Travis County Commissioners Court
February 14, 2012 (Agenda)
Item 23
Now let's call back to order the voting session of the Travis County Commissioners court and are we ready for 23?
and 23 is consider and take appropriate action on funding request from the minorities for equality in employment, education, liberty and justice, incorporated, program for services to formerly incarcerated persons in Travis County.
good afternoon.
>> good afternoon, judge, Biscoe and illustrious court.
executive founder for minority for equality in employment, education, liberty and justice.
you hear the acronym meeelj.
meeelj was created solely for this population and their families and we are here today because we are asking for a pilot project that we have called iron sharpens iron to be funded and our budget request, of course, as you probably have seen in the material is $441,000 and so I'm going to let that kind of stay out there for right now and let you know that in order for this pilot to be fully instituted that the budget request is accurate and we are just seeking any assistance that we can get from this court and from the county to help aid this vision.
and I'll ask her to stop the power point presentation.
meeelj's -- our vision is to eliminate the barriers that prohibit persons from being successful, employable, educated, empowered members of society.
and I think that that's important because a lot of times we think that one of the major barriers for persons that have felonious backgrounds or have previously been incarcerated is just the employment piece, but it's a whole process in order for them to be successful, you have to kind of help reestablish them in their communities by seeing what their deficiencies are in speaking to that and meeelj does that.
to each person that enters our door, we see what their needs are and we try to speak to those things.
meeelj, incorporated, has been able to serve over 600 adults and juveniles in bastrop county.
we provide state approved alcohol awareness classes forebearance, anger management groups, fund legal counsel and we have a job readiness piece, the adult education in ged proficiency preparation and stable houser for program participants.
we try to help ensure those persons eligible to have voting rights restored, that that is a part of our requirement for our program participants that if they are off off paper, they get registered to vote.
our iron sharpens iron, we enter -- we entered into a contract with the city of Austin to implement a pilot program iron sharpens iron.
the purpose is to empower individuals so they may fully realize their inherent and unlimited potential in spite of their criminal history to make a difference this their lives and in the Austin community.
for various reasons the clients or program participants have been unable to benefit from the community infrastructure designed to prepare the general population for the journey through life.
meeelj specifically designed the program with that in mind.
the isi program will provide up to 36 clients per year with a 16 week peer to peer councils 'eming and training session.
the training will start with an indepth self-assessment test.
the training provided will be sufficient to start each participant down a path that leads to earning a legitimate living and becoming a conducive member of society.
and what we are is a breakdown of what our first phase of it will be.
how we will recruit persons to be participants in this program, how we will contact partners, we will reach out to partner agencies that provide services so that we won't be trying to provide a service that's already in place here in the county or within the city.
and we will -- we will secure 25 memorandums of understanding with those potential partners.
the first phase of funding we want to be able to implement the program in its-a portion of the program in its entirety.
we have been able to secure $43,000 from the city of Austin and they were able to-because of this funding was able to help us build our infrastructure to be ready to come into the city and the county to do business here.
of course, in bastrop it's a lot different because it's smaller, it's a smaller population and you have a little bit more hands on because of community -- the persons that we service, of course, is not at the same level as it would be in Travis County so we require a lot more of a startup -- not startup, but we require more funding in order for us to be able to reach the persons who would be seeking our services.
we -- a part of the budget request is a stipend that will be paid weekly to each participant as an incentive to benefit and enable them to provide or contribute to their respective household.
we have found that one of the issues that most persons face when they are coming out of prison or have been in the community with a felony is that they have all these -- they have all these requirements, you know, to go to different things whether it's substance abuse counseling, anger management, any kind of family oriented services, and they have to do this with no money.
they have to have car fare and different things in order to be able to get to these different places that they are mandated to go by court.
and a lot of times persons are discouraged because they have no means.
and I think that it's unfair to persons who are their family members who have never committed a crime and who are law abiding citizens and have been in the community that their family member is not given an opportunity to get their lives together and they are basically funding their child in order or their child who might be 30 years air to fund their child to get to these places because they have no money.
one of the major components of these funds are for us to be able to give a stipend to those persons who are selected -- well, anybody can come in and do intake, but it will be 12 people going through a 16-week period so it will be a total of 36 persons annually that will be able to go through the isi program.
now, that doesn't sound like a large figure, but what it will -- as meeelj coming in, we will still be able to do intake for those persons who require our services.
so we'll still be able to touch those persons that have the same background but maybe they won't be able to participate in this particular part of the pilot.
so that's kind of what isi is about.
and I believe meeelj is unique because we provide direct assistance to persons who have felonious backgrounds, who are presently dealing with circumstances that are related to being unemployed, new criminal charges, family related issues, issues associate with parole, educational deficiencies, identification of municipal court concerns, substance abuse issues, and all referral sources that may be beneficial to our program participants.
we bring all these things to the table.
