The youth and senior social worker jobs at Dickinson Hall and CROYA will be reduced from full-time to part-time if the agency that funds them is unable to raise enough money to maintain the positions. The agency is Family Service, and it recently sent fund-raising letters to 900 households in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff seeking support for the jobs held by licensed clinical social worker Jean Odwazny (shown at left) and licensed clinical professional counselor Janet Fryer.
Family Service is dealing with significant cut backs from United Way, which reduced its support by 20% in 2008 and is slicing further this year. "We have been told to expect up to a 35% reduction effective July 1, 2009," said Family Service Executive Director Robert Wolf. Other sources helped fill the shortfall for two years---the Senior
Center Foundation and the City of Lake Forest each contributed $2,500 a year, and Shields Township has committed $5,000 for the senior advocate in 2010. But the City is not in a position to continue providing funds to the program, said City Manager Robert Kiely.
"It's a 'perfect storm' scenario," said Family Service spokeswoman Jane McCarthy. "The less resources that are available, the more we need to provide. We're trying to figure out new ways to fill in."
Mr. Wolf said Family Service needs to raise $35,000 annually to ensure the youth and senior advocates remain full-time, on-site positions at CROYA and Dickinson Hall. If the agency doesn't meet this goal, one or both of the positions will revert to part-time.
Just what do these social workers do for Lake Forest and Lake Bluff? In a nutshell: They keep youth and seniors from falling through the cracks. Janet Fryer is the senior advocate at Dickinson Hall. High on her agenda is helping senior citizens remain in their homes. She conducts weekly or every-other weekly home visits to check on seniors and helps them find resources for things that can mean the difference between living independently and moving to a facility. These include getting support to pay bills, finding a contractor to fix something in the house, helping the senior get dressed, doing the grocery shopping. She also manages support groups for women living alone and for seniors who have low-vision. She is a comforting and familiar presence at Dickinson Hall, and she's always available.
"People don't say 'I'm going to see the senior advocate.' They say 'I'm going to see Janet,' " she said.
The youth advocate position at CROYA was created in 2004 and is modeled after the senior position---it's a full-time, hands-on job held by a professional, Jean Odwazny, who is known and trusted by the teens who frequent CROYA. While her counterpart at the senior center aims to keep the elderly at home, Ms. Fryer's goal is to keep young people off the streets. One of her most successful programs is Girl Talk Time, which addresses the issue of girls feeling uncomfortable in their own skin. She also provides free therapy to teens---always including parents. As the fund-raising letter describes it: "This position is complimentary to existing community services and designed to provide a no-cost safety net for youth. ... the Advocate has the freedom and flexibility to maintain working relationships with other key professionals; accept referrals directly; and meet youth and families anywhere ensuring accessibility and confidentiality."
The advocate program is unique to this community, said Mr. Wolf. "It's a compliment to the community and to United Way that they have developed this model that has lasted all these years," he said. "The idea of taking a mental health person and embedding them in a youth or senior center---it's not done anywhere else. When I'm in other communities, I speak about this model. It's desirable because there is a community sense of cooperation."
And just what is Family Service? It's a social service agency that serves 17 communities in Lake County and has been around for almost 80 years. It was for many years known as Family Service of South Lake County but changed its name to reflect its expanded outreach to the entire county. Visit www.famservice.org for more information on this group.
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