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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 1523City of Palo Alto (ID # 1523) Finance Committee Staff Report Report Type:Meeting Date: 4/5/2011 April 05, 2011 Page 1 of 6 (ID # 1523) Summary Title: HSRAP Funding Proposal FY11-13 Title: Human Services Resources Allocation Process Funding Proposal for FY 11- 13 From:City Manager Lead Department: Community Services Executive Summary This report transmits to the Finance Committee, the proposed Human Services Resource Allocation Process (HSRAP) funding recommendations for the Fiscal Period 2011-13, the Human Relations Commission’s (HRC) HSRAP Priority of Needs for Fiscal Period 2011-13, and the proposal summaries submitted for funding consideration. The funding recommendations will provide either $1,082,690 or $1,110,452 for up to fourteen agencies each year for two-years. There are two alternative funding proposals included in this report for consideration by the Finance Committee. Option A includes a 2.5% reduction of the total grant amount to cover the administration costs of overseeing the grant program by the Office of Human Services, a work group within the Community Services Department (CSD.) This reduction totals $27,761. Option B does not include this reduction and instead suggests that administrative expenses be separately funded by an allocation from the General Fund operating budget. Recommendation Staff and the Human Relations Commission (HRC) recommend that the Finance Committee recommend to Council: 1.The approved funding option for 2011-13 (Attachment A), be included in the Fiscal Period 2011-13 Office of Human Services contract budget. 2.The City Manager or his designee is authorized to execute year one and for a renewal up to one additional year (FY2013). The City Manager or his designee also be authorized to execute the Human Services Contract and any other necessary documents concerning the contracts. 3.The Council approve the contracts that are $85,000 or greater as identified in Attachment A. 4.Provide direction to staff on whether administrative expenses related to the oversight and administration of the HSRAP program should be funded from existing HSRAP funding (Option A) or through new allocated funds from the General Fund (Option B). April 05, 2011 Page 2 of 6 (ID # 1523) Background Since 1983, the HSRAP Process has identified community service needs to determine City funding for human services. The City’s Human Relations Commission (HRC) actively participated in identifying human services needs through information provided by the community at the HRC’s monthly meetings and by hosting two ‘needs assessment’ forums. The needs assessment activities assisted in establishing bi-annual priorities of human services needs for the Palo Alto community. The Allocations Committee; comprised of Human Services staff, the City’s Interim CDBG Coordinator, and two 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 HSRAP Allocations Committee recommendations are reviewed by the City administration and are then forwarded to Council through the Finance Committee for consideration and approval. The funding review process included the follow six components: 1.In September, 2010, the Office of Human Services and the HRC hosted two panel discussions on local human services needs and invited broad based experts in a variety of fields and current HSRAP grantees to speak on current and emerging human services needs. 2.The HRC established and adopted a bi-annual Priority of Needs for the Community that provided guidance for HSRAP funding recommendations (Attachment B.) 3.The Request for Proposals (RFP) process was expanded to a wider distribution base in order to reach a more diverse and greater pool of providers than in the past. The RFP was made available on the City’s website/homepage to increase visibility and accessibility to the invitation. 4.The 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 November 15, 2010 for interested non profit providers, and for the first time, the same committee reviewed and made funding recommendations for both HSRAP and CDBG. 5.Avenidas and Palo Alto Community Child Care, which provide senior services and child care subsidies respectively, are “sole source” contract agencies because they meet the criteria as set fourth 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 and child care 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. 6.