City Council - Regular Meeting

So we're gonna call the order City Council Advisory Committee meeting 04/02/2026

at 06:01. First of all, I'd like to, start with the Pledge of Allegiance. If please, committee member, mister Lugo, can lead us.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of The

United States Of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Not you today? Okay. Well, today, we actually have the privilege of, Pastor Paul Jones to lead us in invocation. So my fellow committee members save today.

Amen. God bless you. There we go. Amen. Would you bow your heads in a word of prayer with me? Gracious father, we thank you today for your loving kindness, your tender mercy, oh god. We thank you how you woke us up this morning and started us on our way. God, we ask you to come into this meeting upon today, oh god. Lead us and guide us and protect us, oh god, from any hurt, harm, or danger, oh god. God, but just give us the right things to do and the right things to say, oh god. Help the city of Hesperia, oh god, to be able to do the work that you want them to do. Help each committee member, oh god. In Jesus name, we pray. Thank god. Amen. Amen.

Yvonne can we get roll call please?

Committee Vice Chair Arli Arsenada.

Here.

Committee member Kelly Gregg.

Here.

Committee member Letty Cisneros. Here. Committee member Greg Lugo. Here. Committee member Jacqueline Escobar. All

right. Moving on to our consent calendar, item number one consideration of CCAC draft minutes from previous meeting on 12/04/2025.

Vice Chair, may I pause you for just a moment? Yes. There is going to be a couple agenda revisions and announcements right before that consent calendar.

So

Yes. Just wanted to bring to your attention that we've moved the public comments after item three and before item four. Item four is why most of you are here. So those public comments will start after item three. And then I just wanted to remind you to speak up into the microphone. Okay? Thank you.

And one more thing, don't grab the microphone. Just a quick update. Yvonne will get very upset. All right. Now moving on to our consent calendar. Consideration of the CCAC draft minutes for the previous meeting on 12/04/2025. I need a motion a motion needed to approve.

I'll move to approve.

Do we have a second?

Second. Alright.

I move to approve the draft minutes from the city council advisory committee regular minutes held on September.

Just gonna have

a vote. Vice Yes. You.

Sorry. I'm a little slower than you. Just a moment.

I'm just ready to get to the good stuff, you know?

She's gonna send it to us.

Okay. May I have a verbal vote for the motion to pass the minutes?

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Motion passes unanimously. Thank you.

Ready.

Now to our second item for consideration is to choose chair for committee. Do we have any recommendations for the new chair for this committee?

I'll nominate Arlie as chair. Great.

Unsure motion to adjourn.

I was like, I'm a I'm supposed to abstain or I can vote yes for myself? Okay. Great.

The motion passes unanimously that Arly Arsenada will be the new chair. Being that Arly Arsenada was the vice chair, would you be so kind as to choose a vice chair?

Yes. I would like to select, advisory committee member, mister Lugo, to be my vice chair.

Do we have a motion for Greg Lugo to be the vice chair? I have Mr. Kelly Gregg seconded. Thank you. The motion passes unanimously that Greg Lugo is the vice chair. Thank you.

Thank you.

Alright. And just a quick update. If we can all put our phone on silence, we would greatly appreciate it. Moving on to our next item, Neighborhood Pride Enhancement Program Honoree Selection. Would city staff member Arlene Damayo please come up for the Neighborhood Pride Enhancement Program presentation?

Good evening chair and committee members. Tonight we will be going over the quarterly nominations for the Neighborhood Pride Enhancement Program. As a refresher for the program, I'll be going over a brief presentation. The Neighborhood Pride Enhancement Program recognizes residents who have made exterior improvements or enhancements to their home, which contributes to the charm and overall curb appeal of his various neighborhoods. Features that the committee considers during selection include manicured landscaping, drought tolerant landscaping, rockscaping, flowers, plants, and trees, driveway resurfacing, window enhancements, exterior paint, and overall curb appeal.

Program guidelines include the following: nominations must include the nomination form, as well as before and after photos. Nominations are considered for a twelve month period at which point an applicant may reapply if not selected. The honoree will receive $1,000 in gift cards. This quarter we're giving them $1,400 for Harbor Freight, $400 for Ace Hardware, and $200 for affordable decorative rock and Cal Herbalts nursery. In addition to the thousand dollars in gift cards, we're also giving them a neighborhood pride enhancement yard sign.

Other guidelines include that only Hisperere residents may be nominated. Self nominations are allowed, and city employees and persons affiliated with or representative of the city are not eligible. This concludes my presentation. If you have any questions, I'm available to answer them, but if not, feel free to continue reviewing the nominations. And once you are ready, please let me know, and I'll be going over our scoring rubric.

Sorry. I was lost in thought. I was looking at the paperwork. But, what was your question again? Oh,

if there are no questions and you're all ready, I can go ahead and go over the scoring rubric instructions.

I don't have any questions. Does anybody up here have any questions? Questions. None at all. Thank you.

Okay. So, I'm going to go ahead and explain some instructions really quick. So, the CCAC members will rank houses on their personal scoring sheet, which you've already done. CCAC members will only share rankings from top to bottom. City staff member, in this case me, will enter rankings and confirm with CCAC members before moving on to the next one. As I am inputting the rankings, the excel sheet will automatically tally the points and the nomination with the lowest total points will be our winner and the nomination with the second lowest total points will be our runner-up. If you're ready, we're gonna go ahead and get started with Arlie first.

Yep, I'm ready. 74621, 3, and five.

Okay. Before we move on to Kelly, Arlie, can you confirm that your rankings are 74, 62135?

Correct.

Okay. So we'll go ahead and move on to Kelly.

So the number one choice is 7 for you. Right? 6543127.

Okay. Can you please confirm that your rankings are 6543127? Correct. Okay. Perfect. We'll go ahead and move on to Leti's rankings.

Okay. So, I have 6452731.

Okay. Please confirm that your rankings are 6452731.

Yes, correct.

Okay. We'll go ahead and move on to Greg.

5243617.

Okay, please confirm your rankings. I have 5243617.

Correct.

Okay, and we'll move on to Jackie's rankings.

My rankings are 4562317.

Okay. Please confirm that your rankings are 4562317. Confirmed. Okay. Perfect. So it looks like our winner is nomination number six because they have the lowest tallied up points. And then so let me go ahead and write that down. And then our runner-up would be nomination number four. Congratulations to Manisha number six for winning.

I'd to make the motion for it was number nomination number six to be the winner of the city enhancement city neighborhood pride enhancement program. Do I have a motion? And a second? Motion. Thank you.

Okay. I have Arlie as the mover to make a motion to accept number six. And I have Jacqueline Escobar as a seconder. Would you like to also include in this motion the runner-up?

Yes, please. So we would

like to include the runner-up in this motion, which will be, nomination number four.

Thank you. The motion passes unanimously.

Now we're going to move on to public comments. Any person wishing to address the City Council Advisory Committee should complete a white card and hand it over to our secretary. Comments are limited three minutes and should concern only the topics within the jurisdiction of the CCAC. Any person that who would like to comment upon any agenda items should reserve their comments until public hearing or public comments period is called for that item. Please remember that CCAC is prohibited for from consideration and taking any action on any issues not previously noticed in the agenda.

We now open public comment at 06:19. Yvonne, do we have any white cards?

Yes. Have 17 white cards.

Awesome. Thank you. The first request, and honestly, this organization, this is an amazing name, very clever, Friends Matter.

Good evening. My name is Joel Howard. I'm the director of Friends Matter. We've been established since 2021. We offer housing assistance programs. We do, youth mentoring. We do a food program and a clothing program, and we do a hydration program for youth sports.

Hi. I'm Alton Garrett. We also, helped with other communities throughout the neighborhood and make sure that everything is good with, far as the kids, the homeless, and other activities that surround the neighborhood.

We have a program where we go out and we assist in the community by volunteering. We do various, assistance with different programs where we help them and whatever programs that they have as far as food, housing, sheltering, bringing assistance to the community.

Thank you.

Do we have any questions for them? I have one question for you guys. If given the grant, how are you guys going to track that you guys are servicing Hisperia residents?

We will keep a sheet of all residents that we service by having them to fill out information for the card so that we'll know who we service, how many people we service, and who it's going to.

And once again, how many years have you guys serviced Hesperia?

Five years.

That's all I have.

I have a question. How many Hesperia residents do you feel you will reach out to this year and assist?

At least approximately probably about 500 or more. Thank you.

Where do most of your giveaways and activities occur? I see a flyer for house of worship, food for all in partnership with Swats, Friends Matter, and Victor Valley Village. Where do these usually take place?

At the house of worship. It's located? It's located on B And 7th In Victorville. In Victorville. Yes.

Thank you.

All right. Thank you.

New Life Food Ministry.

Good evening, committee members, council member Ochoa and staff. My name is Catherine Turrie and I'm here on behalf of New Life New Lifeline Food Ministry. We have, want to say thank you for supporting us last year with the grant and 100% of our allocation goes to food. As we do not have overhead, it's an entirely volunteer program, and our place where we store everything and distribute is at New Life Chapel on 7th And Hercules. We deliver to Three Palms residents who sign up, which is a senior apartment complex here in Hesperia.

