Mar 05, 2025 Equity, Community Affairs, Housing, Health and Education

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THIS. WE WILL BE STARTING. WEEKLY SPIRITUAL. YEAH. WE CAN HAVE ONE PERSON. WE HAVE A COOL.

[Call to Order]

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[Roll Call]

OKAY. THANK YOU. WE ONLY HAVE ONE PIECE OF LEGISLATION TODAY, BUT WE DO HAVE A SPECIAL DISCUSSION. SO THE PIECE OF LEGISLATION. CAN YOU READ IT? MADAM? MADAM CLERK. SURE. ITEM

[2. R-028-25     A RESOLUTION HONORING REV. DR. GEOFFREY S. ELLIS BY DEDICATING THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF 19TH STREET AND CEDAR STREET AS “REV. DR. GEOFFREY S. ELLIS WAY” IN HIS HONOR. Action Required By August 27, 2025 Sponsors: Ken Herndon (D-4) ]

OKAY. COUNCILMAN TURNER, YOU WANT TO SPEAK ON THIS? YES, MA'AM. JUST VERY BRIEFLY.

REVEREND ELLIS JUST PASSED AWAY A FEW MONTHS AGO. WAS A WAS A RESIDENT OF RUSSELL, A GRADUATE OF CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL. AS THE RESOLUTION SAYS HIS REPUTATION WAS, AND HIS MEMORY SHALL BE SO.

SO TRANSCEND THE DISTRICT. HE WAS JUST THE FINEST OF FINE MEN. AND WE ARE VERY HONORED TO SUPPORT THIS RESOLUTION. THANK YOU. I DID NOT KNOW THAT REVEREND ELLIS PASSED AWAY. AND HE'S THE ONE THAT WAS ON THE HOUSING AUTHORITY BOARD. I BELIEVE THAT'S CORRECT. RIGHT, TAMMY. BUT I DIDN'T KNOW HE HAD PASSED AWAY. I'M SORRY TO HEAR THAT. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS? OKAY, SO WE WILL VOTE ON THIS. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. NO NO'S. SO THIS WILL GO TO THE CONSENT CALENDAR. OKAY. IS THAT YOU WANTED TO GO TO CONSENT CALENDAR? OKAY, THANKS. THE NEXT PIECE. WE DON'T HAVE ANY ANY MORE LEGISLATIONS, BUT WE DO HAVE A SPECIAL DISCUSSION. AND

[1. ID 25-0032     SUMMERWORKS, THE SPOT AND YOUTHBUILD – Michael Gritton, KentuckianaWorks ]

SO, MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME DO THIS. IT SEEMED A GOOD TIME TO COME BACK AND DO IT. PARTICULARLY BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF NEW MEMBERS ON THE COUNCIL WHO MAY. WHO IS KENTUCKY AND WORKS. WHAT DO YOU DO? HOW DOES THIS WORK? I WANT TO SAY A SPECIAL GREETING TO COUNCILWOMAN MOLLY WOOLDRIDGE, WHOSE MOTHER USED TO WORK ON MY TEAM AT KENTUCKY AND WORK, SO I'VE KNOWN HER SINCE HER KIDS WERE LITTLE, LITTLE, LITTLE IN MY OFFICE. AND THEY'RE NOT SO LITTLE ANYMORE. SO GREETINGS AND WELCOME. I JUST WANTED TO INTRODUCE YOU ALL TO WHO WE ARE. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMES UP ALL THE TIME. YOU ALL KNOW ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SIDE, THIS QUESTION COMES UP. WHERE'S THE TALENT GOING TO COME FROM? HOW DOES THIS WORK. SO I JUST WANTED TO ROLL THROUGH A QUICK A QUICK SLIDE DECK TO SHOW YOU ALL WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO, AND HOPEFULLY MAKE IT MORE FAMILIAR FOR YOU ALL ABOUT WHAT KENTUCKY WORKS IS AND HOW WE TRY TO SERVE YOU, PARTICULARLY BECAUSE WE GET ABOUT A THIRD OF OUR BUDGET FROM THE CITY. AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU ALL ARE AWARE OF THAT. AS YOU'RE APPROACHING A BUDGET SEASON. THERE'S A FEDERAL LAW THAT CREATES WORKFORCE BOARDS. IT'S CALLED THE WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY ACT. THERE ARE TEN OF THOSE WORKFORCE BOARDS IN KENTUCKY. YOU SEE THE MAP HERE WHERE WE ARE. THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE OTHER NINE BOARDS THAT ARE IN THE STATE.

THERE ARE ABOUT 550 OF THEM AROUND THE COUNTRY. OUR VISION IS REALLY SIMPLE. WE WANT A FULLY PREPARED AND ENGAGED WORKFORCE THAT'S ALIGNED WITH THE NEEDS OF EMPLOYERS, AND WE WAKE UP EVERY DAY WORRYING ABOUT HOW TO DO THAT AND HOW TO FIGURE THAT OUT FOR ADULTS. I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU ALL KNOW THERE IS A COMPREHENSIVE CAREER CENTER THAT IS NOW IN THE WEST LOUISVILLE OPPORTUNITY CENTER, THE GOODWILL WEST LOUISVILLE OPPORTUNITY CENTER AT 28TH AND BROADWAY. WE'RE THE CORNER TENANT. WE HELPED ALMOST 400 PEOPLE GET JOBS LAST YEAR AT AN

