They have proof that the taxes were paid.
And then we have our deed.
let's take a look at the site itself there are significant vacancies in the area
and this will breathe some new life into that particular property which i think as
you can see it's extraordinarily deep the lot
here are the signatures from neighbors
and please note all of these are from venango
and right around the corner
and here's more
we did meet with the 13th ward we'll get into that in a minute do want to take you through
some of the materials that were submitted this company will have a civil rights
compliance compliance requirements from the heart youth haven is the name of the residential
facility that Ms. Minor
would run.
From page 78, 79
onwards, all of this
to 110 was submitted by my client to the state of Pennsylvania.
Organizational chart, board member guidelines, committed to ensuring that all the staff receive
comprehensive training to provide a safe, nurturing, trauma-informed environment for
youth age 16 to 21. The training plan outlines required initial and ongoing training for
all employees, their specific training goals, their specific training hours, not only for
the director, but for the certified trainers and providers.
That's a pretty comprehensive plan.
There'll be exterior lighting and security cameras.
i'm like you're going to hear testimony from my client that she's been doing this for years
not at this particular site oh and that she's done very well and the the children grow up to
be very successful then we have more uh listing of classifications with the functions
Ms. Minor is my client.
They'll also have a director of programming,
childcare supervisor,
recreation workers.
There are a list of client rights and responsibilities
for each child coming into the facility from the system.
there are formal grievance policies
emergency evacuation plan for the property
and as part of our exhibit packet we also have insurances and all other
relevant information.
With that, I'd like to call my client
Sheree Minor to the stand.
You mentioned you were going to talk about the RCO.
Do you want to have her talk about it?
I want her to start talking about it.
Okay, sure.
Sheree Minor, if you're in a virtual audience,
Please raise your virtual hand.
They have been promoted to panelists.
Please accept the panelists' promotion.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Could you please state your name and spell it for the stenographer?
Good morning.
My name is Cherie Miner.
is spelled s-h-a-r-e-e last name minor m-i-n-o-r you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole
truth and nothing but the truth i do please proceed counsel thank you first miss minor
good morning miss minor first i'd like to ask you three uh housekeeping questions to get that out
of the way okay did you hear my presentation to the board this morning i did the true and accurate
to the best of your knowledge. Yes. And do you adopt it as your own testimony? I do. Okay. The
chairman had asked for some insight into your relationship and experience with this particular
RCO. So instead of hearing it from me, I think it's probably best if we put it on the record
from you. Do you mind explaining the experience? Yes, I do. Back in, during my first RCO meeting,
I felt like I was treated unfairly. I was cut off while speaking. And the only person that was entertained was my neighbor who lives next door to me, who's been trying to, I believe it's maybe like a five rooming house or apartments in that house.
And she's just been going around the neighborhood trying to obtain signatures, expressing to people that I am trying to do something other than what I'm trying to do.
I'm sorry.
Did you say she runs a rooming house?
No, she doesn't run a rooming house.
I believe it's five apartments next door to me.
And she rents a room.
She rents a room there.
I see.
So she's a tenant.
She's a tenant.
in and okay and in the apartment building next door okay yes and during
In and OK. And in the apartment building next door. OK.
Yes. And during the first RCO meeting, I was pretty much cut off several times by her stating that I was trying that the neighbors didn't receive the letters that I was trying to backdoor them.
I tried to offer my number to her. I tried to have a conversation with her, but she was just being unruly.
after the RCO she was allowed to keep cutting me off and anybody that spoke for me
was just kept being was in my favor just kept being placed on mute I mean the neighbors yes
also after the meeting I decided to be proactive and go door to door to obtain to introduce myself
to the neighborhood, explain to them what it is that I was trying to do. And everybody that I met
was for it. Everybody that answered the door was for it. The next day, I got word that she's been
going around the neighborhood getting signatures from different people, especially in the building
across the street in which I obtained signatures for them, for that building. When I tried to go
in and get more signatures. I was just, you have to be buzzed in. And I was just met with so much
resistance from one of her friends. So I decided not to go in that building again. And that's the
address at 2104 West Venango. And you believe the information to obtain those signatures was
based on misinformation about your mission. Is that right? Yeah. Or just her being, she has a
friend that live in that building. And I believe that, you know, she helped her, you know, walk
around well not believe um one someone who's going to speak
um a lot of the you know a lot of the residents feel bad for me she has been nothing but a nuisance
to the neighbor i don't really want to speak about her but this is expected of her and what
about the rco what about and then talk about the rco itself the second time you went uh the the rco
so during the meeting yeah charles corn during the meeting with you i want to say that he was
he wasn't it wasn't like when i was on a meeting with him the first time like i said the first time
he was you know he kind of like scolded me um he kept cutting me off while i was speaking
and he allowed uh the neighbor to do so as well and anybody that was for me you know he kept
cutting them off and putting them putting them on mute did you get a do you think you after two
meetings you got a fair hearing and presentation to the community without any interruption or issues
no thank you now let's talk about your mission because it's important now again the use that
you're proposing is already assumed to be compatible with this property uh the board
just needs to hear that you are professionally going to operate this home and your history
in doing so and your mission. So speak a little bit about that, please. Okay. I've been a foster
parent, a therapeutic foster parent since April 12, 2012, fostering nothing but teenage females
who are currently in DHS care. And that's what I plan to do so in this property as well. I have
I've also been a case manager for over a decade for at-risk youth in the city of Philadelphia.
I also have a letter of support from the director of that agency as well.
The name of my business is From the Heart Youth Haven.
And I actually have a letter that I don't know if you'll mind me reading.
Do you want me to share my screen or?
