That's a little better. Okay. I think the reason why the jobs don't last long, there are some jobs depending on -- some jobs do last. And the retention statistics are a problem. And one of the reasons why the retention is a problem is due to the literacy gap. There are many clients that can get an entry-level position. An employer may just look at the application, bring them in and do some basic training. But there's a lot that needs to be done in addition to that. I think they really need to have some basic education, some time spent in a training program so that they can learn some basic skills in addition to literacy, some stick-to-it-ive-ness, things that people learn every day, getting up in the morning and going to 761 work, those types of things. Those are some problems that occur with the retention rates. So I think that's important. And the support services that need to be provided. Sometimes the case managers should be following up and mentoring programs need to be set up with the employers. I think there's a lot more that the employers could do to increase the retention rates. Initially, when the proposals came out, the job placement agencies were given a certain amount of money for a placement for one day. In reverse commuting, that's not a good statistic. A lot of the proposals that come out now go into the retention rates for one year, so the job placement or the job developers are looking a little more closely at how they place their clients and not how quickly they place their clients. So I think the way the proposals have changed and the issues of retention and support services are going to change the fact that a lot of the clients don't keep their jobs.
I would merely add to, that right now, a big source of the kind of 762 suburban jobs that City residents can get are retail. That's one of the few -- The Inquirer had a piece on Chester County and how many great jobs were opening up there. We called all those employers and asked, Would you hire anybody who didn't have a GED? And there were only two employers that would do that: Circuit City and a restaurant. Everyone else said they wanted a GED or more. So the retail jobs -- like the King of Prussia Mall might have a spate of retail jobs during Christmas season, then they lay everybody off. But the biggest growth out there are these business service jobs, the temp agencies themselves growing, and those could provide long-term employment, but not for people without skills. That's why we're coming at you with both and coming at the State with both. Literacy and reverse commuting, they have to be done together.
One other comment, Mr. President. We welcome you to joining forces with a 763 few members of City Council who have opposed the very small reductions, not because we think they should be bigger but because we think that the money could be used for far more productive purposes. So we welcome you to that battle, and we wish you a success.
Well, thank you. And let me say, Councilman, that I have followed your remarks in the press about this and whatever. And I guess, you know, the discipline I'm trying to hold to in making this fight is to justify what we're doing on grounds of the economic development of the City, and I think I have some track record on that, and I'll match mine with anybody here or in the Mayor's office. I've spent a lot of time looking at this. And I really do believe that spending this little money is having a negligible effect on job growth in the City. And if you took the same amount of money and invested it in increasing the educational level of the work force, that would have a greater economic impact than the rest of what they're doing. And now it becomes a matter 764 of necessity. So I'm giving you a spending option here that I would match against what the Administration's talking about in terms of its economic value, and I'd be prepared to debate anybody in the Administration on this point. So far, I've heard them speak, and they haven't persuaded me.
Thank you very much. I just have a couple questions. I started working for the Philadelphia Opportunities Industrialization Center, as some of you know, in 1968. It's been 30 years. From 1968 to 1972, I spent all of my waking hours doing two things: literacy and job training. That's all I did. I came to understand the very difficult problems that people had working in a program at Broad and Girard where the people came there because they had no hope and they had no training. And then most of them had no skills at all, whatsoever. I mean, these were the people 765 who had the least ability to perform in almost every way. They didn't have -- they had attitude and background and experience problems. Some of them had never worked ever, had never been required to get up every day at a certain time and go to a certain location and report. I mean, these were people who would come to class or come to this training late and say, Well, I overslept. I said, Well, why didn't you set an alarm clock? Well, we don't have a clock. And I believe I understand, and I have a couple of tough questions.
I mean, I need to know what makes you that think if people get GEDs that that's going to help them get jobs? When I was at OIC, I supervised a network of GED programs, and people came and they got GEDs, and they still couldn't get jobs.
So I want you to -- you need, for me, to show a much closer and a much 766 more direct nexus between getting a GED certificate and getting a job because I sent people to take the GED. I sent Vista volunteers to take the GED test so that we'd have an idea of what was on the test so that we would be able to know how to train people, because none of us were doing it because we all had our high school diplomas, and we all had -- most of us had college degrees. And people came in and they got their GEDs and they went out and they still didn't have -- they absolutely still didn't have the skills necessary to get the jobs that were out there. They were better people in the sense that they now had more information at their disposal, but I don't see a direct relationship between getting a GED and getting a job.
Well, let me say what persuaded me because I came at it with the same skepticism. First, the census data. The census data nationally does shows, and it shows consistently --
I need you to try give me the short answer to this question. 767
Yeah, well, there are four things. The census data does show that between not having a high school diploma or a GED, and the GED is structured so that only two thirds of graduates could pass it, so it's a tougher exam. The income level goes up by 40 percent, suggesting employability.
I'm unimpressed by that. I have to tell you, that doesn't mean anything to me.
Because I know they're going to make more money because they just have to make more money. I want you to tell me why it is you think that when they get a GED, they're going to go get some of the available jobs?
Well, because the second piece of evidence was a State study that was done on GEDs in Pennsylvania, that showed about 60 or 70 percent of the people who got GEDs got jobs afterwards, and the GED was the platform that permitted them to get jobs. 768 The third piece of evidence is they have been able to place people who have high school diplomas; they have not been able to place people who don't have them. Does a GED by itself guarantee everybody a job everywhere? No, of course not. It's a necessary but insufficient condition in many cases. But unless we get them that, they are not even in the ball game. But those three are compelling. The income level respects employment. The State study, which I'll send you, I could have brought that along. The one page addresses specifically the question you're asking, what happens to employment after somebody gets the GED? The results are staggering. And if we go around, as I've done, to all the programs like OIC -- I'm on its board now -- and ask, you know, Who are you getting jobs for? The answer is people with GEDs and better. So does it mean that everybody's going to get a job? No. But the people without GEDs don't even have a chance to get into the interview at this point. 769
Well, that's not their problem. I mean, that's not their fault. I mean, the fact that somebody won't give somebody an interview because he doesn't have a GED, who might otherwise be qualified, isn't the fault of the applicant. Maybe we need to educate some employers that the simple fact of a GED doesn't qualify or unqualify a person, or the lack of a GED isn't a disqualification for consideration.
