Human Services Advisory Council

MINUTES Human Services Advisory Council City of Falls Church PURPOSE OF MEETING: To advise City Council on human services delivery to Falls Church citizens. DATE OF MEETING: February 18, 2021 PLACE OF MEETING: Virtual MEETING CALLED TO ORDER BY Nicole Newman: at 6:31 p.m. THOSE PRESENT: HSAC Members: Staff: Craig Cheney Nancy Vincent Alisa Macht Ripal Patel Nicole Newman (chair) City Council Liaison Anne Norloff Marybeth Connelly Debra Z. Roth Student Members Joseph Dakin Eva Williams David Ziayee OTHERS PRESENT: Mary Kahn APPROVAL OF MINUTES – The minutes from January 21, 2021 were approved. NEW BUSINESS:  Community Services Fund grant recommendations – Members made final recommendations of funding amounts to applicants of the Community Services Fund. Recommendations passed unanimously. Recommendations will be made to City Council to be approved as part of the Fiscal Year 2022 budget and will include a request for increased funding to the Community Services Fund. See attachment.  Social equity in Falls Church – Members discussed social and racial equity and recommended a community training or series of trainings. Specifics will be discussed at the March meeting. OLD BUSINESS:  Rent Relief program revisions – A working group will review and make recommendations for code changes to possibly expand the eligibility for the Rent Relief program for low income seniors and people with disabilities. The working group will begin meeting the end of April, 2021. STAFF REPORT:  Residents severely impacted by COVID-19 continue to be helped with rent, utility, and food assistance. ADJOURN: The meeting adjourned at 8:22 p.m. SIGNATURE OF RECORDER: Nancy Vincent The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This document will be made available in an alternate format upon request. Call 703-248-5005 (TTY 711).  Attachment Fiscal Year 2022 Community Services Fund (CSF) Human Services Advisory Council Grant Recommendations Thirteen applications were received for FY2022 funding. One applicant was new and twelve were returning applicants. The Human Services Advisory Council reviewed each application and considered the following factors:  Program Overview – meets critical City needs, avoids redundancy/duplication of existing services, documentation, and applicant’s ability to serve City of Falls Church residents.  Action Plan – clear outcomes, activities appropriate to outcomes, numbers served, community involvement.  Impact and Barriers – measureable outcomes, barriers identified and addressed.  Budget – other funding sources, solvency, administrative and program costs, and overall transparency of funding.  Community Services Fund Fiscal Year 2022 Grant Recommendations Activity FY2021 FY2022 FY22 HSAC Grant Award Request Recommendation American Legion Post Send children to Boys/Girls State Program 2,500 3,000 2,000 130 Transition Points Program – Present workshops & 4,000 5,000 4,000 Arc of Northern Virginia distribute guides for families Promotes socialization and inclusion for youth with 4,000 5,355 3,000 Best Buddies intellectual and development disabilities at Mount Daniel Elementary School, George Mason High School, and Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School. Community Group home for adults with developmental disabilities 8,777 10,000 7,000 Residences, Inc. Easterseals Servicing Child Development Center 9,925 3,464 DC MD VA Falls Church Emergency rental assistance. Utilities, medical, food, 17,000 19,000 16,000 Community Service and furniture assistance Council Friends of Falls Church Homeless Shelter 18,000 22,000 17,000 Homeless Shelter, Inc. Homestretch Rental assistance for transitional housing program 10,000 16,000 6,713 Images for Good Repair and replacement of equipment for photography 1,000 600 0 mentorship program for students Legal Services of Legal representation for low-income residents 10,000 12,620 12,600 Northern Virginia Metropolitan Audio services for visually impaired 1,000 1,000 1,000 Washington EAR Northern Virginia Oral health care to low-income and uninsured adults 4,500 7,500 4,500 Dental Clinic, Inc. Salary for club manager for 12-step recovery fellowship 5,000 10,400 9,000 Unity Club program Total 122,400 86,277 Unable to fund 36,123  COMMUNITY SERVICES FUND FY 2022 PROPOSAL SUMMARIES The City of Falls Church received thirteen grant proposals, summarized below, for the FY 2022 Community Services Fund Grant Total request: $122,400 American Legion Post #130 – Amount Requested: $3,000 The grant money will be used for tuition for the students of the Boys/Girls State program. The Boys/Girls state programs are model state government programs, which are held during the summer. Participants are taught how government works while developing leadership skills and an appreciation for rights as a citizen. Arc of Northern Virginia – Amount Requested: $5,000 Funding will be used for salaries, webinars, and operating expenses to support the “Transition Points” program. They will provide workshops, webinars and distribute resource guides to participating families, as well as via partner agencies and organizations from Falls Church. The program helps connect families with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) members to resources and supports, financial literacy, financial/estate planning, government benefits, guardianship, and more that address the needs people with ID/DD experience during each stage of life. Best Buddies – Amount Requested: $5,355 Funding will strengthen and maintain a