Good afternoon, everyone.

Welcome to the committee and culture committee meeting for Thursday, March nineteenth, two thousand twenty six.

Let us stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Approval of minutes for our March 5th, 2026 committee meeting.

Is there a motion?

I move to approve.

I second it.

Motion by Councilmember Taylor, second by Councilmember Hempel O'Rani.

All in favor?

Motion carries 3-0.

We have one item on our agenda for this afternoon.

That is a presentation from a housing and human services.

This item will be presented by the director of housing human services.

Stuart Campbell.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, everyone.

And as you said, I for the record, I'm Stuart Campbell, the director of the Department of Housing and Human Services.

And as important as affordable housing is, and it is definitely very important, I I am also very delighted to talk about all the other things that HHS does because we uh we do quite a bit.

So is there a clicker?

Stewart so pro at this.

Uh okay.

All right.

So I uh apologize to uh council members Taylor and Hempel Ironic because some of this will be redundant to some of the slides you have already seen, but um we are definitely going to be focusing more on the services side.

And I'm hopeful that we can have a uh robust discussion afterwards as well.

So I do like to start off by just pointing out that uh where HHS is currently housed, our headquarters, we actually are in um technically five different buildings.

Um, but uh the one that is our um sort of uh flagship building is a historic building.

Um so if you can go to the next slide.

Um it is a uh former train station is constructed in 1854.

Abraham Lincoln addressed supporters in 1862 there.

Um and it was uh apparently Frederick at the time was very popular for folks who wanted to get out of uh Washington.

Um so both Oliver Wendell Holmes, Ulysses S.

Grant used the station on trips when they came up here.

Next slide.

The agency itself is actually uh has some history.

Um it was created in 1968 as a nonprofit community center.

Um and it was uh remained a nonprofit for about eleven years.

Um and uh in 1979, the Frederick Community Center became an agency of the city officially.

Um in 1989, the Health Center for the Homeless was created.

In 1993, it became a federally designated community action agency for Frederick County, and it it it remains today, uh community action agency, one of 17 in the state.

Um who attend community schools, um, and really any student who is um it's welcome to seek primary services there as well.

Um the FCAA became the Department of Housing and Human Services in 2019, and then uh last year our second HHS location uh fully opened at 6040 New Design Road.

Um we have had a food bank just a a couple buildings down on All Saints Street, so um.

But this is our really our satellite, first satellite office that we've ever had.

So next slide.

Um kind of staying on um the location in uh new design road for a minute.

Um the uh in 2025 we opened New Design Road to uh create uh we created there, I'm sorry, uh a food pantry.

Um we have a computer lab that um we utilize uh or will be utilizing.

It is very brand spanking new.

Um we are just putting, we just got the the laptops last week and we'll be putting screens on the walls um very soon.

Um but that will be used by our team primarily to provide housing counseling, uh budgeting, any sort of training um that we want to uh provide uh both internally and externally.

And I'm hopeful that at some point it will be open to other nonprofits who want to come in and utilize the lab uh for any sort of community-based services or training that they want to provide.

And a majority of our administrative staff are also on New Design Road.

So it's really got a lot of folks now for a while.

It took a while to get up and running.

It is a former school and it needed quite a bit of work before it was able to be utilized by HHS.

We have about 75 full and part-time city employees and about 350 volunteers each year.

We have a director, assistant director of client services, assistant director of administration, a medical director.

We now have a housing policy advisor in on the leadership team, and then we have a number of division supervisors and of course our our frontline staff.

We uh in FY 2025, the last uh fiscal year we have numbers.

Uh we served over 16,000 Frederictonians uh in 8600 different households.

If you don't mind, I think this is important for us to note.

And the 16,000 Frectonians, that encompasses the county as well.

It does.

It does.

About 41 percent of our clients are county but non-city residents.

Of course, everyone in Frederick is a county resident.

Well, I think that's important to note because from uh for us, the colleagues of the council, particularly when we talk we start talking about funding.

Um we we always have this um conversation in regards to the county um support.

Because and we can I'll kind of get into this later.

I think there's another conversation that I want to evolve into later.

But I think it's important to know when we look at these the 16,000 Fredonians that encompasses county residents or non-county, but county residents and not just city residents alone.

That's correct.

Yeah.

I like to say we we house, feed, treat, and connect low to moderate income residents.

So these are our key divisions, uh client services, which encompasses our homeless services, food and nutrition, outreach and case management, our housing policy division, which is focused on affordability, our housing counseling programs, our medical division, which is our community health clinic, our school-based health clinic, our mental health services, and the health care for the homeless program.

And then finally, administration, which, as the name suggests, is where our finance, compliance, grants, data team, they all a really important core team, they that's where they're housed.

So this is just a a quick snapshot, a list of our comprehensive suite of services.

