEEN.
UM, AND WE HAVE THINGS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PIPELINE TO HELP KIND OF, UH, REDUCE THAT.
AND THEN SECOND, UM, WE WANT TO END VETERAN HOMELESSNESS.
AND SO THAT'S SOMETHING WE ARE WORKING ON.
AND THEN THE THIRD IS REDUCING, UH, FAMILY AND YOUTH HOMELESSNESS.
AND WE ARE WORKING TO RAISE ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO REDUCE SPECIFICALLY YOUTH HOMELESSNESS.
THERE ARE SOME GAPS IN OUR SYSTEM.
UM, AND THEN FOR FAMILY HOME HOMELESSNESS, WE'RE WORKING CURRENTLY TO KIND OF DEFINE WHAT THOSE THRESHOLDS THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING TO KIND OF MEET AND EXCEED OUR, UH, TO, TO CONSIDER IT A REDUCTION IN OUR COMMUNITY.
YOU SAID YOU HAD 72 MILLION FROM THE, THIS PROGRAM LE I GUESS LAST YEAR.
THAT'S REALLY WHAT THOSE WERE.
IT'S REALLY A ONE-TIME SHOP FOR US TO MAKE A BIG REDUCTION IN HOMELESSNESS
[00:40:01]
IN OUR COMMUNITY.AND, UM, SO AGAIN, 62 OF THAT WAS KIND OF THE VOUCHERS FROM DIFFERENT COUPLE DIFFERENT CITIES.
UM, SOME VOUCHERS AND SUPPORT FROM DALLAS COUNTY AND DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT TO KIND OF MAKE THAT INITIATIVE HAPPEN.
SO, UM, WHAT WE'RE DOING TO SORT OF, UH, BACKFILL THAT, IF YOU WILL, TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, IT DOESN'T END WHEN THAT PROGRAM ENDS NEXT YEAR, AT THE END OF 2023, UM, IS THIS PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, THE UNSHELTERED NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY THAT WE APPLIED FOR THAT WOULD PROVIDE SIMILAR FUNDING TO SUSTAIN THE SYSTEM OVER THREE YEARS.
I DON'T WANT TO ADD TO YOUR TIME, BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE OTHER SPEAKERS.
WHAT DO YOU WISH, IF YOU HAD A WISH YES.
WHAT DO YOU WISH THE CITY OF DALLAS WOULD DO TO SUPPORT YOUR EFFORT THAT WE'RE NOT NOW? UM, YOU KNOW, WE, IT'S, IT'S BIG ASK THE THINGS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD WILL BE, UM, ONE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE JUST NEED MORE LANDLORDS, RIGHT? SO WE NEED MORE FOLKS WHO ARE WILLING TO SAY YES AND, UM, UNDERSTAND THAT THAT'S, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY AND HOW THEY CAN HELP, UH, NEIGHBORS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, IT'S ASKING OUR NEIGHBORS TO SAY YES IN MY BACKYARD WHEN THEY HAVE OPPORTUNITIES.
MANY OF YOUR DISTRICTS THAT YOU'RE REPRESENTING HAVE PROJECTS TO SERVE OUR UNHOUSED NEIGHBORS COMING ONLINE IN YOUR COMMUNITIES.
AND IT'S RAISING SUPPORT FOR THOSE AND HELPING, HELPING OUR COUNCILMEN, UH, AND WOMEN FEEL SUPPORTED, UH, WHEN THEY ARE BRINGING THOSE, UH, BIG INITIATIVES IN THEIR AREA.
THERE ARE SEVERAL DISTRICTS WHERE WE'RE, WE'RE HAVING CURRENT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT PROJECTS THAT ARE COMING ONLINE AND, AND CHANGE.
CHANGE IS SOMETIMES SCARY, RIGHT? WE ALL EXPERIENCE THAT.
UM, BUT IT'S JUST HELPING NEIGHBORS UNDERSTAND THAT THESE, THESE ARE OUR NEIGHBORS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND IT'S KIND OF THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL OF US.
IT'S GONNA TAKE ALL OF US TO END HOMELESSNESS.
IT'S ALL OF US WORKING TOGETHER.
SO, UM, JUST FOLKS SUPPORTING THEIR COUNCILMAN IS, IS SOMETHING THAT COULD HELP US TOO.
ANOTHER QUESTION, CAUSE WE HAD, WE HAVE ANOTHER, UH, GROUP, BUT, UH, JUST THE LAST QUESTION RIGHT QUICK THOUGH, WHEN YOU SAY, UH, WE NEED MORE LANDLORDS, UH, IN DISTRICT SIX, I KNOW THAT, UH, WE DEAL A LOT OR WE MEET A LOT WITH THE NEW DEVELOPMENT AND, UH, LANDLORDS.
