CITY OF BELLEVUE HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION MINUTES. 6:30 p.m. City Council Conference Room 1E-113

Transcription

1 CITY OF BELLEVUE HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION MINUTES September 18, 2007 Bellevue City Hall 6:30 p.m. City Council Conference Room 1E-113 COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: STAFF PRESENT: GUEST SPEAKERS: RECORDING SECRETARY: Chairperson Hoople, Commissioners Beighle, Huenefeld-Gese, Lazetti, Seltzer, Stout, Yantis Commissioner Yantis Emily Leslie, Alex O'Reilly, Camron Parker, Lorena Abenojar, Department of Parks and Community Services None Gerry Lindsay 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Chair Hoople who presided. 2. ROLL CALL Upon the call of the roll, all Commissioners were present with the exception of Commissioner Yantis who was excused. 3. PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS None 4. STAFF AND COMMISSION REPORTS Human Services Manager Emily Leslie acknowledged the work of intern Lorena Abenojar and noted that her last day with the city would be September 21. A new intern will begin on September 26. Commissioner Beighle reported that earlier in the day she attended the Community Connections Leadership Eastside luncheon at which the new members for the coming year were introduced. There were three speakers including Ron Sher from Crossroads Mall, who talked about the trend toward community centers replacing malls as meeting places; and Lourdes Salazar with the City of Bellevue probation division, who shared a number of stories from her work. September 18, 2007 Page 1

2 5. PUBLIC HEARING A Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Preliminary Funding Recommendations Grant Coordinator Camron Parker provided some background information regarding the process. With regard to the city s adopted objectives and strategies, he noted that one of the eligible uses for CDBG funds is disaster recovery; fortunately the city has not had to use the funds for that category. He pointed out the need to change the fifth objective from Acquire or improve public or non-profit facilities which benefit low- or moderate-income residents to read Acquire, improve or repair, and the addition of a strategy pulled from the Comprehensive Plan regarding disaster recovery. Mr. Parker informed the Commission that one written comment was received from Elder and Adult Day Services and indicated that it will be included with the official public hearing record. Motion to open the public hearing was made by Commissioner Stout. Second was by Commissioner Huenefeld-Gese and the motion carried unanimously. Mr. Mark Brown spoke on behalf of Hopelink. He thanked the Commission for its support of Hopelink. In 2006 the agency served 15 Bellevue families representing 52 Bellevue residents in the employment program, and provided 237 case management sessions. In the larger Hopelink employment program, 54 families, representing 148 individuals, were served; 730 case management sessions were provided. Employment is a key element in the work Hopelink does to help move families from being at-risk of homelessness and despair toward self-sufficiency. Most of the clients need more than just help finding a job; many have multiple barriers that get in the way of getting to a job search. Case managers provide assistance with building a resume, practicing interview skills, understanding how to maintain a job, and how to seek wage progression. Ms. Barbara Hope, executive director for Eastside Domestic Violence Program (EDVP), said the agency has applied for funding for an HVAC system for the outreach office in Bellevue. She said in 2006 EDVP served some 26,000 people with outreach, education and support. The current HVAC system is being held together with spit and chewing gum. Mr. Arthur Sullivan, program manager for A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH), thanked the Commission for past support of the Housing Trust Fund. Over the past 15 years there has been more than $22 million of General Fund and CDBG funds from Bellevue and other cities in east King County entrusted to ARCH. Those funds September 18, 2007 Page 2

