DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY

AND SUPPORT SERVICES

All Staff MeetingMarch 25, 2009

DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY

AND SUPPORT SERVICES

Who We AreWho We Are

Established January 1, 2009 as a result of the consolidation of the:• Department of Children and Youth• Department of Human Services• Department of Senior Services• The Mayor’s Office on Domestic Violence• A portion of the Mayor’s Office on Workforce

Development • The Plan to End Homelessness Division of the

Department of Housing

DFSS MissionDFSS Mission

The Chicago Department of Family and Support Services is dedicated to supporting a continuum of coordinated services to enhance the lives of Chicago residents, particularly those most in need, from birth through the senior years. The Department works to promote the independence and well-being of individuals, support families and strengthen neighborhoods by providing direct assistance and administering resources to a network of community-based organizations, social service providers and institutions.

DFSS By the NumbersDFSS By the Numbers

• 1,000 program delivery sites

• 907 employees; 865 current staff and 42 vacancies

• 457 Contracts

• 350 Delegate Agencies

• Six Regional Senior Centers and 12 Satellite Senior Centers

• Six Human Service Centers

DFSS BudgetDFSS Budget

Total DFSS Departmental Budget is $332,285,890:

Why Consolidate?Why Consolidate?

Human Services

Workforce Development

Children And

Youth

Plan to End Homelessness

Domestic Violence Services Senior

Services

VulnerableResidents

DFSS VisionDFSS Vision

• Chicago's most vulnerable people gain self-sufficiency, living healthy, satisfying, productive lives.

• Civic engagement fosters neighborhoods where residents are interdependent and children flourish.

• Episodic needs for supportive services are met promptly with respect in a human service system that is readily understood, easy to navigate, and connected to other community services.

DFSS GoalsDFSS Goals

• Ensure that children enrolled in early childhood and school-aged programs are ready for school.

• Ensure that youth enroll and sustain participation into quality, developmentally appropriate programs and jobs that support their readiness for post-secondary education and the workforce.

• Ensure that high quality human services are delivered courteously, effectively, and efficiently, whether directly from DFSS or through delegate agencies.

DFSS Goals, ContinuedDFSS Goals, Continued

• Ensure that people fifty-five and over have ready access and the supports to navigate services and activities that maintain independence and healthy aging.

• Combine efforts of Department administrative services to improve efficiencies, support quality improvement efforts, and avoid redundancy.

• Develop and advocate for effective and comprehensive policies that enhance the well-being of Chicago’s residents, communities and service providers.

DFSS Goals, ContinuedDFSS Goals, Continued

• Expand intra-departmental and community partnerships, increasing connections, cooperative agreements, coordination, collaboration, and communication.

• Use data to make decisions and evaluate systems, programs, and processes.

DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY

AND SUPPORT SERVICES

CSD (Children Services Division) provides oversight, technical assistance, and administrative support to its network of delegate/partner agencies and child care partners. These agencies provide early care and educational services and school age programming to more than 20,000 children from birth to age twelve. The division is responsible for administering the Early Head Start, Head Start, and Child Care grants for the City of Chicago. CSD also administers the USDA Summer Nutrition Program and other ancillary programs and initiatives.

CSD uses an administrative organizational design based on the Head Start systems and services model: Systems has primary responsibility of those areas traditionally identified with organizational infrastructure including Program Design and Management, and Services has the primary responsibility of Program Content Areas. These interlocking teams support and monitor the City’s Children related programs.

CSD has adapted a Continuous Improvement Cycle system that moves through operational and administrative levels including but not limited to families, personnel, environments, children collectively and as individuals, service delivery systems, partnerships, communities, management and oversight.

Children Services DivisionChildren Services Division

CSD ProgramsCSD Programs

Head Start CYS is funded for 16,518 children from ages 3-5.

Early Head Start (and Pregnant/Parenting Teens) CYS is funded for 623 children from ages 0-3 as well

as pregnant mothers.

Child Care CYS provides child care for children ages 0-12 through a network of community-based delegate and partner agencies and licensed homes.

