Attachment A - May 27, 2026 CSE Minutes.pdf

Phoenix City Council 
Community Services and Education (CSE) Subcommittee 
Summary Minutes 
May 27, 2026  
City Council Chambers 
200 W. Jefferson St. 
Phoenix, Arizona 
Subcommittee Members Present     
     Subcommittee Members Absent 
Vice Mayor Kesha Hodge Washington, Chair 
Councilwoman Ann O’Brien 
Councilwoman Debra Stark 
Councilwoman Anna Hernandez  
CALL TO ORDER 
Chairwoman Hodge Washington called the Community Services and Education 
Subcommittee (CSE) to order at 10:07 a.m. with four members present.  
CALL TO THE PUBLIC 
None. 
MINUTES OF MEETINGS 
1. Minutes of the Community Services and Education Subcommittee Meeting
Councilwoman Stark made a motion to approve the minutes of the April 22, 2026
Community Services and Education Subcommittee meeting. Councilwoman O’Brien
seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 4-0.
CONSENT ACTION (ITEM 2) 
Item 2 is for consent action. No presentations were planned, but staff was available to 
answer questions. 
2. Annual Review and Updates to the Neighborhood Services Department’s Code
Enforcement Policy
Councilwoman O’Brien made a motion to approve Item 2. Councilwoman Stark
seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 4-0.
Ginnie Anne Sumner urged stronger action to prevent graffiti, noted an opportunity for 
agencies to educate the public after a recent graffiti arrest, and requested renaming the 
Graffiti Free Phoenix program to better reflect proactive efforts and community impact. 
Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked Neighborhood Services Department (NSD) 
Director Spencer Self to explain the City’s education methods surrounding graffiti.  
ATTACHMENT A

Mr. Self clarified graffiti is vandalism done without property-owner consent and 
described the City’s response including rapid removal by Graffiti Busters, public 
reporting options, awareness efforts, coordination with police and maintaining a 
graffiti-tag database to support enforcement.  
Councilwoman Hernandez noted many who grew up in hip-hop culture view graffiti as 
artistic expression and suggested creating designated public spaces for people to 
display art to reduce unauthorized graffiti while providing creative outlets. She asked 
staff to explain how consecutive citations work and what they are intended to address.  
Mr. Self stated while the City can issue daily citations for ongoing violations, staff 
typically wait for adjudication before issuing new ones. He noted exceptions for severe 
or unsafe conditions such as cooling failures, where persistent noncompliance requires 
consecutive daily citations. He described a current case involving a landlord who failed 
to repair air conditioning for over a week, leading the City to issue more than ten daily 
citations to prompt action. 
Councilwoman Hernandez asked about next steps if the landlord does not address the 
issue after receiving a citation.  
Mr. Self stated staff encourages tenants to reach out to the Human Services 
Department (HSD) landlord-tenant counselors before reaching out to NSD to receive 
information on their rights. He explained tenants may receive payment for issues their 
landlord is not addressing and can break their lease.  
Councilwoman Hernandez asked what areas have the highest violation of code 
enforcement.  
Mr. Self responded the most common code violations involve weeds, dead vegetation, 
and trash. He noted the City’s top eight violations are listed on the Neighborhood 
Services page of the City of Phoenix website and in section 3C3 of the code 
enforcement policy. 
Councilwoman Hernandez asked what measures staff takes to lead with education 
before citation.  
Mr. Self confirmed education is embedded throughout the code enforcement process, 
beginning with neighborhood specialists and continuing through pre-notification letters, 
inspections, notices of violation and opportunities for questions or assistance. He noted 
grant funds and volunteer support are available for residents needing help and most 
cases achieve voluntary compliance before citations are issued. 
Councilwoman O’Brien asked if graffiti on private property is consistent, what are the 
next steps.

