Not that I'm aware of. Of course, one year I did read in the paper, which was a surprise to all of us. No. Where we are with Riverview Home is we have in accordance to what we said to Council in the past, we have continued to kind of downsize Riverview Home. We're down now, I think, today to 183 clients in Riverview Home, residents. We're working with the Behavioral Health Department to do psych evaluation on all the clients we still have there to ensure that, A, we have proper diagnoses on people and people are getting proper services. But also to identify folks that might be more appropriate to be placed back in the community in some sort of supportive housing. We think 1618 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET through this process by June 30th, we'll be down to 150 or less residents of Riverview Home. We really view that as kind of a core group that will need housing of last resort similar to Riverview. Probably we're always going to have that need. So the question will become, is Riverview the best place for that or not? Do we have other options? But there's been no thought that I'm aware of to closing Riverview Home. We're always reassessing how best to provide services to this group of folks that turn to us for housing of last resort.
You talked earlier about the people who come into the homeless shelters. Is there a turnaround? Is there recidivism rate where people come in, you find them homes, and they're coming back? Are you able to track that?
We are. In fact, in a couple different ways. Our own database. But also both Philadelphia and New York have had the advantage having Dennis Culhane at University of Pennsylvania kind of slice and 1619 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET dice our databases for many years. So we have some data that a lot of cities don't have. I think -- and I'm doing this at the top of my head, so please don't hold me to the exact numbers. But roughly percent of folks that 7 come into the shelter, that enter the shelter 8 system are in and out very quickly. I would 9 say less than 60 days. Then you've got 10 another 20 percent that seem to hang on the 11 end forever and may be in the system for a 12 year or longer. And then the balance of folks 13 fit into the middle category and averages four 14 to six months in the shelter system. 15 Now, for the folks that we've been 16 able to identify as our longest term shelter 17 stayers, we've begun some strategies to help 18 that group, identify that group and move that 19 group into permanent supportive housing and 20 move them out of our shelter system once and all. And we call that kind of our Housing First approach. So we're going to be moving our first 45 families out of shelter into this Housing First approach with support from the Behavioral Health System and DHS over the next 1620 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET six to nine months. So that's kind of our first real effort and approach of targeting that group that are kind of the chronic long-term stayers and helping them move on.
Would they be the people who have the problem being able to afford housing, or would they fall into the trap of drug and alcohol abuse?
It would be a combination. By and large, all the folks we're talking about don't have the income to be able to be able to afford market rate housing. Now, there may be other issues as well, whether they be behavioral health related or drug and alcohol related. But they all share the challenge of not having adequate income to be able to afford market rate housing.
The individuals who drug and alcohol programs, do you have supportive services for them.
We do, Councilwoman. In fact, we've always had some level of support. But in the last year and a half, we created 1621 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET what we call our C Star System. And our C Star System really recognizes what our role and responsibility is versus what CODAAP's role and responsibility is, for example. So our case managers can identify that there is reason to believe that somebody in the shelter system is using either drugs or alcohol actively. And what they do is they refer that name to C Star. C Star representatives come in and do a drug test. If the individual tests positive, then they're offered treatment immediately and referred to that treatment. If they accept that treatment and they follow the treatment protocol, then they're fine; they can continue to stay housed in the shelter and move on to transitional permanent housing. If, however, they refuse treatment, aren't ready for treatment for whatever reason and they're a single individual, then they have to leave our supported shelter environment and go to either a safe haven or a low demand shelter because we can't keep them living next to somebody who's trying to live drug and alcohol free. If on the other hand 1622 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET it's a mom, for example, and mom refuses treatment, then we work out an arrangement with DHS, David Fairshaw (ph), where the family preservation side comes into play and tries to help Mom see the benefits of treatment. Ultimately, if mom continues to refuse treatment, continues to use actively, then the children are probably going to be placed and Mom's going to have to go to a low demand facility until she's ready to do something about that issue.
Let me open by echoing Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell's remarks and say to you how much I appreciate the work we do together around the holidays with regards to homeless children. I don't 1623 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET take it lightly at all and deeply appreciate the partnership, because that's why it works, because of the partnership between our offices.
Thank you, Councilwoman. We appreciate your support all year long, but especially that time of year.
It's a wonderful, gratifying part of my work. My questions are all over the place, so forgive me if there's no sense in the sequence. At some point over the past year, I saw a flyer for the need for cribs. And so are cribs needed? Is that particular item for babies -- is there some strategy underway to make sure we have adequate cribs for babies, et cetera? Could you speak to that?
Yes, I can. It is true that we went through a period of time when just amazingly within a couple of weeks we saw an influx of infants into our system. I don't really know what to attribute that to, but we went through a period of time where we did run 1624 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET out of cribs for a couple of hours. Fortunately, our partners at DHS were willing to buy us all the cribs we needed. And Letty actually went directly down to Toys R Us and worked out a deal with the manager and, I think, left with 30 or 40 cribs that night. So cribs are one issue. We've also been looking for something that is a little easier to assemble and move from location to location. I think we're now getting portacribs in stock, and we have them in our warehouse. So, yes, we did go through a brief period of time. We saw an influx of infants that caught us by surprise, and we had to react very quickly to make sure we had an adequate supply. Now I think we've even got some extras in the warehouse, but we did go through that time.
Single women have very, very special needs; families have special needs; then you have single men. Is 1625 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET the housing of mixed sex homeless persons a practice or not? How is that handled in that you keep those three worlds apart? Can you just address that for me in terms of service delivery.
