7. 1 Staff Report CLO Group Home IssuesStaff Report
Date of Meeting: April 5, 2023
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Anne Hurlburt, Interim City Administrator
Re: Update on Issues with Group Homes Owned by Community Living
Options (22640 Meadowbrook Ave. N and 21523 Oland Ave. N.)
Action Requested:
Discuss the response received to the communications with Community Living Options (CLO) and
give direction for next step(s.)
Background:
At the March 1, 2023 meeting, the City Council received a report documenting the impact of
group homes owned by CLO on public safety services (police, fire and ambulance.) The Council
directed that a letter and a copy of the report be sent to CLO. The letter received in response
from CLO Program Director Kris Millerbernd is attached. It references a report titled
"Community Supports in Crisis: No Staff, No Services" (also attached.)
A letter was also sent to the Washington County Community Services Department which is
responsible for licensing the home No response has been received to that letter.
Recommendations:
The Council should discuss CLO's response. One possible next step might be to schedule a
meeting with their representatives.
Attachments:
1. Letter dated March 2, 2023 to Jeff Felz, CLO
2. Letter dated March 3, 2023 to Jennifer Castillo, Washington County
3. Letter dated March 6, 2023 from Kris Millerbernd, CLO
4. "Community Supports in Crisis: No Staff, No Services" by ICl/ U of M, HSRI and
NASDDDS
5. Staff Report Dated March 1, 2023
.---tea
a . A
SC1`A�L� DlT_C 1
March 2, 2023
Jeff Felz
Community Living Options
26022 Main St.
Zimmerman, MN 55398
RE: Group Home at 22640 Meadowbrook Ave N., Scandia MN
Dear Mr. Felz:
The Scandia City Council has received a report from staff concerning the significant impacts on
public safety services from your group home at 22640 Meadowbrook. The report is enclosed.
The Council was concerned to see the data from 2022. We also heard that the record for the
beginning of 2023 is showing the same pattern, with an incident including assaults on first
responders just last week. Calls also appear to increasing at another home owned by your
company at 21523 Oland Ave. N.
The Council want to hear from you about how you plan to properly staff your group homes and
support the residents with the appropriate level of services and supervision to reduce the number
of police, fire and ambulance calls. We are concerned about the health and safety of the residents
as well as the impact on the community.
We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Christine Maefsky
Mayor
cc: Scandia City Council
Interim City Administrator Anne Hurlburt
City Attorney Eric Larson
Fire Chief Mike Hinz
Deputy Zach Boesel
Kevin Kane, MHealth Fairview EMS
Enc: Report to City Council for March 1, 2023 Meeting
City of Scandia
14727 209"' St. -N. PO Box 128_ Scandia. Minnesota 55073
Phone (65 1 ) 433-3374 Fax (051) -433-511= IMP: l/\Nw%i.ci,SCafldia.III n.LIS
SCANDIA
March 3, 2023
Jennifer Castillo
Director of Community Services
Washington County Government Center
P.O. BOX 6
14949 62nd Street North
Stillwater, MN 55082-6132
RE: Group Home at 22640 Meadowbrook Ave. N., Scandia MN, License # 1070490
Group Home at 21523 Oland Ave. N., Scandia MN, License #1070497
Dear Ms. Castillo:
I am writing you regarding the above two group homes licensed by your department in the City of
Scandia, both owned by Community Living Options.
The Scandia City Council has received a report from staff concerning the significant impacts on public
safety services from the home at 22640 Meadowbrook. The report is enclosed, along with a copy of the
letter we have sent to the owner.
The Council was concerned to see the data from 2022. We also heard that the record for the beginning of
2023 is showing the same pattern, with an incident including assaults on first responders in February.
Calls also appear to increasing at another home owned by the same company 21523 Oland Ave. N.
We would like to hear from you about your role in licensing these homes. How do you ensure that these
facilities are properly staffed and provide appropriate services to their residents? We are concerned about
the health and safety of the residents as well as the impact on the community.
