HomeMy WebLinkAbout0110.093·.
December 30, 1992
TBE HONORABLE CrTY COUNCIL
Palo Alto, California
Attention: policy and services Committee
CQUKCl'L PRIORITY: P~OPLE, IN CRISIS -END OF nil_5J~~RT
Meabe~s of the council:
Thi6 is an informational item to the Policy and Services committee
and no Council action is requested. The purpas3-of this report is
to summarize the actions taken over the last two years in response
to the City council priority. "People in crisis".
BacJcqro_y!!_~
For the past two yea:s, the City ~ouncil has made "people in
crisis a a Council priority. The following report summarizes the
steps taken under this council priori t}' by Human Services sta.ff and
~~e Human Relations Commission (HRC).
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The 1991 Council priority ~ ·People in Crisis n, was broXen do .. ,;n into
the follo'Wing three cO!!lponents: (CMR:1S6;91) (CMH:22G:91)
1) Services for Families in Crisis
Tw"o Focu.s Group sessions 'Were hoeld with agencies that serve
families in crisis to identify gaps in servica for this population.
Many recommendations ca~e out of t~ese hearings and ~ere i~plemen
ted.
NeW' funding was made available through the Human Se.cvices Resource
Allocation Process (HSRAP) for t~Q organizations to better serve
this priority:
a) Palo Al to Unified School Distri ct: Matching funding for
two community coun~elors at two local high schools.
b)
CMR: 110: 93
Mid-Peninsula Support
Increased HSRAP program
shelter renovation.
Network for Battered Women:
funding and ne\ro' CDBG funding for
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In addition, the Peninsula Arua Info~atiDn and Referral serlice
(PAAIRS) unden.oent a comprehensive staff evaluation to review their
effectiveness in working t,;ith families in crisis. (CMR:430:9l)
2) As •• as_ent and follow-up actions on access to services tor the
homel •••
New HSRAP funding was made available to urban Ministry to hire a
caseworker to work with homeless families in crisis.
3) Postering better Public/private partnersbips to provide
services
The Human services Network was formed for the purposes of informa
tion dissemination and resource shari!"l.g. Many positive in-kind
contributions came out of this developing network.
The Human Relations Commission (HRC) and City staff fu. .. :",~:''::1· defined
the three co~ponents cited abo~e into recommended areas of focus
and the development of action plans arollnd these focus a"":"eas
(CMR:2Bl:91):
1) ~eens Experieneinq crisis
2} Domestic Violence
3) Boa.18.s~~as
The action plans developed were:
a} Establish semi-annual meetings of City and CDBG-iundcd
nonprof.l.t agencies involved in serving people in crisis.
b) Evaluate the information and referral agency {PAAIRS) and
its ability to refer people in crisis to the appropriate
human service agency.
c) Organiz.e a Public Ir.formation campaign to heighten aware
ness of servi.ces and resources available to people-in
crisis.
d) Develop a homeless Child care p:t'ogram.
In pursuit of data reflecting ~Teens in Crisis~; a conprehensive
youth survey \l{as developed; oi!';tributed and tabulated; ;,,·hich
translated into wide recognition of major areas of concern for PalQ
Alto high school students. The Youth COUncil subsequently engaged
in several activities around the identified areas, ir.c::"uding an
unprecedented joint meeting \l{ith the Cit'i Council and the School
Board. tCMR:14S:92)
As the 1991 calendar year drew to a Close, it became clear that
additional time was needed to create the desired impact cn services
for People in crisis. (CMR:531:91)
CMR:llO:93
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The continuation of the City Council priority. ~Pecple in Crisis",
was among the three identified priorities for 1992 (CMR:163:S2) and
includea~
1) Youth and Families at Risk:
Palo Alto Adolescent Services Corporation {PAASC): Nev contract
funding \{as made available through the Community Development Block
Grant program (CDBG) to fund a substance abuse counseling program
for youth.
Continued HSRAP funding for the following agencie~ addressed this
focus area: PAASC and Pl\USD cCi.msp.l ing programs at the high
schools and middle schools, Casa say funding for thei r youth
shelter proqra'm, America~ Red Cross funding for their single
parents I counseling program~ and additional child cal: e subsidy
funds for Palo Alto Communiti' Child Care.
CDBG funding was made available for refiovation of Casa Say's youth
shel ter, and additional funds 'Were allocated for the T,elJ county
Children~s Shelter for children at risk of abuse and neglect.
2) The Needs of the Homeless:
Three new HSRAP contracts ~ere developed for this focus area:
a) Miramonte Mental Health Services: Mental health coun
seling at area shelters and free dinner program~
b) Mayfield Community Clinic: Basic health care provision
far homeless and near homeless.
C) Emergency Housing Consortium: Snelter provision i!l
Sunnyvale for Palo Alto dr-E",a homeless.
Continued funding was re-authorized for the homele3S family
case~orker through the Urban Ministry.
A new homeless child care program was initiated .... hen the Hunan
Services Division applied for and received CDBG fun~s and developed
a Request for Pt'oposal (RF?) for the provision of these services.
Palo Alto Community Child Care was awarded the contract and the
program is u~derway~
The deve.lopment of a ne .... giving campaign called u~notber Way",
initiated by the HRC r Human Services, Police Department and the
Palo Al to merchant community, resulted in additional resources
being made available to the homeless population. Thi5 ca:npaign
also has provided a much needed educational outreach component
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concerning the plight of the homeless and, hopefully, ""'ill result
in d.iminis-h€d 3ggressi ve panhandl ing in the dOlJ'1to'..;n area.
