Way to go, Ohio Youth Advisory Board Media Spokesperson Dauntea Sledge

Ohio Foster Kids are Rising Up, Giving Back
Mary Kuhlman, Public News Service, October 25, 2011

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Despite the trauma and challenging family dynamics they may have experienced growing up, many young people in Ohio have transitioned out of foster care to lead successful lives and become role models for others.

Dauntea Sledge of Columbus, who was in and out of care for more than a decade, now works on the local and national level educating others about the child welfare system.


Sledge says a love of comic book heroes helped save him, and now he wants to help others.


"It took me out of the world I was actually in and put me in another one, that kind of helped me cope. And it gave me morals, like Superman: 'I'm going to save everybody.' So, it instilled values in me that I wasn't getting at home, or even in my foster homes."

Sledge has received national recognition as one of a handful of 2011 Foster Club All-Stars.

A family history of substance abuse led Julia Burns of Brookfield into the foster care system at age 14. She now fosters her own brother and provides the same support she says caseworkers and foster parents gave her.

"Any time I needed them, day or night, they were there for me. Any time I felt down or unloved or got discouraged, they were always there to push me ahead. And if it wasn't for foster parents and caseworkers, I probably wouldn't be where I'm at today."

Burns recently received the Public Children Services Association of Ohio's 2011 "Rising Up and Moving On" award.

Sledge says the child welfare system is doing good things, but more can always be done to help those in care. As a product of that system, he says, he can provide a perspective that others can't.

"A lot of people don't understand what foster youth go through, so they can't speak on it and they can't really target the problem. You have to bring all perspectives to the table, so the more people that advocate, the better."

Burns says foster parents are in a unique position to influence a child's life. Her advice for them?

"Teach them right and just show them love and affection, because a lot of kids come into foster care feeling neglected. Make them feel like a part of your home, and make them just feel wanted."

Each year in Ohio, more than 1,000 teens age out of foster care as they turn 18. To help improve their chances for education and self-sufficiency, Ohio lawmakers have approved $2 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding.

African Americans in Ohio more than twice as likely to live in poverty

Black families are struggling, census data show
Median income a little more than half that for whites in Ohio; 32% below poverty line
Bush, Bill. Columbus Dispatch, Sept. 22, 2011.

North Side residents Marcus and Ashley Grace, with their 4-month-old son, Marcus Jr., participate in a class at Word Church of God in Christ. Yesterday’s lesson, taught by the Rev. Eddie Parker III, focused on finding a job.

The Rev. Timothy Gregory left a job working with developmentally disabled adults after getting passed over for a promotion for someone with less experience.

He is black; the woman who got the job is white.

“I don’t know about racism as far as getting a job, but as far as raises and promotions and things like that, of course, there’s that racism,” said Gregory, 38, of the East Side.

He and his wife, Vicki, both work — he’s stayed in the field of working with disabled adults — but they struggle to pay the day-care bills for their 5-year-old daughter, he said.

Gregory knows many black families are worse off than his own.

The average black household in Ohio made a little more than half the income of its white counterpart last year, according to census numbers released today.

Although the median income of all Ohio households in 2010 slipped 8 percent since 2007 — from $49,015 to $45,090 — black families as a group remain far below that income level. Their median household income last year was $27,172, according to the census-based American Community Survey results.

Blacks in Ohio were more than twice as likely as the general population to live in poverty: about 32 percent of blacks were below the poverty line of $22,300 a year for a family of four.

The median black income statewide was 56 percent that of whites, who had a median household income of $48,334. Asians had the highest median income at $62,426; Latinos were at $33,178.

“Part of it is, as the economy tanked, it didn’t tank evenly,” said John Powell, a professor at Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law. He teaches about employment discrimination.

Nationally, the unemployment rate for whites dropped from 8.7 percent in August 2010 to 8 percent last month. But the rate for blacks increased to 16.7 percent from 16.2 percent.

As a group, blacks face a series of hurdles to finding good work, starting with where they live, Powell said. Other than Native Americans, blacks in the United States were the most likely to live farthest from where they work, or from where potential jobs were being created, he said.

“Increasingly, (jobs) are not in the central city, and they’re less likely to be in the first-ring suburbs,” Powell said.

On top of geographic boundaries, blacks also can face old-fashioned racism, such as not getting calls back for potential job interviews and being passed over for promotions, Powell said.

“A person with a black-sounding name is less likely to get called back than a white person with a criminal record,” Powell said studies have shown. “If they get a job, they’re more likely to get a job without benefits, with low pay, and in a marginal industry.”

At the Word Church of God in Christ, Gregory and the Rev. Eddie Parker III have seen how black families struggle to find work and support themselves. The largely black church sits just west of Franklin Park on the Near East Side.

“The opportunities of advancement for a black male are still not equal to that of a white male, and there is a class of what’s called the working poor,” Parker said. “A black man trying to take care of his family can’t get the same raises and advance.


“Their children grow up in that same cycle of poverty, and then it becomes a generational thing."

Parker also said that the high number of black children born in single-mother homes is a problem. The most-recent statistics put that number at 73 percent nationally.

In the Columbus metro area, the four race groups had median annual incomes higher than those for all of Ohio. Local blacks had an annual median income of $30,419, compared with $27,172 for the state.

When counting income, the Census Bureau includes any Social Security payments, public assistance or unemployment benefits. It doesn’t include any non-cash benefits, such as food stamps.

The study also shows that although Latinos had higher incomes than blacks, they were much more likely to be without health insurance: 25.5 percent of Latinos in Ohio had no health plan, compared with 16.5 percent of blacks.

This is partly because illegal immigrants — and even non-citizens who are working here legally but arrived after 1996 — are denied Medicaid, a government health plan for low-income people, said Cathy Levine, co-chairwoman of Ohio Consumers for Health Coverage.

Counting all Ohioans, about 12.3 percent of the state’s population had no health coverage.

Columbus and Teen Mothers

Diagram from CLASP's  2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Focus On Columbus:

Why Columbus Youth Need Connections to the Workforce

Diagrams from CLASP's  2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Focus On Columbus:

Evidence of Columbus Cradle to Prison Pipeline

Diagrams from CLASP's  2011 Keeping Youth Connected: Focus On Columbus:

Spotlight on Economic Development Grantmaking in Ohio

Direct link to article:  http://pndblog.typepad.com/pndblog/2011/05/spotlight-on-economic-dev-in-ohio.html

May 30, 2011

Spotlight on Economic Development Grantmaking in Ohio: An Update

(This post originally appeared on the Philanthropy Front and Center - Cleveland blog.)
Three years ago, Philanthropy: Front and Center spotlighted key facts about economic development grantmaking in Ohio. Earlier this month, they released an update to the original report (Spotlight on Economic Development Grantmaking in Ohio, 2011) which found that grant dollars for economic development increased from $24.5 million in 2005 to $62 million in 2008, a 152 percent increase. As a share of total giving in Ohio, economic development grants doubled, from 7 percent to 14 percent.


