Good afternoon and welcome to the Hampshire City Council work session.

Madam Claire, we call the role, please.

Councilman Bowman.

Present.

Vice Mayor Brown.

Here.

Councilwoman Campbell, present.

Councilwoman Fairby.

Present.

Councilwoman Harper.

Present.

Councilwoman Mudler.

Present Mayor Gray.

President.

And we have a couple of presentations this afternoon on the agenda.

So I'm asking ask the city manager to introduce the first.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

First up today, Deputy City Manager Brian DeProfeo is going to give you all an update on the progress of the city strategic plan update.

As you all know, Hampton has a rich tradition in involving the community and giving us guidance for the future of our community.

And we have been working through various stakeholder engagement groups to see what our community members and other institutional and nonprofit partners believe is up next for our community over the next five to seven years.

Today we're pleased to give you a preview of what we'll share at the community checkpoint meeting on January 22nd, at which residents who have not participated in the smaller work groups but want to see where we're at can come and and hear the report and give their their input as well.

So Mr.

Proprio is going to give you all an overview of that, and we look forward to receiving any feedback you have today, and of course, receiving the feedback from our residents on January 22nd.

All right.

Thank you.

Thank you, members of council.

As Mary had mentioned, we have a long history of uh engaging our community on the important questions facing the city.

Um the history with get engaging the community on the strategic plan actually goes back to the 1980s, and and every so often we have to update the plan.

Like Mary said, it's a five to seven-year plan.

And so whenever we update the plan, we engage the community to make sure that we are really moving the city in the direction that they want the city to go in.

And so it's important that we engage them in that process because they're the ones that we're trying to serve as a city.

One of the key things that we always emphasize as we go through the strategic plan is that it is really a community-based city strategic plan, but the city is not the sole solution provider.

As Mary had mentioned, we engage the community members, we engage the business community, the nonprofit community, and other um key stakeholders to not only help us shape the plan, but also help us implement the plan because the city can't do it alone.

So it's really important as we go through our strategic plan to keep that in mind.

This is not something that the city is going to be the sole um solution provider for.

How we're meeting those objectives that we develop during the strategic planning process.

Really areas that have transformed over the last 20 to 30 years.

And some of that transformation, or that transformation was really some of the stuff that came out of the strategic plan, and of course the investments that we are currently doing in downtown.

We also, our youth engagement efforts, a lot of those have come out of past plans.

Our focus on sports tourism, the 311 call center came out of past strategic plans.

And there are many, many other examples, but it's really important to know that this is what shapes the city's future and really what we work to achieve.

It's not just a plan that sits on the shelf.

One of the key things that we we've been grappling with like every other community, probably on the globe, is that we're really experiencing a period of rapid change driven by new technologies that are creating societal changes and disrupting his historic behavioral patterns.

And it's disrupting how we interact.

There's a lot more interaction through social media now.

We also how we work, telecommuting is more a part of everyday business environment, where we live, how we shop.

I know all of us shop online a good deal of time.

And one of the key emerging issues is artificial intelligence, and that's going to shape how we get things done.

And even as we were finalizing the plan, while we worked with the community members to identify the what of the plan, as we were working to try to get it into one voice, we actually were able to use AI to help us in that process in terms of how we say it, make sure across the seven areas and the seven different different groups that we're working on, the various elements of the plan, that it sounded like it was coming from one voice.

So and we've used AI and other other service delivery, and we're looking to do more of that.

So in terms of the strategic plan update process, as we had mentioned, it's it's really there's a great focus on broad-based community engagement.

We have stakeholder groups that work on our various strategic priority areas and help guide sort of what those look like, and I'll go through those as I get through the plan.

And then we periodically have community checkpoint meetings to just circle back to the community and say, here's where we are, what are your thoughts?

Are we on the right track and get their feedback and then incorporate that into the process?

We also include subject matter experts, and so if we identify any gaps or anything that we think that the community members who are working on the plan might want to consider as they uh as they give us their feedback and help us shape that vision, we bring that back to the community groups, and we say, well, here's something that is an issue.

Do you think this is something that we need to include in the plan, and we get their feedback on that.

So with that, some of the foundational pieces of the plan are the city's um citywide vision.

Um we've had this in place for a number of years.

When we first started this process, we went back to the community, we said, does this vision still make sense?

And they said it does.

And that's we are hampt in a vibrant waterfront community celebrating and embracing more than 400 years of history and innovation to create an even more dynamic future.

We also identified our citywide mission, which is by working together, we provide outstanding public service that makes Hampton a place where people love to live, learn, work, and play.

And then we've also identified our values of accountability, collaboration, creativity, customer service, integrity, respect, and trust.

So those are some of the foundational elements.

The area that we've been working on, you know, more recently is you know, we we've identified these strategic priority areas.

We we refine those over time with community input, um and they include economic growth, educated citizenry, excellence in government, family resilience and economic empowerment, living with water, placemaking, and safe and clean community.

And these are listed in alphabetical order.

Um, and and so that's that that that's the order that that we're using because you know they're all very important.

Um, safe and clean is not at the end because we think it's the least important.

As a matter of fact, many people would argue without a safe and clean community, some of these other things can't get done or certainly would be much harder, but this is just alphabetical order.

Um but you know, what we've been doing with these strategic priority areas is we've been working with stakeholder groups to identify what are our goals in these areas.

Um, what are the strategies that we think will help us meet those goals, what are our vision for for these things?

And so that's what I'm gonna be going through today with you all, and and because that's really the new piece of this that we we've been we've been working through.

Um the first strategic priority area is economic growth, and and just a little bit about how this slide is laid out, and this is reflective of the other slides that will follow.

The um the blue bubble right under economic growth, that is the vision that that the community groups came up with around economic growth, and these blue bubbles on the side are the goals that that uh that they've identified in the process, and then these yellow bubbles are the strategies that support those goals to help help help achieve those goals.

And so I'm gonna mainly focus on the vision and the goals as we go through this.

There's a lot of strategies that certainly you can look, you you can review and ask questions about, but um, but I'm gonna mainly touch on the the vision and the goals.

And the vision for economic growth is Hampton propels economic growth and innovation from the seed to the stars.

And those goals that are associated with that vision are to attract and support a diverse, thriving business community.

Um is thriving and growing, and help residents and businesses succeed through strong workforce development.

One of the key things that businesses are looking for when they're looking at coming to a community or expanding in the community as your workforce.

Do you have the workforce that's going to help that business succeed?

So that's really critical in economic growth, and and you'll see this in other areas because of course giving people opportunities also creates opportunities for them to improve their their lives under sort of the family resilience and economic empowerment section.

So you'll see that come up a few different places, and of course, it also comes up under educated citizenry.

Um the uh additional goals for economic growth are to create a high quality of life that attracts residents, talent, and investments, and to make Hampton a premier destination for history and sports.

Of course, we're one of the first communities that was founded on the continent, and so you know, we have a lot of history here, a lot of a great story to tell, and sports tourism has become a big piece of our uh of our local tourism industry over the years with Boo Williams Sportsplex, the Aquaplex, and and other events and and venues that we have in the city.

