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News from Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services

August   2011 
In This Issue
Educational Summit and Resoure Expo
Journey Place
ePASS
DSS Success Story
Events and Happenings
News from our Partners
DSS DASHboard

Our Mission

To provide economic and social services to sustain and/or improve the quality of life for Mecklenburg County citizens.

Our Vision

To be an involved and recognized leader in human services, valued by our stakeholders because of our needs-based customer focus in the delivery of services.  We will help create a resilient community by proactively investing in our employees, operations and services, and by developing impactful relationships for the benefit of our customers.

Hours and Locations

Contact Us
704-336-3000
  
Hours
Mon.-Thur. 8am-6pm
Fri. 8am-5pm
  
Locations
Kuralt Centre
301 Billingsley Road
  
Valerie C. Woodard Center
3205 Freedom Drive

Message from the Director

Mary Wilson 

Dear Partner,

 

We hope you are enjoying the last days of summer and looking forward to a cool, colorful fall!  We continue to hear great feedback about Reaching Out and encourage you to share what you want to learn more about.  We want to share news about DSS and our community partners so that we can stay informed about changes and resources to assist the children and families we serve.

 

We are excited to share with you the new ePass option available to your customers.  This electronic application opportunity will stream line the application process and allow your customers to determine whether they might be eligible for services in the privacy of their home or your office.  When customers bring this application in they will not need to stay for an interview and they can just drop off the application.

 

 

This resource will continue to grow and will allow the application to be submitted online and eliminate the requirement to come into the agency.  In addition, Medicaid will be available online and other services proved by the Department of Social Services.  These changes will come online with the introduction of the new NC FAST technology which will be brought online by the NC Dept. of Health and Human Services beginning late spring 2012.  Click here to read more about NC FAST.

 

Again, thank you for being great partners and please let us know what we can do to serve you better.

 

Regards,

Mary

Mary E. Wilson

Director

301 Billingsley Rd.

Charlotte, NC 28210

[email protected]

 

 

 

 

Program Spotlight: Education Summit and Resource Expo
  

    

 

DSS is sponsoring this event along with Foresight Leadership

and Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Parent University. The

purpose of the Summit and Resource Expo is to provide a

framework that allows Foster Parents, Kinship, Caregivers and

Work First clients to be more active and knowledgeable in the

educational process and success for their children.

 

Registration for the Education Summit and will begin at 9 am. We

will be giving away door prizes, a lap top, Wii and many other

gifts. Special guest presenters will be on hand sharing Becoming

Your Child's Best and Most Effective Advocate, Homework

without Headache, How You Say It Matters, Mad Science, Hip Hop Literary and a youth motivational speaker.

 

The purpose of this event: 

  • Connect and inform the public of information and resources offered by Health and Human Service Organizations and the Faith Community
  • Provide opportunity for image and visibility for grassroots organizations and small, medium or large organizations and businesses
  • Provide opportunity for churches/places of worship to inform the community of their programs and services that are available to the community

Learn more about the Community Resource Portal: A web-based tool designed to: 

  • Serve as a one-stop-shop educational tool that informs, educates and empowers the public, end user, customers of human service programs, individuals, families, organizations and institutions
  • Provide an opportunity for agencies, organizations, institutions and businesses to join the directory to inform the public of their program and/or service
  • Link and connect to existing resources in the community 
Community Partner Spotlight: Journey Place

school kids 

 

Mecklenburg County DSS-Youth and Family Services Division is excited to announce a new Journey Place program offered by Alexander Youth Network and The Relatives. Journey Place is a transitional living center designed to assist young adult males between the ages of 18-21 in making the successful transition to adulthood. Each young adult will work one on one with an On Ramp Transition Specialist who will provide the case management and skill building services necessary to help young adults function independently in society.

 

Journey Place was designed to serve young adult males ages 18 -21, who are in legal custody of the Department of Social Services. This program is unique in the ages it serves. Journey Place is willing to serve young males with a myriad of issues that can include a diagnosed Mental Health Need and the need for additional housing options that support the development of appropriate independent living skills. Journey place can also help young adults with complete educations needs and assist the with career development.  Journey Place has five core focus areas:

  •  Education
  • Employment
  • Health and safety
  • Community Life Functioning
  • Safe and stable living situation/housing

Journey Place will utilize the RENEW (Rehabilitation for Empowerment, Natural Supports, Education and Work) model. The program will have Transition Specialist on staff to provide case management and skill building services to assist young adults through the process of transitioning to adulthood. Some of the Specific services include:

  • Intensive Case Management
  • Goal Setting/Futures Planning
  • Living Skills Support and education
  • Counseling/ Mentoring/ Coaching
  • GED/Graduation support
  • Career planning
  • Job readiness, training, and support
  • Housing support

 

The Journey Palace program is designed to serve six young adults at a time. The program is expected to have an average stay of 12-18 months. The program hopes to take its first residents in September once the facility license is issued. If you have questions about the program or want to refer youth who are turning 18 please contact Richard Buchanan at 704-432-0990 or Christine Howell at 704-353-0065.

New Initiative Update

 

 

 

More than a year ago, North Carolina launched ePASS (Electronic Pre-Assessment Screening Service) a quick and easy way for customers to get information about benefits and services that may help them. Since March 2011, we have received almost 200 ePass applications for customers applying for Food and Nutrition programs.