Mr. Self responded graffiti busters quickly removes the graffiti to try and discourage it 
and if the land-owner is not addressing the issue, it is a code violation. He shared staff 
can work with landowners on crime prevention through environmental design 
recommendations.  
Councilwoman O’Brien asked if staff tracks the number of cases in conjunction with the 
Police Department (PD), how many incidents happen annually and how often are those 
prosecutions leading to convictions.  
Mr. Self responded staff removes approximately 40,000 graffiti incidents per year and 
collects the data she requested. He noted PD cannot dedicate the same level of time to 
graffiti crimes due to staffing challenges.  
INFORMATION ONLY (ITEMS 3-4) 
3. Head Start Brith to Five Monthly Report – March 2026  
 
4. Phoenix Public Library Advisory Board Recommended New Name for Library in 
Laveen  
Councilwoman Hernandez emphasized the importance of preserving the library’s 
historic name and its ties to the farmworker and civil rights movements. She stated she 
looks forward to identifying solutions that maintain that legacy. 
Chairwoman Hodge Washington stated survey results indicated a preference and there 
were over 6,000 respondents.  
INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION (ITEMS 5-8)  
5. Outstanding Phoenix Youth Leaders  
Youth and Education Director Tim Valencia presented on the Outstanding Phoenix 
Youth Leaders. He shed light on a current staff member who was once an Outstanding 
Phoenix Leader and explained each year one student is selected from each Council 
district and two of those students are then selected to represent Citywide. Mr. Valencia 
introduced the Citywide awardees Valeria Venzor and Timothy Stanly.  
Chairwoman Hodge Washington commended the Outstanding Phoenix Youth Leaders 
highlighting their drive, service and commitment to creating positive change. She 
expressed pride in their leadership and thanked the Youth and Education Office, 
sponsors and educators for supporting opportunities that empower young people. She 
noted that youth are the architects of the future. 
Councilwoman O’Brien congratulated the youth leaders, thanked them for their ongoing 
contributions and expressed enthusiasm for collaborating with them on the 911 project. 
Councilwoman Hernandez emphasized the youth leaders represent the City’s future, 
highlighted the value of the program and thanked the leaders.

Councilwoman Stark praised the long-standing talent shown by students across the 
City, encouraged them in their future pursuits and emphasized their accomplishments 
make her proud to represent Phoenix. 
 
6. Mental Health Matters: 2nd Annual Mental Health Awareness Summary  
HSD Director Jacqueline Edwards presented the City’s second annual Mental Health 
Awareness Month. She stated one in five adults experience mental illness annually and 
one in three Phoenix residents report depression as the most significant health issue. 
Ms. Edwards recapped Wear Green Day, the Mental Health Matters social media 
campaign, and the Mental Health and Wellness Community Fair. She explained Teen 
Lifeline’s teen suicide prevention webinar, Head Start parent training, and distributed 
brochures and resources. Ms. Edwards highlighted the Take What You Need table, 
Gratitude Wall, suicide prevention trainings and Human Resources-hosted staff 
webinars. She announced the Teen Art Contest received 64 submissions and winners 
Gabriela S., Alia L., and Aaratrika M. 
Chairwoman Hodge Washington thanked staff and asked if there are any opportunities 
to expand mental health awareness year-round.  
Ms. Edwards agreed mental health promotion must continue year-round, not only in 
May. She stated the City will maintain resources on its website, continue sharing 
verified information through social media and continue to provide educational materials 
at community events.  
Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked staff to share feedback received from residents 
and community partners regarding outreach efforts they found to be most impactful.  
Ms. Edwards replied feedback indicated Safe Talk training done in partnership with the 
Office of Public Health was helpful for community members.  
Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked for information about the Teen Lifeline training 
and how the City is helping young individuals identify warning signs and connect peers 
to support services.   
Ms. Edwards explained Teen Lifeline provided trainings to the community and City staff 
ranging from identifying mental health issues in teens to resources in the community.  
Councilwoman Hernandez thanked staff for the update, emphasized the importance of 
mental health awareness year-round, noted parents’ requests for greater teen mental 
health support during budget hearings and highlighted the value of Teen Lifeline’s 
peer-to-peer model. She asked how does staff help residents access mental-health 
resources. 
Ms. Edwards explained the Mental Health Matters website offers verified resources and, 
while the City is not a direct provider, programs like the Community Assistance Program 
and Head Start offer mental-health services. She stated the campaign connects

residents to nonprofits and agencies and recommended starting with Solari at 211 or 
988 for additional support. 
Councilwoman Hernandez asked if there is a focus on maternal mental health.  
Ms. Edwards noted this specific campaign does not focus on maternal mental health. 
She explained there are other campaigns focusing on maternal mental health and staff 
can explore those throughout the year.  
 
Councilwoman Hernandez requested next year’s resource fair also focus on maternal 
mental health.  
 
