Agenda - 02-04-2014 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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6 1 This, the second day of December 2013. 2 3 A motion was made by Commissioner McKee, seconded by Commissioner Gordon to approve and 4 authorize the Chair to sign the attached resolution recognizing Erin Thompson for her volunteer efforts in 5 the 4-H community and for the people of Orange County. 6 7 VOTE: UNANIMOUS 8 9 d. Presentation on Economic Pressures on the Department of Social Services, Request for 10 Additional Funds, and Approval of Budget Amendment#3-A 11 The Board received an update on current economic pressures and considered a request for 12 additional funds for crisis services to support families served by the Department of Social Services (DSS) 13 and to approve Budget Amendment#3-A to transfer $100,000 from the Social Justice Reserve Fund to the 14 Department of Social Services for General Assistance for client payments. 15 Nancy Coston said it has been quite a year for the department. She said the shut down and 16 sequestration caused anxiety for the department and its clients. She said the agency receives a lot of 17 federal funding, so government shutdowns and sequestration makes them vulnerable. She said Medicaid 18 serves 12,000 people in Orange County, which amounts to $104 million paid directly to medical providers. 19 She said the Medicaid program is not affected by the sequester or the shutdown; however the state has 20 been looking for ways to cut the Medicaid budget. 21 Nancy Coston said the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is a block grant of federal dollars 22 that is used to pay for the child welfare program and to pay the cash payments. She said the shutdown 23 caused uncertainty about whether the state would be able to issue checks, and a decision was made to 24 suspend all programming for the Work First families. She said this was extremely stressful for these 25 families, although the department was eventually paid back. 26 She said sequestration is also cutting into the very successful adolescent parenting program. She 27 said the goal of this program is to keep young parents in school, and to delay pregnancy. She said a stop 28 work order was issued for this program, and that was very disruptive. 29 Nancy Coston said the most disruptive piece during the shutdown was the childcare program. She 30 said this is a $4.1 million program, and there was a possibility that the state would be unable to pay back 31 money spent on this program. She said the decision was made to continue the childcare program, which 32 was eventually reimbursed. 33 She said sequestration is already cutting money from the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), 34 which pays for child welfare and adult protective services, as well as part of the home and community care 35 block. She said Orange County has rolled the dice a bit, and none of these services were disrupted by the 36 shutdown, although there have been cuts from the sequestration. 37 Nancy Coston said there have also been problems with the food and nutrition program, which had to 38 endure a cut of$36 per family. She said the department has also been doing automation implementation 39 for N.C. Fast. She said it has been very difficult at times, and the department has used food banks, but it 40 has also been necessary to use County funds. 41 She said the cost to alleviate a family in crisis is higher this year. She said the cap used to be $200, 42 but this will not help most people get out of a crisis, so it has been necessary to spend more. She said a 43 cut was made last year by targeting only people with children, but there are so many people impacted that 44 this has been changed back this year. She said efforts are being made to help some of the others. 45 She said there were more homeless prevention funds in previous years because of grants, but this 46 is now gone, and the funding is mostly County money. 47 Nancy Coston said her department has also provided assistance to the victims of the flood in 48 Chapel Hill last summer. 49 She said the purpose of tonight is to provide and update, and to ask for additional funding due to 50 these unforeseen crises. 51 Chair Jacobs said he and Commissioner McKee decided this issue was important to have at the 52 beginning of the agenda so that the public could be a part of the audience. 53 Commissioner Rich asked how the County can get this information out to the media and the public.