PICKED TWO DAYS. YES PLEASE. AND DID ANYONE DOING A MOBILE SESSION. OKAY. WE WE'RE ROLLING. 
          [Roll Call: Chair Gerlach, Binder, Napoli]
          [00:00:09]
ALL RIGHT. SO I'D LIKE TO CALL THIS CED MEETING COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MEETING TO 
          [Recompete Update: Allentown Works and Workforce Development]
ORDER TONIGHT. WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO VOTE ON. WE'RE JUST GOING TO GET AN UPDATE ON THE RECOMPETE. MYSELF, AS WELL AS MY COLLEAGUES ARE ALL PRESENT WHO ARE ON THIS COMMITTEE. SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU, MISS KESSLER. WHOEVER ELSE IS SPEAKING, I'M. I'M GOING TO TURN IT RIGHT OVER TO MANU FROM EDC, WHO'S OUR PRIMARY PARTNER IN ALLENTOWN WORKS. ALL RIGHT. 
          THANK YOU, THANK YOU. AND GOOD AFTERNOON. SO I WANT TO GIVE COUNCIL A BRIEF UPDATE ON WHAT WE WHERE WE ARE WITH ALLENTOWN WORKS AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN BUILDING DURING THE FIRST PHASE OF THE PROGRAM AND WHERE WE'RE NOW IN OUR IMPLEMENTATION PHASE. JUST AS A REMINDER, ALLENTOWN WORKS WAS FUNDED THROUGH THE EDA RECOMPETE PROGRAM SPECIFICALLY TO ADDRESS THE PRIME AGE EMPLOYMENT GAP, OR PAEG IN OUR PRIORITY NEIGHBORHOODS. SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SIX CONTIGUOUS CONTIGUOUS CENSUS TRACTS ACROSS FRANKLIN PARK, CENTER CITY, AND THE FIRST AND SIXTH WARDS. THE PAGE IS APPROXIMATELY 12% IN THESE ALLENTOWN WORKS PRIORITY NEIGHBORHOODS ALTOGETHER, COMPARED WITH APPROXIMATELY 6% CITYWIDE. SO THIS IS OUR GOAL TO REDUCE THIS PRIME AGE EMPLOYMENT GAP. AND BASED ON THE DATA AND THE RESEARCH THAT INFORMED, FIRSTLY, OUR APPLICATION, WE KNOW THAT THIS REPRESENTS AT LEAST 101,122 PRIME AGE RESIDENTS LIVING IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS AND WHO ARE DISCONNECTED FROM THE WORKFORCE THROUGH ALLENTOWN WORKS. OUR GOAL IS TO CONNECT AT LEAST 659 OF THEM BACK TO EMPLOYMENT AGAIN. AS A REMINDER, THE PROGRAM IS PRIMARILY SERVING BETWEEN 25 AND PEOPLE BETWEEN 25 AND 54 YEARS OLD THAT LIVE WITHIN THIS AREA AND ARE CURRENTLY UNEMPLOYED. SO OUR GOAL IS NOT ONLY TO HELP RESIDENTS FIND A JOB, BUT TO HELP THEM ADDRESS THE VIRUS, KEEPING THEM DISCONNECTED AND CONNECT THEM BACK TO A PATHWAY THAT CAN LEAD TO LONGER TERM EMPLOYMENT. SO DURING 2025, WE'VE BEEN OUR FOCUS WAS ON BUILDING THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE NEEDED TO PUT TO IMPLEMENT ALLENTOWN WORKS. THIS YEAR, WE USED THE PHASE ONE STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT GRANT FROM THE EDA TO DEVELOP THE PROGRAM MODEL TO INCLUDING THE PARTICIPANT PATHWAY, ALL THE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE, THE OPERATING GUIDELINES, AND THE ROLES OF ALL THE ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED. WE ALSO SPENT SIGNIFICANT TIME ENGAGING RESIDENTS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS THAT INCLUDED OUR POWER COHORT OF ALLENTOWN RESIDENTS, INTERVIEWS WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR EMPLOYERS, AND OUTREACH AT DIFFERENT COMMUNITY EVENTS. AT THE SAME TIME, WE WORKED WITH OUR COMPONENT PROJECT PARTNERS TO ESTABLISH SUBAWARD AGREEMENT AND PREPARE EACH PART OF THE PROGRAM FOR OUR EIGHT COMPONENT PROJECTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND ALLENTOWN WORKS. OUT OF ALL OF THESE IS INTENTIONALLY BUILT AS A NETWORK RATHER THAN AS A ONE ORGANIZATION PROVIDING ALL THE SERVICES. AND THAT NETWORK IS NOW CURRENTLY INCLUDING FOUR RESOURCE NAVIGATION AND FOR CAREER COACHING, THE WORKFORCE FOR LEHIGH VALLEY CENTRAL, PROMISE, CASA GUADALUPE, AND SAINT LUKE'S FOR EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY TRAINING, THE LEHIGH CARBON COMMUNITY COLLEGE, LEHIGH CAREER AND TECHNICAL INSTITUTE, IBEW, CEDAR CREST COLLEGE AND SOME OTHER TRAINING PROVIDERS FOR THE CHILDCARE STRATEGY. THE LEHIGH VALLEY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, COMMUNITY SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AND RESURRECTED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FOR THE TRANSPORTATION STRATEGY. LANTA. 
          THE COALITION FOR APPROPRIATE TRANSPORTATION, KNOWN AS CAT AND COMMUNITY BIKE WORKS, AND FOR REENTRY SERVICES. THE MUHLENBERG COLLEGE, THROUGH THEIR INSIDE OUT PROGRAM. 
          SPECIFICALLY FOR DATA AND EVALUATION, WE'VE ENGAGED WITH LEONARD PARKER INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH, AND THEN SOME EMPLOYERS AND WORKFORCE PARTNERS THAT WE ARE STILL ENGAGING WITH ARE AND LOOKS GOOD SHEPHERD, PHOEBE, AND SOME OTHERS THAT WE CONTINUE TO ENGAGE AS THE PROGRAM DEVELOPS. AND I'LL SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THAT. SO THIS YEAR, 2026, THE PROGRAM MOVED INTO FROM PLANNING TO IMPLEMENTATION. AND DURING THE FIRST PART OF THIS YEAR, WE FOCUSED HEAVILY ON ONBOARDING PARTNERS AND PUTTING THE PARTICIPANT INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE. WE HAVE NOW A TEAM OF ALLENTOWN WORKS RESOURCE NAVIGATORS WHO ARE THEMSELVES LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS, THAT ARE WORKING DIRECTLY IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND THAT WE'RE TRYING TO REACH. THEY ARE CURRENTLY BASED AT OF OF SACRED HEART, SAINT LUKE'S SACRED HEART LOCATION, ALSO AT CASA GUADALUPE AND THE ALLENTOWN TRANSPORTATION CENTER. AND PARTICIPANT SERVICES BEGAN IN JUNE. AT THE BEGINNING, IT STARTED LIKE A SOFT LAUNCH, ATTRACTING, DOING OUTREACH IN A, IN A, IN A, IN A LIKE SMALLER MANNER TO BE ABLE TO TEST ALL OF OUR PROCESSES AND EVERYTHING THAT WE WERE PROVIDING. AND WE ARE NOW INCREASING OUTREACH AND WE'RE FULLY OPEN AND PROVIDING SERVICES FOR, FOR RESIDENTS. THE PROCESS. HOW'S THE PROCESS? WHEN SOMEONE GETS TO THE PROGRAM, THE PROCESS STARTS WHEN SOMEONE IS REFERRED TO THE PROGRAM VIA THE OUR GET CONNECTED FORM, WHICH IS A FORM THAT'S AVAILABLE ONLINE ON THE WEBSITE, AND ANYONE CAN ACCESS IT AND EITHER ENROLL BY THEMSELVES OR REFER SOMEONE. A RESOURCE NAVIGATOR WILL THEN MEET WITH THEM AND THEN UNDERSTANDING FIRST OF ALL, 
          [00:05:01]
WHERE THEY'RE AT, THEIR EMPLOYMENT GOALS, THEIR SKILLS, HOW, WHY THEY'RE JOINING OUR PROGRAM AND ANY OTHER BARRIERS THAT MAY BE AFFECTING THEIR ABILITY TO WORK. FROM THERE, WE DEVELOP THE APPROPRIATE NEXT STEP DEPENDING ON EACH CASE. SO EACH PATHWAY IS GOING TO DIFFER DEPENDING ON THE PARTICIPANT. AND THAT COULD MEAN CONNECTING SOMEONE TO TRAINING, TO TRANSPORTATION, CHILDCARE OR OTHER SERVICES AND CAREER COACHING. SO ALL PARTICIPANTS WHO MOVE FORWARD ARE CONNECTED TO A CAREER COACH. AND THIS, THIS COACH WILL WORK WITH THEM TO MORE CLOSELY, MORE CLOSELY DEVELOP THEIR CAREER PLAN SKILLS, SPECIFICALLY WHAT SKILLS THEY SHOULD DEVELOP AND WHAT ARE THEIR STEPS THAT THEY WOULD PURSUE TO GET TO THAT, ULTIMATELY TO THE TO THEIR JOB SEARCH IN TERMS OF TRAININGS AND CAREER PATHWAYS AVAILABLE, A MAJOR PART OF THE PROGRAM IS CONNECTING PARTICIPANTS TO. WE'RE FOCUSING ON SHORT TERM TRAINING THAT CAN SERVE AS AN ENTRY POINT INTO EMPLOYMENT AND THEN AS A LONGER TERM CAREER PATHWAY AS WELL. OUR PRIMARY INDUSTRY FOCUS IS, ARE, AS YOU MIGHT KNOW ALREADY, MANUFACTURING AND HEALTHCARE, WHILE ALSO SUPPORTING PATHWAYS INTO THE SKILLED TRADES AND OTHER OCCUPATIONS WHERE WE SEE THAT EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES ARE ALSO OPEN AND GOOD PAYING JOBS. SO SOME OF THE TRAINING PATHWAYS THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING INCLUDE. I WANTED TO SHARE SOME EXAMPLES WITH YOU TODAY, AN INTRODUCTION TO MANUFACTURING COURSE THAT'S OFFERED BY CTI. 