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PEOPLE MULTIPLE CERTIFICATIONS. IN THAT PROGRAM, YOU SEE THE NATIONAL CREDENTIALS FROM NATURE AND THE OSHA TEN. THEY ALSO ARE ELIGIBLE FOR DUAL CREDIT AT GTC IF THEY DECIDE THEY WANT TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL. LAST YEAR WE HELPED 79 PEOPLE GET JOBS IN CONSTRUCTION AT AN AVERAGE WAGE OF ALMOST $20 AN HOUR. WE DO TARGET UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS, AFRICAN AMERICANS AND WOMEN IN PARTICULAR, BUT IT'S OPEN TO ALL. BUT WE'RE TRYING TO SORT OF ADDRESS THE FACT THAT THE POPULATION OF LOUISVILLE IS 20% AFRICAN AMERICAN, AND THE CONSTRUCTION FIELD HAS 5% AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE FIELD. SO THAT IS A CONSCIOUS THING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, BUT IT'S CLEARLY OPEN TO ALL. AND WE'VE SERVED PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE. AGAIN, IF YOU KNOW SOMEBODY THAT WANTS TO GET INTO CONSTRUCTION, TOTALLY FREE. CLASSES ARE STARTING EVERY TWO MONTHS. DEEP CONNECTIONS TO CONSTRUCTION, EMPLOYERS, TO UNIONS IN TOWN, ALL THAT KIND OF THING. THE CITY FUNDS A PROGRAM CALLED CODE LOUISVILLE. WE HAVE BEEN HELPING TO TRAIN PEOPLE TO GET JOBS IN TECHNOLOGY, PARTICULARLY PARTICULARLY IN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT. SINCE 2013, WE HAVE NOW HELPED OVER 1100 PEOPLE GET JOBS IN TECHNOLOGY AT AN AVERAGE WAGE OF OVER $50,000 A YEAR THROUGH CODE LOUISVILLE. THESE ARE THE THREE THE FOUR PATHWAYS THAT PEOPLE CAN PURSUE. JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW WE'RE STILL DOING THAT. THERE'S A WAIT LIST OF PEOPLE THAT WANT TO GET INTO IT. WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THE SIZE OF THE CLASS MATCHES THE DEMAND ON THE ON THE SIDE IN TERMS OF EMPLOYERS, BUT WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THE WORK AND WE APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT FROM THE CITY ON THAT. WE HAVE BEEN GETTING AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDING FROM THE CITY TO FUND SOMETHING WE CALL REENTRY WORKS. IT'S RUN FOR US BY A NATIONAL NONPROFIT CALLED THE CENTER FOR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. CEO. YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THEY'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK WITH DARE TO CARE. THEY'RE DOING SOME WORK. THEY WORK WITH PEOPLE WHO COME STRAIGHT OUT OF STATE PRISON, AND THEY ARE TRYING TO CONNECT THEM TO IMMEDIATE WORK AND WRAPAROUND SERVICES. THAT GETS PEOPLE ON A PATH THAT KEEPS THEM FROM BECOMING A PERSON THAT RE-OFFENDS. THEY DO WORK IN ALMOST 30 CITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY. THEY'RE A GREAT NONPROFIT. WE LOVE THE WORK THEY'RE DOING. THIS IS A TRICKY CHALLENGE FOR US BECAUSE IT'S FUNDED THROUGH DECEMBER, BECAUSE OF THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDING, BUT NOT FUNDED AFTER THAT. SO WE'RE ACTIVELY WORKING, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY WE MAY BE ABLE TO HELP THEM. WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER OUR FEDERAL MONEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP THEM. BUT WE'RE VERY PROUD OF THE WORK, BUT WORRIED ABOUT SUSTAINING IT. AS ARP MONEY STARTS TO GO AWAY, WE RUN SOMETHING CALLED THE KCAC, THE COLLEGE ACCESS CENTER, AND THE CITY HELPS TO FUND THIS. IT USED TO BE FUNDED BY TWO FEDERAL GRANTS. WE STILL HAVE ONE OF THOSE FEDERAL GRANTS THAT SERVES HIGH SCHOOL KIDS IN SEVEN HIGH SCHOOLS. BUT THE PART THAT SERVES ADULT, WE LOST THE GRANT AFTER 30 YEARS. ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO. THE CITY STEPPED IN TO KEEP THAT SERVICE GOING BECAUSE WE'RE SERVING OVER 2000 ADULTS EVERY YEAR WHO NEED SOME HELP APPLYING TO COLLEGE. HEY, I'VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE. I'M THE FIRST IN MY FAMILY TO DO IT. I'VE NEVER FILLED OUT THIS FINANCIAL AID FORM. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO STUDY. WE HOLD THEIR HAND ALL THE WAY THROUGH THAT PROCESS. THE STAFF IS AWESOME. THEY ARE GREAT. YOU SEE, BETWEEN THE HIGH SCHOOL AND THE ADULT PROGRAM, WE'VE SERVED OVER 3000 PEOPLE LAST YEAR AND ABOUT 500 OF THEM WERE PEOPLE THAT SPEAK ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE. SO WE'RE ALSO HELPING PEOPLE ONCE THEY'VE GOTTEN HERE WHO WANT TO PURSUE AN EDUCATION IN ENGLISH, BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD HELP THEM GET A BETTER JOB DOWN THE ROAD. THAT IS SERVICES FOR ADULTS. I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS WHENEVER YOU WANT OR I CAN WAIT TILL THE END, BUT

