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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-03-11 Budget Committee MinutesSOCIAL SERVICE GRANT PRESENTATIONS March 11, 2009- Page 1-7 Social Services Grant Presentations Minutes March 11 and 12, 2009 7pm Civic Center, Council Chambers, 1175 East Main Street CALL TO ORDER The Citizen's Budget Committee meeting was called to order at 7:10 pm on March 11, 2009 in Council Chambers, 1175 East Main St., Ashland Oregon. ROLL CALL Committee members Everson, Heimann, Slattery, Jackson, and Thompson were present on March 11, 2009. Everson, Heimann, Slattery, Jackson, Thompson, and Lemhouse were present on March 12, 2009. STAFF PRESNT LEE TUNEBERG, ADMINSTRATIVE SERVICES/FINANCE DIRECTOR BRYN MORRISON, ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE MELISSA HUHTALA, ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY ELECTION OF A CHAIR Heimann/Everson ms Thompson as chair. All ayes. PUBLIC INPUT None STAFF REPORT AND PRESENTATIONS: Thompson thanked the organizations that applied. She explained that there are 24 applicants requesting a total of $184,324 and 118,342 is available for distribution. She discussed how each Subcommittee member reviewed all paper work and will work hard on making decisions on how the funds will be distributed. The Committee decided to allow each organization 3 minutes to present. Committee questioned whether Social Service groups have a minimum allocation. Mr. Tuneberg stated he is not aware of any agreement. $1000 is the least that has been granted in past years. The Committee decided that $1000 would be the minimum. Help Now Advocacy Center -Larry Kahn. They do critical crisis intervention. They help people in crisis situations when they are too traumatized to help themselves. They are proposing funding for an outreach and support program of emergency services. This organization has been active for the passed 5 years. Mr. Slattery asked if they received less then $3100.00 what would that mean to the organization. Mr. Kahn answered that the amount of time able to expand on the project might be limited and more volunteers will be needed. Ms. Everson questioned what category the organization falls in based on the City's Human Services Grant history? Mr. Kahn answered SOCIAL SERVICE GRANT PRESENTATIONS March 11, 2009- Page 2-7 emergency and safety services. The Outreach would be fire department and police department and other groups such as SART, Dunn House. The Gleaning Network -Ralph Patterson. The Gleaning Network has existed in Southern Oregon for 30 years the foundation is based on people who want to support the community by providing food stubs. Due to the economy it is difficult to support families with food. They are asking $30,000.00 to acquire a refrigeration vehicle. Distribution would be more adequate with a refrigeration vehicle. This program has helped people who cannot provide for themselves. Ms. Everson asked what their tax status is. Mr. Patterson answered 501(C) (3). Mr. Heimann asked if they were looking for a used refrigerator vehicle. Mr. Patterson answered yes. They have looked around at prices but no commitments have been made. WinterSpring Center -Sue Carroll. This is a community based grievant support agency for adults, teens and children. They help people who are grieving and give support. They are requesting funding for the children and teen programs. Research shows that grieving teens likely to have depression, anxiety and poor academic performance. They have a number of school based services in Ashland. They provide support training and education to staff, parents and community members. Community Works -(Street Outreach). This is a program that serves the runaway, homeless and street youth of Ashland. The program focused on meeting the basic survival needs of the youth, giving them access to emergency shelter and education for maintaining safety. The second focus is to empower youth to become self-sufficient members in the community. Street advocates and volunteers are able to provide food, clothing, hygiene and first aid needs. They also provide alcohol and drug services as well as education on sexual exploitation and violence issues. They have formed collaboration with Planned Parenthood for the youth to be supplied with birth control and to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STD's). They focus on empowering the youth to have a positive way of living. Ms. Everson asked if there are other providers of homeless youth in Ashland. They answered not in Ashland but there are in Ashland. Community Works -(Dunn House). This is an emergency shelter for woman and children who flee due to domestic violence. It is a 30 day stay they house up to 13 adult woman and as many children that are with the woman at a time. The provide food and bedding. They provide a parenting group, support group for woman, a children's therapist and a children's play activities group and support groups for the woman. They have support groups 24/7. Due to the remodel a year and a half ago they were able to expand how many people they can house. People are staying longer then 30 days because it is more difficult to find jobs and housing due to the economy. Community Works- (Sexual Assault Victim Services). They are a crisis response service for the sexually assaulted they are available 24/7. They provide clothing for the victim to leave the hospital. They don't serve children but If a child is sexually assaulted they still go and support