          THERE'S AN ELECTRICAL APPRENTICESHIP THAT WE'VE DEVELOPED WITH IBEW, PROVIDING ALSO AN ENTRY POINT TO THE ELECTRICAL TRADES. THERE'S SPECIFIC BRIDGES PROGRAMING FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS SO OFFERED BY ICI. AND THOSE ARE GOING TO BE FOCUSED ON COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSE, CDL OFFICE ASSISTANT AND CNA. AND THERE'S ALSO ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND JOB READINESS PROGRAMING THAT CAN PREPARE PARTICIPANTS TO ENTER INTO OCCUPATIONAL TRAINING OR EMPLOYMENT. THE FOCUS, THE FOCUS OF ALL OF THESE IS ON PRACTICAL, SHORT TERM TRAINING THAT CAN HELP SOMEONE MOVING FROM BEING DISCONNECTED FROM THE WORKFORCE TO BEING PREPARED FOR A SPECIFIC JOB CAREER PATHWAY. AND THE KEY OF ALL OF ALLENTOWN WORKS IS THAT WE KNOW THAT TRAINING ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH. IF SOMEONE CANNOT GET TO A CLASS OR JUST NOT HAVE CHILDCARE, OR FACES ANOTHER IMMEDIATE BARRIER TO PARTICIPATING IN ANY OF THESE TRAININGS OR PATHWAYS, THEY WOULD THEY WOULDN'T BE ENGAGED WITH THE WORKFORCE EITHER. SO A LITTLE BIT OF OUR CHILDCARE AND TRANSPORTATION STRATEGY, CHILDCARE, CHILDCARE IS FOCUSED PRIMARILY ON PROVIDING TEMPORARY SUBSIDY SUPPORT SO THAT PARTICIPANTS CAN ATTEND TRAINING AND THEN EITHER GO THROUGH THE HIRING PROCESS OR ANY TRAINING THAT THEY'RE ASSIGNED TO, BUT ALSO TRANSITIONING INTO EMPLOYMENT WHILE THEY WORK TOWARD A LONGER TERM CHILDCARE ARRANGEMENT. AND AT THE SAME TIME, THEY CAN BRIDGE THAT THAT STEP OF GETTING TO THE JOB. AND ON TRANSPORTATION, WE'RE DEVELOPING SEVERAL OPTIONS DEPENDING ON THE PARTICIPANTS SITUATION. SO WITH LAND AND THE PARTNERS THAT I'VE SHARED BEFORE, WE CAN OFFER VALLEY RIDE CREDITS, BICYCLE, AND OTHER FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE WHEN APPROPRIATE. SO THAT MEANS DEPENDING ON EACH PARTICIPANT'S CASE, THE GOAL IS TO USE THESE SUPPORTS STRATEGICALLY TO ADDRESS THAT BARRIERS THAT ARE ACTUALLY PREVENTING SPECIFIC PARTICIPANTS TO MOVE FORWARD. 
          AND WE'RE WHERE WE ARE TODAY, SPECIFICALLY IN IN JUNE, WE SERVE, WE OPENED THE PROGRAM, WE LAUNCHED SERVICES. AND AS OF TODAY, 109 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN REFERRED TO ALLENTOWN WORKS. 
          AND THOSE REFERRALS CONTINUE EVERY DAY AND EVERY WEEK. AND THEY COME IN THROUGH MOSTLY PARTNERS, DIRECT REFERRALS FROM OTHER PARTICIPANTS, FROM UNITY EVENTS, JOB FAIRS, CITY EVENTS. 
          AND WE CURRENTLY HAVE AT LEAST 18 INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE MOVING THROUGH THE INTAKE PROCESS AND 15 INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE FULLY ENROLLED AND RECEIVING SERVICES ALREADY. SOMETHING IMPORTANT I WANTED TO TO POINT OUT OF THE MODEL IS THAT EVEN WHEN SOMEONE COMES TO US AND IS NOT ELIGIBLE, OR THEY CAN'T MOVE FORWARD IN THE PROCESS IF THEY DO NOT ULTIMATELY QUALIFY FOR ALLENTOWN WORKS, WE DO NOT. WE DO NOT WANT THAT PERSON TO SIMPLY REACH TO A DEAD END. AND WE ARE VERY, VERY CLOSELY CAN GET REFERRALS TO THOSE OTHER SERVICES THAT ARE ALREADY AVAILABLE IN ALLENTOWN AND ALSO IN THE LEHIGH VALLEY. SO IN TERMS THIS IS HOW WE'RE TODAY AND IN TERMS OF WHAT COMES NEXT AND WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS, OUR FOCUS IS GOING TO BE ON GROWING WHAT WE SAY BOTH SIDES OF THE PROGRAM. ON THE PARTICIPANT SIDE OF THINGS, WE'RE GOING TO BE ADDING ADDITIONAL ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE, CONTEXTUALIZED TO THE WORKPLACE SERVICES AND JOB READINESS COHORTS, EXPANDING THE TRAINING PATHWAYS AVAILABLE AND INCREASING OUTREACH AS WELL, PROMPTING SUCCESSFUL REFERRALS. 
          WE ENGAGED A LOCAL PROFESSIONAL PROFESSIONAL MARKETING FIRM TO SUPPORT AND EXPAND OUR COMMUNICATION EFFORTS. SOME OF THEM INCLUDE DEVELOPING DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA EFFORTS, BEING PRESENT AT COMMUNITY EVENTS, CANVASING, WHICH ARE THE STRONGEST, AND THE ONES THAT ARE MORE EFFECTIVE, AND WORKING WITH MORE NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS THAT CAN IDENTIFY AND REFER THOSE RESIDENTS TO THE TO THE PROGRAM. AT THE SAME TIME, WE'VE ALSO ENGAGED WITH ACCELERATORS FOR AMERICA AND THE SKILLS INITIATIVE, AND THEY ARE SUPPORTING US WITH EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT. SO NOW THAT THIS IS THE OTHER PART OF THE PROGRAM THAT I'M SHARING, WE'RE GOING TO BE FOCUSING ON NOW THAT PARTICIPANT PATHWAY IS OPERATING. OUR PRIORITY IS GOING TO BE TO CONTINUE TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH EMPLOYERS, IDENTIFYING THOSE 
          [00:10:03]
CURRENT JOB OPPORTUNITIES, AND MAKING SURE THAT ALTHOUGH THOSE TRAINING PATHWAYS AND SUPPORTS ARE DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO JOB OPENINGS. SO WE HAVE MOVED FROM 2025 TO 2026 FROM PLANNING TO IMPLEMENTATION. AND THE NEXT PHASE. IT'S MOSTLY ABOUT RAISING THE NUMBERS OF RESIDENTS ENTERING THE SYSTEM AND CONTINUING TO IMPROVE THE PROCESS, AS WE ALSO LEARN FROM THESE FIRST PARTICIPANTS THAT ARE COMING THROUGH THROUGH THE PROGRAM. I THINK I'M GOING TO PASS IT TO SCOTT TO ADD SOME ADDITIONAL. SURE. THANK YOU. MANU. THAT WAS A GOOD OVERVIEW OF THE ENTIRE PROGRAM, WHICH HAS EIGHT COMPONENT PROJECTS BUILT WITHIN IT. ONE OF THE COMPONENT PROJECTS IS COMPONENT PROJECT SEVEN, WHICH IS A DCS URBAN SITES PROGRAM. SO WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROGRAMS, ATTEMPTS AND INITIATIVES TO REMOVE BARRIERS FROM THE WORKERS. WE'RE ALSO ENGAGING ACCELERATOR FOR AMERICA TO ADDRESS AND INTERACT WITH EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY, TO HOPEFULLY BRING THE EMPLOYERS INTO THE SOLUTION PROCESS AS WELL. ANOTHER COMPONENT OF THAT IS, IS URBAN SITES WHERE PEOPLE WORK. AND OBVIOUSLY, IF YOU CAN WALK TO A REASONABLY GOOD PAYING MANUFACTURING JOB, AS I PRESENT PRESENTED TO TO CITY COUNCIL SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, THAT'S THAT REMOVES SOME OF THE BARRIERS TO TRANSPORTATION AND PROVIDES OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOCIOECONOMIC GROWTH. SO A DC HAS ALREADY PURCHASED 801 WEST GREENLEAF STREET, WHICH IS A 36,000 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING AT EIGHTH AND GREENLEAF. WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT OF SALE FOR A PROPERTY ON SUMNER AVENUE THAT WE'RE UNDER CONTRACT ON, AND WE'RE NEGOTIATING AN AGREEMENT OF SALE FOR A THIRD PROPERTY WITHIN THE CITY TO HELP PROTECT AND GROW THESE URBAN MANUFACTURING SITES SO THAT PEOPLE CAN WALK TO MANUFACTURING JOBS. IF YOU RECALL, THE DATA I SHOWED YOU A FEW MONTHS AGO SHOWED THAT POST COVID, A LARGER NUMBER THAN BEFORE COVID, OF ALLENTOWN RESIDENTS WERE GOING OUTSIDE THE CITY TO GET MANUFACTURING JOBS. SO IT SHOWED A WILLINGNESS OF OUR OF OUR CONSTITUENTS TO WORK MANUFACTURING JOBS, BUT JUST UNDERSCORES HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT THOSE OPPORTUNITIES ARE CLOSE TO THEM BECAUSE THAT HELPS IMPROVE CHILD CARE, IT HELPS IMPROVE VEHICULAR ACCESS. IT JUST PROVIDES ANOTHER PIECE TO THE TO THE PUZZLE BETWEEN THE THE REMOVAL OF BARRIERS, THE EMPLOYERS AND THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE SITES. SO THAT'S OUR THAT'S OUR SUMMARY FOR NOW. WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. OKAY. THANK YOU. I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL GO AHEAD TO MY COLLEAGUES, MR. BENDER OR MR. NAPOLI. THANK YOU. SO I GUESS A COUPLE QUESTIONS. ONE FROM THE PRESENTATION FOR THE. BASICALLY, IT SEEMED LIKE WE WERE WALKING THROUGH A FLOWCHART. IS THERE IS THERE A PUBLICLY AVAILABLE DOCUMENT THAT SAYS, OKAY, IF YOU'RE ENTERING AT THIS POINT AND THEN YOU GET THIS, THIS IS THIS IS WHERE YOU DEVIATE, WHETHER IT'S A TRANSPORTATION MODEL OR IF THE CHILD CARE MODEL, LIKE IS THAT EXIST SOMEWHERE. I'LL LET YOU RESPOND TO THAT. BUT JUST KEEP IN MIND TOO, THAT THIS IS NOT A, A TYPICAL FLOW PATH BECAUSE YOU CAN BE ON LIKE ONE CONSTITUENT CAN BE RECEIVING SERVICES SIMULTANEOUSLY. SO THEY COULD BE SIMULTANEOUSLY ON MULTIPLE PATHS. AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY WHERE LIKE ONCE WE GET THEM IN THE DOOR, THEY'VE GOT ACCESS TO RESOURCE NAVIGATOR AND THEN A CAREER COACH. AND SO LIKE ONCE THEY'RE ON BOARDED, THEY REALLY HAVE TREMENDOUS ACCESS TO WHATEVER IS AVAILABLE IF IT FITS THEIR NEEDS. OKAY. YEAH, WE LEFT YOU A COPY OF THE REFERRAL IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH. 
