Endorsements
Thrive endorses the
following:
HELPLINK as the 2-1-1 Provider in
San Mateo County
Thrive is pleased to endorse HELPLINK to be designated by
the PUC as the 2-1-1 provider to San Mateo County. United Way of the
Bay Area HELPLINK is the only comprehensive, multi-lingual, health and
social service information and referral program available to San Mateo
County residents and professionals. HELPLINK collects and maintains a
database of Bay Area Health and Human Service organizations – both
public and non-profit. HELPLINK is working with the major San Mateo
agencies to ensure that the 2-1-1 call center has the most relevant and
up to date information for San Mateo County. Moreover, HELPLINK is
already successfully providing 2-1-1 service to our neighbors in San
Francisco, Marin, Napa and Solano.
HELPLINK’s thirty years of experience is highlighted by
its numerous nonprofit, community and government partners, its high
quality of information and referral service delivery and the data,
training and support it provides to organizations throughout the
region. Currently, HELPLINK 2-1-1 is a vital access point for the
hundreds and thousands of people affected by the current economic
crisis.
During these times of lean budgets and scarce resources,
the provision of accurate information about and referrals to community
services is of utmost importance. With such a diverse population, the
provision of culturally appropriate resources becomes even more
critical to the general well being of our community. Moreover, an
effective 2-1-1 system can help all of us track the kinds of problems
San Mateo residents are facing and offer an insight to where the gaps
in the service system may be.
Thrive endorses HELPLINK’s application to be the 2-1-1
provider to San Mateo County. The plan to implement 2-1-1 in a
multi-county strategy is an effective way to acquire efficiencies and
savings from scale and a consistent standard for performance and client
service, especially for people who live and work or have family in
different counties.
Children's Bill of Rights
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has voted
unanimously to adopt a Bill of Rights for Children and Youth. Drafted
by the Peninsula Partnership Leadership Council in collaboration with
the San Mateo County Youth Commission, the Bill of Rights is the first
of its kind in California - and only the second in the entire nation.
This document, written in collaboration with youth, declares that the
young people of our county hold specific rights by virtue of their age
and stage of mental and social development.
Now each public agency and private enterprise in San
Mateo County - and elsewhere throughout our state and nation - can make
sure the Bill of Rights has a concrete and lasting impact by adopting
it. Recently, the County Board of Education, several school districts,
three city councils, the 17th District Parent Teacher Association,
United Way of the Bay Area, First 5 San Mateo County, the County Health
and Human Services departments, Youth and Family and Enrichment
Services and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation have adopted the
Bill of Rights.
The next step involves implementation, such as sponsoring
events that spread awareness of youth rights and the importance of
donating money, supplies or services to youth-serving organizations.
For more information on the Bill of Rights and how to get involved,
visit bethedifference.org.
AB 1057 (Food Stamp Program
modifications)
AB 1057, introduced by California Assembly member Jim
Beall, Jr., was held in the Assembly fiscal committee, a victim of the
state's budget crunch. The bill removes two significant barriers to
participation to the Food Stamp and CalWORKs programs:
- Move the state from a quarterly to a semi-annual
reporting system for food stamps and CalWORKS (Medi-Cal, for example,
already reports this way)
- Eliminate the fingerprint requirement for food
stamp-only recipients while implementing an additional verification tool
for counties. Counties would work with the DMV to prevent
multiple-aid fraud by verifying recipients' information by using
driver's licenses or state IDs.
This bill is crucial to simplifying and increasing
participation in these essential social safety-net programs. The
benefits of AB 1057 are numerous:
- Poor working families receive much-needed food
assistance
- The entire cost of the food stamp benefits are borne
by the federal government
- California's economy gets a boost: For a one-time
upfront cost of $2 million, the state will receive $147 million in the
first year and $335 million every year thereafter.
- Simplified application and verification systems means
counties (and recipients) will benefit from a reduced paperwork
burden.
But this bill has found itself in the Assembly
Appropriations Suspense file and is being held in committee. Some of
reported reasons for shelving the bill stem from the current budget
crisis. There are concerns, particularly among Republican officials,
about the upfront costs to implementing the program, as well as the
fact that the current budget proposal eliminates CalWORKS - a key
program in the bill. The next likely opportunity for the bill to be
debated won't be until January of 2010 unless something in the budget
can be worked out.
Further information about this legislation can be found
at:
Assembly
member Jim Beall's website
California Food Policy
Advocates