our focus is the person who has been shut out.
that is our whole -- our whole focus.
we would be a resource for everybody in this community who has -- who is a Travis County resident or city of Austin resident who has been in the criminal justice system.
and I'm not just -- I'm not talking about probation, I'm talking about people that have gone to prison or that have been -- whether state jail or tdcj.
the bench mark associated with the stipend, awarded to participants based on following criteria.
they must commit to a 16-week reentry training schedule designed specifically to address their need and they successfully complete the week's activities listed on their individualized training schedule and their peer partner must also complete their weekly activities.
so it is a -- there is a bench mark that's associated with those stipends and we don't have a duplication of services of anything that's currently offered in Travis County because there is nothing like us at this point that I know of that is is fully focused on all the needs of this particular population and their families.
>> can you tell us a little bit more about the infrastructure that the $43,000 of Austin funding that you would get?
>> well, one of the things that the $43,000 helped us get with city of Austin, one of them was that we had to expand our liability insurance coverage.
of course, when you kind of deal with this population, we carry about $2.8 million, I think either 2.8 million or $2.9 million worth of liability coverage for the organization.
it helped us to get our audits done, which is one of the things that we were unable to do because an audit, of course, costs like $7,000 and so we were able to get that.
we additionally had begun the process of doing the advertisement.
we did an advertisement on kzi towards the end of this.
it was one of the -- what do you call it program -- measures.
it was one of our performance measures.
and we did a commercial on kzi the 42nd break, and we put that out I want to say August, the end of August.
and our first day we had 165 phone calls from persons that were residents of this county who were asking for assistance with employment, assistance for maybe new blue warrants, assistance for just everything.
it was insane.
and the calls are still coming.
we haven't had that commercial on since then.
and we are still getting calls about assistance.
from parents and it was just I couldn't believe it.
another thing that we were able to do where that, we were able to begin getting our m.o.u.s going out to the different businesses like Austin area urban league, went out to talk to them to see what other services were already in the county that we could use partner with so as not to reinvent the wheel.
there are some things we do collectively in bastrop that we wouldn't have to do here because there are services already available.
there's places that already give computer classes, there's places already trying to build an employer database.
so we would enhance the services of those persons that are already doing that.
we would be able to bolster our numbers because we have our fingers on this particular population and we can just refer them to them.
so that was some of the things that we did with the finances that we received from the city.
>> so what -- can you describe what presence you have in Travis County today?
>> the presence that we have in Travis County today besides just -- just people knowing and still contacting us about getting here, our offices are based in bastrop.
we do not have a location here.
one of the things that the funding will help us do is to establish a physical location here, whether it be by leasing space or if it's something that's already existing that we can move into, that would be great too.
we definitely need space.
we have had -- we worked for about a year and a half with del valle in 2006 and 2007, I believe -- through -- through 2008.
our program was successfully in the del valle jail and we -- we were in there providing the whole program, and it's some of those same persons that we dealt with back then that are still in touch with us today.
we -- we have been inside the jail and I think that, you know, when you have a jail captivated audience, you tend to have their ear and they are willing to do whatever to get on the outside, but it's when you get on the outside that the resource is most needed is once they hit the street.
and we still are able right now even being in bastrop, we get tons of referrals from Austin for the type of services that we provide.
so I think that it would be -- it would be a great thing for us to come to this county.
I think it would be a great thing.
>> just a couple more questions, then I'll be done.
in the information that you provided us, one of nine adult performance intake performance measures, this shows 171 clients, 2004 through 2011.
that number is different than the 600 you mentioned.
how do we reconcile those two?
>> well, the reconciliation is that is because those are bastrop numbers and that doesn't include -- that's not including Austin persons.
those were just strictly bastrop numbers.
so when I gave you the 600, that would be total.
that would be total combined with Travis County and bastrop county.
I don't know what you are looking at, judge Biscoe.
>> page 1 of nine.
>> oh, okay.
those statistics were requested by the city and those are statistics from bastrop county.
so -- and when I referred to the 600, that would be totally combined.
those are all people that we have had our hands on.
>> how would that break out for tract then?
>> know what, I -- Travis County then?
>> I can't answer that.
I'm not the numbers person in meeelj, but I can definitely provide that.
I would think that just based on what we did in del valle jail alone a couple years ago, if you really just looked at that, I think we probably -- and excuse me, dawn, do you remember how many people were rolling through those -- going through those classes.
this is don with meeelj and he's been with me since 2005.
>> we'll need to get don on the microphone then.
>> > identify themselves.
>> come to the mic.
