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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 11071995 - SD5 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS F&HS-01 Contra FROM: J FAMILY AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE "z Costa County DATE: October 23, 1995 SUBJECT: STATUS REPORT ON THE GENERAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION: 1. DIRECT the Social Service Director to make a detailed report to our Committee on December 11, 1995 on the General Assistance Program [Both Supervisors DeSaulnier and Smith support this recommendation]. 2. DIRECT the County Administrator and Social Service Director to plan a Board of Supervisors' workshop sometime between January and May, 1996 on the subject of General Assistance. [Both Supervisors DeSaulnier and Smith support this recommendation]. 3. CONSIDER scheduling time for the Board of Supervisors to reconsider the homeless grant provisions of the General Assistance Program and the shared housing provisions of the General Assistance Program. [Supervisor Smith supports this recommendation]. BACKGROUND: On July 25, 1995, the Board of Supervisors approved a Report from our Committee which included the following Recommendations, among others.- 3. thers:3. DIRECT the Social Service Director to report to the Family and Human Services Committee on a quarterly basis, beginning in the month of October, 1995, on the actual dollar savings attributable to the implementation of the policy changes approved by the Board of Supervisors. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: )< YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR -_RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMTTEE APPROVE II OTHER SIGNATURE s: De A LNIER •'F M T ACTION OF BOARD ON Navember 7 1995 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X_ OTHER X_ APPROVED recommendations Nos. 1 and 2; TABLED recommendation No. 3 for reconsideration of homeless grant and shared housing provisions of the General Assistance Program. VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X _UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. ATTESTED November 7. 1995 Contact: County Administrator PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF cc: Social Service Director SUPERVIS RS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR County Counsel Legal Services Foundation BY DEPUTY F&HS-01' 4. LEAVE this matter on referral to the Family and Human Services Committee and AUTHORIZE the Committee to meet with representatives from the Legal Services Foundation and the Social Service Department during the month of October to review the implementation of the changes approved by the Board of Supervisors and consider any additional refinements suggested by the Legal Services Foundation, Social Service Department or others. On October 23, 1995, our Committee met with the Social Service Director, John Cullen, members of his staff; staff from the County Counsel's Office and County Administrator's Office; Phil Bertenthal from the Legal Services Foundation; David Amman, an advocate for the homeless; and Jean Kuberra, relative of a General Assistance recipient. Mr. Cullen reviewed the attached report with our Committee, noting that since several of the elements of the General Assistance Program changes had been implemented only October 1, 1995, the projected savings figures are likely to change as the Department obtains more data over a longer period of time. Mr. Bertenthal provided our Committee with the attached outline of policy changes he believes the Board of Supervisors should consider. Supervisor Smith indicated his on-going concern with the manner in which grants for the homeless are being handled and with the whole concept of reducing grants for people who are sharing housing. He suggested that the Board of Supervisors should rethink these areas. Supervisor DeSaulnier emphasized his interest in evaluating whether what the Board is doing with the General Assistance Program is effective. He suggested that the Board should hold a workshop on this sometime between January and May, 1996. We have agreed to-file a split report in view of the fact that Supervisor DeSaulnier would prefer to wait until next spring and have a workshop on the entire General Assistance Program, whereas Supervisor Smith wants the Board to rethink the homeless and shared housing portions of the General Assistance Program immediately. -2- SOCIAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT CONTRA COSTA COUNTY TO: Family and, Human Services Committee DATE:October 18, 1995 cc: Phil Batchelor FROW John Cullerr�t ector SUBJECT: Status Repn Implementation of General Assistance Policy Changes ------------------------------------------------------------------ Policy/Procedural Changes: ► All General Assistance recipients were notified in.August of the upcoming GA policy changes: ► 15 day residency requirement ► change in sanction periods from one to two months, and from three to four months ► increase the value of an exempt automobile from $1500 to $4500 ► vendor payments for housing:, ► Homeless applicants: referral to shelters and reduction of grants to reflect in-kind value of shelter ► Changes in standards of assistance for recipients residing with certain related persons ► Prescheduled hearings for discontinuance/sanction for noncompliance with program requirements Status Report 1. 15 day residency requirement -- implemented effective August 1, 1995. ► All applicants for GA must be able to verify that they have been residents of CCC for at least 15 days before aid can be granted. ► Impact: For, the period 8/1 through 9/30, 135 cases were impacted by this regulation, and were denied aid until residence was established. 2. Sanction periods -- implemented effective August 1, 1995. 0 ► Durational sanctions for failure to comply with program requirements were increased from :warning, one month, three months, six months; to: warning, two months, four months, six months ► Impact:. We estimate that $1,060,000 less will be paid for the remainder of FY95/96, based on statistics and average grant payments for the prior six months. Gen 9c (New 3/86) TO: Family and Human Services Committee October 18, 1995 SUBJ: Status Report on Implementation of GA Policy Changes Page 2 3. Value of exempt automobile -- implemented effective August 1, 1995. ► The value of an exempt automobile was increased from $1500 without regard to encumbrances to $4500 without regard to encumbrances. ► Impact: Unknown. This will result in additional expenditures for persons who would have been ineligible to GA; however, it is not expected to be a significant amount. 