HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 5660
City of Palo Alto (ID # 5660)
Finance Committee Staff Report
Report Type: Action Items Meeting Date: 4/22/2015
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Summary Title: HRC HSRAP Funding Recommedation FY16/17
Title: Human Relations Committee FY2016 & FY2017 Human Services
Resource Allocation Process (HSRAP) Funding Recommendation
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Community Services
Recommendation
Staff and the Human Relations Commission (HRC) recommend that the Finance
Committee recommend to Council:
1. The approved funding for Fiscal Year 2016 be included in the Fiscal Year 2016
Office of Human Services contract budget.
2. The City Manager or his designee is authorized to execute year one contracts,
with a renewal up to one additional year (Fiscal Year 2017). The City Manager or
his designee is authorized to execute the Human Services Contract and any other
necessary documents concerning the contracts.
In addition, Staff recommends that the Finance Committee recommend to Council the
approval of:
1. a Consumer Price Index increase of 2.6% for FY 2016 which will increase the
total HSRAP funding and also the funding to Avenidas and the Palo Alto Children
Center by $34,221 -- from $1,316,177 to $1,350,397-- to be allocated
proportionally to each funded agency; and with
2. the 2017 increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U)
for the San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose Metropolitan Statistical Area to be used
to to identify the CPI to be used as part of the development of the FY 2017
HSRAP allocation and budget.
Executive Summary:
This report transmits to the Finance Committee the proposed Human Services Resource
Allocation Process (HSRAP) funding recommendations for the next two years: FY 2016
and FY 2017 (Attachment A), the HSRAP Priority of Needs for FY 2016 and FY 2017
City of Palo Alto Page 2
(Attachment B), and the proposal summaries (Attachment C) submitted for funding
consideration.
After allocating funding to Avenidas and PACC, the funding recommendations will
provide $425,594 for up to fourteen agencies for Fiscal Year 2016 with an option to
renew for Fiscal Year 2017. Additionally, staff recommends increasing the allocated
amount of $425,594 by a consumer price index adjustment of 2.6% in the amount of
$11,065 to be allocated proportionately to each recommended funded agency. With
this increase, the total HSRAP funding will be $436,659. The consumer price index
adjustment is also recommended for Avenidas – Senior Services and the Palo Alto
Community Childcare agencies.
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) participated in identifying human services needs through information
provided by the community at the HRC’s monthly meetings and findings from the
extensive research it conducted for the Human Services Needs Assessment report
completed in 2012 and a supplemental need assessment conducted in 2014. These
needs assessment activities assisted in establishing bi-annual priorities of human
services needs for the Palo Alto community. The HSRAP Allocations Sub-Committee
(Allocations Committee), comprised of Human Services staff and three HRC
Commissioners, reviewed and analyzed the merits of funding requests and provided
funding recommendations based on the established funding criteria and the bi-annual
priority of needs. The Allocations Committee’s recommendations are reviewed by the
HRC and then forwarded to Council through the Finance Committee for consideration
and approval.
HSRAP application requests were distributed to 33 agencies in the community. HSRAP
and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) processes were coordinated to
maximize resources and streamline the City’s human services funding approach.
Coordination involved specifying what funding request each fund would entertain,
adopting the same request for proposal schedule, conducting a joint bidder’s workshop
on December 10, 2014 for interested providers, and, for the third time, a sub-
committee including HRC commissioners reviewed and made funding recommendations
for both HSRAP and CBDG.
Discussion
The Allocations Committee carefully reviewed each application submitted. Funding
requests exceeded funding available by $617,855. There was a strong commitment to
continue funding for current HSRAP grantees. There was a unanimous decision not to
City of Palo Alto Page 3
recommend any funding for Health Advocates, an agency which provides advocacy
services and case assistance for individuals applying for Supplemental Security
Insurance (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). The Allocations
Committee felt that in addition to the fact that the request was greater than the total of
HSRAP funding available, similar services were being provided pro-bono to the Palo Alto
homeless community by the Stanford Law School Social Security Disability Project.