And then, we also have other community members who sign up ahead of time and drive through and pick up. And we do this once a month on the second Saturday of the month, So, it's always the same day. And our items vary some, but are mostly staples. And so, whoever is signed up, if they stay on the program, they know what they're going to receive so they can plan their shopping accordingly. We also have many members who are veterans, so our food is purchased through the commissary at the Marine base in Barstow.

So, we get it at a little discounted rate as well. Otherwise, we have emergency food available for walk ins, and we do service outside of Hisperia residents for walk ins and that's because we have other ways of supporting the program besides the Hisperia grant. Do you have any questions for me?

And this question is just to confirm. So here I have New Life Food Ministries and then on our applicant chart right here we have New Life Chapel Food Pantry. Is that the same thing or?

Yes.

Okay.

And you said 100% of the grant last year went into food, none of it into overhead, correct?

Absolutely, every year.

Awesome. Yes. No further questions for me.

Thank you.

One second, this is just for me, excuse me. Just me.

How

many families do you feel you'll help this year? With your So

far from the allocation from last year, we assisted fifteen eighty six.

Thank you.

Thank you. Any other questions? No. Okay.

Thank you.

Assistance League, Victor Valley.

The possible oh, you can hear me just fine. I didn't know if I was too short.

Good evening, and thank you for the opportunity to speak with you tonight. My name is Lisa Hogerman, and I am proud to serve as president of Assistance League of Victor Valley. I'm here to share with you the impact of our signature program, Operation School Bell, and to respectfully ask for your support through the community assistance program grant. Operation School Bell is a program that we believe is truly unique in the Victor Valley. Through strong partnerships with local school districts, school liaisons identify students in need from transitional kindergarten through twelfth grade and refer them to us.

We then provide those students with the opportunity to shop for brand new school appropriate clothing. Students in transitional kindergarten through fifth grade receive up to a $125 in clothing, and students in grades six through 12 receive up to a $150 in clothing. They personally select the items they need, everything from shoes to jackets, ensuring they feel confident and ready for school. Last year, we served over 1,200 students across the Victor Valley, including 279 students from 25 Hesperia schools at a cost of over $32,000. But beyond the numbers, it's the moments that truly define this program.

We had a seven year old girl who chose a beautiful blue winter coat on an 88 degree day. She had never owned a new coat before. She twirled in joy with it and insisted on wearing it out of the store despite the heat. We've watched children take off worn out shoes and walk out of the store proudly in new ones that they picked out themselves. We've heard a child say, look, mom, I got my very own toothbrush, after receiving a grooming kit.

We've also met former recipients, like a mother who told us operation school bell helped her through a difficult time, and two girl scouts who returned years later just to say thank you. These moments matter because when a child is properly clothed, something powerful happens. They show up. They participate. They feel like they belong.

School surveys show that ninety nine percent of students maintain or improve attendance and eighty percent demonstrate positive changes in confidence, behavior, and engagement. We are an all volunteer organization. Our thrift shop and fundraising support our programs, but partnerships like yours allow us to reach even more children. At the end of each event, we are reminded that we are the lucky ones. We receive the hugs, see the smiles, and witness the confidence begin.

Your support helps ensure more children in Hesperia walk into school feeling prepared, included, and proud. Thank you for your time, your consideration, and for the opportunity to continue making a difference, one child, one outfit, one smile at a time. Thank you.

Thank you.

Do you have any questions?

I do. All of your funding is through your thrift store and your fundraising. Correct?

Yes. And grants that we apply for and hopefully receive.

And it says here you're going to you project to reach out to 320 Asperia students?

That's our yes. That's our goal. That's we yes.

Thank you.

You're welcome. And you?

Is this the first year you applied for this grant? I'm sorry? Is this the first year that you applied for this grant?

We applied for it. We have applied before and received it one time.

What year?

Might have been the first year that you were doing the GAP program.

Okay. No further questions for me.

Okay. Thank you.

Thank you.

New Life Facility.

Good evening, committee meetup members. Everybody in the seats back there. My name is Waylon Krennik. I am a counselor with New Life Facility. And because I believe it is appropriate for the program that we are proposing, I specialize in crisis de escalation and intervention among other things.

I'm gonna be kind of right to the point with this paperwork so I don't stammer my words, and I hope that's okay. We are here proposing funding for the Bridging Barriers program that we would like to run. Bridging Barriers is a community based program designed to help Hesperia residents connect to counseling, recovery support, and essential services that can move individuals and families towards stability, healing, and hope. New Life Facility serves people facing addiction, mental health challenges, family conflict, and other life disruptions that often become harder to address when support feels out of reach. For many residents, the issue is not whether help exists, but whether they can realistically get to it, understand it, trust it, and stay connected long enough for it to make a difference.

This program will focus on reducing those barriers in practical, compassionate ways. CAP funds will support outreach, intake assistance, referral coordination, follow-up support, and transportation related help for Hesperia residents who may otherwise delay or forego services. This includes individuals who are overwhelmed by systems, unsure where to begin, lacking reliable transportation, or trying to balance recovery and treatment needs with the family, work or housing instability. Even modest support at the right time can help prevent a temporary challenge from becoming a deeper and more costly hardship. This effort will also give New Life Facility a more hands on understanding of the specific needs, service gaps and barriers facing Hesperia residents.

As New Life Facility looks at the future possibility of opening a permanent office in Hesperia, this program will provide valuable community based insight to help ensure that any long term presence is responsive, informed, and rooted in actual local need. In community, this program is intended to meet people where they are and to help them take the next step forward. Outside of that program or, you know, project pitch there, New Life Facility has been operating in the community for the past four years. We have multiple peer support groups as well as outpatient counseling. We do food banks, Narcan training and distribution, and basically, we help people start a new life or empower them to be the change they wish to be.

With that, thank you all again for your time. I would like to ask if there's any questions.

So currently currently, your offices are in Apple the town of Apple Valley. Correct?

Yes, sir. We currently have two locations. One is in Apple Valley on Highway 18 in Teo Road, and then we have a secondary office we have just opened up in Needles, California in order to address the need out there, but it's not currently open for service at the moment.

Thank you. Any connection with New Life Chapel Food Pantry just because of name?

Right. So I was one of the starting members with New Life Facility as well. We realized a little bit too late that that name is taken already. We aren't directly affiliated with them. However, we have partnered in the past on shared common goals. Amanda Uptegrove is a wonderful person and is also a service to the community as well that I believe I know from New Life Ministries. But no direct partnership or or, I guess, relation, I guess, would be the best way I could say it, sir.

Awesome. Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

No further questions. Thank you.

Thank you all. I appreciate you.

Okay. I'm getting older. Yeah. That's what I'm realizing. Okay. Restore unity.

Hello, and good evening. My name is Amber Courtney Bobo. I'm proud to be the program manager at Restore Unity, where you get to serve our Hesperia community through food access, resource navigation, and work development. So last year, with the support of CAP funding, we met and exceeded our goals. Because of your investment, we were able to expand our homeless outreach efforts into what we now call RUN, Restore Unity Navigators, which is our newest program.

It's a community health worker led program designed to walk alongside individuals and families as they navigate health, social, and community resources. Since launching in late November twenty twenty five, 103 of our beneficiaries have enrolled and run, receiving one on one support with employment, housing, utilities and access to critical services. At the same time, our core services continue to grow through the Help Store, which is our client choice pantry. The Help! Store is designed to feel like a grocery store where individuals and families are able to select their own food based on their needs, dietary preferences and household size, restoring dignity, choice and promoting healthier outcomes.

Since January 1 alone, we've served eleven forty three individuals. Through those services, through our retail rescue efforts, we've saved over 12,700 pounds of food and redistributed back into the community through our help store, including two sixty four beneficiaries just this last week alone. This year, we are projected to serve over 3,000 unduplicated Hesperia residents, including seniors, veterans, and individuals who are differently abled. Beyond basic needs, we continue to have impact through our other programs, which is the Back to School Bash Every Year, Red Day, and Christmas for the Kids initiatives. As the need in our community continues to grow, so does our response.

With continued CAP funding, we will expand our RUN program, strengthen the health store, and continue building pathways towards stability, self sufficiency for our Hesperia community. So, I'm open to any questions if you have any.

So right

now we have a website on restoreunity.org. We are also listed on the San Bernardino County Pantry website, as last year we did receive a client choice seal from San Bernardino County, so we're listed on there as well. We're also listed on the community programs at the San Bernardino County SNAP program. So we do utilize the welfare to work or the WEX program recipients through the county programs.

My question is how do you track if they're a Hisperia resident?

So we have an intake that is completed for all of our beneficiaries. When they come in, they do complete a paper registration where we do ask them to complete the social determinants of health, which is not required, but we do encourage it. That information is then entered into a program called Salesforce, where all of our data is maintained. So everything is up to date and current on a minute by minute basis.

Very familiar with Salesforce, so no further questions for me. Okay.

Thank you. Okay. Thank you.

High Desert Animal Coalition.

Good evening. My name is Robin. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today on behalf of the High Desert Animal Coalition. Every day in communities like ours, cats and dogs are born into circumstances where they simply aren't enough of homes, resources, or support systems to care for them. The result is overcrowded shelters, increased euthanasia rates, animal abuse, abandoned animals left in the desert, some in crates, and countless animals living on the streets without adequate food, shelter, or medical care.

