Human Services Advisory Commission

 Meeting Minutes
November 13, 2007
 7:45 - 9:25 PM
Rockville City Hall

Re:  Call Meeting to Order/ Introductions

Sarah Duffy called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.  

Re:  Provide Feedback for City’s Rockville Pike Plan

David Levy, Chief of Long Range Planning and Mayra Bayonet, Planner III, for the City of Rockville, requested feedback from Commission members on the City’s Rockville Pike Plan.  The discussion included ideas on low-income housing, improved transportation, and pedestrian-friendly access to shopping and other services. 

Re:  Approve October 9, 2007 Meeting Minutes

Tim Stranges moved that the minutes be approved as written.  David L”Heureux seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.

Re:  Follow-up Discussion on CMR Home Health Care Program Review

Discussion of Senior Survey Findings
Tim reminded Commission members that the discussion at the last meeting had been about the number of visits needed per week and the number of seniors who should be served in the CMR Home Health Care Program.   Mary Lou pointed out that most of the people who responded to the Senior Survey were not low income and therefore not representative of the population served by the program.  Also, generally, it seemed that men surveyed had more issues around living independently than women.  Sarah Duffy said she was surprised that 40% were concerned about not having access to mental health services.  She wondered if the Commission should be concerned about this.  Tim agreed saying that 58% of those surveyed thought access to mental health services was fair or poor.

Recommendation re Annual Target Number to be Served 
Agnes Saenz agreed that it is difficult to relate the data from the survey to the Community Ministries of Rockville (CMR) Home Health Care Program.  However, there are still two issues to consider:  quality of care, which is hard to measure, and quantity of care.  For her the question is should we limit the number of hours served in order to reach 30 plus people per year.  Sarah Duffy summarized the discussion by saying that the City would like a specific number served each year while Agnes, and by extension CMR, would like a range.  Sarah Mahin asked if a different indicator could be used, e.g., the number of home visits, instead of number of people served.  Mary Lou responded that there have been significant increases in funding for this program but the number served has not increased significantly.  The average number of people served per week is about 19.

Eric Wang asked if the service delivery system could be changed to keep costs down.  Agnes said that the two providers used by CMR for the Home Health Care Program are both non-profits.  She thinks that if too little is spent, there is a price to pay.

Sarah Duffy asked if there were any opportunities to describe why performance measures were not met.  Mary Lou said that agencies funded by the City could explain why performance measures were not met on their annual reports but currently there are no formal consequences for any of the Caregivers if they don’t meet their performance measures.  Sarah Duffy said that she liked the idea of a range in the number of people served by CMR, for example 28 to 32 people per year.  

Tim moved that Community Ministries of Rockville should aim for 28 to 32 clients served per year in their Home Health Care Program and, if the number drops below 30 clients served, they will need to write a justification.  In addition, the number of hours afforded to any one client shall not exceed the current limit of 3 or 4 hours.    Kim Dawkins seconded the motion.  The motion was approved unanimously.            

Re:  Committee Reports on Proposed Action Plans

Access to Services
David asked what the Commission would like to see in this area.  Sarah Duffy responded that the issue of access to services might include transportation and/or knowledge/awareness of services.  From her perspective the question is should the City be doing anything else to increase awareness.

Youth Issues
Eric reported that he has gone to both Twinbrook and Lincoln Park civic association meetings.  Both report no problems with respect to youth crime or gang problems.  He also had brought with him a recent article from the Gazette on a shooting incident in Gaithersburg involving youth.  He said that information is not always forthcoming.  Cindy Griffiths said that recently www.rockvillecentral.blogspot.com has begun tracking crime in Rockville.  The information used is taken from the police reports from the City of Rockville.

Sarah Duffy asked Eric if he had a plan to look at current programs.  Kim Dawkins said that she would also be working with Eric and thought that in addition to looking at prevention programs, she thought it would be helpful to speak with residents who might not be attending civic association meetings.

Employment
Sarah Duffy said that this subcommittee had met with Hugh Bailey, Program Manager of Montgomery Works.  He reviewed the basic industries in Montgomery County with them.  Those that are growing have different levels of expertise.  For example construction is at one level; bio-tech at another.  Montgomery Works uses a two-tiered approach to helping people.  Some people need a job now.  This level includes resume assistance and interviewing skills.  Others need training to move up the career ladder.  The program is funded primarily by the Department of Labor.  The committee asked Mr. Bailey about a kiosk in Rockville.  His answer was that Montgomery Works would be interested but would need some type of commitment from the City of Rockville in terms of space, people, etc.  He asked about possible space in the new library.  The target audience would be those people who are having trouble finding decent jobs, i.e., the underemployed.

Tim said that the County had done a fairly good job of setting aside housing through its MPDU program.  Perhaps the same thing could be done for office space.  Mary Lou said that Montgomery Works had submitted an application for funding three years ago, which did not get funded.  They were asking for a lot of money.  She thinks that eventually Community Services will have to relocate.  Perhaps that function could be co-located with Community Services.  Another idea would be for them to request CDBG funding.  Sarah Mahin suggested that the subcommittee look at other groups who are providing the same or similar services.  For example, the Men’s Emergency Shelter will have a vocational counselor starting in January.

Re:  New Business

Outreach to New Mayor and Council
Tim proposed that the December meeting be a meet and greet potluck to both greet the new Mayor and Council and to celebrate the Commission’s tenth anniversary.   Sarah Duffy agreed to contact the City Clerk to ascertain the Mayor and Council’s availability.

Community Services Division Monthly Report
Sarah Duffy inquired concerning requests for emergency assistance.  Mary Lou said that people have been coming in for REAP with shut-offs over the summer.

Rockville Holiday Drive:  Mary Lou thanked Cindy and her family for standing outside Whole Foods on a recent Saturday morning to encourage shoppers to donate to the Holiday Drive.

It was noted that Tom Lawrey was absent for the third consecutive time due to illness.  David moved that the Commission grant Tom a one-month extension on the rule of attendance.  Tim seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.

Re:  Adjourn

Tim moved that the meeting be adjourned.  David seconded the motion.  The motion passed unanimously.  The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 p.m. 

The next meeting of the Human Services Advisory Commission will be held Tuesday, December 11, 2007 at 7:30 p.m. in the Glenview Mansion Dining Room.