Good morning, everyone.

I'd like to call this meeting to order.

Welcome to the December 16, 2025 Community Services and Education Subcommittee meeting.

I'd like to introduce City Attorney David Benton.

Mr.

Benton, please explain the role of public comment.

Morning, madam chair, members of the subcommittee.

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

However, the matter is addressed must be within the jurisdiction of the council and the subcommittee with which it has authority.

However, um subcommittee members may respond to criticism.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr.

Benton.

I would like to also introduce our interpreter, Elsie Duarte, who will be provide who will provide a brief announcement.

Thank you, Madam Chair Hodge Washington.

My name is Elsie Duarte.

I will be providing Spanish interpretation during today's community services and education session.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you so much, Elsie.

We will begin with a call to the public.

Um do we have any registered speakers?

Okay.

No registered speakers.

We'll move on to item number one, which is the approval of the CSE minutes from the November 18, 2025 meeting.

Do we have a motion?

I move to approve.

Second.

All in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

Motion carries.

Next up is item number two, which is to request the approval of the Head Start Birth to Five Childcare Report and Policy.

I move to approve.

Second.

All right.

Um in favor.

Aye.

Aye.

Motion carries.

Moving on to item number three.

It's a head start burnt to five monthly report for October.

Any questions?

All right, no requests to speak.

Can I get a motion?

Oh, it's just information.

Yeah, move on.

Um next we will move on to item number four.

It's an update on the progress of the city's naloxone program.

It's third year implementation quarterly report for August through October.

Will some of you didn't appear input only also?

Any questions?

Okay.

Moving on.

Uh to our housing department.

Item number five is an overview of the housing department's Wi-Fi and digital initiatives.

We will welcome Housing Assistant Director Aubrey Gonzalez and Deputy Director Angela Duncan and Housing Manager Courtney Anderson to the table.

Good morning.

Today we will be providing an overview of the housing department's Phoenix Housing Connect program and digital initiatives, including an overview of program history and milestones, our partnership with Cox Communities, and an introduction to the hives at two of our community centers.

Department of Housing and Urban Development's Connect Home Initiative.

By joining this national effort, we committed to closing the digital divide in public and assisted housing here in Phoenix, ensuring that our residents could access the tools and opportunities needed to thrive in an increasingly connected world.

In May of 2020, we took a major step forward by formally launching Phoenix Housing Connect.

This program was designed to provide a structured approach that combined device access, internet connectivity, and digital training for our residents.

The urgency of this work became especially clear during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when the digital divide was magnified and access to technology became essential for education, employment, health care, and daily life.

In July 2024, Phoenix was accepted into the new tier system as a connect home tier to community.

This designation recognizes that cities that demonstrate strong impact, innovation, and the ability to scale digital inclusion efforts.

To date, we have secured nearly 8 million in federal funding dedicated to enhancing digital access for our residents.

Beyond federal support, we've also leveraged more than 2 million through partnerships.

Nonprofits such as the Institute of Digital Inclusion Acceleration and CompuDopt, along with corporate collaborators like T-Mobile, Cox Communications, and Premier Wireless through device donations, training, staffing, or community resources.

Their contributions have played an important role in expanding our program.

I will now turn the presentation over to Deputy Housing Director, Angela Duncan.

Thank you.

Thank you, Assistant Director Gonzalez.

Good morning, Madam Chair and members of the subcommittee.

When we think about why digital access and inclusion matters, the answer is rooted in the lived experiences of our residents.

During the height of the COVID pandemic, the challenges were impossible to ignore.

We saw households with nine children sharing a single cell phone just to submit homework.

Parents drove their kids to fast food parking lots to connect to free Wi-Fi so school assignments could be turned in.

Many seniors cut off from family, friends, and social support were left isolated without the ability to connect to the people and resources they depended on.

Since then, the world has only become more technologically dependent, where work, schooling, and access to essential services require an internet connection.

Children continue to rely on online platforms for schooling.

Nearly every essential service, whether it is financial, health related, or part of the social safety net, is conducted online.

Digital access is no longer optional.

It is the foundation for opportunity and participation in today's world.

Our approach to digital access and inclusion is based on three fundamental components affordable internet, accessible devices, and digital skills training.

True participation requires all three elements, and the housing department is not able to do this alone.

We have built strong partnerships in the community to assist in this work.

Over the past five years, we have made significant progress in addressing needs.

