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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN HSSSC 2021/02/16 2020-2022 Committee on Human Services and Social Services 2nd Session Hawaii County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii February 16, 2021 CALL TO The regular meeting of the Committee on Human Services and Social Services ORDER: was called to order at 11:18 a.m. in the Council Chambers, Hilo, by Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Chair. ROLL CALL: Present: Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Chair Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Vice Chair Mr. Aaron S. Y. Chung, Member Ms. Maile Medeiros David, Member (via videoconference from Kona) Mr. Matt Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Member Ms. Heather L. Kimball, Member Mr. Herbert M. "Tim" Richards III, Member (via videoconference from Kona) Ms. Rebecca Villegas, Member (via videoconference from Kona) Absent& Excused: Mr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Member STATEMENTS The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, FROM THE Statements from the Public on Agenda Items. PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS: (There were none.) CHR. LEE LOY: Mr. Clerk, Communications 99, please. COMMUNI- The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, CATIONS: Communications. Comm. 99: FISCAL YEAR 2021-22 NONPROFIT GRANT REVIEW PROCESS AND FORMATION OF AN AD HOC COMMITTEE From Human Services and Social Services Committee Chair Susan L. K. Lee Loy, dated January 14, 2021, describing the nonprofit grant review process and requesting formation of an ad hoc committee. The ad hoc committee would conduct application reviews for the County's annual nonprofit grant awards and then report its recommendations to the Human Services and Social Services Committee. HSSSC-2 February 16,2021 Motion to Close File: Ms. Kierkiewicz moved to close file on Comm. 99. Seconded by Mr. Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Council Members, and thank you for allowing me to bring this communication forward. This time of year is when we begin to stand up our nonprofit grant-in-aid committee. This particular communication as described by our Clerk and on the agenda, the scope of this committee will be limited to MS. DAVID: I'm sorry. Hilo, we can't hear you folks at all. Thank you. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you for that, Chair David. Clerk, shall we take a short recess? MR. BROWN: Yes, can we take a quick recess, please,just to make sure our audio is working in the West Hawaii Chamber? CHR. LEE LOY: Sure. This meeting is in recess. MR. BROWN: Thank you, Chair. MS. DAVID: There we go. Now we hear you folks. Thank you very much. MR. BROWN: Looks like we've rectified the issue. Thank you, Chair. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you. Thank you, Ms. David for that. As I was beginning to describe, this particular communication is to stand up our nonprofit grant-in-aid ad hoc committee. Scope of Ad Hoc: The scope of this committee will be limited to the investigation and making relevant inquiries to nonprofit organizations that the Director of Finance deems eligible pursuant to Section 2-139(a)(1)(B), to receive grant awards, and then recommend appropriation amounts to the Council for funding for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2021. For my colleagues, you know, a lot of this information will be coming forward in future communications; however,just a cursory look at what's being forwarded by the Department of Finance, we have received 243 total applications with a total request of$9.2 million. Our budget is holding $2.5 million, and so there will be some real tough decisions that need to be made in this ad hoc committee. As I shared in previous meetings, our State grant-in-aid has been on the chopping block from the State. So a number of these applicants will not be eligible—or just the funding will not be available from our State grant-in-aid program. Page 2 HSSSC-2 February 16,2021 As mentioned in the previous communication too, we're hoping to begin to pivot our nonprofit grant-in-aid and follow some of the framework that was discussed by Hawaii Communication Foundation with the change framework,pinging off those six sectors of community, health and wellness, arts and culture, natural environment, and education. You know, I'm excited about what this work is going to entail. It's going to be a lot of work, and just because there's an incredible ask but very little funding on the table, and so it's going to take some innovative thought and networking to go ahead and meet the needs of our community. And we saw this last year with COVID (coronavirus), our nonprofits really stood in the gap to bringing services to our most vulnerable. One thing I did want to toss out to this committee is the idea of inviting a community stakeholder, someone that would kind of be able to score some of the applications and provide a community voice, not only for the decision-making that we make but also be able to help us partner, network, and look for other sources of funding. So with that, you know, I just want to open the meeting up for some conversation about what my colleagues would like to see as far as some of the benchmarks, and interested members of the Council to help, you know,this what will be a definite heavy lift for our community. With that, anyone in Kona? MS. DAVID: Chair? CHR. LEE LOY: Go ahead, Chair David. MS. DAVID: Thank you. You know, I just