Thank you so much.

Good afternoon.

It is November 18th, and I'll call the meeting to order.

Thank you all for joining us.

We'll begin with council information and follow-up requests.

And I will jointly recognize Councilwoman Stark and Councilman Robinson to begin us.

Thank you.

So Kevin and I went to a coffee with the cop, and uh the commander of the Desert Horizon precinct threw down a uh a piece of competition, he thought that only Kevin and I could do all of you could do this, but we just happen to be at the coffee, and it was for the turkey drive they do annually at Desert Horizon.

And so we have a competition going on between Desert uh District Three and District Six.

Of course, district three will win, but um I will turn it over to Kevin if you have any other thoughts, knowing that district three will win.

Thank you to my esteemed colleague.

Um it's been interesting.

Obviously, interesting as councilwoman Stark said, we were asked by the police department to help them, help them um with a you know a worthwhile cause, and that is obviously raise money and collect turkeys for folks who couldn't otherwise probably afford it this time of year.

So the competition was fierce.

Um I got sucked into it, you know.

Everyone thinks that councilwoman Sark is this nice woman and all this other stuff.

But um, you know, we went at it toe-to-toe, head to head and stuff like that.

And I will say that um thus far, as of this morning, well over six thousand dollars raised, and in comparison to last year, a total of seventeen hundred dollars having been raised.

So I think the head-to-head competition is it's really good.

It's bruising my ego, but it's good for um the overall um our overall goal.

And with that, I I thank Councilwoman Stark and her entire office, and I think my office, they've all gotten into it, and you're about to see, I think a very quick video.

I want to throw a thank you out to our communications person for um the council floor, Adam Waltz, because he participated.

He participated a lot more than I thought he would.

So I'll just put it at that.

So Mayor, thank you very much.

Councilwoman Stark, thank you.

I think we have a just a couple quick slides of presentation.

And then of course is be true indicate district three.

Go ahead.

And quite frankly, we probably should do this year round.

We should all think about giving to our food banks year-round, not just during the holidays.

But thank you.

It's been a lot of fun.

And I can't wait to have that.

What is that?

Prize again is uh dinner that's cooked by Commander Warren Brewer out of Desert Horizon Precinct has a specialty of um barbecued Hawaiian or Hawaiian barbecue that he'll put together for the winning office.

So if we don't win, we're gonna sneak over to District Three anyway and eat the food.

But um, you know, the one last thing I'll make mention of.

I've never seen so many department heads run in the opposite direction when they saw me because Deb had already gotten to them.

So I I I understand your reluctance and your avoidance of me, and I appreciate the reasons why.

So thank you, Mayor.

Well, th thank you both for helping such a worthy cause.

We know it's been a tough year for so many, and thanks to the two of you in the precinct, a lot of people are gonna have a better Thanksgiving.

St.

Mary's has been wonderful through the challenges we've had with federal.

I don't know what you'd even call it.

The federal government.

Um, and I think it's really disrupted their supplies, so they are lucky to have you uh as partners in this area, and we're wishing you both good luck, but I feel like either way the community wins.

So thank you.

Uh Councilwoman Gordado.

Thank you, Mayor.

This is my office, heaviest community service and outreach season, a time when our residents and working families need us the most.

My team and I are deeply committed to showing up, listening, and providing support through meaningful events and initiatives that strengthen our community.

Some of the events that we've had and coming up, Light Rail Community Meeting.

Thank you to everyone who joined us on November 12th for the morning and evening sessions at the Maryville Community Center to discuss the light rail and proposed extensions into Maryville.

More than 190 residents joined us.

Your voices matter.

The ideas, concerns, and hopes you shared help guide us as we work to bring better transportation options to the West Valley.

Thank you for taking time to participate and for helping us make informed decisions that reflect the needs of our growing city.

Also wanna thank my colleagues that share Maryville with me, Councilwoman Hernandez and Councilwoman Pastor.

It was our first meeting that we ever did together.

Huge success.

So thank you guys so much for the partnership and looking forward to doing more meetings with the two of you.

In the spirit of the holiday season, I want to invite the community to our annual Thanksgiving event, El Pavaso.

This Saturday, November 22nd at 5 p.m.

at the Maryville Community Center.

This event is one of the most meaningful ways we support families in District 5.

It's a moment for our community to come together and make the season a little brighter for those who need it the most.

We'll have live entertainment, jump houses for kids, and of course, we'll be distributing nearly a thousand turkeys and celebrating with our neighbors.

I want to thank the Phoenix Firefighter Association and the City of Phoenix Police and Fire and Parks personnel for this incredible partnership and for their assistance and making this event very successful every year.

Huge shout out to Phoenix Union, to Cartwright Elementary School District, to Alhambra School District as well, and also um to everyone that will join us.

I know that um Chief Luran will be out there with us um passing out turkeys.

So thank you so much so much for that, and also to my team for the engagement that they do with the community every day when it comes to this event.

This is an event that the community already expects to happen every year.

All of our 500 slots have been filled for over a week.

Um, so we see the need, we see everything that's happening um in our communities, um, especially right now, thanks to our federal governments.

So we're very grateful to everyone that has made this happen.

I'm also excited to share that very Mary Marybelle is back on and will be held on December 13th at 4 p.m.

again at the Maryville Community Center.

This is always a joyful celebration with toys, entertainment, great food, and plenty of holiday spirit.

It's a special time for families across Maryvale to come together and enjoy a festive evening.

We look forward to seeing you there and celebrating the season as a community.

We'll be joined by three different sanas.

Just don't tell the kids that there's three different sanas because they gotta believe it's only one.

Um, and we're hoping to deliver thousands of toys um to our community again um to the Phoenix Firefighter Association.

A huge shout out to them for always helping us and coming out with us as we're picking out the toys for the children um for this event.

So very thankful for everyone that has made this happen.

And just um pointing the privilege.

I know Dave is from the parks department um that runs um the Maryville Community Center will be retiring this week.

So we're definitely gonna miss him.

I think El Pavaso, no, I think um Scary Vell was the last event that he did with us.

So we just I just want to wish him the best.

He was such a great partner for us for our office, and he always supported all of our crazy ideas and creative ideas that we've had um throughout the year.

So we just want to wish him the best in his retirement.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you so much.

We'll go to Councilwoman Hernandez and then Councilwoman Hodge Washington.

Thank you, Mayor.

And I do have some slides, so not sure where those will be.

So um seven months in office.

Uh so all right, let's get going.

So we made it seven months, everyone.

Uh it's been it's been a time.

And but wow.

Uh this place is wild, and there is never no moment.

So, where do we even begin?

Uh, next slide, sorry.

And then next slide.

You got to catch that one quick.

So where do we even start?

For starters, uh, my Dodgers won the World Series.

