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MORNING, EVERYONE.[Veteran Affairs Commission on April 10, 2025.]
HAVE QUORUM, SO, UH, WE'RE GONNA GET UNDERWAY HERE.WE CAN'T USE THAT TERM, RIGHT? WE'RE GONNA GET UNDERWAY.
WELCOME TO ALL OUR VISITORS, UH, OUR, UH, SMU GUEST.
UM, UM, WE'RE GONNA START OFF PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND, UH, PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, OUR PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHAT YOU SAYING, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INVIS, LIBERTY.
FIRST ALL ORDER OF BUSINESSES.
SO, COMMISSIONER AYS, I DON'T, HERE IS, OKAY.
I'M, I'M THINKING OF A YES, SIR.
PRESIDIO COMMISSIONER PRESIDIO PRESENT AND CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR PROMOTION.
UH, UH, NEW, UH, ONE OF OUR NEW COMMISSIONERS.
WELL, DID YOU, IS HE ONLINE? I'M HERE.
SEE ME ON ZOOM OR WEBEX, WHATEVER.
NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS IS, UH, APPROVING THE MINUTES FOR LAST, UH, OUR LAST MEETING.
HAS EVERYONE HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK MORE? ANY QUESTIONS? DO WE HAVE A, A MOTION TO, UH, TO APPROVE? SO MOVED.
UM, THE FIRST ORDER, OR NEXT ORDER BUSINESS IS THE SCHOLARSHIP ON BEHALF OF, UH, DR.
SO WE'RE JUST GONNA GO STRAIGHT TO THE, UH, YEAH, I HAVE ONE NEW BUSINESS.
WHAT? I HAVE ONE NEW BUSINESS BEFORE WE START.
UH, I WAS CONTACTED BY MY COUNCIL MEMBER THAT THE CITY OF DALLAS HAS BEEN APPROACHED BY A GROUP THROUGH, UH, NEED ASSISTANCE.
APPARENTLY WITH A VETERAN DIES, IT'S TAKING AN IN THE MORE AMOUNT OF TIME TO GET THEIR DEATH CERTIFICATE.
AND THE GUESTS THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO START BENEFITS AND FORTH.
AND SO, SO, UM, THEY WOULD LIKE OUR SUPPORT.
SO I AM PROPOSING A RESOLUTION, A VERBAL RESOLUTION, UH, IN SUPPORT OF THE CITY'S EFFORTS TO INCLUDE THE DEATH NOTIFICATION.
NOW, THIS IS A FEDERAL THING THAT THE CITY WANTS TO BE UPON.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN, UH, WE CAN DO AFTER WE FINISH WITH THE PRESENTATION? WELL, I WAS GONNA SAY THAT SHOULD ENOUGH TIME FOR THE PRESENTATION.
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RIGHT? THAT WOULD BE UNDER NEW BUSINESS.I WANTED TO GET IT OUT OF THE WAY.
SO THE, I THOUGHT WE'LL CONSIDER ALL WE NEED IS AN OR DOWN VOTE.
WELL, THERE'S ACTUALLY A LITTLE MORE TO IT.
LIKE, WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT THEN.
YOU WHAT? THERE'S A LITTLE MORE TO IT.
THEN WHEN WE GET TO THE NEW BUSINESS, THAT'S, THAT'S ALL THERE IS TOO.
I DON'T THINK, UH, THEN IT WOULD HAVE TO COME UNDER NEW BUSINESS.
SAY WHAT WE NEED, WHAT WE NEED A A YES OR NO FROM.
SO WHENEVER THE COMMISSION WANTS TO MAKE A VOTE, THE VOTE, UH, HAS TO BE ON THE AGENDA.
UM, PER OPEN MEETINGS ACT, WE JUST PASSING SOLUTION VERBALLY.
WELL, SHE'S DOING HER JOB
THE THING IS, WHEN PEOPLE DIE IN DALLAS COUNTY, DOES THE DEATH CERTIFICATE COME FROM THE CITY OF DALLAS OR DOES IT COME FROM THE COUNTY DEATH? VA ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE VA? OKAY.
BECAUSE YOU SAID DEATH CERTIFICATE, DEATH CERTIFICATES ARE ISSUED BY THE COUNTY.
SO WELL, WHEN MY MOTHER DIED, NO, MY DAD WAS THOUGH.
HE WAS IN AIR FORCE AND IN BOTH CASES, THE FUNERAL HOME PROVIDED, WENT THROUGH THE COUNTY AND GOT US FIVE COPIES OF THEIR DEATH CERTIFICATES OFF THE BAT.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, UH, SO THAT'S WHY I WAS SAYING WE SHOULD, I THINK, I THINK WE NEED TO GO AHEAD AND, AND, UH, THAT'S, IT'S NOT AS, AS YOU THINK I JUST GET THE PRESENTATION, UH, I'LL INFORM, UH, CITY COUNCIL CAN, IT IS PRESENTED AND WE CAN DISCUSS THAT AFTER, AFTER THE, 'CAUSE WE'RE ALREADY IN A DISCUSSION AND WE'RE PICKING UP THIRD TIME.
THAT'S, IT'S GONNA BE MORE THAN THAT.
UH, WE NEED TO GO BY THE AGENDA, MR. JUST TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE.
I'M TRYING TO BE NICE ABOUT THIS, BUT THE, THE OPEN.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO BY THE RULES AND GO WITH OUR, OUR, OUR PRESENTATION AND WE CAN DISCUSS THAT AFTER UNDER NEW DISTANCE.
UM, THANK YOU FOR, UH, YOUR TIME AND, UH, WHOEVER, UH, WANTS TO GO FIRST.
UM, SO WE ARE A TEAM FROM SMU IN OUR, UH, PROPOSAL TO, UM, CREATE AN INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT OF VETERAN SERVICES IN DALLAS.
IS THAT BETTER? CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? ALL RIGHT.
UM, SO, UH, UM, I'M GOING TO INTRODUCE THE TEAM AND TALK A LITTLE BIT JUST TO GIVE A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF OUR, UM, PROPOSAL OR OUR CONTRACT, I GUESS.
NOW WE ARE HAVE AN OFFICIAL CONTRACT WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS TO PERFORM THE SERVICES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY.
I AM A, UM, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN STATISTICS AND DATA SCIENCE AT SMU.
AND, UM, I AM THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR FOR THIS PROJECT AND ALSO FOR A PROJECT OR A NSF GRANT THAT'S CALLED THE DATA SCIENCE FOR SOCIAL GOOD.
AND SO THIS IS DIRECTLY IN MY WHEELHOUSE ABOUT SOCIAL GOOD FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS IN PARTICULAR.
AND I'LL ASK THE REST OF THE TEAM MEMBERS TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES.
UM, CAN YOU MOVE THE SLIDE FORWARD PLEASE? GOOD AFTERNOON.
I, UM, UH, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN THE SCHOOL OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING.
I, UM, RUN THE SUSTAINABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT
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PROGRAM, BUT IN THIS PROJECT, I'M PART OF THE TEAM REALLY SPECIALIZING IN MAPPING AND GEOSPATIAL DATA COLLECTION AND GEOSPATIAL WORK.I'LL INTRODUCE DYLAN SITTING NEXT TO ME HERE, WHO IS, UM, A STUDENT IN MY PROGRAM AND HAS DEVELOPED A REALLY PRETTY INTERESTING INNOVATIVE MAP MAPPING SYSTEM FOR ASSESSING THE OUTCOMES OF, UM, UH, SYSTEMS THAT AN ORGANIZATION PUTS TOGETHER AND HOW THEY'RE MEETING THE EXPECTATIONS THAT THEY'VE SET.
SO, DYLAN'S GONNA BE WORKING WITH ME TRYING TO APPLY HIS NEW SYSTEM TO OUR PROJECT.
OH, I COULDN'T SAY BETTER MYSELF, BUT I, UH, JUST THREE YEARS MYSELF.
I'M DYLAN HARVEY AND I AM A STUDENT IN JESSE'S PROGRAM, AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO ALL THE WORK THAT WILL BE DONE.
IT IS SUCH A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TODAY, SO THANK YOU.
UM, MY NAME IS JENNIFER INGER.
I AM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IN THE OFFICE OF ENGAGED LEARNING.
UM, I WORK IN THE PROVOST DIVISION AND RUN A LOT OF DIFFERENT EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAMS, INCLUDING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH, ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
WE HAVE A LARGE MENTORING PROGRAM AND OTHER, UH, PROGRAMS THAT FALL UNDER THIS IDEA OF HIGH IMPACT PRACTICES.
I AM, UM, CO-PI ON THIS, UM, CONTRACT AND ALSO AM CO-PI ON THE NSF GRANT, UH, NSF RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR UNDERGRADUATES THAT DR. MCGEE JUST MENTIONED.
