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Commissioners press for details on Project SEARCH internships and small provider grants
Summary
Hudson County commissioners reviewed a slate of workforce and human-services grants Nov. 24 and asked administration staff for follow-up data on Project SEARCH internship counts, prior-year allocations and how program spending translates into placements. Staff said the Project SEARCH stipend is roughly $15,600 per intern and promised detailed spending and placement figures.
Hudson County commissioners spent part of their Nov. 24 caucus probing how federal and state-funded workforce and service grants translate into placements and measurable results.
Commissioner William O'Dea asked for a spending and placement breakdown for the county's Project SEARCH internships, which the clerk listed under a resolution to accept Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Service (DVRS) funding. "I have a question going back on No. 5," O'Dea said, asking how much of the money has been spent and how many interns the county received. Darice Toon, Director of Health and Human Services, replied: "We are able to get, I think it's $15,000 or $15,600 per student...it helps to cover different costs for the program," and said she would provide precise figures on the number of interns and total funds received.
Why it matters: Commissioners said they want to know whether the county is getting measurable employment outcomes from programs that support people with special needs and other participants. O'Dea asked whether graduates of the internships obtained permanent, full-time positions and requested information on limits to class size, length of stay in training and whether nonhealthcare employers are being recruited as host sites.
County staff said Project SEARCH placements vary by the number of interns; sites include hospital placements at RWJ Barnabas and partnerships with Hudson County Community College and the Jersey City Board of Education, which serves as the lead district. Toon said some interns have been hired by host sites and others seek employment elsewhere, and she committed to compiling: the total grant dollars received, the number of interns in the most recent program year, any limits on class size, and historical comparators to previous years' allocations.
Several other small public-donor agreements and peer-grouping allocations were read by the clerk during the caucus, including multi-year donor agreements with Children's Specialized Hospital, Hudson Milestones, Hudson Community Enterprises and Visiting Homemakers Service. Commissioner O'Dea asked whether amounts had changed from the prior year; Toon said the awards are intended to offset program costs and agreed to verify year-over-year comparisons.
Next steps: County staff committed to providing the board with itemized spending and intern-count data for Project SEARCH and comparable year-over-year allocations for the small provider agreements. The caucus did not record a formal vote on the items; the resolutions will advance at the regular meeting for formal action.
