DATE: October 17, 2017
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Delfino E. Neira, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Retroactive Amendment I to Agreement with Proteus, Inc. for Job Readiness, Job Search, and Employment Barrier Removal Services
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a retroactive Amendment I to Agreement No. 16-410 with Proteus, Inc. (Proteus), a decrease of $1,125,756 for employment and barrier removal services, effective July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2021 ($4,503,014).
REPORT
The recommended amendment decreases the maximum compensation of the agreement by 25% in response to a reduction of California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Act (CalWORKs) Single Allocation funding. The recommended action puts forth an amendment that accounts for the current level of need among CalWORKs Welfare-to-Work (WTW) recipients to address barriers to employment. There is no increase in Net County Cost.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board may choose not to approve the recommended action; however, the agreement will lack sufficient State funding to continue at current levels.
RETROACTIVE AGREEMENT:
The recommended amendment I is retroactive to July 1, 2017 because the Department was notified by the California Department of Social Services in June 2017 of the prospective Fiscal Year (FY) 2017-18 CalWORKs Single Allocation reduction. Negotiations began shortly thereafter with Proteus, who agreed to a contract reduction beginning in FY 2017-18 and through the remainder of the agreement. Final allocations were released on August 30, 2017.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The maximum cost of the agreement ($4,503,014) will be offset using CalWORKs Single Allocation funds. Sufficient appropriations are included in the FY 2017-18 Adopted Budget for the Department of Social Services, Organization 5610, and will be included in subsequent budgets.
The County has a Maintenance of Effort (MOE) of $4,022,882 for FY 17-18 for the CalWORKs program. Once the MOE has been met, all expenses over that amount will be 100% funded with State and Federal funding up to the amount of the annual CalWORKs Single Allocation. Social Services Realignment funds will be used to meet the CalWORKs MOE.
DISCUSSION:
On June 21, 2016, your Board approved an agreement with Proteus for Job Readiness, Job Search, and Employment and Barrier Removal Services for CalWORKs WTW participants. The partners for the Jobs 2000 program include but are not limited to, the District Attorney’s office, the Public Defender’s office, representatives from the Fresno County Superior Court, the Child Support Office, the Department of Behavioral Health, financial advisors from local banks, and many more working to assist WTW clients remove barriers that are preventing them from obtaining gainful employment. Clients who graduate from Jobs 2000 continue to say that graduating from the program was a turning point in their lives.
In FY 2016-17, 75% of the WTW participants enrolled into Proteus’ Jobs 2000 program graduated, and of the participants determined to be job ready, over 70% became employed.
Proteus’ Jobs 2000 program has been in place for 17 years and was one of the first programs in the state to include multiple community partners assisting clients to remove barriers to employment. This program has been the blueprint for many other successful local programs.
The statewide reduction in CalWORKs Single Allocation funds for FY 2017-18 prompted the Department to evaluate contracted services provided through these funds. After evaluation, the Department determined service need had decreased over the past year. The recommended amendment will decrease the anticipated amount of client referrals and the amount of classes offered each year. The reduction in referrals will better reflect the most recent utilization of this agreement. The recommended amendment will allow the Department to partially address the decrease in the CalWORKs Single Allocation without disrupting client services.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #69, June 21, 2016
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Amendment I to Agreement with Proteus
CAO ANALYST:
Ronald Alexander