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Home My WebLink About0134.092-,.' <,~-:-'-:-' ...• ~~;~~~ " - January 30, l.'992 THE HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL Palo Alto, California --. "'.--. Attention: policy and Servic~s committee I'OLLOW UP '1'0 R8VIElf OF PE1UXSULA AREA IJf!"ORJIlATIOH ANP REFBRRAL IIJ!"JtVIC'I-' XemberB of the Council: Report. in Brief staff was requeste4 by the policy sn4 Services Committ~e to report the ~roqress that Peninsula Area Information and Referral services (PAAIRB) has made since an earlier report submitte4 by staff (CMR: 531:91)~ This i$ an informational re90rt and no Council aetion is requaste4w BaekqroW14 One of the 1.991 city council priorities was npeopJ.e in crisis". A staff report $uqqestioq potential solutions WAS submitted to counci~ on Hay 16 1 1991 (CKR:281:91)~ One of stafflg recommenda tioos l appreved by the policy and servioes committee an~ City C(l1,lncil l inclu4e4 a staff review of' PAAIRS an4 a proposal to initiate potential solutions to increase the agency's effective ness. This qrew out of two focus qroup hearinqs wbich the Human services Division and the Human Relations Commission beld last s~rinq wherein many aqencies questione~ the effectiveness of rAJ-IRS. On October 3, 1991, a staff report was submitted to the Policy and services committee (CMR: 430: 91) which discussed the metbodology and findinqs of staff and inclu4e4 the following elem~n~s: 1) Discussions with t'he nonprofit i1';Jencies who hac! inc1ic~ted problems with PAAIRS at the focus qrcup bearinqs: 2) A review of th~ Quarterly and End of the Year Report provic1e~ by PAAIRS compared with their contracted Scope of services: 3) TWo meetings between Human Services staff and tbe PAAIRS Executive Director: ') An eValuation o~ the Library System's PAAIRB computer File. CMR: 134 :92 I .... 1 page T';I'o As a result of the review, staff and tte PAAIRS Executive Director estah1ished nine recommen~ations. An up~ate of their proqress was delivere4 to the policy and services committee on November 27, 19~1 (CKR:5H:91). DUClZIISioD PAAIRS progress in imple~entinq the nine goals is noted as follows: 1) ConSoli~ata the two PAJIt.!RS offices (Palo Alto an<:! )founta.in View) into one main Palo Alto office~ Mary KcQuaid, the PAAIRS Executive Director, met with two consul tAnts provided by the Management Assistance Program of the unite~ way of Santa Clara County~ The consultants reviewed the current situation and tbe agency's future needs, prepare~ an evaluation} and recommended Il number of options for implementing-consolic!ation. A plan currently is being prepared which includes staffing, fundinql cost accounting and otber chanqes tbat will occur with the .ov~. The plan for consolidation will take effect in the summer of 1992 when the lease on the KouD~ain View office expires. At that time, both offices will be consolidat~d into their currant locatio~ at the City-owned Ventur4 Sehool~ 2) Investiqate the fe~sibility of installing a Resource Crisis/ Rotline, with a telepboce number that can be easily remembere~ by the public. PAA~RS staff ~as been researchinq the tecbnoloqYI equipment, costs and funding sources to initiate a referral line, which will offer r£~orded ::nessaqes to callers who need information or reterral outside of regular business bo1.Jrs~ They also have been disc,"ssinq client needs with a number of human service agencies to determine which information would be most useful. Ad~itionallYt they have looate4 an available telephone number which would be ea.sy for people to remember: 81 ASK US. Implem~ntation is planned for this s~~er as the tvo PAAIRS offices consolidate and telephone systems are relocated. 3) Educate the human service nonprofit community on tbe avail ability of dialing into the PAATRS Library File via computer access from an aqency office. The Library indicate4 that the new software conversion woulO be ~omplete4 by mid-october of 19~1 and the revised PAAIRS files would tban be available. However, the PAAIRS tiles <:Sid not actually become available until January 10, 1992. An article scheduled for the November PAAIRS Interagency Newsletter was resebeduled for inclusIon in their March newsletter~ The article will inform agencies of tbe computer service and will invite staff who desire CKR:134:92 f' , , I I I j I I I' I I \ • .. ~ • - > '- -~, ,~~t_-_ ---___ ~ ______ ~_ .~_u-~ ii< "'""~_' __ =~f ..... -" paqe Tbree ir..forat&tion/training to a. meeting with PAAlPS staff. ~qe!lcy staff alsQ vill bave all opportunity to learn more about the PA1t.IRB Library Files at their qeneral informational meeting scheduled :or Ksrcb 20. ') Encouraqe community nonprofit ageneies to perform communica tion audits to track ho~ tbeir clients were referre4 to them. PAAIRS has revige~ tbeir telephone call log sheets ftnd procedures 90 tbat callers are nov &ske~ what agency referred th~m or bov tbey learne4 of ~AAIRS~ PAAIRS then reeor~s tbe name of the agency to which they reter each client. This issue will ~e discu9sed with ether aqencies at their general informational meeting on March 20, and &9~ncies vill be encouraged to perform communication audits with t~eir clients. 