PORT ANGELES — Five proposals for services or programs which help individuals who experience intellectual or developmental disabilities will be funded through the county Health & Human Services department.
The department has $400,000 available to award the proposals but was asked for nearly $800,000 in this funding cycle, Kelley Lawrence, Clallam County’s Health & Human Services developmental disabilities coordinator, told the county commissioners Monday.
Requests for funding went to the Developmental Disabilities Advisory Committee and were then evaluated by a subcommittee before recommendations for funding were made, Lawrence said.
Five chosen
Of the eight proposals that made it to the subcommittee, five were chosen for funding.
To decide on funding, proposals were judged on whether they meet the priorities for the department. Those include parent support services, early intervention services and training, and education for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and/or their families and/or informal supports.
The Clallam County Parks, Fairs & Facilities Department requested $91,000 for a Clallam County Fair Accommodative Initiative.
“This initiative will improve accessibility and inclusion to the Clallam County Fair and other county festivals and events in order to better support individuals with disabilities by enhancing Community Information Activities and Community Inclusion Services,” Lawrence said. “This will provide better opportunities for individuals who experience disabilities, along with other vulnerable populations and their families and supports to access public events, recreational activities and interpretive experiences.”
The proposal was funded at $86,069.
Concerned Citizens requested $60,200 and was fully funded to start a program called Enhancing Birth to Three. The program will “support a newly hired outreach specialist to conduct screenings and identify infants and toddlers who may benefit from early intervention services,” Lawrence said.
“This involves visiting Child Find activities in various communities,” she continued. “Monthly playgrounds will be organized with the goal of one or two in both the East and West ends of the county to promote socialization, education and community engagement among families.”
First Step Family Support Center’s request for $101,216 to start a Supported Parenting Program was fully funded.
“Supported Parenting Services is for families where at least one parent experiences an intellectual and developmental disability,” Lawrence said. “The program will assist a parent or parents in providing a safe, loving, developmentally appropriate living environment for the child to thrive. The goal is for parents to have the chance to be fully included in their children’s lives and receive the assistance they need to help them be successful in their role as their child’s parent.”
Monica Meyer Consulting Inc. was funded at $72,273 for Bridging Services Gap in Clallam County — A Pilot for Other Counties. The program will be “designed to address high-acuity individuals with autism and other IDD in the duplication of Discovery and repeated assessments,” Lawrence said.
“High-acuity adults and families face an emotional toll in retelling of the individual’s story again and again,” she said. “For agencies, turnover creates costly inefficiencies, draining time and resources to retrain new staff.”
The pilot program would create four multimedia, person-centered video profiles of 45 to 75 minutes each to capture each person’s story, strengths, preferences and support strategies, according to the agenda packet.
“These video profiles will function as reusable and transferable training tools that an individual can share across agencies, reducing duplication, strengthening staff competency and preserving the dignity of individuals who should not have to relive their story and be put through additional assessments with every agency and staffing change,” Lawrence said.
The final proposal to receive funding was $80,242 to Pierce Jones & Associates, LLC. for emergency preparedness.
The money will be used for an in-person educational program on emergency prepardness focusing on individuals who experience IDD, according to the agenda packet.
“Training courses will emphasize and use an interactive model in learning about emergency preparedness kits, task analysis, hands-on training, sheltering in place and what to do if there is an order to evacuate,” Lawrence said. “Additional presentations will be provided by the American Red Cross, the fire department and the Clallam County Emergency Management Team. The goal is to build confidence in each person’s ability to be self-sufficient and a leader in their home and community.”
The commissioners are slated to provide final approval for these proposals during their regular board meeting Oct. 28.
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Reporter Emily Hanson can be reached by email at emily.hanson@peninsuladailynews.com.
