2026-09-08 - Council Committees Day 1

00:21>> At this time, I call the

00:22neighborhood Jobs and Housing

00:23Committee to order and ask the

00:25clerk to call the Roll.

00:27>> Council member Patterson

00:28here. Council member Leslie

00:30Smith here. Council member

00:32Lupien vice President Harris

00:35here. President Melendez here.

00:38Thank you.

00:39>> All right. So we have two

00:41presentations today, but we're

00:41going to do this, do it in a

00:43different order. So we're going

00:45to do our normal legislative

00:47work first. In the course of

00:49doing that work, we will

00:50receive one of those

00:51presentations. And then after

00:52we've completed our legislative

00:53work for the day, we will be

00:55receiving a presentation on the

00:56Rochester Community Food System

00:57Plan Overview presented by the

01:00Rochester Food Policy Council.

01:02So with that, we're going to

01:03get right to the work.

01:05Introductory number 325

01:06authorizing a lease agreement

01:07for the Rochester Police

01:08Department. Questions, comments

01:10or concerns? Seeing none, I

01:13need a motion in a second.

01:15>> Move.

01:15>> It second moved and seconded.

01:18And now we vote. All in favor

01:20of introductory number 325,

01:21please say I.

01:22>> I.

01:23>> All opposed say nay.

01:25Introductory passes.

01:27Introductory number 326

01:29appropriating funds and

01:29authorizing agreement related

01:31to Peace Village. We're going

01:33to start with Council President

01:35Melendez. Then we will go to

01:37the deputy mayor from the

01:40Deputy mayor. We will then

01:42proceed to the Commissioner and

01:44then from Commissioner, we will

01:45go to the good folks from PCH,

01:47from the folks who are going to

01:49be doing the work. All right.

01:51>> All right. Thank you. Chair

01:53Patterson. Long time in the

01:56works. Probably three years ago,

01:58maybe a little bit longer.

02:00Council appropriated funds for

02:01the purchase of pallet shelters.

02:05I want to commend the

02:07administration, the deputy

02:09Mayor and b d the commissioner

02:11and commissioner before him for

02:13continuing this work of

02:15exploring what we can do at the

02:17Peace Village site. And after a

02:20long, grueling process, they've

02:22come up with a plan to move

02:24this forward. And we're excited

02:25to hear more about that plan.

02:27But before we do, I just want

02:29to also acknowledge that, you

02:32know, this is a significant

02:33undertaking by the city of

02:35Rochester. This is resources

02:37that, frankly, you know, the

02:39opioid settlement funds create

02:40an opportunity for us to do

02:41this, however long term. This

02:43is resources that we do need to

02:45pursue a multitude of options

02:47to ensure its sustainability.

02:48And it is my hope that as we

02:50continue in this journey and as

02:52we have conversations, whether

02:53that's other partners in

02:55government or philanthropy or

02:57somewhere else, we need to find

03:00resources to ensure that this

03:02is successful long term. I'm

03:04excited personally about this

03:05project. I think all of council

03:07have, at some point or another,

03:09been searching for a

03:11opportunity to address the

03:13homeless crisis in our

03:14neighborhood, particularly the

03:16street homeless crisis in

03:17neighborhoods across the city.

03:18This is not a panacea. I think

03:20this will create some

03:21opportunity for us to assist

03:22and help, but there's a lot

03:25more work to be done and really

03:27requires other partners and

03:28government to to help us

03:29achieve that. So with that,

03:31I'll turn it over to Deputy

03:32Mayor.

03:32>> Great. Thanks, Council

03:33president. Good afternoon

03:35everybody. I think this is a

03:36day for many of us that we

03:38wondered when it would come.

03:39And here we are. So I just want

03:42to offer my thanks first to the

03:43NBD staff, Carol Wheeler, Walid

03:46Monroe Sims and Eric Frisch for

03:48their great work on this

03:49initiative to the PCHO team.

03:52Nick Colter, Chuck Albanese,

03:54Janelle Coleman, Grimes City

03:56Roots Land Trust, Victor

03:58Sanchez for your support, and

04:00David Hernandez from endeavors,

04:03who is providing some oversight

04:05and support. This legislation

04:08is really an opportunity to to

04:10prove concept right. We know

04:12that funding is needed to

04:16continue Peace Village long

04:17term, but we have put forth

04:21legislation that will at least

04:22provide funding through June

04:2430th, 2027 to get peace Village

04:27stood up and operational. As we

04:30head into the winter, it is

04:32imperative that this be

04:34successful if it is to continue

04:35and so if successful, I believe

04:39support for this will increase.

04:41And if support increases, I

04:43believe that the funding will

04:44follow, because I think there's

04:47a lot of skepticism right now

04:49just as to how this might work.

04:51But I think what you'll hear

04:52today is that the Peace Village

04:54that we're all accustomed to,

04:56what's being put forth is a

04:58very different version of Peace

05:01Village than the one that we're

05:03familiar with. As part of that

05:05success, operationally, I will

05:08be convening weekly check ins,

05:10not biweekly, not monthly, but

05:13weekly. That's how important I

05:14think it is to keep our fingers

05:16on the pulse in real time as to

05:19how this is going. Council

05:22president, I would invite one

05:25or more members of council to

05:27participate in that. And

05:28certainly mindful. It's never

05:31easy to coordinate schedules

05:33and we'll have a lot of

05:34schedules to coordinate, but I

05:35think we can find timing to

05:37have those critical meetings to

05:39ensure that they happen. I

05:40would much rather all be well

05:43informed at the same time. All

05:45deal with issues in real time,

05:47and I think proceeding in that

05:49manner together ensures the

05:52greatest chance of success as

05:54it relates to this initiative.

05:56So with that, I'll turn it over

05:58to Commissioner Frisch for some

06:00brief remarks, and then we'll

06:03continue on.

06:06>> Thank you, Deputy Mayor.

06:08You're not here to hear from me

06:09on this. So I'm going to

06:11definitely be brief, but

06:13definitely a long time coming

06:14to get to this point. A lot of

06:16work has been put in to bring

06:18it here. As the deputy mayor

06:19said, a lot of that credit goes

06:22to Carol Wheeler and William

06:24Monroe Sims for their work

06:27behind the scenes. In making

06:29this possible, we have arranged

06:33for the P, c, h O and endeavors

06:36team to give a overview of of

06:42the services that will be

06:45provided and the operations

06:46plan for Peace Village. And so

06:49without further ado, I think

06:50the best thing would be to turn

06:52it over to Chuck and Janelle

06:57when you're ready. All right.

06:58>> Thank you. You guys want to

07:00just come up to the microphone

07:01right up here up front and

07:03bring everybody with you that

07:04you got that you think you

07:05might need? And if you can

07:16start by just introducing who

07:17you are and the organization

07:19you represent.

07:41>> If you could just.

07:42>> Come closer to the mic.

07:43>> To the mic for our listening

07:45audience. Audience at home.

07:46>> My name is David Hernandez.

07:48I am the senior director of

07:50Rapid Response and Recovery

07:51Services for endeavors. We are

07:54a faith based, not for profit

07:57located in San Antonio, Texas.

08:00Part of what I do is run a

08:02number of shelters providing

08:03services for those who are

08:05unhoused. I have the privilege

08:07of being here because it's an

08:09opportunity for me to help the

08:11city of Rochester. Having

08:13served 21 years here at the

08:15City of Rochester Police

08:16Department. And so it's my time

08:17to come back and help in any

08:20way I can. So, okay.

08:22>> Are there any handouts or

08:23anything for council?

08:26>> There's an email, PowerPoint,

08:27but for some reason it's not

08:29okay.

08:30>> The staff's.

08:31>> PowerPoint is not loading,

08:33but Darcy is just received it

08:35in her inbox and is printing it

08:36for you all now.

08:38>> Okay, great.

08:40>> Ready to begin.

08:41>> We're ready.

08:43>> All right. So I want to

08:44start off by first saying that

08:46what we all know as Peace

08:48Village, formerly known as

08:49Peace Village, is no longer

08:50going to be known as Peace

08:52Village in any shape or form.

08:54With all the changes that are

08:55coming, coming through in the

08:56new, the new life that we're

08:58breathing into this space,

09:00we're hoping to be able to

09:02change the name and have

09:03community input, excuse me,

09:06from City Routes, Land Trust,

09:09and the folks that are involved

09:11in what was formerly known as

09:12Peace Village. So for the

09:14purposes of this, I will refer

09:15to it as a pallet shelter

09:17community. So with this new

09:19pallet shelter community, what

09:20we're asking for is consider a

09:23hefty budget for the past 1818

09:26months or so, a person centered

09:28housing options, city routes,

09:29land trust. We've been

09:30fortunate enough to connect and

09:33receive a lot of advisement and

09:34guidance from endeavors in San

09:37Antonio, Texas, and Albuquerque,

09:38New Mexico, and from Mr.

09:40Hernandez and his team as they

09:42operate these pallet

09:44communities on a much larger

09:46scale. So what we're looking to

09:47do for the City of Rochester is

09:49to take the 15 pallet pallet

09:53dwellings that are two bed, two

09:56person, two bed dwellings and

09:59utilize that in what was the

10:01Peace Village space to create a

10:04nontraditional transitional

10:05housing community. So with that

10:07nontraditional housing

10:09community, what we want to do

10:10is to be able to accept folks

10:12from the city's homeless

10:14outreach team, from the hot

10:15team. We want to be able to

10:17accept folks from the hospitals.

10:18We want people to be able to

10:20walk up and, you know, try to

10:22access be able to access the

10:24services from there. However,

10:26it is not a place that folks

10:28will be able to drop in. What

10:30we will see now is a lot more

10:32structure than what existed in

10:34previous years. The purpose of

10:36it, we're designed to, to

10:38temporarily support folks,

10:40stabilize folks as they

10:41transition into permanent

10:43housing. The goal of this new

10:44pallet shelter community is to

10:46not have individuals stay there.

10:49This is not a long term. It's

10:51not a long term stop. It is a

10:53stop that individuals would

10:54come to to get the support that

10:56they need to move on into

10:57permanent housing. What that

10:59looks like is a lot of support,

11:02starting with program

11:03management, being a licensed

11:05master social worker, having

11:07certified alcoholism and

11:08substance abuse counselor,

11:09counseling staff on staff, in

11:12addition to support staff, in

11:14addition to custodial staff,

11:16just to keep the grounds going.

11:18So from top to bottom, this is

11:20an entirely different community.

11:22With that, it does have

11:24somewhat of a hefty price tag.

11:271.8 million is the operating

11:29budget for annually to run this

11:31new community, we will be

11:35providing food for the

11:36individuals there, not what we

11:38know to be the peace village of

11:40yesteryear, where individuals

11:42good Samaritans could drop off

11:43food. We have a very regulated

11:46plan that involves community

11:48partnerships with food link to

11:50be able to bring in food on a

11:53scheduled basis for those

11:55individuals. Some of the

11:56overall goals of Peace Village

11:58is to provide safe and stable

11:59temporary housing for 15 to 30

12:02individuals. If an individual,

12:05if it's necessary to house

12:06someone in one of these

12:08dwellings due to maybe some

12:09comorbidities or different

12:11diagnoses, we will house

12:13someone temporarily as a guest,

12:17just single in a single, single

12:19dwelling. There are

12:20opportunities for folks to

12:21double up, as each pallet

12:23shelter has to two beds in

12:26there. We're promoting safe,

12:28stable stabilization and

12:30recovery again with the

12:32credential alcoholism and

12:33substance abuse staff. The goal

12:35is to connect these individuals

12:36to have an assessment done on

12:37everyone that walks through our

12:38doors, but then also to have

12:40these individuals refer to the

12:44level of care and the levels of

12:45treatment that they may need.

12:46And if someone if, if this new

12:48pallet shelter community is not

12:51the most appropriate level of

12:52care for any individual, then

12:54what we will do is refer them

12:56out to a different and more

12:58appropriate level of care to

12:59help ensure their stabilization.

13:03So some of the program

13:05oversight will be managed by

13:07PCHO. However, we will have

13:09monitoring support. We will

13:10have William Monroe Sims from

13:12the city being able to monitor

13:14us. We do have partnerships

13:15with the continuum of care to

13:17have some additional oversight

13:18and some additional monitoring

13:20and reporting and things of

13:22that nature. So this will be a

13:25complete partnership, but one

13:27where we're accountable, we're

13:28accountable to the community,

13:29we're accountable to each other,

13:31and we're accountable to our

13:33funding sources. I mentioned

13:36somewhat our staffing model. It

13:38does include 11 FTEs. In

13:41addition to that, those 11 FTEs.