>> I can't exactly speak to the exact numbers but I know we had groups of like 30 both men and women at different times.
we worked a couple days a week with these guys and the gals.
and we ran, like, three entire programs through there in a year and a half.
the session and groups were bringing them information on substance abuse and so on and so forth.
we also brought information into how to contact meeelj and how to pick up -- get in touch with resource once they got out.
and like she said, when you you are sitting with a group full of inmates, most everybody wants to sign on the dotted line, but we actually did have clients come back out of the jails and come back in referred with meeelj and we were able to assist, you know, several dozen clients.
and when you are talking about over 100 of -- you know, say they want help and to get 12, that's not -- that's not bad, you know, when you consider the population and a lot of them are there just to get out of the cell, I guess is how you say it.
but when you show that, you know, there's quite a few that did actually come and receive resources through meeelj.
and so I feel the program was successful.
>> that was more education and counseling services?
>> a little bit of all.
we gave -- while they are sitting in the jail the main thing we could do is tell them where to come to get the resources.
they were given information on, you know, we gave classes in groups on self-esteem building, h.i.v.
and substance abuse disorders and stuff like.
that we addressed some of them with medications and the importance of following doctor's orders and so on and so forth.
of those, I'm not sure how many actually came and got services, you know, for that part of it because she deals mainly with the legal part.
everybody wants to, you know, get --
>> three or four more questions.
so would the 400,000 -- $441,000 enable you to set up the infrastructure needed to deliver the programs and services that are described on page 1 of the budget submission?
>> absolutely.
and that also in that request, I think it's 90-something thousand that is directly out of that budget that will be paid to the stipend for program participants.
and judge Biscoe, I think it's important to say this right now.
there's so many programs and so many things that are out there, and my interests or our interests as a nonprofit is to get the money to those persons that we are researching, evaluating and all that.
this pilot program will actually get some money into the pockets of people who have been to prison and who are right now unemployed or whatever.
it's not a large amount of money, but it's a stipend.
it's kind of going to be run in the thought process of an americorps vista project.
americorps vistas does pay a stipend to those persons placed on the job to do something that is work related for the company that they sit inside of.
and we've had this project in bastrop and that's kind of what this is.
we're not looking to get rich on someone else's pain.
we are really trying to make a difference for this population.
I'm not just asking you all to fund this for meeelj's sake.
I'm not asking you all to employ them just tract yourself.
I plan to staff the persons myself from this budget request.
I plan to give people opportunity who have been shut out and left out.
and so a portion of this, almost $100,000 or close to $100,000 of this budget is directly for the stipend.
and so I really think that that's important to say because I think that when you talk about looking and studying those persons who have been to prison and continuing to bolster budgets and stuff or professional staff to look at this, at some point or another we need to empower the people we're talking about, and that is meeelj's distinct -- this is my vice president of the board coming in.
she's just coming from u.t.
so she tried to make it.
>> do we expect the city of Austin to increase its contribution is this.
>> yes, actually one of the things that we're asking, I'm bringing the full budget because that's what we need.
but what we're asking is for this court to consider aiding with this whole project.
and what the funding needed for this project.
the city of Austin, we are in talks right now and are planning to be in their budget process.
I think that that starts next month so we're asking for the full -- we're taking the same budget request to them.
my thing is they have already suggested to us that we find -- they sent me to Travis County so I'm sure they will be glad to --
>>
>> [inaudible].
>> they kind of figured that -- they kind of figured that this would be something that they definitely -- I feel like the city has already made an investment, and even though it wasn't as large as what we wanted, they have put us back in the request to write funds for the upcoming budget.
so whatever you all -- whatever you all miss, we are going to definitely be seeking the other part and if you would look at it even at a one-third today, we need to get funding so we can keep moving.
>> two more questions.
so sherry, have you and roger had a chance to look at this?
>> yes, judge.
roger and I have had a chance to look at the proposal and we've met with miss cook and sort of talked about some of the questions that we have about the proposal.
>> do you want to share those with the court today or later?
>> well, I think just to be brief, judge, I think roger and I had an interest to be able to work with the agency to sort of fine tune the request, get more specific about the program components.
as you well know, we had some reentry funding for an agency that had to close its doors at the end of the last fiscal year.
those funds were in hhs budget.
we sort of loaned them to criminal justice planning for this budget cycle, but our intent was to work together to look at how those services have been or have not been served in the community and to be in a position to make a recommendation to you during your fiscal 13 budget process on what we believe would be the gaps.
and I'm looking at roger to make sure I'm capturing what our discussions have been.
so I think that the interim step was certainly to fund the additional position in justice and public safety that is doing certainly not the full depth and breadth of what has been proposed to you today, but it is looking at specifically employment issues for the reentry population.
>> did you loan all the money or part of it?
>> we -- 35,000 of approximately 50,000.
so --
>> so 15,000 left?
>> roughly 15,000.
>> miss cook, is there a jurisdiction with what -- that we can look to -- see the best practices model when it comes to the importance of a stipend in a sort of job training, job placement assistance setting?
>> when you say that, you mean is there something already --
>> somewhere elsewhere this has been tried and worked.
