Committee Hearing, March 4, 2003

Get them at the door?

Yes, ma'am.

I thought I had a last question. I was wrong. The programs in the schools, are they referral programs or treatment programs?

The Student Assistance Programs are a combination of assessment that will happen in conjunction with the child, in conjunction with school personnel and engaging the families. But then that will lead to a linkage for ongoing treatment through the network of providers, community providers.

So something or someone or some mechanisms track that child and follows that child until they land in a treatment program?

Right. That's the role of the Student Assistance Liaison.

They're in all the 1431 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET schools?

They are in all the middle and high schools at this point.

And I would imagine they are linked to any one of these?

They are linked both back to Community Behavioral Health or they're aware of the network of community providers within their area.

And how old is that initiative?

That initiative has been operational since the early '90s, but this is the first year that we actually are in each and every middle school and high school.

This is the first year?

Yes. Just to clarify that, we were in 57 schools up until this year. We are now able to expand to the full 90 middle and high schools, all 90 middle and high schools.

What are you doing to measure effectiveness, things like making sure no 25 child is dropped through the system? 1432 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET

One of the things we're attempting to do with all of the contracts is develop some baseline information on, not only referral patterns, but also access to treatment. So one of the key areas that we're trying to look at in all areas of behavioral health are those linkages. Do they exist? Do they exist timely? And do they exist in a way where the individual who is referred is not coming back through other high cost services like out-of-home placement, like in-patient treatment, like hitting the emergency room? So one of the things with data that we're trying to do is coordinate the various sets of data that exist throughout the Behavioral Health System and throughout the entire provider network so that those very questions can be answered so that we can, number one, establish baseline information and then establish improvement from that baseline.

So it is a lot premature to ask you how well that's doing. I'll be curious to know and I will look to see how and if that category of service delivery to children is reported in the children's report card. I don't know yet that that category is, but I would hope 1433 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET that we can look to see where the progress is happening.

We'll make sure that that gets included in there.

Thank you very much. Thank you for testimony. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Councilman Rizzo.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Commissioner, I was out of the room for a few minutes and I would like to go back to an issue that I have an interest in. For the past years, could you provide 17 to the Chair all of the data that the Health 18 Department has accumulated in reference to the 19 smoldering fire situation in Southwest? I would 20 hope that the Health Department has knowledge today, not tomorrow, not some information that's being gathered as we speak, about the health risks as a result of those smoldering fires. Can you tell me what you know about that issue? Or who could come to the table to talk about 1434 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET what we know, what the health hazards are as a result of that ongoing situation that, I understand, has been a year situation there? 5

It's been longstanding, 6 Councilman Rizzo. This is a primary responsibility 7 in terms of the environmental impact and the health 8 impact of the State of Pennsylvania Department of 9 Environmental Protection. 10 Having said that, we get called and we 11 are concerned about what emissions we're able to 12 pick up in that community. We make periodic site 13 visits there and additional site visits when a 14 particular flare-up might occur so that we can do 15 some air monitoring in the area. 16 To date, we have not found air toxics in 17 that neighborhood resulting from that fire that are 18 related to a public health impact. We will go back 19 and get the very current data -- it changes daily -- 20 from the Department of Environmental Protection, as well as our air management services data, and get that to Council.

Commissioner, then provide a copy of the letter. I would assume that the Administration would not tolerate a situation 1435 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET like this. And I assume then somewhere in the file 3 there should be a letter similar to the one that I just wrote this week to the state asking them to deal with this issue. I don't think it's something we should just for years have accepted. 7 I wrote a letter to Secretary Whitman 8 asking to have this site considered for Superfund 9 money to get it cleaned up. We talked about a 10 tremendous undertaking here to determine what's 11 causing these fires continuously. And then when I 12 read that commercial pilots have even noticed and 13 questioned the haze on some days when the wind is 14 blowing in the right direction, and that's obviously 15 not a desirable things to have around an 16 international airport. So I would hope that we're 17 going to now do what we need to do, along with my 18 letter to Governor Whitman, asking for the 19 assistance at the federal level. But the state has 20 a responsibility here along with the City that we deal with this and get it put it out and find out what the heck is cooking there. So I'd appreciate you turning to this and putting all the resources of the Health Department in gear. I would like to see a paper 1436 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET trail of how we've dealt with that particular issue as far back as we possibly can go.

I'll provide that, Councilman. In addition, I think it's probably prime time to be able to get Cathy McGinty, who is the new Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection in Harrisburg. She is a Philadelphian. She has Philadelphia roots. Draw her attention to this just to see what more we need to do.

I wish she lived in Southwest Philadelphia. She would certainly pay a lot of attention to that issue. The other issue that I'd like to discuss with you is a significant investment of taxpayers' money. I understand and only looked quickly at the budget, so correct me if I'm wrong. Philadelphia Animal Care and Control Association, a private, non-profit, it's been created -- and I don't really understand why it was set up this way, but if it is a matter of soliciting contributions, I can understand why it was established as a non-profit. So far excessive of $5 million to establish this, $2.2 million in, I believe, in last year's budget, 1437 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET another $2.2 or $2-and-a-half million in this years' budget. So we're talking about a significant investment in an area that I think is a serious issue. You'll get some people that will snicker or laugh or think it's not appropriate to be discussing this issue, but I think it's very appropriate. Because I would hate to see nice animals -- I'm not talking about animals that are close to death or animals that are very, very sick being destroyed, but when we have pets that are given to this organization -- since the SPCA, in your testimony, indicated that they don't want to be part of that. And part of the reason that they got out of the business is because they were just euthanizing hundreds and hundreds animals a week. The reason I'm bringing it up again today is we really need to get the word out there. If there's some advertising abilities on our City channel, which our constituents are watching this as I speak, we've really got to get the word out there. I'd like to get the number of animals that are being destroyed, nice little pets that are being given up by folks that just can't manage them any longer. 1438 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET And I don't know how long we keep them before we destroy them, but another project that I would appreciate us doing all we can humanly possibly do to see that these pets at least have an opportunity. If it's a secret, there's no one going to be adopting these pets. Some mornings, on the early morning TV shows you see one of the celebrities with the little kitten or the little puppy on their lap and those dogs go like that. I suggested and you bought into it -- at least I believe you did -- that we could create on the City channel a similar adoption program where people are aware that nice pets are available. I mean, very nice pets. The private sector -- I don't want us to compete, but we will -- with the private sector you go to these little puppy stores and pet stores, they're selling pets by the dozens every day. And I think that we have an opportunity to provide pets to constituents. My question, is it limited to Philadelphians? Can anyone come? Can someone come from the suburbs and adopt a puppy or a cat or whatever? Is it limited to Philadelphians? 1439 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET

No, sir. Anyone can adopt. I'm just really heartened by your comments. I will say that no one has been a better friend of animal welfare than you have been. In my meetings with you, one of the first and usually the last item you talk with me about is just how we're doing with this animal control function. A couple things from a positive nature I can report to you, one is, I don't think there's anyone in the whole Health Department that doesn't agree wholeheartedly with what you say. If there is anyone who doesn't understand the crying need for us to be able to adopt animals, you need to come and visit us up at 115 West Hunting Park Avenue. I warn you, when you go you'll probably come out with a pet. We've got wonderful animals up there. One of the things that we've been able to show is that we can partner with a bunch of different people. Your idea, Councilman, of us getting this service and the opportunity to adopt up on the City's cable network, I've thought about that. We went back. We worked on it. Councilman, I can tell you that as of February 28th, that ad began appearing on the City channel. We're up 1440 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET there. In addition, what we've done is we've got a hold of Pet Smart, that big pet company. One of their stores right here in Philadelphia up on Cottman and the Boulevard, they've agreed to take 7 of our animals every week over into their store and 8 show them and display them. And we've got 9 tremendous response from that. 10 In fact, we've been able to demonstrate 11 that at this point in our service -- we've only been 12 in operation since September -- but we've been able 13 to adopt out 7 percent more animals than the SPCA 14 had been able to do in a comparable period. We're 15 not going to stop there. We want every adoptable animal to go out. Sadly -- and you pointed this out, Councilman -- 65 percent of the animals we get are what we call non-adoptable, and here's why. We get a lot of them that are sick. We get a lot of them that are injured. We get a lot of them that are maltreated. And that is the only humane response we can have. You talk about the pet stores and the rest of it. One of the things we want to do with 1441 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET PACCA is teach and sell responsible pet ownership. Responsible pet ownership. So we don't have the Christmas puppies. Everybody wants a puppy at Christmas. And then about two weeks after New Year's, the puppy is a liability. So we want to teach responsible ownership.

