HomeMy WebLinkAbout0198.092-
THE SUBJECT OF
THIS REPORT
IS"
COUNCIl. PRIORITY
April 2, 1992
THE HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
Palo Alto, California
Attention: Pel icy and Ser .... ices c';;>IT.!!\itT;:.ee
council priority: people ilL crisis -status Report
Mem:bers of the Cour:ci 1:
Report in :srief
This is an informational item to the Policy and Services Committee
and no Council action is requested. The pur:pose of this report is
to provide informatIon regarding the various activities the Human
Services Division and the Humart Relations CotnnLission (HRC) are
undertaking in response to the City Council Priority "'People in
Crisis".
Staff .... as pleased to Tlote the ccntinuat.ion of this priority for a
second year. While significant strid~s have taken place, much still
needs to be accomplished to assist People in Crisis.
Baekgroun;j
In 1991 the Palo Al to Ci ty Counci 1 designated "People
e. Council priority. ~aTJy projects .... 'ere establist" .. ed
this priority. For rec3.p purposes/ please see
reports: CMR 281t91, CMR 531;91, and CMR 134~92~
in Crisis l1 ::"5
to deal .... 'i-t:h
the a ttachad
'1'he following narrative focu.ses on four rnajor areas of action which
staff and the HRC plan to continue or initiat~ in response to the
Council's setting of this priority for the current year. Last
year r HRC bro".tte down the "Peop]e in Cr)sis'" priority into three
target areas: 1) Domestic Violence t 2) Teens in Crisis, and.
3! Homelessness.
CMR:198:92
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The continuatior ..... of this Priority
following:
1""'\ specifT';ally addresseS. the
1) Youth and faMilies ~t risk. ·wozk .,..-ith th.e Human Relations
Commission, the Youth Council, the palo Alto Unified School
District and other school communities to identifj specif ic problems
that are appropriat~ly remedied by City interven'tion. Develop
programs to address such problems.
2) The needs of the ho~eless. Follc~ up on the initial efforts made
in 1991 concerning access to services for heme less, child care for
hO]!,cJess families, and ameliorating conflict situations involvir'"lg
street persons ar.d the business community~
3} Completion of the proj ects begun in 1991 that seek to increase
the effici~r.t and cornpre~ensive provisior. of services to people in
crisis, Le., public information campaign, outreach activities,
coordination of services and sharing of resources between non
profit age-ncies.
Narrative
Four areas of focus "Were developed in response to this priority:
l.J Establ.iSh semi-annual meetings of 1 ecal human ::J~rvic.
organizations:
One of the econorn:,cal method~ of dealing ...-ith the problems
manifested by people in Crisis is to improve the deli -"ery of
services from the nonprofit conununity, especially in an era of
shrinking resources. The serviC'~ agenci~s · .. ·hler-. the city cont.racts
with are performing in exemplary fashioni yet, by sharing resources
and providing assistance to these agencies, the service population
in need will be better served.
The Human Services Division sponsored its first network meeting
\,lith local human service organizations on January 17, 1992 ~
}.ccording to feedback provided by 'the invited agencies, this ""as a
very prod.uctive meeting .... hich initiated many activities currently
in process. Over 25 nonprofit agency representatives were present.
City staff prasent included the Administrator of Human Services,
child Care and Youth Coordinator, Co~~unity Development Block Grant
Coordinator, Direct.or of Human Reso'..l.rces, E!!',ployrnent Manager t Human
Resources Representative, Purchasing Manager, and the Assistant
Director of Finance. Three HUman Relations COml!lissioners also
attended the meeting.
Topics discussed included the follawing: agencies r training needs;
develop:roent of eo. consultant bank; de.velopment of a public infor
mation campaign; finar,cial management concerns, including joint
purchasing agreements 'With the City and development of an audit
consortiu!!",; a ben..:fit package consortium; use of in-kind City
resources; and development of a job bank. Subcommittees 'Were
formed with specific tasks assigned and ~ill report at the next
general meeting to be held in June or July of this year~
CMR:198:92 page 2
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Actions alread}' -caxen include the follo'Jing:
a)
1:»
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The city's printing services are being ~ade available (or
non-profit usage. There will be ~ charge for the service
:Out, in many cases, this service will bt: provided in a
more economical fashion than is curren~ly ~vailable to
many of the agEncies.
The City's Human Resources Development Manager has
invited nonprofit agencies to utilize its $che~uled
training seminars (if there is available space}, and the
agencies may use the training room facilities (if
available) f:,:Jr their o ... n", training purposes.
The cit}, is exploring the possibility of enabling
nonprofit agencies to utilize purchase agr.eement9 through
the city by using the city's vendors at the preferred
Cit.y rate.
d) A public Information subcommittee has been for<ned. (See
Public Information Campaign section below'.)
e) }.. Consultant Bank roster has been developed for use l:::y
non-profi t agencies, 1 isting agency pe.rsonnel 'With
expertise in certain areas to volunteer their time to
provide technical assistance to other agencies in need.
f) A suZ'"vey is being dEvelopsd and ""ill be submitted to all
agencies to gauge their interest in developing a consor
tiu1t, of non-profits for the purpose of estaplishinq
economical benefit pac~ages.