All FY14&15 HSRAP recipients who re-applied will receive the same funding allocation
for FY16&17 except for MayView Community Health Center who will receive their
requested amount of $25,000 which is a reduction of $4,013. With the unallocated
$4,013, the Allocations Committee is recommending that La Comida receive an
additional $300 which will provide them the necessary 10% local funding to receive
County of Santa Clara matching funds and that Adolescent Counseling Service receive
$3,713 to further their work with youth mental health counseling to address the needs
of teens which they felt was ever more critical due to the recent youth deaths by
suicides.
The HSRAP funding allocation recommendation was discussed at the March 12, 2015
HRC meeting. Commissioners heard testimony from seven agencies applying for HSRAP
funding. The HRC acknowledged that with funding at the same level as the current
fiscal year, changes or addition in funding were not possible except for the reallocation
of the $4,103 of unrequested funding by MayView Community Health Center to La
Comida and Adolescent Counseling Services.
The HRC continues to be keenly interested in advocating for more HSRAP funding.
During the FY2015 HSRAP contract renewal, the HRC brought to the attention of the
Finance Committee the fact that HSRAP used to receive a regular CPI increase until
2003 when it was temporarily suspended (never to be reinstated) and that funding was
further reduced in 2007 and 2009. By FY2015 funding levels were virtually the same as
FY2005. The Finance Committee responded with authorizing a 2.6% increase to the
HSRAP budget to be allocated across the board to all agencies and a special allocation
of $68,380 to be allocated as part of a special application process based on unmet
needs, for a total of a $100,000 increase.
To be able to respond to Finance Committee questions as to whether Palo Alto is doing
more or less than comparable cities, the HRC and Community Services Department staff
used a summer intern to do an initial review of other cities. As each city invests in a
unique mix of human services, exact comparison between cities proved difficult. The
attached study (Attachment D) surveyed seven cities and Palo Alto ranked third in
general fund dollars provided to human services agencies on a per capita basis. Please
note that the Palo Alto funding total includes non-HSRAP general fund human services
expenditures such as senior services, child care subsidies, mediation services, a special
contract for outreach to the homeless in downtown Palo Alto and a special contract with
the County of Santa Clara for case management and housing subsidies for homeless
City of Palo Alto Page 4
individuals. Other cities were not asked to include general fund expenditures in these
service areas, and staff cautions Council that this study is not a completely well-vetted
comparison, but the starting point of a comparison that requires further fact finding and
analysis. This additional effort will be completed by Human Services in consultation with
the Office of Management and Budget during the coming months.
As mentioned previously, funding increases to the HSRAP baseline budget have been
recommended by the HRC and approved by the Council during previous budget
processes. The Allocations Committee did discuss rationales for various funding
alternatives in the event that an additional allocation is authorized, using a hypothetical
5% and 10% increase. The HRC Allocation Committee suggested that if increases were
available such increases should target areas of specific need rather than an across the
board increase. No specific recommendation was sought at the March 12 HRC meeting
regarding how additional HSRAP funds might be spent pending Council direction.
Commissioner Stone made a recommendation, seconded by Commissioner Morin, to
approve and forward the Allocation Committee’s funding recommendation to the
Finance Committee. Motion passed unanimously.
Agencies being recommended for funding:
The following agencies are recommended for HSRAP funding in Fiscal Years 2016-2017:
1. Abilities United provides a wide range of support services to people with
disabilities. These services include day center support services, child care
for developmentally delayed children, employment services for the
disabled, a creative recreation program and therapeutic aquatic program
for youth.
2. Adolescent Counseling Services provides comprehensive counseling
services to students and families in the Palo Alto Unified School Districts’
secondary schools. The Outlet Program provides crisis counseling and
sensitivity training services for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and
Questioning Teens. The program targets Palo Alto teens in Palo Alto
Unified School District schools.
