Test one two, testing one two.

Hi, good afternoon, everyone.

My name is Counselor Miguel Sanchez.

I am calling the public hearing of Special Committee on Ways and Means the Order.

Thank you so much to everyone who's here to participate in this process.

And then uh next door, we have uh counselors uh Graves and Davidson, who are committee members, and then also want to recognize Count uh Majority Leader Espinal for being here, uh Chairwoman Harris, uh, Chairman Oscar Vargas, thank you so much.

Of course, our lovely city solicitor to the left of me, and our wonderful clerks.

Uh, thank you so much.

Um, so yeah, we're gonna get this hearing started.

Um, if anyone wants to partake in the conversation, please uh sign up.

Uh there's a sheet right here.

Where is our city side?

We have Crystal and Sarah, a very crucial part of this process.

Thank you for being here.

Thank you.

So the first person who's gonna present is uh Michelle Woolcox, uh CEO of Crossroads.

Thank you.

Thanks, good evening, um members of the council.

Um very happy to be here.

Thank you for your continued partnership with Crossroads.

Um I'm here to express support of the proposed budget and in particular uh appreciation and support for the um 129,350 grant uh in the ongoing investment uh in Crossroads Rhode Island and the people that we serve in Providence.

Um as you probably know, Crossroads has been serving Rhode Islanders for more than 130 years.

Uh we're the state's leading provider of housing and related services uh for people experiencing homelessness.

Last year we provided uh housing and housing related services to nearly 4800 men, women and children across the state, and we manage more than 375 uh apartments throughout the state, many of which are in Providence.

Providence and the state as a whole continue to face a severe housing crisis.

The biggest challenge is not a lack or willingness to help people, it's a lack of housing options.

And the people coming to Crossroads today are often having increasingly complex needs, including chronic health conditions, behavioral health challenges, and histories of trauma.

And stable housing absolutely remains the foundation for addressing all of those challenges.

City funding helps ensure that vulnerable Providence residents can access housing, shelter, case management, and supportive services.

And the city's investment really demonstrates that addressing homelessness requires strong partnerships between local government, nonprofits, health care providers, and the community.

At a time when many nonprofit organizations face uncertainty around federal funding, um, these local partnerships are really more important than ever.

Crossroads is not only responding to homelessness, we're helping create permanent solutions.

As you know, last December, we completed construction of the Summer Street Apartments, the largest permanent supportive housing in New England.

We created 176 new homes for our neighbors experiencing homelessness.

Later this year, we'll complete construction on the health and housing apartments.

This is an innovative development that will provide 35 permanent supportive apartments for medically vulnerable people experiencing homelessness in the city.

Together with future investments, we hope to create a total of 300 uh new permanent supportive apartments in Providence with these uh projects.

So in closing, I want to thank the council again for your support and the administration for recognizing the important role that community nonprofits play in the city, and uh thank you for your ongoing support of Crossroads Rhode Island.

Thank you.

Thank you, and thank you to Crossroads Earth and of you for our residence.

Thank you.

Uh next up, we have and please correct me if I mispronounce uh any of the names, uh from Amos House.

We have Kelly Mara Oh Bentley.

Uh I feel like the last name would be a good one.

Very close, thank you, very close.

Uh good evening, everyone.

My name is Paul of Hoje.

I'm the chief program officer at the house.

And I want to talk a little bit about uh the hand-up program.

Uh so the city support of the hand up program allows us to continue to connect with some of our most vulnerable neighbors, provide them with paid opportunities, and beautify and clean up areas of the city with a focus on our home base, which is the Southside community.

We are working with folks who are experiencing homelessness, have little to no income, and many who are also struggling with behavioral health issues or addiction, sometimes both and more.

Uh folks are receiving critical assistance from a hand up with basic needs items, accessing shelter, health care, including behavioral health supports, obtaining bio documents, access and benefits, etc.

So through this program, we're able to also provide an experience where folks can learn new skills such as tree care, farming and landscaping, uh, to explore what it might take to pursue employment and to interact with their own community in a new way.

Participants are picking up thousands of gallons of trash a year from our city sidewalks and lots and take a lot of pride in what they do.

