HomeMy WebLinkAbout20121950.tiff RESOLUTION
RE : APPROVE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING AND AUTHORIZE CHAIR TO
SIGN
WHEREAS , the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado , pursuant to
Colorado statute and the Weld County Home Rule Charter, is vested with the authority of
administering the affairs of Weld County, Colorado , and
WHEREAS , the Board has been presented with a Memorandum of Understanding
among the County of Weld , State of Colorado, by and through the Board of County
Commissioners of Weld County , on behalf of the Department of Human Services , Children ,
Youth and Families Division , and the Greeley/Weld County Housing Authorities , Catholic
Charities-Guadalupe Community Center and Shelter, and Greeley Transitional House ,
commencing upon full execution , with further terms and conditions being as stated in said
Memorandum of Understanding , and
WHEREAS , after review, the Board deems it advisable to approve said Memorandum of
Understanding , a copy of which is attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference.
NOW, THEREFORE , BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of
Weld County , Colorado , that the Memorandum of Understanding between the County of Weld ,
State of Colorado , by and through the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, on
behalf of the Department of Human Services , Children , Youth and Families Division , and the
Greeley/Weld County Housing Authorities , Catholic Charities-Guadalupe Community Center
and Shelter, and Greeley Transitional House, be, and hereby is , approved .
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Board that the Chair be , and hereby is , authorized
to sign said Memorandum of Understanding .
The above and foregoing Resolution was , on motion duly made and seconded , adopted
by the following vote on the 25th day of July , A. D . , 2012 .
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
WELD COUNTY , COLORADO
`4-- Sean P . Conwair
Weld County Clerk to the Board / /
�..� Will • m F . Garcia , Pro-Tem
BY:Deputy Cl - k to t 'e Board ` A.L2, t u _ A
1rIr Kirkmeyer
sei ,,ems
AP D A • ' M : ` £ c
� ! vid E . Long y
County Attorney , /Ul.t^l '7 --t
Douglaa Rademacher
Date of signature: al " 1
ori3O S ‘ 5o..VN Ct • LSD
2012- 1950
3O I d I HR0083
MEMORANDUM
r
DATE: July 23,2012
TO: Sean P.Conway,Chair,Board of County Comm' sioners
FR: Judy A.Griego,Director,Human s�
RE: Memorandum of Understanding with the Colorado
Department of Local Affairs'Division of Housing and the
Colorado Department of Human Services'Children,
Youth and Families
Enclosed for Board approval is a Memorandum of Understanding with the Colorado Department
of Local Affairs'Division of Housing and the Colorado Department of Human Services'
Children,Youth and Families. This Memorandum of Understanding was reviewed under the
Board's Pass-Around Memorandum dated July 23,2012,and approved for placement on the
Board's Agenda.
The MOU is a requirement of the Keeping Families Together Grant Application. The Grant
application gives the Department the opportunity to promote coordination and collaboration to
address the intersection of child welfare and supportive housing services as presented in the
authorizing legislation.Under section 105(42 U.S.C.5106),Child Abuse Prevention and
Treatment Act(CAPTA)authorizes grants to public and private agencies that demonstrate
innovation in responding to reports of child abuse and neglect,including programs of
collaborative partnerships between the State child protective services agency,and a myriad of
partners to allow for the establishment of a triage system. The Colorado Department of Local
Affairs,who is taking the lead on the grant,approached Weld,Larimer and Boulder counties to
participate as a pilot under the Grant.
The first year is considered a planning year and each county will be awarded$230,000 with the
intent to enroll 20 families within the first year so the services are ready to implement by
October 1,2013,or prior. Years 2-5 each county would be awarded$250,000 for services to
families. The Greeley/Weld Housing Authority has agreed to provide 20 housing vouchers and
administer the vouchers under this grant. There is no match required from any of the entities.