Mine and uh Councilwoman Guardados um won the world series.

Uh the haters can stay mad.

Uh also we have to find lighthearted uh things to celebrate right now.

Um, as we've heard, there is uh a lot of trying times for everybody.

Um, next slide.

Because oh my god, the rest of this.

Every day has been a new challenge with new threats and more uncertainty.

But as the meme states, we're all fine.

This is fine, everything is fine.

Next slide.

Um, but on in serious matters, um, our neighborhoods are under attack, our people are up against it, and the ongoing threat from this federal administration is visibly impacting our communities.

Um, and we stay at risk of Trump's National Guard invasion into Phoenix.

Uh next slide.

I want to take a moment here to welcome back city manager Ed Zirker.

So welcome back, Ed.

Um, we have a lot of work to do.

Next slide, please.

Um, but through it all, our District 7 communities really keep us going.

Um, next slide, please.

We've got to meet so many amazing people.

We've gotten to enjoy restaurants across the district.

Um, and we we've had real conversations about what our people are going through in the streets uh far away from City Hall.

Uh next slide, please.

Side note, District 7 does in fact have the best tacos, and I challenge any of my council members to prove me wrong.

Don't go there.

Challenge stands.

Next slide, please.

Um, throughout the last seven months, our communities have been very clear.

They want action, they want action on housing, action on light rail, and action on data centers, and they have been very clear on ice that we must protect our communities from ice in our neighborhoods.

Next slide, please.

But through that, the good times have continued have continued.

Um, next slide, please.

I really want to give a shout out to Valley Metro City staff and my fellow council members, councilwoman guardado and councilwoman Pastor for um and councilwoman Kicha Keisha House Washington for uh teaming up with with the district seven office to go and meet the community where they're at.

So it's been amazing.

I'm really looking forward to continuing those partnerships.

Next slide, please.

Um, this fall also I joined the community community service and education subcommittee.

Um, this is my first subcommittee, and I'm excited to get to work on solutions for homelessness, uh, for more housing options and more supportive services for our communities.

Uh, next slide, please.

Uh, we have also continued more listening and more meetings with our residents.

Um, so shout out to all the community leaders who have met with us and introduced us to more of our neighbors.

Uh, next slide, please.

And we've stood against injustice.

For those that don't know the story of Johnny Reed, I would encourage all of you to follow Black Lives Metro Phoenix, Black Lives Matter Phoenix Metro, and really learn about his story.

Uh Johnny is in prison for a crime he did not commit.

Um, he was in fact 14 years old when Phoenix PD and Maricopa County charged him with the murder of Jacob Harris.

Uh, that is a murder that he did not commit.

Jacob Harris was killed by our Phoenix Police Department.

Um, and there, but there is still time to take action to free Johnny.

Um, I've gotten me and my team have gotten our chance to show up and support the family.

Um, and his story is one that needs to be broadcast, and we encourage everyone to join us in in moving forward the the goal of freeing Johnny.

Um next slide, please.

Um, and if you aren't paying attention to what is happening in the Congo, then you are ignoring a genocide.

We can all take action to end the genocide in Congo.

Uh, up on the screen, there should be a QR code where folks can get involved.

Uh, next slide, please.

Uh, you can also follow these great orgs that do work in D7 and throughout the city of Phoenix to stay current on justice issues, um, not just in D7, but across the entire city.

So super excited to continue building relationship with these amazing orgs.

Uh, next slide, please.

And as we shared a little bit, light rail movement has been uh active.

I do want to thank all the residents that have already showed up and participated in meetings in Maryville and in the capital area.

Uh, a lot of great feedback, very encouraging.

The community is showing up to uh share their voices.

So if you live along the upcoming light routes, uh, which are the neighborhoods in the Capitol area and in Maryville, we want to continue to hear input.

So there is a QR code on the screen to uh to fill up the surveys so we can continue to gather that, uh, those comments and those concerns and questions now through through January.

Um, next slide, please.

And lastly, watch, keep an eye out on our socials for our announcement around our December Posada.

Um, there will be tacos.

Challenge still stands.

Um, so excited for that to team up with some great partners to collect some toys for some impacted families.

So looking forward to that.

Next slide, please.

Um, and lastly, lastly, I want to say thank you to some special folks.

Uh Stephanie and team have really gone above and beyond to make the entire D7 team feel very welcome on the 11th floor.

Um, to all the city staff uh across the departments that have answered our office, our office endless questions.

Also, thank you very much.

Um, but especially thank you to all our residents.

Uh, thank you for sharing your honesty for holding us accountable.

Um, and we stay honored of serving on your behalf.

Um, next slide, please.

And that is how you can contact the district seven office.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much.

We're looking forward to the D4 D7 uh taco challenge.

I'm sorry, D5 D7 Taco Challenge.

Councilwoman Hut Washington and then Councilwoman Pastor.

Thank you so much, Mayor.

Before I begin, I too would like to welcome Ed back to his back to City Hall.

Um, this is his first policy meeting since returning as our city manager, and I look forward to working with you as we continue the progress on all the projects that we have been working on.

I'm gonna throw out there my shameless plug for fire station number 69.

Thank you so much.

Um, waiting on my slide.

Thank you.

As we know, with cooler weathers means more community events.

My office and I have been very busy with the District 8 community, and I just wanted to highlight a few of these events.

Next slide, please.

Um, I took part, I attended the 56th annual CPLC dinner where they honored the incredible legacies of Mary Rose Wilcox and Jim She.

The evening celebrated their leadership service and ongoing contributions to our community.

In the Edison East Lake neighborhood, the Eratera and Saluna Housing Communities welcome 56 new three trees through the APS Community Tree Program.

This resident-led effort supported by city departments and local partners, is helping create shade, improve air quality, and build a healthier, more resilient future for families in District 8.

I also had the pleasure of celebrating the grant reopening of the newly transformed Dorance Planetarian at the Arizona Science Center.

It is a shining example of innovation in science, technology, culture, and tourism right here in District 8.

If you have not checked it out, I encourage you to do so.

Next slide.

This year's gain event was a wonderful reminder of what makes our community so special.

I spent the day visiting neighborhoods across District 8 where residents came together through music, food, fun activities, all driven by a shared goal of building safer and more connected neighborhoods.

Next slide.

This weekend, there are a number of community events happening in District 8.

Make sure to grab a free turkey from the Guadalatón annual event or the Harizona Turkey Drive, both of which I am proud to support.

They subs they start at 9 a.m.

and they are looking forward to providing turkeys and other resources to the community.

Additionally, Black Girls Break Bread in collaboration with the Office of Public Health will be hosting a health fair at the Broadway Heritage Neighborhood Resource Center.

I am proud to share that this event was made possible possible by Elevate 8 Funds from my office's participatory budget.