But there is good news. There is a proven solution for this problem, and it's spaying and neutering animals. Spay and neuter programs are one of the most effective ways to reduce animal overpopulation. A single, unspayed female cat and her offspring can produce thousands of kittens in just a few years. The same is true for dogs.

Without intervention, this cycle continues indefinitely, placing a heavy burden on shelters, rescue organizations, and the community. By funding accessible spay and neuter services, we address the problem at its source. These procedures prevent unwanted litters, reduce the number of animals entering shelters, and significantly lower euthanasia rates. They also improved the health and behavior of pets, reducing the risk of certain cancers, decreasing roaming and aggression, and helping animals live longer, healthier lives with their families. However, many pet owners who wanna do the right thing simply can't afford the cost.

For families facing financial hardship, a several $100 veterinary bill can be out of reach. This is where support from the CAP grant program becomes transformative. The grant we are requesting would allow HDAC to contribute $50 towards a spay or neuter to the residents of Hesperia. Also, resources are given to seek additional financial assistance. With the investment from the CAP grant, HVAC can prevent hundreds, potentially thousands of unwanted births each year.

That means fewer animals suffering on the streets, fewer over crowded shelters, and more pets able to remain safely with the families who love them. But beyond the numbers, this is about compassion and responsibility. It's about building a community where animals are valued, where shelters are not overwhelmed, and where preventable suffering is truly prevented. Your support would not only contribute towards the medical procedure, it would create lasting change. Each animal spayed or neutered represents generations of animals that will never have to struggle for survival.

Together, we can move from reacting to the problem to preventing it. We can give pets healthier lives, help families care for their animals responsibility responsibly, and make our community a more humane place for all. Lastly, thank you for your time, your consideration, and your commitment to solutions that truly make a difference. Any questions? Yes.

Do you guys do some sort of like catch and release program?

We don't have the volunteers. We have such a small staff. I am the only volunteer that answers the emails and the phones. And I would be the one tracking if we received the grant, and I would keep a spreadsheet with their address. And the cofounder did move to Arizona, but she does she helps me.

She makes the pledges. And then we also give other financial resources like actors and others for animals, pet assistance foundation. And there's a new foundation out in Apple Valley called the Lang Foundation. And they only charge $50 to somebody from Adelanto, Hesperia, and Apple Valley. Even though they help Hesperia residents, if you look out there, if you look on Facebook, and if you look on all the social media, people are abandoning these dogs out in the desert.

Do you know how a coyote kills? It's brutal. Those animals deserve a right to live and not to be abandoned. And if you spay and neuter, it's gonna help. Is it gonna fix the solution? I would hope so, but it's gonna be yours because we need to do the responsible thing.

Thank you.

You. Any other questions?

What's the average cost for a spay and neuter?

Okay. Hisbury Animal Hospital for their a cat. Okay? And these are their figures. For a female cat, it's $2.40. That provides the cone, the aftercare medication, and antibiotics, antibiotics. But if the cat is pregnant, it's another 200. If the cat's uterus is enlarged, it's another $75. So a person has to fill out this form. Let me tell you. I found a dog and I rescued it, and I'm filling out this form. And I'm going, what do you mean you win 200 if it bites somebody? So you get this form, and it scares people. And they wanna leave. For a male cat, it's a $140.

The average for a male cat is probably about $300 by the time you get all the medication. Hisperia Animal Hospital is probably one of the most affordable ones for the male cats.

Okay. And then from so let's say $1.40, then we give the resident $50?

Mhmm.

And so then that goes down to 90.

And then they're responsible for the rest. Correct?

Actors and others will contribute, like, usually 50. So sometimes we can get the bill down to, like, $30 for people, and that's doable for them.

But this grant only benefits them for $50 technically?

That is correct. That is correct.

You. No further

Thank you.

I have a question. Thank you.

Yes.

Has your organization received cap funding in the past?

I think two years ago, I think 2024. Last year we missed it by half a point.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I have a question. Yes.

Do you

does your organization offer any other veterinary services?

We can't because we don't have the funds. If we did, we could. When as the good old story, when COVID hit, a lot of things went went awry. And getting people to commit like fosters, we do have fosters for cats. And the president, she has a business here in Hesperia. We do a free shot vaccine clinic the second Saturday of every month, and we get the vaccines from the Petco Love grant. So we get that so we can offer that to the residents, but residents come from all around the desert.

Thank you.

I even had some guy come from LA. Thank you.

Thank you.

Holy Family Food Pantry.

Good evening. Thank you for having us here. My name is Bob Gonzalez and this is Susan Kolbeck. We're from Holy Family Catholic Church, Hisperia Food Pantry. I served the community for a long time at our High Desert families living in around Hisperia, California.

Our target population is the elderly, homeless, and struggling families. In the past two years, we have witnessed a significant increase in these meeting their needs and their health. We jumped from assisting 200 families to 300 families, which is an equivalent to 2,661 persons. This increase has and continues to strain our resources, impending our ability to give adequate support. We rely greatly in our parish community for food, donations, monetary health.

We also rely on Second Chance, Panera and the City of Hespero grant funds. Our budget expenses continue to increase, have exceeded $35,000 The expenses include purchases of essential food items such as meats, fruits, vegetables, and other necessities. I'm a volunteer and I get a chance to meet the families when they come and pick up food. Some of them are ashamed to be there and they let me know. I never thought I would be coming to a food pantry to get food for my family.

My husband doesn't have work. I need to take care of my children. And all they ask is thank you for being here every month, every two weeks and we serve all our Hisperia community. And they're different ages. They're young, old, veterans, handicapped, disabled.

So, we see the outcome of some of our members that come back. And one thing that doesn't cost money is a smile. And our food pantry smiles at them and tell them thanks for coming. I'm open for any questions now. No, ma'am.

Any denomination, the denomination, we don't ask those questions in regards to how do you say it, select people. This is called give and you don't look at anything, but their need and provide for them.

How do you track if they're a Hesperia resident?

They fill out a form for us.

They show their driver's license. About 90% are Hesperia residents.

90%.

Every visit that they come we ask for the ID and the residents of the information to register to make sure that we are serving the community.

Thank you.

Thank you very much. Have a good night.

Thank you.

Moses House Ministries.

Good evening. I'd like to start with thanking the committee for recommendations in the past years as well as the city of Hesperia for ongoing assistance for programs that serve the High Desert residents. Moses House Ministries turns 30 this year. We've been providing help and hope to families with young children living in the High Desert. Those programs include parenting education, individualized case management, including home visitation utilizing Healthy Families America.

We have basic needs supports. We have a client store at our office in Victorville that families earn store credit for through their activities in the community, whether that's attending WIC appointments, their prenatal appointments, any doctor's appointments, school activities for their children. We incentivize those, and they're able to gap fill areas in their homes that may not be provided by food banks, household consumables such as toilet paper, laundry soap, dish soap, other things that they may not have easy access to. One of our newest programs that we're launching presently is our marriage and family strengthening programs. So all of our services are designed to create a safety net for families with children that may be at risk for abuse and neglect through all of our services.

The Hesperia cap funding helps gap fill for our case management and home visitation programs, and ensuring that we have the fully funded staff members to be able to meet 15% of the families we serve come from Hesperia. And so it's always been an added support to ensure that families are well served. So thank you. Do you have any questions?

So the grant funding last year went to overhead?

No. Well, it's not overhead. They're direct program staff. They're providing they're the case managers that are well versed, well trained in community resources. We provide a an assessment called a targeted case management that looks at 19 indicators of risk within the home environment.

Those could be food insecurities, housing instabilities, presence of substance use, and we help them navigate through all of those services. Families that come to us prenatally are eligible for the home visitation program where we we meet them weekly directly in their home bringing those services and resources to them. The other portion of grant funding supports our partnerships with Hisperia partner sites, two of the two of which are Victor Valley Christian Church on Eucalyptus And 11th And Restore Unity. They provide classroom space for the Hesperia residents when we're doing parenting programs in the community.

And you said it covers 15%. Correct?

15% of the families we serve throughout the whole High Desert are Hesperia residents.

That's all for me as far as questions.

How

many years consecutively have you received the funding from Hesperia?

We were doing CDBG funds for a number of years until it got really cumbersome with, some of the consulting. When it came to the point that we were putting barriers in front of Hesperia residents by requiring them to provide proof of income rather than providing reportability of their income. We stopped applying for CDBG funds, not wanting to put a hurdle in front of Hisperia residents that no other residents had to fulfill. When the CAP program began, we have funded consistently through that with I believe this is just off of memory. I believe we had one year where we did not apply.

Thank you.

Mhmm.

How many paid staff members do you have on staff?

Once the marriage program fully starts, we will be at 14.

Thank you.

Chair Senator, I have one more white card. That brings us to a total of 18.

Pastor Paul Jones.

Good evening to the committee. Amen. If I say amen a couple of times, I'm used to it. Okay? My name is pastor Paul Jones. I run the Benjamin e Jones Community Resource Center. We are based out of San Bernardino. I live in Hesperia, California. And about four years ago, I started noticing there were problems inside of Hesperia that needed to be addressed. So we started helping out in Hesperia.