I'm gonna be go walking through uh a number of different uh examples of these services, but I just wanted to put everything on the screen so folks know we have about a dozen or more different programs that we administer uh at HHS.

So here are some select program overviews, and we're first gonna start with outreach case management and homeless services.

This is really uh, and you can go to the next slide slide, Claire.

This is really um, I would say one of our core services uh and a service that we've really been known for for many, many years for decades, and um has really been, I think, a lifeline for a lot of individuals in the Frederick area who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.

Um we have a number of different activities under this uh this uh department, this division.

Um outreach services.

This is really the team that fans out across the city and and often the county to interact with individuals who are either in encampments or maybe along the creek or we've been called to to come out and look at or to speak with.

And uh we really um uh I I have to hand it to this team because they really spend a lot of time just building that trust that is necessary for, especially for someone who's been homeless for maybe a decade, um, who really doesn't trust government for a number of reasons or any sort of um uh system that they've, you know, the system that they view.

And so it does take time.

It really takes a lot of time.

And I do want to underscore that because homelessness has many, many different faces.

But for the chronically homeless who've who have been experiencing homelessness for years, uh it really will take quite a bit of effort and time to build that trust to help connect them back into services.

So they meet people where they are.

The case management uh team meets with uh clients daily, not every client daily, but every day we are meeting with uh clients, sometimes the same client daily, depending on the uh the time, and maybe someone's in a crisis.

Um they connect folks uh, they do warm handoffs to a lot of the services that are available, and the supports that they need, they help with obtaining an ID if they need one, um, getting on to um uh SSDI, Social Security um assistance, food stamps, anything, uh Medicaid to help them uh stabilize their lives, and and then of course a big part of it is getting them back into housing, um, which is um really a uh a big part of this division.

We have, in fact, um team permanent supportive housing units on our campus.

And then I think we have three other buildings that have scattered sites.

One of them is is owned by the State, but we rent for a dollar a year.

Uh and then we um have scattered site uh and it's a mix permanent supportive housing and vouchers.

Um we administer a very small handful of vouchers uh to folks who um they are tenants there, they they live there, they pay the rent, um, and we continue with case management for anyone who who needs that.

Another uh thing that we do is transportation.

Um it is um really difficult at times for folks to get to appointments across town, um, especially when you need to be at one appointment uh uh on the central, you know, in downtown and another appointment maybe up north.

Um so the the bus system, though, has really made a tremendous impact.

It's it goes a lot more places, it's it's free.

Um so we actually have seen the demand for transportation decline a little bit, which is a good thing.

Um we want to increase mobility and and independence.

Uh so um but we're still there, folks really need assistance, and we do still a fair amount of transportation.

Stuart, on that transportation, um that runs describe how that runs.

Explain how that runs, around the clock, certain hours.

Yeah, it's not around the clock.

It's it's really uh on demand.

Um we don't have a regular schedule.

We have a fleet of uh of sprinter sprinter vans that are city vehicles that uh are case managers and outreach teams or are they have to go through training and driver's license and all that kind of thing.

Um, but then they are able to take folks to different places that um that they need to go.

Uh so it's it's really it's uh not a like I said, it's not a schedule, and it certainly isn't 24 hours.

Um it is going to be within business hours because really where we're taking folks' appointments, uh things like that.

Um I was glad that you mentioned in regards to the transportation, particularly from the transit aspect and um of course being free, but secondly, I was I was glad to see just recently um my our colleagues, Councilmember Duck and Councilmember Knapp, uh former Councilmember Russell had uh we had discussion about recruitation tax and now more access to these transit routes and uh um access to transportation, I think is uh is going to be a definitive plus for for our community residents, um, particularly if we talk about um certain populations in which um we service in regards to the access to transportation.

Um sometimes transportation can be a luxury for some, but others it's it's not that luxury.

Absolutely.

And that is that is very, very true.

And while this is not the jurisdiction of this council, it is particularly a challenge in the county where transportation is not as regular.

And we do some transportation outside of the city if someone really needs to get to a specialist, or we really try and reconnect folks with families as well.

That's another thing I will say.

On a few occasions, we will cover the cost of a bus ticket if someone can demonstrate that they actually have some place they are going.

We are we are not in the business of offloading.

We don't want to or dump uh anyone uh elsewhere.

But if they are able to show us that they have a stable situation that they are going to, we we will help get them there.

I mean, really at the end of the day, we want to make sure that they are uh in a much more stable, healthier situation.

Um who is eligible for transportation?

I'm sorry?

Who is eligible for transportation?

It really is any of our clients who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.

Um folks who have low to no income are the ones who we predominantly uh work with.

And then I mentioned this already, um, the housing support, we operate a permanent supportive housing program that provides housing and supportive services.

So there is someone on staff at HHS 24 hours a day because we have residents who call our that building their home.