In terms of service delivery, our single facilities remain single facilities. So male and female single facilities are separate. In terms of family facilities, the facilities are -- it really varies depending upon facility and how those facilities are laid out. For example, right now at Stenton, we're using a common room that used to be a multi-purpose room to house a number of families. Well, those families that are in that room are all female headed households, for example. We do now have more male headed households in our system.
Homeless male head of households who come with children?
Yes. That's been a relatively new phenomenon over the last couple of years, I'd say, three or four years. It's not a large part of the population, but it is 1626 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET a growing part of the population. And so we do accommodate those folks in certain family facilities that are designs with, for example, individual rooms for families. And so that is part of our population. We also from time to time get transgendered and other individuals that we try to take a look at where they want to be placed and to the extent that we can do that, given the facilities available at those locations, we accommodate those individuals as well.
I see. You spoke in your opening testimony about the success you're beginning to experience with regard to housing. You said that over the next year you expect an additional 50 beds. How do you see making that happen?
Well, the domestic violence side, I think, is where we were talking about the additional 50 beds. We are very close in negotiations for a particular site that we would be able to move into that 1627 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET would be a secured facility where Women Against Abuse will be able to double the number of beds they have and get them up to a hundred.
So the financial support of that rests in Women Against Abuse?
I wish. It's a contract we have with them. So what we've done is we've made a $1.2 million commitment to victims of domestic violence. It started with the Mayor's additional $1 million last year, and we've continued that effort moving forward to be able to double the number of shelter beds available.
I know that black clergy are not an end all be all, but they are a group of individuals who take strategic interest in issues facing our City. Has there ever been a conversation with members of the black clergy around the issue of domestic violence and any prospective role they can play in addressing this issue?
I don't know the answer 1628 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET to that. I have not personally been engaged or invited to that particular conversation, but we would welcome it.
Often times with persons who end up homeless, it has a lot to do with not being able to take care utility bills. For example, the Center for Mental Health Policy and Services research at U of Penn states that in 1995, percent of all 11 households and 20 percent of family households 12 that were admitted to shelter had their 13 utility bills terminated within a year of 14 their admission to shelter. Does OESS have 15 any kind of shutoff prevention tools at its disposal for those families in that particular type of circumstance?
Yes. Not enough. But we do have two programs that we fund either directly or indirectly. First, we have internal to us in our relocation unit what we call our PERA account.
PERA, P-E-R-A. That account is used to provide average payments 1629 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET of, I think it's $750 or up to $750 to meet a variety of needs, whether that be rent to help to avoid eviction or whether that be utilized help pay utility bills, that sort of thing. And so we do have that resource. In addition, through the state, we actually fund Tenants Action Group to provide utility assistance for folks that go to DPW and get certified through DPW and referred from DPW. So we have those two primary sources to provide some utility relief. Now, I will say that what scares us and what you hear about is the huge turnoff that PGW could do and the impact that might have on shelter system is very concerning. And, no, we don't have anywhere near the resources to be able to prevent a lot of those turnoffs, should they happen.
Has there been any consideration to have a sit-down with PGW and the leadership in an attempt proactive, knowing that that's on horizon?
There has been. In fact, 1630 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET it started last summer through the Managing Director's Office, and the Managing Director continues to work on that issue and monitor it. It really is much bigger than adult services. My recollection is the arrearage numbers are in the tens of millions.
Does OESS get information out about LIHEAP and that kind of thing since it's designed to help families in that circumstance?
We do. Typically, we refer people to ECA who are the real kind of experts on that.
The Energy Coordinating Office that typically have all those resources at their fingertips.
Thank you very much. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Miller.
Thank you, 1631 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET Madam President. Actually, a couple of my questions was already asked by Councilwoman Tasco and Councilwoman Brown. And I wanted to talk a little bit prevention services, but you just answers those questions. But what I'd like to know, how long can someone stay in these Home First, New Keys and Couples Safe Haven? How long can they stay in the shelters? What are the outcomes? If someone's been homeless years, what 13 would actually would be a plan? 14
The New Keys and Home 15 First and our safe havens are all considered to be permanent housing, Councilwoman. So they can stay in that housing as long as they want to, as long as they need that housing, as long as they need the supports that are associated with that housing. The only thing that I can think of that would disqualify them and we would welcome which is if their income ever gets above the maximum threshold, then they would lose the subsidy. But most cases, these are folks that have been chronically 1632 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET homeless, duly diagnosed on our streets for many years that are now living well in permanent housing and are entitled to stay there forever if they choose to.
But it sounds like they go and engage in job training and job placement and become productive citizens.
They do. There's a lot of support. I mean, some of the stories are just unbelievable. What we've learned is there is a housing technology for everyone. There is no reason for anyone to have to remain on our streets if we had resources of housing. And we can provide supports in housing much better than outside of housing. If you will allow me to just give you one fact that I saw just the other day that's startling. Since we started moving people directly from the streets into this housing, New Keys and Home First, one of the things we've seen is these folks average six to eight in-patient hospital stays a year when they were living on the streets. Now that they are in housing, their in-patient stays 1633 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET have been reduced by more than 80 percent. Now, we are trying now to work with the hospitals to figure out how much money we've saved just in hospital cost by getting people housed. We are incredibly encouraged by the early results of this and think it really will guide some of our housing policy moving forward.
Speaking of resources, would the proposed federal funding cuts put any of your programs in jeopardy?