We have distributed over 3,600 devices, including tablets, iPads, Chromebooks, and MacBooks to residents and housing's public and affordable housing communities.

Through a partnership with T Mobile, 1,600 devices were distributed to families with school-aged children and seniors during the pandemic.

Since then, through federal funding and a new partnership with CompuDot, we have been able to distribute another 2,000 devices.

But devices alone are not enough.

Connectivity is equally important.

Through a collaboration with Cox Communications, we broke new ground by providing free to the tenant internet at 33 city-owned affordable and senior housing sites.

This trailblazing effort has been recognized as a model for digital inclusion, demonstrating how collaboration between cities, housing authorities, and private providers can close the connectivity gap.

Even after devices and internet connectivity, residents need the skills and competence to use technology effectively and safely.

Training builds competence.

It's the bridge between technology and empowerment.

In 2021, we provided a senior digital literacy training curriculum specific to what seniors identified as their needs.

Training over 120 seniors, we also worked with T Mobile's community team to provide on-site training during device distributions.

They received a personalized introduction to the device along with basic safety and care instructions.

Finally, we worked with the Institute of Digital Inclusion Acceleration, a local nonprofit focused on digital equity initiatives or idea, to develop a digital learning center called a Hive.

The hives were the missing puzzle piece to our Phoenix Housing Connect program, providing on-site dedicated space for digital learning.

In July 2024, we launched a new partnership with Cox Communities Arizona, and through this collaboration, we have successfully connected over 3,700 households to in-home internet service, ensuring that thousands of families now have reliable connectivity where they live.

Many households living in public and affordable housing either had no in-home internet at all or relied solely on cellular data to access the internet.

This partnership with Cox Communities directly addressed a key financial barrier identified through resident surveys.

When household budgets are tight, internet service is often one of the first essentials to be cut.

This program provides internet free of charge as long as the resident continues to occupy the housing unit, removing the financial burden and making consistent reliable internet service possible.

Thank you, Deputy Housing Director Duncan.

Good morning, Madam Chair and members of the subcommittee.

One of the most impactful resources we've leveraged in advancing our program has been our partnership with IDEA.

Together, we opened two hives, one located at the Edmont McLaughlin Community Training and Education Center, and the other at the AeroTera Community Center.

Their locations are ideal.

Twelve of our housing's affordable and senior housing sites are located within a mile of a hive.

This ensures that thousands of our residents have access to digital resources, training, and assistance assistance right there in their own communities.

They are trusted, welcoming centers, open five days a week, and staffed by patient, knowledgeable digital navigators who understand the unique needs of our community.

Both hives also host tech camps for youth and feature cutting edge tools such as 3D printers, virtual reality equipment, Spearos robots, bring advanced technology directly into the hands of our young residents.

They've also played an important role in supplementing our broader program by guiding housing residents through the process of activating their free Cox Bulk Internet services.

From August through November of 2025, the City of Phoenix Hives have welcomed 1,631 visits.

The Hive at AeroTERRA functions as a youth-centered innovation hub with nearly three-quarters of visitors under 18 engaging primarily in hands-on technology experiences.

The Hive at CTEC operates as more of a digital support hub for adults and seniors, with 85% of visits focused on navigator assistance and accessing the computer.

The hives currently employ two Edison East Lake community members, bringing lived experience and a deep understanding of community needs into the work by strengthening the connection between the hives and the neighborhoods they serve.

In our Navigator Spotlight, we are proud to feature Beatrice, a longtime resident of the Edison East Lake community.

Beatrice has always been deeply engaged in her neighborhood, serving on the Resident Leadership Council and advocating for opportunities for her neighbors.

After graduating from Arizona State University, she joined IDEA as a digital navigator, where she now helps residents access resources, build confidence with technology, and stay connected.

We'd like to share a video of Beatrice talking about her work as a digital navigator at the Hive.

My favorite thing about working in this space is that it's something that I would have wish I would have had when I was younger in college, especially.

Would have been really good to get out the house and have connections.

And so this is a space that is not only available for people who are maybe not familiar with technology, but it's also open to community.

So if you want to see a friend and you want to create a 3D print together, you're more than welcome to come hang out with us and create a connection.

At the heart of Phoenix Housing Connect is not just technology, it's people.

The true measure of success lies in the impact these programs have on the lives of our residents.

At 96 years old, Irene picked up a device for the first time.

