HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #60 - Discussion ItemW1
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4141 ITION 4 MFIR,194 IL4
ANO CHILO "Pt 9
Phipps St. Hilaire
President
UV4 cabritt Desvarieux
Vice President
Mt. Marie Lourdes Benoit
Sveretary
Ms. Paulette besvarieux
Treasurer
Rev. trlin St. Hilaire
Advisor
Rev. Pierre Cregoire
Advisor
rir. Howard Carter
Advisor
August b; l§gt
Mr. Cesar Odid
City Manager
City of Miami
Miami$ Plorida
PA. gas 611124
i4d3184�d�046 `,
1
r
Lear Mr. Indio:
We kindly request that you place us on the agenda for the
September 8th Meeting of the City of Miami Commission. You may
recall that we have been on the agenda of the three previous
commission meetings, but were not able to make our presentation
because the time ran out. We are interested in obtaining a
variance at the address of our community service agency. This
variance is urgently needed in order that our very worthwhile and
sorely needed community service may begin operation.
Additionally, as per attached proposal,'we are seeking a
City of Miami community action agency grant to be matched with
a grant or grants from private sources to enable our agency to
begin operation. The amount of the public grant we are seeking
is roughly one-fourth to one-third of the yearly budget as re-
flected in the attached proposal.
May we thank you in advance for your kind consideration in
placing us on the agenda as requested.
Attachment
Very — sincerely yours,
Phipps St. Hilaire
----rfresident
y i
W
ION
W W;10
deed
The south Plcrida news media zost recently reported the shocking -death
of two young children vho, left at home unattended, accidentally closed them-
selves up in an electric dryer and suffocated. The mother, vto had to go
to wont, left them unattended because heir meager earnings were not sufficient
to provide day care services for her children.
This unfortunate accident occurred in the Little Haiti community, The
entire community grieved. gut in its grief it also reali2ed that it had been
and continues to be fortunate, for the situation of the working mother and
unattended children is multiplied a thousand -fold in the community, and the
unfortunate accident might have been and may still be repeated several tunes
if some action is not taken very soon.
In the Little Haiti community approximately 752 of the mothers. especially
those with young children, are working mothers. The majority of them are
heads of households. Yet, because they are either low -skilled or unskilled
workers, their earnings do not permit them to provide adequate day care for
their children. Haitian -American citizens and residents do not like to re-
ceive welfare assistance, mainly because there is no counterpart, and there-
fore no standing practice, of this in their culture. They are a proud people
with a tradition of sobriety and hard work for spiritual and material progress.
These certainly are admirable behavior characteristics even here in the
American context. But given the status of Haitian -Americans here in the
American context, because of the fact of their low -skilled or unskilled earn-
ings, they need, for the meantime at least, some forms of wetrare assistance.
Most critical among these needs is that of day care services for the children
of working mothers.
Proposed Solution
The Haitian American Emmanuels Community Family Counseling and Child
Care Service, Incorporated proposes the provision of day care services for
working mothers in the Little Haiti community. This non-profit corporation
has already acquired a property strp.tegically located in the community and
has developed plans for providing not only child day care services but also
0
i
M
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yY
i
Proposals Pep 2t
family oownealing for all households ir► the oonmnitvs the corporations
through its Board of Advisers and adm nistrative staffs 'has developed a
budget reflecting projected expenditures and income needy for the first
year of operation. to order to supplement projected income from private
aourcess the corporation is soliciting a grant from the City of Miami.
Both private and public grant funds will enable the corporation to im-
plement its planned program of community assistance and to operate this
program for the first year. It is anticipated that the program will be
able to operate wholly from income from private sources in the second
and succeeding years.
Thy Program
The Haitian American Smm►anuel.s Community Family Counseling and Child
Care Services Incorporated, located at 101 N.W. 71st Street. Miami. Florida
33150, will provide family counseling and child care services to all
community residents who voluntarily seek such services up to the full
capacity of the corporation's personnel and facilities. The corporation
will make its services known throughout the community through various
media. It will receive and service clients by appointments made either by
telephone or by presentation at the agency address.
Family Counseling Services - An initial interview with the family
member or members presenting himself/themselves for appointment will
determine the kind and extent of family counseling needed. Follow-
through appointments and counseling will be provided until some resolution
of the problem has been reached. Family counseling will be provided by
and/or under the supervision of a licensed, certified family counselor.
