Travis County Commissioners Court
June 9, 2009,
Item 7
>> item no.
7 receive update on local collaboratives formed in response to the homeless prevention and rapid re-housing program funding opportunities.
>> hi, I'm roger jeffreys, executive manager of justice in public safety.
i'm here today with a fine group of folks.
it's a collection of city, county, non-profit and community service organizations.
that have formed an extraordinary collaboration to apply for some american recovery and reinvestment act moneys coming down through the department of community housing affairs I think is what it is called to impact homelessness in our community.
i'm going to get out of their way and turn this over to cat who you all know from criminal justice planning and also julie cullen who you probably have not met, the new financial analyst for justice and public safety and emergency services and is terrific.
i'm going to turn this over to them.
>> good morning, judge, Commissioner.
as mr.
jeffreys said, julie and I had the opportunity to work with a great group of folks.
initially our interest in getting involved in this program was to be able to address homelessness and the risk of homelessness, particularly involving the populations that we work with, the reentry populations.
as you all are aware.
there are -- there are several county programs that are either funded or partially funded by Travis County that we were hoping to impact and those programs include the mental health public defender office, project recovery, commitment to change program at the travis state jail and cpi, which you will hear quite a bit more about later.
but it really came about that this more important goal of this program was that it was the perfect opportunity for us to share knowledge and skills between the county and these non-profit social service agencies, many of which are represented here today.
it was very important for us to be able to collaborate with these agencies and build relationships, which we feel will not only be mutually beneficial but will ultimately benefit the community.
i wanted to take a moment to first of all knowledge the hard work and real true sense of selflessness amongst the individuals present add the agencies they represent.
with that, I would like to turn this over to joe kathryn quinn with caritas.
>> thank you, kathy.
good morning, thank you for allowing us to make this presentation.
during the month of may our social service community teamed up in an amazing way to respond to a notice of funding availability issued by the Texas department of housing and community affairs.
the funds are aloe indicated to our state -- allocated to our state through the american recovery and reinvestment act through h.u.d., the funds are for homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing.
or hprp, which we have fondly known it as over the last month.
the funds are for two years and the program is designed to accomplish three things: number one, homelessness prevention.
keeping people in their homes and smoothly transitioning people from institutional settings.
number two, sheltered diversion for people on a shelter waiting list, placing them in permanent housing instead.
and, three, rapid rehousing.
and that is finding permanent housing for people as soon after they become homeless as possible.
i'm here today to tell you about two significant collaborations that will bring potentially $2.1 million to our community.
caritas of Austin is the proposed lead agency and fiscal agent for both collaborations, which are enhanced by numerous subcontracting partners and linking partners.
and I wanted to particularly note one of the subcontracting partners that played a significant part in the right at home collaboration effort and that is family elder care who provided a lot of assistance in terms of the grant writing.
the Austin Travis County housing stability collaborative is comprised of caritas of Austin, any baby can, foundation for the homeless, goodwill of central Texas, safe place and front steps.
this collaborative has applied for $1.5 million in funding for comprehensive case management and direct client assistance.
the right at home collaborative was formed to apply for special set aside funding to receiver the reentry population -- to serve the reentry population with comprehensive case management and legal service.
the right at home collaboration is comprised of caritas of Austin, aids services of Austin, the right house wellness center and crime prevention institute.
and will serve persons with a history of institutional incarceration, plus at least one disabling condition.
this collaborative applied for $600,000.
both collaborations have been assured by the city of Austin.
we will have access to $1.9 million of hprp direct client assistance that has been awarded to the city, as well as outreach, legal and housing location services.
all hprp services will be comprehensively coordinated to ensure expert service delivery.
this is our golden opportunity to significantly change our system of homeless services.
most importantly, preventing thousands from entering an already overburdened system.
one of the agencies who will be utilizing this funding to divert families from shelters is foundation for the homeless.
sharon lowe, their executive director, is now going to tell you about their part in the collaboration.
sharon?
>> thank you.
