DATE: December 14, 2021
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Kirk Haynes, Chief Probation Officer
SUBJECT: Unserved/Underserved Victim Advocacy and Outreach Program Grant Application/Agreement
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Retroactively authorize the Chief Probation Officer’s previous submittal of a grant application to the State of California, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) for the Unserved/Underserved Victim Advocacy and Outreach Program ($182,724); and
2. Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a Grant Application/Agreement for the Unserved/Underserved Victim Advocacy and Outreach Program with Cal OES, for the period of January 1, 2022 through 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 to increase identification of elderly and dependent adult victims of crime, and improve services available to those 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If the recommended actions are not approved, the Grant Application will be withdrawn. This will result in the elimination or reduction of services provided by the Crime Victim Assistance Center to elderly and dependent adult victims of crime. It will also result in the elimination of two Victim Witness Advocate (VA) positions, unless an alternative funding source is identified.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions. The grant will provide a total of $182,724 in grant funds. Due to the fiscal impact of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, a waiver request for the required match was submitted to Cal OES and is expected to be accepted by Cal OES; therefore, the mandated match of $29,464 is not included in the grant application. The grant does not pay for any indirect costs. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the FY 2021-22 Adopted Probation Grants Org 3432 Budget.
DISCUSSION:
With this grant, Probation’s Crime Victim Assistance Center (CVAC) will continue fulfilling the Unserved/Underserved Victim and Advocacy (UV) Program. Grant funding provides two Victim Witness Advocate (VA) positions to reach elderly and dependent adult victims of crime and assist them in coping with the impacts from criminal acts. The objectives of the VA positions are to improve identification of elderly and dependent adult victims, increase community awareness of victims’ rights and available services, establish connections between Probation’s Crime Victim Assistance Center (CVAC) and our rural communities and cultural groups, and improve services available to elderly and dependent adult victims of violent crime through a collaboration of agencies.
The Cal OES request for grant applications was published on September 17, 2021, with a filing deadline of October 29, 2021. In order to meet the filing deadline, the application was previously submitted to Cal OES, contingent upon your Board’s approval, and is being brought to your Board with the associated agreement on the first available Board date.
If the grant funding is eliminated, the positions funded 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 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. Assuming your Board’s approval of the recommended actions, Staff will prepare to post a Notice of Exemption.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI # 47, November 24, 2020
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Application/Agreement with Cal OES
CAO ANALYST:
Greg Reinke