Early this week Hope Alive – among many other community nonprofits – received official notification from Frederick County that the total funding for the Grants for Human Services Program awards to nonprofit organizations has been cut by 25% for FY2012. This memorandum also warned grantees that the County expects “to see similar reductions to the Grants for Human Services Program of approximately $125,710 or 25% in each of the future fiscal years beyond FY2012.” And don’t forget about the 19% reduction that happened previously in FY2011. The bottom line? It’s no secret that the current Board of County Commissioners’ (BOCC) intention is to cut all funding to Frederick County nonprofit human service organizations. (Hope Alive’s $7,030 county grant was cut from the FY2011 budget, but our FY2012 application was recommended for $4,335 in funding.)
In addition, the BOCC announced in their 2/24/11 work session that an additional $108,536 for Non-County Agencies was “voluntarily” relinquished by the Department of Social Services (DSS). The word from DSS is that the county funding was not “voluntarily” relinquished, but that they were told to do so. So this week, DSS reduced their housing unit from 5 workers to 1.5 eliminating the rental assistance program that prevents evictions.
For some nonprofits, these decisions have far reaching financial impact forcing some organizations to reduce critical services to Frederick County residents. For all nonprofits, the service impact will be devastating placing the escalating demand for services on the backs of the already strained nonprofit sector. Comments from the BOCC in televised work sessions basically state that the nonprofits and churches will need to do more.
I agree with other nonprofits that if you are refused services from nonprofits and non-County agencies due to cuts in County funding, call the BOCC offices to let them know the impact. At Hope Alive we are already seeing the fallout from the BOCC’s earlier decision to relinquish the $2 million federal Head Start grant back to the federal government. The Emmitsburg Head Start program where Hope Alive’s 3 and 4 year old resident children attend half-days, closed its doors this week. Parents were told their children’s names would be kept on the waiting list if and when the center reopens. Thankfully, Hope Alive has a safety net for our children that attended Head Start as they now spend more time in our children’s center, but they will still miss the important supplemental services Head Start provided such as medical screenings, parent support and family advocacy.
On a more positive note, I'm so glad God is in charge and He is our provider and sustainer!
Please plan to attend our upcoming Visions for Hope event on Thursday, April 28th at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center in downtown Frederick. This is an important family friendly and fun fundraising event benefitting Hope Alive’s child development programs. You can read more on our website at http://www.hopealiveministries.org/. Until next week …
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
Showing posts with label BOCC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BOCC. Show all posts
Friday, March 4, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Tough week
It was a tough week at Hope Alive. It started with our newest staff member breaking her leg requiring surgery, pins and plates. Ouch! She's on crutches and hobbling around the best she can and trying not to overdo it.
Then, another staff member had a stove fire in her apartment requiring a visit by the fire department. No one was hurt, but she was left needing a new stove and smoke smell in everything.
It was also an unusual week of having to make some really tough decisions involving residents. When it involves the lives of others, the decisions are especially difficult to make. Then God brought about a major heart change and that's what it's all about!
Then there was more disappointing decisions made by the Board of County Commissioners this week with their 25% cut to the County's Grants-In-Aid program providing critically needed funding for nonprofit services. This follows last year's funding cut to nonprofits with another 25% projected cut for FY13. Hope Alive submitted a grant for the current funding cycle so if it's rated and ranked among the highest, our funding from two years ago may be reinstated.
And every week we continue to hear the heartbreaking stories from families who are struggling to survive in our own backyard. This week, among others, we received calls from a mother dying of cancer and living on the streets with her two children and a woman with three children needing to flee violence in their home.
Even though it was a tough week, we were blessed to see the positive changes and continued determination of so many of our families as they press forward toward healing, recovery and self-sufficiency.
Please continue to pray for us, those we serve, and the many families who are homeless and on the brink of despair who need our help. Pray God will meet their needs and fill their lives with His life-changing love and hope of a future. As we've witnessed so much lately, we know God hears and answers our prayers! Until next week ...
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
Then, another staff member had a stove fire in her apartment requiring a visit by the fire department. No one was hurt, but she was left needing a new stove and smoke smell in everything.
It was also an unusual week of having to make some really tough decisions involving residents. When it involves the lives of others, the decisions are especially difficult to make. Then God brought about a major heart change and that's what it's all about!
