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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 09232014 - C.78RECOMMENDATION(S): ACCEPT a report on the Oversight of the Service Integration Program provided by the Employment and Human Services Department as recommended by the Family and Human Services Committee. FISCAL IMPACT: None BACKGROUND: The Employment and Human Services Department reports annually to the Family and Human Services Committee on the activities and achievements of the program. On September 8, 2014 the Committee heard the 2014 annual report and directed staff to transmit the written report to the Board of Supervisors for their information. The report is attached. CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION: The Board and the public will not receive current information. CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT: Not applicable. APPROVE OTHER RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE Action of Board On: 09/23/2014 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER Clerks Notes: VOTE OF SUPERVISORS AYE:John Gioia, District I Supervisor Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor ABSENT:Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor Contact: Dorothy Sansoe, 925-335-1009 I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown. ATTESTED: September 23, 2014 David Twa, County Administrator and Clerk of the Board of Supervisors By: Stacey M. Boyd, Deputy cc: C. 78 To:Board of Supervisors From:FAMILY & HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE Date:September 23, 2014 Contra Costa County Subject:Oversight of the Service Integration Program ATTACHMENTS SIT Annual Report 2014 TO: FROM: SUBJECT DATE: RECOMM ACCEPT th Service Int EXECUT Established locates Co neighborho meet the s resident-dr Integration program co building ac Currently th Richmond, neighborho Those pub to other se Center has agencies w stable and The Servic that improv Integration outcomes f Ñ Dev to su integ Ñ Red whic Family a Supervis Supervis Paul Bu : Report o Septem MENDATI he attached egration Pr IVE SUM d in 1994, t unty and no ood-based c pecific need riven efforts Team (SIT omponents ctivities. he integrate the SIT Fa ood can rec lic services rvices that s transforme work togethe thrive. ce Integratio ve outcome innovation for County veloping new upport this grated case defining Cou ch our publ and Human sor Federa sor Candac ddenhagen on the Cont ber 8, 2014 ION d report on rogram & S MARY the Contra onprofit age centers to p ds and goa s to revitaliz T) model ste : (1) integra ed services amily Servic ceive public s are bolste help them ed into Spa er and with on Program es for low-in s from yea departmen w paradigm work, inclu e managem unty-comm ic agencies n Services C l D. Glover, ce Anderse n -- Assista tra Costa C 4 the activitie SparkPoint Costa Coun ency servic provide acc als of low-in ze their com ems from th ated case m s model has ces Center c benefits w red by 5-10 live healthie arkPoint Ea h EHSD to h m/SparkPoin ncome child rs past, wh ts: ms of inter-a ding cross- ment system unity partne s work with Committee , District V, n, Vice Cha ant Director County Serv es and achi nty Service ce providers cessible, co ncome famil mmunities. T he synergis managemen s taken two is primarily without trave 0 MSW inte er lives. In st Contra C help low inc nt is a leade dren, youth ich provide agency colla -agency info m and an ef erships to h residents o Chair air r, Policy & P vice Integra ievements e Integration s and comm oordinated s lies, while a The succes stic relations nt services o forms in C y a place wh eling to har erns who he Bay Point t Costa – a p come reside er in creatin and familie e a roadmap aboration a ormation-sh ffective fam help fundam of low-incom Planning ation Progra of the Cont n/SparkPoi munity resid social servi also engag ss of this pr ship betwe and (2) ne Contra Cost here people rder to reac elp resident the SIT Fam lace where ents becom ng public/pr es. Followi p to further and creating haring proto mily confere mentally sh me commu am/SparkPo tra Costa C nt Program dents in ces tailored ing families rogram’s Se en its two k ighborhood a. In North e in the ch county of ts get conn mily Service e several no me economi rivate strate ng are Serv ways to im g necessary ocols, an ncing mode ift the way nities. oint County m co- d to s in ervice key d- ffices. ected es onprofit ically egies vice mprove y tools el. in 2 Ñ Launching new initiatives and strategies, such as free tax preparation services (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance), community career centers, employment-focused service delivery, County--Schools projects, the Supporting Fathers Involvement Program, SparkPoint and others. The success and promise of the Service Integration model is evident in the measurable improvements achieved in the lives of the children, families and communities it serves. Recent examples of Service Integration Program outcome