>> the only thing --
>> may I interject just a second.
I said before this board this evening is the licensed chemical dependency council for 11 years.
I started out -- if it hadn't been for the stipend I received at americorps in '99, I wouldn't have been able to make that.
>> I'm aware of americorps and vista and other promise.
those programs do not give a stipend to felons and provide the variety of services that miss cook has in mind.
so there are really dissimilar.
not that I'm being critical, but we participated in those programs probably the 20 years or so I've been with Travis County, but that's a different group of people.
those are young people out of high school that if you are trying to get some job training assistance and hopefully encourage them to go to college and help them do that.
and while they are working, you know, the green bill program here is a fantastic program.
but they give you a little money and you help the community and what they hope is at the end of the that program you'll be interested in a career enough to want to go to college.
and most of these kids either drop out of high school or have been acting up in class.
these are not ones who have been sent to prison.
felons have been sent to prison by definition.
>> and i, sir, have been twice in the penitentiary and this was prior to going into americorps.
>> it's not about you, don.
>> I understand.
>> all I'm asking is there a place that really has tried to assist felons by providing services similar to this.
we provide a lot of these but in different place, and to be honest I think what we've tried to do is figure out who's best at providing a certain service and try to get different agency to collaborate.
and so where the m.o.u.s you are shooting for that.
but you don't have the m.o.u.s in place right now, do you?
>> I have some of them.
I do have some of those already, judge, and I would like to just say there's a little bit of -- I know a lot about amar'e on core and vista and obviously you do too, but one of the things americorps does allow persons with fell loan I can't say backgrounds to work with them and it's not just limited to adult -- I mean to youth.
it is adults.
because we had americorps vista that was a part of our project in bastrop.
so I just wanted to clarify.
that but I also wanted to say to you that what -- when we met with sherri and roger, it is true that there are other entities that provide various services.
there is no place in this county that under one roof does the type of services that we do for this particular population.
nowhere.
and I -- and I would -- I think that there ought to be a rush to do something for this population that says that we are willing to work and empower you today and not continue to study this.
this issue has been studied, there are entities that are doing hot little pieces, but not the whole thing.
employment is definitely an issue for those persons that have gone to prison, but they have other issues that would prohibit them from being able to get on the job and we address those things when we come in our doorment and so I just -- I just don't want to lose -- I don't want to lose the ability to help these persons today.
and I think that it is definitely an urgency to do something.
that's why I'm here.
>> so have you used the stipend approach before?
>> I've never used the stipend approach, in response to your question was there anywhere I know, but the only person I knew that did this was congresswoman maxine waters did something similar to this in watts.
and I just remember her talking to me about it in depth and telling me how they did a stipend.
when she first went in as elected official they did that in watts and that's the only thing that I know b I don't know of any other program that currently does that, no.
>> go ahead.
>> do you mind me inviting dr. Julia walker up?
>> not at all.
>> I have a couple of questions and I don't know if staff has had a chance to match service for service that's being offered here today, and thank you, miss cook, for coming down and discussing this with me on various telephone conversations to place this item to agenda because I thought it's worthy of discussion and see exactly what the court wants to do.
with this.
but my -- I know you mentioned employment situations and, of course, I do know that we -- we have an aggressive ex-offenders program.
and there are some very revealing statistics as far as persons that are within the ex-offenders program that have also received employment through that program.
the numbers are -- unfortunately I don't have those numbers now, but it's basically speaking about this last year.
and those numbers are very revealing.
I guess my question is do I have -- is there anyone that can provide the court today with the employment situation from the ex-offenders program that we have really worked hard on getting -- getting on board and going forth.
my second question, and that just basically comes under just in public safety that particular program, but my other question is I really want to make sure if we do venture down this -- this road, and I don't know what the court's going to do, but to make sure that the services that are rendered by Travis County, I think -- I wanted to make sure that we know exactly what they are as far as what the services being offered here today.
I think that's very important.
and sherri did say there was some money left available, but I also would like to know what kind of commitment the city of Austin, if we're going to be serving -- you would like to set your setting up here in Travis County, I just think the city of Austin is a larger city than Travis County and, of course, there are several persons that probably fit the category that you have brought forth in your presentation today that live here in the city of Austin.
even though I know that there's a $43,000 commitment that you've stated earlier as far as something that came from the city of Austin as far as money is concerned, but liability insurance and things like that.
