HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 051799HUMAN SERVICES ADVISORY COMMISSION
MINUTES
May 17, 1999 Page 1 of 5
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1 The regularly - scheduled meeting of the Human Services Advisory Commission was held
2 on Monday, May 17, 1999 at 5:30 p.m. at the Government Services Center, in
3 Hillsborough, N.C.
4
5 MEMBERS PRESENT (Those Present Are Bold And Underlined): Judy Cox, Co
-
6 Chair, Louise Echols, Co- chair, Christine Barfield, Marvin Block, Beverly Foster,
7 Dee Gamble, Barry Jacobs, Lynette Jeffries, Deborah Kinert, Geno Pichette, Sue
8 Russell, Herschel Slater, Karen Taylor, Donald David Thompson, Jr.
9
10 STAFF PRESENT (Those Present Are Bold And Underlined): Albert Kittrell,
11 Assistant County Manager, Nancy Martin, assistant to the Clerk to the Board of
12 County Commissioners.
13
14 WELCOME AND MEMBER APPRECIATION: Commissioner Barry Jacobs conveyed
15 the County Commissioners' appreciation for the members' volunteer service on the
16 Human Service Advisory Board. He said that it is very good that Orange County has
17 many advisory boards and commissions to assist in the operation of County government
18 and to provide citizen input. He presented the members with scented candles as a
19 token of appreciation.
20
21 MEMBERSHIP UPDATE Co -Chair Judy Cox reported that Ms. Vickie Hain has
22 resigned from the Commission due to time constraints. Ms. Hain was serving in an at-
23 large position.
24
25 Concerning the vacancy for the representative from the "Communities -in- Schools," Co-
26 chair Echols said that she would contact a teacher who may be interested in filling this
27 position.
28
29 There was discussion regarding the position reserved for a representative from the
30 Orange Person Chatham Mental Health Board (O.P.C.) Mr. Kittrell said that he will talk
31 to Mr. Tom Maynard, Director of O.P.C., about recommending someone to fill this
32 vacancy.
33
34 Louise Echols said that she will contact Cindy Torgelson, a visitor at the April meeting,
35 to see if she is interested in being appointed to the HSAC.
36
37 A RESOLUTION REGARDING CIVIL DISCOURSE IN ORANGE COUNTY The Board
38 of County Commissioners adopted the attached resolution and requested that all County
39 advisory bodies consider doing so also. HSAC members will review the resolution and
40 make a decision about adopting it at the next meeting.
41
42 MINUTES OF APRIL 19, 1999 There was one change to the April 19, 1999 minutes, on
43 page 2. The minutes were adopted by consensus as corrected.
44
45
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2 1999 FORUM
3
4 1999 Forum Topic Committee's Report Ms. Louise Echols, representing the Topic
5 Committee, (whose members are Ms. Echols, Mr. Kittrell and Ms. Christine Barfield),
6 recommended that the 1999 Forum topic be "Services for the Hispanic Population of
7 Orange County."
8
9 Discussion of Proposed Topic
10 The proposed theme was discussed. Judy Cox said that she feels one of the most
11 urgent needs for the Hispanic community is services to its undocumented members.
12
13 Commissioner Jacobs spoke about the tremendous hostility against Hispanics in
14 California and Florida. He suggested that we invite people from the local or state
15 governments of those areas to speak at the Forum about how to constructively deal with
16 the resistance that builds up among citizens against Hispanic immigrants. For example,
17 one issue is the question of "Why do I pay taxes for services to undocumented
18 persons ?" He added that the Hispanic population will increase dramatically in the near
19 future.
20
21 Commissioner Jacobs also pointed out that migrant farm workers are exploited. He said
22 that many North Carolina citizens are not even aware that these workers are among us.
23
24 Ms. Jeffries added that the children of these workers are afraid to go to school because
25 the other children make fun of them, pull their hair, etc. She said that another barrier to
26 some Hispanic children's education is that their parents are frequently transferred in the
27 middle of the school year.
28
29 Ms. Cox asked if we have ongoing "English as a Second Language" classes for adults
30 the area? Mr. Kittrell said that Durham Tech has a very large ESL class and that we do
31 have some classes available in Orange County, as well. He added that there is an
32 ongoing conversational Spanish class available for County employees. Ms. Cox
33 suggested that one of the handouts at the Forum should be information about these
34 classes as well.
35
36 Ms. Foster described the Spanish language classes at UNC saying that the classes are
37 interdisciplinary and that Spanish culture is a popular component of these classes.
38
39 Other needs of the Hispanic population that were mentioned were:
40 • Barriers to using services
41 • Daycare
42 • Jobs
43 Transportation
44 What exacerbates these needs? Language? Time of day? Unfriendly environment?
45
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1 Mr. Slater agreed that there is a real need to integrate these people into our society. He
2 said that two United Way agencies that deal with adolescent pregnancy and drug
3 counseling are currently targeting the issue of providing services to the Hispanic
4 community. He added that Hispanic people probably go away from our County agencies
5 feeling very resentful because they don't understand what is being requested of them.
6
7 1999 Forum Topic Chosen
8 By unanimous vote, the topic of "Services for the Hispanic Population of Orange
9 County" was chosen.
10
11 Mr. Kittrell said that a strong recommendation needs to come out of the 1999 Forum to
12 create programs that will help the County address the needs of the Hispanic community.