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THE GOODWILL BOUGHT AND RENOVATED AND AT A SPOT IN IN SHIVELY, OR JUST OUTSIDE OF THE CITY LINES OF SHIVELY AND THE SOUTHLAND TERRACE MALL. WE ARE SERVING 16 TO 24 YEAR OLDS, MAINLY 18 TO 24 YEAR OLDS WHO ARE NOT IN SCHOOL AND NOT WORKING. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF THESE YOUNG ADULTS IN LOUISVILLE. THE CENSUS SHOWS THERE ARE SOMETHING LIKE 12,000 ACROSS THE MSA, AND ABOUT THREE QUARTERS OF THEM ARE GOING TO BE IN LOUISVILLE. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 8 OR 9000 PEOPLE IN THEIR PRIME YOUNG ADULT AGE, NOT IN SCHOOL AND NOT WORKING. WE ARE TRYING TO GET CONNECTED TO THEM, GET THEM IN AND RUN THEM THROUGH A SET OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT TRAININGS. IF THEY NEED A GED, WE CONNECT THEM TO THAT. IF THEY'RE STRUGGLING FOR HOUSING, GOODWILL AND THE TEAM ON THE GROUND, ALONG WITH OTHER HOUSING PROFESSIONALS, TRY TO HELP THEM SOLVE THAT. SO ULTIMATELY, WE TURN THEM INTO PEOPLE THAT GET JOBS AND BECOME PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF SOCIETY. WE DO THIS ALL DAY LONG. WE LOVE DOING IT. KENTUCKIANA WORKS HAS FUNDED AND OVERSEEN THE BIGGEST PROGRAM THAT SERVES THIS POPULATION FOR 25 YEARS. THIS IS A CORE STRENGTH AND A CORE PASSION OF OURS, AND THE CITY IS NOW THE BIGGEST FUNDER. I'M ALSO LOOKING AT COUNCILMAN SIGN BECAUSE THE STATE LAST YEAR GAVE US MONEY FOR THE FIRST OF THE TEN WORKFORCE BOARDS FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, FUNDING TO SERVE THIS POPULATION AS WELL. SO NOW WE HAVE A MIX OF CITY MONEY, STATE MONEY AND FEDERAL MONEY SERVING THIS POPULATION, WHICH IS PART OF WHY THE PROGRAM IS GROWING. WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT IT. YOU SEE, JUST LAST YEAR, 581 NEW ENROLLMENTS WITH 172 PEOPLE GETTING JOBS. AS WE'VE LOCATED IN TWO. WE'RE HOPING THAT NUMBER IS GROWING THIS YEAR AND WE'LL KEEP GROWING. WORD OF MOUTH IS QUITE POSITIVE FOR IN-SCHOOL YOUTH. THE CITY IS THE CORE FUNDER OF A PROGRAM CALLED SUMMERWORKS, WHICH IS THE CITY'S SUMMER JOB PROGRAM. YOU'VE BEEN THE CORE FUNDER OF THAT WE RAISE OUTSIDE MONEY TO. SO THIS YEAR THE PROGRAM WILL BE ABOUT A MILLION, FOR A MILLION COMES FROM THE CITY, AND 400,000 COMES FROM OTHER PLACES THAT I JUST SCRAMBLE TO TRY TO RAISE WHEN I CAN. THERE ARE TWO CORE ELEMENTS TO IT THAT ARE SEPARATE, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE TWO CORE ELEMENTS 3400 KIDS REGISTERED. WE TRY TO GET EVERY EMPLOYER THAT'S HIRING KIDS IN THE SUMMER TO POST THEIR JOBS ON OUR SUMMERWORKS WEBSITE, SO KIDS CAN APPLY DIRECTLY. 3400 KIDS REGISTERED OVER 5000 APPLICATIONS FILLED OUT JUST ON OUR WEBSITE LAST SUMMER. IT'S HARD FOR US TO GET DATA FROM PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYERS. DID YOU HIRE KIDS? HOW MANY DID YOU HIRE? IT'S HARD FOR THE KID.

IT'S HARD FOR US TO GET THE DATA FROM THE KIDS. DID YOU GET A JOB? DID YOU GET IT WITH OUR HELP? SO I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY OF THOSE KIDS GOT A JOB. BUT I KNOW WE MATCHED A LOT OF THEM WITH JOBS. WE USE SOME OF OUR FUNDING TO SPONSOR KIDS, TO WORK AT NONPROFITS OR IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. THAT'S WHAT THE 270 NUMBER IS. SO AND THOSE KIDS WORKED. THEY LEARN TECHNOLOGY SKILLS. THEY WERE WORKING OVER AT THE SPEED SCHOOL. THEY WERE GETTING TRAINED IN THE FINISHING TRADES INSTITUTE, WHICH IS THE PAINTERS AND GLAZIERS UNION. WE HAD PEOPLE WORKING AT NONPROFITS LIKE KMAC MUSEUM AND OTHERS. SO KIDS GET GREAT EXPERIENCE. IT OPENS UP THE WORLD. WHEN WE DID THE END OF THE YEAR PRESS CONFERENCE AT CMAC LAST YEAR, WE HAD A PERSON WHO WORKED THERE AS A SUMMER INTERN IN 2017 WHO'S NOW A PERMANENT MEMBER OF THEIR STAFF. SHE WENT OFF TO COLLEGE, SHE GOT INTERESTED IN MUSEUMS, AND NOW SHE'S WORKING AT THE SAME MUSEUM. IT'S A REALLY, REALLY COOL STORY. WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT ON SUMMERWORKS.

