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Approve a contract with Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc. for $312,937 to lead the design and planning process to establish a Prevention and Intervention Resource Center to support youth and their families who are at risk of involvement with the juvenile justice system for the period November 1, 2024 through July 31, 2026; Delegate authority to the County Administrator to execute the contract and any subsequent amendments, with County Counsel concurrence, up to an aggregate of $74,999; and Authorize the Chief Probation Officer to execute any amendments which are technical or administrative in nature
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Published Notice Required? Yes ___ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ___ No _ X_
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Probation Department recommends that the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve a contract with Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc. for $312,937 to lead the design and planning process to establish a Prevention and Intervention Resource Center to support youth and their families who are at risk of involvement with the juvenile justice system for the period November 1, 2024 through July 31, 2026;
2. Delegate authority to the County Administrator to execute the contract and any subsequent amendments, with County Counsel concurrence, up to an aggregate of $74,999; and
3. Authorize the Chief Probation Officer to execute any amendments which are technical or administrative in nature.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
In an effort to expand outreach and services to youth and minimize the number of youth entering the juvenile justice system, the Probation Department has developed a prevention and early intervention initiative. The goal is to provide services that address the identified needs of youth at risk before formal system intervention. Currently, Solano County lacks a collaborative and coordinated approach to identifying needs and deploying resources to support youth before formal system involvement. The absence of collaborative and coordinated services limits community awareness of available services, hampers positive youth development, and prevents effective information sharing among youth-serving county departments. This gap is further exacerbated by geographic barriers and disproportionate access to services for those most in need.
To gain insight into existing prevention and early intervention centers, staff from the Solano County Probation Department, Health and Social Services, Child Welfare Services, County Administrator’s Office, and Solano County Office of Education visited the Harbor Center in Nevada and reviewed other promising programs nationwide. The Probation Department was awarded a Juvenile Assistance Grant (JAG) in August 2023 to provide funding support for the overall long-term planning and development of a prevention and early intervention program. Additionally, to begin service efforts, the JAG grant supports the implementation of a small-scale pilot program that will be housed at the 2220 Boynton space (adjacent to the Youth Services Center), which will be a collaborative effort between Solano County Probation, the Solano County Office of Education (SCOE), and Solano County Health and Social Services.
The goal of the proposed Center is to focus specifically on prevention and intervention, providing a safe harbor for all youth throughout the county at risk of violence victimization and perpetration, trauma, and disproportionate justice involvement. The goal is to integrate and sustain services that are responsive to the assessed needs of youth who are disproportionately represented in the juvenile justice system. The Center will address multiple risk factors including, a) mental health and/or substance use disorders; b) exposure or participation in community violence; and/or c) poverty and limited economic opportunity for youth and their families.
In October 2024, the Department was further awarded the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Building Local Continuums of Care to Support Youth Success grant. This grant will support efforts to gain community stakeholder engagement, identify prevention and early intervention services that will benefit youth in need, outline further gaps and community needs, and then provide the JAG planning committee with recommendations on service needs identified through community and stakeholder engagement. With the support of the OJJDP funding, the Probation Department is seeking the assistance of Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc. (Third Sector). Third Sector has previous experience under the OJJDP grant, facilitating similar facilitator and stakeholder engagement efforts in Ohio. As they have this unique expertise and Probation could not find a local organization to do this work, Probation is seeking this sole source contract with Third Sector in order to facilitate effective and efficient stakeholder engagement.
Third Sector will assist in the design and planning process to establish the Center through a process that integrates community expertise and insights with the county's policy, program, and funding resources. Third Sector will work closely with the County leadership and staff, community-based organizations (CBOs), youth and their caregivers, and community members with lived experience to convene, plan, and deliver an action plan to be submitted for incorporation into the larger planning initiative of the Justice Assistance Grant to achieve goals outlined in both the OJJDP and JAG grant submissions. These goals aim to prevent involvement with the juvenile justice system for youth referred by probation or other law enforcement, local schools, community organizations, truancy officers, and other stakeholders, and achieve safer communities for all Solano County residents.
The timeline moves from research and community landscaping assessment to action planning, and then ultimately concludes with the County being equipped to operate the new Center with the resources and practices developed by Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc. and the established Planning Council. Key findings from both the OJJDP Third Sector process, the progress from the JAG steering committee, and the outcomes from the initial pilot effort will be presented to the Board for consideration of full implementation.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Budget appropriations to fund the contract to lead the design and planning process to establish a Prevention and Intervention Resource Center are included in the Probation Department’s FY2024/25 Working Budget, offset by funding from the OJJDP FY2023 Building Local Continuums of Care to Support Youth Success grant. There is no additional fiscal impact on the County General Fund.
The information gathered in the design and planning process will assist the department in evaluating the feasibility of operating a center. In addition, staff will develop an estimate of the initial startup costs and the ongoing annual funding needed to operate a center. This data will be used to assist in determining options for an ongoing funding source to open and operate a center. After the design and planning phase, the department will return to your Board to present the results and any further recommendations.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board can choose not to approve this contract. However, this is not recommended as the proposed Center will provide critical services to improve the lives of at-risk youth and their families living in Solano County. Additionally, the Department will be unable to use funding already allocated to it.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel has reviewed the Third Sector Capital Partners, Inc. contract and approved it as to form.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION