Discussion | Presenting to Your Community

  Discussion | Presenting to Your Community PLEASE RESPOND AS IF RESPONDING TO A CLASSMATE Posted by Apple Describe Your Experience My presentation focused on the issue of homelessness in the City of Monrovia and the environmental risks it poses to the community. I presented at the Monrovia City Council meeting, which was held at 6:30 pm in the Council Chambers. My target audience consisted of three councilmembers, City Manager, City Clerk, City Treasurer, City Attorney, the Mayor Pro Tem and the Mayor of Monrovia as well as three local residents involved with the Monrovia Matters Alliance. I choose to present at the City Council meeting because I felt that these stakeholders have a vested interest in the community and would be motivated to affect change on the issue of homelessness and environmental risks it poses to the community. I also felt like they could really affect change and gain buy-in from other stakeholders that I mentioned in my presentation such as the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Planning of the Presentation The city council meetings encourage public participation and input. Anyone interested in sharing their views on city business may approach the podium during the last 45-minutes of the meeting following public city business. I choose to present a PowerPoint presentation and was able to load my presentation on the computer at the podium. I was a bit anxious about presenting to the City Council, however, my husband and I have hosted a private “team building” cooking class at our Culinary School for the Mayor and city councilmembers, which eased my nerves. What I learned Through feedback on my project from the city council and community members, I learned that there are many resources that are being offered to homeless individuals and families such housing, social services, mental services and placement in shelters. However, there are quite a few individuals who are considered “resistive homeless” most likely due to drug use. A potential stakeholder for my action plan could be to partner up with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). SAMHSA is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. They offer grant programs such as Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH), which are distributed annually to all 50 states. Each state solicits proposals and awards funds to local public or nonprofit organizations, known as PATH providers. I will be doing more research on this grant opportunity as well as research on PATH providers in the San Gabriel Valley. This will information will definitely be addressed at my next community presentation. References: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/ What is a Substantive Post? • Substantive initial posts and responses to peers include discussion extenders such as expanding on the points of discussion in your own words, supported by scholarly references, or providing alternative perspectives supported with scholarly references. • Responses to peers could also include reflecting back the meaning of their post to provide context and insight. • Avoid simple posts of agreement; if you agree, explain why, and then thoughtfully further the conversation by supporting your answer with authoritative sources, such as references to scholarly articles.