Commission on Family Services

Commission on Family Services Meeting Minutes – Skokie Village Hall Dec. 4, 2024 7:00 pm Present: Harold Primack (Chair), Commissioners Sharon Cohen, Marjorie Goran, Shajan Jose (Vice Chair), Daniel Mann, Naadirah Muhammad (Shapley-Wells), Arnie Oskin, Melissa Ponce, Erin Ryan, Nancy Schwartz, Annie Shear, Phillip Shefren, Daniel Stalilonis, London Summerville, Melissa Versch (Staff Liaison) Absent: Commissioners Michelle Friedman, Jo Hammerman, Hilary Hunter, Laila Iqbal, Linda Lara, Peggy Molina, Valerie Riley, Trustee Edie Sue Sutker I. Call to Order: Approval of Agenda Meeting called to order at 7:05pm. Agenda approved by consent. II. Approval November Minutes Approved by consent. III. Chair’s Report: Harold Primack Introductions of new Commissioner, Sharon Cohen, and all Commissioners. The Commission’s purpose is to promote emotional, social and physical well-being of Skokie's most vulnerable residents through outreach, education and advocacy. The Commission has three subcommittees to address issues for People with Disabilities, Seniors, and At-Risk Youth & Families. Initiatives have included diaper drives and a town hall meeting for people with disabilities which resulted in a report to the Village. To help generate new ideas, Chair Primack will review AARP Livable Communities. IV. Health and Human Service Report: Staff Liaison, Melissa Versch The Assist-A-Family holiday winter program helps low-income Skokie families celebrate the holidays by providing gift cards to approximately 300 families. The program is funded through donations. The Emergency Financial Assistance program helps year-round by providing financial assistance with past- due rent and utilities to families who have experienced a hardship. The Health and Human Services Department is offering opioid overdose kits, which are available on the lower level. The kits are free for Skokie residents. Anyone can pick one up, no questions asked. In addition, the Board of Health has put together cannabis lock bags, which are available for free at the Health and Human Services desk. V. Old Business: A. Seniors Subcommittee – Report Melissa Versch reported that the next planning committee meeting is on December 17. The committee has done some outreach to organizations in the community to increase representation on the planning committee. Oak Street Health and Advocate Healthcare will be joining.  A commissioner asked about a Rent-A-Senior program, which was popularized in Denmark. Commissioners shared that there are friendly visitor programs available in the community including through Northwestern, North Shore Senior Center, Little Bothers Friends of the Elderly. Human Services also has a Senior Reassurance Program. B. At-Risk Youth and Families Subcommittee – Report Nothing to report. C. Disabilities Subcommittee – Report Nothing to report. VI. New Business: A. Dates for 2025 Commission meetings The January Commission meeting is cancelled due to the holiday. The October 1 meeting may be moved to October 8 due to the holiday. London Summerville reported that she and Erin Ryan attended a volunteer fair at Skokie Public Library. One program she learned about is the Education Foundation, which focuses on Niles Township students to support educational opportunities. Financial assistance may include scholarships, test fees and mentorship programs. Volunteers are needed for events. Another organization is JCFS Chicago’s HIAS resettlement program. The program has many opportunities for volunteers to help refugees in the area. The commission may be interested in having guest speakers from these organizations. B. AARP Livable Communities Chair Primack demonstrated resources available through the AARP Livable Communities website. The website allows a user to view community ratings on topics such as housing, proximity and security, and transportation. The website also includes toolkits, such as a Walking Audit Toolkit which provides tools to evaluate walkability. Commissioners are encouraged to review the resources and look for areas of interest. The information might help the commission consider areas of need. Erin Ryan shared that she attended a Language Access Summit, which provided tools that may be of interest. One idea is to build a volunteer corps of interpreters and translators. Arnie Oskin shared that planning has begun for the July Fourth parade. VII. Public Comments: None. VIII. Adjournment at 8:08 p.m. Next Meeting: Feb. 5, 7:00 p.m. at Skokie Village Hall