Public Safety Committee
October 22, 2024
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: Holly Joshi
City Administrator Chief of Violence Prevention
SUBJECT: DVP Grant From Kaiser DATE: September 23, 2024
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution:
1. Accepting And Appropriating A Grant From Kaiser Permanente Through An East Bay Community Foundation Donor-Advised Fund In An Amount Not To Exceed Three Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($3,500,000) For The Period Of October 1, 2024, To September 30, 2027; And
2. Adding Four (4) Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Case Manager I Positions In The Department of Violence Prevention For The Period Of January 1, 2025, to September 30, 2027, In An Amount Not To Exceed One Million Seven Hundred Forty Thousand Two Hundred Fifty-Six Dollars ($1,740,256) And Allocating Grant Funds For This Purpose; And
3. Adding One (1) FTE Violence Prevention Services Supervisor Position In The Department Of Violence Prevention For The Period Of January 1, 2025, To September 30, 2027, In An Amount Not To Exceed Five Hundred Fifty-Five Thousand Five Hundred Thirty-Four Dollars ($555,534) And Allocating Grant Funds For This Purpose; And
4. Adding One (1) FTE Violence Prevention Services Manager Position, Or In The Alternative, One (1) FTE Violence Prevention Program Planner Position, In The Department Of Violence Prevention For The Period Of January 1, 2025, To September 30, 2027, In An Amount Not To Exceed Eight Hundred Thirty-Seven Thousand Seventy-Seven Dollars ($837,077) And Allocating Grant Funds For This Purpose; And
5. Authorizing The City Administrator To Oversee The Distribution Of Up To Three Hundred Sixty Thousand Dollars ($360,000) In Grant Funds As Stipends And Incentives To Support Residents In Meeting Basic Needs and Reducing Risk For Violence.
Jestin Johnson (Oct 10, 2024 09:54 PDT)
Oct 10, 2024
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: DVP Grant From Kaiser
Date: September 23, 2024 Page 2
Public Safety Committee
October 22, 2024
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The proposed resolution, if adopted, will allow the City Administrator to do the following:
1. Accept a grant for $3,500,000 from Kaiser Permanente through the East Bay Community Foundation donor-advised fund for the term of October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2027.
2. Add four (4) full-time Case Manager I positions to the Department of Violence Prevention (DVP) from January 1, 2025, to September 30, 2027, to provide intensive life coaching and violence interruption services.
3. Add one (1) full-time Violence Prevention Services Supervisor position to the DVP from January 1, 2025, to September 30, 2027, to supervise Case Manager I positions that provide intensive life coaching and violence interruption services.
4. Add one (1) full-time Violence Prevention Services Manager position or one (1) full-time Violence Prevention Program Planner position to the DVP from January 1, 2025, to September 30, 2027, to facilitate ongoing training opportunities for DVP life coaches and violence interrupters to enhance their ability to deliver effective, coordinated services.
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, cross-sector collaborative 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 directly attributed 31.5% of the reduction to Ceasefire-Lifeline. 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 participants 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 participants to organizations funded by the DVP to Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: DVP Grant From Kaiser
Date: September 23, 2024 Page 3
Public Safety Committee
October 22, 2024
provide resources, including housing, employment, and relocation services. This intensive program model requires life coaches to have daily communication with their participants over a period of at least 12 months to facilitate positive behavior change.
Kaiser Permanente (Kaiser) has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to improving the health and wellness of Oakland residents, including the recognition that gun violence is a public health issue. Kaiser funded the Ceasefire-Lifeline audit completed in December 2023 to help the City of Oakland identify deviations in the implementation of the evidence-based model and develop concrete steps for remediation. In March 2024, Kaiser invited the DVP to submit a funding proposal to expand its capacity to deliver intensive life coaching and violence interruption services through the Ceasefire-Lifeline strategy. The DVP submitted a proposal in April 2024 for $3.5 million over three years and received notification that the proposal was selected for funding in September 2024.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The proposed resolution will accept a grant for $3.5 million from Kaiser through an East Bay Community Foundation donor-advised fund for the period of October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2027, and allocate funding accordingly:
1. Four (4) full-time Case Manager I positions within the DVP to provide intensive life coaching services and violence interruption services to those who are identified as being at imminent risk of gun violence through the Ceasefire-Lifeline strategy. The DVP expects to hire two Case Manager I positions as life coaches who will provide intensive life coaching to caseloads of 8-10 individuals through daily contact, coaching, and service referrals. The two life coaches will serve a total of 60 individuals during the grant period. The DVP expects to hire the remaining two Case Manager I positions as violence interrupters who will proactively conduct outreach to group-involved individuals and people with influence in their lives to build and maintain the relationships needed to mediate conflicts and prevent violence. They will also respond to incidents of violence that occur to develop short- and long-term plans for safety, facilitate conversations that prevent retaliation, and connect victims and families to services.
