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Good ideas go rewarded 12 programs that address county problems through innovative processes and solutions earn NCACC Outstanding County Program Awards This year's class of winning programs in the NCACC's annual Outstanding County Program Awards competition present innovative solutions to problems dealing with youth development, unemployment, educating the public about county government, recycling and community garden projects, among others. Throughout April – National County Government Month – NCACC staff presented awards during winning counties' Board of Commissioners meetings. Established in 1991, the NCACC's Outstanding County Program Awards recognize innovative county programs that other counties might want to emulate. Programs involve a uniquely innovative process, solution or idea to address a county or multi-jurisdictional issue and/or to prevent a future problem from developing. Four winners were picked in each of three categories: General Government, Human Services and Public Information/Participation.
Cape Fear Youth Ambassadors Recognizing that there is a lack of services aimed at helping youths make positive decisions about their future, the Cape Fear Workforce Development Board Youth Council and the New Hanover County Blue Ribbon Commission on the Prevention of Youth Violence started a collaborative effort for young adults between the ages of 16-24. The Cape Fear Youth Ambassadors Program began in November 2009. It provides an opportunity for young men and women to contribute to youth initiatives in Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover and Pender counties. While peer pressure can often lead to bad decisions – particularly among youths – these groups realized that peer pressure in the form of positive role models can also lead to positive outcomes. Youths ages 16-24 are recruited, selected and appointed to serve as "ambassadors" by the Cape Fear Workforce Development Board and Youth Council. Some of the challenges affecting young adults in the Cape Fear region include: socioeconomic status, graduation/dropout rate and delinquent/violent behaviors. There are opportunities in education and workforce development for young adults through the Cape Fear Workforce Development Board Youth Council, local JobLink Career Centers and community colleges, but there are very few programs that empower and encourage young adults and offer leadership and community service opportunities. The Ambassadors Program will sponsor career/youth summits to provide workforce training and preparation opportunities, host community engagement events to educate youths on the prevention of youth violence, engage youths in positive youth activities to alter risky behaviors, and host community and after-school sessions to educate and expose youths to the "green" concept of recycling. The Cape Fear Youth Ambassadors Program is set apart from other programs in that it is the only program in the four-county area that addresses education, life skills, workforce development, youth development, community service, issue awareness and civic duty. Ambassadors will have the opportunity to impact change in their communities by making recommendations to their local politicians and public officials. The Cape Fear COG partnered with many local organizations to provide opportunities for their ambassadors, and the COG also solicited grant funds to help underwrite the costs of the program. For more information, contact Lashauna Parker, Workforce Development Youth Program manager for the Cape Fear COG, at (910) 395-4553, ext. 218, or lparker@capefearcog.org. The Community-Based CIP Program Like many counties, Catawba County relies on community-based, nonprofit organizations to help provide critical services to struggling families who find themselves in a crisis situation. In 2009, the county realized that three local nonprofits – the Salvation Army of Hickory, the Greater Hickory Cooperative Christian Ministry and the Eastern Catawba Cooperative Christian Ministry – had programs for citizens who find themselves in need of temporary assistance to help with heating/cooling bills.
The county Department of Social Services (DSS) received federal funds for this purpose and operated a similar program, but had no county staff dedicated to processing the intake needed for the program. The nonprofit agencies had the staff to handle the administrative part of the program but often found themselves short of funds because of their small operating budgets. County officials thought it might be best to explore ways the organizations could work together, thereby streamlining the process and, ultimately, utilizing existing administrative staff already conducting similar functions. As a result, the Community-Based Crisis Intervention Program (CIP) was born. DSS brings the money and technical expertise to the table, and the helping agencies provide manpower at multiple sites throughout the county. The three agencies first met in April 2009 and reached an agreement in May 2009. As a result, all CIP monies appropriated to Catawba County Social Services by the state are made available to the three helping agencies. The agencies have access to a state-operated, Web-based eligibility system that tracks the benefits given to individual clients who live in North Carolina. Because the system is real-time, it can prevent a