Thank you for that question. The proposed federal cuts are of huge concern to us. I can't imagine if we were to lose, for example, some of our Section 18 8 subsidies what in the world that will do to the front door of our shelter system. I mean, folks have to go somewhere. And so to the extent that the federal government wants to cut 1.8 billion or whatever it is now out of Section 8, that would be just a tragedy that we all ought to work to avoid. We can't accept fewer housing subsidies. The fact is 1634 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET the federal government has been shorting us on affordable housing in our cities for the last years. And that's why we have so many 5 people that are doubled up or in 6 unsatisfactory or dangerous housing today or 7 living in our shelter systems. 8
The CDBG funding cuts or 10 elimination of CDBG would be another one that 11 would be devastating. Even the McKinney 12 Grants that we get have to be matched by local 13 funding, and that local funding match is very 14 often CDBG or home dollars. So those cuts 15 would be equally devastating to the Section 8 16 cuts, should they happen. 17
Well, I do 18 know that in City Council I did a resolution 19 maybe a month ago regarding the CDBG cuts, and 20 all Councilmembers signed on to that. And I know that some individual Councilmembers have been in touch with letters or e-mails with our local federal officials.
We appreciate that very much. 1635 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET
I believe that's it, Council President Verna. Thank you. And I also want to commend you.
Thank you, Councilwoman. And thank you for your support in a number of housing initiatives in your district. The Gaudencia project we just broke ground on we're very excited about.
Could you please forward to the office information on the PERA Program?
And the privatizing of social service with contracted shelters, what mechanisms are in place for the monitoring of those private providers in terms of quality and delivery of service?
I'll ask our shelter director, Letty Hinton to answer that with specifics. I will tell you that Letty has 1636 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET created an operating unit of analysts that will be monitoring the performance of case management shelters very closely. And I will also tell you that we are now implementing our new HMIS system or Homeless Management Information System that has a lot of management tools and reporting capability so that we'll really be able to manage by the data and know when case managers are interacting with their clients when they're not and what the outcomes of those interactions are.
Okay. SO if you could speak to that, and that's one component of that, and the other part is just the quality aesthetic of the environment that our citizens are living in for the time that they're there.
We've just created -- actually, it's one unit. I'm sorry. Letty Hinton, Director of OESS. A unit under Kevin Breazeale who is a deputy director of OESS, and it actually has two components. One is specific to compliance 1637 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET for shelters which kind of addresses some of the issues or concerns that you have about the quality of the services and some of the qualitative issues specific to what clients think of their experience in shelters. The other piece has to do with more of a quality management model in which there's an aspect of the unit that's specifically assigned to some of the more of the data collection issues as well as looking at more the supportive services like the C Star that was described, clean and sober testing model as well as looking at some of the other services that are being provided that are more of the supportive services components. So what you have happening is that when it comes to clients' concerns and issues, they have forms, et cetera, they can report those concerns to the quality or compliance unit, and those are investigated.
Now, a homeless citizen can report them to this unit through staff at that particular facility? Or how does that happen? 1638 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET
Well, there's two ways that it can happen. One way is that if there's a concern and the client is comfortable reporting those internally to the shelter provider, they can choose to do that. If not, they can either call us at OESS at the compliance unit or they can come downtown and request to see someone. So the consumer has different ways of being --
Yes, different options because we understand some of them may not feel comfortable going to the provider to report.
There's actually a third way too, Councilwoman, and that is, because we have behavioral health services integrated into our shelter system now, they can also make comment to the consumer satisfaction team through behavioral health mand we get those reports as well.
Yesterday the Rec Department was before us and he spoke about -- there was interest expressed about 1639 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET national standards when it comes to after school programs so that they're not babysitting places, but places where structured, stimulating kind of activities for kids. Might something like that exist -- I'm just simply asking out of curiosity -- for homeless programs nationwide, certain standards that homeless programs should try to meet?
I think it would be a good idea. They don't exist currently, as I understand it, largely because communities are kind of all over the board in terms of what they offer with respect to homeless services, in terms of quality and quantity. But ideally, we want to be able to provide facilities that have high dignity, high self-respect, and we don't want -- first of all, we want to try to keep people out of our facilities and keep them housed. When people folks end up in our facilities, we really do want our facilities to be a point of entry, not a point of destination. So we don't want people living with us any wronger than 1640 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET absolutely necessary.
To the question of homelessness prevention, the total expenditures this year, are they an increase, or not, from last year?
Finally, the Bright Spaces, I know that currently there are 11 Bright Spaces?
And there is scheduled to be five more openings planned for the coming year. Would that mean that all of our shelters then have a Bright Space for the children?
That is the commitment of City of Philadelphia. Bright Horizons Foundation and McNeal Pharmaceuticals has donated over $100,000 to ensure that all of our shelters have Bright Spaces, making us the first city in the country that will have 1641 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET Bright Spaces in every one of our shelter facilities. And recently, I'm pleased to tell you that Bright Horizons Foundation McNeal Pharmaceuticals extended that commitment to all of our transitional housing facilities that have spaces that are appropriate for interactive play space for children, so we're very pleased about that.
That's exciting. Could you forward to the President the schedule of those remaining openings so that we can, if able, try to support or attend.
You're welcome. Are there any other questions or comments from Members of the Committee? (No response.)
Seeing 1642 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET none, I thank you very much.
