CONTACT: Victor Landa
Victor.landa@sanantonio.gov
SAN ANTONIO (April 14, 2022) – Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda outlined a series of funding priorities during Wednesday’s 2023 Budget Goal Setting Session. These include citywide improvements as well as items specific to District 6 and innovative pilot programs to benefit children’s well-being and small business growth.
“All the outlined budget priorities work together to create conditions for District 6 and the city as a whole to thrive with strength, creativity, resilience, and sustainability,” said the Councilwoman.
The top priority for District 6 is drainage, specifically a drainage project on White Quail St. and preliminary funding for Heath Road drainage improvements. Also, this past year the City provided funds for victims of flooding who did not have insurance, didn’t qualify for FEMA help, and needed immediate assistance; that emergency funding should continue.
Public Safety and proper equipment and training for first responders was also outlined as a priority. It’s important to ensure that firefighters have a licensed physical therapist at the SAFD wellness center as well as two trainers.
Another goal is the needed improvement of District 6 residents’ health. There are three specific items that serve that need: first, an additional Healthy Corner Store in the Marbach area; another is a community garden in the Community Workers Council area; and a third is additional senior citizen activities and programming at the Darner Parks and Recreation Center that will remain in place until a senior center can be built in the area.
As District 6 continues to recover from the pandemic, it is important to create the conditions for small businesses to grow. However, information is needed regarding small business resilience. The information will help pinpoint the business community’s strengths and needs and serve as a foundation to build an environment where businesses of every size can thrive.
A proposed memorandum of agreement between the Office of Innovation and UTSA would provide a snapshot of District 6 small business and industry conditions.
“The city’s success should be measured by the wellbeing of its most vulnerable citizens,” said the Councilwoman. “The proposed budget priorities include the wellbeing of the special needs community, veterans, foster care children who are without placement and those who are aging out of the foster care system.”
Recent reports indicate that children without placement and those who are aging out of the system are in special need of assistance. Their plight is critical and
seed funding towards permanent supportive housing for foster youth services should be allocated in the FY 2023 budget
CASA is an organization that continues to help foster youth throughout the city of San Antonio. Currently they are seeking funding for building renovations to better assist the foster youth.
In 2021, with CASA’s help, there were more than 200 children placed in foster care in District 6. The number of foster children helped by CASA is not limited to District 6, it is city wide.
Another proposed budget initiative that is intended to help the most vulnerable in the community is a comprehensive outreach program to ensure that all children in District 6 are enrolled in pre-k and have health insurance. This Every Child Initiative will find the best and most sustainable way to provide pre-k and health insurance enrollment opportunities for every family in the district that has a preschooler.
“The goal is for every family and child in District 6 to be healthy and prepared for the important K through 12 years.”
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