we had a number of residents in our centers and homeless shelters this let -- a number people slept on the streets last night and needed to sleep today instead of being here to testify and tell their story. so thank you for your gesture of giving up your lunch. i would like to ask the room for another gesture, for 30 seconds of silence while we think about all the folks who were too vulnerable to be here today and speak on their behalf. [bell rings] thank you for your time. supervisor chu: thank you up for your time. >> good afternoon, supervisors. i am the executive director of family services.

thank you for your time today. i am here to ask you to reconsider the proposed cuts to the traditional housing program. that are -- there are three programs up for a cut. these programs serve populations that benefit from transitional housing to make it in the long run. homeless families recovering from drug addiction, domestic violence, and mental illness and transitional-age youth. while the total cuts and not only to $393,000, the programs have been cut over the years. that is why there are only three of us left. the general cuts at compass house will mean closing at the

after-school program. this is where the resident children go for recreation, tutoring, and a safe place to be while there parents are attending school or vocational training -- training. these children have almost as a role endure -- almost as a rule have endured a lifetime of trauma. the students have lived their short lives in a world where domestic violence and substance abuse are the norm. the services like our organizations provide -- please reconsider this cut. thank you. supervisor chu: thank you. >> good afternoon. thank you for your time.

i am at the program director at compass clara house. \ are one of three transitional programs -- we are one of three transitional programs looking at these cuts. we provide a structured environment where people can gain the life skills they never learned, complete and educational or vocational blow -- bowl -- goal, and move off of public assistance. we work with families with severe histories of the trauma related to domestic violence and substance-abuse. parents who have never managed their families in their own apartments without substance abuse or domestic violence being an issue in their lives. we provide case management and a safe place for families to heal.

our ultimate goal is to san decision -- transition these families to permanent housing. we provide on-site services like job training, licensed child care, and a license after- school program. because we've had budget cuts at many years over the last five, and yet our grant amounts remain the same, the current cut will deeply affect our ability to deliver the same services and we would be forced to eliminate after-school program in. this means our school-age children -- they would be displaced in their own community. it would be training, meetings, therapy. they are delayed socially,

emotionally, academically. thank you for considering because. -- the cuts. >> thank you for listening to me again. i am going to read a letter from the captain of the mercury station. dear ms. parker, an alarm to learn a large component of the homeless outreach team will be eliminated on june 1. the team has been invaluable in assisting the homeless in this district and has been a great help to the police department. they often respond at odd hours and weekends. they are helping individuals to find housing.

they are instrumental in breaking down these barriers, and without the essential services, there are not many alternatives left to us and the progress we've made in the homeless community will move back or. without help, the homeless community is vulnerable to predators in the tenderloin. i will leave you a copy of this. i want to ask for restoration of the housing cuts. if there is not support any housing, then people will not be able to retain the house in. there will be more people on the streets with less outcomes that are positive. it does not make sense. with made great strides to help these -- we have made great strides to help these folks live healthier, more productive lives.

thank you. supervisor chu: thank you. >> hello. my name is janet goy, and i am here to request the restoration of funds for the san francisco homeless outreach team and also supportive housing. which affects 11 hotels. adequate supportive housing is essential to address problems for homeless populations in these hotels. it addresses the problems in populations. as you have heard, the san francisco homeless outreach team addresses the most difficult of

reach on the streets. they translate to menem contact for basic intervention -- to minimum contacts for basic intervention. there is no time to do the necessary follow-up. it is not safe given the difficulties people deal with. we have carefully developed a case management team to develop the challenges of a very difficult, as population. [bell rings] and of course, i am here to also supports the restoration of cuts to the san francisco homeless outreach team. you've heard all the reasons

why it is absolutely essential. taking nine positions of of 11 cripples the outreach efforts of that team. these are those to respond when citizens call 311 -- [bell rings] thank you. >> good afternoon. my name is komiko kawaski. i am here on behalf of coranado, but i am also speaking for all the service providers working to end homelessness. it is very important. they're coming from mentally, physically healthy people. sometimes they forget to take care of themselves.

