Good morning, everyone.

I'd like to call this meeting to order.

Welcome to the November 18, 2025 Community Services and Education Subcommittee meeting.

I'd like to introduce Dave City Attorney David Benton.

Mr.

Benton, please explain the role of public comment.

Good morning, Madam Chair, members of the subcommittee.

During citizen comment, members of the public may address the subcommittee for up to three minutes on issues of interest or concern to them.

The issues being addressed, however, must be subject matters that fall within the jurisdictions of council and subcommittee and the sub and the council has a power to act.

The Arizona open meeting law permits the subcommittee members to listen to the comments but prohibits members from discussing or acting on matters presented.

Anyway, thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr.

Benton.

Thank you so much.

I'd like to introduce our interpreter, Elsie Duarte, who will provide a brief announcement.

Thank you, Madam Chair Hodge Washington.

My name is El C Duarte, and I will be providing Spanish interpretation during today's session.

I will now take a moment to address our Spanish speaking audience.

Buenos días.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Elsie.

Next we will move on to begin with our call to the public.

I see that we have one registered speaker.

In person, Miss Jeannie Ann Sumter.

Good morning, thank you.

Good morning.

I think you need to thank you.

Move a little closer to the mic.

Oh, yeah.

That would help, wouldn't it?

Thank you.

Madam Chair, members of the subcommittee.

I have a long history of working for and supporting the development of the code of conduct, return of the 24-7 parks answering service, the camping ordinance, and the hiring of park rangers and private security.

With the current issue uses of our parks, I find each lacking effectiveness and giving a false impression that our parks are safe and being used as parks rather than as hotels, storage facilities, and drug use.

For example, instead of shopping cars today, there are bicycles loaded with bags, rolling trash containers, wheelchairs, and a variety of carts on wheels, which are used to transport and daily store belongings and camping supplies.

They are not allowed the necessary authority and ordinances for the current conditions.

Miriam Webster defines a tent as a tool for camping, and yet tents are allowed.

And tell there are consequences for not accepting services.

Homeless refusing services in our parks, neighborhoods, alleys, and libraries, and businesses will continue.

By consequences, I mean not allowing individuals who refuse service to use these areas for storage and living facilities.

Rather than just an in-house review, please also consider neighbors and park employees having an opportunity to comment and make suggestions on the experiences that we're on the experiences that we are living with.

Please help us.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

We will move on to the to item number one, which is the approval of the CSC meeting minutes from October 22nd, 2025.

I move to approve.

Second.

Thank you.

All in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries, I'm sorry.

Next we will move on to item number two, which is the authorization to request a carryover of Head Start Birth of 5 program for fiscal year 2024-2025.

I move to approve.

Second.

All in favor?

Aye.

Forgot to ask if there are any questions.

Yes.

Just have a couple questions.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Just have a couple questions for staff on this item.

How do we end up with unspent funds at the end of the fiscal year on this program?

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Councilwoman Hernandez, I'm gonna have Jacqueline Edwards Director of the Human Services Department address that morning, Madam Chair.

Councilwoman Hernandez, thank you for the question.

We had unspent funds because our educational service providers did have vacancies for teachers.

That's the primary reason.

And that uh created some savings as well.

Okay, thank you so much for that.

Um, and then the report says up to two million dollars.

So it I guess um is it two million or do we know if we're gonna it might be less than that?

Uh Councilwoman Hernandez, uh the up to two million is because we were finalizing uh the numbers from last year and receiving um the final invoices from the educational service providers.

I can get you the exact number.

I don't know it offhand.

Okay, thank you so much.

Um, and do we have a sense if we will have unspent funds for this fiscal year?

Uh Madam Chair, Councilwoman Hernandez, uh at this point in time, we are um spending our spending is on track um to be fully expended.

Uh, but with um our funds at about 48 million dollars, it's not unusual to have some unspent uh funds at the end of the year, and that's why we do make that request over.

Typically um it is for uh one-time expenses like capital expenses.

Okay, thank you.

Um, and based kind of a follow-up on that.

Are any of the unspent funds can those be used on issues that impact attendance, um meal programs, free public transit, passes, um, gas assistance, anything like that.

Uh Madam Chair, Councilwoman Hernandez, yes, uh the uh carryover funds um can be spent in the same way that our uh funding from a year-to-year basis.

What is allowable?

We do put that into the request um to the Office of Head Start at the federal level, and uh I can provide to you and the members of the subcommittee the categories in which we are expecting to spend that carryover in.

Thank you so much, Jacqueline.

And then just one follow-up kind of from a little bit of the um action we saw over the summer.

Did we end up seeing any reduction in program participation after the there was news you know around the summertime that uh there was gonna be changes at the directive of the of the federal government on how we would verify um eligibility?

Madam Chair, Councilman Hernandez.

We saw uh the numbers of applications slow to come in in the beginning of the year, but we are at um at full enrollment primarily.

So um it like I said, it was uh slow coming into the to the year, but we uh do have uh children in the classrooms and uh children on our wait list as we're required to as well.

That is great.

All right, thank you so much, Jacqueline.

You're welcome.

That is all, madam chair.

Thank you so much.

Any questions from you, Councilman?

All right.

Um can I get a motion to approve item number two?

Excuse me.

Uh second.

All in favor?

Aye.

All right, thank you.

Um moving on to item number three, which is the head start birth to five monthly report for September 2025.

Any questions?

Councilwoman Hernandez.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Um, just uh had uh one question on the report.

Um sorry, Jacqueline.

Yeah, I'm like just stay there.

Um, and I want to be clear that we need to make sure that all of our families and our children in our Head Start program continue to receive the services because all of them deserve access to this program.

Um, but I did have just one question on the report.

Uh the report mentions that there has been a delay of enforcement of new policies around around Head Start because of the legal action that has happened in uh certain states.

Um, can you just uh share what those actions have been for Arizona in relation to Head Start?

Madam Chair, Councilwoman Hernandez, uh, those actions are uh around how uh legal status is applied to applications of children and their families because of the lawsuit that the state of Arizona entered into that there's been a stay.

Uh so there's no change in our requirements currently.

It needs to go through the court process, and then once that once that is finalized, then of course we would uh revisit our practices based on the final federal um guidance.

Thank you so much.

And that's great to hear that everything is um as is for this programming, especially for our families.

And then um, do we know the number of families that would be I know with the unknown there's a lot of knowns, right?

Um, but do we know the number of families that would be impacted if the federal government is allowed if that state is lifted and the federal government is allowed to carry out the change of enforcement.

Um I just want to get a sense of how to how much support we're gonna need to prepare for our families and our our young students.

Madam Chair, Councilwoman Hernandez.

Uh, since we do not track specifically the status of children or their families, we do not have an exact um number.

Uh, there are what we have done in the past is based on other factors for what families have reported to us to make a determination of um what the uh potential impact could be.

Uh, based on our um our children's enrollment right now.

I can uh follow up with an updated number.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Any questions from me, Councilman Sarks?

All right, thank you.

Uh, can I get a motion to approve item number three?

Oh, sorry, thank you.

