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HomeMy WebLinkAbout39-Parks & Recreation em OF SAN BERNARDINO - REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION From: ANNIE F. RAMOS, DIRECTOR Dept: PARKS, RECREATION & COMMUNITY SERVICES I Subject: ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF AMENDMENT NO.7 TO THE AGREEMENT FOR OPERATION OF A DROP-IN CENlER BY CASA RAMONA, INC. FOR FY 1997-98. Date: JUNE 18, 1997 o.QIGINAL Synopsis of Previous Council Action: June 17, 1996 Mayor and Common Council adopted Resolution No. 96-172 authorizing execution of Amendment No.6 to the Agreement with Casa Ramona, Inc. relative to operation of a Drop-In Center for Fy 1996-97. Recommended Motion: Adopt the Resolution. i2.~ 7 k?., / ~ Signature ,4;. Contact person: TOM BOGGS Phone: 5032 Supporting data attached: Staff Report and Resolution Ward: 1 FUNDING REQUIREMENTS:Amount: $50.783 Source: (Ace!. No.) 001-381-5505 Ace!. Descri lion Parks Recreation & Communi Council Notes: tVl1d.&J ..Ir.. ~ .-<~ dg fI &A f.l: .kz) ./41;'L/& M, ~ ;:-YP7- 9R ~~() -11:31 1/7/f(! Finance: Agenda Item No. Res 97- ~otf amI ~. CITY. OF .SAN BERNARDINO - REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION STAFF REPORT ADOPTION OF RESOLUTION AND AGREEMENT FOR OPERATION OF A DROP-IN CENTER BY CASA RAMONA, INC. FOR FY 1997-98. This Department has contracted with Casa Ramona, Inc. for operation of Ramona Drop-In Center located at 1524 West 7th Street since September 1, 1983. The Center offers information and referral services on a variety of citizen needs as well as assistance in completing forms and making applications for various services and social programs. The Center is also a site for the City sponsored Summer Lunch Program which provides free lunches to children. Other services are pt'ovided to the poor, elderly, homeless, unemployed, non- English speaking, new arrivals, and crime victims. City residents are aided directly and non-city residents are referred to appropriate sources. The Ramona Drop-In Center contract cost has remained the same since 1990-91 with no, increase in compensation. Based on previous experience and the service record at the Center, it is recommended that the Ramona Drop-In Center contract be approved for 1997-98 at the current and requested $50,783 level. TB:u e e e 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 AMENDMENT NO. 7 AGREEMENT (Drop-In Center) This Amendment to Agreement is entered into this day of , 1997, by and between the CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO and CASA RAMONA, INC., relating to the operation of a Drop-In Center at 1524 West 7th Street, San Bernardino, California. 1. That certain Agreement between the parties dated September 1, 1990 is hereby amended as follows: A. Paragraph 2 (c) relating to the term of the Agreement is amended to extend the term of this contract for an additional one year period as follows: ..."commencing July 1, 1997 and expiring June 30, 199B"... 2. All other terms and conditions of the Agreement described shall remain in full force and effect. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this instrument upon the date first herein above appearing. ATTEST: By City Clerk CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO By Director, Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department CASA RAMONA, INC. By Title Approved as to form and legal content: JAMES F. PENMAN City ttorney P~/VI~'V\ e 1524 West 7th Street San Bernardino, CA 92411 Telephone 909/889-0011 CASA RAMONA, INC. RECEIVED JUN 12 1997 PK.. REC. & CDMM. SVC. June 9, 1997 Mr. Tom Boggs Parks and Recreation Dept. City of San Bernardino 547 North Sierra Way San Bernardino, CA 92401 Dear Mr. Boggs, Enclosed you will find our proposal for the Drop-In Center for fiscal year 1997-98. e Should you have any questions regarding this matter, please feel free to call me. We appreciate very much the continued support from the city in providing these services to the community. Very Sincerely, F--.6~h . ,...,,)f } Robert D. Armenta Program Analyst Casa Ramona, Inc. e cc: Amy Ulloa, Parks and Recreation Dept. Esther R. Estrada, Exec. Dir., Casa Ramona, Inc. DIC FILE CASA RAMONA INC. e DROP-IN CENTER Budget Proposal FlY 97-98 Funding Source: City Of San Bernardino Total Expenditure AMOUNT 41,000 6,366 300 350 500 400 400 967 500 50,783 BUDGET ITEM Salaries And Benefits Rental/Lease Printing ~e Supplies ~ce Equipment professional Fees Travel/Conference Telephone Security e . 