4. Vendor Pay for Housing ► Effective October 1, 1995 all housing allowances will be paid by direct vendor payment. Payments to landlords totalling.over $600 per year will be reported to IRS and CFTB. ► A notice was sent to all General Assistance recipients on September 1, 1995, along with a vendor pay forms packet. On October 1 recipients received the food, personal needs and transportation portion of the grant, and as vendor payment forms are returned, payments to landlords were issued. As of October 4, 1995, 838 recipients had returned forms, and those vendor payments had been issued. As forms continue to be returned throughout the month, supplementary vendor payments are issued. Forms completed incorrectly are being returned to the clients, with instructions for proper completion, and are accepted after the due date; supplements are being issued. ► Impact: $279,000 for the remainder of FY 95/96, estimate based on coding statistics collected October 4, 1995. 5. Grants for Homeless Recipients ► Effective October 1, 1995, homeless applicants and recipients are offered referral to available public and private shelter beds. Fifty-nine beds at the two county sponsored beds have been allotted to GA recipients. Those who accept a bed receive a grant of $142; those who decline an available bed receive a grant of $142; those who accept a referral, but for whom there is no bed available are eligible to receive up to the full $300 in prorated weekly supplements. As these recipients TO: Family and Human Services Committee October 18, 1995 SUBJ: Status Report on Implementation of GA Policy Changes Page 3 return on a weekly basis, the availability of shelter is explored. ► Impact: $350,000 for remainder of FY 95/96, estimate based on coding statistics collected October 4, 1995. 6. Standards of Assistance for Recipients Living with Related Persons ► Effective September 1, 1995 for applicants and October 1, 1995 for recipients, grants for those who reside with certain related persons were reduced based on a multiple person standard of assistance. ► Impact: On September 14, 1995, a lawsuit, Taylor v Contra Costa County, was filed in Superior Court challenging the county's family shared housing standards. Contra Costa Legal Services Foundation are the attorneys for the plaintiff. On October 10, 1995 the county was enjoined from using this standard of assistance. Grants will be recomputed, supplements issued for September and October, and November grants increased. It is estimated that this court action will cost the program approximately $1,281,000 in FY 95/96. 7. Automated Hearings ► Effective October 13, 1995, all "notices of failure to comply", which propose discontinuance and sanction for noncompliance with program requirements will contain prescheduled hearing dates and times. The hearing appointments will be restated on the "notices of action", which will be sent if the clients do not resolve the issues. Each hearing will take place prior to the effective date of the action. Prescheduled hearings will result in: eliminating the need for clients to request hearings; hearings scheduled to take place in a timely manner and decisions issued immediately, prior to the effective date of the action, thus eliminating the need for aid-paid-pending the decision; and timely action on multiple failures within the same month. At the Board's direction, the Department met with Legal Services, and a number of implementation issues were discussed and resolved. The Department agreed to provide seventeen days notice of the hearing TO: Family and Human Services Committee October 18, 1995 SUBJ: Status Report on Implementation of GA Policy Changes Page 4 appointment, and made some changes in the notices sent to clients. The Department was not willing to expand further the criteria for postponement of hearings, nor to meet Legal Services' proposal for one postponement upon request, without good cause. ► Impact: None to report as of this date, as implementation has just begun. However, between October 13 and October 18, 448 notices have been sent which contain pre-scheduled hearings, which will be held beginning November 3, 1995. The Department has established programmatic and financial tracking mechanisms which will enable us to better identify continuing impacts of these new policies. We will continue to work with the County Administrator's office to maximize this program, and will report back to the Family and Human Services Committee at mid-year on actual cost impacts. LAW OFFICES OF CONTRA COSTA LEGAL SERVICES FOUNDATION Main Office Telephone 1017 Macdonald Avenue West County(510)233-9954 P.O.Box 2289 East(510)439-9166 Richmond,Califomia 94802 Central(510)372-8209 Fax(510)236-6846 To: Family and Human Services Committee From: Philip Bertenthal, Director of Litigation Re: General Assistance Policy Changes Date : October 23 , 1995 This is a list of the issues which I will be presenting to you concerning our proposals for changes in GA policy. 1 . Sanctions-reductions in aid instead of terminations 2 . Improve the job search program a. No purpose served requiring written job applications (especially unfair to those who cannot read and write) and requiring the immediate availability of a job b. End job search for applicants C . Establish evaluation process for job search program d. Stop duplication with the Food Stamp job search f . Provide sufficient bus fare 3 . Voucher payments a. End voucher payments for those who own their own homes, particularly those without mortgages b. End multiple voucher payments for housing .expenses other than rent by providing cash aid up to the full GA standard minus the rent voucher payment. C . Fix current implementation problems 4 . Eliminate fingerprinting 5 . Expand grants for work related expenses, provide larger income disregards and establish employer subsidies .