Be sure to attend to receive dental health services, free food, fresh produce, baby diapers, and health insurance resources.

Next slide.

Lastly, all aboard the District 8 Express.

I would like to invite you all to our upcoming third annual District 8 holiday party.

Each year, it's a joy to see so many community members come together to celebrate.

Our party will be on December 20th at the Children's Museum of Phoenix at 5:30 p.m.

Enjoy a whimsical train ride, festive music, delicious hot chocolate or sweet treats.

Explore the museum's front exhibits, take professional photos with Santa Claus and the Grinch, and take home special gifts for all ages.

So I look forward to seeing you all there.

Next slide.

As always, if you need any help with city services or notice issuing our neighborhood, don't hesitate to reach out to my office.

Happy holidays as we approach our holiday season.

That is all I have.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you so much.

We'll go to Councilwoman Pestor next.

Thank you, Mayor.

I'll wait for my slides to go up.

Are you there?

Hello.

We do not see your slides, but I think they're now we see your slides.

Okay.

So I just want to give a shout out for the Grand Canal Community Cleanup at the Foot Edition neighborhood.

This happened this past weekend.

I want to do a special shout out and thank you to Creighton School Board.

Um the district uh Creighton School District Board and the students that joined me.

Next slide.

Uh community cleanups, please join us at our next month's cleanup in Central Phoenix with Keat Phoenix Beautiful.

You can always scan the QR code to sign up.

Next slide, the Maryvale Community Meeting, Light Rail Extension, CapEx and West Side Phoenix.

Last week we hosted a meeting in Maryville in collaboration with Councilwoman Guardado and Councilwoman Hernandez to do to discuss the light rail and proposed extension all the way to the west side.

We need your input on the best way path forward.

More importantly, I attended as the chair of Light Rail on Valley Metro.

Next slide.

Mary Rose Wilcox Center for Health Care and Innovation.

I attended the groundbreaking of the Mary Rose Wilcox Center and Brant Park neighborhood.

Mary Rose has worked tirelessly for Phoenix and has shaped Phoenix.

She is the first Latina to ever been elected to City Council.

The center will continue her legacy and her commitment to equity, opportunity, and community.

Look forward to attending and open the opening.

Thank you.

Next slide.

Welcome to District 4 plus 100 years of impact United Way.

The Valley of the Sun, United Way.

Recently celebrated 100 years.

And they celebrated in the heart of the city at Park Central.

Let's hope for another 100 years.

Our veterans stand down.

Next slide.

Our veterans stand down.

Just ahead, I hosted a veterans resource stand down at the VFW Post 720.

The stand down offered free help screenings, housing support, employment opportunities, and family funding activities.

What's most importantly to me, I met a mother that her son needed housing and he was homeless.

A veteran that served our country, and we were put able to connect them to resources and get them on the list for housing.

Next slide.

A thousand dollars for the National Forum of Black Public Administrators June Team Events at the Invested in just to reinvest in our community.

And Councilwoman, you're breaking up a little bit.

We're next slide.

Councilwoman, we have lost audio, I believe.

Can you hear me?

Just heard you now.

Okay.

So I'm at the next slide at uh partner with a principal, Cartwright Elementary School.

That's where I ended up having became principal for the day and have enjoyed myself with students.

Thank you, Mayor, uh, for allowing me to provide this information to the community.

Wonderful.

Thanks so much.

Does anyone else have council information and follow up request items?

All right.

Well then we will get to our agendized item.

Thank you to the call, my colleagues for all of the great updates.

We will now go to agenda item number one, which is the housing trust fund policy.

And we will welcome up our deputy city manager Gina Montez to introduce the folks who are working on this presentation.

Good afternoon, Mayor, members of the council.

We're so pleased to be before you this afternoon to talk about the critical issue of housing and the creation of the housing trust fund.

This afternoon, we're going to discuss with you the proposed um framework and policy for the use of the trust fund.

And we have Titus Matthew, our housing director, Albert Gonzalez, Assistant Housing Director, and Samatha Keating, Deputy Housing Director.

So I'm happy to turn the presentation over to Director Matthew.

Thank you, Deputy City Manager Gina Montez.

And thank you to Mayor and Council for allowing us this opportunity to present this afternoon.

I'm very excited to present this item because it's long time coming to the City of Phoenix.

The City of Phoenix has long prioritized increasing housing supply for residents at all income levels and family sizes.

In 2020, the Housing Phoenix Plan was approved to provide policy guidance designed to increase the city's housing supply.

The plan included an overarching goal to create or preserve 50,000 housing units by 2030.

I'm pleased to report that as of December 2024, more than five years early, the city has met this goal, which was celebrated in February at the Reserve and Thunderbird, a newly developed affordable housing project.

Through September of this year, a unit total has increased to more than 61,000 units.

Of this total, approximately 20% are considered affordable to households at or below 80% of the area mean and income.

Several years ago, when we started a count towards this unit goal, the ratio of affordable housing units was less than 10% in comparison to the total number of units created or preserved.

Now we have achieved a ratio of 20%.

This is in part because of the mayor and city council's actions towards increasing entitlements and supporting affordable housing developments throughout the city.

And I I want to thank the mayor and council for doing this because the last three years we've had a significant increase in uptick towards a goal count.

Thank you.

Affordable housing is a category of housing that looks to support low-income households earning 80% or less of the area median income or AMI.

As prescribed by the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development or HUD.

HUD publishes annual income limits based on median family income estimates and farm market fair market rent.

For context, the chart on the screen shows an example of what could be a typical three-person household at different area median income levels of 50% and 80%.

If you look at the chart, at 80%, a household needs to earn less than $80,000 and 50%.

The Housing Trust Fund policy we will discuss today will focus on creating or preserving housing for households at 80% of the area median income and below.

In 2024, we completed a housing needs assessment through the assistance of Bloomberg Associates.

We appreciate the collaboration in preparing this important data.

Through this housing needs assessment, we learned that we have experienced rapid population growth over the last several decades.

But in recent years, our population growth has outpaced our housing production.

Our housing challenges increased during the pandemic, where we saw significant increases in our housing costs.

During this time period, home sale prices increased by 56%, and rental prices increased by 47%.

As a result, there's a gap of approximately 59,000 affordable and available rental homes for households at or below 50% of the area median income.

Consequently, there's a need to preserve our existing affordable housing in addition to focusing on the creation of new units.

The creation and preservation of affordable housing within the city of Phoenix is supported by the state and federal funding sources.

At the state level, new affordable units have been supported by the state housing trust fund and the state tax credit program.

Unfortunately, the state tax credit program is set to sunset on December 31st, 2025.

And the Housing Trust Fund has not received the same level of funding as it has in previous years.

In fiscal year 2024, the State Housing Trust Fund received a historic allocation of 150 million dollars.