family from getting CIP assistance at one agency and then attempting to get help across town at another, and it also assures that no family exceeds the annual maximum benefit of $600. DSS employees train staff from the helping agencies about CIP policy and how to use the automated system. The program provides numerous benefits to citizens and the county. It has reduced waiting lines at DSS since clients are now seen at the nonprofit locations throughout the county, meaning that citizens who are waiting for other services do not have to spend as much time in line. With access to these federal funds, nonprofits are able to utilize limited funding from donations with greater flexibility. Customers who would have been seen at multiple sites in the past are now able to be served in the one location for heating/cooling crises. This greatly reduces the duplication of service administration hours. The use of the state database means that more citizens are being served because the three nonprofits can now see which clients have already received assistance. For more information, contact Program Administrator Jo Sloan at (828) 695-5667 or jo@catawbacountync.gov. Educational Advocate Initiative Transitioning into foster care is not easy for a child. Children need stability, especially in their education, but children entering the foster care system often find themselves uprooted completely from their familiar surroundings, going to new schools, learning new routines and developing new relationships. To try to make this transition as easy as possible and to minimize the school moves, Catawba County started an Educational Advocate Initiative aimed to improve educational continuity and stability for children in foster care. The educational advocate works with each of the 44 schools in the county for all of the children in foster care. Each school assigns a staff person to work as the point of contact with the educational advocate. The educational advocate focuses on establishing communication channels and standardizing communication protocols between social services and the school systems; minimizing school moves for children in foster care; developing timely enrollment procedures; and tracking school placements and educational progress of children in foster care. One of the primary goals for the educational advocate is to assure coordination of transportation in order to minimize school moves or to facilitate school record transfers for children entering foster care. In addition to coordinating transportation, the educational advocate tracks school placements, and gathers report cards and information from school designees to track educational progress. The advocate is also responsible for assuring that free and reduced school lunch forms and enrollment packets are available to foster care workers and completed as needed. The advocate spearheaded a "Back to School Backpack" drive to ensure that each child in foster care had a backpack and necessary school supplies to start the school year and as they entered care. Finally, the advocate made contact with school systems in neighboring counties to initiate discussions about developing similar protocols or processes to track placements and progress, since a significant number of children in Catawba County's custody live in neighboring counties. For more information, contact Special Projects Coordinator Dawn Wilson at (828) 695-5702 or dawnewilson@catawbacountync.gov. Cumberland Matters In July 2009, Cumberland County launched its communications initiative "Cumberland Matters." The brand is designed to tell the county's story through various outlets. The goal is to inform citizens about county services and happenings. The title is used on three products – a weekly column in The Fayetteville Observer; a 30-minute television show (broken down into five 5-6 minute segments with segues hosted by the county's communications manager); and a three-quarter-page section appearing twice each month in a local weekly newspaper. The Fayetteville Observer column is written by staff from the county's various departments. The focus is on health, the consumer and the environment. So far, employees from the departments of Mental Health, Extension Services, Soil and Water Conservation, Public Health, Social Services, Emergency Services, and Veteran's Services have submitted columns. The newspaper publishes the columns – which have included information about H1N1 flu vaccination, the importance of a healthy diet, the statewide smoking ban, and winter storm preparedness – for free. The newspaper has a daily circulation of more than 100,000, and the columns are also posted online. The video program is produced by a local company. The video segments are shot on-site at various county venues. The 30-minute monthly show airs on cable twice weekly and also airs during the broadcast of the Board of Commissioners' meetings when the board enters closed session. It is posted on the county's Web site and YouTube, and is also shown in waiting areas of several county facilities. Up & Coming Weekly is a free weekly newspaper with a circulation of 15,000 that reaches Fort Bragg and other areas of the community. For no charge, the county is given three quarters of a page for editorial content. The communications manager submits a camera-ready design. By utilizing different media and outlets, the county can also cross-promote its