County of Santa Cruz Human Services Department

Dedicated to Making a Difference

Annual Report Fiscal Year 2009-10

Visit our website @ www.santacruzhumanservices.org

Message from the Director

Dear Members of the Santa Cruz County Community, I am pleased to share with you the FY 2009-10 Annual Report for the County of Santa Cruz Human Services Department. The report offers an overview of the wide range of services the department provides to residents of Santa Cruz County and highlights major accomplishments and challenges of the past year. Our department remained steadfast in its commitment to provide quality services to people in need of assistance in our community, despite another year of budget cuts. Unemployment rates reached record highs with the countys rate climbing to 11.4% and the City of Watsonvilles rate rising to 23.6%. With high unemployment and the ongoing recession, the department saw tremendous growth in public assistance cases with one out of every five county residents receiving some form of aid. I am proud of the departments accomplishments in the past year and the commitment of our dedicated staff whose tireless efforts ensured that critical safety net services were available to people hard hit by difficult economic times. Looking forward, this report also includes information about new initiatives underway to enhance and strengthen programs and increase the network of supportive services to lift individuals and families out of poverty and protect our countys most vulnerable residents. I hope that you find this report both interesting and informative. If you would like more information about our programs and services, please visit our website at www.santacruzhumanservices.org. Sincerely, Cecilia Espinola, Director Human Services Department

Human Services Department Overview

Our Mission:
We strengthen our community by protecting the vulnerable, promoting self-sufficiency, alleviating poverty, and improving the quality of life for residents of Santa Cruz County.

Our Goals:
Increase economic potential and decrease poverty Reduce abuse and neglect Improve well being and quality of life Improve health and mental health

Some of Our Services in FY 2009-10:

28,826
Helped an average of 28,826 people per month receive Medi-Cal health care benefits

7,859
Helped an average of 7,859 clients per month receive Food Stamps

9,810
Provided WIA employment services to 9,810 clients at the Career Centers

2,624
Responded to 2,624 reports of suspected child abuse or neglect

542
Responded to 542 reports of suspected elder abuse or neglect

2,287
Helped an average of 2,287 clients per month receive IHSS services monthly

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Gave 32 children a permanent home through adoptions

Family and Childrens Services Division

FY 2009-10 Program Highlights
Completed Bill of Rights for children, parents, and resource parents Implemented Roots and Wings A program to promote permanency for children and to provide more support to resource families Began Team Decision Making meetings to involve parents, resource families, social workers, therapists, court appointed special advocates, relatives, friends and other supportive individuals in planning for safe and successful reunification Implemented an evidenced based model of parent education for child welfare involved families called Positive Parenting Program (Triple P)

Looking Forward: Areas of Focus in FY 2010-11

Strengthen recruitment and support of resource parents especially for older and hard to place youth Increase community supports for foster youth Provide developmental and socio-emotional assessments and appropriate referrals for very young children ages 0 to 5 Improve educational opportunities and increase housing options for foster youth

Protecting children from abuse & neglect and strengthening families

Child Welfare Services Family & Childrens Services is required by State and Federal law to provide child welfare services to children who have been abused, neglected, or who are at risk of abuse or neglect.

Child Welfare Services Include: Emergency Response & Dependency Investigations Family Maintenance or Family Preservation Family Reunification & Permanency Planning Licensing & Adoptions

Emergency Response Dependency Investigations Abuse/Neglect Referrals (families) Children Referred (unduplicated) Children with Substantiated Referrals (unduplicated)

FY 09-10 2,624 2,802 500

Approximately 40% of children with substantiated referrals (confirmed abuse or neglect) were children 0 to 5 years old. A little more than one-half were Latinos, 41% were White and 3% were African American. Age of Children with Substantiated Referrals

In any given month, approximately 424 children were receiving services in an ongoing program of child welfare. Supportive Adolescent Services Supportive Adolescent Services is a collaborative program that offers a broad continuum of services including specialized social work and mental health services as well as independent living skills services to assist teens in accomplishing their educational and employment goals. Transitional housing and other specialized services are provided to assist youth in the transition to an independent adult life. FY 09-10 Independent Living Program150 youth Transitional Housing 36 youth Foster Youth Employment 38 youth 5

11 to 17 years , 33%

0 to 5 years , 40%

6 to 10 years , 26%

Promoting permanent homes and permanent relationships for children

Foster Care Foster Care Foster parents and relative caregivers, also known as resource parents, are a very important source of support for children when they are not able to remain safely in their own homes. They share their lives with children in need and provide a nurturing stable home environment for children while their parents receive counseling, parenting education and other services to enable them to be reunited with their children.