          AND ONCE SOMEONE IS REFERRED TO THE PROGRAM, ALL OF THE OPTIONS LIKE ARE LISTED AND AVAILABLE TO THEM. AND THERE ARE ALSO PROMOTIONAL FLIERS THAT ARE OUT AND ABOUT AND ARE DISTRIBUTED, SAYING WHAT THE PILLARS ARE AND WHAT YOU'RE ELIGIBLE FOR. OKAY. BUT I MEAN, REALITY, IT'S LIKE THE BEAUTY OF THIS PROGRAM IS WORKING WITH PEOPLE AT THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL. SO WHILE WE HAVE A FRAMEWORK AROUND THAT, EACH PERSON IS GOING TO NEED DIFFERENT THINGS. AND SO TRYING TO FORMALIZE THAT OR CODIFY THAT INTO A INTO A FLOWCHART, I DON'T KNOW HOW PRODUCTIVE THAT WOULD BE ULTIMATELY. YEAH, I WAS JUST ASKING THE PREVIOUS PRESENTER SEEMED TO BE GOING THROUGH IT. THAT'S WHY I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF THERE WAS A THIS IS WHEN YOU WHEN YOU BRANCHED WITH THIS DECISION. BUT I UNDERSTAND IF YOU'RE DOING MULTIPLE PATHS, WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE, IT'S REALLY, REALLY COMES FROM THE RESOURCE NAVIGATORS AND THE CAREER COACHES. OKAY. AND THEN FOR THE VARIOUS, I COUNTED ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, BE IT TRAINING, CHILDCARE, TRANSPORTATION, SORRY, I WAS TAKING NOTES REALLY, REALLY QUICKLY. IS THERE A SPECIFIC BUDGET ITEMS, CONTAINERS FOR THOSE EACH EACH ONE OF THEM I THINK OF FOR THE. AND THEY SAID THERE'S 15 PEOPLE THAT ARE CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN THIS. IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE TRANSPORTATION. ONE, DO WE HAVE A CEILING FOR THAT? OR IS IT KIND OF. HOW DOES ALL THAT WORK FROM A BUDGETING PERSPECTIVE? YEAH, THERE ARE IN SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE PROGRAM ELEMENTS, THERE ARE MAXIMUM AMOUNTS, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THERE'S A LIMIT TO IF IF YOU HAVE MULTIPLE TRACKS THAT YOU CAN PARTICIPATE 
          [00:15:02]
IN IN MULTIPLE. RIGHT. THERE'S NOT LIKE A MAX PER PARTICIPANT. THERE'S NOT LIKE A MAXIMUM PER PARTICIPANT ESTABLISHED, IT'S PER ITEM. AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THAT PLANNED AND THEN WE CAN, OF COURSE, EACH SITUATION IS ADDRESSED INDIVIDUALLY. SO IF SOME SITUATION NEEDS TO BE LIKE THAT, MAX NEEDS TO BE REVISED BECAUSE OF ANY SITUATION. WE WOULD DO THAT. THAT WOULD BE THE THAT WOULD BE THE RESOURCE NAVIGATORS LIKE DETAILING THE PROCESS. BUT YES, THERE IS A GUIDELINE FOR US IN THE IN THE OVERARCHING APPLICATION TO EDA, THERE WERE BUDGETARY ITEMS FOR EACH OF THE DIFFERENT COMPONENT PARTS, AND THOSE HAVE LARGELY STAYED INTACT. WE'VE MADE A COUPLE MODIFICATIONS HERE AND THERE. AND AGAIN, THE THE PROGRAM IS A IS A PILOT. AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, THE ESTIMATIONS THAT WE MADE THAT EDA LOOKED AT THAT SAID, OH, THIS MAKES SENSE. WE MAY HAVE TO AMEND SOME OF THOSE. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A, THERE'S A PROCESS IN PLACE TO BE ABLE TO ADJUST AND ADAPT. IF WE FIND THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAD ALLOCATED FUNDS TO PROGRAM A AND PROGRAM B, AND PROGRAM A IS OVERSUBSCRIBED AND PROGRAM B IS UNDERSUBSCRIBED WELL, OBVIOUSLY WE IF WE FELT IT WAS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS, WE'D LOOK TO ADJUST THAT THAT INTERNAL BUDGET FROM ONE PROGRAM TO THE OTHER. AND THEN I APPRECIATE THAT. WHO ULTIMATELY IS MANAGING? IS THAT A EDC OR LIKE. SO IF SOMEONE'S LOOKING AT, SAY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SPENDING $20 MILLION GRANT AND WE'RE SPENDING $18 MILLION ON TRANSPORTATION, WE'RE NOT DOING THAT. BUT I'M JUST USING IT AS AN EXAMPLE IS SOMEONE WHO MANAGES THE LIKE, OKAY, THIS IS SEEMING TO CREEP. WE NEED TO REEVALUATE. SURE. SO OBVIOUSLY EVERYTHING GETS REPORTED BACK TO EDA, AND EDC IS THE PRIMARY SUB GRANTEE. SO IT'S THE EDC BOARD WITH ADVICE FROM THE STEERING COMMITTEE THAT WOULD MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT LIKE THAT. BUT WITH, YOU KNOW, FULL COMMUNICATION WITH THE CITY OF ALLENTOWN TOO. SO WE WOULD. OKAY. AND THEN FOR THE 659, I KNOW THAT'S THE THE TARGET NUMBER FOR THE GRANT THAT OR THE PROGRAM, THE 15 THAT ARE ALREADY ENROLLED, I'M ASSUMING THAT. 15 COMES OUT LIKE THAT. 659 THEN GETS GETS REDUCED BY 15 BUT IS IT IS THERE A TERM IN WHICH THAT PERSON IS IN THE PROGRAM THAT'S COUNTING LIKE, IS IT IS IT LIKE, HEY, YOU, YOU, YOU'RE IN THE PROGRAM, YOU GOT THE SERVICES RIGHT NOW AS OF DAY ONE, THAT NUMBER TICKS DOWN. AND NOW LIKE, I GUESS WHAT I'M ASKING IS LIKE, HOW HOW'S THE LONGEVITY OF THE. THAT'S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION AND MAY ADD TO WHAT I, WHAT I START WITH, WE IDENTIFIED EARLY ON THAT I MEAN, CITIES, BY THEIR VERY NATURE ARE PLACES WHERE PEOPLE START. AND, YOU KNOW, FOR DECADES, PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE CITY AS THEY GROW THEIR SOCIOECONOMIC CAPACITY, SOME OF THEM STAY IN THE CITY, SOME OF THEM MOVE TO THE OUTER PARTS OF THE CITY. SOME OF THEM MOVE OUT OF THE CITY ENTIRELY. AND TO THINK THAT THAT AUTOMATICALLY WOULD STOP WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THIS PROGRAM WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE A VERY VALID ARGUMENT. SO WE'VE IDENTIFIED LIKE, WE'RE GOING TO FOLLOW ALL OF THESE INDIVIDUALS AND CHART THE THE TRAJECTORY THROUGH THAT, BECAUSE I WOULD ARGUE LIKE, WE'RE NOT SPENDING $20 MILLION ON 600 PEOPLE, WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD A BETTER OPPORTUNITY LADDER FOR PEOPLE, WHICH CAN BE USED OVER AND OVER AGAIN. SO WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING THROUGH THE, THE FIRST 600 AS PART OF THIS PILOT PROGRAM THROUGH EDA. AND IF SOME OF THEM ARE SUCCESSFUL ENOUGH THAT THEY DECIDE TO MOVE OUT OF THE CITY, LIKE I WOULD COUNT THAT AS STILL A WIN BECAUSE WE, WE REMOVED OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH HAVE SOME TRANSIENCY. SEPARATE AND APART FROM WHAT WE'RE INTERACTING WITH. AND SO TO TRACK THAT, LIKE WE NEED TO TRACK THAT OR ELSE WE REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE, WE'RE KEEPING. WE'RE KEEPING TRACK OF. SO YES, AND IN TERMS OF SPECIFIC, WHAT WOULD A SPECIFIC TERM FOR A PARTICIPANT BE WITHIN THE PROGRAM? THERE'S NO, IT'S NOT LIKE YOU ARE ONLY HERE FOR A YEAR. IT'S NOT A CUT OFF WHERE YOU'RE LIKE, YOU'RE, THERE'S NO DUE DATE. IT'S JOB, IT'S JOB PLACEMENT. SO THAT WOULD BE SUCCESS. AND THAT WOULD BE THE END OF THE PROGRAM WHEN YOU GET YOUR JOB. BUT THEN WE'RE ALSO SUPPORTING THEM THROUGH RETENTION, WHICH WE KNOW IS A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE, SOMETHING THAT WE WORK VERY INTENTIONALLY ON. SO WE ADDED SIX MONTHS WINDOW OF SUPPORT AFTER SOMEONE GETS A JOB TO SUPPORT THEM THROUGH RETENTION. AND THESE ARE THE DETAILS THAT WE LEARNED ALSO FROM OUR OTHER FIVE RECOMPETE COALITIONS IN THE COUNTRY. WE'RE ONE OF SIX, YOU KNOW THAT. AND THAT'S THIS IS LIKE A VERY SPECIFIC, ALSO IN DETAIL CONVERSATION THAT WE KEEP HAVING AND LEARNING FROM THEM TO WHO ARE ALSO IMPLEMENTING THIS, THIS PROGRAM, BASICALLY. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S GOOD INFORMATION. MY LAST ONE, SORRY, I DON'T WANT TO MONOPOLIZE TIME HERE FROM THE THE MARKETING SIDE OF THINGS. I UNDERSTAND THE NEED TO MARKET PROGRAMS. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT SOMETIMES THINGS BECOME THERE'S A LOT OF T SHIRTS AND BAGS THAT GET HANDED OUT AND THAT KIND OF STUFF. IN AN EFFORT TO, TO MAKE A PROGRAM BE OUT TO THE PUBLIC'S AWARE OF IT. I GUESS WHAT I'M WHAT I'M ASKING, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS TECHNICALLY POSSIBLE OR EVEN LEGALLY POSSIBLE, BUT, YOU KNOW, IF PEOPLE ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SERVICES WITHIN THE CITY, BE IT UNEMPLOYMENT, BE IT OTHER SERVICES, COULD THAT SERVE AS A CONDUIT TO THESE SPECIFIC AREAS, 
