Public Safety Committee
June 25, 2024
RECOMMENDATION
AGENDA REPORT
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution To:
1. Accept And Appropriate A Grant From The Alameda County Probation Department In An Amount Not To Exceed One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) For The Period Of July 1, 2024, To June 30, 2027; And
2. Authorize The City Administrator To Take All Steps Necessary For The City To Receive The Grant; And
3. Add One (1) Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Case Manager I Position In The Department Of Violence Prevention For The Period Of October 1, 2024, To June 30, 2027, In An Amount Not To Exceed Four Hundred Fifty-Two Thousand Four Hundred Sixty-Eight Dollars ($452,468) And Allocate Grant Funds For This Purpose; And
4. Amend Resolution No. 90061 C.M.S. To Reduce General Purpose Fund Allocations And Allocate Grant Funds In An Amount Not To Exceed Four Hundred Thousand Dollars ($400,000) To Support Grants With Nonprofit Organizations That Will Host Summer 2024 Town Nights Events.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The proposed resolution, if adopted, will allow the City Administrator to do the following:
1. Accept a grant for $1,000,000 from the Alameda County Probation Department for the term of July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2027.
2. Add one 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) Case Manager I position to the Department of Violence Prevention (DVP) from October 1, 2024, to June 30, 2027, to provide intensive life coaching to youth and young adults who are at imminent risk of gun violence.
3. Allocate $400,000 to grants with five community-based organizations that will host Summer 2024 Town Nights events.
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: Holly Joshi
City Administrator Chief of Violence Prevention
SUBJECT: DVP Grant From ACPD DATE: May 28, 2024
City Administrator Approval Date:
Jestin Johnson (Jun 12, 2024 17:19 PDT)
Jun 12, 2024
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: DVP Grant From ACPD
Date: May 28, 2024 Page 2
Public Safety Committee
June 25, 2024
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Ceasefire-Lifeline Strategy. The City of Oakland implements the focused deterrence strategy known as Ceasefire-Lifeline, which is an evidence-based, data-driven strategy for reducing group-related shootings and homicides by focusing social services and enforcement efforts on the approximately 350 individuals who are most likely to be victims or perpetrators of gun violence in the near term. Oakland first implemented the Ceasefire-Lifeline model in 2012 and saw homicides drop from 126 in 2012 to 68 in 2018, a nearly 50% reduction. Researchers who evaluated the strategy from 2012 to 2017 attributed 31.5% of the reduction to Ceasefire-Lifeline directly. Starting in 2019, however, shootings and homicides began to increase again and returned to 123 in 2021. An audit completed in December 2023 by the California Partnership for Safe Communities and National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform revealed that Ceasefire- Lifeline had not been implemented with fidelity since 2019, lacking adequate staffing resources, service intensity, and focus on the highest-risk individuals. Under new leadership, the City of Oakland has recommitted to implementing the model with fidelity, and the DVP and Oakland Police Department (OPD) completed departmental reorganizations in February 2024 to achieve this goal.
The DVP implements the prevention and intervention (“Lifeline”) components of the strategy by relentlessly pursuing individuals at greatest risk to engage them in intensive services that support changes in mindsets and behaviors to avoid future violence. Violence interrupters relentlessly pursue individuals at the highest risk for gun violence, locating them and building relationships with the goal of connecting them to intensive DVP services. Violence interrupters also maintain a high-visibility presence in impacted communities, building relationships, identifying and mediating group conflicts, and preventing retaliatory violence. Life coaches work closely with clients to identify factors driving their participation in violence, develop and implement strategies to reduce risk, and build the safety nets and supports needed to increase protective factors. Life coaches also connect clients to organizations funded by the DVP to provide resources, including housing, employment, and relocation services. This intensive program model requires life coaches to have daily communication with their clients over a period of at least 12 months to facilitate positive behavior change. The Oakland Police Department implements the enforcement (“Ceasefire”) component of the strategy, identifying and arresting those who continue to perpetrate community violence.
The Ceasefire-Lifeline strategy operates through a strong partnership between the City of Oakland, the Alameda County Probation Department, faith-based leaders, and social service providers. The Alameda County Probation Department plays a pivotal role in the strategy by participating in weekly custom notifications and quarterly call-in meetings to deliver the Ceasefire-Lifeline message to individuals most likely to be victims or perpetrators of gun violence in the next 90 days.
Town Nights. Town Nights is a multi-generational approach to violence prevention that involves hosting community events that provide free food, activities, and jobs for residents on Friday evenings during summer months in neighborhoods with high rates of shooting with injury. Town Nights engages families in a prosocial and safe activity during high-crime hours and builds community cohesion as a protective factor against future violence. It is one component of the broader public health strategy funded by the DVP and implemented by community-based organizations (CBOs), and it is designed to safely engage stakeholders of all ages, including individuals who may be potential victims or perpetrators of violence.
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: DVP Grant From ACPD
Date: May 28, 2024 Page 3
Public Safety Committee
June 25, 2024
Town Nights involves the following four interrelated program elements:
1. Outreach to community members to attend events.
2. Employment opportunities for residents to work at events.
3. Recreational activities and food available for free to all attendees.
4. Violence interruption dialogues facilitated by violence interrupters and community engagement teams intended to reduce future violence through the establishment of peace agreements.