Um the next area is educated citizenry.

Um the vision for that is Hampton is a diverse community of learners for life.

And one of the things to think about in terms of educated citizenry, and this is reflected in the first goal here is build strong relationships that strengthen education in Hampton.

Is Hampton is not really, you know, that the city itself is not a major or a core um education provider.

You know, those are places like Hampton City Schools, Hampton University, the community college, other educational institutions in the city, and so really part of what we're doing is is partnering with those other elements that provide those direct education opportunities in our community to really uh to really um move this initiative forward.

So that's another example of you know, we need to work with community partners.

Um we do provide what we typically would refer to as informal education opportunities, like through our libraries, our museums, and our parks and rec programs.

So we do have a role to play in this in a direct way, but you know, we we are will be most successful if we're working with with some of those key providers that I had mentioned earlier.

And the the last goal in this area is to ensure lifelong learning opportunities, these opportunities are accessible for everyone.

The next area is excellence in government, and that's the area that really speaks to the service delivery that the that the city provides to our community, and and the vision around that is Hampton is a leader in innovative, collaborative, and effective governance.

And the goals include Hampton embraces new ideas and tools that make services faster, simpler, and more innovative for residents, as I'd mentioned.

One of those emerging tools that we think that we're trying to leverage to do that is artificial intelligence because we really want to want to use that to provide better services for our our our residents and people who are investing in our community.

Um residents and their government work side by side openly and honestly in ways to help the whole community thrive.

That's part of our DNA, something that we we do here in the city of Hampton.

We work uh really closely with the community on on setting our priorities and and making them a reality.

Um the next uh goal is Hampton invests in people who serve our community, helping them grow, succeed, and stay.

You know, we are a service industry here in the city of Hampton, um and so we we need great people to provide those great services that our community expects.

Um and Hampton uses resources wisely, plans for future, and manages services in a way residents can trust and see.

The next area is family resilience and economic empowerment, and the vision in this area that the that the stakeholder group developed was Hampton's families and neighborhoods are healthy, connected, and thriving.

industry here in the city of Hampton and so we we need great people to provide those great services that our community expects and Hampton uses resources wisely plans for future and manages services in a way residents can trust and see the next area is family resilience and economic empowerment and the vision um in this area that the that the stakeholder group um developed was Hampton's families and neighborhoods are healthy connected and thriving and the goals include every Hampton family deserves a safe place to call home strong support systems and easy access to resources that support health and wellbeing Hampton families have real opportunities to earn good living small businesses and achieve financial stability close to home and every residence from young people to older adults has a voice and a meaningful role in shaping Hampton's future we're always trying to get everybody involved when we have these conversations about where we want to go as a community and Hampton's neighborhoods are places where people feel safe and get where they need to go and stay connected to one another the next area is living with water the vision for this is Hampton is a thriving innovative waterfront community serving as a national model for environmental stewardship and coastal resiliency and one of the key initiatives that we've we've been pursuing in this over the last several years is our resilient Hampton initiative so a lot of this is connected to that and the goals here provide Hampton thrives with vibrant natural systems woven throughout the city strengthening resilience and economic ecological health Hampton's waterways and waterfront are vibrant welcoming and accessible to all residents and visitors Hampton leads by example in reducing the causes of climate change and promoting cleaner more sustainable ways of living Hampton is a resilient prepared and adaptive to face the coastal flooding and major storms.

Hampton builds a resilient future grounded in its waterfront heritage and informed by long term vision the next area is placemaking and the vision here is Hampton is a diverse coastal community celebrating our history culture and connections through meaningful shared spaces Hampton builds it the the goals include Hampton builds on its local strengths to grow economic social and environmental opportunities Hampton supports and strengthens the community's ability to share care for and celebrate common spaces and resources Hampton's neighborhoods and districts are connected through welcoming safe and accessible routes and Hampton's public spaces are inviting attractive accessible and beautiful reflecting the creativity and character of our community and finally safe and clean community Hampton is an inclusive diverse community that provides safe clean environments where residents and businesses can thrive Hampton prevents and you know the goals include Hampton Prevents and reduces crime through proactive strategy or safety measures effective enforcement and strong community partnerships.

Hampton reduces youth violence by addressing root causes and expand positive pathways to creating safe spaces and opportunities and Hampton invests in enhancing its physical appearance to create a safer cleaner and more welcoming community Hampton is a city where every resident and visitor feels safe welcome and connected Hampton fosters a culture of open communication and dialogue where valuable information is shared and Hampton prepares for the future by meeting the needs of an aging population and that's one of the things one of the ones that as we were going through the process with the stakeholder group you'll recall several months ago the Peninsula Community Foundation briefed council on their aging study that they did and so this is one that we've we've sort of gone back we've we we've identified that as an area and we work with the group to incorporate that into the plan the uh the the milestones um that that we have for getting the plan uh finalized is obviously today we're presenting it to city council um and then as Mary had mentioned earlier on January 22nd we'll have our community checkpoint meeting that will be at the Hampton Roads convention center it'll start at 6 30 the doors will open at six o'clock for people to to be able to come early and get their seats and we'll be asking the the community that participates in that process sort of what they think about the plan what their feedback is and then we'll work to incorporate that feedback over the the the rest of January and February with the goal of bringing it back before city council on February 25th for final adoption of the plan.

And after we adopt the plan we will develop the an implementation plan and the performance measures and and move forward to make the plan a reality this the this slide basically shows a little bit of information about the community checkpoint meeting that we have on January 26th as I had mentioned that's at 630 at the Hampton Roads Convention Center.

Um and with that, I'm be happy to answer any questions or or receive any any feedback.

Questions from uh council members.

So I'm sorry, Councilwoman Mugler.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Um, just an observation in in listening, and I'm sorry at my um laptop is being uh tweaked on because it I've I don't know, I maybe have exploded it, but um, so I'm at a disadvantage.

I can't go back to the pages that you were on.

But would you would you um characterize that some parts of this plan are actual in terms of their actual things that we are doing, and then some parts of this plan are more aspirational?

Yes, yes.

Um I think that's true.

All of our vision, our vision is an aspirational vision.

Um, you know, the goals are aspirational goals, some of the things, some of the strategies may be things that we're already doing.

Um you know many of the goals we may already be working on, like I had mentioned when you think about resilient um Hampton initiative, you know, some of those goals are already reflected in that work, and so that work is not done, so we need to continue that work.

So it is uh aspirational and there are concrete things that we're we are actually currently working on or that we will be working on if the plan is adopted.

City mentioned.

If I may, I also just want to add to that when we say we, we mean the collective we as a city too, because while the city council and city staff will take direction for how we use uh local uh tax resources to implement the plan, the plan can't be implemented by city government alone.

It's never been intended to be a city government standalone plan, and that's why I referenced earlier the various institutional partners, nonprofits, faith-based community, neighborhood organizations, individuals.