In 2025, it received an allocation of 15 million dollars, but no additional funding was provided for the current fiscal year.

And all these funds have been committed and spent.

Furthermore, Phoenix has already received a small portion of competitive LITEC awards in the past several years due to a focus on rural projects, despite the city having a large percentage of the state's population and the housing need.

Thank you, Director Matthew.

Mayor and members of the council.

Before discussing the housing trust fund policy, we wanted to provide background on what a housing trust fund does.

So what is a housing trust fund?

A housing trust fund is a dedicated source of funding for affordable housing activities.

It is administered and overseen at the local level.

Because the funding comes from local sources, it is more flexible in terms of use than traditional federal and state affordable housing funding.

And because of this flexibility, use of funds can be designed to address the most pressing local housing needs and priorities.

To further the city's commitment toward affordable housing with limited state and federal funding, the mayor and city council created the Phoenix Housing Trust Fund in May of this year.

The Phoenix Housing Trust Fund is an additional funding tool designed to accelerate the creation and preservation of affordable housing.

The housing trust fund has been funded by a variety of sources.

As part of the fiscal year 2025-2026 budget, $2 million and one-time American Rescue Plan Act or ARPA interest earnings was allocated to the Housing Trust Fund.

In addition to these ARPA interest earnings, funds have been added to the trust fund from government and property lease excise tax or GIPLIT projects, as well as rezoning development projects that have agreed to contribute to affordable housing activities.

Collectively, these sources have produced a balance of approximately $3.5 million to date.

Staff research peer communities across the country with established housing trust funds.

There are more than 750 housing trust funds that are administered at the local level by a city or county government.

These trust funds are funded through a variety of funding sources and include local sales or property taxes, linkage fees, general fund contributions, bonds, and philanthropic donations.

Funded activities amongst jurisdictions vary because they are designed to meet the needs of each jurisdiction.

However, activities often include funding to aid in the creation or preservation of affordable housing and homeownership activities.

Now that the city has formally established its housing trust fund, the housing department has developed a policy designed to address administration and use for affordable housing activities moving forward.

This policy is designed to serve as a framework for fund operations as funding continues to grow in the future.

While there is currently limited funding available in the trust fund, this policy is intended to outline the city's goals for the fund as it becomes more robust, and housing trust fund programs are developed.

The City of Phoenix Housing Trust Fund policy before you today includes provisions related to allowable funding sources, administration, permitted uses of funding, as well as funding priorities and parameters.

I will now turn the presentation over to Deputy Housing Director Samantha Keating to review the policy framework in greater detail.

Thank you, Assistant Director Gonzalez.

The first element of the Housing Trust Fund policy discusses how the trust fund may be funded.

Funding may be provided from any source available to the city.

This includes existing funding sources like ARPA interest earnings or GIPLED and rezoning project contributions.

But funding could also include future general fund contributions, bond proceeds, sale or lease proceeds, or philanthropic donations that could serve as additional funding sources.

Administration of the fund will be managed by the housing department.

In this role, staff will oversee program development, agreement preparation, project monitoring, as well as ensuring affordability compliance.

All recommendations for funding will be brought to City Council for approval prior to agreement execution.

And as funding programs are developed, the housing department will also bring recommendations on funding distribution priorities to City Council for review to ensure consistency with current housing needs.

Use of funds in the housing trust fund should serve to accelerate and support the creation and preservation of affordable housing within Phoenix, consistent with the goal of the Housing Phoenix plan.

The uses are designed to build on the successes of existing programs and provide flexibility for creative and innovative housing solutions.

The first recommended use of funds is for homeownership activities, like further investment in our existing down payment and community land trust programs.

The photo displayed on the screen is a young working professional that was able to become a new Phoenix homeowner by taking part in our community land trust program.

The next category of funding is preservation and strategic acquisitions.

Funding in this category would support the acquisition of existing multifamily properties to preserve affordability or provide transitional housing in addition to land purchases for future affordable housing development.

An additional permissible use of funds is a revolving loan fund for affordable housing developments.

This category of funds will assist projects by providing short-term low-interest loans for pre-development and construction financing costs.

Funds in this category could help with upfront costs like environmental studies or architectural and engineering services.

The next category of funds is GAP financing, both for city projects and private affordable housing development projects.

Eligible projects would include larger projects in addition to smaller development projects by local developers.

We recommend that funds in this category include support for a project's plan review, permit, and impact fees.

Our last suggested category is for other uses approved by city council that meet the intent of this policy.

Although we've developed a broad range of uses, we want to ensure that we can support additional creative housing solutions in the future.

Recommendations for project funding will need to demonstrate consistency with outlined funding priorities included in the policy.

The first priority is assisting households at or below 80% of the area median income with additional considerations for households at or below 50% of the area median income, which is where our greatest needs lie.

An additional funding priorities for projects that include service or funding partnerships that will serve to leverage our housing trust fund dollars.

Finally, we're looking for projects that incorporate enhanced project design.

These can include options for larger families or to accommodate multi-generational living.

Sustainability features to help with resident utility costs, as well as accessibility features that will ensure seniors or those with disabilities are able to age in place.

The final section of the housing trust fund policy addresses funding parameters that will be included in future funding programs utilizing housing trust fund dollars.

These parameters are designed to be consistent with the city's existing affordable housing funding programs and will be included in program documentation as it's developed.

For each program, maximum unit or project subsidies will be developed and then regularly updated based on current housing costs.

For example, these could range from $25,000 for down payment assistance to $2 million for a GAAP financing project.

Funding will be distributed as low interest or forgivable loans in addition to grants.

Affordability terms will be prescribed based on the use and the amount of funding provided.

For example, a smaller down payment assistance project could include a minimum affordability term of five years, whereas a larger multifamily GAAP financing project would carry a minimum affordability term of 40 years.

And finally, these affordability provisions will be secured via a land use restrictive agreement or other deed restriction benefiting the city.

I'll now turn the presentation back over to Director Matthew to summarize the overview we presented today.

Thank you, Samantha.

Today we discussed the thanks to the Mayor and City Council's commitment to ensuring the City of Phoenix is a leader when it comes to affordable housing.

The Phoenix Housing Trust Fund was established in May of this year.

Trust fund has a current balance of $3.5 million, and we are applying for how the trust fund will be administered now and in the future.

The Housing Trust Fund policy that was reviewed today provided a framework of possible funding sources, funding uses, as well as funding priorities.

We're here to seek your feedback, comments, or approval of the Housing Trust Fund policy as presented today.

Thank you so much.

This is a really important tool.

We want to make sure we have as many tools as possible to increase the supply of affordable housing in our community.

We know there are a lot of market forces over which we have no control, not just in Phoenix, but around the country that are driving up the cost of apartments and houses, of mortgages and rents.