THIS IS THE PROGRAM, COUNCILMAN, THAT THE STATE ALSO GAVE US MONEY TO SERVE. THEY GAVE US MONEY TO SERVE MORE OF THOSE YOUNG ADULTS. BUT THEY ALSO SAW AROUND THE STATE THAT NO ONE IS HELPING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS WHO AREN'T GOING TO COLLEGE WHEN THEY GRADUATE. AND ABOUT HALF OF OUR J-C-P-S GRADUATES THIS YEAR ARE NOT GOING TO BE IN COLLEGE WHEN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER ROLLS AROUND. SO FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, WE'RE SERVING KIDS BOTH AT HIGH SCHOOLS AND IN ALL THE SIX REGIONAL COUNTIES TO TRY TO HELP THEM GET READY FOR HIRING EVENTS. WE KNOW LOTS OF EMPLOYERS ARE HIRING, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE MAKING MATCHES AND GETTING THOSE KIDS CONNECTED UP TO GOOD JOBS WITH GOOD CAREER PATHWAY OPPORTUNITIES, SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT. I SHOULD HAVE SAID ONE THING AT THE BEGINNING, WHICH IS WE ARE A REGIONAL BOARD. WE DO WORK ACROSS THE SEVEN COUNTIES, BUT LOUISVILLE METRO GOVERNMENT IS THE ONLY LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY THAT GIVES US FUNDING. SO WE DO A LOT MORE IN LOUISVILLE THAN WE DO IN THE OTHER COUNTIES. THEY GET MAD AT ME SOMETIMES FOR THAT, BUT I TRY TO EXPLAIN TO THEM, THAT'S BECAUSE YOU ALL ARE INVESTING IN THINGS LIKE SUMMERWORKS, AND THAT'S WHY WE DO MORE HERE THAN WE DO IN OTHER PLACES. WE ALSO NOW HAVE A TEAM OF SEVEN PEOPLE WHO ARE WAKING UP EVERY DAY DOING NOTHING BUT

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SHE ROUTINELY PUTS OUT REPORTS ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE LABOR MARKET. IS THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE GOING UP OR DOWN? HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN THE LABOR MARKET? WHAT'S GOING ON ACROSS THE NATIONAL LEVEL? SHE'S WRITING REPORTS EVERY MONTH THAT ARE UPDATING YOU ABOUT A PARTICULAR TOPIC. IF YOU'RE NOT GETTING OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER AND YOU WANT TO BE IN THE KNOW ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE LABOR MARKET, ALL YOU GOT TO DO IS COME UP AND WRITE ME A NOTE AND I'LL MAKE SURE WE GET YOU SIGNED UP FOR IT, BECAUSE SHE IS AN EXPERT AND WE ARE THRILLED TO HAVE HER ON THE TEAM. HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THAT LABOR MARKET UPDATE LOOKS LIKE WHEN IT COMES OUT EVERY MONTH. RIGHT? WE ARE LOOKING AT THIS KIND OF STUFF. THIS IS WHERE YOU SEE 1 IN 8 OF THE REGION'S YOUNG PEOPLE WERE NOT IN SCHOOL AND NOT IN WORK IN 2023. THAT'S HOW BIG THE PROBLEM IS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE. AT THE SPOT YOU WILL SEE THESE UPDATES. WHAT USUALLY WHAT YOU HAVE IS UPDATES ON THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AND THE SIZE OF THE LABOR FORCE. AND THEN THERE'S USUALLY A SPECIAL REPORT ON SOME TOPIC. BUT IF WE'RE NOT COVERING IT AND YOU HAVE A QUESTION, LET US KNOW BECAUSE WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO TRY TO DO THAT. YOU CAN ALSO GO ON OUR WEBSITE. I WANT YOU TO KNOW THIS BECAUSE YOU MAY GET QUESTIONS FROM FAMILY MEMBERS OR FROM CONSTITUENTS. KENTUCKIANA WORKS.ORG SLASH EXPLORE. YOU CAN TYPE IN ANY OCCUPATION. HERE IS SHOWING YOU THE KEY JOBS THAT ARE GROWING IN CONSTRUCTION. AND WHAT YOU SEE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SLIDE IS FOR ELECTRICIANS. WE CAN SHOW YOU THE MEDIAN SALARY IN OUR MSA, NOT ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IN YOUR AREA. WE CAN SHOW YOU HOW MANY JOB OPENINGS ARE POPPING UP EVERY YEAR. WE CAN SHOW YOU WHAT THE SLOPE OF THE GRAPH LOOKS LIKE IN TERMS OF. IS IT EXPECTED TO GROW, OR IS IT IS EXPECTED TO SHRINK, AND HOW MANY MONTHLY JOB POSTINGS ARE HAPPENING. ALL OF THIS IS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS ON YOUR COMPUTER, ON YOUR PHONE. KENTUCKIANA WORKS.ORG/EXPLORE.