>> I'm with foundation for the homeless.
we are -- we are an organization established in 1989.
we partner with low income families, with children, at least one under the age of 18.
we're 70 congregations and community groups to provide new opportunity for housing economic and personal wellness and we are so grateful to be part of this collaboration.
as both part of the demonstration project and part of the pilot project.
we are very small organization, we have about six full-time staff and three thousand volunteers that make shelter possible.
in 2008, we served approximately 600 individuals, including 59 families with children, and that's all possible because of the way we work with congregations and community groups.
our great hope for this demonstration and pilot project is that we will be able to serve as our organization about 80 households over the course of two years.
but more importantly, two -- to participate in prevention and shelter diversion work, so that families can stay housed or if they do become homeless, they can be rehoused very quickly.
thank you.
>> I'm laura smith, I'm the executive director of cpi, which stands for crime prevention institute.
we are a local non-profit here in Austin.
we are serving -- our mission is to break the cycle of crime of those returning to Austin and Travis County from incarceration.
we have two programs, one that you may have heard of is called girl scouts beyond bars, which is a collaboration that's been going on for about 10 years in Austin that troop of girl scouts who all have mothers in prison.
our role in that collaboration is to serve those mothers through case management, job placement assistance and other types of support to keep them safe, sober and free and out of prison.
that program is a -- is a very important piece of our agency, but our larger program is actually at the travis state jail where we serve men returning to Austin and Travis County from that particular facility.
the uniqueness of our program is that we operate an evidence based very relationship sent tricks centril that incorporates both pre-and post release services.
we actually have a field office in the travis state jail and work collaboratively with other programs that exist on that unit as well as the staff of tdcj.
if funded in this collaboration, our role is to serve as the in prison case managers required as part of the nofa.
our role will be to provide outreach and case management services to people who are in the state jail leaving, going back to our community, who would otherwise be homeless if not for this particular set of services.
this collaboration if funded would serve to greatly enhance the services already funded by the county at the travis state jail which kathy already mentioned what our program is funded by the county, hhs, but also the -- the commitment to change program and other programs out there would be greatly enhanced by this particular funding source.
it also, if funded, also creates much greater capacity for cpi.
we like foundation for the homeless are also a very small non-profit, this would serve to build greater capacity for us to do more of the important work that we do, also diversify our funding base.
even if it's not funded, the relationships that we have formed as a part of building this collaboration, designing the program and writing the grant, have been invaluable to us as a little non-profit trying to form a more formal network of service providers in Austin.
and improve and enhance the lives of the most at-risk people in our community.
i just wanted to say a special thank you to the reentry round table as well as Travis County criminal justice planning.
because without them we probably wouldn't have had the capacity to write both grants and we really leaned on them for leadership facilitation and technical assistance and support.
so thank you to them.
>> anybody else?
okay.
>>
>> [indiscernible]
>>
>> [laughter]
>> good morning.
i'm
>> [indiscernible] from aids services of Austin.
we currently serve people with h.i.v.
and/or aids in the Travis County area and those at-risk for infection.
we offer a wide array of services that include food bank, nutrition services, rent, mortgage and utility assistance, that is a housing program called
>> [indiscernible] dental services and legal services.
we also currently do outreach to the travis state jail and to the dell valley correctional institute to identify persons with h.i.v.
and/or aids prerelease in order to offer services upon their release.
the -- the right at home collaborative project is funded -- if funded will allow us to serve 50 clients a year with case management, people who are recently released or with criminal histories and allow us to have a primary focus of housing stability.
we are very excited about this collaborative.
it's an exciting venture that will strengthen referrals between collaborative agencies and our linking partners, particularly crime prevention institute.
prior to this, we have not been collaborating with you, we haven't given you referrals, you haven't given us referrals.
so this is already one area that's going to be strengthened by this collaborative effort.
we know we're missing people that leave the state jail, even though we have outreach people out there.
our hope is with this collaboration that will not continue to happen.
we will be forging new relationships that will expand housing options for the reentry population.
we are really hoping that the housing specialists that will be funded through the city of Austin hprp services will really expand housing options for this population.
currently, what's going on is we're having to put people in boarding homes and south Austin marketplace.
with time there, and with some stability, we then work towards getting them into some of the facilities sponsored by foundation communities or public housing through the city of Austin.
with some excellent outreach and expanding resources, we occasionally can get them into efficiencies or garage apartments, but this is few and far between and we want these options expanded.
this is -- this collaborative is the way to do that.
so we're very optimistic about getting this funding.
to target the reentry population where there is great need and we are sure great things are going to happen because of it.