5) Develop a public information campaiqn, heiqhtening-the profile of P~I1ts· role in the eommll~-...i ty. The PAAIRS Boar~ ot Directors, public Relations Committee an~ the Executivil Director bave c1evelope<1 a publicity campaiqn Which includes public service &nnouncements (PSA'S) on cable television, press rel_aSBS and feature stories in local newspapers and pub~icity in other publications. The Peninsul~ Times Tribune has commi ttec5 to write one or two stories about PAAIRS in tbe neAr future. The advertisement in the Palo Alto Weekly will be rein stated, as vell as additional listings in th6 telephone directory. A volunteer has designed a Pl~IRS leqo Which will be incorporat.~ in the aqency's materials, publications and publicity~ The EZeeutive Director is also working with a qroup o~ City-funded agencies to coordinate a public information campaign that resulted .from the Council priority, "People in Crisis". At the first interagency meeting Bponsor~~ by the city as part of this priority, the Executive Director assumed tbe l~a~ for tbe nonprofit's Public Information campaign subcommittee. 6) Whenever a person is rec:-eiYing SUb5i~ized service via the City's Human Service Gene~al Fund support, the eligible participant should be encouraged to call or visit PAAIRS for information regarding other resources available. Agencies are now beinq encouraqe~ to refer any clients who may nee~ ad~itjonal information or assistance to PAAIRS. This recommen~a tion vill be discussed at their next general informational meetinq. Eaeh aqency will receive atSdi'tional brochures &bout PUIRS for distribution to their clients. 7) PUrRS sbould seek tbe means to widen the d.istribution of its penin9ula Area Directory to every agency and ho~sehold in Palo A1t.o. CMR:134:92 'L 2a9'& Four PAAIRB has baan r~searchinq funding sources to underwrite the e~st of printing 15~OOO additional copies o~ tbe directory and the cost of distrib~tion tbroughout ~he Palo ~lto area. They hav~ talked with ~tatf of cbe Palo Alto Weekly ~bout mailinq tbe ~irectory witb the newsp~per, althouqh no cost figures are yet available. They also will be developing a committee of representatives trom cUtterant service are-AS for advice regarding content .and proposed changes in the directory itself~ 8) PAAtkS staff nee~9 to ~ecome more t~iliar with the types of services offered by the various age~cies so they can refer clients to the appropriate program. PAAIRS staff is continuing to stUdy its file of agency info~ation and is t.alkinq lIlith otbE:'r community a.g-encies about tbeir offerings. 9) continu9 the strong outreach element tbat has been developed under the new Executive Director~R ~enure~ Tbe latest quarterly report sUbmitte4 by PAAIRS (October-December 1991) notes an increase in In~ormation and Referral phone re~ests (534 in tbe period, 1123 fo~ tbe previous 6 months), whicb is 123 over their eontr&cte~ Scope of Services gui~elines~ They ~istrib ute~ their interagenoy newsletter (November/Deoember issue) to 493 agencies and individuals (93 over their projected expectation). PAAIRS hosted a S~cisl services Fo:r-um in cooperation with the Santa. Clara/san Ma.teo Counties Coalition, 'W'hicb was attended :by 23 people. PAAIRB bas hel~ 4iscu9sions witb th~ Palo Alto Ch~er of Commerce ~ut the possibility ot including the Peninsula Area Direotory and Palo Alto Mediation Brochure in the relocation pac"k.et for new resi4ents an4 companies. PAAIRS support of tbe Me1iatio u Task Force c~ntinues to be out star;.dinq. They have recruited, screened an<! trained four new members; provided information about rental bousing regulations and praotices; distributed literature; and discussed available alterna tives for dispute resolutions with 1,067 callers (67 over target) in tbe first six months of tbis contract year. with reqard to the Tenant/Lan~uord Counseling and Information component, PAAIRS has in~reased the Visibility of rental housinq info~ation througb promotional activities, i.e., Chamber of Commerce Directory advertisement, Stanford Off-Campus Ro~sing office directory And brocbures~ presentations a~ Palo Alto and Gunn High schools, 5tanfor4 caotennial ceJebration booth, ~UW meeting, Senior Center of Palo Alto wcrksbaps, and listings in the senior Randbook. CMR:134:92 -----_. __ ._-_.---'L ! ''cc,,~; L o Page FiV'e Eleven presentations to 60u~.te low income persons and the public about ten&nt/landlor~ riqhts and re9ponsibilitie~ have been conduct.~ this contract ya&~ througb the PAAIRS Co~un1ty outreach proqram. :rive .vanta were eon<1ueter! this past q\larter (Sessi. Bolton Chile! Care c&nter, Lytt.on Gardens, Midi-Peninsula Support •• twork fo% Batt.raf! Womeo, a~4 two street 'aires). ~h. Palo Alto Library Division reported 1,535 uses/dial-ins for the PAAIRS computer Rile thi. past qu&rter~ Conclu.fob PAAIRS has responded to the policy and Services co~ittee'. cou eerns and staft's recommendations in an Qutstendinq manner. They holL'W'e launched So dYllamic outyeach campaiqn to counter the lukewarm support eXb1bited by other agencies last spring at the focus group bearin9s~ Drqaniza~ • series of productive seminars/workshops for the nonprotit community: provide4 a lea~ersbip role in the community: and: exhibited:: a hiqh ~e9r •• of knowledq., business ac~en and enthusiasm. The Exec~tiv. Director, Hary McQuaid, &n~ the Information Specialist, Zmil"l Patterson, have performed in ex~~plary fashion since this evaluation project was initiated. All o~ this has drawn many positiv2 commeqt. from the nonprofit 8e~tor within the last six mo~ths~ Xt is staff's opinion that PAAIRS is headed in the riqbt 4irectlon. Respectfully submitted, David Martin Administrator ot Human Services -~ CP"QThiltqen '- Director of community service. ~~r June Pleming Assistant City Xanaqar Related CMRa: 281:'1 430:91 53UU CHR:134:92