Agenda

1.

Introductions

Chair Andersen convened the meeting at 10:35 a.m. and self-introductions were made around the room.

2.

Public comment on any item under the jurisdiction of the Committee and not on this agenda (speakers may be limited to three minutes).

None of the attendees requested to speak during the public comment period.

3.

RECEIVE and APPROVE the draft Record of Action for the July 23, 2018 Family & Human Services Committee meeting.

The Committee approved the Record of Action for the July 23, 2018 meeting as presented.

AYE:	Chair Candace Andersen
	Vice Chair John Gioia
Passed

Attachments:

DRAFT F&HS Record of Action 7-23-18

4.

RECOMMEND to the Board of Supervisors the appointments of Joshua Aldrich to the Business #2 seat and Terry Curley to the Business #4 seat on the Workforce Development Board to complete the current terms ending on June 30, 2020, as recommended by the Employment and Human Services Department and approved by the Workforce Development Board Executive Committee.

The Committee approved the appointment of Joshua Aldrich to the Business #2 seat and Terry Curley to the Business #4 seat on the Workforce Development Board to complete the current terms ending on June 30, 2020, and directed staff to forward the recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.

AYE:	Chair Candace Andersen
	Vice Chair John Gioia
Passed

Attachments:

T_Curley Application

WDB Recommendation Memo

J_Aldrich Application

5.

RECOMMEND to the Board of Supervisors the appointment of Dennis Yee to the Member At-large #14 seat and Brian O'Toole to the At-Large #16 seat to complete the unexpired terms ending on September 30, 2019, Kevin Donovan to the At-Large #17 seat to a term ending on September 30, 2020, and the re-appointment of the following individuals to terms expiring September 30, 2020: Shirley Krohn to At-Large #2 seat, Patricia Welty to At-Large #4 seat, Deborah Card to At-Large #5 seat, Summer Selleck to At-Large #7 seat, Nuru Neemuchwalla to At-Large #12 seat, Mary Rose to At-Large #13 seat, and Richard Nahm to At-Large #18 seat, to the Advisory Council on Aging as recommended by the Council.

The Committee approved the appointment of Dennis Yee to the Member At-large #14 seat and Brian O'Toole to the At-Large #16 seat to complete the unexpired terms ending on September 30, 2019, Kevin Donovan to the At-Large #17 seat to a term ending on September 30, 2020, and the re-appointment of the following individuals to terms expiring September 30, 2020: Shirley Krohn to At-Large #2 seat, Patricia Welty to At-Large #4 seat, Deborah Card to At-Large #5 seat, Summer Selleck to At-Large #7 seat, Nuru Neemuchwalla to At-Large #12 seat, Mary Rose to At-Large #13 seat, and Richard Nahm to At-Large #18 seat, on the Advisory Council on Aging, and directed staff to forward the recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.

AYE:	Chair Candace Andersen
	Vice Chair John Gioia
Passed

Attachments:

Memo Recommending Brian O'Toole

Memo Recommending D. Yee

Memo Recommending K. Donovan

Memo Recommending Reappointments

Brian O'Toole Application

D. Card Application

M. Rose Application

N. Neemuchwalla Application

P. Welty Application

R. Nahm Application

S. Krohn Application

S. Selleck Application

K. Donovan Application

D. Yee Application

6.

RECOMMEND to the Board of Supervisors the appointment of Lisa Johnson to a discipline specific, First 5 Commission seat, Karin Kauzer to a discipline specific, School Representative seat, and Mary Flott to the At Large 1 seat on the Family and Children's Trust Committee to terms that will expire on September 30, 2020.

The Committee approved the appointment of Lisa Johnson to a First 5 Commission seat, Karin Kauzer to a School Representative seat, and Mary Flott to the At Large 1 seat on the Family and Children's Trust Committee to terms that will expire on September 30, 2020, and directed staff to forward the recommendation to the Board of Supervisors.

AYE:	Chair Candace Andersen
	Vice Chair John Gioia
Passed

Attachments:

Memo Recommending Re-Appointments

K. Kauzer Application

L. Johnson Application

M. Flott Application

7.

ACCEPT the joint update report from Behavioral Health Services and the Mental Health Commission on the public mental health care system, child and teen psychiatric services, and Civil Grand Jury Report No. 1703.