13:44We also have Black Ops security

13:48on board to provide security

13:50detail for us there. We will

13:51have security during the

13:53evening and overnight hours.

13:55That security is definitely

13:57warranted. We know, and we've

13:59learned from yesteryear that

14:00security is absolutely

14:02necessary in that space, and

14:04that is to the tune of about

14:06$293,000 out of that 1.8 budget,

14:08because we take it very

14:09seriously and we want this to

14:11be successful. So we don't want

14:14to kind of skimp out or

14:16shortchange ourselves in any

14:17way. Some of our I mentioned

14:21some of our referral sources,

14:24again, hospitals, the

14:26partnerships, other community

14:28providers, individuals being

14:29able to somewhat self refer

14:31provided we have the room and

14:34we have the, we have the

14:36availability to to take them in.

14:39All individuals will be

14:40screened. We do reserve the

14:43right to refuse services.

14:47However, any refusal would be

14:49more of a safety concern if

14:51there's a an immediate and an

14:53imminent safety concern, we

14:55will refer to a more

14:56appropriate level of care. We

14:59realize and recognize that

15:00every individual. In order to

15:02have a successful, harmonious

15:03community, every individual

15:05might. This may not be the best

15:06fit for them. However, we don't

15:08want to just turn folks away

15:09without any additional support

15:11and without any additional

15:12guidance as to where they could

15:13be better served. And we fully

15:17recognize that. Moving out. So

15:21as individuals are in this this

15:23location, again, everyone will

15:24have a service plan. Everyone

15:25will have individual volunteer

15:28jobs that they'll have to

15:29complete while they're within

15:30this community. And that could

15:32be grounds that could be

15:34whatever it is, you know,

15:36cleaning up, doing different

15:37things. But in addition to that,

15:39every single person here will

15:40work on work within a housing

15:42stability plan. They'll all

15:44have a customized housing

15:45stability plan that they will

15:47create with either the program

15:49manager as a social worker, or

15:51a behavioral support staff that

15:53will identify the things that

15:55is that are necessary for that

15:56person to move out and to

15:58successfully be able to go into

16:00permanent housing. Because,

16:02again, that is the goal for

16:03every single person that's a

16:05guest in this new pallet

16:07shelter community. So within

16:08that service plan, they're

16:10actively working toward these

16:12goals week after week after

16:13week. We don't anticipate stays

16:16being longer. And this is on

16:17the long end. We don't

16:19anticipate stays being longer

16:20than six months, because if

16:22we're able to do the job

16:23correctly, which we feel that

16:25we can, we can help stabilize

16:27someone, get them the supports

16:28they need, get them the

16:29wraparound supports they need,

16:30and help them move on to the

16:32next level, because those

16:33things will start day one when

16:34they move in. We have no plan

16:37on stagnating their progress

16:39beginning the day that they

16:40move in. So moving out looks

16:42different. Folks will graduate.

16:44Excuse me. The goal is for

16:46individuals to graduate out of

16:48this living community. Some

16:50individuals may return home to

16:53friends and families, reunify

16:54with friends and family, but

16:56for the most part, we're

16:57looking to place people in

16:59their own homes, their own

17:01permanent supportive housing

17:02programs, taking advantage of

17:04housing choice vouchers through

17:07Rochester Housing Authority,

17:08section 8COCPSH programs.

17:11Empire State Supportive Housing

17:13Initiative programs. We're

17:15really looking to take

17:16advantage of the fact that

17:18individuals who are identified

17:19as chronically homeless, which

17:20many of the folks that come to

17:22this location will. We want to

17:24be able to connect them with

17:26the most appropriate services

17:28so that they have long term

17:29success. And then there's

17:32always a voluntary discharge.

17:33We there is no contract. We're

17:35not requiring any individual to

17:37stay here for any period of

17:39time. So when an individual

17:40decides that they do want to

17:42leave, we'll work with them and

17:45we'll transition them out

17:47accordingly. Some of the

17:53services that we are well

17:56equipped to, to help people

17:58connect to our recovery support

18:01services, benefits, enrollment,

18:04whether that's DHS, whether it

18:07is Medicaid services, whether

18:09it's Social Security benefits,

18:11folks, maybe accessing pensions

18:13and things like that that may

18:14be owed to them, we're able to

18:16to help them connect through

18:18case management services to

18:19those different funding sources

18:21so that they can help start

18:22that, that road to

18:24sustainability, really, really

18:26important behavioral support

18:27services. We will have all

18:29staff on site Narcan trained.

18:31In addition, as I mentioned, to

18:32having a credentialed

18:33alcoholism and substance abuse

18:35counselor on site as well, and

18:39housing search and employment

18:41services, PCHO. As an

18:43organization, we have MoUs with

18:45independent, independent

18:48employment specialists and

18:50other organizations that can

18:52help support job search for

18:53those that are are ready and

18:55willing to look for work. Some

19:01of the staff training, again,

19:03just talking about PCHO being

19:05well equipped to be able to

19:06support the individuals that

19:08will come through these doors.

19:09Some of the staff training

19:10includes harm reduction

19:11training, first aid, CPR

19:13training, Narcan training,

19:15boundaries training. In

19:16addition, being a mandated

19:18reporter. If someone presents

19:19with a child, we have to be

19:21able to make the referral to

19:22the appropriate places. We

19:24cannot accept children in this

19:26location. However, we can point

19:27them into the right direction

19:29and make the necessary

19:30referrals for that family that

19:31may present down here with the

19:34child. So just being well

19:35equipped, the organization is

19:36well equipped to be able to

19:38support the individuals that

19:39come down here and help them

19:41move on to that next level.

19:45Safety guidelines we have been

19:48planning. We've created a

19:49safety plan over the course of

19:50probably the past two and a

19:52half years or so, a safety plan

19:54that has been seen by by, you

19:56know, several eyes, including

19:59individuals in our our, our PD

20:02to make sure we fully

20:04understand the different levels

20:06of safety that exist or the

20:09different levels of safety

20:10response, excuse me, that exist

20:12and how we can appropriately

20:14address those things and get

20:15ahead of any major issues. So

20:17safety planning is a big part

20:19of it. Safety guidelines. We

20:20have a zero tolerance for

20:22violence as an organization,

20:23but also in this pallet shelter

20:25community as well. The

20:28integrity of the community is

20:29extremely important to us and

20:31making sure that the

20:32individuals there can can

20:34thrive. So that being said,

20:35safety is is absolutely a huge

20:37part of that. Violations will

20:39be handled on a tiered system,

20:43provided they're not extremely

20:45egregious. Security. I

20:49mentioned black ops security

20:53will provide evening and

20:55overnight security. They do

20:57have armed guards. So that is

20:59an option for us as well. So

21:01it's a little more than just,

21:02you know, kind of the run of

21:04the mill security guard that

21:05may just be on site. We do have

21:07an option to have armed guards

21:08there to provide additional

21:09support and safety measures to

21:11the folks that are there. Any

21:13visitors that are coming into

21:14the community will have to sign

21:16in and out. It's not a free for

21:17all where the friends can come

21:19and everyone can just come.

21:20It's very regulated. Having

21:23this new community be gated,

21:25starting with the gate and

21:27sending that message that you

21:28can't just kind of come and go.

21:31Anybody can't just show up as

21:32it was before. It wasn't it was

21:34kind of half fenced in. So

21:35really anyone could come in and

21:37that just won't be the case

21:39anymore. Individuals have to be

21:40let in, you have to be approved

21:42and you have to sign in. We

21:44have to know who's in there

21:45because again, safety being

21:48extremely important. So as I

21:52mentioned, I'm going to let Mr.

21:54Hernandez speak. As I mentioned,

21:55we've been consulting with

21:57endeavors for about the past 18

21:59months, receiving extreme

22:01guidance. Initially, we did not

22:04know the budget that would that

22:06this would entail. We didn't

22:08really, truly, fully understand

22:10how big that was. But

22:11thankfully, with endeavors,

22:12guidance and their extreme

22:14expertise in this area, they've

22:15been able to guide us into the

22:17right direction and really

22:19understand, help us understand

22:20what it takes to truly run

22:23these communities and have

22:24these communities thrive. So

22:26that said Mr. Hernandez.

22:28>> So just before Mr. Hernandez

22:30begins his presentation, I just

22:31want everybody to know, yeah,

22:33I'm going to be holding this

22:34item. We are we are not even

22:36going to consider voting on

22:37this today. There's an awful

22:39lot of detail here, much more

22:42than I was expecting at this

22:44time. That's not a comment on

22:46it. I'm happy to see it, but

22:48it's an awful lot to digest on

22:50a very short notice. So this

22:51item will be held after Mr.

22:54Hernandez is presentation.

22:56We'll take questions down the

22:57line. We're going to start over

22:59to my right. We're going to

23:00come all the way down. I would

23:02ask council members to keep it

23:04to two initial questions. And

23:05Mr. Hernandez.

23:07>> I'll be brief. I came into

23:11this because we learned about

23:12this opportunity. We learned

23:14that it was posted, and we

23:16checked with the city, and we

23:18learned that PCA is being

23:19considered. At that point in

23:22time. I spoke to our CEO and we

23:24made a decision because we

23:26operate a pallet shelter to

23:29offer our services to the city

23:31of Rock. Those services have

23:32been provided since probably 5

23:35or 6 months ago. We've done

23:38that pro bono because this

23:41matters. I served 21 years in

23:44law enforcement and went on to

23:46do another 25. And so I'm here

23:49because I care. This is our

23:51opportunity to give back and

23:52serve. I don't have all the

23:55answers, and I don't have all

23:56the solutions. I can tell you

23:58that since 2010, the last 17

24:01years, I've been working in

24:04providing services to the

24:05homeless, started at Haven for

24:07Hope, one of the largest

24:10providers for the homeless in

24:12the United States, located in

24:14San Antonio, Texas, serving

24:171500 homeless men, women and

24:19children in a full, functional,

24:21full service facility. And I

24:23was the operations person there,

24:25and I learned a great deal

24:27about what the needs are. And

24:29then I went to endeavors. And I

24:31currently operate ten shelters,

24:33congregate, Non-congregate

24:34bridge, you name it, in Texas,

24:38Albuquerque, New Mexico,

24:41Arizona, and a couple of other

24:43places. And we operate one in

24:48Albuquerque, New Mexico, which

24:49is our gateway recovery center.

24:51It is a pallet shelter similar

24:53to what you have. It is a 50

24:58person shelter that provides a

25:01little bit more than this one

25:03will provide, because it is

25:04specifically for those who are

25:05recovering from addiction. I

25:07will tell you that it is not

25:09easy work. I will tell you that

25:11it comes with a lot of

25:12challenges. I will tell you

25:13that it requires a full

25:15community community

25:17collaboration to make it work.

25:19And I will tell you that it's

25:21not inexpensive because if you

25:23want it to succeed, you need to

25:25have the right people there and

25:26you need to have a safe and

25:28full functioning service

25:30provider, making sure that the

25:32clients are getting everything

25:33they need, the grace, the

25:36compassion, and the care that's

25:37required to deal with the

25:39challenges of recovery. For us,

25:41because of the addiction

25:43referrals, it is even tougher

25:45because people who are in

25:46recovery will relapse and will

25:48have challenges, and you have

25:50to have the grace and care and

25:52compassion to want to continue

25:53to serve them. We've had, out

25:55of 85 clients in the last year

25:57and a half, 66% of them have

26:00been exited positively, either

26:02to a family member or to a

26:04housing option. That didn't

26:07happen by accident. That

26:10happened because a lot of

26:11people worked real hard to make

26:13it happen. There's a third of

26:16those folks that breaks my

26:17heart. Didn't make it either

26:19because they opted out or

26:21because they got incarcerated,

26:23or because they did something

26:24that put him out of the program.

26:27And that's, that's 33% that we

26:30moan and pray over, because

26:31those are people's lives that

26:33we could not impact in a

26:34positive way. We have given our

26:39guidance everything that we

26:40know and we've learned through

26:41our experiences, we have shared

26:43here from every training manual

26:46to every document we have.

26:47We've done so freely because we

26:50want to see this succeed.

26:52Because I know, I know Genesis

26:55section, I know Clinton section,

26:57I know Joseph Avenue, I know

26:58Clinton Avenue, I know these

27:00streets because I worked them.

