City of Lawrence
Social Service Funding Advisory Board Meeting
May 27, 2015 minutes
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MEMBERS PRESENT: |
Erika Dvorske, Megan Leopold, Joshua Brown, Barbara Schnitker, Jeremy Fite |
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MEMBERS ABSENT: |
Judy Bellome |
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STAFF PRESENT: |
Casey Toomay, Assistant City Manager & Kevyn Gero, Management Intern |
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The meeting was called to order at 8 am.
Erika Dvorske suggested that each board member introduce themselves, provide disclosure on conflicts of interest and share why they are serving.
Dvorske has a working relationship with all of the agencies excluding: Community Village Lawrence, Lawrence Farmers Market, Hilltop Child Development Center, Loving Paws Animal Therapy, The Shelter, Spencer Art Museum, TFI Family Services, and Hearthstone. She does not serve on any of the boards nor is employed by any of the entities. Fite is a paid employee of Hilltop Childhood Development Center and is on the Board of Success by Six. Schnitker is on the Board of Lawrence Community Shelter. Brown and Leopold do not have a relationship with any of the applicants.
The board started with a review of applications for special alcohol funds. Dvorske read the Charter Ordinance. Any applicant that does not meet the goals of impacting substance abuse as outlined by the Charter Ordinance moves toward the bottom while stronger ones move toward the top.
Big Brothers Big Sisters was not as clear in the application how the program addresses alcohol related issues. The Board noted that no logic model was attached to the application. However the small, however the small group one-on-one mentoring relations is most effective in prevention
Section E. of the charter ordinance is a catch all for applications but the alcohol treatment and intervention programs are higher priority than the educational and prevention programs.
Boys and Girls Club did not provide rationale for the increase in request from 2015. The SMART program is direct prevention at younger ages. Fite asked about the measurement of the local impact of the program. The Board thought the application highlighted national statistics but did not include a great deal of local measurable data.
Hearthstone supports the goals and outcomes of an alcohol treatment program. The program addresses the needs of a targeted group and over 50% met recovery goals and outcomes.
DCCCA First Step House offers a unique approach to a targeted program, data to support, comprehensive and supportive of services for children. DCCCA Outpatient program directly fits in with the intent of the alcohol funds. SBIRT screening provides a quality intervention program.
Since Lawrence Community Shelter is not part of the SSFAB’s review process the Board did not discuss the application for funding.
Staff reviewed the compliance status of the 2014 annual reports. Staff did not have a report for Van-Go on file. The Board called Van-Go to request a copy of the report. Later at the meeting, Staff received an electronic version of the annual report. The Van-go application addressed the intention of the special alcohol funds. The Board expressed concern for the absent annual report. The Board discussed compliance with the funding agreements to submit the proper reports.
The Van-go program focuses on prevention instead of treatment. The application does not contain a lot of details about outcomes.
Willow is requesting funding for an Arts program coordinator. The Board did not think the program was as strongly linked to the special alcohol fund goals. The outcomes were more process oriented.
Both DCCCA applications, Hearthstone and Heartland were identified as directly related to serving alcohol and substance abuse issues. Boys & Girls Club, Big Brother Big Sisters, Van-go and Willow address education and prevention needs and primarily focused on substance abuse. To reach a balanced budget, the Board identified four prevention programs to absorb the difference.
Dvorske proposed a five minutes break. The board took at short recess at 9:25 and reconvened at 9:30.
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Budget |
Request |
Req. vs. |
SSFAB Recommendation |
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SPECIAL ALCOHOL FUND |
2015 |
2016 |
15 Budget |
2016 |
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Big Brothers Big Sisters |
NA |
10,000 |
|
8,710 |
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Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence |
97,000 |
106,278 |
10% |
95,710 |
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DCCCA |
93,696 |
93,534 |
0% |
93,534 |
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DCCCA d/b/a First Step House |
37,421 |
37,180 |
-1% |
37,180 |
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Lawrence Alcoholic Recovery House (Hearthstone) |
7,500 |
7,500 |
0% |
7,500 |
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Heartland Community Health Center |
30,000 |
30,000 |
0% |
30,000 |
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Van Go Mobile Arts, Inc. |
32,000 |
32,000 |
0% |
26,273 |
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Willow Domestic Violence Center |
19,000 |
19,000 |
0% |
17,710 |
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Total |
$ 316,617 |
$ 335,492 |
5.96% |
$ 316,617 |
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The Board moved on to review of General Fund applications. They discussed the criteria for evaluating the applications. Dvorske reviewed the Community Health Plan and Reporting Requirements for considering applications.
In considering eligibility, the Board decided to call Ballard. The Board had questions about the absence of 2014 reports. Ballard responded saying their report was submitted. Referring to the time stamp on the email, it was noted that the application was received within the deadline but was not in the correct report format.
In reverse alphabetical order, the board reviewed the funding requests from each agency. The board discussed each program and noted if it aligned with the Community Health plan in some way. All of the applications submitted were aligned with the plan except Spencer Art Museum.
Women’s Fresh Start is a new application that states it will only be a two year request. Some Board members expressed concern because the program is a start-up. However they also appreciated the time boundaries of the proposal and valued the innovative idea.
Willow Bus pass request is a needed service and addressed quality of life issues.
Some members of the board stated the application from the Willow Domestic Violence Center did not clearly state what the program is providing.
The Board expressed concern about the Warm Hearts request because a significant portion of the budget was for advertising not direct assistance. The Board noted this is not the only program available in the community.
Douglas County CASA addresses mental health and poverty from the Community Health Plan. Success by 6 supports those not served by Headstart and asking for double to support more children.
Salvation Army’s program, Pathways of Hope, is aimed at families with children. The program has positive outcomes and aligns with current City Commission goals. There was a concern for duplication of services but there is a high demand for transitional housing. The Board noted it was not clear in the application how many people were served.