UM, HOW, HOW DO WE GET YOU INVOLVED? DO YOU ATTEND THESE MEETINGS? BECAUSE WE MEET WITH 'EM AS A COMMUNITY ALL THE TIME AND OH, OKAY.
SO I MEAN, YOUR GROUP OR SOMEBODY SPECIFIC FROM NOT, NOT FROM, UH, THE BRIDGE OR AUSTIN OR YEP.
KNOW IT WOULD BE FROM OUR, OUR ORGANIZATION.
UM, LITERALLY MARSHA JACKSON IS OUR LANDLORD ENGAGEMENT MANAGER, AND MS. MARSHA IS INCREDIBLE AT HELPING OUR LANDLORDS UNDERSTAND HOW THEY CAN GET INVOLVED WITH US.
UM, AND I CAN SEND HER INFORMATION TO YOU SO Y'ALL CAN CONNECT FOLKS WITH HER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
I JUST WANNA ADD ONE FINAL THING.
UM, I'M ACTUALLY ADDITIONALLY AN EMPLOYEE OF THE CITY OF DALLAS AND I WORK IN CO COMPLIANCE AND I TEXT A COLLEAGUE OF MINE AND HE IDENTIFIED THAT SO FAR WE'VE RECOGNIZED, AND I WORKED WITH 3000 APARTMENT COMPLEXES IN THE CITY OF DALLAS PROPER.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S ALL OF THEM, BUT WE DO RECOGNIZE 3000.
ONE RECOMMENDATION I'M GOING TO OFFER IS THAT EVERY MONTH, UH, THE CITY OF DALLAS POLICE DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS CODE COMPLIANCE, WE GO OUT AND WE, UH, TALK TO DIFFERENT APARTMENT COMPLEX'S JUST ABOUT WHATEVER CODE COMPLIANCE NEEDS THAT THEY MAY HAVE.
AND IT WOULD BE GOOD IF, UM, MS. MARSHA JACKSON WOULD REACH OUT BECAUSE SHE COULD ACTUALLY ATTEND THOSE MEETINGS AND JUST SHARE WITH THE PROPERTY OWNER, PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, UM, THE BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM.
YOU KNOW, THE CITY OF PLANO, I JUST HEARD ABOUT THIS LAST WEEK, CITY OF PLANO DID SOME, UH, ACTUALLY LIKE AN EVENT FOR LANDLORDS WHERE THEY BROUGHT TOGETHER CODE COMPLIANCE.
YOU KNOW, ALL THE FOLKS THAT KIND OF ARE A PART OF THE PIECE OF THE, THE PROCESS.
UM, AND KIND OF BROUGHT THEM ALL TOGETHER FOR PROPERTY OWNERS TO GET QUESTIONS ANSWERED TO KIND OF DO SOME PRESENTATIONS ON LIKE, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
SO, UM, WOULD I GET YOUR CONTACT, OR HOW WOULD I GET AHOLD OF THAT DEPARTMENT FOR MARSHA TO GET IN CONTACT? UM, JUST THE GENERAL CODE COMPLIANCE DEPARTMENT.
C CHRISTINA IS, YES, SHE'S OUR LINK.
I WILL SEND YOU MARSHA'S INFORMATION.
AND THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO.
OUR, UH, NEXT, UH, SPEAKER IS PUT MY GLASSES ON.
IT'S FROM, UH, DANIEL, UH, AND SALVADOR MONTOYA, THE HEROES FOUNDATION.
AND WE'RE SORRY WE, UH, KIND OF RAN OVER ON THE LAST ONE, BUT, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION.
[00:45:09]
GOOD MORNING.FOR FIRST OFF, JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO PRESENT, TO BE HERE TODAY.
UM, THIS HAS BEEN, UH, A LONG MISSION AND PURPOSE OF MINE, SO I'M NOT A VETERAN.
UM, MY, MY DAD IS A MARINE VIETNAM VET.
MY FOUNDATION HONORS MY FATHER DANIEL MONTOYA, WHO IS A MARINE VIETNAM VET, AND MY LATE UNCLE SALVADOR MONTOYA, UH, WHO'S ALSO, UH, VIETNAM, BUT ARMY VET.
UM, I STARTED MY MISSION WHEN I WAS LAID OFF BACK IN 2016.
UH, I WAS A VERY, I HAD A GOOD CAREER IN TECHNOLOGY.
