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ADOPT A RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE SUBAGREEMENTS FOR THE CALIFORNIA VOLUNTEERS YOUTH SERVICE CORPS GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $1.2 MILLION
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RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council approve a resolution to:
1. Authorize the City Manager to execute agreements with two (2) subgrantees totaling $1,194,392.13 to implement youth workforce programs with the CaliforniansForAll Youth Service Corps grant funds.
2. Approve findings pursuant to Stockton Municipal Code section 3.68.070 to support and justify an exception to the competitive bidding process.
It is recommended that the resolution authorize the City Manager to take appropriate and necessary actions to carry out the purpose and intent of the resolution.
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Summary
With Resolution 2024-07-09-1206, City Council accepted a $1.7M CaliforniansForAll Youth Service Corps Grant on July 9th, 2024. The intent of this grant is to fund programs administered by subgrantees resulting in increased youth employment in key areas of food insecurity, climate, education, and public service. Following execution of the grant agreement, staff issued a request for proposals to identify qualified subgrantees. Staff are recommending sub agreements for two (2) subgrantees totaling $1,194,392.13. The remaining funds ($579,271.87) will be used to support the third year of the City’s Youth Employment Summer Success (YESS) program.
DISCUSSION
Background
The California Volunteers’ CaliforniansForAll Youth Service Corps program is a State initiative administered by California Volunteers in partnership with California cities and counties. This program employs youth across the state to help address urgent challenges in their communities, while simultaneously providing opportunities to learn key skills, earn money, and help to create career pathways. To achieve these goals, the CaliforniansForAll Youth Service Corps appropriated grant funds to the 13 largest cities in California proportionately based on population. As the 11th largest city in California, the City of Stockton was issued $1,773,664.00 in grant funding to be used for a City program, and to subgrant funds to local existing Community Based Organizations that provide youth workforce development programs.
Present Situation
The City released a Request For Proposals (RFP) in September 2024. Through the RFP process, the City has identified two (2) subgrantees who will use the funds to expand their existing youth workforce programs.
Parents by Choice (PbC) is a nonprofit organization founded in Stockton in 2006 with the mission to bring hope and healing to children, youth, and their families. Since inception, PbC has been dedicated to supporting at-risk children and have developed extensive community programming to support this population.
Parents by Choice Youth Workforce Development Program will provide a compassionate, understanding workplace for youth to help them transition into capable, independent adults who are stable and less reliant on systems of support.
Parents by Choice will provide employment opportunities for eighty-five (85) youth participants aged 16-30. Youth participants will receive $16.50 per hour and work a minimum of three months at one of Parents by Choice’s agency owned businesses located at the Courthouse Plaza downtown Stockton. Youth participants will work in entry level positions such as receptionist, file clerk, maintenance, safety staff, barista, party host, retail associates, kitchen staff, wait staff, manager, and assistant manager positions.
During the three months of program participation, youth will also be supported with wrap services such as case management, on the job mentoring, job readiness training, leadership development, and transition planning to ensure successful transition to WorkNet or an outside employer.
Parents by Choice proposes a total budget of $694,392.13.
San Joaquin County Office of Education DBA Greater Valley Conservation Corps (GVCC) is a certified local conservation corps established in 2010. The purpose of GVCC is to inspire, educate, and serve our local youth and communities by proving opportunities to practice a strong work ethic and environmental stewardship. GVCC has maintained an 85% positive placement rate from transitioning corpsmembers out of GVCC program into full-time positions, vocational internships and/or postsecondary education opportunities. Examples of positive placements include City of Stockton, GRID Alternatives, Caltrans, Tesla, Brightview Landscaping, SJCOE Special Education, CodeStack Academy, Amazon, River Partners, CALFIRE, California State Parks, U.S. Forest Service, California State University Stanislaus, and California State University Sacramento
Greater Valley Conservation Corps will provide outreach and recruitment to serve one hundred and one (101) individuals aged 18-26. Participants in this program will be employed as Corpsmembers and will receive employment opportunities in career pathways that will contribute to environmental and waste management, natural resource management, city action teams to minimize graffiti-litter abatement, and civic consciousness to support food drive and community awareness events.
Wraparound services are incorporated into the program to provide resources and support for Corpsmembers retention and their successful completion of the program. Wraparound services for Corpsmembers participating in this program include free academic and vocational education, mental health support, safety and equipment training, case management, free meals, uniforms and clothing, career exploration, and job placement.
Greater Valley Conservation Corps proposes a total budget of $500.000.
Findings
Pursuant to Stockton Municipal Code (SMC) section 3.68.070, the Council may approve findings which support and justify an exception to the competitive bidding process.
The following findings support such an exception:
1. Use of the RFP process is appropriate for these agreements because it relies on the evaluation of professional qualifications, performance, and compliance with State issued grant funds as the basis for the selection of the vendors, which is a standard practice for this type of work.
2. The city negotiated the contracts following the solicitation of competitive proposals in accordance with SMC section 3.68.070.A.3.
Staff recommends the City Council approve the findings and adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute two (2) contracts in the amount of $1,194,392.13 with Parents by Choice and the Greater Valley Conservation Corps to implement youth workforce development programs.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
This is a reimbursable grant program, meaning the subgrantees will pay for project related expenses in full, then submit documentation for reimbursement by the City. The City will then follow the same process, consolidating all grant related expenses per billing cycle, and submit documentation for reimbursement through the CaliforiansForAll Youth Workforce Grant. There will be no impact to the General Fund, all related costs will be supported by the grant funding. No matching funds are required for this grant.