AGENDA STAFF REPORT

Agenda Item AGENDA STAFF REPORT ASR Control 18-000870
MEETING DATE:	10/16/18
legal entity taking action:	Board of Supervisors
board of supervisors district(s):	1, 3, 4
SUBMITTING Agency/Department:	OC Community Resources (Approved)
Department contact person(s):	Dylan Wright (714) 480-2788
	Jim Wheeler (714) 480-2804

Subject: Approve Contract with The Chrysalis Center

ceo CONCUR

County Counsel Review

Clerk of the Board

Concur

Approved Agreement to Form

Discussion

3 Votes Board Majority

Budgeted: Yes

Current Year Cost: $200,000

Annual Cost: N/A

Staffing Impact:

# of Positions:

Sole Source: Yes

Current Fiscal Year Revenue: N/A

Funding Source: GF: 100%	County Audit in last 3 years: No

Prior Board Action: N/A

RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):

Approve and authorize the OC Community Resources Director or designee to execute the Contract with The Chrysalis Center for homeless prevention supportive services for a contract total amount of $200,000, for the period of November 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019.

Authorize the OC Community Resources Director or designee to exercise a contingency cost increase or decrease in an amount not to exceed 10% of the first year amount of the Contract and to make line item budget transfers and corresponding changes to units to service within the existing scope of work, pursuant to County Contract Policy Manual Section 3.4-114.

SUMMARY:

Approval of the Contract with The Chrysalis Center will provide client outreach and engagement, job readiness and barrier removal services, job search assistance and support, transitional employment opportunities and job retention support to the County's homeless population and help drive ongoing regional coordination of resources to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Orange County.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Many people experiencing homelessness want to work, and, many are employed but earn too little to meet their basic needs. As of August 2018, there were 78 Courtyard Transitional Center clients with employment. People experiencing homelessness and those with multiple vulnerabilities can succeed with the right opportunities, training, and supports.

One of the most effective ways to support individuals as they transition out of homelessness and into permanent housing is increasing access to meaningful and sustainable career training and employment. By coordinating workforce development and homelessness services and housing systems, those experiencing homelessness can better connect to career pathways that can help them achieve stability and pursue their own goals. Employment leads to improved quality of life, better health, increased self-confidence and reduced chances of recidivism to the streets.

As part of the County’s effort to provide resources and support to individuals experiencing homelessness, The Chrysalis Center (Chrysalis) will provide employment services focused on assisting local homeless residents to become ready for a job, secure a job and retain a job. Chrysalis will work collaboratively with County staff, North Orange County cities including Anaheim, as well as partners throughout the Orange County Continuum of Care (CoC), to support regional efforts to address homelessness.

Founded in 1984 near downtown Los Angeles, Chrysalis is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a pathway to self-sufficiency for homeless and low-income individuals by providing the resources and support needed to find and retain employment. Since their inception, Chrysalis has served over 60,000 individuals in finding meaningful employment. Currently, Chrysalis has three locations throughout Los Angeles County: downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Pacoima.

If approved, Chrysalis will work closely with the County and other agencies in the CoC to provide outreach and engagement to potential clients for the program. Outreach will include presentations at County funded shelters, including Bridges at Kraemer Place in Anaheim and The Courtyard Transitional Center in Santa Ana.

Chrysalis’ employment workshops, resources, businesses and enrichment programs are designed to improve clients’ job search skills, self-confidence and employability. They seek to instill in clients’ good work habits and soft skills that are crucial to success in any work environment.

Chrysalis also has a transitional employment program, Chrysalis Enterprises – that has become a recognized and proven best practice model for serving individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as those formerly incarcerated, to help them reenter the mainstream workforce and achieve self-sufficiency

The following are the three primary components to Chrysalis’ Employment Program:

Job Readiness:

All incoming clients enter a self-directed program, based on a self-sufficiency model, wherein they receive intensive support as they search for work for themselves. Clients first attend an orientation and subsequent job-preparation classes designed to reacquaint them with the working world.

In tandem with class instruction, clients begin case management and career counseling with an assigned Employment Specialist. Employment Specialists are trained to formulate practical career plans with clients, hone clients’ work habits and offer valuable encouragement to cultivate success on the job. They also refer clients to resources and services within Chrysalis, as well as necessary services provided by partner agencies, such as temporary housing, substance abuse and health services and education.

Chrysalis Enterprises:

For those clients who are unable to find employment through the self-directed program, Chrysalis offers paid transitional employment with in-house Chrysalis Enterprises businesses to get them started on the road to permanent, outside employment. Transitional jobs deliver marketable experience and job skills and provide a closely supervised, supportive working environment that allows clients to prove themselves as reliable, capable workers.

Job Retention:

Finally, once clients have secured employment, Chrysalis provides ongoing job-retention assistance for clients to learn how to manage and maintain a job and improve their career. In addition, Employment Specialists meet one-on-one with employed clients to formulate career goals and develop strategies for attaining them. Chrysalis understands the value of maintaining employment in the trajectory of a person’s career and pathway out of poverty. Through the program, clients are able to gain long-term stability and make permanent personal and lifestyle changes.

In 2017, Chrysalis clients secured 1,752 outside jobs; and 1,139 clients received income through Chrysalis Enterprises for a total of 2,891 jobs.

Chrysalis projects that for the contract period in Orange County in 2019 they will serve 225 people, creating 75 outside jobs, and 49 transitional jobs through Chrysalis Enterprises.

A Sole Source Request Form is attached to this Agenda Staff Report. This contract does not include subcontractors or pass through to other providers. See Attachment C for Contract Summary Form.

Approval of this program will create a pathway out of homelessness for individuals who are able to work and need assistance in securing and maintaining employment while staying at county operated shelters and engaging in supportive services. In order to deliver this integral component and engage in providing these services by early November, this Agenda Staff Report is coming to the Board for approval less than 30 days before commencement of the Contract. Assisting individuals to increase their income will improve the number of individuals exiting our shelter system into appropriate permanent housing opportunities.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

Appropriations for this contract are included in the FY 2018-19 Budget and will be included in the budgeting process for future years, if applicable.

STAFFING IMPACT:

N/A

ATTACHMENT(S):

Attachment A - Contract #18-23-0050-CoC with The Chrysalis Center
Attachment B - Approved Sole Source Request Form
Attachment C - Contract Summary Form