You could read it into the record. That's fine.
Okay. Okay. So I had, you know, when I was introducing myself, my name is Cherie. I am a passionate advocate for at-risk youth in our community. I have an identical twin sister, Marie Minor, and we are extremely close. For over a decade, my sister and I have been fostering therapeutic teenage girls together.
Growing up within walking distance of 2135 West Venango Street, I witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by our neighborhood's most vulnerable teenagers.
Since April 12th, since April of 2012, I have opened my home and my heart to teenage girls.
My decade-long career as a case manager for juvenile and adult probation has equipped me with the skills and passion to serve youth at risk of violence or drug abuse.
Our city faces a high demand for finding suitable placements for these teens.
Unfortunately, many are left sleeping on cots and floors in the Department of Human Services building,
hoping to find a foster parent like us to take them in.
With no more space left in our home, my sister and I decided to take action to better...
With no more space left in our home, my sister and I decided to take action to better support
teenagers in need. My sister opened a shelter and I opened a group home. This way we can provide a
more suitable living environment for these teenagers until they can find a permanent
placement. Today, I stand before you with a vision to transform these challenges into
opportunities for our youth. Currently, there's over 10,000 youth in the city of Philadelphia
that are homeless and that that's that's facts that's on the city website and i'm looking to
only house nine and it's up to nine in this property thank you thank you miss minor mr
chair at the rco meeting that i attended there was no uh absolutely zero uh testimony or discussion
about this particular operation, about this particular home, and about the care and programming
for these particular girls. It was, it was all about how the, there were complaints about how
the neighbors have had enough of too many people, too many children, and too much crime in the
community. Uh, it, it was, it was a quick de-evalation, uh, uh, into, uh, more of a, uh,
Ad Hahnemann attack on my client. And it ended with a final question from, uh, one of the members
of the committee where they asked, uh, why don't she open up across the street from my own personal
home? Uh, my answer is to her, to that RCO and to this board. If there were a property, uh,
available, I would welcome it. Ms. Minor is nothing but professional. Her vision and materials
speak nothing but professionalism, and her mission is she wants to open her house and her home to
these young girls who just need a chance. This board can give her that opportunity, and I ask
for that today. Thank you. Questions from the board? Yes, I have a question. So the photos that
you showed us were the interior of the property correct yes okay and so what are the plans for
the exterior that's the first question a lot of work go ahead miss minor i have got um i have
gotten siding done on the outside of the property and i plan to maintain uh trash removal and
landscaping and snow okay so my question is what um my other question is so what outdoor space
will be available for the youth,
whether it's in the front or the rear?
There's a large yard in the rear of the property.
The actual lot goes from street to street.
So it's extremely deep, over 100 feet deep.
So it's plenty of yard space.
Ms. Minor even mentioned to me
during one of our conferences
about starting some gardening for the girls as well.
Just show them how to take care of the earth
and take care and grow their own food.
So there's a lot of space back there for them.
And we're going to assume that it's going to be fenced in in the rear.
Yes, ma'am.
Okay. So in terms of, and this,
I'm asking this question because it's going to have some,
especially the front footage would be something that the neighbors will get
to see. So what's the intent for the front yard of the property?
Just landscaping, you know, investment. It'll, you know,
an investment in the landscaping in the front so that it's a vast
improvement over what it is there now.
Am I still on mute?
Other questions for the board.
Yes, question.
So what age young women are we talking about?
Ms. Minor?
I'm going to do ages 14 to 20.
And the reason being is one girl that I currently have in my care is 19 and she'll be graduating 12th grade this year.
sometimes they'll let um sometimes their parents decide to hold them back or due to their
circumstances they might be held back a grade or two okay so and then how many how many bedrooms
are there or how many how many bedrooms are there in the house let's go back to the plan if you'd
like but go ahead miss minor you can speak while i scroll there's five uh bedrooms okay and you
said that there'll be eight to nine uh young women is that correct what we're talking about
so and then is there how many how many kitchens how many bedrooms one large kitchen is that right
miss minor yes it's one large kitchen i have a picture of that as well if you want me to share
my screen along with a nook set that has a uh in between a dining room in the kitchen
I have built a nook set that has a pull-out microwave, along with a beverage center and a sink.
i have uh built a nook set that has a pull-out microwave along with the bed
Scroll back to the first floor.
Yes, sir.
Go ahead, Cheryl.
I just wanted to.
Yeah. So we're going to have basically a communal sort of kitchen experience where we're going to be eating together and that kind of thing.
this is a family okay and then the uh uh are all these uh uh young women going to be in
high school is 14 high school already or how do we will they be going to school yes the answer is
yes they'll be going to school okay and and when they come home they you know there's
the education continues there's help at home this for the first time in their lives they'll have
help at home with with reading writing and arithmetic gotcha okay and then uh where will
these uh young women be coming from i think you said that they were dhs from the okay this is the
Department of, what is it, Human Services? Human Services. These are not kids coming out of
drug and alcohol facilities. These are not kids coming out of the criminal justice system.
These are kids who have no one and they end up in DHS. Okay. And now they'll have Ms. Minor
and her team. And how long, you said you've been doing this since 2012? Is that what I heard?
Yes. Okay. And then what is foster therapeutic care? Can you tell me what that is?
Just children who've been through a lot of challenges in life and are in need of therapy.
So we also have mobile therapists available. We partner with mobile therapists available to be on call to provide them with the therapy that they need.
So they will be having weekly therapy with a therapist because a lot of times when children are placed in the system, it's a high waiting list for it.
Sometimes it's a three to six month waiting list to even be seen by a therapist.