I agree that there needs to be some effort made there, but the core jobs are office jobs.
I understand. I heard what you said and I understand that, but I'm not convinced by that, and I will be glad to get additional information.
I want to know, why wouldn't we structure a job program as opposed to a GED program? Why wouldn't we identify, for 770 example, where the jobs are, much like Councilwoman Tasco and the Work Force 2000 -- is that what it is?
The Work Force 2000 effort that has been going on for some years. Why wouldn't we figure out where the jobs are, what are the qualifications for the job, and train the people for those jobs? These are the jobs, you got these jobs, we're going to train the people to do those jobs. And I know what the GED test is ail about. And you've got to know about English grammar and all. And I got an English background and I know the difference in the tenses and all that, taught the stuff. It's wonderful information, but it's not targeted -- it's not quite targeted enough and it's not specific enough for me. If I'm going to spend economic development dollars, job training dollars, I want to know that in the private sector, there are certain kinds of job that are available or likely to be available. I want to do an evaluation, a 771 specific evaluation of the people when they come in. And somewhere between whether it's a three-month period or a three-year or a six-month period or a nine-month period, whatever the time is, I want to know that the people walking out there are going to have the skills necessary to be employed in those jobs, whether or not they have a GED or not.
And what I'm saying to you, Councilman, having done this now years 13 ago, when OIC was creating jobs for industrial 14 positions, that this -- 15
We weren't creating 16 jobs for industrial positions. Please don't 17 distort the work like that. 18
It wasn't -- we 20 weren't creating jobs for people for industrial positions. And we did everything; clerical, the whole nine yards.
All I'm saying is that, in fact, 20 to 22,000 of the jobs that grew in this region in the last year were in offices. And 772 when you talk to the people who run offices, what they want, first, is somebody who knows all of the things that you've just cited that a GED gives you as a precondition to anything else. And when you think about it, you run offices, so do you. And that's why this image of some specific skill that we're going to train people for, whatever existed years ago, is 10 wildly inadequate now. 11 A bank in this city made a commitment 12 -- and I'm not going to go to which one, forget 13 reverse commuting -- to hire 100 from a particular 14 neighborhood. They went to Community College and 15 got them to agree to a skills training program to 16 hire 100 people. 17 You know how many they hired? Four, 18 because they could not find more than four with 19 the basic literacy needed to work in a bank. 20 So there is no such thing --
Well, why do you -- you think basic literacy is equal to the GED?
Well, you see, the point is that we have a system right now that, in fact, is assembled to represent that. Is it the entire story? No. 6 But it's part of the story. You want to construct some alternative system, fine, but we don't have that available to us right now. Right now, the system that people use to evaluate whether somebody comes in is either a high school diploma or a GED. Then they will interview and make a determination whether some of these other things are there. But the point is, if somebody has a GED, then maybe they go into something like computer training or whatever. If they don't have it, then they don't get in the door, and for a good reason: because the assumption is that they cannot read, they cannot --
And I want to change some of that, too. I'm going to recognize Councilwoman 774 Tasco at this point. I'm through. I would like to get whatever additional information that you can give me on this. You see where my issues are.
I just wanted to add that it is important for maybe to have the calling card of the GED for those people who are out of school, but our whole focus should be on educating children in the public schools so that when they come out, they are ready to go to work. And that has been the focus of Work Force 200, to call on the school district to develop a curriculum that will train and educate children and young people for jobs that do exist. And then we don't have to get into the whole remedial thing. Of course, that's reality, it does exist, but our focus should be on trying to provide a quality education for our young people so they're educated when they come out.
Well, you know, the only times I've testified here up to last year was, in fact, on the two issues of school funding. And 775 I'm in complete agreement with that premise. And were it not that we were saying to all these folks in Philadelphia who are on welfare that you either get hired or you lose your income, you could sort of have the luxury of saying, Well, this generation maybe didn't make it, but at least they're supportive, we can worry about the next. What I come to you to say is that welfare downsizing, like the Reagan budget of '80, has changed the picture dramatically. And we can wait till all these bodies are lying in the streets, or we can act now to try to do something about it. I'm flexible as to what kind of education and training may be done. When you talked about a jobs program, I thought maybe you were heading into what if the City maybe created a public service jobs program. I'd be fine with that; particularly if, in fact, it paid people City money that would take them off welfare for a while and thereby extend their five-year clock. There are other things that can be done here. This is not a kind of tightly knit, ridged plan. I'm merely saying, Here are the problems we 776 need to solve, and we need to --
And we hear you. And I don't think that there's anybody here who doesn't understand that this is a crisis.
But some of us do have a reservation in suggesting that the GED is the answer. And, you know, we've had some of these discussions before. I mean -- and I have some background in all of this and was involved in all of that OIC hospitality industry stuff and am very conscious of all of it, but I do have a significant problem with characterizing the GED and the GED certificate in a way that you have done it in so far as its relationship to -- Let me get to Councilwoman Miller now 'cause we could do this all day and probably all night.
Yeah, the six and a half hours that we were talking about, we're getting there, Councilman.
I just wanted to 777 mention that I too have a lot of experience working in employment and training. And, you know, when I first started out there, maybe 12, 5 years ago, lots of people came to programs because 6 they wanted to just get the personal satisfaction 7 of getting a GED. 8 I think what makes it different now is 9 that the welfare reform is requiring people to 10 attain a certain level of knowledge and skills, 11 moving hopefully towards employment. So people 12 don't have the luxury anymore of saying, Oh, I 13 want to come. 14 I guess some of the questions I have 15 related to funding from PIC. I haven't kept up on recent funding and education. However, if you have a 16-hour-a-week program and the State funds you for 30 hours of instruction, is that still happening, where you don't have enough instructional hours, you receive more State funding?