Child Care Services - An initial interview with the person seeking
child care services will determine the extent of the need. Preference will
be given to single working mothers who are heads of households. Regular
child day care services will operate from 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. daily,
Monday through Friday. Special child care services may operate after 6:00
p.m. daily and on weekends as these needs are determined. Child day care
services will include breakfast, hot lunch and afternoon snack. The facilities
Propagai, Page 14
vill be 'Ade4uate to edueate And etttartain ehiidren being sarvited. Child
tare aervites vill be previted by afidjor under
the direct suparvteteti lof
A Ibtensed, uartified child care profaeiattals
F
Prasseeed �ud�e�
Expotditures
Salariea'
Manager
15 4 000
l
Family Counselor (part-time)
96000
Counseling Assistant
3,000
Child Care Professional (part-time)
31000
Child Care Assistant
51,000
Fringe Benefits
5,000
Sub -Total 51,000
Insurance
$ 7,000
Rent
3,000
Utilities
2,000
Furnishings
5,000
Equipment
3,500
Supplies
4,000
Transportation
10,000
Telephone
2,000
Postage
1,500
Printing
700
Maintenance
4.000
.S
Sub -Total 47,700
'
GRAND TOTAL 98,700
3
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y
s'
P
J•
arwa b. 'K"_-
3�'he�oattlda�adtord daycare•
'LCC�.tCA ill :t W 1111C uuuv. u• w...
white shoes.'Grant took a Metro-..
/uu-u.ua: wu a.+ u .�a�u.a »....
tvhldt �osti at lleast li+f0 `a week "mow
pertcliilii. $n aOctober tBtIS she ;pet
for -the 'to 50-;Minute ride
`
told her she'd be at the top of my
list. She was an excellent work-
.and relatives. thinking
;must have irked u thechildren�:.
From the dryer« Officers genliy
ydRn aurice elf the daY+.
to the acjjool. jttst north of Liberty
City, �: :...: , : . ' .•
er." Shatteen said.
She honed her sister H&VI ' but
p
Anthony.
' lifted the bodies : pounds.
3 foot-S and 93 pounds« and Mauti
g
'"4 tepT+rallfngahemntpBnd they
Tk
.
She was a worliln
omeone g parent. not
flying to brat the system.
The fragile structure that sup- ,'
ported the modest as irations of
-
got no answer. She called another
sister. Minnie Navarro. and asked'
rice. 3-foor-2 and pounds.
Inside they, found pages frOttll the
t San th didn cave an
Saying ey y
apace."' Giant paid several srtonths
She wanted to be an Independent
••
mother. said S
Linda Grant crumbled on an
autumn Saturday. That day her
whether Hazel had picked UP the
kids. Navarro didn't know.
Ebony magazine:.
Joseph Davis« Dade County me&
;hgo. "Tile people with trtoney, the
Ve�oop1e who Voret really steed It.
screen.
principal at Arcola Lake.
la Lek
niece decided to leave the Grant
household and move in with her'
She phoned her niece at
Church's. "Is Hazel going to pick
g g P
[Cal examiner. said 'the chirdcen
1ltave Ute+daytcate: '
She �thoug`ht. about quitting so
Hopes for 8 plrOlt10ti011
mother. Suddenly. the boys were
without child Care.
up the children?" she asked. The
niece said no, not that she knew
had apparently crawled into► the
cozy enclosure and pulled the door%
ate Could Stay with her kids..
Abut welfare paid only 4252. a,
Giant arrived at work promptly
her unitorm'pressed and her shoes
A glimmer' of hope -
°f'
Principal Shatteen remembers
shut.
Later« he and Augustine Reciow
associate professor of engineering;
ettonth.
:',voiding welfire
Polished. the would tuck her short
hair into a,net and get ready for
s
The' following Monday. Grant .
stayed home..From her boyfriend's
seeing Grant use the cateteda
phone repeatedly that morning as
e roamed through the cafeteria
at the University
y of Miamir., tested
the dryer.
_
the breakfast rush.:She'd dish fruit
into, bf►lirts..set up trays and slip
,
sister
sister she heard about Katherine
:
With
u ckind of the lunch hoot,
Recta put 95�4 pounds of colt -
crete blanks in the dryer a+ iittie
V. All .she thought about was
Itry�n$ to snake a dollar and fake '
:mein g pans of food Into the
t afeted line. said her supervisor,
Gordon. who was licensed to care
for five children in her home..
Grant quickly finished her chores
and asked her supervisor it she
more than the weight of the
g
children and 19 pound's of raundey
~
care of her Rids.' .said Rogers.
',Sbe +didn't want to lean on
ErrlestlneRoss.
At ttrst. she was cashier. When
-Grant asked Gordon to help.
Gordon said she would. "When she
could leave earl y. At I oclock. she.
-headed for the bus stop.
,
The dryer functioned normally..
Davis: said the dryer could not lie
ry
•eltare."
