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Public commenters at San Antonio canvass urge focus on housing, homelessness and child welfare
Summary
During the canvass meeting, three public commenters thanked outgoing officials for child-welfare funding and urged the incoming council to prioritize housing and homelessness. Speakers included Dr. Angie White of Child Advocates San Antonio, a resident identified as Molly, and Graciela Sanchez.
Three members of the public spoke during the canvass meeting on June 18, using the public comment period to press the council and incoming leadership to prioritize housing, homelessness response and child-welfare support.
Dr. Angie White, president and CEO of Child Advocates San Antonio, opened public comment by thanking the council for its support for foster children. "This is the only city council that has supported financially foster children in the city of San Antonio," she said, and singled out several council members for their advocacy on wraparound services, reunification and housing for children aging out of foster care. She also described private donations and local advocacy that complemented council action.
A commenter identifying herself as Molly focused on homelessness. She told the council she expected coordinated action with Bexar County and said the unhoused population has grown, stating the increase has been "upwards 3,000" (commenter attribution). She urged the council to pursue immediate needs and expressed disappointment that some campaign promises had not addressed the scale of the issue.
Graciela Sanchez criticized city staff work on a large project she referred to as "project marvel" and urged the incoming mayor and council to shift priorities toward housing. In public comment she said city staff "is working to find over $4,000,000,000 for this project, but only $150,000,000 for the 2022 housing bond," and argued the city should invest more in housing and services for vulnerable residents. Those dollar figures and program details were presented by the speaker as public comment and were not introduced as staff reports during the canvass meeting.
None of the public commenters' proposals resulted in actions at the canvass meeting; the council's agenda item was limited to certification of election results. The remarks were recorded in the public-comment record and will be part of the incoming council's contextual information as it sets priorities for the next term.
