Attachment A - Sept. 23 2026 CSE Minutes.pdf

ATTACHMENT A
Phoenix City Council
Community Services and Education Subcommittee
Summary Minutes
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
City Council Chambers
200 W. Jefferson St.
Phoenix, Arizona.
Subcommittee Members Present Subcommittee Members Absent
Vice Mayor Kesha Hodge Washington, Chair
Councilwoman Anna Hernandez
Councilwoman Ann O’Brien
Councilwoman Debra Stark
CALL TO ORDER
Chairwoman Hodge Washington called the Community Services and Education
Subcommittee (CSE) to order at 10:01 a.m. with three members present,
Councilwoman Hernandez arrived at 10:10 a.m.
CALL TO THE PUBLIC
None.
MINUTES OF MEETINGS
1. Minutes of the Community Services and Education Subcommittee Meeting
Councilwoman O’Brien made a motion to approve the minutes of the June 24, 2026
Community Services and Education Subcommittee meeting. Councilwoman Stark
seconded the motion which passed unanimously, 4-0.
INFORMATION ONLY (ITEM 2)
2. Head Start Birth to Five Monthly Report - July
No presentations were planned, but staff was available to answer questions.
INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION (ITEMS 3-4)
3. Attendance Matters Phoenix: Keys to Grade Level Reading
Youth and Education Office Director Tim Valencia and Valley of the Sun United Way
Community Development Director Dawn Gerundo presented chronic absenteeism
trends and introduced Attendance Matters Phoenix. This is a coordinated citywide effort
aligned with regional partners to reinforce daily attendance through culturally
responsive, multilingual messaging and resources.
Ms. Gerundo defined chronic absenteeism as missing more than 10 percent of the
scheduled school year. Missing two days per month can place a student at risk.

Councilwoman Stark asked if districts that have separate Head Start programs would
qualify for this initiative.
Mr. Valencia stated that within Head Start all educational providers will be part of the
program.
Councilwoman Stark also asked when looking at the school districts that overlap with
other cities, if they separated the percentage by the City of Phoenix ones.
Mr. Valencia affirmed.
Councilwoman Hernandez thanked staff, emphasized the importance of daily school
attendance for Phoenix youth and expressed support for the initiative. She noted data
showing a 30 percent absentee rate at Union Elementary and stated that many
impacted students are people of color, underscoring the need for support so youth do
not slip through the cracks or face increased risk of criminalization. She urged the City
to work more closely with school districts to protect students and families who may fear
immigration enforcement. She stated that absenteeism also threatens the sustainability
of public schools by reducing state funding tied to attendance.
Councilwoman O’Brien asked if the absenteeism data showed the reason for the
absence.
Ms. Gerundo stated that staff have worked with schools to form dedicated attendance
teams to analyze root causes of chronic absenteeism and intervene early. Ms. Gerundo
addressed common drivers such as childcare gaps and transportation barriers that vary
by district. She noted the dedicated attendance teams analyze data and flag students
on track to be chronically absent for targeted outreach and support.
Councilwoman O’Brien encouraged engaging with local chambers and the business
community to support attendance efforts.
Ms. Gerundo agreed and affirmed that there have been several business partners that
have joined the Valley of the Sun United Way Education Coalition attendance action
team meeting.
Councilwoman O’Brien asked if the Chronic Absenteeism 2025 data chart included all
the Phoenix school districts.
Mr. Valencia affirmed the chart showed all Phoenix elementary school districts.
Councilwoman O’Brien thanked staff for their support and noted she looked forward to
helping get the message out.
Vice Mayor Hodge Washington thanked staff for the presentation and emphasized that
this was one of her priorities when she became chair for the CSE Subcommittee.