~ Maurice and Anthony were a
students didn't have lunch money,
shed send them to the office. "See
called me, it had to be Jesus that
touched my heart so t kept her
When she got home, she walked
in the kitchen door and hollered
opened from the inside:
••Here's the clincher:. [f you
mnaful. They loved watching
r. avre Ung ton 'television. 'When
Mr. Shatteen because you must
have somethi ••
kids.'
But it was just for Tuesdal•
for Maurice and Anthony. There
was no reply. She went to their
putt
the door in and let goy, it sifeesa
their smother got home, theyd
tumble around an the floor. mitat.
,ing gvhat they'd seen on . the
wren. Maurice. the younger. lot.
,-.-lowed ibis big brother like a
:3isadow
Once. Maurice ;fiddled with the
v are valves+on the flan. Sometimes.
The toy VAth the )big gold clothes
+dryer, at 1968 Norge. :It stood
hgainst a 'wall in the ;kitchen. His
vnother would sternly, tell trim to
Aiut the tdryer�door.'Quit messing
,vAth t<heknobs.
Each snowing at -about 7. Grant
left tier tbildren.:with a miece.
`,Melissa ' 4tichardson. who 'lived
[Jade. Monroe
l9roward
lP f3each, Martin. -Okeechobee.
St. tvcie. Indian River
Sts1��'Out
. ng to eat• she would
say.
Later, she worked behind the
U-shaped cafeteria line. serving up
cam dogs and mashed potatoes,
and spaghetti with meat balls. She
kidded the students as they pushed
and shovgd their way through the
line. Every now and then., she'd
dance a little jig behind the
counter and make them laugh.
Ross said.
With 'her new cafeteria job.
Grant's monthly welfare check
from .Aid to Families with Depen-
dent Children shrank. some
montbs to almost nothing.
But she hoped to gain a better
Gordon was risking her license by
taking in extra children.
Wednesday. Grant turned to her
friend. Joanne Rogers. She took
them for the day.
But then. Grant ran out of
friends and friends of friends to
look after her children.
So on Thursday. Nov. 6. 1986.
Linda Grant went to work. hoping
she could scare up someone to go
by the house during the day. She
left the kitchen door unlocked so
her, sister. Hazel Webb, could get
in. Often. Webb checked on the
boys. but Thursday she had to
work. too.
At 8:30 that morning. when the
room. They . weren't there. In her
bedroom. the television was stilt,
on.
She walked through the living
room to the mailbox on the front.
porch and noticed that a magazine,)
Ebony. was missing from the
coffee table.
Upset and nervous.: she went to
the phone in the kitchen. First she
called her sister, Navarro. then her
friend. Rogers.
"Oh. Joanne. maybe ffazel`s got
them," Grant said. hoping against
hope.
`My babies! My babies!'
cafeteria emptied of school chil-
As she hung up. she opened the
® i
dren. Grant slipped away to call
dryer, which was directly in front.
home. Four -year -old Anthony an-
of her. She. reached inside with
swered. She knew he was still
both hands to pull out a toad of
IAay1888 May1987
upstairs in her bedroom because
she could hear the television in the
clean clothes. She touched her
child's leg.
5839 5,9t0
background.
"What are you doing?" she
"My babies! My babies!" she
cried. Her neighbor. Mary Jordan.
2,081 2.542 .
asked. "I'm looking at TV." he told
came running. Jordan saw the
1.$73 2,343
her. He asked her to bring home
smelt lifeless bodies tangled in
some candy. She promised she
clothing. She dialed 911.
20.526 26.642
would.
An hour later. she called again
In moments, three fire -rescue
men raced into the kitchen.. There
but there was no answer. She kept
was nothing they could do. Soon.
calling through the morning. The
detectives and uniformedofficers
S.
deaths Wage! art efdentS& afleas tea- .
than"Cdurdt have Banta°pte«ett
Tilde's wilat $not ton tf e! us:
Senare subcommittee! on Chifdt o tat
gam11%106V 090addiA(to NoI
Aiti .fitnet 3�, Ifle! $fatten atfofnejt"sF
officer rot,malty Conclitdedl than it
should note 0909e911tor< gtalnt Joe
shitdaliuseoti mansraugtiret
Lta fat iVrane never went haelk to
woelk as Atcoh 19he Illlemedrajy.
She Its langet° liven ate Nbethwese
Na Stteett, Site quilt pajlirtgk tend
fir 1011189y« Am evmtlent notiget
plasteredi col the door dt&ftd fier
Out. Site tiffs not Cotw M1111, add
dress. .
Hen`- frfendar say site+ ktut- the
same~- "Slieu iitst "Wit, Sot chair ic-
said .liaelfata 1110get6 younners+
sister. '•$toed{. site missest her
cltiCdrerit"`
Madge Grant.
