Human Rights Department FY 2013 Annual ReportMasterpiece on the Mississippi
TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
SUBJECT: Human Rights Department Fiscal Year 2013 Annual Report
DATE: April 16, 2014
Dubuque
band
AI -America City
11111r
2007 • 2012 • 2013
Human Rights Director Kelly Larson is transmitting the Fiscal Year 2013 Annual Report
for the Human Rights Department.
Mic ael C. Van Milligen
MCVM:jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, City Attorney
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager
Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director
TO:Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM:Kelly Larson, Human Rights Director
DATE:April 14, 2014
SUBJECT:Human Rights Department FY13 Annual Report
INTRODUCTION
Attached please find the Human Rights Department FY2013 Annual Report.
The Department and Commission are very proud of our accomplishments over the past year, and we
look ahead with excitement as work towards the goals for this year is progressing. The Department
and Commission appreciate and thank you for your past and continued support of our endeavors.
Prepared by:
Kelly Larson
Page 1 of 1Coversheet
4/22/2014http://publicagenda.cityofdubuque.org/Bluesheet.aspx?ItemID=3522&Meeti...
The City of Dubuque
Human Rights Department
ANNUAL
PERFORMANCE
REPORT
July 1, 2012 -
June 30, 2013
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Dubuque
AI -America City
1111
2007 • 2012 • 2013
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
Human Rights Department
City Hall Annex
1300 Main Street
Dubuque, Iowa 52001-4732
563-589-4190 office
563-690-6691 fax
563-589-4193 TTY
humanrgt@cityofdubuque.org
Dubuque
AANie gaCity
,I1►
2or IJ •21113
Honorable Mayor and City Council:
Masterpiece on the Mississippi
January 21, 2014
I am pleased to present you with this year's annual report. We have continued to develop the
structure for our department, while simultaneously working to build understanding amongst the
public and empower residents and staff as our partners in diversity, inclusion, and engagement.
The work in these pages falls broadly within three categories: 1) efforts to build individual skills,
2) efforts to work within and across groups in order to improve access to City and community
services for all residents, and 3) efforts to work collaboratively with outside organizations and
individuals to remove barriers that are inhibiting the ability of residents to reach their potential
and meet their basic needs.
Inside the organization, we have begun to see workforce applicants and hires that are more
reflective of community demographics than in the past, due in part to our work coaching staff
and expanding our recruitment outreach. We are preparing to kick-off a training needs
assessment and employee orientation program as part of our employee engagement efforts.
We also will be designing community engagement workshops and toolkits to better support staff
throughout the organization as they work to engage the public.
On the community side, we launched the inaugural session of City Life, a program designed to
encourage residents to become active partners with local government. Alumni from this session
continue to meet and express interest in opportunities to be involved. We also strengthened our
relationship with the Dubuque National Service Partnership as we work to build a volunteer
program within the City structure. Future plans include the addition of a three year VISTA
position and a partnership with Loras College Service Learning, the Circles Initiative, Operation
New View, and Project Concern designed to demonstrate the collective impact volunteers can
have on supporting families seeking economic opportunity. Finally, we worked several months
without a human relations specialist as Molly Menster moved on to other endeavors. We
welcomed Manisha Paudel to this position during the last month of the fiscal year, and she
immediately began efforts to "reach -in" to communities within our larger community who may be
disconnected from government or community services. We are grateful to have her as an
addition to our team.
As always, thank you for your support of the work we do in our department.
Respectfully submitted
y64007 ---)
Kelly Larson
Human Rights Director
DUBUQUE HUMAN RIGHTS DEPARTMENT
FY13 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT
Human Rights Commissioners
Anthony Allen, Chairperson
Andrea Beacham
Mike Elliott
Andrea Helgager
Miguel Jackson
Howard Lee III
Jeff Lenhart
Tom LoGuidice
R.R.S. Stewart
Administrative Staff
From top center clockwise: Kelly Larson, Director; Carol Spinoso, Intake
Specialist Nikola Pavelic, Community Engagement Coordinator
Manisha Paudel, Human Relations Specialist; and Andre Lessears,
Training & Workforce Development Coordinator
Department Mission
The mission of the Human Rights Department is to foster inclusion and engagement of people
of all backgrounds within the organization and in the community by: 1) developing
communication and leadership skills needed to navigate intercultural conflict; 2) strengthening
relationships within and across groups; and 3) working with partners to ensure that services to
meet basic needs for quality of life are readily available and accessible.