7. Project Assist Update 
Ms. Edwards introduced HSD Deputy Director Francisco Blanco, explained the Project 
Assist program, and highlighted the interdepartmental collaboration between the Public 
Works Department (PWD), HSD, and the Water Services Department (WSD). She 
stated Project Assist helps income-qualified households experiencing financial hardship. 
She explained families qualify if they are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty 
level and have not received the service in the previous 12 months. 
Mr. Blanco presented the number of households and household members served over 
the past three years, noting increased service levels in FY 2025. He explained the 
heat-map data shows highest utilization in Council districts seven and eight. He 
reported full fund expenditure in FY 2024 and a slight budget overage in FY 2025, 
covered by rollover funds. Mr. Blanco shared the median payment doubled from FY 
2024 to FY 2025, with a seasonal rise expected later this year. He stated residents may 
contact WSD or PWD for service questions and may apply for Project Assist online, by 
phone or at a Family Services Center. Mr. Blanco noted services are available in 
multiple languages and residents may donate to Project Assist through the City 
Services portal. 
Ms. Edwards announced any Phoenix resident can donate to Project Assist by referring 
to the Crisis Assistance website.  
Chairwoman Hodge Washington thanked staff for their presentation and asked what the 
outreach strategies for Project Assist are.  
Mr. Blanco confirmed staff regularly attend outreach events to share information directly 
with the community and distribute information through social media, the department’s 
website and the Helping Families website. 
Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked if there are any identified barriers when applying 
for Project Assist and how the process can be simplified.  
Ms. Edwards stated there are always opportunities for improvement and noted that 
Family Services Centers receive a high volume of calls for financial-assistance

programs. She stated staff are working to make access easier by improving FAQs, 
online applications, website usability and reviewing hours of operation. Ms. Edwards 
confirmed the goal is to reduce barriers so households can get the information they 
need to apply. She noted community needs exceed available funding and the City must 
prioritize who can be served by streamlining processes.  
Councilwoman O’Brien asked if the fund balances from previous years have been used.  
Ms. Edwards confirmed there is a surplus and staff ensures those funds are used 
appropriately due to the need outweighing the surplus. She explained the surplus is due 
to pandemic related funds administered by the state.  
Councilwoman O’Brien asked for the specific amount of surplus funds.  
Ms. Edwards confirmed staff will provide the amount.  
Councilwoman O’Brien asked if Project Assist information is available on water bills and 
past due notices.   
Ms. Edwards confirmed it is available on water bills and invited WSD Director Brandy 
Kelso to share more information . 
Ms. Kelso stated the remaining balance carried over is about $400,000 and water bills 
contain Project Assist information.  
Councilwoman O’Brien asked how far behind would someone have to be on their bill to 
apply for assistance.  
Ms. Edwards replied one month.  
Councilwoman O’Brien asked if donations are considered a tax credit or tax deduction.  
Ms. Kelso responded it is a tax deduction.  
Councilwoman O’Brien asked staff to explore whether the program could qualify for a 
tax credit and requested a future briefing on increasing program exposure. She asked 
how many families are unable to receive assistance each year. 
Ms. Edwards stated staff is reviewing data, but do not have that specific number. She 
explained staff does have the specific number of appointments available and noted they 
do not accept applications if there is no funding available.  
Councilwoman Hernandez thanked staff for the presentation and shared many residents 
may not know these services are available. She referenced the FY 2026 year-to-date 
total of more than 4,800 household members served and asked whether the data 
indicates an overall increase in residents seeking assistance compared to last year.

Ms. Edwards responded the average number of individuals within the households have 
increased over the number of years and staff expects to serve a similar number of 
households.  
Councilwoman Hernandez asked what outside partners staff can connect residents to 
when they have received assistance within the past 12 months and are ineligible for 
additional support. 
Mr. Blanco explained when residents have additional needs, staff offers case 
management, connects the resident with partner resources and works with the 
household on financial management or other services to best meet their needs. 
Councilwoman Hernandez asked will any of the flexible financial funds be used to help 
with this program next FY.  
Ms. Edwards explained the one-time flexible assistance will be credited to the residents’ 
electric bill. She noted if the residents do not have an electric bill, staff will put funds 
towards their water bill or rent. Ms. Edwards added for stability assistance, staff will look 
at the resident holistically and determine which services will help them retain stability in 
their living situation.  
Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked if the appointments are in-person. 
Mr. Blanco replied it can be either in-person, virtual or telephonic.  
Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked how staff tracks the need in comparison to the 
funding available.  
Ms. Edwards stated staff is exploring several ways to track need moving forward. She 
shared staff is implementing a new case management system and updating how they 
collect household applications to better understand unmet need. She added WSD and 
PWD can also track indicators through billing data which leads to an estimate.  
Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked if the poverty level is a federal statute or a City 
standard.  
Ms. Edwards responded it is a policy the department has set and it aligns with other 
service programs while considering the specific needs and status of the community.  
Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked what percentage of households in Phoenix are 
at or below 200 percent of the poverty level.  
Ms. Edwards stated she will follow up with that information.  
 