And I imagine that some folks here in this room have seen our crews out and about inaction.

So, you know, we're on Elmwood, we're in Onleville, we're in Trinity Square.

You might have seen us on Huntington Avenue, which has been a long-term project for us.

Um, and this year, crews were even able to assist with snow removal efforts, um, shoveling around critical walkways during this unprecedented winter too.

It is simply amazing what folks can do and what they can accomplish when working together towards a common goal, and we see that every day in our work with a hand-up crews, and so in that spirit, we look forward to what we hope will be a continued partnership with the city and working with our most vulnerable neighbors.

Thank you.

Just one second.

I think we have a comment.

Just real quick real quickly, Callie.

I know we've met in the past and we've uh talked, and I want to thank you for everything that you do and all the people in Ward Eight.

I know when you're out there and take pictures and blast you all over social media to thank you for uh I really truly appreciate it and so those residents warded on keeping all our woods and so I want to thank you and all your crew because I know it's hot days and rainy days, and it's not easy out there, and there's a lot of garbage, and you guys do a lot.

So I just want to leave say thank you very much.

We appreciate it, thank you very much.

And thank you for for posting us for cookouts too.

We appreciate that as well.

Uh next up we have uh Suzanne.

I'm gonna actually pronounce her last name, but I think we all who are Suzanne Burnley for thank you uh for the opportunity to speak with me today, counselors.

My name is Suzanne Bernabee, and I am the executive director of the downtown Providence Park Network.

Uh, and the resident of Ward 2, and I'm here to support the mayor's budget.

Uh DPPN is a nonprofit organization that was established in 2023 with a mission to activate, connect, and enhance uh public spaces in downtown and along the waterways of Providence to spark civic pride, fuel economic vitality, attract visitors, and showcase the city as a world-class destination.

We work with the parks extending from the Point Street Bridge and District Park along the River Walk to Waterplace Park, including Burnside and Biltmore Parks.

We work in partnership with the Parks Department and the 195 district to manage the day-to-day operations of the parks to activate and enhance these spaces, filling in gaps in the spirit of creativity, collaboration, and connection.

In our first three years, TPPN launched the winter uh Lumina Festival, reignited the Burnside Concert Series, and led the wayfinding project, which links the downtown parks with the beautiful uh RISC grad design banners you now see throughout downtown and a web app that details the history of each of the 200 unique locations.

We're now working in partnership with Providence Parks, Providence Art Culture Tourism and the Providence Tourism Council on the reopening of the kiosk at Beltmore Park, which reopens on Wednesday can join us from two to four, and that space will now feature outdoor game tables, including King Paul, foosball, and chess, bus coffee, drinks, and ice cream for sale in the kiosk.

To support the ongoing efforts in Belmore Park, uh DPPN will be hosting a Wednesday night music series and a Tuesday night chess club starting in the late summer and extending into the fall.

All of our programming is free and open to the public and rooted in the belief that parks are for everyone and that our shared public spaces provide an opportunity for connection even in divided times.

We are deeply grateful to the City of Providence for the ongoing support of DPPN and to Mayor Smiley for including the grant in this budget.

These funds are essential to our ability to achieve our vision to cultivate a sense of belonging, build traditions, and drive community well-being through the energy and participation of the people who use the parks daily.

We ask for your support uh for the budget to continue this work.

Thank you for your time.

Uh Councillor Davidson.

Thank you, Kim.

Suzanne, I just wanted to thank you for your work.

I mean, you have really dove in head first.

Um, it seems like you've already been with us an incredibly one time and to thank you for moving all of this work forward.

Everybody to use the downtown park.

We love spending time in them.

And just sort of grateful for your dedication to making these spaces accessible and super fun for everybody.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for welcoming me for the night.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh next up we have Emily Pasquale.

Uh next up we have Emily the Good evening, and thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

My name is Emily Tapasqually.

I'm the director of victims services at Family Service of Rhode Island.

I'm here today to ask for your continued support and investment with the GO team.

The GO team is a police co-response model that responds out to crime scenes for victims of crime.

