BOH agenda 022416 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• In October, 2015 the County made a great step by appointing its first Criminal Justice Resource Manager (for jail alternative programming such as PreTrial and Drug Court programs). On January 21, 2016 the Board approved the creation of a Criminal Case Assessment Specialist Position with clinical mental health skills to be paid for the remainder of this fiscal year. • We need to continue our public /private affordable housing partnerships with a goal towards measurable increases in affordable housing stock. The county needs to expedite economic development in the Buckhorn Economic District for clean commercial projects to bring jobs with benefits at several levels for residents, especially those who do not have college degrees. Companies can partner with Durham Tech - Orange Co to provide any technical training needed. C = =7 Mark Dorosin Poverty has myriad interrelated and inter - generational causes, including: 1) a lack of adequate educational opportunities, 2) a lack of decent paying jobs, 3) inadequate childcare, which especially burdens single parent households; 4) weakening of the safety net; 5) and the continuing impacts of race and gender discrimination. While the County has worked to expand the scope and impact of its Departments of Social Services and Health, it has struggled to stem the onslaught of adverse actions by the state legislature. The Family Success Alliance, a County led coalition of government agencies and direct service providers, has developed a wrap- around anti - poverty program specifically targeting children and families in concentrated low- wealth areas of the county. The key to the model is two -fold and represents an approach we ought to take towards all social justice advocacy: first, it recognizes the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to community challenges (here bringing schools, health department, nonprofits, and community advocates together); second, it acknowledges that making immediate impacts, even incremental ones, is vital to build support and engagement around issues that can otherwise seem too broad, intractable, or abstract. We need to expand the FSA and coordinate it with efforts to expand affordable housing and support local businesses and job opportunities. All these efforts should be focused on addressing the growing income inequality in the County, which is among the highest in the state. Gary Kahn People are poor for the following reasons, lack of a proper education, min wage jobs, family planning not planed well(i.e Too many children etc.)The county should do a better job on getting the word out of what services they need, and try to locate and reach out to them.