A LG tablet provided by our program so she could connect with her doctors.

When we asked what she might want to be doing with her new device, she said she'd like to be able to watch her favorite pastors' sermons.

We showed her how to search on YouTube, and when she found him, her face lit up.

That joy motivated her to keep learning.

And soon she was using her tablet for Zoom telehealth appointments, which brought peace of mind to her family.

We've heard directly from the mother from a mother named Karen, who shared how eliminating a $400 month monthly internet bill lifted a tremendous burden, allowing her to redirect those savings towards food and rent for her children.

We began administering a post-program survey after providing the internet, and early data shows that 34% of households have used their internet connectivity to apply for benefits or housing assistance, demonstrating how digital access directly supports stability and security.

Money that can now be redirected towards essentials like food, rent, and health care, helping to stabilize their households.

So far, these are so far, these early outcomes reinforce that digital access equals improved quality of life.

It reduces stress, strengthens families, and opens doors to opportunity.

In 2025, we will connect more than 580 additional units in the Edison East Lake community, expanding reliable internet access to even more families and seniors across Phoenix.

Alongside connectivity, we will expand device distribution to provide a working device to those who have indicated that they are in need.

This program will help seniors build confidence in using technology for healthcare, communication, and daily tasks supporting independence and aging in place.

Those who complete the course will receive a free device.

Another priority is strengthening our evaluation efforts.

We are setting a goal of collecting over 500 resident surveys to better understand the impact of our programs and to guide future improvements.

Data-driven insights will allow us to measure progress, identify gaps, and ultimately strengthen our case for continued investment.

To follow the great work that we do here in the housing department, please visit our website or follow us on X or and LinkedIn.

This concludes our presentation, and we are happy to answer any questions.

Thank you so much.

I will turn to my colleagues, see if there's any questions.

Go ahead.

I had an opportunity tour the hive with Madam Chair back in 2024, and it is quite an impressive program.

I'm really excited to see that you're launching the senior focused digital literacy program.

I will tell you my dad's 90, and he did not go up in the age, the computer.

And luckily, he spent a lot of time with his grandkids who've taught him a lot, but I think this is really important to have the accessibility to technology.

So thank you for doing that.

Thank you, madam chair.

Thank you so much.

Did you okay?

Perfect.

Just a quick thank you.

Go ahead.

Just wanted to say thank you for your work.

I look forward to the continued continuation of this program as we continue to it continues to improve their lives.

It's so important.

And COVID highlighted that in the city and you all have stepped up.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Um, yeah, thank you so much for all the work on this.

I mean, the internet connectivity is so important, especially for our youth, right, in education.

Um, so just great to see some such amazing things happening in the city.

So thank you so much for all the hard work.

I too will close off by saying thank you to the housing department for their work in the housing, sorry, Phoenix Housing Connect program.

I really believe that ensuring our residents have access to reliable and uh internet and digital digital devices is critical, not just for staying connected, but for as we've seen education, employment, and for access and essential city services, and help them move forward towards self-sufficiency.

One of the pieces of data that you shared that I truly enjoyed was the fact that 44% of the families reported improved grades since their family got home internet.

I also think that it's very important that we acknowledge, I'm happy that as a city we're able to help with negating one household expense as affordability continues to be a concern in our community.

I'm also encouraged by the work being done with the hives.

Um, they provide residents with hand-on support, training, and workforce opportunities.

Technology without training from my perspective is ineffect ineffective, and it could be the equivalent of having no technology or no access itself.

So I wanted to say I personally witnessed residents using this space, and it was such a joy.

Whether it was watching a young child use the technology to design their own toy and actually watch it come to life with a 3D printer, or the seniors using the virtual reality to visit international landmarks.

It is truly important that we continue to expand connectivity by distributing devices and offering digital literacy programs.

I'm excited to see us expand our program with the goal of connecting even more units in 2025 and helping us close this digital divide.

And as we look forward, I hope we continue to prioritize as our seniors as well as our students and our residents with the greatest needs and look for explore more ways to grow and sustain this program citywide.

It truly is something that we should be proud of because access to technology is no longer a luxury, it's a necessity, and programs like this help ensure that every Phoenix resident has a chance to thrive.

So thank you for all of your work on this.

Seeing that no questions, we will move to item number six.

We welcome to the table our human services director, Jacqueline Edwards and Assistant Director Tracy Hall to the table for their presentation.