What happened with that is through June of 1996, we had a very significant contract with the Private Industry Council for basic skills literacy program. It was a feeder 778 program to other PIC training programs. With the welfare changes, outcomes have to be job placement, and feeders do not result in job placement. So we, along with many other agencies, lost that contract with PIC in the summer of 1996. So that money has not been found.
And I just wanted to also mention that the program where I worked, we targeted our training specifically to what was available. We went out and found out what was available. We knew it was service industry, clerical jobs, etc. We referred people out for literacy, had a basic education class and a GED class and, at the same time, trained people to operate computers, you know, do data entry, read, do math, communications. So those kind of programs do work. And where I used to work was Metropolitan Career Center, and that's one of the best programs in the City. And we and other members of the staff invested a lot of time into developing that project. So it can be done all at the same time. You've just got to -- 779
And I would like to add to that that many of the literacy agencies are doing that kind of work. What we have done in the last couple of years is integrate connections to the work place in our program where there's job- shadowing, mentoring, and internships as part of our education programs. So we're demonstrating a connection to work. And we do a lot of work with computers. And there's many other agencies that are doing many other similar things.
Thank you for your time and thank you for your very serious questions.
What we have done is respect a lot of the work that you have done. We appreciate that work, and you know we'll take a good look at it. Thank you. 780 It's one of the continuing privileges of membership. Is Adrienne Jenkins here?. (Adrienne Jenkins is not present.) (James Clark comes forward.)
Good evening, President Street and Members of Council. I am not Adrienne Jenkins, I am Jimmy Clark. I'm President of the Board of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance as well as Executive Director of the Clay Studio, located in Old City. The Cultural Alliance is the largest advocate for culture in the Philadelphia region, with 240 members, 80 percent of whom are located within the City. I'd like to start out by thanking the Councilmembers for initiating the Culture Fund in 1992 and for the generous support that the fund has provided the City's cultural organizations since that time. I strongly urge you to increase the funding for the Cultural Alliance Fund from its current level of million to 1.5 million. The budget for the Cultural Fund has remained at one million for the past four years while the number 781 of applicants has increased in each of these years. This, unfortunately, translates into declining support for many worthy organizations who contribute greatly to the quality of life in the City. To use my own institution, the Clay Studio, as an example, we have seen art support decrease from 7500 four years ago to approximately 5800 in the current cycle. This reduction occurred despite a consistently high rating from the peer review panel. This decline is across the board and has a severe impact on many worthy organizations who are struggling to elicit support elsewhere. Philadelphia has wisely embraced arts and culture as a major impetus for economic development and renewing our city. The Avenue of the Arts, cultural tourism, and the creation of new jobs are just a few examples of the positive impact of culture on the City's economy and national profile. Preliminary findings of the soon-to-be- released economic impact study conducted by the Pennsylvania Economy League showed that the arts 782 constitute a $300-million-a-year industry, employing over 5500 people in the Philadelphia region. Arts groups are actively engaged in addressing the common problems of the City, offering hundreds of educational programs during and after school hours. Arts programs are providing positive alternatives for at-risk youth, and research has proven that arts education is a major impetus for students to remain in school and continue their education after high school. Countless numbers of inner-city youths have been provided a positive alternative to the culture of the street through classes at Freedom Theater, programs at the Village of Arts, outreach classes at the Painted Bride, the Art Museum, the Please Touch Museum, Prints in Position, and my own organization, Claymobile, among many, many others. Culture is an integral part of all of our citizens' lives and not a luxury strictly for the elite. Thank you again for your past support, 783 and I strongly urge you to increase the Cultural Fund so that the critical partnership of the City and its cultural institutions will continue to flourish. And now I'd like to turn over to Donald Brown of the Freedom Theater.
Good evening. My name is Donald Brown, I'm Managing Director of Freedom Theater.
I need you to speak a little louder and much more directly into the microphone, much like the Chairman is doing. Is there anybody here who can't hear me? See, they can all hear me.
I don't think that microphone was on. My name is Donald Brown, I'm Managing Director of Freedom Theater. During my tenure at Freedom Theater, we've seen phenomenal support from the City of Philadelphia and City Council. Going back to Ethel Allen, Joe Coleman, Lucien Blackwell. And we continue to have that support through yourself and the Mayor. 784 Your support and the continuous support of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund has enabled Freedom Theater to do a number of phenomenal things over the past two to three years. We've increased our staff from a little under people 7 to over 523 people. Our part-time staff has grown 8 to over 235 people in terms of actors, 9 technicians, and carpenters. We now serve nearly 10 1200 students per year. That's up from 300 11 students 4 years ago. 12 Arts training provides cultural 13 enrichment, discipline, and empowers the 14 individual by making an impact on our community. 15 Over 98 percent of our students graduate from high 16 school, and 85 percent go on to college. 17 Our audience has grown from a little 18 over 6,000 in '95 to this year, when we'll reach a 19 little over 41,000 people in the Greater 20 Philadelphia area. What this means for Freedom Theater is that we are now, according to NEA, the largest African-American theater and performing arts training program in the United States. We have -- we are members of over 250 arts institutions in the Greater Philadelphia 785 area. And, as Jimmy said, we make a direct economic impact of over $300 million per year, 80 percent of which happens in the Philadelphia County. We are economic and social engines in our communities. We know that Freedom Theater is one of the reasons that Philadelphia is the number-one tourist destination of African-Americans. We as a community face critical issues such as crime health care, employment, and education. The arts impact on each of these areas. More than anything else, the arts are change agents. It changes lives because it empowers the individual. We see it every day at Freedom, Settlement Music School, Point Breeze, and many other fantastic arts institutions throughout Philadelphia. The arts must be a critical part of your agenda. We urge you for your continued support. In fact, we ask that you identify some new ways to increase the support to the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. And we need this desperately if we are to compete with the Baltimores and the North Carolinas of the world. Thank you. 786
My name's Robert Leslie cofounder of Freedom Theater, retired, and I'm on the Board of the Cultural Fund.