State and federal funding are no longer reliable sources.

We have real challenges with federal grants being slashed that protect our most vulnerable.

In Phoenix, we want to make sure everyone has a safe place to call home.

And that's why we're excited to build a framework for our housing trust fund.

Councilwoman Stark.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um I really appreciate all the work you guys have put into this.

This looks really good.

I just had some logistical questions.

Um slide 18, affordability secure via deed restrictions.

It's interesting, we talked about this at the uh state chapter of the American Planning Association conference this fall.

I was on the panel.

And um one of the concerns many people brought up is who really does the enforcing of the deed restrictions.

So we write these deed restrictions.

Would we be the ones that would enforce and ensure over the course of time that it remains affordable when it's sold to a new property owner?

Well, have you even got that far?

Mayor and members of council councilman stock.

Currently in the housing department, we have home loans that we provide to developers, and that's got deed restrictions for 40 years.

So we have a team that ensures compliance for affordability is maintained for the duration of the loan period.

And we do inspections and we do audits to make sure that they're complying with restrictions as well.

So they could be modeled similarly to that program as well.

That's great.

So I I'm glad that you thought that out because I think that was something that was missing when they passed some of the legislation in the state of of California.

Um so kudos on that.

Umso, as far as affordable housing, when we get uh a proposal that's submitted for a building permit, and maybe this is more a question for Josh, and Josh and I have been talking a little bit about this.

Is there a way that we could put those to the top of the heat heap or maybe look at they don't have to pay the same fees as the typical housing?

I know there are some complications because your uh your funds are generated by the users, and so you have to look like you're being fair.

Well, you have to be fair, not looking like a fair, you have to be fair.

Well, let me clarify that.

So, uh but I do think uh we don't get that many uh li tech projects.

There should be some way or some mechanism that they can go to the top of the heat so that we're making sure we're building that affordable housing.

And I just don't know what that solution is, but I know you guys have been talking about it and thinking about it.

So um as we look at the fees being increased in your department, hopefully we can set some policies up that talk about that particular issue and helping LITEC and other affordable housing projects.

Mayor, members of the council, we certainly on our projects work to provide an equitable level of service.

But that said, certainly with the few truly affordable light tech projects that come in with their assigned team leaders, we work very diligently now to make sure that they meet all the state mandated deadlines and certainly are looking forward to continuing to work with you and the rest of the council about what other policies and procedures we could put in place to ensure that they continue to be prioritized as they come in.

So I think it might be helpful if uh you asked the legal department maybe to take an analysis.

I think there would be an uh a real incentive if we could reduce the fees for these projects, because right now we don't have a great pool of money.

I know we're gonna try to grow it, and one of the suggestions is that you help supplement the fees.

But until then, if there's something maybe we could do on a fee schedule, if there's a way we can look at it, we're, I know we're moving close to getting your fees increase, hopefully, if the council approves it.

But um if there's some way we could have legal, maybe take a quick look at that and see if there's some conclusions they can come to that might help.

Again, as we build this uh the money up, that may not be as much of a problem, but right now we're starting kind of grassroots still, and so perhaps there's a way we can look at some ways to fill the gap as we build the fund.

Mayor, councilwoman Stark members of the council happy to consult with the law department about what options we may pursue and report back.

I would appreciate that because I think one of the biggest priorities in our city is affordable housing.

Clearly, we have created a lot of employment, but we uh we need to make sure that we have the affordable housing.

So uh again, I think this is a great presentation.

I really applaud the work that staff has done.

I thank you.

I think this is a great concept.

I know that Councilwoman Hodge Washington had a lot to do with it, and so thank you for that.

Um, but thank you again, Mayor.

Great work.

Thanks so much, Vice Mayor.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, on slide six, I just would like to ask a question.

They you say there's a gap of 59,000 affordable and available rental units below 50%.

All right, so those are just the rental, not a for sale product, correct?

Vice Mayor that's the number of housing that's needed to accommodate the future need the cutting need, actually.

So both rental and for sale are just so it is a total.

It's just rental.

It is just rental.

And do we what is the unit number if we include it for sale product?

Do you I do not have that number up top of my head, but we can look into it.

I and appreciate that.

And and I um want to uh express my my SER gratitude for our city staff in the housing department and across the many departments that worked tirelessly develop these guidelines.

Um, the policy before us gives Phoenix stronger, more flexible tools to create and preserve affordable housing where it's needed most.

But we all know we must do more and we can, as outlined in my proposed housing solution plan.

One key proposal is establishing a permanent funding source for the city's housing trust fund.

I believe the council should consider dedicating a percentage of future budget surpluses to the fund.

A predictable revenue stream will help Phoenix plan long term and expand investments in affordable housing.

My housing solutions plan also identifies several additional actions we should pursue, including as Councilwoman Stark talked about the fee reduction program for projects that deliver true affordability, streamlining small-scale housing developments through expedited permitting, establishing a development liaison in the city manager's office to help keep projects on track that have to move through multiple departments, including fire streets, planning, water, and all the other departments.

These changes may sound technical, but they make a meaningful difference in getting housing built faster and more efficiently.

And Phoenix must continue to lead by example.

Without continued action, we risk losing the energy and opportunity that have drawn so many people and businesses to our city and to the valley.

Stable housing is the foundation for everything.

Where our children grow, our families build security, and our neighborhoods thrive.

When people have a reliable place to call home, they can work, attend school, plan their futures, and contribute to their community.

Long-term stability, prosperity, and inclusive growth depend on us, building more housing options for everyone.

And I remain committed to working with my colleagues, other elected officials, our residents, developers, nonprofits, and all community stakeholders to advance real solutions.

Let's keep Phoenix moving forward together.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you.

We'll go to Councilwoman Hodge Washington, Councilman Guardado, Councilwoman Hernandez.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, can I say I don't have the power of the mayor to declare today housing day, but today has been a focus on housing, beginning with our subcommittee earlier today.

We talked about some of the housing repair products.

We talked about some of the home ownership programs and initiatives that we do here in the city.

And then today we get to talk about our housing trust fund.

I am beyond elated for us to have this conversation.

Um I am encouraged by the progress that we're seeing, and I know that that it will benefit many of our residents.

I've been a consistent advocate for this effort because I really believe it has the potential to deliver real tangible results, helping to preserve affordability, supporting home ownership, and keeping families rooted in our community.

I want to applaud the department.

One of the focuses that I challenged you was let's not make the housing trust fund solely for developers.

I wanted it to be something that helped our homeowners, helped our average residents, and you were able to incorporate that.

So I really just wanted to thank you for that, because I think that one of the great things about the city of Phoenix was the ability for it to be a place where many can could own a home.

And as we see the change in times, we did see some, we do did a little regression in that area.

