2019 SPIPA Annual Report

SPIPA

2019 Annual Report

SPIPA Strategic Plan: Vision, Mission, Goals VISION To assist and support the consortium Tribes as they promote and enhance their communities.

MISSION SPIPA is an intertribal nonprofit consoritum which serves the Chehalis, Nisqually, Shoalwater Bay, Skokomish, and Squaxin Island Tribes through planning, technical assistance and program management in response to the directives of the Consortium Tribes.

STRATEGIC GOALS GOAL 1

GOAL 2

GOAL 3

GOAL 4

GOAL 5

GOAL 6

Support Consortium Tribes in increasing the levels of health & wellness for their members.

Support Consortium Tribes in their work to foster family and community selfsufficiency and empowerment.

Support Consortium Tribes in increasing Tribal Member employability through workforce development and training programs.

Provide planning and techical assistance services to Consortium Tribes.

Consortium Tribes with support from the SPIPA Executive Team, will come together as a Think Tank to address common identitifed issues.

Work toward organizational effectiveness that ensures the Consortium Tribes’ desired sustainability of SPIPA.

SPIPA Strategic Plan Update

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he South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency (SPIPA) has decided to extend its Strategic Plan, which has been in place since 2015. The plan set out ambitious strategic goals for the consortium tribes, and the continuation of the plan highlights the achievements and progress made towards these objectives.

The first goal has been to support consortium tribes in health and wellness. SPIPA worked to increase access to healthcare services,screenings for Consortium Tribal members, promotion of healthy lifestyles and practices in tribal communities, and support of traditional healing methods. The organization also implemented initiatives to address mental health and cancer awareness, as well as providing resources for addressing the effects of historical trauma.

The second goal was to support consortium tribes in their work to foster family and community. SPIPA recognized the importance of strong community ties and family structures for the well-being of tribal members. The organization provided resources and support for young familes, cultural activities, and youth programs, which have been proven to help strengthen these bonds.

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The third goal was to support consortium tribes in increasing tribal member employability through workforce development services. SPIPA staff have been working hard to provide training and support for tribal members seeking employment, including resume building, job search assistance, and career development services, with each year, reducing the number of clients needing to access these services.

In addition to these goals, SPIPA provided planning and technical assistance services, acting as a think tank for the consortium tribes. The Agency worked towards organizational effectiveness, ensuring the sustainability of SPIPA and the consortium tribes it serves by researching available grant opportunities at the discretion of the SPIPA Board.

Overall, the extension of the SPIPA Strategic Plan highlights the organization’s continued commitment to supporting the health, well-being, and prosperity of its member tribes. Through their efforts, SPIPA has helped to promote community resilience, cultural preservation, and economic development, ensuring a brighter future for all those involved.

Greetings from the Board Chairman and Executive Director

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his year has been one of significant accomplishments and growth for the organization, and we are incredibly proud of the hard work and dedication of our staff, partners, and community members.

Our most anticipated Elders Event: Looking Forward Together, focused on fraud prevention, financial security, and wellness for Tribal elders. It was a fantastic opportunity for Tribes to come together, learn from experts, and share their experiences with one another. We were proud to provide this essential service to our community’s elders and look forward to continuing to provide support in the future.

Another exciting development in 2019 was the adoption of new WIC card technology, which replaced checks for families. This technology allowed for a smoother, more efficient process for families receiving WIC benefits and helped to eliminate the potential for fraud.

We were also delighted to report an increase in tribal homes served in newly expanded USDA Foods service areas to incorporate urban areas of Thurston County.

This expansion allowed us to serve even more community members and reach those who may have previously been outside of our service area. We believe that everyone deserves access to healthy, nutritious food, and we are proud to have been able to expand our reach in this way.

In addition to our programmatic successes, we also made significant strides in our Health and Wellness programs.

We were able to build positive outreach and gain community partnerships, resulting in increased screenings for Consortium Tribal Communities. These partnerships are crucial in helping us reach community members who may have been hesitant to access healthcare services otherwise, and we look forward to continuing to build these relationships.