Ueot-2 and 31
p(llunds,w was
bofin on 091.15*
1983. He
(mi[owwd hid bit`
brother like of
shadow,
R2
iC£lif►"W.1)l7GGEK :I
By %.� aEr vstelPare►. fr !t�►Bief`de offence.
Ofe
By %, tiro, Writer
r j i ► .. .p j . 4 ft
,gust ence. , on a Thursday morn-
ing in autumn. Linda Grant left
her babies home alone. She had to
get to work. She couldn't find a
baby sitter. She fed them fruit
ococktaii and took them upstairs to
berbedroom.
She told her little boys. Maurice,
2. and Anthony, ,+I. lobe good and
.stay in the 'bedroom. Then she
hurried out the door. y
Mother tried to balance vwork, c i ren 0 nee ZTAIP94 perur .ht drVIP ��► ►
subsidized disc' cart.~. lhatl". #k0010
—
more thane just a yreat agox
day that week to care for them.
only
left her babies alone.
Six hours later. she came home
she made resulted in her rhifdrec
I.►,ing.their lives."M1fiannhomicide,
For Und'.s Grant. S& child care
was the {itimatyr butriet Cox :x
Her job in a cafeteria paid
$114 a week, but it was better
and found them dead. They had
detective Marva Preston, told as
steady jofx She found hersell
than welfare.
to
suffocated and burned to death in
aging clothes dryer. Since then.
panel of U.S. sendtors in to recent
hearing "Our jobs are to try and
caught: to be a+ goodd mottles oft Co►
be, a+ dependabler employee. Vot" all
For a year, she had wanted
leave her boys in a subsidized day
an
the Grant family tragedy has
prevent this tragedy from ever
but one day. she, managed bolht
care program. But the waiting list
in,
become a haunting symbol of the
crisis in child care,
happening: again."
The child-care ecisis afflicts
This: story is based one neit public:
housing case fife« heft welfate
was long. Until they could get
have to make do.
national
"This lady will always have to
millions of American families.
`
She'd
cn fnr incr that one marnine_ she
live with the fact that the decision
esnecialfv tho poor who trX t&stav
Pr.•,.►q,M Er►writ rtsi.`ARE R Stilt
® , /
TRAGIC' ACCIDENT'S AFTERMATH h
struggle .
SVM_b_ Oliec
vacatdlk , interviews with friends.
relatives .and coworkers: •and .
what Grant and other witnesses
ftol0 bomidde detectives. - Grant
didn't want to be interviewed for `
this story.
AnthonyGrant was born on
llilay 22. 982, and Maurice on Oct. ,
15. D'88&'They lived in a two-story
attucco townhouse in a small public
``jt'seasy for you and
ne to judge Linda
Grant. Butlf you .have �: R
to work, there's no
answer. Ifvyewant
t'!! ti F
Families towork and -y
not.. be on tee dole, we Linda Grant is escorted from set.ne.
stave to find a way to �n
f}1A P r`aT.P 11T•t11+f�:._ t+.C���'-'Tiff, I -At ! urlll .. 1..r `•.r. t..rf '.
EF �'-
C ,� t.' •i r a34- -x'
►� i.ram r
Q � M •1
t
..#
tight snuff. file fl aids ttfeaNuo
ettfgagedandtfla Akti►all."Ite.abrt
11111t d"etl` wadi IS lifgnl a
wfleni tMet° doytsi Climbed im tr►
Me dbot Wask dflifse& IR sfltt
autontatidaffyr:. 'Ifdaigpedl, toter It
sultOd Redo ap► ffleyr ttlefle Wit
and Dat[eted fi* ifle totaling dw.
ado itfowt dtadtltylf f v* n:
IftedtyJettrom
`line flout daY6 Giant sit ode r
avid$ todtflt eoud.0 Wedfilth. �
Plait untombe4 net ems" -tied
towel Ofilb o ovat W & 41WR -
eatalli tner teats►
Me said sne ffad ordw
"Yessager tht otnee gtorenft 1*
make fuel miL allow l madlx
htsvittiii your hick albite.—
tuinedavwa y.
As Ulf' floitiidiMt irtvorsCigi,f�
gt ogtessedi. gffotiaet` gttuwr mi tee e
bits tne* dieatf , were a► rVel is
aatiefrrnt
" CA @myy fbe Yaw acid Me
judges Hindle Can."' ."' said It, Hilt
(Cow aft ro, woo supesvisord ft
investfga"ota. ••Bbai it rests fluxes
woks, lft&*0i ma answee Is
tvaitr famiilest to tsrokll and fte
onllnedblwueflaveif[oirflne#:r�vts�
to Florida a lone.
26,642 peoir choOdiren