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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-08-2012 CDBG MinutesCDBG Minutes February 8, 2012 Page 1 of 9 CITY OF ORANGE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM COMMITTEE MINUTES WEDNESDAY,FEBRUARY 8, 2012 6:30 P.M. Economic Development Conference Room MEMBERS PRESENT Mary Ellen Manning Fernando Rico Gina Scott Robert Tunstall MEMBERS ABSENT Eva Perez STAFF PRESENT Mary Ellen Laster Aaron Schulze I.CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 6:37 P.M. Ms. Laster announced that Alternate Committee Member Darren Smith has regretfully submitted his resignation from this Committee. The Committee members expressed their appreciation of Alternate Committee Member Darren Smith’s service to this Committee, noting that while they are disappointed in his departure,they respect his decision to resign. Staff distributed a revised list of funding requests and a revised application for the Grand Street Reconstruction project from the Public Works Department, stating that the Loretta Drive proposal has been pulled and that the revised application includes an extended scope of work for the Grand project. Staff indicated a new map of the project will be provided at the next meeting. Committee Member Manning asked if staff had heard why a representative from Colette’s Children’s Home did not show up for the February 1st meeting. Mr. Schulze advised that the agency’s Executive Director was sick and not able to attend that meeting, and he mentioned that he asked the representative to inform City staff before the meeting if that should happen again in the future. He added that Colette’s Children’s Home will not be following through with their request this year. II.APPROVAL OF MINUTES –FEBRUARY 1, 2012 Committee Member Rico moved, seconded by Committee Member Scott, to approve the February 1,2012, Minutes as presented. Motion carried,4-0. CDBG Minutes February 8, 2012 Page 2 of 9 III.FUNDING PRESENTATIONS BY NONPROFIT AGENCIES AGENCY:Mariposa Women and Family Center PROJECT:Community Counseling Program Request funds for counselor and clinical supervisor salaries and benefits. Amount Requested:$10,000 Total Project Cost:$676,995 Lisa Hayes,Project Director and Licensed Family Therapist, stated as of this April, WTLC has been in operation for 35 years;and explained that its core mission is to provide counseling services to at-risk women and families, including men.She advised that through the Community Counseling Program, they see approximately 1,750 to 2,000 clients each year;and that for this fiscal year through January,they have served 135 Orange residents and expect they will end up serving at least 200 unduplicated clients from Orange.She stated the funds will cover paid counselors who are not yet fully licensed and also their clinical supervision. She stated these services are low cost and are provided in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Farsi; and mentioned that they have increased the number of Spanish speaking counselors at this agency. Ms. Hayes explained that the services they provide are for domestic abuse trauma; that they estimate at least 50 percent of their domestic abuse clients, if not more, have experienced childhood abuse; and, therefore, they are treating a more complicated trauma with these clients. She explained that they have developed a continuum of treatment at the center for women and children that have experienced recent domestic family abuse and those that have more complicated abuse histories, which puts them at more risk for substance abuse, noting they also provide a substance abuse component. Ms. Hayes added that the agency provides on-going domestic violence classes, process groups which go into more depth for those clients that have taken the classes and gotten the basic information they need to be able to learn how to set boundaries,and classes on how to function on their own; and that they also provide parenting classes, both offered in English and Spanish.She stated they now have court/probation approved parenting classes offered in English and Spanish; court/probation approved anger management classes for women only at this point, offered in the evening and daytime;and advised that their services are offered Monday through Thursday from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM; and Friday and Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Linda Yeomans, CEO at Mariposa, advised that she has been at Mariposa for five weeks; stated that they also offer free child care, noting child care is a huge obstacle for those seeking help; and pointed out that child care is one of the agency’s distinguishing benefits that sets it apart from other agencies that offer similar programs. CDBG Minutes February 8, 2012 Page 3 of 9 Ms. Hayes advised that counselors will go onsite to any one of their 32 collaborative partnering agencies across Orange County to provide prevention workshops and training;and stated that they are currently expanding this program by going to more of the schools and collaborating with more of the partnering agencies to provide domestic abuse classes, domestic abuse workshops,and substance abuse prevention. She