This grant is with the Department of Local Affairs and the MOU will be developed locally with
the Department,Greeley/Weld Housing Authority,Catholic Charities and Greeley Transitional
House. The Department's Child Welfare Division would be responsible for screening and
assessing if the families are appropriate for the grant. The Department would be the fiscal agent
for the grant as well. One FTE,Community Liaison,will be paid under this grant to develop the
program with the Department of Local Affairs and to develop the local framework with
community providers.
If you have any questions,please give me a call at extension 6510.
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
1861 P.O. BOX A
GREELEY, CO 80632
+�▪ • Website:www.co.weld.co.us
Administration and Public Assistance(970)352.1551
Fax Number(970)353-5215
U IL c° u "T is
Memorandum of Understanding
Weld County Department of Human Services
Greeley/Weld Housing Authorities
Catholic Charities-Guadalupe Community Center and Shelter
Greeley Transitional House
WHEREAS, Colorado Division of Housing, and Colorado Department of Human Services—Children,Youth and
Families have come together to collaborate and make application to the Administration for Children, Youth
and Families(ACYF)for Partnerships to Demonstrate the Effectiveness of Supportive Housing for Families in
the Child Welfare System grant; and
WHEREAS,the partners listed below have agreed to enter into a collaborative agreement in which Colorado
Division of Housing will be the lead agency and named applicant and the other agencies will be partners in this
application; and
WHEREAS, Boulder County, Larimer County and Weld County are working in conjunction with CDOH and CDHS
as administrators of this initiative; and
WHEREAS, the partners herein desire to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding setting forth the services
to be provided by the collaborative; and
WHEREAS, the application prepared and approved by the collaborative through its partners is to be submitted
to ACYF, Children's Bureau (CB), on or before 07/27/2012;
I)Description of Partner Agencies
WELD COUNTY
Greeley-Weld Housing Authorities is a consortium of two public housing agencies with a volunteer board of
commissioners appointed by the Weld County local government (The Weld County Board of Commissioners
act as the Weld County Housing Authority Board)which aims to provide safe and decent affordable housing to
low and moderate income people, in addition to subsidized housing. It currently has 86 low income rental units
in management and 446 housing choice vouchers under the City program and an additional 427 housing choice
vouchers from the Weld County Housing Authority. Clients are at liberty to find housing throughout Weld
County with vouchers from either authority.
Catholic Charities Regional Office—Guadalupe Community Center and Shelter is an all population homeless
shelter located in Greeley. Its programs include shelter and community outreach services, such as emergency
shelters,transitional housing within the center, collaborative homeless preventions programs, emergency
assistance, immigration legal assistance, family and children support and stabilization services, senior services
and victims assistance. Collaborative programs with mental and medical health community partners now
provide a client centered holistic assessment model with supportive services to families and single individuals
who are homeless. Each program has specific goals and objectives, but the overarching purpose of the
agency's work is to provide practical strategies to assist individuals and families to attain self-reliance.
Catholic Charities of Weld disperses funds from the Northern Colorado Empty Stocking Funds and Energy
Outreach Colorado Funds to not only prevent homelessness and utility shut-off, but also make the difference
in a family maintaining their subsidized housing.
Greeley Transitional House GTH is a 27 year old nonprofit emergency shelter and transitional housing
program serving homeless Greeley and Weld County families. This nonprofit agency provides temporary
residential emergency shelter(up to 60 days) which includes weekly case management and life skills classes,
access to basic necessities, a child/adolescent program and goal setting. After leaving the shelter families have
the opportunity to enroll in one of four follow-up transitional housing programs designed with varying levels of
support (including both financial assistance and supportive housing opportunities) and case management in
order to insure that the families remain stable in their housing and to prevent re-occurring homelessness. The
agency serves approximately 90 families each year in its emergency shelter program and approximately 80
families in the transitional housing programs.
Weld County Department of Human Services
Weld Department of Human Services offers aid and a range of programs to the citizens of Weld County. Social
Services programs provide services that include help in the form of protective services to children and adults.