1
Detail by Activity
Focus Area 1: Community Development
Overview
Community Development involves building the capacity of various groups within our
community to ensure equal opportunity, fairness, engagement, and access to
government and other services that are necessary for residents to meet their basic
needs. We support efforts to create a community filled with residents who are better
informed about government and how to access government services, and who are
actively involved to positively impact significant and identified basic needs in the
community and in the institutions to which they belong.
We work towards this by:
• Hosting workshops to develop leadership skills, including the skills to
communicate and navigate conflict within and across groups in the community.
• Facilitating opportunities for residents and local organizations to develop and/or
repair relationships and work through their disagreements in order to foster
inclusion and access to services.
• Supporting residents in their contributions towards developing and sustaining
cohesive communities.
• Facilitating resident engagement with local government.
• Working with partners to develop positive solutions to problems impacting the
ability of groups in our community to access services and meet their potential.
Major successes this past year:
• Successful City Life pilot program to enhance connections between residents
and government
• Supported launch of Inclusive Dubuque
Future Initiatives:
• Safety -NET, a pilot program to engage residents at the neighborhood block level
in creating safety in their neighborhood.
• Resident's Lead, a pilot program to revitalize resident skills in group process,
problem solving, and intercultural competence in order to strengthen resident
leadership.
• Reach -in approach to establish relationships with targeted cultural groups,
assisting with group development and connecting groups with community
resources to help meet their group -specific goals.
• Re-engaging the community in the Dubuque Dispute Resolution Center's
volunteer community mediation program.
• Police Community Dialogue on Race, continuing this initiative to offer community
members and police officers an environment to have a healthy dialogue on race
relations, and help further develop intercultural communication skills of parties.
2
Supporting City, Organization and Community Goals
Planned and Managed Growth
A future initiative called Safety NET will work with residents at the block level to
develop safe and healthy neighborhoods
Partnering for a Better Dubuque
'N The Volunteer Center Pilot Project involves three agencies who are collaborating to
engage residents as volunteers in order to collectively impact economic opportunity
41 City Life is improving resident connection and engagement with one another and with
local government
Financially Responsible City Government and High Performance Organization
Afuture initiative called Cultural Voices is a partnership between community members
and local government to identify areas where we may be lacking cultural competence
in our services
Economic Prosperity
Intercultural Competency Workshops are preparing our community members for 21st
century jobs by providing skills to embrace a diverse population and support a
multicultural workforce
Social/Cultural Vibrancy
The Police Community Dialogue on Race increases mutual understanding between
police officers and community members
all The development of Intercultural Leadership Teams in four organizations in the
community has increased the capacity for these organizations to create welcoming and
inclusive environments as they work to meet community needs
Inclusive Dubuque is collaborating to create a community in which all feel welcome
and included
3
Community Development — Activity Statement
Engage residents and organizations as partners in ensuring equal opportunity, fairness, and
access to government and community services around basic human needs
Goals
■ Convene and/or facilitate diverse groups of community members and/or organizations
who are taking positive and effective action together to be involved with local
government, to create safety in neighborhoods, and to support people in attaining self-
sufficiency
■ Develop the number of community members across demographic groups practicing
intercultural skills in the community
objective 1: Facilitate learning workshops and dialogue sessions designed to
improve understanding, communication, and/or conflict skills within and across
groups.
