This evening.

To access this, select the show caption button in the meeting toolbar and select your preferred language.

Staff and commissioners are participating both remotely and in person.

Members of public are welcome to provide public comment and listen to the meeting in person or on the Zoom.

I will now call the role.

Commissioner, please say here after I call your name.

Vice Chair White?

Here.

Commissioner Gonzalez.

Commissioner Hayes?

Here.

Commissioner Fan.

Here.

Commissioner Rashid?

Yeah.

Commissioner Perlman.

Here.

There are two sets of minutes to approve this evening.

Please take a moment to review September eighth minutes in the front of you.

This was a special meeting with the minutes.

Any discussion about the September eighth minutes?

We would like the commission to review them just to get familiar with the way they look, just moving forward.

Yeah, any discussion about the September eighth minutes.

Is there a motion to approve the September eighth minutes?

So moved.

A second.

Second.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye.

All those opposed say nay.

September eighth minutes are approved.

Now please take a moment to review September 15 minutes in front of you.

I'm pretty sure I was present.

Yeah, we were present.

And I'm not on here.

You don't have my name.

The fifteenth.

Okay, I've added you to present.

Commissioner Permanent.

Thank you.

Um is there a motion to add council member permanent for the September 15 meeting?

Commissioner.

Commissioner.

Motion.

Any second?

I second.

Okay.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

So um okay.

So with this amendment, is it a motion to approve the September 15 minutes?

And a second.

All is in favor say aye.

Aye.

I all those opposed say nay.

September 15 minutes are approved.

The Human Services Commission values community input and looks forward to hearing from you during its meeting in compliance with Washington State campaign laws regarding the use of public facilities during election.

RCW 421785.

No speaker may support or oppose a ballot mayor or support or oppose a candidate for an election, which include your own campaign.

Any speaker who begins discussing topics of this nature will be asked to stop.

At this time, we'll we are taking oral communication.

Staff will call the names of the people in the order they have signed up either online or in person.

Members of public may speak during two nights oral communications for up to three minutes per person or agency program.

There is a limit of three people speaking on the same topic.

The oral communication period will end after 30 minutes.

Staff will ask if there is anyone else who would like to speak.

Staff, can you please call speakers for oral communication?

Thank you, Chair.

Our first speaker is Tim Motz with Boys and Girls Club.

Good evening, Commissioners.

My name is Tim Motz.

I'm a resident from uh in Bellevue for the last seven years, and I am the president and CEO for the Boys and Girls Club of Bellevue.

Speaking tonight on behalf of the importance and critical nature of child care funding, after school funding in our city.

As you all know, that is an absolute core human service.

Uh every single day, uh, there is a more and more need for after-school and child care funding for our young people in our community.

The economic uh gaps continue to widen in our city, as we all are aware, and boys and girls clubs as well as other agencies stand firm in that gap trying to solve those issues.

Uh, as you may be aware, federal cuts uh continue for such agencies for the boys and girls club of Bellevue alone.

We currently have $500,000 that is uh we have in federal grants that are currently uh in up in the air uh based on the current administration's decisions uh in that space and those are century 21 dollars, which are core uh service funding for some of our kiddos in in Bellevue.

Um the demand continues to outpace capacity.

Uh fortunately for us, we have 16,000 kids a year we serve uh and we work to uh ensure that all of them have a safe place to go after school.

You all partner with us in a consistent basis.

Uh we're heading towards 20 sites for the upcoming year.

Uh very important for us that we continue to keep those going.

Uh our wait lists are continuing to grow, but we work every single day to try to close those wait lists when at all possible.

Um boys and girls clubs remain ready.

The 100 plus employees that we have in our city, uh, we keep them trained, excited to support our young people, and whether it's our clubhouses that are on uh in partnership with our city or in our schools or even in our public housing sites, uh, we stand at the ready to work with you all uh as as funding uh becomes uh available to to local boys and girls clubs.

Um I wanted to share a little bit more about the fact that we serve over 800 kids a day in just the child care capacity alone in our after-school programming on top of the thousands of kids, whether they're in our preschool programs or sports or other things that they are involved in the boys and girls club.

Uh, over 70% of our youth identify as uh BIPOC and uh a majority of our members uh come to us in the grade school ages and then stay with us through their middle school and sometimes even through their high school years.

Uh you may be aware that uh we have thousands of kiddos here in Bellevue that are on free and reduced lunch programs.

Over 30% of our kids at the boys and girls clubs, which amounts to thousands of kids a year, are on some form of subsidy in that regard.

Uh I thank you all so much for the work you do.

You've done a lot of work this year to learn more and more about the needs that are in our community.

And I know a lot of you know the boys and girls club.

Uh, but just wanted to thank you for the investment and the work that you do in that after school space, as we all know it's critical for kids in our community.

Thank you all so very much.

Okay, our next speaker for oral communications is Tara Hakam with Family Law Casa.

Hi, this is Tara Haum.

Give me one second, and is there a way to turn the video on?

It looks like I'm uh audio only, so I will go ahead and speak.

Um, hopefully you can see my picture, which gives you an idea of who I am.

Um, there we go.

Perfect.

Thank you so much.

Hi, everyone.

Thanks for your time today.

Um, my name is Tara Hockham, and I am a board member as well as advocate for family law CASA.

Um, some of you may be familiar with Family Law Casa.

We work with the city of Bellevue.

Um, we received a notice that you guys are updating your funding priority process this year.

And so we are encouraged to come speak to share about our need area, which fits in sort of navigation, legal case management, and other supportive services.

Um, so I'm here to tell you a little bit exactly about what we do.

Again, my name is Tara Hockham.

I'm a board member as well as a volunteer advocate for Family Law Casa of King County.

And I'm gonna share briefly just the work that we do to help families with low incomes in the city of Bellevue as well as Greater King County.

Currently, um, we have 10 open cases in the city of Bellevue.

Seven of those are uh involving children in the area, um, and three of the parents involved in those cases reside in the Bellevue area.

Family Law Casa is committed to posit to positive long-term outcomes for children, families, and communities navigating economic injustice across King County.

We advance intersectional equity by providing free advocacy services for children involved in family law cases, connecting families to support services and driving transformational system changes.

Each year we advocate for hundreds of children involved in high-risk custody cases across the county.

Um, again, this past year, um, when we look at the past what funds, we've served 10 families in the city of Bellevue and currently are active on an additional seven more.

So imagine a child caught in the middle of a complex custody case, being exposed to conflict, domestic violence, neglect or abuse.

I myself was one of those children.

Um we lived in Redmond and Bellevue.

I had a parent in Redmond, one in Bellevue, which is why it was so important to me to come speak to you today.

These situations are heartbreaking and they have long-lasting consequences.

Imagine those parents struggling with their own challenges and traumas, trying to figure out how to navigate a very complex court system with no knowledge or resources.

In King County, over half of parents involved in family law cases can't afford legal representation.

This means judges are making critical decisions about a child's future without fully understanding their needs and best interests or the complexities of their parent situation.

We also know from extensive research that exposure to trauma arising from intense conflict, domestic violence, or abuse can change brain development and have lifelong harmful impacts on health, academic abilities, and opportunities.

Family Law Casa steps in to shine an objective light on the realities in the homes of these children and ensure that their voices and experiences are understood by the court.

We want to thank you for partnering with us, and we're hopeful to continue partnering with Bellevue through your human services commission, funding opportunities in the future in order to keep providing this vital service to families to create more stable homes and healthy kids in our community.

Thank you for your time, and please feel to free feel free to ask me any questions you may have about the services we're providing in Bellevue in the Greater King County area.

Thank you.

Okay, our next speaker for oral communications is Griffin Cole with CCS.

Please turn on the mic.

Sorry about that.

My name's Griffin Cole.

I am the program manager for the volunteer services program of Catholic Community Services.

Um I've been program manager for one year.

Prior to that, I was a program coordinator on the East Side, including Bellevue for nine years.

