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####### *A taskforce of the National Rural Development Partnership*

### 

# November 13, 2001

### 2:00pm EDT

### 

### Minutes

#### I. Welcome & Introductions

-   Sandra Chapin, Truman Fellow, Department of Health & Human Services,
    National Rural Development Partnership

**Partial list of participants**:

Brad Yarbrough, John Evert, Elizabeth Seale-Scott, Eileen Stommes,
Catherine Hanks, Elliot Wright, Iris Heaveyrunner, Mary Caferro, Tammy
Knouse, April Bender, Jim Gatz, Pam Brown, David Ruesink

#### II.

**[Presenters:]{.smallcaps}**

**Elizabeth Seale-Scott**, Director of the Office of Faith Based and
Community Initiative with the Department of Health and Human Services in
Washington, DC,

The Faith Based Initiative is alive and well, even since Sept. 11^th^.
We are in the process of drafting our recommendations to the Secretary
to give to the President.

We have been looking at all the laws, regulations, and procedures that
could be problematic in accessing funds. We've begun to implement some
of it already in the department. Expanding Charitable Choice...\... We
are tasked with this huge internal mission to identify areas that could
be affected by this initiative. Were about as busy as we can be right
now. At HHS we don't have as many barriers as some other departments. In
fact, we have a lot of relationships in place, but the task is to look
at problem areas where faith and community groups can have more
participation. In general most are open to FBO's...but most of our money
is block granted to the states and we have little to do with that.
Discretionary funds we can work with.....

Charitable Choice (CC): it was first written into the 1996 TANF bill by
Clinton, and it only applies to TANF block grant funding. It's a new way
of procurement that has protections on government when they go into
contract with faith based organizations. CC creates a level playing
field. FBO's should be treated like any other CBO-based providers. The
character of the FBO is also protected by the CC law. It provides
protections for the client as well. They should serve everyone
regardless of religion. In TANF, if the recipient does not want to go
with FBO, there has to be a secular alternative.

Community services block grants need to be allocated through Community
Action Agencies, but there is currently no room for new grantees to come
into that process. We are helping SAMSA with guidance to give to the
states about the relationships they have with faith based groups. There
is no federal or department-wide rule or regulation that prohibits funds
to go to religious organizations.

The federal government will issue an RFP that will be distributed in a
number of ways. A place to start is www.hhs.gov. We can guide you to
some funding opportunities at HHS. Also www.cdfa.gov this will give
information about other federal
programs....(www.cfda.gov/federalcommons)

State and local sources of funding are complicated. We are working to
create a template between the federal government departments to guide
FBO's about materials on walls, etc....It is a myth that you cannot have
religious materials or themes on the walls.

**Brad Yarbrough**, Director, State Office of the Faith-Based Liaison
for Oklahoma,

We have been impressed at this push to engage the faith community to
provide social services. In Oklahoma we got started early trying to
promote collaboration between state agencies and our poor communities.
We have a pilot project in one of our rural community's, Pittsburgh
County, 10-12 K people. We have tremendous needs there, second worse
county with "meth" labs and maximum-security prisons. Here in Oklahoma
we have a Social Services office in every county. In Pittsburgh County,
the director issued an invitation to the entire faith community. They
said, "There are many things we could do better and would you help us?"
The faith leaders were given new rules of engagement between state and
faith providers. The county said, "Here are the areas were we have
need." At the second meeting we had faith leaders who told what services
they could provide to meet those needs. In the same meeting two churches
came together and said they could work together. The best success has
been in rural areas where faith leaders work one on one with county
personel. That's been our best looking effort.

The types of services being provided are: 1) DHS office has a welfare
worker in public schools making contact with students and assessing
family need. They are looking at creating a storeroom at a local
elementary school to have a stockroom full of supplies, shoes, books,
kids will earn dollars behavior bucks, for good behavior.

Another one is transportation for single mothers who are moving from
welfare to work. Also, after school classes and programs, and parenting
classes.

We've got a huge number of FBO's who are in the loop and receiving
RFP's. Last week we had our first technical assistance workshop

.

It would not be appropriate for an organization to proselytize, but they
can provide guidance on morality and principles of faith and
spirituality that deal with character, greed vs integrity, for living a
better life.

A life-skills class could be taught by professionals and volunteers in
the church.

We brought in a constitutional agent to meet with all our agencies to be
gatekeepers to keep all federal programs on the same page. It is
difficult when all state agencies interpret the law differently. All of
the attorneys are starting to see things the same way. What matters is
that the public and social purpose is being served and that they are
meeting these goals.

**Elliot Wright,** Consultant on Faith-Based and Community Development
for the National Congress for Community and Economic Development,
Washington, DC.,

I come from outside government, so I usually look through the eyes of
the church. I want to distinguish a couple of things. Most people don't
know what faith-based means, so its whatever people identify as. There
are many longstanding church related organizations that provide welfare
services. The smaller groups can be ministries, congregations, it is
these groups that have been in the spotlight of recent government
efforts.

The smaller grass-roots organizations have been kept out of the loop
until now. I've been looking at how FBO's are addressing the
welfare-to-work services.

In Smiley, Texas, a FBO wanted to create a life skills program. Money
management and budget issues were barriers. The State was so slow in
paying the money that they had to take out a loan, and pay out interest.
This has happened in other areas too. New faith groups have had hard
times dealing with performance based contracts. Larger organizations
know already, but smaller FBO's didn't know. I would like to say to the
federal government that understanding the requirements is very important
for smaller congregations. They need to understand what the expectations
are for start-up groups. They are not prepared for the amount of
paperwork they would have to do and they need more training and
technical assistance.

Despite some of the provisions in CC, some religious groups don't feel
that they are being taken seriously because of the way the federal
government operates. The government announces what it is going to fund,
but that's not how church organizations work. They feel like they are
being asked to do government programs, and that they don't like that
feeling.

Appropriate training for mentoring and counseling: there are skills in
mentoring and counseling that are needed if the relationship is going to
be meaningful and productive. In Shasta, CA, the county got all of the
religious programs involved to figure out how welfare to work programs
would be implemented. They set up programs in four areas of the county
and people came to get hooked up with mentors. www.faithworks.org They
have materials available to download.

I did a study for the Annie E. Casey Foundation and interviewed 75 small
rural FBO's. It is not published, but if folks want to contact me I
could share my findings.

**Tammy Knouse,** Director of Customer Service of the Fayette County
Community Action Agency, Uniontown, PA.

We get funding, as Appalachian zone, for housing and nutrition, and we
provide a wide range of services: dental, aging services, WIC program,
housing and community development. We worked last year with 58 FBO's,
all 58 provided some form of cash contribution. 34 have volunteered with
different programs. 19,000 volunteer hours. We have almost 50 pantry
sites. We have no major bus system or taxi system.

Threshold Self Help Housing will develop almost 40 family living units
this year.

We do a partnership with a FBO to offer assistance for a nurse-training
program so that elderly folks can stay in home and not have to be
institutionalized. FBO's are the glue that keeps many of our programs
working, and keeping families from falling through the cracks.

**[III. Future Conference Calls]{.smallcaps}**

**December Conference Call**: Microenterprise Development

If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact:

> Sandra Chapin

####### NRDP Truman Fellow

> Department of Health & Human Services
>
> Phone: 202-205-3505
>
> Fax: 202-690-5672
>
> Email: sandra.chapin@hhs.gov