Summer Nutrition ProgramCYS administers and coordinates the Summer Nutrition Program for Chicago, which provides free breakfasts, lunches and snacks to the city’s children and youth, ages 18 and younger.

• After-school Programs (OST)

• Mentoring• Counseling• Training and

Development

CDBG Funded Programs for Ages 6-18CDBG Funded Programs for Ages 6-18

Youth Workforce DevelopmentYouth Workforce Development

Workforce Investment Act-Youth (WIA):• Programs are funded as either In-School or Out-of-School.• Low-income Youth ages 16-21 who face at least one barrier to

employment such as basic skills deficiency, high school dropout, living in foster care, probation or parolee, limited English.

Youth Ready Chicago:• Provides workforce development and job training to Chicago’s

youngest residents ages 14 to 21.• Various partner agencies and City departments work together to

offer youth a variety of summer employment opportunities.

The Chicago Out-of-School Time ProjectThe Chicago Out-of-School Time Project

The Chicago OST Project was created to build a citywide support system for Chicago's after-school programming

Key Areas of Work

1. Information

2. Quality – The Chicago Program Improvement Pilot

3. Partnership

4. Sustainability

MissionProvide intervention and prevention services to help youth become successful members of society, while reducing both the levels and seriousness of juvenile crime and juvenile recidivism.

Goals• Prevent youth from entering the juvenile justice system

by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of juvenile offender processing.

• Implement and expand the involvement of schools, healthcare and other key social service partners in addressing the problems of juvenile crime.

Juvenile Intervention Support CenterJuvenile Intervention Support Center

How the JISC WorksHow the JISC Works

Intake

Detective Processing

Dispositions

Releasewithout

Charging

StationAdjustments

Formal or Informal

Referto

Court

Detain

Release to Parent/Guardian

CASE MANAGEMENT

Community Service CentersCommunity Service Centers

DFSS operates six Community Service Centers located across the City of Chicago to meet the needs of people in poverty. The primary aim of the Centers is to support household stability.

Services include: Emergency Food Provisions, Emergency Rental Assistance, Employment Programs, Crisis Counseling, Utility Assistance, Permanent and Short Term Housing Assistance and Case Work and Case Management Services:

DFSS Community Service Centers are:Englewood * Garfield * King * North Area * South Chicago * Trina Davila

Veterans Resource OfficeVeterans Resource Office

• The Veterans Resource Office is located at the Garfield Community Service Center (10 S. Kedzie).

• The City’s Veterans Resource Office helps U.S. Veterans and family members navigate the maze of government benefits and civilian resources.

• The one-stop clearing house provides current information on programs and services available at all levels of government and community organizations.

• The office can help veterans access earned benefits and connect with important resources for housing, employment, education, health care, daily living and more.

• The staff at the VRO also work with groups interested in providing services for veterans and attempts to build capacity to prepare for the return of veterans from active duty.

Domestic Violence ServicesDomestic Violence Services

Supervised Child Visitation and Safe Exchange ProgramProvides a safe, clean, child friendly setting in which trained staff supervise court arranged visits between the non-custodial parent and child

Service to Victims of Domestic Violence ProgramIdentify victims of domestic violence who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and provide a comprehensive scope of services that will enable them to transition to a stable independent lifestyle.

Family Violence Initiative ProgramAgencies operating community-based programs provide assistance and advocacy to persons who are victims of, or threatened with, domestic violence or abuse (physical, sexual, or emotional) by their intimate partner.

Workforce and Re-Entry ServicesWorkforce and Re-Entry Services

Workforce Services• Innovative Programs for Underserved Populations

• Customized Training and Placement Services

• Employment Programs for Survivors of Domestic Violence

Programs for Re-Entry Population• Community Re-entry Support Centers

• Customized Job Training Program

• Customized Work-Service program

• Social Enterprise Venture

• Transitional Jobs Program

• Special Initiatives:

– Mosquito Abatement Project, Chicago Transit Authority

Emergency Services DivisionEmergency Services Division

The Emergency Services Division provides 24/7 street outreach to homeless and at-risk citizens. The primary responsibility of the division is to provide a crisis response to those in immediate need of food, shelter, or other non-life threatening critical care.

