Browse Working Group Recommendations

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 Below each working group recommendation is an initial list of County & City departments that have committed to implementation efforts. Quarterly progress updates for listed recommendations will be posted within thirty (30) days of the prior quarter’s end (Q3= July 1 – September 30, Q4= October 1 – December 31). This list will be revised and more information will be added in the future as we engage further with the County, City, and other community organizations.

CJK1R2
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: PRE-ARREST DIVERSION
Recommendation: End Pre-Textual Stops
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
City Rochester Police Department 1-3 years
County Public Defender < 1 year
County Public Safety - Conflict Defender 1-3 years
CJK2R2
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND PUBLIC DEFENDER
Recommendation: 24 Hour Arraignment for City Court Residence: Create 24 hour arraignments for Rochester City Court allowing criminal defendant to immediately see a Criminal Court Justice upon their arrest.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Finance / Purchasing
County Public Defender < 1 year
CJK2R6
Working Group: Criminal Justice
Key Issue: DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND PUBLIC DEFENDER
Recommendation: Tie DA budget allocation to the increased use of diversion programs.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Public Defender < 1 year
County Public Safety - Conflict Defender 1-3 years
EDK1R1
Working Group: Education
Key Issue: LIMITED ACCESS & RESOURCES
Recommendation: Integrate Monroe County youth services into school system to provide a continuation of learning and access during suspension and long-term absences.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Youth Bureau 1-3 years
EDK1R3
Working Group: Education
Key Issue: LIMITED ACCESS & RESOURCES
Recommendation: Create a system for the Department of Mental Health to lead and set expectations for certifications and yearly training for teachers, school therapists, and social workers.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
Owning Entity Pending
EDK2R2
Working Group: Education
Key Issue: TESTING & CURRICULUM
Recommendation: Apply for a waiver from the New York State Board of Regents to use alternative methods of assessments that allow students to demonstrate proficiency.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County State and Federal Intergovernmental Relations 1-3 years
EDPLR6
Working Group: Education
Key Issue: Parking Lot
Recommendation: Advocate all county school districts to implement a K-12 multi-racial, anti-racist, and cultural curriculum and require proof of inclusion in teachers’ lesson plans.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
Owning Entity Pending
SSK2R1
Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: ELIGIBILITY
Recommendation: Since most sanctions are a result of non-compliance of requirements related to employment or substance abuse, we must assess the way Monroe Co determines compliance and relax any regulations that create particularly high rates of sanction (see analysis to follow).
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Financial Assistance
SSK2R10
Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: ELIGIBILITY
Recommendation: Establishment of a Working Group for Continuous Improvement
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Financial Assistance 1-3 years
SSK2R2
Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: ELIGIBILITY
Recommendation: Reimagine the process by which someone is sanctioned and then conciliated in order to create a system that uses sanctions as an absolute last resort (analysis to follow).
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Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Financial Assistance
SSK2R3
Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: ELIGIBILITY
Recommendation: Begin to track sanctions and Fair Hearings by race and ethnicity.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Financial Assistance
SSK2R4
Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: ELIGIBILITY
Recommendation: Monroe County should review its Employment Plan in the context of the comparative information gathered and submit revisions that significantly relax the employment requirements for individuals receiving public assistance. This particularly important right now, as the COVID-19 epidemic has significantly impaired our local economy and created exceptionally high unemployment rates. Monroe County’s employment plan must match this economic reality and be “person-centered” to ensure that we are providing public assistance to as many vulnerable households as possible. Specifically, we recommend:
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
Owning Entity Pending
SSK2R5
Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: ELIGIBILITY
Recommendation: Monroe County should review the ARES system with a committee that consists of experts in addiction recovery, community-based CASACs, and individuals who previously received public assistance. The committee should set out to amend the reporting system to follow best practices of addiction recovery, and to ensure that a sanction is never used as anything other than a last resort.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Financial Assistance 1-3 years
County Human Services - Mental Health 3+ years
SSK2R6
Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: ELIGIBILITY
Recommendation: Monroe County should permanently eliminate the 85% attendance threshold for individuals recovering from substance abuse. The County should work with the Committee established in Recommendation 1 to create new, person-centered requirements in line with NYS rules and regulations.
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Financial Assistance
County Human Services - Mental Health 3+ years
SSK2R7
Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: ELIGIBILITY
Recommendation: Monroe County should evaluate all substance abuse practices and policies with a goal of embracing harm reduction as an evidence-based strategy, while still encouraging abstinence as appropriate. (This echoes a recommendation of the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Working Group.)
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Financial Assistance
SSK2R8
Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: ELIGIBILITY
Recommendation: Move to a Pre-sanction Review Process
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
Owning Entity Pending
SSK2R9
Working Group: Human/Social Services
Key Issue: ELIGIBILITY
Recommendation: Post-Sanction Support System: If a sanction is imposed, MCDHS should engage the individual and family to discuss the parameters of the sanction, opportunities to lift the sanction or come into compliance, and additional supports available to ensure compliance is maintained. Post sanction engagement would also assist the agency in keeping in contact with sanctioned individuals and families giving them the best possible opportunity for success and reengagement. Postsanction support should be provided orally by a caseworker and in plain language notices, covering the following:
Get Involved
Owner Organization / Department Timeframe
County Human Services - Financial Assistance

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