Commissioner, I really feel comfortable with your leadership on this issue and I know it's important to you. You're not just satisfying a Councilmember that has a particular love for animals. But what I envision is using that TV channel -- and I'd like you to talk to Water Revenue to see if we can't put something in the water bill, like a piggy back mailer to schedule a time, like at 2:00 in the afternoon, 8:00 p.m. at night, for people that would be interested in learning about responsible pet care and have some people -- even officers from our K-9 Unit. What a way to showcase this. Because I think that if we do a good job and we publicize it to the best of our ability, that that adoption rate next year -- because I'm going to ask you that question next year -- I think you know by now -- and I think that you're going to have more success. What would be 1442 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET greater for kids who watch this show to see a police officer that protects their City every day talking about and explaining that they take their dogs home with them. They live with their families. I think there's so many opportunities, and not expensive opportunities. We have the channel. We have the water bills, don't I know, going out every month like clock work, even during the snowstorm. So a piggy back to that, again, with an adoption program on the City's TV network, I think, could be very successful. I really would be disappointed if it didn't work.

That's an incredible idea, and we'll set about that. I think the idea f having a K-9 Officer incorporated into, that's got to be --

Don't forget the cats now. We've got to take care of the cats. So we have to figure out what we're going to do about the cats.

As a cat owner, I'd be in bad shape at home if I forgot the cats.

If you ever get a parrot, if anybody ever brings in a parrot, I'll 1443 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET adopt the parrot.

We may be giving you a call, Councilman.

Commissioner, I had a parrot. His name was Andy. He was 33 years old and he just died. I miss him terribly.

I'm sorry to hear that.

Great, great pet. I'll tell you a quick story, just to digress for a second. My mother is on the second floor. And the postman, always out of courtesy, would hand her the mail if he saw the door open. And he knocked on the door and he heard from the kitchen, wait a minute. He knocks again, wait a minute -- you know we're I'm going with this story. Half hour later, 15 minutes later -- I'm exaggerating -- my mother looks out the window and sees Charlie the mailman. She says, Charlie, what you are doing? He says, for 15 minutes you've been telling me to wait a minute. She said, that was the parrot answering you. So parrots are a lot of fun. Pets are a lot of fun. And older folks, if you get the right-sized animal, cats for people that are alone, 1444 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET they can be the best company. My mother misses that parrot terribly, so I'm working on a replacement. I hope she's the watching. Thanks a lot, Commissioner.

Thank you very much. Are there any other questions for Commissioner Domzalski and the Health Department? Finally. We thank you. The Department of Human Services is next. (Brief recess.)

Good afternoon. Thank you for your patience. The Committee is now back in Session. We will now hear from the Department of Human Services. Good afternoon, Commissioner. Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.

Good afternoon, Madam President and Members of City Council. I'm Alba Martinez, Commissioner of the Department of Human Services, and I am pleased to present the Department's Fiscal Year '04 Operating Budget 1445 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET request. I am proud of the significant progress DHS has made in the past three years, but I'm also clear that significant challenges remain to achieve the most successful, safety, permanency and well-being outcomes for our City's most vulnerable children. Our proposed budget request is designed to continue to improve on our services and our outcomes and to be on the cutting edge of service delivery. DHS's Fiscal Year '04 General Fund budget request is $599,348,000, rounded off. This represents an increase of 10 percent over the Department's Fiscal Year '03 estimated obligation of $544,596,000. 82 percent of this request will be offset by federal and state revenues. Thus, the City share of DHS expenditures will be $43,021,000. 18. 8 million for child protection and child welfare. 8 million for juvenile justice. 4 million for community based and prevention services. 4 1446 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET million for Riverview. 7 million for contract administration and program evaluation. DHS has made a very positive contribution to the financial position of our City government through aggressive revenue enhancement strategies. Since 1992, the City's contributions with DHS program costs has been reduced by 10 percent, while overall expenditures have increased 11 by 179 percent. 12 The state's use of TANF dollars to fund 13 child welfare programs has reduced the City's share 14 by reimbursing 100 percent of the cost of the 15 in-home services to eligible families, as well as 16 reimbursing for emergency shelter, juvenile 17 detention and prevention services. We expect to 18 capture $155 million in TANF funds in Fiscal Year 19 '04, further allowing us to expand services to reach 20 vulnerable children, youth and families before they 21 experience a serious crisis. 22 At the core of DHS's reform agenda is 23 the achievement of higher rates of permanency for 24 Philadelphia children who have been growing up in 25 what were intended to be temporary living 1447 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET situations, like foster care, group homes and institutions. Last August, the federal government conducted it's federal child and family service review for Pennsylvania. DHS was one of three county children and youth programs that participated in this review. The evaluation by the Feds identified strengths in the area of safety and well-being, while identifying permanency for children in DHS custody as a major area requiring improvement. The good news for us is that we were already on the way to addressing this challenge. DHS's current efforts to achieve permanency for our children and to intervene before placement is necessary are unprecedented in the history of our Department. There are three ways to achieve permanency for children in the custody of the government. Reunification, adoption or permanent legal custody. In order to achieve a higher rate of more timely permanencies, DHS has launched a major reform initiative that combines our goals of improved service delivery and increased financial 1448 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET accountability. Our performance-based contracting initiative includes our 27 major foster care agencies, each with 50 DHS children in their care at least. Performance-based contracting changes foster care services by increasing the permanency and stability expectations in exchange for granting more flexibility and more resources to our provider agencies to meet those new expectations. Under PBC, agencies that meet or exceed performance expectations will have financial and practical benefits while agencies that fall short of their contractual expectations will be subject to disincentives.

