Agenda - 12-07-2015 - 6-a - Minutes

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4 1 Commissioner Dorosin said Orange County is a rich county, and if the list is whittled 2 down to 200 or so people the County should be able to assist or subsidize them. He suggested 3 the possibility of staff coming back to the Board with what it would cost to provide help for 3 to 6 4 months. 5 Bonnie Hammersley said she asked Nancy Coston to present this item to make the 6 Board aware of this situation. She said the situation will continue to be monitored, and the 7 Board will remain fully informed of both the positive and the negative. 8 Commissioner Dorosin said this need could be a line item in the Community Giving fund. 9 Commissioner Jacobs asked if this relates to the Work First program. 10 Nancy Coston said those people in the Work First program are not subject to these 11 changes. She said Work First has its own requirements. She said keeping up with the work 12 hours of all clients is a big distraction from doing the more important work of helping clients. 13 Commissioner Jacobs mentioned that several employers hire Work First participants. 14 He said it would be beneficial to recruit the private sector, so the burden of support does not 15 always fall on the government. 16 Nancy Coston said there have been some wonderful relationships with the private 17 sector, and she agrees this should continue. She said there have also been some missed 18 opportunities with funds coming into Orange County in these areas. She said it is crucial to 19 pursue every avenue that may help the clients. 20 Commissioner Jacobs asked if the Orange County Economic Development office has 21 been approached as a partner. 22 Nancy Coston said this Department has been helpful thus far, but the relationship can 23 deepen further. 24 Commissioner Price said she is still concerned about this program, and while DSS is 25 doing their best it seems like a band-aid effect. She said the client may have a job and some 26 food but may not have a place to stay or clothes on their back. She said this does not address 27 breaking the cycle. 28 Nancy Coston said the group of 1,500 clients are going to have very varied 29 demographics, with some facing homelessness and others transportation or employment 30 needs. She said triaging the clients and creating unique plans will be critical. 31 Chair McKee asked if there is a timeline to move through this evaluation process. 32 Nancy Coston said this process will take time, and once her staff reviews the initial list 33 many people will be taken off. She said the total number of clients that will need to be 34 assessed is not yet known, but there will be some group meetings with these clients as well as 35 some clients that can complete some self-assessments. She said this whole process will be a 36 huge task, and clients will be asked to help document their current work status. 37 Chair McKee suggested that the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is interested 38 in not letting clients fall through the cracks. He read the financial impact statement on the 39 abstract and urged DSS not to wait until the middle of December to come back, but rather to let 40 the BOCC know the need as soon as possible. 41 Bonnie Hammersley said the situation would be monitored, and a budget amendment 42 would be presented to the Board if necessary. 43 44 2. Space Study Work Group Report Update 45 Jeff Thompson, Director of Asset Management Services, said this topic was last 46 reviewed in April 2015. He is here this evening with an update. He recognized and thanked 47 the members of the Space Study Workgroup, and provided the following update: 48 49 Progress and Current Recommendations