Why do you have to say that retire stuff, Bob? I mean, are you rubbing it in? He's like retired and collecting, you know what I mean, Commissioner? You know, he's living large.
No, I think I'm trying to convince myself that I'm retiring. They won't let me. But just to summarize, you can see that the arts has an impact as it relates to crime, as it relates to education, and it has an economic impact on the City. And I would just like to add that I think that the half $1 million increase would be greatly appreciated this year. And I'd also like to thank you all for 787 the kind of sensitivity that this Administration has shown for the growth and the development of the arts in this City because I think that you're smart enough to realize that it's an economic development engine and can have a great deal to do with enhancing the quality of life in the City of Philadelphia. Thank you.
Thank you very much, appreciate it. There are a number of people here from the Grays Ferry Recreation Council: James Helman, Celeste Harris, Pat Sheridan, Terry Bennett. Can we have them all come forward now. (Grays Ferry panel comes forward.)
Good evening, Members of City Council. My name is James Helman. I'm a resident of Grays Ferry and a member of the Grays Ferry Youth Access Center Advisory Council. By creating the Youth Access Center, which includes our three recreation facilities, Vare Recreation Facility, Lanier Playground, and Finnegan Playground, by offering a variety of structured recreation programs, the Department of 788 Recreation is making a positive difference in our community. Our children and youth are being attracted in growing numbers to programs like last fall's Touch Football Program, 76ers Neighborhood Basketball League, Tumbling Program, Drama Program, Drawing Class, Arts and Crafts, Tot Recreation, Modern Jazz and Ethnic Dance, and our After-School Program. As an example of how a structured recreation program can impact the lives of the children who participate, we can examine the after-school program at Finnegan Playground. When the program started, the instructor, Delores Bridges, was shown homework papers with marginal or failing grades. By insisting on a serious homework period before play, with proper help and guidance, Delores now sees homework papers with stars and teacher comments like "good work" and "very good." Two of her children were even selected as Student of the Month. This shows how are recreation programs can exceed the bounds of recreation and affect the 789 lives of our children and youth in areas of education, discipline, pride and accomplishment, and self-esteem. Residents of Grays Ferry such as myself -- and there are many of us -- firmly believe that our recreation facilities and our recreation programs are a vital ingredient in the formula that will make our community a better and friendlier place to live. But we do need help. Our facilities are deteriorating. The baseball fields and basketball courts at Vare Recreation Center need serious professional attention. The hockey rink at Lanier Playground needs refurbishing and the fence needs repair or replacement. The building at Finnegan Playground needs to be extended in order to accommodate the growing number of children and youth who want to use it. And, of course, we need funds to operate our programs on a daily basis. I can assure you that whatever resources the City Council might provide or help us obtain will be wisely used. Your support will allow us to enhance our current programs and 790 create new programs that all of the children and youth of Grays Ferry will be able to participate in, learn from, and grow with. Thank you.
Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Yes. My name is Celeste Harris. I'm Vice President of South Philly Rainbow Committee and also a member of Vare Grays Ferry Center Advisory council. The Youth Access Center Advisory Council is to act as a liaison between Recreation Department staff and community residents and act as a spokesperson for the community and alert other public and elected officials facilities as well as within the community. This statement is from the manual of the Philadelphia Department of Recreation Advisory Council. As spokesperson for the community and one of the few members of the new Grays Ferry Advisory Council, I make this statement. 791 Since the early part of last year, the Vare Recreation Center has gone through a few good changes, new staff, a few good programs, and some face lifting in the facility. Our plans are not to stop here but to continue through to Lanier and Finnegan Playgrounds. We need to provide crisis intervention and connection with other support services. A specific plan of activities will be outlined for all of the youths and adults in Grays Ferry. Another avenue that we must consider is youths who have less supervision and fewer activities to occupy them because the hour of day for juvenile offenders begins at 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., as school ends and before parents come home from work, or parents who are present but have no 18 concern for the well-being of their child. They are bored and have too much time on their hands to kill. Bringing in the youth access center into our community is an important step that will require, time, effort and commitment on the part of us all for which -- in a community that has been, for so many years, in conflict, to be in 792 harmony at their recreation center or playground. A recreation center or playground is where time should be fun and shall apply equally to all with no expectations, none. Thank you.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Pat Sheridan. I'm a lifelong resident of Grays Ferry and I am a member of the Youth Access Center Advisory Council. Although some monies have been allotted to us through the Department of Recreation, it is not enough for all three playgrounds that are under the umbrella of the Youth Access Center. These three playgrounds are still in need of many repairs. Very soon our spring and summer programs will start at Vare, Lanier, and Finnegan Playgrounds. We have much outside field work that still needs to be done, such as drainage problems that need repair on baseball fields, basketball 793 and volleyball courts cemented, repairs on Vare Swimming Pool, and also some landscaping and fences fixed. It is very important that our programs start on time. With your help and funds, the repairs could be accomplished quickly. Recreational activities should be a part of everyday life for all people. But for many children, black and white, in Grays Ferry, this is the only fun they will have all summer. Please consider us for more funds when designating your money this year. Remember Grays Ferry. Thank you.
Yes, my name is Terry Bennett, I'm Cochairman of the Grays Ferry Community Development Corporation. I'm also a member of the Grays Ferry Youth Access Advisory Committee. I just want to have my statement 794 submitted for the record to keep from being redundant. I just want to come before City Council to ask for more support in the activities that we're doing in Grays Ferry and for the Youth Access Centers. In terms of funding, we would like to do more things because of the conflict that has been going on in our community, we would like to see an increase in funding. And we also believe that the Recreation Department in the City has been doing a tremendous job. And we'd just like to continue on with that and ask for the continued funding and blessings from the City. Thank you.
Thank you very much the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Verna.
Thank you, Mr. President. I will be very brief. I know that two weeks ago, I believe, you were in my office, and the concerns were brought to my attention. I have been in contact with the Recreation Commissioner, and he has assured me that everything that you have mentioned 795 here tonight will be addressed in some fashion. Thank you for coming in I really appreciate it.