I WAS A SOLUTION ARCHITECT IN WHICH I'D HELPED COMPANIES IDENTIFIED CURRENT STATE, UH, FUTURE STATE, AND I WOULD IDENT, I WOULD CREATE GAP STATE IN, IN ORDER FOR THE TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES.
UH, IF IT'S ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, IF IT'S PROJECTS, IF IT'S MOBILE DEVICES, UM, I WAS LAID OFF ON THAT.
SO I THINK THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, MY FAITH HAS, UH, KIND OF BLESSED ME TO KIND OF COME INTO HERE.
BUT I WANTED TO REPLICATE THAT.
AND ALL MY, MY, MY DAD'S VIEW ON THE REASON WHY I DIDN'T SERVE WAS BECAUSE HE DIDN'T SEE THERE WAS A FINANCIAL GAIN OUTSIDE OF WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU GET OUTTA THE MILITARY, HIS EXPERIENCE COMING FROM VIETNAM WAS VERY, UH, WAS, WAS VERY HARD.
AND SO HE HAD TOLD ME THAT, UM, I'M NOT SAYING WHAT DOESN'T MEAN, SO, BUT
UM, I DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS RIGHT.
UH, ESPECIALLY SINCE MY DAD, UH, STARTED OFF, HE GOT HIS, WENT TO VIETNAM, GOT HIS DEGREE THROUGH, UH, THE GI BILL THROUGH, UH, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS.
EL PASO WAS IMMEDIATELY PUT ON THE FORKLIFTS OF SAFEWAY IN EL PASO, UH, EVEN WITH FOOD SUIT AND TIE COLLEGE DEGREE, PUTTING IT, UH, ON THE, ON THE FORKLIFTS, UH, ROSE HIS WAY INTO, UH, A VICE PRESIDENT OF, UH, SUPPLY CHAINS FOR, UH, VITRO PACKAGING.
UH, WHICH WE STARTED OFF VERY HUMBLE WHEN WE GREW INTO UPPER MIDDLE CLASS.
AND MY MOM AND MY DAD TAUGHT ME THAT WORK ETHIC.
AND FOR ME, THAT WORK ETHIC IS UNDER, UH, UH, KIND OF, UH, KIND OF WHAT HAS GIVEN ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF CONTINUE THE HEROES FOUNDATION BECAUSE AS THE PREVIOUS, PREVIOUS PRESENTER SHARED THAT I WAS ALMOST HOMELESS, UH, THE PANDEMIC IMPACTED ALL OF US VERY DIFFERENTLY.
THIS WAS MY PASSION, THIS WAS MY PURPOSE.
AND I GAVE MY LAST FEW DOLLARS, UH, TO VETERAN FAMILIES IN NEED, UH, PARTNERED WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AS WELL AS THE TEXAS VETERANS COMMISSION.
AND I WAS LIVING ON MY BROTHER'S COUCH.
UM, I DIDN'T KNOW HOW THIS WOULD EVEN TURN OUT.
IT'S ONLY THROUGH HIS GRACE THAT, UH, I'M HERE EVEN HERE TODAY.
UH, AND THINGS HAVE GOTTEN BETTER, BUT MY FOUNDATION, UH, IS TO, THE GAP I SAW EARLY ON WHEN I FIRST STARTED WAS NOT ON THE VETERANS THAT WAS ON THE COMPANIES.
UH, VETERANS ARE, ARE GIVEN A LOT OF RESOURCES OR PROVIDED A LOT OF RESUME WRITING.
UH, HOMELESSNESS ARE GIVEN, UH, PROGRAMS. THERE'S A LOT OF NONPROFITS OUT THERE THAT FOCUS THEIR EFFORTS ON PROVIDING FOR VETERANS, BUT THERE'S VERY LITTLE THAT ACTUALLY IMPACT THE COMPANIES TO PROVIDE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
COMPANIES HAVE THE MISSION, HAVE THE HEART WANT TO DO BETTER, WANNA HONOR HEROES, BUT A LOT OF PROGRAMS AREN'T BUILT WITHIN THEM.
MY PURPOSE IN TAKING, REPLICATING MY, MY IT EXPERIENCE WAS TO KIND OF BUILD OUT DIVERSE INCLUSION AND VETERAN PROGRAMS WITHIN COMPANIES THAT PROVIDE THAT BRIDGE BETWEEN THE NONPROFITS THAT HAVE SOLID COMMUNITIES, THAT HAVE SOLID PROGRAMS. AND HOW DO YOU BUILD THEM WITHIN THEM.
HIRE HEROES IS A GREAT, UH, ORGANIZATION THAT HAS, UH, KIND OF LIKE AN INTERNSHIP TYPE PROGRAM.
