To: Board of Supervisors
From: Kendra Carr & Peter Kim, Co-Directors Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice
Report Title: Implementation Plan for the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub (AAHWRH)
☐Recommendation of the County Administrator ☒ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
1. CONSIDER approving the Implementation Plan for the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub (AAHWRH) for administration by the Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice (ORESJ) and PROVIDE direction to the ORESJ on next steps for implementation; and 2. CONSIDER agendizing a discussion for a future meeting to discuss a possible ongoing Measure X allocation to support the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub beginning in FY29-30. (Kendra Carr and Peter Kim, Co-Directors of the Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice).
FISCAL IMPACT:
Previous allocations include a total of $8.9 million in one-time allocations. The African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub (AAHWRH) will be funded by $7.9 million in one-time Measure X funds. $7.5 million was allocated by the Board of Supervisors on April 22, 2024 towards the establishment and operation of the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub with an initial priority focus on East County communities. The Board allocated an additional $400,000 on June 10, 2025 to support African American males, and directed that these funds be included in the implementation of the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub.
Previously, the Board of Supervisors allocated funding and approved the AAHWRH Feasibility Study contract for $180,000 (July 9, 2024), which was funded out of other one-time Measure X funds managed by the Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice. Additionally, in December 2023, the Board of Supervisors allocated $1 million in one-time Measure X funding for African American healing and wellness services. In May 2025, a cohort of 13 Black-led community-based organizations began service delivery on 14 projects located in East and West County across five priority services areas - community healing, food and housing insecurity, infant and maternal health, behavioral health and youth development.
Neither the Feasibility Study contract nor the African American healing and wellness grants were sourced from the $7.9 million allocated for the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub.
In addition, the Board is asked to consider agendizing a discussion around an ongoing Measure X allocation at a future Board meeting, pursuant to a two-step process established by the Board of Supervisors at its July 8, 2025 meeting.
BACKGROUND:
At their July 21, 2025 meeting, the Equity Committee received a final draft of the implementation plan for the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub. The Committee provided direction for the implementation plan to be shared with the full Board of Supervisors at the August 12, 2025 meeting. The implementation plan represents a major milestone in a multi-year process, as summarized below.
Feasibility Study Findings and Proposal to Establish an African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub
From August 2024 through March 2025, Ceres Policy Research, in partnership with the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub Feasibility Study Steering Committee and the Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice, conducted a feasibility study for an African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub in Contra Costa County. The feasibility study process began with a comprehensive community needs assessment and included research of similar wellness models, identification of potential funding sources, landscape review of potential physical sites/locations, and a set of recommendations for design and implementation. The findings and recommendations were presented to the Board of Supervisors on April 15, 2025. Informed by 4,074 survey responses, 16 listening sessions, 8 district town halls and stakeholder interviews input, the study identified:
• Health Access Gaps: 60% of Black residents report difficulty accessing Black providers, especially in mental and maternal health.
• Housing Instability: Black residents face the highest eviction rates and disproportionate homelessness.
• Economic Disparities: 72% of respondents cited lack of culturally responsive job training and economic mobility tools.
• Cultural Erasure: 81% of respondents lack access to Black-led cultural and community spaces.
• System Distrust: Historic and ongoing institutional harm has fueled deep distrust in county systems.
In addition, the study affirmed the following guiding principles that community members believed were essential to an AAHWRH:
• Black-led Governance: At least 51% of decision-makers should identify as Black.
• Healing-Centered Care: Incorporate Black indigenous healing practices, Black mental health providers, spiritual care.
• Integrated Services: Co-locate housing, reentry, health, and workforce supports.
• Subregional Strategy: Recognize distinct needs by geography; use mobile and rotating sites.
• Cultural Safety: Services must feel affirming, not punitive or bureaucratic.
• Accountability: Track performance through equity dashboards and community-defined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Based on these findings, Ceres Policy Research offered the following recommendations towards a phased approach:
• Phase 1: Immediate activation of mobile services and leveraging of County-led rapid-response services that target high-need groups such as elders, unhoused, geographically isolated, etc.
• Phase 2: Engage and fund CBOs to fill service gaps by delivering dispersed “satellite” services through a sub-regional approach that prioritizes high-need Districts.
• Phase 3: Establish a physical site in Antioch, CA by 2028 that delivers medical, mental health, social and economic support through co-location of County and community services
Ceres Policy Research’s recommendations for immediate action steps included:
• Hire an implementation lead (e.g. executive director) within 90 days
• Expand and extend Steering Committee role/function to Oversight and Advisory Body
• Activate rapid-response services by Jan 2026
On April 15, 2025, the Board of Supervisors directed the Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice (ORESJ) to return to Equity Committee for further direction, with the goal of returning to the full Board in summer 2025 with a fully developed and actionable implementation plan that builds off the Ceres Policy Research report and that also addresses the following:
• Conduct an inventory analysis of existing County-run services and programs that support and/or prioritize the improved health and wellness of African American communities and individuals.