Thank you so much for your patience, Commissioner. We do have a copy of your written testimony. We will give that to the stenographer. It will be transcribed in full. And we would really appreciate it if you would summarize your testimony. COMMISSIONER KING: Okay. Good afternoon, President Verna and Members of Council. I am Leon King, Commissioner of Philadelphia Prison System. Seated with me is Mr. Semanski, our Fiscal Officer, to my right; and Deputy Commissioner Alan Apel who's our Deputy Commissioner for Treatment, and he is seated to my left. At the PPS, our greatest challenge is to provide cost-effective services for the taxpayers of the City of Philadelphia while providing a safe and secure and human 1643 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET correctional environment that adequately detains persons accused or convicted of illegal acts. In Fiscal Year '05, we are meeting the challenge to provide these services to an inmate population that has average 8,105 for the fiscal year to date and has exceeded 8,300 inmates during the month of October 2004. The Operating Budget request for FY '06 is based on a projected average daily inmate population of 8566 and is $392,453 less than our estimated FY '05 obligation level. The FY '06 General Fund Class 100 request is expected to fund an average of 2,058 full-time position. The General Fund Class 200 request provides for increased cost of inmate housing in Delaware County and maintenance services for the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility and the Riverside Correctional Facility which became operational in July 2004. The requested funding for Classes 300 and 400 decreased by $20,000 from FY '05 to FY '06. And inmate work payments Class 500 remain the same. 1644 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET That concludes the summary of my testimony, and I'm available for questions if you have them.
Thank you very much, Commissioner. We were told in the DHS hearing that the Youth Study Center will be moving its residents on a temporary basis to a facility currently occupied by the Prisons. What impact does that have on your operations? COMMISSIONER KING: Well, it's really just going to be a reversal of what we did when we open RCF in the summer. We're going to have to move some people around, and the key to that is getting back the property we gave up at 600 University Avenue. We'll be moving our work release inmates that we moved from 600 University back to 600 University. So it's going to be some chess game playing with the inmates and a little increased cost in some of the things we're going to have to convert ASDCU and Mod 3.
How many inmates are currently housed at that location? 1645 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET COMMISSIONER KING: Cambria Community Center, I think it's about 150.
Where will you locate them and what will the additional cost be? COMMISSIONER KING: The additional cost -- we're going to relocate -- what's going to happen in order for the Barnes to move to the City is, first, we're going to have to take the inmates -- first, we're going to have to get that lease back at 600 University Avenue. And we're going to take --
Excuse me. Who's there presently? COMMISSIONER KING: No one. We vacated that in August, I think it was. They hadn't released the property since then, so there's no one there. So we're going to have to take the inmates that are work release inmates that are currently at ASD Central Unit on State Road, put them at 600 University, pull those folks from CCC and put them back where they were at ASDCU Central Unit, and that's the chess piece. The cost will be for 1646 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET the Prison System is picking up the lease again at 600 University Avenue. That's really going to be sort of balanced out because we'll be giving up the lease from the Prison budget from CCC. I don't have the specific number here. Deputy Commissioner Murphy had to leave, but there is a minimal amount of money that we'll have to spend to refurbish, change around ASDCU.
When do you anticipate this move to occur? COMMISSIONER KING: Well, as I recall, the last meeting we had with the Mayor, he said that he wanted to clear out the Youth Study Center by September. So that's what I have in my head unless he tells me different.
On 47-4 of your detail, you show a reduction of 2.4 million for workforce right-sizing. Can you explain what this entails? COMMISSIONER KING: I'll let Mr. Semanski answer that one.
Very well. 1647 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET
Edward Szymanski, Fiscal Officer for the Prisons. The workforce right-sizing reduction is related to the decrease in field positions from the 2,120 that we have at the increment run to the 2,058 positions that we have in the budget. So we're reducing the position count by 63 positions from the filled level to the authorized position level for Fiscal '06.
FY '05 at the point of the increment run in November, November of 2004.
During the FY '05 budget hearings, we were told how the Prisons were controlling its population and were requesting a budget of $179.9 million for FY '05. What transpired during the current budget that you are now projecting to spend $187 million or an increase of $7 million? We 1648 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET have 63 less employees. COMMISSIONER KING: I'm trying to make sure I understand the question. What happened to cause --
What transpired during the current budget year that you are now projecting to spend $187 million which is actually an increase of $7 million over last year for this year? COMMISSIONER KING: Well, what's happened in the last year, we've gotten more inmates; that's one thing that has occurred. We've had some -- I think we negotiated a healthcare contract that's cost more money. And the level of employees that we've had has gone up and the population hasn't gone down. I mean, we had an all-time high in October.
You said you have employees? Is that what I just understood you to say? COMMISSIONER KING: Yes.
Well, I thought you indicated we have 63 less positions. 1649 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET COMMISSIONER KING: By July 1st. What we've been instructed and the goal is to reduce the number of employees by that much.
So for FY '06 you were projecting to lose 63 positions? COMMISSIONER KING: Correct.
Well, how many less inmates would you have to have in order to be able to -- COMMISSIONER KING: Well, for this exercise, the number of inmates is not really factored in. This is the number that we have to live by, so therefore...
If you couldn't do it in FY '05, how could you possibly do it in FY '06? COMMISSIONER KING: Well, we're doing a lot of different things at the Prison. We're saving in overtime for the first time in a very long time. We've done some --
You're saving in overtime? Is that what I heard you say? COMMISSIONER KING: Yes, that's what 1650 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET I said.
