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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 061801ALBERT KITTRELL - ASSISTANT COUNTY MANAGER DEBORAH LINN KINERT, CO -CHAIR AT-LARGE ROSETTA WASH, Co-CHAIR- INTERFAITH COUNCIL ROBIN BARNHILL -ORANGE CONGREGATIONS IN MISSION (OCIM) MARVIN BLOCK - DEPARTMENT ON AGING MARY BOWS, BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES LOUISE ECHOLS - AT-LARGE HUDSON FULLER - AT -LARGE MELVIN HURSTON - BOARD OF HEALTH BARRYJACOBS- BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS SUE RUSSELL - PARTNERSHIP FOR YOUNG �"� d wi ORANGE COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES ADVISORY COMMISSION P.O. Box 8181 200 SOUTH CAMERON STREET HILLSBOROUGH, NC 27278 VYWW. CO.ORANG E. NC. US MINUTES June 18, 2001 IQ r n vntp uf* r� \rt CHILDREN M 1 � 0—r D. DAVID THOMPSON, JR. - I f O V ` AT -LARGE REBECCA A. YOUNG - AT-LARGE l a Y C uff V. A special meeting of the Human Services Advisory Con iss ion m was held on Monday, June 18, 2001, at 5:00 p.m. (instead of at the usual time of 5:30 p.m.) at the Southern Human Services Center, Chapel Hill, N.C. (County Commissioner Jacobs requested that the meeting be held one -half hour earlier than the usual time because he had a County Commissioner Board meeting at 6:00 p.m.) Members Present: Debbie Kinert, Co- Chair, At -Large Rosetta Wash, Co- Chair, Interfaith Council Robin Barnhill, Orange Congregations in Mission Marvin Block, Advisory Board on Aging vlary Bowe, Board of Social Services Louise Echols, At -Large (arrived 5:23 p.m.) Mel Hurston, Board of Health Barry Jacobs, Orange County Commissioner (left at 5:45 p.m. for another meeting) Donald David Thompson, Jr., At -Large (had to leave at 5:30 p.m.) Rebecca A. Young, At -Large MEMBERS ABSENT: Karen Current, At -Large Hudson Fuller, At -Large Sue Russell, Partnership for Young Children STAFF PRESENT : Sharron Hinton, Management Analyst Corinthia Barber, Staff Support Nancy Paciga, Staff Support STAFF ABSENT: Albert Kittrell, Assistant County Manager Call to Order 5:08 p.m. Protecting and Preserving — People, Resources, Quality of Life Orange County, North Carolina — You Count! AREA CODE (919) 245 -2125: FAX (919) 644 -0246: EMAIL: npaciga(cDco.oran e� : WEB: urvvwxaorange.naus Human Services Advisory Commission — Minutes — June 18, 2001 T. WELCOME AND MEMBER UPDATE: Mary Bowe announced that a new director of the Orange County Department of Social Services had been selected. Her name is Mary Coston, currently serving as the Deputy Director in the North Carolina Division of Social Services, Raleigh, N.C. II. ESTABLISHMENT OF QUORUM: Chair Wash announced that a quorum was present. III. Minutes of May 21, 2001 A MOTION WAS MADE BY Mel Hurston , AND SECONDED BY Robin Barnhill to approve the minutes of May 21, 2001 as written VOTE: UNANIMOUS APPROVAL. IV. VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION PRESENTATION County Commissioner Barry Jacobs presented a large coffee /soup mug with the inscription, "Thank You For Being An Orange County Volunteer" and "Orange County — Protecting & Preserving People & Resources Quality of Life — YOU COUNT" to each member. He expressed appreciation on behalf of the Board of County Commissioners for the Human Services Advisory Commission and the work the members do for the County by serving on this Commission. He said there are over?!0010.000 people who volunteer their time for the County on the Advisory Boards and Commissions. VI. TOPIC FOR THE 2001 FORUM Commissioner Jacobs made a proposal that the topic be changed from "Housing" (with an emphasis on Homelessness) to "Poverty." Co -Chair Wash asked the group if any one had any objections to changing the topic as stated. No one raised any objections. Co -Chair Wash commented that _hat the topic of poverty is a timely topic. A MOTION WAS MADE BY Debbie Kinert to change the topic for the 2001 Human Services Advisory Commission Forum from "Housing" to "Poverty." Mary Bowe seconded. Discussion followed. Commissioner Jacobs referred to a report dated January 9, 2001 by the N.C. Justice and Community Development Center and N.C. Equity that stated that the number of households below the poverty level in Orange County was 29.1 percent. He commented that he had been surprised when he had read this report and that he felt this is a very high number. Sharron Hinton discussed a Forum held in November 1989 on the topic of "Poverty in Orange County." It was sponsored by the Orange County Board of Commissioners, the Orange County Human Services Management Team, and the Human Services Advisory Commission. She handed out a summary report from the 1989 Poverty Forum, entitled, "Report to the Community: Poverty in Orange County." (This had also been mailed out with the agenda for the June 18, 2001 H.S.A.C. meeting.) The members discussed this report in regard to the proposed topic for the 2001 Forum. Marvin Block commented that he would like to see a breakdown of the income levels between the Chapel Hill area in the southern part of the County and in the northern part of the County. He said that the really serious problems are not in Chapel Hill. He added that it's