I'm looking for commitment from the city that would be able to address those -- those areas that -- after sherry, I think, examined what you have placed on the table and see where the county is, there may be some gaps there that Travis County is not filling.
and, of course, I don't know exactly what awful those gaps are, but I'm quite sure justice of public safety and, of course, h.h.s.
would know exactly what those gaps are as far as the services you mention today.
now, what it would take to fund those gaps I don't know, but at the end of the day during this budget cycle, we're trying our best to see who -- what we can fund, who qualified, da, da, da as far as funding requests coming in.
and I want to make sure what we're doing here today that we have some -- strong commitment from the city of Austin if you are going to house yourself in city of Austin, work with city of Austin residents, Travis County per se, but I just think there has to be something from the city of Austin as far as funding.
because you requested $441,000 to do what you are suggesting but the question of the stipend is another issue.
but I'm trying to make sure that whatever we do here today that we have those kind of commitments from -- like you say, the city of Austin t the the you know, some commitment, city manager resource,
>> [inaudible] and those kind of folks.
what does that mean as far as dollars are concerned because that's what we're talking about.
it's going to take money and, of course, to provide these services.
so I'm looking at this from a situation where you got a lot of moving parts here, but they need to be tied down.
those parts need to be tied down.
and, of course, I think we need to tie them down.
so I think right now we are getting an opportunity where this could come before the court so you could discuss the things you are bringing up to the court at this time.
and I guess the questionsist judge asked early of best practices, we need to see those kind of things.
so those are the kind of things I think I would like to see looking at just public safety, of course, you are looking at h.h.s.
who also render some of the same services is you are referring to.
is there void that could be filled in enhancing some of those things.
I'm just kind of looking in the middle looking to see what we can do as far as possible funding as far as this is concerned.
but I really need to see something from the city of Austin.
if you are going to come to Austin, I think the city of Austin ought to come to the plate and put up some money and how much that is I don't know.
as far as this is concerned, but we're trying to get there, okay?
and thank you.
>> I think that the city will definitely come to the table with some form of funding and what that is I can't commit to that today because I don't know what that is.
I am actually meeting still with various councilmembers and talking to them about they are very aware of meeelj.
and like I said, they have provided -- they have provided a year ago this assistance to at least show that they have a commitment to this population.
and even though it wasn't a large amount of money, this same -- whatever we don't -- whatever we're not successful in getting we definitely will be taking the remaining whatever back to the city and asking them and other foundations for assistance.
we were looking at this initially as a three request of the county, the city and one foundation.
if we could have split it, you know, in a one-third thing, that would be our request today.
it's our desire to keep moving and work forward.
I think one of the questions that Commissioner Davis posed to you all currently is how much -- how many people have -- I don't know what you all's numbers are that have been benefited by the employment piece and I guess you all can speak to that.
>> we actually are in the middle of completing an audit of our database for our workforce, they've helped over 2085 people find jobs since the program began about three years ago.
I just wanted to address one thing, not to be in any way challenging, but I think it's important not to leave -- not the leave the impression that Travis County does nothing for this population.
you all -- just a reminder, you all allocated $150,000 to criminal justice planning in this budget year.
we address -- he do transitional planning and case management for high risk, high need guys coming out of jail.
>> not the guys.
we also have a program with nancy, right?
>> that's for some of the allocations came from.
we still do traditional planning for the ladies at woodman, but we don't have a treatment component out there anymore.
but we do case management for 150 folks coming out.
some of those we're working with the district judges and probation and they come out on probation and as part of their probation they participate in the reentry program.
not there's not a lot for a lot more, it serves 150 people, but you all have made a significant investment in reentry in the past, currently as well.
>> Commissioner Eckhardt.
>> miss cook, you are absolutely right, this is something we absolutely have to address.
we've had this conversation and I really appreciate the conversation because as we on this court know perhaps better than the city of Austin, given that we have the court system in our wheelhouse, the effect on the population that we are -- is sociological effects of incarcerating more of our residents than even the national average.
what I would -- what I would propose, we do have a significant portfolio with regard to reentry at Travis County.
and I am pleased that health and human services and criminal justice planning are partnering together to look at the full portfolio of services that would be available not only to reentering families but also through health and human services.
I would like to see, as Commissioner Davis inferred, a gap analysis to see where our portfolio is deficient and compare it against the program that you are proposing.
that I think our staff would need to do, but what I would look for from meeelj is the cost for client model.
because the 441 looks to be the full need for the organization, correct?
>> uh-huh.
>> and it looks like probably -- and I'm just eyeballing it so these are really rough numbers and I don't hold you all to it because I don't want to be held to it because eyeballing, but about -- about three-quarters of that -- well, about one quarter of that is hard cost for the organization itself and about three-quarters is direct service or staffing related to direct service.
is that about right?
>> $117,000 of the budget is -- was -- is direct assistance.
so it's 117,000.
>> so what I would look for from meeelj is we have at least as a practice not funded employees of service providers, and we have recently had a moratorium on contributions to capital improvements for service providers.
so perhaps meeelj could take a look at the direct services components of the budget which would probably be the a higher probability to match up with the gap analysis for future funding.
does that make sense?
we are unlikely to be the benefactor for an entire organization.