I'm just looking at your budget. You're requesting approximately $18.7 million for overtime in FY '06. This represents more than percent of 7 your personnel services budget. Now you're 8 telling me you're cutting your overtime. 9 COMMISSIONER KING: Well, beginning 10 in December, I think it was, we were allowed 11 to hire a number of extra correctional 12 officers. And the idea was that we would hire 13 them, and the stipulation would be we had to 14 reduce overtime as a result. So we have done 15 that since December. 16
The 17 regular overtime is still going up, in the 18 budget book, Section 47, . Commissioner, aren't you requesting approximately $18.7 million for overtime in FY '06? COMMISSIONER KING: Correct. And if you notice a number in the projected number, that's because we're going to have to lose positions, so there's a give and take there. 1651 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET
So are we saving money by letting people walk out the front door and we're getting overtime in the back door? COMMISSIONER KING: As the budget planned, we're going to spending less money. Mr. Szymanski would like to add something.
As I said, if the population is still the number it is today, I don't know how you're able to do that in FY '06. Maybe you could tell me because I don't know anything about how the Prison System operates. I'm just looking at your budget.
Edward Szymanski, Fiscal Officer, Prisons. We've looked at every post, that's every place a correctional officer works within our facilities. We reevaluated every post and we decreased the number of posts that have to be covered throughout our facilities. We were able to save about 10 percent of the number of posts that we have throughout the 1652 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET facilities. This is a place where every correctional officer would stand, and look at every place the correctional officer stands and reduced it by about percent. So we're 6 anticipating that the overtime isn't going to 7 go up as high as it would have because we 8 opened a new facility during the Fiscal Year 9 2005 at Riverside Correctional Facility. 10 Opening a new facility created more posts. Throughout the system, we were able to reevaluate the all posts and brought the post level down and decreased the rate of increase in the overtime.
A very simple question. Please explain for the record now you plan on spending less on salaries in FY '06 than you will in FY '05 and at the same time absorb negotiated salary increases to the tune of $2.1 million? COMMISSIONER KING: The way we're going to have to do that is reduce the number of people that work for the Prison System by not filling vacancies and when people retire DROP program not filling those positions. And 1653 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET if necessary --
How do we cover the posts that we were talking about? COMMISSIONER KING: We've reduced the number of posts throughout the Prison System.
When you talk about a post, I mean, when we took a visit to the prison, it had pods. Is that what you're talking about? COMMISSIONER KING: No. A post is where a correctional officer is assigned to stand or work. So a housing area, most housing area you have two posts because you have two officers standing there or working there. If there's a hallway that an officer needs to patrol, that's another post. If an officer have to take an inmate --
If you had a post and you had two officers that were originally assigned, now you have reduced it to one officer, is that what I understand? COMMISSIONER KING: No. If you added up all the posts in the Prison System, 1654 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET there were hundreds of them if you add them up all throughout the jail. So, for example, what we did at PICC is one I can think off the top of my head, we had a programming area with different types of classes for inmates, and there was an officer who was in the unit control booth right there and there was another officer patrolling the area where the programming went on. The Warden reconfigured where we did programming, put it somewhere else in the building where there was already staff and he was able to close those two posts. So we don't close -- housing areas remain staffed the way housing areas are staffed, so there's two officers on those posts. But we're able to move things around and consolidate things so we don't have as many. That's what we're tying to accomplish. Mr. Szymanski reminds me, we did this exercise three times, took COs out of administrative posts and put them back in the jails. We've done that exercise three times.
Commissioner, on -28 of your detail, 1655 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET you show a line for inmate medical services. Who do you contract with for these services? And can you tell us what services are provided under the contract and what steps are being -- I know I'm asking 3 questions at one time. It's been a long day. What steps, if any, are being taken to control these costs? COMMISSIONER KING: Well, I can tell you most of that. Prison Health Services, we renewed our contract with them, I think it was in September. They provide medical services. We contracted with a new entity called MHM to do --
What is that, MHM? Commissioner King: MHM I don't think stands for anything. It's just the initials that the company use. They provide mental health services. So now we have two contractors doing the work there. We have a whole host of initiatives underway to control costs. One is the prison took back the responsibility of negotiating hospital cost with the hospitals. Before it was that our 1656 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET inmates would go in and PHS would sort of negotiate or try to negotiate with them to reduce whatever the initial bill was. We've had some good success. We have more self-interest than they would, because they would negotiate the bill, give it us and we would pay it. So there wasn't so much self-interest there, so the prison has taken that on. We have a plan -- Ms. Steiker is here from the Managing Director's Office, she can talk in more detail about our plan to get reimbursement for Medicaid and the federal government for inmates who are eligible for those things when they come into the prison.
You've been trying to do that forever. COMMISSIONER KING: We're continuing to try it, and I know Ms. Steiker has made a lot of progress in the last two or three months, and I'm sure she'd be happy to fill you in on that progress. We've also got a whole host of new performance measures and controls on the medical services there that makes it a more 1657 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET efficient operation. But I have to tell you that there's only so much that we can do. Sometimes it's because you get a host of sick inmates that were sicker than the year before. So for example, I'll just give you something that you can think about. You remember last year we had the gentleman who tried to attack the judge in the Criminal Justice Center was shot in the back. I'm not sure if he's still in our custody, but while he was in our custody, that was $50,000 a month to have him in the hospital because of the wounds he received. So sometimes we get people that have catastrophic illnesses that we're on the hook to pay because they're in the hospital and we're legal responsible to do that.
