OCEP: Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships

 

The Monroe County Department of Human Services (MCDHS) offers a multitude of programs and other services for those in need in our community.  

 

Office of the Aging, Youth Bureau, Children’s Detention Center, Office of Mental Health, Child and Family Services, Temporary Assistance—these divisions house many of the programs offered under the MCDHS umbrella.

 

“DHS is the largest department in our county government,” said D. Scott, Chief Community Engagement Officer for the recreated Office of Community Engagement and Partnerships (OCEP). “Because of the size of the department and the complexity of processes, it can be hard for people to understand or gain access to the programs and services available.”

 

OCEP serves to build community awareness of the programs and services available through MCDHS and acts as a bridge between MCDHS divisions. Most importantly, OCEP strives to celebrate and solidify the partnership between MCDHS and Monroe County’s community agencies. 

“I’ve worked in a number of departments within Monroe County government,” said Scott, “and I’ve seen the population and challenges change.  The issues in our community have become more complex over the years.”

 

Using her past experiences as a guide, Scott works to bring together division partners with a wide range of expertise to support OCEP’s outreach into the community.

 

“We want to make sure the community is well informed of the services that are available,” she said, “an informed consumer can lead to a satisfied consumer.”

 

By collaborating with community-based organizations and agencies, OCEP is able to identify the contact persons for specific programs and services—making sure all related information is current.  

“Outreach is important,” said Erica Hunter, Community Outreach Specialist for OCEP. “I joined the OCEP team last June hoping to give back. I love having conversations with people.” Hunter participates in the numerous outreach events throughout the county, handing out information packets, offering resources and responding to questions.

 

Erica stated, “I want people to know that we can help with things like SNAP benefits, childcare assistance, mental health resources, HEAP benefits, temporary assistance, Medicaid benefits, information on Baby Safe Sleep, a list of places serving Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas gifts—the list goes on.”

 

“We meet people where they are,” continued Hunter. “Town Clerk’s offices, libraries, and farmer’s markets. We attend events on Saturdays and in the evenings, as well as during the standard workday. We’d had a presence at a wide range of festivals sponsored by the county, Pan-African, Pride, and Juneteenth.”

 

The future includes being a regular presence on MCC and SUNY Brockport campuses to help in the fight against food insecurity. “60% of Brockport students live in the community,” said Scott. “We are on the campus to serve folks who are eligible for SNAP or have questions about SNAP eligibility. We will be a regular presence at MCC, Henrietta and downtown, to help people access these and other public benefits.”

“OCEP has presented to a number of organizations as well as offered information at various school events, including RCSD Central Offices,” Hunter said. “People have asked questions about how CPS and the foster care system work, as well as on mandated reporting.”

 

Lack of experience and bias can make it hard for mandated reporters to correctly identify when a family could benefit from CPS intervention. “We would like to expand their understanding of what neglect looks like,” said Scott.

 

“We invite mandated reporters to call us, to pull in their team or agency looking for information on how to better work with families and identify needs.” Scott continued, “We can bring in experts from C&FS to discuss the importance of recognizing neglect vs. poverty, outlining how to differentiate between them, and when and who to call.”

 

Agencies or partners can request in-person presentations. Informational Zoom presentations on “DHS101” and “CFS101” are offered twice a year to community partners and individual consumers.