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Human Services Advisory Commission
Meeting Minutes
December 9, 2008
7:50 - 9:20 PM
Glenview Mansion
| Members Present: | ||
| Bob Dorsey | Sarah Mahin | Tim Stranges |
| Sarah Duffy | Agnes Saenz | Eric Wang |
| Members Absent: | ||
| Cindy Griffiths | Kim Dawkins | David L’Heureux |
| ||
| Staff Present: | ||
| Mary Lou Jacobs | Sarah Gicale | |
| ||
| Guests: | ||
| Rachel Carr, Rockville Resident | ||
Re: Call Meeting to Order/ Introductions
Sarah Duffy called the meeting to order at 7:50 p.m.
Re: Old Business
Update on Holiday Drive
Mary Lou Jacobs told Commission members that the Thanksgiving distribution had taken place on November 22nd at the former CVS location on West Middle Lane. Everything had gone smoothly with the help of twenty high school juniors and seniors who are enrolled in the Latino soccer program. With their soccer coach supervising they helped carry food boxes to people’s cars. Altogether 500 families were served. On November 23rd City volunteers served dinner to 115 seniors at Heritage House. Most of the residents there are recent immigrants from Asia; some are from Russia. Volunteers from the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center provided entertainment, both singing and dancing. The event was very successful.
The December toy distribution is planned for December 20. It will also be held at the former CVS location and Mary Lou said she is recruiting volunteers for the 2-4 p.m. time period if anyone is interested. Volunteers at this event serve as escorts, help with gift-wrapping or entertain children while parents shop for toys. Sarah Duffy and Rachel Carr volunteered to help.
Another event Mary Lou is staffing with volunteers is a fundraising opportunity at the Barnes and Noble located in Rockville. It will take place on the same day as the toy distribution, December 20. Mary Lou said that as of the previous week Holiday Drive donations were over $11,000, which covered costs to date. Along with donated toys for younger children, the City will be distributing $15 Target gift cards to those who are 12-18 years of age.
Report from Subcommittee on Inflationary Increases
The information presented at last month’s meeting was reviewed. Sarah Duffy commented that there did not seem to be a consistent method of providing cost increases. Mary Lou said that she found it interesting that none of the governmental entities surveyed give money up front. For example, she said, when the City of Rockville gives employees cost of living increases, it does so at the beginning of the year. When a human services program/agency doesn’t receive an increase until the end of the budget year, it is difficult to spend it appropriately.
Mary Lou thought it would be helpful to ask the Caregivers how they cover increased expenses, e.g., fuel costs. Bob Dorsey responded that Montgomery Avenue Women’s Center is seeing more goods donated than previously. At the same time cash donations are down. Staff is having to learn to get along with less cash. For example they are using food donations instead of purchasing food. Rachael Carr said that the agency where she is employed, Community Support Services, is not giving clients as much money as in the past. Bob suggested that the Council of Governments (COG) might have information on the issue.
Sarah Duffy asked Commission members what the timeline for completing the research should be. Mary Lou responded that the Mayor and Council might decide to reduce the property tax rate, which would translate to less money available in the City budget. The application for nonprofits is being mailed out this week. The process for reviewing the applications is being changed this year in part due to the suggestions made by Councilman Piotr Gajewski at his meeting with the Commission. This year, in addition to an internal panel, there will be a second review panel with representatives from the Human Services Advisory Commission, the Human Rights Commission, and the Recreation and Parks Board recruited by Mary Lou or Christine Henry, Recreation and Parks Administrative Services Manager. Recommendations from both panels will be presented to the City Manager. Mary Lou indicated that representatives from the other commissions will need to have some familiarity with human services.
Discussion on Youth Summit
Sarah Duffy referred to the needs assessment completed by the Division of Community Services last fall and commented that it is apparent that the City already provides a lot of services for this population. The assessment seemed to indicate a need for counseling services. Mary Lou said that a needs assessment is required annually for the County youth services grant. Counseling is a core service within that grant. Eight of the schools in Rockville refer youth for counseling. In conducting the needs assessment staff asked what other services school personnel would like to see. What struck Mary Lou in this process was how little they asked for. As a result she asked Community Services staff to try and inventory activities the schools themselves already offer. This proved to be difficult to do.