          [00:20:04]
TO OUTREACH, RATHER THAN FOCUSING SO MUCH ON MAYBE THE MARKETING COMPONENT? BECAUSE IF IT'S PEOPLE THAT ARE ALREADY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SERVICES, I'M JUST JUST ASKING. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. AND WE'RE ACTUALLY NOW ENGAGING SPECIFICALLY WITH THE COUNTY OFFICE, THE WEEK OFFICE, THE VETERANS OFFICE IS BECAUSE WE ARE IDENTIFYING AND THAT THOSE ARE EXACTLY THE PLACES WHERE WE SHOULD BE IDENTIFYING. AND I THINK WE NEED IN THOSE CASES, WE NEED TO RELY ON THOSE SERVICE PROVIDERS TO. WE NEED TO EDUCATE THEM ABOUT OUR PROGRAM SO THAT THEY CAN MAKE THE REFERRALS. THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY NOT GOING TO PROVIDE THE LIST OF PEOPLE WHO THEY'RE SERVING. IF I MIGHT ADD, ONE OF OUR PROBLEMS WITH UNEMPLOYMENT IS THAT PEOPLE FALL OFF THE LIST. SO WE ARE USING THOSE TYPES. EDA WAS VERY GOOD AT ACKNOWLEDGING THAT WE TARGETED THE RIGHT AREAS, BUT IT'S HARD TO GET THEM THROUGH AN ORGANIZED SYSTEM BECAUSE MOST OF THEM AREN'T. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. THANK YOU, MR. NAPOLI. I JUST HAVE A COUPLE QUICK POINTS. I AM THE COUNCIL LIAISON TO THE EDC BOARD. SO I'M I'VE BECOME VERY FAMILIAR WITH THIS OVER, OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STUCK OUT AT ONE OF OUR MEETINGS WAS, WAS THAT YOU'RE IN COMMUNICATION WITH SOME OF THE OTHER GRANTEES. AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY GOOD TO HEAR THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S WORKING IN OTHER COMMUNITIES, WHAT'S NOT WORKING, THESE COMMUNITIES THAT RECEIVE THESE $20 MILLION GRANTS, I THINK YOU SAID THERE'S SIX TOTAL OR SEVEN, SIX, SIX. SO IT'S GOOD THAT I'M GLAD THAT YOU'RE COMMUNICATING WITH OTHERS AND FINDING OUT SOME OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OTHER COMMUNITIES. I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE INVESTMENT IN URBAN SITES. WE KNOW THIS PROGRAM ISN'T GOING TO BE HERE FOREVER. EVENTUALLY IT'S GOING TO END. AND I THINK THOSE URBAN SITES WILL CONTINUE TO PAY DIVIDENDS DOWN THE ROAD AFTER THIS IS ALL SAID AND DONE. AND AND I THINK YOU PICKED TWO GOOD ONES. ONE IS, YOU KNOW, WE CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT THERE WITH THE SURFACE, YOU KNOW, WITH THE SURFACE LOT. AND THE OTHER ONE IS MORE TURNKEY. AND I THINK THAT THOSE SITES COULD BE FRUITFUL FOR YEARS TO COME. SO ANXIOUS TO HEAR THAT. BUT I'M REALLY, AGAIN, JUST LETTING MY COLLEAGUES KNOW THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF INTENSE CONVERSATIONS AT THAT BOARD MEETING WHEN IT COMES TO THIS, THIS PROGRAM, AND A LOT OF A LOT OF INFORMATION BEING FLOATED AROUND. SO WE APPRECIATE ALL THAT. AND THANKS FOR COMING TONIGHT AND SHARING SOME OF IT WITH US. SO. OKAY. THANK YOU. SO SOME OF MINE HAVE ALREADY BEEN ASKED, IS THERE A ROUGH KIND OF BREAKDOWN BETWEEN HOW MUCH OF THE 20 MILLION GOES TO DIRECTLY TO CLIENTS VERSUS ANY OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE OR MARKETING, LIKE A ROUGH BREAKDOWN, 60, 40, 50, 50? WHAT DOES THAT ROUGHLY LOOK LIKE? I THINK IT'S, IT'S MUCH HIGHER THAN THAT. THE ADMINISTRATIVE PIECE IS RELATIVELY LOW BY EACH COMPONENT, BUT I'LL LET YOU. 
          YEAH, IT'S 80/20 OR LOWER. OKAY. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. COOL. CHECK THAT OFF. SO TO KIND OF WRAP IN PUBLIC SAFETY WITH THIS, WE ALL KNOW THAT IN, IN EACH COMMUNITY OR MOST COMMUNITIES, THERE'S A COUPLE OF, YOU KNOW, KNUCKLEHEADS OR PEOPLE THAT JUST DON'T HAVE OPPORTUNITY. 
          ARE THE POLICE ALSO REFERRING PEOPLE TO THIS PROGRAM? PEOPLE WHO, YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T HAVE A JOB. SO THEY'RE DOING SOME THINGS TO SURVIVE. AND HEY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT. WE'VE GOT THIS PROGRAM. IS THAT HAPPENING YET? NOT DIRECTLY YET. AND THAT'S A GREAT POINT. AND WE I THINK WE SHOULD DEFINITELY TAKE THAT. AND WE DO HAVE THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, THE VIOLENCE PREVENTION STRATEGY AND THAT VIOLENCE PREVENTION COORDINATOR COORDINATE. THAT VIOLENCE PREVENTION STRATEGY IS A PLACE WHERE THE POLICE IS INVOLVED IN. AND WE'RE VERY, VERY CLOSELY RELATED TO THEM. AND ALSO TELLING, LIKE SHARING WITH THOSE PARTNERS ABOUT THE PROGRAM AS WELL, ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITIES. SO MAKING SURE THAT THOSE REFERRALS COME FROM. 
          OKAY. YEAH, THAT WOULD BE COOL BECAUSE I MEAN, I FEEL LIKE OUT OF THAT VIOLENCE PREVENTION PLAN, IF THERE IS ONE ELEMENT OF IT THAT COULD HAPPEN RIGHT NOW, IT IS THIS THE CRS IS CCR IN THE VIOLENCE PREVENTION COALITION. AND THEY ATTEND THESE MEETINGS. SO THE CRS THAT WORK WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ARE ALREADY ABLE TO REFER, NOT THE INDIVIDUAL POLICE OFFICERS. 
          WE'RE WORKING ON THAT. BUT THE CRS IS THAT GO OUT ON THE CHECK THE WELFARES THAT GO OUT TO THE HOMES, THEY'RE CONNECTED. OKAY. AND THEN CHECK THAT OFF. OH. HELP ME UNDERSTAND. SO SIX MONTHS AFTER A PERSON HAS GOT THE JOB, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME CASE MANAGEMENT TO HELP THEM KEEP THAT JOB. SO HELP ME UNDERSTAND THE INCENTIVE FOR SOMEONE WHO MAYBE RIGHT NOW BASED ON THEIR, THEIR CURRENT, MAYBE UNDEREMPLOYMENT OR UNEMPLOYMENT RECEIVES 
          [00:25:06]
ASSISTANCE, MAYBE TITLE 20 PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, FOOD STAMPS, WHATNOT, WHAT'S THEIR INCENTIVE TO THEN MAKE MORE MONEY, LOSE THAT ASSISTANCE? AND NOW WHAT'S THEIR INCENTIVE TO DO THAT? YEAH, WE ALL WANT TO RESPOND TO THAT. BUT WE'VE DEFINITELY TALKED EXTENSIVELY ABOUT SUBSIDY CLIFFS BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO CREATE A SUBSIDY CLIFF WHERE THEY GET TO THE EDGE AND IT JUST COMPLETELY FALLS OUT FROM UNDERNEATH THEM. SO YEAH, SO YES, IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT POINT. AND THE ONE ONE WHERE LIKE, LIKE LEARNING EVEN MORE EACH DAY BECAUSE THINGS ARE CHANGING. WE KNOW, LIKE THERE'S CHANGES THAT ARE GOING TO AFFECT ALSO WITH THE MEDICAID, THINGS LIKE NOW WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO WORK AND VOLUNTEER TO BE ABLE TO GET THOSE BENEFITS. 
