Financial Asset Development
DRAFT Minutes
February 9, 2017
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Hilton Garden Inn, Cary, NC

Members Present: Amanda Bergen, Adonis Brown, Anna Cunningham, Bryan Dooley, Dreama McCoy (for Bill Hussey), Paula Woodhouse, Jim Swain, Kelly Woodall, Myron Gavin

Members Absent: Dave Richard, Jack Rogers (for Wayne Black)

Guests: David Owen (DSP for Bryan Dooley), Caryn Cook (interpreter), Natalie Davis (interpreter)

Staff/Contractors: Philip Woodward, Yadira Vasquez, JoAnn Toomey, Pat Keul, Donna Gallagher

Introduction
Dr. Bergen welcomed the members. Ms. Woodhouse said she has a new position at the Department of State Treasurer and mentioned the N.C. ABLE Program launch.

Ms. Woodall abstained from voting on the November minutes because she participated in a different committee last year. Ms. Cunningham said the correction to the August minutes should read, “Ms. Cunningham said the Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) and other organizations will have a vested interest.” Ms. Woodhouse made a motion to accept the November meeting minutes. Ms. Cunningham seconded the motion. The motion was approved.

Portal for Soliciting Ideas
The committee looked at the portal for submitting ideas. Ms. Cunningham asked if all fields are required to be filled out. Mr. Woodward was uncertain. Ms. Cunningham said an individual with I/DD or a family member might have a great idea or concept but not be as able to fill it out. She also suggested icons such as a dollar sign next to Financial Asset Development and an easy-to-read form option to click on. The committee agreed. Will the idea go to the committee or the staff? Mr. Woodward believes the staff will receive the idea and then bring it to the committee. Ms. McCoy said the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has a Let’s Talk section on its website to submit comments and suggestions: www.ncpublicschools.org. Members can e-mail additional feedback to Mr. Woodward to share with Mr. Egan.

Fiscal Update
Ms. Vasquez provided the fiscal update. It captures our three current and next three federal fiscal years. Approving an initiative reduces the amount available the next year.
This committee currently has two initiatives, and both are on target (within 25%) for spending.

Future Investments Discussion
Ms. Cunningham said it is important to go into the school environment, and we need to help families with tools available to them. Dr. Bergen pointed out that this proposal fits Goal 1, Objective C.

Ms. Woodhouse brought up what happens after school and micro-enterprise for adults. Ms. Woodall said there needs to be one place an individual or parent goes to learn about micro-enterprise. Ms. McCoy said look at what is existing such as the Exceptional Children’s Assistance Center resource. Many small businesses are home grown. How do we build that infrastructure support all over the state? Mr. Swain said micro-enterprise was a former initiative, and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS) can allocate money to small businesses and offer support for developing a Small Business Plan. He encouraged anyone interested in self-employment to contact DVRS. Ms. Woodall said micro-enterprise can be expensive for self-advocates to afford. Ms. Cunningham said the concept is the educational part, and we need to pull in all the community members who care about business and develop a template or central place to help navigate through that. Mr. Swain mentioned a Request for Applications (RFA) for services for youth ages 14-21 and asked if we know providers interested in this. Ms. Cunningham asked, how do we provide better information through the entire lifespan? Ms. McCoy mentioned the continuum of transition pilot program beginning next year in seven regions. The second year it will go all over the state.

Dr. Bergen shared what she learned about President Lyndon B. Johnson sending a photographer to the Appalachians to photograph people living there. Ms. Woodall was thinking of videos to take to the legislature to educate them. Ms. McCoy mentioned the need to watch out for predators and how important it is to get people able to provide consent. Dr. Bergen asked if O’Neill Communications could host this project. Ms. Cunningham asked what the message will be. Ms. Woodhouse said a picture is worth a thousand words. Ms. Woodall said it is important to show the value of protecting assets.

MOTION: Mr. Brown made a motion for NCCDD staff to pursue and research the following topics for potential permission to draft Request(s) for Application(s) (RFAs) at the May Council meeting:

1. To address the employment needs of post-transition adults ages 22-64.
2. To develop a new I/DD employment resource guide (including the Upward to Financial Stability curriculum) and template as well as a new distribution system to integrate with existing network channels.
3. To create an interactive digital lookbook to highlight how North Carolina’s I/DD community maximizes their assets to access community life.