Vice Mayor Hodge Washington asked if there was anything specific the City of Phoenix
could do to help connect families to services that help address chronic absenteeism
barriers.
Mr. Valencia gave an example about Murphy School District where one of their literacy
hubs engaged with families and surveyed what their needs were. As a result, a
workshop was held called “Rent to Utility Literacy” with resources from the Human
Services Department (HSD), Arizona Public Service (APS), Salt River Project (SRP)
and others. The event had around 40 to 50 families. Students learned about financial
literacy while their parents listened to a panel and got assistance enrolling in programs.
Vice Mayor Hodge Washington emphasized families need to know that the City and
community partners are here to help. It is important that this reaches families throughout
Phoenix including families who may face transportation, childcare, employment or other
challenges that may make consistent attendance difficult.
Vice Mayor Hodge Washington asked how to ensure that there will be culturally
responsive communication and multilingual outreach. She emphasized the need to
touch families who do not interact regularly with the City’s programs or traditional school
communication.
Mr. Valencia stated that all the materials provided will be in multiple languages and staff
will work with community-based organizations that work with specific populations to help
get the message out.
Vice Mayor Hodge Washington asked how we are ensuring that incentives are
improving attendance and family engagement.
Mr. Valencia stated Head Start and HSD have unique identifiers to track performance.
For example, staff look at the families who received a family pass for a year to see if it
made a positive change.
Vice Mayor Hodge Washington asked what the anticipated goal was by the end of the
initiative.
Mr. Valencia stated the end goal is to decrease chronic absenteeism and increase
classroom attendance across Phoenix. He said staff will track progress using school
provided attendance rates, with district specific performance metrics receiving City
resources. He added Head Start identifiers and attendance data will be used to evaluate
whether incentives improve attendance and family engagement over the school year.
Vice Mayor Hodge Washington thanked Mr. Valencia for the clarification and noted she
looked forward to the impact of this initiative.
4. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Navigation Support and Flexible
Financial Assistance Update

Human Services Director Jacqueline Edwards presented an update on the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Navigation Support and Flexible
Financial Assistance designed to help households navigate federal program changes
and stabilize during affordability pressures.
Ms. Edwards reported that City Council approved $3.15 million for Flexible Financial
Assistance and $2 million for SNAP Navigation Support to help with application
assistance, recertifications and compliance with program requirements.
She explained that the Targeted One-time Crisis Assistance offers a $600 utility
payment and $100 transportation assistance to Phoenix residents who lost SNAP
benefits on or after October 1, 2025, with payments structured to help households shift
savings into food purchases.
Ms. Edwards stated that the second program, Stability Assistance, provides up to
$2,500 in need-based payments tied to a four-month goal setting and case
management process to help Phoenix households maintain stability.
Ms. Edwards stated that in the first two months the program received nearly 2,000
applications. Of those applications, 737 households were approved, 381 were pending
and 877 were denied, primarily because applicants were current SNAP recipients or
non-Phoenix residents. After the initial launch, staff modified the application to curb
ineligible submissions. Ms. Edwards reported that the approval rate increased to 76
percent and that the program expects to serve 2,857 households.
Ms. Edwards continued the presentation with an overview of enrollment, program
outreach, the application process and community impact targets. Ms. Edwards
concluded the presentation by directing residents to program information and asked if
there were any questions.
Councilwoman Hernandez emphasized how useful SNAP navigators are to residents
who struggle with paperwork and recertifications. Councilwoman Hernandez asked if
Ms. Edwards could expand on the goal of the One-time Crisis Assistance and the
Stability Assistance.
Ms. Edwards shared that the One-time Crisis Assistance is a one-time payment for
SNAP households who have lost their food benefits. The goal is to provide a quick way
to support these households. The Stability Assistance aims to help households stabilize
so that they can go through the goal creation process and help them move through and
out of poverty while remaining stably housed.
Councilwoman Hernandez asked if there are different eligibility requirements for each of
the different assistance buckets.
Ms. Edwards emphasized that there are different requirements. For the One-time Crisis
Assistance you must be a City of Phoenix resident or receive City water services and