not that there is not poverty in Chapel Hill, but the serious problems are in other parts of the County. He would also like to see what accomplishments have been made Protecting and Preserving — People, Resources, Quality of Life Orange County, North Carolina — You Count! AREA CODE (919) 245 -2125: FAX (919) 644 -0246: EMAIL: npaciga�co.orange.nc.us : WEB: mm.co.orange.nc.us Human Services Advisory Commission — Minutes — June 18, 2001 >ince the '89 Poverty Forum 11 years ago. He added that we need some kind of comparison so we can see if we have been successful. Robin Barnhill added to this thought by asking if the purpose could be to challenge the community to see how far we have come since the 1989 Poverty Forum. Robin Barnhill asked, "Do we want to build the 2001 Forum around the 1989 Forum ?" Commissioner Jacobs added that this is a great starting place, and asked, " What else can we do ?" He said that the other forums that the H.S.A.C. has done have been very helpful in the past. Sharron commented that the 1989 Forum was a benchmark and that the County has accomplished much since then. Co -Chair Wash said there seems to be a lot of things missing from the report, however. Marvin Block said he would like us to focus on some major topics, and would like to see us sift out the relevant topics. Co -Chair Wash suggested that we start with the topics in the 1989 Poverty Forum Report, and proceed from there. CO -CHAIR WASH CALLED FOR A VOTE ON THE MOTION TO ACCEPT THE TOPIC OF "POVERTY." VOTE: UNANIMOUS APPROVAL. Robin Barnhill agreed that we need a specific purpose statement as Marvin Block said. Co -Chair Wash said that as Commissioner Jacobs said we can use this Poverty Forum 1989 Document as a basis for this year's Forum. Marvin Block suggested that there may be topics that were not covered in the 1989 such as health insurance. Louise Echols reminded the Human Services Advisory Commission that there is now the N.C. Health Choice Medical Insurance Program which is available to children in low- income families. Co -Chair Wash would like to add transportation and housing. Sharron commented that transportation needs are now being addressed for the rural population with OPT (Orange Public Transportation), which is operated by the County under the Department on Aging. Sharron added that having the Forum on this subject goes along with what the H.S.A.0 . has been discussing for a few months now; i.e., to follow up on the last several Forums to see how far we have come and what has been accomplished from the recommendations that have been made from the past Forums. Debbie Kinert then brought up the news article that Commissioner Jacobs read. She referred to it and compared it to the census data that Corinthia Barber had handed out on income levels. Goals for the Forum to Accomplish Marvin Block, referring to the report of 1989 Forum, said he thought that we need to go into three or four major topics and not try to go into everything that was addressed in 1989 Forum. Melvin Hurston continued Mr. Block's thought by asking the group, "How much can we reasonably do in the next three months ?" His opinion was that the 2001 Forum goal could be to keep us mindful of what we have done since 1989; what we would like to see done in the future; and that we acknowledge that this is a problem that permeates many people's lives. He added that this Forum could be a program to discuss poverty in Orange County. Protecting and Preserving — People, Resources, Quality of Life Orange County, North Carolina — You Count! AREA CODE (919) 245 -2125: FAX (919) 644 -0246: EMAIL: npaciiza(cz)co.orange.nc.us : WEB: www.co.orange.naus Human Services Advisory Commission — Minutes — June 18, 2001 Goals for the Forum to Accomplish, continued Mr. Hurston proposed the following reasons for and purposes of the 2001 Forum: • Develop a greater awareness of poverty • Disseminate information about poverty in Orange County • Do a comparative analysis of poverty in 1989 and 2001 • Look at the outcomes of what worked and what didn't work and possibly ascertain why they didn't work so we can use that knowledge to assist people out of poverty • Cite areas where the County could provide the most benefit to the citizens • Craft new initiatives and develop recommendations about where to go from here Co -Chair Wash asked if there are any questions. There being none, she then cited some of the statistics from the January, 2001 report of the N.C. Justice and Community Development Center and N.C. Equity, saying that a family of one adult and one child needs to earn $11.00 an hour if living in an urban area and that same family would need to earn $8.50 an hour if living a rural area to meet basic living expenses. She asked where would we get a better handle on exactly on what is actually happening in "poverty pockets" and how does that compare to the rest of the population? She asked, "How do we capture what different pockets are earning ?" Mel cautioned the HSAC not to get into this research too deeply because that may make our development of the Forum too laborious. Mel said that there is no question that we recognize a disparity of income levels among