We understand that you are in the process of recommending priorities and approaches to address human services needs in Bellevue.

Volunteer Services is a program that is committed to help elder, elder older adults, and those with disabilities remain independent in their homes through a network of caring community volunteers.

We appreciate the city's current support.

An example of how our program lifts up the cause of older adults in Bellevue is a client, Ms.

FK.

She is living currently in Bellevue, lives alone, and has a lot of medical appointments each month.

We provide her through volunteers, transportation to those medical appointments.

In addition, she also needs help with getting groceries to her home.

So we provide shopping and transportation for that shopping as well.

And that is through volunteers that provide that support.

So in that case, it's neighbors helping neighbors.

I think one thing that can be missed is while we're helping with things like lighthouse work, yard work, transportation to appointments, shopping, that help actually goes wider.

Not only is it going to allow her to continue living independently as long as it's safe for her, but it also by receiving help in those areas gives her an opportunity to be able to handle those other things, knowing that she's going to have food in the home and make it to medical appointments as she needs to.

She is certainly not alone in Bellevue.

In the first half of 2025, volunteer services has provided over 600 hours of help to Bellevue residents, and more than 20 residents have received services this year.

So that older adults in Bellevue can continue to live independently.

Thank you very much for your time.

I greatly appreciate it.

Okay, our next speaker is Jesse Franklin with Rainier Athletes.

I believe you are online, Jesse.

Yes, we can hear you.

Great.

Hi, uh everyone.

My name is Jesse Franklin.

I'm the executive director and founding mentor at Rainier Athletes.

I'm also a proud Bellevue School District and Samamish High School graduate.

I've met with some of you before and appreciate the support of the Human Services Commission, but for refresher Rainer Athletes, it's a long-term one-on-one youth mentoring organization.

We partner closely with the Bellevue School District for the past 12 years.

Um through a data sharing agreement and MOU.

We identify students furthest from educational, economic, and social justice.

This means 100% of Rainer Athletic students qualify for free or reduce lunch.

98% of Rainer Athletic students identify as students of color, and 75% speak a language other than English at home.

So for the past decade plus, we've actually identified mentors who share relatable lived experiences with Wain Rathless students and their families.

For example, we partner closely with Corporate Latinos Network and other corporate affinity groups to match culturally and linguistically aligned mentors with Wainer Athlete students.

And then once paired, Rainer Athlete commits to walking alongside each student, their mentors, families, teachers, coaches, and other core community connections from fourth grade when the students first selected all the way through every single year through middle school, high school, and beyond.

We call our community-centric approach to mentoring one team mentoring.

This year is a special year for us.

Our very first cohort who began walking alongside their mentor in fourth grade, has become the first in their families to graduate from college and other certification programs.

The reason I'm here today is to encourage the commission to invest in the future of our youth and their families.

As I think many can relate to, we are facing a loneliness epidemic in our entire country, but also here right at home due to reliance on technology, uh costs of extracurricular social media algorithms that are targeting some of the most vulnerable minds in our society.

Our youth are carrying the bulk of the weight.

Many of the because of some of the Bellevue School District deeps the deep budget constraints that we're having this year.

The school district made a really tough decision to cut the number of mental health counselors from 20 to 5 and the number of uh elementary school assistant principals from 17 to 3.

Um of our students are facing some of the from some of the most barriers they've faced in a long time, um, including access to critical services and extra regular opportunities.

I really want the commission to understand that mentoring is an upstream um an upstream approach to uh behavioral health, and I hope the commission will think about prioritizing prevention and intervention when considering where to invest in human services funds.

Thank you.

Okay, our next speaker is Mallory Gustav with Hope Blink.

That is helpful.

Hello everyone.

Um, my name is Mallory Gustav, and I am the vice president of community services for Hope Link.

I also have some colleagues in the room with me.

Chris Greer is our director of uh housing case management, and Lucy Pyatt is our director of financial and education programs.

Um I first want to thank you for your partnership and your continued commitment in investing in community-based agencies that make a difference for thousands of residents and rely on um that rely on programs like ours.

As you are aware, um, we are witnessing immense need in our communities in calendar year 2024.

We serve 73,000 people at Hope Link through our community services and our transportation programs.

In our community services program, that is 32,000 folks that we served.

Um, and uh 5600 people were Bellevue residents.

This year we're already at uh 5200 people who are Bellevue residents in our programs.

Our food programs is are experiencing record numbers.

So this month we have served 10,000 people who are using our markets right now in our financial resiliency program, which is our financial assistance program with case management.

We are turning away 14 households for everyone that we serve.

So, as you can imagine, every week we're encountering um people who are hard working, who are struggling to make ends meet, seniors who are having to make hard decisions about if they're going to get medication or they're going to pay their rent, if they're going to keep the lights on for families and young people who are really struggling with the lack of opportunities.

Um at Hopelink, we take a huge responsibility for as a community action agency.

We take pride in it, and we believe that we are have to be the utmost stewards for public funds.

Um, the city funding that we receive supports only 25% of our programs.

And so that we we are committed to make those dollars stretched as much as we can to make the maximum impact.

Um, you know, we focus our funds on keeping families from being evicted, from weatherizing homes, um, and for helping people gain long-term skills through education and case management.

Um, we don't do this work without data-driven um and lived experienced uh information.

And we allocate our resources really specifically to support those in most need.

One of the things that we had to do in 2025 is we had to make a 3.7 million dollar um reduction in our budget to be ready for some of the resources gaps.

Um, and knowing that we had to focus our funding on the most needed areas.

We just want to continue to take accountability and do transparency support our services, and we can't do that without your support.

Thank you.

Okay, our next speaker is Chris Greer with Hope Link.

Okay, then we also have Christy Hulerson.

Hi there, I'm Christy Hilversen.

I'm one of the new adult board members on YouthLink, and I'm been a Bellevue resident for over 20 years.

I'm also a former youth on the youth link board.

So I'm here with one of my fellow youth board members, Akira, who I'll pass it on to you.

Um, good evening, board members and commissioners.

My name is Akir Sharma.

Um, I'm a Bellby Youth Link board member.

Um, we are a youth advisory board composed of 12 youth and six adults, and we're here today to extend our invitation to you for our upcoming annual Youth Link Gumbo night happening on Wednesday, October 22nd from 6 to 8 p.m.

at Crossroads Community Center.

For the past 26 plus years, YouthLink hosts a special social event that provides an opportunity for Bellevue Youth Link members to dialogue with our elected and community leaders about important topics affecting our youth today.

Youth and guests share important conversations over delicious pots of gumbo and other foods.

We hope that you can join us for the special and unique evening with our youth link members.

To RSVP, please contact our staff Patrick Alina.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

And our next speaker is Alex Zimmerman.

This way, no, this way.

I'm so sorry, disabled, man.

No problem.

Forgive me.

Oops, I'm here.

Okay.

Oh, yeah.

Uh, my name is Alex Zimmerman, and I want to speak to you guys because you look to me like a um human service for cockroaches for slave.

Yeah, exactly.

We don't have two-line communication.

People come this token, 30 minute, then people only rules what is make council 10 years ago.

Yeah, yeah, approved now.

New new rules come right now, you know what is mean uh so the six menstruals pass, yeah, from commission.

Nobody have this in state washington.

I speak with 400 commission around.

I never see like this before.

But you have too many innovation is brand new.

Nazi gestapa pig.

You know what this means.

Let us cut everything what this people want.

What is people want?

Two-line communication.

And I took about this for many years.

Are you human service?

No, you're garbage, a human garbage is exactly who you are.

Luke Mary Robinson, she's very nice.

Six-year mayor, no one QA.

Six years, she don't have one QA.

Why?

The elect council, you know what is mean for line communication.

So this what is this?

It's freedom of speech, election.

No, it's a fascism.

It's a junta who control us.

You understand about she's only one for four years, but as I know, who go for six years like a mayor and never have one QA?

Why she don't have one QA?

She said her.

Yeah, ask her.

Your human service.

You possibly have two-line communication.