have lost SNAP on or after October 1, 2025. For the Stability Assistance you must be a
City resident or have received water services and meet one of the following pathways: a
household has to be at 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Line (FPL), or lower; reside
in a qualified census track; loss of SNAP on or after October 1, 2025; or currently
receive SNAP/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)/Medicaid/Arizona
Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). Only one of these pathways is
required.
Councilwoman Hernandez thanked Ms. Edwards and her staff for helping residents
navigate through the different pathways. She requested guidance on the best way to
apply for Stability Assistance for residents already engaged in case management and
for new residents not yet engaged. She asked staff to expand on how residents can
seek assistance in either bucket.
Ms. Edwards stated that households already in HSD case management are being
proactively outreached to offer Stability Assistance. She added that new households
can visit any of the three Family Services Centers or call the main line to request a case
management appointment. Staff will assess best fit and if Stability Assistance is not
appropriate, connect the household to other City services to meet short- and long-term
goals or address any crisis.
Councilwoman Hernandez thanked staff and noted that 2,000 crisis assistance
applications were received at launch and 737 households had been approved. She
asked whether Stability Assistance has helped anyone yet or if the 360 household
assistance expectation is the goal.
Ms. Edwards responded the program expects to support 360 households as recruitment
and enrollment are underway and HSD will report outputs and outcomes as the fiscal
year progresses. For the One-time Crisis Assistance, the City is looking to provide
service to over 2,800 households.
Councilwoman Hernandez thanked Ms. Edwards, Deputy City Manager Gina Montes
and HSD for close collaboration with her office and community. She noted that the
assistance applications received at the program launch reflect significant community
need. She stated she will continue pushing for more resources directed to working-class
residents. She addressed that families are struggling amid an affordability crisis from
the current administration. She noted that about 30 families may lose shelter at United
Methodist Outreach Ministries (UMOM) and that families at the downtown YMCA are
facing displacement which places a greater burden on the City to step up. She
concluded by affirming her commitment to keep pushing for more direct resources to the
community and by thanking HSD for efforts to engage with all Council Offices and
community groups.
Councilwoman Stark asked if an application is denied if staff can provide an information
sheet pointing residents to food banks and countywide resources to help.

Ms. Edwards confirmed staff provide written information, including Department of
Economic Security resources and 211 information so residents can find services in their
local community.
Councilwoman Stark emphasized it is important to try and help people even if they do
not qualify for this program and thanked staff for providing the written resources.
Vice Mayor Hodge Washington emphasized that this kind of work demonstrates why
community services matter. She asked if the 381 pending applications were at the time
the report was prepared and what the application processing timeframe was.
Ms. Edwards confirmed the applications were at the time of the report and that
processing may take up to 15 business days.
Vice Mayor Hodge Washington noted the program expects to serve 2,857 households
and there is capacity for approximately 2,120 additional ones. She encouraged eligible
residents to apply. She asked what have staff learned from the first few months of the
program on what needs families are facing.
Ms. Edwards responded that the frequent needs are tied to cost increases from
transportation, utilities, rental and childcare needs.
Vice Mayor Hodge Washington asked how the City will track outcomes for SNAP
Navigation aside from measuring the number of applications assisted.
Ms. Edwards clarified the SNAP Navigation outreach will begin in October with clinics
later in the month. The City will log households served in the case management system
and receive processed counts from the State. The City’s Volunteer Office will track
volunteer hours credited toward SNAP work requirements.
Vice Mayor Hodge Washington asked what outreach strategies will be used to ensure
residents are aware of the resources.
Ms. Edwards replied that HSD will use social media and Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) heat maps to target neighborhoods at or below 200 percent of the FPL.
Staff will also partner with community-based organizations and libraries. Additionally,
HSD will target households currently receiving SNAP and who will need to complete re-
certification.
Vice Mayor Hodge Washington thanked HSD and noted that she looked forward to
seeing the impact these programs have on the community.
CALL TO THE PUBLIC
None.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

None.
ADJOURNMENT
Chairwoman Hodge Washington adjourned the meeting at 11:03 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Alex Saldana
Management Fellow