communications efforts. A staff person who writes the column for The Fayetteville Observer will also appear on the weekly television show to discuss the same topic, enabling the county to reinforce its message and reach additional people who may not have access to either the newspaper or cable television. For more information, contact Sally Shutt at (910) 437-1921. Crisis Intervention Team  The Cumberland County Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is an innovative jail diversion program involving community partnerships and collaborations that has improved services, enhanced access to care and resulted in financial savings. It is a specialized law enforcement response to an individual experiencing a crisis related to a mental illness, addiction disease or developmental disability. Designed as a pre-booking jail diversion program, it seeks to prevent arrest and incarceration for misdemeanor crimes and to connect consumers to treatment resources instead. CIT began at a grassroots level in Cumberland County when citizens united to address an alarming community need, as more and more individuals with mental illnesses were being arrested and thrown into a criminal justice system not equipped to deal with their special needs. It was a problem for law enforcement as it drained valuable resources. It was a problem for the community as the inappropriate use of jails and emergency rooms created growing expenses and liability risks. It was a problem for individuals and families as incarceration caused conditions and consequences of their mental illnesses to escalate. Recognizing that action needed to be taken, the Cumberland Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) began to advocate for CIT in the community. In early 2007, the local Mental Health Consumer Family Advisory Council (CFAC) hosted a public forum to form a partnership to bring CIT to Cumberland County. In the months following the forum, representatives from more than 15 organizations worked together to make CIT a reality.  The Fayetteville-Cumberland CIT/Jail Diversion Committee was convened in March 2008. It continues to meet monthly to provide oversight of the program, review and refine the 40-hour CIT curriculum, and promote ongoing communication among community partners. The first local CIT training was held in June 2009 and was followed by sessions in October 2009 and March 2010. Continuing education credits are awarded by Fayetteville Technical Community College. Law enforcement officers who complete the comprehensive 40-hour crisis de-escalation training and pass the end-of-course evaluation are certified as CIT officers. There are 73 certified CIT officers in Cumberland County, representing the Sheriff's Office, the Fayetteville Police Department, and the VA Medical Center Police Service. The program provides highly specialized mental health training to law enforcement officers, helping them better understand and more effectively intervene with individuals with mental illness. For more information on the CIT, contact Sharon Yates at (910) 222-6108. Dependent Eligibility Audit Durham County Government has more than 2,000 employees and eligible retirees, as well as several hundred dependents of these employees, who participate in the county-funded comprehensive benefits package, which includes employee health and dental insurance, family vision coverage, and life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance. Providing these benefits requires millions of dollars in county funds each year. Durham County wanted to make sure that only eligible dependents are being covered through their program, and so implemented its first Dependent Eligibility Audit in October 2009. Each employee who covered a spouse and/or dependent(s) on one or more of the county's health, dental or vision insurance plans was mailed a letter in early October describing the audit process. Employees were given an amnesty period from Oct. 12-23 during which they could voluntarily remove an ineligible spouse or dependent from coverage without consequence. After Oct. 23, the county began a verification phase. During this time period, employees were to provide documentation to Human Resources that verified their spouse and dependents' eligibility for coverage under the plans. Copies of a marriage license, birth certificates or court orders mandating coverage comprised the required documentation. In addition, employees wishing to cover dependents ages 18-25 had to sign and notarize a declaration stating they had claimed those dependents on their most recent tax filing. E-mails, Intranet postings and letters were used to help remind employees of the Dec. 18 deadline. If the appropriate documentation was not provided by Dec. 18, the employees' spouse or dependent coverage was terminated effective Dec. 31, 2009. Employees found claiming someone ineligible for coverage as a spouse or dependent would be subject to discipline, up to and including termination of employment. The end result included the removal of more than 100 spouses and more than 100 dependents from the medical, dental or vision plans, resulting in a monthly savings to the county from claims and administrative services fees of nearly $50,000. For more information, contact Benefits Manager Diane Pearson at (919) 560-7930 or dpearson@co.durham.nc.us. Community Garden Outreach Program  In December 2008, the Guilford County