measures include: Ñ For the 2014 tax season SparkPoint’s Bay Point Works’ staff prepared and filed 541 tax returns – more than any other site in the County, and a Bay Point record! -- saving low-income community residents about $55,000 in filing fees, while helping put $841,728 in federal tax refunds back in the pockets of working poor Bay Point residents (and circulating in the local economy). Significantly, $337,088 in Earned Income Tax Credit was returned to families for whom SparkPoint staff prepared and filed taxes. EITC is the most effective government anti-poverty program and recently has received bipartisan support at the Federal level. Ñ North Richmond SIT, under Denise Carey’s leadership, partnered with County Supervisor John Gioia, the San Pablo City Council and the Jr. Giants to start the first little league in North Richmond. Last month a member of the Giants Community Fund Board of Directors made a site visit to assess the North Richmond Jr. Giants and had this to say, Hi Denise, It was great being with you last week. Your program is the most impressive one I have seen in my years visiting various leagues. I was especially pleased to see your emphasis on reading and character development. I very much enjoyed talking with the parents and I loved the cheerleaders! Thanks again, Denise, for the great work you are doing for the children of Richmond- North San Pablo. Tom Nolan Due to the effectiveness of this model, the Service Integration Program has received local, state and national awards; has been the subject of articles and research studies; and frequently is represented by Service Integration staff at conferences as a “best practice” model. 3 The Service Integration Program has been successful in leveraging its positive outcomes to raise money for new innovative programs that benefit Contra Costa’s most impoverished families. The chart below contrasts SIT’s private revenue with net county cost during the past eleven years. During the past two years no staff has worked on fund development, thus the drastic drop-off in non-county grant funded revenue. SIT Revenue 2002– 2014 NCC VS Non County $‐ $100,000 $200,000 $300,000 $400,000 $500,000 $600,000 $700,000 $800,000 $900,000 2002/03 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011‐12 2012‐13 2013‐14 Net County Cost Grant Funded Revenue BACKGR Established started as a (Employme community Program’s working wit providers: f economica profit agen provide acc of low-inco their comm The succes relationship services an component Abuse and Family Res located in B Based on t inter-relate family unit, driven by a families wit disciplinary reducing co The Servic (BPW) and recognition necessary, communitie to harness communitie programs ( local cultur Perhaps m term capac the skills of back to the live. ROUND d in the Co a multi-disc ent & Huma y-based org two Family th families t families inv ally disadva cy service cessible, co ome families munities. ss of the Se p between nd (2) neigh t placed cro Mental He source Wor Bay Point a the premise ed, these tea rather than and custom th more per y approach onflicting ex ce Integratio d the North n that an int , but not su es of Bay P the talents es. This str (designed s res and trad most importa city of the B f numerous eir commun unty Admin ciplinary co an Services ganizations y Service Ce that historic volved in tw ntaged com providers a oordinated s, while also ervice Integ its two key hborhood-b oss-disciplin ealth Couns rkers, Socia and North R e that the ch ams embra n just the in ized to eac rsonalized s produced a xpectations on Program Richmond tegrated tea fficient mec Point and No s and skills o rategy has specifically ditions and ant of all, th Bay Point an s neighborh ities and bu nistrator’s o llaboration s, Health Se (CBOs) an enters were cally have p wo or more c mmunities. and commu public serv o engaging gration Prog program co building acti nary Servic selors, Emp al Workers Richmond. hallenges fa aced a holis ndividual, an ch family’s u services in a comprehe s and dema m’s two neig Empowerm am of count chanism for orth Richm of neighbor galvanized by and for fill critical g he neighbor nd North Ri hood reside uild stronge 4 ffice in 199 of three Co ervices and nd neighbor e designed posed some county syst This uniqu nity residen vices tailore g families in gram mode omponents ivities. The ce Integratio ployment Sp and other s acing low-in stic approac nd built upo unique circu the commu ensive, con ands made ghborhood-b ment Collab ty and com r addressin ond/San Pa rhood resid the creatio community gaps in the rhood-build ichmond/Sa nts and pro er connectio 94, the Serv ontra Costa d Probation rhood resid to take an e of the gre tems who li ue model co nts in neigh ed to meet t n resident-d el stemmed s: (1) integra integrated on Teams c pecialists, P specialists i ncome fam ch. The tea on family st umstances unities whe nsistent stra by different building pro borative (NR mmunity-bas g the full ra ablo. BPW dents