To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Human Services
Staff Name and Phone Number: Katie Greaves, 565-8501
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Social Advocates for Youth Contract
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Director of the Human Services Department to execute an agreement with Social Advocates for Youth in the amount of $398,024 for the term of July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, and to execute future amendments that do not significantly change the scope of work or increase the cost of the contract by more than $25,000.
end
Executive Summary:
In February 2020, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued for the My Pathway Program (MPP) under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Approval of this agenda item will allow the Human Services Department (HSD) to contract with the youth services provider Social Advocates for Youth to provide education, training, and work readiness services. Social Advocates for Youth will serve 73 youth and young adults ages 14 to 24 through the My Pathway Program, despite COVID-19.
Discussion:
The My Pathway Program (MPP) is largely funded by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which provides at-risk youth and young adults with career preparation and educational support services to teach the relationship between academic learning and workplace application, prepares youth to be citizens and leaders, and provides support services needed to reduce barriers to success in school and in employment. Additional funding comes from CalWORKs realignment funding for transitional age foster youth and Sonoma Water.
MPP is the next iteration of the Youth Education and Employment Services (YEES) program. It provides youth and young adults ages 14-24 with the education, training, work experience, and supports necessary to gain and retain permanent employment on their chosen career pathway. The target population includes those with barriers to education or employment, including, but not limited to, youth ages 16-24 who are not-in-school and not working, current or former foster youth, youth receiving CalWORKS benefits, homeless or runaway youth, pregnant or parenting youth, and youth with a disability. MPP emphasizes career pathway planning and paid work experience/training through a partnership between Social Advocates for Youth and Sonoma County Job Link. In addition to one on one support to address youth’s identified barriers, MPP offers work readiness training, including life skills and financial literacy, to program participants, identified as a best practice in the recent Sonoma County Grand Jury Report on Homeless Youth. Social Advocates to Youth also provides emergency shelter and transitional housing for unaccompanied youth and transitional age youth and can make seamless referrals to these services as applicable. Job Link will develop and coordinate all paid work experience opportunities with a focus on expanded internships in County Departments, with the exception of the Sonoma County Youth Ecology Corps (SCYEC). SCYEC services are provided by Conservation Corps North Bay and interested MPP youth participants will be referred to SCYEC as appropriate.
The YEES program has historically been administered through five regional contracts. This was feasible due to the influx of funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The number of youth in need of subsidized employment and other employment services was very high due to the Great Recession. ARRA funding to HSD ended after 2010, and as the economy improved, the number of youth in need of employment development services also declined. In 2012-13, for example, HSD employment programs aimed to serve 513 youth compared to 161 youth in 2019-20.
On February 20, 2020, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued for MPP under WIOA. Proposers were asked to demonstrate their ability to serve all geographic regions of the County. The decision to take a county-wide approach was made in order to maximize resources for direct services to the community and to our high-risk youth and young adults in light of year-over-year reductions to WIOA youth funding. Since 2016-17, Sonoma County’s WIOA youth funding allocation has been reduced by 25%. Administrative requirements under the federal WIOA continue to be intensive and as a result, the number of youth able to be served in WIOA with regional contracts has declined by 62% since 2016.
Five proposals were received. The Proposal Review Committee, comprised of one WIB member and two outside reviewers, used the evaluation and scoring methodology outlined in the RFP to assign scores. The Proposal Review Committee concluded that one contractor could meet the program requirements as specified in the RFP and had a well-articulated plan for reaching and serving diverse youth and young adults in all regions of Sonoma County. The Committee recommended contracting with Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) to administer MPP services county-wide. Partnering with one agency will allow for more funding to go to direct services and will lead to the development of a strong program with formal links to Job Link and career pathways within County Departments. SAY has proposed to serve 73 youth and young adults in Program Year 2020-2021. The MPP will be evaluated annually for effectiveness.
On May 13, 2020 the Workforce Investment Board Executive Committee accepted the Proposal Review Committee’s funding recommendation
Prior Board Actions:
June 11, 2020 - Approved a contract with SAY in the amount of $244,534.00 for the Youth Education and Employment Services Program (the prior WIOA youth program).
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 20-21 Adopted |
FY21-22 Projected |
FY 22-23 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$398,024 |
|
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
|
|
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$398,024 |
|
|
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal |
$326,024 |
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
$72,000 |
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
|
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$398,024 |
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Funding sources include $326,024 from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds from the Department of Labor, CalWORKs funds from the California Department of Health and Human Services, and Realignment funding; $72,000 from Sonoma Water.
|
Staffing Impacts: |
|
|
|
|
Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Contract
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None