COMPANIES STILL AREN'T READY TO RECEIVE IT.
COMPANIES DON'T KNOW WHERE IT FITS.
THERE'S STILL A LOT OF INTRICACIES WITHIN COMPANIES AND MULTI-DEPARTMENT, INTER-DEPARTMENTAL COLLABORATION THAT NEEDS TO EXIST BEFORE THESE PROGRAMS CAN GET IMPLEMENTED OR UPDATE.
THAT IS WHERE I WANT TO EMBED.
I WANT TO MAKE MY, I, THERE WAS AN EXPERIENCE I HAD AT A HIRING EVENT WHERE A VETERAN HAD TO CHOOSE, AND THIS WAS, YOU KNOW, BEFORE I GOT LAID OFF, YOU CHOOSE BETWEEN GAS MONEY AND, YOU KNOW, DOES HE, HE HEAVILY HAD $20 IN HIS POCKET.
DO I GO TO THIS JOB FAIR BECAUSE I NEED A JOB, BUT THEN WHAT DO I DO FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK? AND IT BROKE MY HEART BECAUSE I KNOW COMPANIES WEREN'T READY.
THEY COME FULL SUIT, THE SUIT TIED TO THE, TO THE T UH, AS MY DAD, UH, ALWAYS IRON CLUB.
I MEAN, EVERYTHING WAS ALWAYS PERFECTLY DONE.
AND COMPANIES WOULD JUST TAKE THE RESUMES AND KIND OF PUT 'EM TO THE SIDE.
CUZ 93% OF OUR POPULATION ARE CIVILIANS LIKE MYSELF.
UM, SO UNDERSTANDING THE RESUME EXPERIENCE, UNDERSTANDING THE RESUME VERNACULAR, UNDERSTANDING EVERYTHING IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR EMPLOYERS.
AND THE FIRST LINE DEFENSE IS ALWAYS A
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RECRUITING PROCESS.THE, THE RECRUITERS WHO ARE ME.
SO, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE A HEART, I DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING
SO I WANTED TO HELP TRAIN COMPANIES.
I WANTED TO HELP BUILD PROGRAMS WITHIN COMPANIES.
I MAKE A BIGGER DIFFERENCE BY GOING TO THE COMPANIES FIRST AND BUILDING THESE PROGRAMS AND MAKING SURE THAT WE REALLY DO IDENTIFY VET READY VERSUS VET FRIENDLY.
THERE'S A VETERAN FRIENDLY COMPANIES THAT THAT THAT, THAT ARE FANTASTIC AND HAVE A MISSION IN, BUT IT'S ALMOST AS IF IT'S MORE OF A RECRUITING STRATEGY.
VETERAN READY COMPANIES HAVE AN, UH, KIND OF A END TO END FROM A DIVERSE INCLUSION ASPECT, UH, INCLUSIVE.
SO NOW YOU HAVE A BUDDY SYSTEM, NOW YOU'RE FOCUSED ON RETENTION.
HOW ARE YOU GROWING? HOW YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE PROGRESSING YOUR BONUS IN EVERYTHING.
BUT THESE ARE PROGRAMS THAT NEED TO BE BUILT WITHIN COMPANIES BECAUSE DIVERSE INCLUSION IS STILL IN ITS INFANCY WITH A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS AND VETERAN PROGRAMS IN SOME SENTENCES ARE ISOLATED AND KIND OF PUT OUT IT'S DIVERSITY AND IT'S VETERANS.
I BROUGHT, UH,
AND SHE WAS EVEN BEFORE THAT WITH JC PENN.
AND SHE'S BEEN ON MANY BOARDS TO HELP ME BECAUSE SHE'S LED MISSION TO HIRE WITH SERVICE KING, WHICH REACHED ALL HER GOALS.
AND FROM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW I DON'T KNOW EVERYTHING.
SO SHE'S BEEN THERE, DONE THAT.
UH, I'VE DONE CONSULTING, I'VE BEEN PART OF COMPANIES LIKE INTERSTATE BATTERIES WHERE I LED THEIR FULL, UH, INNOVATE INTERSTATE BATTERIES VALUES MISSION.
UM, I'VE, I'VE BEEN PART OF DOMINO'S RECENTLY, SECURONICS IT CYBERSECURITY CARE COMPANY.
I DO A LOT OF CONSULTING, UM, OUTSIDE OF MY NONPROFIT TO FUND MY NONPROFIT CUZ I'M NOT GOOD AT ASKING FOR HELP.