We would bring food up from San Bernardino. I would drop it off, hygiene kits, vouchers for hotels, put some of the residents that was behind Starbucks inside of hotels, and then try to find them a permanent housing. We've been in we've been a nonprofit for over fifteen years, and we love it. We the program that we have is called HELPERS. HELPERS stands for helping, educate and lead people effectively to resource services.

My what I've been doing for the last three years for the people in Hesperia is we love it. I mean, from hotel vouchers to permanent housing to helping with your ID vouchers, your Social Security replacement cards, and everything else. The program that I'm bringing here on the second Wednesday in May, starting the second Wednesday in May, is over off of Main Street and off the freeway. I'll be bringing 30 vendors every single month, and we'll be putting together everything from food to hygienes to Department of Probation to Animal Control to help people get their expungements from behavior health to everything else. I run a program in San Bernardino and been running it over ten years where every third and fourth Friday, we do the very same thing.

We have vendors to come out, vendors set up, and we help the community. We are we are maxed out at vendors in San Bernardino. So this is time to do something in my own neighborhood. Okay? And I'm just excited about it. Amen. One of the things that we say is we give because we're blessed, and we're blessed because we give. We have over 37 volunteers and we love doing what we do. Any questions? Oh, I did it.

So your facility is in San Bernardino and right now you guys are in motion to try to get one up here or?

Yes, to be exact right now we're even doing we have a program in Daggett, California. We have one in Barstow, California. And now I'm working on putting the office up here because my wife will not let me have one in the house. Pray my strength in the Lord.

And currently, right now, where do you host these food giveaways or

Well, that's the thing about it. We bring when when we get telephone calls or our we we have neighbors that are off the chain. They'll let us know about families that are in need of food and everything and different services. So when I come up and we have several people that work up in the High Desert, I mean, live in the High Desert. So we bring the stuff up to the people and we drop it off at their houses and everything. So now I wanna do the food program. I wanna do a complete food program.

We're fine.

Hygiene and everything else and I wanna bring these vendors up here to be able to service Hesperia.

Thank you.

How many Hesperia residents do you feel you'll reach out to this year?

1,500 to 2,000. Easy. If you have 2,000 in Hesperia, yes, I'll get all 2,000. Everybody needs food, everybody needs clothes, everybody needs the services that we offer, especially the vendors that we bring up.

On your application, I'm showing that's me. On your application, I'm showing that three fifths of your request will be for personnel.

Is it really?

Can you That's explain wrong. That's wrong.

Yeah. Nine times out of 10, the money that you all give us is just gonna go probably to help out with gas, but the food that we get, we get it. You guys shocked me when you your thing is called CAPS because we get our food from CAPS in San Bernardino, Community Action Partnership. Okay? So we get our food from Community Action Partnership. We bring up the truck and everything and we help out communities. So same thing we do in Daggett, same thing we do in Barstow. Yeah. So it's basically putting the money that you will get that I'm hoping that you all give us will be basically, yeah, to take care of the people in Hesperia.

Thank you. Mhmm.

Come on. Another question, please. Can I just note one thing? I noticed before over on, Maine and Alpha Escondido, there was a large encampment of homeless. And that's what really, really started tugging at me years ago because those people they need expungements on their records. They need department to come department of probation to come up. So that's the reason why I'm like, it's time to have Hesperia. It's time for me to do something up here in my own hometown.

Have no further questions. Thank you, sir.

Thank you very much. I appreciate you.

Helping Hand Society of Los Angeles.

Good evening, everyone, and thank you for the opportunity today to be here. My name is Sheila Lopez, and I'm the executive director for Healthy Hand Society of Los Angeles. First, I would like to thank City of Hesperia for the opportunity to speak today and for your commitment to supporting families in your communities. At Helping Hands, our mission is to lighten the burdens of families facing food insecurity while providing hope through essential resources. What began as a response to urgent need has grown into a large scale operations serving communities across Southern California.

Today, we support sixty hundred nonprofit organizations every week. And through those partnerships, we are able to serve over 22,000 families a month. This model allows us to multiply our impact by working alongside with local organizations that are already deeply rooted in their communities. We are also a food rescue agency in compliance with s b thirteen eighty three, working with businesses and municipalities to recover surplus edible food that will otherwise go to waste and redirect it to families in need. This is this not only helps us feed our communities, but also supports environmental sustainability and help cities meet state requirements.

Our work is centered around two core programs. We have two programs. One program is the iFeed food program, which provides food to a large volume of organizations that I just mentioned. We provide about 65 conversations every week, and we provide freshable and nonperishable food items to partner these partner agencies, creating consistent and reliable food supply across multiple communities. Our second program is a hands on food program where volunteers assembly grocery bags filled with fresh, nutritious items, vegetables, dry food, snacks, providing immediate relief with a personal touch.

We are already proud to be serving families in the Hesperia area through a number of partner agencies who are currently serving 2,000 families. However, we are now in need and now it is much greater. Our vision is to bring the same model to the city of Hesperia, expanding local partnerships, increasing access to food, and building sustainable system that can serve thousands more families every month. For us, this mission is also very personal. Helping Hands Society was opened on 2020 in the city of Los Angeles, but we currently my family and myself just moved to the city of Hesperia, and that's the reason why we would like to bring helping hands to the city of Hesperia.

We don't just see the numbers. We see families, neighbors, and individuals who serve with dignity support and opportunities. With your partnership, we truly believe that we can replicate this model successfully, strengthening local organizations, reducing food waste, and creating lasting impact for the city of Asperia. Thank you so much. And any questions?

I have a question. You mentioned you work with six nonprofits. Do you provide food to them or how do you guys partner up?

Yes. We provide food in bulk. That in detail is four piles of food, includes veggies, snacks, essentials like toilet paper, hygiene items. They pick up from our warehouse in the city of Vernon, LA area. So what we want to do is we want to bring it here so they don't have to drive up to LA and also provide food to families in Hesperia as well.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You so I have a question.

Yes.

So when I look at the applications, the first thing I do is I look at the proposed program and the proposed or the projected budget usage.

Yes.

On your application and what I whenever I see that the bulk of the grant money or the cap funding would go to personnel, that kind of doesn't make me happy. Because I think that this program is for tangible items and that are volunteer driven, etcetera to help the community. On your funding commitments, just want to make sure that this is probably a typo. That your other commitments source is $1,000,000 or $100,000

$100,000

$100,000

Yes. I can make a comment on your

Thank you.

Yes, I just wanted to say something. So we we partner with big companies, distributors, wholesalers. In the City of Mira Loma, we partner with Frito Lay and different companies that provide the food to us. So we have a large need of food, which is over 500,000 pounds every two weeks. So we do have the resources and we want to bring them to the city of Hesperia. And with the help of the city, we can make that happen along with what we already have in reserve for this project. Any other questions?

Just to confirm, so that 100,000 is reserved for Hesperia project? Yes. Okay.

To we want to open a warehouse in the city of Hesperia and be able to bring those two programs into the city of Hesperia. Same model at a smaller scale for now, but we want to do that.

Okay. And that that becomes available to you guys next month?

Yes.

Which is my wife's birthday. It's a good day. Thank you so much.

Thank you so much for your time. Have a good evening.

Welcome to America.

Good evening, everybody. Sorry for the way I'm dressed. I just got discharged from the hospital. I had an angiogram this morning, but I refused to miss this meeting, so I'm here. My name is Inez. I am a Department of Justice accredited representative with Welcome to America. I am also a community health worker and program director. We provide legal services as well as community health workers for the community. We opened our office in January 2024 that provided legal services. And last year, January, we opened up our another office, different suite, same location, to provide community health worker services.

We use EHR which is an electronic health record system to track Hesperia residents as well as Docketwise for the legal services. We currently serve about 75 to a 100 residents per week. I have been self funded for about sixteen years. I actually drive to Long Beach every weekend. I work there. All of that funding, bring it here to fund our organization and keep it open. So I've never asked for a grant. This is my first time in almost twenty years. So this grant would really help the organization with helping more Hisperia residents. We have really strong relationships with doctors and hospitals.

As community health workers, our job is to find out what is going on in their life that it's affecting their health. So we visit patients inside the hospital, emergency room, in their home, virtual, to make sure they have health care and to connect them to resources and things like that. Well, I think I'm done. Do you have any questions? Thank you so much.

Oh, just one second. Thank you.

Oh, yes. Yes.

It's C on the top.

Oh, okay. I see it. We're good. Thank you. We're good.

My question for you is, how do you track if they're Hesperia residents?

Docket wise is for the legal services. It's a platform and we also have EHR which is electronic health record systems. We have a contract under DHCS. So we have to have an electronic health record system to track everyone. And this grant

so you have proposed, Hisparius, residents that it will serve will be 1,500 people if you get this grant?

Right now, it's about 75 to a 100 a week, So it's probably more than that, to be honest with you, and this is my first application. So Yeah. Yeah.

Thank you.

That's all I have.

Yeah. Anyone else?

I think we're good. Thank you.

All

right. Thank you.

