70.4% of clients rated the services they received as excellent and 25.9% rated the services as very good. Specialized Clinical Services:

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1 Our Mission: The Human Services Department seeks to support, strengthen and empower Falmouth residents and the community by ensuring access to a comprehensive range of community-based health and human services. New Initiatives in FY16: 1. Mental Health Outreach Initiative in collaboration with Falmouth Police Department a clinician partnered with a police officer to provide check-in visits to residents following all mental health related crisis incidents. 2. Unburied from Treasures Support Group a clinician provided technical support for the start- up of a self-help group for graduates of the Buried in Treasures 15 week training. 3. Falmouth Opioid Community Coalition a clinician served as co-chair of the Recovery Working Group whose goal is to reduce stigma and promote services in the community that support long term recovery. 4. Community Housing Support Fund Applied for funding from the Community Preservation Fund to provide financial assistance to very low to moderate income individuals and families living in affordable housing in Falmouth. Clinical Services for Individuals and Families: Mental health and substance abuse counseling services are provided free of charge to Falmouth residents who are uninsured, underinsured or unable to access private mental health services. Our licensed master level clinicians provided the following clinical services to 204 residents (1506 sessions): Individual mental health and/or substance abuse counseling Couples counseling Family counseling Advocacy/Case management/outreach Group work 70.4% of clients rated the services they received as excellent and 25.9% rated the services as very good. Specialized Clinical Services:

2 Additional specialized clinical services were offered in collaboration with other town departments and community agencies to aide in early intervention and easy access to quality behavioral health services. Services for 50 students in grades K- 12 and/or their families were provided in conjunction with all Falmouth Public Schools. Services included assessment, consultation, information and referral, advocacy, clinical counseling and casework. Active Parenting 6-week workshop in collaboration with the Coalition for Children for 15 parents of 5-9 year olds. Buried in Treasures facilitated a 15 session, therapeutic group for persons who accumulate and save more belongings than they are able to comfortably accommodate in their living space. Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Co-facilitated a bi-monthly information and support group in collaboration with Cape Cod Neighborhood Support Coalition to assist grandparents in this challenging role. Provided a 9 month internship and clinical supervision for a graduate student in Boston University s Masters in Social Work program. Consultation and Outreach Services: The clinical staff provides phone and/or onsite consultation, assessment and outreach services to other town departments, schools, human service agencies and community organizations upon request. During FY16, the staff provided 199 consultations averaging 13.7 hours per month. 23.6% of consultations were regarding resident related problems and 76.4% were regarding community related concerns. Information, Referral and Advocacy Services: The Human Services department maintains a searchable database of over 2,000 community resources and provides triage, information and referral services upon request. A database of over 81 local mental health providers, including the areas of clinical focus and health insurances accepted, is maintained to ensure residents have easy access to behavioral health services in the community. This database was shared with the adjustment counselors at all Falmouth schools and is available to the community at -resources. Community Development Services: Staff members participated in a variety of community projects to develop and/or advocate for resources and services for Falmouth residents. Ongoing FY 2016 Projects include: Barnstable County Human Services Advisory Council Track emerging trends in the community in order to inform policies at

3 the County level. Developed a regional substance abuse council to address growing opiate abuse on the Cape. Barnstable County Regional Substance Abuse Council a regional initiative to establish a communication infrastructure across towns, organizations and providers, identify and address gaps in services, and maximize funding and interagency collaboration. Big Brothers Big Sisters provided office space for this organization so that case management services for mentor families could be offered in Falmouth. Cape Cod Healthcare Community Benefits Committee conducted community wide health needs assessment; determined community health priorities; awarded $250,000 in funding to local community health projects. Community Network of Cape Cod a network of Cape-wide human service agencies working to enhance the visibility, accessibility and quality of programs and services that increase the well-being of children, youth and families. Falmouth Housing Stabilization Network a collaboration among 5 local nonprofit agencies to pool resources and provide case management services to better assist and stabilize residents in our community who are at risk of homelessness Falmouth Human Services Committee managed application, funding, contracting and evaluation of 16 non-profit agencies for the town Falmouth Service Center Board of Directors food pantry and support services to local neighbors in need Falmouth Substance Abuse Commission served as treasurer for the Commission Massachusetts Municipal Association Human Services Council a network of municipal human service directors in MA working to enhance the visibility, accessibility and quality of programs and services for Massachusetts residents. Falmouth Hoarding Task Force cochair of representatives from town departments and community service agencies who work collaboratively to address the needs of residents who accumulate excess belongings that pose health and safety concerns. Local Emergency Planning Committee a member of this town-wide committee to develop plans for potential emergency situations. Suicide Prevention Coalition of Cape and Islands provided community awareness events and trainings regarding the signs of suicide and early intervention Falmouth Hospital Substance Abuse and Pregnancy Committee an interagency collaboration to address the needs of newborns born to addicted mothers or mothers in early recovery. Mass. Opiate Abuse Prevention Collaborative a regional effort to coordinate prevention activities so as to increase the scope of opioid prevention work and build the capacity of municipalities to address this issue in their population. Falmouth Human Services Committee Non-Profit Agency Funding: For more than 30 years, Falmouth taxpayers have supported several non-profit agencies