There is a role for everyone in our community that wants to see this vision become a reality to play a role in making that happen.

And so that's that's why we we call it a community strategic plan, not a city organization strategic plan.

But to be certain there's a large role we play using the local tax dollars most effectively and efficiently to make sure these things happen.

But I know you know this, Ms.

Muggler.

I just wanted to echo it for those watching that this is a plan for our whole community.

And and we expect and have had people and organizations like for instance our faith-based community, our hospital systems, and others saying this is the role we'll play in helping to make this a reality.

Other questions?

Council members.

So in terms of the timing of this on next month, the schedule says that council um will take action on the on the plan itself.

There's a the checkpoint meeting coming up uh in January.

So is today uh our only opportunity to give input on the plan, or do we do that at the end?

Do we do that at the checkpoint meeting, or when at what point does does council get an opportunity to weigh in and perhaps offer additional input for the plan?

Any and all of those opportunities.

Um part of why we bring it to you first is if we want to give you time to think about it and be prepared.

And if there are things you want to share today, we receive those today.

You know, you can obviously follow up with us as staff in between now and the checkpoint meeting.

Of course, I expect most, if not all of you will be um at the checkpoint meeting.

You usually do come to that.

Um, and then they'll be about a month after that before we're tentatively planning to bring it to you to make any changes that either you all or the community express.

If we we haven't historically gotten a lot of, you got to completely change direction, so usually a month is enough time to make any changes that the council and the community are expressing at a checkpoint meeting, but there's nothing magic about the 25th per se.

I mean, if we need to take more time to make adjustments, we're glad to do that.

We were we were ideally trying to get it done before we got too heavily into the budget conversations because as manager I like to, as I referenced earlier, align our managers recommended budget uh with the community priorities.

But that date can change if you all feel that we need to make more substantial uh uh you know modifications than what we were assuming we would get.

Okay, councilwoman uh copper.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Um thank you, Brian, for that presentation.

Um for the checkpoint meeting.

For the checkpoint meeting, um, I don't know how you all make and work this in, but I personally would like to see some of the successes that go along with some of the strategic priorities.

Um you all were very detailed and what uh but I want to s would like to see the measure of success that we have had with some of the strategic priorities, um, particularly for I know we get it sometimes, but particularly for the public to let them know that this is not something that we're just doing, but you know, we have had success in these areas and we want to continue um with the measure of success that we're we're currently doing.

Thanks.

So we'll add some more slides that show instead of that one summary chart that Mr.

Profio used, it listed a couple of examples, we might add one for each section of the things that were accomplished in the past.

Is that what you're getting at?

Yes, or have I see where certain individuals are responsible for a strategic area to have them um so it's not just all on one person just talk about um have them come in and talk about in their uh areas the measure of success they've had um pertaining to the strategic plan that we have going forward.

Okay, thank you.

I got a question there.

Okay.

Councilwoman Mugglin and Vice Mayor.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Um so uh moving forward will will um will staff create uh a dashboard or toll gates um that will be measuring our progress of this plan as we move forward with it in the next five year period or whatever, where we would get some regular updates as a council.

Yes, yeah, we uh uh once we adopt the plan, we'll identify the performance measures and and that that tie to the plan and we'll be reporting on those over time.

And and other updates in terms of that that are relevant.

And do you can you say at this time do we have an established time frame?

For example, will we hear that quarterly or annually or biannually or is there no plan around that at this point?

If I may, what we have tried to do in the past, um, and had assumed we would continue to do is is both verbal and written presentation.

So the the measurements and all we can give you it on whatever interval you want.

I would suggest quarterly, because things don't necessarily move every month.

Um, but as you know, we we do a uh council a strategic priority tracking thing that we give you on a monthly basis, but like the number, you know, the actual quantitative analysis might move more likely on a quarterly basis.

But as a reminder, we also typically try to take the second meetings of the month to do strategic priority deep dives, and that's when we would do you know m more in-depth.

Here's all of the things that are going on, not just for you all to receive as council how are we tracking, but for the community to hear a larger progress report.

So my intentionality, unless you all want to do something different, is that each month where we have a second meeting, you would get, for instance, a presentation.

Typically we do safe and clean in July and August.

We've done like some today, later today, you're getting an update on the family resilience and economic empowerment one, um, economic development comes usually.

I think it was maybe in the fall, uh, the last time.

So ideally what we would do is give you a deep dive once a year on every topic, and then you would be getting quantitative data on a quarterly basis.

But we're open to whatever you want to receive it, however you want to receive it.

Thank you.

Vice Mayor Brown.

Yeah, thank you, Mayor.

I I think uh councilwoman uh Harper and Muglers said what I wanted to say about measurables, but I I think it's important uh for people watching today because you know we often get this um criticism that we come up with a lot of things that we're going to do and we don't report back to the citizenry to kind of see where progress is.

And I'm looking at objectives and goals and things like that.

I think I think we're gonna accomplish that.

Uh I think the manager just kind of asked one of my questions too be in terms of a member of council, what kind of updates that we would be getting uh and how often.

Uh and if there are challenges down the road, let's not wait to the you know the midnight hour to to alert council uh let's look at those and and work through those to mitigate the problems.

But I think this is a good plan and uh so yeah, I'm I'm looking forward to what progress uh can and will be made.

Um so yeah.

Uh I think my question's been answered.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Harper, do you have another okay?

So I you know, I just thought that I asked a question if we had an opportunity for input because around the um the um Hampton's water economy is growing thriving and growing, and some of the things that are listed there, kind of what we're already doing.

But since we're uh we're we're we're living in the age of leveling up, and uh I I think there's an opportunity for us to do that.

There's some cities across around the country uh that have innovation districts that are focused on the blue economy, and you know, they have uh you know research and technology that comes out of that, you know, partnerships that exist within those innovation districts.

I I think we have here in downtown, we have Hampton University that has a uh environmental, uh marine and environmental science program.

We have the Virginia Tech AREC uh research program going on, and then we have uh Virginia Institute of Marine Science right here in our city of Fort Monroe.

And um, so I I wonder how we might be able to look at what's uh some of the successes that might have come out of those innovation districts.

Uh Gulfport, Mississippi is one, uh, Tampa, uh, San Diego, all cities that have innovation districts that are uh organized around the blue economy.

And so we were right here on the water.

I think there's an opportunity for us to kind of look at how we might do something that is kind of the next step of how we attract business research, technology, and all into a single area here, perhaps in the downtown area across the waterfront that would allow us to you know enhance our economy and what's what's happening in those areas and using those partnerships and learning the leveraging the resources that we all have in the city.

So I just have some thoughts about that and some things that I like to share, and I just didn't know when the appropriate time is to do that because I was I was pleased to see that we we did mention that there is a water economy here, and uh I think we may have an opportunity to do more with that.

So we'll definitely follow up with you between now and the 20 seconds so that we can make sure those ideas are expressed at that meeting.

And of course, as I said, we have more than a month to continue to work on the plan itself.

