CED Committee
April 23, 2024
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: Sofia Navarro
City Administrator Interim Director Economic
and Workforce
Development Department
SUBJECT: Summer Youth Employment
Contracts
DATE: March 30, 2024
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To:
1. Apply For, Accept, And Appropriate $75,000 In Grants And Contributions And To Accept And Appropriate Additional Funds That May Become Available For The City’s Summer Youth Employment Program And Services Of The Oakland Workforce Development Board In FY 2024-2025 Without Returning To The City Council; And
2. Negotiate And Execute Grant Agreements For The 2024 Summer Youth Employment Program Between The City Of Oakland And The Following Nonprofit Organizations: (A) Lao Family Community Development, Inc. In An Amount Not To Exceed $125,000; (B) Youth Employment Partnership, Inc. In An Amount Not To Exceed $125,000, And (C) Trybe, Inc. In An Amount Not To Exceed $12,572.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The proposed resolution would fundi Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) opportunities to the following nonprofit organizations: (1) Lao Family Community Development, Inc. for a total amount not to exceed $125,000, (2) Youth Employment Partnership for a total amount not to exceed $125,000, and (3) Trybe Inc. for a total amount not to exceed $12,572, consistent with the funding recommendations of the Oakland Workforce Development Board (OWDB). The OWDB and the Oakland Fund for Children and Youth (OFCY) have partnered to leverage and align summer youth employment programs and services to streamline the process of program implementation for contracted agencies.
This year will be the last year of the SYEP procurement cycle of Program Year 2022-2025.
SYEP 2022 and 2023 have shown much success from each of the contracted service providers who have contributed to exceeding each year’s enrollment goal to serve more youth. Six hundred (600) youth have been placed in summer jobs to date totaling over 41,000 work experience hours. Another contributing factor to the success was an additional one-time general Jestin Johnson (Apr 10, 2024 12:15 PDT)
Apr 10, 2024
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Summer Youth Employment Contracts
Date: March 30, 2024 Page 2
CED Committee
April 23, 2024
fund support provided to each of the organizations for SYEP 2023. The total enrollment goal combining all three years of the procurement cycle is to serve 715 youth. Upon completion of SYEP years 2022 and 2023, 83% of this goal has been met. SYEP 2024 is expected to meet and exceed that goal.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
History of OWDB’s Summer Youth Employment Program
The City of Oakland (City), along with partners from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, has had a longstanding commitment to providing summer jobs and other work-based learning opportunities for Oakland youth for more than four decades. The cornerstone of this effort focuses on investing in the Oakland SYEP , which provides funds to subsidize paid jobs and work experience opportunities sponsored through local nonprofit organizations and with the support of the local business community. The level of direct investment in this program varies from year to year, while the funding to support it has historically come from various public, private, and philanthropic sources.
The SYEP prioritizes services for youth from historically disadvantaged communities, including Black, Latinx, Native American, and Pacific Islander opportunity youth not connected to the traditional school system. Services focus on youth who are not working, have little to no work experience, are aged 16-21, and reside in East Oakland, Fruitvale, and West Oakland. The SYEP provides Oakland youth with opportunities to earn money, gain meaningful work experience and improve their job-readiness skills. The City contracts with local youth-serving organizations for the following:
x Recruit and enroll youth in the program
x Provide youth with high-quality job-readiness training x Identify organizations to serve as work sites for youth x Act as the employer-of-record/fiscal sponsor for youth whose wages are subsidized through the program
Partnership with OFCY on Joint Request-for-Proposals
Since 2019, OFCY and the OWDB have partnered to coordinate and align the summer youth employment program model, leverage opportunities to engage, support, and provide technical assistance to contract youth service providers, and align reporting requirements. The partnership with OFCY co-funds nonprofit service providers through a joint Request for Proposals (RFP) to deliver summer programming. The programs include job readiness training, 100 hours of paid (minimum wage) work experience, and financial literacy support. Over the years it has supported hundreds of youths to gain first- time job experience, explore careers and provided hundreds of thousands of dollars directly to youth through earnings.
OFCY partnered with the OWDB again in 2022 to issue a joint RFP for summer job services for 2022-2025, providing high school youth aged 16-21 with first time job experience during the summer months to gain experience and earn a wage between the school years. This Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Summer Youth Employment Contracts
Date: March 30, 2024 Page 3
CED Committee
April 23, 2024
coordinated approach allows the City to widen its network of funded youth service providers with an emphasis on serving priority youth populations and priority service locations and implement intentional models to provide programming that meets youth at various stages of work readiness.