Behavioral Health Services Director Matthew White and Mental Health Commission Chair Barbara Serwin presented the jointly prepared report. Dr. White reported the addition of psychiatrist staff. Ms. Serwin acknowledged improved relations between Behavioral Health and the Commission, citing reforms including development of an information dashboard and proactive data reporting, regular leadership meetings, and collaborative problem solving, particularly on the issue of wait times. She mentioned an upcoming retreat as an example of this positive collaboration.

Supervisor Gioia asked that a large opening event be planned for the relocation to San Pablo anticipated in late 2019.

The Committee accepted the report, which staff will forward to the Board of Supervisors for their information.

AYE:	Chair Candace Andersen
	Vice Chair John Gioia
Passed

Attachments:

Joint Behavioral Health Services and Mental Health Commission Report

Mental Health Commission Response to BHS Update to Civil Grand Jury Report 1703 and FHS Referrals on the Public Mental Health System

Civil Grand Jury Report 1703 "Mental Health Services for At Rick Children in CCC"

BOS Response to Grand Jury Report 1703

8.

1. Accept this report from the Health Services Department; and
2. Forward this report to the Board of Supervisors for acceptance; and,
3. Direct Staff to continue to report on an annual basis to the FHS Committee regarding progress of the effort to end homelessness and the activities of Contra Costa Council on Homelessness; and the health status of the homeless population in Contra Costa County by the Health Care for the Homeless Program.

Homeless Continuum of Care. Jaime Jenett, HSD Continuum of Care Planning and Policy Manager, presented a report on the Continuum of Care Plan for the Homeless. She handed out a data summary of the 2018 Point In Time Count of the homeless population. The count saw a 39% increase in the HUD homeless over the 2017 count, likely due to the doubling of CORE outreach teams that conducted the counting. Five Contra Costa cities participate on the CORE teams as well as the County Public Works Department for a creeks team. She reported that youth, families and undocumented are dramatically under-represented, and so a youth and family count was conducted separately from HUD requirements and was administered partly via an online survey. Outside agencies were able to distribute a web link to their clients, opening up responses. She anticipates that these new statistics will be helpful in future grant applications.

Jaime described the Built for Zero Campaign targeting veterans and the chronically homeless. The goal is to establish a complete list identifying homeless individuals to start actively managing their cases and continue services. Coordinated Entry is name for this redesign concept. She reported that the county's current shelter capacity addresses only 30% of what is needed. The Program has increased capacity through the addition of “warming centers”.

Supervisor Gioia opined that we are approaching state of emergency and we are not doing enough to provide permanent housing rather than shelters. He asked for a status of the Richmond housing site and expressed frustration over the lack of progress. He requested of staff that future statistical reports detail the number of people who actually received permanent housing.

Supervisor Andersen praised the work of staff and suggested the 211 resource as a way to connect the homeless to needed services. She also suggested having the Youth Action Council work on engaging more youth.

Public comment was offered by Lisa Arnold, who testified that she was in need of permanent housing. She said that calling 211 provided only a list of referrals and phone numbers. She reported that the shelters are filled to capacity.

Health Care for the Homeless. Joseph Mega, M.D, presented the staff report on health care services for the homeless, including opioid addiction treatment, and the number of clients and encounters with clients. The data showed that homeless Medi-Cal patients were more than twice as likely to have a chronic health condition and drastically more likely to visit hospital emergency than general Medi-Cal patients. Dr. Mega highlighted the gap in services for elderly people with conditions such as dementia, incontinence, and mental illness, citing that such conditions are often barriers to private board and care placement. He suggested that County-operated board and care might fill that gap and for less cost than long term County Hospital stays.

Supervisor Andersen asked Dr. Mega what research had been done on county-run skilled nursing programs and if the County would realistically take on that service within the Health Care budget? She suggested that it might be more cost effective to contract out for these services. She asked about what other counties might be doing in this area and what, if any, contractors they use and how they fund the program.

Dr. Mega commented that only preliminary discussions have occurred but he would work to develop a proposal.

A public health nurse spoke under public comment about the special challenges faced by seniors. She advised that for elderly patients, it is important to institute a place of routine and familiarity. She also stated that seniors on small fixed incomes often fall into the gap between self-sustainability and benefits eligibility.

An attendee from the city of Antioch commented that Antioch has property available for utilization and the biggest homeless population, and growing.

The Committee accepted the reports, which staff will forward to the Board of Supervisors for their information.