Uh moving on to item number four.

It is our it is a oh, I'm sorry, it's an update on our federal programs update.

Jacqueline, you get to start the presentation now.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Good morning, madam chair and members of the subcommittee.

Today I will be reviewing federal funding impacts on social service programs amid the most recent federal shutdown.

As a reminder, the federal government shutdown started on October 1st and ended late last Wednesday on November 12th.

Due to the changing landscape at the federal level, the service information in this presentation is up to date as of last week.

In this update on federal funding, I will be sharing information on the specific impact to City of Phoenix department operated social service programs, the impact to social service programs serving Phoenix residents that are administered by other agencies outside of city departments, and the specific actions taken by the city to support participants of one federally funded program, the supplemental nutrition assistance program or SNAP.

Across the city departments of human services, housing, and neighborhood services, there are multiple federally funded social service programs.

Head start serves children zero to five years old with early education and family support services.

Currently, this program is operating normally, and we are continuing to accept applications for classroom slots and our wait list.

During the federal government shutdown, current year expenses continue to be reimbursed.

However, the request to carry over last fiscal year funding is still pending due to the delay caused by the shutdown.

The community services block grant, CSBG, is a federal funding source that supports the human services department work at the family service centers, including for staff as well as for utility and rental assistance.

HSD has not yet received the full annual funding award for CSBG from the Arizona Department of Economic Security, as the state is awaiting their allocation from the federal government.

There are multiple funding sources that are used to provide this assistance and to administer the program, though.

So program operations are not currently being impacted.

The Low Income Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, provides funding for utility assistance navigation by HSD, as well as for home weatherization and rehab activities as operated by the Neighborhood Services Department.

Just as with CSBG, the city has not yet received a full year's allocation from the state since the state is awaiting funding from the federal government.

The neighborhood services department continues to operate their home rehab program normally, though, as they have multiple fund sources to use.

This will be detailed further in NSD's presentation later today.

Other federally funded social service programs operated by human services, housing, and neighborhood services departments continue to operate normally.

This may change based on federal executive orders, federal guidance received, and if another government shutdown occurs on February 1st.

Further updates and significant impacts will be shared with the subcommittee members by the respective operating departments.

The Women Infant and Children's Program, or WIC, is a federally funded social service program that is operated by the Arizona Department of Health Services.

WIC provides nutrition, breastfeeding support, and financial support for nutritious foods for women and their children under five years old.

Currently, all Arizona WIC program clinics are open and serving clients.

Additionally, program participants have received their financial nutrition benefits, which can be used normally at any authorized store that accepts WIC.

Prior to the ending of the government shutdown, the program was funded through early to mid-December.

The supplemental nutrition assistance program or SNAP is a social service program that provides monthly benefits to purchase nutritious food.

It is operated by the Arizona Department of Economic Security.

Due to the federal government shutdown, issuance of benefits to participants in November were delayed.

It is estimated that approximately 100,000 households and likely up to 400,000 residents in the city of Phoenix receive SNAP and were impacted by the delaying benefits.

Please note that this program is no longer awaiting funding from the federal government, and in fact, the continuing resolution did fund SNAP for an entire year.

However, as soon as the threat to SNAP was known, the city came together to take some quick actions to support SNAP participants.

Although the City of Phoenix does not administer SNAP benefits in our community, we found it important to create a comprehensive website for our citizens to connect them with valuable food resources and other information.

On this website, Phoenix.gov slash food help, residents will find info and links to the agency that administers staff, a verified list of food banks and pantries in our community, information about our senior center program that provides congregant meals at a minimal cost to members, information to food system planning, as well as other helpful social service resources that are provided by the City of Phoenix and community-based agencies.

In addition, on the website, residents will find a map that shows how to utilize public transportation to access food banks and pantries.

Food educational materials have also been created to provide practical tools, tips, and resources to help individuals and families plan, shop, and cook healthy meals for themselves and their families.

This packet was directly distributed to over 5,000 HSD clients, many of whom identified as SNAP participants, including Head Start families.

Another action the city took was to request additional food boxes for distribution at the HSD senior centers to support the senior center members who are current SNAP recipients.

With that in mind, on November 7th, the city, in partnership with St.

Mary's Food Bank, kicked off our citywide food drive, Phoenix Hunger Relief.

We've extended it into January because we know food insecurity does not just occur because of a federal shutdown or due to the holidays.

The need is there all year long.

Public donations for food can be made at six city locations, as well as at designated neighborhood food pantries, as listed on our website, phoenix.gov slash hunger relief.

City staff are also able to donate at City Hall.

We are looking for canned meats like tuna or chicken, canned vegetables, fruits and beans, peanut butter and nut butters, as well as baby food and formula.

Monetary donations are being requested, and these will go directly to St.

Mary's food bank so they can purchase food items in bulk to support families.

Just one dollar can provide neighbors with enough food for five meals.

In addition to food and monetary donations, we are also seeking volunteers to support St.

Mary's Food Bank here in Phoenix.

Businesses can sign up as a group as well.

And we are asking people to please consider volunteering even after the holidays.

As of Friday, there have been monetary donations totaling nearly 24,000, which is equivalent to over 119,000 meals.

And St.

Mary's Food Bank has already picked up the first two bins of food totaling over a thousand pounds, which is equivalent to 830 meals.

Thank you for the opportunity to share this important information today.

Are there any questions?

Councilwisson.

Thank you.

I know in uh Sunny Soap, we raised uh a lot of money and food for the CAS family shelter that's located in West Sunny Slope.

Um, so I think on top of what we're seeing citywide, kudos to all of our council members for doing independent um programs and campaigns.

I think it's important, especially because we know perhaps what parts of our district need additional help.

And um, I really pleased I've seen a lot of social media and the things you guys have been doing.

So I think it's wonderful.

Also, um Desert Horizon, a precinct, is doing a turkey drive.

So they do that annually, but I think again, wonderful that we're doing this citywide, but I do want to point out that I think all the council has really dug in and making sure that we're helping our communities.

Thank you, ma'am chair.

Thank you, councilwoman.

Councilman Hernandez.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

And yeah, I just have mostly comments, not necessarily questions.

Um, but you know, this report could have been a lot more concerning had the government shut down or lifted, but I have my own thoughts on that.

But I think the most important part is like I'm glad to see that WIC is not going to be uh, you know, underfunded or the funding strip from that, um, and that SNAP is now fully funded.

Um, but I guess what this showed me and a lot of folks is that we just weren't ready to meet the need, right?

We we had a scramble together very, very quickly, and I understand, right?

The city doesn't the city of Phoenix does not fund the SNAP program or WIC, and that is you know, handled through the state through the federal funding.

But when we know that it impacts our residents, I just we had to mobilize very quickly to figure out what we were gonna do.

And the services are going to continue under threat, right?

I don't think this is a one-off.

This is going to continue through this federal administration.

And so I think like I want to push all of us to think like how are we gonna build our plan to action, right?

How are we gonna assure that accesses to vital to these vital services continue for our residents?