I don't want to go into detail, but I do recall a couple months ago that Councilman Kenney, I believe, forwarded to your attention a letter regarding St. Agnes Hospital, which happens to be in my district. If you recall that, can you tell me if you ever looked into that issue and did you respond? 1658 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET COMMISSIONER KING: I don't remember that off the top of my head. I can look into it.
I guess this will be my last question. -28 of the detail, you list $11.6 million in FY '06 for over-capacity housing for inmates. I assume that's outside of our Prison System, am I correct? COMMISSIONER KING: Yes.
How many inmates are you housing at these facilities, and what is the cost per inmate? COMMISSIONER KING: Well, in Delaware County, I believe we're housing about 400 inmates. That's basically what's it been, give or take a few, since the time I've been Commissioner. I think we're paying $60 a day.
Is 1659 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET Delaware County the only other place we send them? COMMISSIONER KING: We have 90 beds at the State Department of Corrections let's us use, but they don't charge us.
You are projecting costs of over $36.1 million for FY '04 through FY '06. Would it be more economical to build another facility than to pay these other institutions? We're talking about an awful lot of money. COMMISSIONER KING: Well, I don't know the specific numbers of that. I know that the new jail that we built, I think, cost us over $50 million and took 10 years for it to get from the time we started planning it and where we were going to locate it, et cetera. So I guess if you look at it --
It would take us another 10 years for planning and designing and another 10 years for actual building? COMMISSIONER KING: Believe me, I understand your frustration. But it's 1660 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET planning, design, finding where we could locate the prison and getting the people who live in that neighborhood to agree to have the prison there.
I see that a number of Councilmembers have their lights on. Councilwoman Tasco.
I just want to say I received a copy of the programs that you run at prison. Is it food service? COMMISSIONER KING: We have a culinary arts program, yes.
Does the City buy furniture from you? COMMISSIONER KING: Yes, the City does buy furniture from us. The last time we were in Council, several Councilmembers inquired and I sent -- we have a brochure and a showroom up at the jail, so we can forward you that information. You can come look at 1661 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET the showroom, see what we have. It's furniture made by inmates in our furniture shop.
I just wanted to say I thought it was a very nice program. Thank you. COMMISSIONER KING: Thank you very much.
Thank you. Good afternoon, Commissioner. COMMISSIONER KING: Good afternoon, Councilwoman.
Thank you. Good afternoon, Commissioner. COMMISSIONER KING: Good afternoon, Councilwoman.
I just wanted to ask you a few questions. When we had the reentry hearings here in City Council, you talked about probably -- I think you may have been absolutely sure that you were going to 1662 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET turn one of the prisons there in to a reentry facility? COMMISSIONER KING: Yes, that's what we're planning to do.
So how would that work? Would all prisoners approaching their minimum or their parole date relocate there? Or would some prisoners not go there? COMMISSIONER KING: I can give you the general outline. I'll let Deputy Commissioner Apel fill you in on the details. He's doing the specifics. But the thinking is that sentenced inmates who are in programs like Options and Jobs, et cetera, would be at the one intake facility, the reentry facility and all the programming that we do around that would be specifically geared to those inmates at that facility. I'll let Deputy Commissioner Apel.
The plan is that we would create a reentry program that would run about 60 days and that as the sentenced inmates got within 60 days of when they would be released, they would be transferred to that prison to go 1663 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET through this program as the last process before they are released. So they would just keep being transferred through as they got within that frame of 60 days.
So the only those who have really participated in Options or Jobs or some special program? Or anybody?
This would be for all of the sentenced inmates other than the ones that are object work release and ones who are not able through reason of a mental health problem.
Okay. I just want to thank the Commissioner and thank the other correctional staff. Thank you mainly for the time that you've spent talking about reentry and all those other programs and recidivism in ways that we can really attack and deal with some of those problems. I think you've spent a lot of time, and I just want to commend you for all your efforts around this reentry. And I was kind of happy to read in your testimony that some of what you actually 1664 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET wrote targeted helping us decrease the budget in all those crime-fighting units, like parole, et cetera. I've enjoyed attending some of meetings. I've learned a lot attending meetings around reentry, because it certainly is a big, big problem here in Philadelphia. I just have one more question, and that's about the Jobs Project. Who are the six community-based partners that you're dealing with with Jobs Project? COMMISSIONER KING: First, I'd like to thank you for thanking us for trying to bring this issue to the forefront. So thank you for the support that you've given us and being at some of our events trying to take the issue beyond the Prison System to City Council and hopefully the state and country and everywhere else. Mr. Apel knows the six names of the reentry partners. I know Impact Services is one. The Prison Society is two. I guess he can fill us in on the remaining four.
There are the People's 1665 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET Emergency Center, Trades Women of Purpose, the African-American Chamber of Commerce, and -- the last name escapes me, but we will get you those names.
All right. Is it too soon to tell whether you're doing a good job or not? COMMISSIONER KING: Well, it's been a year that we've been doing the Jobs Project. Actually, next Wednesday, although the two people have been involved in it for a year Impact Services and the Prison Society are going to be presenting their report on how they've spent the money we've given them and how good they've done and what changes we need, if any, to make the program work better.
Thank you. Good afternoon. COMMISSIONER KING: Good afternoon. 1666 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET
On your testimony, you talk about the number of the post-release pre-entry services that you're offering. Tell me a little bit about the child care services you have. How does that work for both of those who are incarcerated and the reentry stage? COMMISSIONER KING: Well, we coordinate as best we can with the Department the Human Services.
