Agenda Item #4.2
For Council Meeting of: January 30, 2024
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: DONTE WATSON, DIRECTOR RECREATION AND PARKS
SUBJECT: VIOLENCE PREVENTION PARTNERSHIP IMPLEMENTATION PLAN AGENDA ACTION: STUDY SESSION
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Council conduct a study session to receive information about the Santa Rosa Violence Prevention Partnership’s Implementation Plan. No action will be taken, but the Council may discuss this item and provide direction to staff.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This study session will provide information on the Santa Rosa Violence Prevention Partnership’s Implementation Plan. The Year 1 Implementation Plan includes strategies aimed at building a Crisis Response and Hospital Based Intervention Program and a Safe Campus Intervention Program, as well as relaunching the Clean Slate Tattoo Removal Program and workforce development programs and increasing opportunities for parent and community education and youth engagement.
BACKGROUND
From January through May 2023, the Santa Rosa Violence Prevention Partnership (The Partnership) undertook an extensive strategic planning process to revisit its mission, vision, values and strategies to identify areas for improvement and change for the period of 2023-2028. The strategic planning process included reviewing data collected from recent community engagement efforts including the 2021 Partnership Community Needs Assessment, the Community Empowerment Plan Listening Sessions Report, and the 2022 Hearn Community Hub Community Engagement Phase. Interviews were held with several former Violence Prevention Program Managers, members of the Policy and Operational Teams, and members of the California Cities Violence Prevention Network. Additionally, staff conducted extensive research of evidence-informed practices and programming, as well as violence prevention models from other California communities. A series of planning workshops were also held with the Policy and Operational Teams, with a total of six workshop taking place beginning in February 2023. This work culminated in a final community meeting on June 27, 2023, where The Partnership presented the draft strategic plan to attendees and received feedback on the proposed strategic focus areas.
The strategic plan was formally approved and adopted by the Policy Team on July 19, 2023. The plan includes an updated mission and vision, along with a new set of guiding principles and strategic focus areas. The strategic focus areas are: 1) Intervention; 2) Prevention; 3) Communications, Outreach, and Education; 4) Investment; and 5) Collaboration.
Staff provided a briefing to City Council on the newly adopted plan on October 10, 2023. Staff worked with members of the Policy Team to create and approve the Year 1 Implementation Plan at their November 8, 2023 meeting.
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL REVIEW
On October 10, 2023, Council heard a staff briefing on the 2023-2028 Violence Prevention Strategic Plan and requested that staff return at a later date with the Year 1 Implementation Plan.
ANALYSIS
The Year 1 Implementation Plan’s primary focus is on rebuilding intervention programs and services for The Partnership. This includes developing and launching the Safe Campus Intervention Program and the Crisis Response and Hospital-Based Intervention Program, as well as reestablishing the Clean Slate Tattoo Removal Program and workforce development strategies.
The Safe Campus Intervention Program (SCIP) is based on the Safe School Campus Intervention Program model from the City of San Jose. SCIP is a crisis response and communications protocol aimed at preventing and deescalating incidents of violence on and around school campuses. This program is staffed with trained intervention workers, including those with lived experience, who are mobilized by schools at the first sign of conflict to engage, mentor and case manage at-risk and gang-involved youth. These positions will also provide after school support and programming including one-on-one case management, opportunities for pro-social activities and life skills development, and Boys Council and Girls Circle groups. The Partnership will work closely with the Roseland School District and Santa Rosa City Schools on implementation of this program at 14 middle schools and high school campuses in Santa Rosa.
The Partnership is also working to develop and launch the Crisis Response and Hospital-Based Intervention Program during this year. This program is modeled after other successful programs in various communities including Oakland and San Jose. The goal of this program is to reach victims of violence within 48 hours of admission to the hospital to provide critical services that break the cycle of violence, reducing the likelihood of retaliation and ongoing community violence. Intervention specialists will work closely with victims of violence and their families, linking them to services and resources including relocation assistance, mental health services, legal assistance, and more. The Partnership will also provide support to neighborhoods impacted by violence by bringing resources directly to them via wellness popup events.