>> the problem with the gap analysis in my view is that we know we are tens of thousands of ex-offenders short of serving.
in my view that's too academic.
I would rather for us to get staff to spend time working with the -- this sponsor and try to figure out that if we can come up with a third, how likely are you to get the other two-thirds, and then at the appropriate time if we do a gap analysis, we can find out what additional services do we think would have the most impact, beneficial impact for us.
and at some point we would want to contribute anyway, and in that contract we set forth how the county money be spent.
so when it's time to measure it we would be able to do it.
at the same time somebody has got to look for the money.
typically we would want this to go through the budget process.
our budget process starts real soon, but the actual allocation take place late summer.
last time we looked at three or four agencies and we were able to assist, you know, some more significantly than others, but what it enables us to do, in my viewers is take a real close look at what you have here and try to work with you on it.
to be honest I had a whole lot more questions than I did answers, and there are ways that we approach efforts like this and there is, I think, a great public duty to try to be fair.
we don't pay ex-offenders stipends in the other programs. And the reason for that is we think we have more impact by focusing on other stuff.
we fund a whole lot of agencies and include funding for work source, child care and other stuff.
so the ones that are already existing in the community, I don't know that we would want to fund duplication of that effort.
however, we'll run out of money long before we run out of people who need help and I agree with you that some of these lives need to be put back on the right track so they can become tax paying citizens and we can do them a lot of good as well as ourselves.
but I think an up front analysis is required.
typically we depend on city and county staff to get that done.
it will take some time to find the money anyway.
at the same time there may well be some agencies that we fund today that we determine between now and the budget voting process that we decide this money could be better spent in other areas.
I think that's what we did last time.
that won't generate millions of dollars, but it will certainly generate enough to use.
and I think this position that you are in, we have funded midyear, but it's been more the exception than the rule.
and most of the time when we do that it's because money has been freed up because some agency has gone out of business or we've decided to terminate the contract with an agency for different reasons.
>> and judge Biscoe, we did, when we came to health and human services and we talked, I was aware that one of the organizations had -- was no longer in -- I think it was one of the organizations was no longer receiving funding and I thought that that funding was given back.
as a matter of fact, I was told that the money was given back to the department and I did talk to ms. Fleming at that time, sherri, about it, to try to see if there was a way maybe that we could tap into that particular funding to help start this.
and I think at this point is when she informed me that it had been reallocated or whatever to the department.
and so we did try to seek that while it was -- I guess while it was given back or they stopped doing business or whatnot.
again, we -- I hate to leave here knowing that we -- we have no assistance from the county at this time.
you know, what that figure looks like I don't know.
but I think that if we can continue the work that we're doing based on what we've already started in Austin and in Travis County, that would help us in even putting the additional budget request in, if we can do that, if there was something allocated would that automatically keep us from being able to apply into the budget for the upcoming fiscal year?
>> you know, miss cook, and again, I thank you for what you are bringing to the court today.
I know I'm not ready to make a commitment monetary-wise today because I don't know what all the ramifications are in this particular setting, meaning money.
you know, we passed some budget rules this morning and, of course, March 23rd with those particular services coming outside of county government and in your particular case your service also along with others, my understanding that we need to try to get something back in place by March 23rd so we've got some time.
but I really would like to if staff and you can get together and see how much the city of Austin is going to commit.
now, there are going to be different levels of funding.
the stipend, the judge says we've never done that.
I didn't have the figures a little earlier for our reentry, aggressive reentry program, but it's pretty aggressive as far as employment opportunities as far as some of our ex-offenders, justine henin for example according to my source, from the fall of 2010 up to December of 2011, there was over 1,005 persons working through workforce that were assisted, and of that over -- well, 375 ex-offenders were employed.
that is-that's not a lot, but that's a little more than 33% or right at it.
so that got employment, got jobs.
and that's pretty aggressive, I think.
it's not the best we can do, but I think we could even do better.
and if this particular proposal to assist ex-offenders can help us do better to stabilize situations, let's go forward.
but at the end of the day the city's budget is coming up, Travis County budget is coming up, and it would be good for us to investigate to see what money may be made available from the city because we're going to need some partners.
we normally partner with folks in a lot of these things.
and so we're looking for partners.
and I can see why the city sent you to us first because -- I'm not going to say that.
but anyway, you are here.
and I've heard your and maybe other questions coming from the court members, but I'd like to move forward and let staff and do what it needs to do, the you know, and so that's where I'm at the end of the this point.
h.h.s., justice and public safety, those phoenix are here e to assist and that's my position at this time.
>> good afternoon, judge Biscoe, Commissioner Davis.
my name is julia wonker.
I'm a professor in the department of history at university of Texas at Austin.
I have served on the board of meeelj for six years.
and I feel that today is providing me with an opportunity where I can really do something -- at least I can hope to do something that I think will be significant.
but before I do that, as I was sitting here, both latrice and I are from chicago.