I'd just like to know from any of the Sergeants-At-Arms, do you think it's possible we can turn the heat up in here a little bit? Will you turn the heat up a little? Just kidding. Okay, it just doesn't seem right. We're in the middle of February, it's 54 degrees outside, and we're sitting in the Council chamber at -- what time is it? It's quarter of 8 at night, and everybody is sweating. Is that a amazing? What, El Nino, what are you doing to us? James Clark, is Mr. Clark here? (James Clark is not present.)
Mr. Pieczynski, would you please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your statement. 796
My name's Walt Piezzynski, and it's been years since I've been 4 in this room. And the last time I was here, I was 5 sitting over there in a chair. 6 And the Sergeant-At-Arms came over to 7 me and escorted me out on the floor here. And he 8 -- Joan Krajewski was standing there, and 9 everybody was laughing and smiling, and I brought 10 some pictures with me. And -- 11
Yeah, 15 years ago was 14 the last time that I spoke on this floor. 15
Okay. What I want to talk about is, last year, I was part of the Presidential Summit here in Philadelphia. I went to the meeting. After the meeting, 5:30, 7 o'clock, I walked out the door, I was robbed. I didn't have a dime. The police brought me home -- brought me 797 to the door. My wife nearly passed out. She couldn't understand why the cops brought me home. My next-door neighbor, okay, in November, was standing on the step, putting a key in the door to open the door to her house. A person pulled up in a car, came up to her, robbed her, beat her up, and we placed her in the hospital. Now, the funny part about all of this is, 1997 is a year that's going to go down in history for one reason with the political party. This woman that they grabbed was a Republican and she worked at the polls for years. And in a 15 sense, for the past 25 years, I've been in 16 politics and a little bit of everything. I was an 17 elected official here in Philadelphia for 10 18 years; I was a committeeman in Bridesburg. 19 And it's just getting so out of hand 20 that the people in Philadelphia don't even want to 21 come out and vote anymore. Only 20 percent of the 22 voters came out in the general election. 23 Now, whatever happened to the other 80 24 percent of the voters is a good question. It's 25 something that the politicians ought to think 798 about, because it's getting to the point that the voters are going to go and they're going to change parties in a way. And it's going to be very -- I just can't imagine what's going to happen in the next couple of years.
You mean the Republicans are going to turn into Democrats, and the Democrats are going to turn Republican?
No. They're liable to change to independents. They're liable to walk out on the floor one day, on Election Day, and pull the button for someone else. The question is, What happened to that other 80 percent of the voters last year? And it's something that's going to really, really be coming up. Because in the primary election, it's always a little -- a small amount comes out to vote. And it's really got me puzzled because I was part of that Presidential Summit. And of all people that they had to grab that day, it had to be me. 'Cause we had people from Disneyland, the Mayor's Office, the President, a little bit of everybody was there up in Germantown. 799 And this is happening every day. So it's something to think about. You know, I just don't know what else to say about it. I have a note here, though, a little letter that I wrote. But, you know, I'll give it to you people, and yous could read about it. But it's just got out of hand. And, I tell you, I'm very nervous now because of being robbed on the street. Two weeks ago I was at the Reading Terminal. I walked out the door after lunchtime and the police were holding a person up against a wall, three people -- three cops were holding person. He, apparently in broad daylight, I don't know, just jumped on someone and robbed 'em. So this is happening every day in the City, and the people for this reason are moving out of the City. My sister moved out of the City last year. I have a daughter that was married, she just moved out of the City. I mean, everyone, it seems like they're moving out of the City for some reason, and the main reason is crime. Crime is the problem. So you could lower the taxes all you 800 want, just keep lowering and lowering and saying it's going to be good, good, good. People ain't going to come out because of crime. It ain't safe. The City ain't safe. And I just don't know how else to put it to City Council. Dave, of all the years, I mean, it is the worst. And I just want to say this. Like I say, I'm staying neutral on the elections, but the safest part of this City ever was, was when Rizzo was a police commissioner. I would say that City Council should elect -- or the Mayor should bring in a person who is going to strongly work on the communities and make 'em safe because without it being safe, you could save all the money, give all the money you want back to the people, it ain't going to do no 19 good 'cause the voters are just leaving the City for that reason. I mean, the taxes right now, the economy is up. When I went to Washington in '79, and 1982 is when Resolution 747 was passed, okay? Now the economy is up, all the money's coming into the City, but it's the people. The voters are all 801 living outside the City. They're coming in everyday on the major highways, you see this. They're riding in at 5, 5:30. It's on the news, they're on their way out. They don't want to live in this city because it's just not safe in here. I mean, anybody walks out the door here tonight, you know, think about it, you know. Think about the person who's walking besides you because you don't know. And I'm not being funny about it. I'm just being serious about it because it's happened to me, to my next-door neighbor, and quite a few other people right out here in Center City. So I'm not talking about the money part, saving money and all this. To me, that 31 dollars is a real joke. I mean, giving it back to the people and thinking they're going to come out and vote on Election Day is -- I mean, the voters understand. If you read the information that I gave you, you'll understand what I'm saying in a way. But it all comes down to crime, and it's just gotten to the point that businesses -- I'm with the Chamber of Commerce, I joined that about five 802 years ago.
Mr. Pieczynski, I'm going to have to ask you to summarize.
Okay, all right. But that's about it. Make the City safe and maybe the voters will come out on Election Day.
Okay, thank you very much. Gaylord Neal. (Gaylord Neal comes forward.)
