LTC 184-2003
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No. /fl'2b3
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From:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez <;\ ~
City Manager U cY U
Review of Services Provided by Office of Children's Affairs, Log Cabin Training Center &
Office of Homeless Coordination
Date: August 6,2003
To:
Subject:
This memorandum is prepared pursuant to Vice Mayor Matti H. Bower's request for a status report
on the programs and projects currently administered by the Office of Children's Affairs, Log Cabin
Training Center and Office of Homeless Coordination.
The Office of Children's Affairs, Log Cabin Training Center and Office of Homeless Coordination
provide a variety of services to the community as well as serving as an advocate on behalf of
children, parents, the elderly, the developmentally disabled and the homeless. The following is a
summary of services provided:
Office of Children's Affairs
The Office of Children's Affairs (OCA), which absorbed the function of the Office of Elder Affairs in
Fiscal Year 2001/2002, provides a variety of support and referral services to youth, families,
individuals and the elderly including:
.. Truancy Intervention Program (TIP) - OCA provides home visits, assessments, referral
services (if appropriate) and data tracking for youth identified by Miami Beach Feeder
Pattern schools as possible truants. In addition to referrals from schools, OCA occasionally
receives referrals from the Office of the State Attorney for cases involving youth residing in
Miami Beach. This program has been recognized by the Florida Department of Juvenile
Delinquency which provided its initial funding. The Truancy Intervention program was lauded
for its achievements as part of the City's All America City application and presentation.
The Truancy Intervention Program statistics for School Year 2002/2003 have yet to be
released by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. However, in School Year 2001/2002, the
latest year for which complete data is available, the program served 47 youth with an
average of 12.6 school absences each at the time of referral. The average number of
absences after TIP intervention fell to 4.55 through the end of the school year. This shows a
64% reduction in school absences after intervention.
.. Referral Services - OCA provides referral services to individuals and families in a variety
of areas including: housing and job placement, emergency food, utility assistance, medical
and dental care, legal services (immigration, child custody and family law), and counseling
support services (individuals, families, illness support and mental health). OCA applies the
holistic service delivery model for its assessments and referrals.
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August 6, 2003
While many of these services are provided from City Hall, some of these services are
provided by outreach teams that visit the homes of those residents unable to access City
Hall. So far this fiscal year, OCA has provided referral services for 102 families.
An example of our comprehensive case management utilizing referral sources involved a
single mother of three children (including a five-month-old infant) who was homeless and
evading an abusive relationship in June. Within 24 hours, staff secured emergency housing,
aftercare for two children, secured a week's supply of food and baby formula, and
completed a resume to enable the client to seek employment. Within seven days, staff had
identified additional support services including access to services through the Florida
Department of Children and Families and parenting counseling.
~ Emergency Shelter Grant Program - Utilizing Emergency Shelter Grant funds awarded
to the Office of Homeless Services, OCA administers these funds for eligible residents at
risk of homelessness by providing emergency rent assistance. As noted by the National
Alliance to End Homelessness, prevention is a major component of any comprehensive
homeless plan. Residents are subject to income restrictions established by the Department
of Housing and Urban Development's guidelines. While most cases are limited to providing
rental assistance as a stop gap measure resulting from temporary income loss, some cases
require comprehensive case management including securing employment, and the
identification and securing of appropriate housing for the household. Thus far in Fiscal Year
2002/2003 and as of June 1, 2003, OCA provided rental assistance to 27 households for a
total amount of $17,849.50. The total amount offunds awarded for Fiscal Year 200212003 is
$19,500.
~ Public Workshopsl Community Service Projects - OCA partners with community-
based organizations to present a variety of public workshops throughout the year. These
workshops address health, education, economic empowerment, housing, elder
programming, parenting and other issues. This year's workshop partners have included the
Miami Beach Community Health Center, the Public Trust/Jackson Memorial Hospital, the
Alzheimer's Association, and the Miami Beach Housing Authority. OCA has sponsored 7
public workshops thus far this year.
OCA partners with local schools, community-based agencies and school-sponsored clubs to
promote community service. Projects include beach clean-ups, graffiti paint-outs, education
murals and betterment projects at the Log Cabin Training Center. OCA has sponsored 10
community service projects thus far this year.
~ Youth Empowerment Network (YEN) - The Youth Empowerment Network, created as a
youth replica of the City's Community Relations Board, is comprised of more than a 100
youth from the City's public and private schools. YEN was created as a mechanism by which
to engage our community's schools in addressing civic and educational matters within a
collaborative setting. This year, YEN sponsored a variety of activities for National Youth
Violence Prevention Week including a poster and essay contest, school-based activities
(including the display of the national banner at each feeder pattern school) and the
distribution of classroom and home-based materials for educators, parents and youth.
