Grand Jury Orientation June 24, 2011 Joe Valentine, Director

Our Mission “In partnership with the community, we provide services that support and protect adults, children, families, and the elderly, and promote personal responsibility, independence and self-sufficiency.”

Agenda Overview of EHSD Programs and Services Budget and Financial Information Major Challenges

Overview 2 nd largest county department Over 60 programs Serving over 100,000 citizens Majority of those served: children, families, the elderly, disabled adults, persons looking for jobs

Overview 40 locations [half are Head Start Centers] Over 1,600 employees Annual budget over $ 400 million 95 % of revenues are from State and Federal government County share required by federal and state law or for mandated county programs such as General Assistance

Major Program Areas Aging and Adult Services Children and Family Services Community Services [Head Start] Workforce Services [Public Assistance] Workforce Development Board Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence

Children and Family Services Each year, we receive nearly 7,500 reports of child abuse and neglect 2,000 children receiving services including 1,300 in foster care Strict state and federal performance standards must be met We are engaged in “system redesign” to meet these standards

Children and Family Services Child Protective Services Family Maintenance Family Reunification Permanency Planning Independent Living Skills Program Foster Home Licensing Adoptions

Child Protective Service Referrals CPS Reports Received7,345 Children Involved9,917 Immediate Response623 (8.5%) “10 Day” Response2,307 ( 31.4%) No investigation needed4,415 (60.1%) Entered Child Welfare system619

Children Receiving Services by location LocationNumberPercent Foster Care1, % In Parent’s Home % Total1,325100%

Aging and Adult Services Provides a wide variety of publicly funded services to seniors and disabled adults. Serves as the “Area Agency on Aging” and uses state and federal dollars to contract for community programs for seniors. Oversees the In-Home Supportive Services “Public Authority”

Aging and Adult Services In Home Supportive Services [IHSS] Adult Protective Services Information and Assistance Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy

Aging and Adult Services Area Agency on Aging Planning and Program Development and Coordination VESTIA Medi-Cal Assistance and CalFRESH Call Center

Persons Served: 2010 IHSS7,450 Adult Protective Services1,564 Information & Assistance14,615 Health Insurance Counseling2,676 Medicare Enrollment3,110

Area Agency on Aging Services: 2010 Congregate Meals173,000 meals served Home Delivered Meals300,000 meals Legal Assistance4,125 Long Term Care Ombudsman 10,500 hours

Area Agency on Aging Services: 2010 Home Visiting14,040 hours Adult Day Care7,208 person days Family Caregiver Respite Services 5,215 hours

Vestia Individuals servedOver 27,000 Goods and Services Distributed $1.6 million Season of Sharing Emergency Grants Over $600,000

Workforce Services Provides cash, food, and medical assistance to low income persons and families. Provides employment and supportive services to assist persons in entering the workplace.

Workforce Services CalWORKs Temporary Cash Assistance CalWORKs “Welfare-To-Work” Services Child Care Services for CalWORKs families Cal-Learn [teens]

Workforce Services Subsidized Employment Services [federal stimulus dollars] Transportation Services Short Term Housing Services Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services

Workforce Services “CalFRESH” [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] Medi-Cal General Assistance Cash Assistance for Legal Immigrants Interment Services for indigents

Persons Helped: April 2011 CalWORKs11,310 families Non-Assistance CalFRESH (Food Stamps) 37,939 households (families and individuals) Medi-Cal34,040 households General Assistance1,632 persons Subsidized Employment1,003 persons

Workforce Development Board An Executive Director and staff support a 41 member, business-led board appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Workforce Development Boards were established by the 1998 federal Workforce Investment Act. Develops and implements workforce development policy for the county.

Workforce Development Board Oversees the investment of federal and state workforce development funds in response to the needs of both employers and job seekers. Funds and oversees the operation of the East Bay Works, One-Stop Career Centers Provides assistance to small businesses through the Small Business Development Center and other programs.