Giving to two major subcategories, employment and training services and urban development, accounted for nearly three-quarters of all giving for economic development in Ohio. A significant increase in giving for employment training and services can be attributed to a major gift of $20 million from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to the University of Akron Foundation's Austen BioInnovation Institute; the gift is expected to create 2,100 jobs.



The report also identified the top ten foundations awarding grants in Ohio for economic development as well as the top 10 recipients of economic development.



A special area of the Foundation Center's Web site provides access to the report, free online resources including an interactive map of economic development grants in Ohio, a video highlighting the report's findings (see below), audio and video recordings of local leaders in the field talking about Ohio's funding landscape, and links to other published reports.

To read or download the report (2 pages, PDF), click here.

The report and web page were funded in part by the Cleveland Foundation, the Generation Foundation, the George Gund Foundation, and the Burton D. Morgan Foundation.

Filling the $8 billion hole in Ohio's budget won't be easy

Tax or ax? To balance Ohio's budget, lawmakers basically have just two unpopular choices
Siegel, Jim and Darrel Rowland. Columbus Dispatch, Jan. 2, 2011.

- $8,000,000,000.

We're not used to seeing Ohio's probable state budget shortfall for the next two years written out that way, with all the zeros.

Perhaps it somehow better conveys the enormity of the task facing the administration of incoming Gov. John Kasich and the state legislature, which will be controlled by Kasich's fellow Republicans.

Maybe Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor could help solve the problem. He sold his 2008 Big Ten championship ring, 2009 Fiesta Bowl sportsmanship award and 2008 gold pants trinket for beating Michigan and now must repay $2,500.

'Course, he'd have to repeat his deeds 3.2 million times to come up with the necessary cash.

OK, let's think bigger: Put a super-surcharge on fans attending next season's revenge game against Wisconsin of, say, a mere $75,000 apiece.

Still wouldn't be enough.

All right, let's talk about more realistic options - although realistic may be in the eye of the beholder.

Firing every state employee would get you more than half of the way there, but not much more. About 85 percent of state general revenue funds (money from state taxes and some matching federal dollars) are passed through to local boards, agencies and governmental entities. That means major cuts to "state" government actually wind up reducing funding to schools, cities, universities, counties and townships, most of which have their own fiscal woes.

Raising the state sales tax from 5.5 cents on the dollar to 8 cents, a 45 percent jump, would bring in about $6.5 billion. Wiping out the 2005 income-tax cut (21 percent), could mean about $4.3 billion. Majority Republicans likely would argue that either option would devastate the state.

Ohio charges many dozens of fees for various licenses and services, and nearly all of them could be raised to some degree. Ohio also gives away more than $7 billion in tax exemptions, credits and deductions that could be eliminated or reduced.

But Kasich and a number of Republican lawmakers have signed a national no-tax pledge that covers not only taxes, but also fees. Under the pledge, some could be raised, but others must be lowered so there is no net increase. However, some veteran legislative Republicans are quietly questioning whether the budget can really balance without more revenue, and there seems to be a growing expectation that Kasich will violate the no-new-fees portion of the pledge.

There are other ways to pick up more money. Selling state buildings could provide a quick cash infusion, but would cost Ohio more in the future for lease payments. Selling the Ohio Turnpike could also mean major up-front cash, but doing so could also have ramifications and would be difficult to pass over objections from a host of lawmakers from both parties across northern Ohio.

In mid-March, Kasich and his team may unveil some truly unique ways to balance the 2012-13 budget, including perhaps combining and privatizing state functions.

So what is the $8 billion shortfall anyway? Simply put, it is roughly the amount the state is lacking if it wants to continue to providing the same services it provides today for the next two years, starting July 1.

No one can pinpoint the exact budget shortfall because there are too many unknown factors, including the estimated tax-revenue growth, some future costs, whether Congress plans to help again, and just what state leaders want government to look like when they're done. But most experts agree $8 billion is a good place to start the conversation, and some say it's more like $10 billion when such factors as the state's debt on unemployment compensation is included.

The current two-year budget is balanced with about $8.7 billion in one-time money that is not expected to be available again. More than $5 billion is from the federal stimulus package that, depending on one's perspective, either saved Ohio and most other states from potentially devastating cuts, or simply put off tough decisions for two years.

Despite what you may have heard during the campaign this fall, there is no way state leaders can save billions simply by "trimming fat" or "enacting efficiencies" that won't be noticed. Experts will tell you that most of the low- and even medium-hanging fruit has already been harvested to balance the current budget, which suffered from an unprecedented drop in tax revenue.

Rather, state leaders will soon learn a political truism: Talking about cutting the budget is easier than actually cutting it. Perhaps that is why nearly every prior state budget crisis was at least partially fixed with tax increases, regardless of which party was in charge.

So you want to cut? Eliminating all tax funding for a dozen state agencies - including the departments of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Development, Veterans Services and Youth Services (juvenile prisons) - saves about $3.4 billion, less than half the shortfall.

Republicans have talked about significantly reducing the number of state agencies, which might save money long term. But significant savings in the first two years are far less likely.

Cutting Medicaid, which makes up about 40 percent of the state general revenue fund, is ugly because it eliminates about $2 in federal money for every $1 in state cuts. In addition to hitting Ohio's poorest and most fragile citizens, cuts also can hurt hospitals, doctors, nursing homes and others in the health-care industry.

Deep cuts to grades K-12 education would force further reductions in teachers and programs and likely send property taxes upward, leaving Ohio's overall tax burden worse.

Major cuts to universities could trigger huge tuition increases, which could be considered tax increases on the middle class.

Ohio's prisons are already overcrowded, and while there have been recent proposals to move nonviolent prisoners to community programs, the short-term savings are about $50 million over two years. And some lawmakers are nervous about constituents' reactions to freeing criminals.

Ohio sends more than $1 billion a year directly to local governments and libraries, making it a tempting cut. But libraries have an amazing ability to organize their patrons to fight cuts. For cities and villages, most of that state money pays for police and fire protection.

While groups including Greater Ohio and the Ohio Chamber of Commerce have recently recommended major changes to the state's 19 {+t}{+h} century system of local governments, even if local officials pledge to consolidate and become more efficient, such moves take time to see big savings.

And finally, the state pays 12.5 percent of every local property tax levy approved by voters. This is a huge, growing expense for the state ($1.7 billion a year). But while most homeowners are likely unaware that the state is picking up one-eighth of their property tax bill, they are sure to notice if the state stops doing it.

