City of Lawrence
Outside Agency Funding
APPLICATION
General Information: Each year, the City Commission considers requests for the allocation of dollars to a number of agencies that provide services benefiting the Lawrence community. The decision on funding a request will be made during the City’s annual budgeting process. The decision will be based upon the availability of funds, the need demonstrated through the agency’s application, the stated objectives of the applicant’s program, past performance by the agency in adhering to funding guidelines (as appropriate), and the ability to measure progress toward the program objectives.
Instructions: Applications for 2008 funding must be complete and submitted electronically to the City Manager’s Office at cliebst@ci.lawrence.ks.us by the deadline of 5:00 pm on Wednesday, May 2, 2007.
Questions? Contact Casey Liebst, Budget Manager at cliebst@ci.lawrence.ks.us or at 785-832-3409.
Section I. Applicant Information
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Legal Name of Agency: |
Douglas County CASA, Inc. |
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Name of Program for Which Funding is Requested: |
General Program Support |
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Primary Contact Person: |
Kerry L. Tummons, Executive Director |
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Address: |
1100 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, KS 66044 |
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Telephone: |
832-5172 |
Fax: |
832-5359 |
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Email: |
ktummons@dougas-county.com |
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Section 2. Request Information
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A. |
Amount of funds requested from the City for this program for calendar year 2008: |
$20,000 |
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B. |
Will these funds be used for capital outlay (equipment or facilities) in 2008? If so, please describe: NO |
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C. |
Will these funds be used to leverage other funds in 2008? No If so, how: NA |
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D. |
Did you receive City funding for this program in 2007? If so, list the amount and source for funding (i.e. General Fund, Alcohol Fund, etc.): Yes. We received $20,000 from the General Fund. |
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E. |
If you are requesting an increase in funding over 2007, please explain exactly how the additional funds will be used: An increase is not being requested at this time. |
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Section 3. Agency and Program Budget information
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A. |
How many paid full time employees work for your agency? |
1 full time, 4 part time |
Volunteers? |
45-55 |
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B. |
What percent of your total 2007 budget goes to employee salaries and benefits? |
85% |
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C. |
What percent of your total 2007 budget is used for operating expenses? |
15% |
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D. |
What is the total estimated cost to provide the program in 2008? |
$145,714 |
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E. |
What percent of 2008 program costs are being requested from the City? |
7% |
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F. |
List other anticipated sources of funding and funding amount for this program in 2008: |
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Anticipated Funding Source |
Dollar Amount |
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Douglas County |
$26,000 |
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CVAF |
$12,000 |
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United Way |
$32,500 |
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City of Lawrence |
$20,000 |
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Permanent Family Fund |
$8,600 |
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Kappa Alpha Theta |
$3,500 |
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Fundraising and Income Interest |
$43,114 |
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TOTAL 2008 PROGRAM BUDGET |
$145,714 |
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Section 4. Statement of Problem/Need to Be Addressed By Program
A. Provide a brief statement of the problem or need your agency proposes to address with the requested funding and/or the impact of not funding this program. The statement should include characteristics of the client population that will be served by this program. If possible, include statistical data to document this need.
CASA recruits, trains and supervises community volunteers that work with children who have been abused and/or neglected and are in the court system through no fault of their own. The children that CASA workers are assigned to are among our most vulnerable citizens and often have multiple, complex problems resulting from the abuse that they have endured. Once in the foster care system, they often experience inconsistency in caseworkers, therapists, foster parents, schools, etc. This often results in children not receiving the type of care or services that they need. Many come from homes where abuse has occurred from generation to generation. They often lack a caring adult role model in their life. They require the specialized attention that a CASA can provide to make sure that they do not “slip through the cracks” of the system. CASAs can help ensure that all their needs are met, be a consistent stable presence in their life and work to help them find a safe, permanent home in a timely manner.
In 2006, 84 NEW children entered the foster care system in Douglas County. Out of those 84 cases, 55 were considered suitable for CASA services, however, we were only able to serve 19 due to staffing levels, available volunteers and other extraneous factors (such as case closing quickly or child being placed several hours away from Lawrence). We continued to serve another 74 cases that we were already serving in 2005, serving a total of 93 children in 2006.
There would be a great impact on the program if we were to not receive funds from the City. We would be forced to reduce the number of staff, thereby reducing the number of abused and neglected children that we could serve. We would be unable to take any new cases and would probably be forced to discontinue services for some children that we are currently serving.