Workforce Development Center One Stop Career Centers: 4 major centers plus 4 “affiliate” sites Vocational and work readiness training for adults Youth Employment and Career Development Programs Programs for dislocated workers

Workforce Development Board “Rapid Response” services in response to planned employer layoffs Specialized sector-specific training: health care, manufacturing, “green” industries. Business Enhancement Services and small business assistance fairs Older Workers Program

Fiscal Year 2009 – 2010 One Stop Career Centers: New EAST BAY Works Customer memberships Concord6,693 Brentwood1,898 San Pablo3,144 Antioch4,340 Total16,075

Total Persons Served: Staff-Assisted Services through the Workforce Investment Act Adults339 Dislocated Workers437 Youth642

Community Services Serves as both the “Head Start” as well as the “Community Action” agency for the county. Administers the “Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program” Operates both Head Start and State-funded preschool programs.

Community Services Early Childhood programs are provided at 19 directly operated childcare centers as well as 11 centers operated by community partners. A “home base” program also provides education and support services to parents in their homes.

Community Services Head Start Child Development Centers Early Head Start [birth to 3] Home Based Services Low Income Home Energy Assistance Community Action Programs

Head Start/Child Development: Full Day2,387 Part Day816 Home Based144

Low Income Energy Assistance and Weatherization Persons Served: 2010 Energy Assistance8,383 Weatherization567

Zero Tolerance For Domestic Violence (ZTDV) Plans and coordinates programs and services to assist victims of domestic violence Works with all the public systems to improve the response to the needs of victims. Provides public education and outreach aimed at preventing domestic violence.

Zero Tolerance For Domestic Violence As a result of the passage SB 968, the county was able to collect “vital record” fees to fund services to improve the domestic violence response system. Local agencies have matched these funds and ZTDV staff have been successful in securing over $4.8 million in federal funding.

ZTDV Activities Restraining Order Clinics Intensive supervision of offenders Domestic Violence Court Advocacy for victims Training for Professionals Supervised Visitation Planning for a “Family Justice Center”

EHSD Budget: Federal, State, and other Non-County Revenue 406,079,035 County Revenue18,047,765 Total424,126,800 Positions1,688

EHSD Revenue by Source

EHSD Expenditures by Program

Major Challenges

Challenges Continued growth in applications and caseloads Increased county general fund expenditures for General Assistance State budget cuts to programs that affect children Phase out of federal stimulus funds Retirements of large numbers of staff in key positions

Growth in Applications and Caseloads Applications and caseloads for financial, food, and medical assistance continue to grow as the recession and high levels of unemployment continue In January we received over 9,300 applications for financial, food, and medical assistance – an increase of 7% from January of last year Applications for CalFRESH (Food Stamps) have increased by 10%

Increase in Reception traffic The total number of visits to our offices for assistance has also increased. For the last 6 months we have averaged almost 30,000 visits a month – an increase of 15% from FY

Increase in General Assistance The most dramatic growth in applications and caseloads is in the county funded General Assistance Program (GA) GA Applications increased by 33% in the past year In the last 2 years GA caseloads have increased by 225% -January, 2009: 444 -January, 2011: 1435 Growth in caseloads due to 2 factors: -Rising levels of unemployment -Lugo- County settlement agreement which removed the requirement for persons on GA to look for a job

Increase in General Assistance (cont) In current fiscal year, GA will be overspent by $3.2 million For next year, GA over expenditure is projected to exceed $3.7 million Higher caseloads of at least 1,400-1,500 will become the new norm Given the projected cutbacks in the CalWORKs program, they could go even higher Since GA is a 100% county general fund program, funds will have to be shifted from other programs, primarily Child Welfare

“Veto” cut of $80 Million for Child Welfare Services The former Governor cut $80 million in funding to counties for child welfare services the last 2 years. This cut was equivalent to the funding for 12 social workers and put a significant strain on our ability to investigate child abuse and monitor the well being of children in foster care. The recently passed state budget would only restore half of this funding in and the other half in

Phase Out of Federal Stimulus Funds EHSD received over $20 million in ARRA funds [federal stimulus dollars] Most of these funds expire in the current fiscal year ARRA funds helped avoid deficits in IHSS and Child Welfare Next year, Head Start and Workforce Development will also see the phase out of ARRA funding

Proposed State Budget Cuts The Budget cuts approved by the Legislature will have the deepest impact on children: CalWORKs: – 8% grant cuts: will affect 11,310 families and 19,394 children – 48 month time limit – additional reductions to grants on July 1 – Reduction in support for services to become employable – Elimination of CalLEARN for parenting teens – Reduction of $4.9 million for county staffing and community based services

