Asia Hallett, director of the Office of Youth and Families, gave a detailed presentation Monday about 2026 goals that center on a youth programs directory, a youth data hub and fiscal mapping designed to align funding to need. Hallett described work convening more than 80 organizations over 12 months to identify gaps between existing data and the questions the city needs answered to support young people.

"We just completed the first phase of that directory," Hallett said. She said the directory maps more than 200 organizations, their locations and the frequency of programming; it is intended to be used with a "joy map" showing places young people frequent. Hallett said the Opportunity Pass—an initiative to remove transportation barriers for youth—emerged from that data work.

Hallett described fiscal mapping and a push to calculate the "true cost" of expanding programs and improving quality, saying that advocacy for funding often cites numbers that are too low to solve the underlying problems. She also detailed child-care findings from a survey of city employees—328 responses showing 76% had considered leaving or cutting hours because of childcare needs—and said stipends and other flexible supports are being considered.

Council members pressed for more detail about proposed budget changes. Hallett said several contracts in the office are funded from general funds and grants and that some youth-focused contracts are set to expire in December and are not renewed in the administration's proposed 2026 budget. Council member Harris highlighted that mental-health services contracted for schools and programs had been cut from prior levels, at one point noting a program that had decreased from $100,000 to $25,000 and now to zero.

Public commenters and youth-service organizations urged the council to protect funding. Katie Hunter Lowry of the Vera Institute noted the Big Easy Budget Coalition's call for $10.7 million in increased investments to sustain youth programming. Michelle Seymour of the New Orleans Youth Alliance and Morgan Shannon of the New Orleans Children and Youth Planning Board provided data showing reductions in "disconnected" youth where coordinated programming is in place and argued for continued investment.

Hallett said the office will continue convening partners—including United Way, Tulane, OCAI and recreation agencies—and pushed for sustaining the city's Culture and Recreation Fund and other direct grants that reach small organizations quickly. She said staffing in her office was small (she listed three core staff) and that cuts would limit capacity to expand or maintain services.

No formal council vote on the office's budget occurred at the committee hearing; the presentation was part of a broader multi-day budget review. Several council members said they value the office's role but will weigh funding as the Council and administration finalize budget priorities.