Family Support Services staff also underwent capacity building in 2019, which included a transition to a new database and participation in groundbreaking tribal home visiting programs. These efforts were essential in ensuring that we could continue to provide the highest quality services to Tribal Families, and we are incredibly grateful to our staff for their hard work and dedication.

Lastly, the Temporary Assistance for Native Families (TANF) Program recently changed over to a 477 Workforce Development Program model. This change allowed for interprogram collaboration between Vocational Rehabilitation, Temporary Assistance For Native Families, and Native Employment Works services to increase training opportunities and reaching education goals with one intake system instead of navigating through several programs.

SPIPA programs and services have continued to expand, and we have been able to make a meaningful impact on the lives of our community members. We want to thank our staff, partners, and community members for their hard work and dedication, and we look forward to continuing to serve Tribal Communities at the directives of the Consortium Tribes.

2019 SPIPA Board of Directors The SPIPA Board, which meets once a month, sets direction and approves policies for the South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency (SPIPA). Each Board member listed below is appointed by their Tribal Council and assists the SPIPA team in keeping their Council and administration informed about SPIPA activities and intertribal project opportunities.

Chehalis

Harry Pickernell (Delegate) Dan Gleason, (Alternate) Board Chairman

Nisqually

Sharlaine Revey (Delegate) Marie McDonald (Alternate) Joe Cushman (Alternate)

Shoalwater Bay

Kathirine Horne (Delegate) Board Secretary Lynn Clark (Alternate)

Skokomish

Alex Gouley (Delegate) Jack-Lyn Smith (Alternate)

Squaxin Island

Vicki Kruger (Delegate) Board Treasurer Patti Puhn (Alternate)

Charlene Krise (Alternate)

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Workforce Development Program

Transition from Social Service Model to a New Workforce Development Model he Workforce Development Program has had great successes over the past year.

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Negotiations with the state to bring Shoalwater Bay Tribe onto TANF; The Program is up and running and has had one family come onto the program and moved into Transitional Services already due to employment after completion of training in the healthcare industry.

Planning meetings held for grant renewals/ applications for Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation (TVR – Nisqually and Squaxin Island Tribes), Native Employment Works (NEW – Chehalis, Nisqually, Skokomish and Squaxin Island Tribes) and Tribes Assisting Native Families (TANF – Nisqually, Shoalwater Bay, Skokomish, Squaxin Island and 2 County offices in Pierce and Kitsap Counties); All grant applications/ plans were submitted and approved thanks to the help and coordination of our Grant Writer and Program Staff.

Increase in client engagement with TANF WFD activities resulting the increase number of graduations - high school diplomas, AA and BA degrees, and short-term stackable trainings/certificates and employment leading to families transitioning off of TANF services due to the increase of income and achieving economic self-sufficiency.

TANF, VR and NEW Staff are actively engaging clients and consumers in training opportunities through Work Experiences and Subsidized Employment placements with

Healthy Families Program

Tribal and Non-Tribal employers; great opportunities to increase employee transferrable skills and some have led to full-time employment The Workforce Development Programs Continue to invest in its employees through staff development trainings offered in house and by our partners, for example, UC Davis Tribal TANF Institute, American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Training and Technical Assistance Center (AIVRTTAC), Consortia of Administrators for Native American Rehabilitation (CANAR), National Indian and Native American Employment and Training Conference (NINAETC), State of Washington and Eaglesun.

Transition to a new database and participates in a groundbreaking study focused on tribal home visiting programs PIPA’s Healthy Families Program has served families at Chehalis, Squaxin, Nisqually, Skokomish and the urban TANF sites located in Tacoma and Bremerton for several years.

Healthy Families provides home visiting services and Parents As Teachers curriculum training to eligible families located within the SPIPA service areas. Staff changes at two tribal sites have taken place in 2019 but all home visitors remain focused on visit dosage, meaning conducting the required number of visits per family each month dependent on each family’s individual needs. Staff also hold monthly Parent Groups at each site and conduct data collection activities at least twice a year. These projects keep our home visitors quite busy, but don’t reflect the additional program requirements such as regular training, program coordination and other reporting obligations.