          SO WE NEED TO KEEP UP TO DATE ON THOSE THINGS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE GOOD CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PARTICIPANTS. IN TERMS OF MOTIVATION, I WOULD SAY THE KEY IS ABOUT OUR CAPACITY AND ABILITY TO SHARE THE CAREER PATH WITH THE MANUFACTURING AND HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS. SO IT'S A IT'S ACTUALLY A PATHWAY. YOU GET THERE AND YOU CAN GROW. IT'S NOT JUST A STORY. SO I THINK IT REALLY ALSO COMES IN TERMS OF THE PROGRAM, NOT ONLY THE THE ABILITY OF THE COACHES AND NAVIGATORS TO EXPLAIN EVERYTHING THAT THEY HAVE AVAILABLE, BUT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO SHARE THAT STORY CLEARLY AND DIRECTLY. AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, COMING AS FROM FROM OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE DONE THAT, SHARING FROM SUCCESS STORIES THAT WE CAN GET FROM THIS PROGRAM. BUT ALREADY PEOPLE THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH THAT PATHWAY. SO I THINK IT'S ALSO THAT GOT YOU AND THESE EMPLOYERS THAT YOU'RE PARTNERING WITH, THEY ARE REQUIRED TO THEN OFFER AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE OR CHILD CARE SO THAT ONCE THE SUBSIDY IS OVER WITH FOR THOSE SIX MONTHS, THAT THEN YOU KNOW THAT THEY ARE AT AN EMPLOYER THAT IS GOING TO PROVIDE HEALTH CARE AT AN AFFORDABLE RATE, OR ONCE THOSE SIX MONTHS ARE OVER WITH, NOW THEY'RE STUCK WITH NO HEALTH CARE BECAUSE THEY DON'T QUALIFY. I'M JUST THINKING LONG TERM. SO WE CERTAINLY CAN'T GET EMPLOYERS OR WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN EMPLOYERS TO COMMIT TO ANYTHING DIFFERENT TO ALLENTOWN WORKS OTHER THAN BEING AWARE OF THE PROGRAM. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S AN INTEREST, PARTICULARLY IN HEALTH CARE AND MANUFACTURING EMPLOYERS TO THEY'RE LOOKING FOR MORE WORKERS. AND WE SPECIFICALLY SELECTED THOSE TWO INDUSTRIES BECAUSE OF THE DEMAND FROM WORKERS AND BECAUSE OF THE TYPICAL BENEFIT PACKAGE AND PAY PACKAGES THAT THAT WE BELIEVE ARE SUBSTANTIAL ENOUGH TO, TO SUPPORT PEOPLE. SO IF THEY HIRE A PERSON, THEY CAN'T OBVIOUSLY, IF THEY ARE, IF THEIR STANDARD IS TO GIVE FULL TIME WORKERS BENEFITS, THEY CAN'T NOT GIVE SOMEONE THAT THEY HIRE OUT OF ALLENTOWN THOSE SAME BENEFITS. RIGHT. AND SO THAT WAS THE REAL REASON WHY HEALTHCARE AND MANUFACTURING WERE TWO OF THE KEY AREAS THAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON, BECAUSE THEY DO HAVE A PATHWAY THAT HOPEFULLY SUPPORTS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. OKAY, I UNDERSTAND, YEAH, I JUST I'VE MET A LOT. I'M FRIENDS WITH A NURSE. SHE WORKS WITH ONE OF THE MAJOR HOSPITALS AND SHE DON'T HAVE HEALTH CARE. SHE'S PART TIME. 
          SO YEAH, SO IT WOULD JUST BE INTERESTED TO SEE, YOU KNOW, THE SPECIFIC BUSINESSES THAT WERE IN CORPORATIONS THAT WERE PARTNERING WITH ARE MOST OF THEIR EMPLOYEES PART TIME, AND THEREFORE THEY DON'T HAVE TO OFFER HEALTH CARE. AND THEN AFTER THEY'RE FINISHED THE SIX MONTH AND WE'RE NO LONGER SUBSIDIZING THEM, THEY HAVE NO HEALTH CARE. AND THEN THEY QUIT SO THEY CAN GET SOME HEALTH CARE. JUST WOULD BE INTERESTING TO SEE THAT. SEE, SEE IF I CAN ADD THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE EMPLOYERS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH ARE DESPERATE FOR EMPLOYEES, FULL TIME EMPLOYEES, AND THEIR SALARIES HAVE ACTUALLY RISEN. SO THE FACT THAT THERE'S A NURSE WITHOUT BENEFITS IS REALLY SURPRISING, BECAUSE I WAS JUST AT LEHIGH VALLEY FOR THREE DAYS, AND THERE'S SIGN ON BONUSES FOR FULL TIME NURSING EXTENSIVELY. 
          BUT THE OTHER THING THAT THIS GROUP IS WORKING WITH REALLY DILIGENTLY ARE THINGS LIKE THE IMPROVEMENT OF COMMUNITY BASED CHILD CARE SO THAT, YOU KNOW, YOUR CHILD IS IN A SAFE PLACE WHILE YOU'RE ABLE TO GO TO WORK TO GET THE, THE QUALITY OF THE SERVICES AROUND YOU BETTER. SO HAVING PLAYERS AT THE TABLE LIKE LANTA, IF WE FIND THAT WE GET ENOUGH PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE THERE'S MORE STOPS? HOW CAN WE MAKE SURE THE STOPS COINCIDE WITH THE DAYCARE OPERATIONS, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS? SO WHEN HE'S TALKING ABOUT REALLY CREATING A DIFFERENT COMMUNITY, WHEN THIS IS OVER, IT'S TRYING TO CREATE A COMMUNITY THAT WILL SUPPORT A WORKER WHO REALLY WANTS TO WORK AND IS WILLING TO TAKE TRAINING. SO REALLY LIKE COOL SIDEBAR THINGS ARE COMING OUT OF THIS WITH CREATIVITY AND THAT. CLIFF, YOU TALKED ABOUT, MANY OF OUR PROGRAMS HAVE FOUND A WAY AROUND THAT. SO LIKE RIGHT NOW, IF YOU'RE WORKING WITH THE CHILD CARE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE QUALITY, YOU DON'T LOSE IT THE DAY YOU BECOME EMPLOYED, YOU LOSE IT MONTHS AFTER YOU BECOME EMPLOYED. SO THAT'S THE GOOD PART. SOME OF THOSE CLIFFS ARE ALREADY BEING BUILT IN BY THOSE AGENCIES. AND I THINK VICKY RAISES A GOOD POINT TOO, THAT BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A SINGULAR APPROACH, IT'S AN EIGHT POINT APPROACH. AND, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, WE COULD MAKE THE ARGUMENT THAT IT SHOULD BE EVEN BROADER THAN THAT. BUT EDA HAS SOME LIMITATIONS AS TO WHAT YOU 
          [00:30:01]
CAN AND CANNOT SUPPORT. BUT THE NOTION THAT IT'S A MULTIFACETED APPROACH, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE OF THE PART TIME NURSE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, BUT THERE I'M SURE THERE ARE FOLKS OUT THERE WHO WORK PART TIME BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE GOOD ACCESS TO DAYCARE, AND THAT PROHIBITS THEM OR IS A BARRIER FOR THEM GETTING A FULL TIME POSITION. SO I THINK THAT THE FACT THAT THIS IS A MULTIFACETED APPROACH HOPEFULLY ALLEVIATES SOME OF THOSE SITUATIONS. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND THEN. FOR THE MANUFACTURING, I FEEL LIKE I'VE HEARD THE TERM SPECIALIZED MANUFACTURING THAT THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING. WE'RE NOT TRYING TO BRING IN LIKE THE AMAZON TYPES OF WAREHOUSES WHERE WE'RE BRINGING IN SPECIALIZED, SMALLER MANUFACTURING. IS THAT ACCURATE OR NO, BECAUSE THEN I THINK ABOUT THE SPECIFIC CERTIFICATIONS AND SKILL SETS THAT SOMEONE WOULD NEED TO OBTAIN ONE OF THOSE JOBS. I KNOW THAT DURING ARPA, SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES GAVE A MILLION TO THAT CHARLIE MARK ON SITE. AND THEN I KNOW THERE'S OTHER ALREADY CURRENTLY EXISTING URBAN MANUFACTURING SITES. I WONDER OF THOSE CURRENTLY EXISTING URBAN MANUFACTURING SITES, HOW MANY OF THEM CURRENTLY EMPLOY ALLENTOWN RESIDENTS, AND WHAT WILL BE DONE DIFFERENTLY TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE OTHER NEW SITES WILL EMPLOY ALLENTOWN RESIDENTS? BECAUSE I DON'T I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE THERE ARE A LOT OF ALLENTOWN FOLKS WORK THERE. YEAH. AND I THINK I DIDN'T BRING IT WITH ME. BUT THE, THE, THE CHART I BROUGHT A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO AT LEAST SHOWS YOU THE ALLENTOWN PRODUCTION WORKERS, PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE CITY AND WORK PRODUCTION, PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE CITY AND GO OUTSIDE FOR PRODUCTION. SO THOSE NUMBERS ARE PROBABLY SIMILAR TO WHAT I PROVIDED A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. RELATIVE TO THE TYPE OF MANUFACTURING. 
