November 15, 2022
Library and Community Services
DATE: November 15, 2022
TO: Mayor Butt and Members of the City Council
FROM:
LaShonda White, Interim Director, Community Services
Sam Vaughn, Deputy Director of Community Service,
Office of Neighborhood Safety
Subject:
Approval of the Expenditures Associated with the 2022-
2025 California Violence Intervention and Prevention
(CALVIP) Grant Award
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The funding in the amount of $6,000,000 for three (3) years has been approved by the Board of State and
Community Corrections (BSCC) to fund the following
organizations as outlined in the grant application: RYSE ($1,000,000), Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL)
($1,150,000), Safe Return Project ($1,000,000), Evident Change ($300,000) Literacy for Every Adult Program
(LEAP) ($120,000), Financial Audit Services ($25,000)
and program operational support for the Office of
Neighborhood Safety (ONS) Operation Peacemaker
Fellowship ($2,405,000). The grant will increase the
budget for both the revenue and expenditures by
$6,000,000 under the following account string:
10612051-334351-2BQ04 and 10612051-400806-2BQ04
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
N/A
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
City staff is requesting City Council approval of a three- year expenditure plan associated with the 2022-2025
California Violence Intervention and Prevention Program (CalVIP) grant award issued by the Board of State and
Community Corrections (BSCC) to fund a local
collaborative effort to reduce violent activity using
evidence-based prevention, intervention, and
suppression activities.
AGENDA
REPORT
November 15, 2022
RECOMMENDED ACTION: ADOPT a resolution to ACCEPT and APPROPRIATE the expenditure plan associated with the 2022-2025
California Violence Intervention and Prevention Program (CalVIP) grant award in the amount of $6,000,000; and
AUTHORIZE the city manager or their designee to
negotiate and execute multi-year contracts, with
termination dates ranging from June 30, 2025 through
December 31, 2025, with RYSE Center ($1,000,000),
Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL) ($1,150,000),
Safe Return Project ($1,000,000), Evident Change
($300,000), Literacy for Every Adult Program (LEAP)
($120,000), and for financial audit services ($25,000); and AUTHORIZE the city manager or their designee to
execute all budgetary and program amendments
approved by the Board of State and Community
Corrections, and any associated City contract
amendments – Library and Community Services
Department (LaShonda White/Sam Vaughn 510-620-
5404).
DISCUSSION:
The Office of Neighborhood Safety (ONS) received funding from the State for the past 14 years to support its violence intervention and prevention program. The 2022-2025 California Violence Intervention and Prevention Program (CalVIP) funding award, provided through the Board of State and Community Corrections Department (BSCC), specifically supports ONS’s efforts to further develop and advance sustained city capacity to reduce firearm assault and associated injury through its Street Outreach and Operation Peacemaker Fellowship (community and individual based gun violence interruption strategy) and the RYSE Center Restorative Pathways Program (Hospital- based Violence Intervention Program). BSCC notified Richmond that ONS received the $6 million three-year grant on June 9, 2022, which includes $6 million in matching funds from the City of Richmond and participating community-based organizations included in the grant.
The project activities for the Beloved Community Partnership-Next Level Collaborative (BC-ENLC) will include the following specific evidence-based programs:
Street Outreach Workers develop relationships with and provide direct support to youth and young adults who are directly involved with and/or suspected of being involved in firearm activity in Richmond. Street Outreach workers contact and engage targeted participants and offer a spectrum of support services opportunities.
Mentoring supports the healthy development of program participants by addressing their need for positive adult interaction.
November 15, 2022
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is an approach that helps program participants overcome emotional distress and trauma by teaching skills to enhance self-control and reduce violence.
Hospital-Based Violence Intervention involves the provision of culturally competent services to individuals receiving hospital care as victims of violence.
Life Skills Training (LST) promotes healthy living/lifestyle and reduces drug and alcohol use among program participants by promoting anti-drug values and self- management.
Healing Circle have been demonstrated to be successful approach to helping communities heal from trauma, by bringing people together to acknowledge what has happened, affirm their traditions, and develop shared support.
Case Management is a client-centered, goal-oriented process of assessing an individual’s need for particular services and obtaining those services. Program participants have complex and interrelated needs, making this approach especially effective.
Subsidized employment is employment for which the participant’s employer is wholly or partially reimbursed for wages. These programs provide work experience, training in soft skills and business skills, and self-esteem. Studies with a reentry population have shown significant reductions in recidivism for individuals participating in transitional employment opportunities.
