Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 08072001 - C.109 t S RF I FHS #19 '--fir r ��" CONTRA • COSTA TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS G: r.':rr•; '�"'` '°�''. COUNTY W FROM: Family & Human Services Committee DATE: August 7, 2001 SUBJECT: CalWORKs/Welfare-to-Work Status Report SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION(S): ACCEPT the report on the update of the CaIWORKs/Welfare-to-Work program. BACKGROUND/REASON(S) FOR RECOMMENDATION(S): On June 11, 2001, the Family and Human Services Committee heard the attached report on the status of the CaIWORKs/Welfare-to-Work program. The report includes descriptions of program elements; performance indicators and achievements; and critical service delivery issues and challenges. In response to questions from Supervisor Mark DeSaulnier and Supervisor Federal Glover, John Cullen, Director of Employment and Human Services Department, expressed concern that time limits may be too short for the hard to serve or if there is a downturn in the economy. Currently, the County has ability to defer the five-year lifetime limit on services for up to 20% of CaIWORKs clients, however this limitation is too stringent. Committee members requested Mr. Cullen to return to the Family and Human Services Committee at the appropriate time to identify federal legislative positions that would provide greater flexibility to the County in meeting the welfare-to-work objectives. In addition, Mr. Cullen was asked to identify pilot projects for which the County might be able to seek funding through legislative action. OON9ffdl19 ON ATTACHMENT: AYES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR_RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): *MAARMAIUL FEDERAL D. GLOVER ACTION OF BOARD ON APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED VOTE OF SUPERVISORS XI HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A L UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN AYES: NOES: ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ABSENT: ABSTAIN: ON MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Contact:Sara Hoffman,335-1090 ATTESTED A �0 JSWEETEN,CLERK OF EB OOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR cc: CAO John Cullen,EHSD Wendy Therrian,EHSD BY UTY Contra Costa County Eml Llo��mentt Services- REPORT TO THE FAMILY AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CalWORKslWelfare-To-Work Update JUNE 2001 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update INTRO°D'UCTI,O:N, March 2001 marked the three-year anniversary of Contra Costa County's implementation of Welfare Reform. The economy continues to be strong and caseloads continue to decline. In March 1998, our CalWORKS caseload was 13,248. The CalWORKS caseload for March 2001 was 7,923, a 13% decrease from the previous year and a 41% decrease since Welfare Reform implementation. With the declining caseload, the number of Welfare-to-Work participants is also decreasing. In March 1998, we had 10,496 CalWORKS adults, of which 8,020 had a Welfare-to-Work requirement. For March 2001, we have 4,727 CalWORKS adults, of which 3,679 have a Welfare-to-Work requirement, a 55% decrease in CalWORKS adults and a 54% in CalWORKS adults with a Welfare-to-Work requirement since Welfare Reform implementation. Additionally, the remaining Welfare-to-Work participants have multiple barriers to employment. The Employment and Human Services Department continues to be challenged with providing service to these "hard to serve" clients who need additional services not only for initial job placement and job retention but for wage progression and career advancement. In order to continue the gains in work participation, exits due to employment, grant savings, and cases with earnings, Employment Specialists will need to continue to provide more intensive case management and. supportive services to this increasing hard-to-serve population in addition to our non- barried CalWORKS clients. June 5,2001 2 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update PROG:R°AM'D.ES;CRIPTIONS ♦ CalWORKS TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) CaIWORKS TANF provides cash assistance to families with children who are needy because of the absence, incapacity, unemployment, or death of one or more parents. Time on aid is limited to 60 months. As of May 1, 2001 our TANF cash aid caseload is 7,598. Of that total, 4,525 are single parent households, 500 are two-parent households and 2,573 are child only cases. ♦ CaIWORKs/Welfare- To-Work With few exceptions, all CaIWORKS adults must meet Welfare-to- Work requirements. As of May 1, 2001, there were 4,463 CalWORKs adults, of which, 3,469 were identified with a Welfare-to-Work requirement. The adults with a Welfare-to-Work requirement decreased 36%from May 2000. The CaIWORKS/Welfare-to-Work program includes education, training, employment services, and supportive services payments such as child care and transportation so that participants will have the necessary skills and support to overcome any barriers to employment and become self sufficient. ♦ CalWORKS Child Care Block Grant The purpose of this program is to provide subsidized child care for eligible CalWORKS children and families living in Contra Costa County, and to provide a wide range of child care choices for parents. In April 2001, 1,119 families representing 2,092 children received child care payments. ♦ CAL-LEARN The Cal-Learn Program is for pregnant and parenting teens. The goal of the program is to keep teen parents in school until they graduate. Teens are eligible to Cal Learn beginning at any age, providing the teen is pregnant or has a child. Eligibility is also June 5.2001 3 Employment & Human Services Department CaIWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update extended to teen fathers who are CalWORKs participants and have a born child. Cal''Learn serves an average of 160 teens per month. ♦ One Stop Career Centers The new Workforce Investment Act (WIA) mandates a One Stop service delivery system as the primary mechanism for the coordinated delivery of WIA client services. The purpose of the One Stop system is to unify the numerous employment and training programs into a single, customer- friendly set of services. The concept of the One Stop is to integrate program services and governance structures. The WIA legislation also calls for the designation and certification of a One Stop Operator whose basic responsibilities is to manage the day-to-day functioning of the One Stop system. With the implementation of WIA effective July 1, 2000, the Contra Costa County Workforce Development Board (WDB) designated the One Stop Operator Mandated Partner Consortium as the new One Stop Operator for PY 2000-2001. The Consortium is currently comprised of nine (9) WIA mandated partners and includes the following