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2003
Children, Youth, & Family
Summit
and Needs
Assessment
One hundred and
twenty community members came together on
June 9th to discussion community issues,
identify priority issues, and develop the
first steps for action plans for priority
issues. The community was represented by
education, social services, medical
providers, business, faith-based, elected
officials, human services, and members of
the Mason County community who are
interested in its well-being.
The participants
were asked to vote on priorities based
upon 'rips' or gaps in systems that
protect Mason County's children and
families. These gaps in our local
infrastructures and community impact the
health of our families in a variety of
ways, including child abuse and neglect,
teen-age pregnancy, dropping out of
school, substance use and
abuse.
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TOP PRIORITY
ISSUES
- 1. Family wage
jobs (37 votes)
- 2. Basic Needs,
like affordable housing, food (33
votes)
- 3. Adult/Family
Literacy (26 votes)
- 4. Integration
services (25 votes)
- 4. Meaningful
afterschool activities (25
votes)
- 5. Community
Values (24 votes)
- 6. Effective
parenting/family management (23
votes)
- 7. Community
Vision (20 votes)
- 8. Access to
Services (14 votes)
- 9. Early
Childhood Intervention (13
votes)
- 10. Educate
larger community about issues (12
votes)
Qualitative analysis
of the voting comments revealed that
comments/solutions/ideas associated with
"integration" were common across the
priority issues, regardless of how the
voter categorized their vote.
Six Action Plans
were developed in the afternoon. Each
group was asked to start a SWOC analysis
(Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and
Challenges) and begin articulating a
vision and strategies to achieve this
vision.
SUMMARY OF
ACTION PLANS
A.
Economic Development: Living Wage Jobs
(Priority Strategies)
1.
Infrastructure
- Improved
integration of social
services
- Publicize
services and capacity of Mason
County
- Regionalize
major capital projects
2. Education
System
- Support levy
and bond initiatives
- Vocational
Program improvement
- Life Skills
education for illiterate
adults
- Link school
and business communities
3.
Technology
- Telephone
consolidation north and
south
- Expand
cellular coverage
4. Marketing
Mason County
Current
Movement
1. Work
Group forming to address above issues.
Coordinated by Mason Matters.
2. 100% Access
Project will include a Technology
sub-committee to be organized by CHOICE
Regional Health and Mason
Matters
If you wish to learn
more about these Current Movements, please
contact Kim Klint at 427-9670 ext 543 or
kak@co.mason.wa.us
B.
Basic Needs: Affordable
Housing
Vision:
Centeralized Continuum of Care for
Emergency, Transitional and Affordable
Housing System
Current
Movement
1.
Centralized data information system
/Common Intake form
- Meeting to
learn more about CTED's Data
Management System set for October
30, 2003 10:30-12:00.
2. Domestic
Violence Shelter lead by Turning
Pointe
3. Organizational
Support
- Board
Development and Training Session
Planned by Common Ground for
November 2003
4. Increase
awareness of Housing and homeless
issues facing Mason County
resident.
- Journalism
Internship Position to work with
organizations participating in the
Mason County Housing
Coalition
All follow-up work
to be completed within the Mason County
Housing Coalition structure. This group
meets monthly, Last Thursday of each month
from 10:30-12:00 at Shelton Public
Library.
C.
Service Integration
Visions:
- Neighborhood
"one-stop' services available with
flexible hour.
- Services
based upon consumer
participation
- Need for
changes at legislative
level
Identified
Strategies
- Continue to
explore 'one-stop
shopping'idea
- Explore
partnership with schools
- Bring
decision makers to the
table
- Explore
existing models
Current
Movement
1.
Children's Justice Advocacy Center.
- Work Group
has formed and meets on a monthly
basis. Contact Det. Scott Brown with
Shelton Police Department for more
information.
- Status: Have
secure resources to help this group
develop grants to support continuing
evolution.
2. 100% Access
Project. County-wide service
integration. Contact Kim Klint at
kak@co.mason.wa.us or 427-9670 ex
543/
- Status: Have
developed an alignment between three
community organizations to champion
and lead this major strucutral
change. The following groups have
committed to this multi-year
process: Mason Matters, CHOICE
Regional Health Network and Mason
Community Network.
D.
Meaningful After-school
Activities
Vision:
Opportunities provided in our hometowns
where resources are available and are
used collaboratively. Community
learning opportunities are developed
and organized. Volunteer bank is
created for potential youth
projects.
Identified
Strategies.
- Create a
Community Foundation'
- Coordination
and collaboration system where
exisitng programs work together and
share resources.
- Create an
inter-agency youth
consortium
- Create a
volunteer bank with large variety of
service-oriented
projects.
Current
Movement
1.
Facilitating partnership between
Shelton School District and St. David's
Episcopal Church, who is interested in
introducing after-school youth
programming.
2. Partnership
with Washington Cooperative Extension
4-H programming with Evergreen School,
Mason County Literacy, and Todos Amigos
to provide bi-lingual afterschool
activities at Evergreen
Elementary.
E.
Community Vision
Vision: To
create a community vision that could
align other community visions including
economic development, health and social
services, education.
Current
Movement
Work Group
has continued to meeting and have
identified resources to help formulate
a community vision that is based upon
the all community voices. Meeting set
for October 23, 20033 with Washington
State Rural Development Association to
explore how their resources may help in
this priority. Contact Jayni Kamin,
County Commissioner at 427-9670 ex 751
for more information
F.
Thriving Families
Vision:
Mason County residents will have
healthy, self-sufficient individuals
and families in a highly engaged,
resource-rich community where each
person is values.
Identified
Strategies
- Systemic
changes
- Empower
personal development
- Supportive
community
- Involve all
members, especially those being
served
Current
Movement.
Alignment
of Family Policy Council funds through
Mason Community Network to build
neighborhood support systems,
facilitate access to needed programs
and services, identiy and address local
program/service gaps, and build other
social capital. First Community meeting
planned for first of November 2003.
Contact Kim Klint for more
information.
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