Emergency assistance dollars nearly gone Stearns County is quickly running out of money for its emergency assistance programs. It’s possible that, by the end of this month, funds could be dry for the state-funded Emergency General Assistance (EGA) program and the Emergency Minnesota Supplemental Aid (EMSA) program. Money in these programs can be used for housing, utility or emergency shelter costs. As of Tuesday, April 27, only 3 percent of the funds were left in both of these programs. When the money is gone, the county will no longer be able to provide these emergency services to the public. At this time, the county is seeing a surge of activity for people applying for assistance. Since the cold weather rule ended April 15, people are facing cut-offs by their utility company and therefore are hoping to get financial help. In July, when the new state fiscal year begins, there will be a new state granting process, so the county will once again receive money to provide assistance. In the meantime, the county is not shutting the door to those who need emergency help. The board of commissioners adopted a policy that directs the Human Services Department to continue to take applications, just in case the state re-allocates funds unspent by other counties. Staff will also inform applicants of other possible resources available in the community, such as Tri-Cap, the Housing Coalition, Salvation Army, Caritas, etc. In 2004, the county received just over $223,000 in state-funded emergency dollars. But the needs were much greater. In 2003, more than $370,000 was needed, and trends over the past several years indicates an increase in usage every year. It’s not yet known how much money Stearns County will receive in July for the next fiscal year, but the allocation cap is based on previous years’ expenditures. Program’s success saves millions of dollars It was pointed out during the meeting that the county’s innovative ways of protecting kids is saving millions of dollars in the Out-of-Home Placement Program. Out-of-home placement comes into effect when a child must be removed from their home and cared for by Human Services. There can be a variety of situations that spark an out-of-home placement, such as abuse, special needs, delinquency or mental health issues to name a few. In this year’s budget, $3 million is allocated for out-of-home placement. That equals 10% of the total Human Services budget, which is the largest line-item category, and 20 percent of the tax levy portion of the budget. Plus, expenditures continue to increase every year. The average daily cost jumped from $9,104 in 1998 to $9,239 in 2000, even though the number of children in placement dropped slightly. With dwindling resources and tighter budgets, these numbers caused concern among Human Services staff. Four years ago they focused on ways to improve the system, while also assuring the safety of the children. The strategy they implemented made an effort to reduce the total number of days children spent in placement. It required all involved to work harder toward successful treatment and getting the child returned to the home as quickly as possible, in the hopes of cutting a day or two off their out-of-home placement. Now we are seeing successes from those efforts. In 1999, 191 kids were in placement; in 2003 that number stands at 139. The number of days children were in placement dropped from 74,000 in 1999 to 45,000 in 2003. But the indirect outcome is a drop in costs, from $3.4 million in 1999 to $2.5 million in 2003. Festival gets go-ahead Commissioners gave the go-ahead for the Julia Palooza Music Festival to take place at Powder Ridge in Kimball. After a public hearing, the board approved a Large Gathering License for the Powder Ridge Ski Corp. to host the event May 7-9, 2004. The license was approved under several conditions. The board increased the number of Sheriff’s Deputies patrolling the event, from 1 to 2 at any given time to 3 to 8. RiplFX Group, the organizers of the concert, will pay for security by the Sheriff’s Department in advance. Staff will also be available to help provide security. If RiplFX doesn’t comply fully with the license agreements, their permit can be revoked at any time. Members of a local National Guard were also hired to assist with crowd control and a private security company will have officers on hand. Under this license, the maximum number of people that can attend the outdoor concert is 5,000. Camping areas will be set up on a 15-acre field adjacent to Powder Ridge; 24-hour security will cover that area. Twenty-nine hip-hop, rock and jam bands will take the stage throughout the three-day event. All are local and regional acts.
