HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 182-08
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TO: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
ATTN: FINANCE COMMITTEE
FROM: CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: COMMUNITY SERVICES
DATE: APRIL 1, 2008 CMR: 182:08
SUBJECT: RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL REGARDING
PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 2008-09 HUMAN SERVICES RESOURCE
ALLOCATION PROCESS FUNDING
RECOMMENDATION
Staff and the Human Relations Commission (HRC) recommend that the Finance Committee
recommend to Council that:
1. The funding allocations, as recommended by the City Council for 2007-09 (Attachment A), be
included in the fiscal year 2008-09 Cubberley & Human Services Division’s contract budget.
2. The City Manager or his designee is authorized to execute year two of the two-year contract,
which was first approved in June 2007.
BACKGROUND
Since 1983, the HSRAP process has identified community service needs to determine City funding
for human services (CMR:147:83). The City’s Human Relations Commission (HRC) participates in
identifying human service needs through the information provided by the community at the HRC
monthly meetings and by hosting community forums. The needs assessment activities assist in
establishing bi-annual priorities of human service needs for the Palo Alto community. The
Allocations Committee, comprised of Human Services staff, Planning Department staff and an HRC
Commissioner, reviews and analyzes the merits of funding requests and provides funding
recommendations based on established funding criteria and the bi-annual priority of needs. The
HSRAP Allocations Committee recommendations are reviewed by the City administration and are
then forwarded to Council for consideration and approval.
The funding process included the following seven components:
1. Cubberley Community Center and Human Services Division staff and the HRC conducted
meetings on health care, child care and immerging needs in the community as part of the HRC’s
regular monthly meetings. County and local needs assessment documents were utilized to assess
human service needs in the community.
2. The HRC and the Palo Alto Mediation Program hosted a Tenant Rights Forum on June 6, 2007.
BUDGET 2008-09
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3. The HRC established and adopted an annual Priority of Needs for the community that provided
guidance for funding recommendations. (Attachment B).
4. The Request for Proposals (RFP) process has been expanded to a wider distribution base in order
to reach a more diverse and greater pool of providers. The RFP was made available online to
increase accessibility to the document.
5. The HSRAP and the CDBG processes were coordinated to maximize resources and streamline
the City’s human services funding approach. Coordination involved specifying what funding
requests each fund would entertain, adopting the same request for proposal schedule and
conducting a joint bidder’s workshop for interested non-profit providers.
6. Avenidas, Palo Alto Community Child Care and Second Harvest Food Bank, which provide
senior services, child care subsidies and food respectively, are sole source contract agencies
because they meet the criteria as set forth in CMR: 118:99, “Proposed Human Services Resource
Allocation Process (HSRAP) Implementation Plan”. Designation as a sole source contract
agency may be considered when the service meets the City of Palo Alto target population needs
as described in the City’s Comprehensive Plan or Consolidated Plan. Services to seniors,
children, youth, conflict/resolution and food were established as priority needs. The two-year
program proposals will be reviewed as they are received and contracts will be renewed
contingent upon meeting performance objectives and standards.
7. HSRAP funding requests, for a two-year period, were reviewed to determine if they addressed
the community Priority of Needs established by the HRC for fiscal year 2007-2009. Proposals
that did not address the priority of needs were removed from further funding consideration.
DISCUSSION
Council policy, enacted in 1993 (CMR143: 93), limits available funds to $1,168,897 for fiscal years
2007-2009 for the HSRAP base budget. This does not include any CPI adjustment. Sole Source
Agencies are recommended for $868,444. The funding recommendations are as follows:
Avenidas, which provides a comprehensive system of services to senior citizens, is
recommended to receive $427,670.
Palo Alto Community Child Care (PACCC), which administers the City subsidy for child care to
low-income families, is recommended to receive $433,271.
Second Harvest Food Bank, which is the sole provider for food in Santa Clara County to non-
profit agencies such as La Comida, Food Pantry, and InnVision’s Family Brown Bag Program,
to distribute to extremely low and low income seniors, families and the homeless population.
This program is recommended to receive $7,503.
The remaining available funding for HSRAP requests is $300,453. Ten non-profit agencies are
recommended for HSRAP funding in fiscal year 2008-09 as follows:
1. Adolescent Counseling Service is recommended to receive $93,100 to provide
comprehensive counseling services to students and families in the Palo Alto Unified School
District’s secondary schools.
2. Abilities United (formerly Community Association for Rehabilitation) is recommended to
receive $42,153 to provide a wide range of support services to people with disabilities.
These services include day center support services, child care for the developmentally
delayed child, employment services for the disabled, a creative recreation program and a
therapeutic aquatic program for autistic and developmentally disabled children and their
families.
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3. Community Health Awareness Council’s Outlet Program provides crisis counseling and
sensitivity training services for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning Teens.
The program targets Palo Alto teens in 12 Palo Alto Unified School District schools and is
recommended to receive $10,000.
4. Community Technology Alliance (CTA) is recommended to receive $12,700 to provide
internet access to subsidized housing units in Palo Alto and Santa Clara County through its
searchable website, Housing SCC. In addition, CTA will continue to provide voicemail to
Palo Alto’s non-profit agencies serving the homeless population.
5. Downtown Streets Team Inc. is recommended to receive $37,700 to provide funding to train
homeless participants in job skills and intensive job search and to work with the Palo Alto
Police Department, downtown merchants, the Palo Alto Downtown Business and
Professional Association and other agencies in addressing homeless issues.
6. La Comida de California is recommended to receive $34,000 to provide hot meals for Palo
Alto’s senior citizens. The agency provides hot lunches at the Avenidas Senior Center and
Stevenson House, an affordable senior housing complex in South Palo Alto, five days a
week. La Comida also provides hot lunches every Wednesday as part of the Senior
Friendship Day Program at Cubberley Community Center.
7. May View Community Health Center is recommended to receive $18,000 to provide medical
and health care services to Palo Alto’s homeless and very low-income residents.
8. Momentum for Mental Health is recommended to receive $27,000 for the homeless outreach
program in Palo Alto. The outreach program will provide emergency on-call services to City
departments, libraries, community centers and local homeless service providers.
9. Senior Adult Legal Assistance is recommended to receive $9,000 to provide Palo Alto
seniors with legal advice counseling sessions at Avenidas Senior Center and at Stevenson
House.
10. Youth Community Service is recommended to receive $16,800 to provide community
service opportunities for youth in the community and also with local non-profit agencies.
TIMELINE
Upon approval by the City Council, the contract period will be July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009.
RESOURCE IMPACT
The HSRAP funding recommendations will provide $1,168,897 in General Fund to support 13
programs provided through ten HSRAP agencies and three sole source agencies. The HSRAP
funding from the General Fund is reflected in the Community Services Department’s proposed
budget for 2008-09.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This program is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); and
is not subject to CEQA review.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: HSRAP 2007-09 City Council Funding Recommendations
Attachment B: Human Relations Commission HSRAP Priority of Needs FY 2007-09
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PREPARED BY: __________________________________________________
KATHY ESPINOZA-HOWARD
Division Manager, Human Services & Cubberley
DEPARTMENT HEAD: ______________________________________________
RICHARD JAMES
Director of Community Services
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: __________________________________________
EMILY HARRISON
Assistant City Manager
Cc: Palo Alto Human Relations Commission
All HSRAP Applicants