Agenda

Return

C.123

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	Kathy Gallagher, Employment & Human Services Director
Date:	June 9, 2015

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

CCWORKS (Contra Costa Works) Expanded Subsidized Employment Program

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 06/09/2015

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor
Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor

ABSENT:

Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

Elaine Burres, 313-1717

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: June 9, 2015
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Employment and Human Services Director, or designee, to expand the CCWORKS (Contra Costa Works) Subsidized Employment Program. The Workforce Services Bureau will work with the County, public, non-profit, and private sector employers to make employment slots available to eligible Welfare-to-Work participants, focusing specifically on participants who are limited English proficient, challenged by domestic violence, veterans, have a criminal or arrest history, disabled, pregnant and parenting teens, and those participants completing the family stabilization component of the Welfare-to-Work program.

RECOMMENDATION(S): (CONT'D)

CCWORKS participants will be allowed to work between 20 and 40 hours per week for a maximum of six months. The contractual/financial agreement with employers is to reimburse not less than $9 but not to exceed $20 per hour, with a bonus opportunity following the subsidy period if the employer continues to employ the participant, not to exceed $1,000 per bonus. The total expanded subsidized employment program amount is not to exceed $3.5 million from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016.

FISCAL IMPACT:

$3.5 million CalWORKs expanded subsidized employment allocation (80% State, 20% Federal) for subsidized employment program wages for CalWORKs participants.No County match.

BACKGROUND:

Based upon the success of the subsidized employment programs operated in response to Senate Bill (SB) 72 which extended the State reimbursement to counties for subsidized employment programs as authorized by Assembly Bill (AB) 98, the Employment and Human Services Department (EHSD) developed and implemented a subsidized employment program, known as CCWORKS (Contra Costa Works).

Employers hire eligible CalWORKs, CCWORKS participants and train the participants to the appropriate skills for the position in which they are placed. CCWORKS participants receive a wage comparable to those workers performing the same or like duties at the employer's worksite. Monthly reimbursement invoices are submitted by the participating employers for each CalWORKs participant in the CCWORKS program. Invoices are reviewed by EHSD staff for accuracy and submitted to the EHSD Fiscal Unit for payment to the employer.

AB 74 provided for the expansion of existing county subsidized employment programs. The expansion of the program will allow additional services for the populations named earlier through June 30, 2016.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

Without authorization to expand the CCWORKS program, the participants will have fewer employment opportunities and they will have continued reliance on public benefits,

CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:

Not applicable.