To: Board of Supervisors
From: Monica Nino, County Administrator
Report Title: 1st Quarter Status Report on Measure X Innovation Fund Projects
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
RECEIVE status report on the first quarter progress of the five Innovation Fund grant projects.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact. This is an informational report with no recommended action.
BACKGROUND:
On October 17, 2023, at the conclusion of a year-long competitive bidding process, the Board of Supervisors approved the award of Measure X Innovation Fund grants totaling $1,790,737 to five promising projects. Contracts with each grantee were executed by the County Administrator effective December 1, 2023, since which time the projects have been underway.
What follows is a short description of each project, Innovation Funds spent through April 15, 2024, and a summary of progress made towards project goals. Also noted are any challenges or impediments reported by the grantees and any anticipated impacts they will have on the project outcomes or timeline.
The County Administrator’s Office will continue to monitor progress, do what can be done to support the grantees, and report to the Board quarterly.
1ST QUARTER UPDATE
Smart Food Lockers Project, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano
Contract Award: $717,500
Paid thru April 15, 2024: $5,141 (<1%)
Program Summary: Purchase of food lockers to enable eligible individuals to pick up food anonymously and at their convenience. Like Amazon Hub Locker model, banks of 20 climate-controlled lockers can be placed either inside or outdoors. Food orders are placed electronically, and user codes are granted for pick up. Distributions will begin with a standard set of food staples with a long-term goal of customizing for dietary preferences or restrictions. There is capacity for up to three locker fills daily, so each 20-locker bank can potentially serve 60 families daily.
1st Quarter Status Update
The project team has selected the locker vendor, Click and Collect. This vendor provides a high-quality product customized for food banks at a lower cost than projected in the proposal budget. With this reduced cost, the team is now looking to purchase 6 banks of lockers instead of 4 banks of lockers with grant funds, to serve more food insecure Contra Costa County residents than initially expected.
The team has engaged with 15 partner agencies that expressed interest in becoming locker sites. Staff visited multiple sites to evaluate accessibility and feasibility. The team has tentative agreements with 2 agencies (Contra Costa College in San Pablo and Los Medanos College in Brentwood) to place lockers at their sites and has developed MOUs with those sites for approval by their Board/leadership. The team has identified another existing partner with 4 potential sites, each with interest in hosting a bank of lockers.
Impediments. Unfortunately, the turnaround time for the lockers is 16 weeks, twice as long as vendors projected in August of 2023. This additional processing and shipping time will push back the locker installation, branding, and food distribution by approximately two months. The team has also encountered some reluctance of partner agencies to host lockers 24/7 due to concerns about crime and vandalism, and in recognition of ongoing annual locker maintenance fees.
Pittsburg Mobile Family Resources Program, Lincoln Families
Contract Award: $330,000
Paid thru April 15, 2024: $54,953 (17%)
Program Summary: The awarded project, the Pittsburg Mobile Family Resources (PMFR), brings resource coordination and direct services together with community engagement. Through a network of service providers, the PMFR promises to provide youth and families with coordinated intake, direct services, resource navigation, and strengthened informal support/community engagement. For the project to succeed, the PMFR requires a strong community champion to lead the project.
1st Quarter Status Update
The project team searched for the right candidate to lead PMFR. Additionally, the team gathered community input, conducted community resource scans, and laid the groundwork for intentional community convening and collective project guidance.
While the team rigorously recruited the project leader and made an offer to a qualified Pittsburg resident, a formal hire has not yet occurred. Pending the hiring of a project leader, an Associate Director of Lincoln Families has served as project leader.
The team conducted a resource assessment scan, identifying CBOs that provide mental health and wellness services for families in Pittsburg, and identified 11 potential CBOs as potential partners for the PMFR project located in Pittsburg and Antioch and an additional 9 throughout all East Contra Costa County. The team plans to convene potential providers in April and continues to explore appropriate host sites for PMFR direct services.
Impediments. The hiring of a project leader has been difficult, as the market is competitive, and applicants are not abundant. With only 10 other applicants, most lacked experience in coalition building, a skill that is critical to this leadership position.
Hispanic Outreach Manager Project, Support4Recovery
Contract Award: $147,237
Paid thru April 15, 2024: $32,094 (22%)
Program Summary: Will provide addiction treatment in the Hispanic community. It is modeled off BiBett's Pueblo del Sol program, which offers a residential detoxification program to Spanish speakers. The program goals are to increase awareness that recovery services are available in Spanish and help individuals overcome barriers to getting substance abuse treatment, such as obtaining U.S. identification.