On December 10, 2021, the DVP released a request for qualifications (RFQ) for violence prevention and intervention services from 2022 to 2024. Based on this RFQ, the DVP awarded grants to Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency (BOSS), Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ), Destiny Arts Center, and Trybe, Inc. to host Town Nights events at seven sites during Summer 2023 (Resolution No. 89273 C.M.S.; Resolution No. 89648 C.M.S.). The DVP also waived the competitive process and awarded grants to East Oakland Boxing Association and Family Bridges to host Town Nights events at two additional sites (Resolution No. 89648 C.M.S.) based on their deep connection to the community surrounding the designated sites. The resulting events took place at nine sites for six consecutive Friday nights in June and July 2023. Over 15,000 people attended the events across all sites and weeks, and 247 Oakland residents were employed to staff the events. The events provided free meals to attendees and entertainment that included basketball tournaments, bounce houses, face painting, massages, raffles, live music, and dance performances. No incidents of violence took place at these events.
In December 2023, the City Council allocated $1,350,000 to the same agencies that hosted Summer 2023 Town Nights events to host six events at each of nine sites during Summer 2024 (Resolution 90061 C.M.S.). Table 1 provides the grantees and amounts authorized through this resolution.
Table 1. Grantees and funding amounts authorized through Resolution 90061 C.M.S.
Grantee Subgrantee(s) Site Grant
amount
Building Opportunities
for Self Sufficiency
Adamika Village Verdese Carter Park $150,000
Communities United
for Restorative Youth
Justice
None Josie de la Cruz Park
or Fruitvale Transit
Center
$150,000
Destiny Arts Center None Carter Gilmore Park $150,000
East Oakland Boxing
Association
None Elmhurst Park $150,000
Family Bridges None Lincoln Square Park $150,000
Trybe, Inc. (1) Homies Empowerment
(2) Hoover-Foster
Resident Action Council
(3) Khadafy Washington
Project
(4) Oakland Raised Me
(1) San Antonio Park
(2) Acorn Learning
Center
(3) Hoover Elementary
School
(4) Arroyo Viejo Park
$600,000
Total $1,350,000
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: DVP Grant From ACPD
Date: May 28, 2024 Page 4
Public Safety Committee
June 25, 2024
In February 2024, Family Bridges and the DVP learned that Lincoln Square Park will be under construction during Summer 2024 and unable to host Town Nights events. Additionally, during the City of Oakland’s Fiscal Year 2023-2025 midcycle budget review process, the DVP reallocated $1,145,000 of the $1,350,000 awarded to Town Nights through Resolution 90061 C.M.S. to meet budget reduction requirements set by the Finance Department. This reallocation left $205,000 available to fund Summer 2024 Town Nights events through the DVP.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The proposed resolution will accept a grant for $1 million from the Alameda County Probation Department (ACPD) for the period of July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2027, and allocate funding accordingly:
1. Fund one 1.0 FTE Case Manager I position within the DVP from October 1, 2024, to June 30, 2027, to provide intensive life coaching services to 25 individuals ages 21 and under who are identified as being at imminent risk of gun violence through the Ceasefire- Lifeline strategy. This funding will allow ACPD to deepen its commitment to the Ceasefire-Lifeline strategy and partnership with the City of Oakland to reduce group- driven gun violence.
2. Award $400,000 to community-based organizations that will host Summer 2024 Town Nights events. This will allow the DVP to disburse $605,000 to grantees for Summer 2024 Town Night events in total, enabling grantees to host 24 events across eight sites.
This investment advances ACPD’s commitment to creating safe and positive alternatives for youth and youth adults in Oakland during weekend evenings and complements ACPD’s existing investment in the Oakland Midnight Basketball League for the same purpose. The events are expected to be attended by youth and young adults who might otherwise be at risk for being victims or perpetrators of violent crime. The events are also expected to build social capital and community cohesion, contributing to long-term protective factors against violence.
The proposed resolution advances the citywide priority of holistic community safety by increasing the DVP’s capacity to deliver life-saving intensive life coaching services to individuals at greatest risk of gun violence in the near term. Additionally, Town Nights events provide safe evening events in neighborhoods with high rates of violent crime and contribute to increased community cohesion and resiliency that supports long-term violence prevention efforts.
FISCAL IMPACT
The DVP will allocate the $1 million grant received by ACPD accordingly:
• $452,468: Salary and fringe benefits for Case Manager I position. • $400,000: Grants with community organizations for Summer 2024 Town Nights events (allocations by grantee organization outlined in Table 2). • $102,500: Stipends and flexible funds for intensive life coaching clients. • $45,032: Supplies and indirect costs.
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: DVP Grant From ACPD
Date: May 28, 2024 Page 5
Public Safety Committee
June 25, 2024
Table 2. Funding sources for Summer 2024 Town Nights grant agreements.