If parents cannot provide a safe environment, the children must be placed in foster care or relatives homes until they can safely be returned to their own homes or placed with an adoptive family.
In any given month, approximately 240 children were in out-of-home placement. More than half were placed with relatives. Adoptions As a licensed Adoptions Agency, we place children in permanent homes. Services include placing children in adoptive homes when the Juvenile Court has terminated rights of parents who have been unsuccessful in reunifying with their children; recruiting and screening prospective adoptive parents; finalizing adoptions; and providing post adoption services, including the Adoption Assistance Program (AAP). We also provide services for children whose parents voluntarily relinquish their parental rights.
Adoptions & Adoption Assistance

The good news is that all across California, as well as in Santa Cruz, the number of children in foster care has been declining. Both the positive family strengthening services we provide and our countys child abuse prevention and early intervention programs may be contributing to this reduction.

Monthly Average of Number of Children in Foster Care

350

310 282 262 244

300

250

200

150

100

FY 09-10

50

Finalized Adoptions
FY 06-07 FY 07-08 FY 08-09 FY 09-10

32 503 6

Adoption Assistance Cases

Reducing risk factors for abuse and neglect

Prevention Programs On average the grant-funded prevention and early intervention programs serve between 150 and 200 families per year. They offer supportive services and resources to struggling families before they are in crisis and before they become involved with the child welfare system.

Number of Parents Served by Prevention Programs

160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 FY 06-07 FY 07-08 FY 08-09 FY 09-10 Families Together

Families Together:

Serves women who are pregnant and families who have at least one child under the age of five. High risk families who are referred to child welfare but are evaluated out are eligible to participate. The program is a collaborative effort between Santa Cruz Community Counseling Center, First Five, and the Human Services Department.

Primeros Pasos

Primeros Pasos:

Serves Latinas who are pregnant and/or have a young child and are struggling with substance abuse issues. New grant funding was secured this year in order to continue this important program led by the Santa Cruz Community Counseling Center.
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Adult & Long Term Care FY 2009-10 Program Highlights

A variety of new requirements for In Home Support Services (IHSS) providers (e.g., mandatory

orientation, fingerprinting, criminal background checks)

Multiple State-level law suits pending regarding IHSS provider wages, service reductions, and

criminal background checks

Relocation of the Veterans Services Office due to structural problems with the Veterans Memorial

Hall Continuing challenges to staffing in Adult Protective Services (APS) necessitating more narrow screening of referrals and fewer in-person investigations.

Looking Forward: Areas of Focus in FY 2010-11

Ensure all current and prospective IHSS providers complete the new rigorous enrollment requirements Improve access to data and information on IHSS to increase efficiencies Continue to mitigate the negative impacts of the closure of the Santa Cruz Veterans Memorial Hall and maintain current service levels Build stronger partnerships and community supports to ensure that elders and dependent adults have services in place prior to APS case closure 8

Protecting the elderly and disabled from abuse and neglect

Adult Protective Services Adult Protective Services (APS) is a state mandated program that provides investigation and intervention services to protect elderly or dependent adults who may be victims of physical, emotional or financial abuse or neglect or who may be self-neglecting due to physical or mental decline. Approximately three-quarters of the people referred to APS are elders with the remaining one-quarter dependent adults. In FY 09-10, APS responded to 542 reports of adult or elder abuse and neglect. 38% of those reports did not receive an in person investigation due to staffing constraints. . APS Referrals FY 09-10 Abuse/Neglect referrals 542 Investigations 314

Ethnicity of APS Referrals (FY 09-10)

Hispanic 10%

Elder Financial Abuse: Largest Category of Abuse by Others Although self neglect represents more than one-half of APS reports, financial exploitation is a growing concern and represents the largest category of reports of abuse by others (28%). APS collaborates with the District Attorneys Office, law enforcement and the Financial Abuse Specialist Team to respond to reports of elder financial abuse. In FY 09-10, over $5 million in assets belonging to elderly and In-Home Supportive Services Program (IHSS) dependent adult residents of Santa Cruz County were preserved due to the Countys intervention efforts.

Other 8%

Caucasian 82%

Helping seniors and dependent adults stay safely in their homes

In-Home Supportive Services The In-Home Supportive Services Program (IHSS) is a state mandated program that provides assistance to low income frail elderly adults and disabled persons of all ages to enable them to remain safely in their own homes. The need for out-of-home care can often be prevented through provision of services that support daily living activities. For income eligible individuals, IHSS Social Workers conduct assessments and authorize payment for necessary services based on need.

IHSS provides a cost effective alternative to institutional care for the elderly and dependent adults.