Emergency Services Unit• Shelter Placement• Well Being Checks• Emergency Food Delivery• Housing Displacement Support

Homeless Outreach & Prevention Unit• Targeted Street Outreach• Homeless Service Fairs• Evictions / Vacate Orders• Special Missions• Mobil Services Unit

Homeless ServicesHomeless Services

The Homeless Services Division (HSD) works in partnership with government and community organizations in an effort to address the needs of those in crisis; targeting persons facing or experiencing homelessness . The Division works to support, fund and strengthen efforts in the following primary areas:

• Strategic planning• Support for shelter and social service providers• Grant activities• Shelter Plus Care Program• Rental Housing Support Program• Shelter Rental Assistance Program• Supportive Housing Programs• Chronic homeless initiatives• Special projects

Senior ServicesSenior Services

• 6 Regional Centers– Seniors participated 224,427 times in 2008

• 12 Satellite Centers– Seniors participate 131,943 times in 2008

• 70 Golden Diners– 165,000 participants and 756,762 meals

• Information and Assistance– 92,899 calls answered in 2008 (85% rate)

• Benefits Eligibility Check-up– 11,290 check-ups performed in 2008– 37,868 different benefits applied for as a result– Has provided Chicago seniors with $500 million in benefits they

would not have otherwise accessed

Senior ServicesSenior Services

• Case Management/Comprehensive Assessment– 34,527 active clients

• Home Delivered Meals– 4.1 million meals delivered to 13,267 clients in 2008

• Community Care Program– Homemaker, Adult Day Care, Emergency Response System, Flexible Spending

• Respite– 1,023 familial caregivers received 16,156 hours of care in 2008

• Grandparents Raising Grandchildren– 1,504 grandparents and their 3,387 grandchildren received assistance in 2008.

Senior ServicesSenior Services

• Senior Employment– 99 participants in 2008– 10% transitioned into unsubsidized employment– 168 senior volunteers in the foster grandparent and senior companion

program• Crisis Team

– Responded to 966 at-risk elderly requests in 2008• Elder Abuse & Neglect

– Responded to 2,178 reports in 2008 (20% of all reports received in the state)• Ombudsman Program

– 6,097 site visits made to 129 long-term care facilities in Chicago during 2008

AdministrationAdministration

Statement of Purpose

To support the Department of Family and Support Services through an

integrated business services model that facilitates efficient program service

delivery to residents of Chicago

Business ServicesBusiness Services

• Accounts Payable

• Budgeting

• Contract Management

• Information Systems

• Operations (Facilities, Fleet etc)

• Personnel

• Revenue (Grants, Donations etc)

Business Service Delivery CommitmentBusiness Service Delivery Commitment

• Clarity

• Consistency

• Quality

• Integrated Service Delivery

• Nimble and Agile

ClarityClarity

• Reviewing key administrative functions• Developing shared language and glossary

– Examples: “monitoring”, “admin cap”• Convening Administrative Integration Team• Gathering key data, e.g., fiscal reports, grants

Grants Report

ConsistencyConsistency

• Personnel– Reviewing existing policies and procedures– Scheduling planning meetings for staff evaluations

• Contracting– TA Session– Roundtables

• Forms– Internal (petty cash, travel etc)– External (delegate agency vouchers, IT inventory etc.)

• Communications Support– Points of Contact – Website– Standards for Meetings & Presentations

QualityQuality

• Reviewing Existing Performance Measures

• Establishing New Metrics for Key Functions

• Defining Duties & Setting High Expectations for Staff

• Developing Mechanisms for Feedback (Internal & External Customers)

Integrated Service DeliveryIntegrated Service Delivery

• IT Integration & Training– Webinars and Other Business Tools– Employee Standards

• Coordinated Fiscal Oversight– Budgets, Vouchering, Monitoring etc.