>> okay.
>> hello.
>> good morning.
>> good morning.
my name is leah graham the executive director of the wright house wellness center.
just really excited to be a part of this collaborative as well.
we provide care and compassion to people who are living with chronic illnesses, mainly hepatitis c, h.i.v.
and aids, cancer.
and we provide resources for support, education and empowerment.
we have a specific program that is working with the reentry population right now it's called stop the cycle and it's funded through the substance abuse and mental health services administration.
and that program focuses around going out and doing outreach, traditional straight outreach, walking the streets and talking to people about getting tested for h.i.v.
and hepatitis c.
and so through that, we're finding -- a number of people who are hepatitis c positive, who have either just come out of incarceration or have a criminal history and they need services.
they are asking for case management, they are asking for -- they are asking for basic needs for legal help, for housing, for food, everything.
and so -- so that's what's exciting about this collaboration is that we -- if funded we will be able to provide these services.
some of these services and then at least hook them up with the other services that they are looking for in the community.
we are looking to -- to also serve about 50 households per year.
and work collaboratively with everybody else in this -- in this right at home program.
>> thank you.
>> thank you.
>>
>> [indiscernible] conventional.
>> [inaudible - no mic] stand up, except me.
>> okay.
>> [indiscernible] all incarcerated in
>> [indiscernible] Texas department of criminal justice.
i would like everybody to stand except for the Commissioners and the few people on each side of the Commissioners.
you all have to keep standing.
everybody else stand.
all of these people have just now returned to Travis County.
the rest of you are still in prison, by the way.
the point of that being
>> [indiscernible] people right now in Texas department of criminal justice will be returning to Travis County.
whether we want to face it, whether we want to admit that our -- when we look around one in 11 people in our county have a criminal history.
>> [indiscernible] is the microphone off?
>> still working.
>> [interference on the microphone]
>> it's time to look at it.
to take a giant step in that.
austin Travis County reentry round table, I need to introduce myself.
i'm gerry hutchins with the Austin Travis County round tail.
you all listened to what we said about employment.
you have been there beside us all the way as we make recommendations to Commissioners, we really appreciate that.
this is a golden opportunity.
it's something where many came down real quickly and said okay, we've got to have this back to the state in a very short period of time.
like two weeks.
this
>> [indiscernible] has an effect on the persons coming out and their families, but particularly on the community.
we know that 33% of the men right now that are in Travis County state jail don't know where they're going to put their heads the night they are released.
33%, that means we have 33% of those people that are already going to be homeless the minute tdc lets them out the door.
we also know that every time that an inmate has to change housing, it -- it increases his chances of recidivism, 25% chance quicker of going back into prison.
the majority of inmates returning home, they have told us, we did a huge survey last summer, that they felt like the greatest barrier to successful reentry was stable housing.
and so we have this opportunity to come down.
last what April?
at the end of April and wanted to reach out to some non-traditional providers, some of the mom and pops and the non-profits that aren't typically on the big spending streams that come down from the federal government.
and you are looking at 'em.
this was the most incredible team and collaboration of people and this is just a small group of what -- of what just started.
all done by consensus and collaboration.
the president of the -- of the justice policy institute made a statement one day at a meeting that I was in that I will never forget.
i'm going to read it because I think that it kind of tells the tale of what the passion of the ladies sitting up here in front of you are.
he said they don't have a job, they can't afford first and last month's rent, which is huge, so they drift from the homeless shelter to a friend to a low rent hotel.
that's the lack of stability, the chaos in which small and sometimes large crimes flourish.
we are breaking that cycle with this.
i would like to particularly make two real big great thank yous.
first off to roger jeffreys and his staff.
they had nothing to gain monetarily out of this whatsoever.
and they were just fantastic.
in being there.
we were all up until 12:00, 1:00 at night, sometimes all night because it was such a quick turn around.
but roger -- not only roger but his staff particularly were there.
he just kind of sat in the background and said okay.
which was necessary for us to get his staff there.
they give us all of the supports and rooms on work and tons of time.