Little Lambs, Tanya. Excuse me, Ortegaon, I believe is the last name.

Good evening, committee members. My name is Tanya and I serve as the Director of Little Lambs. Thank you for the opportunity to share today. At Little LEMS, we serve families right here in our Hisperia community who are doing their very best but are still falling short when it comes to basic needs. One of the most overlooked and urgent needs we encounter is diapers.

Many people don't realize that programs like WIC and SNAP do not cover diapers. That means that parents, especially young families, single mothers and grandparents raising children, are left to figure this out all on their own. And when resources are tight, diapers quickly become a daily stress. We've met Hesperia families who are forced to stretch diapers longer than they should or choose between buying diapers and putting food on the table. This affects not just the child's health and comfort, but dignity.

That's where we come in, Little Lambs. We are a 20 fourseven outreach service helping families. And through our distribution program of diapers, baby clothes, baby food, formula, baby equipment such as strollers and car seats, Little Lambs provides consistent, reliable support to families in need. Each month, we serve local families in a structured, respectful, and organized way, creating not just relief, but stability. What makes our program especially impactful is our commitment to partnership and collaborations alongside organizations such as Mustard Seed, Abundant Living Family Church, and Panera Bread.

And to extend our outreach and resources, we've also built relationships with community leaders like Amanda Uptergroove from City Council and New Leaf Ministries. Most recently, we've connected with the sheriff department in hopes to reach families who may otherwise go unseen. We also partner with Rockin Disabilities and All Call for Life Centers because we believe working together to support every family with dignity and care is important. These partnerships allow us to maximize impact and ensure that help is getting exactly where it needs to be. With your support, we will be able to expand our reach by serving more families, increasing numbers of diapers distributed, and strengthening the network of support already in place.

We operate with a strong commitment to accountability. We track every distribution, rely on dedicated volunteers, and ensure that the majority of the funds go directly to the program services in Hisperia. But more than numbers, this is about impact. When a parent knows they have enough diapers, a baby food formula for the week, stress goes down. When a baby is clean and cared for, health improves. And when Hesperia residents feel supported, our entire community becomes stronger. Thank you so much. I didn't get to finish, but I'm ready for any questions that you may have. Just a little bit more. Is that okay, Kelly?

That's fine. I mean, that's up to the chair, but

Okay. Another thirty seconds. Thirty seconds.

That okay?

That's fine. Thirty seconds.

Okay. So, thank you so much. We serve 200 children, 160 families. We are projected to double that this year in the city of Hesperia. We're not just distributing diapers, we're stabilizing families, and we're doing it together with strong partnerships, shared vision, and commitment to serve. We will be honored to partner with the city of Hesperia and to continue and grow the mission. Thank you so much for your time.

Questions?

I have questions. So you currently partner with Mustard Seed, that's the Christian store on

Yes, on Bear Valley.

Great people over there.

They are.

And you said rocking our disabilities as well?

Yes. They've been gracious to Dana? Yes. Perfect.

All right. Again, everybody knows what I'm looking at. I'm looking at where your funding is going and I'm seeing that 100% of your funding would be going to equipment and I'm assuming I. E. Diapers or Correct.

Baby resources. Thank you.

And if I heard correctly, you guys are going to home to home to go drop off the supplies?

Whatever they need. Yes.

And it's more than just diapers?

It is more than just diapers. Yes. We come and bring hope, but we do offer more resources as well. What other resources? Food. I mean just anything babies would need. Swings, I just delivered swings and strollers and car seats. Whatever mom needs, we're going to find it.

And can you repeat the number one more time for me? You said you're going to double this year?

Yes. Is

that with or without the grants? Without.

We're going to double one way or another.

And what was that number one more time, please?

200 children, 167 families. And we're now heading into the churches in the Hisperia area so that we can reach the community in a larger way.

Thank you. That's all I have. I have

a follow-up question. Have you received this CAT funding before?

Never.

Any CBDG funding in the past?

Never. Thank you.

Thank you. That's all for me.

Thank you for your time.

Simba Center.

Good evening. My name is Nettie Jackson. I am the special projects adviser for Simba Center. We are the current service provider for the city of Victorville's wellness Center project. This evening, we are here to talk about an opportunity to partner with the City of Hesperia in providing coordinated entry system services to the at risk and to the homelessness.

Right now, we are known as the regional access point here in the High Desert, which means we are the two eleven. So every day, we are providing coming out in the region. So our region encompasses City Of Hesperia, Victorville, Apple Valley, Barstow and all of the small cities that are considered the High Desert. Our numbers that we are looking at and being the regional access point since November, we have come out here and we have touched 120 people. And our goal as the regional access point is we're linking them to services.

So not only am I excited to be here this evening to hopefully gain a little bit extra money from you guys and providing that extra support, but hearing all these extra providers that are out here that we can potentially link your community members with. The most important thing as the regional access point for the High Desert, right now, Hesperia, because there isn't an appointed person really to provide the service of getting the unsheltered to coordinated entry through the county, we would provide that support. So what does that mean? We would come out, do the assessments, and make sure that that individual who meets criteria for severe and persistent homelessness is advocated for at the county so that they can get into housing. Right now, we don't have that resource.

We have have been coming out here, but we're not out here enough to provide equity to this area. So with that, we at Simba Center, we are willing to advocate for Hisperia being a part that we are your service provider for the High Desert. Any questions?

Do you currently serve Hisperia?

We sure do. But it's only I only have like a quarter of a staff. So what does that mean? You probably get a half a day from us right now because we're required to come out here. When we get a call from our the main line, which is Inland SoCal two one one, we take that referral and we come out.

So there are times where I have come out because my staff is off duty already that I have come out after hours to make sure we get that assessment done and get that person appropriately linked. Pastor Paul Jones has called me to support, and we have supported each other in trying to make sure that the Hesperia resident who who is homeless at the time gets the resource that is needed. Any other questions?

I just wanna say, so I am fairly familiar with Symbicenter. Very, very proud of Bowtie Bryan, Doctor. Bowtie Bryan and Doctor. Smith because this was just an idea when I first met them. And so to see how far it's gone, I'm just ecstatic, you know, and I know it's not the end of it.

So Yeah.

Just to give you a little update, since we have opened become the service provider at the City Of Victorville's wellness center, We have or I have been instrumental in helping them open up a wellness center for the City Of Fontana, which is called The Path, and we recently helped the City Of Ontario open up their wellness center as well. And as of today, the city of Chino is looking to for extra support from us as well. So we're willing to come in and provide support to our our High Desert members who are deserving of that that extra level of support that they need.

I have two questions. So one question is, how many beds do you guys have and and are some of those beds just set aside for his spare residents? Or is it just Okay. First come, first serve?

Simba Center is not a shelter. So the city of Victorville, that is their project. We are the service provider. The city of Victorville wellness center has a 170 beds. Those beds are prioritized to the city of Victorville. Folks, we've had City of Hesperia and Apple Valley and surrounding cities come in. So how do they come in? They come in through what we have is called recuperative care. We are the recuperative care providers. So if I see a City Of Hesperia person out here who is in need of critical medical services, we will have them go into the hospital and we tell them or we advocate for them to get recuperative care.

That individual is referred to us because we are the recuperative care provider, the first in San Bernardino County. And that's how that citizen from Hisperia will come into the wellness center. Thanks

for clarifying that. Thank you. You're welcome. And you answered the second question within that. So, I'm good. Thank you so much.

Okay. Any other questions? Thank you.

Tanaia's Precious Moments Foundation.

Greetings, everyone, to the committee, council member, to everybody here, familiar faces. My name is Irene Carey. I go by Nicole since a lot of people can't pronounce Irene. I am a mother of six kids, one who was murdered back in 2006 from a coward of abuse. I'm also a victim of domestic violence.

So her her purchase moments were supposed to be set in stone back in 2006. That didn't happen. After my mom passed in 2009, I just threw it to the back of my head. I've been out here in Hesperia for about a year now, moved from Barstow, California. So Tonight's Precious Moment Foundation was created to meet a deeply felt need in our community, the need for safe, supportive, and healing center spaces for our children and families who are navigating hardship, grief, or crisis.

In the High Desert, many families face barriers to emotional support, resource access, and stable environments where children can feel safe and cared for. Our foundation was built to fill those gaps with compassion, structure, and community connection. Mind you, her foundation was just started November. The mission is to inspire by the life of Legacy Tania, whose memory continues to guide our commitment to turning pain into purpose. Through this program, I aim to provide families with mentors and knowledgeable people the support that is often difficult to find, especially during moments of loss, instability, or emotional distress.

I focus on three core areas: supporting families in need, creating safe spaces for children, and offering healing informed environments for grieving parents and caregivers. Our foundation also prioritized accessibility. We intentionally designed programs that are free or low cost that is community built events, help families feel safe supported. This aligns directly with CAP's goal of improving quality of life, supporting vulnerable residents, and strengthening community well-being. An investive investment in tonight's Precious Moment Foundation is an investment in the emotional health and long term stability of health of Hesperia families.

With cap funding, we can expand our reach, increase program capacity, and continue building sustainable support network that uplifts children and families for years to come. And with that being said, every child has a safe place where they can grow, heal, and thrive. Thank you for considering my proposal and supporting programs that bring hope and healing to the community. Any questions from anybody?