3) C02llpletion of Projects from t.i.'~ 1991 pr.iorj ty
The follo'""ing p:o-ojects .... ere already underwai' fr'J~ the 1991 Priority
that_ sought to increase the efficient C!_nd comprahensi\le provision
of service~, (i.e .• public information campaign, outreach activi
ties, coordination of services and sharjng of resources between
nonprofit agencies) ~ (CMR:19B:92)
The Public Information campaign has paid dividends through various
avenues:
a) The Human Services-sponsored and HRC-supported TV Cable
proqraJrl, "'Peninsula Currents", has featured agency
directors representing urtan Ministry; Child Abuse
Council; two programs operated by the YwCA, including the
Rape crisis Center Program and the Child Assault Pre
vention Proj ect t Mayfield Community Cl inic; and Mid
Peninsula support Network for Battered Women. :It is
envisioned that all human service contractors will be
featured (unless the show is canceled first) ~
b) The San Jose Mercury News has agreed to run articles
regarding the services p::'ovided by the agencies in the
network. So far~ Hayfield Community clinic a!~d Mid
Peninsula Citizens for Fair Housing have been recipients
of this press cGverage~
c) Agency Public Service Announcements (PSJ\'s) have been
produced in cooperation with Cable Channel 6 (MPACJ I and
have aired on "Peninsula Currents", as well as ot'ncr
times.
d) The second edition of "The Volunteer pages n has bee!'1.
readied by Human Services stoff, and includes listings of
over 175 agencies and their volunteer needs. 1'he second
edi tion alsc includes a Communi ti~ Calendar 'Which prov ides
;:;. 1993 special events schedule for use b~{ nonprot i t
agencies. The San Jose Mercury News has graciously
agreed to print the second edition, ~nd copies ~ill be
available around December lOr 1992.
City-funded human service agencies have beT'efited in other ways
from the ongoing Human Services Network, organized as a result of
the "People in Crisis q Council priority. The most noteworthy are
as tollows:
CHR,llO,93
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a)
b)
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Credit Union membership is offered to nOi1profits ~"':·10 have
a contract relationship with the cit:t. To date, eight
agencies have joined toe Credit Unjon.
The City's Printing and Mailing Services are now avail
able for nonprofit age~cies~ Charges incurred by the
agencie~ equa~ what City departments pay for like
services.
c) The City Training Facility at Cubberley Community Center
is offered for use by n0nprofit agencies~ They may
attend City training sessions, provided space is avail
able, or use the training room for tt,eir c ..... n needs.
d) City vendors have been encouraged to provide the same
bulk rate charge which the City receives when they do
business with one of our contracted agencies~
e) A Consultant Bank roster has been developed for use by
nonprofit agencies, listing agency personnel with
expertise in certain areas to volunteer their time to
provide technical assistance to other agencies in need.
f) A representative from Beckman Instruments Corporation
attended a Net~ork meeting and subsequently donated much
office equipment ~nd otner suppli~s to network agencies.
The company representative has estimated the value of the
equipment provided at $40,000.
Closure was brought to the evaluation of PAAIRS ~ith t~e follow-up
report which outl ined steps taken by PAArRS to comply with the
ear-lier released recommendations. (CMR: 134: 92)
Continuing progress nas beeTl made under the. auspices of two new
su:ocommittees formed c!uring the Human Services Net·I/o'ork !:1eeting held
in June of 1992. (CMR:360:92)
1) The Appropriate Service LF.;-"els Subcornmi ttee is in the process
of revie~ing testimony from the public hearings held in the
fall of 1991. Its charge is to recommend methods to imple:rnent
the suggestions generated at the hearings. !t ~lso plans on
reviewing the HSRAP process changes proposed by some members
of the City Council. Ongoing progress is being ~ade and ~ill
continue.
2) The :Fundraising options Sub-Committee has met and is reviewing
various :methods to increase fundrajsing options for agencies
in the Network. Ongoing planning sessions are continuing.
The next general Network meeting haS been scheduled for Friday,
January 29 , 1993.
CMR:IIO:93
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Significant strides have taken place over the last two years and
results for many of the goals and activities described above hdve
rea.ched fruition. The HSRAP contract funding process has been
earmarked to assist agencies dealir.g .'i th this Council priority.
and that funding has assisted in e~ri~hing the lives of many people
in crisis.
PAAIRS has responded to the Policy and services Committee's
concerns in an outstanding fashion and is performing admirably.
The collaborative effcrts developed by various nonprofit agencies
in the newly-formed Network have been encouraging and bode ~ell for
the future. The Pu:tJlic Information Campaign has res":..llted in
increassd public awareness of services available in the community
for "People in Crisis".
The foundation establis~ed br development of this priorit.y should
continue to reap benefits for "People in crisis" and the agencies
that serve this population beyond the two years of t.his Council
llI"iority.
Respectfully submitted[
David Martin
Adroinist~ator of Human Services
-~ ~~C5
Paul Thiltgen O-;" .... k<O
I June Flem~ng 174
( City Manager U
~elated CMRs: 360.92 .. 198.92, 163.92, 1-45.92, 134.92, 531.91,
430.91, 28L91. 220.91, 156.9L
CMR: 110: 93
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