State of Florida Department of Children and Families Rick Scott Governor Esther Jacobo Interim Secretary M E M O R A N D U M DATE: September 16, 2013 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: Members of the Orlando Area Refugee Task Force Pedro Padua, Refugee Services (RS) August 14, 2013 TF Meeting Minutes THE NEXT TASK FORCE MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR: Date: October 9, 2013 Time: 10:00 A.M. - 12:00 Noon Location: Mid-Florida Technical School 2900 W. Oakridge Rd., Bldg. 100 Orlando, FL 32809 Contact: Pedro Padua Office: (407) 317-7336 Cell: (407) 625-8205 Fax: (407) 245-2766 E-Mail: Pedro_Padua@dcf.state.fl.us This task force has been active in the Orlando area for many years. The participants are representatives of various government agencies, private not-for-profit organizations and mutual assistance associations. An average of about thirty to thirty-five people attends these meetings on a regular basis. The purpose of these meetings is to increase awareness of the refugee populations, share best practices, build collaborations between agencies, spot trends in refugee populations, characteristics or movements, help create good communication among service providers; get informed about upcoming community events at the local, state and national level, request for proposals, training, workshops, conferences, etc., discuss refugee service needs and explore solutions to those needs. Meeting participants also receive updates, information and clarification on new federal and state regulations and policy changes pertaining to refugees. If there are any issues that you would like to include in the agenda, please contact me at the above address. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting! 400 W. Robinson Street, S1111D, Orlando, Florida 32801 Mission: Protect the Vulnerable, Promote Strong and Economically Self-Sufficient Families, and Advance Personal and Family Recovery and Resiliency
ORLANDO AREA REFUGEE TASK FORCE MEETING INTRODUCTIONS This meeting was held at the Florida Department of Transportation Building, located at 133 S. Semoran Blvd., Orlando, FL 32806. Twenty three people were in attendance. Pedro Padua, Central Region Community Liaison represented the Department of Children and Families, Refugee Services (RS) Program. Everyone introduced themselves and the agency they represented. SPECIAL PRESENTATION Mr. Anthony Williams, Assistant Recreation Division Manager for the City of Orlando, along with Tyrone Walker, West District Manager and Alfredo Ortiz, District Manager provided an overview of the various recreational and educational programs offered to residents. The Recreation Division offers the citizens of Orlando quality recreational, fitness, cultural, and educational programs at its recreational facilities. The division is comprised of 22 recreation facilities, 11 pools, four parks, 61 athletic fields, 57 tennis courts, two tracks, four racquetball courts, 289 adult athletic teams, 137 youth athletic teams and an extensive cultural arts program. In addition, the division has under its umbrella the City of Orlando s Park of the Americas, the Orlando Skateboard Park, Festival Park, and Older Adult centers. The goal of the division is to meet the recreational interests and needs of the growing community, while providing high quality service. Moreover, the City welcomes every opportunity to work and collaborate with community partners that may want to use their facilities or offer services. In response to a question about ability to work with limited English residents, Mr. Williams indicated they have bilingual staff available at most recreation centers. Cultural Arts The City of Orlando Recreation Division's Cultural Arts Section offers a wide range of creative opportunities for the young and young at heart. They have classes for individuals at every skill level from beginner to advanced who would like to enhance their pottery making skills. The low cost programs on a variety of dates and times make it more accessible for everyone. The Pottery Studio offers a creative & unique clay making experience. Classes are structured as open studio to accommodate even the busiest schedules. It was suggested people visit their website: www.cityoforlando.net Mr. Tyrone Walker indicated he oversees the city s aquatic program at 11 pools. In addition to swimming instructions, the program offers water aerobics including zumba. He said training takes place during February and March and programs run through the summer. Mr. Alfredo Lopez indicated the City of Orlando s Recreation Division offers safe and affordable after school programs for elementary and middle school age children. This five days a week program at the 15 recreation centers offer a diverse array of activities, such as homework time, computer lab, arts and crafts, nutrition and fitness, sports, fun free time, community service projects and field trips (an additional expense). Sites may offer different activities according to the interest of the children who participate in the program. 2
O.A.S.I.S. (Orlando After School Is Super) is an after-school program for youth that provides supervised activities for elementary school age children (ages 5-10). Children can have access to opportunities such as homework assistance, computer labs, game rooms, cultural arts, pottery, puppetry, arts and crafts, dance recitals and field trips to local attractions, football, and basketball games. Middle Teen Program (MTP) is a diverse teen program for youth in middle school (ages 11-14). The program features computers, homework assistance, workshops, regular meetings, service projects, game room activities, art, field trips, puppets, and athletic activities. Youth will have opportunities to develop leadership skills & gain cultural diversity awareness through MTP activities. School Vacation Daze is a program coinciding with school holidays from 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Offering fun activities for youth during school breaks, children can enjoy crafts, outdoor activities, game rooms, and much more during the traditional Orange County Public School vacation calendar year. CENTER HOURS: 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. (Monday - Friday) Dover Shores SPARK: 2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. (Monday Friday Costs 2012-2013 AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM and HOLIDAY BREAK PROGRAM City of Orlando Resident Community Support Program - FREE After School $40 a Month (Proof of residency required, MUST provide driver s license, water bill and electric bill showing City address). Includes EBT recipients, families below 130% of the Federal Poverty Level as determined via income tax returns, and special economic hardship cases approved by Recreation Management. Holiday Break $8 a Day - (Proof of residency required. MUST provide driver s license, water bill and electric bill showing City address). Includes EBT recipients, families below 130% of the Federal Poverty Level as determined via income tax returns, and special economic hardship cases approved by Recreation Management. Non-City of Orlando Resident $120 a Month $10 a Day Note: Community Support Program City families who are on EBT will be able to go on-line with staff at recreation centers to pull up their EBT accounts, and all the children listed on their account will be able to enroll in after school programs FREE OF CHARGE. 3