i would also like to personally thank family elder care, joyce pullman who helped us tremendously and looking -- I know it sounds terrible --
>> [laughter] -- more important joyce was the one that would say gerry shut up we have to get on to this.
here chief executive officer needs to be recognized that's Karen langley sitting in the audience.
we appreciate Karen giving us joyce.
they are a supporting -- supporting -- subcontracting parters, they also will be getting referrals if it meets their population, we have a fairly large geriatric population, a lot of women coming back in.
that population will be served through family elder care.
i could go on and on and on I usually do, but roger will be mad at me if I do.
let me just finish by saying thank you to the Commissioners for listening to us for all of your supporting of us, thank you to this incredible group of people that are not really collaborators.
they are really not collaborators that sit across the table from each other.
we're partners and we sit side by side to break the cycle of recidivism.
thank you so much.
>> I am here if you have any questions.
>> questions?
>> I just had a comment that the passion is in this room are unbelievable.
you all are a bunch of incredibly passionate women.
we said it before when the grant proposal came through that, you know, roger's shop isn't getting anything out of this monetarily, but the community is getting something tremendous out of this.
and the community thanks you all.
7.
>> so if you get funding it will be for two years or three?
>> two.
>> two, but judge the real thing is that it's going to open tremendous doors.
it's the first time that we really are going to have an opportunity to collect the data to show how the stability in the case management for the special needs population can turn the tide of recidivism and we do know that there are funds -- these particular funds even after the first year for those grantees that aren't doing such a good job, they are going to reserve those funds and pull them back into the areas to those pilots that are doing what needs to be done.
so we know that there really is a future.
it's not a one-time and then yank the carpet away.
the justice systems has significant money that they are looking at.
they are looking for data.
this is our first chance to get the real data to show the difference case management can make.
i think this one-time thing sounds like not much, but it's opening tremendous doors.
you might want to look at the handout that's were given to you, because it does show the tremendous collaboration across the board and secondly for the pilot projects, right at home, it shows who the three tiers are, the collaborating applicants, subcontracting partners and then the most important of all of those groups for me are linking partners.
i have been in this field for many years and there's always been the criminal justice side and then the
>> [indiscernible] wall and then on the other side is human services.
if you will look at those partners that china wall is being torn down and those two entities have come together.
>> hallelujah.
>> [laughter] hallelujah.
>> so is there a commitment to continue the program after the federal funding --
>> we have
>> [indiscernible]
>> but is our contract commitment or obligation?
>> only with tdc.
>>
>> [indiscernible]
>> there is sustainability.
of this contract.
yes.
>> what's the requirement?
>> the requirement is they ask that the funding, for it to be set up in a manner that it can be sustained after the federal funding.
all of the case managers will continue to be employed I'm assuming through all of these different entities.
>> that's the plan?
or do we put the plan together later?
>> [laughter]
>> we only had two weeks, judge.
no, there really is a plan.
everybody is so submitted to this that -- committed to this, everyone is wanting to bring on that case manager and we really feel strongly and what we pretty much know is that once we can show that reduction in recidivism it's going to make a lot of difference.
that is what h.u.d.
is looking for, because they have actually joined forces with the department of justice to see if we can break that cycle if we provide special case management set aside for the reentry population.
>> I would take a good look at the obligation to continue after the federal funding goes away.
and what sanctions, if any, are imposed if you do not continue it.
free advice from a former lawyer.
>> [laughter]
>> thank you.
>> thank you all, this collaboration is of historic significance.
we're glad to witness it.
if we can help let us know.
>> we will.
>> thank you.
>> all right.
now, let's go back and pick up number 5.
5.
consider and take appropriate action on the following: a, amendment to Travis County code s 10.0295 (h), peace officer pay scale - skill based pay, effective June 9, 2009; and b, authorize human resources management department to work with constables 1 through 5 in processing pay actions under the amended Travis County code s 10.0295 (h), peace officer pay scale - skill based pay if approved.
