Youth Service Advisory Board

NORWICH YOUTH & FAMILY SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD MEETING May 11, 2010 ROOM 335, NORWICH CITY HALL (860) 823-3782 - FAX (860) 892-6031 Email: nyfs@cityofnorwich.org MINUTES The Norwich Youth and Family Services Advisory Board Meeting was held on May 11, 2010 in Room 335 in Norwich City Hall. Those in attendance were as follows: Kay Eyberse-Coordinator Jodi M. Vara-President Janet Paton-Community member Duncan Profitt-Community member Connie Labassi-NPS Debbie Kievits-Community member Ashley Sebastian-Youth member Guests: Francesco Stranges-Curcio Ryan Kelsey-NPD Jon Rose Hilary Sandberg-NHS Staff Excused Absences: Angela Rae Duhaime-Southeastern Regional Action Council Soledad Melcalfe-Juvenile Court Kay Eyberse called the meeting to order at 8:30. Kay started the meeting by having everyone introduce him/herself, sign in and update any email information. Introduced was Norwich Police Officer Ryan Kelsey of the Norwich Police Department D.A.R.E Unit. The adopted minutes from the January 12, 2010 meeting were distributed. Attending members read them over, no corrections were noted, and the minutes were approved. Quarterly Report/Program Updates ~ The quarterly report for January 1-March 31, 2010 were distributed and reviewed. It included all stats for NYFS services and programs for the covered quarter, as well as a list of youth organizations NYFS collaborates with. New Business ~ • L.I.S.T. – Local Interagency Service Team. Angelo Callis, designated NYFS staff member appointed to the team, could not attend the meeting to discuss L.I.S.T further. In short, L.I.S.T. is a juvenile justice collaborative which will have a regional gathering of Youth Service Bureau for this area. The regional gathering meet to discuss needed recommendations for the juvenile justice system. • CSSD Grant – Community Services/Services Development grant. This grant is a $400,000 y/3 year UCFS grant to be used for L.I.S.T.. NYFS and all the regional YSBs have partnered with UCFS tp apply for this grant. $75,000 which will be used to hire a qualified individual who will provide L.I.S.T. related services on a regular basis to area youth, to help youth remain out of further involvement with the law, and to create a Family Support Center. Kay and Angelo should know by  mid June whether they will receive the requested funding to be used for the program. • CDBG – Community Development Block Grant. NYFS has put in an application for funding from the CDBG that would supplement Kay and Angelo’s salaries for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. NYFS should know by mid-June if funding from the grant will be approved. • Budget Cuts – As you know, with the proposed budget cuts, NYFS will be taking a huge hit to their budget. With grant funding still up in the air and the Norwich City Council still deciding on changes to the proposed budget, it is unknown what the outcome will be for NYFS. The Norwich City Council is scheduled to meet on June 7, 2010. It is likely that the City Council will make changes to the budget based on Union concessions at that council meeting and schedule a third Public Hearing for Thursday June 10, 2010. Adoption of the final budget will most likely take place on June 14, 2010. Program Updates ~ • NYFS has received state funding for the Summer Youth Employment for this year. With the money received at least 60 at-risk youth will be hired and placed into employment for the summer. Federal WIA funding is still waiting on Senate approval although it will most likely pass. With the potential additional federal funding, approximately 60 additional at-risk youth will be hired and placed into summer jobs. • NYFS also has the Hire-A-Teen program, which is a job referral service for youth ages 14-19 and adult individuals looking for help. Examples of jobs are Childcare, Yard Work, Pet Care, Typing, Shopping, and Housecleaning. Youth in this program are “hired” by the individual looking for the help on an as needed basis. For more information on Hire-A-Teen, please contact Ray Hulten at (860) 823-3782. • Bully Busters has created the Rose City Community Garden located on Mechanic St. The community garden has 4’ x 12’ plots available. They are also looking for donations of tools and plants. If anyone is interested or for more information please contact Bully Busters at (860) 710-1390. Wrap-Up ~ Two questions were posed for thought, • “What does Youth and Family Services need from me?” • “What can Youth and Family Services do for me?” Next Board meeting will be July, 13, 2010 from 8:30-9:30am. Room 335 in City Hall Refreshments will be served. All are welcome!