All right.

Okay.

Any other questions, comments from council members?

Okay, all right, thank you, Brian.

Thank you.

City manager, next presentation.

Yes, as I just alluded to uh today we were gonna do, I realize it's not our second meeting of the month, but it is the new year, and it's been almost exactly a year since uh a little over, but close to a year since we brought uh Ms.

Deanna Valentine on board to lead our new office with economic empowerment and family resilience.

And we wanted to give you all you know the lessons learned from the first year with stakeholder engagement and also what the plan moving forward is now that we've had that opportunity to do extensive outreach, and we're pleased uh to have her here today to do that overview for you.

So good afternoon, all council members.

Thank you so much for giving me an opportunity to share some of our um insight for the last year and where we're planning on going and um working towards for our next year.

So as we started on this road of being able to bring this department from just an idea, just a concept, moving it towards reality.

There were a few things that have been established.

One of those are our mission and our vision.

And just I'm not going to read the entire mission revision, but just that this highlights that there's a need for um what we prioritize as advancing economic mobility, dismantling systemic barriers, individual challenges, that we we value the partnerships of our community, advocating for policy and addressing and drafting policy, as well as creating equitable pathways for lasting economic well-being.

When you start looking at the vision for our department and how that relates to the city, thinking about looking at thriving communities, where we have community members that are able to have equitable access, asset ownership, living wage employment, and that this is a shared collective responsibility.

Mary has mentioned multiple times about how this is a not just a one department lift or just a city lift, but that this is actually a collective engagement for the entire community, the entire city.

We understand that employment and economics are a foundation of being able to pivot people forward.

As we'll discuss later on, that's not the only way, and that's not the only solution, but it is a key part of the solution.

Advanced asset and wealth building opportunities.

That includes everything from savings and credit repair to also those tangible assets of whether it's a vehicle or whether that's housing and land.

Driving system changes, advocating for policies and practices that dismantle structural barriers that will help promote economic justice.

Fostering community-led innovation.

You will hear me mention multiple times about all of the efforts that have been put forth to include the community, our faith-based partners, our community partners, our nonprofits, mental health, and physical health providers in this space.

Strengthening family resilience.

That includes providing integrated person-centered supports that promote stability, health, and well-being across generations.

In phase one, as I like to call it, when I first provided this information to you all just about a year ago, there's been a few pivots since then.

When this department first started, we really were designed to be a resource to resource provider.

We were providing resources from one community partner to another community partner.

But then we had the benefit of being able to pivot just a bit to where we became a person-centered human service, front-facing human service organization.

We welcomed in this time the Hampton Work One staff.

Jennifer Small is that staff member.

We have we've been working at our new Phoenix Center at the we've been working in our office space at the new Phoenix Center, and that we were accepted during the same point in time into the Harvard Senior Leadership Initiative, which we will discuss when we get to the point about data.

As we've pivoted from being an organization or department that originally was focusing solely on poverty, we've narrowed the focus a bit, not completely leaving out people that are living in poverty in any way, shape, or form, because I understand that being able to assist people in the Alice population is also ultimately going to assist people that are living in poverty.

So collectively, people that are unable to meet their needs.

But when we look at the Alice population and we look at household data, this slide here just speaks to and tries to give gives you some information relative to where the city of Hampton lies for the Alice population at 31%, and where that's relative to the state average at 28%, and then some of our our counterparts, our neighbors, where Chesapeake is at 27, Suffolk at 29, but then Newport News and Portsmouth at 35 and 37%, respectively.

What does that look like?

What does that truly feel like?

And what does that look like for success and challenges when we start working with people?

The Alice population struggles to meet their daily needs.

And so the slide that you have before you is just a piece of information, a tidbit of information that goes to show what the standard or the or a living wage would look like for people that includes housing costs, child care, food, transportation, health care, and other necessities for daily living.

As you see across the bottom here, an average hourly wage for a single adult with no children is $18.56.

But then when we start to add in children, start to add in whether it's one adult or two adults that are working in the household, those amounts tend to change.

So when we think about that concept of living wage, we have to be mindful that a living wage for one family may not be the living wage for another family relative to what their family makeup and composition is.

There are a few key performance indicators that have already pretty easily floated to the top.

And in a couple of different uh headers for those.

One is income and employment.

As I mentioned earlier, it is really important to be able to and able to be able to move people forward is to be able to have that living wage, having that sustainable income, and what does that look like?

How are we going to measure that?

So some of these things are a matter of which comes for first.

Are we putting the cart first?

Are we putting the chicken first?

How do we get to these certain places?

How do we achieve these goals?

In order to get that added income to increase that income, that includes being able to not just get the job, but how do you get the job?

So, how many people are actually being called back for interviews?

So, what do their resumes and applications look like?

How often are they being promoted?

How long have they been able to retain that employment?

That also focuses on and speaks to the increase in earn income.

And then also in order to be able to increase that earned income, how are we educating our citizens in our community, which speaks to one of the council priorities?

How are we helping them to achieve credentials, licensures, and degrees along that way?

And along that way, what does that look like for support while they're also undergoing these trainings and those education pieces?

Financial health and well-being.

Understanding that economic mobility is not just about solely employment.

How do we help people to increase assets?

How do we help inform and educate people as to what asset building is?

How do we help people to connect with financial institutions for actual savings accounts and checking accounts so that we're providing them with education and information for financial literacy and wellness as well?

Access to first-time homebuyer programs, but also helping with those check-ins, helping to make sure that we have a market that's conducive for people that are being able to purchase those first homes and which may be their forever homes.

Family resilience and wealth being.

What does that look like?

What are maybe some of those, you know, not necessarily tangible changes?

What does that quality of life look like for that person?

What does that housing stability look like?

Are we still seeing constant moves because of the lack of affordability?

Systemic changes overall, and we know that some of these things will take time, but how do we manage?

How do we um how do we truly look at what a reduction in the ALIS and the poverty population looks like?

Community stakeholder cap collaboration.

We talk a lot about community.

This is a heavy lift, and this is not a lift that can be solely accomplished by the city alone or by one department.

Increase to child care availability.

As I mentioned, what comes first?

For people that are struggling to meet their daily needs, it's also a struggle to be able to find child care, quality child care, and to be able to afford child care.

So, how can we assist in that endeavor as well?

I've spoken lots about branding the department and why it's so important to have these community engagement meetings and resource tabling events.

And that's part of the reason for that is because who are we?

Who is the department?

This is not a department that has been longstanding.

As we mentioned earlier, this has really been just a year, I believe it's 14 months actually since the department came from that concept to a reality.

So who are we?

Distinguishing us because oftentimes I've been introduced or what have you, as that we're economic development.

Well, we're not economic development, but we do play a part in what economic development looks like for the city.

What is it that we do?

How are we able to help people meet their needs?

What is our niche?

What is our specific population target population?

And being able to help people to understand what economic mobility even is.

What does it look like and how do we help people to achieve that?