3 have been used to produce and preserve more than 2,250 units of housing serving families, homeless persons, seniors, and persons with special needs. The needs of very low-income families are not being fully met, and half of the low-income population in the area is in fact under 30 percent of median income. A number of developments funded through the Housing Trust Fund exclusively serve households in that category. There are three different projects that are currently applying to ARCH for funding: a project by St. Andrews Housing Group that involves new construction for families and individuals that will have between 75 and 100 total units; a project by Friends of Youth which is trying to acquire a small apartment building and turn it into a complex for youth, an office and resident manager; and a proposal from Habitat for Humanity to assist in acquiring land in the Issaquah Highlands. There are several opportunities on the horizon, including the development of 150 units of housing that will serve the homeless up to 60 percent of median income. Mr. Jeff Wendland, Jewish Family Services Eastside Multi-Ethnic Center, thanked the Commission for its past support of the agency. He said the agency is serving a variety of populations with ESL and employment services. In just the past few months the agency has increased its ability to work with Spanish- and Farsi-speaking clients. The agency also serves as a refugee resettlement agency. Ms. Elizabeth Westburg with the YWCA thanked the Commission for its ongoing support of the Family Village transitional housing program. She explained that the facility is located in Redmond and has 20 units offering on-site support services. Through the second quarter of 2007, nine Bellevue individuals had been served. The agency also operates ten units of transitional housing in Issaquah in addition to four units in Bellevue; another five units will be open in the Issaquah Highlands very soon. Bellevue funding is critical to the success of the YWCA program. Motion to close the public hearing was made by Commissioner Lazetti. Second was by Commissioner Huenefeld-Gese. It was agreed to hold off finalizing the recommendation regarding CDBG funding until after Item 6-A. 6. DISCUSSION A. Mid-Biennium Review of General Fund Contracts YWCA Women s Drop-In Center Ms. Westburg said the center opened its doors in December 2006 in the First Congregational Church downtown. In the beginning, there were days when only one or two women dropped in; by June 2007 there were as many as 15 per day with an average of nine per day. In all, 101 different women have come to the program September 18, 2007 Page 3

4 seeking services in About 20 percent of the clients served to date have been Bellevue residents. Forty percent of the women are over the age of 50, and 70 percent are over 40. The overwhelming majority are low-income, and a high percentage of them have significant mental health issues and disabilities. The program will soon be certified as a mental health provider in east King County. Ms. Westburg said the agency is negotiating with the First Congregational Church about remodeling a space in the church and have it dedicated to daytime shelter program. The church is excited about continuing its relationship with the program. Answering a question asked by Ms. Leslie, Ms. Westburg said at least half of the women served are from the Eastside. The program does not, however, closely track where the women are coming from other than to ask them where they last lived. All women who are homeless or low-income are accepted. Commissioner Seltzer said on the day she visited the facility two of the women there were from out of the area. She asked if the area is serving as a draw for the homeless. Ms. Westburg said the program does see some women from outside the Puget Sound region. Those who come to the area, however, tend to have a connection of some sort, often family or the promise of work. Answering a question asked by Chair Hoople, Ms. Westburg said the women are asked if they have served in the military. Because the clients tends to be older, those who have been in the military are most likely to have been associated with the Vietnam war. Springboard Alliance Avondale Park Homeless Housing and Supportive Services Jan Dickerman, director of housing and child development for Hopelink, said the Avondale Park program has 50 units of transitional housing units for homeless families, eight emergency shelter units, and a community center. The organization, which is operated jointly by three agencies, is working through a variety of issues in an attempt to become an Eastside force. Hopelink staff serves on the board of directors, and the agency serves as the fiscal agent. In March the Springboard Alliance board asked Hopelink to become the managing member and accept all of the assets and liabilities, allowing Springboard Alliance to dissolve. Hopelink agreed, and since then a number of behind-the-scenes efforts have been under way to make sure the transition is seamless for the residents. It is hoped that the transfer will be final by the end of the year. Commissioner Stout asked if the change in management and leadership for the program will mean all of the funding from Bellevue for the Avondale facility will be flowing through Hopelink instead of the three partner agencies. Ms. Dickerman said September 18, 2007 Page 4

