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NACHSA Conference Olmsted County Community Services Taking Action on Disparities Project

2. We Are

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NACHSA Conference Olmsted County Community Services Taking Action on Disparities Project

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    1. 1 NACHSA Conference Olmsted County Community Services “Taking Action on Disparities Project” December 4, 2006

    2. 2 We Are… John Edmonds, Senior Social Worker Olmsted County Child and Family Services 2116 Campus Drive SE Rochester, MN. 55901 Phone: 507-529-4892 E-mail: edmonds.john@co.olmsted.mn.us Linda Billman, Supervisor Olmsted County Child and Family Services 2116 Campus Drive SE Rochester, MN. 55901 Phone: 507-285-8510 E-Mail: billman.linda@co.olmsted.mn.us Joyce Skjeie, Supervisor Olmsted County Financial Services 300 11th Ave NW Rochester, MN. 55901 Phone: 507-285-8387 E-Mail: Skjeie.Joyce@ co.olmsted.mn.us

    3. 3 Our Partners County Social & Financial Services Project H.O.P.E. Family Services Rochester Express Personnel Services Workforce Development, Inc. Rochester School District IS 535

    4. 4 Rochester, MN Who are We?

    5. 5 This?

    6. 6 Or this?

    7. 7 Or, perhaps all of the above!

    8. 8 Defining the Community - Who We Are Minnesota: 5.1 Million State Supervised - County Administered 87 counties 11 tribes Child Welfare Reform Olmsted County 135,000 Urban/Rural 86% Caucasian Regional Hub Rapid Growth

    9. 9 Defining the Community - Who We Are As of the last census, Rochester is the State’s 3rd largest city @ 90,000 Black or African Americans represent 2.7% of the County population and 3.6% of the population of Rochester

    10. 10 Defining the Community - Who We Are Median family income is $61,000 for the City of Rochester. Mayo and IBM are by far the major employers in Rochester. Black or African American students make up 8.5% of the school population. 28% of the population didn’t live here in 1995.

    11. 11 Disparities Project- Background Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) Self-support Index (2004) shows discrepancy in success of African-American participants to gain economic stability. Overall Self-support Index = 77.5% Somali/East African 79.9 White 78.7 Hispanic 77.5 African-American 64.5 African-American children are over represented in the child welfare system. A disproportionate number of children are reported because of community concerns about child safety, stability and well-being. DHS facilitates an African American Disparities Work Group seeking constructive practices to support children and families. An Otto Bremer Foundation Grant (2005) funds sixteen county initiatives to reduce discrepancies among racial/ethnic or immigrant populations.

    12. 12 Olmsted County Community Services Department · Family Support & Assistance Division Total MFIP Caseload Profile- Ethnicity Updated 12-2005

    13. 13 Olmsted County Community Services Department · Family Support & Assistance Division Family Profile- Household Type Updated 3-2006

    14. 14 Olmsted County Disparities 8% of our African-American MFIP families are out of compliance with their Self-sufficiency/Employment Plan and are in sanction (reduced benefits), compared to 6.3% overall. 39% of our MFIP families whose cases are closed at the 60-month lifetime limit with no basis for an extension are African American (not working, not disabled). Besides the disparity on the Self-support Index, other disparities exist or are of concern when assessing successful outcomes for African-American families.

    15. 15 Disparities Approximately 21% of the children in care in Olmsted County are children of color As a percentage of the population African American children are 5 times more likely to be in out-of-home care African American families are more likely to be reported for neglect (80% vs 71%) Youth of color are up to 5 times more likely to become pregnant than white youth.

    16. 16 Disparities… 1 in 4 African-Americans are living below the poverty line Rates of home ownership are 77% for whites and 32% for African-Americans Disparities in health care access and health care outcomes

    17. 17 Disparities… Incarceration rates We have 2 achievement gaps in the schools, the gap between non-native and majority students and native-born African-Americans and the majority. The graduation rate for white students is 92% and for African-Americans is 73% Youth of color are up to 5 times more likely to become pregnant than white youth.

