COUNCIL AGENDA: 11/8/2022 ITEM: 3.3 TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND FROM: Councilmember Sergio Jimenez CITY COUNCIL SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: November 8, 2022 ______________________ Approved: DATE: 11/8/2022 _________________________________________ SUBJECT: FINANCIAL NEED-BASED STIPENDS FOR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS RECOMMENDATION Accept the Staff recommendation with the additional direction: 1. Authorize the payment of stipends for Department sponsored on-going community engagement processes that are approved by the City Manager’s Office. BACKGROUND The Quarterly Open House, Community Gathering for Fair Housing is a new initiative that was launched in September 2022. The Quarterly Open House is a regularly scheduled meeting every four months to gather Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian American Pacific Islander, people of color, Women, LGBTQ+, disabled community members and community members with lived experience of homelessness to guide the Housing department to center racial equity in its policies, procedures, and funding priorities. The Quarterly Open House is intended to be a long-term system change for the Housing Department. The Quarterly Open House was co-designed, planned by, and is guided by a steering committee of members with lived experience of housing insecurity and/or homelessness and representatives from equity-centered community-based organizations. Housing staff are not members of the steering committee. Staff provides logistical support, prepares content for meetings, and shares subject matter or landscape knowledge. There are five current members on the steering committee with lived experience of homelessness or housing insecurity. The steering committee currently meets biweekly with breaks during the months of July and December.
Unfortunately, current City of San Jose procurement rules prevent the Housing Department from directly funding lived experience stipends for community engagement. The first year of funding for stipends was granted by Eastside PEACE, a group of residents and organizations working together to build a healthy, peaceful, and empowered community in the 95116, 95122, and 95127 zip codes. The second year of funding for 2023 will be provided through a grant from Destination: Home. Current steering committee members are compensated $50 per 1.5 hr. steering committee meeting, and $100 per 2-hr Quarterly Open House meetings paid via gift cards. The Housing Department would like authorization to directly provide this stipend arrangement for the Quarterly Open House steering committee.