I want to welcome everybody to uh this month's Quality of Life Committee meeting.

We will be joined, I understand, uh virtually by our vice chair of the committee, Vice Mayor Pro Tem, Councilmember Amy Peck.

We're joined in the chambers.

Well, as well by we're joined in person uh by council member Willie Davis.

We have representatives from the staff of Councilmember Tiffany Thomas, Councilmember Mary Nan Huffman, Councilmember Mario Castillo, Councilmember, Mayor Pro Tem, Martha Castex Tatum, Councilmember Twila Carter, Councilmember Alejandra Salinas, Councilmember Sally Alcorn, and we also have staff from my office uh working to produce this meeting and staff from uh council member Peck's office as well.

So we have a few items on the agenda this afternoon.

We're pleased to have with us our director of our housing and community development department, uh Mike Nichols, along with um assistant director Melody Barr and some representatives of Harris Health as well.

So, without further ado, we'll go ahead and get started uh with the agenda by hearing from a director um Nichols and assistant director Barr.

Y'all can take it away, start off with Melody Barr's presentation about upcoming ordinances that are coming through council and that are important for this committee to hear.

Good afternoon.

For item 2A, the department is presenting before this committee a recommendation for council approval and ordinance that operate that authorizes a contract between the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, commonly referred to as TDHCA, and the City of Houston.

Whereas the City of Houston will accept an award of homeless housing services program, HHSP funds for both the general set aside and the youth set aside funds.

This ordinance will authorize the housing and community development department director to represent the city for the HHSP award and provide signature authority to execute the contract and authorize amendment changes.

Next slide.

Per TDHCA, the general set-aside funds must be used by the city on activities eliminating and or preventing homelessness.

Specific allowable activities include construction, development, or procurement of housing for homeless persons, rehabilitation of structures targeted to serving homeless persons or persons at risk of homelessness, provisions of direct services and case management to homeless persons or persons at risk of homelessness and other homelessness-related activities as approved by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.

Next slide.

Next slide.

Cities currently served through HHSP include Arlington, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Plano, and San Antonio.

Ordinances allocating the accepted HHSP funds for use by local nonprofit organizations will be presented to city council for consideration within the coming months.

And that concludes that presentation.

Shall I go on?

You can, thank you.

Okay, now we're on item 2B.

So for item to be, our department is presenting an ordinance authorizing a lease agreement with Harmony House Incorporated for the city owned facility located at 2903 Jensen Drive.

Under this agreement, Harmony House will operate a 247 shelter serving individuals currently experiencing unsheltered homelessness.

This site will function as a bridge to housing with on site partnerships, including Harris Health, who provides clinical services, and Harris Center, who provides behavioral health services, both who assist in supporting pathways to into stable housing.

Harmony House was selected through a notice of funding availability process.

The lease term is 36 months beginning August 1st, 2026 through July 31st, 2029.

Harmony House has received funding from the city of Houston since 2006 on various agreements.

And it should also be noted that Harmony House is the current operator of the Navigation Center.

Next slide.

And we can actually go on to item 2C.

And the in Street Homelessness Funds.

These funds will support the administration and operation at the city owned facility located at 2903 Jensen Drive, where Harmony House will operate a 247 facility for individuals currently unsheltered.

The facility will provide up to 100 beds and is expected to serve a minimum of 150 individuals this year.

On-site staff along with partners like Harris Health and Harris Center will work to connect individuals to housing and the services they need to become stably housed and not return to homelessness.

This funding supports full operations of the site, which includes staffing, case management, meals, security, pet care, and maintenance, and is a part of the mayor of Mayor Whitmeyer's strategy to end street homelessness, as well as a part of the broader Houston-Harris County Homeless Response Strategy.

Services offered at this location include the operation of the facility 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including during declared emergencies and disaster events.

Implementation of security protocols that prioritize de-escalation and crisis response while demonstrating the ability to triage individuals with complex needs to appropriate levels of care.

Accept referrals from system partners, meal services three times per day, including snacks and beverages.

Implement diversion and rehousing strategies, including reunification when appropriate, complete coordinated entry assessments.

These are just some of the services that will be offered at the facility.

Harmony House again was selected through a NOFA process, and the agreement term is 36 months, beginning August 2026 through July 2029.

And today we have Preston Witt, chief executive officer here in the audience.

And that includes that's the end of my presentation.

I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you, Melody.

Um we'll go ahead and take questions if there are any from those present at the horseshoe this afternoon on these three items that you presented.

But just going back over them.

That is correct.

And this is the type of funding that we receive on a on a regular basis on a yearly basis.

Yes, um, we receive this annually.

I will say that when we first received this money, it was supposed to be a one-time allocation, and there were some very strong um persuaders, and so we have been able to receive this money, I think over 10 years.

That's great, and we appreciate the administration and their efforts to continue getting this uh funding from the state.

And so this is not any uh city revenue, this is money that comes from the state.

It's uh and is actually Texas General uh revenue.

Okay.

And the second item uh is a lease agreement, which is um essentially a renewal, is it not?

No, so this is the first time the Harmony House will be leasing the navigation center from the city of Houston.