Good afternoon,
The Governor briefed reporters this morning on what’s been going on in the community to fight poverty and help the most vulnerable. This was the first of a weekly Tuesday briefing on the fight against poverty from week to week in your government.
Below you’ll find the notes and points of his report this morning. This is to keep you better informed of what’s going on in the government. You’ll receive these progress reports every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday as these weekly briefings continue.
Please call me if you have any questions or concerns. My contact information is at the bottom of the email.
Introduce Council of Economic Advisors:
1. Have long-term anti-poverty initiatives like education reform & IMAGINE Guam. But can’t forget people suffering now, who need opportunity
2. Industry development will build wealth for Guamanians, job opportunities in short-term
3. CEA tasked to do this:
a. Streamline regulatory process, business-friendly environment
b. Reduce price of gas, electricity & cost of goods: Jones Act exemption
4. Pete Sgro’s report
Helping People in Need:
1. Governor’s Office: Part of what we do is help struggling people receive service
2. Jesse Alig’s report:
a. Range of issues
b. People helped
Affordable Housing:
1. Ancestral Lands: Deed signing
2. Ancestral Lands: Last Wednesday, deed to Barrigada lot issued. Future deeds will include Port and GCC properties to be returned to GALC inventory, then worked on to deed out.
3. Lada Estates: Construction of 199 homes for sale & 200 rentals for low- to moderate-income families. Property transfer from GHC to Maeda made this possible.
4. Sagan Linahyan: 10 abandoned homes to be refurbished as rental homes for low-income families. Homes transferred to GHC, which is using GHURA funds for renovation.
5. As-Atdas subdivision: Affordable housing development by GHC & GHURA using CDBG funds
6. GHURA Public Housing Program has 750 family tenants & 1,446 on the waiting list
7. 2,545 families have housing from GHURA’s Section 8 Program, with 4,069 families on the waiting list
8. Senator Muna-Barnes’ report
Jobs:
1. AHRD: Reviving Summer Youth Employment Program: If approved, 400 high school students will be hired for work this summer.
2. JFKHS: Dr. Bobbie Adamos (JFK Vice Principal) Ken Chargualaf created a Junior/Senior handbook, providing information and guidelines on applications for college, SAT preparedness, etc. Encourages juniors & seniors to think about their future, go to college, prepare for the world of work.
Welfare & social services:
1. SNAP: (Baseline info) 9% increase in SNAP households from 12,900 in FY11 to 14,000 in FY12
2. TANF (cash assistance): (Baseline info) 2% increase in TANF recipients from 1,299 to 1,326
3. Total Welfare Spending: (Baseline info)
a. In FY11, $154.5M spent on all programs.
b. As of March 1, 2012, $78.5M spent on all programs
4. Helping TANF Recipients Get Work:
a. As of FY12 2nd quarter: 372 people on TANF received orientation on the need for them to look for work as a condition of TANF benefits.
b. Currently, 15 participants are enrolled in a fast-track certificate program focused on construction trade education, training, and placement with the intent of gainful and permanent employment. By this month, these 15 will be placed in internships with private construction companies.
Children in need:
1. First Lady & Rigalu Foundation:
a. Helping Alee Shelter to find space for their clients
b. Easter Egg hunt last Wednesday for disabled children
c. Ongoing uniform drive for foster children
2. Catherine’s House
3. I Famagu’on-ta: Child & Adolescent Services Division, Mental Health:
a. 1 client in the Step Down Home, no new admittance last week
b. 6 clients in the Therapeutic Group Home, no new admittance last week
c. 2 clients in the Children’s Inpatient Unit, 1 new admittance last week
4. Department of Youth Affairs:
a. Over 2,200 children served monthly with mentoring, tutoring, and guidance to at-risk youth in schools. This is through a DYA MOU with Sanctuary and AmeriCorps, where UOG & GCC students are the mentors and tutors.
b. Adonis Mendiola’s report (data too voluminous for this briefing paper)
5. Police: Arrested 1 person for child abuse last week
6. CPS: (Baseline info)
a. In FY11, CPS recd 1,897 child abuse and neglect referrals
b. In 1st quarter of FY12, CPS recd 482 child abuse and neglect referrals
7. Senator Aline Yamashita’s report
Health services:
1. GFD Ambulance Service: Transported 147 people, including 6 expectant mothers, 43 injured people, and 98 who reported a medical emergency
2. GMH: (Baseline info)
a. Calendar Year 2011: 28,238 admitted to ER
b. Of those, 40%, or 11,185 were non-emergency
c. 16% of 4,447 were uninsured
d. 1,095 were patients with mental health-related diagnosis
Drug rehabilitation:
1. Police: Officers arrested 3 people for drug possession.
2. Mental Health: New Beginnings drug rehab program received 72 new people, and successfully discharged 15 from their program
Criminal rehabilitation:
1. DOC & GCC partnering to provide technology training to inmates to increase their potential to find a job when they are released and to be good citizens
2. DOC working with DOL to expand the education & work release program to include the Guam Trades Academy
3. DOC Parole Division constantly working with parolees to assist in finding jobs so they can support their families
Justice & crime prevention:
1. Police arrests:
a. 12 Family Violence arrests
b. 8 DUI arrests
c. 3 Assault arrests
d. 5 Theft of Property arrests
e. 1 Burglary arrest
f. 5 Criminal Sexual Conduct arrest
g. 4 Public Drunkenness arrests
h. 2 Terrorizing arrests
Troy Torres
Director of Communications
Office of the Governor of Guam
671.475.9304 (o), 671.486.8887 (m)