Then there was more disappointing decisions made by the Board of County Commissioners this week with their 25% cut to the County's Grants-In-Aid program providing critically needed funding for nonprofit services. This follows last year's funding cut to nonprofits with another 25% projected cut for FY13. Hope Alive submitted a grant for the current funding cycle so if it's rated and ranked among the highest, our funding from two years ago may be reinstated.
And every week we continue to hear the heartbreaking stories from families who are struggling to survive in our own backyard. This week, among others, we received calls from a mother dying of cancer and living on the streets with her two children and a woman with three children needing to flee violence in their home.
Even though it was a tough week, we were blessed to see the positive changes and continued determination of so many of our families as they press forward toward healing, recovery and self-sufficiency.
Please continue to pray for us, those we serve, and the many families who are homeless and on the brink of despair who need our help. Pray God will meet their needs and fill their lives with His life-changing love and hope of a future. As we've witnessed so much lately, we know God hears and answers our prayers! Until next week ...
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Speechless
This week I was speechless. It doesn't happen very often and doesn't last very long, but this week there were just no words I could find to adequately describe the decision and comments made by Frederick County's Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) at Tuesday's work session regarding the relinquishing of the federal Head Start grant. As a result of the commissioner's 4 to 1 vote to relinquish the funding back to the federal government, the Frederick County Head Start program will be turned over to a new federal contractor effective March 1, 2011. Commissioner David Gray was the only vote against it arguing they were making a rash decision.
Here are the facts presented by County employees at the BOCC worksession. Frederick County's Head Start program has operated in the county for nearly 40 years as a federal grantee and is a nationally recognized model. It's a 10 month program now serving 282 three and four year olds who are income qualified based on the federal poverty level. This is a national program that promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, and social and other services to enrolled children and families. The program employees 80 people and operates with an annual budget of $4,516,442 of which $2,223,451 comes from grant revenue including $2,003,686 from a federal Head Start grant. The county's contribution to run this model program is $2,293,093.
Here are the facts presented by County employees at the BOCC worksession. Frederick County's Head Start program has operated in the county for nearly 40 years as a federal grantee and is a nationally recognized model. It's a 10 month program now serving 282 three and four year olds who are income qualified based on the federal poverty level. This is a national program that promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of educational, health, nutritional, and social and other services to enrolled children and families. The program employees 80 people and operates with an annual budget of $4,516,442 of which $2,223,451 comes from grant revenue including $2,003,686 from a federal Head Start grant. The county's contribution to run this model program is $2,293,093.
So by cutting this program, the savings to the county are $2.3 million which is the sole purpose for relinquishing the federal grant and all other associated grants.
What leaves me speechless is the decisions they made to relinquish the federal grant with seeming disregard to the impact on the children and families served. As of March 1, 2011, Head Start will be operated by a federal contractor as the interim operator (Community Development Institute Head Start - a Denver-based contractor) for about a year or more until a new contractor and federal grantee is awarded. Eighty county employees will loose their jobs effective February 28, but "hope" to be picked up by this new operator. I guess it's supposed to be comforting that this new operator will hold a "job fair" for these 80 employees slated to loose their jobs at the end of the month. These are not only "county employees", but teachers and advocates dedicated to serving disadvantaged preschoolers and families in Frederick County - including our very own Hope Alive children!
What leaves me speechless is that the BOCC believes the nationally recognized Head Start program won't be significantly impacted by the $2.3 million cut from county funding. With the move back to the federal government, funding will be limited to the $2 million federal grant, but the County Commissioners assured citizens that services for county children and families in the program would continue. The math doesn't work and and no program can sustain that
level of funding cuts and maintain the quality of its program and core services. In a meeting with Head Start parents Thursday night, the new interim operator warned parents that "without the county funding, he is unsure if all the services Head Start provides will be available when it takes over." It's also surprising that Commission Young believes that nonprofits should pick up this program. I guess he's not aware that nonprofits have been struggling to survive for the past three years to sustain critically needed county services that the government doesn't provide.
What also leaves me speechless is that all the preliminary discussion was done behind closed doors. Tuesday's BOCC worksession was the first opportunity for public comment on the proposed cut and parents and teachers only received word the day before that this program was up for final vote at Tuesday's work session. The interim operator is already at work transitioning the program back to the federal government. The cost for the county to relinquish the Head Start program is estimated to be between $650,000 and $695,000 to fund annual leave payout, severance pay, and unemployment insurance.