          YOU'RE CORRECT. BUT I DON'T KNOW. I MEAN, TO SOME EXTENT IT'S BY DESIGN, BUT IT'S ALSO JUST BY PRACTICALITY. ALLENTOWN DOESN'T HAVE THE LARGE FOOTPRINT SITES TO DO HUGE WAREHOUSES, WHICH IN MANY CASES, FROM AN EMPLOYMENT STANDPOINT IS GOOD. LIKE WE'VE FOUND THAT THESE SMALLER SQUARE SQUARE FOOTAGE SITES LIKE YOUR 30 TO 80,000FT■!S OR EVEN SMALLER, TED TO BE MORE MANUFACTURING AND LESS LOGISTICS. AND OBVIOUSLY, EVERY MANUFACTURER HAS TO STOCKPILE RAW MATERIALS AND FINISHED GOODS. SO EVERY MANUFACTURER HAS SOME ANCILLARY AMOUNT OF WAREHOUSE, BUT THEY ARE NOT PRIMARILY WAREHOUSES. AND WE'VE FOUND THAT EDC'S EXISTING TENANTS IN OUR CURRENT BUILDINGS AND BUILDINGS THAT WERE, I'VE MENTIONED, THAT WERE EITHER PURCHASED OR ARE WORKING TO BUY OR SITES THAT WE'RE WORKING TO DEVELOP ARE FOR THESE SMALLER FOOTPRINT SITES, AND THEY TEND TO BE MORE MANUFACTURING AND LESS TOTALLY DEDICATED TO LOGISTICS. AND THEY IN A SENSE, MANY OF THESE SMALLER SITES DO MANUFACTURE WHAT I OFTEN CALL BOUTIQUE MANUFACTURING PRODUCTS. SO THEY'RE THEY'RE SMALLER QUANTITY OF HIGHER HIGH MARGIN PARTS. SO IT'S SPECIALTY MANUFACTURING. AND YES, THERE IS SOME, SOME SPECIALTY SKILLS REQUIRED, BUT THEY STILL ALSO HAVE LIKE THE NORMAL ROUTINE MANUFACTURING REQUIREMENTS TOO. SO IT'S A STEPPING STONE AND IT'S NOT IN ANY WAY. AND THERE'S A LOT OF MANUFACTURERS THAT WE KNOW THAT WE LEASE TO WHO HIRE SUBSTANTIAL, LIKE THREE QUARTERS OF THEIR EMPLOYEES ARE MANUFACTURE ALLENTOWN RESIDENTS IN THEIR MANUFACTURING, AND THEY DO SKILLED AT MANUFACTURING. MAYBE THEY HAVE YOU SHRINK WRAPPING PALLETS ON THE LOADING DOCK, BUT THEY THEY INVEST IN TRAINING TO TO MOVE THEM THROUGH OTHER PARTS OF THE PROCESS. SO EVEN THOUGH IT'S SPECIALTY MANUFACTURING, NOT EVERY JOB REQUIRES THE SPECIALTY TRAINING. AND IF IT DOES, OVER TIME, THE MANUFACTURERS TEND TO DO THAT ON THEIR OWN. IN ADDITION, WE'VE ENGAGED LT-I TO ESTABLISH A NEW CRITERIA OR CURRICULUM FOR JUST GENERAL MANUFACTURING PROFICIENCY. WE GATHERED A SMALL GROUP OF MANUFACTURERS IN TOTALLY DIFFERENT FIELDS, ALL OF WHOM ARE MANUFACTURERS, AND THEY CAME UP WITH A LIST OF LIKE 8 OR 10 THINGS THAT WERE NOT UNIQUE. THERE WERE COMMON AMONG ALL OF THEM THAT THEY ALL NEED, LIKE WORKERS NEED TRAINING, TRAINING ON SAFETY, ON QUALITY CONTROL, ON MATERIAL HANDLING. SO THERE'S A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT, THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH. ONE OF THE ALLENTOWN WORKS PARTNERS, LT-I, TO HELP PROVIDE SOME OF THAT TRAINING SO THAT THEY CAN HIT THE GROUND RUNNING WHEN THEY GET TO THE DOOR. AND THEN THE MANUFACTURER, AS THEY HAVE SPECIFIC TRAINING REQUIREMENTS, THEY'LL HAVE TO DO THAT IN-HOUSE. OKAY. IS THERE ANY CONCERN ABOUT AI REPLACING SOME OF THESE JOBS? POTENTIALLY? BUT I THINK, AGAIN, AN AI FOR A LARGE MANUFACTURER. I MEAN, THE BIGGER THE COMPANY, THE MORE RESOURCES THEY HAVE TO TRY AND SHRINK THEIR PAYROLL BY AUTOMATING THESE SMALLER COMPANIES. THAT TAKES TREMENDOUS INVESTMENT TO, TO BUY A LOT OF ROBOTS AND AUTOMATION. SO I THINK, AGAIN, WE'RE IN A NICHE MARKET WHERE OUR MANUFACTURERS MAY USE AI TO IMPROVE WORKER PRODUCTIVITY, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT THE CAPACITY EXISTS OF A HUGE FORTUNE 500 COMPANY TO REALLY INVEST IN AUTOMATION TO, TO ELIMINATE HEADCOUNT. I THINK 
          [00:35:02]
THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT IN THAT SAME POSITION. OKAY. BESIDES SPECIALIZED. YEAH. YES. AT THE EDC INCUBATOR DURING COVID WAS A YOUNG GENTLEMAN. I THINK THERE WERE THREE EMPLOYEES AT THE TIME WHO WERE MAKING LITTLE PLASTIC, I DON'T KNOW, CONTAINERS, LIDS FOR URINE SPECIMENS, CUPS, THINGS THAT WERE JUST LITTLE ODD PLASTIC ITEMS. YEAH. A NUMBER OF INJECTION MOLDED PARTS FOR A WHOLE HOST OF DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES. AND LITERALLY IT WAS AN INDIVIDUAL, LIKE TWO INTERNS FROM LEHIGH UNIVERSITY AND A LITTLE ROBOT THAT THEY HAD PUTTING A STICKER ON SOMETHING. AND THE BIGGER COMPANIES SHUT DOWN DURING COVID, BUT HE COULD OPERATE AND HIS SALES WENT EXPONENTIALLY THROUGH THE ROOF. AND HIS CAPACITY WAS LIMITED BECAUSE HE WAS SMALL. EDC HELPED HIM MOVE TO AN ALLENTOWN SITE AND WITHIN, I DON'T KNOW, MONTHS, I BELIEVE HE HAD 100/100 EMPLOYEES WORKING IN THAT SITE, NOT NOT 100 EMPLOYEES, BUT HE WENT FROM LIKE THREE INJECTION MOLDING MACHINES TO 14. OKAY. SO BUT MAYBE IT WAS 100 CLIENTS, MAYBE IT WAS 100 CLIENTS, BUT IT WAS WILD TO WATCH THE EXPONENTIAL GROWTH. WHEN THERE'S A COMPANY MAKING SOMETHING THAT IS A NICHE DIDN'T REQUIRE HUGE SPECIALIZED TRAINING, JUST NEEDED MANPOWER AND THEN JUST NEEDED A BIGGER SPACE. SO WITH THE EDC INCUBATOR, SOME OF THOSE ARE TINY AND TESTING THEIR MARKETS WITH THESE SITES THAT WE BRING ON BOARD THAT MAY OPEN UP OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP THOSE MANUFACTURERS HERE, RECRUIT A NEW GROUP INTO THE INCUBATOR AND OPEN THOSE JOBS. AND WITH ALLENTOWN WORKS, PARTNERED WITH EDC, THERE'S A LOGICAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE WORKFORCE AND THE PEOPLE IN THE TRAINING PROGRAMS TO MOVE INTO THOSE OPPORTUNITIES. THANK YOU. MY, I THINK MY LAST QUESTION IS WITH THE ESL POPULATION, IS THERE A PATHWAY FOR SOMEONE WHO NEEDS TO LEARN ENGLISH, BUT THEY HAVE THEIR CERTIFICATION IN THEIR HOME COUNTRY AND THEY JUST NEED TO, YOU KNOW, GET BOARD CERTIFIED HERE. IS THERE A PATHWAY FOR FOLKS TEACHING NURSES ALL THAT? YES. AND SPECIFICALLY SO THERE ARE THREE, FOR EXAMPLE, BRIDGES THAT ARE ALREADY BEING OFFERED THAT ARE GOING TO BE OFFERED BY THE C IN OFFICE ASSISTANT IN CML IN CDL. THOSE ARE COME FROM THE HIGH PRIORITY OCCUPATIONS LIST AND THE PLACEMENTS THAT THEY HAVE THE MOST. SO THAT'S WHY THEY ARE PRIORITIZED. WE WILL LEARN IF THERE'S ANY OTHER OCCUPATION THAT WE SHOULD PRIORITIZE AND KIND OF BUILD A BRIDGE IN THOSE TERMS. AND THE BRIDGE IS LITERALLY THAT BRIDGING THE THE ESL LEARNING TO THE SPECIFIC WORKPLACE, BUT TO THAT SPECIFIC INDUSTRY AND JOB POSITION. AND IN TERMS OF CERTIFICATIONS OR, OR LIKE A DEGREE THAT THEY COULD HAVE FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE, FOR EXAMPLE, SAINT LUKE'S WITH THE, WITH THE SUPPORT THAT THEY GIVE TO THEIR, TO THE PARTICIPANTS FOR, FOR ALL THE HEALTHCARE PATHWAYS THAT, THAT THEY SUPPORT, THEY DO THAT SPECIFICALLY. SO YES. AND WE DO THINK AND EXPECT THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GOING TO ENCOUNTER. AND WE'VE GOT NUMEROUS PROVIDERS TO HELP ASSIST IN THAT CONTEXTUALIZED ESL TO. THAT'S RIGHT. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. DOES ANYONE ELSE THAT'S NOT ON THE COMMITTEE HAVE ANYTHING? AND I APOLOGIZE. I UNDERESTIMATED HOW LONG THIS CONVERSATION WAS GOING TO BE. MR. BENDER. I'LL BE VERY JUST REAL QUICK ON THESE FOR THE ELIGIBILITY. I KNOW YOU REFERENCED THAT. WHAT'S THE. MAYBE YOU CAN'T OUTLINE IT REALLY QUICKLY ON HIS. BUT WHAT IS THE WHAT WOULD NEGATE FROM SOMEONE FROM BEING ELIGIBLE? YES. SO THE THREE KEY ITEMS ARE THAT THEY HAVE TO BE UNEMPLOYED. THEY HAVE TO BE BETWEEN THE AGE RANGE THAT DEFINES THE PRIMARY EMPLOYMENT GAP. SO THAT'S BETWEEN 25 AND 54. AND LIVE WITHIN THE TARGET NEIGHBORHOODS, WHICH ARE PART OF THE SIX CENSUS TRACKS. AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FRANKLIN PARK, CENTER CITY AND THE WARDS. BUT THERE'S A SPECIFIC MAP WE HAVE FOR THAT. WHAT'S THE FIRST BOOK AGAIN? FRANKLIN PARK, CENTER CITY AND THE WORDS THE FIRST, THE FIRST. OH, THE FIRST REQUIREMENT BEING UNEMPLOYED. OKAY, EXACTLY. NOT UNDEREMPLOYED, JUST UNEMPLOYED. STRAIGHT UP, NO JOB. CORRECT. AND THEN YOU HAD SAID 25 TO 54. 
          IS THERE IS THERE A REASON? IS IT THE GRANT THAT DEFINED THE STARTING AGE? YES. AND EMPLOYMENT GAP IS THE OKAY. GRANT ALSO DEFINES THE UNEMPLOYED VERSUS UNDEREMPLOYED. 