organizations: 1. Community College Districts 2. Adult Schools 3. State Employment Development Department (EDD) 4. State Department of Rehabilitation (DR) 5. Contra Costa County Community Services Department 6. Contra Costa Community Development Department (Redevelopment) 7. California Human Development Corporation (CHDC) 8. Job Corps 9. Contra Costa County Employment & Human Services Department (EHSD) The Employment and Human Services Department is the lead agency for this Consortium. In the initial year of lead agency operational responsibility, the Department has accomplished the following: • Implementation of all new WIA policies, and operational procedures and processes; • Hiring of all new One Stop Center staff; • Assumed responsibility for all WIA case management functions; • Transitioned from a training-focused One Stop System contracted out by the Private Industry Council under the Job Training and Partnership Act (JTPA) to one serving universal job June 5,2001 4 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update .seekers and the business community under the Workforce Investment Act; • From July 2000 through March 2001, One Stop centers have served over 5,000 individuals; • Almost 27,000 customer visits to One Stop Centers in the first 8 months of FY 2000-2001; • Creation and refinement of a regional training vendor list; • Collaboration with the private and public sector to provide and receive employment and business-related services. The One Stop Centers currently provide self-access services for job seekers in the Center's Resource Rooms, intensive assessment and job placement assistance, workshops, labor market information, and direct training support for the universal job seeker and for those who are enrolled in the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) programs, the Department of Labor Welfare-to-Work grant programs, and CaIWORKs. Staff is also on-site at the One Stop Centers to meet the needs of the employer community. ♦ Weed And Seed This is a Department of Justice funded project which provides prevention and intervention of criminal activity in low income/high crime communities in Rodeo and North Richmond. It is designed to "seed" communities with programs that are directed at youth ages 8-21. The program focuses on anti-drug, anti-gang strategies. Weed and Seed programs are designed around the themes of computer literacy, mentorship, youth outreach, and truancy prevention and serve approximately 355 residents, mostly youth, in the North Richmond and Rodeo areas. Truancy Reduction Project The Truancy Prevention Pilot Demonstration Program is operated at John Swett High School in Crockett and Hillcrest Elementary School in Rodeo. This program includes a collaboration of social service providers and law enforcement providers that work to reduce truancy at the John Swett Schools. Positive attendance workers at Hillcrest Elementary School reach out to the families who are not getting their children to school. At the high school, a Truancy Coordinator works with the youth, meeting them, getting information on their needs and concerns. Graduated sanctions are employed if the truant refuses to comply with the requirement to attend school. June 5,2001 5 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update ♦ Noncustodial Parent Employment and Training Demonstration Project. This demonstration project is a collaborative between the Employment and Human Services Department and the Department of Child Support Services. The project provides employment and training services to parents, with delinquent child support orders, who have children on CalWORKs. Although the project will be discontinued by the State as of June 30, 2001, the Employment and Human Services Department will continue to fund services to this population through the Department of Labor's Welfare-to-Work grant. ♦ New Initiatives In the coming program year, we plan to initiate several new programs designed to eliminate barriers to employment and to provide additional supportive services to those participants who have entered the job market. Some of these new programs are: • Job Retention Services which includes a mentoring program, on-site job coaches, career advancement workshops and incentives; • Housing services; • Transportation services; • Marriage and family counseling; • Expanded services for Limited English Participants; • Legal advocacy services to assist participants with expunging criminal records; • More intensive. assessment and evaluation for hard-to-serve participants to determine employability; • TeenWORKS, a program for all CalWORKS teens age 16-18 that is patterned after the Independent Living Skills Program for foster care teens. June 5,2001 6 Employment 8, Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update PE�RFO.RM-ANCE-I:NDICATORS , ACHIEVEMEN,TSl , In past reports we included current statistics on a number of indicators such as, number of job placements, grant savings, and diversion payments. Prior statistics are included along with the data for the current year for your convenience and also as a measure of our progress. ♦ Job Placements From June 2000 through April 2001, 4,919 job placements were recorded for an average of 447 placements per month. While we had a 36% decrease in the number of CaIWORKS adults witha Welfare-to-Work requirement, the average number of job placements only decreases by 10%. As we stated in last year's report, the caseload is declining and we are reaching the "hard to serve" population. We expect the monthly job placements to decrease. Table 1 -Total Job Placements TOTAL` AVERAGE ..PLACEMENTS::0 TIME.PERIOD :'PLAC.EMENTS MONTH :'. July 1998-July 1999 4,199 323 August 1999-May 2000 5,003 500 June 2000-April 2001 4,919 447 Chart 1 Job Placements and Monthly Average 6,000 - 5,000 aA 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 4 0 - Total#of Job July 1998 - August 1999 June 2000 - Placements July 1999 - May 2000 April 2001 Average Per Month June 5.2001 7 Employment & Human Services Department CaIWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update In addition to individual case management, participants receive employment services through Job Club and Job Search. The Department continues to be proactive in our outreach to area employers. All four Districts offices continue to hold Job Fairs. Last September, the Richmond District Office held a Job Fair that attracted over 1,000 job seekers and was represented by 57 employers and 12 partnering agencies. In May 2001, the Martinez District Office held a Job Fair that was attended by 65 employers and over 300 job seekers. ♦ Average Hourly Wage And Average Weekly Number Of Hours At Work For the period, June 2000 through April 2001 CalWORKs participants, at placement, averaged 30.67 hours per week and earned an average of $8.65 per hour equaling $1,149 