In contrast to the previous per diem system, PBC rewards providers that successfully move children to safe, permanent, living situations, rather than maintaining them in foster care. To support agencies' ability to meet these expectations, DHS is providing additional resources for emergency care, foster parent recruitment, permanency workers, after care and placement stability. Reunification is almost always the first permanency choice for children who enter our care. 1449 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET Children belong with their own families whenever it is possible, as long as they are safe. DHS is actively enhancing our services and partnerships for parents who are working towards the return of their children, including funding material needs and after care services for all children to ensure support after reunification. Of children reunified with their families, the percentage of those that went home within months of placement is steadily increasing 12 over the last three years. 5 percent of all children within 12 months. 8 percent. Now, for children who cannot be reunified safely with their families, adoption offers a second chance for a permanent family. We have had a significant increase in completed adoptions in the past year. During 2002 calendar year, 576 adoptions were finalized, up from 401 during 2001. This is an increase of 44 percent. For the close to 200 Philadelphia children who are in need of an adoptive home, but do not have one, we have significantly expanded our 1450 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET efforts to find them the family they deserve through partnerships with the Statewide Adoption Network, the National Adoption Center, and through massive outreach and media efforts. In the next few months, DHS will establish a citywide adoption and foster care information and referral line. This central point of contact will respond promptly to families' request for foster and adoptive parent information and will provide educational and resource materials to prospective parents. Now, hundreds of Philadelphia children, however, have been living in stable homes with relatives or foster parents for many months or many years. But for a number of reasons, adoption and reunification has not an option for them. Until this year, the only option for those children had been long-term foster care, known by some as foster care drift. For these children, as of January 1st, 2003, there is a third permanency option, Subsidized Permanent Legal Custodianship. This new permanency option meets the needs of those children whose relationship with their birth families should be maintained, as well as for children who do not want to be adopted. SPLC 1451 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET allows children to remain in safe, permanent homes without continued government agency involvement, but with the financial subsidies as are provided in foster care. SPLC represents a significant potential fiscal saving from the anticipated closing of cases that were open to the department solely to allow financial reimbursement for the caregivers. As PBC and SPLC, performance-based contracting and permanent legal custody are fully implemented in the coming years, we anticipate a significant climb in our permanency outcomes data. It is essential, I might add, that that permanency number increases in order to protect our continued federal investment in the City and state's child welfare agenda. In the midst of our reform efforts, it is important to note that we face new challenges. The number of abuse and neglect reports to DHS is increasing. There was a 3 percent increase from Fiscal Year '01 to Fiscal Year '02. And in the first half of Fiscal Year '03, DHS is experiencing a 12 increase in the number of reports over the same period. For Fiscal Year '03, we are projecting a 1452 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET total of 17,200 reports. In some ways, this is welcome news.

I believe that our increased presence in and accessibility to the community is contributing to the rise of reports made to the Department. As Philadelphia families begin to experience DHS as a source of assistance, rather than merely an enforcement agent, they have become more engaged in the protection of children from abuse and neglect. Our revision for reform is also founded on community partnerships. We are cultivating and sustaining an impressive number of collaborations with other public and private agencies aimed at delivering services in an expanded and user friendly way from families. In the interest of time, I will not list all of the partnerships that I was planning to list, but I will note that we have a very, very strong strategic relationship with the Behavioral Health System, which is essential, since at less 70 percent of the adults whose children come in to place, suffer from some form of substance abuse or mental health issue. We are also in partnership with the 1453 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET Health Department in their lead abatement program and also in the project designed to provide intensive nurse case management services to first-time mothers in areas where there is high rates of abuse and negative. We are in partnership with the School District, Family Court, and a network of community and faith-based organizations. With the School District and behavioral health providers, we have advised families of children with behavioral problems in over 160 elementary and middle schools. We are also engaged in after care programs for 14 youth to return to the City after delinquent 15 placement. DHS has also invested significantly in making available quality after school and youth development programs throughout the City. Early invention and more intensive services are generally managed through community-based providers under contract with us, while our primary after school and youth development prevention services are delivered through a partnership with Philadelphia Safe & Sound. In the current Fiscal Year, DHS has 1454 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET allocated over $60 million to support these children and youth programs as part of the Mayor's Children Investment Strategy. Our funding includes supporting 165 after school, youth development and Beacon programs, school-based programs that provide services to public school children with behavioral problems, school attendance improvement initiatives, parenting skill enhancement programs and delinquency prevention programs for chronic truants. We also support community family centers which, in 12 addition to youth and parenting programs, provide 13 intensive case management to families reported for 14 abuse and neglect who do not need the services from 15 a formal child protection agency, but who may need 16 assistance to stabilize a family situation to 17 prevent future entry into the child protection 18 system. 19 For Fiscal Year '04, the Department is requesting additional TANF funding from the Commonwealth to significantly enhance and expand this service network. 8 percent. For our youth in placement transitioning to adulthood, DHS, in partnership with the 1455 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET Philadelphia Work Force Development Corporation, has established the Achieving Independence Center, which is cutting edge, one-stop center located at 701 Market Street designed to help adolescents to learn the skills they need to successfully transition to independence. We offer on-site services with a strong emphasis on education, training and employment. In the last three years, we're also very proud of the inroads we've made in efforts to prevent delinquency. But in particular, I want to report here to you today the successful efforts we have made in approving the Youth Study Center operations, an issue that Council has brought up to me in the last two years of testimony and has asked me to respond to aggressively.

The responsibility to maintain safe, secure and Constitutionally acceptable conditions of confinement at the Youth Study Center, which averages 6,000 admissions a year, is an enormous undertaking. It cannot be done without a close partnership between DHS, Family Court and other stake holders in the juvenile justice system. We have been successful. 1456 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET For example, there has been a significant reduction in the average daily population of the Youth Study Center. In Fiscal Year '03, we have seen the lowest daily population in the building's 51-year history. For the first seven months of Fiscal Year '03, average daily population has been below its licensed capacity of 105 and it is projected to be at 90 for the year. In addition to working on population reduction, we have devoted considerable time over the past year implementing management initiatives to reduce overtime. 5 days per employee in 2002. Maintaining adequate staffing levels along with new training has improved safety and reduced the number of serious incidents involving both staff and residents. 1 per 1,000 days in '02. The number of youth requiring one-to-one supervision by staff, which significantly contributed to overtime, was reduced from 10 per day in '01 to per day in the first half of '03. 8 million, from $ 4 million in the last year. 2 million that we saved and we were able to reinvest in other critically needed City programs and services. The State Department of Public Welfare conducted its annual licensure of the Youth Study Center in April of 2002 and said it was the best inspection in the last years. 12 We also underwent our audit by the 13 American Correctional Association in October 2002 14 and have become the only fully accredited juvenile 15 detention in Pennsylvania. The Children and Youth Division from DHS also completed its annual licensure evaluation by DPW and we once again received full licensure. An important reform area for CYD area and a challenge that we are taking on very aggressively is improving the way that we take reports of abuse and neglect. We prioritize reports for investigation and we divert those cases that are better served outside the formal system. We have created a new information assessment and referral services to 1458 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET handle all incoming reports of child abuse and neglect and to do the appropriate screening and differential responsive reports. We also are, therefore, allowing intake and investigations to focus exclusively on doing investigations. m. shift for 9 receiving and responding to abuse and neglect 10 reports. This means that Philadelphia has joined 11 the other large cities in the country by having a 12 live child abuse and neglect protection system 24, 7. The prior system was a non-call stand by report where employees took reports from their homes. In April, we also added three specialized sex abuse investigation units to handle all reports of child sexual abuse and, therefore, we are building a deeper level of expertise and quality in the Department. Lastly, an important principle of our reform agenda is to be accessible and effective at sharing critical information within our system and with our clients and citizens. We have recently developed and launched an extraordinary resource that will be available to all government staff and 1459 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET also citizens which is called Philly SOS, Search On-line for Services. This is a Web-based searchable community resource database that will allow us to connect our clients with services instantaneously all over the City. We also launched a parenting public awareness campaign in February advertising services for people to call to get immediate help when they need services to support them in their parenting and to prevent crisis situations from getting worse. We've distributed 100,000 copies of Helping Hands, the first citywide parenting resource directory throughout Philadelphia.

We have an Internet and a Web site on the Internet and 14 publications to inform Philadelphia families about important services and resources they need. We've had many accomplishments, but our work continues to be urgent as we face many challenges. The number of out-of-state placement is an example of a major challenge. We have 311 dependent and delinquent youth placed outside of Pennsylvania. These out-of-state placements must be drastically reduced for several reasons. Families must be involved with their children while they are 1460 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET in placement. Youth experience additional difficulties when they transition back to the City and to school from out of state. And these placements are typically much more expensive than local placement. In January 2003, we implemented a new treatment foster care service designed to meet the complex needs of youth that have in the past been placed in out-of-state facilities. This is an example of the initiatives we're undertaking to reduce the problem of children residing in out-of-state placements. Philadelphia deserves the best Department of Human Services possible. Our department has made great strides toward greater accountability, accessibility, integration and excellence and we remain committed to reach an even higher quality of service for the most vulnerable children and families in our City. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your concern and support of our mission. Together we must and we will make Philadelphia the safest and most hospitable City for children to grow and succeed. I welcome and look 1461 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET forward to your questions and comments.

