Agenda Item #15.3
For Council Meeting of: November 19, 2024
CITY OF SANTA ROSA
CITY COUNCIL
TO: MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: DONTE WATSON, DIRECTOR OF RECREATION AND PARKS
SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH NEW HOPE FOR YOUTH FOR STREET OUTREACH AND CRISIS RESPONSE SERVICES AGENDA ACTION: RESOLUTION
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended by the Recreation and Parks Department, Violence Prevention Partnership, that the Council, by resolution: 1) approve a Professional Services Agreement with New Hope for Youth, San Jose, California in the amount of $1,200,000 for street outreach and crisis response services from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2026; and 2) delegate authority to the City Manager to execute the agreement.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Violence Prevention Partnership (The Partnership) released a Request for Proposals on August 26, 2024, seeking a qualified organization to implement a street outreach and crisis response team focused on at-risk, high-risk, gang-impacted and gang-intentional youth and young adults and their families. On September 23, 2024, The Partnership received three qualified applications, and formed a review board which unanimously selected New Hope for Youth (NHFY) of San Jose, California. NHFY will implement the street outreach and crisis response team using the Credible Messenger Model and a trauma-informed care approach focusing on the following: cold street outreach, neighborhood climate checks, crisis response, victim support services, re-entry and diversion services, case management, whole family support, and pro-social activities.
BACKGROUND
In 2004 the Santa Rosa voters passed Measure O Public Safety quarter cent sales tax and extended the measure for an additional 20 years in 2022, with a funding allocation of 40% for Police, 40% for Fire, and 20% for Gang Prevention and Intervention Services. A component of the gang prevention and intervention is street outreach and crisis response services which provides intensive case management, whole family support, diversion and re-entry services, victim support, and pro-social opportunities for youth and young adults impacted by gang activity and gang violence.
Previously, these services had been provided by California Youth Outreach (CYO) for The Partnership under the Community Helping Our Indispensable Children Excel (CHOICE) Grant Program. In 2018, CYO lost its matching funding and went out of business in Santa Rosa. Since then, there has been a gap in street outreach and crisis response services focused on youth and gang violence in Santa Rosa.
On August 26, 2024, The Partnership released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for street outreach and crisis response services. The City of Santa Rosa received three applications in response to the RFP. A three member review team reviewed and rated submitted proposals and recommended one consultant for this contract. The proposal review team selected New Hope for Youth as the consultant for the street outreach and crisis response services.
PRIOR CITY COUNCIL REVIEW
Not applicable.
ANALYSIS
Founded in 2013 in Santa Clara County, New Hope for Youth has spent the last 11 years reaching out to and serving at-risk youth and their families. What began with two employees and an estimated $65,000 in revenue has grown by 2024 to 11 funding contracts valued at $3.9 million delivering services in two counties and approximately 30 Youth/Adult Intervention Specialists who are trained and qualified for their duties, who are diverse in language, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, and disabilities. Among the programs New Hope for Youth currently executes are:
1)Year-round school-based gang intervention services at 10 high school campuses located in city gang hot spots for the East Side Union School District in San Jose; 2) Case-management and wraparound services for gang-impacted youth in coordination with the City of San Jose Youth Empowerment Alliance; 3) In-custody credible messenger mentoring and group life skills at Juvenile Hall and James Ranch as well as home visits, case management and referrals in coordination with the Santa Clara County Probation Department’s Multi-Agency Assessment Center; 4) Hospital-based intervention victim services through Trauma to Triumph Hospital-Based Intervention program in coordination with the City of San Jose, San Jose Regional Hospital, and Valley Medical Center; 5) Gang intervention services to dually involved youth (foster care and/or juvenile justice system) in coordination with the Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children’s Services; and 6) Community engagement and education programming through gang awareness and safety workshops for community members as well as organizing group and neighborhood pro-social activities in coordination with the Santa Clara County Probation Department.
New Hope for Youth will be responsible for the following criteria under this contract:
Conducting neighborhood climate checks in coordination with The Partnership and the Santa Rosa Police Department’s Gang Crimes Team; Deploying credible messengers with lived experience to build relationships with at-risk, high-risk, gang-impacted, and gang-intentional youth and young adults within Santa Rosa hot spot neighborhoods; Engaging victims of group-based and interpersonal violence, especially gang related violence, at area hospitals or in-home settings, to offer long-term case management and supportive services to break cycles of violence and reduce acts of retaliation; Providing diversion and re-entry services, in coordination with The Partnership, Sonoma County Juvenile Probation, and Sonoma County Juvenile Hall; Providing whole family supportive services, engaging parents and other family members in case management and wraparound services; Providing pro-social opportunities to youth and young adults enrolled in case management and wraparound services.
Working closely with Partnership staff, New Hope for Youth will participate in quantitative and qualitative evalution to evaluate the successes of the street outreach and crisis response team as well as to capture areas for improvement.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funding for this agreement will be allocated as follows: $476,000 will be paid out of the project account JL 09769 and $724,000 will be paid out of the Public Safety and Prevention Sales Tax account GL 090401. Approval of this action does not have 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 Section 15061(b)(3) and 15378 in that there is no possibility that the implementation of this action may have significant effects on the environment, and no further environmental review is required.
BOARD/COMMISSION/COMMITTEE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The Public Safety and Prevention Sales Tax Citizen Oversight Committee reviewed this item and recommends New Hope for Youth for funding.
NOTIFICATION
Not applicable.
ATTACHMENTS
Resolution
Exhibit A – Professional Services Agreement with New Hope for Youth
PRESENTER
Danielle Garduño, Violence Prevention Program Manager
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH NEW HOPE FOR YOUTH FOR STREET OUTREACH AND CRISIS RESPONSE SERVICES PAGE 3 OF 3