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Hope Now of Osceola Executive Director Tammy Douglass briefs Kissimmee commissioners and city staff on efforts to assist the community thus far this year. PHOTO/TERRY LLOYD
During a recent City Commission workshop, Kissimmee commissioners listened as agencies reviewed their programs. During the 2023-24 funding cycle, the City Commission awarded ten agencies with funds to assist vulnerable households in the city.
Those organizations were: Osceola Council on Aging; Park Place Behavioral Health’ Aspire Health Partners (HOME program); Help Now of Osceola; Hope Partnership; the Church and Community Assistance Program; Osceola Health Services; Community Coordinated Care for Children (4C); Orlando Health (Healing Tree); and The Opportunity Center.
All agencies reported multiple challenges in meeting the demand for their services. Rising inflation erodes the value of the city’s funding and other donations received to pay the costs associated with providing their services, and a greater per-capital demand for their services as families and individuals also contend with difficult economic circumstances. The constant increase in the area’s population is a separate driver for increased demand for services, and increased Federal funding levels initiated during the coronavirus pandemic will sunset at the end of this fiscal year in October.
Agency representatives also stressed their interaction with other Osceola County area governmental agencies, such as Osceola County government and School District, and other social services agencies. Often, clients seeking assistance in one area also need assistance in other areas, so each agency attempts to capture a holistic picture of the clients’ total needs in their screening and application processes.
Among individual agencies, the Osceola County Council on Aging reported that it now has 1,125 senior residents in its Meals on Wheels nutrition delivery program, with a waiting list of over 600 people.
Park Place Behavior Health is the single point intake location for city and county agencies, including law enforcement, to place individuals experiencing mental health crises and perform Baker Act involuntary evaluation of individuals who pose a serious threat to themselves or others. It reported a marked increase in the demand for mental health services attributed to the social effects of the coronavirus pandemic, and just opened a monitored apartment complex for those still receiving mental treatment.
City of Kissimmee staff also reviewed the annual Social Services Funding Process for the upcoming fiscal year with the commissioners. Each year, nonprofit organizations can apply to the city for funding through the process. The commission reviews each request and votes to allocate hundreds of thousands of dollars to, “Help fund programs aimed at fighting homelessness, providing mental health and substance abuse treatment, helping families with case management and support, and other services,” per information located on the city’s website.
In Fiscal Year 2021-22, the last year figures are available, a total of $325,000 was allocated to social services agencies, as well as $375,000 to various agencies such as the Boys & Girls Club and the Osceola Center for the Arts under the Quality-of-Life program.
Additional discussion on all proposed city funding for FY 24-25 will take place during the Commission Budget Workshop on July 23.
For more information on the City of Kissimmee’s Human and Social Services programs see https://bit.ly/4clwPjp
