Attachment A
TO: NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES
AND EDUCATION
COMMITTEE
FROM: Jon Cicirelli
SUBJECT: Neighborhood Center
Partner Program Annual
Report
DATE: November 18, 2024
Approved Date:
12/5/2024
RECOMMENDATION
Accept the annual report on the Neighborhood Center Partner Program (NCPP) work plan recommendation and audit implementation.
BACKGROUND
In 2008, the City of San José (City) took a step towards preserving the safety and accessibility of community centers in the face of substantial budgetary challenges.
San José City Council responded to these challenges by passing the Community Center Reuse Policy (Council Policy 7-12)
1 , which set the framework for the Facility
Reuse Program in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services (Department/PRNS). The program’s goal was to establish partnerships with community service providers to maintain services at the Department’s community centers. This was achieved by offering agencies non-exclusive use of certain centers (called Neighborhood Centers) at no cost in exchange for services primarily benefitting San José residents.
Neighborhood Centers operate differently from Hub Community Centers. Each council district has one main Hub Community Center (e.g., Almaden Community Center, Mayfair Community Center, etc.). The Hubs offer classes, programs, activities, and special events, which are planned, programmed, and facilitated by City staff to meet the varied recreational needs of diverse communities. The NSE AGENDA: 12/12/2024
ITEM: (d)3
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
November 18, 2024
Subject: Neighborhood Center Partner Program Annual Report
Neighborhood Centers operated by non-profit partners offer more focused and limited level of services in comparison to Hubs. Some Neighborhood Centers have hybrid operations where programs and services at those locations are provided by NCPP partners and City staff. Hybrid City programming examples can include the Senior Nutrition Program (SNP), Teen Centers, afterschool programming, and summer camps. Hybrid programming currently takes place out of Alum Rock Youth Center, Alviso Youth Center, Edenvale Community Center and the Vietnamese American Cultural Center.
In 2018, the City Auditor’s Office conducted an audit of the Community Center Reuse Program,2 which is administered by the Department. The audit included recommendations to ensure transparency in the selection process for the program, maintain proper contract compliance, and create effective monitoring processes. Since then, the Department has worked toward assessing the former structure of the Community Center Reuse Program and seeks to generate ideas on how to better implement reporting requirements, establish and monitor contracted goals, and improve oversight of the program. In December 2019, the Department presented an update to the City Council to introduce the newly rebranded program, now known as the Neighborhood Center Partner Program. This rebranding recognizes that the strength of the program is determined by our community-based partners that provide services at our Neighborhood Centers. The Department has worked toward revitalizing and rebranding the program with goals that extend beyond just maintaining services at the Neighborhood Centers. Instead, the Department seeks to maintain quality, safe, and operational facilities; ensure timely transparent processes for operator selection; establish consistent enforcement accountability standards and metrics; improve community access and knowledge of activities; and increase the number of providers and services in disadvantaged communities.
The Department conducted a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the NCPP in January 2021. The RFQ outlined new reporting requirements to ensure that the Department receives information on contracted and actual reported services by program activity across all service providers. The current list of NCPP RFQ-qualified pool of service providers is outlined in Attachment A.
ANALYSIS
NCPP Direct Service Hours
In fiscal year 2023-2024, twelve (12) NCPP partners and six (6) subcontractors operated thirteen (13) NCPP sites (See Attachment B for partners who provide services at NCPP Neighborhood Centers). NCPP partners and subcontractors provided approximately 27,266 hours of service through a variety of programs and services for all ages such as theater, arts and crafts, music, cultural enrichment, academic enrichment, advocacy, civic engagement, recreation, early childhood education, family resources,
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
November 18, 2024
Subject: Neighborhood Center Partner Program Annual Report
older adult pro social activities, health education, sports, case management and veteran’s support. Per the obligations outlined in the RFQ, selected Neighborhood Center service providers are responsible for delivering a minimum of 30 hours per week of direct services, which amounts to 1,560 hours per center. As NCPP administrative staff began to evaluate the monthly hours reported by partners, it was found that although the programs generally exceeded the overall contracted hours, smaller organizations at smaller neighborhood sites were experiencing shortfalls due to space restrictions/availability, seasonal programs, and funding. Additionally, the weekly hours requirement does not consider holidays (federal and cultural), school breaks, and other mitigating factors for partners not meeting the hours requirement. Table A below illustrates the hours that partners and their subcontractors were projected to provide versus the actual reported hours that were provided during the reporting period July 2023 through June 2024. Prospectively, staff will look at available space at each center to optimize use of the facility while holding our partners accountable to a requirement that matches their designated center size and programming capacity.
