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Bay HSCC Meeting Minutes
November 28, 2007
Present:
Ellen Albrecht, Vice
Chair, Bay Arenac Early Childhood Advisory Council, BABHA
Suellen Bartel, Disability Representative
Dave Corcoran, Michigan Rehab Services
Cori Denay, Bay County Division on Aging
Designee
Michael Dewey, Chair, Bay Arenac ISD
Christopher Girard, Do-All, Inc.
Martin Gottesman, Bay City Public Schools
George Heron, Community Representative
Gary Lesley, BABHA Designee
Jheri McAfee, CORY Place
Captain Michael Myers, Salvation Army
Zane Rybkowski, Region VII Area Agency on
Aging
Jill Sutton, Mid Michigan Community
Action Agency
Regina Turner, Bay Area Women’s Center
Howard Wetters, MSU Extension
Bernell Wiggins, Bay Arenac DHS
Goldie Wood, Bay County Prevention
Network & Bay Regional Medical Center
Guests:
Ron O’Brien, MPRI
Lauri Bonnell, Mid Michigan Community
Action Agency
Diane List, List Psychological
Staff:
Trisha Charbonneau-Ivey
I. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order by
Chairperson Mike Dewey at 8:31 AM. Introductions were done by all.
II. Approval of September 26th
Meeting Minutes
Request for review and approval of the September minutes was made
by the Chair. Dave Corcoran motioned to approve the minutes of
September 26,2007. Goldie Wood supported the motion. The motion
was approved.
Steering Committee Draft of October Minutes
- The draft of the
October Steering Committee Minutes was included in the packet of
meeting information. The Minutes were
received by the group.
III.
Request for Endorsement – Great Parents/Great Start Plan –
Colleen was unable to be at
the meeting. Ellen Albrecht stated that the Bay Arenac Early Childhood
Advisory Council supported the plan, and that this has not changed much
from the last year. Howard Wetters motioned to allow the chairperson to
sign-off on the Great Parents/Great Start Plan upon its completion.
Suellen Bartell supported the motion. The motion passed.
IV.
Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative Update –
George Heron congratulated
to Mike Dewey on the Bay Arenac ISD receiving North Central
Accreditation.
George brought Ron O’Brien with him
Program was initiated to create
safer communities. George did a brief overview of the MPRI initiative
for the group and then introduced Ron.
Ron updated the group on the
progress of the implementation of Round Three of MPRI. He discussed
that the three part premise is: “Getting Ready, Going Home, Staying
Home.” Statistically, 67% of parolees are back in prison after 3
years. The Department of Corrections budget exceeds 2 billion annually
with 51,400 people in the prisons.
Ron mentioned that the
profile of offenders discharged into Bay County is different than in
Saginaw. Prisoners have residential placement potential in Bay County.
Most are sex offenders.
Freeland will be host
prison. Saginaw, Bay, Midland, Huron, Sanilac, and Tuscola will be the
communities that Freeland discharges to. The prison has a capacity of
1,500, with a daily census of 1,425 prisoners.
Michigan Works will be the
fiduciary for the grants that will be offered. The Request for Proposals
(RFP) will be in the Bay City Times and the Midland Daily News from
November 28-30, 2007. The RFP will include requests for services for
workforce development, life skills, and coordinated case management.
There will be a Pre-Bidder
Conference at the Midland Michigan Works Office, which Director Ed
Oberski will hold on Tuesday Dec. 4th. Contact Ed for the
times. The due date for the grant will be December 13, 2007 at 5:00 PM.
The contract term will be year to year but the Department of
Corrections will write it from Jan 1, 2008 – December 31, 2010. The
funding allocated to Bay County is 20% of total allocation. The total
allocation was $819,000 therefore Bay will receive approximately $80,000
for all three areas. Ron also stipulated that if a community is not
using their money it can be reallocated among the other communities in
the Region.
Ron noted that MPRI paroles
6,000 prisoners annually, and the State of Michigan paroles 10,000.
They hope that in the future 100% of prisoners will participate in MPRI.
With MPRI the recidivism rate has dropped 20%.
Ron explained the structure
for the Regional Advisory Council, which is made up of 65 members. MI
Works is a member of the steering team with reps from Bay, Midland, and
Saginaw present. Our representatives on the Steering team are George
Heron and Sherriff Miller. In Midland those representatives are the
Prosecuting Attorney and a representative from Community Mental Health.
Ron requested that the HSCC
consider appointing a committee that would be willing to work with MI
Works to evaluate and rate the bidders.
Parole for prisoners is 2
years. The Department of Parole is looking at decreasing parole to 18
mos.
Ron explained that there is
an evaluation team in Lansing, funded by MSU, that look at the outcomes
of the program. This evaluation is done annually. For instance, in
Saginaw 25% of parolees are employed inside of 6 months.
Ron also explained that funds
are allocated for medical needs. Parolees are provided with 30 days of
meds upon discharge. Many of the parolees being discharged will be HIV
positive and many have mental health concerns.