YEN also sponsored its annual Spirit of Excellence Awards honoring parents, educators and
youth for their outstanding civic achievements with a ceremony on May 27, 2003.
~ Court-Mandated Supervision Services - OCA provides community service
,
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August 6, 2003
supervision for youth and others mandated by the courts to complete community service for
non-violent offenses. The City partners with the Miami-Dade County Department of Human
Services and the United States Marshals Office to provide this service. OCA has conducted
25 court-ordered supervisions thus far this year.
OCA serves a unique role in that, though it has no jurisdiction over most enforcement matters and
does not independently award funds to community-based providers as an incentive for engagement,
it promotes active collaboration and innovative approaches to dealing with issues affecting, youth,
elderly and families. Furthermore, OCA serves a strong support role for the community's providers
by serving as a peer reviewer of grant and service applications to ensure that available community
resources are being harnessed and directed as needed.
Loa Cabin Trainina Center
The Office of Children's Affairs absorbed the Log Cabin Training Center in June 2002. At that time,
the Training Center, the sole vocational services provider for the developmentally disabled in our
City, had a variety of personnel, fiscal, compliance and operational problems. Since then, 78% of
staff has been changed, policies and procedures have been drafted, programming has been
expanded, a client-centered service model has been developed and new partnerships have been
formed with community providers.
The Log Cabin Training Center provides services through three programs: Adult Day Training
(vocational and educational programming offered Monday through Fridays, 8:30am to 3pm),
Supported Employment (providing monitoring and support services for clients working in mainstream
jobs), and Supported Independent Living (providing work, life management and support services 24
hours per day, seven days per week for developmentally disabled clients transitioning to living on
their own).
Among the Training Center's accomplishments:
~ The Training Center had been in poor physical condition when absorbed by OCA last
year. The Center's walls had water damage, the floors were in need of stripping and there
was no maintenance program in place for the building. Community volunteers helped clean
and paint the interior building, including the installation of a mural in the main hallway. As
part of our rebuilding efforts, a daily maintenance program is now in place ensuring that the
building is clean and maintained to reduce long-term repair costs.
~ The Training Center has changed program design and course offerings to follow a client-
centered model that focuses programming on the development and strengthening of
Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and independent living skills. The Training Center's goal is to
enable those clients wishing to leave institutionalized settings to obtain the skills and choice
to achieve independence. For those not expected to achieve independence, the goal is to
ensure a productive and high quality of life.
~ The Training Center has expanded course offerings to include: hospitality and food
preparation (which was featured in the presentation for the All America City competition),
therapeutic art, individual/group counseling, and career/job preparation. In addition to
vocational training in the nursery, clients are now able to choose from these elective courses
that strengthen their individual capabilities as well as likelihood for independent living.
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August6,2003
~ The Training Center is making use of college-level interns to provide mentoring and
support services to the Center's developmentally disabled clients. The Center currently has
interns from the following fields of study: physicians' assistants, social work and Americorps.
In the fall, the following fields of study will be added: psychology, education and nursing.
These new collaborations enable the Center to increase programming, reduce the staff to
client ratio and improve building safety with no additional cost to the City.
~ The State of Florida and the Delmarva Foundation recently conducted a site visit to
evaluate the Supported Independent Living Program. The inspector applauded the Center's
Policies and Procedures, staff professionalism and caliber of programming.
In addition to the accomplishments delineated above, the Center has reduced its reliance on the
General Fund and reduced the number of City employees as part of its fiscal austerity program to
address past budget shortfalls while improving program quality. Center employees are equipped
with radios to enable immediate communication and reduce safety issues while enabling staff more
time for direct contact with clients. Staff and clients now wear uniforms as part of the security plan as
well as a means to increase staff and client morale and pride. In combination with other efforts,
these actions have improved the environment and programming at the Log Cabin Training Center.
Office of Homeless Coordination
The Office of Homeless Coordination was added to the Division in July 2003. The Office is charged
with providing referral services and shelter placement to homeless individuals. The Office includes a
two-member outreach team that conducts missions throughout the City offering services to
homeless individuals including shelter placement, food/clothing/transportation token assistance, and
supportive services to obtain identification.
So far this fiscal year, the Office has:
~ Made 2,373 contacts
~ Conducted 437 outreach missions
~ Placed 495 people in shelters
~ Issued 29 food vouchers
~ Issued 176 transportation tokens
~ Applied for and received funding, $71,000, from the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust
to fund our homeless outreach efforts.
Four hundred and five people have been placed at the Salvation Army at a cost of $135,870 from
October 1, 2002 through July 31, 2003.
JM~/mlr
cc: Robert C. Middaugh, Assistant City Manager
Vivian P. Guzman, Director, Neighborhood Services Department
Maria L. Ruiz, Division Director, Office of Children's Affairs & Log Cabin Training Center