But I'm hopeful with the tools such as a housing trust fund, we will then start to regain some of that, some of that that we've lost over the years.

So thank you for that.

I want to start off with just a general some comments of some items I would like to see in the policy as we move forward.

Um, one of them being I think we should consider whether any recipient of the proceeds uh from the um housing trust fund, that they is part of one of the restrictions that we put in place or recommendations is that there's some level of eviction protection for those projects that we have funded for the residents in those projects.

It could be as simple as prior to beginning the eviction proceeding that they direct the individual to some of the resources that we may have in the city first before um proceeding with that.

Um I won't articulate the entirety of it, but I do think that we need to see if we can provide some additional protection.

Um we all know the benefit of housing stability and what happens when housing is in jeopardy.

The other thing I would ask that we consider is um identifying metrics for success within this program, which pro by identifying so to help us identify and demonstrate the impact and success for this program over time.

Um, I love to hear my colleagues talk about providing additional funding for it.

I'm all for it, but I also believe that we need to make sure that we are being impactful and we have the data to support this.

I try to be guided not by my own personal um wishes, but by what the data is telling us is impactful to our community.

So and my last question is um if the policy is adopted today, how soon would we begin the application process?

Limited question.

Mayor members of Council Custom Hodge Washington.

That's a good question.

I think I I would like to hear from the council as to what the policy direction is in terms of uh my recommendation in terms of how soon we can start expending or spending the monies from the housing trust fund is building up a corpus and we come back to council to make recommendations and how to divvy up those funds with different users because I'm sure we have diverse interests in terms of how we want to spend these money.

So we talked about homeownership, we talked about gap financing, we talked about Don PM assistance and several other uses we could probably do.

So my recommendation would be coming back once the balance is built up and make and figure out how we're gonna spend those monies and bring it back to council forward.

Okay.

Cool.

I I appreciate that.

Um, and I also wanted to comment, thank you for that.

I how critical what we're doing is in this current moment in time.

Your PowerPoint did a really good job of showing that our state partners um their funding has reduced over the years.

Our federal partners have also made some changes in their grant making for the continuum of care, which is drastically going to reduce funding for permanent supportive housing, and it's gonna put, in my opinion, thousands of households at risk, including those individuals with disabilities, our seniors, and just families overcoming housing instability.

Um, which administers the continuum of care for Maricopa County has calculated that if they're if they are unable to transition and meet the needs of these new grant parameters in the time allocated, they risk losing 32 million dollars in federal assistance and up to 1388 housing units.

Um and I only say that because I want to make sure that I think my colleagues get it, but how important it is for us to be able to be have a little bit more self-sufficiency.

The federal shutdown showed us that we have a number of residents that rely on that are that will need us in the event that something does not, in the event something goes awry.

So I want to make sure that we not only pass the policy today, but we go ahead and move the initiative and we also support the funding for it.

Because if we are if we are only at the mercy of our federal, our federal, our state and our county partners, we will be at a disadvantage.

This is a much needed tool in our arsenal to be able to address the needs.

Um my office and I know many of the other offices, when we talk to our community, the need for affordable housing is one of the number, one of the top issues that our community has requested.

And I think this is us truly moving in the moving the needle in the right direction to do that.

So I just want to make sure my priorities for the housing trust fund continues to be that we not only focus on development opportunities such as gap financing, but we also continue to invest in the residents through homeowner initiatives because we don't want to just be a city where renters become the majority.

We want to make sure that we continue the um where we're homeowners, sorry, where residents have the choice of whether or not they want to be homeowners.

So for me, that is how we measure success is how well we serve our residents, how well we use this to strengthen our neighborhoods, and how we expand home ownership and housing stability for the people of Phoenix.

I look forward to continuing this work with our partners and city departments to make sure our funds this fund achieves these goals and benefits residents directly.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you so much.

Councilwoman Guardado, followed by Councilwoman Hernandez.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, I just want to echo a lot of what um councilwoman Hutch Washington said.

I think in terms of the eviction protection, I think that's key and important.

Because if we are able to add some good protections there, then I think it would also help us, not have to help other people, and we can help more people.

I think that's another way of savings and maybe to have more money to be able to help folks.

So I I definitely um support that.

Um I I was very um pleased to see um the amount of people that are buying homes.

I think um, you know, maybe two years ago, a year ago, um, there were there was a huge struggle, and the struggle is still there.

Um, and I am very grateful to see you guys present that a comprehensive plan.

Um, thank you.

Well, thank you so much, Councilwoman Hutch Washington for helping um with these initiatives and making sure that this plan covers everyone.

We have so many families, so much need for affordable housing.

And you know, a lot of us, a lot of our families came to this country with the American dream.

And part of that American dream was to be able to buy a home.

Um, and in the 80s and the 90s, probably early 2000s, people were still able to do that.

Families were still able to do that.

And for us to take uh a moment of pride to say that we want to we want to put that back on the table for our for our children um to be able to buy a home, I think it's important.

So thank you guys.

Kudos to you guys for that.

Um, all of you, Gina, thank you so much for your leadership on on this as well.

Um, working working with us and and making this happen.

And I think Phoenix has shown time and time again that bold action delivers the real results when we invest in our communities with intention, our residents feel the impact.

And that's the kind of leadership I will continue to stand behind affordable housing.

It's not just a policy goal, it is an absolute necessity for stability, dignity, and future of Phoenix families.

Too many residents are being priced out of neighborhoods they love, and too many seniors and working families are struggling just to stay housed.

This policy gives us real tools to change that.

It helps us preserve the homes we already have, it encourages innovative approaches to building new housing and it strengthens the pathways to homeownership so more families, especially in communities like ours, can build true generational wealth.

This is about protecting people, it's about ensuring that every family, no matter their income, their background or zip code has the opportunity to thrive in our city.

So again, thank you guys.

Thank you to my colleagues.

I'm glad to see that we see eye to eye on this issue, and that hopefully um these numbers when you guys present them again.

We see more people being able to buy homes.

Um, we hear less horror stories of how people are being are getting evicted from their homes, and that we're able to build a lot more affordable housing that's also a need, and that we're able to strike that balance that we're just not talking about building more affordable housing, but that we're building housing um for new new families to be able to buy homes and that we get people to stay in Arizona, um, that they want to stay here and that they want to build a life here um together with all of us.

So thank you guys so much.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Councilman, Councilman Hernandez.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, obviously I'm a huge fan of housing trust funds.

Uh, really proud to say that I was part of the group that worked on uh finding the path to get 150 million dollars into the housing trust fund a couple years ago.

Um, and my last year there, I think we were really close to making another big investment, but politics, you know, our politics.

Um, but thank you so much.

But I do have a couple questions.

Um, in the presentation, and I in Vice Mayor already kind of brought it up, but um, the gap of 59,000 affordable rentals, um, that slide right also shows that our population growth has outpaced um our housing production, which is something that we've have all I've you know, know had conversation around this a lot.

