HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE JULY 2, 2003 - 11:30 A.M. SCOTT HEYMAN CONFERENCE ROOM
Present:
M. Robertson, N. Schuler, P. Penniman, M. Koplinka-Loehr (arrived at 11:36
a.m.)
Excused: F. Proto
Staff: S. Whicher, I. Stein, E. Marx, H. McDaniel,
W. Skinner, N. Zahler
Legislators: K. Herrera, T. Joseph
Guests: B. Rusen and F. Spadafora-Manzella, Cayuga
Addiction Recover Services; J. Carlson, Lakeview Mental Health Services;
G. Ferrari, Catholic Charities; M. Dill, Human Services Coalition; A. Tutin,
Ithaca Journal, J. Bowes and T. Edwards, Mutual Housing Association, Arpi
Hovaguimian, Alcohol and Drug Council
Called to Order
Ms. Robertson called the meeting to order at 11:34 a.m.
Changes to the Agenda
The Mutual Housing Association was provided with time
on the agenda to discuss their program.
Chair's Report
Ms. Robertson did not have a report.
Approval of Minutes
Approval of minutes of the June 19 meeting was deferred
to the next meeting.
Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services
Mr. Rusen, Executive Director, spoke of the mission of
Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services (CARS). He stated CARS is a community
behavior healthcare organization that provides chemical dependency treatment
and services to clients through two outpatient clinics, a residential program,
and a supportive living program. Services include a specialized vocational
and educational department and a training institute that provides training
to service providers. CARS provides treatment that enhances emotional,
mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. The residential program
is designed to involve the individual in a variety of therapeutic settings
and activities that include group and individual counseling, educational
programs, job skills training, and recreational activities.
Mr. Rusen said many of the referrals received for the Outpatient program
come through the criminal justice system. The outpatient program provides
treatment for chemical dependent individuals living in the community.
Activities include evaluations, group therapy, vocational and educational
counseling, and medical evaluations. The Supportive Living Program
is a supervised sober housing program which requires clients to be engaged
in concurrent outpatient treatment with one of the CARS outpatient clinics.
Presently, Outpatient services are located in the City
of Ithaca and Groton. Approximately 99 percent of clients who attend outpatient
clinics are from Tompkins County. Groundbreaking will take place
at the end of July for a new residential facility in Trumansburg. Regarding
the residential services, there are only 4-5 facilities in upstate New York.
Mr. Rusen stated there are no intensive supervision programs west of Tompkins
County and a majority of the agency's referrals are received from the Broome
County, Elmira, or Corning areas. The majority of the agency's clients
are male (72%) and are in the 26-55 age bracket. The client base is
predominantly Caucasian with 18 percent being African-American, and a small
percentage Hispanic. The vast majority of the clients have little
formal education and more than a third do not have a high school diploma.
Most clients are unemployed or are employed on a part-time basis; about 20%
have full-time jobs
Mr. Rusen noted that most of the DSS money does not come
from Tompkins County as they take clients from many counties and the benefits
are paid by their home county. Food stamps do come through Tompkins
County because it is a federal program. He said the vast majority of
the clients have their care subsidized by OASAS funds to some degree.
Mr. Rusen distributed an organizational chart for CARS.
Ms. Spadafora-Manzella explained the organization of the agency and its philosophy
of shared leadership and participatory management.
In his response to a question regarding the new facility
in Trumansburg, Mr. Rusen stated this will be a replacement facility and
will provide no additional beds or staff. He expects final occupancy
to take place in October 2004. Ms. Robertson asked about the
old building and if there was a specific list of repairs that were needed.
Mr. Rusen will send a copy of this information to Mr. Whicher and Mr. DeLuca,
Mental Health Commissioner, when it is ready.
Mr. Rusen was asked how many individuals unsuccessfully
leave the program. He responded approximately ten percent. It was noted
that approximately 90 percent of the Agency's clients are ordered to receive
services through the court system. For court-ordered clients who drop
out, Parole decides where they go after leaving CARS. The Committee
briefly reviewed data relative to the CARS client base.
Housing Report by the Planning Commissioner
Mr. Marx said there is a lot going on in this community
with a great amount of attention being given to housing. He said there
are long-range issues as well as some specific issues that can be addressed
with immediacy. Long-range issues include: 1. Affordability
for both rental and owner-occupied residences and a need for multiple solutions,
including public-private partnerships; 2. Needs of the aging population;
the over-60 age group will increase by thirty percent by the year 2020.
Mr. Marx said a number of people are working on these issues in terms of
looking at bigger strategies and the County's Comprehensive Plan identifies
these two issues. A subcommittee of the Planning Advisory Board has
been established that will continue working on this problem.
He stated the County needs to focus on problems of homelessness and unmet
needs of housing, as well as the immediate need for additional capacity in
an SRO (Single Room Occupancy) facility, especially for individuals who have
a specific mental health diagnosis. Mr. Marx believes that this
problem could be resolved relatively quickly, as funding is available from
the Office of Mental Hygiene and possibly from other sources.
