Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy, County Manager
Subject: Use of District-Discretionary Measure K Funds - Supervisorial District 1
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Measure K: Adopt a resolution authorizing a one-time grant of district-discretionary Measure K funds, not to exceed $100,000, to the City of South San Francisco to support the City’s Guaranteed Income Pilot program, and authorizing the County Manager, or designee, to execute the grant agreement.
body
BACKGROUND:
Measure K is the half-cent general sales tax initially approved by San Mateo County voters in November 2012 and extended in November 2016 for a total of thirty years.
On March 9, 2021, and March 23, 2021, the Board of Supervisors (Board) held study sessions on Measure K expenditures and anticipated revenue for fiscal years (FY) 2021-23. The Board-appointed Measure K sub-committee, consisting of Supervisor Pine and Supervisor Canepa, convened the study sessions to, among other things, work with staff to facilitate the Board’s development of Measure K priorities and continuing initiatives for FYs 2021-23. The Board approved $5 million in one-time loans or grants for the FY 2021-23 budget cycle, divided equally among the five supervisorial districts, for district-discretionary needs and projects. District 1 has submitted a request to use their district-discretionary Measure K funds as shown below and described in the Project Summary section of this memorandum:
|
District/Project |
Amount |
|
District 1 (Supervisor Dave Pine) - City of South San Francisco: Guaranteed Income Pilot Program |
$100,000 |
This item is consistent with the criteria for district-discretionary Measure K funds approved by the Board in December 2018.
PROJECT SUMMARY:
This is a request to authorize a grant to the City of South San Francisco, and resulting grant agreement, in an amount not to exceed $100,000, to support the City’s Guaranteed Income Pilot Program. The County Manager’s Office will administer and manage the proposed agreement.
District-discretionary Measure K funding for this organization has previously been provided as listed below:
• $500,000 for the Grand Avenue Library Renovation allocated on 6/23/15
• $75,000 for the Sign Hill Habitat Restoration Program allocated on 7/24/18
The South San Francisco guaranteed income pilot program is designed, like those implemented in cities including Stockton and Mountain View, to provide a monthly gift - structured as a gift to avoid conflicts with any existing benefit programs - to residents within the community deemed eligible through a predefined priority system. One hundred and sixty South San Francisco households will be provided $500 a month for 12 months beginning in November 2021 and running through October of 2022 with the intent of mitigating or ameliorating negative consequences associated with persistent poverty.
The administration of the pilot program, including the application process, intake, monitoring, and data collection, will be managed by the YMCA Community Resource Center in South San Francisco, one of San Mateo County’s core service agencies.
Program participants take part in case management and are offered financial resources and tools throughout the course of the program. Program administrators will provide quarterly reports on client spending trends, as well as data from pre- and post-program surveys.
The YMCA is partnering with Oakland based non-profit, Community Financial Resources (CFR), to assist program participants in setting up bank accounts and associated debit cards to facilitate the distribution of the guaranteed income payment funds. CFR provided similar services for the Stockton and Compton guaranteed income programs. CFR is also responsible for the fiscal administration of the program and monthly disbursements and will provide aggregate data to the YMCA on the financial spending habits of participants.
Application priority is granted to applicants based on need and risk factors for remaining in poverty according to a four-tiered application system.
Tier I applicants are households at or below 30% Area Median Income (AMI) that do not qualify for other public benefits. Tier II requires that households be at or below 30% AMI. Tier III are households at or below 50% AMI and do not qualify for other public benefits. Tier IV are households that are at or below 50% AMI.
The YMCA received 798 applications for the program, of which 493 were complete. All eligible Tier I applicants are now being considered for enrollment in the program. A lottery of Tier II applicants will fill the remaining available slots.
The Guaranteed Income Pilot Program process is divided into four phases: (1) Outreach, (2) Application Phase, (3) Distribution, and (4) Reporting & Evaluation. The outreach phase focuses on how to best reach and connect with the targeted populations-low income families residing in South San Francisco’s lowest income census blocks. The application phase is focused on providing technical assistance during the application period, vetting applications, selecting participants, and connecting participants with benefits counselors. Additionally, financial assessment at intake is required once an applicant has been selected to participate in the program. The third phase, distribution, includes setting up banking accounts for all participants and distribution of pre-paid debit cards. The final phase, reporting and evaluation, provides information in the form of pre-and post-disbursement surveys, quarterly bank statements, and quarterly self-declarations.
Program participants are incentivized to provide an intake survey prior to the first installment of funds as well as participate in post-distribution surveys at the conclusion of the pilot. The pre-survey will occur during program onboarding which will include Assessment, Budget and Financial Skills Empowerment, and Needs & Expectations Case Management. The assessment will include a Self Sufficiency Matrix in which clients work with a case manager to score each category (1- in crisis, 2- vulnerable, 3- safe, 4- building capacity, 5- empowered).
The matrix will include scores in the following categories both at the start and conclusion of the pilot program:
• Housing
• Employment
• Income
• Food
• Child Care
• Children's Education
• Adult Education
• Health Care Coverage
• Life Skills
• Family/Social Relations
• Mobility
• Community Involvement
• Parenting Skills
• Legal
• Mental health
• Substance use
• Safety
• Disabilities
The pilot program is currently underway. Key dates are below:
July 14, 2021 Formation of Guaranteed Income Pilot
July - August Staff Training
July - August Outreach
August-September Application Period
November 2021 - First Disbursements
October 2022 End of Disbursements
October-December Data Collection & Analysis
January 2023 Findings Submitted
Funding for the South San Francisco Guaranteed Income Pilot Program will include $1,000,000 provided by the City of South San Francisco derived from American Rescue Plan funds; $100,000 from the County of San Mateo; and $100,000 from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, for a total investment of $1.2 million.
The City of South San Francisco is the first city in San Mateo County to implement a guaranteed income program as part of a multi-pronged approach to breaking the cycle of poverty exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Additional complementary South San Francisco-led initiatives are already underway to combat poverty within the City, including investments in affordable housing, rental and food assistance, universal Pre-K, bridging the digital divide, and workforce development.
Total Measure K Request: Not to Exceed $100,000
The release of funds will be contingent on the execution of an agreement providing for the County’s confirmation of the expenditure of funds for the purposes stated herein. The County will disburse the funds to the following organization for the purposes described above:
Nell Selander
Interim Director
Economic & Community Development Department
City of South San Francisco
Main (650) 829-6620
Direct (650) 829-6613
nell.selander@ssf.net <mailto:nell.selander@ssf.net>
PERFORMANCE MEASURES:
|
Description |
Target |
|
Scoring of financial, educational and employment improvements of participants after receiving a guaranteed income for one year. |
160 Participants |
|
|
|
County Counsel has reviewed and approved the agreement and resolution as to form.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There are sufficient Measure K funds for this specific FY 2021-22 Measure K request. These funds are budgeted in the Non-Departmental Services FY 2021-22 Adopted Budget.