CONTRA COSTA COUNTY - File #: 25-2314

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To: Board of Supervisors

From: Monica Nino, County Administrator

Report Title: 5th Quarter Status Report on Measure X Innovation Fund Projects

☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee

RECOMMENDATIONS:

RECEIVE report on the fifth quarter progress of the five grant projects from the first allocation of Innovation Funds.

FISCAL IMPACT:

Informational report. No fiscal impact.

Of the $2M allocated in the first round of the Innovation Fund, $30,000 was awarded and spent for five planning grants and $1,790,737 was awarded for five project grants, leaving an unallocated balance of $179,263. To date, $1,429,376 has been expended from the project grants, leaving an allocated balance of $361,361. Three of the five grantees - Tech Exchange, White Pony Express, and Lincoln - have completed their projects. Lincoln left a small balance of $3,728. The County Administrator extended Support4Recovery’s and the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano’s grant periods through June 30, 2025 to enable those grantees to complete their projects.

BACKGROUND:

On October 17, 2023, at the conclusion of a year-long competitive bidding process, the Board of Supervisors awarded the first round 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, with three reaching completion.

What follows is a short description of each project, the Innovation Funds claimed per project through March 31, 2025, and a summary of progress made towards project goals. Also noted are any challenges or impediments reported by the grantees and any anticipated impacts those impediments may have on the project outcomes or timeline.

The County Administrator’s Office will continue to monitor progress, provide support and guidance to the grantees, and submit the final Round 1 report to the Board in late summer.

5th QUARTER UPDATE

Smart Food Lockers Project, Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano

Contract Award: $717,500

Claimed thru March 31, 2025: $366,869 (51%)

Grant period extended by CAO through June 30, 2025

Program Summary: Purchase of food lockers to enable eligible individuals to retrieve food anonymously and at their convenience. Like the Amazon Hub Locker model, banks of 20 climate-controlled lockers can be placed either inside or outdoors at locations around the county. Food orders are placed electronically, and user codes are granted for food pick-up. Distributions will begin with a standard set of food staples, with a long-term goal of customizing selections 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/households daily.

5th Quarter Status Update

The project team reports that all four of the originally planned lockers banks are now operational. Collection numbers are increasing and partner sites are grateful to be able to offer this new service to the community. Community feedback has also been very positive. Refuge Food Pantry and DVC San Ramon have enabled the OrderAhead functionality that allows them to collect feedback from users. Many simply use the space to express gratitude. The sites have also received positive feedback on the fresh produce and dairy offered as well as requests for more ready-to-eat foods.

Along with feedback, these sites can also detect if a user returns and from how far away they are traveling. At DVC San Ramon, for example, individuals picking up from lockers live in cities from around the Bay Area. This makes sense as students are already traveling to campus for class. At Refuge, about 65% of locker users reside in Concord but some are traveling from Antioch, Richmond, Oakland, and San Jose.

Following are updates for each site and project activity highlights from this reporting period:

• Refuge Food Pantry in Concord (Central County) - Lockers were installed and became operational on December 27. Since that time, the site has seen the numbers steadily increase: collection numbers in March were four times greater than January’s and include a number of repeat visitors.

• Los Medanos College in Brentwood (East County) - Lockers were installed and became operational on February 12. Service is off to a slower start since it serves a smaller population, but numbers have been increasing.

• DVC San Ramon (South County) - Lockers were installed and became operational on January 29. No operational issues except that DVC San Ramon is not currently offering butter and cheese like the other sites (see more below under Challenges). OrderAhead data indicates that every recipient has returned to collect food again, demonstrating the utility of the service.

• Contra Costa College in San Pablo (West County) - The external door of the building was removed, and the lockers were successfully installed on January 31 and became operational on March 31. Progress at this site has been slower than anticipated.

• The County Administrator authorized the installation of a fifth locker bank at DVC Pleasant Hill (Central County). This program expansion was determined to be feasible within the authorized grant allocation. The site has been confirmed with a signed MOU from the college. The selected installation site needed electrical work (complete) as well as the addition of a concrete pad (to be scheduled). The locker bank was ordered and is expected to arrive in June.

• The relationship with the locker vendor and technology provider, Click N Collect, is going well and both the Food Bank and the locker host sites are happy with the service they are offering.

