October 18, 2022
Library and Community Services
DATE: October 18, 2022
TO: Mayor Butt and Members of the City Council
FROM:
LaShonda White, Interim Director of Library and
Community Services
Tamara Walker, Deputy Director of Community Services,
Employment and Training Division
SUBJECT:
Receipt of Grant Funds from the California Volunteers - Office of the Governor, U.S. Department of Labor
YouthBUILD, and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact to the General Fund for accepting these grants. Each grant will cover the cost of service delivery.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
N/A
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
California Volunteers - Office of the Governor, U.S.
Department of Labor YouthBUILD, and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, awarded the City of
Richmond’s Employment & Training Division grants
totaling $4,672,695. The funds will be used to employ
200 youth and young adults ages 16 to 30 years old.
The grants focus on building and expanding career
pathways in high-growth, high-wage industries,
addressing climate control and food insecurities, and
providing meaningful service opportunities to assist
COVID-19 recovery in the community.
AGENDA
REPORT
October 18, 2022
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
ADOPT a resolution to ACCEPT and APPROPRIATE
$4,672,695 in grant-funds received from California
Volunteers - Office of the Governor, U.S. Department of Labor YouthBUILD, and the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency – Library and Community Services
Department (Tamara Walker 510-307-8006).
DISCUSSION:
City of Richmond’s Employment and Training Division was awarded a total of $4,672,695 in grant funds from three sources:
California Volunteers - Office of the Governor in the amount of $2,972,695 (Attachment 1)
U.S. Department of Labor YouthBUILD in the amount of $1,500,000 (Attachment 2)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the amount of $200,000 (Attachment 3) These funds will be used to provide Richmond youth and young adults, ages 16 – 30 years old, who are participating in the City’s YouthWORKS, Adult, and YouthBUILD programs with transitional employment, academic development, occupational skills training, career pathways, and on-the-job training opportunities in high-wage, high-growth industries. These new grants will significantly expand access to training and quality job placement opportunities for Richmond youth and young adults.
The Employment & Training Department will work in partnership with a myriad of organizations, including Public Works, Human Resources, Reentry Success Center, Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL), Tiny House In My Backyard (THIMBY), and Contra Costa Community College to hire and train up to 200 Richmond residents, ages 16 - 30 in high-growth, high-wage employment opportunities. These funding opportunities will allow program participants to gain work experience important to enhancing their qualifications and are advantageous toward their ultimate success.
Each participant will be allowed to work a maximum of 500 hours at $16 - $20/hr.
The City of Richmond would benefit by having this addition to their labor force to revitalize and cleanup the city, grow its own talent pool to fill open vacancies, increase the construction and clean energy skilled workforce, and other COVID-19 recovery efforts. The Employment & Training Department will provide recruitment, screening, and eligibility determination of program participants, as well as ongoing case management services.
To successfully implement these grants, City staff will work collaboratively with Human Resources to adjust position control to authorize Employment & Training to hire grant- funded, term positions. This item will be brought before City Council for approval in the upcoming months.
October 18, 2022
Per City of Richmond Resolution No. 141-00, the grants were previously accepted by City staff; however, the amounts have not yet been included in the Fiscal Year 2022- 2023 budget. City staff, therefore, recommends that City Council ratify the acceptance and appropriation of these three grants and approve the expenditures as noted above (Attachment 4).
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – California Volunteers, Office of the Governor Contract Attachment 2 – U.S. Department of Labor YouthBUILD Award Notice Attachment 3 – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Attachment 4 – Resolution