The program is loosely tied to an effort that began in 2014 called the the Comprehensive Case Management and Employment Program (CCMEP) that targeted underprivileged and in some cases troubled youth ages 16-24. Former Gov. John Kasich inserted it into his budget bill and mandated JFS agencies target workforce, education and training services for teens and young adults, to help them break down barriers to success.
“I don’t see that organization working hard to beef up what they do with comprehensive case management, if we don’t encourage them to do so...,” Carpenter said. “If we can do something that encourages them to say hey, we’ve got to do this differently, we should.”
She wanted to end the contract in December, unless they begin meeting some performance measures “I would say fabulous, then let’s give them the contract for the next year.” She also suggested bringing the service in-house.
“I’m really, really disappointed in how that comprehensive case management for employment turned out; really disappointed in how that is,” Carpenter said. “I know it’s a lot of work to get more people in-house to help people with challenges, but it’s people with challenges who need the most help.”
She told the Journal-News Pressley Ridge is focusing too heavily on foster children — who are already identified as having challenges — and not doing enough outreach countywide, “this project is for youth, not just youth who’ve been removed by the court and placed in foster care, that is not the majority of the youth in Butler County.”
Data from the program show 81% of referrals to the program come from the schools and 7% from Children Services.
Commissioner T.C. Rogers said if they altered the contract limits they would have to start over with a new request for proposal (RFP) process which would mean a gap in service.
County Administrator Judi Boyko said they put out an RFP for the program and Pressley Ridge was the only provider to submit a proposal.
Matt Mitchell, Pressley Ridge executive director for Ohio told the Journal-News they had no comment on the matter.
Job and Family Services Executive Director Julie Gilbert told the Journal-News she is not unhappy with Pressley Ridge.
“This was a contract that went into place in 2019 and two of the three years the program was running during an international pandemic,” Gilbert said. “So we have to take that into consideration when we look at our program outcomes. We have seen increased participation.”
There are two components to the program, one is year-round “to work with youth to eliminate barriers to career goals and creating career paths for them” and then there is the Work Experience Program where they partner with local businesses.
The Work Experience Program offers the kids orientation to what it is like to have a job, what employers expect, life skills like budgeting the money they’ll earn, and provides the job at one of a number of local businesses. The program also provides things like transportation assistance, tutoring, career coaching, driver’s license assistance, and professional work clothing.
The first year they had 19 teens in the summer program and have 55 committed for this summer; the goal was 50. Not all of the participants join the job program and the program helped about 140 youth last year and nearly 120 so far this year, Gilbert expects to surpass last year’s number.
“We also want to expand, we want to grow this program over time,” Gilbert said adding the Miami Valley YMCA, Fairfield, PAWS Animal Shelter and State Farm are some of those local business partners.
Commissioner Don Dixon said creating an in-house program is not an option. He and Rogers voted to approve the new contract and Carpenter said no. Dixon said there have been so many resignations in the social work field “it’s not good, this COVID thing still has workforce I think out of balance, and I think they need some time to get their feet on the ground.”
“We have a hard enough time running what we’ve got, let alone bring something in to a create a new program,” Dixon said. “I understand what you’re saying Commissioner Carpenter, but in this environment we’re better off to step our game up on the inside with us managing what they’re doing from our side, rather than just throwing them out and trying to hire new people.”
Gilbert said the reason they only awarded a 21-month long contract rather than three years was two-fold. Ending the contract in March doesn’t give the provider enough time — if there were a new one next time around — to gear up for the summer program, and they do want to re-evaluate the program.
“With it ending on March 31, it really was not ideal in order for the summer work experience to be successful in the event you were to change providers at that time,” Gilbert said. “Coming into a contract in April when you’re trying to plan a summer work experience is extremely difficult, it takes months of planning. So if we were to switch providers in April we would be up against the clock putting it together with somebody new.”
JFS uses federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding to pay for the program.
Children Services also contracts with Pressley Ridge for its Family Preservation Program, an intensive family intervention program with the goal of avoiding removing children from their homes.
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