stated that this agency’s focus is on prevention. Ms. Hayes stated that this funding will also support the start of a new program to support parents that have children with special needs, noting they have a lot of clients coming through their doors who are Very Low Income, at-risk and have children with diagnosed/undiagnosed developmental disabilities and physical disabilities;and explained that the developmental disabilities are a little less noticeable from the start. She advised that they have linked up with CHOC and For OC Kids; that they will start this support group next month; and that the funding will partly go to help these Orange residents for this new service. She pointed out that the numbers of Orange residents seeking help from this agency are continually rising each year; and noted the agency is based in Orange. Committee Member Manning asked if most of their clients are referrals. Ms. Hayes stated their referrals come from partnering agencies, through the courts/probation system, social services,Children’s Family Services,Cal Works, schools, the police department, other clinicians, and former clients. Ms. Yeomans stated that the numbers presented in the application are unduplicated visits/clients. Ms. Laster inquired about the source for funding from the County of Orange of $269,652,as indicated on the application. Ms. Hayes stated that it is an RFP the agency bid on at the end of December from the County, a new offering from the tobacco tax proceeds -Prop 10 funding -to bring in a part-time psychiatric nurse practitioner supervised by a psychiatrist and a care coordinator case manager so they can start to provide medication services and management services on site;explained that the focus of the RFP is for clients that do not meet the criteria for Medi-Cal or SSI and do not have health insurance, which is a huge percentage of their clients. She noted for Committee Member Scott that these funds will be able to be used for adults,and stated she will provide Committee Member Scott information on this new program. Ms. Laster asked if the name of the program, Community Counseling Program, is the former Women and Family Program. Ms. Hayes indicated that it is. CDBG Minutes February 8, 2012 Page 4 of 9 AGENCY:OLIVE CREST PROJECT:Palm House Refurbishment Request funds to replace windows and patio door. Amount Requested:$7,000 Total Project Cost:$7,000 Tim Bower, Executive Director of Development, distributed to the Committee a current newsletter from Olive Crest; advised that this agency is a local children and family service organization with a history of serving the citizens of Orange County;stated that they are headquartered in Santa Ana but that they serve a good number of Orange residents; and that they have some of their facilities in Orange. He noted that in their 40 years of existence, they have branched out from starting with residential care to providing a variety of services to over 1,000 children every day,not only here in Orange County,but also all over Southern California, Las Vegas, and the State of Washington.He advised that this agency started as a group home effort, and while they are still doing that, they have branched out into foster care, adoptions,and different types of in- home services whereby they send their staff into homes to work with at-risk children. Mr. Bower advised that Olive Crest has its own schools to provide specialized education;that they have a specialized program called Safe Families for Children wherein they are sharing their knowledge with agencies in eight western states on how to work with at-risk children.He stated that the focus of Olive Crest is strong families and safe kids. Mr. Bower stated that these funds will go for window replacement in one of their homes located in Orange. Committee Member Manning asked if their schools are in Orange County. Mr. Bower expressed his belief they have two schools in Orange, one being leased on Canal Street,which was a former junior high school; that their larger school is located in Santa Ana, which has 350 students; and another school in Coachella. He stated that the one on Canal Street is a school for severely mentally disturbed students. In response to a question from Committee Member Scott,Ms. Laster stated that CDBG funds cannot be allocated for window treatments. CDBG Minutes February 8, 2012 Page 5 of 9 AGENCY:ORANGE COUNTY FAIR HOUSING COUNCIL, INC. PROJECT:Orange Fair Housing Education, Counseling, and Enforcement Request funds for salaries, benefits for education, counseling and enforcement efforts and operating costs and overhead. Amount Requested:$24,522 Total Project Cost:$28,200 Brenda Magaña,Director of CDBG-Homeownership, stated that the agency is proposing to assist a total of 310 unduplicated Orange clients with 350 requests for service, explaining that some will return for further services; and advised that they addressed approximately 850 landlord/tenant issues and two complaints from households dealing with code enforcement issues. She stated the agency is proposing to present one tenant workshop and one landlord workshop;that they will conduct two presentations and outreach in Orange; and distribute approximately 175 written materials. She