Explanation
This ordinance authorizes appropriations in support of Columbus Public Health’s Community Resiliency Program, a pilot initiative of the Columbus CARE (Community, Action, Resilience, and Empowerment) Coalition. The mission of the Coalition as defined by its members is to engage, support, and educate both the Columbus residents who experience trauma, as well as the community organizations who serve those residents, including mental health providers, community organizations and city government. The Coalition’s work is action-oriented, and includes systematically increasing education among Columbus residents and community service providers about psychological trauma and trauma-informed care approaches, building an infrastructure for rapid response to traumatic events that affect a whole community, and directly engaging with residents from neighborhoods experiencing trauma and inequity through a trauma-informed perspective in order to increase resiliency in individuals, families, and Columbus communities.
The objective of the Community Resiliency Program is to utilize the existing infrastructure of the current CARE Coalition to address neighborhood resiliency within Linden and the Hilltop. To that end, the CARE Coalition will engage in the following activities for the pilot: engage with the community in learning about adverse childhood experience (ACE), trauma, and resiliency; engage with the community in planning for an active response to residents who have/are experiencing trauma; provide direct services with community residents for intervention and assistance with access to care for psychosocial and physical trauma; and research other best practices for trauma-informed care and resiliency from around the country for learning, insight, and future planning.
The pilot will engage with key community leaders from these two neighborhoods’ (including but not limited to) churches, non-profits, and Pride Centers. Separate community-based planning committees will be established for each of these two neighborhoods; these committees will engage and meet with residents monthly. In addition to these meetings, community outreach events, mental wellness clinics, vigil support, and networking events will be held at multiple sites within these communities.
The overarching community outcomes of this work are anticipated to be increased community engagement for collective impact in addressing ACE & trauma, increased community capacity for resiliency, and strengthening a community culture of care and support for those actively experiencing trauma. Lessons learned from the pilot will be shared with the larger CARE Coalition for further development of the program in service of all of Columbus.
Fiscal Impact: Funding for the pilot initiative is available within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund.
Title
To authorize an appropriation of $175,000.00 to Columbus Public Health within the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund in support of the Community Resiliency Program. ($175,000.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the impact of neighborhood violence extends far beyond the immediate aftermath of the incident, and the trauma experienced by residents can have a long-term effect on neighborhood health and resiliency; and
WHEREAS, the Columbus CARE Coalition is a network of community residents and organizations that seek to increase education among Columbus residents and service providers about psychological trauma and trauma-informed care approaches; and
WHEREAS, the Community Resiliency Program, a proposal of the Columbus CARE Coalition, will develop an infrastructure to rapidly respond to traumatic events impacting communities and directly engage with residents who have previously experienced or are currently experiencing trauma; and
WHEREAS, this Council deems it an effective use of funds to support the pilot of the Community Resiliency Program in order to strengthen the resiliency of the Linden and Hilltop neighborhoods; now, therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
SECTION 1. That the City Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to appropriate $175,000.00 in the Neighborhood Initiatives subfund, fund 1000, subfund 100018, to Columbus Public Health per the accounting codes in the attachment to this ordinance.
See Attached File: Ord 1414-2017 Legislation Template.xls
SECTION 2. That this ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after the earliest period allowed by law.