Um, you know, we never caught up in housing production from the Great Recession, right?

We got behind then, we continue to grow, COVID happened, we fell even behind, so we were never able to catch up.

And I think that's a piece that maybe a lot of folks don't understand that, you know, just out in the community, that that is a big reason of why we are in the situation we're in.

Um so on the gap, um, in your opinion, what is that, or what have you seen to be that the impact of that gap of 59,000 affordable units in our communities.

Mayor members of the council and councilman Hindus, the the gap at the 50% below is is a big struggle.

Trying to find housing for folks who make less than 50% AMI in terms of rental housing, it's quite challenging.

And that's why we've been providing in the housing department, for example, one of the things we do every year, we provide gap financing for our home funds to build uh multifamily complexes.

And we have existing city of Phoenix complexes that we manage in housing, that we try to cater to residents who make 50% or less AMI.

And that's been a and we have wait lists for residents who want to come in and live in our apartments, but sometimes these complexes that serve 50% below is very challenging to obtain.

So, yes, to answer your question, and the community needs far more housing and at that level.

And it does it's not just the city.

We have to have a partnership with the state and feds to continue growing this segment of population in terms of finding housing needs, and that's been challenging the last few years.

And as the population increases and we attract more jobs, I think CEDs are like a wonderful job of bringing more jobs to Phoenix, but we also have displacement in terms of naturally occurring housing units are not available anymore.

What's happening in the marketplace is residents who could afford a higher price point are staying in units that they normally would not live in because of the rental prices.

Thank you for that.

And I agree, right?

I'd look at the housing needs as kind of like a ladder.

I think we talked about this.

Maybe you shared that and that example with me.

But when we have folks at a higher tier that can't move into something, right?

They're taking up that product that um someone at a 50% or lower MI can use.

Um, and my follow-up question to that is what have we seen residents or how have our residents been managing without enough rental options at that level.

Mayor members of council comes in Hernandez.

I've not heard recently about what's happening in with residents, but all I can say is part of the challenge, anecdotal stories about residents coming to us have no housing options, and some of them are unsheltered because of that, or have to find transitional housing.

And the challenge is if you have bad credit or you have evictions on your record, sometimes those residents are vulnerable as well.

But I've not had like a policy or any uh research papers shown to me recently as to where these folks are residing.

But what we find is we have wait lists at all of our sites that for folks that need housing.

Thank you.

And I think that there's a correlation there, right?

With the amount of need that the gap we have in that price range, um, and the how our homelessness has also increased drastically over the last few years because we have not paced on growth.

Um, so thank you for that.

And then my next question is um, you know, I'm very supportive of the housing trust fund.

I also echo like we got to find ways for a permanent funding source.

Um, but what will a more robust housing trust fund um how I mean, sorry, how will that more robust uh trust fund help us uh meet the needs here in Phoenix more specific, more precisely.

Mayor members of the council, Councilman Hendandis.

So some of the jurisdictions outside Phoenix, what they've done is when they created a housing trust fund, they've found uh permanent funding sources to bridge the gap to the housing trust fund.

Like, for example, City of Louisville, Kentucky allocates 15 million dollars in general funds every year to the housing trust fund.

City of Atlanta allocates up to 2% of the general fund to the housing trust fund.

Some other jurisdictions based on surpluses at year rent or a one-time funding source for general funds or other sources.

Like one of the considerations for this council could be the next 2028 geobond election, you could allocate a portion of those bond proceeds or the bonds to housing, the housing trust fund.

So that's another way of funding this.

But to make it meaningful for size of this city, and all of you have asked me this question, and I've always said, I think to make it meaningful impact, and based on at least 20 million dollars is what we need to do to spend on a yearly basis to play catch up.

Okay.

Thank you.

That was actually gonna be my next question.

So it's like you read my mind, Titus.

I was gonna ask you like if you had a magic wand, what would be the number that we needed to invest into this to really stay on par with our needs?

So yeah, I would agree with you, right?

I actually just met the vice mayor of Louisville.

We were at a fellowship this weekend.

So I'm gonna have to pick his brain some more on that and uh see how they kind of figured that out.

Um and then I guess like in identifying that, I I would love to know if you know uh you, your team can work with our budget team um to identify like more options for permanent funding source, um, and to keep up with that ongoing investments.

Um, and could we maybe hear that by the springtime?

Maybe that's a question for Gina and Ed.

Mayor, Councilman on this members of the council.

Um, we um I know that that Amber and Jeff prior to um to leaving, and now Ed and myself are having those discussions, and uh we will be prepared to come um come back to the council in the new year in the spring, possibly to um to have further discussions about that.

Yeah, I think um councilwoman is the the springtime is the realistic once we get into the budget development process.

That's where we'll know more about our ARP interest earnings and and where our budget status is.

So we'll definitely have robust conversations in the spring about it.

Okay, perfect.

Thank you.

That would be great.

Um, you know, and I just couple comments before before I'm done.

I again, like I can't express how amazing it is to have this housing trust fund established in Phoenix.

So everybody that helped work on it, um, Councilwoman Hodge Washington and the mayor, I know we're very instrumental in making sure we have this moving forward.

I'm a huge supporter of it for so many different reasons.

Um, I do believe we need to be using every tool we can to create more housing and more affordable housing, um, especially in the in the price range where we need it, right?

We know at 50% AMI and below, um, we really there's a great need.

And especially in this time when state and federal investments have been inconsistent, right?

Here, for example, in Arizona, we are now the only state that had renewed that implemented a statewide low-income hack uh low-income house, low income housing tax credit program, um, and have now let it expire, right?

And that is detrimental to the creation of truly affordable housing through those subsidies, is how we can guarantee affordable housing.

So it was a I was very frustrated to see that leadership in in both chambers and leadership in both parties failed to meet the moment for the residents of Phoenix, you know, including the governor's office.

She could have stepped up and been a leader on making sure that the Light Tech program was extended.

So I'm gonna continue to push already having conversations around that with folks, but I think that's a very important tool.

We also need to make sure we bring back.

Um, and we need more options because there are gaps to fill as the data shows us.

Um, and we also got to keep pushing for more expansive options, right?

Tomorrow, I think we're gonna vote on the middle housing.

And if we're gonna seriously tackle this issue, we have to be open to create all kinds of options for what folks need, right?

Folks need housing that are 50% and below AMI, people need housing, workforce uh level housing, right?

That have a stable job and they just literally can't afford it, afford new new options either.

So at every level and so much diverse housing, like we need to do that.

Um, and then we we have to continue to invest um in this fund to move us independent from state and federal reliance.

Um, and we need to invest big, right?

Like you gave us a magic number.