He stated there needs to be a commitment by the County Legislature that this
is an important issue for Tompkins County.
Mr. Marx said the County needs to publicly state that
this is the type of facility that is really needed in Tompkins County and
encourage other agencies to get involved. He said if Tompkins County
acknowledges the seriousness of this housing problem it would be a big step.
Mr. Penniman commented that there is an overall lack of
supply of housing units in Tompkins County and that ten percent more could
easily be absorbed. He said if more students resided on campus it would
open up units. Mr. Marx agreed there is a supply issue and this will
be addressed in the Comprehensive Plan.
Ms. Robertson said she will be reviewing the 1995 Affordable
Housing Task Force Report and will be speaking to Legislator Blanchard who
chaired that Committee. She will summarize that report for the committee
at a future meeting.
Ithaca Housing Authority
Brenda Westfall, Deputy Director of Ithaca Housing Authority,
explained the Section 8 Certificate and Housing Voucher Programs to the Committee.
She stated the Ithaca Housing Authority administers a public housing program
and a Section 8 program which are federally funded through the Department
of Housing and Urban Development. Ms. Westfall stated the Ithaca Housing
Authority is the landlord for 341 housing units within the City of Ithaca,
235 of which are in Titus Towers. The Towers just received an elderly designation
from HUD, which means that it will no longer accept people with disabilities
who are non-elderly. However no current tenants will be asked to leave
if they are non-elderly. They are one bedroom units and are rented
based on an individual's income. The remaining 106 apartments are family
housing units and are located in various areas throughout the City of Ithaca,
including the Northside complex, Southview and Hector Street.
Ms. Westfall spoke of the Certificate program and stated
the amount of the family's rental payment is based on a percentage of the
family's total income, usually 30 percent of the adjusted monthly income,
depending on whether or not utilities are included in the rent. The
Ithaca Housing Authority administers 540 vouchers. A family can use
that voucher to locate and pay for housing anywhere in Tompkins County.
The housing has to be determined reasonable, the rent has to be determined
reasonable, and the unit has to pass housing quality standards inspections
(minimum quality standards for the area). Once all these steps are
complete a housing assistance payment contract is developed with the landlord
of the property. This program is also based on a family's income
and as long as they remain income eligible and comply with program regulations,
the contract continues indefinitely and the Ithaca Housing Authority pays
the landlord a subsidy that has been calculated. There is no time limit
as to how long a family can remain on this program.
Ms. Westfall stated that the Ithaca Housing Authority
recently entered into an agreement with the Ithaca Police Department to perform
background checks. The purpose of this is to identify if a prospective
tenant has a history of committing a drug-related or violent crime within
the last three years. They also check to see if the person is registered
as a sex offender.
A question was raised as to how long the waiting list
is for the Section 8 program. Ms. Westfall stated the waiting list is typically
6-12 months, with priorities being given to those with extremely low income,
low income, those who are homeless or currently live in substandard housing.
She noted that 90 percent of the applications received usually qualify as
having priority status. She also pointed out that there was a four-year
waiting list in 1999. There currently is no waiting list for the public
housing program.
Ms. Westfall said that approximately 10-12 families drop
out of the Section 8 program each month, because they’ve moved away, failed
to comply with program requirements, or their income has increased to above
the limit for eligibility. If the tenant’s payment (30% of income)
becomes equal to the full rent, they are allowed to keep the voucher for
another six months before becoming ineligible
Mrs. Schuler asked if the Ithaca Housing Authority has
a policy for pets. She stated the Department of Housing and Urban Development
allows the Authority to establish a policy for its jurisdiction. The
policy of Ithaca Housing Authority is a uniform policy that allows tenants
to have pets with the payment of a security deposit. She noted residents
are provided with an opportunity to pay that deposit in installments.
Ms. Westfall said she feels there is a lack of housing
for folks with disabilities, particularly those with mental health diagnosis.
Mr. Penniman said because of the tightness of the market in Ithaca, a large
number of units are taken many months in advance of when they are needed.
He also said there are cases where an individual would like to get into a
"rent-to-own" or land contract situation but this isn't offered by Ithaca
Housing Authority. Ms. Westfall stated this is not offered at this
point; however, they are investigating a homeownership program in the future.
Human Services Coalition - HUD Grant Update
Ms. Dill reported on the HUD Homeless Services Grant and
said the purpose of the grant is to study a range of homeless services, including
shelters. She noted that HUD guidelines for homeless programs are very
strict; HUD has been sending $250,000 yearly to Tompkins County for these
programs. Ms. Dill spoke of the Continuum of Care program which addresses
needs across service area. She said they are getting much better at
identifying where problems exist and what is needed to analyze those gaps.
Ms. Dill said the programs that are applying for renewal this year are:
Chartwell House, Green Street, and the American Red Cross.
Ms. Dill noted that the COMPASS II survey has identified a lack of affordable
housing as a problem for individuals at all income levels except the highest,
with very low income housing the biggest gap.
