* Other includes all segments less than 1% of the total. Negative segments are not shown.
HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT
EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING
Human Services Department (HSD) promotes
individual economic security and community
vitality. To this end, the Department administers a
variety of employment and training services
including California Work Opportunity and
Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKS) Welfare to
Work, CalFresh Employment and Training (CFET)
and the Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act
(WIOA). These three programs are now within the
Employment and Benefits Services Division. This
new organizational structure provides
opportunities for streamlined collaboration and a
means to better integrate workforce services.
Beginning in 2018-19 and continuing into 2019-20,
HSD is focusing on co-enrolling customers
receiving CalWORKs Welfare to Work and WIOA
services to maximize access to education and
training support. CalWORKS Welfare to Work
participants are especially impacted by lack of
employment as they must provide for their
children. Co-enrolled adults will have access to
expanded services and it is anticipated this will
lead to greater long-term employment retention.
HSD is expanding its administration of CFET,
which provides a partial federal funding match to
agencies providing employment and training to
CalFRESH recipients. Currently, HSD contracts
with the Santa Cruz Homeless Services Center
(HSC) and the Downtown Streets Team to provide
CalFresh Employment and Training services.
Throughout 2019, HSD will be exploring ways in
which a variety of non-profit providers, especially
those serving youth and adults experiencing
homelessness, may utilize the federal
reimbursement to expand employment services.
ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
In 2019-20, HSD will continue to provide a
mentorship program that will focus on developing
the mentor/mentee relationship, creating
leadership skills in mentors, and aid mentees in
career direction, advancement, and foundational
skill acquisition. A mentoring relationship is
beneficial in that it engages internal talent and
creates a true Learning Organization where
individuals are responsible for the learning and
development of each other and the sharing of
information.
HOMELESSNESS
As of October 2018, HSD became the lead agency
for the County�s homeless coordinated entry
system, known as Smart Path to Housing and Health
(Smart Path). Smart Path will expand its reach and
impact during 2019-2020. To increase capacity
and improve Smart Path assessment outcomes
assessor trainings will be scheduled throughout
the year. Additionally, the number of Smart Path
assessments are anticipated to increase with the
recent onboarding of four field-based assessors.
This expansion will increase Smart Path�s pool of
participants eligible for housing referrals.
Currently, participants can access transitional
housing, rapid re-housing, and permanent
supportive housing assistance through Smart Path.
The Smart Path team will explore with the
Homeless Action Partnership (HAP) expanding
participant access to emergency shelter beds and
eviction prevention programs. HSD is committed to
continued collaboration with HAP and other
community members to develop solutions to
improving coordinated entry processes, analyze
and share data to better understand local needs,
and create policy to effectively guide efforts.
In 2019-20, HSD will continue to manage housing
programs funded through the California
Department of Social Services (CDSS). The
CalWORKs Housing Support Program, locally
known as the CalWORKs Housing Assistance Move
-In Program (CHAMP), provides financial
assistance and support services to CalWORKs
families experiencing homelessness and is
implemented collaboratively by the Homeless
Services Center (HSC) and Families in Transition
(FIT). The Bringing Families Home Program
provides housing support services to families who
are receiving child welfare services and
experiencing homelessness towards the goal of
reducing the number of families in the child
welfare system experiencing homelessness,
increasing the number of families reunifying, and
preventing foster care placement. The Housing
and Disability Advocacy Program (HDAP) assists
disabled individuals experiencing homelessness to
apply for disability benefit programs and provides
housing assistance.
Through a competitive process, the Adult
Protective Services (APS)
program received $743,440 from the CDSS Home
Safe pilot program. Home Safe funds will be used
to pay for housing-related supports and services
that maintain the safety and housing stability of APS
clients who, as a result of abuse or neglect, are
experiencing homelessness or are at imminent risk
of homelessness. In addition, a multi-disciplinary
Transforming Lives with Care unit has been
created to provide the long-term case
management services that at-risk adults with
cognitive impairment need to thrive in the
community. At-risk adults with cognitive
impairment including dementia, traumatic brain
injury, or a substantial development disability
diagnosed after age 18 lack access to services
provided to other at-risk adults through existing
safety net programs.
SENIORS & DISABLED
Providing support services to seniors and disabled
adults in our community is the focus of the Adult
and Long Term Care Services Division (ALTC). In
FY 19-20, these services will be enhanced through
several new opportunities.
ALTC received a $100,000 two-year grant from
Central California Alliance for Health (CCAH) to
increase the access to healthy food by In-Home
Supportive Services (IHSS) recipients. Through
Making Easy Nutrition Useful (MENU) IHSS
recipients are screened for food insecurity and
connected to CalFresh and/or other community
agencies for ongoing access to healthy food.
Recipients and/or caregivers receive free handson cooking classes to increase their knowledge
and skills in healthy cooking. Another opportunity
to support food security is that in 2019-20, for the
first time in over 40 years, recipients of
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) may be
eligible for CalFRESH. This will expand their
budget, improve access to healthy food, and help
reduce hunger, which also combats illness and
chronic disease.
CHILDREN & FAMILIES
As part of Family and Children�s Services (FCS)
implementation of Continuum of Care Reform
(CCR) for child welfare, FCS is collaborating with
the Health Services Agency (HSA) to support Child
Family Team meetings, family-led decision-making
on child needs and service planning.
As part of the Thrive by Three Initiative, HSD, HSA,
First 5 Santa Cruz County, the Santa Cruz County
Office of Education and other local organizations
serving young children and their families continue
to work towards improving early childhood
outcomes. Additional State home visiting programs
funding will enable our County to offer home
visiting services to more families.
For additional information please see the full
budget document.
Budget Search