How does a community find your services?

Technically, I do not have any involvement with anybody. As a single mom, I have been reaching out to different community helpers, leaders, and I get nothing. So, so far, I do it out my home. Pass out food, clothes, she just had a Not her per se, but her foundation had a clothes giveaway back in December to where we collected clothes, went and drove to every little area. There wasn't no targeted space.

Whoever I saw, here you go, just recently gave I don't like to use the word homeless, so my brothers and sisters in Christ, there's a guy that sits on the freeway by Bear Valley across from Arco, gave him a food box. Everything is recorded. Like I said, with mentorship, knowledgeable people, I'm new to this. I'm not afraid to say it. So with their help, we can all win. We can all build this community. If people just reach back out to me instead of judging, let's get this ball going because we all can help this city of Hispaniola and more communities.

Thank you. Any

more questions? You're welcome. Anybody else?

Have you received any cap funding in the past?

This is my first time.

Any CBDG funds? Thank you.

Nope.

Thank you.

God's hand extended.

Hi, my name is Susan Padilla Conway and this is Yolanda Lugo and we are representing our Clothing Closet that we have had in the Hisperia now for about three years. Actually, been longer than that because we used to partner with Restore Unity. So thank you City Council Advisory Committee and several of our partners in the audience who help us serve Hesperia residents each and every day. Once again, thank you for the trust and support you've shown us over the years. We come before you once again with gratitude and with hope as we ask for continued partnership in serving some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

Since 2008, God's Hand Extended has been a place where people come not just for help but for dignity. Through our free weekly clothing closet, we serve individuals experiencing homelessness, those reentering society after incarceration. We serve the foster youth, low income seniors, veterans and residents facing barriers to employment. For many, something as simple as clean clothing becomes the first step toward rebuilding confidence, securing a job and feeling seen again. We cannot do this alone.

Through the partnerships with local agencies and nonprofits in Hesperia, were able to reach the seniors, the foster youth, and veterans who might otherwise fall through the cracks. Together, we are creating a network of care that meets people where they are without judgment. In collaboration with Hesperia First Assembly, we opened a shower program available to anyone in need. For those living on the streets or in an unstable condition, access to a shower is more than hygiene, is dignity, restoration and a chance to feel human again. I'm sorry.

It's often the difference between isolation and the courage to take the next step forward. The same spirit of care extends to our youth through our SHOWER program partnerships with Hisperia school districts from elementary to high school. We've helped establish clothing closets on campuses and provided shoes, socks, coats and warm clothing. These are not just items, they are tools that help a child walk into school with confidence instead of embarrassment, ready to learn instead of worrying about what they lack. The need is real and it's growing.

Between July 2025 and June 2026, we searched six twenty five individuals, including two thirty three unduplicate residents of Hesperia. In just the first eight months of this program year, 157 Hesperia residents have already turned to us for help, for this does not include the students at the school districts that we help through their locations. Each number

I'll recommend waiving time.

I'm sorry? Okay, thank you. Each number represents a person, a story, a moment of hardship met with compassion. Looking ahead, we expect to serve even more six eighty four unduplicated individuals in the coming year, including two thirty six unduplicated residents in Hesperia. With your support through CAP funding, we will be able to continue providing essential resources such as clothing storage systems, hygiene kits, cleaning supplies, emergency vouchers for hotels and for those facing crisis situations like extreme weather.

Your investment is more than funding the program. It's restoring dignity, creating opportunity, and reminding people that are not forgotten. We remain committed to serving with compassion, respect, and accountability. Thank you for your time, your trust, and continued support. Please note that we have over two fifty volunteers in the nine ministries that we have. We will never have a paid employee, and we are under the covering of the High Desert Community Foundation, who we are responsible to provide Any monthly

questions?

I have one, and it possibly might just be a typo. It says here from July '5 through June '6. We haven't gotten to June '6 yet.

We've

observed 06/25.

Right here let me look at that real quick. Between July 2025 June 26, you're correct, that's a typo.

Would that be like '24 to '25?

Yes.

I also wanted to show you guys this is our intake form, and this is why Yolanda is here. She is the one that takes it with all of our residents who come in. And the reason we have what we have on here is, like I said, we have nine different ministries, and we work closely with Rock in Our Disability, who is my cousin, Moses House, the SEMBA Center, the Village, the Assistance League, and we're just all over the High Desert. Between the two of us, we have one hundred and thirty five years in the High Desert. I've been in the High Desert sixty five years, and she's been in the High Desert seventy years. We are natives of the High Desert. Thank you, guys. Any other questions?

You received the cap funding in the past?

Yes, sir. How many years? The past three years.

Any CBDG funds from the city of Victorville or any of the neighboring cities?

Now you're going make me cry. We have not submitted applications because our grant writer was experiencing breast cancer, bone cancer, and brain cancer. So we have been funding ourselves for the past three years. Thank you. You're welcome.

Thank you. Thank you.

Call for life.

Hello. My name is Sandra Cruz, and I am here tonight on behalf of Call for Life Pregnancy Center here in Hesperia. Before I begin, I would like to thank you for giving the pregnancy center the opportunity to be one of the candidates to qualify for this grant. Call for Life is a nonprofit, 100% unpaid volunteer based and ran pregnancy center. The center has been located in Hesperia for over twenty years.

The center helps families in need with baby and toddler items free of charge. We start services for pregnant women in their eighth month of pregnancy. Services begin from newborn up until the age of five years old. Clients are able to come in once a month to receive whatever items that may be needed. Items offered are formula, gently used clothes, as well as gently used baby equipment.

Call for Life serves close to 200 families every month. Our families include for Hesperia is about 700 children, members here of Hesperia. We average 15 to 20 clients every month as the Hesperia and High Desert population grows. All items, services are free, are given free at the center. The center also provides parenting classes as well as resources available to those that are in need for additional assistance.

Since we are a nonprofit, 100% volunteer based agency and there is never any monies exchanged, The entire staff of volunteers are not paid. All our funds come from generous donors and fundraisers due to the high rising cost of living and the influx of both new and old clients. The grant would help call for life tremendously as our costs have gone up significantly. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you all tonight.

I have a question. Do you guys serve all pregnant women?

All pregnant women, yes. Anybody comes in and come in as early as six months, seven months. When they do come in in their ninth or eighth and ninth month, they do get a layette, which is pretty much a basket full of everything that might need for the baby when they get out of the hospital and if they don't have the clothing or whatever it might be, the basket holds, wipes, diapers, onesies, blankets, everything that the expectant mother might need. And then when they come back, that's when the services start for the babies.

Thank you.

Have you received cap funding in the past?

Is it this one? Yes.

From the city of Asperia?

Yes. Yes.

When was the last time?

Last year was the only year, I believe, we did not receive it.

Have you received any CBDG funds from any other surrounding cities?

No.

No. Other than the baby items that you give away, are there any other services you provide?

Parenting classes. We also partner up with other nonprofits, which we're very familiar with all the faces here today. So anything that we don't have in our center, we connect our clients with, so they will never leave empty handed with any need.

Thank you.

And how are you tracking if it's a Hesperia resident?

We still do it the old fashioned way. We write them in. We we, Intake form. In intake form, and we're still doing it by hand. And I and identification.

Yes. Yes.

Thank you. Thank you.

Any other questions?

Oops. I'm sorry.

Questions, so we're good. That's okay.

Thank you. Alrighty. Thank you. Thank you.

U. S. Elite nonprofit.

Good evening, all. My name is Tariq Malik, and I represent US Elite nonprofit mathematics tutoring, which is five zero one c active and registered, serving students here in Hispania. I believe there are many students in this community who are capable of success in math and other subjects, but especially in mathematics, which is most of the students struggle. And since we are math specialists, we believe that, many students are failing behind simply because they do not have access to consistent academic support outside the classroom. Our program provides structured math tutoring to help students improve performance, build confidence, and stay focused on track academically, which make them successful in their life.

We are actively serving students in the community and have partnerships with Victor Valley College, Victor Valley High School, and Excelsior Charter School, which allows us to stay directly connected to student needs and deliver meaningful academic support. The program provides a direct and measurable benefit to Hispani residents by supporting students, families, and strengthening educational outcomes in the community. However, our our ability to provide free tutoring services is directly dependent on available fundings. When funds are available, we are able to provide free tutoring to students in this area. When funds are exhausted, we are not able to continue providing those services at no cost.

So this becomes a very clear and practical decision whether funding will be made available so that his various students can receive free academic support or whether that opportunity remains limited. One of the greatest gifts community can give its children is access to quality of education. Therefore, we're respectfully requesting City Hall cap 5,000 in funding to support our tutoring services, program delivery, and student learning materials. With your support, we can continue delivering free tutoring to Hispaniard students without funding. That support cannot continue at the same level.

I respectfully ask for your support and approval of this funding request. Thank you. Any question?

How many students in Hesperia are you currently tutoring?

Before I answer your question, when we are helping one student, it's not a one time help. It's let's say if a child come to us, he's in academic grade five, grade six, we support him not only one month. We help them three times a week, which means we are taking 12 classes a month. The student stays with us for ten months. When the school is open, the student is with us.

