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Request for Staff Training_Family Self Sufficiency ProgramTO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: Request for Staff Training DATE: October 3, 2008 Housing and Community Development Department Director David Harris is recommending the expenditure of $6,510 to send Family Self-Sufficiency Program Coordinator Carroll Clark and two recent graduates of the "Getting Ahead In A Just- Getting'-By World" Program to the Certification training to be an instructor in this program. Recently, Carroll Clark, working with Rick Mihm from the Dubuque Rescue Mission and Chuck Isenhart, completed three-month training for `consumers,' based on the "Getting Ahead In AJust-Getting'-By World" work of Dr Payne. Participants in the FSS Program and residents of the Rescue Mission met weekly to discuss issues of poverty and access to opportunity, with the goal of understanding the `hidden rules' of middle class society which serve as barriers to growth and economic advancement for persons in poverty. Fully 90% of the class successfully completed the course requirements. Funds are available in the FY 2009 improvement package of $3,000 that is not needed for outsourcing the printing of the approved budget documents due to utilizing the multi- function copiers and the remaining $3,510 will be funded by the City Manager's education and training budget. I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval. Michael C. Van Milligen ~ MCVM/jh Attachment cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager David Harris, Housing and Community Development Department Director 2 October 08 To: Michael Van Milligen, City Manager From: David Harris, Housing and Community Development Department Re: Request for staff training Introduction The purpose of this memorandum is to request funds to pay for the costs of a Housing Department staff to attend the "Getting Ahead In AJust-Gettin-By World" Program training. Background The Housing Department initiated trainings based on the work of Ruby Payne in an effort to promote understanding behaviors based on cultural and class differences. A series of these trainings has been held for a wide audience, using the "Bridges Out of Poverty" literature, based on the work of Dr Payne and Philip DeVol. Carroll Clark, our Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program Coordinator, and Jim Ott have facilitated these sessions, which have been provided to many City employees and area social service professionals during the past two years. Discussion Recently, Carroll Clark, working with Rick Mihm from the Dubuque Rescue Mission and Chuck Isenhart, completed three-month training for `consumers,' based on the "Getting Ahead In AJust-Gettin-By World" work of Dr Payne. Participants in the FSS Program and residents of the Rescue Mission met weekly to discuss issues of poverty and access to opportunity, with the goal of understanding the `hidden rules' of middle class society which serve as barriers to growth and economic advancement for persons in poverty. Fully 90% of the class successfully completed the course requirements. Our goal at this time is to expand this program and provide training to more persons in poverty. Currently, locally only Jim Ott has received the required certification to provide this training. This limits our ability to reach more persons. In other words, to expand the program, we need more trainers. This work is copyrighted by Dr Payne's aha! Process Inc, which sponsors trainings for trainers. A one-week certification workshop is now being made available. Our request is to have Carroll Clark attend this and attain the required trainer credentials. The cost is $2170. In addition, we intend to have two recent graduates of the `Getting Ahead' training also attend. This will begin the process of empowering Dubuque residents to train their peers and promote expanding participation. We hope to recruit as many Section 8 Program participants as possible to take advantage of this opportunity. As well, we look to incorporate this concept in the Project Hope initiative now in formative stages. To fund this additional training cost, we are looking to form partnerships with other agencies. The Community Foundation has been approached with this request. The Payne training offers us a model of hope for our economically impoverished citizens. Through this program, we can offer more persons a vision for success and a step up the ladder of economic opportunity. Action Step The action requested of the City Council is to approve funds in the amount of $6510 to send Carroll Clark, Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program Coordinator to this training as well as the two recent graduates of the "Getting Ahead" training. Per discussion with Budget Director Jennifer Larson, the training cost of $6510 will be funded by a FY 2009 improvement package of $3000 that is not needed for outsourcing the printing of the approved budget documents due to utilizing the multi-function copiers and the remaining $3510 will be funded by the City Manager's education and training budget. The Community Foundation will reimburse the City for a portion of the training costs if they are able to find funding. ~~~~~ ®ubuque A!I•pmericaCiiy .~~-e 2Q07 TO: Mike Van Millig~~r~~, Gity Manager FROM: David Ha~tl-is, Housing and Community Development Department SUBJECT: Expansion of the "Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin' by World" Program DATE; 5 September 08 As you know, through the efforts of Carrot! Clark and Jim Ott, the "Bridges Out of Poverty" and "Gettin' by" trainings have begun to make a significant impact on the community's awareness of the culture of poverty. Many people speak of their "a-ha" experience as they Learn another way of understanding class differences between cultures. Many City employees have participated in the "Bridges Out of Poverty" workshops, Chief Wadding has mentioned that he has seen a difference in the attitude of his officers as a result of this training. We recently made a presentation to a HUD workshop, at which the national HUD trainers expressed admiration and tald us what we were doing in Dubuque, through our municipal government, was unlike anything they have seen elsewhere in the country. Carroll an'd Jim, working with Chuck isenhart and Rick Mihm, Director at the Rescue Mission, have recently completed the first "Getting Ahead" training, Carroll's attached memo summarizes the results, which are truly outstanding. Of the 29 initial participants in a three-month course in which weekly sessions were held, 19 successfully graduated, These included our Family Self-Sufficiency Program participants, as well as residents of the Mission. I have told Carroll my goal would be for fully 50% of our Section 8 households to participate in this pragram. As Carroll's memo mentions, however, we are limited in expanding this program, as only certified trainers are authorized to do this work. Far this reason, Garro[l has requested to take this certification training. As well, she proposes to invite one of her recent program graduates to be certified as well. In this way, we can begin to build lacal capacity, to expand these trainings and expose mare persons to this opportunity of economic empowerment. We have no funds to pay for this training, calculated at $2170 per participant. A thought had is that this would certainly be a iogicaf component of our Project Hope program. 