COMMUNITY CORRECTION PARTNERSHIP
Meeting Date: September 20, 2024
Subject: Community Advisory Board’s Updated AB 109 Funding Recommendations for One-Time $15 Million of Reserve Funding
Submitted For: Esa Ehmen-Krause, Chief Probation Officer
Presenter: Nicole Green, Chair, Community Advisory Board
Contact: Patrice Guillory, Director, Office of Reentry & Justice - 925-313-4087
Referral History:
The County ended fiscal year 2022-23 with approximately $39 million in AB 109 Public Safety Realignment Community Corrections Partnership (AB 109) reserve fund balance. The Community Corrections Partnership reserve policy requires a fund balance of at least 50% of the annual expenditure budget. FY 2023-24 expenditures were budgeted at approximately $37.5 million, and therefore required at least $18.8 million in reserves. The current fund balance of approximately $40 million is sufficient considering the $18.8 million and the $15 million assigned for CAB and Community Corrections Partnership one-time allocation.
The Community Advisory Board (CAB) in collaboration with the Community Corrections Partnership - Community Corrections Partnership Executive Committee (CCP - CCP EC) engaged in a process to develop an AB 109 fund balance utilization plan, which would allocate $15 million of the approximate $39 million reserve funding to expand reentry services. The CAB identified four funding priority areas, which include housing, behavioral health, employment, and pre-release engagement. At its April 26, 2023, meeting, the CCP - CCP EC
approved the proposal moving forward to the Public Protection Committee (PPC) for its consideration, while the CAB further developed the application and funding processes of the proposal.
At its May 1, 2023, meeting, the PPC approved the recommendations of the CCP - CCP EC for approval of a one-time $15 million fund balance allocation, to be presented to the Board of Supervisors at a later date. The PPC directed the CCP - CCP EC and CAB to further develop the proposal so that solicitation processes and specific allocation amount recommendations for each priority area were clearly defined.
The CAB initiated a process to solicit feedback and assess the County’s current reentry service delivery system through a variety of data-driven tools and methods to better understand how to best utilize the one-time $15 million fund balance allocation. Their methods included an analysis of the annual AB 109 Provider Survey (May 18, 2023); the dissemination of an In-Custody Survey soliciting feedback from individuals in-custody at all three detention facilities (August 8, 2023); and AB 109 Community Program Provider presentations on gaps in service delivery during CAB’s Program and Services Subcommittee meetings in September and October
2023.
At its December 1, 2023 meeting, the CCP - CCP EC approved the baseline budget requests for the FY 2024-25 AB 109 budget. Budget requests from various departments included FY 2024-25 program modifications to enhance and expand current services. None of the program modifications were approved by the CCP - CCP EC due to the total cost of approximately $2 million relying on the allocation of AB 109 reserves to balance. The CCP - CCP EC instead requested that departments and CBOs with budget modifications work with the CAB to determine whether the program modifications aligned with the CAB reserve funding priorities and could be included in the CAB’s reserve funding recommendations.
In response to the CCP - CCP EC’s request, the CAB’s Policy & Budget Subcommittee held planning sessions with both County departments and AB 109 Community Program contracted providers in December 2023 through March 2024 for consideration and inclusion of the FY 2024-25 AB 109 budget and program modifications. The planning sessions provided opportunities for County departments, CBOs, and other relevant community stakeholders to present and provide information related to service needs, recommended interventions, and expected annual expenditures to expand service operations or implement new piloted programs for each of the CAB’s four funding priority areas.
At its May 13, 2024, meeting, the CCP - CCP EC heard the CAB’s proposed AB 109 funding
recommendations. Attachment B to this report is the CAB’s original funding recommendation to the CCP EC. The full report and attachments as presented to the CCP - CCP EC can be accessed by clicking on the following link:
<https://contra-costa.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6662765&GUID=819037F3-022D-4B15-B685-225B63E1F03B&FullText=1>
The CCP - CCP EC unanimously voted to defer for additional CCP - CCP EC study of the priority areas 3 (employment) and 4 (pre/post-release engagement) proposals. Dr. Marla Stuart, Employment and Human Services Director, discussed the current work her department is engaging in on the topic of guaranteed income pilots, per the Board of Supervisors direction for future consideration of Measure X funding. The direction from the CCP EC included that the CAB and Probation Department staff coordinate research efforts with the
Employment and Human Services Department, to integrate further study of a CCP funded guaranteed income pilot program with the current ongoing study for a Measure X funded guaranteed income pilot program. The direction also included further development and refinement of the programs proposed in Priority Areas 3 and 4 outlined below and requested that the CAB return to the CCP - CCP EC when that process is complete for additional review:
Priority 3: Employment Proposals - totaling up to $1.5 million.