4 on the Cape through the operating budget of the Human Services Department. These non-profit agencies offer programs and services to assist Falmouth residents with a variety of human services related needs. All contracts were revised in FY 2016 and totaled $84,050. AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod $2,500 Direct Services for people affected and infected with HIV and AIDS Big Brothers/Big Sisters $1,500 Adult mentoring program for at risk children CapeAbilities $3,500 Comprehensive rehabilitation and training for individuals with disabilities Cape Cod Child Development $12,800 Early childhood education and subsidized day care Community Health Center of Cape Cod $7,000 Comprehensive primary care services for acute and chronic conditions Consumer Assistance Council, Inc. $1,500 Information and dispute resolution for individuals experiencing consumer problems Fairwinds $1,000 Day habilitation services and supervised job training for persons with chronic mental illness Falmouth Service Center $3,000 Food pantry services and emergency financial assistance Gosnold of Cape Cod, Inc. $16,200 Comprehensive psychiatric, psychotherapy and substance abuse treatment for children and adults Housing Assistance Corporation $5,000 Carriage House family shelter program Independence House, Inc. $10,000 Comprehensive assistance to women and their children who are in abusive situations Salvation Army $1,000 Emergency Assistance Programs Sight Loss Services $1,250 Practical and emotional support to individuals experiencing serious sight loss South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc. $3,800 Legal services to low income and elderly residents Family Services $5,000 Falmouth Public Schools Calmer Choice Program development at elementary level Homeless Prevention $9,000 Housing stabilization services, including housing case management, advocacy, and networking among agencies, organizations and individuals In FY 2016, the Human Services Committee conducted a year-long strategic review of this funding process in order to ensure that the town s current needs and trends are being addressed in the most effective manner. The committee reviewed a variety of data sources, key informant

5 interviews, focus groups and community forums in the areas of basic needs, health, child and family services, mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, affordable housing, homelessness, senior services, legal services, disability services and other support services. The summary findings of this data review are available on-line at The Human Services Committee and the Human Services Department staff have now recommended a strategic plan for the future of human services related funding for the Town of Falmouth. The recommended changes are substantial, as the Town would no longer be providing small amounts of funding toward the operating costs of existing programs and agencies. Instead, it is suggested that larger funding amounts be made available to address 5 high priority, unmet needs and emerging trends in our community. Funding would be awarded via a 3-year, cyclical, public, competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Five categories of unmet and emerging human service needs have been identified and prioritized in our community and will generate funding recommendations to the Board of Selectmen and Town Meeting members for the FY 2018 budget process. Once funds are appropriated by town meeting, the Human Services Committee and the Human Services Department staff will gradually implement a 3-year, competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process. Applications will be sought from public and private non-profit entities and/or partnerships to address the identified high priority needs. Awardees of the competitive process will receive a one-year contract with the potential for non-competitive renewal for 2 additional years if previously identified outcomes are achieved and funds are appropriated by town meeting in the next fiscal year s operating budget. Volunteers and Community Support: The Human Services Department appreciates the support of tax payers, community organizations, other town departments, businesses and many volunteers in our community whose collaboration enables us to enhance services to residents in need. A special thank you to: Halley Palmer, master s level intern from Boston University The appointees to the Human Services Committee - who provide ongoing support, vision and advocacy regarding the changing human service needs in our community: Elaine Sinni (Co-Chair) Barbara Sullivan (Co-Chair) Florence Davidson Elizabeth Page Tanya White Anne Connolly Jessica Lambert Alexander Ziss Pamela Harting-Barrat

6 For more information about our services or community programs please visit our web site or call or visit our office at 65A Town Hall Square (508) Submitted by: Karen Cardeira, Director