Title:
Title
City Council COVID-19 Response: CARES Act Framework and Funding Priorities; Establish Citywide Youth Work-Based Learning Fall Program; Agreement: PRO Youth and Families, Inc.: Citywide Youth Work-Based Learning Fall Program CARES Act Grant Agreement [Two-Thirds Vote Required]
End
FileID
File ID: 2020-01030
Location
Location: Citywide
End
Recommendation:
Recommendation
1) Pass a Motion by two-thirds vote waiving Sacramento City Code section 4.04.020 and Council Rules of Procedure Chapter 7, Section E.2.d that mandate all labor agreements and all agreements greater than $1million shall be made available to the public at least ten (10) days prior to Council action; and 2) adopt a Resolution: a) establishing the Citywide Youth Work-Based Learning Fall program (G02610100); b) authorizing the City Manager or the City Manager’s designee to transfer $1,298,792 to the Citywide Youth-Work Based Learning Fall Program from the Youth Job Training and Development Program ($500,000) and from the Youth Mental Health Program ($798,792) in the Federal CARES Act Fund (Fund 2704); and c) authorizing the City Manager or the City Manager’s designee to execute a Citywide Youth Work-Based Learning Fall Program CARES Act Grant Agreement with PRO Youth and Families, Inc. in an amount not to exceed $1,298,792.
FileName
Contact: Lindee Lane, Youth Development Policy Manager, (916) 808-1171; Vanessa Cuevas-Romero, Program Specialist, (916) 808-6157, Department of Youth, Parks & Community Enrichment
Body
Presenter: None
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Coronavirus Relief Fund Programs
3-Resolution
4-Grant Agreement
Description/Analysis
Issue Detail: On June 9, 2020 during a joint meeting, the City Council and the Sacramento Youth Commission endorsed specific CARES Act funding recommendations for youth programs including an investment of $1.3 million for Youth Mental Health and $500,000 for Youth Job Training and Development. From these categories, staff directed the full $500,000 from Youth Job Training and Development and $800,000 from Youth Mental Health for the development of a public Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). On August 17, 2020, the City released the Citywide Youth Work-Based Learning Fall Program NOFA on PlanetBids.
The NOFA deadline for grant applications was August 27,2020 and the City received four responses. After a standard evaluation process, staff recommends awarding PRO Youth & Families, Inc. $1,298,792 million in Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) money to implement the Citywide Youth Work-Based Learning Fall Program (“Program”)
The Program seeks to address and mitigate the negative educational and social emotional effects on youth caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency by restoring a level of critical out-of-school time (“OST”) youth development programming that has been significantly reduced due to COVID-19 while simultaneously supporting direct COVID-19 relief efforts. The Program engages youth in critical learning and addresses social isolation by connecting them to mental health training and supports, trusted adults, their peers, and community service in intentional ways. Through the Program, the Grantee will assist the City in mitigating the effects of COVID-19 impacts by:
• Connecting and empowering youth to provide immediate support for local COVID-19 community service project response efforts;
• Restoring a level of OST learning opportunities in Sacramento that was lost due to COVID-19 disruptions that provide opportunities for youth to engage in project/work-based applied learning and gain life skills and/or workforce readiness skills;
• Connecting youth to their peers and trusted adult allies to help improve and mitigate negative social emotional impacts of social isolation caused by COVID-19;
• Increasing the number of youth trained on peer mental health awareness, stigma reduction, and local mental health services to enable peer-to-peer support that addresses the growing number of youth experiencing increased mental health and social emotional challenges due to the persistent state of crisis and social isolation COVID-19 has caused;
• Increasing mental health awareness and reducing access barriers for youth ages 12-24 through youth-led campaigns and other project strategies to improve and mitigate negative mental health and social emotional impacts of social isolation and the persistent state of crisis caused by COVID-19;
• Providing baseline case management to identify, support, and connect youth and their households to basic needs resources caused by COVID-19 impacts;
• Providing paid opportunities for youth from vulnerable households that have been impacted by loss of work and income due to COVID-19; and
• Increasing the capacity of youth service providers to adapt to remote service delivery through technical assistance, capacity building trainings, learning communities, one-on-one support, etc.
Policy Considerations: The City has been impacted by the global pandemic. Establishing programs and budgets that include federal CARES Act funding is consistent with City Council action relative to state and federal grant awards. The recommendation is consistent with CRF funding guidelines in response to COVID-19 related impacts with delivery of program and expenses incurred within the covered period ending December 30, 2020.