Table A: FY23/24 Neighborhood Center Partner Program Direct Service Hours
CENTER NAME PROVIDERS
PROJECTED
HOURS
REPORTED
HOURS
Almaden Winery Assyrian American Association SJ 1032 1409 Alum Rock Youth Center Boys & Girls Clubs 1224 1475
Escuela Popular 1012 1332
Alviso Youth Center Boys & Girls Clubs 1211 1804
Capitol Park/Goss AACI 540 274
Edenvale Community Center Boys & Girls Clubs 1224 1515
YMCA 936 584
Houge Community Center American Youth Shakespeare 816 596 San Jose Astronomical Association 168 148
Arab American Cultural Center 588 206
Meadowfair Community
Center Kidango 1968 1735
Noble Community Center
Veterans Supportive Services
Association
1694 1718
Olinder Community Center Chopsticks Alley Art 720 467
Starting Arts 356 211
Rainbow Community Center Ethiopian Community Services 2640 5306 San Tomas
Silicon Valley Korean American
Federation
1764 641
Vietnamese American Cultural
Center
International Children Assistance
Network
2640 1895
Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation 1824 2722
Washington United Catholic Charities 3552 3231
NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE
November 18, 2024
Subject: Neighborhood Center Partner Program Annual Report
SCCOE OYA 1440 1790
Healing Grove 96 108
Audit Update
The NCPP program’s 2018 audit made 19 recommendations related to four findings: 1) Better facility level data can inform the future of the Reuse Program; 2) PRNS can better ensure service providers meet contracted terms; 3) Opportunities exist to improve efficiency of Reuse management; and, 4) PRNS should ensure transparency in the selection process for reuse providers. The Department completed 18 of the 19 recommendations as of June 30, 2024, and continues to make progress on one (1) remaining audit recommendation, which can be found in the most recent Status of Open Audit Recommendations3 (Report #18-06, pg. 17 and 35). This last audit recommendation requires information on all contracted and actual reported service hours by all providers which is illustrated in Table A. Once the Neighborhood Services and Education Committee receives this report and presentation, this final audit recommendation will be considered complete.
Next Steps
The Department recognizes that there are opportunities for improvements to the Neighborhood Center Partner Program. Staff continues to make adjustments to the program to meet the changing needs of the community and our partners and will continue monitoring NCPP providers for contract compliance. The Department plans to release a Request for Qualifications for the program in 2025 to increase the number of providers and maximize services to the community. Additionally, the Department will release a Request for Proposals (RFP) specifically for the Gardner Community Center.
This request will seek proposals for the short term, full operation of the Gardner Community Center utilizing one (1) million dollars from the Google Development Agreement that was approved by Council in 2021.
COORDINATION
This memorandum has been coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office. /s/
Jon Cicirelli
Director of Parks, Recreation and
Neighborhood Services
For questions, please contact Pauline Khek, Parks, Recreation and Facilities Supervisor, at [email protected] or (408) 569-8198.
Attachment A
Attachment A
NCPP 2021 RFQ Qualified Providers
Agency Name
Kidango, Inc.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
International Children Assistance Network (ICAN)
Korean American Community Services, Inc (KACS)
The Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation, Inc. (VIVO)
Silicon Valley Korean American Federation
Kaisahan of San Jose Dance Company
Arab American Cultural Center of Silicon Valley
Opening Doors 2020
American Youth Shakespeare
Chopsticks Alley Art
Northside Theatre Council
Veterans Supportive Services Agency
Asian Americans for Community Involvement
Assyrian American Association of San Jose
Ethiopian Community Services, Inc.
YWCA of Silicon Valley
Our City Forest
Attachment B
Attachment B
2023-2024 NCPP Neighborhood Center Provider List
NCPP Center District Contracted Provider Subcontracting Partners Alma Youth & Senior
Center 7
City Operated
Almaden Winery
Community Center 10 Assyrian American Association of San Jose
Alum Rock Youth
Center 5 Boys & Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley (BGC)
Escuela Popular
Alviso Youth Center 4 BGC
Backesto
Community Center 3
Vacant
Berryessa Youth
Center 4
City Operated
Bramhall
Neighborhood
Center
6 Vacant
Capitol Park/Goss
Community Center 5
Asian Americans for
Community Involvement.
(Vacant as of May 2024)
Edenvale
Community Center 2 BGC YMCA
Edenvale Youth
Center 2
Council approved removal
from NCPP as of 8/27/24
due to lease expiration
Gardner Community
Center 6
City Operated. RFP
pending
Hamann Community
Center 1
Vacant
Houge Community
Center 9
American Youth
Shakespeare
San Jose Astronomical
Association and
Arab American Cultural
Center
Joseph George
Community Center 5
Council approved removal
from NCPP as of 8/27/24
due to lease expiration
Kirk Community
Center 9
Council approved removal
from NCPP as of 8/27/24
for BSJ staffing
Los Paseos
Community Center 10 Vacant
Meadowfair
Community Center 8 Kidango
Noble House
Community Center 4 Veterans Supportive Services Association
Noble Modular
Community Center 4
City Operated
Old Hillview 5 Vacant
Attachment B
Olinder Community
Center 3
Chopsticks Alley Art Starting Arts (No longer a
subcontractor as of July
2024)
Rainbow Community
Center 1 Ethiopian Community Services
San Tomas
Community Center 1 Silicon Valley Korean American Federation Starbird Youth
Center 1
City Operated
Vietnamese
American
Community Center
(VACC)/Shirakawa
Community Center
7 Vietnamese Voluntary
Foundation (VIVO);
International Children
Assistance Network
(ICAN)
Vista Park
Community Center 2
Vacant
Washington United
Youth Center
3 Catholic Charities of Santa
Clara County
Santa Clara County Office
of Education Opportunity
Youth Academy (SCCOE
OYA) and
Healing Grove (No longer
a subcontractor as of
March 2024)
Welch Park
Community Center 8
City Operated