{"body": "SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard", "date": "2012-03-22", "page": 1, "text": "Social Service Human Relations Board\nMinutes of the Regular Meeting, Thursday, March 22, 2012\n1.\nCALL TO ORDER and ROLL CALL President Wasko called the meeting to order\nat 7:05 p.m. Present were:, members Biggs, Holder, Nielsen, and Radding.\nAbsent was: Vice-President Villareal and Member Dailey.\n1-A.\nSEASON FOR NONVIOLENCE WORD OF THE DAY AND DAILY READING\nPresident Wasko announced that the Season For Nonviolence word of the day was \"Equality\" and she\nread the daily reading being used in our schools and at public meetings.\nDaily Reading: \"The Word for March 22 is EQUALITY. The Constitution of the United\nStates says that all people are equal, and all people have the right to life, liberty and the\npursuit of happiness. Do you think that everyone in our city is treated equally? If not, what\ncould you do to help\nchange this?\n2.\nAPPROVAL OF MINUTES\nThe Minutes of the Regular Meeting, February 23, 2012 were approved as corrected.\nM/S Nielsen / Radding Unanimous\n3.\nAGENDA ITEMS\n3-A.\nFOLLOW UP ON CDBG PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING FY12-13 NEEDS\nSTATEMENT\nDebbie Potter, Community Development Program Manager explained that she was addressing the\nBoard regarding follow up to the February 21, 2012 City Council meeting, which included a public\nhearing to consider adopting the Social Service Human Relations Board's (SSHRB's) recommended\npublic needs statement for FY12-13. The annual public needs statement is adopted to set the priorities\nfor awarding CDBG funds for public services activities for the upcoming fiscal year. She related that\npublic comment following the staff report included concern over the continued reduction in Block Grant\nand other Federal and State funding for public services. She added that there was interest on the part of\npublic speakers to look at ways to expand opportunities to bring in more funding for public services.\nCouncil members also expressed support for looking for strategies to enhance the money coming in for\nsocial services. She explained that the item before the Board is a follow up to that idea and was a\nrequest for the Board to look at ways they might be involved in strategizing with the larger community\n(businesses, residents, non-profits in the community) to raise additional funds. Stating that staff would\nwork with the Board, she asked that SSHRB direct its Resource Sharing Work Group to develop a\nprocess by which non-profit providers' can enhance their fund raising capacity and partner with the\ncommunity to maximize provision of social services. She added that 2012/2013 CDBG Technical\nAssistance funds ($5,000) would be made available to help build the fund raising capacity of Alameda's\nnon-profits.", "path": "SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard/2012-03-22.pdf"}
{"body": "SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard", "date": "2012-03-22", "page": 2, "text": "President Wasko thanked Debbie Potter, adding that she appreciated that the City was interested in\ncontinuing this dialogue. She added that some other cities refer to other funding sources in addition to\nCDBG funds, and that it is helpful when city government participates in applications for larger grants.\nMember Biggs also thanked Debbie Potter and said he and the workgroup look forward to working with\nCity staff, providers, and the community on this project.\nMember Nielsen asked a number of questions regarding the nature and level of support that will be\nprovided by City leadership and staff.\nDebbie Potter responded that the City will assist in identifying non-financial aid, and the leveraging of\nresources. City staff, including SSHRB staff will be available to support these efforts, and the RSWG\nwill work with staff to determine the process for allocating the $5,000 CDBG funds for TA.\nPresident Wasko voiced concern that the RSWG was being asked to play a role in developing a non-\nprofit organization, and the motion was crafted to assure that this was not the case.\nA motion was made to accept the staff recommendation for the Board's Resource Sharing\nWorkgroup to recommend and develop a process by which non-profit providers' can enhance their\nfund raising capacity and partner with the community to maximize provision of social services.\nM/S Biggs / Nielsen Approved 4 Yes / President Wasko Abstained\n3-B.\nREVIEW RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT\nBLOCK GRANT (CDBG) PUBLIC SERVICES FUNDING ALLOCATION\nClaudia Young, Community Development Program Manager made a presentation regarding staff's\nrecommendations for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for public services.\nShe explained that the Board's recommendations will be included in a letter to the Council for their\nconsideration when adopting the final 2012-13 Action Plan at their May 1st City Council meeting.\nThe CDBG entitlement allocation for FY2012-13 is $1,017,685 (a reduction of 17.2% compared to the\nprevious year). Federal regulations cap the amount of CDBG funds that can be expended on Public\nServices not to exceed 15% of the current CDBG allocation plus the prior year's program income. The\nprogram income for FY11-12 - is estimated to be approximately $200,000, and the total amount of funds\navailable for Public Services is $182,653.