family and friends. They take calls from victims and accompany them for what services they need such as medical appointments or court appointments. Since the last applications they have had an increase of 42% of sexual assault victims they served. They work with Ashland Police Department, SART, and the Women's Resource Center at SOU. Community Works-(Helpline). This is a 24/7 information and crisis line. Crisis calls have increased. They are the phone service for after hour Jackson County Mental Health. They also provide reassurance calls to seniors. They are requesting a big increase because they are operating with a part-time staff for a 24/7 service. They need more money for staff to be sufficient and effective system for Jackson County. SOCIAL SERVICE GRANT PRESENTATIONS March 11, 2009- Page 3-7 Jackson County Child Abuse Task Force. They have been providing services for over 18 years and have served over 13,000 children. In 2008 they served 895 children. They have trained child abuse therapists and provide 3 mentoring programs. They work with 23 other agencies all of which bring the children to the Advocacy Center to perform the services required. Ms. Everson questioned the client base increase? There has been a steady increase of about 10% a year in all cities except Ashland which is lower. SOCSTC-Leslie Curren. They are an outpatient program which serves children with server mental problems who have medical cards. They are referred through schools, Jackson County and Physicians. Each year they exceed the number of clients projected and they are projecting that there will be a strong need for their services due to the economy. SOASTC-Bob Lieberman. They are based in Grants Pass. They serve ages 4-24. They serve children from Jackson County but not many from Ashland due to no staff directly in Ashland. They treat families who have children with mental health problems. They use a Respite program that allows the families to choose their choice of provider. They had a reduction of funds last year so they are requesting a roll over to utilize the dollars previously given to them. Ms. Jackson asked if families in Ashland can get help in Ashland. Mr. Lieberman said yes they use their Respite service to find a provider. Children's Dental Clinic -Deb Silva. They serve low income families who do not have dental insurance. 24% of school children who are without dental insurance and will more likely have dental decay. They have served 51 years in Jackson County. They have a volunteer staff of 35 Dentists, 8 hygienists, 20 OIT student volunteers and15 specialist who see children in their own offices. They provide essential dental care and preventative care. Last year they served 324 children and provided $285,000 of free dental care for those children. There has been an increase in demand for their services this year. They have scene 12 children from Ashland. Their current costs are $19 per child. Ms. Jackson asked how people get referred to them. Ms. Silva responded that most referrals come from the school nurses. They also collaborate with other programs such as Happy Smiles that make referrals. Ms. Everson asked how they work with Happy Smiles. Ms. Silva explained that Happy Smiles makes referrals after they screen the children. Ms. Thompson questioned why only 12 children have been scene in Ashland. Ms. Silva stated that the schools are not distributing the applications properly. RV Manor Foster Grandparent Program RSVP -Becky Snyder. This program was brought to the Rogue Valley in 1975. The program is federally mandated and they require a 10% local monetary match to qualify for federal grants. They utilize volunteers ages 60 and above. They emphasize on lower income volunteers. If they need the income eligibility of 125% of poverty they are eligible for a non-taxable non -declarable stipend of $2.65/hr. The level is $1,128/month for a single person household or $1,518/month for a 2 person household. The median income of an Ashland resident serving as a foster grandparent is $926.00/month. During the last fiscal year 5 foster grandparents Ashland residents worked at 7 different sights and they worked with over 100 children. RV Manor Community Services RSVP -Becky Snyder. This program was brought to the Rogue Valley in 1976. RSVP volunteers are ages 55 and above. The volunteers are all income inclusive. The RSVP program helps senior clients here in Ashland. They provide support for the volunteers with mileage reimbursement. There were 40 individuals who received 286 rides through the medical transportation program and 120 Ashland residents received help for medical issues. The need and support for volunteers will continue to increase. Ms. Jackson asked if they have a volunteer coordinator and established training programs. Ms Snyder answered yes; they have an executive director and an assistant director. They also have administrative assistants in each program to do the paperwork. SOCIAL SERVICE GRANT PRESENTATIONS March 11, 2009- Page 4-7 Ms. Everson questioned if they were ready for volunteers to help with the closure of Trinity? Ms. Snyder answered yes. Southern Oregon Drug Awareness (SODA), no one to present. Sexual Assault Response Team (SART)-Susan Mullen. They provide free trained examiners and comfort for the sexually assaulted. They have nurses who provide tools for public safety and health. They are asking for funding for the sexual assault nurse examiner program. 