they do not realize on much they are stressed out and traumatized from working with clients. especially case management. there are constant challenges from inside and outside of the building. they have to deal with people who have chronic medical conditions and mental health disorders. from my first experience -- this is isolated because of the small budget. it makes these people more likely to burn out because they have the problems they deal with everyday. it is a proposed cuts that will make its impossible to maintain the quality of services provided. we are not making much money. our keys -- our case managers

earn $16 an hour. thank you somewhat. -- thank you so much. >> good afternoon. my name is fully shut houston. and the program director of the woman's place, a program with treatment services, and i am here in support of the entire system of care. i understand. i believe i read we are not talking about restoring the particular programs, but to the service categories. i have to insist the restoration's occur. we need it. you all have to forgive me. i am all little spacey. i have been in line for a long

time. it is not like i do not stand a lot all day, but i have been in line since 10:00. i wondered if the transit system were to endure the same cuts i wondered if i would be here asking you not to cut the j- line. i would certainly be asking you not to raise the fares, because i depend on public transportation like many people. we are talking about people. the people that made the system -- the providers, the clients, the care providers -- have made an agreement with the city to care for each other. we did adversarial, but we are interdependent. i rely on the other programs for support. i rely on the other providers in

my neighborhood, the woman's place in between six and seven on howard street. i can be in pacific heights and see someone in need and i can call sf hud, and they can run over and i can help that person. they will ride over to geneva and help that person. it is citywide. this is an interdependent system. you are part of the system. today, we are here because it is your time. is time for your role in this process. i have been in this line for 14 years. i will be here again next year. we will all have to be here sunday. i'd appreciate the efforts you have made. i look forward to learning what

you decide to do. thank you. supervisor chu: thank you. >> members of the board, i am the ceo of the budget agency. thank you for this budget process this year. it has been a remarkably different budget process. i know you are deeply concerned about the human consequences of these cuts and you were going to do everything you can to minimize them, and we have a number of calls who are going to talk about the human cuts. i want to talk about the mental health system of care, and specifically the human cuts. the cuts were pretty much across the board. the mayor restored 100% of the residential treatment cuts, but

not be outpatient cause. this is the second year in a row this is happen. in fact they are serving a 95% of the time they are not an institution -- in institutional care. in most counties, the intensive outpatient treatment was considered the primary modality. in this county, to be continually trying to cut the transportation program, it's really misguided. even though they were theoretically unmatched general fund cuts.

that will cut almost entirely into the older adult system of care, in which we operate almost all of it because of prior year cut. it will eliminate the treatment for chronically mentally ill adults. 75% of them have psychosis'. [bell rings] thank you. supervisor chu: thank you. next speaker, please. >> good afternoon. i've been working at the family service agency of san francisco at the older adults support center community integration services for the last five years. as an activity specialist and community integration specialist. fsa provides geriatric programs to older adults are in san francisco who have complex

needs. our geriatric mental health programs are the only specialized non-profit mental health programs in the older adults system of care. we are an organization with a skilled and passionate staff working with african american, spanish, cantonese, mandarin, japanese, vietnamese, and korean consumers. we are providing a place for people who are otherwise alone and isolated and in emotional and physical pain. they connect with others so they can feel part of a larger community. depression, schizophrenia, polar, bipolar, mental-health, different diagnoses -- they do not need the stigma of shame and embarrassment any more. it can and does happen to anyone.

our agency provides problem- solving groups, current affairs, music arts groups, writing, travel groups. we teach computer skills. we go on outings. we have generous volunteers to work with our consumers and give their time freely so that they can benefit and co-benefit from each other. we have been watching them open up from every walk of life, coming from such dire places. limiting our budget could impact our ability to provide these critical services to the population of builders in our community. thank you. supervisor chu:.

