CITY OF POMONA
COUNCIL REPORT
May 1, 2023
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: James Makshanoff, City Manager
Submitted By: Benita DeFrank, Neighborhood Services Director SUBJECT: ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION RECEIVING A GRANT AWARD OF $94,790 FROM SAN GABRIEL/POMONA REGIONAL CENTER FOR SOCIAL RECREATION AND AMENDING THE FY 2022-23 OPERATING BUDGET BY INCREASING REVENUE ESTIMATES AND APPROPRIATING THE $94,790 IN AWARDED GRANT FUNDS AND APPROVE KIDS INCLUDED TOGETHER AS A SOLE SOURCE PROVIDER FOR SERVICES AS PER THE AGREEMENT RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the City Council take the following actions:
1) Adopt the following resolution:
RESOLUTION NO. 2023-52 – A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF POMONA, CALIFORNIA RECEIVING A GRANT AWARD OF $94,790 FROM SAN GABRIEL/POMONA REGIONAL CENTER FOR SOCIAL RECREATION AND AMENDING THE FY 2022-23 OPERATING BUDGET BY INCREASING REVENUE ESTIMATES AND APPROPRIATING THE $94,790 IN AWARDED GRANT FUNDS; and, 2) Approve to award a Sole Source Contract to Kit Included Together; and, 3) Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute all documents related with this action, with approval of the City Attorney as to form.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This action will provide Community Services the financial support to administer Inclusive Pomona, a project that focuses on creating a community of inclusivity, centered on providing programming that uses evidence-based practices and principles to better serve and meet the needs of youth, ages 3-21 years old, with intellectual and development disabilities (I/DD). Approval of Resolution 2023-52 will authorize an increase in revenue estimates and appropriation (amendment of the FY 2022-23 Operating Budget) of the $94,790 grant funds.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Adoption of Resolution 2023-52 (Attachment 1) will amend the FY 2022-23 Operating Budget by increasing revenue estimates and appropriating $94,790 in grant funds (Fund 215-4190-40889/5xxxx-58777) from San Gabriel/Pomona Regional Center to administer Inclusive Pomona. There is no grant match.
To support the goals and objectives of Inclusive Pomona beyond the grant ending period of December 1, 2023, funding for staff in the annual range of $65,000 to $80,000 will come from Youth Commitment Funds, and will be included in the FY 2023-24 Proposed Budget.
DISCUSSION:
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) provided supplemental funding to increase the federal medical assistance percentage for the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) for qualifying states. Under ARPA, states can implement a variety of innovative activities that will increase capacity of HCBS to meet the needs of individuals with intellectual and development disabilities (I/DD). ARPA provided the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) $12.5 million for grants for enhanced community integration for children and adolescents (social rec grants). The grants will fund projects that will enhance and develop integrated and inclusive social and recreational programs for families, children and adolescents with I/DD in diverse communities. Regional centers (RCs) will partner with community entities that provide social and recreational programs to implement approved grant projects.
The San Gabriel/Pomona Regional Center (SG/PRC) is a private non-profit agency providing services, support, and advocacy for individuals with I/DD and their families. Operating under a contract with DDS, SG/PRC will provide services to individuals with I/DD between the ages of three (3) to twenty-one (21) years old residing in SG/PRC’s “catchment area” which covers the Los Angeles County health districts of El Monte, Foothill, and Pomona.
SG/PRC released a Notice of Request for Proposal offering grants to existing community partners to develop programs/services for children and adolescents with I/DD served by SG/PRC. These grants would fund projects that enhance and develop integrated and inclusive social and recreational programs for families, children and adolescents with I/DD in underserved communities. The grants should address the following priorities:
Create, re-establish and/or enhance existing programs that are inclusive of children and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities by applying evidence-based, best or emerging practices Support development of friendships between children and adolescents through integrated and inclusive programs and activities Hire and train staff to ensure the provision of adequate support for children and adolescents with complex needs (i.e., physical, and behavioral) Support communities with cultural awareness and sensitivity by enhancing language access and cultural competence within social and recreational programs and activities Develop and vendor inclusive social and recreational programs that apply person-centered and family-centered practices.
City staff submitted a proposal for Inclusive Pomona (“Project”) that would ultimately result in a community of inclusivity centered on evidence-based practices and principles to better serve and meet the needs of youth, ages 3-21 years old with I/DD. Pomona youth with I/DD will have the opportunity to develop friendships through participation in City-run youth sports, programs, and activities that are integrated, inclusive, and accessible.
The Project grant period is April 1, 2023 through December 1, 2023 and will provide the following:
(1) Leadership/Organizations: Developing and increasing organizational knowledge and capacity for leaders and organizations to become more inclusive. i. Host one (1) Inclusion Symposium for one hundred (100) attendees. ii. Engage at least four (4) community partners to participate in inclusion collaborative efforts for the Project.
iii. Provide four (4) Organizational Inclusion training to modify policies and procedures, creating inclusive processes (applications, communications, social media, etc.) (2) Part-Time Technical Specialist I and II: Providing deeper level training on ways to support youth with I/DD, make assessments and recommendations to improve inclusivity in programs. i. Hire one (1) Technical Specialist I and four (4) Technical Specialist II to support youth with I/DD during recreation activities, complete site visits, and make recommendations for improvements for written materials, policies and procedures, and sites.
ii. Provide six (6) focused trainings on specific topics for inclusion aides.
iii. Adopt inclusion tools for recreational programming. (3) City Staff and Other Youth-Serving Agencies: Provide both introductory information about inclusion, as well as evidence-based inclusion principles and practices. Learn how to integrate inclusion elements to existing social recreational programming. i. Provide two (2) Introduction to Inclusion trainings for two hundred (200) City staff and members of partnering agencies.
(4) Families/Parents/Guardians and General Community: Topics would include how to support youth with I/DD based on parent perspectives. Feedback and input will be collected to help design and implement programs to better serve youth. i. Provide two (2) Parent/Guardian trainings for forty (40) attendees.
Community Services is committed to providing safe, meaningful recreational programming to all youth in Pomona.
COUNCIL PRIORITIES & GOALS:
This item supports the 2021-2022 City Council Priority 1: Fiscal and Operational Responsibility – Goal C: Obtain additional grant funding and other revenues to help achieve City goals.
Prepared by:
_____________________________
Monica Belloso
Management Analyst
ATTACHMENT:
Attachment No. 1 – Resolution No. 2023-52
Accept Grant Award for Inclusive Pomona and Amend the FY 2022-23 Budget