We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Christine Maefsky
Mayor
cc: Fran Miron Washington County Commissioner District 1
Enc: Report to City Council for March 1, 2023 Meeting
Citi of Scandia
117?7 209'" St. N. PO Box 1-2 S. Scandia. NIinncsota 15073
Phone ( 65 1 ) 433-2274 Fax ( 65 1 ) 433-511? http://%Nci,scandia.mn,us
Community Living Options
26022 Main St
Zimmerman, MN 55398
March 6, 2023
Christine Maefsky
City of Scandia
14727 209th St N, PO Box 128
Scandia, MN 55073
RE: Group home at 22640 Meadowbrook Ave N., Scandia, MN
Dear Ms. Maefsky,
Thank you for your correspondence regarding the impact on public safety services from our residential
foster care home at 22640 Meadowbrook Ave. The data compiled was thorough and detailed. We
appreciate the time and effort it took to analyze the data into graphs and charts by the City
Administrator.
It is accurate that we have a number of homes throughout Scandia and a home in Hugo that was
referenced in the analysis. Many of the individuals we serve are diagnosed with severe mental health
issues, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and physical limitations. We serve a variety of
conditions and challenges in each of our homes. The population we provide services to is increasingly
challenging. Many of our referrals have long histories of challenging behaviors and crisis behavior. This
is the trend in human services today.
Another consistent trend is the lack of adequate staffing. In an article published by the Institute on
Community Integration through the University of Minnesota, they outline the desperate need for Direct
Support Professionals and the impact the staffing crisis is having on providers in our state.
https:/Iiegacy.nationalcoreindicators.org/upload/aidd/community-supports-in-crisis 2.pdi While the
article is lengthy, it does a good job of summarizing how our organization has been impacted by staffing
shortages and how we are looking at plans to increase the workforce and provide quality services to the
individuals who are in need. With all of this being said, Community Living Options is committed to
providing quality services to adults challenged with behavioral and mental health diagnosis. We are also
dedicated to being upstanding members of our communities.
We have worked with many of our neighbors, at all of our homes, to resolve issues, provide education,
and make sure we maintain communication. When issues arise, we are prompt to correct any
deficiencies and keep in communication to better our community.
You have requested that we provide a plan to properly staff our homes and support the residents with
the appropriate level of services and supervision to reduce the call for emergency services. I can assure
you that is our goal as well. However, most of the emergency calls are not due to lack of supervision.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services has provided an Individual Rights and Responsibilities to
every Vulnerable Adult. Through those rights, individuals have the right to make phone calls, access
their own personal possessions (cell phones), and reach out to others if they feel they are in crisis. We
are unable to "take away" their phones unless there is a restriction of their rights which is approved by
DHS. In some cases, we have followed the procedure to obtain that restriction. Of the calls made from
the Meadowbrook home, most are calls made by the individuals themselves, requesting to go to the
hospital because they feel they are a threat to themselves or others. Our policy is to resolve any mental
health crisis with the individual through use of our therapeutic interventions, contacting the Washing
County Crisis Response team, or positive behavior support. Of the calls made, our staff have called for
severe physical interactions, elopement in which we are unable to locate the vulnerable adult, and
medical emergency need.
Our future plan to reduce the calls for emergency services includes utilizing the Washington County
Crisis Response team, continuing to train our staff in redirection and negotiation to reduce challenging
behaviors, and our continued effort to recruit and retain staffing.
I would also like to offer a meeting with Community Living Options, yourself, City Administrator, Fire
Chief, any Washington County Sherriff deputies, and M Health Fairview to brainstorm any additional
ideas anyone may have as to best resolve the city's concerns. Perhaps when calls come in to 911, they
could be screened for police response and not fire? I'm not very familiar with the process but it certainly
would reduce the fire calls. I would be happy to meet with the city council to educate people about the
services we provide and discuss any additional questions or suggestions they may have. We are very
open to hearing suggestions of how to address the excessive demands for public safety services we are
utilizing.
Thank you very much for bringing this to our attention and we look forward to working with you to
resolve these concerns.
Sincerely,
Kris Millerbernd
Program Director- Community Living Options
Prop,ram.director.south@clomail.com
Cell Phone: 320-282-6166