>> good morning, Commissioners and judge.
i'm taking a little getting used to looking up and seeing only three of you.
we're here today.
we came to you last week and there was a week from constable 3 to make an exception to the pops policy, that particular policy stated that in order to get paid for your certification pay, that you had to wait until October the -- the 1st.
and I think that applied to all constables.
so what the court -- my sense is what the court wanted to do is a sense of uniformity and for the policy to be addressed as opposed to doing ad hoc action.
so you asked us to come back.
we have made some amendments to -- to the pops policy in this area.
those amendments were sent to all of the constables and we got responses from them saying that they were fine with the particular amendments that we were proposing or that were being proposed.
and luanne I'm going to ask you to go through those amendment.
>> what we for focused on was the effective date, if there was department discretion and if there was funding issues with the department.
what we have done is amend, in your backup on page I believe it's page 5 of your backup, the highlights of the changes reflect where now the -- if approved the implementation would still be department discretion and that the -- with the ability to pay, so if the department does not have that ability to pay or if it's department discretion, they can still choose not to pay the cpp or tcleose, that that line in section h.
if the department does warrant that discretion and you have the ability to pay, then they would move forward and put that in its approved budget.
work with p.b.o.
to have in a funding approved.
the effective date we're focusing on would be the first of the month after hrmd receives the departmental memorandum with the official certifications attached.
so that would be an example for the action, the seven slots potentially an additional nine slots that the other constables have indicated to us for this fiscal year, those would be effective June 1st.
if hrmd receives all of the appropriate paperwork, which is a certification that would be attached.
so these actions that would be effective June 1st for the amended policy what that means would be if we were to receive pay actions between like the first and the 15th of the month, those would be at the beginning of the following month.
if -- if we receive them between the 16th and the end of the month, then those pay actions would be the following month.
so that's -- that's -- questions?
>> when you say with official certifications attached, this is like a certificate from -- from -- from whoever provided --
>> right, it's tcleose certification.
we get-- the departments will call us and say that the individual tested and passed, but we can't take that for just the documentation, we must have from the department the actual certification from tcleose.
and the departments are accustomed to doing that and they do provide that to us.
so those are the highlights to section h.
and that -- that the -- all of the constables and the other departments that use the pops policy did agree to these amended changes.
>> so if the department does not have the money to -- to cover the increase say mid year, then it simply becomes a budget item for the next budget cycle.
>> that's what randy and p.b.o.
indicated to us, that they would work with the departments for the next fiscal year.
>> we have been working with them, so randy can respond to that.
>> do we need to state that in the policy if that's the case.
>> judge, regarding the civil certification, that's something knew that you all started a -- new that you all started a few years ago.
since it's new admin, we would add that to their budget.
what the departments have been doing during the budget process, saying -- I have three people who passed and we have been adding that and the guidance at the time was until that -- until that -- until we reach a certain certification level in a department and that line item self sustaining through turnover would be adding until then.
>> so if the certification is obtained mid year and the department is -- does not have the funds to cover it, it becomes a -- becomes a budget item for the next budget?
>> yes, sir.
>> you all will put it in the preliminary budget.
>> yes, sir, we would.
>> okay.
do we need to say that in the policy or is that understood by all luanne?
>> the problem is -- it's understood.
>> up front every department thinks it will have the money when needed, I suspect.
>> yes.
it's -- some of them have already had the -- the funding needed through salary savings or other means because -- because these amounts are small, for the next year, yes, sir, they have submitted packages.
>> right now the only department we would be looking at to add money to would be constable 1 because they don't have a civil certification line item as of right now.
they haven't ever submitted to anybody.
so we would be adding that like we have the other offices when they have come forward.
>>
>> [indiscernible]
>> for constable 1, since again is new, we would just add it in.
it would be added into our recommendation for the preliminary budget, to start it off, for whatever personnel submit the certificates.
>> I guess as long as the intention is -- is part of our -- of our discussion and minutes today.
>> yes.
>> it's all right.
but --
>> the policy is very clear on -- at the department's discretion and within their ability to pay.
>> questions?
discussion?
move approval of the proposed policy.
>> second.
>> all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.
thank you all very much.
>> that includes a and b, judge?
>> yes.
>> thank you.
>> b is basically to go ahead and implement it.
>> yes.
>> okay.
>> thank you.
number 7 is to receive -- nope, we covered that didn't we.
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Last Modified:
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 2:41 PM