body,date,page,text,path
SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard,2009-04-23,1,"Social Service Human Relations Board
Minutes of the Regular Meeting, Thursday, April 23, 2009
1. CALL TO ORDER, ROLL CALL, President Wasko called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m.
Present were Nielsen, Soglin, James, Biggs, Villareal, and Dailey. Staff: Franz, Wright.
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Before reviewing the minutes, President Wasko distributed copies of ATAHos õPledge for a Hate Free
Alamedaö as a reminder that we are routed in the kind of respectful communication and goodwill practices
that ATAH promotes. This is the first time in twelve years that the document has been shared with the
Board.
President Wasko explained that the former SSHRB staff person had presented õcourt reporterö minutesö
that were transcribed from the tapes by someone else in development, and that we were moving towards
õAction Itemö minutes that also reflected relevant points of discussion during the meeting. Our Rules and
Procedures have a process for members to have a statement recorded into the minutes. Workgroup
Progress Reports had been used in the past to document discussion from both SSHRB and Workgroup
meetings. We will distribute copies of those and consider re-establishing this practice, which creates a
history of each workgroup, to which everyone can refer. President Wasko cited the Dental Clinic as an
example of a project that could have been chronicled in this format.
The Revised minutes from the meeting on January 22, 2009 were reviewed and accepted with the deletion
of the word õunanimousö in item 3B.
The minutes from the meeting on March 26, 2009 meeting were reviewed. And accepted as revised with
the following changes.
Staff member Franz explained that the welcoming of member Dailey to the Board had not been included in
the minutes. He also explained that a motion and second (Dailey / Biggs) that President Wasko, as Chair
of the Family Services Workgroup, be appointed as SSHRB representative to the Alameda Collaborative
for Children, Youth, and their Families was Unanimously approved by the Board.
The following revisions were made in the Election of Officers item: eliminating õanotherö in reference to
Vice-president Villarealos term and the elimination of President Wasko nominating herself for vice-
president.
A statement by member Soglin explaining a request by ATAH was clarified to read õMember Soglin
explained that, at this time, the School district has no plans to host another community meeting (Public
Forum). He then explained that CARE (Community Alliance for Resources in Education) was planning to
hold a strategy meeting, but since no Action Item was on the Agenda, SSHRB would not be able to
discuss co-sponsoring that meetingö",SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard/2009-04-23.pdf
SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard,2009-04-23,2,"Social Service Human Relations Board
Minutes of the Regular Meeting, April 23, 2009
Page 2
3-A. PRESENTATION OF ALAMEDA BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB PROGRAMS -
GEORGE PHILLPS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR and MARC MORALES, SITE
DIRECTOR OF THE WEST ALAMEDA TEEN CLUB
At the City Councilos request and annually as part of the public review process, the Board reviews stafføs
recommendations for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for public services.
During the discussion period that followed staff presentation on the recommendations at the March
meeting, board members expressed the desire to have more information regarding organizations receiving
funding. Member Biggs suggested that representatives from the organizations be invited to come to our
meetings to provide information and answer questions regarding their programs and services. This
presentation is the first in a series that will be scheduled throughout the year, with the intention to have all
funded organizations make presentations before the next public hearing on housing and community
development needs.
George Phillips introduced himself and explained that he, Marc Morales, and Boys and Girls Club Board
Member, Chief Burny Mathews would be speaking on two topics, the first being Marc speaking on whatos
happening at the West Alameda Teen Club theyøve been operating for the past six years, and the second
being Burny Matthews speaking on the Clubos plans for the future.
Marc provided information on their programos hours of operation and stated that they are currently
serving 151 youth (boys and girls) between the ages of 12 and 18. Programs include õMoney Mattersö
which, among other things teaches students how to manage a checking account, and a Career Launch
Program that teaches them to write Résuméos and helps them learn how to present themselves during a job
interview.
Other program activities include:
Eight members participating in an Old Navy õJob Shadow õ program, spending a morning working
alongside associates at the Old Navy store at Towne Centre.
Two Leadership Groups; a Torch Club for middle-school youth and a Keystone Club for high-school
youth.
A Cooking and Nutrition camp
A high-school basketball house-league, which had participation by 40 members.
Flag football games
A Technology Center, which includes job search opportunities, and a õskill setö on-line program that
teaches various computer programs.
A weekly Arts & Crafts program
An Audio mixing and recording studio
A free summer lunch program in partnership with AUSD that had 70 participants
Field trips to various sports events
Hosted four barbecues, a Halloween Party, a Thanksgiving Feast, four Arts & Crafts events, a Martin
Luther King õBe õ event, and four events during National Boys & Girls Club Week.