Try it yourself
The Dispatch has created an interactive online exercise that lets readers attempt to balance Ohio's next budget. Users can make any or all of 34 policy choices, then see the results.

Try your hand at balancing the state budget

570,000 Ohio children live in poverty - and the TANF Budget is insufficient to meet their needs

According to the State Budget Matters edition on The TANF Budget by the Center for Community Solutions:

• The federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is the largest source of funding for states for programs that help low-income families.  Ohio uses TANF funds primarily for cash assistance, county allocations, and early child care and education.

• For many years, Ohio did not spend all of its federal TANF block grant. This created a surplus balance, but those funds were spent down in the last biennium. The federal TANF grant has been flat-funded for over a decade.

• The TANF program was created during an economic boom and did not anticipate the challenges caused by a long and deep recession. The number of families receiving cash assistance has increased sharply since the start of the recession, and TANF funding is stretched too thin to meet all of their basic needs.

• Due to the use of one-time funds in the current biennium, expected FY 2012-2013 funding is insufficient to support current spending. State policymakers not only face the challenge of closing a structural deficit of $8 billion in Ohio’s General Revenue Fund, but they must close a shortfall in Ohio’s largest discretionary social service program as well. 

• Their decisions will impact Ohio's children. The TANF program provides critical support for low-income families – and especially for children. 

• The 2009 American Community Survey shows that 21 percent of Ohio’s children live in poverty, compared with 18 percent in 2007. There are about 570,000 children in Ohio living below the federal poverty line, an increase of almost 75,000 children compared with just two years before.

Kasich's opinions about what could be cut in 2011

Kasich eyes cost cutting
Governor-elect aims to take on public employee unions, nonviolent criminals in state prisons
Smyth, Julie Carr. Ohio.com, Dec. 10, 2010.

Republican Governor-elect John Kasich said Thursday he's pursuing obvious but politically dicey ways to save Ohio money, including taking on public employee unions and diverting nonviolent criminals from state prisons.

Kasich made wide-ranging remarks on how he'll tackle a looming $8 billion budget gap at an event to announce his nominee for tax commissioner: former Franklin County Auditor Joe Testa.

Kasich said ''low-hanging fruit'' like union protections and prison reforms should have been plucked long ago to curb Ohio's tax burden.

He said he opposes paying union-scale prevailing wages on public job sites, doesn't think public employees should have the right to strike, and opposes using binding arbitration to resolve contract disputes involving police officers and firefighters.

''We'll come up with a series of changes, but binding arbitration is not acceptable,'' Kasich said. ''You are forcing increased taxes on taxpayers with them having no say by people who come from a faraway place and have no accountability to the taxpayers.''

Jay McDonald, president of the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio, said Ohio's binding arbitration law took effect in 1984 as an alternative to settling police, fire and prison guard labor disputes through strikes. He said arbitrators side with employers ''on a very regular basis.''

''Certainly, arbitrators are very well aware of what today's economy is and they're not awarding benefits that are out of reach of employers,'' he said.

He acknowledged that public safety forces can be costly for taxpayers.

''It costs money to find somebody to face the threat of gunfire; it costs money to find somebody to run into a building that's on fire,'' he said. ''I don't think we want to contract out the rape investigation of our neighbor to the lowest bidder.''

Stephen Loomis, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association that represents 1,500 police officers, detectives and dispatchers, said binding arbitration allows police to air their grievances and still keep the public safe.

''We work now and grieve later. That's the motto. That's what I tell my guys,'' Loomis said.

Kasich said public employees should not be allowed to strike anyway — though he doesn't know how practical it would be to do away with the practice.

''My personal philosophy is I don't like public employees striking. OK?'' he said. ''They've got good jobs, they've got high pay, they've got good benefits, great retirement. What are they striking for?''

Kasich said he will also fight to chip away at Ohio's prevailing wage law, which he said adds to construction costs at universities and drives up their tuition costs. Although he said he would prefer to repeal it, ''if we can make progress in some areas, we can allow people to provide more services at a lower price.''

Kasich is a former congressman, Fox News commentator, and Lehman Brothers managing director who defeated Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland in last month's election. He takes office Jan. 10 and by mid-March must have a blueprint for balancing Ohio's $50 billion-plus budget for the upcoming two-year period.

He said prison costs could be drastically reduced by rethinking whether nonviolent offenders, including those who commit drug-related offenses, should be sent for short stays in state prison. Kasich said people who commit such crimes are not a public threat and shouldn't be imprisoned at high cost to taxpayers alongside murderers.

He also said state prison seems like the wrong place for child-support delinquents.

''Why do I want to put somebody that doesn't pay child support in a state prison . . . instead of putting them somewhere and forcing them on a work detail or home confinement or county jail, in a place where the public is safe and yet we can get our costs?'' he said. ''To me, that's low-hanging fruit.''

Just last week, state Sen. Bill Seitz failed to get the necessary support to bring an overhaul of Ohio's criminal sentencing laws up for a vote on the floor of the Republican-controlled Senate.

The measure proposed cost-reducing measures such as imposing the same sentences for crack and powder cocaine offenses, expanding inmates' ability to reduce their sentences through good behavior, and increasing use of halfway houses and GPS devices, as well as numerous other changes.

The State of the States isn't looking so good...

Agencies' budget outlook: Painful
Prisons would close, services would dry up under some scenarios
Niquette, Mark. Columbus Dispatch, Dec. 2, 2010.

Some state prisons would close and the rest would be dangerously overcrowded, college tuition could increase significantly and fewer Ohioans would get long-term health care from the state.

The dire warnings were among the initial budget estimates that state agencies were required to submit by yesterday to state legislative leaders and Republican Gov.-elect John Kasich.

Those requests, plus a national report issued yesterday outlining the difficult budget situation that all states face, underscore the challenge for Kasich and the legislature as they prepare a two-year spending plan with an expected $8billion shortfall that is due by June 30.

Earlier this year, Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland's administration instructed each state agency to prepare budget estimates using two scenarios: one based on receiving 100 percent of this year's funding, the other based on getting 90 percent.

The state budget office said it didn't have a summary of the agencies' proposals, and that the submissions could be obtained only from each individual agency. But an initial review of some of the larger agency proposals showed:

• The Board of Regents suggested a sharp reduction in financial aid would be required under the 90 percent funding scenario and warned that if state support were to decline, "Ohio's public campuses would need to significantly increase tuition to sustain balanced budgets" and meet enrollment goals.

• Budget cuts in the Department of Job and Family Services are likely to impact the state's neediest residents because 87 percent of the agency's budget goes to services. A 90 percent budget would result in fewer families receiving subsidized child care, reduced payments to child-care providers and higher co-pays for low-income families to access such services.