\nTen proposals were submitted for review with a total request for funding of $276,951, $94,298 more\nthan is available. Staff convened a three-person panel to review the proposals. The panel included\nClaudia Young, Jim Franz and Cyndy Wasko. In reviewing the applications, priority emphasis was\nplaced on Safety Net Services (food, shelter, health and wellness, personal safety and homeless\nprevention services (such as short term rental and utility assistance). A funding strategy was developed\nbased on the Board's needs letter, the upcoming loss of HPRP / Rental Assistance funds in August\n2012, and the fact that the Public Services funds now available represent a 17.2% reduction as opposed\nto the 10% previously anticipated.\nMs. Young referred to the packet's spreadsheet of Recommended Public Service Programs and funding\nlevels, noting that the funding recommendations allocate 100% of estimated Public Services funding for\nFY12-13. She noted that, of the ten proposals submitted, nine are recommended for funding.", "path": "SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard/2012-03-22.pdf"}
{"body": "SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard", "date": "2012-03-22", "page": 3, "text": "President Wasko shared how difficult the allocation process. All of the service providers requesting\nfunds are providing quality services doing creative work, but there's just not enough money to go\naround. In the end the decisions were based on keeping Alamedans in need housed, fed, and safe.\nNumbers served versus dollars requested was also a factor in making decisions.\nStaff added that the $31,000 funding reduction combined with the need to replace rental assistance\ndollars no longer available with HPRP funding made it impossible to fund everyone.\nMember Biggs asked Ms. Young if the previous year's performance was taken into consideration.\nShe said all service providers were achieving or exceeding their program goals, and performance was\nnot an issue.\nMember Nielsen noted that the priorities and needs listed in the Board's letter to the council on January\n24, 2012 were determined anticipating a maximum 10% cut. Since it wasn't until mid-February that the\n17% cut was announced, the needs in our letter were a little more comprehensive than they had to be.\nThis may have been one of the reasons why the priority needs used were more focused on preserving the\nsafety-net.\nPublic Comment:\nLiz Varela - Executive Director, Building Futures with Women and Children, thanked the Board for\n\"really getting\" safety-net services and valuing them in the community. Midway Shelter has been in\nAlameda for 25 years and had the highest housing outcomes in the County this year. Even so, the shelter\nstruggles to maintain its services and keep its doors open. BFWC operates 3 shelters and would need to\nconsider closing one if they lose State funding. Shelters have fixed cost and can only cut to a certain\npoint.\nShe also thanked the Board for seeing the need for Rental Assistance (RA). Providing the casework\ncomponent for HPRP RA funds, BFWC has developed a real understanding of the value of providing a\nservice that helps keep people from becoming homeless. She explained that with the loss of HPRP\nfunds BFWC will now seek State RA funds to supplement the $20,000 CDBG grant. If the funds are not\navailable, they will work with community partners and staff to develop the cost effective RA program.\nPresident Wasko thanked Ms. Varela for the quality services provided by BFWC.\nMargie Rocha - Executive Director of ECHO Fair Housing said she was thankful for the staff\nrecommendation which kept their funding at the same level as last year, adding she knew we didn't have\nany more funds to give. She knows that they will continue to carry a large caseload, and noted that some\nlandlords are taking advantage of low-income tenants by forcing them to live in sub-standard housing.\nThese families often fear retaliation if they complain, and ECHO helps by representing them and\nkeeping them from being evicted. She hopes the Board will recommend the staff report.\nPresident Wasko thanked Ms. Rocha for the service provided by ECHO, and for being willing to serve\n250 persons with $7,290. In a response to questions from member Nielsen, Ms. Rocha explained that\nfunding for Fair Housing (discrimination) services do not come out of the 15% set aside for Public\nServices. The services are provided without regard to a household's level of income. Their tenant-\nlandlord counseling program has a mediation component that sometimes help keep a family from\nbecoming homeless by resolving a misunderstanding. Other times they achieve they assist by assuring\nthat the client is receiving due process. Ninety-five percent of these families are low-income.", "path": "SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard/2012-03-22.pdf"}
