Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: John T. Keene, Chief Probation Officer
Subject: Agreements with The Art of Yoga Project, Fresh Lifelines for Youth, Inc., StarVista, and Rape Trauma Services through the Youth Offender Block Grant (YOBG) to provide activities and mental health services to youth at the Youth Services Center, Margaret J. Kemp Camp, and reentry programs.
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Adopt a resolution authorizing the President of the Board of Supervisors to execute agreements through the Youth Offender Block Grant (YOBG) funding:
A) An agreement with The Art of Yoga Project to continue to provide yoga and creative arts curriculum to youth at Margaret J. Kemp Camp, Youth Services Center, and youth enrolled in reentry programs for the term of July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2023, in an amount not to exceed $169,950; and
B) An agreement with Fresh Lifelines for Youth, Inc. to continue to provide law education classes and case management to youth at Margaret J. Kemp Camp, Youth Services Center, and youth enrolled in reentry programs for the term of July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2023, in an amount not to exceed $647,374.20; and
C) An agreement with StarVista to continue to provide individual and group therapy as well as alcohol and drug counseling at Margaret J. Kemp Camp, Youth Services Center, and youth enrolled in reentry programs for the term of July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2023, in an amount not to exceed $405,385.20; and
D) An agreement with Rape Trauma Services to continue to provide crisis intervention, mindfulness groups, and violence prevention education sessions to youth at Margaret J. Kemp Camp, Youth Services Center, and youth enrolled in reentry programs for the term of July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2023, in an amount not to exceed $123,986.50.
body
BACKGROUND:
In 2007, in response to SB 81 Juvenile Justice Realignment, the State allocated money to San Mateo County in the form of the Youth Offender Block Grant (YOBG). The purpose of the YOBG is to enhance the capacity of local communities to implement an effective continuum of response to juvenile crime and delinquency. Allocations from the
YOBG Fund must be used to enhance the capacity of county probation, mental health, drug and alcohol, and other county departments to provide appropriate rehabilitative and supervision services to youthful offenders subject to Welfare and Institutions Code
(WIC) Sections 731.1, 733, 1766, and 1767.35. Counties, in expending the YOBG allocation, must provide all necessary services related to the custody and rehabilitation of the juvenile offenders.
In January 2020, the Probation Department completed a Request for Proposal process for Youth Activities and Mental Health Services and selected The Art of Yoga Project, Fresh Lifelines for Youth, Inc., StarVista, and Rape Trauma Services to continue providing their services.
DISCUSSION:
Through this agreement, The Art of Yoga Project will provide yoga and creative arts classes to youth at Margaret J. Kemp Camp and Youth Services Center. Classes are organized into monthly modules emphasizing accountability, well-being, and reflection through yoga, meditation, and art and writing projects. Programming will be gender-responsive. Youth in the boys’ units will be provided with trauma-informed mindfulness-based programming that combines yoga, breathing techniques, and meditation.
Through this agreement, Fresh Lifelines for Youth, Inc. will provide law education classes to educate youth about the laws and their rights to help change their mindsets about crime, illegal activity and risky behavior while building life skills that will increase their capacity to problem-solve in pro-social ways. Fresh Lifelines for Youth also will provide reentry case management as well as education and career navigation workshops. The program’s case management and mentoring strategy is to work intensely with the youth’s critical needs and criminogenic risk to develop a comprehensive youth-centered plan that will lead to lasting positive change.
Through this agreement, StarVista will provide individual and group therapy. Clinicians will be responsible for providing a therapeutic safe space for the youth by using evidence-based curriculums such as trauma-informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Alcohol and Other Drug counseling will provide psycho-education on the effects of substance use on daily functioning and relationships and provide youth with effective coping skills and opportunities to practice skills.
Through this agreement, Rape Trauma Services will provide Sexual Assault Counselors to respond to crisis intervention requests within 2 hours for an emergency, and 24 hours for at-risk youth at Margaret J. Kemp Camp and the Youth Services Center. A weekly regulation/coping skill group at Margaret J. Kemp Camp and the Youth Services Center will help youth understand their present issues, and as an empowerment model, youth will have the opportunity to address trauma responses and learn healing skills. Each week, a new regulation/coping skill will be introduced and practiced in the group. Lastly, the evidence-informed Ending Cycles of Violence prevention education at Margaret J. Kemp Camp and Youth Services Center will provide core concepts of the curriculum including: recognizing trauma and trauma responses, the cycle of acting in, acting out and acting to heal, and myths and facts about sexual violence, including the commercial exploitation of children.
The Probation Department requests that the Chief Probation Officer or his/her designee be granted authorization to execute contract amendments that modify the County’s maximum fiscal obligation by no more than $25,000 (in aggregate) for each agreement, and/or modify the contract term and/or services so long as the modified term or services is/are within the current or revised fiscal provisions.
The term of these agreements is July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2023. The Agreements and Resolution have been reviewed and approved by County Counsel.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Probation Department has secured a total of $1,346,695.90 from the Youth Offender Block Grant (YOBG) funding for the following:
$169,950.00 for The Art of Yoga Project,
$647,374.20 for Fresh Lifelines for Youth, Inc.,
$405,385.20 for StarVista, and
$123,986.50 for Rape Trauma Services
This funding will support these Agreements for the term July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2023. The funds have been included in the FY 2020-21 Preliminary Recommended Budget and will be included in the FY 2021-22 and FY 2022-23 Recommended Budgets. There is no net County cost.