Councilmembers, good evening. My name is Gaylord Neal. I'm a parent. This my daughter, Nancy Fleming. I had no intention on coming here this evening but I sat in here this afternoon and I heard the Commissioner from the Department of Human Services tell you about how there's a high level of accountability in their department, how they're sensitive to the needs of the community. And I want to tell you a horror story about the Department of Human Services. Back in 1991, there was a process at the Department of Human Services, when they have a charge against you, they go to the City 803 Solicitor's Office, not through the Police, not through the District Attorney. And they charged me with sexually molesting my daughter. It was fine, I had no problem with it, because I knew I didn't. After they had taken my child into custody, ten days later, they took my name out of the petition. And I'm not even going to tell you what it cost me. Over a year and a half, they kept my child. I heard this morning a discussion from the Chair talking about we know that they set you up to have a hearing in ten days, and we know there are CFNs. That CFN went on for 444 days, and I never, ever had a hearing. And they threw my child back at me like she was a piece of rag meat at the end of that 444 days. I thought it had ended. I was working with a child development thing at the University of Pennsylvania. And one day in the school at 13th and Spring Garden, I was told I had to leave by the professor that I was working with. I never understood that, but I was left out of the program. 804 A couple years later in the neighborhood, Duckrey School, a security guard was beating the parents and arresting them for trespassing. After I discovered there was three, I went to him and I said something to him. I walked into the school, the next time I did, and I was beaten unconscious and arrested. It was a shame that that process had to go into the federal court to get it straightened out, but it did and it was straightened out, but I still never understood it, I never understood it until I went to court to get custody of a younger child of mine and got a report back last week from a home investigation that the officer had went to the Department of Human Services and they had told him that I had sexually abused my child. This is 1998 and this charge happened in 1991, never substantiated. They told that parole officer that I had sexually abused my child and, really, I shouldn't be getting custody of another child. Then it all came to me. I began to understand the whole thing then. I began to understand why I was put out of that child 805 development program, I began to understand why the school decided I should be beaten that day going into the school. " It's a statute, and it provides that you're not allowed to do that, but they always did that. Whenever I brought it up to a judge, they didn't want to hear it. Now, the rest of it sounds like a little spy story. I swear it does. When I tried to discover what was going on, my child had been kept in a foster care, fine, 444 days of foster care. Somebody paid for it. I don't know who paid for it. And I heard that discussion this morning about who pays for it. The federal government picks up part of the tab, the State picks up part of the tab, the City picks up part of the tab. My problem with that was, I had never had a hearing for my child to be kept, and she was 806 kept in an agency. And the agency did what they wanted to do to my child. As a matter of fact, they shifted her around so much, I took an appeal to the Department of Public Welfare and said just last year, after four years, they decided that it was illegal for them to move my child around the county like they were doing. So what do I do with this? I looked at that and I said, the board of directors for the agency that kept my child consists of judges of the Family Court. I said oh, whoa, I can't complain back to them. So what do I do now?
I went back and I looked at it again. And I said if they are providing funds for employment for friends and family, they could have kept my child there perpetually in that agency and never gave me a hearing. I said, well, well, this -- what is wrong with this procedure? How come you aren't guaranteed a hearing when an agency like that takes your child? There is such a bureaucracy, they have so much money, they have so many attorneys. Let me tell you, they can ruin your 807 life. They are a Gestapo agency. And not until recently did I discover what they were doing to mine. And I ask this Council to guard that, guard that. Because when you go to Family Court, you know, it's a civil action. And they don't give you an attorney. You're poor, and they make you file for yourself. You've got to go through that process with a tunnel vision by yourself. So please help the next person. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Reverend William Erat. (Reverend William Erat and June Cairns comes forward.)
Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
To the President and Honorable Councilmembers, my name is William Erat. I'm Executive Director of Lutheran Children and Family Service, and I'm also a member of the Executive Committee of the Children Youth and Family Council Education Consortium. And my 808 colleague here is June Cairns, who is Executive Director of that group. CYFC represents 56 agencies which do business here with DHS in the City. I have four comments to make. First, if the City is to be ready to integrate the several services which help to strengthen families, the Children and Families Cabinet must be funded by all of the relevant departments of government, including at least the Department of Health, Recreation and DHS. We believe that 1 percent of the budgets of these departments should fund the activities of the Cabinet, especially abuse prevention funding supports policy. Secondly, the City should settle the Baby Neal class action suit. Too much time, energy, and money is going towards defense efforts and too little to the improvement of the system. The private providers represented in CYFC are willing and ready to make substantive changes. In fact, agencies already have formed a 24 corporation to enact innovative practice and 25 fiscal reform projects. 809 We would prefer a settlement that is formulated, that would also help DHS to move toward action on policy implementation. Funding supports reform. Thirdly, there should be a $1 million fund set aside from the DHS budget to fund provider-driven initiatives. New York City, Maryland, Ohio, and Massachusetts are but a few of the states which have moved to involve providers in new ways to serve families. DHS has no clear fiscal provisions for funding new initiatives and even for soliciting and processing them, especially if they come from providers. We want DHS to develop a clear process with guidelines for soliciting and responding to the new initiatives. Six major agencies have been working together to develop an advanced permanency project for over two years now for DHS families, with a model which, many agree, can work and should be tried. DHS's response has been lukewarm at best. Are we squandering the tens of thousands of dollars we, as private organizations, have already spent to develop this project for 810 Philadelphia, or must we commit our resources to other counties? Funding supports innovation. Fourth, it is time to redesignate DHS dollars from increased staffing to increased rates for providers. Even with low inflation rates, it is not realistic to think that private providers can hire staff and pay foster parents at 1994 rates. Our underpaid social workers will be moving to DHS to fill the new 110 slots that you're creating in this budget to get the higher DHS wages. This has been a clear trend already this year in that movement. With our needed 10-percent rate increase, the extra $20 million that it would cost would still leave DHS with $7 million for new staff. Funding support staffing closest to the clients. And since some 85 percent of DHS direct services is going to contracted services, why are contractors getting no increases? Providers and DHS have, however, forged some of the most cooperative and most helpful relationships that they have had in recent memory, much to the Department's credit. But now talk 811 should result in action, and we must change the way we do business to save dollars in that process. Thank you.
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Council Cohen.
Councilman Cohen, I need you to speak right into that microphone so we can all hear you. We can't hear you.