When the student is closed, which means June, July, the school is closed, so the student stays with us for ten months. So if I'm supporting one student, this means I'm helping the student 120 times in one year. And that student doesn't stay with us for one year. That student next year comes back with us. So one student stays with us minimum of five years.

So right now, we started with one. When we got the funding from the CARES, we increased the students up to 10. Now right now, we are limited on the funding. So the strength of these various students are only five. But I do also have an international partnership with Middle East countries, which we introduce like IELTS scores. Over there, we help like 50 students. But as far as your answer is concerned, currently, we are helping only five students for this area. But five student means you have to multiply it by 120 times. It's because it's not a one time help.

I have a question. And where are you guys currently helping those five Hisperia students? Is it at the Hisperia school? Is it home based?

So let's say if any child needs help, first question will be whether you need an in person at your residence or at my residence. I do have the facilities available at Victor Valley College, but I never need it I never used it, but I have a space available at Victor Valley College. I also have a space available at Excelsior School, but I never used it because whenever we ask the students where you need the help, either they say come, they come to our house. I have allocated it's a home based nonprofit company, so I have allocated two rooms in my house for this purpose. So most of the time, the students either they come to our house or we go to the student's child's house.

Third option, we give to the Hesperia library, but they hardly they always prefer either their own residence or they come to our residence. But we do have spaces available if they need.

Thank you.

Have you see received the cap grant funding in the past?

In the past one year? Last year? No.

Any CBDG funds from any other surrounding communities?

I I have applied about 16 more grants right now. I'm still waiting on it. I I received two refusals. Then for some reason, I was stupid. I missed out the Victorville Victorville's grant by submitting my application late.

Do you partner with HUSD at all?

His fair school, we are trying to get in, but you are not helping.

Right now it's just the charters, correct?

I have Excelsior Charter School with partnership, His Fairy, Victor Valley High School and Victor Valley College.

Thank you.

How do the students find your resources?

I have a website.

And

I'm very active on social media. I have everything on social media also. But I have a very good website.

I have one more question. Do you guys only help low income students?

Yes. Good. Thank you. Thank you so much.

Last but not least, Child Advocates of San Bernardino County.

Thank you for your time. My name is Tamika Corbin. I'm the operations manager for Child Advocates, and this is my colleague, Kimberly Sewell. So Child Advocates of San Bernardino County, we recruit, screen, train, and supervise dedicated community volunteers to serve as court appointed special advocates or what we call CASAS, for children and youth involved in the dependency court system due to abuse and neglect. Each CASA volunteer is assigned to one youth or sibling set and provides consistent one on one support while gathering information from teachers, caregivers, social workers, therapists, and other professionals involved in the child's life.

Volunteers build meaningful relationships with the youth and mentor them. Our CASA volunteers prepare written court reports and recommendations that help the judges make informed decisions regarding the child's safety, permanency, and overall well-being. The program emphasizes stability and advocacy for youth who often experience frequent placement changes and lack of consistent adult support. CASA of San Bernardino County staff provide ongoing supervision, guidance, and training to these volunteers to ensure high quality advocacy and compliance to the court standards. We currently have 13 employees for the entire San Bernardino County.

We have an office in San Bernardino, and an office in the High Desert is in Apple Valley. Currently, in our Apple Valley office, we only have three. We're two of the three for our Apple Valley office. We're trying to grow our High Desert office so we can better serve our High Desert people without the huge commit of our other staff coming up and down the hill. As you know, San Bernardino County in this high desert goes all the way up to the state line of Nevada.

We serve a lot of the rural areas, even those trailers if you're driving and you just see a random trailer off the freeway. If there's a child there, we have to still support them there in San Bernardino County. Right now, our push is to gain more volunteers and get the support so that every child has a CASA and is being represented. Any questions?

You received cap funding in the past? No, sir. CBDG funding?

Yes. From Victorville.

And currently, how many I guess, many kids are you servicing in Currently, we have 20 kids

in Hisperia. That fluctuates because kids get moved around. So we have a tracking system that is also tied into the county and the courts that tell us the demographics of the kid when they're moved. And then, like, she's a she's an advocate supervisor, so she's in contact with the social worker. So we know, like, kinda in real time if our kids are moved, so then the is aware of it. Because the CASA and the advocate supervisor are sometime the only constant adult in this kid's life if they're being moved from foster home to foster home or group home to group home. So we try to put eyes on them so then they know that we're still here, we're still supporting you, and, you know, it's a familiar face for them.

And if you get this funding, how does that change the numbers you guys serve?

It changes the numbers that we serve because right now, as our advocate supervisor, for the High Desert, she has the highest caseload as far as that goes. So if we can get another advocate supervisor, then more kids that we can actually start pulling from the caseload, because we have a pretty vast wait list right now, even for the High Desert, to where we need someone to supervise them. Because the advocate supervisors, they have to be supervised by someone that's, you know, sworn in from the court system.

So would it go from, like, 20 to 40 or 20 to 30?

Yeah. We want it to go from 20 to to 40 if we can get 50 kids in there, as many kids as we can get support for and get them off that wait list and may let them know that they're supported.

Thank you. Thank you. The

the bulk the bulk of your the bulk of your funding comes from San Bernardino County. Is that correct?

Correct.

And you have no offices in Asperia?

We don't have an office. Right now, we have a small office at the Apple Valley Inn because that's what was affordable. You know, we don't splurge us just one room and we're all in one room. So actually, we're trying to once we get ready to expand, if we're able to get more staff, we want to actually move into closer towards the 15 Freeway to where we're more accessible to the High Desert. So I've looked in, Victorville. I've looked in Hesperia. For us, it's about being able to have the space that we need, but also to make sure that it's going to be something affordable. We're not trying to have a plush office, just enough space to put some desk in there.

And, again, my questions are hard, is when I see that all your cap funding request is for personnel, I can't see that you're going to double the need of 20 currently unduplicated Nisbury resident services to 40 on a $5,000 cap grant for personnel.

Well, it will it will help because our push is, like I said, to expand our office, Right? So all of our our we're only paying staff. Everyone else is all volunteers.

Thank you. Thank you.

Public. Yes. So public comment is is now over. So can we call up Connor? Baker staff, please come up for the community assistance program presentation.

Right. Good evening. Thank you, honorable chair, esteemed committee members. My name is Connor Biggerstaff. I serve currently as the administrative analyst for the city's economic development division and I currently have the privilege of being the program administrator for the CAP program.

Tonight I have a brief presentation for the committee just going over the community assistance program. So the community assistance program, it's facilitated by the economic development division. It is funded through the city's general fund. Each year, 50,000 is allocated to support our local nonprofits. Grants are currently set to $5,000 per grantee, and we have a proposed increase scheduled for the June 2 City Council meeting to 75,000 or 7,500 per grantee.

To be eligible for this program, CAP applicants must prove that they are an IRS verified five zero one(three) nonprofit organization. City Council established program guidelines for this program through Resolution twenty twenty four-thirty seven. This established the following priority funding category areas. That would be food and clothing, unhoused, youth and foster, disability, senior and veteran, and animal care services. The overarching goal of the CAP program is to support Hisparean non profits that serve at least 75% of our residents.

The community assistance program schedule began on January 13 with our notice of funding availability also known as the NOFA being published to the Victorville Daily Press, which advertised application availability beginning on January 30. Additionally, reached out to previously interested parties via e mail. We posted on social media advertising this program and advertised through word-of-mouth through our partners such as the High Desert Chambers of Commerce. Applications were then made available through March 13 to any and all interested parties. On February 11, city staff hosted three program workshops, two were in person and one virtually to update applicants of program changes with compared to the previous year and bring new applicants up to speed for the current year's application.

For those who were unable to attend these workshops on this day, staff made themselves readily available, whether it was through phone call, virtual meetings or in person to discuss any questions and walk them through any questions or concerns that they might have had for this application. Following the March 13 due date, staff worked to verify application completeness for today's April 2 meeting. Staff presented scoring members with a binder full of all eligible applications to score and we are delighted to announce that we had 19 applications submitted by the deadline that were deemed complete by staff. Upon conclusion of tonight's meeting, the scores tally will be presented to City Council on 06/02/2026. As noted previously, City Council codified the program's guidelines with Resolution twenty twenty four-thirty seven and this included desired priority funding for this program.

As part of the application, applicants were required to demonstrate a financial need. Section D on this application, as shown here, requires applicants to describe their proposed budget and detail all other sources of funding for their proposal. As noted earlier, the current budget for this program is $50,000 If City Council approves an increase of funding on June 2, 10 applicants awarded for the upcoming program year would receive $7,500 each. We did want to highlight some recent adjustments for this program. Compared to previous years, NOFAs are now published two weeks earlier.

This has allowed staff to provide applicants extra time to submit applications to the city. Staff also coordinated to hold tonight's CCAC meeting out of the usual schedule, I'm sure you're all aware, meeting a month later than usual. And our goal with this was to allow the committee to have more time to review all applications that were submitted. As previously stated, tonight's CCAC meeting will record the scores for the 19 submitted applications. The top 10 will then move on to City Council on June 2 for final review and determination.

