County Seeks Private Youth Shelter Operator, Employees Fear Pink Slips

CREST HAVEN — Cape May County Youth Shelter teacher Terence O’Neill, on Oct. 13, went before freeholders in his second bid to dissuade them from privatizing the 12-bed shelter.
At that same meeting, the board authorized seeking requests for proposals (RFP) seeking quotations from private firms seeking to operate the Crest Haven Road facility as a five-bed facility, where at-risk children, aged 10-17, are placed for no longer than 30 days by Family Court, Cape May County Juvenile Family Crisis Intervention Unit and the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative once implemented.
Term of the contract would be from Feb. 1, 2010 to Feb. 1, 2012.
The shelter is not a youth detention center, which the county contracts with Cumberland County to provide.
The Youth Shelter’s annual budget is $1.1 million, which O’Neill pointed out, is 1.8 percent of the county’s $140.5-million budget.
Faced with a shrinking funding base, due to the recession, all county department heads were directed in December 2008 to submit proposals for cost reductions, County Administrator Stephen O’Connor stated, as he had previously to O’Neill.
O’Connor said Youth Shelter Director Diane Lanzetta had not submitted any proposals. O’Neill noted, “The director provided proposals to do that. Her proposal was a 34 percent decrease in the budget.”
O’Neill read a letter from the mother of two daughters, ages 16 and 18, who spent time at the shelter in a family crisis. She praised the facility.
The mother wrote that the shelter “played an important part in keeping our family together,” read O’Neill.
Lamar “Woody” Lewis, vice president of the county union Local 3596 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, asked if the union could get a copy of the RFP. O’Connor reassured him the union could get a copy.
Until those RFP’s are received, there is no certainty if any providers will want to provide services.
The county had sought youth shelter information from six counties.
This county, with an under 18-age population of 19,168 provides 12 beds, with five used on average. It spends $1.1 million. Bed per day cost: $603 and total daily cost of $3,014.
Cumberland, with under 18-age population of 37,639, spends $100,010 annually, it proposes to use Cape May County as a provider. It has two beds, bed per day cost is $137, and total daily cost is $274.
Burlington, with under 18-age population of 102,459, spends $415,000 annually. Drenk Memorial Guidance Center is provider for seven beds at $162 bed per day, and total daily cost is $1,137.
Gloucester, with under 18-age population of 66,208, spends $146,781 annually. Ranch Hope Center for Family Services is provider for the four beds, plus two for employees, for $100 bed per day, and total daily cost of $402.
Hudson, with under 18 population of 130,992, spends $242,630 annually. Youth Consultation Services is provider for the three-bed unit. Bed per day cost is $222; total daily cost is $665.
Passaic, with an under 18-age population of 127,647 spends $241,900 annually. Newark YM/WCA is provider. No limit on number of beds for a total daily cost of $663.
Warren, with an under 18-age population of 26,370 spends $58,400 annually. Hunterdon County Youth Facility is provider for one bed. Bed per day cost is $160, and that is the total daily cost.
O’Neill, in an effort to show the failings of private providers, read from a Children’s Rights press release “Documents Released Detailing Abuse and Neglect of New Jersey Foster Children by Staff While living…”
It cited detailed abuse and neglect of children placed by N.J. Division of Youth and Family Services in various institutions.
From 2,400 pages of case files, the release cited:
• A child on “red alert” suicide watch, who placed plastic in his mouth, which was removed by the worker, but not related to supervisors the suicidal intentions. The boy then attempted to hang himself in his room while the worker was in the hallway doing paperwork.
• A staff worker who picked up a 16-year-old female from a home Christmas visit, then went to a motel where they had sexual intercourse.
• A 17-year-old male performed oral sex on a 13-year-old male while a staff member did not conduct bed checks, then falsified a report.
• Four males, ages 6-10, performed oral sex and attempted to sodomize each other while a staff member fell asleep outside the door while another did laundry leaving residents unattended.
O’Neill cited those cases to show how some providers were derelict to the detriment of youths in their care.
While other shelters may perform at less expense, O’Neill said, “I don’t think that is an accurate picture of the youth shelter in every county.”
O’Neill offered it was possible a future provider would not be as generous with employee benefits as the county, which could hamper attitudes toward youths.
“Will they be trained?” he asked, “Not too well.”
“Will they have skills and community contact? Not at all,” O’Neill said.
O’Neill said employees at the shelter fear getting a pink slip before Thanksgiving week, yet are trying not to let that aspect affect attitudes or care of youths.
Jobs may be offered employees in other county departments.
O’Neill said the workers would “Rather run the risk of not jumping ship. We would rather stay with the shelter. We are proud of it. We would like to stay with the shelter, we hope we can,” O’Neill concluded.
Freeholder Director Daniel Beyel replied that the “lack of information coming from this department” forced the county to look at other counties shelters and costs.
He restated the $3 million to $5 million shortfall faced by the county in the 2010 budget.
“That is why we started in December. It is not a pleasant process,” said Beyel. “The whole operation is fact finding,” he added.
“Other people may have an interest. If there aren’t we will make another determination. Every department has gone through this process,” Beyel told O’Neill.
“Workers may be adversely affected,” Beyel said.
O’Neill replied that his was “The only one to be getting pink slips.”
“It is not just your department. We have concerns for other departments,” said Freeholder Gerald Thornton. He said his departments faced the same prospect.
“I don’t want you to think you are singled out. There are other services in the county that are under review there was a lot of concern for,” said Thornton.
In the RFP, providers may elect to use the existing shelter building, leased to them for $1 annually. The provider will also show what plans it has to provide more than five beds, if needed.
Unacceptable uses of the facility would be to house sex offenders, even alleged ones, fire setters or violent offenders.
The provider could also contract with local homeowners to house children.
The provider would also be allowed to shelter youths in other than the existing shelter.
Contact Campbell at (609) 886-8600 Ext 28 or at: al.c@cmcherald.com