Thank you very much. Commissioner, you mentioned that your department receives approximately $155 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. What is a family's eligibility criteria, and are there time limitations?

There are no time limits on how long clients can receive TANF services through the child welfare system. And I will ask our Finance Director, John Zanier, to address the question of eligibility.

I'm John Zanier, Fiscal Director. The eligibility requirement for a family of 4 is 4 times the poverty level, so that would be for a family of 4 in Philadelphia, any family that would want services that are under $72,000 a year will be eligible for this program. It goes up 17,000 per family member.

So a family of 4's income --

Under $72,000 will be 1462 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET eligible for this program. And as a family's numbers increases, the dollars amount increases by $17,000.

Philadelphia, President Verna, was very involved in negotiating the eligibility criteria for TANF in child welfare and we were able to get a very high eligibility threshold in order, again, to advance the interests of the City.

How is this funding stream impacted by welfare reform? MS MARTINEZ: Well, the TANF resources come from the original changes in welfare reform in 1996 and the states have flexibility to submit a plan to the federal government. First and foremost, TANF funds have to be used to help transitioned families that were formerly on AFDC off of welfare. But because the numbers have dropped of people receiving cash assistance, they were able to reinvest their TANF money in other types of initiatives. And in the State of Pennsylvania they decided to put into child welfare and juvenile justice services and to prevention services. And they're going to, I think, 1463 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET release some TANF money in the next year for some housing assistance as well. So there really is no 4 impact. It comes from the same part of money, but the state is reinvesting it in different ways because they have more of it than they have needed for cash assistance.

Thank you. On page eight of the Five-Year Plan, it mentions Super waiver to TANF, which could potentially be used by states to redirect the funding for other purposes, such as highways. Could you explain the Super waiver procedure?

Sounds very exciting, but I'm not responsible for that part of the Plan, so I'd have to defer to someone in Budget.

On page eight of the Five-Year Plan --

I assume that that's not in the DHS section, so while I read it, I can't explain the project. Here comes our super Budget Director.

Not so super on this one. I'll have to get back to you on that with the explanation. 1464 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET

It doesn't sound kosher. If, in fact, our allocation of TANF dollars are reduced, what happens to the programs they funded? If we're going to be declaring Super waivers for the highways, what happens to the programs that we have been funding?

Well, obviously, if we receive a reduction in TANF money or in any other source of funding, the Department would have to take a step back and reevaluate our priorities and reconfigure our budget. We are not anticipating in the next Fiscal Year that the total dollars of TANF that are set aside for child welfare, juvenile justice and prevention will change. We are uncertain about whether our request for an increased amount of TANF will be granted. But we feel pretty confident that we will receive the same amount at least as of last year.

Okay. And on pages six and seven of your testimony, you highlight $31 million in additional TANF funds you are requesting for FY '04. Would you supply us with the eligibility criteria for these initiatives, the locations that will be used to service the clients, 1465 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET and how they were decided?

The eligibility for those services is the same as for any other service in which we use TANF funding. And I will introduce David Fair, Director of Community Based Prevention Services, to help address how our priorities were arrived at.

My name is David Fair. I'm the Director of Community Based Prevention Services at DHS. In terms of the level of detail that you've asked for for $31 million, we'll have to provide that to you separately. But basically, the investment is mostly about enhancing or expanding the resources that we currently are dedicating to prevention services. That includes after school and youth development programs, family center programs, truancy prevention programs, our parenting collaborative, which is dedicated to helping people enhance their parenting skills. We have a school-based case management program that works with the Student Assistance Program that some of the Council were asking about when the Health Department was testifying. And we have programs called 1466 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET Compromised Caregiver Programs. These are more intensive, home-visiting-based programs that are targeting families that are at a great risk of losing their kids to our system because of some difficulties the caregivers are having. The Nurse Family Partnership, which was also referred to in the Health Department's testimony for the first-time mothers in North Philadelphia is funded through TANF funding that's awarded through our Compromised Caregivers Programs. We also have programs targeting substance abusing mothers and parents with mental retardation. Basically, we determine our priorities on the basis of what indicators in the community that we think identify families that are at higher risk of potential involvement in the child protection or juvenile justice systems. We try to target our services so that we can help those families before their needs get to the extent that we actually need to accept them formerly into our system.

Thank you very much. Commissioner, what is the status of the 1467 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET Youth Study Center Replacement Project?

We have been working very closely with the Capital Programs Office in identifying potential sites around the City that would be suitable. We went through a very professional, careful, deliberate process to do a needs assessment since we know that this facility is likely to be with us for many, many years into the future and we have a space plan based on best practice. We also looked at facilities around the country. We are interested in two sites that we believe would be ideal for the Youth Study Center.

Are you at the liberty to tell us where these sites are located? If you'd rather not, just say it.

Well, it's been in the newspaper. I'm not sure what the right thing to do is for Capital Programs.

I don't remember seeing it.

They've been in the press. I certainly will say that they're in West Philadelphia and they are an ideal location. They're an ideal location. And we are working with 1468 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET our Councilwoman in the district and with the owners of these properties to try to make the deal happen as quickly as possible. We have the money set aside. We have the best Youth Study center in terms of its operations in history. The property values around the Youth Study Center right now have gone up by 187 percent in the last years. The fact that 9 the Youth Study Center would be a hardship to any 10 neighborhood is an absolute myth. It's an absolute myth. And what we're hoping to do is to find partners in that neighborhood that will give us the land we need to have the best Youth Study Center in the country. We have a very, very well-run Youth Study Center. We need an appropriate site. We believe that that site, based on Best Practice, will also save the City money. We've demonstrated that we have brought the cost down and improved the management. This site will truly be a benefit to the children who are served there and also to our City.

When did this article appear in the paper? Because I'm going to have to go back to previous editions to find out where the locations are. 1469 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET

Well, they're in West Philadelphia around 48th, 49th Street. It's been reported in the Daily News approximately three months ago.

Well, if it's reported in the paper, why can't you tell us where they are?

I don't remember the exact addresses. I can definitely get them to you. Council President Verna, I think the issue is that we want to be very, very respectful of the community process. And we're really in preliminary --

You will send us the locations in writing, please.

Of course, we will share all that information with Council. Of course, we will.

Thank you very much. Commissioner, on pages 44-9 of your detail, it shows that you were budgeted for 1,943 full-time positions in FY '03, yet you only filled 1,750 as of November '02. Why are you carrying so many vacancies? 1470 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET

We are in a situation in the City where we are slowing hiring across the board in order to address, of course, what we all know are important City financial needs. At DHS, when I became Commissioner three years ago, we had an even worse situation in relationship to the numbers of vacancies we've had. We've been very successful at recruiting new social workers, because that is not the only priority for DHS, but a huge priority for DHS. And to give you an example, when I started at DHS in the year 2000 we had approximately 480 social workers. And today we have approximately 540 social workers. But we lose between 80 and 100 social workers a year. So we've hired over 300 social workers in the last three years to not only keep pace with attrition, but to bring the numbers of social workers up. It is, as you know, not easy to go through the hiring and recruitment process in the City.

Can you tell us what the funding source of the vacancies is, please?