Project evaluation, provided by Evident Change, proposes a process evaluation that includes a systematic review of data to delineate the services and activities that support the work of the BC-ENLC. Additionally, at least (5) five qualitative interviews will be conducted with program staff, local leaders, community members, youth, and parents to understand and document BCP-NLC implementation.
Program operational support associated with the Operation Peacemaker Fellowship and the RYSE Restorative Pathways Program will include the following:
Service coordination designed to support positive health, social, emotional, mental, physical, employment, and educational outcomes for each program participant.
Supportive services which may include emergency housing support, transportation, primary document acquisition (driver’s license, birth certificate etc.), employment/training related clothing, food vouchers, life skills and vocational training, educational testing and support, and substance abuse treatment assistance.
Incentives and activities which may include stipends and gift cards based on program participants’ commitment to transforming their lives and participating in
November 15, 2022
goal-directed, activities, trainings and seminars as offered/required by the program and/or outlined in their case file.
Clinical Counseling services to provide individual and group clinical counseling (Including CBT) for program participants.
Trauma stewardship and healing circle for services providers and informal neighborhood leaders.
Coordinated literacy, recreational and community services projects for program participants.
Workplace skills development and subsidized employment for program participants.
Data collection and evaluation.
The grant will serve 535 youth in Richmond and West Contra Costa County through a local collaborative with RYSE Center, Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL), Social Good Fund, and the Literacy for Every Adult Program (LEAP) in an effort to reduce violence through evidence-based programs and activities. Funds are also allocated to Evident Change for evaluation purposes and to fund financial audit services.
Richmond Police Activities League (RPAL)
RPAL will receive $1,150,000 over three years (07/01/22 – 06/30/25) to provide services for all the partner agencies participants through services such as but not limited to mentoring, life skills trainings, service-learning, job readiness, workshops, excursions, subsidized employment, and internships. RPAL was chosen as a contractor due to the lengthy and successful partnership and the positive impact demonstrated on previous CalVIP grants.
Social Good Fund/Safe Return Project
Safe Return Project will receive $1,000,000 over three years (07/01/22 – 06/30/25). This groups specializes in providing services to justice impacted youth using a social and racial equity lens to provide mentoring, community organizing, healing circles, participatory research and systems change. Safe Return Project was chosen as a contractor because they epitomize what the CalVIP grant is all about. They are a grass roots organization that has had a 12-year relationship with ONS and has a history of being able to engage the hard-to-reach population that this grant mandates we serve.
Aforementioned
RYSE
RYSE will receive $1,000,000 over three years (07/01/22 – 06/30/25) to provide services for all the partner agencies and their participants. RYSE specializes in youth led, youth driven practices and provides leadership building, through trauma informed practices such as cognitive behavioral therapy, healing circles, mentoring, as well as providing several trainings and workshops for participants and partners. RYSE is also
November 15, 2022
contracted to do our hospital-based intervention work which allows them to provide services to gunshot victims while they are still recovering from their injuries and in their most vulnerable state, and is the only organization in west county that provides this service. RYSE was chosen as a contractor due to the lengthy and successful partnership with ONS and the positive impact demonstrated on previous CalVIP grants.
LEAP
LEAP will receive $120,000 over the three-year grant period (07/01/22 – 06/30/25) to provide assessments in reading, writing and math skills, develop education plans, and provide GED instruction classes for program participants.
Evident Change
This organization will receive $300,000 over three and a half years (07/01/22 – 12/31/25) to provide the grant-mandated evaluation of the program. They will coordinate with all partners to evaluate all goals and methods of the project and ensure proper data is being collected. They will advise and create pre-post assessments for participants, as well as capture program outcomes that will guide their final evaluation report due to the state. Evident Change was chosen as the evaluator due to their decades long commitment to research on inequities in urban America and the justice system. They are a nationally recognized research powerhouse when it comes to these specific topics. They are also an expert on the very specific needs and guidelines the state puts on the evaluation process and final report. They have served as the evaluator for all previous ONS CalVIP grants. They truly grasp ONS’s work and mission, and all the challenges associated with serving the population that this grant mandates us to serve.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
Attachment 1 – Grant Agreement
Attachment 2 – Official Notice of Award
Attachment 3 – Resolution