per month'. The monthly average income based on the average hours per week at work continues to be below the U.S. poverty threshold of $1,219 per month for the typical CalWORKs family consisting of a single parent and two children. However, the $1,149 average monthly amount is a 9% increase and the average hours worked is a 7% increase over the CalWORKS participants' average monthly income and hours worked "reported-to your committee in the June 2000 Report. Table 2-Average Hourly Wage, Hours Worked, Monthly Income A verage. Weekly!. Average. Average. :Number of Monthly Time Period Hourly Wage Hours at Work Income August 1999-December 1999 $7.95 29.22 $1,006 January 2000-May 2000 $8.18 29.71 $1,052 June 2000-May 2001 $8.65 30.67 $1,149 ' 30.67 hours per week x $8.65 per hour x 4.33 = $1148.72 per month. If the participant is working 40 hours per week, the average monthly income is $1498.18 per month, which is above the U.S. Poverty Threshold. June 5.2001 8 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update ♦ Work Participation Rate (WPR) The WPR is a Federal mandate requiring a certain percentage of our families to meet minimum weekly work hours. ,By October 2001, 50% of our one parent families should be working or in some other approved work activity for 30 hours per week, and 90% of our two parent families should be working or in some other approved work activity for 35 hours per week. Our monthly average Work Participation Rate is 39.32%. This is an increase of 3.36 percentage points over what was reported to your committee last year. Using the State's methodology for determining the Work Participation Rate and applying the case load reduction credit2, we are meeting the mandated target rate. For April 2001, the One-Parent household rate was 35.65% and the Two-Parent household rate was 35.80%. ♦ CaIWORKs Cases with Earnings As of May 1, 2001, 1,909 families or 25.13% of all CaIWORKs families, have earnings. The current rate for two-parent families is 65 % or 325 families. Table 3—Cases with Earnings • Ca1WORKS CaIWORKs: . Two Parent %of:. All Families %o..of:�All, : : . Families CalWORKS: • with CaIWORKS with Two Parent, REPORT MONTH. �Eamin s�. Families Earnin s Families December 1998 3,202 27.40% 609 53.42% July 1999 2,898 27.3% 550 55.3%. December 1999 2,903 30.98% 482 64.70% May 2000 2,711 29.75% 427 65.59% May 2001 1,909 25.13% 325 65% For the month of April 2001, our CalWORKS families reported earnings of $1,545,495. In our last report to you, and as we predicted, with the larger percentage of hard-to-serve participants and the declining Z The Work Participation Rate targets are a set number. Federal regulations allow for a reduction in the WPR target based on a reduction in the State's caseload. This calculation is made at the State and Federal level. It recognizes that as the caseloads decline, we will have a higher percentage of hard to serve participants. June 5,2001 9 Employment & Human Services Department CaIWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update caseloads and job placements,.it will be more difficult to show an increase in the number of families with earnings. ♦ Grant Savings For the period June 2000 through April 2001 our total grant savings was $6,668,032. Our average monthly grant savings for that period was $555,669. This number is also affected by the larger percentage of hard-to- serve participants who remain in the program. ♦ Exits Due to Earnings The number of exits due to earnings as provided below are fiscal year based. As with job placements, we expect that exits due to earnings will also level off due to declining caseloads and reaching performance plateaus. This performance indicator captures the exits due to employment when the Benefit Specialist or the Employment Specialist knows of the participant's employment, has made an eligibility determination and discontinues the cash case with the appropriate discontinuance code. There are many situations where a participant is discontinued from cash aid for some other reason, such as failing to meet their Welfare- to-Work requirement or not sending in the monthly income report, when in fact the participant was working. We estimate that a significant number of families leave welfare each month because they have obtained employment. Statistics from our Outreach Unit, which is discussed later in this report, indicate that 15% of participants who failed to cooperate with their WTW requirement and were in danger of being sanctioned were already working. Table 4- Exits from Cash Aid Due to Employment CASH AID TERMINATIONS RECORDED THAT ARE DIRECTLY LINKED TO TIME PERIOD EMPLOYMENT January 1998 - June 1998 6 mos. 673 July 1998-June 1999 12 mos. 2,112 July 1999-May 2000 1 1 mos. 2,001 June 2000-April 2001 1 1 mos. 1,880 June 5,2001 10 Employment & Human Services Department CaIWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update ♦ Diversion Payments The Workforce Services staff continue to recognize and offer diversion payments to people in need of temporary assistance to avoid coming on aid. From March 2000 through April 2001, a total of 24 diversion payments were approved totaling $4.4,853. Of those 24 families diverted from aid, to date 21 have remained off aid. One of the three families finding it necessary to receive aid, was on cash assistance for one month only and has been off aid since. Of particular interest is the underlying need for the diversion payment. In FY99/00, 78% of the diversion payments covered emergency housing costs. For July 1999 through February 2000, 64% of the payments were for emergency housing costs. For the nine months from May 2000 to January 2001, 82% of payments were for emergency housing. Through the use of diversion payments, we helped a family whose husband was injured in a car accident on the way to work. There was a delay in processing his State Disability Insurance claim. The family had no other source of income. We paid the family's mortgage and utilities for one month. In several situations, we assisted families for one to two months with their mortgage and utilities until they started receiving Unemployment Insurance, disability, or they returned to work. ♦ Child Care In April 2001 the four district offices' specialized child care units made payments totaling $914,070. This represents 1,119 families with 2,092 children. Table 5 Child Care Payments Monthly # of # of Time Period Payment.. Children Families March 1999 $ 725,884 1,734 996 June 1999 $ 961,350 2, 268 1,299 September 1999 $1,182,371 2,370 1,413 May 2000 $1,128,820 2,432 1,422 April 2001 $ 914,070 2,092 1,119 June 5.2001 11 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update CalWORKS families who time out of their 24 months of child care supportive services continue to receive Stage 3 Child Care services. We have also been successful in increasing child care resources. The Child Care Training program is a joint effort with the Contra Costa Community Services Child development Program, regional Occupation Program (ROP), West Contra Costa Adult School, Pittsburg Adult School, the Child Care Council and EHSD. We have graduated over 300 participants since the program started in West County in September 1997. ♦ Welfare-to-Work Outreach Workers In our September 1999 report, we introduced the Outreach Unit whose function it is to make home visits/contacts with participants when they are in danger of being sanctioned for non-cooperation with Welfare-to-Work requirements. The Outreach Unit operates in all four district offices. In September 2000, the Outreach Unit assumed added responsibility for outreaching participants who fail to keep their SAMHWORKS .