COUNTY ENDS SUPPORT FOR PROGRAM.
THE URBAN LEAGUE'S FAILURE TO PROVIDE WORKER'S COMPENSATION INSURANCE FOR EMPLOYEES WAS THE LAST STRAW, OFFICIAL SAYS
By Anthony J. Gottschlich, Springfield News-Sun
February 2, 2002
Jean Chepp was disappointed.
The Clark County Department of Job and Family Services spent time and money training a Springfield Urban League employee to manage Project E.C.H.O., an Urban League program at 426 Lincoln Park Circle designed to give ex-convicts _ men and women _ a fresh start, a chance to rebuild their lives by providing job training and other skills.
But when Chepp, a program specialist with Job and Family Services, reviewed E.C.H.O. in November, she found "incomplete record keeping and careless documentation," as well as services that were advertised but not provided _ all of which raised concerns about the program's management and effectiveness.
"I thought we did a good job training the contractor, and I thought, ‘Is this something that was really misunderstood? Are they taking this seriously?'" Chepp said. "I was just wondering if I had not made myself clear."
Janine Miller, program manager for E.C.H.O. (Ex-Offenders Can Have Opportunities), refused to comment on the program, as did Urban League Executive Director Donna Brino-Blackwell.
The Urban League sponsors a bevy of programs designed to lift the poor and disadvantaged from a life of poverty, crime, drug addiction and other troubles. A story in Sunday's Springfield News-Sun detailed the charity's financial troubles, which the Urban League attributed to cash flow problems, fund-raising difficulties and other challenges. Job and Family Services, whose latest contract provided $74,000 for the E.C.H.O. program, gave the Urban League six weeks to get the program's paperwork in order. But by the time the Urban League submitted the revisions, which Chepp said still contained some errors, it was a moot point.
Job and Family Services terminated its contract with the Urban League on Tuesday, after learning the nonprofit organization hadn't provided workers' compensation insurance for its employees since 1996, a requirement of state law and the contract.
"They signed the contract with various assurances in there, one of which was that they had this coverage, and they didn't," said Job and Family Services Director Bob Suver. "So that shows they misrepresented themselves when they signed the contract, and that was just kind of the final straw."
The termination is effective Feb. 28.
It is unclear how many organizations fund the E.C.H.O. program or whether it can survive in light of the cuts. Local churches and the Clark County Sheriff's Office have supported the program in the past.
Brino-Blackwell assured Suver in a letter Tuesday that the Urban League had made arrangements to pay the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation and that it was now covered by the insurance and in compliance with the contract.
Too late, Suver said.
"There's about three different places in that contract that says they have (workers' compensation) and will continue to have it," Suver said. "They didn't do either and they signed the contract, so I don't appreciate that."
Workers' compensation is a basic requirement, he said, and if the Urban League couldn't provide that, "How could I believe they could accomplish being successful with Project E.C.H.O. clients in getting them employed and on a successful path?"
"So it just totally blows their credibility that they could have any hope for that success," he said.
Project E.C.H.O. began in 1999, and Job and Family Services began funding it in January 2000 with an 18-month, $113,000 contract.
The program was designed to help about 25 ex-criminal offenders and their families who are on public assistance and looking toward a life of self-sufficiency. Services include G.E.D. preparation, computer literacy training and job referrals.
The contract was renewed in July last year for $109,000, but amended to $74,320 because of state cutbacks. The county also implemented a new rule during that time, one requiring its contractors, instead of county departments, to determine the eligibility of program participants.
That's why Chepp reviewed the program in November _ to see how Miller and others were performing that task, she said.
"The staff seemed very helpful and committed to serving the customers of the Urban League," Chepp wrote in a Dec. 11 memo to Brino-Blackwell. "When talking with Janine about Project E.C.H.O., I sensed a commitment to her clients and a desire to help all of them reach self-sufficiency."
Among Chepp's concerns in November:
- E.C.H.O. staff did not provide services to families of ex-offenders, despite contract requirements.
- Staff had not provided job-readiness training for clients since June.
- Inconsistencies in quarterly reports and monthly invoices to Job and Family Services.
- Of 10 sampled cases, not one was determined to be eligible for the program, because the eligibility forms were incomplete.
The problems with ECHO were unique, Chepp said.
"I visited three other contractors and essentially they received pretty favorable reviews," she said.
Job and Family Services funds its contractors on a reimbursement basis. As of Dec. 31, the department had reimbursed the Urban League $41,553 for the last half of 2001, Chepp said.
Suver said that because of state budget cutbacks, resources are limited, but Job and Family Services would consider funding other programs similar to E.C.H.O.
"We still see a need for some job training and placement help for ex-cons," he said, "and we'll be open to considering where we can put some resources toward that."
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