Any additional changes for the program will be made at City Council on June 2 And this concludes my presentation. Does any committee member have any questions for staff at this time?

I have one question. Yes, How were the workshops attended this year?

The workshops were attended pretty well. We were delighted. We had about 10 in person for the initial session. So the in person sessions, they were held at noon and 6PM. I will say that the noon session actually had more applicants available. We had nine there. The later session at six had three and then the online one that we held at three p. M. Had about nine people.

Perfect. And first of all, just want to make the statement. So great job, Connor, to you and staff for creating this new criteria for us to fill out. I think last year, we had a little bit of uncertainty. This year, create clarity. So I just wanna thank you and staff for taking the time to do that. I'm sure it wasn't a overnight thing. So, no further questions for me.

I don't have any questions. I just want to commend you on a great job you did on putting this packet together. It was much more easier to navigate than last year. We truly appreciate it. Thank you.

That's the goal. Appreciate it. Thank you.

Thanks, Connor. Everything look great. Thank you.

Thank you, Connor.

I just want to say that being on the City Council Advisory Committee for a while, it was imperative for us to reach out to the community and have

those

workshops available for the applicants to go over and see what they missed. And I know that a couple of us council member committee members were drivers in implementing that so that everybody had a fair playing field and they knew exactly what they needed to supply to be eligible and didn't get disqualified. So with that in your hand in this, putting everything together, I think you've made this a little more seamless for us this year. So thank you.

Appreciate it. Thank you. Okay. Seeing as there are no additional questions we will move on to official scoring for tonight's application. For the public CCAC members were provided binders containing 19 eligible applications to score.

Within these binders, staff included tally sheets as an aid to help committee members score as seen here. I'll pull this up real quick. Perfect. Okay. So very similar to a school assignment, each tally sheet weighed applications on a score of one to 100 on how well each application responded to the questions posed.

The questions included criteria such as did the application present a clear need for Hisperey residents? Did the application fall under a priority category area desired by counsel? Did the application demonstrate a clear financial need among other criteria? Have all committee members had time to submit let me rephrase, do any committee members need additional time to fill out their scorecards Or have any further clarifications before we go to official scoring?

I just have a clarification. You and I spoke about it earlier and

I just

wanted the other committee members to be aware of it. Two of the applications, you gave them a score of zero. If the application submitted is a program project that falls under the city cap categories and you gave two of them a zero when actually when I read into it, they should have had that full score of 10 on those two.

Yes.

To make it fair with everyone. I just want to make the other committee members aware of those two.

Yes. So just to be clear to committee members as well as the public, staff did review and vet. Committee members reserve the ultimate right to score however they feel. These are simply to serve as an aid to help us score and help you better determine which priority applications you'd like to fund.

I guess before we move on, I would like to make a statement as well.

Yes, sir.

Is that this is hard pressed work for us. Obviously, we want to give $5,000 or $7,500 or $10,000 to each of the agencies. Being a resident of Esprit for fifty four years, it's good knowing that we have nonprofits that work with the other nonprofits to be successful for our community. So with that, when you hear the scores or you that you may or you may not like, keep in mind that we can't service all 19 of the applicants. And ultimately, it lies with the City Council at their hand of who they're actually going to choose.

We're just their advisors. They can take our advice or they can't. With that being said is that for as long as I've done the cap funding process or the CBDG funding, I always like to have at least a couple of new people get the funding so that we can have a different route of assistance. Again, hearing you all working together anyway, I'm assuming that we're all going to continue to work together. So with that being said, I'll yield back. Thanks.

Last call. Any additional time needed for scores?

Okay. So I do have a quick to add on. So we have we had 19 applicants and 18 came to to speak. And and trust me, I've the last three years, you know, public speaking has been something very new to me. So I know that it's not the easiest.

So I understand you guys on the other side. I don't know if it's possible if there's some type of point deduction if someone doesn't come and come and speak, right, for future future reference for the applicants. I I wouldn't like to just a 100% disqualify them. Obviously, life happens sometimes, but I also think that, you know, people coming up and speaking, there should be some type of reward for that. And then if they don't, there should be some type of negative.

I hear you loud and clear. So if it does help during the workshops, staff did explain and encourage while we cannot mandate public speaking, it is strongly, strongly encouraged. Am actually very happy that we had 18 members of the 19 show up tonight. Each committee member reserves the right to dock points how they feel. As you point out, if they are not present here, maybe they're not as committed as they submitted their application. That ultimately is reserved to each and every one of you on how you'd like to score that application.

Okay.

I do have one more comment. I'd like to thank everyone who showed up and spoke tonight. I'm in agreement that it helps to come up here and talk to us and tell us your story and tell us what you want. I actually changed one, two, three, four, five, six of my scores because of what I heard from people. So we might really wanna impress that to the others. The one who didn't show it, you know, even if you don't make it this year, please come back next year.

Again, those for the for those that did attend the workshop as well as communications we had, we've also encouraged if they themselves are unable to attend, send some sort of representative to at least try to answer any questions that you might have or give that final call for their application.

Perfect. All right.

Thank you.

I think we're ready, Connor. Unless we have anybody else. So

yes, at this time, we'll have each committee member audibly state their score for each application. It's going to be slightly different than the Pride enhancement program we had earlier. So just for example, as if I was a committee member, I would say applicant one, ninety eight points, applicant two, ninety six points, applicant three, eighty seven points until we get through the full 2019. Does that make sense? Perfect. Okay. We will start with Committee Member Escobar, if you can.

Applicant one, ninety three. Applicant two, seventy. Applicant three, one hundred. Applicant four, ninety eight. Applicant five, seventy. Applicant six, seventy. Applicant seven, eighty nine. Applicant eight, seventy. Applicant nine, seventy. Applicant ten, ninety eight.

Applicant eleven, ninety eight. Applicant twelve, sixty five. Applicant thirteen, ninety nine. Applicant fourteen, ninety three, applicant fifteen, seventy, applicant sixteen, seventy, applicant seventeen, eighty five, applicant eighteen, seventy, applicant nineteen, ninety.

Perfect. Thank you, Committee Member Escobar. Committee Member Greg, are you ready at this time?

I'll yield for a minute.

No problem. Okay. Committee Member Cisneros? Caught you off guard, sorry.

Applicant one, ninety eight Applicant two, seventy five. Applicant three, one hundred. Applicant four, eighty four. Applicant five, a 100. Applicant six, ninety four. Applicant seven, ninety. Applicant eight, seventy two. Applicant nine, eighty six. Applicant ten, eighty three. Applicant eleven, ninety eight. Applicant twelve, fifty two. Applicant thirteen, eighty nine. Applicant 14, a 100. Applicant fifteen, seventy six. Applicant sixteen, sixty five applicant seventeen, seventy applicant eighteen, sixty four applicants nineteen, eighty.

Okay. Thank you, Member Cisneros. And sorry, I should have clarified this with you, Ms. Escobar. These all look accurate on the screen?

They look accurate.

And Ms. Cisneros, is this confirming that this looks accurate as well?

Yes.

All right. Committee Member Lugo at your leisure.

Applicant one, eighty four. Applicant two, fifty five. Applicant three, ninety eight applicant four, eighty three applicant five, one hundred applicant six, eighty six applicant seven, eighty applicant eight, seventy five applicant nine, ninety six applicant ten, sixty four applicant eleven, eighty four applicant twelve, fifty one applicant thirteen, ninety four applicants fourteen, ninety five applicant fifteen, sixty three applicant sixteen, ninety five, applicant seventeen forty six, applicant eighteen fifty nine, applicant nineteen seventy three.

Thank you, Committee Member Lugo. Excuse me. Does this all look accurate on the screen?

Yes, sir. Does.

Thank you, sir. Committee Member Arsenada, at your leisure.

Applicant one eighty seven, applicant two eighty two, applicant 391, applicant 483, applicant 584, applicant six, eighty six, seven applicant seven, ninety, applicant eight, eighty eight, applicant nine, eighty, applicant ten, seventy eight, applicant eleven, ninety two, applicant twelve, eighty, applicant thirteen, eighty one, applicant fourteen, eighty nine, applicant fifteen, seventy nine, applicant sixteen, seventy six, applicant seventeen, seventy six, applicant eighteen, seventy eight, and applicant nineteen, eighty seven.

Thank you, Committee Member Arsenada. Do these all look accurate on the screen? Yes. Thank you for confirming. Committee member Greg, do you need more time?

I'm ready.

At your leisure, sir.

Applicant one, seventy five. Applicant two, thirty. Applicant three, sixty. Applicant four, sixty. Applicant five, ninety. Applicant six, thirty. Applicant seven, seventy. Applicant eight, forty. Applicant, nine, seventy. Applicant, ten, thirty. Applicant, eleven, ninety. Applicant, twelve, seventy. Applicant, thirteen, eighty. Applicant fourteen, ninety. Applicant fifteen, thirty.

Applicant sixteen, fifty. Applicant seventeen, thirty. Applicant eighteen, twenty. Applicant 1940.

Thank you, committee member Greg. Do these scores look accurate? Do you have any corrections? Okay, perfect. Thank you so much committee members. At this time, we are going to call a yes?

May I just get clarification, Leti, on what your number 8 was?