27:02I worked them as an officer. I

27:03worked them as a sergeant,

27:04lieutenant, and right up the

27:05ranks. And I know that this is

27:08an amazing city with a lot of

27:10opportunity and a lot of hope.

27:12And we just need the action

27:14behind that hope to make this

27:16successful. And I think that

27:18the proof is in the pudding and

27:20the proof is in the numbers,

27:21and the proof is in the results

27:23that we generate, and we're

27:24going to continue to provide

27:25the support that we can to make

27:27this a successful initiative.

27:29So I'm happy to answer any

27:31questions.

27:39>> Before you start. Folks,

27:42normally we don't have to say

27:43this, but please take a moment

27:45to silence your phones. So we

27:47just take a minute. Everybody

27:48silence your phones. Thank you,

27:51Council Member Smith, thank you

27:53so much. Thank you guys for

27:57this incredible work. I think

27:59it's going to make a major

28:01difference in our community.

28:02And like the council president

28:03said, we've all been waiting

28:04for it for quite some time. I

28:08know you said two questions,

28:09but I really have three. Either

28:12way it goes. Okay. We'll I'll

28:17send it to Jen. Accessible

28:19units. Will there be units for

28:22individuals who have mobility

28:24issues in the community? And

28:27then also, will it be a LGBTQ

28:31friendly space?

28:34>> So it is in everyone

28:35friendly and everyone welcome

28:37space. We as an agency also

28:40have training in that area. And

28:42we try to annually train and in

28:44areas of LGBTQ and just any

28:46potentially marginalized

28:48population. In terms of

28:50accessibility, the pallets

28:53themselves, they don't have

28:54stairs or anything. They kind

28:55of have somewhat of a like a

28:57wide open door. And I mean,

29:00there are eight by eight

29:01dwellings, so they're not big

29:02to begin with. And that's just

29:04the design of them. But there's

29:06kind of a a few inches off of

29:08the ground. So there's an

29:10opportunity for a ramp. There's

29:11an opportunity to, to provide

29:12some adaptive equipment to make

29:14it accessible, even more

29:15accessible for someone to enter

29:17over that one step.

29:24>> So that anybody in a

29:25wheelchair move around and wife,

29:30we've had to adapt the

29:33furniture. So comfortable we

29:37have.

29:43>> Council member Monroe.

29:48>> So what sets us apart from

29:50the other shelters we have.

29:54>> Regulations us having just

29:57different regulations. So Peace

29:58Village, as it existed before,

30:00was truly it was just a

30:02sanctioned space. Yes. There

30:04were supports that were

30:06provided. Yes, there were, you

30:07know, staff that would drop in.

30:08There was not 24 over seven

30:12eyes on that location. This

30:14location will have 24 over

30:15seven eyes on it. You know, as

30:17I mentioned in the beginning,

30:18anyone can't just walk up and

30:20say, I just want to crash here

30:22for tonight. That's not an

30:23option anymore. In years past,

30:25it absolutely was an option for

30:27individuals to come in. Now we

30:29have an actual intake process.

30:30Folks are going to be screened,

30:32folks are going to be provided

30:34with the necessary supports.

30:36And none of those things

30:37existed in the past.

30:39>> So is that threshold then

30:41lower than what we see at some

30:43of the other shelters or about

30:47the same?

30:49>> I'm not completely familiar

30:51with how all the other shelters

30:52operate, so I don't really want

30:54to compare them. I would say it

30:56is similar in the sense that

30:58you you need to have we need to

31:00have some paperwork on you. We

31:01need to have some sort of

31:03launch pad so that we have a, a

31:05place that we're starting from

31:07to be able to help you. So

31:08we're not requiring that

31:09individuals have an unexpired

31:12ID or any ID for that matter.

31:15We can work on getting those

31:16things. However we we need your

31:19name. We need some basic

31:20demographics. We have the tools

31:21that we need to be able to look

31:23you up in Medicaid systems and

31:24things like that to kind of

31:26verify who you are and then

31:27move on from from that point.

31:30>> Thank you.

31:30>> You're welcome.

31:32>> Council member Martin.

31:35>> So one of the hopes for many

31:38activists is to ensure that

31:40this remains a low barrier

31:42shelter. So can you talk to me

31:44about what plans and

31:46regulations you have to make

31:47sure that it remains accessible,

31:49though there may be some rules,

31:51how do you plan to ensure it is

31:53still a low barrier shelter?

31:55>> So one of the biggest things

31:56I think is that we operate on a

31:58harm reduction model. We are

32:00not requiring that people

32:01abstain from substances to move

32:03into the shelter. Do we want

32:05folks to actively use within

32:07the community when they're

32:08within those gates? Absolutely

32:10not. We don't want to

32:11jeopardize, you know, the

32:12individuals who may have some

32:14abstinence and some level of

32:16sobriety. We don't want to

32:17jeopardize that. However, if an

32:18individual goes off site and

32:22does something, we are not

32:24kicking people out for the very

32:26reasons that they may be in

32:27this predicament to begin with.

32:28It's very counterproductive. So

32:30we want to make sure that we

32:32continue to operate on a harm

32:33reduction model, that we

32:35provide those supports. Again,

32:37we're not requiring abstinence.

32:39We're not requiring ID, we're

32:40not requiring that you have DHS

32:43or that you have Social

32:44Security or that you're making

32:46a payment every month. We're

32:47not requiring any of those

32:48things. We are here to really,

32:50truly help them move forward.

32:52And just removing those things

32:55from the beginning is what

32:56would make this extremely low

32:58barrier.

32:59>> Absolutely. Thank you so

33:00much for your very thoughtful

33:02answer. And my you answered

33:05most of my questions, actually.

33:06And in writing, could you

33:08please provide just a breakdown

33:09of the budget? I saw a great

33:11staffing chart. So just budget

33:13breakdown in writing.

33:14>> Yes, we do have we have the.

33:16We can send it out.

33:17>> Amazing. Thank you so much.

33:18You're welcome. Y'all are doing

33:20great.

33:20>> President Melendez.

33:24>> Yes. Thank you. Two

33:28eligibility. Well, one

33:29eligibility question and one

33:30question about the community.

33:32So. Acceptance and one of the

33:36slides you have acceptance

33:37based on program eligibility.

33:39And one of the things says

33:40ineligible for shelter. So does

33:42that mean if someone is

33:44ineligible for shelter

33:45elsewhere they would be

33:46accepted here or. Okay.

33:48>> Yes.

33:49>> Largely more about that.

33:50>> So if an individual just

33:51some of the things I mentioned

33:53to Council Member Martin's

33:55question, if an individual is

33:57out of money, for example, if

33:59someone has Social Security

34:01disability that they receive

34:02every month and they've spent

34:03their money on whatever, it

34:04doesn't matter to us. But that

34:06sometimes makes you ineligible

34:07to go to another shelter

34:09because you have to pay for

34:10your stay. We are not requiring

34:12that they have money, because

34:14we're not requiring that they

34:15need to pay us, so they're

34:17ineligible for another shelter.

34:18You're still welcome here.

34:20>> Because someone was

34:21sanctioned. For example.

34:22>> Sanctioned individuals are

34:24ideal for for this pilot

34:27community.

34:27>> Got it. Other shelters will.

34:31Place where. We will have the

34:35rules. Rules on Easter. I go

34:39back beginning when I first

34:42started, this used to be broke

34:46the rules. It was filled with

34:55press. This is a two hour

34:58suspension. And they'll sit out

35:04and come. Because this is not

35:07about. This is about keeping

35:08the place safe, giving services.

35:26We're going to have.

35:27>> To.

35:29>> Work through those. And then.

35:31>> That second question is

35:35pertaining to animals. So in

35:38other places, shelters, animals

35:40are not allowed. Do we have a

35:42sense of what the internal

35:43policy around animals would be

35:45here yet, or is that something

35:47to be determined.

35:49>> Slightly TBD? However, we do

35:51want to be able to accept

35:55animals. We're just looking at

35:56trying to fine tune exactly

35:58what that looks like. Obviously,

36:00we would accept the the

36:02emotional support animals and

36:03those animals that are

36:04regulated. But truly, sometimes

36:06a pet is what may help someone

36:08in this journey. And we don't

36:10want to turn someone away. And

36:11we don't want someone to stay

36:13on the street because they're

36:14told that their, you know, pet

36:15can't come with them. We just

36:17want to be able to do it in a

36:19way that is safe for everyone.

36:23>> Keep in mind that a.

36:26Structure we operate actually

36:30operate. So it is. The owner of

36:37the. Service. It is, etc. So we

36:43have a plan for that. But.

36:48Fortunately we were able to get

36:51wants to come in and service

36:52again. This is. Fortunately, we

36:57have the support of the world

36:58has donated food. So there's.

37:00>> Great. Thank you.

37:02>> Council member Leslie Smith.

37:04>> Well, I'm very excited about

37:06this, particularly after

37:08listening to your presentation.

37:10It sounds like a fantastic

37:13program. I definitely do think

37:14that this is a really great use

37:16of the opioid settlement funds

37:19as well. I do I'm glad that

37:22this is being held because I, I

37:24do have some additional

37:25questions around the pass

37:27through of funds. I think

37:28that's important for us to

37:31understand why the funds are

37:32going to city routes, land

37:34trust, as opposed to going

37:36directly to PCHO just given the

37:39size of each organization, the

37:42history, looking at 1990s,

37:44doing a little bit of research

37:46and just making sure that those

37:47funds are going to be spent

37:48down the way they are supposed

37:51to. But I think my biggest

37:53question is to the city, what

37:55does pass through funds

37:57typically look like? How do we

37:59provide that oversight or

38:02monitoring?

38:05>> I'll answer briefly and then

38:07provide a more thorough answer

38:08in writing. But I think, you

38:09know, we covered a little bit

38:10about what our housing folks

38:12would be doing in terms of, you

38:14know, at least I'll say at

38:16least monthly visits to the

38:18site. I mentioned earlier, the

38:20weekly meetings that I'll be

38:22convening. And I think that's,

38:24that's what monitoring looks

38:26like, I think, is to have our

38:28finger on the pulse to

38:30understand what's happening

38:32operationally, you know, to, to

38:33get operations stood up and

38:36then continuing right along.

38:37Once once folks are at the

38:40palate community. And so I

38:43think, and that's our, that's

38:45our plan.

38:46>> Okay, great. And, you know,

38:48just to be clear, this is in no

38:49way a slight to city roots

38:52Community Land trust. I've

38:53worked very closely with them.

38:55I know that they have had some

38:57challenges in terms of staffing

38:59and management and standing up

39:00that organization in the last

39:01couple of years, and I think it

39:03would be lost on us not to

39:05acknowledge that and actually

39:06ensure that we're addressing

39:07that. I do have a couple of

39:10more questions. One, I am

39:13curious about the utilization

39:16of my wayfinder, if that's

39:17going to be incorporated at all.

39:20Together now has done an

39:22incredible amount of work

39:24around coordination of services

39:26for nearly the last decade, and

39:28it does sound like the

39:30residents or community members

39:32of this community would benefit

39:34greatly from the use of my

39:37wayfinder. And I'm going to

39:38sneak in. Just one more

39:39question.

39:40>> Well, Council member,

39:40Council member no. No.

39:42>> Two it's along the same it's

39:45along the same lines, just in

39:47terms of the coordination of

39:49services, in terms of making

39:51sure you mentioned that black

39:53ops community training or black

39:55ops was going to be there just

39:57in terms of everyone who's

39:58involved and interacting with

40:00these folks, to some comments

40:01earlier about this being a low

40:03barrier shelter, how are you

40:05ensuring that everyone who is

40:08engaging with these folks, even

40:10including security guards,

40:11particularly if we're talking

40:12about armed security guards,

40:14are going to know how to

40:16interact with this particular

40:19population.

40:20>> So yes, we're using my

40:22Wayfinder PCHO as an

40:23organization. We recently had

40:25training probably within the

40:26past year on my wayfinder, so

40:28we are familiar with that as an

40:30organization. So we will roll

40:31that resource in there. And

40:32black ops, this would be our

40:37third or fourth contract, if

40:40you will, and they have been

40:44working, they've attended

40:45trainings with us. They are

40:47really, truly a security.

40:48They're more than a security

40:50company. They're a security

40:51company that really focuses on

40:52the relationship building with

40:55individuals. So we have

40:57formerly chronically homeless

40:58individuals at three other

41:00sites that we use their

41:01security services at as well.