SO, AGAIN, IN OUR WHEELHOUSE AND, UH, WE ARE JUST SO THRILLED THAT YOU CHOSE US, SO THANK YOU.
OH, I, DO YOU WANT ME TO
UM, JUST, UH, ONE MORE PERSON WHO COULDN'T BE HERE TODAY.
WE ACTUALLY, UM, BROUGHT SOMEBODY ON ON OUR TEAM, AND THAT'S DR. LAURA ROBINSON DOYLE.
SHE'S A CLINICAL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN THE SIMMONS SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT.
UM, SHE, UH, HAS, UM, A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WORKING, UH, IN, WITH VETERANS AFFAIRS.
UH, SHE WORKED AT THE PENTAGON, UH, FOR YEARS, AND SO WE BROUGHT HER ON 'CAUSE SHE HAS SOME EXPERTISE AND, UH, THAT WE REALLY WANTED TO, UM, LEAN INTO, UH, TO HELP AND SUPPORT, UH, THIS, THIS GRANT AND THIS ASSESSMENT THAT WAS DESIGNED FOR YOU.
SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH THIS ASSESSMENT IS TO, UM, CON CONDUCT A SURVEY OR TO GET INFORMATION FROM VETERANS THAT WILL HELP IN, TO UNDERSTAND THEIR NEEDS AND CHALLENGES AND THE, THEN THE, UM, OPPORTUNITIES THAT CAN ENHANCE SERVICES FOR THEM IN THE CITY OF DALLAS AND THE SURROUNDING AREA.
UM, GO AHEAD AND MOVE THE SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO OUR APPROACH IS THREE-PRONGED.
WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS THROUGH, THE FIRST THING, WHICH, UH, DR.
GER IS GONNA TALK ABOUT IS SOMETHING THAT WE CALL THE VETERAN INNOVATION AND INSIGHT FORUM, WHICH WILL BE AN INFORMATION GATHERING EXERCISE.
THEN WE'RE ALSO GOING TO LOOK AT VETERAN SUPPORT SERVICES IMPACT, AND THAT'S GONNA BE MORE THROUGH SURVEYS THAT, UM, ARE ALREADY AVAILABLE FROM THE US CENSUS BUREAU.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY, AND MAYBE SOME FROM THE BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS AS WELL.
AND THEN WE'RE ALSO GOING TO BE LOOKING AT A VETERAN LOCATION, UM, AND MOBILITY PROJECT USING GEOSPATIAL DATA ANALYSIS, WHICH, UM, DR.
SARAGA AND, UH, MR. HARVEY ARE IN CHARGE OF.
SO GO AHEAD IN THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT OUR FIRST, UH, OF THE ASSESSMENT PIECES THAT, UM, DR. MCGEE JUST SHOWED YOU OF THE THREE, AND THAT'S THE VETERANS INNOVATION AND INSIGHT FORUM.
UM, REALLY OUR FOCUS IS TO ENGAGE ALS, YOU KNOW, AS MANY STAKEHOLDERS AS WE CAN TO UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGES AND OUR APPROACH DURING THAT STAKE.
I ACTUALLY, I'M GONNA TRY TO PUT IN YOUR MIND'S EYE WHAT THIS MIGHT LOOK LIKE.
YOU KNOW, UM, A HUNDRED PEOPLE, INCLUDING OUR, UH, OUR FACILITATORS AND PRESENTERS, UM, IN OUR BEAUTIFUL MOODY HALL AT ONE OF OUR BRAND NEW BUILDINGS, UH, WORKING TOGETHER IN, UH, THROUGH THESE EXERCISES AND ENGAGING IN COLLABORATIVE DISCUSSION, UH, SO THAT WE CAN HEAR DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES.
THERE WILL BE LOTS OF HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES.
UM, THEY WILL, UH, NOT ONLY BE USING THEIR WORDS, BUT THEY WILL ALSO BE USING IMAGES AND, UH, OTHER TYPES OF WAYS
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TO, TO EXPRESS THEIR, THEIR CONCERNS AND ACTUALLY EVEN SUCCESSES.UM, WE REALLY WANTED TO DO THIS PIECE BECAUSE WE WANTED TO TRY TO INCLUDE NOT JUST THE DATA, BUT REAL PEOPLE.
WE WANTED TO HEAR REAL VOICES.
AND SO, UM, OF COURSE WE CAN'T HAVE A THOUSAND PEOPLE THERE, BUT, UM, YOU'RE GONNA HELP ME OUT IN A LITTLE BIT.
I'LL HAVEN'T ASKED FOR YOU ALL AT THE END.
BUT, UM, WE HOPE TO INCLUDE VETERANS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS AND STAKEHOLDERS WHO ARE AT THE HEART OF THE PROCESS, UM, AND GET A NICE BALANCE SO THAT WE GET THESE MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES.
UM, OUR PRIORITY IS TO LISTEN AND LEARN FROM THESE EXPERIENCES.
WE WILL BE COLLECTING DATA, BUT IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
IMAGINE COLLECTING DATA THROUGH STICKY NOTES AND COLLECTING DATA THROUGH, UM, DIFFERENT TYPES OF, UM, SO NOT ON, NOT ON SPREADSHEETS, I SHOULD SAY.
UM, AND I GUESS, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR FOCUS WOULD BE ON THE PROBLEM FIRST AND TAKING A LONG TIME TO REALLY UNDERSTAND DEEPLY AND UNEARTH THAT PROBLEM AND SOME OF THE ROOT CAUSES.
AND USE THIS INFORMATION THEN TO TRIANGULATE WITH THE OTHER DATA PIECES THAT WILL BE PROVIDED IN THE, UM, TWO OTHER METHODOLOGIES THAT ARE PART OF THIS THREE-PRONGED APPROACH.
UM, SO, UH, WHAT WE HOPE TO, THIS IS THE VETERAN SUPPORT, ERP IMPACT ANALYSIS, AND WE'RE GONNA COMBINE THIS WITH RESULTS FROM THE FORUM.
SO JUST TO GET AN IDEA OF THE, UM, PEOPLE THAT WE HOPE TO INVITE TO THE FORUM.
LEMME GO BACK THAT TO A LITTLE BIT.
WE DO HOPE TO INVITE, UM, VETERANS THEMSELVES THAT LIVE IN THE CITY OF DALLAS, AND ALSO OTHER STAKEHOLDERS, PERHAPS CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND OTHERS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THESE, UH, SORTS OF THINGS.
UM, AND THEN WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO UNCOVER SOME, MAYBE WE CAN UNCOVER SOME SERVICE GAPS OR MAYBE WE CAN UNCOVER WHAT'S WORKING VERY WELL IN, IN EITHER CASE.
UM, WE ALSO HOPE TO DETERMINE SOME LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES THAT ARE FACED BY VETERANS IN DALLAS.
UM, AND PARTICULARLY TO COMBINE THOSE WITH THE RESULTS OF THE AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY, WHICH I'VE ALREADY MENTIONED, WHICH IS AVAILABLE FREELY ONLINE.
AND IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IT HAS IS VETERAN STATUS AS PART OF THE COMMUNITY, AND YOU CAN BREAK IT DOWN BY COUNTY AND STATE AND PRETTY MUCH ANY FINE GRADATION YOU WOULD LIKE TO.
UM, THEN, UM, HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND COMMONALITIES ABOUT EDUCATION AND LANGUAGES SPOKEN AT HOME, UH, INCOME, DISABILITY, EMPLOYMENT STATUS, THOSE SORTS OF THINGS THAT WILL HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE TO VETERANS AND HOW EASY IT IS FOR THEM TO ACCESS THOSE SERVICES AS WELL.
I MEAN, THE SERVICES CAN BE WONDERFUL, BUT IT, IT'S DIFFICULT TO ACCESS THEM, THEN THAT DOESN'T MAKE THEM AVAILABLE.
SO WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE, IF WE CAN MAP OUT LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES, THAT WE CAN DO THAT AS WELL.
SO THIS IS A DATA-DRIVEN ANALYSIS.
UM, AND ALSO, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE TRYING TO DO TOO, AS, UH, DR.
AVENGER MENTIONED IS WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM, UM, OR THE CHALLENGES, I GUESS MAYBE BE A BETTER WORD FOR IT BEFORE WE IMPLEMENT A SOLUTION.
BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THE UNDERLYING DIFFICULTIES, THEN YOU CAN'T IMPLEMENT THE APPROPRIATE SOLUTION.
AND THE SOLUTION MAY BE VERY SIMPLE.
UM, AND IN FACT, YOU KNOW, BUT THAT'S UP TO THE CITY OF DALLAS TO COME UP WITH, I SUPPOSE.
AND WE'RE ALSO HOPING THAT THESE SOLUTIONS WILL BE CENTERED AROUND THE VETERANS THEMSELVES, SO IT'LL BE SOMETHING THAT THEY THINK WILL HELP.