• Logistics– Examples: transportation to and from City

Hall, photocopying and printing

Nimble and AgileNimble and Agile

• Cross-Training for Critical Functions

• Basic Grant Regulations Training

• Reliable IT Systems

• Real Time Communication Capabilities• Blackberry usage standards• E-mail standards• Calendaring

FunctionsFunctions

Business Life CycleBusiness Life Cycle

Funding

Personnel

Non –Personnel

Delegates/Direct Service

Evaluation

January 1, 2009January 1, 2009

• Website• Universal Forms• Grants Application and Reporting Schedule• Contracting Roundtable Schedule• Master Contracts• Single Point of Contact for city admin

departments• Single Point of Contact for funders• Performance Measures• Employee Performance Evaluations

DelegatesDelegates

• 350 delegate agencies • 1,000 program delivery sites• Delegates with 01/01/08 start dates:

– 225 CDBG – 52 Homeless– 20 Corporate

• 38 Agencies with combined contracts– Chinese American Service League, Heartland

Human Care, Polish American, and Rogers Park Community Council funded by CYS, DHS and Senior Services

Direct ServiceDirect Service

6 Regional Senior Centers and 12 satellite centers • information and assistance• congregate dining• benefit eligibility check program• life enrichment programming• fitness/health/wellness programs• art and activity programs

6 Human Service Centers • case management• case work• rental assistance• emergency food assistance• domestic violence assistance• veterans assistance• employment assistance take place

311/CSR• Hotlines Domestic Violence• Homeless Prevention Call Center• Central Info and Assessment• Mobile Unit• HOP Team• Emergency Service• Case Management/Case Work• Aging Crisis Teams

Evaluation MethodsEvaluation Methods

• Fiscal Monitoring• A-133 (Single Audit)• Community Assessment• Bi-Annual Homeless Count• Plan To End Homelessness• Area Plan on Aging• Funder audits and monitoring • Self Assessment

Business Services VisionBusiness Services Vision

Policy &Advocacy

Youth Services

Senior Services

JISC

Plan to End Homelessness

Children’s ServicesHuman

Services Delivery

ExecutiveOffice

ADMIN SERVICES

MonitoringMonitoring

• Evaluating a model that would maximize efficiencies for program quality and compliance with funder requirements

• Risk Assessment• Value added service to

Delegate Agency Corporate structure.

Staff TrainingStaff Training

• Establish Core Competencies for Staff• Assessment of Immediate Staff Training

needs • Inventory of Existing Professional

Development Opportunities (i.e., regularly attended conferences)

• Development of Core Staff Training Modules– New employee orientation– Office technologies and IT systems– Overview of personnel policies and procedures– Program overviews (i.e., Introduction to Head Start, Youth Programs,

Homeless Programs, Senior Services, etc.)

Office of Policy and AdvocacyOffice of Policy and Advocacy

The Office of Policy and Advocacy includes Intergovernmental Affairs and the Division of Domestic Violence (former MODV), as well as policy analysts specializing in:

• Early childhood education and care;

• Out-of-school time and youth workforce development;

• Homelessness and housing;

• Seniors and aging;

• Human and emergency services;

• City, state and federal budgets;

• Health, mental health, and obesity;

• Food and nutrition;

• Juvenile justice and community violence; and

• Poverty and benefit programs.

Office of Policy and AdvocacyOffice of Policy and Advocacy

The goal of the Office of Policy and Advocacy is to develop and advocate forcefully for effective and comprehensive policies that enhance the well-being of Chicago’s residents, communities and service providers. In order to advance this goal, the Office of Policy and Advocacy:

• Develops strategic state and federal agendas that promote key priorities.

• Advocates for these policy priorities in collaboration with other City departments, service providers, advocates, and residents.

• Develops data and reports that identify community needs and track the well-being of Chicago residents.

• Coordinates program evaluations and assessments to determine whether they are achieving intended results.

• Participates on advisory councils, commissions, task forces that influence social service programming and policy.

• Liaises with elected officials to advocate for funding and needed program regulations.

DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY

AND SUPPORT SERVICES

Provider Survey on the RecessionProvider Survey on the Recession

In planning for the economic stimulus funds that are coming to FSS, we wanted to reach out to our community-based partners to get their perceptions on the greatest challenges their organizations and communities are facing as a result of the economic downturn.• Distributed the survey to hundreds of CBOs providing early

childhood, after-school, senior, homeless, domestic violence, housing, emergency service, workforce development, and veterans programs.