1524 West 7th Street San Bernardino, CA 92411 Telephone 909/ 889-0011 CASA RAMONA, INC. e e e The Casa Ramona Drop-In Center provides San Bernardino residents with a wide range of services. Outlined below are the specific services and programs which the center proposes to provide during Fiscal Year 1997-98. More detailed infonnation is provided on accompanying pages. An approximate schedule for the delivery of these services and the implementation of programming is also included. We provide services to those in need, the poor, elderly, homeless, unemployed, children, families, non-english speaking, new anivals and crime victims. No one is turned away. City residents are aided directly and others sometimes are referred elsewhere for assistance. Most center clients reside in the Spanish speaking neighborhoods ofthe city's West and South Central areas, however, we see many persons at the Drop-In Center from other areas throughout the City of San Bernardino. e e e OMBUDSMAN SERVICES/CLIENT ADVOC4CY Originally, the Casa Ramona Drop-In Center was envisioned as a "Satellite" City Hall. It offers citizens a wide range of city services "close to home." Today, the center has evolved from a generalized "Mini City Hall" into more of an office of first-and often last resort assistance for a large number of city residents. Primarily, we now serve those who lack the confidence, social, or language skilIs or stamina to confront public agencies or municipal departments on their own. The Drop-In Center is thus the only entry by which many thousands of city residents can confidentially seek information with issues regarding city services, public health, employment, education, housing, etc. Conversely, most city offices and a great many public agencies serving San Bernardino citizens refer persons to our Drop-In Center. We are asked to do case review and "work ups", translations, aid with forms, counseling, family needs, assessments and a variety of referrals. Many times our client are undergoing periods of physical and emotional stress. City departments and public agencies often employ our staff and facilities as "Safety Valves" to avoid confrontation with v01atile individuals. The Drop-In Center thus functions as a primary "entry point" for many city residents seeking infonnation and guidance for people who are not as informed, isolated, fearful, or skeptic about going directly to local government downtown offices for assistance. We see many persons each week who are solely Spanish speaking and who may even be unable to read or write in any 1anguage. Many of these individuals are understandably very sensitive about "expressing" their disability to others. Finally, the Drop-In Center staff acts in the role of ombudsman. We do not make policy decisions. We only report and make recommendations to our supervisors. However, very often we are able to assist citizens by cutting through the bureaucratic red-tape. At the Drop-In Center we have learned to tailor our words and actions to the varied requirements of people in crisis. As professionals, we are also here to explain these needs to our City Hall personnel and the other personnel of other public and private agencies in San Bernardino. We are a central component in what may be viewed as a "mutual aid pact" for individuals and families in need. Our ultimate goal in serving persons and families is to foster self-confidence and the highest possible degree of independence, pride and good health in our clientele. Interestingly, many of our best volunteers who spend up to 20 to 30 hours monthly helping us were once themselves clients of the Drop-In Center seeking assistance. This self-help recycling within the community is one of our most notable San Bernardino City ~uccess stories. e Casa Ramona Drop-In Center provides the following services to San Bernardino residents: 1. Assistance with forms and documents, including: e e -Public Assistance (welfare) Forms -Social Security and Pension Forms -Housing applications -Scholarship applications -School documents (for children, parents) -Permits and licenses (for indigents) -Veteran's benefits eligibility 2. Employment -Referrals (refer people to different agencies where there are openings) -Counseling (refer people to different counseling offices) -Applications -Special youth employment programming 3. Legal Service: -Referrals to legal aid -Preparation of materials -Consumer protection counseling and referral -Crime victim counseling and referral 4. Special (Holiday) Programs: -Food Baskets for the needy families -Christmas Dinner -Fiestas (5 de Mayo and 16 de Septiembre 5. Public Information -Updating client community on services, hours, staffavailability, policy changes, etc. -Distributing information at other locations: welfare offices, employment office, schools, clinics, retail centers, etc. 6. Referrals: -Including but not limited to: housing, food, clothing, utility assistance, etc. 7. Seminars: _ Seminars are on issues of interest to our community (crime prevention) 8. Social Security -The first Friday of each month we have a representative from the Social Security office in our facility to inform clients about the services that Social Security offers. e e e 9. Summer Youth Program: -Every year we get 5 to 6 youths to help in the different programs we offer. through the City of San Bernardino. This program is 10. Summer Lunch Program: -During the summer we serve lunch for children in the community from the age of2 to 18. 11. Translations: -We assist all those people that come through the Drop-In Center wI the translation ofletters and other documentation. 12. Letter Preparation: -We assist all those people that need a letter typed or wI the preparation ofa letter. 