How is that coming? Because I clearly remember during Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller's hearings there was a discussion about the start-up of that. So how is that relationship coming? COMMISSIONER KING: It's coming along very well. Just last week I was handed the final protocol that the Division of Social Services has come up with, with the Department of Human Services and how we're going to coordinate it. So there's now a written protocol about how Prisons and DHS are going to communicate around these issues.
And will there 1667 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET been DHS staff on site at the prisons? COMMISSIONER KING: Right now, I know that's something that we had been talking about. That's not something that has gotten to a place where I can say that we're going to do that. I know that Director Danzy is, as part of this, I think her goal is by June to have at least the initial sort of integration of the information systems between the Prisons and all the other agencies and Division of Social Services. So we even take it a step further, so it's not just Inmate X comes into one of our social workers and says, "I've got child problems with the Department of Human Services." There's some sort of computer message or communication between the two departments on that. So we have formalized in a document -- I don't think we've yet trained the social workers at the Prison System on that so that everybody knows what it is, but the plan would be to train them. As you know, the way it worked before was we had some social workers who had contacts in DHS and there were others who didn't. So now it's 1668 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET going to be a unified approach.
Connected and coordinated. COMMISSIONER KING: Correct.
One of my colleagues posed questions around openings -- it wouldn't be openings, not closings, it would be vacancies as a result of the budget cuts. How many vacancies at the upper management level and management level do you currently have? COMMISSIONER KING: Let's see. We're down a Deputy Commissioner. We're down a Staff Training Administrator. Let's see, who else are we down? I couldn't tell you the rest off the top of my head, but those are two big spots.
What's the total number of employees you have? COMMISSIONER KING: 2,166.
And of that, how many are men? COMMISSIONER KING: I don't have that off the top of my head, but I know our 1669 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET workforce is basically even between men and women.
So that moves me to my next question. How many women and men are in positions of leadership and responsibility? I always make an observation, a note, on who is representing the department at that table. And I pay special attention when there are women at that table in positions of leadership responsibility, so that's really where I'm headed here. COMMISSIONER KING: I'm sure you notice Deputy Commissioner Lagecia (ph), she was here for a whole two years, and she retired in September. That was a position I wasn't allowed to fill again.
You say you were not allowed to fill? COMMISSIONER KING: We had to get rid of that position as a result of the budget, so that was a Deputy Commissioner position I could not fill. If you go down the chain, I'm going 1670 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET to try to go on the security side first. We do have all men, you'll have to forgive me, in the Deputy Commissioner positions. The Chief of Staff is a man. All the wardens are men, but I have to tell you I made a very gallant effort to try to have a female in that position, but she decided to quit and go to Nebraska. In the Deputy Warden level, we have two females, one I recently promoted Deputy Warden Padilla. She would have been a good person -- three majors, I'm reminded. Deputy Warden Padilla would have been a good person to be a Warden. She did everything we asked her to do. She went to school. She got her bachelor's degree. She teaches. Fortunately, before she got promoted to Deputy Warden, she entered the DROP Program, so we'll be losing her. She told me when I promoted her, had she known it was going to work out this way, she wouldn't have entered DROP. And the other Deputy Warden is Major Butler. So we have three women who are in the Deputy Warden level right now, but we don't have any -- because I've made a rule at a jail, if you want to be 1671 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET Warden from now on, you've got to have at least 60 credits in college, a bachelor's degree.
For the Deputy Commissioner slot that is currently vacant, are any women with the appropriate credentials in the pipeline that may be consider for that spot so there's some diversity at the top management level, gender diversity? COMMISSIONER KING: You're like reading my mind, Councilwoman, you really are; you're reading my mind. My plan is that position is not -- the one that Deputy Commissioner Lagecia had is not a Civil Service one, so I have a little leeway about who I'm going to promote. I do have someone in mind, and you would be pleased at the choice that I want to make. I'm just waiting for final approval from the Administration to do that. You'll be smiling just like that when I announce it.
Thank you Commissioner, very, very much. Thank you, Madam Chair. 1672 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Ramos.
Thank you, Madam President. Commissioner, last year I mentioned to you a story that was told me, and I believe you confirmed it, of a person I think the year before in 2003 who had been arrested and brought to one of your prisons and the person was very ill and the person died in your custody six or seven months later because the person had advance stage of Aids, and you incurred a very big bill. I think it was, correct me if I'm wrong, around half million dollars for the care of that person. As you well have indicated in your presentation today and last year, that your medical cost continues to skyrocket. I presented last year for you to consider, and you responded like you do in most things very affirmatively and you take action -- and I commend you for taking action on so many things that we 1673 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET presented to you and all the actions you've taken on your own to improve our prison system and its population. Have you thought out other ways that we can move population of people that are very ill that are suffering from incurable disease and put them in a different type of housing that won't incur such a big cost on us? COMMISSIONER KING: Well, you know, we don't have much choice in the sense that if you have HIV and you're in acute stage of that HIV and you're medically required to receive certain things and the doctor says you have to go to the hospital, we don't have much choice in that. We do have some choice in the sense that if they're able to stabilize you and you're not in a hospital, we have a program in place, we have a hospice care program at the jail that provides for counseling and support, just like a regular hospice program would for family members and whatnot. And we also actively, when these people come up, we petition the courts to let them be released. So we have a lot of compassionate releases, as 1674 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET it were. I don't know why we weren't able to get the other lady who end stage AIDS, but a lot of cases -- most of them, we actually go the courts and we say we'd like a compassionate release. And the argument to the judge is this person is so sick and, from what we understand, they're going to die, there's really no point to have them in jail. And we are successful on those.