AYE:	Chair Candace Andersen
	Vice Chair John Gioia
Passed

Attachments:

Annual Update on Homeless Continuum of Care

Handout: 2018 Point in Time Count

Health Care for the Homeless

9.

ACCEPT the report from the Employment and Human Services Department on the Workforce Development Board and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act updates and DIRECT staff to forward it to the Board of Supervisors for their information.

ESHD Workforce Services Bureau Director Wendy Therrian introduced the item. Workforce Development Board Executive Director Donna Van Wert presented the staff report and highlighted the number of people serviced and the specialized programs and business partners. She advised that significant State funding would soon become available and that the WDB is updating the regional and local plan, which is due in March 2019.

WDB Chair Bhupen Amin commented that the new WDB is active and working cohesively. WDB Vice Chair Yolanda Vega thanked the board of supervisors for approving the Rubicon Program collaboration. The Workforce Collaborative through Rubicon was implemented because of a decrease in funding. Four sites have grown to ten, and are being well-received by patrons and the press. The Collaborative has streamlined services and made all assistance available in one location.

Donna advised that the budget decreased by a few hundred thousand from the prior year but by 30%-40% over four years.
Supervisor Gioia asked if the program tracks how many individuals placed in jobs. Donna advised that the program typically places 70-80% of participants.

The Committee accepted the report, which staff will forward to the Board of Supervisors for their information.

AYE:	Chair Candace Andersen
	Vice Chair John Gioia
Passed

Attachments:

Workforce Development Board Status Report on Implementation of Local and Regional Plans

Workforce Development Board Presentation

10.

ACCEPT the report from the Employment and Human Services Department on the CalFresh program, formerly known as Food Stamps and federally known as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), and DIRECT staff to forward the report to the Board of Supervisors for their information.

Workforce Services Director Wendy Therrian presented the staff report for EHS Director Kathy Gallagher, who had to leave to attend another meeting.

Wendy reported that applications increased by 121% over a ten year period but that that CalFresh applications and disbursements decreased this year from last year likely due to higher employment. She highlighted her concern about the Federal Administration's forthcoming guidelines that will restrict eligibility for cash aid and permanent housing to permanent residents.

Supervisor Gioia observed that we are at nearly a 20% poverty level and that Devorah Levine has done work to apply what the definition of poverty level is for Contra Costa County. The Committee requested information on how this is affecting Contra Costa County specifically. Rebecca and Kathy are working on identifying the gap of people who will no longer qualify for cash benefits. An early indicator is that in August, 20% of people surveyed said they did not want to apply for CalFresh because of immigration concerns.

Supervisor Gioia ask about usage has decreased and what staff are doing to address different reasons (other than unemployment decreasing) for the decrease. He suggested greater outreach. Staff advised that they conduct cross-sector outreach through Meals on Wheels packets, for example, but are always battling stigma.

Lisa Arnold spoke during the public comment period about the need to close the gap between jail release and cash aid receipt, saying it can take as long as two weeks. She suggested that the Medi-Cal application be initiated while a person is still incarcerated so he/she does not come out desperate and the re-offend. Staff verified that they work with parolee entities and Rubicon center on this.. Supervisor Andersen suggested that staff network with the Office of Re-entry and Justice to obtain information about jail inmates who are preparing to emancipate.

Mariana Moore offered three recommendations from the CalFresh Partnership in pertinence to the long wait times experienced by clients in County offices and call centers, which she attributed to a lack of frontline staff in County offices:

Lift the hiring freeze on the Workforce Services Bureau so they can hire more frontline CalFresh staff.

Commit any augmented allocation this year to fund additional front line staff so that people can receive the customer service they need to navigate the benefits process.

In reference to customer service, access to benefits, and fighting hunger, create transparency about where the resources for the CalFresh allocation are being used within the County to ensure that the best use of taxpayer dollars. To do so, engage an independent contractor to conduct an impartial analysis of how CalFresh and other public benefits administrative dollars are allocated, and share the results with the public.

The Committee requested that these recommendations be forwarded to Kathy Gallagher for response and scheduled as the first item of discussion at the next FHS Committee meeting.

AYE:	Chair Candace Andersen
	Vice Chair John Gioia
Passed

Attachments:

CalFresh Program Update

CalFresh Presentation

11.

The next meeting is currently scheduled for October 22, 2018.

12.

Adjourn

Chair Andersen adjourned the meeting at 12:35 p.m.