How many dozen times I talk to you?

You post to be a people complain and have answered you don't do this.

Why?

Because you are Nazi pig.

This is exactly who you are.

You understand what this means?

You don't come here for make people happy.

You come here only for protect your asses, your business personnel.

This important.

So how you like a human people don't ask Mare Robinson why she for six years don't have a human rights.

Mare Robinson, why you don't have one QA for six years?

You may for six years, and you never have one QA.

Why?

Can you explain to me?

Is this America?

It's not surprised me.

So 55 million people right now post to be takeout from America because it's not legal.

We have a country right now, what is controlled by democratic mafia?

Emmer Robinson, for example, she's a representative.

Viva Trump, Viva New American Revolution.

Stand up, slaving happy cow.

Yeah.

Thank you very much.

Okay, our next speaker is Christina Mendiera with Kendering.

Good evening, Commissioners.

Mayor Robinson.

Thank you for your public service and the many hours that you put into this role.

My name is Christina Mendietta.

I serve as director of public affairs at Kindering.

I am here joined with my colleague Gaeline Baden, who's the director of grants at Kindring.

Kindering, as you may know, is a nonprofit based in Bellevue that serves thousands of children with diverse abilities every year.

Thank you for this opportunity to provide comment on your upcoming 2027-2028 funding priorities.

You may recall I was here recently with a kindering parent urging you to prioritize child care and early learning.

While Kindring continues to advocate for this area of need tonight, I'd like to highlight some other human services needs.

So by the numbers.

They received 3,000 hours of direct services and case management.

90 Bellevue residents benefited from our child care and preschool consultation program, which is another city supported program, which we thank you for.

Despite these strong service numbers, however, community need has outpaced resources.

Recent uh federal immigration changes have impacted families in our area, and they created new barriers to services.

We hear from families that they are limiting time outside the home, are feeling increasingly isolated, and some of them are avoiding services altogether.

So commun families in our community need more services at Kindering and in navigating other community resources.

Given this, we urge you to consider two priorities.

One, expanding case management services for families with very young children through our family or families in transition program and early supports, and two, ensuring access to high quality, equitable early learning services through our child care and preschool consultation program.

Thank you for your continued partnership and for keeping Bellevue's children and families at the heart of your funding recommendations.

Thank you.

Okay, that's everyone we have signed up for oral communications.

Is there anyone in the room or online that would like to speak?

If so, please raise your hand.

Okay, you can go ahead, Chair.

Mayor Robinson, do you have anything to share?

I do.

Should I use this?

Maybe I'll move over.

Good evening.

Um you're about to embark on some really powerful work, and I just want to tell you thank you in advance for all the time and energy and effort you're gonna put into this.

This really um shapes the communities that we live in, and uh is a huge investment in the future of our city each year that you make these determinations.

So I just was going to tell you a little bit about um what the council thinks about um when it comes to funding for human services.

And I also wanted to ask the chair if you might at your next meeting make a motion to change the public comment rules that they only pertain to things to do with human service commission.

Yes, we have tried uh multiple times, but I'll have to go to the I know we have to have rules that you before you can enforce that.

So, anyways, just a thought.

Anyway, um council thinks about the value of pri prevention.

So um putting prevention as a as a top priority means that down the road it's it's a good investment because it really pays off in the future.

And so that brings up the children because they are our future.

So investments in kids are something that um our council really values.

They say that the biggest deterrent to early childhood learning is stress, and so anything, any program that um deter that's deter that reduces stress for a child is gonna help with their early childhood learning.

Um, so things that we focus on are housing stability, food security, child care, health care, behavioral health, mentoring and case management.

And then with the applications, I know the council is talking a lot about wanting to see measurable goals so that we can see, you know, this is what the agency plans to do.

Have they done it after the period of time?

So being able to assess and reassess that the applicants have the ability to spend the money, that the applicants um serve Bellevue residents, and that they have spent down prior funds.

So that's not like necessarily a deterrent to more funds, but that's a consideration.

So those are things that the council thinks about.

And I look forward to learning your what your values are and uh the conversations that you have with all the decisions you have to make.

So any questions.

Thank you so much for all you do.

Thank you, Mayor Robinson.

Um Major Inman, do you have anything to share?

Good evening, and no, I do not.

Thank you.

Do we have any commissioners' report?

The only thing I was going to mention is that my team is going to be participating in essentials for all, and we will actually do that as a larger team.

Okay.

So to make sure that my organization could we already saw quite a few donations this morning.

So kind of nice.

So thank you for organizing.

Thank you.

And as a commission, we are planning to visit the porch light, and we're already talking about in on 23rd October.

Yes.

Any staff reports.

Yes.

Thank you, Chair Singh.

Um you have a page in front of you with reminders that has a couple of upcoming things.

So as it was sent to Vice Chair White via email, so if you can look for that.

Oh, yep.

Um as Commissioner Perlman just mentioned, the essentials for all food and hygiene drive is going from uh October 1st through November 15th.

There are collection bins around the city.

And we have we invited all of the agencies that we fund to be a recipient of the uh things that are collected.

And we had 21 agencies respond that they would like to participate.

So we have collections happening weekly at the sites, and those are all the different agencies are um making a weekly collection.

Um the next thing on the list is that on Tuesday, October 7th, which is after tomorrow.

Um it's tomorrow.

Today's Monday.

Yeah, we're not on Sunday.

Um it's the Bellevue Community Court grand opening, and that is at the Bellevue Library, right down the street uh from one to 2:30, and everyone is welcome to go.

On Thursday, the 16th, I believe everybody got an email that there is a mandatory training for all commissioners uh on the open public meetings act and public records act.

Um I have a question in for a few of the commissioners who've just completed this training to I'm pretty sure you don't have to do it again, but I'll double check and get that confirmed.

This is a Zoom meeting, so it's not in person, it's all online and it's mandatory.

Um we'll if you could check back with me or Giselle if you're not able to make it.

Uh we'll have to figure out a makeup date for you, but hoping that everybody can make that one hour training on the 16th.

And then there's a reminder about gumbo night with youth length at the announcement we just had, which is on Wednesday the 22nd.

If you'd like to go, you can RSVP to Shiselle.

And our next meeting on October 20th is a public hearing.

So we're expecting more public speakers to come, and then we'll have we'll be voting on the CDBG funding that we're gonna talk about tonight.

Any questions about any of the events coming up?

Wonderful.

Thank you.

So a new business.

Yes.

Um so the planners are really focused on monitoring right now.

So as Chair Singh mentioned, uh going to Porch Light.

So we will be having monitoring visits of all of the agencies that we currently fund between a couple of weeks ago through the end of January.

And so if there's an agency monitoring visit that you'd like to attend, please reach out to staff and let us know.

Thank you.

So new business item.

So hold on a second.

Would you be able to post the schedule for us to decide?

Yes, we can figure out.

Great.

Well, welcome everybody.

I'm doing this on behalf of Donna.

So I will do my best to answer any questions, but she truly is the expert.

So tonight I'll be providing a quick overview of the CDBG funding, reviewing the CDBG funding process, and then review the request for funding and the staff recommendation.

So it is two agenda items on the agenda, but we are going to be doing it as one presentation since they're so connected.

Slide.

So all CDBG activities must both meet the national objective and be an eligible activity to receive CDBG funding.

Next slide.

That it benefits low or moderate income persons, that it prevents or eliminates slums and blights, or that it meets an urgent need.

Bellevue's funding falls under the benefits low and moderate income persons.

In 2026, CDBG funding application was only open to agencies receiving 2025 funding.

The staff reviewed the 2026 applications to ensure that they were eligible for CDBG funding.

And tonight, the Human Services Commission will be making preliminary recommendations.

At our next Human Services Commission meeting on the 20th, we'll be holding a public hearing, as um Ruth said a few minutes ago on the draft 2026 action plan.

The and the human services will finalize the funding recommendations.

The draft action, the draft annual action plan will have a 30-day public comment period from October 21st until November 21st.