8. Support and Strategies to Assist High Acuity People Experiencing 
Homelessness

Office of Homeless Solutions (OHS) Director Rachel Milne introduced Deputy Director 
Scott Hall and Special Projects Administrator Margaret Adams to explain high acuity 
and the work staff is doing to assist high acuity individuals.  
Ms. Adams explained those identified as high acuity usually have multiple needs related 
to physical and mental health that have not been addressed due to access. She noted 
these issues increase when there is unstable housing.  
Mr. Hall stated the City’s unsheltered population is served through three primary 
outreach programs. He noted in 2025 Phoenix CARES engaged over 2,900 individuals, 
the behavioral health team engaged over 2,300 and OHS outreach engaged nearly 
1,400. He stated the unsheltered population is predominantly high-acuity, often 
managing overlapping physical health challenges, mental health conditions and 
substance use issues. Mr. Hall shared employment barriers and fear of losing benefits 
further complicates progress. He illustrated the complexity of serving high acuity 
individuals by sharing current cases.   
Ms. Milne shared an overview of the resources and interventions available to OHS, 
beginning with outreach, noting Phoenix funds most outreach in the region. She 
highlighted the City has completed ten shelter projects in the past four years with two 
more underway. She listed additional nonprofit-operated shelters supported by the City. 
She detailed OHS’ prevention work with HSD and two-year subsidies through rapid 
rehousing. Ms. Milne announced progress on OHS’ first housing development, opening 
in 2027, with 126 homes and on-site supports for seniors exiting homelessness. Ms. 
Milne highlighted the upcoming Master Lease program which will allow OHS to secure 
units and sublease them to individuals requiring additional on-site support. 
 
Ms. Adams highlighted the key system gaps OHS faces, noting limited access to 
long-term or residential mental health and substance-use treatment, compounded by 
housing shortages and coordination challenges that create bottlenecks in crisis 
response. She stated OHS is working to strengthen partnerships and improve access to 
behavioral health care, including using the SOS as an intermediate intervention for 
high-acuity individuals. Ms. Adams explained housing remains a major gap, especially 
permanent supportive housing and vouchers, and emphasized the need for continued 
federal advocacy. She reported staff is advancing cross-system coordination through 
referral tools and shelter dashboards being developed with Arizona State University 
(ASU) and Grand Canyon University (GCU) to reduce connection times for services.  
 
Councilwoman Stark asked how staff interacts with external organizations and if there is 
a list of private partners.  
 
Mr. Hall stated they work with a network of providers who continue to update those lists 
and the department does the same.  
 
Councilwoman Stark asked if staff conducts a joint meeting with partners to discuss how 
they work together.

Mr. Hall confirmed staff is working to strengthen provider coordination. He added 
partnerships with ASU and GCU will improve connections to halfway houses, 
sober-living programs and treatment centers. 
 
Councilwoman Stark emphasized the need for regional support from other governing 
bodies.  
 
Councilwoman Hernandez shared her appreciation of staff explaining the gaps on the 
issue and explained the behavioral health funding cuts made at the state level. 
Councilwoman Hernandez asked staff to explain areas outside of City operations 
supporting homelessness services.   
 
Mr. Hall replied OHS is expanding diverse shelter options and working with state and 
federal partners to improve access to treatment. He noted past funding cuts reduced 
shelter capacity and recent City investments have stabilized the system.  
 
Councilwoman Hernandez asked how does staff build relationships with nonprofits and 
external partners.  
 
Ms. Milne stated OHS has begun coordinated outreach with Circle the City to expand 
engagement options and continues to use behavioral health engagement teams. Ms. 
Milne added OHS is working to strengthen partnerships further, including upcoming 
coordination discussions with federally qualified health centers. 
 