After-School All-Stars Orlando s After-School All-Stars is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization that partners with the City of Orlando s Families, Parks & Recreation Department to offer before and after school programs at seven city middle schools sites five days a week, and a seven-week summer camp program at five city middle schools. For additional information please visit: www.orlandoasas.org or call: Tyler Chandler at 407.246.4322 or by email: tyler.chandler@cityoforlando.net GENERAL UPDATES United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): Mr. Warren Jansen, Director Orlando Field Office reported they have been busy with staffing changes, but are up to date with processing times and projections for the year. He added they ll be implementing a new program to reduce waiting time for walk in clients. Tim Haugh, Regional Lead for Community Relations mentioned USCIS will be participating in several outreach events on Immigration 101 sponsored by NALEO. The first one will be on Wednesday, August 21, 2013 at 6:30 PM at Ana G. Mendez University, located at 5575 Semoran Blvd., Orlando, FL32822. He added some forms on their website have been reformatted to adobe with a barcode to limit errors and improve tracking. There is also a new Customer Service tool that allows for comments and ideas. ACCESS: Gloria McCrimon, Senior Human Services Program Specialist mentioned that are getting ready to be trained about Medicaid eligibility under new Affordable Health Care. New Refugee Arrivals: Lutheran Services of Florida - Kathryn Geller, Resettlement and Match Grant Program Manager reported 17 arrivals in June (6 Iraqi, 2 Iranian, 6 Congo, and 3 Cuban); they had 14 arrivals in July (12 Cuban and 2 Iraqi). Catholic Charities Jennifer Powers, Resettlement and Match Grant Program Coordinator, reported their original projection for 2013 was 150. Their projections are now revised to 170. Their 2013 year to date arrivals is 153. They had 4 arrivals in July (4 Cubans and 1 Iraqi) and 11 in August (10 Sudanese and 1Cuban). RS-CONTRACTED PROVIDER UPDATES Catholic Charities of Central Florida: Richard Logue, Director of Refugee and Immigration Services, reported Comprehensive Refugee Services (CRS) is on target to meet or exceed all contract goals for this year. The program has served twice as many clients than expected and percentage of 90 days employment retention has been improved. He introduced Daisy Clemente as the new Coordinator of employment services. Ms. Clemente praised her experienced team of employment specialist and indicated they are having some success with entry level jobs in landscaping and one of Orlando s largest hospitals. 4
Ms. Debbie Cruz, Case Management Coordinator, stated they have seen about 100 new arrivals per month and added a new Arabic speaking Case Manager has been hired to improve communication and services with the Arabic speaking refugee population. Noemi Guzman, Employability Service Coordinator, reported they have found an attorney to fill the position that has been vacant for a while. She added that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have agreed to extend parole to Haitians for one year. They have a couple of Haitian Asylum applicants that have been denied EAD as a result of their filing for asylum. She added there is a class action lawsuit pending on the issue. Maria Diez, Youth Program Coordinator, reported 21 clients have been enrolled in the Youth Program during the months of June and July. Around 16 new arrivals have been registered in school by our youth caseworkers. Summer has been full of youth educational activities, individual and group tutoring. Their program is meeting the goals of providing 6 hours of tutoring to each client per month. They plan to enroll 10 new clients in the program during this month. They have 7 clients on waiting list to be opened in September. Orange County Public Schools: Claudia Good, Refugee Adult Education Program Coordinator, could not attend due to scheduling conflict with mandatory attendance meeting for school personnel, but send in a report indicating they are very busy enrolling clients for the new school year. She added that as a result of contract amendment her secretary position was restored and hopes to have someone on board as soon as possible. Community Coordinated Care for Children: Per-Shara Milord, Enrollment Specialist, reported they have 51 children enrolled with 7 clients on waitlist. County Health Departments Orange County Health Department Martha Ortiz, Medical Case Manager, reported they have been performing between 60 and 70 screenings per month. Ms. Debbie Cruz noted that CRS had some issues with clients reaching 90 days without screenings. Martha replied they are short a clerk, but in most instances client information has been entered on data base and they will eventually get to them. Seminole County Health Department Ms. Donna Walsh, Director of Community Health, reported performing 55 screenings in June and 64 in July. She mentioned they have capability to handle more clients. Osceola County Health Department No one was present to report. REFUGEE SERVICES UPDATE World Refugee Day: Catholic Charities of Central Florida shared a copy of their WRD celebration. Affordable Health Care: A video about the application process was played for everyone present. Pedro indicated the 5
federal government is aiming to have Health Care Navigators in place by mid-september. Enrollment is set to start on October 1and health coverage will start as early as January 1, 2014. For more information, please visit: http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/rights/index.html NEXT MEETING Date: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 Location: Mid Florida Tech High School 2900 W. Oakridge Rd Orlando, FL 32809 Contact: Pedro_Padua@dcf.state.fl.us. Phone: (407) 317-7336 Taddese_Fessehaye@dcf.state.fl.us. (407) 317-7335 6