• Optional Medicaid services could be eliminated, including dental coverage, prescription drugs and hospice services. The agency also said the timeliness of child-protection investigations will be affected, "placing children at greater risk for maltreatment."

• The Department of Aging said more than 25,000 people would not receive long-term care services during the next two years with 100 percent funding, and that nearly 33,800 people would go without under the 90 percent scenario.

• The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction raised the possibility of inmates being released. Even at 100 percent of current funding, the agency said it would have to cut 339 corrections positions and close prisons because of the expected increase in payroll costs during the next two years.

That would increase prison overcrowding to 151.4 percent of capacity by 2013, the largest percentage in state history and "higher than at the time of the Lucasville riot" in 1993, Director Ernie L. Moore wrote in his summary.

At 90 percent of current funding, the department would lose 1,571 prison jobs through closing prisons and would take drastic steps such as "hot bunking," or having inmates sharing a bed based on shifts, Moore wrote. Overall department layoffs could reach 2,454, he said.

The cumulative effect of agency cuts would risk "threatening the safety of the public, staff and inmates," and the state would be "substantially more prone to litigation in multiple facets of operations," Moore wrote.

Prisons spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said there are no estimates on how many prisons would close under either scenario because those decisions would be made when final budget numbers are available.

Kasich hasn't provided details about how he plans to deal with prisons or other agencies in the executive budget he must introduce by March 15, other than promising not to raise taxes and saying "everything is on the table."

Spokesman Ron Nichols said Kasich's budget team started reviewing the budget documents yesterday.

Kasich, one of 29 new governors taking office next year, isn't alone in facing a budget crisis, according to a report issued yesterday by the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers.

"We just hope they don't quit when they see how bad the budget is," NGA Executive Director Raymond C. Scheppach quipped during a conference call.

The report said Ohio and most states are expecting a slight increase in revenue and spending during the current fiscal year that ends June 30. But after two of the worst budget years since the Great Depression, spending and revenue nationwide are not likely to return to pre-recession levels until 2013 or 2014.

Making matters worse, states already have made significant cuts and face what the report calls the "cliff" in the 2012 fiscal year when federal stimulus money that helped balance current budgets ends.

"The low-hanging fruit has been picked; a lot of very difficult actions have been taken by states already," said Scott D. Pattison, executive director of the National Association of State Budget Officers.

Kasich says: If you're not on the bus, he will run over you with the bus

Budget tactic: Offer savings
Groups expecting state cuts are warned: Give ideas to work with less
Candisky, Catherine. Columbus Dispatch, Dec. 5, 2010

Many advocates and special-interest groups seeking pieces of Ohio’s dwindling budget pie say that with sweeping cuts unavoidable, they need to adjust their strategy for the coming budget debate.

Instead of lobbying Gov.-elect John Kasich and Republican legislative leaders for money, they hope to preserve the services they hold dear by pitching ideas for saving scarce tax dollars.

“You can’t sit around singing Kumbaya anymore. There’s an $8 billion deficit, so we need to see what we can do to help this governor,” said Terry Russell, interim director of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

“I want to be his poster child for ‘You can do things better with less money.’  ”

Kasich set the tone for his administration two days after the Nov. 2 election when he told Statehouse lobbyists, “If you’re not on the bus, we will run over you with the bus. And I’m not kidding.”

He and GOP legislative leaders have been insistent: no new taxes.

More recently, the governor-elect said: “In this state, we are all one Ohio. If the coal miners down there in Chile were trying to grab the last breath of air, they’d all (have) died. If in our state, all these individual interest groups are going to whine, complain … it’s OK to say, ‘Here’s a problem; here’s a danger area.’ I want to hear that, OK? But don’t become hysterical, and don’t just look out for yourself, or we’re going to lose. This state will lose, and I’m not going to put up with it, and neither is the legislature.”

The rhetoric and realities of the next budget are forcing groups to do things differently, and key lawmakers say it’s a refreshing change.

“This is not the standard procedure I’ve seen over the years,” said Rep. Ron Amstutz, R-Wooster, a 30-year veteran and incoming House Finance Committee chairman. “The standard procedure is more of a frontal attack — we’re doing this critical stuff, and this is how much more we need.

“I think they’re recognizing special carve-outs aren’t going to be happening because of a lack of funds. They are trying to be more creative.”

Senate President-elect Tom Niehaus, R-New Richmond, agreed. Two years ago, when the budget problem was less severe but still significant, he said, groups would say: “I know the budget is going to be difficult, but this is only $50 million.”

“I’m not hearing that now,” he said. “I’m hearing: ‘We know how tough it’s going to be ... so we want to be proactive and share some ideas on how we can continue to deliver services in this new environment.’ I think that’s very encouraging.”

Gayle Channing Tenenbaum, co-chairman of Advocates for Ohio’s Future, a coalition of health and human-services organizations, said she was told in a meeting with House leaders last week: “Don’t come in here and ask for anything; come in with ideas.”

She plans to oblige them.

“I would much rather that we come up with ideas and come to the table than sit around and whine that we don’t want to do anything different,” she said.

Kasich must submit his two-year budget proposal to the General Assembly by March 15. In the lull before public hearings and debate, advocates and interest groups are meeting with lawmakers, educating their constituents about what’s at stake, prioritizing goals and developing plans to stretch state funds.

School districts have been told by GOP leaders to brace for a possible 20 percent cut in state aid. In response, educators say they will ask for more flexibility with the dollars they will get.

“One of our strategies is to reduce unfunded mandates, so we have asked our members to help put together a list,” said Damon Asbury of the Ohio School Boards Association. “We also want to talk about collective bargaining. That’s another area that we’d like to see some changes so we can better control costs.”

Kasich’s staff is encouraging advocates to submit ideas in writing.

“We are meeting with just about everyone who asks. Some are coming in with ideas for potential efficiencies. A lot are just trying to get a sense of where John is,” said Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols. “He has not made any promises. Everything is on the table.”

Advocates for mental-health and addiction services, which took one of the largest hits in the current budget, have been working on a plan for preserving community-based services.

Cheri L. Walter, CEO of the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities, has begun talking to legislators about restructuring how services are financed to ensure they are available to those in need.

“We think there are savings to be had,” Walter said.

For instance, thousands of mentally ill Ohioans wind up in prison. For the cost of one prison bed, three people with mental illness and 15 in need of addiction treatment could be treated in the community.

The group also suggests that the state stop using general-revenue funds to pay for alcohol- and drug-addiction treatment and instead use profits from state liquor sales.

Ohio’s strong nursing-home lobby also plans to be a player.

