Okaloosa County BOCC — August 18, 2015 — Visitor - Sharon Rogers from Safe Connections — agenda request

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AGENDA REQUEST DATE: August 18, 2015 TO: Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board FROM: Rick Owen SUBJECT: Visitor - Sharon Rogers from Safe Connections DEPARTMENT: County Administrator BCC DISTRICT: All STATEMENT OF ISSUE: Ms. Sharon Rogers, Executive Director of Safe Connections (formerly the Judge Ben Gordon, Jr. Family Visitation Center) requests use of space in the Water and Sewer Building to provide supervised visitation and monitored exchange services for a period of two years. BACKGROUND: Safe Connections is in dire need of a temporary space to replace our longtime location at Shalimar United Methodist Church. SUMC has been a blessing for eighteen years, but is no longer available due to the church’s growth and increased need for space. This comes at a time when Safe Connections has been restricted from using awarded federal grant funds, Safe Havens for Supervised Visitation and Safe Exchanges, for the Shalimar site due to its physical layout. The present location is upstairs and on an open, outdoor hallway presenting safety and handicap accessibility issues which prevent the satisfaction of required federal regulations and federal grantors. The need for a new location to provide these critical services in the South Okaloosa County communities has become imminent. Safe Connections is seeking a temporary space while more permanent options are explored. The space at the Water and Sewer Building will provide this window of much needed time. Equally important, the Water and Sewer Building meets the federal requirements and would allow Safe Connections to utilize available federal grant funding. Unlike the donated church space, the Water and Sewer Building meets safety requirements with separate parking, separate entrances and divided space. It also meets all requirements of the American with Disabilities Act. This federal funding stream is critical as it will give Safe Connections the ability to meet the operational costs of the Crestview Center and the Shalimar Center and the stability to continue to meet the need for services while seeking a permanent solution. One such solution for permanency being seriously explored is partnering with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office to share a proposed building within the Sheriff’s Compound. This partnership would provide for space that is close to much needed security and offers an opportunity to create a center that meets the strict criteria necessary for federal grant funding. This is the type of solution that will give the community a center to provide safety for our most vulnerable children for many years to come. Please see the attached photo diagrams and conceptual drawing which show how this building could fulfill the future needs for this valuable service. RECOMMENDED BY: APPROVED BY: John Hofstad, County Administrator