Every day GO team members respond alongside our law enforcement partners at Providence Police for instance of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and other traumatic events affecting young people and their families.

By pairing trauma-trained social s service professionals with law enforcement, we ensure that compassionate trauma-informed responses are offered to all families.

In my role I have sat with parents who have lost children to gun violence, survivors of domestic violence, navigating support system, and young people harmed by those they trusted most.

I have consistently been humbled by the resilience of survivors and by the unwavering support Go team provides as they move through the system.

Most recently, GO team had the privilege and responsibility of supporting the Brown University community after the shooting.

Um on December 13th, while working alongside Province Police, Go Team members responded on scene to Brown University.

Because of our strong established partnership with law enforcement, our program was able to quit quickly mobilize a multi-person response to together support the families, students, faculty, and community.

Um we also were responsible for the family's remuner um and other critical moments following the incident.

Our work did not end there.

In the days that followed, Go team continue to support the Brown community, as well as our law enforcement partners who were tirelessly working to investigate the incident.

In the weeks and months afterwards, we remained present, providing psychological first aid and ongoing support.

As um faculty and students began the process towards recovery.

Uh the Go team is essential.

It ensures that trains for sponsors are available when tragedy strikes.

Navigants and families are not left to navigate trauma alone.

And that Providence community members have the support that they need to heal and rebuild.

Thank you for your time, your leadership, and your commitment to the well-being of the city of Providence.

Uh thank you, Emily.

Of course, thank you to to you and the rest of you too for all the work that you for a most vulnerable uh residents uh in times of crisis.

Um thank you we really appreciate that.

Thank you.

Uh next up we have Amber Heard.

Hello.

My name is Anna Mercer, and I work at Family Care Soviet Island as a career survivor specialist.

So we're taking for crimes and taking the domestic violence.

Um I'm here to encourage the continued support of the GO team.

I'm here just not as a winner for somebody that has worked with others that have been helped by other go teams.

But the GO team saved my life.

Three years ago, I was the victim of a brutal danging and attempted murder by my husband.

And the GO team answered that call.

They were there for me, not just on the pain and in the ambulance and in the hospital.

But for everything that comes after being the victim of that type of crime.

Navigating joblessness, homelessness, trying to raise people severely special needed children on my own with no support system.

Not everybody has a village or a family or friend.

But I am a lifelong resident of Providence, Rhode Island and the Go to and David community that I didn't have.

I'm here to ask for your continued support of this program because it's the change that we need in Providence, which means that we need in Rhode Island, which means that we need in the United States.

And with our support, they can do so much more.

It's not just about having a support system, but it's about having common support.

Others that know what it's like to go through those type of things and navigate after it.

And that's difficult for you to recover from.

But so many people don't know all of the things that come after that.

Of having nowhere to go, of not being able to save your family, of not being able to get the net help as it can be survived or something like that.

So the team understands those things and I've seen them mattress in my life personally.

But with the other victims and survivors of shootings of domestic violence, of stocking of a call.

So many people go through it silently and the goal to exchange in that.

They're changing the way that providers can continue to go about their life.

And I think it's what and I encourage you to continue that support moving forward.

But also telling you what it is that you have to do for your time.

Um if anyone has come after we started, uh if you want to um present before the committee, uh there's a sign up sheets uh in the white table uh right by the doors right here.

Good afternoon and thank you for um this opportunity to speak.

Um at the first, I'm Cheryl Space and I'm the executive director of the community libraries of Providence.

And at the first public budget hearing, I testified that with level funding from the city and the loss of ARBA funds that the community libraries would need to reduce staffing and move to two nights and two mornings per week for Mount Pleasant Rochambeau and Night Memorial Libraries.

These are the hours the libraries had before COVID and it caused a lot of confusion.

People would experience locked doors on many mornings and evenings when they expected the library to be open and as well as causing a lack of access to meeting spaces and programs.

The demand for evening programs in space is huge, especially at the Mount Pleasant and Roe Shambo libraries.

For an additional eighty thousand of funding or an approximately two percent increase, CLPD could hire enough staff to have each library open three nights a week, prioritizing the busiest times.

