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YES, WE HAVE.[Veteran Affairs Commission on April 9, 2026.]
MISSION MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER.GONNA CALL THE ROLE BEFORE WE, UH, DO ANYTHING ELSE.
SO I'M FOR DISTRICT ONE, COMMISSIONER
WE HAVE QUORUM FOR, UH, WE HAVE ENOUGH TO GO AHEAD WITH OUR MEETING FOR TODAY.
UH, I WOULD ASK EVERYBODY TO STAND AND REPEAT THE GROUP TO BELIEVE IT, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A FLAG.
I GUESS IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH DIRECTION WE STAND IN.
I THE SAME LEDGE, ALLEGIANCE DUE THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES, STATES OF AMERICA.
AND TWO, THE REPUBLIC FOR RICHARD STANDS.
ONE NATION, UNDERG GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE.
ALRIGHT, UH, WE HAVE A GUEST SPEAKER.
I'M ASK YOU TO, WHERE WOULD YOU BE PLEASE? YOU'RE THE GUEST SPEAKER, RIGHT? SHE'S, DO YOU WANT ME TO SPEAK TO
WHATEVER YOU'RE MOST COMFORTABLE.
IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE OKAY RIGHT THERE, THAT'LL BE PERFECTLY FINE.
I AM THE DAUGHTER OF A RETIRED VIETNAM VETERAN, ASSISTED TO A RETIRED AFAN VETERAN OF 39 YEARS MASTER CHIEF.
I TRAINED AS AN OPERATING ROOM TECHNICIAN, AND I FINISHED MY CAREER IN CLINICAL INVESTIGATIONS.
I AM THE FOUNDER AND CEO FOR THE WOMEN'S ENTERPRISE CENTER.
IT IS A NATIONAL INITIATIVE THAT'S HEADQUARTERED HERE IN DALLAS, TEXAS.
OUR MISSION IS TO EMPOWER ENTREPRENEURIAL WOMEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE MILITARY, WHICH IS FIRST AND FOREMOST VETERANS, BUT WE ALSO SERVE ACTIVE DUTY, PRESERVATIVES AND MILITARY SPOUSES TO SUCCESSFULLY SCALE SUSTAINABLE BUSINESSES.
UM, WE'VE CONSISTENTLY DONE THAT THROUGH TWO TECHNIQUES, WHICH IS EXPERT MENTORSHIP AND INTENTIONAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
OUR PROGRAM HAS BEEN DESIGNED BASED ON CURRICULUM, AND OUR CURRICULUM PROGRAMS RUN FROM FOUR TO MONTHS.
SO WE HAVE THE DALLAS STRATEGIC GROWTH ACCELERATED, WHICH HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR THREE YEARS.
IT WAS FUNDED BY UNITED WAY, SO WE WERE ALSO ALLOWED TO SERVE WOMEN OUTSIDE OF THE MILITARY.
WE HAVE OUR NEXT LEVEL BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION THAT IS OUR SIGNATURE PROGRAM'S BEEN RUNNING SINCE COVID IN 2020 WHEN WE FIRST RECEIVED FUNDING.
THAT PROGRAM IS EXCLUSIVELY FOR OUR VETERAN WOMEN.
IT COMES WITH A $10,000 IMPLEMENTATION GRANT.
IT IS A SIX MONTH COWORKING PROGRAM.
AND THEN WE HAVE OUR INTERNATIONAL TRADE PROGRAM, WHICH IS ACTUALLY CAME OUT OF OUR WOMEN'S VETERANS TO PITCH.
WE STARTED THAT IN 2020 TO HIGHLIGHT WOMEN VETERAN WHO EITHER WANTED TO START A BUSINESS OR WERE IN BUSINESS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
WE WANTED TO SHOW HOW INNOVATIVE REALLY THEY WERE.
SO WE RAN THE PITCH FOR ABOUT FOUR YEARS.
WE WEREN'T GETTING A LOT OF FUNDING AND WE WEREN'T REALLY SATISFIED WITH HOW THAT PROGRAM WAS GOING.
SO WE TURNED IT INTO A PROGRAM AND IN 2024 WE LAUNCHED INTERNATIONAL TRADE PROGRAMS. IT'S A NINE MONTH PROGRAM.
WE HAD TWO YOUNG LADIES OUT OF TEXAS, ONE OUT OF ILLINOIS AND ONE OUT OF DETROIT WHO WERE MOVING THEIR BUSINESSES INTO INTERNATIONAL TRADE.
AND ONE OF OUR LAKE IN, UH, TEXAS, WHO HAS A PROGRAM CALLED IN OUR LIFE WHERE SHE DOES CHEESECAKES AS WELL AS, UM, IT'S THIS, UH, DIFFERENT TYPE OF SWEETENER, WHICH IS HEALTHY.
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UM, SHE DID MOVE HER BUSINESS INTO INTERNATIONAL TRADE.SO SHE'S NOW SHIPPING HER PRODUCTS TO GUAM, TO PUERTO RICO AND TO THE ISLANDS WITHIN THE UNITED STATES AND HOPE, UM, ONTO THE FURTHER DISMISSAL MARKET.
SO BWEC HAS SERVED MORE THAN 4,000 INDIVIDUALS OVER OUR NINE YEAR PERIOD.
THIS IS OUR NINTH YEAR AND WE ARE EXCITED TO BE IN CAPACITY BUILDING.
SO REALLY ABOUT 70% OF THE PEOPLE WE THAT WANNA BE SERVED BY US COME FROM OUTSIDE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS.
SO THIS YEAR WE ARE LOOKING TO MOVE OUR PROGRAM TO A VIRTUAL PLATFORM THAT'S GOOD FOR ALL OF OUR CLIENTS, BUT AS WELL AS OUR TEXAS CLIENTS.
'CAUSE WE HAVE SEVERAL WOMEN WHO ARE THREE TO FOUR HOURS AWAY IN RURAL COMMUNITIES THAT WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE BUT CAN'T.
'CAUSE A LOT OF OUR PROGRAMMING HAS BEEN IN PERSON AND HERE IN THE DFW METRO CLASS.
SO THAT PROGRAM WILL BE AI DRIVEN.
WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT TRACKING.
ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS ARE PERFORMANCE BASED.
SO I WANNA BE REAL CLEAR, WE DON'T GIVE GRANTS AWAY.
THAT ACCESS IS BASED ON PERFORMANCE.
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS YOUR GROWTH STRATEGY.
SO REVENUE INCREASE, NEW CLIENT ACQUISITION AND UPSCALE.
THE STRATEGIES THAT PRODUCE THE REVENUES IS HOW THEY ACCESS THEIR FUNDING.
AND THAT FUNDING IS DISTRIBUTED TO THEM EVERY, YOU KNOW, ONE TO TWO MONTHS.
WE USED TO GIVE OUR GRANTS IN OUR NEW PROGRAM, WE'RE GOING TO BE HELPING BUSINESSES ESTABLISH LINES OF CREDIT.
SO THEY'LL NEED TO BE ABLE TO GET A LOT
WE ALSO DO QUITE A FEW, UH, NATIONAL, UH, EVENTS.
SO I AM THE CHAIR FOR THE ASSOCIATION FOR ENTERPRISE OPPORTUNITY OUT OF DC.
THEY DO ADVOCACY AND RESEARCH FOR ENTREPRENEURS.
AND I COVER NEW MEXICO, ARKANSAS, OKLAHOMA, LOUISIANA, AND TEXAS.
AND SO THE END OF THIS MONTH WE'LL BE IN MEXICO FOR OUR TOUR TO KICKOFF.
AND WE ALSO DO NAVIGATING THE NATION, WHICH IS OUR SMALL BUSINESS EXPO.
WE TRAVEL TO AT LEAST FOUR STATES,
AND THIS YEAR WE'LL BE IN BOSTON, SAN FRANCISCO, LAS VEGAS AND PHOENIX HERE IN TEXAS.
WE DO EVERY MONTH OUR GROUP, GROUP MENTORING PROGRAM.
THE FIRST MONDAY OF THE MONTH, WE ALSO DO OUR SHE TALK THURSDAYS, WHICH IS HELPING WOMEN FIND THEIR VOICE.
AND IN THE SUMMER WE WILL LAUNCH OUR FINANCIAL BOOT CAMP, WHICH WILL BE THE OPENER FOR OUR NEW PROGRAM, OUR VIRTUAL PROGRAM.
WE'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH OUR FINANCIAL BOOTCAMP SO WE KNOW THAT YOU'RE CAPITAL READY, THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY GET A LINE OF CREDIT AND THEN YOU CAN APPLY TO BE IN OUR NINE MONTH PROGRAM, WHICH YOU HOPE TO ALSO HAVE COLLEGE CREDITS FOR.
SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT WHERE THAT'S GOING AND I'LL STOP THINKING ON HOW YOU GUYS QUESTIONS MY QUESTION.
HOW MANY, HOW MANY, OH, GO AHEAD.
PLEASE, UH, STATE YOUR NAME AND, AND WHAT DISTRICT YOU'RE FROM.
UH, I'M JOE DOBE, DISTRICT 11.
MY QUESTION IS, HOW MANY CLIENTS AS YOU REFER TO 'EM, DO YOU HAVE IN THE ORGANIZATION? SO WE DON'T TREAT OUR CLIENTS LIKE THAT.
OUR CLIENTS COME THROUGH PROGRAM.
SO ONCE THEY GO THROUGH OUR PROGRAM, THEY'RE BASICALLY ON THEIR OWN.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE ARE SWITCHING.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE THIS YEAR IS SMASHING SURVIVAL STATISTICS.
FOR THE NINE YEARS I'VE BEEN IN THIS INDUSTRY, WE HAVEN'T SEEN SMALL BUSINESS STATISTICS REALLY CHANGE.
SAY IF YOU HAVE A HUNDRED BUSINESSES, BY YEAR ONE YOU'VE LOST 20%.
BY YEAR THREE, YOU'VE LOST ANOTHER 30%.
SO NOW WE'RE AT 26, AND BY YEAR 10 LESS THAN 90% OF THOSE BUSINESSES HAVE.
SO WHILE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRAINING FOR OUR BUSINESSES, WE LOOKED AT OUR STATISTICS, OUR RATES ARE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER, WE'RE AT 80%, BUT WE SAW A LOT OF OUR BUSINESSES OWNERS WHO COULDN'T GENERATE THE RIGHT REVENUE, GET FULL-TIME JOBS.
SOME BUSINESS OWNERS, UM, CANCELED THEIR BUSINESSES, JUST LET THEM DISSOLVE WITHOUT A REAL EXIT PLAN, WHICH IS NEVER GOOD BECAUSE THEY SPENT MONEY.
SO WE WANT THEM TO GET THAT MONEY BACK OUT.
SO I KNEW PLATFORM STAYS WITH OUR CLIENTS FOR THE LIFE OF THEIR BUSINESS.
SO WHEN THEY FINISH OUR NINE MONTH PROGRAM, THEY ROTATE INTO WHAT WE CALL LEARNING CIRCLES.
THOSE LEARNING CIRCLES ARE PEER, PEER LED.
SO IF THEY'RE CONSTRUCTION AND THEY NEED BOND TRAINING, WE'LL GET THEM BOND TRAINING.
IF THEY'RE A SERVICE PROVIDER AND THEY NEED TRAINING ON MARKETING, WE GET THEM MARKETING TRAINING, BUT THEY'LL TELL US WHAT THEY NEED AND THEN WE'LL PROVIDE IT.
AND WE'RE ALSO LOOKING TO BRING IN INVESTORS.
A LOT OF THESE BUSINESSES ARE READY TO GO TO THE NEXT LEVEL, BUT WE DON'T GET A LOT OF VC FOR WOMEN.
SO WE WANNA BE THAT PIPELINE TO CONNECT WITH THOSE VCS AND THOSE WOMEN THAT WE KNOW ARE READY CONNECT THEM TO PROPER, UM, VENTURE CAPITAL QUESTION.
SO, UH, STEVE COLE, UM, COMMISSIONER OUT OF, UH, DISTRICT 12.
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LIKE THE PROGRAM IS A WONDERFUL PROGRAM.UH, AND I GUESS, UH, I'LL, I'LL ASK ALL, ALL ONCE AND YOU CAN DECIDE HOW YOU WANNA DO IT ON YOUR, ON YOUR BCS, ARE YOU LOOKING AT, UM, NONTRADITIONAL FUNDING COMPONENTS LIKE SAFES, WHICH ARE, I THINK YOU, YOU PROBABLY TO MOVE WITH SAFES.
THAT'S A, A A SIMPLE AGREEMENT FOR FUTURE EQUITY.
AND SO THEY CAN FUND, IT'S NOT A LOAN.
AND THERE'S A COUPLE OF OTHER THINGS.
I'M JUST CURIOUS IF, IF EVERYBODY'S, YOUR FINANCIAL ADVISORS WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION ARE LOOKING AT THAT.
UM, AND THEN SECOND OR SECOND IS, UH, ARE THE, ARE THE LEGAL ADVISORS WITHIN YOUR ORGANIZATION? UH, I'M ASSUMING THEY'RE PRO BONO AT THAT POINT, BUT, UH, THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE THE SMALL BUSINESS, UH, I GUESS EXPERTISE TO HELP.
AND THIRD, THE, THE BUSINESS CONSULTANTS THAT SAY, ARE THERE PEOPLE THAT ARE SAYING, HEY, I'M SUCCESSFUL IN BUSINESS, AND THEY'RE SPENDING THEIR TIME WITH YOU, GIVING TO THE, THE FOLKS THAT YOU'RE HELPING.
UH, THE LADIES YOU'RE HELPING TO SAY, YOU KNOW, HERE'S WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME.
THOSE SEMINARS OR SETUPS, AND THEN WHAT BANKS ARE YOU ACTUALLY LOOKING AT LOCALLY OR WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION THAT ARE ACTUALLY ALLOWING, YOU KNOW, THE, OR CONSIDERING THE LINES OF CREDIT.
AND I THINK THAT'S, UH, THAT'S PROBABLY THE TOUGHEST SELL OUT THERE, ACTUALLY.
SO, BUT LET ME START WITH THE EXPERTISE.
SO THE NEXT LEVEL BUSINESS TRANS TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM, WHICH JUST NLBT INSTEAD OF SAYING ALL THAT.
SO IF YOU SAY NLBT, THAT'S THE PROGRAM.
THAT PROGRAM, UM, ACTUALLY CONSISTS OF ALL BUSINESS EXPERTS THAT DO THE TRAINING.
UH, WE LOOK FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE ALREADY ESTABLISHED THEMSELVES IN THEIR BUSINESS.
SOME ARE HERE FROM TEXAS, BUT WE LOOK FOR THE BEST OF THE BEST PERIOD.
SO SOME OF THEM ARE FROM OTHER AREAS ACROSS THE NATION.
THEY COME IN AND THEY PROVIDE THE TRAINING TO OUR LADIES.
WE HAVE A PRE-POST TEST THAT IS ESTABLISHED BEFORE THEY GO THROUGH THE TRAINING.
SO WE KNOW WHAT THEY COME IN WITH AND WE KNOW WHAT THEY GO OUT WITH.
WE ALSO DO A 360 EVALUATION FOR THE NLBT TRAINING WHERE THE TRAINERS EVALUATE THE LADIES WHERE THEY ENGAGE.
WERE THEY AT THE RIGHT LEVEL? DID THEY ASK QUESTIONS, THE LADIES EVALUATE THE TRAINERS, UM, DID THEY REALLY KNOW THEIR INFORMATION? DID THEY IMPART IT IN A WAY THAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND IT? AND THEN EVERYBODY EVALUATES THE FACILITY.
WHEREAS TECHNOLOGY WORK, WAS THE FACILITY WARM? DID WE HAVE ANYTHING WE NEED? WAS IT SET UP? DID WE START ON TIME? SO WE LOOK AT ALL OF THAT IN REAL TIME BECAUSE OUR TRAINERS DO AT LEAST THREE SESSIONS.
SO OUR PRO BONO TRAINERS, THEY'VE BEEN PHENOMENAL.
THEY GIVE US AT LEAST SIX HOURS OF PRO BONO TIME.
THEY DO THREE DIFFERENT TWO HOUR SESSIONS AND THEY GIVE US 15 TO 20 MINUTES ONE-ON-ONE WITH THE CLIENTS SO THAT THEY CAN GET INDUSTRY SPECIFIC, UM, CONSULTATION FROM THEM.
SO WE DO THAT IN REAL TIME SO THAT IF BY ANY CHANCE WE HAVE A TRAINER THAT'S NOT ON POINT, WE CAN GET TO THEM AND SAY, HEY, YOU'RE GOING OVER THEIR HEAD.
UH, THIS IS TWO ELEMENTARY, LET'S PICK THIS UP FOR ANYTHING THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS.
WHEN IT COMES TO OUR VENTURE CAPITALS, THAT IS A NEW ELEMENT TO OUR PROGRAM, WHICH WILL BE A PART OF OUR VIRTUAL PLATFORM.
ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WE HAVE HERE IN DALLAS IS THAT WE'RE NOT BACKED BY A GIANT BANK.
UM, WE DON'T FLY PEOPLE TO THE STOCK OF SHADES LIKE BLACK AND BUSINESS.
WE ARE NOT THE, UM, MATRIX ENTREPRENEUR PROGRAM.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE ALL OF THAT, YOU KNOW, BUZZ WITH US.
BUT LET ME TELL YOU TWO OUTCOMES FROM LAST YEAR.
ONE OF OUR LADIES CAME IN AND UNDER 30 K, SHE SAID, I REALLY WANNA, UH, GROW MY BUSINESS PR I'M COMMITTED.
AT THE END OF SIX MONTHS, SHE FINISHED AT 67.
AT THE END OF THE YEAR, SHE WAS AT 121%.
ONE OF OUR OTHER CLIENTS CAME IN, SHE HAD A SCHOOL FOR 10 YEARS.
SHE WAS READY TO CLOSE THAT BUSINESS.
UM, SHE WAS DOING ABOUT 1 97, BUT MOST OF IT WAS EXPENSES.
WHEN SHE LEFT US AT SIX MONTHS, SHE ALREADY HAD A CONTRACT WITH TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION.
SHE HAD REVAMPED HER OFFERING.
SHE HAD THREE NEW LOCATIONS AND SHE GOT A CHECK FOR OVER 300.
OUR STUFF IS EXTREMELY INTENSIVE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE CAN'T PARTICIPATE BECAUSE IT DOES TAKE TIME, BUT YOUR TIME IS EQUIVALENT TO YOUR OUTCOMES.
AND THE LADIES THAT WORK WITH US AND DO WHAT WE TEACH THEM TO DO, SEE THEIR BUSINESSES GROW, WHAT WE WANNA DO NOW IS BE WITH THEM FOR THE LIFE OF THEIR BUSINESS.
SO THAT NINE MONTH PROGRAM, LIKE I SAY, THEY ROLL INTO LEARNING CIRCLES.
AND THEN FROM THOSE LEARNING CIRCLES, WE ARE WORKING NOW, WE DON'T HAVE THEM YET TO GET INVESTORS.
THERE ARE A LOT OF WOMEN GROUPS OUT THERE AND THERE ARE GROUPS OUT THERE THAT FOCUS ON WOMEN.
AND WE ARE COMMUNICATING TO THEM NOW WHAT WE ARE DOING WITH OUR BUSINESSES BECAUSE WE START WITH FINANCES.
THAT'S THE BIGGEST THING WITH INVESTORS.
PEOPLE DON'T HAVE THEIR FINANCES, RIGHT.
WE START THERE, WE DON'T BACK UP THERE, WE START THERE.
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BUSINESSES KNOW THEIR FINANCES AND CAN BE PULLED OUT THEIR GROWTH POTENTIAL AND SO THAT WE CAN GET THEM IN FRONT OF A PROPER INVESTOR.AND WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT ALL DIFFERENT INVESTMENT STRATEGIES.
SO NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY TAKING SOMEBODY EQUITY, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT IMPACT INVESTORS TO SAY, I JUST WANNA INVEST 'CAUSE I WANNA SEE BUSINESSES GROW.
SO EVERYTHING ISN'T GONNA BE ABOUT A DOLLAR.
DID I ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS? PARTIAL? WHICH ONE DID I MISS? WELL, I I WHAT BANKS YOU WERE ACTUALLY OH YES.
SO RIGHT NOW, BOCH FINANCIAL, WHICH COVERS, UM, NEW MEXICO, ARKANSAS, OKLAHOMA, AND PHOENIX.
THEY'RE ONE OF OUR APARTMENTS WITH OUR A OAO TOUR.
WE ALSO WORK WITH AMERICA BANK, WHICH IS RECENTLY TAKEN OVER BY FIFTH AND THIRD.
WE HAVE A MEETING WITH FIFTH AND THIRD, TODAY AT TWO WITH ONE OF THEIR BANKERS OUTTA CHICAGO.
WE'VE WORKED WITH JP MORGAN, PNC, UM, CADENCE BANK IS ON MY BOARD.
UM, AMERICAN FIRST NATIONAL BANK IS ON MY BOARD.
SO WE WORK WITH SEVERAL DIFFERENT BANKS.
THE CD FI WE'RE LOOKING AT IS PEOPLE FUND AND DREAMS FREE, BOTH OF WHICH ALREADY HAVE MONEY ALLOCATED.
SO GETTING THE MONEY FOR THE LINES OF CREDIT IS NO LONGER AN ISSUE THAT MONEY'S ALREADY GIVEN TO THEM TO ALLOCATE TO THE SMALL BUSINESS INDUSTRY.
IT'S JUST DEVELOPING THE RELATIONSHIP OF HOW THAT MONEY WILL BE DISTRIBUTED, WHO'S MAKING THOSE DECISIONS, AND THEN WHO GETS THE MANAGEMENT, UM, FUND.
SO DO YOU HAVE, IS THERE A RELATIONSHIP THAT YOU ALREADY PUT TOGETHER THAT THAT IS WITH THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND THE, THE LEGAL ASPECTS OF IT? THE BANKING ITSELF? 'CAUSE I I, I KNOW IT'S EASY TO GET A LINE OF CREDIT, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S A SMALL BUSINESS BECAUSE THEY SAY, WELL, WE DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT WITH THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, THE CDFI OR THE ACTUAL, UM, MANAGERS OF THE CREDIT LINE.
WE ARE THE ACTUAL OVERVIEWERS.
SO WE TELL THEM WHEN TO MAKE A DISTRIBUTION ONCE OUR AGREEMENT IS SOLIDIFIED WITH THEM.
UM, THAT IS THE ONLY AGREEMENT WE NEED TO DO.
BUT WE ALREADY HAVE A STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION WE'VE HAD FOR OVER FIVE YEARS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM ANY OTHER COMMISSIONER? ANYBODY OUT THERE AT UH, TV LAND
WELL, IF THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO ADD TO YOUR PRESENTATION? DON'T THINK SO.
I THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE INVITATION AND WE, WE THANK YOU FOR, I DUNNO HOW MUCH YOU GUYS LOOK AT BUSINESS, UH, FOR VETERANS.
BUT I WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE TAKE, IT'S ONE OF A LOOK AT THAT, IT'S ONE OF THE MAJOR AREAS THAT WE CONCENTRATE ON.
UM, BUSINESS, JOBS, HOMELESSNESS, EDUCATION, ALL THOSE FOR VETERANS.
SO HOW ARE YOU LOOKING AT BUSINESS FOR VETERANS? ACTUALLY, WE GO AHEAD.
I WAS GONNA SAY, SO RIGHT NOW WE, SO SMU HAS JUST COMPLETED A STUDY FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY WEREN'T ASKED TO DO WAS, AND THEY WILL PRESENT BACK ON THE BACKSIDE, IS SAID, HOW DOES THE CITY OF DALLAS INTERFACE WITH MORE VETERANS ORGANIZATIONS IN PURCHASING? YOU HAVE SMALL BUSINESSES.
CITY OF DALLAS WANTS TO, TO LOOK AT HOW DO THEY ENHANCE THEIR INVOLVEMENT WITH LOCAL VETERANS, AND IN THIS CASE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE GOING UP.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE PUSHING THAT AGENDA FORWARD.
AND WHEN WILL THAT REPORT BE AVAILABLE? THAT'S THE, THE REPORT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED BY SMU TO US, BUT WE HAVEN'T ANALYZED IT YET.
SO IT HASN'T BEEN PRESENTED TO THE CITY JUST YET.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? SO I THINK WE CAN FOLLOW UP AND TALK TO, WELL, WE WANT TO THANK YOU FOR COMING AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR
UM, I NEED A, UH, MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF, UH, MARCH MEETING.
DO I HEAR A MOTION? I SO MOVE.
DO I HEAR A SECOND? SECOND, SECOND.
MOTION HAS BEEN MADE AND SECONDED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM MARCH.
ALL IN FAVOR SIGNIFY BY SEG AYE.
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MEETING HAVE BEEN APPROVED.NOW, BRIEFING AND ACTION ITEM, THE DISCUSSION AND VOTE ON HOW THE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMISSION WILL WORK WITH THE CITY STAFF TO DEVELOP NEXT STEPS FOR VETERANS WELLBEING ASSESSMENT.
THIS, I GUESS THIS IS YOU, OR, UM, GOOD AFTERNOON.
WE'RE ALL SITTING ON THE EDGE OF OUR SEATS.