In addition, Mark explained that the Club had met their CDBG SOW requirements.",SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard/2009-04-23.pdf
SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard,2009-04-23,3,"Social Service Human Relations Board
Minutes of the Regular Meeting, April 23, 2009
Page 3
Chief Matthews provided details on the Clubos ten million dollar capital campaign to build a center that
will be a safe, clean place for youth at the Woodstock location in West Alameda. He explained that thirty-
four hundred youth live within a mile and a half of this location and that the project is in partnership with
AUSD. The school will use the gymnasium during school hours. The facility will include a gym, teen club,
professional kitchen, a computer lab, free office space for non-profits, a dental clinic, and a medical clinic.
They plan to break ground in the next several months. He invited the board to visit the site.
President Wasko invited questions from the board.
Q.
Is current Center connecter to õSchool Loopö?
A.
No. Issue is space, and itos hard to draw some youth to West End / Housing Project.
Q.
What is construction time-line? Do you need all of the funds raised before you start?
A.
They have arranged for a construction loan to bridge the gap and hope to be open by the spring of
2010.
Q.
Your old site has been closed for almost five years; other organizations in similar situations have
put in portables. What do you see happening when you open?
A.
We expect it to be a õyouth magnetö, and a facility that will serve three thousand youth each year.
Q.
What is average daily attendance at current sites?
A.
Twelve to twenty at Esparanza and as high as forty or fifty at Chipman.
Member JamesõDoors were not open when I stopped by on April 14th at 6:45-7:00. I helped youth
present create an obstacle course.ö õWhat types of outreach do you perform?ö
George Phillips
õI heard that you stopped by at 7:45, not 6:45ö. õ We do outreach at Esperanza
and Chipmanö
Q.
Do you provide counseling?
A.
We refer to AFS. Try to collaborate rather than re-invent the wheel.
Q.
What other programs will be offered? Will there be case-management?
A.
ACLO Summer Program will move to new site in 2010. We are in conversation with AFS for
them to provide õprivateö services.
Q.
Does Torch Club know about upcoming Job fair?
A.
Torch Club is for middle-school students who are not yet õworking-ageö",SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard/2009-04-23.pdf
SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard,2009-04-23,4,"Social Service Human Relations Board
Minutes of the Regular Meeting, April 23, 2009
Page 4
President Wasko thanked Boys & Girls Club representatives for coming to speak.
Wright: I hope you found this helpful. This is the beginning of an ongoing process and we will continue to
invite other organizations to come and speak
Member Biggs: Yes, this was helpful and Iove learned some things tonight that I will take back to my
organization.
Member Villareal: This gives us a better understanding of the services provided by the organizations for
which we recommend funding.
Wright: In addition to visiting the new Boys and Girls Club site we could also schedule visits to other
programs funded with CDBG.
3-B. PRESENTATION (STAFF) ON THE PROPOSED PLAN FOR THE HOMELESS
PREVENTION AND RAPID RE-HOUSING FUNDING, AND DETERMINE IF
CONSISTENT WITH IDENTIFIED COMMUNITY NEEDS.
Wright explained that through the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
the City of Alameda has been allocated $552,208, over three years, in Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-
Housing Program (HPRP) funds.
This new infusion of funds creates a number of opportunities for Alameda including making $275,000
CDBG Capital Project funds available to Boys and Girls Club because they are õshovel readyö.
We were notified on March 19 that we were granted $552,000 in HPRP funds through the Emergency
Shelter Grant (ESG) program. We usually receive this kind of funding through the County, instead of
directly through the ESG program, but because of the infusion of funds, the city has met the threshold
for receiving this funding, which is based on the same formula used to determine the amount of our
CDBG.
We have sixty days (until May 18) to come up with and submit a plan which will be an amendment to our
fiscal 08/09 Action Plan, and we are supposed to coordinate at a countywide level The plan we are
developing will go to the City Council on May 5., and an item asking the Council to endorse the
EveryoneHome Plan will also be on the May 5 agenda.
This funding is targeted towards the types of services that are not anything like the normal Shelter Grant
program, including Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing, which is expected to be the way HUD
funds homeless services in the future. The purpose of the HPRP is to help persons affected by the current
economic crisis in two ways; one to provide homeless prevention assistance to persons who are currently
housed and number two, to rapid re-house persons who are currently homeless.
Eligible activities include:
short-term rental assistance (provides one to three months housing)",SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard/2009-04-23.pdf
SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard,2009-04-23,5,"Social Service Human Relations Board
Minutes of the Regular Meeting, April 23, 2009
Page 5
medium óterm rental assistance (four to eighteen months)
security deposits and other move-in costs and utility payments.
The housing relocation and stabilization services that are eligible include outreach, case-management,
housing search and placement, legal services, mediation, tenancy preparedness, and credit repair.
We sat down with APC, AFS, ECHO, and the AHA, partners we work with to provide services in
Alameda to prioritize, and we came up with key strategies. They are to focus on a goal of stable housing,
and to work to maintain the housing for those that are most in need, and to create stable housing
opportunities for those that are not stable. A second goal is to meet the HUD requirements, which are to
get the money on the street very quickly. This means we need to have contracts with providers in place by
September 30. We will also coordinate with regional partners to take advantage of economies of scale
when those opportunities are appropriate and available.