“We are very worried. It seems there is pain to go around,” said Pete Van Runkle, executive director of the Ohio Health Care Association. “We intend to bring ideas to the table that would hopefully address the direction the administration wants to go. We just don’t know which way that is yet.”

Van Runkle said the administration might try to save dollars in the current long-term care system, or move to managed care.

Some say that savings are difficult to come by, such as state aid to local governments. That pays primarily for police, fire and other protective services.

“Our fight is a tactical one,” said John K. Mahoney, deputy director of the Ohio Municipal League. “I can’t come up with a way to cut the local-government fund and save the state money. Other kinds of budget items can do that, but we can’t.”

Grants have expired for an Ohio drop-in center that served 20 to 30 homeless youth each day.

Sisters of charity: Siblings give help to homeless youths

Price, Rita. Columbus Dispatch, Dec. 19, 2010.

No matter how early Jeana Patterson arrived at work last week, her footprints weren't the first on the snowy porch. Cold and hungry and lonely young people were waiting to go inside. "They can eat, get warm, take a shower," Patterson said. And, this being the season, the homeless young people also like to look at the Christmas tree, which they somehow manage to appreciate without bitterness. "They're happy to be part of a tradition," Patterson said. "They want to belong."

But Patterson and her sister, Angela Lariviere, aren't sure how even the most resilient of Franklin County's homeless teens and young adults will fare if they lose - because of withering budgets - both the respite house and the advocacy organization that fights for them every day.

Patterson, 36, is the program coordinator at the Human Ecology House on N. 4th Street, the city's only drop-in center for homeless young people.

Lariviere, 38, runs the Youth Empowerment Program at the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, the only statewide council of homeless young people.

Separate but united in their missions, the sister-led programs are devoted to a vulnerable and underserved population that - here and nationwide - rarely benefits from shelter systems designed for adults and families with young children.

"We're exactly the same, except we have totally different personalities," Lariviere said with a laugh about herself and her sister.

The two grew up poor, in and out of homelessness, just like the desperate kids they mentor and love.

"They come from a position of knowing," said Mary Jane Quick of Project Connect, the Columbus school district's program that focuses on homeless children.

"Quite frankly, Jeana knows how to get the youth to represent themselves in a way that the rest of us are just learning. She's gifted."

Patterson's job might end in June, however, when funding for the drop-in center runs out.

Natasha Slesnick, an associate professor at Ohio State University's Department of Human Development and Family Science, said the research grants that she used to start the drop-in center in 2006 have expired.

She has been unable to find enough money to cover the roughly $150,000 in annual operating costs for the center, known to young people as the Star House.

"We have people who are really, really caring and passionate," Slesnick said of Patterson and her staff, which includes OSU students. "I'm just sick about this. We don't want it to end."

Most large cities have drop-in centers, Slesnick said, because experts know they are an effective way to engage street youths.

An average of 20 to 30 go to the house each day to cook, rest and get help with clothing and resources.

Many of them also belong to Lariviere's group, which helps with basic needs but also encourages the youths to work together, participate in community service and advocate for policy change.

In the past two years, Lariviere's $200,000 budget has dropped by more than half. "I've cut everything," she said.

Danielle Jinks, an 18-year-old who counts on both the drop-in center and the Youth Empowerment Program, said they mean the world to struggling youths.

"Angela is their family; Jeana is their family," Jinks said. "If they were to disappear, then I think a lot of the youths would just give up. They might think there's nobody who cares."

Megan Thompson, youth and young-adult minister at St. Matthew the Apostle Church, said many young parishioners at her church and other Catholic churches are vowing not to let that happen.

The volunteers are trying to raise $20,000 to save the Youth Empowerment Program. They have interviewed homeless youths and posted a video on YouTube; one Bishop Hartley High School student says she won't accept Christmas gifts for herself this year - only donations.

"They're in such crisis," Thompson said. "But I really believe that our community could do something powerful."

D'Andre Sample, 19, often is one of the young people waiting for the drop-in center to open, and he might not leave until it closes around 5 or 6p.m.

He had been sleeping in an abandoned house but now has a bed at Faith Mission, he said. The men's shelter is a tough place for a kid. He feels safer at the drop-in center, where he can talk to other teens, play video games and get help with apartment searches.

"I'm trying to get off the streets," said Sample, who now has an overnight job at a warehouse. "I want off at all costs."

As he bundled up to leave the center, an employee stopped and looked at his hands. "I'm OK," Sample insisted.

She quietly handed him a new, thick pair of gloves.

A couple of years ago, Patterson said, someone gave her the talk about being too busy, about how you can't take care of others unless you first take care of yourself.

Nice idea, maybe, for another line of work. Lariviere spent an entire night last week on the street and in her car, trying to find shelter for frightened, freezing 18-year-olds.

"These kids don't get to turn off their lives," Patterson said, so the sisters won't, either.

For information about the drop-in center or to donate, go to the website or call 614-432-5406.

For Youth Empowerment Program information, please call 614-280-1984, Ext. 17.

With an $8 Billion Deficit, there will only be MORE CUTS in 2011

High jobless rate has led more Ohioans to request cash aid, putting state in bind
Candisky, Catherine. Columbus Dispatch, Dec. 19, 2010.

Ohio’s welfare rolls have climbed more than 30 percent in the past three years, reversing a decade-long trend as unemployment persists and incomes fall, forcing more families to turn to government assistance.

Ohio’s welfare rolls are the third-largest in the nation; its average monthly caseload in the past fiscal year was 102,446 families, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

As of October, 104,542 families were relying on monthly checks averaging $160 a person. Three years ago, 80,269 families were on welfare.

Before the recession hit, cases involving a child with no parent present — often youngsters living with a grandparent — made up more than half the caseload. Now, single-parent households make up the largest proportion.

“We are attributing that to the economy and double-digit unemployment,” said Michael McCreight, deputy chief of staff for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

The expansion of welfare rolls in hard times shows that the system is working, he said.


“We are at a time of recession, and the program is intended to be a safety net,” McCreight said. “We are meeting that need for people who are in temporary setbacks. It makes sense that people are coming onto the program.”

California led the nation with 572,521 families receiving assistance, followed by New York, which had a caseload of 121,289.

Ohio’s rolls hit a high of 163,079 families in 1992. They hit a record low of 77,061 in early 2007, as sweeping reforms limited assistance to three years and imposed strict work guidelines.

The caseload is expected to keep climbing through 2013 as Ohio recovers from the recession, according to a recent budget analysis prepared by the Department of Job and Family Services. On average, an individual receives $165 a month in cash assistance.

To meet welfare reform’s goal of ending dependency, recipients are required to work, train for a job or be in school to collect benefits. But that is a federal mandate that Ohio failed to meet in 2007 and 2008, and stiff penalties come as Ohio faces a projected $8 billion shortfall in the next two-year budget.