• The Food Bank created a user guide for how to order food through the OrderAhead platform and has conducted trainings for all of the four original sites and is troubleshooting any issues that arise.

(Fresh food in the lockers) (Long shelf-life food in the lockers)

Milestone highlights during this reporting period include:

• Site training was conducted for three remaining sites (Refuge was trained last reporting period).

• Locker banks are installed and operational at all four original sites. Food deliveries are scheduled regularly.

• An MOU was executed with 5th site; 5th bank of lockers were ordered.

• 5th site assessed and site preparation work partially completed.

• The Food Bank is helping the sites advertise the program, using the site-specific fliers the Food Bank’s internal designer created.

• Two of the four sites have enabled OrderAhead’s client feedback functionality for project monitoring. Clients are generally happy with the menu offerings.

Project Outcomes to Date

• Number of individuals that collect food from lockers: 551

• Number of pounds distributed through the program: 4,078

• Percentage of partner agencies that report improved ability to meet the needs of clients: 100%

Impediments. Following the initial project delays that occurred due to sourcing, the project team has made significant progress and project activities have advanced smoothly. Nevertheless, with the delayed start to locker operation, the project team was unable to fully expend the contract award within the approved grant period. Consequently, the County Administrator extended the grant period for this project through June 30, 2025 to enable the Food Bank to complete the project.

This reporting period had fewer challenges than in the past now that the lockers were delivered, installed, and are operational. Additional training was necessary at the Refuge site. The Refuge site director has been very proactive about any missed pickups, making calls to the clients that have placed orders that haven’t been picked up. Between the calls and the auto-reminders sent by OrderAhead, all ordered food has been collected.

At the three college sites, locker orders were fewer than anticipated but traffic is expected to increase as the word gets out about this service. It is recognized that the lockers cannot replace the essential services offered by the campus pantries (which have more variety, don’t require scheduling ahead, and offer other services) but the Food Bank is happy to fill a critical gap when the pantries are closed. Overall, there were no major challenges this reporting period.

During the next reporting period, the Food Bank anticipates the following activities:

• The Food Bank will continue to support the sites’ outreach efforts to ensure the community is aware of this new service.

• Sites will be issued the budgeted stipends to ensure they have the financial support they need to operate the program.

• Continued coaching and support will be offered to the sites to ensure maximum community benefit.

• Delivery, branding, and installation of 5th bank of lockers at DVC Pleasant Hill.

Pittsburg Mobile Family Resources Program, Lincoln Families

Contract Award: $330,000

Claimed thru February 28, 2025: $326,272 (99%)

Grant period extended by CAO through February 28, 2025 (COMPLETED)

Program Summary: 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.

The project was interrupted because the Bilingual Case Manager unexpectedly left Lincoln for other employment. Consequently, the County Administrator extended the grant period for this project through February 28, 2025 to enable Lincon to complete the project.

5^th Quarter Status Update

In Quarter 5, the project team provided Pittsburg residents and families with coordinated intake, direct services, resource navigation, and strengthened informal support/community engagement. Engaging business, nonprofit providers, and site partners who share our dedication to wellness, and a commitment to Pittsburg was essential to the success of the PMFR. Convening a network of providers who center mental health and wellness as a core of their work to directly support youth and families was critical to the direction of the PMFR project. In the extension period, we held a community event, staff professional development for program sustainability, and supported county information dissemination efforts about our project. Further, ongoing wellness services and coordination efforts were held for resident/community members. The following three-hour sessions were conducted:

• January 2025 - filming video with county representatives to capture the work

• February 2025 - program conclusion, transition, and continued training of ECF5 team

On Saturday, December 21, 2024, staff held an Early Childhood focused holiday celebration and resource fair at the East County First 5 Center. The event supported 92 families with basic needs like diapers and food, Christmas gifts, and continued resources navigation and service referrals. Additionally at the event, staff surveyed 31 of those families to gather additional community feedback on their needs. By gathering information about community needs, Lincoln will be able to better focus their ongoing work. Lincoln remains committed to regularly assessing community needs to ensure that programs delivered match need, and that their impacts are responsive and effective.

On January 30, 2025, Lincoln Families was honored to support a County-produced Measure X video in effort to communicate the impacts of the Innovation Fund. The videography project captured the great work of the Innovation fund and its grantees.