Assistance programs are available to aid individuals and families that qualify for help. Programs include
financial assistance in the form of monetary payments, help with childcare costs, grocery bills, and medical
care. Employment Services offers job opportunities, training, and career planning programs. Child Support
Enforcement provides services to help parents and anyone caring for children. Services include testing for
paternity, establishing court orders for child support, and enforcing the child support payment obligations.
Area Agency on Aging plans, coordinates, and advocates for services to aid our older population. Human
Services programs are administered under the supervision of the State and the Board of Weld County
Commissioners. Child Welfare provides for the protection of youth and children and engages families to look
at what strengths they have to best help them get back on track. If safety outweighs the possibility for in
home services then out of home placement will be sought through the court system. Weld has a strong Multi-
Youth Assessment Team which contracts with many agencies whose employees are housed at the DHS who
work together as a team to prevent youth, ages 10-18, from coming into the Child Welfare system. There are
also two Community Liaison Caseworkers who work with families who have been reported to the DHS for
abuse/neglect but the allegations do not meet the need to assign a Child Protection Caseworker. The
caseworkers work with the family for up to six months to help strengthen the family and secure any risks for
the children with the intention of keeping families out of Child Welfare. Weld DHS was awarded the
Fatherhood Friendly award in 2011 and two employees were also awarded as top leaders in Fatherhood.
II)History of Relationship
Agencies have collaborated as organizations within the Continuum of Care process since 2002 to ensure
community wide strategic planning and coordination among homeless service providers and mainstream
service providers. In addition, these agencies have partnered on numerous other initiatives to serve homeless
and at-risk populations for at least 25 years.
Ill)Development of Application
Colorado Department of Human Services, Child Welfare and Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Division of
Housing worked together on Family Unification Voucher, Shelter+Care and issues of youth homelessness as
part of the Colorado Interagency Council on Homelessness. In March of 2012,the Corporation for Supportive
Housing facilitated meetings in the Denver metropolitan area to determine interest and capacity to apply for
Partnerships Demonstrating the Effectiveness of Supportive Housing for Families in the Child Welfare System.
The two state agencies worked with Boulder, Larimer and Weld communities to assess their interest, readiness
and capacity for the grant.
All parties played an active role in planning for and shaping the grant collaboration.
IV) Key Staff Roles and Responsibilities NOW,THEREFORE, it is hereby agreed by and between the
partners as follows:
Program Development
1. Implement a system to identify eligible families within the agency's caseload and review referrals
from the partnering organizations.
2. Provide a list of other agencies/organization that will provide supportive services and resources
that will maximize the effectiveness of service delivery and begin to obtain letters of
commitments. Providers we may contract with are North Range Behavioral Health, churches
which provide services, All Core providers under DHS, Green Path Credit Counseling,A Women's
Place (DV Shelter).
3. Provide a list of other collaborating organizations which may include local philanthropic
organizations,community social service agencies,family support programs,TANF, employment
or subsidized employment agencies,developmental disability agencies, substance abuse
treatment,entities, health care entities, domestic violence prevention entities, mental health
service entities,schools,family court and criminal justices. Agencies we may partner with, Weld
DHS which includes,TANF and employment services, North Range Behavioral Health, A Women's
Place, Nurse Family Partnership, 19th Judicial, Family Treatment Court, Weld Faith Council, .
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance liaisons in Greeley School District 6 and in Centennial BOCES
(covering rural Weld School Districts), Sunrise Community Health Center, Connections for
Independent Living (persons with disabilities), Envision (persons with developmental disabilities),
United Way of Weld County, LAM Ministries (sober living housing program).
4. Partners will identify staff positions who will serve as the lead liaison.This position is responsible
for the transmission and acceptance of referrals.