UM, MY NAME IS CHRISTINA DE SILVA.
I'M THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR THE OFFICE OF HOUSING COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT.
AND SO I, UH, SUPERVISE ADEEM AS THE COORDINATOR AND, UM, ALSO OVERSEE THE COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT DIVISION THAT, UM, OVER LIKE, AS IT INCLUDES A LOT OF DIFFERENT, UM, SERVICES AND PROGRAMS. BUT OBVIOUSLY THE ONE THAT'S THE CLOSEST TO MY HEART IS THE VETERANS AFFAIRS TECHNICION CLASS.
WE ARE THE MOST FUN, HONEST, THE HARDEST AT
UM, NO, BUT I, WELL, FIRST OFF, I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THIS WHOLE COMMISSION.
I KNOW SOME OF YOU ARE NEW, BUT, UM, I GUESS TO START WITH SOME HISTORY.
YOU KNOW, THIS COMMISSION STARTED IN 2021.
UM, I WAS ASKED TO HELP ADMINISTER THIS COMMISSION BACK IN 2023.
AND, UM, UH, FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS, I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING WITH MEMBERS.
UM, AND I THINK WHEN WE STARTED, HONESTLY, I THINK WE WERE KIND OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS, WHAT WAS THE MISSION, WHAT WAS THE FOCUS OF THIS COMMISSION, AND HOW COULD HOW COULD YOU ALL, AS REPRESENTATIVES OF YOUR DISTRICTS WORK WITH THE CITY STAFF? RIGHT? UM, AND SO ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT WE WERE, UM, WE, WE WERE, I GUESS, APPROVED FOR, WAS A ONE-TIME, UM, FUNDING THAT WAS MEANT TO GO FOR AN ASSESSMENT FOR VETERANS ISSUES.
AGAIN, BECAUSE THIS WAS ALL BRAND NEW.
THE CITY OF DALLAS HAD, I THINK, DONE SOME MORE LIKE SYMBOLIC THINGS WHEN IT COMES TO VETERANS, BUT NOTHING THAT WAS INTENTIONAL, NOTHING THAT WAS STRATEGIC.
AND SO, UM, AGAIN, I THINK THE WHOLE PROCESS WAS, UM, REALLY, UH, A STRONG PROCESS BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER.
UM, YOU ALL PROVIDED, UH, INCREDIBLE GUIDANCE FOR US WHEN WE WERE STARTING THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SCOPE WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS REFLECTIVE OF WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR THE COMMISSION AND THEN ALSO FOR STAFF.
AND SO, UM, I THINK THAT BECAUSE OF THAT, WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE, UM, A VENDOR THAT WAS SELECTED THAT WAS CAPABLE AND ABLE TO PROVIDE, UM, A STRONG PRODUCT.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE SMU COMES IN.
AND, UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, EVERY MONTH YOU ALL HAVE BEEN RECEIVING UPDATES ON THEIR PROCESS.
AND THEN, UM, THIS LAST MEETING, YOU KNOW, THEY PROVIDED AN ULTIMATE, UH, FINAL REPORT, WHICH YOU ALL RECEIVED AND WERE ABLE TO GET INFORMATION FROM.
AND SO NOW THAT THE DATA HAS BEEN COLLECTED, UM, THEY PROVIDED RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, NOW THE NEXT STEP IS, UM, WE'RE GOING TO BE PRESENTING A MEMO TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE ARTS AND CULTURE COMMITTEE.
THIS IS A COMMITTEE THAT IS MADE UP OF CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UM, IT IS CHAIRED BY, UH, DISTRICT THREE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER GRACIE.
UM, BUT AS YOU KNOW, UM, YOU ALL HAVE DIRECT LINES OF COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS.
SO EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT ON THAT COMMITTEE, UM, YOU CAN ALWAYS SEND AN EMAIL TO YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS AND SAY, HEY, F BUT I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A HEADS UP.
THIS IS GONNA BE ON THE, THE AGENDA IS, IS A, AS A, AS A MEMO ITEM.
UM, AND SO THAT MEANS THAT, UM, IT'S KIND OF GIVES LIKE A SUMMARY OF WHAT THE FINDINGS ARE AND, UM, AND WHO TO CONTACT.
IF THERE'S FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS, COUNCIL MEMBERS WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO ASK QUESTIONS OF STAFF.
AND SO, UM, WE'LL BE THERE TO ADDRESS THOSE.
SMU HAS ALSO AGREED TO BE THERE, BUT, UM, THAT WILL BE HAPPENING APRIL 20TH IN GENERAL.
UM, THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS TO GIVE US FEEDBACK AND DIRECTION.
BUT, UM, WHAT I WANTED TO BRING FORTH TO YOU ALL, AS I THINK YOU ALL SHOULD BE, YEAH, YOU GUYS, IT'S, IT IS TECHNICALLY A PUBLIC MEETING, SO YOU ALL CAN ATTEND, UM, YOU CAN ATTEND VIRTUALLY OR IN PERSON.
UM, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO GIVE, GIVE US A HEADS UP IF YOU'RE PLANNING TO ATTEND SO THAT IN CASE, UH, ANYONE OR ANY OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ASK, OH, WOULD WE HAVE ANY COMMISSIONERS? CAN YOU SEND US A, A PLACE, A TOWN? YEAH, WE CAN DEFINITELY DO THAT.
YEAH, I THINK THEY WERE WORKING ON CREATING THE WEBEX LINK STILL, BUT ONCE THAT GETS, WELL, I'M TALKING ABOUT PHYSICAL, PHYSICALLY IT WILL BE AT HERE AT CITY HALL.
[00:25:01]
A BIG BUILDING AND STARTED TEARING IT DOWN.IT'S WHERE YOU ALL CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS.
YEAH, BUT WE'LL MAKE SURE TO SEND YOU ALL AN EMAIL TO REMIND YOU WHERE THEY MEET FOR COUNCIL MEETINGS.
INSTEAD OF UP ON THE SIXTH FLOOR.
UH, YEAH, YOU CAN COME THROUGH THE SIXTH FLOOR.
YEAH, THE FLAG GROUP WHERE THEY HAVE THE BUBBLE THE FLAGS.
UM, SO WANTED TO GIVE YOU ALL THAT INFORMATION.
BUT THEN ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN TALKING WITH OUR STAFF, UM, AND OUR LEADERSHIP AND, UM, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN ACT ON NOW, UM, EVEN, EVEN AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH OUR OFFICE, UM, AND WHAT THE, THE THINGS THAT THE OFFICE IS PLANNING TO DO.
AND, UM, AND SO I WANTED TO SHARE THIS LIST.
YOU ALL SHOULD ALSO HAVE A HANDOUT THAT HAS THESE ACTION ITEMS. BUT, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO DO IS KIND OF LIKE HIT THE GROUND RUNNING WITH THIS DATA, UM, AND BE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, AS OUR OFFICE MOVES FORWARD AND, AND IMPLEMENTS THINGS, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT VETERANS ISSUES WERE ALSO REFLECTED IN IT.
SO ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT I THOUGHT OF, AND, AND THESE ARE VERY BROAD, BECAUSE I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD A CHANCE TO DISCUSS KIND OF HOW WE COULD, UM, ADD MORE DETAILS TO IT.
BUT NUMBER ONE, I THINK WE CAN DEFINITELY WORK TOWARDS HOSTING A PUBLIC EVENT OR A PARTNER CONVENING.
AND, UM, ONE OF THE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S DIFFERENT OPTIONS, RIGHT? COULD BE SOMETHING THAT IT'S A JOB, UM, AND RESOURCE FAIR TAILORED FOR VETERANS.
UM, IT COULD ALSO BE AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE WE BRING IN PARTNERS, UM, AND SOME STAFF AND HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, LIKE A, A RESOURCE FAIR.
I MEAN, IT COULD BE ANY KIND OF EVENT THAT YOU GUYS ALL THINK WOULD BE, UM, WOULD BE BENEFICIAL.
BUT REALLY I THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT THIS EVENT COULD FOCUS ON IS ADDRESSING, UM, OUR ROLE, WHEN I SAY OUR ROLE, REALLY THE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMISSION ROLE AS A BACKBONE ORGANIZATION THAT BRINGS AND CONVENES COALITIONS TOGETHER, BUT THEN ALSO, UM, STARTING THAT WORK TO CREATE A MORE UNIFIED VETERAN RESOURCE PLATFORM.
AND THEN ALSO I THINK THE CONCEPT THAT WAS INTRODUCED IN THIS, UM, IN THE ASSESSMENT WAS THAT TRANSITION FROM SERVICE IS A MULTI-STAGE PROCESS.
AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT POSSIBLY THROUGH THIS EVENT, WE COULD EVEN START HAVING MORE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT.
BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S A CONCEPT THAT IF YOU'RE NOT CONNECTED TO THE MILITARY, YOU'VE NEVER HAD ANYBODY SERVE IN THE MILITARY.
YOU MIGHT NOT, YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW THAT IS AN EXPERIENCE.
AND SO I WAS THINKING THIS EVENT COULD HELP TOWARDS, UM, I GUESS WHAT YOU'D SAY, SOCIALIZING THAT CONCEPT AMONGST, UM, PARTNERS, UM, CITY STAFF.
UM, SO THAT, THAT'S ONE, I'M GONNA GO THROUGH ALL OF IT.
AND THEN MAYBE AFTERWARDS WE CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION AND CAN ASK QUESTIONS.
BUT, UM, SO THAT WAS NUMBER ONE.
THE OTHER ACTION AREA WAS, UH, HOSTING A TRAINING AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A TRAINING THAT COULD BE RECORDED.
UM, THE CITY OF DALLAS DOES HAVE OUR OWN TRAINING PLATFORM, SO WHATEVER TRAINING WE COULD HOST COULD BE UPLOADED AND THEN ACCESSIBLE TO STAFF.
AND THEN WE COULD EVEN TRACK HOW MANY PEOPLE RECEIVED THE TRAINING.
UM, AND ULTIMATELY THE GOAL WOULD BE, UH, TO, UM, ADDRESS THE RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, ON FOUR, JUST, YOU KNOW, EXPANDING THE MILITARY CULTURAL COMPETENCY.
SO THAT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD WORK TOGETHER ON, YOU KNOW, SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCES, UM, OR EVEN BRINGING IN SOME PARTNERS WHO MIGHT HAVE SOME MORE, UM, LIKE WORKPLACE EXPERIENCE WITH TRAINING, UM, ORGANIZATIONS OR STAFF, UM, JUST SO THAT THEY CAN BECOME MORE FAMILIAR WITH.
WHEN YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS HIRED, UM, YOU KNOW, EVEN JUST THE CONCEPT OF LIKE, YOU HAVE SOME PEOPLE WHO SERVE IN THE RESERVES AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE DEPLOYED, ESPECIALLY NOW WITH ALL THE CONFLICTS THAT ARE HAPPENING.
SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU AS A MANAGER? UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE CERTAIN LEGAL PROTECTIONS THAT PEOPLE HAVE.
UM, THERE ARE CERTAIN, UM, YOU KNOW, ALSO OTHER JUST, UH, MANAGEMENT THINGS THAT I THINK WE COULD BE SHARING.
UM, SO THAT'S, SO THAT'S ACTION NUMBER TWO.
AND THEN FOR ACTION NUMBER THREE, UM, WE DO HAVE OUR VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMISSIONED WEBSITE.
UM, AND IN THE PAST WE HAVE LISTED RESOURCES, BUT MORE RECENTLY, UM, SPENDING WAS ABLE TO SECURE A
[00:30:01]
CONTRACT WITH A VIRTUAL, UH, SOCIAL.IT'S A, IT'S A VIRTUAL SOCIAL SERVICE REFERRAL COMPANY.
THEY, WHAT THEY DO, IT'S CALLED FIND HELP.
THEY'RE VERY, UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE OPEN, BASICALLY LIKE, THEY PROVIDE REFERRAL TO ALL KINDS OF RESOURCES, HOUSING, FOOD, LEGAL EDUCATION.
AND SO FIND HELP IN OUR CONTRACT WITH FIND HELP, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TELL, FIND HELP THAT WE WANT THEM TO CREATE LIKE AN ONLINE TAILORED VETERAN SERVICES PORTAL.
UM, AND SO THIS WOULD GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO INCLUDE RESOURCES, HIGHLIGHT THEM, UM, MAKE, IT ALSO INCLUDES AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE PEOPLE, UM, CAN CLICK ON LIKE THE PROFILE, SEE HOW THEY CAN GET CONNECTED.
UM, AND SO FIND HELP WOULD HELP WITH BASICALLY MANAGE THAT, UM, ONLINE PORTAL.
AND IT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE CONNECTED TO OUR WEBSITE.
UM, AND THAT WOULD, UH, ALSO HELP WITH, UH, DEVELOPING A UNIFIED VETERAN RESOURCE VISIBILITY PLATFORM.
AND THEN ANOTHER RECOMMENDATION THAT WAS LISTED IN THE ASSESSMENT WAS IMPROVING REFERRAL CLARITY AND CONNECTION BETWEEN, UM, DIFFERENT SERVICES.
THIS IS ONE, THIS ONE'S A LITTLE BIT COMPLICATED, BUT I DO WANNA PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONTEXT.
SO, UM, YOU HAVE ANOTHER HANDOUT.
IT'S A, HAS LIKE A GREEN HEADER ON TOP.
THIS IS CALLED THE DRIVERS OF OPPORTUNITY.
AND THIS IS A, A, A CITYWIDE FRAMEWORK THAT WAS ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL IN DECEMBER.
UM, AND SO WHAT OUR OFFICE IS ACTUALLY DOING PARALLEL TO ALL OF THIS, WE ARE WORKING TO FIND HOW CAN WE BE INCREASING, UM, ECONOMIC MOBILITY, INCREASING PUBLIC SAFETY, AND WHAT WE'RE CALLING COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT FOR ALL RESIDENTS.
NOW, WITH, UM, WITH THIS WHOLE FRAMEWORK, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE BUILDING IS CALLED, UM, A COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITY INDEX.
AND BASICALLY WHAT IT'S GOING TO BE IS, UM, AN ONLINE, UM, DATA PORTAL.
AND THE GOAL IS TO BE ABLE TO, UM, SHARE WITH THE PUBLIC WHAT ARE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THEIR COMMUNITY, OR AT LEAST BE ABLE TO DRILL DOWN TO A, UH, LOWEST LEVEL POSSIBLE AND BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT ARE THE DEMOGRAPHICS THAT ARE HAPPENING.
AND SO ONE OF THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE SMU CONTRACT THAT WE HAD IS THEY DID A LOT OF THE WORK AROUND UNDERSTANDING THE DATA THAT'S AVAILABLE FOR VETERANS.
AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, AS WE BUILD THIS COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITY INDEX, THAT THERE ARE OPTIONS WHERE MAYBE, YEAH, WE'RE STILL, AGAIN, BUILDING IT, BUT LIKE THAT THERE'S AN OPTION WHERE YOU CAN FILTER AND SEE, OKAY, WHAT ARE VETERAN RELATED DATA POINTS THAT WE CAN PULL? UM, EVEN, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO WANNA ALSO SHARE IS LIKE, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ARE EFFORTS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN PEOPLE'S COMMUNITIES AND, AND HAVING POTENTIALLY LIKE A VETERAN FOCUSED, YOU KNOW, HERE'S THIS NONPROFIT THAT PROVIDES THESE SERVICES.
UM, AND SO FINDING A WAY TO, TO INTEGRATE THAT.
AND I THINK THAT, UM, HELPS ADDRESS THE RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND, UM, DEVELOPING INTEROPERABLE DATA SYSTEMS. IT'S A START, RIGHT? THERE'S STILL A LOT OF WORK TO GO IN THERE, BUT, UM, AS WE'VE WORKED TO BUILD A COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITY INDEX THAT WE'LL BE MEASURING THE CITY'S EFFORTS ON THESE AREAS THAT THERE IS A SPECIAL CALL OUT FOR VETERANS ACROSS ALL THESE, UM, DOMAINS.
SO I, I THINK ON YOUR HANDOUT, IT LISTS HOW EACH ACTION RELATES TO EACH OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
THERE'S STILL TWO THAT I THINK WE STILL NEED TO TALK THROUGH.
UM, AND ONE OF THEM IS PROVIDE SEARCH NAVIGATION DURING FEDERAL CLAIMS EXP EXPANSIONS AND REC, THE RECOMMENDATION TO INITIATE COORDINATED SUPPORT AT DISCHARGE.
UM, I'M STILL KIND OF, I I IT NEEDS TO HAVE A CONVERSATION, I THINK INTERNALLY WITH OUR OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT, JUST HOW, UM, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DEVELOP STRONGER CONNECTIONS WITH SOME OF OUR FEDERAL PARTNERS BECAUSE, UM, I THINK, I THINK WE NEED TO FIRST HAVE THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THOSE FEDERAL PARTNERS AND THEN SEE WHAT OPTIONS THERE ARE FOR HOW THE CITY CAN, UM, EITHER RECEIVE INFORMATION OR, UM, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S A WAY WE CAN INVITE THEM TO COME.