Another piece that was really important is understanding the needs and the gaps of the community.

We're not wanting to be duplicative, but then how can we help to reinforce what's already working, and then how can we help to provide and develop new programs and services for those things that might need to be improved.

We've had a lot of community partner introductions, including what does it look like for referrals, what programs are offered.

I'd spoken previously just about how COVID has caused people to have to pivot from the services that they previously offered.

Funding is now a caveat that's been added to where their organizations are no longer able to offer the same amount of programs or same types of programs due to funding uh losses.

Community collaboration is a key point to the work that we do.

I won't spend a lot of information on this slide because we've shared a lot previously about the Hampton Stone Soup Collective.

And just to bring uh bring you all up to speed a little bit on that, this collaboration that started not even quite a year ago, I think was when it was first shared, that currently has 15 members, 15 core members, and it is growing.

Our faith-based members are our huge component of this collaboration, and that we've had the opportunity to not only assist our residents here in the city, but that we've also been able to start putting some structure to this organization, to this subcommittee, if you will, of the Macedonia call, so that we're actually able to provide not just information but to realize some actual solutions.

Some of the members of this group that I've spoken with and had an opportunity to meet with their respective congregations have shared that they're expressing an interest in maybe opening a child care center or exploring what that might look like for the needs of their community.

Workforce development.

One of the key components of the department, of course, is workforce development.

And what does that look like for outreach?

Even though we have a new office, does not mean that we're tethered to our office.

One of the key places where we used to do a lot of outreach, and we hope to get back there was at the main library, but also at the Northampton Library.

Hampton Probation and Parole is also a place where we do a lot of outreach, Hampton Human Services, and the Star Center with the Sheriff's Department.

Through our community engagement activities, we've been able to complete 28 tabling events.

We've uh either worked with or have had conversations, helped to at least start planting seeds with 200 plus job seekers.

We've established or maintained 28 employer relationships, and then individually, 112 unduplicated workforce clients have come through our office and have received services, whether that's resume writing, interview prep, connections with jobs and employment.

One of the struggles that we have, however, is being able to do that follow-up, being able to say, okay, well, you came to us for help, and now we haven't heard anything else from you.

Now that could be a good thing, right?

That could be because that job lead, they were able to secure a job, which is which the fingers crossed is, but that could also be something else.

And that's one of the places that we're working to improve and figuring out how can we get that data and find out those people, how have they been able to access those jobs, have they been able to retain those jobs, and how else can we be of service to them so that we know that it's not just one stop for a job?

As I mentioned, our community awareness presentations.

This is just a list of those presentations, a few of those presentations that we have completed.

And on the next slide, you'll see just a chart of all the engagement opportunities that we've had.

And even though this is an annual report, understanding that the pivot from us being a resource provider to being a uh person-centered uh public-facing organization is not been quite a year ago.

I remember from being here a year ago that I have a lot of uh there's a lot of interest in data, and that's really important as we start to uh move forward with our new program development with the new department opening, and how do we how do we not just um understand and identify what the needs are for the community, but then how do we replicate those needs?

As you know, we were invited to participate in the Harvard Senior Leaders Initiative, and we are part of the data track.

Initially, when we were selected to be part of the data track, I'm I'm not a numbers favoring person, and I've shared that a few times before.

But the benefit of us being a part of this data track gives us true information, not just assumptions for us to build programs off of for us to be able to make connections and to for us to be able to truly make a difference in our communities.

One of the key priorities that came out of these engagement opportunities was child care, and that there is a need for child care.

What we realized was that child care is a few things.

It's a barrier for economic mobility.

There's also a plethora of experiences, both positive and negative when people are trying to access child care.

That there is a need for additional child care, but what does that need look like?

Is it just expanded child care in every arena, or is it more speaking to the needs for expanded child care for special needs children, or expanded need for child care for people working non-traditional hours?

From the survey that we completed, we had a city survey that was uh completed by 239 respondents.

It was provided solely to city employees at that point in time.

To the 239 respondents, there were uh two four there was a focus group that was conducted, and as a part of that focus group, we've been able to parse out information that really speaks to those needs for non-traditional child care.

That non-traditional child care is something that really affects people that work in our 911 sheriff's department, but it also helps to speak for people that don't just solely work for the city.

We're thinking about people that work for the hospitals, EMT, now all of those things as well that don't work just those nine to five.

We also had an opportunity to visit two local child care centers.

We will be expanding these offerings not just for the survey, but for the survey for our providers and survey for general community.

That survey is scheduled to go out next week, um, and that we hope to be able to gather even more information from from our community residents and understand what their needs and experiences are, and how can we come up with innovative solutions to help meet those needs?

So, how do we connect the dots?

How do we gather the data?

But how do we more importantly move people forward, propel people forward?

So, living wage employment plus supportive services is how we will be able to get people to that family resilien space, so that asset building to increase that hope.

The next phase of this program development of this department development of this community, this community move is really about providing that life support.

And that life support is really lifting people to a place where they're they're able to have the bandwidth to be able to expand their horizons, to be able to look for that job that provides more money, to be able to connect them with their passions, to be able to find those credentialings or those degrees and understanding that we have to provide the supports and link them to the support so that they are successful.

Inspiring people that comes with sharing those life stories.

That's one of the key components when you start thinking about people see people where they are now, but they don't always know their stories.

And if we can get more people on board to share how they got to where they are now, then people understand that things weren't always easy, but there is a method to the madness in this to trust the plan.

Fortify, how do we prepare people?

How do we reinforce them?

How do we provide them with a network of solutions and resources so that when it does get tough that they're not making decisions based off of being in crisis mode?

I had an opportunity to an opportunity to engage with some residents at one of our housing complex, and we wish I was sharing about a flubotomy class that was being offered with one of our community partners, and that class was for $50.

This individual asked me, well, can I take that class?

You know, I'd really interested in that class.

As I spoke with them, they shared with me that they already had a bachelor's degree in nursing.

And so I had to dig a little bit deeper and try to figure out well, if you have a bachelor's degree in nursing, then why do you want to take this flubotomy class?

Because your nursing degree is already giving you access to a living wage job, right?

As we began to explore, and I won't tell a lot about it, but as we begin to explore, there were a couple of things.

One, fear was holding her back, the fear of failure, the fear that if I pay for this class, pay for this exam, and I can't pass it, then that's money that's gone, that's money that's wasted.

And so there was fear, and then there was finances.

So I'm currently working to be able to establish how can we work through that fear?

How can we find a way to be able to secure funding to pay for that?

How do we because we she's already successful, she's already completed that that course, right?

And so, how do we help people to continue to move forward?

As I continue to talk with her, she started to grasp at straws.

There's a goal, but in that goal, there were certain things and certain choices that were going to be made that were going to hinder her ability for success.

And so that's when we start talking about that empowerment piece.

How do we help people to see that there is a path and how do we help people to get there?

There's another resident that I've been working with that a year ago when they first came to me, they were interested in purchasing a home.

They understood that that was a process.