Thank you, ladies.

Good morning, madam chair and members of the subcommittee.

Uh we are here to provide an update on our memory cafe program.

The Human Services Department Senior Programs Division operates a nutrition program for seniors, including congregate and home delivered meals, transportation services to get seniors to and from our 15 senior centers citywide, and of course, the activities and programs we host at each one of our senior centers.

Our 15 geographically dispersed senior centers are citywide, spanning west from 67th Avenue in Thomas to the northeast at 40th Street and Union Hills, Northwest from 35th Avenue and Pinnacle Peak Road to the South in Awatuke at 48th Street south of Chandler Boulevard.

Eight senior centers are co-located in parks and recreation community centers.

Six centers are standalone sites, and one center is located in the Marcos Deniza housing community.

Our senior center hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.

to 5 p.m.

Our membership fees are $20 for Phoenix residents per year, and $40 per year for non-Phoenix residents.

Program activities and services are tailored to those ages 60 and above, but ages 18 plus are welcome to join.

Center activities include interactive classes, outreach resources, health and nutrition activities, special interest presentations, group trips, special events, cultural awareness activities, tax assistance, case management, computer classes, and memory cafes.

One of our most impactful programs for seniors is the memory cafe program.

These cafes create welcoming spaces that offer support for caregivers while providing engaging activities for older adults who are vulnerable to or living with memory loss and dementia.

The activities assist with improving cognitive abilities, physical functioning, and they offer opportunities for social interaction while creating spaces for caregivers to gain support, get advice, and share challenges.

And now I will turn it over to Tracy for more information on the program.

Thank you, Jacqueline, and good morning.

The Human Services Department began facilitating virtual memory cafe groups in September of 2020.

In 2022, the City Council allocated American Rescue Plan Act funding, also known as ARPA funds, to expand the program to in-person cafes.

The program was facilitated by four employees and hosted at four Phoenix Senior Center sites in addition to the virtual programming.

In 2024, 3,074 duplicative members participated in memory cafes.

The ARPA funding ended December 31st, 2024, but this provided an opportunity to reimagine how staff could deliver the program.

Staff identified the option to integrate memory cafe activities into center programming, and in January 2025, the memory cafe program was expanded to monthly events at all 15 senior centers.

Each senior center now provides two in-person cafes per month and one virtual cafe.

The senior programs division created a memory cafe committee to ensure all senior centers are providing valuable dementia educational information and activities.

The committee leads efforts to ensure staff receive adequate dementia related training on topics such as dementia friends, signs and stages of dementia, the different types of dementia, and resources for caregivers.

Committee members also coordinate instructors, coordinate also coordinate instructors to lead special events, conduct outreach, and engage with the Dementia Friends Arizona Coalition to stay informed on best practices.

Memory cafes include activities such as memory stimulation, music therapy, physical movement, and different art forms.

Activities are offered in multiple languages such as English, Chinese, Cantonese, and Mandarin, and in Spanish.

As part of this program, senior centers also provide free memory screenings to senior center members to help detect memory problems early on.

The activities are led by our contracted instructors or our senior programs division staff.

This is a drumming class at the Marcos Deniza Senior Center.

Music is used as a dementia-friendly activity because it helps activate the brain's audio autobiographical memories and it aids in verbal recollection as well as it improves the mood.

From January to November, there have been 208 memory cafe activities held this year, both in person and virtual, serving 4,373 duplicate participants.

This is an increase of 1,299 duplicate participants from the 2024 numbers.

And this does not include our December activities.

Demonstrating the success of the reimagined program.

Of the 208 events, 12% were virtual, 88% in person.

And of the 4,373 duplicative attendees, 3% were virtual, and 97% were in person.

Worth noting, this equates to 483 unique attendees represented in the 4,000 plus members that have attended.

The centers representing the largest memory cafe activities are BUF in our Northwest Valley, Pecos in Awatukee, Desert West in Maryvale, Paradise Valley, which is off 48 40th Street and Bell in the Northeast of Phoenix, and the Chinese Senior Center office 7th Avenue and Camelbed.

These numbers illustrate the success of the memory cafe programs throughout Phoenix.

So what's next for the memory cafe program?

The senior programs division intends to use data from the successful expansion of the program to guide staff in creating the 2026 memory cafe schedule, use the newly continuous human services department qualified vendor list to identify instructors for memory cafe activities and to evaluate community partnership opportunities for virtual classes.

To learn more about memory cafe or other human services department programs, please visit Phoenix.gov slash human services.

And you can also access our page via the QR code.

Also, please follow the Human Services Department on Facebook for updates and highlights on our programs, such as Memory Cafe.

This now concludes our presentation.

Are there any questions from the subcommittee?

Any questions from anyone?

Oh, go ahead.

Councilman Abra.

Thank you.

Um congratulations and thank you for sharing the data.

And it is just one virtual per month, correct?

For anybody from any of the centers to attend.

Okay.

And then this was initially started with our um some of our ARPA dollars.

So what is the outlook for continuing this given the status of ARPA dollars being one-time funding?

Chair, subcommittee members, uh, Vice Mayor O'Brien, um, to answer that question, our ARPA funding for memory cafe did end in December of 2024, and that is when we decided, as Tracy shared, to reimagine the program, which meant integrating it into our senior programs division budget and our uh our list of activities that we provide at each one of the senior centers.

So the expectation is that we will continue the memory cafe activities as well as other activities in our senior centers with the budget that we currently have.

And the fees you have that you just talked about do help offset those those costs or help to continue the program.

Yes, that is correct.

Excellent.

Thank you so much for the presentation and and for your good work.

I just want to say thank you for this presentation.

Uh my mom passed in February, and the cause was dementia.

So I think this is really an important program.

I know the senior centers really are vital to our community, and I really do appreciate what you've done with this program.

So thank you.

Thank you.

I just do have one question just as a um just as a follow-up.

With respect to the classes that you provided, included the memory screening, and I presume we use that as an opportunity to connect participants to additional services.

Can you talk a little bit about the memory screening that you provide to residents or sorry to the attendees at the memory cafe?

Thank you, madam chair.

Yes, our staff are now trained to detect early signs of dementia.

And so they do provide screening.

They they have a sheet that they work off of, and then once that is identified, they will work with the participants for resources, community resources, and or we also have caseworkers that come in from other divisions that can help connect them to whether it be medical resources or community organizations that can help with the onset of dementia and/or you know, any other cognitive issues or medical issues for that matter.

Thank you for the explanation.

I too echo the comments of my colleagues and say thank you for this update and the important work that the human services department is doing to support our older adults and their caregivers.

I will say if you have not been to one of our senior centers, you are missing out.

You will always have a great time.

I have always had a great time at the senior centers.

But I also want to say that the city wide expansion of the memory cafe program, it is impressive.

As someone who's had a family member deal with cognitive decline and uh and memory loss, I really think that people, this is an area that we should continue to focus on, and I really appreciate the focus and the attention on early memory screening, especially being in a culturally responsible program and the variety of social and arts based activities that you provide.

I am encouraged by the work that's being done and the staff training efforts, which helped to ensure that we are providing high quality and consistent services to those in need.

So as the program grows, I look forward to seeing how we can continue to sustain it and reach even more older individuals and their caregivers across Phoenix.

So thank you again for your dedication to supporting the aging and ensuring that they do that with dignity in our community.

So thank you so much.

Next, we will move on to item number seven, which is the Phoenix Public Library 2026-2029 strategic plan.

We will welcome our library director, Erin McFarland to the table.

Good morning, um, Chair and Committee members.

Over the past year at Phoenix Public Library collaborated with community members, partner organizations, and city leadership to create an updated strategic plan for 2026 to 2029.

The library's last strategic plan was designed for completion in 2023 and was extended to allow for a transition in library leadership.

The creation of the new plan was an iterative process that began by designing an updated mission statement and identifying five core values to which work can be aligned.

The new mission statement, we empower our community with opportunities and resources to inspire and enrich lives, was distilled from an exercise the library's executive team completed and is reflective of the services we provide.

The team then identified 10 core values.

They felt truly epitomized how the library shows up in the community.

Library leadership brought these 10 values to Staff Development Day in December 2024 and asked all library employees to vote for the five they felt most deeply reflected their practice.

This collaboration resulted in the identification of the following five values: adaptability, inclusion, integrity, kindness, and making a difference.

Next, a strategic plan navigator team made up of library employees from all levels, regions, and divisions was established.

The team worked to determine how data would be gathered from stakeholders to help guide our strategic pillars for the next three years.

Our navigators developed a four-pronged approach to collecting the most diverse feedback possible to represent the entirety of the library's users.

