11-17-2025 - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES November 17,2025 at the Hillsborough Walmart this Saturday from 10a-3pm. With a donation of a toy, a family can have a free picture with Santa. Internally, we are conducting a food drive. The food obtained will be used to replenish our pantry and if we have enough, we will give out food at the Toy Chest. DSS does have Toy Chest collection boxes for toys out in the community and additional boxes are available to go out upon request. Jane Garrett requested a box. Ann Wilkerson inquired about volunteers as well as an update on where the Food Boxes collected by the Food Lion on Weaver Dairy Road are distributed. 2. HR1 Updates Director Shewmaker provided updates to the Board to include training being offered this week for staff on policy changes as a result of the Reconciliation Bill. One of the new work requirements targets individuals ages 55-64. DSS is convening Department of Aging, local Chambers of Commerce, and local businesses friendly to hiring older adults to brainstorm employment strategies for this population. There will be a Job Fair held in early 2026 specifically for adults ages 55 and up. The first month we will see individuals begin to lose benefits due to not meeting work requirements will be March 2026. 3. Food and Nutrition Services Delay and Response The Food and Nutrition Services program was fully funded as of last Friday, 11/14. We did confirm our clients received their benefits. The delay in receiving the full allotment of benefits was very impactful to families. Orange County increased the contract for PORCH Hillsborough and PORCH Chapel Hill/Carrboro by$12,000. Both Interfaith Council and Orange Congregations in Mission received an extra $15,000 for their food banks. On 11/8/25 there were food distributions at Hillsborough and Chapel Hill sites. Around 1100 families and 3000 individuals were served. Orange County and the local towns have challenged each other with food drives. 4. Child and Family Specialty Plan and PATH NC Assistant Director, Crystal Wiese, provided the Board with updates on CFSP and PATH NC. CFSP is a single statewide health care plan for children in foster care. Healthy Blue Care Together (HBCT) was awarded the contract by the State to administer this plan. This plan also serves youth who aged out of foster care up until age 26 as well as children receiving adoption assistance Medicaid until their 18t" birthday. DSS Medicaid and child welfare staff have been engaged in training and readiness activities to ensure a smooth transition. Our child welfare staff recently met with HBCT staff to review all children in foster care. Each child in the CFSP will be assigned a HBCT care manager. All care management assignments have occurred for OCDSS foster youth. PATH NC is North Carolina's new statewide technology solution for child welfare. 89 counties have rolled into this system for CPS Intake and Assessment program areas. OCDSS is in the last group of 11 counties that will go live in the system on 2/23/26. In addition to going in for intake and assessments, this group of counties will also go live for the ongoing program areas of child welfare to include in home, permanency planning, licensing, and adoptions. There is an ambitious readiness schedule to meet the go-live date of 2/23. Our child welfare team will be engaged in mandatory policy and system training from December through February in addition to their normal job duties. 5. Energy Programs LaKecia Robbins, Economic Services Program Manager, provided energy program updates to the Board. NCDHHS allocated funds from prior year carryover of around $238,000 for the Crisis Intervention Program (CIP) to Orange County. The current available balance is $98,812. Due to the government shutdown, we did not receive our full funding allocation. Now that operations have 2