5. Commit affordable housing units for 20 families. Provide a description of the plan to secure 20
affordable housing including sources such as subsidized units, project based units, Housing
Choice Vouchers.The Greeley-Weld Housing Authorities consisting of the Housing Authority of the
City of Greeley with 446 Housing Choice Vouchers and the Weld County Housing Authority with
427 Housing Choice Vouchers will take action to amended the Authorities Administrative Plan for
the Housing Choice Voucher Program and provide a local preference for clients selected by Weld
County Human Services to participate in the Health and Human Services,Administration for
Children and Families Grant. This preference will allow for the immediate issue of up to 10
Housing Choice Vouchers from each Housing Authority for a total of 20 committed vouchers. The
clients with the assistance of their case managers will be able to seek rental housing with a private
landlord which will then be subsidized by the Housing Authorities.
Program Implementation
6. The Child Welfare Agency will accept,screen and assess reports received to determine which
reports require an intensive intervention and which require voluntary referral to another agency
or program or provide further investigation and intensive intervention when the child's safety is in
jeopardy.
7. Partners will commit sufficient staff resources to ensure that eligible families are identified and
determined eligible in a timely manner.
8. Partners will commit sufficient staff resources to provide supportive housing services either
directly or through referral of a variety of community linked services to assist parents and children
that address family functioning,child well being and trauma in a responsive and timely manner.
9. Partners will commit to tracking outcomes, work with the project evaluator, share and collect data
and information, cooperation with an IRB process, and evaluation.
10. A liaison from Child Welfare, Housing Authority and Shelter will attend annual grantee meeting as
well as regularly scheduled meetings and trainings.
Child W fare/Name and Title of the staff position:
Heather Walker.Child Welfare/Adult Protection Administrator
Housing Authority/Name and Title of the staff position:
r /), e.t
Tom Teixeira, Director.Greeley-Weld House Authority
Shelter/Name and Title of the staff position:
Enita ut�nty Regional Director.Catholic Charities Archdiocese of Denver
shelter/Name and Title of the staff position:
Jodi HartSan7�,Director,Greeley Transitional House
V/Timeline The roles and responsibilities described above are contingent on Colorado Division of Housing
receiving funds requested for the project described in the Partnerships to Demonstrate the Effectiveness of
Supportive Housing for families in the Child Welfare System grant application. Responsibilities under this
Memorandum of Understanding would coincide with the grant period,anticipated to be 10/1/2012 through
10/1/17.
VI)Commitment to Partnership
1)Statement of Cooperation: The Child Welfare Agency, Public Housing Agency,Shelter and other provider
organizations engaged in the partnership of services and grant activities agree to cooperate,are committed
regardless of changes in administration, economic status, or other foreseeable factors to the coordination of
services, sharing of information across systems, with appropriate releases of confidential information, and
ensure consistent data collection across systems.
2)The collaboration service area includes Weld County, mainly servicing the Greeley area with the hope of also
expanding services to the South part of the County through the collaborations.
3)The partners agree to collaborate and provide services and referrals to families with homelessness and child
welfare issues pursuant to the program narrative of the grant application attached to this agreement.
4) Compensation for [non-lead] partners' contribution to this project will be provided as outlined in the
attached Partnerships to Demonstrate the Effectiveness of Supportive Housing for Families in the Child
Welfare System budget detail worksheet.
5) All partners commitment of all partners to work together to achieve stated project goals and to sustain the
project once grant funds are no longer available.
6) We, the undersigned have read and agree with this MOU. Further,we have reviewed the proposed project
and approve it.
4 S ilea BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
WELD COUNTY, COLORADO
1861t
C qp _
ATTEST: iY1.�*{
1 c.
Sean P. Conway, Chair
Weld County Clerk to a Board / JUL 2 5 2012
BY: /���5;f////.,d �i���
Deputy Clerk to the Board
By
JudyA Criego, Di -ctor
Weld o my De•ailment o Human Services
Date 72- 3/ a 2_
I(7/,?- /9"5/7
� �By �l?'�x �e'eta�- t - Bye_
Director, Housing Authority Director, Partner 1
Date 7/ 2 l/a?1/ Date Veg 5V42-
/
By By
Director,Shelter Director, Partner 2
Date 71,2`71 Date
By
Director, Partner 3
Date
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