41:02So they'll continue that

41:04training alongside us so that

41:05they're in tune with, with how

41:08we support those individuals

41:10and not, you know, with more of

41:11a law enforcement type hat, but

41:13more with a compassionate hat.

41:15And they, they'll continue the

41:16trainings alongside our staff

41:18as well. You're welcome.

41:22>> Vice President Harris. Okay.

41:26Council member Gruber, thanks.

41:28>> Before I ask any questions,

41:30I also just want to as the

41:32other than you, Chairman

41:34Patterson, as the other old man

41:36on council, I. I do just want

41:37to acknowledge and thank

41:39members of the the Warren

41:41administration, Loretta.

41:42President, Loretta Scott,

41:44Councilmember Lance Paul. When

41:46Peace Village was first created

41:47back in 2018, there was. Mike.

41:51Safe to say a decent amount of

41:54of reluctance. Yes. To actually

41:57take this plot of land, give

42:00city roots a, I think a 99 year

42:03lease and create the first

42:06sanctioned encampment in

42:07Rochester. And, and a lot of

42:10people worked very hard to make

42:12it a reality. And Janelle, to

42:13your point, it didn't always

42:15work as well as I think

42:17everyone wanted it to. And

42:19frankly, one of the reasons for

42:20that is someone who was

42:21intimately involved for many

42:22years was some resistance and

42:25reluctance for any one entity

42:27or another to kind of take

42:29ownership of the space. At one

42:30point, there was a Peace

42:31Village board that dissolved

42:32and doesn't exist anymore. City

42:35roots once had a whole lot more

42:38staff and programs, and PCHOI

42:40think was always kind of happy

42:43to play the role that you're

42:44describing today, but was not

42:46necessarily going to

42:47participate in the ownership of

42:48the space. So thank you to

42:51everyone for all the work. I

42:52certainly support this as a

42:54concept. This happened in 2018

42:56when street homelessness was

42:58significantly lower than it is

42:59today. So the need is is

43:01tremendous and great, and I

43:02appreciate all the work that's

43:03gone into it. But I want to add

43:05on to Councilmember Leslie

43:06Smith's question and ask the

43:07administration directly. And I

43:09mean no disrespect to CLT. I

43:10see Victor is here who I think

43:12has done everything he can to

43:13make CLT a functioning

43:16organization still. But I am

43:18really lost as to why the money

43:19is going to CLT versus going to

43:23PCHO. So if someone could

43:24please just explain the the

43:26reasoning for that, I'd

43:27appreciate it.

43:29>> Yeah. And we can get this to

43:31you more in writing, but the,

43:32the basic reason is that it's,

43:34it's their property. They, they

43:35operate the thing. This is not

43:37a city parcel. This is not a

43:38city project. We understand the

43:40importance to the city. And

43:41that's why the funding is

43:42coming through us. But that's

43:43why why the structure is the

43:45way it is now. We have a lot of

43:47experience, particularly with

43:48federal money, about writing

43:51agreements to sub recipients of

43:52those funds, right, with a lot

43:54of checks and balances. So it

43:55will be incorporating those

43:56into the agreement.

43:57>> But sorry. Go ahead.

43:58>> Yeah, no, I would also say

44:01if Council approves this

44:02legislation, that doesn't mean

44:03that a $1.1 million check is

44:06immediately written. There will

44:07be a payment schedule worked

44:09out as to how that goes, and

44:11monitoring will be a part of

44:13that. So this isn't just hand

44:16off the the funding and wash

44:19our hands of it. This is this

44:21is active monitoring. So I hear

44:23the concerns. I appreciate the

44:25concerns. And I think, as

44:26Patrick said, we'll respond a

44:28little more thoroughly in

44:29writing, but understand that we

44:31fully intend to keep our hands

44:33on what's going on and, and how

44:35these dollars are spent and,

44:36and have great faith based on

44:39the interactions that we've had

44:41and the process that we've all

44:42gone through together, that

44:44this will be a success. And

44:47it's incumbent upon all of us

44:48to work together and play our

44:50role to make sure that it is,

44:52in fact, successful.

44:53>> I don't I don't question

44:54whether there will be

44:56monitoring done. I appreciate

44:57all the people who are going to

44:58be the monitoring that will be

44:59done, and the people at stake

45:01who are going to be doing the

45:03monitoring. I just want to make

45:05sure I understand and feel free

45:06to make this a follow up. I

45:08don't want the chairman to dock

45:09me of my second question for

45:11this one. So we have no other

45:12instances where question. This

45:14is a this is a follow up

45:15question. I didn't, I didn't, I

45:17didn't I didn't accept the

45:18initial answer itself. My we

45:20have no other situations where

45:23we fund the tenant. I mean, the

45:27if the reasoning is just that

45:28CLT is the owner of the

45:30property or actually the. Our

45:32our lessee of the property.

45:35Certainly there's other

45:36situations where we would look

45:38at the various parties and not

45:40go based on ownership of the

45:42land, but go based on ability

45:45to operate and administer

45:46grants. Right?

45:48>> Yeah. So I think happy to

45:50respond to that more thoroughly

45:51in writing, acknowledging that

45:53your your second question was

45:55asked in the form of a follow

45:56up. But all kidding aside, yes,

45:59we will respond to that to kind

46:01of look at other situations, if

46:03we have any that are analogous

46:05or if not, then why this is

46:06different, which I think we've

46:08touched on, but we'll provide

46:09more detail.

46:09>> Okay. Thanks, chairman. My,

46:11my, my question. And if if you

46:13don't want them to answer it

46:14now, I'll put it that you can

46:16go in writing is fine. Janelle,

46:18you mentioned six months is the

46:19longest possible stay likely,

46:21but obviously all the language

46:22is still very loose as rules

46:23are being created. Is there

46:25going to be a firm policy that

46:26people can't stay for more than

46:28six months? Because I presume

46:29that that it's such a small

46:30number of beds, there will

46:32eventually be people who would

46:33like to stay for much more than

46:35six months.

46:35>> If we can get that in

46:37writing. Council member yeah, I

46:38mean, yeah, get that in writing.

46:40Thank you. Council member Smith,

46:42you had a third question. Yeah.

46:46Well, since everybody else is,

46:47you might as well get yours

46:48into.

46:50>> Alright, okay.

46:52>> Council member Monroe.

46:55Council member Martin.

46:56>> Thank you. So one of the

47:00reasons. Well, it is my

47:02understanding that one of the

47:03reasons this took so long was

47:05that there was a fight to get

47:06the county involved to assist

47:08with payments. Can you talk

47:11about what happened there, why

47:12that fight was dropped? Just

47:14walk me through how we ended up

47:15back here.

47:17>> Yeah. So I think what I'll

47:18say is that we have taken the

47:21initial leap of faith, right?

47:22These funds are coming largely

47:25from our opioid dollars and to

47:27a much lesser extent from home

47:30ARP funds and ESG dollars. And

47:32as I said earlier, we believe

47:35that if this is successful,

47:38that will increase the faith of

47:40others to provide funding. And

47:41and the council president, I

47:43think, said it well, that, you

47:44know, this is this need not

47:47just be funded by government

47:49dollars. Private philanthropy

47:52can certainly be a part of this.

47:54And I think in in other

47:55communities often is. So I

47:57think what we're focused on is

48:00making sure that we all are

48:02doing all we need to do for

48:04this to be successful, and then

48:06using that as a springboard to

48:08ensure that we can lock in

48:10other funding sources, be they

48:12government could be county,

48:13could be state additional. You

48:15know, we have different city,

48:17you know, funding sources as

48:19well. Opioid is the majority

48:21here. But in future years, you

48:23know, it could be ESG or home

48:25ARP. But I think that's really

48:27what we're focused on is, is

48:28getting this off to a strong

48:30start and taking it from there.

48:32>> Got it. Thank you.

48:33>> President Melendez.

48:35>> Yeah, I'll just add to the

48:36deputy mayor's comment. I think

48:39to some degree this is a show

48:40and prove. And it is my hope

48:43that and I think all of our

48:44hope right. If we we were to

48:46support this, that we will

48:48produce results that ultimately

48:50others will want to jump in and

48:52support as well. And I think in

48:53that vein, it's incumbent upon

48:55us as a body to also advocate

48:58to our county legislators and

48:59our state representatives to

49:01say, if this is successful,

49:04that we want to see others in

49:05the pot as well. Thank you.

49:08>> Okay, so I guess it's my

49:09turn to ask questions. All

49:12right. I'm going to keep myself

49:13the two since everybody else

49:15got three. So we will start

49:19with the funding request is

49:23basically almost 1.2 million.

49:25That's to the administration.

49:28But in your presentation, you

49:29outlined a budget of roughly

49:331.8 million. Is that correct?

49:35>> Yes. Our budget includes 1.8

49:37million all inclusive.

49:38>> So yes.

49:40>> Yeah, I'm happy to take that

49:41one. So what we looked at was

49:45assuming that funding would be

49:46needed on or about November 1st.

49:48And that $1.1 million provides

49:52eight months of the total 1.8.

49:55And our expectation would be

49:57that for funding for future

49:59years, in terms of the city

50:00contribution, that that would

50:02be dealt with in our annual

50:04budgets and appropriated in

50:05that way.

50:06>> All right.

50:07>> So as such.

50:08>> All right. So your position

50:10in. Is that. So you're

50:15providing. So you're looking at

50:17roughly six. You're going to

50:18providing 6,064% of the funding

50:21is what you would need to get

50:22through the remainder of this

50:24fiscal year.

50:25>> Eight 8/12 okay.

50:26>> So that's so the, the number

50:28we had, the number proposed is

50:29the number we need to get

50:30through the fiscal year.

50:31>> That's right.

50:33>> Okay. So as currently

50:36presented as my second question.

50:38So as far as currently

50:40presented, the program is fully

50:42funded. Is that your position.

50:45>> As currently presented for

50:47the time period indicated? Yes.

50:51>> Thank you. Council Vice

50:54President.

50:55>> Thank you. I just would like

50:58to circle back to your safety

50:59guidelines, and I see that you

51:03have a security plan. Can you

51:04provide in writing the security

51:06plan for this project? Okay.

51:07Thank you.

51:08>> Yes.

51:10>> Okay. Are there any other

51:11questions, Council members? All

51:15right. Last round, since we're

51:17going to do last round. Council

51:19member Smith. You're good. I'm

51:21good. Council member Monroe.

51:22Council member Martin.

51:24>> So this is you know question.

51:27Of course. Of course I got you.

51:29I've been following the rules

51:30so far.

51:30>> Yeah you have.

51:31>> Actually don't get used to

51:33it though.

51:33>> Yeah I don't.

51:34>> I feel the shade.

51:36>> So in this situation right.

51:39The goal was to have the county

51:46>> Chip in and possibly go half

51:48or just, you know, play a

51:49certain role. And here we

51:51decided to, you know what, just

51:53go ahead ourselves, take the

51:55initiative and show proof of

51:56concept. So I guess maybe to

51:58President. To distinguish this

52:04process from the process where

52:06we are trying to get a study on

52:08whether we can have a publicly

52:11owned RG and E there, we wanted

52:14the county executive executive

52:16to chip in. We wanted half of

52:17the funds to come from the

52:19county, maybe more. They said

52:20no. And in that situation, we

52:23pause and we have a move

52:25forward. Can you like what's

52:26the what's the difference to

52:27you? And I'm I'm asking since,

52:29you know, you put this forward.

52:31So help me understand.

52:33>> Sure. I'm happy to state

52:35publicly what I've already said

52:37as a city resident and with

52:38city taxpayer dollars, I'm not

52:40interested in studying power in

52:42Webster and Irondequoit and

52:43Greece, Pittsford, etc. this

52:46that study, which is not

52:48relative to this legislation,

52:50that study is not a city only

52:52study that has been a county

52:54wide conversation, and I don't

52:56think we should be paying, as

52:59the poorest ratepayers in this

53:00community, paying to study

53:02suburban energy. So that's

53:03that's my position on that.

53:05>> Not a question. Just a

53:07comment.

53:07>> No, no, no.

53:08>> Essentially, but for the

53:09study with the $500,000, it

53:11could be done in the city only.

53:13So I think it is a longer

53:15conversation. But it is my

53:16deepest hope that this, you

53:17know, courage, you know,

53:19follows. And it can also be

53:20applied to our D and E as it

53:22affects a lot of people in our

53:24city.