3. Community Technology Alliance (CTA) provides internet access to
subsidized housing units in Palo Alto and Santa Clara County through its
searchable website, Help Management Information System (HMIS) SCC.
4. Downtown Streets Team, Inc. provides job training and job
opportunities for homeless individuals.
5. Dream Catchers provides afterschool tutoring for middle school
students.
6. InnVision Shelter Network provides food to low income and homeless
residents of Palo Alto at their site and at offsite meals programs as well as
an extensive array of other services at their main Palo Alto location.
City of Palo Alto Page 5
7. La Comida de California provides hot meals for seniors. The agency
provides hot lunches at the Avenidas and Stevenson House, an affordable
senior housing complex in South Palo Alto. La Comida also provides hot
lunches every Wednesday as part of Senior Friendship day Program (a co-
sponsored city program) at Cubberley Community Center.
8. May View Community Health Center provides medical and mental
health care services to Palo Alto’s homeless and very low-income
residents.
9. Momentum for Mental Health provides a homeless outreach program
in Palo Alto. The outreach program provides emergency on-call services to
City departments, libraries, community centers and homeless service
providers.
10. Palo Alto Housing Corporation provides an afterschool program for
youth who live at their housing sites, summer enrichment program, an
entrepreneurial program for middle school students, and digital leader’s
intern program for high school students.
11. Peninsula Health Care Connections (PHC) provides case management
to Palo Alto homeless individuals through outreach and keep them
connected to the medical and psychiatric services available at PHC.
12. Senior Adult Legal Assistance provides Palo Alto seniors with legal
advice counseling sessions at Avenidas and at Stevenson House.
13. Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired provides outreach
efforts to educate seniors about eye health, common eye conditions that
affect the elderly, and training those with vision loss to carry out activities
of daily living.
14. Youth Community Services provides community services opportunities
for youth in the community and also with local non-profit agencies.
After the HRC made its allocations recommendation on March 12, 2015, staff met with
the City Manager as part of the development of the FY 2016 Proposed Budget. The FY
2016 Proposed Budget includes a Consumer Price Index increase of 2.6% for HSRAP
funding including Avenidas and the Palo Alto Community Child Care. The additional
amount of $34,220 is recommended to be allocated across the board to each
recommended funded agency as depicted in the table below.
Human Services Contracts FY 2015 Adopted
Budget
FY 2016 Proposed
Budget
Increase in
Funding
Avenidas – Senior Services $442,395 $453,897 $11,502
Palo Alto Community Childcare $448,188 $459,841 $11,653
HSRAP Funding $425,594 $436,659 $11,065
TOTAL $1,316,177 $1,350,397 $34,220
Timeline
City of Palo Alto Page 6
Upon approval by the City Council, the contract period will be July 1, 2015-June 30,
2016 and renewable for one more year at the same funding level for funding for the
budget period July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017.
Resource Impact
The FY 2016 Proposed Budget HSRAP funding recommendation will increase the current
allocation by $11,065 from $425,594 to $436,659. The FY 2016 Proposed Budget is
scheduled to be released on April 27, 2015.