The joint OFCY and OWDB RFP was released January 10, 2022, and applications were due February 22, 2022.
The OWDB is recommending funding of $262,572 to the organizations listed below. For more information, see:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/meeting/oakland-workforce-development-board-meeting-2-1-24 OFCY will be separately recommending funding of $300,000 to the OFCY Planning and Oversight Committee and City Council, at a later date, as part of their 11 funding strategies detailed in the OFCY 2022-2025 Strategic Investment Plan for a total combined funding amount of $562,572 to support 2024 SYEP program and services. Table 1 outlines the recommended funding amounts.
Table 1: OWDB Funding Recommendations & OFCY Funding for Summer 2024 Agency Name OWDB
Recommended
Funding Amount
OFCY
Funding Amount
Total
Program
Amount
Youth to
be Served
Lao Family
Community
Development, Inc.
$125,000 $125,000 $250,000 85
Trybe, Inc. $12,572 $50,000 $62,572 20
Youth Employment
Partnership, Inc.
$125,000 $125,000 $250,000 100
TOTAL $262,572 $300,000 $562,572 205
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The Summer Youth Employment Program is a key program offering youth employment opportunities, bringing together multiple resources from public, private, and community-based organizations. As such, the recommended resolutions meet the Citywide strategies of housing, economic, and cultural security. In the OWDB Local Plan (2021-2024) 1, a focus area is working with public, private, and community-based organizations on local initiatives to empower disconnected young people in the City through employment opportunities.
Currently the estimated funding available to support the 2024 Summer Youth Employment Program, including funding from both OWDB and OFCY, is as follows:
Table 2: FY 2024 Funds Available for Summer Youth Employment Program
1 https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/2021-24-local-plan
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Summer Youth Employment Contracts
Date: March 30, 2024 Page 4
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April 23, 2024
Revenue Sources OFCY OWDB TOTAL
Private Fundraising (anticipated) $75,000 $75,000
Measure HH
Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax
$350,000 $350,000
OFCY Funds (City of Oakland General
Funds – 3% set-aside)
$300,000 $300,000
TOTAL $300,000 $425,000 $725,000
Any additional funding not allocated by the OWDB for 2024 SYEP, as described in Table 2 above, will be distributed to these organizations in a manner consistent with the SYEP goals and service providers’ organizational capacity after further discussion with the providers and analysis by staff.
The OWDB considered social, racial, and economic equity in the distribution of funds in accordance with the Oakland Equity Indicators Report and the OWDB Racial Equity Analysis.
After review, it was determined that all three of the applicants have well developed and described program models, have the capacity to be an employer of record for youth participants, are within an acceptable range of costs per participant and have employer connections to place youth in work experience opportunities and jobs as designed under the current configuration of the Summer Youth Employment Program. This model includes pre-employment and job retention training, paid work experience at the City’s new minimum wage rate of $16.50/hour or higher, and ongoing case management.
The OWDB is recommending funding of $262,572 to the organizations listed in Table 2. As mentioned above, OFCY will be separately recommending funding of $300,000 to the OFCY Planning and Oversight Committee and City Council at a later date, for a total combined funding amount of $562,572 to support 2024 SYEP program and services. This recommendation advances the Citywide goal of economic and cultural security.
FISCAL IMPACT
This request represents a budget that includes $262,572 of Measure HH funding for three organizations for summer youth employment. The 2024 OWDB SYEP is being supported by the following funding sources:
x Measure HH: As part of the City’s biennial budget, the OWDB was granted $400,000 annually from Measure HH (sugar-sweetened beverage tax), with funds pending adoption of the midcycle FY 2024-25 budget. The goal of this investment is to help connect young people’s summer work experiences to support the primary mission and vision of these funds. A total of $50,000 of Measure HH funding is allocated to staff to administer and monitor the program. Funding is budgeted in Measure HH (SSBDT) Fund (1030), Workforce Development Organization (85311), Various Accounts, Measure HH Healthy Kids Program Project (1003817), Workforce Development Program (SC03).