53:24>> Council member Leslie Smith.

53:27>> Yes. So it says here in the

53:30legislation that the pallet

53:31shelters will need to be

53:34purchased. And so I'm just

53:36curious about that. Is that

53:38included in the pallet?

53:39>> The pallet shelters have in

53:41fact been purchased.

53:43>> Okay.

53:43>> That's what I thought in our

53:45possession and they are in

53:46storage.

53:46>> Alrighty. So the 1.8 is

53:48outside of the purchase, right.

53:50>> That's just to operate.

53:51That's the annual operating

53:52budget. The purchase was made

53:55possible through funds

53:56allocated few years ago as the

53:58council president referenced.

54:00And that's that's what that

54:02purchase is referring to.

54:03>> So. Got it. Thank you.

54:06>> Council Member Gruber.

54:09>> I have so many more. I only

54:11get one more.

54:12>> Just one.

54:12>> Okay, I'll put the rest in

54:14writing. Okay. This one, I'm

54:15sure is a longer it's a longer

54:17answer, so I'll just ask it.

54:18Deputy mayor, I'm curious about

54:20this is a it's a very exciting

54:23project. It's just there's,

54:24it's there's so few shelters at

54:26the end of the day and the need

54:28is going to be tremendous. The

54:30city under this administration

54:32has done so much more street

54:34outreach than any city

54:36administration ever before. And

54:38I'm curious what the

54:39connectivity is going to be

54:40between PCH running the place

54:42and the administration, who is

54:44on a daily basis, encountering

54:45street homelessness and trying

54:46to help people find temporary

54:49transitional housing. So I

54:51that's not an easy question for

54:53right now, but I'd like to just

54:54understand what the connective

54:56tissue is going to look like.

54:57>> Yeah. I think, you know, as

54:58as might have been mentioned

55:00earlier, the hot team is going

55:02to be one of the referral

55:04sources, right? So they, as

55:05they're out on a daily basis

55:07throughout the streets of our

55:08city, interacting with our

55:10homeless population, they will

55:12be part of identifying folks

55:14who will be good candidates for

55:17this pallet shelter community.

55:18So I think, you know, I would

55:20envision to the extent that

55:22there's room, depending on what

55:24the population is, that the

55:25pallet community, at any point

55:27in time that that we would be

55:29part of that referral network

55:32because the folks that are hot

55:34team is encountering are really

55:37some of the hardest to serve,

55:38some of the most chronically

55:41homeless for whom no other

55:45solution, or very few other

55:46solutions have been successful

55:48in their journey.

55:51>> Okay, so chair's prerogative.

55:55Last question. How many people

55:59do you anticipate serving with

56:02a budget of basically $1.2

56:05million? I would imagine that

56:06if we were looking at other

56:08shelters in the community, we

56:11response that we may well get,

56:12and this is for the

56:13administration. The response we

56:14may well get is that, for they

56:18would be able to give us a

56:20number of how many people they

56:21serve, what's the what's the

56:23what's the anticipated number

56:24of folks that you anticipate

56:26serving for $1.2 million over

56:28the course.

56:28>> Of a year? We mentioned

56:29earlier that there are with the

56:31number of pallet shelters that

56:33we have and the ability to kind

56:35of double up on at least some

56:37of those, we anticipate

56:38somewhere between 15 and 30

56:40individuals.

56:41>> How many are you

56:42anticipating serving per year?

56:45>> So I think that's gonna

56:46depend on, you know, we heard

56:48here that six months is the

56:51anticipated annual stay. I'm

56:53happy to run that math out for

56:55you.

56:55>> I'd like that in writing.

56:56Yeah, that'd be great if we and

56:58if we can get some manner of

57:00comparison between what our

57:01current shelter, our current

57:02city shelters are serving and

57:04what their cost of operation is.

57:05I hate to say it like this, but

57:07I'm just gonna. What what's the

57:09cost? What's the cost per

57:10individual? What are we looking

57:11at here? I imagine that there

57:13are folks who may well be in

57:14the in the homelessness

57:15community who would argue why

57:18this is nice that y'all want to

57:20do this, but if you gave me

57:22$500,000, this is what I could

57:24do with it. If you gave me 1.1,

57:271.2 million, I could do this

57:28much more with it. I'm not

57:31opposed to spending the money,

57:33but the question has to be

57:35asked is we as stewards of

57:37public dollars? The question

57:38has to be asked, is this an

57:40appropriate expenditure for the

57:42service that will be receiving?

57:44I love the comprehensive nature

57:46of what you're providing, but

57:49at the same time, that's an

57:51expensive program. And you you

57:52clearly outline that, and I'm

57:53not and I'm not knocking a

57:55nickel of what you're proposing

57:56to do, but we need to be able

57:58to make an argument to the

57:59community. Is that okay? There

58:01are tears to this. And we

58:02decided to expand on this level

58:04for this amount of money

58:05because we think we get a

58:07better outcome, but we have to

58:09be able to have that

58:10conversation and be

58:11deliberative in our process. If

58:13we say yay or nay. So if I can

58:15get that in writing, I'd

58:17appreciate it. PCHO anything to

58:19say?

58:21>> I'm PCHO.

58:22>> I'm sorry, not PCHO any land

58:24trust, anything to say, please

58:28come forward.

58:33>> Hello, I'm Victor Sanchez,

58:34I'm board president of City

58:35Roots Community Land Trust, and

58:37I will just say that, you know,

58:39from the very beginning, when

58:41city Roots took over this, this

58:42land, it was meant to serve the

58:44community for low barrier

58:45shelter. And the partnership

58:47with P C, H O and endeavors is

58:48going to help finally make that

58:50happen in a way that's stable

58:52and actually supporting and

58:52serving our community. We have

58:55always been approaching this

58:57from a partnership standpoint.

58:59You know, we work with the city

59:00to be able to purchase the

59:01pallets, start the construction,

59:03and put out the RFP that

59:04eventually led us to PCH and

59:06endeavors to be able to be so

59:08be selected as the partners

59:09that are going to be operating

59:11this, this facility. So, you

59:13know, we're here to partner

59:15with the city and everybody

59:16else to be able to move this

59:18forward, not necessarily here

59:20to just be a pass through, but

59:21be a real partner in this work.

59:23>> Thank you. All right. On

59:25that note, we're going to take

59:27a five minute break. So we're

59:28going to be back in five

59:29minutes. And we will have our

59:31presentation from the Rochester

59:32Community Food Service. Food

59:34Systems plan overview provided

59:36by the Rochester Food Policy

59:37Council. And then we will

59:39adjourn. So five minute break

59:42and we'll be right back to it.

59:54>> You know, you come and you

59:56gotta eat before you get here.

1:00:00>> You gotta come to you come

1:00:02to work, to work. I don't know

1:00:04what to tell you.

1:00:17>> Oh my God. You know, we only

1:00:34have.

1:02:46Two. Church. Hey. Good to

1:02:56see you.

1:03:06>> I got time to go bite a

1:03:08piece of pizza for one time.

1:03:23>> Just like. I'm missing

1:03:26another meeting, and I'm

1:03:29texting. And this one here is.

1:03:32And I sit on the board with

1:03:34Victor, so I know he's leaving

1:03:36and he's going to say, yeah, I

1:03:37think he's about to go now.

1:03:41Because of the delay. Yeah.

1:03:44>> When you take a.

1:03:45>> Shot I think it was.

1:03:48>> Yeah I know but when did you.

1:03:50>> Take it.

1:03:51>> I thought they was just

1:03:52going to talk about it. I

1:03:53didn't think it was going to be

1:03:55a whole presentation. Oh yeah.

1:03:56That was a long I was. I think

1:04:02this thing is this on? Oh you

1:04:07gotta be careful what we say.

1:04:09Yeah. Alright. So this is the

1:04:15presentation. Are they going to.

1:04:18>> Well this one.

1:04:19>> Will maybe it's on this.

1:04:21>> Alright folks, we're going

1:04:22to start in a minute. We're

1:04:23going to be starting back up in

1:04:25a minute.

1:04:27>> We get to move it. Okay.

1:04:29Thank you for your help. So I

1:04:31can have to say next next slide.

1:04:42This is yours. Okay, I just.

1:05:20>> Alright, so we're going to

1:05:22get right back to it and we

1:05:24have a presentation from the

1:05:26Rochester Food Policy Council

1:05:27and Rochester Community Food

1:05:28System plan overview. If the

1:05:30members of the policy board who

1:05:32are here could introduce

1:05:34themselves, and then you can

1:05:35get right to the presentation.

1:05:37>> Okie doke.

1:05:39>> Microphone on. Staff.

1:05:42>> Are we ready to go?

1:05:43>> Yeah, you're good to go.

1:05:45>> Alright, so my name is

1:05:46Joseph McCleary. I am a

1:05:48resident member and I live in

1:05:49the southwest quadrant.

1:05:51>> I'm Elizabeth Henderson, I'm

1:05:53also a resident member and I

1:05:55live in the southeast quadrant.

1:05:57>> And my name is Ashley Smith.

1:05:59I'm also a resident member and

1:06:01I live in the southeast

1:06:03quadrant.

1:06:06>> Is a presentation coming up.

1:06:10So you just want me to go ahead?

1:06:14We can go ahead. Okay. So the

1:06:16Rochester Food Policy Council

1:06:18was created in 2021 as part of

1:06:20the Rochester 2034 plan, an

1:06:23effort to improve the local

1:06:25food system. On May 11th, 2021,

1:06:29City Council voted to support

1:06:30the FPC through legislation,

1:06:33making it one of the few in the

1:06:36country. So this is this

1:06:38council is one of the few

1:06:40councils in the country that

1:06:42has the city official backing,

1:06:46and if the slide deck was up, I

1:06:48would say. Next slide. So the

1:06:50Rochester Food Policy Council

1:06:52is a community driven advisory

1:06:55body focused on strengthening

1:06:57the Rochester local food system

1:06:59so that it's more equitable, so

1:07:03sustainable and accessible for

1:07:05all residents. The Food Policy

1:07:09Council is composed of ten city

1:07:12resident members who reflect

1:07:14the diversity of the Rochester

1:07:16community, along with three

1:07:19administrative members from

1:07:21Common Ground Health Foodlink

1:07:23and the City of Rochester.

1:07:28>> The Food Policy Council has

1:07:30key areas of focus municipal,

1:07:33municipal plans and policies,

1:07:35youth and food and urban

1:07:37agriculture. Next slide. The

1:07:41current slide shows a snapshot

1:07:43of some of our achievements as

1:07:45a council, some of which

1:07:47include participating in the

1:07:49development of the Rochester

1:07:50Community Food System Plan,

1:07:53providing comments and

1:07:54questions regarding the Zoning

1:07:56alignment project, collaborated

1:07:59with Youth Voice One Vision and

1:08:01Healthy Indoor Bill of rights

1:08:04resolution. Help the organizing

1:08:06and planning of the ninth

1:08:08Annual Urban Agricultural

1:08:10Conference, which hosted over

1:08:11300 people and advocated for

1:08:14the Good Food New York and

1:08:16sodium warning labels that both

1:08:18passed state legislation.

1:08:21Legislature this year also. We

1:08:26are pleased that the Community

1:08:29Food System Plan has been

1:08:30finalized after two years of

1:08:32planning of a two year planning

1:08:34process. The plan is a

1:08:36culmination of significant data

1:08:39analysis and mapping, community

1:08:41and stakeholder engagement.

1:08:44Some members of the Rochester

1:08:46Food Policy Council were also a

1:08:48part of the 25 member Community

1:08:50Advisory Committee. Throughout

1:08:53the plan, there are sidebars

1:08:55highlighting community members

1:08:57who contribute to our local

1:08:58food system that were written

1:09:01by various Food Policy Council

1:09:03members. Next slide. How much

1:09:10time and resources and energy

1:09:12have been put into creating the

1:09:13first Community Food System

1:09:16plan in Rochester? We are here

1:09:18to work in partnership with you

1:09:20all, and we just want to make

1:09:23sure that this plan does not

1:09:25sit on the shelf.

1:09:28>> We have shared with you a

1:09:29one pager that highlights the

1:09:33starting priorities, so that we

1:09:35can get started on implementing

1:09:37and executing the plan. And the

1:09:39orange highlight indicates the

1:09:41key commitments we need from

1:09:43the city to ensure success.