The proposed action is responsive to youth needs in the City resulting from COVID-19 social impacts. The proposed action is consistent with the Citywide Youth Development Plan. Providing a subaward of CRF funds to Pro Youth & Families to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 public health emergency as provided in the grant agreement is a necessary expenditure.
Sacramento City Code Section 4.04.020 and Council Rules of Procedure (Chapter 7, Section E.2.d) mandate that unless waived by a 2/3 vote of the City Council, all labor agreements and all agreements greater than $1 million shall be made available to the public at least ten days prior to council action. The recommendation is to waive this requirement in order to approve the grant agreements before the fall programs are set to start.
Economic Impacts: CARES Act funds and other eligible federal and state grants will assist the City in providing economic relief to residents and business that have been impacted by COVID-19. Additionally, CARES Act spending will support and advance inclusive economic growth, improve the health of neighborhoods and support people, places, and actions that promote overall economic recovery and impacts immediately and well beyond this pandemic.
Environmental Considerations: The proposed action is not a project under CEQA because it
relates to government fiscal activities that do not involve any commitment to a specific project
which may result in a potentially significant physical impact on the environment. (Cal. Code
Regs., tit. 14, §§15060(c)(3), 15378(b)(4)). The proposed action involves activities that are
exempt from NEPA under title 24, section 58.34, of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Sustainability: Not applicable
Commission/Committee Action: At the June 9, 2020 joint City Council meeting with the Sacramento Youth Commission the Citywide Youth Work-Based Learning Fall Program was endorsed during the discussion of CARES Relief Funding for Children and Youth (COVID-19).
Rationale for Recommendation: On March 21, 2020, schools closed due to Public Health Orders in response to COVID-19, in turn, out-of-school time (OST) enrichment programming service delivery (which is typically site-based) was shut down while OST providers struggled to transition to remote service-delivery. The Sacramento City Unified School District closed the 2019-2020 academic year with reductions in the number of OST students served by more than 70%. Overall, the Sacramento OST provider network is reporting, on average, an 80% or more reduction in service levels. In general, OST providers have significantly scaled back, postponed, or canceled programming to comply with Public Health Orders.
Across-the-board reductions in OST programs due to COVID-19 disruptions has created a gap in critical youth programming that is universal and far-reaching. OST programs are designed to reinforce learning levels and teach youth critical youth development and 21st century skills beyond the classroom such as workforce readiness. Moreover, transitioning to remote service-delivery models to comply with COVID-19 health orders has proved challenging for the youth service field and is contributing to negative educational and social impacts on young people.
A recent study reveals severe loss of learning consequences due to COVID-19, especially for low-income and/or students of color. Models assuming distance learning through the end of 2020, indicate average loss of learning of 6.8 months, with rates increasing to 9.2 for Latinx, 10.3 for Black, and 12.4 for low-income students. Furthermore, these studies outline how this loss of learning due to COVID-19, can lead to increased drop-out rates and limit students’ long-term earning potential.
Similar studies show that prolonged periods of disconnection from traditional school supports including school counselors has an impact on children’s social emotional outcomes. The disruption of typical community-family support nets combined with general global pandemic worries have reduced protective factors that young people require for healthy development and increased overall stress and anxiety levels to unrivaled highs. According to a citiesRISE survey that included 277 Sacramento youth, implemented during phase one of stay-at-home order, COVID-19 has increased levels of stress, anxiety, and loneliness. Sadly, early in the stay-at-home order, two youth died by suicide in North Sacramento/Natomas.
In consideration of these probable negative lifelong impacts, youth development experts are emphasizing the role of remediation and OST enrichment programs in mitigating learning loss and negative social emotional impacts on youth caused by COVID-19. In response, it is recommended that the Grantee be awarded $1,298,792 to implement the Program as described in the agreement.
Financial Considerations: On April 21, 2020, the City received $89.6 million in federal
Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) to address impacts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This
report recommends that Council allocate a total of $1,298,792 of CRF funding to the Citywide Youth Work-Based Learning Fall Program serving 850 vulnerable youth Citywide with a transfer of $500,000 from the Youth Job Training and Development Program and $798,792 from the Youth Mental Health Program. City Council has committed to $89.6 million for CRF programs and projects to date. Details on the CRF programs and projects are included as Attachment 2.
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.