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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDSS Board Minutes 062011MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES June 20, 2011 1 THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MET ON MONDAY: June 20, 2011 at the Hillsborough Commons, Hillsborough, North Carolina. BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MEMBERS PRESENT: Arthrell Sanders, Valerie Foushee, Albert Williams, Claire Millar and Pat Garavaglia. GUEST: None. BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MEMBER ABSENT: None. STAFF PRESENT: Nancy Coston, Director; Denise Shaffer, Assistant Director; Joyce Lee, Business Officer; Sharron Hinton, Community Services Manager; Renee Bynum, Adult Services Supervisor; and Tina Clark, Child Care Supervisor. I. Call to Order and Introductions DSS Chair, Pat Garavaglia, called the meeting to order at 4:00 P.M. II. Board Comments None. III. Public Comments None. IV. Agenda Changes Pat Garavaglia requested discussion of Chapel Hill Transit and the Homelessness Grant be added to the agenda. Nancy Coston requested the Justice Partnership discussion be moved to next month’s agenda. V. Action Items On a motion by Albert Williams the Board approved the Minutes of May 16, 2011 with a correction regarding Ms. Coston’s vacation being the week of May 26th. Claire Millar seconded the motion. The motion was carried without dissent. VI. Items for Discussion and/or Decision 1. Child Care Services The Orange County Partnership for Young Children (OCPYC) Board voted for the Department of Social Services to administer the Smart Start child care subsidy funds for fiscal year 2011-12. This will reduce duplication and administrative costs. It will also provide consistency within the county, MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES June 20, 2011 2 and consolidate the waiting list resulting in a more accurate assessment of the need in Orange County. Child Care Services Association (CCSA) has handled these funds for many years. They sent letters to parents indicating that their subsidy will end June 30th and that the parents should contact Social Services to apply for subsidy. Tina Clark has received numerous calls from concerned parents. The OCPYC Director has been willing to contact these families herself so she could explain the current situation. Recently she was able to get the list of names and contact information from CCSA so she can begin working on this task. Providers have expressed concerns about continued funding for enhancements and WAGES, both sources of additional funds that go directly to providers. Social Services has been working with OCPYC to plan for the transition. It is hoped there will be more similar priority populations to be served and more consistency in the income guidelines. One issue both DSS and the Partnership are working on is to prioritize Orange County residents. This could impact some individuals in treatment programs placed here from other counties as well as residents at the Homeless shelter who come here to live from out of county/out of state. Social Services will follow guidelines that the OCPYC Board establishes for Smart Start funds. The current child care waiting list has 550 children. Previously Social Services had a budget of about $4.8 million and OCPYC had $1.6 million for child care subsidy. Next year Social Services will have about $3.7 million and OCPYC $1 million. The Board of County Commissioners approved an additional $100,000 for subsidy. Funding for child care is going to be a significant challenge this year and it impacts services across the agency as well as community partners. Social Services is committed to maximizing funding to meet the needs of as many families and children as possible. 2. Adult Services Update Medicaid is driving substantial changes in services for adults in North Carolina. Bill 1915i says that Adult Care Homes with more than 16 residents and more than 50% of the population having a diagnosis of a mental health disorder will be unable to bill Medicaid for services. This issue must be addressed or NC will lose millions in federal dollars. Initial estimates are that statewide 1200 individuals will need to be placed as a result of this legislation. There are concerns regarding who will be discharged from the Adult Care Homes to meet the requirement and where they will be placed. There is also a plan for more comprehensive assessment to be completed on individuals in Adult Care Homes. It is still unknown whether this responsibility will fall to Social Services or to some other entity. In Orange County there would be between 300 to 400 people to be assessed which would be a huge increase in workload. Adult Care Homes were able to have a bill introduced that would require the local Department of Social Services to pick up a discharged resident if no one else was identified for this task. This has not been passed. There has been a court ruling in Rowan County that mental health cannot act as guardian of the person when they are also providing services. Locally, Mental Health has been willing to provide guardianship for individuals experiencing serious mental health problems and currently acts as guardian for a number of Orange County residents. Departments of Social Services are working with Secretary Cansler’s office to address this issue. One option would be a contract with a provider to assume this responsibility statewide. If another option is not identified, this could have a substantial impact on Social Services. MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES June 20, 2011 3 The CAP/DA program assures that people who would otherwise require nursing home care can receive services in their own home. In the current discussions regarding Medicaid cuts, this is considered an “optional” service along with dental care, hospice, prosthetic devices, home health, etc. It is expected that all of these reductions will impact Adult Protective Services across the state. 3. Food Distribution Plan Orange Enterprises was approached about assisting with the delivery of food from the Food Bank. They are willing to handle the monthly deliveries, will sort the items, and box them to include 48 food products per person. They can serve 250 people per month. Social Services staff will handle the necessary paperwork. The cost will be $300/month and $1.75 per unit. A proposal will be presented to Friends of DSS to cover the cost. Pat Garavaglia shared that she had been approached by a local church wanting to make a donation and this may be a resource for at least some of the cost of food distribution. 4. Transportation and Homelessness grant Pat Garavaglia reported she heard that Chapel Hill was considering removing the bus stop at Southern Human Services, however it is just the stop at Homestead Road. This may be due to safety concerns as Homestead is a very busy road and often people are there waiting with small children. Nancy Coston reported there is a study group on the future of transportation systems in Orange County. Serena McPherson is now attending these meetings. The state is considering contracting out Medicaid Transportation services. Valerie Foushee reported that she rode the Hillsborough bus route and that is was fairly well mapped out but could perhaps use some adjustment. Al Terry wants to discuss the route with Ms. Coston. The agency needs to make sure residents are aware of this service. Pat Garavaglia also reported concerns regarding two clients who received assistance from Friends of DSS. Both were provided housing through the homeless grant but spent considerable time living in their new environment with nothing in the house. Sharon Hinton reported that unfortunately the grant is not able to be used for furnishings 5. Director’s Report The agency is working with the Purchasing Department to hire a custodian. The Board of County Commissioners put $100,000 in child care and $50,000 back into emergency assistance. They also endorsed a recreation plan to help at risk children giving Social Services $10,000 to be used for various sports activities. Nancy Coston will be the President of the North Carolina Association of County Directors of Social Services effective July 1. The consolidation bill has been pulled for the moment. Next month the Social Services Board needs to complete the Director’s evaluation which is due the end of July. Social Services had a joint meeting with the Health Department Board. Nancy Coston is on one of the panels to select the new Health Director. Valerie Foushee is also serving on one of the selection panels. Valerie Foushee has been reappointed to the Social Services Board. Valerie Foushee and Claire Millar stated they would not be able to attend the July meeting due to conflicts. MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES June 20, 2011 4 VII. Announcements The next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 18, 2011 at the Hillsborough Commons, Mayo Street, Hillsborough, North Carolina at 4pm. On a motion by Claire Millar and seconded by Valerie Foushee, the Board adjourned their regular meeting at 5:02 P.M. Submitted by Nancy Coston Director Pat Garavaglia Chair NC/PG __________________________ Approval Date