1:09:46Next slide. This action is

1:09:50already underway, so the plan

1:09:54is already rolling, and we're

1:09:55very excited that we can work

1:09:57with you on it. What we can do

1:09:59in regard to this is create

1:10:02resource navigation and

1:10:04communications tools, open data

1:10:08incorporating food links, find

1:10:10food map summer meal sites and

1:10:12taproot collectives, garden

1:10:14survey data, and train

1:10:16community organizations on how

1:10:18to use the food system map to

1:10:20best serve fellow community

1:10:22members. Next slide. In regard

1:10:28to this action, building on

1:10:31programs that are already

1:10:32existing, the Food Policy

1:10:34Council would like to work with

1:10:36you in identifying the best

1:10:39programs that are already in

1:10:41existence, and then to identify

1:10:44those that need more support

1:10:47and new areas for investment.

1:10:50The Healthy Rochester Grocer

1:10:52program that the city already

1:10:54has can be expanded upon. We

1:10:57would like to insist you assist

1:10:59you in identifying and

1:11:01supporting community liaisons

1:11:03for these programs, and we call

1:11:06upon you to create an

1:11:10interdepartmental food system

1:11:12working group that can provide

1:11:15government support for these

1:11:17complex programs. Next slide.

1:11:23We want to work with you on

1:11:25identifying potential locations

1:11:27and operational approaches to

1:11:30support community gardens.

1:11:33There are already many gardens

1:11:35around the city. And the Food

1:11:40Policy Council is supporting

1:11:42those gardens, and the city is

1:11:44as well. Rochester has over 80

1:11:47community gardens, according to

1:11:49the taproot survey, including

1:11:51gardens at some of the schools

1:11:53and the Department of Human

1:11:55Resources and Recreation

1:11:57provides excellent support for

1:11:59these gardens, providing seeds,

1:12:02plants, seed swaps, compost

1:12:05training for youth at

1:12:06recreation centers and many

1:12:09activities at the new Nature

1:12:11Center. So we call upon you to

1:12:15complete the zoning program and

1:12:19in that zoning, to make sure

1:12:21that community gardens and

1:12:23urban agriculture are principal

1:12:26uses in the zoning code, and

1:12:28that there will be parts of the

1:12:30city where development will not

1:12:34be the main priority, but we

1:12:37will find gardens that don't

1:12:39have to be developed because

1:12:40they serve an important

1:12:43resource for the people who

1:12:44live around them. So next slide,

1:12:48our request to you that you

1:12:51commit to the key actions

1:12:54highlighted in the handout.

1:13:01>> So to the bullet point

1:13:02number two, to create stronger

1:13:04and clearer. So the FPC can

1:13:07serve as a bridge between the

1:13:09city's plan and the people who

1:13:11see themselves implementing the

1:13:15the plan. The city itself sees

1:13:17the FPC as a key partner and

1:13:20emphasizes that community

1:13:22stakeholder in. In engagement

1:13:25are essential to the plan. This

1:13:28partnership should not simply

1:13:30be about asking residents for

1:13:33input. It should be created on

1:13:36an ongoing feedback loop where

1:13:38residents help shape the

1:13:41priorities.

1:13:44>> And. Three. We worked with

1:13:47Council Member Gruber on a

1:13:48memorializing resolution for

1:13:50the Good Food Nutrition Bill.

1:13:53That resolution is in before

1:13:55you this month.

1:13:59>> So to finalize our

1:14:01presentation, I. I brought some

1:14:02a flier here. So I am openly

1:14:05inviting all City Council

1:14:07members to our film screening

1:14:10feed in tomorrow. It will be

1:14:12held at the Little Theater on

1:14:15September 23rd at 6:00. And you

1:14:18got it is there. So we would

1:14:21love to have you there. So

1:14:23where we will have some dialog

1:14:24and some conversation around

1:14:27the city food system plan.

1:14:30>> Any questions?

1:14:37>> Thank you all for your

1:14:39presentation. I just want to be

1:14:41very clear in terms of the

1:14:42action items that you're asking

1:14:44for, is there an expectation of

1:14:47a specific financial support

1:14:49that you're looking for? The

1:14:52memorialization is is one thing

1:14:53to help sign off. Looking at

1:14:56zap is, is another thing, but

1:14:59there might have been something

1:15:01else in here that needs

1:15:02financial support. I just

1:15:03wanted to be clear, if that's

1:15:04what you're asking for.

1:15:07>> To my knowledge, there is

1:15:09not a financial support. It's

1:15:11collaboration. It's partnership.

1:15:12It's working to make sure that

1:15:14this plan does not sit on the

1:15:16shelf and collect dust. It's to

1:15:17move it forward. We are here to

1:15:20be partners.

1:15:21>> And we will work with you in

1:15:23identifying sources of funding

1:15:25from the state and the federal

1:15:27government. Potentially, there

1:15:29could be funding in a farm bill

1:15:31if they ever pass it, and there

1:15:33is money that's sitting on the

1:15:35table that the. The school

1:15:39system could be using to buy

1:15:42from local farms, and that the

1:15:44school system has not been able

1:15:46to access yet, but that funding

1:15:48is is already available.

1:15:50>> Oh, that's good to know.

1:15:51Thank you.

1:15:53>> Council president.

1:15:55>> Yes. Thank you. So following

1:15:57up on action three A complete

1:15:59the zap introducing community

1:16:00gardens and urban agriculture

1:16:02as principal uses in the zoning

1:16:03code. Based on the

1:16:07recommendation. It is the

1:16:08assumption then that in that

1:16:09section of the zoning code, the

1:16:11Food Policy Council is

1:16:13supportive of that section of

1:16:14the zoning code. Is that an

1:16:15accurate interpretation of the

1:16:17recommendation, or is there

1:16:18something more you want to see

1:16:20in the new zoning code? I can

1:16:26repeat. So just really quick.

1:16:28So one of the action requests

1:16:31was to complete the zoning plan

1:16:34zoning. And then in that it's

1:16:36community gardens and urban

1:16:38agriculture as principal uses

1:16:39in the zoning code. So to that

1:16:42end, is the Food Policy Council

1:16:44satisfied with what is

1:16:46currently in the zoning code,

1:16:47or is there recommendations in

1:16:48addition to what we.

1:16:49>> Are in the final version of

1:16:51the zoning?

1:16:52>> So I will follow.

1:16:53>> Up, then submitted repeated

1:16:55comments and suggestions. And

1:16:57we've seen, you know,

1:16:58improvements in the language.

1:17:00The first version that was

1:17:02written, whoever wrote it

1:17:04didn't know the difference

1:17:05between a greenhouse and a and

1:17:08a row cover. So there were very

1:17:12confusing limits on what could

1:17:15be used. Greenhouse needs

1:17:18substantial investment and time

1:17:19to put up. A gardener might

1:17:21cover a garden with a row cover.

1:17:24It takes ten minutes and you'll

1:17:26leave it for two days. So

1:17:27saying that you can only cover

1:17:29garden with 25% of a row cover

1:17:31doesn't make any sense. So

1:17:32there are a lot of details like

1:17:34that. But the really big ask

1:17:37that we have in there is that

1:17:40the zoning be understood as a

1:17:42food justice mechanism, that

1:17:46the city in the permits that

1:17:49you grant, they're all

1:17:50temporary. And there are five

1:17:53year permits, but they're still

1:17:55temporary. The temporary means

1:17:59that you will replace it with

1:18:01development, with housing at at

1:18:04your choice. There must be

1:18:08along the transit routes. It

1:18:10absolutely makes sense to have

1:18:12permits that are like that. But

1:18:14there are many parts of the

1:18:15city where there is no transit,

1:18:17where people are living far

1:18:19away places. The city owns over

1:18:242000 lots. A few hundred could

1:18:28be designated as permanent open

1:18:32garden spaces, or at least

1:18:34potentially. And with support

1:18:37from recreation and from the

1:18:40Food Policy Council and the

1:18:41Urban Agriculture Working Group,

1:18:43we could have many more working

1:18:46gardens providing food for

1:18:48people which, when the Snap

1:18:52benefits are cut even more than

1:18:53they have been now, when people

1:18:55are hungry, they can grow food

1:18:58and they will grow food. During

1:19:00World War Two, the Victory

1:19:01Gardens actually provided

1:19:03enough vegetables to replace

1:19:06the commercially produced

1:19:09vegetables that all went to the

1:19:10army. There was a city. We may

1:19:13have to do this and we can.

1:19:16>> Great. Thank you.

1:19:17>> Any other questions.

1:19:19>> Comments, concerns.

1:19:21>> Okay. Well, Councilmember

1:19:23Martin and Councilmember Monroe.

1:19:24>> Thank you. Thank you for all

1:19:26the work you all are doing.

1:19:28Just so grateful and happy to

1:19:29follow your lead on this,

1:19:31especially as it's so diverse

1:19:32and includes so many community

1:19:34voices. Voices. My question is

1:19:36about creating the

1:19:38Interdepartmental Food System

1:19:39working group in city

1:19:41government. Can you talk to me

1:19:42about what that looks like?

1:19:43What are some of what's the

1:19:45vision and how would that work

1:19:47closely with the existing food

1:19:49policy group?

1:19:54>> So I can say, and we you

1:19:57have the city has Liliana Ruiz

1:20:00as the the city person. And we

1:20:02were briefly speaking about how

1:20:05that will look. Last meeting,

1:20:08which was at the end of August,

1:20:11specifically having individuals

1:20:13that can help us do the

1:20:15community engagement to

1:20:18interact with the inter

1:20:20departments in the city,

1:20:21because I do work for the

1:20:23county, and I do understand how

1:20:25departments do not talk to one

1:20:27another. And when you're

1:20:28talking about a food system

1:20:30plan, there is different

1:20:33departments that are going to

1:20:34intersect with each other, and

1:20:35they need to be able to

1:20:37communicate. They need to be

1:20:38able to make sure that they're

1:20:40not overstepping. And it's

1:20:42really create that whole circle

1:20:45of service and community

1:20:46engagement.

1:20:47>> That's very helpful.

1:20:48>> Thank you. I would add to

1:20:50that, I mean, there are many

1:20:52departments that have a food

1:20:53aspect that isn't really

1:20:55thought about all the time.

1:20:57Transportation is so important

1:20:59for people accessing food

1:21:02education, but the city itself

1:21:04could have a food policy so

1:21:05that whenever you serve food,

1:21:08it could be food access from

1:21:11the farms and gardens. We live

1:21:13in such a rich agricultural

1:21:16area. It's tremendously

1:21:17frustrating that that good food

1:21:20isn't gleaned or sold or

1:21:23distributed in poverty and

1:21:24hunger in this city.

1:21:27>> Thank you.

1:21:28>> Councilman Monroe.

1:21:31>> I think you may have

1:21:32answered my question, because

1:21:34what I was going to ask was how

1:21:36the council was going to be

1:21:37able to proceed going forward.

1:21:40So I'm glad to hear that there

1:21:41have been discussions about

1:21:42that in ways that your services

1:21:45can can be used to make sure

1:21:47that this information really

1:21:48gets out there. And I just want

1:21:51to let people know that as far

1:21:53as I've heard from people with

1:21:54the community gardens, is that

1:21:56they are not giving out five

1:21:58year, five year license

1:22:01agreements anymore. It's only

1:22:02one year. So people have to go

1:22:04and reapply every single year,

1:22:07regardless of how long they've

1:22:08kept a community garden going.

1:22:10So I think that is onerous on

1:22:13volunteers. And thank you for

1:22:15mentioning that, because I

1:22:16think that's something that we

1:22:18can take a look at.

1:22:21>> Any other council member.

1:22:23Gruber.

1:22:25>> Is that poverty is the main

1:22:28reason why people don't have

1:22:29access to food, and you're

1:22:32already working on a big

1:22:34poverty initiative, and this

1:22:35has to overlap. And we're

1:22:38really anxious to work with you

1:22:41on.

1:22:42>> Just an acknowledgment, just

1:22:43building on what was said, that

1:22:45there is a memorializing

1:22:46resolution in the packet that

1:22:47supports the New York State

1:22:48Good Food Bill, which is

1:22:50basically a procurement law

1:22:51that's encouraging New York

1:22:52state to have better and

1:22:53stronger procurement provisions.

1:22:56That's not about the cheapest

1:22:57food, but about the best food.

1:22:59So appreciate the Food Policy

1:23:00Council for putting it forward

1:23:01and hope we all get a chance to

1:23:03sign it. Thanks.

1:23:04>> Okay. Well, before we

1:23:05adjourn, quick question for you.

