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 of practice. New volunteers participate in 6 hours of training plus two counseling shadowing sessions. Law students are vetted by the UNC Law School. h) Describe the specific period over which the activities will be carried out and include an implementation timeline. All services will be offered for the full July 2017 to June 2018 grant period. Legal workshops are offered 8-10 times a year. Legal information service attorneys hold appointments 4-8 times a month. Community Legal Project services are offered September through mid-November and February through April two Thursdays a month. June through August, weekly appointments are provided. Financial and career one-on- one counseling sessions are available during business hours with some evening options; multiple appointments offered weekly. At least fifteen financial and career workshops will be offered this year. i) Why is funding this program a good investment for the community? How does funding this program add value to the community? (250 words OR LESS) Many of the individuals that our agency serves are women or men who have been absent from the workforce while they worked in their home to raise children or care for other family members. After separation from a spouse or other loss of the financial support, these individuals face a unique set of challenges as they work to achieve financial independence. Other women and men may also need assistance due to the anticipated loss of public assistance as the parent of a minor child. Cash assistance to families through the Work First Family Assistance (WFFA) program is limited to 24 months. The NC Division of Social Services estimates 230 families receiving WFFA in Orange County as of January, 2012. Our program can assist those on public benefits to become self-supporting when their benefits end by providing career and financial counseling, and referrals to other community resources. Victims of domestic violence are particularly vulnerable to economic challenges. Financial abuse is one of the most powerful and common tools abusers use to force victims to stay: research shows that it occurs in 98% of abusive relationships. This type of abuse can include control of finances, not allowing the victim to work or causing the victim to lose her job through stalking and harassment at work, forcing the victim to write bad checks or fraudulent tax returns, and charging significant debt to credit cards in the victim's name (National Network to End Domestic Violence, 2015). The link between financial abuse and domestic violence is of particular concern in North Carolina, which ranked 241' in 2014 for its high number of women murdered by men, an FBI figure typically used to count domestic violence-related homicides (Violence Policy Center 2016). Any services that can help domestic violence victims leave potentially lethal relationships are important. Because Compass Center also offers Domestic Violence Crisis Services, supporting financial, career and legal resources has the potential to save lives. j) Describe what would happen if requested funding is not awarded at all or if a reduced allocation is recommended. We have a very long history of providing these services to the community. They were partially funded for many years by the NC Council for Women through Displaced Homemaker funds (at one point over $60,000 annually), but as of July 1, 2014 Displaced Homemaker funds no longer exist. Because these programs are so well run, using professional volunteers and achieving good outcomes, Compass Center continues to seek PROGRAM INFORMATION 1/30/2017 4:02:21 PM V'' o 28 of 48