The Partnership is also working diligently to reestablish the Clean Slate Tattoo Removal Program and workforce development programming. Staff is currently exploring two options for the Tattoo Removal Program, including the purchase of a laser tattoo removal machine and partnerships with local laser tattoo removal clinics. The goal is to have the program up and running by Spring 2024. Partnership staff have also been rebuilding relationships with agencies that offer workforce development programs including Conservation Corps of the North Bay, Circuit Riders, and Social Advocates for Youth. The goal is to bring back workforce development opportunities, including training and links to jobs, for youth and young adults looking to leave the gang lifestyle.
Implementation of other strategic focus areas has also begun and will continue during this year, including revising the CHOICE Grant Program to align with the new strategic plan. This will allow The Partnership to fund programs that not only align with the focus areas of the new strategic plan, but also fills in the gap of programs and services that staff are not able to do internally. The Partnership is also working to develop the Teen Council model and other opportunities to involve youth in violence prevention.
Communication, outreach and education are also a priority during this first year of implementation. Partnership staff worked tirelessly to bring back the Violence Prevention Awareness Seminar in November 2023, as well as plan a series of community wellness popups. Three popups were held in the second half of 2023 in the Bellevue Ranch, Corby and Apple Valley neighborhoods. A parent education event and wellness popup are scheduled for January 31, 2024 at Santa Rosa High School. Staff has also relaunched use of The Partnership’s social media channels and have implemented a partner spotlight series along with regular updates the community about upcoming meetings, events, and program highlights. The Partnership will also identify training needs for the Policy and Operational Teams and build out a training schedule for the upcoming year.
The Partnership has also worked on restructuring the Policy and Operational Teams to make their meeting times more productive and efficient. This includes merging the Multi-Disciplinary Assessment and Referral Team (MDART) back into the Operational Team which allows for a more comprehensive discussion of referral cases and a broader range of services and programs for youth and families participating in the referral program. The Policy Team agendas have been restructured to allow for community climate updates, opportunities for partner sharing, and monitoring of strategic plan efforts. The Partnership is also in the process of reestablishing the Policy Team’s Steering Committee and establishing a Community Advisory Committee.
Finally, the Year 1 Implementation Plan calls for researching and identifying grant opportunities which will allow The Partnership to appropriately staff the intervention programs mentioned above and expand services to meet the needs of the community.
The primary challenges The Partnership faces in implementation during Year 1 is the current staffing level, available resources for programming, and large wait lists across Sonoma County for services. Current staffing includes a Program Manager to oversee day-to-day operations of programming under all strategic focus areas, as well as staff supervision and support; one limited term Wraparound Coordinator funded by Sonoma County Probation through June 30, 2025 to coordinate the Guiding People Successfully referral program; one limited term Community Outreach Specialist funded through PG&E settlement funds for 18 months to coordinate and implement the intervention programs, including street outreach, crisis response and victim services, and tattoo removal; one Community Outreach Specialist to coordinate the outreach, education and training strategies and activities; and one Research and Program Coordinator to manage the CHOICE Grant Program and identify additional funding opportunities. In order to align The Partnership’s efforts with the best practices from other communities where intervention workers have a maximum caseload of 10-15 youth each, The Partnership would require, at minimum, two additional Community Outreach Specialists. These positions will support outreach and engagement of at-risk and gang impact youth, young adults and their families at schools and other community locations, provide case management and access to services such as tattoo removal, as well as provide crisis response and victim support when there are critical incidents of violence in the community.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of this action does not have a fiscal impact on the General Fund.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
This action is exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) under CEQA Guidelines Sections 15061(b)(3) and 15378 in that it does not have the potential to result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Not applicable.
NOTIFICATION
Not applicable.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 – Implementation Plan
PRESENTER
Danielle Garduño, Violence Prevention Program Manager
VIOLENCE PREVENTION PARTNERSHIP IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
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