B. How was the need for this program determined?
Child abuse and neglect is an ongoing problem in our community. The system that was designed to address this problem is imperfect and fraught with problems. Children who enter the foster care system experience many changes….being moved from foster home to foster home, turn over in case managers, therapists, schools, etc resulting sometimes in misinformation to the court or a general lack of knowledge about a child’s circumstances. Children can become “lost” in the system. A CASA volunteer is a consistent person who serves the purpose of ensuring that children do not become lost in the system and that they receive the services they need, helping them find a permanent home quicker. In 1991, Judge Jean Shepherd identified the need for CASA services to assist her in making good decisions for the children in her court. She was instrumental in starting the program and continues to strongly support the CASA program and utilize its services.
C. Why should this problem/need be addressed by the City?
Child abuse and neglect is a problem that is the responsibility of all citizens in our community. The City has a responsibility to help ensure that its citizens are safe and that includes its children. Additionally, CASA volunteers become mentors to the young people they are working with as well as helping make sure that they are receiving quality services that are needed (such as therapy). This assists in children becoming more productive adults by helping them stay in school, etc. It is thought that CASAs are instrumental in helping to break the family cycle of abuse and welfare. The investment that the City makes in these children now could potentially save a substantial amount of money to the community in the future by helping children become successful adults. Helping to raise children to become successful, contributing adults will have great impact on our community beyond even the financial aspects.
Section 4. Description of Program Services
A. Provide a brief description of the service you will provide and explain how it will respond to the need you identified in Section 3. The description should include how many clients will be served, and should describe as specifically as possible the interaction that will take place between the provider and the user of the service.
Douglas County CASA, Inc. recruits, trains and supervises CASA volunteers. Volunteer training is held three times a year and we provide ongoing education for current volunteers. Each volunteer is assigned a Volunteer Supervisor who they work with throughout the life of their case. We estimate that we will train 25 to 30 new CASA volunteers in 2008, supervise approximately 70 volunteers throughout the year and serve approximately 90-100 abused and/or neglected children from Douglas County.
CASA volunteers commit to at least one year of service, helping to provide stability and consistency for the children that we serve. CASAs spend one on one time with the child/children that they serve and are required to do so at least once per month. CASAs have four main responsibilities to the children that they serve: 1) Complete an independent examination of the child’s situation by interviewing parents, foster parents, therapists, teachers, doctors, social workers, etc. 2) Identify resources and services for the child and facilitates a collaborative relationship between all parties on the case, helping to create a situation in which the child’s needs can be met. 3) Advocate for the child’s best interests by making recommendations to the judge about where the child should live, services needed, etc. At the same time, the volunteer presents the child’s wishes and thoughts to the court. 4) Monitors court ordered services to child and family to ensure that progress is being made and that services are appropriate. The CASA volunteer prepares monthly reports that are submitted to their supervisor and prepares a report for the judge each time the child has a court hearing. Additionally, they attend court hearings and other important meetings in order to advocate on behalf of their assigned child/children.
B. Describe any efforts your agency has made to explore the community to determine if there are any other agencies providing similar types of services. What efforts have you made to coordination services?
Douglas County CASA is the only agency in our community that provides volunteers to advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children in the court system.
Section 5. Program Objectives
Please provide three specific program objectives for 2008. Objectives should demonstrate the purpose of the program and measure the amount of service delivered or the effectiveness of the services delivered. A time frame and numerical goal should also be included. Examples include, “75% of clients receiving job training will retain their job one year after being hired,” “increased fundraising efforts will result in a 15% increase in donations in 2008,” “credit counseling services will be provided to 600 clients in 2008,” “new digital arts program will serve 275 students in 2008” etc. Applicants will be expected to report their progress toward meeting these objectives in their six month and annual reports to the City.
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Program Objectives |
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1. |
95% of children assigned a CASA volunteer will not experience substantiated abuse/neglect while in placement.
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2. |
80% of the children whose case had closed would have only been assigned one CASA for the duration of their case.
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3. |
70% of children whose cases closed this year will have achieved permanency within 18 months of being assigned a CASA volunteer.
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Please return completed application electronically to cliebst@ci.lawrence.ks.us by
5:00 pm on Wednesday, May 2, 2007.
Office Use Only