And we've partnered with several mobile therapists, and they're willing to supply support as needed.
When you say, I guess, I'm trying to figure out, the therapy is trying to...
Trauma.
Behavioral emergency.
Behavioral trauma.
trauma okay uh and that's of the uh either homelessness or whatever may have happened
in their home situation yes being abused the situation that pulled them from whatever
household they were born into and thrown into dhs you know when we all walk into the municipal
services building and i've been doing it for 30 years i'm sure most of you have and i've never
noticed it until recently at the front desk when you check in there's a kit a box and it says for
trauma and physical trauma right because we're always ready willing and able to treat physical
trauma but what about the emotional and uh and psychological trauma that these children have
gone through at five six seven eight ten years old ms minor this property is the kit for them
so and we're asking that you consider that all right thank you so the questions for the board
question ms minor i have a question um looking at the rco letter it seems that there has been
some support but there's also been some opposition what's your plan for the neighbors that may have
sign in opposition should you be granted today to address any concerns they might have moving
forward with your business or with the stewards in your care? Before Ms. Minor answers, I do want
to note that she did, in fact, already offer her phone number to everyone in the community.
And we even at the second RCO meeting that I attended, we offered a walkthrough, an open house
so folks can see that not only is this particular home going to be probably the nicest home on the
block, but it's not unlike any other home. There's nothing institutional about it.
But Ms. Miner may have more. Thank you. Yes, I was also, I was willing to offer my home,
give my number out to meet with the neighbors. I just want to be honest, the only people that I
I just want to be honest. The only the only people that I got to know from was friends of the neighbors of my one neighbor who's been, you know, verbally confrontational with me this whole time.
I got to know.
And even, you know, Charles Karn witnessed it during the RCO meeting as well.
I also partnered. I also went and introduced myself to the 39th Police District.
I also have a police sergeant, Dawn Thomas, who's listening in today, who also wanted
to testify, but because she's actually on duty, she just stated that she's not allowed
to, but she wanted me to let you guys know that she is in support of this.
And also the 39th Police District has also offered to keep a log at my facility and do
check-ins as needed.
yeah i think those are all great but i'm just wondering is there anything formal and like that
you're going to put in place because anybody that has your number now the neighborhood ebbs and
flows people move and come like what's going to be the formal process if at you know 11 p.m in
three months somebody has an issue and what like i think that's what this seems to be missing is
some sort of documented you know there's a sign call this number there's a you know that there's
some regular point of interaction for neighbors to be able to voice such concerns and to be able
to address you directly? What we did suggest at the RCO meeting was that the contact information
will be placed on the property itself so that at any time during the day or night, if there's an
issue, if a tree falls or if something else happens out front, that they would be able to contact
them. We did proffer that at the RCO meeting as well. Okay. And then my second question is,
typically when neighbors have concerns about this, there's two types of concerns. There's
concerns about the physical changes to the property and the effects that that might have
on any of their subsequent properties. I think you've addressed a lot of that in your testimony
today. But then there's a second concern about how to deal with sort of the new people that are
coming into their neighborhood so i my question for miss minor is in dealing with youth who have
you know had difficult lives and difficult backgrounds and are you know still processing
trauma there's often sometimes reversions of behavior there's difficult moments what do you
and your staff sort of do to address some of those or to even try to prevent some of those
when you are sort of living in a in a block with other people because like we've said this is not
an institutional facility where other measures might be taken. So what is the process when
things don't go as planned? When a child is placed with me, the plan is to have them fill out
required paperwork that I have actually drawn up to get to know them. And during that time, we,
you know, address each need, whether they need therapy, whether they need to be re-enrolled in
school. My plan is to keep them active. I also have a website. And on the website, we have,
you know, we have tutoring support. We have job, we help them with job readiness skills,
try to help them obtain employment. We also have exercise classes at the facility. We also have
hairdressers that are licensed cosmetologists at our sister, at the sister location who had,
that has a nail salon there and a hair salon where we can utilize to teach the kids how to maintain
how to maintain their hygiene and take care of themselves we also have cooking classes
we have paint your pain away therapeutic painting classes my job is to you know provide them with
everything that i could think of possible to help them um be better for our community we
also would like to, you know, I'm trying to have them come out, do street cleaning. Back when I
was younger, we had candy stripers. I'm trying to get them engaged in the community and help out
wherever is needed. I'm sorry, did I answer your question? You didn't. I have no further questions.