-- supervisor chu: thank you. >> hello. my name is andrew browne. i live in the western mission and i have worked with seniors up for the last five years in the western mission and the tenderloin. they are trying to hook seniors up in those communities seniorsfsa programs. -- seniors up and in those communities with fsa programs. thank you. supervisor chu: thank you for your time. next speaker, please. >> good afternoon, board of supervisors. in the use of leadership coordinator -- i am the youth leadership coordinator, and we want to take this opportunity to share a little bit about the program. we have some of our members with

us today. first -- >> good afternoon. thank you for listening to us today. i just want you to know, we are from the juvenile advisory council within the probation department. basically, our goal is to come in and use our experience, taking this time and opportunity to help other young people and their families. we do that by conducting monthly workshops for families and the young persons to come in. we translate that language so they can better understand the conditions of probation. we offer that one-on-one support. i just want to take the time to say, thank you for planning the

programs for the young people and the community. we know what it's like to be in their shoes. >> hello. i am going to share a quick story. i am now successfully off parole because of programs like the one we have today. i live in the mission district. i am also a member of the jac community. people within the city that i grow by ian -- we want to show

them there is another way. all we need still -- all we need to show them is that there is a chance. there is still hope for everybody. thank you for your time. supervisor chu: thank you. thank you. >> hello, folks. i am a former institutional police officer of laguna honda. i would like to be able to say i can convince you to leave the institutional police as they are. up -- i have had several good people ahead of me. we provide a service that is unique for the hospitals of laguna honda. we're familiar with their game plan. we understand them.

they understand us. we do not always get along. but we are necessary evils, so to speak. we keep the peace. unfortunately, i found out just a few months back one of the psych techs at general hospital was murdered in the emergency room area. police officers were there to apprehend this individual. it would not have happened if there were not security there. there would still be standing around, wondering what to do. you definitely need to keep the institutional police entity at laguna and at general hospital. we are a necessity. you cannot get the same results from private security.

we are police officers. and damn good ones, i would like to say, to. and we also get a standing invitation for any of you supervisors to come visit us, talk to us, find out what the institutional police does. we have not seen anybody come by to find out. the invitation is still open to you, if you care to come. we are a little-known agency in the city of san francisco with police powers. [bell rings] thank you very much. supervisor chu: thank you. >> i have been 25 years with the san francisco institutional please. i am currently assigned to laguna honda hospital. i did 20 years with my initial experience at san francisco general. i was also employed a various

mental health clinics. one of the recent things i wanted to discuss was barbara garcia and on the dph website, she says as she stated to the staff that there would be a specialized security force to replace the i.p. she made the point that they were going to be unique and different. i do not know how they can be more unique or different than the institutional police. private security will not provide the same type of experience. the company had believe she is referring to, they work at highland hospital right now. the only specialty they have is they probably work at more hospitals, but that does not necessarily mean they have more experience. bair just -- they are just fortunate. in santa clara valley medical

center, they recently contracted with the sheriff filled apartment because the one of law enforcement tool -- law- enforcement to augment security their. their understanding was come but they realize that they constantly have security needs and one staff needs help, they have to call the sheriff's department or the police department anyway. also as san francisco general hospital, there is a methadone clinic, job protective services their. both units have a private security guards present. i have had numerous times when staffas had to call me because an incident was out of control. they called me. one final comment i do want to make. in my 20 years -- [bell rings] supervisor chu: thank you. >> alright.

>> good afternoon. thank you for being available for public comment. i retired in 1982, and i was the president of the institutional police for over six years. i hold a degree of accounting, law, and advanced post- certificate. what the department of public health needs is a police service into the -- entity. buying in to the mission is the critical part that makes the difference. private security is qualified or the department of public health has the patience and it be staff suffers the consequences.

this is the bottom line, not the bottom line of the department of public health. i have seen the conflicts at the mission over and over and over. the solution is to resurrect the 8204 class of officers as an independent agency. to do otherwise would be penny wise and pound foolish. thank you. supervisor chu: thank you for your time. >> hello. my name is carmen simon, and for three years i was a mental health worker in an agency that -- knock on wood -- has been spare the budget cut. thank you for that. i was also a student for fau

local 1021. right now i am here as a mental health advocates and allied. just from a deeply experiential level, all of these interviews are so deeply connected from the community services to the residential facilities, like the one i had worked at. we need all of this. for someone who was born here. i would like to think that the legacy of san francisco that makes it so different is that we do take care of the hon., and this place is the best fit for those who cannot provide for themselves, which is the community that is served by the department of mental health. thank you. supervisor chu: thank you. >> good afternoon. my name