SO IT'S MORE OF A GRASSROOTS EFFORT RATHER THAN SOMETHING THAT WILL COME, UM, FROM ABOVE AS TO WHAT OTHERS THINK MIGHT BE HELPFUL.
Z ZAGA PRESENT ABOUT THE SPATIAL TEMPORAL ANALYSIS SWITCHED ON.
REALLY WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IS GATHERING DATA FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES AND MAKING MAPS, AND THE MAPS WILL LAYER UP THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF DATA SO WE CAN UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THEM.
UM, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE, UH, INNOVATION FORUM IS GOING TO GIVE US DATA, WHICH IS NOT THE SAME AS THE MEASURABLE DATA THAT THE CITY AND THE COUNTY ALREADY HAVE.
SO WE'RE GONNA GET DATA ABOUT PEOPLE'S SENSATIONS AND FEELINGS ABOUT HOW THEY CAN ACCESS DIFFERENT, UM, SPECIALTIES OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
WE'LL GET INFORMATION ABOUT LEVELS OF CONFIDENCE OF THE, HOW
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THE THINGS WORK, OR C UM, CERTAIN AMOUNTS OF TIMING.AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO, DYLAN AND I ARE GONNA HAVE TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THAT KIND OF REALLY DIVERSE INFORMATION AND MAKE IT VISIBLE AND SPATIAL IN A WAY THAT CAN BE ASSESSED SO THAT WE CAN COMPARE THINGS.
DYLAN'S REALLY GOOD AT TAKING KIND OF AMORPHOUS SENTENCES, LIKE, OH, WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THE STREETS OF OUR COUNTY BETTER, AND TURNING IT INTO SOMETHING MEASURABLE, BUT GIVING IT A LIST FROM ONE TO FIVE AND SHOWING HOW IT CAN MEASURE UP TO CERTAIN STANDARDS.
SO THAT'S HOW WE'RE GOING TO TRY AND COMBINE THAT MOBILITY DATA, THE SOCIAL DATA, THE INFORMATION FROM THE CITY, AND THE KIND OF PERSONAL INFORMATION OF THE VETERANS, SOME OF WHICH MAY BE, UM, MORE PERCEPTUAL THAN COUNTABLE.
AND WE'RE GONNA TRY AND PUT IT ALL ONTO MAPS IF WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT ONE.
ONE OF THE REALLY INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT THIS MAP IS THAT IT'S GOT TO SHOW TIME AS WELL AS PLACE THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW NOT JUST HOW FAR YOU ARE FROM SERVICE, BUT HOW FREQUENTLY IT'S OFFERED AND HOW THAT FREQUENCY FITS IN WITH THE NEED.
UM, WE'RE GOING TO OBVIOUSLY LOOK AT VETERANS HOUSEHOLDS, LOCAL AND NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION, HEALTH, ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT ISSUES.
AND WE'RE GOING TO TRY AND NOT ONLY LOOK AT THE ISSUES AS SEPARATE AREAS OF RESEARCH, BUT SHOW WHAT'S THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THOSE DIFFERENT ISSUES.
UM, THE SIGNIFICANCE OF COURSE, OF WORKING WITH GIS IS THAT THERE'LL BE A WHOLE BUNCH OF DATA THAT WE CAN THEN SHARE WITH YOU.
I WORK QUITE A LOT WITH THE JANICE GIS GROUP, WHICH IS A GREAT TEAM OF, UM, MAP ENTHUSIASTS.
AND I'M HOPING WE'LL HAVE A CHANCE TO GET TOGETHER AGAIN AND WORK TOGETHER SOME MORE.
AND THE WORK THAT COMES OUTTA THIS STUDY THAT WE DO, WE WILL THEN BE REALLY HAPPY TO SHARE BACK WITH THE CITY GIS TEAM SO THAT THEY CAN KEEP BUILDING ON THAT WORK.
UM, WE ALSO HOPE THAT THE WORK WILL BE ABLE TO BE, CONTINUED TO BE WORK ON WORKED ON SO THAT WE CAN PROVIDE A TEMPORAL ANALYSIS THAT'S JUST FOR HOW WE'RE LOOKING AT IT RIGHT NOW, AND THAT THAT CAN THEN BE KEPT UP TO DATE AND REDEVELOPED IN THE FUTURE.
UM, THERE'LL BE NEEDS ANALYSIS AROUND PARTICULAR HOTSPOTS, BUT WE DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THAT'LL BE YET.
WE'RE TRYING NOT TO KIND OF DECIDE IN ADVANCE EXACTLY WHAT THE OUTCOMES WILL BE UNTIL WE SPEAK TO THE VETERAN AT THE INNOVATION FORUM AND SEE WHAT THEIR PRIORITIES ARE, WHAT THEIR PRIMARY INTERESTS ARE, WHAT THE REAL THINGS THAT WE NEED TO CONCENTRATE OR NOT, WHERE ELSE WE MIGHT BE PUTTING OUR EFFORT INTO THE WRONG AREAS.
UM, THIS IS THE KIND OF MAP OUTPUTS THAT WE'LL BE GIVING.
WHY DON'T YOU DESCRIBE THIS? DO YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THIS ONE? YES, ABSOLUTELY.
SO THIS MAP IS SHOWING THE, UH, CENSUS TRACKS.
UH, THE DARKER BLUE ONES ARE WHERE THE MORE VETERANS LIVE, THE LIGHTER ONES ARE, WHERE THERE'S A LESS VETERAN POPULATION.
IT'S OVERLAID WITH THE DARK, UH, LOOKS LIKE THE RAIL TRANSPORTATION, ALONG WITH, UH, STATIONS TO SHOW WHERE MORE VETERANS MIGHT LIVE CLOSER TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION THAT COULD HELP 'EM GET TO THE SERVICES OFFERED BY THE CITY OF DALLAS.
UM, SO THIS IS A KIND OF SUMMING UP UPSIDE TO SAY ALL OF THESE KIND OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES THAT WE'RE DOING ARE WAYS OF FINDING DIFFERENT KINDS OF DATA, QUALITATIVE DATA, QUANTITATIVE DATA.
AND WHAT WE AS A TEAM ARE REALLY GOOD AT IS BRINGING DATA OF DIFFERENT VARIETIES AND FINDING A WAY TO MAKE IT TALK, TO TALK TO EACH OTHER.
SO YOU'VE GOT THIS COMBINATION HERE OF, UM, DR.
INGER WHO REALLY KNOWS HOW TO GET PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT REALLY USED TO THINKING OF THE INFORMATION THAT THEY HAVE AS BEING DATA AND GETTING THEM TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION, AND THEN FIGURING OUT HOW TO MAKE THAT INTO SOMETHING THAT'S MEASURABLE.
UM, AND THEN ME, WHO KNOWS HOW TO MAKE IT VISIBLE AND PUT IT ONTO MAPS.
AND THEN, UM, DR. MCGEE, WHO'S REAL SPECIALTY IS TAKING ALL OF THAT DIFFERENT INFORMATION AND STATISTICALLY CALCULATING IT TO GIVE US OUTCOMES THAT WE CAN REALLY USE.
UM, SO OUR, UM, PROJECT GOAL AND TIMELINE, UM, WE HAVE AN IN CHUNKS.
UM, MUCH OF THE TIME SPENT BETWEEN THESE ONE TO THREE WILL BE IN THIS DATA COLLECTION
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MODE, UH, MAKING SENSE OF THAT DATA, CODING THAT DATA, AND MAKING IT USABLE SO THAT WE CAN COMBINE AND TRIANGULATE THESE THREE METHODS.UM, WE WILL BE PROVIDING TO YOU EVERY SINGLE MONTH AN UPDATE SO THAT YOU KNOW HOW FAR WE HAVE PROGRESSED IN EACH OF THE METHODOLOGIES.
IT'S HARD TO PUT MILESTONES TO THOSE EXACTLY, BECAUSE COMPUTERS CRASH
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S JUST SO MANY VARIABLES.
BUT OUR COMMITMENT, WE, WE REALLY THOUGHT THAT WE COULD HAVE THESE EASILY WITHIN THREE MONTH CHUNKS, MAYBE EVEN A LITTLE BIT FASTER.
UM, 'CAUSE THERE MIGHT BE SOME OVERLAY WHERE WE MIGHT START SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT EARLY RATHER THAN, UM, LATER.
SO EACH OF THESE, SO LAUNCH OF THE VETERANS INNOVATION AND INSIGHT FORUM NEXT MONTH, UH, ON MAY, MAY 10TH, SORRY, MAY 10TH.
UH, SO COMING UP REALLY SOON, UM, SURVEY AND GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS.
