Patrick Stegg, identified in the meeting as an assistant director, presented the city’s first annual report on efforts to address homelessness, summarizing system trends, fiscal investments and near‑term priorities.

Staff described the city’s homelessness system as a coordinated network involving nonprofit providers, shelter operators and city departments, and presented a point‑in‑time style count and year‑to‑year trends. The presentation reported that San Antonio’s homeless count in the referenced year was 3,362 and noted a 6.8 percent increase from the prior year; staff compared local trends with larger increases in some peer cities, including Houston and Fort Worth.

The report summarized expenditures and planned budget items: staff said the city’s FY24 homelessness budget was about $33 million, with approximately half coming from the general fund. Staff also referenced additional allocations that, when combined with partner spending and targeted program funds, resulted in higher totals discussed in the presentation (staff cited figures that included $20 million distributed for public safety‑adjacent services and a combined total figure of about $48 million when other sources were included). The report identified a $32 million strategic housing plan line item and described grant and contract spending across shelter operations, outreach and rapid rehousing.

Staff described program results and pilots: a nurse‑led pilot launched in May placed people into care settings; rapid‑response outreach and voucher use connected families to housing (staff reported 90 families served quickly through a partner program); more than 2,000 people were referred to shelter or housing placements in the reporting period and a total system count of about 4,500 service episodes was cited. The presenter also described judicial partnerships that offer alternatives to fines and coordination with Haven for Hope and other providers.

Councilmembers asked for clarification on how many households the city helped avoid eviction and stay housed; one councilmember asked staff to provide that data in a follow‑up memo. Members asked about the county’s contributions and interjurisdictional pilots, motel usage in southern and western neighborhoods, capacity limits at shelters and how the city is coordinating with Haven for Hope and county programs. Several members expressed interest in a fuller briefing to the full council (a “Session B”) and asked staff for more detailed budget breakdowns.

The council moved the homelessness item to a follow‑up Session B meeting for more detailed questions and for staff to provide additional data; the chair set that follow‑up for Feb. 26. Staff said they would supply the requested clarifications after the meeting.