A Summary Report:Meetings with Leaders of HSLC Agencies

- Needs and Opportunities

May 9, 2014

HSLC VISION

To become a regional network of human services agencies working together on behalf of community residents to identify opportunities, promote awareness and provide coordinated, high-quality response to human services needs.

The HSLC will be recognized for its effectiveness in fostering collaboration and in assisting agencies to develop skills and sustain capacity.

• Professional Development- Strengthen professional capabilities- Promote collaborative thinking

• Networking- Increase working relationships and information sharing

• Quality/Best Practices/Assessments- Promote knowledge sharing, best practices and use of self-assessment tools

HSLC 3-Year Business Plan Goals

• Resource Development- Enhance access to information, data - Facilitate linkages - Improve communication effectiveness

• Collaborations and Capacity Building

- Facilitate opportunities to collaborate on grants and shared services

• Community Liaison/ Build Partnerships/Advocacy - Business, Government, Community at large - Serve on policy groups / “point person”

HSLC 3-Year Business Plan Goals

• ACR Health• ALS Association, Upstate NY Chapter• Alzheimers Association, CNY Chapter• American Heart Association• American Red Cross• ARC of Onondaga County• ARISE• Aurora of CNY• Catholic Charities of Onondaga County• Chadwick Residence• Child Care Solutions• Children’s Consortium• CNY Community Foundation• Contact Community Services• Elmcrest Children’s Center• Exceptional Family Resources• Fair Housing Council of CNY• Food Bank of Central NY

Members with whom Loretta has met:

• Frank H. Hiscock Legal Aid• Gifford Foundation• HealtheConnections Health Planning• Hillside Children’s Center• Home Headquarters, Inc.• Huntington Family Centers• Interfaith Works of CNY• Jewish Community Center• Leadership Greater Syracuse• Learning Disability Association of CNY• Legal Services of CNY• Literacy Volunteers of Greater Syracuse• Literacy Coalition of Onondaga County• Make A Wish Foundation• MAMI of CNY, Inc.• McMahon Ryan Child Advocacy• Meals on Wheels of Syracuse• NE Hawley Development Association

Members with whom Loretta has met:

• OnPoint for College• Onondaga Case Management• Onondaga Community Living• Peace, Inc.• Planned Parenthood Rochester/Syracuse Region• Prevention Network• Reach CNY• Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse• Salvation Army/Syracuse Area Services• Spanish Action League (La Liga)• Syracuse Jewish Family Service• United Way of CNY• Vera House• Westcott Community Center• Whole Me Inc.• YWCA of Syracuse and Onondaga County

Members with whom Loretta has met:

Universally, the leaders of member agencies articulated these benefits:

• Networking: The opportunity to establish working relationships among peers for idea sharing, problem solving and collaboration

• NYCON membership

Feedback: Key Benefits of HSLC

• First-time Supervisor training - Goal setting, budgets, people skills,

transition from peer to supervisor, performance management, etc.

• Leadership Training for Senior Staff

• Board Recruitment and Retention

• Succession Planning

Feedback: Professional Developmentand Training Needs

• Share success stories in solving common problems: funding, system changes, regulatory, human resources, strategic planning, etc.

• Create a place to share templates

• Create an “Angie’s List” of service providers (IT, HR, Legal, Financial, etc.) and consultants based on first-hand experience/recommendations from HSLC member agencies

Feedback: Networking Needs

• Create an additional, on-going networking opportunity for new Executive Directors

• Create a networking opportunity for senior staff of member agencies, either through training or affinity groups

Feedback: Networking Needs

• Establish a formal mechanism/tool to share best practices (today it is part of networking and is not systematic)

Feedback: Quality Enhancement

• Maintain a current and comprehensive HSLC “Community Calendar” to capture all HSLC activities and member agency events. Maintain on two-year basis if possible, for advance planning

• Establish resource links for information and assessment of legislative and regulatory developments

• Create a mechanism to notify member agencies of grant opportunities. Communicate active grant applications among agencies

Feedback: Resource Development

• Identify opportunities for a shared resource among agencies for key needs (Fund Development, HR, Grant Writing, Bookkeeping, etc.) (Note: also addressed in collaborations feedback)

• Leverage HSLC collective buying power

with local vendors. Negotiate discounts for services from major vendors who serve multiple agencies.

Feedback: Resource Development

• Make information sharing more efficient. Current system of list-serve blasts via e-mail is cumbersome for many.

NOTE: The current HSLC website will be redesigned in 2014 to create an easy-to-use and single repository for HSLC members to access and post important information. Also, a bi-weekly newsletter will be launched in June, in lieu of daily e-mail blasts.

Feedback: Resource Development

• Create a mechanism to promote coordination among agencies for grant applications and connect member agencies who are interested in collaborating on grant opportunities

(Addressed also in resource development)

• Create an opportunity for a shared resource (person) to do grant writing for agencies who do not have grant writing staff positions

(Addressed also in resource development)

Feedback: Collaborations

• Leverage training expertise (in a “core competency” area) of one agency to provide training for other agencies

(Note this type of collaboration already takes place. The feedback is to develop a system to facilitate this, to ensure it takes place as widely and efficiently as possible).

Feedback: Collaborations

• Explore arrangements similar to NYCON with Centerstate CEO.

• Galvanize the greater Syracuse community to unite in action around key issues. Take an HSLC “seat at the table” in coalitions and policy groups where appropriate.

Feedback: Community Partnerships