in the on of highly y members) formal serv ing projects an Pablo co oviding opp ons in the n vice Integra a County de ), two scho ents. The S innovative eatest challe ive in the C o-located C hborhood-b the specific driven effort from the sy ated case m case mana comprised o Probation O in Family S milies and co ams focuse trengths to . In additio ere they live ategy for ea t programs ojects, Bay REC), were sed organiz ange of cha W and NREC process of y innovative ) that suppo vice deliver s have expa ommunities portunities fo neighborhoo ation Progra epartments ool districts, Service Inte approach t enges to se County’s mo County and ased cente needs and ts to revitali ynergistic manageme agement se of Substan Officers, Sc Service Cen ommunities ed on the w provide ser on to provid e, this multi- ach family, . Point Work e born out o zation staff allenges fac C were des f revitalizing e and succe ort and build ry system. anded the l s by develo or them to ods where am egration to ervice ost non- ers to d goals ize nt ervices ce hool nters s are whole rvices ing - ks of the was a cing the signed g their essful d upon long- ping give they j BPW’s com Career Cen has strengt jobs, keep supportive as free inco benefits of children of NREC’s co employmen creating se Community having bee employmen residents: l School. Th Program, w Elementary program w This report summarize improving t 20 years. SERVICE Since its in the develop youth and f “agency se process of small, inter outside con As a result unusual to innovations services to Due to the local, state studies, inc Urban Tran University o partnering Case Study which high mmunity-bu nter in May thened its s jobs and m services th ome tax pre the Earned “working p ommunity-b nt. Early su everal in-ho y Career Re en spun off nt, NREC d low levels o his focus re which has p y School ov as later exp t to the Fam es some of the wellbein E INTEGR nception 20 pment of su families. T ervice provid addressing r-agency pr ntracts to co , Service In public sect s that have o children, fa effectivene ewide and n cluding: No nsit Agency of California with A.C. T y on North lights the V ilding effort y 1998 and services an move up the hat go well b eparation fo d Income Ta oor” parent building acti uccesses in ome family d esource Ce to a CBO in decided to t of student s esulted in th played a crit ver the past panded to H mily and Hu the Service ng of Contr RATION P years ago, uccessful st he Service der” model g the needs rogram draw omplement ntegration h tor agencie laid the fou amilies and ess of the S national reco rth Richmo y Struck Up a, Berkeley Transit to br Richmond VIP Program ts started w have expan d, in turn, h e job ladder beyond the or low-incom ax Credit (E ts during sc vities also i ncluded rein day care ce enter, which n 2000. Aft ake on an i success and he establish tical role in t seven yea Helms Midd man Servic e Integration ra Costa’s c PROGRAM , the Servic trategies th Integration by involvin s and aspira ws down fle t more tradi has manage s. SIT has undations fo d communit Service Inte ognition an ond Gets Its p a Partners y, 1999), wh ring night-ti (Abt Assoc m as a succ 5 with the esta nded stead helped mor r. In recent e traditional me Bay Po EITC) and f chool holida initially focu nstituting ni enters and e h continues fter making issue of gre d parental i hment of NR initiating a ars. With pr dle School a ces Commit n Program’ children, fam M AS A L ce Integratio hat improve n Program r ng low-incom ations of the exible fundi itional fede ed to maint launched p or the deve ties countyw gration mo nd has been s Buses Bac ship (Institu hich focuse me bus ser ciates, on b cessful mod ablishment ily from the re and more t years, BPW employme int workers free structu ays. used on boo ight bus se establishing s to serve n a number o eat importa nvolvemen REC’s Verd nd sustaini rivate found and Nystro ttee of the s key innov milies and c LEADER I on Program e outcomes reaches far me residen e neighborh ng from pri ral, state an tain a flexib programma elopment of wide. del, Contra n the subjec ck: How a P te of Gover es on NREC rvice back t ehalf of the del of schoo of the Bay ere. Every e Bay Point W has offer ent services s to help the ured activitie osting neig ervices in No g the North eighborhoo of strides in ance to neig nt at Verde de Involving ng the rena dation supp om Element Board of S vations and communitie IN “BEST m has emerg for low-inc r beyond th nts as integr hoods whe ivate found nd county f ility and inv atic, fiscal a f more effec a Costa Cou ct of resear Poor Comm rnmental S C’s success to North Ric e Ford Foun ol-commun Point Com year since, t residents g red a numb s package, em capture es for the y hborhood orth Richm h Richmond od residents n the area o ghborhood Elementary g Parents (V aissance of port, the VIP tary School upervisors d contributio es over the T PRACT ged as a le ome childre e traditiona ral partners re they live ations and funding stre ventiveness and organiz ctive and ef unty has re rch papers munity and tudies Pres sful strategy chmond; an ndation, 20 ity revitaliza mmunity BPW get ber of such the young ond, d s after of y VIP) f Verde P . ons to past ICES” eader in en, al s in the e. This eams. s zational fficient ceived and an ss, y for nd A 04), ation. 