(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services for CalWORKS) appointments. Additional responsibilities include following-up with clients who fail to participate in Job Club/ Job Search and those clients who are reaching time limits. From May 1, 2000 through March 31, 2001, the Outreach Unit received 1,425 referrals of which 758 agreed to cooperate and 194 refused. This represents a positive cooperation response rate of 53.19%. We gather statistics on the reasons participants fail to cooperate with their Welfare-to-Work requirement. These statistics indicate that child care issues and physical/mental health problems were the major reasons the participant failed to cooperate. These findings are used to modify and enhance service delivery operations in order to remove barriers to cooperation and employment. ♦ Tracking Participants who apply for Cash Aid In April 2000 we began gathering statistics on reasons people apply for cash aid. From April 2000 through March 2001 reasons were reported for 3,269 applicants. 1,326 or 41% of these applicants had never been on aid before and 1,943 or 59% had been on aid at June 5,2001 12 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update some point in the last 36 months. A breakdown of the 1,943 applicants' length of time off of aid before re-application is as follows: Table 6 Length of Time Off Aid at Application F- NUMBER: .: `'.TOTi4L Off aid for less than 12 months 1,513 78% Off aid more than 12 months but less than 317 16% 24 month Off aid more than 24 month but less than 113 6% 36 months. TOTAL 1,943 100% We tracked 37 possible reasons for applying for aid. The top five reasons were: Table 7 Reasons for Applying for Aid REASON FOR APPI.YNG':FOR CASH':::;r :`" %,O.F'. A it:>SSISTANCE � :::� NUML#.; ' Family job loss 802 25% Relocation from another county, state, 596 18% country Separation 557 17% Person or relative no longer able to support 214 7% applicant Grandchildren moved into the home 195 6% Sum of the 32 other Reasons 905 27% TOTAL REASONS 3,269 10070 The high percentage of applications due to family job loss is further evidence of the importance of and the need for aggressive and enhanced Job Retention services. ♦ Collaborations with the Business Community Continue to be Successful ❑ Pittsburg Pre-School Community Center Computer Training Program Under a Welfare-to-Work contract with the Department, the Pittsburg Pre-School & Community Center operates a computer training program targeting multiple-barried participants. The program commenced in the fall of 2000 and has successfully June 5,2001 13 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update exceeded its targeted enrollment goal of 20 participants. Performance outcome information for the first session of enrolled clients reflects very positive accomplishments. Five of the seven clients enrolled were initially employed at an.average hourly wage of $10.74, one client is still in training, and another while successfully completing the training class, is'not yet employed. Preliminary outcome information for the second training session also reflects very positive outcomes with all six clients successfully completing the training and five entering employment. We will continue to track employment gains and retention for all clients enrolled in the program. ❑ OPTIC: Opportunities in Technology Information Careers is a business venture combining government; business, education and community based organizations under one roof. OPTIC provides training and employment in data base maintenance and data clean up. Partners include: TechProse, EHSD, Workforce Investment Board, Los Medanos College, St Vincent de Paul, Contra Costa Council, and our DoIT. OPTIC will provide up to six months of employment focusing on productivity and soft work skill acquisition. During this time the employee can earn up to $8.00 per hour based on their productivity. When required performance is obtained, the employee will be placed in an outside competitive job where the entry-level salary averages $12- $14 per hour. To date, 55 participants have gone through the OPTIC program. Of that number, 29 participants are either competitively employed making from $29,000 to $54,000 per year, or working for OPTIC on the production floor earning a base wage. This represents a positive completion rate of 63%. Nine participants are still in training, and 17 unsuccessfully completed the program and were referred back to our Department for redirection and for additional services to remove employment barriers. ❑ Bank of America Wire Transfer Customized Training Program: Bank of America is sponsoring a program to train and employ individuals to be wire transfer representatives. Four sessions are planned throughout the summer. The first session has started and all of our CalWORKS participants that we referred were accepted into the program. This program offers an excellent opportunity for wage progression and career advancement. Bank of America will hire 30 CalWORKS participants who will earn $1,800 month plus full benefits. Some of the benefits include a 24 hour Life Works hotline, child care information and referral and up to $152 per month for child care. In line with our career advancement strategy, Bank of America also June 5.2001 14 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update provides tuition reimbursement for college, up to $2,000 per year for under graduate courses and up to $4,000 per year for graduate level courses. ❑ SafeHavens for Little People is a non-profit organization founded by Karen Justice-Guard. Safe Havens' goal is to provide employment and soft-skills life training to all women, with a strong compassion to work with those who have experienced domestic violence and/or alcohol-drug barriers. Safe Havens' employment programs focus on two primary career paths: Catering and Business Operations. Clients may be referred to the area of their interest. Both paths include an intensive soft skills component that focuses on strengthening skills that will prevent repeat involvement