You've been successful in getting them moved since this last incident? I believe it was 2003. The issue here is that can we get them moved? Are the courts realizing that this particular person -- I believe the person that I was referring to last year was a person that was not a violent criminal offender and that there is that population that we might be able to move to another facility for them to live their last time on earth instead of having us incur this big cost of having them maintained in our prison system. Are you saying that you have now had some successes last year in moving them? 1675 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET COMMISSIONER KING: I'm sure that we have. I'm not going say I know right now, I can remember, but I'm sure Deputy Commissioner Apel is saying yes, we have, that we've had success in getting compassionate releases for people who are that ill. I'm sure that one of the complicating factors is, if they don't have family, you're going to have to arrange somewhere for them to go. And part of what we're doing to help with that is people who come into the jail and may be eligible for state benefits and whatnot, we're working toward implementing a new system so it doesn't take forever when they're discharged to get reconnected to those benefits.
This is Alan Apel, and I'm the Deputy for treatment. We try to have inmates released to hospice programs, to their families, to other hospitals. Once they are so ill that they 1676 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET know longer are a threat to anyone, that's kind of the threshold that the court looks at. We have had a number of inmates released through this program.
Thank you. At some point, maybe as we get ready for next year when you come again and see if we can compare this has been of some savings and how much savings has it been for us to move that critically ill patient inmate into another facility which would help us bring down costs. The other issue -- this will be my only other question -- is in the medical reimbursement. I brought this issue up and I believe some other colleagues as well when Joyce Wilkerson was here testifying on behalf the Administration. That maybe what we should do is apply more resources to this area of work to be able to stay on top of it. And I know some of this is just a tremendous paper trail that has to be done very diligently, that maybe we can get more people involved in this area so you can get more reimbursement 1677 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET dollars. But you mentioned in your statement that you have something before Commonwealth Court concerning this issue. Can you elaborate a little bit more on that? And how does that affect not getting reimbursed? Because what I'm saying is that maybe if you get more staff in this area, maybe we can push more in getting some of our money back. COMMISSIONER KING: Well, the person in the Administration who I think is spearheading this is Ms. Steiker. She's sitting back there. She can answer more specific questions. I know she's been working very diligently on this, and I think she's made some significant progress in the past two or three months.
Good afternoon. This is Ellen Steiker, Deputy Managing Director. We have been looking carefully into the question of how to get Medicaid reimbursement for inmates. It was something that was brought to our attention by one of our lawyers based on looking at some experience in other states. And when we 1678 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET looked into it, with help from the Law Department, it turned out that there is a small opportunity which is those inmates who are in off-site medical institutions, federal law allows us to claim Medicaid reimbursement for that and as long as the state law allows it, and the state law appears to allow it. So we have been working with the Department of Public Welfare on how we would implement this initiative. And the amount of the savings will really depend on the Medicaid eligible of individuals who happen to be incarcerated. We did do a study and looked at the level of eligible of our prison population as a whole, and when we looked at those statistics, almost half of the inmates had had Medicaid eligibility over the prior 12 months to their incarceration. So that left us somewhat optimistic that there was an opportunity to collect some reimbursement, but it just is a matter of whether the particular inmates who happen to us off-site medical services, in-patient services, are the ones who are eligible. So we're working that 1679 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET through with the State. We have their support, and we're hoping to implement that by July 1.
I believe that the Chief of Staff of the Administration, Ms. Wilkerson, talked about $2 million in savings or possible savings or reimbursement dollars. And I responded I thought that I would think that the Medicaid eligible inmates will probably be a high percentage, and you just said that it looks like almost half the population, right?
Right. I think the issue is what kind of services, not the just the eligibility of the inmates. In other words, we can't get reimbursed for the staffing costs at the jail for medical services, for doctors or nurses. And that's the majority of the cost. We can't get reimbursed for the pharmacy costs. What we can get reimbursed for are the in-patient services that are provided off-site in hospitals.
That could be 1680 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET significant dollars as well.
Well, it's somewhere 5, $6 million a year. It's not as large as one would think because a lot of what is done is to provide services at the jail. For example, in Behavioral Health, there is no 8 in-patient services that are provided off-site because they have an in-patient hospital facility on site. So none of those costs, for example, would be eligible. In my estimation, minimizing off-site services is a good thing because we believe we can provide services more cost-effectively in the jail than in hospitals.
Are you comfortable in the position that you're in that you be able to do the maximum in getting whatever reimbursement dollars we can get?
We will be on top of this, because the cost of in-patient hospital costs for off-site usage has more than doubled over the last few years. We're very conscious of the fact that this is a cost driver and we 1681 03/23/05 - FY '06 OPERATING BUDGET want to minimize it and we want to negotiate the best deals we can with the hospitals, get rates that are fair rates, that are comparable to the rates that it would cost if a patient went in who was not incarcerated, and we want to make sure that we take advantage of any of the reimbursements that we can, the primary one being Medicaid.
You're welcome. Are there any other questions or comments from Members of the Committee? (No response.)
Seeing none, I thank all of you. Thank you so much for your patience. This Committee will stand in recess until Tuesday, March the 29th at 10:00 a.m., at which time we'll hear from Public Property. Thank you very much. (Council adjourned at 4:30 p.m.) - - - - 1682 C E R T I F I C A T I O N I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of Wednesday, March 23, 2005, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. RE: COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE _________________________ Lisa C. Bradley, RPR