Ms. McCoy seconded the motion.  The motion was approved.
Regarding Motion item #2, Ms. Cunningham commented that this resource guide needs to be translated to Spanish and available in an easy-to-read format.

Initiative Updates

Upward to Financial Stability Initiative
Michael Roush of the National Disability Institute (NDI) called in. Donna Gallagher of The Collaborative presented. The curriculum has eight modules that Mr. Roush and Ms. Gallagher reviewed and changed/updated. There will be four Train-the-Trainer sessions in March. They hope for 100 people to sign up, but there is room for a few more (30 at each site). The e-invite will be sent to all Council members.

Ms. Gallagher introduced the webinar topics for 2017:
• N.C. ABLE Program
• Resource mapping
• Youth in transition and financial stability.

The Trainer Support Network meets monthly by phone. Ms. Cunningham participated in the last one. The Real Economic Impact Network is available to the Master Trainers for sustainability. Mr. Roush said this network offers webinars on different financial capability topics and newsletters. There is a way to answer questions that come up and distribute the answers.

Mr. Roush discussed the lessons learned from the initiative. This includes listening to the needs of the trainers and sharing the next steps. He said they have gained more in-depth education on integrated services but need more education on competitive employment and what it entails. The ABLE Act is another key area – NDI works closely with the N.C. Department of State Treasurer. NDI also shares best practices from other states. Mr. Roush said we need to help individuals with disabilities become comfortable with on-line banking. He mentioned that a DVRS Benefits Counselor who was a Master Trainer has accepted another position, but NDI needs to be in the VR system.

Mr. Roush also mentioned the NCCDD goal of outreach to the Latino community. Ms. Cunningham mentioned the need for an easy-to-read format. She asked if Mr. Roush sees other tie-ins to reach out to other communities with the curriculum such as through focus groups. Mr. Roush mentioned the LEAD Center and also the next disability employment systems change initiative through the Department of Labor and encouraged the state to apply for it. Ms. McCoy asked for information to share with the Exceptional Children’s Directors in charter schools.

Expansion of Employment Opportunities for People with I/DD Initiative Employment Services Coordinator Pat Keul updated the committee on the three elements of this initiative.

Element I: Apprenticeships and Pre-apprenticeships
Ms. Keul received a call yesterday from the Blue Ridge Foundation interested in a feeding assistants program. A group in Chapel Hill is interested in offering paid apprenticeships after internships. Also, other industries are being explored such as healthcare and I.T. Ms. Keul developed an I/DD peer mentoring curriculum that now has 30 chapters and is I/DD-friendly. The class starts on Monday, February 13th. Mr. Swain asked if anyone else around the country has developed an I/DD peer mentoring curriculum. Ms. Keul has not found any. Mr. Brown mentioned the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services developing one. Alabama has developed one, too. Mr. Swain mentioned the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model for mental health, and Ms. Keul discussed the differences with the I/DD model.

Element II: Project SEARCH
Ms. Keul said North Carolina has 14 Project SEARCH sites. Two are not in hospitals – the Gardner-Webb University site and the DHHS site. There will be two new sites starting this year in Hendersonville and Charlotte. She has a meeting in Charlotte with Chan Roush at Carolinas Healthcare System to discuss becoming a host site.

Element III: Statewide Coalition
Ms. Keul mentioned that she discussed with Mr. Woodward and Mr. Egan about starting a new group or joining an existing group. She brought together a group to discuss the issue of Project SEARCH instructor funding for the community college programs and identifying sustainable solutions. Ms. Cunningham asked if NCCDD can help with the branding or use initiative funding to help this model. The two current instructor funding ideas are:
1. Changing the service definition.
2. Moving Project SEARCH to Continuing Education.

Ms. Keul shared other issues that include:

• Finding a state agency to adopt the statewide coordinator for Project SEARCH. Could this be NCCDD, the Division of Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities/Substance Abuse Services (DMH/DD/SAS), DVRS, or the Department of Labor?
• Pursuing an Employment First directive.
• Agencies working together to pursue national grants such as the one Mr. Roush mentioned.

Wrap Up and Reminders
Dr. Bergen asked for a motion to adjourn.

MOTION: Ms. Cunningham approved the motion to adjourn. Ms. Woodall seconded it. The motion was approved, and the meeting adjourned at 5:10.