1:23:07Since you mentioned that there

1:23:08are dollars that school

1:23:09district can access for food,

1:23:12what is your plan to go and

1:23:13make a presentation to the

1:23:16school board? Awfully quiet.

1:23:21>> Hi everyone.

1:23:22>> I haven't introduced myself.

1:23:23I try to take the back seat.

1:23:25I'm Candice Williams, I'm one

1:23:26of the three admin members of

1:23:28the Food Policy Council, so I

1:23:31represent the combined entity

1:23:33of Common Ground Health,

1:23:34Phillips and Rochester Rio. So

1:23:37currently right now we do have

1:23:39a relationship with CSD Food

1:23:41Services. And currently we are

1:23:43working with them and

1:23:45restarting their CSD Mills

1:23:47Advisory Council. So what that

1:23:49is, it consists of parents,

1:23:52students and interested staff

1:23:54members along with food service,

1:23:56food services coming together

1:23:58to improve the school meals and

1:24:00the quality and part of that

1:24:02conversation of improving

1:24:03quality in the in the meals

1:24:04that are served is the food

1:24:09procurement which is found in

1:24:10the Good Food New York bill,

1:24:12which is also a keystone action

1:24:14in the Community Food System

1:24:15plan. Action for. It's under

1:24:19goal four. I can't remember

1:24:21completely off the top of my

1:24:22head, but because of our

1:24:24relationship with food services,

1:24:25trying to get that off the

1:24:27ground, I don't think it should

1:24:28be too big of a lift to be able

1:24:31to get in front of the school

1:24:32board, and up until this point

1:24:35last school year, we went to

1:24:36just about every CSD fireside

1:24:38chat with the superintendent,

1:24:40uplifting food system issues

1:24:42within the schools. We've also

1:24:45attended the budget hearings

1:24:47and lifted school meals as a

1:24:51budget line item, making sure

1:24:53that the line that controls the

1:24:55quality of those school meals

1:24:58to not be touched and in fact

1:25:01increased. We weren't the most

1:25:03successful with that, but we

1:25:05did try and we continue to push.

1:25:08>> Okay, maybe I misunderstood.

1:25:10>> Okay.

1:25:11>> One of you had said earlier

1:25:13that there is funding that is

1:25:14available right now that the

1:25:15school district can access. Is

1:25:16that correct?

1:25:18>> Yes, it's under the farm to

1:25:20school, the New York State Farm

1:25:21to School program.

1:25:23>> Okay.

1:25:24>> And there's a federal. Yes.

1:25:25>> Okay. So the so the question

1:25:27is, what is the plan to access

1:25:29the dollars? When is your when

1:25:30are you making the con, the

1:25:33presentation to them to say,

1:25:33hey, here are the dollars. This

1:25:35is how much it is. Go get it.

1:25:37What is that plan?

1:25:38>> We'll get it on the books.

1:25:40>> Okay.

1:25:40>> Thank you. Yes. And one

1:25:41thing that I did want to say,

1:25:43well, I am standing here, that

1:25:45packet you all received

1:25:46something that will be a really

1:25:47great help for us. We broke

1:25:49down the food system hub map

1:25:52where you could access all the

1:25:54data across the city that

1:25:56layers our food access priority

1:25:58areas. That's including like

1:26:00areas where there's historic

1:26:02food apartheid, or people have

1:26:05low access to food retailers,

1:26:08whether large or small. It also

1:26:10layers where you can find food.

1:26:12It also layers all of the

1:26:14community garden permits issued

1:26:15by the city. It also shows

1:26:18taproot collectives. They did a

1:26:20citywide survey of community

1:26:22gardens, and you can access all

1:26:24that information and layer the

1:26:26BTS bus routes on it. That's

1:26:28what you guys have in front of

1:26:30you. It's just a snapshot of

1:26:32what you can do with this tool.

1:26:34And we've even broke it down by

1:26:36quadrant so US council members

1:26:37can look at your quadrant and

1:26:38see how many food access

1:26:40priority areas you have in your

1:26:42area, and start doing some

1:26:45targeted action as we as a

1:26:47council will do. Targeted,

1:26:49targeted at targeted outreach

1:26:53in our communities because we

1:26:54are a resident led council and

1:26:56we all do live in the city,

1:26:58myself included.

1:27:00>> Okay.

1:27:01>> Council member Smith.

1:27:04>> And I've been trying to tell

1:27:05him to wrap this up for the I'm

1:27:08sorry, not you guys, but even.

1:27:10Anyway, we were one of the

1:27:13things and one, four, 621 on

1:27:15Remington. We had a garden that

1:27:17they had to take up because

1:27:18people were using it for a

1:27:21bathroom facility. I wanted to

1:27:23know, is there a plan to

1:27:25replace that particular garden?

1:27:27And if so, how can we keep it

1:27:29safe so that the neighbors

1:27:31could actually eat the food

1:27:33without it becoming

1:27:36contaminated? Possibly.

1:27:40>> I think the way to do that

1:27:42is to take it as an organizing

1:27:44challenge and to go house by

1:27:47house around the garden and

1:27:49involve them, find out what

1:27:51they want, what they eat, and

1:27:54as much as possible, involve

1:27:56them in working in the garden.

1:27:59That's how you do it. It has to

1:28:02become their garden.

1:28:03>> I understand that, so I

1:28:05guess the question becomes, how

1:28:06do you do it? In transient

1:28:08neighborhoods such as Clinton

1:28:09Avenue, where you met Clinton

1:28:11Remington Street? I looked on

1:28:13your map. It highlights that

1:28:14area is one of those

1:28:17neighborhoods that you guys

1:28:18would target. And I'm just

1:28:19curious for neighborhoods that

1:28:20are transient, where people are

1:28:23not necessarily homeowners,

1:28:24they don't stay that long, but

1:28:27a garden would be helpful for

1:28:28those who are passing through,

1:28:30right. To get food. I'm just

1:28:31wondering, is there a way or is

1:28:33it something that you guys can

1:28:35take into consideration when

1:28:36you're working on your strategy,

1:28:38how to target areas where there

1:28:40may not necessarily be a large

1:28:42buy in by the neighbors in that

1:28:45space, but that that community

1:28:47could benefit from an actual

1:28:49garden because again, we had

1:28:50one there initially.

1:28:52>> Well, some of the gardens

1:28:55are individual beds, which

1:28:58particular families manage, but

1:29:01some of the gardens just grow

1:29:03food that's given away to

1:29:05whoever needs it. So it's

1:29:07really a matter of adjusting

1:29:09the kind of garden to the needs

1:29:11of that area, and a garden that

1:29:15gives away the food needs more

1:29:17support in terms of staffing

1:29:20and maybe replacing things that

1:29:22are falling apart, new, new

1:29:25plants. But all that is

1:29:27available, it can be done.

1:29:30>> So Council Member Smith,

1:29:31thank you for that question.

1:29:32The way I see it, and I think

1:29:34this is something that we will

1:29:36have to talk as a as the

1:29:37council, to really strategize

1:29:39and how we can move forward.

1:29:40But engaging the community

1:29:43associations, the neighborhood

1:29:45associations in the area

1:29:46because they are of the area.

1:29:49So they will want to help the

1:29:51area. And then once you build

1:29:54programs around the people who

1:29:55will use it, it's a win win. So

1:29:59I think as a council, we would

1:30:00need to really go back and

1:30:02really think about that

1:30:03question deeper.

1:30:04>> Yeah. And and I'm gonna

1:30:05leave it alone after this. And

1:30:06so I think one of the

1:30:08challenges is for one, four,

1:30:09six, two, one is that we don't

1:30:11necessarily have neighborhood

1:30:13associations to support those

1:30:14kind of things. And so as you

1:30:16guys are thinking about

1:30:17strategies, think of

1:30:18neighborhoods like mine, right?

1:30:19Who are food challenged, who

1:30:23have are transient environments

1:30:25where there aren't people who

1:30:26are dedicated, but what

1:30:28alternative things can we do to

1:30:30start implementing those

1:30:31practices? I love what you guys

1:30:32are doing in 19th Ward. I would

1:30:34love to have that same imprint

1:30:35happen in one, four, six, two,

1:30:37one. Unfortunately, we don't

1:30:38have that. So I'm just

1:30:39admonishing, asking you guys,

1:30:40as you're planning to keep some

1:30:42of those circumstances in mind

1:30:43because they're, they're very

1:30:45real.

1:30:47>> Any other questions,

1:30:48comments or concerns? Seeing

1:30:50none, we stand adjourned.

1:30:55>> At this time. I'll call the

1:30:56budget, Finance and Governance

1:30:58Committee to order and ask the

1:30:59Deputy Clerk to please call the

1:31:00Roll.

1:31:01>> Council member Gruber here.

1:31:03Council member Martin here.

1:31:05Council member Smith, vice

1:31:08president Harris here.

1:31:10President. Melinda's here.

1:31:12Thank you.

1:31:13>> Let the record show. We're

1:31:14joined by the entire council

1:31:16save Council member Lupien. I

1:31:19had initially asked Angela to

1:31:23do a what I called a

1:31:26presentation, and she's

1:31:27hopefully she'll still do that.

1:31:29But given the time, I'm going

1:31:31to jump right into the

1:31:33legislative business because

1:31:34she is the. This is the first

1:31:35one up anyways, so I'm going to

1:31:38introduce introductory number

1:31:39327 authorizing an agreement

1:31:41related to servicing our Future

1:31:42fund, children's savings

1:31:44accounts, and before we have

1:31:48any questions from council, I'm

1:31:50just going to remind folks we

1:31:51got a presentation. Was it July?

1:31:53Was it two months ago? And I

1:31:57just got an update that there's

1:31:58over, what, 750 signups so far?

1:32:02Angela, is that right? But

1:32:04really encouraging council

1:32:05members to continue to push to

1:32:07your network, to any child

1:32:08child, either in kindergarten

1:32:10as of today or in first grade

1:32:13as of today in the city of

1:32:14Rochester, regardless of school,

1:32:15to sign up for the children's

1:32:17savings account, because

1:32:17there's still certainly

1:32:20hundreds, if not thousands of

1:32:22kids who are eligible and not

1:32:24enrolled. So with that, I've

1:32:25asked Angela just to present on

1:32:27what it is that we're going to

1:32:29be voting on today. And without

1:32:31further ado.

1:32:34>> Great. Can you hear me?

1:32:36>> Not well.

1:32:37>> Okay. Better comes in and

1:32:40out. Yes. Okay. So thank you so

1:32:43much for having us. Very

1:32:45exciting updates for the City

1:32:46of Rochester Children's Savings

1:32:47Account program. Next slide

1:32:50please. So when we presented in

1:32:55July, we shared with you some

1:32:56of our what we felt were

1:32:58ambitious goals for the program.

1:33:00Thanks to the tool that we're

1:33:02using, outcome Tracker, which

1:33:03is part of the legislation

1:33:04today, we're able to really

1:33:06easily pull this kind of data.

1:33:08And so in July, we told you

1:33:10that 56 children had enrolled

1:33:12since our June launch and

1:33:14already 701 have enrolled. So

1:33:16that's 701 first graders and

1:33:19kindergartners who now have a

1:33:20seated savings account with the

1:33:21city of Rochester. 9% have

1:33:26logged into our program portal

1:33:28at least once. And again, that

1:33:29program portal is what is in

1:33:30the legislation today. That

1:33:32outcome tracker tool, our

1:33:35ambitious goal is 50%. It

1:33:36dropped from 52% in July to 9%

1:33:39because we enrolled an

1:33:41additional 650 children over

1:33:43the summer. And so we're

1:33:44working on engaging those

1:33:45families, sending out mailers,

1:33:47etc. to make sure that they

1:33:49know to log into the portal.

1:33:5113% of our parents have opted

1:33:53into texting, which is really

1:33:54exciting for us because that's

1:33:55how we're going to be sharing

1:33:56with them different financial

1:33:58education events, programs,

1:34:00etc. that the City of Rochester

1:34:02is offering this year. Our goal

1:34:04is to host at least ten events.

1:34:06We hosted one in August. We

1:34:07have two additional events

1:34:09coming up in September. We have

1:34:11a financial preparedness event,

1:34:13September 19th, and we also

1:34:14have a virtual workshop on

1:34:16building your credit. I don't

1:34:18want to get the date wrong, but

1:34:19later in September and in

1:34:22addition, we said that we had

1:34:24some priority zip codes when we

1:34:26presented to you in July

1:34:27related to our highest poverty

1:34:29ZIP codes, as well as our

1:34:31lowest economic mobility ZIP

1:34:33codes. Our goal is to have 50%

1:34:34of our children enrolled in

1:34:36those from those ZIP codes, and

1:34:37we are up to 41% of children.