- County Employment Pathway Pilot (up to $1.5 million)
Priority 4: Pre/Post-Release Engagement Proposals - totaling up to $3.65 million.
- Guaranteed Income Pilot (up to $2 million)
- Countywide Transportation + Peer Support Service (up to $450,000)
- Women's services - in-custody to post-release (up to $750,000)
- CORE Team Assessment, Service Coordination, Placement After- Hours (up to $450,000)
The CCP - CCP EC also unanimously approved moving ahead with a one-time funding allocation of approximately $10.2 million in AB 109 reserve funding for the projects as listed in Attachment C. At its June 3, 2024 meeting, the PPC approved and referred these funding recommendations to the Board of Supervisors. The Board approved the funding recommendations as presented at its June 25, 2024 meeting.
The PPC also directed the CCP - CCP EC and CAB to return by their October 7, 2024 meeting with an update on the CAB’s proposed funding recommendations for priority areas 3 and 4.
Referral Update:
In response to the direction set forth by the CCP and PPC, to return at a later meeting date with the remaining funding recommendations, the CAB’s Policy & Budget Subcommittee revisited the CAB’s recommended Priority Areas 3 (Employment) and 4 (Pre and Post-Release Engagement), focusing its review on the originally recommended service pilots (County Employment Pathway Pilot, Guaranteed Income Pilot, In-custody to Post-Release Gender Responsive/Women’s Services, and Countywide Transportation + Peer Support Service) to ensure funds were allocated appropriately and provide additional guidance on how the funds should be spent.
The Subcommittee resumed its planning sessions by way of their regularly scheduled monthly meetings. On July 19, 2024, the Subcommittee received feedback and presentations from CBOs currently providing Gender Responsive services in the county to justice-system involved women and identified service needs and anticipated expenditures for expansion of services. On August 19, 2024, the Subcommittee received information from the county’s Workforce Development Board regarding its CCWORKS program <https://www.wdbccc.com/ccworks/> as a potential model for expansion to the AB 109 reentry population. They also reviewed materials <https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_08192024-6391> from t’he Santa Clara Countys Employment Support Unclassified Program (ESUP) administered by their Employment Services Agency <https://esa.santaclaracounty.gov/opportunities-all-communities>. This is a model for HR agencies’ identification of county entry-level classifications that can provide a pathway toward self-sufficiency for reentry clients and other similar vulnerable populations.
Due to time constraints and scheduling delays of EHSD’s public benefits and GI study session with the Board of Supervisors, the Subcommittee was unable to research further into the Guaranteed Income Pilot in time for CAB’s scheduled update to the CCP (9/20). However, the CAB has accepted formal invitations from community partners to participate in upcoming EHSD and community stakeholder workgroup meetings in September in preparation for the October 22 Board workshop. CAB continues to recommend launching a GI pilot for reentry participants. During the CAB’s General Body meeting on September 12, 2024, the full body considered and voted to approve the Policy & Budget Subcommittee’s recommended changes to the original proposal.
Attachment A is the CAB’s 1st addendum to its original funding recommendations, which was proposed to the CCP EC for consideration at its September 20, 2024 meeting. The CCP EC approved the CAB’s revised funding recommendations as presented, and with an understanding that the $1 million request for the guaranteed income pilot is being set aside and an actual allocation pending further consideration once more information is available from the Employment and Human Services Department’s larger guaranteed income pilot report to the Board of Supervisors. After such presentation and once the CAB has a further developed guaranteed income pilot proposal, it will return to the CCP for further allocation consideration.
Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):
APPROVE the Community Advisory Board’s proposed changes to the remaining AB 109 Community Corrections Partnership reserve funding recommendations, as approved by the Community Corrections Partnership Executive Committee at its September 20, 2024 meeting, totaling approximately $5.15 million in reserve funding of re-entry pilot services, including a $1 million set aside pending further development of a related guaranteed income pilot.
Fiscal Impact (if any):
Approval of this request will result in a $5.15 million one-time reduction of AB 109 Community Corrections Partnership reserve funding.