{"body": "SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard", "date": "2012-03-22", "page": 4, "text": "Marc Morales - Teen Program Director for Alameda Boys and Girls Club thanked the City and Board\nfor their continued support. As they approach the Club's one-year anniversary, they have grown their\nmembership to over 400 youth 6 to 18. He estimated that 70% are low-income, and more than 70% are\nreceiving a scholarship and receive all services at no cost. CDBG funding will help them provide Health\n& Wellness and Culinary Arts programs. They collaborate with AUSD, ARPD, AEF, APC, the College\nof Alameda, and others. Their membership is split about 60% male / 40% female, and are 70%-80%\nminority. Their health services include dental, vision and other health screenings, visits from the\n\"Breath Mobile\", and rides to dental appointments at the college.\nPresident Wasko and others members agreed that the B&G club does \"great work\".\nKathleen Seabolt - West Alameda Community Programs Director Alternatives In Action (AIA)\nthanked City staff and the Board for the CDBG funded partnership they've had with AIA these past\nyears, and added as an Alamedan she appreciated the Board's focus on safety-net services.\nAIA has been operating as a leader in youth programming and she hoped this group could help find\nsome funding outside of CDBG to help keep their programs going. She hoped AIA could participate in\nan \"open door for funding opportunities as they came along\". She highlighted AIA programs that\nprepare youth for college and employment, and allow them to participate in events such as Project\nYouth View, Funk the Violence, and their Neighborhood Block Party.\nPresident Wasko thanked her for coming, adding \"we genuinely support you for speaking to youth\nwhere they are\" She shared that the team tried and will continue to try to help identify other funding\nsources for AIA.\nTina Fleeton - Bananas thanked the Board for their many years of support and said that she appreciated\nand understood the need for safety-net services. The recommended cut in funding however will be very\ndifficult for them, and she hopes we will consider them if and when other funding might be available.\nThis cut will force many families to remain on their waiting list and not receive vouchers. Bananas\ntransferred 5 families from our vouchers to a long-term program this year and will continue to try to\ntransfer others currently in the program. She explained that the program provides a monthly $250\npayment per child for 12 months. This helps families seek or retain employment or education\nopportunities.\nPresident Wasko thanked Ms. Fleeton for her passion and for the services provided by Bananas, adding\nthat the Board would be happy to provide letters of support for other grants.\nJamie Almanza - Executive Director, Bay Area Community Services (Four Bridges) said that she has\njust joined the organization and they recently lost their Meals On Wheels grant in Oakland. She wished\nthat there could be a formula that kept agencies from losing 100% of their grant, as she understood how\ndevastating that can be. She went on to say that Four Bridges, a 2-day-a-week drop in program, is the\nonly mental health services program in Alameda for persons 18 and older. Without their services, many\nof their clients would be on the streets talking to themselves, or institutionalized. All are severely\nimpoverished, 70% reside in Alameda, 50% are of color, and 70% are older adults. Many live in board-\nand care facilities. The program provides training money manage and other life-skills, and counseling\nrelated to substance abuse. It includes a reduced-cost lunch.\nPresident Wasko welcomed Ms. Almanza to Alameda and thanked her for coming to represent BACS.\nShe added that we rarely see a BACS representative at our meetings, and hopes that she will come back.\nDiscussion:\nMember Biggs voiced appreciation for all those who came out to speak, adding that last night he\nattended a meeting hosted by Supervisor Chan that detailed the large cuts coming to childcare programs.", "path": "SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard/2012-03-22.pdf"}
{"body": "SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard", "date": "2012-03-22", "page": 5, "text": "He thought the staff and allocation team did a wonderful job given the resources and stated that we need\nto find other ways to fund programs. This year he (APC), realizing the funding cuts and safety-net\npriority, did not apply for funding for their VITA program.\nMember Radding referred to the need to \"ration services\" and appreciated the difficult choices the team\nhad to make. He noted that we had not heard from FVLC, and their representative announced she was\nthere, but had not filled out a speaker slip. (She was invited to speak)\nPublic Comment (cont'):\nElena Ortiz- Grants and Contract Manager, Family Violence Law Center (FVLC) shared that, given\nrecent cuts in funding, FVLC needed to look at which services would be most important to provide.\nFocusing on Emergency Relocation and partnering with the Family Justice Center and other DV\nproviders, they have been able to assist 85 clients as opposed to the 25 required in the grant.\nWhile primarily a provider of legal services, they have a 35-year history of partnering to support\nprevention and intervention services.\nDiscussion: (cont'):\nMember Radding asked what the AFB grant was used for.\nStaff replied rent, utilities, and staffing. Staff also provided clarification on the formula used to\ndetermine the total funds available for Public Services.\nStaff also clarified a question as to the rationale for characterizing Four Bridges as a safety-net program.