Each team member was then assigned to one of four subcommittees, which planned and facilitated the data gathering.

In the spring of 2025, library staff facilitated extensive community outreach to gather feedback on how our residents view current library services and their aspirations for the future.

The four-pronged approach included surveys, focus groups, interviews, and poster engagement sessions.

This data gathering included bilingual options for Spanish speaking residents.

The survey was sent to library cardholders and a non-user panel and had over 15,000 responses.

Survey participants left over 5,000 comments detailing their opinions on our current services.

Here is one example that is representative of all of the comments.

Being an avid reader, I love the access to electronic resources most, but am happy to pick up and return too.

With the new lockers, I no longer have to match my schedule to the library's hours of operations.

Staff conducted 13 focus groups with over 80 participants across all library regions online and with library cardholders and community partners.

12 interviews with city leadership and community stakeholders helped identify priorities going forward.

Many members of the subcommittee participated to help guide our new plan.

This exercise invited community members to prioritize their top three concerns from a list of 12 focused items.

After library staff finished gathering the data, they shared it with a contracted vendor who analyzed the findings and shared insights with the team.

What was overwhelmingly apparent in the results was the community's love for the library.

Out of 5,783 comments in the surveys, 95% were positive towards the library, its customer service, and its resources.

The community feedback identified system wide strengths in access to physical and digital materials, early literacy and youth programs, college depot and workforce readiness, our library of things, which includes our culture passes and seed libraries, and the welcoming safe spaces provided.

Many community members voiced a desire not for new initiatives and programming, but for more of what the library already offers.

Looking ahead, community members anticipate rapid population growth, greater cultural diversity, economic insecurity, political polarization, and climate stress, all factors that elevate the importance of the library as a stabilizing and inclusive community hub.

Residents also articulated strong aspirations for the future of the library.

Together, these insights outline a vision of Phoenix Public Library as an adaptive, inclusive, and future ready system that expands access through adjusted hours and broader geographic reach, strengthens communication to raise awareness of underutilized resources, balances tradition with innovation, offering both books and cutting edge tech, reimagines facilities as community hubs with cafes, gardens, cooling centers, and flexible meeting spaces, centers equity with bilingual services, programs for special needs and culturally representative programming, and anchors resilience by addressing pressing community concerns from education and workforce readiness to safety, homelessness, and cost of living pressures.

In short, the community envisions a library system that not only delivers knowledge and culture, but also serves as a lifeline for stability, equity, and civic trust in a rapidly changing city.

Our community is keenly aware that Phoenix Public Library is more than just books.

The library leadership team took feedback gathered from the community and used it to identify four strategic pillars that will guide our services over the next three years.

Under each pillar, staff developed specific goals to drive achievement and objectives to measure the success of programs and initiatives.

Goals under this pillar include leveraging library spaces to prioritize community partnerships, making connections to foster a healthy community, and identifying community resources to align them with community needs.

Our next pillar drives us to champion better collections and better access.

There are several goals under this direction that include our plan to better align library operations to community schedules, expand and diversify outreach efforts, reduce language barriers, and build an inclusive accessible collection.

Our third pillar is to create inspiring spaces.

Under this direction, we include goals to improve accessibility and wayfinding, enhance physical flexibility of library spaces, and foster community-centered design into our new library spaces.

And our last pillar is to inspire thriving minds and embrace lifelong learning.

This is where we will focus on providing high-quality, inclusive programming to residents of all ages.

Among several goals under this pillar, we will include celebrate local identity and culture, develop and facilitate programs and events that enable youth adults, sorry, to enjoy life fully, and develop programs and events that educate and entertain youth.

The library executive team is collaborating to establish objectives for each strategic plan goal to define metrics for success.

Beginning in 2026, library supervisors will work to review standard performance goals and align them with our strategic plan and objectives.

Beginning early next spring, we will start a campaign, introducing all staff to the plan and defining how each position has a role to play in helping the library achieve its goals.

Library leadership will report on progress in our annual report published at the end of each fiscal year.

Thank you for your support in the creation of this roadmap.

I am happy to now answer any questions that you have.

Thank you so much.

I did have one question though.

How did the library ensure that feedback from underserved communities and non-library users were involved in developing the strategic plan?

Thank you, Madam Chair, for that question.

The committee members looked at that exactly exact thing because we recognize that not everyone is gonna fill out a survey, right?