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 - FY2015-17 HSRAP Funding Allocation Recommendation (XLSX)
ATTACHMENT B - Priorities of Needs (PDF)
AttachmentCHSRAPApplications (PDF)
ATTACHMENT D - HUMAN SERVICE FUNDING INTERN REPORT (PDF)
Human Relations Commission
FY 2016 17 HSRAP Allocation Recommendation
Attachment A
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
A B C D E G H I J K
FY 2014
Agency
Request
FY 2014
Contract
Amount
Total FY15 HSRAP
w/2.6% &
$68,380.00
additional funding
FY 2016&17
Agency
Request
Difference in
FY2016&17
Request
HRC
Recommendation
FY2016&17 Contract
Amount
Staff
Recommendation
2.6% increase
FY 2016 Contract
Amount
$53,111.00 $40,352.00 $41,401.00 $41,632.00 $231.00 $41,401.00 $42,477.26
Adolescent Counseling Services $110,000.00 $103,434.00 $109,123.00 $116,000.00 $6,877.00 $112,836.00 $115,769.73
Community Technology Alliance $8,000.00 $5,823.00 $8,136.00 $10,000.00 $1,864.00 $8,136.00 $8,347.54
$75,000.00 $36,090.00 $37,028.00 $65,000.00 $27,972.00 $37,028.00 $37,990.73
$55,000.00 $8,000.00 $12,608.00 $20,000.00 $7,392.00 $12,608.00 $12,935.81
--$500,848.00 0 $0.00
InnVision Shelter Network $25,000.00 $12,340.00 $32,661.00 $35,334.00 $2,673.00 $32,661.00 $33,510.19
$33,300.00 $32,548.00 $33,394.00 $35,500.00 $2,106.00 $33,694.00 $34,570.04
$25,000.00 $17,231.00 $29,013.00 $25,000.00 ($4,013.00)$25,000.00 $25,650.00
Momentum for Mental Health $30,000.00 $25,847.00 $32,167.00 $38,000.00 $5,833.00 $32,167.00 $33,003.42
Palo Alto Housing Corporation $47,730.00 $10,000.00 $18,528.00 $48,185.00 $29,657.00 $18,528.00 $19,009.73
$41,200.00 $26,800.00 $27,497.00 $41,200.00 $13,703.00 $27,497.00 $28,211.92
Senior Adults Legal Assistance $9,000.00 $8,616.00 $13,340.00 $13,750.00 $410.00 $13,340.00 $13,686.84
$20,650.00 $5,000.00 $10,630.00 $31,500.00 $20,870.00 $10,630.00 $10,906.38
Youth Community Service $16,000.00 $16,082.00 $20,068.00 $21,500.00 $1,432.00 $20,068.00 $20,589.77
$548,991.00 $348,163.00 $425,594.00 $1,043,449.00 $117,007.00 $425,594.00 $436,659.36
Agencies
HSRAP
Peninsula Healthcare Connection
Downtown Streets Team
La Comida de California
Health Advocates
Vista Center for the Blind & Visually
Impaired
Abilities United
DreamCatchers
MayView Community Health Center
Attachment B
2016-17 PRIORITY OF NEEDS
The following list delineates the funding priorities for Fiscal Years 2015-17. Services listed in the
identified areas of need will be considered for funding.
Children
Early Care and Education
Basic Needs
Food
Housing
Mental Health
Health Care (Physical and Dental Care)
Transportation
Homelessness
Outreach
Case Management
Social Services
Mental Health
Emergency Assistance
Seniors
Food/Nutrition
Social Services
Mental Health
Legal Assistance
Elder Abuse Prevention
Special Needs
Children:
Early Intervention
Respite Care
Recreational Activities
Adults:
Day Programs
Mentoring Programs
Recreation Programs
Youth
Youth Well-being
Counseling
Mental Health
Youth Programs
Tutoring
Social Services Coordination
Encourage collaboration, coordination, and exchange of ideas among agencies
Terms of Agreement
Proposals are being accepted for the funding term of July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. Provided all terms
and conditions are met through service agreements that are awarded for FY 2015-16, contracts may be
renewable for an additional 12-month term, unless otherwise determined by the City of Palo Alto.
Limited financial resources have influenced a growing emphasis on community partnerships and
collaborative efforts as an approach to service provision. Consistent with this service approach, HSRAP
coordinates funding with the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding process to maximize
available resources.
Agencies providing housing related service needs to low-income individuals and homeless shelter related
services are encouraged to apply for CDBG funding. For more information regarding the CDBG grant
application materials, contact the CDBG Coordinator, Matt Weintraub at 650-329-2247.
Attachment C