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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution - 100975G - Grant Application - TX Municipal League - Social Services Assistance Program - 10_09_1975KJ:r RESOLUTION BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LUBBOCK: THAT the MAYOR of the CITY OF LUBBOCK BE and is hereby au- thorized and directed to execute for and on behalf of the CITY OF LUBBOCK an APPLICATION TO THE TEXAS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE for a grant in the amount of $19,160. 00 for a SOCIAL SERVICES ASSISTANCE PROGRAM grant, attached herewith which shall be spread upon the minutes of the Council and as spread upon the minutes of this Council shall constitute and be a part of this Resolution as if fully copied herein in detail. Passed by the City Council this arh day of October 1975. Fr,_U7'W_-' 2 ATTEST: t, Treva Phillips, C" y Secretary -Treasurer APPROVED AS TO FORM: red O. Senter, Jr., 762-6411 P. 0. Box 2000 LUBBOCK, TEXAS 7.9457 . Texas Municipal. League 1020 Southwest Tower Austin, Texas 78701 . Gentlemen: In re: A Proposal for the City of Lubbock to Demonstrate Methods of a City Government Working With Social Services.. Pursuant to your letter of.September 17 in reference to your pro- gram to aid city officials' work with social problems and social ser- vices, called the "Social Services Assistance Program", we wish to ad- vise you that we have studied the possibilities,"and feel that we can make a significant proposal in the matter captioned above. Our City Council, meeting in regular session on October 9, has authorized me to submit: the attached proposal; a -resolution from the City Council is attached authorizing the city to carry out the work outlined in the proposal. Our proposal focuses on an.Information and Referral System,.which will be carried out under the aegis and supervision of our newly creat- ed Community Services Department. This Department, established last spring by City,Ordinance, is presently awaiting approval of the federal Community Services Administration as a Community Action Agency. Trusting that our proposal meets your guidelines and is approved, I remain Sincerely yours, Roy Bass Mayor of Lubbock A PROPOSAL FROM THE CITY OF LUBBOCK TO DEMONSTRATE METHODS•• OF A CITY GOVERNMENT WORKING WITH SOCIAL SERVICES 1. Purposes and Objectives. The Community Services Department was estab- lished primarily to carry out anti -poverty programs. A survey taken in June showed that the priority needs of the low=income people, according to themselves, involve housing, health care, and employment. The advisory board of the Community Services Department devised three projects to ad- dress these needs: (1) An information and referral system; (2) A counseling and outreach -service; and (3) formation of neighborhood groups. The core of the Community Services Department's program is found in the information and referral system, which will assist the poor by helping them to help themselves, By incorporating this information and referral system into a demonstration program for TML's*Social Services Assistance Program, we. shall be able to expand the system into a truly city-wide inter -locking system which. will not only serve potential clients, but also provide co- ordination of social services in the city. It is estimated that presently there are some 140 agencies in.Lubhock, serving more than 20,000 clients each month. Presently, there'is no one central -place where a person can go and ask for help and be referred to the proper agency; agencies now. practice "piecemeal" referral, and under the current system the person may be referred several times without receiving assistance. The I &.R system is designed.to eliminate some of the barriers now present in the human services and health care system in Lubbock.. 2. Problems.` A major problem now existing in Lubbock is lack of communica- tion between agencies, and between the poor and available sources. Often the individual is asked the same questions at each agency, and becomes re- luctant to proceed any further. One problem in providing services now is "turf protection" --some agencies jealously guarding their own areas of work. The I & R system is not designed to eliminate any agency; rather, it will help to reduce overlaps and duplications, while also identifying gaps in the service system. The I & R system is only for information and referral, and will not offer any services itself; the Community Services Department project of counseling and outreach will implement the services needed and/or make additional referrals. 3. Methodology. The following procedures will be utilized to provide effic- ient service and a basis for continuing evaluation of effectiveness of ser- vice: A) A continuing process of advertising and promotion will be utilized to.bring the Department's services to the attention of those ueeding-it. B) Staff will be employed to carry out the projects: an information and referral coordinator; an assistant coordinator; one. each housing, health- care, and employment research counselors; -four outreach workers recruited from the low-income areas; two secretaries (clerk -typists); all working under the already employed executive director of the Department. C) The central offices and the information and referral center will be located in City Hall, and will work in close cooperation with the City's In- formation Officer and with the City -County Library.. D) Close contacts and cooperation will be established and maintained . with other city agencies. E) Volunteer workers will be recruited to assit in the programs.. E) The information and referral center working in conjunction with the counseling and outreach program, will develop and maintain activities to:. (1) Create and maintain a resource file; gather information from other agencies and transfer to files; up -date resource file on a continuing basis; maintain necessary confidentiality of clients as required by law. (2) Provide all clients, but especially the poor and needy,'with - accurate.up-to-date information about community resources provided within the city. (3) Provide referrals to agencies for those inquirers who need them; provide inter -agency referrals and information. (4) Provide follow-up services for those who received referrals and for other inquirers deemed to have need of this service. (5) Provide escort service to those who need it, including transpor- tation to agency and a companion to help negotiate with the agency if needed.: (6) Increase public awareness of the existence of human service agencies. (7) Increase the access to and the utilization of health and social services; assist in developing and exparfing all services to the poor and needy. (8) Maintain a constant evaluation of the effectiveness of the center and of the counseling 'and outreach program, to insure both efficient operation and to avoid overlap and duplication; sufficient records will be retained to do this. (9) Provide direct emergency financial assistance on a temporary and limited basis, in solving problems whose solution will increase employ- ment opportunities of clients; contact with other agencies will be maintained to ascertain other available sources and to avoid duplication. 4. Budget. The budget submitted to the federal agency for. funding called for a staff of nine: an executive director, an information and referral coordin- ator, three counselors, three outreach workers, and one secretary, for a total operating budget. of $104,400 from federal grant. With this proposal. to TML, the Department plans to employ three additional personnel: an assistant coordin- ator of the information and referral center, an additional secretary, and an additional outreach worker --this in view of the fact that the budgeting of funds from the federal grant through Community Services Administration provides a bare minimum of staff, and more.specifically under -staffing of the informs- ' tion and referral center, to which the assistant coordinator and additional secretary would be assigned under the proposal for TML funding. We are asking, therefore, for.the following budget to implement our proposal for a demonstra-' tion program: i one assistant I & R coordinator, base pay 521 monthly, yearly plus fringe benefits ---------------- —7500 one clerk -typist, base pay 412 monthly, yearly with fringe benefits---------------------------------------- -6060 one outreach worker, base pay 373 monthly; yearly with fringe benefits-_ _----------- ----- _-------------- --5600 Total requested from TrII. -------_----- 19;.60 It is to be noted, that all employees. of the Community Services Department are and will be City of Lubbock employees, subject to the City's rules of equal opportunity employment through affirmative action, and participants in the City's fringe.benefits of group insurance, retirement pension, etc. 5. Evaluation. Sufficient records will be kept to provide a basis for con- tinuing evaluation of program effectiveness, without compromising the confiden- tiality of the clients. The program envisioned by the Department involves observable action and interaction, and can be measured 'and evaluated by tabulating results from telephone and personal contacts, referrals, counseling and outreach contacts, and other statistics. The Department plans to make periodic follow-up inquiries to determine the lasting of tect.of its interven- tions to assist clients and other agencies. No Text