HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 13635
City of Palo Alto (ID # 13635)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Consent Calendar Meeting Date: 10/18/2021
City of Palo Alto Page 1
Title: Approval of Funding Allocations for the Second Round of Human
Services Resource Allocation Process Funding for FY 2022 in the Amount of
$200,000 and Authorize the City Manager to Execute Contracts with the Nine
Recipient Organizations
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Community Services
Recommendation
The Human Relations Commission and staff recommend that the City Council:
1. Approve the Human Services Resource Allocation Process (HSRAP) organizational
funding allocations as recommended by the Human Relations Commission, and
2. Authorize the City Manager or their designee to execute contracts for Fiscal Year
2022 with nine organizations for amounts not-to-exceed those recommended by
the Human Relations Commission. The total amount of these contracts shall not
exceed $200,000.
Background
This report transmits the Human Relations Commission’s (HRC) proposed funding
recommendations for a second allocation of funds available through the Human
Services Resource Allocation Process (HSRAP) for Fiscal Year 2022. The funding
recommendations will provide $200,000 to be distributed between nine organizations
(listed here) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022.
During the FY 2022 City budget deliberations, Council expressed concern for local
nonprofits, specifically how they are faring due to COVID related financial impacts.
Council approved a one-time HSRAP allocation in the amount of $200,000 in the FY
2022 adopted budget (staff report and action minutes June 21, 2021) to offer one-year
financial assistance to organizations serving the Palo Alto community.
A Request for Proposals (RFP) was released in July 2021 to solicit proposals for funding,
with a due date of August 13, 2021. The RFP was sent to 35 community service
organizations serving the Palo Alto community that provide services that address the
identified priority of needs as approved by the HRC and included in the RFP. Funding
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requests were received from ten applicants in an amount that exceeded the available
funding by $248,075. The proposals were first thoroughly reviewed by a group of
reviewers (Reviewers) consisting of two members of the HRC, a former HRC
Commissioner and a community member, who then passed on their recommendations
to the full HRC for discussion at their September 23, 2021 meeting.
Discussion
The HRC met on September 23, 2021 to discuss the funding recommendations from the
Reviewers. The staff report to the HRC includes a background on the HSRAP process,
details on the funding deliberations by the HSRAP Reviewers, funding
recommendations, HSRAP Priority of Needs for Fiscal Year 2022, and the proposal
summaries submitted for funding consideration.
HRC Chair Kaloma Smith, who served as one of the Reviewers, presented the
recommendations to the Commission. He emphasized that a thorough review was
conducted and that the recommendations made were grounded in the following:
1. Quality of Proposal and alignment with the Evaluation Criteria as stated in the
Request for Proposal (application);
2. Council concern regarding the financial impact of COVID on local nonprofits;
3. Funding philosophy of HSRAP, which states that the “Primary goal of HSRAP is to
meet the needs and improve the quality of life of low income and vulnerable
populations while considering and addressing the financial, cultural, psychological
and physical barriers that prevent residents of the Palo Alto community from
accessing the human services they need'';
4. The amount requested and its correlation to the programs being provided; and
5. Careful consideration of what would be the appropriate balance of program
support based on the funding requested.
After a short discussion, the HRC voted unanimously to forward the Reviewers’
recommended funding allocations to the Council, with the Commissioners
acknowledging the thorough vetting process of the proposals by the Reviewers. The
draft action minutes from the HRC’s September 23, 2021 meeting are provided here.
The agencies recommended to receive funding are listed below:
1. AbilityPath provides support services to people with special needs such as day
center support services, early intervention for children with special needs,
childcare for developmentally delayed children, employment services, a creative
recreation program, among other services. Proposed funding will help support
their adult services including educational, recreational and art programs.
($18,884.25)
2. DreamCatchers provides free individualized mentoring, academic, and social
emotional support to socioeconomically disadvantaged middle school students
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and their families. Proposed funding will help support their Parent Engagement
Program. ($15,000)
3. Karat School Project’s services in Palo Alto include services and support to
families living in Recreational Vehicles (RVs). Proposed funding will help support
their educational assistance programs. ($18,884.25)
4. LifeMoves provides financial assistance to low income and homeless residents of
Palo Alto, as well as food, shelter, case management, and an array of other
services at the Opportunity Services Center. Proposed funding will help support
food expenses to feed unhoused individuals. ($30,000)
5. PARCA offers an array of services for individuals with special needs and operates
Page Mill Court, an independent living apartment complex for adults with
developmental disabilities in Palo Alto. Proposed funding will help support
Healthy Living (food and exercise) programs. ($20,000)
6. Peninsula HealthCare Connections is a medical clinic which provides affordable
healthcare, outreach services including backpack medicine, particularly to
underserved and at-risk community members individuals experiencing
homelessness. Proposed funding will help support a clinic administrator.
($33,825)
7. Ravenswood Family Health Network operates the May View Community Health
Center which provides medical and mental health care services to low-income
residents. Proposed funding will help support the development of an optometry
program for low-income individuals. ($25,000)
8. Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired provides no or low-cost vision
loss rehabilitation and disability support services to individuals who are blind or
visually impaired. Proposed funding will help support vision loss counseling and
rehabilitation services. ($18,713)
9. Youth Community Service provides leadership training, service-based learning
opportunities and social emotional wellness for youth in the community.
Proposed Funding will help support service learning and peer leadership
programs. ($19,693.50)
The HRC did not make a funding recommendation for Caminar, which submitted a
proposal in the amount of $200,000 for full funding to restore their programs at their
Palo Alto location (due to past budget cuts, these services were moved to their San
Jose office). While the Reviewers felt that restoration of these services in Palo Alto was
important, there was little diversification of funding beyond HSRAP to reinstate the
programs or sustain them beyond the current year.
Timeline
Upon approval by the City Council, the contract period will be the date of full execution
of each contract until June 30, 2022.
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Resource Impact
The HSRAP funding recommendations in this report will allocate $200,000 to nine
agencies. This funding is available in the City’s Fiscal Year 2022 Adopted Operating
Budget. Funding for future year HSRAP allocations is subject to City Council approval
through the annual budget process.
Stakeholder Engagement
The RFP was sent out to over 35 human services organizations that serve the Palo Alto
community via a direct invitation. The RFP was also listed on Planet Bids. All HSRAP
funding applicants were made aware of the September 23, 2021 HRC meeting at which
the Commission would be discussing the draft funding recommendations. Several
applicants were present for the virtual meeting.
Environmental Review
This grant program is not a project as defined by the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA) and is not subject to CEQA review.
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