Lakeview Mental Health Services (formerly H.O.M.E.S. Inc.)
Jennifer Carlson, Tompkins County and CSS Program Director,
explained the program was established in 1978 in Naples, NY. The mission
of the program is to enhance the quality of life for persons affected by
mental illness through supportive living, community-based mental health services
and increasing public awareness and sensitivity toward the strengths and
needs of people with mental illness. Since then, the organization
has grown into an organization that offers many different services to Livingston,
Wayne, Ontario, Yates, Seneca, and Tompkins Counties. Services include
transportation, case management, intensive case management, outreach services,
residential services, and supportive housing services. Ms. Carlson
said in Tompkins County Lakeview Mental Health Services primarily provides
residential and supportive housing services. Currently, there are three
eight-bed residential programs which are located at Albany Street, Buffalo
Street (Evergreen), and Park Place. This program is for individuals
with the highest level of need. Services operate on a rehabilitative
model with a service plan for each individual. They are funded by Medicaid
reimbursement for residential services. Lakeview also has an administrative
office on Green Street in Ithaca and another in Canandaigua, New York.
Ms. Carlson spoke of the Horizon Apartment Program and
said this program offers apartments that are scattered throughout the community.
She said the community residences are operated with on-site supervision ten
hours a day and staff on call at all times. In that model a host of
services are provided which include assistance with family living skills,
socialization, legal, financial, and other issues. State funds are
available for 30 beds. They now have 19 people in the program with
four available slots, and are looking for additional apartments. The
goal is to provide the least restrictive setting possible.
The Supportive Housing Program is funded primarily through
a block grant and is based on units of services provided in the community.
This program helps individuals select a home from a range of affordable housing
from across the community and assists them in maintaining the residence on
a long-term basis. This offers the least restrictive setting.
They currently have 32 beds in that program and they are allowed to serve
up to 50 people.
Mr. Penniman was excused at 1:05 p.m.
Ms. Carlson said Lakeview is in the process of looking
at building new community residences as the current buildings are in very
poor condition and costs to repair the buildings have been exorbitant.
Lakeview has been working with the Community Mental Health Services Board
and the Office of Mental Health to move forward with the project. At
this point they are very interested in having three eight-bed community residences;
however, this is a very old model and although it works in Tompkins County,
it creates budget issues for Lakeview. They have a debt of $80,000-100,000
under this model and the State Budget office has denied permission for three
eight-bed homes. She noted there are only two other eight-bed residences
operated within New York State. One alternative is to open a 14-bed
home (a duplex with two seven-bed units) and a new eight-bed residence.
Ms. Carlson said they will be working closely with the subcommittee and will
move forward with their final recommendation.
Mutual Housing Association of Tompkins County
Mr. Edwards explained the Mutual Housing Association of
Tompkins County operates a 501c not-for-profit program within the City of
Ithaca for low and very low income housing. He said the program attempts
to complement other existing housing programs within Tompkins County and
provides individuals with a third alternative to renting and owning a home.
Their goal is to empower residents to be able to make decisions on issues
such as landscaping their homes and they offer residents a sense of pride
and ownership in their residences. Currently, the Mutual Housing Association
operates 30 units (with 1-4 bedrooms) in downtown Ithaca opposite the Sciencenter,
as well as a few other homes in the City.. They have been in operation
for four years and have not had any vacancies exist longer than a period
of 30 days. Mr. Edwards said scholarships have been created for
the purpose of improving the lives of children in the housing program.
They offer free professional counseling services to all Mutual Housing residents
for issues ranging from credit problems to family problems. He said
this counseling program is based on the EAP (Employee Assistance Program)
and noted they were the first to create a residential assistance program
and work closely with Family and Children's Services in Ithaca.
He announced that Mutual Housing has received a $3 million grant that will
help them open 15 new residences that will be scattered throughout the County.
Mr. Bowes invited Committee members to attend a celebration
of the Association to be held at 512 Alice Miller Way on August 2nd at 2
p.m.
Appointment
It was MOVED by Mrs. Schuler, seconded by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr,
and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present, to appoint Nancy
Zahler to the Community Mental Health Services Board - Substance Abuse Subcommittee
as a Community Member representative; term expires December 31, 2004.
Mr. Koplinka-Loehr was excused at 1:25 p.m.
Recreation Partnership - Update
Ms. Zahler reported the Youth Services Board has prepared
its budget recommendations and those will be presented during the budget
process.
Ms. Zahler provided the following report on the Recreation
Partnership: The Recreation Partnership will adopt program decisions
after July 8th. The question of whether the City and Town of Ithaca
will make a formal request to the County to help support the facilities is
not known at this time.
She said the Recreation Partnership issues really cannot
be separated from the facilities issues. Ms. Robertson asked why all
the partners would not absorb the capital projects cost of the facilities.
She expressed concern and reluctance of the County committing to large capital
projects for facilities at this difficult budget time.