Some trainings that took place in 2019 include the Annual Parents As Teachers conference in St. Louis, MO, and a Home Visiting training and conference in Denver, CO. Administrative staff attended the Annual All Grantee Meeting held in Baltimore, MD at the end of February, 2019.

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Looking Forward Together 2019: Elders’ Supports and Services Financial Protection rotecting your finances is becoming harder and harder these days, especially for the Elderly. This year’s Looking Forward Together Event held in October at the Skokomish Community Center, had a strong focus on financial security and Protection resources for Tribal Elders, with an emphasis in financial fraud and long term financial planning.

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Representatives from local credit unions, Area of Adult and Aging; MIPPA – Medicare ; and SHIBA presented compelling, and helpful information.

A speaker provided information about the Medicare System including sharing about how you do not have to sell your house or assets to obtain services.

There was heavy emphasis on a high volume of misinformation going around in the form of phone calls and malicious emails.

Health and Wellness Programs put together a series of stretches after lunch to keep the creative juices flowing for the next presentation.

As a deliverable of the Strategic Plan, this Elders Event relies on survey results of Elders needs from the previous year’s event.

Next year’s event will focus on support services available to elders in their respective communities with a bead activity that also collects data based upon elders needs and interests.

USDA Foods Program

USDA Foods expand healthy food options and service area to Urban Thurston County

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lthough there may be several food pantries available in Thurston county, no other Washington state government or various non-profit organizations providing similar services are specific to American indian or Alaska Native individuals. SPIPA believes that having the ability to serve these AI/AN individuals, in these urban areas will ensure that they have adequate access to quality healthy foods. The program currently must turn away AI/AN individuals living in Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater or Yelm.

Using census data, SPIPA was able to determine that there are 214 potential participants in the city limits of the four cities in Thurston county.

Urban participants pick up their food at the Nisqually warehouse location. Certified applicants will now have access to a range of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as frozen, dried, and canned goods.

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SPIPA Program Cl Community Resources WIC / LIHEAP/ USDA Foods ; case load is at 88% Impacts: •

154 WIC Cases

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WIC began new debit card program for participants

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121 Households certified for USDA Foods; 268 households participating

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4 homes weatherized

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278 LIHEAP Clients served

Family Supports Healthy Families ; Connects resources and services to Native families ; Provides free education and facilitates cultural activities

Impacts:

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•

81 families served

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81 families visited and screened

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135 families participated in cultural events

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85 cases connected with resources

luster Highlights Workforce Development TANF/ WFD / VR ; 302 Cases in FY19 Impacts: •

4 participants achieved high school, GED, college, Vocational training

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19 cases closed due to higher earned income

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100% attendance at events

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13 former clients have maintained employment for one year after case closure

Health and Wellness Cancer Programs ; Certified all 5 Tribal Patient Navigators via Native American Research Center ; Formed new partnerships with: • • • • •

Coordinated Care Ovarian Cancer Resource Association Rivkin Center Mason General & Mountain View Women’s Health Center Provider update with Tribal Women’s providers

Impacts: •

837 women received cancer screenings

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4909 Community members received outreach education and awareness

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Community Events and Gatherings for Health and Wellness

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The Skokomish had a big celebration in October honoring those who have had breast cancer by hosting a walk with families and survivors. They also held a pumpkin decorating contest and wearing the best pink outfit.

The Chehalis Tribal Health Fair this year had a emphasis on Elder services and encouraging families to live a healthy lifestyle by providing informational booths, a healthy meal and outdoor activities for youth.

The Squaxin Island Tribe holds an outdoor health fair that encompasses many community programs that assist familes in education and health with a heavy emphasis on nutrition. Several program booths provided fresh fruits and vegetables as prizes for some of the games well as a family picture booth with healthy lifestyle information.

hroughout the year, SPIPA Consortium Tribes host events to raise awareness in health and wellness and provide outreach information regarding programs and services that are available to Tribal members in each community. Each community has a unique event that stands out from the others.

