County Administrator Judi Boyko said this is a huge and extremely complex undertaking and they couldn’t have a better person at the helm of this “new” agency, because of “her vast relationships she’s built with stakeholders and also her knowledge, expertise and competencies in these disciplines.”
She said the current efforts are lacking.
“All of these resources are not aligned, they’re not functioning, they’re not cooperating, they’re not collaborating together. You have the providers in one arena, you have MHARS and other governmental resources in the other, law enforcement, the county and all the resources that we can bring to the table, they’re all in their own ecosystems and not really performing collectively and collaboratively,” she said.
“This position, I’m not suggesting it’s the panacea and that it would be immediately solved and be the resolution of the problem, but it certainly would be looking at a different model and a different approach on engaging and incorporating and integrating all of these financial and capital and human resources.”
At the official homeless “point-in-time” count in January, there were 254 people on the streets and 231 sheltered for a total of 485. Last year the homeless count was 347 and the year before the number was at 266.
Gilbert is currently in charge of Children Services, the Child Support Enforcement Agency and JFS which includes OhioMeansJobs. She will retain overall responsibility for those operations but will have other directors to assist in day-to-day management.
Children Services Director Shannon Glendon will shift over — she came from that end of the agency originally — as director of JFS, her $113,669 salary is unchanged. Lisa Dierling will be elevated from Children Services administrator to acting director and CSEA Assistant Director Narka Gray will be promoted to a directorship position. Their salaries will go up to $100,880, a $13,853 increase for Dierling and $6,303 for Gray.
The commissioners held two Housing Insecurity and Advocacy Summits with stakeholders from across the county last year and another is planned for April 29. During the meeting in November the commissioners pledged to fund a coordinator to shepherd the countywide effort.
Commissioner Don Dixon noted everyone at those meetings seemed to support this approach.
“Everybody was saying they thought it was a good idea and it was something they were going to participate in, so that in itself accomplished a lot that we’re trying to do, to make it a total community solution,” he said. “It’s not a county obligation but we’ve offered to fund this position and help coordinate these services. I think it’s all a good thing.”
Commissioner T.C. Rogers noted they have been working toward this goal for a couple years and there is “value” to having Gilbert fill this role, “this hire is simply fulfilling the board’s strategic plan, providing leadership, influence, support, expertise and human capital towards this directive.”
Gilbert told the Journal-News she and Boyko have outlined a 30, 60 and 90 day plan to kick-start this effort and “I will be engaging and fostering partnerships with community organizations, governmental agencies, and service providers in an effort to coordinate resources.” She said the other promotions were essential.
“Having these positions in place with these individuals who are extremely capable and knowledgeable, will allow me the time and devotion that I will need to devote to this new initiative, these expanded job duties,” she said.
The three commissioners have been at odds lately over the homeless situation after Commissioner Cindy Carpenter and her grassroots committee — they have been working for years on the homeless problem — tried to wrest financial control from the county.
Dixon and Rogers sent a letter to officials at the federal and state departments of Housing and Urban Development last month “expressing vigorous objection” to Carpenter’s Housing and Homeless Collaborative Board’s request to become an independent Continuum of Care entity, managing federal dollars for the homeless.
The county receives money from HUD for the Permanent Supportive Housing program that provides rental assistance and treatment for the homeless who also suffer from mental illness.
The YWCA and Serve City also receive some funding.
Carpenter’s grassroots group wants to take over because they believe they can get more money to help the homeless.
Last week Carpenter expressed support for Gilbert taking the reins.
“The big part of what’s missing for individuals is food and medical care and that’s what JFS provides, that’s key and some of the other Continuums of Care across the state of Ohio have distributed discretionary JFS funds directly to homeless individuals,” Carpenter said and later added, “Julie can see the need for comprehensive case management, there’s a lot of resources in JFS that can be brought so I think that’s a really good idea and bringing those resources to people in need who can’t access the building is a great service.”
Boyko said she doesn’t want anyone to misconstrue Gilbert’s new job and that the JFS Department is not “becoming the department of default for homelessness.”
“I just want to make it very clear that this position is not a homeless coordinator, it is not a homeless czar, housing czar, this position is intended to inventory, identify, work with with, collaborate with, cooperate with all of the resources that are existing to ensure those resources are performing at their maximum and to be able to make synergistic and integrated assumptions and recommendations to build a model so that we are working cohesively and collectively,” she said. “Julie’s position is not going to be the homeless person that’s responsible for finding housing and doing those things, this position is going to be responsible for facilitating the existing resources.”
Carpenter told the Journal-News she does support promoting Gilbert and the others, but it doesn’t negate the grassroots committee’s efforts.
“We are following a specific plan that’s outlined by HUD,” she said. “It’s nice that county government wants to get concerned and thinks they can help, but I don’t see it as mutually exclusive. I think all efforts are great and go ahead and do them.”
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