A .sustainable community is filled with individuals who have the skills to communicate effectively,
understand each other, and work through conflicts in their organizations, neighborhoods, and
community before those conflicts escalate to adversarial or violent interactions. As our
community demographics continue to change, and as the social, environmental, and economic
challenges become more and more complex, it is increasingly important that we have the skill to
understand a diverse range of perspectives and to creatively address various needs together.
Did you know?
• The most frequent complaints we
receive that are not legal issues
involve concerns related to
communication, exclusion, and
ineffective processes
• 28 people from 9 organizations
devoted 32 hours of time to
participate in our Leadership
Workshops this year
• Another 375 people attended shorter
Intercultural Awareness Workshops and presentations
• 12 police officers and community members participated in the
Dialogue on Race
• 5 resident volunteers spoke with community groups on issues
orientation.
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Customer Evaluations
•
6.0
•
6.0
6.4
6.4
Provide a
better
understanding
Will use
informatio
received
Trainer
n effective in
making info
understandable
Satisfied with
overall quality
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Police Community
related to sexual
4
• Our staff was selected to present a session highlighting our intercultural work at
the University of Wisconsin Platteville's Midwest Culturally Inclusive Conference
• The Human Rights Commission and numerous partners sponsored Better
Together Dubuque, a conference that drew over 200 people for educational
sessions on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender issues.
• Participants in our workshops have come from a variety of racial and ethnic
backgrounds, have ranged in age from their 20s to their 60s, have represented
numerous professions, and have lived in Dubuque from a few months to their
entire life.
"The program encourages you to participate and
engage as a community member with city government."
City Life Participant
"I sure enjoyed being with this variety of
people who are interested and asking
questions from so many different
perspectives." City Life Participant
"The class allowed me to really reflect
on my biases and how they manifest in
my day to day situations."
Intercultural Leadership Workshop Participant
Objective 2: Pilot collaborative efforts where residents and agencies are
supported to impact safety and self-sufficiency in the community.
Safety and self-sufficiency are two critical human needs that require significant "people
resources" to effectively address. We work with residents as partners in addressing these
community needs, supporting residents in creating safety by welcoming and watching out for
one another, and in creating self-sufficiency by supporting one another through hard times or
unfamiliar circumstances.
Through a Volunteer Generation Fund grant, multiple agencies have formed a Volunteer
Center Collaborative. Last year, the collaborative worked with 3,513 volunteers who
served 14,126 hours.
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
Number of Volunteers
• College Students
• Disadvantaged
Youth
E Baby Boomers
5
The collaborative is now working with three
agencies on a pilot program to demonstrate
the impact volunteers can have collectively
on economic opportunity. Collectively, these
agencies serve an important role in meeting
housing and employment opportunities in the
community.
Did You Know?
■ A recent study by the Corporation for National and Community Service found that
unemployed individuals who volunteer are 27% more likely to find work than non -
volunteers
■ The value of volunteer efforts in Iowa is estimated at $17.55 per hour.
Self -Identification
■ White 63%
■ Black 18%
EI Asian 6%
■ Black & White 4%
■ Hispanic 3%
■ Other 2%
■ Undeclared 2%
Community volunteers from
the Human Rights
Commission, International
Day of Peace and others
hosted BBQ in DBQ to
celebrate and promote
community bonding. A
diverse group of nearly 200
provided their rankings of
the items below on a five
point scale.
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
BBQ in DBQ
Comfort Level Safety in own Police Convenient Needs being
in Dubuque neighborhood Departments Public Transit met
work
addressing
crime
6
SUCCESS IS ABOUT PLANNING, PARTNERSHIPS AND
PEOPLE LEADING TO OUTCOMES
PEOPLE
Local residents participate in City
Life, a ten -week program designed
to connect residents to their local
government.
INCLUSIVt
INCLUSIVE
INCLUSIVE
dubuque
PLANNING
Cross -departmental teams continue to
develop plans and strategies designed
to infuse intercultural skills throughout
the organization and to create a
culture of inclusion and engagement
within the City organization.