6 The latter study credits VIP as being “largely responsible for the major improvements in school attendance, parent involvement and student behavior that have taken place at Verde…” four years ago the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University highlighted SIT’s VIP program as a best practice intervention in their report, Present, Engaged, and Accounted for: The Critical Importance of Addressing Chronic Absenteeism in the Early Grades. Last year the Service Integration Program finished a fatherhood study – Supporting Father Involvement -- that was evaluated by researchers at UC Berkeley and Yale and included in the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare. Some of the Service Integration Program’s major areas of innovation are summarized below: Inter-Agency Collaboration: Service Integration has been at the vanguard of Contra Costa’s efforts to develop effective models of collaboration and cross- program and agency partnerships, paving the way for greater collaboration countywide. Service Integration has developed new organizational structures to support this collaboration at the management oversight level (e.g., the inter-agency Service Integration Executive Oversight Committee), as well as at the frontline service delivery level (e.g., multi-disciplinary teams). The infrastructure and tools established through Service Integration’s partnership model and the relationships that have formed as a result have laid the groundwork for and facilitated the success of many other inter-agency initiatives. County-Community Partnerships: Service Integration has redefined relationships between public agencies and residents of low-income neighborhoods while developing a viable model for bridging the all too common gap between agency “service providers” and the communities they serve. In 1997, in the wake of Federal Welfare Reform, each of the SIT sites engaged neighborhood residents in planning efforts to determine how these communities could succeed in this new policy environment. These efforts resulted in the establishment of two innovative community-building projects, Bay Point Works and the North Richmond Empowerment Collaboration. Last year we surveyed Bay Point residents to find out how we could better help them into economic stability. The results of this survey will lead the way in our effort to partner with community based nonprofit organizations. Cross-Agency Information-Sharing: Working together, key Service Integration partner agencies (i.e., EHSD, CCHS, Probation, CAO) and County Counsel developed Contra Costa’s first informed consent agreement for integrated services in 1994. This confidentiality release gives permission for Service Integration staff from participating agencies to share information to better serve families. This “Agreement to Participate” form served as a model for more recent integrated services programs, such as the mental health “Spirit of Caring” Initiative, and contributed to the establishment of the Service Integration Program as Contra Costa’s first official “Multi-Disciplinary Children’s Services Team”. Outcomes/Performance-Based Accountability: Service Integration spearheaded Contra Costa County’s early efforts to implement performance-based accountability. In the early- and mid-1990’s, the inter-agency Service Integration Management Team developed a set of meaningful outcomes that could be used to evaluate the success of the Service Integration Program by concretely measuring the program’s impact on the lives of children and families. Service Integration staff has diligently tracked these program results since 1996. Service Integration’s novel approach led 7 to wider adoption of outcome measures by other County programs and laid the groundwork for the 1997 establishment of Contra Costa’s Children and Families Report Card. Leveraging Public and Private Investments: Service Integration designed its fiscal strategy around encouraging private foundations and other funders who do not typically support county ventures to invest in innovation in the public sector. Through its strong track record of capturing measurable results, promoting public-private partnerships and engaging community residents in the process of bettering their neighborhoods and their lives, Service Integration has helped to convince many new funding partners that investments in the public sector can galvanize sustainable individual, family, neighborhood and systems change. This is an area that should be reemphasized and enhanced. Holistic, Integrated Case Management System: The Service Integration Program pioneered the County’s first integrated case management process. Focusing on the whole