Office of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, working through the Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, established a Community Garden Outreach Program. This ongoing program is designed to mentor and assist community groups in establishing and maintaining community gardens. Community gardens have gained national attention recently because they help citizens improve their health and save money, and help make Earth a greener place to live. Community gardens improve health through more exercise and better nutrition by increasing access to local, fresh and low-cost produce. As an added benefit, community gardens build bridges between neighbors and communities. The Mixed Greens Community Garden, operated by Cooperative Extension through the Master Gardener Volunteers, has been in existence for eight years and has continued to grow each year. The garden now has 90 plot holder families of diverse backgrounds and cultures. The Community Garden Outreach Program enables volunteers to help others who are beginning their own community garden efforts. In 2009, the program helped more than 25 groups establish a community garden. These groups included neighborhoods, churches, retirement centers and special populations such as LifeSpan. A Master Gardener Volunteer assists each of these gardens by serving as a mentor and educator.  Last year, Cooperative Extension also sponsored the first public "Community Gardens Tour," which showcased a variety of gardens. The Master Gardener Volunteers gave this project such high priority that they funded the direct costs connected with outreach efforts, such as printing and marketing expenses. Each of the gardens was individually funded through grants and local contributions. The various community gardens are also a benefit to the community. Approximately 8,600 pounds of food from these gardens was donated to food pantries and soup kitchens in 2009. Food produced by community gardeners was estimated at roughly 31,750 pounds. The program benefited greatly from wide community support. City of Greensboro Parks and Recreation provided land for several gardens, and the city's Waste Management division provided municipal compost to sustain the gardens. The Health Department provided "Eat Smart, Move More" grants, and the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress provided grants to several gardens through its "Building Stronger Neighborhoods" program. For more information, contact Cooperative Extension Urban Horticulture Agent Karen Neill at (336) 375-5876. Work First Community Garden Project The McDowell County Department of Social Services (DSS) began its community garden project over concern for county residents trying to make ends meet during the economic recession. The county was experiencing increased numbers of Food and Nutrition Assistance applications with high unemployment. Given the county's agricultural history, as well as a spirit of helping others in need, the idea evolved into plans for the Work First Community Garden, where anyone could help plant crops and share in the harvest. Besides growing healthy food, the project also aimed to revitalize gardening and promote healthier lifestyles through improved nutrition and physical activity. Additionally, project leaders hoped it would create opportunities for Work First Family Assistance participants – the primary labor provider – to learn marketable skills. Community response was positive. Three grants and two private donations totaling $6,500 were given to the project. Representatives from the Health Department and Cooperative Extension helped with client and staff education regarding the health aspects of gardening and food preservation. A food preservation class was conducted at the Senior Center for project participants, staff and volunteers. Through the growth of the project, DSS remained the organizer, coordinating community partners and the 17 local businesses that helped to sponsor the project. With the full support of DSS Director Phillip Hardin and County Manager Chuck Abernathy, DSS allowed staff members to "volunteer" in the garden. Other costs were absorbed within the community as area businesses donated tools and equipment for the project. Grant funds were used to purchase necessary equipment, such as a seed spreader, gloves, plants, mulch and a tiller. The project reaped numerous benefits. Work First Family Assistance participation increased. Participants were hired by area employers, due in part to the mentoring and one-on-one time with the garden coordinator/job coach. Disabled clients worked on garden projects such as row markers, signs and scarecrows. The garden yielded an impressive harvest of corn, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, red cabbage, pumpkins, watermelon, potatoes and carrots. Portions of the garden harvest were distributed to the Senior Center, which realized savings in food purchases and gained the ability to offer increased nutritional value to seniors. Some of the produce was distributed to the three community homeless shelters and two churches, one of which operates the only soup kitchen in the community. With the distressed economy, the project offered hope by emphasizing the benefits of self-sufficiency and the nutritional benefits of fresh foods. Master Gardener Volunteers had the opportunity to educate staff members. Explaining the Work First Family