December 8th, 2011 Meeting Minutes

December 8, 2011 Home Team Meetings 0 Comments

Notes from Home Team Meeting – December 9, 2011

For an electronic version, please contact unity@uflc.net

First Presbyterian Church – 9^th & Washington, Michigan City

Convened by Unity Foundation and Duneland Health Council

In Attendance: Bobbi Petru, American Red Cross; Mary Ann Richards, City of La Porte CDBG Program; Tia Miller, Dunebrook; Norm Steider, Duneland Health Council; Mike Kilbourn and Rev. Erika Parkison Kilbourn, First Presbyterian Church; Gwen Wilson, Franciscan Alliance – St. Anthony Memorial; Kathy Massa, HealthLinc; Caroline Shook, Housing Opportunities; Kent Davis, Michigan City Area Schools; Micki Webb, Michigan City Area Schools McKinney-Vento Social Worker & LaPorte County Drug Free Partnership; Lenda Wilson, Michigan City Housing Authority; Joyce Dalton, Open Door Health Center; Regina Ruddell, PACT Bradley Center; Judy Hanish, Sand Castle Shelter; Carol Wright, St. John’s United Church of Christ; Tanya Williams, Stepping Stone Shelter; Sue Korte Regetz and Maggi Spartz, Unity Foundation; and, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Farmer, Webb House

Facilitating: Maggi Spartz, Unity Foundation

Opening: Maggi Spartz opened the meeting at 8:30 AM and welcomed those in attendance. She asked those in attendance to share what their agencies are doing for the holidays.

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PROGRESS REPORTS & ISSUES

PACT Bradley Center Update

**Highlights of Regina Ruddell’s presentation:

PACT stands for Prisoner And Community Together.
Brief History: The center first opened in 1971. But today’s offenders are very different than the offenders in 1971. The center is going through a rebranding process because of its focus on prevention and treatment – not just on corrections (punitive model). In 1980, the US Department of Justice became a partner. Regina transferred to the center in 1998.
On-Site Programs: Juvenile Youth Services Bureau; domestic violence shelter; programs for batters; and more.
This is 1 of 3 residential re-entry centers in Indiana. The center has beds for 5 women and 65 men, and only houses federal prisoners. They do not have space or facilities to house homeless felons [response to a question].
Education of offenders “causes the most problems” because many people don’t feel they deserve one; however, it also solves the most problems.
Most of the residents were sexually abused as children.
Case managers work closely with the residents and know everything about them. They also work with family members to create a support system for the residents. If the residents don’t have family members, they try to create another type of support system.
When the residents were behind bars, they didn’t have to worry about bills, they had lots of food, etc. PACT helps them make the transition back into the regular world.
The policing agency on-site is the US Marshall’s Service.
Most of the residents are violent felons, such as drug distributors who use guns in transactions. Most “white collar” offenders are released directly from prison to society.
Length of Stay: Most residents stay a few weeks to 6 months, although some stay as long as 12 months. They see the most success if they stay at least 12 months. They have a tremendous recidivism rate.
Release: Residents are released to the county where the sentence was charged (county of origin). Release plans are pre-approved before the resident comes to the center. They are released to the county of origin because that’s where their support system lives. And, if they find a job in that county, they’re rewarded with early release.
Health Care: Residents are encouraged to obtain health care from the county of origin because that’s where they will be heading. In some cases, that isn’t possible, so the residents utilize HealthLinc. They must pay for any co-pays and medication themselves or they aren’t allowed to go back. If the residents are accessing funds for the co-pays and medications elsewhere (e.g., Open Door), Regina should be notified. If residents need to be hospitalized, the Bureau steps in.
Volunteer Activities: Volunteerism is a very important part of the program. Many volunteer at Stepping Stone. They have also helped the city with raking leaves, etc. The residents like to help and if they do, they receive extra privileges. If agencies need help with things like moving furniture, clean up, yard work, etc. , they can call Regina.
Benefits for Michigan City: Residents can shop anywhere but Michigan City. (Weekend passes are meant for family time, and they are only allowed to go to their destination and to church.) The center contracts annually for $200,000 in services from La Porte County companies. The residents are counted in the census, which helps bring in more federal funds. And, all but a couple of employees live in La Porte County, so millions of dollars in salaries come to La Porte County each year.

Thanks Regina for the detailed information!

Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Project:

**Highlights of Caroline Shook’s report:

10^th Street: The project went in front of the historical review board and received unanimous support. The builder, Mark Sherburn, lives in Elston Grove and sits on the committee (he abstained), but he knew what they were looking for. The facility will have red doors, which was very important to the committee.
Felons are eligible if they haven’t had a violent office or if they aren’t a sex offender. Housing Opportunities put those rules in place to protect the safety of other residents.

Homeless Memorial Service:

**Highlights of Tanya Williams’ report:

The service will be held on December 21 at 7 pm at First Presbyterian Church in Michigan City. It will be a part of the church’s longest night service.
A press release will be going out about it.
Tanya urged agencies to invite their clients and constituents.

Regional Assessment Results:

Caroline Shook presented information from the state’s Planning Council on Homelessness. Each region was asked to assess itself using a tool provided by the Council. Caroline, Mary Ann Richards and Sue Korte Regetz completed La Porte County’s assessment. Caroline compiled it with Porter County’s info. Discussion followed on how we’re doing. The state particularly likes the diversity of our group.

On a related note, Porter County’s coalition will roll-out its 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness on January 30 or 31. It will be an evening event at Ivy Tech in Valpo. Caroline will send more info soon.