These staff will augment a team of 10 existing life coaches and 3 existing violence interrupters within the DVP, and they are expected to be hired by January 2025.
Individuals will be hired into these positions based on their prior experience performing life coaching or violence interruption work, their deep relationships of trust in neighborhoods impacted by violence, and their relevant lived experiences. They will be trained in intensive case management, cognitive behavioral theory, conflict mediation, relentless pursuit techniques, and outreach in high-risk environments. The grant-funded life coaches will be expected to maintain caseloads of 10 clients and have daily contact with their clients. Violence interrupters will be expected to mediate at least one group- related conflict per month. Performance will be tracked on a weekly basis by DVP supervisors and leadership based on service data entered in the DVP’s data management system.
2. One (1) full-time Violence Prevention Services Supervisor position to supervise life coaches who deliver intensive life coaching services to individuals identified through the Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: DVP Grant From Kaiser
Date: September 23, 2024 Page 4
Public Safety Committee
October 22, 2024
Ceasefire-Lifeline strategy. The supervisor will represent the DVP’s third life coaching supervisor and will provide regular guidance and accountability to life coaches through weekly supervision meetings and reviews of performance metrics.
3. One (1) full-time Violence Prevention Services Manager who will develop and implement a peace academy that provides ongoing training opportunities to DVP and community-based life coaches and violence interrupters to strengthen their skills in domains such as cognitive behavioral theory, mediation, case conferencing, safe and effective outreach, and confidentiality. The peace academy will also serve as a certification center that creates a pipeline of new community violence professionals into violence intervention work in Oakland. The DVP’s grant application to Kaiser included a Violence Prevention Program Planner position to fill this role, but the DVP has since determined that a Violence Prevention Services Manager is the correct classification.
The Violence Prevention Services Manager classification will allow the individual hired to supervise existing staff within the DVP who are in supervisory classifications equivalent to a Violence Prevention Program Planner. It will also establish the Violence Prevention Services Manager as a member of the DVP’s executive team and demonstrate the department’s commitment to continuous learning and professional development within Oakland’s ecosystem of violence intervention practitioners and the national landscape of community violence intervention work.
4. Stipends of $500 per month for participants engaged in intensive life coaching services. Receipt of this funding is tied to the completion of life coaching goals and incentivizes positive behavior change. It also supports individuals in meeting basic needs and reducing their risk for violence.
5. Flexible funds of $500 per participant that life coaches can use to facilitate life coaching engagement and goal attainment over the course of a year. These funds may be used for things such as ordering a birth certificate, buying work-appropriate clothes, or paying for meals that facilitate relationship development between the participant and life coach.
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 and prevent incidents of violence through targeted, relationship- driven violence interruption services.
FISCAL IMPACT
The DVP’s grant application to Kaiser included a project budget of $3,499,073, as outlined in Table 1. Kaiser awarded the DVP $3,500,000, and therefore, the DVP’s final grant budget will include an additional $927 in mutually-agreed upon project costs.
Table 1. Project Budget Included in DVP’s Successful Grant Application to Kaiser.
