09-11-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING August 28, 2023 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 2 of 15 Benson moved, Crosby seconded, to approve the Consent Agenda with items 1, 5, 6, 10 and 11 removed. VOTE: Ayes 5, Nays 0. PRESENTATION 14. EMBEDDED SOCIAL WORKER PROGRAM Chief Correy Farniok introduced Jen Withrow who is the embedded social worker serving Orono and six other communities and her supervisor, Lauren Royce. He said Orono has been in this program for 18 months and is committed to another two years. Royce gave a slide presentation explaining the program started in 2019 with four embedded social workers. Additional communities have joined and social workers have been added in some communities, so by the end of this year there will be 45 social workers. Behavior health calls, which include substance use, welfare checks, mental health and repeat callers, make up the bulk of the referrals. Once the social workers receive a referral from the police department they try to respond within one day. Communities benefit from a shared financing model between cities and Hennepin County. Communities use social workers where most beneficial and law enforcement where most beneficial. Social workers are able to get a hand-off from officers on their contacts with individuals. They also provide ongoing support with things like economics, housing and mental health and chemical health. In 2022 there were 6,910 referrals. Social workers were able to connect with 58 percent of those referred and made 4,851 service referrals. Over 50 percent of people they work with throughout Hennepin County identify as people of color, she said. They are piloting an Alternative Response Team in Brookly Park and respond either in lieu of law enforcement or if law enforcement is there and wants social worker support. They are also piloting an evening co- response program in Brookly Park. Withrow said she follows up on referrals. If they don’t respond to phone calls she will do a door knock. Calls are usually based on mental health, chemical health, homeless, elderly, and domestic. She has been doing the job for a year and a half. She serves seven cities which she said can be challenging because she can’t be in seven places at once. In response to Council questions, she reported she offices in Shorewood and covers from St. Bonifacius to Corcoran. A typical call may be a mental health call due to a suicide attempt or overdose, or for people who are starting to have dementia and making frequent police calls. If someone has a case manager, she simply the updates case manager rather than have a new person assigned on an on-going basis. She estimated 60 percent of her time is in the field and 40 percent in the office doing paperwork. She said she sees basically the same types of issues in Orono as in other cities for the most part with the possible exception of a higher level of financial exploitation cases in Orono. She said she would like to see more public education about the embedded social worker program. In knocking on doors there has been only one instance where she has needed a police officer to assist, she said. Police generally alert her in the referral if anyone has a history of violence. Police also give her cards to members of the public and alert them she may be calling. 1. CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF AUGUST 14, 2023 Benson said she asked to have this item pulled for a minor change. On Item 19 Crosby mentioned pay increase proposals for fire fighters. The minutes did not give specific dollar amounts and she recommended the dollar amounts should be included.