13. Citizenship Qasses: -We offer citizenship classes for all those whom are interested in becoming U.S. Citizens. U. Supervise Work Sentence / Community Service Program: -This service allows individuals to comply with their community service alternative. e DIRECT SERVICES The Casa Ramona Drop-In Center now works in conjunction with the County Department of Public Social Services. County Welfare refers a large number of their monolingual Hispanic clients to }Is. We have an increasing number of center clients requesting assistance with forms, documentation and explanation of the requirements they must meet. 1. There are people in need oflearning about the services ofCasa Ramona Drop-In Center. 2. The needs of the local client population have grown while the availability of services have decreased. 3. The declining economy has created more social problems than ever. FIllING OUT FORMS One of the most important functions of the Drop-In Center is to provide assistance to the Spanish speaking with: 1. Explaining and completing a variety offorms. e 2. Translation of documents, instructions, official correspondence, etc. 3. Typing letters for our clients. 4. Referrals to specific agencies or service providers These services will continue to be provided on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EMPLOYMENT SERVICES Throughout the year, we assist clients with finding jobs and applying for employment. We network with other agencies and act as a clearinghouse and referral. We prescribe certain telephone and personal interview techniques to our clientele, after assisting with job applications if necessary. We often bring job seekers together with prospective employers. Special attention is provided to older or "returning" workers, the young and entry-level of ''first time" workers. All groups need particular guidance in job search activities. e e e e HEALTH SERVICES We continue working with the County of San Bernardino on the inununization clinic. The immunization clinic adds to our once a year Health Fair in which hundreds of children and adults are examined free of charge. The examinations include a variety of test for many health problems. LEGAL SERVICES Since 1984 the Drop-In Center has provided free legal services to monolingual Hispanics that need assistance with legal problems. We identify the problem and if it is something our staff can do, the problem is handled in house. If the problem requires more experienced assistance we consult outside legal counselor we refer the client to a proper agency. The total number of persons served with legal related problems at the Drop-In Center ranges from 600 to 1,000. SOCIAL SECURITY OUTREACH Each first Friday of the month a field representative from the Social Security Administration visits the center to advise our clients. Center staff is responsible for pre-arranging client appointments. Those who cannot wait for an appointment in the center are referred directly to the local Social Security Office and may later be assisted with their forms, translations, etc. Total number of persons coming into our office for social security services range from 20 to 30 per week. SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAM Through the months of July and August, the Drop-In Center works with the City of San Bernardino to help the young people of our city. All young people who apply must fill out an application and qualify under certain guidelines declaring that they are from low income families and are residents of the City of San Bernardino. All those who qualify for this program are given the types of work where they can learn while on the job. At Casa Ramona we often recruit helpers for our Senior Program, Child Development, Administrative Office, and custodial work. Persons qualifying for this program are given a total of 100 hours per month. Each young person is given the opportunity to choose the type of work they wish to do. The Drop-In Center is responsible for maintaining time sheets and providing the daily supervision of each sununer youth person assigned to us. Many of these Sununer Youth employees return to the center for help during the school year in seeking part-time employment in the private sector. e e e SUMMER LUNCH PROGRAM Each summer the staff works with city representatives to coordinate the annual "Children Summer Lunch Program" at Casa Ramona. This program offers a nutritional lunch to hundreds of needy children in the community. Through this program we provide lunches to children ages 2 through 18 years. Lunches are served at the Casa Ramona dining room Monday through Friday between the hours of 11 :30 am to 12:30 PM. Our center is recognized by the Department of Agriculture as one of the best coordinated lunch sites in the City of San Bernardino. The number of children who benefit from this program ranges from 1,900 to 2,000 per month. CITIZENSHIP CLASSES The most recent addition to our services is the citizenship classes. These classes are offered to all those individuals who meet all the requirements to become a U.S. Citizen. These classes are offered Saturday from 9:00 am to 3:00 PM. This program started February 12, 1994. WORK SENTENCE / COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAM The San Bernardino County Probation Department will continue to provide work placements at Casa Ramona in 1997-98. This allows individuals to comply with their community service alternative work sentence. The Drop-In Center Coordinator is responsible for the daily record keeping for participants in this program. 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