BUT, UH, I JUST WANNA SHARE MORE, GIVE YOU AN UNDERSTANDING AND I'LL LET LARA TO KINDA EXPLAIN SURE.
BUT BEFORE WE GET INTO OUR SLIDES, JUST KIND OF INTRODUCTION.
WELL, UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR, FOR HAVING US.
I AM THE DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY EQUITY INCLUSION AND BELONGING WITH KRA CHAMPIONS COLLISION.
UM, PART OF MY MISSION AND KRAS CHAMPIONS MISSION IS TO SUPPORT, UH, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE HEROES FOUNDATION, UM, TO HELP BUILD A BETTER VETERAN COMMUNITY AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES.
UM, SO IN TODAY'S SLIDES YOU WILL SEE SOME OF THE GREAT THINGS THAT THE HEROES FOUNDATION IS FOCUSED ON.
UH, WE HAVE A, UH, NUMEROUS COMPANIES THAT ARE NOW, UM, JOINING THE ALLIANCE, UH, TO HELP SUPPORT AS WELL.
AND SO IF YOU WANNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE, THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL.
UM, I'LL HAVE, WELL, CHRIS TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT REDEFINING HOW OUR HEROES SERVE.
UH, SO WE'LL MOVE PAST THAT, UH, THAT SLIDE.
WE WANNA BE, UM, WE'LL MOVE PAST THAT SLIDE TOO.
HE, HE DID A GREAT, ARE YOU WANNA GO BACK? JUST, OKAY.
THE, THE GENTLEMAN ON MY LEFT IS MY, MY UNCLE AND MY DAD IS ON THE RIGHT.
SO I JUST WANNA, THAT'S THE, OKAY.
HE WANTS TO SHOW OFF HIS FAMILY AND, AND WE APPRECIATE THAT
ALRIGHT, SO WHERE CAN WE LEAD CHANGE? THERE'S FOUR INITIATIVES AT THAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE H RRA COALITION THAT WE WANT TO MAKE A BIG IMPACT.
UH, THE FIRST ONE IS WORKFORCE INITIATIVES.
AND THEN FOURTHLY, WHICH IS WHERE I I FIT IN, IS THE, UH, DEVELOPMENT, UM, OF OUR, EXCUSE ME, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION OF VETERANS DEVELOPMENT AND HELPING EMPLOYERS, UH, BE MORE VET FRIENDLY AND VET READY.
UM, AS WE LOOK AT OPPORTUNITIES TO HIRE MORE VETERANS AND MILITARY SPOUSES.
AND I ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE I PUT THE ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION FOR MY NONPROFIT IN HERE THIS WAY.
ALLOCATION OF FUNDS, UH, WHERE I SUPPORT.
SO WHERE I'VE ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, EMERGENCY RELIEF, RELOCATION ASSISTANCE, AI INNOVATION, AND VETERAN NETWORK.
SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS EMERGENCY RELIEF VETERANS THAT ARE LIKE FOR COVID.
AND I DID MY BEST TO DO WITH THE FUNDS THAT I HAD AT, YOU KNOW, TO GIVE BACK AS MUCH AS I CAN.
I DO A LOT, I DO A LOT OF GIVING FOR HOMELESSNESS, FOR, FOR CHILD ADVOCACY CENTERS.
UH, RELOCATIONS, SINCE IT'S MY HOPE IF, YOU KNOW, I'M BLESSED ONE DAY TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD IT, TO BE ABLE TO HELP.
A LOT OF MILITARY ARE PUT INTO INSTALLATIONS AND OR LOCATIONS THAT THEY WERE VOLUNTOLD TO GO.
IT'S NOT NECESSARILY WHERE THEY WANT TO BE.
IT'S NOT NECESSARILY WHERE THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE.
AND IF WE'RE COMPANIES, MOST COMPANIES, UH, ENTRY LEVEL TO MID-LEVEL POSITIONS AREN'T ALLOCATED BUDGET FOR RELOCATION ASSISTANCE.
SO THEREFORE MY FOUNDATION AND MY HOPE WOULD BE TO SUPPLEMENT THEIR RELOCATION ASSISTANCE THAT IF THEY WANT, IF THEY'RE BASED IN THE LOCATION, YOU KNOW, JUST THROWN OUTTA CALIFORNIA, BUT WANT TO COME TO DALLAS CUZ THE PGA INTERNATIONAL CAME TO FRISCO AND I HAVE A JOB OPPORTUNITY THERE, BUT PGA DOESN'T HAVE BUDGET FOR RELOCATION ASSISTANCE THAT MY FOUNDATION CAN HELP.