DATE: April 25, 2023
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Paul Nerland, County Administrative Officer
SUBJECT: State Local Fiscal Recovery Funds - Subrecipient Agreement with
Court Appointed Special Advocates of Fresno and Madera Counties
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and Authorize the Chairman to execute Subrecipient Agreement for American Rescue Plan Act - State Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (ARPA-SLFRF) with Court Appointed Special Advocates of Fresno and Madera Counties (CASA) in the amount of $250,000 to address the negative economic impacts of the pandemic on child welfare, which will provide funding assistance to help fund operational expenses for the implementation of CASA’s mission to recruit advocates to represent the best interest of the children and youth navigating the foster care system.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action will allocate $250,000 of ARPA-SLFRF to CASA to address negative economic impacts of the pandemic on child welfare, and will provide funding assistance to help fund operational expenses for the implementation of CASA’s mission to recruit advocates to represent the best interest of the children and youth navigating the foster care system. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If your Board were not to approve the recommended action, ARPA-SLFRF would not become available to CASA to help fund operational expenses for the recruitment of advocates responsible to represent the best interest of the children and youth navigating the foster care system, which were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. Costs for the recommended agreement will be fully funded with ARPA-SLFRF. Sufficient appropriations in FY 2022-23 are included in Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector Org. 1033 - Disaster Claiming, Fund 0026, Subclass 91021, Account 7845.
DISCUSSION:
The United States Department of the Treasury’s (Treasury) Title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 35 Coronavirus SLFRF Interim Final Rule (“Interim Final Rule”) and Final Rule (“Final Rule”) establish a framework for determining the types of programs and services that are eligible under the ARPA. SLFRF may be used for eligible activities under the following general categories:
A. Respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency or its negative economic impacts;
B. Provide premium pay for essential workers;
C. Replace public sector revenue loss, subject to certain limitations; and
D. Make necessary investments in infrastructure such as in water, sewer, and broadband.
The Final Rule permits SLFRF to be used to cover costs for eligible activities within the four general categories for the period that begins March 3, 2021, and ends on December 31, 2024. Recipients and its subrecipients, must return any funds to the Treasury which are not obligated by December 31, 2024, and any funds not expended to cover such obligations by December 31, 2026.
On February 1, 2022, your Board approved the Ad-Hoc Committee’s expenditure plan which earmarked funds for proposals that may be funded either in whole or in part by the County’s $194,063,657 allocation of SLFRF. The approved expenditure plan included $14,105,219 in SLFRF to be made available to qualifying subrecipients through a 30-day application solicitation period and selection review process. On June 21, 2022, your Board approved the earmarking of $13,954,929 to provide funding to 22 subrecipient proposals, including CASA ($250,000) to address the negative economic impacts of the pandemic on child welfare, by funding operational expenses for the implementation of CASA’s mission to recruit advocates to represent the best interest of the children and youth navigating the foster care system.
Under Section 602(c)(3) of the ARPA, the County may transfer SLFRF to nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations for eligible uses for the purpose of meeting ARPA’s goals. The following section summarizes the recommended subrecipient agreement.
CASA, Foster Youth Programs
For over 25 years, CASA has trained and supervised community volunteers that advocate and represent the best interest of children including, but not limited, to victims of crimes, abuse, neglect, abandonment, or to help children and youth that become dependents of child welfare or the Fresno County Superior Court systems. Majority of the CASA’s clients are foster youth from the following demographics: Hispanic (62%), Black (16%), and White Non-Hispanic (17%) from low-income neighborhoods, youth with disabilities, and families from impoverished neighborhoods in Fresno County who have been negatively impacted by the pandemic.
During the course of the pandemic, CASA represents that there has been an increase in court cases, longer waiting periods, and increased demand to help at-risk foster youth experiencing social emotional distress, anxiety, stress from the uncertainty, and to assist youth experiencing academic challenges with distance learning. CASA represents that in partnership with Fresno County’s Department of Social Services, it endeavors to improve delays in social service delivery, in particular emergency placement of youth by providing an advocate supervisor that will seek timely placements of youth when initially removed from their home.
SLFRF provided under the recommended agreement will address the negative impacts of the pandemic on child welfare, will provide funding assistance to help fund operational expenses for the implementation of CASA’s mission to recruit advocates to represent the best interest of the children and youth while they navigate the foster care system, assist to find emergency placement of foster youth, and improve employee retention, and consists of expenditures related to program administration, personnel salaries and benefits, training events, social events for foster youth, volunteer appreciation events, emergency materials and supplies for foster youth, marketing and advertisement for volunteer recruitments, transportation, and educational resources and services, which were impacted by the pandemic.
The Final Rule presumes that nonprofit organizations that serve impacted populations, low and moderate-income households, including programs and services that benefit areas in Qualified Census Tracts have experienced negative economic impacts from the pandemic. Furthermore, the Final Rule emphasized that the pandemic placed meaningful strain on the child welfare and foster care system due to a rise of new children entering the foster care system and many states placing temporary moratoria on children aging out of the foster care system. Court hearings were delayed, essential mental health care was shifted to a virtual environment, and attendance and performance in school among foster children dropped sharply because of the public health emergency. The Final Rule observes that the pandemic negatively impacted child welfare and the foster care system whether through loss of a caregiver, domestic violence, or other associated costs of the pandemic; therefore, programs that decrease the hardships to child welfare are responsive to the public health emergency or its negative impacts of the pandemic.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #7, June 21, 2022
BAI #3, February 1, 2022
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Agreement with CASA
CAO ANALYST:
George Uc