Evenings are filled with community meetings and programs, makerspace workshops, concerts, GED, ESL, and citizenship classes and book discussions.

Last week the Mount Pleasant Youth Services staff co-hosted a meet me at the library with the William Debate Elementary School Librarian.

Approximately 75 students and their families attended with 17 people getting a f their first library card and children could be overheard asking their parents to bring them back.

I understand that the city's budget is extraordinarily tight this year and we are very grateful to have received level funding, but I must make the request for some additional funding if it is at all possible.

If the library is level funded, this will be our second year in a row without increased operational support.

And as I said, we will have to reduce hours at Rochambeau and Mount Pleasant.

We've already had to reduce hours at the Night Memorial Library.

CLPVD works non-stop year-round to raise funds through grants foundations and generous individuals, but the city provides our essential bedrock funding, which is amplified through the 25% match we get through state grant and aid.

I said this on May 4th, but it bears repeating.

The library is so grateful to know that the city's capital improvement plan includes for the first time 2.5 million dollars to fund critical upgrades to our libraries.

The differences for the support makes cannot be overstated, and hopefully this investment will save money for the libraries going forward.

So I ask you for your support and I thank you for your support in including essential operating support for the libraries so that we can remain open and accessible to all of our neighbors.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Cheryl.

Um definitely not getting ahead of myself because it is uh confirmed already.

Uh but I'm proud to share that once the council releases the amendments, uh just ask um won't be there because we can value uh you know, we obviously value everything that comes before us.

Um for this specific ass that you know will maintain it's not expanding program.

Uh but we cannot uh you know go back to our constituents uh and you know the right thing to do is to maintain that program.

So uh once amendments are released, which will probably be Wednesday uh remain again.

Uh you'll see this as well.

Thank you and your team for everything that you guys do for for our libraries.

Oh my goodness, thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you all.

Uh next up is council person, Tatiana Bayena.

Good evening.

It's a little weird coming in front of other council members, but today I'm here in another role.

So thank you, uh, honorable members of the city council and community members.

I appreciate the opportunity to speak today.

My name is Tatiana Baina, and I recently started as the executive director of the Providence After School Alliance, or as you might know at PASA.

Um I'm here this evening to speak in support of the FY27 budget, specifically the continued proposed investment allocated to PAFA.

Having worked across education, local government, and youth serving organizations.

One thing I've learned is that opportunity should not depend on your zip code.

PASA helps ensure Providence youth have access to high quality out of school time opportunities by bringing together schools, community organization, and city leadership to provide consistent free to families programming.

Today, PASA serves more than 1200 middle and high school students across four middle schools and two high schools through our after zone and hub programming, which creates opportunities for academic support, career and interest exploration, life skill development, stronger social connections, and youth leadership.

And we know that the impact matters.

Even in my first week, I had the opportunity to attend our end of session celebrations at Hope High School in Del Sesto and uh see hundreds of students, families, providers, and community members just coming together.

It was really a reminder of how this work goes beyond after school.

It creates belonging, connection, and possibility.

I know this budget cycle comes with difficult decisions and competing priorities, which makes sustained investment in youth and community partnerships even more meaningful.

So I wanna thank Mayor Smiley and you all for continuing to prioritize young people and recognizing that investing in youth today strengthens Providence for the future.

I'm grateful to join PASA in this moment and I'm excited to continue building a strong foundation created over the last two decades.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Daniel.

Congratulations on the new uh opportunity.

We're excited.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Baela, I just wanted to echo the same sentiment.

Congratulations again the position.

Uh Councilwoman Nerva of Fortune, it is an honor to have you before us today.

If anyone else wants to sign up, uh this is uh the last person that has signed up.

Uh thank you.

I also brought some resources.

Um I didn't bring one for everyone.

We have to save on our trees, but so you can have some of our metric data from uh last year.

Good evening, everyone.

Good evening, Chair and um council members.

My name is Nirville of Fortune and I serve as the executive director of City of Rhode Island.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of continued investment in City Year Rhode Island and the students of Providence and the young people as well.

Every day our AmeriCorps members serve as student success coaches, tutoring, mentoring, or serving as near-to-peer models for to students, helping students improve academically while building confidence attendance and a stronger sense of belonging.

