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Employee Changes to Support Family Self-Sufficiency Programming Copyrighted September 4, 2018 City of Dubuque Consent Items # 17. ITEM TITLE: Employee Changes to Support Family Self-Sufficiency Programming SUMMARY: City Manager recommending elimination of the Circles Coach position and the creation of a Section 8 Caseworker position to ensure success of the Family Self-Sufficiency Programming. SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Approve ATTACHMENTS: Description Type Employee Changes to Support Family Self-Sufficiency City Manager Memo Programming-NNM Memo Staff Memo Staff Memo THE CITY OF Dubuque � AIFA�erlwGh UB E '�� III► Masterpiece on the Mississippi Z°°'�w'2 7A13 2017 TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: Employee Changes to Support Family Self-Sufficiency Programming DATE: August 30, 2018 Acting Housing & Community Development Director Alexis Steger is recommending elimination of the Circles Coach position and the creation of a Section 8 Caseworker position to ensure success of the Family Self-Sufficiency Programming. I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval. �L;� 1��, ����.� Mic ael C. Van Milligen �� � MCVM:jh Attachment cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager Alexis M. Steger, Acting Housing & Community Development Director THE CTTY OF DUI7UCIUe DuB E �� Masterpiece on the Mississippi � � � � ��� TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager FROM: Alexis M. Steger, Acting Housing & Community Development Director DATE: August 26, 2018 RE: Employee Changes to Support Family Self-Sufficiency Programming INTRODUCTION The City of Dubuque offered a Circles program since 2010, and in the last few months decided to change how the Circles program worked. Several objectives were being met with the Circles program, but it was becoming unsustainable and unable to meet all the outcomes originally set for the program. BACKGROUND In March 2018, the City of Dubuque decided to opt out of the Circles Initiatives program, to focus on programming that is highly supported and shown effective in other communities. In June 2018, the Housing and Community Development Department found that Getting Ahead in the Workplace curriculum teamed with family self-sufficiency programming has been shown to effectively meet the outcomes that align with the Dubuque City Council Goals & Priorities. Staff started developing a program that would focus on areas that are the most beneficial to residents trying to become more self-sufficient, while following the models that exist in other communities, that are reaching their stated outcomes. At the beginning of July 2018, staff developed an outline for a new program that has a community development and family self-sufficiency focus. The new core curriculum is based on the goals of self-sufficiency which are; Meaningful Employment, Education/Training for the Workplace, Financial Stability, Accessibility to Essential Needs, Social Capital and the ability to Navigate Systems. Although the program is new, it is based on events and ideas that worked with the Circles program and addresses the weakness of accountability and building community partners within that program. The program will start with the current participants of the Circles program and those participating in Family Self-Sufficiency programs, so that no current participant in those programs is dropped from City programming. DISCUSSION The new program outline offers "tracks" that a participant may follow depending on their needs. Each track focuses on furthering the participants connections in the community and provides the tools needed to be self-sufficient in that track. Examples of tracks that will be offered are Education, Financial Stability, Employment, Accessibility, and Navigating Systems. A participant may follow one track at a time or take on several tracks at once, depending on their needs. To accomplish each step in the track, the participants are paired with a coach and community volunteers who have expertise on meeting the outcomes associated with each track. The pairing of participants with community volunteers also builds the social capital needed to help make essential connections to be more self-sufficient. Community partners will also be essential in this program so that participants have continued supports and resources that they may otherwise not connect with. Coaches will be responsible for helping participants choose the right tracks for their needs and continued monitoring of the participants progress throughout the program. Coaches will also work with volunteers to provide "community nights" in which all participants and any community members can attend a dinner (daycare provided). An educational presentation will then be given that focuses on the challenges those in poverty often face and how to overcome those challenges. These community nights bring participants together to build additional social capital with other volunteers, community partners, as well as other participants. Outcomes and indicators/measures that illustrate outcomes are being met for each track will be closely monitored to ensure programming is meeting participant needs. Some of these outcomes are as follows: Education: Obtaining Certification from Technical School, GED/High School Diploma Achieved, Adult Basic Education Completed Financial Stability: Escrow accounts established, taxes completed and up to date, Savings/Checking Accounts established Employment: Employment obtained, Employment increased to full-time from part-time, Promotion resulting in a living hourly wage earned, maintain employment for more than one-year Accessibility: Families linked to Childcare Services, Participants linked to transportation services for education and employment Navigating Systems: Homes purchased with home-owner assistance payments, Social capital building opportunities provided, graduation rates from tracks above Community partners, such as lowa Works and NICC, also assist the City of Dubuque's programming for self-sufficiency by sharing resource and referrals at meetings that 2 further participants opportunities to advance their employment and education goals. Dupaco CCU provides asset building opportunities for participants through a Money Match, individual development account and financial literacy education. Additionally, coaches will continue to provide the Getting Ahead in the Workplace, 15- week class where participants learn how to maintain current employment, advance in the workplace and gain employment that allows them to move towards financial self- sufficient. Participants of the Getting Ahead in the Workplace are referred to a partner program called Opportunity Dubuque. This program trains and employs hundreds of individuals in advanced manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, information technology, culinary, and construction and restoration careers by focusing on providing the education and on the job training needed for industry-driven certifications. To effectively run this program with the number of participants currently involved in family self-sufficiency programs (59) and the program previously known as Circles (60), three full-time coaches will be needed. Currently, the Circles program has a full-time Circles Coordinator and a full-time Circles Coach, and the Family Self Sufficiency program has two full-time Coordinators. Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) Coordinators currently carry a caseload of participants for the Housing Choice Vouchers Program. This is due to the increased capacity needed in that program but has begun to hinder the Coordinators ability to focus on building self- sufficiency programs. Self-sufficiency programming has been limited to the basic requirements set forth by HUD and is not producing the outcomes expected. The FSS Coordinators will need to be 100°k dedicated to the new program to meet the outcomes identified above. To remedy this situation, a case worker position will need to be created to take over the Housing Choice Voucher case work that the FSS Coordinators currently handle. Elimination of the Circles Coach position that will not be needed to effectively deliver this new program, would allow for a new case worker position to be created with savings from that position. The new program will run under the supervision of the Assisted Housing Supervisor, Teresa Bassler. BUDGETIMPACT Currently, the full-time Circles Coach position is vacant and funded by the General Fund in Fiscal Year 2019. The savings that can be realized by eliminating this vacant position is $65,148. FSS Coordinators are currently funded 100°k by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Authority (HUD) for Section 8 activities. This new program will require a change in their duties that includes serving program participants that are not Housing Choice Voucher holders. Therefore the positions will need to be partially funded by the General Fund. 3 Reallocating 43°k of each FSS Coordinators funding from the HUD Section 8 Fund to the General Fund savings available from the elimination of the Circles Coach, would free up $62,610 in HUD Section 8 funds. The additional case worker needed to take on the current case load of the FSS Coordinators would require $61 ,613 in HUD Section 8 funding. This is available with the elimination of the Circles Coach position and funding 43°k of the FSS Coordinators with the General Fund savings. ACTION I respectfully recommend the elimination of the Circles Coach position (1 .0 FTE), and the creation of a Section 8 Caseworker Position (1 .0 FTE) to ensure the success of the Family Self-Sufficiency Programming. Cc: Randy Peck, Personnel Manager Teresa Bassler, Assisted Housing Supervisor Jennifer Larson, Budget Director Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager 4