A copy of the HUD required budget summary was distributed. The information is relatively sparse
compared to that normally requested.
The important thing to understand is that there are two service tracks for this funding; the homeless
prevention and the rapid re-housing. Rapid re-housing is another way to implement transitional housing,
We will coordinate on a countywide basis to develop assessment tools and 2-1-1 will get an expansion
opportunity.
This funding will hopefully give those in permanent supportive housing into Sect. 8 housing. If we can
implement this program, there is an additional $125,000 in Homes funds to supplement the program., and
broaden our service delivery
President Wasko: Do we have flexibility in changing levels of allocation as we develop the programs.
Wright: Yes we do.
Member Dailey: Are these funds competitive or is it guaranteed?
Wright: It is guaranteed. It is an entitlement, but we do have to submit a plan to HUD.
President Wasko: In addition to utility assistance, can this money be used for food?
Wright: No, that is not an eligible expense.
President Wasko: Itos great that with the adopting of the EveryoneHome Plan we are getting onboard
with the rest of the county.
Member Biggs: Iove been in on some of the discussion and have worked with Terri and she deserves a
great deal of credit for helping put this together. If we get the Sect. 8 piece in place we will be taking a
national lead in implementing a local continuum. We have seen an increasing demand for emergency
stabilization payments, such as the need for utility assistance in the winter, when heating costs increase
One high utility bill can cause a family to be homeless. Using a local provider network that is already in
place will make it easier to implement case-management services.",SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard/2009-04-23.pdf
SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard,2009-04-23,6,"Social Service Human Relations Board
Minutes of the Regular Meeting, April 23, 2009
Page 6
Wright: Yes, there is a requirement to use a (HMIS) homeless Management Information System data
collection and evaluation system that is mandated as part of this funding. Countywide $900,000 will go to
this system. Providers will need to implement assessment processes that go beyond identifying the
immediate need and go to the root cause of a householdos barriers to stability.
Member Dailey requested a copy of the Everyone Home resolution being adopted by the council.
A Motion, Amendment and Second (James/Biggs/Dailey) that the Board support the proposed plan,
and that it believes it is consistent with what the Board believes to be priority social service and human
relations needs in the community, including short-term services to prevent people from becoming
homeless, and rapid re-housing. Unanimous
3-C. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
It was M/S (James/Soglin) that President Wasko be re-elected and member Villareal be elected to
one-year terms as President and Vice President, respectively. Unanimous
3-D. WORKGROUP PROGRESS REPORTS
Alamedans Together Against Hate
Member Villareal reported that ATAH has not met since the last meeting. He and member Soglin
have continued to be active in support of the Caring School Curriculum, but not as members of
ATAH. One of them will present the SSHRB letter of support for the curriculum at the AUSD
boardos meeting, when public comment is heard on this matter.
Some minor changes have been made to the curriculum, but not a major overhaul. Emails to AUSD
members have been running about 50/50 for and against.
The workgroup is planning to participate in the 4th of July Parade and will ask that it be put on the
May agenda.
Assessment and Awareness Workgroup
Member Nielsen reported that plans for the Dental Clinic are proceeding, with the MOU being
around 95% completed. CDBG will provide $40,000 for this project, with an additional $27,000
being provided from a separate, unrestricted City fund. The hope is that the project stays on its time-
line and opens this September. She continues to represent SSHRB on the ACCYF Data Collection
workgroup.
Family Services Workgroup
President Wasko reported that the family Services Workgroup is õcurrently under constructionö
Sister City Workgroup
President Wasko reported that the Sister City Workgroupps next meeting would be to finalize
plans for a spin-off as a separate non-profit.
Resource-Sharing Workgroup",SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard/2009-04-23.pdf
SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard,2009-04-23,7,"Social Service Human Relations Board
Minutes of the Regular Meeting, April 23, 2009
Page 7
Member Biggs reported that the Resource Sharing Workgroup would be meeting on April 30.
4. BOARD/STAFF COMMUNICATIONS, NON-AGENDA
Member Biggs: Attended LWV Meet Your public Officials Night before coming to tonightøs meeting.
There is very minimal service on the 63 bus-line serving Alameda Point, and is an important resource for
both APC residents and Alameda Food bank Participants. A public process reviewing bus service is
coming up in May and the 63 route is in the cross hairs for being cut.
May 13 is the Annual APC Breakfast.
Member James: Announced an Earth-day Event in East Oakland (he has flyers) and he is in a play.
He will be attending the Oakland Police Department Academy. He applied for the one in Alameda, but did
not receive a response.
5.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None
6.
ADJOURNMENT - M/S to adjourn (James/Villareal) Unanimous.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Franz
Secretary, Social Services
Human
Relations Board
JF:sb
G:SSHRB\Packets\2009\April09\MinutesReg
F: SSHRB\2009\Agendas Packets",SocialServiceHumanRelationsBoard/2009-04-23.pdf