Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution approves the recommendations of the Community Services Committee and authorizes entry into contracts with Nehemiah Community Development Corporation and the Madison Area Urban Ministry. Common Council adopted RES-17-00630 (Legistar file 48015) authorized the Community Development Division (CDD) to undertake a Request for Proposals (RFP) process to allocate budgeted funds, for use beginning in 2017, to community organizations for provision of peer support programming for violence prevention. Due to the timing of the RFP, recommendations from the process authorized by RES-17-00630 (File 48015) will be used to award funding in CDD’s 2018 operating budget.
The 2017 Adopted Operating Budget includes $400,000 for peer support programming. Resolution 17-00537 (Legistar file 47574), adopted by the Common Council on June 20th, authorized utilizing $75,000 of this appropriation for a contract with Nehemiah and the Focused Interruption Coalition to provide peer support services to persons or households impacted by acts of violence ($50,000) and funding administered by CDD for rapid response and direct aid to victims of violence ($25,000). The 2018 Executive Operating Budget includes $400,000 for continuing the peer support programming for violence prevention.
The proposed resolution authorizes awarding up $150,000 in 2017 and up to $200,000 in 2018 to Nehemiah Community Development Corporation and its collaborative partners for the provision of crisis-focused peer support and related services designed to help reduce the occurrence of crime and violence in our community. The proposed resolution also authorizes awarding up to $150,000 in 2017 and up to $200,000 in 2018 to Madison Area Urban Ministry and its collaborative partners for the provision of peer support and related services designed to reduce recidivism among person returning to our community from incarceration.
Title
Authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to enter into contracts with Nehemiah Community Development Corp and Madison-area Urban Ministry to provide peer support services to assist persons impacted by violence and to support formerly incarcerated individuals as part of a strategy to reduce recidivism
Body
WHEREAS, the City’s 2017 Adopted Operating Budget appropriated $400,000 within the Community Development Division (CDD) budget to support a Peer Support Initiative that is intended to achieve two distinct goals; reducing the rate of recidivism among persons returning to the community following a period of incarceration and, reducing incidences of violence on the part of persons deemed at risk of engaging in violent or criminal behavior; and
WHEREAS, on August 1, 2017 the Common Council adopted RES-17-00630 (Legistar File #48015) authorizing the CDD to undertake a Request for Proposals (RFP) process to allocate those funds for use beginning in 2017; and
WHEREAS, CDD staff, in consultation with the Mayor, members of the Common Council and others, prepared a staff paper entitled “Peer Support Initiative 2017” that set forth the parameters of a Peer Support Program initiative; and
WHEREAS, CDD contracted with Equity by Design to conduct a series of focus groups and interviews involving community stakeholders, potential vendors, and residents that might benefit from the described services in order to gather feedback on the staff paper; and
WHEREAS the final “Peer Support Initiative 2017” paper served as the foundation for the request for proposals document used to solicit proposals from area non-profit organizations interested in providing peer support services; and
WHEREAS CDD staff published the request for proposals on August 11, 2017 and received four proposals to provide the requested services; and
WHEREAS CDD staff, in consultation with a review team comprised of representatives from the Office of the Mayor, the Madison Police Department, Dane County’s Joining Forces for Families and Neighborhood Intervention Programs, the City/County Public Health Department and the Madison Metropolitan School District, reviewed and evaluated all of the proposals and formulated recommendations for consideration by the Community Services Committee, and
WHEREAS those recommendations included the following provisions:
• the City will award up to $150,000 in 2017 funds and up to $200,000 in 2018 funds, the latter contingent upon funds being included in the 2018 Adopted Operating Budget, to Nehemiah Community Development Corporation (Nehemiah) and its collaborative partners - the Focused Interruption Coalition, Anesis Therapy and the Urban League of Greater Madison - for the provision of peer support and related services to persons affected by violence and deemed at high risk themselves of engaging in violent or criminal behavior.
• Funds available to Nehemiah in 2017 are primarily intended for use to pay expenses associated with program design and development, staff training and certification, and organizational capacity building related to the provision of contracted services, including costs incurred to retain the services of third party subject matter expertize and/or technical assistance.
• the City will award up to $150,000 in 2017 funds, and up to $200,000 in 2018 funds, the latter contingent upon funds being included in the 2018 Adopted Operating Budget, to Madison-area Urban Ministry (MUM), and its collaborative partners - FAIR, ACCESS Housing, Employment and Training Association and Vision Beyond Bars - for the provision of peer support and related services to persons returning to the community from incarceration and deemed at risk of engaging in activities that could lead to their re-incarceration.
• Funds provided to MUM in 2017 are available to MUM and its partners to pay for expenses incurred in the provision of contracted services and for program development, staff training and certification, and other startup needs relevant to the Peer Support re-entry program.
• More specific details regarding program expectations and use of funds will be set out in contracts between the CDD and funded agencies.
• MUM and Nehemiah, and their respective partners, will also be expected to work together to help establish and participate in a collaborative network of providers serving the re-entry population in Madison; and
WHEREAS The Community Services Committee met on October 18, 2017 and its members voted unanimously to approve these recommendations and forward them to the Common Council for adoption.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor and the Common Council approve the recommendations of the Community Service Committee and authorize the award of up to $150,000 in 2017, and up to $200,000 in 2018, to Nehemiah Community Development Corporation and its collaborative partners for the provision of crisis-focused peer support and related services designed to help reduce the occurrence of crime and violence in our community; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Mayor and the Common Council approve the recommendations of the Community Services Committee and authorize the award of up to $150,000 in 2017, and up to $200,000 in 2018, to Madison area Urban Ministry and its collaborative partners for the provision of peer support and related services designed to reduce recidivism among person returning to our community from incarceration; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Mayor and City Clerk are hereby authorized to enter into contracts with Nehemiah Community Development Corporation and with Madison-area Urban Ministry to accomplish the purposes described in this resolution.