McCreight said the state has asked federal regulators to waive a $77.8 million fine for 2007 and 2008 because the lack of jobs has made it difficult for recipients to find work. The agency expects additional fines to be levied against the state after receiving official notice that Ohio also fell short in 2009 and 2010.

“We never recovered from the last recession, so we have been at a disadvantage,” McCreight said.

Joel Potts, director of the Ohio Job and Family Services Directors Association, said it’s hard to meet work requirements when there are not enough jobs.

Many cash-assistance recipients “are either underemployed or have lost their jobs,” he said. “Even those jobs that don’t require skills and are low-paying, people with college degrees are battling for them now.”

Ohio’s rising caseload means that more of the state’s $1.1 billion two-year welfare budget pays for cash assistance, making less available for other services such as subsidized child care and training programs.

Job and Family Services spokesman Benjamin Johnson said federal regulations require the state to pay cash assistance first.

The agency’s budget analysis, prepared at the request of outgoing Gov. Ted Strickland, recommended cutting $100 million a year from child care for low-income families by changing earnings requirements so that fewer qualify. The department also recommended slashing aid to county agencies; they use that money to administer programs and provide support services to recipients such as job training and emergency auto repairs.

Potts noted that counties’ funding already has been cut by $120 million a year, forcing thousands of layoffs and the elimination of programs such as one in Hamilton County that provided education, job training and family counseling. It had a 90 percent job-placement rate for welfare recipients.

“It’s a vicious Catch-22,” Potts said. “The higher our caseloads, the less money to support programs to get people off cash assistance.”

Montgomery County JFS facing budget cuts

Job and Family Services facing huge budget cuts

Reduced property values will likely force agency to dip into cash reserve.

Huist Smith, Joanne. Dayton Daily News, Dec. 9, 2010.

DAYTON — The Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services will dip into a limited cash reserve to prevent a budget shortfall in 2011 for public assistance and children services programs.

Reductions in social service contracts, foster care, and staffing are also coming.

“The Job and Family Services budget is under tremendous pressure, because of its reliance on state funding,” Montgomery County Administrator Deborah Feldman said Thursday. “The agency is anticipating reductions in both Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Income Maintenance funding.”

The job and family services budget for 2011 is set at $145 million.

Reductions in TANF allocations to the county have been in steady decline dropping from $18.1 million in 2008 to a projected $8.2 million in 2012.

Bringing more uncertainty to the department, Ohio’s two-year budget cycle begins July 1 and Gov.-elect John Kasich says he will balance the budget, despite a looming multimillion deficit.

Gayle Bullard, director of Montgomery County Job and Family Services, said 14 social service providers have been told their contracts will end or be cut.

“We’ll continue funding some until June 2011 so they can make other plans,” Bullard said.
The department will spend $4.3 million on social services contracts in 2011, a decrease of $39.9 million or 90.2 percent from 2010.

“By the time we complete this process, we will only have a handful of contracts,” Feldman said.

Social services were prioritized by community need, before budget reductions were proposed. Examples of cuts include elimination of a tutoring program run by Miamisburg City Schools and loss of $200,000 for a prevention/intervention program through the Montgomery County Juvenile Court, Bullard said.

Making budget reductions in the county’s foster care program will be more challenging, because the service is mandated and Children Services has seen a rise in referrals from the courts.

Children in the most severe cases, who may be a danger to themselves or others, are placed in residential treatment facilities at a monthly cost of $8,545 per child.

Every month, Montgomery County has between 60 and 70 kids in group homes at a cost of $3,382 per child.
As its pool of available foster parents shrinks, the county has contracted with nonprofits to provide placement for about 300 children at a monthly cost of $2,855 per child. Traditional foster care is the least expensive with a monthly cost of $693 per child.

The department currently has a staff of 938, a number that will not grow due to budget constraints.

Feldman said staff reductions will hopefully be managed through attrition.

“If everything would be static, I think we would break even at the end of 2011, said Commissioner John “Bud” O’Brien. “If the state cuts the local government funding, we would probably have to make more cuts.”
The commissioners plan to vote on the 2011 budget Dec. 21.

After two rounds of cuts totaling 16 percent in 2010, budgets for Miami County departments will start 2011 at the final 2010 appropriation.

State Sen. Shannon Jones, R-Clearcreek Twp., who is co-chair of the special budget commission convened to address the budget deficit, said it is too soon to tell how local governments will be effected by the state’s budget deficit.

Ohio's 129th General Assembly

House Republicans

Speaker: Representative Bill Batchelder (Medina)
Speaker Pro Tempore: Representative Lou Blessing (Cincinnati)
Majority Floor Leader: Representative Matt Huffman (Lima)
Assistant Majority Floor Leader: Representative Barbara Sears (Western portion of Lucas County)
Majority Whip: Representative John Adams (Sidney)
Assistant Majority Whip: Representative Cheryl Grossman (Grove City)

House Democrats

Minority Leader: Representative Armond Budish (Cleveland)
Assistant Minority Leader: Representative Matt Szollosi (Toledo)
Minority Whip: Representative Tracy Heard (Columbus)
Assistant Minority Whip: Representative Debbie Phillips (Athens)

Senate Republicans

President: Senator Tom Niehaus (New Richmond)****
President Pro Tempore: Senator Keith Faber (Celina)
Majority Floor Leader: Senator Jimmy Stewart (Athens)
Majority Whip: Senator Shannon Jones (Springboro)

Senate Democrats

Minority Leader: Senator Capri Cafaro (Hubbard)*
Assistant Minority Leader: Sen. Shirley Smith (Cleveland)**
Minority Whip: Senator-elect Edna Brown (Toledo)***
Assistant Minority Whip: Senator Jason Wilson (Columbiana)

*Senator Capri Cafaro met with youth in 2009 as part of the Youth in Transition: Ready to Launch initiative.

**Senator Shirley Smith attended the 2010 FCAA Ohio NE Thanksgiving dinner.

***Senator Edna Brown responded favorably to Adrian McLemore's testimony regarding the previous biennual budget.
****Senator Tom Niehaus has been the primary sponsor of priority bills designed to reform the state’s foster care system.

Ohio's Child and Family Services Review Program Improvement Plan

Ohio's Child and Family Services Review Program Improvement Plan (PIP) was approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  

 

Due the level of non-conformity in Ohio’s most recent CFSR, HHS has designated a minimum penalty to Ohio of $3.4 million.  However, HHS is suspending the withholding of the IV-E funds associated with the penalty during Ohio’s PIP implementation period.  