Average Monthly IHSS Caseload

2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0
FY 05-06 FY 06-07 FY 07-08 FY 08-09 FY 09-10

IHSS - Supporting Activities of Daily Living Basic Housekeeping Meal Preparation & Clean-up Personal Care The IHSS program provides jobs for approximately 2,000 care providers every month. 88% work more than 25 hours per month. Almost 400 providers who met eligibility requirements elected to participate in the health insurance program.

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Assisting local veterans in accessing benefits and services

Veterans Services Program The Veterans Services Office provides a range of services to Santa Cruz County veterans and their families such as helping veterans access benefits accrued from military service from local, state, and federal governments, providing information and Services referral and veterans advocacy services, and providing claims and appeals assistance. Assistance is provided in a variety of areas, including: Compensation and pensions Health and dental care Vocational rehabilitation Homeless services Educational assistance Home loans Government life insurance Veterans Services also provides information and assistance Trends observed inproceedings, discharge upgrades, referrals regarding separation FY 09-10: for alcohol and drug abuse, and readjustment counseling. Increasing numbers of veterans of military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan are seeking assistance. An increasing number of older veterans, especially low income veterans and those with high health care costs, are seeking assistance with obtaining benefits and services. During the most recent reporting year, the Veterans Services Office generated revenues of $1,482,336 in retroactive and lump sum payments as well as $1,314,132 in new monthly benefits for veterans and their dependents in Santa Cruz County. The total value of cash benefits for the 2008 calendar year was approximately $25 million.

The Human Services Department coordinates the provision of medical services through the Veterans Administration (VA) to the Countys most vulnerable veterans. Medical examinations and consultations are available at the Santa Cruz office. In FY 09-10, approximately 250 veterans were served through medical outreach services. Additionally, rides are available to veterans who need transportation to Palo Alto VA healthcare and clinical services. 11

Employment & Benefit Services Division FY 2009-10 Program Highlights

Used federal stimulus funds to create a subsidized employment program and provide short term non recurring benefits such as help with utility bills, car repairs, and rent Provided public assistance, in the form of Medi-Cal, Food Stamps, Welfare to Work services, or cash aid, to 1 of every 5 county residents in Fiscal Year 2009-10 Designed a new public website to help the community better understand eligibility requirements and what they need to do to receive benefits Closed the Cal Success program, which provided Food Stamps and employment training for students at Cabrillo College due to an unfortunate change in federal match requirements

Looking Forward: Areas of Focus in FY 2010-11

Expand subsidized employment opportunities for low income families Provide clients with automated telephone access to inquire about their benefit status Provide clients with online benefits applications and periodic reports Expand and enhance information at partner sites and other locations

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Responding to meet basic needs during difficult economic times

CalWORKs & Welfare to Work CalWORKs offers employment services and cash assistance to needy families who have children under 19 years of age. The program helps meet basic needs for shelter, food, clothing, while increasing job readiness skills. Cash aid benefits for the adults have a lifetime limit of 60 months and most adult recipients must meet work participation requirements as a condition of receiving cash assistance. In an average month in FY 09-10, 1,485 people were subject to Welfare to Work requirements and approximately 40% of them will be exempted for good cause. With the economic downturn, the CalWORKs program has seen a steady increase in applications as well as increases in caseloads. General Assistance CalWORKs Cash Aid Average Monthly Caseload
3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0
FY 05-06 FY 06-07 FY 07-08 FY 08-09 FY 09-10

The General Assistance program is mandated by the State Welfare and Institutions Code. The program is 100% County funded and provides cash assistance to eligible disabled or unemployed county residents who are ineligible for other aid programs and provides disabled individuals with SSI application assistance. In FY 09-10, the average monthly General Assistance caseload was 138 and 75% were Caucasian.
Latino 13% Afr. American Other 9% 3%

$15 million in CalWORKs benefits are provided to

county residents every year which is state and federal money that stimulates the local Santa Cruz County economy.

White 75%

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Working to ensure that no one goes hungry

Food Stamp Program The Food Stamp Program serves as the first line of defense against hunger. Food Stamp benefits provide critical basic support to low income families and individuals enabling them to buy nutritious food with an Electronic Benefit Transfer card. As a result of the recession, Food Stamp applications increased dramatically during the 2009-10 fiscal year. Food Stamp Applications Average Monthly Intake
1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 FY 05-06 FY 06-07 FY 07-08 FY 08-09 FY 09-10

The average monthly caseload for Food Stamps in FY 09-10 was 7,656. This number has more than doubled in the past five years.

The County disbursed approximately $30 million in Food Stamp benefits into the local economy in FY 09-10.