Um we have 15 units that can house up to 17 individuals, and we provide 24-hour assistance for crisis intervention and anything along those lines.

Um this is not your typical apartment management, it is trained case managers who can help folks navigate through a difficult evening or crisis or conflict.

So I feel fortunate that we were able to see a lot of these facilities during our onboarding time.

And the permanent supportive housing is uh you know a terrific lifeline for a lot of people.

Do you feel like what what we have here now is adequate, or do you see, or do you hope for the future that we're able to have more?

Uh I mean, like how how well is it meeting the need?

Yeah.

So it it is not meeting the need.

I mean, there's always a need for more permanent supportive housing, and that's anywhere across the country you'll you'll find that.

Um it's particularly at risk right now because the current administration on the Federal level has decided that permanent supportive housing is not what they really are interested in, even though it is an evidence-based successful, uh it has the highest success rate of all of the interventions.

Um right now the annual continuum of care funding that the city receives pays covers about 90 percent of the amount of the award is towards permanent supportive housing, and they're gonna be reducing it next year if they have their way uh to no more than 30 percent.

So it will be a pretty significant cut.

Um, you know, I I think the city, even though it will certainly cost us the city is in a better position to weather that.

Um I am concerned about the nonprofits uh around the area who um who will have a harder time.

Interestingly, the the largest permanent supportive housing recipient in the in the state is the Maryland Department of Health.

Um they run the PATH program.

Um so they they are statewide are gonna be hit pretty hard if if this program is changed the way it was.

Um the way they've projected they want to change.

So do you think a potential solution, maybe not solution, but alternative or another path would be similar housing first, but supplying three months of rent and the ongoing case management until they are able to sustain that income and then step away.

So it wouldn't be us owning that apartment complex.

So what you are describing is a program called rapid rehousing and it is a very effective program.

So it's important to for context that about 80 to 90 percent of people experiencing homelessness are really briefly homeless.

Rapid rehousing for the vast majority of people experiencing homelessness is very effective.

We also get rapid rehousing funds through both the emergency solutions grant program, which is a Federal program, and the homeless solutions program, which is a state program.

So the State has annually about 15 million that they distribute through the same mechanism that the COC through a competitive through continuum of cares across the State.

And a big part of that, the majority of it, I think, is rapid rehousing.

So yes, it is very effective, but for some populations it will they will always need the supportive piece of that.

And I can't remember, do we have rapid rehousing?

We don't, but we have um Beyond Shelter does, uh and they're our partner in that.

Yeah.

All right.

Next slide.

So let's uh look at food and nutrition.

Um this is uh really, I think many folks are familiar with our food bank, um, but we have a number of other programs.

We operate two food banks or food pantries, one at uh our downtown location and the other uh New Design Road, or also known as Trinity.

Um we serve about 950 households per month.

Um what I'm really excited about is we've recently introduced in our downtown location a client choice model.

It's much more of a a grocery store kind of a feel where folks can go in and select what they want.

Previously and historically, a lot of food banks would provide a pre-prepared bag, and um maybe you get one of this category and one of that category, and for many people uh they'll, you know, at the end of the day or at the end of the visit, they'll maybe pull out things that they just wouldn't eat because of either their culture or their diet or or things like that.

So we recently, uh over the last six months hired a new supervisor of of our food and nutrition program, and she's implemented this, and I'm very excited about it.

We also have a community table where 365 days a year, we provide a hot meal in the evening to anyone who walks in the door, no questions.

Um, we we uh like to know their zip code or something like that, but um anyone who comes in and we see families come in, um, of course, folks who are experiencing homelessness come in.

A lot of our clients come in, and um this is a meal that's during the week prepared by our culinary specialist, and on the weekend um we have volunteers who bring the food, but every night we rely on volunteers who come and actually serve the food.

So we're very fortunate to um have so many dedicated volunteers.

And in FY25, we estimate that we provided about 30,000 meals over the the course of the year.

Sorry, Stuart.

Back to food banks, how often can people access the food bank?

Um I don't know if it's changed, but uh it's usually about once once a month.

Um but when we go through certain periods where there is a food crisis or we have additional donations, we may allow additional visits, but for the most part, we have to limit it simply because of the demand and the amount of uh resources that we have.

We also have a child and adult food uh care food program.

This is a actually a USDA program that is administered by the Maryland Department of Maryland Department of Education.

This is a program where child care centers across the county are provided a voucher or a rebate for the cost of the food as long as they provide a balanced meal for the kids.

So the we will cover the cost of feeding these children.

So this is really a terrific program.

And I think we're up to about 77 sites now.

So a lot of kids are being being helped by this program.

And then we have the Summer Food Service Program, which is also a USDA program that we have distributed meals to kids during the summer when the schools aren't open and they don't have access to a free lunch, a free lunch program.