Thank you. Any other questions? Just a couple questions. So you and your sister will be on
site, are there any other staff that will be there? Yes, in accordance with regulations 3800.
On top of that, I would like to have two staff available at all times.
So there'll be two staff available 2407? Yes. Where will they be stationed? Is there an office
or is there a place? I imagine some of these individuals will be on medication.
how do you address the medication needs yes uh according to regulations
how do you address the medication needs yes uh according to regulations 3800 i have to have a
a lock box for a medication and i have one and yes there are uh office uh there is an office
in the back and it's a couple desks um it's there will there's a desk on each floor
and so and you've had these types of facilities are you been in this this space for uh since 2012
and has that been out of your house this other facility or it's just for the other facility or
there been more than just the the one uh the since uh 2012 has been out of my home so now
I have purchased a bigger home okay and how many children did you have there oh it's been
I'm sure I've serviced over well let's just say for the last I'll speak on the last four years
for the last four years, I've had the same three children since March 4th of 2021. I've had the
same children and one is going to come on and speak. She'll be going, two of my girls will be
going away to college this fall. One to Arcadia and one to Widener University. They've already
already been accepted. They also, one of them is number six in the 12th grade graduating class
and the other one is number 12
in the 12th grade graduating class
with the highest GPA.
Thank you, Ms. Minor.
Questions from our attorney?
Not at this time, Mr. Chair.
Questions or comments from the audience here?
Mr. Richardson.
Mr. Richardson, you've already been sworn.
Just for the record, state your name.
Charles Richardson, Office of Councilwoman Cindy Bass.
Mr. Richardson, pull that mic a little closer to you.
That's perfect.
Thank you, sir.
Not a problem.
Got a lot to unpack here.
First, to say something in defense of Mr. Karn.
He's not here today.
He's a ward leader.
This is Election Day.
A lot of his people are committee people.
They will probably not be able to be on here as well.
So I've heard a lot of characterization of what happened at the first meeting
and then uh tried to characterize what happened at the second meeting but there's nobody here to
speak to that uh you know i did we we are office during that first meeting uh or at following that
we got calls from our from from the community that said that they did not receive your letter also
so if they attacked you because of that because they did not receive the letter
that's you know that's that's a simple simple fact uh it was the second meeting um and uh you
You know, the second meeting, I would say that probably went better.
She had characterized it as having gone better and not she did not get attacked or anything along those lines.
So, you know, we're just we're just saying that looking at the situation, your mailing went out to 88 people to those of those 88 people, 60 from the petitions that have been circulated are opposed.
we got no petitions from you guys to vet verne knows i like to vet petitions i sit in for you
know for for our better vetting petitions using uh been verified which is a a a website and also
the city committee um a street list as well very good way to find out who's actually living in the
community. We haven't we haven't seen those petitions. The
question that was that I was going to ask was how many houses
that she currently have, you know, and she's saying that she
has one but she's trying to move into this one here. You
know, she's applied for applications with the state and
things like that seems a little bit pre you know that she's
got it gotten ahead of herself because we don't know whether
she's going to be approved here or not as yet. Support
from the 39th district the 39th district along with other police districts across the city of
philadelphia are not allowed to get involved in zoning applications there were zoning matters so
you know you know i'm trying to just be be fair with it with with the young lady but she's you
know they're trying to characterize it as being such a great thing but the overwhelming majority
of the neighbors are opposed and the councilwoman is opposed as well all right mr mr chair hold on
Do you have any questions for Mr. Richardson?
Mr. Short, please appreciate it.
Mr. Richardson, thank you for your testimony.
