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Minutes - Minutes - Community Development Advisory Commission - Meeting Date: 1/5/2009 CITY OF GLENDALE, ARIZONA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CDAC) PUBLIC HEARING #1 MUNICIPAL OFFICE COMPLEX 5850 W. GLENDALE AVENUE Council Chambers Glendale, AZ Final Minutes Monday, January 5, 2009 6:30 P.M. MEMBERS PRESENT: Erin Hart, Chair Chris Flippen, Vice Chair Karen Mankoski Kim Toops Susan Jernigan Rebecca Ontiveros Mary Jean Eggleston Pattie Johnston Madelin Page Yolanda Hernandez MEMBERS ABSENT: None OTHERS PRESENT: Erik Strunk Gilbert Lopez Mona Francis Spellman Beth Coughenour Brian Lotto I. Call to Order and Introductions Chair Hart called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. and Committee Members introduced themselves. Staff was introduced as well. II. Business from the Floor/Public Comment None. III. Approval of Minutes Committee Member Jernigan motioned to approve the October 28, 2008 and November 26, 2008 meeting minutes as written. Committee Member Ontiveros made the second. The motion passed 9 - 0. (Committee Member Hernandez was not present yet.) CDAC Minutes January 5, 2009 Page 2 IV. Fiscal Year (FY) 2009-2010 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funding Requests Mr. Strunk thanked the agencies and Committee Members for their time, diligence and commitment to the hearing process. Mr. Lopez echoed those sentiments and assured the Committee that Staff has performed technical and accounting reviews of the agencies and their applications. Mr. Lopez stated that the amount available for public services was $186,000. Chair Hart announced that each agency would have four minutes for initial presentation and afterward, Committee Members may ask questions of the presenter. The following agencies made presentations for funding requests: 1.) Homeward Bound Ms. Dawn Bogart, Developmental Director, represented the agency. Her presentation included the following highlights: • The agency is a transitional housing program with the ultimate goal of teaching self-sufficiency and breaking the cycle of homelessness. • Homeward Bounds owns and operates six scattered home sites. • 250 families a year are serviced by the program. • $15,000 is being requested for utilities and repair costs. • Services provided include: case management, counseling, employment services and instruction in basic life lessons (budgeting, repairing credit, and building savings.) • Families must be working to get into the program and while participating in the program. • Each family must pay 30% of their income to participate. • The program is a hand up, not a hand out. Committee Member Page inquired as to the definition of a family. Ms. Bogart replied that this could include a single mom or dad with a child, a couple or made up of multigenerational Members. Committee Member Eggleston asked about success statistics. Ms. Bogart explained that 85% of families were successful after completing the 24-month program. Chair Hart thanked Ms. Bogart for her presentation. CDAC Minutes January 5, 2009 Page 3 2.) Society of St.Vincent DePaul - OLPH Mr. Jack O'Hearn has been a Member of the Society for 30 years. His presentation included the following highlights: • The Keeping Families United Program runs out of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church. SVDP is requesting $45,900. • This group helps families within the borders of Glendale by providing food boxes, clothing, funds for medication, rent and utility assistance and help with any other basic needs. • The main funding source is from church Members. • There is no paid staff, only volunteers. • A few months ago, the average of 10 food boxes a day were requested. Over the last few months, the average has been 30 food boxes a day. • Personal home visits are made to determine eligibility for rent and utility assistance. At that time, other needs may be revealed. • Grants of up to $300 per year per family are awarded. Committee Member Mankoski inquired how referrals for clients were received. Mr. O'Hearn replied that most clients hear of the program through word-of-mouth, other agencies and also apartment managers. Committee Member Jernigan noted that the application states that at the home visit, residency in Glendale is confirmed; however, there is no confirmation of US citizenship. Mr. O'Hearn confirmed the statement. Committee Member Flippen inquired about volunteer training. Mr. O'Hearn replied that volunteers go through hours of training and pair that training with common sense. Volunteers go in teams of two on the home visits. Committee Member Jernigan asked what happened if a family needed more that the $300 limit. Mr. O'Hearn replied that SVDP regularly partners with other agencies to help families who need help beyond the limits of SVDP. Chair Hart thanked Mr. O'Hearn for his presentation. 3.) Comm Info & Referral (CONTACS Shelter Hotline) Mr. Robert Armijo, Director of the program, gave a presentation which included the following: • The 24/7 hotline is available to anyone in need of an emergency shelter bed. CDAC Minutes January 5, 2009 Page 4 • A person only needs to call this one number to inquire about shelter availability anywhere in the Valley. • Calls received for shelter beds are usually from victims of domestic violence. Many times, these victims are in a hurry or in a dangerous situation and would not have time to go through a phone book and look up various shelter numbers. • Five times a day, the agency calls to check on bed availability at shelters. • When a call is received, the operator screens for information and calls an appropriate shelter to confirm bed availability (while client is on hold.) If a bed is available, a "warm transfer" of the client's call is made so the client does not have to make another phone call. If