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Project FOCUS helps parents support their children
Project FOCUS (For Our Children Utilizing Support) is a joint program of the Children’s Support Enforcement Agency, a Division of the Summit County’s Prosecutors Office, and the Community Health Center, funded by the Summit County Department of Jobs and Family Services.
Project FOCUS is directed at assisting non-custodial parents, who are under community control for non-support, to find employment and meet their court ordered and moral financial obligation. The creation of this project was singularly directed at helping to provide children with the financial support they desperately need during their formative years. Through this effort the participating parties are hopeful that our next generation will grow with less poverty, disease and crime.
A summary compiled by the Community Health Center reports since the inception of Project FOCUS, the 222 patients referred to the program have paid $348,119.87 in child support.
Project FOCUS provides patients with both a weekly group session and individualized assistance with job seeking skills such as development of a resume, personal presentation at interviews, faxing and e-mailing, cold calling techniques, assistance with transportation and a myriad of related areas all directed at the patient becoming gainfully employed.
During the first 30 months of operation we have found that patients who participate in the project are much more likely to get out and find work and begin meeting the financial obligation to their child(ren).
During the fiscal year January 2001 through December 2001, a total of $15,776.10 was collected, through the Child Support Enforcement Agency, (CSEA) from the first 72 patients later referred to FOCUS I. Commencing FOCUS I, in January 2002 through June 2002; a total of $45,648.97 was collected from those same patients. This represents an increase of 289% over collections obtained the entirety of the preceding year. Throughout the fiscal year January 2002 through December 2003 a total of $109,376.19 was collected from those 72 patients, resulting in an increase of approximately 693% over 2001 receipts.
FOCUS II began in September 2002 and during that ten month project year (9/02 to 7/03) an additional 68 patients were referred for services. Between September 2002 and July 2003 those patients paid a total of $153,573 towards the support of their child(ren). Adding that amount to the continued payments from the 72 referrals from FOCUS I and the collections from those 140 patients rose to $199,222.70, giving a grand total for fiscal year 2003 of, $203,338.27.
Entering the third year of Project FOCUS, in July 2003, the 140 previously referred patients continued to pay and an additional 82 were referred. Collections over the period July 1, 2003 through May 2004, totaled $194,546.14. Year three runs through June 30, 2004.
Since the inception of the program the 222 patients referred to Project FOCUS have paid $348,119.87.
Certainly the entirety of these collections cannot be contributed exclusively to the efforts of Project FOCUS, since to initiate the program itself the prosecutors’ office began indicting and prosecuting these offenders and both the CSEA and Courts had to refer for services. However, that in and of itself shows the value of sanctions in significantly increasing the rate of program compliance.
Project FOCUS, used as both a sanction and a helping mechanism, has had a dual impact on the significant increase in child support revenues experienced over the past three (3) fiscal years.
While it is relatively simple to track and display the amounts paid by patients what is equally as important are the immeasurable gains to our community. Additional funds for supporting minor children, a reduction in support from the Department of Jobs and Family Services and added revenue in the form of taxes from working patients are just a few positives. In addition, individuals who are working have less free time and are statistically less likely to become involved in criminal behavior and therefore less likely to become incarcerated and become an added drain on community resources.
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