• Received 155 responses between February 10th and February 20th.

• Respondents were asked to describe which social challenges were increasing in their community, what challenges they faced as an agency, and to provide innovative ideas to respond to these challenges.

Results of the SurveyResults of the Survey

Providers were asked to rank the rate of increase for 20 indicators, from 0 (no increase) to 3 (significant increase). In general, nearly every negative indicator was perceived to be increasing in prevalence across the City, communities, and service populations. Some indicators, however, were perceived to be increasing in prevalence more than others:• Families in financial crisis (67.1% chose “significant increase”);• Requests for services (66.7%);• Unemployment (63.7%);• Requests for rental assistance (53.7%);• Requests for food assistance (47.9%);• Evictions or foreclosures (47.1%); and• Requests for public benefits (41.5%).

Results of the SurveyResults of the Survey

Over 90% of respondents indicated that they agreed with the statement “My agency has been adversely affected by the economic downturn.” When asked to identify their three greatest challenges, the most widely selected included:

• Government funding (23.9% of all responses)

• Private/Philanthropic funding (23%)

• Capacity to meet service demands (16%)

• Acquiring capital for infrastructure upgrades/development (14.2%)

Next Steps for Survey ResultsNext Steps for Survey Results

The Office of Policy and Advocacy is conducting an analysis of all of the survey results and will be providing a summary report to all of our community-based partners as well as other stakeholders and community leaders. Included in the report will be:

• An analysis of the quantitative findings, including those just covered and

• A review of innovative program or policy ideas provided by respondents with follow-up actions and responses from FSS.

Following this initial exchange, the Office of Policy and Advocacy plans to revisit the survey design and update it, reaching out periodically to our community partners to take their impressions of the challenges they are facing and solicit their ideas for meeting these challenges.

Stimulus OverviewStimulus Overview

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is intended to provide a stimulus to the US economy in the wake of the economic downturn. The Act includes federal tax cuts, expansion of unemployment benefits, and other social welfare provisions, and domestic spending in education, healthcare and infrastructure.

Stimulus FundingStimulus Funding

• Formula Funding: Funding automatically allocated from the federal government to states, and then in most cases to cities based on population and other factors.

• Competitive Funding: Funding awarded to high-quality grant proposals through an open competition among eligible organizations.

Children ServicesChildren Services

• Estimated $15 million to expand early childhood education opportunities to low-income families through Head Start

• $10 million to create Head Start modular classrooms in underserved communities

• $27 million to provide childcare services to families experiencing unstable employment

Youth ServicesYouth Services

• Estimated $17 million to provide 7,000 youth with summer employment opportunities

Homelessness PreventionHomelessness Prevention

• Estimated $34 million will provide households with assistance with rent, utilities and security deposits

• $1.5 million to support homeless outreach, benefits enrollment and case management for 1,000 households

Homeless ServicesHomeless Services

• Estimated $10 million will support an additional 9,500 households by providing housing placement, stabilization and retention services

• $2 million to engage the chronically homeless and connect them with housing and wrap around services

• $2 million to support Community-Based Case Management for homeless persons and work to stabilize the lives of homeless and move them toward permanent housing

• $7 million to support substance abuse and mental health services for an estimated 1,000 homeless

Workforce DevelopmentWorkforce Development

• Estimated $1 million to support a Workforce Center Pilot Program

• $600,000 to provide workforce services to 100 veterans

• $1 million to support workforce services for individuals typically difficult to place in jobs such as ex-offenders and homeless

• $1.1 million for job training, placement and retention for more than 300 homeless

• $800,000 to provide workforce services together with wrap around services at DFSS Community Service Centers

Senior ServicesSenior Services

• Estimated $500,000 to support an expansion of the Golden Diners program

• $900,000 to support an expansion of the Meals on Wheels program for 7,000 individuals

• $220,000 to provide job training to seniors

DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY

AND SUPPORT SERVICES