Schnitker asked if the Humane Society had a similar program to Loving Paws Animal Therapy. It was noted that the application was not clear about what constitutes a service. More information is needed about the scope of the project.
Lawrence Farmers Market is a collaborative program and concerned about sustainability. The application states they have not secured programming dollars for next year. The board had similar sustainability concerns for Lawrence Community Food Alliance.
The Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging application does not clearly articulate how it aligns with the plan. There was also concern from the Board about ensuring the dollars are spent in Lawrence.
The Board discussed if the expanded rental license program has any impact on services provided by Housing and Credit Counseling. The application aligns with the Community Health plan and specifically the poverty and jobs component.
Fite did not deliberate on Hilltop application because of conflict of interest. Schnitker stated it was an innovative program, physical activity program as a regular part of the day. There were concerns about exclusivity if it is affiliated with KU. Jeremy Fite was asked to address the issue and answered that 22% of program participants are not affiliated with KU. Fite said the program will take place in the fall regardless of the funding mechanism. He stated it is a non-profit. There was concern about the request for $12,000 for materials.
Heartland aligns with the plan and is working on collaboration. Healthcare Access application shows clear objectives and collaborative efforts. It is the only clinic exclusively serving the uninsured though some services may overlap with Heartland.
Harvesters works with purchased food to ensure they are meeting standards. The food goes directly to children.
GaDuGi program is meeting a unique need and provides outcome data. The Board discussed some questions about collaboration with the Executive Director, Chrissy Heikkila, who was in the audience. She mentioned possible collaboration with Headquarters and KU. It had not happened in the past because of the inability of Headquarters to forward calls.
The Board is interested in seeing a coordinated application for resources next year for transportation services. The Board discussed concerns about duplication with transportation services with the application from Douglas County Senior Services and other transportation related applications such as Community Village Lawrence. It was noted that the Community Village application stated high program objectives.
Douglas County Dental Clinic provided a unique service in Lawrence. Douglas County CASA fits the plan and fills a needed gap in services.
Communities in Schools program supplements the lack of social workers in high need schools and is different than other youth programs because it is embedded in the school day.
Both Ballard and Bert Nash are aligned with the plan. The 3% increase from Bert Nash for merit pay is generous.
The Board grouped the agencies by the type of service for transportation, youth services, food, health services, mental health, poverty and jobs. Existing funding is important to include in recommendations. All previously funded agencies received across the board reduction at 8.9%. The Board discussed addressing the needs of new programs are more important than increases on previously funded agencies. The Board felt strongly about recommending GaDuGi. The program has a community focus and can be built on and strengthened. It is not a new program since it has previously been funded.
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Budget |
Request |
Req. vs. |
SSFAB Recommendation |
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GENERAL OPERATING FUND |
2015 |
2016 |
15 Budget |
2016 |
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Ballard Community Center |
14,500 |
20,000 |
38% |
13,210.00 |
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Bert Nash City Homeless Outreach Team |
168,114 |
177,888 |
6% |
153,208.00 |
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Big Brothers Big Sisters |
19,300 |
45,000 |
133% |
17,580.00 |
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Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence |
130,922 |
148,722 |
14% |
119,328.00 |
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Communities in Schools |
2,500 |
6,000 |
140% |
2,280.00 |
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Community Village Lawrence |
NA |
2,665 |
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- |
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Douglas County CASA, Inc. |
25,000 |
25,000 |
0% |
22,780.00 |
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Douglas County Dental Clinic |
15,000 |
15,000 |
0% |
13,670.00 |
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Douglas County Senior Services |
NA |
36,800 |
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- |
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GaDugi SafeCenter |
NA |
9,000 |
|
8,200.00 |
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Harvesters |
NA |
20,000 |
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- |
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Health Care Access |
26,800 |
26,800 |
0% |
24,410.00 |
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Heartland Medical Clinic, Inc. |
NA |
60,000 |
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- |
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Hilltop Child Development Center |
NA |
12,000 |
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- |
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Housing & Credit Counseling |
17,100 |
17,100 |
0% |
15,580.00 |
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Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging |
NA |
7,400 |
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- |
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Lawrence Community Food Alliance |
7,500 |
38,120 |
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6,830.00 |
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Lawrence Farmers Market |
10,000 |
12,500 |
25% |
9,110.00 |
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Loving Paws Animal Therapy |
NA |
12,620 |
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- |
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The Shelter, Inc. |
32,000 |
32,000 |
0% |
29,150.00 |
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Salvation Army |
NA |
15,000 |
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- |
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Spencer Art Museum |
NA |
20,000 |
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- |
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Success By 6 Coalition of Douglas County |
27,500 |
55,000 |
100% |
25,050.00 |
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TFI Family Services |
7,000 |
7,500 |
7% |
6,380.00 |
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Trinity In-Home Care, Inc. |
NA |
20,000 |
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- |
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Van Go Mobile Arts |
35,000 |
35,000 |
0% |
31,890.00 |
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Warm Hearts of Douglas County |
6,000 |
6,000 |
0% |
5,470.00 |
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Willow Domestic Violence Center |
6,000 |
6,000 |
0% |
5,470.00 |
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Willow - Bus Pass / Work Clothes |
4,000 |
8,000 |
100% |
3,640.00 |
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Women's Fresh Start Project, Inc. |
NA |
38,000 |
|
0 |
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Total |
$ 513,236 |
$ 976,115 |
90% |
$ 513,120 |
The Board scheduled the next meeting for June 3 at 9:30 am to review the minutes from the meeting and take action to forward recommendations to the City Commission.
A motion to adjourn was made by Dvorkse with a second by Fite. The motion passed 5-0.
The meeting adjourned at 12:23 pm.