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Home My WebLink About20194295.tiff RESOLUTION RE: APPROVE LOW-ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LEAP) OUTREACH INCENTIVE PILOT PROGRAM AGREEMENT AND DELEGATE AUTHORITY TO DIRECTOR OF DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES 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 Low-Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) Outreach Incentive Pilot Program Agreement 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, and the Colorado Office of Economic Security, Division of Food and Energy Assistance, State LEAP Office, commencing upon full execution of signatures, and ending September 30, 2020, with further terms and conditions being as stated in said agreement, and WHEREAS, after review, the Board deems it advisable to approve said agreement, 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 Low-Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) Outreach Incentive Pilot Program Agreement 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, and the Colorado Office of Economic Security, Division of Food and Energy Assistance, State LEAP Office, be, and hereby is, approved. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Board that the authority to sign said agreement, be, and hereby is, delegated to the Weld County Director of the Department of Human Services to sign as the Agent for the Weld County Board of County Commissioners, Weld County, Colorado. CC',HS D 2019-4295 OV2o/2O HR0090 LOW-ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LEAP) OUTREACH INCENTIVE PILOT PROGRAM AGREEMENT PAGE 2 The above and foregoing Resolution was, on motion duly made and seconded, adopted by the following vote on the 30th day of September, A.D., 2019. BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ,,,/ ' W D COUNTY, CO O DO datiff4) ATTEST: ..�'„l ei arbara Kirkmeyer, air Weld County Clerk to the Board Mike Freeman, P o-Tem BY: Deputy Clerk to the Board 7.� Sean Conway APP AS ` S iabi ` � ' � � � cot' . James o n y A or '' \ � Steve Moreno Date of signature: 1O/O3A1 2019-4295 H R0090 PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM DATE: September 19, 2019 • 1861 TO: Board of County Commissioners—Pass-Around FR: Judy A. Griego, Director, Human Services G O U.N T Y RE: Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) Outreach Incentive Program Pilot Agreement and Plan Please review and indicate if you would like a work session prior to placing this item on the Board's agenda. Request Board Approval of the Department's Low Energy Assistance Program (LEAP) Outreach Incentive Program Pilot Activities. The Colorado Office of Economic Security, Food & Energy Assistance Division, has disseminated information to counties regarding a newly established LEAP Outreach Incentive Program Pilot(OM-FEA-2019-0009). The Pilot has been established by the State in an effort to increase the enrollment in LEAP as a nationwide decrease in applications for home heating assistance has been seen in recent years. The Pilot has two main goals: 1) Increase the number of applications submitted with all questions answered and all verification provided. 2) Decrease the number of applications denied for failure to provide verification of information. The Department will be entering into an agreement with United Way of Weld County (UWWC)to develop and implement a LEAP outreach campaign. This agreement will be funded through LEAP outreach incentive funds ($26,000)and the annual LEAP outreach allocation(approximately $20,000). On behalf of UWWC, the Department is requesting to participate in the Pilot. To participate, the Department is required to submit a signed LEAP Outreach Incentive Pilot Program Agreement, drafted by the State, as well as a plan for meeting the established goals of the Pilot. The agreement and plan are due to the State by Monday, September 30. Pass-Around Memorandum; September 19,2019—Not in CMS Page 1 2019-4295 © 13O i-1 R©ogo PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL I do not recommend a Work Session. I recommend approval for the Director to sign the LEAP Outreach Incentive Pilot Program Agreement and authorize the Department to submit the agreement and plan. Approve Schedule Other/Comments: Recommendation Work Session Sean P. Conway '` Mike Freeman,Pro-Tem Scott James Barbara Kirkmeyer, Chair Steve Moreno hl Pass-Around Memorandum; September 19, 2019—Not in CMS Page 2 COLORADO all_ Office of Economic Security Division of Food&Energy Assurance LEAP Outreach Incentive Pilot Program Agreement County Responsibilities: • Submit a plan for meeting the outreach goals to the State LEAP Office by September 30, 2019. • Ensure that at least one of the county's