Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution authorizes the disbursement of $110,738 in federal grant funding to seven community agencies. The $110,738 is the remaining balance from the USDOJ Community Building Crime Response: Our Neighborhood-A Safe and Beautiful Place" grant. The seven community agencies identified in the proposed resolution were selected by a Community Advisory Team and other grant partners. The proposed purchase of service contracts with the seven agencies range from $5,000 to $53,040. No additional City appropriation is required.
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The proposed resolution authorizes the reallocation of up to $110,738, of funds awarded to the City of Madison by the U.S. Department of Justice under an “Our Neighborhood - A Safe and Beautiful Place" grant, to seven community agency contracts to support the goals of the grant to provide youth mentoring, safe passages and support to families programming on Madison’s South West side.
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Background:
In September 2017, the US Department of Justice (USDOJ) awarded the City of Madison an $850,000 “Our Neighborhood-A Safe and Beautiful Place” grant. On October 17, 2017 the Common Council adopted RES-17-00844, Legistar Item #49016, authorizing the acceptance of the grant. This two-year grant, addressing crime and socio-economic drivers of crime within the Raymond Road Corridor, includes the following goals:
1) Improve the ability of residents to work together to reduce crime, promote public safety, and advocate for improved youth and adult programs within identified priority areas;
2) Support youth in developing positive, supportive relationships with adults (parents, teachers, and mentors) and improve their ability to peaceably resolve conflict;
3) Increase guardianship in the area;
4) Provide parenting support and education, particularly for single, female-heads of households;
5) Enhance community/police trust and communication, emphasizing community outreach, and breaking down barriers between officers and residents, especially youth.
The Madison Police Department, in partnership with Commonwealth Development, submitted the grant application and subsequent implentation plan to USDOJ. Neighborhood residents, through a Community Advisory Team, worked with MPD and Commonwealth to develop the application and implementation plan. The approved implementation plan anticipated allocating approximately $120,000 to Families and Schools Together Wisconsin (FAST), a nationally recognized organization, to offer technical assistance and training to a local community provider (Wisconsin Youth Company), and to that local community provider to provide support services to families. It contemplated making other resources available to community partners for activities that would further the goals of the plan.
Later, the Community Advisory Team, with technical assistance from Community Development Division staff, entertained proposals from community partner agencies and formulated recommendations with respect to the allocation of that portion of the grant designated for use in supporting the work of community partners. The Community Advisory Team put those recommendations to the Common Council for its approval and the Council approved two sets of funding recommendations, on March 19, 2019 (RES-19-00264, Legistar File # 54968) to allocate about $211,000 for youth mentoring programs, and on July 16, 2019 (RES-19-00535, Legistar File #56457) to allocate $120,000 for a safe passages initiative.
Subsequently, several community partners that received funds advised the City they were unable to utilize all the funds and would need to return them. The total of returned funds is about $110,000. In the interest of using all available funds by the September 30, 2020 grant end date, the Community Action Team, working with the other grant partners, has formulated new recommendations to reallocate the returned funds. This resolution seeks approval for those recommendations.
Action:
WHEREAS, the City of Madison was awarded an $850,000 “Our Neighborhood-A Safe and Beautiful Place” grant from the USDOJ in September of 2017; and,
WHEREAS, the application approved by the USDOJ designated a portion of the funds for family support services using a Families and Schools Together program model, and contemplated using other funds to support programs and services offered by community partners; and,
WHEREAS, the Community Advisory Team, a group comprised of and representing neighborhood residents in the service area, with assistance from CDD staff, solicited program proposals through two separate requests for proposals processes, and formulated recommendations regarding the use of available funds; and,
WHEREAS, the Community Advisory Team submitted its recommendations for approval by the Common Council on March 19th and July 16th, and the Council endorsed both sets of recommendations; and,
WHEREAS, in the ensuing months, several recipients of those funds advised the City that they were unable to fully utilize the funds offered to them and returned, in aggregate, about $110,000; and,
WHEREAS, in the interest of making use of all available funds to further the grant’s stated objectives by the September 30th end date, the Community Advisory Team and other grant partners worked together and on February 27, 2020 finalized a new set of recommendations to reallocate the returned funds as described below:
Charles Hamilton Houston Institute: up to $9,500 for the Dear Diary 8th grade transition program, that will provide summer group mentoring for female middle school youth transitioning to high school.
Intentional Mentoring Inc.: up to $4,500 for additional mentor recruiting, training resources and event planning, and to meet unexpected insurance costs due to payroll requirements for current programming needs for the West Madison Initiative that draws primarily from the Theresa Terrace and Meadowood neighborhood.
Operation Fresh Start (OFS) Drive: up to $20,000 for mentoring and support for 18-24-year-old young adults in securing their WI drivers’ licenses. Drive 1, a multi-week mentoring program will wrap driver education into a broader program which will work with individuals to overcome barriers to attaining a driver’s license and engage on a path to career employment. Drive program will recruit young adults from an approved geographic area and operate at the Southwest Madison Employment Center at 1233 McKenna Blvd.
The Mellowhood Foundation, Inc.: up to $50,758 to expand upon an existing funded program. Funds will be used to hire a project manager to support the People On the Premises (POP) team for facilitation, coordination of communication among stakeholders and strategic planning of the POP team initiative that includes sustainability for project success. The Mellowhood Foundation also plans to increase the number of POP members, by either 3 or 4 new staff, to better serve Theresa Terrace and Park Edge neighborhoods.
Meadowood Neighborhood Center: Family Fun Nights: up to $8,250 to increase family, school and community engagement of families, increase awareness of area resources and celebrate the diversity of the neighborhood by offering early evening activities suitable for various age groups, once per month, from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm. This time frame extends the hours of the Center.
Toki Middle School FACE Program: up to $7,750 to support vulnerable, at-risk African American students at Toki, by implementing a family engagement pilot project aimed at recruiting 5-10 families of at-risk African American students to partner with Toki staff to find ways to improve African American family connections at school.
Madison Urban League-Southwest Fatherhood Program, up to $9,980 to expand and enhance current activities focused on fathers who reside in, or who have children residing in, Southwest Madison. The target is to serve Black fathers who are disproportionately impacted and lack access to culturally relevant fatherhood support and development services. Programming will be held at the Southwest Madison Employment Center at 1233 McKenna Blvd.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Common Council approves the recommended funding allocations as detailed above; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Common Council authorizes the Mayor and the City Clerk to execute agreements with the above listed agencies (or their fiscal agents) for the described activities; and,
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Council authorizes the Community Development Division, in consultation with the grant partners, and in accordance with any requirements of the grant and applicable City purchasing policies, to allocate any additional unused funds that might become available prior to the September 30, 2020 grant expiration date.