I KNOW THAT DYLAN'S GONNA BE WORKING QUITE A BIT THIS SUMMER ON THAT INFRASTRUCTURE TO KIND OF DO THAT, TO DO THAT DATA CAPTURE.
BUT, UM, WE HAD POSED FOR THE FOURTH MONTH THAT WE BEGIN THAT PROCESS.
BUT AGAIN, IT COULD PROBABLY START A LITTLE BIT EARLIER AND IT MIGHT, IT PROBABLY WILL.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, THE, THE DATA FOR THE ANALYSIS AND THE DRAFT RESPONSE, WE WILL NEED SOME TIME.
WE PLAN ON PRODUCING FOR YOU A WONDERFUL REPORT THAT WILL HIGHLIGHT AND SHOWCASE ALL OF THE DATA THAT WE HAVE FOUND AND THE CONCLUSIONS THAT WE HAVE DRAWN FROM THE DATA AND MAKING IT USABLE, AS DR. MCGEE SAID EARLIER, MAKE IT USABLE FOR YOU SO THAT YOU CAN BEGIN DECISION MAKING.
UM, AND GA IN DATA-DRIVEN, DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING.
SO, AND THEN I GUESS WE, OH, FINALIZING THE PAPER AND ANY RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, THAT'S JUST KIND OF THE WRAP UP, BUT DID YOU GUYS WANNA ADD
ALRIGHT, SO, UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO WHY TEAM SMU? WHY THE FOUR OF US SITTING HERE?
WE HAVE GREAT FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE FOR RESEARCH TO BE DONE.
AND SO D UH, SMU IN ITSELF IS A FORMIDABLE PLACE TO DO RESEARCH.
AND WE ARE, UM, PRIVILEGED TO HAVE THE KIND OF RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE, UM, NOT ONLY IN STRUCTURE, BUT ALSO IN PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO CONDUCT RESEARCH AS WE PROPOSE TO YOU.
UM, WE HAVE CUTTING EDGE RESOURCES AT SMU.
WE HAVE ONE OF THE HIGHEST PERFORMANCE COMPUTERS IN THE NATION, AND LOTS OF ADVANCED TOOLS AND WAYS TO PROVIDE SOLUTIONS TO THAT.
IF WE ARE ABLE TO FIND MORE DATA, IF IT IS REVEALED TO US AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN ACCESS, WE WILL INCLUDE IT IN THIS RESEARCH AS WELL.
UM, THE EXPERTISE OF OUR TEAM, I MEAN, WE REALLY ARE BRINGING A MULTI INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH.
UH, YOU, YOU CAN SEE HERE AS WE PRESENTED, THERE WOULD BE QUALITATIVE DATA AND QUANTITATIVE DATA IN THIS AND SOLUTION OR INFORM, I GUESS REPORTS ARE SO MUCH STRONGER WHEN YOU DO WEAVE THESE DIFFERENT DATA, DATA PIECES INTO, UH, A RESULTS, UM, REPORT.
UH, WE'VE ALSO WORKED TOGETHER A LOT.
UM, WE WERE, UH, GIVEN THIS OPPORTUNITY, UM, ON BEHEST OF OUR PRESIDENT TO WRITE THIS AND OUR DEAN OF RESEARCH.
AND, UM, WE'VE WORKED TOGETHER BEFORE AND HAVE HAD REALLY GREAT SUCCESS.
SO, UM, THIS ISN'T A NEW TEAM, UM, IN FRONT OF YOU.
THIS IS A TEAM THAT HAS, UM, WE, WE KNOW, WE KNOW HOW EACH OTHER WORKS.
SO, UM, OUR, OUR COMMITMENT, UM, AS DR. MCGEE SAID EARLIER, AND DR.
ZURICH, AVA DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A CHANCE TO TELL YOU THIS.
UM, WE ARE DEEPLY COMMITTED TO THIS LOCAL COMMITTEE.
WE ALL ACTUALLY LIVE IN DALLAS PROPER.
AND, UM, ALL OF US ARE INVOLVED IN SOCIAL GOOD WORK, UM, UH, AT DR.
ZAGA HAS DONE A LOT OF WORK WITH THE CITY IN, UH, LOTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
AND, UM, AND WE'VE DONE WORK WITH DIFFERENT COLLEGES ON CAMPUS AND DR. MCGEE AS WELL.
SO WE'RE VERY COMMITTED TO THIS CAUSE AND THAT WILL DRIVE, UM, OUR, OUR DISCIPLINE, UM, AND COLLECTING THIS DATA, WORKING WITH PEOPLE AND, AND FORMING RESPONSE FOR YOU ALL.
AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'LL BE VERY TRANSPARENT WITH YOU.
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LET YOU KNOW EVERY, EVERY SINGLE MONTH YOU'LL GET A VERY DETAILED REPORT OF WHAT'S HAPPENING.WE PROBABLY WON'T GIVE DATA
BUT, UM, WE WILL DEFINITELY LET YOU KNOW EVERY MOVE THAT WE MAKE, EVERY SINGLE MONTH, AS WELL AS BUDGETARY, UM, EXPENDITURES.
UM, AND I GUESS THE, AND THINGS THAT YOU WILL GET ACTIONABLE RESULTS.
UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE, THIS IS AN ASSESSMENT.
WE WANTED TO ARM YOU WITH THE BEST INFORMATION POSSIBLE SO THAT YOU CAN DO THE WORK THAT YOU DO, UM, THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING THE DECISIONS CAN DO THE WORK THAT THEY DO.
SO THAT'S, I JUST ANYTHING ONE, RIGHT? JUST LAST SLIDE, I GUESS.
UM, WE REALLY, UM, AGAIN, WE'RE SO GRATEFUL FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
UM, WE'RE THRILLED THAT WE WERE CHOSEN AND, UM, WE'RE EXCITED BY THIS.
WE'RE ALL PRETTY NERDY OVER HERE,
AND SO I THINK THAT CURIOSITY THAT, UH, DRIVE AND JUST OUR LOVE OF DOING RESEARCH, UM, WE'RE JUST EXCITED TO DO THAT WITH ALL OF YOU, UM, IN THIS, IN THIS PROJECT.
SO, OOPS, DID YOU HAVE ANY LAST COMMENTS? I DON'T THINK SO.
I THINK WE'RE READY TO TAKE YOUR QUESTIONS.
FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, REPRESENTATION.
AND I KNOW WE HAD A TEAM, UH, AS PART OF THAT.
SO WE'RE CONFIDENT WITH OUR TEAM AND WE'RE CONFIDENT WITH YOUR TEAM.
SO, UM, IS COMMISSIONER CHASE, I'M GONNA TAKE, UH, ONLINE QUESTION FROM HIM.
COULD HE JUST BE THE FIRST ONE? COMMISSIONER CHASE, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? OKAY.
UM, NO, I JUST WANNA COMPLIMENT S MU'S TEAM FOR THIS, THIS, UH, BRIEFING.
I AM REALLY IMPRESSED AND, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO THEIR, UH, REPORT.
I WANTED TO SAY I WAS WAITING FOR THE SHOE TO DROP AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION OF, UM, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, YOU GUYS, BUT I WAS THINKING, OH, THIS IS GONNA TAKE TWO TO THREE YEARS.
AND I LOOK AT THE TIMELINE AND IT SAYS, ACTIONABLE RECOMMENDATIONS WITHIN 12 MONTHS.
I'M GOING, DANG, WE DON'T SEE THAT WHEN DEALING WITH THE GOVERNMENT.
YOU KNOW, I MEAN, Y'ALL AREN'T, BUT WHEN DEALING WITH THE GOVERNMENT, USUALLY WHEN THERE'S A STUDY, WE NEVER HEAR FROM THOSE PEOPLE AGAIN, KIND OF THING.
AND I THINK THAT EVERYONE ON, ON THIS COMMISSION, THIS IS PRETTY MUCH WHAT WE'VE BEEN ASKING FOR SINCE WE WERE FOUNDED, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF COVID IS WHEN WE CAME ONLINE.
AND THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE THINK WE DO, AND WE DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO DO THIS.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHO CAME UP WITH THE IDEA.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE, I'M THRILLED THAT Y'ALL ARE DOING THIS AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT YOU COME UP WITH, AND ESPECIALLY DYLAN, UH, BECAUSE YEAH, I'M A VISUAL.
I USED TO BE A TEACHER AND I'M A VISUAL.
YOU GOTTA PUT IT ON A MAP FOR ME.
YOU HAVE TO LAY IT OUT FOR US.
AND I THINK SOME OF US ARE THAT WAY BECAUSE WE KNOW AS FELLOW VETERANS WHAT THE NEEDS ARE, BUT TRYING TO EXPLAIN IT TO PEOPLE, THEY WANNA SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
WOULDN'T Y'ALL AGREE, GENTLEMEN? AND I THINK IF YOU CAN PUT A NUMERIC VALUE, I THINK YOU, SOMEONE WAS SAYING ONE TO FIVE, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER IT'S LIKE IN THIS PART OF TOWN, THAT MAP SHOCKED ME TOO.