I'm sure most folks realize this is just not a preschool program, but it ensures every disadvantaged preschooler that's enrolled is prepared for kindergarten and has the best chance at school success. I speak and write often about the needs of very low-income including homeless children - even through this blog - and the great disadvantage they have compared to children from moderate income families. The Head Start program prepares disadvantaged preschoolers in Frederick County for school readiness and is used and needed as a supplement to Hope Alive's child development program to address the unique needs of homeless preschoolers and ensure they have the best start in school and chance for success in life.
And finally, what really left me speechless were the comments made by two of the County Commissioners in response to tearful parents' pleas to preserve county funding and operation of the program. I'll let their comments speak for themselves. I don't even want to reprint them here. I know the Commissioners' comments were not intended to be offensive, but they were. Check it out for yourself on the BOCC work session video at http://frederick.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=5&clip_id=2541, the County press release at http://www.frederickcountymd.gov/documents/Board%20of%20County%20Commissioners/Press%20Releases%202011/February%202011/Head%20Start%20Transition.PDF, and the Gazette articles at http://gazette.net/stories/02092011/frednew175041_32611.php and http://gazette.net/stories/02112011/frednew110429_32547.php. The Frederick News Post articles are also available on their website.
It wasn't long before I found my voice again and I've been talking about it ever since. I'd love to know what you think. Better yet, let the Board of County Commissioners know what you think and let your voice be heard loud and clear! Thanks for reading. Until next week ...
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
Friday, June 4, 2010
God works in mysterious ways
The outcome of our appeal to Frederick County’s Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) did not produce the result we expected, but God works in mysterious ways. I watched the BOCC’s work session Tuesday morning to see what the final outcome would be after addressing the Board last Thursday morning. I had asked the Board to reverse their decision to eliminate our funding from the County’s FY2011 budget and vote to reinstate our $6,678 grant-in-aid.
As the budget discussion started, Commissioner David Gray said he wanted to allocate the $1,500 balance in his personal expense account to Hope Alive. Commissioner Hagen agreed with Commissioner Gray’s proposal and said he would like to do the same, but split his allocation between Hope Alive and one or two other charities whose funding was also cut. Commissioner Gardner also supported the idea, but asked that the Board revisit this in two weeks after the finance office could verify the actual balances.
As I sat and watched this unfold, I immediately sensed God’s hand in this – not reinstating the funding as we had prayed and hoped but providing for the needs of the ministry in His sovereign way! God bless them for their commitment to and recognition of Hope Alive’s mission and service to Frederick County.
On a different note, we were notified this week that the state of Maryland has made a policy change (effective May 1) that now allows recipients of Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) – which most of our resident families receive – to have cash resources that exceed the previous limit of $2,000. What this not provides is for TCA recipients to have cash reserves in case of emergencies and to save for the future. This is great news for our families as they strive to save money for first and second months rent and security deposits so they can exit homelessness and have a better chance of maintaining independent living.
Often the work of this ministry is challenging, so it was nice to have some encouraging news this week! Please continue to keep us – and the growing numbers of homeless families needing help – in your thoughts and prayers. Until next week …
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
As the budget discussion started, Commissioner David Gray said he wanted to allocate the $1,500 balance in his personal expense account to Hope Alive. Commissioner Hagen agreed with Commissioner Gray’s proposal and said he would like to do the same, but split his allocation between Hope Alive and one or two other charities whose funding was also cut. Commissioner Gardner also supported the idea, but asked that the Board revisit this in two weeks after the finance office could verify the actual balances.
As I sat and watched this unfold, I immediately sensed God’s hand in this – not reinstating the funding as we had prayed and hoped but providing for the needs of the ministry in His sovereign way! God bless them for their commitment to and recognition of Hope Alive’s mission and service to Frederick County.
On a different note, we were notified this week that the state of Maryland has made a policy change (effective May 1) that now allows recipients of Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) – which most of our resident families receive – to have cash resources that exceed the previous limit of $2,000. What this not provides is for TCA recipients to have cash reserves in case of emergencies and to save for the future. This is great news for our families as they strive to save money for first and second months rent and security deposits so they can exit homelessness and have a better chance of maintaining independent living.
