Needs Statement Sample Clauses

Needs Statement. 1. Identify challenges in financial assistance that are prohibiting you from properly serving MFIP/DWP families in your community? The unprecedented effects that came along with the COVID‐19 pandemic impacted all of us, and not surprisingly, it has had disparate negative impacts on our customers. Families in need of public assistance already faced a multiplicity of obstacles, and the pandemic created a host of challenges in rising to meet their needs. Rapidly changing program rules and finding new ways to engage while we began working remotely caused an already marginalized segment of our population additional worry, uncertainty, and frustration. While Washington County has adapted, adjusted, and maintained an excellent safety‐net for our customers, there is still not a clear picture of how many ways the pandemic may have contributed to the challenge of serving MFIP/DWP families in our community. The pandemic has also exacerbated pre‐existing challenges as described in previous agreements. Capacity has been a growing challenge for our Economic Support programs in Washington County. The Economic Assistance Supervisors overseeing public assistance programs (five) manage 65 staff, five different units and over two dozen programs. Supervisors provide management to up to as many as 15 staff each, in four separate locations, in several complicated programs. The high number of staff, locations and programs per supervisor is currently a challenge while maintaining daily contact with other divisions/units including, Child Support, Social Services, Community Corrections, Sheriff’s Office, County Attorney’s Office, Workforce Development and Department of Human Services. During the pandemic, we have still been experiencing significant staff turn‐over and several extended staff leaves which added increasing challenges such as large caseloads. While this is obviously an administrative concern, it is also a concern regarding the quality of service we are able to offer our customers. Lastly, we have spent the entire pandemic managing the ever‐changing landscape of emergency assistance programs. Washington County has been a leader in leveraging federal assistance funding to address the emergency shelter, housing, and other crisis needs of our customers. We anticipate we will continue to be able to process requests effectively and efficiently and utilize a maximum amount of our allocations supporting the needs of our residents. 2. Identify challenges in employment services ...

Needs Statement. 1. Besides funding, what is the single biggest challenge you are facing in financial assistance services? The single most challenging issue facing RC FASD is hiring staff in a timely manner and retaining them. The position is an entry level one which is viewed as an entry point to other positions within the county. With changing workforce demographics, coupled with challenges of providing a competitive salary in comparison to similar agencies/other counties, ▇▇▇▇▇▇ County has struggled with staff recruitment and retention. We continue to be challenged by our technology systems. Our internal Electronic Document Management System (EDMS), has not been upgraded for Financial Assistances Services in over five years. Functionality limitations of the Minnesota Eligibility Technology System (METS) that is used to administer Medical Assistance and the EDMS system have significantly impacted financial workers ability to get their work done efficiently. Document management and the functional complexity of METS require time consuming workarounds. The demands and duties of a Financial Worker are ever-changing, with system modernization and legislative changes resulting in program policy and procedure changes. Specifically, dealing with system interoperability between METS and MAXIS, and the lack of MAXIS to respond timely to legislative changes, has created challenges for Financial Workers. Because of this, the Financial Worker position has become less attractive as a long-term employment option, creating constant staff turnover and training. 2. Besides funding, what is the single biggest challenge you are facing in employment services? Employment services overarching goal is to help families improve stability to prevent long-term dependence on public assistance as a source of income. • While many Minnesota residents are obtaining employment, there are many unable to fully take advantage of the vibrant economy. Our current program eligible residents live in high-poverty areas and face multiple barriers to education/employment. The need for financial investments to support residents to gain individual, family and economic stability continues to be very high. • Employment counselors make efforts to navigate people to one of the many training and education options available in ▇▇▇▇▇▇ County. Even with a variety of options available, they may not be accessible in a way that meets the needs of families and individuals nor are organized in such a way that it provides transfe...

Needs Statement. 1. Besides funding, what is the single biggest challenge you are facing in financial assistance services? 2. Besides funding, what is the single biggest challenge you are facing in employment services? County MFIP Biennial Service Agreement 7894 A. Needs Statement (continued) 3. What strengths and resources do you have available to address the needs of your participants? Please check all the resources available to participants in your service area and check whether the resource is available within MFIP financial or employment services "in-house" or from a partner organization (county resources with developed connections to MFIP), and/or an external community resource or both. If you lack sufficient resources in your area, check the Resource Gaps column, even  ABE/GED  Adult/elder services   Career planning   Childcare funds  Chemical health services   Computer lab access Credit counseling/financial literacy  English Language Learner (ELL)  Food shelf  Housing assistance   Job club   Job development   Job placement   Job retention   Job search workshops  Mental health services   On-the-job training program   Post-secondary education planning   Short-term training  Supported work   Paid work experience   Transportation assistance (gas cards, bus cards)   Vehicle repair funds  Volunteer opportunities  Youth program Other Other Other

Needs Statement. 1. Besides funding, what is the single biggest challenge you are facing in financial assistance services? The single most challenging issue facing FAS is system modernization, specifically dealing with system interoperability between METS and MAXIS, and the lack of MAXIS to respond timely to legislative changes. Legislative changes, program migration, and modernization has outpaced the ability of MAXIS to be updated or patched to meet requirements. This has resulted in delays in benefit issuance and reduced availability of workers to respond to client requests for assistance. Recent legislative changes surrounding the MFIP Housing Assistance Grants, and the migration of Medical Assistance cases to METS have brought the limitations of MAXIS into sharp focus. Legislative updates regarding program administration and qualifications for Housing Assistance Grants resulted in on going manual issuance of benefits for an extended period, and necessitated the manual issuance of retroactive benefits by both county and state employees. This manual process drew already limited employee hours away from providing customer service and ongoing benefits issues. Additionally, lack of intersystem operability between MAXIS and METS has resulted in the duplication of work between METS and MAXIS program requirement, as well as the creation of new processes and communication methods to ensure documents and information provided to a METS worker is shared with the corresponding MAXIS worker and vice versa. Given recent experiences, it is our concern that these issues will continue to surface, creating additional work flow disruptions, and new demands on the work force to take action to ensure client received accurate and timely benefits. 2. Besides funding, what is the single biggest challenge you are facing in employment services? Employment is one of the key factors that contribute to a person’s health and wellbeing. Employment has a direct impact on a person’s individual success, improves child’s outcomes and helps people become part of the larger community. Everyone benefits from employment and everyone benefits from having opportunities for improved and continuous employment that lead to improved family stabilization. In the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) and the Diversionary Work Program (DWP), participants are encouraged and expected to work. Gainful employment, self-sufficiency, and economic independence are goals for every family. Supports are provided to enabl...