in the domestic violence and drug/alcohol areas. June 5,2001 15 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update CRITICAL;SERVICE:DELIVERY ISSUES:A°ND: CHALLENGES ♦ Recessionary Planning California's healthy economy has been a significant factor in successfully moving CalWORKS participants from welfare to self- sufficiency. National and State Welfare experts are mindful of the affects an economic downturn may have on the gains made thus far through Welfare Reform. As part of the on-going assessment and analysis of welfare reform and because we expect that the CalWORKS participants who left welfare for work will be the first affected by an economic downturn and the last to benefit from a recovery, the Workforce Services Bureau is addressing the impact a reversal in the economy will have on our service delivery model. In reviewing the historical data, a Contra Costa County unemployment rate of 7.2% could result in the CalWORKS caseload increasing by 100%. To mitigate the negative impacts of a possible recession, the Workforce Services Bureau is moving forward with the following strategies: • Continue to improve the service delivery infrastructure with particular emphasis on aggressive job development and job retention. • Continue to build working relationships with employers for first referral / hiring agreements and other strategies. • Continue to monitor labor market trends to identify jobs with greater career advancement and more job security. • Ensure that we maintain quality Employment Specialists that are committed to pro-active case management. • Place greater emphasis on long-term careers. • Continue to promote the work first, but not work only, strategy. ♦ Lack Of Space Lack of space continues to be an issue in all the District offices. The District offices have little or no room to add staff that have already been authorized as well as community partners, such as, STAND, EDD, SAMHWORKS, and the Public Defender. Existing space continues to be reconfigured, conference rooms continue to be converted to house staff and short-term space is being sought pending acquisition of permanent space. June 5,2001 16 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update ♦ Meeting The Needs Of The Hardest To Serve Clients A common theme throughout this and previou' reports has been the declining caseloads and the challenge of providing service to the hard-to-serve. This population has multiple barriers to employment including inadequate job skills, educational deficiencies, child care and transportation needs, domestic violence issues, medical/physical limitations, substandard housing, and substance abuse and mental health issues. Of the 4,463 CalWORKs adults, 3,469 have a Welfare-to-Work requirement. As of April 30, 2001 3,378 were enrolled in some type of WTW component. After 3 years into welfare reform, we are reaching the participants who require more supportive services to help them move from welfare to self-sufficiency. The hardest to serve have substance abuse and mental health problems, domestic violence issues, little to no job training or skills, and/or little to no education. These participants require more staff time per case and staff must have skills that go beyond providing basic employment services. Multiple barriered participants require that staff be knowledgeable of and have skills in identifying and assessing substance abuse, mental health issues, domestic violence, learning disabilities, housing issues, transportation needs, and child care problems. With the declining caseload and the characteristics of the participants changing, we will need to provide more and intensified services, more face-to- face intervention, and more proactive case management to fewer participants. We also need to consider a multi-pronged approach that recognizes the Work First approach may not be appropriate for all participants. Not all participants are ready to enter the job market. Programs should be developed or enhanced to provide education, apprenticeship opportunities, and job skills training. ❑ Domestic Violence Based on the success of a STAND (formerly the Battered Women's Alternatives or BWA) pilot project operated in our Antioch office, the project was most recently rolled out to our other three district offices. June 5,2001 17 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update Based on the original pilot project design, STAND will have a full- time, on-site representative at each of our district offices providing direct assistance to our clients who may be victims of domestic violence. The STAND representatives will also provide technical assistance and consultation to our staff by assisting with assessments as appropriate, and by providing presentations on domestic violence at Orientation and Job Clubs. Some of the benefits to date under the Antioch pilot project have been increasing staff awareness of domestic violence issues, developing protocols to deal with emergency situations, and improving our ability to assist and provide services to clients whose domestic violence issues are formidable barriers to employment. From July 2000 through March 2001, we referred over 85 participants to STAND for domestic violence services. ❑ Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMHWORKS) We continue to refer participants to the SAMHWORKS (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services for CalWORKS) Program. Referrals continue to climb. From July 2000 through March 2001 our staff made 487 referrals. Since June 1998 we have referred over 1,800 CalWORKS participants to the SAMHWORKS program. We are currently averaging 67 referrals per month. We are in the process of completing a review of all 1,800 referrals to determine the outcome of those referrals; such as, what percentage were to receive substance abuse treatment, what percentage were to receive mental health treatment, what percentage completed their treatment and were ready to participate in a Welfare-to- Work activity, and what percentage of those who completed treatment became employed and continued gainful employment. Our review will also encompass those "no-show" or drop out clients referred for assessment and treatment. We have partial data from the November 2000 SAMHWORKS Year End Report prepared by Health Services. For the period July 1999 through June 2000, our Department made 1,206 referrals to SAMHWORKS. Of that number, 738 completed assessments with a total of 451 referred for treatment -- 371 were referred for mental health treatment and 80 were referred for substance abuse treatment. June 5,2001 18 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update Referrals:to x468 gr:39%. S?IMM ORKS:,:: `.N0 S 01M: Refered for outre6ch�SerA_6es; Assessments•::.:::.;. 37.1 of 82%. 451 or 6,1% 60;6r ; REFERRED..FORMENTAL;: Referr2d':: Referred•.for,;.' ',•:` HEALTH TREATMENT. IF TreQiment; §ubstance AbUse Treatment: 4 7:or 58%'. . 