It's refreshing to be told that I can't be heard. Usually people think I'm heard too often. Would you explain very briefly the Baby Neal case. You make reference to it in your second paragraph, assuming a level of knowledge among us that may not exist. In my case, it doesn't.
Okay. Very briefly, there have been a number of class action lawsuits filed across the, country; 20, 30 of them in various states where the ACLU and others have gotten together to force reform in the child welfare system, largely which ends at reducing the 812 amount of bureaucracy that goes on between the public sector and the private sector and hopefully providing better services. And some would argue that it has not worked very well in many places; and other places, maybe it has worked better. We're in the midst of that. "Baby Neal" is what we refer to it as right now, and there has been much -- I can tell you that my own personal staff has been duplicating hundreds of welfare records at great expense, and I'm only one agency who's had records subpoenaed. They're being read by ACLU and by the Child Welfare League on behalf of the Department, and they're in the process of the discovery, I believe. There have been some dates established, June -- is it in the fall? -- for hearing this. And it's been my impression -- I believe it's been the Department's and the Administration's view that they don't plan to settle this; they're going to push it. And we see, as a result of all the pushing that's going, an excessive amount of activity and interest in Baby Neal. And all the 813 possible reforms that could be made are being put on hold because of this.
Councilman Cohen, my name is June Cairns. I'm the Executive Director of Children Youth and Family Council. I believe this suit was initially brought in 1988 and became a class of around or 9 16 children and became a class action suit 10 sometime within the last five years. I don't have 11 those dates. 12
Yes. That would have been my question too. I didn't get the connection, so I had a question about that and also the issue of the no raises since -- what did you say here, '74?
And the fact that it's draining people. I assume you're saying here that some of your staff are being attracted to the City's Department of DHS because the 814 salaries are more attractive?
That has always happened, but it's happening especially right now because we're in a bind right now for raising salaries. Social work salaries for beginning social workers are around $23,000 a year; maybe 8 with a master's degree. That's not very much 9 money. 10
I have the DHS budget in 17 front of me, and I just opened to Family 18 Preservation. 19 The social worker trainee, which a 20 trainee is, I believe, six months, I could be 21 wrong. It starts anywhere from 24.5 up to 31.5. 22 And a Social Worker I starts at 26, with a range 23 up to 33.5, along with, of course, the City 24 benefits and pension and all of the things that come with being a City employee. 815 The private sector agencies in the foster care arena have not had a rate increase since 1994 for cost-of-living or anything. And so the agencies have had to struggle to raise the additional money through foundations. So then it becomes very attractive. The private agencies can't provide the pension or the benefits in the same way that the City can, so it becomes very attractive for our workers to go to the City.
Madame Chair, I see the Commissioner's here. Commissioner, would you have a response to either of these two issues the Baby Neal case?
Commissioner, I'm sorry. You have to come to the table so the stenographer can hear you.
The salary question, just both of them, then we can follow up later. I just wondered if you have had a brief response. COMMISSIONER REEVES: My name is Joan Reeves, I'm the Commissioner of the Department of Human Services. 816 In regard to Baby Neal, it is ongoing litigation and in discovery, and I cannot respond to any questions about that. In regard to the difference between the public sector salary, I mean we have a civil service system which sets salaries. I guess the issue I have around the no rate increases since 1994 for foster care, we did a rate study. All of our rates right now, as we increase them, we do rate studies to determine the cost for the delivery of those services. There have been other rates that have been increased like group home and institutional care so that rates have been increased over the last three years. I think some of the other issues around pooling of funding in the Children and Families Cabinet, we're already doing that. The other issues around what I thought we had been having some pretty productive discussions around change and permanency planning and some of the other strategic activities that we are involved in. Obviously, that is not the same impression.
Yeah, I had 817 less questions about that than the issue of, you know, salaries. Because in some ways, both in DHS and even in the Health Department, in a sense, it's often less expensive to contract out services. Sometimes it's much more effective because there's neighborhood-based agencies. So I think it's both sound policy and often saves us money but also if the rates aren't reasonable, then agencies are put under great stress. And, you know, I'm aware of some of the work that some of the nonprofit child welfare agencies do and I don't know when the next rate study is, but I would hope there would be a way to keep track of that. It seems like a pretty big discrepancy. COMMISSIONER REEVES: One of the things that we have also asked private agencies to do is that as they look at the changes in the way we are asking services to be delivered, that they also look at their administrative organizational structures to see what changes they can make within their own organizations. For example, I understand their case 818 loads can range from children to maybe children per worker; whereas the City social work's case load, as I said earlier today, averaging about families. 6 So there is a difference in work load 7 that we have to accommodate as well. 8
Now is not the 9 time to get into a detailed discussion of this, 10 but I was not aware of some of these issues so I 11 would hope that there will continue to be some 12 good discussions to try to resolve some of the 13 issues. 14 COMMISSIONER REEVES: Yes. Thank you. 15
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just as a follow-up to some of the points that were raised, to I get the impression from the testimony that you're talking about a $20 million increase in funding? Is that the request?
Since the contracted services are just over $200 million on the per 819 diem contracts, that's approximately a $20 million figure. And the comparison that I was making was that the fact that there is some $27 million devoted to 110 new positions at DHS. I was talking about the hope that we don't ask for more money that isn't there, but a reallocation of money and suggesting one of the ways that that might happen.
And is it your contention that DHS doesn't need the 110 positions?
Well, my contention is that we need a rate increase. And I would say that if the budget could be reconfigured in that way, that would help us do that. I can't comment -- I mean, I can say that DHS believes it needs those positions.
Right. And your position on this is that we should increase your rates so that you can pay your people more? I mean, is that the logic that's going on here?
We have a pool of foster parents, most of whom have gotten minimal rate increases, if any, over the last four to six 820 years. We also have social workers who are severely underpaid and going into other professions so that they're not in child welfare. So that, yes, I am saying that, I guess.