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 Period 2011-13. April 05, 2011 Page 3 of 6 (ID # 1523) Discussion As previously stated, there are two funding options being presented to the Finance Committee for considerations. In both options, the impact to the general fund is the same amount of $1,110,452. Option A - The Office of Human Services consists of managing the HSRAP program, mediation in the community, and various Human Service needs such as support of the HRC, child care, liaison work with local non-profits, homelessness services, landlord/tenant issues, Family Resources, and response to human service needs in the community such as Project Safety Net. After department budget cuts in each fiscal year since 2007, Human Services programs were underfunded, but continued to operate with funding from prior years being carried forward together with some transfers from the Cubberley Community Center operating budget, and some program reductions. Now that the funds carried forward have been exhausted, the Human Services program is seriously underfunded and no longer able to support HSRAP and contracted services at the current level. With annual department-wide program and budget cuts for the past several years, CSD no longer has funding in other program areas to transfer into Human Services operations as in prior years. Thus, staff recommends a 2.5% reduction of the total grant amount be retained in the operating budget of the Office of Human Services to cover the Administration Costs of overseeing and administering the grant program and fund the operations of Human Services as outlined above. Such reduction amounts to a total $27,761. Option B- This option does not include a 2.5% reduction to HRSAP grantees. The following was recommended by the Human Relations Commission (HRC) at their March 16, 2011 meeting. The HRC’s priority recommendation would allocate the entire anticipated HSRAP revenue to the 14 most compelling applications as reflected in Option B. This recommendation is conditional on other funds being allocated to the Office of Human Services operating budget for program administration from new General Fund appropriations, as noted above. By allocating the entire HSRAP amount to deserving applicants, the purpose of these monies is most fully met. If it is not possible to allocate the $27,761 outside of the HSRAP funds, the HRC proposes Option A. Option A would reduce most of the recommended allocations by approximately 2.5 percent, leaving $1,082,690 for HSRAP grantees. The sum of these reductions, $27,761, is recommended by the HRC to be applied to the Office of Human Services to enable it to continue to administer HSRAP and support Human Service programs effectively. Agencies being recommended for funding: April 05, 2011 Page 4 of 6 (ID # 1523) Sole Source Agencies: The following agencies are recommended for Sole Source funding in Fiscal Year 2011-13: ·Avenidas provides a comprehensive system of services to senior citizens. ·Palo Alto Community Child Care (PACCC) administers the City's subsidy for child care to low-incomes families. Non Sole Source Agencies: The following agencies are recommended for HSRAP funding in Fiscal Period 2011-13: 1.Abilities United (formerly Community Association for Rehabilitation) 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 adults. 2.Adolescent Counseling Services provides comprehensive counseling services to students and families in the Palo Alto Unified School Districts’ secondary schools. 3.Community Health Awareness Council’s 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. 4.Community Technology Alliance (CTA) provides internet access to subsidized housing units in Palo Alto and Santa Clara County through its searchable website, Housing SCC. In additional, CTA will continue to provide voicemail account to homeless persons who are clients of Palo Alto’s non profit agencies who serve the homeless population in order to help individuals seek work, housing and other means of support. 5.Downtown Streets Team, Inc., provides funding to train homeless participants in job skills and how to competitively search for jobs. Training is also provided to work with the Palo Alto Police Department, downtown merchants, the Palo Alto Downtown Business and Professional Association, and other agencies in effectively addressing homeless issues. 6.Inn Vision provides food to low income and homeless residents of Palo Alto at a local food closet and meals programs. (Inn Vision is not included as a funding recipient in Option #1. It is being recommended for funding by CDBG.) 7.La Comida de California provides hot meals for Palo Alto 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 Senior Friendship Day Program (a co-sponsored city program) at the Cubberley Community Center. April 05, 2011 Page 5 of 6 (ID # 1523) 8.May View Community Health Center provides medical and 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.Peninsula Health Care Connections provides case management to Palo Alto homeless individuals receiving Santa Clara County Housing Authority “Section 8” housing vouchers. 