Point in Time Count:

**Highlights of Caroline’s presentation:

The Point in Time Count is an annual count of the homelessness. The state only requires that we report people in shelters; however, we chose to count anyone who is shelter, on the streets, couch surfing, etc. , so we have a better handle on the true number.
Please utilize the surveys throughout the month of January with anyone you come in contact.
Results can be faxed or sent to Caroline, or they can brought to the January 26 Home Team meeting. (Fax: 219.548.2807)
At minimum, we need to have the birth year and last 4 digits of the Social Security number completed to eliminate duplicates.
Sue will email the form to the Home Team list.
This year, the state won’t “own” the data, as in the past, so we can share it with each other and others.
It’s VERY IMPORTANT that ALL agencies participate. You can ask clients/guests to participate by letting them know that “the data helps us get more money, so we can help more people.”

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ANNOUNCEMENTS, NEEDS & RESOURCES

Mary Ann Richards, City of La Porte CDBG Program:

La Porte will have a new mayor in January, as well as 4 (of 7) new council members.

Norm Steider, Duneland Health Council:

United Way is looking for a new executive director in case you know of someone.

Tia Miller, Dunebrook:

Tia distributed the Community Partners brochure. The program is for families with children up to age 18. It helps them build support systems and helps them find resources. The program includes home visits. It’s free and voluntary. And, Dunebrook coordinates the program for 6 counties.

Bobbi Petru, American Red Cross:

Is your agency prepared for snow emergencies? We had several major issues during last year’s snow storms. A few things to think about: Do you require people to come in to work when there’s a snow emergency declared (no driving!)? If the storm starts during the day, is it okay to send them home or will they be stranded? Do you have provisions for people to stay overnight at your office?

Bob Farmer, Webb House:

Ed Merrion referred them to a Home Depot grant, which they received. Thanks Ed! On another note, they recently helped a woman clean out her home – and took out 28 tons of garbage.

Micki Webb, MCAS McKinney-Vento and LP County Drug Free Partnership:

MCAS: 14 homeless families received $50 gift cards for participating in the Strengthening Families program, a SAMSHA program funded through the McKinney-Vento grant. The program was held at The Bridge. They will be holding another round in the spring.
LP Coordinating Council: The state will fund 5 pilot county-wide substance abuse prevention projects in Indiana through a new grant opportunity. Micki has just a few days to pull this application together. She is looking for ideas that will make the program sparkle. Potentially, she’s looking for ideas about the relationship between homelessness, abuse, poverty, etc. One suggestion was to focus on fathers. The program will be bilingual. She is also looking for potential host sites. The New Prairie Activity Center will be one site. If you have ideas, email her at mickiwebb@gmail.com.

Lenda Wilson, Michigan City Housing Authority:

1) MCHA will host a job fair in December through their Family Self-Sufficiency program. She will send a flyer out via email. 2) They will be hosting two youth summits – Man Up for boys and GAP for girls. 3) They completed 3 of the NSP homes and have almost finished 2 more.

Judy Hanish, Sand Castle Shelter and Literacy Council:

1) Grace Learning Center is open! 2) The Literacy Council’s Executive Spelling Bee is March 27 at 7 pm at First Methodist Church in LaPorte. Get your teams together!

Tanya Williams, Stepping Stone Shelter:

1) January is Stalking Awareness Month. 2) The State Coalition on Domestic Violence denotes the top 5 emerging for agencies (seems to apply to most types of social service agencies):

Decreasing funding
Increase in requests from purely homeless people
Increase in clients with mental health issues.
Increase in clients with substance abuse issues.
Increase in clients with sexual assault in their background.

Kathy Massa, HealthLinc:

Give Kids a Smile Day will be held on President’s Day in February. They will be offering free dental exams and sealants. Call for an appointment.

Sue Korte Regetz, Unity Foundation:

1) Lilly Endowment Community Scholars Program applications are online with a deadline of January 17. Lilly Scholarships are full-tuition for 4 years, plus required fees and a book stipend. Must be high schools pursuing a 4 year degree. 2) Other Unity scholarships will be posted to the website in January. Last year, Unity awarded more than $130,000 in scholarships. Most are available to non-traditional/returning students, several are targeted to first-generation or minority students, and a couple target students who don’t have top grades. Please spread the word!

Mike Kilbourn, First Presbyterian Church:

Mike coordinates the Monday night shelter at the church. He would like to find a social worker that would be willing to volunteer from 7 – 7:45 pm each Monday night to work with the men. He would like to find someone who would be willing offer legal assistance.
Mike is also working with a group of people trying to open a DIRC (Drop In Resource Center). They are working on a mission statement and bylaws. They meet once per month on Monday nights. They would like offer resources, like legal aid, counselors, social workers, etc. It would be open to the poverty community at large – not just homeless men.

The discussion turned to a legal aid service now offered in Michigan City. A neighborhood center in Indy is offering legal aid services at 3 Catholic Charities sites. If there is enough demand, the services could become permanent. More info will be shared via email.

Maggi Spartz, Unity Foundation:

Unity Foundation and the LaPorte Hospital Foundation are sponsoring a professional advisor workshop on December 10. The goal is to help professional advisors (attorneys, accountants, etc.) become more knowledgeable about charitable gift laws. That will benefit the whole community.
Unity Foundation and Leadership LaPorte County recently adopted a Vision for LaPorte County, which is based on a vision adopted by a group of citizens in 1992. We are now in the process of encouraging other organizations to consider adopting this Vision for LaPorte County. Michigan City Area Schools is the first public body to do so. She will talk more about this at a future meeting.
The Foundation Center database is no longer available at the LaPorte County Public Library because not enough people were using it. It is still available at Valparaiso University’s Christopher Center in the resource area. Just ask at the desk.

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REMINDERS AND NEXT MEETING:

December 22 – NO Home Team Meeting
January – Point in Time County – PLEASE Participate!
January 26, 2012 – 8:30 am – Home Team Meeting

The meeting adjourned at 10:30 am.