I MEAN, ALSO THAT WHITE SPOT'S A LOT OF SOUTHEAST ELSE.
THAT'S WHY, YOU KNOW, BUT I THINK IF WE LOOK AT WHERE THE VETERANS ARE CENTERED, THAT IS A GREAT IDEA OF LOOK AT THE HEADS NODDING YEAH.
OF WHERE THE RESOURCES SHOULD BE.
SO I AM JUST HYPED BEYOND MEASURE THAT Y'ALL ARE HERE TODAY.
SO THANK Y'ALL FOR WHAT Y'ALL ARE ABOUT TO DO.
I, I, UM, I DO WANNA THANK THE, THE TEAM FROM SMU FOR COMING TODAY AND EXPLAINING HOW YOU'RE GOING TO DO THIS.
IT, I THINK IT GIVES THE, THE COMMISSION AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO APPRECIATE THE RIGOR AND THE, THE, THE CROSS POLLINIZATION THAT YOU'LL DO WITHIN YOUR DISCIPLINES TO ACTUALLY MAKE A, UM, A REPORT THAT IS, IS USABLE, GIVES THAT ACTIONABLE, YOU CAN ACTUALLY GO KINETIC WITH IT.
UM, I, I, UH, I'M, I'M CURIOUS, UM, BECAUSE I, I KNOW THAT ON YOUR GEOSPATIAL SETS, YOU'LL BE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, WHERE ARE, WHERE ARE SERVICES AVAILABLE? AND SO IF THE SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE AND THERE'S NO TRANSPORTATION TO GET THERE, AND IF YOU'RE HOMELESS TO START WITH, YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHERE THEY WERE TO BEGIN NOW, NOW WHAT YOU DO.
SO, I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT YOU DON'T HAVE A, YOU DON'T HAVE A DOG IN THE FIGHT RIGHT? AT THAT POINT.
[00:35:01]
SUCH, UM, THE, THE RIGOR THAT YOU'LL PUT TOGETHER FOR IT MAKES IT SUCH A VALUABLE KIND OF REPORT THAT'S GONNA COME OUT OF THIS.UM, BECAUSE NO, NO ONE'S GONNA TURN AROUND AND SAY, OKAY, SMU, YOU NEED TO BUILD THAT HOMELESS FACILITY.
RIGHT? YOU'RE NOT GONNA, SO IT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT, THAT ACADEMICALLY IT'S PUT TOGETHER.
UM, I WAS CURIOUS, ARE YOU GOING TO USE ANY OF THE GROUPS OUT OF SMU, UM, THAT ALREADY EXIST? LIKE THE MILITARY VETERANS MM-HMM
I MEAN, YOU'RE GONNA SEND THEM OUT INTO THIS.
THEY, THEY MAY KNOW SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE AVAILABLE, PLUS THEY ALSO HAVE, THEY HAVE A DOG IN FIGHT YEAH.
AND I'M CURIOUS IF YOU'RE GONNA DO THAT.
AND THEN THE OTHER THING WAS, UM, I WAS CURIOUS FROM OUR STANDPOINT, FROM THE CITY STANDPOINT, ARE WE GOING TO, ARE WE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE EVERY BIT OF, OF, UM, OF INFORMATION AS TO WHERE THE CITY SERVICES ARE ACTUALLY PROVIDED? MM-HMM
THAT'S THE, THAT'S, THAT'S THE STARTING, THAT'S THE GROUND, GROUND ZERO WHERE YOU'RE GONNA START OFF? I WOULD THINK.
SO I'M GONNA ANSWER THE FIRST QUESTION ABOUT THE DATA ITSELF, AND THEN I'M GOING TO ASK JEN IF SHE WOULD ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT DIFFERENT PARTNERS.
UM, SO IN TERMS OF THE, THE DATA WHERE YOU SAID THINGS LIKE THE LOCATION OF THE SERVICE, BUT HOW DO YOU GET THERE AND WHAT IF THERE'S A HOMELESS PERSON WHO, SO THIS I THINK IS WHAT'S QUITE INTERESTING ABOUT TRYING TO USE MAPS FOR THIS, IS THAT WE CAN TRY TO, UM, MAKE VISIBLE NOT JUST THE LITTLE POINTS ON THE MAP, BUT ALSO THE CONNECTIVITY, UM, IN A DIFFERENT LAYER OF THE, OF THE WAYS TO GET TO THAT POINT FROM THE PARTICULAR PLACES THAT WE KNOW THAT MORE VETERANS ARE.
WHAT'S REALLY INTERESTING TO ME IS THAT CHANGES IN TIME.
SO THERE MAY BE TIMES OF THE WEEK THAT IT'S EASY TO GET TO CERTAIN SERVICES, BUT IT ISN'T NECESSARILY WHEN THE SERVICES ARE MOST NEEDED.
UM, IT ALSO, UM, THERE'S ALSO AN ISSUE THAT CONNECTIONS ARE NOT JUST TRANSPORT.
THEY CAN ALSO BE IN COMMUNICATION, BUT IT'S GREAT IF THERE'S A SERVICE, BUT IF NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT IT, THAT DOESN'T SERVE EITHER.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE TRYING TO MAP ARE MORE CONCEPTUAL IDEAS, LIKE HOW, HOW IS THE SPREAD OF INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR SERVICE AS MUCH AS HOW IS THE KIND OF SPREAD OF CONNECTIVITY? SO DYLAN'S GOING TO BE CHALLENGED TO FIGURE OUT THAT.
WELL, I, I, I'VE TALKED TO HIM.
SO, UM, AS FAR AS THE MATERIALS, DYLAN'S ACTUALLY BEEN SPENDING TIME EVEN BEFORE THE CONTRACT WAS SIGNED, LOOKING ONLINE, LOOKING FOR ANY MATERIALS THAT WE COULD POSSIBLY PUBLICLY, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC MATERIALS THAT WE COULD PUT OUR HANDS ON.
AND THEN OUR PARTNER, AND THEN WE, HE'S GONNA HELP US ALSO FIND MATERIALS.
BUT IF THERE ARE ANY, UM, DOCUMENTS, ANY MISSION STATEMENTS, OR ANY KIND OF, UM, INFORMATION THAT YOU ALL HAVE AS A COMMISSION THAT YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO, UM, RELEASE TO US, THAT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL.
UM, IT'LL HELP US TO UNDERSTAND EVEN MORE BEYOND WHAT WAS IN THE RFP, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES ARE, EVEN IF IT'S HISTORICAL, WE'LL GET A BETTER SENSE OF YOU ALL.
SO IF THERE IS, UM, ANYTHING LIKE THAT, THEN PLEASE, UM, PLEASE SEND IT OUR WAY.
AS FAR AS SMU AND LEANING INTO OUR, WELL, LET ME, BEFORE I GO ON, DID YOU WANNA ADD SOMETHING TO THAT? OKAY.
UH, I MEAN, HE, HE WOULD HAVE A BIGGER ASK THAN ME.
THE, UH, KIND OF DOCUMENTS WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, ACETATE, WHAT THE GOALS AND VISIONS OF THIS COMMITTEE AND THE CITY OF DALLAS FOR THE VETERANS IS, IS ANY, UH, PLANNING, UH, DOCUMENTS, BROCHURES, UH, ESPECIALLY HISTORICAL WHERE WE CAN BUILD UP A, A DATABASE IN A SENSE OF SAYING THIS, THIS IS WHERE, WHERE YOU WANT WE ALL WANT TO BE, AND HOW CAN WE OVERLAY THE DATA THAT WE'LL BE GATHERING TO GET THERE? AND THEN MEASURE THAT.
WE HAVE THIS COMMISSIONER BIRDWELL, WE HAVE, UH, ANNUAL REPORTS THAT ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FOR YOU TO GET.
AND ALSO EVERY MEETING IS RECORDED.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL BEING RECORDED RIGHT NOW AND IS CONSIDERED, YOU KNOW, PART OF THE OPEN MEETING, OPEN MEETINGS ACT.
SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY GO ONLINE, UH, THROUGH THE CITY OF DALLAS.
AND HOW FAR BACK DO THEY GO? IT'S FROM THE BEGINNING.
SO YOU COULD ACTUALLY, AND, YOU KNOW, ZIP THROUGH ALL THE BUSINESS, BUT YOU COULD LOOK AND SEE WHO THE VISITORS ARE BECAUSE ALL THE MEMBERS OF THIS COMMISSION WILL TELL YOU THAT EVERY MONTH WE GET PEOPLE WHO COME UP HERE WITH A SPECIFIC NEED, WHETHER IT'S SERVICE ANIMAL HELP, OR HOMELESS, UH, VETERANS OR HEALTHCARE, WHATEVER.