          AND AS I POINTED OUT EARLIER IN THE PRESENTATION, BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY PARTNERS, LIKE THERE ARE ALREADY SOME SUPPORTS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE UNDEREMPLOYED, WHILE THEY'RE NOT FUNDED BY ALLENTOWN WORKS, WE CERTAINLY WILL CONTINUE REFERRING THOSE AND MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE UNDEREMPLOYED GET REFERRED TO THE APPROPRIATE ORGANIZATIONS TO ASSIST THEM. OKAY. AND MY LAST TWO REAL QUICK. WELL, THE 80/20, I KNOW THAT'S 80% GOING TO THE JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, IT'S 20% FOR ADMIN AND 80% GOING TO THE. AND IS THAT IS 
          [00:40:01]
THE PERCENTAGE THERE MANDATED FROM THE GRANT AS WELL THAT THE CEILING FOR ADMIN. NO, IT'S NOT MANDATED AND IT'S THAT OR SMALLER. SO AND IT'S. YEAH. AND KEEP IN MIND TOO, WE PROVIDED AS PART OF THE APPLICATION A FRAMEWORK OF BUDGET. SO THAT WAS WHAT WE HAD AS A, AS A COMMUNITY HAD PROVIDED THE EDA. SO THEY APPROVED THAT. AND THERE'S NO INTENTION TO TRY AND JUST MATERIALLY CHANGE THAT. OKAY. AND SOME OF OUR PARTNER AGENCIES HAVE MATCHED ANYTHING WE'VE GIVEN THEM, OKAY, AS WELL. AND THEN THE LAST TWO HERE REAL QUICK, BECAUSE I SAY THIS, I FEEL LIKE I'M SAYING THIS EVERY SINGLE TIME, BUT WE DO HAVE THE DIGITAL BILLBOARDS THAT WE HAVE A CONTRACT WITH. SO IF ADVERTISING ON THOSE, I THINK IS A GREAT. IT'S JUST WAITING FOR THOSE TO BE, OH, PERFECT, PERFECT. I'M EXCITED FOR ONE OF THESE TO ACTUALLY END UP THERE WITH THAT. SO YEAH, AND I JUST WANTED TO SAY FOLLOW UP AND JUST SAY, SAY THANK YOU. I KNOW YOU PRESENTED ON IN THIS IS, I GUESS THIS IS THE Q2 ONE OR THE Q1. I, IT'S, IT'S COMING TOGETHER. I'M EXCITED TO SEE THIS. I KNOW THE LAST TIME WE WERE THERE WAS WE WERE DISCUSSING 40 PATHS OF PROCESSING HERE, WHICH SEEMED A LOT. SO I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHERE THIS IS GOING. I'M EXCITED TO SEE IT STARTING TO MOVE INTO THIS, IN THIS FORMATION HERE. SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU FOR COMING BACK AND PRESENTING. SO THANKS. YES. ONE FOLLOW UP QUESTION. MISS GERLACH MENTIONED AN EXAMPLE OF SOMEONE WHO IS EMPLOYED BUT PART TIME AND IS KIND OF STUCK IN A SPOT THAT'S NOT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE. 
          CAN THOSE FOLKS APPLY? AND TO GET TO A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF FULL TIME EMPLOYMENT, WITH TRAINING AND WITH ALL THESE THESE OPPORTUNITIES, WHEN YOU SAY APPLY, APPLY TO ALLENTOWN WORKS? YES. THEY WOULD NOT QUALIFY BASED UPON THE FEDERAL GUIDELINES. BUT AS I MENTIONED, BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MANY PARTNERS, YOU KNOW, OUR RESOURCE NAVIGATORS WOULD WOULD CONNECT THEM TO THE APPROPRIATE LOCATION. AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WHY ARE THEY WORKING PART TIME? ARE THEY WORKING PART TIME? BECAUSE THEY CAN'T GET CHILDCARE. AND, YOU KNOW, SO ADDING EVEN THOUGH IT MIGHT NOT BE DIRECTLY FUNDED THROUGH ALLENTOWN WORKS, IF WE CONTINUE TO ADD CAPACITY AND QUALITY TO OUR EXISTING CHILDCARE, THAT SHOULD HELP ALLEVIATE THAT EVEN INDIRECTLY AS WELL. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC HAVE QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, ANYTHING ON THIS PARTICULAR PARTICULAR ISSUE? GO AHEAD. AND JUST SAY YOUR NAME AND ALLENTOWN OR WHEREVER YOU LIVE. HI, I AM SHARON KNIGHT. I AM A PROGRAM DIRECTOR AND PROGRAM COORDINATOR AT PROMISE NEIGHBORHOODS OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY. I AM WRITING TO FORMALLY ESCALATE MY CONCERNS REGARDING THE DECISIONS NOT TO AWARD A P AND L V RECOMPETE FUNDING THROUGH THE ALLENTOWN WORKS INITIATIVE. I BELIEVE THIS DECISION WAS MADE WITHOUT ADEQUATE TRANSPARENCY, CONSISTENCY, STANDARDS OR DUE PROCESS, AND I AM REQUESTING A FULL REVIEW OF HOW THIS DETERMINATION WAS REACHED. I WAS INFORMED THAT OUR PROPOSAL WAS NOT SELECTED BECAUSE IT INCLUDED PARTICIPANT STIPENDS AS SUBMITTED. OUR BUDGET INCLUDED THIS COST AS A LINE ITEM TITLED PARTICIPANT BENEFITS AT $20 PER HOUR FOR 20 HOURS PER WEEK, AND A FULLY DOCUMENTED AND JUSTIFIED IN SECTION SEVEN OF OUR BUDGET NARRATIVE. IF YOU GUYS NEED A COPY, I CAN GET THAT FOR YOU. THIS WAS NOT HIDDEN OR AMBIGUOUS. IT WAS AN ITEMIZED JUSTIFIED COST TIED DIRECTLY TO THE PROGRAM DESIGN DESCRIBED THROUGHOUT THE PROPOSAL. PRIOR TO SUBMISSION, WE CONDUCTED A FULL SECTION BY SECTION REVIEW OF THE RFP, MAPPING EVERY REQUIREMENT, SCORING CRITERION, AND COMPLIANCE ITEM AGAINST OUR PROPOSAL IN ORDER TO CLOSE ANY GAPS BEFORE THE DEADLINE. THAT REVIEW COVERED THE FUNDING PARAMETERS, THE FULL SCORING RUBRIC PROGRAM DESIGN WEIGHTED AT 30% WITH COST EFFECTIVENESS, STAFFING QUALITY, AND REPORTING CAPACITY EACH WEIGHTED AT 20% AND EXPERIENCE AT 10%. THE REQUIRED QUESTIONS FOR EACH PROGRAM COMPONENT, ENROLLMENT AND CRM ROLES AND REPORTING AND FEDERAL COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS. AT NO POINT IN THAT REVIEW DID A RESTRICTION ON PARTICIPANT STIPENDS APPEAR AS A REQUIREMENT OR AS A SCORING CONSIDERATION. IF STIPENDS WERE IN FACT DISQUALIFYING. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN CLEARLY STATED IN THE RFP OR THE FOMO, WHICH MY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WILL GO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL IN LATER. ALL APPLICANTS COULD PREPARE A COMPLIANT PROPOSALS ON EQUAL FOOTING. I'D LIKE TO GO A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DETAIL WITH CITING THE RFP THAT WAS PUT OUT PUBLICLY. I'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND CITE ON PAGE TWO WITH FUNDING. AVAILABILITY, DC ANTICIPATES AWARDING UP TO $700,000 UNDER THIS RFP, INDIVIDUALS AWARDS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE BETWEEN 75,000 AND 200,000. FUNDING IS CONTINGENT UPON FEDERAL AVAILABILITY AND CONTINUED COMPLIANCE OF SELECTED CPMS AND EDC DISCRETION TO ALLOCATE FUNDS BASED ON PROGRAM NEEDS AND PROPOSAL QUALITY. QUALITY. THIS 
          [00:45:02]
IS THE ONLY LANGUAGE GOVERNING HOW AWARD AMOUNTS MAY BE ADJUSTED OR LIMITED. IT REFERENCES THE PROGRAM NEEDS AND PROPOSAL QUALITY. GENERALLY, IT DOES NOT NAME STIPENDS, PARTICIPANT BENEFITS, OR ANY SPECIFIC COST CATEGORY AS DISQUALIFYING. I'D LIKE TO CITE PAGE NINE, WHICH IS THE BUDGET TEMPLATE. APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT A DETAILED BUDGET USING THE PROVIDED TEMPLATE, ALONG WITH A BRIEF NARRATIVE EXPLAINING HOW COSTS ARE STRUCTURED AND ALIGNED WITH THE PROPOSED SCOPE OF SERVICES. I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT A SECTION FIVE THE PROPOSED COST PER PART. I'M SORRY, THE PROPOSED COST PER PARTICIPANT AND HOW IT REFLECTS THE INTENSITY TYPE OF SERVICES PROVIDED. PLEASE NOTE THAT ITEM FIVE EXPLICITLY INVITES APPLICANTS TO PROPOSE A COST PER PARTICIPANT TIED TO SERVICE INTENSITY LANGUAGE, BROAD ENOUGH TO ENCOMPASS A PARTICIPANT BENEFIT STIPEND STRUCTURE LIKE THE ONE PROPOSED. 
          NOTHING IN THIS IN THE SECTION EXCLUDES THAT COST TYPE. I'D LIKE TO NOW CITE THE EVALUATION CRITERIA ON PAGE TEN. TO SPARE YOU GUYS SOME TIME. I'M JUST GOING TO HIGHLIGHT THIS ONE SECTION, WHICH IS THE COST EFFECTIVENESS AND BUDGET CLARITY, WHICH WAS 20%. THE COST EFFECTIVENESS AND BUDGET CLARITY IS SCORED AT 20%. IT IS SCORING FACTOR, NOT DISQUALIFYING CRITERION, AND NO COST CATEGORY, INCLUDING STIPENDS, IS NAMED AS AUTOMATIC AND INELIGIBILITY. I'D LIKE TO CITE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ON THE FEDERAL COMPLIANCE ON PAGE TEN THROUGH 11. IT STATES THIS RFP IS FUNDED THROUGH THE US ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRESS AREA RECOMPETE PILOT PROGRAM. AS SUCH, SELECTED PROVIDERS MUST COMPLY WITH APPLICABLE FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE TWO CFR PART 200. THE UNIFORM ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENT, COST PRINCIPLES, AND AUDIT REQUIREMENTS. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE TWO CFR PART TWO, I'M SORRY, PART 200 IS THAT IS THAT MY TIME? YEAH. JUST WRAP IT UP. IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE KIND OF GETTING THERE. SO. YEP, I'M ALMOST DONE. YEP. IS THE ONLY COST PRINCIPLE REFERENCED IN THE RFP. IT IS CITED ONLY GENERALLY AS A STANDARD FEDERAL COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENT, NOT AS A STIPEND SPECIFIC RESTRICTION. 
