Hunger, mental health challenges, substance abuse, needs for housing, lack of transportation, unemployment, lack of education, needs for healthcare, family support needs. It's a long list of very real problems faced by Nevada families.
State officials trying to determine how to make help available, with a very limited amount of funding, requested help from community members in rural northern Nevada. Community forums gave locals the opportunity to prioritize needs and make sure efforts to provide services aren't duplicated.
State Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Program Specialist Rique Robb and DHHS auditor Connie Ronning organized the forums in rural northern Nevada communities including Lovelock, Winnemucca, Battle Mountain and Elko.
Robb, who is new to her job, said she used to be on the "other side of the table." She headed a community based respite program for families caring for a person with disabilities. On that side, she worked to try and access state funds. Now she is with the state, trying to determine which community based programs should receive state funding.
"I understand and am protective of the rural northern areas," she said. Her perspective was welcomed by those who attended the community forums.
Robb explained that the state funding for the DHHS grant programs comes from the 1999 Tobacco Settlement account. That account has substantially less funding than it did 15 years ago and will only be available through 2025. The shrinking funding has mandated that priorities be set to determine the most important services for state funding.
She requested those who attended the community forums to write what they believed were the most serious community areas of need on sticky notes which she then grouped into categories to make a master list. Attendees further discussed each of the needs listed and noted programs currently trying to address them. Then those attending the forum shared their top priorities by placing just three dots on the sheets next to the three highest needs as they saw them.
In addition to the input from those attending the community forum, individuals and organizations statewide have had the opportunity to complete a human services needs assessment survey both online and in conjunction with visits to the agencies that provide services.
Of the 16 people who attended the forum in Winnemucca, all but three represented organizations within the community that provide social services assistance to individuals and families.
Three Barrick mining representatives were the only business representatives to attend the community forum. Robb noted that their input was especially welcome. Barrick representative Clint Chapman commented that if more business people, particularly from the mining sector, were involved in the discussion the priorities might look quite different.
Chapman said they attended the forum to get information on community needs and priorities both for volunteer opportunities for their employees and to make sure matching grants or other funding coming from the company went to community priorities.
Robb noted that getting more people within a community to be involved in a discussion of needs and priorities was a continuing goal.
Each of those attending were urged to get the word out to make sure those in need of help know where to get it. A one-stop information source is the concept behind the "Nevada 211" system statewide. Nevada 211 is still in development, but the idea is to provide easy access to information on all services offered throughout the state - that information is available just by dialing 211.
Discussion among the service providers was a valuable by-product of the forum. Each service provider needs to know what the other providers are doing, both to avoid duplication and to ensure no one falls through the cracks.
Alaine Kliewer-Nye, co-director of the Frontier Community Action Agency and Family Resource Center, announced that she is starting up the Family Stability Council again to keep area organizations and agencies in constant communication.
Robb will take the results of the community service-needs lists developed in the community forums back to the state level. The input will be considered when state DHHS grant programs are developed for the next year.
Contact Joyce Sheen at j.sheen@winnemuccapublishing.net.[[In-content Ad]]