I would love to to hopefully get to that magic number.

Um, but I think in making those type of big investments are gonna bring real opportunities.

Um, I know, like in the past, the city of Phoenix through the budget, like we haven't invested our own money, a lot of our own general fund money into the housing into housing solutions, right?

We go back and look at that, there it shows exactly where that gap, those gaps existed, and so I'm glad that we're now in a trajectory to change that and really show that we're taking this seriously.

We're gonna come keep investing into this.

Um, and we have uh uh unstable federal administration that's gonna look at every avenue to cut things that we're trying to do that really impact the everyday residents, and you know, I think it's on us to figure out how do we step away from that and really get to a place where Phoenix is being housing is being a leader, being independent in the type of programs and and just solutions we bring.

Um, but I love this policy.

Can't wait to see it grow and as we implement it, and I agree with councilwoman Hodge Washington, like the policy is one piece of it, like we actually have to get the monies moving to make sure we start we don't risk losing what we have.

So um just very encouraged, continue to work on it with you all, um, and just here to continue to work with it with all my colleagues.

So thank you.

Thank you so much.

Really appreciate everyone's passion on this issue.

Important to note this housing trust fund conversation builds on a wide variety of tools the city of Phoenix has been using and strong support from our voters.

We went to our voters and they allocated 55 million dollars in bond funding for affordable housing.

Uh, this council had discretionary funds where we put more than 200 million dollars towards housing homelessness and support services that went to everything from incentives for landlords to building housing or to converting hotels.

So we we have consistently said housing is a priority.

Um, when we were talking about allocating American rescue plan dollars, I believe every member of the council said housing is a top priority in fighting homelessness, you know, a great moment where we really had shared priorities.

Um want to recognize this is funded with American Rescue Plan interest, which means that we are doing this in partnership again with the federal government.

This was a very important law passed a few years ago that continues to provide benefits to our community.

So thank you to the folks who voted for the American Rescue Plan.

Uh, when we did the housing bond, one of my favorite parts of it was uh a million dollars we set aside for innovation.

Councilwoman Stark and Councilman Hernandez and I got to judge a competition with the American Institute for Architects that looked at accessory dwelling units and how we might develop some new model plans for accessory dwelling units so that it would make it easier for people to put ADUs in their backyards when the trust is appropriately funded.

I hope we can continue to do things like that.

Um of the things in looking at other communities housing trust funds, they often use it as leverage and try to bring as many housing funding streams together, and uh seems like that will be a priority for us as well.

Um, I would add that one of my priorities is is people who are in housing that we believe to be quite vulnerable to heat.

We lose far too many people indoors to heat related causes.

And so as we think about who ought to be prioritized, that's a chance to save real lives.

Uh we are joined by a longtime housing advocate and alum of the Phoenix City Council.

So we'll open public comment and call uh Craig Tripkin.

Thank you, Mayor Council, for that uh that introduction.

I just uh I'm here to sing the praises of the staff and uh and the council for doing this.

I I came down here really with one thing to emphasize, which Samantha covered and several of you have covered, and that is the importance of services associated with with housing.

If we're gonna cite housing projects, which I don't need to tell you is sometimes a zoning battle and a difficult thing to do.

It's very important, I think, that that we showed the community that that we're creating stable opportunities for people to go from to not just have four walls and a roof, but to be a stable part of the community and have stabilized housing.

And I just think that that's uh I I think I think that's a fundamental piece to how we're gonna cite uh site places because citing is gonna continue to be a battle.

Uh uh, I shouldn't say it's gotta be, I presume it will be.

Uh every year, as you know, the state tries to preempt the city in one way or another.

And uh I think requiring that uh developers provide services doesn't have to be social workers, it doesn't have to be the the uh you know expert people, but just simple things.

Where's it how do I get a dial ride?

How do I get a food box?

How do I do this?

How do I do that?

It's it doesn't take much, but 24-7, and I've got to resay that, say that again.

24-7 on-site management gives a neighborhood a tremendous amount of comfort that they are getting something that's an asset and a contribution to their community and not something that they're afraid of.

And thank you very much.

And again, I love this.

Thank you so much for what you're doing.

Thank you so much for that testimony.

I believe Kathy Munoz has departed, and that concludes our public speaking.

Uh, Councilwoman Pastor, the floor is yours.

Hi, Mayor, thank you.

I just want to thank uh I actually want to thank the mayor and the previous council that really uh came together and put put spotted the seeds in order for it to be growing at this moment.

We still need there's more that we need to do.

We talked about housing, but really I want to talk about living in a home and a sense of belonging and a sense of community and a sense of security, and that's what housing does.

Um, I am hoping in this process, uh stated earlier that there are some tools placed uh in this framework in order to not only provide housing but also provide uh an economic trajectory forward to uh bigger housing and and being able to have uh uh contribute back to our community.

Uh I just I want to thank the staff because this has been an we challenge them and and they're here delivering and showing ways that we can do this.

Uh we will have to look at our funding and see how we close for that.

But thank you to everybody that was that was uh part of this in the past, that is part of it today.

Uh Councilman Hodge Washington and others, and uh let's make this happen.

Wonderful.

If anyone has any no further comments, I think we're all right.

We'll go to Councilman Hodge Washington and then I'll turn to the vice mayor for a motion.

Thank you so much, Mayor.

One of the things I would like um the mayor spoke on it a little bit.

I felt it need uh felt it necessary to kind of add to it.

I really would uh encourage us as part of the housing trust fund to continue to be open to innovative ideas, not necessarily the traditional multifamily housing structure.

One of the things that we have been I've been seeing more and more um trying to come to fruition is the conversion of vacant office buildings into into things such as single unit occupancy and uh more affordable type of housing in that in that in that range.

And I just wanted to emphasize I think that is um an area that I would love to see us be uh look into and possibly be a leader in when it comes to funding those, especially where they they have had um problems getting funding for those type of projects before.

So thank you, Mayor, for the opportunity to add that to the conversation.

Wonderful, good addition.

Do we have a motion?

I move to approve the housing trust fund policy.

We have a motion and a second.

Uh, do we need a voice vote uh roll caller?

Okay, uh, let's go then to our city clerk for roll call.

Well, yes.

Hernandez?

Yes.

Hodge Washington?

Yes.

Pastor.

Yes.

Robinson?

Yes.

Stark?

Yes.

Wearing?

O'Brien?

Yes.

Okay, you go.

Yes, passes nine zero.

Wonderful.

Thank you so much for this important meeting.

And our next policy session will have a related conversation on energy affordability and energy access.

And we'll continue to do a lot of housing.

It may not just be housing day today, but uh housing week.

Uh so we are adjourned.

It's great to see that work.

This work is personal to me because I grew up in Phoenix.

I started off at ASU as a as a journalism major, but I