Human Services
The City of Tallahassee targets its human services funds to meet the needs of low and moderate-income persons and neighborhoods. In support of this principal, the City's human services funds are targeted for the provision of human services, which include, but are not limited to the following:
- Substance abuse support, case management services for persons affected by HIV/AIDS; comprehensive medical health care such as pharmaceuticals and primary care;
- Accessibility and case management services for persons with disabilities, including the Sickle Cell disease;
- Basic needs services such as clothing, food, household items, and employability training and placement; mental health counseling to meet the urgent needs of children; emergency shelter for families with children;
- Health services for the elderly, including respite care for individuals affected by the Alzheimer's disease; and
- After school and summer enrichment programs for children and youth residing in targeted neighborhoods.
Although certain human services are supported by CDBG funds (totaling $327,145), the City, as it has for the past several years, added additional funds ($876,750) to address a full-range of human services needs.
Funding Distribution Process
In order to provide a more efficient and effective method for allocating human service grants, the City of Tallahassee, Leon County, and the United Way joined forces to create the Community Human Service Partnership (CHSP).
Prior to the development of the CHSP funding distribution process, all three partners conducted separate grant review processes; consequently, local human service providers had to participate in three different processes. Recognizing the need to make improvements in the overall approach to funding not-for-profit organizations, the CHSP was formulated to address various systems' challenges that resulted due to the lack of coordination amongst the three local funding agents.
Overall, the CHSP serves as a joint planning and funding distribution process, which utilizes a standardized funding application, site visit format, and review and recommendation process. This process allows the partners to make funding decisions in a more informed and systematic manner.
CHSP, a citizens-driven process, includes the following strategic steps:
- A public notification process.
- A mandatory workshop for interested private, not-for-profit organizations.
- Use of a standardized application, which includes legal, organizational, financial, managerial, programmatic, and program evaluation information.
- Technical assistance is available after the workshop for a period of several weeks.
- Submission of agency applications by a designated time frame.
- A technical review of all applications.
- Recruitment and training of volunteers.
- The organization of volunteers into Citizens Review Teams (CRTs).
- Each team reviews the applications, conducts program site visits, completes agency/programmatic assessments, recommends priorities, and makes initial funding recommendations.
- CHSP staff determines funding allocations based on legal, procedural, and historical funding factors.
- Agency award letters, which include direct feedback from CRTs, are forwarded.
- An appeal process is built into the CHSP process.
- Recommendations from the CRTs are forwarded to each funding source's citizen-staffed committee.
- Recommendations are submitted to the City Commission, the Leon County Commission, and the United Way Board of Directors for final approval.
- Contracts and memorandum of agreements are executed. The CHSP funding cycle is from October 1, to September 30.