Um, because I really believe that we need to build an emergency response planning committee that's gonna tackle on tackle this unstabil instability from this federal administration for the next four years.

So I would really encourage and I want to see our departments um come together to work together to develop a plan around this because, like I said, it's not gonna stop, right?

This administration has already shown that they are willing to take away resources from our most vulnerable communities for whatever reason, right, to to advance their own agenda.

And I really foresee this is going to continue to be a thing that happens um year after year as they negotiate go into budget negotiations throughout different points of the year.

Um, and so we as a city just have a responsibility to prepare, and we need to just treat this as what it is, it's a continuing threat and not just the one-off.

So just thank you for everything you've done and just really have been helpful and responsive to all the offices and trying to put a plan of action together.

I just think we all need to come back to the table and prepare because this is not going to be this isn't going to be a one and done and it's resolved now.

It's going to be something we face when the next continuation deadline is upon us, and what are they going to threat our the residents with, right?

So thank you so much for everything though.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

I too wanted to start off.

I want to start off by thanking the department and all of our community partners for the extraordinary work that we came together during the historic 40-day federal shutdown.

Even with critical federal programs like SNAP and Week suspended, I think Phoenix acted quickly and compassionately to protect our most vulnerable residents.

Staff launched the citywide food resource website.

We expanded senior food box distribution.

We developed food education materials and partnered with St.

Mary's Food Bank to coordinate a major food drive.

All while managing increased demand and limited resources.

Now that the shutdown is over, I want to say thank you again to everyone who stepped up to make sure our families, seniors, and low-income residents were not left behind.

Your service and commitment to our community supported during a very challenging time, and Phoenix is stronger because of your efforts.

However, I do believe that we need to ensure that we include this as part of our emergency response plan in.

And we are quick to uh react and mobilize and how we can build upon those efforts.

So the website will continue to be there.

We will continue to update and show that information is verified.

We did not have that resource uh before.

We want to make sure that although we are not providing SNAP or WIC benefits directly, food insecurity is an issue in our community.

And so how we can support that essential need for our residents is key.

And that's not just in uh human services, that is um across multiple departments and offices within the city to monitor um what is happening as it relates to food insecurity and the needs of our residents and be able to uh respond accordingly, uh both internally as well as to share um additional um uh potential plans if those if the need were to increase.

Thank you.

And just to follow up is I think we should at least maybe it's a more of a comment.

I think our outreach efforts, our website, social media campaign, food education distribution.

Um, I think it's important for us to assess how well they performed and look and determine if there's any metrics that we can look at to see if we can improve them.

As you mentioned, the website did not exist prior to the shutdown.

So, if nothing else, that is a positive that came out of it.

We now have a resource that our community can access at any point in time to determine where they may be able to find um food in a food in the in terms of insecurity, if there's in a time of insecurity.

So, but I also think we should not just leave it there.

I think we should look and see how we can improve this.

So I would challenge you to look into that as well.

But I do believe that we should have a hopefully not something we use, but a plan that we break in terms of emergency and saying how we can help to support our residents here in Phoenix.

But thank you for your work during this extraordinary time.

Everyone thought that it would end sooner than it did.

Um, but in case it does come up again, I would like to see us be better prepared.

We did a great job, but I believe we can always do better.

So thank you.

Next up, we will move on to if there will be no questions, move on to it to item number five.

Okay.

Moving on to item number five, which is our housing repair program updates.

We're gonna start off with neighborhood services, Spencer Sell, the director, and Matt Yurochov, um, the deputy director.

Good morning, madam chair and members of the subcommittee.

Today we'll be providing a summary of our neighborhood services department's grant-funded housing repair programs that help preserve naturally occurring affordable housing for low and moderate income families and share some program updates.

Uh, as you mentioned, joining me at the table is Matt Utiro, our deputy director over the neighborhood revitalization division here in NSD.

Now, before we begin, we wanted to share a brief video and introduce Miss Angela Cohen, a resident of District 8 who recently received our services and who can probably explain the value of these programs better than we can.

So I rented this house when my children were very little.

So we've been in this house before.

So I'm a single mother and I work two jobs.

So just getting qualified for anything is very hard because I do have two jobs, so they don't consider me in the bracket of where I need to be most of the time.

Either I'm making too much, but it's not too much.

And when I heard of the program through the City of EMIX, it's uh a pamphlet that goes around every so often.

I had an ad that was like, hey, you should look into this because your home is older.

I mean, I knew about different things, but I never really understood what everything was.

So whenever the lead program came in and they started testing, it did open my eyes a lot to all the dangers that there is for the little children with older homes.

The windows were metal.

Um there they weren't airtight, so everything was coming in during the storms.

The some of the windows were not able to open the back windows.

Um that was a big thing as well.

We couldn't properly clean the lining of them.

We was just mainly like rinsing and washing, but so we got new windows.

The air is more cleaner.

I I feel there's not dust coming in the house.

The airflow, the electricity is very vigant.

Um, I noticed my bill drastically changed because the AC isn't working as hard.

Our old stuff wasn't able to be um worked with during the holidays, so we didn't have an oven.

And um, now we have a working oven down below.

The water was constantly leaking and leaking and leaking, and we didn't know how to fix it.

It looks amazing and it works.

No more buckets.

Miss Nubia and Miss Jeanette, they came in and they made everything so easy, and just made my life so much better.

It's our home.

It was meant for us.

And I so appreciate Ms.

Cohen uh and her family for welcoming us into her home and uh to partner on these repairs and for sharing her story with us.

We do have five housing repair programs that include owner-occupied housing rehab, homeowner assistance, weatherization assistance, lead safe phoenix, and rental rehab.

And I'll now pass the presentation over to Matt, who will share a little bit more about each.

Thank you, Spencer, and good morning, uh, Madam Chair and members of the subcommittee.

I am excited to talk about our programs today.

Our first main program is owner-occupied housing rehab.

It is a tent pull of neighborhood services revitalization division.

The program assists with repairs through critical systems.

Critical systems could be a plumbing leak, electrical failure, or even an AC repair or replacement.

Generally, um focusing on single systems might lead to some connected systems that are also supporting that repair, such as a AC replacement needing electrical upgrades.

It is funded with our primary funding of community development block grant, um, also known as CWG from HUD.

Occasionally, as OED's program or projects might escalate in repairs.

We may partner with our partners over at the housing department for some home investment partnership funds.

Program eligibility has some strict requirements, um, mostly for CDBG.

We're looking at 80% area medium income for a family of four.

That's approximately 90,000 per year.

Other program requirements include ownership and title status.

This means the applicants must live in the home, and the home must be free of access liens and not in foreclosure.

Last year we served approximately 38 households.

We also increased our cooling response as we experience a high volume of requests for AC repairs and replacements.

Additionally, we streamlined our intake process with the new six-page application down from 20 pages previously.

This year, our goals are to increase intake staff by filling all vacant positions and adding a new position this year.

We also launched a new online application and grant management system.

The online system will be available in both English and Spanish.

Our next program is hardship assistance.

This is a sub-program of owner-occupied housing rehab, and it focuses primarily on bringing properties into compliance with code violations.