I guess I just found that somewhat interesting that anyone would think that our social workers were so well paid that they were actually leaving other places to now and come and work for the City. I think when I initially got here and maybe even in a prior service as a staff person, many of our DHS social workers, I think, often felt that they were the most underpaid people around. So, I mean, it's kind of weird now that private sector people are jumping -- or nonprofit people are jumping to be in the government. Your other sources of funding are corporations, private foundations?
It depends on which organization it is, but there are endowment funds, there are fund-raising campaigns, and other services we do.
We're always looking for new money. For example, we were talking about PIC earlier and some of these job-training programs. Many of us are very much involved. And it's including DHS, by the way, in looking at issues like where are these people who are homeless going to be living? So we're talking with DHS about development of home building for people and finding housing in the Family Preservation Program, which is one of those nice new initiatives that DHS is, in fact, cooperating with us on. So there are many other kinds of things that we're doing that are related to the activities that we're talking about, ESL, job-training, and whatnot.
Okay. And lastly, your third point was that there should be $1 million set aside from the DHS budget to fund provider-driven initiatives. And then you go on to say that New York City, Maryland, Ohio, and Massachusetts -- and I'm 822 now going to assume that you meant New York State, maybe it is New York City -- are but a few of the states which have moved to involve providers in new ways to serve families. DHS has no clear fiscal provisions for funding new initiatives. I mean, do you really mean to compare the Philadelphia Department of Human Services to what either New York City, Maryland, Ohio or Massachusetts do?
There is major child welfare reform going on throughout the country right now, at least the states closest to us that are involved in major new projects that are, in fact, innovative and aimed to reduce costs as well.
Have you had any conversations with Tom Ridge recently?
Okay. No, it's very interesting. I mean, I don't know what the State is doing. I have a hard enough time trying to keep track of the City. I guess I was just hard pressed to understand how DHS, as a county agency in a state 823 with 67 counties, is supposed to do something comparable to what Maryland, Ohio and Massachusetts do in their locales.
I think there is -- it is very important that the State has to buy into the kinds of system reform we're talking about, and we're not just talking to City Council and DHS about these issues, absolutely. On the other hand, there's Ohio, which is a county-driven system, and there are many really interesting and good reform efforts going on that are famous throughout the country right now.
Also, New York is a county system as well. And New York City has implemented a number of initiatives separate from the rest of the state in their child welfare system. They also have a huge number of problems. But despite the problems, they've been able to do some creative things with foster care.
From my first term back in 1968, it seems to me that every budget year I hear very much this kind of concern by different provider organizations. And then it seems to me that during the rest of the year, I hear almost nothing. I can't speak for other Councilmembers. And then comes the next budget hearing and we hear that again. You know, there are some variations. The Baby Neal situation perhaps may take on a different form. But are there labor organizations that exist in the field that you're talking about? Say, the social workers? But, I agree with you, they are vastly underpaid. My problem is I also think that the City social workers are also underpaid, you know, for the enormous job that they do. And I'm troubled by what Commissioner Reeves said about, you know, the number of cases social workers handle, and there may have been explanations for that. But are there other organizations, the 825 traditional labor organizes that cover --
The Teamsters tried to organize it, one of my member agencies, it was a residential agency several years ago. This is prior to the rate increase that the Commissioner mentioned about institutional care. That rate increase affecting institutional care and group care affected far fewer children or social workers or caregivers than what we're asking for in foster care. The Teamsters was unsuccessful, and it probably would have driven the cost of care up for this agency so that they would have had to close had the Teamsters gone in and organized their child care workers.
Well, I'm going to leave it in one more sentence, maybe two. It just seems to me that the lack of understanding among this professional group on the importance of working together, and I know of no 22 other way of working together effectively on economic demands than some form of labor organization. I just think that that ought to be considered. 826 It's an old bugaboo, whether you're in the social work field or you're in manufacturing, that somehow organizing together so that instead of flailing wildly, you really work together. It's an old bugaboo saying that you're going to drive the company out of business. There's no 8 more truth to that in your field than in any other. Thank you, Mr. President.
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Miller.
Thank you, Mr. President. I have one question. Does the City pay the foster parents more than you're able to pay them? There hasn't been an increase since '94, correct?
Each agency has its own way of giving their foster parents a stipend. And most agencies have not increased the stipend. It 827 goes to the foster parent because they haven't gotten a rate increase from the City. Now, some agencies may have been given a slight increase or some agencies may have done a done special perk for their foster parents. But consistently, no. 8
Thank you very much. Patricia LaPera, Mary Tuff. (Mary Tuff and Bernice Cooper come forward.)
Good evening, Council President Street and ladies and gentlemen. My name is Mary Tuff. I'm with the Friends of the Free Library of Philadelphia. With me this evening is Bernice Cooper. She's a cochair of the Nicetown Tioga Friends. Mrs. LaPera was in the audience but she had to leave because of another commitment this evening. Briefly, what we would like to say is that we're very pleased that the proposed 828 operating budget will restore positions to the Library's budget. These additional staff persons are important to us as Friends, they're important to our branches. And, more importantly, they will be very crucial to the opening of new branches with the new technology and renovations. Also at this time, we'd like to thank City Council President and City Councilmembers for their support and their consideration of the $900,000 that we talked about last week. We've talked to the many of our constituents. There are many phone calls and notes, and we hope that you're receiving these as well.
Thank you very much. 16 I appreciate it. 17 Stephen Zord? Stephen Zord? 18 (Stephen Zord is not present.) 19
Well, it's too early 20 to go, so I guess we'll have to have more 21 questions for the Health Department or something. 22 Okay. Well, is there anyone here whose 23 name has not been called? 24 (No response.)
There being none, 829 this committee will stand in recess till Monday February, 23, 1998, at o'clock a.m. 4 Thank you very much. 5 (Adjourned at 8:33 p.m.) 6 - - - 7 8 9 830 C E R T I F I C A T E I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of Wednesday, February 18, 1998, were reported and accurately by us, and that this is a correct transcript of same. RE: COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE BILL NO. 980003 __________________________________, DEBRA WHITEHEAD, RPR __________________________________, JOSEPHINE CARDILLO, RPR