The Nisqually Health Fair boasted many different tyes of alternative and holistic healing experts all with practices in the area, nutrition, local produce stands, smoothie bar, and youth focused activities throughout the day.

The Shoalwater Bay Tribe hosts an event each year that spans the length of their Tsunami Evacuation route. Along the way, community members visit various booths/stations to get get to know about various services from emergency kits for your pet to bicycle helmets for your children, also peppered along the way are health and wellness service booths as well as statistical tsunami and weather information.

Shoalwater Bay Tribe, Yellow Brick Road

Squaxin Island Health Fair

Skokomish Breast Cancer Awareness Walk 8 | SPIPA Annual Report

Nisqually Health Fair

Chehalis Tribal Health Fair

SPIPA Program Clusters

Community Resources

Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)- Reduces the impact of poverty by improving nutrition and providing education, recreational, and social activities.

Home Weatherization Program - Low-income households receive an energy audit and receive products and services to improve the energy efficiency of their home.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) - Low-income households receive financial assistance for home energy costs.

Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (USDA Foods) - Distributes food each month including fresh vegetables and frozen meats.

Family Violence Prevention Services Act (FVPSA)- Comprehensive dating and domestic violence prevention program which offers assistance and support to victims and non-offending members of their household.

Women Infants Children (WIC) - Provides healthy food along with nutritional information, to women, infants and children.

Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) - Provides emergency food vouchers to eligible households and individuals.

Health and Wellness Native Womens Wellness Program (NWWP) - Promotes communtity awareness and education, access, referrals and free screenings for the early detection of breast and cervical cancer.

Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (CCCP) - Convenes community members and resources to promote healthy lifestyles, the earliest possible detection of cancers and support to all community members going through treatment after a cancer diagnosis.

Senior Meals - Provides nutritious meals to Tribal elders.

Caregivers - Provides support for unpaid family caregivers with training, one-on-one counseling and support groups.

Also may provide assistive medical equipment such as walkers, hand rails, lifting straps, etc.

Medicare Improvements for Patients & Providers Act (MIPPA) - Teaches people about applying for and accessing Medicare benefits for themselves, family and community members.

Workforce Development Tribes Assisting Native Families (TANF) - Provides employment and training services to eligible, enrolled native families and may provide financial assistance as clients move toward self-sufficiency.

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)- Provides training, counseling, and other assistance to eligible clients to overcome barriers to employment.

Native Employment Works (NEW) - Provides work activities and supportive services to prepare for, obtain and/or retain employment to eligible clients.

Family Supports Healthy Families - Home Visitors provide services to improve child and family outcomes including health & development, parenting practices, and improved school readiness for eligible families.

TANF-Child Welfare Building Healthy Generations (TANF-ICW) - Coordinates Tribal TANF and Child Welfare Systems to develop processes and cooperative models at the local and intertribal level through program technical assistance and community education.

Foster Home Program - Provides a full range of foster care services including foster home recruitment, child placement and foster parent training and support.

Child Support Program - Coordinates with Washington State’s Division of Child Support and SPIPA TANF sites to assist in providing child support pass-thru payments for eligible families who receive SPIPA TANF. Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) - Assists low-income families to obtain child care for work, promotes early childhood development/afterschool program coordination.

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SPIPA Audited Financials Fiscal Year 2019 EXPENSES $15,673,909 Management & General 12% [$1,852,223] *Program Service Expenses 88% [$13,821,686]

REVENUES $15,749,996

Investment Income .25% [$34,109] Program Service Revenue 14.5% [$2,200,228]

*PROGRAM EXPENSES BY CLUSTER AREA Family Supports 14%

Health and Wellness 17%

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Other Revenue 1.3% [$130,393] Contributions & Grants 84% [$13,385,266]

Community Resources 8%

Workforce Development 61%

South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency

3104 SE Old Olympic Hwy Shelton, WA 98584 360.426.3990 spipa.org SouthPugetPlanning

SPIPA is a Tribally chartered 501(c)(3) non-profit serving the Chehalis, Nisqually, Shoalwater Bay, Skokomish and Squaxin Island Tribes.