wanted to thank you for your thought process on this, having sat on the nonprofit grant programs for a while, I think your idea about engaging a community participant, could you explain more about that as far as your ad hoc committee being comprised of not only members of the Council but the community participation, how many? CHR. LEE LOY: Yeah, thank you, Ms. David, for that question. Actually, I reached back to a very dear friend of ours, former Council Member Karen Eoff, who actually sat on the nonprofit grant-in-aid committee when she was here on the Council and began to pick her brain a little bit on, you know, her departure from the Council and how things have changed over time,just in this last year with COVID (coronavirus). As we began to talk and suggesting this idea of a community stakeholder, she really began to understand the need for a community stakeholder. You know, we as Council Members have our network system, but all too often there's community stakeholders who are in touch with other donors, and they just don't Page 3 HSSSC-2 February 16,2021 know how to give. And what was really advantageous that Ms. Eoff expressed was, because our nonprofit grant-in-aid committee is vetted by our Finance Department, a lot of them are they are legitimate 501(c)(3)s that have been properly vetted and are in good standing. And so for these other benefactors who want to give to beneficiaries, they're not certain if these nonprofits are legitimate. And so this clearing house that we offer through this process is a benefit to those out there who want to give. And so as Ms. Eoff and I began to talk about it, she really understood and really thought it was innovative to begin to include someone in the community who could then put us in touch with other philanthropical individuals and also continue the work. In the past,the nonprofit grant-in-aid committee was an ad hoc committee that just worked for three months. The brilliance of this new community, Human Services, is that we continue the work throughout the entire year, because oftentimes those philanthropical donors they don't give in the same cycle that we do. So it would be a great touchpoint for this community stakeholder and our committees to keep that giving going throughout the entire year. So thank you for that question, Ms. David. I really appreciate it. MS. DAVID: Well, I really appreciate your ingenuity in trying to make our funding program—expand it, such that we can help these nonprofits further than our ad hoc committee's lifespan, which is definitely too short. So I think that idea, because while they're providing the services that they come and apply for the County funds for, the ad hoc community member, like you said, can participate year-round and help these organizations with further funding because we are going to be very short this year. So, I appreciate that. And thank you for explaining that idea, I basically want to thank you for that. Chair, I yield. And mahalo. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Ms. David. And we really are just building off the incredible foundation that you left for us. Any other members in Kona? MR. RICHARDS: Chair? CHR. LEE LOY: Mr. Richards, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: Yeah thanks, Chair. I think your point about the need is high and the resource is going to be scarce for these next coming years, very pointed. And I really like the concept because our grant-in-aid, we get it and we make an award, but then there's a gap of not the continuity, and so I can see where a community member could bring continuity to the next cycle, and at the same time looking for other resources that may be able to help the community programs that rarely we fully fund anything, if at all. So looking for other buckets of money to Page 4 HSSSC-2 February 16,2021 help fund these organizations going forward. I think that's a way to get some continuity, so I definitely support that. Chair, I yield. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Mr. Richards. In Hilo, Ms. Kierkiewicz, go ahead please. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. You know, I really appreciate the thoughtfulness that you've brought to this discussion. You know, building off of what Mr. Richards said, we need to be able to maximize our dollar so we can amplify our give. I mean, money is incredibly tight right now, so we need to find ways to work more collaboratively and really stretch those resources and make that give happen in community. I'd like to make a pitch to dedicate my time and brainpower to this effort. I haven't had the honor or pleasure of serving on this ad hoc committee but do have ideas in which how our nonprofits can work more collaboratively together to advance a shared agenda and, you know, being really inspired by what Hawaii Community Foundation is doing to be more data driven their decision making, have ideas for how we can capture more data throughout this process, and share that with the philanthropic community. I just see a real strategic interplay between foundations and government in solving community problems, so I do want to be part of that work. So thank you for kindly considering my pitch to join the committee. Thank you, Chair. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Anyone else? I see Ms. Kimball reaching for her light. Go ahead, Ms. Kimball. MS. KIMBALL: I wasn't sure if I was going to volunteer, but then Council Member Kierkiewicz said, "data collection," and I went, "Oh yeah, I'm all over that." So I thank you for all the work you've done so far in putting this committee together. And I do like the creativity of the idea of bringing in some additional resources from the community to help us figure out how to close some of these gaps that are definitely going to be there. And as Council Member Richards mentioned, the continuity that would happen from that interaction. I'm certainly interested in how we can make this process more robust overall, something that will capture the data and also allow us to make our decisions about funding in a real consistent way that is defensible, and look at how we can really fund, based on the goals that we've set as a County. So I'd be happy to also join in this effort. So, mahalo. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you. Anyone else? Well, with that, you know, I've heard Ashley and Heather, so rather than volun-tell them since they volunteered, I'd like to begin committee assignments, with myself, Ms. Kierkiewicz, Page 5 HSSSC-2 February 16,2021 Ms. Kimball, and I'm going reach back to Mr. Richards to bring some of that North Hawai`i voice to this committee. I think the four of us would be able to kind of divide up the change framework and kind of guide some of those applications in there. And I believe, Mr. Clerk, inviting a community stakeholder doesn't have to be established now. It's just members of the committee and we could begin to look for more outreach in the community as we begin to go through this process. MR. BROWN: Yeah. The official ad hoc committee members would be between two to four Council Members, and any additional community members would be acting sort of in an unofficial capacity to provide help to the committee, as you guys wish. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you. And I already have in my head who is going to do our data collection, Ms. Kimball, and crunch that for us so we can actually build that baseline. I'm really excited about that,to do something a little bit more strategic. Membership So with that, Mr. Clerk, I've identified Mr. Richards, Ms. Kierkiewicz, of Ad Hoc: Ms. Kimball, and myself. MR. BROWN: Thank you, the record will reflect that. And I think you did a good job of stating the scope of what this ad hoc committee the work that it will be doing. I have our County Clerk here also if in case there is anything else. So the motion that we would want to entertain today would be a postponement to the call of the Chair. And then that way the ad hoc committee could go about their work and collect the data and then present to the full Council their findings where an action will be taken at that time. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you for that, Mr. Clerk. And then just for the record, I've begun to map out—or back map a process for us to get the applications, vet them, go through the awards process, because this information has to be presented through our budget cycle so that we can implement that into our budget. And so with that, I'll be providing that timeline to the other three members of the ad hoc committee. And look forward to kind of sitting down rather quickly, maybe in the next day or two. (Note: At this time, County Clerk Jon Henricks came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR. LEE LOY: Go ahead, Mr. Clerk. Page 6 HSSSC-2 February 16,2021 MR. HENRICKS: Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt. You guys are doing great. But just for new members here and then for the general public to be clear on the process. Form the committee, you guys do your work, you create your report of recommendations to this committee, Human Services Committee. And this committee will review that, assumingly approve it,then that becomes—we'll then incorporate that into our Budget Department to include that specifically in the Operating Budget as line items for the grant-in-aid's proposal, which then will have further review by the full Council and public inspection, as well. And there's a three-meeting process for all ad hoc committees. You guys create your report, bring it in, it sits for one meeting, and then at the next meeting you can fully discuss it, and a motion to adopt the report of the ad hoc committee. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you, Mr. Clerk. I forget to give the background because I've just been doing it so long. So thank you for providing that. I think, so with that, we a motion to close file on Communication MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I have a question, Chair. CHR. LEE LOY: Oh, go ahead. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Just for a question for you on how you're going to be selecting a member of our community to participate. CHR. LEE LOY: That's a great question. And so, you know, my initial thought, and just bouncing the idea off of Council Member Eoff, was to get that feedback. But I would like to reach out to other areas like Kona, or Ka`u, places that are seeing incredible need, and invite a stakeholder from that area. I think that's something we can discuss within the ad hoc committee. And if other members of this committee want to make some suggestions, we'll be more than happy to entertain them. The process does go rather quickly and with nearly 240 applications, there's just a lot to read and review. Also, and maybe not for this cycle, it's my hope that as we refine the process and the data collection and the onboarding of these nonprofits, we can begin to demonstrate or show them really what outputs and outcomes look like. So your question about identifying a stakeholder, it really would be individuals in the community who have that network system that could help with either the data collection or furthering the nonprofit organizations that are requesting funds. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. The reason I'm asking is it would be difficult for someone who is potentially asking for funding to be sitting on the Page 7 HSSSC-2 February 16,2021 committee that's providing the funding, yeah? So you have to be careful about how you approach that. CHR. LEE LOY: Yeah, and that's why Ms. EoffI asked her, "Don't say no fast, say yes slowly," because she would be an ideal candidate for a community stakeholder position. She's been on the committee, she's seen the application forms in the past, but she's also now experiencing it as just a member of the community and hearing some of that other community voices. So that's kind of the idea that I was leaning on. Or even reaching out to Congressman Kai Kahele's gang. You know, he might be in touch with other funding from the federal government that they can partner better. You know, it's just ideas like that, where we need to branch out and look for other revenue sources. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah. And then, Clerk, is there any rules against having other members of the County on the ad hoc committee, versus just the Council Members? MR. HENRICKS: So to backtrack a little bit. The ad hoc committee officially can only be comprised of Council Members. It's like a permitted interaction through the Sunshine Law. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. HENRICKS: After that, whomever the ad hoc committee, and if there's no objections from the larger committee or Council wants to integrate into the process, you know,to facilitate part of the information or whatever role they might play, they can be part of that process. But if there is an official ad hoc committee, it will just be comprised of the people that are established today. And what roles people play, who aren't part of the official committee again—you know, my suggestion would be just to—obviously I'm sure will occur anyway, is that when the report is made to the full committee, that it would include specifics of who was involved and what role they play, how they assisted, what they specifically did do to help the formulate the recommendation in a fully transparent report will be helpful in guiding in that way. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Thank you, Clerk. MR. HENRICKS: Yeah. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I appreciate what you've done here. I've sat on this committee two years in a row. It's time consuming, but it's good for the community. It feels good from the County side. I do have concerns about the funding from the County, what we've committed to, even that we've increased it to what, $2.5 million for this current year we sit in, and going forward we'll see Page 8 HSSSC-2 February 16,2021 what happens. With that said, I wish you the best of luck and have fun. You have a good team. And mahalo. CHR. LEE LOY: And thank you for that. You know, as a member of the last committee, you know, we just went into COVID that last year and, you know, some of the requests for travel and other things that we funded weren't truly realized. And so how do we kind of take that into consideration now and then apply that to future contributions or have them partner with other benefactors? MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I too—we saw a lot of duplication and a lot of programs that overlap each other. And there was always some concern about that. The entities that came in did a wonderful job in explaining their programs, and I think we did wonderful job of providing funding. But if you can figure out ways to avoid duplication of benefits, that was always the big concern. So I wish you luck. CHR. LEE LOY: Thank you. With that, motion to close file on Communication 99? Oh, Mr. MR. BROWN: Chair, I think a motion that would work for you guys could be a postponement to the call of the Chair, and then that way you guys have some flexibility to get the ad hoc together and do the work that you guys want to do. Vote on Motion Ms. Kierkiewicz moved to postpone Comm. 99 to to Postpone: the call of the Chair. Seconded by Ms. Kimball and (Approved) carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Richards, Villegas, and Chair Lee Loy—8. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Member Inaba— 1. Excused: None. (An ad hoc committee was created consisting of Council Member Lee Loy as Chair and Council Members Kierkiewicz, Kimball, and Richards as members.) ORDER OF The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, RESOLUTIONS: Order of Resolutions. (There were none.) Page 9 HSSSC-2 February 16,2021 BILLS FOR The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, ORDINANCES: Bills for Ordinances. (There were none.) CHR. LEE LOY: With that, I believe we're end of the agenda, Mr. Clerk. Motion to adjourn? ADJOURN- There being no further business, at 11:42 a.m. Ms. Kierkiewicz moved to adjourn MENT: the meeting. Seconded by Ms. Kimball and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Richards, Villegas, and Chair Lee Loy— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Member Inaba— 1. Excused: None. CHR. LEE LOY: The Committee on Human Services and Social Services is adjourned at 11:42 a.m. Thank you. Approved: erreAprierlik11111111mil -4-\/\- I-171a\ M.. Susan L. ` Lee Loy, Chair (Date) Hu-:. Ser ' and Social Services Com ttee SL/na Page 10