'Began 1vlerital FieiiltlBegan substance Tre.a merit "':::` ` Abuse Tf6dihient Ether..Successful) `Successfully; Completed!Mental; completedSubstance: Health':Treafinerif;Or:Are ::'.;.Abuse.;;Treatmerit , Still In Treatment: For the 371 participants referred for mental health treatment, 180 actually began the treatment. And of the 180 who began treatment, 110 had either successfully completed treatment or were still in treatment at the time of the report. As a percentage of those who started treatment, the 110 participants represent a successful completion rate of 61%. For the 80 participants referred for substance abuse treatment, 47 actually began treatment. Of those 47 who began treatment, 19 successfully completed treatment. As a percentage of those who started treatment, 19 represents a successful completion rate of 40%. ❑ Serving Clients with Disabilities Research from across the Country and our own experience suggest that some of our hard-to-serve participants have learning disabilities that require special attention in order for these participants to succeed under CalWORKS. June 5,2001 19 Employment & Human Services Department Cal WORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update Under an agreement with the State Department of Rehabilitation (DR), cross training has been provided for both Department and DR staff and a mechanism developed for the referral and provision of DR diagnostic assessment and support services to those clients preliminarily determined by Department staff to have a disability. From January 2000 through March 2001, we have made over 60 referrals to DR. We have also been investigating the use of a learning disability screening tool to better assist our staff in successfully identifying and referring clients with "hidden" disabilities. We are also exploring a full service delivery program for our CaIWORKS disabled population as well as expanding our disability service providers to include other organizations such as Mt. Diablo Adult School, Mt. Diablo Vocational School, and Worldwide Educational Services. ♦ Job Retention In several of our past updates to you, we discussed the importance of Job Retention as a crucial service to ensure that participants not only keep their jobs but also continue in a career path that will lead to self-sufficiency. We continue to address this challenge. We have started Job Retention Workshops countywide. Workshops are open to CaIWORKS participants and their children. These workshops are held at the District offices two Saturdays each month. Participants bring their issues relating to their jobs and families and the group discusses each issue and offers suggestions. The Job Retention Worker facilitates the discussion and also provides information on available resources. Group activities are also part of the workshop based on the "30 Ways to Shine" workbook. While the parents are participating in the workshop, our staff is also working with the children. Staff read to the children, play educational games and provide monitored computer experience for the older children. As part of our continued effort to successfully address job retention and self-sufficiency for our clients, we are examining and developing other post employment approaches that go beyond supportive services (i.e. transportation, child care, housing, etc.) These approaches include career awareness and advancement services, on-site skills upgrade training with employers, and earnings enhancements. June 5,2001 20 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update In last year's report to you, we stated that the department was participating in a Welfare Leavers study conducted by the Sphere Institute. The Leavers Study tracks client progress six months and one- year after leaving CaIWORKS.. The Sphere Institute issued an interim report and the preliminary findings are consistent with our internal data. The report provides additional evidence that although _. participants are leaving welfare and are employed, they are struggling to become self-sufficient. In Contra Costa County, a parent with two children needs to earn at least $21.00 per hour to be self-sufficient. Our focus may need to shift to also addressing the needs of the working poor. Some of the Leavers Study preliminary findings are: • 70%of leavers reported that they stopped receiving aid because of earnings. • Among employed adults, family leavers are earning an average of about$1,200 per month during the exit quarter. .• From the survey data, among the workers, the average hourly wages range from $8.00 to $10.00 per hour. • One in five leavers return to cash aid within six months. ♦ Childcare, Transportation & Housing For Low Income Persons .❑ Child Care - Developing and maintaining early childhood education and child care capacity in the community presents many challenges. Some of the challenges are: providing a "family friendly"service delivery model which promotes the needs of both the parents and the children as an integral component of a successful child care program; instilling sound business skills as well as child development practice to child care providers new to the profession; and addressing the shortage of licensed care for infants/toddlers and special needs children. ❑ Transportation - The Workforce Services Bureau's goal is to provide a comprehensive "menu" of employment transportation solutions for caseworkers to use with clients. Efforts continue to encourage the expansion of public transportation where appropriate. Some remote areas of the county have no public transportation service, and other areas suffer from inadequate routes, June 5.2001 21 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update infrequent service and a lack of late-night and weekend service. Travel to some employment destinations requires multiple transfers and excessive time. The Workforce Services Bureau will be continuing to work on these public transportation issues by working with local transit operators on suggested route changes and in grant applications, including matching funds. The expansion of the Martinez Link, Rt. 30Z service to include a connection with the N. Concord BART station will be.a priority for 2001-02. Other employment transportation solutions to be implemented include the countywide expansion of the Childrens' Transportation Project and implementation of a countywide Demand-Response (Dial-A-Ride) service. For 2001-2002 we plan to implement a low-cost automobile loan program to enable CalWORKs participants to purchase automobiles. The Workforce Services Bureau will also evaluate the cost-benefit of issuing multi-ride bus passes to CalWORKs participants rather than the current practice of issuing single-ride passes. Finally, the Workforce Services Bureau will develop standardized reference tools