And CDBG recommendations are set to go to council for approval as a consent agenda item on November 18th.

Slide, please.

So this includes an estimated entitlement, which is the money that comes from HUD of $850,000 and an estimated program income amount, which is the home repair loan payoffs of 150,000.

Slide, please.

CDBG funding does have caps in some of the funding categories.

So for our admin and planning, it is capped at 20% of the funding.

And at for public funding, it is capped at 15%.

For all other and capital funding, it does not have a cap on spending.

And this includes programs such as the home repair program and the micro enterprise assistance program.

So this chart chart shows the requested amounts and recommended amounts of each type of funding.

So for the public funding, we have 20 or 200,000 in request, and we're recommending 145,000 in funding.

For the admin and planning, we have we both requested and there was both a request and recommended for 195,000 in planning.

And for the other funds, we had $844,000 in request, and we're recommending $660,000 in funding.

Next slide, please.

So we received the following applications for funding.

I'll review each application and the requested amount in a few minutes.

I wanted to remind everybody on the commission that the 2026 funding services, public service funding of the amount of 145,000 was approved during the human services funding deliberations on July 15th of 2024 as a two-year funding recommendation for 2025-26.

So before we go through the applications, I want to go back and remind you of the actions that we needed our next two meetings.

So tonight we need to review the staff recommendations, and then we need to determine the preliminary CDBG Human Services Commission funding recommendations.

At the meeting on the 20th, staff will provide an overview of the 2026 annual action plan.

A public hearing will be held for the 2026 action plan.

Then the CD for the action plan, CDBG funding recommendations, and human services funding.

And then the commission will vote on to adopt the 2026 CDBG action plan and finalize this 2026 CDBG funding recommendations.

The finding final recommendations will again go to council right now.

It's set for November 18th.

Next slide, please.

So here's an overview of the recommendations.

They're also in front of you.

I asked for a copy and then I left them over here.

So if somebody's supposed to hold up, but there's a packet in front of you with two pieces of staple together.

So this first one is the slide that you're seeing right here.

It's a little bit easier to read.

This one has all of the details of a little bit about what the program does as well as the request.

Next slide, please.

So I'll now go through all of the programs that applied except for the public hearing or the public service funds for Porch Lights that were already determined last year.

So the first is for tomorrow.

They applied for microenterprise assistance.

They requested $150,000.

They have received CDBG funding for this program to provide microenterprise business assistance for three years.

And staff are recommending $83,000, which is the same funding that they had in 2025.

Looks like Indian American Community Services applied for the microenterprise assistance.

They requested $50,000.

They've received funding for their microenterprise business assistance for two years, and we're recommending the $50,000, which is the same that they received in 2025.

Next slide, please.

They requested $200,000.

They've received CDBG funding for this program to provide microenterprise business assistance for two years.

And staff are recommending $83,000, which is the same funding that they are receiving in 2025.

Slide.

They requested $48,000.

They have received CDBG funding for this program to provide microenterprise business assistance to in-home child care providers in Bellevue for two years.

And the staff are recommending $48,000, which is the same that they received for funding in 2025.

And the Bellevue City of Bellevue, um, King County Housing Authority's major home repair program.

They requested $396,000.

Staff recommended the same amount that or the recommending the same amount they're receiving in 2025, which is $3,960.

Again, all of these recommendations are contingent on us receiving the $2026 CDBG funding.

So does anybody have any questions?

I just talked a lot through a lot of stuff trying.

Don't I did a really good job of trying to simplify it enough because there is a lot of weeds when it comes to federal funding?

So if people have questions or clarifications.

So can you explain a little bit about the CDBD admin and planning?

Yeah, I will take that.

And then Ruth, if you have anything to add to it.

So the CDBG admin fund, it allows us to have a staff to administer the home repair program that does all of the screening.

Um it does all of the administration for the program.

It also allows us, we use a portion of that money to be able to do our needs update every other year.

Is there anything that you'd like to add to that, Ruth?

Sure.

Sure, it pays a portion of Giselle's salary because she helps process the loans and the paybacks that come through.

So it pays for Donna's salary and a portion of Chiselle.

Okay.

Um, to administer the home repair program.

It also pays for some of the um lead assessments that we have to do on a property and some of the other testing that they have to do to administer the home repair program.

Okay.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

I guess it's an observation.

It's the only category that went up.

And I understand that it's maybe better representative of what the amount of money that is necessary to run the programs, but knowing that we have direct services that potentially were asked for, and this is the only program that gets extra 20K.

Odd to me.

Which program?

This the administrative the um CDBG admin, the request or the funding for 2025 was 75% and it's I mean 75,000 and it's for 95,000 for 2026.

Oops, I don't know why that is, but I can find out if there was a specific reason.

It says oh, it says the request is for 2026 is slightly higher than the previous year to more accurately reflect the time staff is spending on CDBG since 2025 was the year of develop developing the biennial needs update, more funds were allocated for planning.

No, I I understand that.

I'm just noting that it's you have direct services on this list, and that the 20,000 increases only to the category that is not direct services.

And again, I respect the work that gets done with those dollars and just odd the way it looks.

And not to detract from your comment at all.

Also note that while administration went up 20, planning went down 10.

So the net difference of 10, but still to your I hear your observation.

And you all are in a stage of um making recommendations, so you can change your recommendations.

Or comments.

Okay, we'll pass it back to Chair Singh.

Thank you, Christy.

Commissioners, um, we will now be forming a 2026 CDG BG funding recommendation.

Staff will note down our primary recommendation from tonight for discussion.

The vote of next commission, a vote at the next commission meeting.

Christy, will you get the conversation started for us?

Yes.

Could I ask a question?

Yes.

Um the only organizations that applied for the CBG grant, or were there other organs that apply as well?

So for the 2026 um funding, we only opened it to agencies that are currently receiving 2025 funding.

And one of the reasons was there was a big delay in us getting our 2025 funding and the uncertainty of the 2026 funding.

And so, yes, uh, these are the only that applied, but it was an kind of an invitation only for this application process, which is not our our typical practice, but we had an exception.

And that's because we we're not sure we're going to actually get the funding.

Yes, that is true.

We just recently got the 2025 funding.

It is not um abnormal for us to get funding into the summer from the federal government to actually get our final number, but the uncertainty of actually if we're going to get the funding or not, um, was a it was a lot more uncertain to this current year.

Okay.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

Great questions.

I want to make another comment is that we're I see the recommendations is to fund everyone that is currently receiving the dollars, but we're not talking about in priority of needs.

Where it seems like we're saying, hey, you applied, you have been receiving it, so you pass certain tests in the past, so you should be getting the dollars.

I'm not seeing where we're saying, well, potentially three of these are more important this time round to receive the dollars, and they asked for more.

Why aren't we reallocating a dollar?

Making the hard decisions to potentially someone not to get.

And that's really for you guys to have that conversation.

So is how we have um done our staff recommendations is we have not said we feel like this is more important than this, and so it is looking at kind of how can we make sure that we're meeting we ask for the minimum request that an agency will accept as far as funding, so we make sure that we're meeting that and have conversations with the agency, but that really is the conversation for today for the commissioners.

Yeah, because I think of the areas of need that we're thinking for next year.

It's pretty obvious that some of these organizations should be prioritized more than others.

Giselle, would you move the PowerPoint to slide 10?

So we have the chart in front of us.

Okay, and then I will open it.

Oh, Java.

Well, one thing I was gonna say related to that is that CDBG funds specifically microenterprise, and so these programs, except for Porch Light, which is the public services dollars, so that's shelter, but these programs are the only microenterprise programs that we fund.

We don't fund them with any of our other dollars only for CDBG.

I think this is where I maybe need to hear what you were saying about the the Porsche Light one more time, because it sounds like they would like more dollars, which can they get more dollars, or is it like a no-go because they already been decided last year's there's a 15% cap on the amount of money that we're able to give, and so that was the maximum that we were able to award for them.

That's called public service.

