November 12 2025 HHSC Meeting Minutes
Extracted text (via pymupdf)
12077 characters
MINUTES HOUSING AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION NEIGHBORHOOD RESOURCES DEPARTMENT 235 S. Arizona Avenue, Chandler, AZ 85225 Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 6:00 p.m. CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL Commission Chair Ryan Magel called the meeting to order at 6:11 p.m. Commissioners present: Ryan Magel, Aimee Griffth-Johnson, Heather Mattisson, Frank Dichoza, Lisa Loring, and Karen Tepper. Commissioners absent: Tony Alcala, Sharyn Younger, David Gonzalez, Cecilia Hermosillo, and Cathy Koluch. Staff present: Riann Balch, Neighborhood Resources Director, Larissa Gorski, Affordable Housing Manager, Karin Bishop, Community Development Senior Program Manager, Dylan Raymond, Management Analyst Senior, Kyndel Cook, Community Resources Senior Specialist, Elizabeth Garcia, Community Development Coordinator, and Alexis Apodoca, Mayor and Council Public Affairs Senior Manager. Public present: Oliva Lu, Mayor’s Youth Commission Chair. SCHEDULED/UNSCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCES/CALL TO PUBLIC Members of the audience may address any item not on the agenda. State Statute prohibits the Board or Commission from discussing an item that is not on the agenda, but the Board or Commission does listen to your concerns and has staff follow up on any questions you raise. CONSENT AGENDA Items listed on the Consent Agenda may be enacted by one motion and one vote. If a discussion is required by members of the Board or Commission, the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda for discussion and determination will be made if the item will be considered separately. 1. October 8, 2025, HHSC Regular Meeting Minutes. Motion: Commissioner Frank Dichoza made a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. Commissioner Heather Mattisson seconded the motion. Discussion: None. Results: The motion was approved 6-0. ACTION 2. 2026 HHSC Meeting Schedule. Commission Chair Magel called on Karin Bishop, Community Resources Senior Program Manager, to present on this item. Ms. Bishop advised that meetings are traditionally held on the second Wednesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. in the Neighborhood Resources Office, 235 S. Arizona Avenue, Chandler. Ms. Bishop reviewed the schedule and explained that staff provided two date options in the month of November as Veteran’s Day is on the second Wednesday of the month. Commissioners identified November 18, 2026, for the HHSC meeting. Motion: Commissioner Mattison made a motion to approve the 2026 HHSC Meeting Schedule. Commissioner Karen Tepper seconded the motion. Discussion: None. Results: The motion was approved 6-0. BRIEFING 3. 2026 Public Housing Annual Plan Calendar. Commission Chair Magel called on Larissa Gorski, Affordable Housing Manager, to present on this item. Mrs. Gorski explained that the City of Chandler Housing and Redevelopment Division is required to submit a Public Housing Annual Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by April 16, 2026, for its housing programs. The Annual Plan is a comprehensive guide to Public Housing Authority (PHA) policies, programs, operations, and strategies for meeting local housing needs and goals. Each year, staff reviews policies and revises supporting documents, as needed. The Annual Plan calendar is established to guide the process and provide notice to the public on updated housing operations and policies. 4. Heat Relief Update. Commission Chair Magel called on Dylan Raymond, Management Analyst Senior, and Kyndel Cook, Community Resources Senior Specialist, to present on this item. Mr. Raymond and Ms. Cook provided a presentation of Chandler’s 2025 Summer Heat Relief efforts, highlighting services, outcomes, and heat-related impacts. During the 2025 heat season, Maricopa County recorded 608 heat-related deaths; there were no heat-related deaths in Chandler in May or June. The city, in partnership with AZCEND and Maricopa County Department of Public Health, operated comprehensive heat relief services, including a Day Respite Center (May 1–October 31) offering food, water, rest, and transportation, eight cooling centers at public facilities, and an Overnight Respite Center at the Chandler Senior Center (June 13–September 12) serving an average of 26 people nightly with meals and transportation. Overall, 425 unduplicated individuals were served through day and overnight respite services, with hundreds receiving meals, snacks, and thousands of bottles of water, demonstrating a coordinated community response to extreme heat, particularly for vulnerable populations, including people experiencing homelessness. 5. Federal Shutdown Update. Commission Chair Magel called on Ms. Balch, Neighborhood Resources Director, to present on this item. Ms. Balch provided an update on the recent uncertainty of federal funding and its impact on the city’s housing and food assistance programs. Despite the federal shutdown, the city has been able to maintain housing assistance for nearly 1,000 subsidized households by using HUD-authorized contingency funds, allowing rent payments to landlords to continue through December without reliance on city general funds. The more significant impact has been uncertainty and reductions in SNAP benefits, which have resulted in a 20–25 percent increase in demand at local food pantries, with clients accessing services more frequently. In response, the city convened food banks, food pantries, emergency management, and community partners to coordinate monitoring and response efforts, while encouraging increased community support, particularly financial donations that allow food banks to address supply gaps efficiently. While current demand is being managed due to seasonal donations, the city is closely monitoring conditions, evaluating contingency funding options within existing contracts, and planning strategically