City Council
Meeting: September 12, 2006
Agenda Item: ___1-C__
To: Mayor and City Council
From:
Subject: Department of Justice Grant Award for
Recommended
Action
It is recommended that the City Council accept
U.S. Department of Justice grant funds in the amount of $246,807 over a
three-year period for a focused gang intervention program, Night Bridges, at Virginia Avenue Park, appropriate funds and make
necessary budget changes, and authorize the City Manager to execute any
necessary agreements.
Executive
Summary
The City of
Discussion
The goal of Night Bridges is to
develop critical life skills in youth ages 14-21 and teach parents how to
recognize and prevent gang involvement in their children. Critical life skills
are the basic competencies needed to function as a productive member of the
community, such as money management, conflict resolution, job skills,
communication skills, customer service, problem solving, and critical thinking. The program is expected to begin in January 2007,
and will serve approximately 105 parents and 72 youth age 14-21 during the
three-year grant period. Program success
will be measured by a decrease in juvenile arrests in
The program was
designed to appeal to older, gang-involved youth that currently frequent the
park and
Night Bridges is consistent
with the City’s ongoing efforts to improve the quality of life in the Pico
neighborhood. In June 2006, the City Council reconfirmed as one of its
Community Priorities to “Enhance the quality of life, safety, and community
involvement of residents of the Pico neighborhood.” Given the breadth of
challenges facing the neighborhood, the City has committed significant
resources to involve residents, businesses, nonprofit organizations, government
agencies, and religious and cultural institutions. This collaborative approach has generated specific planning goals that
focus on coordinating existing services, job training and employment,
neighborhood appearance, community programs, public safety and community
engagement. Night Bridges
embraces this collaborative approach to reducing gang violence by including the
Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (
Also as part of the grant, the Police Department will conduct parent
education courses to teach parents how to recognize and address gang behavior
in their children. This may include discussions of clothing and attire
associated with gang membership, changes in behavior or appearance that may
signal gang involvement, and changes in peer group association. Police and park
staff agree that parental involvement in the lives of children is a key
component of the City’s comprehensive gang prevention strategy. The Police
Department is a major partner in the City’s gang prevention strategy at
Staff also will be working with the Pico Youth and Family Center (PYFC), Probation Department, School District Officials, and Police Department to craft an outreach strategy and identify youth that can benefit from Night Bridges. Many youth interact with all of these organizations and collaboration among these entities will enhance program success. The PYFC and Police are members of the City’s Youth Resource Team that strives to connect youth and families to community resources and develop care plans for incarcerated youth prior to their release into the community.
The initial grant documents were executed last month to meet the U.S.
Department of Justice’s August 18th deadline. Amendments to the grant agreement may be
required for budget line item changes or program element modifications as the program
is implemented.
Public Outreach
Park staff will conduct outreach at all local high schools and
nonprofit organizations that serve
Budget/Financial Impact
The grant award
of $246,807 from the U.S. Department of Justice will be used over a period of
three years – $89,621 for Year 1, $78,024 for Year 2 and $79,162 for Year 3 –
to support one 0.5 FTE permanent Community Services Program Coordinator, 0.3
FTE as-needed Community and Cultural Services Leader, consultant services and
program supplies. No matching funds are
required. In accordance with Department
of Justice funding conditions, the City is committed to continuing the components
of the Night Bridges Program at the
end of the three-year grant term, at an estimated annual cost of $67,000. Due to one-time and start-up program
expenditures in the first three years, ongoing program costs are significantly
reduced in Year 4. At the end of the
three-year grant term, the Community and Cultural Services Department/Human
Services Division will cover the ongoing costs in its maintenance of effort
(MOE) budget to continue these expanded program hours. Funds for one-time/start-up program
expenditures allocated to the
Year 1 program costs are expected to begin January 1, 2007. The following budget changes are needed to record receipt of the grant funds in FY 2006-07 and make it available for program use:
1) Establish a revenue budget in the amount of $44,810 at account 20262.403060;
2) Appropriate $24,510 in various operating budget accounts for salaries and fringe benefits and $20,300 in various operating budget accounts for supplies and expenses;
3) Increase the budgeted number of Permanent Employees by 0.5 FTE by adding a permanent, part-time position, Community Services Program Coordinator, and increase the budgeted number of Temporary Employees by 0.3 FTE by adding an as-needed Community and Cultural Services Leader; and
4) Establish Non-Departmental/Interfund Transactions budget changes to provide for reimbursement of the General Fund by the Miscellaneous Grants Fund for grant-eligible expenses.
Revenue and
expenditure appropriations for subsequent fiscal years will be included as part
of the City’s Proposed Budget.
Prepared by: Scott Wasserman, Human Services
Administrator, Neighborhood and Park Initiatives
|
Approved: |
|
Forwarded to Council: |
|
|
|
|
|
Barbara Stinchfield Director,
Community & Cultural Services |
|
P. City Manager |