• Explore sub-regional approaches that meet the unique strengths, needs and concerns of the diverse African American communities throughout the County’s supervisorial districts.
• Prioritize investment recommendations of the current approved allocation of $7.5 million to initiate efforts and services toward establishing a hub, and propose a long-term sustainability plan that includes non-County funding sources.
• Propose a governance structure other than a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) that allows for more flexibility and nimbleness in establishing formal partnerships with stakeholders, encourages shared responsibility, and prioritizes community leadership and partnership.
• Propose an approach to securing an entity and/or staff to carry out the implementation of services and establishment of a hub that does not include hiring new County employees.
Implementation Plan Proposal for the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub
The AAHWRH will ensure a culturally-responsive, compassionate, and comprehensive response to the needs of vulnerable members of the African American community and build on the success of prior County efforts and models, such as the Contra Costa Family Justice Alliance (initially administered by Employment and Human Services Department) and the Reentry Success Network/Center (administered by Probation Department). The AAHWRH will provide a formalized structure for shared governance and sustainability of a countywide network of County- and community-led programs and services in order to ensure the efficient use of resources, consistent access to quality services across communities, streamlining of policies, and a coordinated focus on the needs of Black families experiencing intense disparities and inequities in Contra Costa County. The AAHWRH will leverage the combined strengths of local and regional public, nonprofit, and private partners to improve outcomes for individuals and families in a way that will be responsive to the diverse needs, geographies, and cultures of the western, central, and eastern regions of the county. Ultimately, the AAHWRH will coordinate a comprehensive countywide safety net for vulnerable African Americans and other marginalized residents in need of greater safety, connection and belonging, and improved access to health, mental health and other support services that meet their immediate needs.
Specifically, the AAHWRH will:
• Coordinate a network of service provider partners and facilitate collaboration and communication among County, community-based, and other partners in order to align and integrate programs and services offered via mobile, pop-up, and satellite sites
• Support and facilitate referral and coordination processes that recognize the fluid and ever-shifting dynamics of migration and community formation among Black residents throughout the County
• Support integration of data and tracking of outcomes by:
o Working with partners to use common data collection tools
o Identifying impact indicators and outcomes for all partners to track
o Encouraging data sharing among partners as appropriate, without compromising participant confidentiality, trust and safety
• Identify and share evidence-based, promising and community-defined best practices with partners
• Work with public system, business, community and philanthropic partners to identify and pursue funding opportunities to support these activities
• Coordinate capacity building and training opportunities for all partners engaged in service provision
• Once a facility is established in East County, provide infrastructure, including workspace, supplies, and communications, for partners who co-locate services at the site
Proposed Design and Timeline
Phase 1 | 6 months | July 2025 - December 2025
Transitional Community Advisory Body (T-CAB)
ORESJ will recruit and assemble a Transitional Community Advisory Body (T-CAB) to support the creation and design of the procurement, review and selection processes for the contracted implementation lead entity, and support the design of eligibility, recruitment and selection criteria for the executive director. Members will demonstrate lived experience and professional expertise specific to African American community health, safety and wellness. The T-CAB will serve as a County-appointed body and will serve during the initial period of development of the Hub. (See Section “6.1 Transitional Community Advisory Body (T-CAB)” in the AAHWRH Implementation Plan Report for additional detail.) This is an extension of the role held by the AAHWRH Feasibility Study Steering Committee that the Board of Supervisors appointed to oversee the procurement for and implementation of the AAHWRH Feasibility Study.
Similar to the AAHWRH Feasibility Study Steering Committee, the T-Cab will be a community-led advisory body comprised of thirteen (13) county residents that each possess personal and professional lived experiences that reflect the needs, concerns and priorities of vulnerable African Americans in Contra Costa County. There will be a balanced representation of gender, sexuality, age, class, physical ability, County districts, and other relevant social and cultural categories to ensure a broad and diverse spectrum of perspectives are included in all T-CAB deliberations and decision-making.
The Transitional Community Advisory Body’s responsibilities will include:
• Review and provide feedback on eligibility and selection criteria for Implementation Lead entity
• Review and provide feedback on eligibility and selection criteria for Executive Director
• Review and provide feedback on eligibility and selection criteria for Board of Directors
• Review and provide feedback on eligibility and selection criteria for Community Council
• Support outreach and recruitment efforts for interested and qualified candidates for all positions/roles described above
To ensure there are no conflicts of interest, T-CAB members cannot have professional affiliations nor close personal relationships with any organizations or persons interested in applying for and/or serving in any of the above capacities. ORESJ will design a recruitment, application and selection process that includes an Equity Committee interview and nomination of T-CAB finalists, which will then move to the Board of Supervisors for final approval and appointment. Similar to the AB109 Community Advisory Body, T-CAB members will be Board-approved and appointed but individual members will not be selected and appointed per Supervisorial district.
