Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Michael P. Callagy, County Executive
Subject: Use of District-Discretionary Measure K Funds - Supervisorial District 4
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Measure K: Adopt a resolution authorizing a one-time grant of district-discretionary Measure K funds, not to exceed $100,000, to Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula to support year-round mental health services for students from underserved neighborhoods in District 4, and authorizing the County Executive, or designee, to execute the grant agreement.
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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 4 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 4 (Supervisor Warren Slocum) - Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula: Fund year-round mental health services for students from underserved neighborhoods in District 4. |
$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 Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula, and resulting grant agreement, in an amount not to exceed $100,000, to support year-round mental health services for students from underserved neighborhoods in District 4. The County Executive’s Office will administer and manage the proposed agreement.
District-discretionary Measure K funding for this organization has previously been provided as listed below:
• On September 27, 2019, the Board of Supervisors approved district-discretionary Measure K funding, not to exceed $50,000 for capital improvements to the East Palo Alto Clubhouse’s kitchen.
• On December 23, 2020, the Board of Supervisors approved district-discretionary Measure K funding, not to exceed $80,000, for community dinners served during COVID-19 and community hubs to support students from vulnerable communities for in-person learning during the school day.
• On May 23, 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved district-discretionary Measure K funding from District 2, not to exceed $86,200 to Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula for expanded learning programs in the San Mateo-Foster City School District. It should be noted that this grantee received a grant previously from District 2, and the current grant request is from District 4.
Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula’s (BGCP) mission is to provide youth equitable access to social, academic, and career opportunities to help them thrive. BGCP’s vision is that all youth will grow up to lead fulfilling lives fueled by their passions, talents, and a love of learning. Specifically, BGCP provides services to youth from disadvantaged communities who face an opportunity gap and who are growing up disconnected from what makes San Mateo County so dynamic. Some of these youth are at high risk of experiencing self-harm, anxiety, depression, bullying, substance abuse, homelessness, poverty, domestic violence, and migration trauma, and face barriers in achieving long-term success, including in school.
BGCP provides free, high-quality mental health care services on site where students are, eliminating otherwise significant financial and transportation barriers to accessing mental health services. A significant number of BGCP students are undocumented and would otherwise have incredibly limited access to care due to insurance regulations.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, BGCP students continue to experience significant social-emotional and mental health challenges. To address this acute need, BGCP has expanded its mental health services, bringing services in-house and serving more students to ensure that all students have access to mental health clinicians.
BGCP employs four full-time and three part-time Community Based Psychotherapists, several of whom are bilingual. Six of the therapists provide services primarily to students in San Mateo County’s District 4. BGCP’s mental health clinicians are on-site at their clubhouses during program hours after school and beyond, join in program activities, eat dinner with students, and have a myriad of opportunities to observe, interact with, and form positive relationships with students. Clinicians have an open-door policy that encourages students to drop in whenever clinicians are available. BGCP provides students with individual therapy, group counseling and family support.
This Measure K grant of $100,000 will enable BGCP to staff therapists who serve students who reside in and/or attend BGCP programs in District 4 neighborhoods. Until this year, BGCP had only one full time on-site therapist. Grant funding will ensure that BGCP can support the costs of growing its mental health program to meet the high demand for youth mental health services year-round. By providing more clinicians and clinician hours, BGCP can increase the number of students receiving therapy, the number of client sessions provided, number of students receiving group therapy and hours of professional development for staff to help BGCP students develop tools to address their emotional needs. BGCP expects to increase the total number of students receiving therapy to 300 (a 134% growth from the previous year), to provide 3,500 client sessions (a 213% growth from the previous year) and also to expand its services to serve middle-school students for the first time.
BGCP has been informed that Measure K grants are one-time and not recurring, so that it will need to find other sources of funding for recurring expenses.
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:
Elizabeth Harris
Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula
401 Pierce Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025
650-646-6165
eharris@bgcp.org <mailto:eharris@bgcp.org>
PERFORMANCE MEASURES:
|
Description |
Target |
|
Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula will hire additional staff therapists to provide more clinician hours and serve more students who reside in and/or attend BGCP programs in District 4 neighborhoods. |
Complete |
The County Attorney’s Office has reviewed and approved the agreement and resolution as to form.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There are sufficient Measure K funds for this specific FY 2022-23 Measure K request. These funds are budgeted in the Non-Departmental Services FY 2022-23 Adopted Budget.