advised that their service demand has gone up slightly by 5.39 percent. AGENCY:PAINT YOUR HEART OUT, INC. PROJECT:Orange Paint Day Request funds for screening applicants,train volunteers, assess five homes, test for lead paint, materials,and salaries. Amount Requested:$20,000 Total Project Cost:$35,000 Debbie Schultz, Executive Director, passed around before-and-after photographs of the work the agency accomplished this year in Orange;explained that this agency paints homes for Low-to Moderate-Income seniors, disabled,and veterans;that they work on a minimum of five houses a year in Orange, noting that this year, code enforcement referred a house of a 90-year-old woman. She stated that a large chunk of their funds ($5,000) went to a house that needed lead abatement, noting that this was an expensive but necessary endeavor; and that another house was referred to this agency by the Economic Development Department because it was not able to assist this homeowner due to funding limitations. She commented on their great volunteer base.She added that they also clear these properties of trash/debris;and that they were able to build two handicapped ramps, allowing for easier/safer access to and from these homes. Ms. Schultz noted for Ms. Laster that they use the services of Barr and Clark for their lead testing and clearance services and SoCal Construction for the actual abatement. She stated that they sometimes will hire Berkley Environmental, but noted that their fees are a bit higher. CDBG Minutes February 8, 2012 Page 6 of 9 Committee Member Manning asked where this agency gets its volunteers. Ms. Schultz stated that this year,their volunteers were employees from Wells Fargo, UCI, and Long Beach State University. Committee Member Scott asked whether the salaries can be covered by CDBG and asked how the funding is broken down. Ms. Schultz stated that $5,000 goes to salaries, noting there are only two people who are salaried and that the funds also cover the work of a professional repairman. She stated that these two salaried staff members and repairman get the house completely ready for painting by the volunteers, noting the prep work can be very labor intensive. She noted that the property owners do get to choose their own colors and stated they are very appreciative of these services. Committee Member Manning asked if they receive a discount on their paint. Ms. Schultz stated they get a good discount from Dunn Edwards and have received discounts from Behr in the past;and that they are currently linking up with Sherwin Williams,whose employees have also offered to volunteer next season.She noted that there are a stack of applications for mobile home painting, but stated their first priority is to paint a minimum of five houses in Orange.She stated that more people are finding out about these services through the internet and word of mouth. AGENCY:Women’s Transitional Living Center, Inc. PROJECT:Independence from Dependence Request funds for partial salaries of Bilingual Client Advocate and Bilingual Child Advocate. Amount Requested:$10,000 Total Project Cost:$1,154,000 Kathy Strong, Director of Contracts Administration, thanked Orange for its past CDBG funding;advised that the agency is now in the process of legally changing its name to WTLC because it is trying to break away from the misunderstanding that the agency only serves women. She stated that this program has been very successful;and explained that they have seen a steady increase of Orange residents coming in for their services. She advised that an advocate works in Orange and provides informative presentations at various locations;that they have increased the amount of career counseling they offer because it’s getting much harder to obtain jobs in this economy; and stated that they have an outside professional group that provides training for resume assistance, interview techniques,and filling out applications. She noted that the agency has a dedicated computer for their clients and sets up monitored email accounts;that they also have a computer room in the children’s program and a computer room at the main facility that the women can use to hone their computer skills; and that they will be setting up another computer room at their transitional house for the women to use. She added that job applicants use CDBG Minutes February 8, 2012 Page 7 of 9 their wardrobe closet to pick out their work clothes, noting that the wardrobe closet is replenished with clothing donations. Ms. Strong stated that the agency now offers counseling seven days a week, a mandatory element of their program;and advised that their 90-day substance abuse program is up 64 percent from last year, noting this has become a huge program for this agency and is increasing each year. She stated that many people with mental illness issues do not have the money to get their medications and that they come to this agency for assistance.She stated they are staffed with two counselors and the remaining are volunteer interns; that they see clients seven days a week when they’re in the 90-day program;and that the women who come into the 45-day program are seen five days a week.She advised that WTLC is moving towards more rapid re-housing instead