Code violations could include dead trees, dilapidated fences, or deteriorating facades.

Program is limited in funding and cannot be supplemented for regular maintenance.

Hard ship assistance is also funded with TDBG, and the same eligibility requirements apply with 80% area meaning income, and of course, ownership title and occupy.

Last year we really tried to focus on improving the internal processes between NSC divisions.

In these matters, we are both the enforcement through preservation and a potential assistance through revitalization.

Finally, we reduced long-term lien requirements by providing grants without liens for projects under 25,000.

For this year, we're focused on reducing project timeline.

We want to resolve notices of violations faster than we have before.

We also want to blend this program with other services as they are requested from our greater occupied housing rehab program.

Another key program we have is weatherization assistance.

Weatherization assesses an home's energy efficiency for opportunities to reduce energy consumption, the cost of heating and cooling, and operating appliances.

Some typical improvements might include sealing air leaks, installing additional insulation, or repairing and replacing HVAC units.

Like our other programs, this cannot be used as an emergency program, as it includes many steps, including diagnostics.

Weatherization assistance is funded through a variety of departments, Department of Human Health and Human Services, Department of Energy, State of Arizona, Salt River Project, Arizona Public Service, and Southwest Gas.

The main eligibility requirements for this program is the family has to be below 200% of the federal poverty level.

For a family four, that is approximately 64,000.

Last year, we were able to serve 86 households.

But also as discussed by Jacqueline during HSC's presentation, the future of LAHEAP funding became uncertain.

LIHEAP of course to low-income house home energy assistance program from the U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services.

We receive our portion through the Arizona Department of Housing.

LIHEAP is our most flexible home weatherization funds, and but because of the recent uncertainty, we are working with our CDBG funds to resolve unforeseen gaps in funding.

Our goals for this year include to continue to coordinate with the Office of Sustainability about the city's energy access plan and how our programs can be involved.

We also need to ensure stability of weatherization assistance with CDBG funds as a potential replacement for LIHEAT.

However, this would still increase mounting pressure on our CDBG funding.

Our next program is Let's Safe Phoenix.

This program removes or baits lead-based paint hazards in homes built before 1978.

Those hazards could include old windows, fascia that has lead paint in it, or even interior walls.

Historically, this program was funded by lead hazard control and healthy homes funds, which included a variety of strict eligibility requirements.

Of course, the pre-1978 home, but additionally had to be occupied by a child under the age of six or a pregnant woman.

On top of that, it had the same income requirements as our regular CDBG program.

Last year we were able to serve 11 households.

However, that number underrepresents the actual number of homes receiving assistance through lead remediation through our owner-occupied housing rehab program.

That program does have far less restrictive requirements, such as not firing a child under CH6 or a pregnant woman in the home.

Additionally, our grant through the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes ended during that fiscal year, and that reduced our ability and potential for future projects.

For this year, we're going to continue our efforts with CDBG and it's reduced eligibility requirements.

However, this will also add increased pressure to our CDBG funding.

We're also working very hard to update our program guidelines and procedures to ensure we are operating this program effectively.

Our last program today is rental rehab.

This program provides up to 40,000 per unit to improve affordable rental homes in the city of Phoenix.

It's also part of our housing Phoenix plan.

It is, of course, funded with community development block grant, but with program income when available.

It must meet the same requirements as CDBG.

Especially in this case, we are going to request a 10-year affordability period for any rental units receiving our system.

Last year we partnered with the community housing partnership.

That's a nonprofit that has provided permanent low-income house low-income housing to individuals and families since 1984.

With them we renovated two multifamily buildings, which resulted in eight new units.

This year we will continue to work with community housing partnership.

And we expect to complete 20 more rental units later this year.

After which we're going to conduct a program analysis to discern to determine the program's efficiency and effectiveness.

Thank you, Matt.

Now, our goal today was to provide a brief overview of these programs to initiate a conversation about any areas where you may want us to dig a little bit deeper and perhaps come back in the spring with more information.

But before we get to that, I know we covered a lot of information.

So for any of our residents at home who might be interested in these programs, don't worry.

You don't need to have memorized all of those eligibility requirements or whether or not you qualify.

We're here to help.

So please reach out to us by visiting our website at Phoenix.gov slash NSD, giving us a call at 602534-4444 option three, or by emailing us at rehab.nsd at Phoenix.gov.

And with that, we're happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you, Spencer.

Thank you for starting off with such an amazing story about Angela and her family and the ability and the impact we've been able to make in their lives.

I specifically wanted to add this item to the agenda because I wanted to bring awareness to the phenomenal programs that we do here in the city.

And I find that sometimes everyone doesn't know about the work that we do.

So thank you for taking on the task and providing such an extensive overview so that our residents know what resources are available to them.

I will ask my colleagues first if they have some questions and then I'll circle back.

Go ahead, Councilman Hernandez.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Um, just have a couple questions here.

I saw through the presentation.

Um, the only one that didn't have how many households was served was the hardship assistance.

So can you come back with um I don't know if you know it off the top of your head now or follow up by how many people or households um the combination has served?

Um, because that's the only one that I see doesn't have a number on the presentation.

Um, so we'd love to hear that.

And then like, do we track demographics to know like where uh from what neighborhoods um there's more uh it's like the programs are seeked out more.

Um would love to know if you know any of if you can add uh elaborate on any of that now.

Uh Madam Chair, Councilwoman Hernandez.

Uh so the hardship assistance program is a subset of our owner-occupied housing rehab program, and unfortunately, in the system as it's currently designed, built in uh I think 1998.

Um, those aren't easy to pull out uh separately.

Um so we we can dig in a little bit deeper to see what our numbers were for last year.

I can say that they are very, very low.

I think one of the things over the last few years uh that has been a shortcoming of ours.

We have a lot of new staff on our code enforcement side, and so I think that information wasn't getting out as readily as it should have been.

Um so that is definitely one of our focuses in the new year and in our new system that we hope to roll out soon for applications, but also to manage these cases so we can make sure we're getting as many people in uh as need needed.

Um, in terms of the neighborhoods and tracking, yes, we we do track that information and we can certainly provide that uh maybe a map of uh all of these different programs and where we're serving folks to come back and have that discussion because I think that's a great point.

Yeah, that would be great because I I echo uh the chairwoman's um point on we have existing programs that our residents just might not know about.

So it's like I think we gotta explore how are we gonna get that information out.

So um kind of along that track, is there I know that some of the goals listed are to continue the programs but also reach more people.

Um is there outreach plan that you can or anything you can share on how that outreach will happen to make sure that our residents all know?

Um I know like I would love to share, you know.

We try to push that in the for information when we have community meetings, um, just so people know what is already existing, right?

So we're not reinventing the wheel, but just sharing out what already is out there for folks to use.

So anything you can share about like how we're gonna get to those goals on outreach, um, just to increase participation um on these programs.

Uh Madam Chair, Councilwoman, absolutely.

Uh historically, we have heavily relied on community partners who are out there who have that trust in the community.

It it's a big thing to ask folks to reach out to government uh to ask for help.

