A resolution approving a proposed Agreement between the City and County of Denver and Discover Goodwill of Southern and Western Colorado for provide intensive case management services. Approves a contract with Discover Goodwill of Southern and Western Colorado for $1,110,000 and for one year to provide intensive case management services to assist Colorado Works/TANF participants that need ongoing support to gain employment, deliver educational opportunities for skills advancement and/or a connection to services to reduce long term barriers, citywide (SOCSV-202055021). The last regularly scheduled Council meeting within the 30-day review period is on 8-10-20. The Committee approved filing this item at its meeting on 7-8-20.
Thank you. One nay, one abstention and ten ions. Council Resolution 569 has been adopted. Madame Secretary, please put the next item on our screens. Councilman Herndon, will you please put Council Resolution 654 on the floor for adoption? Yes, Madam President, I move that council resolution 2020654 be adopted. Thank you. It has been moved. May I please get a second? Verbally. Second. Thank you. Councilman Sawyer, we have questions or comments by members of council. Councilwoman CdeBaca. Just called this one out for a vote. So I don't know if you want to do comments and questions and then vote or if. We can do them together. So I called this one out for a vote because goodwill is known for some national harmful practices with our disabled communities allowing to their employees to be paid a sub minimum wage. And it's not a practice that I think we want to encourage or support, and especially in this situation where we're asking for case management services and educational opportunities and employment and employment advice, it just feels like a potential mismatch. And I wonder who else was considered for this potential contract? And if I if anyone's here to speak to that, I would appreciate it. But I don't think anyone is here to speak to that. I actually think that we do. I see Camille Whistler from the. Yes, ma'am. For the attorneys out there you are. Hi, Neal. Thanks for. Joining us. Of course. Thank you for having me. And Councilwoman CdeBaca, thank you for the question. I will say that the services in this contract went through a very rigorous RFP and had a scoring panel. These case management services are specifically tied to the Colorado Work Standards Program, which is ultimately governed by the Colorado Department of Human Services. And it outlines very specific expectations related to case management services, managing a provider and all of those different pieces. I would also like to call out notice that in the contract we're identifying that goodwill would be serving our families, that we categorizes Tier one, meaning that they are job ready and are not our population that are experiencing any kind of disabilities or anything like that. We have identified a different service provider to meet those needs. Very much appreciate you bringing your concerns to our attention. And as part of our outcomes in this contract, we actually specifically identify that quality gainful employment will be obtained and we define quality employment as having paid time off benefits available as well as advancement opportunities. So that should place our families at least minimum wage, but definitely above that. Have we contracted with them in the past for this particular service? We have not. This is a brand new contract that we are establishing with goodwill, as well as five additional providers that we were sold that were selected off of this RFP. So they are not the sole organization that will be supporting the Colorado Works program. They are one of six that will be providing core services and they are joining another group of five additional contractors that provide targeted services through the Colorado Works TANF program specifically. And what are the metrics of success that we hold them accountable for with this particular contract? So if you'll give me just one moment to make sure I pull all of them up correctly. Awesome. Thank you. And thank you so much for being on the call. I didn't I didn't know if anyone would be here for this one. Mm hmm. We've got we got you prepared here. And Camille, as we're as you're looking for that at some point, if you wouldn't mind, please, restating your name and the agency you're with just for the public record, please. Absolutely. I'm sorry. I apologize. I can do that right now. My name is Camille Whistler, and I am an administrator for Denver Human Services. Perfect. Thank you. Yes. And then, Councilwoman CdeBaca, related to your question on outcomes, what we have targeted for this pilot year of the contract is 70% of all participants will be engaged in accountable activity. Accountable activities are defined not only by the Colorado Department of Human Services, but also our Federal Tiana's office. We have a county and state plan that has to go through a rigorous review and is approved by our Federal Housing and Human Services Office as meeting all of the criteria for the T.A. program. Additionally, we have an initial employment rate of 45%. We also have some data entry requirements related to the accuracy of case management, the data entry associated with it, and demonstrating compliance with the outcomes. We also have our will be looking at and establishing metrics for