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 .