          THE RFP DOES NOT CITE THE SPECIFIC TWO CFR 200 PROVISIONS ON PARTICIPANT SUPPORT COSTS, NOR DOES IT STATE THAT STIPENDS REQUIRE SPECIAL PRE-APPROVAL OR UNALLOWABLE COSTS. NLV UNDERSTANDS THAT OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WERE ALSO SUBMITTED PROPOSALS THAT ALSO INCLUDED STIPENDS, AND WERE STILL AWARDED FUNDING, WITH THEIR AWARD AMOUNTS SIMPLY ADJUSTED TO REMOVE THE STIPEND COST, RATHER THAN THE PROPOSALS BEING REJECTED OUTRIGHT. IF ACCURATE, THIS CONFIRMS THAT STIPENDS WERE NOT TREATED AS AUTOMATIC DISQUALIFIERS FOR EVERY APPLICANT, AND THAT PENALTY SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVISE ITS BUDGET RATHER THAN BEING DENIED THE THE AWARD ENTIRELY. TO CLOSE. PINOVA AS AN ORGANIZATION PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF ALLENTOWN WORKS MODEL. I PERSONALLY LED THE PROMISE WORKS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, WHICH NLV PREVIOUSLY OPERATED THROUGH A $1.5 MILLION US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR INITIATIVE ACROSS THREE COHORTS. 
          PALVE SERVED 88 PARTICIPANTS WITH 63 SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING THE PROGRAM, A COMPLETION A COMPLETION RATE OF APPROXIMATELY 70%, AND 84 OF THOSE GRADUATES GOING ON TO SECURE EMPLOYMENT AND CONTINUE THEIR EDUCATION. WITH OUR CLOSE MENTORSHIP THAT WE PROVIDED. 
          GIVEN THIS TRACK RECORD AND NHLBI'S ROLE IN SHAPING THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT LANDSCAPE, THIS INITIATIVE BUILDS ON. I EXPECTED TO BE PROPERLY AND FAIRLY CONSIDERED AS A STRONG CANDIDATE FOR AWARD. INSTEAD, OUR ORGANIZATION WAS PASSED OVER DESPITE A PROVEN HISTORY OF DELIVERING RESULTS IN THIS EXACT SPACE, AND THE PROCESS DID NOT REFLECT THE ROLE OUR ORGANIZATION AND THE PROGRAM WE LEAD HAS PLAYED IN BUILDING THIS WORK FROM THE GROUND UP. 
          WE WE PROVIDE SOMETHING THAT'S VERY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT MOST CAN PROVIDE, WHICH IS A LIVED EXPERIENCE. WE FOCUS ON ENDING GUN VIOLENCE IN THE COMMUNITY IN MULTIPLE DIFFERENT FACETS. 
          AND WHAT WE FOCUS ON, NOT ONLY IN THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, WAS THE PROPER MENTORSHIP NEEDED IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE WORKFORCE. WE HAD LOTS OF PARTICIPANTS COME TO US WITH THEIR TRAUMA, WITH THEIR HURT, THEIR PAIN, AND UNFORTUNATELY, THEY WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL IN THE WORKFORCE OR CONTINUED EDUCATION BECAUSE THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PROPER GUIDANCE. SO THAT IS WHAT WE PROVIDED. WE WERE A BRIDGE PROGRAM INTO THE WORKFORCE AND BUILT MULTIPLE PARTNERS DOING SO. SO GIVEN THAT OUR TEAM HAS MET WITH ALLENTOWN WORKS TO 
          [00:50:05]
DISCUSS THIS DECISION AND WAS GIVEN AN EXPLANATION, AND I DID NOT FIND CREDIBLE OR CONSISTENT WITH THE RECORDS. I'M NOT SEEKING FURTHER EXPLANATION. I AM ESCALATING THIS MATTER TO LEADERSHIP ABOVE THE CURRENT DECISION MAKERS, AND I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST A REVIEW OF THE DECISION BY ALLENTOWN WORKS LEADERSHIP GOVERNING BODY AND INDEPENDENT OF THOSE WHO MADE THE ORIGINAL DETERMINATIONS. A RECONSIDERATION OF PENAL V FOR AWARD. WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADJUST OUR BUDGET TO REMOVE STIPEND COSTS CONSISTENT WITH THE TREATMENT AFFORDED TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE AWARDED FUNDING. A DIRECT MEETING WITH SENIOR LEADERSHIP TO RESOLVE THIS MATTER AND TO ENSURE PENAL V'S CONTINUED ROLE IN THE INITIATIVE MOVING FORWARD, GIVEN THESE FOUNDATIONAL ROLE IN THIS COMMUNITY IS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT LANDSCAPE AND OUR TRACK RECORD LEADING THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT TO A PROVEN SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME, I BELIEVE THIS DECISION WARRANTS IMMEDIATE CORRECTION. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. I BELIEVE MY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JEANNIE GARCIA, HAS SOMETHING TO SAY. 
          GOOD EVENING, CITY COUNCIL. JEANNIE GARCIA, REPRESENTING PROMISE NEIGHBORHOOD. I DID SAY A LOT. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WERE OF GRAVE CONCERN IS THE COMMUNICATION FROM THE LEADERSHIP WITH THE ALLENTOWN WORKS IN THE PROPOSAL, AS I MENTIONED, AT NO POINT WERE STIPENDS MENTIONED THAT WERE NOT GOING TO BE AN ALLOWABLE COST. THROUGH OUR EXPERIENCE AND OUR FEDERAL GRANT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT GRANT, SPECIFICALLY WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, PARTICIPANT STIPENDS WEREN'T ALLOWABLE CAUSE BECAUSE THE ROLE OF A WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, THE HEART OF IT IS TO REMOVE ALL BARRIERS, NOT JUST A SET OF BARRIERS. A LOT OF FOLKS CAME TO OUR PROGRAM AND WERE SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO HELP WITH A LITTLE BIT OF OFF SITE TO MAKE SURE THEY HAD A COUPLE OF DOLLARS COMING IN TO GET THERE TO, TO PAY FOR THEIR CHILD CARE, TO BE ABLE TO CALL AN UBER. IT WAS A GREAT RESOURCE FOR THEM TO COME IN TO THE PROGRAMS. AND A LOT OF FOLKS DIDN'T COME IN BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE STIPENDS PREVIOUSLY. 
          SO WE SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE PARTICIPATION. WE HAVE A DIRECT PARTNERSHIP WITH ELECTRIC, WHICH WHICH PROVIDES FREE TUITION FOR NONCREDIT AND TRADE DIRECTLY THROUGH THE DAS OFFICE. 
          SO WE CAN SEND ANYBODY IN THE CITY OF ALLENTOWN AS LONG AS YOUR LEHIGH COUNTY MEMBER TO SCHOOL FOR FREE, AS WELL AS CREDIT AND NONCREDIT COURSES. MY CONCERN IS THE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE LEADERSHIP. I UNDERSTAND WE WERE NOT AWARDED. THAT'S FINE, BUT THE COMMUNICATION PIECE IS A HUGE PROBLEM. LIKE MY COLLEAGUE SAID, WE MET WITH THE LEADERSHIP TEAM LAST WEEK AND IT WAS SIMPLY BECAUSE WE HAD STIPENDS IN OUR PROPOSAL YET AGAIN. OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, OTHER PROPOSALS HAD STIPENDS AND WERE ALLOTTED A CHANCE TO SAY, WILL YOU STILL DO YOUR PROGRAM WITHOUT STIPENDS? WE WERE NOT ALLOWED AT THAT CHANCE. WE SAT IN THIS VERY ROOM AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THIS CONVERSATION WITH TREVOR, WHO WAS BEHIND US, AND COMMUNICATION HAS HAS WENT AWAY. WE WOULD HAVE BEEN AT EVERY MEETING, AT EVERY TABLE AND EVERY CONVERSATION HAVE WE BEEN COMMUNICATED THAT MEETINGS WERE HAPPENING. AND THAT IS A REASON AS WELL, IS WHY WE WERE NOT SELECTED, IS WHAT I'M TOLD. WE DID NOT SHARE A COMMITTEE. WE COULDN'T SHARE A COMMITTEE IF WE WERE NOT AWARE THAT A COMMITTEE MEETING WAS HAPPENING. 
          I HAVE EMAILS TO BACK IT UP. I HAVE I HAVE A TRAIL, A PAPER TRAIL OF ALL OF THIS INFORMATION. AND THIS HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO LEADERSHIP FOR THE RECOMPETE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. 
          SO. AND I AGAIN WILL APOLOGIZE. I REALLY MISJUDGED HOW LONG THIS ONE WAS GOING TO TAKE. SO I DON'T KNOW. I DON'T FEEL LIKE THIS IS LIKE A BACK AND FORTH TYPE OF THING RIGHT NOW. SO UNLESS THERE'S ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT SPECIFICALLY ON ALLENTOWN WORKS OUT THERE, THEN I AM GOING TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING WITH NO ABOUT THE ISSUE. THAT SEEMS LIKE THAT'S BEEN ESCALATED, AND YOU ALL WILL HANDLE THAT AND SEE WHAT COMES OF IT. SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND ADJOURN THIS MEETING. JUST SO FOLKS KNOW WHO WALKED IN, PROBABLY THOUGHT THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE THE REGULAR COUNCIL. WE STILL GOT TWO MORE COMMITTEE MEETINGS BEFORE. YES, TWO MORE COMMITTEE MEETINGS BEFORE WE GET TO THE REGULAR COUNCIL. SO THANK YOU,
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.