a bed is not available, the client is transferred to DVStop. DVStop can identify a hotel that will provide a bed in these types of situations. Furthermore, calls are sometimes directly transferred to the Police Department, if it is a dangerous situation. • Of 60,000 calls received last year, 2,500 were from Glendale. • The agency is requesting $10,000 to continue operating the hotline. Chair Hart inquired if CONTACS receives information on income verification or other details from the shelter, after the client arrives at the shelter. Mr. Armijo replied that CONTACS specifically takes the calls, identifies the need, verifies bed availability and makes a "warm transfer' of the call to the shelter. Any information received at the shelter intake is not given to CONTACS. Committee Member Ontiveros inquired about operator training, Mr. Armijo replied that the operators visit the shelter sites, are trained on domestic violence issues and law, and how to handle crisis calls. Committee Member Eggleston asked about the average length of a phone call. Mr. Armijo replied that this was approximately 5 minutes. Committee Member Page inquired how the hotline number was advertised. Mr. Armijo replied that the number is spread by word-of-mouth, flyers passed out at community events and also by the Police Department. Mr. Armijo commented that SRP just printed 100,000 flyers recently for the hotline. Committee Member Jernigan inquired as to the number of operators. Mr. Armijo replied that there were 19 staff operators shared by and cross-trained for both the CONTACS shelter hotline and the 24-hour helpline. Committee Member Flippen asked if the shelter calls CONTACS back to confirm the family arrived at the shelter. Mr. Armijo replied that this does not happen. Mr. Armijo stated that once the call is handed off to the shelter, the shelter takes over completely. Chair Hart thanked Mr. Armijo for his presentation. CDAC Minutes January 5, 2009 Page 5 4.) Comm Info & Referral (24 Hour Helpline) Mr. Robert Armijo, Director of the program, gave a presentation which included the following details: • The Helpline is open 24/7 and is a single number that anyone in Maricopa County can dial to find information on any assistance agency in the Valley. • Referrals are made to food banks, rent and utility assistance agencies, as well as, many other agencies. • The Hotline serves low-to-moderate income families. • Of the 250,000 calls received last year, 6,500 were from Glendale. • The agency is requesting $10,000 in funding. Committee Member Ontiveros inquired about bilingual operators. Mr. Armijo replied that 98% of the operators are bilingual. Furthermore, the agency has an arrangement with a translating service that can provide translation of over 250 languages. Chair Hart thanked Mr. Armijo for his presentation. 5.) West Valley Child Crisis Center Mr. Brent Morris, Executive Director of the WVCCC, represented the agency. The agency is requesting $40,000 in funding. Mr. Morris gave a presentation which included the following highlights: • The center houses children from ages 0 - 17. This was recently changed from ages 0 - 12. • The center facilitates a Reconciliation Program whereby parents can make quarterly visits on campus to re-connect with their children. • The center runs a Community Respite Program whereby the center will house and care for children for up to 30 days while the parent(s) secures a job and get their life together before the child is taken away. • Recently, the number of foster homes in the Valley has increased, and therefore, there has been a significant drop in the number of children under age 12. Currently, there is only one child under age 12 at the center. However, an increase in teens has brought a whole different set of issues to the table. Teen houses must be separated by gender and teens have more dangerous behavioral problems. Therefore, caretakers hired now have to be behavioral specialists. Committee Member Jernigan asked if these were licensed behavioral specialists. Mr. Morris replied that there were not. It was a WVCCC classification based on requirements of the job and past experience necessary for the position (such as working in juvenile detention centers.) CDAC Minutes January 5, 2009 Page 6 Chair Hart thanked Mr. Morris for his presentation. 6.) A New leaf- Prehab of AZ (Faith House) Ms. Anna Rodriguez, Program Manager, stated that she has been with Faith House for the past five years. The agency is requesting $25,000 in funding. Ms. Rodriguez gave a presentation which included the following details: • Faith House serves 250 women and children annually, mostly from the city of Glendale. • It is a four-unit, sixteen-bed emergency shelter. • In this safe, secure environment, case management is provided in order to help clients develop life skills, set goals and achieve those goals. • Clients can stay up to 120 days in the program. Committee Member Flippen inquired how people would hear about the Faith House, if they were in need. Ms. Rodriguez replied that the CONTACS Hotline is a major source of referrals; however, other referrals are made through DVStop. Furthermore, Faith House itself spreads the word through presentations at schools and information sent to the Police and Fire Departments as well as hospitals. Chair Hart thanked Ms. Rodriguez for her presentation. 