The idea of developing a job bank for personnel recruitment fer
non-profits was not pursued since agencies did not feel this vas a
priority.
The cor.cept behind this sharing of in-k.ind City t·esources "With
local service agencies grew out of the People in Crisis priority,
as 'Well as from request.s by IIIat'.y participants during the Appropri
ate Levels cf Service public hearings held last tall.
2) Assist human service orqani:ations with a public information
campaign to heighten the awareness of services an~ resouroe.
available to people in crisiS:
A meeting vas held !""ith representatives of the San Jose MerCu.ry to
review the possibility of i~pleIl\enting a series cf fe~ture articles
highlighting the agendas of the area nonprofit organizations, as
~ell as providing case histories of clients who have successfully
used the ser .... ices of various new agencies. It is hoped that this
series \tIil1 alert the public to the successes people nave enjoyed
by utilizing the expertise of the nonpr-ofit agencies in the
c01rlmunity.
CMR:l98:92 page 3
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Mel'1bers of the ~liC Information S'JbCOmn'1ige have met .... 'ith the
Palo Alto Weekly to investig~t~ th€ feasibility of developing a new
feature in the Weekly to list information about service agencies
located in the cO!l'lmuni ty. This approClch -",'o\..lld be pattern'S:d after
tr.e San Jose B-J.'s ir:ess Journal's practice of listing inform.ation
about various busines5e~ in the San Jose area.
The Human services Administrator and Human Relations Cor:unissioner
Henrietta Burrol.ighs. 'Will be hosting a !I'l')nthl'l cable televj sien
show to be aired: on Public Access Channel 6 in the Palo J..lto/Menlo
Park ~rea. This program, called "Peninsula currentsJi', ..... ill feat~l;re
interviews with nonprofit agency personnel ~ho ~ill describe
services ~vailable in the cc~unity. The first tapi~g of the show
was done March 26 and 'Will be sho.-n 1I"pril 9. It highlights the
hcme:less issue with Revert::nd Jim Burklo, Director-of the Urban
Ministry, and Wiedeman's proprietor Don Klages, who discuss various
options to the probl-ems being faced by the honelf?ss pop1,;.lation and
the merchant cO!!l.r.uni ty.
It is envisioned that, after a fe' .. ' episodes, the program
sho'Wn live to prot'l1ote vie-wer phone-in capability to
communication between thE agency representatives and the
publio.
....,il1 be
enrich
general
Public service announcements 'Will be produced and srlO<..,;n durir.g t,he
program, highlighting other nonprofit organi~ations in the
co~~unity which have a contractual relationship with the City. The
Red Cross produced an announcemen't. for the April 9 program. These
public service ar,nouncements also ""ill be sho''''n throughout the
month on a rotation basis.
Discussions are ensuing between the Public Information subcom..-ni ttee
and the Palo Alto Weekly about distributing the PAA!RS Peninsula
Area Directory to every household in Palo A,lto. This resource
lists all service agencies in the area, describes their services
and provides other pertins.nt infol"!uation.
In concert \dth the flaes center for Public Policy, the Palo Alto
Fund and the Hum3.n Relations Corrtrl' .. ission, the RUman Services
Division has printed and distribu'ted a publication called "The
Volunteer Pages If. a compilation of over one hiJndred and fifty non
prDfit agencies and their volunteer needs. Our first printing of
500 has been distri~uted to organi~ations, churches, schools and
interested individuals. A second printing is being plan~ed for Fall
of 1992. Staff is currently r.egotiating ""'i th the San Jose Mercury
to aid in the printing and distribution cost of an updated version.
3) Evaluate effeotiveness of the Information an4 Referral Agency
(PAAIRS) in serving tbe human service community:
The co~prehensive revie ..... of the local in.formation and referral
agencies has been completed and is the subj£ct of CMR:134:92.
4, Explore the provision of drop-ic child care Blots tor use by
the bomel&as and/or near-homel:~9 families who reside in Palo
Alto:
CKR:198:92 page 4
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Human services -,~af! ha,s 'w'orked diligently 'IIIith representatives
from a locel nonprofi~ child c~re organization to assist them with
submission of "'1'1 application for funds from the CO!!'J'llunity Develop
ment Block Grant (eDBG) Public Service component for homeless child
care funding~ Tne application was ~ithdrawn at the last moment by
that organization. However, staff believas this element should not
be disregarded this upcomiflg fiscal year an.d has submitted an
application to recpive $15,000 from the CDBG Public service
component. The Cit1z,~ns Advisory Committee has approved the usa of
$10,000 of C.D.B.C. funds for this purpose for T.Y. 1992-93. The
approved proposal cal~:$ fer the City to facilitate ~n outside.
organization to submit a CO:"ltra~t pro~osal to ad;ninister the
p40qram in conjunction vith the Urban Ministry. rf the city Council
approves this recommendation, a pilat ~omeless child care project
will be imple!l'l.ented in July of 1992.