1 am not aware if funds have been committed to that activity. Another possibility might be the Community Foundation; perhaps Tara Nelson or another of their staff might also wish to receive this training. In either case, I am requesting your consideration of this funding request. !think this is one of the most important things we're currently doing to address the issues we have identified in the Washington and other downtown neighborhoods, 1 think we have the opportunity to create a `movement' of hope for our economically impoverished citizens. Through recruitment of more persons to this training program, we can expose them to a model which shows them a way to "get ahead" and find their place in our society. Housing and Community Development Dept. Assisted Nousing Program rxncrrxoF 350 W 6~~' STREET SUITE 312 ~• 7 Z+ Dubuque, LA 52001 L.J .C, 563-689-4230 (phone} Masterpiece on the Mississippi 563-589-4244 {¢nx} Date; September 5, 2008 To; David Harris, Depathnent Manager From: Carroll Glark, FSS Coordinator and Getting Ahead Co-Facilitator ~~ Subject: Funding far Getting Ahead In A Just Gettin' By World Training The purpose of this memorandum is to request funds to allow mysolf and one graduate from the Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin' By World Class to attend the Bridges Out of Poverty training ui December in Houston. Background In Dubuque County in the year 2005, 8,1 % of the people were living in poverty. As of June 2008, 4.1 % of our adult community was unemployed. These unfortunate statistics can be changed. While our community is full of great resources, one important point is being missed -our businesses and agencies function on a middle class level, and the majority of people hying to access these services do not. There are definitely significant differences beriveen these populations and many of these differences are such an innate part of who we,are that most of us are not even aware ofthem. In the past rivo years both Bridges Out of Poverty, a prog~•am based on the work of Dr. Ruby Payne and Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin' By World were started in Dubuque. These programs were brought into reach those in the community ~vha are traditionally cut off from opportunities far advancement due to social, cultural or educational barriers. Participants are taught about the hidden ivies of the middle class in order to function ui our middle-class ivn society. . Discussion Poverty is an aspect of our culture that needs mutual adaptation and understanding on rivo sides of our community. By offering both Bridges out of Poverty and the Getting Ahead classes, eve are presenting our community with the opportunity to develop a common language that bridges across socio economic levels and creates a mutual understanding beriveen these classes of people. The Bridges Out of Poverty training is directed towards the middle class (aimed at businesses, religious communities, agencies, etc...) while Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin' By World is directed at those wlto are living in poverty. The City of Dubuque is working hard at addressing The ever changing demographics in our community. While we ale cuixently wanking together with the City's Intercultural Competency efforts and Project Hope, it is imperative that the City of Dubuque continues to have a noticeable presence in this area of our community. As stated by a recent Getting Ahead graduate, "This program proved Dubuque to be a progressive city that is encouraghig growth and advancement of ALL CLASSES (of people):' By offering both of these programs, we are impacting our community on so many levels. We are increasing the knowledge of those in middle class on what is going on in the lives of those in poverty and in turn assisting those in poverty in better understanding the middle class world they live in and interact with daily. These programs help to break down stereotypes and open eyes to the issues of those living in poverty. They also help our community members to see that "culture" is not defined solely as race. There are so many other aspects of intercultural competency that need to be understood. In our community we have already'had police officers say, "Since attending the Bridges Out of Poverty training, i have changed the way i look at and communicate with people in poverty." In addition, past Getting Ahead participants have stated that they better understand what is expected of them tivhen they enter the middle class world. However, there is a problem with the Getting Ahead program. Currently, there is only one person in this area trained to facilitate the classes. This program, if we want it to succeed, is too big far Ivlr, Jim Ott totake on alone. It is critical to have the capacity to continue this program with on-staff facilitators. Therefore, I am asking that the City of Dubuque sponsor the training of myself and one graduate of the Getting Ahead program, The training is provided through AHA Processes. Once trained in the Bridges Out of Poverty material, the person can then also teach the Getting Ahead in a Just Getthi' By World curriculum. We are currently working with the Dubuque Community Foundation to become a sponsoring organization. This would allow the three facilitators (myself, the graduated participant, and Jim Ott) to present throughout not only Dubuque but the state of Iowa and potentially the Tri-state area. In addition, we would begin charging a speaker's fee, tivith a large portion of these fees being put back into the Bridges Out of Poverty/Getting Ahead budget to ensure continued financial backing for the programs and to make them financially self sustaining. Bridges Out ofl'overty and Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin' By World are tools to help our community grow. The successes from even the first graduating class of Getting Ahead have made this fact apparent. Out of the 2i participants, 19 successfully graduated. Three graduates have received employment and one is in school. That means that within one month of graduation 25% of our participants have reached their goals. Those are amazing statistics which speak far themselves. If these trends were to continue, Dubuque would benefit greatly, with a gro~vulg population of skilled, educated, and confident people who desire to be a pant of and work in our Dubuque Community. Action Re uq ested The action requested is that the City of Dubuque fund the trainuig of myself and one Getting Ahead graduate. I am including a breakdown of those costs lvith this memo. Brides Out of Poverty Training Costs -Breakdown per persan•, Bridges Trainer Certification December 09-12, 2008 $595 Conference Hotel Hilton Houston Post Oak (Jan 8-13) $754 Airfare Prom Dubuque to Houston $521 Meals 5 days total 300 Total per attendee $2170.00 Total cast of sponsoring two individuals would be $4340.00 based on current rates.