5 Hopelink will become the sole contractor with the city. Mr. Parker said the project itself will remain the same. All that will be required is for the city to change the current contract from Springboard Alliance to Hopelink. Since Hopelink is the managing agency anyway, it will make sense to have their name reflected in the contract instead of Springboard Alliance. Eastside Interfaith Social Concerns Council Congregations for the Homeless Steve Roberts explained that Congregations for the Homeless has been the operating arm of the Eastside Interfaith Social Concerns Council, a shelter for homeless men on the Eastside, since The program houses up to 30 men in churches in Bellevue and Redmond. In 2006 the program included a permanent housing component. Emergency shelter is the critical first step in getting people off the streets, but it is not the end point. Mr. Roberts said the program offers a unique combination of professional case managers and volunteer life coaches. The life coaches work with the case managers and handle about half of their work loads, allowing the case managers time to work on the tougher cases. Halfway through the first year of the contract, the life coaches have offered 1,347 twenty-minute sessions, which is 157 percent of the contract goal; Mr. Roberts allowed that those numbers are not the same as the figures shown in the application. As of July 1, Congregations for the Homeless began operating as its own fiscal agent. When the program started it was overseen by Catholic Community Services, and later by Hopelink. The six employees are receiving benefits, and an additional full-time case manager has been hired to help with the housing program. Mr. Roberts said housing is the defining issue for homelessness on the Eastside and it takes three forms: availability, acceptability, and affordability. Acceptability is an issue for clients in that many have poor credit, may have served jail time, and may have previously been evicted. The agency partners with several public landlords, including DASH and the YWCA, as well as private landlords. In addition, the Committee to End Homelessness has the landlord liaison initiative which works between landlords and agencies to break down barriers. The fact is, however, that there just are not enough available apartments; if there were, homelessness on the Eastside would be greatly reduced. Additional units are becoming available to the agency which will be used to move men from the shelter into permanent housing. The agency offers landlords a full fair market rent, which is about $950 per month, guarantees that the rent will be paid and damages repaired, and a 24-hour telephone service so they can have someone to call in case a situation arises. In addition, the agency provides full case management September 18, 2007 Page 5

6 which helps the men learn the skills they need to live on their own. Commissioner Lazetti asked how the agency deals with mental health issues. Mr. Roberts said the program is not appropriate for those with severe mental illnesses. The agency works closely with Sound Mental Health and DSHS on behalf of the clients that do have some form of mental illness. The case managers have mental health training, and the shelter manager is a graduate student at Mars Hill Graduate School working on a masters in mental health counseling. Answering a question asked by Chair Hoople, Mr. Roberts said each client is asked if they are a veteran, and when they indicate that they are a variety of veterans services are engaged, including the King County Veterans program. Somewhere between seven and ten percent of the clients are veterans. Commissioner Lazetti asked how many total congregations are participating in the program. Mr. Roberts said there are 12 host churches providing emergency shelter, but there are 24 churches supporting the overall program. Commissioner Stout asked what percentage of the men are chronically homeless. Mr. Roberts said about ten percent fit that category, though the men see themselves more as free to move about from place to place within the homelessness system. Commissioner Lazetti asked if there have been any specific trends noted since 1994 when the program started. Mr. Roberts said for the first few years, the program did very little about helping people get into permanent housing. The change in focus has provided an outcome that can be tracked. As clients are admitted to the program, they are screened and they are told that they will be expected to make progress toward ending their cycle of homelessness. Eastside Domestic Violence Program Confidential Shelter Mr. Parker reported that the contract is tracking very well in terms of the stated goals. A number of Bellevue residents have been served to date in Ms. Barbara Hope informed the Commission that for every client admitted to the emergency shelter, 15 are turned away. She said the program only has ten beds to offer. The reality is that emergency shelter is a must for victims of domestic violence, and a minimum of 15 more beds are needed to meet the demand. Ms. O Reilly asked what trends the agency is seeing in terms of the calls coming in to the crisis line. Ms. Hope said the overall number of calls is trending upward. Additionally, there has been an increase in the number of calls the crisis line has not been able to answer. Ms. Hope said she does not know how many of the calls come as referrals from the system. Consideration is being given to routing calls September 18, 2007 Page 6

7 according to zip code. Ms. Hope said EDVP offers a wonderful continuum of care for housing. There is a motel/hotel program, there is interim housing, there is transitional housing, and there is permanent housing. Over time those offerings will need to be grown to match the need in the community. The agency should also strive to increase its outreach in the community. Statistically, many battered women do not turn to shelter programs; they go instead to their spiritual leaders, the police department, or a hospital. With increased outreach, spiritual leaders could know what to do when issues of domestic violence are reported to them. Catholic Community Services Harrington House Transitional Housing Ms. Liz Dufault said four residents of Harrington House transitioned out during the month of August, two of whom found permanent housing in Bellevue. One of them, a Russian immigrant, had her own apartment and a custodian position at Microsoft. When her pregnancy became high risk, she missed several days of work and was let go. She could no longer pay her rent and became homeless. She was connected with Harrington House through her ESL classes at BCC and moved in in December. She gave birth in May and in August was able to move into low-income housing along with many other Russian immigrants. Catholic Community Services Housing, Shelter and Basic Needs Services Mr. Parker said the program is generally on track to meet its contract goals. The level of bednight services rendered is up over last year, but the staffing level in the Bellevue office has changed which has resulted in some lower case management numbers to date in He said staff is in communication with the agency about those changes. Staff will continue to track the contract for the remainder of the year. Commissioner Stout noted that there was a drop in service levels in 2006 and asked for how many years the general decline has been seen. Mr. Parker stated that the first drop occurred when the agency moved to a location on Northup Way. Since then things have been relatively stable until this year when it became necessary to lay off several employees and pared back hours for others. The 2007 contract does not appear to be in jeopardy, but 2008 may be a different matter. Eastside Baby Corner Baby Supply Collection and Donation Mr. Parker said the agency receives a relatively small amount of money from Bellevue but has other funding sources with which they purchase items. The agency also accepts donated items to supplement what they cannot afford to purchase. Commissioner Seltzer pointed out that the agency does not deal directly with clients September 18, 2007 Page 7