I was thinking of reconstruction, you know, the carp baggers coming from the north to help the south and I said no, that's not so good because the carpetbaggers were there to squeeze money, you know, out of the south.
but at the same time I was thinking as a professor, I write letters of recommendation, and I try to be as positive as I can and I tell the students this letter may get you into graduate school, medical school, business school, but once you get in whether or not you stay there will be dependent on you.
and here again there's an analogy in looking at the proposal that has been submitted.
within the broader context of Austin's budget, Travis County's budget, 441,000 from the perspective that it takes literally $30,000 to maintain a prisoner in the -- our prison industrial complex, $30,000, which means this $441,000 will pay for 14 prisoners, you know, to be maintained for a year.
so when I look at the request of 441,000, if I were sitting up there in your position, I would say -- and, of course, I would say it, grant her the money.
so if she fails, she can't come back to us because we will point out to her that you submitted this budget, you said that you would be able to do the following, and after a year you have not done so.
when I think about the declining economic situation of americans, not just black americans or hispanic americans, but also white americans, and when we're talking about those who need the kinds of services you can see based on the information that was sent that with this increasingly class based society, we are becoming increasingly diverse in the different economic areas.
so I think any program that offers something new, the even though aspects of the program could be found in other programs, at the same time there have been successes.
the meeelj has had -- can produce information to support these successes.
over 50% of young black men today are not graduating from high school, and increasingly that's beginning to happen with young whites, males.
when a family has the income regardless of race, even though race immaterial is still there, there is success with that young child.
this is not the case.
so while I heard this morning that there was a desire to build tracks, railroad tracks from Austin to houston that would cost $1 billion, and in fact before I came I mentioned the railroad station and how I couldn't find it and made an error by saying that, well, you know, who needs a railroad anybody for anybody to find and this student said no, professor walker, I take the train from Austin to dallas for $20.
and so when I see a billion dollars to be devoted to building a railroad track that will benefit what percentage of the population, and then an organization that is reaching out and being successful in helping individuals that have been lost along the way, okay, I guess what I'm saying -- I don't want to say it, but it doesn't seem like a lot, $441,000.
I don't know whether or not that can be done, but at the same time a year from now individuals who could have been helped but somehow are not where will they be.
one significant thing about the program, meeelj's program, individuals are provided with the knowledge of how they can instill these principles and values to younger members of their families.
some people just don't know what can and cannot be done.
>> but you all know this is a tough area in which to produce good results.
>> yes.
>> absolutely.
>> we fund multiple programs. We also turn down multiple programs because we have to.
I don't recall us funding a single one, though, without doing what I consider to be a serious evaluation up front.
we have to conclude along with the sponsor that a program has a good probability of success.
and I think we owe that to the taxpayers.
>> absolutely.
>> and there's no way to guarantee it up front, and in my view they all look a whole lot better on paper than they do in real life because that's easy.
because you are dealing with individuals, you know, some of whom have problems are beyond beyondyour imagination and othes willing to do whatever, so whatever the county can do to assist the agency we ought to.
it helps me to know that we're looking at three people or three entities tries to guide $441,000 -- divide $441,000, but I think for our peace we ought to conclude.
the other thing it takes money to fund it.
we do know county the county jail we're looking at $45 per day and there's 22, 2300 out there.
that's mandated.
we have no choice.
on the discretionary money it's a whole lot smaller because we have to fund the mandated stuff up front off the top.
but on the others what we try to do really is make the call, and I can tell you that when we declared a moratorium on some of the public corporations, we had nine or ten agencies kind of there who had been waiting on us to evaluate them because we said we would, then there was the economic downturn and we were basically scared to spend the money.
and so what I'm saying is now it that we enjoy turning agencies down, but we normally do a pretty good job of vetting the proposals and trying to figure out what do we do for the other agencies and is this a good investment, is this likely to produce results.
the other thing is whether we like it or not, at some point we ask what is the per capita cost.
and for this for 36 and $441,000, it's up in the $12,000 range.
the highest we have is capital idea and it's in the $5,000 range.
>> which we've struggled with but the metrics on their success is extremely high.
>>
>> [inaudible].
>> health care basically.
their biggest invest program probably is health care.
and if you get training into that field, jobs are available.
and once you get in, you can move on up.
and so we see individuals who used to work at 7-eleven, not that that's bad, all of a sudden they can work part time and 12, 18 months later an individual whose life has been transformed.
>> but their per capita costs are relatively high compared to our other workforce training programs but we decided the investment was worth it because their success rate is so high.
>> I think one of the things that keeps coming up is about with the workforce part of it.
although we know employment is definitely one of the things that is key for everybody, when you are talking about somebody that's been previously incarcerated and one of the things that our
>> [indiscernible] most people have been to tcdj, 15-year stint, that's who we serve.
you know, that's who we serve.
and I think that employment is definitely key, but have you to deal with those needs.
