REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: SUMEET MALHI, Director
Personnel Services Department
BY: SUSAN CHUDY, Program Administrator
Personnel Services Department
SUBJECT
Title
Actions pertaining to allocation of One Fresno Youth Jobs Corps program funding to six organizations to provide meaningful work experience at their worksites:
1. Approve six (6) Service Agreements allocating One Fresno Youth Jobs Corps grant program funding to local Community Based Organizations (CBOs) totaling $985,992.62 (RFP 12302546) to the following organizations: (1) Career Nexus $50,000; (2) Community Media Access Collaborative $53,224; (3) Fresno County EOC $200,000; (4) Neighborhood Industries $200,000; (5) Poverello House, Naomi House, Amici Del $200,000; and (6) The Downtown Association $282,769.
2. RESOLUTION - Granting Authority to the City Manager or designee to enter into agreements with Community Based Organizations to provide meaningful work experiences at their worksites funded by the One Fresno Youth Jobs Corps program.
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff is recommending the City Council’s approval to enter into service agreements with six CBOs to provide meaningful work experiences and to receive allocations from the One Fresno Youth Jobs Corps funding totaling $985,993 (RFP 12302546). The CBOs listed below were selected from a competitive process to provide work experiences to underserved youth:
|
Awards |
Proposer |
|
$200,000 |
Neighborhood Industries |
|
$200,000 |
Poverello House |
|
$282,769 |
The Downtown Association of Fresno |
|
$200,000 |
Fresno County EOC |
|
$53,224 |
Community Media Access Collaborative |
|
$50,000 |
Career Nexus |
|
$985,993 |
TOTAL |
Authorize the City Manager or designee to enter and execute service agreements and any amendments to the agreement with each Community Based Organization (CBOs) as approved to provide meaningful work experiences for youth hired for this program.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The One Fresno Youth Jobs Corps Program is extending the employment opportunities for Fresno Youth to be employed by a local organization as the employer of record, while receiving wrap around services to remove barriers to employment. Staff is recommending the City Council’s approval to enter into service agreements with six local CBOs to provide meaningful work experiences that support initiatives to beautify downtown Fresno, the Tower District, address homelessness and provide on-the-job training to Fresno youth 16-30 years of age. These work experiences are designed to promote the development of positive work habits and specific skills required for successful participation in the workforce.
This program is designed to provide inclusive economic investment while creating an opportunity for our most vulnerable youth to be hired and trained for employment.
BACKGROUND
On January 27, 2022, the City of Fresno received $7.4 million in funding from California Volunteers through the Governor’s Office for the One Fresno Youth Jobs Corps program.
Creating and maintaining a workforce development program that invests in the next generation of workers and leaders in the City of Fresno is an essential piece to the overall investment in our community’s youth. The primary goal of the program is to provide inclusive economic investment that includes creating opportunities for our most vulnerable youth so that they might ultimately realize economic mobility. The program will assist us in reaching this goal by providing resources necessary to invest in our young people in an inclusive way.
Strategic objectives to meet this goal include:
• Identifying the highest need 16- to 30-year-old youth and providing opportunities for entry-level employment in city government, as well as career paths for future upward mobility
• Removing existing barriers of vulnerable residents for training and employment with the City.
• Providing job training, case management and mentorship through existing partnerships for all Participants in the program
• Providing Participants with tools for success in future employment with the City or other outside
• organizations
• Providing a living wage for Participants throughout the duration of the program
The One Fresno Youth Jobs Corps program interest and recruitment process for Participants began April 1, 2022, and the first Participant was hired in May 2022. To date, this program has recruited, trained, mentored, and hired over 250 youth within the City in order to prepare them for future career opportunities.
To provide additional opportunities to the youth in our community with barriers to employment opportunities, we solicited proposals from local not-for-profit entities to provide additional meaningful work experiences designed to promote the development of positive work habits and specific skills required for successful participation in the workforce. Work experience through this opportunity is a maximum of six months in duration.
On May 17, 2023, a request for proposals for the One Fresno Youth Jobs Corps program for work experience opportunities was published through our purchasing department via the City’s Planet Bids portal with a due date of June 13, 2023. Eight proposals were submitted prior to the deadline and were determined ready for the review process. In June 2023, a review committee was formed, and proposals were sent to the committee for their individual review and recommendation. This committee met to discuss the proposals in depth and to provide recommendations. Through the application review process and interviews with each organization, the committee agreed on the recommendations brought forth today.
The selection committee reviewed each application and identified those applications that best met the desired outcome for the program given their relative strengths and weaknesses.
Below is a summary of the selected CBO’s and their proposals:
Career Nexus -will provide meaningful work experiences for youth participants through their existing partners in the manufacturing, banking, healthcare, and public sectors.
Community Media Access Collaborative - will train youth participants as part of a production team to work on various media projects. Projects include live broadcasts and multi-camera productions that take place at their facility and in the community.
Fresno County EOC - will offer job training opportunities through placement in local business partner sites in the landscaping, conservation, recycling, solar, construction, and healthcare industries.
Neighborhood Industries -will promote the learning of job skills through placement in one of their associated businesses in the Tower District. Neighborhood Industries has an existing structure in place to employ and mentor individuals experiencing employment barriers.
Poverello House -youth participants will serve as Culinary Hospitality and Logistics fellows with the development of a new service model at Papa’s Mike’s Café. Participants will learn hospitality and restaurant-industry related skills and learn to work directly with the unhoused population.
The Downtown Association of Fresno -will focus on the Downtown Fresno area and offer work experiences as part of a “clean team” focused on beautification of the area and a “hospitality team” focused on greeting and assisting visitors with wayfinding, event information, etcetera.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
By the definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 this item does not qualify as a “project” and is therefore exempt from CEQA requirements.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
All proposals were based in the City of Fresno, although verification of the location of services was discussed during the interview process. All of the organizations recommended are located in the City of Fresno and services proposed will assist City of Fresno residents.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to the General Fund. The Youth Jobs Corps Program is fully funded through a grant award from the California Volunteers through the State of California Governor’s Office.
Attachments:
Resolution_Sample CBO Partner Agreement
Bid Evaluation