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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLRC Exec Comm Meeting Minutes_2.16.2026 ORANGE COUNTY LOCAL REENTRY �I COUNCIL R c Orange County Local Reentry Council (LRC) Executive Committee Meeting Minutes February 16, 2026 Danielle Carman, Director of the Orange County Criminal Justice Resource Department(CJRD) and member of the Orange County LRC Executive Committee, convened the second organizational meeting of the Executive Committee at 2:30 pm by MS Teams. Executive Committee Members in Attendance • Danielle DeCaprio, Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness Homeless Program Manager • Kathleen Ferguson, Hillsborough Board of Commissioners • Celisa Lehew, Chapel Hill Chief of Police • Toni Lewis, Department of Adult Correction (DAC) Chief Probation Parole Officer • Candace Rashada, Durham Tech Human Resources Development Director • Julia Sendor, Justice United Lead Organizer • Joseph Whatley, Caramore Employment Specialist Executive Committee Members Unable to Attend • Amanda Cobb, Orange Correctional Center Warden • Crystell Ferguson, Inter-Faith Council (IFC) Community Service Navigation Manager • Paula Harrington, Oxford House, Inc. Special Projects Coordinator Others Present • Tiffany Bullard, LRC Case Manager • Erin McGovern, CJRD Office Manager • Shalishah Foster, DAC Community Development Specialist 1 1 P a g e Welcome and Introductions Everyone present introduced themselves. Approval of January 12, 2026 Meeting Minutes Ferguson moved to approve the minutes of the January 12, 2026 meeting and DeCaprio seconded. All Committee members present voted in favor of the motion. Review and Approval of Revised LRC Mission and Bylaws Carman directed the Committee members to an updated version of the LRC bylaws. She said she made a number of changes to the original draft based on Committee members'suggestions at the January 12, 2026 Executive Committee meeting. She added that the updated draft also contains some comments in response to questions raised by Committee members. Carman reviewed the proposed changes and comments. Carman said, assuming the Committee approves the proposed bylaws, the staff will develop the following forms to implement Article VII: 1) an agreement acknowledging an understanding of the confidentiality policy to be signed by LRC staff, volunteers, and interns; funded service providers; and members of the Executive Committee; and 2) a conflict of interest disclosure form to be signed annually by LRC staff and all LRC, Executive Committee, and Advisory Group members. Ferguson asked if it would be possible to have a standard conflict of interest form for all county committees. DeCaprio said she would send Carman the form that the Partnership to End Homelessness uses as an example. Ferguson moved to approve the bylaws as amended after the last meeting, and Lehew seconded. All Committee members present voted in favor of the motion. Approval of Proposed 2026 Business Meeting Schedule Bullard shared a proposed 2026 meeting schedule with the Committee members. After discussion, the members agreed to meet on the third Tuesdays of March, April, June, July, September, and November, from 2:30 to 4:00. Ferguson moved to approve the schedule for 2026 and DeCaprio seconded. All Committee members present voted in favor of the motion. Officer Nominations Bullard stated that the approved bylaws allow for officer nominations to be made from the floor at this meeting or by email after the meeting. She said the positions that need to be filled are Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Basic Needs Subcommittee Chair, and Housing Subcommittee Chair. She described the functions of the Basic Needs and Housing Subcommittees. Lewis nominated herself to serve as the Basic Needs Subcommittee Chair. Carman said she is willing to serve as Secretary if the Committee members want her to do so. Ferguson said she is 2 1 P a g e willing to serve in an officer role if others are unwilling or unable to do so, buts he wants to check her calendar for conflicts first. Bullard asked the Committee members to send additional officer nominations by email to dcarman@orangecountync.gov and tbullard@oraggecountync.gov no later than March 13, 2026. Officer elections will be on the agenda for the March business meeting. Executive Committee Recruitment and Nomination Form Bullard directed the Committee members to a proposed Executive Committee Nomination Form in their materials. Carman said DAC recommends that the Executive Committee have seven to 13 members. Foster clarified that this size is a recommendation and that some LRCs have slightly smaller or larger Executive Committees. Carman said the Committee currently has 11 members, so she encouraged the Committee members to think strategically about any additional members they might want to recruit. The Committee members agreed that adding representatives of the following groups would be helpful: local chambers of commerce and/or a business leader; second chance landlords/housing providers; people with lived experiences; and medical/mental health/substance use providers. Carman suggested that Committee members submit any specific nominations using the proposed Executive Committee Nomination Form and that the Committee could then discuss all nominations together at a future meeting. Foster clarified that members of the Executive Committee should live or work in Orange County, or provide services in the county. Carman said she would add that requirement to the form, along with instructions for submitting it, and send a finable version to the Committee. Executive Committee Policies to Develop Carman directed the Committee members to a one-page memo from her in their materials that included a list of policies that need to be developed. She said portions of these policies were created in the past, but it is not clear whether the former Executive Committee approved them. She added that the LRC staff will develop drafts of the following to bring to the Committee at future business meetings for approval: 1. Priority of DAC-funded services and the development of Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs). This requirement applies only to housing, private transportation, and childcare. Foster clarified that the Committee needs to adopt a policy on this even though the DAC grant does not provide direct support for operational expenses, including client needs. 2. A written referral process and form. 3. A written enrollment process with eligibility requirements and a requirement that participants under DAC Community Supervision receive priority for supportive services. 4. Written discharge policies and procedures. 3 1 P a g e Additional policies may be developed but do not appear to require Executive Committee approval. Carman asked the Committee members to think about any additional policies they might want the staff to develop. Ferguson suggested that any LRC policies addressing client intake encourage the reuse of intake materials from housing and other county departments, noting that not repeatedly asking clients the same questions is a best practice to minimize re-traumatization. Rashada noted that Durham Tech is offering classes to people who are close to being released from Orange Correctional Center with the intent of connecting them to programming to finish skills training upon release. She asked whether there is a process in place to follow up on the Lessons and pair people with skill development opportunities. Bullard said she receives lists of people who are being released to Orange County and does in-reach with them 60 days in advance. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 3:30 pm. 4 1 P a g e