It's 40 percent federal, 1471 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET 40 percent state, percent City. 3

So the City is 4 only saving 20 percent of all of those vacancies? 5

Well, that's correct. 6 But what I was explaining is that we've been very 7 aggressive in our hiring for social workers. We've 8 hired close to 300 social workers in the last three 9 years, but our net gain is 70 social workers over 10 where we started because of the high rate of 11 turnover. 12 The reason why we have that high number 13 of positions authorized is because we have a 14 commitment from the state to allow us to lower our 15 case loads as we can bring the number of social 16 workers up. Our case loads are gradually coming 17 down. The average case load in case-carrying 18 positions is 21.52. And we have the authority and 19 the support of the state to bring them down to 15, 20 if we are able to get there. Now, it's not 15 children. It's 15 families. So we have many, many children in those case loads. We are committed to continuing to work our way down in terms of case loads. Our permanency reform agenda will help us do that. 1472 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET We do have a significant number of vacancies and we are being very careful about filling those vacancies, though, because even though it is cents of City dollars, we are not of the 6 belief that we should fill positions unless we 7 absolutely need them. The process for hiring is 8 slow, and so that impacts on our ability to hire 9 employees also. 10

Point of information. 11

The Chair 12 recognizes Councilman Rizzo. 13

Commissioner, when we 14 don't fill a position that has got federal and state 15 funding, what happens with that funding? Because 16 that might be shortsighted not to fill positions 17 that are being federally funded and state funded. 18 Since our contribution is such a small 19 piece of it, what happens when we don't take 20 advantage of that funding?

We are able to re-program to other categories including by coming before City Council and requesting intergovernmental transfers. The money can be shifted to other expenditures.

I'm not talking about 1473 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET City money. I'm talking about the federal money and the state money. I'd like to see something that indicates that we have not lost that opportunity. In fact, I'd like to see something directed to the Chair to assure me that our not filling these positions is putting us in a position where we are losing state and federal money. Because we're saving percent of that funding by not filling 10 those positions. So I would like to be real 11 confident that is not occurring. 12

Absolutely. We can 13 reprogram, and we do reprogram state and federal 14 money to areas of priority. I will say that we have 15 an exemption in terms of the hiring freeze for 16 social workers and youth detention counselors. So 17 under no circumstances are we slowing that hiring 18 down. Where we are part of the hiring freezes when 19 we talk about clerical and administrative positions 20 and it's not that we're not being allowed to hire them. It's that we have to go through a process to justify each position and that slows down the process. But I will say this, Councilman, DHS, when I became Commissioner, used to turn back a lot 1474 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET of money to state and federal government -- well, to the state government, and not anymore. We are truly learning how to spend, but doing so responsibly also.

Commissioner, when you say that you can reprogram money -- and again I'm not suggesting this, but I have to say it. I hope this wouldn't be a strategy to not fill these positions to reprogram money to pet projects. I'm not suggesting you do that.

Well, that's a good idea. I hadn't thought about that. No, absolutely not. Our books are open. We run a huge system that is about mandates. It's about life and death. I guarantee you, it's not about that.

Commissioner, don't even think about it.

Absolutely not.

But my point is, I'm fairly familiar with the way federal money flows. And when you say, reprogram, that scares me. Because it's very difficult to reprogram money that's been committed for specific programs, and state money. So I'd like to see something in 1475 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET writing to support the fact that we're able to reprogram that money and that we're not turning state and federal money back.

Absolutely. I will give you one example of what I did in the year 2000, 2001. When I came to DHS, with the help of our staff, I realized that there was money that we were going to give back to the state and not spend after really making a big effort to get it, and that compromised our credibility with the state when we went and asked for an increase. They said, well, why are you asking for more money, if you don't spend what we give you on legitimate priority areas. So one of the projects that we worked on was on one-time capacity building grants for provider agencies. Many of these provider agencies had no 20 computers. They have furniture for kids. They do visitations with children. They had furniture for children that was falling apart. If they had a group home, the place was not in the kind of condition that we would want to place our own children in. So by doing one-time capacity building 1476 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET grants, we did not carry over the expense into the next year, but we were able to increase the quality of the services of our providers. We made them justify and prioritize, also allow them to use money for training. And then the next year that money was not encumbered for that kind of service. That's what we do. And, Councilman, I assure you, and I want to assure all Members of City Council here today, that the books of DHS, as you know -- and they have to be -- are always open. We really are very proud of the fact that we work really, really hard to put our money where our priorities and mandates are at.

We're going to start our first go around. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.

Thank you, Madam President. Good morning, Commissioner, and to your team. You may have heard in the testimony of the Health Department of the concerns raised about the gap of services in West, Southwest and West 1477 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET Philadelphia. And on page five of your testimony, you speak to 160 elementary and middle schools that are benefiting from Behavioral Health Services provider activities. Of this 160, are any of them in those sections of Philadelphia?

My name is David Fair, Director of Community Based and Prevention Services for DHS. All of the elementary and middle schools in Southwest and West Philadelphia, the former Bartram and West Philadelphia clusters have one of these school-based case managers. Some of them have part-time people, especially the middle schools where the Student Assistance Program already has somebody dedicated.

I did not hear the tail end of your testimony.

I'm sorry. The Student Assistance Program, which is run through the Behavioral Health System, has staff now in all of the middle schools. So what we have done is redirected some of the staff that we have in the middle schools so that they're only part time there and they're shared with other schools. 1478 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET

All right. nine of your testimony, you talk about your 215 Parents' Telephone Line. In Commissioner Domzalski's testimony around home visits to new mothers, that new initiative, I'm curious to know if the 215 Parents' Telephone Line is armed with the kind of information needed for first-time mothers who call in? Is it comprehensive in nature in terms of information provided?

Absolutely. The 215 Parents' was originally established to help people connect to the support groups that DHS itself was providing to families seeking reunification with the implementation of the Parenting Collaborative. And adding 70 new community-based parent skills enhancement programs, as well as our support for programs like the First Time Mothers Program, that 215 Parents' Line has become more of a full-fledged hotline where people can basically connect to pretty much any service they want. Next year, the plan is to expand the capacity of that line, as well as to expand our support for Health Department home visiting programs 1479 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET so that we can more directly link families that call us through the hotline. There's a lot of services that, if we fund them, we can directly connect a person to them. If we don't fund them, then we just get on the list. We refer them and we can't guarantee the service. So in the future we're trying to make sure that priority is given to the services that we can directly access. Commissioner Martinez mentioned the Searching On-line for Services database. That database was originally tested in our division because we have the most pressing need, really, to know where all those community services are, all of the information that's in our Helping Hands directory and all of the information that is in that database. And we're in the process now of getting other databases. The Choice Hotlines database, the AIDS hotline database, the Where to Turn directory database from the United Way. And all of that information will be integrated into the Searching On-line for Services database, so that not only will all the people who answer 215 Parents', but the parent themselves who has Internet access would be able to get that information. 1480 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET

I know that the DHS is rich with brochures that speak to the service that you're providing. Might you have one on the 215 Parents' Hotline?

Yes. We have a guide called Helping Hands and we've distributed 100,000 of those already all over the City. And they have over 100 parenting programs, including the 47 programs of DHS, plus our family centers. But in addition to that, we went through a very, very comprehensive process with PCCY and Safe & Sound to capture information about all parenting programs in the City. Because what I found coming into DHS, is that there was no vehicle for parents in crisis to get help when they needed it, unless the crisis was really, really severe. And that was not obviously in the best interest of our City. So we have them. And it's so popular that we are about to publish our third edition. And each one of them costs a dollar, so they're expensive. But it's a dollar well spent on our citizens because it gives them programs all over the City by Zip code.