The T-CAB will remain in place until an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is created, an AAHWRH Board of Directors is appointed, and a Community Council is established, after which the T-CAB will dissolve.
Procurement Processes for Implementation Lead and Community-Based Service Providers
During the first phase, ORESJ will oversee and administer the release of an RFQ to secure an independent entity (e.g. independent consultant, non-profit agency, community foundation, etc.) with demonstrated experience and success in establishing community based, community-led health and wellness centers for Black communities to serve as the implementation lead. This initial contract will be for a period of 3.5 years, with potential opportunities for renewal in future years based on outcomes and success, project need, and availability of funds.
ORESJ will also release an RFP for community-based service providers to deliver “rapid-response” services and/or programs within priority service categories determined by data analysis. Service contracts will be for a period of 3.5 years, with potential opportunities for renewal in future years based on outcomes and success, project need, and availability of funds. Service providers that serve specific areas/regions, as well as those that serve multiple regions countywide, will be encouraged to apply, as long as those areas include communities within and/or near the priority census tracts identified.
ORESJ will administer the above Phase 1 processes in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Contra Costa County Advisory Body Handbook, the Purchasing Policy and Procedures outlined in Administrative Bulletin Number 600.3, and in close planning and communication with the offices of the County Administrator and County Counsel. Across the first phase (August 2025 to December 2025), ORESJ will provide monthly AAHWRH implementation updates to the Equity Committee.
Phase 2 | 3.5 years | January 2026 - June 2029
Once selected and Board-approved (during Phase 1), the contracted lead entity will hire (or serve as) an executive director to lead the implementation efforts which will include: creation of an independent and self-sustaining 501(c)3 nonprofit organization to serve as the Hub; recruitment and assembly of a Board of Directors; recruitment and assembly of a Community Council; recruitment and hiring of inaugural program staff; administration and coordination of provider contracts; managing partnership relationships with system partners; and developing a 10-year fund development and sustainability plan.
The proposed Board of Directors (BOD) for the AAHWRH will be comprised of individuals with strong community ties, as well as positions of influence in public systems. The BOD will include community seats with representation from faith communities, service provider organizations, and specific impacted communities, along with institutional seats with representation of government agencies including the Board of Supervisors, County departments (CCH, EHSD, and ORESJ), and local municipal leadership (e.g. Mayor or Councilmember). (See Section “6.2. AAHWRH Board of Directors” in the AAHWRH Implementation Plan Report for additional details).
A Community Council(s) will provide insight, subject matter expertise, and lived experience perspective to help guide and inform the shaping and implementation of the AAHWRH and related activities. The Community Council will be comprised of African American community members with professional and/or lived expertise representing the target priority populations served by the AAHWRH. The Community Council will be comprised of regional (e.g. East, West, Central, South County) sub-committees.
Simultaneously, the contracted service organizations (selected and Board-approved during Phase 1) will deliver direct services in collaboration with County services, while receiving coordination support, technical assistance, and capacity building opportunities from the contracted lead entity.
ORESJ will administer the above Phase 1 processes in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Contra Costa County Advisory Body Handbook, the Purchasing Policy and Procedures outlined in Administrative Bulletin Number 600.3, and in close planning and communication with the offices of the County Administrator and County Counsel. Across the second implementation phases (January 2026 to June 2029), ORESJ and the Implementation Lead/AAHWRH Executive Director will provide no less than quarterly updates to the Equity Committee related to key developments and progress of the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub.
Phase 3 | July 2029 - ongoing
In addition to continued implementation of services and increased growth of the AAHWRH, this phase includes the establishment of a physical site in East County to serve as an anchor site from which the executive director and staff will be based and carry out the vision and goals of the AAHWRH. A physical facility will serve as an anchor location for coordination and administration of the countywide services network of partners, while also providing local community members with a one-stop shop for co-located services and service navigation.
ORESJ recommends that the Board of Supervisors consider a County-owned property located at 1650 Cavallo Road in Antioch, CA as a possible site for the AAHWRH. With over 24,000 square feet, the facility has ample space for co-location of medical, mental health, and social services, as well as mixed-use space for events, gatherings, small business incubation, etc.