PARTNERSHIPS
Inclusive Dubuque is a local initiative
involving public, private, and non-profit
partners who are coming together to
create a vibrant and welcoming
community to insure the region's
success today and into the future.
7
Detail by Activity
Focus Area 2: Organizational Development
Overview
Organizational Development includes building the capacity of other City Departments
to ensure equal opportunity, fairness, engagement, and access to government services.
We support efforts to develop and support a diverse, inclusive, and engaged workforce
that is effectively serving all members of the public.
We work towards this by:
• Hosting workshops to develop staff skills in communicating and navigating
conflict across differences within and across departments and community
groups.
• Facilitating opportunities for residents and staff to develop and/or repair
relationships and work through their disagreements in order to foster inclusion
and access to government services.
• Assisting staff in developing policy, providing services and meeting community
needs in inclusive ways.
• Supporting departments in attracting, recruiting, supporting and retaining a
diverse and talented workforce
• Supporting departments in developing and implementing strategies to foster
public and employee engagement
Major successes this past year:
• Collaborating across departments to design key elements for employee
engagement, including components for an orientation program and a plan to
assess training and development needs
• Facilitating the development of a strategy in the Planning Department to
intentionally broaden their reach when hiring and when conducting planning
processes
• Facilitating employee processes with the Building Services Department and
Emergency Dispatch to improve communication, and develop processes and
tools to foster engagement.
• Collaborating to develop an extensive engagement process for the
Comprehensive Plan update, including on-line engagement options
Future Initiatives:
• Strengthening the role of commissions through an orientation pilot with the
Housing and Human Rights Commissions
• Supporting implementation of the Comprehensive Planning process.
• Partnering on the implementation of a Citizen Survey so we can better assess
where to target support for service improvements
• Implementing new staff orientation pilot, training needs assessment, and
engagement workshops.
8
Supporting City, Organization and Community Goals
Partnering for a Better Dubuque
The support and participation of multiple staff members in the City Life workshops
increases resident engagement with government
Developing inclusive community engagement plans for the Comprehensive Planning
process and the Aquatic Center design increases resident engagement with
government and increases the likelihood of commitment to supporting the outcomes
Financially Responsible City Government and High Performance Organization
Organizational development work within the reorganized Human Rights Department
has resulted in clarification of roles, vision and mission for the department, focus
areas, and improved plans for measuring outcomes.
Improvements to the recruitment process through coaching and technology expansion
has increased the number of applicants by 44% since 2010-11, resulting in a highly
skilled applicant pool and a selection rate generally reflective of community
demographics
Developing internships with the Police Department through the Community Resource
Officer program creates a pipeline for talent
Revising the police recruitment process to emphasize the key skill of effective
communication, and supporting staff development of a communications course aligned
with intercultural skills for field training officers and new recruits improves service
delivery.
10.5 hours of Intercultural Competency workshops for all new staff improves skills
needed to effectively serve a diverse public
Social/Cultural Vibrancy
Intercultural skill building improves mutual understanding, knowledge, and acceptance
of differences between co-workers and with members of the public
Improved government services reaching all groups results in a more inclusive
community in which all feel welcome
9
(---
Organizational Development — Activity Statement
Partner with other City Departments to ensure equal opportunity, fairness, engagement, and
access to government services
Goals
■ Develop a diverse, inclusive and engaged workforce
■ Engage a broad cross-section of the public in governance and leverage their input and
action to address organizational and community issues
• Leverage data to gain an improved understanding of community and organizational
assets and needs in order to support leaders in their efforts
Objective 1: Facilitate learning workshops and dialogue sessions designed to
improve understanding, communication, and conflict skills needed in government
service
Local government is charged with effectively serving all members of public, which means staff
members need the skill to communicate and manage conflict effectively across cultural
differences.
Did you know?