7.) Back to School Clothing Drive Association Mr. Karl Gentles, Executive Director, gave a presentation which included the following information: • This Association has served the community for 41 years and is Glendale-based. • Mr. Gentles is the only staff Member. There is a voluntary Board of Directors as well. • At the annual clothing drive distribution, 5,000 children are served. Glendale elementary school children comprise 5% of the children served (280-300 children from about five or six Glendale schools.) • The agency is requesting $19,108. • At the clothing drive, backpacks, uniforms, shoes and school supplies are provided to needy children in grades K-6. Other items are included such as hats, scarves and clothes that are sewn by over 200 volunteers. • The clothing and supplies are high-quality and are able to be purchased at very low cost due to the bulk purchasing power of the association. • The program is very successful. Of the 5,500 slots last year, 5,300 children showed up at the drive which is a 97% participation rate. CDAC Minutes January 5, 2009 Page 7 Committee Member Page asked if the children came back each year. Mr. Gentles replied that this was indeed the case. Chair Hart inquired how the children were selected to participate in the drive. Mr. Gentles explained that each school in the program has fifty slots to fill and the school selects its neediest children. Chair Hart thanked Mr. Gentles for his presentation. 8.) Central AZ Shelter Services (CASS) - Vista Colina Child Development Mr. Mark Holleran represented the agency, which is requesting $15,000. His presentation included the following comments: • Shelter support services are provided to 1,100 men, women and children each night. • Of the 225-250 families served yearly, the childcare center serves to provide a safe learning and caring environment while parents are working or searching for a job. • The funds requested will be used for the childcare program. The children served are from 0 to 6 years of age and there is an average of 200 children in the program. • Glendale provides 30% of the population at the shelter. • The shelter is serving record numbers at this time and is in great need of funding assistance. Chair Hart thanked Mr. Holleran for his presentation. 9.) Junior Achievement of AZ (JA Biz Town) Ms. Patsy Kraeger represented the agency which is requesting $25,000. Her presentation included the following details: • The agency has been serving Arizona for 50 years and was established as the urban alternative to the 4H program. • Three pillars of success are stressed: financial literacy, workforce readiness and entrepreneurship. • Of the 88,000 students the programs served statewide last year, 7,085 students were from Glendale. • Of the 14,000 students who attended JA Biz Town last year, 2,800 were from Glendale. • JA Biz Town is an innovative learning program that provides 5th and 6th graders with an understanding of economic concepts, financial literacy and positive citizenship modeling. Students complete units in Career Exploration, Financial CDAC Minutes January 5, 2009 Page 8 Management, Business Management and Citizenship for a total of 20 hours of classroom instruction. Once completed, the students then go to Biz Town in Tempe which is a fully equipped mini-city. The children work in teams, create solutions to problems, practice communication skills and learn how to put their ideas into action and visualize their future. Of great importance is that students connect the class instruction they have received with the real life exercises at Biz Town. The mission is to inspire young people to achieve success in a global economy. Committee Member Mankoski asked how schools were screened to determine student income levels. Ms. Kraeger replied that the agency relied on the information provided by the schools. Committee Member Ontiveros inquired how the program was advertised. Ms. Kraeger replied that the Educator Team contacts schools directly. Also, by word-of-mouth between teachers and principals has been another form of advertising. Last year, the program was full so there is great interest and demand. Ms. Kraeger added that Open Houses are held for teachers to see the surroundings first hand. Committee Member Mankoski asked exactly which schools in the city of Glendale boundaries were participating in Biz Town. Ms. Kraeger did not have that information, but would provide it to Staff. Chair Hart thanked Ms. Kraeger for her presentation. 10.) Way of Life Foundation (P.L.A.Y. - Promoting Learning Among Youth) Mr. Michael Lee gave the presentation for the agency, which is requesting $30,000. His presentation included the following details: • The program strives to provide support to families by enhancing their emotional, social, physical, mental and academic direct well-being through direct programs, services and partnerships. P.L.A.Y. activities focus on health, wellness, relaxation, recreation, academics and life-skills training. • Much of the outreach is done through churches. • Some of the activities include sports such as soccer and football. • For some activities, a location must be rented (such as the former Boys and Girls Club facility); however, the agency also tries to find donated space. Chair Hart thanked Mr. Lee for his presentation. CDAC Minutes January 5, 2009 Page 9 11.) Valley of the Sun YMCA (First Offender Program) Ms. Monti Watkins represented the agency, which is requesting $11,473 in funding. Her presentation included the following: • The First Offender Program is for children 8 - 16 years old who are first offenders. • Once assigned to the program, each child attends an 8-hour class in life skills and development. Once completed, the court will adjust the child's record. • The funds requested will be used for staff cost. • The program is now located at the Glendale YMCA. The goal in relocating to this building is to encourage the child to build a long-term relationship with the YMCA. Committee Member Eggleston inquired about recidivism. Ms. Watkins replied that there is a 6% recidivism rate. V. Director/Staff Report Mr. Strunk and Mr. Lopez thanked the Committee and the presenters for their time and dedication. VI. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m. by consensus. Respectfully Submitted, Denise Kazmierczak Recording Secretary