Office of Juvenile Affairs

PROJECT PURPOSE

Premium pay to Community based Service Agencies

EVIDENCE

There are 20 shelters located throughout the state to provide emergency temporary housing for DHS and OJA youth. COVID-19 issues have resulted in temporary closure of shelter beds due to staffing shortages, COVID outbreaks among youth and staff and increased costs. Other ARPA requests will assist with COVID-19 mitigation (HVAC Filtration Systems and Health Department Provided PPE), but additional funding is needed for incentive pay.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Contracted Youth Service Agencies with Emergency Shelters employee several hundred employees and operate 24/7/365 - if not temporarily closed due to COVID-19 issues. 20 Shelters are located throughout the state and provide valuable services for DHS and OJA youth. These shelters are critical in rural areas where resources are more scarce than urban settings.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

Project performance will be measured by analysis of data from OJA's Juvenile On-line Tracking System (JOLTS). Contractor billing is managed through JOLTS which requires detailed data to be entered in order to receive payment.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

Able to continue operation without additional funding from the State of Oklahoma