REGULAR MEETING OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2025, 6:00 P.M. AUSTIN CITY HALL, ROOM 1101 301 W. 2ND ST AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Human Rights Commission may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Ryan Sperling at ryan.sperling@austintexas.gov or 512-974-3568 CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS/COMMISSIONERS: Kolby Duhon, Chair (He/They) Muneeb “Meebs” Aslam (He/Him) Melinda Morgan Avitia Harriett Kirsh Pozen Maryam Khawar Gabriella Zeidan, Vice Chair Danielle Bryant Morgan Davis (He/Him) Mariana Krueger (She/Her) Tannya Oliva Martínez AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first ten speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Human Rights Commission regular meeting on October 20, 2025 STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. Briefing regarding Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations’ current homelessness response efforts and key metrics. Briefing by David Gray, Director, Austin Homeless Strategies and Operations. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 3. Discussion and possible action to amend the 2025 Annual Schedule to remove the December 2025 meeting. WORKING GROUP UPDATES 4. Update from the Human Rights Resource Guide Working Group regarding the status of the resource guide. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodations no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. Please call or email Ryan Sperling at Austin City Clerk’s Office, at 512-974-3568 or ryan.sperling@austintexas.gov, to request service or for additional information. For more information on the Human Rights Commission, please contact Ryan Sperling at 512-974- 3568 or ryan.sperling@austintexas.gov.
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Monday, October 27, 2025 The Human Rights Commission convened in a regular meeting on Monday, October 27, 2025, at 301 W. 2nd St., Boards & Commissions Room, in Austin, Texas. Chair Duhon called the Human Rights Commission meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Kolby Duhon (Chair) Gabriella Zeidan (Vice Chair) Mariana Krueger Mindy Morgan Avitia Tannya Oliva Martinez Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Danielle Bryant Morgan Davis Maryam Khawar Harriett Kirsh Pozen PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL None present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Human Rights Commission regular meeting on September 22, 2025. The minutes of the September 22, 2025 meeting were approved on Commissioner Krueger’s motion, Commissioner Zeidan’s second on a 9-0 vote. Commissioner Aslam was absent. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Discussion regarding how the Human Rights Commission can support the Equity Division and Office of Equity and Inclusion considering the investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. Discussion was held. 1 DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 3. 4. Approve the nomination of Human Rights Commission members as primary and alternate Joint Inclusion Committee representatives. The nomination of Commissioner Oliva Martinez as the Human Rights Commission’s Inclusion Committee was approved on primary representative on the Joint Commissioner Krueger’s motion, Vice Chair Zeidan’s second on a 9-0 vote. Commissioner Aslam was absent. The nomination of Commissioner Morgan Avitia as the Human Rights Commission’s alternate representative on the Joint Inclusion Committee was approved on Commissioner Bryant’s motion, Commissioner Krueger’s second on a 9-0 vote. Commissioner Aslam was absent. Approve the 2026 Annual Meeting Schedule of the Human Rights Commission. The motion to amend the draft 2026 annual meeting schedule to reflect that the May date will be 5/21 at 6:00 p.m. was approved on Vice Chair Zeidan’s motion, Commissioner Krueger’s second on a 9-0 vote. Commissioner Aslam was absent. The motion to amend the draft 2026 Annual Meeting Schedule to strike the December meeting date was approved on Commissioner Krueger’s motion, Vice Chair Zeidan’s second on a 9-0 vote. Commissioner Aslam was absent. The 2026 Annual Meeting Schedule was approved as amended on Vice Chair Zeidan’s motion, Commissioner Morgan Avitia’s second on a 9-0 vote. Commissioner Aslam was absent. 5. Approve changes to working group membership. Discussion was held. No action was taken. WORKING GROUP/COMMITTEE UPDATES 6. Update from the Human Rights Resource Guide Working Group regarding its proposed timeline for developing the …
Our Vision: Everyone has access to stable housing and the support they need to thrive. HSO Strategic Pillars System Leadership We are a trusted system leader, working collaboratively to ensure an efficient, accessible, and effective homeless response. Impactful Community Investments We make investments that resolve individual experiences of homelessness and result in meaningful system change. Crisis Response System Management We ensure that people experiencing homelessness have easy access to basic needs, outreach, crisis shelter, and other services to support survival and pathways to stable housing. Communications Through public dialogue and intentional communication with stakeholders, we strengthen community trust, align efforts and drive systemwide impact. Investing in our People We pursue a culture of continuous learning, creating a collaborative, supportive, and engaging workplace that centers growth, development, and well-being. Our staff are inspired and empowered to drive meaningful change. We’re building the capacity to serve more households and reduce unsheltered homelessness. We’re getting upstream with prevention and early intervention, serving more Austinites more quickly. Example Housing Situations • People facing eviction • People with low incomes who are severely rent burdened • People experiencing partner or family violence • People who are doubled up or living in other unstable housing situations HSO Investments in Early Intervention • Digital navigation and resource hotline • Prevention programs for households/youth • Diversion resources for quick resolution of new homelessness • Leverage brick-and-mortar facilities such as shelters and navigation centers to provide rapid exit funds. Help Households Exit Homelessness & Then Promote Stability Stabilize Divert Quickly Resolve Crisis When Not Prevented Prevent Problem Solve Before Crisis Happens $34,000-$40,000 Average cost of RRH or PSH services and subsidy per client per year. $2,040 Average one-time cost per early intervention per client. Spotlight: Digital Innovations PEH Text Alert System • Launched in 2023 to enhance emergency notifications. • Reaches more than 5,000 subscribers. Navigation Hotline • Staffed 60 hours per week. • Immediate screening for early intervention eligibility. • Live referrals to appropriate resources. • 1/3 of callers are families with children. Service Pods • Deployed at high traffic social and health service locations, like navigation centers and emergency rooms. • Video conferencing and tele-health capabilities. • Clients can complete or update a housing assessment. • Reduces need to visit brick-and-mortar locations. Online Resource Finder • Launched austintexas.gov/opennow in 2025. • Provides interactive, up-to-date information on the availability and locations of resources. We’re learning from our successes …