[00:35:01]
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, I KNOW EVEN IN OUR MEETINGS, BECAUSE THEY ARE PUBLIC, WE HAVE HAD PEOPLE COME TO OUR, LIKE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE JUST DISCHARGED AND THEY SHOW UP AND THEY LET US KNOW, LIKE, I'M LOOKING FOR A JOB.AND I MEAN, I, I THINK IT'S BEEN A GREAT OPPORTUNITY THAT THEY COULD COME AND, AND, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, BE CONNECTED.
UH, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE MIGHT NEED TO FIX THAT THROUGH A LITTLE BIT MORE AND SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT, UH, WHAT THE, OUR FEDERAL PARTNERS CAN PROVIDE AND, AND HOW WE CAN FIT WITH THAT.
SO I JUST WANTED TO BE TRANSPARENT THAT THOSE ARE THE TWO RECOMMENDATIONS THAT I WAS STILL A LITTLE UNSURE ON HOW WE CAN ADDRESS.
BUT THE OTHER ACTIONS I TRIED TO, UM, NAME ACTIONS THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD, THOSE FORWARD.
UM, AND SO MAINLY FOR THIS PRESENTATION, WANTED TO ONE, JUST SHARE HOW WE'VE BEEN APPROACHING THIS AS A STAFF.
WE WANTED TO REMOVE ALL THE BUREAUCRACY, HONESTLY, MAKE, LIKE HIT THE GROUND RUNNING WITH THIS DATA, BE ABLE TO SHOW SOME QUICK WINS.
UM, AND I THINK THAT, UM, I THINK THAT WITH THESE ACTIONS, YOU KNOW, BASED OFF OF YOUR APPROVAL, WE CAN THEN ALL PLAN TOGETHER, LIKE HOW WE WANNA TAILOR IT WITH ALL THE LITTLE DETAILS WHEN, WHO, UM, YOU KNOW, THE AGENDAS OF THESE THINGS, BUT WANTED TO PROVIDE JUST IN GENERAL, LIKE A BROAD LIST OF ACTIONS THAT I THOUGHT WE COULD MOVE FORWARD ON.
WELL, I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR THIS EFFORT THAT YOU'VE MADE.
THIS, THIS GOES A LONG WAY TO HELP US BRING TOGETHER SU ILLNESS STUDY AND WHAT THE CITY WILL, AND THIS IS A GREAT BLUEPRINT, SIR.
THIS WOULD BE THE, AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAYBE, HOW, HOW DO WE BREAK DOWN INTO, I'M SORRY, COMMISSIONER COLE, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, PRECINCT.
WELL, WELL, WHERE AROUND, UM, IS THIS AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO LOOK AT, UH, MAYBE COMING UP WITH SOME WORK GROUPS TO SAY, HEY, WE WOULD LIKE TO, YEAH, THERE'S NO MORE ASSIGN TO, YOU KNOW, NOW SUBCOMMITTEES, RIGHT? WE'RE WORKING GROUPS.
SO, SO THE, UH, YOU CAN COME UP WITH SOME WORKING GROUPS, I THINK TO ADDRESS THAT.
THEN WE CAN, YOU CAN, WE CAN HAVE INDIVIDUAL, UH, COMMISSIONERS, YOU KNOW, AND GO OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY AND PULL WHOEVER THEY WANT TO IN THEIR OWN WORKING GROUP AND GET BACK WITH YOU GUYS AND EVERYBODY CAN.
IT IS A GREAT COLLABORATION SET.
SO IS THAT WHAT I NEED TO GO? I, WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT NEXT MONTH, MAY YOU GUYS, WHEN WE ALL GET TOGETHER AGAIN FOR THIS MEETING, WE NEED TO HAVE SOME IDEA OF WHAT WORKING GROUP YOU WOULD PREFER TO BE A PART OF.
AND IT MIGHT BE MORE THAN ONE, UH, IMPLEMENTING THIS, YOU KNOW, HAVE HOMELESSNESS EDUCATION, JOBS LIST CAN BE QUITE OFFENSIVE.
SO YOU NEED TO BE PREPARED TO SAY, I VOLUNTEER TO BE A MEMBER OF THIS WORKING GROUP OR THESE WORKING GROUPS SO THAT WE CAN THEN BE ORGANIZED TO GO FORWARD, TRY TO IMPLEMENT SOME OF THESE THINGS.
I THINK WE CAN GET IT DEFINED EXACTLY HOW WE WANT THE WORKING GROUPS KIND OF ORGANIZED.
YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A MAJOR WORKING GROUP IS WHAT DOES THE HUB LOOK LIKE? 'CAUSE THE HUB IS SO ALL ENCOMPASSING AT THAT POINT, BUT EACH, EACH AREA THAT FEEDS THE HUB, HOW DOES THE HUB GET REDONE? WE CAN PROBABLY GET THOSE PUBLISHED SENT OUT SO THAT, SO YOU SAY, HEY, START LOOKING, START FIGURING OUT BETWEEN NOW AND, AND MAY YOU KNOW, WHAT GROUP DO YOU WANT TO, YOU KNOW, DO YOU WANT TO BE IN? AND, YOU KNOW, DO YOU WANT TO TAKE ONE OF THOSE GROUPS? I APOLOGIZE.
I HAVE THE, UH, HARD COPY DOCUMENTS THAT VANESSA YOU PASSED OUT BUT LEFT IT ON.
SO I WILL BRING THEM TO, UH, STAFF HERE, NORA, AND THEY'LL SEE THAT YOU WANNA GET A COPY? OKAY.
AND THEN I WOULD ASK THAT ONCE YOU GET YOUR COPY, YOU SIT DOWN WITH YOUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBER AND KIND OF GO OVER WITH THEM WHAT HAS HAPPENED, BECAUSE I'M SURE THEY HAVE NO IDEAS AFTER YOU BELIEVE ON IT.
WHAT UP? DO YOU WANT ME TO STOP SHARING THE SCREEN? YEAH.
[00:40:01]
HAVE A QUESTION? HI, YES.ARE YOU GUYS ABLE TO HEAR ME? WE'RE NOT LISTENING TO YOU.
THAT'S WHY I'M NOT ABLE TO BE IN PERSON.
ARE YOU GUYS ABLE TO HEAR ME? YES.
BIG FORCES COMMAND LOOKS GOOD ON YOU.
ARE YOU YEAH, FOR, I'M, I'M DRILLING.
THAT'S WHY I'M NOT ABLE TO BE THERE.
BUT, UM, I, I JUST WANNA SAY CHRISTINA, I THINK, I THINK THE NEXT STEPS, THEY LOOK GREAT.
MY MAIN CONCERN WAS THAT, UM, WHAT WE RECOMMEND TO THE CITY COUNCIL WAS GONNA COME WITH SOME BUDGET CONSTRAINTS.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS FOLLOW WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN, UH, YEAR OVER YEAR BUDGET CONSTRAINTS, UM, WHERE THE CITY HAD TO MAKE CUTS.
AND SO, UM, AS A COMMISSION, I THINK IT WOULD'VE BEEN WISE FOR US TO PRESENT SOMETHING THAT'S NOT GONNA COST THE CITY THAT MUCH.
AND I THINK THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT CHRISTINA PRESENTED TO THIS COMMISSION.
UM, SO I'M ON BOARD WITH ALL THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND, UM, STARTING TO, UM, I WOULD LOVE TO BE PART OF CREATING, OF BEING PART OF THE WORKING GROUP HUB.
UM, I THINK THAT WOULD BE INSTRUMENTAL IN CREATING, UH, YOU KNOW, A RESOURCE ONE STOP SHOP ESSENTIALLY FOR THESE VETERANS.
UM, AND ALSO, I, I DID HAVE A QUESTION FOR CHRISTINA FOR THE QUALITY OF LIFE, UM, MEETING.
I MIGHT HAVE MISSED IT, BUT WHAT IS BEING PRESENTED ON THE APRIL 20TH MEETING? IS IT GONNA BE A MEMO, A BRIEFING, OR WHAT EXACTLY IS GONNA BE FOR, IT'S GONNA BE A MEMO.
AND SO, AGAIN, REMEMBER THE, THE SMU ASSESSMENT WAS BASICALLY COLLECTING DATA AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT ARE THE LOCAL NEEDS.
SO, UM, AND, AND THEY DID ALSO MAKE AN EXTRA STEP OF, YOU KNOW, AFTER THEY LOOKED AT ALL THE DATA, SAID, HERE ARE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS ON WAYS YOU CAN MOVE, LIKE SOME RECOMMENDED DIRECTIONS.
