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Orange County Human Services Advisory Commission 1994 Executive Summary The Human Services Advisory Commission (HSAC) has continued to address its mission of promoting the effective provision of human services to the citizens of Orange County. During 1994: * The fifth annual human services forum was held on September 14, 1994 at the Friday Center with an excellent attendance of ? ? ?. * HSAC assisted the County Manager's Office in reviewing non - departmental budget requests from eighteen agencies. * Several County agencies made reports to HSAC to update members on current initiatives within their agencies. Agencies reporting were: OPC- Mental Health, DSS, Child Support Enforcement, Dept. on Aging, Commission on Women, Library, Recreation Dept., Health Dept., and the Agricultural Extension Service. HSAC is charged with conducting an annual forum on human services in Orange County. Each forum has built directly on previous forums and their recommendations. The first forum in 1990 focused on planning and coordination, and most of the recommendations have been implemented. A Vision Statement for human services in Orange County was created at the 1991 forum, and the Vision Statement has since been adopted by a number of agencies. The 1992 forum focused on developing strategies to help achieve the shared Vision, and the 1993 forum addressed the importance of client and community input for human services in our county. HSAC requested that the funding application for 1994 for non - departmental agencies include a question about client input and this information was considered during the recommendation process. This year's forum was titled, "Collaborating to Build a Safer Community." The forum gave human services providers an opportunity to learn more about the causes of violence and its manifestations in our community, and then to brainstorm ways to address some of the more serious issues which face the citizens of our county. A full report of the forum, which was sent to every forum participant, is attached. Based on the results of this year's forum, HSAC makes the following recommendations to the County Commissioners for their consideration during the planning process for 1995: Create a safe county by creating safe neighborhoods 1. Target services to neighborhoods. Use newly created Family Resource Centers and other existing agencies in neighborhoods to act as central locations for residents to receive services or referrals, and to be places where residents can gather to develop strategies for helping to keep the neighborhood safe. Staff time from county human services agencies could be allocated for