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
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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.
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Mic ael C. Van Milligen �� �
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Attachment
cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Cori Burbach, Assistant City Manager
Alexis M. Steger, Acting Housing & Community Development Director
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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
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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.
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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
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