of constant transitional activity all over the County due to changes in federal grant requirements;and stated it is their goal to have their clients leave the 45-day and 90-day programs and go straight into permanent housing.She mentioned that they are currently hiring advocates who will be going out into the field and work with their clients in their apartments. She noted that their shelter is constantly full and their numbers from Orange are consistently increasing. Committee Member Scott asked if the human trafficking activities have decreased. Ms. Strong stated the human trafficking activities have leveled off, but stated the reason for that is Health and Human Services has stopped funding a great many of the nationwide organizations that were handling human trafficking. She noted that Catholic Bishops was a nationwide program that provided a lot of assistance with the human trafficking situation but that they also lost their funding, pointing out that the resources are depleted. She advised that WTLC is still working with ICE, noting they are still the only agency ICE can turn to for help with the human trafficking victims. Ms. Strong noted for Ms. Laster that they still do outreach at St. Joseph Hospital; that this CDBG funding will be partly used for the program at the hospital and also for the shelter for the Orange residents.She noted that the Personal Empowerment Program is operated out of St. Joseph Hospital, but they also have advocates onsite to aid clients who need other counseling, advocacy services,program placement, crisis counseling, etc.She mentioned that WTLC is now performing domestic violence training at the hospital. CDBG Minutes February 8, 2012 Page 8 of 9 AGENCY:YMCA CENTRAL ORANGE COUNTY PROJECT:First Steps at Beverly’s House Request funds to repair and replace windows and external doors. Amount Requested:$15,000 Total Project Cost:$245,440 Maria Abenes, Interim Executive Director, stated that the agency is requesting funds for its home on Grand Street;advised that it was built in 1905; that it is used for transitional housing for emancipated female foster youth, noting the State has extended the age of emancipation to 21 years old; she advised that they also have children living at this home; and noted that there are seven beds in this house. She advised that the windows are in desperate need of repair and/or replacement and are original to this home, noting that many of them do not open, cannot close, have gaps,and/or have nonworking pulleys. Ed Sanchez,representing Windows Restoration and Repair,advised that these windows are original to the house; explained that the biggest problem with these windows is that they don’t all open and close; and stated that when the work is completed,they will be able to effortlessly open the top and bottom windows.He added that their utility bills will decrease once the repairs are completed.He stated that they will make sure each window is structurally sound and will last a long time;and noted that the new pulley ropes are guaranteed for 60 years. He noted that each window will have a locking system, new weather stripping,and a completely modernized system with the exception of dual paned glass.He added that there are two windows that are beyond repair and will have to be completely replaced. He stated they will be implementing lead-based paint safe practices while working with the windows, noting there likely is lead in the paint, glazing,and putty. Committee Member Tunstall asked how many windows will need repair. Mr. Sanchez stated there are 19 windows that will need work. Ms. Abenes stated that they also need to replace two doors to meet fire code, but stated that the windows are their top priority. Ms. Laster noted her concern that the application package clearly indicates Orange does not fund lead-based paint abatement because of its excessive cost and extensive federal guidelines; and stated that it is up to the Committee if they want to consider this project. She asked if YWCA is planning to temporarily relocate the children when they do the lead-based paint abatement. Ms. Abenes stated that each room will be done in an enclosed environment. Mr. Sanchez explained that the rooms will be sealed off from the rest of the house while they’re working on the windows. He stated that all the paint is not going to be removed. CDBG Minutes February 8, 2012 Page 9 of 9 Ms. Laster stated that if the paint is disturbed, it needs to go through the proper procedures for safe lead-based paint work practices;that the YWCA will need to obtain a lead-based paint analysis before the work starts;and will have to receive a lead clearance after the work is completed, and advised that these requirements will add to the cost for this project. Mr. Sanchez stated they seal the room off when working; that they wet the paint down; and that some windows may need to be repainted and some windows will not have to have the glazing and putty removed. Ms. Laster stated that the City would also need to approve the two windows that YWCA is proposing to replace; and stated that staff will follow up with Ms. Abenes on these issue s. VI.PUBLIC COMMENT None. VII.ADJOURNMENT At 8:15 P.M. the meeting was formally adjourned.