I am very familiar 1481 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET with that. Are the linkages with the School District at all levels to make sure that School District staff and personnel and parents and Parent Advisory Councils across the board are aware of that kind of information? It's so important.

I will ask Director Fair to speak to what the collaborations are between DHS and the School District. But when you asked the question, are there linkages at all levels, absolutely not. There are not linkages at all levels. I think that that's why, while I'm very proud of accomplishments that DHS has made as a system, I also have to be very, very clear that we face enormous challenges. And part of our agenda is about integration of systems and coordination of systems. The School District is a huge bureaucracy that's been through a whole lot of change, as we know. DHS, also. And the collaborations are not as good as we want them to be. We have a number of things that are working well. And DHS, for example, is now putting staff to be focused exclusively on being liaisons with the School District to troubleshoot cases to prevent 1482 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET children from falling through the cracks. But we do have a number of really good partnerships, but I wouldn't call it collaboration at all levels. I would like David to talk about what we are doing, which is more than we had before.

About a third of those 100,000 copies of the Helping Hands directory that the Commissioner mentioned were actually distributed through the schools, through those Parent Advisory Councils and the Home and School Associations and with the school-based case managers that we have in those schools. The interesting thing about the calls that come in to the 215 Parents' Line from schools is that many of those calls, probably a third of those calls, come from staff that we have placed in the school buildings. Because they're coming from our system and so they're more aware of resources than an overworked counselor would be or a teacher or a principal might be. And that's one of the resources we provide for them is to help them link their families to community-based services. We also have been working very closely with Mr. Vallas and the members of his staff about 1483 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET the development of the Cradle to the Classroom approach which he's trying to implement for next school year. That approach really builds on what's apparently being done for the Project Elect Model on a smaller scale, which serves about 500 or 600 pregnant or parenting teens in the School District. Our data shows that there's about 1,500 pregnant and parenting teens that are in the middle schools and the high schools. And only about a third of them are participating in Project Elect, which is the School District's parenting program. We're hoping, depending, again, on the allocation from the state on TANF money -- please make phone calls -- that we will be able to partner with the School District on Cradle to the Classroom so that while they will handle the work that's done in the school building, while the kids are going to school, that we would be picking up a lot of the support for the community-based mentors that are connected to these teens and that go with them to school, that participate in the school day with them, but also are able to visit them at home. It's sort of a version, an enhanced version of the Parents as Teachers Model. 1484 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET The combination of the home visiting component and the school-based programs, I think, is very exciting in terms of being able to get those kid back to school. About a third of those 1,500 that are being served by Elect, about a third are not even going to school. And the other third are going to school and nobody's paying attention to them. Our goal is to identify and partner with all 1,500 of those families next year. The overall cost savings of that over time will be, I think, very easily measurable, since many, many of these families end up getting reported to DHS simply because the teen parent is often overwhelmed and doesn't have support. So we're working very closely with the School District on that. We've also been training our providers, our 70 providers in a particular model called, "I Can Problem Solve," which the School District has been investing in for the elementary schools. So all of our providers are getting people trained in that model, so that they're prepared when a school calls them and says that they want some help for a particular parent, the School District is basically 1485 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET asking us to start with this particular approach because it will help the parents learn how to support their kids, in terms of their school performance.

I see. I would imagine my time is up, correct, Madam President?

Yes.

Regrettably, I have to step away from the hearings temporarily, but one of my colleagues will be posing questions around contracting, what's working, what's not working, where you are, where you may not be. And I join in that voice with the concerns expressed with contracting with my colleagues.

Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.

Thank you, Madam President. Commissioner, good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

Let me just ask one quick question with regard to the testimony, and a comparable page, I believe it's eight in the 1486 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET Five-Year Plan. Riverview Home, I notice in the Plan we're talking about -- it's not eight. It's 162, rather. Tell me, why are we still in this business?

Well, I would like to call up my colleague, Rob Hess, since the management responsibility of Riverview was transferred over to OESS a couple years ago.

My name is Rob Hess, Deputy Managing Director for Special Needs Housing. Councilman, in answer to your question, I would say that we are in the business of Riverview Home because to this point it has been the best alternative for folks that need this type of care and can't afford it.

What type of care do they receive?

Essentially, personal care, boarding home care. We do have, through the Health Department, medical services on site. There is recreational therapy and a variety of other support services on site, in addition to housing.

Well, I am sure their care is of highest quality as a municipal 1487 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET government, but are you saying that no one else provides this type of service anywhere in the City besides the City government?

There are certainly personal care boarding homes across the City that do provide similar care. Most of the personal care boarding homes require income. And so, many of the folks that end up coming to Riverview Home, come without income. There is a benefits unit on site that can often assist them in getting income, entitlement income. And once they have that, they may be able to move to other personal care boarding homes in the City, or they may stay at Riverview Home and pay a significant portion of that to support their living there.

What's the difference between your calling personal care and either a nursing home or independent living or continuum of care? Why is this so unique or different?

It has to do with the level of care that's actually provided at the facility. Under the state rules, there are certain 1488 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET requirements for personal care boarding homes that are much more stringent requirements in terms of level of service for, say, nursing home care.

But the Five-Year Plan says that you're looking to phase out Riverview. So apparently, some decision has been made that we're getting out of this business.

Well, we're going to look at it. Over the next Fiscal Year, there will be no 11 change in service at Riverview Home. The budget stays approximately the same. The only really change is our target will be a daily census average of 240, versus about the 260 residents we have there today. We will be looking hard at what the community-based options are. We want to be sure that people eventually move from Riverview Home, that they move into high quality and appropriate housing options in the community, which is actually one of the disadvantages of Riverview being out on State Road separated from the community and kind of surrounded by prisons. So we're going to look at other options. Ultimately --

I hate to cut across 1489 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET you, but I don't get the impression from the Five-Year Plan that it sounds like something that you're just kind of thinking about in the context of, you know, let's sit around and think about a few things. The Five-Year Plan says, by FY '08, all of the City's funding will go towards care in the community and Riverview Home will be closed. I think that's a little more than just thinking about it. I mean, we've got a statement here saying that the place is going to close in five years. Sounds like it's closing.

I think a lot can happen in the next several years. We need to know, first of all, that there are appropriate community placements for the residents that are currently at Riverview Home. We're not there yet. So I think it's a little premature for us to say that it's absolutely going to close. On the other hand, I do think for the reasons we've already mentioned --

Well, Mr. Hess, I didn't write the Five-Year Plan. I'm just reading what's in the document. So, someone decided.

I think the decision is based on our belief that kind of running an institution is 1490 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET not what we'd like to do. We would really like to be able to place people in community-based placements that are appropriate and high quality. The question will ultimately become whether those placements exist.

Okay. I appreciate that. Commissioner, -78. Now, I've not seen this in any other department over the past two weeks, so it actually stands out rather glaringly. Do you have a budget book available?

Yes.

What I don't understand is, at the top of the section, it reads, Minor Object Code and it gives you 250, 251, 253, and then, name of contractor or provider. Now, what I do not understand in this section of the budget book, which is distinguished from all the other departments who have come before us so far, is you have no names of any contractors or providers and have grouped them together by category. So now I am not able to have a full and complete discussion of your budget because you have not provided the appropriate and required 1491 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET information in order for me to understand who it is that you're contracting with. I mean, adoptions is not a name of a contractor or provider, unless you want to correct me for the record. Or youth development or family development or communications or staff and program development. This is a budget. So I'd like to know the names of the contractors or providers in question. Can you provide us with that information?.

Absolutely, Councilman. They are available and we can have them at your desk this afternoon. These are basically aggregate numbers in certain categories of contracting because of the size of our budget and our contracts, but we do have the detail and we can make it available to you immediately.