    18. 18 It matters… From a social justice perspective Because of the social and economic costs to the families we serve and the community as a whole. Because the service delivery system is confounded by an increasing demand from a population with which there is little familiarity

    19. 19 Key Realizations African-Americans experience disparity in many different ways and different settings. Concentrating on one aspect misses the larger implications of the intersection of poverty, class and racism and their impact on the social, economic, environmental and psychological lives of the families we serve. It’s critical to see disparities in a broader context than only out of home placement rates or MFIP success. Our strategies need to be equally broad based and contextual.

    20. 20 Key Realizations… The demographics of Rochester have changed dramatically in the last 20 years. There have been waves of immigrants settling in town beginning with Southeast Asians in the late 70’s and 80’s to sub-Saharan Africans, primarily from Somalia and to a lesser extent the Sudan, to Bosnians and Croatians in the 90’s. Census data doesn’t track African-Americans separately. The category of “Race” combines Africans and African-Americans into one category, making it impossible to decipher who might have been born here and who has arrived from another country. This has implications for both policy and practice. Less obvious has been the arrival of what I characterize as “Invisible Immigrants”. They are African-Americans arriving here from urban centers in other states, Chicago, Milwaukee, Gary.

    21. 21 Invisible Immigrants There is an acknowledgement of the obstacles newcomers from other lands confront when they come here. We make the presumption that anyone born in this country should be capable of assimilating into our community. We fail to recognize that the world and culture from which many African-Americans came is as dramatically different from Rochester, MN as any foreign country.

    22. 22 Invisible Immigrants Many are fleeing from crime, poverty and substandard housing in the large urban centers. There is a qualitative difference between “fleeing from” and “moving to” in the approach to a major life change and successful maintenance of the change. The prime motivation for coming here is safety and a better life. They arrive with few skills and fewer prospects.

    23. 23 Challenges In many important ways, the newly arrived African-Americans’ struggles mirror those of foreign arrivals. E.g. Understanding, accessing and negotiating different systems like schools, human services, transportation. Finding jobs, housing Adjusting to the climate Learning the language and the general customs of the City and the region. Suddenly finding oneself part of the minority when one has been used to being in the majority.

    24. 24 Whether this invisibility springs from ignorance, inattentiveness, some benign concern or a more conscious attempt to disenfranchise, the impact is the same, what I call the “D’s of our Demography”.

    25. 25 “D’s of our Demography” Distrust – Distrust of the majority population, and formal organizations in the community, especially Government agencies and an expectation of negative treatment based on prior experiences. Disorientation – Bringing a worldview, a set of norms and values shaped by the experiences of inner city America to middle class Rochester where the clash of cultures is inevitable. Dislocation – Many new arrivals are fleeing crime and violence and see Rochester as a safe community in which to raise children. There is no planning for this move other than a dream of a better life.

    26. 26 Discomfort – Many feel the services and personnel are not culturally relevant/sensitive. Disengagement – The majority of immigrants are caught at the intersection of poverty and race and consequently are not part of the economic mainstream. As a consequence of all of the above, the new immigrant doesn’t connect well with services, if at all. A perception arises that they are hostile or unmotivated.

    27. 27 What strategies need to be developed to respond? The strategies need to be broad based. So far we have moved in 4 substantive areas: Funding, Policy Making, Programming , and Collaboration We are going to focus on the latter 2, Programming and Collaboration

    28. 28 Olmsted County Community Initiative for African-American Families The County has an established record of working effectively with families in transition It is actively applying lessons learned from previous experiences to enhance welfare-to-work transitions for African-American families. The County put together a team of agencies and workers to support families with multiple challenges in making the transition. The County is utilizing a strong up-front assessment process and quick attachment of participants to available supports and jobs.

    29. 29 Olmsted County Community Initiative for African-American Families The cornerstone of the County’s efforts is the African-American Express Project

    30. 30 African-American Express Project The Express Project focuses on job readiness, placement, and job stability for African-American families receiving cash public assistance (Minnesota Family Investment Program). It is a partnership between MFIP and Express Personnel Services for employment and job placement, and with Project H.O.P.E. for social services support.