Item Total amount
Staff
Case Manager I (4) $1,740,256
Violence Prevention Services Supervisor (1) $555,534
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: DVP Grant From Kaiser
Date: September 23, 2024 Page 5
Public Safety Committee
October 22, 2024
Item Total amount
Violence Prevention Program Planner (1) $612,111
Subtotal: Staff $2,907,901
Other
Stipends for life coaching participants $360,000
Flexible funds for life coaches to use on participants $30,000 Subtotal: Other $390,000
Indirect Costs (6.1%) $201,172
Total $3,499,073
Since submitting its grant application to Kaiser in April 2024, the DVP has determined that a Violence Prevention Services Manager is a more appropriate classification than a Violence Prevention Program Planner for the individual who will develop and implement a peace academy that provides ongoing training and certification opportunities to DVP and community- based life coaches and violence interrupters, as described under Analysis and Policy Alternatives. Once the DVP receives authority from the City Council to accept the grant award from Kaiser, the DVP will submit a budget modification request to Kaiser that deletes the Violence Prevention Program Planer position and adds a Violence Prevention Services Manager position. For this reason, the resolution requests permission to add one (1) FTE Violence Prevention Services Manager or one (1) FTE Violence Prevention Program Planner to the DVP during the grant term, allowing the DVP the flexibility to add a Violence Prevention Services Manager position instead of a Violence Prevention Program Planner position if the proposed budget modification is approved. Since the Violence Prevention Services Manager has a higher annual salary than the Violence Prevention Program Planner, the DVP will propose commensurate decreases in funds from other grant categories to accommodate this request.
Additionally, since the submission of the grant application to Kaiser in April 2024, new salaries and overhead rates have been released. The projected costs for the positions may vary each year from what was originally projected. The costs for these positions assume a 4% cost-of- living adjustment increase per fiscal year for the life of the grant. The difference in actual costs may result in a reduction in available stipends/flexible funds available to be spent from this grant.
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.
COORDINATION
The City Attorney’s Office, Budget Bureau, and City Administrator’s Office were consulted during the preparation of this agenda report and resolution.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: DVP Grant From Kaiser
Date: September 23, 2024 Page 6
Public Safety Committee
October 22, 2024
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 September 22, 2024, homicides were down 27%, and shootings with injury were down 30% compared to the same day in 2023.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: Participants in intensive life coaching services will receive stipends of up to $500 per month for completing life coaching goals.
Environmental: None.
Race & Equity: Grant-funded life coaches and violence interrupters will serve individuals at the highest risk of imminent gun violence, the majority of whom are African American or Latino males. Through these services, grant-funded staff will contribute to a reduction in violent victimization and incarceration among this vulnerable population.
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution:
1. Accepting And Appropriating A Grant From Kaiser Permanente Through An East Bay Community Foundation Donor-Advised Fund In An Amount Not To Exceed Three Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($3,500,000) For The Period Of October 1, 2024, To September 30, 2027; And
2. Adding Four (4) Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Case Manager I Positions In The Department of Violence Prevention For The Period Of January 1, 2025, to September 30, 2027, In An Amount Not To Exceed One Million Seven Hundred Forty Thousand Two Hundred Fifty-Six Dollars ($1,740,256) And Allocating Grant Funds For This Purpose; And
3. Adding One (1) FTE Violence Prevention Services Supervisor Position In The Department Of Violence Prevention For The Period Of January 1, 2025, To September 30, 2027, In An Amount Not To Exceed Five Hundred Fifty-Five Thousand Five Hundred Thirty-Four Dollars ($555,534) And Allocating Grant Funds For This Purpose; And
4. Adding One (1) FTE Violence Prevention Services Manager Position, Or In The Alternative, One (1) FTE Violence Prevention Program Planner Position, In The Department Of Violence Prevention For The Period Of January 1, 2025, To September Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: DVP Grant From Kaiser
Date: September 23, 2024 Page 7
Public Safety Committee
October 22, 2024
30, 2027, In An Amount Not To Exceed Eight Hundred Thirty-Seven Thousand Seventy- Seven Dollars ($837,077) And Allocating Grant Funds For This Purpose; And
5. Authorizing The City Administrator To Oversee The Distribution Of Up To Three Hundred Sixty Thousand Dollars ($360,000) In Grant Funds As Stipends And Incentives To Support Residents In Meeting Basic Needs and Reducing Risk For Violence.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Holly Joshi, Chief of Violence Prevention, at (510) 920-6272.
Respectfully submitted,
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
Holly Joshi (Oct 8, 2024 17:55 PDT)