Assistance Program allowed agency staff to educate the community about governmental programs. For more information, contact Hardin at (828) 652-3355, ext. 117. Recycling Center Person County has taken the concept of "going green" even further. The result is a collaborative effort that works to improve the environment and provides meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Person Industries (PI) is a county department, a Community Rehabilitation Program (CRP), a small business, and a liaison between the local business community and people with disabilities. In 2008, PI leaders realized that many of the department's existing contracts were beginning to move overseas. At the same time the contracts were dwindling, a recycling advocacy group, PC Pride, was bringing attention to improving the county's existing recycling program, which consisted of one single stream drop-off station. The county did not own or sell the materials collected. PI brought forward a proposal to combine the two programs. The plan was approved and fully supported by the county commissioners in October 2008. The Person County Recycling Center (PCRC) opened June 29, 2009. The projected 2009-10 fiscal year budget for PCRC is approximately $212,385. As of March 31, PCRC had earned $75,000 with estimated inventory of baled materials bumping the total to close to $100,000. During this same period PCRC sold 633 tons of recyclables – compared to 529 tons collected at the former convenience site for the 2008-09 fiscal year. Considering growth and the pay-off of equipment within five years, the project is expected to pay for itself. The majority of the workforce is made up of people with mild to profound disabilities. These employees receive and sort all materials. Special care is taken to match an employee's strengths and interests with a specific job. The program offers drive-up service. Citizens drive their vehicles to the 50,000-square-foot facility and are met by employees, who unload the recyclables from their cars. PCRC staff also provides community outreach and in-house education to teach the public the value of recycling. After PCRC opened, staff collaborated with Person County Schools and two private garbage collection companies in the county. The school system instituted its first ever recycling program, and the private garbage collection companies started offering curbside recycling. All materials collected from both of these programs go to the PCRC. For more information, contact PI Director Wanda Rogers at (336) 599-7571, ext. 15, or wrogers@personcounty.net. Mobile Recycling Service In 2007, the Polk County Recycling Advisory Board began researching cost-effective and convenient ways to increase recycling participation. The county operated one recycling center, but it was not convenient to many areas of the county, and the costs to establish additional convenience centers to increase accessibility to more citizens were prohibitive.  Since the county could not make citizens travel to the one central location and could not afford to build additional permanent locations, the board developed a plan for a mobile recycling center. The goal was to take the recycling centers to the citizens. The plan had three goals: to avoid additional costs; to avert the public debate of "not in my backyard"; and to increase public convenience countywide. Board members believed that increased convenience would result in increased participation from citizens. This, in turn, would avert reusable waste, thus reducing tipping fee charges for citizens and private haulers, and creating feedstock and jobs for the marketing and manufacturing sector. It would also help the county comply with new landfill regulations that ban aluminum cans and plastic bottles from landfills. The county was awarded two grants that partially covered the costs of the truck, trailer, recycling containers, associated equipment and promotional materials. The county received $15,000 from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance. From local funding, the county received $11,000 from the Polk County Community Foundation. Polk County Government allocated funds for maintenance, operation and part-time wages for a recycling driver/attendant. The total budget commitment for 2009 was $43,905, which includes the grants. The resulting program, the Mobile Recycling Service (MRS), is designed to reach citizens via mobile recycling stations strategically located near their communities. To further boost participation and to address public need, Polk County collaborated with its school system in order to include elementary, middle and high schools in the mobile service schedule and athletic event schedules. Prior to launching MRS, the county completed a three-week collection experiment at Polk County Middle School using boxes placed there for the collection of paper, cardboard and drink containers. From this trial, the county estimated that at least 18,000 additional pounds of paper and 7,200 pounds of co-mingled containers would be diverted from the landfill with the placement of the trailers through MRS, saving the school system a portion of the solid waste and recycling fees that it paid prior to MRS. The first MRS pickups began in December 2009 with staffed mobile units stationed in three locations from 7 a.m. until noon. The first three weeks of collection yielded 8,540 pounds of material. In the following weeks the numbers grew as the public became aware of the drop-off locations and the school collection process began. Based on preliminary numbers, it is projected that the collection rate of the community sites, schools, senior centers and government offices will exceed 300,000 pounds of diverted material. For more information, contact Polk County Manager Ryan Whitson at (828) 894-3301, ext. 7, or rwhitson@polknc.org. Client Management A new software program developed by the Randolph County Information Technology (IT) Department and the Department of Social Services (DSS) has resulted in greater customer satisfaction, reduced stress on workers, and the creation of meaningful statistics for supervisors to evaluate their employees.