Well, I can certainly appreciate that. And I know you have a lot of contractors or providers. I can't imagine that the Budget Office would have a problem with those contracts being listed here in the budget book. And if it resulted in five, 10 more pages of budget document, I mean, they're already pretty 1492 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET large, and they give us two of them, so what's another pages among friends. 4 It is impossible, though, to understand 5 what's going on here without that information, or to 6 even get it at a subsequent context because, one, 7 your portion of the hearing will be over and I have 8 no ability, then, to ask questions with regard to 9 the specific contractors or providers as we've had 10 that opportunity with every other department. Who decided to print the book this way?

I'd like to ask our Finance Director to assist in answering this question. But I do want to say, Councilman, that we will provide the information, and, of course, I am available to meet with you anytime or to come back in front of the entire Council, if needed, to answer specific questions about contracts. And I apologize for the inconvenience.

Councilman, the way we've grouped these categories is for space reasons. We have a complete list. We can give it to right now, if you'd like to take a look at it. It's probably, like, two inches and that's why we didn't list all the contracts out. There's $500 million worth of 1493 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET contracts.

That's kind of why I'd like to see the detail.

You can have it now.

Well, fine, why don't we go through it. Tell me who is in the adoptions category for $3.1 million? Do you have another one of these? Do you have an extra one? Well, we have a brand-new copy machine right in the back there.

The adoptions contracts, Councilman, are given to Diakon Social Ministries. It's $2.9 million to support the Statewide Adoption Network. And Diakon Social Ministries is a custodian of these resources and they are paid out to licensed adoption agencies as they complete specific adoption tasks. In other words, Diakon holds the money and pays it out to provider agencies when they earn the money. And that is an arrangement that is set up with the state because Philadelphia has so many adoptions that it goes through. The state passes the lump sum to the City. The City contracts with Diakon and then Diakon does business directly with 1494 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET the adoption providers.

Commissioner, did I understand you to say earlier -- or it may have been the gentleman -- and I didn't catch his name. Your total amount of contracts is, did you say $600 million worth of contracts?

$490 million.

Who else is in the adoptions category? MS MARTINEZ: We have Lutheran Children and Family Services and Bethanna as providers of pre and post-adoption support services. Those contracts are significantly smaller because the big pay out for adoption services goes through Diakon, which, again, is the custodian of all the funding.

So it sounds like you had three contracts, the total of which is the $3.1 million?

Yes, Councilman.

Councilman Ortiz asked the question, who is Diakon? Where are they located?

Tell me who they are.

Please identify 1495 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET yourself for the record.

I'm Cheryl Ransom, Deputy Commissioner for DHS. They are the organization that has been selected by the state to administer the Statewide Adoption Network System for Pennsylvania. They're located in Harrisburg, and that's in Pennsylvania, and they subcontract with all of the counties in terms of administering the state's adoption system. So the state actually selected that provider.

You still didn't tell me who they are. You told me that they are located in Harrisburg. Who are they?

They're a non-profit organization. They have expertise in doing adoption work. They also do child welfare services for children in the counties.

I'm highly interested in adoption.

Do you have specific questions?

I have two kids. They're good enough questioning.

The service that Diakon 1496 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET provides for DHS and for other counties relate to paying for home studies for training and certification of prospective adoptive parents. And all of those steps in the process cost money and the providers bill for them once they are completed. So Diakon provides that service across the state. And they have been doing this work prior to my arrival as Commissioner, so I've met the leadership, but I don't honestly know a whole lot about the details of the organization. They were selected by the state and they operate more as an umbrella type of organization. It's a very highly regulated area, of course, as it should be, the adoption approval system.

Are these state funds or City General Fund dollars?

100 percent state funds.

Let's talk about family development, $7.1 million; programs that provide family reunification, placement, diversion, shelter services, crises intervention, visitation and other services.

The department has a primary mission of safety and permanency for 1497 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET children that come into our care. That mission is achieved in a number of different ways. We spend a significant amount of dollars for placement of children. But we also spend a significant amount of dollars for supervision and support of families where children are still with their parents, but where there is a level of risk. What these family development and support programs allow us to do is to work with families where there is risk, but it's not at point where we've had to remove children from their homes. And the department, over the past three years, has been very careful and strategic and thoughtful about investing in Best Practice models. One of our major investments is in a type of program called Family Preservation. Family Preservation is a very intensive short-term service for families, to keep them together and to then to bring about stability where there is a crisis. And once Family Preservation Services are complete, often we follow-up those service with additional services that are less intensive, but are more long term. In addition to that kind of model, the department is investing in other types of programs 1498 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET that, again, focus on working with families where there is risk of abuse and neglect and, in some cases, high risk of abuse and neglect, but not sufficiently high risk to remove the children. And we have a wide network of providers all over the City who do this type of work for us.

So who are the contractors or providers under this Family Development contract?

African American Interdenominational Ministry, Asociacion De Puertorriquenos En March, Carson Valley, Catholic Charities, CAACY, Congreso, Cornell Abraxas, Caring People Alliance, Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, Intercultural Family Services, Jewish Family and Children Services, Lutheran Children and Family Services, MANNA, Philadelphia Children's Alliance. We have a contract with PHMC that serves as a management entity for our Parenting Collaborative, which has 70 parenting skills enhancement programs, and those are listed in this list that we have given you. SCAN, which is Supportive Child and 1499 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET Adult Network, Tabor.

Are these providers selected based on geography or where you determine the greatest need to be? Is there a citywide coverage by the providers? Can you give us a map of their coverage areas?

We will be happy to provide a map.

Or number of people served?

We don't have it right now. Absolutely. We can do that. There are a number of different ways that these providers have come to be at DHS providers. First of all, many, many of them, the majority of these providers have been doing business with the City of Philadelphia and with DHS for many years, way before I became Commissioner. And they are chosen and have been chosen through competitive processes, the Request for Proposal, or RFQs, Request for Qualifications, sometimes we call it that, but it's the same thing. On an annual basis many of these providers get continued based on their prior year's 1500 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET performance. And also their contracts can be increased or decreased based on their performance because they get monitored on an annual basis by our Contract Administration Program Evaluation Unit. We also occasionally target providers due to their expertise. If we're looking for a type of provider or service and there's only one or two providers that do that, then we do a targeted RFP to a provider. Occasionally providers solicit us and they write to us and tell us about their interest in a particular area, so we will put them on a list for future reference. But mostly, Councilman, we choose providers based on a competitive process. Or if they've been a provider, then they get renewed into the next year unless we have a major problem with them. We also sometimes enter into contracts with providers under court order. When there is a need and the court requires us to contract with someone, we really don't have a choice. We have to contract with providers.

Commissioner, how many people in the City are provided service through 1501 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET DHS?

We have approximately 8,000 children in placement and we serve thousands upon thousands of children in community-based settings.

I wanted to get a sense of the magnitude of the people out of our million-and-a-half population who are somehow part of or touched by this system.

20,000 children receive in-home services from the Department. 8,000 children are in placement, which means out of home care, in our legal and physical custody. And in the Prevention Division, we serve many thousands more. We definitely struggle with counting those numbers, but the impact is huge, is enormous and is across the City.

Since many of the prevention services are relatively new, we were able to establish them with a Web-based data collection system for people to report what they're doing. And at this point there's about 75,000 unduplicated families that are in that database. And that includes everything from a kid who's in a drill team 1502 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET where we're giving a $5,000 mini grant, to more intensive kinds of services so they're not all getting an equal amount of services. But there are 75,000 families that are touched in some way or another by the investments we make in prevention services.

Now, does prevention services include all the other components?

It doesn't include the Child Protection services.

It doesn't include the 20? It doesn't include the 8?

No. 15

So we're talking maybe a 100,000 families in Philadelphia are somehow a part of the larger DHS system?