If HHS determines that Ohio is successful in rectifying any of the areas for which we are out of compliance, it will rescind the withholding of the federal funds associated with each area.  If Ohio does not implement all required activities and attain all progress goals in the PIP, HHS may cease the suspension of penalties and begin withholding Federal funds.  The withholding will continue until Ohio either achieves substantial conformity in a subsequent CFSR, or completes a PIP designed to improve the areas subject to withholding.

• Download the PIP
• Download table of Ohio historic performance on the CFSR

Ohio Senate Unanimously Supports Human Trafficking Bill

Human trafficking bill passes, heads to Ohio's House

Provance, Jim. Columbus Blade Bureau Chief, Dec. 2, 2010. 

COLUMBUS -- The Ohio Senate Wednesday unanimously voted to crack down on one industry in which the state unfortunately has excelled in recent years, modern-day slavery.

"It is here . . .,'' Sen. Teresa Fedor (D., Toledo), told her colleagues. "Thank you for putting on your glasses.''

Senate Bill 235 would make Ohio the 45th state to have a stand-alone crime of "trafficking in persons.'' The bill heads to the Ohio House, which has just four days scheduled before session's end.

Rep. Kathleen Chandler (D., Kent), who has pushed a similar bill in the lower chamber, said she hopes to usher the bill through the Democratic-controlled House without amendment so it can reach Gov. Ted Strickland's desk without having to return to the Senate.

The bill defines human trafficking as the act or attempt to "recruit, lure, entice, isolate, harbor, transport, provide, obtain, or maintain'' another person, knowing that the victim will be subjected to forced labor or compelled into prostitution or pornography.

The second-degree felony would carry up to eight years in prison. - WISH IT WAS LONGER

The bill updates state law to incorporate the act of trafficking into related crimes such as kidnapping and abduction.

For example, compelling prostitution, usually a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in jail, would be elevated to a first-degree felony carrying up to 10 years in jail, if the victim is under the age of 16.

It would be a second-degree felony if the victim is older than 16 but younger than 18.

The bill makes it a crime to destroy or confiscate government identification documents to coerce a trafficking victim's cooperation, a nod to the use of noncitizens as part of trafficking schemes.

Ms. Fedor, the bill's sponsor, pointed to the 2005 federal sting in Harrisburg, Pa. involving 177 girls and women as the point when the issue was brought home to her.

Seventy-seven victims came from the Toledo area; one victim was 10 years old.

She noted the irony that Ohio is still fighting slavery 150 years after then presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln gave a speech on Statehouse grounds against what was then a legal industry.

"Sadly in Ohio, Toledo, my district, is fourth in the nation behind much bigger cities--Miami, Las Vegas, Portland--in numbers of human-trafficking arrests and rescues,'' Ms. Fedor said.

"In passing this bill, we will be one step closer to eradicating this atrocity.''

Two years ago, Ohio created a human-trafficking specification to increase punishment for offenders when attached to another crime. The specification applies only to crimes associated with the sex trade.

The specification never has been used. Meanwhile, an attorney general's task force proposed by the same law has painted only a more disturbing picture of the practice's extent in Ohio, particularly in the sex trade.

Sen. Tim Grendell (R., Chesterland) sponsored the bill with Ms. Fedor after a raid of a local massage parlor using human-trafficking victims brought the issue home to them.

"When you can see human trafficking in Chester Township in Geauga County, it's a sad statement . . .,'' he said.

How can juvenile detention cost up to $65,000 a year, per bed? What are the beds made out of? Gold?

Reports Examine Ways to Rethink Juvenile Detention in Ohio

Kuhlman, Mary. Public News Service, November 19, 2010.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - According to the National Center for Juvenile Justice, Ohio detains youth at a rate higher than most states, and a majority are there for non-violent offenses or technical violations. However, Ohio has recently revamped parts of its juvenile justice system, and now there's a call to take it farther by rethinking juvenile detention in the Buckeye State.

Two reports released by the Children's Defense Fund support additional changes that would eliminate what the research classifies as the "unnecessary use" of pre-trial detention. Kim Brooks, executive director of the Children's Law Center, explains.

"We know statistically that kids who are detained at the front end, pretrial, in local facilities tend to stay in the system longer. We also know we often incarcerate too many kids, and we incarcerate them for the wrong reasons."

Ohio has approximately 40 juvenile detention centers, which vary in size, operational cost and use. Brooks says non-secure options should be considered for many juveniles.

"A good alternative system should look at a range of options: home monitoring, intensive supervision, where you have somebody checking in on them periodically to make sure that they're at home, and also emergency shelter beds."

Brooks adds that juvenile detention is an expensive option for many communities and can cost up to $65,000 a year, per bed.

"We can't afford to keep doing it. This state is in a budget crisis right now, it's costly to incarcerate, and when we know there are better alternatives to this that don't jeopardize public safety, then we need to pursue them."

The report highlights the Juvenile Justice Detention Alternatives Initiative to Promote Reform, a model currently being used by five counties in Ohio (Cuyahoga, Franklin, Lucas, Montgomery and Summit). Brooks says it includes alternatives that can keep youth out of pretrial detention whenever possible, while maintaining community safety.

The reports are available at www.childrensdefense.org.

Would cuts to Medicaid impact emancipating foster care youth?

Medicaid easy to cut in theory, not reality
Candisky, Catherine. Columbus Dispatch, November 14, 2010.

The state budget crisis has put a target on the backs of 2million Ohioans on Medicaid - children and pregnant women, the disabled and elderly - but scaling back the tax-funded health-care program comes with its own price tag.

For every dollar Ohio cuts in Medicaid spending, it loses $2 in federal matching funds.


The human toll also could be staggering.

Ohio's Medicaid program pays for:

• 1 in 3 births. 
• Half the patients treated at Ohio's six children's hospitals.
• 70 percent of nursing-home care.

The state's Medicaid spending has reached $15.4 billion a year. That money provides care to the poor and disabled and pays doctors, nurses, home health aides and other service providers. According to state officials, Medicaid now makes up more than 3percent of the state's economy.

But most agree the tab - $29,000 per minute - is one Ohio taxpayers can no longer afford.

Medicaid consumes 40 percent of the state budget, making it the biggest target for cuts as Ohio faces a possible $8 billion shortfall in its next two-year budget, which begins in July.

Newly elected Republican leaders have pledged not to raise taxes and say they will close the gap with deep cuts in government spending. As Gov.-elect John Kasich works on a budget proposal he must present to a GOP-controlled General Assembly by March 15, debate about the future of Medicaid has swirled around the "hard choices" that lie ahead.


Kasich and his legislative allies will be trying to balance the budget at a time when additional federal aid for Medicaid and other state expenses is drying up, meaning the state must come up with billions of dollars just to maintain current programs.

