03/17/1982 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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. -- e -~, Council Bill 2443 was read the second time by council bill number only. Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, that the bill be approved and given final passage. Roll call vote; all councilors present voting aye, the bill was declared passed and numbered 18944. IV. REPORT OF HUMAN SERVICES CUTS HEARING (Memo, minutes distributed) Mr. Gleason introduced Julie Aspinwall-Lamberts, past chair of the Eugene Commission on the Rights of Women. Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts stated that she is no longer chair of the Womenls Commission as she was for the last three years, but she would like to thank the council for their support. Robin Casey is now president of the Women's Commis- sion and they are looking forward to a dynamic year under her leadership. Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts is here today because the Women1s Commission co-sponsored a hearing in February regarding the impact of the human services cuts on Lane County. She was the moderator of that hearing. Other co-sponsors were KLCC-FM, the Willamette Valley Observer, and the Human Rights Council. Support from the other human rights commissions was given in the planning and advertising stages, as well as debriefing for future planning. Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts stated that the hearing consisted of a panel of repre- sentatives of human service agencies and client groups. Following the panel's discussion, the hearing was opened to those in the audience in Harris Hall. They also had a phone-in line and the public had the option of providing written testimony. The minutes from the hearing have been distributed to the council. The purpose of the hearing was to clarify issues and concerns and to provide a focal point for addressing the issues and for action. Some of the critical areas deal with Adult and Family Services which have been the backbone for crisis prevention previously. Now they can only use short-term crisis inter- vention. They are serving 1,000 fewer people than they were a year ago, but demand is significantly greater. This agency deals with basic services and those services that are being cut are food, shelter, and clothing. Child care was another issue that was discussed. Fewer families are now eligible for subsidized day-care because of cuts, which has caused some parents who had been employed to quit work because they cannot afford child-care. Others cannot enter the work force because they are ineligible for day-care subsidies. There has been a relaxation of the licensing and certification of day-care centers and it is suspected there will be an increase in child abuse and safety violations. Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts stated that high unemployment was taking its toll with increased aggression, domestic violence, alcoholism, and suicide. This is occurring at the same there is a decrease in funding to support the agencies that deal with these problems. The cost for institutionalization will have to be provided by the community and it will cost more than prevention. President Reagan has hopes for volunteerism to fill the gaps. That is not a reasonable expectation. Even in Eugene, with its high level of volunteerism, the number of volunteers are decreasing. Those who previously volunteered are now having more problems maintaining their own lives and do not have the energy left to volunteer. Also, the volunteers are no longer being reimbursed for their travel expenses. MINUTES--Eugene City Council March 17, 1982 Page 4