“We have to invest in most our most valuable resource, which is humans,” said Hall, a New Carlisle resident who began his job helming the city in mid-April. “I made it a priority upon my onboarding to develop solutions to mitigate human suffering in our community. One person who is starving and has no shelter and the city has no immediate solutions is a crisis, and our community members deserve a response from their government.”
Hall is starting that response by forming a Social Services Commission, which will refer those in need to available resources. Commission members will serve as volunteers, also identifying social concerns, providing analysis and proposing solutions to the city council.
Residents can learn more and apply for the commission on the city’s website, calling 937-845-9492 or emailing general@newcarlisleohio.gov. Applications are being accepted through the end of August. New Carlisle City Council members will interview candidates and select up to five members shortly afterward.
The commission will develop bylaws, and its monthly meetings will be open to the public. A president and vice-president will be appointed, and each member will serve as a coordinator for a particular area of need, such as housing or nutrition support.
New Carlisle’s fire and safety, law enforcement and code enforcement staff often are the people who come in contact with folks in need.
About a year and a half ago, Bryan Moore, city of New Carlisle planning director, began to examine situations in which residents appeared to need help.
An estimated 70% of code violations that made their way to court were from households led by senior citizens, veterans, those with disabilities, single parents or others who couldn’t financially or physically maintain their properties, Moore said.
In June, code enforcement staff issued 151 violations at 41 properties, and 11 of those — or 26.8% — went to owners in one of those categories.
“We’ve been able to identify residents going through various situations,” said Moore, who will facilitate the Social Service Commission’s meetings. “By helping them, we can keep cases out of court.”
Moore and Hall imagine the commission’s work will unfold like a story shared during a June 23 strategic work session with New Carlisle City Council: A volunteer group cleaned up the overgrown property of an elderly veteran with stage four chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and another volunteer group hauled away the debris.
“This was all done at no cost to the resident,” Hall said.
It also was done at no cost to the city.
“We have a small government, and that is intentional,” Hall said. “We don’t have a social services department, and I don’t see one being created. We’re on the taxpayers’ payroll, and we have to be very cognizant of what we’re spending our time on and use the resources we have.”
Hall hopes new housing developments in New Carlisle will bolster its volunteer base while significantly expanding the city’s population.
“Our small government has worked because community members step up to help each other,” Hall said. “There is a kind of (’50s TV show) ‘Leave It to Beaver’ atmosphere that exists in this little sliver called New Carlisle, Ohio, and we’re proud of that.”
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