So there's a 15% cap on the public service.

Microenterprise falls into a different bucket.

Um, so uh, and then planning and administration fall in a different bucket.

So those are the three places that there's percentages.

Yeah.

So it would be within you have you have lots of options.

You could reject all of this, but should you want to go with like kind of what's essentially drafted, the the where numbers could move would be within the microenterprise.

Right.

So for example, for tomorrow has asked for double the money than what we're giving them.

And same thing with the um central cultural matchano, and I'm sorry if I'm mispronouncing it.

Um and we're keeping them flat.

So is there once again?

We're trying, it seems like we're trying to fund everyone who had it before versus saying maybe some of these organizations need to get more, and somebody shouldn't get it all.

Do you have a proposal?

Not yet, because I actually don't know one of them at all.

Oh, yeah, that's we have a hand raised online.

Hi, this is Commissioner White.

Um for tomorrow.

Uh there's a big discrepancy, but in the notes it says they're still currently spending down their 2024 contract.

Do we know how much money is left for them?

Uh yes, let me pull it up real quick.

That might be helpful with the discrepancy.

And then um the for um CCM, uh they requested 200,000, they're willing to accept 83,000.

Do we have some data behind that delta for that group?

I don't have any information about any of these because I just was doing the PowerPoint.

Um I don't know if Ruth or just sell have any information.

So this is to sell.

Um, it's my understanding that the the agency they set that limit for 83,000, that that's um the minimum that they could receive in order to successfully uh continue the program.

So if that answers your question, yes, thank you.

Okay.

Well, I don't know if it answers my question because I really like what was just asked.

It's the administration nightmare to deal with CDBG.

So like no one should be accepting if they can't really administer it.

It's always a known uh thing for the smaller organizations.

So what are they foregoing or getting for 83 versus 200k?

And it sounds like there's maybe not an answer on that one, or is there an answer?

I uh we would have to get specific information from Donna when she gets back.

All of these microenterprise programs have been functioning throughout this, even though Bellevue paused had to pause their contract, their contract for 2025 didn't start, and all of these agencies have continued to operate their microenterprise programs.

The money has just arrived and they are unpausing their programs now, and they're able to uh get reimbursed for their program back to January 1st.

Um the difference between their request and what they uh what we're recommending for an award to get specific information about what they do with the funding and what that gap is, we would have to wait for Donna for that.

But you all don't have to make final decisions tonight.

I can speak a little bit to it.

Um, it would affect the like so they have service units that they have to complete.

It would affect the amount of service units that they can complete and and the total amount of people that they can help.

So in a microenterprise assistance, like you know, say they can help eight people start a business with 83,000, you know, they could help more with the 200,000 and they have the capacity to do up to that much.

Or they potentially were doing this without any other funding available, and we could potentially pay for the work that has already been done.

That is one relationship I don't know much about.

So I'm I know I'm just probing, but it seems like there's a once again an opportunity to think about it from an angle of is there a more deserving way to distribute this.

And I will say that last funding cycle, they did also request significant, like since the beginning of their applications, they've always requested more than the amount of money that we had to give.

And so, or not more than we had to give, but I think the first one I want to say it was like a three or four hundred thousand dollar request.

So it's they are asking for what would meet the need.

And so that could be a portion of it as well.

Um are these uh capital investment or are they service investment?

These are service investments.

So they run a microenterprise program.

Um for tomorrow, for instance, their business assistance, they help people get a business license, they help them launch a family business or a personal business, they help them maybe learn about marketing.

So they uh the uh central Mexic uh Central.

Thank you.

Um that's also a business assistance program, so they do very similar things.

The upwards boost program is supporting the infrastructure for child care, like we were just talking about.

Um IACS's microenterprise program.

I don't know what they do, Christy.

Do you know what they do?

They also um help create businesses.

Oh, East Business Assistant.

Yep.

So these are services.

Why doesn't they have to draw under the type of grant?

So how CDBG has it broke out is they have it broke out as there's the public services, which are direct services, what we think of a lot of our applications.

They have under other or capital.

So microenterprise is one of the areas under that other that is able to be funded.

Okay.

And so it is um, we don't do capital funding through our um our funding because of the number of rules and regulations that have to be followed, and we have such a small amount of money.

So it's not very impactful within capital.

So or the other as far as the capital goes.

Thank you.

Yeah, the make sense.

And I also have an answer for um for for tomorrow, as far as their spending for their 2024 award.

Um it was a lot larger.

So it was 177,000.

And they just started spending down their 2024.

Sorry, the 177,000 was 2023, and they just started spending down 2024, which was 88, and they have they currently have 81,847.

So any other thoughts that people have.

Our goal tonight is that you guys come up with preliminary recommendations that do not have to be finalized.

And then Donna will be at the next meeting to be able to answer questions.

And if there's questions we can gather and send out information between now and the next meeting, we can absolutely do that as well.

Um, but really our goal is if you go back to this slide 10 is for us to be to come up with what you guys would suggest for recommendations, and they can be fully shifted after the next meeting.

Public hearings sometimes do that.

I guess I just want to make sure I understand.

So for tomorrow still has 81,000.

Yes, for the 2024 contract.

Versus everyone else have spent theirs technically.

Yes.

Showing right here and give more to if we could truly understand more on the oh, is Ali can help me again?

Centro Cultural Centro Cultural Mexicano.

You can also refer to them as CCM.

That's easier.

CCM and potentially give them an extra 40 to 50k.

Would there be a reason that would change that to giving them less?

Like if we ask them how come they haven't spent down.

I I would love to get more information on why yeah, I'm with you.

I mean it's they're just lacking up some of the details right now between those two organizations.

Okay, so we will follow up with a question to um if Donna knows it, otherwise reaching out to for tomorrow's staff around why their spending is so delayed on their 2024 money.

And to the CCM in regards to what can they do with additional funding above 83?

So um Commissioner Perlman, I heard a proposal of take money from here, put money there.

Would you like to say some numbers?

Um so we can have something down, and then you guys can.

I mean, it nothing needs again needs to be concrete.

We're not voting today on that.

I feel like Angela had a really good point about we don't know why they haven't potentially spent all the money.

So while my I will throw out there 40 to 50k move between the two organizations, I feel like I'm doing it without enough information.

Yeah, and we can put down what you would like, and there can still be discussion at the next meeting, and Donna will be here for that.

Do we know what services these dollars are going to for each organization?

Be it in the description, it's kind of vague.

It says a broad range of services, but doesn't give like exact programs.

I know that for the micro enterprise uh, so for tomorrow, IACS and CCM.

It is assistance with starting a business, also with uh job finding.

So they help with marketing, they'll bring in consultants.

Um, they will uh I think they're allowed to support them financially for certain things as well, and teach them how to get a business license.

Uh so different supports for starting a business.

And then um upwards boost.

Um they are an app that helps uh daycare providers.

So that's how they assist them in Portslight's the shelter, and I think that that covers all of them with home repair.

So all of these important like small businesses, correct?

The microenterprise uh programs.

Right.

And we can uh ask Donna to send the applications out so you all can see their applications.

So I have a question about the home repair with the uh I think you guys are can answer about that.

So is there any criteria if we loan a one family or one person a certain amount loan?

There's a limit he can apply for next one after two years or three years, maybe the same.

There, I may not know the most current numbers, but when I used to oversee this position, it was a 30 a maximum of 30,000 per year with up to 50,000 per lifetime.

50,000.

Um, and it was previously lower than 30, and we increased it because the cost of replacing a roof was so expensive.

People were needing roofs and they weren't able to do it with our minimum.

And so the 30,000 is correct, um, but we now go up to 60,000 for a lifetime.

And is there any time limit when they can have or they can have one time 60,000 and keep their files forever so they can do 30 per year and 60 any time in their life?

Um, how many families so far?

Any idea last with this amount we have served?

Uh so do you ask this month?

No, no.

Oh, okay for the last year in 2025.

Um, let me see if I can find the the numbers.