As Randolph County began to automate forms creation and storage at its DSS, it became painfully obvious that DSS receptionists needed help dealing with their paperwork as well. When clients checked in, they were signed in on paper logs by the receptionists, who also had to gather demographic information. Using a daily roster of available workers, the receptionists telephoned workers to inform them a client was waiting, keeping track of who and how many times they called. The receptionist then had to track the status of the client's visit and, if the client was present for more than one program, had to start the process all over again after the first visit ended. This cumbersome process often resulted in long wait times for some clients. Client Management has transformed how clients are managed. When a client checks in, all they have to do is give their name and date of birth to the receptionist. The rest of their demographic information is stored by the software. They are checked in to see a specific worker and/or a group of workers for one or more program areas, all through an easy-to-use graphical interface on the receptionist's computer. Caseworkers in their own offices log into the program if they are "on intake" that day and see a list of clients waiting to be seen. They click on a client's name to "take" the client, and enter the disposition of the visit when they "release" the client. With an ever-increasing number of citizens coming to the office for services, the two receptionists are able to manage an increasing number of clients, saving the county the cost of hiring another receptionist. For more information, contact Programmer Analyst Jeff Mullins at (336) 318-6321. Employment Assistance Program In response to the economic downturn that is causing financial hardships on many Wake County citizens, the public library started an Employment Assistance Program to provide training, information and support for unemployed, underemployed and financially stressed citizens. Beginning in January 2009, libraries began offering programs in four areas: career retooling, building technology skills, life management and small business assistance. Programs included "Landing the Right Job," "Interview Skills" and "Dress for Success." Citizens were taught a variety of job-related skills, including how to use software programs such as Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel, and how to write résumés. Sessions were also offered on managing stress and goal setting. The program involved the support of many partners, including JobLink, UNC-Chapel Hill and the State Library of North Carolina. The State Library created a Job Seekers Toolkit for all libraries throughout the state, and Wake County libraries in turn trained staff to use these tools. Library staff used different technologies to market the programs – Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and Web sites for The News & Observer and the library. More than 1,050 people participated in the programs, more than 800 attended one of the technology classes, and more than 200 received direct job and career assistance. The library made the program available countywide instead of locating it in one branch, allowing for more widespread responsiveness. In addition, citizens needed access to computers to update their résumés or apply for jobs. For instance, grocery clerk and stocking jobs at many grocery store chains require their applications to be submitted via the Internet, thus citizens need some basic technology skills to complete the applications. While other county agencies helped individuals with issues such as housing, shelter, employment and food, the libraries became a center for social services support and – unlike many county agencies – were open nights and weekends. County libraries made use of their internal resources such as meeting rooms, computer labs, computer equipment and staff. For example, the computer lab at the Cameron Village Library was idle 50 percent of the time. With this program, more technology classes were scheduled, and the Job and Career Assistance Lab in that room filled many hours. Several librarians were trained on résumé writing and career resources and contributed to training efforts. Perhaps the most important strategy was to utilize the community. Library staff found many people who were willing to help and volunteer their time to teach résumé writing, career coaching, interviewing and other skills needed. For more information, contact Public Libraries Reference and Information Services Supervisor Susan Wolf Neilson at (919) 856-6718. |
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