LASTLY, I HAVE A TEAM OF PEOPLE WHO ARE WORKING WITH EMPLOYERS TRYING TO HELP THEM ADDRESS RETENTION ISSUES. SOMETIMES RETENTION ISSUES HAVE TO DO WITH SOME BASIC THINGS EMPLOYERS MIGHT BE ABLE TO CHANGE TO MAKE IT BETTER FOR THEIR FRONT LINE WORKFORCE. SO WE HAVE GIVEN A WORKFORCE INVESTOR BADGE TO THE MASONIC HOMES. THEY MADE SOME BASIC CHANGES IN THE WAY THEY WERE WORKING WITH SOME OF THEIR FRONT LINE EMPLOYERS. THEY DRAMATICALLY IMPROVED THEIR RETENTION RATE. THEY THEY HELPED ADDRESS SOME OF THE TURNOVER ISSUES THEY WERE HAVING, ALL BY LOOKING AT SOME JOB QUALITY THINGS AND LISTENING TO EMPLOYEES ABOUT THINGS THEY COULD DO TO IMPROVE IT. SO GOT GREAT STUFF GOING ON THERE. THAT WAS THE LAST SLIDE OTHER THAN CONNECTING WITH US, MADAM CHAIR, MR. VICE CHAIR. SO WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS AND I APPRECIATE YOU LETTING ME DO THAT. THANK YOU. I JUST WANT TO SAY MY GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER, SHE WENT TO SUMMER WORKS. SHE WENT TO GO TO THE BROWN SCHOOL AND SHE GOT A JOB IN EVERY YEAR.

SHE SHE DIDN'T APPLY AGAIN. THEY JUST CALLED HER BACK AND SHE WORKED. I THINK SHE STARTED WHEN SHE WAS ABOUT 15, BUT SHE GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE NOW. SO BUT SHE DID GO TO SUMMER WORKS AND SHE WENT BACK TO I THINK THREE YEARS IN A ROW. AND SO SHE REALLY ENJOYED IT. SO DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I KNOW YOU DO, COUNCILMAN SAM. OKAY. AND. COUNCILMAN MICHAEL

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MICHAEL, THANKS FOR BEING HERE. APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. I HAD JUST ONE QUICK QUESTION. YOU KNOW, YOU TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE FUNDING, PRIMARILY THROUGH FEDERAL GRANTS. I'M CURIOUS WHAT SORT OF THE IMPACTS OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE SEEING AT A FEDERAL LEVEL, IF YOU KNOW, OF ANY IMPACTS TO FUNDING CURRENTLY OR HOW YOU'RE PREPARING FOR POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO FUNDING. SO I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION. WE'RE AN $18 MILLION ORGANIZATION THIS YEAR. ABOUT SIX OF THAT IS COMING FROM FEDERAL SOURCES. ABOUT FOUR AND A HALF IS COMING FROM THE CITY, THREE COMING FROM THE STATE. AND THEN WE'RE COBBLING TOGETHER OTHER THINGS WHERE WE CAN. WHEN I WENT BACK AND REREAD PROJECT 2025, COUNCILMAN WINKLER, IT DOES NOT PROPOSE ELIMINATING OUR FUNDING STREAM, BUT I CERTAINLY THINK WE ARE SUBJECT TO TAKING A CUT. AS THE CONGRESS LOOKS AT WAYS TO REDUCE THEIR SPENDING. ON THE DISCRETIONARY SIDE, WE DON'T HAVE ANY INFORMATION YET ABOUT WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE OR HOW THAT MIGHT WORK. SO CONGRESS CAME VERY CLOSE TO REAUTHORIZING THE LAW THAT CREATES WORKFORCE BOARDS IN DECEMBER. BUT WHEN THE CONTINUING RESOLUTION THAT THEY PASSED IN DECEMBER CAME UP AND IT HAD A FEW THINGS ADDED TO IT, OUR THE THING THAT WOULD HAVE REAUTHORIZED US WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY HAD ADDED TO IT. AND AS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MR. MUSK AND OTHERS GOT CONGRESS TO STRIP OUT. SO WE KNOW THERE'S BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR WHAT WE DO. BUT GIVEN TODAY'S POLITICAL CLIMATE, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY ASSURANCES ABOUT WHERE THAT HOW THAT FEDERAL MONEY WILL WILL WORK OR HOW MUCH OF IT WILL GET IN THE FUTURE. SO THAT IS A CONCERN. DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. OKAY.