More than 19,000 individuals were receiving Food Stamps in June 2010 An increase of 17% from the same month one year earlier.
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Providing medical insurance for needy families

Medi-Cal Program The Medi-Cal program is a health insurance program for low income families and disabled and aged adults. The Central Coast Alliance for Health is the countys Medi-Cal managed care health plan that helps recipients access health care from local participating providers. Monthly Caseload of People on Medi-Cal
30000 25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0
FY 05-06 FY 06-07 FY 07-08 FY 08-09 FY 09-10

The estimated value of Medi-Cal benefits provided to the County is $180 million per year or approximately $377 per recipient per month.

Profile of People Receiving Medi-Cal: 61% are children under 18 71% are Latino, 24% White 54% use Spanish as their primary language 61% live in South County 15

Workforce Investment Board

FY 2009-10 Program Highlights
Provided training scholarships to almost three times the number of laid off workers and job seekers compared to last year. Utilized the Summer Youth Employment Programs to create jobs for 240 youth in 2009 and 435 youth in 2010 for a total of 677 youth. Provided green construction and energy efficiency training to unemployed adults and older youth funded by State grants called the Green Jobs Corps and Monterey Bay Green Pre-apprenticeship Project Participated in the Green Career Partnership, a joint venture with Cabrillo College and other community partners, in order to identify emerging jobs and employers in the clean/green/solar industry sector. The WIB is collaborating with California First to inform and prepare contractors and the local workforce for these jobs

Looking Forward: Areas of Focus in FY 2010-11

Develop a regional strategy for employment and training programs for adults and youth Focus on re-skilling and training internships Organize job fairs with workforce partners and job seekers and coordinate specialized job recruitments for business Enhance workforce service integration so job seekers and training partners have information on entry points and eligibility for services 16

Responding to the needs of local employers and local job seekers

Workforce Investment Board The Workforce Investment Board helps connect local job seekers with employers who are seeking qualified job applicants. Working with members of the business and education communities, local government and community members, the WIB provides resources to respond to the needs of employers and County residents in search of employment. In FY 09-10, a difficult economy increased business layoffs and closures raising unemployment to historically high levels. Adult & Dislocated Worker Services In partnership with the Employment Development Department, Cabrillo College, Shoreline Workforce Development Services, Adult Schools and local partners, services are provided for individuals seeking employment or wanting to upgrade their job skills with training scholarships. Services are available to assist workers dislocated as the result of layoffs, plant closures, or downsizing. There was a large increase in services provided in FY 09-10 due to the 3 availability of ARRA funds. Participants in WIA Enrolled Services (adults, dislocated workers, & youth)
2000

In April 2010, Santa Cruz Countys unemployment rates reached 15% and Watsonvilles rate skyrocketed to 30%.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) An infusion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funds was received in FY 08-09 & 0910 to assist unemployed and dislocated workers during difficult economic times. This temporary addition of ARRA funds was used to: Increase training scholarships Offer skill development classes through Cabrillo Promote green job training and placements Youth Employment Services

1500
1000 500 0
FY 05-06 FY 06-07 FY 07-08 FY 08-09 FY 09-10

The majority of Adult participants receiving training services were women, and nearly half of Dislocated Workers receiving services were laid-off workers, age 22-44. 32% of participants receiving WIA services were South County residents.

ARRA funds were also used for a Summer Youth Employment Program which served 435 eligible youth between 14 and 24 years of age in 2010. The program offered subsidized employment of up to 30 hours per week for six weeks. 17

Report Child Abuse 1-877-505-3299

Report Elder Abuse 1-866-580-4357

Contact the Human Services Department

Visit our website at www.santacruzhumanservices.org

For Public Assistance Programs call the Benefits Call Center at 1-888-421-8080 or TTY 454-4763 or Apply for Food Stamps and MediCal Online at www.benefitsCalWIN.org

Family & Childrens Services Adult & Long Term Care

1400 Emeline Avenue , Santa Cruz 12 W. Beach Street, Watsonville 1400 Emeline Avenue, Santa Cruz 12 W. Beach Street, Watsonville

454-4222 763-8800 454-4101 763-8800 888-421-8080 454-4761

TTY 454-4233 TTY 454-4774 TTY 454-4763 CA Relay Service 711

Employment & Benefit Services 1020 Emeline Avenue, Santa Cruz 119 and 18 W. Beach Street, Watsonville Veterans Services 1400 Emeline Avenue , Santa Cruz 215 E. Beach Street, Watsonville

Workforce Santa Cruz County Career Centers Capitola 2045 40 Avenue 464-6286 TTY 464-4358
th

Shoreline Santa Cruz 350 Encinal Street 429-6415 CA Relay Service 711

Watsonville 18 W. Beach Street 763-8720 CA Relay Service 711

Dedicated to making a difference

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