Best Buddies chapter at Mount Daniel Elementary School, George Mason High School, and Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School. The grant funds will enhance educational, social and recreational opportunities for youth with intellectual and development disabilities (IDD) by providing quality programming that promotes socialization and inclusion at the high school. The local program bridges the gap between communities and the segregated regimented activities people with IDD are often unnecessarily limited to. The interaction not only improves the quality of life for youth with IDD during their time in school, but the interactions prepare them for higher education opportunities and employment through the development of essential social skills. Community Residences, Inc. DBA CRi – Amount Requested $10,000 CRI is requesting funding for general administrative expenses related to operating Miller House that are not otherwise reimbursed though state and local funding streams. Miller House provides housing and supportive services to adults with developmental disabilities. Easterseals Servicing DC MD VA – Amount Requested $9,925 Easterseals is requesting funding to upgrade communication system/internet access in 13 classrooms, replace structural barriers in their playground to make it safe for children, and increase the amount of PPE equipment. Child Development Center in Falls Church provides high-quality inclusive early childhood education, full-day childcare for children with and without disabilities, including low or no-cost childcare for children of wounded warriors. Falls Church Community Service Council - Amount Requested: $19,000 Grant funds will be used provide emergency financial assistance for rent/utility/medical assistance to those in need. In addition, funds will be used to support furniture and emergency food programs, and part-time staff support. The food program provides food for the preparation of meals for one week and the furniture program offers donated and purchased basic furniture to families in need. Friends of Falls Church Homeless Shelter - Amount Requested: $22,000 The grant would finance part of the operational cost of the hypothermia shelter, which will partially cover the cost of the Program Coordinator and Resident Services Specialist. The 12 bed shelter is open November 15th through March 31st. Homestretch – Amount Requested $16,000 Grant funds will provide four homeless households with rental assistance for a transitional housing program. Transitional housing includes support services such as case management, job counseling, skills training, credit and budget counseling, and child enrichment along with domestic violence and substance counseling and ESOL instruction as needed. The goal is to help families achieve self-sufficiency, family stability, and permanent affordable housing. Images for Good – Amount Requested $600 Grant funds will provide repair or replacement of equipment for student or nonprofit use. The organization’s mission is to connect students with life and photography mentors through the mentorship program and to cultivate and inspire each of them to become better community service leaders and storytellers. The program hopes to address some of the community needs such as: (1) raising awareness of important issues and better engaging others to provide support to address community-wide or program-specific needs, (2) need for students to be engaged, equipped, and empowered to help others in ways that both unlock their unique potential and better prepare them for the future, (3) need for Falls Church City schools and government to promote their impact, engage others, and inspire more involvement. Legal Services of Northern Virginia - Amount Requested: $12,620 Grant funds would help provide legal aid for low income residents in the City. LSNV provides both direct legal services and broader advocacy that enables residents to address crises involving basic needs such as consumer rights, housing issues, public benefits, family protective orders, domestic violence and further acts of abuse. Metropolitan Washington Ear – Amount Requested: $l,000 Grant funds would support general operating expenses. Their goal is to serve residents who are blind, visually impaired, or who have a physical handicap, which prevents them from reading ordinary print. The Radio Reading and telephone Dial-In Newspaper and Information services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They also provide a look-up service in the evenings seven days a week and Audio Description of designated performances in many live theaters in the metropolitan Washington area. This service substitutes hearing for seeing. Northern Virginia Dental Clinic, Inc. (NVDC) – Amount Requested $7,500 The grant would partially cover the cost of dental supplies and dentist. Its primary goal/objective is to provide comprehensive oral health care services to low-income and uninsured residents and restore each individual referred to the program to an infection free and functional state of oral health. The Unity Club- Amount Requested $10,400 The grant will be used to pay staff salaries. In 2019, The Unity Club made a conscious effort to reach out to more heroin, opioid, and narcotic anonymous groups and to target the younger generation that has been so affected by this epidemic. The Unity Club is the only 12-Step clubhouse in the Falls Church area and has provided this critical service since 1987. They also provide facilities for recovery groups in the area.