They didn't think that they were ready for that simply because of where their credit standing was.

A year later, they have not only completed the first-time home buyer course, they have applied to be able to with the city to be able to get grant funding for down payment assistance, and they are on path to hopefully purchase their first home later this year.

The missing middle.

If somebody doesn't know how to drive, doesn't have a license, doesn't know if the car is geezel, diesel or gas, or doesn't even have a map to get where they're going.

That's the purpose of having that life coach.

That's the purpose of having that case manager to be able to say, how can we help get you where you're trying to go?

If you don't know where you're going, then let's help get let's help you see the forest for the trees.

Those systemic solutions, aligning education and experience.

One of the things that has come out of some of my community engagement um opportunities has been that there is a disconnect between people getting jobs because they have the education but don't have the experience.

And so when we talk about our maritime industry, when we talk about our blue industry, and as Mayor just mentioned, how can we how can we um how can we shore up those things?

How can we use the assets that we have right here?

How do we create opportunities for people that have the education to also get the experience for living wage employment?

Additional community partnerships for financial education, being able to establish match savings accounts and savings accounts in general, couponing, being able to address some food insecurity.

There are lots of creative ways that we have in the city for being able to help people reach their needs for food and for other insecurity issues, including personal hygiene issues.

As we've continued to work down this path, we understand that there is a process of what's going to stick to the wall, what are those things that are needed and how might we need to pivot?

Not looking at blanket solutions, but figuring really what's the needs for specific communities.

What are the because what's going to work in one community might not even be the need in another community?

And that's where that data is so crucially important, but also understanding and having those conversations with our community stakeholders and our residents.

I know I went through all that really, really quickly.

I would just like to end on a couple of things.

One, our ribbon cutting is coming up next Wednesday, January 21st at three o'clock.

The other thing I would like to share is that is as Brian mentioned about the strategic priorities.

When you start thinking about economic empowerment and family resilience, or when you reverse it and think about free, so family resilience and economic empowerment, we really speak to multiple things within those strategic priorities, including educated citizenry, including living with water, including that economic piece.

And so it's really important as we continue to move forward that we we provide people with not just a platform, but provide people with an opportunity to be successful.

I thank you for your time, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Questions, comments from council.

Councilman Bowman.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, thank you for the presentation.

Um I'm so glad that you reach out to the Faith Base and the Star Center.

So often we worry and wonder how is the information disseminated.

So I think that's a good start.

Um follow-up and retention of jobs.

What do you normally find to be the problem?

Is it training, transportation, uh the jobs don't align with their qualifications?

So I can tell you anecdotally that it's all of those things.

Transportation is one, child care is one, but some of it is also a matter of those soft skills, conflict, um, conflict resolution.

Oftentimes people think that it's just easier to quit the job and go to another job and and do so hastily or perform in a way that um has them uninvited from the job.

And so if we can work on some of those soft skills, if we can help with that conflict resolution, one of the uh services that I offer to our one of our neighbors in the community of commu uh community business was that hey, if you're having somebody that's really struggling, they started off really great, they were getting to work on time, but then as time has transitioned, they're showing up later, they're missing days.

If you want to send them to me, send them to the department, then maybe we can try and figure out what's the reason for that.

Maybe it's a child care issue, maybe it's a transportation issue, maybe it's a domestic violence issue.

You know, so how can we work through those things so that we can help people to retain those jobs as opposed to starting from the bottom again?

Absolutely.

Councilwoman Muggling and then Council Vice Mayor Brown.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Um, and thank you for the presentation.

Uh um I and and thank you for the the really important work that you are doing in our community.

Um you know, poverty comes in in many different shapes and forms.

Um and I and I just was wondering if there were any part of your services or any part of your work that is touching on our homeless population or integrating with them in any way.

Um, because many of the things that you're talking about are things that um would be beneficial to uh certain individuals in that population.

I'm just curious that there was no mention of that, so I was interested to know.

Absolutely.

And so when we talk about like that systemic piece of it, I've been um intentionally trying to stay all from a provider side on the outside of homelessness simply because of our lack of like our resources and staff.

We just don't have the ability to to try and locate housing for people.

We know that that's a challenge and that there are dedicated housing service providers.

However, as far as being able to speak to what the needs of that population is, being able to help them assist with getting jobs while working in tandem with some of our homeless service providers is certainly beneficial.

I had an opportunity to meet with actually it was um one of our youth, she is a a junior, and I'm not gonna say which school because I don't want to to misrepresent, but she is a junior at one of the schools, and she asks about potentially interning with the department.

And one of her focus areas that she's really passionate about is that homeless piece.

And as I was talking with her, we shared about she she wanted to be able to help homeless people get jobs.

And as I worked with her, I helped her to understand, okay.

Well, first we need to get them an address.

First, we need to make sure that they're they're um presented in a way so that they have access to bath or shower or clothing so that they are ready for that job when they show up and that they're treated fairly and equitably.

So, yes, there is a portion of the work that we're doing that that I'm reserving time and space to be able to carve out and even to work with our other community uh community partners, but then also our city uh departments to be able to assist in those initiatives and areas.

I know the vice mayor was next, but if I can add to that answer, um a lot of the homeless services that we do as city government are done through the Department of Human Services, Dr.

Timoney Porter's department.

Um they do the coordination with help and the churches, the programs like SAME, the the food banks and pantries that the churches are providing.

But but to your point, all both of your points.

I mean, uh Deanna and her team can help with when they're ready to get into the employment spec, but some of those other things that she was describing, helping them to get the paperwork they need.

Many times homeless people don't have ID cards or um the their social security uh number and things like that that you need for employment, a lot of that's done through human services.

Okay, thanks, Mayor Brown, and then Councilwoman Harper.

Yeah, uh thank you, Mayor.

Um I have a lot of questions, but I'll just ask a few and I'll maybe follow back up another time.

Um you were sharing with us that your the focus has changed somewhat initially when we started talking about this office with poverty.

How so?

So when we started looking at how can we make a sustainable change?

How can we figure out where the needs of the community are?

Started realizing that as I mentioned before, 13% of our population is living in poverty, but 31% of our population are that Alice population.

And as I started meeting with community partners and also meeting with our community members, started realizing that there are a lot of resources are available or resources are available for people that are living in poverty.

And if there are resources available for people that are experiencing at you know that Alice population, either they don't know about it, there's a stigma associated where those places or those organizations are located, and so that has contributed to that shift, being able to help the the invisible, the Alice population is not readily seen.

The Alice population is not readily seen.

People that are living in poverty are often connected through human services or other organizations, but the Alice population typically are not receiving those benefits and are not connected to other community organizations.

But how are we connecting people who are living in poverty?

What resources are we connecting them to?

And I want to follow with this.

So how do you get people to a living wage?

Because it could be higher than the minimum wage.

Exactly.

So two things there and connecting people.

Two things there.

So in connecting people that are living in poverty, one of the um organizations that we're working with, of course, very closely is human services.