11.Senior Adults Legal Assistance provides Palo Alto seniors with legal advice counseling sessions at Avenidas Senior Center and at Stevenson House. 12.Youth Community Services provides community services opportunities for youth in the community and also with local non profit agencies. HSRAP funding was discussed during the March 4 and March 16 HRC meetings. Commissioners heard testimony from agencies applying for HSRAP funding. The request for additional funding for non profit agencies was unprecedented due to the decline in the overall economy. The agencies are experiencing an overall decline in donations and increased demand for services. Timeline Upon approval by the City Council, the contract period will be July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012 and renewable for one more year at the same funding level for funding for the budget period July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013. Resource Impact The HSRAP funding recommendation will allocate either $1,082,690 or $1,110,452 in General Funds to support up to fourteen programs; two sole source agencies and up to twelve general agencies. Staff is recommending the HSRAP funding from the General Fund as reflected in the Community Services Department’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2011-12. Environmental Review This program is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and is not subject to CEQA review. Attachments: ·Attachment A -HSRAP2011-13CITYCOUNCILFUNDINGRECOMMEND (XLS) ·Attachement B -PRIORITYOFNEEDSFY11-13 (DOC) ·Attachment C -PROPOSALSUMMARIES (PDF) Prepared By:Minka VanDerZwaag, April 05, 2011 Page 6 of 6 (ID # 1523) Department Head:Greg Betts, Director, Community Services City Manager Approval: James Keene, City Manager DRAFT 2011-2013 Human Services Resource Allocation Process (HSRAP) Selection Committee's Proposed Funding Recommendations to HRC March 16, 2011 No.Agency Program Description 2011-12 Agency's Request for Funding 10-11 Contract Amount 2011-13 Proposed Funding Recommendation (Option A) SOLE SOURCE(SS) 1 Avenidas Senior Services 450,000$ 406,287$ 396,130$ 2 Palo Alto Community Child Care Child Care Subsidy Program for Low Income Families 444,820$ 411,607$ 401,317$ Second Harvest Food Distribution -$ 7,128$ SS Total 894,820$ 825,022$ 797,447$ HSRAP 3 Abilities United Disability Services 56,000$ 40,045$ 36,506$ 4 Adolescent Counseling Sv On Campus Counseling Sv 110,000$ 88,445$ 86,234$ 5 Catholic Charities The GAP Project 151,678$ 6 Community Health Awareness Council Outlet Program 10,000$ 9,500$ 8,660$ 7 Community Technology Alliance Shared Technical Infrastructure 15,000$ 12,065$ 5,432$ 8 Downtown Streets Team Downtown Streets Team 55,000$ 35,815$ 32,650$ 9 Family & Children Svs Social & Academic Stress Reduction 46,000$ 10 InnVision Opportunity Service Center 50,000$ 11 Kara Grief Support for Children and Adults 65,000$ 12 La Comida de California Hot Meals for the Elderly 34,000$ 32,300$ 29,445$ 13 MayView Health Center Health Care for Low Income & Homeless PA Residents 25,000$ 17,100$ 15,589$ 14 Momentum for Mental Health Homeless Outreach Program 25,650$ 25,650$ 23,383$ 15 NOVA Youth Foundation Real-world Work Experience for Youth 40,000$ -$ 16 Peninsula HealthCare Connection Project Downtown Connect 63,000$ 25,000$ 17 Senior Adults Legal Assistance Legal Assistance to Elders 9,000$ 8,550$ 7,794$ 18 United Way Silicon Valley 211 Santa Clara County 13,500$ 19 Youth Community Sv Service and leadership 16,000$ 15,960$ 14,550$ HSRAP Total 784,828$ 285,430$ 285,243$ SS & HSRAP Total 1,679,648$ 1,110,452$ 1,082,690$ DRAFT 2011-2013 Human Services Resource Allocation Process (HSRAP) Selection Committee's Proposed Funding Recommendations to HRC March 16, 2011 2011-13 Proposed Funding Recommendation (Option B) 402,224$ 407,491$ 809,715$ 37,642$ 87,561$ 8,930$ 5,432$ 33,666$ 8,920$ 30,362$ 16,074$ 24,111$ 25,000$ 8,037$ 15,002$ 300,737$ 1,110,452$ HUMAN SERVICES RESOURCE ALLOCATION PROCESS PRIORITY OF NEEDS 2011-13 1.Children ·Early Care and Education ·Children with Special Needs 2.Youth ·Youth Well Being ·Counseling ·Mental Health ·Youth Programs ·Tutoring ·Transportation 3.Seniors ·Food/Nutrition ·Social Services ·Mental Health ·Transportation ·Legal Assistance 4.Homelessness ·Outreach ·Case Management ·Mental Health ·Emergency Housing ·Low Income Housing 5.Basic Needs ·Food ·Housing ·Mental Health ·Transportation 6.Social Services Coordination ·Encourage collaboration, coordination, and exchange of ideas among agencies.