In many cases, they're afraid of of what might come with that.

So often us reaching out may not be the best.

And so we reach out to our partners and try to provide that information.

Um, and that includes faith-based institutions and our partner departments.

Uh, we have been building our relationship with our human services department, who's always been a great partner of ours, but more and more our services dovetail.

And so we want to make sure that folks who are already getting services through their uh different programs also know about and have access to ours as well.

That's that's really important to us.

Um, but yes, uh, I think one of the things we've been talking about is creating some packages for all the council offices.

You do have newsletters, you get to an audience that we may not be able to within our departments, and so we would we would love that assistance and and any other insight you might have in terms of ways we can get our word out better.

Thank you so much for that.

And then just my last question.

Um, and I don't know if you would know this up to the top of your head, because I probably wouldn't, but how much money has been spent on these programs, like an annual average or just even last year um on the combination.

Uh Madam Chair, Councilwoman, I'll defer that to Matt Yutiro to provide some of those uh estimated numbers.

Thank you so much.

Uh Madam Chair, Councilwoman Hernandez, for owner-occupied rehab, we spend approximately 1.4 million dollars a year on project for rental rehab, that fluctuates greatly, especially because of program income and what kind of quality of applications we're receiving.

Um this year we have planned to spend about $800,000 completing um five additional projects with four units.

Weatherization has great fluctuations too.

All depends on additional federal funding from what we used to be um GIL and now it's been uh IIJA um funds that we're receiving.

More of the uh alphabet soup from the federal government.

Hard to remember.

Um but we are operating with about 3.5 million dollars, but a lot of those funds have very limited things that can be spent on and program caps and additional requirements.

Um that does not include what we're hoping to receive in my heap.

Um hardship assistance program.

We generally fund that at about a 400,000 per year, but that is also dependent greatly on our entitlement for our CDBG.

And let's say Phoenix, um, we had about a four million dollar grant over four years.

Um the actual project cost at the investment would have been between 600 and 100,000 per year.

Complete has thank you so much.

Actually, I'd like I'd have one more question.

On the rental rehab program, is that something that individuals can tap into, or does it have to go through the property uh management or the property owner?

Madam Chair, Councilwoman, yes, we we do need ownership involvement.

However, we do have a path for a renter to initiate that request, and then we can help coordinate between the renter and the owner.

Of course, they're required in order to make uh improvements to the actual property, but yes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um I know um we don't have a lot of funding and the needs are great.

Um so could you speak a little bit about how we interact with uh other nonprofits that provide uh the same types of programs?

For example, I know Habitat for Humanity has a pretty healthy housing repair program.

As a matter of fact, we did partner with them in West Sunny Soap and NSD was very helpful in that.

But I know there are other uh programs out there.

Do we post those programs for our residents to know that perhaps if we don't have the funding, there may be another resource.

How do we work with the nonprofits?

Um Madam Chair, Councilwoman Stark.

Uh we do we are aware of a limited number of of folks who are providing similar or complementary services uh in the community.

Uh to your point, Habitat has been a great partner in certain areas, and uh I think they've even partnered with us as they've acquired some of some of the land in Phoenix to provide even more uh rehab services in certain neighborhoods.

Um we also partner with uh Ability 360, uh, which is a great partner providing um accessible uh accessibility modifications to homes.

So we do try to provide that information in conjunction with ours.

Um, although I will say it is it is very limited.

Uh I wouldn't say there's an extensive um amount of these types of services available.

Yeah, and I I I appreciate that.

It was a great program in um well Science Hope.

We got quite a lot done.

And um, yes, Ability 360 also provides a great service.

If there's anything you can think of that we should do as council to let people know, not only do we have a variety of great programs, but because the funding is limited, here's other nonprofits you can maybe seek out and get help, and then we can also work with those nonprofits as well.

I would appreciate it.

Thank you.

Uh, I do have a few questions as well, but I want to say I thank you so much for the what you do.

And I notice a lot of the goals going forward um include streamlining some of our internal processes and process improvements.

So it uh question whether or not um so kind of I'm gonna understand what is the average timeline for completing repairs under each program and what barriers most commonly cause any delays.

Um Madam Chair, I will defer that question to Matt to provide some uh better insight.

Thank you so much, madam chair, members of the subcommittee.

Um for owner-occupied rehab, it can really rain on how long a project can take because of the extent of repair.

We are working um swiftly to get these repairs, probably within 30 to 60 days, but we do have a lot of federal bureaucracy to go through, um, such as procurement and environmental review.

Some timelines we're unable to shave at the moment.

Um, we are working with um additional vendors who are already on procurement or exact items that already have pricing.

And so we should be able to kind of in the case of uh AC replacement, which we're seeing a lot of, move quicker on that than we have traditionally in the past.

And and I think that's a great uh point just to kind of build off of that.

We have certain cases where it's just simply a hot water heater, and that can be done very, very quickly in an emergency state, especially if someone doesn't have hot water in the in the winter or doesn't have water at all at their property.

Um, we do have other uh projects where we're replacing a roof and an air conditioning unit, and then it gets into the electrical, and some of those can take much longer.

Um, one thing that I will note is on the uh heat relief uh projects in the summer, because any amount of time is too much time for someone to not have access to cool air conditioning.

Um, we do also have portable coolers that we're able to deploy uh during that process.

I know that's getting off on a little bit of a tangent, but I think uh I think it's important to know.

Sorry, Matt.

Of course.

Uh for rental rehabs, those generally take a lot more time.

Um so far uh with community housing partnership.

We've had to do an extensive scope for a lot of their buildings.

Um those could take six months to a year complete, depending on when we finally have a real scope that we can put out bid.

Um weatherizations actually take much longer than we'd expect.

They can take about five months because of the series of diagnostics and testing that the building or the house has to go through because it's just not looking at an AC repair like OHR might um have we're finding that that's taking too long.

We sometimes take up six months to nine months, and we are really working to reduce it to make sure that we're coordinating with our preservation division on communication and getting uh those who are interested in the HAP program to fill out the and complete the paperwork and provide us a full out for Let's say Phoenix.

Um recently, uh, as we're closing out the program, we're seeing turnaround times within 60 days.

Thank you.

Thank you for that.

Um, just out of curiosity, um, with respect to some of the uh requirements from the federal our federal partners, would there be any advantages for us as council members to maybe ask for changes that would reduce the requirements for environmentals or the like given a dollar amount and just trying to figure out how we can be better partners on this issue?

Uh Madam Chair, uh count uh subcommittee members.

Um this year our focus is just maintaining our funding.

So uh while yes, I think uh I think there are a number of items that may we may benefit from in trying to uh hope and and push for uh reduce barriers to um shortened timelines.

Um what I'm most concerned about and what our what our lobbying efforts have been uh focused around and in working with our Office of Government Rations is just around please don't take these funds.

Uh so uh all that to say probably more to come in in future years on that.

Duly noted, um, I will continue to advance that message.

Um I'm just very curious.

Um, are what metrics are we using to measure the long-term impact of these repairs, such as potential reduced energy costs, improve safety, the prevention of displacement, or with the rental rehab that these uh units are actually staying affordable for um for the 10 years as as requested.