The impact that we provide is quite significant.

And when we look at data for the district or just growth data in comparison to what City Year is doing and how we've made significant impact, it's quite remarkable.

Some of the highlights that I want to share is last year alone, our core members, these are young people between the ages of 17 and 25.

Our core members spent 54,400 hours served, right, in the schools.

And in addition to that, our core members do targeted intervention where they work with the school administrator and teachers, as well as learning specialists in the schools to compile a list of targeted students who need tier one and tier two interventions, so they need that additional support in math and ELA, helping them build social emotional skills, as well as coaching them on attendance.

And that list consisted of about 528 students reached through that in-class support.

In addition to that, some of the other work that we do is our core members provide classroom instructional support where our student success coaches partner with classroom teachers to help deliver lessons, differential learning or instruction, checks to make sure that the students have like understanding or grasping the information that they're learning, interpersonal skill building or social emotional skill building for students who may reflect behavioral issues because they're not getting that additional support or might not show up to school.

And so our core members have a curriculum that is aligned with like the DESA assessment and some of the assessments and structures that the school needs to help those students build those skills and also reflect, which is critical as well.

Attendance coaching, our core members provide both school-wide and targeted intervention where at Bailey Elementary School in Pleasant View, they have uh attendance initiative where students have like perfect attendance, they have a celebration, they get a certificate.

Um, but they also try to understand what's the barrier that's preventing the student from coming to school and working with the school administrator or the teacher or those counselor to address those factors, but also um improving the climate and culture of the school where our core members foster a positive learning environment and develop school-wide enrichment support to ensure that every single student are in a learning condition or are creating learning conditions so that our students can thrive.

Majority of our core members who are serving, they were served by a city year core member, and so they're back serving because they were inspired.

Um we launch a LACEA initiative, so leadership after city year, which is a post-service pathway or workforce readiness initiative.

I am proud to say, as of now, our service year ends in a few weeks.

We have over 75% of our core members already have post-service plan.

That means they either are um going into college, they're going into workforce or in a fellowship program or otherwise, and we're working with the rest to make sure that they do have these opportunities.

We have a core member who was accepted into Brown University after as a UEP fellow, which he'll have a full ride.

We have core members who will be Teach for America.

We have core members who will become TAs, we have core members that are leveraging the SEGO award so that they could go back to college and get their degree.

And 50% of the core are young people who serve, they become educators, and the rest go into various fields.

And one of the things I want to highlight too is that 90% of the young people who serve with City Year Rhode Island stay in Rhode Island.

You know, we often talk about the brain drain and what City Year is doing is the opposite, and we're calling it the brain gain.

Um that impact alone, um, you know, we want to also talk about like metrics, just to spotlight some of the schools from last year that we served in.

76% of City Year students at Pleasant View met their expected growth goal in ELA reading.

88% did so um in math, which is higher than the district average.

At Robert L.

Bailey Elementary School, for the first time became a blue ribbon school this year.

69% of students that worked with City Year met or exceeded their growth goal in ELA.

73% 73% did so in math.

And a semester, which unfortunately, due to financial um constraints, we were unable to serve at a semester.

But last year, a semester was the only school in the whole state to move from a one-star school to a two-star school, and the principal has said it's because of City Year.

Some of the other impact described by the schools and the teachers include City Year is always there with a warm smile and a kind voice to greet and talk to students throughout the day.

Communication was exceptional, being able to have open, honest, constructive conversation.

City year partner and I both taught small math and reading groups and help students every day with both academic and social issues.

Students were able to get extra support in the classroom.

This is coming from teachers and administrators, direct quotes.

The City Year AmeriCorps members were dedicated to the knowledge to knowledgeable and very effective and very effective in supporting classrooms and schools community.

95% of teachers said City Year provided a positive impact and helped students build the sense of belonging.

90% of said that City Year improves school culture and climate.

And that goes on, and 100% of our partner administrators agreed that the impact that City Year has had in Providence schools has been quite significant.

There are not many programs in the state of Rhode Island that provide the holistic approach that we do, which is an approach, our whole school whole child model, which was designed in partnership with John Hopkins.