I just have a few follow-ups.
You did see the evidence of 88 pieces of mail
uh submitted by the vista uh by the vista uh company that all reputable zoning firms use
submitted by the Vista company.
you did see that in my evidence yes as you always do yes you did thank you uh and although you did
not receive them in advance to uh you say vet uh i'm sure you saw my presentation today and we did
have four or five pages of signatures of immediate neighbors did you see those i did not get to look
those petitions and actually compare them with the with the uh folks living in the area
understood which is what i do understood um and you did see the comprehensive plan for safety
for uh facility uh for uh grievance policies and and for all the other materials that we put uh
submitted to show the business plan that was also submitted to the pennsylvania's uh department state
you did see that yes verne that does not have to do with the neighbors the neighbors i understand
I understand. And you did. Did you hear my client's testimony that the 39th district has offered to use this home as a log in place for a a daily log in their routine?
Did you hear that testimony as they do with other businesses? And this is a business that's opening, just trying to open in that block.
I'm sorry, that's a business that's trying to open in that block and the 39th district.
They had they used us as a log in place up on Germantown Avenue.
Okay, so this is a residential facility, by the way, but yes, the answer is yes, you did hear that.
Okay, thank you. I have nothing further.
Thank you. Questions or comments from the virtual audience?
Yes, Chair, we have two hands up, or one hand, and Forster has been promoted to panelists.
Please just ask the panelists' promotion.
Good morning.
Hello, can you hear me?
Yeah, I can. Could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer?
Kayla Forster, K-A-Y-L-A-F-O-R-S-T-E-R.
You swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Are you a neighbor?
No, I am a foster child of Cherie Minor.
And I wanted to speak on her behalf.
Please proceed.
Okay. Since I came to Ms. Miner's house, she has always been kind and welcoming towards me and every other person in the home. When she brought me around her family for the holidays, events, I felt included and made sure that what I needed was met.
during the times we spoke I felt I felt like I've learned something from her and I've also felt
that what I said was valued and important to her and she never pushed me aside or anything like
that and then in the four years that I've spent with Mishri she's she's also taught me how to be
independent responsible and on top of what I need to do she's also the one who encouraged me to get
a job, which is when I began working at a nearby laundromat in the Andorra area. And I come from a
home that doesn't have much income, but she not only gave me a job opportunity and taught me how
to better myself, she also offered my dad a job while working on the group home, which I very
much appreciate it because right now he's also struggling with the money income and that's all
I have to say. Thank you. Anyone else in the virtual audience? Yes, Chair, we have somebody
a number in 9965 and they haven't allowed to speak. Hi, could you please yourself? Sure.
good morning hi good morning could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer
sarita green s-y-r-e-e-t-a green g-r-e-e-n you swear or affirm to tell the truth told
truth nothing but the truth yes are you a neighbor yes please proceed
i want to say that i did meet miss minor um i did i attended the second community meeting
and i'm for the program uh she was very thorough she allowed me into the residence
and i will say it's a beautiful place i did tell that when we were on the meeting i was one of the
people that was cut off many times unfortunately they took a count and we were the count was four
They took a count, and we were, the count was four, but they said the count was against for the community meeting, and that was inaccurate.
but they said the count
I was on the call, and I just want to say what she showed and what she is doing, a lot of the community is four.
One of the people that was on the phone, unfortunately, would not put the real name.
She put her name as Boxer to intimidate, and she made a lot of allegations with no proof.
And I won't go too far into it, but I will say this woman has welcomed us into to see it. And unfortunately, I felt the RCO meeting was unprofessional and it was extremely biased. And I will end with saying I'm absolutely for it. Let's give this woman a chance and let's help some of these young people in our community.
All right. Thank you very much. Is there anyone else in the virtual audience?
Yes, Chair, we have one more hand. Edith has been allowed, been promoted to panelists.
Please accept the panelists' promotion.
I could, what was the name, Edith?
Yes, Chair, they are, as a panelist, they just need to start your video on your