to ensure resources remain available should the impact intensify later in the year. Ms. Bishop shared the ongoing impacts of the federal shutdown on the city’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and related federally funded programs. Although the city received its CDBG grant agreement and funds from HUD before the shutdown, certain programs— particularly the housing rehabilitation program—require explicit HUD authorization to expend funds. Due to the timing of the shutdown, HUD was unable to finalize this authorization, resulting in a temporary pause in advancing rehabilitation projects beyond application intake and initial review. City staff have continued to accept applications, explored interim workarounds with technical assistance consultants, and are prepared to resume activity once HUD operations fully restart. Ms. Balch added that the city has implemented supportive measures for affected residents, including utility payment deferrals for federal workers, limited emergency assistance for rent through CARES-related funding, and ongoing case management support. While efforts are underway to minimize disruption, the city anticipates a gradual recovery once federal operations resume due to backlogs at HUD, nonprofit partners, and subcontractors, and is seeking reasonable consideration in future grant performance evaluations. 6. CDBG Allocation Process. Commission Chair Magel called on Ms. Bishop, Community Development Senior Program Manager, to present on this item. Ms. Bishop shared an update regarding upcoming procurement actions. The city plans to initiate a competitive procurement process to award federal CDBG capital funds to support future heat relief services. Although the city currently has an existing contract with AZCEND to provide heat relief services, federal requirements necessitate a competitive procurement process, prompting the reactivation of the CDBG subcommittee. Concurrently, the city will also initiate a procurement for a contractor to provide project management services for the housing rehabilitation program. 7. Human Services Allocation Timeline. Commission Chair Magel called on Dylan Raymond, Management Analyst Senior, to present on this item. Mr. Raymond reviewed the Human Services Allocation Timeline and shared that the city is initiating the next cycle of Human Services funding through a streamlined RFP process, using the Neighborly system for all applications, evaluations, and scoring. Applications will be submitted in February, reviewed in March, and brought to City Council for approval by late June to align with a July 1 contract start. Process improvements, including shorter applications, clearer scopes of work, and coordinated contracting, are intended to improve efficiency, reduce administrative burden, and support timely funding decisions. 8. Human Services Evaluation Activities. Commission Chair Magel called on Dylan Raymond, Management Analyst Senior, to present on this item. Mr. Raymond provided an overview of how human services contracts are currently monitored, which includes required midterm and final reports every six months detailing individuals served by demographic categories, as well as periodic on-site agency tours conducted approximately every three years based on funding levels. While these tours offer valuable insight into agency operations, they can be time-intensive for both commissioners and agencies. As program oversight evolves, staff is re-evaluating monitoring methods and, based on prior Commission feedback, is exploring alternative approaches—such as brief agency videos—to provide meaningful insight into services while reducing the burden on agencies and improving accessibility for Commissioners. Commission Chair Magel asked for discussion. The Commission provided the following suggestions: • Continuing in-person site visits where feasible, as they provide valuable insight into agency operations, service delivery, and organizational culture, while strengthening relationships with providers. • Acknowledge ongoing challenges with attendance, scheduling, and staff capacity, and reduce the scale and frequency of site visits to a smaller, rotating subset of agencies. • Explore alternative or supplemental monitoring methods, such as structured virtual interviews or brief video submissions, to reduce burden while maintaining program visibility. • Implement standardized monitoring surveys through the Neighborly system to collect consistent service, narrative, and operational information from all agencies regularly. • Introduce a basic financial reporting requirement, such as a summary ledger or high-level expenditure report, focusing on major or unusual costs rather than full fiscal audits. • Use a risk- or threshold-based approach to monitoring, prioritizing agencies receiving higher funding levels, new contractors, or those with limited reporting responsiveness. • Allow asynchronous participation in monitoring activities to improve Commissioner involvement and reduce scheduling conflicts. • Maintain a supportive, partnership-oriented approach to oversight, emphasizing technical assistance, capacity building, and early identification of challenges rather than punitive compliance. • Consider leveraging capacity-building resources, such as nonprofit training or technical assistance programs, to strengthen reporting and operational practices over time. MEMBERS COMMENTS / ANNOUNCEMENTS Commission Chair Magel asked if Commission members had any announcements. Commissioner Aimee Griffith-Johnson announced that she is launching a podcast. Chair Magel shared that on November 15, the city will host Woofstock at Tumbleweed Park. CALENDAR 9. HHSC Regular Meeting, Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. INFORMATION ITEMS Ms. Balch shared that the Tumbleweed Tree Lighting is scheduled for December 10 at 6:00 p.m. ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at 7:57 p.m. Dated: Chair Ryan Magel Recording Secretary Elizabeth Garcia