\nThis is the only place for this population to go, otherwise they might be on the streets. Safety-net is a\n\"place of last resort\"\nMember Nielsen asked for clarification regarding the Girls Inc. program.\nStaff shared that it is a career-path program being conducted at both branch libraries. The program\nbudget is $6,000, $2,000 of which is the CDBG grant.\nMember Holder asked what the income qualifications were for the Girls Inc program.\nStaff shared that they are the same as all the other CDBG programs: low and moderate income.\nA motion was made to accept the staff recommendation and draft a letter to be presented to city\nCouncil. If less funding is available than anticipated, the Girls Inc. grant would be considered for\nreduction / elimination before other considerations were made.\nM/S Nielsen/Biggs Unanimous\n3-C.\nREQUEST FROM MEMBER NIELSEN AND PRESIDENT WASKO TO DISCUSS\nDIVIDING THE ASSESSMENT AND AWARENESS WORKGROUP INTO TWO\nSEPARATE WORKGROUPS\nPresident Wasko began by providing some history. In the past, we kept it as one (workgroup)\nbecause we were engaged in doing the survey and the outreach, and the survey happened every five\nyears. We are now in a more technologically advanced world and, in the survey we just conducted;\nwe got more than nineteen hundred households responding. The whole assessment piece has\nbecome more complicated, and we are getting feedback from the Council that we might consider\nincreasing the frequency of the survey from every five years to every three years, or every cycle of\nCDBG funding. Awareness is the marketing piece.", "path": "SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard/2012-03-22.pdf"}
{"body": "SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard", "date": "2012-03-22", "page": 6, "text": "Technology has expanded, and there are many more options for getting the word out quickly.\nHowever the steps before that, such as setting up web-pages and getting reports out while\nmaintaining accuracy, have become more time consuming.\nAnother factor is the Brown Act which prohibits more than three board members from coming\ntogether to work on a project, without noticing it as a Board meeting, and inviting the community.\nDividing into two workgroups allows six Board members to work on the combined tasks that were\npreviously limited to three.\nMember Nielsen added that this time we would want to do more, compared to the outreach efforts\nfollowing the last survey, and dividing the workgroups would divide the workload.\nStaff added that the Awareness Workgroups could also be the marketing and media resource for\nATAH and other workgroups and Board projects.\nDiscussion included that members can be on more than one workgroup, and that we've often had\nfour workgroups in the past.\nA motion was made that the Assessment and Awareness Workgroup be divided into two separate\nworkgroups.\nM/S Biggs / Holder Unanimous\n3-D.\nREQUEST FROM PRESIDENT WASKO TO DISCUSS CHANGING THE TIME\nOF REGULAR BOARD MEETINGS FROM 7:30 TO 7:00 P.M.\nPresident Wasko shared that the poll she requested staff conduct regarding the start time for Regular\nBoard Meetings resulted in 7:00 pm being a time that would work for all members.\nAfter a very brief discussion a motion was made to move the start time for Regular Board Meetings\nto 7:00 pm. M/S Biggs / Nielsen Unanimous\n3-E. WORKGROUP PROGRESS REPORTS -\nAssessment and Awareness Workgroup - Nielsen\nMember Nielsen reported on the DV\nTaskforce meeting which was attended by BFWC, APD, Alameda Hospital, FVLC, APC, AFS, and\nstaff. The history of the task force was discussed, current services provided were shared, and an\nagreement to continue to meet was reached. SSHRB Staff will discuss next steps with city staff and\nreport back to the group regarding the next meeting.\nThe division of the A&AWG was discussed.\nPresident Wasko will chair the Assessment WG, and they will take on completing the Community\nNeeds Survey. Other members will be Members Biggs and Radding.\nMember Nielsen will chair the Awareness WG, and they will convene the DV Task Force meetings with\nthe intention of identifying a Task force member to chair the group going forward. The Workgroup will\nalso work with the other Workgroups to assist them in promoting their projects.\nOther member - ATAH rep\nAlamedans Together Against Hate Workgroup - Villareal\nResource Sharing Workgroup - Biggs\nOther Members Dailey and Nielsen", "path": "SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard/2012-03-22.pdf"}
{"body": "SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard", "date": "2012-03-22", "page": 7, "text": "4.\nBOARD/STAFF COMMUNICATIONS, NON-AGENDA\nStaff shared information about the scheduling of a joint meeting with the Council after the budget\nprocess is completed.\nPresident Wasko announced that we have been invited to submit our 3rd application for the 100 Best\nAward. This year is by invitation only.\n5. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS\nThere were no Oral Communications\n6. ADJOURNMENT\nMotion to adjourn M/S Radding/Nielsen Unanimous\nMeeting adjourned at 9:25\nRespectfully Submitted: Jim Franz - Secretary\nG:\\Comdev)SSHRB\\PACKETS)2012)March 2012\\MINUTES March 2012.doc", "path": "SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard/2012-03-22.pdf"}