THANK YOU. WAS IT COUNCILWOMAN HOPKINS WAS NEXT. SHE WAS. HELLO. THANKS FOR BEING HERE TODAY. JUST A COUPLE QUESTIONS. HOW ARE YOU GETTING THE WORD OUT? LIKE JUST HOW ARE YOU? YOU KNOW, NAVIGATING THROUGH DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE KNOWING THAT THIS RESOURCE IS AVAILABLE. SO THAT'S ALWAYS A STRUGGLE BECAUSE ON THE FEDERAL SIDE, UNTIL RECENTLY, WE WERE PROHIBITED BY LAW FROM ADVERTISING OUR PROGRAMS. THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FINALLY CLARIFIED ONE OF THEIR REGULATIONS THAT ALLOWS US TO ADVERTISE PROGRAMS, BUT NOT KENTUCKIANA WORKS. SO WE'RE TRYING TO RUN FACEBOOK ADS AND PUT SIGNAGE OUT AND WORK THROUGH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS. I MEAN, WE DO A LOT WITH PARTNERS WHO SERVE LOW INCOME PEOPLE TO MAKE SURE THEY KNOW ABOUT THE CAREER CENTER IN WEST LOUISVILLE, TO MAKE SURE THEY KNOW ABOUT KENTUCKY. AND A BIG PART OF WHY CONGRESS WANTS US TO CONTRACT THAT WORK OUT WHEN WE CAN IS SO THE URBAN LEAGUE ITSELF IS GETTING THE WORD OUT THROUGH PEOPLE THAT THEY KNOW. GOODWILL IS GETTING THE WORD OUT THROUGH THEIR NETWORK. BUT PART OF WHY I WANTED TO COME IS TO MAKE SURE YOU ALL KNOW, BECAUSE YOU TALKED TO A LOT OF PEOPLE IN YOUR DAY TO DAY WORLD AND WOULD APPRECIATE YOU HELPING TO GET THE WORD OUT RIGHT. WHICH LEADS ME BACK TO WHAT I WAS ASKING FOR KENTUCKY, IN A WORD, BECAUSE YOU SAID THAT THE CITY IS ONE OF YOUR BIGGEST FUNDERS, RIGHT? BUT WE ALSO FUND GOODWILL, YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S JUST LIKE KIND OF LIKE DOUBLE DIPPING TO ME. AND I'VE USED KENTUCKY ON A YEAR AGO. AND NORMALLY WHEN I GO INSIDE THERE, I GET ON A COMPUTER AND I NAVIGATE MYSELF ON TRYING TO LOOK UP ON INDEED AND DIFFERENT THINGS LIKE THAT TO TRY TO GET A JOB. BUT I JUST WANTED TO KNOW, YOU SAID THAT ON A FEDERAL LEVEL, YOU CAN'T MARKET, BUT THEN THE CITY IS GIVING YOU MONEY. I WOULD THINK THAT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO MARKET, BUT YOU SAID THAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH GOODWILL AND A FEW OTHER SERVICES, RIGHT? I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN GOODWILL COMES, YOU KNOW, GOODWILL GOT ALL THESE CONTRACTS WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE. YOU KNOW, THAT'S GIVING THEM MONEY. I JUST WANT TO SEE WHAT'S WHAT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IF YOU'RE A STANDALONE COMPANY OR IF YOU'RE CONTRACTING DOLLARS THAT YOU'RE GETTING FROM THE CITY OUT TO THESE ENTITIES THAT WERE ALREADY GIVING MONEY TO. SO LET ME CLARIFY, BECAUSE YOU RAISED A COUPLE DIFFERENT THINGS. SO ON THE FEDERAL SIDE, WE ARE ALLOWED NOW TO BE ADVERTISING THINGS LIKE THE CAREER CENTER OR THE JOB TRAINING SCHOLARSHIPS. AND SO WE ARE RUNNING FACEBOOK ADS, WE HAVE FLIERS UP AND ALL THAT SORT OF THING. AND WE TRY TO GET THE WORD OUT THROUGH PARTNERS LIKE THE LIBRARIES AND THE HOUSING AUTHORITY AND THINGS LIKE THAT. FOR SOMETHING LIKE SUMMER WORKS THAT'S FUNDED BY THE CITY, WE CERTAINLY CAN GET THE WORD OUT. AND WE HAVE YOUTH BUILD NOW CALLED BLUEPRINT 502

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AND THROUGH TRUSTED PARTNERS, WE'LL HAVE PUBLIC EVENTS. WE HAVE WE'LL HAVE A PRESS CONFERENCE WITH THE MAYOR NEXT WEEK TO ANNOUNCE THE KICKOFF OF SUMMER WORKS THIS YEAR. SO YOU TRY TO USE FREE MEDIA WHENEVER YOU CAN GET IT AS WELL. I WANT TO MAKE SURE ON THE GOODWILL SIDE, GOODWILL, WHAT PART OF WHAT WE DO, BECAUSE THERE'S FEDERAL MONEY IN THE YOUNG ADULT WORK, WE'RE REQUIRED TO CONTRACT THAT WORK OUT. SO GOODWILL WON THE CONTRACT THREE YEARS AGO IN A PROCUREMENT COMPETITION. RIGHT. AND WHEN ONCE WE PICKED GOODWILL, THEN WE'RE ABLE TO ALSO FUNNEL THE CITY MONEY. AND NOW THE STATE MONEY THAT IS TARGETED SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUNG ADULTS INTO THE PROGRAM THAT WE CALL THE SPOT. PART OF WHAT'S USEFUL ABOUT WORKING WITH GOODWILL AS A PARTNER IS THEY ARE THE ONLY NONPROFIT THAT I'VE EVER WORKED WITH THAT CAN BRING THEIR OWN MONEY TO THE TABLE. AND SO THEY BRING THEIR OWN RESOURCES TO ADDRESS. SOMETIMES ISSUES THAT YOUNG ADULTS HAVE THAT ARE MONEY CAN'T BE USED FOR, SO THEY CAN BRING FLEXIBLE MONEY. AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE THAT. SO THE ISSUE OF WHAT ELSE YOU ALL FUND THEM TO DO, I WILL LEAVE TO YOU. THAT IS NOT MY DEPARTMENT. RIGHT. BUT ALL I WOULD SAY IS WE'RE THE WORKFORCE PEOPLE. WE'RE FUNDING THEM TO RUN A BIG WORKFORCE EFFORT FOR YOUNG ADULTS, AND THEY ARE DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB OF IT. SO THAT'S ON THE GOODWILL SIDE. DOES THAT HELP ADDRESS THE CONCERN THERE OR AT LEAST THE QUESTION. YEAH, YEAH, PRETTY MUCH. I KIND OF GOT A BETTER UNDERSTANDING JUST ABOUT. SO YOU'RE AT THE TOP OF THE PYRAMID AND YOU JUST KIND OF BUCKLE DOWN AND GIVE DIFFERENT PEOPLE MONEY. RIGHT. WHICH TAKES ME BACK TO THE WHEN THOSE SAME PEOPLE COME IN FRONT OF US, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT GIVING THEM MONEY TO DO THE SAME THING.