lobbies is staffed with someone who is trained to assist clients with filling out their LEAP application. • Provide the State LEAP Office with the name(s) and contact information for the individual(s) who wilt staff the county's lobbies on behalf of LEAP. • Use any funds remaining (after providing LEAP application assistance in at least one of the county's lobbies) to engage in targeted outreach, such as engagement at community events and sharing LEAP information with community centers. • 1f the county's LEAP program is administered by Goodwill Colorado, the county will assist Goodwill Colorado by providing the information available and necessary to process an application for LEAP. • Accurately track and code any expenditures related to the Outreach Pilot to the following CFMS codes: Program Code: L305 Program Description: LEAP Outreach Incentive Pilot Function Code: 5200 Function Description: IM LEAP Outreach State LEAP Office Responsibilities: • Allocate $26,000 to the county to fund the Outreach Pilot. Funds will be available from October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020. • Be available to answer all county questions and assist with any matters that may arise as a result of implementing the Outreach Pilot. • Oversee and monitor program outcomes by measuring: o Number of applications processed without an information request. o Number of applications denied for failure to provide verification of information. • Make outcomes information available to the county upon request. ti J A. riego, irecto Nam , Title beha f of Wel Coun On behalf of the State LEAP Office 1575 Sherman Street,Denver,CD 80203 P 303.866.5700 www.colorado.gov/CONS a Jared Polls,Governor Mkhetle Barnes,Executive Director f l,,, +' •ors• LEAP OUTREACH INCENTIVE PILOT PROGRAM AGREEMENT APPROVED AS TO FUNDING: oa44446O/142.1_ Controller APPROVED AS TO FORM: TkiiAtolegoVere- County Attorney Weld County Plan LEAP Outreach Incentive Program Pilot Goals to be Met The identified goals for the LEAP Outreach Incentive Program Pilot are: • Increase the number of applications submitted with all questions answered and all verification provided, and • Decrease the number of applications denied for failure to provide verification of information. Action Plan To meet the above goals, the Weld County Department of Human Services(WCDHS) will enter into a contract with United Way of Weld County(UWWC)to provide LEAP outreach services to vulnerable low-income families and individuals, who are eligible for the Heating Fuel Assistance Program and the Crisis Intervention Program. UWWC will develop and implement a LEAP outreach campaign, with a focus on informing the community about LEAP. This campaign will primarily focus on meeting the above goals by: • Coordinating with other agencies, organizations and groups to facilitate participation of potentially eligible persons with emphasis on the most vulnerable populations including the elderly, disable, home bound and non-English speaking. • Providing access to Heating Fuel Assistance Program information and application forms. UWWC will identify locations in the county, such as community action programs, Social Security offices and low-income housing sites for distribution and acceptance of applications. • Providing an effective county wide information and referral system involving local agencies and organizations. • Providing a referral system to weatherization and other energy conservation programs. • Special efforts to meet the needs of vulnerable populations, including aiding in completing applications and securing the required verification. • Providing regular communication with cooperating agencies to identify concerns, problems and opportunities for improved outreach. • Working with utility companies to refer eligible customers to LEAP. • Ensuring all outreach materials are distributed to various community agencies targeting vulnerable populations. • Complying with all reporting requirements set forth by the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS). Anticipated Outreach Activities • Utilize the 2-1-1 information and referral system. • Exposure at Community and United Way Events. • Work with United Way to create and/or distribute marketing materials not available through the State. • Utilize existing email distribution groups to increase exposure and disseminate LEAP information. • Utilize print and social media to increase exposure and disseminate LEAP information. • Utilize the Colorado Department of Human Services Outreach Toolkit. • Distribute created collateral to other agencies for distribution through their networks. • Distribute promotional flyers through Weld Food Bank emergency food boxes and the mobile food pantry. • Other Hello