I know we have them, so let me get you the current current numbers.

And is there a limit on this one as well?

Or can we increase this amount?

There'd be a funding full, but there is not the limit, but it was the amount that was requested, was the and so um typically we don't fund more than the requested amount.

And I think that is that a bylaw.

Oh, if there was uh if we could increase the amount for the home repair program.

We did full, it was recommended for full funding.

And Tony, is it correct that we are not by our bylaws?

We're not able to fund somebody above what they request, or has that just been how we've practiced it?

Um, I think it's just how we've practiced it.

We would need to have them resubmit something to consider giving more, but I also could be incorrect.

You guys would definitely know more.

Believe this is our estimate of the work that we can actually do within the program.

Yeah.

Because that's our city administered program that we partner with.

Right, because there are quite a few other agencies that is something similar in this area.

That'd be good.

So if we send out the applications and we get some of the answers to the questions, we can revisit this at the next meeting.

Are you good with that, Christy?

Yes, but great, great.

I'm still trying to find the number.

I thought it was on our dashboard of the household.

So I'll pass it back to you, Chair Singh.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our final agenda item is regarding the Human Services Commission percentage recommendation.

I will hand it over to Ruth to begin this discussion.

Thank you, Chair Singh.

All right.

So then next chart on the giant piece of paper that you have is where the next big body of work starts for you all.

We're gonna be working on this over the next few meetings, unless it uh miraculously gets finished up really quickly, but there's a lot to think about.

So going down the left side of the page are the areas of need that we are going to be funding in the next funding cycle for 2027 and 2028.

And across the top, this is you all's worksheet.

So when we're finished with this process, you will have the column in the right filled out with your recommendations, and those will go to council in January.

And so the second column from the right is the percent of that money that landed in those different categories.

And the third column is what the percentage is without the one-time money, because they called it one time funding one time funding.

So we're not expecting to get it again.

So the fourth column is the staff's initial recommendations that we're making that are based on the third column.

We're not basing our recommendation on the one-time funding because we don't believe we're not expecting that funding to come through again.

So your work over the next few meetings is to talk through these percent percentages and if they represent how you believe the money should be distributed based on the needs update, what you hear from the community, how you believe the funds should be spent at the bottom of the page are two additional groups.

The first one is youth programs, and as the mayor uh reminded us, funding for youth is an important category for us to keep in mind, and our goal is to not go below 23% of the funding going for youth.

It's a target.

Um, we don't know what kind of applications will come in.

We don't know if we will be able to meet this 23% or not, but it is a goal.

And below that is the culturally and linguistically specific programs, and our target there is not to go below 20% 26% of the funding going to culturally and linguistically specific programs.

The three categories on the left that have purple are the priorities based on the needs update and what we're hearing from the community about things that are uh becoming more difficult for people, and the challenges that are coming from federal cuts.

That's shelter, shelter-based programs and transitional housing, financial assistance, and food and basic needs.

So that said, any questions and any thoughts on how you might start to form your proposals?

Yes.

Can you please just explain again the first column and the second column?

Yes.

The first column is how the percentages landed when we put in the one-time funding from council.

So some of the percentages went up with their funding, and some of them went down.

Okay.

That second column is how much of that extra funding went in each category.

So of the additional funding that they gave, 3.28% went to shelter.

Okay.

8.25% of their funding went to child care and early learning.

Okay.

For instance.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Yeah.

And can sorry.

Can you remind me what the extra fund the total amount of extra funding that it was like two million?

What was the extra?

Christy has it right in front of her.

Per year, it was 2.7 for two years, but per for the first year it was 1.3 and 1.4 for the second.

Okay.

Thank you.

Chris asked me that question earlier before the meeting, so I knew the numbers.

I guess I'll start.

It's the same two.

Yes.

So my concern is that you have a lot of categories.

Yes.

And when you have a lot of categories, we we might essentially struggle where we have something that's like 1.5%, and we believe like this category, like the medical and dental, knowing you have very few organizations that do this, but knowing that more and more people are going to lose their medical insurance here right around the corner.

I just don't fully understand how we could maybe have this many categories not because that leaves us without a lot of flexibility to get things potentially done versus combining some of these together to help us potentially spend money even more wisely.

That would be my initial take on this.

I just want people to maybe have a reaction to my statement.

It will be depend on the organizations which provide these services, they will apply, then we have to look.

Correct.

Yeah.

Like the international health IT, what is it?

International.

Yes.

So they're big here.

They're usually the ones who provide the medical.

I think they're just a very few that do the dental as well.

But if if you have more people without insurance under the new potential rules, you maybe right now you're in a lull, but I remember in the past we've had a lot more dollars being asked from them.

And if you may need the three percent of all your spending, and again, this is like your preventative because something goes wrong.

People are going to ER versus doing some of the preventative that they could do to keep themselves healthy.

Look like you have a question.

Yeah, definitely the uh I'm more concerned about the behavior in a mental health crisis coming.

Yeah.

That's the area we need to focus.

And the what was the organization?

IH you said I see.

Do we fund in the past?

We did the last 10 years probably.

Okay.

And I think there was one other organization from last funding cycle that was the only one that had the mobile dental.

Um truck.

We currently only fund ICHS for their dental.

We did not fund their medical program in the last funding cycle.

So again, I'm gonna maybe my my sense is that I agree with the statement that the behavioral health is very important.

I however would have considered if we could combine some of these categories, maybe adding the medical and dental into that, because one a lot of times bleeds into another uh in some conversations.

Um navigation of legal and case management and looking at the survivor advocacy and safety from violence, because drawing blank on the organization that does domestic DV here, legal services.

There are a couple of them, okay.

Um they potentially do both.

Yes.

So by splitting it, I would I think again we're sort of putting ourselves in a bind with these programs and being like not funding them enough.

But if you put in it together, you may have more dollars collectively.

And good things to talk about.

I think one thing just for awareness is part of behavioral health, is it has a different funding source.

Um, so even when combined, it may not actually create more flexibility because you might be moving medical or dental into a pot with something that's got its own funding source and demands it be spent a certain way just for awareness.

And we will be uh with your recommendations, there will be a contingency plan that will give you all when the applications actually come, the uh some flexibility to change the percentages.

If, for instance, there are no applications that come in for survivor advocacy, but it says that 2% of the funding goes there.

The contingency will allow you all to move the percentage that you need based on the applications.

And um, there will be some changes as we like plan ahead.

A lot of uh there might be less people because I know there's a rental market, um, not that much people moving in the country.

So there must be some changes we have to balance out, like behavior health and other needs, which is needed instead of shelter, maybe less funds needed in the shelter this year.

Look into the changes coming as we discuss that mental health and behavior health and Medicare will be cut, but there must be less people looking for a shelter or something like that.

It's interesting.

I guess I think of it slightly different design shelter and shelter-based programming transitioning housings for the individuals that have lost their homes due to higher cost of living, which continues to increase, unfortunately.

The rents might be about the same because you're right, there's some fluctuations with unemployment, but the individuals will still be losing homes that they are currently in because it's costing more to buy food, and you have a medical expense that comes up that's unexpected, and you are it's actually I think on an increase from what I understand.

That means everything is increasing with we are looking.

Right.

And the food, I mean, talk about all of the food programs, they are overrun.

Yes.

I'm just reflecting to the needs assessment and the policy changes that are happening where hard.

Okay.

How does this reflect the need assessment?

So how did you take the needs assessment and come up with uh these new categories or percentages?

That's a great question.

So uh a couple of the changes in the categories were because of the funding that Tony just mentioned.

So we separated behavioral health and medical and dental because behavioral health does have access to the BHHRS funding.

And so we separated those two categories out.

We also got very few applications for medical and dental, and we get lots and lots of applications for behavioral health.

The fostering well-being in the face of hate, bias, and discrimination had been a category under the ARPA funding.