 

You can use this tool from the privacy of your own home. When you have finished, the system will tell you the programs that you may be potentially eligible to receive and how you can apply for these programs. Customers are starting to really access and use this new way of doing business.

 

Currently, you can answer the questions and receive a response about possible eligibility

for Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), Simplified Nutritional Assistance (SNAP), and

Work First Cash Assistance (WFFA). A final decision cannot be made until you apply at

your local department of social services. The current system will allow you to print a

completed Food and Nutrition Services application and bring with you, which will save

time in your application process.

 

You can access ePass at https://epass.nc.gov. The screen will show you two options,

 available in either English or Spanish language.  

  • Option 1, entitled "Am I Potentially Eligible" will allow you to answer questions and

    see what benefits you may be eligible for.

  • Option 2, entitled "Apply for Benefits" will allow you to complete a Food and Nutrition application.

When you have finished, you must print the application and submit it to your local DSS by

either mail, fax or in person.

 

ePass will be upgraded in the very near future to allow customers to check the status of

their application and to schedule appointments with case workers. In the future, the ability

to use ePass for applying for Medicaid will be available.

 

 

DSS Success Story

Partnership 

 

The following is a letter from Deborah, a former Work First client, in reference to her Dawn Smyre, Work First social worker.

 

I would like to express my appreciation to you and the Department of Social Services for helping me while being unemployed. The Department of Social Services approved me for the Work First Program and assigned you as my employment social worker. You so diligently completed a MRA Plan of Action for me to start my journey to success.

 

You enrolled me in the Arbor Education and Training Program that assisted me in acquiring job search skills to help me become gainfully employed. The staff was very professional and treated me with dignity and respect. While attending the program, I learned how to succeed in an interview, network, manage time and stress, and how to market myself.   The Arbor Program also provided Job Fairs and connected me with Dress for Success of Charlotte, which helped me with my professional image.   As part of the Program, I was assigned to work in the Network Center as an Intern which allowed me to share my experience and demonstrate my skills. It also gave me an opportunity to strengthen my public speaking and customer service skills.

 

I appreciate you making sure that I had child care coverage and a bus pass while I was searching for a job. This allowed me to see that DSS had my family in the best of interest. I can honestly say that the Work First Program will help you get a job if you utilize the tools that it provides, because I am now employed with a career job. Thank you and DSS for helping me and my family in a time of need.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

Deborah

 

 

Events and Happenings in Mecklenburg County 

 

  • The Senior Citizens Nutrition Program began its "Short-term" Meal Service January, 2011.  This program focuses on meeting the nutritional needs of Mecklenburg County Citizens age 60 or older who have recently been discharged from the hospital, a rehab or other medical facility, who are temporarily homebound, are physically incapacitated to shop for and prepare food, and have no other resources to assist them.  Eligible customers receive 5-7 healthy, balanced meals per week, delivered to their homes for a period of up to 12 weeks. If you know of someone who could use these resources please have them call 704-336-3144 for more information.

 

  •  The Department of Social Services coordinated a Summer Experience program where 261 children involved with various social work cases attended Camp Lurecrest, were scholars at a Freedom School Partner site or received a stipend to cover summer camp expenses. The Feedom School Partner scholars were made possible by an $18,000 grant from Bank of America to send 25 youth involved in our child welfare services. Freedom School Partners is a program dedicated to serving at-risk students and families living in poverty to engage, educate and empower children to succeed in school and in life through quality, year-round educational enrichment programs. 

News and Information from DSS and our Partners

 

The Impact of Child Trauma Symposium

SAVE THE DATE

Friday, September 23, 2011

 

The Department of Social Services and MeckCARES (System of Care) for Mecklenburg County are collaborating on a trauma educational symposium to be held on Friday September 23rd from 8-3 pm.

  

The intent of the training is to educate social work staff regarding the impact of trauma on a person's life.  Many of the people we serve have experienced trauma in their life and may not have dealt with it in a way to be able to successfully move forward to self sufficiency.  Many of the children we serve are experiencing trauma and it may impact their educational outcomes and may explain some of their behavior.

 

We have reserved 10 slots for our community partners to participate in this workshop. If you are interested in attending this workshop, please have your agency director submit your name and email addresses to [email protected]. The deadline to submit your name is September 10, 2011.

Department of Social Services DASHboard 

In the current environment at DSS, this has turned out to be a very true projection of the current demand for these types of services, such as case management. This is evidenced by the following figures which represent FY2011 changes over FY2009:

  • 29% increase overall in all public assistance cases
  • 56% increase in Food and Nutrition Services cases
  • 20% increase in Family and Children's Medicaid cases
  • 13% increase in NC Health Choice cases
  • 12% increase in Adult Medicaid cases
  • 11% increase in Work First cases
  • 13% increase in the number of reports of child abuse or neglect
  • 20% increase in the number of reports of disabled adult abuse, neglect or exploitation

In sum, the ongoing work of managing caseloads is still significantly high as compared to previous fiscal years.

  

Submit stories and events to [email protected]

 
REMEMBER, 

We rely on you to help provide us with content, ideas, and feedback as we work together to serve those who depend upon us for services. If you have a story to share about the good work you do for the community please submit to [email protected].

 

Please submit your story by the 1st Wednesday of the month.