FY 2013-14
As directed by the Public Protection Committee (PPC) at their March 8, 2013 meeting, RFPs for the AB 109 Community Programs for FY 2013-14 were issued for the following:
- Employment Support and Placement Services $ 2,000,000
- Short and Long-Term Housing Access $ 500,000
- Peer and Mentoring Support $ 200,000
- Planning for (3) Reentry Resource Centers $ 120,000
Upon conclusion of the procurement process, the following contracts were awarded by the Board of Supervisors at their May 21, 2013 meeting:
- Rubicon Programs Inc., in an amount not to exceed $1,400,000, to provide employment support and placement services in West and East County.
- Goodwill Industries of the Greater East Bay in an amount not to exceed $600,000, to provide employment support and placement services in Central County
- Shelter Inc., in an amount not to exceed $500,000, to provide short and long-term housing access countywide.
- Contra Costa County Office of Education in an amount not to exceed $200,000, to provide peer and mentoring services through sub-contracts with Men and Women of Purpose, Center for Human Development, and Brighter Beginnings.
- Further The Work, LLC., in an amount not to exceed $40,000, to provide planning services for a Reentry Resource Center for West County.
- Emerald HPC, International in an amount not to exceed $80,000, to provide planning services for Central and East County.
In addition, the final FY 2013-14 budget for AB 109 Public Safety Realignment included an allocation in the amount of $80,000 for reentry legal services for the Central County AB 109 population. Subsequent to the budget authorization, the County Administrator’s Office issued an RFQ and after conclusion of the procurement process, the Board of Supervisors authorized a contract with Bay Area Legal Aid on September 17, 2013 in the amount of $80,000.
FY 2014-15
For FY 2014-15, the Public Protection Committee directed staff at its February 24, 2014 meeting to extend the contracts for employment support and placement services as well as for short and long-term housing access, and Central County legal services with the contractors selected for FY 13-14. The PPC also directed that the $200,000 for the Peer and Mentoring Program be divided equally between the existing sub-contractors, Men and Women of Purpose, Center for Human Development, and Brighter Beginnings ($66,667 each).
On the recommendation of the PPC, on May 13, 2014 the Board of Supervisors authorized contracts to implement the recommendations of the reentry center/network planning processes for West, Central & East County. Contracts were awarded to the following:
| West County Reentry Resource Center |
|
| Rubicon Programs, Inc.: |
$800,000 |
| |
|
| Network Management Team |
|
| Kathy Moniz-Narasaki, Network Manager |
$107,000 |
| Patrick Mims, Field Ops. Coordinator, Central |
$82,700 |
| Vernon Williams III, Field Ops. Coordinator, East |
$82,700 |
| Eugene Jackson, Field Ops. Coordinator, East |
$83,200 |
| sub-total |
$355,600 |
| |
|
| Network Service Providers |
|
| JFK University |
$66,000 |
| Brighter Beginnings/Leadership |
$66,000 |
| Prepare My Sheep |
$65,000 |
| New Dream Life Center |
$115,000 |
| Reach Fellowship: Employment-Education Liaison |
$53,500 |
| Men and Women of Purpose: Employment-Education Liaison |
$50,900 |
| sub-total |
$416,400 |
| |
|
| Prepare My Sheep—equipment (FY 13-14) |
$52,330 |
Financial Summary
A financial summary report of the FY 2013-14 and FY 2014-15 AB 109 Community Programs is Attachment A.
Program Implementation
The County Reentry Coordinator and the Senior Deputy CAO assigned to the Community Programs project have held AB 109 Administrator meetings, met one-on-one with contractors, and participated in Case Conference meetings in order to assist with the management and performance of the contractors.In addition, contractors have been required to provide Quarterly Summary Reports.
Issues of concern that have been identified by staff and contractors include:
Implementation of the service referral process: The process by which referrals are made to the contracted service providers has required the development of information technology solutions, in consultation with service providers, and the training of AB 109 Probation Officers, both of which require time and staff resources. The implementation of the Plans for the West County Reentry Resource Center and the Central/East Networks have impacted the established processes and have required additional time and resources for development.
Lower than anticipated number of referrals in some cases: Contracts were initially developed with client referral numbers that did not met expectations. In a few cases, client referrals were duplicated among service providers. The Public Protection Committee has directed that the service population be extended to non-AB 109 clients. A Quality Assurance Committee (QAC) Work Group has been established to work through the referral and enrollment processes for this population extension.
The need to improve or increase client engagement strategies: Contractors are working with Probation and CAO staff to increase client “engagement” by developing strategies to better “market” available services. Strategies in progress include the development of brochures and flyers, hosting “service fairs,” increasing the presence of service providers at Probation offices, and facilitating AB 109 Probation Officer knowledge of program content and capacity. There is also an increased emphasis on Pre-release relationship building and service delivery, so that clients are more familiar with programs and program staff and interested in engagement.
The need to improve data management services across/among providers: Contractors identified a need for client case management resources, effective intake and assessment forms, and the ability to exchange information more easily. The work that our program evaluation consultants, Resource Development Associates, are currently performing is anticipated to address this issue more fully. The East-Central Network of Services has helped to address this problem by providing resources from FY 13-14 one-time funds for database management support, procurement of ServicePoint client management software, and aligning expectations around performance reporting.
Insufficient resources provided for housing: As anticipated, the amount of funds provided for the establishment of transitional housing has proven to be insufficient to the demand. Furthermore, the transitional housing provider identified in the East-Central Plan has not been able to identify housing resources. At its January 2015 meeting, the Public Protection Committee directed staff to proceed with an alternative housing provider. An amendment to the contract with SHELTER Inc. is being proposed to the Board of Supervisors for their Mar. 3, 2015 agenda for $115,000 to provide additional transitional housing in East and Central County.
The need to plan for service provision in the future: Contractors have expressed a need to know whether contracts will be extended for longer periods of time so that they can adequately prepare their budgets and allocate required resources. When RFPs are issued for FY 16-17, consideration should be given to multi-year contracts.
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