Um Madam Chair, we do have specific requirements, uh especially on the rental rehab side with the 10 years that those need to be maintained where they have to regularly report the income levels of those tenants so that we can make sure that they are continuing to provide those to uh lower moderate income residents.

Um, in terms of uh some of the other programming, I'll defer to Matt.

Yeah, and a great question, Madam Chair and members of the subcommittee.

We're in the process of building out what that tracking could look like.

We do have the data we do collect it, we do partner with um Arizona Department of Housing and their system to maintain data, especially regarding weatherization and long-term impacts of those projects and reducing um cooling and energy use.

But it's all in like three or four different systems right now on on and on spread.

So part of our process improvements over this next year would be to have something that collects all that data and makes it more accessible to provide a better story of these programs.

And then and in terms of the weatherization efficiency in particular, one of the delicate balances is again, it's a big hurdle to get government welcome them in, provide all of the details of everyone who lives in that home uh who has any income, the resources that they have.

Uh, one of the challenges when we want to continue to be in that home and that partner to measure and get reporting from them on an ongoing basis.

Um, that that can be a big big hurdle already with some of these programs, the liens uh that result are something that a lot of folks say, you know what, no, thank you.

We're we're not interested because we don't want anything you know tying us together uh beyond this project.

So that is something that we are sensitive to and we don't have a great tool uh for that at the moment.

Well, thank you.

Um and then I guess my last qu my last question um is I see that we are I'm gonna strike that.

Is there any support, additional support or policy direction that you would like to see from the subcommittee to help us um increase the program's impact citywide?

If we're doing good, we're doing good.

Uh well uh madam chair.

I I I do think there are areas that um we might want to come back and provide more information on.

Uh one of those is for the owner-occupied housing rehab program.

Um we probably need to talk a little bit more about the extent of those projects.

I think Matt shared a little bit that when we go into those uh those homes, we're trying to solve the problem that's in front of them.

So if they need a new roof roof, we're trying to replace that roof.

If they need a new air conditioning unit, we're trying to replace that air conditioning unit.

Um, historically, we tried to go by a whole house assessment.

If we go in, we're trying to touch that house once, do everything we possibly can in hopes that we don't have to return to that home in the next 10 years.

What we found there was that the projects were taking a very, very long time, and we were still coming back out before 10 years.

And it was reducing our capacity to serve others.

So I do think that while that's something we've been struggling internally with, I I think that might be something that's worth further conversation uh with the subcommittee at another date.

Thank you so much.

Um, I want to thank again the department for your continued commitment to helping us preserve the naturally occurring affordable housing throughout across our city.

Uh, these programs play a critical role in helping families keep safe, stabilizing our agent homes and ensuring residents can remain in the communities they love.

From repairing essential home systems to improving energy efficiency and removing lead hazards.

These programs reflect the city's dedication to protecting long-time homeowners and strengthening neighborhoods.

I want to say again, I appreciate the staff and thank you to all our partners who work every day to help deliver these services.

And I'm grateful for the care and the expertise that they bring to our residents.

Thank you so much.

Next up, we're gonna move on to item number six, City of Phoenix Housing Department Home Ownership Programs and Initiatives.

It's an overview citywide, and director Titus Matthews and Aubrey Gonzalez, assistant director, will give us our presentation Good morning, Madam Chair, members of the subcommittee.

Thank you for having us here this morning, and it's our pleasure to present all that we do in housing.

It's a lot of stuff we do, and I hope the residents are watching as well.

At the end of the presentation, we'll have a QR code for residents to uh look into and see what resources we have on our website.

Thank you very much for having us.

Once again, good morning, Madam Chair and members of the subcommittee.

With me today is assistant housing director Aubrey Gonzalez.

Today we'll provide an overview of the housing department's homeownership programs and initiatives.

The first one is the open doors down payment assistance program, Section 32 and Section 18 programs, family self-sufficiency and community land trust.

We'll also discuss how local partnerships and programs strengthen these efforts and support a shared goal of expanding homeownership opportunities.

From 2019 to 2022, the median sales price increased by 56% based on a survey that was conducted by the American Community Survey system.

Rising home prices and higher interest rates have made it more difficult for residents to purchase homes, widening the affordability gap.

As of July 2025, the median sales price in Phoenix was 417,000.

At a 6.1% interest rate, a household would need an income of approximately 117,000 to afford a median priced home.

This is well above the income threshold for families earning at or less than 80% of the area median income.

As an example, a family of four at 80% area median income equates to 89,750 in 2025.

For comparison, the home sales price in 2020, when the housing phoenix plan was approved, was 315,000 and required an annual income of around $76,000 a year.

In 2000, the median home price was 130,000 and required an annual income of less than $60,000.

As you can see, in 25 years, the home median prices have increased by over three times.

More than half of Phoenix owner households earn above 120% of the area median income.

In 2025, there's approximately 134,000 for a family of four.

Home ownership not only supports housing stability, but also helps build generational wealth.

The housing department offers several programs that prioritize affordability, education, and stability.

The federally funded open doors downpayment assistance program helps Phoenix residents achieve homeownership by reducing the primary barrier, the down payment.

Since 2013, open doors has assisted 100 households earning up to 80% of the area median income, investing over 1.6 million in down payment assistance.

This program covers up to 10% of a home's purchase price with no monthly payments, 0% interest, and loan forgiveness after set period.

With a purchase price cap of 447,000, it supports working families and individuals seeking stability and long-term investment.

Participants must complete a hug-approved 8-hour home by education course to prepare for successful homeownership.

I will now turn the presentation over to assistant housing director Aubrey Gonzalez.

Thank you, Director Matthew.

Madam Chair members of the subcommittee.

Provides an opportunity for public housing participants to purchase their home or members of the general public whose household income does not exceed 80% of the area median income to become first-time homebuyers, offering them the opportunity to purchase a former public housing single family home that will serve as their primary residence.

This program has helped 239 households become homeowners, providing over 8.8 million in forgivable loans to support homeownership.

The program provides a 20% discount off the appraised value through a city investment loan, a 10-year no interest, no payment loan, home buyer counseling, and home buyer educational courses are required.

All eligible homes must pass a housing quality standards inspection prior to sale.

This ensures that buyers move into homes that are safe, well maintained, and move and ready.

The Section 18 homeownership program makes select former public housing single family homes available for sale to the public without income limits or restrictions on first-time homebuyers.

Homes are sold as is.

Since its launch in 2019, the program has helped 92 households become homeowners.

This program is ideal for those who may not qualify for assistance programs but are ready to purchase a home and are able to make improvements.

Serves residents of public housing and the housing choice voucher Section 8 program, who are ready to take steps towards financial independence.

This voluntary program empowers low-income families to break the cycle of poverty and move toward long-term stability and self-reliance.

Through personalized case management, goal setting and financial coaching, the FSS program provides support to participants over a five-year period.

A key features the escrow savings account, which grows as participants increase their earned income.

