To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): District Attorney
Staff Name and Phone Number: Michelle Carstensen, FJCSC 565-8257
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
District Attorney County Victim Services Program
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Execute a contract with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for the Outreach and Services to Homeless Victims of Crime Grant Program.
A) Adopt a resolution authorizing the District Attorney to execute a contract with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to accept additional funding and extend the term of the original grant for direct services revenue in the amount of $260,671 through December 31, 2020.
B) Adopt a resolution adding 1.0 FTE time-limited Administrative Aide position to the department allocation table through March 31, 2021 to support continuation of this program.
The objective of the Outreach and Services to Homeless Victims of Crime program is to provide advocacy, case management and prosecution to the most vulnerable in Sonoma County, homeless victims of crime who may suffer from a disabling condition.
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Executive Summary:
Board approval and authorization is requested to allow the District Attorney to sign a contract to continue participation in the Homeless Victims of Crime Program funded by the State of California, Office of Emergency Services for $260,671 through December 31, 2020.
Discussion:
The rise of homelessness in Sonoma County is a sad reality. From the 2019 Sonoma County Point of Time in Homeless Census and Survey our homeless population is at 2,951. Of that, 34% were sheltering in emergency or transitional housing and 66% were unsheltered, living on the streets, abandoned buildings, cars or encampment areas. The census also reported that 42% also battle a disabling condition or conditions. Homelessness leads to a high prevalence of victimization. The average life expectancy of individuals experiencing homelessness is 25 years less than those in stable housing.
Reports from local agencies serving the homeless cite: domestic violence, rape, monetary and identity theft, robbery, assault and fraud are the most common crimes suffered by the homeless. Most of these crimes are never reported to law enforcement. The Sonoma County Homeless Outreach Team has identified domestic violence as the most prevalent crime type and reason for becoming homeless for the clients we serve. One of the goals of this program is to serve this vulnerable population by focusing on victimization such as domestic violence and sexual assault. The Homeless Census identifies 87 homeless families in Sonoma County. In the last fiscal year, the Homeless Outreach Team served 59 families to include 164 members as well as 182 individuals. That is 68% of identified families and 79% of them were located in Santa Rosa. The most common age group served is 25-59 with a huge jump in age 0-12 in the last quarter.
The California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) Outreach and Services to Homeless Victims of Crime grant award of $260,671 provides funds for an additional year for this program. The funds provide salaries and benefits for one fulltime Homeless Outreach Coordinator housed within the Family Justice Center as part of the Victim Services Division of the District Attorney’s Office. Salary and benefits for this position total $120,764 and grant funds cover $93,096; the District Attorney matches the remainder through general funds. The grant and program also helps pay for three Outreach Workers with current Community Based Organizations (CBO) who have expertise in victim assistance. The community-based organizations will each receive $50,000 of grant funds and will provide grant matching in-kind services of $12,500 per each organization to cover 24/7 hotline operations. The collaborative agencies are Catholic Charities, Verity, and the YWCA. Catholic Charities has experience serving the homeless, Verity targets victims of sexual assault and the YWCA focuses on domestic violence abuse. These partner agencies have been at the forefront for victim case management and sought to participate in this program as agreed by the Victim Services Steering Committee (VSSC) in 2016.The Victim Services Steering Committee (VSSC) was created to prepare this grant program and apply for the agreed funding. The committee meets annually for updates on the statistics, trends, and success stories from the Homeless Outreach Team. The goal of the committee continues to be to collaboratively support this successful program that will hopefully continue even after the close of the grant.
The Homeless Outreach Team efforts are consistent with the Sonoma County System of Care, endorsed by the County of Sonoma Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, October 9, 2018.
The Outreach and Services to Homeless Victims of Crime program expands and enhances a coordinated system of multi-disciplinary response, outreach, and case management and provides timely and comprehensive services to homeless crime victims that may have disabling conditions.
Core services provided by partners include:
• Partnership with the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office Victim Services Division, Catholic Charities HOST, Verity, YWCA, and the Family Justice Center Sonoma County
• Specialty outreach for homeless crime victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, as well as general crimes to provide wrap around services
• Complete screening by outreach workers to direct victims to services
• Emergency resources available to resolve immediate needs like food, clothing, and transportation
• Assistance with referrals for housing, health and social services
• Coordinated intake to encourage clients to participate in the full screening and assistance through nonprofit agencies; as well as transportation to shelters and services as needed
• 24/7 hotline resource cards and care kits provided
Available funding pays for short term housing for families at two local motels; transportation in the form of City or County buses, taxis and fuel cards, Safeway gift cards for food, and vouchers for clothing.
Goals of the Outreach and Services to Homeless Victims of Crime Grant Program
1. Assist homeless victims of crime who may have a disabling condition to obtain housing, health services and social services.
2. Identify and address facts that increase the likelihood that homeless individuals who may have a disabling condition will become crime victims.
3. Foster coordination across the County to sustainably address multiple difficulties of homeless victims of crime who may have a disabling condition.
Prior Board Actions:
The Board of Supervisors granted approval to accept the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for the Outreach and Services to Homeless Victims of Crime Grant Program funds on November 1, 2016 and again on October 23, 2018 to extend the program through December 31, 2019.
Fiscal Summary
Expenditures |
FY 19-20 Adopted |
FY20-21 Projected |
FY 21-22 Projected |
Budgeted Expenses |
$130,335 |
$130,336 |
0 |
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$130,335 |
$130,336 |
0 |
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
State/Federal |
$130,335 |
$130,336 |
0 |
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$130,335 |
$130,336 |
0 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts: The term of the grant is January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. CalOES Homeless Outreach funds of $260,671 will be split between the FY 2019/20 and 2020/21 budget.
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
Administrative Aide |
$4,576.01 - $5,562.18 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
The re-institution of the 1.0 FTE time-limited Administrative Aide allocation will not increase, decrease, or change the work of any existing positions. The grant award notification was sent out by CalOES on December 26, 2019 and was not received in time to extend the position before it expired on December 31, 2019, therefore the position must be added rather than extended. The incumbent will continue to coordinate and facilitate program planning and evaluation meetings, track data, and report on progress. Additionally, the Administrative Aide will build strong inter-agency collaboration, develop data collection and analysis systems that can refine service strategies, and bring new resources to provide a variety of services. This position has been in place since October 2016 when the first two year term of the Homeless Outreach Program grant was awarded
The end date of the grant-funded Homeless Outreach Coordinator (Administrative Aide) will be 3/31/2021, which will allow for the position to continue beyond the contract’s expiration in order to accommodate common contract renewal delays. In the event that the contract is not renewed beyond December 31, 2020, the non-grant funded position costs from January 1, 2021 through March 31, 2021 would be paid with salary savings by the department.
Attachments:
Resolution A
Resolution B
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
Marginalized Victims Program Award Letter