Located next door is a Rocketship Delta Prep charter elementary school, and the area has the potential for sparking community revitalization and development in an historically underinvested community of African American, Latinx, working class, and immigrant families. On April 8, 2025, the City of Antioch approved a city resolution in support of County efforts to establish an AAHWRH in Antioch, affirming their willingness to explore opportunities for collaboration. If this location recommendation is approved by the Board of Supervisors, ORESJ will engage in exploratory conversations with City of Antioch leadership to assess opportunities for leveraged funding, shared resources, and/or service partnerships.
It should be noted that this site is currently occupied by EHSD staff and will not be vacated until 2028 at the earliest, though by that time the County will have completely paid for and own the building.
Also important to note is that, if approved for consideration, the final decision of whether the proposed Cavallo Road site is truly feasible will be determined by further analysis of actual costs involved in renovation/construction, facility management and regular maintenance, potential leasing/ownership structures, and other financial dynamics, along with considerations regarding accessibility and public transportation, community safety, and projected utilization. ORESJ has engaged Public Works, EHSD, and CAO to begin determining actual costs, all necessary County processes (including submitting a Capital Project Request for a fiscal feasibility analysis to be conducted during next budget cycle, FY 2026-27), and a realistic timeline.
AHWRH Project Budget for 2026-2029
ORESJ proposes that the total $7.9 million project budget is allocated over 3.5 years, of which $5.9 million is designated for contracts for project implementation and community-led wellness services (i.e. a contract for a lead entity to establish and operate the AAHWRH; contracts for community-based organizations to provide rapid response healing and wellness services) and $2 million is designated as seed funding for the anticipated capital costs of constructing the physical hub (Note: this is a placeholder amount, being used until a reliable estimate is formed in coordination with the County capital projects team; a site is not yet confirmed, nor is a model of service provision approved and finalized, therefore capital needs need further development). ORESJ will oversee and administer allocated funding in accordance with County fiscal policies as outlined in Administrative Bulletins.
While the recommendation is to establish the AAHWRH as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization responsible for developing and implementing a 10-year sustainability plan that leverages public, private, and philanthropic resources, it is vital that the County continue to play a critical role in the sustainability of the AAHWRH to ensure that the Hub remains stable and provides long-term public service to all of Contra Costa County’s African American and other vulnerable communities.
Sustainability
It is important to note that the allocated funding of $7.9 million are one-time funds designed to seed and launch an AAHWRH, and that County resources are not currently assigned for the ongoing operation of the AAHWRH beyond June 2029. ORESJ recommends that beginning in fiscal year 2029-2030, the County allocate an annual baseline award of $1.5 million from Measure X funds to support base operational expenses of the AAHWRH, including core staffing costs and infrastructure for network coordination activities (e.g. communications, meetings, trainings, grant writers, etc.).
In-kind contributions in the form of leveraged coordinated services from County departments via formal commitments (e.g. MOUs), and possibly in the leasing arrangement between the County and the AAHWRH for a physical site, will also aid in the long-term sustainability.
The AAHWRH has the greatest chance of success if it diversifies its funding sources. The lead entity, and ultimately the 501(c)(3) organization, will be responsible for identifying funding opportunities through municipal, county, state and federal agencies that aim to support the needs of vulnerable and marginalized populations (e.g. homelessness, violence prevention, anti-poverty, behavioral health, physical health programs). In particular, it will be critical to garner support from local cities where significant numbers of African Americans reside and stand to benefit from AAHWRH services.
Evaluation
ORESJ recommends implementing a Community-Based Continuous Learning and Improvement (CBCLI) Framework (see Appendix F: African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub Evaluation and Continuous Learning: A Community-Based Continuous Learning and Improvement (CBCLI) Framework). This evaluation model merges Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) practices, community-based participatory action research (CBPAR), and adaptive evaluation strategies. The purpose is to foster a culture of shared learning, ongoing reflection, and data-informed decision-making across all stakeholders.
Next Steps
ORESJ respectfully submits this implementation plan to the Board of Supervisors and requests the following Board actions:
1. Approve the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub Implementation Plan for administration by the Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice
2. Direct ORESJ to assemble and launch the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub Transitional Community Advisory Body with oversight and direction from the Equity Committee
3. Authorize ORESJ to coordinate and formalize agreements with County agencies to provide AAHWRH rapid response services through mobile units, site activation, shared staffing infrastructure, and/or other in-kind services.
4. Approve ORESJ to release a request for proposals for community-based rapid-response programming that meet unique community needs by filling identified service gaps and a request for qualifications for an independent entity to serve as the implementation lead tasked with coordinating services, providing technical assistance, developing a 10-year sustainability plan and establishing an independent non-profit organization to serve as the AAHWRH.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Should the implementation plan not be approved, the process to implement and launch the African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub will be delayed.