1:34:40So again, we're really, really

1:34:41excited about the progress

1:34:42we've made in such a short

1:34:43amount of time. And in total,

1:34:46that is $19,000, $19,840 that

1:34:51have been deposited directly

1:34:53into these savings accounts for

1:34:54these children. So again, I

1:34:56think we made really amazing

1:34:57progress in a pretty short

1:34:58amount of time. And I'm really

1:35:00looking forward to the next ten

1:35:01months or so of this pilot to

1:35:03see how much further we can go.

1:35:05Next slide please. So I was

1:35:08asked to share a little bit

1:35:10about what this outcome tracker

1:35:11tool looks like from the parent

1:35:13facing side. So we're trying to

1:35:14make it as interactive as

1:35:16possible. So what this tool

1:35:18allows us to do is really

1:35:20interact with the family. Next

1:35:22slide please. So what we're

1:35:24doing is we're when families

1:35:26log in, they're able to see the

1:35:29transactions on the account. So

1:35:30that's what deposits have been

1:35:32made. So every child will have

1:35:34a $20 seed deposit depending on

1:35:37their zip code. So that's if

1:35:38they're in those very high

1:35:39poverty, low upward mobility

1:35:40ZIP codes. We'll get an

1:35:43additional $20. And then if

1:35:45they participate in an eligible

1:35:47incentive activity, we will

1:35:48deposit an additional $10 into

1:35:50that account for a total of up

1:35:53to $50 per child. We also have

1:35:56built into this tool

1:35:58interactive functions for the

1:36:00child. So you can see some

1:36:01really fun like Sesame Street

1:36:03financial education videos that

1:36:05parents can share with their

1:36:06kindergartner and their first

1:36:08grader. Next slide please. And

1:36:11we also have opportunities for

1:36:13the parents themselves to

1:36:14engage. So part of it is

1:36:16encouraging the families

1:36:18themselves to save and

1:36:20providing education around

1:36:22different ways they can save,

1:36:23whether that's a savings

1:36:25account, whether that's a high

1:36:26yield savings account, whether

1:36:27that's a five, 29, etc. So

1:36:29we're providing all of those

1:36:32resources. We're connecting

1:36:33them to things like our

1:36:34Financial Empowerment Center,

1:36:35which provides free one on one

1:36:36financial counseling. And we're

1:36:38also using this tool to connect

1:36:40them to any of our events that

1:36:42we are hosting as well. Next

1:36:44slide please. So that's really

1:36:47the outcome tracker tool. It

1:36:49allows us to do a lot of really

1:36:50fun reporting on the back end.

1:36:52It allows us to text the

1:36:53families, email the families,

1:36:54really keep track of all of

1:36:56these things. In terms of the

1:36:58program overall, right now,

1:36:59we're really, really focused on

1:37:01that enrollment. So to your

1:37:02point, we're really excited. We

1:37:03hit over 700 children in just

1:37:05about two and a half months.

1:37:07And now we want to get to

1:37:08there's about 4000 eligible

1:37:10children. So now we're working

1:37:11on how do we get that remaining

1:37:133300 children enrolled into

1:37:14this program? So we're doing a

1:37:16lot of public awareness. And

1:37:17thank you for those on the

1:37:19council who have already been

1:37:20partnering with us on that. So

1:37:21thank you very much. In

1:37:24addition, we're really thinking

1:37:25about how do we engage the

1:37:27families that are already

1:37:28enrolled. So again, we're

1:37:29thinking about this from a

1:37:31multi-generational perspective.

1:37:32So yes, how do we provide

1:37:33financial education to the

1:37:35child? We're partnering with

1:37:36Junior achievement of upstate

1:37:37New York on a lot of that. But

1:37:40also how do we provide

1:37:41opportunities for the parents?

1:37:43One of the really fun things we

1:37:44want to do this year is we want

1:37:46to send out birthday books to

1:37:48the children, which will have

1:37:50financial based books and a

1:37:52parent guide so that that

1:37:54parent can talk about money in

1:37:55an age appropriate way using

1:37:57that book. So we're hoping to

1:37:59roll that out, I would say

1:38:01early next year. And then, of

1:38:03course, we are continuing to

1:38:04seek grant opportunities and

1:38:06funding opportunities so that

1:38:07we can keep this program around

1:38:09for the long term. Thank you so

1:38:11much. Any questions? I can

1:38:12answer.

1:38:13>> Any questions on the

1:38:15presentation or. 327

1:38:17Councilmember Martin.

1:38:19>> Just a quick thank you to

1:38:20you, Angela. I just love all

1:38:22your presentations. There are

1:38:23no questions. I mean, you

1:38:24answered all what everyone

1:38:25would have. So thank you. You

1:38:27all are doing an amazing job

1:38:28over there.

1:38:29>> Thank you.

1:38:30>> Any additional questions?

1:38:32Councilmember Leslie Smith.

1:38:33>> I do have a question on. 327.

1:38:35I just wanted to know because

1:38:37it sounds like this is a new

1:38:39software that we're purchasing.

1:38:43>> Yes. So to clarify, we had a

1:38:45one year contract with the

1:38:47software last year into this

1:38:49year. We are project management

1:38:53office was able to negotiate a

1:38:54better price point. And so

1:38:55we're executing a new contract.

1:38:58The software vendor was also

1:39:00bought out by a new company.

1:39:01And so we're just we're we're

1:39:03renewing, but we're starting a

1:39:04new contract.

1:39:05>> And is this separate and

1:39:07apart from any tracking systems

1:39:09that we're using for the

1:39:11centers, will they talk to one

1:39:13another?

1:39:13>> They don't talk to each

1:39:14other directly. But we were

1:39:16able to use our central data to

1:39:20auto enroll those eligible

1:39:22children. So that's how we were

1:39:23able to bump from 50 to 700 in

1:39:27such a short amount of time. So

1:39:29we do work with the Department

1:39:30of Recreation on that.

1:39:31>> Okay. And I assume that

1:39:32we're going with this

1:39:33particular vendor and this

1:39:34particular software because

1:39:36there's a parent facing side.

1:39:38>> Yes. And also this this tool

1:39:41is used across almost every

1:39:43city children's savings account

1:39:45program of this scale.

1:39:47>> Got it. Thank you.

1:39:50>> If no further questions,

1:39:51I'll take a motion. It's been

1:39:53moved and seconded. All in

1:39:54favor, please say aye. Aye. Any

1:39:57opposed? Motion carries. And

1:39:59let's all work to get that

1:40:00enrollment up by a couple

1:40:02thousand more. Thanks, Angela.

1:40:03Thank you. Insurance number 328.

1:40:05Appropriating funds and

1:40:06authorizing agreements for

1:40:07neighborhood ambassador

1:40:08programs and the Monroe Avenue

1:40:10and Lyell Avenue areas. The one

1:40:12question I have I just want to

1:40:14ask the Deputy Mayor before

1:40:15turning it over to the rest of

1:40:17council is obviously

1:40:19acknowledging that we are

1:40:19changing the vendor for the

1:40:21northwest and just wanted any

1:40:22kind of clarifying information

1:40:23about that.

1:40:24>> Yep. Just briefly, thanks

1:40:25for the opportunity to address

1:40:27that. So. For many years, or at

1:40:32least first couple of years of

1:40:33the program, I had worked with

1:40:35Cameron Community Ministries.

1:40:37That organization is going

1:40:39through a period of transition.

1:40:41And so we've identified Charles

1:40:44Settlement House and have

1:40:45talked with them and confirmed

1:40:48their willingness, their

1:40:49ability to take up and continue

1:40:52on with the ambassador program

1:40:54in the Great Northwest, in the

1:40:56Lisle Ave corridor, and very

1:40:59excited for them to join in

1:41:01this work. And certainly

1:41:03acknowledge as well that look

1:41:05forward to Cameron working

1:41:07through its transition because

1:41:09they play a critical, critical

1:41:12role in the lie lab corridor in

1:41:14the surrounding neighborhood.

1:41:16>> Well, this changed the

1:41:17geographic catchment area of

1:41:19the program at all.

1:41:20>> It will not.

1:41:21>> And will the principal

1:41:22people who were hired to

1:41:23administer it by from Cameron

1:41:25just move over to Charles or is

1:41:26it new people altogether?

1:41:27>> I believe it is new folks.

1:41:30>> Okay. Any questions from

1:41:32council? Councilman Monroe,

1:41:33love to start with you. If you

1:41:34have any questions.

1:41:36>> I don't have I don't have

1:41:37any questions, but I would

1:41:39concur. You know, I think that

1:41:41the the move over to Charles

1:41:42Settlement House will be a

1:41:43positive one, while Cameron

1:41:46hopefully is able to deal with

1:41:48the issues it has so that we

1:41:50can get it back on board for

1:41:51the neighborhood. But Charles

1:41:53House, they'll do a good job,

1:41:55we think.

1:41:56>> Great. Any questions from

1:41:57the rest of Council President

1:41:58Melendez?

1:41:59>> Yeah, just just one follow

1:42:01up question. The what Council

1:42:02member Gruber asked. So in

1:42:04relation to the handoff between

1:42:06the existing entity that has

1:42:07the contract for previous years

1:42:09and obviously bringing in a new

1:42:11new person to or new team to

1:42:14administer this, is there an

1:42:16anticipated start date or

1:42:17transition date that this might

1:42:19occur, or would this be in line

1:42:21with when we approved the one

1:42:23for Monroe, they anticipated to

1:42:25start at the same time, or

1:42:26would it be a gap?

1:42:28>> I believe there should be

1:42:30certainly a smooth transition

1:42:31that minimizes the gap, but

1:42:33we'll get you the precise dates

1:42:35in writing just so we get that

1:42:36right.

1:42:37>> Thank you.

1:42:38>> I'll move it.

1:42:39>> It's been moved and seconded.

1:42:42All in favor, please say aye.

1:42:43Aye aye. Any opposed? Motion

1:42:45carries. Introduction 329.

1:42:47Amending the 26-27 budget to

1:42:50carry over unspent grant funds

1:42:51from the Rochester Area

1:42:52Community Foundation grant. Any

1:42:53questions, comments or concerns?

1:42:56Move it. It's been. Moved and

1:42:58seconded. All in favor, please

1:42:59say aye. Aye aye. Any opposed?

1:43:02Motion carries. Introduction

1:43:04330. Amending ordinance number

1:43:072025-339 related to the

1:43:08Northeast Branch Library. Any

1:43:09questions, comments or concerns?

1:43:11>> Move it.

1:43:12>> It's been moved and seconded.

1:43:14All in favor, please say aye.

1:43:16Aye aye. Any opposed? Motion

1:43:19carries. Introductory number

1:43:21331. Authorizing an agreement

1:43:22to engage in advertising, media

1:43:24planning and buying agent for

1:43:26the city. Any questions,

1:43:27comments or concerns? Council

1:43:28member Monroe.

1:43:31>> Is this the first time that

1:43:32we're having this kind of

1:43:34contract?

1:43:35>> No. We've had a contract for

1:43:37for many years. In fact, I

1:43:38think possibly decades with an

1:43:41external specialist in paid

1:43:44media purchasing, planning and

1:43:45buying. The current vendor we

1:43:48use who we use since before I

1:43:50got here, she is retiring, so

1:43:52we had to find a new vendor.

1:43:54We've we have put it out for

1:43:56RFP in the past, but we've

1:43:57maintained the same vendor for

1:43:58a while.

1:43:59>> Thank you.

1:44:02>> Any further questions? If

1:44:03not, I'll take a motion. So

1:44:06moved. Second and seconded. All

1:44:08in favor, please say aye. Aye

1:44:09aye. Any opposed? Motion

1:44:12carries. And finally

1:44:13introduction number 332.

1:44:15Authorizing the cancellation or

1:44:17refund of erroneous taxes and

1:44:19charges. Any questions,

1:44:20comments or concerns? Move it!

1:44:22It's been moved and seconded.

1:44:24All in favor, please say aye.

1:44:26Aye aye. Any opposed? Motion

1:44:29carries. And that concludes the

1:44:31work of the budget, Finance and

1:44:32Governance Committee. We stand

1:44:34adjourned.

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