Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 1 p.m. (Austin time), Austin City Hall
Committee: Public Health Committee
0:02 Health committee. The time is 1:01 pm on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025.
0:09 And we are here at Austin City Hall at the City Hall council chambers.
0:14 I am joined here by our vice chair Council Member ber uchin, as well as Council Member Alter.
0:19 Council Member Velásquez and cadre are not able to join us today.
0:24 So thank you all for being here for our very last committee meeting of the year.
0:28 For our agenda, we'll start with public communications, then we will look at the November meeting minutes for
0:34 approval. We will have a discussion on the reappointment for the central health board of managers.
0:39 Then we will review and discuss the public health committee meeting dates for the calendar year 2026.
0:46 After these actions, we'll receive a briefing from a isd on project help.
0:51 And then lastly, we'll receive a briefing update from the Austin homelessness strategies office on the latest encampment
0:59 en encampment management initiative, as well as some federal funding changes.
1:04 Are there any questions on the agenda?
1:08 Okay, clerk, we will now welcome speakers from the community.
1:11 Do we have any speakers with us today?
1:13 Yes, we have one.
1:13 Thank you. Can I have scott johnson?
1:26 Good morning or good afternoon.
1:27 Uh, Mayor pot tem and council members, thank you for scheduling a a sd to, to speak today.
1:35 I'm happy that I'm here and that she's here.
1:37 Carla scott, this is a letter sent from round rock.
1:40 Round rock does have part of their, of their school district within the Austin energy service area.
1:46 And I have contact with the liaisons that are called mckinney-vento liaisons as carla is one who's gonna
1:52 speak later. She wrote this letter.
1:54 You can follow along with me.
1:55 I'll read it. Uh, also, dear Austin, city leaders on behalf of the round rock independent school districts
2:01 families in transition program, thank you for your continued support of our students experiencing homelessness.
2:07 Our district serves more than 1100 students annually, many of whom live in Austin energy service areas.
2:14 Some of our youngsters we serve live in hotels or motels, some in their cars, others in shelters,
2:21 or doubled up with others, meaning they're staying with relatives or friends.
2:28 Our entire mission is academic based to ensure these students have the same educational opportunities as their housed
2:34 peers. This includes academic support services such as tutoring, transportation to and from school.
2:41 And of course, help with basic need resources to ensure the students can thrive in class.
2:47 The homeless student assistance funds are truly appreciated in that through the funds, we are able to provide
2:53 resources such as hygiene, backpacks, school supplies, emergency food, tennis shoes, and even air mattresses and blankets to
3:02 our students. In times like these, your support brings true hope to our students and their families, and
3:08 is greatly appreciated. Signed and grisha, the coordinator for families in transitions, mckinney-vento and foster care, as all
3:16 of the mckinney bentos are also foster care, uh, liaisons for their school district.
3:23 In terms of my interest, as you've seen me down here before, I'm the dedicated, uh, public commenter
3:28 on many issues. So I'm gonna be a little more scarce the rest of this year.
3:32 And I would like to say that this issue is an emerging issue still because the community believes
3:39 that homelessness relates to, uh, single men who are out on their own and, and some single women.
3:46 And that is partially true, but I'm very interested in moving the council and the community forward in
3:53 a direction where there are opportunities through the budgeting process and through the awareness project, through education outreach,
4:00 through Austin public health, that we can raise that awareness.
4:04 And that thereby having people in the community believe and understand that this is a systemic issue.
4:11 And if it relates to students who are normally in some family unit, then they can experience homelessness
4:17 during their elementary school years, high school years, and unfortunately sometimes beyond that.
4:23 So let's keep that in mind and let's make 2026 a better year for addressing student homelessness.
4:28 Thank you.
4:35 Anyone else? No, that's everyone.
4:37 All right. Thank you.
4:38 You welcome. Thank you for your testimony.
4:40 We'll now move on to approval of previous meeting minutes for item one.
4:44 Can I get a motion, motion vice chair seconded by councilmember Alter to approve the November 5th, 2025 meeting minutes
4:52 as presented. Any discussion, seeing none, any objection in approving the motion?
5:00 Alright, the meeting minutes from November, stand approved.
5:04 Next, we'll have item number two.
5:05 Colleagues, elisa mays, term on central health board of di of managers expires on December 31st, and she's expressed
5:14 interest in being reappointed for another term.
5:16 Believe we have been provided a, a backup of her application and materials for reappointment.
5:22 Can I get a motion motioned by Council Member Alter and seconded by vice chair uchin on the
5:29 approving the reappointment of elisa.
5:31 May. Any discussion? Seeing none.
5:36 Any objection? Nope. Alright.
5:38 No objection. The reappointment of elisa May now stands approved, and we'll go to the full City Council
5:44 for consideration. Moving on to item three, which is discussion and consideration of the public health committee meeting
5:51 dates for calendar year 2026, that those dates have been provided to you in our packet.
5:58 Uh, any comments or concerns on the schedule as presented?
6:05 All right. Can I get a motion?
6:06 Motion by vice chair uchin, seconded by Council Member Alter any or any discussion?
6:13 Any objection? Very good.
6:16 Those meeting minutes for 20, or the committee meeting dates for 2026?
6:21 Stand to prove for the record, our public health committee will be meeting on February 4th, March 4th, April 1st, May 6th,
6:29 September 2nd, October 7th, November 4th and December 2nd, 2026 with the March 4th and December 2nd meetings taking place at 1:00 pm please note that
6:41 those meeting dates are, uh, subject to change, but any, uh, changes will be made public according to
6:49 our open meetings act.
