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510-704-2111Easy Does It Emergency Services provides specialized assistance required by people with disabilities who are residents of the City of Berkeley. YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT IS NEEDEDPlease attend the upcoming Commission on Disability and the Commission on Aging meetings. At these meetings they will be voting on the final recommendations for who will receive the Measure E funds for Emergency Services in Berkeley. We need you to show up and express your support for Easy Does It.Berkeley Commission on Aging, Wednesday, September 15, 1:30 p.m. South Berkeley Senior Center 2939 Ellis Avenue at Ashby, Berkeley Commission on Disability, Wednesday, September 15, 6:30 pm North Berkeley Senior Center 1901 Hearst Avenue at MLK, Berkeley
8/13/10 UPDATEEasy Does It and CIL met with Drew King representing the City Of Berkeley as moderator. At that meeting CIL indicated that they were withdrawing their application for Measure E funding. CIL also indicated that they will continue to work towards creating a repair shop, which EDI strongly supports.Thank you all for your continued support.
MEASURE E UPDATEDear Community Members,First off I would like to thank you all for your continued support of EDI retaining Measure E funds. We appreciate your confidence and satisfaction in our work. You have aided in keeping EDI staff morale up and our services strong in these tense times. It has been a privilege to provide these vital services in this community. As of now, we await the recommendations from both the Commission on Disability and Commission on Aging. They met twice to discuss the Measure E funds and have yet to vote because they did not have a quorum. It is unclear when the commissions will meet again, but we hope that the commissions will meet in September to finalize their decision. We will keep you informed as to the meeting times. After they submit their recommendations to the City, the City will draft it's final report and the item will be placed on the City Council Meeting agenda for the final vote. It appears this will happen in late September, but we expect it in October. Please keep sending the councilmembers your letters and placing calls to them (don't forget to copy EDI). You can also stop by the office and make a poster of support to carry with you and/or post in your window. While EDI is committed to maintaining all Measure E service components, we are working with CIL to work out collaboration on wheelchair and adaptive equipment repair services. Under Measure E, EDI provides emergency on-site repair and CIL is currently developing a community repair shop. We believe both services are crucial to the community and we are committed to helping CIL develop a program leveraging EDI's experience and resources. EDI is offering in-kind support in this collaboration because we cannot offer any money from the budget. The Measure E contract represents about 97% of EDI's funding, as we exist to provide Emergency Services to disabled and elderly Berkeley residents. To cut any part of the program funding would greatly impact the overall services. (For example, cutting 10% of our budget would put us 10% short for rent, field staff cell phones, etc. 10% cut in staff salaries would mean we would only be able to provide 21/7, instead of 24/7 emergency services.) EDI is offering the following as we explore collaboration opportunities:
Thanks to everyone for all of your support. Sincerely, Bonnie MacFadyen Executive Director
YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT IS NEEDEDPlease attend the upcoming Commission on Disability and the Commission on Aging meetings. At these meetings they will be voting on the final recommendations for who will receive the Measure E funds for Emergency Services in Berkeley. We need you to show up and express your support for Easy Does It.Commission on Disability, Wednesday, July 14, 6:30 pm North Berkeley Senior Center 1901 Hearst Avenue at MLK, Berkeley Commission on Aging, Wednesday, July 21, 1:30 p.m. South Berkeley Senior Center 2939 Ellis Avenue at Ashby, Berkeley
June 22nd City Council MeetingWell Community Members, we've moved on to the next step.The latest City Council meeting on June 22nd determined that Easy Does It shall continue providing emergency services through Measure E funds for at least another 6 months. In that time we must prove our strengths and address the concerns posed by the City of Berkeley, like serving a broader and more diverse client base, diversifying funding, and developing a training plan to meet the needs of this client base. We must show considerable efforts towards these requests in order to secure the contract for the remaining 3 1/2 years. Luckily, we have already begun the process and are confident that we will (continue) to meet the need of the community. Keep your support and letters/calls/emails to the council coming. We will have updates on our latest projects and progress. THANK YOU ALL for your continued support. We need your help NOW more than ever:
Please attend the City of Berkeley Council Meeting Tuesday, June 22 at 7:00pm, to voice your support.
This meeting will determine whether EDI receives a 4-month extension or is awarded the full contract for an entire year. We are calling for the 1 year so that we will have ample time to prove our strengths and address serving a broader and more diverse client base, diversify funding, and develop a training plan to meet the needs of this client base. We would also like to go forward with our plans of moving into the Ed Roberts Campus Building, further facilitating community collaboration. Where: City Council Chambers 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way When: Council Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. Your Calls and Letters to the City Council and Mayor Worked!The City Council and Mayor have heard the community's concern about the recommendation to not award Easy Does It Emergency Services the Measure E funding. The City Council is now seeking recommendations from the Commissions on Disability and Aging. The Selection Panel's report will be presented at both these commission meetings and there will be a chance for the public to ask questions and voice their opinions, desires and concerns about the process and the recommendation. These Commissions will look to the community for input as they decide which agency to endorse, so please try to attend one or both.Commission on Disability, Wednesday, June 9, 6:30 pm North Berkeley Senior Center 1901 Hearst Avenue at MLK, Berkeley Commission on Aging, Wednesday, June 16, 1:30 p.m. South Berkeley Senior Center 2939 Ellis Avenue at Ashby, Berkeley Currently there is a proposed item on the June 22nd City Council meeting agenda to grant a four month contract extension while they gather the abovementioned input, then a vote for the contract award will be held in September. We will continue to post updates. In the meantime, please continue to spread the word, write your council members and the mayor, and send your limericks (copy EDI). Thanks for your support! SAVE EASY DOES IT EMERGENCY SERVICES!Open Letter to Community:KEEP EASY DOES IT RUNNING: CALL YOUR COUNCILMEMBER!As you may know, the City of Berkeley Contract for Measure E is currently up for consideration. The panel that reviewed all of the proposals plans on recommending that the Center of Independent Living receive the funding, which historically has been awarded to Easy Does It Emergency Services for the past 15 years. This would be a grave mistake. By not awarding EDI the Emergency Services contract, the City would be eliminating a client-centered disability agency, decreasing the diversity, variety and number of services disabled residents have available.Easy Does It Emergency Services (EDI) was founded in 1994 with the mission of providing assistance to individuals with disabilities and the elderly living independently in the City of Berkeley. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation with a mission and 16-year history of providing emergency attendant care and transportation, including case management as a component of these services, as well as repair of wheelchair and other assistive devices. EDI is the only agency able and ready to assure continuity of services on July 1, 2010, the very first day of the Measure E contract, without interruption or delay in any emergency services for the disability community of Berkeley. Find the contact information for your councilmember and EDI Talking Points below. You can also review the narrative section of our proposal by clicking on the link below. Thank you for your continued support Sincerely, Board and Staff of EDI EDI Talking Points and Coucilmember Information (PDF) Measure E Proposal Narrative (PDF) Review the EDI budget (PDF) Commission Memo, Measure E (PDF) Meaure E Evaluation Criteria (PDF)
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