OH, GOT IT RIGHT. I THOUGHT THAT KENTUCKIANA WORKS WAS JUST A GRASSROOTS, YOU KNOW, PROGRAM THAT, YOU KNOW, MEET PEOPLE WHERE THEY'RE AT AND NOT CONTRACT THE WORK OUT. RIGHT.

I'M A GRASSROOTS PERSON, AND JUST THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE THAT ALWAYS COMPLAIN, WHETHER IT'S ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WHETHER IT'S CALLING MY OFFICE, YOU KNOW, JUST ABOUT RESOURCES FOR JOBS, RIGHT? BUT I'M I'M WELL AWARE OF THESE ENTITIES, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU SAID THAT ARE DOING THE WORK FOR YOU. SO I'M JUST GLAD TO KNOW THAT ONE. I LOVE HEARING THAT YOU USED OUR SERVICES. SO THAT'S GREAT. AGAIN, MAKE SURE PEOPLE KNOW THAT THAT'S COMPLETELY FREE, THAT KENTUCKY CAREER CENTER AT 28TH AND BROADWAY. AND I DO JUST WANT TO CLARIFY ONE OTHER THING. THE FEDERAL MONEY THAT WE GET REQUIRES US TO CONTRACT OUT THAT WORK. BUT INCREASINGLY, AS WE'RE GETTING OTHER FUNDING, WE ARE RUNNING THAT WORK DIRECTLY. SO THE AFTER THE TASSEL WORK THAT I WAS DESCRIBING THAT WE'RE DOING IN HIGH SCHOOLS, THAT'S A TEAM OF PEOPLE THAT WORK FOR KENTUCKIANA WORKS, THE WORK ON THE ACADEMIES OF LOUISVILLE ALLIANCE, THE SEVEN PEOPLE THAT ARE WAKING UP EVERY DAY THINKING ABOUT TT WORK DIRECTLY FOR ME. SO WE ARE A LITTLE BIT OF A HYBRID ORGANIZATION. SOMETIMES WE'RE CONTRACTING OUT, SOMETIMES WE'RE NOT. AND SO THAT'S WHERE I OW IT'S A LITTLE CONFUSING. BUT AS OUR FUNDING HAS GROWN AND WE'VE TRIED TO ADDRESS MORE TOPICS, PARTICULARLY AROUND HIGH SCHOOL KIDS, WE'RE INCREASINGLY DOING MORE OF THAT WORK OURSELVES SO THAT YOU KNOW, WHO WHO TO HOLD ACCOUNTABLE AND YOU KNOW WHO'S DOING THE WORK. I HAD THE SAME QUESTION THAT YOU DID, BUT THAT'S BEEN QUITE A FEW YEARS AGO. IT WAS THE HOUSING TRUST FUND. THEY WOULD GET 10 MILLION FROM US. AND THEN THEY WOULD PASS IT OUT. AND LIKE THE URBAN LEAGUE, THEY GET SO MUCH AND DIFFERENT ONES WOULD GET SO MUCH. AND AT THE TIME I DID HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT. BUT I FINALLY HAD FIGURED IT OUT. BUT IT'S LIKE THEN THEY COME BACK AND ASK FOR FUNDING AND THEY'VE ALREADY GOT FUNDING FROM THIS ONE ORGANIZATION. SO THAT'S PROBABLY THE REASON COUNCILWOMAN HAWKINS MENTIONED IT, BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S BEEN A WHILE AGO. IT WAS THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS BEFORE. SO MAKE SENSE. JUST ONE THING TO ADD ABOUT THAT CODE, LOUISVILLE, WHICH THE CITY IS FUNDING. THE PEOPLE THAT RUN THAT PROGRAM WORK DIRECTLY FOR KENTUCKIANA WORKS, THE COLLEGE ACCESS CENTER THAT'S HELPING ADULTS GO BACK TO COLLEGE. THOSE PEOPLE WORK DIRECTLY FOR KENTUCKIANA. WORK. SO INCREASINGLY, THE THINGS YOU'RE FUNDING AS THE CITY WE'RE RUNNING DIRECTLY. SO IT'S A MIX. BUT I WILL SAY ON THE YOUNG ADULT THING, BECAUSE THE FEDERAL MONEY WAS REQUIRED TO BE BID OUT AND GOODWILL WON THAT CONTRACT AND WAS DOING GOOD WORK AS WE FOUND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES. WE'RE PLOWING IT INTO THAT PROGRAM BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB. RIGHT. I WAS IN LET'S DO IT. OKAY. DID YOU LIKE THANK YOU, MICHAEL, AS YOU KNOW, I TAUGHT VOCATIONAL EDUCATION FOR 28 YEARS. WHAT YOU TALKED ABOUT ONE OF THE THINGS YOU TALKED ABOUT HOLDING ON TO PEOPLE YOU KNOW. WELL, FOR ONE THING. AND SOMETIMES IT'S HARD

[00:35:06]