I have people that come into my office who are on the job right now and they are mentally and emotionally dealing with the issues that they spent five years in the cell with somebody that masturbated every day.
and they have to deal with that ill in their minds.
I don't know a county department that's here now that would sit and listen to that and try to help them and their families to overcome that so they can stay to job.
we do that.
I'm not trying to knock anything.
I'm just trying to -- we're just trying to bring something to the table that's not available.
these families are suffering, and whether or not we can wait a whole other seven months to address it in a big way, I don't know that we can.
>> and I don't think we are waiting -- I don't think we are doing that.
you've got five kindred spirits here and a county structure that does have programs in place today for that population.
and we have been working on expanding it.
we want to explore opportunities like the one you present to expand those services.
>> I hasten to add we employ felons ourselves.
we don't employ them by the hundreds, but my guess is five years ago we probably didn't have a single felon working for Travis County.
today I know we do and I know individuals by name because we started that two or three years ago.
I agree with you these individuals need help, and for the ones committed to change their lives, we ought to take the extra effort to help them.
>> judge.
>> yes, sir.
>> I would like to maybe move forward with this and move forward to the point where I think we can come up with some evaluation and in a time manner whereby we're able to see if there is money available to meet the needs of this organization.
now, evaluation and analysis is something else.
I don't know how that's going to come out, but I do know the need is there and if we're able to expand on what we're doing for our ex-offenders program I applaud it.
I would like to move forward and direct staff to deal directly with meeelj.
>> meeelj.
>> okay.
okay.
but anyway, deal directly with them, but also with hopefully the intent of partnering with the city of Austin.
but I think if we move off the dime with this, I think that is progress going in the right direction.
and it is before the budget cycle begins for Travis County as far as the deadline.
I'm really concerned about deadline.
so I would like to maybe move in that forward to have staff to come back and I guess -- how long you think, sherri, do you think it would take you -- let me see if I get a second on that.
>> let me make sure I understand the motion.
>> I move that we move forward in evaluation and analysis of meeelj, their particular proposal, but also involve staff, that's justice and public safety, h.h.s., workforce and anyone else that has been involved with our ex-offenders program and have them evaluate it and seem moneys that may be available to help meet a portion of the need of the $441,000.
and I'm saying it because I think the city of Austin has -- it appears that with the information that we have provided, it appears that there is an interest on the city of Austin's part.
and, of course, I want to make sure they are still on the table with us as we proceed forward and come back and need to find how long would it take staff to do that, but I would like for it to take place within this particular budget cycle.
>> well, is it friendly to that that if the county were to fund a piece of it, then we would do a contract that would clearly describe the deliverable for us?
>> yes.
>> so we would know what piece we're buying.
and I think the importance of that is that it will be necessary to get the auditor of purchasing to sign off if we do that.
>> that's very friendly, judge.
>> so that's the staff evaluation and with h.h.s.
and c.j.c.
taking the need and you all will need the assistance of meeelj in order to get that done.
and touching base with the city of Austin.
>> yes.
>> and discussing at least some deliverable that we can reduce to writing to get it passed here at the county.
and also trying to identify funds that would cover it.
>> right.
>> is that the motion?
>> yes.
>> that's what I seconded.
any more discussion?
all in favor?
that passes by unanimous vote.
>> thank you.
>> judge, can we ask to clarify.
I want to be sure that I'm clear, are we talking about moving this through the budget process or expecting something prior to the budget process?
>> I think we ought to begin taking these steps and as soon as you complete them let us know.
that would be prior to if possible.
>> we're looking out of budget funding?
>> we're looking at them finding funding asap.
>> for consideration in the budget process or --
>> in my view if they find funding and other pieces, they would report back to us.
my thinking you need partners to do a pilot initiative like this.
and if the -- if the city of Austin has already started it, it may be easier to get them to continue.
and really I don't have a good feel for the foundation piece.
but we -- I mean the way y'all normally work, in six weeks or so you will be able to report back to us, right?
>> I think so, judge.
>> what that report would be, who knows.
seems to me that's the next logical step.
and so the action today is to proceed on these steps.
in order for us really to implement one of them, it would take another vote and another discussion in court.
>> as part of that evaluation and analysis includes finding the gap in what we have?
>> right.
>> we're not as fast as the city of Austin over here, miss cook.
>> as long as you are committed and I think you are.
thank you so much for hearing from us and I promise you it will be one of the best investments you ever made.
thank you so much.
The Closed Caption log for this Commissioners Court agenda item is provided by Travis County Internet Services. Since this file is derived from the Closed Captions created during live cablecasts, there are occasional spelling and grammatical errors. This Closed Caption log is not an official record the Commissioners Court Meeting and cannot be relied on for official purposes. For official records please contact the County Clerk at (512) 854-4722.
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