Stuart, along with that, Dr.

Winter Campbell, along with that, I know the previous summer food program was at various parks.

Yeah, that's exactly.

And I was just about to say that that we um we also throughout the, especially throughout, we're going to be starting in early April.

We go out to all the parks, we bring um food, uh bags of food for anyone who needs it.

We also partner usually with the county who will have some services there, excuse me, and then others who other service providers will will join us periodically.

Um so we uh I think we try and hit about four or five parks a month to get the food out.

How do you make it known that you're going to be in the park to the neighbors who are nearby?

Because I know that communication has been a big challenge for pretty much all of us in the city because people communicate in so many different ways.

Yeah, it's a it's a great question, and it is something we struggle with.

Um we have uh really started to focus a lot more on social media, uh Facebook, Instagram, letting folks know that we're out there.

Um we have flyers that we put up at the food bank.

Uh we uh I think some of our partners will put out flyers.

So we try and get get it out uh as widely as we can.

Um a lot of our um partners know about it and they'll tell their clients as well.

Um so it a lot of it is word of mouth, a lot of it is is just social media um getting the word out.

But we're always open to new ideas of how to get the word out because it is a challenge.

Um that we we try and innovate uh all the time.

Okay.

Um one thing I will highlight uh is that um we have uh our harvest of hope every year, which is a turkey distribution, and this is just a picture.

Um we do other food events throughout the year, but um, but this is the the biggest one where we distribute about um about 2100 or 1200, I wish 2100, um 1,200 turkeys uh about a week before Thanksgiving.

All right.

Uh so the next is our home energy assistance and weatherization program.

Nope, you can yep.

So the first piece of that is utility assistance.

Um all households in Frederick County are actually eligible for this program.

This is a uh federal program funded through the State, and we are the grantee for these programs, the MEAP program, the um OHEP program, um it you know, it's kind of a uh patchwork of different funding sources that will cover different pieces.

Heating assistance is one program, electricity assistance, past due electric bills, um, past due gas bills, uh heating assistance would uh it's our crisis intervention grant where um when all other resources have been utilized.

Um this is obviously a very very um high demand program, and we often run out of funds before the full year.

So then the other side of that coin is so the utility assistance is the um helping folks pay their utility bills.

The weatherization program is designed to help people keep their bills down.

So through eight different programs, homes of eligible low-to-moderate income households can apply and receive a wide range of weatherization activities to permanently reduce their utility costs.

It starts off with an energy audit.

They do blower doors where they find the leaks.

But they will get very excited about the windows.

So these other funds come in and help sort of fix that issue, and then the utility uh weatherization funds will come in and fix the energy assistance program.

Um next one is community and school-based health clinics.

So we are federally qualified health clinic through the Public Health Services Act.

Uh we are required to uh provide services to anyone who comes in the door.

Um we do have a sliding fee scale from zero to twenty-five dollars up to um uh uh higher if if you're above 200 percent of poverty.

Um we provide primary care services.

Um we provide um pediatric services at our school by self clinic.

Um we have started to um in the last year uh really focus on getting reimbursement through Medicaid, Medicare, and third-party uh insurance.

And we have a new medical director who started earlier this year, Dr.

Jackie Jacqueline Duchet, who uh has really hit the ground running and already started to think of ways to um increase the number of patients we see, try and um uh get more reimbursable activities, services.

Um right now the we receive uh about a third of our funding is through the Federal government, but two-thirds are covered by the city funds.

Um we're always trying to reduce that burden on the city.

Um this is how we've been looking uh to do it.

We've also been going out to different partners and and organizations around the city who work with different populations and trying to figure out ways that we can um become a uh provider of choice for a lot of the folks out there.

Um primary care, mental health, women's health, we have a licensed psychotherapist who offers uh assessments and evaluations and talk therapy uh weekly sessions.

Um he has become credentialed and also be able to be reimbursed.

Our school based oh, yes.

How do you manage pharmaceuticals?

Uh are you able to I mean send people to a pharmacy or like because that could be a large cost too to individuals.

Yeah.

So there's a federal program called the 304B program, which uh helps cover the costs of of prescription drugs.

And um we partner with um primarily Whitzells uh on that program we have for many years.

Uh but uh our providers can write scripts to any pharmacy.

Um sometimes um CVS is going to have a less expensive and just because of the nature of uh pricing for drugs, and so um we we try and help the client.

Um if it's something that is uh we we can't do it ongoing, unfortunately, but if there's um a uh specialist or uh a particular drug or something like that, we will help cover the costs for the initial treatment to uh and then help work with the client to get them connected to benefits or assistance elsewhere.

Yeah, I can see if mental health is a major contributor to some of these challenges.

A lot of the drug treatments are ongoing.

Absolutely.

And you can't just stop them.

