5.3. SR 10-25-1999 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~\\'II//~ .~ RIVERS OF HOPE P.O. Box 142 (612) 441-0792 Elk River Office Sherburne County (612) 682-6424 Buffalo Office Wright County 1-800-439- 2642 Outside the Metro dialing area . . October 20, 1999 Dear Mayor and City Council Members, Rivers of Hope, the domestic abuse advocacy agency for Sherburne and Wright Counties, has asked the City of Elk River to contract for the services we provide it's residents. We were made a line item on the city's budget in 1998. We sent a letter requesting $5000 last November for the '99 city budget, we have not received money or notification of any kind. We are once again asking the City to contract for the services we provide. We need compensation for 1999 as well as 2000. We would like a contract agreement that does not require extensive deliberation every year. We have provided the City with a sample contract. We served 287 people directly in Elk River in 1998. The cost we spent per person was $182.24 making the amount we spent in this city $52,302.88. The City gave us $2000 or 4% of our cost. (We received $5000 or 19% of cost from the City of Buffalo, 18% from Becker and 5% from Annandale.) Our budget in fiscal 1999 is $289,822.91. Elk River citizens make up 19% ofthe population we serve overall, 41% of those worked with in Sherburne County. We are asking for 15% ofthe cost of services provided or $8259.95 and are willing to go elsewhere for the balance needed. For ten years we have been providing desperately needed advocacy services to the residents of the cities we serve without dependable city compensation. We are finding we cannot continue these efforts without considerable fmancial support from our communities. The number of victims coming forward, the number of domestic assault arrests made, and the number of residents moving into our counties all work together to heavily tax our capacity for service. It is our intention to contract in every city in these two counties. Before we go to those that do not already have agreements with us, it is important that Elk River, the city where we spend the most and serve the most residents, financially supports this work. Rivers of Hope supports staff and volunteers who work and coordinate efforts with area school districts, counseling centers, county social/human services, health providers, criminal justice agencies, court services, attorneys, and medical clinics focusing on services in four primary areas including advocacy and support, criminal justice intervention, community education, and youth violence prevention and intervention services. We recognize that those who live with the daily threat of domestic To Build a Community Free of Domestic Violence Through Advocacy and Education