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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDSS Board Minutes 072913MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES July 29, 2013 1 THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MET ON MONDAY: July 29, 2013 at the Hillsborough Commons, Hillsborough, North Carolina. BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MEMBERS PRESENT: Pat Garavaglia, Chair; Claire Millar; Arthrell Sanders; and Mark Dorosin. GUEST: None. BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MEMBER ABSENT: None. STAFF PRESENT: Nancy Coston, Director; Denise Shaffer, Assistant Director; Sharron Hinton, Human Services Manager; Lindsey Shewmaker, Human Services Manager; and Joyce Lee, Business Officer. I. Call to Order and Introductions DSS Chair, Pat Garavaglia, called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm. II. Board Comments Pat Garavaglia thanked staff for working so hard on the flood recovery. III. Public Comments None. IV. Agenda Changes None. V. Action Items On a motion by Claire Millar the Board approved the Minutes of May 20, 2013 with one change. Mark Dorosin seconded the motion. The motion was carried without dissent. VI. Items for Discussion and/or Decision 1. NC FAST Lindsey Shewmaker informed the Board that staff are working through issues related to NC FAST since the system was converted in early July. Staff expect to go live in the system on August 5, 2013 for soft launch. The agency has made other changes at the front to triage families that seem to be working well. Mark Dorosin asked whether the time-limited staff hired for NC FAST will need to be extended given the changing timeframes. Nancy Coston responded that staff may bring that to the Board of County Commissioners in August. Mr. Dorosin noted that he would be happy to help advocate for extension of the positions if needed. 2. Disaster Update MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES July 29, 2013 2 Nancy Coston updated the Board on the current status of families impacted by the flood. The Red Cross housed people temporarily in a shelter and hotels, and then pulled out leaving some families without a place to go. They gave vouchers for housing to approximately 20 families. The Department of Social Services has been involved since the beginning of the crisis and has been helping affected families find temporary and permanent housing. Initially, the agency focused on managing crises and has now moved into recovery. Ms. Coston noted that the majority of families impacted by the floods are low income and many have multiple barriers to recovery including legal status, mental health and health issues, criminal records, credit issues, and/or disabilities. Because of this, and the problem trying to find comparably priced rentals, the Department of Social Services was asked to assist with the administration of state aid. This is the first time the state has worked with a department of social services to assist with recovery through state aid. Funds are available to affected families to assist with one or two months’ rent, furnishings, and clothing. Social workers are working with families to secure housing and then replace furniture and other belongings. State aid uses a formula to determine available funds for replacement of contents for each impacted room. There is a set amount for the living room, bedrooms, kitchen, and clothing. Sharron Hinton added that there are approximately 118 families who have applied for state aid and have a social worker assigned. There are another 90 families who also need assistance with whom the agency is trying to work. Mark Dorosin asked where families are relocating. Ms. Coston replied that some families have moved to apartment complexes throughout the area if they were able. Many residents of Rocky Brook have stayed in their homes and that is a problem for receiving state aid. Mr. Dorosin asked whether documentation is required for state aid. Ms. Coston responded that legal residence is required and staff are using public assistance records to help families prove legal status. Pat Garavaglia noted that Friends of DSS has distributed $7,000 in Lowes gift cards to assist with rebuilding efforts in Rocky Brook. Most of the work there has been done by volunteers and families living in Rocky Brook. Ms. Garavaglia added that she has concerns about future recovery efforts, especially large scale efforts. Ms. Coston replied that in a large-scale disaster additional help will come from the state. She also added that there should be conversations about how to better handle recovery operations in the future and that Emergency Services may not be the best agency to coordinate recovery efforts. Joyce Lee informed the Board that the county has paid approximately $15,000 thus far for hotels. Mr. Dorosin asked how many families were still in hotels. Ms. Coston replied there are eight families currently in hotels. She added that a few families had difficulty at the hotels and some area hotels are no longer interested in temporarily lodging flood victims. Mr. Dorosin asked whether there was anything Commissioners could do to incentivize apartment owners to work with flood victims. Ms. Coston responded that some apartment complexes may have concerns about damage but most of the families do not have sufficient funds to afford area rentals. There are some families who have had trouble with criminal background and credit checks. Social workers are working with families on individual plans. Ms. Coston added that an incentive may assist in placement of some families but for others that may not work. County emergency assistance funds may be able to assist. Ms. Coston noted that hotels really tried to assist with housing families initially. Some had negative experiences. MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES July 29, 2013 3 Ms. Coston informed the Board that Sharron Hinton has worked with Kohls to secure discounts. Joyce Lee has worked to set up accounts. Staff are working on a plan to assist with replacing personal items while remaining accountable for expending funds correctly. Claire Millar responded that she would be interested in helping and asked how many volunteers will be needed. The replacement of items for some families will start this week. Ms. Garavaglia informed the Board that Friends was working with a local furniture store on furniture groupings that will fall under the allotment most families will receive for certain rooms. Claire Millar asked whether anyone was working on rebuilding the units. Ms. Coston responded that only twenty permits have been issued for work thus far. 3. Emergency Programs Nancy Coston updated the Board on the policy for use of county funds. Several years ago the funds were restricted to target groups. The policy changes expand the use of county funds and uses priority groups. Mark Dorosin moved the approval of the County Crisis Fund Policy. Arthrell Sanders seconded the motion. The motion was carried without dissent. 4. Executive Session Mark Dorosin moved the Board enter into Executive Session pursuant to GS §143-318.11(a)(6). Arthrell Sanders seconded the motion. The motion was carried without dissent. VII. Announcements The next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 19, 2013 at the Hillsborough Commons, 113 Mayo Street, Hillsborough, North Carolina at 4:00 pm. Claire Millar moved to adjourn the meeting at 5:45pm. Arthrell Sanders seconded the motion. The motion was carried without dissent. Submitted by Nancy Coston Director Pat Garavaglia Chair