In February of 2025, Lincoln staff supported the grant transition and training of the East County First 5 team. The complexities of a one-year grant are extensive -- just as the project gains its most impactful momentum, it is time to sunset the project. As an agency deeply embedded in East Contra Costa community work, Lincoln will continue to serve vulnerable residents, but without the leadership and insights of Jewell Bachelor, the project administrator. Lincoln appreciates the expertise Ms. Bachelor brought to the initiative and to Lincoln, and Ms. Bachelor’s credit, Lincoln will continue to embed holistic wellness practices into its East County work moving forward.

Measurable Indicators of Project

The proposed measurable indicators are as follows, listed with actual outcomes:

1. Objective: 90% of Community Leadership Council members will report having built meaningful connections with each other to better troubleshoot and serve community needs.

Outcome: 100%

2. Objective: 85% of PMFR adult clients will indicate improved confidence and skills to support families/youth with wellness services.

Outcome: 100%

3. Objective: 80% of PMFR adult clients will indicate they have a stronger knowledge of local, community resources for basic needs and empowerment in Pittsburg and East Contra Costa County.

Outcome: 100%

Hispanic Outreach Manager Project, Support4Recovery (S4R)

Contract Award: $143,237

Claimed thru March 31, 2025: $136,235 (95%)

Program Summary: The program will facilitate 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 to help individuals overcome barriers to getting substance abuse treatment, such as obtaining U.S. identification.

5^th Quarter Status Update

S4R reports that it conducted weekly support groups for women focusing on building resilience, fostering community, and providing emotional support, especially for those affected by substance abuse-either themselves or their families. Consistent participation was observed, with many clients reporting increased stability in their living arrangements and overall well-being.

S4R also conducted peer support groups tailored for men, particularly those in or transitioning to sober living environments. The groups provided a safe space for sharing experiences, discussing recovery challenges, and cultivating skills for ongoing sobriety. Regular attendance indicated strong engagement and benefit for participants. Both men and women benefitted significantly from peer-led support communities, with documented participation and positive progression through housing and treatment continuums.

S4R continued its facilitation of detoxification services for individuals struggling with substance abuse, often including arrangement of transportation and coordination with treatment facilities. The goal was to address immediate health crises and connect clients to longer-term recovery resources.

Support was provided in securing transitional or sober living housing for clients completing treatment or facing homelessness. This service aimed to provide a stable, safe environment conducive to continued recovery and integration into the community. Clients often moved directly from treatment programs into these living arrangements, demonstrating an integrated approach to ongoing care. Most clients achieved successful or ongoing outcomes, particularly in support groups and housing services.

S4R conducted Pueblos Workshops, primarily organized by the Pueblos treatment facility. These workshops served as pathways to treatment readiness, personal development, and increased self-sufficiency. S4R also provided assistance with obtaining critical legal documents such as passports, often involving coordination with consulates or government offices. This service was especially vital for clients lacking identification needed for employment, travel, or further social services.

During the 5th quarter, S4R:

• Made 13 housing placements, 10 for men and 3 for women

• Conducted 5 Women’s Support Group sessions attended by a total of 31 women

• Conducted 3 Men’s Support Group sessions attended by a total of 25 women

• Initiated 4 applications for Consulate papers

• Conducted 3 Pueblos workshops for men

• Provided legal services for one man

Impediments. The limited availability of beds for detox and treatment for Hispanics in Contra Costa County continues to be a significant challenge for the project. With only eight beds allocated for detox and 12 beds for treatment, the project team has faced constraints in meeting the growing demand for services within the Hispanic community. Despite ongoing efforts to raise awareness and extend support, the shortage of available beds remains a pressing issue.

Digital Inclusion Program, Tech Exchange

Contract Award: $500,000

Paid thru December 31, 2024: $500,000 (100%) (COMPLETED)

Program Summary: The program promised 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 was to be offered in multiple languages. The program planned to employ STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) interns.

5th Quarter Status Update

This program was completed on December 31, 2024 and the latest update was reported in the 4^th quarter report.

Food Rescue Hero (FRH) Program, White Pony Express (WPE)

Contract Award: $100,000

Claimed through December 31, 2024: $100,000 (100%) (COMPLETED)

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 facilitates the dual goals of feeding hungry people and reducing food waste.

5th Quarter Status Update

This program was completed on December 31, 2024 and the latest update was reported in the 4^th quarter report.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

N/A. This is an informational report.