the number of participants that successfully complete their GED. Participants that successfully complete in turn and externship as well as what I had referenced initially of obtaining and retaining quality employment. And we are also utilizing some assessments that were designed in conjunction with CSU online to measure soft skills and employability growth and progress. And is the 45% employment goal. Is that standard. A. Just in this type of work? It's actually that is a target goal that is a little bit higher than the standard for a county. The standard is typically 38 to 40%. Based off of our conversations in negotiations with goodwill. We wanted to bump that up because we believe very firmly in supporting our community and want to make sure that we are getting as many of our community members in the TANF program employed as possible. And are you aware of goodwill practicing subminimum wage payment policies locally or nationally? So this is not anything that had been brought to our attention. I can say that Goodwill has partnered with other counties to do similar services in the past, and the feedback and responses that we received from that other county were very positive. I would also like to add that as a part of the Colorado Works T.A. meeting, I'm sorry, the program requirements, we do comply with the the Fair Standard Labors Act and ensuring that our families are meeting at least minimum wage and not is not only called out in our state rules and our work verification plan, but is something that goodwill is very familiar with. And we have safeguards in place to ensure that that requirement is in fact being met. Awesome. Thank you, Camille. All right. Thank you, Councilwoman. Councilman Hines. Thank you, madam president. When we start talking about people with disabilities and sup minimum wage, that is a conversation. We had a robust discussion. When Denver passed its minimum wage ordinance. And and so FLSA actually does allow opting out for of the minimum wage entirely for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, which is very concerning for me as an advocate for people with disabilities in Colorado. Colorado, by its revised statute, currently allows subminimum wage for people with physical disabilities, which is also very concerning to me. I know that HB 20 1263 was introduced specifically to overturn that it was lost. But I'm hoping due to COVID, I haven't talked with the bill's sponsors as to how to understand specifically why we are in 2020, just six days from the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and it is still state law to pay me less because of my physical disability. I think that that's disgusting. What I would say is in our Denver's minimum wage bill, we made it explicit. So I know that we had a discussion back and forth about whether it was necessary to be included. We included it anyway. So in the city of Denver, it is explicit that that the minimum wage guidance in Denver explicitly includes everyone ability or disability. And, and so I, I am concerned that that we may have we may be supporting a vendor that that, in my opinion, practices things that might be questionable and other situations. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to to do some in-depth research about goodwill and where they are now. And so ultimately, I would just kind of I would say this this particular contract includes the city of Denver and the city of Denver. We have clear guidance that that everyone must make at least the minimum wage, regardless of who you are, where you live, your zip code, as long as it's Denver. And and so in this case, I'm okay with supporting this this measure, because I know that we have guidance where no one will get minimum wage regardless of who you are. And in the city of Denver. Thank you, Madam President. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. Camille, did you want to respond? If I could, please. Thank you. Sure. So, Councilman Hines, thank you for that feedback. I. One thing that I would like to clarify is that we have identified an entirely separate vendor to help our population that has disabilities. But I will also say that the Department of Human Services, my division and the of program in particular, we are also in full support of every member of our community and are fully behind and will ensure compliance that there is no separation and there is no distinction between a person making minimum wage, whether they have a disability or whether they are considered able bodied. So I thank you very much for the opportunity to be able to demonstrate that and in one year look forward to being able to come back and demonstrate that it has in fact occurred in a very positive way. All right. Thank you, Camille. See no other questions or comments by members of council. Madam Secretary, roll call, please. The thing about. On principle, I can't support. No. Clark. I. What I. Pardon my. Parents. I. PASHMAN All right. Can I. Involve? Sawyer. I. Torres. I. Black I. Madam President, I. Madam Secretary, close the voting and announce the results. Ten eyes running. Ten Eyes one day. Council Resolution 654 has been adopted. Madam Secretary, please put the next item up. Councilman Herndon, would you please put council bill six, six, eight on the floor for publication, please? Yes, Madam President. I move the council bill to zero that 0668 be ordered published.