AND SO BASICALLY A MEMO ESSENTIALLY AFFIRMS LIKE, THIS IS THE DATA WE RECEIVED.
WE'VE WORKED REALLY CLOSELY WITH THE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMISSION, AND, UM, WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING FORWARD, UM, WITH THE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMISSION.
WE KEPT IT REALLY BROAD BECAUSE WE WANTED TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION WITH YOU ALL FIRST.
UM, AND SO IT, IT, IT'S, UM, ONCE RIGHT NOW IT'S WITH THE ATTORNEYS.
SO ONCE IT GETS THROUGH THE ATTORNEYS, WE CAN SHARE THE MEMO WITH YOU ALL.
BUT BASICALLY IT, UM, SHARES KIND OF ALMOST LIKE AN UPDATE SINCE THE COUNCIL APPROVED THE BUDGET.
UM, IT WAS A ONE TIME FUNDING, UM, THAT THEY APPROVED, UH, A COUPLE YEARS AGO, HONESTLY.
SO FOR SOME OF THEM, IT'LL BE LIKE A REFRESHER, BUT SOME OF THEM, THEY'RE BRAND NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS, SO THEY MAY NOT BE AWARE THAT THIS WAS APPROVED AND WE DID THIS WORK AND HERE'S WHAT WE'VE LEARNED.
AND, UM, AND SO I THINK THAT, UM, YEAH, IT, IT'S, AND IT'S, IT'S HOW, I THINK IT'S A WAY FOR US TO, TO ESTABLISH THAT LINE OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND LET THEM KNOW THIS IS, THIS IS THE WORK THAT HAPPENED.
AND HONESTLY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HOPING THAT IT SERVES AS A RESOURCE, NOT JUST FOR OUR COMMISSION AND HOW WE MOVE FORWARD, BUT JUST THAT, YOU KNOW, ANYONE THAT WANTS TO WORK WITH VETERANS IN DALLAS, THAT THEY CAN REFER TO THIS ASSESSMENT AS A SOURCE.
AND, UM, AND SO, UM, YEAH, I THINK THAT, UM, THE, THE FINDINGS, YOU KNOW, WERE DONE IN A WAY THAT, YOU KNOW, AS A HIGH LEVEL RESEARCH GRADE, IT WASN'T LIKE A SNOWBALL SURVEY WHERE JUST ANYONE COULD COME IN AND INFLUENCE IT.
UM, SO I THINK, UH, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN HELP WITH THAT.
SO BASICALLY THE MEMO IS JUST SUMMARIZING THE FINDINGS AND THAT WILL BE WORKING WITH THE COMMISSION.
I HAVE MADE A NOTE THOUGH THAT, UH, LIEUTENANT JG, UH, JUAN, WE WILL BE TAKING OVER THE HUB WORKING GROUP.
AND I CAN, UM, THANK YOU FOR YEAH, GO AHEAD.
NOW ARE WE GONNA BE ABLE TO SEE THE MEMO BEFORE THE 20TH? YEAH.
SO WE ACTUALLY, JUST LIKE A REGULAR PUBLIC MEETING, WE DO HAVE TO POST EVERYTHING.
SO YOU'LL BE ABLE TO RECEIVE THAT, UM, IN ADVANCE AND, UM, AND THAT WAY YOU CAN KIND OF SEE WHAT IT REALLY, IT'S COMING FROM OUR DIRECT, I THINK IT'S COMING FROM OUR DIRECTOR.
UM, AND, AND SO IT'S BASICALLY HIM TELLING COUNCIL MEMBER THAT YES, OUR STAFF WORKED WITH THE COMMISSIONER AND HERE, SO HERA, UH, COMMISSIONER HOUSTON, DISTRICT THREE
I LOOK AT YOU 'CAUSE YOU SAID I'M MESS IT UP.
UM, SO WE ALREADY KIND OF HAVE THIS GOING AND DEFINITELY I WAS GONNA SHARE, BUT WE DIDN'T REALLY GO OVER THAT.
SO WE DO HAVE A, THE ORGANIZATION I WORK WITH, UH, UNITE, DFW, WE HAVE A CONTRACT WITH FIND HELP, RIGHT? AND SO WE ALREADY HAVE THAT, UM, CITY SERVE X IS
[00:45:01]
THE, IS WHAT WE USE FOR DALLAS AREA.AND WHAT WE DO IS WE GO IN THERE AND RIGHT NOW WE ARE CURRENTLY PUTTING ALL THE INFORMATION IN FROM THE BREAD OF RESOURCES, UH, IN DALLAS.
SO THAT'S ALREADY BEEN WORKING RIGHT NOW, UM, WHICH I WANTED TO SHARE WITH Y'ALL.
SO, UM, EVERY, EVERY EVENT TO HOMELESSNESS TO ANYTHING THAT'S IN THERE.
SO AGAIN, YOU, IT'S SIMILAR TO COMBINED ARMS. YOU PUT IN YOUR ZIP CODE AND IT TELLS YOU WHAT'S THERE.
IT GIVES YOU A DIRECT, UM, CASE MANAGER SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO JUMP AROUND AND GO TO, SO IT GIVES YOU A DIRECT LINK TO SOMEBODY.
AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE IT WHERE WHEN THEY GO TO FIND HELP, THAT IT'S NOT GIVING YOU LIKE AN INTAKE PERSON.
ALL THIS STUFF'S ACTUALLY PRESENTING YOU TO A PERSON RIGHT ON SPOT.
UM, SO WE'RE WORKING THAT RIGHT NOW.
UM, THEN WITH, WE'RE ALSO USING COMBINED ARMS, WHICH IS TEXAS VETERANS NETWORK, WHICH IS ALL OVER.
SO WE GO IN AND WE VERIFY THAT THIS IS A LEGIT ORGANIZATION, WHETHER WE CONTACT DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, DEPARTMENT OF WAR, DEFENSE, WHATEVER THEY'RE GONNA CALL IT OR WHOEVER, JUST TO MAKE SURE THESE ARE LEGIT ORGANIZATIONS BECAUSE IN FIND HELP, A LOT OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE NOT EVEN IN, THEY'RE NOT EVEN IN, UM, BUSINESS RIGHT NOW.
SO WE'RE GOING THROUGH AND MAKING CLEAN ALL THAT UP AS WE SPEAK.
AND, AND ME AND HIM TALKED ABOUT A LITTLE BIT, WE'RE GONNA GO ON THAT A LITTLE BIT.
SO I WILL SHARE THAT WITH Y'ALL ACTUALLY, THE DATABASE THAT WE'RE USING, WHAT'S HAPPENING AND IT'S FREE.
SO, SO, SO LIEUTENANT NOW FOUND SOMEBODY YOU CAN DELEGATE MOST OF YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES TO THAT WE CAN DEFINITELY MAKE SURE I HAVE A NOTE.
AND ALL SERIOUSNESS, WE DON'T NEED TO BE REINVENTED.
WE NEED TO PLUG IN, RIGHT? IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN WHAT THEIR SYSTEM LOOKS LIKE, YOU NEED TO GO LOOK AT IT.
IT'S, IT IS, IT IS MORE THAN IMPRESSIVE.
SO IT ENCOMPASSES A LOT OF THINGS AND A LOT OF THINGS THAT YOUR ORGANIZATION NEEDS TO BE PUT INTO THAT MM-HMM
AND I GUESS THE, THE GOAL AT SOME POINT IS FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS TO EMERGE AS IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT HOW ALL THIS STUFF WORKS, YOU COME TO THE CITY OF DALLAS BECAUSE WE DO HAVE THE ANSWERS.
AND I'M GONNA TRY TO GET HER TO PRESENT IN MAY SO SHE CAN KIND OF SHOW Y'ALL, UM, CRYSTAL, SHE CAN SHOW Y'ALL THE BACKGROUND OF HOW THE ACTUAL VETERAN ONE WORKS.
AND THEN IT'S, I MEAN, IT'S FREE.
WE JUST, ALL WE GOTTA DO IS JUST CLEAN IT UP.
COMMISSIONER HUNTER, DISTRICT NINE.
CAN I THROW OUT A WHOLE DIFFERENT TYPE OF ALTERNATIVE APPROACH? UM, HAVING READ THE REPORT OF SMU, THERE'S SO MANY ASPECTS TO IT TO, TO IT, BUT IT SEEMED TO BOIL DOWN BETTER COORDINATION BETWEEN FRAGMENT ECOSYSTEMS IN EVERY REALM.