AND THEY COME TO US ASKING FOR HELP.
WE ARE, WE HAVE NO BUDGET, WE HAVE NO FUNDING AND NO STATUTORY ABILITIES.
SO WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS LITERALLY, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET ACROSS TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND SUCH.
[00:40:01]
THIS IS FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS, DON'T FORGET, COUNTY ALSO HAS, UH, NEEDS WITH PARKLAND HOSPITAL, ET CETERA.NOT EVERY VETERAN GOES TO THE VA, BUT, UM, ANYTHING YOU WANNA KNOW ABOUT US IS ONLINE AND OPEN.
SO I MEAN, IF YOU HAVE A TA WHO NEEDS TO MAKE UP SOME HOURS, UM, HAVE 'EM SIT THROUGH THE MEETINGS AND LITERALLY YOU CAN SEE ALL THE DIFFERENT GROUPS WHO HAVE COME HERE IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS.
DIANE, MR. CHAIRMAN, COULD I, UH, SUGGEST THAT THE CITY SEND, UH, THE, THE SMU TEAM, THE NAMES OF ALL THE GROUPS THAT HAVE COME TO US, THERE'S PROBABLY 10 OR 12 THAT HAVE, AS DIANE POINTS OUT, HAS COME TO OUR COMMISSION AND THEY WOULD BE GOOD RESOURCES FOR, FROM A BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
SO THAT ACTUALLY LEADS IN NICELY TO MY, MY BIG ASK FOR YOU ALL, UM, WE, TO, TO YOUR QUES TO YOUR QUESTION, UM, COMMISSIONER COLE ABOUT, UH, LEANING INTO OUR VETERANS ORGANIZATIONS.
I'VE BEEN MEETING WITH THE SPONSOR, I GUESS, FOR THOSE THROUGH STUDENT AFFAIRS SO THAT I CAN START, UH, BUILDING THE CAPACITY TO, UM, INVITE THEM AND HAVE THEM INVOLVED IN THE INSIGHT INNOVATION AND INSIGHT FORUM.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I WANTED TO ASK ALL OF YOU, UM, LIKE COMMISSIONER BIRDWELL, IF YOU LIKE VISUAL THINGS, THEN WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU AT THE VETERANS INSIGHT AND INNOVATION FOR INNOVATION FORUM.
WE'D LIKE TO HAVE A DIVERSE SET OF PEOPLE THERE.
WE HAD MENTIONED YOU, I MEAN, YOU ALL ARE VERY IMPORTANT 'CAUSE YOU'VE SEEN THESE PEOPLE COME THROUGH.
SO YOU WHAT, YOU KNOW, IS A TREASURE TROVE FOR US.
BUT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT, UM, SERVICE PROVIDERS AND VETERANS THEMSELVES THAT, UM, ARE IN A PLACE IN A, IN A PLACE LIKE THEY'RE NOT CURRENTLY, CURRENTLY IN HOUSED, FOR INSTANCE, BUT THEY'RE IN A PLACE WHERE THEY COULD PARTICIPATE IN THIS, UM, AND, AND, AND HAVE A, YOU KNOW, A, A PRODUCTIVE AND HAPPY TIME.
UM, SO WHAT I'M GONNA DO, IF YOU, WITH YOUR PERMISSION, OF COURSE, I HAVE A, UM, I HAVE A, A, A SHEET HERE AND IT SAYS TWO THINGS.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN ATTENDING THE VETERANS INNOVATION AND INSIGHT FORUM YOURSELF? OR IS THERE SOMEONE YOU RECOMMEND INSTEAD? I'D LOVE TO.
UH, SO I'D LOVE TO SEND THIS AROUND AND THIS COULD BE A REALLY GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO HELP US INFORM THE INVI INVITE LIST.
UM, 'CAUSE WE'RE COMING IN FROM THE OUTSIDE AS RESEARCHERS.
UM, WE'LL NEED YOUR HELP TO PROVIDE THAT CONTEXT.
I'LL PROBABLY START INVITATIONS AS EARLY AS TOMORROW, MONDAY FOR SURE.
UM, SO I, AND THEN OF COURSE WITH THAT, WE WILL CONTINUE TO ASK FOR MORE RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO WITH YOUR PERMISSION AT SOME POINT IN THIS MEETING, I WOULD LOVE TO SEND THAT AROUND.
UH, BUT AGAIN, LOVE TO HAVE YOU.
SO LET, WHILE THIS IS GOING AROUND, LET ME TRY AND PAINT A BIT OF PICTURE OF WHAT THAT INNOVATION FORUM WILL BE SO THAT YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT YOU'RE INVITING YOURSELF TO.
SO THIS WILL BE ON SATURDAY, THE 10TH OF MAY.
YEAH, I'D LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION.
WHO'S IN CHARGE? WHAT OF THE FOUR OF YOU, WHO'S IN CHARGE? MONEY IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE I'M THE PRINCIPAL INVESTOR.
YOU'RE THE OVERALL IN CHARGE PERSON? YES.
UH, WE JUST HAD A SIDEBAR AND I GUESS ONE OF MY, MY QUESTIONS, UH, IS WHAT I'M USED TO SEEING.
AND, AND I'VE BEEN ON A COUPLE OF OTHER COMMISSIONS AND, AND THEY CUT AND PASTE ALL THE DATA.
AND, AND A LOT OF TIMES THE DATA IS, IS, UH, OLD, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S NOT APPLICABLE TO, TO THIS AREA.
SO I KNOW WE'RE GONNA FOCUS ON DALLAS COUNTY BECAUSE I, I KNOW I HEARD SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY IT COULD GO STATE OR IT CAN GO, YOU KNOW, BUT WE'RE GONNA, I THINK WE'RE GONNA TRY AND FOCUS ON COUNTY.
IS THAT WHAT WE'RE YEAH, DALLAS COUNTY IS THE, THAT'S THE SCOPE.
UM, WE DO UNDERSTAND THERE MIGHT BE A PROVIDER THAT'S OUTSIDE OF DALLAS, YOU KNOW, MIGHT BE IN FRISCO, BUT IS A, A KEY PLAYER, KEY STAKEHOLDER.
UM, MAYBE THEY WOULD BE INVITED.
BUT, UH, WE'D REALLY LIKE TO CONCENTRATE ON DALLAS ONLY.
WE'RE REALLY FIRST FOCUSING ON THE CITY, DALLAS CITY.
THERE ARE ASPECTS OF THE COUNTY THAT WILL COME INTO THE DATA, BUT WE'RE FOCUSING ON THE CITY.
AND IT WILL BE ORIGINAL, UH, UNIQUE DATA.
[00:45:01]
UM, 'CAUSE FOR YOU, LIKE, YOU KNOW WHAT, UH, COMMISSIONER AIR SAID EARLIER ABOUT IT, DEATH CERTIFICATE.YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE VA WE HAVE PLACES ALREADY ESTABLISHED, BUT WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH SERVICE OFFICERS.
WE DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH OF, UH, ASSISTANCE WITH, WITH EMERGENCIES.
YOU KNOW, LIKE, LIKE THE TIMEFRAMES, THE TIMING.
UH, WOULD THAT BE INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY THAT MAYBE, HOW, HOW CAN WE EXPEDITE SOME OF THESE? WE HOPE THAT SOME OF THAT WOULD COME UP AT THE FORUM FOR SURE.
'CAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'LL BE DOING.
AND I THINK, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS WE WANTED TO TRY TO DO IS TRY TO PAINT A PICTURE OF WHAT THAT'S GONNA BE.
'CAUSE THAT'S GONNA BE REALLY IMPORTANT.
THAT'S KIND OF THE CENTERPIECE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH, WITH THIS PARTICULAR, THAT'S WHERE MOST OF THE BUDGET IS GONNA GO IS TO THIS VETERAN'S INNOVATION AND INSIGHT FORUM.
SO THE PLAN IS FOR THAT TO BE ON SATURDAY, MAY 10TH.
WE'RE DOING IT THEN, BECAUSE IT'S THE WEEK BEFORE SMU GRADUATION.
WE CAN'T REALLY DO IT ANY LATER THAN THAT BECAUSE IN, YOU KNOW, THE SUMMER PEOPLE LEAVE AND IT GETS TOO HOT TO GO ANYWHERE.
SO
AND, UM, THE IDEA IS TO HAVE, UH, STAKEHOLDERS, VETERANS THEMSELVES, YOU, UM, OTHER CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS PERHAPS, UM, ABOUT, WE'RE ROUGHLY TARGETING, UH, BETWEEN 80 AND A HUNDRED PEOPLE TO BE THERE.