And the uh needs update, the focus groups, um, and what we heard from agencies is that the issue of bias, hate, and discrimination is on the rise currently, and we have some agencies that we fund, and this is uh this is an element of their work, but they were funded under a different category, and so we created a specific category to address that because we heard that it's a pretty specific need in the community that's unmet, and then financial assistance was separated out because the council wanted is specifically interested over and over again in uh supporting people to keep them stably housed when they need help with rent.

Um, and so that's where that category came from.

Did that answer your question?

Yeah, thank you.

You're welcome.

And then I'm guessing the percentages also tell the story of where our priorities lie.

So I guess the follow-up to my original question is uh how did the need to report uh impact the decisions of the priorities in the numbers?

question yeah thank you you're welcome and then um i'm guessing the percentages also tell the story of where our priorities lie so i guess the follow up to my original question is uh how did the need to report uh impact the decisions um of the priorities in the numbers yeah so the percent the staff recommendations have the three categories in purple are the the needs that have uh come out as the most critical with what's happening currently and what we heard in the needs update and then the percentages were based on both the needs update and what we saw with prior funding um and they aren't that we re-categorized based on the new funding categories we took the 204 24 25 funding and we uh rework it into these categories and our our funding recommendation recommendations are fairly close to what the funding has been with a specific focus on the three purple groups great thank you and just one more follow up question um so if the top three categories are our most need that came out of the the needs report why doesn't the percentage show why doesn't that show up in the percentages we gave them so uh you can recommend that those funding percentages are increased or decreased as the staff we just uh sort of followed what had been we sort of weighed how funding had fallen before and what the needs update showed and the and our recommendations are a starting point for you all to really talk through and think about how you think the funding should be distributed so it's literally just creating a starting point so just to uh clarify these numbers are just based off of the last funding cycle they're not based off of what we found out in the need we put this cycle well the the one thing that happened before these percentages landed was we created we changed the categories so when we created fostering wellbeing that's a brand new category and that category was born out of the needs update and it is now a specific category of funding and that wasn't there before and the um financial assistance wasn't a category before and we've called it out more specifically so it's kind of a combination of both sort of flat percentages in some ways but new categories and uh a slightly different emphasis thank you you're welcome question go the math on the fostering well being I just want to make sure I understand 4.82 no one time funding or was there one percentage but then you're saying without one time funding it's a percentage bigger yeah kind of the one time funding kind of dilute it so yeah because it made the pot bigger so it made the the one time funding it'll be your mic's if you add in the one time funding it kind of might dilutes it and because none of the one time funding was dedicated to this thus the overall percentage with the dollars was smaller.

So if you take that back out and then this part of funding they did get funded they made the percentage go up okay out of a hundred got it I had a quick question or were you gonna say something Ruth no I had a quick question on housing stability and a um example of what would be different that wouldn't fall under financial assistance or shelter shelter based programs and transitional housing so housing stability is any services that support somebody in staying in their housing so the financial assistance is separate so some of the BHH what is it BHRS I call it housing stability because that's easier for me um funding so supports on site services so case management on site to be keep somebody housed counseling on site to keep somebody housed anything that is

So housing stability is any services that support somebody in staying in their housing.

So the financial assistance is separate.

So some of the BHH, what is it?

BHRS, I call it housing stability because that's easier for me.

Um funding supports on-site services, so case management on site to be keep somebody housed, counseling on site to keep somebody housed, anything that is directly related to keeping somebody in their housing, other than the financial assistance is really what it's around.

Sorry, I took a bite.

So, like some of the programs are currently being funded are housing connector, um, imagine housing resident services, porch lights, house.

Oh no, that's actually we moved into a different category.

Um community homes, their housing stability program for individuals with um adults with developmental disabilities, hero house supportive services for people um with behavioral health issues.

Um, so those are some of the just we're looking at this.

This isn't the real chart.

I had you have it so I can sort it all out.

If there's any specific categories, people are like, I want to know what falls on this, I can easily pull that together and send that out.

And I also is what I was gonna say earlier is that we we had a lot of conversations.

So Chris, you keep saying, well, you know, how did you do this?

How did you come up with these numbers?

We were looking at the needs update, we were looking at past numbers.

We aren't our job is not to we don't want to totally come in and like, oh, we don't think this area should be funded because it's that hard decision.

Every like it's they're all human services, they all allow people to be a be contributing members of the community and have their needs met.

So that is one of the challenges.

So we had a lot of conversations across staff where I would say, oh, I think that this one needs three more percent, and Andrew would be like, I think this one needs three more percent.

And so it is, you know, we didn't move the needle as much because it was what what do we think as a collective group?

And now that it gets to be your greatest challenge of of a collective group, how what do you think it should be any other question?

Yeah, with the mayor c comment earlier today, she was um saying the prevention um really helped uh uh prevention in early childhood intovening in early childhood uh prevent uh crisis uh further down the road.

So I'm curious how we feel about that, and I'm curious how that might show up in the numbers because if we did take a position that intervention in elite childhood would really uh you know makes our dollar stretch more in the long run.

Uh would that mean that we would want to prioritize more percentages for like behavior health and child care as opposed to financial assistance, but on the other hand, if we agreed that these three topics are our top three priorities, shouldn't the percentage reflect uh the choice, if that makes sense so basically you were saying like other top three, one is 32 percent, eight percent, and eight per close to eight percent, but we have a youth 29 percent.

If we have to focus more on youth, it should reflect that, correct?

I think below the blue call the blue row, yes, signifies something different, correct?

Yeah, can you ask that again?

Oh, so the the road below the blue line signifies something different.

Can you speak to that a little bit?

Yeah, thank you.

It's a little confusing.

So the bottom two categories where it says youth programs.

That is looking at everything above.

We pulled out everything that was funding for youth as a category because that is a priority that we heard from council.

And for the 2025-2026 funding, 22.72% of the funding went to youth.

And so our goal is to not spend a lesser percentage on youth moving forward.

It's a target.

We don't know if that's possible based on whatever applications come in or other decisions that you all made.

But just to know that's a uh category that, as she mentioned, is important.

And so 23% would be a target.

The second category at the bottom is the culturally and linguistically specific programs, which were a huge need, probably the biggest need in the needs update as a category, not as a specific need, was the need for culturally and linguistically specific services.

And that was in the last funding cycle, 25.44% of the funding went to agencies that provide those services.

And so our goal is to try not to fund less than that, so 26%.

But both of those are just targets to keep in mind, and they those decisions will have to we'll have to see how that's going.

We have a spreadsheet that will tell us how we're doing as you are funding things.

We'll be able to track how those percentages are coming out.

Did that answer your question?

Yes.

So just for example is 25, 23% is our target for youth program.

The category of shelter, about 23% of that funding should be going to shelter for youth services.

Not necessarily.

It's across the entire pot.

So if you have a million dollars, about 230,000 should go towards youth.

Doesn't matter.

It's not part, like we might be much lower on the shelter side for that, but we might be on the food and basic needs, could be like 90% all for youth.

Um the behavior health needs.

Yes, for example.

Yeah, that's another way to get to 25% to.

Um it comes back to my question.

Well, like there's these top three priorities, which the numbers aren't telling the story that there are top three right now, uh except uh shelter.

But in the bottom rows, um, it says that youth is obviously a top priority because we want about 25% of funding to go to the youth.

So is that why these numbers kind of fell?

No, and and I think what I'm hearing from you, Commissioner Hayes, is that you're perhaps interested in increasing the percentages of funding, and you are uh definitely encouraged to propose any changes that you might make.

I'm I'm more interested in kind of uh promoting this discussion to the commission to kind of uh uh explore explore if our top priorities are really these three categories, because if they are, the numbers should reflect that.

However, if the commission thinks that stance saying no, we feel like youth uh is really one of our priorities, uh then we would have the framework into going into uh deciding uh these percentages that make sense.

Yeah, but Chris, maybe turn that around a bit is that in all of these three top priorities, there's probably a lot of services that are for children.

So that will be impacting children.

Uh I I like where you're going with if these are the three priorities, percentages should be higher.