family unit, rather than just the individual, this process allows SIT staff to build upon family strengths and provide services driven by and tailored to each family’s unique needs. Service Integration created the Family Assessment Record to support the development of comprehensive plans for addressing issues in a range of interdependent life domains, such as child care, child and adult health, transportation, school, employment and other social supports. First developed in 1995, this tool and the SIT case management process as a whole have been refined over the years to support continuous improvement and better integration of Service Integration services. SIT staff, funded by a generous grant from the S.H. Cowell Foundation is nearing the end of a 2 year project to re-evaluate the case management model and make updates. One of the interesting findings is that in order to truly strengthen individuals and families we also have to strengthen the communities in which they live. We are embarking on a community development/organizing model in Bay Point and have hired organizers who are working with residents this year. Family Conferencing: The Service Integration Program’s “Family Conferencing” model brought a new way of doing business to Contra Costa County. Service Integration began conducting inter-agency case conferences with client families in the mid-1990s. The success of our family conferencing model helped open the doors for similar family-focused models in Contra Costa, such as “Wraparound” in Children’s Mental Health and “Team Decision Making” in Children and Family Services. Employment-Focused Service Delivery: In 1995, prior to the passage of Welfare Reform, Service Integration was the first County program to implement an employment-focused service delivery model. The Service Integration model transitioned “eligibility workers” into “employment case managers” and tapped into the resources of all disciplines to move welfare recipients into the workforce. Due to the effectiveness of this model, the Service Integration Program was invited to co- develop EHSD’s redesign plan for restructuring its eligibility determination function into an employment-focused service delivery strategy. Free Tax Preparation Services (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance): In 2003, the Service Integration Program piloted Contra Costa’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) free tax preparation model at the Bay Point and North Richmond SIT alo ca W Co the Ca Ca ba co Ce en Ve Fe stu an tim an Sc an Su an an Pr rep tea Sc Su Fa the on wo ini Moving F One of the community allowed SIT recession’s highs, obes modest. H safety net w Program is departmen businesses T sites. Ba ong with a n ampaign in 2 orks VITA s ommunity e Bay Point areer Cente areer Cente ased employ ommunities enter contin nrolled as m erde Involv ebruary 200 udents, tea nd work in N me and read nd parent in chool Distric nd 04/05 sc uperintende nd staff from nd training o rogram pres plication eff achers and chool to imp upporting F ather Involv e child welf ne of five sit orking with tiative state Forward: Service Int y need in a T to pilot m s icy grip on sity is more How health a will significa s taking up t ts, nonprof s to rethink ased on the number of o 2004: Earn site filed mo Career Ce t Communit er system. er in North R yment reso of Bay Poin nues to be a members of ving Paren 01, has reap chers and c North Richm dy to learn. nvolvement ct (WCCUS hool years. ent Dr. Glor m four low-p on the VIP s sented the W forts. In the administra plement the Father Invo vement Prog fare system tes statewid CDSS to fu ewide. SIT As a tegration P collaborativ any new id n the poor i e prevalent and human antly impac this challen fit agencies and reorga e success o other partne n It! Keep It! ore tax retu nters: In M ty Career C In January Richmond. ources deliv nt and Nort a heavily ut the Career ts (VIP): Se ped impres county age mond. Thei Due to the at Verde E SD) investe . During the ria Johnston performing school imp WCCUSD w e last year S ators at Nys e “involving olvement ( gram -- an m quickly an de to provid urther evalu a Model fo rogram’s st ve, public-p eas that we s starting to than ever, n services a ct the future nge by work , schools, c anize a frac 8 of this pilot, er agencies ! Save It! C urns than an May 1998, B Center, a fo 2000, NRE The Caree vered via a th Richmon tilized hub i r Center sin ervice Integ ssive results ncies and n ir goal: get e dramatic Elementary d $125,000 e first half o n, the VIP s elementary rovement m with a Train SIT has exp strom Eleme parents’ m (SFI): In 20 evidence b nd safely an de the SFI p uate the mo or Chang trengths is private, outc ere then rep o slip, unem school test agencies re e of our com king closely community ctured and w Service Int s, in launch Contra Costa ny of the Co Bay Point S orerunner to EC establis er Centers neighbor-h nd. The Ba in the comm nce it opene gration’s VI s. VIP is a non-profit o our