citizens in Orange County. He added, "That is not in question." He would like to see the 2001 Forum focus on the implications of this, and, what can we do about it, and, what should we do about it? Accuracy of Statistics in January 2001 N.C. Equity Report Co -Chair Wash asked if these numbers contained in this N.C. Equity report of January 2001 are factual. Mel said that we have to use some measure and this is the truth as the statisticians see it. Robin Barnhill suggested that we could ask for waiting lists from the different N.C. Human Service Agencies for further information on this subject. Other Solutions to Poverty Suggested Mel suggested that one possible solution to the problem of poverty may be something like teaching people about nutrition, money management, and budgeting. Debbie Kinert said that money will always be nice to have, but maybe another thing we can do to alleviate the problem of poverty is to build another kind of community initiative, such as "Circles of Friends" and "Circles of Caring." Marvin Block spoke about individuals he knows who cannot afford medicine and food. Possible Speakers Robin Barnhill suggested we get a speaker who was on the 1989 Forum. Marvin Block said it may be helpful to. contact someone from the UNC School of Social Work. Robin said we could get some people to speak on poverty and then we could have break -out groups. She also suggested inviting someone from the N.C. Justice and Community Development Center and N.C. Equity who produced the January 2001 report that Commissioner Jacobs referred to. Co -Chair Wash agreed. Mel objected that this would be from a North Carolina perspective. Robin Barnhill wanted a list of all the speakers. Co -Chair Wash asked if we should ask someone to speak from each one of the headlines that were used in the 1989 Forum? Marvin Block said that we could have someone who would "paint the picture" and how it affects individuals and families. Louise agreed that this could be what the keynote speaker would do and Co -Chair Wash and Mr. Hurston agreed that this was what we need to have at the beginning of the Forum. Protecting and Preserving — People, Resources, Quality of Life Orange County, North Carolina — You Count! AREA CODE (919) 245 -2125: FAX (919) 644 -0246: EMAIL : npacigaRwco.oran orange. nc.us : WEB. ti m.co.orange.nc.us Human Services Advisory Commission — Minutes — June 18, 2001 Rebecca Young volunteered to keep track of what the HSAC was discussing on the white board at the front of he room. There was agreement on this. Ms. Young did so and used the agenda from the 2000 Forum as a guide. 2001 Forum Outline - Draft 01 Speakers Topics QJ07= 1 1%--- NC Justice UNC School of Social Work - Jordan Institute Special Populat ns (elderly, mentally and developmentally — challenged citizens, Hispanic population) NC Equity Health, Nutrition (including hunfktS K a al care, dental health) 89 Forum Speakers Housing UNC Human Resources /School of Social Work Child Care Secretary Buell Employment Rosemary Summers, Orange County De t. of Health Education Low 8L, Politicians — Joe Hackney was suggested by Marvin Block, with Louise Echols concurring. Ellie Kinnaird was also suggested. Local politician: Barry Jacobs. Federal: Edwards. PROPOSED AGENDA FOR 2001 HUMAN SERVICES FORUM TOPIC: POVERTY IN ORANGE COUNTY: THE CHALLENGES THAT REMAIN 8:00 a.m. Registration 8:45 a.m. Welcome - Co m issioner Barry Jacobs 9:00 a.m. Keynote (Part I) Implications of Poverty- Effects (Buell or Edwards would be the first choices or Professor Dobelstein) (If Buell and Edwards both accept then there was consensus that Buell should speak as Keynote I and Edwards as Keynote II) 9:30 a.m. Keynote (Part II) - Professor Dobelstein 10:15 a.m. Break a.m. Panel - Local Perspective Moderator: Someone from the N.C. Justice and Community Development Centerr Panel Members: 1) Rosemary Summers, Orange County Health Department 2) Nancy Coston, Orange County DSS or someone from DSS 3) Consumer /citizen familiar With the system (contact Habitat for Humanity or Work First program) 4) Affordable Housing (Someone from Continuum of Care Committee or Housing and Community Development (e.g., Tara Fikes) 5) OCIM (Robin Barnhill said that OCIM does what I F C does in the Southern part of the County.) 6) Transportation (Wheels for Work ;OPT; free bus fare is being proposed for the near future for Chapel Hill) 11 :45 a.m. Working T,unch /�trate�v Sessions 1:30 D.m. Group Presentations of StrateLyies 2:15 p.m. Forum Evaluation 2:30 p.m. Adjournment Protecting and Preserving — People, Resources, Quality of Life Orange County, North Carolina — You Count! AREA CODE (919) 245 -2125: FAX (919) 644 -0246: EMAIL: npaciga(cDco.orange.nc.us : WEB: wivw.co.orange.nc.us Human Services Advisory Commission — Minutes — June 18, 2001 The meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m. Zespectfully submitted, Nancy Paciga Assistant to the Clerk to the Board of County Commissioners Protecting and Preserving — People, Resources, Quality of Life Orange County, North Carolina — You Count! AREA CODE (919) 245 -2125: FAX (919) 644 -0246: EMAIL: npaciga a,co.orange.nc.us : WEB: Kww.co.orange.nc.us