July 26, 2022
Library and Community Services
DATE: July 26, 2022
TO: Mayor Butt and Members of the City Council
FROM:
LaShonda White, Interim Director of Library and
Community Services
Subject:
Contract with Urban Strategies Council to Conduct
Research and Analysis of Various Community Crisis
Response Program options
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The funding for this contract is included in 01204022 400201 RI200
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
N/A
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
There is a desire for a Community Crisis Response
Program (CCRP) model to be implemented within the
City of Richmond. The CCRP model would provide a
community response that is non-law enforcement to
address the non-violent/non-felony behavioral health
crises in Richmond in coordination with the County
utilizing Measure X resources.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
APPROVE a contract with Urban Strategies Council to
conduct research and analysis of various Community
Crisis Response Program options, for a total amount not to exceed $112,844, with a term beginning August 1,
2022, and ending June 30, 2024 – Library and
Community Services Department (LaShonda White 510-
620-6512).
AGENDA
REPORT
July 26, 2022
DISCUSSION:
The City would like to enter into a contract with Urban Strategies Council, a consulting firm selected through a competitive bidding process, to assist the City of Richmond in determining the most appropriate community crisis response program (CCRP) model to deploy. A major component of this work will be to help determine how the City of Richmond will collaborate with, and not duplicate efforts being deployed by Contra Costa Health’s A3 program. A3 provides timely and appropriate behavioral health crisis services to Anyone in Contra Costa County Anywhere at Anytime, and is working to address the unmet behavioral health needs in Contra Costa County.
The concept of a CCRP in Richmond was modeled in part on Crisis Assistance Helping Out on The Streets (CAHOOTS), developed in Eugene, Oregon. CCRP seeks to provide a community-based crisis response that is efficient and effective for medically vulnerable and socially marginalized people in Richmond, most especially for people with mental illness, substance use disorders, or people in crisis who are experiencing homelessness and requiring community-based services, the majority of whom are Black, Indigenous, People of Color. CCRP provides a diversion model to reduce reliance on police and criminal justice responses by offering a public health response. A proposed CCRP program would provide an opportunity to improve access to mental health and other community services in Richmond and would also navigate people to the right services at the right time by utilizing community responders with strong ties and connections to Richmond that can respond in a respectful and non-stigmatizing manner.
Request for Proposals (RFP) Process and Review
The RFP was released on April 15, 2022, with a submittal deadline of May 20, 2022 (Attachment 1). The RFP was posted on the City’s BidsOnline system for competitive bidding, in which 1,415 vendors were notified (Attachment 2). The City sought proposals from highly qualified firms to:
1. Engage Richmond residents and community stakeholders in a comprehensive and responsive Community Engagement process to better understand experiences with the current public safety and non-public safety public health systems and aspirations for new response strategies
2. Develop and present an Analysis of Program Options that will evaluate current resources, determine community needs and articulate how each option best responds to those needs. Complete a Data Needs Analysis to both inform the program design and structure the effort for future evaluation of impacts and improvement.
3. Develop a Proposed Program Plan for the City Council that includes a proposed decision-making structure, reliable data collection process, reporting practices, and metrics. The Program Plan should be based on the results from the community engagement and analysis of program options. This report should articulate the process methodology that was used for option analysis, explain
July 26, 2022
community assessment and what was learned, and give a definite recommendation to City Council on what program option to select.
4. Design an Implementation Plan, in collaboration with City staff and stakeholders, based on the decision of the City Council. A component of this work may include the development of a Request for Qualifications/Proposal, in collaboration with City of Richmond staff, to select organization(s) that can support the implementation of Richmond’s Community Crisis Response Program.
Two (2) proposals were received and deemed as responsive by the deadline. The review committee, consisting of a Reimagining Public Safety Community Task Force member, and City staff from Community Services, Economic Development, and Richmond Police Department, reviewed the responsive proposals utilizing the criteria outlined in the RFP (Attachment 3). Based on total scores, staff is recommending entering into a contract with Urban Strategies Council (Attachment 4). Urban Strategies Council was selected because they have an experienced team, the proposal aligned with the RFP requirements, staff have performed similar work in similar communities, and the reviewers felt that their proposal best met the needs of the community.
Urban Strategies Council
Founded in 1987, the Urban Strategies Council (USC) is a regional research, collective action, program innovation and policy advocacy anchor organization dedicated to advancing economic, racial, and social equity in the Bay Area. The Council's most recent successes in policing reform/community violence prevention programming include: conducting community-based participatory research for the newly created Department of Violence Prevention (DVP); development of the MACRO pilot program in Oakland, CA and Antioch Care Team pilot program (alternative non-police responses for 911 non-violent calls); assisting a community coalition in Cambridge, MA working to design an 911-call nonpolice alternative response system; and convening/facilitating development of the Justice Reinvestment Coalition of Alameda County. In addition, USC has developed knowledge of ARPA funding opportunities working on resource development planning for these initiatives.
In Richmond, USC has recently worked with the West Contra Costa County Unified School District implementing the CA Department of Education's Career Pathways Programs, and they currently work with Contra Costa Community College as a partner organizing the Bay Area Systems Impacted Consortium (advancing college success for formerly incarcerated students). USC also has existing relationships with several Richmond community-based organizations, community leaders, and county systems leaders.
Timeline and Cost
Urban Strategies Council will begin work in August 2022, with plans for updates to City Council throughout the process and provide initial recommendations to City Council by February 2023. They expect to complete the scope of work outlined above for a fixed
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fee of $98,125, as outlined below. A contingency is being set aside of $14,719 (15 percent) to be used for expenses and for additional requests such as additional interviews, focus groups, or community meetings. USC must secure written approval prior to any use of the contingency. The total not-to-exceed fee for this project will be $112,844.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – CCRP Request for Proposals
Attachment 2 – BidsOnline Report
Attachment 3 – Scoring Matrix
Attachment 4 – Urban Strategies Council Contract