So and we wanted to get feedback from our non-users.

So the contracted vendor that we use to analyze the data also has a way by which they can send out the survey questions to a representative group of non-users and gather that data.

So we were able to get surveys back from 500 people that did not identify as library users.

And we also worked, particularly in our focus groups to identify demographics that we were really curious about their feedback.

So, for example, we did one focus group that was just teens because they were a group that is famously difficult to get feedback from and things like this.

We also did a community focused group at St.

Vincent de Paul with folks that were living in their shelter at this time because we recognize that many of the people that use our libraries are currently unsheltered or experiencing homelessness, and we wanted to get feedback from that community on how library services support them and what we could do better.

Um, so we did look through each of these avenues to try to determine ways that we could focus on marginalized or underserved members of our community.

Thank you so much for that explanation.

Um I will go ahead and call, we have one public comment, one speaker on this item.

I will call Jeannie and Subno to the podium.

Good morning, madam chair and members of the subcommittee, the SORO branch excuse me, the Swirl Branch Library is part of our 44th Community Alliance.

And the alliance welcomes and looks forward to the opportunity to work together with the library, having the opportunity to partner within the library and help support the library by sharing information about library events as well as a partner in our alliance event will definitely have a positive impact.

We appreciate the opportunity.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

At this time, is there any questions?

Go ahead, Vice Mayor.

Thank you so much.

Um, this is an incredibly comprehensive plan, and I appreciate the extra steps you took to make sure you you heard from a variety of stakeholders.

Um, and I love the new mission statement.

We we empower our community with opportunities and resources to inspire enrich lives.

Related to your pillars, though, um, can you give me some specific ideas?

I realize you're still gonna work on that, but but what might one see related to supporting that first pillar as a concrete example in their library?

Thank you, Vice Mayor, for that question.

Um Madam Chair and committee members, so that first pillar is responding to the evolving, let me get where I get to the right slide.

Responding to the evolving needs of the community.

Um, this is where we know that the library has work that can be done in this arena, but we need to help um work with our partners in order to provide some of these services.

So, some of the things that we've already done in the last year, the library hired its first social worker, um, which will help identify resources that library staff might not know are available to support our community members with complex needs.

So we have people that come into the library that are looking for books and DVDs and want to get on the computer, and we have people that come into the library who are unsheltered and need medical help.

And our library staff is often trained on that first aspect, but not necessarily the second aspect.

So by having someone in-house that is aware of those networks that exist in our community and can provide some comprehensive resources to the library staff, that's one way that we are focusing on addressing those needs.

And then we also work with partners in the community that are already providing these services, bringing them in to provide resources at the library, or making sure that the folks that are using our libraries know that those services exist and where they can go to get those services.

So that's specific to pillar one, but I could also dig deep into some other stuff if you're interested.

Yeah, um, and I appreciate that.

I think that it's an importance.

I know sometimes in government we get siloed.

And so this is, I think, a perfect example where, although your responsibility is right, the library and library services, you recognize the needs of our community members and are reaching out to work with the other departments to make sure you're meeting as many needs as you can while serving your primary purpose.

And then on pillar two, same kind of thing.

You promote lifelong learning in the pursuit of education by providing free personalized re-engagement and post-secondary education planning services.

What might be a concrete effort there that we we've either you've implemented or you are looking to implement?

So sorry.

Um thank you, Vice Mayor.

Um, so pillar two is championing better collections and better access.

One of the things that we're doing there is we're assessing our library facility locations to identify library deserts and bring services to those communities.

We recognize that Phoenix is big, and as it grows, it grows, it's growing outwards.

Um and our libraries, we might take a little while for us to catch up with having libraries in those communities.

So we do have one bookmobile that is providing services to some of those communities already, but we're looking at different opportunities to use tech to possibly reach those community members before we can get a library there.

So, for example, we have library booklockers at all of our locations, but that doesn't mean that it has to be at a library location.

So as we assess this over the next three years, um, can we identify spaces that are already city of Phoenix facilities that we might be able to place a book locker, you know, in that location to provide access to books for a community that doesn't have a library, you know, already there and be able to have that there until we're able to provide a library.

This will also help us looking to the future.

Um, you know, if we assess those library deserts, recognizing where it will be a good spot to have a library, you know, in the future.

We're currently working to through general obligation bond funding that was approved in you know the past to build two new libraries and expand one.