"Clearly, the rate of growth in Medicaid spending is unsustainable, so Medicaid, like every other state program, must be on the table in the budget process," Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said.

Reductions will be unavoidable, pitting political leaders against some of the most powerful special-interest groups in the state, including hospitals, nursing homes and managed-care companies.

Health-care experts point to a handful of options:

• Reduce eligibility to push recipients with higher incomes off the rolls.
• Eliminate or scale back benefits. Possible targets are optional services that Ohio covers but are not required by federal regulators, such as dental, vision, occupational and speech therapies, and community mental-health care.
• Cut payment rates to hospitals, nursing homes and other care providers.
• Overhaul how services are delivered, such as increasing preventive and primary care, better coordinating care and disease management, integrating physical and mental-health services, and expanding home and community-based care to reduce usage of high-priced institutional stays.

John Begala, a former state lawmaker and executive director of the Center for Community Solutions, a nonprofit health-care advocacy group based in Cleveland, said dealing with Medicaid must be a shared sacrifice.

"This really isn't optional. We've got to be serious about this going forward. The health-care sector is obviously bloated," he said.

But many options have drawbacks.

Former state Medicaid chief John Corlett, now vice president of government relations and community affairs at Cleveland's MetroHealth System, said reducing eligibility doesn't save much money because it would trigger the loss of federal aid. Under the federal health-care law, states that reduce eligibility or make it more difficult to enroll will lose their federal matching funds, which will make up 64 percent of Ohio's Medicaid outlay in the coming biennium.

Cutting services also can backfire. For example, if the state drops dental coverage, those in need of care are likely to seek it at hospital emergency rooms where the cost is higher and ultimately passed on to consumers with insurance.

Corlett and others point to potential savings in long-term care. The elderly and disabled make up 20 percent of those on Medicaid yet account for 68 percent of costs. Much of that expense is tied to nursing-home care, which could be reduced by expanding home and community-based care that most say they prefer.

Reducing the fees paid to health-care providers is another area for savings, although it will require a great deal of political courage because it affects powerful Statehouse lobbying forces.

"Providers have been pretty well taken care of in the state of Ohio," Begala said. "Asking them to hold the line on prices' increase for the next couple of years is perfectly within reason."

Mary Yost of the Ohio Hospital Association said her members already are working with state leaders in preparation for possible funding cuts. She was quick to point out that Ohio hospitals already provide about $1billion a year in care for which they are not paid.

"Our intent is to make sure we're being as creative as we can. We're looking at every option," she said.

Rate cuts could affect children's hospitals the most because 1 in every 2 patients in Ohio's six children's hospitals are covered by Medicaid.

"We're very vulnerable in any kind of budget-balancing scenario," said Nick Lashutka, president of the Ohio Children's Hospital Association. And like their adult counterparts, children's hospitals have about $300 million in uncompensated care, he noted.

Rep. David E. Burke, R-Marysville, said he thinks the state can save the most by improving and streamlining the way services are delivered.

"I don't think the heart of the issue rests with children or pregnant mothers," said Burke, a pharmacist. "It rests in other areas where we can save money. We need to look at the big picture."

Happy Father's Day, Adrian!

Uncle takes on role of dad to keep family together
Wynn, Kelli. Dayton Daily News, June 19, 2010.

Adrian McLemore with his niece and nephew Arayiah McLemore, 3 and Tyiaun Jones, 1, play guitar and sing to Tina Turner in their home in Trotwood. McLemore grew up in Montgomery County’s foster care system. In order to prevent his niece and nephew from becoming wards of the county due to a family crisis, McLemore took custody of the children.


TROTWOOD — In December 2009, Montgomery County officials gave Adrian McLemore two options: Take custody of his sister’s two children or let them enter the foster care system until their mother’s life improved.

McLemore knew that one day he might be faced with this decision given his sister’s background, but hoped this day would not come. The Trotwood resident loves his family and considers himself a brother and uncle who would always come to his family’s rescue in a time of need. But being a full-time surrogate father was not a part of his original life plan. Like his mentors said, this would be a great responsibility for a 23-year-old bachelor enrolled in college and managing a video store.

The decision to take custody of 3-year-old Arayiah and 1-year-old Tyiaun was not about what would interrupt McLemore’s life, but rather stopping the beginning of a family trend. “I refuse to let a second generation of the McLemores be in foster care,” he said.

McLemore, now 24, and his two sisters spent most of their childhood in foster care. They entered the system in Georgia as their mother battled alcoholism. The siblings ended up in Georgia after their mother moved them there from Florida following a divorce from their father in 1992.

The McLemore siblings would not be reunited with their father until 1995. Adrian McLemore was about to be put up for adoption when Ernest McLemore, who was serving in the U.S. Air Force, obtained custody and moved his children to Las Vegas. They lived with their father for two years before he announced that he had received an assignment overseas and gave them the option of moving to Ohio to live with their mother again. The children moved back with their mother, a decision that has Adrian and his older sister Britney McLemore, 24, asking themselves today, “what if?”

All three siblings were in and out of Daybreak, an emergency shelter for runaway and homeless youths, from 1999 to 2000.

At one point, Adrian McLemore did not want to return home, so shelter officials called Montgomery County Children Services, who placed him and his sisters in foster care. Britney and Adrian aged out of the system at age 18, and their younger sister, Devanna, was placed in Britney’s custody once Britney turned 21. At the time, Devanna was pregnant with Arayiah, who would have also become a ward of the county had Devanna remained in foster care.

Meanwhile, Ernest McLemore died in 2004 in Georgia at age 40 after suffering from brain cancer. His children were still in foster care.

Even though his time with his children was short, Ernest McLemore was a big influence. Adrian hopes that all the positive things that he learned from his father will help him while his niece and nephew are in his custody.

One of the messages that McLemore said he hopes his actions will send to Arayiah and Tyiaun is that “a man loves his child no matter what” and provides emotional and financial support for his family.


“I am convinced that I made the right decision based on where they are now — as far as development — compared to where they were the day I picked them up,” he said.

“I love them to death. I want to show them that I am here to play, to hug or discipline... Just to be there.”

Although McLemore’s experience in foster care has been mostly positive, he still said he feels “foster care is no system for children.”

He also didn’t like the idea of his niece and nephew potentially being placed in separate foster homes without a familiar face.

“Having a second generation of our family in foster care is unthinkable to me and I wouldn’t allow it,” he said.

Devanna McLemore, 21, was the one who suggested to county officials in 2009 that her brother take custody of her children. She currently has weekly visits with them and her next custody hearing is scheduled for January.

This year, Father’s Day takes on a whole different meaning to Adrian McLemore. He believes his father would be proud of the decision he made. “I could have continued to do what I wanted to do. But instead, I now do what I have to do.”