And so I'm just expressing concern for the Yeah, no, absolutely, and I completely understand and agree.

Um we have in the past partnered with psychiatrists who can prescribe medication and monitor.

Um our therapist doesn't can't prescribe.

He's not a psychiatrist, but um we we do have partnerships with other specialists who that that we work with.

Um so our school-based health center, uh it's embedded at Hillcrest Elementary.

Um really any student that attends a community school in Frederick County and their families or are all eligible.

Um I think I saw a number we saw uh somewhere around maybe 550 uh pediatric kids in the last fiscal year.

Um so combined, we see between two and three thousand patient visits every year.

Stuart, real quick.

Um is the mobile, the mobile.

Yeah.

Yeah, is that still located in the same patient?

Yeah, absolutely.

And um we're really looking, and that's something Dr.

Dujet is also very interested in doing, and we've started going out more to um uh you know the we do have a mobile clinic.

It's uh it is literally the size of a of like a massive bus.

Um it has two exam rooms in it and uh and sort of a waiting area up front.

And uh one of the biggest challenges is one, it takes a certain type of license to drive it, and then two, we need the providers to go out.

Um but as we've staffed up over the last few months, we've um been able to take it out more.

And and I'm really excited to see uh now that the hopefully someday it'll start warming up again.

Um we will be able to take it out to a lot more locations.

Um it's also a great advertisement for the city.

Um it says City of Frederick on the side, Department of Housing and Human Services.

So uh you know, we we want to be as visible as possible, let people know the services that we provide, including health care, but also all of all of the services that we provide.

Um the last thing I'll just touch on briefly is the housing policy.

It's our last division.

Um it promotes housing affordability.

We um hired a housing policy advisor uh and um it's it is an expanded focus of the department.

Um we'll be working with council planning developers, advocates to um work on identifying ways that we can increase housing, the housing stock and of particularly affordable housing in the city.

So that is my presentation, and I'd love to answer any questions and enter into a dialogue if you have any.

Any questions for Director Campbell?

I have some.

No, no, no, no.

No, I'll just I'll just comment.

I got a lot.

That's why I'm saying that I'm just uh I always want to know like what is your what is your wish list?

What is something that you feel like would really um change the way you're able to provide services in kind of a in a powerful way.

And when I say wish list, I'm not we don't have to be rooted to reality at the moment because we can imagine a different kind of future.

Yeah, yeah.

Well um, gosh, uh you know, I I would love to have a more um I mean I think for our size, we have a pretty robust housing uh and homeless program, but I'd really love to see us expand that and and ramp it up.

Um our food and nutrition uh, you know, food is medicine is uh is a really popular um buzzword these days, but it's very true.

Uh and I know that both Dr.

Dujet and our our um health and nutrition folks are very interested in exploring more about that.

Um I I think our health clinic, you know, I'd love to have uh location out on the Golden Mile.

Um that's one of the challenges is that uh you know our locations right now are more central.

Uh and I'd really love us to get a location out um in the West western side of the city.

Um, I I would love to be able to do provide more robust um mental health services.

Um in particular, a lot of our clients right now, we have a number of clients and sometimes residents that have severe mental health issues, um, delusions, schizophrenia, all of that.

And um, as capable as my team is, none of them are trained uh psychiatrists or psychologists, and and so it's really challenging for them and sometimes we just can't handle.

Um if someone becomes violent or disruptive or potentially self-harming, um we we aren't able to keep them.

And it just breaks my heart whenever we have to um uh send someone out.

Um we work really, really hard to get them connected to Shepherd Pratt, which has been a terrific partner, but they also have limited beds.

You know, there's there's not an unlimited, and this is unfortunately across the country, it's not unique to Frederick.

Um but uh that is I mean it the fact that a country is wealthy as the United States has such a um a poor mental health system um really is is um uh is uh is a shame.

So those are some examples of things that I'd love to see.

I've seen a lot of articles recently about these uh like tiny home villages or um, you know, container sort of it's sort of like a a locking room with a bed, you know, an address or something to keep belongings and then shared other amenities for people who don't have a place to stay.

And one of the advantages, according to the articles that I read, is that um if somebody is working to get a job, like what do they do with their stuff?

And so this kind of provides that secure location.

I don't what what is your opinion about that?

Are are those things feasible?

I imagine that must have come across your desk to see it what some other cities are doing.

Yeah, so um so tiny homes and and secure lockers I kind of see as two different things.

And we absolutely need more secure lockers for sure.

And um uh, you know, we we um we because we're in a historic district, it's kind of challenging to have things outside.

Um but we would love to be able to set up some sort of space where folks can put their belongings, they have the code and be able to feel like their belongings are safe.

Tiny homes is actually a very complicated issue.

Um it really depends on how they're they're implemented.

