DATE: November 16, 2021
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Kirk Haynes, Chief Probation Officer
SUBJECT: Cal OES Human Trafficking Advocacy Program Grant Application/Agreement
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Retroactively approve and authorize the Chief Probation Officer’s previous submittal of a grant application to the State of California, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for the Human Trafficking Advocacy Program ($154,500); and
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a Grant Application/Agreement for the Human Trafficking Advocacy Program with the State of California, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for the period of January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. To meet the grant filling deadline, the Probation Department submitted the grant application, contingent upon your Board’s approval. The grant provides funding for support and assistance to human trafficking victims. The recommended actions will authorize the previous submittal of the grant application and the execution of the grant agreement. It should be noted, once the grant agreement is executed by the Chairman and the State of California, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), the application documents become the final agreement between the County and Cal OES. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If the recommended actions are not approved, the grant application will be withdrawn, and due to lack of resources, the Crime Victim Assistance Center (CVAC), which is operated by the Probation Department, will be unable to fund the Human Trafficking Advocacy Program and the associated Senior Victim-Witness Advocate position.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The grant is funded for a total of $154,500. A match of $24,930 is required and will be met using State General Funds. The grant does not pay for any indirect costs. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues for are included in the FY 2021-22 Adopted Probation Grants Org 3432 Budget.
DISCUSSION:
On December 21, 2018, Cal OES awarded the County the competitive award, which allowed for a Senior Victim-Witness Advocate position to be dedicated entirely to a specialized caseload of human trafficking victims. The award allows the Probation Department to submit a non-competitive reapplication for four consecutive years. In order to meet the grant application deadline of October 6, 2021, the application was previously submitted, contingent upon your Board’s approval. The application for the third year of funding was approved by the Board on October 20, 2020. The recommended actions are for the fourth-year funding of the grant.
Upon approval by your Board, the award will be used to continue to fund one Senior Victim-Witness Advocate position, on a full-time basis, by the Crime Victim Assistance Center, to provide support and assistance to victims of human trafficking. The Senior Victim-Witness Advocate position conducts outreach to increase awareness of the human trafficking epidemic and services available to victims, support human trafficking victims by navigating the different systems such as criminal justice, child welfare, immigration, etc., and serves as the human trafficking advocacy subject-matter expert of the CVAC. This position has developed innovative strategies to collaborate with and coordinate services across the criminal justice system, social services, and community-based service providers. In addition, this position links victims to short-term needs (clothing, food, emergency shelter, and medical care), and also long-term needs (mental health services, permanent housing, and childcare).
If the grant funding is eliminated, the position associated with this grant will be deleted, unless an alternative funding source is identified.
California Environmental Quality Act
The Grant requires subrecipients to certify their project is in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Local government agencies must certify that they have adopted or certified the completion of an environmental impact report that complies with the requirements of CEQA, or they have filed a Notice of Exemption with the County Clerk.
The proposed Grant application/agreement is exempt under Section 15061, subdivision (b)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines, because it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment. This determination is based on the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. As a grant application, the proposed activity is limited in scope, and there will be no physical changes to the environment. Assuming your Board’s approval of the recommended actions, Staff will prepare to post a Notice of Exemption.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI # 37, October 20, 2020
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Application/Agreement with Cal OES
CAO ANALYST:
Greg Reinke