childre impact of V School, the 0 in the VIP of 2004, at staff and ma y schools to model. In s ning Handb panded by w entary Sch model at tho 012 SIT wra based progr nd not reent program. C odel and pu e – Spark its flexibility comes focu plicated in mployment t scores are spond to th mmunities. y with local colleges, p wobbling sa tegration pl hing a coun a. This yea ounty’s VIT SIT’s BPW p o the Count shed a seco introduced helping-neig y Point Com munity; 7,56 ed in 1998! P Program team effort organization n to school VIP on stud e West Con P Program d the reques anagers me o offer techn summer 200 book to sup working wit ool and He ose two sch apped up th ram that he ter. North R Currently gra ush for adop kPoint y to respon used way. T other locati rates rema e falling and his crisis to The Servic residents, c private foun afety net sy ayed a lead tywide VITA ar, the Bay TA sites. project esta ty’s One-St ond Commu community ghbor mode mmunity Ca 63 people h m, establishe t of parents n staff who l – every da ent attenda ntra Costa U during the 0 st of WCCU et with prin nical assist 04, the VIP pport its VIP th parents, elms Middle ools. he Supportin elps families Richmond S ant PI’s are ption as a fu d to local, This dexter ions. Thou ain near 20 d budgets a remake the ce Integratio county dations, an ystem. Cre d role, A Point ablished op unity y- el to the areer have ed in s, live ay, on ance Unified 03/04 SD cipals tance P e ng s exit SIT was e unded rity has ugh the year are still e social on nd ating a 9 new system that builds collaborative goals and brings leveraged resources to bear on the problems of poverty is our current focus. This focus and thinking has led us to SparkPoint, a strong antipoverty approach that is now three years old in Richmond and Bay Point. In Bay Point, the Service Integration Program in partnership with nonprofit, funder and government leaders transitioned the SIT model into SparkPoint. We are building on years of community based services to transition our focus from general family support to specific economic support. The SparkPoint center opened to the public in June 2011 with a focus on helping low-income people from East County become economically self-sufficient. We measure four specific outcomes over three years: 9 Reducing Debt to no more than 40% of take home pay 9 Improving Credit Scores to 650 and above 9 Increasing income through getting a job 9 Increasing assets by amassing three months of liquid savings 2013/14 SparkPoint Contra Costa-East County Data 593 low-income East County residents came to SparkPoint for workshops or individualized services. We provided intensive, one-on-one services to 324 people and had the following outcomes related to those 324 people: • 75% achieved a 30% positive change toward one or more of the SparkPoint goals -- Debt, Credit, Income and/or Assets (85% achieved at least a 5% positive change). • 18% of members reduced their debt to less than 40% of their income. • 279 residents received job coaching, resume preparation, interview skills and job placement services. 133 found employment at an average starting wage of $14.93/hour; 56 entered vocational training. • 41% of participants increased income by at least 5% • 25% of participants increased savings by at least 5% • 24 families participated in the matched savings program – 13 toward purchasing homes, five toward starting a business and four toward going to college. • 541 income tax returns filed, putting $841,728 back into Bay Point resident’s pockets, which also boosts the local economy. • 68% of members used more than one SparkPoint service. 10 • 65% of SparkPoint members receive some form of public benefits (CalWORKS, food stamps, medical, etc). We have raised more than $1.3M from private foundations and corporate funds in support of the SparkPoint Center and helped nearly 1,300 East County residents in the first three years. The Employment and Human Services Department, via Service Integration, has been the lead agency for SparkPoint Contra Costa-East since its opening and has helped develop this new public/private model. In January of this year, SparkPoint East Contra Costa and SparkPoint West Contra Costa merged to become SparkPoint Contra Costa. The use of best practices across sites led by a merged Steering Committee and one Director has resulted in both sites achieving Gold status on performance-based standards established by United Way of the Bay Area, making them a stellar SparkPoint center. This partnership leverages public funds to drive superior outcomes for the public sector and for low-income people in general by building on the strengths of nonprofit and government agencies that have similar missions. SparkPoint would not have been possible in East County without the existing Service Integration framework. Our hope is to build a similar, but smaller version in North Richmond using the SIT program there as a springboard to the next iteration of the model. Thank you for your continued support.