It is staff's hope that an outside child care agency ~ill apply for
this funding from CDBG or the. General Fund for fiscal ye;,r 1993-94.
Staff sees the HUman Service Division providing the implementation
role only, and does not ,",'ish to continue operating the program over
a lonqer period cf tim~.
1::':1 addition to the above proposal for homeless and/or near-homeless
child care slots, staff \iill be recotn:r.'lending funding assistance
trom the City'S General Fund for the following homeless-related
programs as part of the budget process:
a) A casefrW'orker for the Urban Ministrj', responsible for working
with homeless families through their Ondrea Project ($17.000).
This f~nding started in the current year in response to the
~People in Crisis" priority.
b) A new proposal submitted by the Mayfiel~ Community Clinic for
the provision of health screenings tc the homelessJnear
homeless in~ig~nt population ($2.000}. This service is not
currently available in North county~
c) A ne\ll" proposa.l submitted by the Hiramonte Mental Health Center
for the provision of I!'Lanaated mental health cO"..lnselinq at
local shelters run by Urban Ministry, and at the Thursoay
evening :rLeals at All Saints ChUrch ($9.140).
If these proposals are appr~ved for funding by the City ~ouncil~
th'9: City will have four distinct programs in place to aid the
homeless population.
other Areas of poncer_n
In addition to the homeless issue, otheL areas of focus developed
last ye30r b~' the Human Re.lat ions Com-:nission, as part of the City
Council's rtpeople in crisis ll Priority, were domestic violence and
te~ns in crisis. Staff also ~ill be recommending continued funding
for the following programs as a part of the budget pz-ocess:
aj The Mid-Peninsula Support Net1o.'or}c's program for the
of crisis intervention. emergency support and
counseling services to victims of dom~stic violence
children {S20.26~)i
CMR:198:n
provision
clinical
and their
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The Palo Ar~o Ur,ified
progrC'lrn tor students
($35,000) ;
"'"" School District/'.;..~ community Counseling
at Palo >.lto and Gunn High Schools
The Palo "'Ito J..oolesceT.t Serw'ices co'('poration~ son-campus
counseling program ($35,155) ~
The Palo Alto Adolescent services ccrporation' s new pilot
program for ycuth substance abuse counseling ($10,000) ~ This
would replace the proqram, offered through the CottlI!1unity Health
Awareness CCiJnc i1 of Mountain view ~urrently funded by the
City. 1'his new funding proposal .,,-as preliminarily approved cy
the Citizens Advisory Co",mittee and the source of these funds
'Would change from the existing City's H\u;Jan Service ccntract
fl..mding to the Public Service ele!!'ent of. tt>.e community
Development Biock Grant {CDBG} :f'rog!."am. Of course, the Ci'ty
Council ~ill haVe to approve this use of CDBG funds.
The Palo Alto Youth Council, Palo Alto SAFE, the City's. Human
Services and Recreati.on DivisiDn:::r the YMCA and the Youth community
ser.rices Project have joined forces to develop ;at Youth Forum
Conference to be held in Nove~ber of 1992, ;,.;hich 'will highlight
tQpics of interest to P~lo Alto teens. It is hoped that the ~eek of
November S through 15 'Will :be designated Youth A"w'ar6nes5 Week
vherein many activities will take place, including release of a
City Council Proclamation, a ra:ception, the Youth Forum Conference,
a cable television call-in discQssion of Ycuth issues, and a dance
to close the week's festivities.
The Palo Alto Youth Council has fostered cOi'nrounity a'W8r-eness
co{,cerning the results of its Youth Survey and is developing a plan
of action to address the con~erns highlighted in the survey~
Xilepo9ts
When Council adopted the priorities for 1992, it directed that the
standing committe:es to \.lhich the priorities "w'ere referred should
set forth checkpoints, or mileposts, by ..."hich progress on the
priorities should be I!ieasured~ Based on the progra:ms and tasks
outlined in the preceding pages r staff proposes to report to the
policy and Services Committee according to the follo\oling schedule:
AUgust 4, 1992: Update to Policy and services committee
october/November, 1992: A second update to the Policy and Services
committee
January 5, 1993: Concluding report to Policy and services Committee
CODclU!liOI1
Since last year, ongoing progress "has t,een made on t"his City
council priority. The collaborative effo~ts developed by various
nonprofit agencies have been especiall)o' encouraging.
CHR:198:92 page 6 ', ......... ---""!!-~-~"-.. -..
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Respectfully submitted,
lla V; d-'ni""""~ , <-
David Martin
Admirdstrator of Human Services
f~~,~
Director of Co ~ity Services
Related CMRs: 281:91, 4JO~91, 5:31:91, 134:92
CC! Human Relations Commission
CMR:198:92 page 7