Um I've seen um I've seen some terrific tiny home communities that look beautiful and they are uh you know the I I always like I always think is this a place I would be interested in moving into, right?

And and would I live here?

Um I think because folks are in a um really difficult point in their lives doesn't mean that we should expect them to just live wherever we give them, right?

And so um so any tiny home community needs to be connected to sewer, water, electricity, um, it needs to be on bus lines, it needs to be near amenities, grocery stores, things like that.

Unfortunately, I've seen a lot of tiny homes that have been placed out industrial areas, off the bus lines.

Um I've seen some that have gates around them and they're muddy and they're security guards.

It's almost like a little prison.

And um that's you know that is not what I would ever want to see in in anywhere in Frederick or anywhere.

But um but I think tiny homes can be a piece of the overall solution because I think the solution to the housing crisis is that we need more houses, we need more units, and we all kinds, right?

And so um and there are a lot of folks who are very well off who want to live in a tiny home.

And um and so uh, you know, uh tiny homes are definitely uh an option piece of the solution.

Share with us how much your funding comes from the Federal Peter.

I'm trying to remember the last uh thing I saw, but it's it's a it's a sizable chunk.

Um it's let me get that.

I don't want to tell you a number that I'm way off because um percentage-wise.

You don't have to give me a lot of the same thing.

Yeah, that's so that's what I'm worried about.

Um ballpark, ballpark, because I'm I'm going somewhere with this.

Okay.

Um well, certainly well over half.

Okay.

Yeah.

That's what I'm saying.

So well over half.

And the reason why I asked that question raise that question because as you mentioned before previously, in regards to the current administration, I know we see from that Federal funding through grants, and of course they they coincide with each other.

And with this current administration's focus not being in that light, then in terms of service providing, it's going to fall on our local municipalities.

This is one of the reasons why I think uh uh kind of this conversation is important for us today in terms of we are only through one year of this administration.

And and the as we see our service delivery models and we see our service providers and we see the needs of our community, that some of this is going to be falling, some of it must be falling on our local municipalities.

We had a meeting last Sunday in regards to various partners who um around the issues of our our immigrant brothers and sisters.

And so I just think it is important for us to highlight and understand, not only for us as a council, but also to the to our community about the responsibility that's that the weight that we will be carrying in the very near future.

I mean, in now current context, but also in the very near future.

Yeah, absolutely.

You know, I think that's a really important point.

Um, as I kind of referenced earlier, uh nonprofits just aren't capable of raising money.

If they were to lose, I mean they can raise money, but to the extent that you know the amount of money they may receive, uh they may receive a single grant um from the Federal Government is that's six figures.

And you know, depending on the size of the agency, it could be more than that.

Um if they were to lose that, they would never really be able to recoup that and find a way to fill that.

I mean, they're uh as a former executive director of two nonprofits, we're scrambling all the time.

We were scrambling, I was scrambling all the time to raise money.

Um it's not like they are sitting on the laurels.

Oh, we have a grant, we're fine.

But if they were to lose such, you know, a lot of the Federal funds that are out there, it would be really devastating for nonprofits.

Cities have a tax base, have the ability to raise funds, all that kind of stuff.

Um I'm not saying that that's not going to hurt, um, but we are in a better position to weather this.

But we are we are in no way in a position to cover all of the loss that we would see in Frederick if all these programs were slashed.

Yes, absolutely.

You you mentioned in regards to we are in position uh firm fund a firm position at the same time as the needs become greater, right?

Then this, of course, you know, puts a I only want to use the word strain, but the responsibility on us.

I think also what coincides when we talk about nonprofit sector is um not only with the Federal Government, but when when the employment thus changes, that also affects persons in terms of disposable income or contributions to nonprofits as well.

So the correlation is uh is related, and I share that because we we talk about the various needs, which I kind of want to go back to your question to my council members, my colleagues question.

You mentioned um your wish list, only the wish list, but your current needs list of homelessness.

Can you talk more in depth about that specifically in terms of the need because we know in terms of housing, wraparound services, immediate services, particularly like that need.

Um I think I mentioned there are a couple of programs that are that are very, very effective and it's evidence-based.

Um one of them is rapid rehousing and the other one is permanent supportive housing.

Um there are um a number of different strategies to address homelessness.

The the basic immediate emergency is that emergency shelter.

Someone there is maybe it's a dorm kind of a situation, a barracks kind of a situation, you go in, you get a out of the climate, uh the elements.

Um, but it is certainly not a permanent solution.

Permanent solutions are um really there are two.

Rapid rehousing and um permanent supportive housing.

Transitional housing is sort of in between those two.

Transitional housing by definition is only for two years.

Um HUD considers someone in transitional housing to still be homeless.

So they they are um still eligible for the other services, rapid rehousing, PSH.

Transitional housing also isn't it it is less cost effective.

