Title
Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board:
1) Authorize the HHSA Director to apply for and accept the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) 2023-2024 County Victim Services (XC) grant, in the amount of $161,022, which requires an in-kind match in the amount of $40,256, which will be met by the subrecipient receiving these subawarded funds via volunteer hours, for the term of January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024;
2) Delegate authority to the HHSA Director to serve as the official designee for the XC Program grant administered by Cal OES;
3) Approve and authorize the HHSA Director to sign the Subaward Face Sheet, Grant Subaward Certification of Assurance of Compliance, and Federal Fund Grant Subaward Assurances forms for submission to Cal OES;
4) Authorize the Board Chair to sign the XC Program Grant Subaward Certification of Assurance of Compliance form for submission to Cal OES;
5) Authorize the HHSA Director, or HHSA Chief Assistant Director, to execute the resulting funding agreement and future amendments, which do not increase the funding amount, contingent upon County Counsel and Risk Management approval, and subsequent administrative documents or required fiscal or programmatic reports; and
6) Authorize the HHSA Director to negotiate and enter into a subaward agreement, including any amendments thereto, for the XC Program funding with CASA El Dorado (CASA), contingent upon County Counsel and Risk Management approval.
FUNDING: 100% XC federal funds totaling $161,022 and a required match in the amount of $40,256, to be provided by CASA through in-kind volunteer hours.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
HHSA has applied to and has been awarded funding by Cal OES for the XC Program non-competitive grant since 2016. The purpose of the XC Program is for counties statewide to assess their jurisdiction’s existing victim service structure, identify needs, and fill gaps in victim services.
The initial Request for Application (RFA) issued by Cal OES for the XC Program in 2016, outlined the requirement that applicants had to establish a local Victim Services Steering Committee (VSSC) with representatives from multiple community organizations, to identify local gaps in victim services, identify how to address needs, and develop a Victim Services Plan detailing how counties intended to utilize awarded XC program funding. Shortly thereafter, HHSA established this committee to determine the highest need for addressing victim services and to develop the resulting plan for the XC Program implementation in the County. The committee includes representation from the following agencies:
• County Adult Protective Services
• County Child Protective Services
• County Behavioral Health
• County Superior Court
• County District Attorney
• County Probation Department
• City of Placerville Police Department
• El Dorado Sheriff’s Office
• El Dorado County's Victim Witness Program (division within the County District Attorney’s Office)
• Live Violence Free (non-profit agency in the County that represent the Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Program category in the County)
As the outcome of the VSSC meetings in 2016, the committee determined that the victim services gap in El Dorado County was the estimated 50 children each year who are victims of abuse and neglect and were appointed a Court Appointed Special Advocate by a superior court judge, placed into foster care locally in the County, and who still are under-served due to lack of available resources. The VSSC also determined that this population would best be served through a collaborative effort spearheaded by CASA, a local non-profit provider who has served children/youth clients in this exact manner for over 25 years and is equipped to provide specially trained Court Appointed Special Advocates to these clients. Cal OES officially accepted this County Victims Services Plan in 2016.
Beginning in 2019, Cal OES issued a new RFA for this funding, and changed the structure of the XC Program to be awarded annually. As outlined in the annual RFAs, prior established VSSCs have to meet on an annual basis to monitor performance of the grant awards, ensure regular collaboration and dialog in support of justice for crime victims, and to annually evaluate the 2016 Victim Services Plan to meet the unmet needs of crime victims in the County. Since inception of the XC Program, the County’s VSSC unanimously voted each year to continue to provide a subaward to CASA as the ongoing recipient of the County XC Program funding awards. Utilizing this funding, CASA continues to serve those affected individuals involved in the foster care system through the provision of a specially trained advocate and supports children throughout the duration of their open case in the child welfare system. The County has applied and been awarded XC Program funding by Cal OES in 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022.
On August 7, 2023, Cal OES released the new RFA soliciting applications for the 2023/2024 County Victim Services XC Program. As stipulated in the RFA, only prior grantees are eligible to apply to this current XC funding opportunity, therefore, the County HHSA, as a prior grantee, is eligible to apply for this funding opportunity again this year.
As required by Cal OES, the County VSSC reconvened on August 30, 2023, to discuss the XC Program and plan for the 2023/2024 grant award. During this meeting, the CASA Director gave a presentation summarizing the XC grant performance, highlighting that with the funding, CASA provides court advocacy for 100 youth (approximately 67% of the youth served by CASA) through the training and recruitment of volunteers who serve as advocates, as well as through connecting youth with important education, medical, mental health, substance abuse, and community supports.
As a result of this meeting, the County VSSC voted to continue serving these kids with the subaward of the XC funding to CASA for the next cycle. CASA will also provide the full required match amount of $40,256 through the provision of volunteer in-kind hours of Court Appointed Special Advocate for victims of child abuse and neglect. As required under the XC RFA, the County VSSC formally signed off on their agreement to continue to subaward this XC funding to CASA El Dorado, if awarded, and their signatures on this plan will be submitted to Cal OES with the County's 2023/2024 grant application.
Additionally, Cal OES requires a signature on the Subaward Face Sheet, Subaward Certification of Assurance of Compliance and Federal Fund Grant Subaward Assurances form, to be signed by the County’s official designee authorized by the Board to enter into a Grant Agreement for the 2023 XC Program. As such, HHSA is requesting the Board authorize the HHSA Director to serve as this designee. The grant application requirements also specify that the Subaward Certification of Assurance of Compliance attached must also be signed by the Board Chair. The XC grant application, inclusive of these three (3) forms, is due for submission to Cal OES by October 30, 2023.
ALTERNATIVES:
Should the Board decline to approve the submission of the application and required signatures, the County would be ineligible to participate in the 2023/2024 County Victim Services Program funded through Cal OES, and as a result, not be awarded funding through this opportunity, and would be unable to subaward this funding to CASA El Dorado leaving approximately 100 victims of child abuse and neglect without the support of a Court Appointed Special Advocate as they navigate the child welfare system.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION:
1) 12/19/17, 16-0232, 2016-2019 County XC Program Grant Amendment
2) 12/19/17, 16-0992, Amended Agreement with CASA El Dorado
3) 10/08/19, 19-1439, 2019/20 County XC Program Grant Agreement
4) 09/22/20, 20-1164, 2020/21 County XC Program Grant Agreement
5) 08/24/21, 21-1185, 2021/22 County XC Program Grant Agreement
6) 09/13/22, 22-1478, HHSA County Victim Services Program Grant Application
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel approved the Cal OES grant forms, including: Subaward Face Sheet, Grant Subaward Certification of Assurance of Compliance, and Federal Fund Grant Subaward Assurances.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
Approve as recommended.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Since the inception of funding for the County Victims Services Program grant in 2016, all required matching funds have been met by CASA El Dorado without failure. This model will be continued for the new grant cycle. However, should CASA El Dorado fail to report $40,256 in match as required in the resulting subaward agreement, the County would be responsible for any unmet match, using County General Fund, consistent with the requirements of the Grant Program.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Clerk of the Board to obtain signature of the Chair on the required Federal Fund Grant Subaward Assurance certification and email said certification to hhsa-eldoradoco-grants@edcgov.us.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT:
Healthy Communities
CONTACT
Olivia Byron-Cooper, MPH, Director, Health and Human Services Agency