1 in 4 women among us will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime as well as men. The numbers they are serving are growing and will continue to grow Ms. Everson questioned the numbers going up. Ms. Mullen answered that statistics nationally suggests that there is a sexual assault once every two days. As for SOU students they see sometimes none in a year and believe it is because nothing is being recorded. Oregon has the highest non -recorded rate in the Country, about 10% report. Mr. Heimann asked if they are going to put more effort into education. Ms. Mullen responded yes, they are looking into finding more administrative support. Center for Non -Profit Legal Services -Debra Lee. They are the only legal services program in Jackson County. They have 5 attorneys on staff. They have a 37% increase of new clients due to more collections and foreclosures. Their staff specializes in Family Law, Housing, Consumer, Public Benefits and Individual rights unit. Ms. Everson questions the big increase. Ms. Lee responds it isn't that big and that they serve about 6% of Ashland residents. Mediation Works -Mary Miller. This is a conflict resolution organization. They started in Ashland in 1990 and have a strong base in Ashland more then 50% of their volunteers come from Ashland. One of their larges programs is in the schools. They do 3 types of programs in schools one is called Choice Point and it is the bullying and harassment program. They are the leaders in bullying and harassment prevention training in the County. They are asking for funds to teach classes at the Ashland middle school and teach 4 sessions of 3 classes each semester. Ms. Jackson asked if the classes are established through health classes. Ms. Miller answered yes. Ms. Thompson asked if this has it been worked out with the school district. Ms. Miller not yet but intend to. Community Health Center -Peg Crowley. Since 1972 they have been the primary health care service. They provide prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illnesses and management of chronic diseases. They served 1,240 Ashland residents were served last year 60% were uninsured. The numbers will continue to increase. CASA-Steve Young. CASA fills the legal, unduplicated and unfunded mandate by the state of Oregon for a court appointed special advocate for each child. They make sure the educational, emotional, and medical needs are being met for the children. There is a volunteer training program. Of the 153 volunteers 35 are from Ashland. In 2008, 11 children were served in Ashland. They are requesting funds to continue recruitment. Ms. Everson asked if the children who are served through the Children Advocacy Center receive CASA's? Mr. Young answered yes they can. The top priority children depend on the severity of abuse and the safety of the child. Planned Parenthood -Stacy Kostenbauer. This proposal is a direct response in a national need and local need. 1 in 4 teenage girls has a sexual transmitted infection. They are launching a campaign called Get Yourself Tested. They are requesting the funds to serve up to 100 clients both men and women in Ashland and to support the homeless youth if they need testing and treatment. They also want to education on birth control and sexuality. Ms. Jackson asked if they had a good relationship with school nurses. Ms. Kostenbauer answered yes. Ms. SOCIAL SERVICE GRANT PRESENTATIONS March 11, 2009- Page 5-7 Mr. Heimann asked of the people who are tested positive get successful treatment. Ms. Kostenbauer answered 100%. Pathway Enterprises (Cabinets) -Debbie Simpson. Void request. Pathway Enterprises (Disaster Packs) -Debbie Simpson. They have been part of Ashland for 25 years. They provide housing and employment support to adults with disabilities. There are 5 group homes 2 are in Ashland. The OAR requires that there is 24/7 support service for people in group homes to have disaster preparedness. In the disaster packs there are medications, cooking supplies etc. With the funds requested 80 people would be supported. Access Inc. -Phillip Yates. They are a Food share program which is a State designated food program for Jackson County. They provide emergency food to every community in the County. Bring resources in locally and all over the state and different parts of the country. Each dollar provides 4-5lbs of food. They have 6 employees and 300 volunteers throughout a network of 19 food factories. Mr. Yates provided an example food box which holds 60 Ibs of food that feeds a family of 3 for 3-5 days. Over 60% of people receiving food stamps say they only last 2 weeks. The demand on food banks has increased over the years. They provide about 2.2 million Ibs. of food a year to 3200 families. The money requested would provide 350 families food boxes for the year. On Track -Rita Sullivan. This is a substance abuse treatment program. Publicly funded substance abuse treatment is scarce in Oregon, especially for adolescence. Currently 1 in 11 kids need these services. They have been providing treatment since 1979. Ms. Thompson asked how many Ashland people they see. Ms. Sullivan answered the records estimate 20% of the 6,000 they see are from Ashland. Mr. Heimann questioned if the drug of choice has changed. Ms. Sullivan answered that there is less production of methamphetamine. Always stable usage is alcohol and marijuana, cocaine and prescription drug use. The Committee discussed if SODA should be allowed to present at the beginning of the next meeting. It was decided that they will be allowed to present. This meeting will be continued on March 12, 2009. PRESENTATIONS CONTINUED: SODA -Shawn Martinez. Their mission is to prevent underage and adult misuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. They focus on prevention, treatment and maintenance. Their main focus is universal prevention. They reach out to the youth and community with information and resources to help prevent drug use. They are requesting the funding for training for youth advisors, awareness campaigns, information resources and peer to peer presentations. Ms. Jackson asked where in Ashland they have functions. Ms. Martinez responded that they have youth leadership training at Ashland Middle School. 