2017-484-E Finance - Compass Center for Women and Families - Outside Agency Performance Agreement

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DocuSign Envelope ID: E865EBC7-DCBB-4CE6-A224-13D663E29E12 EXHIBIT A PROVIDER'S OUTSIDE AGENCY APPLICATION As part of Compass Center's new strategic plan we have decided to begin work to enhance and expand or financial and career programs, but as part of that process we identified that Compass Center having its own Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site and the time spent managing this was not as much of a priority in the coming years as strengthening our other self-sufficiency services. Therefore, we do not intend to be a partner for a VITA tax preparation site in 2018. The 200-225 clients who typically come to our site will either be absorbed into the other 5 sites that the Dept. of Aging manages or the Dept. on Aging will maintain the site we typically run at the public library. We believe that our highest and best use of resources is to provide services no one else in the county provides in the way that we can. This is what we are hoping to accomplish with our career and financial services re-development and expansion. By creating our next iteration of highly relevant self-sufficiency services for low-and middle-income individuals and families, domestic violence victims and Spanish-speakers, we hope to serve even more clients in these services than we have previously. e) Describe the community need or problem to be addressed in relation to the Cha.el Hill Human 'Services Needs Assessment, Orange County BOCC Goal's and Priorities, Town of Chapel Hill Council Goals, Carrboro goals, or other community priorities (i.e. Council/Board Goals). Reference local data (using the provided links, i.e. Chapel Hill Human Services Needs Assessment)to support the need for this program. Leal Information: There is significant unmet legal need in our community primarily because of the cost of representation. In North Carolina, there is only one Legal Aid attorney for every 13,170 low-income people while there is one private attorney for every 562 people in North Carolina; an estimated 80% of the civil legal needs of low-income families go unmet every year (NC Equal Access to Justice Commission). These legal needs may be related to "domestic violence, divorce, child custody, housing, consumer protection, employment, (and) health", which are all areas that have a major impact on peoples' lives and in which legal expertise is crucial (NC Equal Access to Justice Commission). Financial Literac Education: In Orange County between 2011 and 2015, 14.3% of the population was living in poverty. Between 2009 and 2013 female-headed households with children under 18 had the highest poverty rate in Orange County at 35.6%, compared with 7.9% for married-couple households with children under 18 (US. Census Bureau QuickFacts American Community Survey). Also contributing to poverty among women is the reality of gender pay disparities that continues to be a problem in the United States. In 2010 North Carolina women earned just 82.5% of their male counterparts, and the wage gap is significantly larger for women of color. ("The Status of Women in North Carolina," Institute for Women's Policy Research). Nationally, women are also less likely to have health insurance and retirement plans (2015 White House Council of Economic Advisers Report). Because of these factors, women need to save more than their male counterparts throughout their lives. However, the federal government's Women in America report found that two out of three women say that they have little or no knowledge of financial products and services. Career Exploration a n P.reparedn s :: Women are more likely to work in industries and positions that are lower-paying than men (2015 White House Council of Economic Advisers report). In addition, women tend to hold a disproportionately high percentage of minimum-wage jobs, and North Carolina has a higher than average percentage of its PROGRAM INFORMATION 1/30/2017 4:02:21 PM Page 2 6 o f 4 8