UM, WE'LL, WE'LL, YOU KNOW, INTRODUCE THE CONCEPTS.
WE'LL HAVE PEOPLE SIT AROUND, UH, ROUND TABLES WITH A FACILITATOR AND THERE WILL BE CERTAIN QUESTIONS THAT ARE MEANT TO ELICIT CERTAIN RESULT, CERTAIN, UM, FEELINGS AND INSIGHTS AND, UM, IDEAS ABOUT CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES AND LOGISTICAL ISSUES THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL, UM, THAT ARE, OR THAT THESE VARI VETERANS ARE EXPERIENCING THEMSELVES.
AND, UM, OR THEY MIGHT HAVE HEARD OF A FRIEND WHO'S EXPERIENCING THOSE THINGS AS WELL.
SO THAT'S THE IDEA, IS TO TRY TO REALLY GET AT THE CORE OF WHAT IS GOING ON.
AND THEY'LL BE BREAKOUT ROOMS AND DIFFERENT THINGS TO DO.
AND I THINK, UH, WE, I SEE A HAND OVER HERE, SO, UH, WELL, I'LL LET YOU ASK YOUR QUESTION AND THEN I DON'T KNOW IF ONE OF US MIGHT BE ABLE TO ANSWER IT.
UM, TWO, TWO QUICK THINGS REALLY.
UH, FIRST ABOUT THE FORUM, YOU'RE HAVING ABOUT A HUNDRED PEOPLE, A THIRD OF THEM VETERANS, AND THE OTHER, UH, ABRUPTLY 30 OR 35.
UH, AND THEN STAKEHOLDERS AND, AND THE, THE OTHER GROUP.
YEAH, WELL, IT, IT IS MY THOUGHT GOING IN THAT THIS WAS GONNA BE ALL VETERANS TALKING ARE, ARE YOU FEARFUL THAT THEY MIGHT BE INHIBITED BY WHEN YOU HAVE SERVICE PROVIDERS THERE? OR ARE YOU GOING TO GET HONEST ANSWERS WITH THIS MIX? UM, I, I, AGAIN, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE, I ASSUME THAT IT WOULD BE ALL VETERANS TALKING BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONES THAT HAVE THE, THE VIEWPOINT AND, AND MAYBE THEY WOULD BE RELUCTANT TO TALK IN FRONT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE PROVIDING THE SERVICES.
IS THAT A PROBLEM? DO YOU SEE THAT AS MAYBE IT'S NOT? UM, I, WELL, I WOULD HOPE THAT THERE WOULD BE A, I WANNA SAY MAJORITY, BUT EVEN MORE THAN THAT, A SUPER MAJORITY OF VETERANS THERE.
AND IT, IT IS UNCOMFORTABLE FOR THE VETERANS TO TALK ABOUT THEIR ISSUES IN FRONT OF THEM.
I MEAN, WE DO HAVE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE SMALLER GROUPS BREAKOUT AND HOPEFULLY THERE'LL BE MORE, UM, OF VETERANS THERE RATHER THAN SPECIFIC STAKEHOLDERS.
BUT WE WANT, WE DON'T WANT ANYONE TO FEEL UNINVITED.
UM, SO, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE WANT, AND WE FEEL THAT STAKEHOLDERS MIGHT HAVE INFORMATION TOO THAT WOULD HELP US IN THE PROCESS AS WELL.
SO IF IT'S THE FEELING OF THIS COMMISSION, I GUESS ONE THING WE COULD DO IS KIND OF SEPARATE THE STAKEHOLDERS FROM THE VETERANS AND OR DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, THAT'S SOMETHING TO BE DISCUSSED.
AND I THINK I'M, I'M GONNA LET JESSE JUMP IN ABOUT THIS AS WELL.
'CAUSE SHE'S HAD MORE EXPERIENCE WITH THIS PARTICULAR KIND OF QUANTITATIVE DATA.
I'M A QUAL, I'M A, I'M A, I'M A QUANTITATIVE PERSON, NOT A QUALITATIVE PERSON.
SO I WAS GOING TO PAINT A LITTLE PICTURE OF THE DAY SO YOU COULD IMAGINE IT A BIT BETTER.
AND MAYBE THIS WILL, UM, HELP US WORK TOGETHER TO FIGURE OUT HOW THE GROUPS SHOULD BE INVITED.
BUT IT'LL BE A FULL DAY EVENT.
EVERYBODY WILL ARRIVE IN THE MORNING.
THERE'LL BE KIND, THERE'LL BE A PRESENTATION AND AN INTRODUCTION, AND THEN THE DAY WILL BE KIND OF LIKE A CORPORATE DESIGN EVENT.
SO PEOPLE WILL BE SITTING AT TABLES AND THERE'LL BE VERY QUICK EXERCISES TO KIND OF GET PEOPLE TO BRAINSTORM TOGETHER, TO BE CREATIVE ABOUT THE KINDS OF WAYS THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT IDEAS.
WE DON'T WANT TO GET PEOPLE GOING OVER GROUND, BUT THEY'VE COVERED LOTS OF TIMES.
WE WANT PEOPLE TO REALLY QUESTION THE THINGS THEY KNOW AND UNCOVER IDEAS THAT MIGHT SPUR A NEW IDEA FROM SOMEBODY ELSE.
SHE'S REALLY SKILLED AT FACILITATING THESE KIND OF, OF GROUPS.
SHE'S WORKED WITH ACADEMICS AND WITH PEOPLE IN THE CORPORATE WORLD AND WITH STUDENTS.
[00:50:01]
AND WE'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK IN COLLABORATION WITH EARTHX AND QUAIN COLLEGE ON ISSUES TO DO WITH ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN DALLAS.SO WE'VE WORKED A LOT WITH DALLAS RESIDENTS ON THIS KIND OF, UM, CREATIVE WAYS OF, OF GETTING AT IDEAS THAT OTHERWISE PEOPLE THEMSELVES MIGHT NOT REALIZE THEY HAVE.
SO IT CAN, IT CAN BE REALLY FUN.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT, THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, STICKERS ON POSTERS AND POST-ITS ON GROUPS AND LITTLE GROUPS HAVING QUICK CHATS, AND THEN BIGGER GROUPS HAVING SMALLER CHAT.
THERE'LL BE LUNCH, OF COURSE, THERE'LL BE PRIZES, ALL THAT KIND OF THING.
SO THE IDEA IS TO MAKE IT BE A FUN ENGAGING DAY THAT PEOPLE FEEL ENERGIZED BY, AS WELL AS TO GET A LOT OF INFORMATION FROM A REALLY WIDE GROUP OF PEOPLE.
SO IF, FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S ONE GROUP THAT SOMEONE'S WORKING IN THAT THEY'RE NOT THAT COMFORTABLE, THERE'LL BE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY IN THE DAY TO TALK WITH ANOTHER GROUP WHERE THEY MIGHT FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE.
UM, I LIKE THE IDEA OF, OF HAVING A MIXED, UH, GROUP.
I, I THINK A MAJORITY SHOULD BE VETERANS, BUT THE, THE, UH, INTEREST GROUPS, THE SUPPORTERS HAVE VALID THOUGHTS TOO, AND SO HAVE HAVING THEM TOGETHER OUGHT TO BE A BETTER WAY OF DOING IT.
CAN I RESPOND TO THAT? PLEASE? I HAVE FOUND, UM, IT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE TALKING WITH EACH OTHER, THERE ALWAYS IS A CHANCE FOR A WILD CARD.
BUT, YOU KNOW, REALLY THE HETEROGENEOUS GROUPS ARE BETTER, UM, THAN A HOMOGENEOUS GROUP.
WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO, UM, HAVE A GROUP THINK THAT IS OF COMMON IDEAS.
WE WANT PEOPLE TO GET PUSHED BY OTHER PEOPLE'S PERSPECTIVES, UM, GET, UM, FEEL EMPATHY FOR SOMETHING THAT THEY MIGHT NOT KNOW.
WE ALL GET IN OUR JOBS AND SOMETIMES IT'S DIFFICULT TO SHED LIGHT THAT NEEDS TO BE SHED.
SO, UM, IN MY EXPERIENCE, THOSE HETEROGENEOUS GROUPS TO, UM, COMMISSIONER CHASE'S POINT, UM, ARE REALLY, REALLY GOOD.
BUT, UH, COMMISSIONER HUNTER, THAT WAS A GREAT QUESTION AND, UM, REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT, IT PUSHES THAT INVITATION LIST.
SO I I, I DO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND I JUST HAD ONE MORE REAL QUICK THING.
I'M NEW TO THE COMMISSION, BUT MM-HMM
SO I WASN'T HERE WHEN THIS PROJECT GOT UNDERWAY LAST YEAR.