1st Quarter Status Update
The project team conducted a community survey to identify the most pressing needs of Hispanic individuals with substance abuse. They developed partnerships with Pueblos del Sol, the County Public Defender’s Office, Casa Club de la Hispanidad, and Re-Entry Success to expand outreach and service capacity and to collaborate to develop personalized exit plans for individuals who qualify for sober living housing, whether they are in custody or undergoing treatment.
The team conducted its first orientation for community members wanting to become bilingual substance abuse counselors. Through engaging discussions on becoming a registered counselor and the importance of bilingualism in serving the community effectively, the team has sparked interest and enthusiasm among individuals seeking to provide culturally competent and linguistically appropriate services to ensure equitable access to support and care for all individuals.
Through partner collaboration, ten housing grants were provided to support clients who have completed treatment.
In collaboration with the Public Defender’s Office and Re-Entry Success, the team is planning workshops to be conducted in local jails to provide information and guidance specifically tailored for Spanish-speaking inmates who are struggling with substance abuse issues. Through these workshops, inmates will have the opportunity to access vital information in their native language on substance abuse treatment services, recovery resources, and strategies for overcoming addiction.
Impediments. The limited availability of beds for detoxification and treatment for Hispanics in Contra Costa County has emerged as a significant challenge for the project. With only eight beds allocated for detox and 12 beds for treatment, the team is facing constraints in meeting the growing demand for services within the Hispanic community. Moreover, there are no treatment beds for Spanish speaking women.
Due to illness of one team member, visits to the Mexican Consulate and meetings of the women’s focus group have been delayed but are expected to be conducted in the next quarter.
Digital Inclusion Program, Tech Exchange
Contract Award: $500,000
Paid thru April 15, 2024: $250,000 (50%)
Program Summary: The program promises to source used computer devices from environmentally responsible businesses and individuals and refurbish and distribute devices to persons who receive public benefits and complete 8 hours of free digital skills training, and to nonprofit organizations that serve disadvantaged groups. Training will be offered in multiple languages. The program will employ STEM interns.
1st Quarter Status Update
Tech Exchange received 336 donated devices from 4 donor organizations/individuals and developed relationships with six Contra Costa County agencies for distribution. New partners include DeJean Middle School (DJMS), Richmond Public Library (RPL), El Timpano, Multicultural Institute Richmond Branch, First Page New Chapter (FPNC), and Pittsburg Youth Development Center (PYDC). The project team established an MOU with DJMS to continue pilot program offerings while planning for a full launch at the start of the 24-25 school year. The team completed one digital skills cohort for adults at DJMS (four 2-hour sessions) and started two more (currently in session), with additional classes scheduled for May and beyond. The team also distributed an additional 60 devices free to parents of DJMS students and to clients of El Timpano, with plans to install a computer lab at PYDC in May, along with additional device distributions.
Impediments. Due to the winddown of the Affordable Connectivity Program, which made internet service affordable for many households, Tech Exchange’s internet enrollment outreach is now focused on ensuring that current recipients of affordable internet have everything they need for the upcoming transition, with the aim of implementing an updated internet enrollment approach by Quarter 2 of the project.
Food Rescue Hero (FRH) Program, White Pony Express
Contract Award: $100,000
Paid thru April 15, 2024: $25,000 (25%)
Program Summary: The FRH application (app) is a pioneering technology solution that connects food producers’ surplus with available volunteer food-runners. It works like Uber, only for free food distribution. FRH provides real-time food delivery, connecting volunteers with smaller food donors like restaurants, caterers, schools, and cafeterias. The app allows food donors to signal when they have excess food. Available volunteers are then pinged via the app and can claim the run, electing to pick up and deliver the food immediately to a matching recipient organization registered in the program. This ground-breaking technology facilities the dual goals of feeding hungry people and reducing food waste.
1st Quarter Status Update
The project team continued to build and use FRH app to connect fresh, healthy food to organizations that feed the hungry. The grant helped the team move the program forward in several ways. The team crafted a marketing strategy and outreach materials to raise awareness and engage local businesses as food donors. They contacted restaurants, markets, and other food purveyors to invite their participation in the initiative. They used media outlets, published the initiative in newsletters and bulletins, visited businesses, attended events, and collaborated with community partners and volunteer organizations. They educated the community, public officials, and decision makers, raising awareness about food waste, food insecurity, the new law, and how to take action. The team conducted training for food donors, volunteers, and recipients on how to best use the FRH app.
Through March 31, metrics for this reporting period include:
1. Engaged 36 new food donation suppliers.
2. Registered 79 new volunteer food runners on the app.
3. Made 1,014 deliveries via the app.
4. Total FRH volunteers on the app = 420.
5. FRH volunteers actively using the app = 147.
Impediments. None reported.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Not applicable.