These funds are dispersed upon program completion and can be used for debt reduction, education, business development, and home ownership, all without impacting their housing assistance during the program.

The program has demonstrated measurable and lasting impact.

On average, the program has over 300 participants cycling through the program.

Data captured from 2020 to 2025 shows 170 successful participants have increased their total earned income from 2.5 million to over 7.3 million.

More than 1.8 million in escrow savings has been dispersed to families.

32 participants have achieved home ownership, laying the foundation for general wealth, generational wealth.

These outcomes reflect not only individual success stories, but also strengthen the local economy and build more resilient communities.

Now I'd like to share a video of a family self-sufficiency graduate sharing their story.

Stephanie's new house key represents a whole new world.

She never imagined possible.

Oh my okay, I'll hold it back.

But yeah, it's the end of homelessness.

Stephanie came to Arizona several years ago, struggling with health problems and trying to care for her two kids.

We were jumping around to family members here, there living out of my car.

She eventually got into a City of Phoenix affordable housing complex and then got connected with the city's family self-sufficiency program and habitat for humanity.

It's amazing.

First I was like doubting myself like you can't build no house, but it was very rewarding.

It made me, I was excited.

I was here every Saturday for months.

Our goal is to have them work with directly with caseworkers for comprehensive case management, with the goal being working towards family self-sufficiency.

Our caseworkers are phenomenal in addressing any of their immediate needs and then working towards their individual uh employment or income goals.

I have signatures on the walls.

I have prayers on my walls inside before they close them in.

Every day, Stephanie feels like her heart is jumping for joy.

Her grandson certainly doing his part, knowing her family will now always have a place to call home as she passes on a new legacy.

The part of the program that I got out was to basically bigger, dream bigger.

We want to thank Stephanie for sharing her story with us.

As part of the city's housing Phoenix plan approved in 2020, Initiative 7 is focused on preserving and expanding Phoenix's affordable housing stock.

This initiative includes the implementation of a community land trust or CLT to create affordable homeownership opportunities for low-income housing residents.

In 2023, the mayor and city council approved a partnership with Newtown Community Development Corporation to serve as a city's CLT administrator.

With an allotment of $5 million from American Rescue Plan Act or ARPA funding, the program was launched with the goal of creating a minimum of 25 permanently affordable homes.

In a typical CLT model, the CLT acquires the property and rehabilitates the home.

The land is placed in a trust and sold to an income eligible buyer.

The home buyer mortgages the amount needed to purchase the house, not the land, and this reduces the overall cost to the home buyer.

The homeowner pays a nominal lease fee to the trust for the land while owning the home.

When the homeowner decides to move, the trust has the first right to purchase the home at fair market value, and the trust will purchase the home.

This model creates an opportunity for income eligible households to participate in homeownership.

It ensures long-term affordability by maintaining ownership of the land, and homes remain in trust in perpetuity.

The land is held in trust, generally with a 99-year renewable lease.

The program targets first-time home buyers with incomes of up to 80% of the area median income.

And as of September 2025, nine homes have been purchased, rehabilitated, and sold to income eligible buyers, with two additional homes currently under rehabilitation.

This partnership represents a strategic step toward equitable housing access, enabling first-time homebuyers to build wealth while keeping homes affordable for future families.

And now we'd like to share a video of a recent CLT home buyer sharing their story.

It feels honestly like a dream.

But it wasn't easy.

After graduating from ASU, he found the house search challenging.

I was starting to get a little discourse.

Two years later, he found this home through a unique program.

The City of Phoenix's community land trust ownership program.

It was super exciting.

With support from the Phoenix City Council, the City of Phoenix Housing Department awarded five million dollars of federal grant money to nonprofit partner, Newtown Community Development Corporation, to buy 25 homes in Phoenix and turn them into affordable housing.

Just like a real regular homebuyer would find a house, we buy them, we rehab them, and then we sell them to low-income families and individuals for a lower price.

Because community land trust exists, we keep ownership of the land and so adjust the house.

When those homes are sold, there is a share of the proceeds between the homeowner and new town.

And Newtown will be using their proceeds to purchase additional homes within the city of Phoenix.

So although we're starting out with 25 homes now, there's going to be many, many more homes down the line.

It's really more than just a home.

It's an investment in the city's future for affordable housing options.

Requests for proposals were released by the housing and neighborhood services departments and awarded for development of 13 affordable homes.

Two RFPs for 22 parcels are in progress, and RFPs for 51 parcels are planned to be released released soon.

Collaborating with various partners and learning about similar local programs is essential as it enables staff to share resources such as the Home and Five Advantage and Home and Five Plantum programs, which are administered by the Maricopa and Phoenix Industrial Development Authorities.

There is an industrial development authority.

It administers the home plus buyer down payment assistance and Arizona is home down payment assistance programs.

These programs offer prospective buyers the opportunity to purchase a home in Maricopa County, provided they meet the eligibility criteria comparable to those of the housing department's home buyer requirements.

I will now turn the presentation back to Director Matthew.

Thank you, Aubrey.

The housing department is committed to expanding affordable homeownership opportunities, collaborating with partners to address the housing affordability gap and ensuring that Phoenix residents have access to stable housing.

Owning a home is more than a milestone, build stronger communities and provide people with its stability and opportunities.

When residents can afford homes in the neighborhoods they want to live in, they're more likely to stay, invest in, and support their communities.

To learn more about our programs and initiatives, please visit our website or follow us on X and LinkedIn, and you can click on the QR code to get directed to our website with more resources available.

This concludes our presentation.

We're happy to answer any questions.

Thank you so much to you both with Titus and Aubrey for that presentation.

You uh outdid Spencer's by including two personal stories, which I thought were phenomenal.

Um, again, the purpose of why I wanted to highlight these um initiatives is because I want to make sure our community understands that there are resources available for everyone.

Phoenix has done a, I think it's doing a great job when it comes to ensuring that we are not only protecting renters, but we are also creating more homeowners.

So I will give my colleagues an opportunity to ask any questions they may have.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I do, I was trying to bring up the website because I wanted to see what the housing I'm gonna admit I haven't looked at the housing website, but I talk to the housing department all the time.

Um, but more so I would want to look at it to see are if the resources there are laid out like a resource hub for prospective home buyers.

Um would love to kind of just uh see that and how can it be more easily accessible and just digestible to the residents for them to understand okay, these programs exist.

This is how I can tap into this.

So just offering up a little bit of that.

Um, but I know that in, and I don't think I saw it in this presentation, but I know that in 2024, the city of Phoenix did a housing assessments need needs assessment.

Can I can my office get that since it was before I got into office?

Madam Chair, members of the subcommittee councilman had not is yes, we'll definitely provide you that needs assessment.

And just so you know, it's it's also on our website as well.

Oh, perfect.

See, then I'm gonna find it right there.

So I appreciate that.

And then I just have some comments more so than questions.

You know, we talk a lot, I talk to your out to your department a lot, um, just because housing is such a such a priority for for the D7 office and for so many of the, especially for chairwoman uh Keisha Hodge Washington, but for so many of us it's such a critical need.