It costs a lot more to house someone in a transitional housing than getting them into something like rapid rehousing.

Now permanent supportive housing is the most expensive, but it is also the most effective, and it is for a small portion of the population of people experiencing homelessness.

So if we can increase just hypothetically, providing rental assistance, getting people back into housing on their feet, giving them the services for a relatively short period of time, that is shown to be really effective in getting folks out of homelessness and into into housing.

And the overwhelming majority of folks who experience homelessness are that's the only time they'll ever be homeless.

It is not it is not recurring.

So it's usually a life event.

They they lost uh a job, they lost uh loved one, um there's uh illness, um mental health crisis, uh all of those things can contribute to someone who is living paycheck to paycheck.

And to be frank, and especially in this economy, a lot of people are living paycheck to paycheck.

And if any of one of us who didn't have a network of friends and family were to lose their job, um it would be a crisis.

And so that is what usually precipitates uh someone getting into homelessness.

Um our system kicks in and we do what is called diversion first, which is trying to connect them to individuals in their network who can maybe put them up or help them out, get them through this period.

Um if that doesn't work, emergency shelter, and then um hopefully rapid rehousing uh and and that will get them back in into housing.

That's the majority of folks who are experiencing homelessness.

Um then we definitely need more permanent supportive housing because there are a number of folks who are very um uh in you know it's very challenging for them to stay housed independently.

Oh, I lost my question for just a minute.

So you're describing a scenario where many, many people are are living paycheck to paycheck, and this is I mean true throughout the United States.

Uh so let's say they've lost the job or they've gotten the diagnosis and they're in that crisis.

Uh what tools do we have, and maybe this is outside of your department to prevent homelessness?

Because once they lose their housing, then they become homeless.

But if if they can remain, what tools do we have?

Well, that's where um programs like eviction prevention, um, foreclosure prevention.

We do have uh housing counseling uh housing counselors who primarily help folks with foreclosure.

That's where the program was initially designed, but it also helps folks who uh are experiencing um housing instability as tenants.

Um we're able to uh refer them or connect them to uh beyond shelter um who could then help through MPDU funds or State funds get them, you know, pay for their rearages or get them you know stabilized again.

And uh a lot of times that will help.

Um it depends on the situation.

Usually it is they um can't afford, you know, they they have a choice.

Food, rent, utilities, health care drugs, you know, prescription drugs.

So um one of those is gonna have to give, if not several.

Uh so the programs that are out there are designed to sort of uh bridge that period where um they can get through uh the rough patch.

Now, unfortunately, a lot of times we don't hear from them until it's it's almost too late.

And so you know I would love to see education more education programs and getting the word out that some of these services are available.

That made me think of something.

So recently there was a renterstown hall that the Maryland Progressives put on, and there was a woman speaking who was a renter and had to leave Frederick County because it was too expensive.

Actually I think she moved in with her family even.

And she had never been evicted, but she was late on her rent so that she would have those fees and would always pay them but that would affect her rental history so landlords wouldn't want to rent to her.

So that that was a very interesting issue that I didn't know very much about and I was trying to think of what the term was and I can't remember.

So not yeah non-eviction notice but yeah headed that way.

Right.

Yeah.

I'm I'm not as familiar with the technicalities of the rental and you know I know the State legislature a few years back created an office of tenant and landlord relations and they're they're tasked with sort of looking at things like that and trying to fix some of the barriers.

This is discussed on the housing committees or committees within the within our delegation or within the General delegation General Assembly so I know that is a an issue currently also being discussed as well.

Sold on Frederick 25,000 talk talk us through that.

Sure.

So Soldon Frederick is a downpayment assistance program and we've recently seen a little bit of an uptick in it and it's income based and I can get you the the details of it but uh an individual who wants to or a family who wants to buy a home a first time home in Frederick City can get up to 25,000 in in down payment assistance.

And the challenge we have been seeing is that the cost of housing, cost of buying a home in Frederick has gotten to the point where 25,000 just isn't enough to even get them that home.

So I I'm I know that um Jody Ostec who's the housing policy advisor on my team she's looking at if there's any way we can tweak it or make recommendations on how we can make it more effective because I really would love to see more people take advantage of the Solon Frederick program.

And no previously you mentioned of course we've had various conversations over the course of time regards to health services on the route for to go to mile corridor.

And I know we were in previous conversation with Frederick Health.

Are those conversations continuing in the Yeah we had a conversation just a few weeks back I think we uh we did not have a medical director for a few years unfortunately but since we now do we've really made an effort to reconnect with a lot of our partners I would say Frederick Health has has been involved with a lot of stuff even without a medical director they've been involved in in a lot of our programs and but those conversations definitely are still ongoing and have been rekindled at least on our part and so I'm excited about where will that partnership may take us.

Yes thank you.