Proposed State Budget Cuts CHILD CARE: – reduction in state funding for child care – reduction in reimbursement to child care providers – eliminate eligibility for 11 and 12 year olds – CSB will lose funding for over 170 slots – Potential cuts to Head Start also looming

Proposed State Budget Cuts First Five: – 50% of First Five reserves will be eliminated – Contra Costa County First Five will lose over $23 million – Cuts of between $3-5 million for community programs will be made for FY 11-12

Child Poverty The recession and budget cuts increased both the number of children in poverty and the resulting impacts on children The continued growth in CalWORKs and CalFRESH (Food Stamps) caseloads is an indicator that the number of children in poverty has continued to increase.

Child Poverty In the last year, the number of children on CalWORKs and CalFRESH has increased by 45% from over 29,000 in February, 2008 to over 41,000 in January 2011 Simultaneous cuts to CalWORKs, Child Care, and First Five will all impact the same children – those in poverty – and each will compound the negative impacts of the other

45% increase in Children receiving Financial & Food Assistance

Retirements of staff in key positions Over the last year, a number of staff in key leadership positions have retired. Many of these retirements have occurred in just the last several months: Community Services Director Chief Fiscal Officer Personnel Manager Fraud Investigation Manager Hearing Appeals and Civil Rights Manager Community Action Manager Children and Family Services Division Managers Medi-Cal and Food Stamp Program Manager Workforce Services Division Managers

Retirements of Staff in key positions A large number of highly experienced staff are also retiring from key technical and operational positions There has been insufficient time to fully prepare and train replacements for all of these positions

Strategies to address the challenges Streamline business processes Increased use of automation Increased use of “customer self-service” Partnerships with Community Based Organizations Succession Planning Reinstitute a “Subsidized Employment Program” Community Education about Child Poverty

Streamline Business Processes Business Process Improvements are underway to increase efficiency and reduce duplication, e.g.: – Reception and intake processes for financial, food, and medical assistance – Personnel processes – Project Management We will also be applying the “Lean Management” model which Health Services uses to improve the efficiency of various EHSD Administrative functions

Increased Use of Automation Over 40 technology projects underway to: – improve administrative efficiency – improve client access to services Administrative Efficiency Projects: – online court reports – online staff training – tracking client applications for SSI reimbursement

Increased Use of Automation Improve Client Access to Services: – “Access CalWIN” – 24 hour toll free phone number – “Benefits CalWIN” – submit applications over the internet – Online “Rights and Responsibility” Video – Electronic Information Displays in reception areas

Partnerships with Community Based Organizations EHSD is partnering with the Human Services Alliance to identify: – areas of critical need – services most affected by budget cuts – opportunities for collaborative grant proposals

Succession Planning Over 2 years ago, EHSD launched a comprehensive program of leadership development targeting all levels of staff throughout the organization. This has included intensive training in such areas as: – Preparing to be a Supervisor – Supervisor Effectiveness – Preparing to be a Division Manager – Project Management Training – Advanced Leadership Training

Succession Planning Several hundred staff have completed various levels of leadership training EHSD is now supplementing Leadership Training with a new “Mentoring Program” Experienced current or former managers will be paired with staff who apply to be mentees The Mentoring Program is using a highly structured approach aimed at improving the skills mentees need to increase their personal effectiveness and move up to the next level in the organization

Reinstitute a Subsidized Employment Program In FY 09-10, EHSD used federal stimulus dollars to implement a “Subsidized Employment Program [SET]” for CalWORKs participants. Federal dollars are used to subsidize the wages of participants placed with both private and public sector employers. Over 1,000 persons were placed in jobs and the reception from employers was enthusiastic. For some, this was their first real job opportunity. Some were hired permanently following the end of the subsidy.

Reinstitute a Subsidized Employment Program The new state budget bill will increase the percentage of the wages the state will subsidize from 50% to 100% up to a capped amount. This increased state matching rate may make it possible for EHSD to reinstitute the Subsidized Employment Program on a smaller scale. We will have to find matching dollars from either public and/or private sources.

Educate Community About Child Poverty Use various community forums to provide updated data on the rise of child poverty in Contra Costa County New Census data will be available September, 2011 Suggestions from Supervisors?

Questions? For more information: Joe Valentine, (925)