Needs Statement. 1. What is the single biggest challenge you are facing in financial assistance services besides funding? Hiring and maintaining a full complement of staff. During this past biennium, we have experienced considerable staff turnover due to resignations, retirements and medical leave requests. Coupled with major policy changes in healthcare services and an increase in caseload sizes, maintaining consistency and meeting required timelines has been difficult. 2. What is the single biggest challenge you are facing in employment services besides funding? The single biggest challenge faced with employment services is the lack of a county-wide transportation infrastructure. While some of our larger cities have a small bus rider system, the hours of operation are limited. Therefore, the single biggest challenge in Ottertail County is transportation. 3. What strengths and resources do you have available to address the need of your participants? Please check all the resources available to you and check whether the resource is in-house or a community resource or both. If you lack the resources, then check the Resource Gaps column. ABE/GED Adult/elder services Career planning Childcare funds Chemical health services Computer lab access Credit counseling/financial literacy Culturally appropriate services English Language Learner (ELL) Food shelf Housing assistance Job club Job development Job placement Job retention Job search workshops Mental health services On-the- job training programs Post-secondary education planning Short-term training Supported work/ paid work experience Transportation assistance (gas cards, bus cards) Vehicle repair funds Volunteer opportunities Youth programs Other: In-house Resources Community Resources Resource Gaps 4. County Program Contact Information If you have multiple contacts, please list one in each area, otherwise, list one and indicate that the contact is for multiple program areas. Name of MFIP staff contact ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Contact phone ▇▇▇-▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇ Contact email address ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇@▇▇.▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇.▇▇ Name of DWP staff contact ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Contact phone ▇▇▇-▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇ Contact email address ▇▇▇▇▇▇@▇▇.▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇.▇▇ Name of FSS staff contact ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Contact phone ▇▇▇-▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇ Contact email address ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇@▇▇.▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇.▇▇ Name of Teen Parent staff contact ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ Contact phone ▇▇▇-▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇ Contact email address ▇▇▇▇▇▇@▇▇.▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇.▇▇.▇▇ Name of staff contact serving 200% FPG families ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Contact phone ▇▇▇-▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇ C...

Needs Statement. The extent to which the applicant identifies specific needs related to the purposes of the program. (20 Points)

Needs Statement. The needs statement is a short paragraph that explains why the project is necessary. Simply not having something is not a need; it is necessary to explain what problem exists and why addressing the problem is necessary and timely. Provide facts that support your claim when possible, and try to talk about things on the level on which the program will be implemented. For example, don’t just mention that access to clean water is a problem in Ghana, mention that in Adaklu specifically this problem exists. Really explain the need in the context of the target population using evidence. This can mean citing interviews/focus group discussions with community members or quantitative measures that have been collected. This is also the section to emphasize that these problems were identified by the communities themselves. This is an important distinction of HCDP-Ghana’s methods. It also helps to justify the need. Simply state that the needs were determined through a community needs assessment or interviews with community members. Be specific in the methods of data collection.

Needs Statement talk about the needs of the community you’re serving (this is NOT about your organization)

Needs Statement. 1. Identify challenges in financial assistance services that are prohibiting you from properly serving MFIP/DWP families in your community? During the pandemic, ▇▇▇▇▇▇ County saw an increase of about 20% in MFIP caseloads. With the federal and DHS waivers that were previously in place for waiving certain program requirements, this increase was manageable. Now as program waivers are being lifted, the higher caseloads coupled with staff turnover will be a challenge that the Financial Assistance Services Department (FASD) faces. The Financial Worker position continues to be an entry point to other positions within the County. Many staff who leave this entry level position are leaving for outside opportunities or promoting to other permanent full-time positions within the Department and/or County. The FASD continues to work with Workforce Solutions and Human Resources to find qualified candidates who can step into these entry level positions when available. In addition, the lack of updated technology also continues to be a challenge serving MFIP/ DWP families. Since the pandemic, FASD has transitioned most staff to an ad hoc full-time work from home model. With minimal in-office presence, the lack of available technology for residents to get a hold of their worker or submit documents in a virtual environment has been difficult. In addition, FASD systems and software lacks the updates and functionality required to perform optimal services in a virtual environment. FASD continues to work with Information Services to better meet Department needs. 2. Identify challenges in employment services that are prohibiting you from properly serving MFIP/DWP families in your community. DWP and MFIP serve about 85% single parents who will continue to be a vulnerable but important segment of our workforce throughout this biennium. However, they have had to disproportionately put their employment aspirations on hold or altered them often dramatically due to the following challenges: • The nature in which work and educational opportunities have evolved through the pandemic to become virtual or hybrid is likely to continue post-covid. This will present some new challenges when it comes to ensuring that families have adequate digital literacy skills and access to technology to stay competitive and engaged. • The recovery of the economy post-covid is also very uncertain when it comes to the types of jobs that will be available and who will have the skills to take full advantage of ...