Rachel asked why services are broken down by school. Although she lives in the City of Rockville, she lives in the part of King Farm where children attend school in Gaithersburg. She is concerned that all Rockville youth need to know about available services. Mary Lou said that the basic population for her division is at-risk youth. With the afterschool programming provided by the Community Services Division, attempts have been made to offer programs at community sites. The experience has been that kids don’t attend. Schools provide more accessibility to the youth the Division is attempting to reach. The GUIDE Program has responsibility for providing similar services to at-risk youth attending schools in Gaithersburg.
Mary Lou said that for Community Services programming, the important question is are there kids at risk? For example, counseling services are provided to youth who don’t have access to medical insurance. Every year the school system puts on a conference in Gaithersburg to educate school counseling staff as to available services. The types of problems seen by Jim Miller, the Community Services Division counselor, include poor impulse control, anxiety related to not doing well in school, serious family issues, and depression. He frequently encounters parental lack of involvement with children and struggles to get consent forms returned. With respect to funding, Community Services is currently receiving a grant from the County for $65,000, a second grant from the Collaboration Council for $35,000 and one other small grant. The City itself provides funding to the SISTERS Program.
Tim Stranges said that he is amazed by the whole range of services already provided. The needs are well studied. Issues center more on getting the funds to provide services and getting kids to attend. Eric Wang said that he is waiting to have a subcommittee meeting now that Cindy Griffiths has joined the group. They will discuss the purpose of a youth summit and then come back to the Commission with recommendations.
Sarah Duffy said that the Commission would wait for an update from the subcommittee.
Re: Approve October 14 and November 2008 Meeting Minutes
Tim moved and Sarah Duffy seconded a motion to approve the October 14 meeting minutes. The motion passed unanimously. Then Bob Dorsey moved and Sarah Duffy seconded a second motion to approve the November 18 meeting minutes. The motion passed unanimously.
Re: New Business
Tim said he liked the Caregivers Insert this year and thought the writer did an excellent job.
Mary Lou informed members that the City recently held a foreclosure information workshop. About 35 people attended. A housing counseling agency was there with some of their counselors and attorneys. Several other foreclosure workshops have been held in the area.
Sarah Duffy said that she had been asked by one of the members of the City Council to speak on behalf of the Bealls Grant II process at an open forum. Objections to the new housing have centered on issues related to increased density (such as increased school enrollment), the massiveness of the project, and the behavior of residents who would live there, e.g., increased crime. Analysis shows that the increase in the number of students would be approximately five. Sarah Mahin said that this would be mixed income housing, which should be less of a concern to neighborhood residents. She continued that Cindy Griffiths has a good response to these questions on her blog. Sarah Mahin’s understanding is that the City Council will be holding a public meeting which would be a good opportunity for the Commission to reiterate the fact that their support for the housing has not waivered. Agnes Saenz said that she thought they needed to show their support for the project as a Commission. Sarah Duffy said that she would email her testimony to everyone for their comments.
Tim said that he had learned that Tom Reynolds from Maryland Municipal League could potentially be approached for funding for facilitation and team building should these services be needed with respect to a youth summit.
Re: Plan Agenda for January 13 Meeting
Follow up from two subcommittees
Review Community Services monthly reports for October and November
Mary Lou said she had raised the question at the last meeting as to whether Commission members might want to invite the new City Director of Recreation Services, Betsy Thompson. She would be able to talk about the Recreation Fund and recreation programming for the broader youth population in Rockville.
Re: Adjourn to Executive Session
Tim moved that the meeting be adjourned to Executive Session; Sarah Mahin seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m.
The next meeting of the Human Services Advisory Commission will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 in the Black-Eyed Susan Conference Room at 111 Maryland Avenue.