Um, so I love that we are finding all these paths to help with homeownership and to get our residents to become homeowners.

Um, and I also understand that it's it's just one of the tools that we have, right?

Like we need to do all of these things, plus we need to make sure um that you know, other partners are doing their part also that we have more housing options across the board.

And I think, you know, as we look at what those solutions look like, I just really appreciate that, you know, director Titus, you and Aubrey and your entire housing department are trying to go above and beyond and find how we can make all of our resources stretch and like what can we do as a city.

Um, you know, I in this moment I think we there's other measures that we need to do that aren't in your hands, but you know, we got to make sure that people are earning a livable wage so they can afford and attain housing that they, you know, so they can thrive.

Um, we need to make sure that the um hedge fund home buyers, right?

That look to buy up the properties that are available, like there's guardrails there so that residents can access those as well.

And so I think there's other things we can also do in partnership, like with planning, right?

We can look at our zoning ordinances and what we're currently doing to see where can we create more housing that looks a lot of different ways for what our different families' needs are.

So I just want to commend you for all the work that you're doing in trying to really be make our residents homeowners.

Um, I'm here to help and support and champion this in a way that we can really deliver for our residents.

So I just really appreciate all the work that y'all have done because Phoenix is growing, right?

Phoenix is growing, and we have to be prepared to meet that growth.

Um, and so I think tomorrow we're gonna be voting on adopting a middle housing ordinance that is another tool that we can bring on board to really help create homeownership opportunities for so many of our residents.

I mean, looking at the numbers on what the average home price has jumped from just to in the last 25 years, it's very shocking.

And you know, that can be very frustrating to so many of our residents that feel like they don't have an opportunity here.

So just thank you so much for all the work.

And we're I'm here to continue to be a great partner with you all in figuring out how we make more of our residents' homeowners and how we can creatively do that.

So thank you so much.

Thank you.

I also want to thank the housing department and our local partners for their continuing work to expand affordable homeownership opportunities in Phoenix.

Um, one of the things that draws many and drew many individuals to our community was our affordability and the probability, the possibility of home and at home.

And I think what we're seeing is we've continued to adapt to the times.

Um, with rising home prices, sometimes it may feel unattainable for many families, and these programs help us play a vital role in creating stability and opening doors to generational wealth.

Your efforts to provide down payment assistance, support first-time home home buyers, and develop community land trust opportunity demonstrates a strong commitment to ensuring that every resident has a pathway to safe and affordable place to call home.

I really appreciate the dedication, collaboration, innovation that the staff brings to this work every day.

Can you tell us a little bit about the demand for these programs?

Are we seeing more demand than we are able to satisfy, or do we need to um let's talk about demand for these programs first?

Madam Chairman Subcode, good question.

So currently we have 98 homes in our section 32 and section 18 homes.

And we have a couple of years ago when the housing prices increased dramatically, the interest rates went up, we had a slight slowdown because of the interest rates and appraisals that came in very high.

And people were unable to qualify at the 80% of below area minute income.

But since then, we've seen an uptick where we have more applicants coming in because housing prices have come down slightly, interest rates have also come down, and then they're able to qualify.

We've also paired those residents with the DPA program, the downpayment assistance program.

That's also helped them to buy these homes as well.

So at the moment, I wouldn't say we have a need to increase homeownership in terms of available homes, but I think it's a combination of providing folks a down payment assistance is I think more valuable than the home itself.

Thank you for that.

And then my second question is um, as you know, I'm a fan of the community land trust program.

Is there any opportunity or is there an option for donations to the land trust for similar to how individuals will donate their vehicle?

Could someone donate their home to the community land trust?

Madam Chair Member Sumke, that's a good question.

In our current uh agreement with uh our CLT operator, generally we have been providing a financial contribution to the land trust to buy homes and rehab them.

But as far as a donation goes, that's not been researched yet, but I definitely can look into it and see what the that's available.

I'm sure it'll be.

We just had to talk with our attorneys and the CLT administrator to figure it out.

I would like us to consider that.

Um, I think especially, I think we've shown that with the 25 with the goal of 25 homes, um, that it is a process that works and how do we expand that?

And I believe that after many of our community partners may be interested in something of that nature.

I want to make sure that we are not turning away any opportunity to continue to increase the number of affordable homes options for our community.

I think affordable homes are not just the affordable housing in a rental capacity, but also making sure we have a rent affordable homeownership opportunities.

So thank you for that.

Looking into that.

Um, I will just wrap up by saying items five and six clearly demonstrate how critical it is for the city of Phoenix to maintain strong and well a well-resourced housing trust fund.

The housing repair.

I'm sorry.

Okay, let's start up again.

Items five and six clearly demonstrate how critical it is for the city to have a well have a strong and well resource housing trust fund.

The housing repair programs help family preserve naturally occurring affordable housing, support safety and ability, and stabilize long-term homeowners who might otherwise be at the risk of displacement.

These efforts directly complement our homeownership initiatives, which create pathways for residents earning less than 80% AMI to build wealth and purchase home in a challenging market.

While these programs operate in somewhat isolation, their impact is lim is limited.

But when they are supported by things like the housing trust fund and paired with strong cross-department collaboration, their effectiveness multiply by coordinated efforts between the Department of Um Neighborhood Services, the Housing Department, the Human Service Department, and our utility and nonprofit partners, the city can stretch dollars further, align eligibility criteria, and improve outreach to families who would benefit from both repair assistance and homeowners' resources.

I believe that together item five and six show a full perspective of what it means for the city to invest in housing, maintaining the housing we already have and create new opportunities for residents to become homeowners.

And we will be talking further about the housing trust fund this afternoon.

And I believe that will be central to both of these goals.

The interdepartment collaboration ensures that families can move seamlessly from the along the housing continuum from safety and repair to stability to home ownership.

This to me is how Phoenix builds a healthier and more equitable housing ecosystem for all residents.

So thank you again to all the departments and thank you for all that you do to continue to ensure that Phoenix can be remain where individuals can live and live uh affordably.

Thank you so much.

Kara Hodge Washington.

Yes.

Go ahead, Vice Mayor.

Thank you so much.

I just want to um thank uh director Matthews and his entire department for all that they have done um since he's come on board and and in all the different programs and working diligently to ensure that we um are making these programs available to residents and and make them successful and continue to advocate for what we need for the city of Phoenix.

So um thank you for your work and your staff's work.

Also, thank you to um Spencer and his staff for for what they are doing to help maintain our city as well.

And thank you, Chair, for bringing these items to the subcommittee.

Thank you.

Thank you, Vice Mayor.

Um I will check one more time.

Thank you for the presentation again.

Um, and the last item for today is a call to public.

I don't see that we have any registered speakers.

Are there any requests for future agenda items from either of my colleagues, Vice Mayor?

Well, seeing none, the meeting.

Thank you.

Seeing none, I will the meeting is adjourned.

All by yourself during the right weather, uh, but we fail to see the opportunities to uh kind of harvest connections to a rich wives around the rich outdoor resources that are around us.

We'll get our tremendous landscape here, and uh mayor gallego in the city of Phoenix has often said.