Human Services Advisory Council

MINUTES Human Services Advisory Council City of Falls Church PURPOSE OF MEETING: To advise the City Council on human services delivery to Falls Church citizens. DATE OF MEETING: Nov 17, 2022 PLACE OF MEETING: In Person (Laurel Room) w/ Virtual Option MEETING CALLED TO ORDER BY Debra Z. Roth at 6:33 p.m. THOSE PRESENT: HSAC Members: Student Representatives: Debra Z. Roth Carter Williams Alisa Macht Jack Ackerman Nicole Newman Liz Rotherham Brian Bowden Jeff Person City Council Liaison: Marybeth Connelly Staff: Ripal Patel Guests: APPROVAL of MINUTES: The minutes from the October 20, 2022 meeting were approved. NEW BUSINESS: Welcoming Falls Church • Commissioner Bowden provided information on a newsletter that Welcoming Falls Church sends out once a month which provides information on what donations they receive and whom they are helping. They do a monthly meeting that is open to everyone. The next meeting is on November 28, 2022at the library. The support team is all geared up and they are hoping to get a family. Community Services Fund • Staff Patel provided a CSF timeline for the FY2024 grant year. Ripal provided information about the increased interest in the program this year. • Alisa asked if we are able to invite all the applicants for a presentation this year to learn about their programs. It has been a long time since we heard from them about their work. As we have new members, it will be helpful to have them all come and do a presentation. All members agreed. • Commissioner Roth educated student reps about the contents of the application packet. • Commissioner Roth asked Patel if we are able to start the CSF application process in October moving forward. It is possible and we will do that. • Everyone agreed to schedule the CSF presentations during the January monthly meeting for three hours with a break. The meeting is scheduled for January 12, 2022, at 6:00 PM. Marcus Alert Patel said he has not received any updates from Staff Jones. Roth said Jones will provide an update at the next meeting. HSAC Annual report • Roth provided information about how many City residents CSF grant programs helped. • Alisa asked Patel to double-check with Miller House how many residents they have helped during FY2022. She also shared information about how Miller House is utilized. HSAC Schedule and Goal Setting • Roth discussed the HSAC charter and explained HSAC duties. Roth asked Ripal to send it to all members. • Roth asked about the WIFI project for the City of Falls Church. She is interested in the cost and time. Commissioner Bowden may look into available grants and will research. • Commissioner Macht shared that the Wi-Fi project is more for accessibility, low-income, seniors, and voluntary consensus. When a new construction project comes to the city, the council asks them to provide a certain number of units for the ADU program, but there is nothing equivalent to broadband or Wi-Fi. • Members agreed to do a Happy Hour in April. Other Items • Commissioner Newman encouraged student reps to think about new ideas and projects. The meeting was adjourned at 7:40 p.m. The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This document will be made available in an alternate format upon request. Call 703-248- 5005 (TTY 711).