Human services has a TAP team that's part of their organization, and that's the that's really for the people that are receiving a TANF checks or receiving um actual cash benefits.

As those people start to exit from receiving those benefits, they're working, but they may not be working that they're they've been able to get to a point where they're at that benefits clip.

We're working with them so that they're not our best effort is to not also grow the Alice population, right?

So that we're working with them so that they're if they're exiting poverty, then how can we help them to not come into Alice, but to be able to provide them with those certifications and skills and training, some of which they've already had access to, but it might not have been the right time for whatever reason.

And so when you think about what are what are we offering to the people that are living in poverty, the same things are offering to the people that are in Alice, because again, the goal is to not grow the Alice population from people that are exiting from poverty.

The goal is to be able to skip over.

The slide that I have up now, and if I could just bring it up real quick to where we are, um, this slide right here shows what that Alice survival budget is for this fourth Hampton City, specifically the city of Hampton.

And there's not one specific uh living wage.

When you start looking at MIT living wage, when you start looking at um the United Way living aid living wage, they include various things, whether or not there's one person living in the house that's working, two people living in the house that's working.

Um, the Alice population data from the United Way also incorporates the age of the child.

And so if the child is an infant, then the cost is one thing.

If there's more children, then the call you have an infant and you have a toddler or you know, a child at school age, then the cost varies.

So there's not, unlike the kind of poverty level, there's not one specific um wage that says that this is the living wage.

So if you need $25 an hour, but somebody else has seven children, they might need $75 an hour.

Okay.

Um excuse me.

With the workforce development, and and and this leads right to workforce development.

I know you mentioned that we're doing that.

Um, but I I like data and I like good case management.

So when you when you look at the data and and the case management pieces following the person who is in your program, if it's we didn't get a credentials or getting job training, job skills, um, what have we been able to do uh regarding that?

How many people have been trained, how many credentials have been received?

Uh do we track I think Council Bowman asked about retention, but do also do we retract, do we track uh their increase in their minimum wage as well?

Like if they start off at $18 an hour and they get uh a salary increase, is that something that we also track because that helps them get to what we are talking about living wage.

So, what are the numbers there as relates to what what we're doing as a city?

Absolutely, and as I mentioned, that's one of the places that we need some improvement because we have one staff member, Jennifer Small, who currently is that workforce development specialist, and so we don't have a case manager that's on staff currently to be able to do that follow-up.

And when I mentioned about that, the difficulty of being able to reconnect or maintain those connections with people to say, okay, well, you came in for this reason, but now we haven't heard from you.

Is that because you receive that job?

Is it because we helped you meet your goal, or is there some other reason?

And that's that follow-up.

The certification piece, what I can tell you is that, and this is just um kind of anecdotal from one of our most recent opportunities.

There were 12 people that completed a flu biotomy class.

Six of those people have already taken the test.

There are six people that haven't taken the test yet.

And so, as we're waiting to figure out, okay, well, what's happening with those six people that didn't take the test?

And so how do we how do we reconnect with them to say, hey, you've already you've already done the class, you've successfully completed the class, but how do we get you to that national certification?

So there is an area of opportunity for us to make sure that we are getting people not just to the line but across the line and understanding that degrees take longer, certifications take longer, and that a lot of this shift is um things that we're still working through and figuring out what's the best way to be able to collect the data, which is why I'm so very fortunate, and so while we're so fortunate to be able to have a new data analyst with the city, but then also the partners from Bloomberg Harvard as well.

We have um secured a case management system that will actually be implemented um hopefully between March and April, which also will help us to be able to track the data, manage the data as well, so that whether it's six months from now or a year from now, when I come back, I'll be able to have you that specific information with more with additional follow-up because we're still very very new in this process.

Okay.

What connection are you making with BPCC?

They have a very robust workforce development program, and they may be able to offer us some assistance as we track these cases.

Do you have a relationship with them or be working with them?

I do indeed.

I'm very glad that you actually brought that up.

Um, so a couple of things.

One, we are actually hosting an information session for the new trade school.

We have two sessions that are coming up, one on the 28th of January, and one I believe it's on the 11th or 17th of February.

Um, the other relationship that we have is we were working through our child care piece.

Uh, we worked with Virginia Peninsula Community College to be able to they complete came to the uh department and provided a presentation in regards to what child care looks like in the city of Hampton, what are some of the needs, but also what they offer as far as early childhood education certifications for the community, and that they also offer a stipend for people that are that are eligible and accepted into the program.

So that helps to speak to the support that's needed while people are earning the certification.

There's still things like child care and diapers and transportation and food that also comes into play.

And also Brian and Tratton.

Councilwoman Harper.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Thank you, Miss Valentine, for your presentation.

Um I know you stated before that you weren't necessarily a numbers person, but I am.

I know.

And um, one of the things, um, and that's one of the in my trainings I've been taught that, and I'm have an analytical mind.

But um kind of piggyback on Vice Mayor Brown as far as the you know, successes that you've had, and not only um successes because you know you also learn from things that may have not worked so well.

So, how do you determine what um methods have been working, what have not been working, that you can better uh assist the pop the population that you're trying to definitely um help?

And um, because I believe that the uh numbers, just like one of them that you said about that um person who took the test and and they were on their way to becoming a homeowner and uh everything, that's that's really really good.

And I think we need more of that just to see how the department is working, how many people it's is reaching and the impact it's having in this community of people that we're trying to help.

So I think that's very, very important.

Thank you, absolutely.

So, what's working and what's not?

Some of it is is sound may sound kind of strange, but some of it is trial and error.

Understanding the populations that we're working with, trying to really narrow down because of um bandwidth for staff, but then also location and staff, where's the best place for us to be at to have community outreach?

So when I talked about being at the Hampton Library, there were constant um residents that were coming there, there was a constant presence, there was an expectation, so that worked, and so we pivoted.

So, what does that look like now that we don't have that currently as a space?

And so thinking about um, we have some residents that work really well in person.

We have other residents that whether it's because of transportation or because of choice that we're working with virtually, and so really being mindful that um this is that trial and error period, right?

We're we're kind of in that space where we know that there are best practices that have been tried and true, um, looking at you know various research articles or what have you, but what's going to work for our city, what's working truly for us?

Community engagement, um, both from the faith-based side, nonprofit side providers that are also working along economic working along working um workforce development has been very helpful.

Okay.

Now I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but I do you need some more people?

Do you need increases?

Yes, ma'am, I would also help some additional resources.

Because it's it seems that um from what I'm I'm getting that you that you do need an increase in um staff that you need some help and um getting some things done that that you would like to get done.

But one more question, if you don't mind me asking, how come you're not you're not at the library anymore?

The main library was having some um renovations currently closed for the oh okay.

That's the only reason we're not there is oh okay, just I'm sorry.

No, that's all right.

Yeah, other than that, yes, ma'am.

We would have to councilwoman Farreb.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Miss Valentine, I just want to commend you and your team for um this comprehensive report and um the expertise that you bring to the city.