I think the way to think about it is that we invest in services for about a 100,000 families. They're not really part of the DHS system, the ones that we serving. We're trying to keep them out of the DHS system.

Well, I understand that. But they're touched by it or have contact with it in some way, shape or form? 1503 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET

Yes. And we should keep in mind that at least of half of them would be children attending an after school or youth development program. So it depends on your definition of what a service is.

I understand. There are about 500,000 households in the City. I'm just trying to get a sense of the magnitude of engagement.

If I could also just point out, that when in comes to the prevention services, we do use fairly sophisticated mapping software to figure out where are the best places to target these services. So we're much more likely to be investing more significant amounts of money in communities where there's a higher rate of abuse and neglect reports or higher rates of infant mortality, depending on the service that we do.

Commissioner, I need you to explain -- obviously, it's important to get information out about the services and the multiple services and units and programs and the like. I do need you to explain your communications budget in the contract area. 1504 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET In FY '02, you have $1.9 million budgeted, and I will assume spent, for communications. In the current Fiscal Year, that's $1.8. And you're proposing next year, $1.2. What have all these communication services been, and who have those contracts been with? MS MARTINEZ: The Department of Human Services, as you are all well aware, is one of the largest departments in the City. And three years ago, it was one of the most distrusted departments in the City. It was a department that struggled with having a tough relationship with, not only its clients, with public at large and with external stakeholders. For DHS to achieve it's mission, it has to be accessible. It has to be accountable. And it has to be able to connect with its constituency quickly and also connect clients to services that they need. It's not only the good thing to do. It's our responsibility under the law and I want to explain why that is. The biggest investment in DHS is with kids that are in the abuse and neglect system. We're investing in prevention to try to keep kids out of the system and we're investing in juvenile 1505 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET justice. But the bulk of the expenditures are in abuse and neglect. Under the law, DHS has to make reasonable efforts to prevent placement, have to make reasonable efforts to reunify children with their families. We also have a mandate to provide child protection through the county hotline. We're the only entity in the City providing services to children, protective service to children. And the way for people to report abuse and neglect that gives the City the power to intervene is through a Child Abuse Hotline, which is 683 - in addition to that, we have case load caps and we have a situation where the case loads at DHS high and case load staffing was low and when case loads are high and staffing is low children can be endangered. Our communication strategy is not PR; it's about achieving our mission. And I want to tell you it's been expensive and I had no idea how much it was going to cost to do this. I was charged by the Mayor and City Council to turn DHS around. I thought million in making accessible 1.2 accessible to the public and increasing our effectiveness in a budget of $500 million, $550 1506 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET million was not a large expenditure. And we have the result that show that our investments were well worth it. For example, in staff recruitment, Councilman, we had to put a couple hundred thousand dollars into spreading the word DHS is hiring. As I mentioned, we hired 300 social workers in 3 years with a net gain of 70. We loss them so many times. The work is so hard and in an organization where everybody promotes within, you constantly have turnover. We had to put the money out in hiring. We had to set up central personnel to basically meet our demands. In addition, we invested a significant amount of resources in the creation of a parenting services network and in the dissemination of information to parents about that parenting services network.

Let's go back to the earlier part. I need you to tell me in a little more detail what all this communication has been. What's the form of it? What type of communication are we talking about? How are you getting, quote/unquote, the word out? And who is providing these services?

Absolutely. We use a 1507 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET number of strategies that get repeated again and again. One is to develop publications, create information that we need to get into the hands of the public. So far we have 14. Be happy to make them available to you.

Fourteen --

Fourteen publications of a number of different types, including, for example -- I mean, it's hard for me to memorize all of these things, but none existed. Basically, nothing existed at DHS to really get the word out to people who are entitled to information. Number 1, our parenting guide, Helping Hands; 100,000 have already gone out, 100,000. I had never expected that it was going to be seized up as much as it has. Number 2, we've published guides for families to teach them how navigate family court.

Who publishes all this material?

DHS publishes it. I mean, we basically work through a number of contractors, including Keel Communications to do this type of work; including but not limited to Keel Communications because our needs are so great, our 1508 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET needs are so great that we've had to expand our partnerships. And I am aware, Councilman, because you told me that you were going to ask questions about Keel Communications, and I'm prepared to answer those questions here today.

I appreciate that, and I'll get around to that. You don't want to take me out of my pattern. You just don't want to do that.

I'm sorry.

What's the unique aspect to those contracts that could not be provided by your own staff or personnel? Now, you have 1700-some-odd people on staff. What's the unique aspect of these particular communications contracts, one; and secondly, don't we have people in the government that produce publications? And how much do these publications cost?

Well, I will provide you all of the detail about our communications expenditures. I will say that the City has never engaged -- at least DHS, DHS has never engaged in its history in the kind of outreach efforts that we 1509 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET have engaged in in the last three years. I first considered whether I had the internal capacity to do this, and we did not have the internal capacity to do it, Councilman. We have great staff, but communications and the development of these kinds of materials is really an expertise. It was more efficient for us to do it outside. We do not have the internal capacity to do that. We do a lot of publications internally also. We do a lot of this stuff inside, but what we wanted to do in a City of 1.5 million people was just impossible to be done. And in addition, we needed to simultaneously -- I mean, I have multiple points of attack at the same time because if I decide I'm going do this sequentially, I would have a lot of angry people on my back because everybody recognizes, as big as DHS is, it was not doing right by its public, it was not doing right by its clients. And in many ways there was not even sufficient quality communication internally at DHS. A significant amount of this investment has been in technology. We now have an intra-net called DHS Central. It's not all been in publications. Hundreds of thousands of dollars we've invested in 1510 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET internal communications through this communications budget. We have SOS which is Search On-line for Services, which is a resource that is going to be available to the entire City. And it's basically a web-based search engine to connect people to services instantaneously. It has cost a lot of money to do, but it didn't exist.

Let's go back. Who are the contractors for FY '02 for $1.9 million?

The 1,948,000 for '02-'03 is given to the Fund for Philadelphia --

Hold on for a second. I have 1,904,456, the line on 44-78.

Councilman, why don't you refer to the page?

-78.

I believe that the budget document that we shared with you is incorrect because the number we have here -- are you asking about '02, Councilman, or '03? I'm sorry.

I'm asking about Fiscal '02, actual obligations, -78 of the budget book, and that is $1,904,456. That's what 1511 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET I'm asking about.

The accounting of the 1.904 includes 1.272 in communications projects, but that figure also includes expenditures for other types of services. That's what I mean. The figure is correct but it's a misnomer to say that it's all communications; 1.272 of that 1.9 is communications.

Let me then point out to you, Commissioner, that's why for all the other departments we have an actual detail on the pages that show the contractors. And if we had that information available, I could ask you even more intelligent questions. All I'm left to ask, since the department decided to group your contracts, I have a line that says "Communications." I think I know the definition of "communications." If you have another definition or if there's a more expanded definition, I'm pleased to hear it. But I can only ask questions based on the material provided in the budget book. If you want to give me a breakdown of the 1.9, I'd be pleased to hear it. And I'd like to know the names of the contractors and the amounts.

Councilman, I will give 1512 3/4/03 - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET you a general breakdown right now and I will provide you, as soon as possible, with a detailed breakdown of the names of the contractors because, unfortunately, I don't know them off the top of my head. Communications in '02, the expenditure communications project was 1.272.

And who was that with?

There are a number of contractors in that line, and I will have to provide it for you, but it's more than one vendor. There were a number of vendors in that line.

What's the other $700,000?

Family preservation activities which are those intensive in-home services. There is a fund that supports --

Hold on, Commissioner.

Councilman Rizzo has a point of order.