and staff training for caseworkers in their role as transportation advisors to their clients. ❑ Housing- As CalWORKs participants transition through job training and placement into permanent jobs they are facing numerous housing related obstacles is their effort to achieve self-sufficiency. The challenges facing TANF families are maintaining or securing decent, safe, and affordable housing, where housing is in short supply, and housing prices/rents are out of reach. All extremely low-income households in Contra Costa County seeking to compete in the open housing market without housing assistance are faced with the most serious challenges. The major challenge for the Employment and Human Services Department is to develop and finance new and creative housing support services not only for the benefit of TANF families but the working poor as well. The Workforce Services Bureau's Housing Specialist worked closely with the Housing Alliance to produce a three-month intensive study of the housing needs of CalWORKs participants. This effort resulted in the Contra Costa County CalWORKS Housing Assistance Action Plan and Implementation Strategy. The Action Plan was used as part of the annual state budget June 5,2001 22 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update process to obtain funding through CalWORKS direct services for housing initiatives for CalWORKs participants. The initiatives include such programs as: • Emergency Housing Assistance. To prevent loss of housing by CalWORKS families due to financial hardship, not for lease violations, this once-in-a-lifetime assistance would be for a rent arrearage of up to two months (limited to rent reasonableness standards established for unit size in Tenant-Based program), or$1,500, whichever is less. • Housing Referral System. This service is designed to provide CalWORKS participants with information and referral services that include: a Web Site and user friendly access at each of the Employment and Human Services Department's District Offices, the Family Service Centers and the One-Stop Career Centers; a Toll free number; and a roving Housing Assistance Resource Specialist that provides CalWORKS participants with direct housing search assistance and other housing related services. The Resource Specialist will maintain a database of current affordable units in Contra Costa County in collaboration with the County's Community Development Department. • Transitional Housing Support. This program provides a one- time relocation assistance payment of up to $1,500 for CalWORKS families coming out of publicly funded transitional housing programs. • Tenant Housing Counseling Program. Housing Assistance Program participants will be required to attend and participate in mandatory tenant counseling workshops that include but are not limited to the following topics: ■ Money Management; ■ Establishing/Repairing Credit ; ■ Housing Maintenance & Upkeep; ■ Tenant Occupancy Rights & Responsibilities. • Relocation Grant Program. The Relocation Program is a one-time program to issue a maximum of $1,500 plus the cost of appliances, to qualified CalWORKS participants who have obtained a job or received a documented offer of employment, and need to move closer to work, child care, or public transportation. The subsidy may be June 5,2001 23 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update used for moving expenses, such as moving truck rental, utility deposits, and security deposits. • Housing Scholarship Program. Selected participants may be awarded a housing scholarship for one year. For the first four months, the program subsidizes 60% of the rent. Maximum subsidy per year is $5,000. Scholarships are awarded after housing is located. Case management will provide participants with ongoing support and guidance. In addition to meeting program eligibility criteria, applicants must also demonstrate motivation, commitment, and the ability to achieve their targeted income goals. ♦ Federal Work Participation Rate The Federal requirements for the numbers of persons engaged in a work activity continue to increase. As of October 2001, 50% of all families must be participating in work activities a minimum of 30 hours per week, and 90% of 2-parent families must be similarly engaged a minimum of 35 hours per week. As the caseload decreases and the more employable participants leave welfare, the remaining caseload will increasingly be comprised of participants who have multiple barriers to employment and who will need more intensified case management services to enable them to move into the job market. ♦ Data Collection We continue to improve our ability to obtain accurate information from the Case Data System (CDS) and GAIN Information System (GIS). These multiple systems lack data sharing and tracking capabilities. The current systems are difficult and time consuming to utilize for data collection and tracking. The Department's Master File Extract project was designed to augment the current system reporting capabilities. The Department continues to improve the quality of data captured, tracking, reliability and data analysis of information related to our CalWORKs/Welfare-to-Work outcomes. Using the current monthly CDS/GIS extract, the Workforce Services Bureau continues to produce monthly reports to monitor program outcomes. We have two new reports that will help Staff track June 5,2001 24 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update participants to ensure services are provided before the Welfare-to- Work time limit expires. The first report lists participants who do not have a Welfare-to-Work plan signed and the second report lists participants with a signed Welfare-to-Work plan and the expiration date of the plan. The Workforce Services Bureau is also participating in the Department's C3BIS project, which involves building a data warehouse using Oracle products. Through the Oracle Discoverer tool, the Workforce Services Bureau will be able to produce monthly reports, track history, do analysis of the data and make projections. Full Staffing The Workforce Services Bureau continues to refine its employment focused service delivery model. Specialized non-case carrying staff (e.g. Job Developers, Job Retention Workers) are needed to assist in the delivery of specialized services. Although caseloads have declined the current and future characteristics of clients are multi- barriered requiring more intensified services. With the Workforce Services Bureau's lead responsibility of the WIA One Stop Consortium and with the termination of all former One Stop contracted services as of June 30, 2001, the Workforce Services Bureau, in conjunction with the Consortium, will be responsible for providing a minimum of 23 replacement staff to provide services from receptionist to case managers in addition to Resource Room Assistants and Business Services Representatives. ♦ Integration Of Department And Community Resources As the service delivery model continues to be refined there is a need to enhance and expand the connection of job seekers to services such as substance abuse treatment, domestic violence services, which support their work efforts. The emerging challenge is integrating the wide array of available community resources with the existing and evolving needs of Welfare-to-Work participants. ♦ Reorganization And One Stop Operation With the merger of the former Private Industry Council (PIC) and the former Department of Social Services well into its second year, the Department continues to refine and enhance the policy, operatio;of and adn-iinist ational roles and responsibilities, as well as June 5,2001 25 . Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update the intra and inter communications, of the Employment and Human Services Department Operational and Administrative Staff with that of the Workforce Development Board (WDB). This merger also raises additional challenges of blending and integrating different funding sources i.e. CalWORKS TANF, CalWORKS WTW, Workforce Development, and Department of Labor WTW grants under one service delivery system in the One-Stop Centers. With the Department's administrative and operational lead for the One Stop Operator Consortium, challenges are forthcoming in working with the other mandated and non-mandated partners, service providers, and stakeholders to develop the overall system and services delivery structure. Such tasks as further implementing and refining procedures, processes, and funding mechanisms while establishing new staff and programs will be essential to the necessary evolution of the system. Meeting and exceeding performance outcomes and determining client target populations, needs, and outreach are examples of additional challenges which lay before us. ♦ Service Delivery Model To address the needs of the hard-to-serve and to reinforce the employment focus of our service delivery model, the Workforce Services Bureau is separating the Eligibility function and the Employment Services function. Separation has begun in all four District Offices. Employment Specialists will provide CalWORKS WTW employment services and Benefit Specialists will be responsible for CalWORKS cash and Food Stamps eligibility determination. Employment Specialists will be expected to provide more intensive and proactive case management and supportive services. In conjunction with the change, the Workforce Services Bureau is transitioning to a more customer service, client driven service delivery model. We are developing a client survey as the main tool in determining client needs and identify gaps in services. This change in the service delivery model, coupled with re-instituting the face-to-face annual reinvestigations, poses challenges to the Benefit Specialist. Benefit Specialists (Eligibility Workers) will have higher caseloads as a result of separating the eligibility and employment services functions. We expect that the Benefit Specialists will interact with the Employment Specialists in case June 5,2001 26 Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update conferences and in joint meetings with their clients. There will also be increased interaction between Benefit Specialists and participants. The Workforce Services Bureau is also planning to institute increased internal monitoring, assessment, and analysis of the various programs and contracted services to better determine which programs are resulting in the most positive impacts for our CalWORKS participants. We plan to use this information to determine the continuation or need for new programs. ♦ Employment Support Services For Low Income Persons As we continue to work with the remaining CalWORKS population, we also need to address those essential employment support services for low-income persons as has been previously addressed in this report. Work in these areas will better enable a worker to meet costs of living, wage progress, and not move from work-to-welfare. ♦ Non Custodial Parent / Fatherhood Projects We recognize the importance of the CalWORKS non-custodial parent. In the coming program year, we will also be proposing various initiatives and strategies to more fully address the service needs of non-custodial parents in addition to assessing.fatherhood strategies. ♦ Health Care Although job placements continue to rise, many participants are entering jobs with no health insurance benefits. We continue to refer all CalWORKS participants who are discontinued from cash assistance to the Medi-Cal Unit for an eligibility determination. We are also in the process of hiring Community Aides for a new Medi- Cal Outreach Unit. ♦ Uncertain Funding Mix The estimated expenditure for fiscal year 2000-2001 is $53,286,062. Of that amount, approximately 8.25 % is County funded. The expenditure breaks down as follows: June 5,2001 27 s Employment & Human Services Department CalWORKS/Welfare-To-Work Implementation Update CaIWORKS Basic Eligibility 8,754,087 WTW Employment Services $25,465,943 Cal-Learn 765,748 Child Care $16,224,189 TANF Incentives 2,075,873 TOTAL $53,286,062 The allocation for FY01/02 is still unknown'. The incentive dollars are in question; the basic eligibility and Employment Services budgets have not been agreed on; and the final allocation has not been determined. We expect to have more definitive funding identified by September. While funding for CalWORKS has been good in our early years, questions remain regarding the federal and state Government's commitment to continue the job that has been started. Both the Federal and State Governments have recently commenced discussions on reauthorization of the Welfare Reform laws. With so much positive press on caseload reductions and employment gains, we fear that Washington and Sacramento will declare victory and abandon serious efforts to continue reform policies or provide necessary funding. As Congress begins to debate the TANF Reauthorization legislation for 2002, we will continue to work together with National and State organizations, elected officials, service partners and the faith-based community to better define and advocate for the continued level of TANF funding and associated block grants as well as enhanced flexibility allowed to states in designing welfare programs. We also continue to advocate for continued support for services that assist people moving off welfare, into a job and out of poverty. On the State level, we will continue to advocate for exemption of the hard to serve from Welfare-to-Work requirements, flexibility in time limits, expanded job retention services, increased diversion and early intervention services and expansion of the poverty definition to enable us to provide services to the working poor. June 5,2001 28