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Health and Human Services Committee

Minutes

January 7, 2008

          The Health and Human Services Committee of the DeKalb County Board met on Monday, January 7, 2008 @ 6:30p.m. in the Administration Building’s Conference Room East.  Chairman Robert Rosemier called the meeting to order.  Members present were Jeff Metzger, Sr., Julia Fullerton, and Paul Stoddard.  Ms. LaVigne and Mr. Osborne were absent.  Mary Ramp and Leslie Wicks were also present.

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

          Moved by Mr. Stoddard, seconded by Ms. Fullerton, and it was carried unanimously to approve the minutes from December 2007.

APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

          Ms. Mary Ramp asked if she could add an item to the agenda regarding the Senior Tax Levy? 

          Moved by Mr. Metzger, Sr., seconded by Mr. Stoddard, and it was carried unanimously to approve the agenda as amended.

SENIOR TAX LEVY APPLICATION BID

          Ms. Mary Ramp, Director of the DeKalb County Community Services Department, informed the committee that she would be mailing out the Senior Tax Levy Application Bids shortly and wondered if there were any changes that the committee want made to the document before the mailing?

          Chairman Rosemier thought that the hearing was run very smoothly last year.

          Mr. Stoddard asked that if there was any money that is carried over could it be considered for an award for some small equipment that an agency may need?

          Chairman Rosemier said, like a one-time only award provision, as a supplemental bid?

          Ms. Ramp said that it would probably need to be a one-time only award at this time because there is no guarantee from year to year whether or not an agency will use all of their awarded funds.

          The committee asked Ms. Ramp how much money was the County awarded this year?

          Ms. Ramp also said about $500,000 would be the amount that the committee could award to the agencies this year.

          It was agreed that Ms. Ramp would supply a regular application form for the agencies to apply for this year’s funds and then a supplemental application for small equipment needs.  Mr. Rosemier asked to review the supplemental application language before it was sent out.

          Ms. Ramp will be sending out these applications in two (2) weeks and that they will need to be returned to her office by February 2008.  Then at the committee’s March 2008 meeting, she will distribute the packets for the April Meeting in which the Senior Tax Levy Hearings will be held.

          Mr. Rosemier announced that Fox Valley have opened a new adult day care center in DeKalb. 

          He also informed the committee that he hopes to have three (3) meetings total on the housing needs in DeKalb County.  This month, of course, the committee is talking about the homeless needs.  Next month he is inviting Mr. Herb Rubin to have him present his report to the committee on the need for affordable housing.  He would like to have someone from the Board of Realtors visit with the committee about accessibility and demand affordable housing in the County.

Hope Haven, Executive Director Ms. Leslie Wicks

          Ms. Wicks, Executive Director for Hope Haven, discussed the homeless issue in DeKalb County.

          She said that they served 289 people last year and served 30,000 meals.  They have a program called “7 to 7” where people who stay in the shelter have to be out of it from 7a.m. to 7p.m. where children go to school and people work.  The only exception to this rule is for people who are elderly and disabled who can stay in the shelter all day.  She said that they are seeing families staying in the shelter for about ten (10) months because they are waiting for Section 8 housing to become available.

          She also said that the people that they are seeing consist of about 85% that are the working poor, who usually have entry-level positions at their workplaces. 

          There is a lack of affordable housing in the County and there needs to be better paying jobs, better wages.  Families that they are seeing have incredible debt and they are trying to help work on reducing their debt.

          Chairman Rosemier asked Ms. Wicks if she has seen a duplication of services in the county when it comes to money managements.  That is, Elder Care has Money Management for Seniors offered and the Cooperative Extension also has a budgeting class.  He encouraged her to talk to Cooperative Extension to see if they may be able to work together on maybe her office only handling the budgeting classes. 

          Ms. Wicks said that she would be fine in contacting the Cooperative Extension Office but informed the committee that she only has eight (8) Case Managers that work at Hope Haven; that is all of her staff.  They house about about 65 people per night at Hope Haven with two staff members.  They house 26 chronically mentally ill residents at Dresser Court with one staff member.  She said that they have a lot of volunteers to help out.

          Mr. Metzger asked Ms. Wicks if the County needs a facility for the homeless in the southern part of the County?

          Ms. Wicks said yes.  She said that she has met with the Salvation Army and they have discussed the need to expand homeless services in the County.

          She further stated that the Housing Authority of DeKalb County is also looking at the housing problem here and the need for affordable housing.

          Ms. Wicks further explained that they are encouraging people that need jobs to take CNA classes and become certified.  After a ten-week course they then become eligible to almost double or even triple their current wages if they become Certified Nurses Assistants.

          Mr. Stoddard asked Ms. Wicks how many homeless people in the County does she think that we are not helping?

          Ms. Wicks said that she feels about 25 at any given time.

          Mr. Stoddard then asked how many of them are passing through the County?

          Ms. Wicks said not too many.

          She further explained that they do police checks on every person that stays at Hope Haven and that they do not serve sex offenders.

          The committee thanked Ms. Wicks and Ms. Olson for their information.

ADJOURNMENT  

          Moved by Ms. Fullerton, seconded by Mr. Metzger, Sr., and it was carried unanimously to adjourn the meeting.

                                                Respectfully submitted by,

                                                ____________________________________

                                                 Chairman Robert Rosemier

_________________________________

Mary C. Supple, Secretary