8 but rather with other agencies. Commissioner Huenefeld-Gese noted that she recently donated some items to the agency. She suggested one thing the city could do would be to promote the program within the city. Mr. Parker agreed with the suggestion of Chair Hoople that an item could be included in Neighborhood News about the program. He noted, however, September 18, 2007 Page 8

9 that Baby Corner would need to be contacted first to see if in fact they are in need of additional donations. Friends of Youth Runaway and Homeless Youth Services Mr. Parker pointed out that the number of shelter bednights is lower than usual. He explained that they had a transition involving the house parents in one of the shelters that means for a time they have not been able to have any kids stay there. Once that shelter comes back online, their bed nights will increase. Friends of Youth The Landing Shelter Mr. Parker noted that the reported outcome of increasing housing stability of individuals, families and households is quite low for this program. He explained, however, that the program offers a warm place to sleep for one night and is less concerned with moving people into transitional house. In general, the bednight numbers are right on track. Hopelink Bellevue Emergency Services Mr. Parker said the numbers are on track for the contract goals. He noted that 2007 is the first year the city has funded the Hopelink foodbank operations. Chair Hoople pointed out the low response rate for the outcomes measure. Mr. Parker commented that for a mailed survey a return rate of 24 percent is acceptable. He added that many of the clients are having housing difficulties which could contribute to the low return rate. Hopelink Emergency Food Services Mr. Parker said the numbers for the program are on track for the year. The program was launched in 2006 and had a rough time. Since then the agency has gotten things figured out for the program. He allowed that the outcome measures are difficult to attain because of the nature of emergency services. Hopelink Homeless Housing and Supportive Services Mr. Parker explained that the program uses Bellevue dollars to support Bellevue residents, but also uses funds from other sources as needed. Salvation Army Emergency Financial Assistance Mr. Parker said the agency uses Bellevue funds along with funds from other sources to serve Bellevue residents. The program is on track to meet its contract goals. September 18, 2007 Page 9

10 Senior Services Meals on Wheels Mr. Parker said the program is on track to meet its contract goals. Commissioner Huenefeld-Gese asked if there is ever information included with the meals provided stressing the need to add fruits and vegetables. Mr. Parker said the meals provided by Meals on Wheels are prepackaged, but folks can select from a menu of options. They provide some variety and are nutritious. Solid Ground Housing Stability Project Mr. Parker noted that the reference to SSDI in the outcomes narrative stands for Social Security Disability Income. He pointed out that the program is notable for the number of Bellevue households served to date in 2007, which is twice the total number of persons served in Most clients who seek help from the program cite interruptions with their jobs or illness as the primary reasons. The agency will quickly deplete its store of Bellevue funds and is hoping there will be King County funds available by the end of the year to serve Bellevue residents. Chair Hoople explained that Solid Ground used to be known as the Fremont Public Association. Motion to approve the recommendations for CDBG funding and the contingency plan was made by Commissioner Seltzer. Second was by Commissioner Stout and the motion carried unanimously. 7. OLD BUSINESS Ms. O Reilly provided the Commissioners with a written progress report concerning the Human Services Plan. She noted that the three-year plan is not set to be revised until The plan outlines the major activities accomplished by staff annually. 8. NEW BUSINESS None 9. PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS None September 18, 2007 Page 10

11 10. ADJOURNMENT Chair Hoople adjourned the meeting at 8:27 p.m. Secretary to the Human Services Commission Date Chairperson of the Human Services Commission Date September 18, 2007 Page 11