Any other questions for Director Camp I have one more so when you're talking about um like funding and the Federal government and what that looks like and how nonprofits a lot of times rely on grants from the Federal government and that's you know that you have more with the city gives some funding.

So what are the discussions or are there discussions with the other nonprofits about like what pieces you're going to potentially have to pick up for them like about expanding your services and then also just coordinating okay who can who can do what if you know what I mean like what does that look like right now well I I will say first off that because of a num a number of efforts on the national level through the court system our Attorney General in Maryland and about 20 others have been taking the the Federal administration to court a lot of the threats that we were worried about have not come to pass fortunately we have not seen a dramatic cut in in resources like we were afraid of I you know I will say that there's people experiencing homelessness there are nonprofit providers all of that in every single member of Congress's district so I think that does help to be frank because Congress has been putting a lot of these things back that the administration wanted to take out but I would say in general we actually have a really good relationship with a lot of our partners we do a lot of um coordination and we're in constant discussions and conversations we do case conferencing when we have the same client who needs assistance that one can provide but the other can't

Uh but I would say in general, we actually have a really good relationship with a lot of our partners.

Um we do a lot of um coordination and we're in constant discussions and conversations.

We do case conferencing when we have the same client who needs assistance that one can provide but the other can't.

Um so I I I'm very I was very pleased when I came to this position to see how good a relationship uh the city does have with a lot of our our nonprofit partners.

And I think that's so important for particularly from a collaborative effort, collaboration in terms of um knowing where how to partner um with each other and also how to share share resources.

We know sometimes resources can be limited, then also recognize that and I know our department does a lot, but knowing that we can't do everything.

Right.

As long as other um providers who do it is the need is a good idea.

We do not want to reinvent the wheel.

Yeah.

Yeah.

The need is so vast.

So appreciate that.

Any other questions?

Um thank you, Director Campbell.

I appreciate it.

I think it's important.

One of the reasons I I wanted to schedule today's hearing or tearing, uh committee, I guess like I'm in Congress.

Um committee um hearing, committee conversation today was as we well know, of course, housing being a major component or component of your department.

We recognize we have had these have housing conversations.

But I think it's also important for us, um, particularly as a committee, because we are um focused on our community and how these various issues affect our residents, also affect our collaborative partners, also affect our budget, and I think it's so important, particularly from a service delivery model, because we do provide we provide a service that we hear these conversations and and they as also they may not be specific or germane to this committee specifically, but they are germane in terms of our budgetary, in terms of our service, also in terms of how we communicate to our residents.

So it also facilitates a number of other conversations that are important for us.

And I think sometimes in committees, it's necessary this has to necessarily be the genesis of the legislation, but it also can facilitate conversations and policy measures that are necessary and needed, not only from this committee, but also from a council perspective.

You know, Councilmember Ronnie, you mentioned particularly from a communication aspect, and Director Kemp is the same thing in terms of how we how we um market services.

That's an important piece for us, not only for housing housing human services, but also of course our city.

How do we communicate our services?

How do we communicate to our residents?

And so it it also opens up another wave of conversation and policy initiatives that are necessarily needed as well.

The other reason is I don't know, I mean as you we heard today, his department has um encompasses such a vast variety of service initiatives and service delivery models.

I think it is also important for us as a committee to understand, particularly sitting in these seats, the empathy that is needed for members of our community in any way we can facilitate that.

And sometimes that doesn't come through legislative or policy measures.

Sometimes that can't that comes on circumstances and viewpoints and how we look at the policies and how we look through those lenses in terms of how we legislate that.

I think that's also an important component about what our committee does, because if we we well know these needs are great.

And I think it's so important that we don't dismiss people, push people to the side.

Um I think it's so important that we understand that um we're to be caretakers of our most vulnerable amongst amongst our population of our people.

I always say this.

Um you mentioned um we are one paycheck.

I always say we we one roof away, one health crisis away, one car breakdown away, one child being sick away from you know from sometimes being in the same position.

And I always say this, it's someone else today, it's me tomorrow.

So we always need to be careful about how we put on the lens of dismissing people who may find themselves in a difficult financial health situation.

And so I always raise that here.

Um also I just want to share with the committee, as we've given these overviews of these various departments.

It's also an opportunity for may something facilitated, but also an opportunity for us to have an understanding about what these various departments do.

Will we be developing the work plans?

I've send an email to my colleagues in regards to in this near future.

We will be developing working plans so that we'll be coordinated throughout the entire year in terms of navigating how we're moving forward.

And so I just want to offer that to my colleagues that that information has been provided.

But these few meetings have just been overviews that may have facilitated, but also an opportunity for us to hear and also your needs in particular from a policy measure standpoint.

So any other closing comments from my colleagues?

Thank you, Director Campbell.

Appreciate it.

But no business before this committee, we are adjourned.

Thank you.