Councilwoman Hernandez asked what support for high acuity individuals looked like 
prior to the inception of OHS.  
 
Ms. Milne explained a division within HSD maintained relationships with nonprofits by 
funding outreach, shelter and rapid rehousing programs. She noted while a small 
outreach team existed, the primary focus was supporting nonprofits to carry out the 
work. 
 
Councilwoman O’Brien asked Ms. Milne to explain why SOS is not considered as 
shelter to federal partners.  
 
Ms. Milne clarified the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) does not 
count the 201 individuals staying in the SOS as sheltered and Maricopa Association of 
Governments (MAG) must report them as unsheltered. She stated OHS considers the 
SOS safer than unsheltered settings because it provides restrooms, showers, meals, 
laundry, case management, behavioral health services and workforce support.  
 
Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked what strategies have been proven most 
effective in building trust and maintaining engagement with individuals who have 
declined services.

Mr. Hall identified peer support as highly effective for engaging individuals labeled as 
service-resistant and outcomes improve significantly when real-time resources such as 
available shelter beds, treatment placements or housing subsidies are offered. He 
acknowledged frontline staff for consistently engaging individuals and contributing to 
positive outcomes through lived experience and trust-building. 
 
Chairwoman Hodge Washington inquired about the estimated timeline for the real-time 
referral tool. 
 
Ms. Adams reported OHS is partnering with ASU to develop the real-time referral 
application and will begin piloting it within the next week before expanding it further. 
 
Mr. Hall announced in partnership with GCU, providers have developed a referral tool 
that will allow outreach teams to offer immediate access to available treatment or 
sober-living beds rather than only emergency shelter. He explained the resources are 
being added to the application and then the pilot phase will begin.  
 
Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked if the interactions provided are unique or 
duplicate.  
 
Ms. Milne clarified the 2,907 outreach contacts and 2,325 behavioral health 
engagements represent unique individuals within each program, though some 
individuals may appear in both datasets. 
 
Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked for a percentage of individuals in the shelters 
that are high acuity.  
 
Ms. Adams reported the system modeling identified about 1,500 single adults staying in 
shelters for a year or more, most with high acuity needs. She stated 73 percent of this 
group is recommended for permanent supportive housing. Ms. Adams explained 
long-term stayers represent 15 to 20 percent of the overall homeless population but use 
a disproportionate share of emergency and shelter resources. 
 
Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked staff to clarify the 1,500 in the shelter system.  
 
Ms. Adams clarified the Bloomberg and Clutch analyses included all shelters in 
Phoenix, not only those funded by the City, and the number of beds evaluated 
exceeded 1,700.  
 
Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked for an estimate of unsheltered individuals 
defined as high acuity.  
 
Mr. Hall responded the majority of the unsheltered community is high acuity.

Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked for the number of staff conducting outreach.  
 
Ms. Milne stated there are about 16 individuals on the OHS outreach team along with 
individuals from the Community Bridges Inc. behavioral health engagement team.  
 
Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked how many permanent supportive housing (PSH) 
units exist in Phoenix and what the anticipated need truly is.  
 
Ms. Adams reported that HUD’s 2024 housing inventory count shows approximately 
4,800 permanent supportive housing units for single adults in Maricopa County. She 
stated OHS is using Clutch modeling, HMIS data, and collaborating with MAG and the 
Continuum of Care to assess current PSH needs. 
 
Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked whether Phoenix currently has a system similar 
to Houston’s high-acuity registry to coordinate care and prioritize high-needs individuals, 
or if there are plans to implement one. 
 
Mr. Hall clarified that although some high-acuity tracking exists, it is fragmented. He 
explained Medicaid and the crisis system monitor high utilizers, while shelters conduct 
weekly case conferencing on high-acuity individuals. He noted these cases consume 
most staff time, reducing capacity for lower-acuity clients. 
 
Chairwoman Hodge Washington asked if additional opportunities exist to leverage 
regional behavioral health partnerships to improve coordination and speed up service 
connections for the high acuity population.  
 
Ms. Milne confirmed there is additional need for service coordination and stated OHS is 
working with Access through its new Medicaid H2O waiver program. 
 
CALL TO THE PUBLIC  
None. 
 
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 
None. 
 
ADJOURNMENT  
Chairwoman Hodge Washington adjourned the meeting at 12:39 p.m. 
 
Respectfully submitted, 
 
Taniya Williams  
Management Fellow