    31. 31 EXPRESS Project – Overview 116 MFIP/DWP families identified as potential participants with Express. Currently 96 people are enrolled in the project. 20 people have Universal plans (SSI pending, unable to work) 47 participants (40%) are currently working the required 30-hours per week for compliance with MFIP rules. Social Worker support continues for families with child welfare or other family stability issues.

    32. 32 County/Community Initiatives with African-American Families Project H.O.P.E. Project H.O.P.E. (Hope, Opportunity, Pride, and Empowerment) is a collaboration of Olmsted County Community Services Department, Child & Family Division, and Family Services of Rochester (FSR) and a partnership effort with the Rochester Public Schools.

    33. 33 Project H.O.P.E. – Overview Hope, Opportunity, Pride & Empowerment Project H.O.P.E. is a program for parents and their children designed to empower families in the community. The project’s focus is on engaging families in partnership to build safety and well-being for children through advocacy, education and support, and by providing an entry point to needed services. There is also recognition that a successful partnership requires all the parties share in the responsibility to make it work. Therefore, the goal of safety and well-being for families and children involves working to ensure efficient and effective collaborative relationships between agencies and organizations.

    34. 34 Project H.O.P.E. – Overview Hope, Opportunity, Pride & Empowerment Project HOPE has partnered with the welfare-to-work program to provide a monthly short term class, “Giving You Keys to a Brighter Future” for African-American MFIP families. The curriculum incorporates two trainings: “Enhancing Nurturing Parenting skills in African American Families” (Lessie Artis, D.S.W. and Deborah R. Moody) and “Getting Ahead in a Just-Getting-By World" (Philip E. DeVol). The class is a psycho-educational experience affording participants an opportunity to have an honest discussion about; The realities of oppression and racism; internalized oppression; The barriers to realizing a vision for oneself and one’s family’s future; Strategies for overcoming these barriers; And making and maintaining positive changes. More importantly, participants make a decision as to whether they are ready, willing and able to strive to make their vision a reality.

    35. 35 Project H.O.P.E. – Overview Hope, Opportunity, Pride & Empowerment Classes are held at the Hawthorne Adult Basic Education Center so participants can benefit from GED and other adult skills assessment and leaning opportunities. Project HOPE also provides social work support and other child welfare/family stability services.

    36. 36 Project H.O.P.E. – Results Hope, Opportunity, Pride & Empowerment Project H.O.P.E has held 9 “Giving You Keys to a Brighter Future” classes. As of Nov 2006, 32 people have gone through the class. Many participants have significant barriers to overcome E.g. lack of education, past criminal, substance abuse, and domestic violence histories. Despite this there have been some notable successes. 19 people who have gone through the classes are currently employed. (59%) 18 are off MFIP, 14 are still on MFIP Of those still on MFIP, 6 are still working.

    37. 37 Project H.O.P.E. – Results Hope, Opportunity, Pride & Empowerment Participants have been positive about the content of classes. Participants have commented on the fact that they like having staff from Hawthorne Adult Education Center come into the class and talk to them about getting GED’s and other programs available at the center. Participants also appreciate that Express Personnel Services stops into the class and sets interviews up for them once the class ends.

    38. 38 Project H.O.P.E. – Results Hope, Opportunity, Pride & Empowerment Self-Support Index As mentioned earlier, the SSI for African-American Families was 64.5% in 2004 In March of 2006 the SSI had risen to 72.7% We believe this can be attributed to increased attention and targeted interventions such as the Express Project and the Project HOPE classes. We anticipate a continued narrowing of the gap between the African-American families and the majority.

    39. 39 Conclusion Disproportionality needs to be addressed on micro, mezzo and macro levels simultaneously. Individual workers need to be informed of the issues and challenges facing African Americans. (The 5 “D”s) They need to be given the tools, (knowledge and support) to effectively respond to those challenges. Agencies need to examine their policies and practices to eliminate potential barriers to engagement with families of color. Systems need to make a concerted effort to partner and collaborate to avoid duplication. All of us need to discover new, creative ways to address the issue of disparity.

    40. 40 Where Do We Go From Here? How have other systems approached the issue of disparity? Are there opportunities for new collaborations? Are there other stakeholders? Can we think out of the box?

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