Often the work of this ministry is challenging, so it was nice to have some encouraging news this week! Please continue to keep us – and the growing numbers of homeless families needing help – in your thoughts and prayers. Until next week …
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
Friday, May 28, 2010
County grant update
Here's an update on Hope Alive's County grant status. I learned on Monday that the only opportunity we'd have to appeal the board's decision to cut Hope Alive's grant would be at the Board of County Commissioners' weekly work session. Resident Monica and I attended Thursday morning's session and both spoke on behalf of Hope Alive.
I emphasized the significant increase we're seeing in requests for services with a 36% increase from January to April over the same period last year. I talked about our current financial position of operating on a bare bones budget from a 28% reduction in 2009 forcing us to reduce the number of families we can serve in 2010 until we raise more funds. I stressed our need for the County's recommended $6,678 grant-in-aid so we can continue offering core services for our community's homeless families. As I told the Commissioners and shared in last week's blog, this grant equates to 508 bednights that we cannot provide this year if the grant is not reinstated for FY2011. I asked the board to reverse their decision and vote to reinstate the recommended grant-in-aid to Hope Alive.
Commissioners Gardner, Young, and Gray recognized the important service Hope Alive provides to the community and praised us for the significant work we've accomplished in our short 3 1/2 years since opening our doors. Monica followed my comments by sharing her devastating struggle of homelessness and said that without Hope Alive she would be dead - literally. She eloquently urged the Commissioners to vote to reinstate our grant so no other family would have to face what she was able to avoid.
You may have read in Thursday's Gazette the formal stand the Commissioners have taken against Commissioner Thompson's actions of requesting 12 nonprofit organizations to sign letters of credit for repayment of their grant awards to fund the employee's retirement trust. Hope Alive was one of those nonprofits that received Commissioner Thompson's email and letter of credit. Thankfully, Citizens Services and Commissioner Gardner confirmed that this was not sent from the board and Commissioner Thompson acted alone. No further comment here about this strange action by our esteemed public official.
The Commissioners have heard your voice - so thank you so much for your advocacy on our behalf. The final budget vote will occur next Tuesday, June 1. We are so grateful for the support and encouragement received through this process from so many wonderful county employees, elected officials and of course our wonderful Hope Alive supporters. When Monica and I left the hearing room, we felt completely at peace - leaving it in God's hands as to what the final outcome would be.
I've written a lot lately about the needs we're seeing in the community. May will be one more month that we'll see more than 30 requests for services so the increase over last year continues to rise.
Have a great holiday weekend. Until next week ...
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
I emphasized the significant increase we're seeing in requests for services with a 36% increase from January to April over the same period last year. I talked about our current financial position of operating on a bare bones budget from a 28% reduction in 2009 forcing us to reduce the number of families we can serve in 2010 until we raise more funds. I stressed our need for the County's recommended $6,678 grant-in-aid so we can continue offering core services for our community's homeless families. As I told the Commissioners and shared in last week's blog, this grant equates to 508 bednights that we cannot provide this year if the grant is not reinstated for FY2011. I asked the board to reverse their decision and vote to reinstate the recommended grant-in-aid to Hope Alive.
Commissioners Gardner, Young, and Gray recognized the important service Hope Alive provides to the community and praised us for the significant work we've accomplished in our short 3 1/2 years since opening our doors. Monica followed my comments by sharing her devastating struggle of homelessness and said that without Hope Alive she would be dead - literally. She eloquently urged the Commissioners to vote to reinstate our grant so no other family would have to face what she was able to avoid.
You may have read in Thursday's Gazette the formal stand the Commissioners have taken against Commissioner Thompson's actions of requesting 12 nonprofit organizations to sign letters of credit for repayment of their grant awards to fund the employee's retirement trust. Hope Alive was one of those nonprofits that received Commissioner Thompson's email and letter of credit. Thankfully, Citizens Services and Commissioner Gardner confirmed that this was not sent from the board and Commissioner Thompson acted alone. No further comment here about this strange action by our esteemed public official.
The Commissioners have heard your voice - so thank you so much for your advocacy on our behalf. The final budget vote will occur next Tuesday, June 1. We are so grateful for the support and encouragement received through this process from so many wonderful county employees, elected officials and of course our wonderful Hope Alive supporters. When Monica and I left the hearing room, we felt completely at peace - leaving it in God's hands as to what the final outcome would be.
I've written a lot lately about the needs we're seeing in the community. May will be one more month that we'll see more than 30 requests for services so the increase over last year continues to rise.
Have a great holiday weekend. Until next week ...
Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