6:52 Alright, we'll now move on to item number four, which is a briefing from Austin independent school district
6:57 on project help, which is aimed at assisting homeless students and their families.
7:01 We have with us today, carla scott, the administrative supervisor at a isd.
7:06 Welcome.
7:14 Oh, now I am, I'm so sorry.
7:16 Thank you for your time, Mayor proti and the rest of the council.
7:20 I am carla grace scott.
7:22 I have the privilege of serving as the administrative supervisor of the Austin isd project help program, where
7:28 our primary goal is to serve homeless, foster care, and military connected students.
7:34 This, um, program or this office has been in existence in a isd over 25 years.
7:40 Uh, I have been the steward for the last five, and, uh, I am just here to share
7:44 with you some of the collective work that our program does and how we do that with the
7:50 support of partners, including the city of Austin.
7:53 So thank you for your time today.
7:55 Um, the first couple of slides that you'll see, um, relate to what the mckinney-vento act is.
8:01 This act was started in 1987 under president reagan, and it ensures that students who are homeless, no
8:09 matter where they live, have some rights that allow them to continue with their education without interruption.
8:16 That could mean if a student is homeless and they're living in south Austin, but their original school
8:21 was in north Austin, that child, that child and that family, they don't have to transfer schools just
8:26 because they're living in a shelter or with family.
8:29 That means that this act ensures that that student's continuity of education can stay in place.
8:35 So this act ensures that that student can receive transportation to go to their school of origin.
8:41 It also means that the student is afforded, um, free lunch and supplies or whatever that student needs
8:48 to remove the barrier to continue to pursue their education.
8:51 So, I'm not gonna go through all of this.
8:53 You can, you can see it, and I'm happy to offline answer any questions that you might have.
8:59 Um, in the next slide, I wanna just share this.
9:02 Who is, who is eligible for services?
9:05 What students? These are students who are doubled up with other people.
9:09 They May be living in homeless shelters.
9:11 They May be in hotels, they May be in cars, parks, uh, abandoned buildings, train stations.
9:17 Um, and I can tell you in a isd, we have students who are in all of these
9:22 spaces, and we serve those families and those, those students in all of these places, our role is
9:28 to identify them, ensure that they're enrolled immediately, and that they can continue with the continuity of their
9:35 education without any other, uh, barriers that May happen.
9:40 On the next slide, again, who's eligible?
9:44 Our biggest numbers, and I'm gonna show some data in just a little bit, are students who are
9:49 doubled up, meaning they're living with family.
9:51 They could be living with, um, relatives in other parts of the city, or we have students that
9:57 are living in surrounding cc communities, um, like bastrop or mainor.
10:01 And we ensure that those students have a, have transportation from wherever they're living to their school.
10:07 In Austin, isd these are families who have been impacted by eviction.
10:12 Um, some just have inadequate housing, uh, families who are in between, uh, maybe a week with this
10:19 family member, another week with this family member.
10:21 All of these scenarios happen and also means that, uh, families who have been impacted with the loss
10:27 of a job and don't know where to go.
10:29 Um, I can tell you we have students who are living with their family in a car, in
10:34 a walmart parking lot right now.
10:36 We have kids who are living in, uh, hotels.
10:39 We have kids who are living in campgrounds, you name it.
10:43 We have students that we serve in all of these scenarios.
10:47 So our role in our job is to ensure that those kids are one I identified, and the
10:52 campuses understand what their work with they're living in so they can receive services.
10:57 Um, another, um, growing concern or a growing number of students that we are servicing are those students
11:04 who are unaccompanied. These are students who have, um, run away from home, but they're still going to
11:11 school. These are kids who have been abandoned by their families.
11:16 Um, believe it or not, those things do happen.
11:18 And, um, kids who are just couch surfing, they just don't know where to go.
11:23 Um, so our role is to one, identify the student, ensure that we know where they're living so
11:28 they can continue with their education, and we also connect them with community partners that might be able
11:35 to stand in the gap in some of the areas that these students have.
11:39 We have unaccompanied youth as young as fourth grade, all the way up through high school seniors.
11:49 So what are some of those legal expectations?
11:52 Again, I mentioned immediate enrollment, meaning the moment a student, uh, or a family presents themselves to an
11:58 a isd school, we, whether they have all the documents, whether they have the birth certificates and the
12:03 social security cards, whatever those items are, those students, just by completing a form called the student residency
12:10 questionnaire, allows them at that moment to enroll in school.
12:14 It does not mean that those required documents are not collected later.
12:19 It just means at that moment, at that time, that family is presenting themselves as homeless.
12:23 We're able to serve them.
12:25 So our office works with the campus to ensure that we've gathered whatever documents might be needed to
12:31 complete the entire official enrollment packet.
12:34 It also ensures, again, that the student is able to attend their school of origin.
12:38 And, and again, wherever they're living, they don't have to go to the school in the area.
12:43 If their friends, if their normalcy is in their school of origin, a school in north Austin, no
12:49 matter where they're living, they can continue in that school.
12:53 It also means that our, our district, um, is responsible for ensuring that students enrolled in a isd,
13:00 no matter where they're living, we're able to give them transportation.
13:04 If that transportation means that a child is on a route from south Austin to their north Austin
13:09 school, or that family's living in mainor and their school of origin is in Austin, whatever those parameters