Memorandum

TO:Tim Center

FROM:Cynthia Valencic

RE:September 10, 2015

DATE:Family Support Services Program Update

Family Self-Sufficiency Program

National Performance Indicator
Goal 1: Low Income People Become More Self-Sufficient

Getting Ahead/Staying Ahead

The Staying Ahead meetings for Leon and Jefferson counties for the October 2014 Getting Ahead class will end in September. The Getting Ahead participants and the Staying Ahead mentors will be asked to complete an evaluation at the last meeting to help us improve the effectiveness of the program.

Below are enrollments in Getting Ahead and FSSP by County for FY 14-15.

County / Enrolled / Graduates / FSSP
GA / No GA
Calhoun / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Franklin / 0 / 0 / 1 / 0
Gadsden / 0 / 4 / 7 / 0
Gulf / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1
Jefferson / 0 / 7 / 17 / 0
Leon / 0 / 9 / 13 / 2
Liberty / 0 / 3 / 3 / 0
Wakulla / 0 / 5 / 6 / 1

The next Getting Ahead class will begin in October 2015. County staff is recruiting Getting Ahead participants at this time.

The Department applied for small grants for Getting Ahead from United Way agencies in Gadsden, Jefferson, Liberty and Wakulla counties. The Agency has been approved for the following grants:

  • Gadsden County - $1500
  • Jefferson County - $1000
  • Liberty County - $300
  • Wakulla United County - $1000

These grants will be used to fund expenses not covered under the Community Services Block Grant.

Weatherization Assistance Program

National Performance Indicator

Goal 2: The Conditions In Which Low-Income People Live Are Improved

The Weatherization staff, Terry Mutch and Jerome Hamlet, attended a two-day training in August held by the Department of Economic Opportunity. New program operating procedures and guidelines were provided as well as updates and clarifications on the new federal requirements. Staff is working with the contractors on the new requirements and homes are now being weatherized.

The chart below tracks the number of weatherized homes for the contract year-to-date beginning May 1, 2015 through the end of the contract on February 28, 2016.

County / Amount
Spent / M / J / J / A / S / O / N / D / J / F / M / A / Total
Franklin / $0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Gadsden / $34,507 / 0 / 0 / 6 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 6
Gulf / $0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Jefferson / $0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Leon / $0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Wakulla / $0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0
Totals* / $34,507 / 0 / 0 / 6 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 6

*Note: The dollar amounts include the 30% program support.

Emergency Services Program

National Performance Indicator
Goal 6: Low-Income People, Especially Vulnerable Populations, Achieve Their Potential By Strengthening Family and Other Supportive Environments.

The LIHEAP contract for 2015-2016 began April 1, 2015. Below are the unduplicated counts of households and individuals (HH/IND) served by county during July.

County / Apr. 2015 / May 2015 / June 2015 / July 2015 / Aug. 2015 / Sept. 2015 / Total
Calhoun / 14/29 / 18/41 / 16/50 / 18/44 / 15/38 / 81/202
Franklin / 12/33 / 5/12 / 20/56 / 14/26 / 13/33 / 64/160
Gadsden / 63/174 / 62/175 / 77/198 / 72/217 / 76/178 / 350/942
Gulf / 11/20 / 10/26 / 11/34 / 12/35 / 33/15 / 77/130
Jefferson / 39/52 / 12/27 / 34/80 / 23/66 / 19/60 / 127/285
Leon / 327/939 / 215/557 / 226/659 / 321/944 / 284/843 / 1373/3942
Liberty / 11/25 / 10/24 / 15/41 / 15/46 / 2/3 / 53/139
Wakulla / 23/51 / 21/56 / 22/54 / 24/65 / 30/89 / 120/315
Totals / 500/1323 / 353/918 / 421/1172 / 499/1443 / 472/1259 / 2245/6115

Administration

  • The Department is seeking candidates for an Intake Worker in Leon County and two case managers – one in Leon County and one in Jefferson County

Outreach & Training:

  • The Agency hosted a two-day case management training on August 18 and 19 which was attended by all Family Support Services Department staff. In addition to case management, the importance of ROMA and customer service skills was also included.
  • The Director of Family Support Services, the Self-Sufficiency Program Manager and the Getting Ahead Coordinator attended the National Community Action Partnership Conference in San Francisco, California, August 24-28, 2015. Workshops attended included leadership skills, financial education and train the trainer, developing a two-generation approach to service delivery and delivering bundled services.