IT'S JUST SO, SO WITH, WITH THE CITY'S BUDGET CONSTRAINTS IN MIND AND NOT INVENTING THE, REINVENTING THE WHEEL IN MIND.
UM, I THOUGHT WHAT ABOUT EXPLORING THE, THE IDEA OF THE MAYOR APPOINTING A VETERAN'S CZAR TO PLAN AND COORDINATE ALL OF THIS AND MAKE, AND TO MAKE SURE IT HAPPENS RATHER THAN ADDING MORE BUREAUCRACY ON STUFF.
UH, WE ALREADY HAVE A WORKFORCE CZAR, UH, MAYOR ROWLINGS WAS THE HOMELESS CR AS A GREETING CR IF I'M, I'M THINKING OF SOME RETIRED DYNAMIC PERSON WHO COULD HAVE A BIG PICTURE AND, AND, YOU KNOW, USE THIS, USE ALL THIS STUFF AS INPUT, BUT HAVE SOME ONE PERSON RESPONSIBLE WHO'S HIGH PROFILE RATHER, RATHER THAN CHIPPING AWAY AT ALL THESE LITTLE THINGS.
THAT'S A, I THINK THAT'S A GOOD SUGGESTION.
WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO STUDY THAT AND SEE WHO MIGHT GET KNOW I HAVE A FEW PEOPLE IN MIND.
BUT I, I WILL SHARE WITH YOU THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A CITY MANAGER SYSTEM.
SO THE MAYOR, AND WHAT THE MAYOR OFFICE DOES IS SEPARATE.
THEY, UM, KIND OF OPERATE ON THEIR OWN, IN THEIR OWN.
LIKE, I, I CAN'T, SHE'S TRYING TO BE POLITIC.
THE MAYOR DOESN'T DO ANYTHING.
THE CITY MANAGER DOES ALL, OKAY, WELL THIS IS, THEY SAY THAT HE APPOINTED THE, HE APPOINTED THE WORK MC, IS THAT THE MAYOR? CITY MANAGER? YEAH, THAT WAS THE MAYOR.
BUT WE DON'T HAVE A, WE DON'T HAVE A MAYOR.
LIKE I CAN'T TELL THE MAYOR HE, HE CAN'T, BUT IF THERE'S PUBLIC PRESSURE BROUGHT ONTO HIM AND IT'S VISIBLE, YOU SHOULD DO THIS.
EVERYBODY LOVES VETERANS, DO IT WELL, SOMEBODY'S GONNA FIGHT.
WELL, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE, RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT WE DO HERE.
AND, AND I, AND I THINK IT'S ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT INFLUENCE WITHIN THE CITY, UM, THERE'S, THERE'S INFLUENCE AND THEN THERE'S THE CHAIN OF COMMITTEE OKAY.
AND, AND HOW IT ACTUALLY OPERATES.
SO THE, WE HAVE A CITY MANAGER'S SYSTEM, WHICH IS, IS, IS NOT A BAD SYSTEM IN FACT'S, A VERY GOOD SYSTEM.
AND WE HAVE IT FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS.
IF YOU GO BACK HISTORICALLY AND LOOK AT TEXAS CITIES, THERE'S A REASON THAT OTHER CITIES, BOSTON, CHICAGO, NEW YORK, PICK SOMETHING, THEY ARE ALL MAYORAL
[00:50:01]
STRONGLY ORGANIZATIONS.AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WOULD YOU SAY THE CITY OF DALLAS IS BETTER OR WORSE OR BEING A CITY MANAGER SYSTEM? SO SOME MOST WOULD SAY IT'S BETTER.
SO, UH, IF WE'RE LOOKING FOR INFLUENCE, THEN ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE COMMISSION THROUGH CHRISTINA AND WHAT WE, OUR, OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE THAT MAYBE THE, THE, MAYBE THE MAYOR SHOULD, SHOULD COORDINATE WITH THE CITY MANAGER SAYING THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO PUT, YOU KNOW, A A LEAD HORSE ON THIS PARTICULAR THING.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY RECOMMENDING.
SO JUST SO SOMEBODY THAT CAN DO HIGH PROFILE, SOMEBODY LIKE THE, LIKE THE THREE STAR WALSH THAT'S OUT AT SMU, HE'S THE GUY I WAS GOING, I WORKED FOR HIM.
UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT HE WOULD DO IT, BY THE WAY.
HE, HE WAS THE COMMANDER OF THE US PACIFIC FLEET.
HE'S JUST STEPPING DOWN AS PRESIDENT OF CHRISTO RAY HIGH SCHOOL.
HE PROBABLY WOULD BE OPEN OR NO PEOPLE, IF IF IT DID WANT DO IT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE TYPE OF PERSON I WAS THINKING OF, RIGHT? NO, AND THAT, AND THAT'S, IT IS A, THAT'S A GREAT COMPONENT OF THAT.
UM, I, BUT I THINK THAT THE RECOMMENDATION HAS GOTTA REALLY COME THROUGH HER LIAISONS INTO THE CITY.
SO THAT THEY CAN, THEY CAN PICK AND CHOOSE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE MOST INFLUENTIAL THAT ACTUALLY GETS SOMETHING DONE.
BECAUSE I CAN TELL YOU THIS ABOUT WALSH, I KNOW FA WELL IS THAT IF YOU PUT HIM INTO A POSITION TO WHERE HE SAYS HE'S RESPONSIBLE FOR IT, HE GOES AND GETS IT DONE.
HE WILL STEP ON EVERYBODY'S TOES.
IF THE CITY'S NOT PREPARED FOR HIM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'LL BE A, A GOPRO.
IT'S ALMOST, IT SEEMS LIKE WHAT WE NEED.
I MEAN, GIVEN THE, THE CONCLUSIONS OF THIS REPORT, EVERYTHING'S JUST SCATTERED ALL OVER THE PLACE.
A LITTLE BIRD JUST WHISPERED BY EAR SAYING WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.
SO DO, DO I HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT ANYONE WANTS TO MAKE AT THIS TIME? ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS TO BETTER EVENT? SORRY.
UM, SO SATURDAY, APRIL 11TH AT DALLAS COLLEGE, WEST DALLAS, WE'RE HAVING A WOMEN'S WHO SERVE EVENT PUT ON BY THE WINDED WARRIOR PROJECT.
UM, SO WEST DALLAS CENTER, 3 3, 3 0.
NORTH HAMPTON ROAD FROM 10 TO TWO 30.
SO WE'RE DOING A LOT OF THINGS FOR THE WOMEN VETERAN COMMUNITY AND, UM, SO TO SELF-CARE EXPO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE GO THROUGH, TRANSITIONING, THINGS LIKE THAT.
ANY ANYTHING ELSE? ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS? OKAY, ANNOUNCEMENT.
UH, SO, UH, CHRISTINE ACTUALLY HAD AN EMAIL THAT CAME THROUGH A LITTLE EARLIER JUST TODAY FROM THE HEROES FOUNDATION.
AND THEY'RE, UH, HAVING A RECONVENING OF WHAT'S OTHERWISE THEY VETTED HEROES CONVERSATION SERIES.
IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH IT, IT'S THE FIRST TIME I'M HEARING OF IT.
BUT, UH, THE, AND I'LL SEND AN EMAIL, A FOLLOW UP EMAIL WITH THIS.
AND IT'S BASICALLY SCHEDULED FOR THE 16TH, UH, OF THIS MONTH, ONE 30 TO TWO 30.
AND, UH, THEY'RE FOCUSING ON THE STATE OF AI THAT A FLYER WILL COME THROUGH WITH, WITH SOME INFORMATION.
AND THE SECOND IS WITH REGARDS TO, UH, AN ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES MORTGAGE FREE HOMES FOR VETERANS.
AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS, UH, ALSO GOING TO BE INCLUDED IN A FOLLOW EMAIL TO YOU.
AND, UH, THEY HAVE SEVERAL HOUSES THEY SAID RIGHT NOW THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN SOUTH DALLAS.
AND THERE'S A COURSE, AN APPLICATION, A VETTING PROCESS AND ALL.
BUT, UH, IT SEEMS LIKE A, A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY.
SO I'LL SEND THAT OUT IN AN EMAIL AND, UH, WHETHER IT'S FOR YOURSELF OR ANYONE ELSE THAT YOU MAY KNOW, OR FEEL FREE TO SHARE IT AS WITH ALL THE TAPE.
SO, UH, AGAIN, I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR COMING TO PRESENT TODAY.
DO I HEAR A MOTION TO ADJOURN? I SO MOVE.
A MOTION HAS BEEN MADE AND A SECOND TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING.
J THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED HERE.