• 62 new employees participated in 10.5 hours of Intercultural Foundations
Workshops as part of joining the City organization
• Leaders in our Police Department worked with us to create a communication
course for Field Training Officers and new recruits premised in intercultural skills
• Housing & Community Development, the Police Department, and the Water &
Resource Recovery Center all dedicate staff time to providing ongoing
intercultural skill development in the organization
• We conducted 7 conflict coaching sessions involving conflict between front line
co-workers or conflict regarding insufficient time to support employee
development
• In the coming year, we will conduct engagement workshops with departments
Objective 2: Support department and division managers in efforts to recruit and
retain a skilled, diverse, engaged workforce and citizenry
• In order to provide the best government service possible and respond to increasingly
complex community needs, we need a workforce filled with diverse perspectives and a
high level of skill. We also need employees who feel included and engaged in their
work, so that they may work to include and engage the public. In addition, our ability to
succeed as a community is going to depend on our ability to draw diverse perspectives
and skills into community planning, problem -solving, and policy processes.
10
92%
(68 people)
Gender
55.9%
(19 people)
Did you know?
• We provided recruitment assistance
for the following positions: police
officer, traffic engineer, economic
development director, assistant
economic development director
• Our recruitment strategies have
resulted in a candidate pool
and workforce that is both highly
skilled and increasingly reflective
of community demographics
• The welcoming and orientation
program we are developing is
a critical first step to engaged and
productive employees
• The training needs assessment will
provide direction for future staff
development which is crucial to
productivity
• We have worked with the Planning
Race/Ethnicity 2011-2013 2011-2013 2011-2013
FT Hires PT Hires Seasonal
White
87% 92%
(53 people) (277 people)
Black/African 5.4% 6.5% 3%
American (4 people) (4 people) (9 people)
Hispanic/Latino
Asian
1.4%
(1 person)
6.5%
(4 people)
3%
(9 people)
1.4% 0% 2%
(1 person) (6 people)
American
Indian
Male
0% 0% 0%
2011-2013 2011-2013
FT Hires PT Hires
44.1% 48.8%
(15 people) (98 people)
Female
51.2%
(103 people)
Department to create a plan designed to engage a broad cross-section of the
general public in the Comprehensive Planning Process.
Objective 3: Facilitate groups to identify barriers to inclusion and engagement
and work with departments to reduce or remove those barriers
Those who are actively involved as part of a workgroup or community group are best equipped
to identify barriers to inclusion or engagement and to develop workable solutions to reduce or
remove those barriers. We coordinate and facilitate efforts to uncover and address such
barriers because inclusion and engagement are critical to high performance and effective
service delivery.
Did you know?
• We facilitated a new employee focus group to help us to identify areas where we
need to improve our welcoming and orientation process
• The training needs assessment we are working in will help us identify next steps
for ongoing workshops, leadership skills, and department level planning
• An engagement process with the Building Services Department resulted in an
improved communication and meeting structure, along with a cross -departmental
workgroup to improve the inspection process
• An engagement process with the Emergency Communications Center has
identified necessary communication and process improvements in the
department.
11
Detail by Activity
Focus Area 3: Enforcement
Out of 272 general inquiries, the most frequent areas where people were seeking
assistance related to employment (38%) and housing needs (17%). Thirty-three
percent of inquiries were non -jurisdictional issues or referrals made to various
community organizations.
2013 Case Breakdown by Area
■ Employment ■ Housing Public Accommodation ■ Other
33%
12%
r
17%
38%
Disability and age claims encompassed the greatest shares of the 23 cases filed in
fiscal year 2013, followed by race, and retaliation.
2013 Breakdown by Basis
14%
18%
29%
3% 9
■ Disability ■Age Sex ■ Race 1 Retaliation
12
CASES CLOSED/RESOLVED
July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013
Employment 23
Disability 7
Sex 6
Race 6
Age 5
Retaliation 4
National Origin 0
Gender Identity 0
Sexual Orientation 0
Religion 0
Housing
Disability
Race 0
Sex 0
Familial Status 0
Public Accommodation 4
Race
Gender Identity
Disability
National Origin
Total Cases Closed 28
Cases filed in one area (i.e. employment) may have alleged discrimination on one or more bases (i.e. disability
and age); Therefore the total by bases may be greater than the number of cases by area.