Because what we identify is not just the tests, right, and the score that the students are receiving, but what are the conditions, what are the needs of our students, and how do we provide them with the support and intervention so that their whole learning experience can be successful.

While we truly truly appreciate the support that the mayor and city council has provided us over the course of the year, the years, we also want to acknowledge that the district has also navigated some fiscal challenges.

That's part of our partnership.

And that actually impacts our ability to get AmeriCorps funds.

So while the funding does assist us, the way that the funding works works is reimbursement.

So we don't get the funding up front.

What we needed to do in order to serve in Providence Public Schools for the past two years without any investment in Providence is that I had to reduce my staff size.

We had to cut certain investments and supports for our team so that we can provide the quality of service to the students.

And even today we had a meeting with the superintendent and the head of the partnership office, and one of the things that she acknowledged was we didn't have funding, but NIRVA, the service delivery, delivery, the quality of the service did not change.

And that's what City Year does.

We ensure that our students have the top-notch service that they deserve.

And we're always improvement because you know there's always challenges.

But what I do hope is that the city council and the city can evaluate and look in comparison to some of the other programs that are in the city and see the value add of having City Year within the schools and also supporting our students because not only are we having an impact now, but think about the ripple effect that we're having in where in which not only our core members are serving students, but then these young people return and they serve.

And so now you have a pipeline of leaders that are being developed that recontributes to the very communities that once serve them.

And that's why I'm part of City Year.

Um I've shared this in the past before.

My first experience was in City Year was in 1995.

I was part of the original First Heroes program, and who would have thought full circle that I would be back leading the organization.

And so I thank you for the investment, and I do hope that uh the city council can consider increasing um the funding for City Year because we don't just talk about the impact that we have, the data demonstrates it.

So thank you.

Um and um and thank you for considering us.

Uh thank you so much, Nora.

I know um City Year does amazing work.

Um for us, and um definitely all the work that we do.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I just wanted to add to that um one of the things that I think draws in so much for city year and to put in the support, um, the contributions and everything, not the um monetary or financial, but actually getting to know the the um city year members and things that how not only do they impact the students but how the program impacts them.

Yes, it's um probably one of my favorite homecoking every single year.

So um I just wanted to highlight the fact that not only does it create this pipeline of leaders that came back in city year, it also brings back leaders that are homegrown Providence resident that are also giving back to the city in different ways.

And also um school member Ferrario uh Royas, who also was a city member at one point, not too long ago.

So I just want to thank you and echo the sentiment of um how wonderful your program is and um if we can find a way to um to add more because I I see firsthand just how how much that contributions is spread.

Um I I want to put on record that I fully support and I'd love for that to happen.

Thank you so much.

It's not just an investment in our students, it's an investment in our young people in general.

So that's something we truly appreciate.

And I just wanted to just add to that is what people don't realize, our core members, their service day starts at 7 30 a.m.

And their service day will end at 5 30 if they don't have any additional after-school programs.

These core members, this year they had a math night at Pleasant View for the past two years where we've partnered with the um uh the math association here at Rhode Island.

I'm so sorry, um, which we had families and students come from different every single neighborhood in the city who attended.

Um they support um after-school programs, they support um teacher-parent conferences, they're helping to provide capacity.

Core members, because they didn't have enough teachers have supported school plays.

One year one a student got sick and a core member jumped in.

So it's the level of commitment and support is quite remarkable, and to see them still have energy to show up every single day.

Um, and they're getting a stipend, y'all.

It is not like real money, it's not cost of living money.

What they get because it's a service initiative.

So everything extra that we do is the return is investing in them so that you know they can stay and they don't want to um provide this level of support and impact because they know that we're investing in them.

Okay.

Any other questions?

Thank you.

Um I believe that is it, unless anyone else um wants to specify Chris, well, you're all set.

Um thank you so much for everyone that that came uh here to uh present for us.

Like I mentioned earlier, this committee will be meeting uh on Wednesday uh to discuss uh the budget and possible amendments.

Um everyone's more than welcome to attend that and this meeting is adjourned.

Thank you.