Ron stipulated that the funds
for the MPRI Mental Health Project are separate from the RFP mentioned
prior. These funds are reserved for Severe and Persistent Mental
Illness and the contract usually occurs between the Department of
Corrections and the local Community Mental Health provider.
Ron discussed Arenac County,
which will be rolled out as a part of a 14 county area overseen by
Region VII B, in Harrison. Lisa Joy is the coordinator for that area.
Standish Maximum Security Correctional Facility will not be a feeder
prison for the area.
Ron also stipulated that the
prisoners on MPRI are those with the highest risk and the highest need.
Ellen commented that the two
week turn-around on RFP is very unreasonable. Ron stated that most of
the 30 page application is boilerplate and that most agencies would be
familiar with the format.
The MPRI program has a Community Advisory Committee in the communities
that were in the Round 1 and Round 2 Processes of the initiative.
Rather than starting another committee, George is suggesting that a
subcommittee of the HSCC is established to act as the Advisory
Committee. Chairperson, Mike Dewey requested a motion for the formation
of an ad-hoc sub-committee to address the evaluation and rating of the
proposals for the MPRI program, and that the Adult Task Force members be
invited to join the group. Chris Girard made the motion. Goldie Wood
supported the motion. The motion carried. Trisha will send out an
email invitation to the entire group and will follow up with date and
time of the meeting to all on the committee.
V.
Election of Vice Chair -
Mike Dewey reminded the group that Ellen
Albrecht would be taking over the role of Chairperson beginning January
1, 2008, and that we are in the position to vote for a Vice Chair
person. Both Trisha and Mike indicated that there were no more
nominations via email. Trisha reminded the group that Judge Karen Tighe
was nominated, and accepted her nomination at the last meeting. Howard
Wetters made a motion to close the nominations and cast unanimous ballot
in favor of Judge Tighe. Goldie Wood supported the motion. The motion
carried.
VI. Membership -
Dave Corcoran discussed the progress on
the Community Member at Large Policy and Procedure which Trisha agreed
to update for the group. The Membership Committee recommends LIST
Psychological for the Community Member at Large Position for 2008 and
2009, and that George Heron remain member at large for one additional
year, with a Jan 1st start date. The committee also
recommends that the dues be waived for Community Member at Large
positions. Jheri made a motion to support the recommendations of the
Membership Committee. Goldie Wood supported the motion. The motion was
approved.
VII. Dues Structure Update –
Trisha provided a Dues update
for the group. Trisha informed the group that the Arenac Multi-Purpose
Collaborative Body approved the proposed dues structure at their last
meeting in November. The dues mailing for Bay County went out on
November 27th.
VIII.
Legislative Luncheon Update –
Trisha provided the group with two
options for a Legislative Luncheon date, January 25th or
February 1st. The group chose the February 1st
date. The luncheon will begin at 11:30 AM and will be held at the
Cheese Haus as Arenac has chosen to participate. The Luncheon will
include soup, salad, and sandwiches. The group decided they would also
like to have federal Representatives and Senators or their aides invited
as well.
IX. HSCC Workgroup and Committee
Reports
Workgroup reports were submitted by the Senior Task Force
and included in the mailing. The report was reviewed by the group.
Senior Task Force
- Report provided in mailing. Cori
Denay was present and provided a verbal report of the progress of the
Senior Task Force. She reported that they are currently working in
conjunction with MSU extension on the development of a community-wide
survey for the Caring Communities for a Lifetime Project. They are
currently in the process of training volunteers for the Family Advocate
Program. Recently received a request from Suicide Prevention Coalition
to help in addressing suicide risk factors with older adults. They hope
to develop a TV - 3 presentation on this issue with Bay Arenac
Behavioral Health.
Self Sufficiency Task Force-
Chris Girard gave a verbal report for the group. Chris recapped that
recently they had a presentation by Angel Food Ministries and the Bay
County Emergency Food Pantry Network. From this presentation the group
was able to identify that there was a need for additional space for
Angel Food Ministries to distribute. Chris was able to offer the
Material Assistance Center as a space for the distribution. Chris
emphasized that this program is open to anyone regardless of income.
Chris also mentioned that Joel Strasz of the Bay County Health
Department presented information on the Family Development Matrix as the
group is exploring case management and mentoring models.
Bay Continuum of Care
- Regina Turner presented information on the Bay County Continuum of
Care. She recapped that the Project Connect Event had over 400 people
in attendance. This day was designed to offer a “one-stop shop” for
anyone in need seeking services in Bay County. The event was held at
the Community Center, and many human service providers offered services.
They distributed 356 food packages, 140 hygiene packages, completed 29
applications for the commodities program through Mid Michigan Community
Action Agency, 2 families received shelter , and the Bay Area Womens’
Center had 2-3 referrals as well. They shuttled 20 people to the
Secretary of State to assist them in obtaining their identification.
Regina mentioned that Bay County will be
receiving 32 more HARP (Housing Assistance Recovery Program) vouchers.