13 Mr. Kittrell said that some special programs could result from the Forum so that the
14 problems could be addressed in an .organized way. He added that County- funded
15 human service agencies need to be in step with this theme. He suggested that
16 additional funding be recommended for these agencies so that programs can be
17 implemented.
18
19 Title of 1999 Forum Ms. Jeffries said it should be a friendly title, and Ms. Cox
20 suggested "Welcome" (Bienvenidos, in Spanish) after the bumper sticker of a few years
21 ago.
22
23 Development of the Topic
24 In order to facilitate development of the topic, Mr. Kittrell suggested inviting a member of
25 the Human Relations Commission to speak to the HSAC at its June meeting. Mr.
26 Kittrell's office will take care of this.
27
28 Lynnette Jeffries will speak to an acquaintance who works at the Timberlyne Shopping
29 Center hardware store about the Forum. This person is very knowledgeable about the
30 needs of the Hispanic community, she said.
31
32 For added information, Commissioner Jacobs highly recommended the "Los Ninos
33 Report" and requested that the HSAC members be given a copy of it. This was a
34 project of the Orange County Partnership for Young Children, and was published this
35 month.
36
37 Choosing Sub - topics and Forum Speakers
38 Ms. Bev Foster said that in developing the forum topic we need to start with the end in
39 mind, i.e., "what questions do we want to try to answer by conducting this Forum ?" She
40 commented that the purpose is to inform the Board of County Commissioners, the
41 County Manager, and the service providers as to what direction they need to be taking
42 to help the Hispanic population. After we decide what questions we want to answer, then
43 we will be able to choose the Forum speakers, Ms. Foster said.
44
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1 Ms. Foster also suggested that the demographics of the Hispanic population be
2 researched and presented at the 1999 Forum. Mr. Kittrell agreed that this would be
3 good information to have at the Forum and that he will get that.
4
5 Judy Cox mentioned that Dee Gamble, a member of our commission, who is bi- lingual
6 and has spent time in the Peace Corps, is very concerned about services for the
7 Hispanic community. Judy said that Ms. Gamble could add much to the development of
8 this topic.
9
10 Ms. Cox also suggested that we ask Mr. John Herrera be asked to speak at the Forum.
11 Mr. Kittrell added that he was an active member on the Human Relations Commission.
12 He said he will contact Mr. Herrera, as well as as Ms. Maria Palmer. These people may
13 be able to guide us to speakers for the Forum.
14
15 Ms. Echols suggested that the Topics Committee speak with leaders in the community
16 who work closely with the Hispanic community and ask them to help develop the main
17 theme and the sub - topics for the 1999 Forum.
18
19 LOGISTICS
20
21 Location, Date and Cost Mr. Kittrell said that the 1999 Forum will be held at the
22 Friday Center on September 15, 1999. Registration will be $10.00 per person.
23
24 Translation into Spanish and English Commissioner Jacobs suggested that the
25 Forum speeches and sessions be translated into Spanish and English, and there was
26 discussion about the logistics of doing this. Ms. Cox said that, at least, the agenda and
27 some of the handouts be made available in both languages.
28
29 Letters of invitation
30 Mr. Kittrell emphasized that the letters of invitation to the proposed speakers need to be
31 mailed out no later than the end of July.
32
33
34 UNITED WAY COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT Mr. Geno Pichette, who was not present
35 this evening, phoned in a report that he had spoken to Ms. Anita Daniels of the United
36 Way about the 1999 Community Assessment. Mr. Pichette will follow -up with Ms.
37 Daniels and give this report at the June meeting. Mr. Kittrell said that the County has
38 not committed funds for this Assessment but there will be a dialogue about funding for it.
39 Mr. Slater said that the people who are deciding on the allocations are well- meaning but
40 new to the area and not familiar with Orange County needs or boards. Bev Foster
41 emphasized that since the relationship with the United Way is very valuable, the HSAC
42 should work at developing it.
43
44 UNITED WAY ALLOCATIONS Mr. Slater, who is on the United Way Board, handed
45 out a report titled, "Orange Board of Trustees Motion - FY 1999 -2000 Fund Distribution
46 Recommendations, " which listed a total of $928,495 to be distributed to 26 non - profit
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1 human service agencies and programs. This was a six per cent increase over last
2 year's allocation. Mr. Slater added that there is also a resource fund for organizations
3 who need more than a six percent increase. Mr. Kittrell added that Orange County also
4 funds most of these agencies.
5
6 ADJOURNMENT:
7 There being no further business, the meeting adjourned. The next regularly - scheduled
8 meeting of the Human Services Advisory Commission will be held on Monday, June 28,
9 1999 at 5:30 p.m. at the Southern Human Services Center, in Chapel Hill, N.C.
10
11 PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MEETING WILL BE HELD ON THE FOURTH MONDAY IN
12 JUNE, RATHER THAN THE ORIGINALLY - SCHEDULED THIRD MONDAY.
13
14 Respectfully submitted,
15
16
17 Nancy C. Martin
18 Assistant to the Clerk to the
19 Orange County Board of Commissioners
20
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