Grantee Total grant
amount
Funds from
DVP
Funds from the
ACPD grant
Building Opportunities for Self
Sufficiency
$75,000 $22,500 $52,500
Communities United for Restorative
Youth Justice
$75,000 $22,500 $52,500
Destiny Arts Center $75,000 $22,500 $52,500
East Oakland Boxing Association $75,000 $22,500 $52,500 Trybe, Inc. $305,000 $115,000 $190,000
Total $605,000 $205,000 $400,000
Funds will be allocated to Project (To-be-determined), Award (To-be-determined), Fund (To-be- determined), Fostering Safe and Healthy Communities Program (SC22), and Oakland Unite Organization (70211).
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
No public outreach was deemed necessary for the proposed resolution beyond the standard City Council agenda noticing procedures because ACPD determined how they wanted grant funds spent.
COORDINATION
The City Attorney’s Office, Budget Bureau, and City Administrator’s Office were consulted during the preparation of this agenda report and resolution.
PAST PERFORMANCE, EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
The Ceasefire-Lifeline strategy has been studied extensively in cities across the county and is widely viewed by experts as the most effective approach to reducing group-driven gun violence.
Oakland first implemented the Ceasefire-Lifeline model in 2012 and experienced a 31.5% reduction in gun homicides that was directly attributable to the strategy. Since reimplementing the model with fidelity in February 2024, Oakland has seen significant reductions in shootings and homicides compared to last year. As of May 19, 2024, homicides were down 18%, and shootings with injury were down 27% compared to the same day in 2023.
Researchers from the Urban Institute conducted an evaluation of Summer 2023 Town Nights events to determine their impact on crime. Preliminary results from this evaluation revealed no significant difference in calls to 9-1-1 for service or reports of violent crime in neighborhoods surrounding Town Nights events during event hours and subsequent weekend days compared to similar neighborhoods without the events. During Summer 2024, Urban Institute will expand the scope of their evaluation to assess the impact of Town Nights events on feelings of safety, changes in social capital, and feelings of neighborhood connectedness. Prior research indicates that community-building events can play an important role in strengthening levels of informal social control among residents, which can be measured by their perceptions toward violence Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: DVP Grant From ACPD
Date: May 28, 2024 Page 6
Public Safety Committee
June 25, 2024
and their willingness to report suspicious activity and crime to the police (Groff 2015). The events may also increase social cohesion between residents that makes them less likely to have conflict and more likely to protect each other in the future (Gau 2014, Armstrong et. al. 2015). Lastly, Town Nights events could create visibility and public support for the community- based organizations at the events, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of their other violence reduction activities.
References:
• Armstrong, T. A., Katz, C. M., & Schnebly, S. M. (2015). The Relationship Between Citizen Perceptions of Collective Efficacy and Neighborhood Violent Crime. Crime & Delinquency, 61(1), 121-142.
• Gau, J. M. (2014). Unpacking collective efficacy: the relationship between social cohesion and informal social control. Criminal Justice Studies, 27(2), 210–225. • Groff, E. R. (2015). Informal Social Control and Crime Events. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 31(1), 90-106.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: Town Nights events employ residents from surrounding neighborhoods to publicize and staff the events. During Summer 2023, 247 residents were hired across 9 sites and earned at least minimum wage working 4-10 hours a week for 6 weeks.
Environmental: City of Oakland climate fellows will host tables at Town Nights events during Summer 2024 to share information about how residents can get incentives to electrify their homes or install solar panel
Race & Equity: The grant-funded life coach will deliver intensive life coaching services to individuals at the highest risk of imminent gun violence, the majority of whom are African American or Latino males with criminal records. Through these services, the grant-funded case manager will contribute to a reduction in violent victimization and incarceration among this vulnerable population. Additionally, Town Nights events will be held in neighborhoods that have been historically underinvested in to benefit Oakland’s most vulnerable residents.
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution To:
1. Accept And Appropriate A Grant From The Alameda County Probation Department In An Amount Not To Exceed One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) For The Period Of July 1, 2024, To June 30, 2027; And
2. Authorize The City Administrator To Take All Steps Necessary For The City To Receive The Grant; And
3. Add One (1) Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Case Manager I Position In The Department Of Violence Prevention For The Period Of October 1, 2024, To June 30, 2027, In An Amount Not To Exceed Four Hundred Fifty-Two Thousand Four Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: DVP Grant From ACPD
Date: May 28, 2024 Page 7
Public Safety Committee
June 25, 2024
Hundred Sixty-Eight Dollars ($452,468) And Allocate Grant Funds For This Purpose; And
4. Amend Resolution No. 90061 C.M.S. To Reduce General Purpose Fund Allocations And Allocate Grant Funds In An Amount Not To Exceed Four Hundred Thousand Dollars ($400,000) To Support Grants With Nonprofit Organizations That Will Host Summer 2024 Town Nights Events.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Holly Joshi, Chief of Violence Prevention, at (510) 920-6272.
Respectfully submitted,
Holly Joshi (Jun 11, 2024 15:32 PDT)
Holly Joshi
Chief of Violence Prevention
Reviewed by:
Mailee Wang, Deputy Chief of Administration
Prepared by:
Jenny Linchey, Deputy Chief of Grants,
Programs, and Evaluation