She explained that as people come off of the current Section 8 vouchers
those vouchers will be replaced with the HARP vouchers which are
time-limited. She also noted that Linda Bujalski, the Michigan State
Housing Development Authority Representative for Bay County, will be
leaving her position.
Strong Families/Safe Children-
Report was included in the meeting materials. Trisha updated the group
on Strong Families/Safe Children. Trisha mentioned the delays occurring
within OCRS (Office of Contracts and Rate Setting) and that this is
curtailing our ability to provide services. Both Bernell and Kim have
discussed their concerns with the office and the directors of that
office and are awaiting responses.
Trisha also mentioned that she hopes to
hear something about the proposed budget language that would allow the
collaboratives more decision making power in the Strong Families
process. She hopes to have an update after an upcoming Regional
Coordinators meeting.
X. Youth Development Group –
Goldie Wood recapped the
concern that was raised at the last Steering Committee meeting regarding
the Youth Development Group and Youth Recreation objective on the
strategic plan. Goldie stated that the Bay County Prevention Network
members discussed the item. The group decided that they would not
able to do any other recreational activities other than Red Sock Hop
Lock In. Goldie extended an invitation to other members to attend the
meeting, or if they have concerns to please voice them. Goldie also
stated that the BCPN members felt that they were at their capacity with
the existing projects they are working on such as the Underage Drinking
Campaign.
Howie mentioned that their
agency finds it difficult to integrate into the narrower focus of the
BCPN, but will continue to work with the group as much as is possible.
Jheri McAfee mentioned that
one of the United Way objectives is for Youth is recreation. She also
mentioned that transportation to recreational functions is an issue.
She felt that any group evaluating this topic should consider
transportation.
Goldie discussed that in
previous years there was an RFP issued from the BCPN to fund
recreational opportunities for Youth. The BCPN received only three
responses to the RFP. Goldie recapped that no one showed up at the YMCA
or the Boy’s and Girl’s Club events.
It was stressed that this
group would need representation from other people in order to tackle
this topic.
Group members suggested that
we contact the people who run skating rinks, bowling alleys, ice arena,
and State Theater in order to get additional perspectives and members.
Goldie mentioned that each day the Neighborhood Resource Center passes
out 10 Daily YMCA passes, and every day they are gone quickly.
Jheri mentioned that another
issue are the fees involved with youth recreation activities, and a lack
of funds to subsidize those fees.
A member asked if we had ever
discussed the transportation issue with Mike Stoner of Bay Metro, Goldie
indicated that she has spoken with them in the past.
Group members also suggested
that representatives from the Summer Recreational programs be invited
to the group.
Martin Gottesman told the
group that the Bay City Public Schools have an after-school bowling
program and the kids have transportation to the alley through that
program.
The group suggested that if
there is a contact person for recreational activities in an agency that
they receive a special invitation to a Strategic Planning session to be
held in January or February. The group should do an inventory of the
current youth recreation programs in the area.
Some suggested members for
the committee were Goldie, Vicki, Jheri, Howie, Mary Davis, Student
Council Representatives from the schools, Youth Advisory Council of the
Bay Area Community Foundation, Youth Leadership Bay County, Church based
programs (Ecumenical Counsel). Goldie did mention that at the Faith
Forum which was held by the BCPN only 6 pastors came. The response from
these pastors was that the churches are all territorial and they find it
difficult to bring all of them together.
Trisha will work on the
development of a letter and will work with a group to develop a forum to
discuss the topic of youth recreation, to be held in the month of
February.
XI. Draft Meeting Schedule –
Trisha presented a draft of
the meeting schedule for 2008. Chair Mike Dewey requested that members
put the dates on their calendars.
XII. Other Business
-
Ron O’Brien
mentioned that the website dedicated to MPRI is
www.michpri.com
Gary Lesley-
Gary expressed that BABHA is hopeful budget is
solidified with an alternate tax funding
structure.
Regina Turner
- Victims Services funding has been tabled at the
federal level again.
Bernell Wiggins
– DHS is fully staffed for the next year. They may
pick up some caseworkers or foster care
workers. They did manage
to escape cuts in service positions.
Bernell also reiterated that the local
office is having difficulty with OCRS and
will keep the group apprised
of issues.
A group member noted that Parmenter House
would be open this
upcoming
year.
Dave
Corcoran- Bay City Kiwanis
will be holding an event on Dec.
11th at the SVSU performing
arts center. They will be showing a
Warren Miller film called “Playground.” The film features snow sports
and the ticket entitles you to more than
$100 worth of ski lift tickets
for MI Ski destinations. Tickets are
available at SVSU box office, The
Stable, The Camera Shop, and The
Bintz Ski Shop.
Diane List – Expressed her
gratitude for the acceptance of LIST
Psychological onto the HSCC.
Mike Dewey thanked the group
for allowing him the opportunity to
Chair, and expressed
that he is excited to rejoin the table as a
member. The group expressed their thanks
to Mike for his service.
No further business to come before the
group.
Meeting adjourned at 10:15 AM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Trisha Charbonneau-Ivey
Bay HSCC/SFSC Coordinator
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