Um and we're excited to have that happen, but we recognize that the city of Phoenix just keeps growing.

And so we want to make sure that everybody that lives in Phoenix has access to high quality library services close to home.

Excellent.

Thank you for sharing that's so so important for our community members.

And you're right, we are growing rapidly, and it is hard for us to keep up with those um primary services like libraries.

College depot is near and dear to my my heart.

Um, and ever since I was introduced to it as a councilwoman of wanted to make sure we could expand it.

And so, what are the plans regarding the college depot and hopefully getting it out more in our different branches rather than um just a Barton Bar.

I know that sometimes they can do it online, but right in person really is a different kind of touch.

You're right, um Vice Mayor.

Thank you for that question.

So College Depot, it is a special touch to have it in person, and that's their superpower is are those one-on-one interactions with um people who are seeking uh work, who are seeking a high school diploma, who are seeking to further their education.

So actually, right now, College Depot at Burton Bar Public Library is closed for construction, and so they are currently out at different libraries.

They have programs currently planned for our ACATIO library.

Um, they've been working with South Mountain, they're coming out to Century and Mesquite.

So they are reaching out and doing programs in our different libraries.

Um we are also looking for opportunities for a possible future branch of College Depot.

We have been in discussion with the community and economic development department to possibly add a branch of College Depot at Innovation 27 once that um is finished.

Um, and there has been interest in you know having a secure space there.

Um we are looking at different opportunities to bring that out within the confines of you know our budget and what we can do in the community.

So we're looking at all different ways that we can expand and be creative.

Excellent.

And what about this plan do you think might be most challenging?

And how can myself and my colleagues help you accomplish it?

I think what can be most challenging for library staff is that we want to do all of it all at the same time, and we recognize that we won't be able to do that.

Um so we can do everything, just not all at the same time.

And so I think working with our city council members, um, working with the city of Phoenix leadership in identifying what to do at the right time within the budget and the capability of our library staff.

Um, I think that's something that will be challenging.

I don't have any doubt that we'll be able to do that.

Um, and I think that helping to identify partnerships within city departments as you alluded to prior.

Um, we work closely with other city departments like neighborhood services, Office of Home Solutions, the Office of Public Health, um, to ensure that our library services are the highest quality they can be.

And so I am we always are welcoming guidance as you know, looking for those connections because you might hear in your office of something that you think, wow, the library would be a good partner in that that you'll hear before I will.

So pointing those out and letting us know where those exist, I think would be super helpful.

Thank you again for this presentation and for all the information.

I look forward to seeing this plan implemented over the next three years.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

Okay.

Well, I too would just like to say thank you to the Phoenix uh public library team for your thoughtful work on this.

I think the volume of feedback you receive shows exactly how essential our libraries are across Phoenix.

As you mentioned, they're not just a place for books, um, but they are trusted spaces for early literacy, workforce development, college depot services, cultural programming, and most importantly, connection.

I really appreciate that this plan reflects what residents have asked for the most, which is proven, um, which is built on proven programs and services rather than reinvent the library's role.

I think the aspirations are on point.

I think we as we continue to consider the expanding of access, not just the books, but access to the resources and the services.

I mean, it could be as small as our seed library to expand in the opportunities for College Depot outside of our our library's physical structure.

I think we are we definitely want to continue the communication.

You are such a valuable resource for our community our community, and not everyone knows about it.

That's why I asked the question about how we're gonna attract how do we factor in those non-users.

So I am especially encouraged by the plan's emphasis on equity access, and I said in responsiveness to our communities' needs.

Um, I really appreciate the fact that we are trying to address the library deserts, expanding the bilingual and culturally set responsive services and align in ours, hopefully, an outreach with residence schedule.

I mean, at the end of the day they are key consumer.

Um, the vision of libraries as an inclusive community hubs that supports learn and resilience and opportunity is very important.

And so as implementation moves forward, I look forward to seeing clear metrics, regular reporting and continued engagement to ensure that this plan delivers meaningful impact in every community.

And thank you so much for your presentation.

Thank you.

Um, and the last item on today's agenda is the call to public, but I do not believe that we have any additional registered um speakers.

All right, so there are none.

Um, are there any requests for any future agenda items from any of my colleagues?

Seeing none, happy holidays to everyone.

Thank you.

This meeting is adjourned.

African American black and robust and fun.

Latin library.