Um I uh look forward to hearing more as you as you move forward and and continue to execute with excellence.

Um one of my concerns has always been how to reach the people that need the help.

And and I think you you have an excellent framework.

Um, and I also picked up on the fact that um more staff uh would definitely help you to be able to do some of the data analysis and and also continue with the follow-up and look at what the best practices are and where areas for improvement.

So I just want to thank you for the work that you've done so far.

Thank you so much.

And I would add that I I am um pretty creative in trying to bring in additional community partners to assist with both that information sharing.

That's is where that that uh that um you know that Stone Soup Collective came from, but also working with some of our other organizations like the Lynx and working with um currently another organization that I hope to be able to kick off where they'll be able to bring in um between four and ten uh veterans that are transitioning uh as part of their skill bridge program that won't be they won't be being paid for by the city, they'll be being paid for by a different organization, but we'll be able to use them for some of our tabling events, our community events, and also for access for our folks that are in the military.

Thank you.

I was gonna bring that up also.

I'm a huge proponent of internships.

Yes, ma'am.

Um, since we have Virginia Peninsula Community College and Hampton University and right here in our city, plus Christian Newport, et cetera, et cetera.

Um and that helps with um future staff, and but a lot of times those students at a much lower rate can add value and bring work special projects and also hope that then they will come work for the city.

Absolutely.

I have an MSW co uh intern that's at the office now.

Um I'm also working with CNU as well to be able to get some internships established in Hampton University is on my radar next day.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

Councilwoman uh Campbell.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Um, thank you for your presentation's wonderful.

I'm gonna miss your ribbon cutting, but congratulations and best wishes.

Um I did want to say your number slide is great.

I know we have a lot of um questions about what affordability means, and that slide really easily puts at least that group of people into perspective.

So great slide on that one.

Um could you explain to me a little bit about you mentioned you pivoted from resource to resource?

So were you planning to give like your help support your funding with the an organization and now you're going directly to a person?

What's the pivot that you're doing?

Yeah, so originally it was um me and just a part-time staff person.

We didn't have the beautiful space that we currently have now or any additional staff.

And it was really in the formative stage of how can how can this department, this organization, really best serve our community and our residents.

And so at that point, the thought was that it was going to be resource to resource as far as how can we connect resources to other resources.

Some of the preliminary information that I've been able to establish through our community engagement events was that even our community partners didn't know what other community partners were doing.

And so that's where that pivot came from being non um uh public serving and public facing to now being public facing.

Absolutely.

Other questions, comments from council members.

So uh Deanna, just one quick point before you leave, and thank you for sharing the information because could you talk a little bit about the Alice population and who is the Alice population, and then secondly, um about data, because I know you said you're not a numbers person, but as a being a part of the Bloomberg initiative, they forced us to be numbers people.

And and they and and they specifically described that as they wanted to help us build muscle when it comes to data.

And so they have uh funded a data analyst to work with us on that, and and that's how I mean we're when we're trying to deal with this issue of poverty and moving families into the middle class is is you know, it's one of those things that council uh Vice Mayor Brown has spoken before.

It's uh it's a marathon, it's not a sprint.

And so you're working with folks and you've identified uh the child care need as being kind of the first area because when you get into poverty, poverty is a big area, so you had to try to figure out where do we start because we we just can't start with poverty, and they helped us focus on where we're gonna start our efforts to address you know the needs of the Alice families because before they can go to the job training, they need to have the child care and access to affordable child care uh before they can get there.

So can you share a little bit about that part?

Because I know you covered a lot of a lot of space, but I just want you to hone in on that part just absolutely so the Alice population in short are the working poor.

They are people that are working, have earned income, but that income is not enough to be able to meet these needs, and and understanding that the on the slide that's on the screen now that these needs are are um you know not specific.

We know that housing costs could be more, seldom is it less, but it could be more than that twelve hundred dollars, and knowing that the family size is going to contribute to the size of the house, which is going to contribute to the the cost of the house.

The Alice population are people that don't have access because they are above the income level, they don't have access to those um supportive services, those safety net services like SNAP or food stamps.

They may still be able to qualify for child care because the income level for child care is higher than it is for some of the other other benefit programs.

So when we start thinking about as uh um Mayor Gray just mentioned, we think about how do we get to that point of what comes first, right?

You heard me say that.

If someone is truly trying to get to the point of needing a job or needing a certification or even really going and looking for the job, then how do they get that?

And because we know that there's such difficulty in trying to secure child care during our our gimbal walk when we had an opportunity to meet with some of the child care providers and some of the parents that were using those child care centers.

One of the a couple actually, a couple of the um families that were there mentioned that they were having to send their children or take their children to two different child care centers because one child care center didn't have the capacity to be able to take all of their kids or both of their kids or what have you.

And so you think about what does that look like for a family that's already struggling to meet their daily needs?

That means now a drop-off that could have been at one location that maybe was two miles from their house, five miles from their house, is now two different locations, adding both time, adding inconvenience, adding additional expense.

When you start layering those additional expenses, of whether it's time again or whether or not it's just the expense of gas and transportation or bus fare, then how does that eat away at the available time for a family to be able to either seek another job or to get that credentialing or get that degree?

So there I'm sorry, there is a the the correlation between the need for child care.

Um if you look at root causes and they're there, we can um do a web web diagram and be able to see that there's lots of root causes for things.

Sometimes they're choices, sometimes they're not, but that child care is one of those um key facets that people that's really critical for us to be able to move people forward in any way, whether it's education or employment, that that's really critical.

Councilwoman Farabee.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

Um Ms.

Valentine, and my apologies if you covered this when you were talking about child care, but do you also include um certified caregivers?

Yes, ma'am.

So can I use center and I I need to be broader in that term.

This is also including in-home providers as well, although not just our child care centers.

Okay, thank you.

Yes, ma'am.

Questions, comments?

Um council members.

Okay, thank you, Deanna, and we look forward to the ribbon cutting and then you know all the great work you're gonna accomplish after that.

Thank you so much.

Okay, so that concludes uh all of our presentations.

Um are there any regional issues?

Is there any new business?

Okay, if not, I'd like to ask the clerk to read the motion required for closed session.

The motion, excuse me, the motion required today is to convene a closed session pursuant to Virginia Code Section 2.2-3711A1 for mid-year performance reviews of the city manager, city attorney, and clerk of counsel 2.2-3711A 7 and 8 for consultation with legal counsel for updates concerning pending litigation and other material legal transactions and issues 2.2-3711A6 for discussion of potential investment of public funds for the benefit of a regional transportation facility where bargaining is involved, and 2.2-3711A1 to discuss the performance of council appointees to a local commission.

Okay, we need a motion and a second.

So move.

Second council.

Aye, Vice Mayor Brown, aye.

Councilwoman Campbell, aye, councilwoman Theraby, aye.

Councilwoman Harper.

Hi.

Councilwoman Muggler, aye, Mayor Gray.

Hi.

Okay, we will convene and close session in the Lawson Conference Room at uh 235.