Disposition of Closed Complaints
■ Administrative Closure
■ Referred to ICRC
Probable Cause
■ No Probable Cause
❑ Mediation/Settlement
Settlement awards totaled $19,700.
13
THE COMPLAINT PROCESS
A complaint is filed when a person feels that he/she is the victim of unlawful discrimination. A
complainant may file a complaint with the Human Rights Department within 300 days of the
alleged discriminatory act. Any of the Department's staff can perform the intake interview
establishing that the Department has authority in the matter (jurisdiction and gathering the
necessary information about the alleged act, such as time, place, the person involved, and the
details of the act.) Note that the complainant has the right to withdraw the complaint at any
time.
A respondent is notified once jurisdiction is established and intake is complete.
A mediation conference is encouraged at this time because it offers all parties the possibility of
a speedy and satisfactory resolution. If mediation fails, the Director or Human Relations
Specialist begins an investigation.
An investigation can include field investigations, site visits, interviews with witnesses,
documentation examination, and face-to-face meetings with both the complainant and the
respondent to discuss the complaint and gather facts.
Probable cause is determined at the end of the investigation by an administrative law judge
(ALJ). If the facts/evidence supports the charge, a determination of probable cause is issued. If
the evidence does not support the charge, a determination of no probable cause (NPC) is
issued and the case is then dismissed. The complainant can request to reopen the case if
he/she feels the NPC is in error.
A post -probable cause conciliation is undertaken to try and bring the complainant and the
respondent to a mutually agreeable arrangement saving all the parties' time, and possibly, legal
fees.
When conciliation is unsuccessful the complaint proceeds to a pre -hearing review.
When a case goes to public hearing, it is presided over by an administrative law judge. At the
hearing, the complainant is often represented by private counsel. The respondent is often
represented by private counsel. The attorneys present the facts of the case to the
administrative law judge. The City Solicitor represents the public interest.
The full Commission reviews the recommended order and the record of the hearing. If the
Commission finds that discrimination has not occurred, the case is dismissed, but if the finding
is that discrimination has occurred, the respondent is ordered to take appropriate action to
redress the effects of the discrimination. The Commission may order employment, promotion,
raise, back pay, letter of reference, housing, credit, formal apology, a change in the
respondent's policies, and cash awards in compensation for humiliation, suffering, and mental
anguish. Both the complainant and the respondent can appeal the Commission's order within
30 days to district court.
14
COMPLAINT PROCESS AT A GLANCE
Intake Interview
A Complaint is Filed
(Must be within 300 days of the alleged unlawful act)
Respondent is Notified (The person or entity
whose action is the subject of the complaint)
Mediation Conference
(If agreed to by both parties)
1'
If Unsuccessful
Investigation
Determination
y
Post Probable Cause Conciliation Effort
(Conducted by the Department)
V
If Unsuccessful
Pre -Hearing Review
Public Hearing
(Held before an Administrative Law Judge)
y
Recommended Order
1 Complainant has 30 days to request judicial review
2 In a fair housing case the Complainant may elect to
commence a civil action in court.
Complainant or Respondent can appeal the decision
to the District Court within 30 days.
► If Successful OP -
00.
► No Probable Cause ►
(Case dismissed)
► If Successful ►
►
Commission's Order After Hearing
(No discrimination found—case dismissed
OR
Discrimination found—corrective action ordered)
y
Court Appeal 3
15
D UBUQUE
anruql ri
HUMAN RIGHTS
COMMISSION
CITY OF DUBUQUE
HUMAN RIGHTS DEPARTMENT
1300 MAIN STREET
DUBUQUE, IA 52001
563-589-4190
TTY: 563-589-4193
Visit us on the web
www.cityofdubuque.org
SUSTAINABLE
DUBUQUE
viable • livable • equitable