AND YOU MAY TALK MONEY. AND I, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE, BUT HERE'S HOW MUCH, YOU KNOW. IN 1995, I HAD TROUBLE WITH THE SCHOOL. THEY THEY DIDN'T LIKE THE WAY I TAUGHT. AND SO I WENT TO WORK AT FORD MOTOR COMPANY FOR DURING THE SUMMER. AND BACK IN 95, THEY PAID 25 BUCKS AN HOUR. AND YOU HAD TO WORK. YOU HAD TO WORK ALL THE OVERTIME. SO I WAS MAKING ABOUT $2,000 EVERY WEEK. AND THEN A JOB AT SOUTHERN CAME OPEN. ANOTHER SCHOOL, BECAUSE I WAS IN TOWN, AND I QUIT AND WENT TO SOUTHERN AND THEY SAID, WHY ARE YOU YOU SAID, YOU'RE MAKING A LOT OF MONEY. I SAID, YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH FUN IT IS TO BE WITH THESE KIDS. AND TO ME, IF EVERY PERSON CAN FIND A JOB THEY LIKE, IT'S NOT A JOB. IT'S FUN. AND OUR GOAL IS TO HELP PEOPLE FIND THEIR PASSION. AND SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, YOU THINK,

[00:40:04]

YOU KNOW THESE KIDS, YOU KNOW THEY LOOK GOOD WHEN THEY WENT OUT ON A JOB INTERVIEW. SO I WISH THAT, YOU KNOW, SEE, IN THE VOCATIONAL, I MEAN, IN THE HIGH SCHOOLS, THEY TOOK THE VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND THEY STARTED MAKING SEVEN PERIOD DAYS. AND YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME. AND WHEN YOU DO THAT, YOU CAN'T HARDLY PUT A KID ON YOU ON A CO-OP JOB, BECAUSE THE WAY THE, THE, THE, THE SCHEDULING STUFF. AND HERE'S WHAT I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO DO. I WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO COME ON A TOUR OF ONE OF THESE ACADEMIES OF LOUISVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, INCLUDING, IF YOU WANT TO COME BACK AND SEE WHAT SOUTHERN IS DOING, BECAUSE THEY ARE DOING AMAZING STUFF, HAVING A MACHINE SHOP. WELL, BUT I MEAN, OTHER SCHOOLS HAVE MACHINE SHOPS. YOU CAN'T DO EVERY VOCATIONAL AT EVERY SCHOOL. NO, NO. BUT THEY'VE, THEY'VE, THEY'VE PARCELED THEM OUT SO THAT AT EVERY SCHOOL THERE ARE CAREER PATHWAYS. EVERY UPPERCLASSMEN IS IN ONE. AND KIDS ARE EARNING CERTIFICATIONS NOW IN HEALTH CARE AND MANUFACTURING AND WELDING AND CONSTRUCTION AND CULINARY WHILE THEY'RE IN HIGH SCHOOL, THAT LINE UP WITH CERTIFICATIONS THAT EMPLOYERS ARE ASKING FOR. SO A BIG PART OF THE VISION THAT I'VE HEARD YOU DESCRIBE MULTIPLE TIMES IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN THESE SCHOOLS. BUT UNTIL I GET PEOPLE TO COME OUT AND SEE THEM, PEOPLE DON'T BELIEVE ME. SO THAT'S WHERE SEEING IS BELIEVING. IF YOU COME AND SEE IT AND THEN YOU TELL ME THAT, ISN'T IT? THAT'D BE DIFFERENT. BUT I WILL GET I WILL I WILL FOLLOW UP WHEN I GET BACK TO MY OFFICE AND MAKE SURE YOU KNOW ABOUT THE TOUR DATES. OKAY.

AWESOME. THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN SAM. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. QUESTION ON REENTRY. WHERE ARE YOU RECRUITING FROM? HOW ARE YOU GETTING WORD OUT TO THOSE COMING OUT THAT ARE LOOKING TO. SO CEO IS THE GROUP THAT RUNS THAT AND THEY HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE WITH THE IT'S ESSENTIALLY THE STATE PRISON IS A BIG CHUNK OF IT. BUT A LOT OF IT IS ALSO WORD OF MOUTH WHERE WHEN PEOPLE ARE GETTING OUT, THEY'RE CONNECTING TO PEOPLE THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN HELPED BY THEM AND SERVED BY THEM WELL. SO THEY ARE TRYING TO IDENTIFY PEOPLE AS THEY'RE COMING OUT AND TRYING TO CATCH THEM BEFORE THEY LAND IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. HAVE YOU HEARD OF A GROUP CALLED PRISONERS HOPE? NO. DARYL DAVIS, THAT DOES EXACTLY THAT. WHAT? I'D INVITE YOU TO LOOK THEM UP. OKAY.

PRISONERS HOPE. WHO DO GET THESE FOLKS READY FOR THE WORKFORCE? I WILL DO IT. THANK YOU. YEP.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU. DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER. OH. I'M SORRY. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU.

MICHAEL. SO, QUESTION. CAN WE GET A COPY OF THE SLIDE DECK TO SHARE WITH. ABSOLUTELY. THE CLERK HAS IT. I'M HAPPY FOR YOU ALL TO DISTRIBUTE IT. IT'D BE GREAT. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. OKAY. DO WE HAVE ANY MORE CONCERNS OR QUESTIONS? HEARING NONE. WE HAVE NO MORE BUSINESS BEFORE US, SO WE ARE ADJOURNED. GREAT. THANK YOU ALL FOR THE TIME. THANK YOU. AND

[Adjournment Note: Agendas are followed at the discretion of the Chair. While an item may be listed, it does not mean all items will be heard and/or acted upon by the Committee.]