15 students attended the training and came up with an action plan to implement to the middle school. They have information resources at SOU health fair. Mr. Heimann questioned the specific training for parents. Ms. Martinez responded they do not have a training they have one on one consultations. ALLOCATIONS: Ms. Thompson explained the process of the session. It was determined that the Committee would look at averages and begin where there were in agreement and go back to the disagreements. SOCIAL SERVICE GRANT PRESENTATIONS March 11, 2009- Page 6-7 On -Track -The Committee was all in agreement. CASA-The Committee was all in agreement. RV Manor Foster Grandparents RSVP -The Committee was all in agreement. Children's Dental Clinic -The Committee was all in agreement. Access -The Committee agreed with the average. Pathway Enterprises -Ms. Thompson felt this organization was not Ashland based. Ms. Everson felt that this small amount they are asking for was definitely in need. Ms. Jackson felt it was needed. Planned Parenthood -The Committee agreed that the amount of STD's in Ashland is alarming. The Committee felt it is essential to have prevention and treatment services. Community Works Sexual Assault Victim Services -The Committee agreed to the average. Ms. Thompson felt that this organization and SART are two related services so kept her allocation conservative. Ms. Jackson stated that she took the small requests that she saw a lot of value in and gave the total request. SART-The Committee agreed to the average. Community Health Center -Ms. Thompson felt that they serve large numbers and are an Ashland based organization. There is no duplicate place and the need for their services will be going up due to the economy and loss of health care. Mediation Works -Mr. Heimann felt they didn't confirm the program was in place. Ms. Everson stated that they are in the process of relationship building. Legal Services- Ms. Thompson felt there request was reasonable because they are the only organization we have for legal services. Ms. Jackson was looking more focus and didn't feel that they were needed for crisis. WinterSpring Center -Ms. Jackson felt money could go elsewhere. Ms. Jackson stated astonishment by the deaths among our high school and this is a small amount of money for an under funded organization. The Committee spoke that it is an important organization to support the youth. SODA -Mr. Lemhouse felt this program is critical for children in Ashland since there is no more DARE program and there are no school resource officers. The Committee agreed the children need the support. RV Manor Community Services RSVP -Ms. Everson felt that this is a great program that relies on volunteers. SOASTC-The Committee discussed that they were straight forward on what they would do with the money. SOCSTC-The Committee agreed with the average. Jackson County Child Abuse Task Force- Mr. Lemhouse commented on the enormous amount of children sex abuse cases and feels this service is very crucial for the children. SOCIAL SERVICE GRANT PRESENTATIONS March 11, 2009- Page 7-7 Community Works Helpline- The Committee discussed the importance of this service. Community Works Dunn House- The Committee discussed how this service is a safety net and is important for the community. Community Works Street Outreach -The Committee discussed the importance of prevention programs and the need for them. Gleaning Network -The Committee discussed that a refrigerator truck is out of reach. Help Now Advocacy Center- The Committee agreed with the average. Everson/Slattery move to approve the proposed allocations as presented. All ayes. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 pm. Respectfully Submitted, Melissa Huhtala Administrative Secretary Organization Requested Proposed Help Now! Advocacy Center $ 3,100 $ 1,133 The Gleaning Network of Southern Oregon 30,000 - Community Works Street Outreach 10,000 8,000 Community Works Dunn House 17,078 15,270 Community Works Helpline 16,550 10,250 Community Works Sexual Assault Victim 3,000 2,600 Services Jackson County Child Abuse Task Force 4,093 4,000 SOCSTC 2,940 2,815 SOASTC 1,523 1,200 Children's Dental Clinic 3,285 3,285 RV Manor Foster Grandparent Program, RVSP 2,000 1,500 RV Manor Community Services/RSVP 3,000 2,000 Southern Oregon Drug Awareness 1,500 1,500 WinterSpring Center Transforming Grief and 2,000 1,350 Loss Jackson County SART 3,000 2,480 Center for Non Profit Legal Services 7,255 6,039 Mediation Works 5,000 2,100 Community Health Center 37,000 35,000 CASA of Jackson County 2,000 2,000 Planned Parenthood Of Southwestern Oregon 5,000 4,000 Pathway Enterprises, Inc.(cabinets) 11,000 - Pathway Enterprises, Inc.(disaster) 5,000 3,120 Access, Inc 6,000 5,700 On Track Inc. 3,000 3,000 Total Requested $184,324 $118,342 Total Amount Available $118,342 $0