IS THE PREMISE GOING IN THAT THERE ARE BIG ACCESSIBILITY GAPS THAT NEED TO BE FILLED AND YOU GUYS ARE GONNA GO FIND THEM? OR WHAT, WHAT CAN I ANSWER? WHAT IS THE BIG ANSWER? THAT BIG PICTURE PURPOSE? SO, UM, ONE OF THE, IT'S LIKE A KIND OF A GOLDEN RULE FOR RESEARCH IS TO NOT HAVE ASSUMPTIONS BEFORE YOU GET IN.
UM, WE HAVE THIS, I GUESS LET THE DATA DO THE TALKING, AND THAT'S KIND OF A HARD THING TO DO, RIGHT? AND, UM, PART OF BEING TRAINED AS A RESEARCHER, RESEARCHER IS TO CHECK YOUR BIAS, CHECK YOUR POSITIONALITY, CHECK ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
SO WHAT'S GREAT WITH WORKING WITH A GROUP, WE WILL HELP EACH OTHER DO THAT.
BUT, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF A GLO GO SLOW TO GO FAST IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
SO, YEAH, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE WE HAVE PRIVATE ASSUMPTIONS, BUT WHEN WE ARE WORKING THROUGH THIS, UM, WITH RIGOROUS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, WE WILL BE, UM, ADHERING TO, UM, OUR TRAINING IN THIS TO ENSURE THAT WE GET AUTHENTIC DATA THAT'S RELEVANT TO THIS AREA.
AND, UM, AND IT PAINTS THE, THE MOST ACCURATE PICTURE THAT WE CAN WITH THE TOOLS WE'RE USING AND THE DATA THAT WE'RE, THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE COLLECTING, WHETHER IT BE QUALITATIVE OR QUANTITATIVE.
SO JUST A REMINDER, WE HAVE FIVE, I THINK I CAN STILL SEE THAT CLOCK.
MAYBE ONE MORE QUESTION OR TWO? OH, I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION.
UH, COMMISSIONER PRECIADO DISTRICT TWO.
SO I JUST WANNA SAY THAT THIS PRESENTATION, THIS PRESENTATION WAS REALLY WELL DONE.
I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS THAT JUST GOES TO SHOW HOW ALL MY QUESTIONS WERE ANSWERED DURING THE PRESENTATION, BUT I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
UM, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN IN THE WORKS SINCE WE FIRST FORMED A COMMISSION, AND I'M FINALLY GLAD TO SEE THAT WE HAVE SOMETHING TO LAUNCH.
UM, I'M EXCITED FOR THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS ARE GONNA DO AND HOW THIS IS GONNA HELP ALL, UH, DALLAS VETERANS, UH, IN THE AREA.
I THINK WE'RE DOWN TO ABOUT THREE MINUTES TO GIVE US ENOUGH TIME TO KIND OF WRAP UP.
UM, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ONLINE? OH, I'M SORRY.
YEAH, I'LL MAKE IT REALLY QUICK.
WE ONLY HAVE, I CAN DO IT IN A MINUTE.
[00:55:01]
ARMY AND ON ARMY PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE.SUPER EXCITED ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
TALKED A LOT ABOUT YOUR MIXED METHODS, DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION, IDENTIFYING GAPS, CURIOUS ABOUT HOW YOU'RE GONNA GET OUT YOUR PSYCHOGRAPHICS, SPECIFICALLY VALUES AND ATTITUDES, BECAUSE WE KNOW YOU CAN HAVE SERVICES, YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE NEEDS, BUT JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE SERVICES TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS DOESN'T MEAN THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GONNA, THE BRIDGE IS GONNA BE COMPLETED.
SO JUST REALLY CURIOUS ABOUT HOW YOU'RE SPECIFICALLY GETTING AFTER PSYCHOGRAPHICS.
AND I'M SORRY I DIDN'T ACKNOW ACKNOWLEDGE OUR VISITOR, BUT, UH, UH, I THOUGHT SHE WAS PART OF THE, AND, AND PLEASE TAKE THE FORM.
I WANT WHEN IT COMES AROUND, BUT YOU WANNA, AS, AS I THINK THAT'S PART OF WHAT SOME OF THESE EXERCISES FROM THE FORUM WILL DO.
AND IT'S, I MEAN, THE, THE, THE WAY THAT IT'S STRUCTURED IS SO THAT YOU GET AT THOSE THINGS WITHOUT REALLY PEOPLE THINKING THAT YOU'RE GETTING AT THOSE THINGS.
UM, I, I DON'T MEAN TO BE, IT'S NOT GONNA, IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S GONNA BE SNEAKY OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
IT'S GONNA BE ALL ABOVE BOARD, BUT THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS OR CERTAIN ATTITUDES THAT PEOPLE WILL HOLD OR THEY'LL SAY THAT WILL HELP US UNDERSTAND THOSE PSYCHOGRAPHICS, UM, AS WE GO THROUGH THE DATA.
I THINK THAT'S PART OF WHY THIS IS STRUCTURED TO BE A COMMUNITY EVENT AND SOMEWHAT FUN AND ENGAGING, IS THAT IT WILL HELP PEOPLE TO LOOSEN UP AND GET TO THOSE THINGS.
AND, UM, THERE WILL BE A, YOU KNOW, WE HAD MENTIONED THERE WILL BE FACILITATORS THERE.
WE'LL HAVE A FACILITATE A TRAINED FACILITATOR AT EVERY TABLE, AND THEIR JOB IS TO PUSH PEOPLE ALONG TO TALK, NOT, YOU KNOW, BUT MOVE PEOPLE ALONG, INSPIRE THEM TO ENGAGE AND THEN BE COLLECTING THAT DATA.
SO, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE HOPING FROM THE PHYSICAL ARTIFACTS PLUS WHAT THEY CAPTURE, UM, WE WILL BE ABLE TO GET INSIGHT INTO THAT.
BUT, UM, YOU NEVER KNOW
YOU GET WHAT YOU KNOW, YOU'LL GET WHAT THEY, WHAT THEY WANT TO, TO SHARE.
SO, SO COMMISSIONER COLE FROM MM-HMM
UM, SO I THINK THAT TO ANSWER REALLY THE QUESTION ON THE BACKSIDE IS THAT THE WAY THEY'RE GONNA FACILITATE THIS IS THAT THERE ARE INSTRUMENTS OUT THERE THAT ARE ALREADY PREPARED THAT HAVE DONE THIS BEFORE AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL FOR THE VA.
AND SO THOSE PARTICULAR INSTRUMENTS WILL BE PROBABLY FOLDED INTO, INTO THIS FORUM.
YOU DON'T THINK THOSE INSTRUMENTS ARE OUT THERE? WHAT? NO, IT'S OKAY.
BUT I THINK THE INSTRUMENTS ARE ACTUALLY ALREADY IN PLACE THAT, THAT CAN BE MODIFIED, THAT CAN GO INTO THIS KIND OF, UH, FORUM.
I HATE TO SAY IT, BUT WE'VE HIT THE TIME, TIME LIMIT.
WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA GET KICKED OUTTA HERE.
AND, AND I, I'M SURE WE'RE GONNA BE MOVING ON VERY FAST WITH THIS.
UM, WELL, I SAY THAT BECAUSE, NOT TO BE SARCASTIC, BUT EVERY MONTH PEOPLE COME HERE ASKING FOR HELP.
AND I LOVE THEIR PROGRAMS AND WHAT THEY WANNA DO.
AND THEN AGAIN, WE HAVE NO MONEY, AND THEN WE HAVE TO TELL THEM, WELL, THERE'S ANOTHER GROUP WHO'S DOING THIS.
AND WE TRY TO BE THE BRIDGE TO HELP 'EM OUT.
BUT EVERYONE COMES TO THE CITY LOOKING FOR HELP AND THE CITY CAN'T ALWAYS FUND EVERYTHING THEY WANT.
AND SO WE'VE JUST BEEN MAINLY, UM, A CONDUIT OF BULLY PULPIT.
BUT THIS IS ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT CAN BE CONCRETE, THAT CAN BE USED BY US TO PRESENT WITH THE CITY.
WELL, I THINK TO COMMISSIONER HUNTER'S POINT TOO, THAT THE REASON THAT THIS WHOLE THING WAS PUT TOGETHER, THIS CONTRACT WAS AVAILABLE WAS BECAUSE THERE IS A PERCEIVED NEED FOR SOMETHING.
WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT SOMETHING IS.
AND WE WANNA KEEP OUR MINDS OPEN TO THAT AS WELL.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO WRAP THIS UP.
OH, THANK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN.
UM, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO, UH, TABLE THE, UM, MEDAL OF HONOR.
UM, UH, I GUESS JUST ANNOUNCEMENTS ON THIS MEDAL OF HONOR.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THAT, THAT, UH, YEAH, BUT, UH, IT'S, UH, 1 0 1 AND WE'RE ADJOURNED.