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
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Date: March 30, 2024 Page 5
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April 23, 2024
x Other Funds: The OWDB anticipates securing $75,000 in private grant funds to support a summer employment program for Oakland youth ages 16-21. Most of these funds will go toward paying for the costs of subsidized jobs, with a portion going to the City’s nonprofit partner who is serving as the applicant agency. There are also other fundraising efforts underway that could add to this total. Should additional private funds be secured or not materialize for programming, the provider funding amount will be adjusted accordingly. Funding would be accepted and appropriated in Miscellaneous Trust Fund (7999), Workforce Development Org (85311), Various Accounts, Mayor Summer Youth Project (1000500), Workforce Development Program (SC03)
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
Organizations being recommended for funding detailed robust outreach and engagement strategies for connecting youth to the program as well as recruiting businesses and organizations to serve as worksites. The organizations outlined recruitment and retention strategies and have a demonstrated record of success in focusing on priority youth populations:
OWDB prioritizes services for African American/Black, Latinx, Native American, and Pacific Islander youth (ages 16–21) residing in East Oakland, Fruitvale, and West Oakland, with an emphasis on serving opportunity youth (i.e., not employed or in school). This action was previously presented for discussion and approval to the OWDB at the February 1, 2024 Board Meeting.
COORDINATION
Workforce Development division staff and the OWDB worked closely with OFCY to develop program model and design. Additionally, staff also worked closely with the City Attorney’s Office for counsel and advice on matters such as proper noticing, board process, and conflicts of interest and with the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards, which will support contracts and contract amendments. This report and resolution were reviewed by the City Attorney’s Office and the Budget Bureau.
PAST PERFORMANCE, EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
This past SYEP 2023 resulted in 338 participants who worked a collective total of 25,725 hours, averaging approximately 80 hours of work per participant, with wage earnings ranging from $1,042 to $1,404.
Below are the percentages of youth participants by Race/Ethnicity:
x African-American:44%
x Asian: 27%
x Hispanic/Latinx:17%
x Multiple Ethnicities: 6%
x Middle Eastern: 3%
x American Indian: 1%
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Summer Youth Employment Contracts
Date: March 30, 2024 Page 6
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x Caucasian: 1%
x Other: 1%
Below is the number of youth ages served from highest to lowest:
x 37% - Age 16
x 34% - Age 17
x 15% - Age 18
x 8% - Age 15
x 5% - Age 19
x 1% - Age 20-21
Below is the number of youth served by zip code from highest to lowest:
* Priority zip codes per Race and Equity Analysis
A total of 81 employers across Oakland participated in hiring youth participants from industries such as Education, Environmental, Government, Health. Retail, Food, Construction and Non- Profit.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: Oakland’s Workforce Development system provides qualified workers, including youth, for Oakland businesses, and prepares Oakland residents for gainful employment and career paths that lead to family sustaining jobs.
Environmental: Several SYEP participants were placed in businesses within the environmental/sustainability industries.
Zip Code Count
*94601 75
94606 70
*94605 38
*94607 31
*94621 30
*94603 23
94602 21
94619 21
94609 9
94608 6
94612 6
94610 5
94618 2
94611 1
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Summer Youth Employment Contracts
Date: March 30, 2024 Page 7
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April 23, 2024
Race & Equity: Oakland’s Workforce Development system prioritizes services to historically disadvantaged communities, including African American and Latinx residents and geographic areas of Oakland (East and West), that have the highest numbers of residents who face disproportionately high levels of unemployment. Per the 2020 OWDB Race and Equity Analysis, the Workforce Development division identified critical disparities in employment access in Oakland, specifically in “[t]he communities of East Oakland, Fruitvale, and West Oakland, where a high number of Black and Latinx residents live and are unemployed at higher rates than the general population... including the zip codes 94621, 94603, 94605, 94601,94607.”
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Administrator To:
1) Apply For, Accept, And Appropriate $75,000 In Grants And Contributions And To Accept And Appropriate Additional Funds That May Become Available For The City’s Summer Youth Employment Program And Services Of The Oakland Workforce Development Board In FY 2024-2025 Without Returning To The City Council; And
2) Negotiate And Execute Grant Agreements For The 2024 Summer Youth Employment Program Between The City Of Oakland And The Following Nonprofit Organizations: (A) Lao Family Community Development, Inc. In An Amount Not To Exceed $125,000; (B) Youth Employment Partnership, Inc. In An Amount Not To Exceed $125,000, And (C) Trybe, Inc. In An Amount Not To Exceed $12,572.
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Summer Youth Employment Contracts
Date: March 30, 2024 Page 8
CED Committee
April 23, 2024
For questions regarding this report, please contact Quinallison Dovey, Program Analyst II, at (510) 238-6856.
Respectfully submitted,
SOFIA NAVARRO
Interim Director, Economic & Workforce
Development Department
Reviewed by:
Honorata Lindsay, Administrative Services
Manager II
Economic & Workforce Development
Department
Prepared by:
Quinallison Dovey, Program Analyst II
Workforce Development Division
Economic & Workforce Department