The only way to get there is to the point I was making is that we have to combine some to make sure that there's some dollars associated with all of these important things that will be coming in for funding.

Because as soon as we say financial assistance, right now it's six percent.

If it's really our top priority, should be a 10.

Making it up, not a proposal.

You just scrapped at least one of these categories.

And the way to only potentially continue keeping that on our radar is to combine some of these together to make sure that the dollars are still could go to some critical programs, even though they might not be standalone percentage.

Yeah, um very good point.

Yeah, that's kind of what I was um um exploring when I said when I was discussing the uh youth program uh target.

Um I was wondering if a lot of these categories had youth syllabus like show two.

And so one way to get to like the 250 or 25% is making at least 25% in each column is going towards youth services.

So that's kind of um that's why I was asking Steph how that goal impacted the percentages in the categories.

I'm guessing hope link.

Who else do we find that does the family shelter?

Not any housing.

You have hotels, right?

That we fund some vouchers to someone, I'm sure.

I don't think we have any voucher programs currently.

We have um the archdiocese, which used to be a CCS is one of the family shelters, um uh friends of youth, they serve um 18 to 24 and also have a program for young children, so two different programs, and then Porch Late, which is our men's shelter, and Sophia Way, which is our women's shelter, and then we do have some other um permanent housing programs.

Hope link does have some shelter units, but they also have a housing program.

Um MCR MAPS MCRC has a transitional housing program.

You know, I'm forgetting at least one.

Oh, for for tomorrow has a um temporary housing assistance program.

And then for food, uh we funding the Bellevue School District and back fast than those are the bigger ones, right?

Yeah.

Um something that you had mentioned about the mayor.

While I totally respect the priorities that the council has, the great thing about our human service commission is that we have the needs update and it's the voice of the community and the people that serve the community.

And so while like prevention would be great, right?

It's I don't think we have the privilege at this time to like focus on upstream preventative measures just because of the 180-page human needs assessment that came out, right?

Like the update.

And so I think uh when it comes to that that part of what she mentioned, um, I I we I just don't we just don't have the privilege to look at both um the critical, the most critical needs of our community, as well as what other programs that we have that could be upstream preventative, unless it intersects some way.

And so I wouldn't worry too much, like I'm not gonna worry too much about like um Mayor Robinson's uh preventative, whatever it was, um value of prevention.

Um we value that very much, but we're also we have very we have a lot of things that we need to focus on when it comes to the critical needs of our community.

Um I do agree with a lot of what commissioner Olga said and Chris with your questions.

Um and I think that um what else?

Oh shoot, there was another thing.

I just had a great thought, but that's it.

But that's it.

I think that's what I that's mostly what I want would want to say.

Ruth already said this, so it probably doesn't need repeating, but I know it's this is a new process, so I want to make sure as you think about things, you're factoring it in.

Um Ruth and the team have also drafted uh something that Ruth referenced as a contingency plan, and maybe that would be helpful for them to get between now and the next meeting because for example, we recognize exactly what Commissioner Perrellman has been raising that like if if we get a hard and fast number, wait a minute.

And so the contingency plan allows for example, which you all would get to draft the contingency plan yourselves as well.

So they'll bring you a draft, but then you would get to adjust it of like a plus or minus two percent flexibility on any category based on the applications that we actually receive.

So that will be a part of the package that gets sent to council.

So you could think of that.

Um you know, I don't know, Commissioner Perylman, if that addresses what you're but I I think that might address what you were speaking to when you were talking about the possibility of combining that might also be able to be addressed through that contingency plan of just recognizing the need of we don't have the applications in front of us, so we need a little bit of flexibility here while setting these as um the targets.

I agree with and I think that's a good point.

Uh I'm more concerned, like some of these categories are so small, the two percentage points sort of like it did doubles it, then it makes us look like we didn't have it together.

And that was how much funding they've gotten.

So I I just go back to the medical and dental.

We're in such a different world by the time these applications come in that there's a potential that we're gonna get a much higher percentage.

We might not.

Yeah, but I know over the years we've gotten a lot more requests than with the current what we had before to now, a lot of people losing their medical insurance.

Yeah.

That was a thing I was seeing that a lot of new things are coming and new funding and there might be something not changes we have to decide on that.

Just uh one thing I want to say as we're um running out of time is that um over the next few meetings as you all are working that on this combining categories is an option that you can propose.

I will bring the contingency draft to see if that can address the issue or not.

And uh more to come.

Uh since I get the pleasure of not being here a lot next time.

Um I'm if I don't if you don't mind, I would like to propose some of these combined things today and see if others feel like it's I'm gonna on the path that makes sense or doesn't make sense if that's okay by other um I do by the way think that on a financial assistance, I would encourage for us to increase the percentage at least by two points uh financial assistance.

Yes, so that would be my first one.

And then um I I'm not sure how we want to think about the housing stability as a separate item.

I I hear the difference and I hear that it's a priority.

It it feels like it's one of those things that I would combine with the financial assistance, but I just because of the organizations that you're funding and that, but I then on the next one is that the survivor advocacy and navigation and legal and case management.

I definitely would recommend we look at that as a combined nine percent.

So you're suggesting moving the where you're getting the extra two for the financial assistance is by then having instead of be a combined eleven and combined nine.

Yeah, gotcha.

I gotta give somewhere, right?

Um I I hear you point about that there's separate funding on the behavioral health, but it's probably not a hundred percent, maybe from that.

So I I would recommend potentially pulling the medical and dental together, but I will um because medical and dental right now is at one percent, and that just seems we are gonna be at odds with that category.

Um fostering well being.

Um being um I like how it's a standalone category, but I also wonder if others would be okay if we do add that to the survivor advocacy and navigation and legal and case management.

I don't want to lose sight of it.

I think it's a really important one, but maybe and I don't know if we're gonna get six percent.

But maybe that one when we do combine it drops by another percentage point, and we give it to the food and basic needs to make it 11%.

Huge changes, but it gives us more opportunity.

Thank you.

So, Ruth, anything else?

So just full step to clarify uh the CBG grant we're gonna adopt next week, but the percentages for this we have a couple months to hash out or uh you have uh October and it uh because it goes to council in January, you all should be completed and have voted before the end of November, hopefully by the first our first meeting in November.

So this uh the percentages of buckets go to council before we decide the funding for the organization.

Okay.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Anything else?

Could I propose and please anybody staff or uh commissioner Perlman that maybe we type up what we heard from you as a separate document and somebody run it by you, make sure we captured what you said well, so that we can bring it and it can commissioners can have it in front of them at the next meeting.

Sounds good.

Yeah, just that was complex and in depth, and I want to make sure that if you're not going to be able to be here, they can reference it.

Does that make sense?

Great.

Because I looked up the time where I'm gonna be, it's gonna be 5 a.m.

I don't think I really want to follow up.

Yeah, yeah.

This is a way your voice will still be at that table.

You're done?

Actually, and then just a quick um question, it doesn't have to be answered now, but to have for the next meeting is what would be the potential harm of eliminating a category?

Because we don't know that either.

So um if that that just doesn't exist.

So I think, yeah.

And I know we only looked at the one cycle before these numbers, and I know that took a lot of effort to pull together if there's anything at all for even those like top three categories.

You could tell us on what was the the prior cycle funding cycle, it may just be insightful.

Um the prior cycle had all the ARPA money in it, so it was um bloated.

Um would that be a correct statement?

And I think in addition to that, it also had very specific things that could fund.

So there were some categories that couldn't be funded through the ARPA funding.

Go back 10 years.

I'll I'm just no, we had that conversation internally because I said, well, this one is looks skewed because if we went back the next year and Ruth was like, I don't know how to do that with the okay.

Thank you guys.

We are running out of time.

And as a reminder, our next commission meeting will be on Monday, October 20th.

The public hearing on October 20th invites public to give input on the funding, like C D BG.

Um following the public input, the commission will vote for these proposed CDBG allocations.

This concludes our meeting.

We are adjourning at 8 p.m.